I have a Taoist temple that connects me to other worlds

“The world fears demons, but demons eat flesh, not hearts. Humans, on the other hand, though they don't eat flesh, devour hearts. Demon or human, what difference is there from beasts?” Changmingzi gazed at the houses of Changping Village and sighed with sorrow. “Senior, you ask how I view this calamity. I can only say it is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one.”

“Daoist friend speaks with reason,” Jiang Wen said with a smile. “But the world is ignorant, and the three poisons are difficult to eradicate. What has happened in Changping Village is but a drop in the ocean. How should such a situation be resolved?”

“……” Changmingzi was silent for a long time, unsure of what to say. He sighed and shook his head at Jiang Wen. “Forgive my foolishness, junior cannot think of any other way, and can only submit to the will of Heaven.”

Hearing Changmingzi's answer, Jiang Wen was not surprised, for he had long known that this question was difficult to answer. Even in modern times with material abundance, no one can find an answer to this question.

However, Jiang Wen knew that to act like an expert, he couldn't be too direct. He smiled knowingly, then stroked his fake beard and said, “To follow the will of Heaven is to enter the Dao; to mend Heaven's deficiencies is to be called cultivation. How can you cultivate the Dao by going with the flow? Cultivation is like navigating water, though encountering mountain walls, one should persevere and turn stone into a path.”

“The way of man is also like this. To yield is to be preserved whole; to be bent is to become straight; to be empty is to be filled; to be worn out is to be renewed; to have little is to gain; to have much is to be confused. Therefore, the sage embraces the One and becomes the model of the world. Not seeing oneself, one becomes enlightened; not asserting oneself, one becomes distinguished; not boasting, one achieves merit; not being arrogant, one endures. Because one does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him. Is it not true what the ancients said, 'To yield is to be preserved whole'? Truly, one returns to wholeness.”

“Well said,” Changmingzi said, his face filled with joy as if he had just been enlightened. “Thank you for your guidance, Senior.”

“It is good that you understand,” Jiang Wen nodded with satisfaction, feeling that he was doing a good job of playing the expert. He couldn't help but marvel at the profundity of the Dao De Jing, and his admiration for the ancient sages arose spontaneously.

“But Senior, the word 'cultivation' sounds simple, yet my heart is often confused. Junior wishes to ask Senior, what is the Dao?” Changmingzi asked humbly. His eyes were bright and full of eagerness for an answer as he looked at Jiang Wen. At his level, meditation and increasing his magic power were like a drop in the bucket. How to comprehend the Dao, see through karma, and see one's true nature was the most important thing.

After a long time, Changmingzi opened his eyes, and the sound of the wind subsided. With a joyful smile, he bowed deeply to Jiang Wen.

As for the other immortal sects, it was difficult to know everything, and Changmingzi did not elaborate.

“I want to ask about the immortal sects that cultivate the Dao in this world. How much do you know?” Jiang Wen looked at Changmingzi and asked the question he wanted to ask.

“The Dao?” Jiang Wen thought for a moment after hearing this, then said slowly, “The Great Dao is formless, giving birth to Heaven and Earth; the Great Dao is emotionless, causing the sun and moon to move; the Great Dao is nameless, nourishing all things. I do not know its name, so I call it the Dao. The Dao: has clarity and turbidity, has movement and stillness; Heaven is clear, Earth is turbid; Heaven moves, Earth is still. Man is clear, woman is turbid; man moves, woman is still. Descending from the root to the branches, all things are born. Clarity is the source of turbidity, movement is the foundation of stillness. If man can always be clear and still, Heaven and Earth will all return.”

“Therefore, the Dao that can be described is not the constant Dao; the name that can be named is not the constant name. Nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; named is the mother of all things. Therefore, always be without desire, so as to observe its mystery; always have desire, so as to observe its manifestations. These two come from the same source but have different names, both are called profound. Profound and more profound, the gate of all mysteries.”

“Please speak plainly, Senior. Junior will tell you everything I know,” Changmingzi bowed.

After Jiang Wen finished speaking, he quietly watched Changmingzi who was lost in thought. He had just combined the Dao De Jing to explain the word Dao to him. Although his world did not have cultivators, these great works of thought had a long history.

“Then start with the immortal sects you know,” Jiang Wen said unceremoniously.

In addition, there are traces of humans outside of Daqian, and powerful experts from the immortal sects often go there to cultivate. It is only that there are many dangers in the world. Except for Daqian, which is considered safe due to the protection of Heaven's Mandate, even powerful figures who have lit up their Dao Palaces are in danger of falling in other places.

After the Three Sages, there are the Four Great Sects: the first is the Orthodox God Sect, which believes in gods; the second is the Langhuan Academy, which cares about the common people; the third is the Myriad Worlds Gate, which teaches without discrimination; and the fourth is the Pill Cauldron Division, which specializes in the art of pills.

“Junior does know something about the immortal sects. I don't know which aspect Senior wants to hear about,” Changmingzi did not question why Jiang Wen did not know about the cultivation world. The world is not only Daqian, and there are countless hidden sects in the world. Senior must be a great sage who has lived far away from the world, so he knows very little about worldly affairs.

“Junior Changmingzi, thank you for your guidance, Senior!” Changmingzi was extremely grateful. If it were not for the guidance of this expert in front of him, he would probably have to spend a long time before he could comprehend these great principles of the Dao.

In addition, from the words of this cultivator, Jiang Wen was even more certain that the classics of his world did not exist in this world. There was quite a difference between focusing on technique and not on the heart, practicing martial arts but not practicing the basics.

The two were silent, and Changmingzi's eyes were tightly closed, with a look of joy on his face. Suddenly, a gust of wind rose from the ground, and the leaves rustled, and the Taoist's robe fluttered.

And although there are Taoists in this world, there are very few Taoist classics. Jiang Wen had met some Taoists who only knew miscellaneous techniques such as drawing talismans and refining pills. Although they were all fake Taoists, he could still get a glimpse of the situation.

Changmingzi was so sincere that Jiang Wen felt a little embarrassed. Although he did not understand what the Taoist had understood, he still expressed his gratification: “It is good that you understand. Speaking of this, I do have something I want to ask you.”

As for whether there are really gods in the world, Changmingzi can only answer: “If there are gods, it is difficult for us to know. Junior has never seen gods, but I have seen many demons.”

The Taoist thought of cultivation has been pondered for thousands of years and has long been in line with the Dao. Even the daily behavior and words of the Chinese people are influenced by Taoist thought.

Changmingzi said yes upon hearing this and told Jiang Wen about the various immortal sects.

“Daqian's Mandate of Heaven is precarious, and the Three Calamities and Six Disasters are probably not far away, and the mortal world is not so safe,” Changmingzi said with a bitter expression on his face. “In order to avoid such disasters, the Three Sages and Four Sects began to move into the Sumeru Realm a hundred years ago. With fewer cultivators in this world, demons are becoming more and more rampant. It is difficult for humans to survive, and it is difficult to defy the will of Heaven.”

Daqian was established by bearing the Mandate of Heaven, and its territory spans hundreds of millions of miles. It is difficult for ordinary people to see everything in their lifetime, and even for powerful experts from the immortal sects, it takes a very long time to travel all over it. And there are countless immortal sects within Daqian, among which the leaders of the righteous path are the Three Sages. They are also the Daqian Taoist lineage Taishang Palace, the Tianshan Immortal Zixiao Palace, and the Henghai Immortal Mountain Boundless Pavilion.

Jiang Wen felt a little embarrassed by these words. He waved his hand and showed an indifferent expression on his face: “It's just a small effort.”

“As expected of Senior, such cultivation is beyond my reach!” Changmingzi exclaimed.