The crimson sky resembled an inverted furnace.
The scorching wind whipped up billions of tons of sand and gravel, evaporating the last trace of moisture from the earth and sky.
Li Qingshan stood alone atop the solitary Mystic Moon Grotto, his blue-green Daoist robe motionless in the heatwave. Within a three-zhang radius around him, Daoist energy naturally arose, even calming the raging gale of the Northern Region.
His mastery of the Eighth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm allowed him to resonate with this ancient land, with a great dragon lying dormant within his spine, ready to soar into the heavens at any moment and unleash a power that could shake mountains and rivers.
Golden Dao patterns flickered in and out of his eyes as he gazed towards the end of the Gobi Desert, in the direction of Purple Mountain.
Within his sea of consciousness, the golden ancient characters formed from the Sun True Scripture flowed like stars, and the supremely yang and sacred aura surged through his limbs and bones.
The Emperor Jade obtained from the depths of Mystic Moon Grotto trembled slightly in his sleeve, and as its energy flowed, it outlined a hazy path leading to Purple Mountain.
"It's time."
His thoughts stirred slightly, but he did not immediately leave.
My gaze swept across the oasis beneath my feet, and the scene of clearing out Xuan Mystic Moon Grotto three days ago was still vivid in my mind.
Those cultivators who had not committed any atrocities and submitted under his intimidation were well-behaved and managed to restore the ruins to a semblance of order.
The Source Heaven Book, a miraculous book said to be able to understand the origin of heaven and earth and locate the dragon veins, was crucial to his exploration of the Primordial Ancient Mine.
Further understanding of the Great Dao is of paramount importance.
He recalled the Stone Village, which possessed the inheritance of Source Arts but was constantly bullied, and Fifth Master Zhang, who held the most crucial clues to the Source Heaven Book.
If one can obtain the Source Heaven Book, the needs for the journey to Purple Mountain can be met.
With his mind made up, he took a step forward, and the Dao patterns beneath his feet naturally appeared and disappeared, his figure already beyond the horizon.
Instead of heading directly to the Stone Village, they first returned to the core area of Mystic Moon Grotto, where there was still one matter to be resolved.
The surviving cultivators, seeing him return, all stopped what they were doing, bowed respectfully, and looked on with awe.
Li Qingshan nodded slightly and walked straight towards the deep, ancient cave where the traces of the Wu Shi Dao had once manifested.
Inside the cave, the spiritual spring still flowed gently, and ancient vines swayed like dragons. With a flick of his sleeve, the Emperor Jade flew out on its own, hovering in the air and emitting a hazy glow.
This time, he fully activated the Sun True Scripture, and the divine thoughts of the Eighth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm surged into the Emperor Jade like a tidal wave.
"Buzz,"
The Emperor Jade trembled slightly, and the radiant glow intensified. The interwoven patterns of mountains and earth veins on it seemed to come alive, projecting an even more detailed light map into the Void.
It is no longer a simple path guide, but presents the complex terrain around Purple Mountain, and even marks several nodes that may contain dangers.
"As expected, when activated by divine power, even more profound mysteries are revealed."
He carefully memorized every detail of the light map, especially a strange terrain marked "Reversal of Life and Death," and another point shimmering with a faint golden light, which seemed to be a safe entrance.
After doing all this, he did not immediately put away the Emperor Jade, but instead sat cross-legged in front of the stone wall in the cave inscribed with the message of the Great Emperor Wushi.
Time flows like water, Void Dao's essence appears in the void, as if the Great Dao itself is flowing out from within.
The broken Emperor Jade floated in Li Qingshan's palm, swirling with a hazy halo that transcended eternity.
The light was not dazzling; it seemed to contain the pure principles of the beginning of Heaven-Opening, and when it fell, the entire ancient cave was rendered crystal clear.
It's as if you've stepped into a celestial palace from Mythological Era, a place that soothes the mind and makes you unconsciously sink into the Dao Realm.
The cliff face is ancient and simple, without any fairy flowers or auspicious beasts. Only three lines of seemingly random carvings seem to embody the weight of an entire ancient history.
"Is the Way boundless and unknowable? Is the heart free and unrestrained? Are things ever-changing and without exception?"
The handwriting is vigorous and powerful, with a sense of timeless solitude and serenity flowing between the strokes.
It is these few words that endow this ancient cave with an immortal divinity, allowing it to transcend the long river of time spanning hundreds of thousands of years and preserve a trace of imperial charm to this day.
In an instant, time seemed to flow backward, and the Void trembled.
With his Innate Dao Embryo · Enhanced Version innate spiritual perception, Li Qingshan clearly captured a blurry figure walking from the end of time.
The figure was shrouded in the dust and chaos of eternity, as if standing at the pinnacle of all paths. Even a mere wisp of residual imprint caused the surrounding laws of heaven and earth to groan and submit.
"Gazing upon the path to immortality, I see no ancients before me, no successors after me; I stand alone atop the clouds."
A faint sigh, seemingly from Desolate Antiquity times, carried a sense of loneliness as it looked down upon the rise and fall of eras.
The Emperor Jade in his palm suddenly became scorching hot, no longer radiating a gentle glow, but bursting forth with countless strands of dazzling celestial radiance.
Like a dam bursting in the heavens, it instantly illuminated the deep ancient cave, making every inch of the stone walls seem to transform into divine gold, engraving Eternal mysteries.
A vast imperial aura spread out, not as a deliberate oppression, but as a natural manifestation of the origin of the Great Dao.
Li Qingshan's entire body radiated light, and his physique, which had been blessed by the Stone Gate and was in harmony with the Dao, was now displaying its extraordinary qualities.
Every pore of his body was opening up, resonating and merging with the supreme Daoist essence remaining in this world.
The divine consciousness seemed to be immersed in a Immortal Pool formed from pure Dao principles, receiving the most primal baptism.
The obstacles that were previously difficult to understand in spiritual practice have now become clear and easy to grasp.
The Sea of Bitterness roared, the Dao Palace chanted scriptures, the Four Extremes received the Dao of Heaven and Earth, and the great dragon with its spine in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm let out a deafening roar, as if it wanted to break free from its restraints and soar above the nine heavens.
He clearly "saw" that what permeated the ancient cave was not simply energy.
Rather, it is an indestructible imprint of the law left behind by the Great Emperor Wushi when he stopped here, his supreme Dao Fruit interacting with heaven and earth.
Fragments of time and space intertwine here, evolving the profound truth of birth and death.
Ordinary cultivators here would probably find it difficult to even comprehend one ten-millionth of its essence.
But Li Qingshan was in his element, his very being rejoicing as he greedily absorbed the supreme divine essence that rivaled even the most exquisite celestial treasures.
A series of insights flowed through my heart like a clear spring, and my understanding of the " Sun True Scripture," especially my grasp of the true meaning of "transformation" in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, deepened at an unprecedented speed.
He even caught a glimpse of the ethereal laws of time; though it was only a fleeting glimpse, it illuminated a completely new direction for his future path.
The Sun True Scripture, as one of the Mother Scripture of the Human Race, encompasses everything.
He silently recited the scriptures, drawing upon the Solar Sacred Force within his body. The great dragon on his spine emitted a deep dragon roar, faintly echoing the supreme Daoist rhyme remaining on the stone wall.
Use this imperial power to hone your Dao Realm.
The crimson-gold blood energy circulated autonomously, and countless acupoints throughout the body emitted divine light, as if an undying sun resided within the body.
Within the sea of consciousness, the extraordinary phenomenon of " Myriad Selves as One " spontaneously emerged, with countless incarnations chanting scriptures under the blazing sun, deducing the various changes of the Great Dao of the Sun.
Under the baptism of this vast imperial aura, Li Qingshan seemed to be completely activated.
His consciousness transcended the shackles of his physical body, tracing back against the river of time along the immortal imprint left by the Great Emperor Wushi.
In a daze, he seemed to see the trajectory of the universe's birth and death, the rotation of stardust, and the cycle of the withering and flourishing of plants and the rise and fall of civilizations.
A rhythm that transcends ordinary laws flows through his heart; it is the pulse of time.
It does not manifest itself in specific runes or Dao patterns, but rather transforms into an omnipresent "momentum," like an invisible tide, propelling the birth, flourishing, and annihilation of all things.
He "saw" a speck of dust on the cave wall complete the entire process of rising, suspending, and settling within billions of breaths, compressed into a mere blink of an eye;
Then I "saw" the long process of a drop of spiritual spring water condensing from the top of the rock, dripping, and splashing ripples, which was infinitely stretched out, as if it had passed through an entire era.
This was not a true mastery of time, but rather his super Innate Dao Embryo, with its unparalleled affinity for the Great Dao, so clearly "touched" for the first time the veil of time covering the appearance of all things.
He understood why the Great Emperor Wushi could transcend eternity with a single thought; it was because his Dao resonated with the essence of time, and to a certain extent, even defined its flow and direction.
At that moment, he gained a revolutionary understanding of the word "transformation" in " Eighth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm ".
This is not only a leap in the level of life, but also a transformation in the understanding of the fundamental rules of the universe.
The great dragon of the spine emitted a deep hum within him, as if it too sensed the power originating from the source of time, becoming ever more ancient and desolate.
Although it was only a fleeting glimpse, a superficial attempt, and not even a basic understanding, the opening of this door has laid an irreplaceable foundation for his future path to becoming an emperor.
All supernatural powers and the laws of the heavens seem to reveal their brevity and limitations in the face of the flow of time.
This profound understanding, which touches upon the essence of things, is far more valuable than any specific technique for attacking or defeating.
Three days later, he opened his eyes, a flash of golden light appearing briefly, his aura becoming increasingly profound and restrained.
He stood up and his gaze swept over the place where he was temporarily staying.
It's time to leave.
Without alerting anyone, he transformed into a streak of crimson gold, tearing through the sandstorm and traversing the Void towards the Stone Village.
Its speed far exceeded the imagination of ordinary Dragon Transformation cultivators.
Just ten thousand miles from the Mystic Moon Grotto, as he passed through a crimson stone forest, his brow furrowed slightly.
The powerful divine sense detected intense fluctuations of divine power and a strong stench of blood coming from below.
The golden light faded, and he stood atop a stone peak, looking down below.
Dozens of monks dressed in uniform were seen forming a battle formation to attack a makeshift convoy.
The convoy's escort suffered heavy casualties, with only a few remaining to protect an elderly man and desperately hold on.
The highest level of those who attacked was only at the Dao Palace Secret Realm, yet their methods were exceptionally ruthless, clearly indicating their intention to exterminate them all.
What caught Li Qingshan's attention even more was that the old man being protected in the center, despite his low cultivation level.
However, the compass-shaped magical artifact he held tightly in his hand stirred up the pulse of heaven and earth, which vaguely resembled the terrain of Purple Mountain outlined by the Emperor Jade in his sea of consciousness.
" Source Arts, a person from Shizhai?"
His gaze sharpened, and he had already guessed the identities of the people below.
It seems that even without his direct visit, fate would have delivered the clues to the Source Heaven Book to him in another way.
Seeing that a sharp sword light was about to strike the old man holding the compass, Li Qingshan stopped watching.
He didn't need to use any magical artifacts; he simply raised his hand, and Five-Colored Divine Light flowed behind him.
"Buzz,"
Five divine lights shot into the sky, their colors of white, blue, black, red, and yellow intertwining to form a rainbow bridge spanning heaven and earth.
Where the divine light passed, the Void distorted, and all laws retreated. The seemingly powerful sword light and formations melted away like ice and snow before the Five-Colored Divine Light, instantly disintegrating and shattering.
Before the dozens of attackers could even scream, they were reduced to dust in the Five-Colored Divine Light, leaving not a trace.
The few remaining guards of the stone stronghold stared in disbelief at the figure in the blue-green Daoist robe in the air, who seemed like a god descending to earth, and for a moment they were speechless.
Li Qingshan slowly landed, his gaze falling directly on the old man holding the compass. His voice was calm. "Are you Zhang Wu of Shizhai?"
A fierce wind swept through the stone forest, bringing with it a mournful sound, but it could not dispel the atmosphere that had suddenly frozen over.
With the help of his clansmen, the old man raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with shock and disbelief as he looked at the unfathomable young man before him.
As the Five-Colored Divine Light first appeared, the world changed color. The Five-Colored Divine Light slowly flowed behind Li Qingshan, like five True Dragon coiling, emitting a terrifying pressure.
The platinum light was incomparably sharp, seemingly capable of severing all things in the world;
The bluish light seemed vibrant, yet it concealed a deadly intent.
The black light was as deep as an abyss, seemingly capable of swallowing everything;
The crimson light, as scorching as the sun, burned across the eight directions;
The yellow light was as heavy as a mountain, suppressing all ages.
Such supernatural powers are beyond the comprehension of ordinary cultivators.
The people of Shizhai felt that the young man in the blue-green Daoist robe before them was like Heavenly God descending to earth. The power of law contained in the Five-Colored Divine Light made them not even have the courage to look directly at him.
"Senior."
Fifth Master Zhang bowed tremblingly, his voice filled with reverence, "My name is Zhang San, Zhang Wu of Shizhai is my cousin."
Li Qingshan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the ground, and said calmly, "Who are these people? Why are they chasing you?"
Fifth Master Zhang sighed, his face showing grief and indignation. "Some time ago, after a master wiped Lihuo Sect, these bandits began to roam around."
We found a piece of Xenomorph source while mining, and they inadvertently started targeting us.
"Bandits?" A cold glint flashed in Li Qingshan's eyes. As he spoke, Five-Colored Divine Light slowly swirled behind him, each rotation causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to vibrate.
The five-colored radiance was not static, but was constantly evolving according to the profound principle of the birth and death of the five elements.
Platinum generates black water, black water generates green wood, green wood generates red fire, red fire generates yellow earth, and yellow earth generates platinum again, in an endless cycle.
This extraordinary phenomenon dazzled Fifth Master Zhang and the others. Although their cultivation was not high, they had studied Source Arts for many years and were most sensitive to the Qi of Heaven and Earth.
At this moment, one can clearly feel that the profound meaning of the Great Dao contained within the Five-Colored Divine Light is comparable to the legendary techniques of Saint.