Eighty-sixth, Jade Void Palace

  A few days later, the Kunlun Mountain cave mansion was transformed. The original thatched hut no longer existed, replaced by a magnificent palace. On the top of the palace gate, three large characters like a Taoist mark - Yu Xū Gōng (Jade Void Palace). This is now the sacred place of the Heavenly Way Saint, Yuán Shǐ Tiān Zūn's Daochang, and the headquarters of the Xuán Jiào (Mysterious Teaching).

  At this moment, in the Jade Void Palace, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign and the Supreme Elder Lord sat upright on a cloud couch, their bodies emitting an aura of profound mystery.

  Under the three of them, Xunzi sat on a mat, calm and composed, without joy or worry.

  This is after the Three Pure Ones proved the way, without managing the hustle and bustle of Honghuang, gathered at the Jade Void Palace in Kunlun Mountain, just saw the ceremony sit down.

  Just as he sat down, Tongtian was about to open his mouth when the old man beside him blocked it. The "Taiji Diagram" and the "Linglong Pagoda" hung in mid-air, emitting rays of light that disappeared into the void.

  Yuanshi also sacrifices and takes out 'Pangu Fan' and stands it beside, a hazy light envelops the Jade Void Palace.

  Tongtian met Laozi, Yuanshi had already prepared and immediately opened his mouth: "I couldn't understand the last bit of Dao mark, how about you two brothers?"

  Yuanshi had not yet spoken, when the old man beside him sighed and said: "I also did so, only to comprehend the incomplete Dao marks for nine layers, but there was no time left for the remaining one layer. I don't know what situation the second brother is in?"

  Laozi looked at Yuanshi with a hopeful gaze.

  Yuanshi looked at Laozi with a look of hope and longing, and said: "I was fortunate enough to understand the entire Heavenly Way and the Primordial Dao in that last moment." After finishing speaking, even though Yuanshi was already a sage of the Heavenly Way and the Primordial Mirror, his face still had a lingering expression.

  At that time, Yuanshi had also just realized the remaining nine layers of the Heavenly Dao's mixed yuan dao mark. The last layer had not been fully comprehended yet when the dao mark began to unfold. Seeing his efforts about to be in vain, Yuanshi felt a sense of regret and could only sigh helplessly. However, unexpectedly, 'Heart Cleansing Dust' and 'Primordial Seal' suddenly burst forth with divine might, two rays of light blocking the dao mark from reaching his soul for an instant. It was this very instant that allowed Yuanshi to fully comprehend the remaining dao mark, thoroughly grasping the Heavenly Dao's mixed yuan dao mark and attaining the Heavenly Dao's mixed yuan dao fruit.

  Yuanshi stood in mid-air for a full hour after his enlightenment, before finally descending back down amidst Zhen Daozi's anxious expression. Seeing Zhen Daozi's worried face, Yuanshi felt a mix of emotions and was deeply grateful. He knew that without this disciple, he would have at most become a virtuous sage, and wouldn't have had the slightest chance to comprehend the mysteries of the Heavenly Way or leave behind any legacy in the world of cultivation.

  So this time, when he saw Xun Daozi's anxious and concerned face, he was also deeply moved. At that moment, he handed over "Tie Xin Fu Chen" and "Hun Yuan Yin" to Xun Daozi, and said with a slip of the tongue: "Thank you so much, Master! As long as I am here for one day, I will never let you suffer any grievances, no matter who it is!" At that moment, Yuanshi's true feelings were revealed.

  Xun Daozi was also moved by the true feelings of Yuanshi, and he knelt down to congratulate his master on verifying the Dao of Hunyuan. Yuanshi stretched out his hand to help him up, and the two looked at each other with a smile.

  After a long time, Yuan Shi finally displayed his magical powers and built a Taoist temple - Yu Xu Palace.

  Today is the first day of the year, I listened to Laozi, and Tianwen asked me to start again, which made me feel deeply moved once more.

  The old man listened to Yuanshi's words and his eyes lit up with a hint of delight, but also a faintly discernible tinge of envy.

  After a moment, the old man spoke up: "Now that we have all attained the Tao and are bound by our duties and karmic retribution, as well as for our own cultivation, we must pass down our lineage. What plans do you two brothers have in this regard?"

  Tongtian first spoke: "My way is straightforward, taking a line of life from the heavenly way. I should teach without distinction and widely disseminate it. I want to gather many disciples on Jin'ao Island and pass on my teachings."

  Yuanshi looked at Tongtian with a glance, and his eyes flashed with a hint of worry. He opened his mouth and said: "My Tao is natural, it explains the ultimate principle of heaven and earth, and only those who are not resolute in their heart can be taught. I want to set up an array outside the mountain gate to test your heart, those who pass through the array will be accepted as my disciple and inherit my Taoist tradition."

  The old man nodded and said: "My Tao is effortless, not contending with contention. It's hard to find someone who can pass on my Tao. One person with a pure heart cannot spread my Tao widely, so let's wait for the right opportunity in the future!"

  Below, Xun Daozi listened to the three people's words and muttered in his heart: Isn't this similar to the legend of the previous life? Once Tongtian is again stirred up, a scene of Wanxian coming to pay respects will be created, and the disciples who are accepted will still be mixed with good and bad. Although there is now the "Dry Pot" to stabilize the sect, it's likely that the aura will still disperse, and the great sect will not survive. Perhaps in this life, having the "Dry Pot" won't mean the great sect won't survive, but the original energy will be greatly damaged and cannot be avoided. He has always been taken care of by Tongtian, so he can't really watch him suffer a great loss of original energy and damage to his Taoist practice!

  Xun Daozi muttered to himself, and his face even moved slightly, just in time to be seen by Tong Tian. Tong Tian's heart moved, and he asked Xun Daozi: "What do you have to say, little guy?"

  Tongtian's question made Laozi and Yuanshi notice Xun Daozi's expression, so they also turned their heads to look at him, with a questioning expression on their faces.

  Xun Daozi saw Tong Tianxia and asked, for a moment he didn't know where to start. Should he tell him that he predicted Tong would recklessly recruit disciples, causing his energy to scatter and dissipate, greatly injuring his primordial energy and damaging his Taoist practice? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble? But Tong Tianxia had to say something, so what could he say?

  Xun Dao's mind was racing to find the right words, while Tong Tian San and the other two didn't urge him on, but instead looked at him with interest, seemingly wanting to see what he would come up with.

  Xun Daozi suddenly thought of why Nüwa opened the Dao field to the void, didn't she need to pass down the Dao tradition? Didn't she need to gather qi and promote her Dao cultivation?

  "Master, Master, Master; I'd like to ask, why did Female Jade build the Taoist temple in thin air? Doesn't she need to gather vital energy and accumulate merits? How does her Taoist practice improve?"

  The three of them looked at each other, and Yuanshi spoke up: "Let's talk about it, Master. Your disciple Nuwa relies on the Human Creation Proof to cultivate her Dao, and her own fortune is tied to the human race. However, as a great sage of the demon tribe, her own fortune is also connected to the demon tribe. At this time, the demon tribe is powerful, with various inheritances, and Nuwa's Dao lineage cannot be passed down. The human race is not suitable for inheriting Nuwa's Dao lineage either, so the timing for passing down Nuwa's Dao lineage has not arrived yet. Moreover, the Great Calamity of the Primordial Chaos is about to begin, with great entanglements of cause and effect. Nuwa built her Daoist temple in the void to avoid getting involved, but it was an unavoidable move, with even more heavenly factors at play."

  Yuanshi's words left Xuanfeng still somewhat perplexed, a hint of doubt lingering in his eyes.

  Tongtian glanced at Xun Daozi and said, "To put it this way, after your Master Nuwa achieved enlightenment, she was implicated in many things and was restricted by the Heavenly Way. For now, she can only cultivate in secret within the 'Nuwa Palace' to avoid this calamity of cause and effect."

  Xun Daozi's eyes were still puzzled, Yuan Shi said that the Great Calamity was about to arise, Tong Tian said that Nüwa wanted to avoid a calamity of cause and effect. Xun Daozi did know that there would be a great witch calamity, but how could Yuan Shi and Tong Tian have said so? After all, the 100,000-year period set by Hong Jun's ancestor had not yet arrived, and there were still tens of thousands of years to go!

  "The old man spoke up: 'You don't need to be confused, we also only knew after proving the way. This human tribe will replace the witch and demon tribes as the main characters of this vast world. Nüwa is in a whirlpool between humans and demons, and cannot help but hide in the void. For this human tribe to replace the witch and demon tribes, they must form karma with the witch and demon tribes, and the witch and demon tribes will also rise to great calamity due to the karma between the two tribes, ultimately falling and exiting the main stage of the vast world. Therefore, Nüwa cannot pass on the way at this moment. If she forcibly passes on the way and intervenes in the vast world, she will definitely suffer from it. This is what your master said, the timing has not yet arrived.'"

  Xun Daozi heard Laozi's words and suddenly understood. It turned out that after Nüwa proved the Tao, she already knew that things could not be done, so she had to put herself outside and wait for the opportunity after the great disaster.

  Now that the three Laozi have understood the unstoppable trend of the vast universe, they can only follow the trend and make a move. How to gain air transport merits to help cultivation in this great disaster is the theme of the three Laozi's plan at this moment.

  How can I gain the fortune and virtue from this? If I want to gain virtue, I'm afraid it's to promote the early start of the Witch Calamity, making humans become the main characters in the vast wilderness as soon as possible. However, thinking about the several encounters with the Witch tribe, my heart doesn't feel right, how can I still go and scheme against these good-fighting but mostly straightforward Witches? Maybe I should find a way out for the Witch tribe instead! But do I have that ability? My masters, uncles, and aunts are thinking of gathering fortune and virtue to improve their Taoist cultivation. I'd better ask them first.

  "Then Xun Daozi asked: 'Elder Master, Master, and Uncle Master; how should we deal with this great calamity?'"

  "The old man thought for a moment and said: 'Let's just go with the flow, we don't need to get involved! First, let's pass on the Taoist lineage, and wait for our own opportunities to arise.'"

  Yuanshi nodded in agreement with Tongtian.

  Xun Daozi heard this and felt a sense of relief in his heart, feeling much lighter. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked, "I wonder, Master Shibo, Master Shu, is there still a chance to comprehend the uncomprehended Dao marks?"

  Laozi said: "Opportunities exist, but they are extremely rare. This thread of opportunity lies with your master. If one day your master can truly see through the Heavenly Way and comprehend the Great Dao of Hunyuan, attain the Great Dao of Hunyuan, escape the confines of the Honghuang Heaven and Earth, enjoy great freedom, open up a realm to coexist with us, and re-awaken to the Great Dao, then it is possible for you to also comprehend the Great Dao of Hunyuan like your master, and break free from the constraints of the Honghuang Heaven and Earth."

  Yuanshi said with a sigh, "Alas, I am still bound by the constraints of this vast and chaotic world. Who knows if I will ever have the chance to truly attain great freedom?"

  Xun Daozi listened to Yuan Shi finish speaking, then said: "Master has already obtained this thread of life, and will certainly be able to attain the Great Way of Mixed Origin, enjoying true great freedom. If there is a need for the disciple's efforts, the disciple will definitely exert himself to assist Master in attaining the Way."

  "Alright! Let's have a contest then! The Great Way is flawless, the Heavenly Mandate is not yet exhausted; it was originally intended to leave us with a thread of life, if we don't strive for it, what can we do? We should certainly exert our strength and fight!"

  Laozi also said: "Strife is natural, but one must be especially careful not to attract the attention of the Heavenly Way. Once the Heavenly Way notices you, there will truly be no more opportunities."

  Yuanshi Dao said: "It's good that the three corpses have been driven out, and the Honghuang Tian Dao won't easily notice me. However, when it comes to improving my cultivation, I need to make some arrangements to cover myself up, so I really need to plan carefully."

  Xun Daozi heard Yuan Shi say that one must conceal their progress in the Tao, and couldn't help but ask why.

  "Although being a master can allow one to transcend the need for spiritual energy and merit to comprehend the Dao, this would inevitably attract the attention of the Primordial Heaven's Dao. As a result, there would be no opportunity to penetrate through the Heavenly Dao to comprehend the Great Dao's traces, severing the path to certifying the Great Dao's primordial origin. Therefore, a master's advancement in the Dao can only be achieved by accumulating spiritual energy and merit to conceal one's true nature."

  Laozi and Yuanshi each put away their treasures and casually discussed their enlightenment experiences. Laozi then returned to the Tianmen Daochang through the Tongtian Gate.

  The storm triggered by the Three Pure Ones' proof of the Tao has just begun and is far from over.

  PS: Thanks to Xiu Jianzhe, rewarded by State Power Corporation!