The Earthly Dao Shall Rise, the Third Lecture at Purple Heaven Palace

Li Qingxiao watched Houtu's beautiful eyes tremble and continued, his words heavy with meaning:

"The earth's boundless virtue bears all things. The Heavenly Dao is incomplete; the Earthly Dao must rise!"

"If you can use supreme compassion to transform the earth's turbid qi into the Six Paths of Reincarnation and guide the souls of the dead from every heaven,

you will no longer be an Ancestral Witch caught in the slaughter of the calamity, but the Lord of the Earthly Dao, standing alongside the Heavenly Dao!"

Hum!

Those profound words, pointing straight to her ultimate path to enlightenment, brought together everything Houtu had long pondered deep within her soul!

The Earthly Dao!

The Six Paths of Reincarnation!

To give herself to save all living beings!

Divine light from the laws of the earth surged around Houtu of its own accord, as fierce as a rising tide,

while the White Lotus Divine Seal Li Qingxiao had given her shone in answer from her wrist,

and the faint image of an ancient, compassionate wheel of reincarnation took shape within her sea of consciousness.

"Only today do I truly see the far shore of the Great Dao, after your guidance on two occasions..."

Two tears of joy slipped from Houtu's eyes. She straightened her robes with a solemn expression,

then bowed deeply to Li Qingxiao. In that moment, her Dao heart rose to an entirely new state.

Time flowed on, and the years flew by.

The Wu followed the plan, taking full control of the mountains, rivers, and earth veins across the twelve regions of the Primordial World.

Though the Yao occupied the Thirty-Three Heavens, they could not extend their reach into the earth at all.

With the Wu on earth and the Yao in heaven, the two races settled into a terrifying, delicate balance.

Ten thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

Then, one day,

Dong!!!

From the deepest reaches of chaos, Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens,

came a vast, boundless tolling of the Great Dao's bell!

Immense purple qi spread from Heaven Beyond Heaven, lighting up the entire Primordial World.

The time had come for Dao Ancestor Hongjun's third lecture.

Saintly seats would be assigned, and treasures distributed across the heavens!

The bell's resonance washed through heaven and earth, its Dao resonance reaching the nine heavens.

Atop Mount Buzhou, Li Qingxiao's moon-white Daoist robes snapped in the fierce wind.

He drew his gaze back from the boundless earth

and turned to Houtu, whose Dao heart had undergone its transformation, with a faint smile:

"Hongjun's third lecture concerns the path of the Primordial Saint and the opportunities to attain sainthood."

"The Wu cultivate only their physical bodies and laws. Going into chaos would bring them no benefit; they would only be suppressed by the Heavenly Dao."

"Houtu, stay in the Primordial World with your brothers and follow the plan."

"Rest assured, Brother Qingxiao."

Houtu nodded solemnly, her gaze resolute.

"The Twelve Tribes of the Wu have put down roots throughout the mountains and rivers. We won't give the Demon Court any opening."

"Take care on your journey into chaos."

Li Qingxiao nodded farewell and did not linger.

He stepped forward, and the radiant, flawless manifestation of the Twelfth-Grade Purifying White Lotus rose from the void beneath his feet,

becoming a brilliant streak of light as white as snow.

It tore straight through the layer of fierce winds surrounding the Thirty-Three Heavens and vanished unhurriedly into boundless chaos!

Within chaos, all was dim, with neither day nor night.

Violent earth, water, fire, and wind howled and raged,

while layer upon layer of chaotic winds cut like countless invisible blades,

tearing mercilessly at every living being in the void.

Standing on the Twelfth-Grade Purifying White Lotus, Li Qingxiao crossed that lifeless expanse as though taking a leisurely stroll.

Threads of soft white radiance fell from the lotus,

forming an absolute domain within three feet of him.

The violent currents, powerful enough to gravely wound an ordinary Daluo Golden Immortal,

dissolved without a sound the instant they touched the lotus light, like spring snow beneath a blazing sun.

Not only could they do him no harm, the lotus forcibly refined them,

turning them into strands of the purest Innate Essence Qi that drifted gently around him.

Along the way, tens of thousands of independent Daluo cultivators struggled onward, each using their own abilities.

Some bit their tongues to activate their bonded spiritual treasures, their faces deathly pale.

Others formed defensive arrays in groups of three or five, barely managing each step.

When they saw Li Qingxiao in his moon-white Daoist robes pass calmly through the heart of a raging storm without a speck of dust on him,

their eyes filled with shock and awe.

"That's... Immortal Qingxiao, master of the World-Cleansing White Lotus!"

"Impossible... A chaos storm that fierce can't even raise a ripple in his protective light?"

"Move aside! Don't block the immortal's path!"

The gathered immortals recoiled and stepped aside of their own accord,

opening a broad path for Li Qingxiao through the chaos storm.

Li Qingxiao remained calm. Without looking aside, he headed straight for the deepest reaches of chaos.

Halfway there, two familiar auras suddenly rippled through the void ahead.

A flash of crimson cloud, bright as fire, appeared first,

followed by dark-yellow earth qi as weighty as the ancient land itself.

They were Ancestor Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi, the Ancestor of Earth Immortals.

"Brother Qingxiao!"

Ancestor Hong Yun spotted Li Qingxiao from afar and came forward with a broad smile.

He held the Ninety-Nine Soul-Scattering Red Gourd in his arms, crimson clouds swirling ceaselessly around him.

His cultivation foundation at the Early Quasi-Saint stage had become exceptionally stable.

Beside him, Zhen Yuanzi also hurried forward, Earth Book in hand.

As his gaze settled on Li Qingxiao, his pupils contracted slightly.

To Zhen Yuanzi's senses, Li Qingxiao showed no trace of a severed-corpse incarnation,

yet deep within that restrained divine body,

there seemed to sleep a chaos god capable of splitting heaven from earth.

No karmic ties clung to him. His aura was as deep as an endless abyss, his power so perfectly contained that he seemed utterly ordinary.

"Brother, after only a few thousand years apart, your cultivation has advanced so far that I can scarcely hope to catch up."

Zhen Yuanzi offered sincere praise and cupped his hands in greeting.

Li Qingxiao returned the salute and smiled warmly.

"You two have made great progress as well. Your Quasi-Saint attainments are complete and unimpeded. Congratulations."

The three exchanged smiles and passed through the last chaotic currents together,

landing steadily on the White Jade Plaza before Purple Heaven Palace.

They had barely come to a stop when two piercing Golden Crow cries rang out from the heavens!

Boom—!!

Blazing Solar True Fire tore through chaos,

and two imposing figures clad in Nine-Dragon Imperial Robes descended through the air.

Heavenly Emperor Di Jun held the River Chart and Luo Writing, while Eastern Emperor Taiyi carried the Chaos Bell. Golden light blazed around them.

Behind them,

Demon Master Kunpeng followed close, his expression dark and sinister.

Both Yao emperors had now severed a corpse and entered the Quasi-Saint realm.

Backed by the supreme fortune of the Yao Heavenly Court, their presence was overwhelming.

But when Taiyi's gaze fell on Li Qingxiao at the front of the plaza,

his fighting spirit flared, and the Chaos Bell in his arms gave a low hum.

The humiliation of the Immortal Court's robbed treasury at the Eastern Sea, and of losing the Dragon-Headed Cane, surged back into his mind.

Taiyi stepped forward, about to confront him, but a firm hand landed on his shoulder.

"Taiyi, don't act rashly."

Di Jun's warning came by secret transmission, his expression grave.

He had secretly used the River Chart and Luo Writing to divine Li Qingxiao's fate,

but all he had seen was an empty expanse of white light.

No karma touched this man, and his depths were impossible to fathom.

Besides, this was a Saint's domain. Any trouble here would draw severe punishment from the Dao Ancestor.

Taiyi gave a cold snort and forced down his surging killing intent.

Behind Di Jun, Demon Master Kunpeng happened to meet Li Qingxiao's utterly still gaze.

At that single glance, Kunpeng felt a sudden, tearing pain deep within his soul.