The Third Sermon

In the Primordial World, strength was everything. Without enough strength, every scheme was nothing but a castle in the air.

"Forget it. There's no point dwelling on it. When you reach the mountain, a path will appear; when you reach the bridge, the boat will carry you across."

Xuanqing shook his head and decided to put the worry aside for now.

What mattered most was cultivating properly and improving as much as he could. As for the Primordial Purple Qi, he would have to adapt when the time came.

Just as he settled his mind and prepared to enter seclusion again to consolidate his cultivation, an indescribably profound Dao Rhyme spread from the Chaos beyond the Thirty-three Heavens.

Vast and ethereal, it instantly swept across the entire Primordial World.

At the same moment, all the mighty figures felt something stir within them. They awoke from their seclusion and turned their gazes toward Zixiao Palace.

The Third Sermon was about to begin!

Xuanqing rose and straightened his robes.

Just as he was preparing to leave, a gentle voice sounded beside his ear.

"Xuanqing, come to the main hall of Jade Void Palace."

It was his master, Yuanshi Tianzun.

Daring not to delay, Xuanqing immediately transformed into a streak of golden light and flew to the main hall of Jade Void Palace.

When he entered, he found that not only was his master Yuanshi Tianzun there, but his martial uncle Taishang and Martial Uncle Tongtian were there as well.

The three mighty figures sat side by side on Cloud Beds, their auras even more unfathomable than they had been a hundred years ago.

Now a Golden Immortal, Xuanqing's perception was far keener than before. He could clearly sense that the auras of the Three Pure Ones had become completely restrained, as if they had merged with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

If you didn't look, you wouldn't even sense that three people were sitting there.

But the moment you did, those three figures seemed to become the very center of Heaven and Earth.

"Quasi-Saints!"

Xuanqing's heart gave a sudden leap.

Though he couldn't judge exactly what realm his master and the others had reached, this feeling could only mean they had each severed one corpse and entered the Quasi-Saint realm!

It seemed that after the Second Sermon, the three masters and uncles had all gained an astonishing amount.

"Your disciple Xuanqing pays respects to Master, Martial Uncle Taishang, and Martial Uncle Tongtian." Xuanqing bowed respectfully.

"No need for such formalities." Taishang Laojun gave a slight nod, his expression calm.

Tongtian Cult Leader, meanwhile, looked Xuanqing over with a smile and nodded again and again.

"Excellent, excellent. It's only been a few hundred years, and you've already become a Golden Immortal. Nephew, you're cultivating much faster than we did back in our day!"

"You flatter me, Martial Uncle. Your disciple was just lucky," Xuanqing replied modestly.

Yuanshi Tianzun looked at his disciple with evident satisfaction.

He spoke slowly. "I'll take you with me to the sermon at Zixiao Palace."

A warmth spread through Xuanqing's heart. He knew his master had heard about the Yao Clan's ambush last time and was afraid something might happen to him on the way again.

"Thank you, Master."

"Mm." Yuanshi Tianzun acknowledged him, then changed the subject. "I heard you fought the Yao Clan on your way back last time?"

Xuanqing's heart sank. Here it came.

"Your disciple acted imprudently and caused trouble for Master."

"Trouble?" Yuanshi Tianzun's tone revealed no emotion. "When have my disciples ever been afraid of trouble?"

He looked at Xuanqing and continued, "I usually teach you to act cautiously so you don't go looking for trouble or get entangled in Karma and the Malevolent Qi of a Tribulation."

"But that doesn't mean you should just swallow your anger when someone bullies you."

"Remember, you are Pangu Orthodox, a disciple of the Mysterious Gate Lineage, and my First Disciple. Whoever dares to strike at your face, you strike back with ten times the force!"

"If you can't beat them, give them my name. If they still dare attack after you've given them my name, come back and tell me."

Tongtian Cult Leader burst into laughter beside them. "Second Brother is right! How could anyone bully disciples of the Pangu Three Pure Ones? Nephew, if you run into something like this again, don't hold back. Take out the sword I gave you last time and cut them down first!"

As he spoke, he seemed ready to give Xuanqing another sword aura for protection.

Taishang Laojun coughed and said flatly, "Third Brother, don't fool around."

Tongtian Cult Leader reluctantly withdrew his hand.

Xuanqing finally understood.

His master wasn't telling him not to cause trouble. He was telling him not to get into trouble he couldn't handle himself.

As long as he was in the right and had three powerful backers, he had to stand his ground when the time came!

"Your disciple understands!" Xuanqing bowed solemnly.

"Let's go."

Yuanshi Tianzun swept out his sleeve, and a gentle force enveloped Xuanqing. In an instant, they crossed boundless space and headed toward the Chaos beyond the Thirty-three Heavens.

Within the Chaos, Zixiao Palace still hung quietly in the air.

Many mighty figures had already gathered outside its gates.

When Yuanshi Tianzun appeared with Xuanqing, everyone's eyes turned toward them.

In particular, when they saw that Xuanqing was unharmed and had even advanced to Golden Immortal, many looked surprised.

Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi of the Yao Clan wore grim expressions. Baize, standing behind them, twitched at the corner of his eye and silently lowered his head.

The last ambush had failed and cost them quite a few men. When Baize returned, Dijun had given him a severe scolding.

Now that he saw the target standing there beside Yuanshi Tianzun, he didn't even dare meet Xuanqing's gaze.

Xuanqing took it all in and sneered inwardly.

He turned toward Baize and gave him a kindly smile.

Baize's face turned green in an instant.

It was a blatant provocation!

But what could he do? Yuanshi Tianzun was standing right there. Baize didn't dare so much as let out a peep.

The crowd filed inside and found places to sit.

As usual, the Three Pure Ones sat on the three Prayer Mats at the very front.

Xuanqing stood behind Yuanshi Tianzun, quietly waiting.

Before long, Hongjun Dao Ancestor appeared on the preaching platform without a sound.

"This is the Third Sermon, and it will also be the last."

Hongjun Dao Ancestor's voice was calm, yet it carried the supreme might of Heaven.

"This time, I will explain the ways of becoming a Sage."

The instant he finished speaking, Zixiao Palace fell utterly silent. You could hear a pin drop.

All the mighty figures stared wide-eyed, their breathing growing ragged.

The ways of becoming a Sage!

This was what they had dreamed of obtaining!

Even the Three Pure Ones looked solemn.

Only Xuanqing remained outwardly composed, silently nodding to himself.

Here it was. At last, the main topic.

"There are three thousand Great Dao, and each can lead to Hunyuan. But in essence, they can be summed up in three ways."

"First, Prove Dao by Force."

"This method follows the example of Great God Pangu: to open Heaven and Earth, break the shackles of the Heavenly Dao with supreme power, and attain the Great Dao Sage realm. Those who succeed this way are the strongest, free from the Heavenly Dao's constraints and unrestrained. But this method is also the most difficult. Throughout history, only Great God Pangu has succeeded."

Everyone sighed when they heard this.

Prove Dao by Force? Don't make me laugh. We're not even worthy of comparison to a single one of Great God Pangu's toes.

"Second, attain the Dao by Slaying the Three Corpses."

"Within a person are three corpses: the good, the evil, and the obsession. If one can use Innate Spiritual Treasures as anchors to sever these three corpses, one can attain the Quasi-Saint realm. Once the three corpses are united, one can attain the Hunyuan Dao Fruit and become a Heavenly Dao Sage."

Hongjun Dao Ancestor explained the method of Slaying the Three Corpses in detail.

The crowd listened, entranced. Many wore expressions of sudden understanding.

This seemed like a path to the Great Dao they could actually see and touch!

"Third, attain the Dao through merit."