Chapter 158: Comprehending the Great Dao

The most precious purple‑patterned Peachtree seed at the rear sprouts a mysterious Dao pattern; after nine thousand years of sun‑and‑moon essence nourishment it finally bears fruit, and whoever eats it can shine like the stars, its lifespan comparable to the heavenly and earthly laws.

Each divine tree can bear dozens of celestial fruits, and the entire Heavenly Court's stock is so abundant it can be called the first in the universe.

Because the Peachtree garden exists, the Heavenly Court can use the spirit fruits as a link to unite the forces of the Three Realms.

When Zhou Yi exchanges the Peachtree spirit seed in the system space, he knows that even though the cultivated offshoot's effect is only one‑tenth of the original, its boost to fortune still holds strategic value.

When entrusting the spirit root to Sui Huang, he specifically instructed that a dedicated Spirit Plant Department be established, even though cultivating the new sapling is expected to take three jiazi (180 years).

After completing the exchange, Zhou Yi's remaining points were few, so he turned his attention to another trump card.

Watching the golden sea of light roiling in the Sea of Awareness, he realized that the merit accumulated over the years had reached an astonishing scale.

The Heavenly Dao gifts Sui Huang received when he proved his Dao by striking fire from wood, and the rewards obtained while perfecting the Six Realms of Reincarnation, are enough to catapult a mortal straight to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

Unlike ordinary cultivators who refine merit to boost their cultivation, Zhou Yi forged a different path, choosing to condense his merit into a golden body.

This secret method is like forging golden battle armor, externalizing vast merit into a defensive shield.

When facing an enemy, it can not only nullify ninety percent of spell attacks, but also hides a karmic backlash: anyone who damages the golden body will bear overwhelming karmic debt and suffer tenfold thunder punishment during the Great Calamity.

"It's time to go to the thirty‑three layers of heaven to probe reality," said Zhou Yi, who had been in seclusion for a hundred years as he opened his eyes, the runes of his merit golden body subtly circulating around him.

At this moment he has not yet broken through the Imperial Realm, but wearing this karmic armor gives him seven extra points of confidence even when facing a Quasi Saint powerhouse.

The rise and fall of the three great ancient clans of Honghuang always evokes sighs.

In ancient times the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans stood in balance, yet during the Great Calamity of heaven and earth they turned their weapons against each other.

That universe‑shaking holy war not only shattered Honghuang's ley lines, but also burdened the three clans with overwhelming karmic obstacles.

The Qilin clan suffered the harshest backlash from the Heavenly Dao, ultimately seeing its bloodline cut off; the Phoenix lineage now has only a few surviving strands clinging to life in a volcanic secret realm; the Dragon clan, though preserving its foundations across the four seas, can no longer recreate its former glory of ruling all waters.

In this world where cause and effect intertwine, the merit golden light circulating around Zhou Yi forms a unique shield.

This body of protection, condensed from boundless merit, appears to Honghuang cultivators like a thorny barrier.

Even a Saint who has attained the Mixed Origin Dao must weigh the karmic cost before acting against this Heavenly Dao protection.

After months of seclusion and contemplation, Zhou Yi finally condensed the merit golden light into a preliminary protective Dao pattern, giving him an important asset for future encounters with Tai Qing Sheng Ren.

When Zhou Yi finished his cultivation, it coincided with the crucial moment when Master Miao Le was fulfilling his preaching oath. Driven by tribal leaders such as Sui Huang, the news that the chief disciple of Tai Qing Sheng Ren would personally deliver a sermon had already spread to all major Human Race settlements. Many Human Race prodigies had long been awaiting this chance of direct instruction from the saintly master.

Zhou Yi has always remained open to this, and although the Zhe Tian method he founded has become the mainstream cultivation system of the Human Race, he has never regarded it as the sole option.

In his view, only by being inclusive can an eternal civilization be forged. If the Ren Sect's techniques truly have merit, they should become a new cornerstone of the Human Race's cultivation path; if future innovative methods surpass the ancestors, that will be the true sign of the Human Race's flourishing.

On the day of the sermon, Master Miao Le gathered his spirit and stepped onto the lectern. Seeing the ten‑thousands of Human Race cultivators gathered below, his tense heart eased slightly: "The authority of Tai Qing Sheng Ren still lives in the hearts of the Human Race; perhaps this preaching still has purpose."

The chief disciple of the Ren Sect never imagined that Human Race cultivators who had undergone the Zhe Tian method's forging would now judge techniques by entirely different standards.

Below the high platform, the Human Race cultivators' gazes burned like torches; having been tempered by war, they deeply understand the true essence of cultivation.

When Master Miao Le unfolded the Taiji Dao Rhythm, countless Dao consciousnesses silently compared and analyzed; having witnessed the Zhe Tian method's direct pointing to the Great Dao's mystery, ordinary techniques can no longer stir their enthusiasm.

This seemingly tranquil preaching gathering is, in fact, a silent clash of two cultivation philosophies.

Master Miao Le gazed at the scene before him, a hint of brilliance flashing in his eyes. The smooth progress of this Human Race venture far exceeded expectations, giving him a few more points of confidence.

Upon arriving at the preaching altar, Zhou Yi had already led his group to line up in welcome. Master Miao Le's eyes swept the orderly venue, and he silently nodded in admiration.

This Human Race co‑leader not only possesses profound cultivation, but also rare humility toward the Tai Qing Sheng Ren teachings; if he can make them a pillar of the sect, he will surely guide the entire Human Race to prosperity.

Since being sent down by his master, Zhou Yi has always treated others with courtesy; not only has he offered no obstruction, but he also personally mobilized three thousand troops to assist the preaching. This sincerity greatly pleased Master Miao Le, and the princess who governs a hundred clans acting thus already demonstrated her stance.

"Your Excellency, carrying out the Saint's command to preach is truly a great fortune for the Human Race," Zhou Yi bowed his hands in salute, while a hundred‑foot plain silk behind him fluttered gently in the wind.

"Princess speaks weightily, I myself am formed from the refined blood of the Human Race, and thus should give back to the same source." Master Miao Le, holding a jade‑handled dust‑sweeper, spoke with a touch of arrogance.

Sui Huang exchanged glances with the elders, a subtle expression crossing his face. Had Master Miao Le not just revealed his identity, the crowd would have almost forgotten that this saint also hailed from the Human Race.

"Today we have gathered three hundred and sixty‑five Human Race elites, all admiring your saintly teachings; we hope you will not withhold instruction," Zhou Yi stepped aside to open a passage, revealing at the rear a young cultivator sitting upright like a pine.

Master Miao Le's gaze swept the hall, seeing the cultivators' solid foundations and extraordinary bearing, and he felt a quiet joy. The selection criteria for this elite unit were already stringent; only those of exceptional talent could join. To impart the Ren Sect's true teachings to such fine material makes the journey worthwhile.

"Princess, your preparation is so thorough, it makes this humble monk seem lazy," Miao Le twirled his technique, and a nine‑layer lotus platform manifested from the clouds, "I only wonder about the subsequent arrangements…"

"The first lecture lasts three days, and there are still twelve subsidiary altars to be opened," Zhou Yi pointed toward the distant mountains, "each subsidiary altar can accommodate ten thousand listeners."

Miao Le's dust‑sweeper lingered slightly in his hand. He had originally planned to follow the master's millennial preaching feat, yet did not anticipate that Zhou Yi had already broken the hundred‑year lecture into a ten‑month endeavor.

Looking at the twelve white‑jade altars faintly visible among the mountains, the saint's mouth curved into a meaning‑laden smile.

Having heard that more than ten preaching assemblies remain, Miao Le tapped his finger on the table lightly: "If, as the princess says, this preaching must stretch across a millennium?"

A thousand years is but a snap of the fingers to a Golden Immortal, but what truly puzzled him was the number of preaching sessions: "Is it that the contemporary Human Race's talent is limited, requiring repeated teachings to truly comprehend the Great Dao?"

Zhou Yi lifted his cup and took a delicate sip of fragrant tea, his expression sincere: "Brother Dao, inheriting the Tai Qing Sheng Ren tradition, your coming to the Human Race to transmit the Dao is truly a Blessing for ten thousand generations. If only the elite are allowed to listen, would that not betray the common folk's yearning for the Dao? Now the tribe has multiplied to hundreds of millions, and they can only receive instruction in batches."

If only the talented are allowed to listen, would that not betray the common people's yearning for the Dao and its methods? Now the tribe has multiplied to countless numbers; we can only receive them in batches for instruction.