Amid the vast Chaos, thirteen figures sped through it, flying toward Zixiao Palace.
Before long, the magnificent and archaic Zixiao Palace came into view in the distance.
The palace gates stood open, and quite a few figures were already standing inside. Some gathered in groups of three or five, while others stood alone. Their auras varied, but all were powerful figures of renown in the Primordial Wilderness.
Wu Ming and the Twelve Ancestor Witches entered the hall and saw Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun in the distance.
His gaze lingered on the Twelve Ancestor Witches for a moment. The restrained yet increasingly terrifying fluctuations of law made his heart tighten slightly.
"Daoist friends Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun." Wu Ming stepped forward and gave the two a slight bow.
Zhen Yuanzi returned the bow. "Daoist friend Wu Ming, it has been a long time."
Hong Yun wore an easygoing smile. "Your bearing is even more impressive than before, Daoist friend."
Wu Ming nodded. "The same goes for both of you."
"It seems that after ten thousand years of secluded cultivation, both of you have made considerable progress as well."
Zhen Yuanzi nodded slightly. "I gained a little, but I am far inferior to you, Daoist friend." He looked at the Twelve Ancestor Witches behind Wu Ming, whose auras were even more unfathomable, and sighed inwardly.
Wu Ming exchanged a few simple words with them before they each took their seats.
As time passed, those who had come to hear the Dao arrived one after another.
When the last great cultivator stepped through the palace gates, the two attendants, Haotian and Yaochi, walked out.
The gates of Zixiao Palace slowly closed, and the entire palace instantly fell silent.
On the high platform, Hongjun appeared without a sound, as though he had been there since time immemorial.
Everyone hurriedly rose and bowed. "Greetings, Sage!"
Hongjun raised a hand in a gesture for them to rise. "There is no need for such formalities. Sit."
Once everyone had settled down, Hongjun's calm, emotionless voice rang out and spread throughout Zixiao Palace.
"This sermon will last ten thousand years. I will speak of... the Quasi-Saint Path."
Hongjun paid no attention to the reactions of the crowd and began explaining on his own.
"A Quasi-Saint has already understood the direction of his own Great Dao. His Magic Power reaches the profound, and divine abilities arise naturally..."
"To attain the Quasi-Saint realm, one must clearly understand the road ahead..."
Hongjun's voice echoed through the hall, every word containing the profound principles of the Great Dao.
However, as the explanation deepened, the atmosphere in the hall began to grow subtle.
The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the others in the front row all listened intently. The Dao Rhythm around them rose and fell with it; at times their brows relaxed, and at times they furrowed as they pondered deeply.
Wu Ming closed his eyes and focused his mind. His Primordial Spirit circulated with all its strength as he compared and verified Hongjun's explanation of the Quasi-Saint mysteries against the methods of using the laws contained in Pangu's inheritance.
With the aid of his Primordial Spirit, he could understand most of what Hongjun explained. In particular, the parts concerning how to condense one's own Great Dao and sever external demons gave him new ideas about controlling the laws.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches were the same. Relying on their powerful Primordial Spirits and their control over their own laws, they struggled to understand some of the principles Hongjun explained and used them to perfect their own application of the laws.
Although they could not fully understand the mysteries of the Immortal Dao's Quasi-Saint realm, they each compared it with the laws they controlled and worked hard to absorb the useful aspects of Hongjun's Dao techniques. By combining them with their own methods, they still gained something.
However, most of the listeners farther back presented an entirely different scene.
Every word Hongjun spoke was exquisite. They recognized each character individually, but when the words were strung together, it was like listening to a heavenly scripture—profound beyond measure and impossible to grasp.
Some wore pained expressions and scratched their ears and cheeks.
Some forcibly circulated their Primordial Spirits, attempting to memorize what Hongjun said. Yet the true words containing the profound principles of the Great Dao slipped out of their memories the moment they entered their minds, leaving not the slightest trace.
This stark division made the great cultivators who could not understand even more frantic with anxiety, yet they could do nothing but watch helplessly as their fellow Daoists ahead immersed themselves in the joy of enlightenment.
"What are the Three Corpses? They are formed from a person's Good Thought, Evil Thought, and Obsession..."
"Severing one corpse grants the cultivation of the early Quasi-Saint stage."
"Severing two corpses grants the cultivation of the middle Quasi-Saint stage."
"Severing three corpses grants the cultivation of the peak Quasi-Saint stage."
"Once all three corpses have been severed and the Dao Fruit is complete, one may attempt to merge the Three Corpses into one, attain the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, and achieve the status of a Sage."
Hongjun explained in detail how to identify the Three Corpses, how to gather one's mind, and how to draw upon the power of the Great Dao to sever them.
"Of the Three Corpses, the Good and Evil Corpses are relatively easier to sever. Only the Self Corpse is truly difficult."
"The self is the original self and the true self—the foundation of a cultivator's own existence."
"Severing the self does not mean destroying oneself. Rather, it means severing that Self-Attachment, that fixed understanding of one's own existence, thereby transcending it and comprehending the true self."
Hongjun placed particular emphasis on the difficulties and crucial points involved in severing the Self Corpse. The mysteries within left many great cultivators furrowing their brows once more.
Even the Three Pure Ones and the others in the front row furrowed their brows upon hearing this and sank into deep thought.
Before they realized it, another ten thousand years had passed.
When the final Dao sound faded, the boundless Dao Rhythm filling Zixiao Palace gradually subsided.
Hongjun opened his eyes and looked at the living beings below.
"This sermon ends here."
"If any of you have difficulties in cultivation, you may raise them. I shall resolve your doubts."
As soon as he said this, the hall fell silent for a moment. Then someone could no longer hold back.
The first to rise was Taiqing.
He bowed and asked, "May I ask the Sage, how does one sever the Three Corpses?"
The moment this question was asked, everyone's attention focused on Hongjun.
This concerned the key to the Quasi-Saint Path!
Hongjun looked at Taiqing and slowly spoke.
"To sever the Three Corpses, one must borrow external objects."
"An Innate Spiritual Treasure can serve as the foundation for severing a corpse."
An Innate Spiritual Treasure!
Those four words caused many people in the hall's hearts to tremble!
Innate Spiritual Treasures were incredibly rare in the Primordial Wilderness. Most had already acknowledged masters, or were hidden in secret realms. For an ordinary great cultivator, obtaining even one innate spiritual treasure as a companion treasure was already a stroke of luck. Where could they find three to sever the corpses?
What was more, Hongjun continued to elaborate.
"A cultivator uses an Innate Spiritual Treasure to carry and entrust his Good Thought, Evil Thought, and Obsession, thereby severing the Good Corpse, the Corpse of Evil, and the Self Corpse." Hongjun continued explaining.
"The higher the grade of the spiritual treasure, the purer the thoughts it can carry and contain. The stronger the resulting Three Corpses will be, and the more stable their foundations will be."
These words caused many listeners' hearts to sink halfway.
A High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure was already as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, let alone a supreme-grade one.
Could it be that without a top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Quasi-Saint Path could not be walked at all—or that even if one did walk it, one's foundation would be shallow?
After Taiqing, Yuanshi rose and gave another bow.
"May I ask the Sage, after a spiritual treasure is used to sever a corpse, will it be damaged and disappear?"
This was also a question many people cared about.
If severing one corpse consumed one Innate Spiritual Treasure, the price would be far too great.
Hongjun shook his head. "During this process, the spiritual treasure serves to carry and assist, becoming the place where the Three Corpses are entrusted. Once the severing is complete, the spiritual treasure still exists, merging seamlessly within the Three Corpses, and can still be used at will."
Hearing this, everyone finally relaxed slightly.
As long as the spiritual treasure was not lost, there was still hope.
Immediately afterward, the Demon Emperor Di Jun rose, his voice ringing out.
"May I ask the Sage, within the Primordial Wilderness, is severing the Three Corpses the only path to attaining Sainthood?"