Heavenly Dao Merit

"Dao follows nature; its pivot lies in Yin and Yang.

The flow of Yin and Yang is the supreme path to the Great Luo realm.

When Yin's vitality is hidden, all things fall silent; when Yang's motion is suppressed, heaven and earth wither.

But one who reaches the supreme Mahayana realm has no fixed form in their Dao—only through the two Qi of Yin and Yang does one attain true freedom and comprehend genuine carefree wandering."

As the final Dao Sound fell, the vast Yin-Yang Dao diagram that had enveloped heaven and earth slowly dissipated. The boundless purple qi and the rising profound Yin qi, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, converged into Qing Huan's body.

This sermon was not only a blessing for those who listened; for him, it was also a precious opportunity to "review the old and know the new." Each exposition deepened his understanding of the Yin-Yang Great Dao, as if touching upon even more subtle mysteries.

After a long while, Jieyin slowly opened his eyes, pressed his palms together, and with a Solemn Appearance tinged with deep admiration, said:

"Excellent! We two brothers have been taught today.

The Dao of Yin and Yang that Daoist Friend Qing Huan has expounded exhausts the wonders of Creation, profound and unfathomable, mysterious and boundless.

It is only a pity that we two are dull in talent and understanding; what we have grasped is but a drop in the ocean, less than one part in ten."

Jieyin's tone was sincere and humble.

Zhunti also bowed in salute, a flicker of brilliance in his eyes, mingled with a trace of barely concealed complexity and longing.

Qing Huan smiled faintly, his gaze as if it could pierce the human heart:

"You two Daoist Friends are too modest. The ultimate principles of the Great Dao, though paths may differ, do not necessarily lead to the same end. Yet if one method is understood, others can be grasped by analogy; all ten thousand laws have traces to follow.

Even if you cannot fully glimpse the entirety of my Dao, with your two friends' exceptional talents, how could you have gained nothing?"

Qing Huan knew full well in his heart that Jieyin's foundation and comprehension were in no way inferior to Grand Pure One Laozi. That phrase "dull in talent" was merely the customary veiled speech of these two Westerners.

The fleeting, scorching gaze at the Innate Supreme Treasure could not escape his perception.

But as long as these two dared to make a move, today he could show the West what the attack power of the Heaven-Opening Blade truly meant...

The lingering Dao resonance atop the peak had not yet faded, and the fragrance of the Golden Lotus still remained. The afterglow of that discourse, filled with supreme wisdom and undercurrents, seemed to echo softly between heaven and earth.

"Excellent!"

Daoist Friend Qing Huan has expounded the mysteries of Yin and Yang.

Zhunti, a smile on his face, let the Bodhi prayer beads in his palm spin faster and faster, and spoke slowly:

"Since that is so, I too shall discuss the Dao of Karma."

"Karma?"

Qing Huan's gaze suddenly sharpened, his spirit invigorated.

Among the Three Thousand Laws of Chaos—

Time does not emerge, Space reigns as king.

Destiny hides, Karma claims the crown!

Creation is peerless, Destruction immeasurable.

The Five Elements are the foundation, Yin and Yang above.

Power is supreme, Reincarnation controls the field.

This Law of Karma ranked fourth in Chaos, far above the Yin-Yang Great Dao he had comprehended at eighth.

Even if Zhunti did not possess a complete Law of Karma, his understanding of this Dao was something Qing Huan was far from matching.

"Great Luo is not Luo; Karma is not cause."

Zhunti's voice was like a great bell, yet also like a low chant of Sanskrit, each word striking the Dao heart.

"Transcend the three boundaries, leave no trace in the Five Elements.

See the cause of the past, that is the fruit of the future; without beginning or end, this is called the Dao gate."

The halo of the prayer beads flowed, reflecting the phantom of the river of time and space.

"Great Luo is neither form nor name; Karma is neither thread nor rope.

Transcend the three realms without being stained by dust; pass through countless Tribulations while true nature endures forever.

Thus, to see the past is to see the future; to comprehend the end is to return to the original cause."

Qing Huan's mind shook violently, instantly sinking into the profound contemplation of Karma.

So that was it!

No wonder the future Buddhism could sever the three lives—it was all related to Zhunti's Dao of Karma. Everything was the flow of Karma, and at the end lay the original cause...

As Zhunti's Dao Sound continued, Qing Huan's body flowed with Dao resonance, immersed in the vast and unfathomable Dao of Karma.

"One cycle begins anew, ten thousand Tribulations return to stillness; Karma transforms into the origin, the Dao gives birth to Di Yi."

Zhunti's Dao Sound grew ever more grand, resonating with the laws of heaven and earth. In the void, it seemed as if Three Thousand Law Divine Chains interwove and flickered.

"Black is emptiness, emptiness is form; the three thousand Law chains—one Karma severs them!"

With a single step forward, invisible threads seemed to crisscross beneath his feet—the obsessions of countless beings and the trajectories of Tribulations.

"Obsessions are like threads; Tribulations are like shuttles."

Zhunti's figure drifted ethereally, stepping across the thread, his voice shaking the cosmos:

"Attaining the Dao is not attaining the Dao; not attaining is also attaining. One thought gives birth to myriad worlds; one void grinds myriad worlds down."

The Dao Sound gradually deepened, pointing straight to the origin of the Great Dao.

"Ask not the beginning of Karma—can a Great Luo fall? Falling is rebirth. Can Karma be severed? Cut off? The moment it is cut, it is already entangled.

Can a Great Luo be destroyed? Where destruction occurs, rebirth follows. Where the cut is made, flowers bloom..."

The lingering notes faded, finally transforming into a distant sigh:

"I am I, not I. The past is a realm; the future is a river."

The Dao Sound ceased, yet its resonance lingered.

Qing Huan and Jieyin, as if having passed through a cycle of time and space, slowly opened their eyes. Deep within their pupils, Karma runes flickered uncertainly, and their Dao Cultivation had subtly advanced.

Just then, on the Primordial Earth below, the countless living beings who had strained to listen but failed to grasp the profound mysteries of the Great Dao, seeing the Dao resonance at the peak receding, feared their opportunity was lost forever.

Countless gazes filled with supplication, longing, and reverence converged like a tidal wave, surging toward the three figures atop the mountain.

The silent plea coalesced into a torrent of will that shook the soul.

Seeing this, Zhunti's heart stirred with compassion. He was about to speak again to offer some explanation to the living beings.

"Weng—!"

A sudden anomaly erupted in the heavens!

Endless auspicious clouds emerged from the void, a thousand strands of Auspicious Qi, ten thousand beams of radiant light, illuminating the entire sky in a blaze of glory and sanctity!

An overwhelming, majestic pressure of Heaven and Earth spread out, forcing all living beings to bow their heads and all things to hold their breath.

Then, a brilliant, vast golden river of merit, saturated with profound Dao resonance, crashed down from Above the Nine Heavens!

The golden river split into four streams: three of them, each over three hundred li thick and unstoppably mighty, poured with pinpoint precision into Qing Huan, Jieyin, and Zhunti respectively.

The final stream, slightly thinner, accounting for about one-tenth of the total, merged like sweet dew into the auspicious clouds beneath the three figures, instantly transforming those clouds into Meritorious Auspicious Clouds, radiant with myriad colors.

"Se... Senior Brother! This... this is?!"

Feeling the vast, pure, and supremely refined power of merit instantly filling his body, along with the grand will resonating with the Heavenly Dao, Zhunti—despite his steadfast Dao heart—found his voice trembling, his eyes filled with incredulous joy as he looked at Jieyin.

Jieyin's mind also shook violently, a dazed expression on his face, but in an instant, wisdom struck his heart. He raised his fingers to calculate and immediately understood the cause and effect.

Clapping his hands and laughing, his voice boomed like a great bell, shaking the clouds:

"Hahaha! Junior Brother, indeed! This is Heavenly Dao Merit! You and I, along with Daoist Friend Qing Huan, have debated the Dao here for nine thousand years, expounding the Great Dao, enlightening the countless beings of the Primordial Earth, guiding them toward goodness, and blessing all living creatures!

The Heavenly Dao is impartial. Sensing that our actions align with the evolutionary trend of the Primordial Earth and perfect the laws of Heaven and Earth, it has thus bestowed merit to honor our virtue! This is truly a great opportunity born from unintentional effort!"

Though Qing Huan also received the infusion of merit, his heart remained clear as a mirror.

Heavenly Dao Merit is only granted for unintentional actions that conform to the evolution of the Heavenly Dao and supplement its laws; only then can one receive this gift of the Great Dao. If one deliberately seeks it, even if something is gained, the foundation will be hollow.