"They can’t attack me either?"
"Naturally, I am the leader of this group. I think you can see that. I promise, they will naturally follow my orders."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes, the boss has spoken, of course, we’ll let you go."
"Don’t worry, old Taoist, we keep our promises here."
Wang Xie looked around, feeling that something was not quite right but couldn’t pinpoint it.
"Hmph, I will trust you this time, but don’t try to play any tricks on me. This Oath of Divine Punishment is a contract with the Heavenly Dao; it cannot be easily deceived. Do not harm others or yourself."
Xiao Jie said calmly, "Naturally, hurry up, what’s the procedure for this Earth Dao Chapter? We can all learn it, right?"
"Hmph, it’s not that easy. To learn the Earth Dao Chapter, you must first know the Human Dao Chapter. Without previous accumulation, the later one cannot be learned, and you must have enough comprehension. If your comprehension is too low, you can’t learn this True Scripture.
As for who among you can learn and who cannot, that is your own issue.
Wang Xie then assumed a teaching posture and began to speak eloquently.
Xiao Jie and Chen Tianwen listened attentively, and others were quite curious as well.
This person was quite humane. He started by reviewing the past and introduced the content of the first two volumes of the Unnamed Taoist Scripture.
The first volume, the True Word Chapter, discusses how humans perceive the world through the five senses. However, because human perception is limited, they cannot see the true world, thus cannot cultivate. To cultivate, one must first understand what the real world is.
The second volume, the Human Dao Chapter, explains that human nature determines the operating rules of human society. Therefore, by understanding human nature, one can comprehend the human path, which is a part of the true world, thus allowing certain contact with the real world.
And the third volume, the Earth Dao Chapter, goes further to teach people how to clearly see and understand the essence of this world, which is essentially directly seeing the true world.
"So how can one see the essence of the world?" Chen Tianwen eagerly asked.
"It’s quite simple," Wang Xie replied, "Humans cannot see the essence of the world because they harbor seven barriers. Only by overcoming these seven barriers can one perceive the real world.
The first barrier is ignorance. Ignorance shortens one’s vision. The more you know, the more you understand this world, and naturally, the clearer your understanding becomes.
The second barrier is prejudice. Prejudice distorts reality, making it difficult to see the truth. Only by letting go of prejudice can you see reality.
The third barrier is fear. Look at the spider and centipede, terrifying but only small insects that can be crushed with a foot. Fear affects your recognition of the true world.
The fourth barrier is affection. Consider the playful, cute cats and dogs, unaware that once they grow, they become fierce beasts. Look at the beautiful ladies, like paintings and jade, unaware that beauty may hide danger.
The fifth barrier is desire. Your mind originally had a conclusion, but just because the other person is handsome or beautiful, you become obsessed, forgetting everything, thinking the other’s evil is understandable, compromising your heart.
The sixth barrier is perseverance. You know in your heart what should be done but often go down the wrong path due to obsession, ignoring truly important matters.
The seventh barrier is morality. Morality is the most difficult barrier to overcome and the most necessary to discard."
Hao Mie asked, "Why?"
"Because morality concerns the human heart. If you can’t overcome this, you will fall into internal strife, achieving less with more effort, tormenting yourself throughout life. Overemphasizing morality causes hesitation, losing the heavenly secret."
At this point, Xia Yi the Unrivaled interjected, "But since we know right from wrong, how can we let go of it?"
Wang Xie showed a look of frustration, "Foolish, foolish child, don’t you know there’s no true right or wrong in this world? Right and wrong are defined by people, and everyone has their own standpoint.
From my standpoint, you all hinder my great cause, which is evil.
From your standpoint, I slaughter many for my great cause, which is evil.
Rulers change concepts of right and wrong based on their standpoint.
Even mountain bandits claim to act according to heavenly justice, occupying the moral high ground.
Different standpoints naturally lead to different standards of right and wrong.
As time flows, societal change, customs alter, the standards of right and wrong also change.
The rules, ethics, moral codes, and customs of this world are .
What is good today was evil yesterday, what is evil today will be good tomorrow; how can right and wrong be absolute? Since it’s not absolute, it is false. Since false, it naturally shouldn’t be minded."
An Ran said, "So your meaning is to disregard right or wrong altogether? Won’t everyone act lawlessly then?"
"Not at all, not at all. The key to letting go of morality is four words—be true to your heart.
As long as you are true to your heart, you won’t face internal conflict, and without internal conflict, you can maximize your potential, touching the essence of this world.
As long as you stay true to your own path, understand your own logic, and are true to your own heart, you will naturally have no worries.
Only by not being constrained by moral concepts can you see reality clearly and grasp the truth."
Having said this, Wang Xie let out a long breath.