This transcendence refers not only to surpassing the power of Heavenly Dao, but also to going beyond the control of Heavenly Dao and doing things against Heaven's will.
Even if one uses Merit to enhance their cultivation, no matter how strong they become, they are still subject to the laws of Heavenly Dao and cannot defy Heaven. If one insists on defying Heaven, they will inevitably be reduced to ashes under Heavenly Punishment.
If we follow Jiang Yuan's path, as long as we cultivate the Pangu Dao Fruit, even if we go against the heavens, we can withstand the Heavenly Punishment and survive.
Many people believe that going against nature will inevitably lead to death, but this is actually a misconception. The fundamental principle of the Primordial World is that everything has a chance of survival, and one should not push things to the extreme.
This was established by the Great God Pangu. In fact, to prevent the Heavenly Dao from not obeying it, he specially split the Heavenly Dao from the number fifty into the number forty-nine, which is called the one that was hidden away.
This vanished "one" is the glimmer of hope for all things. With it present, even if Heavenly Dao wanted to go to extremes, it would be powerless to do so.
Therefore, even the strongest Heavenly Punishment has its limits. However, most people cannot withstand these limits; only those who Force-Proven Dao can.
Why do I say this? Because other methods of attaining enlightenment are all within the Heavenly Dao, and naturally it is difficult to reach its limits or contend with it.
However, the method of Force-Proven Dao is not only not controlled by the Heavenly Dao, but actually transcends it.
Therefore, those who cultivate this method will possess power that surpasses the limits of the Heavenly Dao within the same realm, and will naturally be unafraid of Heavenly Punishment, thus capable of defying the heavens.
"Are you going to do something against the will of Heaven?"
Zhenyuanzi understood Jiang Yuan's meaning and asked in shock.
Is this child alright? Why would someone so perfectly healthy choose to defy nature and go against the will of Heavenly Dao? Is he feeling too comfortable with his life and wants to find some excitement?
"It's not that I want to do something against the will of Heaven, but I'm caught in the situation and have no choice but to make plans early."
Jiang Yuan said helplessly, "If there were any other option, who wouldn't want to follow the will of Heaven?"
But isn't it that Heavenly Dao doesn't give us a chance? Human Race is caught between the Wu-Yao and demon races; if we don't defy Heaven, how can we expect to have a good outcome?
Even disregarding the Human Race, she manages to navigate between the two races, but to find a way out, she must defy the heavens.
Otherwise, when the Wu-Yao destroys the Primordial World world and the Heavenly Dao settles the score of karma, it will inevitably hold him accountable.
" The Wu-Yao and the Lich race?"
Upon hearing this, Zhenyuanzi understood. Given the current state of the Primordial World, any discerning person could see that a war between the Wu-Yao was inevitable.
The high-ranking officials of both races were aware of this. The reason they were actively preparing for war was that they wanted to defeat the other side in one fell swoop when the war broke out.
In the midst of the Wu-Yao War, Jiang Yuan, if he didn't want anything to go wrong, would indeed have to take unconventional measures.
Those who perform great Merit are protected by Heavenly Dao and are free from calamities and tribulations. However, there is a prerequisite: they must not actively seek out calamities. Only by doing so can they remain unscathed amidst the great catastrophes of Heaven and Earth.
If you can't do that and insist on deliberately entering into this calamity, then don't expect the protection of Heavenly Dao; whether you survive depends entirely on your own abilities.
When the catastrophe began, the heavenly secrets were first in chaos, and nothing could be predicted. Then the Heavenly Dao lost contact, temporarily losing control over the world.
In this situation, status, position, and glory become useless; only strength matters.
Therefore, once a calamity occurs, regardless of your status—whether you are a person of great wisdom, great Merit, or Destiny —you are all likely to perish, except for Sage.
Jiang Yuan is in dire straits, and to protect himself, no preparation is too much.
"I was too greedy. If I had agreed to go to the Splendid Heaven to cultivate in my younger days, even if the Wu-Yao Calamity was terrifying, it wouldn't have affected me."
"Unfortunately, I was too greedy. Seeing that the two races were dominating the world, involving too much Destiny and Merit —enough to create several Daluo Realm Hunyuan Realm —I couldn't resist and actively got involved."
"Even now, despite having gained many benefits, I am deeply entrenched in it and find it difficult to extricate myself."
Jiang Yuan sighed, saying that he had done so much for both races, yet he claimed to have no karmic ties with them and would not be involved in the Wu-Yao Calamity. Was that even possible?
Jiang Yuan wanted to convince himself that it was possible. But the reality was that the more he did, the deeper he sank.
In the future, if he wants to extricate himself, he will either have to become an enemy of both the Lich and Wu-Yao at the same time, or break with one side and fully support the other.
In short, he's finding it hard to extricate himself; he's almost as deeply entangled as Emperor Xi. This is completely contrary to his initial plan to participate as an observer.
It can only be said that he was too naive back then. He thought that by having the idea of making a deal, he could remain unscathed.
However, the result was that as long as one was associated with either of the two races, there was a risk of being caught in a calamity, let alone offering them advice.
The more you do, the more mistakes you make; this saying is absolutely true.
However, Jiang Yuan only realized this now, but it was too late. He could no longer extricate himself and could only go down a dark path, trying to gain as much benefit as possible for himself. This way, he would have a stronger ability to withstand the risks after the collapse.
"Young friend, you possess extraordinary talent and will surely be able to turn danger into safety. There is no need to worry too much."
97
Seeing that Jiang Yuan was also in trouble, Zhenyuanzi didn't know what to say and could only offer dry words of comfort.
To be honest, in Zhenyuanzi's opinion, although both were caught in a calamity, Jiang Yuan's situation was undoubtedly much better than Hong Yun's.
Under the influence of calamity, Hong Yun has lost his most basic judgment and is developing into a stage where "whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad."
But Jiang Yuan is different. He possesses great Merit, and even if the tribulations he encounters are far greater than those of Hong Yun, he can still remain clear-headed under the influence of his Merit and will not let the tribulations control his mind or fall into madness.
Staying clear-headed is the most difficult and important thing to do in a crisis.
Why do many powerful individuals perish in calamities? It's not because they weren't strong enough, but because they've gone mad, lost the ability to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and are determined to walk the path to death.
In that case, if they don't die, who will?
Therefore, as long as one can remain conscious during a great calamity, there is a high probability that one will survive.
"With your guidance, young friend, I have gained some insight. The path of Immortal Dao, Earth, Man, God, and Ghost. The path we are talking about is the Earth Immortal Dao path, which is one of the five major branches of the path of Immortal Dao."
"When this path is established in the future, I will be the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, and you, my young friend, will be the deputy master of this path. We will then share in its Destiny and Merit."
At this point, mere words of comfort seemed rather inadequate. Therefore, Zhenyuanzi thought for a moment and then made a promise to Jiang Yuan.
He wanted to share a portion of the future fortune belonging to the Earth Immortal Dao Destiny with Jiang Yuan. In this way, with the blessing of the Earth Immortal Dao's Destiny, Jiang—
The probability that Yuan will survive the great calamity in the future is undoubtedly much higher.
This is true comfort, tangible benefit, and more convincing than any words.
"Thank you so much, Great Immortal!"
Jiang Yuan was not one to be pretentious, so he accepted Zhenyuanzi's generous gift without hesitation. Then, the two began to discuss how to perfect the Earth Immortal Dao Path.