The powerful blood and energy transformed into surging flames, invading every part of his body, permeating through the meridians, and tempering every inch of muscle and bone.
Ripples of time and space emerged from his body, manifesting the sequence of the four seasons: spring’s birth, summer’s growth, autumn’s decay, and winter’s dormancy. It also depicted the fleeting life of a mayfly, from its birth to its stumbling first steps, traversing through the stages of life and death, the myriad changes of the mortal world, and the rise and fall of dynasties—all scenes of time’s passage.
Buzz…
The Sword Sense domain condensed and naturally transformed. What was once a forest of thorny sword energy now constructed a world of its own, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, vast heavens and earth, the rising and setting of the sun, and stars adorning the sky.
“Hu…”
Meng Qingzhou unconsciously sat cross-legged, the power of his blood and energy gathering into clouds, his life level continuously leaping forward.
“The Great Dao of Time and Space is elusive and boundless, but now, I can vaguely sense that breaking into the Sky-Reaching Realm doesn’t require integrating all the Great Dao of Time and Space into my inner universe. That’s unrealistic. Even the profound realms above Sky-Reaching can’t achieve that, unless a true celestial being descends to the mortal world.”
“To break into Sky-Reaching, I only need to capture a tributary of the Great Dao, plant it in my inner universe, and slowly nurture it. Only then will this Dao truly belong to me!”
“It’s like breaking off a branch and planting it in the soil; one day, it will grow into a towering tree.”
Meng Qingzhou’s spirit was invigorated, his mind becoming increasingly clear.
He had completely understood the method to break into the Sky-Reaching Realm, sweeping away the last bit of confusion.
“Capturing a tributary of the river of time is akin to stealing the foundation of the Heavenly Dao, an act intolerable by the world.”
“But cultivation has always been about defying the heavens. Since it’s a journey against the current, one must fight against fate.”
Meng Qingzhou awoke from his state of enlightenment and looked inward, surprisingly finding that his inner universe had unknowingly been constructed.
Countless acupoints in his body formed a sky full of stars, his blood and energy condensed into soil, the principles of time and space transformed into every blade of grass, tree, mountain, and stone, and his divine soul sitting in the spiritual platform became the sun and moon hanging in the sky. His meridians embedded in the soil turned into ever-flowing rivers.
The elements of wind, forest, fire, and mountain, the five basic elements, the reverse order of yin and yang, and the Eight Trigrams of heaven and earth were all perfected.
Meng Qingzhou’s inner vision slightly probed and discovered that he now had sight in this space; he could see everything! His vision had been restored.
But soon.
Meng Qingzhou realized that this was not a restoration of his vision; it was simply that in the inner universe, he was the ruler! Everything he saw—the mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars—was constructed by his body.
“In the myths of my previous life on Blue Star, Pangu opened the heavens and earth, transforming his body into the world. It seems somewhat similar to my current situation.”
“Could it be that when my cultivation reaches a certain realm, living beings will also appear in my inner universe…”
Meng Qingzhou’s thoughts wandered briefly, and he shook his head with a wry smile.
Without breaking into the Sky-Reaching Realm, thinking about such things was too far-fetched.
“One enlightenment, one bloodline advancement, easily constructing the inner universe, and comprehending the method to break into the Sky-Reaching Realm.”
“My realm is still at the peak of the Morning Glow Realm, but my combat power has increased by dozens of times!”
Thinking of this, Meng Qingzhou extended his index finger, and a sword seal condensed at his fingertip.
The sword seal was as smooth as jade, seemingly tangible, appearing like a precious gem. But when the three women observing nearby looked at it, they found it dazzling. If they stared at it for more than ten seconds, they would suffer serious injuries.
Dongfang Liuli forced herself to look at the sword seal for seven or eight seconds, only to feel her eyes dry up, and a crack appeared in her dantian’s Dao fruit with a snap!
“This…”
“Is the gap between Sky-Reaching and Morning Glow really this vast? Just comprehending a trace of Sky-Reaching Dao essence is enough to instantly kill any Morning Glow Realm cultivator…”
Dongfang Liuli was momentarily lost in thought, thinking of the Buddha, the Sky State across the sea, and the mysterious force lurking in the shadows, a sense of suffocation rising in her chest.
“Don’t look, it’s harmful to your body.”
Meng Qingzhou lowered his hand, and the sword seal dissipated.
“Young Master, what realm are you in now?” Dongfang Liuli swallowed a healing pill, feeling slightly better, and couldn’t help but ask.
Hearing this, Meng Qingzhou frowned slightly, thought carefully, and uncertainly said:
“Half-step Sky-Reaching?”
“The inner universe cycle is basically complete, and the path of embodying the Dao is also on track. In theory, I can be considered half-step Sky-Reaching, but I always feel like something is missing.”
“The Great Dao of Time and Space surpasses the Three Thousand Great Daos. Throughout history, only I have walked this path alone. The ordinary standards for realm determination probably don’t apply to my situation.”
Meng Qingzhou could clearly feel it.
Since embarking on the path of pursuing Sky-Reaching, the standard realm determinations in the cultivation world no longer applied to him.
Until today.
With the inner universe cycle complete and the embodiment of the Dao fully comprehended, Meng Qingzhou could finally be certain that he was still at the peak of the Morning Glow Realm, not half-step Sky-Reaching!
Logically speaking, whether it was Ji Wushuang or the former overpowered protagonist ‘Zhao Gou,’ reaching this point would definitely be considered half-step Sky-Reaching.
In contrast, he still remained at the peak of Morning Glow.
“Perhaps it’s related to the Great Dao of Time and Space,” Meng Qingzhou thought briefly and said.
This left him somewhat troubled.
It was both a blessing and a curse.
If not for the covetous eyes of the Buddhist Kingdom, the Ji family, and the Heaven-Watching Pavilion, this situation would be an immense blessing.
Morning Glow comparable to an ordinary half-step Sky-Reaching; once he broke through to Sky-Reaching, wouldn’t he be invincible in the same realm?
But after all, even the weakest Sky-Reaching cultivator was like a thin camel, and the strongest Morning Glow was like a slightly larger ant, but still just an ant.
“Young Master, are you worried that if you don’t break through to Sky-Reaching soon, you won’t be able to resist the Buddha’s attack?” Dongfang Liuli asked softly, her eyes flickering.
Meng Qingzhou didn’t speak.
He knew what Dongfang Liuli was thinking. His wife had secretly traveled thousands of miles to the Buddhist Kingdom, definitely not for sightseeing.
If he said now that he wasn’t confident in breaking through to Sky-Reaching, Dongfang Liuli would probably take on everything herself.
“Don’t worry.”
“The Buddha won’t act for now. At most, he’ll send some Arhats and Bodhisattvas to harass us.”
After a long while, Meng Qingzhou said, after some deliberation.
Dongfang Liuli was slightly surprised and puzzled, asking, “Young Master, how can you be so sure?”
“The Buddha has broken through to Sky-Reaching. In the entire Wilderness, no one is his match. If he doesn’t take this opportunity to unify the Wilderness, is he waiting for his enemies to grow stronger and become a threat?”
Meng Qingzhou stretched lazily, sat back in his chair, and hummed:
“Ah, my waist is sore, my back hurts, my legs are cramping, my whole body feels uncomfortable.”
Dongfang Liuli bit her lip lightly, glaring at him secretly.
But she couldn’t resist her curiosity and glanced back. Sure enough, Su Qingqiu was being poked in the head by Wu Die, but the former’s peripheral vision was always sneakily glancing over here.
“Young Master, let me massage your legs.” Dongfang Liuli knelt down, swallowing her pride, and gently massaged Meng Qingzhou’s legs, speaking softly to please him.
Meng Qingzhou’s heart bloomed with joy, and he nodded slightly, satisfied:
“Alright, I’ll tell you.”
“If my guess is correct, the Buddha is likely the hidden manipulator behind the scenes in the Wilderness.”
“Ji Wushuang is about to break through, the unification of the Sky State is imminent, and the Wilderness is also reaching its endgame.”
“But the course of history has been altered. The pace of the Wilderness is clearly much faster than the Sky State. Once Great Jin is defeated, the fortune of the Wilderness will all belong to the Buddhist Kingdom…”
“The hidden manipulator probably wants the two regions to unify at the same time!”
“Then, they will push the two regional overlords to clash, with the winner becoming king! By doing so, they can recreate the Human Emperor, consolidate the Human Emperor’s authority, and ensure everything is under control.”
“In simple terms, the Buddha is waiting! Waiting for the unification of the Sky State, and when the overlord forces are about to emerge, he will strike like lightning, sweeping through the Wilderness, and unifying it at the same time as the Sky State.”
Hearing this, Dongfang Liuli was momentarily stunned.
Previously, she had only heard Meng Qingzhou mention that the hidden manipulator had an extremely powerful force, but he hadn’t gone into specifics.
But now, what had she just heard?
The Buddha is the hidden manipulator, the unification of the two regions, the recreation of the Human Emperor, the authority of the Human Emperor…
After a while, Dongfang Liuli suppressed the overwhelming shock in her heart and said in a trembling voice:
“If you suspect the Buddha is the hidden manipulator, won’t the manipulator ensure the Buddhist Kingdom becomes the overlord of the Wilderness? Won’t they interfere?”
“No.”
Meng Qingzhou shook his head, calmly saying:
“The hidden manipulator has avoided the world for thousands of years to remove themselves from the picture. Once they enter the world, they must also participate in the war, which involves… the concept of fortune.”
“In this unprecedented period of great change in nearly ten thousand years, once they enter the world, the chosen Human Emperor must completely suppress and subdue them. Otherwise, the authority cannot be consolidated, and the will of the Heavenly Dao will not recognize it.”
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