Primordial Era: Refusing Hongjun's path to sainthood, I attained the Dao of Hunyuan.

Chapter 123 Yang Mei

"Apart from Xuanhuang who came to Zixiao Palace to see me, everyone else has returned to their respective Daoist temples and entered seclusion for a thousand years," Hongjun added.

The group exchanged glances. Yuanshi and Tongtian were the first to respectfully respond and then left. Zhenyuanzi shook his head, said nothing more, and returned to Wanshou Mountain.

He knew that although Hongjun Daozu was in harmony with the Dao, he was not truly heartless. Therefore, he did not punish him on the spot as he had done to Laozi. Xuanhuang's trip to Zixiao Palace would not be bad.

At most, she would just give Xuanhuang a lecture. Nuwa, on the other hand, thought about it and first returned to Xuanhuang Heaven to talk to the Queen Mother of the West before returning to her own temple.

Xuanhuang had no choice but to go to Zixiao Palace. Upon entering Zixiao Palace, he found that the scenery inside was different from the last time he had been there.

The furnishings here have become increasingly simple, with only a portrait hanging on the wall, which is of Hongjun himself.

That's interesting. Zhen Yuanzi worships Heaven and Earth, but Hongjun worships himself?

Hongjun placed a futon under the portrait, sat on it, and seemed to be resting with his eyes closed.

After Xuanhuang entered, he first bowed slightly to Hongjun, then looked at the ground and saw nothing there.

He took out his own Xuanhuang Fucha (a type of prayer mat) and sat opposite Hongjun.

Hongjun then opened his eyes, looked Xuanhuang up and down, and suddenly said, "Using force to prove the Dao is the most foolish method among all methods of proving the Dao. Although I say it is the highest level, it can also be said to be the lowest level."

"If there were no other way, probably no one would choose it. Only those great beings who are completely unqualified and can only work hard to hone their magical power would choose it to prove their Dao."

"So, I didn't choose it, you didn't choose it, and nobody else chose it either."

"But proving the Dao through force is actually just the outline. Any method of proving the Dao cannot escape the constraints of this method and will be related to it."

Although Xuanhuang was confused and didn't know why Hongjun mentioned proving the Dao through force, he still nodded.

"In other words, your method of reverse proof, my method of severing the three corpses to prove the Dao, and the method of proving the Dao through merit are all actually proving the Dao through force. This method of proving the Dao through force is the Dao of all Daos, the method of all laws, and the source of everything."

Hongjun continued, "However, since it is a method, there are different levels. Those without aptitude can only accumulate magical power, attempting to break through the bottleneck with great magical power and forcibly prove the path of Hunyuan. Therefore, this is the lowest level."

"Those who attain enlightenment through the middle path do so by accumulating merit. Accumulating merit is the fastest way to save time, but it also carries risks. For example, Nuwa attained enlightenment through the merit of creating humanity. If the human race she created were wiped out, her merit would vanish, and she would naturally be demoted from the realm of sainthood, no longer a saint. The key to attaining enlightenment through merit lies in the merit itself; the more merit one accumulates, the stronger one becomes. However, merit is not permanent; it can be lost or disappeared. Without merit, or with diminished merit, one's strength will greatly decrease."

"Moreover, those who attain enlightenment through merit have lower levels of spiritual attainment, and are not much stronger than those who purely accumulate magical power and attain enlightenment through force."

"There is also the highest level, which is to sever the three corpses and attain the Dao. Of course, there are also distinctions in severing the three corpses and attaining the Dao. Those who entrust their obsessions with innate spiritual treasures or even worse things are mostly not very strong. Only by taking the orthodox route, such as Zhen Yuanzi and Laozi, can one achieve true strength. Although Laozi takes the path of forgetting emotions, when the path of forgetting emotions is taken to its extreme, one will become completely emotionless. At that time, he may also reach a realm that I cannot even imagine. In fact, he will not be inferior to me and Zhen Yuanzi's path of the three corpses."

"The reason why severing the three corpses to prove one's Dao is the highest level is because each time one severs a corpse, one's cultivation, magical power, and Dao level will greatly increase. There are no obvious weaknesses. If one proves one's Dao in this way, one's strength will naturally be very strong."

Xuanhuang listened intently, seemingly gaining some understanding, yet he couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Teacher, what about my method of reverse proof? Besides, didn't you say before that proving the Dao through force was the highest level, and severing the three corpses was the middle level? Why is it different now?"

Hongjun smiled and said, "Ultimately, we must give everyone some hope, mustn't we?"

Xuanhuang was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"Not everyone has the same aptitude as you, and no matter which path you choose, you have a great chance of attaining enlightenment. Therefore, proving enlightenment through force is their last and only choice. That's why I say proving enlightenment through force is the highest form of enlightenment, and besides, it's not entirely a lie, is it?"

Hongjun blinked and said, "As for your method of reversal, frankly, it is beyond my ability to judge."

"If before you attain enlightenment, there were still traces to follow, and it was within the Heavenly Dao, a method that could be understood, then after you attain enlightenment and enter the Five Realms, you have actually transcended the Heavenly Dao and are no longer under my jurisdiction."

"I also find it difficult to understand your way of life, and it will become even more difficult for me to understand in the future. Do you understand?"

Hongjun paused for a moment, then looked at Xuanhuang and said, "Actually, you are not the first Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal."

"Before you, there were others who attained enlightenment, but they were only at the level of a Primordial Golden Immortal, not a Saint."

"He attained enlightenment even earlier than I did."

Then, Hongjun told Yang Mei's story. After Hongjun became a saint, he initially thought he was the first to attain enlightenment.

But unexpectedly, Yang Mei appeared at this moment.

The two agreed to meet in the chaos and fought a great battle, in which Hongjun was completely defeated. Whether it was Taoist magic, supernatural powers, or magical treasures, they were all neutralized by Yang Mei.

According to Hongjun's description, Xuanhuang could fully sense Yangmei's terrifying power, his mastery of the incredibly profound Dao of Space, and his complete invincibility.

It should be noted that Hongjun possessed many innate treasures, including the Pangu Banner, the most powerful of the three treasures of creation, which was suppressed and taken away by Yang Mei using spatial magic.

This is like an ordinary person fighting and disarming someone with bare hands, but that was a supreme innate treasure, which Yang Mei was able to take away in the midst of a battle.

It is conceivable what level Yang Mei's spatial arts had reached.

"After Yang Mei defeated me, he drifted away, left the primordial wilderness, and went deep into chaos, disappearing without a trace."

Hongjun shook his head and sighed.

A hint of loneliness was also revealed in his tone.

Xuanhuang thought for a moment and then said, "But teacher, that was when you had just become a saint, wasn't it?"

"If you were to fight him again now, you should be able to defeat him, right?"

"Even if a Primordial Golden Immortal is powerful, can they possibly be stronger than the Heavenly Dao?"

Upon hearing this, Hongjun glanced at Xuanhuang and laughed, "You have a lot on your mind, but these are not things worth hiding."

"My current strength is indeed formidable. It can be said that I am the Heavenly Dao, and the Heavenly Dao is me. My strength is the power of the entire Primordial Heavenly Dao."

"Ordinary Grand Luo Golden Immortals are naturally no match for me; I can suppress them with a flick of my hand, including you right now."

Hongjun said meaningfully, "However, this does not include Yang Mei."

"After that battle, I analyzed it carefully for a long time and came to some conclusions. Yang Mei was probably not a being born from the primordial world, but rather originated from chaos. He might have been a demon god who once mastered the Dao of Space."

"I only suffered a calamity when the Great God Pangu created the world, so I was reincarnated in the primordial world and cultivated the Great Dao again. It is only natural that I was defeated by him."

(End of this chapter)