Primordial Era: The Sun Emperor

Hongjun opened his eyes, which were as deep as chaos, as if he could see through eternity and see through all the heavens with a single glance.

He sat upright on a high platform cushion, his white hair, white beard, and white robes concealing no aura, yet the thousands of innate deities in the hall held their breath, daring not to entertain any distracting thoughts.

"The beginning of heaven and earth, the mother of all things..."

Hongjun spoke.

The sound was not loud, yet it was as clear and resonant as a bell or a chime, like celestial music or a chant, each word seemingly bursting forth directly from the very source of the Great Dao.

It doesn't go through the lips, but explodes directly in the depths of every living being's soul.

Strange phenomena suddenly occurred within the Zixiao Palace.

Flowers rained down from the sky, golden lotuses bloomed on the ground, and the Daoist aura spread like a tidal wave.

Those flowers were no ordinary flowers; they were formed from the essence of Heaven's will. Each one contained the ultimate truth of Heaven and Earth. When they fell upon someone, they transformed into a ray of spiritual light that merged into their primordial spirit, helping those who listened to the Dao to understand it.

That golden lotus was no ordinary lotus; it was formed from the essence of the Dao, blooming layer by layer. With each petal that opened, a profound law appeared in the void, allowing one to more directly perceive the laws of the Great Dao.

The sounds of Taoist chanting lingered, like silk threads, enveloping every corner of the hall.

Hongjun's discourse begins with the beginning of heaven and earth, the mother of all things, progressing layer by layer, from the shallow to the deep.

He spoke of the origin of the Great Dao, the mystery of the beginning of chaos, the cause and effect of Pangu creating the world, and the laws governing the birth and death of all things.

Every word points directly to the origin, and every sentence aligns with the Way of Heaven.

Sanqing sat upright in the front row, listening with rapt attention.

The Celestial Venerable of Morality nodded slightly, the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning's eyes flickered, and the Celestial Venerable of Spiritual Treasure tapped his knee with his fingers. The three of them's Daoist auras corroborated what Hongjun had said, and there were faint signs of a breakthrough, but they were suffering from the severance of the Heavenly Dao and could not break through for a long time.

Nuwa formed hand seals, her body radiating five-colored light. The Dao of Creation was continuously deduced under the stimulation of the Dao sound, and a look of enlightenment flashed in her eyes.

Jieyin and Zhunti were also moved to tears.

The West is impoverished, and the pursuit of the Tao is difficult. How could they have ever heard of such a profound Tao that points directly to the origin?

The two clasped their hands together and silently memorized the words, not daring to miss a single one.

The Purple Emperor sat atop a twelve-petaled golden lotus of merit, his body protected by golden light.

He was originally transformed from an imperial star, with a profound foundation. At this moment, listening to the Great Dao of the Sage, the purple-gold imperial aura surged around him, the laws of stars resonated with the Dao sound, and his realm subtly loosened.

Inside the hall, all the hundreds of innate deities were completely immersed in the Daoist chants.

Some people showed a look of sudden enlightenment, their bodies flashing with spiritual light; others frowned but then suddenly understood, their internal magical power rising steadily.

Some were so engrossed that tears welled in their eyes—the shock and emotion of touching the very source of the Tao.

Only Taiyi is different from the others.

His golden eyes were half-closed, and his back was straight as a spear.

The Sun Dao Domain did not unfold, but instead circulated slowly within the body, incorporating every word spoken by Hongjun and corroborating it with his own Sun Dao.

He did not take a master, did not follow the path of severing the three corpses, and did not rely on the power of the Heavenly Dao.

But his path is also part of the Great Way.

He wanted to attain the Great Dao and become a Primordial Golden Immortal, so that he could roam freely in the world and be free from the control of the Heavenly Dao.

Hongjun speaks of the origin of the Dao, and the Great Dao of the Sun is one of the myriad Great Daos.

Taiyi heard the Word not to copy it, but to verify it.

To verify whether one's own path is correct, whether it is biased, and whether there is a higher possibility.

If so, then keep going.

If not, then let's reach new heights!

The Great Way has no distinction of high or low; only the practitioners themselves are differentiated in strength and weakness.

There are three thousand great paths, and every one of them can lead to enlightenment.

"The Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to all things."

Hongjun's voice was like a resounding bell, shaking Taiyi's mind.

He seemed to see a door, behind which lay a higher realm of the Sun Avenue.

The sun is extremely strong and intense, without bias or prejudice, but this strength and intensity itself is also a manifestation of the Tao.

As long as he stays true to himself and doesn't stray from his path, the sun's brilliance will never be extinguished.

Deep within Taiyi's golden eyes, it seemed as if two great suns were burning.

His aura did not surge, and his realm did not break through, but his Dao heart became more steadfast and purer under the cleansing of the Dao sound.

Time lost its meaning in the Purple Cloud Palace, and no one cared about these things anymore.

One year, ten years, one hundred years, one thousand years...

The sermons at Zixiao Palace were filled with the ethereal power of Taoism, and heavenly flowers seemed to rain down upon them.

Deep within a secret realm of the primordial wilderness, a figure was hidden among the myriad forests.

It is the Six-Eared Macaque, one of the Four Mischievous Monkeys.

His innate supernatural ability is "good at listening, able to discern reason, know the past and future, and understand all things." At this moment, he is pricking up his ears, trying his best to capture the Daoist sounds coming from Zixiao Palace.

His cultivation was insufficient to go to the Chaos, but he was born ignorant and knew that this was the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, so he used his innate supernatural power to eavesdrop on the sage's teachings.

The Great Dao spoken by Hongjun was full of profound wisdom, and the Six-Eared Macaque listened with rapt attention, wishing he could engrave every word into his soul.

However, Zixiao Palace is a sacred place for saints, how could it allow petty people to eavesdrop?

Hongjun continued his sermon, his gaze shifting slightly, as if piercing through the chaos of the palace walls, and landing on the Six-Eared Macaque.

"The law should not be passed on lightly."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, exploding in the mind of the Six-Eared Macaque.

The six-eared macaque let out a miserable cry, blood gushing from both ears, and rolled around in the forest clutching its head.

Hongjun raised his hand and pointed a finger out from afar.

An invisible Dao pattern entered the Six-Eared Macaque's brow, turning into shackles and erasing the upper limit of his Listening Sound Divine Power.

"From now on, you may listen to everything in the world, except the words of the sages, which you must not listen to or hear."

The six-eared macaque knelt down, blood flowing from its seven orifices, its whole body trembling.

He tried desperately to hear Hongjun's last words, but found that he could no longer hear any sound from Zixiao Palace.

That door was forever closed to him.

He lay prostrate in the forest, weeping silently, as if he had lost his parents.

After a long while, he staggered away.

Although Hongjun punished the Six-Eared Macaque, the Daoist voice continued and the strange phenomena persisted.

Hongjun spoke of the origin of the Great Dao, the creation of heaven and earth, the evolution of all things, and the methods of cultivation.

He talked about the Thirty-Six Arts of the Heavenly Gang, the Seventy-Two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends, the way to refine innate spiritual treasures, his immortal path, and even briefly mentioned the method of severing the three corpses.

The people inside the hall drank as if it were sweet dew, and were as hungry as if they were thirsty, wishing that the sermon would never end.

However, nine thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Hongjun's voice abruptly stopped.

The sound of the Dao dissipated, the heavenly flowers vanished, and the golden lotus returned to nothingness.

The thousands of innate deities inside the hall seemed to have been transported to another world, and it took them a long time to recover from that profound state.

"This sermon concludes here." Hongjun said calmly, "After one hundred Yuanhui, Zixiao Palace will reopen, and at that time, the Path of Quasi-Saints will be taught. Those who are destined are welcome to come and listen."

Reluctantly, everyone rose to express their gratitude.

Taiyi opened his eyes, his golden pupils calm as still water.

Having listened to the Dao for nine thousand years, although his realm had not broken through, his understanding of the Great Dao of the Sun had become increasingly profound.

More importantly, he became even more determined in his beliefs.

They do not follow the ways of Heaven, nor do they worship sages; they only cultivate the sun and prove themselves.

Hongjun's gaze swept across the hall, pausing slightly as he passed Taiyi before looking away.

"May I ask, Sage, now that the Great Dao of the Primordial World has receded and the Path of Hunyuan has been severed, how can we step into the Hunyuan Realm? Could it be that the method of severing the three corpses can truly help us?" A person with great supernatural powers stood up and asked.

In the primordial world, not only was he stuck at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, but many other great supernatural beings were also stuck at this level.

"Please, sage, teach me!"

Everyone stood up and bowed in unison, even the Ziwei Emperor did so.

Only Taiyi stood still and did not bow.

He already knew how to sever the three corpses.

As expected, Hongjun said, "Slaying the Three Corpses is easy, but I believe that the Three Corpses are a major obstacle that separates cultivators from the Heavenly Dao!"

After severing the three poisons of good, evil, and ego, one can achieve selflessness and detachment, purifying the cultivator's mind, aligning with the Dao of Heaven, and thus becoming a saint.

To sever the three corpses, one must entrust the three corpses with an innate spiritual treasure. After severing one corpse, one will reach the quasi-saint realm.

The so-called Quasi-Saint is similar to a Primordial Golden Immortal, ranking below Saints but above Great Luo Immortals.