Discourse on the Dao at Purple Cloud Palace

Below, Xuan Heng's heart jolted at Hongjun's words, and cold sweat instantly streamed down his back.

Though he had long prepared himself, hearing it spoken aloud still set towering waves crashing through his heart.

Hongjun had indeed seen through the fact that he was not from this world—and he had not only seen through it now. He had known from their very first meeting. He even knew Xuan Heng's name from his previous life.

Purple Cloud Palace instantly fell silent. Neither Hongjun nor Xuan Heng spoke again.

After a moment of silence, Hongjun spoke once more. "After Pangu split open heaven and earth, the Great Dao withdrew from sight, and the Heavenly Dao was born. All living beings came under the Heavenly Dao's control. But you are different. From the first time I saw you, I discovered your difference."

As he spoke, Hongjun's gaze truly settled on Xuan Heng for the first time. Then he said, "You count as a living being of the Primordial World, yet you do not wholly belong to the Primordial World."

Xuan Heng was already a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, yet the pressure emanating from Dao Patriarch Hongjun still soaked his back in cold sweat.

But just as Xuan Heng prepared to accept it all, prepared for Hongjun to erase him, Hongjun's actions exceeded his expectations.

With a light wave of his hand, Hongjun sent that wisp of violet Dao Mark back into Xuan Heng's brow.

"You need not be nervous. If I had wished to act against you, you would have ceased to exist in this world during my first discourse on the Dao."

Hearing Hongjun's words, Xuan Heng's heart slowly calmed. Indeed, beneath a Saint, all were ants—let alone before a Saint like Hongjun. He had no ability whatsoever to resist.

Hongjun did not look at him further, instead turning his gaze toward the surging chaos beyond Purple Cloud Palace.

For the first time, his voice carried a trace of complexity as he slowly said, "I am about to merge with the Dao. After merging with the Dao, Hongjun will be the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao may not necessarily be Hongjun."

After saying this, Hongjun fell silent for a while. With a wave of his hand, the small meditation cushion appeared again.

"Sit. There is no need for restraint between us."

Though it was still the same meditation cushion, its position had moved further forward this time. It sat directly upon the Dao platform where Hongjun resided, right at Hongjun's left hand.

Without hesitation, Xuan Heng sat upon the cushion once more.

"Do you know why I bestowed this small meditation cushion upon you?" Hongjun asked Xuan Heng indifferently.

Xuan Heng shook his head. "This disciple does not know."

Hongjun's expression did not change as he said, "Because you are different from them. Taiqing, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Receiving Guide, and Zhunti—their future paths were all ordained by the Heavenly Dao. Even this discourse on the Dao of mine is a transaction between the Heavenly Dao and me."

"It helped me eliminate Luo Hou, and I helped it spread the Dao throughout the Primordial World, setting the living beings of the Primordial World upon the paths it had ordained. The ownership of the Primordial Violet Qi had likewise been decided from the very beginning. Everything seemed to be proceeding according to the Heavenly Dao's design—until I saw you after my first discourse on the Dao."

At this point, Hongjun paused. Looking at Xuan Heng, he paused again before continuing, "I saw you, Kunlun's Fourth Pure One, who should not have existed. And I immediately discovered the Beyond-the-Dao Mark within your brow."

"Because of Luo Hou, the western earth veins collapsed. Thus, for the sake of balance in the Primordial World, the great trend set by the Heavenly Dao was the decline of the Profound Gate and the rise of the West. After I merge with the Dao, the will of the Heavenly Dao will overpower my own. By then, I will be powerless to alter the great trend ordained by the Heavenly Dao."

"That is why I gave you the small meditation cushion and specially refined the Profound Pure Treasure Robe for you. Though the Profound Pure Treasure Robe is only a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure, it can ward off most deductions and can even temporarily shield you from the Heavenly Dao's scrutiny."

Xuan Heng was utterly shocked upon hearing this. In his previous life, he had only known the fact that the West would flourish later on. Moreover, in the novels he had read in his past life, Hongjun had played the villain most of the time. He had never expected the true situation to be like this.

Back then, he had wondered why Hongjun, being the Profound Gate himself, would tolerate the West's rise. Worse, the source of the West's rise was the suppression of the Profound Gate. So it had all been part of a transaction with the Heavenly Dao, something done out of necessity.

"This disciple thanks Teacher for your great favor." Though a storm of thoughts raged in his mind, Xuan Heng still cupped his hands toward Hongjun.

"Hehe, I have always had one question. From the very beginning, did you never intend to use the Primordial Violet Qi to become a Saint?"

After revealing these secrets, Hongjun seemed to have relaxed considerably. Xuan Heng even caught a faint smile upon Hongjun's face.

This time, Xuan Heng held nothing back. Since everything had already been laid bare, there was nothing left to fear. "This disciple indeed has no interest in the Primordial Violet Qi."

"Very good. I did not misjudge you. After I finish discoursing on the Dao and distribute the violet qi, the great trend of heaven and earth will be set. All living beings will be within that great trend, Saints included."

"The Heavenly Dao is supremely impartial, yet even supreme impartiality is relative. Should someone wish to disrupt the great trend, the Heavenly Dao will very likely strike them down. But some things need someone to do them, and some roads need someone to walk them. You stand outside the ordained great trend, making you perfectly suited."

This time, Xuan Heng truly understood. Hongjun was not helping him because he liked him, nor because he was Pangu's Fourth Pure One. It was because, throughout the entire Primordial World, only Xuan Heng stood outside the ordained great trend.

Thus, Hongjun had chosen to place a piece on the board in advance, leaving behind a sliver of possibility for the Primordial World before merging with the Dao.

"Enough. I did not give you the small meditation cushion merely so you could sit beside me and answer questions. Today, I will give you extra instruction and deliver a fourth discourse on the Dao for you alone."

Hongjun spoke indifferently, then waved his great hand. Three thousand Dao patterns suddenly emerged within Purple Cloud Palace.

The Dao patterns flowed like rivers, circling around Xuan Heng. Yet after just one glance, Xuan Heng felt as though his Primordial Spirit had been pierced by needles.

Hongjun did not look at Xuan Heng as he slowly said, "Since you will not walk the path of a Heavenly Dao Saint, you can only seek the Primordial Chaos Dao Fruit."

"Of the paths to Primordial Chaos, ordinary people only know the path of proving the Dao through force. Yet they do not know that proving the Dao through force is the most difficult of all paths. Compared to that, the path better suited to you is proving the Dao through laws."

Xuan Heng raised his head. Hongjun had finally begun to expound the Dao for him. This was not the broad, general discourse he had given the three thousand guests of Purple Cloud Palace, but a discourse meant for Xuan Heng alone—a Dao suited to him alone.

Hongjun said, "The first step in proving the Dao through laws is to understand one's own law. A cultivator may cultivate ten thousand methods in a lifetime, yet one must possess a fundamental Great Dao uniquely one's own. Taiqing has the Dao of yin-yang tranquility, Yuanshi has the Dao of order and creation, Tongtian has the Dao of seizing vitality. As for your fundamental law, it lies in the Dao of Profound Purity, world purification, heart stabilization, and calamity severance."

Xuan Heng's heart stirred. What Hongjun described were precisely the traits of the Profound Pure Immortal Light he had condensed.

Hongjun continued, "The second step is to condense a Law Dao Seed. You are now at the peak of the Zenith Heaven realm, and your Zenith Heaven Dao Fruit has already formed. But the Zenith Heaven Dao Fruit merely reflects oneself. If you wish to walk the path of proving the Dao through laws, you must combine your own Dao Fruit with your fundamental law and condense a Law Dao Seed."

"The Dao Seed does not lie within magical treasures. It must take root in your Great Dao. The Purifying White Lotus can protect you, and the Profound Pure Treasure Robe can conceal you, but these can only safeguard your Dao. The true Law Dao Seed can only grow from your own Dao Fruit."

Xuan Heng listened with rapt attention. These were things no one outside would ever tell him.

Hongjun continued, "The third step is to nurture the Law Dao Tree..."