Chapter 155: The Second Lecture Begins

The crisp and resonant sound of a Go stone falling still echoed deep within the Zixiao Palace.

The two figures maintained serene expressions, placing their stones without a moment of hesitation, naturally clear on the profound mysteries contained within.

"Now that things have reached this point, why does Daoist Friend still not go to expound the Dao?"

The sound of the Daoist's stone falling gradually slowed. Without looking at Hongjun, a hint of a smile played across his features:

"Since you have released all of them, the matters of the past have reached today, and it is indeed time for them to conclude."

"Naturally, as Daoist Friend says."

Hongjun raised his eyes to look at the drifting whisk in the air, his expression entirely detached. With a wave of his hand, he gathered it completely back. His gaze remained hollow, looking toward some unknown destination:

"Yet this game of chess, must you and I truly leave it unfinished? After all, Daoist Friend drifts like a tumbleweed, and I fear we know not when we might meet again next."

"Mental energy is limited, mental energy is limited indeed. No matter how the game is played, I will always find a sliver of vitality. Why must you persist in contending with me here for victory or defeat?"

The Daoist glanced up at Hongjun, his gaze returning once more to the chessboard. His voice grew deep and solemn, every word deliberate:

"Could it be you thought this poor Daoist could not perceive that you wish to use this to plant another move, attempting to draw me into your scheme and retain my karmic luck?"

Hearing this, Hongjun's expression did not change in the slightest. He merely placed another stone. Across the cross-hatched board, the hundreds of stones seemed to form a massive array, devouring everything in the surrounding vicinity.

Yet with a flick of his long sleeve, he scattered all the white stones away entirely. Gazing at the black stones left upon the board, no one could guess what thoughts churned within his heart.

"Since Daoist Friend has spoken thus, I fear this move of mine can no longer keep you here. There is no need to deploy such methods."

As these words left his lips, it was half a sigh and half not, carrying an unnameable tone.

And when one looked once more at that sequence of black stones, every single one of them shattered into pieces, and the Daoist's figure vanished without a trace.

Left behind in that space was only a single, slender, emerald-green willow leaf.

"Another debt of karma settled."

Hongjun allowed the willow leaf to slowly fade and wither away before his eyes.

Ultimately, it melted seamlessly into the fabric of space without causing the slightest ripple. Yet the moment his words fell, his own figure had already vanished from this place.

......

"The Great Dao that I have comprehended—if I were to harvest insights from ordinary debates, even sitting in quiet contemplation for an entire eon would not yield as much as this single session of discussing the Dao with a supreme being like you, Brother Dao."

Red Cloud transmitted his voice to Zhenyuanzi, a trace of awe underlying his tone.

Indeed, the truth was just as he felt; such profound comprehension of the Great Dao was entirely beyond his imagination.

Perhaps other Da Luo immortals in the Primordial World had their own moments of enlightenment, but such occurrences felt more like fleeting opportunities of destiny, entirely dependent on chance rather than will.

"Quite so. The logic within this is truly difficult to put into words for outsiders to comprehend. Merely from what I myself have realized..."

Zhenyuanzi spoke to this point, seeming to sense something. He abruptly stood up and fell silent, closing his eyes.

Red Cloud too perceived the shift in the ambient aura. His heart tightened slightly, and he straightened his posture, bowing respectfully.

Clang—

Reclining high upon the nine-fold clouds, the cattail mat reveals the truth of the Dao.
Outside the mysterious depths of Heaven and Earth, I shall reign as the honored master.
Pangu gave birth to the Supreme Polarity, the Two Modes and Four Images revolve in turn.
The supreme leader of the profound gate, a single breath transforms into Hongjun.

Following this slightly muffled chime, the echoes of the Great Dao resounded throughout. Prompted by the aura they had already sensed, the remaining Da Luo immortals also rose to their feet, their expressions filled with utmost reverence.

Flanking the high cloud dais, Jade Pool and Haotian did not need to raise their eyes; their young faces turned solemn as they proclaimed in unison:

"Respectfully welcoming Master!"

Down below, the assembly of Da Luo immortals on their cattail mats, including Red Cloud, felt the profound pressure in the air. Their hearts tightened, expressions turning reverent as they bowed deeply in salute:

"Respectfully welcoming the Sage!"

"Arise!"

Daoist Hongjun did not deign to look at the assembly of Da Luo immortals below. He seated himself firmly, and streams of wondrous auspicious phenomena immediately began to surge around him:

"Countless ages have passed since the primordial chaos first opened, yet never has there been a gathering for expounding the Dao quite like this.
This marks my second discourse, and the subject shall remain the Three Thousand Great Dao of the Primordial World.
The three thousand can be viewed as void, yet they can also be viewed as reality; they are simply the Great Dao itself."

When these words fell, the eyes of the gathered Da Luo immortals flickered with varying degrees of yearning. They lowered their heads once more, speaking no further.

Seeing this, Hongjun unusually let his voice grow heavy:

"Yet paths differ, and naturally, comprehension differs just as well.
Just as the Dao has no concept of first or last, yet realization of the Dao has its precedence, before entering this Zixiao Palace, I employed certain means to test your comprehension of the Great Dao.
Yet to my dismay, I found that the Great Dao had withered to such an extent."

Hearing this, the assembly of Da Luo immortals felt a sudden flash of divine inspiration. They spoke as one, their emotions far heavier than before, lowering their bodies into even deeper bows:

"We beseech the Sage to instruct us."

"Arise, arise."

The moment Daoist Hongjun uttered these words, the supreme beings all felt their bodies momentarily slip beyond their control, guiding them to seat themselves back upon their cattail mats.

Seeing this, he lightly waved the whisk in his hand. The vital breath of the Great Dao diffused outward, instantly filling every corner of Zixiao Palace.

"I successfully crossed the heavenly tribulation and fortuitously attained sagehood. Knowing how difficult it is to encounter such destiny, and how wondrous the Heavenly Dao truly is, I could not bear to see the path forward cut off.
Therefore, I have used my own Dao to cultivate the Great Dao, evolving it into the Dao of Sagehood.
A Sage is both a fixed destiny and a variable. To step into this realm is immensely difficult, rarely witnessed since the splitting of the primordial chaos.
Yet if you follow my method of attaining the Dao through the Quasi-Sage path, a sliver of hope remains. Now that the timing is ripe, I shall impart it today."

As his voice faded, the supreme beings within Zixiao Palace felt their hearts shake. Before stray thoughts could even form in their minds, the wondrous destiny jade plate above Daoist Hongjun's head was raised, and infinite light of the Great Dao surged forth to permeate the entire hall.

Following closely behind was the sound of the discourse, flowing directly into their minds:

"The Great Dao numbers three thousand, yet the Dao does not end there.
The Dao is endless; how could it ever have a numerical limit?
What is the Dao?
The Dao is simply the Dao. The Heavenly Dao evolves, bound by rules, yet remaining beyond those rules.
What is the Self?
The Self is simply the Self. Myriad living beings break free from the Primordial World, yet remain within the Primordial World.
What is My Dao?
As the saying goes: where the Heavenly Dao is deficient, I shall mend it. My Dao is to practice mending the Dao with the Dao; I am the Dao itself!"

......

One verse after another of the expounded scriptures poured directly into the sacred space of Red Cloud's spirit altar, leaving him entranced and intoxicated.

Those profound principles of the Great Dao that he had previously failed to master suddenly became entirely transparent in this moment.

Not only that, but within his perception, the distance between himself and the Primordial Great Dao seemed to have grown infinitely closer.

Though Zixiao Palace resided within the chaos, it felt as though it were enveloped outside the Primordial World—a phenomenon defying simple explanation.

Yet the only thing that became crystal clear to him was this: this was undoubtedly the closest he had ever been to the Great Dao.

He drifted in a hazy state of comprehension, but in the next instant, he felt as though a red-hot iron block had been hurled into a world of ice and snow. The instantaneous contrast jerked him back to awareness.

He was still being cleansed by the sound of the Great Dao, but on an impulse, Red Cloud raised his eyes and looked up toward Daoist Hongjun upon the cloud dais.