Kong Xuan returned to the mountain.
Thus, countless eyes that had been fixed on Fuyu Mountain withdrew their gaze.
The Great Yu Kingdom would also dispatch a million troops, a million immortals would march east to Dongsheng Shenzhou, to fight Chi You alongside Xuanyuan.
This news quickly spread throughout the heavens, and great powers from all sides no longer favored Chi You. This was because behind Fuyu Mountain were the ancient demons, the human race of the Great Yu Kingdom that dominated countless worlds, and the Saints of all beings.
Meanwhile, Qing Ling remained in this world, listening to the Dharma.
Xuandu was preaching the Daoist method of purity and tranquility, shaping the hearts of these Daoist disciples.
On the high platform, Xuandu's colossal illuminated form stood before a multitude of Daoist inheritors. His words were pearls of wisdom, his pronouncements countless, carried by the mountain wind through the silent, vast expanse of heaven and earth.
Below the platform, ten thousand people sat in meditation, eyes closed, minds focused. Each bore a unique phenomenon above their heads. Their Daoist robes swayed as their figures remained steady. No incense burned in the mountains, yet a unique Daoist aura, intoxicating and profound, permeated the air.
After three thousand years of preaching, Xuandu ceased. His colossal illuminated form addressed the assembled immortals below: "The mortal world is chaotic, how trivial the heart can be! Today, I shall impart unto you a mantra, known as the Mantra of Stillness.
When your heart is agitated, emotions stirred, your spirit unsettled, and your senses bewildered, recite these words to rectify your mind.
The mantra is: Ice cold for millennia, all things rest in stillness.
The heart should be serene, gazing at my singular spirit.
Mind and spirit unite, energy should follow.
When intermingled, like the rest, remain unfazed by myriad changes.
No attachment, no anger, no desire, no craving.
No abandoning, no forsaking, no striving, no ego."
As the last syllable faded, the colossal illuminated form dissolved into a shower of scattered light, vanishing into the heavens and earth.
The myriad immortals, whether they understood or listened attentively, all rose and bowed respectfully towards the spectral presence of Xuandu, offering the salutation of junior to elder.
The mountain breeze stirred gently, the daylight was perfect, echoing the saying: "The heavens are vast, my Dao prospers daily."
Witnessing this scene, Qing Ling murmured, "The Daoist sect prospers, its momentum unstoppable."
The Daoist sect, in this state, needed only time to grow before its rise. And time was the most abundant commodity in the Primordial World.
The prosperity of any force was never solely due to heavenly will. Heaven's Dao determined the timing, Earth's Dao responded to the location, but the key lay in human effort.
The era of Heaven's Dao speaking with singular authority had passed. The Primordial World was no longer confined to the Four Great Continents; it now encompassed twelve planar realms and the future myriad worlds. The authority of Heaven's Dao had been fragmented by realm lords and held by the masters of the twelve planes. The Four Great Continents also harbored the Five Saints. Heaven's Dao could now only determine the remaining percentage of sentient beings.
As the system and legal framework of the Primordial World matured, the Great Heaven's Dao began to feel that the existence of the so-called Lesser Heaven's Dao was no longer important. The authority of Heaven's Dao would no longer increase.
These changes were not solely the work of Qing Ling, but the combined effort of the great powers of the Primordial World and the Six Saints.
Qing Ling's actions and schemes had all been considered by the Saints, but merely considering something did not mean they were suited to execute it. Likewise, the outcome of doing the same thing would inevitably differ if Lao Zi, Nu Wa, or Zhun Ti were to do it.
Now, with Qing Ling, the suitable person, undertaking suitable actions, how could any of the Saints or great powers, whose wisdom surpassed the heavens, not adapt to the times and circumstances to ensure their own benefit?
The Human Sect founded the Tai Qing Nine Realms. How many Daoist inheritors and disciples could be nurtured within these nine great worlds? In time, these Daoists, upon achieving cultivation, would travel across the heavens, spreading throughout the myriad worlds.
Yuanshi's disciples encompassed thirty-six upper realms and seventy-two lower realms. Within these middle and minor worlds, countless Daoist branches took root. Though the disciples of the Chan Sect numbered barely a hundred, how many sects were there beneath these realms, with millions of followers?
As for the Jie Sect, it was even more extravagant.
Tongtian had dismissed many disciples from Jin'ao Island. Those three thousand direct disciples went forth to travel the heavens, creating countless worlds and an untold number of Jie Sect disciples.
One day, when the golden bell atop Zizhi Cliff in the East Sea sounded, the myriad worlds, countless immortals, would gather from across a thousand realms. Ten thousand immortals would pay homage, not merely ten thousand, but far more.
As for Buddhism, no one had created worlds upon the World Tree. It was one matter that the Three Pure Ones did not permit them into the East, but another was that the Western world already possessed more than enough!
The three thousand worlds that the Dao Ancestor had left in the West in ancient times were formed from the corpses of great powers from the pre-ancient era, even the bodies of gods and demons. That place was vast, grand, perilous, and beautiful beyond measure.
For Buddhism to develop these three thousand worlds would require at least a thousand Kalpas. Where would they have the time or energy to contend in the East and offend the Three Pure Ones?
Therefore, this era was the most peaceful in the Primordial World. With the governance of the Saints and the widespread adoption of ritual and law, this was the most prosperous era for the common people.
However, it was not an era where great figures emerged in abundance, nor where supreme beings were as common as clouds. In later ages, only the great gods of the pre-ancient and ancient eras were renowned and remembered. Where could one find a middle-ancient god comparable to those of the previous two eras?
This was because the Primordial World had been fixed and completely divided by the Seven Saints and the various great powers, leaving no surplus destiny or Dao opportunity to nurture new, world-shaking deities.
Qing Ling thought with a touch of melancholy: "In the future, these old fellows will be one less each time they die. Though new talents will emerge, there will never again be a successor who can reach their heights."
Qing Ling leisurely entered the next world. This world was named the Age-Light Realm, created by a reclusive great power from the primeval era.
He walked into it. The void outside this world was chaotic, time flowed erratically, and even ordinary Da Luo Golden Immortals would not dare to come alone. But Qing Ling was a Saint.
No matter how great the void storms or temporal eddies, they could not stir the robes of this cosmic traveler.
A void figure sat cross-legged at the center of the world, observing the newcomer.
Qing Ling, with some curiosity, smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist possesses a profound secret art, so much so that even I cannot discern your origin. Your void-like form is truly interesting."
From the void figure came a ripple of temporal energy, a method of communication that even ordinary great powers might not comprehend.
"Before the Saint's divine abilities, the void dares not rely on anything."
Qing Ling smiled and asked, "Void? Fellow Daoist was not always this way, was he?"
"Indeed. Once, the void possessed the opportunity of the Great Dao, and was one of the gods and demons. But later..."
The void remembered, once known as Dao Yi, the one who returns to the origin and is boundless.
"Dao Yi?" Qing Ling repeated the name, noting the karmic connection. "Since you are here, may I enter your realm for a visit?"
"Saints are everywhere," the void replied, and its form dispersed.
Qing Ling shook his head and entered the world.
This world was surprisingly vast, larger than any great world he had ever seen, even comparable to the twelve planar realms.
He felt wonder. His primordial spirit scanned the entire world, and his steps unconsciously led him in a certain direction.
Qing Ling stood atop a towering, colossal stone pillar. A massive python, bound by chains, was coiled around the pillar's body. There were ten such pillars, arranged in a circular formation. Within the circle of pillars lay hundreds of thousands of snake corpses.
The snake corpses piled up like mountains, forming an altar. Upon the altar stood a sinister and charming man, his eyes carrying a vicious glint as he looked down at a clean-faced young man in a green robe standing at the base of the stone pillar where Qing Ling stood.
Above and below the stone pillar, both figures wore green.
The difference was that atop the stone pillar, Qing Ling was serene, indifferent to the world and its beings, with the corpses of myriad serpents beneath him.
Below the stone pillar, the green-robed figure was composed and calm, leaning against a serpent's body, walking amidst the sea of snake corpses.
Qing Ling heard very clearly as the clean-faced Daoist beneath him said, "This humble Daoist is Qing Luo."