Dao Ancestor's Investiture, Perfecting the Immortal Dao Order?

"The Great Firmament realm is the foundation upon which the sacred beings of the Primordial World establish their Dao, the pinnacle of mortal cultivation. Only upon entering this realm can one be called a great power between Heaven and Earth."

Hongjun sat upright upon the lotus dais. His Dao voice was ancient and weighty; flower petals drifted and spun through the air, while golden lotuses surged from the ground, gleaming with faint Dao radiance. Every word accorded with the ultimate truths of Heaven and Earth.

—The Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm was merely the starting point for top-tier Innate Sacred Beings, yet for later generations of ordinary cultivators without great opportunities, it was already an unreachable end.

"Though the paths of cultivation number in the myriad, they all lead to the same destination: the Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit."

"Yet one's foundations differ, and so do one's paths. They cannot be lumped together. The Great Dao has three thousand paths, and every one may prove Primordial Unity; yet the road of cultivation has never possessed a fixed method."

"Your foundations differ, your gifts vary, and thus your paths must naturally be worlds apart:

"Some cultivate the Primordial Spirit and Dharma power, condensing their innate origins and drawing in the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth. With a single thought, winds and clouds stir; with a single art, mountains and rivers collapse.

"Some temper their flesh and physique, using essence-blood as a furnace and sinews and bones as a cauldron, forging an indestructible true body. Their fists shatter Heaven-Earth, their strength overwhelms ten thousand techniques.

"Still others comprehend the laws of Heaven and Earth, probing one Dao's origin to its utmost. Once they understand one, they understand a hundred; their words become law, and they grasp the authority of the laws."

"These three paths, and even the countless side paths—so long as one's Dao foundation is complete and one's origin without flaw—can all reach the perfection of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm and glimpse the gateway to the higher Primordial Unity realm."

Hongjun Ancestor spoke eloquently.

When his Dao voice fell silent, the three thousand Violet Firmament Guests within the hall were all profoundly shaken. Each sank into thought, each gaining something.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches in the corner at the back of the hall especially were masters who cultivated neither Primordial Spirit nor Dharma power, relying solely on Pangu Essence-Blood to forge supreme Ancestral Witch True Bodies. At his words, their bodies trembled. Their formerly lax expressions vanished, replaced by understanding and approval in their eyes.

It was not merely newly advanced Great Firmament cultivators like the Twelve Ancestral Witches, who had only recently taken form and whose foundations still needed tempering.

Even old great powers such as Candle Dragon and Fire Phoenix, who had endured several Calamities and long since entered the Primordial Golden Immortal realm, felt as though the clouds before their eyes had parted, gaining deeper insight into the path of cultivation.

As the saying went, stones from other hills could polish jade. Such was the truth.

"This sermon has lasted ten thousand years and has now come to an end."

Hongjun Ancestor smiled faintly and swept his gaze across the hall. Seeing that everyone had gained something, a trace of gratification flashed through his eyes.

"We thank the Saint for the grace of transmitting the Dao!"

"The Saint is merciful, revealing the Great Dao to all beings of the Primordial World. We shall never forget this grace through all eternity!"

The crowd had still been immersed in the lingering echoes of the Great Dao's true words. Only when the Dao voice abruptly ceased did they awaken as if from a dream. One after another, they rose and bowed deeply toward Hongjun Ancestor upon the lotus dais, their manner incomparably respectful.

For transmitting the Dao, imparting teachings, and resolving doubts, they offered this bow willingly and wholeheartedly.

Hongjun Ancestor deserved it as well.

"The Saint has transmitted the Dao and imparted teachings to us, resolving the Great Dao's mysteries. You should be our master for life! Zhunti pays respects to Master!"

Suddenly, Zhunti's heart stirred with sudden inspiration. He was the first to step forward, prostrating himself before Hongjun Ancestor and kowtowing loudly.

The moment these words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed. Inwardly, they cursed Zhunti for casting aside all dignity in pursuit of opportunity, yet their feet did not dare lag behind in the slightest. They all dropped to their knees and scrambled to call out, "Master!"

After ten thousand years of sermons, they not only revered Hongjun Ancestor's supreme cultivation as a Heavenly Dao Sage, but had also truly submitted to his thorough mastery of every kind of law.

What they had gained from ten thousand years of listening to the Dao surpassed dozens of Yuanhuis of secluded cultivation. If they could truly enter Hongjun Ancestor's school, their future road toward the Great Dao would surely become countless times smoother!

"Master has transmitted the Dao to all spirits of the Primordial World and blessed Heaven and Earth. You should be the ancestor of all Dao paths in the Primordial World—the Dao Ancestor of the Profound Sect!"

Upon the Annihilation Mat, Jieyin also bowed and kowtowed. With a single sentence, he elevated Hongjun's status to the summit of the Primordial World's Dao lineages.

"Excellent, excellent."

"The Dao Ancestor has selflessly transmitted his teachings. He ought to be the Dao Ancestor of the Primordial World!"

These words instantly won everyone's agreement.

Previously, after the Primordial World had passed through the Ferocious Beast Tribulation and the Dragon-Han Tribulation, there had been no shortage of great powers worthy of being called "Ancestor."

—Figures like Candle Dragon and Fire Phoenix were all Ancestor-level beings.

Now that Hongjun had attained the Dao and become a Saint, becoming the Primordial World's first Saint since its opening, merely calling him "Ancestor" could no longer display his exalted status.

The two words "Dao Ancestor" were perfectly fitting: they suited both his merit in transmitting the Dao and the dignity of his sainthood.

"Good."

Hongjun was neither for nor against it and did not particularly care. With a slight nod, he accepted the title of "Dao Ancestor" as a matter of course.

"The next sermon shall be held three Yuanhuis from now. It shall explain the path of the Quasi-Saint, with an additional discussion of the methods of Primordial Unity," Hongjun Dao Ancestor said warmly and slowly.

The moment the words "Quasi-Saint" emerged, a faint stir swept through the hall.

Lingxiao understood at once. Before Hongjun became a Saint, the Primordial World had possessed no realm known as "Saint." Even the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods had cultivation endpoints above the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, rather than the Saint fruition position dependent upon the Heavenly Dao.

At that time, the cultivation system of the Primordial World proceeded above the Golden Immortal Realm through the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, and Primordial Golden Immortal, finally pointing directly toward the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.

Now that Hongjun had attained the Dao and become a Saint, establishing the Saint fruition position, he naturally had to set the transitional realm of "Quasi-Saint" between the Great Firmament and the Saint.

Though the other great powers in the hall did not understand these hidden intricacies, they secretly speculated:

Quasi-Saint, Quasi-Saint—judging by the name, it had to be the realm before Sainthood. It was likely a transitional realm above the Great Firmament yet short of Sainthood. They simply did not know whether it was superior or inferior to the previous Primordial Golden Immortal realm.

Though everyone was filled with doubts, they also knew that three Yuanhuis were but the span of a flickering finger. The truth would reveal itself then, so they all suppressed their thoughts and did not ask further questions.

As the ten-thousand-year sermon fully drew to a close, the surging innate spiritual qi within Violet Firmament Palace gradually settled. The Dao flowers filling the skies and golden lotuses rising from the earth scattered into countless stars, merging into every corner of the hall, their lingering resonance long and deep.

"Where are Eastern King Lord and Queen Mother of the West?"

At that moment, Hongjun Dao Ancestor stroked his beard and spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it fell clearly upon every ear, carrying the unquestionable majesty of a Saint.

As his words fell, two figures hurried out from the crowd and bowed toward the lotus dais. "This disciple is here. We pay respects to Master."

They could call him Master, or they could call him Dao Ancestor.

Yet for the three thousand Violet Firmament Guests, "Master" was clearly the more intimate form of address.

As for the exalted title of Dao Ancestor, it was mostly used by the beings who had not entered Violet Firmament Palace.

The two who stepped forth were:

The male immortal wore a Nine Heavens Purple-Gold Crown and a Scarlet Cloudflow Robe. His face was like crowned jade, his eyes like bright stars. A Pure Yang Immortal Sword shone brilliantly in his hand, while Eastern Pure Yang Essence circulated around him. His bearing was peerless.

—He was Eastern King Lord, transformed from Innate Eastern True Essence.

The female immortal wore a simple white moonlight immortal gown. Her dark hair flowed like a waterfall, bound only by a Kunlun Jade Hairpin. Her beauty was unmatched, cool and untouched by worldly dust. Her pair of lustrous white jade feet were bare; whenever her toes crossed the void, lotus blossoms quietly bloomed beneath them. Western Pure Yin Essence lingered around her.

—She was Queen Mother of the West, transformed from Innate Western Sublime Essence.

"Donghua Supreme True Essence transformed into yang, while Western Supreme Wondrous Essence transformed into yin. You two embody the pure yin and yang qi of the Primordial World, and should harmonize Heaven-Earth and regulate yin and yang."

With a smile at the corner of his lips, Hongjun Dao Ancestor slowly continued, "Today, I appoint Eastern King Lord as the leader of the male immortals of the Primordial World. All men of the Primordial World who attain the Dao and become immortals shall fall under his jurisdiction. I appoint Queen Mother of the West as the leader of the female immortals of the Primordial World. All women of the Primordial World who attain the Dao and become immortals shall fall under her jurisdiction."

"You two shall jointly govern the ranks of immortals, harmonize the two qi, nurture Heaven and Earth, mold and transform all things, and thereby stabilize the order of my Primordial World's immortal sects."

The moment these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was startled.

"Establishing order?" Only Lingxiao, after a brief moment of thought, made a guess. This act by the Dao Ancestor was by no means a casual bestowal.

Previously, the Ferocious Beast Tribulation and the Dragon-Han Tribulation had erupted one after another. Living beings had perished in droves, and Heaven and Earth had suffered damage. The root cause was that the beings of the Primordial World had no order, attacking and conquering as they pleased, with the strong devouring the weak.

Though Hongjun Dao Ancestor could not reverse the great momentum of the Heavenly Dao or forcibly interfere with the course of Calamities, he could establish the immortal sect's orthodoxy and set down order, weakening the intensity of future Calamities as much as possible and reducing the damage done to the Primordial World's Heaven and Earth.

Establishing leaders for the male and female immortals was his first step in completing the Primordial World's order.

However, quite clearly, in the original course of events, this effort Hongjun Dao Ancestor made had not been of much use.

A mere system of male and female immortal ranks was not enough. It still had to be perfected.

And in the original course of events, Taiyi had unleashed Great Sun Bathing the Eastern Sea, directly shattering Purple Palace Isle and destroying Eastern King Lord's Immortal Court...

"Hm?"

As he pondered this, Lingxiao's eyes suddenly lit up.

In the end, the Dao Ancestor's attempt to complete the order of Heaven and Earth benefited the Primordial World. The reason it had failed in the original fate was that the order established had not been thorough enough.

If he could improve it, could he perhaps plot for another share of Heavenly Dao Merit?

Lingxiao sank into contemplation, silently deducing it within his heart.

As the saying went, no one was ever burdened by having too much merit!

As for the other great supernatural powers, none understood the deeper meaning. Their expressions varied, and countless thoughts churned in their minds.