Time flowed like water. In the blink of an eye, several thousand years passed.
Deep in the Northern Abyss.
The world's spiritual energy, once thrown into turmoil by the Lightning Tribulation and the great battle, had long since settled. The sea lay still, and only an eternal chill lingered in the air.
One day, a shadowy figure emerged from the clouds and headed straight for Guiyuan's secluded dwelling. It was Kunpeng.
Unlike his visit several thousand years ago, when he had come with thoughts of competition and calculation, this time,
Kunpeng looked much more composed. He had even deliberately reined in the sinister, frigid aura surrounding him.
He appeared before Guiyuan, cupped his hands, and said, "Daoist friend Guiyuan, it's been a long time. I trust you've been well."
Guiyuan opened his eyes from meditation. Seeing Kunpeng, he gave a slight nod. "Daoist friend Kunpeng, please sit."
Within his true spirit floated numerous divine ability talismans. He had taken inspiration from the Eternal Life Great World, imprinting the divine abilities he had deduced into talismans.
From now on, he would only need a thought to activate them. Unlike in his previous battles, he wouldn't have to stack the Three Thousand Great Daos he had comprehended together in an instant to form a divine ability.
At their current level, the difference in speed was probably only a billionth of an instant.
But sometimes, that tiny difference was what mattered in a fight.
It could decide life or death.
The two sat facing each other in the void. They exchanged few pleasantries before moving straight on to discussing the Dao.
Kunpeng was the first to explain his understanding of Wind and Water. His low voice stirred the surrounding moisture, while gentle breezes followed his words, and the Dao's resonance arose naturally.
After all, he had cultivated for a long time and accumulated profound experience. Everything he said came from his own fundamental insights, and much of it was extraordinary.
Guiyuan listened quietly. When Kunpeng finished, he pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Wind and Water are indeed the foundation of your Dao, my friend.
"Yet the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth all lead to the same destination by different paths. Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire are the Four Innate Aspects, and each contains Yin and Yang. Wind and Fire are the Yang of the Four Aspects, restless and rising; Water and Earth are their Yin, still and sustaining."
He looked at Kunpeng, his gaze seeming to pierce through to Kunpeng's very source. "You were born to command Wind and Water. One is active Yang, the other tranquil Yin. They already accord with the interplay of Yin and Yang.
"Why not take this as an opportunity to enter Yin and Yang through Wind and Water? Use the two qi of Yin and Yang to establish your Daluo foundation.
"When the time comes, Yin and Yang will encompass all things and flow without end. That breadth is far beyond what you could achieve by confining yourself to Wind and Water."
His words rang through Kunpeng's sea of consciousness like a thunderclap!
"Enter Yin and Yang... through Wind and Water?"
He murmured to himself. The Dao resonance of Wind and Water around him surged wildly beyond his control.
Images of his countless ages of cultivation flashed before his eyes. The bottlenecks and insights that had once seemed obscure and unrelated now appeared linked by an invisible thread.
Yin and Yang! Of course. The freedom of the wind and the utmost softness of water—were they not manifestations of Yin and Yang? If he could look beyond the forms of Wind and Water and point directly to the principles of Yin and Yang, then take Yin and Yang as his foundation and derive all kinds of laws from them...
"Boom!"
It was as if a solid barrier had shattered in an instant. Kunpeng's aura burst forth, and the qi of Wind and Water no longer remained distinct. Instead, they began to blend and revolve, transforming into two hazy streams, one black and one white.
Though they had only begun to take shape, they already radiated an aura far more profound and primordial than before!
He froze in place, Dao patterns appearing and vanishing in his pupils as he sank completely into sudden enlightenment.
No one knew how long passed before his surging aura gradually settled.
Kunpeng abruptly came to himself, his eyes filled with shock and joy.
He took a deep breath, straightened his robes, and bowed deeply to Guiyuan.
"Listening to you speak has saved me ten thousand years of effort! Daoist friend Guiyuan... no, Brother Guiyuan! I will remember this kindness!"
His heart surged, and he could hardly contain his excitement.
The Taiyi bottleneck that had troubled him for countless years had finally opened onto a path. He now knew the direction he needed to take toward Daluo!
This guidance was worth more than the entire Northern Abyss!
Amid his excitement, Kunpeng looked at Guiyuan with a mixture of disbelief and bewilderment.
Such an elevated and profound explanation of the Great Dao had come casually from the mouth of that "old tortoise" from years past?
Just how deep was Guiyuan's understanding of the Great Dao?
Unable to hold back, he asked, "Brother Guiyuan, your insights are so profound that they inspire my admiration. But... with your abilities, why have you never tried to condense a Daluo Dao Fruit?"
At his words, Guiyuan actually gave a helpless smile and spread his hands. "I've comprehended too much, and it's all too complex. For now, I don't know where to begin or what to use as my foundation."
He wasn't making excuses. He had mastered the Three Thousand Great Daos of the Eternal Life Great World. Although the Great Daos of the two worlds were vastly different,
his Origin Foundation was strong to begin with. All he needed was a starting point to comprehend the similar laws of the Primordial World.
The reason Innate Sacred beings usually comprehended Great Daos that matched their Origin Foundation was that, for those that didn't, they couldn't even find a starting point.
Put simply, it was like one field being a world apart from another—like a chicken and a duck trying to talk.
But Guiyuan was different. Although his Origin Foundation centered on the Defense Dao, his mind had comprehended something of all the Three Thousand Great Daos. The only difference was how difficult they were.
Compared to the other Innate Sacred beings, he had far too many choices.
That was why he said he had comprehended too much and had yet to figure out what to do.
"..."
Kunpeng froze, his mouth opening and closing. For a long while, he couldn't say a word.
He had comprehended too much and didn't know where to begin?
What... what kind of reason was that?
Who in the Primordial World wasn't struggling with a lack of insight and an unfathomable Great Dao?
But Guiyuan couldn't choose because he understood too much?
Kunpeng's mouth twitched. In all the countless ages he had lived, he had never heard anything like it!
Guiyuan seemed unwilling to say more about his own Dao. Instead, he said, "I intend to leave the Northern Abyss and head to the Northern Continent of the Primordial World."
Kunpeng composed himself and asked in confusion, "The Northern Continent? Ever since the Ferocious Beast calamity, it's been thick with baleful energy and its spiritual veins have been shattered. It's a famous barren wasteland of the Primordial World.
"The baleful energy there is much thicker than in our North Sea. After all, the decisive battle took place on the continent. What do you intend to do there, Brother Guiyuan?"
Guiyuan replied calmly, "Clear away the baleful energy and gain merit. I also want to see whether I can repair the Northern Continent's shattered spiritual veins—and perhaps even its Ancestral Vein."
Kunpeng was shaken once more.
Clear away the baleful energy of the Northern Continent? Repair the Ancestral Vein?
If Guiyuan could truly do it, the merit and destiny he gained would be immeasurable!
Kunpeng was immediately tempted. If he could take part, then again, he had just touched the threshold of Daluo.
This was a crucial time to withdraw into seclusion, consolidate his insights, and seek a breakthrough. He simply couldn't spare the time.
A trace of regret crossed his face. Kunpeng said solemnly, "Brother Guiyuan, I admire your concern for the world! Unfortunately, I'm on the verge of comprehending Daluo and need to cultivate in seclusion. I can't accompany you. Once I break through to Daluo, I'll leave seclusion and seek you out at once!"
Guiyuan waved a hand casually. "No matter. While we're away, just keep an eye on the Northern Abyss."
With that, he didn't linger.
He took a light step forward.
He activated the Great Spacetime Technique.
Hum!
The Spacetime Law rippled silently around him. As the Dao resonance flowed, countless layers of space and time seemed to rise and perish beneath his feet.
In the next instant, his entire figure became an indistinct streak of light. He stepped into the depths of the layered void and vanished without a trace.
He moved so fast that he exceeded the limits of Kunpeng's divine sense!
Kunpeng's pupils contracted. He stared at the patch of space where Guiyuan had disappeared, waves of shock surging through his heart.
That speed isn't any ordinary escape technique! It contains the mysteries of space and time... Even my own speed can't compare!
He stood where he was in silence for a long while. At last, he looked north and let out a deep sigh.
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