At the peak of Buzhou, Primordial Heavenly Venerate subsequently announced: "Respect Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow, the universe and the primordial world.
I am Yuanshi, one of the Three Pure Ones of Pangu. I now feel that sentient beings in the human way and the Heavenly Dao are not in harmony, and I feel that the ignorant beings do not understand the meaning of Heaven and Earth. Therefore, I establish a religion, called: Chan!
Chan, meaning to enlighten, to elaborate on the subtle wonders after reaching the utmost essence, and to comprehend the numbers after undergoing the utmost transformations. It specifically connects Heaven and Earth with all sentient beings, following the will of Heaven and aligning with the heart of Heaven. The will of Heaven is my will, and the heart of Heaven is my heart!
I, as the sect leader, Yuqing, use the Pangu Banner as the ultimate treasure to suppress luck!
I, combining my three corpses, transform into Yuanshi Heavenly King, and in the thirty-second heaven, I create Qingwei Heaven, Yuqing Realm, as the second most revered in the Xuanmen.
Now, at the peak of Buzhou, I have attained the Dao of Hunyuan, and become a Saint of the Heavenly Dao!"
As his words fell, the black and yellow essence descended from the sky like rain, ceaselessly. Golden light of merit illuminated all directions, far exceeding the merit obtained by Laozi's enlightenment.
Vast auspicious clouds rose between Heaven and Earth, with golden lamps illuminating the boundless darkness and ushering in the dawn.
Yuanshi had become a Saint!
Nuwa, who was far away in the demon realm, sensed this and a smile appeared on her lips.
The first Heavenly Dao Saint among the Six Saints, a delegate of the Heavenly Dao, would have the assistance of the Heavenly Dao, but also limitations imposed by it.
However, without a doubt, within the Primordial World, Yuanshi obtained the most power from the Heavenly Dao, making him the strongest among the five Saints.
But outside the Primordial World, it would be a battle of Daoic methods to determine the victor.
As for why there were five Saints and not six, it was because Nuwa stood in a league of her own. She had attained the Dao tens of Yuanhui earlier than these individuals. Furthermore, she had created the demon realm, bringing her Dao of Creation even closer to perfection, making her the strongest among all the current Saints.
Even with Laozi's unparalleled talent, he would still need some time to catch up.
In the East Sea, Tongtian hesitated, looking towards Buzhou in silence.
The great powers of Heaven and Earth were all watching Tongtian. The Three Pure Ones were one. Two had attained the Dao; now it was time for the third.
But there was no movement from this third one.
Tongtian took a deep breath, bowed towards Buzhou, bidding farewell.
"Respectfully I inform Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow, the universe and the primordial world.
I am Tongtian, one of the Three Pure Ones of Pangu. Feeling the hardship of sentient beings in seeking the Dao, I wish to carve out a sliver of hope, a sliver of life, for them!
I establish a religion on Jin'ao Island in the East Sea, called: Jie!
Jie, meaning to intercept from Heaven and Earth for use. To intercept a foot from Heaven, and a foot from Earth, for my own use!
I, as the sect leader Saint, Shangqing.
I use the Qingping Sword and the Immortal Slaying Four Swords as treasures to suppress luck.
I, combining my three corpses, transform into Lingbao Heavenly Venerate, and in the thirty-first heaven, I create Yuyu Heaven, Shangqing Realm, as the second most revered in the Xuanmen.
Now, I have attained the Dao of Sainthood in the East Sea, not for Heaven and Earth, not within the Heavenly Dao, not aligned with the Earthly Dao, but only for myself!"
As his words fell, Qingping sword qi floated across countless miles. A sword of frost chilled the nine provinces. Heavenly merit descended, but it was the least, a merit bestowed by the Great Heavenly Dao for the teachings of the Jie Sect.
Tongtian did not mind, waved his sleeve to collect the merit, and a strange beast, a Kui Niu, emerged from the sea, willing to serve as the Saint's mount.
Tongtian chuckled, did not refuse, and led the Kui Niu onto the island.
Just as all beings in Heaven and Earth thought peace had finally arrived, little did they expect that as the East set, the West would rise.
A voice filled with laughter echoed throughout Heaven and Earth.
"Respectfully I inform Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow, the universe and the primordial world.
I am Zhunti Daoist of the Western Pure Land.
Now I have attained insight into the unorthodox paths, establishing the foremost of the eight hundred unorthodox paths, and upholding them as righteous.
From this day forward, there will no longer be Zhunti Daoist between Heaven and Earth.
Zhunti is ashamed of the debt of gratitude for the teachings of Dao Ancestor Hongjun. I have left the Xuanmen and am no longer a disciple of the Dao Ancestor."
Upon hearing this, all in Heaven and Earth were shocked. This was a separation from their master. From now on, this individual would no longer be a disciple of Hongjun.
Heaven and Earth froze, but no thunderclouds descended, signifying their acceptance.
Then, a gentle voice spoke: "Respectfully I inform Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow, the universe and the primordial world.
I am Jieyin Daoist of the Western Pure Land.
Now I wish to break free from the Great Dao of the Xuanmen, and dedicate myself to the unorthodox paths, wishing to forge a path for all who walk the unorthodox paths between Heaven and Earth.
From this day forward, there will no longer be Jieyin Daoist between Heaven and Earth. Jieyin is ashamed of the debt of gratitude for the teachings of the Dao Ancestor. I have left the Xuanmen and am no longer a disciple of the Dao Ancestor.
I wish to establish the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in the Western Pure Land, and found a religion called Buddhism, which will not belong to the Xuanmen, but be the Shimen.
I, as the sect leader, combining my three corpses, become Amitabha Buddha, the foremost of all Buddhas in the past, present, and future of Buddhism.
I use the Pure World White Lotus, the Merit Golden Lotus, the World Destruction Black Lotus, and the Eight Treasures Merit Pool to suppress luck. Mount Sumeru shall be the source of Buddhism!"
Zhunti then added: "I shall be the Deputy Sect Leader of Buddhism, Zhunti Buddha Mother, and the foremost of all Buddhas.
I shall carry out the Buddhist teachings to enlighten all sentient beings, so that all sentient beings may become Buddhas.
Buddha, meaning one who has awakened to the truth. It also refers to a great sage who has attained complete enlightenment, enlightening oneself, enlightening others, and perfecting one's practice, and who comprehends the nature and form of all dharmas as they truly are, achieving supreme and perfect enlightenment."
The two clasped their hands together, and boundless Buddhist light appeared behind them, with a golden body sixteen feet tall, illuminating all heavens, proclaiming: "We, Zhunti (Jieyin), are henceforth Saints of Buddhism! We do not go against Heaven and Earth, nor do we belong to the dominion of Heaven and Earth. We wish for a world without suffering, and to enlighten sentient beings.
We shall have forty-eight great vows to pass down through the ages.
One: Vow of No Evil Realms. If I attain Buddhahood, and my country has hells, hungry ghosts, or beasts, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.
Two: Vow of No Rebirth in Evil Realms. If I attain Buddhahood, and after the lifespan of beings in my country ends, they are reborn in the three evil realms, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.
Three: Vow of Golden Bodies. If I attain Buddhahood, and the beings in my country do not all have true golden bodies, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.
Four: Vow of Identical Forms. If I attain Buddhahood, and the beings in my country have forms that are not identical, with distinctions of beauty and ugliness, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.
...
The Western world truly saw flowers falling from the sky and golden lotuses springing from the earth. With each vow spoken, a layer of merit descended, a total of forty-eight layers of merit, including the merit of the Great Heavenly Dao and the merit of the Small Heavenly Dao, even comparable to the Three Pure Ones.
The great vows of the West were proclaimed to Heaven and Earth not to borrow merit from the Heavenly Dao, but to tell all sentient beings of their great vows, to display the great vows of Buddhism, solely to enlighten the world.
In this life, the enlightenment of the five Saints was delayed by one step. It was precisely because of this delayed step that the two Saints of the West reached the realm of Sainthood, and no longer needed to borrow merit from Heaven and Earth. Therefore, they were not Saints of the Heavenly Dao, nor Saints of Heaven and Earth, but undoubtedly, they were Saints courted by the Heavenly Dao.
This was because the Buddhist teachings of the West were in harmony with the Heavenly Dao and connected with the will of Heaven.
At this point, the Primordial World finally returned to normalcy.
The five Saints emerged to govern the world, sweeping away the tribulation energy from Heaven and Earth, delaying the cosmic tribulation by tens of Yuanhui.
The might of the Saints also halted the tribulation of the Blood Sea. The Asura tribe returned to the Blood Sea, and all sentient beings expressed their gratitude to the Saints.
All the great powers in the Primordial World felt a sense of loss, regret upon regret, for the status of a Saint, the realm of Hunyuan, was ultimately beyond their reach.
However, at the same time, some began to set their sights on Hongyun, the owner of the last trace of Hongmeng Purple Qi.
They only thought that by occupying those six seats in Zixiao Palace, they would obtain the Hongmeng Purple Qi and attain Sainthood, but few considered the six Saints themselves.
Therefore, for a time, countless versions of the former saintly positions in Zixiao Palace circulated in the Primordial World. These rumors, circulating among the great powers, seemed plausible, increasing their longing for Hongyun outside the heavens. Consequently, many great powers traveled to the chaos, seeking Hongyun's last trace of purple qi!