Chapter Ten: The Way of the Gods

  It was the 30th of December, and outside, snowflakes were flying about, wrapping everything in a silver blanket. The cold wind was biting, but inside a bamboo pavilion on White Cloud Mountain, it was warm as spring. A young man dressed in white satin robes sat cross-legged on a cushion, and this person was Pan Hao.

  Pan Hao sat quietly, silently gazing at a white lotus in his dantian. The white lotus had eighteen petals, delicate and sacred, slowly rotating within his dantian, as if substantial. This was the second layer of White Lotus True Explanation, Second Grade White Lotus Platform.

  Pan Haoming was silent, and indeed, once he entered the prenatal period, he found himself unable to move forward, a feeling of powerlessness surged up in his heart, a very familiar feeling, similar to his previous life.

  Fortunately, there is still a way of divine morality, no matter how difficult this road may be, one must continue on it, for it is the only hope for one's own longevity.

  The way of the immortals is different from that of the gods. The path of the immortals lies in absorbing and expelling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, nourishing oneself, making the body constantly evolve, becoming perfect and flawless, with a pure and clean complexion, and understanding the laws of nature, pursuing freedom and longevity, living as long as heaven itself.

  The Way of the Gods! The Way of the Gods emphasizes incense and faith. Gathering the power of faith from all living things, receiving worship and offerings from living beings, relying on the power of faith to comprehend the laws of heaven, condensing divine positions, achieving an indestructible realm.

  Both can be said to be evenly matched, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, both are paths that lead to eternal life.

  ……

  There is a big river in Bianzhou, called the Jiuchuan River. The source of the river originates from the southwestern plateau mountains and runs through nearly half of the Bianzhou area, including the Baiyun Mountain. The river flows eastward with great momentum, nourishing countless lives. In Tianhe Town, there is a tributary of this river.

  Tianhe Town gradually flourished into a large town in the vicinity due to this river. Legend has it that in the distant past, there were no rivers near Qingyu City County. Year after year of drought, sparse rice fields, and food shortages. In years of severe drought, even thousands of miles of barren land, corpses scattered all over the place, and people could not make a living.

  Until one year, a great river descended from the sky and traversed Qingyu City Prefecture, nourishing this vast land, allowing the people to escape drought, cultivating countless fertile fields. The people were overjoyed and named the river Tianhe (Heavenly River) in gratitude for the heavenly gift. Every fifteenth day of the year, they would hold a ceremony by the river to worship Heaven.

  Tianhe Town was named because it was built on the riverbank, with the intention of commemorating the heavens' gift.

  On the fifteenth day of the first month, the festival to worship the heavenly river is a lively and extraordinary scene with gongs and drums on the riverside. Due to years of customs, this day has now become the biggest festival in the whole town.

  There is a Buddhist pagoda next to the Tianhe River, emitting an ancient and distant aura. The tower has nine floors and is one of the tallest buildings in Tianhe Town. However, due to a lawsuit, it was abandoned and became desolate. Over time, it fell into disrepair, with dust and spider webs covering everything, and the wooden beams emitting a rotten smell. Now, hardly anyone comes here anymore.

  But today on the nine-story tower there is a white figure standing above, looking at the crowd below.

  Pan Hao stood silently on the high tower, observing. To repair the divine way, one's soul must accept the power of faith, but the power of faith contains a large amount of miscellaneous thoughts. If absorbed carelessly, it will only lead to spiritual fragmentation and disorder, eventually being eroded by miscellaneous thoughts, grinding away at one's spiritual intelligence, and becoming a puppet. In Western mythology, there is the divine fire that refines impurities, guaranteeing the purity of the power of faith. In contrast, in Eastern mythology, it is the divine position that refines and transforms.

  Pan Hao, however, had neither of these. At this time, the role of Bai Lian Zhen Jie was revealed, and after reaching the Xiantian period, burning Bai Lian Zhen Qi produced Bai Lian Sacred Fire, which was used to refine faith and incense. This is also the most bizarre and core part of Bai Lian Zhen Jie.

  However, burning true energy has a drawback, that is, the reversal of true energy, which hinders cultivation. It seems that in my past life, I didn't develop on the path of gods, and there are many reasons for this. After all, even if I failed in this world, it's only a matter of a few months, and now I have no choice but to take this path.

  The sacrificial ceremony is about to begin, the five-zhang-high altar is filled with various offerings, an elderly man wearing a green robe and white beard stands on top, the crowd below is solemn.

  A man in a blue robe stood still, emitting an aura of righteousness and justice, then loudly read aloud.

  Said:

  The boundary of heaven and earth, eight directions and ten thousand miles, with a sincere heart, ordinary people sing in harmony, for thousands of autumns to worship and sacrifice, and for countless generations to admire.

  Worshiping the blue sky, the origin is prosperous and auspicious, the light shines all over the world, soft and strong yin and yang, the wind and rain are in harmony, the phoenix dances and the dragon soars.

  Offer sacrifices to the great earth,

  abundant virtue nourishes all things,

  the greatest kindness is like water,

  the people rejoice in peace and health,

  the five grains are abundant and harvested,

  and the six domestic animals flourish.

  Worship three spirits, bring salvation to the world, be wise and knowledgeable about all things, benefit the mulberry and hemp, ward off disasters and pray for blessings, assist in all matters.

  Worshiping the Dragon King, clouds move and rain falls, the moon shines brightly with stars, bringing prosperity to all directions, rivers flow peacefully, winds die down and waves calm.

  Worship ancestors, blessed by heaven, fortune and prosperity go hand in hand, striving for greatness and strength, unity of heaven and humanity, harmony and shared joy.

  Come with reverence, trace back to the source of history, gather with gratitude, seek ancestral faith, pursue ancient and modern, vow not to forget.

  Delicious food and precious dishes are served, wine is poured and fragrant incense is offered. With respect and sincerity, I offer my humble greetings. The source of our friendship is far-reaching and long-lasting. With rich gifts and pure intentions, I humbly invite you to partake in the feast.

  At this time, Pan Hao sat down on the high tower, wanting to absorb the power of faith. To do so, he had to reveal his divine soul. However, for Pan Hao at present, once his divine soul was revealed, it would mean enormous danger. His current divine soul was extremely fragile, and both the storms and sunlight outside posed a great threat to his divine soul. One careless move could result in his soul dispersing and his body being destroyed.

  But once the spirit is out of control, the physical body is no longer under one's own control. So before the spirit left, Pan Hao chose this relatively remote place and had already sprinkled medicine powder around his body to drive away snakes and insects.

  Eyes slightly closed, tongue against the palate, calm and peaceful, Pan Hao had gone through countless practices and rehearsals, and immediately entered a meditative state.

  Zigong is between the two eyebrows, one inch is Mingtang, two inches are Dongfang, and three inches are Upper Dantian. The Upper Dantian is square and round, with a diameter of 1.2 inches, which is a virtual hole, hiding the pre-heavenly true god. After the elixir is formed, this place becomes the place where the spirit comes out.

  Generally, it is only when reaching the Golden Elixir stage that one can come into contact with the Purple Mansion Spirit Soul. However, Pan Hao, who had cultivated the White Lotus True Solution and possessed both the Divine Path and Immortal Path, had already made contact with the Purple Mansion Spirit Soul during the Pre-Heavenly stage.

  This is a chaotic and void space, in a place of one zhang, Pan Hao's divine soul sits cross-legged, wearing an ancient crown and clothes, with a face that is 90% similar to Pan Hao. Under his feet is a white lotus platform with eighteen petals, emitting a sacred and gentle aura. It is the second-grade white lotus flower in the dantian, which has now moved into the purple mansion, providing energy for the divine soul.

  Suddenly, the chaotic aura around him began to stir. In the Purple Mansion, Pan Hao's eyes snapped open, and a sharp light burst forth. He abruptly lifted his head, and above him was a gate shrouded in a purple mist. The gate stood tall at nine zhang high, adorned with mysterious ancient symbols that seemed to hold secrets of the past.

  This door protects Pan Hao's divine soul, preventing the invasion of yin souls, but at the same time also hinders the development and growth of Pan Hao's divine soul.

  "Explode!"

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The grand entrance of the Purple Mansion shook with a loud noise, as ancient runes swirled around, but they couldn't stop Pan Hao's massive fist. Pan Hao let out a long whistle, his black hair dancing wildly, his clothes fluttering and making a rustling sound. His entire body emitted a white glow, the White Lotus True Technique had reached its peak.

  Hiss...

  After a loud crash, the purple mansion gate was covered with dense cracks like spider webs. With a series of small cracking sounds, the gate began to shatter and gradually fell off, releasing a purple mist. The gate transformed into a purple light screen, and Pan Hao stepped out.

  Rumble...

  A new world unfolded before Pan Hao's eyes.