Chapter 318: Master Xu Lectures on the Dao: Sevenfold Explanation of the Lingbao Dao Scripture

Xu Jia took the essence, which was merely a streak of purple cloud light, and said: "This baleful creature already possessed the Divine Immortal Dao realm and a thousand years of cultivation; it knew well the Dao of form and formlessness, so why was it still obsessed with the Outer Path?"

"Perhaps it was all an empty illusion, lacking a heart?" Mu Xi Fairy said: "Humans have human hearts, beasts have beast hearts. It was transformed from a mass of cloud light and mist, gaining a scene projected from elsewhere; it originally possessed nothing of its own, merely borrowing from the outside."

"Even if it had a heart, it was only a void heart, an illusory heart, having never attained a true heart, a sincere heart."

"If one views the world with a sincere heart, one can also discover a sincere heart; if one treats it with a false heart, one ultimately only gains a false heart. It was obsessed with delusions, and what it saw—a single floor of Mirage Scenes—was, in the end, nothing more than those few scattered things."

Having said this, Mu Xi Fairy added: "You see people this way, and people see you this way; it is nothing more than that. You say it is difficult to fathom its heart, but is it not also difficult to fathom yours and mine?"

"Everyone has things they love and things they hate. What the eyes see is not necessarily true, or rather, some people can only see what they want to see, just finding an excuse to vent. I was the same before; once a thought of the mortal heart stirred, but is the mortal world really that beautiful?"

"It is good to understand clearly; it is good to resolve the ignorance and delusions." After Mu Xi Fairy spoke, her spiritual nature held the Muxie Danzhan and stepped into the depths of the Dharma Realm, leaving behind only a withered Muxie Huashu in place.

Xu Jia looked toward the depths of the Dharma Realm, but could see nothing, as if it were another layer of time.

Perhaps there was a path prepared specifically for Mu Xi Fairy, just like the dark, long path with a light in the distance that everyone sees before they die.

Stepping onto this path, one can see the past, as if returning to childhood, arriving at the most familiar place, with the most familiar and beloved people coming to meet oneself.

Perhaps the path to becoming an Immortal is also like this.

Xu Jia lowered his eyes, and the lion beneath him turned around, carrying Xu Jia as it ran through the air.

Although Mu Xi Fairy had refined the Mirage Essence into rootless immortal water to nourish the world and extinguish the hunger-fire emitted by the hungry ghosts on the earth, she had not eliminated the hungry ghosts themselves.

Moreover, since the Mirage Dragon had done this, how could there be no consequences? Aside from the disastrous rain it caused in the north, the Earth Qi in the southern lands had been sucked away, turning them into barren wastes; how could this be resolved simply by returning it?

Even adding the essence of the Mirage Essence caused damage to the earth itself. Furthermore, the Resentment Qi and Evil Qi of those hungry ghosts—even though Xu Jia had settled the million hungry ghosts within his Inner Landscape—still required a solution.

Therefore, Xu Jia sat upon the nine-headed lion, running diligently day and night for three days and three nights, as if fighting a fire to save the world from disaster.

Upon arriving at each place, he first detained the local deities. The evil gods were detained, immediately executed with a sword, their altars and temples destroyed, and their spiritual natures captured to be used as offerings to Heaven and Earth, restoring a little bit of balance. If there were True Gods, he would record their names and assign them tasks; if they did not complete them, there would surely be subsequent punishment.

Do not ask why he was so compassionate one second and like a harsh Personnel Official the next; if asked, it was the exercise of the Heavenly Master's Quanshen.

Xu Jia had now entered the realm of the Divine Immortal, with a thousand years of Daoist Practice. Although he had just entered the Pure Yang stage and had not yet been refined and polished, he might become tarnished in the future and regress.

There is a saying: gold is not perfectly pure, and no person is perfect. Perhaps 99.9 is the standard for pure gold, but to refine a Yang Spirit, that final bit is the key.

But that was also the Yang Spirit, reaching the standard for ascension—a level of merit Xu Jia had not reached even in his previous life.

Coupled with the nine-colored, five-headed lion beneath him, it was as if the Savior Heavenly God had arrived in person. Xu Jia made a great vow, like the Dharma body of the Savior Heavenly God in the Form Realm, and he also held the status of the Heavenly Master.

If these local deities did not listen to Xu Jia, were they to listen to the demons and ghosts from elsewhere? Fortunately, the various local deities were very obedient. Most of the deities in the Form Realm were Ghost Gods, or had been upright officials or loyal and brave generals during their lifetimes; they were not all "selected students" sent down from Shangjie, nor were many of them demoted from above.

Xu Jia taught them to handle matters well, which was also a way of urging them in the Dao of being a god; otherwise, if they were all negligent and scattered, lacking rules, it would be difficult to accomplish great things.

After finishing these tasks, the nine-headed, five-colored lion returned to the Dharma Realm, went back to Qinghua Jie, and vanished; Xu Jia lost his Heavenly God experience card.

After Xu Jia landed, he saw that the Dharma assembly was still being held. It turned out that when they saw Xu Jia leave the altar, they feared he had met with misfortune, so they dared not slacken, chanting scriptures and mantras day and night. When hungry, someone would bring steamed buns or noodles; when thirsty, they would drink hot water, taking turns in shifts day and night.

Although most had low Daoist Practice, their sincerity was enough to move heaven and earth. Xu Jia's ability to turn the tide and resolve the disaster perhaps had a part played by their wishes.

Xu Jia then sat on the ground and lectured on the Dao: "That you all still persist here means you have a Karmic Connection to enter my sect. In my sect now, regardless of the roots or order of sentient beings, as long as one holds a single good thought, makes a single good vow, and practices this path, there will surely be an echo to every thought and a response in every place."

"Today I preach the Great Dharma Scripture. There is no seating order; those who attain it first come first. Those who hear the Dao first shall enter the sect first and may be listed as Outer Disciples; the rest shall be registered disciples."

Having said this, Xu Jia used wisdom to enlighten them. He opened his throat god, tongue god, and even his tooth god and lip god. As he spoke, golden lotuses gushed from the ground, giving rise to all kinds of wondrous appearances.

The deities of the whole sky circled, and the million hungry ghosts in his belly, having become feathered heavenly beings, could also hear the scriptures and Dao treasures.

Xu Jia lectured on the Dao for the first time to awaken the self-nature; the second time to explain the relationship between self-nature and worldly human ways; the third time to explain the relationship between human ways and Heaven and Earth; the fourth time to explain the connection between man and Heaven and Earth; the fifth time, he discarded all concepts to explain the relationship between Heaven and Earth and the Great Dao; the sixth time to explain the relationship between man and the Great Dao; the seventh time, how to practice the Great Dao...

Perhaps some people lecture on the Dao like an antelope hanging by its horns, testing one's comprehension, but Xu Jia's lecture was simple and easy to understand, good at using metaphors, and he did not fear that anyone would fall asleep while listening.

Although in later generations, those university students—no matter if you were an Academician, a big shot, or a sect leader—would just be there to make up the numbers and scroll on their phones when holding a lecture.

But after all, some things, if you can listen, you can listen; if you can't listen, forcing it in is useless.

During the first lecture, many people's eyes shone with golden light, nodding frequently, feeling they were verifying it themselves, because people know a little bit about themselves, and realizing one's self-nature is actually very simple, but it is hard to change one's nature, and correcting it is very difficult.

During the second lecture, most also felt it was correct, because the worldly human way is an Alchemical Furnace that can refine self-nature into a Golden Core. There are Eight Sufferings and three disasters; they perhaps had also experienced them—where is there not a tribulation, where is there not a difficulty?

But by the third lecture, very few people could understand, let alone the following four, five times.

Some scratched their ears and cheeks, some frowned in deep thought, some shed tears and sobbed... it is impossible to describe them all one by one.

After the lecture, a layer of enlightening clear light appeared behind Xu Jia's Primordial Spirit; although it was of no use, it looked quite good.

"Today's Dharma assembly is concluded. Everyone disperse together and prepare for the affairs of autumn and winter. This is a troubled autumn; you will still need to resolve difficulties and escape tribulations in the future, follow this poor Daoist to seek the Great Dao, and walk the world together."

(End of chapter)