Chapter Twenty-Four: Hong Jun Begins His Lecture

  Zhun Ti Chong Mi Le let out a hum, "Fellow Taoist friends, my young apprentice is inexperienced and hasn't seen the world, I hope you can forgive him, I'll apologize on his behalf." Jie Yin also scolded Mi Le from the side.

  Yuanshen was originally sitting in his seat, feeling extremely pleased with himself. He thought that the three pure ones were deeply blessed and unmatched by anyone. Sitting in one of the top three seats, he listened to Maitreya's words and then said: "This young friend is right, why should Zhunti apologize? There are distinctions between superior and inferior, and order among old and young. Even Kunpeng wouldn't give up his seat to others, let alone you, a scaled and clawed creature, how can you compare with us?"

  As soon as this remark came out, all the powerful gods and goddesses present began to clamor in agreement. Kunpeng's seat was no longer secure, yet he did not dare offend Emperor Jun and Taiyi. Feeling anxious in his heart, he suddenly noticed Nüwa sitting on one side.

  "This seat of mine is not enough for two demon emperors, why don't you also yield a bit, fellow Daoist Nüwa?"

  Kunpeng regretted saying this as soon as it came out of his mouth, and seeing the female Nuwa and Fuxi's maid servant herself, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart. Offending women is not a good outcome.

  Actually, Di Jun and Tai Yi had thought about it, but after all, Nüwa was a woman, and he was the mighty Emperor of the Demons, so he couldn't bring himself to say it. Therefore, he didn't say anything, but in his heart, he was extremely dissatisfied with Nüwa.

  Nüwa turned her head to stare at Kunpeng, then looked at Dijun. Dijun's mouth slightly curled up, although he didn't say a word, but the meaning was clear: move over and give them seats.

  Nüwa was furious and also dreaded Emperor Jun and Taiyi, so she got up. Emperor Jun and Taiyi were about to take their seats when they suddenly heard a cold snort from behind.

  "The great Demon Emperor is nothing but a scoundrel who bullies women, truly shameless and laughable."

  Di Jun turned his head and saw that there were ten great Han, along with two lovely women, standing behind many great divine messengers. They were the twelve great ancestral witches, and the one who spoke was the leader of the ancestral witches, Emperor Jiang.

  Originally, the twelve great ancestor witches were practicing the body-refining technique passed down by Pangu. Hongyuan wasn't very interested in it, but Hou Tu suggested that the brothers go and take a look at the great divine powers of the vast wilderness, to see what level these cultivators had reached. Emperor Jiang agreed with this suggestion.

  The ancestral witches were just behind the great masters, and when they saw these so-called great masters, especially the demonic emperor Emperor Jun, who was said to be divine, forcing a woman to give up her seat, they were extremely disdainful and spoke out in ridicule.

  Di Jun was originally angry in his heart, and when he saw that several ruffians dared to mock him, his anger ignited, and Di Jun rushed straight at Zu Wu, with both sides on the verge of fighting.

  Jie Yin quietly observed from the side, also feeling a bit pleased in her heart. She thought to herself that she had already sown discord among the You tribe, and now the witch and Yao would clash ahead of time. Her goal was almost achieved, so she hastily spoke out to stop them.

  "Please don't take action, fellow Taoists. This is the ancestral temple of our sect's founder. How could it be a place for us to cause trouble? Give some face to our humble sect and let's settle everything peacefully."

  The moment he spoke, Zhenyuanzi and others rushed to persuade them, separating Zuwu and Emperor Jun Taoyi.

  "I'd say it's either disrespect to the ancestors or someone is being overly arrogant, bullying the weak. How can such moral character lead the multitude of living beings in the vast wilderness?" The Eastern King also took the opportunity to emerge and ridicule Emperor Jun.

  "The Eastern King is about to spout some crazy words, just watch me flatten your Penglai Island." Taiyi saw that the Eastern King was opposing him again and immediately spoke harshly.

  At this time, Hongyun spoke up on one side, "Everyone, please don't quarrel anymore. It's just a few seats, isn't it? Dong Wang Gong doesn't have to take sides for Nüwa Daoist either. Xiaodao will give his seat to Nüwa Daoist. What do you think, Yaodi and Dong Huang?"

  Hongyun voluntarily gave up his seat to Nüwa. He thought to himself, "Hongyun is indeed a man of no fortune. This sacred position can also be given away."

  "Hong Yun Dao friend is indeed generous, and I admire him. However, the remaining two seats should still be given to me, so I can sit and wait for Emperor Jun and Tai Yi to destroy my Penglai Island." Dong Wang Gong heard Tai Yi's threat against himself, and he was furious, absolutely unwilling to give up the seats to benefit Emperor Jun and Tai Yi.

  As the dispute is about to erupt again, he has been watching for the right moment, and his own position is absolutely not allowed to be tainted by these bastards. He is not in a hurry because he has confidence in his heart. The battle between Daozu and Luohou indirectly caused countless lives to fall in the Western world, and this great karma of Daozu needs to be repaid. With his own cultivation of the Great Karma Path reaching its current level, he naturally knows that Daozu needs to settle his karma and obtain the luck of the Western world in order to harmonize with the Heavenly Way. Therefore, now is the time for him to take the initiative, and he must not be like the two saints of the Western world who were sold out by Daozu and even helped count the money.

  The Emperor Jun and Dong Wang Gong were about to fight again, so he stepped forward and said: "Everyone, don't spoil the harmony, I think it's best to let the Ancestor of Taoism take charge."

  Everyone thought this was a good idea and nodded in agreement.

  "We respectfully invite the founder of Taoism to preside." All the powerful gods bowed their heads and paid homage, and suddenly an old Taoist with white hair appeared on the couch. The aura around this Taoist was vague and mysterious, although he was close at hand, but it made all the powerful gods feel like the Heavenly Way, high above, difficult to fathom, so the great powers present became even more respectful.

  Hongjun's old eyes swept over each of the great masters, finally falling on Jieyin and Zhunti. He began to speak: "Jieyin and Zhunti, the two Taoist friends, carry the Western air fortune, they should sit in these two seats."

  Hong Jun's words settled the universe, and the introduction of the accurate title was no longer pretentious. Following the momentum, he sat down after San Qing, Emperor Jun Tai Yi really didn't care, he had been busy for half a day and his seat was not even his own.

  "The ancestor of the Tao, Taiyi, was not satisfied. My brother and I, as the masters of the demon clan, have exhausted our efforts for the benefit of the vast and mysterious life. Why is there no seat?" Taiyi's thoughts were much purer than Emperor Jun's, so his cultivation had surpassed Emperor Jun by a line. Since entering the Purple Palace, he felt that these seats were not ordinary, not only face-saving but also seemingly important. After the competition among the great gods and masters, Taiyi's feeling became stronger and stronger. When he saw the ancestor of the Tao give the seat to Jieyin and Zhunti, he couldn't help but speak out."

  "Good fortune should not be overly enjoyed, your brother has already become a powerful demon emperor, don't be greedy for more."

  Taiyi was still waiting for debate, Hongjun waved his hand: "No need to say more, now start talking about the Tao, you all carefully understand." After Hongjun finished speaking, he didn't wait for any reaction from the crowd of great gods, and started talking on his own.

  "The number of the Great Expansion is fifty, its uses are forty-nine. Divide it into two to represent duality, hang one to represent trinity, manipulate it with four to represent the four seasons, return the remainder to the beginning to represent the intercalary month; every five years there is an intercalary month again, so after hanging twice and then returning. The heavenly number is five, the earthly number is five. The five positions are mutually obtained and each has its own combination, the heavenly number is twenty-five, the earthly number is thirty, in total the heavenly and earthly numbers are fifty-five, this is what brings about transformation and moves the spirits."

  "One yin one yang is called the Way, to follow it is goodness, to complete it is nature. The benevolent see it and call it benevolence, the wise see it and call it wisdom, but the common people use it every day without knowing, therefore the way of the superior man is rare indeed! To manifest it in benevolence, to hide it in function, to stir up all things without sharing the worries of the sage, great virtue and great work are attained! Wealth and possession are called great work, daily renewal is called great virtue. Giving birth to life..."

  The saint's words were truly extraordinary, with a broad perspective and profound yet simple explanations. The great masters listened as if in a trance, and the wonderful teachings seemed to bring down the heavenly aura and cause lotus flowers to bloom from the earth. Behind Hongjun's head, it was as if an entire world had transformed, changing in tandem with his words, drawing people into a state of enchantment.

  This was the first sermon, so the teachings were basic Dharma methods, mostly within the scope of Mahayana. Almost all who sat in meditation had reached the level of Mahayana. Listening to it seemed relatively easy, but even so, the gain was not small. As Hongjun officially began to preach, the opportunity for the great masters to break through arrived, and many successively reached the state of quasi-sainthood, making great progress on their spiritual journey. At that time, the worship of the founder of Taoism also reached an unprecedented level.

  The Escort has already beheaded two corpses, and his Taoist practice is far superior to others. As a result, he has gained the most and has the deepest understanding. Next is Sanqing, who has been secretly observing him. Sanqing broke through one after another, and indeed, he is extraordinary.

  Secondly, it's about Zhunti. Zhunti is not ordinary and has guidance to break through, which is also very smooth. Other great gods have also reached this level.

  Three thousand years passed in the blink of an eye, and the Taoist ancestor stopped. The great gods were not yet satisfied, immersed in the atmosphere of the lecture. In the morning, they heard the Tao, and in the evening, they could die. When they first heard the Great Tao, all living beings were indeed infatuated.