Crack!
A crisp cracking sound rang through the void.
As the bell toll washed over it, the seemingly deep and winding forest path ahead shattered in response!
Like a reflection of flowers in a mirror or the moon on water, the scene before him peeled away inch by inch, revealing the truth it had concealed.
At the end of the path, a uniquely clear radiance caught his eye. The aura emanating from it was utterly different from this place.
Without hesitation, he sent out his divine sense. In the next instant, Donghua's gaze sharpened.
This place seemed to contain a world within, but Donghua keenly detected subtle fluctuations of space. It did not lead to a new world; it was unmistakably another carefully constructed spatial loop.
Only this space was more complex and convincing than the previous one.
Its interlocking layout trapped anyone who entered, making the region a maze in which they would wander endlessly in circles.
Just as Donghua was studying this space, he sensed something and raised his head to look at the sky.
The light curtain of the great array shrouding the area rippled. A brilliant golden light descended from the highest heavens. At first, it was as thin as a strand of silk, but in an instant, it poured down like the Heavenly River turned on its head.
Vast merit broke through the array's barrier. Golden radiance surged and flowed, dyeing the entire firmament a solemn gold.
Auspicious energy spread across the land. It was as if the heavens and earth were sounding a silent hymn of praise. The merit-laden golden radiance, imbued with the approval of the Heavenly Dao, flowed quietly among the clouds, casting a gentle luster over the cloud patterns on Donghua's Daoist robe.
Just as the vast merit flew toward Donghua and auspicious energy spread in every direction, a sudden change occurred!
Deep within the great array, a blinding light beyond description suddenly flared.
It was no ordinary gold. Its color was mystic yellow, its essence primordial. The moment it appeared, it bore an authority that made all the myriad arts submit.
The auspicious merit that had filled heaven and earth just moments before dimmed before this light, like a spark beside the Bright Moon.
Once the dazzling mystic-yellow light faded, Donghua swept his sleeve. The golden clouds of merit descending from the sky flowed into it like countless rivers returning to the sea, not a single trace refined.
At the same time, Donghua's gaze swept over the Western Continent, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.
He had casually planted the cause back then, never expecting it to bear fruit now.
In the past, Donghua had merely gone along with the situation to make things difficult for Di Jun and Taiyi. He had never expected the Witch Clan to truly devote the strength of its entire race to repairing the Western Continent's leylines.
The heavens and earth had sensed their efforts and bestowed merit. As the one who had set this cause in motion, Donghua received a portion of the merit bestowed by the Heavenly Dao each time the Witch Clan repaired the leylines.
Though Heavenly Dao merit was inferior to Great Dao merit, in the Primordial World Heaven and Earth, where the Heavenly Dao held dominion, it was the most precious of protective talismans.
It could dispel karmic burdens, and even Great Luo Golden Immortals treasured it. With a Great Tribulation about to begin, every bit of merit he accumulated now would give him more room to maneuver in the future.
More than the unexpected gain of Heavenly Dao merit, the fleeting phenomenon from earlier was what truly caught his attention. Anything capable of making even Heavenly Dao merit pale in comparison was no ordinary treasure.
His gaze flashed like lightning as he looked toward the depths of the array's core. The Heavy Treasure had briefly revived when the merit descended. Though it quickly concealed its aura again, its location had been exposed the instant it manifested.
That saved Donghua the trouble of slowly breaking the array. The corner of his mouth rose, and his Pure Yang Daoist Robe fluttered as he transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for the place he had sensed.
Time passed unmarked in the Primordial Wilderness. A hundred years slipped by in the blink of an eye.
One spatial barrier after another shattered into crystalline fragments amid the Jingyang Bell's incessant hum. Donghua stepped forward, and the clear light flowing around him broke through yet another distorted space.
The scene before him opened up at once.
Unlike the interlocking, bizarrely complex spatial maze outside, this place was exceptionally simple and serene.
There were no splendid sights, nor any phenomena soaring into the sky. There was only the purest emptiness and tranquility, as if every Principle of Heaven and Earth had returned here to its original simplicity.
There was only an ancient stone altar standing quietly.
Its surface was mottled, covered in primitive Dao patterns too old to decipher, and steeped in the passage of time.
A ruler floated above the altar.
The ruler was simple and unadorned, its entire surface flowing with a mystic-yellow luster. Fine, profound Great Dao Patterns covered it, as though silently expounding the Principles of Heaven and Earth.
Wisps of primordial energy coiled around it like gauzy silk. Deep within its golden light, a noble purple radiance faintly flowed, revealing its extraordinary origins.
The ruler, about a foot long, shone with a gentle luster and bore the aura of the Great Dao. Countless runes depicting the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers were etched across it.
At its center, the two Great Dao characters "Measuring Heaven" gleamed brilliantly. Every stroke seemed to carry the Principles of Heaven and Earth.
Donghua's gaze sharpened. With the slightest movement, he appeared silently atop the altar.
He slowly reached out, and the instant his fingertips touched the ruler—
The Primordial Sky Measuring Ruler seemed to sense him and trembled faintly.
A gentle aura, yet one imbued with supreme authority, rippled out from the ruler. It was not violent, but carried a vast pressure that stilled the mind and soul. Gently yet firmly, it brushed across Donghua's fingertips and Divine Soul, making its final confirmation and test.
Donghua did not pause. His divine sense flowed into the ruler, and he grasped it in his hand.
The instant Donghua truly held the ruler, an ocean of insights as vast as a sea of stars poured into his Spiritual Platform through his divine sense.
Donghua immediately sat cross-legged atop the altar, formed hand seals, and sent his mana and divine sense surging like a tide toward the Primordial Sky Measuring Ruler floating before him.
Perhaps the merit he had just collected had played an unseen role, or perhaps the treasure was fated to be his. The refinement proceeded as smoothly as water flowing into its course.
The runes of the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers etched upon the ruler lit up one after another, resonating with Donghua's mana in a wondrous way. In this undisturbed Innate Great Array, three thousand three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
When he had fully refined the final restriction, Donghua abruptly opened his eyes.
After three thousand years of effort, this acquired Merit Supreme Treasure had finally acknowledged its master.
"As expected of one of the two great acquired Merit Supreme Treasures. Donghua felt that if he faced the Daoist outside now, he could send him into reincarnation within three feet, even without using any Spiritual Powers and Techniques."
Donghua's fingertip brushed over the primordial energy flowing across the ruler, and he felt the immense power it contained.
This treasure had formed from a tenth of the merit of the world's creation fused with primordial energy. It was said to rival Taiqing Laozi's Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, which stood above its master's head and rendered all the myriad arts unable to harm him.
Both were acquired Merit Supreme Treasures capable of suppressing fortune, but they represented the extremes of offense and defense.
The Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Pagoda was primarily defensive; once summoned, it placed its master in an invincible position. The Primordial Sky Measuring Ruler in Donghua's hand, on the other hand, was primarily offensive. Its greatest virtue was that its killing left no karmic debt.
The ruler turned slightly, and ripples spread through the void.
A glimmer of understanding passed through Donghua's eyes. From now on, he had a reliable weapon for offense, and he would walk the Primordial Wilderness with greater ease.
Even if he encountered those Innate Divine Beings with deep roots, he could measure whether their fate could withstand the weight of this ruler.
The primordial energy flowing across the ruler's surface mingled with the merit of creation, reflecting Donghua's face, calm as still water.
"I should properly thank the guide who led me here."
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