With the dust settled from the cushion dispute, the Transmission Hall returned to a near-sacred silence. Those latecomers with unwilling hearts either retreated far to the periphery of the law void, struggling to comprehend with the dense Dao rhyme of this place, or had already accepted reality and departed in dejection. In the central region, on the nine cushions, Tang Xiaoqi, Mu Xue, Ao Qin, and the others, now free from external disturbance, sank their minds completely into that supreme Dao realm.
It was precisely at this moment that the Dao Ancestor phantom seated on the central gray cushion, blurry and indistinct, seemed to sense the focus of the listeners and the confirmation of their qualifications, and the "method" of its preaching underwent a subtle transformation.
The Dao sound that had previously fallen silently like sunlight and rain did not stop, but became even more grand and clear, as if pulled from the distant depths of the universe to right beside one's ears. At the same time, at the blurry facial outline of the Dao Ancestor phantom, invisible lips seemed to slightly open and close.
Not issuing substantial sound, but a "Great Dao True Word" that transcended all language and directly reached the source of all things, suddenly resounded in the core of every listener's soul and the depths of their Dao foundation!
This true word was not fixed syllables, but naturally transformed into the "meaning" and "image" that each listener could most understand and resonate with, according to their own cultivated Dao and realized principles.
In Tang Xiaoqi's perception, the Great Dao True Word transformed into warm and firm guardian light, into pure and vitality-filled purification rain, into a chaotic scroll of four symbols rotating in balance, and even into his father Xu Zhan's resolute and expectant gaze, his master's earnest teachings, his senior brothers' and sisters' trusting smiles, Mu Xue'sside-by-side feelings beneath her cold exterior, Ao Qin's recognition within his bold manner... All emotions, beliefs, and realizations related to his "guardian" and "purification" Dao were stirred and sublimated by this Great Dao True Word, interweaving into a magnificent Dao heart symphony unique to him!
In Mu Xue's perception, the Great Dao True Word transformed into eternally unmelting mysterious ice, into an ice mirror that reflected the great thousand worlds without a speck of dust, into an ice lotus quietly blooming in extreme cold, expounding the mysteries of "stillness" at its extreme and the true meaning of "reflecting" all laws.
What Ao Qin heard was vast dragon roars, the imperial Dao laws governing the four seas, the evolution of water element from softest to firmest, the magnificence of true dragons battling the starry seas.
What Ling Jueyi perceived was the pure sword principle of opening heaven's gate with a sword, severing all illusions; the palace-robed woman deduced the order structure and mathematical foundation of all things' operation; the black-robed cultivator swallowed the Dao of destruction and rebirth contained within darkness; the Mysterious Turtle Elder comprehended the true meaning of thick virtue carrying things, immovable as a mountain; Master Hui Ming bathed in Buddhist light and Zen chants of compassionate salvation and transcending samsara; the bronze-skinned burly man felt the violence and directness of power's ultimate, shattering star rivers.
The Great Dao is one, its applications are ten thousand. The Dao Ancestor preaching did not teach fixed methods, but guided every living being to discover, verify, and perfect their own "Dao"!
As this Great Dao True Word continued to resound, the law void within the entire Transmission Hall began to undergo even more astonishing changes!
The various colored Great Dao laws that had originally been flowing and evolving on their own like spirit snakes, as if receiving the "edict" and "enlightenment" of this supreme true word, began to manifest inconceivable phenomena with unprecedented activity!
One could see the Yi Wood green qi representing "vitality" and "creation," as if nourished, growing wildly, transforming into a boundless primeval forest in the void, with exotic flowers and rare herbs competing to bloom, immortal plants and divine medicines spitting out rosy light, and even immortal deer carrying lingzhi and spirit apes offering fruit, demonstrating life's most vigorous vitality.
Immediately after, the Gui Water source containing "nourishment" and "moistening" gushed forth from nothingness, not ordinary water, but "Dao rhyme spirit springs" completely condensed from pure water law! These spirit springs converged into streams, gathered into rivers, and finally, beneath everyone's feet, on that dark stone "ground," several spring eyes abruptly "emerged," and what flowed from these spring eyes was not water, but "golden springs" emitting seven-colored rosy light and containing endless vitality and purification power! Where the golden springs passed, the Dao rhyme became even more dense, even condensing into substantial law golden lotuses, floating up and down in the spring water.
At the same time, the law fragments in the void representing "light,""auspiciousness,""blessing," and other positive meanings self-assembled and combined, transforming into countless "heavenly maiden" phantoms with graceful figures, stunningly beautiful faces, and holding flower baskets. These heavenly maidens were not physical entities, but manifestations of Great Dao light. They danced gracefully, their delicate jade hands lightly raised, scattering "Dao flowers" condensed from pure Dao rhyme and auspicious qi from their baskets. Petals flew in profusion, colorful and brilliant, each petal containing different Great Dao fragments and blessing power. Falling on the listeners, they quietly merged in, nourishing their physical bodies, refining their souls, and consolidating their Dao foundations.
Golden springs surged from the ground, heavenly maidens scattered flowers!
This was not illusion, but real and authentic auspicious phenomena manifested by the Great Dao laws stirred by the Dao Ancestor's true word! The golden springs washed body and mind, the Dao flowers consolidated the Dao realm, making the effect of listening to the preaching increase more than a hundredfold!
Tang Xiaoqi sat on the cushion, surrounded by platinum guardian purification Dao rhyme interweaving with the golden springs and Dao flowers. He felt his Golden Core rotating and condensing at an unprecedented speed. Though its volume did not increase, its internal structure became more complex, closer to some perfect Dao pattern form, and the Golden Core's surface even began to faintly display the imprints of the green lotus and four symbols. His soul, washed by the Dao sound and nourished by the Dao flowers, constantly grew stronger and more solid, his divine sense range and precision crazily increasing. His understanding of the guardian and purification Dao was like riding a rocket, advancing at unprecedented speed toward deeper, more essential levels.
He saw that "guarding" was not passive defense, but an active "maintaining" and "creating"; "purification" was not rejecting the alien, but "awakening" the "order" and "harmony" within all things. His Dao was transforming from a belief and power toward a "rule" level closer to the universe's source!
Not only Xiao Qi, but the other eight were all immersed in this supreme creation, their auras climbing steadily, their Dao rhymes becoming increasingly complete and profound. Mu Xue's body seemed to transform into an eternal frozen kingdom, yet containing infinite vitality; Ao Qin's dragon shadow solidified, his imperial majesty gaining an air of embracing heaven and earth; Ling Jueyi merged human and sword, as if he himself was a heaven-questioning sword that could sever eternity...
Everyone was entranced, forgetting time, forgetting self, completely devoting themselves to this rarely-seen-in-eternity law feast and Dao realm sublimation led by the Dao Ancestor phantom.
In the Transmission Hall, the Dao Ancestor's true word echoed, laws manifested in thousands of ways, everything sacred and auspicious. However, beneath this extreme auspiciousness and elevation, the demon shadows lurking in the dark, and the contention for the "Source Core" regarding the Heavenly Dao Palace's ultimate ownership, were also quietly approaching.