Western Duo

"Looks like my affinity with those Heavenly Mandate spiritual treasures is truly quite shallow."

Qing Huan stood atop the clouds, gazing down at the vast earth below. He shook his head and laughed.

Just then, a somewhat urgent yet enthusiastic voice called from behind him:

"Fellow Daoist—please wait!"

That voice... Qing Huan paused, an oddly familiar feeling rising within him.

He slowly turned around, his gaze falling upon the two Daoists approaching atop auspicious clouds not far away—one wore a sorrowful expression, compassion for all beings etched upon his face.

The other was lean and refined, with a shrewd gleam in his eyes.

"Oh! So it's these two!"

Qing Huan understood at once.

The Western Duo, Zhunti and Jieyin! At this rate, they'll probably spend this entire Kalpa digging up treasures in the Eastern lands.

"Fellow Daoist Qing Huan! What a fated encounter, for us to meet here!"

Daoist Jieyin pressed his palms together, forcing a gentle smile onto his face as he stepped forward in greeting.

Zhunti also bowed, his gaze swiftly sweeping across the mountains and rivers below, as though searching for something.

Qing Huan remained calm as he returned the salute.

"So it is the two fellow Daoists from the West. Why have you ventured so deeply into the Eastern lands instead of saving all sentient beings in the Western Pure Land?"

Although Qing Huan understood that there was no need to become enemies with them so long as they did not scheme against him first.

But if they truly dared set their sights on him... destroying the foundations of their Dao Field and ensuring they could never establish the Western Sect would be far more satisfying than merely battling them.

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, their thoughts immediately aligning.

"Alas!"

Zhunti sighed before speaking, his face instantly filling with compassion and sorrow, as though he bore the boundless suffering of all beings in the Primordial Wilderness.

"You do not know, Fellow Daoist! Our Western lands are barren and desolate, with thin Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth, few Innate Lifeforms, and great difficulty in passing down the Great Dao.

My senior brother and I came to the East only because we had no other choice.

We merely seek disciples of wisdom and affinity, to guide them back to the West to study wondrous teachings with us and enlighten the region, in hopes that one day the West may flourish with life and prosper in Dao teachings just as the East does!"

"Amitabha!"

Jieyin declared a Buddhist invocation at the proper moment, his expression becoming even more sorrowful as he added:

"Precisely so. What we do is, first, to spread the supreme Great Dao passed down by Dao Ancestor Hongjun, bringing its blessings to all living beings.

Second, to make up for the West's lack of spiritual opportunities and contribute what little strength we can to the Primordial Wilderness. We hope you can understand our painstaking intentions, Fellow Daoist."

Qing Huan had no intention of investigating how much truth and falsehood lay in Jieyin and Zhunti's words. So long as they did not interfere with his affairs, that was enough.

Still, he held a measure of objective respect for the two of them.

Everyone in the Primordial Wilderness knew that the West was impoverished, with pitifully few Innate Spiritual Treasures and spiritual roots.

Yet these two had found another path, actually devising a way to use Sarira in place of Innate Spiritual Treasures to sever the Three Corpses!

This path of Sarira was certainly original.

But... Qing Huan's gaze shifted slightly as he perceived the difference within it.

Though it was likewise a method of severing the Three Corpses, what the West severed were the "Three Worlds"—past, present, and future.

The end of this path could already be faintly glimpsed. It shared the same marvelous principle as severing the Three Corpses, though it was even more difficult.

Without complete Great Dao laws to comprehend to their utmost limits, and without an Innate Supreme Treasure capable of suppressing immense Luck and bearing the primordial spirit as its foundation, attempting to use this to attain the Dao of Primordial Unity would ultimately be nothing but a reflection in the mirror and a flower in the water. It was absolutely impossible!

They would be better off attempting to open up a major world within the chaos...

Still, the laws cultivated by Zhunti and Jieyin, the Great Dao they had comprehended, and especially the conceptual brilliance behind this technique of Slaying the Three Worlds possessed tremendous value for study. When Qing Huan comprehended his own Great Dao in the future, perhaps borrowing the essence of this method might offer him some insight.

As his thoughts turned, Qing Huan revealed what seemed to be a sincere smile.

"So the two of you actually harbor such a grand aspiration to save all sentient beings!

That is truly admirable. Since we have met, it is also affinity."

"How about..."

His gaze swept over a mountain below where spiritual energy was still relatively abundant.

"The three of us sit atop that peak and discuss the Dao?

We may verify one another's learning while returning the profound sounds of the Great Dao passed down by the Dao Ancestor to the living beings of this land. Would that not be a fine thing? What do you two fellow Daoists think?"

After speaking, Qing Huan sat cross-legged upon the flowing Purple Cloud beneath his feet, calmly watching the two men from the West.

A sharp gleam flashed through Zhunti's eyes. He immediately transmitted his voice to Jieyin beside him.

"Senior Brother! Fellow Daoist Qing Huan's proposal is excellent! Not only can we exchange insights on the Dao and deepen our understanding of the Great Dao, but we can also use this opportunity to manifest the profound sounds of our Western wondrous teachings and attract the fated lifeforms of this region to join us. It kills two birds with one stone!"

"Excellent!"

The sorrow on Jieyin's face eased somewhat as he nodded in agreement.

He turned toward Qing Huan and pressed his palms together.

"Fellow Daoist Qing Huan possesses such refined intentions and is willing to share the Great Dao with my junior brother and me. This is immeasurable Merit, as well as a Creation and blessing for the lifeforms here!

We, too, hope to hear your lofty teachings.

Today, we shall sit here and discuss the Dao with you!"

As his words fell, a Golden Lotus flickered into view beneath Jieyin's feet. He took the first step forward and landed atop a flat blue stone at the mountain's summit.

Qing Huan and Zhunti followed closely behind. The three figures sat cross-legged in a triangular arrangement atop the peak as invisible Dao resonance began to spread, blanketing the entire mountain. Spiritual energy gathered from all around, while grass and trees swayed with vibrant grace.

Heaven and earth fell silent, with only Dao Scars flowing.

The minds of all lifeforms within hundreds of millions of li had already been drawn in. Countless gazes pierced through the void, focusing upon the summit of this lone peak wreathed in immortal aura.

Radiance blossomed, and spiritual energy poured down like a waterfall.

Qing Huan, Jieyin, and Zhunti, three Grand Unity Golden Immortals, sat upon auspicious clouds. The Three Flowers above their heads bloomed, casting down profound and mysterious clear light.

Golden Lotuses bloomed one after another beneath their feet. Dao resonance condensed into tangible jeweled ornaments that chimed crisply, washing away the dust of the universe.

"Excellent, Fellow Daoist Qing Huan."

Daoist Jieyin pressed his palms together. His compassionate, precious visage shimmered with the light of wisdom, and a merciful smile rested upon his lips.

"I shall cast a brick to attract jade and speak first of my humble understanding of the Dao. I hope Fellow Daoist will correct me."

Qing Huan gave a slight nod.

Is he playing the fool to catch the tiger?

To attain Sagehood in a place as barren and bitterly cold as the West, Jieyin and Zhunti's talent, foundations, and understanding of the Dao were likely in no way inferior to the Three Pure Ones of Pangu Orthodox. What they lacked was merely the immense Luck bestowed by the creation of heaven and earth.

Jieyin opened his mouth. At first, his Dao Sound was like a gentle trickling stream, but it swiftly transformed into the grand peal of bells and chimes, resounding through the nine heavens and ten lands.

"The Great Dao flows everywhere; it may go left or right. All things bear suffering and embrace karma, entangled by Karma in endless reincarnation.

I observe the beings of the Western extremity sinking into a boundless sea of suffering. The heart is like a bright mirror stand, reflecting that the Five Aggregates are all empty."

"Yet this emptiness is not stubborn void or silent extinction, but the true meaning of wondrous existence within true emptiness. It contains immeasurable light, immeasurable lifespan, and immeasurable compassion.

Thus, the Truth of Suffering is the root of the Dao, recognizing that the world is fundamentally suffering. The Truth of Origin is the vine of the Dao, understanding the gathering of suffering's causes. The Truth of Cessation is the Dao Flower, perceiving the extinction of nirvana. The Truth of the Path is the Dao Fruit, attaining the method of liberation.

When a single thought awakens, and the sea of suffering becomes the other shore, one is close to the Dao!"