Primordial Era: The Great Serpent of Yunmeng

Chapter 54 On the Journey

As the First Dragon spoke, the sound of the East Sea echoed back, with clams spitting out pearls and the sea radiating light.

From a high vantage point, the entire East China Sea shimmers with a soft glow, a truly beautiful sight.

The clam maiden dances in the sea, and heaven and earth respond with their loyalty. The ten thousand feet of colorful clouds float in the water and are reflected in the sky, making the clouds on the horizon appear dull.

The sound of the Dao echoed, waves surged, and fish swam on the white water, dancing an endless dance.

Looking at its path is like standing on the edge of a deep abyss; one sees its breadth but not its depth, knows its difficulty but not its destination.

Celestial maidens sang in the sea, showering down heavenly flowers, yet all living beings neither saw nor heard them, completely absorbed in the music.

All that could be seen were the rising waves on the sea, but no one knew what lay within them.

Where are the celestial beings who come and go? They can only gaze and yearn from the mountains.

As the Daoist practice continued for a long time, people became unaware of its form. The radiant light of heaven and earth merged into one, and golden lotuses bloomed in abundance.

The Dao has been discussed for 39,420 years, its transformations unfolding in the water, the ebb and flow of the waves, all of which have been fully revealed.

The Way ends here. Those who attain it find it to be the sound of immortals, while those who do not will stop in their tracks upon seeing it.

Pray to hear this teaching, clapping his hands and shouting:

"good!"

As the First Emperor's sermon ended, the strange phenomena in the heavens and earth dissipated. The First Emperor rose from his seated meditation, seemingly having gained some insight.

Those who preach the Way do so by reflecting on the past and finding new insights. They not only preach the Way to others but also examine themselves, identify their shortcomings, and make up for their deficiencies, thus further advancing the Way.

After the First Emperor finished his sermon, the crowd dispersed.

"Fellow Daoist Qi, we have both gained a great deal from this discussion, but in any case, it is ultimately a discourse held in the territory of my Dragon Clan."

"Of all the benefits that heaven and earth bring, the dragon race accounts for eight or nine out of ten. The contents of this box should belong to you, fellow Daoist."

The First Emperor spoke with absolute certainty, giving Qi no chance to refuse. According to the calculation of cause and effect in Heaven and Earth, one can only leave if one cannot enter.

In terms of cause and effect, it's best not to delay in paying debts, because you don't know how much the consequences of delaying will be.

Therefore, the innate deities are extremely cautious about cause and effect. It is best if they can avoid owing each other anything, and if there must be a party in arrears, it is best if it is not themselves.

This is also why the First Emperor gave out the jade box.

Inside this jade box is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, the Sea-Covering Seal, and armor forged from the scales of a dragon clan Golden Immortal.

Both morally and logically, this is more than enough to pay for Qi's sermon.

However, Qi dared not accept such a generous gift, as he was also worried that he would incur karmic debts to the dragon clan.

Such a generous gesture is not something he should accept at this time, unless the dragons themselves promise that they will not ask for anything because of these things.

"Fellow Daoist Zulong, this jade box is far too heavy for my purpose of preaching. I am unworthy of it."

Qi said with a solemn expression.

Qi had no intention of gaining anything from this sermon; he was merely fulfilling his duty. If he were to accept such a generous gift from the dragons, he would be deviating from his true intentions.

"Fellow Daoist Qi, there is no reason to take back gifts given by the Dragon Clan, and this gift was not given for the purpose of this sermon."

"It is for you, fellow Daoist, to preach the Dao to all living beings and for the greater good of Heaven and Earth. As the head of the scaled creatures, this is what I should give you."

"But it is not just that. The Way is profound, but it is not enough for this. For the sake of all beings, fellow Daoists should have such gains."

The First Emperor's words were somewhat somber, and he abandoned the theory of cause and effect, only speaking of the responsibilities borne by the innate deities.

This left Qi with no reason to refuse, since the other party had already said that they would no longer concern themselves with cause and effect, but only with the responsibilities that should be borne as the leader of the scaled armor.

"Then I thank Fellow Daoist Zulong. I am unworthy of such a gift."

Qi said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Why should I feel guilty? Fellow Daoist's preaching is of great benefit to Heaven and Earth, and this is all you deserve."

Qinglong is somewhat admired.

"I thank you both for your kindness."

He then bid farewell to the Dragon Clan and headed towards the Qilin Clan.

The merits of Heaven and Earth have not yet been bestowed, and many living beings wept with joy, for if Heaven and Earth did not reward them, it meant that the journey of preaching the Way was not yet over.

Qi had just left the shores of the East Sea, riding Bai Ling, and before he had even left the area of ​​the East Sea, he was accompanied by two Qilin at the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

As he preached, wherever he went, fields were covered with fragrant herbs, celestial maidens accompanied him, scattering heavenly flowers, and wherever he went, the sky was clear and the earth was bright.

After more than twenty cycles of time, they finally arrived at Qilin Cliff, where a Qilin greeted them from millions of miles away. They listened to the prayers of all living beings three times.

Whenever there is trouble, Qilin will personally take care of it.

"Fellow Daoist, I have come here for three main reasons. First, I wish to fulfill our promise to discuss the Dao with you. Second, I am moved by the difficulties faced by all living beings in the world in their pursuit of the Dao, and I wish to open up a glimmer of hope for them."

"Fellow Daoist Qilin is the leader of all beasts under heaven. I wish to join you in exploring the future path of all living beings and performing great acts of merit for heaven and earth."

"Thirdly, it is for the future of the three races. It is hoped that if the three races ever fight each other in the future, they will remember the lives of the people in the primordial world."

"Any conflict at the Great Luo realm that can be avoided within the Primordial World can be resolved within the Chaos. Try to prevent it from happening in the Primordial World."

Qi said sincerely.

"Fellow Daoist Qi, I am aware of what you have said. As a primordial deity, I promise to abide by the third point regarding the fate of the world."

"Secondly, as the king of all beasts under heaven, I will certainly not shirk my duty in this matter. I hope to work with fellow Daoists to seek a glimmer of hope for the survival of all living beings."

"Firstly, it is by chance that we two have come together. Although we have never met before, we have long been spiritual acquainted. I will certainly live up to your trust and wish to explore the Great Dao together."

The Qilin spoke with great seriousness, responding to Qi's requests one by one with an extremely earnest attitude.

"good!"

Pray that we may clap our hands in agreement.

The two preached at Qilin Cliff, attracting many listeners, and no one stopped anyone who could come.

Heaven and earth respond, and the Way unites all living beings.

The two preached together for over 50,000 years, during which time they enjoyed each other's company immensely.

After the sermon concluded, the Qilin clan presented a superior-grade innate spiritual root and a robe woven from the hair of countless beasts as a token of their gratitude.

The superior innate spiritual root is a fairy pear tree, named Anshan Houtu Pear.

If mortal beings hear of this, their lifespan will increase by three thousand years; if they eat one of its fruits, they will instantly become immortals and be able to hear the Great Dao.

This tree blossoms once every ten thousand years, bears fruit once every ten thousand years, and matures once every ten thousand years, bearing twelve fruits at a time, which corresponds to the number of days in the world.

When striking the fruit, one must use a jade staff; otherwise, the fruit will melt upon contact with metal or stone, turning into refined iron, and thus becoming inedible.

If the fruit encounters a branch or tree, it will transform into a tree knot, returning to its origin, and it will no longer be edible.

When the fruit falls to the ground, it sinks to the bottom, becomes slag and soil, and is not edible.

All things in heaven and earth have specific requirements for what you obtain; otherwise, you will hardly reap any rewards and in the end, it will all be a wasted effort.

After all, it's normal that the essence of heaven and earth is hard to come by.

After bidding farewell to the Qilin Clan, Qi once again set off for the Phoenix Clan's territory, the Southern Undying Volcano.

Along the way, colorful phoenixes accompanied them, flying and singing sweetly.

P.S.: I drank quite a bit today, sorry for the lateness, but anyway, here are two chapters.

I'll write another chapter later for tomorrow, so I hope you'll all support me. Please vote and recommend!

Phoenix King thanks everyone.

(End of this chapter)