Dao Proving and Dao Protection

Dao Proving and Dao Protection

"Looking at this mask I made before, it really does seem rather crude now!" Zhou Tong said, shaking his head as he looked at the mask he had used to enter and leave Yaoguang Treasure Hall.

Back then, he had only gained a preliminary understanding of the Group Character Secret and had never studied it in depth. Naturally, the things he had arranged then were riddled with flaws.

"Mm, the material of this mask isn't very good either!" Zhou Tong pondered for a while, then shook his head again. "This material definitely can't bear the Array Patterns I can lay down now. Should I make an entirely new mask?"

Zhou Tong quickly rejected the idea as well. He had no materials specifically suited for crafting masks on him. Was he supposed to use Eternal Blue Gold?

"Speaking of refining magical artifacts, what should I make from this piece of Eternal Blue Gold?" Zhou Tong looked at the piece of Eternal Blue Gold in his hand.

This piece of Eternal Blue Gold was only palm-sized, yet it weighed ten thousand jin. It definitely would not be enough to refine a heavy artifact such as a Tripod, Pagoda, or bell; it would be about suitable enough only for forging a thin sword or a short blade.

Moreover, there was simply too little Eternal Blue Gold. If there were more, it would be fine, but mixing this tiny amount into the Hegemonic Bell would instead ruin its beauty, turning it into an impurity within that entire piece of Divine Mark Purple Gold.

Even if he wanted to use the Nine Immortal Golds to forge the strongest Imperial Weapon, he would need equal amounts of all nine Immortal Golds.

"Could I refine it into an Array Diagram?" Zhou Tong's eyes immediately lit up at the thought.

An Array Diagram forged from Eternal Blue Gold could absolutely bear Great Emperor Array Patterns. Even if it could only set up one corner of a killing formation, that would already be more than enough in the current Big Dipper.

If he paired that corner of a Great Emperor killing formation with the Great Sage Artifact, the Purple Sun Lamp, it would become an utterly terrifying killing weapon!

"But... that would be somewhat wasteful!"

Zhou Tong hesitated. If this piece of Eternal Blue Gold were refined into such an item, the material would likely be wasted. There was too little of it; it could not bear a complete grand formation, only a corner of one.

A corner of a Great Emperor killing formation would be fine in the early stages, but against Saint Level battles, it would be far from enough. As for those below Saint Level, with the Purple Sun Lamp in hand, he had nothing to fear anyway...

And most importantly, even with the Group Character Secret, he could not evolve Great Emperor Array Patterns. He could not reproduce even a single corner of them. His strength was too weak; possessing the Group Character Secret only allowed him to gain a slight insight, not recreate them.

"I'll imitate Dao De Tianzun. Besides a Dao Proving Artifact, I'll refine something else for self-defense!" Zhou Tong suddenly thought of an item. With a thought, his Ten Cave Heaven Divine Rings immediately emerged.

"My Ten Heavenly Caves have transformed into a divine ring. I can just refine something like a Vajra Ring or a Universe Ring and place it inside to nurture it!" Zhou Tong silently thought. "My Ten Cave Heaven Divine Rings can already nurture magical artifacts, while the Hegemonic Bell cannot enjoy this nurturing effect."

"That's right, this is the way!"

The more Zhou Tong considered it, the more certain he became that he was right.

Though the principle was one artifact breaking ten thousand methods, one could actually cultivate two artifacts at the same time: one for carrying the Dao and proving the Dao, and the other for protecting the Dao.

A Dao-carrying artifact was an artifact that bore one's own Great Dao, and it was also a Dao Proving Artifact. A Dao-protecting artifact was an artifact for slaughter and self-defense, something that defended one's own Great Dao through killing.

"Carrying the Dao and protecting the Dao... that does resemble the weapons of the Desolate Heaven Emperor!" Zhou Tong could not help thinking of how the Desolate Heaven Emperor had also possessed two artifacts: one was the Law Pool, while the other was the Killing Sword nurtured within the Law Pool.

The Law Pool carried the Dao, while the Killing Sword protected the Dao.

"In the future, my Hegemonic Bell will be my Dao-carrying artifact, while the Vajra Ring will be my Dao-protecting artifact!" Zhou Tong gradually came to understand this point. "Just like Dao De Tianzun..."

Though Dao De Tianzun had passed down the path of one artifact breaking ten thousand methods in the "Dao Scripture," his Dao Proving Artifact was the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, while his Dao-protecting artifact was the Vajra Ring.

This arrangement was similar to what Zhou Tong had now comprehended.

"The Hegemonic Bell is a heavy artifact meant for suppression and must not be used lightly. My fists are enough for ordinary enemies. For enemies too weak to warrant using my fists, I can use the Vajra Ring!" Zhou Tong quickly settled on his path forward.

In the end, Zhou Tong decided to forge this piece of Eternal Blue Gold into a Vajra Ring and place it within his Ten Cave Heaven Divine Rings for nurturing.

This was not an impulsive decision, but one backed by a natural advantage. His Ten Cave Heaven Divine Rings did not belong to the Sky Shrouding Method at all; they existed entirely independently and might even become a vessel for the Chaotic Ancient Method in the future.

Using the Cultivation System of the Chaotic Ancient Method to temper a divine weapon made perfect sense.

More importantly, the Chaotic Ancient Method differed from the Sky Shrouding Method.

Why did the Sky Shrouding Method temper a single unique artifact?

Because that unique artifact had to incorporate the Divine Patterns cultivated by the cultivator himself. The Chaotic Ancient Method had no such restriction; runes could be inscribed upon it freely.

As for the artifact's form, making it echo his Ten Cave Heaven Divine Rings was the best option.

"Next, I'll head to the Fire Domain to temper the Eternal Blue Gold. I can also use this piece of Eternal Blue Gold as an experiment for smelting Divine Mark Purple Gold!" Zhou Tong thought. "Mm, I'll first advance to the third level of the Dao Palace, stabilize my cultivation for a while, then set out directly!"

Zhou Tong had more than enough Source on him, enough to cultivate all the way to the grand completion of the Dao Palace Realm. Moreover, this Source was stored within his Ten Cave Heaven Divine Rings. When he used it, there was no need to draw it out; he could refine it directly inside the Ten Cave Heaven Divine Rings, and Source energy would endlessly pour into his body.

For his third Dao Palace, he chose the Kidney Divine Treasury.

For a full half month, he remained immersed in an ethereal state. Wonderful changes occurred throughout his body, and endless Dao Sounds rang out within him. Emperor Venerable's scripture was incomparably powerful, and countless profound Dao Sounds echoed, making Zhou Tong's flesh shine as it continuously transformed.

At last, as endless Source energy surged in, his Kidney Divine Treasury soon broke through.

He then spent another half month in seclusion to stabilize his cultivation. Using the Secret of Fore to connect his third Dao Palace with his primordial spirit, he finally emerged from seclusion.

Qingxia City was also an incomparably ancient city. It was located in the Chu Kingdom of the Southern Region of the Eastern Wasteland. Because a special kind of spiritual energy lay beneath the ground, every sunrise brought not golden morning clouds, but a spread of azure clouds. That was how it got its name.

This was the first city Zhou Tong encountered on his way to the Fire Domain. Having stayed in the wilderness for so long, it was time to enjoy some fine wine and food.

As soon as he entered the city, Zhou Tong saw a portrait of himself—or rather, a wanted poster.

It had been issued by Yaoguang Holy Land and hung high upon the city wall, offering a reward of one hundred thousand jin of Source.

The mask he had worn last time had indeed been ineffective. Yaoguang Holy Land had already obtained his true appearance.

"One hundred thousand jin of Source. I didn't know I was worth so much!" Zhou Tong chuckled inwardly. "But they got the name wrong..."

When he had gone to Yaoguang Treasure Hall last time, he had used a false name—Zhao Hao.

"But these holy lands really are disgusting!" Zhou Tong sneered inwardly. "Only taking hits without striking back isn't my style. Yaoguang Holy Land, just wait for your bad luck!"

Not long after Zhou Tong entered the city, he heard some news: the outstanding talents of the Chu Kingdom would soon be holding a grand gathering.

Generally speaking, the holy lands of the Eastern Wasteland opened their gates widely about once every ten years to recruit disciples. So-called generations were actually separated by roughly a decade.

The outstanding talents of the previous generation had yet to leave the stage, while the new generation had yet to take shape.

Zhou Tong casually chose a restaurant with a large flow of customers, ordered some local specialties and a jug of fine wine, then ate and drank while listening to the cultivators nearby chatting.

"Haha, there'll be quite a spectacle at our Chu Kingdom's gathering of outstanding talents!"

"The outstanding talents active now entered their sects thirteen or fourteen years ago. They've probably reached the third secret realm by now, and the most exceptional among them have likely reached the fourth!"

"That's for sure! But speaking of which, Yaoguang Holy Land is organizing this gathering. They sent out invitation cards mainly to mobilize people to find someone."

"If there weren't a previous-generation expert from Yaoguang Holy Land overseeing things, how could they possibly command such influence?"

"Find someone? Could it be that wanted poster that was put up recently? Zhao Hao? Why is Yaoguang Holy Land wanted him, anyway?"

"Mm, that isn't very clear. I only heard that he seems to have killed several disciples of Yaoguang Holy Land."

Zhou Tong drank wine and ate meat as he listened carefully.

His expression remained calm. He ate when he should eat and drank when he should drink, without the slightest hint of tension.

"These so-called outstanding talents really do live carefree lives, always holding one grand gathering after another! Even when dealing with an enemy, they have to hold some gathering of outstanding talents... They're not particularly capable, yet every one of them acts so ostentatiously and loves showing off."

"Wouldn't it be better to spend that time cultivating in seclusion and comprehending the Dao? Wouldn't it be better to advance your cultivation further?"

"Holding a gathering so openly—isn't that just waiting for me to come smash the place up?"

Zhou Tong shook his head inwardly. You people are courting death!

The thought of Yaoguang Holy Land refusing to follow the rules made Zhou Tong feel unhappy. He wanted nothing more than to head over immediately and slaughter them!