Dao of Nature

A stretch of time washed over Lin Jiufeng like water, scouring clean the events buried beneath the dust of the past.

It was also like a scroll painting slowly unfurling, enveloping Lin Jiufeng within it.

This was something that had happened five thousand years ago, intercepted by Heaven-Defying Comprehension and brought before Lin Jiufeng.

As time unfolded, the light and shadows around Lin Jiufeng's body shifted abruptly.

The cave had vanished.

He now stood in a dark chamber. A long table stood within it, with five seats on each side, every seat occupied by a person.

There were ten people in total.

Lin Jiufeng knew these must be the Ten Great Kings mentioned in the books.

A flickering candle flame sat on the table. It could not illuminate their faces, but their builds and features could vaguely be made out.

Lin Jiufeng observed them carefully.

He saw a woman in red, with slender fingers.

He saw an ape-man of enormous build, covered from head to toe in fur.

He saw a woman with a Human-Headed Snake Body.

These should be the Red-Clad Maiden, the Great Ape King, and the Great Serpent King.

As for the others, they were hidden in the darkness. Lin Jiufeng could only see their outlines and could not identify them.

Like an outsider, Lin Jiufeng stood to one side and watched. Among the ten people, not one noticed him.

After all, five thousand years of time lay between them.

"King Yama, why did you summon us?" At that moment, the Great Serpent King spoke. Her voice was seductive, her low tones soft and winding.

Everyone looked toward one particular seat.

Lin Jiufeng looked over as well.

This King Yama should be the King of Hell on Earth.

He hid in the darkness, yet his voice was as bright and sunny as a young man's. "Have any of you heard of the Immortal Burial Ground?"

The moment those words were spoken, the other nine grew solemn.

"Wasn't the Immortal Burial Ground merely a rumor?"

"According to the legends, it is where Immortals fell, and no one has ever discovered it."

"Since King Yama says this, does that mean you have news?"

Several people immediately pressed for answers.

King Yama laughed heartily. "Not long ago, I discovered the Immortal Burial Ground. But it is far too dangerous within, and I am not confident of going alone. That is why I invited you all here. I intend to form a team and explore the Immortal Burial Ground together."

The Great Ape King immediately said, "Fine. I have long wanted to leave this barren Human World, but there was no way out. Now that the Land of Fallen Immortals has appeared, I must try, no matter what."

"Yes. We have long transcended the Tenth Restriction and stand at the pinnacle of the Human World, with no possibility of further advancement. Is that not a kind of sorrow? Rather than grow old and die in the Human World, we may as well venture into this Land of Fallen Immortals." A king hidden in the darkness spoke.

"Since you all agree, then let us make preparations and head for the Land of Fallen Immortals." King Yama rose and stepped before the swaying candle flame, revealing his true face. It was a face steeped in sinister aura, wearing a faint smile, and Lin Jiufeng saw it clearly.

The scene came to an abrupt halt. The dark chamber quietly receded, and the cave slowly emerged. Lin Jiufeng awoke from the time of five thousand years ago and returned to reality.

It had been a dream of Nanke.

Now that the dream had ended, Lin Jiufeng took a deep breath and murmured, "When I was reading just now, the book said that the Ten Great Kings vanished afterward. Almost none of them left behind inheritances. No one knew where they went, whether they lived or died, and rumors never ceased. It seems now that the Ten Great Kings went to the Land of Fallen Immortals."

"And then they never appeared again."

"Did the Ten Great Kings fall within the Land of Fallen Immortals?"

Lin Jiufeng secretly speculated.

He had become interested in the Land of Fallen Immortals.

After all, the only thing capable of drawing ten experts standing at the peak of the Human World there was the Immortals of legend.

"This world truly has Immortals." Lin Jiufeng closed the book, his eyes gleaming as boundless anticipation rose within him.

He had not only learned of the Immortal Burial Ground, but also that beyond the Tenth Restriction, there was another realm.

The reason the Ten Great Kings had suppressed that era five thousand years ago was because they had all entered that realm.

That was why ordinary experts at the Tenth Restriction could not defeat them.

The king hidden in the darkness had said that they had long stood at the pinnacle of the Human World, with no possibility of further progress. They could only place their hopes in the Land of Fallen Immortals.

Thus, even knowing that the Land of Fallen Immortals was exceedingly dangerous, they still went without hesitation.

Compared to remaining in the Human World, seeing the end at a glance and silently awaiting death, they would rather gamble on a chance.

"The only pity is that none of the ten kings left behind their inheritances." Lin Jiufeng shook his head regretfully.

"But if experts five thousand years ago could still break through the Tenth Restriction and enter a higher level, why, five thousand years later, can the Ninth Restriction rule supreme and claim dominion?" Lin Jiufeng still could not understand.

"Forget it. These mysteries are not something I, at the Eighth Restriction, can unravel. I can only wait until I enter the Ninth Restriction, then see whether I can find the answers." Lin Jiufeng shook his head, set down the book, picked up another, and continued reading.

And so it went. Time flew like an arrow, and the sun and moon raced like a shuttle.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Throughout that month, Lin Jiufeng had been reading in the Mystic Realm of the Feather Transformation Sect.

There were different genres, different tales: insights into Cultivation, analyses of cultivation techniques, ancient legends, biographies of heroes...

Every book brought Lin Jiufeng some insight. He accumulated these insights, buried them in his heart as soil, and slowly nurtured them.

Handful after handful of soil piled up, layer upon layer, slowly giving birth to something. At last, after one month, flowers bloomed in full splendor.

You diligently read for one month, activating Heaven-Defying Comprehension and comprehending Dao of Nature.

Dao of Nature: Every cultivation technique you unleash will become a part of the Great Dao.

The moment Lin Jiufeng saw this description, he was overjoyed.

This meant that if he snapped off a blade of grass and unleashed the Grasswood Sword Technique, it would no longer be merely his own act. It would merge into heaven and earth, becoming part of the Great Dao. Its power was not something that could be measured by merely multiplying it several times.

The several Visionary Daos Lin Jiufeng had comprehended were previously drawn from the countless Great Daos of the world when he unleashed them. But the next time he used those Visionary Daos, they would merge into heaven and earth, nature, and all things.

Their power would reach a terrifying level.

With Dao of Nature alone, Lin Jiufeng dared say that he was invincible within the Eighth Restriction.

After one month of Secluded Cultivation, Lin Jiufeng emerged with joy in his heart.

He took Bai Ling out of the Mystic Realm of the Feather Transformation Sect and returned to the Scripture Pavilion.

He had expected the Scripture Pavilion to be as quiet as ever, but instead, Bai Yunfei and his three disciples were gathered together, their expressions unpleasant.

Lin Jiufeng walked downstairs and asked, "What is wrong with all of you? Why are you in such low spirits?"

"Greetings, Martial Uncle."

Yue Dashan was the first to spot Lin Jiufeng and immediately called out warmly.

Zhou Tianzi followed with a greeting.

But when Wen Xinyun saw Lin Jiufeng, her eyes reddened, and tears fell soundlessly. Her taut, delicate face was full of grievance.

Lin Jiufeng immediately frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What happened? Did you bully your senior sister?"

Zhou Tianzi and Yue Dashan immediately shook their heads and waved their hands, indicating that it was not them.

Bai Yunfei frowned tightly. "Senior Brother, someone from Wen Xinyun's family came to take her back."