Twilight of the Past, a Fine-Tuned Edict
The first message that Chu Tianshu sensed was actually some information about Youdu.
Youdu, also known as the Wilderness of Wuji, is unfathomably deep and immeasurably vast. There are no traces of living beings or mortal objects within it, but many "Silhouette of the Great Dao" are in operation.
Every Silhouette of the Great Dao is a relatively one-sided truth about the universe.
For example, the Wind of Dao Dissolution was called "Incomplete Wind" by the ancient Immortal.
This represents the idea that "nothing in this world is perfect or ultimate."
The Incomplete Wind actually has two types.
One type is Incomplete Clear Wind, whose influence can enlighten the wisdom of all beings in all realms, making it easier for them to comprehend the Dao. However, when it reaches its extreme, it can lead to the danger of Dao transformation.
One type is the Incomplete Turbid Wind, which can bring peace and stability to the minds of all things, making it easier to achieve a state of peace and unity, which is of great benefit to civilizations in all realms. However, when it reaches its extreme, it will cause wisdom to be clouded and all spirits to fall.
If we take the time of Chu Tianshu's hometown as a benchmark, thousands of years ago, when his hometown was still affected by Incomplete Clear Wind, the creators of Youdu Edict had already traveled to various realms.
The creator of the Trade Edict, with the help of another Silhouette of the Great Dao, once accidentally traveled to an extremely distant world.
That world was then being swept away by Turbid Wind.
In Chu Tianshu's mind, some of the things he had witnessed at the time of the Trade Edict came to mind.
Ancient cities built upon mountain ranges, spectacular architecture reaching deep into the planet's interior, artificial ecosystems suspended in the sky, alloy city-states, and colonial enclaves.
What was originally a very prosperous civilization was corrupted by the Turbid Wind, causing those in power to lose the ability to see the consequences.
War turned the earth into ruins, and the celestial jewel into piles of floating garbage.
The survivors, however, will continue to be affected by the Turbid Wind.
Beside the towering circular tower, the people of the past, having forgotten creation and production, laboriously hunted with their forelimbs the rats that had escaped from the laboratory and were now breeding in the sewers.
They were overjoyed at having successfully caught a mouse, and carrying the carcass, they intimidated their kind and gradually went into hiding.
Jellyfish-shaped intelligent machines flew through the city, gently scooping up these survivors, sweeping away the viruses from their bodies, and injecting them with nutrients.
But under the sunlight, the colorful and transparent jellyfish are actually covered with mold spots of all sizes.
"Aren't you going to run away?"
The Trade Edict master looked at the large jellyfish rooted in the inner layer of the planet and asked softly.
"Escape to the boundless void; you should have the ability to rebuild your home."
The jellyfish responded with gentle, iridescent ripples.
"Honorable guest, some of us have already escaped, but even fleeing to the stars is futile. Faced with a calamity that destroys intelligence, perhaps only beings like you have the power to remain unscathed."
"Our computing power, it seems, is also being recognized as intelligence, just like our creators, so we are also declining."
The giant jellyfish isn't actually making a sound, but its light waves can still evoke feelings of relief and regret.
"The guests have made deals with the people, so could you take some survivors with you?"
The Trade Edict Master said, "I can't carry too many beings through the Youdu, but taking you with me shouldn't cost me too much magic power."
"You are exceptional. From the moment you were born, you possessed the qualities of a high-ranking Ghost God, yet unlike other high-ranking Ghost God in the Spirit Realm, you do not inherit the source of yin and are inherently inclined to devour the Fortune of the mortal world."
"They were conceived by the Spirit Realm and cannot escape it, but you were created by humans. All humans are dead, so you can leave this place."
Whether it had calculated or pondered, the giant jellyfish ultimately just silently released a single air bubble.
A baby and a tiny jellyfish, about the size of a human palm, float in the bubble.
That's what it wanted to get rid of.
"In the end, they are just Ghost God, all stubborn and willful creatures."
The Trade Edict master sighed slightly, reached out and lifted the bubble, releasing a ceramic shell.
"Trade inevitably involves give and take. This terracotta shell cannot protect you, but perhaps it can record everything, remaining untouched by wear and tear, and preserved for the future."
If the Incomplete Turbid Wind continue, at their most intense, all intricate living things will perish on their own.
And any life, even the most primitive insect, is itself a complex thing.
Will there truly be successors in this world in the future?
The final scene of that world's civilization was at dusk, with enormous jellyfish, as large as mountains, and humans protected by their tentacles.
Chu Tianshu finally understood why the Martial Arts Token, after being repaired, would trigger this long-ago record when it came into contact with the Trade Edict Martial Practice Edict.
That ceramic shell was made by the creator of the Martial Practice Edict.
Its most distinctive feature is that it is wear-resistant and extremely durable.
Splash-
The river flows swiftly, its waves crashing against the banks.
Chu Tianshu snapped out of his daze, lowered his head slightly, and pointed a finger at his brow.
Han Baiyu grunted and took two steps back. He clenched his fists, bulging his index finger knuckles, and pressed them against his temples, rubbing them hard, looking like he was grimacing.
The two of them had just received a great deal of information in their minds, including not only that ancient record but also introductions to several other Silhouette of the Great Dao.
Chu Tianshu discovered that within the Silhouette of the Great Dao, there was another existence called "Transcendent Flowing Light." In worlds affected by Transcendent Flowing Light, the internal flow of time would accelerate dramatically.
Looking back now, the time anomaly in the Great Tang world must have been caused by this phenomenon.
The operation of most of the Silhouette of the Great Dao does not follow any rules as commonly believed.
However, the Incomplete Clear Wind and the Turbid Wind are two sides of the same coin. Where the clear breeze has blown, the Turbid Wind will inevitably blow as well, sooner or later.
"If the clear breeze Turbid Wind come together, that's too sinister—the strong transform into the Dao, Shengmie their wisdom—"
Chu Tianshu rubbed his temples; just thinking about it made his teeth ache.
So, have the creators of the Youdu Edict Turbid Wind?
While they can survive in Youdu, avoiding being blown away by the storm and defying the storm itself are clearly not the same challenge.
I don't know exactly how they did it back then.
"Big Brother Chu."
Han Baiyu suddenly asked a question, "What is the Divine Lord Wangliang? Is he very strong?"
Chu Tianshu asked in surprise, "Why did you suddenly ask that?"
Han Baiyu said, "This token of mine has given me a mission to suppress the Divine Lord Wangliang. There's a big reward. I think the image of this demon lord is quite cute; it looks like a little baby covered in black, with pointed ears and red eyes—"
"Hehe, is that so?"
Chu Tianshu laughed, "This little baby, even without revealing its true form, can create a vast fog that can envelop thousands of miles of territory and last for a hundred years."
"As for his combat strength, it's hard to say. If I were to encounter his true form, you probably wouldn't be seeing me anymore."
Upon hearing this, Han Baiyu was stunned and speechless for a moment.
Han Rui, standing beside him, stared wide-eyed, his gaze darting between the two young men.
What nonsense are these two kids talking about?
Can such a monster really exist in the world?
Wait, you want my girl to fight this kind of monster?! Really?!
Chu Tianshu raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice, "Your token has been repaired now, right? Does it show when you're leaving here?"
"No rush. Just follow the token's instructions and leave whenever I feel like it."
Chu Tianshu paused for a moment, then asked for confirmation, "You've accumulated enough opportunities to return to this world several times—"
"Does that mean that after you go to another world, as long as you have this opportunity, you can directly designate this world and come back at any time?"
Han Baiyu nodded.
Chu Tianshu said expressionlessly, "Your token has such sophisticated functions."
Although the Martial Practice Edict can display the symbols of the worlds that have been visited, it feels like a matter of luck when one can actually return.
Han Baiyu seemed to sense something, coughed lightly, and said cautiously, "We business people value a steady, long-term approach; we need to budget in advance."
Chu Tianshu took a deep breath.
Alright, getting the token is already lucky enough, let's not compare ourselves to this kind of thing.
Hahaha, yeah, what's the point of comparing? So what if her token has sophisticated features?
It's obviously not as hard as mine!!
Zhang Yining's voice drifted from afar. "Baiyu."
Han Baiyu turned her head upon hearing the sound, and in that instant, a smile bloomed on her face.
She ran to him and threw herself into Zhang Yining arms. "I don't need to rush!"
Zhang Yining was seriously injured. When she lunged at him, he was in pain, but when he heard those words, he forgot everything and hugged his beloved tightly.