Heaven-Earth-Human Forty-Nine Return-to-Truth Method

Having stepped into the True Immortal Realm and bearing [Human Ancestor's Fortune], Yuan Ming could clearly sense the leap in the very level of his life.

Yet along with it came a new sense of "emptiness."

Like a brawny man possessed of immense strength but ignorant of every fighting technique, he had cultivation aplenty yet no way to turn it into true combat power.

In this danger-ridden Primordial World, lacking powerful divine abilities and spells for protection was no different from a child carrying gold through a bustling market.

"Heaven-Devouring Dao Scripture is the foundational method; it raises my cultivation realm. But methods to defend the Dao and the power to kill are equally indispensable."

Once more, he sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, and the seemingly plain yet profoundly mysterious Dao De Jing emerged again.

"Dao gave birth to One, One gave birth to Two, Two gave birth to Three, and Three gave birth to all things... Since the Dao can give rise to all things, then in theory, every divine ability and spell can be derived from it."

He no longer tried to recall the names of specific, overwhelmingly powerful spells from xianxia novels. Instead, he sought to grasp the "imagery" and "principles" behind those spells.

For instance, a strand of Sword Qi was essentially the embodiment of principles such as "sharpness," "penetration," and "destruction."

For instance, a beam of escape light was essentially an application of "speed" and "space."

"The Great Dao is supremely simple, yet its derivations are infinitely complex. I don't need to learn or imitate others' divine abilities. I can create an entire spell system that belongs solely to me, one perfectly suited to [Great Dao Comprehension] and the Heaven-Devouring Dao Scripture."

The moment this thought arose, the nine-colored radiance of [Great Dao Comprehension] blazed brilliantly once more, intertwining with the profound truths of the Dao De Jing.

He no longer bound himself to form. Taking the Dao De Jing as his master outline, his True Immortal mana as ink, and the heavens and earth of the Primordial World as his scroll, he began to wield the brush in sweeping strokes.

"Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, Dao follows nature... My spells shall take 'Dao' as their root, Heaven-Earth-Human as their framework, and the number 'forty-nine' as their function!"

"The Great Dao has fifty; Heaven evolves forty-nine, while man escapes into the one. That 'one' is the variable, the spark of life. And what I shall create is precisely the Dao of forty-nine that can be controlled and evolved!"

In an instant, countless supreme principles concerning the workings of heaven and earth, the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements, and the transformations of yin and yang flowed through his heart.

When he thought of "supreme goodness is like water," he deduced the "Supreme Goodness Is Like Water Curse," capable of turning all things into something soft enough to wind around one's fingers. It could defend, trap enemies, and nourish himself.

When he thought of "the utmost softness under heaven gallops over the utmost hardness under heaven," he combined imagery of water and wind to sketch out an invisible, formless Imperishable Heavenly Dipper that specialized in breaking all manner of protective divine light.

When he thought of "being and nonbeing give birth to each other; difficult and easy complete each other," he attempted to construct a Formless Divine Light that could shift freely between reality and illusion, even briefly affecting karma.

He regarded every phenomenon of heaven and earth—wind, rain, thunder, lightning, mountains, marshes, water, fire, even the changes of time and space—as manifestations of "Dao," then classified and refined them.

This process was far more complicated than creating the Heaven-Devouring Dao Scripture, because it did not concern a single path, but rather a master outline for techniques encompassing all things.

Countless spell models were constructed, dismantled, and optimized.

Some were overly complicated and discarded; some lacked power and were strengthened; some conflicted with the attributes of the Heaven-Devouring Dao Scripture and were adjusted.

Under the absolute control of [Great Dao Comprehension], these deductions were not chaotic in the least, but systematically categorized and integrated.

At last, a phantom scripture exuding the aura of Chaos, as though it encompassed every possible transformation between heaven and earth, slowly condensed into form.

The Great Dao script upon it was even more ancient and profound than that of the Heaven-Devouring Dao Scripture—

<Heaven-Earth-Human Forty-Nine Return-to-Truth Method>!

This True Method was not forty-nine fixed spells, but a dynamic, growing framework for a spell system.

It took the Heaven-Earth-Human triad as its foundation and forty-nine as the ultimate number of transformations.

In theory, so long as Yuan Ming's understanding of "Dao" ran deep enough and his command over laws was strong enough, he could continuously derive from this framework specific spells suited to the situation at hand.

For example, if he needed a bolt of lightning at this moment, he could instantly derive from the framework a lightning method that best matched the current timing of heaven, favorable terrain, and his own "harmony of man."

If the environment changed—for instance, if he were in a body of water—the lightning method derived would carry transformations of the water attribute.

It was both an aggregate of "techniques" and an extension of "methods"; it was the application of "Dao."

The moment the True Method was first formed, Yuan Ming eagerly tried one of its most basic derived spells, [One-Qi Capturing Hand].

With a thought, the mana cultivated by the Heaven-Devouring Dao Scripture, carrying devouring properties, surged from within him. Rather than scattering, it condensed in midair under the restraint and guidance of the True Method framework into a translucent giant hand, faint dark radiance flowing around its edges.

The giant hand was no dead thing. As its five fingers twitched, it seemed to absorb the surrounding light and spiritual energy. Carrying an irresistible binding force, it reached through the air and grabbed at a massive boulder weighing ten thousand jun!

"Buzz!"

The boulder did not move an inch, yet five deep finger marks instantly appeared upon its surface, as though invisible force had eroded it away and devoured a portion of it.

"Wonderful!" Yuan Ming praised inwardly.

Not only was this [One-Qi Capturing Hand] immensely powerful, it also contained a trace of the devouring Dao charm of the Heaven-Devouring Dao Scripture. Its might far surpassed that of ordinary grappling spells.

More importantly, he could sense that as his comprehension of all kinds of laws deepened, the potential of these Forty-Nine True Methods was virtually limitless.

From this day onward, Yuan Ming had finally made up for the weakness in his offensive methods.

Though the power of the spells he could currently derive remained limited by his own cultivation and understanding of laws, with this framework in place, his ability in magical combat would grow geometrically as his cultivation advanced.

Yuan Ming stood atop the cliff, his left hand slightly raised as the dark glow of [One-Qi Capturing Hand] flickered in and out of sight in his palm.

"Though I still need to keep a low profile, I finally have a little confidence to gain a foothold in this Primordial World."

Yuan Ming's gaze was deep as he looked into the distance. Within him, two powers born of the same source yet emphasizing different aspects—the Heaven-Devouring Dao Scripture and the <Heaven-Earth-Human Forty-Nine Return-to-Truth Method>—echoed one another, forming his unique Dao foundation.

But whenever he thought of the Demon Race's impending great massacre, he knew he was still far too weak. Forget the Demon Race's Ten Demon Sages—even a random demon general was beyond his ability to defeat.

To travel through the Primordial World, one needed more than personal strength. A powerful backing was also absolutely necessary.

Yuan Ming had read not a thousand but at least eight hundred Primordial World novels, so he naturally knew the benefits of joining a Sage's great sect.

Just look at the Jade Void Palace's Twelve Golden Immortals—their eyes were practically fixed atop their heads, and even before Quasi-Sage Realm mighty figures, they still wore unbearably smug expressions.

They did not even place Hongjun Sage's attendants in their eyes. Otherwise, how could they have provoked the Investiture Tribulation?

Of the three Sages—Taiqing, Yuqing, and Shangqing—Yuan Ming most wanted to enter Taiqing Sage's sect. Unfortunately, that strongest Sage chose disciples based solely on fate.

His second choice was Yuqing Sage. Though this Sage was the coldest and most aloof, he truly protected his own.

Last was Shangqing Sage. Though this Sage accepted all kinds of beings far and wide, he was also the most inattentive toward his disciples.

By the middle stage of the Investiture Tribulation, how many Intercept Sect disciples had already died? Yet this Sage still clung to brotherly affection.

He appeared the most forthright, but in truth, he was the most indecisive!