When the Ancestral Dragon emerged from the deepest part of the East Sea Dragon Palace, the entire Eastern Sea was still for a moment. Thousands of waves hung suspended in mid-air, fish and shrimp in the coral forests on the seabed simultaneously straightened their positions, and even the old turtles that had been sleeping in the trenches for tens of thousands of years opened their eyes and looked at the surface. The Ancestral Dragon's emergence from seclusion was not a big commotion, but the blood and qi of the entire Dragon Clan surged upwards an inch the moment he stood up.
He stepped ashore, where Candle Dragon, Azure Dragon, and Ying Long were already waiting on the white jade steps outside the main gate of the Dragon Palace. Candle Dragon, who controlled the Day and Night and the cold and heat of the far north of Primordial Wilderness primordial wilderness, was the tallest, and his crimson robe trailed on the steps like a burning sunset. Azure Dragon was coiled on the pillar supporting the sky on the left side of the steps, and the wood spirit energy coiled around the pillar and sprouted new branches wherever it climbed. Ying Long stood at the lowest point on the right side of the steps, his wings folded up against his spine, and the tips of his wings were still dripping with rainwater brought from the Southern Continent of Jambu.
Ancestral Dragon took out the Dragon Clan Command Flag from the stone box before the steps and planted it in the ground. The flag unfolded, revealing an embroidered map of the five continents and the four directions of Chaos. He turned to the Human Dao, "The Supreme Taiqing One has issued a summons. It's time to collect the Pangu in Chaos. The Dragon Clan has now cleared its Karma/Sin and is producing many powerful beings; it's time for them to contribute. This time, we'll go out to the Ten Directions Universe Worlds. I'll choose the largest one, and the three of you will each choose one. The remaining six will be collected by the other Primordial Daluo Golden Immortals of the Dragon Clan in groups of two or three."
Candle Dragon descended from the pillar, his red robe billowing around his neck. "I'm heading due north. Deep within the Chaos to the north, there's the aura of Day and Night, heat and cold; there should be someone cultivating the laws of time within that shell."
Azure Dragon slid down the pillar, its wood-elemental energy condensing into a green bead in its palm. "I'm heading due east. The Chaos to the east carries the scent of all things growing, which aligns perfectly with my path."
Ying Long shook the raindrops off his wingtips. "I'm heading due south. The Chaos is heaviest in the south; I'll go check it out."
Ancestral Dragon nodded, pulled the command flag from the ground, tucked it into his sleeve, and headed towards the Chaos in the west. Before leaving, he added, "The Dragon Clan is now free from Karma/Sin, so there's no need to hold back when you act. But taking over a world doesn't mean destroying it. Keep any living creatures inside if possible, and after the battle, save those that need saving and soak those that need soaking in the Luminous Fluid."
The four split into four groups and disappeared into the Chaos.
Forty-nine days, the Ancestral Dragon traveled due west, collecting fifty Great Thousand World and one hundred and sixty Middle Thousand Worlds. On the evening of the forty-eighth day, the command flag in his sleeve suddenly curled up by itself, its corner shifting three inches due west. The Ancestral Dragon went forward to look and saw a giant shell floating in the depths of Chaos. The shell was covered with gray-white dragon scale patterns, which were arranged in a spiral from the core to the surface. Each pattern was a complete law of the Dragon Dao. Every three zhang (approximately 13 meters) on the shell was embedded with a dragon scale crystal, and within the crystal was sealed an Origin the Dragon Dao. From a distance, it looked like the entire scale armor shed by a giant dragon that had coiled for countless Eons.
Ancestral Dragon pressed his hand against the shell, and dragon energy tore through his palm. The dragon scale patterns on the shell suddenly accelerated their rotation, converging on his palm from all directions. When they reached the center, they transformed into nine chains of dragon energy that wrapped around his five fingers, each chain pulling his dragon essence outwards. Ancestral Dragon withdrew his hand, and a gray-white dragon pearl appeared in his palm, containing a complete dragon law. He crushed the dragon pearl, and from the fragments floated an extremely deep and slow divine thought, "The Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable is here. Who comes?"
Ancestral Dragon flicked away the fragments. "Ancestral Dragon, the dragon scales on your shell are quite impressive. They can spin on their own and even actively wrap around people's hands. Unfortunately, what wraps around you is your own dragon energy. Even if I crush you, you'll sink even further."
A long dragon's roar echoed from within the shell, and the dragon scales on its surface simultaneously exploded, transforming into a gigantic, greyish-white dragon phantom that enveloped the shell. From within the phantom emerged an old man in a greyish-white dragon robe, coiled around him by nine dragon pythons, each holding a spinning dragon pearl in its mouth, each pearl sealing a complete dragon law. The Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable spoke, his voice like a dragon's roar rising from the seabed to the surface, "This shell of mine is covered with ninety-nine million dragon patterns, each formed from a wisp of dragon energy I release. For every dragon pearl you crush, I release ten more wisps of dragon energy. The faster you crush it, the more I release; the harder you try, the heavier I become."
Ancestral Dragon didn't respond to that, but took a step towards the very center of the shell. The dragon patterns on the shell immediately wrapped around his ankles. With a tremor, the dragon patterns shattered into fragments; however, within three breaths, the fragments reformed into even denser dragon patterns, binding him even more tightly. He took another step, and another layer shattered, the reformed pattern twice as thick as before, the thicker layer transforming into chains that bound his limbs. The Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable laughed inside the shell, "You've taken three steps, and the dragon patterns on the shell have increased from 99 million to 110 million. After you take a hundred steps, the dragon patterns on my shell will increase to 1 billion. When you reach the center of the shell, the dragon patterns will bind you into a dragon pearl embedded in the shell's surface."
The Ancestral Dragon stopped and examined the shell closely. The dragon patterns were indeed growing wildly, but the direction of the chains was regular: they converged from the shell to the center, becoming denser towards the center. However, there was a small patch, about the size of a palm, where the dragon patterns were extremely sparse, so sparse that the shell material beneath could be seen. He pointed to the sparse patch, and a drop of the Ancestral Dragon's Origin dragon blood seeped from his fingertip. As the dragon blood fell, a small section of the shell collapsed, revealing a bottomless dragon cave. From within the cave came a muffled groan from the Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable.
"All ninety-nine million dragon patterns on your dragon scales are connected to the 'Pool of Ten Thousand Dragons' at the core of your shell." The Ancestral Dragon withdrew his finger. "You release dragon energy to nourish the patterns; the more patterns, the larger the pool, and the larger the pool, the more dragon energy you can release. But there's a 'dragon eye' at the bottom of your pool. When the dragon eye is blocked, the pool can hold the dragon energy; when the dragon eye opens, all the dragon energy in the pool leaks out. I just dripped a drop of the Ancestral Dragon's Origin dragon blood onto your dragon eye, and now it can't be blocked anymore."
Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable's expression changed, and a gurgling sound of dragons leaking from inside the shell came from within. The dragon patterns on the shell began to loosen, peeling off layer by layer from the center outwards, revealing the shell material covered with fine cracks. Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable pressed the nine dragon pythons onto the shell, and the pythons transformed into nine dragon pillars to support the shell; however, while the pillars could support the shell surface, they could not support the dragon eyes, and the Pool of Ten Thousand Dragons inside the shell was still leaking. Ancestral Dragon slapped the area where the shell had peeled off, and a crack appeared in the shell. He crawled into the crack and landed beside the Pool of Ten Thousand Dragons.
Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable was squatting on the bottom of the pool, trying to block the dragon's eyes with his hands. He would block them once and then let them leak out twice, then four times.
"Don't block it." Ancestral Dragon squatted by the pool and looked down. "Those dragon eyes are the counterweight holes of the shell. They were the counterweight holes on the debris that Pangu threw out when he created the world. You built the shell into the Pool of Ten Thousand Dragons, and those counterweight holes became the dragon eyes. The dragon eyes leaking dragon energy is the shell's self-regulation—if there's too much dragon energy in the pool, the shell becomes too heavy, so the shell opens the dragon eyes to release the dragon energy and reduce its weight. You've blocked the dragon eyes, no wonder the shell is collapsing."
Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable looked up. "Then what should we do?"
"Open the longan halfway, and half of the dragon's energy will be stored in the pool; the weight of the shell will be just right. Don't cover all your dragon patterns on the shell surface; leave 30% inside as a dragon's reservoir, and 70% on the surface is enough."
Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool for a long time, then slowly released his hand from blocking the dragon's eye. The dragon's eye leaked for a while, then stopped on its own. The dragon energy in the pool dropped from full to half, and the dragon patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. The shell stopped falling off, and the dragon patterns stopped going crazy. He jumped up from the plate at the bottom of the pool and handed the nine dragon pearls to the Ancestral Dragon: "You can take this world. But I'll go back with you, and I'll borrow your method of regulating the dragon's eye for three days. I cultivated the Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons for tens of thousands of years, and in the end, I turned my own shell into a leaky pool. I don't even know when I blocked it."
Ancestral Dragon accepted the Dragon Pearl: "I'll lend you the method. You can collect the world. After you've collected it, go to City of Ten Thousand Crafts and find Yin Xi. He has ten thousand trials there. The ten thousandth trial is called the 'Naturalness Pass.' When you can adjust the weight of the world without the Dragon Eye, you'll have graduated."
Candle Dragon traveled due north for forty-nine days, collecting forty-two Great Thousand Worlds and one hundred and thirty Middle Thousand Worlds. On the evening of the forty-eighth day, the command flag shifted three inches due north. Deep within the Chaos floated a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white Day and Night patterns, alternating between light and shadow, like a giant Day and Night map spanning countless Eons. Each pattern was a complete temporal law, and every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) embedded a Day and Night crystal, within which the Origin temporal order was sealed.
Candle Dragon pressed his palm down, and a tearing sensation of time reverberated. The patterns on his palm accelerated, converging into nine chains of day Day and Night that bound his five fingers, pulling his power of time outward. He withdrew his hand, and a gray-white time bead appeared in his palm. He crushed the time bead, and from the fragments floated an extremely slow and profound divine thought, "The Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable is here. Who comes?"
Candle Dragon flicked away the fragments. "Candle Dragon, the Day and Night cycle on your shell is quite impressive; it can rotate on its own and even actively wrap around people's hands. Unfortunately, what wraps around you is your own timeline. Even if I crush it, you'll have to rotate it again."
A long sigh came from within the shell, Day and Night patterns exploded, transforming into gray-white Day and Night Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable spoke, his voice like dripping water from a water clock on a stone slab. "This shell of mine is covered with ninety-nine million time patterns, each one formed from a strand of time I release. For every time bead you crush, I release ten more strands of time. The faster you crush it, the more I release; the harder you try, the more accurate my timing will be."
Candle Dragon ignored him and took a step towards the very center of the shell. Time patterns wrapped around his ankle, and with a tremor, the patterns shattered into fragments. Within three breaths, the fragments reformed into even denser time patterns, binding him even more tightly. He took another step, and the reformed patterns were twice as thick as before. Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable laughed inside the shell, "You've taken three steps, and the time patterns on the shell have increased from 99 million to 110 million. After you take a hundred steps, the time patterns on my shell will reach 1 billion. When you reach the center of the shell, the time patterns will freeze you in a certain moment, preventing you from ever escaping."
Candle Dragon stopped. He controlled Day and Night, and was most sensitive to the alternation of light and darkness. He quickly noticed that the direction in which the time patterns converged was regular: they became denser towards the core of the shell, except for a palm-sized area in the very center where the time patterns were extremely sparse, revealing the shell material underneath. He pointed to the sparse area, and a drop of Candle Dragon's Origin time blood seeped from his fingertip. As the time blood fell, a small patch of the shell collapsed, revealing a bottomless time hole, from which came a muffled groan from Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable.
"All ninety-nine million time runes in your body are connected to the 'Pool of Ten Thousand Times' at the core of your shell." Candle Dragon withdrew his finger. "You release time runes to nourish them; the more runes, the larger the pool, and the larger the pool, the more time you can release. But there's a 'Time Eye' at the bottom of your pool. The Time Eye can hold time in the pool, but once it opens, all the time in the pool leaks out. I just dripped a drop of Candle Dragon's Origin time blood onto your Time Eye, and now it can't be blocked anymore."
Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable's expression changed, and the sound of time dripping came from inside the shell. The time patterns on the shell peeled off layer by layer from the center outwards, and fine cracks crawled all over the shell. Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable pressed nine time pythons onto the shell, and the time pythons transformed into nine time pillars to support the shell; but the time pillars could support the shell, but not the time eyes, and the Pool of Ten Thousand Times was still leaking. Candle Dragon Long slapped the peeling part of the shell, which cracked open, and he crawled into the crack and landed on the edge of the Pool of Ten Thousand Times.
Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable Zun was squatting on the bottom of the pool, trying to plug the eyes with his hands. He would plug them once and then let two drops leak out, then plug them twice and let four drops leak out.
"Don't block it." Candle Dragon squatted by the pool and looked down. "That time eye you have is the counterweight hole of the shell. It's a counterweight hole on the debris that Pangu threw out when he created the world. You built the shell into the Pool of Ten Thousand Times, and the counterweight hole became the time eye. The time eye leaking is the shell's self-regulation—if there are too many time sequences in the pool, the shell becomes too heavy, so the shell opens the time eye to release the time sequences and reduce its weight. You blocked the time eye, no wonder the shell collapsed."
Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable looked up. "Then what should we do?"
"Open half the eye of time, store half the time sequence in the pool, and the weight of the shell is just right. Don't cover all those time patterns on the shell surface; leave 30% inside the shell for storage, and 70% on the shell surface is enough."
Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool for a long time, then let go. The Time Eye leaked for a while and then stopped on its own. The time sequence in the pool dropped from full to half, and the time patterns on the shell dropped from one billion to sixty million. The shell stopped falling off, and the time patterns stopped going crazy. He jumped up from the plate at the bottom of the pool and handed the nine Time Pearls to Candle Dragon: "You can take this world. But I'll go back with you, and I'll borrow your adjustment method for three days. I've cultivated the Dao of Ten Thousand Times, and in the end, I turned my shell into a leaky pool. I don't even know when I blocked it."
Candle Dragon accepted the Time Pearl: "I'll lend you the method. You collect the worlds. Once you've collected them all, go to City of Ten Thousand Crafts and find Yin Xi. Break through the first ten thousandth level, the 'Naturalness Pass.' When you can adjust the weight of the worlds without using the Time Eye, you'll have graduated."
The Azure Dragon traveled due east for forty-nine days, collecting thirty-nine Great Thousand Worlds and one hundred and twenty-five Middle Thousand Worlds. On the evening of the forty-eighth day, the command flag shifted three inches due east. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white wood grain patterns. The patterns were arranged in a ring-like pattern from the core of the shell to the surface, each line representing a complete law of growth. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was inlaid with a wood grain crystal, each crystal sealing the Origin growth. From a distance, it resembled the cross-section of a giant tree that had coiled for countless Eons.
Azure Dragon pressed his palm down, and a tearing sensation shot through him. The wood grain accelerated its flow, converging into nine wooden chains that bound his five fingers, pulling his wood spirit energy outward. He withdrew his hand, and a grayish-white wooden bead appeared in his palm. He crushed the bead, and from the fragments floated an extremely slow and profound divine thought, "The Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable is here. Who comes?"
Azure Dragon flicked away the fragments. "Azure Dragon, the wood grain on your shell is quite nice. It can grow on its own and even actively wrap around people's hands. It's a pity that what wraps around you is your own wood spirit. Even if I crush it, you'll still have to grow a little more."
From within the shell came a long, resounding sound of branches stretching out. The wood grain exploded, transforming into a grayish-white cloud that enveloped the giant shell. Emerging from the cloud was an old man in a grayish-white robe, his hair and beard entirely green, coiled around him by nine wooden pythons, each holding a sprouting wooden bead in its mouth. The Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable spoke, his voice like a bamboo shoot breaking through frozen earth. "My shell is covered with ninety-nine million wood grains, each one formed from a wisp of wood spirit I released. For every wooden bead you crush, I release ten more wisps of wood spirit. The faster you crush it, the more I release; the harder you exert, the more vigorously my wood grows."
The Azure Dragon ignored him and took a step towards the very center of the shell. The wood grain wrapped around his ankle, and with a tremor under his foot, the wood grain shattered into wood chips; within three breaths, the wood chips reformed into denser wood grain, binding him even more tightly. He took another step, and the reformed wood grain was twice as thick as before. The Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable laughed inside the shell, "You've taken three steps, and the wood grain on the shell has increased from 99 million to 110 million. After you take a hundred steps, the wood grain on my shell will increase to 1 billion. When you reach the center of the shell, the wood grain will be able to bind you into a wood seed and bury you in the soil."
Azure Dragon stopped. He was most sensitive to the density of the tree rings as he controlled the growth of the wood spirit. He quickly noticed that the wood grain converged in a regular pattern: it became denser towards the core of the shell, except for a palm-sized patch in the very center where the wood grain was extremely sparse, revealing the shell beneath. He pointed to the sparse patch, and a drop of Azure Dragon's Origin wood blood seeped from his fingertip. As the blood fell, a small section of the shell collapsed, revealing a bottomless wooden hole from which came a muffled groan from the Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable.
"All ninety-nine million wood grains in your shell are connected to the 'Pool of Ten Thousand Trees' at its core." The Azure Dragon withdrew its finger. "You release wood spirits to nourish the grains; the more grains, the larger the pool, and the larger the pool, the more wood spirits you can release. But there's a 'wooden eye' at the bottom of your pool. When the wooden eye is blocked, the pool can hold the wood spirits; when the wooden eye opens, all the wood spirits in the pool leak out. I just dripped a drop of Azure Dragon's Origin wood blood onto your wooden eye, and now it can't be blocked anymore."
Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable's expression changed, and a rattling sound of leaking wood came from inside the shell. The wood grain on the shell peeled off layer by layer from the center outwards, and fine cracks crawled all over the shell. Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable pressed nine wooden pythons onto the shell, and the wooden pythons transformed into nine wooden pillars to support the shell; but the wooden pillars could support the shell surface, but not the wood holes, and the Pool of Ten Thousand Trees was still leaking. Azure Dragon slapped the peeling part of the shell surface, and a crack appeared. He crawled into the crack and landed on the Pool of Ten Thousand Trees.
Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable was squatting on the bottom plate of the pool, trying to plug the holes in the wood with his hands. He would plug it once and it would leak twice, then plug it twice and it would leak four times.
"Don't block it." The Azure Dragon squatted by the pool and looked down. "Those wooden holes are the balancing holes of the shell. They were balancing holes on the debris that Pangu threw out when he created the world. You built the shell into the Pool of Ten Thousand Trees, and those balancing holes became wooden holes. The leakage of wood through the wooden holes is the shell's self-regulation—if there's too much wood spirit in the pool, the shell becomes too heavy, so the shell opens the wooden holes to release wood spirit and reduce its weight. You've blocked the wooden holes, no wonder the shell is collapsing."
Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable looked up. "Then what should we do?"
"Open half the wood eye, store half the wood spirit in the pool, and the weight of the shell will be just right. Don't cover all the wood grain onto the shell surface; leave 30% inside as a wood storage, and cover the shell surface with 70%."
Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable squatted on the bottom plate of the pool for a long time, then let go. The leak in the wooden eye stopped on its own after a while, and the amount of wood spirit in the pool decreased from full to half, while the number of wood grains on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. The shell stopped falling off, and the wood grains stopped malfunctioning. He jumped up from the bottom plate and handed the nine wooden beads to the Azure Dragon: "You can take this world. But I'll go back with you, and I'll borrow your method of adjustment for three days. I've cultivated the Dao of Ten Thousand Trees for tens of thousands of years, and in the end, I turned my own shell into a leaky pool. I don't even know when I plugged it up."
Azure Dragon accepted the wooden bead. "I'll lend you the method. You collect the worlds. Once you've collected them all, go to City of Ten Thousand Crafts and find Yin Xi to break through the first ten thousandth level, the 'Naturalness Pass.' When you can adjust the weight of the worlds without the wooden eyes, you'll have graduated."
Ying Long traveled due south for forty-nine days, collecting thirty-seven Great Thousand Worlds and one hundred and eighteen Middle Thousand Worlds. On the evening of the forty-eighth day, the command flag shifted three inches due south. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white water patterns. The patterns swirled from the shell's core to its surface, each one a complete waterway law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a water pattern crystal, each crystal sealing the Origin the waterways. From a distance, it resembled a giant body of water spanning countless Eons.
Ying Long pressed his palm down, and a tearing sensation from the waterways surged forth. The water ripples spun faster, converging into nine water chains that bound his five fingers, pulling his water power outward. He withdrew his hand, and a grayish-white water droplet appeared in his palm. He crushed the droplet, and from the fragments floated an extremely slow and profound divine thought, "The Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable is here. Who comes?"
Ying Long flicked away the fragments. "Ying Long, the water patterns on your shell are quite nice. They can spin on their own and even actively wrap around people's hands. It's a pity that what gets wrapped around is your own waterway. Even if I crush it, you'll still have to let it flow out a bit more."
A long, resounding sound of rushing water came from within the shell, the water ripples bursting open and transforming into a grayish-white cloud that enveloped the giant shell. Emerging from the cloud was an old man in a grayish-white robe, his hair and beard entirely blue, surrounded by nine water pythons, each holding a spinning water droplet in its mouth. The Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable spoke, his voice like a waterfall crashing into a deep pool. "My shell is covered with ninety-nine million water ripples, each one formed from a single stream of water I release. For every water droplet you crush, I release ten more streams. The faster you crush it, the more I release; the harder you try, the deeper the water flows."
Ying Long ignored him and took a step towards the very center of the shell. Water ripples wrapped around his ankles, and with a jolt, the ripples shattered into fragments. Within three breaths, the fragments reformed into even denser ripples, binding him even more tightly. He took another step, and the reformed ripples were twice as thick as before. The Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable laughed inside the shell, "You've taken three steps, and the water ripples on the shell have increased from 99 million to 110 million. After you take a hundred steps, the water ripples on my shell will reach 1 billion. When you reach the center of the shell, the ripples will engulf you in a vast ocean."
Ying Long stopped. As the master of the waterways, he was most sensitive to the direction of the eddies and quickly discerned a pattern in the convergence of the water ripples: they became denser towards the core of the shell, except for a small area the size of a palm in the very center where the water ripples were extremely sparse, revealing the shell beneath. He pointed to the sparse area, and a drop of Ying Long's Origin blood seeped from his fingertip. As the blood fell, a small section of the shell collapsed, revealing a bottomless water cave, from which came a muffled groan from the Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable.
"All ninety-nine million water ripples of yours are connected to the 'Pool of Ten Thousand Waters' at the core of your shell." Ying Long withdrew his finger. "You create waterways to nurture the ripples; the more ripples, the larger the pool, and the larger the pool, the more waterways you can create. But there's a 'water eye' at the bottom of your pool. When the water eye is blocked, the pool can hold the waterways; when the water eye is open, all the waterways in the pool leak out. I just dripped a drop of Ying Long's Origin blood onto your water eye, and now it can't be blocked anymore."
Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable's expression changed, and a gurgling sound of water leaking came from inside the shell. The water ripples on the shell peeled off layer by layer from the center outwards, and fine cracks crawled all over the shell. Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable pressed nine water pythons onto the shell, and the water pythons transformed into nine water columns to support the shell; but the water columns could support the shell, but not the water holes, and the Pool of Ten Thousand Waters was still leaking. Ying Long slapped the peeling part of the shell, and a crack appeared. He crawled into the crack and landed on the edge of the Pool of Ten Thousand Waters.
Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable Zun was squatting on the bottom of the pool, trying to plug the water inlet with his hands. He would plug it once and it would leak twice, then plug it twice and it would leak four times.
"Don't block it." Ying Long squatted down by the pool and looked down. "Those water holes are the counterweight holes of the shell. They were the counterweight holes on the debris that Pangu threw out when he created the world. You built the shell into Pool of Ten Thousand Waters, and those counterweight holes became water holes. The water holes are the shell's self-regulation—if there are too many water channels in the pool, the shell becomes too heavy, so it opens water holes to release water and reduce its weight. You've blocked the water holes, no wonder the shell is collapsing."
Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable looked up. "Then what should we do?"
"Open half the water inlet, and fill half the pool with water channels; the weight of the shell will be just right. Don't spread all those water ripples on the shell surface; leave 30% inside the shell as a reservoir, and 70% on the surface is enough."
Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable squatted on the bottom plate of the pool for a long time, then let go. The water leaked for a while and then stopped on its own. The water channels in the pool dropped from full to half full, and the water ripples on the shell surface decreased from one billion to sixty million. The shell stopped falling off, and the water ripples stopped running wild. He jumped up from the bottom plate and handed nine water droplets to Ying Long: "You can take this world. But I'll go back with you, and I'll borrow your adjustment method for three days. I've cultivated the Dao of Ten Thousand Waters for tens of thousands of years, and in the end, I turned my own shell into a leaky pool. I don't even know when I blocked it."
Ying Long accepted the water droplet. "I'll lend you the method. You collect the world. After you've collected it, go to City of Ten Thousand Crafts to find Yin Xi and break through the first level, the 'Naturalness Pass.' When you can adjust the weight of the world without using the water eye, you'll have graduated."
After Ancestral Dragon, Candle Dragon, Azure Dragon, and Ying Long each took control of one of the Universe Worlds, the remaining six were to be taken over by other Primordial Daluo Golden Immortals of the Dragon Clan in groups of two or three. Ancestral Dragon reassigned his generals: Ao Run Ao Guang, Ao Qin, and Ao Shun to the southwest; Ao Run, Long Yuan, and Long Qian to the northwest; Long Xi, Ao Mo'ang, and Ao Rong to the northeast; Ao Ji, Ao Xiang, and Ao Rui to the southeast; and two other groups of three each to the due west-northwest and due east-northeast. Each of the six groups received a Dragon Clan command flag and Counterweight Hole Regulation Method personally taught by Ancestral Dragon, and they entered the Chaos separately.
Ao Guang, Ao Qin, and Ao Shun traveled southwest for forty-nine days, collecting thirty-one Great Thousand Worlds and one hundred and four Middle Thousand Worlds. On the evening of the forty-eighth day, they encountered a Universe World whose shell was covered with lightning patterns, with the Dao of Ten Thousand Thunders Venerable presiding over it. Ao Guang planted a command flag on the shell, and the lightning patterns on the flag unfolded on their own; Ao Qin and Ao Shun each stood on one side. The Three Brothers simultaneously raised their hands and struck the area in the very center of the shell where the lightning patterns were sparse, and three drops of dragon blood fell, causing the shell to collapse and create a lightning hole. The Dao of Ten Thousand Thunders Venerable tried to plug the lightning eye inside the shell, but it leaked twice for every plug, so the Three Brothers crawled into the lightning hole and pressed him onto a plate at the bottom of the pool. Ao Guang explained the method of adjustment, "Open half of the lightning eye, store half of the Thunder in the pool, spread seventy percent of the lightning patterns on the shell and leave three-tenths." The Dao of Ten Thousand Thunders Venerable squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and thought for a long time, then let go, and the lightning eye stopped leaking on its own after a while. He handed nine lightning pearls to Ao Guang: "You can take the world. Lend me the method for three days."
Ao Run, Long Yuan, and Long Qian northwest for forty-nine days, collecting twenty-nine Great Thousand Worlds and ninety-seven Middle Thousand Worlds. On the evening of the forty-eighth day, they encountered a Universe World covered in ice patterns, with the Dao of Ten Thousand Ices Venerable residing within. Ao Run planted a flag, while Long Yuan and Long Qian each stood on one side. The three of them simultaneously struck the area in the very center of the shell where the ice patterns were sparse, causing three drops of dragon blood to fall and creating an ice hole in the shell. The Dao of Ten Thousand Ices Venerable plugged the ice hole inside the shell, but the three of them crawled into the hole and pressed him onto the bottom of the pool. Ao Run explained the method, "Open half of the ice hole, store half of the ice power in the pool, cover seventy percent of the ice patterns on the shell, and leave three-tenths." The Dao of Ten Thousand Ices Venerable released his grip, and the ice hole stopped leaking after a while. He handed nine ice beads to Ao Run: "You can take the world. Lend me the method for three days."
Long Xi, Ao Mo'ang, and Ao Rong traveled northeast for forty-nine days, encountering a Universe World whose shell was covered in fire patterns. The Dao of Ten Thousand Fires Venerable resided within. The three followed suit, striking a spot in the center of the shell where the fire patterns were sparse. Three drops of dragon blood fell, and a fire hole appeared in the shell. The Dao of Ten Thousand Fires Venerable was blocking the fire eye inside the shell when the three crawled in and pressed him onto a plate at the bottom of the pool. Long Xi explained the adjustment method, "Open half the fire eye, store half the fire power in the pool, cover seventy percent of the fire patterns on the shell, and leave three-tenths." The Dao of Ten Thousand Fires Venerable released his grip, and the fire eye stopped leaking after a while. He handed nine fire pearls to Long Xi: "You can take the world. Lend me the method for three days."
Ao Ji, Ao Xiang, and Ao Rui traveled southeast for forty-nine days and stumbled upon a Universe World whose shell was covered in earthen patterns. The Dao of Ten Thousand Earths Venerable resided within the shell. The three struck a spot in the center of the shell where the earthen patterns were sparse, causing three drops of dragon blood to fall and the shell to collapse, creating an earthen hole. The Dao of Ten Thousand Earths Venerable plugged the hole inside the shell, but the three crawled in and pressed him onto a plate at the bottom of the pool. Ao Ji explained the method, "Open half the earthen hole, store half the earthen power in the pool, cover seven-tenths of the earthen patterns on the shell, and leave three-tenths." The Dao of Ten Thousand Earths Venerable released his grip, and the leak stopped on its own after a while. He handed nine earthen beads to Ao Ji: "You can take the world. Lend me the method for three days."
The remaining two groups, each consisting of three people, headed west-northwest and east-northeast respectively, where they encountered the Universe Worlds overseen by Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable and Dao of Ten Thousand Winds Venerable. Following the method personally taught by the Ancestral Dragon, each group found the counterweight hole, dripped dragon blood, pressed against the bottom of the pool, and performed the adjustment techniques. Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable and Dao of Ten Thousand Winds Venerable each released their grip, opened their eyes, exchanged beads, and borrowed the techniques for three days. The Ten Directions Universe Worlds were thus completely gathered.
When the Ancestral Dragon led all the participating Primordial Daluo Golden Immortals of the Dragon Clan to move the world back to the Primordial Wilderness, ten jade tables were set up in front of the main gate of the East Sea Dragon Palace. The ten Dao Venerables —Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable, Dao of Ten Thousand Trees Venerable Dao of Ten Thousand Times Venerable, Dao of Ten Thousand Waters Venerable, Dao of Ten Thousand Thunders Venerable, Dao of Ten Thousand Ices Venerable, Dao of Ten Thousand Fires Venerable, Dao of Ten Thousand Earths Venerable Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable Daozun, and Dao of Ten Thousand Winds Venerable —sat down before the tables. The Ancestral Dragon looked at them one by one, then turned to the Taiqing Purity True Body and said, "We will collect one Universe World each in the due west, due north, due east, and due south; one each in the southwest, northwest, northeast, and southeast; and one each in the due west-northwest and due east-northeast, for a total of ten. Where will we place these worlds after we move them back?"
Taiqing himself peeked halfway up Kunlun Mountain: "The one due west should be placed west of the Western Ox Continent, the one due north should be placed north of the Northern Julu Continent, the one due east should be placed east of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, the one due south should be placed south of Southern Continent of Jambu, the one southwest should be placed southwest of Nanzhan Southern Continent of Jambu, the one northwest should be placed Northern Julu Continent, the one northeast should be placed northeast of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, and the one southeast should be placed Southern Continent of Jambu. The remaining two, the one slightly north of due west, should be placed northwest of the Western Ox Continent, and the one slightly north of due east should be placed north of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. Bring the worlds back and dismantle them first. After dismantling, categorize them by size: large worlds will be merged with continents, medium worlds will be dismantled for materials, and small worlds will be used to feed the ley lines."
Ancestral Dragon nodded and assigned the Ten-Direction Worlds to Candle Dragon, Azure Dragon, Ying Long, and six groups of the Dragon Clan powerhouses, each with a Dao Venerable to see the world, dismantle the world, and compile teaching materials. The ten Dao Venerables each took on their tasks, borrowed the adjustment method for three days, and after three days, they went to City of Ten Thousand Crafts to find Yin Xi to break through their barriers.
The Ancestral Dragon sat before the main gate of the East Sea Dragon Palace and sent a message to the Human Dao Heavenly Net: "The Ancestral Dragon of the Dragon Clan, along with Candle Dragon, Azure Dragon, Ying Long, and Dragon Clan the Primordial Daluo Golden Immortals of the Dragon Clan, divided into ten routes to conquer ten Universe Worlds. The Primordial Daluo Golden Immortals within each world have already returned to the Primordial Wilderness. Any Dragon Clan disciple who wishes to learn how to conquer worlds may go to the western part of the Western Ox Continent, the Northern Julu Continent Eastern Victory Divine Continent Southern Continent of Jambu, the southern part of Southern Continent of Jambu, the southwestern part of the Northern Julu Continent Eastern Victory Divine Continent, the northwestern part of Southern Continent of Jambu, the northwestern part of the Western Ox Continent, and the Eastern Victory Divine Continent to view the worlds."
The message was sent out in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea Yin Xi replied from below, "Ancestral Dragon, the ten Dao Venerables have arrived at City of Ten Thousand Crafts and are squatting in front of the first level, the Character Recognition Pass. Dao of Ten Thousand Dragons Venerable said he will start from the first level and work his way up to the ten thousandth level. The other nine said they will borrow their respective patterns to practice for three days before attempting to break through."
The Ancestral Dragon replied, "Let them break it. After they're done, come find me at the East Sea Dragon Palace, and I'll assign them tasks."