Zhu Rong sat casually to one side, scratching his head as he said:
"That Great Dao of Strength is too profound. My head is still a muddled mess.
The origin of strength, all forces returning to one source... just listening made my head swell."
For once, Gong Gong did not mock him. He frowned as well and said, "It is indeed profound.
I can feel that the Great Dao of Strength encompasses all things. The water law I command is merely an insignificant part of it.
To comprehend it fully would probably take countless origin cycles of arduous cultivation."
Xuan Ming said coldly, "Comprehend however much you can. What Father God taught us cannot be wrong."
Houtu said softly, "Brothers, there is no need to be anxious.
The Great Dao of Strength is the Dao Father God comprehended when he split heaven and earth. It is incomparably profound, not something we can grasp overnight. We need only contemplate it slowly."
Di Jiang nodded. "Houtu is right. This cannot be rushed. From today onward, we will enter seclusion in Pangu Hall to contemplate it and strive to gain something soon."
He paused and looked at Houtu. "Sister Houtu, your primordial spirit has now reached full maturity. It is time to refine the Destruction Stele.
Though this treasure is savage, if you can refine it, it will surely become a supreme treasure to protect you."
Houtu nodded. "You are right, Brother Di Jiang. I will begin refining the Destruction Stele now."
She then looked at Pan Xuan and said gently, "Brother Pan Xuan, thank you for your efforts these past days. I must also thank you for your help with the Destruction Stele."
Pan Xuan shook his head with a smile. "You are too kind, Sister Houtu. I merely did my part."
After discussing matters a little longer, everyone dispersed.
Houtu went alone to a quiet chamber deep within Pangu Hall and sat cross-legged. She retrieved the ink-black Destruction Stele from Di Jiang and placed it before her.
The stele stood in the quiet chamber, pitch-black from top to bottom, radiating an aura that could destroy heaven and earth.
The runes on its surface were ancient and mysterious. Every line seemed to contain the most fundamental power of destruction in the world.
Its aura was so powerful and savage that the entire chamber trembled slightly.
Houtu drew a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began refining the Destruction Stele.
Her primordial spirit had now reached full maturity, attaining the same level as her physical body.
Within her Niwan Palace, a miniature figure identical to her sat cross-legged, radiating dense earth light.
It was the power of the earth, the power that bore all things, the power that embraced everything.
At Houtu's thought, the primordial spirit within her Niwan Palace opened her eyes. A gentle yet weighty power surged from Houtu's body and enveloped the Destruction Stele.
The Destruction Stele shuddered slightly, as though sensing something.
The power of destruction within it erupted, becoming a black torrent that lashed back at Houtu.
That power of destruction was exceedingly savage, as though it would devour and destroy everything. Even Houtu's power of the earth struggled to withstand it.
Houtu's brows furrowed slightly, but she did not panic.
She mobilized the full power of her primordial spirit. Like massive city walls, her power of the earth piled up layer upon layer around the Destruction Stele, firmly trapping that power of destruction.
The power of destruction battered left and right within its confinement, yet could never break through those layers of earthen barriers.
The refining process was long and arduous.
The Destruction Stele was, after all, an innate supreme treasure. The power of destruction it contained was exceedingly pure, far beyond that of ordinary spiritual treasures.
Although Houtu's primordial spirit had reached full maturity, completely refining this treasure would still demand considerable mental effort and time.
In the main hall of Pangu Hall, the other Ancestral Witches and Pan Xuan were not idle either.
The Eleven Ancestral Witches, including Di Jiang, Zhu Jiuyin, Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, and Xuan Ming, each sat cross-legged with their eyes closed and minds focused, contemplating the Great Dao of Strength taught by Father God Pangu.
The legacy of the Great Dao of Strength was as vast as the ocean and as profound as an abyss. Even Ancestral Witches at their level of Primordial Origin Golden Immortal could not fully comprehend it in a short time.
After contemplating it for several days, Zhu Rong opened his eyes and said with a miserable expression, "It is too difficult! Father God's Great Dao of Strength is even harder than climbing to heaven.
I feel as though I am groping at an invisible elephant, grasping whatever little part I happen to touch."
Gong Gong opened his eyes as well. For once, he did not mock him, but nodded. "It is indeed difficult.
I can sense the origin of water within the Great Dao of Strength, but that origin is far too deep. I can only see the tip of the iceberg."
Xuan Ming said coldly, "Being able to see it at all is already good.
The Great Dao of Strength encompasses all things. Each of us commands a law. Being able to comprehend something within it related to our innate laws is already a tremendous opportunity."
Di Jiang opened his eyes and said solemnly, "Xuan Ming is right.
The Great Dao of Strength is the Dao Father God comprehended when he split heaven and earth. It encompasses the origins of every power in the world.
Though we cannot fully comprehend it, as long as we can grasp something related to our innate laws, it will be enough to advance our cultivation further."
Zhu Jiuyin nodded as well. "Brother Di Jiang is right. These past days of contemplating the Great Dao of Strength have deepened my understanding of the power of time.
The power of time is also a kind of strength. With this realization, I now have a new direction for cultivating the Dao of Time."
The other Ancestral Witches nodded in turn, evidently having each gained something.
Pan Xuan was also contemplating what he had gained at the summit of Mount Buzhou.
He had not received the legacy of the Great Dao of Strength, but Pangu taking him to witness the splitting of heaven and earth, letting him personally experience the process of that single axe stroke, was itself the greatest gift.
The power of that axe stroke had already merged into his soul.
It was not a specific cultivation method or divine ability, but an insight into the Great Dao, an understanding of the power that opened heaven.
He could feel that his Righteous Vitality Formula had become even purer.
Righteous vitality was supremely vast and unyielding, and already shared common ground with the power that opened heaven.
The experience of that axe stroke had given his righteous vitality a trace of heaven-opening resonance, adding a measure of the resolve and boldness to cleave heaven and earth to its upright firmness.
His Merit Profound Yellow Dharma Aspect had also improved.
Splitting heaven and earth was the greatest merit; the profound yellow of heaven and earth was the first breath after heaven was opened.
Having personally experienced the splitting of heaven and earth, he understood merit and profound yellow more deeply, and the foundation of his Merit Profound Yellow Dharma Aspect had become more stable.
As for Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light, Pan Xuan could feel that this divine ability had also become more mysterious under the baptism of that axe stroke.
Splitting heaven and earth was creation, was enlightenment, was opening up a space for all things in the world to live.
This already shared a wondrous similarity with Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light's ability to "inspire wisdom and awaken the Dao heart."
He could feel that once Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light recovered, its effects would be more pronounced than before.
Pan Xuan settled these insights one by one, inwardly delighted.
Time passed slowly within Pangu Hall. After an unknown number of years, Houtu finally refined the Destruction Stele.
That day, an earth-shaking aura suddenly erupted from the quiet chamber deep within Pangu Hall.
That aura was as weighty as a mountain, yet carried a savagery that would destroy everything.
Two utterly different powers intertwined, forming a peculiar balance.
Sensing this aura, the Ancestral Witches and Pan Xuan all came to the chamber's entrance.
The chamber door slowly opened, and Houtu emerged.
In her hand, she held a palm-sized black stone stele.
The stone stele was exactly like the Destruction Stele from before, only countless times smaller, resting quietly in her palm.
The runes on its surface remained mysterious, but its heaven-and-earth-destroying aura had withdrawn, becoming gentle and tame.
"You refined it!" Zhu Rong's eyes widened as he exclaimed in delighted surprise, "Sister Houtu, you refined that stone stele?"
Houtu smiled slightly and nodded. "I was fortunate enough to refine it.
This Destruction Stele is truly extraordinary. The power of destruction it contains is exceedingly pure. Had my primordial spirit not reached full maturity, I would likely have struggled to subdue it."
With a light wave of her hand, the Destruction Stele turned into a streak of black light and vanished between her brows.
Within her Niwan Palace, the black stone stele floated beside her primordial spirit, resonating with her and radiating a mysterious aura in which destruction and creation coexisted.
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