The twelve elders split into twelve groups and entered the Chaos. Within the Chaos, a hazy, swirling current surged ceaselessly, and world shells of varying sizes floated and sank within. Some shells had patterns that moved slowly across their surfaces like the breathing of living beings; others were entwined with half-withered, half-flourishing vines; and still others would pause in unison every now and then, as if something had struck them from within. When the Witch Race's command talisman unfolded in the Chaos, the Heavenly Spirit runes on its surface would slightly shift according to the direction each person was heading, and the corner of the talisman would point to a point where members of the same clan would respond to each other.
Elder Wuyin wielded the seventh technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Ride the Mist and Soar on Clouds the Clouds." He traveled southeast for forty-nine Eon, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over ninety Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, the command talisman shifted three inches to the southeast. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, three times larger than any shell he had seen along the way. Its surface was covered with gray-white mist patterns, the patterns swirling from the shell's core to its surface, each a complete Mist Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a mist pattern knot. The crystal contained an Origin mist, resembling from afar a gigantic sea of mist stretching across countless Eon. Wuyin pressed his hand against the shell, feeling the mist tear at his palm. The mist patterns on the shell spun rapidly, converging on his palm from all directions, transforming into nine chains of mist patterns that wrapped around his five fingers when they reached the center. He withdrew his hand, crushing the mist bead. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wanwu emerged from the fragments, slowly dissipating like the soft sound of thick fog rolling over a mountain ridge, "The Dao Venerable Wanwu is here. Who comes?"
Wuyin flicked away the fragments. "Wuyin, the mist 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 mist channel. Even if I crush it, you'll have to disperse it again."
A long, drawn-out sound of mist surging emanated from within the shell, and the mist patterns on its surface simultaneously exploded, transforming into a gray-white sea of mist that enveloped the giant shell. Emerging from this sea of mist was an old man in a gray-white mist robe, coiled around him by nine mist pythons, each holding a rotating mist bead in its mouth, each bead sealing a complete Mist Dao Law. The Dao Venerable Wanwu spoke, his voice like the soft murmur of thick fog sweeping across a mountain ridge, "My shell is covered with ninety-nine million mist patterns, each formed from a wisp of mist I released. For every mist bead you crush, I release ten more wisps of mist."
Wuyin didn't try to pry it open. As someone who mastered the art of Ride the Mist and Soar on Clouds, he knew best that mist disperses and conceals itself, and where it conceals, there is always stagnation. He circled half the shell and saw that the vortex of mist patterns was extremely dense, but there was a sliver of condensed mist in the gaps between the vortices; the condensed mist gathered at the center of the shell, forming a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of Wuyin's Origin mist blood into the sparse area, and a small mist hole appeared on the shell's surface. The Dao Venerable Wanwu groaned inside. Wuyin followed the hole and saw that the Mist Eye on the bottom of the Wanwu Pool were completely blocked, and the mist channels in the pool only accumulated without releasing, which was why the mist patterns on the shell's surface became more and more scattered and chaotic. After the Mist Eye partially opened, the mist channels in the pool receded to half their original size, and the number of mist patterns on the shell surface decreased from one billion to sixty million. The Dao Venerable Wanwu hair and beard all gray, stared at the bottom of the pool for a long time before saying, "The mist dissipates by its own suffocation; by blocking the Mist Eye, I was actually blocking my own airway." The Wuyin explained the method of regulation, "The mist disperses; seventy percent of the surface should block external evil, and the remaining three-tenths should nourish the pool's mist. The Mist Eye should be half-open and half-closed to prevent stagnation. Come with me to City of Ten Thousand Crafts to soak out this dead knot." The Dao Venerable Wanwu handed over the Mist Pearl and the World Seal.
Elder Chuan Yi Chuanyi the eighth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Turn Rivers into Land." He traveled northeast for forty-nine Eon, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over eighty Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, he shifted the talisman three inches to the northeast. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white river patterns. The patterns flowed from the shell's core towards the surface, each a complete River Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a river pattern crystal, each crystal sealing a river channel Origin. From afar... Like a gigantic river map spanning countless Eon, Chuanyi pressed his palm against it, and the river's currents tore apart. The river patterns spun faster, converging into nine chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand and crushed the river pearl. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wanjiang surged forth from the fragments, rushing and surging like the roar of a river bursting its banks, "The Dao Venerable Wanjiang is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million river patterns, each one formed from a wisp of river current I released. For every river pearl you crush, I release ten more wisps of river current."
Chuanyi did not forcibly dismantle it. He knew the method of Turn Rivers into Land, and that rivers were turbulent and rapid, and where there was rapidity, there was bound to be stagnation. He circled the shell three times and saw that the river patterns were extremely dense where the river flowed, but there was a line of silt in the gaps where the river flowed forked; the silt converged at the center of the shell, forming a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of Chuanyi Yi 'Origin river blood into the sparse area, and a small river hole appeared on the shell surface, where Dao Venerable Wanjiang groaned. Chuanyi followed the seam and saw that the River Eye on the bottom of Wanjiang Pool was tightly blocked, and the river channel in the pool only accumulated and did not drain. The river patterns on the shell became increasingly turbulent and chaotic. After the River Eye half-opened, the river channel in the pool receded to half its original size, and the number of river patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. Dao Venerable Wanjiang's hair and beard bulged as he squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool, pondering for a long time. He said, "The river surges and collapses on its own. I thought surging was a force." Chuanyi said, "The nature of the river is surging. Seventy percent of the shell's surface blocks external evils, while the thirty percent inside nurtures the pool's river. Only when the River Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not collapse. Surging is not a dead rush; it can carve land." Dao Venerable Wanjiang handed over the River Pearl and the World Seal.
Elder Jinguang wielded the ninth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Soaring Golden Light." He traveled southwest for forty-nine Eon, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over ninety Middle Thousand World. At the end of the forty-eighth Eon, he shifted the talisman three inches to the southwest. Deep within the Chaos floated a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white gold patterns. The patterns radiated from the shell's core towards the surface, each a complete Metal Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a golden crystal, each crystal sealing a Golden Dao Origin. From afar... Like a gigantic golden field spanning countless Eon, the Jinguang pressed against his palm, and a tearing golden force emanated from it. The golden patterns spun rapidly, converging into nine golden chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand and crushed the golden bead. The divine sense of the Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable shot out from the fragments, swift and sharp, like the piercing sound of Jinguang tearing through the air, "The Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million golden patterns, each formed from a strand of golden energy I released. For every golden bead you crush, I will release ten more strands of golden energy."
The Jinguang did not collide head-on. Knowing that the golden Soaring Golden Light was sharp and fast, and that speed inevitably leads to stagnation, he circled the shell three times. He observed that the golden patterns were extremely dense where the light rays intersected, but within the gaps was a dark crack; this dark crack converged at the core of the shell, forming a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of the Jinguang 'Origin blood into this sparse area, causing a small golden hole to appear on the shell's surface. The Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable groaned inside. The Jinguang followed the crack and saw that the Metal Eye at the bottom of the Pool of Ten Thousand Metals was tightly blocked, and the golden energy within the pool only accumulated without leaking out. The golden patterns on the shell shot out faster and faster. After the Metal Eye half-opened, the golden path in the pool dropped to half its original size, and the golden patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable, whose hair and beard were all sharp, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and thought for a long time. He said, "Gold is fast because it is empty. I thought that speed was sharpness." The Jinguang said, "Gold is sharp. Seventy percent of the shell is used to block external evil, and the other threety percent is used to nourish the pool's gold. The Metal Eye is half-open and half-closed, so that the shell is not empty. Speed is not about shooting blindly, but about knowing how to gather light." Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable handed over the golden pearl and the World Seal.
Elder Fan Hai, Fanhai the tenth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Overturn Rivers and Stir Seas," traveled northwest for forty-nine Eon, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over eighty Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, he shifted the command talisman three inches to the northwest. Deep within the Chaos floated a gigantic shell, its surface covered in gray-white sea patterns. The patterns, arranged in a wave-like pattern from the core to the surface, each line representing a complete Sea Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a sea pattern crystal, each crystal sealing an Origin of the sea. From afar... Like a gigantic sea stretching Fanhai countless Eon, he pressed his palm against it, feeling the sea's currents tear and ripple. The sea patterns spun rapidly, converging into nine chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand, crushing the sea pearl. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wanhai surged forth from the fragments, fierce and wild, like the roar of a tsunami, "The Dao Venerable Wanhai is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million sea patterns, each formed from a strand of sea current I released. For every sea pearl you crush, I release ten more strands of sea current."
There was no direct confrontation with Fanhai. He possessed the skill to Overturn Rivers and Stir Seas, knowing that the sea's nature was fierce and turbulent, and where there was turbulence, there was bound to be stagnation. He circled the shell three times, finding the sea patterns extremely dense where the waves and ripples met, yet within the gaps between the waves lay a line of still water; this still water converged at the center of the shell, forming a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of Fan Fanhai's Origin sea blood into this sparse area, causing a small sea hole to appear on the shell's surface, from which Dao Venerable Wanhai let out a muffled groan. Fan Hai Fanhai hole into the interior, finding that the Sea Eye at the bottom of the Wanhai Pool was tightly blocked, and the sea channels within the pool only accumulated without releasing. The sea patterns on the shell grew increasingly turbulent. After the Sea Eye partially opened, the sea channels in the pool receded to half their original size, and the number of sea patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. Wan Hai Dao Zun, his hair and beard all wild, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and pondered for a long time before saying, "The sea's turbulence will eventually disintegrate. I thought turbulence meant ferocity." Dao Venerable Wanhai said, "The sea is ferocious. Seventy percent of the shell's surface is used to block external evils, while the remaining thirty percent nurtures the pool's sea. Only when the Sea Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not disintegrate. Fanhai is not about relentless turbulence, but about knowing how to calm the waves." Dao Venerable Wanhai then handed over the pearl and the World Seal.
Elder Zhidi the eleventh technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Zhidi Steel." He traveled forty-nine Eon eastward and slightly southward, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over ninety Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, he commanded the talisman to move three inches eastward and slightly southward. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white steel patterns. The patterns, arranged in the shape of steel ingots, extended from the core to the surface, each a complete Steel Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface, a steel pattern crystal was embedded, each crystal sealing a Steel Dao Origin. From afar, it resembled a gigantic steel field stretched across countless Eon. He pressed his Zhidi against the ground, and a tearing steel current emanated from it. The steel patterns spun rapidly, converging into nine steel chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand, crushing the steel bead. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wangang emanated from the fragments, hard and heavy, like the muffled thud of a steel ingot hitting the ground. "The Dao Venerable Wangang is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million steel patterns, each formed from a strand of steel I released. For every steel bead you crush, I release ten more strands of steel."
He didn't forcefully strike the ground. Knowing the method of forging steel with his Zhidi, he understood that steel is hard and heavy, and where there is heaviness, there must be resistance. He circled the shell three times, finding the steel patterns extremely dense at the ingot's edges, yet a thin, resilient gap existed within the joints; this gap converged at the core of the Zhidi, forming a sparse pattern. He dripped a Zhidi Origin steel blood onto this sparse area, causing a small steel hole to appear on the shell's surface, from which the Dao Venerable Wangang groaned. He followed the gap into the Wangang Pool, finding the Steel Eye at the bottom completely blocked, the steel channels within accumulating without leaking. The steel veins on the shell hardened with each press. After the Steel Eye was half-opened, the steel channels in the pool decreased to half-full, and the number of steel veins on the shell dropped from one billion to sixty million. Dao Venerable Wangang, whose hair and beard were all made of steel, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and thought for a long time. He said, "Steel hardens on its own. I thought hardness meant strength." Pointing to the Earthly Dao, he said, "Steel is hard. Seventy percent of the shell's surface is used to block external evils, and the remaining thirty percent is used to nurture the pool's steel. Only when the Steel Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not break. Hardness is not about pressing down, but about resilience." Dao Venerable Wangang handed over the steel ball and the World Seal.
The Five Elements Elder Heavenly Spirit the twelfth technique of the Heavenly Gang, "The Five Elements Great Escape." He traveled due west and slightly south for forty-nine Eon, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over eighty Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, the command talisman moved three inches due west and slightly south. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white Five Elements patterns. The patterns were arranged in a five-colored, cyclical pattern from the core of the shell to the surface, each pattern representing a complete Five Elements Law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a Five Elements crystal, each crystal sealing a Five Elements Origin. From afar, it resembled a gigantic Five Elements field spanning countless Eon. Pressing the Five Elements onto his palm, Dao of Ten Thousand Elements Venerable sensation arose. The Five Elements patterns accelerated their rotation, converging into nine Five Elements chains that bound his five fingers. He withdrew his hand, crushing the Five Elements Pearl. The divine sense of the Myriad Elements Daoist emerged from the fragments, steady and rotating, like the muffled sound of the Five Elements rotating, "The Dao of Ten Thousand Elements Venerable is here. This shell of mine is covered with ninety-nine million Daoist patterns, each formed from a strand of Five Elements I released. For every Five Elements Pearl Bead you crush, I will release ten more Five Elements."
He didn't forcefully dismantle the Five Elements. He possessed the Five Elements Great Escape Technique, knowing that the Five Elements' nature shifts and changes, and where there's change, there's bound to be stagnation. He circled the shell three times, seeing that the Five Elements patterns were extremely dense where they rotated, yet within the gaps connecting the rotations, there was a sliver of escape; this sliver converged at the core of the shell, precisely a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of the Five Elements Origin 'Five Elements blood into this sparse area, and a small hole appeared on the shell's surface. The Dao of Ten Thousand Elements Venerable of Ten Thousand Elements groaned inside. The Five Elements flowed into the hole and saw that the Movement Eye the bottom of the Ten Thousand Elements Pool was tightly blocked, the Five Elements within the pool accumulating without leaking out. The Five Elements patterns on the surface became increasingly chaotic as they swirled. After the Movement Eye half-opened, the Five Elements in the pool decreased to half their original size, and the Five Elements patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. Dao of Ten Thousand Elements Venerable, whose hair and beard were all five-colored, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and pondered for a long time. He said, "The Five Elements are stagnant. I thought that swirling meant they would come back to life." The Five Elements said, "When the nature of the Five Elements changes, seventy percent of the surface blocks external evils, and the thirty percent inside nourishes the pool's movement. Only when the Movement Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not stagnate. Swirling is not a death transformation, but a return to its original position." Dao of Ten Thousand Elements Venerable handed over the Five Elements Pearl and the World Seal.
Elder Liujia, who wielded the thirteenth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Liujia and Mysterious Gates," traveled for forty-nine Eon to the due north-southeast, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over ninety Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, he moved the talisman three inches to the due north-southeast. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white Qimen patterns. These patterns, arranged in a Liujia pattern from the shell's core to its surface, each line representing a complete Mysterious Gates Law. Every three zhang (approximately 13 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a Qimen crystal, each crystal sealing a Qimen Origin. From afar, it resembled a gigantic Qimen formation Eon. Liujia pressed his palm down, and a tearing sensation from the Qimen formation arose. The Qimen patterns spun rapidly, converging into nine Qimen chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand, crushing the Qimen beads. The divine sense of the Myriad Gates Dao Venerable emerged from the fragments, dense and ever-changing, like the soft sound of a Qimen Array Formation being deployed, "The Myriad Gates Dao Venerable is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million gate patterns, each formed from a strand of Qimen I released. For every gate bead you crush, I will release ten more strands of Qimen."
Liujia did not force his way in. He mastered the Liujia and Mysterious Gates method and knew that the nature of the gate was both dense and changeable, and where there was change, there would be obstruction. He circled the shell three times and saw that the gate patterns at Liujia's location were extremely dense, but within the gaps connecting the Liujia Jia lines was a line of life gate; this life gate converged at the center of the shell, forming a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of Liujia's Origin gate blood onto this sparse area, and the shell surface collapsed, revealing a gate opening. The Myriad Gates Dao Venerable inside let out a muffled groan. Liujia followed the seam and saw that the gate openings at the bottom of the Myriad Gates Pool were tightly blocked, Gate Eye the Qimen within the pool only accumulated without leaking out. The patterns on the face became increasingly dense. After the Gate Eye was half-opened, the strange gate in the pool returned to half its original size, and the number of gate patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. The Myriad Gates Dao Venerable and hair were covered with gate patterns, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and thought for a long time. He said, "The gate is dense and naturally formed. I thought that density meant impenetrability." Liujia said, "The nature of the gate is dense. Seventy percent of the shell is used to block external evils, and threety percent of the shell is used to nourish the pool gate. Only when the Gate Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not form a solid. Denseness is not a dead cloth, but something that can open and live." The Myriad Gates Dao Venerable handed over the gate pearl and the world seal.
Elder Ni Zhi Nizhi the fourteenth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Nizhi the Future," traveled forty-nine Eon to the due south-southwest, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over eighty Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, he commanded the talisman to move three inches to the due south-southwest. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white pre-heavenly patterns. These patterns, arranged in a future-oriented pattern from the shell's core towards the surface, each represented a complete Foreknowledge Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 13 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a pre-heavenly pattern crystal, each crystal sealing a pre-heavenly Origin. From afar, it resembled a gigantic map of prophecy spanning countless Eon. Nizhi pressed his palm against it, and a tearing sensation from the prophetic path emanated. The prophetic runes accelerated their rotation, converging into nine chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand, crushing the prophetic bead. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wanyu emanated from the fragments, far-reaching and precise, like the soft sound of a prophecy coming true, "The Dao Venerable Wanyu is here. This shell of mine is covered with ninety-nine million prophetic runes, each one formed from a wisp of prophetic path I released. For every prophetic bead you crush, I release ten more wisps of prophetic path."
Nizhi didn't forcefully dismantle the shell. He possessed the method of Nizhi the Future, knowing that while the predictive nature was far-reaching and accurate, its accuracy was always imperfect. He circled the shell three times, finding the future patterns extremely dense, yet within the gaps connecting the future, there was a thin, shifting line; this shifting line converged at the core of the shell, forming a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of his Origin blood from the source of his Nizhi into this sparse area, causing a small hole to appear on the shell's surface. Nizhi Dao Venerable Wanyu groaned inside. He followed the seam and saw that the Foreknowledge Eye on the bottom of the Wanyu Pool was tightly blocked, the predictive channels within accumulating but not leaking. The more the foretelling patterns appeared, the further away they became. After the Foreknowledge Eye was half-opened, the foretelling path in the pool returned to half its original size, and the foretelling patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. Dao Venerable Wanyu, whose beard and hair were all far away, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and thought for a long time. He said, "Foretelling is far away and therefore stagnant. I thought that far away meant accurate." Nizhi laughed and said, "The foretelling nature is far away. Seventy percent of the shell's surface blocks external evils, and the thirty percent inside the shell nourishes the pool's foretelling. Only when the Foreknowledge Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not stagnate. Far away is not about pushing it too far, but about being able to draw it closer." Dao Venerable Wanyu handed over the foretelling pearl and the World Seal.
Elder Bianshan wielded the fifteenth technique of the Heavenly Spirit Gang, "Bianshan and Move Stones." He traveled forty-nine Eon to the due east-northeast, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over ninety Middle Thousand World. At the end of the forty-eighth Eon, he moved the talisman three inches to the due east-northeast. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white mountain stone patterns. These patterns, arranged in a mountain-stone pattern from the core to the surface, each represented a complete Mountain and Stone Law. Every three zhang (approximately 13 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a mountain stone crystal, each crystal sealing a mountain stone Origin. From afar, it resembled a gigantic stone field covered with countless Eon. Bianshan against the mountain, and the stone seemed to tear apart. The stone patterns spun rapidly, converging into nine stone chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand, crushing the stone beads. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wanshi rolled out from the fragments, heavy and turbulent, like the thunderous roar of a boulder tumbling down, "The Dao Venerable Wanshi is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million stone patterns, each formed from a strand of stone I released. For every stone bead you crush, I release ten more strands of stone."
Bianshan didn't try to force his way in. He knew the Bianshan and Move Stones, understanding that stones are heavy and prone to rolling, and that where they roll, there will inevitably be resistance. He circled the shell three times, noticing the extremely dense stone patterns where the rocks were connected, yet a thin gap remained between them; this gap converged at the core of the shell, forming a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of Bianshan's Origin stone blood into this sparse area, causing a small stone hole to appear on the shell's surface. The Dao Venerable Wanshi groaned inside. Bianshan followed the gap and saw that the Stone Eye at the bottom of the Wanshi Pool were completely blocked, the stones in the pool accumulating without draining. The stone patterns on the shell grew heavier and heavier as it rolled. After the Stone Eye opened halfway, the rocks in the pool sank back to half their original size, and the number of stone patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. Dao Venerable Wanshi, whose hair and beard were all made of stone, squatted on the bottom of the pool and pondered for a long time before saying, "Heavy stones are suffocating. I thought that heaviness meant stability." Bianshan, "Stones are heavy by nature. Seventy percent of the shell is used to ward off external evils, and the other threety percent is used to nourish the pool stones. Only when the Stone Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not be suffocated. Heaviness is not a deadly pressure, but a force that can move mountains." Dao Venerable Wanshi handed over the stone bead and the World Seal.
The Elder Heavenly Spirit Huisheng the sixteenth technique of the Heavenly Gang, "Bring the Dead Back to Life." He traveled forty-nine Eon to the due west-northwest, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over eighty Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, he moved the talisman three inches to the due west-northwest. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white life-giving patterns. These patterns, arranged in a life-and-death pattern from the shell's core to its surface, each represented a complete Life Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 13 meters) on the shell's surface was inlaid with a life-giving crystal, each crystal sealing an Origin life. From afar, it resembled a gigantic map of life and death spanning countless Eon. Huisheng pressed his palm against it, and a tearing sensation from the Dao of Life arose. The life runes spun rapidly, converging into nine chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand and crushed the life pearl. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wansheng revived from the fragments, warm and gentle, like the soft sound of withered wood meeting spring, "The Dao Venerable Wansheng is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million life runes, each one formed from a wisp of life I released. For every life pearl you crush, I release ten more wisps of life."
Huisheng did not forcefully dismantle the shell. He possessed the art of Bring the Dead Back to Life and knew that life's nature was warm and gentle, and where there is gentleness, there is bound to be stagnation. He circled the shell three times, noticing that the lines of life and death were extremely dense, yet within the gaps connecting life and death lay a thin line of death; this line of death converged at the center of the shell, forming a sparse line. He dripped a drop of Hui Sheng 'Origin Huisheng -giving blood into this sparse line, and the shell surface collapsed, revealing a hole in the shell. The Dao Venerable Wansheng groaned within. Huisheng followed the crack and saw that the Life Eye at the bottom of the Ten Thousand Life Pool was completely blocked, the life force within the pool accumulating without releasing. The patterns on the surface grew denser and denser. After the Life Eye half-opened, the life-giving energy in the pool decreased to half its original size, and the number of patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. The Dao Venerable Wansheng, with his hair and beard all soft, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and pondered for a long time, saying, "Dense life leads to stagnation. I thought life was living." Huisheng said, "Life is warm in nature. Seventy percent of the shell's surface blocks external evils, and the other threety percent nourishes the life-giving energy in the pool. Only when the Life Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not stagnate. Life is not the accumulation of death, but the ability to return to death." The Dao Venerable Wansheng handed over the Life-Giving Pearl and the World Seal.
Elder Tuoji the seventeenth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Fly Bodily and Tuoji." He traveled forty-nine Eon to the due north-southwest, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over ninety Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, the command talisman moved three inches to the due north-southwest. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white traces. The patterns, arranged in a silhouette-like pattern from the shell's core to its surface, each one a complete Trace Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a trace crystal, each crystal sealing an Origin the Law of Trace, far... It looked like a gigantic image spread across countless Eon. Tuoji against it, and a tearing sensation came from the traces. The trace patterns accelerated their rotation, converging into nine chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand and crushed the trace bead. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wanji floated out from the fragments, light and ethereal, like the soft sound of a figure skimming across water, "The Dao Venerable Wanji is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million trace patterns, each formed from a wisp of trace path I released. For every trace bead you crush, I release ten more wisps of trace path."
Tuoji did not force his way in. He knew the nature of the Fly Bodily and Tuoji was light and ethereal, and where there was etherealness, there would be obstruction. He circled the shell three times and saw that the trace patterns were extremely dense, but there was a solid gap between the connecting lines; the solid gap converged at the core of the shell, which was a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of Tuoji's Origin trace blood into the sparse area, and a small trace hole appeared on the shell surface. The Dao Venerable Wanji groaned inside. Tuoji followed the seam and saw that the Trace Eye on the bottom plate of the Wanji Pool were blocked and heavy, and the trace channels in the pool only accumulated and did not leak. The traces on the shell became increasingly ethereal and indistinct. After the Trace Eye half-opened, the trace path in the pool dropped back to half its original size, and the number of traces on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. The Dao Venerable Wanji, whose hair and beard had all turned to ethereal form, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and pondered for a long time before saying, "Traces dissipate naturally when they are ethereal. I thought ethereal meant light." Tuoji said, "Traces are inherently light. Seventy percent of the shell's surface is used to block external evils, while the remaining thirty percent nourishes the traces within the pool. Only when the Trace Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not dissipate. Ethereality is not a dead, drifting existence; it is something that can take root." The Dao Venerable Wanji then handed over the Trace Pearl and the World Seal.
Jiuxi wielded the eighteenth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Absorb Qi in Jiuxi." He traveled forty-nine Eon to the due south-southeast, collecting over thirty Great Thousand World and over eighty Middle Thousand World. At the end of the Eon, he moved the talisman three inches to the due south-southeast. Floating deep within the Chaos was a gigantic shell, its surface covered with gray-white breath patterns. The patterns were arranged in a breathing pattern from the core of the shell to the surface, each pattern representing a complete Breath Dao Law. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) on the shell's surface was embedded a breath pattern crystal, each crystal sealing an Origin of the Way of Breath. From afar, it resembled a gigantic field of breath spanning countless Eon. Jiuxi pressed his palm down, and a tearing sensation emanated from the breath. The breath patterns accelerated their rotation, converging into nine chains that wrapped around his five fingers. He withdrew his hand, crushing the breath bead. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wanxi emerged from the fragments, slow and deep, like the soft sound of breathing, "The Dao Venerable Wanxi is here. This shell of mine is covered with ninety-nine million breath patterns, each formed from a wisp of breath I released. For every breath bead you crush, I release ten more wisps of breath."
Jiuxi did not forcefully dismantle the shell. He knew the Absorb Qi in Jiuxi technique was slow and deep, and that there would inevitably be stagnation at the deepest point. He circled the shell three times and saw that the breath patterns were extremely dense at the breathing points, but there was a stagnation in the gaps between the breaths; the stagnation gathered at the center of the shell, which was a sparse pattern. He dripped a drop of Jiuxi 'Origin blood into the sparse area, and a breath hole appeared on the shell surface, from which the Dao Venerable Wanxi groaned. Jiuxi followed the seam and saw that the Breath Eye on the bottom of the Wanxi Pool were completely blocked, and the breath channels in the pool only accumulated without leaking out. The breath patterns on the shell grew increasingly rapid. After the Breath Eye half-opened, the number of breath channels in the pool decreased to half, and the number of breath patterns on the shell dropped from one billion to sixty million. The Dao Venerable Wanxi relaxed his beard and hair, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool, and thought for a long time before saying, "Slow breaths are inherently stagnant. I thought slow meant stable." Jiuxi said, "The nature of breath is slow. Seventy percent of the breath on the shell is used to block external evils, and the remaining thirty percent is used to nourish the breath in the pool. Only when the Breath Eye are half-open and half-closed can the shell not stagnate. Slowness is not about holding it in, but about knowing how to breathe in and out." The Dao Venerable Wanxi handed over the pearl and the World Seal.
Each of the twelve elders collected Universe World, and when they moved the worlds back to the Primordial Wilderness, twelve jade tables were set up in front of the Tongtian Tower in Witch City. The twelve Dao Venerables —Wanmen Wanwu, Wanjiang, Dao of Ten Thousand Metals Venerable, Wanhai, Wangang, Ten Thousand Elements, Wanyu, Wanshi, Wansheng, Wanji, Wanji, Wanxi —stood beneath their banners, each followed by the remaining Dao Venerables and beings of their respective worlds. Wuyin looked at each of them, then turned to the Old Priest and said, "We collected Universe World each in the southeast, northeast, southwest, northwest, southeast-east, southwest-west, northeast-north, southwest-north, northwest-north, and southeast-east, making a total of twelve. Where will we place these worlds after we move them back?"
The Old Priest transmitted Dao Ancestor Witch Gods into the Tongtian Tower, and the gray-white light at the top of the tower flashed twice. He turned back and said, "The Ancestral Witch said that the twelve worlds should be placed at the corners of the five continents according to their directions. The one in the Southern Continent of Jambu, the one in the northeast at the northeast of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent Western Ox Continent, the one in the southwest at the southwest of Xiniuhe Shenzhou, and the one in the Northern Julu Continent at the northwest of Beijulu Shenzhou. The one in the due Eastern Victory Divine Continent -southeast should be placed at the southeast of the Western Ox Continent, the one in the due Northern Julu Continent at the northeast of Beijulu Shenzhou, the one in the due Southern Continent of Jambu at the Eastern Victory Divine Continent Shenzhou, the one in the due east-southeast at the northeast of Dongsheng Shenzhou, the one in the due west-southeast at the northwest of the Western Ox Continent, the one in the due north- Northern Julu Continent at the northwest of Southern Continent of Jambu. After the worlds are brought back, they should be dismantled first, and then classified according to size: the large worlds should be merged with the continents, the medium worlds should be dismantled for materials, and the small worlds should be used to feed the ley lines."
The twelve Dao Venerables each took on their assigned tasks, borrowing the adjustment method for three days each. After three days, they all went to City of Ten Thousand Crafts. Wuyin sat in front of the Tongtian Tower and sent a message to the Human Dao Heavenly Net: "The seventh to eighteenth elders of the Witch Race's Heavenly Spirit have divided into twelve groups to collect the twelve Universe World. The twelve Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal within these worlds have returned to the Primordial Wilderness. Any Witch Race disciple who wishes to learn how to collect worlds can go to the corners of the five continents to observe the worlds."