As the ten elders split into ten groups and entered the Chaos, the sky Witch City remained calm, but the greyish-white light Tongtian Tower had already flashed once. That light wasn't for people to see, but for the command tokens. The Witch Race's command tokens unfolded upon entering the Chaos, their surface displaying Heavenly Spirit runes like an inverted star map. Normally, they lay quietly at the core of the token, but once the surrounding air currents became chaotic enough to obscure direction, the runes would slightly deflect; this deflection wasn't out of control, but rather the token's horns searching for their kind. Ten horns, ten different ways of deflection, all pointed to the same distant, yet-to -Primordial Wilderness be-recognized order. The Old Priest uttered only one sentence before the tower. "Wherever the token deflects, that's where you go; only when you reach a horn and refuse to deflect any further are you allowed to turn back."
In the Chaos, there was no distance, only rise and fall. The hazy, gray currents surged endlessly, like a pot of ash soup that could never be fully cooked. World shells of all sizes floated within them; some had patterns that moved slowly across their surfaces, expanding and contracting like the breath of living beings; others were entwined with half-withered, half-flourishing vines, the withered parts spewing deathly energy, the flourishing parts sprouting new buds, life and death pulling at each other on the same vine; still others paused every now and then, the pauses extremely short, yet terrifyingly orderly, as if a giant creature inside was pressing against the inner wall, bumping into it with its shoulder, forehead, or claws. The elders didn't look at all the shells. If the command talisman was perfectly aligned, it wasn't the world to be collected this time; only if the command talisman trembled slightly was it worth stopping to imprint. Thus, the ten journeys shared the same framework: each followed the direction indicated by the talisman, venturing into forty-nine... Each Eon; along the way, it gathers thirty to forty Great Thousand Worlds and eighty to one hundred and thirty Middle Thousand Worlds; at the end of the forty-eighth Eon, the talisman will inevitably deviate by three inches. Three inches is not much, but it is enough to change "already arrived" to "just arrived". Because the talisman's corner is deviated, a giant shell will inevitably emerge from the depths of Chaos. That shell is heavier, larger, and older than all the shells along the way, its surface covered with the patterns of innate laws, arranged from the core of the shell to the surface, as if someone had drawn an entire system of laws from a spring and laid it upside down to form a dome. Every three zhang, a crystal is embedded, and within the crystal is sealed an Origin. From a distance, it is not a shell, but a book spread out for too many Eon, a diagram that has bent the Chaos, a scene of thunder, sea, fire, soul, mountain, fog, shadow, cloud, and death barely wrapped by the shell's skin.
There are three general principles. First, the elders do not attack the shell directly. The shell patterns will meet the palm with force, and nine chains will wrap around the fingers. Forcing it will only force the shell patterns to multiply. Second, each giant shell must have a "bead". When the bead is broken, the Dao Venerable's divine sense will appear. The divine sense will always be based on the number nine: nine chains, nine beads, nine pythons, or nine judgments. It is claimed that the shell is covered with 99 million Dao patterns, each of which is formed from a strand of law released outwards. Crushing a bead will release ten more strands. The words are true, and the fear is also true; but fear does not mean there is no solution. Third, the elders will search for the gaps where the patterns connect on the shell and drip their Origin blood. The shell surface will not collapse immediately, but only small holes will appear, because the blood will truly hit the gaps. It wasn't the outer shell, but rather the stagnation near the opening at the core, a stagnation that hadn't been released for years. Following the seam inward, one could see the opening at the bottom of the pool was completely blocked; the laws within the pool only accumulated, never released, causing the shell's patterns to grow heavier and denser, becoming increasingly inviolable. After the opening was half-opened, the laws within the pool receded to half their original size, and the number of patterns on the shell decreased from one billion to sixty million. The Daoist Master then realized a near-self-deprecating truth. "Blocking the eye is self-inflicted suffocation." It wasn't that the enemy was too strong, nor that the Heavenly Dao were unjust; it was that he had mistaken the opening for a wound, and the lack of release for security. Thus, he handed over the pearl, the World Seal, and returned to the Primordial Wilderness with the elder. Ten stories, the same framework; ten people, each emerging from a different seam.
Zhenyue wielded the nineteenth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Judge Death and Huisheng." He traveled east-southeast, his command talisman tilting most steadily, like a Judge's Brush suspended in Chaos, its tip motionless, the ink falling naturally. Along the way, he collected over forty Great Thousand Worlds and over one hundred and thirty Middle Thousand Worlds, making it the most forceful and cold-blooded of the ten paths. He wasn't greedy; he clearly distinguished between life and death in his hands: what should be collected, he didn't delay; what shouldn't be collected, his command talisman didn't tremble, and he didn't even look at. At the end of the forty-eighth Eon, the command talisman shifted three inches further east-southeast, and a giant shell rose from the depths of Chaos, four times larger than any of the shells along the way. The shell's surface was covered with gray-white life-and-death patterns, arranged from the center outwards, resembling the Judge's Brush, each stroke a judgment, each stroke a complete law of life and death. Every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) it crystallized, sealing the Origin life and death, appearing from afar like a giant Book of Life and Death spread out over countless Eon.
Zhenyue reached out and pressed his palm down, but what he felt first wasn't pressure, but a tearing sensation: half of it was trying to drag him to his death, while the other half wouldn't allow him to die completely. The life and death patterns on the shell spun faster, converging from all four directions into his palm, condensing into nine chains of life and death that wrapped around his five fingers. Anyone else would have struggled at this point; Zhenyue simply withdrew his hand and crushed the life and death bead. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wansi emerged from the fragments, cold and decisive, like the crisp sound of Judge's Brush striking the table, "The Dao Venerable Wansi is here. Who comes?" Zhenyue flicked away the fragments and answered quickly, "Zhenyue, the life and death patterns on your shell are quite good. They can judge for themselves and actively wrap around people's hands. It's a pity that what's wrapped around you is your own life and death. I've crushed it, so you have to judge it again."
A long, drawn-out sound of a judge's pen striking the shell rang out from within. Simultaneously, the life-and-death patterns on the shell's surface exploded, transforming into a greyish-white Judge's Brush's pen that enveloped the giant shell. From within the illusory emerged an old man in a greyish-white judge's robe, coiled by nine judge's pythons, each holding a rotating judge's bead, each bead sealing a complete law of life and death. The Dao Venerable Wansi said, "This shell of mine is covered with ninety-nine million death patterns, each a strand of life and death I released. If you crush one death bead, I will release ten more strands of life and death." Zhenyue did not try to pry it open. The one who wielded the power of "Judge Death and Huisheng" knew best that death was decisive and ruthless, and where there was a break, there was always a lingering effect. He circled half the shell and saw that the death patterns and judge's pens were extremely dense, yet within the seams connecting the pens was a thin line of life; this line of life converged at the center of the shell, forming a sparse pattern. Zhenyue dripped a drop of his Origin death blood. A small death hole appeared on the shell's surface, and the Dao Venerable Wansi was trapped inside. "Hmph." Upon entering the shell, he saw that the Death Eye at the bottom of the Pool of Wansi was completely blocked, and the life and death within the pool only accumulated without dissipating. Only then did the death patterns on the shell become increasingly decisive. After the Death Eye was half-opened, the life and death within the pool decreased to half its original size, and the death patterns dropped from one billion to sixty million. The Daoist of Dao Venerable Wansi, his hair and beard all gray, stared at the bottom of the pool for a long time and said, "Death is self-inflicted. By blocking the Death Eye, I was actually blocking my own breathing." Zhenyue explained the method of adjustment, "Death Nature Decision: Seventy percent of the shell's surface blocks external evil, and threety percent of the shell's interior nourishes the pool's death; only when the Death Eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not stagnate. Come with me to the City of Ten Thousand Crafts and soak this dead knot open." The Dao Venerable Wansi handed over the Death Pearl and the World Seal. What Zhenyue gained on this journey was not the forty-odd Great Thousand Realms or the one hundred and thirty-odd Middle Thousand Realms, but the confirmation of one sentence: Determining to the extreme is not severance; at the point of severance, there is still a glimmer of Huisheng."
Qing Nang Heavenly Spirit, "Pray to Move Mountains," heading due west-northwest; Elder Ba Shan wielded the twenty-eighth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Ba Shan and Lift Cauldrons," heading due west-southwest. Both later faced "mountains," and their shells were covered with gray-white mountain patterns. The Daoist Masters both realized that "the weight of the mountain causes suffocation," seemingly a story repeated twice. In reality, they were different. Qing Nang's mountain was a mountain prayed for; Ba Shan's mountain was a mountain lifted. The former feared stagnation, while the latter feared suffocation from heavy pressure. Along the due west-northwest route, Qing Nang collected over thirty Great Thousand Worlds and over eighty Middle Thousand Worlds; after the talisman shifted three inches, the gray-white mountain patterns on the giant shell were arranged in a prayer-like pattern, each a complete mountain path law, with a mountain pattern crystal embedded every three zhang, resembling a giant mountain map from afar. Qing Nang pressed his palm, and the mountain path tore through, nine mountain pattern chains binding his fingers. He crushed the mountain bead, and the Dao Venerable Wanshan were released, deep and steady, like an echo from below the mountain. A human voice said, "The Dao Venerable Wanshan is here. My shell is covered with ninety-nine million mountain patterns, each one formed from a strand of mountain path I released. If you crush a mountain bead, I will release ten more strands of mountain path." Qing Nang did not confront it head-on. He knew that the nature of mountains is heavy and stable, and where there is stability, there must be resistance. He circled the shell three times and saw that the prayers were extremely dense, and there was a "shifting gap" in the seam where the prayers were connected; the shifting gap converged at the center of the shell, which was a sparse pattern. He dripped the Origin mountain blood of Qing Nang, and the shell collapsed. The small cave. Upon entering, they found the mountain's eye blocked, the pool filled with stagnant water, and the mountain patterns grew heavier with each prayer. The mountain eye partially opened, causing the pool water to drop by half, and the mountain patterns decreased from a billion to sixty million. The Dao Venerable Wanshan, whose beard and hair were all made of stone, squatted and pondered for a long time before saying, "The mountain's weight is self-imposed suffocation; I thought weight meant stability." The Qing Nang said, "The nature of a mountain is heavy; seventy percent of its outer shell blocks external evil, while the remaining three-tenths nourishes the pool and the mountain. Only when the mountain eye is half-open and half-closed can the shell not be suffocated. Weight is not a deadly pressure; it can move mountains."
Elder Ba Shan, along his journey, collected over thirty Great Thousand Worlds and over eighty Middle Thousand Worlds. Three inches west and south of the command talisman, the giant shell's surface revealed gray-white mountain patterns arranged in a mountain-like pattern, each representing a complete Mountain Law. Three zhang inlaid with crystals, it resembled a giant mountain field from afar. The steps of pressing the palm, the chain, and the broken beads were the same as the general rules and did not need to be repeated. The divine thought of the Ten Thousand Mountains Dao Venerable Wanshan was heavy and steady, like the muffled sound of Ba Shan and Lift Cauldrons, still referring to the ninety-nine million mountain patterns on the shell, each broken bead releasing ten more strands. Ba Shan did not forcefully strike, for the mountain's nature is heavy and stable, and where there is stability, there is bound to be stagnation; circling the shell three times, the mountain areas were extremely dense, but the seams connecting the mountains were a thin "gap." The gaps converged at the core of the shell, forming sparse patterns. The Ba Shan's Origin blood dripped down, and the shell... The cave collapsed. Inside, the mountain's eye was blocked, the mountain only accumulating without releasing, the shell pattern growing heavier with each lift. After half-opening the eye, the pool sank halfway, the pattern dropping sixty million times. Even the Dao Venerable Wanshan Ten Thousand Mountains, upon enlightenment, still felt that "the mountain's weight suffocates him," saying, "I thought heaviness meant stability." The second half of the saying "Ba Shan to mend it" differed from the one in the Qing Nang: "Heaviness is not about pressing down, but about being able to lift a cauldron." One is about making the mountain move on its own, the other is about making the mountain transfer force even on one's shoulders. After the two elders returned together, two jade tables were placed side by side in front of the Tongtian Tower, each bearing a Mountain Seal; from a distance, the seal on the left curves inward, like a prayer, while the seal on the right curves upward, like lifting a cauldron. When Zhenyue passed by, he only commented, "The mountain didn't lose; the one who lost was the one who treated the mountain as an inanimate object."
The Elder Zuo Huo the twenty-first technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Zuo Huo and Ru Shui," moving due south-southwest, gathering over thirty directions of the Great Thousand Worlds and over ninety directions of the Middle Thousand Worlds. Three inches after the command talisman is deflected, the giant shell is not simply covered by fire, nor simply by water, but rather by interwoven gray-white fire and water patterns, forming a harmonious balance of fire and water from the core to the surface. Each pattern represents a complete law of fire and water; each three zhang tall is a crystal of fire and water, sealing the Origin fire and water within. From afar, it resembles a map of fire and water intertwined over countless Eons. This shell is the most... The allure lies in the word "interaction." Externally, they blend seamlessly, their patterns harmonizing, as if the shell's master had already resolved the impending conflict; yet, the moment Zuo Huo pressed his palm down, the tearing of water and fire erupted simultaneously—heat threatening to explode, cold threatening to extinguish, the two forces clashing fiercely in his palm, neither willing to yield. After nine chains of water and fire bound his fingers, he withdrew his hand and crushed the water-fire bead. The divine sense of the Dao Venerable Wanshuihuo emerged, intense yet moist, like the muffled sound of water and fire harmonizing, announcing his name and the number of ninety-nine million patterns and the added threads of the crushed bead.
Zuo Huo doesn't mean forcibly breaking it apart. Those who master "Zuo Huo and Ru Shui" know that water and fire are both intense and moist, and where there is moisture, there is bound to be stagnation. Circling the shell three times, one sees the point of convergence is extremely dense, but the truly accessible point isn't the brightest spot, but rather the thin line of "separation" within the seam where they meet. This gap defies common sense: what seems like the weakest place is precisely where water and fire haven't yet learned to devour each other. The separation converges at the core of the shell, forming sparse patterns. Zuo Huo drips the Origin blood of water and fire, causing the shell surface to collapse into small water and fire holes, where the Dao Venerable Wanshuihuo groan in silence. Entering, one sees the water and fire eyes tightly blocked, the water and fire in the pool accumulating without releasing; the more the external appearances interact, the more chaotic the interior becomes, the more the water and fire patterns on the shell surface intersect and become increasingly disordered, until finally it becomes uncontrollable, like a pot of boiling soup sealed shut. The water and fire eyes are half-closed. After the opening, the water and fire in the pool decreased to half, and the number of shell patterns dropped from one billion to sixty million. The Dao Venerable Wanshuihuo, with his hair half red and half blue, squatted on the plate at the bottom of the pool and pondered for a long time. He said, "Water and fire are in conflict. I thought that interaction meant fusion." Zuo Huo replied, "Water and fire are both fierce and moist. Seventy percent of the shell's surface blocks external evils, while the other three-tenths nourishes the pool's water and fire. When the eyes of water and fire are half open and half closed, the shells do not contend. Interaction is not a dead fusion, but a state of mutual balance." This sentence was later engraved on the lintel of the Water and Fire Workshop in City of Ten Thousand Crafts. The characters are not deep, but they are often polished by new disciples. This is because it corrects a common misunderstanding: mutual balance is not about mixing the fierce and the moist into a cup of lukewarm water, but about allowing the two to find a line of communication while they are still water and fire.
Elder Yanri wielded the twenty-second Heavenly Gang Technique, "Sun-Covering Soul Chasing," heading due north-southeast, gathering over thirty Great Thousand Worlds and over eighty Middle Thousand Worlds. Behind the command talisman, the giant shell's surface was covered with gray-white soul patterns arranged in a soul-chasing pattern. Each complete soul law, three zhang in length, originated from crystallization, appearing from afar like a giant soul field. When the palm was pressed, a tearing sensation of soul law emanated, nine soul pattern chains binding the fingers; after the shattered soul bead, the divine thought of the Myriad Souls Dao Venerable pursued, deep and mysterious, like a soul shadow flitting through the darkness, still reporting the number of ninety-nine million soul patterns and the number of threads added to the bead. Yanri did not force his way in. Those who wielded "Sun-Covering Soul Chasing" knew that the nature of the soul was deep and mysterious, and that there would inevitably be stagnation at its depths. After circling the shell three times, the location of the soul-chasing appeared. Extremely dense, yet within the seam connecting the soul-chasing vessels, a sliver of light peeks through; this sliver converges at the core of the shell, forming the sparse patterns. A drop of the primordial soul blood drips down, causing a small soul hole to collapse on the shell's surface. Entering, one sees a lifeless soul eye, the soul path in the pool accumulating without dissipating, the shell patterns growing ever more profound with each pursuit. After the soul eye half-opens, the pool sags by half, and sixty million patterns fall. The Venerable of Ten Thousand Souls, his hair and beard all darkened, realizes. "The soul's darkness is inherently stagnant; I thought darkness meant depth." The veiled sun replies, "Darkness is not deathly concealment; it is the ability to chase light." This statement subtly connects with Zhenyue's "resurrection from the dead": one sees life through the cracks of death, the other sees light through the cracks of darkness. The so-called soul-chasing is not about chasing the soul until it has nowhere to escape, but about recognizing the path even in the darkest of places.
Elder Bu Wu wielded the twenty-third technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Bu Wu and Sink Clouds," heading due east-northeast, gathering over thirty squares of the Great Thousand Worlds and over ninety squares of the Middle Thousand Worlds. The giant shell, with its gray-white mist and cloud patterns arranged in a cloud-like pattern, crystallized every three zhang (approximately 10 meters), appearing from afar like a giant cloud field. After the cloud pearl shattered, the Dao Venerable Wanyun sank out, thick and hidden, reporting the same number as before. Bu Wu knew that the nature of clouds is thick and hidden, and where there is hiding, there must be stagnation; circling the shell three times, he saw a "sinking gap" in the seam where the clouds met, gathering into sparse patterns at the core of the shell. A drop of Origin cloud blood collapsed a small cloud cave. Entering inside, he saw that the cloud eye was completely blocked, the clouds only accumulated and did not leak, and the cloud patterns became thicker and thicker. The cloud eye half-opened, the pool sank halfway, and the patterns fell by sixty million. Dao Venerable Wanyun realized. "Thick clouds suffocate, I thought thick meant stable." Bu Wu replied, "Thickness is not a dead accumulation, it is the sinking of clouds."
Elder Qu Yun the twenty-sixth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Qu Yun and Disperse Mist," moved south-southeast, gathering over thirty Great Thousand Worlds and over eighty Middle Thousand Worlds. The shell, with its greyish-white mist patterns arranged in a dispelling manner, released the Dao Venerable Wanwu after the mist beads shattered, light and dispersed, like dispelling mist to reveal the sun, reporting the same number as before. Qu Yun knew the mist's nature was light and dispersed, and where it dispersed, there would inevitably be stagnation; circling the shell three times, a "gathering gap" appeared in the seam of the dispelling process, converging at the core of the shell to form sparse patterns. A drop of Origin mist blood collapsed a small mist cave. Entering inside, the Mist Eye was found to be completely blocked, the mist channel only... Accumulated fog, if not released, will only disperse further as it is driven away. The Mist Eye half-opens, the pool lowers by half, and sixty million patterns fall. The Dao Venerable Wanwu realized. "The fog disperses naturally, I thought dispersion meant lightness." The Qu Yun replied, "Dispersion is not deathly drifting, it is the gathering of clouds." Looking at the three paths together, the dark fears death from concealment, the thick fears death from accumulation, and the light fears death from drifting; their names are opposite, but their ailments are the same: only inflow, no outflow. Yan Ri allows the soul to recognize light, Bu Wu allows the clouds to sink, and Qu Yun allows the fog to gather. None of these three methods aim for destruction, but rather for "gathering": gathering back, sinking, and gathering.
Elder Yixing Yi Xing the twenty-fourth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Yi Xing and Exchange Shadows," heading due west and slightly south, gathering over thirty directions of the Great Thousand Worlds and over eighty directions of the Middle Thousand Worlds. The giant shell, with its gray-white shadow patterns arranged in the shape of shadows, sealed the Origin at three zhang, appearing from afar like a giant shadow field. After the Shadow Pearl shattered, the divine thought of the Dao Venerable Wanying "changed," ethereal and transforming, like a shadow shifting position, reporting the same number as before. Yi Xing knew the nature of shadows to be ethereal and changeable, and at the point of change, there would inevitably be stagnation; circling the shell three times, a "solid gap" appeared in the seam where the shadows connected, gathering at the core of the shell to form sparse patterns. A drop of the Origin shadow blood collapsed the small shadow cave. Upon entering, the Shadow Eye was found blocked, the Shadow Path accumulating without dissipating, the shell patterns becoming increasingly ethereal with each change. The Shadow Eye half-opened, the pool sank halfway, and sixty million patterns fell. The Dao Venerable Wanying realized, "The ethereal shadow dissipates on its own; I thought ethereal meant light." The Yi Xing replied, "Ethereal is not a dead drift; it is the ability to transform into reality." The most difficult aspect of shadow magic lies in "similarity." When similarity reaches its extreme, both friend and foe are confused; when confusion reaches its extreme, even oneself believes the false to be real. The Yi Xing does not take the essence of illusion, but rather retains a sense of reality after the shift. A shadow without reality will eventually be scattered by the wind; only with reality to be transformed can emptiness become a path.
Elder Zhao Lei the twenty-fifth technique of the Heavenly Spirit, "Zhao Lei and Call Lightning," moved due north-southwest, gathering over thirty directions of the Great Thousand World and over ninety directions of the Middle Thousand World. The giant shell, grayish-white with lightning patterns arranged in a lightning-like pattern, sealed the Origin lightning three zhang away, appearing from a distance like a giant thunderfield. After the Thunder Pearl shattered, the divine thought of the Dao of Ten Thousand Thunders Venerable exploded out, cracking violently, like lightning striking down, reporting the same number as before. Zhao Lei knew that the nature of thunder was violent and cracked, and that there must be stagnation at the crack; after circling the shell three times, a "quiet gap" was seen in the lightning connection seam, gathering at the core of the shell. Sparse patterns formed. Drops of Origin thunder blood caused a small thunder cave to collapse. Inside, the thunder eye was tightly sealed, lightning accumulating without release, and the thunder patterns grew more and more ferocious with each strike. The thunder eye half-opened, the pool sank halfway, and sixty million patterns fell. The Dao of Ten Thousand Thunders Venerable realized. "Thunder's ferocity leads to its own destruction; I thought ferocity meant strength." Zhao Lei and replied, "Ferocity is not about relentless striking, but about knowing how to control thunder." This extremely short sentence was later adopted as the Thunder Law by the City of Ten Thousand Crafts. Thunder is not about sound, but about control; if you can control it, the next strike is thunder; if you can't, it's just the heavens throwing a tantrum.
Elder Heavenly Spirit Dao Hai, "Dao Hai and Upend Rivers," heading due east-northeast, gathering over thirty directions of the Great Thousand Worlds and over ninety directions of the Middle Thousand Worlds. This path led in the same direction as Bu Wu but in a different realm. The giant shell, with its greyish-white sea patterns arranged in Dao Hai shape, sealed the Origin the sea channel at three zhang, appearing from afar like a giant sea area. After the sea pearl shattered, the Dao Venerable Wanhai poured out, fierce and wild, like Dao Hai and Upend Rivers, reporting the numbers as before. Dao Hai knew the sea's nature was fierce and wild, and where there was wildness, there was bound to be stagnation; circling the shell three times, a "quiet gap" was seen in the seam where Dao Hai was connected, gathering into a sparse pattern at the core of the shell. A drop of the Origin sea blood collapsed a small sea cave. Entering it, one saw that the Sea Eye was tightly closed, and the sea channel only accumulated without releasing. The sea ripples grew increasingly turbulent. The Sea Eye half-opened, the pool sank halfway, and sixty million ripples fell. Dao Venerable Wanhai realized, "The sea's turbulence is self-destructive; I thought turbulence was simply ferocity." Dao Hai replied, "Ferocity isn't about dying and collapsing; it's about overturning the river." Thunder and sea are most fitting contrasts here: Zhao Lei requires restraint, Dao Hai requires overturning; restraint is not forbearance, overturning is not release. Thunder must be restrained before it can strike, sea must be overturned before it can live. If one only learns ferocity, thunder will first tear oneself apart, sea will first breach the shore. Of the ten elders, these two brought back worlds with scorch marks and salt frost on their edges, which the Witch Race craftsmen loved to use: scorch marks mark restraint, salt frost marks mark overturning—both are reminders of "not going to the extreme."
The ten paths converge, and the repetition reveals a chilling truth: the ten Dao Venerables— Wansi, Ten Wanshan, Wanshuihuo, Wanyun Wanhun, Wanying Ten Thousand Thunders, Wanwu, Ten Thousand Thunders, Ten Wanhai, Ten Thousand Seas, and Ten Wanshan —have different names for their shell patterns, yet their tone suggests they were taught by the same master. They all claim to possess ninety-nine million Dao patterns, all say each pattern grows from a released strand of law, and all warn that crushing one bead releases ten more strands. Nine is not an auspicious number in Chaos; it is a number of suppression. The Nine-Lock Finger Binding technique involves first binding the visitor's five fingers to the same shell pattern. In terms of Causality, the Nine Pearls, Nine Pythons, and Nine Judgments are saying that "taking another step forward" is "adding debt yourself." But none of the ten elders accepted this debt. It wasn't that they weren't afraid, but that they all saw through it: the denser the patterns, the more the joints need to breathe; the more flawless the shell appears, the more likely the core is blocked. The so-called 99 million is an account book, recording how much has been given out; the so-called reduction from 1 billion to 60 million doesn't mean the world has shrunk, but that the vents that were plugged back in have opened. With 40 million less on the books, the world actually feels like a world again.
This is also the biggest difference between the Witch Race's conquest of the world this time and ordinary conquests. Ordinary conquests dismantle shells to extract resources; the victor gets the materials, and the loser is left with ashes. What the ten elders did was to return the four words "blocking the eyes and suffocating oneself" to the owners of each shell. The method of adjustment is not mysterious: seven-tenths of the shell's surface blocks external evils, and three-tenths of the shell's interior nourishes the environment; the eyes must be half-open and half-closed so that the shell does not stagnate. Seven-tenths facing outwards acknowledges that the world must have boundaries; three-tenths facing inwards acknowledges that boundaries cannot grow into graves. Half-open and half-closed is the most difficult. Those who completely block it think they are safe, and those who completely open it think they are unobstructed, but in reality... Complete blockage leads to stagnation, complete opening leads to leakage. When the ten Dao Venerables attained enlightenment, their tones were like those of someone just waking up: a desperate struggle, a mountain's weight, a battle between water and fire, a secluded soul, thick clouds, a illusory shadow, fierce thunder, dissipating fog, a raging sea—each sounding like their true nature, yet all ending with "self-suffocation," "self-stagnation," "self-rupture," and "self-collapse." The elders didn't claim victory, only clarifying the method. Once the method was revealed, the Dao Venerables handed over the pearl and the World Seal. The seal wasn't a declaration of surrender, but proof that each world could reconnect to the Primordial Wilderness world; the pearl wasn't a trophy, but evidence that they had once treated the opening as a wound.
When the ten Universe Worlds returned to the Primordial Wilderness with the Elder, ten jade tables were already set up in front of the Tongtian Tower in Witch City. Ten Dao Venerables— Wansi, Wanshan, Wanhun Ten Thousand Thunders Wanshuihuo, Wan Hun, Wan Yun, Wanyun, Wanying, Wanwu, Wanhai, Wanshan —stood beneath their banners, each followed by the remaining Dao Venerables and beings of their respective worlds. The procession was not perfectly orderly; some were draped in a gray-white death aura, some were covered in mountain debris, some were half-red and half-blue, and some walked with the sound of thunder, the roar of tides, and the trail of mist. Zhenyue examined them one by one, then turned to the Old Priest and announced, "One Universe World each from due east-southeast, due west-northwest, due south-west, due north-east, due east-northwest, due west-southwest, due north-west, and due south-east, making a total of ten. Where will we put these worlds after we bring them back?"
The Old Priest transmitted Dao Ancestor Witch Gods into the Tongtian Tower. The tower's top flashed with a gray-white light twice, like eyes closing and opening. He replied, "The Ancestral Witch said that the ten worlds are distributed according to their directions, placed at the corners of five continents. The one due east-southeast is placed at the southeast of the Western Ox Continent Eastern Victory Divine Continent; the one due west-northwest is placed at the northwest of Xiniuhe Continent; the one due south- Northern Julu Continent Southern Continent of Jambu; the one due north-east is placed at the northeast of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent; the one due east-northwest is placed at the northeast of Dongsheng Divine Continent; the one due west-southwest is placed at the southwest of the Western Ox Continent; the one due north-west is placed at the Northern Julu Continent; and the one due south-east is placed at the Southern Continent of Jambu." The remaining two worlds were placed at the corners of the Central Continent, according to the directions the elders had taken. The worlds brought back were dismantled first, then categorized by size: the large worlds were merged with the continents, the medium worlds were dismantled for materials, and the small worlds were used to nourish the ley lines. This arrangement was extremely methodical. The ten large worlds were not divided according to merit or strength, but according to their origin; the corners were not abandoned land, but rather seams for the new worlds to heal alongside the old continents. Dismantling was not destruction, but rather breaking down long-suffocated structures and reclassifying them. Merging the large worlds with the continents filled the gaps in the map; dismantling the medium worlds for materials facilitated construction; and nourishing the small worlds to nourish the ley lines nurtured the roots.
The ten Daoist masters each took on a task, borrowing a method of adjustment for three days. After three days, they all went to City of Ten Thousand Crafts. Borrowing a method didn't mean borrowing a single incantation, but rather testing the "half-open, half-closed" technique on their own physical patterns. Only after testing it could they realize that there wasn't a lack of a path before, but rather that they had treated the path as a sore, sealing it off to avoid pain. The Daoist master of Dao Venerable Wansi borrowed the Death Pattern to practice for three days, not immediately practicing attack, but practicing "leaving half a point." The judgment brush had to stop at the seventh mark; if it couldn't stop, it had to start again. The two Dao Venerable Wanshan practiced shifting and lifting: one learned the mountain's ability to move, and the other learned the shoulder's ability to shift. The Dao Venerable Wanhun of Dao Venerable Wanshuihuo and Fire suffered the most. When fire reached three-tenths of its power, water was needed; when water reached seven-tenths, fire had to be restored to its original form. The fusion diagram was torn to pieces by him, and only in the end could he maintain that single line of separation. The Daoist Master of Ten Thousand Souls practiced chasing light, but going too far would lead to confusion, and extreme confusion would require turning back. The Dao Venerable Wanyun Dao Venerable Wanwu Thousand Mist practiced gathering. Only through sinking and gathering did they understand that clouds and mist were not of the same kind. The Dao Venerable Wanying practiced changing reality, and only after changing to his ninth false body was he willing to leave a real footprint. The Dao of Ten Thousand Thunders Venerable practiced gathering, stopping the thunder as soon as it reached the eaves; the Dao Venerable Wanhai practiced overturning, forbidding anyone from going ashore when the waves rose.
Zhenyue sat before the Tongtian Tower and posted the results of his trip to the Human Dao Heavenly Net: "The nineteenth to twenty-eighth elders of the Witch Race Heavenly Spirit have divided into ten groups to collect ten Great Worlds of the Universe World. The Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal within these worlds have returned to the Primordial Wilderness World. Any Witch Race disciple who wishes to learn how to collect worlds can go to the corners of the five continents to observe them." The message was sent out within half a cup of tea's time when Yin Xi replied from below, "Lord Zhenyue, the ten Dao Venerables have arrived at City of Ten Thousand Crafts. Dao Venerable Wansi said he needs to practice his Death Mark for three days before breaking through his barrier. The other nine said they each need to practice their own marks for three days. After they finish, they will line up to break through." Zhenyue simply replied, "Let them practice. When they're done, come to the Tongtian Tower to find me, and I'll assign them tasks."