"I hoped that one day, a single diagram would contain all the myriad phenomena."
Lin Xian murmured softly and poured everything he knew and had learned into that celestial river—from Qi-State Origin-Flow to the use of Divine Runes, his insights into the Bronze Coffin, the Buddhist principles within the Bodhi Seed... He held nothing back, devouring it all in an attempt to condense a River of Myriad Laws.
This was preparation for the future.
Shrouding the Heavens soul, Shrouding the Heavens people—everyone in Shrouding the Heavens was hardheaded.
The entire universe was caught in an arms race, competing to become the king of venomous insects and fight over the one and only Emperor Throne. It was cruel to the extreme.
Either you beat someone to death, or someone beat you to death.
Fighting for the Emperor Path was no child's game. Losing did not mean there would be another round. If you died, you were truly dead. Once defeated, it was basically impossible to rise again.
Because this was a snowball game. One step behind meant falling behind every step afterward.
In the early stages, one relied on the advantages of physique and Emperor Scriptures to crush opponents of the same realm, establishing an invincible Dao Heart.
After that, one grew braver with every battle and fought more fiercely the braver one became. Strength brought resources, resources increased one's strength, and realm, Dao Heart, resources, and combat experience formed a positive cycle.
In the end, one defeated all the geniuses, stood supreme upon the Emperor Path, and attained the Supreme Being realm.
That was also one of the main reasons Lin Xian had chosen to lie flat. What was the use of being able to fight? To make it in this world, you needed backing—bloodline—and influence—Emperor Scriptures.
What kind of setup did those Emperor's Sons and divine maidens have? What kind of setup did Lin Xian have? Fighting at the same realm was a joke. They were not even on the same playing field.
One was a level-fifteen hero with a full six-item build, while the other was a level-fifteen hero who had only bought boots. They looked like they were at the same level, but it was really a one-sided stomp. No amount of combat skill could make a difference.
Since it was a one-sided stomp, why bother striving so hard? Thus, Lin Xian spent this lifetime lying flat and placed his hopes on rebuilding himself in the Second Lifetime.
When Ye Fan's Sacred Body finally reached completion and he had an equal platform, that would be the era when the salted fish turned over and Lin Tianjiao entered the world.
This lifetime was mainly for witnessing—witnessing the various Dao resonances of the Myriad Realms, accumulating foundations, gathering myriad laws, and laying a solid foundation for the unification of all laws and the forging of a hundred scriptures in the Second Lifetime.
When the final Divine Rune fell and the river could no longer improve by even the slightest amount, Lin Xian did not dwell on it. He rose calmly. He had never been the sort to fight over every second. The path of cultivation was long; one day, it would be polished to perfection.
He jumped from the second-floor window, raised a divine rainbow, and flew to a secluded hilltop. Lin Xian circulated divine power and continuously tempered his "artifact." A blurry Cosmic Galaxy Diagram emerged, flowing with a faint silver radiance.
With a thought, he offered up the Cosmic Galaxy Diagram and fixed it above his head. Then he recited the scriptures of the Saint Realm, attempting to draw down the power of the great sun above the nine heavens.
The Universe Diagram spun rapidly, actually drawing down wisps of sunlit power. That sacred white was as dazzling as gold. Though thin, it was undeniably real.
What Lin Xian had not expected was that along with the power of the Solar Star came wisps of silvery-white starlight, like Emperor's Nectar.
"Lunar Essence!"
Brilliant light burst from Lin Xian's eyes, turning into two streams of divine power that shot toward the heavens. Vaguely, he saw another celestial body—the pockmarked moon.
That was right. The cosmology of this world was not a round heaven over a square earth, but a cosmic sea of stars.
It was not that the sun rose and the moon set. The sun and moon existed together; it was merely that the sun's brilliance obscured the moon, making it seem as though the sun alone reigned over the day. In truth, the moon had always been there.
"The Solar Yang gives birth to Lesser Yin, Lesser Yin gives birth to Lunar Yin, Lunar Yin gives birth to Lesser Yang, and Lesser Yang gives birth to Solar Yang."
"All things bear yin and embrace yang, blending their qi into harmony."
Lin Xian held the Cosmic Galaxy Diagram in his hands, deep in thought. Dao and artifact shifted accordingly. He treated the Sea of Bitterness as Lunar Yin and the Life Wheel as Solar Yang. The Life Spring surged forth from the Sea of Bitterness, yet it was also produced by the Life Wheel and in turn nourished it. This was Lesser Yang.
And the Divine Bridge, which carried the human body through the secret realm toward the Other Shore and advanced into the second secret realm with its surging force, was Lesser Yin.
This was his understanding of the Wheel of the Sea Secret Realm.
"Pangu gave birth to Tai Chi; Two Forms and Four Symbols fled into hiding."
With a soft chant, the divine diagram in his hands trembled. A golden-silver Immortal Bridge suddenly appeared beneath Lin Xian's feet, manifested from the power of the sun and moon. It carried him back to the villa, faster than his previous divine rainbow by several degrees.
Joy rose within him as wind gathered beneath his feet. Now that he could use a magical artifact, he finally had a bit of immortal bearing.
Meanwhile, the Nadutong base that had witnessed this scene through a drone completely erupted.
Xu San, usually refined and easygoing, could not help swearing. "Fuck, did I transmigrate into Investiture of the Gods or Journey to the West?!"
"Brother San, should we pull the drone back first?" Soil Monkey swallowed and cautiously suggested.
"No need." Xu San took a deep breath, waved his hand, and regained his composure. "Changing our mind halfway would only look worse."
"Besides, he doesn't care."
"He doesn't care?" Soil Monkey stared at the screen, at the figure who resembled an immortal controlling a magical artifact from Investiture of the Gods, and suddenly shuddered.
That was right. How could an immortal care what ordinary mortals thought?
Whether he cared or not, he was there.
A golden-silver Immortal Bridge descended from the void. It seemed as though Buddhist chants were ringing out, yet they were as elusive as celestial music. Bathed in sunlight and moonlight, Lin Xian slowly walked down from the bridge, like an immortal from legend descending into the mortal world.
All three members of Quanxing watched with wide eyes. Lu Liang immediately shuddered and hurried forward to greet him.
"Senior, what are your orders?" Lu Liang was extremely submissive, possessing Zhang Chulan's talent for survival. He wanted to live, because only by living could he investigate the truth behind his younger sister's death.
Put another way, he had a weakness.
"Go make money for me." Lin Xian revealed a capitalist's smile and said warmly, "Of what you earn, I take seventy percent and you take thirty. Any objections?"
"No." Lu Liang shook his head frantically like a rattle drum.
"Louder. I didn't hear you." Lin Xian said in displeasure, "If you're unhappy, I can hand you over to the company for the bounty."
"No objections!!!" Lu Liang let out the loudest roar of his life, shaking heaven and earth. His entire face turned red.
"Good. Very spirited." Lin Xian nodded in satisfaction, then narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile, "You don't have any objections in your heart, do you?"
"None, of course not." Lu Liang said decisively, "You are my benefactor."
"How did I become your benefactor?" Lin Xian asked teasingly.
"The mercy of not killing me is a great kindness." Lu Liang lowered his head and forced a smile. "There's no shame in staying alive."
"Those who know which way the wind blows live the longest." Lin Xian patted Lu Liang on the shoulder and painted a grand vision for him. "Study hard and work hard. I'll appoint you as my chief strategist."
"Understood!" Lu Liang replied loudly, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. His little life had finally been saved.
After all, he was Quanxing now!
The so-called Quanxing followed the principle of Preserving True Nature, refusing to let material things burden one's form. It was one branch of Daoism, founded by Yang Zhu, one of the thinkers of the Hundred Schools during the Warring States period.
It upheld the belief that one would not pluck a single hair even if it benefited the world, nor take a single strand if it harmed the world.
However, this philosophy was too shocking and unconventional, and later generations could not understand its true meaning.
As time passed, Quanxing embraced its dregs and discarded its essence, becoming a millennium-old evil sect that harbored every sort of filth and accepted anyone who came.
Because Quanxing members acted as they pleased, ignored law and morality, and refused to follow rules, they were a pack of mad dogs. They bit both good people and bad people alike, so others had no need to observe righteous rules when dealing with Quanxing.
When killing Quanxing members, no one cared what methods were used. Whether it was a group beating or torture to death, nobody would care. Even the Lu Family, to which Lu Liang belonged, could only turn a blind eye.
That was still in a society ruled by law. In the chaotic times of the last century, Quanxing demons had been people everyone had the right to kill.