Donghua and Taizhen walked side by side. The Chaos currents around them gradually thinned, and the outline of the Primordial World came clearly into view.
They had gained a great deal from listening to the Dao at Purple Heavens Palace. Donghua's thoughts stirred, and he couldn't help glancing at Taizhen beside him.
As if sensing his gaze, Taizhen turned her cool eyes toward him. Seeing him lost in thought, she waited quietly for him to speak.
"I've been away from Zifu Continent for a long time, and I have things I need to attend to. I'd like to return and put my Daoist Ground in order, so I can calmly reflect on what I gained this time."
After speaking, Donghua hesitated briefly, then took out the Jade Disk of Creation Fragment containing the Time and Pure Yang Laws and offered it to Taizhen.
"Taizhen, this should help you comprehend the Time Law."
He didn't reveal his deeper intentions. The Hunyuan Path was arduous and demanded great insight into the Laws. He hoped Taizhen would focus on the Dao of Time, so they could walk side by side in the future.
The moment the Jade Disc touched her hands, Taizhen sensed the vast Space-Time Dao Rhyme flowing within it and immediately understood what it was.
Her gaze sharpened, and she promptly refused. "Is this a fragment of the Jade Disk of Creation? It's far too precious. Besides, it contains the Pure Yang Law. I really can't accept it."
Donghua shook his head gently, his words earnest. "Our fortunes have long been intertwined. What falls to me naturally falls to you as well. Why distinguish between us?"
Taizhen fell silent for a moment, then finally stopped refusing. She put away the Jade Disc and looked up at Donghua, a trace of worry passing through her eyes.
"You and those two Golden Crows have old grievances. And at Purple Heavens Palace, you slighted them in front of the Sage and all the fellow Daoists. If you return to Zifu Continent alone now, they may seize the chance to cause you trouble. Why not come back to West Kunlun with me? We can look out for each other."
Donghua considered her words and knew her concerns were well-founded. He didn't fear Di Jun or Tai Yi, but if the two came to pester him, they would inevitably disrupt his cultivation.
He nodded. "Very well. We'll return to West Kunlun together, as you suggest."
They exchanged smiles, then their figures transformed into hazy Daoist auras and sped toward West Kunlun together.
Clouds drifted across the summit of West Kunlun. As soon as they arrived, Taizhen chose a quiet chamber rich in Spiritual Mechanism and entered seclusion, devoting herself to comprehending the profound Time Law with the aid of the Jade Disk of Creation Fragment.
With a servant leading the way, Donghua chose a separate cave abode. Amidst the swirling rosy clouds, he sat in meditation and carefully sorted through what he had gained from listening to the Dao.
His Dao Heart was clear. He knew that the essence of cultivation lay in cultivating both the "Dao" and the "Method," and bringing them into harmony.
The "Dao" was the ultimate truth of the Laws, the foundation of cultivation and the source of the Great Dao.
The "Method" was the application of Supernatural Abilities, the path of Cultivation Methods and the tools for protecting the Dao.
The two complemented each other, like Heaven and Earth standing side by side. Neither could be lacking.
Yet at this time in the Primordial World, Cultivation Methods were exceedingly rare. Many powerful beings relied on their innate origins and attained Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivation as soon as they took physical form. Thus, most placed greater importance on the "Dao" than the "Method."
Aside from the Method of Severing the Three Corpses, which Dao Ancestor Hongjun had only passed down after his second lecture and which stood unrivaled, there were almost no renowned Cultivation Methods.
For that very reason, the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique gifted by the Witch Clan had undoubtedly opened a door to peerless Supernatural Abilities for Donghua, allowing him to glimpse a path to the Dao that was entirely different.
As Donghua sank his consciousness into the imprint Dijiang had given him, the profound mysteries of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique slowly unfolded in his mind.
Yet the more he learned, the more deeply shaken he became.
He had thought Dijiang had given him the complete Cultivation Method. He never expected the imprint to be like a Great Dao inheritance, revealing to him only the First Revolution's cultivation method for now.
The First Revolution corresponded to the True Immortal realm. If each revolution corresponded to an entire major realm, then what unimaginable heights would the remaining revolutions lead to?
The thought exploded in Donghua's mind like a thunderclap.
He had believed this technique was, like the Dao of Severing the Three Corpses, a path to Sainthood. Only now did he understand that the two were as fireflies to the blazing sun, worlds apart. In an instant, the former seemed to pale into insignificance!
Only now did Donghua truly understand the immense karma and unparalleled opportunity represented by this gift.
Having obtained the Cultivation Method, Donghua naturally began to cultivate.
First Revolution: Build the foundation of the flesh and begin to fuse spirit and body. Completely merge a wisp of True Spirit into the flesh and blood. From then on, the body would no longer be a mere shell or dwelling, but the True Spirit's sole Daoist palace, laying the supreme foundation for achieving Sainthood through the body.
Second Revolution: Open grotto-heavens within the acupoints. The three hundred and sixty-five major acupoints throughout the body would transform from particles into stars, each one like a newly opened world, capable of holding vast stores of vital blood and magical power.
Third Revolution: Attain immortal golden nature. The flesh would begin to display the qualities of immortal golden nature; blood and qi would flow like liquid, bones would shine, and the body would rival divine metal in strength, impervious to ordinary flames and untouched by the erosion of time.
Fourth Revolution: Temper the organs with the Five Elements. Draw in the essence of the world's Five Elements to refine the organs; the five organs corresponded to the Five Elements, and the five qi would converge in the chest.
In less than ten thousand years, Donghua advanced the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique to the Fourth Revolution. At the same time, he fully understood its fundamental drawback: once the True Spirit fused with the body, there would be no turning back.
Yet Donghua's Dao Heart didn't waver in the slightest. It only grew firmer.
In his view, if he couldn't ascend to the summit and transcend into eternity through his own Dao, then even living forever would mean no more than being an exquisitely crafted wandering soul beneath the Laws of Heaven.
If that was the case, he would rather fuse his True Spirit and body into a single Dao foundation, stake everything, and fight for this one chance to reach the heavens!
After cultivating to the Fourth Revolution, Donghua had a realization: he could no longer break through this realm through sheer effort alone. He needed to draw in the essence of the world's Five Elements and use it to refine his body.
Seeing that Taizhen was still in seclusion, he gave the West Kunlun servants a few instructions, then set off into the vast Primordial Wilderness.
As he traveled, he gathered news of the world and searched for a place where the innate qi of the Five Elements converged.
He keenly sensed that conflicts across the Primordial Wilderness had grown several times more intense than before his seclusion.
The Witch Clan's expansion had become far more rapid and aggressive. They clashed constantly with numerous races, and war had spread in every direction.
What drew his solemn gaze even more was that, amid the turmoil, two figures were rising to prominence.
They were Di Jun and Tai Yi, born of the Sun Star!
With their formidable strength and extraordinary means, they were steadily gathering and sheltering the races struggling to survive under pressure from the Witch Clan. They had already become leaders in their own right, and a vast alliance aimed at opposing the Witch Clan was beginning to take shape.
Karma was entwining; a great upheaval was about to begin.
Standing atop the clouds and gazing down at the troubled land, Donghua's mind was clear as a mirror.
Di Jun and Tai Yi had risen with the tide. Amid the turbulent winds and clouds, the foundations of the conflict between the Witches and the Demons had quietly been laid.
Time meant little in the Primordial Wilderness. Donghua traveled among its famous mountains and great rivers, searching for the most primordial essence of the Five Elements.
One day, Donghua stood in midair above a towering mountain range. Below, the mountains resembled billions of drawn swords pointing straight at the heavens. Geng Metal Qi, so sharp it could cleave through clouds, filled the surrounding lands.
After ten thousand years of searching, he had finally gathered all five types of innate qi.
Just as Donghua's thoughts stirred and he prepared to collect the final strand of Geng Metal Qi, an unexpected change occurred!
A phoenix feather shimmering with five-colored radiance shot toward the Purple Palace between Donghua's brows like a sword.
"You've come looking for trouble time and again. Since you insist on this, then today, you'll stay here."
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