Yuan Yi once again truly experienced how worthless time was in the Great Desolation, especially to those powerful existences.
Tongtian had told them to settle in first, saying he would be back soon to preach the Dao and expound the laws.
But the next time they saw Tongtian, it was already several thousand years later.
The Daoist who looked like a young man sat casually in the void, speaking of the profound mysteries of the Great Dao and demonstrating marvelous divine abilities.
Yuan Yi, along with the Sanxiao sisters and a few others like Duobao, listened attentively, fully immersed in the Dao realm.
By now, Yuan Yi had also gained a general understanding of the current state of the world.
The era of the three clans vying for dominance in the Great Desolation was history. The battle between the Demon Ancestor and the Immortal Ancestor had already ended. The Heavenly Dao had emerged into the world, and the third sermon in Zixiao Palace was drawing near.
After the second sermon in Zixiao Palace, the ill-fated gourd vine on Buzhou Mountain had already been completely divided up—each of the Three Pure Ones got one.
Aside from that, after the decline of the three clans, the Wu Clan—a group of iron-headed children—had occupied the southern part of Buzhou Mountain. The basic structure of both the Heavenly Court and the Immortal Court was beginning to take shape. These two were currently the largest innate divine factions in the Great Desolation, though neither had fully established dominance yet.
When Tongtian finished preaching the Dao, he looked at them and said, “If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
As soon as his voice fell, someone stood up, ready to ask.
Yuan Yi turned to look beside him. The one who stood up was none other than Yunxiao, who had been sitting right next to him.
Yunxiao’s questions went on for quite a while—she had quite a few of them and had a tendency to dig deep into the details.
She was especially bold. In Yuan Yi’s view, she was a very diligent spokesperson. Her questions basically covered most of the doubts they all had.
After Yunxiao finished her questions, it seemed no one else had much to ask.
“Do any of you still have questions?”
At this moment, Yuan Yi also stood up—he still had a lingering doubt.
“Teacher once mentioned the matter of merit and karmic obstruction. This disciple does not fully understand and humbly asks for clarification.”
Yuan Yi bowed as he spoke.
Since Duobao and the others addressed him as “teacher,” naturally Yuan Yi and the rest followed suit. Especially for Yuan Yi, the term “teacher” actually felt more natural.
“Mm.”
Tongtian casually nodded, granting his request. He didn’t particularly care for strict rules and was rather easygoing, not overly formal.
“When Teacher spoke of merit, you specifically referred to it as ‘Heavenly Dao merit.’ But as this disciple understands it, the Heavenly Dao only revived after the three clans’ war ended. So before that, was it Great Dao merit instead?”
Upon hearing this, Tongtian looked at Yuan Yi with a somewhat strange expression, which made Yuan Yi feel a little nervous. Had he asked something wrong?
But he was truly curious—after all, earning merit was practically a required course for any transmigrator.
And according to the rumors Yuan Yi had heard, there were distinctions between Heavenly Dao merit and Great Dao merit, with the latter seeming loftier and more profound.
Of course, Yuan Yi also hoped to glean from Tongtian’s answer some insight into the relationship between the Great Dao and the Heavenly Dao, in hopes of deducing the nature of the Heavenly Dao and even that of the Dao Ancestor.
After all, the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun had practically become the permanent final bosses of the Great Desolation—top-tier schemers, always lurking in the background. If anything bad happened, it was probably Hongjun’s doing.
Yuan Yi couldn’t be sure of that. He needed to understand more before he could make any judgments.
“But why do you believe the Great Dao would involve the concept of merit?”
Tongtian suddenly asked.
Yuan Yi was momentarily stunned. What did that mean? Why wouldn’t the Great Dao involve merit?
“You’ve misunderstood the nature of the Great Dao. What is the Great Dao? It is the highest, the most impartial, the grandest.”
Tongtian shook his head slightly and continued:
“All things are Dao. All events are Dao. Everything is Dao. Everything you know, and everything you don’t know, all exist within the Great Dao. The Great Dao encompasses everything. Yuan Yi, let me ask you: What is the prerequisite for merit and karmic obstruction to exist?”
Yuan Yi furrowed his brow in thought. The prerequisite for merit and karma?
Before he could answer, Tongtian went on:
“The prerequisite is the distinction between good and evil, right and wrong. Only then can there be merit and karmic retribution.”
Yuan Yi thought about it—it did make sense. Merit is a reward, karmic obstruction is a punishment. Naturally, that required a system to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil.
“But how are good and evil, right and wrong judged? From what standpoint? Your understanding of the Great Dao is too narrow—narrow enough to believe it takes sides, narrow enough to believe it judges things from the perspective of conscious beings like us. That’s your misunderstanding.”
“The Great Dao is impartial. That means it holds no bias—it has no joy, no hatred. The Great Dao is vast and embraces all things. What you consider good and evil, right and wrong, all exist within the Dao.”
“The Great Dao does not distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong. All things are part of the Dao. So how could there be merit or karmic obstruction?”
“If there is a standpoint from which to judge right and wrong, good and evil—that is not the Great Dao. That is the Heavenly Dao.”
As he spoke, Tongtian rarely revealed a hint of emotion—a trace of sighing reflection.
“You have never seen the Great Desolation before the Heavenly Dao’s awakening, so it’s hard for you to imagine how chaotic that world was. At that time, for weaker beings, there was no path to survival. The strong took everything, acted as they pleased, without restraint or consideration.”
Now, even though power is still measured by one’s cultivation and the strong still prey on the weak, the strong now hold back—they have scruples. They no longer dare to slaughter recklessly, for Heaven is watching, for the Heavenly Dao has brought order, and because the Immortal Dao values life.
As Yuan Yi listened to Tongtian speak of the past Great Desolation, his doubts only deepened.
Something didn’t add up—it didn’t match what he thought he knew.
There was no such thing as Great Dao merit? Then what exactly was the Heavenly Dao?
And from Teacher Tongtian’s words, it seemed that the Great Dao had no stance, while the Heavenly Dao did. But what kind of stance was that? Did the Heavenly Dao have a will of its own?
Yuan Yi didn’t doubt Tongtian’s words. His teacher had no reason to deceive them.
As for the possibility that Tongtian himself had been deceived? Yuan Yi found that unlikely.
After all, these innate divine beings were survivors of that ancient age. They were born with knowledge. Their consciousness must have awakened before the revival of the Heavenly Dao. Even Dao Ancestor Hongjun likely wouldn’t be able to deceive someone like that.
Still, Yuan Yi didn’t continue asking.
For one, his cultivation was still shallow, and those kinds of questions were not something he should concern himself with yet.
And besides… what else could he ask? The more he asked, the stranger he might seem.
After all, Yunxiao and the others didn’t think anything was wrong. The only reason he even began to question things was because he’d been influenced by conspiracy theories he’d heard—stories that made the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun the ultimate manipulators. His suspicions were shaped by those preconceived notions.
This was a kind of subconscious bias—and bias often leads one away from the truth.
Yuan Yi examined himself and reminded himself: don’t jump to conclusions.
He had thought he understood the Great Desolation well. But in truth, his knowledge of this world was still incredibly shallow. His so-called insight couldn’t compare to those who had lived through countless eons.
In terms of perception and vision, he simply couldn’t compete. These beings had lived through ages—who in today’s world could be older than these innate divine beings? They should never be underestimated.
More importantly, he shouldn’t overestimate himself either. Otherwise, why would he be seeking the Dao from them in the first place? That fact alone revealed the truth—his mindset needed adjusting.
Yuan Yi’s interest in the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor was largely because the third sermon in Zixiao Palace was drawing near. If things were as the rumors said, then the six Saint positions would soon be determined. Yuan Yi was also beginning to wonder—was sainthood truly a blessing, or was it a trap?
But now, Yuan Yi stopped thinking about it.
He had no right to judge—he knew absolutely nothing about the Heavenly Dao or the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, whom he’d never even met.
His teacher Tongtian and the other innate divine beings—with their understanding of the Dao and the heavens—were far more qualified to make those judgments.
Only by standing at greater heights could one see more clearly and see the truth for what it was. Cultivation was what Yuan Yi needed most right now.
Now that they had received the teachings of the Dao, they had a path forward. Their cultivation could progress smoothly—especially since they weren’t lacking in time.
As his cultivation improved, Yuan Yi could sense that the killing intent tainting his origin was gradually weakening. This was a good sign. He certainly didn’t want to be influenced by it.
Once no one else had any questions, Tongtian reminded them to cultivate diligently—and then, unhurriedly, took his leave.
At this point, less than ten thousand years remained before the third sermon in Zixiao Palace would begin.
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