Inside the Purple Cloud Palace...
The ultimate truths of the Grand Dao flowed from Dao Ancestor Hongjun's mouth! In an instant, the people below displayed all manner of reactions!
Some looked delighted, some contemplative, some afflicted, some burst into laughter—there were countless expressions, far too many to list!
Thus, the lecture continued for 2,900 years. Hongjun suddenly stopped, swept his gaze over the great mighty ones who had each gained their own insights, and said indifferently, "This lecture has lasted 2,900 years. The remaining hundred years shall be for questions. Whatever doubts you have, ask them!"
The moment those words were spoken, the great mighty ones were overjoyed. During this time listening to the Dao, they had understood much, yet even more had become unclear. Now they could finally ask!
"May I ask, Teacher, how many paths are there to sainthood?" Laozi Li Er's eyelids twitched slightly as he asked respectfully!
That question voiced the thoughts in everyone's hearts!
Indeed, which of the great mighty ones present did not wish to attain the Primordial Chaos Saint, imperishable through ten thousand calamities? Yet though they had the desire, they lacked the method, leaving them with nothing but helpless sighs!
"There are three thousand Grand Daos, and every one may lead to Hunyuan!" After pondering for a moment, Hongjun answered, "But broadly speaking, they are divided into superior, middle, and inferior paths!"
"What three paths?" Yuanshi could not help but interject.
This time, Hongjun did not need to think at all before saying, "The superior path is Proving the Dao through Force: use great dharma power to shatter the shackles of the Heavenly Dao, entrust one's True Spirit to the Grand Dao, and thus, so long as the Grand Dao does not perish, one does not perish. The middle path is Three Corpses Severance: use one's will to entrust the three corpses of good, evil, and self-obsession to Innate Spiritual Treasures, then use immense perseverance to sever them, seek the true self, and entrust it to the Heavenly Dao. Thus, so long as the Heavenly Dao does not perish, one does not perish! The inferior path is Merit Proving the Dao: render great merit unto Heaven and Earth, causing the Heavenly Dao to bestow boundless merit, wrap the True Spirit, and entrust it to the Heavenly Dao. Thus, so long as the Heavenly Dao does not perish, one likewise does not perish!"
When Dao Ancestor Hongjun finished speaking, the great mighty ones below each fell into thought. Before long, Tongtian respectfully asked again, "May I ask, Teacher, which method of proving the Dao did you choose?"
Hearing this, Hongjun gave Tongtian a deep look and replied indifferently, "Three Corpses Severance."
The instant Dao Ancestor Hongjun spoke those words, the great mighty ones below were greatly startled. They all thought, Even Hongjun, the first Saint since the opening of Heaven, chose only the Three Corpses Severing Method. We must know our own limits and not covet Proving the Dao through Force! Otherwise, should our dharma power prove insufficient and we be forsaken by the Heavenly Dao, our cultivation of hundreds of millions of years would become nothing more than a painted cake—impossible to satisfy hunger!
How intelligent were these great mighty ones? With only a little thought, they understood the meaning behind it. Naturally, they no longer dared covet Proving the Dao through Force. Not only did they lack such dharma power, but even if they possessed it, the Heavenly Dao was not so easily broken. Had they not seen that Pangu himself was a failed example?
Still, there were those who refused to give up, such as the Demon Race sovereigns Dijun and Taiyi, who both harbored such thoughts!
At that moment, Taiyi, the Demon Race sovereign, rose from his seat and asked respectfully, "May I ask, Teacher, why did you not use Proving the Dao through Force?"
As soon as those words were heard, the great mighty ones were startled again. They secretly thought, Taiyi, you truly dare ask anything. Is this not questioning Teacher's strength?
Though they thought so, they could not resist hearing Hongjun's explanation. Not daring to covet Proving the Dao through Force did not mean they did not wish to covet it. Besides, everyone held a trace of luck in their hearts. Perhaps they themselves might possess the possibility of proving the Dao through Force!
"Proving the Dao through Force is far too difficult. Even if Pangu had not fallen after opening Heaven, he would still have needed to break the Heavenly Dao. Once the Heavenly Dao was broken, Heaven and Earth would both be destroyed, leaving only one person amid Chaos. In the end, he would once more be compelled by fate to open Heaven. Repeating this cycle again and again, he would ultimately fall and his Dao would vanish!" Hongjun did not mind in the slightest. His expression remained unchanged through the ages, as though Taiyi's questioning had not angered him at all!
Hearing this, the great mighty ones were utterly shocked. At last, they erased that final thread of luck from their hearts. Such a path of Proving the Dao through Force was better left unproven!
From then on, the great mighty ones turned their attention to the method of Three Corpses Severance. The questions that followed were all related to proving the Dao through Three Corpses Severance!
And so, a hundred years flashed by!
That day, after Hongjun answered a great mighty one's question, he did not sit quietly as usual and wait. Instead, he continued, "The hundred years have passed. The three-thousand-year lecture has reached completion. Return now. Three thousand years hence, I shall open the altar for my second lecture!"
Hearing this, the great mighty ones dared not say more and prepared to rise and take their leave with bows. At that moment, they saw a woman with a face full of compassion rise from her seat. She was none other than Lady Houtu of the Twelve Ancestral Shamans!
Houtu bent slightly at the waist and bowed respectfully. "May I ask, Teacher, if my Witch Race does not cultivate the Primordial Spirit, is there a method for us to become Saints?"
Houtu was also a person of great perseverance and great wisdom. When she heard that Saint Hongjun was opening an altar to lecture on the Dao, her heart stirred at once. She summoned the other eleven Ancestral Shamans, hoping they would ascend to the Purple Cloud Palace with her and listen to the Saint's words. Yet the eleven Ancestral Shamans were all arrogant people who honored neither Heaven, nor Earth, nor Saints, bowing only to Pangu. Upon hearing Houtu's words, they all dismissed them with disdain. Left with no choice, Houtu could only ascend to the Purple Cloud Palace alone!
Yet after finally arriving at the Purple Cloud Palace and hearing the Saint's Dao, she discovered that she could not understand it and gained nothing at all. Her heart could not help but sink into deep disappointment. Even so, she never forgot her own mission. She forced herself to listen to the Dao for three thousand years, and when Hongjun was about to depart, she finally asked the question she had long yearned to ask!
"I already know what you seek. In the future, there shall naturally be a destined opportunity. Withdraw!" Having spoken, Hongjun did not wait for the great mighty ones to bow him farewell. With a flash, he vanished, leaving only Houtu standing there with a face full of troubled thought!
After Hongjun left, the great mighty ones were no longer as quiet as before. They began discussing among themselves, each harboring their own calculations!
From that point on, Hongjun had passed down the Three Corpses Severing Method, and the Primordial Wilderness would never again know peace. Those great mighty ones without Innate Spiritual Treasures all began leaving seclusion in search of treasure. Naturally, conflict became unavoidable.
Thus, before the chaos between the Witch and Demon Races even began, the great mighty ones had already started fighting among themselves!
There was no need to speak further of such later events. Once the Dao Ancestor departed, Mu Jizi and Kunpeng rose from their violet jade cushions. After exchanging pleasantries with several Innate great mighty ones they knew, they left the Purple Cloud Palace laughing and chatting with the two fairies, Xihe and Yuehua!
Outside the Purple Cloud Palace, the great mighty ones emerged in groups of three or five, like people heading to a market fair!
After all, opportunities for great mighty ones like them to gather were few. If they did not make more acquaintances now, they might never have another chance!
One had to know that numbers made things easier. Whether seizing dharma treasures or engaging in a brawl, if everyone rushed forward together, who would dare contend against them!
...Today's second update is here! Please continue giving all kinds of votes! Lastly, an early wish to everyone: Happy National Day!!!
Announcement: Starting tomorrow, there will be three updates every day during the seven days of National Day. The exact times will be announced to all fellow Daoists tomorrow. I sincerely hope for your wholehearted support!!!
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