477: Chapter 477 The Final Lecture of Zixiao - The First Light of the Holy Path

It so happened that they were only halfway back when Hongjun's final sermon was about to begin. Jiang Chen immediately took Earth Spirit back to the Wuji Grotto-Heaven and casually bestowed a Foundation Establishment manual—though not particularly profound, it was solid and stable. The path of cultivation values compatibility; forcing high-level offensive techniques often damages the roots and foundations, so it is better to proceed gradually.

The Great Wilderness was never quiet, but those obstinate cultivators who refused to accept their fate or always hoped for a windfall of opportunity mostly ended up in disappointment. Those who are content are always happy, and those who cherish their blessings find luck. At this moment, deep within the chaos, immortals from all walks of life were doing their best to traverse the turbulent flows, rushing toward Zixiao Palace—this was the final ladder to heaven, and who would dare to relax for even a moment?

Fate has always been held in the hands of the strong. Both Hongjun and Jiang Chen were the chess players, but Jiang Chen already stood before the threshold of breaking through the world. Although he was still ten thousand mountains away from true transcendence, he held a slight advantage over others.

Before long, Zixiao Palace was already packed with people. The Dao Ancestor Hongjun reappeared, surrounded by mysterious light, ethereal and untraceable. Most cultivators were used to this, but a few top-tier powerhouses vaguely glimpsed a faint wheel of light floating behind him—that was the Wheel of the Heavenly Dao. Those who harmonized with it would inherit the mandate of heaven and wield the laws on its behalf. However, even those veteran Quasi-Saints struggled to grasp the meaning of such a realm, let alone investigate it; now that the Dao sounds had begun, everyone held their breath and focused, with no mind left to ponder such mysteries.

This sermon was about the Way of the Saint. Very few could understand it, but even if they only grasped a few words, they could use the vast spiritual energy of Zixiao Palace to temper their souls and elevate their realms—the concentration and purity of spiritual energy here was unique in the entire Great Wilderness.

Cultivators generally have self-awareness. On the contrary, some impatient ones tried desperately to memorize the words by heart, only to end up with nothing. The first two sermons were basic methods that could be memorized by rote; this time, it pointed directly to the origin of the Great Dao, and trying to use rote memorization to take a shortcut would only be counterproductive. Rare opportunities require a clear and self-possessed mind; that is true wisdom.

Nearly three thousand years passed in a flash. After Hongjun finished his sermon, he waited quietly for the cultivators to wake up. Before long, everyone emerged from their meditation one after another. Some looked disappointed, others looked somber, but no one disturbed the Dao Ancestor's quiet cultivation. Hongjun's gaze swept across the hall, his voice like an ancient bell: "You have listened here for nine thousand years. Within a hundred years, you may ask your questions."

Laozi was the first to stand and bow: "May I ask Teacher, what is a Saint?"

The Dao Ancestor's voice was as calm as water: "A Saint is a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal. They are eternal through ten thousand tribulations and untainted by karma. The Saint practices non-action, thus they do not fail; they do not grasp, thus they do not lose. All things either lead or follow; blow hot or cold; are strong or weak; are sustained or overturned. Therefore, the Saint avoids extremes, extravagance, and arrogance. Thus, the Saint stands beneath the Heavenly Dao, immortal for all eternity."

The entire hall was silent, with only the sound of hearts beating like drums. Eternal through ten thousand tribulations, untainted by karma—as long as the Heavenly Dao exists, one's lifespan is equal to heaven. This was the ultimate answer that all cultivators dreamed of but could not obtain, and it was the most irresistible temptation.

Beside Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun could not contain himself. He stepped forward quickly, bowed, and asked again: "Teacher, where exactly is the path to becoming a Saint?"

The Dao Ancestor spoke: "The Great Dao is vast; three thousand methods can all lead to the Hunyuan Realm. In the end, there are but three righteous paths. First, Attaining the Dao through Strength—tempering the strongest divine abilities and using a power that can shake the universe to forcibly tear through the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and directly prove one's Hunyuan. This path is the most dangerous and violent, with a slim chance of survival, but once successful, one's Saintly prestige is unmatched and impervious to all laws. Second, Attaining the Dao through the Three Corpses—severing the three mental barriers of good, evil, and obsession, using an Innate Spirit Treasure or a golden body avatar as a vessel to condense three clones, each governing one corpse. Once the Three Corpses are gone, the Dao fruit naturally rounds out. This method is steady; though the Saintly position is established, one's combat power is slightly inferior to those who prove it through strength. Third, Attaining the Dao through Merit—accumulating boundless good deeds to wash away the fires of karma and tribulations. A thousand years of bitter cultivation is not as good as one great act of virtue; even when a great tribulation comes, it is like a gentle breeze. This method is the easiest to start but the hardest to complete; the resulting Saint has the weakest magic power and the shallowest foundation."

Tongtian cupped his hands and asked: "May I ask Teacher, which method did you use to reach the Hunyuan Realm?"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun replied indifferently: "I used the Good Fortune Jade Plate as a foundation, severed the three thoughts of good, evil, and obsession, used the treasure as a vessel, and attained the Dao through the Three Corpses."

Suddenly, someone raised their voice to ask: "Has anyone ever relied solely on physical power to shatter the void and directly prove their Hunyuan?"

The Dao Ancestor's gaze darkened slightly, but his tone remained calm: "The ancestor of creation, Pangu, was the strongest who attained the Dao through strength. He wished to reach the peak of the Hunyuan Wuji Daluo Golden Immortal and achieve the status of a Chaos Saint. Unfortunately, the act of creation exhausted his origin, and his body perished as his Dao vanished, ultimately failing to reach completion." He paused, then added: "Later, Fellow Daoist Jiang Chen held the chaos bead and went against heaven to reopen the door of proving the Dao through strength. Since then, no second person has been able to replicate this method."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall was in an uproar. The Three Pure Ones, in particular, were slightly shaken, a sharp light flickering in their eyes. Laozi could not help but step forward and bow to ask: "May I ask Teacher, what kind of supreme treasure can support the path of proving the Dao through strength?"

"The chaos bead—the one and only chaos supreme treasure. Other than that, there is no other way."

As his voice fell, the expressions of the Three Pure Ones dimmed slightly, and the other cultivators also bowed their heads. What kind of existence was a chaos supreme treasure? Even Hongjun himself likely did not possess one; and the Good Fortune Jade Plate was merely a broken innate supreme treasure.

After everyone had calmed down a bit, someone else asked hesitantly: "Teacher, what are the Three Corpses?"

"The Three Corpses are the three poisons of the human body, the great bane of cultivation," Hongjun explained slowly. "The Upper Corpse is named Peng Ju, dwelling in the Jade Pillow Pass, governing the good and evil of the upper energizer. The Middle Corpse is named Peng Zhi, guarding the Jiaji Pass, managing the clarity and turbidity of the middle energizer. The Lower Corpse is named Peng Jiao, lurking in the Weilü Pass, monitoring the desires of the lower energizer. Every Gengshen and Jiazi day, they fly up to the Heavenly Court to report the cultivator's words and deeds. Furthermore, there are Nine Parasites lurking in the nine orifices, eroding the true yang—the Volatile Parasite at the Jade Pillow, the Dragon Parasite at the Tianzhu, the White Parasite at the Taodao, the Flesh Parasite at the Shendao, the Red Parasite at the Jiaji, the Diaphragm Parasite at the Xuanshu, the Lung Parasite at the Mingmen, the Stomach Parasite at the Longhu, and the Dung Parasite at the Weilü. The Three Corpses occupy the three passes, and the Nine Parasites block the nine orifices, changing unpredictably. Sometimes they transform into beauties to lure the spirit into negligence; sometimes they set up illusions to disturb dreams and create annoyance, clouding the Dao heart and making longevity hard to achieve. Thus, the alchemy scriptures teach: 'The Three Corpses and Nine Parasites reside in the human body, blocking the Yellow River with deep poisonous gas. If the practitioner opens the three grotto-dwellings, the Nine Parasites are eliminated and life is long.' If you do not know the art of severing the corpses and destroying the parasites, you should quickly seek guidance from a master, bow and ask the Great Dao, open the three passes, and carve out the nine orifices so that the Three Corpses disperse into nothingness and the Nine Parasites are burned away. At that time, the apertures will be clear, the true qi will flow without ceasing, the root of nature will be stable, the lifeline will be long, the seven emotions will gradually quiet, the six desires will naturally vanish, and the three poisons will be severed forever."

"Teacher, how exactly does one sever the Three Corpses?"

"Either refine an Innate Spirit Treasure as a medium, or condense a golden body avatar as a carrier. Wait for the opportunity to ripen, and in one stroke, sever them, turning the three thoughts into emptiness."

"Can post-natal objects be used?"

"If it is not of the innate category, it absolutely cannot be done!"

In an instant, a massive wave of emotion surged in the hearts of the cultivators—the four words 'Innate Spirit Treasure' rang in their ears like thunder. Once they left Zixiao Palace, they would surely scramble to traverse the Great Wilderness and search for supreme treasures, just to find a place of refuge to sever their inner demons. A struggle for spiritual treasures that would sweep across heaven and earth had quietly begun.

Finally, Laozi stood up again and bowed respectfully: "Teacher, above the Saint, is there a higher realm?"

Hongjun's eyes were clear, and his voice was like a bell: "A Saint is a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal. Above that is the Hunyuan Taiji Daluo Golden Immortal, and above that is the Hunyuan Wuji Daluo Golden Immortal—what Pangu sought was precisely this realm, also known as the Hunyuan Wuji Chaos Saint." He paused slightly and then said: "Chaos is infinite, yet a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal is still bound by the Heavenly Dao and cannot leave to travel through the chaos. Only the Hunyuan Taiji and Hunyuan Wuji Daluo Golden Immortals can be considered to have truly jumped out of the cage of the Heavenly Dao, traversing the chaos freely and without hindrance. As for the specific cultivation methods... if the opportunity has not arrived, they cannot be easily transmitted."