In a way, this was the first time Lu Xuan had ever solemnly opened the scripture his master had bestowed upon him.

The last time, he hadn’t dared to give it more than a glance, skipping directly to the end to cultivate the Supreme Tribulation Chapter.

But now, Lu Xuan could completely immerse himself in its every word and phrase.

“That which I shall relate is called Daoist Virtue. The first part is the Dao, comprising thirty-seven chapters. The second is Virtue, enumerating forty-four chapters. Together, they form the number eighty-one, to expound the Dao, narrate Virtue, clarify principles, and apprehend the Truth.”

“Today, I shall preach the first chapter of the Dao, transmitting it on behalf of my master to all living beings. All who are destined may come and listen. Should you attain enlightenment and gain understanding, I only hope that you will uphold benevolence and righteousness, observe rites and the Dharma, know the Dao and its Virtue, do good and be kind, bless the world, and shelter the generations to come.”

The old man sat upon the high platform. As he spoke, a gentle breeze stirred, causing his Supreme Daoist Robe to billow. His Supreme Daoist Crown also began to radiate a Pure Light.

Accompanied by the deep shadows drifting about his body and the myriad phenomena that arose spontaneously from Nature, the voice of the Great Dao once again resounded throughout the Celestial Realms.

Mortal beings reacted as one might expect. In reverence of Lu Zi, everyone in Yong City prostrated themselves. Zhao Zheng performed the rites of a junior disciple, lowering his head and bending at the waist. Duke Mu of Qin and Shang Yang also bowed their heads.

The Immortal Gods in the heavens, however, received a tremendous shock!

The myriad beings of the Human World did not know which god or sage Lu Zi’s master was, but they—the gods—could guess. They knew!

Preaching the Dao on his master’s behalf… In other words, he was preaching the Supreme Dao, which was tantamount to the Supreme One himself expounding the Dharma!

The hosts of immortals and gods held their breath and listened intently. Many Wandering Immortals and Gods also secretly hurried over once more, causing the clouds to again fill with shadowy figures.

Even within the West Pole Celestial Court, which had just been grievously wounded and its authority dismissed, the hearts of some Immortal Officials and Divine Officials stirred, and they couldn’t resist the urge to travel to the Human World to listen to the Dao.

However, just as a Junior Immortal Official tiptoed out of the collapsed West Pole Celestial Gate, he was instantly struck and killed by a massive bolt of lightning. After that, none of the Immortal Gods dared to make a move.

「Meanwhile, in the Human World.」

Birds and beasts formed flocks and herds, stampeding toward the city. Old trees pulled up their roots, and a hundred varieties of flowers lifted their “feet,” moving the very earth beneath them as they all converged on Yong City to hear the Dao.

A quarter of an hour later, outside Yong City, myriad beasts and birds lay prostrate, waters from great rivers and seas held shoals of fish aloft as they circled, and countless Immortal Trees and exotic flowers took root, bowing deeply to listen in reverence.

Within Yong City, the old Daoist sat poised in the void. The bamboo slips in his hand were unfurled, radiating a divine glow. He tried to summon the Jade Void Glazed Lamp to illuminate the space around him, but was shocked to find that no matter what he did, he could not call forth the Celestial Venerable Cyan Lamp from his Spiritual World.

The Glazed Lamp desperately resisted his summons. In some distant Daoist Palace, sweat trickled down the Blind Daoist’s forehead.

Lu Xuan was somewhat surprised but didn’t dwell on it. He decided not to force the issue with the Cyan Lamp and instead opened the Acupoints in the palms of his hands.

He used the Postnatal Great Sun from within his Peach Blossom Spring and the Innate Taiyin Star from the other world he had created, weaving their light into a profound radiance that washed over him in a fusion of Yin and Yang.

Only then did he begin his sermon.

“The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth. The named is the mother of the myriad things….”

The moment he began to speak, myriad wonders manifested all at once. The people and spirits throughout the city, and the Immortals and Buddhas in the heavens, all craned their necks to watch. They smiled and sighed in silent wonder, finding it all incomparably profound.

“Therefore, ever desireless, one perceives its subtle wonders. Ever desiring, one perceives its outer manifestations….”

The old Daoist spoke very slowly. Each word by itself sounded plain and unremarkable, but as he read them from the bamboo slips that transcended all realms and heavens, each one required immense effort to pronounce.

Uttering a single word encompassed myriad principles. Every time he slowly opened his mouth and painstakingly spoke a word of the Dao, it would completely drain Lu Xuan of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Yet, the moment the word was fully uttered, Heaven and Earth would be moved to respond. They would not only replenish Lu Xuan’s depleted Essence, Qi, and Spirit but also bestow upon him vast fortune and an Innate divine radiance that cleansed his body and soul!

With each word that was spoken, a vast phenomenon would manifest. It might be the sight of two dark cosmoses standing side by side, the mountains and rivers of the world rising and falling, or the stars of the firmament colliding…

A single character, a single vista, a single truth. A single word, a single thought, a single heaven and earth.

“These two emerge from the same source, yet are different in name. This sameness is called the Profound. Profound and yet more Profound, the gateway to all wonders.”

The final sentence alone took a full twenty hours to utter.

And so, the first chapter of the *Dao* section, composed of eighty-three magnificent words, was finally complete after sixty-one hours—a total of two days and thirteen hours.

Eighty-three words manifested as eighty-three vast phenomena, stretching from East to West, from South to North, from the Celestial Court to the Human World, from the Human World to the Underworld, and from the Underworld up to the Thirty-Three Layers of the Glorious Celestial Vault.

The city’s populace and the beings outside remained silent and unmoving for two days and thirteen hours. The people felt neither hunger, thirst, nor fatigue. On the contrary, they were full of vigor, and a profound light surfaced on their skin.

Outside the city, the birds, beasts, and fish, along with the myriad flowers, trees, and grasses, had all become lush and verdant, brimming with Spiritual Light.

As for the assembled immortals, gods, buddhas, and ghosts listening quietly in the heavens, regardless of whether they harbored goodwill or enmity toward Lu Xuan, they all praised him in unison:

“We have benefited greatly from the Master’s sermon! Praise be to the Supreme! Praise be to Profound Clarity!”

All who heard this sermon benefited greatly.

Lu Xuan reluctantly put away the bamboo slips. He could feel the dense Innate Material now suffusing his body and the cosmic fortune that had been invisibly bestowed upon his True Spirit. A faint smile graced his lips.

At his smile, the myriad flowers, trees, and grasses outside the city burst forth with divine radiance.

Amidst the profound silence, Lu Xuan put away his Three-Five Evil-Slaying Sword. Holding the bamboo slips of the Tao Te Ching, he descended from the high platform without a sound, careful not to disturb the living beings still immersed in the Profound Mysteries.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep