The Perks Were Here

"Dao began as the Void, the Void gave birth to the Universe, the Universe gave birth to the Three Realms, the Three Realms gave birth to the Six Paths, and the Six Paths gave birth to the Myriad Things..."

Sect Master Tongtian recited the Great Dao scriptures, each word transforming into a Great Dao Divine Script.

Every Great Dao Divine Script was heavy beyond measure. As the characters came down, they pressed like Mount Tai, shaking the void until it repeatedly exploded. Yet when they landed on Fang Yang's body, they condensed into Great Dao Runes, which Fang Yang absorbed and assimilated.

The Dao could not be borne by matter, but the heart could. The heart could contain all things; no matter how wondrous the Dao, the heart could understand and absorb it.

Fang Yang transformed into a golden figure, his Golden Immortal Dao Fruit appearing above his head and spinning in the air.

Of the symbols atop his Dao Fruit, four talismans stood out most. At the center of each sat a Dharma Spirit. The Law had an Origin Spirit—these were the fruits of Fang Yang's cultivation of World Creation and Transformation.

Fang Yang could grant life to all things in the world, including the divine abilities and Daoist arts he cultivated.

The first Dharma Spirit was made entirely of lightning. Thunder crackled, sparks flashed, and explosions shook Heaven and Earth. This was the Dharma Spirit of Divine Firmament Heavenly Thunder.

The second Dharma Spirit was an ethereal immortal, flitting beneath the Thirty-three Heavens and above the Ninety-nine Earths. His figure and the void were one, and he roamed freely through the Three Realms. This was the Dharma Spirit of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Divine Roaming Technique.

The third Dharma Spirit had a human face and a bird's body, with six legs and four wings. Space Power swirled around it, rising and falling. This was the Dharma Spirit of the Three Thousand Universes Ascension Art.

The fourth Dharma Spirit had a human body and a serpent's tail. It held a ball of Five-colored divine light in both hands, as if it wished to mend the Azure Sky. This was the Dharma Spirit of World Creation and Transformation.

All four divine abilities Fang Yang cultivated had reached the Dao. If they left his body, they could become living beings of flesh and blood. However, the ultimate goal of divine abilities was not simply to perfect the Daoist arts, but to give rise to laws.

Fang Yang sought Law-Self Unity; through cultivating divine abilities, he aimed to master the laws those abilities nurtured.

Sect Master Tongtian had such keen insight that he saw Fang Yang's plan at a glance. His disciple had a cultivation plan of his own instead of blindly idolizing his teacher and following his every lesson. Tongtian felt immeasurably gratified.

Sect Master Tongtian had originally planned to explain the key points and difficulties of breaking through to the next realm. After learning what Fang Yang had in mind, he decided to drop those lessons.

He realized there was no need to teach Fang Yang that material; Fang Yang would naturally come to understand it himself. What he needed to pass on were the characteristics of each realm and the general direction of cultivation.

He believed that once Fang Yang understood these things, he would be able to forge his own path.

Fang Yang did not disappoint Sect Master Tongtian. In less than a hundred years of listening to his lectures, Fang Yang's cultivation surged, reaching the peak of the Golden Immortal Realm.

His Four Great Divine Abilities also advanced by leaps and bounds. Their four Divine Ability Talismans had condensed into Law Seeds. Once the seeds grew and burst forth, they would give rise to the laws of thunder, speed, space, and creation.

"Truly, you are almost one with the Dao. My disciple, just how many surprises have you kept from me?"

Sect Master Tongtian had witnessed every step of Fang Yang's progress. Fang Yang had advanced entirely through his own cultivation, without taking any shortcuts.

"Let me see whether this time you can reach Law-Self Unity before your laws are born."

Once a divine ability gave birth to a law, achieving Law-Self Unity afterward became very difficult—especially in Fang Yang's case. He had cultivated four divine abilities to the point of developing laws all at once, and his Primordial Spirit could not withstand the impact of four laws at the same time.

He had to achieve Law-Self Unity first. Only then could he cultivate the laws one by one, absorb them as they emerged, and push his cultivation to even greater heights.

"Great Law of Inverting Yin and Yang"

"Great Law of Returning Heaven and Sun"

"Great Law of Delineating Rivers to Form Land"

"Great Law of Turning Earth into Steel"

The Thirty-six Heavenly Spirits were the Mystic Gate's fundamental arts. The Mystic Gate's most powerful divine abilities could only be cultivated on the foundation of the Thirty-six Heavenly Spirits.

These thirty-six arts were easy to learn but difficult to master. Most Mystic Gate disciples could learn a little of them, but cultivating all of these divine abilities into laws required extraordinary insight.

Sect Master Tongtian had some confidence in Fang Yang's insight. He taught him without reservation, not worrying in the slightest about whether Fang Yang could absorb it all.

The sound of lectures continued to ring through Biyou Palace. The visions produced by the lecture even passed through the palace gates and appeared outside. As the Dao Sound flowed, it resonated with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, and golden lotuses bloomed in the void.

Naturally, this spectacle caught the attention of the Interception Sect disciples.

At Duobao Hall, a figure as broad as a door stood by the entrance, gazing solemnly toward Purple Ganoderma Cliff. Behind him stood a woman in fiery red robes and a middle-aged Daoist with a receding hairline, one on either side.

"Teacher is giving a private lecture to a single disciple. I'm the only one who's ever enjoyed such treatment. I never expected anyone else to receive it, too. Junior Brother Fang Yang, you've successfully caught my attention."

The man, broad as a door, was the fattest immortal in the Four Sects. Even Zhu Bajie, future disciple of Grand Master Xuandu, would have to concede defeat to him. He was Daoist Duobao, the First Disciple of all the Interception Sect disciples.

Behind him stood his two disciples, Saint Mother Huoling and Aynafava.

"Teacher, Uncle-Master Fang Yang's cultivation is still shallow. It's only natural for Ancestor Master to look after him."

Aynafava seemed to sense Daoist Duobao's feelings and offered words of comfort.

He had originally been Daoist Duobao's First Disciple, but he was too obsessed with mechanisms, traps, and ambushes. Daoist Duobao believed he had too many distractions to achieve Great Luo, so he gradually grew tired of him and demoted him to Second Disciple.

Aynafava thought Saint Mother Huoling had taken Daoist Duobao's favor away from him. He had always targeted her, trying to curry favor with Daoist Duobao.

"Well said!"

Daoist Duobao paused briefly before replying.

A mere Golden Immortal posed no threat to him. He would show Sect Master Tongtian who the Interception Sect's most outstanding disciple really was.

Inside Biyou Palace, Fang Yang's cultivation was advancing at a furious pace.

He absorbed everything Sect Master Tongtian taught him about the divine abilities. The principles and mysteries contained in each one became nourishment for his cultivation.

Countless thoughts sprang up in his mind. They were not his own, but belonged to the divine abilities he cultivated. His thoughts merged with those of the divine abilities, becoming one, just like Old Ancestor Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao.

He finally understood that the divine abilities he had cultivated were already part of his body, composed of the mysteries he had comprehended. His will was the will of his divine abilities; there was no difference between them.

As he merged with those many thoughts, the mysteries of all his divine abilities flowed into his body, becoming instinctive.

His magical power surged in an instant. His body could barely withstand the sudden increase, swelling under the strain. But besides himself, Fang Yang also had the Dharma Spirits of his various divine abilities within him.

Sensing what was happening to their true form, the Dharma Spirits sprang into action, absorbing the surging magical power and helping Fang Yang maintain his balance.

"His magical power is a hundred times greater than before—even a Great Unity Golden Immortal can't compare. As expected, I should teach him a divine ability for cultivating the body."

Seeing this, Sect Master Tongtian used Fang Yang's physical characteristics as a basis and began deducing a divine ability for body cultivation.