Two hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.
"The Third Lecture are over. You may all go now!"
Inside the Purple Sky Palace, the Chaos Aura gradually dissipated, and the figure of Hongjun Dao Ancestor also disappeared into the void.
Jiang Yun slowly opened her eyes, her gaze seemingly reflecting the movement of Stars, or the birth and death of all things.
The secrets of the Hunyuan Great Luo he had heard of over the past two hundred years gave him a completely new understanding of the path of cultivation.
"So that's how it is..." Jiang Yun sighed inwardly, "Saint rely on the Heavenly Dao, Hunyuan Great Luo transcends the Heavenly Dao. The two paths lead to the same goal, yet each has its own advantages and disadvantages."
Saint is a position attained under the Heavenly Dao, acting as the representative of Heaven to teach and manage the Order heaven and earth. To become Saint, one needs to leave a mark of Primordial Spirit on the Heavenly Dao. In this way, within the sphere of influence of the Heavenly Dao, one can communicate with Heavenly Dao at any time and wield its power. It can be considered an alternative form of invoking the divine. However, the divine being invoked is the Heavenly Dao itself. There are also side effects. The more one wields the power of the Heavenly Dao, the easier it is to be assimilated by the Heavenly Dao Rules, commonly known as institutionalization. If this is not controlled, one may eventually merge into it and become a part of it.
For personal cultivation, being able to constantly comprehend the Heavenly Dao is like having a top student's homework laid out in front of you, ready for you to copy. Of course, while copying, it's best to understand the problem-solving approach, so that you can internalize what others have taught you. Otherwise, knowing what to do but not why to do it is merely being a user of a tool.
He turned to look at Jieyin, Zhunti, and Ziwei Star Lord beside him, and found that the three of them also had thoughtful expressions on their faces. Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun also looked like they had suddenly realized something, obviously they had also gained a lot.
"Laozi Daoists," Laozi rose and bowed to the crowd, "I have gained much from listening to your teachings. How about we go to Kunlun Mountain together to discuss and verify our understanding?"
Yuanshi and Tongtian nodded in agreement.
Nuwa smiled slightly, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, and Zhunti smiled and said, "Since the Three Pure Ones Dao Friends have invited us, we will certainly go."
The others, who had just finished listening to the sermon and also wanted to find someone to verify what they had learned, all nodded in agreement.
So the group left Purple Sky Palace, passed through Chaos, and returned to the Primordial World.
On the way, Jiang Yun noticed that the Daoist aura flowing around the Three Pure Ones was more profound than before. They seemed very comfortable in the Chaos, and their Physical Body were covered with a layer of precious light, which blocked the intrusion of the Chaos Aura.
"Teacher," Jiang Yun transmitted his voice to Jieyin, "It seems that Martial Uncle Three Pure Ones has quite a bit of knowledge about the Way of Hunyuan; his Physical Body strength alone is enough to withstand the erosion of Chaos."
Jieyin nodded slightly. "The Three Pure Ones are transformed from the Pangu's Primordial Spirit, and are blessed with unique advantages. It is not surprising that they may have some Physical Body Cultivation Method inherited from the Great God Pangu, but..." A glint of light flashed in his eyes, "Our Western Region path is inclusive and innovative, and in the future, we may not be inferior to them."
As they spoke, the group arrived at Kunlun Mountain.
The mountains were majestic, shrouded in mist, with Immortal Crane soaring and mythical beasts running about. The spiritual energy in the mountains was so rich that it was almost tangible, even surpassing Mount Sumeru. It truly lived up to its reputation as the Ancestral Vein of the Primordial World.
"The air is filled with Immortal Spirit Qi, and the blessings and fortune Fortune abundant. It is truly a Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands!" exclaimed the Ziwei Star Lord.
Tongtian laughed heartily and solemnly introduced to everyone, "Kunlun was formed from the spine of the Father God, and has been a first-class Primordial World mountain in the World Creation."
The group arrived at the Three Pure Ones Hall, where they took their seats according to their status as guests and hosts. Spiritual Tea Immortal Fruits were served by Immortal Crane attendant who had been enlightened, filling the air with fragrance.
Laozi spoke first, "During this lecture, the Dao Ancestor clarified the difference between Hunyuan Great Luo and Saint. What are your thoughts, fellow Daoists?"
Yuanshi continued, "Saint rely on the Heavenly Dao. Although they are subject to the rules of Heaven and Earth, they can receive the blessing of the Heavenly Dao, making their cultivation twice as effective with half the effort."
"And the Hunyuan Great Luo..." Tongtian continued, picking up Yuanshi, "Transcending the Heavenly Dao, carefree and unrestrained!"
"Although the Hunyuan Great Luo transcends the Heavenly Dao, we are born in the Primordial World, so how can we truly escape the shackles of the Heavenly Dao? It is merely wishful thinking on the part of living beings."
The Hunyuan Great Luo Dao merely grants us certain abilities, allowing us to say no to things we don't want to do!
Upon hearing Tongtian's words, Jiang Yun couldn't help but think of his Previous Life's discourse on freedom.
Nuwa took a sip of her Spiritual Tea and said softly, "However, the cultivation of the Hunyuan Great Luo is difficult; one must forge one's own path, for there are no predecessors to follow."
A moment of silence fell over the hall. Jiang Yun noticed that the Three Pure Ones seemed to prefer the path of Hunyuan Great Luo, while Nuwa longed for the position of Saint.
At this moment, Zhunti suddenly laughed and said, "Have you all ever wondered why the Dao Ancestor only revealed this secret in the last two hundred years?"
This question surprised everyone. Jieyin seemed to Jieyin in thought, "Perhaps... the Dao Ancestor is selecting those who are truly qualified to know this secret."
"That's right." Laozi stroked his beard and nodded. "Those who can sense that the sermon is not yet finished and return are the ones with affinity."
Jiang Yun's heart skipped a beat. He had only realized this because of the hint from the Dao Derivation Disk. So, the Dao Derivation Disk could actually uncover the secrets of Saint?
"Dear Martial Uncle and senior masters, the Old Ancestor Hongjun said that there are three methods to prove the Dao: Prove Dao with Strength, Prove Dao with Three Corpses, and Prove Dao with Merit."
Both of the former can lead to the Hunyuan Great Luo, while the latter can Prove Dao with Merit. In my opinion, the method by which the Great God Pangu created the Primordial Desolation World may also be a means of attaining enlightenment.
There are countless ways to attain enlightenment in this world; there is absolutely no need to be confined to the three methods spoken of by the Saint...
Although Jiang Yun's cultivation level was inferior to that of the powerful figures present, with the help of the Dao Derivation Disk, his understanding was no less than that of the others. His proposed theory of "World Replenishment" and his self-created Starry Sky Body Refining Method also aroused the great interest of the Three Pure Ones.
"Junior Nephew Jiang Yun's method is truly marvelous," Laozi exclaimed. "Using the inner World Replenishment oneself subtly aligns with the principle of 'One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to the myriad things.'"
Jiang Yun has many ingenious ideas, and his novel perspectives on problems are directions that have never been explored by others before, making them worthy of in-depth study.
Tongtian was very interested in Jiang Yun's theory of Proving the Dao through the World and directly asked him about the details. When he heard a key point, he would interrupt him to expand his thinking and explore more possible directions.
Before long, the attitudes of the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa towards Jiang Yun changed. They no longer treated him as a junior, but as an equal.
As for Zhenyuanzi and the others, watching this scene from the sidelines, they actually found it quite amusing. They had long since grown accustomed to Jiang Yun's genius, and they had admired him just as much back then.
The Three Pure Ones weren't particularly impressed by the first two levels of the Starry Sky Body Refining Method. They possessed the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique inherited from Pangu, which allowed them to refine their Physical Body using Chaos Qi —something the Starry Sky Body Refining Method, relying on Star Power, couldn't match. However, they felt that the third level, created by combining the laws of the world, held immense potential.
On this point, the Three Pure Ones took out the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique and began to discuss it with Jiang Yun, while the others listened with great interest.
The Starry Sky Body Refining Method was quite useful to Nuwa, after all, she was also a participant in the Heavenly Cycle Stars Great Formation of the Demon Court, and by learning from it, she could completely improve and create a more powerful and suitable body refining method for herself.
Nuwa's Way of Creation also played a significant role in the evolution of Jiang Yun's Inner World. This Dao and the Way of the World complemented each other perfectly, and all the beings in his Inner World benefited from it.