The spectacle was so magnificent, its momentum so majestic, that the entire Pangu Hall trembled.
The thirteen Manifestations answered one another, resonating together as though they had always been one, born of the same source.
Father God Pangu's aura permeated the hall. It was power from the same source, a resonance between bloodline and righteous energy.
Di Jiang opened his eyes and looked at the phantom of his True Form behind him, a glimmer of understanding flashing through his eyes:
"A Manifestation... so that is how it works. My will is my True Form. I command space, so my True Form is the embodiment of the power of space.
"Once the Manifestation takes shape, the will has a vessel and can commune directly with the laws of heaven and earth."
Zhu Rong laughed heartily. "My Manifestation is my True Form too! The True Form of the Fire Ancestral Witch is my will!
"Brother Pan Xuan was right. For innate divine beings like us, we ourselves are our own Dao, our own will!"
Gong Gong nodded. "Indeed. We were born from Father God's essence blood, and our True Forms are among the most powerful forms in heaven and earth. Nothing could be more natural than for our Manifestations to be our True Forms."
Xuan Ming said coldly, "Our Manifestations have taken shape, so Will Refining can be considered complete. Next comes Dao Refining."
As Pan Xuan looked at the Twelve Ancestral Witches' Manifestations, countless feelings stirred within him.
Their Manifestations were all their own True Forms. For innate divine beings, they themselves were their own Martial Dao Will, their own Dao.
This was no coincidence, but an inevitability.
They were connected to the laws of heaven and earth from birth, born commanding a source, and their True Forms were the most perfect embodiments of their wills.
He drew a deep breath and said, "Will Refining is complete. Next comes Dao Refining."
The Ancestral Witches' gazes converged on him.
Pan Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his voice steady and solemn:
"Dao Refining means integrating your Manifestation and your Dao into your physical body."
He paused, then continued, "A Manifestation is the manifestation of will; the Dao is one's comprehension of laws.
"Will Refining condenses the will into a Manifestation, while Dao Refining integrates the Manifestation and the Dao into every inch of flesh and blood, every acupoint, and every wisp of breath.
"Once the Manifestation and the Dao are completely integrated into the physical body, the body is the Dao, and the Dao is the body.
"Laws follow every movement of your hands and feet; a mere stir of thought can draw upon the power of heaven and earth."
He looked at Di Jiang, Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, and the other eight Ancestral Witches. They had previously absorbed abyssal fiendish qi, and their physical bodies had broken through the limits of Daluo Golden Immortals to reach the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm.
Pan Xuan said solemnly, "My elder brothers, you are already Primordial Origin Golden Immortals, so Dao Refining should not be unfamiliar to you.
"Dao Refining means completely merging the laws each of you commands with your physical bodies.
"Previously, you cultivated by instinct. Now that you have the framework of the Martial Dao, you can understand your own paths more clearly."
He turned to Houtu, his tone gentle but equally solemn. "Elder Sister Houtu has a primordial spirit and follows a different path.
"Although Dao Refining is also applicable, Elder Sister Houtu's foundation lies in merging her primordial spirit with the Dao of the earth, rather than purely refining the Dao through the physical body.
"Elder Sister Houtu is now at the Daluo Golden Immortal Peak. If you can unite the earth law, your primordial spirit, and your physical body as one, a breakthrough to Primordial Origin Golden Immortal will be just around the corner."
Houtu nodded lightly and said softly, "You are right, Pan Xuan's younger brother."
"My path differs from my elder brothers', but Dao Refining is also greatly beneficial to me. I will contemplate it carefully."
Di Jiang said in a deep voice, "Brother Pan Xuan, do you mean that Dao Refining is integrating laws into the physical body?"
Pan Xuan nodded. "Exactly. Dao cultivators use their primordial spirits to bear the Great Dao and commune with heaven and earth.
"The path of the Martial Dao uses the physical body to bear the Great Dao and the will to commune with heaven and earth.
"Will Refining makes the will manifest as a Manifestation, while Dao Refining integrates the Manifestation and the Dao into the physical body.
"When the Manifestation, the Dao, and the physical body unite as one, you have reached the Dao Refining realm."
He extended a finger, a speck of golden light flickering at its tip. "My elder brothers, the fact that you are already Primordial Origin Golden Immortals means your Dao and physical bodies have already merged to a certain extent.
"But this merger is not thorough enough, not complete enough.
"The goal of Dao Refining is to take this merger to its utmost limit, making the physical body a vessel for the Dao, and the Dao an extension of the physical body."
Zhu Rong looked thoughtful. "In other words, although I am already a Primordial Origin Golden Immortal, my fire law has not yet fully integrated into my physical body? There is still room for improvement?"
Pan Xuan nodded. "Exactly. Primordial Origin Golden Immortal is a realm, but within this realm, there are still differences in height and depth.
"Whoever comprehends the Dao more deeply, whoever merges the Dao with the physical body more thoroughly, is stronger.
"This cannot be achieved through arduous cultivation alone. It depends on comprehending the Dao and understanding oneself."
He paused, then continued:
"After Dao Refining, there are no finer divisions.
"Primordial Origin Golden Immortal is the pinnacle realm of the Martial Dao-at least, that is how it appears for now.
"Whoever comprehends the Dao more deeply, whoever merges the Dao with the physical body more thoroughly, is the stronger one.
"This achieves the same wondrous result by a different route as Dao cultivators' Law Proving the Dao. Dao cultivators prove the Dao through their primordial spirits, and the depth of their comprehension of laws determines the level of their cultivation;
"Martial Dao cultivators prove the Dao through their physical bodies, and the depth of their comprehension of the Dao likewise determines their strength."
Di Jiang nodded slowly. "I understand.
"Dao Refining means integrating the Dao into the physical body. The deeper the integration, the greater the strength. There are no fixed divisions of realms, only differences in the depth of one's comprehension of the Dao."
Pan Xuan said, "Exactly. The Dao is boundless, and comprehension has no end.
"Dao Refining is the same. There is no end, only delving ever deeper and merging ever further.
"Today, you may feel that you have integrated it completely; tomorrow, you may discover another, deeper layer. This is the path of the Martial Dao, without end."
After listening, all the Ancestral Witches looked thoughtful.
Houtu said softly, "Dao Refining... integrating the earth law into my primordial spirit and physical body.
"I am now at the Daluo Golden Immortal Peak. If I can make my way along this path, I will have a direction for breaking through to Primordial Origin Golden Immortal."
Zhu Rong laughed heartily. "Good! Will Refining is complete; next comes Dao Refining! I will integrate the fire law completely into my physical body and make every inch of my flesh and blood burn with southern illumination divine flame!"
Gong Gong showed a rare spark of fighting spirit. "Integrating the water law into my physical body... making every drop of my blood become weak water. I will follow this path to the end."
Xuan Ming said coldly, "Integrating the ice law into my physical body, making my body the incarnation of the ice law. This is the true meaning of the Martial Dao."
Di Jiang said in a deep voice, "In that case, let us continue our seclusion.
"Will Refining is finished; next comes Dao Refining. Cultivate individually and verify your insights against one another's. Strive to integrate your respective Dao into your physical bodies as soon as possible."
Pan Xuan nodded. "Brother Di Jiang is right. There are no shortcuts on the path of Dao Refining. You can only rely on yourselves to comprehend and integrate."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over every Ancestral Witch, his voice solemn and filled with expectation:
"Dao Refining is at the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal level. There are no finer divisions afterward. Whoever comprehends the Dao more deeply is stronger, much like Law Proving the Dao through the primordial spirit.
"This path is long, but I believe that with the perseverance and wisdom of my elder brothers and sisters, you will surely reach its utmost limit."
The Twelve Ancestral Witches all nodded, light flickering in their eyes.
Within Pangu Hall, the thirteen once again closed their eyes and focused their minds, beginning their cultivation of Dao Refining.
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