However, Qing Huan's eyebrows immediately relaxed, as quickly as if they had never changed.
A faint, timeless enlightenment flickered in the depths of his profound eyes.
I saw the humility and fear that remained on the Six-Eared Macaque's body, worn down by time and almost ingrained in its bones; I saw the almost desperate silence hidden deep within those six ears, settled from millennia of wandering and endless rejection.
The monkey had already been deeply taught a lesson by the proverb "the Law is not transmitted to the ears" and the ensuing Primordial Wilderness dangers, a lesson far more profound than any verbal admonition.
To be able to appear here at this moment, to pass through the surging torrent of death, and to be led into the palace gate by Yuan Yu, is itself a matter of fate, a tiny yet real crack in the operation of the Great Dao.
"I say that those who are destined may enter."
The thoughts of the Qing Huan Dao Ancestor, like the primordial sound of the Great Dao, did not resonate through the ears, but directly in the hearts, minds, and even the deepest origins of all living beings. They were peaceful, clear, and beyond question.
"Having entered this gate, it is a matter of fate."
His gaze swept over the restless, primordial yang energy within Zhao Gongming's body, over the flowing cloud trails that subtly echoed the stars in the sky above Yunxiao's fingertips, over the pure astonishment in Bixiao's eyes at the Dao patterns, and over other corners of the hall—there, a young Daoist named Taiyi, with a serene aura and ethereal lotus shadows surrounding him, and a figure carrying a long sword, already revealing extraordinary origins, were both just newly Transformation, bewildered beings from the Primordial Wilderness, seeking enlightenment.
Qing Huan's lips curved upwards in an extremely faint arc.
It wasn't a smile directed at any specific individual, but rather a knowing look down upon the long river of time, a knowing glimpse of the first sparks of the future, and a subtle, almost imperceptible gentleness.
At this moment, there is no distinction Chan Sect Interception Sect; there are only beings seeking the Great Dao before its gates.
No commands or instructions are required.
When Qing Huan's figure fully materialized, and when the Dao Sound "Those with affinity may enter" echoed and subsided in the heart's lake, all living beings within the hall—
Whether it was a ferocious beast Transformation into a towering mountain, an innate spirit as ethereal as smoke and clouds, or the bewildered forms of later legendary figures like Zhao Gongming, the San Xiao, and Taiyi—all involuntarily rose from their seated positions, bowed, and paid their respects to the supreme light source atop the jade steps!
The movements were not uniform; heads were bowed, spirits swayed, and humanoid beings bent over.
But the actions of billions of living beings at this moment strangely reveal the same frequency—it is the origin of life paying homage to the source of the Great Dao, and the piety towards the holy master who opened the Dao.
A silent torrent surged within the hall, converging into a powerful force that shook the very foundations of the Chuyuan Palace.
The Qing Huan Dao Ancestor sat upon his throne, which resembled a source of chaotic light, and merely nodded slightly in the face of this vast spectacle of all spirits paying homage.
The movement was so light, like a breeze brushing across a still lake, yet it carried a power that stabilized the entire hall and clarified the Daoist galaxy.
A simple nod is both an affirmation and a signal to begin the Dao Field.
"Close."
Yuan Yu and Yuan Lian, the two Daoist boys standing below the jade steps like shadows of the Dao Ancestor, simultaneously raised their small hands and gently brushed them towards the still-open, enormous palace gate, which was shrouded in a curtain of mysterious gold light.
There was no earth-shattering roar, no violent clash of energy.
The light barrier, which separated the inside from the outside and withstood the impact of all spirits, suddenly contracted and collapsed inward, transforming into a point of absolute darkness.
Immediately, the two majestic palace gates, seemingly carved from a single piece of chaotic embryonic membrane, closed shut silently yet with irresistible force!
"Clang--Buzz--!"
The moment the palace gates closed, the entire interior of the Chuyuan Palace emitted a clear, resonant, and deeply penetrating tremor that seemed to reach the very essence of the soul!
It was as if an absolute Dao domain, completely isolated from everything, had been fully formed.
Above the dome, the Daoist runes and stars that had been flickering and expounding all principles suddenly became a thousand times brighter, and their trajectories became incredibly clear and stable, as if the celestial orbit had been recalibrated by an invisible giant hand.
The clear spring flowing along the four walls of the Xuan Huang Great Dao suddenly accelerated, and the Golden Lotus stamens floating in the spring water bloomed to their fullest extent in succession.
The spiritual energy and Daoist fragments, so dense they had solidified into droplets, gushed forth like a geyser, filling the entire space. Yet, they were restrained by some invisible force, preventing them from forming a storm. Instead, they nourished every inch of space and every living being within the hall.
The roars, howls, and chaotic explosions of colliding energies from all the surging spirits outside the door, along with the dust, Malevolent Qi, and calamities inherent in the Primordial Wilderness world, were completely shut out by the two closed doors.
Inside the hall, only an absolute purity, elevated to its extreme and so pure it made one's soul tremble, remained.
It was as if the entire Primordial Wilderness universe had been excluded, and this place had become a small world, the source of the Great Dao.
The beings sat down cross-legged again, their posture more devout and focused than before.
The opportune moment has arrived; the path to immortality is about to begin.
The Qing Huan Dao Ancestor's gaze swept over the hall one last time. It swept over the origin within Zhao Gongming's body, which resonated with the supreme Yang Daoist energy of this place and began to break free from its shackles; it swept over the flowing clouds at Yunxiao's fingertips, which had already merged with the trajectory of stars; it swept over the Daoist patterns reflected in Bixiao's eyes; it swept over the increasingly clear pure lotus aura surrounding Taiyi True Person...
Finally, the lingering gaze gently landed on the tiny figure in the outermost corner of the hall, almost curled up in a ball, with Six-Eared Macaque pressed to the ground, desperately trying to conceal his entire presence.
Qing Huan did not speak, but slowly closed his eyes, which seemed to contain the endless cycle of birth and death of the universe.
"The Great Dao has no name; it is forcibly named 'the Way'..."
The sound rang out.
It is no longer a transmission of thoughts, but the true "Dao Sound"!
This sound did not come from Qing Huan's mouth, but rather from every wisp of the Chuyuan Palace starlight, every drop of Xuan Huang, every swirling cloud, every blooming Golden Lotus stamen... and even the heartbeat, breath, and blood flow rhythm of every living being within the Chuyuan Palace... a collective resonance!
It is as grand as the first thunderclap at the dawn of Chaos Creation, yet as subtle as the first whisper of all things sprouting.
It encompasses everything: the birth and death of the universe and stars, the surging of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, the cycle of growth and decay of plants, and the flow of emotions, desires, life, and death...
It contains all tangible and intangible laws, trajectories, and rhythms, yet transcends them.
"The Way is like an empty vessel, yet its use is inexhaustible. Deep and unfathomable, it seems to be the origin of all things. It blunts sharpness, untangles knots, softens its light, and mingles with the dust..."
The Dao Sound resounded, and the scene inside the hall changed abruptly!
The Daoist galaxy on the dome is no longer just a flow of runes, but evolves into the birth and death of real galaxies, black holes devour stars, nebulae give birth to new light, and time and space twist and entwine within it.
The Xuan Huang on the four walls surged with waves, and countless phantoms of worlds were lifted up in the spray: the changing landscapes of the Primordial Earth, the strange creature kingdoms projected from unknown dimensions, and the ever-changing scrolls of the rise and fall of civilizations.
The Golden Lotus stamen that floated and swayed no longer emitted simple specks of spiritual energy, but rather concrete Law Divine Chains.
Emerald green vines, representing vitality, are entwined with black lightning, symbolizing Destruction.
The purest water flow supports the flames that consume all things; the heavy Wutu Qi and the incomparably sharp Geng Metal Qi collide, annihilate, and are reborn...
The clouds and mist beneath one's feet rise and fall, sometimes transforming into auspicious Lotus Platform that carry living beings to enlightenment, and sometimes evolving into a deep abyss of illusion that devours the heart of the Dao.