Chapter 336: Unfettered by Rules, Proving the Dao with Strength

Chapter 336: Unfettered by Rules, Proving the Dao with Strength

"01 cannot achieve omnipotence, but with limited omniscience, it can achieve limited omnipotence."

"In the True Sage Realm, the older and more comprehensive the information one possesses, the higher the chances of victory."

"Additionally, Yan and 01's Great Dao are in opposition, so they are each other's stumbling blocks. Otherwise, with Yan's ability, it would have spread like a plague into this realm long ago."

After hearing Hela's initial description, Ji Jingqiu's expression became especially solemn, even a bit unpleasant.

A demon god that could aid in its transcendence simply by knowing of its existence—this was truly an unsolvable problem.

Compared to Wu Zhou's descent and assimilation of all beings, or Yan's path of destruction and annihilation, merely spreading a name was not even on the same level of difficulty.

But after hearing Hela's latter words, Ji Jingqiu suddenly felt relieved.

Good news—the enemy's internal conflict wasn't as solid as a rock, at most it was like a small cake, and everyone was scrambling for a piece of it.

Just like Hela and Wu Zhou, none of them were good people, and they were all stumbling blocks on each other's paths.

Ji Jingqiu's thoughts fluctuated.

Forget about the Four Devils, wasn't it the same among the myriad saints of the Macroverse?

When Her Donghuang attempted to break through, countless people secretly and openly tried to stop him.

"Wu Zhou, the Heaven Demon, follows the path of 'All Things Unified', Yan, the Death Devil, follows the path of annihilation, and 01 is omniscience and omnipotence. Then, which path do you follow?"

Ji Jingqiu suddenly asked with confusion.

"Why ask so much?" Hela said coldly, "Once I devour Wu Zhou, I can naturally step into transcendence."

Ji Jingqiu nodded.

A nameless warmth filled his heart.

It was truly wonderful that they could trip each other up like this.

"The Unfettered Youngster has gathered quite a bit of information about the Chaotic Abyss Sea." Ji Jingqiu said, "Once his Inner Heaven completes its rebirth, we can make our move. How about you? How's your preparation coming along?"

While others used heavenly fire to temper their bodies, this fellow was preparing to let him undergo tribulation with the fire of karma.

Their lineage, the Wood Master, and Wood River Mountain, all perished under the fire of karmic retribution.

"Rest assured, you are different from us, and the fire of karma also has different levels."

Hela said absentmindedly, "We view the fire of karma as a ferocious beast, especially Wu Zhou, who would never dare to be tainted by it. But you, from the World-Honored One's lineage, are different; you can withstand it."

"In the past, Mushi Tian attempted to atone for the sins of all beings, but the fire of karma he attracted was too terrifying. If he didn't die, who would?"

"By the way, haven't you been trying to temper your Sacred Fetal Core in the Sea of Suffering recently? How's the progress?"

Hela changed the topic and asked.

"It's somewhat effective..."

Ji Jingqiu recalled his brief attempt a month ago and frowned,

"It's more difficult than I thought. The price of the Sacred Fetal Core being immersed in the water of the Sea of Suffering is not a myriad of pains, but rather a state of confusion and loss."

The water of the Sea of Suffering was supposed to wash and temper the Sacred Fetal Core, but in reality, it felt like the Sacred Fetal Core had fallen into an endless ocean, with countless lives pulling him deeper.

There was no end in sight, nor any hope.

If not for the protection of the Bodhi Tree, he might have truly gotten lost.

Of course, the gains were also quite impressive.

After the tempering, his Sacred Fetal Core visibly grew and became more resilient.

Compared to the heart-cultivation and arduous practice of the heart, this was a leap forward.

Hearing Ji Jingqiu's words, Hela was unimpressed:

"For those walking the path of a god, the water of the Sea of Suffering is enough to easily corrode their million-year-old foundation. You only felt a sense of confusion, which is already better than most."

"I suggest you continue to persist. As long as you can imprint the aura of the Sea of Suffering in your Dao body and heart, all gods below your rank will revere you as a god."

"Even those of the same rank, or even those above you, will fear you like a tiger and be restrained."

Hearing this, Ji Jingqiu's eyes lit up, and he spoke of an incident that had happened not long ago.

"Earlier, a strand of my heart's thought was severed and entered the divine realm of a god. At that time, 'Dead Fish' in the form of the Dragon of the End was by my side.

"This guy caused quite a stir in the other's divine realm, and the latter had almost no way to fight back. All techniques and divine abilities used against it were dispelled. Is this also related to the Sea of Suffering?"

Hela thought for a moment and pointed at the lotus pond in front of her, "That guy had been soaking in this pond for a long time, and he's already absorbed its essence."

The lotus pond before them, although showing signs of gradually transforming into the Eight-Treasure Merit Pool, was originally filled with the water of the Sea of Suffering.

Ji Jingqiu pondered for a moment and glanced at Fat Tiger, who was snoring loudly under the Bodhi Tree.

When this guy wasn't sharpening his knife, he would sleep all day. Should he throw him into the pond for a bath or kick him out of the house and send him to the Pure Land?

Hela said indifferently, "You want to soak him in the pond? Change your thinking, let him go to the mountains."

"Shifting the mountains?"

"Haven't you noticed? The mist in the mountains of Mount Unwilling that you've been copying has become less dense than it was at the beginning."

Ji Jingqiu looked up, and the Mount Unwilling, which was about to be incorporated into the Pure Land, indeed seemed to have less mist, revealing some of its true form.

This was strange.

The so-called copying was like painting a picture; he had painted a mountain shrouded in mist.

Now, as the clouds and mist dissipated, the mountain behind it was also clearly visible. But the question was, who had painted this part of the mountain?

Could this painting have come to life?

Just as Ji Jingqiu was pondering this, a wisp of clear wind swirled around his ears.

The Wind of No Form.

He raised his hand, and the Wind of No Form gently coiled around his palm.

"Do you want to go to the mountain too?"

Ji Jingqiu was taken aback. He hadn't expected the Wind of No Form to take the initiative and volunteer to go to Mount Unwilling for "arduous cultivation".

In the end, Ji Jingqiu didn't object. He also wanted to see if the Wind of No Form would undergo a transformation.

"Take it with you; you two can keep each other company."

Ji Jingqiu grabbed Fat Tiger's ear and tossed it to the Wind of No Form.

Fat Tiger rubbed his sleepy eyes, still not fully awake. Suddenly, he widened his eyes and realized that he was being carried by the Wind of No Form towards Mount Unwilling in the distance.

"Woof!"

Ji Jingqiu ignored him and glanced at the snake tail that was faintly visible in the lotus pond.

Hela had always said that they feared the water of the Sea of Suffering like a tiger.

But now, this fellow soaked his feet in the water of the Sea of Suffering every day, and he didn't show any fear or discomfort.

Even though it was mixed with the water of merit, it still retained the essence of the Sea of Suffering.

Had he gotten used to it?

It was indeed interesting.

At some point, they had become "allies".

Suddenly, Ji Jingqiu began to trace back, wanting to know when the critical transformation in their relationship occurred. As he retraced his steps, Ji Jingqiu paused at the second time he had traveled to the Divine Realm, when he encountered Ji Shuai's scheme.

He sighed softly in his heart.

Could this also be part of Ji Shuai's plan?

It was indeed a "win-win situation".

After that incident, he and Hela established a trust, a trust that allowed them to "seek common ground and work together" in certain aspects.

Thinking of this, Ji Jingqiu shook his head slightly. The main thing between him and Hela was that they were still using each other for their own benefit, with aligned interests.

Just like this time.

Hela now saw Wu Zhou as the key to her own transcendence, and she was also trying to make him view Wu Zhou as the Great Dao. It was hard to say that she wasn't using him to strike at her opponents and delay Wu Zhou's opportunity to attain the Dao.

He wasn't opposed to this.

As the saying goes, it's great that they can trip each other up.

At this thought, Ji Jingqiu spoke solemnly, "After the Three Calamities, what will stand in my way on the Path of the Heavenly King?"

Hela was taken aback, as if she hadn't expected Ji Jingqiu to ask such a question suddenly.

"The Path of the Heavenly King..."

She looked Ji Jingqiu up and down and said slowly,

"With the foundation of the Dao you established when you broke through the Heavenly Man, you can only follow the path of 'opening the way' in the future."

"The form of the Dao, the imprint of the illusory Great Dao, you have already completed these. In the future, the only path that will stand in your way is likely to be the illusory Great Dao."

She raised her eyebrows, "You should understand the difficulty of opening the illusory Great Dao, right?"

Ji Jingqiu nodded.

Many perfected Heavenly Men had been stuck on this path.

Even those who followed the path of their predecessors found it relatively simple, as they could follow the established methods. But even at this step, they still needed to endure hardships, and some with insufficient talent might struggle to attain the Great Dao in their entire lifetime.

It was common for cultivators to be stuck at this step for hundreds or even thousands of years.

In the myriad realms, there were those who had been stuck for tens of thousands of years, and when they finally broke through to become Heavenly Kings, there was no corresponding "position" in their sect, and they had to continue enduring. This was the real tragedy...

"With your talent, completing this step is just a matter of time. But unfortunately, you don't have much time left."

Hela looked up, her expression showing that she was doing this for his own good.

"That's why I let you devour Wu Zhou and use this Bodhi tree to dismantle its old Dao fruit, borrowing the illusory Great Dao within to attain the Dao in an unconventional way."

"First attain the Dao, then observe and open the Dao, and it will be much easier."

Ji Jingqiu nodded. The path he would open in the future had already been determined since he broke through the limits of the Heavenly Man and chose his Dao technique.

This path was not easy to walk. Evolving myriad laws and phenomena involved too many paths, and even the illusory Great Dao of the Heavenly King was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

However, once the Great Dao was achieved, by perceiving myriad phenomena and seeing the formless, one could instantly contain all things, be inclusive, and transcend all paths.

Aside from the unfathomable fate and time, all other Great Daos in his eyes could be divided and evolved.

There were only a few who could match him.

"As for the fire of karma..."

Hela smiled coldly,

"You don't need to worry. It's Wu Zhou who should be concerned. If the plan goes smoothly, we might not even need your Supreme Buddha to take action. We can suppress him—on the premise that the Chaotic Abyss Sea truly has his incarnation."

In the corner, Little Wu Zhou looked down at his toes, pretending not to have heard.

Ji Jingqiu suddenly thought of something and muttered, "Oh right, I almost forgot. We can also seek help from the side of Tiansheng Lake."

...

...

After sending off the representatives from Huangxue Palace and Yaochi Heavenly Realm, Wu Jiu Daoren headed towards the Ancestral Hall to report on the alliance agreement that had been reached.

Thanks to Wu Tian's efforts, everything was proceeding according to the Ancestor's plan.

Just then, Wu Jiu Daoren suddenly halted and received a message from Wu Tian. He furrowed his brows.

"We still have the Chaotic Abyss Sea to deal with, and now we're preparing to attack it?"

"The disciple is being too eager... So eager that I almost don't believe this guy is truly considering the best interests of the sect."

"The Chaotic Abyss Sea is suspected to have remnants of the Heavenly Demon's power. They're hoping for assistance from our sect?"

"The Chaotic Abyss Sea was once the battleground of the Myriad Phenomena God Master and the Heavenly Demon... No wonder."

"The Heavenly Demon..."

Wu Jiu Daoren's expression turned helpless.

In the Macroverse, what help could they possibly offer? The greatest assistance they could provide was the projection of the sacred weapon.

Otherwise, what was Wu Tian doing at Tiansheng Lake?

After a brief hesitation, Wu Jiu returned to the outside of the Ancestor's palace and reported the news about Wu Tian to the Ancestor.

While waiting for the Ancestor's orders, Wu Jiu's mind was filled with thoughts.

Currently, in the eyes of the Ancestor, the entire Tiansheng Lake might not even be as important as Wu Tian.

The latter was not only the core of establishing the sect and spreading the Dao, but also the key to the Ancestor's validation of certain cultivation methods...

Suddenly, a transmission from the Ancestor echoed within the hall, still calm and dignified, with a sense of authority as if it came from the origin of the River of Time.

Wu Jiu was astonished. The Ancestor's transmission directly pointed out a crucial secret—was there really a remnant of the Heavenly Demon's power in the Chaotic Abyss Sea?!

Otherwise, with Wu Tian's means, why would he need to establish the Dao lineage before interfering?

Once the Dao lineage of Tiansheng Lake is firmly established in the Macroverse, the Ancestor can then use the projection of the sacred weapon to slightly interfere in the affairs of the Macroverse.

At the very least, protecting Wu Tian's life should not be a problem.

Wu Jiu understood the situation; this price was not low. It seemed that the Ancestor not only valued the disciple but also placed equal importance on the enigmatic secrets hidden within the Chaotic Abyss Sea...

How could they allow others to sleep soundly right under their noses?

Wu Jiu accepted the order and left, conveying the Ancestor's words to Wu Tian, who was currently in the Macroverse.

...

"Senior Uncle, this is all the information we've gathered about the Chaotic Abyss Sea. Aside from the Four Deities Temple, there are over a hundred other large and small forces within the sea, but none of them are worth your attention."

After Tianyingzi finished his report, Wu Tian nodded and said, "Very detailed, well done."

Tianyingzi's eyes lit up with joy, and he respectfully said, "Senior Uncle, regarding the exchange of captives with Yaochi Heavenly Realm and Huangxue Palace, do you wish to get involved?"

Wu Tian skimmed through the information about the Chaotic Abyss Sea and communicated with his main body. He casually replied, "You guys handle it. Just remind them that if they can catch them once, they can do it again."

"Disciple understands!"

Just as Tianyingzi was about to leave, Wu Tian suddenly spoke, "Wait a moment."

While Tianyingzi waited by the side, Wu Tian received a message from his senior brother, Wu Jiu.

After a brief silence, Wu Tian turned to Tianyingzi and said, "Inform everyone in the sect that I will soon formally establish the Dao lineage and sect on Gusu Star."

Tianyingzi's expression turned to astonishment, and he subconsciously said, "Senior Uncle, isn't this a bit too hasty? The various branches are not yet fully prepared..."

Tianyingzi's expression turned solemn. "According to tradition, when establishing the Dao lineage, we need to invite various Dao friends to witness the ceremony. As for Huangxue Palace and Yaochi Heavenly Realm, there's no need to mention them. But what about the likes of the Demon Eye and Canghai Empire? Should we send them invitations?"

Wu Tian replied indifferently, "Send them. Tell them that if they don't give face, I'll personally pay them a visit in the future."

"Disciple will do as instructed!"

After Tianyingzi hurriedly left, Wu Tian finished browsing through the information Tiansheng Lake had gathered in recent days.

This information was quite comprehensive, including the distribution of power in the Chaotic Abyss Sea. Among them, the Four Deities Temple naturally stood at the top of the food chain, the only overlord.

As for the other forces, the sect had a few Tian Tier cultivators at most, mostly bandits, cosmic pirates, and other insignificant characters who had broken the law in other places and fled to the Chaotic Abyss Sea.

Regarding the Four Deities Temple, Tiansheng Lake had discovered that they had been relatively low-key recently. Despite the commotion on Gusu Star, they hadn't intervened.

However, recently, there seemed to be changes within the Four Deities Temple. A large number of their believers were secretly mobilizing, starting to "absorb" various forces in the Chaotic Abyss Sea, seemingly unifying the sea.

Wu Tian shared this intelligence with his main body.

...

"Low-key? As expected, the Four Deities Temple is currently short on manpower, so they're keeping a low profile."

"But why did they suddenly start expanding and absorbing other forces?"

"Did the Zhou's True Self descend or awaken?"

Ji Jingqiu muttered to himself.

"Who cares about that. I hope he truly descended." Hela coldly snorted, "Have your avatar send an invitation to the Four Deities Temple and see if they dare to accept it!"

"Good idea!" Ji Jingqiu suddenly frowned, "Establishing the Dao lineage in a month... Is this reliable?

"There's no room for hesitation in this matter!" Hela declared firmly.

"You're getting a great deal out of this, and it's a huge opportunity. Establishing a teaching and passing down a path is a direct path to the Ancestral Hall!"

"Once you enter the Ancestral Hall, in the Macroverse, your status in Tiansheng Lake will be second only to Shouzhen and Unfettered by Rules!"

"To be honest, I don't understand why Shouzhen trusts you so much. He could have asked for other conditions, allowing you to assist Tiansheng Lake in establishing a teaching and passing down a path, instead of imparting the Supreme Law to you first and then letting you enter the Ancestral Hall as the leader of a teaching in the Macroverse. I'd even believe it if you said you were his illegitimate child!"

Ji Jingqiu was a little surprised. Was the value of establishing a teaching and passing down a path this significant? It seemed he had underestimated the weight of this identity.

"Shouzhen... the Ancestor, has great foresight." Ji Jingqiu affirmed.

Hela gave a cold laugh. "You'd better be careful and vigilant, lest you fall into a pit dug by Shouzhen one day and never be able to escape."

Ji Jingqiu suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, isn't the Supreme Law I inherited the one from the Sage of Unfettered Dao?"

Hela spoke softly, "Have you forgotten the Unfettered by Rules? Although it's not the Supreme Law and doesn't correspond to a Dao Fruit, this divine ability holds even greater significance for Shouzhen than his Supreme Law!"

"What do you mean?"

Hela fell silent for a moment, then whispered, "This divine ability might be related to Shouzhen's future path to transcendence."

Ji Jingqiu was shocked. "This divine ability is the foundation of his transcendence?"

Hela slowly explained, "The fame of this divine ability doesn't come from Shouzhen, but from Unfettered by Rules."

"In the past, Unfettered by Rules stepped into the True Sage Realm and, with this divine ability and Walking Without Restraint, challenged an ancient being in the True Sage Realm. During the entire duration of the divine ability, he maintained the upper hand, and in the end, he shook all realms and became renowned with a single battle."

"Later, due to an accident, outsiders learned that this divine ability actually originated from Shouzhen!"

"What's even more unsettling is that, up until now, Shouzhen has never displayed this divine ability."

"You can imagine, a being who has strictly followed the rules and reached the True Sage Realm, yet created a divine ability like Unfettered by Rules, which aims to break all boundaries and barriers..."

"What is he trying to do?"

"The answer isn't hard to guess."

Ji Jingqiu fell silent for a long time. He had originally thought that the treasure of Tiansheng Lake was Walking Without Restraint, but never imagined that Unfettered by Rules might be even more profound.

"A divine ability to attain the Dao?"

Ji Jingqiu suddenly thought of something and asked Hela, "Which path to attain the Dao did Her Donghuang take in the past?"

Wood Master attempted to shoulder the burden of the Sea of Suffering, but it was almost like merging with the Sea of Suffering.

Which path did Her Donghuang take back then?

Hela fell silent for a moment, her expression filled with a seriousness and a hint of...

Palpitations?

"Ten thousand years ago, Her Donghuang attempted to prove the Dao through strength..."

"What we couldn't understand was that he was actually close to success!"

"For a long time, we all believed that this was the most orthodox path to attain the Dao!"

Ji Jingqiu muttered, "Proving the Dao through strength..."

He suddenly asked, "And then? What ultimately led to Her Donghuang's failure? Was it the obstruction of the True Sages from all realms, or the intervention of several Zhou's?"

Hela fell silent once more, speaking in an incomprehensible, peculiar tone, "I seem to have forgotten..."

"It seems like... Her Donghuang voluntarily abandoned his path?"

"Strange... How could I possibly forget something like this."

"Is my memory as this avatar incomplete, or did my main body intentionally erase it?"

Looking at Hela, who was perplexed and lost in thought, Ji Jingqiu suddenly asked, "Aside from Her Donghuang, who was the last True Sage to attempt to break through the True Sage Realm and advance towards transcendence?"

Currently, it had been confirmed that only Her Donghuang and Wood Master had challenged transcendence, and above them were the Five Great Pillars.

But what about in between?

In this vast history, could it be that no one had ever attempted to break through to transcendence?

After a long silence, Hela softly provided the answer, sensing the strangeness within.

"It was the Five Great Pillars..."

"After that, until Her Donghuang and Mushi Tian appeared, no True Sage attempted to break through the realm of transcendence."

"Or perhaps... there was once someone, but that part of history has been lost."

Hela took a deep breath, looking at the nearby Little Wu Zhou, her face changing colors.

She couldn't be sure if her memory was faulty, as she was strictly speaking just an avatar and not the main body.

And this Little Wu Zhou, with its severely fragmented personality, was created by her own hands, so nothing could be hidden from her, and it also lacked the relevant memories.

"Ji Jingqiu, you have another reason to take down the Chaotic Abyss Sea's Wu Zhou."

Hela spoke slowly and deliberately, "By taking him down, I want to see if his memories align with mine!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end