Chapter 241: with translation of the chapter title line (the line [1] includes the title

241. Chapter 241: Expounding the Dao will begin, the Mysterious Gate is established, questions and answers.

Another four imperial seals fell in succession, signifying that the Heavenly Court acknowledged the Wu Clan's legitimate status over Xifang Dalu, and the news instantly spread throughout the world.

Previously, due to the qi fortune fluctuations caused by clearing away Rahu's karma, it has now risen again, especially the qi fortune lotus representing the fortune of Eastern beings, which has bloomed several shades more brightly.

However, the qi fortune of Xifang Dalu at this time was not affected; on the contrary, it flourished somewhat.

But thinking about it, it's normal; given this desolate West, not to mention the Wu Clan, even if the three karma-entangled tribes joined, they would make the West's qi fortune somewhat stronger.

Jieyin and Zhunti had long been wandering the Eastern lands, naturally knowing what the Wu Clan were like; they were instantly shocked and rushed straight to the Heavenly Court.

Now, the Wu Clan's joining, while for the West it is also a good thing, is merely short-term prosperity, yet it sacrifices the future.

Regarding this, Jieyin and Zhunti naturally felt dissatisfied, and they had already made an agreement with Mugong and others to have the Western beings cooperate with them.

Seeing that the third Dao exposition was about to begin, suddenly a Wu Clan appeared—how could they possibly accept this?

Furthermore, from the meaning of the edict, Xifang Dalu seemed to be directly under the Wu Clan's ownership; aside from paying taxes, it had no direct relation to the Heavenly Court.

And that ancestor Wu, Emperor Jiang, clearly became a lackey of the Heavenly Court; for profit, he sold his tribe to the Heavenly Court!

Moreover, what Jieyin and Zhunti found hardest to accept was that the Wu Clan, having received the Heavenly Court's edict, could actually influence the entire Western qi fortune.

One imperial edict reduced Jieyin and Zhunti's qi fortune by forty percent; all that lost qi fortune was transferred to the twelve ancestor Wu.

As for the Heavenly Court's action, most of the innate gods felt nothing about it, and even took pleasure in it.

They disliked the Wu Clan, who did not cultivate the Primordial Spirit Great Dao and whose bodies were reeking of foul blood qi; likewise, the Wu Clan's actions were equally displeasing to them.

Xifang Dalu was previously extremely arrogant, relying on the countless mineral veins contained within the earth, actually dared to contend with the East.

Furthermore, there were many practitioners of the demonic path before, and there are still many now; the atmosphere is foul.

Those two from the West were also extremely active in the East, and they didn't care about face, leaving neither a Dao lineage nor any opportunities.

Upon arriving in the Eastern lands, they would start searching far and wide; upon encountering some spiritual objects and spiritual roots, they would beam with joy and return to the West.

Such behavior almost made many innate gods regard them as petty thieves; thus, the Heavenly Court's action, in the eyes of many Eastern innate gods, is undoubtedly a double blessing.

Clearing away those Wu Clan they disliked, while purifying the East, also let them go to Xifang Dalu to have dogs fight dogs, achieving two goals at once.

Moreover, thereafter assigning Xifang Dalu to the Wu Clan would save the subsequent support, avoiding wasteful consumption of manpower and resources, letting Xifang Dalu take the advantage.

After this, unknowingly, it also enhanced the senses of many innate gods for the Heavenly Court, which could be considered an added bonus.

The first thing Dijiang did upon returning from the heavenly realm was to summon all the Wu Clan people, preparing to head to Xifang Dalu.

In order to reach the West quickly, they even sold all the Wu Clan's land at an extremely low price, exchanging it for short-term spiritual objects to sustain the clansmen's consumption.

Over a hundred million Wu clansmen gathered on the plain, their blood qi boiling, preventing even birds from passing; even the gods watching from afar felt a chill in their hearts.

The mighty blood qi mixed with killing aura, accompanying their every move, wore away the lingering spiritual essence in the field, making everyone involuntarily recall the scene when ferocious beasts surged like a tide.

"Such ferocious killing beings are not like us living things; although they possess spiritual intelligence, they are no different from ferocious beasts."

"The Heavenly Court's action, while removing a great harm for the East, nevertheless inevitably carries the risk of raising a tiger to invite disaster."

Yuanshi, although far away on Kunlun Mountain, could also see the Wu Clan gathering; that killing aura filling the sky, shooting straight to the clouds, is why he spoke those words.

Lingbao, however, held a different view, explaining to the Heavenly Court:

"Elder brother, your words are mistaken; although the Wu Clan do not cultivate the Great Dao nor know the heavenly numbers, their actions have never violated heavenly laws and regulations."

"Although we dislike it, this is not the fault of the Heavenly Court; that they could come up with such a solution is already beyond expectation."

"After all, for the Heavenly Court, those who command the vast wilderness cannot raise troops without cause; this is not the proper way."

"Now, transferring them to Xifang Dalu can, while conforming to the Heavenly Court's interests, uphold heavenly laws and regulations and also resolve the Wu Clan's problem; this is no easy feat."

Yuanshi naturally understood the reasoning as well, but people inevitably wish to be perfect; regarding Lingbao's opinion, he did not deny it, and directly apologized: "Third brother's words are absolutely correct; it was second brother who gave rise to deluded thoughts; after this lecture, I shall retreat into seclusion to purify my mind."

Beside him, Daode, seeing this, smiled and said:

"Good."

In the Divine Sky Heavenly Lingxiao Treasure Hall, Qi and the others had already made preparations, planning to first go into Chaos to avoid the upcoming noisy Western duo.

After all, although they were not in Qi and the others' eyes, under circumstances where they did not violate heavenly regulations, a normal request for an audience would be hard for Qi et al. to refuse.

Anyway, there was nothing else to do; leaving would have no impact, and going first into Chaos would also spare them the annoyance of seeing them.

As Qi and the others crossed the embryonic model of the vast wilderness heavens and earth, amidst countless Chaos currents, Qi seemed to see several former companions who had once listened to the Dao together in the the the Zixiao Palace.

But seeing that they did not linger, Qi and the others also couldn't be bothered to call out to them.

Divine light parted the Chaos currents' obstruction; the long-separated the the Zixiao Palace reappeared before everyone's eyes, and although a long time had passed, there was no visible change.

Qi and the others stepped onto the hall, just as when they first saw it, Haotian Jade Pool stood outside the hall doors.

Upon seeing everyone arrive, the two bowed and performed the ritual, chanting:

"The auspicious moment has arrived; I respectfully welcome all fellow Daoists to enter the gate; from now on, upon seeing the wondrous gate, one will escape the net, and the Great Dao will be simply practiced."

Without waiting for everyone to ponder the meaning, the two retreated to the side, and the palace gates swung open.

Haotian Jade Pool again spoke loudly: "This exposition of the Dao, the Threefold Assembly, sees the Mysterious Gate initially revealed; directly contemplating the mystery of the Great Dao, it resolves the doubts of all beings."

"In this Dao exposition, regardless of immortal or demon, and not transmitting to the six-eared ones, the three thousand red-dust guests of the the the Zixiao Palace, upon hearing this wondrous sound, shall ascend to the Great Luo Heavenly Realm and be unlike ordinary mortals."

"In this Dao exposition, not relying on external aids, nor differing from various methods, the three thousand red-dust guests of the the the Zixiao Palace, upon hearing this wondrous sound, shall not fall into the three calamities and six tribulations, nor lose their own path."

"In this Dao exposition, seeking to lose the three poisons and also to endure the three demons, the three thousand red-dust guests of the the the Zixiao Palace, upon hearing this wondrous sound, shall rid themselves of the threefold good-evil attachment, returning to the source and purifying the root."

"In this Dao exposition, entering the Mysterious Gate, the three thousand red-dust guests of the the the Zixiao Palace, upon hearing this wondrous sound, can behold the Great Dao." Haotian Jade Pool's words fell; then, bowing again to the assembly, they slowly retreated into the palace, found a corner, sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and calmed their minds.

Qi and Taiyi, among others, could sense that Haotian Jade Pool's words did not merely echo within the hall, but spread throughout the vast wilderness realm.

According to his words, this Dao exposition differs from previous ones, accepting only three thousand listeners; those who have not attained the Great Luo fruition may not listen.

Furthermore, this Dao exposition is of utmost importance; the Great God Hunyuan established the Mysterious Gate, began lecturing on the Primordial Origin Great Dao, and all who come to listen enter the Mysterious Gate.

At the same time, he will also lecture on avoiding the three calamities and six tribulations, subduing the three corpses, advancing cultivation techniques; and this pertains to proving the Dao—once one has entered the Mysterious Gate, they may listen to the lectures.

These remarks left Qi and the others quite torn, but concerning the method of proving the Dao, they found it hard to bring themselves to refuse.

Qi was even more so; previously, the Great God Hunyuan had given him a promise of an opportunity to prove the Dao.

Although Qi had already determined to continue following the path of the divine Dao, such an opportunity, if not taken, would ultimately be hard to let go.

Seeing Taiyi, Di Jun, and the others turn their gaze toward him, Qi hesitated briefly, then smiled and said, "Why are you all staring at me? You and I have long listened to the Dao lectures; our ties with the Xuanmen run deep. This place is hardly a dragon's pool or tiger's den—how could we not enter?"

Having said that, Qi stepped into the hall ahead of the others, with Di Jun, Taiyi, Fuxi, and Nüwa following in succession.

The many primordial deities still dwelling in the primordial wilderness naturally heard of this; after a moment's hesitation, they all proceeded into the chaos.

In particular, those who had previously been seated on the cushions, having received great benefit from that place, could hardly afford to miss it.

"Elder brother, it appears that from now on the Xuanmen will become the orthodox Dao of the world."

"We brothers have secured a seat; it seems we have no choice but to join the Xuanmen."

"But if we think it through, should the Xuanmen come to control the world's Dao fortunes, our entry—even with the advantage of a prior seat—would still grant us a respectable standing."

"Should the Xuanmen become the Dao sect, its influence would be far from ordinary; by joining we could also obtain a share of the qi fortune, which would be a gain."

Yuanshi pondered the pros and cons of hearing the Dao, which drew the attention of the other two; Morality then spoke:

"We have both been greatly favored by that seat, and this lecture on the Dao concerns the secret of proving the Dao and attaining primordial unity—so we simply cannot miss it."

"We are not like those few heavenly emperors; though we do not know why, we feel we have our own opportunity and seem confident about proving the Dao."

"Though ascetic practice keeps us free from worldly karma, it inevitably deprives us of certain external opportunities; yet now that we can peer into the hidden secrets of heaven and earth, such restrictions are also acceptable."

"Lingbao, ever the progressive, declared: 'Proving the Dao is of utmost importance; wherever there is a law in heaven and earth, opportunities must not be missed. Furthermore, if we inherit the human Dao lineage and his words are true, what harm is there in observing disciple etiquette?'"

"This is something that ought to be done, yet we hesitate; we have received favors from others, and joining the Xuanmen is seen as settled—it is not a wrong path—so why behave this way?"

"If it truly lacks worth, then his words are empty and false; even if it were rebellion, many in the world can discern right from wrong, and there is reason to tolerate it."

"If we find his method unworkable, even if it is true it cannot be adopted as law, yet it can serve as a reference; in that case we might simply regard the Xuanmen as a half‑teacher without joining."

"If there is a request, after repaying the karma we may come and go as we please; this matter is for us to decide, and outsiders' arguments are none of our business."

"We are essentially ascetics; outside gossip and rumors cannot reach our ears, and we can simply let them talk."

"If they later come to understand the true meaning, they will naturally comprehend, and then the rumors will fade away on their own."

"Furthermore, rumors end with the wise; the people we know are not ignorant fools, so they will surely have some speculation about this and will not misunderstand us."

"If so, what place in the the the Zixiao Palace could we not enter? It is neither a trap nor a place of entrapment; the three of us, united in heart, are not bound by external things."

Yuanshi and Morality, after careful consideration, felt that although his words were somewhat radical, they were indeed reasonable, and together they said: "Good, the third brother's words are also very reasonable; in that case, we shall treat him according to his method."

Seeing that the two agreed, Lingbao said no more; after the three exchanged rites, they headed straight into the chaos.

In West Kunlun, Gouhui intended to go into the chaos to hear the lecture on the Grand Dao of Primordial Unity, yet she felt some hesitation, always sensing that this journey would drag her into a vortex.

Although she felt it did not originate from the Xuanmen, it must be related to this lecture; not knowing the source, she felt somewhat troubled.

What she feared most was trouble, especially that dark, startling feeling in her spiritual perception, which made it hard for her to decide.

"Luwu, you have followed me for a long time; you have always been the clearest, with excellent self‑control; now I have some doubts and do not know whether you can offer advice."

As Gouhui's words fell, Luwu, who was tending the spiritual herbs in the distance, turned his head, thought a moment, and without rising replied: "Your words are somewhat excessive, my lord; I merely have a little self‑awareness, I do not deserve such praise, and I dare not act as one who dispels doubts."

However, Luwu has long received your lordship's favor and protection; all his cultivation expenses are provided by you.

Now that you, my lord, are hesitant, you may simply speak a word; Luwu's modest opinions could be taken as a jest to adjust your mood a little.

Seeing Luwu's attitude, Gouhui understood that he had already considered it, and likely guessed the reason for her own hesitation.

Out of respect, she then voiced her inner concerns; although she resented being treated this way, Gouhui still clarified her perplexity.

Luwu, as expected, spoke without further thought:

"My lord, I understand what you have said; here I have three questions for you to consider carefully; if you think them through, the answers will become clear."

"First question: My lord, you are an innate deity, equal to the Great Dao, and you do not lack lifespan; for you, is proving the Dao of Primordial Unity important?"

"Although I am an innate deity and one with the Dao, I am also a cultivator; my aspiration for the Dao is no different from others', and proving the Dao of Primordial Unity is naturally what I seek throughout my life."

Seeing her response, Luwu nodded satisfied and asked: "In that case, second question: For you, lord, although seeking the Dao is weighty, how does it compare to life? Which is lighter, which heavier?"

"Although life is heavy, the Dao is far lighter; I am first a cultivator, a seeker of the Dao, and only then an innate deity; having heard the Dao in the morning, I could die by evening."

Luwu nodded again, with great respect, saying: "Your lordship's resolve to seek the Dao is truly firm; I admire it, but this third question cannot be avoided; please listen to my words."

"Third question: For a seeker of the Dao, the most important factors are heavenly talent, opportunity, and foundation; my lord, consider your own conditions—how many of these do you possess, and can you independently establish a method for proving the Dao?"

Gou Hui immediately fell silent, and only after a long while did he speak. (End of chapter)