Chapter Six: The Celestial Sermon

Tongtian glanced at the sky; today the weather was fine, perfect for giving a lecture. Clearing his throat, he settled upon the meditation cushion and began to speak: “The Way that can be spoken is not the constant Way. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

Nameless is the origin of heaven and earth; named is the mother of all things.

— Dwell in goodness as the earth does, be deep in heart as an abyss, show kindness in your dealings, speak with trust, govern with order, act with ability, move at the right time.

— There is a thing, formless yet complete, that existed before heaven and earth. Silent, boundless, ever unchanging, it moves in cycles never exhausted—it may be called the mother of all under heaven.

I do not know its name; I force myself to call it the Way, and if pressed, call it Great.

Great means ever-moving, ever-moving means far-reaching, far-reaching means returning.

Therefore, the Way is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and so is humankind. Within the universe, there are four greats, and humanity is one among them.

Humans follow the earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Way, and the Way follows what is natural.”

Tongtian’s lecture was gentle and unhurried, yet to the assembled listeners, his words contained the supreme truths of the Dao—profound and unattainable. They began to meditate upon them, some even writing on the ground what they could not remember, for only they themselves could decipher their marks.

Unconsciously, Tongtian found he had finished teaching the Dao De Jing. As he spoke and they listened, a sense of fulfillment welled up in his heart. It seemed there were more people present than before. Looking closely, weren’t those his two elder brothers? They too were now immersed in understanding the Dao.

Laozi and Yuanshi slowly opened their eyes and looked toward Tongtian.

“We were meditating on the cliff when suddenly we heard the sounds of the Dao reverberating from heaven and earth. At once, we knew it was you preaching, so we hurried over. Seeing you so deeply engaged in the Dao, we dared not disturb you and simply found a place to quietly listen.” As Tongtian glanced over, they rose and, forming an incantation, flew to his side.

At that moment, the sky suddenly burst into radiant clouds, even the sun shining brighter in response.

The heavens were ablaze with multicolored light, and white lotuses blossomed from the earth. Witnessing this, the living beings below hastily knelt in worship and prayer.

A Dharma Wheel appeared, exuding an overwhelming sense of awe and oppression—a sign of immense power and reverence. This was the Dharma Wheel of Heaven. The Three Pure Ones thought as one.

Facing its oppressive presence, the Three Pure Ones straightened their backs, for they bore an old grudge with Heaven.

Pangu the Great had slain three thousand demon gods and could have attained the Dao, but Heaven intervened, causing Pangu’s death and the creation of the wilderness from his body. In his wrath, Pangu had taken up his great axe and battled Heaven, striking again and again, eventually sacrificing himself to form the world, leaving Heaven gravely wounded.

The Dharma Wheel of Heaven gazed at the Three Pure Ones, then withdrew its aura and slowly descended, bestowing merit from the sky.

At the same time, the content of the Dao De Jing that Tongtian had just taught was transmitted by Heaven to every corner of the primeval world. Countless beings ceased their mundane labors and sat in stillness to comprehend its wisdom.

Even the Eastern Ancestor wondered: who was this extraordinary sage? The black-robed elder of the West was even more shaken—this person must surely become my greatest rival.

Now the “teacher” of all beings in the world, Tongtian was overjoyed. Watching the Dharma Wheel of Heaven turn in the sky, he thought: one day, I’ll have you spinning beneath my feet like a wheel of wind and fire.

Tongtian felt a surge of pride.

Once Heaven had finished disseminating the Dao De Jing, it promptly bestowed merit.

Merit is a wondrous thing: it is the fruit of virtue, able to break the bonds of life and death, attain nirvana, and deliver all beings. Good deeds are named as such, and thus we call it “merit and virtue.”

Merit can dispel karmic debts, purify one’s soul, and even raise one’s level of cultivation.

A vast amount of merit descended upon the Three Pure Ones. At that time, they were united as one, so Laozi and Yuanshi received their share, though it was less than Tongtian’s.

As this boundless energy filled his body, Tongtian found that the supreme truths he’d once only dimly grasped now became clear, and his power soared. He advanced from the late stage of Celestial Immortal to its peak, then to Early Profound Immortal, Middle Profound Immortal, Late Profound Immortal, until he finally stabilized at the peak of Profound Immortal.

Laozi and Yuanshi also reached the middle stage of Profound Immortal. This was the first time since their birth that Tongtian had surpassed his two elder brothers, and he was thoroughly pleased.

Once the merit had been bestowed, the Dharma Wheel of Heaven departed. By rights, it should not have let the Three Pure Ones off so lightly—it ought to have vented its anger, at least. But the Great Way had already warned the Dharma Wheel of Heaven that it was not yet time for the Three Pure Ones to emerge, so it abandoned its plan for vengeance.

One might wonder why the great merit for teaching the Dao at the beginning of time granted so little power. The main reason was Tongtian’s limited understanding of the Great Way—after all, how could a playful soul truly grasp the profound principles of the Dao?

Suddenly, Tongtian sensed something within his body about to emerge. Not knowing what it was, he barely had time to bid Laozi and Yuanshi farewell before transforming into a streak of light and flying back to his chamber of enlightenment. When he opened his palm, he was stunned, then broke into a knowing smile.

At the dawn of chaos, when all was formless and life yet to arise, heaven and earth were one. In their midst, a single Chaos Green Lotus was nurtured, with five leaves, twenty-four petals, and a single seed.

After countless eons, the seed split open, and within the great egg nurtured by the Chaos Green Lotus, Pangu the Great was born. Later, as Pangu split heaven and earth, the Chaos Green Lotus protected him in his battle with the three thousand demon gods, and in the end, it transformed into four lotus seeds: the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit, the Twelve-Petaled Red Lotus of Karmic Fire, the Twelve-Petaled Black Lotus of World-Destruction, and the Twelve-Petaled Blue Lotus of Creation.

The Golden Lotus of Merit became the treasure of the Guiding Sage: seated upon this lotus platform, nothing could harm him, and it became the object anchoring the faith of the Western Sect. This was a primordial spiritual treasure, but during the great calamity of Investiture of the Gods, the Mosquito Daoist devoured three petals, and it became the Nine-Petaled Lotus Platform, diminishing its power.

The Red Lotus of Karmic Fire belonged to the Ancestor Minghe of the Blood Sea. It could burn karma into karmic fire, serving both offense and defense, reducing enemies to ashes.

The Black Lotus of World-Destruction was acquired by the Demon Ancestor Rahu. It could absorb violent and destructive energy, negative emotions, killing intent, and evil qi from both sides of a conflict. After Rahu was destroyed by the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, the Black Lotus of World-Destruction vanished without trace.

The Blue Lotus of Creation was a flawless treasure, capable of purifying all things. After Pangu split heaven and earth, the Three Pure Ones obtained it on Mount Kunlun. It later transformed into their instruments of enlightenment: the flower became the Supreme Lord Laozi’s walking stick, the lotus root became Yuanshi Tianzun’s Three-Treasure Jade Scepter, and the lotus leaf became Tongtian’s Azure Cloud Sword.

Thus the saying: “Red flowers, white roots, green leaves—the Three Teachings are one family.”

Tongtian gazed at the nine purple lotuses in his palm, utterly perplexed. In later ages, he’d never heard of any “purple lotus”—what could this mean?

Laozi and Yuanshi, seeing Tongtian rush off in such haste, followed him into his cultivation chamber, concerned. When the two of them saw the Nine-Petaled Purple Lotus in Tongtian’s hand, they were both struck speechless.