Four Saints in One Day

Yuanshi of the Jade Pure Realm founded his teaching and attained the fruition of sainthood. A towering dharma image slowly rose from Kunlun, appearing before the countless living beings of the primordial world.

The might of a saint instantly blanketed the primordial world. All living beings were bent at the waist by this sudden saintly pressure, and together they bowed toward that dharma image. Waves of cries resounded throughout the primordial world: "Praise be to Saint Yuanshi of the Jade Pure Realm!"

In an instant, the entire heaven and earth of the primordial world seemed to come alive, issuing forth the grandest, most joyous resonance! This was the jubilation and praise of the world's very origin. Violet Qi that filled the heavens surged from Kunlun's summit, like the first ray of light at the dawn of creation, stretching east to west and north to south, dyeing the skies of the primordial world a deep violet.

Wherever the Violet Qi reached, auspicious clouds boiled across the firmament. Golden flowers condensed from the purest innate Dao essence between heaven and earth scattered down in a fluttering shower, radiating a splendor that stirred longing in the hearts of all beings.

At the same time, golden lotuses bloomed across the lands of the primordial world! These golden lotuses were born from the fusion of the pure origin of the earth and the radiant fruition of sainthood, emanating a gentle yet vast breath of life.

Heaven and earth celebrated together: Violet Qi spanned the skies, golden flowers rained in chaos, and golden lotuses sprang from the earth! This was the highest congratulation bestowed by the Heavenly Dao and the Great Dao of the primordial world upon the birth of a saint!

After a long while, the saint's dharma image reflected in the eyes of all beings slowly faded away. The Violet Qi pervading heaven and earth turned invisible, while the golden flowers and lotuses merged into all things in the primordial world.

A clear sword cry rang out from Kunlun's summit!

"Heavenly Dao above! I am a true descendant of Pangu, the Supreme Pure Lord of Numinous Treasure! I have observed the primordial world: the Heavenly Dao operates according to its own laws. Yet beneath those laws, the Great Dao has fifty; Heaven derives forty-nine, while one escapes?"

"Today, I establish a teaching, named 'Interception'!"

It shall seize for all living spirits of heaven and earth that single thread of life that has escaped!

"I take the supreme-grade innate spiritual treasure, the Green Duckweed Sword, as my instrument of proving the Dao!" A streak of azure sword light tore across the sky, carrying the Dao essence of the Sect of Interception.

"I take the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords to suppress the fortune of my Sect of Interception!" A mysterious and unfathomable formation diagram stretched across the entire sky, Four immortal swords exuding endless murderous Sha Qi stood like four gods of slaughter at the four corners of the formation diagram. Every wisp of Sword Qi escaping from each sword made the quasi-saints tremble in terror, while beneath the sword formation, countless streams of Sword Qi darted back and forth.

"Sect of Interception, arise!"

As the word "arise" left his lips, the Green Duckweed Sword's light pierced the heavens!

Boom—!

Equally vast golden clouds of merit gathered in the sky! Golden light poured like a waterfall into Tongtian's crown! The merit of creation within his body was also stirred. That strand of Primordial Violet Qi appeared once more, linking heaven and earth's origin!

A moment later, an earthshaking aura abruptly erupted!

"Come!" Tongtian shouted sharply, his voice carrying an edge that could cleave through all things! Four rifts split open behind him, and four currents of terrifying killing intent that made even heaven and earth shudder spread outward!

The phantoms of the Immortal-Slaying, Immortal-Killing, Immortal-Trapping, and Immortal-Ending Swords hung in the four directions around the formation diagram. Their sword intents intertwined, while wisps of intangible fortune drifted from above Duobao and Golden Spirit's heads and entered the diagram.

"I, Tongtian, attain the Dao of sainthood this day! Wherever my Dao lies, it shall seize a single thread of life for all things. Let the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"

Tongtian's aura abruptly changed, as though he were about to merge into heaven and earth. A towering dharma image slowly rose behind him, reflected in the eyes of every living spirit in the primordial world.

All living beings in the primordial world could only continue bowing at the waist toward Saint Tongtian's dharma image. Waves of cries again spread throughout the primordial world: "Praise be to Saint Tongtian of the Supreme Pure Realm!"

Boundless Violet Qi, golden flowers filling the skies, and golden lotuses carpeting the earth appeared before all beings once again.

When the manifestations of Tongtian's sainthood finally slowly dispersed, the waists of the countless living beings, bent beneath saintly pressure, finally straightened once more.

In the west of the primordial world, Sha Qi filled the land, while demonic Qi eroded all things. The thin spiritual energy made living beings here exceedingly scarce. As far as the eye could see, there was only lifeless desolation.

Mount Sumeru, the source of the mountain ranges in the west of the primordial world, had once also been a barren wasteland. Yet Jieyin and Zhunti, two innate sacred beings, had relied on boundless perseverance, moving bit by bit like ants relocating their nest—transporting spiritual veins and spiritual plants from other parts of the primordial world—until they finally restored three parts of this divine mountain's former vitality.

Watching Yuanshi and Tongtian attain the Dao of sainthood one after another, Jieyin and Zhunti stood side by side atop Mount Sumeru.

Jieyin's already sorrowful face grew even more sorrowful. Zhunti gripped the Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree tightly, the grief on his face turning into a resolve to stake everything on one throw. They gazed toward Kunlun in the east and the lingering saintly radiance above the East Sea, sensing waves of terrifying saintly pressure sweeping over the primordial world—and weighing upon their hearts as well.

From Yuanshi and Tongtian's attainment of sainthood, these two had also touched upon the opportunity to become saints. Yet unlike Yuanshi and Tongtian, they had not made full preparations.

"Senior Brother!"

Zhunti looked at Jieyin's grief-stricken face, his own expression equally unwilling.

"Heavenly Dao above! I, Jieyin—" "I, Zhunti—" "seeing unceasing warfare in the primordial world, with sentient beings struggling in the sea of suffering in pursuit of the Dao, today are willing to jointly establish a teaching, named the Western Sect! We shall guide all beings toward goodness, ferry them all across the sea of suffering, and build a pure land of ultimate bliss!"

"We take the Jieyin Treasure Banner and the Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree as treasures for proving the Dao, and the Twelve-Petal Merit Golden Lotus to suppress our fortune!"

"Western Sect, arise!"

As their voices fell, heaven and earth in the primordial world changed color. Vast golden clouds of merit gathered in the void!

They poured down upon Mount Sumeru like cascading waterfalls, splitting into two streams as they neared Jieyin and Zhunti before entering their bodies! Driven by the merit from founding the sect, the Primordial Violet Qi shook violently, yet it could not, as it had for Yuanshi and Tongtian, transform into a bridge between heaven and earth and link to the world's origin!

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, and both understood. Sure enough, without merit from creation, the merit gained from founding a sect alone was simply insufficient to stir the Primordial Violet Qi. Without it, they could not comprehend the complete laws of heaven and earth in the primordial world, much less become saints!

"Senior Brother..." Zhunti's throat was hoarse, his voice trembling. "The merit from founding a sect truly is insufficient for the two of us to attain the station of saint together..."

The many innate sacred beings and countless living beings of the primordial world watched boundless merit descend upon Mount Sumeru and all prepared themselves to face the pressure of a saint. Yet they waited and waited, and saintly pressure never descended.

"Did the two from the west fail to become saints?"

Amid the doubts of the countless living beings in the primordial world!

Jieyin and Zhunti's vast, compassionate voices rang out sentence after sentence, entering the ears of all beings and branding themselves upon the Heavenly Dao.

"If I attain Buddhahood, and my land contains hell-beings, hungry ghosts, or beasts, then I shall not attain perfect enlightenment."

"If I attain Buddhahood, and devas and humans in my land, after their lifespan ends, enter the three evil paths once more, then I shall not attain perfect enlightenment."

"If I attain Buddhahood, and the devas and humans in my land are not all of true golden hue, then I shall not attain perfect enlightenment."

"..."

"...The forty-eighth vow: When I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas from other worlds who hear my name shall all gain great wisdom and great steadfastness..."

One great vow after another rang word by word beside the ears of all beings. Zhunti followed closely, sweeping out seven-colored light from the Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree to empower every vow.

When the forty-eighth great vow of heaven and earth was branded into the Heavenly Dao, boundless, endless golden light of merit—far more resplendent than the merit from founding their sect—came crashing down from the nine heavens like a burst dam! Its brilliance and scale surpassed even the merit the Heavenly Dao had bestowed when the Three Pure Ones became saints.