Purple Cloud Palace was suffused with a solemn, majestic air. Xiao Teng and White Lotus went straight to the front, found their cushions, and slowly sat down.
Hongjun had said at the end of his previous lecture that the seating would remain unchanged this time, so everyone took their usual places.
Of course, many living beings had fallen during this kalpa, leaving several seats vacant. Those seats were taken by newly advanced Great Luo Golden Immortals.
Once Hongjun arrived, the second lecture began.
With his arrival, the entire Purple Cloud Palace instantly fell so silent that a needle dropping could be heard. Everyone's eyes were fixed tightly upon him.
Hongjun's voice was deep and resonant, like a great bell reverberating through Purple Cloud Palace. "The Dao I shall teach today is the Dao of Quasi-Saints."
"A Great Luo possesses an indestructible Dao body and an eternal true spirit. The Great Luo body is the endpoint of the Dao; its Dao fruit may be called complete."
Hearing this, everyone was filled with doubt.
"If the Dao fruit is already complete, then how does one attain the rank of Sage?"
Hongjun had long seen through their confusion. After a slight pause, he continued, "The Dao body's completion is not the end of cultivation. Such completion is in truth a form of self-imprisonment, using oneself as a cage to confine the true spirit within, making transcendence difficult."
"I have created a method that can break this completion of the Dao body. It is called the Three-Corpse Severing Method, and it is the Dao of Sages."
"A Sage may transcend countless tribulations, remain unstained despite karmic retribution, live as long as heaven and earth, and exist and perish alongside the Great Dao."
Hongjun's gaze slowly swept across the crowd before he began to explain the Three-Corpse Severing Method in detail.
To Sever the Three Corpses, one needed the power of a Dharma treasure. The treasure's grade directly determined the strength of the Three Corpses severed, which in turn affected whether one's future path of cultivation would proceed smoothly.
Once one successfully severed one corpse, one could enter the Early Quasi-Saint realm. Severing two corpses made one a Middle Quasi-Saint, and so on.
Only after the Quasi-Saint realm had reached perfection could one seek the supreme Dao of Sages.
Sitting upon his cushion, Xiao Teng's thoughts churned.
He had once heard that becoming a Sage through Severing the Three Corpses was the weakest among the many methods of Sainthood.
Even so, Severing the Three Corpses was exceedingly difficult.
To entrust one's Dao fruit to the Heavenly Dao and thereby attain the exalted rank of Sage was by no means easy, nor was everyone qualified to do so.
Otherwise, why would there be only six Heavenly Dao Sages in the future Primordial World?
Though the path of Severing the Three Corpses was a broad road, Xiao Teng had no desire to embark upon it so easily.
Still, this method gave him several ideas worth drawing upon.
Xiao Teng silently sorted through the methods of proving the Dao that he knew. Aside from becoming a Sage through Severing the Three Corpses, he knew of four others.
The first was Merit Sainthood, which required accumulating immeasurable merit to become a Sage. Nuwa and Houtu had chosen this path.
If Xiao Teng wished to take this road, it would not be difficult. He could simply learn from the methods by which the Six Sages attained Sainthood and earn sufficient merit.
If that failed, he could emulate Zhunti and Jie Yin by borrowing merit from the Heavenly Dao, then slowly repaying it later.
The second was Fortune Sainthood, which meant gathering fortune as vast as an ocean. Incense and worship fortune also counted as a type of fortune.
Although attaining Sainthood through fortune appeared to be a shortcut, it concealed a tremendous problem.
Once one chose this path, it was like walking a tightrope. Should one's followers encounter misfortune and their faith waver, one might instantly fall from the Sage realm.
Those who chose Fortune Sainthood were the Human Emperors throughout the ages. While wielding the fortune of the Human Race, they could barely reach the Sage realm. Yet once the Human Race's fortune declined, their realms would decline with it.
Naturally, Xiao Teng would not choose Fortune Sainthood. He did not like placing his fate in the hands of others.
The third was Proving the Dao Through Force. This path required one to rely on one's own peerless strength, continuously tempering one's laws, mana, physical body, and primordial spirit until one shattered the shackles of the Sage realm.
Great God Pangu was the legendary exemplar of Proving the Dao Through Force. He opened heaven and earth, shaping this Primordial World with supreme divine power.
Yet this road was strewn with thorns. Every step forward demanded a price beyond imagination, but once one succeeded, the immense power gained would be enough to grant him the greatest strength in this primordial heaven and earth.
The final method was World Sainthood. One could attain Sainthood by opening a world within or outside oneself, or by refining a world's origin.
Xiao Teng merely knew of this method; he had yet to see anyone succeed through it.
As for which method to choose, Xiao Teng still hesitated. For now, however, he leaned more toward Proving the Dao Through Force.
Xiao Teng suddenly realized that the path of Severing the Three Corpses created by Hongjun had lowered the difficulty of attaining Sainthood for the living beings of the Primordial World.
If they chose any of the other methods, there might not even be six Sages in the end.
From the Great Luo realm to the Quasi-Saint realm, the progression was orderly, each step linked to the next. Such subtle control left Xiao Teng deeply amazed.
No matter what intentions Hongjun harbored, it had to be said that what he had done truly qualified him to be called the Dao Ancestor.
This lecture lasted a full six thousand years before it finally ended. Hongjun had only introduced the Three-Corpse Severing Method and explained it in meticulous detail; he had not mentioned how to prove the Dao and attain Sainthood.
The method of proving the Dao and attaining Sainthood would likely be taught during the third lecture.
After the lecture ended, Hongjun did not drift away as he had last time. Instead, he sat there quietly, his gentle gaze sweeping over the crowd.
He was prepared to resolve everyone's doubts.
After entering the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, everyone had encountered increasingly more doubts on their paths of cultivation. Most of them could resolve such doubts themselves, or through discussing the Dao with other fellow cultivators.
Yet some questions were simply too difficult, and no one had any good solutions. This lecture by Hongjun, however, resolved those issues one by one.
Problems that the crowd found extremely difficult were nothing to Hongjun.
Once everyone's questions had more or less been answered, this lecture was officially concluded.
However, at that moment, Wood Duke suddenly stood and said, "The Ancestor has taught the Dao to us, benefiting all living beings with immeasurable merit. Having received the Ancestor's grace, we naturally must not forget his kindness in transmitting the Dao. This poor Daoist believes we should address the Ancestor as the Dao Ancestor."
The gazes of three thousand living beings turned in unison toward Wood Duke.
Many slapped their foreheads, suddenly regretting that they had not thought of it themselves. They had not expected Wood Duke to beat them to the flattery.
How they wished they were the ones standing up to say those words. Jie Yin and Zhunti especially felt that they had missed far too much.
Hongjun offered no response.
Seeing that Hongjun did not refuse, Wood Duke hurriedly bowed and addressed him as the Dao Ancestor.
At the same time, the innate living beings who followed Wood Duke also rose one after another to echo him.
The other innate living beings exchanged glances. Since matters had reached this point, it would not look good if they did not follow suit.
Thus, everyone rose together and addressed him as the Dao Ancestor.
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