The path of cultivation-
Was nothing more than these sixteen words: refine essence into qi, refine qi into spirit, refine spirit back to emptiness, refine emptiness into union with the Dao.
In Xudu Heaven.
It was further divided into Embryonic Breathing, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Cavern Mystery, Golden Core, Primordial Spirit, Return to Emptiness, Pure Yang, Union with the Dao... until one's cultivation reached perfection and one ascended to immortality.
The greater cosmos held countless heavens, as numerous as grains of dust and sand, beyond all reckoning.
Although other heavens had their own methods of cultivation, with myriad paths shining together, any method belonging to the immortal Dao could scarcely depart from the guiding principles of those sixteen words.
Taking Xudu Heaven as an example, those at Qi Refining could be called Feathered Adepts, those at Purple Mansion Senior Adepts, those at Cavern Mystery Refinement Masters, those at Golden Core and Primordial Spirit True Persons, and those at Return to Emptiness and Pure Yang True Lords.
As for Union with the Dao-
This great realm, only a single step from ascending and attaining immortality, had been honored by the perfected masters of antiquity with the title "Dao Lord."
A Dao Lord united with the Dao in truth, wondrous in both form and substance.
With the round heavens upon their heads and the square earth beneath their feet, they wore the nine qi as crown and girdle, woven into robes; the sun was their round image, the moon their round radiance, and they draped themselves in the Northern Dipper, the six jia, and the nine emblems.
They received the mandate of the orthodox profound tribulation, stood beneath only the myriad immortals, and could serve as vice-sovereigns of the Three Realms and grand stewards of the Origin Cavern!
Cultivators at this realm often possessed all manner of inconceivable powers. Seizing the sun and moon or replacing the stars in the heavens were trifling matters; even reviving the dead and sending people through reincarnation required no more than activating a talismanic decree.
If a Dao Lord of the profound orthodox path did good, they could gather the three whites and seven treasures in the void, even opening up worlds, dividing out the three primal qi of heaven, earth, and water, and bringing forth human society within them while nurturing all living things.
And if a Dao Lord of the demonic path did evil, they could likewise unleash cruel punishments, disturbing the myriad paths until they shattered and knew no peace, receiving offerings from baleful ghosts and wicked gods throughout the heavens, who worshiped them as a "Great Devil King of the Middle Heaven."
A so-called Dao Lord actually already possessed an immortal body and immortal destiny. It was merely that their cultivation was insufficient, and they had yet to claim the attainment of immortality for themselves, so they could not ascend.
Naturally, the Eight Sects and Six Schools that ruled Xudu Heaven all had Dao Lords dwelling in the world-at least one each, and in some cases as many as two or four.
Chen Heng had read quite a few Daoist books during this period, but because the available scriptures were so scarce, he remained utterly ignorant of certain secrets and crucial details.
Such as this Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord, or Primordial Beginning True Origin...
"A Dao Lord? Divine House Pivot Splendor..."
Hearing Chen Heng's question, Tu Shan Ge frowned in surprise.
After a while, he suddenly clapped his hands, his brow smoothing at once.
"I remember! I remember now! She's a Dao Lord of the Pivot Dipper Sect. My former mistress once accompanied elders of the Vermilion Luminescence Sect to the Pivot Dipper Sect to present congratulatory gifts to this female Dao Lord!"
The more Tu Shan Ge spoke, the more excited he became, his entire face glowing:
"At the time, the Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord had conquered a Zen Pure Land in Outer Heaven, killed its Presiding Venerable, and captured two million Peacock Monk Soldiers. She brought them all back to Xudu Heaven and presented the captives before the Pivot Dipper Sect's mountain gates!"
"A Pure Land? A Presiding Venerable?"
"That was another heaven, a great world just like Xudu Heaven. After my former mistress returned, she boasted about it to me several times. It was such a magnificent, glorious feat that I've remembered it to this day!"
Tu Shan Ge set down his cup of tea, which had already begun to cool, and said with sparkling eyes:
"That heaven was called Lapis-Free Heaven. Unlike Xudu Heaven, it was governed by mighty Buddhist cultivators, with Zen sects and Pure Lands everywhere. The Pivot Dipper Sect came into conflict with several temples in Lapis-Free Heaven over spreading its teachings. The two sides fought in Outer Heaven for hundreds of years, each winning and losing battles, with who knows how many Dao Soldiers and monk soldiers dying. Later, several True Disciples of the Pivot Dipper Sect were tortured to death, stirring up a tremendous storm and even prompting the Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord to act..."
He paused, then continued:
"This Dao Lord brought forth her refined immortal weapon and, unleashing her full strength, shattered the Great Peacock King Temple's Mountain-Guarding Womb Realm in a single clash. Then, with thunderous force, she killed the temple's Presiding Venerable, swept away countless scriptures, and carried off two million Peacock Monk Soldiers..."
"Lapis-Free Heaven was enraged. It even stirred a mighty cultivator who had attained Bodhisattva Fruition to emerge from seclusion and avenge the humiliation. But in the end, several Dao Lords of Xudu Heaven stepped forward and frightened that Bodhisattva away."
Tu Shan Ge smacked his lips, still savoring the tale.
When he first heard the news, he had been so excited that he had not slept for several days straight.
Armies a million strong, blood flowing among fallen corpses, heavenly dragons chanting Zen hymns, rivers of stars and auspicious clouds.
Even in his dreams, Tu Shan Ge imagined himself becoming a Great Heavenly Demon and joining that battle, taking down a vajra warrior with every swipe of his claws.
"Lapis-Free Heaven... a conflict between two heavens?"
Chen Heng's imagination soared as well. He slowly raised his teacup and took a few sips before calming himself and gathering his thoughts.
Were the Eight Sects and Six Schools truly so illustrious?
Not only did they reign supreme in Xudu Heaven, but their mighty reputations had spread even to other heavens...
At that moment, Chen Heng's yearning to join a great sect grew stronger still.
The finest scriptures, the finest grotto-heavens, the finest powers to stand behind him.
If he could cultivate in one of the Eight Sects and Six Schools, it would be as though he already had one eye fixed upon the gateway to eternal life.
"But the Dipper Pivot Order isn't in Eastern Maitreya Province. Like the Nine Truths Sect, its mountain gates are in Eastern Ring Province... Had my former mistress not witnessed the Pivot Dipper Sect's presentation of captives, I would never have had the chance to learn the honored title of an immortal-path colossus like the Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord."
Tu Shan Ge asked curiously, "Master, where did you hear of her?"
"What about 'Primordial Beginning True Origin'?"
Chen Heng avoided the question and asked instead, "Have you heard of a kind of true qi called 'Primordial Beginning True Origin'? Where does it stand among the Nine Ranks and Thirty-Six Grades of True Qi?"
"Primordial Beginning True Origin?"
This time, even though Tu Shan Ge all but racked his brains to pieces, he could not come up with the slightest thing-not even a thread of a clue.
"I once saw some information about a Qi Cultivation Art called the 'Primordial Beginning True Origin Scripture Expounded by the Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord.'"
Chen Heng smiled and said, "I was puzzled, so I came to ask you."
"I see. Well, although I've never heard of this 'Primordial Beginning True Origin' true qi, its grade isn't difficult to guess!"
Tu Shan Ge said confidently:
"Since it's a Qi Cultivation Art, and the Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord personally annotated and explained it... then 'Primordial Beginning True Origin' must be upper-grade ninth-rank, or perhaps supreme-grade ninth-rank! Like the Vermilion Luminescence Sect's 'Imperial Plain Jade Truth,' it must be among the very finest true qi in the world!"
"The Vermilion Luminescence Sect's method for cultivating 'Imperial Plain Jade Truth' is called the 'Commentary on the Meaning of Ingesting Divine Qi by the Dao Lord of Emptiness-Piercing Supreme Virtue.' It was personally transmitted by the sect's Dao Lord of Emptiness-Piercing Supreme Virtue."
At this point, Tu Shan Ge could not help sounding regretful:
"Master, to tell you the truth, my former mistress sought this method for a long time without success. In the end, she had no choice but to convert all her embryonic breath into upper-grade eighth-rank 'Cave Spirit Origin Balefulness.' I often think that if she had cultivated 'Imperial Plain Jade Truth' back then, perhaps she could have won that magical battle and wouldn't have had to die..."
Although many years had passed, recalling the past still filled him with sorrow, and he could not hold back a sigh.
"The past cannot be reclaimed. Dwelling on it will do no good."
After offering a word of comfort, Chen Heng took a yellowed ancient book from his sleeve and handed it over.
"Take a look."
Tu Shan Ge accepted it in bewilderment. Before he had turned more than a few pages, his face suddenly went ashen.
"What a sinister, vicious evil art!"
Beads of sweat immediately rolled down his forehead, and he cried out:
"Master, this method is terrifying! It grievously violates the harmony of heaven!"
Thank you to Shang Jinzhao for the 500-point tip, Shi Yu Qing for the 100-point tip, shuangyeying for the 100-point tip, and Feng Lai Ye for the 100-point tip.
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