The two continued onward.
Before long, they arrived beneath a towering ancient tree. Its branches and leaves stretched for thousands of acres, blotting out the sky and sun. Though it appeared utterly ordinary by day, at night its branches and leaves transformed into a vast cloud of fire. The flames they gave off were not scorching; instead, they filled one with warmth.
This was the Suiming Tree, a top-grade Innate Spiritual Root and once Xuan Qing's place of cultivation.
"I was blind before. I never realized that this Suiming Tree was actually a top-grade Innate Spiritual Root!" Xuan Qing reached out and stroked the trunk, smiling lightly. "After tens of thousands of years, only you remain unchanged!"
At that moment, a sudden realization arose within him. This tree seemed to have become connected to him, and under the nourishment of incense offerings, it had even developed a trace of faint intelligence.
"Incense Godhood!"
In the present Primordial Wilderness, the immortal Dao system reigned supreme. By all rights, something like "Incense Godhood" should not have appeared. Yet because Xuan Qing had once drilled wood to make fire beneath the Suiming Tree, the divine tree had gained a trace of Merit. Combined with the incense offerings of the nearby human race, it had unexpectedly transformed into something akin to a Spirit Sacrifice.
In Xuan Qing's perception, this divine tree was like another version of himself. He could not help but smile. "Am I Suiren, or are you Suiren?"
After tens of thousands of years, the human race had multiplied generation after generation. The newly born humans had never seen Xuan Qing, so they regarded the Suiming Tree as Xuan Qing's incarnation.
Xuan Qing shook his head and laughed. "When falsehood becomes truth, truth is false; when truth becomes false, falsehood is true. Between truth and falsehood, why distinguish so clearly?"
All of a sudden, he recalled how the Three Pure Ones had spoken of the distinction between the true self and other selves during their lectures. Other selves arose from thought, and were also a reflection of the true self's Dao.
"Heavenly Immortal Trait, Infinite Other Selves!"
As Heavenly Dao Sages, the Three Pure Ones had each once cultivated a single realm alone and developed it to its utmost limit, thereby deriving traits similar to those of Daluo.
As incarnations of the Heavenly Dao, projecting themselves across the heavens and imprinting themselves upon myriad worlds was merely an ordinary matter for Sages. They did so only in hopes of contributing to the immortal Dao.
The Dao differed according to the person!
Everyone's understanding, knowledge, and realization of the Great Dao differed, just as no two leaves in this world were exactly alike.
Even the same person would gain different insights at different times and in different places. Such insights were reflections of the true self.
The trait of Infinite Other Selves was to use a single spark of spiritual light to divide into countless other selves, exploring the same Great Dao from different dimensions and different realms.
Because it was something that could theoretically be achieved within the Heavenly Immortal Realm, the Three Pure Ones classified it as a Heavenly Immortal Trait.
However, among the disciples of the three sects, few studied this trait. Only Taiyi of the Chan Sect showed much interest in this Heavenly Immortal Trait.
Xuan Qing had not thought much of it before.
In his view, was it not far more efficient to first raise one's cultivation and realm, then use a higher-dimensional perspective to glimpse the profundities of the Great Dao?
But now, he felt that his former thoughts had been utterly mistaken. A towering building rose from level ground, but if its foundation was unstable and one's understanding flawed, then after breaking through to a higher realm, would the Great Dao one saw truly be real?
Other Self Incarnation meant allowing one's consciousness to understand and examine itself from another's perspective, correcting itself and letting one's Dao Fruit evolve toward the most perfect state.
Take Primordial Lord of Heaven, for instance. Some felt he was dignified and majestic, some thought him ethereal and transcendent, while others believed his eyes revealed the mercilessness of the Heavenly Dao.
Four-Valuables had said that.
Primordial was formless. What each person glimpsed was the Primordial Lord of Heaven within their own heart.
In Xuan Qing's heart, the Primordial Lord of Heaven he longed to see was someone who valued brotherly affection and said one thing while meaning another. That was why he appeared so amiable.
But in the eyes of those outer disciples of the Jie Sect, having heard that Primordial Lord of Heaven disliked beasts with fur and horns, the Primordial Lord of Heaven they saw was like a savage god who chose its prey and devoured it.
"What am I like?"
At that moment, Xuan Qing could not help but ponder what he looked like in the eyes of others.
In Sect Master Tongtian's eyes, he might be a sensible disciple. In Daoist Duobao's eyes, he might be a fellow Daoist with whom he could discuss the Dao of Artifact Refining. In Primordial Lord of Heaven's eyes, he might be the most reasonable existence in the Jie Sect. In Youchao Shi's eyes, he might be the infinitely wise "Suiren Shi"!
In the eyes of others, he might take entirely different forms. Like blind men feeling an elephant, what each person saw was never all of him.
Infinite Other Selves varied from person to person!
"So that was it!"
Xuan Qing laughed aloud. A faint, illusory Eternal Great Luo Heaven appeared above his head, and then a ray of spiritual light flew out. Drawing upon the power of incense and faith from the Suiming Tree, the spiritual light rapidly grew stronger. A barefoot middle-aged man clad in animal hides and holding a blazing torch manifested atop the Suiming Tree's canopy. He radiated boundless brilliance, as though he could illuminate the ten directions and three eras.
"From this day onward, you are Suiren!"
This was the method Xuan Qing had devised: using an Other Self Incarnation to bear Suiren Shi's karma, allowing the Dao Fruit of his true self to reach a state of flawless purity.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist!"
Born through a spark of Xuan Qing's spiritual light and the power of human faith, "Suiren Shi" immediately smiled and nodded in greeting to Xuan Qing and Youchao Shi.
"You are too courteous, fellow Daoist!"
Xuan Qing promptly returned the salute.
At the same time, an insight arose in his heart. It was Suiren Shi's understanding of the Great Dao of Fire. The Forge of Creation began operating on its own, and the various Innate Divine Fires he had once comprehended—Sky Burning Violet Fire, Golden Fire of Karma Washing, Netherworld Ghost Fire, Samadhi True Fire, and more—instantly transformed into streams of multicolored light and merged into the Suiming Tree. The torch in Suiren Shi's hand also became scorching, violent, and profound in an instant, as though it contained all phenomena of the vast cosmos.
Youchao Shi stared in dumbfounded amazement.
Though he cultivated as well, the methods Xuan Qing displayed still exceeded his understanding.
"Sui!"
"What is going on?"
Youchao Shi looked toward Xuan Qing, but Xuan Qing pointed at the middle-aged man holding the torch. "From now on, he is the Suiren Shi who drilled wood to make fire!"
Afterward, Xuan Qing explained the relationship between himself and "Suiren Shi" to Youchao Shi.
The being who had walked down from the tree also smiled. "From this day onward, I am Suiren! For the countless millions of years to come, I will advance and retreat alongside the human race!"
As "Suiren Shi" spoke, Xuan Qing seemed, in a daze, to hear an unceasing chorus of sacrificial chants drifting toward him from endless time and space.
"It was the Fire Epoch, when the stars were arrayed!"
"It was the Fire Epoch, when the Dao of Fire flourished!"
"It was the Fire Epoch, when all things took form!"
"It was the Fire Epoch, when our Yang Sui was proven true!"
"It was the Fire Epoch, when the Emperor Sui was laid to rest!"
Those deep, resonant sacrificial chants spread throughout the ten directions. They seemed to come from the beginning of ancient time, yet also seemed to resound from the future, echoing endlessly beside Xuan Qing's ears.
He suddenly felt his primordial spirit lighten, as though some shackle had been severed. His understanding of the Great Dao of Fire rapidly deepened, and he felt as if he had become a deity who controlled all flames.
"Only today do I know that I am myself!"
He burst into laughter, then with a single thought, shifted his consciousness into the perspective of "Suiren Shi" and began examining the existence of his true self through the eyes of his Other Self Incarnation.
Several days later, Xuan Qing bid farewell to Youchao Shi and left the Human Ancestral Land. "Suiren Shi," meanwhile, took his place and continued enlightening the human race.
As the saying went: Once bound by shackles, today he understood the profound truth. With worldly karma exhausted, he stepped onto the immortal stairway!
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