In Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun spoke with eloquence.
As he began expounding the Sage's Path, vast amounts of Heavenly Dao laws filled the entire Purple Cloud Palace.
But unlike the previous two teachings, no one experienced the sudden enlightenment they had felt before during this lecture.
The previous two lectures had covered the paths of the Great Luo Golden Immortal and Quasi-Sage.
At that time, everyone's cultivation had happened to be at those stages, making the teachings perfectly suited to them.
But now, most of them were still Quasi-Sages. Trying to comprehend the Sage's Path was practically a fantasy.
Even the Three Pure Ones seated upon the futons had their brows tightly furrowed, struggling immensely to follow along.
But Hongjun did not care.
He continued expounding his own understanding of the Sage's Path, and in the process, gained several new insights himself.
It could be said that the person who benefited most from this lecture was Hongjun himself.
When Hongjun finally stopped, everyone gradually emerged from their state of listening to the Dao, with only one thought in their hearts: the Sage's Path truly was infinitely profound.
What surprised Hongjun somewhat was that Styx had awakened when the previous two lectures ended, yet this time, he was still lost in his thoughts.
Perhaps this was a good thing for Hongjun as well.
At the very least, he would no longer need to give Styx that strand of Primordial Purple Qi.
Hongjun said, "That concludes this lecture. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
Laozi was the first to speak. He rose from his futon and bowed deeply. "May I ask, Sage, what is a Sage?"
Hongjun answered, "Beneath the Heavenly Dao, Sages arise in accordance with the Heavenly Dao. They entrust their primordial spirits to the Heavenly Dao and govern the Primordial Wilderness on its behalf. Beneath Sages, all living beings are but ants!"
The moment those words were spoken, Purple Cloud Palace erupted in uproar.
Beneath Sages, all living beings were but ants!
Had anyone else said such a thing, the great powers would surely have mocked him.
But Hongjun was the one who had said it!
Everyone had witnessed Hongjun's strength firsthand. Before him, they truly were as weak as ants.
Thus, everyone in Purple Cloud Palace was instantly filled with an overwhelming desire to become Sages.
Yuanshi was the second to ask, "May I ask, Sage, how does one become a Sage?"
Hongjun answered, "All Three Thousand Great Daos can prove one a Grand Dao Golden Immortal. In summary, there are three methods. The first is to Prove Dao with Strength: use immense magical power to split open Chaos and create a world, thereby attaining the Great Dao. Grand Dao Golden Immortals proven by this method are the strongest, but it is also the most difficult path."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They knew of Proving Dao with Strength. Great God Pangu, who had created the Primordial Wilderness, had sought to prove the Dao through this very method. Unfortunately, although he opened the Primordial Wilderness, he ultimately transformed into all things.
Of course, Great God Pangu had not sought to become a Grand Dao Golden Immortal, but to attain an even higher realm.
Even Great God Pangu had failed at this method. Naturally, no one present believed they possessed the ability to surpass him.
Hongjun continued, "The second is this humble Daoist's method of proving Dao: the Three Corpses Severing Method. Sever one corpse within yourself to become an early Quasi-Sage, two corpses to become a Mid Quasi-Sage, and three corpses to become a late Quasi-Sage. If the three corpses can be united as one, you may become a peak Quasi-Sage. Finally, unite the three corpses with your true body, and you will naturally prove yourself a Grand Dao Golden Immortal. This method is no less difficult than Proving Dao with Strength, and likewise requires great perseverance, though the strength gained after proving Dao is fairly respectable."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
After the second lecture, they had all already embarked upon the path of severing the three corpses. Hearing Hongjun explain it, they naturally felt that this method was feasible.
The only issue was that the Three Corpses Severing Method required three Innate Spiritual Treasures, which was somewhat difficult for them.
Ignoring the thoughts of those below, Hongjun continued, "The third is to prove Dao through merit. So long as one renders merit to the Primordial Wilderness, the Heavenly Dao will bestow merit. If one's merit is sufficient, even leaping from the Heavenly Immortal realm straight into becoming a Grand Dao Golden Immortal is not impossible, though one's strength will be somewhat inferior to Grand Dao Golden Immortals proven through the first two methods."
This path was also viable for everyone.
After all, although merit was difficult to obtain, if they worked hard enough, they could still acquire some.
Even if it took tens of millions of years, perhaps they could gather enough merit to prove Dao.
Seeing everyone fall into deep thought, Hongjun nodded in satisfaction.
Then, an discordant voice rang out. "Then may I ask, Sage, what of the method of Law Proving Dao?"
Hongjun turned his head, his face darkening.
It was Styx!
He had returned at the most inappropriate possible moment.
Hongjun had deliberately concealed the method of Law Proving Dao precisely because he did not want anyone to cultivate it.
But if he refused to answer Styx now, it would surely stir thoughts among the other great powers.
Thus, though displeased, Hongjun still said, "The method of Law Proving Dao cannot be cultivated by those lacking great opportunity, great fortune, and great perseverance!"
Everyone wished to ask more about Law Proving Dao, but seeing Hongjun refuse to speak further, they wisely fell silent.
Yet Tongtian spoke first, cutting them off. "The methods the Sage mentioned just now are all methods for becoming a Grand Dao Golden Immortal. Then how does one become a Sage?"
Everyone was startled and only then realized that this was indeed true.
The three methods Hongjun had just explained were all methods for becoming a Grand Dao Golden Immortal. He had not yet said how one became a Sage.
Styx did not care much that he had lost his chance to speak.
After all, he had already decided to follow the path of Law Proving Dao. His question just now had merely arisen on a whim.
When he fought the Law Envoy in Law Space, he had already fully understood how he should walk the road ahead.
Even more interestingly, the law power within Styx fluctuated unstably. His Creation Law, previously at forty-five percent, now seemed to have fallen to around thirty percent.
What had happened?
Why had his Creation Law regressed?
Simply put, Styx had realized something during his battle with the Law Envoy.
Balance.
He was the first person to cultivate two Daos simultaneously.
Moreover, those two Daos were the supreme laws of creation and destruction.
He had previously focused solely on the Creation Law while neglecting the Destruction Law, causing the law power within his body to fall out of balance.
Thus, even though he had cultivated the Creation Law to forty-five percent, he was still inferior to the Law Envoy's thirty percent Creation Power.
After realizing this, Styx cut off his own arm.
He directly crippled the Creation Law he had cultivated to a modest level, reducing it to around twenty percent.
Bringing it level with the Destruction Law.
The moment the two laws within his body regained balance, Styx felt his comprehension of both laws advance by leaps and bounds!
With the Law Envoy nearby to offer "guidance" by beating him up, Styx's progress could be described as astonishingly rapid.
As the two Daos wound around each other, both laws returned to thirty percent.
Yet his combat strength far surpassed what it had been before.
Styx was confident that he could raise them to forty percent within a hundred thousand years, or even become a Grand Dao Golden Immortal within ten epochs.
That way, he would finally have a place in the Primordial Wilderness.
Moreover, the Gourd Vine and Nine Heavens Breath Soil were both in his possession.
Without those two, Nüwa could not create humans. Without the human race, the Era of Sages could not arrive.
In other words, the initiative for what came next rested entirely in Styx's hands!
He could delay the arrival of the Era of Sages indefinitely, unless he himself proved Dao.
Not only that, Styx also seemed to understand why the Heavenly Dao had granted him such fortune.
It was likely for the sake of balance as well.
To balance him against Hongjun, preventing Hongjun from becoming the sole dominant force in the Primordial Wilderness.
Of course, that was only his speculation.
Before you continue