Zhen Yuanzi's Choice

"There's more?" Zhen Yuanzi looked at Dao Xuan in shock.

Dao Xuan smiled. "This method has existed since ancient times. Every demon god born within the chaos grasped a Great Dao law from the moment of their birth, and their strength happened to be equivalent to Hunyuan."

"Therefore, if we can also thoroughly comprehend a certain Great Dao law, then we too can become Hunyuan."

Zhen Yuanzi was somewhat excited upon hearing this, but he also found it hard to believe. "Is it really that simple?"

Dao Xuan smiled and shook his head. "Simple, yet not simple."

"Think about it, Dao brother. What are our innate foundations, and what are those of the Chaos Demon Gods?"

Dao Xuan sighed. "Every demon god can be said to be a darling of the Great Dao. They are born grasping a complete Great Dao law, with innate foundations that are supreme and unparalleled."

"And for us to comprehend laws to the same extent as them would be equivalent to raising our own innate foundations to their level. How difficult would that be?"

"This method of attaining enlightenment by comprehending laws until they are complete is what I call Law-Proving Dao. The difficulty of this method of proving the Dao is no less than Hongjun Dao Ancestor's Three-Corpse-Slaying Dao-Proving."

"Of course, once one succeeds, the result will inevitably far surpass Three-Corpse-Slaying Dao-Proving!"

Zhen Yuanzi fell silent for a long while. Only after quite some time did he suddenly rise and respectfully bow to Dao Xuan. "Thank you for your guidance, Dao brother."

Dao Xuan hurriedly rose as well and sidestepped Zhen Yuanzi's bow, accepting only half of it. "Why be so formal?"

"The cultivation of the Great Dao is about mutual assistance. Today, I impart this method to you, Dao brother, but perhaps someday you may be able to help me as well."

Zhen Yuanzi said, "If that day comes, Zhen Yuanzi will certainly do everything in his power."

"Hahaha!"

Dao Xuan said, "Please sit, Dao brother. I have not yet finished explaining Law-Proving Dao."

Zhen Yuanzi sat back down.

Dao Xuan also sat down and continued, "Law-Proving Dao is also called Dao-Proving Through Strength! This method is not unique to me. Since the creation of heaven and earth, many predecessors have already walked this path."

"Oh?" Zhen Yuanzi could not help showing a curious expression.

Dao Xuan explained, "When Great God Pangu opened the heavens, three thousand demon gods tried to stop him, and Great God Pangu slew them with his sharp axe. However, not all those demon gods died completely. Many escaped with remnant souls and were reborn in the Primordial World."

"Yet though they were reborn, these demon gods still had to cultivate anew. If they wished to regain their former strength, the simplest method was naturally to cultivate their former laws again."

"This was the earliest origin of Law-Proving Dao."

"So that was how it was." Zhen Yuanzi finally understood.

"Also, Law-Proving Dao does not mean one only needs to cultivate bitterly and comprehend laws."

Dao Xuan continued, "Law-Proving Dao is mainly divided into two types. One is to integrate Great Dao laws into one's physical body, thereby obtaining an incomparably powerful physique. When cultivated to its utmost, such a body can rival the body of a Chaos Demon God, enough to roam the chaos unimpeded and sweep away all before it. As far as I know, the ancestors of the Dragon Clan and Qilin Clan, Ancestral Dragon and Primordial Qilin, followed this path. Their physical bodies were both incomparably formidable, and they dominated an era."

"The other is to cultivate the Primordial Spirit, integrating Great Dao laws into one's Primordial Spirit. Yuanfeng, the ancestor of the Phoenix Clan, cultivated in this manner. She used her Primordial Spirit to contain the laws of the Great Dao of Fire. Every so often, she would ignite herself and be reborn through nirvana, causing her cultivation to grow ever stronger."

"Of course, none of those three ultimately succeeded in proving the Dao. They fell short at the final step, but there is nothing much to say about that. On the path of proving the Dao, unless one reaches the end, who can say for certain? In order to completely take that final step, Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Qilin, and Yuanfeng fought without end for the Primordial World's providence to aid their cultivation. Yet in the end, all three were grievously injured. Not only did they fail to prove the Dao themselves, but they also doomed their clans to eternal ruin."

As Dao Xuan spoke, he repeatedly shook his head. Zhen Yuanzi sighed endlessly as he listened.

"Could it be that Law-Proving Dao is also an impassable path?" Zhen Yuanzi asked. "For beings like us to transform into existences like Chaos Demon Gods, how difficult would that be?"

Seeing his resolve waver, Dao Xuan quickly added, "It is not as though no one has successfully walked the path of Law-Proving Dao."

"From what I have heard, one person succeeded. And it was even one of the most difficult laws among the three thousand Great Daos."

"Someone truly succeeded?" Zhen Yuanzi was instantly shocked. He hurriedly asked, "Dao brother, who was it? And which law among the three thousand Great Daos did he comprehend?"

Dao Xuan said, "I only know that his Dao title was Yang Mei, and that he was also called Yangmei Immortal. The law he comprehended was the Space Law."

"Yangmei Immortal? The Space Law?" Zhen Yuanzi could not help yearning for it. "What a true divine being!"

Dao Xuan smiled. "However, Yangmei Immortal's attainment of Hunyuan was actually related to his origins."

"His origins? Could it be..." Zhen Yuanzi immediately understood.

Dao Xuan nodded. "That's right. Legend has it that Yangmei Immortal was the reincarnation of the remnant soul of the Space Demon God. Moreover, Yangmei Immortal's true body in this life was the Hollow Willow Tree, one of the ten great spiritual roots. This tree is also a spiritual root with the space attribute."

Zhen Yuanzi suddenly understood. He nodded repeatedly, seemingly deep in thought.

Dao Xuan quietly waited for him. After a long while, when Zhen Yuanzi finally came back to himself, Dao Xuan said, "Since that is so, Dao brother, do you still have the confidence to walk the path of Law-Proving Dao?"

Zhen Yuanzi smiled upon hearing this. "Do I have any other choice?"

Dao Xuan smiled as well and rose to his feet. "Since that is the case, Dao brother Zhen Yuanzi, it is time for me to take my leave. We shall meet again when the Dao Ancestor gives his third lecture."

Zhen Yuanzi hurriedly said, "Why must Dao brother leave so soon?"

"Hahaha!"

Dao Xuan laughed. "I have said all that needed to be said, so why stay any longer? Dao brother, I have disturbed you greatly this time. It is time for me to depart."

Zhen Yuanzi said, "Very well. But Dao brother, you must take all these fruits with you."

"Alright."

Dao Xuan smiled and waved his broad sleeve, collecting all the remaining Ginseng Fruits from the table.

Then his figure flashed, and he activated the Near and Far Apart escape technique. In an instant, he had already left Longevity Mountain, vanishing without a trace.

Zhen Yuanzi watched Dao Xuan disappear in an instant and could not help falling into a daze.

Everything that had happened that day felt dreamlike and unreal, even to him.

Zhen Yuanzi raised his head and looked once more at the Ginseng Fruit Tree. The last ripples in his heart faded away, and his resolve became completely firm.

"Since Dao brother Dao Xuan has given me his guidance, then from this day onward, I shall walk the path of Law-Proving Dao!" Zhen Yuanzi murmured.