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Biodata
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Dao (大道) |
| Type | Neutral cosmic entity |
| Role | Fundamental cosmological principle underlying the Great Daos, Demon Gods, and the later Heavenly Dao 353 |
Origin and Cosmological History
Emergence in Primordial Chaos
According to Ye Zhuo's account, Primordial Chaos originally contained no Dao. It subsequently gave birth to both Chaos and the Great Dao: Chaos remained in ignorant dreams, while the Great Dao was born with knowledge. Their resonance nurtured the Three Thousand Great Daos within Chaos 353.
The Great Dao later transformed into Demon Gods. In the System's formulation, a Great Dao and its corresponding Demon God are inseparable: “the Great Dao is the Demon God, and the Demon God is the Great Dao” 324.
Creation of Heaven and Earth
Pangu was influenced by the Great Dao, slew the Three Thousand Demon Gods, and opened heaven and earth. The Three Thousand Great Daos then took root in the Primordial World as its foundational laws; the Heavenly Dao emerged only afterward 353.
This places the Great Dao above the Heavenly Dao in the cosmological sequence. The Heavenly Dao is a later product of the world established from the Great Daos rather than their origin 353.
Epochal Dissolution
At the end of an epoch, the Great Dao can perish alongside the era. After the World-Destroying Millstone's destruction of the Human Realm, Ye Zhuo entered an age “where the Great Dao had perished”; the Great Dao then merged with Chaos within Primordial Chaos 383.
Great Dao Classifications
| Classification | Description | Examples / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Innate Great Daos | Objective laws present from the creation of heaven and earth. | The Three Thousand Great Daos include spacetime, Creation, Yin-Yang, Five Elements, reincarnation, life and death, and water and fire 331 339. |
| Acquired Great Daos | Daos born from the existence and development of later beings rather than primordial creation. | The Human Race Great Dao emerged only after humanity's birth and is described as second only to the Heavenly Dao 331. |
| Excluded Great Daos | Powers stated not to belong to the conventional Three Thousand Great Daos. | The System Dao, Destiny Dao, and Dao of Strength were excluded from the Three Thousand Great Daos, yet Ye Zhuo used all three against Hongjun Ancestor 381 385. |
| Synthesized Great Daos | New paths formed by refining or combining existing Dao principles. | Ye Zhuo intended to refine the Three Thousand Great Daos into the Omniscience Great Dao, Omnipotence Great Dao, and Great Firmament Great Dao 385. |
Principles
Dao of Strength
The Dao of Strength appears singular but encompasses the pure strength within other Daos, including time, space, creation, and destruction. Cultivating any Dao to its extreme can touch upon strength, but Pangu's strength is identified as the only true and complete Dao of Strength capable of breaking the Three Thousand Great Daos 310 324.
Dao of Destiny
Destiny is described as an innate Great Dao that leaves behind fate and nurtures the Destiny Daoist before vanishing. Ye Zhuo ultimately completed his own understanding of Destiny through the Destiny of Fate Dao, Fate Dao, and Fortune Dao 331 379.
Great Dao Sagehood
A Great Dao Sage, also called a Mythic Da Luo in the setting's higher cosmology, cannot be permanently erased and may revive from a single thought or remembrance held by someone in the world 353.
Attaining the Dao is also transcendence: Ye Zhuo teaches that a being who truly attains the Dao can no longer remain within Primordial Chaos, as the moment of attainment is also the moment their former body and Dao perish 353.
Relationship to Other Forces
- Chaos — Born alongside the Great Dao; the two resonated to nurture the Three Thousand Great Daos, and later merged again after the Great Dao's epochal dissolution 353 383.
- Demon Gods — Manifestations of the Great Dao; Pangu slew the Three Thousand Demon Gods during the creation of heaven and earth 324 353.
- Pangu — Wielded the pure Dao of Strength, opened heaven and earth, and is regarded as a Mythic Da Luo or Great Dao Sage 310 353.
- Heavenly Dao — A later cosmic order born after the Three Thousand Great Daos rooted themselves in the Primordial World 353.
- Human Race Great Dao — An acquired Dao formed through humanity's existence, belief, destiny, and willingness to sacrifice for the Human Clan 331.
- Ye Zhuo — Comprehended the System Dao, Destiny Dao, and Dao of Strength; he later sought to replace the Heavenly Dao with his Great Firmament Heavenly Immortal Dao 377 381.
- Hongjun Ancestor — Gathered fragments of the Creation Jade Disc in an attempt to comprehend the Three Thousand Great Daos, but Ye Zhuo claimed to have accomplished what Hongjun had failed to complete 332 377.