The Dao Sound surged mightily, containing the grand vow to save all living beings.
In an instant, countless living creatures were drawn by an invisible force of the Dao. From mountains, rivers, plants, plant spirits, birds, beasts, and even the dust of the void, they manifested and transformed into streams of light that gathered here.
Below the peaks, listeners of every conceivable form filled the area in moments. Yet there was not the slightest scramble or clamor; everything was orderly, reverent, and solemn.
The Dao's resonance spread, permeating every inch of space.
The branches and leaves of plants unfurled, condensing tiny golden runes, while a gleam of wisdom flowed across the surfaces of rocks.
The spirituality in the eyes of birds and beasts surged, revealing the wild joy of sudden enlightenment.
All living things were intoxicated by this supreme wondrous sound, as though drinking divine nectar or bathing in sweet rain.
Qing Huan also closed his eyes and focused his mind, carefully contemplating Jieyin's Dao.
The profound principles concerning the Root of Suffering Truth, tangled Karma, and the construction of grand vows—especially the profound application of the fundamental laws of "light"—made his heart tremble slightly.
"One who understands others is wise; one who understands himself is enlightened. Observe a mote of dust, and one may contain the mysteries of three thousand great worlds; awaken in a single instant, and one may embrace the passage of an Immeasurable Calamity.
"Countless Buddhist lands and pure realms are naturally manifested from the pure light of a single thought."
Jieyin's Dao Sound grew ever more profound.
"With supreme vow-power as the foundation and boundless compassion as the pillars, one may construct the Western Wonderful Realm—the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
"This realm lies not in any eastern or western direction; only when the heart is pure does it appear. It does not fall into the trap of being or nonbeing; only faith and vows grant rebirth within it.
"To achieve this land is to gain boundless Merit, and also the supreme divine ability that reaches through Heaven and Earth."
"The Valley Spirit is Immortal; this is called the Mysterious Female.
"Those who grasp the pivot of Creation and Destruction, even should they fall amid a Great Tribulation, may still comprehend the wondrous truth of the alternation between emptiness and reality.
"The waves of the sea of suffering are illusion, while the Buddha-nature innate to all beings is real. The myriad phenomena of the mortal world are bubbles, while the Merit of supreme grand vows is True Form. The fleshly body will ultimately decay, but the Dharma Body of Boundless Light and Longevity is eternal.
"Both empty and real, neither empty nor real, transcending all things—this is called 'Jieyin.'"
The Dao Sound gradually faded, and the radiance of the Golden Lotus withdrew.
Qing Huan opened his eyes, sincere admiration flashing through them.
"Excellent! Fellow Daoist Jieyin's Dao is profound and exquisite, and I have benefited greatly.
"Especially your comprehension and application of the fundamental laws of 'light'—they have already reached perfection. I cannot compare."
He admitted it openly. The three thousand Great Daos each had their own strengths. He had not specialized in the laws of light, so naturally he could not rival Jieyin.
"Haha, congratulations, Senior Brother! Your Dao Cultivation has advanced once more!"
Zhunti clapped and laughed, genuine joy in his eyes, though a trace of imperceptible complexity remained.
This senior brother had always possessed a deeper understanding of the Dao than he did. Had Jieyin not been born in the barren West and constrained by Luck, how could his achievements have fallen short of Qing Huan's?
Jieyin smiled humbly and waved his hand.
"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. I am ashamed, truly ashamed. I am still feeling my way forward through thorns upon my Dao path. What little I have gained is not worth mentioning."
"Excellent."
Qing Huan's gaze swept over Jieyin and Zhunti, and his mind became clear.
He had now fully comprehended the Yin-Yang Origin and integrated it completely, reaching perfection in his Great Luo realm of insight. What he lacked now was only the accumulation of Magic Power and deeper contemplation and refinement to seek a breakthrough.
The Western pair before him, Jieyin and Zhunti, were likewise beings of supreme talent. Yet they lacked the imprint of the Yin-Yang Origin and the support of complete Great Dao laws. Even after hearing his Dao, they would find it difficult to truly cultivate the Yin-Yang Great Divine Ability or comprehend the core Dao of Yin-Yang.
Then he spoke aloud.
"Since Fellow Daoist Jieyin has already expounded the Great Dao, I shall also offer something humble and briefly discuss a few Subtle Meanings of Yin-Yang."
"Wonderful! Please, Fellow Daoist!"
Jieyin and Zhunti answered in unison, their spirits suddenly roused.
The scene in Purple Sky Palace, where the Innate Supreme Treasure above Qing Huan's head had cast down the laws of Yin and Yang to aid his enlightenment, was still vivid in their minds.
The supreme pressure and profound mystery emitted by that treasure filled them with alarm, yet made their covetous desire burn even hotter.
Unfortunately, such treasures possessed unfathomable power and united offense with defense. They were far beyond what the two martial brothers could covet or contend against at present, so they could only settle their thoughts and focus on listening to the Dao.
Qing Huan said no more. With a slight movement of his mind, the aura around him abruptly changed.
"Great Luo was originally boundless; Yin-Yang opened its own lineage. One Qi divided Chaos, and the Two Principles stabilized Primordial Vastness!"
The moment his words fell, Heaven and Earth resonated! Above, purple qi surged for thirty thousand li like a colossal dragon coiling in from the east. Below, profound Yin Energy rose from the earth and transformed into a deep, secluded vortex.
Two vast and incomparable torrents of Dao resonance, utterly different in nature, erupted from Qing Huan. They met, collided, and revolved in the void, evolving into a gigantic Yin-Yang Taiji Dao Diagram that covered the four poles and eight wastelands.
The Dao Diagram turned slowly, permeated by the intent of Creation and Destruction. Its Dao resonance, like tangible tides, washed across the entire space, making the countless beings below the peak tremble as though they had witnessed the origin of Heaven-Opening.
"Yin accepts the virtue of Kun's Thickness and conceals the beginnings and endings of all things; Yang reveals the brilliance of Qian's Strength and governs the Creation of the cosmos.
"—The Dao cannot be fully described by words. It is revealed only through Yin and Yang embracing one another, bearing Yin while holding Yang. Names cannot be confined by concepts; they lie between the mutual arising of being and nonbeing, the clash of emptiness and reality."
"Yin governs stillness and restraint, Yang commands agitation and motion. When movement and stillness are properly balanced, they form the ordinary course of the Heavenly Dao's operation.
"Yet when Yang reaches its extreme, change must arise; when things flourish, they grow old. When Yin reaches its extreme, it turns to Yang; after misfortune comes prosperity.
"Just as the sun declines after reaching its zenith, and the moon wanes after becoming full—this is the principle of the Heavenly Dao's waxing and waning, and also the lesson for mankind to avoid excess and remain guarded against overextension."
"The Great Luo realm is not the highest endpoint. The rotation of Yin and Yang is the Great Dao itself.
"Yin is the gate of the Mysterious Female that nurtures all things, while Yang is the vigorous force that urges Creation forth.
"Yin at its utmost softness may become the frigid abyss of the Nine Netherworlds; Yang at its utmost intensity may burn the universe across eight wastelands.
"When the two qi collide and unite, all things are born. When they separate and turn against one another, Heaven and Earth collapse and all things perish."
"Yin bears Yang's kinetic force, while Yang governs Yin's hidden potential. In the depths of ultimate Yin lies the 'Supreme Stillness' that nurtures thunderbolts; at the core of ultimate Yang is concealed the 'Supreme Motion' that stills tempests.
"When stillness reaches its extreme, thunder shakes the nine heavens; when motion reaches its extreme, winds die and waves fall still.
"Ultimate Yin can nurture the essence of ultimate Yang, while ultimate Yang can condense the origin of ultimate Yin.
"This is the pivot of Yin-Yang transformation, unfathomably profound."
At times, Qing Huan's Dao Sound rang like a great bell, expounding the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth. At others, it whispered like fine rain, analyzing the subtle mysteries of Yin and Yang.
The immense Yin-Yang Dao Diagram changed along with his words, at times evolving Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and at others condensing into the myriad phenomena of stars.
The beings below the peak listened in rapt fascination. Faint currents of black and white qi surfaced around many of them, echoing the Dao resonance of Heaven and Earth.
Jieyin and Zhunti had long since closed their eyes, their minds wholly immersed in these vast and profound principles of Yin and Yang.
Nothing in Heaven and Earth was not divided into Yin and Yang, and nothing was not evolved from Yin and Yang.
This Dao was supremely simple, yet it contained the ultimate mysteries of Chaos. Even for Innate Deities like them, it was as though they had been struck deafeningly awake, granting them immense inspiration.
Qing Huan's command of the Yin-Yang Dao at the Great Luo realm had indeed reached a state of flawless perfection.
"To reach Great Luo, one must comprehend the unceasing truth of Yin-Yang Rotation. To glimpse Mahayana, one must grasp the wondrous state where Yin and Yang are cultivated together, where Primordial Unity is as one.
"When Yin reaches its extreme, Yang is born; when Yang reaches its extreme, Yin returns. Only by cycling endlessly without cessation can one transcend the disturbances of Creation and attain great freedom."
"Hold fast to Yin's gentle foundation and embrace Yang's steadfast virtue. The heart must return to the pure simplicity of an infant.
"Nourish the fundamental Dao Foundation with profound Yin, and enlighten the True Spirit of the primordial soul with Proper Yang.
"Yin Energy sinks and becomes turbid, while Yang qi rises and becomes clear. Clarity and turbidity distinguish themselves, and order thus emerges—separate clarity from turbidity, and Heaven and Earth take their proper places while all things remain balanced; unite clarity and turbidity, and all returns to Chaos, with every phenomenon annihilated."
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