"At that time, the Heavenly Venerable was in the realm of Chanli, gathered with billions of billions of True Immortals of the Great Dao, various Heavenly Venerables, heavenly dragons, ghosts, and deities, all coming together to receive My commandments. If there are good men and good women in the world who suddenly encounter the calamity of the wandering red rat in the years and months, the calamity of the net of heaven and earth, the calamity of exhausted fate and calculations, the calamity of lingering illness, the calamity of falling into the surging waves, the calamity of tigers, wolves, vipers, and pythons, the calamities of flood, fire, bandits, blades, and childbirth, the calamity of mountain forests, trees, and state altars, the calamity of earth, stone, and bridges, or the calamity of poisonous drugs and curses, they only wish now before the Jade Emperor Heavenly Venerable and the Great Dao True Sages to repent and dissolve them, to be delivered from the calamities and perils within their bodies, scattering them one by one without leaving any obstruction. I command all the heavenly god kings to bestow holy power and Dao power, and relying on the power and grace of this scripture, to guard and protect the disciples.
After receiving, upholding, chanting, and reciting this scripture, one will resolve the calamities of ninety-nine and eighty-one, the tribulations of the three decays, nine afflictions, eight disasters, and five sufferings. Whatever one seeks will be granted, wherever one walks will be safe, and in coming and going, one will constantly enjoy good fortune and auspiciousness, with all actions and desires following one's heart.
...
The Dao says: The Heavenly Venerables of the ten directions are as numerous as sand and dust; they manifest forms across the realms of the ten directions to universally rescue and deliver heavenly beings and mortals. Concentrating their vital breath to gather merit, they join in a single voice to save sinners. Sinners are truly to be pitied, so now I speak this wondrous scripture. Chanting and reciting it without rest, returning the body to it without pausing, one shall enjoy great blessings in the heavenly palaces, and there shall be no sounds of suffering in the hells. The blazing fire will become a cool pavilion, the sword-trees will transform into flat land, one will ascend above to the Crimson Mound Mansion, and enter below to the Gate of Opening Light. Escaping the difficulties of the three realms, one proceeds directly up to the Primordial Heaven. Thereupon, the flying god kings and their innumerable multitudes, gazing up at the venerable countenance, chanted in praise, saying: The Heavenly Venerable speaks the teachings of the scripture, guiding living beings who drift in the floating world. Diligently cultivating and studying non-action, awakening to the true Dao, one accomplishes it naturally. Neither confused nor wild, without self and without name, chanting aloud the verses of sin and fortune, ten thousand times cleanses the dust of the heart.
At that time, the flying god kings and the multitudes of heavenly immortals, having finished reciting this verse, bowed their heads to the Heavenly Venerable, paid their respects, and withdrew."
The voice of the Leader of Tongtian resonated like a great bell and chime, echoing throughout the entire Jinao Island. The disciples closed their eyes one after another, calming their minds to listen to the teachings of the Leader. Beginning from the origin of the Daoist gates, the Leader recounted the developmental history and cultivation methods of the Daoist gates, expounding the profound mysteries of the supreme Great Dao in a simple and accessible manner. Accompanied by the voice of the Leader of Tongtian, heavenly flowers fell in a riot of blossoms across the entire Jinao Island, and golden lotus flowers surged from the ground.
The disciples listened, utterly enchanted and intoxicated, while breakthroughs occurred continuously among those seated below. Suddenly, Guiling absorbed spiritual Qi on a massive scale, drawing the attention of Tongtian—it turned out that Guiling was about to break through her realm. Tongtian intensified the conversion of spiritual Qi and isolated Guiling from the other disciples to prevent them from interfering with one another. To a Saint, creating an isolated space was merely a casual effort. Before long, Jinling, Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, and Wuyunxian all broke through successively, and a look of delight appeared on Tongtian's face. He thought to himself: "My Jiejiao truly is brimming with extraordinary talent. The number of Daluo Golden Immortals has already reached the count of one hand, flourishing like the midday sun."
However, his heart immediately sank again, because the Qi fortune of Jiejiao was currently like boiling oil over blazing fire—too much is as bad as too little. Not only did their numbers vastly exceed those of Chanjiao, but their strength also far surpassed the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao. It seemed he still needed to continue striving, for after all, he was still no match for the four Saints combined.
As Tongtian fell silent, the lecture came to its conclusion, and the disciples slowly awoke from the Dao rhyme. Feeling their enhanced strength, they bowed and offered their thanks to the Leader of Tongtian one after another.
Tongtian said, "Rise. If any disciple has doubts, feel free to ask." Everyone looked at the young man seated upon the dais. He was so majestic yet amiable; a Saint was an inestimable existence and the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao. To each person, he appeared as the most revered figure in their hearts—beyond description, beyond words.
Duobao stood up and asked, "Master, I wonder why the Myriad-Year Grand Lecture is being held ahead of schedule this time?"
Tongtian smiled and said, "As your master wandered through the great void, I made some accidental gains and felt great joy in my heart, hence I gathered my disciples. Moreover, ever since the Witch-Demon conflict, the disciples of my Jiejiao have been scattered across the Primordial World and have not met for a long time. I intend to hold the first grand tournament of Jiejiao to test the cultivation of all my disciples."
Hearing this news, the crowd showed expressions of joy, but their enthusiasm quickly subsided. After all, they harbored no illusions about defeating the personal disciples and the several Daluo Golden Immortals.
Tongtian smiled and said, "Disciples need not worry. This grand tournament will be divided into groups according to cultivation realms, with rankings decided among those of equivalent cultivation, and cross-realm participation is permitted."
The people below grew excited once again. Didn't they learn these formidable skills precisely to attain longevity and display their holiness before others? Then, Tongtian's next words stimulated them even further.
Tongtian stated, "Where there are competitions, there must be rewards and punishments. This grand tournament will award a top-grade Xiantian spiritual treasure to the first-place winner among the Daluo Golden Immortals, an upper-grade Xiantian spiritual treasure to the first-place winner among the Taiyi Golden Immortals, and so on. Everyone who enters the top one hundred will be rewarded with one five-turn Golden Core; top fifty, one six-turn Golden Core; top ten, one seven-turn Golden Core; top three, one eight-turn Golden Core; and the runner-up and champion will be rewarded with a nine-turn Golden Core. All kinds of magic treasures will be available in abundance, and anyone who performs exceptionally well will receive rewards."
Upon hearing this, the disciples were so excited they could hardly control themselves. They immediately distanced themselves from those around them and concealed their auras, terrified lest their opponents discover their trump cards and weaknesses.
Seeing the disciples' behavior down below, Tongtian could not help but smile in his heart. He instructed, "Duobao, Gongming, the two of you shall be responsible for compiling the roster of participating disciples and organizing the tournament. Let us set the date five hundred years from now."
Duobao and Zhao Gongming stood up and replied, "Understood."
Shortly after, the figure of the Leader of Tongtian faded and vanished without a trace. The moment the Leader left, the disciples below seemed to have shed their restraints, and they began talking animatedly among themselves. One disciple declared, "I shall surely take first place in the Mystic Immortal group. Fellow senior and junior brothers, I beg your indulgence!" Similar bold declarations echoed continuously from all corners, and even the leading Daluo Golden Immortals could not remain aloof, each expressing their absolute determination to secure first place.
Duobao stood up and projected a majestic presence to attract everyone's attention, bidding them to quiet down. He announced, "Master has decreed: junior brothers who wish to register may go to Junior Brother Gongming or myself to sign up. The registration period is set for one hundred years starting from now, and no registrations will be accepted after the deadline. I hope all junior brothers will bear this in mind."
Since everyone present was an immortal, the registration process was simple: one only needed to channel their magic power bearing their own aura and strike it toward Duobao or Zhao Gongming.
For convenience, Duobao directly refined several jade scrolls; as long as a surge of magic power arrived, it would automatically categorize the participant based on strength and aura while recording their name. One had to admit, this was truly convenient.
Watching Duobao's operation, Tongtian could not help but smile. Truly, technology changes lives. Ever since Tongtian returned, a wondrous change had occurred within him—whether it was the return of his true spirit or the awakening of past wisdom, no one could say for sure. Only Tongtian himself knew, or perhaps even he did not know. Was it transmigration, or was he simply... However, there was one thing Tongtian could be certain of: he was still himself, the Leader of Tongtian who had fought against the heavens and the earth and dared to recreate the Primordial World. He was also Tongtian, who had lived for many years in the human world of Earth, felt dissatisfied with the outcome of the God-Conferring Tribulation, and resolved to change that outcome. The first step of this change would begin with the disciples' grand tournament. Through the competitions, he could observe the disciples, select those worthy of cultivation, and also discover any disciples steeped in grave sins so as to take countermeasures. This would help slow down the depletion of Jiejiao's Qi fortune and the burden of karmic retribution.
Searching for a supreme Xiantian treasure to suppress Qi fortune was not something that could be accomplished overnight.Reply with only the corrected sentence. The Chaos Clock had vanished without a trace ever since the Witch-Demon War, the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler was rumored to be treasured in the Pangu Hall but had also vanished alongside the Witch Clan, and other treasures paled in comparison to the Four Swords of Slaughtering Immortals. Secondly, there was the opinion of the Dao Ancestor, which was weighty enough to influence the entire Primordial World. Before freeing himself from the control of the Heavenly Dao, he lacked the confidence to overturn the chessboard... Tongtian thought of many things, but right now, the most important matter was still the disciples' grand tournament. Anticipation stirred within Tongtian's heart.