Kong Xuan put away the golden lotus and landed down to apologize to the Dao Ancestor, saying, "Dao Ancestor, please forgive me. I was not sincere. I hope you will forgive me."
The Dao Ancestor smiled and said, "Disperse. The Purple Cloud Palace will reopen after a thousand years."
Section 27, Chapter 14: The Sage Accepts Disciples; A Miraculous Palace Descends from Heaven
A thousand years later, in the Chaos Purple Cloud Palace, a second sermon was given.
The sage preached the Dao, and the sky was filled with rays of light, countless golden lotuses, birdsong and fragrant flowers, cranes dancing and deer galloping—what a magnificent celestial paradise!
The Dao Ancestor sat high on the altar and said: Before the creation of heaven and earth, there was a chaotic space, existing before heaven and earth. After the creation of heaven and earth, chaos broke, heaven and earth were formed, and the Dao of Heaven appeared. Heaven is both compassionate and indifferent; there is always a glimmer of hope in everything, it just depends on how people seize it.
Above the Heavenly Way lies the Great Way, which is fifty in number, and the Heavenly Way is forty-nine in number. If one escapes, that is a glimmer of hope. However, since Pangu separated heaven and earth, it has vanished without a trace.
The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the origin of Heaven and Earth. Named, it is the mother of all things. Therefore, one should always be without desire to observe its mystery. One should always have desire to observe its manifestations. These two arise from the same source but have different names; they are both called profound. Profound and yet more profound, the gateway to all wonders. The spirit follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature.
Under the Great Dao, Heaven and Earth are the framework, and all existence is part of the Dao. Therefore, the Great Dao is omnipresent, and the Dao itself is everywhere…
The Dao Ancestor's sermons were sometimes obscure and sometimes simple and easy to understand. His disciples would sometimes clap their hands and laugh, and sometimes frown. The Dao Ancestor preached from the chaos of the primordial world, from demons to witches, from the heavens to the earth, from the land to the sea, encompassing all kinds of creatures in the primordial world. In the blink of an eye, two thousand years had passed. All the creatures knelt down and bowed in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Dao Ancestor."
Hongjun smiled, waved his hand, and sent all living beings down from Zixiao Palace to the Primordial Continent.
The Dao Ancestor said to the remaining dozen or so Quasi-Saints, "I will take six disciples from among you."
Upon hearing this, everyone panicked. Only six disciples would be accepted out of more than a dozen people. Immediately, everyone glared at each other, as if afraid that someone would steal their opportunity and their place.
Regardless of what the crowd said, the Dao Ancestor went straight to the point and said, "The Three Pure Ones, you were transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu and possess the merit of creating the world. You may appoint me as your disciples. My eldest disciple is Taishang Laojun, my second disciple is Yuanshi, and my third disciple is Tongtian."
The Three Pure Ones were overjoyed and bowed down, saying, "Greetings, Master."
He also said, "Nuwa, you are my fourth disciple."
Two sentences broke the hearts of more than a dozen people. Zhunti immediately cried out, tears streaming down his face, "Please, Dao Ancestor, have pity on the barrenness of the West and accept us."
Di Jun also said, "Please, Dao Ancestor, accept my brother and me as your disciples. I am willing to use the innate spiritual treasures Hetu and Luoshu as my apprenticeship gift. Please, Dao Ancestor, accept my brother and me as your disciples."
Houtu bowed to the Dao Ancestor and asked, "Dao Ancestor, my Wu tribe does not cultivate the primordial spirit, what should we do?"
The Taoist Ancestor said, "I do not have the same opportunity as you."
Before anyone else could speak, the Daoist Ancestor looked at Kong Xuan and said, "Kong Xuan, do you wish to become my disciple?"
Kong Xuan was stunned upon hearing this. He bowed and said, "Reporting to the Dao Ancestor, I already have a master. If you are not afraid, please accept me as your disciple."
Everyone thought to themselves, "This person is truly powerful. Even when the Dao Ancestor personally asked him, he didn't respond."
Hongjun said, "Alright, since you already have a master, I can't let you make a wasted trip. I just saw that you have a twelve-petaled golden lotus, so I will now give you a twelve-petaled green lotus. You can combine them into a twenty-four-petaled black lotus yourself. Alright, give me the golden lotus, and I will combine them."
The Dao Ancestor accepted the golden lotus handed to him by Kong Xuan, and a twelve-petaled green lotus appeared in his left hand. He shouted, "Hongjun, black lotus appear!" The two lotus platforms gradually disintegrated and merged, and a moment later a black lotus platform emerged.
The Black Lotus has twenty-four petals and is an innate defensive treasure. Standing on it in battle will ensure invincibility, and it cannot be broken except by innate offensive treasures. It can also suppress destiny.
Kong Xuan respectfully accepted the lotus platform and bowed again to thank the Dao Ancestor.
The Daoist Ancestor then said, "Since you are unwilling, then Jieyin and Zhunti will be my nominal disciples, ranked after Nuwa."
Jieyin and Zhunti immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Teacher! May you live a long and healthy life."
Hongjun said, "You may all disperse. Two thousand years later, when Zixiao Palace reopens, it will disappear without a trace."
After leaving Zixiao Palace, the group found themselves in a chaotic mess, dodging and weaving. However, another man stood gracefully atop a black lotus, exuding an air of elegance and nonchalance.
Zhunti's eyes lit up as he stared at the black lotus and said, "Fellow Daoist, what a wonderful treasure!"
That gaze was like that of a woman confined to her boudoir, making Kong Xuan feel extremely uneasy. Kong Xuan bowed to the crowd and said, "See you two thousand years from now," before disappearing in a flash.
As soon as everyone stepped into the prehistoric continent, they saw a point of light shooting rapidly towards the prehistoric world from the chaos. The quasi-saints suspected it was a supreme treasure and hurriedly chased after it.
After Kong Xuan was frightened away by Zhunti, he traveled a million miles in a flash. Before he could relax, a stone came crashing down from the horizon. With a loud bang, the stone shattered, and Kong Xuan heard his master's voice transmission: "Xuan'er, I have thrown the Heaven and Earth Palace into the primordial wilderness. Go and oversee it. I'll find you a junior brother to play with."
The group of Quasi-Saints headed straight for the treasure. When they arrived, the treasure was already standing on the prehistoric continent. It was in the shape of a palace, over a million feet high and over a hundred thousand feet wide. The entire palace radiated five-colored divine light. There was a plaque above the door that read "Palace of Heaven and Earth". Its majesty was no less than that of the Purple Cloud Palace of the Dao Ancestor.
As everyone was about to enter, a voice came from the heavens: "Those who enter my palace and are destined to enter my Yin-Yang Five Elements Life and Death Illusion and Extinction Array and emerge again can become Kong Xuan's junior brother."
The assembled saints were greatly shocked. Why? They saw that Kong Xuandao's conduct was as lofty as heaven and earth, and from this they could imagine how powerful his master must be. Jieyin and Zhunti were defeated, and they were filled with regret. Their expressions were more painful than crying.
In the vast primordial continent, who doesn't know Kong Xuan? Everyone can see that in the center of the primordial world there is a stone tablet called "Primordial World". Leaving aside the inscriptions on it, the lower right corner clearly reads "Guardian of the Primordial World Tablet - Kong Xuan".
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