One day, as Daoist Qingling was instructing Zhu Linger in the practice of Sword Dao, an ethereal and detached voice suddenly echoed from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens: "I am Hongjun. The Great Dao is fifty, of which forty-nine are utilized, and one escapes; thus the Heavenly Dao is incomplete. Today, I shall merge my body with the Heavenly Dao to complete the myriad realms. From this moment onward, Hongjun is no longer the Heavenly Dao, yet the Heavenly Dao is Hongjun. Without great upheaval, the Primordial World shall never be restored."
As the voice faded, cries of "Have mercy, Teacher!" and "Have mercy, Dao Ancestor!" resounded endlessly across the Primordial World. Daoist Qingling similarly paid his respects and chanted, "Have mercy, Dao Ancestor!"
With the sole Sage of the Primordial World merging with the Dao, the Primordial World would henceforth belong to the Quasi-Saints, unless a Sage chose to step forth. Those who cried "Have mercy, Teacher! Have mercy, Dao Ancestor!" were undoubtedly overjoyed in their hearts!
Chapter 49