Flood: I, the Nine Turns of the Golden Pillar, all want to eat me!
Chapter 23 - Carving the Great Dao, Stabilizing the Great Dao

Chapter 23: Carving the Great Dao, Stabilizing the Great Dao

Within the Flood, at the Purple Heavenly Palace—

Hongjun continued his grand sermon. Xuan Qing sat immersed in comprehension, yet his meditation was abruptly interrupted by Zi Yun’s voice transmission.

“Master Hongjun is now expounding on the Great Dao of Fire. Has it been inscribed?”

What? Xuan Qing frowned. Was he not just explaining the Thunder Dao? Why has it shifted to the Fire Dao all of a sudden?

“I do not know,” Zi Yun responded. “However, the Thunder Great Dao expounded earlier reached the level of Great Luo. In essence, if one fully grasped that segment, it would be enough to cultivate the Great Luo Dao Fruit. After completing his discourse at that level, Hongjun shifted to another Dao. It seems this sermon may cover many Daos, but each will only be explained up to the Great Luo level.”

Xuan Qing’s gaze sharpened with thought. “If that is the case, then this is troublesome… No matter, I will inscribe the Fire Dao first.”

With that, he gave up on deepening his understanding of the Thunder Dao and turned toward the Fire Dao.

…

As Zi Yun had guessed, after explaining the Fire Dao to the realm of Great Luo, Hongjun switched again—to the Water Dao. Then followed the Wind Dao. Each time, he expounded only to the level of Great Luo, no more.

Xuan Qing sighed inwardly, Does Master Hongjun intend to explain all three thousand Daos in one sermon?

“It is unlikely,” Zi Yun said, reading his thoughts. “Even if he comprehended all three thousand Daos, it is impossible he reached the Great Luo realm in each. The Jade Butterfly of Creation he once wielded is broken, and so are the Daos it contained. Still, many are being explained here. How will you choose? You may only inscribe ten.”

“That few?” Xuan Qing groaned.

“There is no other way. Though I can parse the Great Dao, I cannot carry them all. Unless I devour more fragments of the Jade Butterfly, I am limited to ten. Master, your decision is needed.”

He knew Zi Yun spoke the truth. As the core of the Jade Butterfly, Zi Yun was designed to decode the Daos, not to embody them. She had warned him long ago: she could convert cultivation methods and divine abilities into Dao laws, but she could only store a limited number.

Faced with this restriction, Xuan Qing pondered carefully.

Only ten Great Dao… I must choose wisely.

“Zi Yun,” he began, “first inscribe the Dao of Dan. It is the core of my path. Then the Thunder Dao—for it grants power in combat and travel. Next, inscribe the Weaponry and Formation Daos, both essential for refining and survival.”

He paused, reflecting deeper.

“The Dao of Change must also be included—for concealment and evasion. Light, for swiftness. Time and Space, if present, for greater mobility and strategic withdrawal. If there are Daos relating to detection or concealment, inscribe those too. And if any Dao exists for out-of-body incarnation, include it.”

At that moment, Xuan Qing felt deeply wary. The gazes from within the Purple Heavenly Palace were laced with greed and envy. He understood how rare and desirable his talent was. Though he had taken Lao Zi as his master, the old sage had yet to attain Sainthood. There were no guarantees of safety. Thus, self-preservation took priority over combat prowess.

Zi Yun sighed, “Master… are you certain? These choices are defensively skewed. You lack offensive means.”

“I have no intention of fighting,” Xuan Qing said calmly. “It does not suit me. I plan to cultivate in peace. Thunder grants enough destructive power when needed. Time and space are formidable in their own right. Prioritize the Daos of stability.”

Zi Yun had no choice but to obey.

…

Time passed—how long, none could say. Hongjun’s preaching continued, revealing Dao after Dao, each explained to the realm of Great Luo.

As Hongjun transmitted, Zi Yun followed and inscribed.

Eventually, ten Daos were chosen:

• • • • Dao of Dan

• • • • Dao of Change

• • • • Dao of Hiddenness

• • • • Dao of Puppetry

• • • • Dao of Poison

• • • • Dao of Thunder

• • • • Dao of Light

• • • • Dao of Force

• • • • Dao of Time

• • • • Dao of Space

Although Xuan Qing initially planned to include Weaponry and Formation, he ultimately abandoned them. The First Heavenly Father had inherited the former, and Tongtian the latter. Xuan Qing could learn from them later—no need to squander two precious Dao slots now.

Among these ten, all but the Dao of Force reached the Great Luo realm in Hongjun’s sermon. The Dao of Force, in contrast, was explained only to the Taiyi realm—suggesting even Hongjun lacked deep understanding of it.

As Xuan Qing pondered how best to cultivate these Daos and derive aptitudes from them, Zi Yun sent another message.

“Master… the explanation of the Dao of Dan has surpassed the Great Luo realm!”

Instantly, Xuan Qing silenced his thoughts and immersed himself in the Dao. A wave of enlightenment surged through him as Hongjun’s alchemical insights flooded his mind. He saw Hongjun’s figure manifesting the very essence of alchemy—how to refine pills, how to comprehend the nature of Dan.

The Dao resonated within his core. His Golden Dan began to quiver, nearing a breakthrough beyond the Nine Revolutions.

Time passed.

As the Dao sound shifted, Xuan Qing slowly returned to awareness.

Zi Yun spoke again. “Hongjun’s description of the Dao of Dan has indeed surpassed the Great Luo realm, but not reached the realm of Hunyuan.”

“A crack in the heavens?” Xuan Qing murmured in surprise.

“It seems so. When he expounded on the Sword Dao, the Star Dao, and the Yin-Yang Dao, he also went beyond the Great Luo realm. Perhaps… this is Hongjun’s partiality. He elaborates the cultivation paths of his disciples more thoroughly than others.”

Xuan Qing chuckled inwardly.

So, even Hongjun is partial. For most Daos, he speaks to Great Luo. But for his own disciples’ paths, he opens the heavens slightly. What an eccentric… but amusing… old Daoist.