Zixiao Palace Reunited, Hongjun Reveals Three Paths to the Dao

Humm!

The purple-gold immortal light faded, and the void shifted.

When Lin Qiye opened his eyes again, he found himself standing once more in the raging Chaos Forbidden Zone Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Ahead, Zixiao Palace still hung silently at the heart of the chaos. The vast, solemn Daoist temple blotted out the sky, radiating eternal immortal light that cleansed the soul.

"Holy Son Qiye!"

"Holy Lord Ji!"

Several voices rang out beside him, full of heartfelt reverence and urgency.

The soul projections of Supreme Mystery True Lord, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Tu Shanye, the Netherworld Blood Emperor, Canghai Old Daoist, and the young Ye Chen, whose body glowed with Golden Core light, took shape one after another.

The atmosphere among the seven was entirely different from their last gathering.

Gone were the initial suspicion and probing. Every face bore unprecedented gravity, devotion, and an intense longing to escape the Calamity Cycle and attain the Dao.

Supreme Mystery True Lord and the Netherworld Blood Emperor, in particular, turned urgently to Lin Qiye and Ji Changkong the moment they appeared.

"Holy Son Qiye, Holy Lord Ji! The Ancestral Dragon's remains in the Ancient Star Abyss... and the Buzhou Heavenly Pillar and Demon Clan Heavenly Court..."

Lin Qiye raised a hand, cutting off Supreme Mystery True Lord's anxious questions.

With Broken Sword on his back, his eyes were deep and cold.

"The events of ancient times were all Calamity Cycles. Dao Ancestor has summoned us to his palace again. He must know the terror gripping all living beings and intend to pass down the supreme method for truly transcending the Calamity Cycle."

"Steady your minds. Enter the palace and listen to the Dao!"

"We heed the Holy Son's words!" The others grew solemn and bowed respectfully.

Creak—

The massive doors of Zixiao Palace slowly opened. Dazzling Creation Purple Qi poured through the gap and enveloped all seven souls.

None dared delay. They filed through the high threshold into the supreme hall, vast as a universe.

At its center, the seven places hovered exactly as before—

Six chaos cushions radiating gentle purple light, and beside them, a Purple Qi Auspicious Cloud condensed from Creation Purple Qi.

Lin Qiye strode to the first cushion and sat without hesitation;

Ji Changkong took the second seat;

Supreme Mystery True Lord took the third;

Tu Shanye took the fourth;

The Netherworld Blood Emperor took the fifth;

After respectfully saluting his seniors, the young Ye Chen settled into the sixth seat, representing the rising generation;

And Canghai Old Daoist, the unaffiliated cultivator with a clear Dao heart, smiled, cupped his hands, and calmly sat upon the nearby Purple Qi Auspicious Cloud.

[All seven seats are filled. The Great Dao is without flaw!]

The instant the seven took their seats—

Boom!!

High above, the supreme Creation Immortal Light, within which three thousand Great Dao Laws unfolded, erupted!

On the principal seat, the towering figure of Dao Ancestor Hongjun—Su Chen's soul manifestation—slowly took solid form. Clad in a dark Daoist robe, his face was as unfathomable as mountains and seas.

His deep eyes, capable of piercing past and future, swept over the seven below. Under that gaze, their souls trembled, and they dropped to their knees upon their cushions.

"We pay our respects to Dao Ancestor! May you live forever!"

Hongjun's manifestation, Su Chen, gave a slight nod. His vast, ancient voice carried the truth of the Great Dao across countless epochs and resounded through Zixiao Palace.

"Heaven and earth are impartial; they regard all things as straw dogs."

"The Calamity Cycle turns, and baleful energy fills the world. All who have not attained the Great Dao are caught within it."

"You have seen the dragons and phoenixes fall and the witches and demons perish. Do you know what it means to transcend? What it means to attain the Dao?"

At Dao Ancestor's mention of the Calamity Cycle and transcendence, Supreme Mystery True Lord could no longer contain his longing. He kowtowed, his voice trembling with desperation.

"Your disciple, Taixuan, begs you on behalf of countless living beings: please show mercy and grant us a path to escape the Calamity Cycle and attain the Dao! Guide us, so we do not become ashes in the calamity!"

"Please show mercy, Dao Ancestor! Grant us the wondrous path to the Dao!" Ji Changkong, Tu Shanye, the Netherworld Blood Emperor, and the others kowtowed as well.

From the highest seat, Su Chen's manifestation looked down upon these seven listeners, among the foremost figures of countless worlds. A knowing glint crossed his eyes.

The moment was ripe. It was time to reap the fruit.

Hongjun's manifestation raised his long arm and gave the void a gentle wave.

Humm!

Three supreme immortal lotuses, condensed from pure Creation Laws, unfurled in midair within Zixiao Palace!

The lotus on the left radiated a fierce, overwhelming force that could break through all techniques and split the heavens;

The lotus in the center shimmered with pure, flawless immortal light, profound enough to sever every distracting thought and obsession;

The lotus on the right blazed with immense merit, embracing all things, sheltering living beings, and enduring as long as heaven and earth!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's voice was cold and immense. Every word rang like a great bell in the depths of their souls.

"The Great Dao numbers fifty. Heaven unfolds forty-nine. The one that escapes belongs to man."

"To transcend the Calamity Cycle and attain the undying state of Daluo, there are three paths to the Dao—"

"The first: Proving the Dao Through Strength!"

"Use supreme magical power and physical might to break the Heavenly Dao's bonds by force, shatter the void, and attain Primordial Unity! This path is exceedingly difficult. None but a born god or demon possessed of supreme resolve can succeed!"

At the words "Proving the Dao Through Strength," the Eight-Nine Profound Art surged violently through Lin Qiye's body. His Heavenly Eye burst with a dark-gold light that shot skyward, and his fighting spirit boiled! This was the supreme path best suited to his art and his will as a warrior!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun continued without pause.

"The second: Proving the Dao by Slaying the Three Corpses!"

"Cultivators harbor three poisons in their souls: good thoughts, evil thoughts, and attachments. Entrust them to innate spiritual treasures, sever the Three Corpses of good, evil, and obsession, see your true nature, return to simplicity, and attain the Great Dao!"

Supreme Mystery True Lord and Canghai Old Daoist shuddered violently at this method. Disbelieving joy blazed in their eyes!

Entrust the three thoughts to innate spiritual treasures, then sever them!

This wondrous method of tempering the mind and cutting away thoughts seemed tailor-made for mortal-world cultivators like them, who had cultivated for tens of thousands of years while burdened by distracting thoughts!

On the high seat, Hongjun's manifestation slowly swept his gaze across the hall and revealed the third path—the heart of his teaching, which would utterly reshape how countless worlds conducted themselves—

[The third: Proving the Dao Through Merit!]

"Establish a teaching and guide all living beings. Protect the world's creatures, follow the workings of the Heavenly Dao, and accumulate immeasurable merit!"

"Those clothed in merit are protected by the Heavenly Dao, untouched by all evil! Even when the Calamity Cycle descends and baleful energy spreads, heavenly merit will shield them, preserve their true spirits, and allow them to attain the supreme fruit of the Dao!"

Boom!!

"Establish a teaching and guide all living beings! Accumulate heavenly merit!"

"Clothed in merit, untouched by evil, beyond the reach of the Calamity Cycle!!"

Those final words were like an ancient divine sword cleaving the darkness of countless ages. In an instant, they illuminated the souls of Supreme Mystery True Lord, the Netherworld Blood Emperor, Tu Shanye, and the others!

They had thought cultivation meant plunder and slaughter, that cold, hard strength was all one needed to bring the stars crashing down.

Yet Dao Ancestor had told them otherwise: follow heaven's will, answer the needs of others, protect living beings, and accumulate merit. That was the supreme path to crossing the Calamity Cycle under the Heavenly Dao's protection!

By establishing a teaching, guiding living beings, and amassing vast merit, they could gain a shield of merit against the Calamity Cycle's baleful energy!

"Merit... So this is the highest truth behind the workings of heaven and earth!"

The Netherworld Blood Emperor, the First Demon Emperor, trembled with excitement, his eyes red. He kowtowed frantically upon his cushion.

"Your disciple understands! I finally understand!"

"I, the Netherworld Blood Emperor, swear today that upon returning to my sect, I will establish the Asura Teaching, put an end to wanton killing, guide those who follow the Devil Dao, and accumulate immeasurable merit!"

Tu Shanye of the Primordial Demon Realm wept as he bowed respectfully. "I, Tu Shanye of the demon clan, will establish the Demon Teaching, restrain the myriad demons, protect ordinary people, and follow the Heavenly Dao!"

Tears streamed down Supreme Mystery True Lord's aged face. "Your disciple, Taixuan, will uphold the Orthodox Xuanmen, open our doors to all, protect the living beings of the star realms, and accumulate heavenly merit!"

Everything had changed!

The moment Su Chen introduced the core principle of Proving the Dao Through Merit, he overturned and remade the very logic and rules by which the greatest powers across the cosmos lived!

Slaughter and plunder would only gather baleful energy and invite the Calamity Cycle;

But doing good, establishing teachings, and protecting life would earn the Heavenly Dao's protection and open the way to transcendence!

Su Chen's manifestation, clad in a dark Daoist robe, watched the seven listeners below, all caught up in fervor and sudden enlightenment. From his high seat, he slowly smiled with an insight that seemed to span the ages.

The pieces were in place.

From this day on, the order and peace of countless worlds would be guarded fiercely, of their own accord, by these old monsters who had once been their greatest threat!