Chapter 523 – “Dao” Appears, the Dao Hearing Assembly Begins!
by spirapiraChapter 523 – “Dao” Appears, the Dao Hearing Assembly Begins!
The moment Su Xing stepped onto the grounds of the Dao Hearing Assembly, his eyes lit up.
The concentration of Great Dao laws and Dao essence in this venue was over twenty times denser than in the lower realm!
At the same time, just as Su Xing had observed from afar, this ten-thousand-zhang (33.3 km) arena held well over a thousand cultivators!
“Tsk tsk… the weakest among them are Peak Supreme Unity Golden Immortals…”
“In this little arena, Great Firmament Golden Immortals are as common as dirt, and Supreme Unity Golden Immortals aren’t even worth mentioning!”
Su Xing let out a soft sigh. Within this ten-thousand-zhang (33.3 km) expanse, there were several hundred Great Firmament Golden Immortals!
It was hard to imagine—if all these cultivators had survived to later eras, what threat would the foreign races have posed?
“Fellow Daoist Su, look at that statue…”
The Qingfeng Great Firmament beside him pointed toward a zhang (3.33 m)-tall statue in the center of the arena.
Surrounding the statue were ten meditation cushions.
Nine of the ten cushions were already occupied.
Now, only the last cushion remained empty.
And those seated on those nine cushions…
Su Xing’s eyes went wide, his expression as though he had seen a ghost.
“There are… a full nine Saints!”
“The legend of ten Saints coexisting in the ancient period—it really is true!”
At this moment, the nine Saints had each taken the appearance of ordinary people, sitting cross-legged on their cushions in quiet meditation.
Within a hundred zhang (333 m) of the statue, only those nine Saints were present.
But beyond that hundred-zhang (333 m) perimeter, it was a bustling scene.
With a single glance, Su Xing could see that two factions were locked in opposition, seemingly vying for that last cushion.
Anyone with eyes could tell that this final cushion held profound significance—it was surely tied to the opportunity to become a Saint!
At this moment, two forces stood in confrontation on the Dao Hearing Assembly grounds.
One was the “Imperial Court,” a coalition formed by the Demon Tribe, the Dragon-Phoenix clans, and other foreign races!
Commanding several hundred Great Firmament Golden Immortals, with several half-saints leading the charge, their strength could be called the foremost power of this era’s cultivation world.
On the other side stood the Wu Clan, led by the Twelve Ancestral Shamans, along with various mid-tier races—including the human race.
Though the alliance of the Demon Tribe and Dragon-Phoenix clans was more formidable in scale, the Wu Clan was no pushover either.
Among the Twelve Ancestral Shamans, six had already achieved half-saint status.
The remaining six had reached Peak Great Firmament Golden Immortal—invincible among all those below the half-saint realm.
Add to that dozens of Wu Clan members whose strength rivaled Great Firmament Golden Immortals, plus the Great Firmament Golden Immortals from other allied races.
Together, their numbers were no fewer than a hundred—not much weaker than the Demon Tribe and Dragon-Phoenix alliance.
“Fellow Daoist Su… you see how these two great factions are locked in opposition? It’s all for that final Saint seat!”
“Unlike our Innate Sect, which stands above such worldly affairs… we have no need for external aids like that cushion!”
True Fire Great Firmament said with a smile, wearing a lofty expression.
Su Xing’s heart stirred at these words, and he followed up with a question:
“Then why doesn’t our Innate Sect participate in competing for this opportunity to become a Saint?”
The Qingfeng fellow Daoist beside him answered with a smile:
“Fellow Daoist Su, have you meditated yourself into a stupor?”
“We innate beings were born before heaven and earth, blessed with extraordinary gifts… The path we walk is already wide open…”
“Even without the Primordial Purple Qi, given enough time and refinement, we can still become Saints!”
“Don’t forget—our ancestor… is the Dao predecessor!”
As he spoke, the Qingfeng Great Firmament gazed reverently at the statue in the center of the arena.
“In one more month, it will be time for the ancestor to manifest his holy presence… At that time, his divine will shall inhabit this statue to transmit the Dao to all cultivators under heaven!”
“Every cultivator on Mount Zhou will gain something from the ancestor’s voice of the Great Dao.”
“Of course, the positions atop the mountain are the best, offering the most complete Dao comprehension… and among those, the ten cushions are the most prized!”
“After all, with the ancestor’s Primordial Purple Qi as an enhancement… the speed of comprehending the Great Dao increases by who knows how many times!”
“And furthermore…”
The two innate beings beside him went on at length, explaining everything to Su Xing.
In this era, innate beings were few in number—merely several dozen across all of heaven and earth.
Thus they could only be considered a small clan, yet each one possessed astonishing strength.
And innate beings, proud of having been born before heaven and earth, possessed a natural sense of superiority and transcendence, and disdained competing with ordinary cultivators.
The Innate Sect was especially united—each member willing to help the others whenever possible.
“Fellow Daoist Su… look at the nine Saints upon those cushions!”
“Five of them hail from our innate clan!”
“Of the remaining four seats, the Wu Clan holds two—occupied by two Wu Clan Saints who call themselves Houtu and Kuafu…”
“The other two Saints come from the Dragon-Phoenix clans—one from the Dragon Race and one from the Phoenix Clan…”
“That’s precisely why those two factions are competing for the last Saint seat…”
“Although the ancestor once declared that after becoming a Saint, one must not interfere with the affairs of the Pangu World… that’s still a Saint seat! Even without doing anything, having one more Saint is enough to deter others and suppress the situation!”
Su Xing nodded in deep agreement after hearing the Qingfeng Great Firmament’s words.
Now he finally understood why the two great factions were so often at each other’s throats.
“However, I imagine the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master must have joined one of these factions… Otherwise, how could she have proved her Dao and become a Saint several thousand years later?”
“And that Blood River Ancestor… perhaps he’s among them as well…”
Su Xing mused silently to himself, then began scanning the cultivators within the ten-thousand-zhang (33.3 km) expanse.
Before long, Su Xing spotted a familiar figure.
That appearance was unmistakably… Celestial Secrets Girl!
Su Xing’s heart jolted, and he murmured:
“So we finally meet? Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master!”
The moment Su Xing noticed Celestial Secrets Girl, she clearly noticed him as well from across the distance.
“Fellow Daoist Su, do you know that Fellow Daoist Celestial Secrets?” the Qingfeng Great Firmament beside him asked curiously.
Su Xing’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively shook his head:
“I don’t know her. It’s just that woman—she seems rather extraordinary?”
The Qingfeng Great Firmament nodded:
“Naturally so. This Celestial Secrets Girl has been a prominent figure for the past hundred thousand years!”
“She hails from a mid-tier minor race called the human race, yet her cultivation has already reached the half-saint realm.”
“Tens of thousands of years ago, she allied with the Wu Clan, making her a strong contender for the Saint seat!”
Su Xing’s heart stirred—so that was how it was.
Celestial Secrets Girl must have allied with the Wu Clan and ultimately secured that final Saint quota.
So did that mean the Wu Clan would be the victors of this contest?
Su Xing fell into thought.
Meanwhile, the Qingfeng Great Firmament continued his introductions:
“On the Demon Court’s side, there’s also a rising star who’s been a prominent figure for the past hundred thousand years, known alongside Celestial Secrets Girl as the peerless twin prodigies…”
“This prodigy calls himself Blood River Daoist. Rumor has it his true form is a True Dragon, and his cultivation has also reached the half-saint stage. He will represent the Demon Court in competing for the last cushion seat.”
Su Xing’s eyebrow twitched at this, and he quickly located the so-called Blood River Daoist.
“This must be Blood River Ancestor… but this aura—isn’t it a bit too youthful?”
Su Xing frowned slightly.
Blood River Ancestor should have been a figure from the end of the ancient period. By Su Xing’s era, he should have been over a hundred million years old.
At that age, even a Great Firmament Golden Immortal would carry the air of twilight years.
Yet the young man before him had striking brows and sharp eyes, a handsome countenance—apart from a hint of gloom between his brows, he looked like a young prodigy of the newer generation.
Soon, a bold conjecture formed in Su Xing’s mind.
“Could it be… body-seizing?”
It was almost certainly body-seizing.
Because even though Great Firmament Golden Immortals could maintain their youth eternally, if one lived long enough, the aura of decay was unavoidable.
Only through body-seizing, combined with certain secret arts to “live a second life,” could one achieve this effect.
“Tsk tsk, so it seems Blood River Ancestor seized the body of a younger member of the Dragon Race, then re-cultivated to the half-saint realm in a mere few hundred thousand years…”
“If the True Dragon clan discovered this, I wonder what would happen?”
A meaningful smile crept across Su Xing’s face.
The True Dragon clan valued bloodline above all else. If they discovered one of their own had been body-seized…
With the Dragon Race’s current might, even a half-saint would face near-certain death!
“All I’d need to do is expose this information, and the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master becoming a Saint would be only a matter of time!”
Su Xing turned his gaze toward Celestial Secrets Girl in the distance.
If he knew about this, Celestial Secrets Girl should surely have figured it out too.
“It seems she’s planning to reveal this as her trump card at the crucial moment…”
Su Xing thought to himself.
So Su Xing turned curiously to Qingfeng Great Firmament beside him and asked:
“Fellow Daoist Qingfeng, these two factions are competing for the final sainthood slot, but I wonder… how exactly will the competition be conducted?”
There was only one meditation cushion containing Primordial Purple Qi, and only one remaining opportunity to become a Saint.
So in what manner would this contest actually proceed?
Su Xing was rather curious…
Would it be martial combat or a battle of wits?
Or perhaps a comparison of aptitude, resources, and the like — these were all important considerations.
Qingfeng Great Firmament beside him laughed heartily upon hearing this:
“Fellow Daoist Su, you really have been in seclusion too long. You know so little of worldly affairs!”
“The Primordial Purple Qi possesses its own spiritual wisdom and karmic affinity. It cannot be persuaded by force…”
“More often than not, the Primordial Purple Qi seeks its own worthy master!”
“I’ve heard that the Primordial Purple Qi’s recognition of a master seems related to aptitude, or perhaps the likelihood of achieving sainthood?”
“Therefore, both factions each put forward the one person most likely to become a Saint… and whoever receives the purple qi’s approval will naturally be able to sit upon that cushion!”
“Otherwise, even if one were to forcefully sit on the cushion, it would feel like sitting on needles — they’d gain nothing from it…”
Su Xing’s heart stirred upon hearing this. The Primordial Purple Qi actually had such an effect?
The final step of proving one’s Dao to become a Saint was actually just a contest of karmic fortune and opportunity?
“Tsk tsk… well, that makes sense. To cultivate all the way to the Saint realm, even if one’s talent is unrivaled, what matters more is karmic fortune and destiny…”
Having figured out the rules of the Dao Hearing Assembly, Su Xing quietly waited for the assembly to officially begin one month later.
During this period, Su Xing didn’t waste his time either, instead getting acquainted with quite a few “fellow Daoists” at the venue.
Of course, Su Xing’s primary objective was still to strike up a conversation with the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master.
Before the Dao Hearing Assembly officially began, the thousand-plus top-tier powerhouses would exchange cultivation insights with one another, as well as trade and sell treasures.
One had to understand — these were all supreme treasures from the ancient period!
Su Xing looked on with burning envy!
Even with Su Xing’s wealth, within this Dao venue, he could only be considered “moderately wealthy” at best.
There were affluent Great Firmament Golden Immortals selling immortal liquid in quantities that, gathered together, were nearly comparable to a great river!
Mind you, this was immortal liquid as vast and wide as a great river!
If it were in later ages, the immortal liquid of the entire Three Thousand Worlds combined wouldn’t amount to this much…
There were also cultivators selling supreme treasure ores that could even serve as materials for forging supreme-grade innate treasures!
The Immortal-Slaying Gourd, an innate treasure born from heaven and earth — even when wielded by a Golden Immortal, it could slay a Supreme Unity Golden Immortal!
Or there was the Ascension Grass aged hundreds of millions of years — if a mortal consumed a single stalk, ascending to Celestial Immortal on the spot would be no problem at all, with absolutely zero side effects!
Treasures of this caliber were far too numerous to count!
Su Xing watched with burning envy, but with his wealth, even gritting his teeth, he could only trade for a few treasures.
Su Xing traded for a piece of innate sword jade, which could help the Blackice sword advance to the supreme-grade innate treasure level.
A stalk of Ascension Grass aged nine hundred million years — the primary material for refining the Nine-Revolution Golden Core!
He also traded for some immortal liquid to supply his future cultivation needs.
However, over the course of this month of interactions, Su Xing also noticed some strange occurrences.
“The Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master… seems to have lost her memories? Or rather, she doesn’t know who she is!”
Su Xing furrowed his brow deeply, gazing toward the distant Celestial Secrets Girl.
And the Celestial Secrets Girl returned his gaze with a look of goodwill…
Over this past month, Su Xing had tested the Celestial Secrets Girl several times, but she seemed to have absolutely no knowledge of the so-called “later ages.”
Nor did she know anything about the Celestial Secrets Pavilion or the foreign race calamity…
And this wasn’t happening only to the Celestial Secrets Girl!
Even the Blood River Ancestor was the same!
The Blood River Ancestor also seemed to have forgotten his original identity…
Even these two “peerless prodigies” were not familiar with each other…
“Strange… far too strange!”
“What on earth is going on? How could even half-saint level powerhouses lose their memories and forget everything beyond this space-time?”
“But why haven’t I forgotten about the outside world?”
After racking his brain, Su Xing could only come up with one explanation.
That was — the Ninth Heaven, or rather, the mysterious influence of this space-time!
It caused all outsiders who had accidentally entered this space-time to forget their original identities!
To forget everything about the outside world! Turning them truly into “natives” of this space-time!
Even half-saints were no exception!
And when he connected this to the events that would occur three thousand years later…
Su Xing suspected that perhaps only after proving one’s Dao to become a Saint could one recover memories of the outside world.
After all, several thousand years later, the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master descended upon the lower realm after becoming a Saint, clearly having discovered her original identity.
“But… why can I still remember things from the outside?”
“Is it because of the Time Dao? Or the simulator’s effect?”
Su Xing shook his head slightly; he didn’t know the answer either.
However, the fact that only Su Xing knew the truth about this space-time was definitely a good thing!
…
Just as Su Xing was deep in thought, a faint radiance emanated from the statue at the center of the Dao venue.
At the same time, all the Great Firmament Golden Immortals, half-saints, and even the Saints in the venue fell silent…
“The Dao… has arrived!”
Su Xing took a deep breath, clearly sensing an additional trace of divine charm upon the statue.
It must be that supreme being, the existence that called itself “the Dao,” manifesting its presence.
Su Xing held his breath and focused, wanting to see just what kind of existence this so-called Dao truly was.
From atop the statue, waves of grand Dao resonance rang out like bells and thunder, covering the entirety of Mount Zhou.
“I am the Dao. I was born before heaven and earth, and after experiencing the world, I wish to establish the saintly Dao teachings. Those who attain the Dao may prove their Dao to become Saints…”
“All living beings under heaven, those with spiritual wisdom, may come and listen. If any gain enlightenment… it shall be the Dao’s fortune!”
“I open this Dao lecture for a duration of one thousand years. This shall be the final time…”
“As it is said, the Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two…”
As the existence calling itself the Dao began to transmit its teachings, those waves of grand Dao resonance seemed to possess a magical power.
The nine Saints sitting closest quickly became entranced, beginning to contemplate these Great Dao insights.
At this moment, the cultivators throughout the venue displayed varying states.
Those with superior aptitude had already entered a favorable state, gradually beginning to comprehend the transmitted Dao teachings.
Others with mediocre aptitude scratched their ears and cheeks, racking their brains, yet could not grasp the meaning no matter how hard they tried, unable to enter a state of sudden enlightenment…
And clearly, the closer one was to the statue, the faster one could comprehend the transmitted teachings!
Su Xing’s current position in the Dao venue was in the middle tier — neither toward the front nor too far back.
This matched his current level of strength and status.
Before him, the two Great Firmament Golden Immortals Qingfeng and True Fire had already sunk into Great Dao contemplation, completely entranced. Dao essence manifested around their bodies, clearly having entered a state of sudden enlightenment.
“Tsk tsk, innate beings really do have unobstructed paths in their own Dao… what a blessed advantage!”
Su Xing sighed inwardly.
Then Su Xing also attempted to digest the teachings transmitted by the Dao being.
The content itself contained nothing particularly profound.
It was merely what the Dao had seen and heard since its birth, along with its insights into the Dao after traveling throughout the entire world…
If these words came from the mouth of an ordinary cultivator, they would likely be of little use…
But spoken from the Dao’s own mouth, they carried three measures of additional Dao essence.
Su Xing first attempted to comprehend these grand Dao teachings, then furrowed his brow slightly.
“Strange. There’s clearly Dao essence and heavenly principles contained within, so why can’t I comprehend any of it…”
Su Xing’s expression turned somewhat unsightly as he looked at the mediocre individuals around him scratching their ears and cheeks.
His heart sank with exasperation, and he said with a peculiar expression:
“Is my aptitude and comprehension really that terrible?”
Su Xing fell silent. With his level of comprehension, even in later ages he could only be considered average at best.
Without the aid of various resources and talents, he probably wouldn’t be able to comprehend the seventh realm of the Great Dao even if he tried until death.
And cultivators of later ages likely couldn’t match those of this era in terms of aptitude.
It wasn’t that later generations were inferior to the ancients.
After all, later generations had countless years of accumulated heritage, powerful supernatural arts and techniques, and battle-tested cultivation methods that greatly compensated for this gap.
It was simply that in this era, heaven and earth had been born not long ago — it was the age of wild, untamed growth in the cultivation world.
One could say prodigies were everywhere, and every creature born was the crystallized essence of heaven and earth.
For these beings to have cultivated all the way to Great Firmament Golden Immortal, one could only imagine their aptitude.
Even among the human race of this era, cultivators with Super Spirit Roots and Heavenly Spirit Roots were not uncommon.
After all, heaven and earth had been born not long ago, and karmic fortune and the karmic energy of heaven and earth were at their most abundant. Heaven and earth were generous enough to let all people soar like dragons.
But in later ages, after heaven and earth had existed for many long epochs, things were no longer like this era where everyone could soar like dragons…
“Tsk tsk, it seems my comprehension in this era is even worse than the mediocre ones!”
“But no matter… I have a cheat!”
With that, Su Xing produced a Dao-Hearing Pill and swallowed it down.