Chapter 2 The Origin of the Dharma

With fate (yuan), one can connect with others, with objects, and with the myriad phenomena of the world, and thus dharma is born.

The gate of the Second Jade Purity opened, and Ji Xiang stepped into it. Within that gate was a world, the newly born Realm of Fate (Yuanjie).

With a name, there is a phenomenon; with a phenomenon, there is a world. Within this world, there are myriad phenomena, yet not every world can be witnessed by people.

Ji Xiang paused, watching the phantoms that appeared in the Realm of Fate. This Realm of Fate reflected the old light and connected the First Jade Purity with the Second Jade Purity, a new realm. Originally, there should be nothing here, because even the primordial era had not yet begun; there was no form or substance.

The phantom could not see this new realm either. He was merely projected from somewhere, not even aware that someone was watching him, because the fate here had not yet established a connection with him, and naturally, the dharma of appearance could not be born.

In Ji Xiang's eyes, the various fates and dharmas of the old light constantly manifested, the fates of countless powerful individuals in the world.

They were all reflected in this new Realm of Fate.

"The beginning in the old light, at the place where fate arises."

It was the Buddha.

The Twelve Causes and Conditions that the Buddha comprehended were closest to the ultimate truth of "the extremity of fate and dharma" and "the extremity of cause and effect" among the Four Symbols; that was a true, half Buddha-fruit.

When fate arises, cause and effect appear.

Comprehending the Four Symbols, understanding the Four Symbols, and transcending the Four Symbols would ultimately allow one to leave the myriad worlds and break free from fetters. As long as one reached this level, no matter how the framework of the new world changed, one would exist forever.

In the old world, there were also people who had reached this level. They hid, eternally existing in every change of light and time. These people would not be changed by the rules of the new world, and no one could shake them, but they could not jump out of the old world; they still lacked the proof of witnessing the Profound Symbol (Xuanxiang).

"Reaching the end of Dao and Buddha is a person who can truly be called to have obtained the 'fruit'."

"But even such a person is difficult to defeat Gu Xiansheng."

The defeat of the Zhaoming World, the hiding of the Buddha, the fleeing of the Buddha-Emperor, and among the Fangshi, the unchanging existence that Ji Xiang saw, a person comparable to the Buddha.

Among these people, the Buddha and Zhaoming did not gather the power of one person. The Buddha had the hearts of the Seven Past Buddhas, and the Zhaoming World had the great power of the Heavenly Heart Realm of the Confucian scholars of past dynasties, gathering the power of many sages to build a flying boat.

But they still lost.

And there were also people who thought that if they could not advance further in this era, they would go to the next era, seize that opportunity, and be the first to be honored as ancestors.

That was what the Four Heavenly Hearts of the human world thought.

The Wrathful Vajra of Impurity was the most prepared, and the Six Righteous Envoys were just an incarnation of the Zhaoming World. The Purple-Clad God wanted to be the Supreme in the next era, not the Primordial Beginning, but this Supreme was not the Supreme Lord Lao, but the real "Supreme," but first, he had to rely on the Taiqing source.

The Purple-Clad God did not care about the Primordial Beginning, only the Supreme, so he hated those who trespassed into the human world without permission, because that would delay his time in finding the Supreme.

The next thought crossed the Realm of Fate, the fate and dharma converged, and he came to a vast and ancient world.

"After witnessing the Profound Symbol, I have no name, before the Primordial Beginning, before all things."

This was not Ji Xiang's own voice, but another person speaking. The tall figure of the Celestial Venerable fell down, like the stacking of countless worlds, reflecting layers of yin and yang changes, with the Qi of the universe and the light of time flashing and shaking within.

"I have seen... the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable."

Ji Xiang looked at this magnificent figure. The divine tablet that many people in the past had sought, and that he himself had once searched for, was difficult to find because this divine tablet had never truly existed.

That was just a false shadow projected from the Crow Cry Country. The true source was something that no one could change or see, because it was before all sources.

"The Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable has returned to the Profound Symbol, and the Immortal Dao of the Old Jade Purity is completely cut off. As the Celestial Venerable of the New Jade Purity, the Celestial Venerable Without Beginning and Without End, coming to the Old Jade Purity, is there still something to miss here?"

"The light reflected by the Old Jade Purity will disappear. In fact, it has already disappeared. With your current power, even if you have witnessed the Profound Symbol, you cannot save this old light and time."

"You have also witnessed the Profound Symbol, so my purpose has been achieved. Before the next Profound Symbol, it is up to you to guard this place. This great light and time will come to an end, and a new great light and time will appear, and I will dissolve and leave here. You will never be able to see me in any light and time again."

"The so-called Nine Underworlds is in the extremely distant place, which is in front of the Profound Symbol. There is nothing here; it is the beginning of everything, the past of the past."

"The Immortal Dao is dead. Because I will cease to exist."

The voice of the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable was vast. In his figure, which contained myriad phenomena, the stars of the universe flickered, and the dark Qi roamed, and yin and yang were constantly changing. Those were myriad stars; those were dharma realms. All the dharma realms were projected from him.

Then, following the great light and time, the myriad phenomena were produced.

"What about you and Gu Xiansheng?"

Ji Xiang still wanted to ask this question. In those fates and dharmas, Ji Xiang saw Gu Xiansheng.

The future of the future, various gods and demons, slaughter and sacrifice, the destruction of the human world and the great light and time, was actually swallowing the past from the future in reverse.

"He is the Immortal Dao."

"If I do not exist, then he will gradually cease to exist as well."

This was both astonishing and terrifying. Gu Xiansheng, who wanted to achieve the true Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable in the future and constantly devoured all Jade Purity cultivators, would also fall from the Immortal Dao with the departure of the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable.

The starting point of everything in the Old Jade Purity was with the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable. Once the Nine Underworlds Celestial Venerable disappeared, the consequences would be the same as those brought about by the disappearance of the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable. Everything related to him would cease to exist, and only the Jade Purity powerhouses who were extremely closely related to the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable could retain some memories.

"Gradually... If he can still re-establish the Immortal Dao?"

Ji Xiang asked.

"Haven't I already given you a supreme supernatural power?"

Along with the voice of the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable, the light of the supreme supernatural power that had been hidden within Ji Xiang's body, even Qingyang had not taken away, began to bloom outward, emitting the Nine Underworlds Immortal Light in the giant form of the Celestial Venerable Without Beginning and Without End.

Ji Xiang looked at that light and time, in which a vast world was growing larger and larger, shrouded in mist, with layers of green history sealed, unable to see the true face, like a rock painting hidden in hundreds of millions of wheels of clouds, with many characters on it, constantly changing.

When the old light and time were extinguished, this world protruded from there, as if it had exhausted all its abilities to go to the new light and time.

Ji Xiang stared at that world, already knowing what that world was.

The voice of the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable was also vast, calling out the name of a Celestial Venerable:

"Lingbao..."

The True Spirit Ranking Chart was obtained by Qingyang, but Qingyang had already been transformed by Ji Xiang into the new light and time, in the fate and dharma of the Second Jade Purity, in charge of the arising and extinguishing of fate, and all those things naturally returned. The True Spirit Ranking Chart flew out, and the form of the Lingbao Celestial Venerable manifested from it.

"The Rite of the Primordial Beginning, as long as one drives the Jade God Disk and returns all the scriptures that were once passed down to their original positions, one can create the Primordial Beginning. Everything that has been disturbed in the old light and time will be repeated with the reappearance of the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable."

"But now I am about to leave, and without me, the new world within the old light and time may be more brilliant, and the heavens and earth will be wider. You, choose."

"The old light and time is still flowing, and the Mandate of Heaven is changing. The rules of the new world will soon be finalized, and those who bear the Mandate of Heaven are fighting and snatching for it, and various sects are going crazy for it."

"Do you choose to continue to exist in the old light and time, use the Rite of the Primordial Beginning to reverse everything, or go to the new light and time?"

The voice of the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable descended, and the form of the Lingbao Celestial Venerable let out a sigh:

"If you are about to leave, it is equal to there being no trace of the Primordial Beginning in the old light and time, and no one will ever be able to witness the Profound Symbol again. Everything will be plunged into silence, even if my Han Dynasty exists forever in history, fixed within the light and time, but once the Primordial Beginning is destroyed, all the Dao will cease to exist, waiting for the birth of the new world. And how many of the sects in this world can rely on those who bear the Mandate of Heaven to survive until the new world?"

"When there is no Primordial Beginning, Lingbao is useless. Even if Gu Xiansheng is destroyed, I have no reason to stay in that old light and time. The object of my service has also changed."

"I should go to the new light and time. I am the inheritor of the old light and time, but I can get this opportunity to choose, which proves that in this vast slaughter of green history, we have finally won."

The Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable nodded, and a huge affirmation came from his magnificent body, which contained the universe, primordial chaos, and eternal stars:

"You have won, there is no need to sink into the last old light and time."

He then said to Ji Xiang, "When the new light and time begins to advance, the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable will reappear. As long as you open the world, the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable will fall from the Profound Symbol again."

"So, you want to derive the new light and time, and Lingbao is essential. Of course! Even in the current Second Jade Purity, you have decided to make it without ancient times and without present times, without beginning and without end. But the myriad phenomena that survive in the new light and time still need ancient times and a beginning and end. In this way, their existence will have meaning, their own meaning."

The Lingbao Celestial Venerable greeted the two great Celestial Venerables and said to Ji Xiang:

"There are no absolutes in the world, but light and time have always had only one source. If there is a second light and time that has not yet begun, if there is someone who opens up this light and time, then where will he be?"

"Those who have witnessed the Profound Symbol, or those who come from the Profound Symbol, are only these two types of people. When I saw that you could cultivate the Heavenly Demon Art, I knew that your spirit was not within the Four Symbols of the old light and time."

"The Demonic Dao is not a path that the sentient beings of the Four Symbols in the old light and time can cultivate, because it comes from the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable, so it has no source and cannot be cultivated."

The Lingbao Celestial Venerable said to Ji Xiang, "I am willing to be the past of the new world and cross this world!"

"There is no one more suitable than me. Containing the name of one of the Three Pure Ones is not much different from Qingyang, which is one of the Dao. If the source of the Upper Pure One can be reunited, let me return to my original form, the past of the new world transformed by me will be unshakable!"

"The past of the new light and time will be stronger than the past of the old light and time!"

Ji Xiang saw the fate of the Lingbao Celestial Venerable.

All the scriptures in the world, except for the Scarlet Book Jade Script, were passed down by the Lingbao Celestial Venerable. The Three Pure Ones each performed their duties, and the Lingbao Celestial Venerable's duty was to transmit scriptures, and then reassemble those scriptures that had been lost, and then... derive a "Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable" who could be worshiped by the people of the next era.

This was not the Primordial Beginning who fell from the Profound Symbol, but the source and false beginning that later generations longed for, and the essence was that the Lingbao Celestial Venerable took the lead in creation.

But his new light and time was the light and time without the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable, but even so, the Lingbao Celestial Venerable still needed to exist. There was no Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable because the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable did not fall from the Profound Symbol this time, which did not mean that the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable no longer existed.

Because the Profound Symbol was still there.

The relationship between the Lingbao Celestial Venerable and the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable, it should be said, the former's form was bestowed by the latter, and he had always been doing the work of collecting lost scriptures for the latter, just to exchange for his era to be freed from the destruction of light and time.

And at that time, the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable was not yet the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin, he was the "Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable," using the Primordial Beginning title.

"A piece of history is circulated in various eras, and even if it reaches the second light and time, it still exists."

What the Lingbao Celestial Venerable said made sense. There was no stronger person who was more suitable to become the 'past', to transform into one of the new Four Symbols. The source of the Three Pure Ones, the Upper Pure One came from the Jade Pure One, the Lingbao Celestial Venerable had a close connection with the Primordial Beginning Celestial Venerable, and was far away from the Supreme.

Ji Xiang nodded to the Lingbao Celestial Venerable, and the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable also allowed this matter. Having obtained the approval of the Profound Symbol, that world was finally able to break free from its shackles and transform from the old light and time into the body of the Lingbao Celestial Venerable.

"Living in history is also a kind of eternity. It will not be disturbed by any external force. This history is always wrapped in mist because it is a piece of history. For the great light and time, there is no truth, so naturally there is no falsehood, so it cannot be traced back."

"But this world has not fully returned, and many parts are scattered and remain."

The two who had witnessed the Profound Symbol raised objections to this world, and the Lingbao Celestial Venerable responded, "Every emperor of the dynasty has his own thoughts, and with his own thoughts, he has his own way of doing things, and his way of doing things may not be unsuccessful. It's just that I'm taking the first step."

Ji Xiang, "I promised the Celestial Venerable that I would retrieve the Qingping Sword and the Jade God Disk, and I will fulfill this promise."

"I do have some attachments to some of the beings in the old light and time. I govern the new light and time, and you bring that part of history to my residence. I hope that they can exist forever in the history you bring."

The Lingbao Celestial Venerable was grateful, "Thank you, Celestial Venerable."

Ji Xiang asked the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable again:

"I have a question, were there many old light and times in the past?"

The Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable, "Yes. Naturally, there were also people who witnessed the Profound Symbol, and from beginning to end, they were passed down in pairs."

"... Celestial Venerable is leaving, is it to become the Heaven of Heavens? The so-called 'Divine Firmament'? Or is Celestial Venerable the Divine Firmament? What level is the road after leaving?"

The Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable, "It is in the Heaven of Heavens. That is a bigger and farther road. Just as you see each other in the Dao, for the cultivators of the world, the Dao is the heaven, and for the Dao, the Heaven of Heavens is the heaven. My departure, this process, is called 'Ascending the Profound', and the realm reached is strongly named 'No Symbol (Wu Xiang)'."

That was a new realm, a new path, a true method to transcend the extreme realm of the old light and time.

The Great Symbol is without Symbol, Ascending the Profound is between nothingness!

The Four Symbols are small symbols.

Witnessing the Profound Symbol is the first step in obtaining the "Great Symbol."

Seeing the Profound Symbol is the first step in Ascending the Profound.

"The entire old light and time is a great symbol, and only by evolving it to the extreme is the moment of Ascending the Profound. Celestial Venerable said that the myriad phenomena of the world need ancient times and a beginning and end, so that they can have their own meaning. So, in the Celestial Venerable's view, is the Celestial Venerable himself the same?"

Ji Xiang said this, and the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable responded with laughter:

"Yes, it is the same for you, the new Celestial Venerable. There must be something, that is, before the Profound Symbol. Even the Profound Symbol has a false thought, and with this false thought, we came into being."

"You are anything in the world, the myriad symbols, the Four Symbols, the myriad phenomena, and finally, hold onto one great symbol."

The appearance of Gu Xiansheng actually meant that the Immortal Dao had reached its extreme, and the evolution of the myriad phenomena had reached its end. This was proof of the success of Ascending the Profound.

That was why the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable said "The Immortal Dao is dead" when he saw Gu Xiansheng.

The Immortal Dao that he opened up had completely ended in the old light and time.

"If you are interested in the Heaven of Heavens, you may try to approach it in your Second Jade Purity. Perhaps there will be some gains, because you yourself are a 'residual symbol' cast from other light and time."

"Even if this symbol is very weak, once it is cast down, it will be with the world, and the constancy of the symbol is unshakeable. Even if there is only a little bit, it is more solid than the existence of all the heavens and gods, and it is even more ancient and profound."

Ji Xiang, "I am a remnant, or an outsider. Like the Lingbao Celestial Venerable, a symbol left over from other light and time. Will the Lingbao Celestial Venerable also become the next person to witness the Profound Symbol?"

"He can't. The name of Lingbao is sealed, and it is destined that he cannot cross the Primordial Beginning, always in the first row under the Primordial Beginning."

"This is the name to take care of the myriad phenomena, not the name to transcend the myriad phenomena. The one who truly transcends the myriad phenomena, comparable to the Dao, or the No Symbol realm, is 'Supreme.' That is what those Taiqing Dao call their source."

The voice of the Nine Underworlds Saving Sin Celestial Venerable circled:

"I am about to Ascend the Profound and leave. You have already left the old light and time. Before I leave, you cannot use the great power of the myriad phenomena here, but the various myriad phenomena in my world cannot hurt you in the slightest."

"If there is anything to do, hurry up. Remember, you cannot save the old light and time, because this is my symbol, so only do what you can do. Gu Xiansheng is fighting desperately with my remaining light, trying to swallow it."

Ji Xiang closed his eyes, and at this time, he could no longer see the blank divine tablet.

Because after seeing the Profound Symbol, Ji Xiang himself already knew that he was that divine tablet. Now the divine tablet is nameless, and the root cause is that it is not a symbol of this light and time.

At this time, the real world had long been undergoing earth-shaking disasters. Within the surrounding of the entire long green history and various worlds that could be witnessed, there was a huge death Qi of light and time. Those futures that were destroyed by Gu Xiansheng with one thought, a large amount of light and time were eliminated, and the past was to be destroyed along with it.