Primordial Era: The Witch Clan's Dog-Headed Strategist

After the ceremony of the Three Pure Ones returning to their positions concluded, a solemn and subtle atmosphere permeated the Pangu Hall.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches and the Three Pure Ones took their seats again, and Pan Xuan personally poured a cup of spiritual tea for each of the Three Pure Ones, brewed from the tender buds of the Enlightenment Tea Tree.

The tea's aroma was refreshing and invigorating, but for Sanqing at this moment, even the finest spiritual tea could not mask the heavy thoughts weighing on his mind.

So much happened today, from the removal of the primordial spirit imprint to the stripping away of the primordial purple energy.

From the unity of spirit and body of the phantom of Pangu to the realization of their own responsibilities, each event shook the foundations of their understanding built up over countless years.

Pan Xuan sat in the main seat, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

His gaze slowly swept over Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian. He put down his teacup, his tone calm yet incisive:

"The three fellow Daoists have severed the imprints in their primordial spirits, removed the restrictions from the Primordial Purple Qi, understood their own responsibilities, and joined the divine system."

However, there is one more matter that requires the three of you to ponder deeply.

The foundation of your cultivation, fellow Daoists, is still the method of severing the three corpses passed down by Hongjun.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Three Pure Ones simultaneously shifted slightly.

Pan Xuan didn't give them time to process what was happening and continued:

"The method of severing the three corpses—severing the good corpse, severing the evil corpse, and severing the self corpse—seems to be the right path to purify the mind and detach from attachments."

But have the three fellow Daoists ever considered this question?

Hongjun preached three times in Zixiao Palace, but never mentioned that the three corpses needed a spiritual treasure of the same origin to unite.

After the three corpses were severed, they were each entrusted to different spiritual treasures, and the three thoughts of good and evil were dispersed in different vessels.

To reintegrate them and bring them back into one.

Different mediums inevitably repel each other. Hongjun never taught how to resolve this repulsion.

Taiqing Laozi paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

He remained silent for a moment, then slowly put down his teacup. The flow of yin and yang energy in his calm, still eyes noticeably quickened.

He had indeed vaguely pondered this question after severing both the good and evil aspects of his being.

The good and evil corpses are respectively housed in different spiritual treasures, and the attributes, laws, and auras of the two spiritual treasures are completely different.

If the three bodies are to be united in the future, how can the good and evil thoughts carried by these two spiritual treasures be integrated without any rejection?

He considered many methods, but never found the perfect answer.

Now that Pan Xuan has pointed this out, he realizes that it's not that he can't find the answer, but that Hongjun never intended to give it.

Seeing that he was somewhat moved, Pan Xuan continued his analysis in greater depth:

"The ultimate goal of severing the three corpses is to unify the three corpses and attain the Dao of Hunyuan."

However, if the incompatibility between different spiritual treasures cannot be resolved, the unification of the three corpses is just empty talk.

The only way out that Hongjun left for Xuanmen cultivators was to attain enlightenment through the Primordial Purple Qi and merit.

As for the Primordial Purple Qi, the three fellow Daoists have already witnessed it with their own eyes.

That is not the foundation for enlightenment, but rather the shackles that Hongjun uses to control the saints.

As for attaining enlightenment through merit, it is even more difficult than ascending to heaven.

Could such a great opportunity and great fortune exist in the primordial world?

In other words, the method of severing the three corpses that Hongjun passed on to the Xuanmen people was a dead end.

He gave everyone a seemingly bright path to cultivation, but at the end of that path, he set up a door that only he himself could open.

The hall was completely silent.

The Three Pure Ones remained silent, but their expressions spoke volumes.

Laozi's eyelids drooped slightly, and the yin and yang energies flowed rapidly in his eyes.

Each cycle of events deduces the truth or falsehood of Pan Xuan's words, and the result of the deduction is only one: Pan Xuan is right.

The method of severing the three corpses does indeed have this fatal flaw.

Moreover, this flaw is so hidden and so insidious.

Until the moment when the three corpses merge into one, the cultivator will never realize that this path is impassable.

By the time they realized it, there was no way out but to accept the "blessing" of the Primordial Purple Qi, or to be forever stuck at the peak of Quasi-Saint and unable to advance any further.

"besides."

Pan Xuan's voice rang out again, more solemn than before, "Severing the Three Corpses has an even more fundamental flaw."

Each slash is a cutting of one's own primordial spirit.

When good thoughts are cut off, evil thoughts are cut off, and obsessions are cut off, the primordial spirit is no longer complete.

How can an incomplete primordial spirit attain the complete Primordial Dao Fruit?

Even more fatally, although the three severed corpses exist independently, they still maintain a faint connection with the original body.

These connections are precisely the key points through which Hongjun secretly controls the Xuanmen cultivators using the rules of Heaven.

The three corpses are outside, while the main body is inside; the connection between the two is the channel through which Hongjun's will permeates.

The three fellow Daoists should have already noticed this when they were examining the primordial spirit imprint just now.

Laozi finally spoke, his voice still calm, but carrying an unprecedented coldness: "What Fellow Daoist Panxuan said is true."

After I severed both the good and evil corpses, I did feel that my Dao heart was clearer, but there was always a trace of unease deep in my heart.

Looking back now, that unease was the silent protest of the incomplete primordial spirit, and also the invisible thread between the three corpses and the original body causing a dull ache.

Yuan Shi's face was gloomy.

He put down his teacup, his tone filled with suppressed anger.

This anger wasn't directed at Pan Xuan, but at the "Master" who had schemed against the Three Pure Ones for countless years:

"The Pangu Banner was transformed from the axe blade of the Father God who opened the heavens. I entrusted a part of my primordial spirit to it and cut off the benevolent corpse. I thought that I could combine the benevolent corpse with the Pangu Banner and unleash its greater power."

In retrospect, this was nothing more than Hongjun's wishful thinking.

He made us willingly fragment, disperse, and entrust our primordial spirit to external objects, thereby weakening the integrity that Pangu's primordial spirit should have possessed.

The division of Pangu's primordial spirit into three was already arranged by the Father God.

Then, by using the method of severing the three corpses, each part of the primordial spirit is further divided, so that the primordial spirits of the Three Pure Ones can never be restored to the complete state that the primordial spirit of the Father God should have.

This is Hongjun's strategy of cutting off our resources; he doesn't need to attack us directly, he only needs to weaken us ourselves.

Tongtian was even more straightforward.

He snorted coldly, and the Four Swords of Zhuxian emitted a clear, resonant sword cry behind him, his tone carrying an undeniable resolve:

"Since it's a dead end, why bother going down it?"

Severing the Three Corpses is Hongjun's path, but we Three Pure Ones have our own fundamental path left by Father God Pangu.

My eldest brother's path lies in Yin and Yang, my second brother's path lies in Chaos, and my path lies in the Way of the Sword.

These are the true inheritances that the Father God bestowed upon us when his primordial spirit separated, not the stuff taught by Hongjun!

Fellow Daoist Panxuan has revealed this crucial point today, helping us see clearly what lies at the end of this path.

The Three Pure Ones will remember this kindness.

Pan Xuan smiled slightly and shook his head, saying, "Fellow Daoist Tongtian, you flatter me."

The three of you who have entered the path of divinity are our partners who will share weal and woe.

The divine system is based on the twelve ancestral witches as one of its foundations. These law deities are directly connected to the laws of heaven, but are not subject to the influence of Hongjun's will.

If the three fellow cultivators can break free from the shackles of severing the three corpses and use the divine laws to assist their cultivation, not only will their cultivation be restored to its original state, but their path to enlightenment will also be greatly broadened.

Lao Tzu slowly stood up and walked to the center of the hall.

His face remained calm and composed, but the determination in his eyes was more resolute than ever before.

"Fellow Daoist Panxuan is right."

Since we are going to follow the orthodox path of Pangu, we should completely sever ties with Hongjun's immortal system.

I have severed both the good and evil corpses; today I will reclaim them from my original body, and, based on the principles of Yin and Yang, re-establish my path.

As he spoke, two beams of light flew out from his sleeve, and two incarnations, one good and one evil, appeared from the light.

The benevolent corpse had a gentle face and exuded an aura of compassion and peace.

The evil corpse had a cold and stern face, and its body was surrounded by a sharp and murderous aura.

The two corpses, one good and one evil, stood facing each other opposite the true form of Laozi, their eyes locked, as if they were communicating silently.

A moment later, Taiqing Laozi raised his hands.

The yin and yang energies flowed in his palm, transforming into two streaks of light, one black and one white, like swimming dragons, which slowly enveloped the two corpses of good and evil.

The power of Yin and Yang slowly rotated like a millstone, and with each rotation, the good and evil corpses became more blurred.

That's not a simple matter of devouring or annihilating, but a higher level of fusion.

Yin and Yang are the fundamental laws governing the birth and death of all things. Good and evil are merely two shadows of Yin and Yang projected into the human heart.

Based on the principles of Yin and Yang, the two corpses of good and evil are reintegrated into the primordial spirit. This is not to erase good and evil, but to allow good and evil to return to Yin and Yang, and to let Yin and Yang govern good and evil.

This integration process is not without its costs.

The two innate spiritual treasures to which the good and evil spirits reside.

The benevolent corpse's Taiyi whisk and the evil corpse's Yin-Yang mirror.

It trembled slightly under the pressure of Yin and Yang forces, and the spiritual light on its surface dimmed at a visible speed.

This is an unavoidable shock when the corpse is resurrected.

The severed corpse and the spiritual treasure had already formed a certain degree of fusion. Forcibly removing the corpse would inevitably damage the spiritual treasure's spirituality.

However, the damage is not irreversible and can be recovered with proper care over a period of time.

Compared to completely breaking free from Hongjun's shackles, this price is almost negligible.

As the last trace of the two corpses, one good and one evil, dissipated in the yin and yang energies, Lao Tzu's body trembled slightly.

His cultivation level suddenly dropped at this moment, falling from the late stage of Quasi-Saint, through the mid-stage of Quasi-Saint, the early stage of Quasi-Saint, and finally settling steadily at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.

However, his aura did not weaken as a result; on the contrary, it became purer and clearer.

That aura was no longer the Xuanmen magic power transmitted by Hongjun.

It is the most fundamental power of Pangu's primordial spirit, based on the Yin-Yang Dao and with the mission of spreading the Dao, which is the Taiqing Qi.

Taiqing Laozi slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes swirled with the interplay of yin and yang energies, appearing more composed and insightful than before he shed the Primordial Purple Qi.

He looked down at his hands, spoke softly, his tone carrying an unprecedented sense of relief:

"With the return of both the good and evil corpses, although their cultivation level has temporarily declined, their Dao heart is clearer than ever before."

From this day forward, my path will be the Great Way of Yin and Yang, through which all things are born and die, and through this I will spread my teachings to all living beings. I have completely broken free from the shackles of Hongjun.

Seeing that his elder brother had set a good example, Yuan Shi no longer hesitated.

He walked to the center of the hall, placed the Pangu Banner across his knees, and closed his eyes.

He also severed both the good and evil corpses. The good corpse was placed on a jade ruyi, while the evil corpse was connected to a part of the spirit of the Pangu Banner.

At this moment, he summoned both the good and evil corpses simultaneously, and with the Dao of Chaos as the core, he reintegrated the two corpses into his primordial spirit.

Chaos encompasses all things, and good and evil are no longer opposing poles, but rather two forces that coexisted from the same origin before the differentiation of chaos.

The Way of Chaos does not need to distinguish between good and evil; it only needs to govern all things with order and laws. This is the path of expounding the Way by the Primordial Celestial Venerable.

The two corpses, one good and one evil, slowly dissolved under the light of chaos.

The jade ruyi and the spiritual treasures entrusted to the evil corpse both showed signs of dimming spiritual light, but Yuanshi Tianzun paid no attention to them.

As the last trace of the evil corpse vanished in the chaotic light, his cultivation level also dropped back to the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

But his aura became even more dignified and pure.

That was the Jade Purity Qi bestowed upon him when Pangu's primordial spirit differentiated; it was the chaotic power that elucidated the Great Dao and established order.

Yuanshi opened his eyes, his gaze steady and firm: "The two corpses of good and evil have returned. Although their cultivation has temporarily declined, their path to enlightenment is clearer than before."

My Dao is the Dao of Chaos, which encompasses all things and uses this to expound the laws of the Great Dao.

From this day forward, the Way of Chan (阐教) will be the Way of Order, elucidating the methods and rules of cultivation for all beings.

Tongtian was the last to step forward.

Unlike his two elder brothers, he only destroyed the good corpse.

He was easygoing and his sense of right and wrong was more balanced than that of his two elder brothers, so he only killed one of the corpses.

But he did not hesitate at all. The four swords of Zhuxian rang out in unison behind him, and the incarnation of the benevolent corpse emerged in the sword intent.

The benevolent corpse had a gentle face and exuded an aura of compassion and tolerance.

The Tongtian Sect Leader used swordsmanship as his foundation to reintegrate the benevolent corpse into his primordial spirit.

The killing intent of the Four Swords of Zhuxian clashed fiercely with the compassion of the benevolent corpse within the primordial spirit.

However, the Tongtian Sect Leader did not forcibly suppress either side. Instead, he used his sword heart to govern both, allowing killing intent and compassion to achieve a delicate balance in the way of the sword.

Although the Four Swords of Zhuxian are supreme treasures for killing, killing itself is also a component of the Great Dao.

The benevolent corpse's compassion did not diminish the sharpness of the Four Swords of Zhuxian; on the contrary, it made that sharpness more restrained and purer.

When the benevolent corpse completely dissolved into the sword intent, the Tongtian Sect Master's cultivation level also dropped back to the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.

However, the Divine Law of the Life-Gathering Saint between his brows became even more dazzling, echoing the sword intent of the Four Swords of Zhuxian.

Tongtian opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips: "The benevolent corpse has returned, and the sword heart is clear."

From this day forward, my path will be the path of the sword, using the intent of the sword to seize a glimmer of hope for all living beings.

The "intercepting" in the Jie Sect refers to cutting off the path to survival suppressed by the Heavenly Dao. This responsibility is precisely what my sword excels at.

The three quasi-saints have now all returned to the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

But no one in the hall felt that they had become weaker.

On the contrary, the Three Pure Ones are more dangerous and more unfathomable than ever before.

Because their hearts are completely pure and their path is completely clear.

The decline in cultivation level is only temporary.

After the true lineage of Pangu reunited, and after sensing the legacy of Pangu and understanding their own mission, they had an unprecedentedly clear understanding of their own path.

Before long, they will be able to cultivate again with the foundation of the Pangu lineage, and they will go even further than before.

Because they are no longer bound by Hongjun's shackles, no longer dependent on the false guidance of Hongmeng Purple Qi, and no longer trapped by the dead end of severing the three corpses.

The path beneath their feet was the fundamental path that the Father God had laid out for them when his primordial spirit differentiated.

More importantly, they completely eliminated all the hidden traps that Hongjun had laid in the cultivation system.

From the primordial spirit imprint to the primordial purple aura, from the method of severing the three corpses to the power of the Xuanmen, all the shackles that Hongjun left on them have been removed one by one.

From this day forward, they will no longer be disciples of Hongjun, nor candidates for sainthood in the Xuanmen sect, but rather the true lineage of Pangu: the Transmitter of the Dao, the Profound Lord of the Dao, and the Saintly Lord of Life-Gathering.