The sea of clouds rolled on as though it had no end. It had once hidden everything below, leaving nothing visible.
Now, Chen Cuo's will sank through the clouds.
A vast land spread out before him.
The Seven Heaven-reaching Trees stood upon it, each piercing the clouds. Their trunks were enormous beyond belief; the ground occupied by their roots was likely broader than all of Hedong!
Their trunks stood between heaven and earth, their crowns blotted out sky and land!
Their size, grandeur, majesty, might, and raw power defied description!
As his will trembled in awe, only one word remained in Chen Cuo's mind: Vast!
It was no longer even a word, but a concept!
Deep within his soul, wisps of Mist Aura spread, carrying two utterly opposed impressions: ancient and new.
The Mist Aura expanded and slowly enveloped his will, making his mind ever clearer.
At once, he broke free of that instinctive trembling and took in the scene before him.
This was not Chen Cuo's first time here.
He had even drawn a little of the Auspicious Clouds from this place before. They now circled the Mind Daoist in his Mind Palace.
"The first time, Monk Huizhi's breakthrough drew in my will. It seemed I was about to glimpse the shadow of the Buddha Fruit, but the Gourd in my arms trembled. My consciousness tore through the Buddha Light, and I saw this Starry Sky and sea of clouds for the first time. My realm was low then—no, to an Immortal Sect, I was little different from an ordinary mortal. So I noticed nothing..."
The Seven Heaven-reaching Trees sent out wave after wave of ripples, stirring memories from the depths of Chen Cuo's heart. First, he recalled how he had come to this place; then insight and emotion