Time flew by, and the Primordial World had no reckoning of years. Since Empress Nuwa's lecture in Chaos, thirty thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Over those thirty thousand years, the Primordial World appeared calm on the surface, but turbulent undercurrents ran beneath.
Nearly every great power who had returned from Wa Huang Palace after hearing the Dao chose to enter seclusion and digest that supreme Saint Dao.
The upper echelons of the entire Primordial World fell into an eerie silence, like the calm before a storm.
The West, Mount Sumeru.
The Nirvana Bodhi Great Array continued to operate silently, protecting this increasingly prosperous Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
At noon that day, a resonance suddenly arose between Heaven and Earth!
Boom! Boom!
Two vast auras beyond description, like ancient dragons slumbering for countless ages awakening, suddenly shot into the sky from the secluded cultivation grounds behind Mount Sumeru!
One aura was compassionate and nirvanic, stirring phantoms of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss into existence. Countless phantoms of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats chanted sutras and invoked the Buddha within it. In the end, all dharmas returned to Nirvana, pointing toward Transcendence.
The other aura was wise and resolute. The radiance of the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree illuminated the heavens, as though it could sweep away every affliction and obstacle in the world and reach the other shore directly!
A powerful pressure instantly spread throughout the entire western region, even causing a faint resonance in the Heavenly Dao Rules of the entire Primordial World! Countless living beings felt a resonance, gazing westward in fear and reverence.
Ming Xin, who was in a secluded meditation chamber, was also awakened by those two familiar yet incomparably majestic auras. He opened his eyes, understanding and anticipation flashing through them.
The next moment, two figures whose auras were flawless and complete, only one final step away from the threshold, emerged from seclusion behind the mountain. They were none other than Daoist Jieyin and Daoist Zhunti!
At that moment, the Dao rhythm around them was complete. The peak Primordial Golden Immortal aura around them bloomed without reservation, and they had even faintly touched an invisible barrier—the supreme threshold leading to the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm!
Their faces were filled with irrepressible excitement and agitation. Clearly, their thirty thousand years of secluded cultivation had yielded enormous gains, and they had already glimpsed the dawn of Attaining the Dao!
"Hahaha!" Daoist Zhunti laughed loudly, his voice shaking the heavens. "After cultivating bitterly for endless years, we have finally seen the dawn! The opportunity to become Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals has arrived! It has arrived!"
Daoist Jieyin's face was flushed as well, all traces of suffering gone. In their place was the thrill of seeing his wish about to be fulfilled. "Indeed!
We have already comprehended the path ahead. Once we stir our own Great Dao, we can attempt to break through into that supreme Saint Realm!"
The two of them looked eagerly at Ming Xin as he emerged from the meditation chamber. Zhunti said impatiently, "Beloved disciple Ming Xin!
Hurry and focus your senses! Your master and martial uncle are about to Attain the Dao. This process contains the supreme mysteries of the Great Dao and will bring immense benefit to your future path!"
They hoped Ming Xin could witness this historic moment with his own eyes and gain insight from it.
However, faced with his two masters' surging passion and anticipation for Attaining the Dao, Ming Xin did not immediately agree. Instead, he frowned slightly, as though rapidly considering something.
A phantom of his Future Self flashed through his eyes, while the system core deduced a certain possibility at an unprecedented speed.
Just as Jieyin and Zhunti prepared to stir the Great Dao and charge toward the Saint Realm, Ming Xin suddenly spoke. His voice was clear and calm, carrying an unquestionable gravity.
"Masters, wait!"
Jieyin and Zhunti paused, looking at him in confusion.
Ming Xin took a deep breath and swept his gaze across the heavens, as though he could see through some Heavenly Dao Rule.
He said in a deep voice, "Master, Martial Uncle, your goal in Attaining the Dao now is to become Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals, free and unfettered, beyond the restraints of the Heavenly Dao. Am I correct?"
Zhunti nodded. "Naturally! Only Primordial Grand Unity brings true freedom and true Transcendence!"
"But this disciple speculates," Ming Xin said more quickly, "that the Primordial World was created by Great God Pangu and has its own inherent rules and limits of endurance.
Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals have, in essence, transcended this Heaven and Earth. I fear... the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World will not permit them to remain in this world for long!"
At those words, Jieyin and Zhunti's expressions changed slightly. They had been immersed in the joy of being about to Attain the Dao and had not considered this matter deeply.
But after Ming Xin pointed it out, they made a slight sensing with their current realms and discovered that the Heavenly Dao indeed held a faint rejection toward it!
If they forcibly attained the Dao as Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals, they would very likely be expelled from the Primordial World the instant they succeeded and sent into the unknown depths of Chaos! What would become of the Western Teachings they had painstakingly built?
"This..." Daoist Jieyin's face once again turned sorrowful.
Seeing this, Ming Xin knew his speculation had struck the heart of the matter. He continued, "Therefore, this disciple has a foolish suggestion: why not... divide it into two steps?"
His eyes shone as he enunciated each word. "You two may first become Heavenly Dao Saints!"
"Heavenly Dao Saints?" Zhunti was stunned.
"Indeed!" Ming Xin explained. "The Primordial Violet Qi is proof from the Heavenly Dao. Attaining the Dao through it makes one a Heavenly Dao Saint, merging with the Heavenly Dao and acting on its behalf.
Naturally, you would be able to remain in the Primordial World for a long time, enjoying boundless Fortune and merit while enlightening all beings! This is like 'going public through a shell company'—first secure an invincible foothold in the Primordial World!"
"After becoming Heavenly Dao Saints, once your foundations are stable and your understanding of the Heavenly Dao and Great Dao has deepened, you can use your Saint Position as a springboard and accumulate Boundless Merit.
Comprehend deeper mysteries, and then... strike once more at the true realm of Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals. Cast off the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and attain true freedom!"
"This way, you can avoid the risk of being expelled by the Primordial World after becoming Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals, preserve the foundation of the Western Teachings, and observe the Heavenly Dao more clearly from a Sage's perspective.
It will lay a firmer foundation for true Transcendence in the future! You can advance to attack or retreat to defend!"
Ming Xin's words were like enlightenment pouring into their heads, instantly leaving Jieyin and Zhunti stunned!
They had always pursued becoming Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals and regarded becoming Heavenly Dao Saints as a form of restraint.
But after Ming Xin's analysis, becoming Heavenly Dao Saints first and seeking Primordial Grand Unity afterward was actually a safer path, perhaps even one with broader prospects!
Especially for them, who had vowed to revitalize the West and possessed immense Great Vows to fulfill, remaining in the Primordial World was a necessary condition!
Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, each seeing shock, realization, and an irrepressible thrill in the other's eyes!
"First attain the Heavenly Dao, then attain Primordial Grand Unity... good! What an excellent 'going public through a shell company'! What a sound plan for both advance and retreat!"
Daoist Zhunti clapped his hands in praise, his gaze toward Ming Xin filled with amazement. "Disciple, your foresight has already reached such depths! This method is most excellent!"
Daoist Jieyin also nodded heavily. The sorrow on his face vanished, replaced by the clarity and resolve of clouds parting to reveal the sun. "Excellent! We shall follow our disciple's words! First secure the Saint Position, stabilize the West, then seek Transcendence!"
The vast aura around them that had originally been poised to strike toward Primordial Grand Unity slowly receded and shifted direction.
They began communicating more deeply with the unseen Heavenly Dao and the Primordial Violet Qi, preparing to take the path of making Great Vows and attaining the Dao as Heavenly Dao Saints through merit!
Watching his two masters immerse themselves in comprehending the Dao once more, Ming Xin also breathed a sigh of relief. His suggestion was based both on his deductions regarding the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World and on the future of the Western Teachings.
After all, if Jieyin and Zhunti directly became Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals and were expelled, the Western Teachings would truly be left with only him to support them.
"Next, we wait for Master and Martial Uncle to make their Great Vows and invoke Heavenly Dao Merit..."
Ming Xin looked up at the heavens, knowing that another grand event destined to shake the Primordial World was about to unfold here on Mount Sumeru in the West.
And after this grand event, the time for him to attain Primordial Grand Unity would draw ever closer.
Before you continue