Hong Yun gasped, disbelief coloring his voice. "Senior, you're willing to give me such a monumental benefit?"
Qing Ling offered a wry smile. "I am not the true ruler of the Primordial Path. Destiny dictates it will have a new master. Therefore, I will not engage in this act of accruing merit. As for finding another powerful being, you, Hong Yun, the renowned good-hearted elder, are better suited to uphold fairness. Moreover, your close relationship with Zhen Yuanzi makes you naturally more reliable. And you carry the Primordial Purple Qi, making your future immeasurably bright! What I do is merely to repay the karma of the Primordial Path's past protection of me, and because the stronger the Primordial Path becomes now, the more it can distract those Saints' attention."
Hong Yun's thoughts raced. "Senior, you intend to...?"
Qing Ling glanced at him. "Some things are understood without being spoken. Since you are willing, I shall impart the methods of accruing merit. I will wait for you at the Primordial Path for three Yuanhui."
With that, he gestured, and the methods of accruing merit entered Hong Yun's primordial spirit.
Hong Yun bowed respectfully. "Senior's great kindness, Hong Yun will never forget!"
Qing Ling smiled, satisfied, and departed the Fire Cloud Realm, returning to the Primordial World. However, he did not go back to Jian Mu but instead entered the Underworld. It was said that as the Lord of the Primordial Path, he, the King of the Underworld, spent very little time in the Underworld. Instead, with Jian Mu ascending to heaven, he spent more time in the heavens than in the netherworld.
Entering the netherworld, Qing Ling concealed his presence, choosing not to reveal himself. Otherwise, the Underworld would undoubtedly erupt. What Qing Ling needed most now was to remain low-key, to the point where everyone would ideally forget him.
Qing Ling walked past the Sea of Blood, pausing to observe the Asura race. Indeed, the males were incredibly ugly, while the females were stunningly beautiful, a stark contrast. Qing Ling couldn't help but wonder what was going through Ming He's mind. When he, the lord of the Sea of Blood, first appeared, he was a youth of exceptional grace and breathtaking beauty. Even now, with a touch of age, it shouldn't be this way.
He shook his head. The current Ming He was the Lord of the Underworld, holding a revered position, governing the Sea of Blood, surrounded by treasures, and having severed two corpses. He was a renowned figure throughout the Primordial World. Together with Zhen Yuanzi, they were the most famous influential figures of the Primordial Path in the current era. Even he, the Lord of the Underworld, was merely known among the Daluo immortals. Even those who had encountered or known of his existence in the past, if they had not achieved the level of a Great Power, had their memories of the Lord of the Underworld and the Lord of the Eastern Wilderness Dao gradually erased by Qing Ling over time.
Qing Ling walked past the Sea of Blood and entered the Underworld, the realm of ghost cultivators. The Ten Yama Kings each governed the beings within the ten regions of the Underworld, such as naturally born creatures of Yin energy, as well as cultivators or immortals who practiced Yin energy and resided there. And Fengdu City was the foremost city of the Underworld, the foremost city of the Primordial Path, a world within a city. It was a paradise for ghost cultivators, the dwelling place for souls.
Further on, the Three-Path River converged, and a Naihe Bridge spanned it. On the bridge stood an old woman, brewing an endless supply of Meng Po soup. Granny Qimeng was forgotten by the ghosts of the Underworld. They only remembered her Meng Po soup, which could dispel sorrow and dissolve attachments. If one had insurmountable attachments in life, they would come seeking a bowl of Meng Po soup, and after drinking it, their attachments would vanish. Over time, even if she told other ghosts that her name was not Meng Po, after a bowl of Meng Po soup, no one would remember Granny Qimeng. Thus, later, when people called her Meng Po, she no longer objected and simply accepted it.
Sometimes, Meng Po would recall where she came from and where she was going, thinking about her past, present, and future lives. As she thought, she would want to go out and see the outside world. Yet, she felt it was too troublesome, that past matters and karma were in the past. Thus, whenever memories resurfaced and she wished to see the outside world, after a bowl of Meng Po soup, Meng Po would contentedly remain guarding the Naihe Bridge.
Qing Ling stood beneath the bridge, watching the old woman. He sighed in his heart, thinking that forgetting was indeed the best. If she remembered the past, then the suffering of countless clan members' tragic deaths, her boundless self-reproach, and the fact that her revered ancestor, Tai Geng, could never return, the pain and despair of shattered faith – it was better to forget. To forever be an old woman who watched all beings drink Meng Po soup was also quite good, carefree and unburdened. Meng Po soup could liberate not only all beings but also Meng Po herself.
Qing Ling returned to the Lord of the Underworld's palace and sat before the Three-Life Stone. The Three-Life Stone reflected him, and he looked at the Three-Life Stone. The years flowed by in silence. The mysteries of past, present, and future lives were too profound; even Qing Ling found them difficult to comprehend.
As Qing Ling sat before the Three-Life Stone over the years, the Primordial Land gradually became livelier. After the emergence of the Saints, they were meant to spread enlightenment. The initial period would naturally be very busy, aside from their own cultivation and realms, there was also the matter of their sects. Currently, in the four cardinal directions of the Primordial World, apart from the Western Pure Land which was the domain of Buddhism, the other three directions were all under the influence of Daoism.
Yuanshi Tianzun's Chan Sect preached enlightenment north of Buzhou. Tongtian Jiaozhu's Jie Sect preached enlightenment east of Buzhou. Laozi's Ren Sect preached enlightenment south of Buzhou. Below the great sects were the 'Zongs' (sects), below the 'Zongs' were the 'Pai' (factions), and below the 'Pai' were various divisions like 'Men', 'Ge', and 'Gong'. The Daoist sects naturally only had the Three Sects, and each sect was further divided into various 'Zongs', with countless branches below the 'Zongs'. Although Laozi only had Xuandu as his sole disciple, any sect in the world that received Laozi's recognition became a sect of the Ren Sect, respecting Laozi as their ultimate authority, without needing him to personally accept disciples and impart teachings. The Chan Sect, though having few disciples, had over ten, who taught on their master's behalf and managed the various sects, which was not a problem. The Jie Sect had the most disciples, to the point where any immortal who had heard Tongtian's sermons and teachings considered themselves a disciple of the Saint and roamed the Primordial World, with no one daring to provoke them. Tongtian was not merely teaching; the number of sects, palaces, and courtyards under his command that respected the Jie Sect as their supreme teaching was too numerous, to the point where he himself felt a headache.
Tongtian erected a Zizhi Cliff in front of Jin'ao Island, also known as the Cliff of Transmitting the Dao. He inscribed his own insights on the cliff for his disciples to observe and learn from at all times. He also issued a decree: all Jie Sect disciples must be equipped with a sword treasure and cultivate the Way of the Sword. All Jie Sect disciples must wear Jie Sect Dao Jade. Without the methods of the Jie Sect Sword Sect, and without the Jie Sect Dao Jade by their side, any imposters claiming to be Jie Sect disciples could be executed by all cultivators in the world!
Besides transmitting their divine abilities, the three Saints personally wrote the foundational texts for their teachings. Numerous true scriptures and methods of the Dao flowed through the heavens and earth, personally penned by the three Saints. Works such as "Dong Zhen Shang Qing Jing," "Dong Xuan Ling Bao Jing," "Dong Shen San Huang Jing," "Yu Qing Miao Jing," "Zheng Yi Jing," "Tai Shang Xian Jing," "Miao Lin Xian Jing," "Kai Hua Jing," "Xian Ren Jing," "Huang Lin Xian Sheng Jing," "Tai Shang Zheng Jing," "Dao Jiao Jing," "Lian Jing Jing," "Zhi Huang Lao Ji Gong Jing," "Xiao Jie Pin Jing," and thirty-six other diverse Daoist scriptures and traditions emerged, laying the foundation for the thought of the Three Sects.