Chapter 21: The Heaven-Cleaving Blade Slays the Three Corpses, Hou Tu Illuminates the Heavenly Way

  But after Tongtian returned to Penglai Island, he didn't care about anything else and rushed into the secret room to start his closed-door meditation.

  After entering the secret room, Tongtian did not immediately start cultivating the Corpse Severing Technique. Instead, he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to recall his experiences before crossing over. He thought about how difficult life was when he was in the orphanage, and how things hadn't changed much even after he went to college. He had finally found a girlfriend, but she had dumped him before they could even celebrate their first month together. Then, he had picked up 1,000 yuan and felt an excitement that was unmatched. Finally, he had died from a bee sting, and then crossed over into the era of chaos before the opening of the heavens. The scenes from his past life flashed through his mind one by one. Suddenly, Tongtian opened his eyes while recalling his memories. His eyes were dazed for a moment before slowly becoming determined.

  "I am the incarnation of Pangu's primordial spirit, a disciple of the Taoist ancestor, the Upper Clear Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Lord, and the Master of the Tianxian Teachings. All sorts of things from past lives are just fleeting clouds, and from now on, they have nothing to do with me." As Tongtian thought this, his eyes became increasingly resolute, a celebratory cloud appeared above his head, and three flowers bloomed. It was seen that Tongtian's obsession began to surge towards the body of the Hunyuan Demon God above the three flowers, while at the same time, the aura on Tongtian's body grew fainter, just like the Taoist ancestor Hongjun, becoming ordinary, and the aura on his body also slowly faded. Suddenly looking at him, he seemed like an ordinary person, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that he should not be underestimated. After a moment, there was no longer any aura on Tongtian's body, and as a whole, he seemed to have merged with nature, so much so that if one didn't look for him with their eyes, they would be unable to detect the existence of a person here.

  Suddenly, the clouds on top of Tongtian surged and churned, emitting a dazzling light. The body of the primordial demon began to condense, and finally took shape. Its eyes opened, flashing with a hint of sharpness, as it jumped down from the clouds and bowed to Tongtian: "Greetings, fellow cultivator! Congratulations on beheading your three corpses; the Great Way is now within reach." Tongtian gazed at his own self that had been beheaded, feeling no great joy. Having severed his attachments, he would no longer be swayed by emotions. He replied calmly: "No need for excessive courtesy, fellow cultivator. You and I are one with the universe; we should share in the same joy."

  "Haha, indeed it is so. Fellow Daoist still has things to attend to, I won't disturb you either. I'll take my leave." After speaking, his body flew away like a meteor and disappeared from sight. Tongtian saw that he had left, closed his eyes slightly, and began to carefully comprehend the gains from this beheading of the corpse. The secret room once again returned to calmness.

  A few days later, Tongtian broke through the barrier and emerged. At this time, Hou Tu was in the great hall, and after beheading two corpses, he rarely went to cultivate again. After all, wanting to make progress again relied on opportunities and epiphanies, and it was no longer possible to break through by just closing up and cultivating bitterly. Seeing Tongtian's arrival, Hou Tu immediately stood up to welcome him, sensing that the aura on Tongtian's body seemed similar to that of the Dao Ancestor. Hou Tu quickly asked:

  "Brother, have you cut off your worldly attachments now? Have all three corpses gone?"

  "Hehe, didn't disappoint sister's expectations. Now that the three corpses have been beheaded, brother only needs an opportunity to become a saint and it will naturally happen." Tongtian said with a smile.

  "That little sister can congratulate her brother." Hou Tu said with some envy, beheading three corpses, after beheading the three corpses, one will become a saint, who can resist this temptation?

  "Haha, no need to envy, little sister. I'll tell you about my gains this time, and perhaps your obsession will also be dispelled. Cutting off the three corpses is also possible." Tongtian laughed loudly after seeing Hou Tu's envy. Then, the two of them began discussing the Tao in the grand hall. It was called a discussion, but actually it was just Tongtian speaking and Hou Tu listening.

  Tongtian has gained a lot of insight from cutting off the three corpses, and he also understands why he can know where other people's obsessions lie. Tongtian is a person who crossed over from another world, so he has a deep understanding of the experiences and personalities of the Hongyuan immortals. By combining this with his own experience of cutting off obsessions, he was able to understand where everyone's obsessions lay. However, Daozu Hongjun really didn't know where people's obsessions lay, after all, Daozu wasn't someone who crossed over from another world. Later, Daozu merged with the Heavenly Way, but even if the Heavenly Way is unparalleled in its calculations, and there is no one in the Hongyuan who can compare to it, wanting to know what people are thinking is still impossible. Therefore, Tongtian's previous suspicions were wrong.

  While Tongtian's epiphany this time is combined with the information before crossing, it is also known that Hou Tu's obsession is the Witch tribe. Although Hou Tu has been following Tongtian since she was born, after all, she has the blood of Pangu, and can be considered a member of the Witch tribe. Moreover, she herself also has a good impression of the Witch tribe, otherwise she would not have given the method of Pangu's body refinement and her own epiphany to the Witch tribe. In this way, Hou Tu's obsession is basically the same as Tongtian's, Tongtian is human, while Hou Tu is a witch.

  After several days, Tongtian finished his sermon. At this time, Hou Tu also knew about her own obsession. However, she was very reluctant in her heart. She understood that if she cut off her obsession, she would also cut off all connections with the Wu tribe and would never be a Wu again. From then on, there would only be Tongtian's teachings. This made Hou Tu, who had a certain sense of belonging to the Wu tribe, feel very uncomfortable in her heart. Moreover, Hou Tu was originally a kind-hearted person, and it was impossible for her to abandon the Wu tribe for the sake of her own enlightenment. Therefore, she was now filled with conflicting emotions and did not know how to choose.

  "Sister, you don't have to be like this. The affairs of the Wu tribe will unfold naturally. Now that it concerns your own cultivation and such a major event, you can't hesitate! Besides, sister, after cutting off your attachments, you can still assist the Wu tribe." Tongtian comforted and persuaded Houtu as he saw her hesitating. After hearing Tongtian's words, Houtu's eyes lit up, but soon dimmed again. She understood that Tongtian was just comforting her - cutting off attachments would mean severing ties with the Wu tribe, and if she wanted to help them in the future, it would be unjustified and create karma. Even if she became a saint in the future, it would still be the case, as saints also don't want to accumulate too much karma, lest they implicate their own disciples.

  "... Little sister knows." Hou Tu finally agreed, which made Tong Tian breathe a sigh of relief, and then it was all joy. However, even if one is aware of their own obsession, it still takes some time to cut it off, and the crowd will become saints in just a few years, so Tong Tian did not let Hou Tu go into seclusion to cut off his corpse immediately.

  "Sister, don't worry either. The Wu tribe will absolutely not be exterminated. On this point, I can still guarantee it. Now, the two of us should go to Kunlun Mountain and see our two older brothers. As I expected, they are also about to attain enlightenment and become saints. And I am too."

  "Are both Elder Brother and Second Brother going to become saints? Could it be that Second Brother has also cut off the Three Corpses?" Tongtian had already cut off the Three Corpses, becoming a saint wasn't anything strange, but the fact that Laozi had originally made Hou Tu somewhat surprised, didn't know if he had also cut off the Three Corpses.

  "That's not going to happen, it's not that easy to get rid of the three corpses. However, becoming a saint doesn't necessarily mean getting rid of the three corpses, did you forget how Nüwa became a saint?" Tongtian said with a smile.

  "Brother said that our two elder brothers will become saints with great merit?" Hou Tu asked in doubt.

  "It's true, the timing is now ripe, and it shouldn't just be us three. I'm afraid even the ones who are about to ascend will also become saints because of this. Hehe, little sister doesn't have to worry either. After we few become saints, it won't take long for you to become a saint too. Let's not talk about that now, for now, it's better if we hurry to Mount Kunlun." Tongtian said calmly.

  "Alright, then we'll go to Mount Kunlun and see how Brother and the others became saints." After finishing speaking, the two of them walked out of the grand hall, set up a auspicious cloud and headed towards Mount Kunlun.

  In the blink of an eye, the two had arrived. Mount Kunlun was still as it was, with all sorts of rare flowers and auspicious grasses that bloomed in every season. Deep within the mountains, there were even immortal beasts roaming about, creating a breathtaking view. The two paid their respects to Laozi's original words before stepping onto the stairs and heading up the mountain. When they arrived at Laozi's original dwelling place, they saw that Laozi had already come out to greet them. Upon seeing the two arrive, he immediately welcomed them with a big smile, saying:

  "Third brother, little sister, it's been a long time since you've come to our humble abode for a visit. Now that you're here, you must stay for some days."

  "Third brother and little sister have arrived." The old man said calmly.

  "Tongtian has met the two elder brothers, haha, but we are tied up with mundane affairs and have not visited the two elder brothers for a long time. Please forgive us, elder brothers." Tongtian smiled and replied. Houtu also greeted them politely:

  "I have met two elder brothers, it has been a long time since I last visited, please forgive me, two elder brothers."

  "Haha, since we're family siblings, there's no need for formalities. Come on, let's go in and talk." After saying that, the Old Ancestor directly led Tongtian and Houtu into the Jade Void Palace. The four of them sat down. After some casual conversation, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign asked first:

  "The Third Brother and Little Sister have been busy with something recently, it's just that Niangniang has become a saint, you two haven't shown up either. Could it be that something big has happened?" Tongtian listened, not surprised at all. He and Hou Tu hadn't gone to the 33rd Heaven to congratulate after Niangniang became a saint. Those with intention would think about it afterwards and discover that something was off. The Original Heavenly Venerable was also skilled in calculations, so of course he had his suspicions afterwards. Tongtian just smiled and said:

  "Haha, Nüwa has become a saint, of course we wouldn't dare to slack off. Alas, I thought we were the senior brothers and sisters, but unexpectedly we were surpassed by our junior sister. As for not going to celebrate, haha, at that time my junior sister and I were already by Nüwa's side, celebrating had already been done, no need to go again after those thirty-three days." After hearing Tongtian's words, Laozi felt a sense of resonance in his heart, it wasn't pleasant, especially for Laozi, whose face turned slightly red. But after hearing Tongtian's following words, the two were greatly shocked, even Laozi was moved, however, Laozi's internal energy cultivation had reached an extreme level, such shocking news only made him slightly moved, afterwards he still didn't say anything, while Yuanshi Tianzun immediately asked:

  "Oh? Third Brother and Little Sister are right next to the Queen Mother, I wonder how the Queen Mother became a saint, we can also learn from it, it should be of some help to us in becoming saints too."

  "This matter is nothing, it's just that the goddess Nuwa created a kind of living being that had never existed before in the vast expanse of time, and the heavens took notice, bestowing great virtue, and with the help of this virtue, the goddess was able to attain sainthood." Tian Tian replied truthfully.

  "Create a new life? But the River Styx in the underworld can create more than one life, and the merit obtained is only enough to cut off one corpse. However, the merit obtained by Nüwa is enough for her to become a saint, which is quite strange. Third Brother, think carefully, hasn't Nüwa done other things?" The Original Heavenly Venerable heard Tongtian's words and immediately asked again, while Laozi was also listening seriously on the side.

  "Haha, I also know the affairs of the Nether River and the Daoist. In my opinion, creating a few living beings is not a big deal, the key is whether these living beings conform to the Heavenly Way. Following the Heavenly Way can bring merit, but going against it will only bring endless karma. Only those living beings that conform to the Heavenly Way and are born with great fortune will be rewarded by the Heavenly Way with great merit. As for those who lack fortune and are born with a cruel nature, it's already difficult for them to receive merit, let alone expect how much merit they can get."

  Tongtian said this to the Original Dao, but in fact, he was also saying it to Laozi. Tongtian was pointing out to both of them, making them understand the importance of the human tribe. In this way, the karma between them had already been settled, as for whether they could gain some insight from it, that's not Tongtian's concern anymore.

  "Oh? Following the heavens and going out, following the heavens and coming out, what is so extraordinary about the living beings created by Nüwa that makes them recognized by the heavenly way, and what merits can they obtain to prove their attainment of sainthood?" Yuanshi thought for a moment before asking again. Laozi on the side also had some understanding and was muttering to himself.

  "This matter is not clear, if the two brothers are not busy, please go and take a look, so that you can observe carefully what's special about this creature, which made Nüwa become a saint." Tongtian invited the two.

  "Alright, then let's go and take a look. It will be good to see the creatures created by Nüwa." This time it was Laozi who spoke up, one of the few times he had opened his mouth. Houtu, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between the three, also gained some insight at this moment and thought to herself:

  "So that's how it is. No wonder the human race has been doing such ordinary things, yet the heavens have bestowed great rewards upon them. It turns out that the true main character of the world is indeed the human race. Hehe, the two tribes of witches and demons still regard each other as their greatest enemies, constantly fighting and competing with each other, never realizing that the will of heaven has actually been placed on the human race. The two tribes have already been abandoned by the heavens, yet they remain completely unaware, probably still thinking about how to defeat each other in order to dominate the world. Alas, what a pity! This is indeed the way of heaven? Ah, the will of heaven is like a knife!

  Later, Hou Tu thought about this and felt a surge of sorrowful energy in her heart. The divine powers were no match for the heavenly numbers. The current state of the two tribes was incredibly powerful, yet the small human race had no way to compare with them. However, the will of heaven was actually placed on the human race. The two tribes had lost countless people, and the wars continued endlessly, but in the end, it might all be for nothing. This is indeed the will of heaven!"

  The four of them got up and prepared to leave. Tongtian also noticed something unusual about Houtu at this time, knowing that Houtu had guessed something from their conversation earlier. Tongtian walked over and gently patted Houtu's shoulder.

  "Sister, don't think too much, everything has brother, rest assured." Hou Tu looked at Tong Tian, sighed softly, and nodded slightly without responding.

  After the four of them were ready, they went together towards the East Sea coast.

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  Here is the translation:

  (The second update is sent, originally I planned to finish writing today's chapter, but unfortunately this morning was not strong enough and couldn't log in. Today it will be just this much, Xiaocai still has to go to her aunt's house later, really no time today, please forgive me, seniors! ———————————————————— Requesting votes, requesting recommendations, requesting collection, requesting evaluation.)