Three Discuss the Dao

Dao sounds surged forth, carrying a grand vow to deliver all beings.

In an instant, countless living beings were drawn by an invisible Dao force, manifesting from mountains and rivers, plant spirits, birds and beasts, and even the dust of the void, converging as streams of light.

Beneath the peaks, listeners of all forms sat in an instant, without a trace of clamor or contention—only orderly silence, devout and solemn.

The Dao rhyme permeated, soaking every inch of space.

Leaves and branches stretched, condensing into tiny golden runes; the surface of rocks flowed with a luster of wisdom.

The eyes of birds and beasts blazed with soaring intelligence, revealing the ecstasy of sudden enlightenment.

All living things were drunk on this supreme wondrous sound, as if sipping celestial nectar, as if bathed in sweet rain.

Qing Huan also closed his eyes in concentration, carefully comprehending Jieyin's path.

Those profound principles of the Root of Suffering Truth, the entanglement of Karma, and the construction of vows—especially the deep application of the law of 'Light' as a fundamental source—made his mind tremble slightly.

"To know others is wisdom; to know oneself is enlightenment. Observe a single mote of dust, and you can contain the mysteries of three thousand great worlds; awaken in a single instant, and you can hold the flow of an Immeasurable Calamity.

The Buddha lands and pure realms, countless as the sands of the Ganges, all naturally manifest from a single thought of pure, clear mind-light."

Jieyin's Dao sounds grew ever more profound.

"With supreme vow-power as the foundation, with boundless compassion as the beams and pillars, one can construct the Western Wonderful Realm—the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

This realm lies not in any eastern or western direction; it appears only when the mind is pure. It falls not into the trap of existence or non-existence; it is attained only through faith and vows.

To achieve this land is immeasurable Merit, and also a supreme divine ability that pierces heaven and earth."

"The Valley Spirit is immortal—this is called the Mysterious Female.

Grasp the pivot of creation and destruction; even if a Great Tribulation collapses and falls, you will still clearly understand the wondrous truth of the alternation between emptiness and reality.

The waves of the bitter sea are illusion; the inherent Buddha-nature of all beings is real. The myriad phenomena of the red dust are bubbles; the supreme vow and Merit are the True Form. The physical body of flesh and bone will eventually decay; 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 sounds gradually faded, and the Golden Lotus's radiance withdrew inward.

Qing Huan opened his eyes, a flicker of sincere admiration passing through them:

"Good! Jieyin, Daoist Friend, your path is profound and exquisite—I have gained much from it.

Especially your understanding and application of the fundamental law of 'Light,' which has reached the realm of perfection—I cannot match it."

He admitted this openly; among the three thousand Great Daos, each had its strengths. He had not specialized in the law of Light, so naturally he could not compare.

"Haha, congratulations, Senior Brother, on your advancement in Dao Cultivation!"

Zhunti clapped his hands and laughed, his eyes carrying genuine joy, yet also a trace of barely perceptible complexity.

This senior brother's understanding of the Dao had always surpassed his own. If not for being born in the barren West, constrained by Luck, how could his achievements be inferior to the Qing Huan Daoist before them?

Jieyin smiled modestly, waving his hand, and said:

"Daoist Friend, you flatter me. I am deeply ashamed. My path is still groping forward through thorns; these meager gains are not worth mentioning."

"Good."

Qing Huan's gaze swept over Jieyin and Zhunti, his mind clear and bright.

He had now thoroughly comprehended the Yin-Yang Origin, integrated it all, and reached the Great Luo realm of complete enlightenment. What he currently lacked was only the accumulation of Magic Power and deeper levels of contemplation and refinement to seek a breakthrough.

The Jieyin and Zhunti before him from the West were also beings of supreme talent, but they lacked the imprint of the Yin-Yang Origin and the support of a complete Great Dao law. Even if they heard his Dao, they could not truly cultivate the Yin-Yang Great Divine Ability or comprehend the core path of Yin-Yang.

He then spoke in a clear voice:

"Since Jieyin, Daoist Friend, has already begun expounding the Great Dao, I will also humbly offer a brief account of the Subtle Meanings of Yin-Yang."

"Excellent! Daoist Friend, please!"

Jieyin and Zhunti answered in unison, their spirits suddenly sharpened.

In the Purple Firmament Palace, the scene of that Innate Supreme Treasure above Qing Huan's head releasing Yin-Yang laws to aid his enlightenment was still vivid before their eyes.

The supreme pressure and mystery emitted by that treasure shocked their hearts, while their covetous desire burned ever hotter.

But such supreme treasures were all integrated with offense and defense, their power unfathomable—far beyond what they, as fellow disciples, could covet or contend with at this moment. So they could only settle their minds and focus on listening to the Dao.

Qing Huan said no more. With a slight shift of his mind, his aura suddenly transformed:

"Great Luo is originally without extremes; Yin and Yang open their own foundation. One Qi divides Chaos; Two Forms settle the Primordial Chaos!"

As his words first fell, heaven and earth resonated! Above the firmament, purple qi surged for thirty thousand miles, coiling like a dragon coming from the east; beneath the earth, the qi of dark yin rose, turning into a deep vortex.

Two vast, unmatched torrents of Dao rhyme, of completely different natures, erupted from Qing Huan's body, converging in the void, colliding, spinning, and evolving into a massive Yin-Yang Taiji Dao Diagram that covered the four poles and eight wilds.

The diagram turned slowly, the intent of Creation and Destruction permeating the air. The Dao rhyme, like a tangible tide, scoured the entire space, causing the countless beings beneath the peak to tremble in their souls, as if witnessing the source scene of Heaven-Opening.

"Yin embodies the virtue of Kun's Thickness, storing the beginning and end of all things; Yang manifests the brightness of Qian's Strength, moving the creation of the universe.

—The Dao cannot be fully expressed in words; only Yin and Yang embrace each other, appearing through bearing Yin and embracing Yang. Names cannot be confined to concepts; they exist between the mutual generation of being and non-being, the collision of emptiness and reality."

"Yin governs stillness and contraction; Yang governs movement and expansion. When movement and stillness are in harmony, this becomes the constant track of Heavenly Dao's operation.

Yet when Yang reaches its extreme, change must arise; when things are strong, they grow old. When Yin reaches its extreme, it turns to Yang; when misfortune reaches its limit, good fortune comes.

Just as the sun at noon must decline, and the full moon must wane—this is the principle of Heavenly Dao's waxing and waning, and also the lesson for the human path to avoid fullness and guard against arrogance."

"The Great Luo realm is not the final destination; the rotation of Yin and Yang is the Great Dao itself.

Yin is the Mysterious Female gate that nurtures all things; Yang is the vigorous force that drives Creation.

When Yin is at its most yielding, it can transform into the nine abyssal frozen depths; when Yang is at its fiercest, it can incinerate the eight desolate realms and the entire cosmos.

When the two energies clash and merge, all things are born; when the two energies separate and oppose, heaven and earth collapse, and all things perish."

"Yin carries the momentum of Yang; Yang harnesses the latent potential of Yin. Within the deepest Yin lies the 'Ultimate Stillness' that breeds startling thunder; at the core of the most extreme Yang resides the 'Ultimate Motion' that calms the storm.

When stillness reaches its limit, thunder shakes the nine heavens; when motion reaches its extreme, the wind ceases and the waves subside.

The utmost Yin can nurture the essence of the utmost Yang; the utmost Yang can condense the origin of the utmost Yin.

This pivot of Yin-Yang transformation is profoundly mysterious and unfathomable."

Qing Huan's Dao Sound sometimes boomed like a great bell, expounding the ultimate principles of heaven and earth; at other times, it murmured like fine rain, dissecting the subtle mysteries of Yin and Yang.

The massive Yin-Yang Dao diagram shifted in response, now evolving into Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, now condensing into the myriad forms of stars and celestial bodies.

The living beings below the peak listened in rapt ecstasy; many of them manifested faint black and white energies, resonating with the Dao rhythm of heaven and earth.

Jieyin and Zhunti had long since closed their eyes, their minds fully submerged within these vast and profound Yin-Yang ultimate truths.

All things in heaven and earth are inseparable from Yin and Yang, all are evolved from Yin and Yang.

This Dao is supremely simple, yet it contains the ultimate mysteries of Chaos. Even for Innate Deities like themselves, it was eye-opening and profoundly enlightening.

Qing Huan's mastery of the Yin-Yang Dao within the Great Luo realm had indeed reached a state of perfect, unimpeded completion.

"One who attains Great Luo must comprehend the true essence of the unceasing Yin-Yang Rotation; one who seeks to glimpse the Mahayana must grasp the wondrous state where Yin and Yang are cultivated together, unified as one.

When Yin reaches its extreme, Yang is born; when Yang reaches its extreme, Yin returns. This cycle flows endlessly, without cease, only then can one transcend the erosion of Creation and attain great freedom."

"Hold fast to the fundamental nature of yielding Yin, embrace the virtue of vigorous Yang, and let the mind return to the utmost purity and simplicity of a newborn infant.

Nourish the root Dao Foundation with Mysterious Yin, enlighten the Primordial Spirit and True Spirit with Proper Yang.

Yin energy sinks to become turbid, Yang energy rises to become clear. When clear and turbid separate themselves, order emerges—separating clear from turbid establishes the positions of heaven and earth, bringing balance to all things; merging clear and turbid returns all to primal Chaos, annihilating the myriad phenomena."