Immortals Expound the Dao

Thirteen immortal figures, their auras ethereal and their faces indistinct, sat high above the Ninth Heaven, expounding upon the wondrous methods of the supreme Great Dao!

As the mysterious Dao sounds rang through heaven and earth, immortal light and purple qi spread across the firmament. Auspicious spirit birds soared through the nine skies, sweet dew and golden lotuses sprang forth from the earth, jade trees were laden with exotic flowers and strange fruits, heavenly maidens played drums and music, immortal cranes cried clear notes as they danced through the air... All manner of auspicious phenomena emerged one after another.

Below lay a boundless sea of bitterness. Its waters were unbearably murky, treacherous undercurrents surged within, and it blocked Shen Mo's party from proceeding.

Countless living beings drifted and sank within it, struggling bitterly!

Some heard the Great Dao and flew from the sea of bitterness with boundless joy on their faces. They landed upon the auspicious clouds beneath the immortals' seats and listened reverently as the thirteen True Immortals expounded the Dao.

There were a total of eight thousand, seven hundred and twenty-three such beings who had heard the Dao and attained release. There were cultivators, evil cultivators, ferocious beasts, demons, monsters, and spirits... Every type of living being found in the world could be seen within the sea of bitterness or upon those auspicious clouds!

"Do not listen to that crooked Dao and evil Dharma. Those expounding the Dao in the Ninth Heaven are not true immortals, nor are they immortal projections—they are manifestations of Evil Spirits."

"If you truly listen, one of those thirteen 'immortals' will pose a question to test you. Should you fail to answer, or should your answer fail to please them, you will fall into the boundless sea of bitterness and meet the miserable