In the end, it took even less time than he had expected.
Cultivation was often hardest at the beginning. Sometimes, a single bottleneck was like a natural chasm, trapping someone for decades, centuries, or even longer, with no way to comprehend it.
But once you mastered the knack and found the right path, comprehending the Dao became much easier.
The nineteenth year after entering the Chaos Heaven Mirror.
Zhang Dong raised his hand, and a pitch-black long saber landed in it. It was a very ordinary Origin Force weapon, typically used by Domain Lords and Realm Lords.
By using the microscopic method, he could then peer into the countless particles that made up the weapon.
Then Zhang Dong held his palm out, fingers curled. The area around the saber seemed to freeze. Countless particles and micro-particles inside it halted in that moment, unable to move any longer.
Absolute stillness. Not a single micro-particle could move.
"I did it!" Zhang Dong laughed aloud three times. After nineteen years of constant study, he had finally comprehended Inanimate Stillness. Time Stop would not be too difficult from here.
Although this move would not be much use against an enemy, what mattered was his breakthrough in Law Comprehension.
A breakthrough in the laws themselves brought an increase in power. There was no need to use their unique properties to fight enemies.
Many lower-level branches of the laws were completely useless in battle. Even methods like Teleportation had no use against an enemy.
What mattered was that the laws themselves granted a stronger divine body and a greater boost in power.
Whoosh!
Zhang Dong left the Chaos Heaven Mirror space. He was very satisfied with his cultivation over the past decade or so. From here on, mastering the entire Time Law would not be so easy.
Those Space Fragments were like a whole, and what they radiated was still only an artistic conception. If they were so easy to comprehend, the Marquis- and King-Rank members of the Feather Slaughter Clan would not be stuck at their current levels.
"If I can observe the traces of particles and micro-particles, then the Chaos Heaven Mirror is much more useful for research than the Chaos Stele."
There was no need for Zhang Dong to keep studying the inside of the Chaos Heaven Mirror during his subsequent cultivation.
The artistic conceptions radiating from those fragments were somewhat inferior to those of the Universe Chaos Stele. It varied from person to person: the same laws could be revealed in different ways, and everyone understood them differently.
When he reached the bronze gate, King Huo Yi and Gao Li were still standing quietly in place.
After becoming an undying, one's lifespan became practically endless. Even without a Miniature Universe to entrust oneself to, one could still live for an entire Reincarnation Era.
So Gao Li and King Huo Yi had plenty of patience. They could wait decades, centuries, or even millennia without complaint. To them, it was only a brief stretch of time.
"Your Highness, you're out." Seeing the joy on Zhang Dong's face, Gao Li said, "I take it you gained a lot from your comprehension over the years."
"Yeah."
Zhang Dong thought, That's putting it mildly. My Law Comprehension has already surpassed that of most undyings.
If Gao Li could reach that level, he would gain an Undying Body, his status would soar, and he would no longer have to serve as someone else's guard.
"Please take me to see Elder Xu Jin." Zhang Dong turned to King Huo Yi. "I'd rather thank him in person."
His comprehension of the Chaos Heaven Mirror had brought him a breakthrough, raising his Time Law to the Marquis Level and saving him a great deal of time.
The laws of the Primordial Universe were so profound. If he had relied on himself alone, it would probably have taken him a hundred years to reach this point. Elder Xu Jin had saved him that time, so he naturally had to thank him in person.
"Of course." King Huo Yi smiled faintly. "Congratulations on your breakthrough, Your Highness."
He made a few guesses. Given Zhang Dong's talent, he had probably been at the twelfth level of the Heavenly Bridge before entering. Now that he had made a breakthrough, perhaps he had reached the thirteenth or fourteenth level.
He had cultivated in seclusion for only nineteen years, yet comprehending the Chaos Heaven Mirror had brought him to the fourteenth level.
What an astounding talent and rate of progress. King Huo Yi had once been considered a genius himself, but compared to Zhang Dong, he was nothing.
Not just King Huo Yi—even Kedi and Erosion Fire Venerable would be outclassed.
Having achieved this much in his cultivation, Zhang Dong had no intention of hiding his talent from the higher-ups. He already had powerful backing, and the more monstrous his talent appeared, the better the resources he would enjoy in every respect.
On the way to see Elder Xu Jin, Zhang Dong split off some of his consciousness to connect to the Virtual Universe.
He was only going to challenge a Tongtian Mountain; there was no need to focus all his attention on it. His Law Comprehension was just a little short of the sixteenth level, but he had plenty of methods at his disposal in the Virtual Universe.
For example, he could boost his power with Pole True Intent, then use a few powerful secret techniques. That would be enough to make up the difference.
Back when he had been at the Cosmic Level, he had casually challenged Tongtian Mountain at his estate in the Primordial Realm. It had not been long, and now he had come to challenge the Domain Lord Level Original Tongtian Mountain.
Tongtian Mountain Plane, at the foot of the Original Tongtian Mountain.
The Ox-Head was dozing beneath a tree. They had been created as guardians, so they were naturally intelligent and had emotions of their own, much like Babata and the others.
Few people had challenged the Original Tongtian Mountain in hundreds of millions of years. When the Ox-Heads grew bored and lonely, they liked to sleep.
"Ox-Head, we meet again." Zhang Dong's voice rang out before he arrived. "Hurry up and call your companions. I'm going to challenge the Original Tongtian Mountain."
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
In the distance, the Ape-Man and Snake Woman heard him and flew over as streaks of light.
The three guardians looked astonished. The Ox-Head asked in a simple-minded voice, "Your Highness Zhang Dong, are you here to challenge the Domain Lord Level Original Tongtian Mountain?"
"Your Highness Zhang Dong, you only recently challenged the Cosmic Level Original Tongtian Mountain. I'm afraid you're still not quite ready for the Domain Lord Level Original Tongtian Mountain." The Ape-Man smiled too. "Your Highness, why not go cultivate some more?"
Whoosh!
The only reply was a flash of saber light.
The saber light swept down, instantly slicing apart the three guardians at the foot of the mountain. Snake Woman's illusion technique did not work at all.
As Zhang Dong's saber fell, dozens of Cosmic Venerables, along with Universe Masters such as Dark Marquis Lord and Chaos City Lord, all received the news.
Chaos City Lord's Mansion.
"Zhang Dong is challenging the Domain Lord Level Original Tongtian Mountain and has already passed the foot of the mountain?" Chaos City Lord repeated the words.
Chaos City Lord could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Whoosh!
Dozens of Cosmic Venerables and several Universe Masters appeared across the entire Tongtian Mountain Plane almost simultaneously.
The Cosmic Venerables were startled when they saw Chaos City Lord, Dark Marquis Lord, and Dragon Travel Lord. They hurried forward to pay their respects.
But the Universe Masters paid them no mind. All their gazes were fixed on Zhang Dong.
"Uncle Master, do you think he can really pass the Original Tongtian Mountain?" Dark Marquis Lord asked quietly. "My junior fellow disciple is just too astonishing."
The Cosmic Venerables could not hear him.
Chaos City Lord was uncertain too.
Zhang Dong had killed the guardians at the foot of the mountain with a single slash. He must have come because he was confident he could pass.
The reason Chaos City Lord could not make up his mind was that, as far as he knew, there was no way someone this monstrous could exist in the world.
He knew Zhang Dong's history well.
The Primordial Realm, the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, and the Feather Slaughter Clan—none of those places had Time Acceleration.
In that short a time, he had gone from the twelfth level of the Heavenly Bridge to the sixteenth. What was Zhang Dong, the second coming of Origin Ancestor?
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