Great Dao

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Dao Mechanisms

Sequence Ladders and Divine Positions

The Great Dao organizes individual disciplines into sequence spaces where cultivators compete for recognized ranks and divine positions. Li Qingyun first perceives the Lightning Method sequence as a mysterious ranking ladder that recognizes and rewards profound mastery of lightning arts 115.

• The Lightning Method sequence initially contains six seats occupied by cultivators whose lightning attainments exceed Li Qingyun's own 115.
• Reaching the Thunder Duke position grants Li Qingyun a bronze seat, a lightning ring, and a lightning cone with which to command divine lightning 180.
• The higher Thunder Emperor rank is represented by three golden divine thrones; its Lightning Dharma body's size is tied to the state of the cultivator's Yang God body 280.
• Cultivators regard forcibly suppressing another's ascent as dangerous, warning that the Great Dao may retaliate against those who interfere 179.
• The Lightning Method staircase permits later challengers to resist suppression from those above; the final outcome depends upon the contestants' respective foundations 180.

Multiple Great Dao Paths

The Great Dao encompasses far more than lightning techniques. Sword arts are explicitly recognized as one of the Great Daos, while fire, talisman, curse, earth, water, and other methods likewise possess distinct paths and divine-rank sequences 157 744.

• Daoist magic traces may be recorded as distinct lights on a Dao scroll, including lightning, illusion, sword, stabilization, escape, formations, and talisman arts 201.
• High attainment in a discipline is reflected in a corresponding divine position, such as a third-tier Sword Dao position or a second-tier Fire Emissary position 394.
• Each Great Dao can possess an initial or primordial qi at its origin; Li Qingyun identifies Primordial Lightning Beginning Qi, Origin Flame Qi, and Primordial Sword Qi as crucial to higher advancement 762 768 769.

Three Thousand Innate Great Daos

The Three Thousand Great Daos are the innate Dao imprints of Ancestor Binding Heaven, rather than derivatives of Wei Zu Heaven's Guǐ Dao path. They preserve the traces of an Innate Divine Spirit's existence and encompass all laws 926.

• An Innate Divine Spirit naturally possesses the Three Thousand Great Dao sequences and inherently understands their laws 926.
• During the formation of a Great Thousand, the Three Thousand manifest as phantom trajectories within primordial chaos, carrying the faint auras of paths such as gold, wood, water, fire, earth, lightning, sword, curse, and talisman 1088.
• Should Wei Zu Heaven completely devour Ancestor Binding Heaven's remains, the Three Thousand Great Daos would vanish back into the universe's void 926.
• Li Qingyun restores the blocked Talisman Arts Great Dao sequence ladder and leaves his mark at its end despite Wei Zu Heaven's interference 926.
• After defeating the Guǐ Ancestor's phantom within the sequence space, Li Qingyun becomes the new Master of the Three Thousand Great Daos, replacing Ancestor Binding Heaven's remnant 927.

Dao Trajectories

At sufficiently high levels, a cultivator's Dao manifests in the Netherworld Void as a trajectory whose form, height, and placement reflect its foundation and recognition.

• Saint-level trajectories can resemble peaks, mountains, abysses, lamps, divine turtles, or other vast forms; their magnitude and location reveal the standing of the Dao behind them 1402.
• Dao trajectories nearer the center of the Netherworld Void are fewer and more prominent, signifying superior Great Dao achievements 1402.
• Li Qingyun's Mortal Dao appears as a giant tree of azure lamp fire. As his ninth Primordial Mark nears completion, the Netherworld Void begins drawing its trajectory toward the Dao forest's center 1402.
• The fully manifested ninth Primordial Mark elevates Li Qingyun's Great Dao attainment to the Void Saint level, though the Primordial Beginning's restrictions prevent him from holding a permanent true Saint position 1403.
• Great Dao conflicts can damage trajectories, but the Netherworld Void is capable of repairing the resulting cracks through deeper, unknown Dao power 1404.

Mortal Dao

Li Qingyun's Mortal Dao is a new path formed after his complete proof of the Three Thousand Innate Great Daos. It does not belong to the Three Thousand, though it retains a subtle connection to them 927 1088.

Its stated principles are that every mortal should have the chance to ascend, that ordinary worlds may bloom through perseverance, and that the innumerable lights of mortal lives should fuel the Dao 928.

• Countless mortal wishes converge upon the newly founded path, causing its lamp-like trajectory to grow brighter and more substantial 928.
• The Mortal Dao later develops into the Human Race Cosmos Law, allowing Li Qingyun to establish himself as the source of native Daos after successfully manifesting his rune 1677 1774.
• Against Xi Yixian's Eternal Light technique, the Mortal Dao subdues the wills of flowers, grass, birds, fish, and other myriad things by manifesting mortals who cultivate, travel, and shape their world 1774.

Relationships

• Ancestor Binding Heaven — The Three Thousand Innate Great Daos are her innate imprints; her fading remnant is replaced by Li Qingyun as their master 926 927.
• Wei Zu Heaven — Its attempted absorption of Ancestor Binding Heaven threatens the continued existence of the Three Thousand Great Daos, and it opposes Li Qingyun's restoration of the Talisman Arts sequence 926.
• Li Qingyun — A cultivator who rises through multiple Great Dao sequences, proves the Three Thousand Innate Great Daos, establishes the Mortal Dao, and ultimately becomes their new master 180 926 928.
• Innate Divine Spirits — Beings who naturally possess the Three Thousand Great Daos and their laws from birth 926 1088.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• The Lightning Method sequence first demonstrates the Great Dao's competitive structure when Li Qingyun ascends against the suppression of established Thunder Dukes and claims the seventh Thunder Duke seat 179 180.
• Li Qingyun later contends for the Thunder Emperor rank, causing his Lightning Dharma body to expand to nine zhang and nine chi 280.
• The nature of the Three Thousand Great Daos is revealed during Li Qingyun's conflict with Wei Zu Heaven, leading him to restore the Talisman Arts sequence and claim mastery over all Three Thousand 926 927.
• Li Qingyun defines the Mortal Dao through the aspirations and perseverance of ordinary mortals, creating a Dao path distinct from the Innate Great Daos 928.
• His completed ninth Primordial Mark draws the Mortal Dao's trajectory toward the center of the Netherworld Void, provoking opposition from Denguāng Joyful Buddha and other powerful Dao trajectories 1402 1403.
• The Mortal Dao ultimately becomes the Human Race Cosmos Law, enabling Li Qingyun to establish a native Dao framework independent of the Eternal path 1677 1774.