Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 282 - 270: Sect Leader Preaches Taoist Magic

Chapter 282: Chapter 270: Sect Leader Preaches Taoist Magic

Tong Tian Sect Master experienced three thousand years and ultimately achieved the Great Dao.

On this day, Biyou Palace truly saw a gathering of myriad immortals coming to pay their respects and myriad Buddhas coming to pay homage. The Biyou Palace was buzzing with the voices of people, as deities and Buddhas from all walks of life came in an endless stream to worship the Tong Tian Sect Master. After all, he was a Great Dao Sage, and even within the Chaotic World, he was a supreme existence, immortal and indestructible, eternally living on.

The Primordial Spirit of a Great Dao Sage is entrusted upon the Great Dao, as long as the Great Dao is not dead, the Sage is immortal!

Now that the Tong Tian Sect Master has become a Great Dao Sage, even the Heavenly Dao Saints have to pay a visit.

This time, the Tong Tian Sect Master truly had a moment of triumph. He was unjustly defeated in the battle for deification, but now, having become a Great Dao Sage, even the Heavenly Dao Saints have to visit him.

After becoming a Great Dao Sage, the Tong Tian Sect Master held a sermon in the Lower Realm, and all Cultivators under heaven who were destined to could listen.

One could see the Tong Tian Sect Master sitting cross-legged on a high platform, beginning to preach. Instantly, the Great Dao Divine Sound thundered, accompanied by the Heavenly Dao Laws, producing an infinite melody. The Tong Tian Sect Master’s speech blossomed like a lotus, with wondrous phenomena manifesting around him, golden-armored deities blowing the Great Conch, beating the Great Dharma Drum, harmonizing with the sound of Dao, creating quite a lively scene.

Those listening to the sermon felt intoxicated, as if in a trance. It was the second time since the beginning of heaven that a Great Dao Sage held a sermon.

The first time was Hong Jun preaching, enlightening Nuwa and the Ancient Demon Tribe, and then he was occupied with stabilizing the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire. After that, another sermon was given only to the Three Pure Ones, Amitabha, and Zhun Ti. Now, the Tong Tian Sect Master was holding a sermon that all under heaven could listen to, marking the second time after Hong Jun.

This time, Tong Tian intended to preach for a thousand years. With three thousand Great Paths to be discussed, it would probably take three thousand years to finish. The Tong Tian Sect Master’s generous sharing, a thousand years at once, was a rare and sought-after great opportunity and fortune! Nearly all the Cultivators from the Three Realms gathered beneath the Tong Tian Sect Master’s Dharma Altar, listening quietly to the sermon.

The Tong Tian Sect Master preached for a month, then reserved the second month for Cultivators to ask questions, which he naturally answered one by one.

"Dare I ask the Sect Master, what is the Dao?" a Taiyi Golden Immortal inquired.

"What is the Dao? The Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage Sun Wukong said, ’The Dao is right under our feet. There is no Dao in the world originally, wherever the feet land, that is the Dao! Facing mountains of blades and seas of flame, a step back is but doom; a step forward is the Great Dao! My Dao is to smash everything that hinders me! The Dao of heaven is that all beings are but strays, equal among all creatures. I seek the Heavenly Dao with my own Dao!’ There are Three Thousand Great Paths, each differing from the others. Sun Wukong’s is an invincible Dao, which is why he became the Victorious Fighting Buddha," the Tong Tian Sect Master spoke slowly.

Each word he uttered coalesced with the Great Dao Divine Sound, accompanied by the Heavenly Dao Laws, blossoming in the void, with phenomena manifesting.

The Tong Tian Sect Master’s eyes were slightly closed, as he said indifferently, "What is the Dao? The Dao is essentially the belief in one’s heart, as long as there is faith, that is the Dao. Sun Wukong’s Dao is invincibility, not to be oppressed, equality for all beings; Zhang Bairan’s Dao is to control the heavens, high above, treating living beings as fish and meat; Ying Zheng’s Dao is to govern by law, the supreme imperial Dao; Nuwa’s Dao is to protect the Earth Immortal Realm, safeguarding the common folk."

What the Tong Tian Sect Master taught was not the "mystery of mysteries, the gate of all wonders" kind of "Dao," but instead a concept, perhaps another kind of "Dao" that is different from ordinary people. Depending on the belief in their own hearts, walking a path, carving out a path! The Tong Tian Sect Master believed he could cut off the Three Thousand Great Paths, and that was his Dao. Thus, he succeeded and became an immortal and indestructible Great Dao Sage.

"What is the Heavenly Dao?" another Daluo Golden Immortal asked.

"The Heavenly Dao is impermanent, ever-changing. The Heavenly Dao, Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao is reincarnation, it is karma... Born under the Heavenly Dao, one will inevitably be tainted by karma and the cycle of reincarnation. Only by achieving the Great Dao and transcending the Heavenly Dao, can one face myriad karmic burdens unscathed, and all retributions become ineffective...," the Tong Tian Sect Master said slowly.

These questions were all about grand concepts, and there were also inquiries about Taoist Magic, to which the Tong Tian Sect Master answered each one. Of course, questions like: "How to achieve Taiyi Golden Immortal status?" or "How to become a Primordial Golden Immortal," and "How to achieve as a Heavenly Dao Saint?" were directly ignored by the Tong Tian Sect Master.

He merely smiled slightly, then asked for the next person to ask their question.

Ksitigarbha King emerged from seclusion after ten years, encountering a bottleneck, just one step away, the final step!

His Primordial Spirit was just one step shy of transcendence, to be entrusted upon the Heavenly Dao, achieving the state of a Heavenly Dao Saint, unmarred by karmic burdens.

Thus, he also came to the foot of Tong Tian Sect Master’s Dharma Altar to listen to the sermon, and he listened for thirty years.

Buddha was originally Dao, Buddha and Dao have the same origin, both can verify the Grand Primordial Dao; hence, what the Tong Tian Sect Master preached was extremely beneficial for Ksitigarbha King.

As the Tong Tian Sect Master preached, he also selected some Cultivators with exceptional talent to join his Jie Taoist sect, to become his disciples and follow his cultivation.

"What is the Heavenly Dao?" Ksitigarbha King asked the same question again.

"The Heavenly Dao is the human heart. Great rises and great falls reveal the transient world; great joys and sorrows reveal oneself; great enlightenment reveals the Heavenly Dao!" This time, the answer given by the Tong Tian Sect Master was different because Ksitigarbha King’s realm was unlike those listening to the sermon, prompting such a response from the Tong Tian Sect Master.

This answer surpassed the previous one by many times in brilliance and profundity, and many present did not understand, only a few top-tier Primordial Golden Immortals like the Supreme Holy Mother, Medicine Buddha, Kong Xuan, revealed a glimmer of apparent understanding yet not quite grasping it.

However, enlightenment flashed in Ksitigarbha King’s eyes. He brought his palms together and said, "Victorious Fighting Buddha! I am grateful to the Tong Tian Sect Master for resolving my doubts."

With these words, he stepped into the void and departed. With each step he took, a lotus blossomed beneath his foot, creating a path of lotus flowers!

This was an expression very close to the "Dao," for Ksitigarbha King to conjure lotuses with every step showed he was not far from becoming a Heavenly Dao Saint.

The Great Dao is boundless and infinite, thus countless Great Dao Saints can exist. Yet, becoming a Great Dao Saint is exceedingly difficult. Since the beginning of time, before the Earth Immortal Realm was established, who knows how many Heavenly Dao Saints there have been who split Heaven and Earth apart. However, not one has achieved the status of Great Dao Saint, all perished either during the tribulation of splitting heaven or the calamity of primordial unity.

Under the Heavenly Dao, however, only nine Heavenly Dao Saints can be accommodated, for the Heavenly Dao is finite, not infinite, and nine is the ultimate number! In Ancient Times, Emperors were called "Supreme of Nine-Nine," but the philosophers of that era discussed and deduced through the "Supreme Holy Emperor" Fuxi’s "The Book of Changes," reducing the "Supreme of Nine-Nine" by four, thus calling it "Supreme of Nine-Five." This was also to avoid offending the Heavenly Dao and provoking the retribution of causality, lest it result in chasing illusions.

After Ksitigarbha King left, Tong Tian Sect Master continued to preach for a month.

A month later, it was time for questions again, and a Taiyi Golden Immortal stood up to ask, "I dare to ask the Lord of Spiritual Treasures, why is your previous answer about what the Heavenly Dao is different from your answer to Ksitigarbha Buddha?"

Tong Tian Sect Master nodded and replied indifferently, "Let’s use a phrase from the Buddhist Sect as an analogy—’Even the Bodhisattva has moments of the Wrathful Vajra.’"

"How so?"

Tong Tian Sect Master explained, "The Bodhisattva is great in compassion, relieving suffering and difficulties, and is known for a merciful heart, universally helping those who suffer in the world. But they too have their moments as the Wrathful Vajra, specifically to punish those who do evil deeds. Different people receive different answers! Ksitigarbha Buddha’s realm is higher than yours, naturally he seeks a deeper understanding, while you at your current realm would not understand, so I offered a simpler answer."

The crowd felt an epiphany, so that was it! It was like two Buddhas conversing, naturally involving the subtlety of Zen, but if it was a Buddha conversing with an ordinary person, then the explanation had to be simple and understandable. Different treatments for different people result in different answers.

The Bodhisattva relieves difficulties, but faced with evil ones, they show the aspect of the Wrathful Vajra.

Buddhist Law is profound, but speaking to those who do not grasp it, one must simplify.

The same principle applies to the Taoist Magic. Buddha originated from the Dao, the Buddha and the Dao share the same source!

The Saints also sat high in the clouds, listening to the preaching of Tong Tian Sect Master. After all, as Saints, it was not proper to make themselves too visible. Although the teachings of Tong Tian Sect Master were mostly simple, the greatness of the Dao is in its simplicity and returning to the original purity. Moreover, it was easy for Heavenly Dao Saints to grasp profound Daoist Magic from a single hint. Thus, the preaching of Tong Tian Sect Master was also very beneficial to them.

Xuan Ming spoke, "Tong Tian Sect Master truly deserves to be a Great Dao Sage; his preaching has brought me considerable gain."

However, Wukong slightly furrowed his brow in contemplation; he had almost thoroughly understood those teachings, and his current quandary was how to carve out a new path for himself!

His conviction had been fulfilled, and now he was just waiting for the calamity of primordial unity. Perhaps surviving that calamity itself could be considered a conviction, but the problem was that the Dao had reached an impasse! Even if conviction was an axe to clear the way through mountains, ahead lay a seemingly insurmountable abyss spanning millions of feet in length and depth. How then could he continue to carve forward his own path?

This was a significant problem, a tremendous one—the key to achieving Great Dao Saint status lay therein!

Undoubtedly, if Wukong were to become a Great Dao Saint, he would certainly surpass Tong Tian, Di Jun, and Hong Jun in prowess. After all, he had first achieved completeness and perfection of the Three Thousand Great Paths and reached this "dead end." If he were to carve out a path to become a Great Dao Saint on this "dead end," that would be truly invincible!

"Great Dao, oh Great Dao! The Dao is about conviction, conviction like an axe cleaving thorns in the way... If there’s a high mountain ahead, perhaps it could be split open, but ahead is a vast abyss, how can I carve out my own path?" Wukong asked himself internally.

A high mountain can be moved by the Foolish Old Man’s persistence; the ocean can be crossed by felling trees to make boats... Only a boundless abyss can halt the advancement of footsteps.

How to carve out the Great Dao? How to achieve the status of Great Dao Saint?

Xuan Ming asked Wukong, "Have you thought of a way to achieve the status of Great Dao Saint?"

Wukong shook his head and responded with a wry smile, "If only it were that easy. If the path ahead were the sea, or mountains, or rivers, I would have a way, but instead, I’ve come to an impasse. The axe in my hand has lost its use, how can I overcome this barrier? In the cycle of reincarnation, I search for you amidst the endless Sea of Suffering, yet I always know there is an end because I have a boat beneath my feet..."

"Conviction is the axe that clears the way, but ahead lies a fathomless abyss, vast and boundless, how can I use this axe to cross it?"

After hearing this, Xuan Ming was also rendered speechless; Wukong’s analogy was apt indeed, and there seemed to be no solution.

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the next installment. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a monthly ticket or recommendation at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)