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

Pan Xuan explained his idea.

Let's start with the current state of the Shinto system.

The Divine Path Network covers the vast wilderness, rivers, lakes, seas, celestial clouds, and the underworld, but there is one aspect that remains blank: funerals.

In the primordial world, after the death of living beings, their souls dissipate and return to heaven and earth, or fall into the sea of ​​blood and transform into turbid evil.

No one ever thought of holding a funeral for the dead, so that the souls of the departed could have a dignified resting place.

If a funeral is to be held for the father god Pangu.

The first funeral in the primordial world established the way of funeral in the name of the Father God.

I hereby appoint you as the God of Funerals, in charge of this path.

The divine system can cover the last blank space in the primordial world, from birth to death, from heaven and earth to all living beings, leaving nothing out.

The way of extinguishing the lamp and the way of funeral are in harmony.

It is a perfect match made in heaven; the coffin is the resting place for the souls of the deceased.

The glass lamp is a guiding light for the souls of the dead, and the very existence of the lamp is a concrete embodiment of the funeral rites.

Ran Deng listened quietly.

When Pan Xuan spoke of "holding a funeral for Father God Pangu," his fingers trembled slightly.

When Pan Xuan uttered the words "the way of funerals," something deep within his primordial spirit seemed to be suddenly stirred.

It was an extremely strange feeling.

He has been cultivating the path of Nirvana for a long time, and since his transformation into human form, he has been comprehending the ultimate truth of the return of all things to stillness.

But what is "extinction"? Where do all things go after they return to stillness?

After the souls of the dead dissipate, is there a place for them to return to?

He had pondered these questions countless times, but could never find the answers.

He only knew that his path to Nirvana seemed to be missing the most crucial link, like a coffin missing its lid or a lamp missing its wick, and could never be complete.

At this moment, Pan Xuan's idea was like a lightning bolt that cleaved through the fog that had shrouded his heart for countless years.

The way of funerals is another aspect of the way of Nirvana.

Nirvana is the end of all things, and funeral is the way to settle the end.

Nirvana is returning to one's homeland; funeral is bidding farewell.

The two are complementary and mutually reinforcing, together forming a complete circle of life, death, and tranquility.

The reason why his path to Nirvana could never be perfected was because this one link was missing.

He was just an empty coffin; without a funeral, the coffin was meaningless.

Without the way of funeral, the way of Nirvana is simply death itself, not the peace of death.

Ran Deng closed his eyes, and the aura around him began to fluctuate violently.

The glass lamp that was always with him suddenly lit up on its own.

The light, which was usually the size of a bean, suddenly expanded into a dazzling and serene radiance, illuminating the entire Yuanjue Cave as bright as day.

The ancient patterns on the lamp seemed to come alive in the light.

Countless runes of the Law of Annihilation flowed and intertwined within the lamplight, creating an unprecedentedly strong resonance with the Dao of Annihilation within the lamp's body.

Pan Xuan sat quietly to the side, without making a sound to disturb him.

He knew that the lamp was undergoing a crucial moment of enlightenment.

The bottleneck that had held him at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm for so long was slowly loosening under the influence of the Path of Funeral. He picked up his teacup and put it down again, simply waiting quietly.

After a long while, Ran Deng slowly opened his eyes.

The lights were still bright, but his breathing had calmed down.

He did not immediately answer Pan Xuan's invitation, but remained silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice, his tone carrying a rare sense of emotion.

"Fellow Daoist Panxuan, do you know that I have heard Daoist Hongjun preach three times in the Zixiao Palace, and heard about the Daoist system of immortality transmitted by Daoist Hongjun?"

He severed the three corpses, proved himself a quasi-saint, and became a Hunyuan.

I have carefully studied each of these lectures. But I am ashamed to say that I am still at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and I have not even severed my mortal corpse.

He paused, looking down at the glass lamp in front of him. The flame flickered gently on the wick, reflecting the complex expression on his thin face.

"It's not that I'm not diligent, but Hongjun's path to immortality seems to be somewhat incompatible with my path of annihilation."

To sever the three corpses, one needs to entrust one's obsessions with innate spiritual treasures or merits, thereby cutting away good thoughts, evil thoughts, and obsessions from the primordial spirit.

But my Daoist path of Nirvana emphasizes the return of all things to stillness and the emptiness of all things.

In my practice, attachment to good and evil is not something that needs to be eliminated, but rather something that needs to be naturally dissolved in nirvana.

Forcibly distinguishing between good and evil contradicts the path of Nirvana.

Therefore, although I listened to the Dao three times in Zixiao Palace, my cultivation level remained stagnant at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and I was never able to sever my first corpse.

I have never mentioned this matter to anyone before; you are the first to know.

Pan Xuan listened quietly without interrupting.

He knew that Randeng was not saying these things to complain, but to explain to him why his ideas resonated with him so strongly.

For the vast majority of cultivators in the prehistoric world, Hongjun's immortal cultivation system is a path to heaven.

However, for a divine being like the Burning Lamp, whose origin is unique and innate, it is actually an invisible constraint.

The core of the "severing of the three corpses" is "division".

Separate the three thoughts of good and evil from the primordial spirit;

The core of the path to Nirvana is "return".

All things return to nothingness, and all contradictions naturally dissolve in nothingness.

The two ideas are fundamentally contradictory.

The reason why Ran Deng was stuck in the immortal cultivation system for so long was not because he lacked talent, but because he was trying to make a path that was not suitable for him.

Pan Xuan's idea was exactly the opposite.

The way of funeral is not about cutting something away, but about settling it down.

To settle the souls of the departed, to settle the dead, to settle death itself.

This aligns perfectly with the path of Nirvana. Nirvana is returning to one's homeland, while funeral rites are farewells.

The two, one inside and one outside, one yin and one yang, together constitute the complete circle of life, death, and tranquility.

The reason why the path of Nirvana of the Burning Lamp resonated so strongly when he heard this idea was because he had finally found the other half of his own path after a long period of confusion.

"Fellow Daoist's vision is indeed enough to change the primordial world."

After explaining his situation, Ran Deng slowly stood up and solemnly cupped his hands to Pan Xuan, saying, "Although I am not interested in worldly affairs, I know what things are worth doing."

The establishment of proper funeral rites is my inescapable responsibility. I am willing to accompany you on your journey to Buzhou Mountain.

Pan Xuan stood up and returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Fellow Daoist Ran Deng is very understanding and righteous. Pan Xuan thanks you."

The Twelve Ancestral Witches and the Three Pure Ones are already waiting in Buzhou Mountain, and the framework of funeral rites and rituals are being developed.

Since you wish to join me, let us set off immediately.

Ran Deng held the glass lamp in his palm, and the flame burned quietly between the two of them, its light serene and warm.

The two walked out of Yuanjue Cave side by side. Pan Xuan waved his sleeve, and a purple-gold escape light enveloped them both at the same time.

Rising from Mount Lingjiu, it sped towards Mount Buzhou. Randeng stood within the surging light, glancing down at the glass lamp in his hand.

The lamp that was always with him shone brighter and more serenely than ever before.

He knew that once he went to Mount Buzhou, his path to annihilation would no longer be a lonely road to death, but an indispensable part of the divine system.

And all of this began with Pan Xuan's idea.