The Primordial Beginning manifests auspicious clouds, and within these vast, clear clouds, three golden flowers bloom. In the center is a banner, which is none other than the Pangu Banner, one of the Three Treasures of Creation. Beside the banner is a jade ruyi, which is the Three Treasures Ruyi, a magical artifact forged by the Primordial Beginning with the merits of establishing the religion.

Tongtian also manifested auspicious clouds, with five qi soaring into the sky above his head. Within the auspicious clouds were four swords, swirling with killing intent. In the center was a diagram, which was Tongtian's Four Swords of Zhuxian and the formation diagram. On the diagram was a sword that roamed around, which was the Qingping Sword, a magic weapon that Tongtian had forged with the merits of establishing his sect.

The two figures, Amitabha and Cundi, exclaimed, "Excellent!" Auspicious clouds appeared, revealing three golden relics atop Amitabha's head, beneath which rested a lotus platform—the very twelve-petaled lotus platform of Amitabha. A golden light emanated from Cundi's head, within which stood a Bodhi tree, Cundi's true form, connected to the auspicious clouds of Amitabha and Cundi. Within these clouds, flowers, birds, fish, and insects created a magnificent scene, and countless Buddhist disciples emitted wisps of chanting. These chants fully described the wonders of the Western Paradise, inspiring a deep longing and immersion in its beauty. Wherever the chanting reached, it brought tranquility to the mind. The saints and disciples in the hall were all captivated, with only those of profound cultivation able to remain utterly enthralled.

Lao Tzu, his eyes half-closed, opened briefly before closing them again, and began to speak the Tao, the very text of the later Tao Te Ching. Spoken by this sage, it truly possessed a divine quality, blocking out the Western chants and ensuring his disciples were not misled. Yuanshi Tongtian followed suit, each expounding their own Tao, using the power of their own spiritual treasures to keep the Western chants at bay, ensuring only their own disciples remained unaffected.

Nuwa also manifested auspicious clouds, which churned and produced wondrous phenomena, revealing the essence of creation. Within these clouds was a picture, depicting mountains, rivers, flowers, birds, fish, and insects. Nuwa then began to expound on the Dao, speaking of the power of creation. Ultimately, Nuwa was slightly weaker. Despite her saintly achievements, she lacked truly superior magical treasures and could not compare to the combined efforts of the two from the West. Lu Ya, who was behind her, was affected but lingered over the magnificent scenery of the West.

Seeing that everyone had displayed their auspicious clouds, Xuan Tian also displayed his own. The auspicious cloud was chaotic and empty, with turbid air churning. It seemed unremarkable, but this one moment startled all the saints present. The auspicious cloud above Xuan Tian's head was just like that chaos. The wisps of chaotic air hanging down blocked the Western Buddhist chants, which showed how profound Xuan Tian's cultivation was.

Xuan Tian spoke of the Great Dao of Chaos, the Dao of Creation, the Dao of Primordial Unity, which contained everything and encompassed everything. The people present listened with rapt attention and secretly applauded.

After some time, as if they had agreed beforehand, all the saints withdrew their auspicious clouds and closed their eyes to rest.

Seventy Discussions on the Dao at Kunlun (Part 3)

After the sages received Qingyun and stopped speaking, their disciples also closed their eyes and began to cultivate.

Previously, the sages had been secretly fighting amongst themselves, and the two Westerners joined forces to exert pressure, catching everyone off guard. Laozi, with his non-action and defensive stance, and his profound cultivation, managed to keep the two Westerners at bay. Yuanshi and Tongtian were at odds, and although they had powerful treasures to aid them, they were no match for the combined strength of the two Westerners. Moreover, with so many disciples, some were inevitably affected by the Western chants, though not many were, only slightly. Nuwa was less fortunate, partly because she was alone and lacked powerful spiritual treasures, but she was caught off guard by Lu Ya's swaying chants, which led him to later defect to the Western Sect. Xuantian was also alone; he originally intended to help Nuwa, but disliking Lu Ya, he let him be. As for his own disciples, he didn't care about them and they wouldn't be misled by the Western Sect's chants.

Xuan Tian couldn't help but admire Jieyin and Zhunti. In this situation, they caught the other saints off guard and deserved their respect. They were truly bold.

After a while, all the saints opened their eyes at the same time. Laozi looked at Zhunti but didn't say anything. Yuanshi, Tongtian, and Nuwa glared at the two of them but didn't say anything either, though they weren't very happy about it.

Laozi glanced at his disciples, then turned to look at Xuantian. Xuantian was resting with his eyes closed, appearing completely unconcerned. Laozi felt a surge of resentment and turned to Yuanshi, giving him a meaningful look. Yuanshi acknowledged the signal and composed himself.

Yuanshi Tianzun spoke, "Just now we discussed the Daoist arts, and each of us had our own profound insights."

Xuan Tian curled his lips slightly, thinking to himself, "Nonsense."

Seeing that no one spoke, Yuanshi continued, "In the past, Master Hongjun preached the Dao to all beings and guided their cultivation, which was a great act of merit. Since we listened to the Dao at Zixiao Palace, everything we have learned has been taught by Master. We should take Master as our role model and educate all beings. Since Master attained the Dao, we have received Master's grace and achieved the venerable position of immortal saints. We should use our skills to educate all living beings, but we have established our sect for a long time, yet we have not accomplished much. We are truly ashamed of Master's trust." After saying this, he looked at Xuantian.

The others kept quiet and watched Yuanshi's performance.

Xuan Tian laughed and said, "Junior brother, you are mistaken. Since the founding of our sect, the merits of our fellow disciples have been immense. And look at you, junior brother, haven't you also taken in many disciples with profound potential? I believe you have not failed our teacher's teachings."

Yuanshi said, "Senior Brother, you flatter me. Back then, our Master said that we sages should educate the common people, while you, Senior Brother, should protect the orthodoxy of the Xuanmen and safeguard all living beings. Now, Junior Sister Nuwa has not yet established her own sect, while we, her fellow disciples, have established our own sects for a long time, yet we do not possess the depth of your teachings. This is truly unacceptable."

Xuan Tian smiled but didn't say anything.

Yuanshi continued, "Now that the human race is the protagonist of heaven and earth, our eldest brother Laozi established the Human Religion to educate and enlighten the human race, which is a great merit. However, it is not right that the affairs of the human race are now mostly handled by our senior brother Xuantian."

Xuan Tian said, "I am the Holy Father of the human race, and it is inappropriate for me to preside over the affairs of the human race. I protect the orthodoxy of the Xuanmen. If my fellow disciples wish to spread the Dao among the human race, it is only natural for me to do so. My fellow disciples can spread the Dao with peace of mind."

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