Chapter 70: The Third Lecture at the Purple Cloud Palace

In the blink of an eye, two thousand kalpas had swiftly passed.

It was the eighth thousand kalpa of the Great Desolation’s tribulation between the sorcerers and the demons. In the Purple Heaven Palace, the third lecture was about to begin. The Dao Ancestor Hongjun would expound upon the path to sainthood.

Within the Purple Heaven Palace, the greatest powers had gathered. Seven mighty beings took their seats, and the myriad masters of divine abilities arrived in succession.

Suddenly, a radiant light flashed; Dao Ancestor Hongjun appeared above the assembly, seated upon a meditation cushion.

The Lord of Moral Virtue was first to ask, “May I ask, Saint, how shall we attain sainthood?”

Hongjun smiled and replied, “There are three paths to sainthood: proving the Dao with strength, severing the three corpses to prove the Dao, and achieving the Dao through merit.”

“Of these, proving the Dao with strength is the most powerful, as in the case of Pangu, the great deity who opened the heavens and earth.”

“Severing the three corpses is next, which is the method I used to prove the Dao.”

“Achieving the Dao through merit is the weakest.”

The Lord of Moral Virtue pressed on, “How then may one prove the Dao with strength?”

Dao Ancestor Hongjun smiled again: “The essence of proving the Dao with strength lies in breaking free of the constraints of Heaven through absolute power or martial prowess, thus transcending life and death and achieving the Great Dao. Each person’s path to enlightenment is different.”

“For example, Pangu!”

Hongjun continued, “Pangu’s act of opening the heavens and earth is an example of proving the Dao with strength.”

Primordial Lord of Heaven, perplexed, said, “When Father God opened the heavens and earth, he was already a Chaos Demon God, the supreme among them. His act of creation must have had another purpose; how could it have been merely for proving the Dao with strength?”

“It is merely an illustration,” Hongjun said with a smile. “Suppose one of you entered the chaos and, relying solely on your own power, created a great world that only a Chaos Demon God could forge—you would then prove the Dao with strength.”

“In simple terms,” Hongjun explained, “even though none among you have reached the realm of Chaos Demon God, if you can, with the power of a peak Primordial Divine Demon, accomplish deeds that only a Chaos Demon God could achieve—”

“For example, in the chaos, creating a supreme world as only a Chaos Demon God could.”

“Or, with a single strike, unleashing power surpassing that of a Chaos Demon God.”

“Or, comprehending laws to a degree beyond the Chaos Demon Gods.”

All the masters in the Purple Heaven Palace were stunned.

So this was what it meant to prove the Dao with strength?

At the peak of quasi-sainthood, or Primordial Divine Demon realm, to possess power greater than a Chaos Demon God, or to comprehend laws beyond them, or to accomplish feats only possible for them...

Could any mortal achieve such a thing?

Impossible!

Utterly impossible!

“No wonder it’s the hardest!” The three brothers of the Three Purities wiped the cold sweat from their brows.

Such difficulty—even as the Three Purities, it was beyond their reach, completely unattainable!

The Lord of All-Heaven, with keen interest, asked, “Does the Saint possess a method for cultivating the Dao through strength?”

Dao Ancestor Hongjun shook his head, “I do not.”

Then Hongjun elaborated, “The Nine Revolutions Primordial Art mastered by Pangu and the Three Purities, and the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art mastered by the twelve Ancestor Sorcerers—if combined, there is some hope to prove the Dao with strength.”

“So that’s how it is!” The Three Purities and the twelve Ancestor Sorcerers suddenly understood.

Thus, proving the Dao with strength was Pangu’s path, and to tread it, one must cultivate Pangu’s arts.

Even someone as mighty as Hongjun had not mastered such a method!

“A fine path—proving the Dao with strength!” The Lord of All-Heaven, bold and carefree, immediately turned to Houtu, one of the twelve Ancestor Sorcerers: “I am the Lord of All-Heaven among the Three Purities of Pangu. I wish to exchange the Nine Revolutions Primordial Art for your Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art. May I?”

“You may!” Houtu smiled and nodded.

The Three Purities and the twelve Ancestor Sorcerers, before Dao Ancestor Hongjun and countless divine powers, took out their arts and exchanged them.

In the first lecture of the Purple Heaven Palace, the Three Purities and the twelve Ancestor Sorcerers had clashed, leaving grudges unresolved.

Yet now, upon hearing Hongjun say that only by combining the Nine Revolutions Primordial Art and the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art could the Dao be proven, the Lord of All-Heaven and the twelve Ancestor Sorcerers did not hesitate to exchange their arts.

The Lord of Moral Virtue and Primordial Lord of Heaven meant to intervene, but upon realizing that the combination of these divine arts was the way to enlightenment, their efforts quickly ceased.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun witnessed the exchange between the twelve Ancestor Sorcerers and the Three Purities without concern.

For Hongjun knew well: the Nine Revolutions Primordial Art and the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art were only part of Pangu’s path of strength, incomplete. Pangu’s greatness involved other factors as well—merely combining these two arts was far from enough!

The Three Purities and the twelve Ancestor Sorcerers would almost certainly fail.

If they could not prove the Dao with strength, they could not surpass Dao Ancestor Hongjun, so he had no reason to worry.

More importantly, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had already prepared for them a much easier path, countless times less arduous than proving the Dao with strength!

Indeed.

Before Hongjun resumed speaking, the Lord of Moral Virtue asked again, “How does one prove the Dao by severing the three corpses?”

“The three corpses: they are the attachments to good, evil, and obsession.”

Dao Ancestor Hongjun explained, “From the moment beings are born, within them reside three innate evil spirits or base desires, also called the Three Corpse Gods, Three Corpse Worms, or Three Poisons.”

“The Upper Corpse is Pengju, dwelling in the upper cinnabar field, representing good thoughts, from which arise love, compassion, sorrow... making one foolish and draining vital energy.”

“The Middle Corpse is Pengzhi, residing in the middle cinnabar field, representing evil thoughts, from which arise anger, jealousy, murderous intent... causing emotional turmoil and harming the mind.”

“The Lower Corpse is Pengjiao, inhabiting the lower cinnabar field, representing obsession, from which arise greed, pursuit of fame and pleasure... corroding the body and breeding poison.”

“The three corpses lurk within the body, obstructing the cultivator from attaining the Great Dao, and must be severed through cultivation.”

Dao Ancestor Hongjun then began to expound upon the method for severing the three corpses, speaking at length for countless billions of words.

The great powers, upon hearing, understood.

In essence, proving the Dao by severing the three corpses consisted of three steps.

First, recognize the three thoughts of good, evil, and obsession.

Second, seek three innate spiritual treasures, and use them as vessels to sever the three thoughts.

Third, the three corpses must be unified and reintegrated with the true self; merely severing them is not enough. True masters of divine ability have always mastered the seven emotions and six desires—never has anyone attained sainthood by eradicating everything within themselves. Only by mastering the three corpses and no longer being troubled by them can one be called a saint.

After Hongjun finished teaching the method of severing the three corpses, all in the Purple Heaven Palace were enlightened.

Primordial Lord of Heaven, surprised, asked, “Saint, is there anything particular about the spiritual treasures used as vessels?”

“There is,” said Dao Ancestor Hongjun. “If you sever a corpse with a lower-grade innate treasure, the corpse will possess only thirty percent of the body’s strength. With a mid-grade innate treasure, fifty percent. With a higher-grade, seventy percent. With a supreme-grade innate treasure, ninety or one hundred percent. With an innate supreme treasure, the corpse may possess one hundred twenty or one hundred fifty percent of the body’s profound strength.”

“The stronger the vessel, the greater the power of the Corpse God.”

Thus ends this passage.