Chapter 80: The Benevolent Corpse—The Old Man Under the Moon

There are three ways to attain sainthood. The first is to break through the Wheel of Heavenly Law with one's own power and martial skills, thereby receiving the true transmission of the Great Dao—for example, the mighty Pangu achieved sainthood in this manner. The second is to sever the three corpses of oneself—goodness, evil, and personal obsession—thus abandoning all attachments and achieving sainthood, as did the Dao Ancestor Hongjun. The third is to attain sainthood through merit: when an individual makes great contributions to the world of the Great Wilderness, the Dao is moved and bestows the aura of merit, granting sainthood. The likes of the Supreme Lord Laozi, Primordial Heavenly Lord, Empress Nuwa, and the two Western sages, Reception and Quasi-Ti, all attained sainthood through merit.

Tongtian, being a transmigrant, was well aware of the devastating impact the future Investiture of the Gods tribulation would have on his sect. That is why he made a deliberate choice regarding his path to sainthood. The first method was unlikely, since he had promised someone to ensure their sainthood, so this method was reserved for later. To surpass the other saints, he must sever the three corpses and attain sainthood, enabling him to stand against three at once and fundamentally outclass the others.

Moreover, as Tongtian advanced toward sainthood, even he was surprised by the nature of the obsession corpse he had severed. Why had he named himself? And was not the Elder of the Moon, in later times, the old immortal in charge of mortal marriages? How could his obsession corpse turn out to be the Elder of the Moon?

"Fellow Daoist, do not be alarmed. Listen as I explain," said the Elder of the Moon, his youthful face framed by white hair, speaking to Tongtian in a calm, unhurried manner.

"Please, go on," replied Tongtian, now accepting the Elder's identity. After all, who was he? The Elder of the Moon, the god overseeing earthly marriages. Besides, his previous image had been that of a young man, always appearing youthful. As the saying goes, "A boy without a mustache cannot be trusted with important matters." That was the idea. He had never expected his obsession corpse to manifest as an elderly man; this both surprised and amused him.

"You have attained sainthood by severing the three corpses. The good and evil corpses were easy to cut away because you harbored two selves within: one kind, one wicked. But these are merely your own thoughts, not your true essence," the Elder of the Moon explained, watching Tongtian closely.

"Yes, but why is it so hard to sever the self?" Tongtian asked. The good and evil corpses are easily cut because every living being has both kind and wicked sides—a result of one's own thoughts. But what, then, is obsession?

"Obsession is the seat of one's emotions," the Elder continued, narrowing his eyes at Tongtian. "Do you not understand how Ancestor Hongjun regards the living beings of the Great Wilderness? He has forgotten all personal feelings, becoming a person without emotion or desire."

Tongtian shivered all over at these words, but the Elder of the Moon soon broke into a smile.

"Then why am I still myself?" Tongtian asked, his confusion growing.

"Are you truly yourself? You are Tongtian!" At this, the Elder of the Moon suddenly projected his words directly into Tongtian's mind, for fear that speaking aloud might reveal too much; from the start, they had communicated by secret transmission.

"I'm not myself? Then who am I?" Tongtian was utterly bewildered. If he wasn't himself, then who was he?

"You are from the future. You are Tiantong. You seized the soul of the Upper Clarity Lingbao Heavenly Lord and became Tongtian, but your heart is still primarily that of Tiantong, never truly accepting yourself as Tongtian. I, on the other hand, am different. When you severed your obsession corpse, it was the emotions of Tiantong that you cut away. Do you understand now?" Though the explanation was somewhat convoluted, the Elder of the Moon patiently laid it out.

"I don't get it. If that's true, doesn't that make me a person without feelings?" Tongtian was at first confused, but after mulling it over, wondered if he had become an emotionless being.

"It's like this. The Heavenly Dao originally thought you would earn sainthood by establishing a sect and accumulating merit. But instead, you chose to sever the corpse, so it made the task of severing the obsession corpse far more difficult—forcing you to cut away your own feelings, turning you into a puppet under its control. In order to protect you, I copied the emotions of Tiantong and incorporated them into myself. That is how I came to be," the Elder explained, seeing Tongtian's puzzled look.

"So am I still Tiantong?" Tongtian asked softly.

Truthfully, he missed his former life; after all, he had a beloved wife and a caring older sister who looked after him—a life of warmth and happiness. Though he had crossed over into the Great Wilderness, a world where strength ruled, he found no joy there. Each day was spent scheming for survival; it was exhausting and oppressive.

Everything Tongtian did was for the sake of gaining enough power to one day see his loved ones again. That goal had fueled his tireless efforts and relentless drive.

"I cannot say. Surely you know yourself best," the Elder of the Moon replied, blinking rapidly as if on guard.

Tongtian craned his neck forward, and upon seeing the Elder's expression, sensed something was afoot. Recalling the Elder's words, he hastily reviewed his memories from his previous life, wanting to laugh but stifling it in the face of the Elder's stern demeanor.

As it turned out, the Heavenly Dao was still unwilling to give up, watching Tongtian's every move. Although Tongtian and the Elder communicated by secret transmission, the Heavenly Dao, as the greatest boss of the Great Wilderness, still had ways of catching wind of their exchange.

"As for why I became the 'Elder of the Moon' of later ages, I discovered that the Elder of the Moon is the deity who presides over marriage across the entire Great Wilderness. By blending your emotions into my soul, I can keep myself occupied as well."

"But when it comes to certain matters in the future, I cannot help you openly, as I am not skilled in combat. Just now, I received notification from the Heavenly Dao to take up a post in the celestial court, so in the days ahead, please think thrice before you act. If you truly cannot handle something, let me know, and I will deal with it." In a flash, the Elder's figure faded from Tongtian's sight.

Only now did Tongtian realize the ruthless cunning of the Heavenly Dao's schemes. Hmph, let's just wait and see how things unfold!

Yet at this moment, Tongtian could find no cause for joy, for the web of favors and karmic debts he owed was vast.

How had he become a saint? It was only by combining his own luck and power with the strength and fortune of the underworld, humanity, and all beings of the Great Wilderness that he was able to sever his obsession corpse. Thus, if Tongtian wished to resolve this web of karma, he would have to accept all these beings as his disciples.

Though as a saint he was untouched by karmic bonds, his disciples were not so lucky—they could not escape. If he did not settle these karmic debts, his followers would suffer terribly as a result.

He would take things one step at a time. It was impossible to accept every being as a disciple, but he still had a formidable group of followers. If he was unable to resolve future problems himself, he would let one of those youngsters handle it.

With that, Tongtian cast aside all distracting thoughts and made his way to Biyou Palace on Jinyu Island in the Eastern Sea.