Chapter 423: Dao Child Wang Scrapes the Sky Three Feet

Wang Ping naturally had no idea what Yang was thinking. He knew very well, however, that he needed to display as much talent as possible right now.

Just as he had done in the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Only by proving his worth would he earn a helping hand. With his life tribulation looming, he couldn't afford to let any potential source of assistance slip by.

Inside the Corridor.

As he tracked the fluctuations of water qi around him, Wang Ping rubbed the Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone in his hand, carefully sensing the profound mysteries of this Spiritual Treasure.

He was now quite wealthy and held many Spiritual Treasures, so his standards were much higher. Judging purely by quality, the Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone was actually quite mediocre. Its material was considered bottom-tier among Spiritual Treasures, barely scraping past the minimum threshold. It showed that the ancient Dao lineage's resources had indeed been rather tight.

But that didn't matter.

The true value of the Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone lay not in its materials, but in the Celestial Worthy's true word personally inscribed on it by a Dao Lord.

Yang.

Although it was an obsolete Celestial Worthy's true word and of little use to an orthodox Immortal Dao Qi Refining practitioner like himself, the reverse was also true.

"The Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone is actually an inheritance treasure, including the word 'Yang' inscribed on it. If thrown out in battle, it can forcefully pour a massive amount of cultivation knowledge related to 'Yang' into an opponent's sea of consciousness. And since this obsolete cultivation knowledge has absolutely no meaning to a modern Qi Refining practitioner..."

In short, it was an injection of junk data.

Bring it down on someone, and any Qi Refining practitioner would instantly fall into a state of 'epiphany.' They would freeze in place, completely dazed, losing the initiative in a spell battle.

'For sneak attacks, it's definitely a Sharp Weapon.'

Wang Ping nodded in satisfaction. Calming his mind, he glanced at the scripture scroll inside the Taiping Sutra. The portrait on it had remarkably taken shape.

Yang (Incomplete).

Wang Ping had collected the fragments of consciousness from twenty-nine stone carvings, but in the end, he had only pieced together this slightly flawed portrait.

'It's highly likely because I used the consciousness fragment from the earthly yin water carving earlier, so I couldn't piece together a complete Dao Lord portrait. However, "incomplete" is much better than "broken." Judging by the portrait, it's only a bit blurrier than a complete one. The effect shouldn't be much worse.'

Wang Ping calculated inwardly.

A Dao Lord's portrait would become his trump card—just as Mingyou's portrait had helped him see through his predicament back in the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

'Regardless, I can't use it right now. I don't have nearly enough information. Good steel must be used on the blade's edge; using it in the wrong place will only ruin everything.'

With that thought, Wang Ping took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions. He soon reached the end of the Corridor and slowly pushed open a towering, profound doorway.

Whoosh!

In an instant, a warm breeze blew against his face. The long-lost feeling of nature made Wang Ping freeze in place. A magnificent world entered his vision: a rising sun hanging in the sky, continuous mountain ranges, rushing rivers flowing into seas, and lush forests and vegetation. Together, they formed a breathtaking scene.

"This is..."

Wang Ping looked around, finding it somewhat unbelievable. A Grotto-Heaven? Was this the treasure land the senior had just mentioned, the one that could allow him to control more qi manifestations?

"It doesn't seem like it..."

By now, Wang Ping had figured it out. The eight Dao Lords within the Dao Tomb were testing him. The white-robed man from just before was one of them.

'In that case, this place is most likely not under that senior's jurisdiction... Otherwise, why bother opening a Corridor for me to slowly walk through? He could have just tossed me straight over. Therefore, this place should belong to a different Dao Lord.' Looking around, Wang Ping quickly reached a conclusion.

And so, he announced his affiliations once more.

"In-name disciple of Supreme Dao Lord Xuangong, Dao Child under the jurisdiction of Profound One Primal Lord Mingdu..." His thunderous voice echoed loudly throughout heaven and earth.

There was no response.

The surroundings remained dead silent; no one came out to meet him. Seeing this, Wang Ping frowned tightly. He immediately expanded his divine sense and began to inspect this world.

Then, he noticed something was wrong. Within his sight were scenes of mountains surrounded by gentle waves and snow surging at the peaks, stretching for tens of thousands of li. However, when he finally grasped the full picture, Wang Ping realized that this was not a simple mountain range at all, but a dharma body so towering and vast that it couldn't be taken in with a single glance!

It lay on its side across the earth, leaning diagonally against the firmament.

Half of its body rested on the ground, forming the mountain range Wang Ping had seen. The other half pierced into the heavens, disappearing into the depths of the sea of clouds. Judging by its posture, it seemed to be taking a nap.

"Is this... a test?"

Wang Ping stroked his chin. He immediately rode a beam of fleeing light, piercing through the sea of clouds himself in an attempt to reach the dharma body's head and see if he could find anything.

However, after breaking through the sea of clouds, the scene he witnessed grew increasingly bizarre. He could see a magnificent heavenly river studded with stars spanning the firmament. It flowed from south to north, contrasting water and fire as it spread along the dharma body's form. In theory, as long as he followed the heavenly river, he could find the dharma body's head.

But when he tried to do just that...

All he saw was a gloomy sky. The heavenly river stretched endlessly into the distance, with no end in sight, let alone the head.

"This isn't right."

Wang Ping flew for a full half hour before stopping in midair and looking around. 'In theory, I should be at the position of the dharma body's head right now.'

At the very least, if it corresponded to the mountains below, this place should be the head. But in reality, he could only see a gray canopy of sky.

Wang Ping then suppressed his fleeing light and plummeted back down to the earth. However, once he left the sky, the scenery shifted again. Looking up, the dharma body's head seemed to be hidden deep within the sea of clouds, yet when he truly tried to approach it, he couldn't find a thing.

"I see."

Wang Ping rubbed his chin, a thorough understanding dawning in his heart. 'This is a test. Just like the Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone before, it's a Dao Lord's trial.'

Meanwhile.

Outside the world, Yang was also observing Wang Ping, a light chuckle on his face. "What a guy, Hua. Intentionally slacking off under the guise of a test."

He saw through the test Wang Ping was undergoing at a single glance. In truth, it was quite simple: wake Hua from his slumber.

In short, find Hua's head.

However, using normal methods, the head could never be found. If a cultivator followed the heavenly river to trace it, the further they chased, the more it would seem visible yet forever out of reach.

In reality, Hua's head was not at the surface-level end of the heavenly river, but hidden deep underground. As the saying went, yin water was the destination of the heavenly river's yang water, and yang water was the source of the spring veins' yin water. Thus, water qi naturally formed a cycle. Therefore, the end of the heavenly river was not in the sky, but deep beneath the earth.

'But just finding it isn't enough.'

'After finding Hua's head, figuring out how to wake him up will be another major obstacle. I'm afraid he will still have to take a trip into Hua's sea of consciousness using his divine sense.'

Hua was currently sleepwalking through the vast Cosmos. Falling into his sea of consciousness would inevitably lead to many bizarre permutations, testing the boy's cunning and his style of doing things.

Yang tutted in amazement.

'The former tests his cultivation, while the latter tests his cunning. So Hua actually values these things... I just wonder, how will this little guy handle it?'

Thinking of this, Yang couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation.

On the other side, Wang Ping had dispersed his fleeing light and landed steadily at the foot of the mountain, beginning to ponder a way to break the deadlock. First, he could refer to his past successful experiences.

'How did I pass that previous senior's test?'

Wang Ping looked at the Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone in his hand.

That's right—he had chiseled away one of the stone carvings, and only then did he gain the senior's favor. And facts proved that the thirty stone carvings were a Spiritual Treasure.

So the question was...

'Could this world of mountains and rivers, this towering dharma body right in front of me, actually be a Spiritual Treasure too? Does it also require me to chip away at it bit by bit to clear the trial?'

Wang Ping couldn't resist rubbing his hands together.

'It's possible!'

Acting on the thought, Wang Ping immediately formed a hand seal, executed the Natural Splendor Heavenly Treasure Armory, and began grunting and panting as he dug into the mountains and earth beneath his feet.

Vegetation, dirt clods, water currents—Wang Ping didn't spare a single thing. Moreover, compared to the seamless integration of the thirty carvings on the Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone, this mountain dharma body was much easier to dig up. He didn't even need to call upon the Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary; he could unearth it using just the Natural Splendor Heavenly Treasure Armory.

"Mine, it's all mine!"

For a time, a sense of joyful harvest even bloomed in Wang Ping's heart as he successfully shoved a small hill into his Natural Splendor Heavenly Treasure Armory.

Watching secretly from the shadows, Yang's jaw dropped in disbelief.

What was this kid doing?

Judging by his actions, was he digging up Hua's dharma body? He actually dared to do such a thing? Did he think this was the Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone?

How was this behavior any different from taking a shit on a Dao Lord's head?

If Hua sensed this, he would definitely be enraged... Oh, wait, Hua was asleep. He had even voluntarily relinquished his perception of the outside world for the sake of the test.

"Hss!"

Yang gasped.

Although this mountain form was merely the most insignificant part of Hua's Dao Lord dharma body—basically the equivalent of body hair, meaning losing it was no big deal...

To have it dug away like this...

At this thought, Yang hastily cast a spell, recording every bit of this precious scene. This was a sight rarely seen in a million years!

A gleeful, mocking smile gradually spread across Yang's face. A majestic Dao Lord getting his dharma body dug up by a lower-realm cultivator—and all because of his own test, effectively shooting himself in the foot. When Hua woke up, Yang decided he would ruthlessly mock him with this recording for at least a thousand years to feel satisfied.

Following that, he cast another glance at Wang Ping.

'You little punk, you always manage to pull off some crazy stunt... But honestly, pulling chunks off a Dao Lord's dharma body actually does have its uses.'

Meanwhile, Wang Ping had also realized something was off.

"Hm?"

Looking closely, the lifelike hill he had just moved inside was suddenly starting to disintegrate. Then, it dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Why is it doing this?"

Wang Ping frowned tightly. He immediately grabbed a clod of dirt and examined it carefully, watching as it lost its texture in his hand and drifted away like green smoke.

"This is... a qi manifestation?"

Watching the green smoke, Wang Ping's gaze flickered. He had finally discovered the truth. 'These rocks, vegetation, and rivers are all materialized from a qi manifestation!'

Which one?

Nourishing All Creation!

'So that's how it is. That explains it. This entire world is actually constructed from water qi manifestations. A treasure land... it truly is a fortuitous treasure land!'

Wang Ping was overjoyed!

He discovered that as he dug up these rocks and plants, hoarding them for himself, it actually slightly strengthened his connection to the corresponding qi manifestation!

What did this mean?

'It means that as long as I dig enough, as long as I dig ruthlessly enough, I can absolutely use these rocks and plants to drastically accelerate my mastery over other qi manifestations!'

'My earlier judgment was correct. The essence of this test is digging. The more you dig, the greater the harvest... However, at present, my speed is still too slow. I've drained so much magical power, yet only excavated a small mound. It's just a drop in the bucket for mastering a qi manifestation.'

"I need divine abilities!"

Major Divine Abilities were tools for controlling qi manifestations. If his current efforts were akin to digging with his bare hands, then having a Major Divine Ability linked to the corresponding qi manifestation would be like driving an excavator.

At this thought, Wang Ping sharply raised his head.

"Senior? Senior Yang?"

His voice echoed across heaven and earth. "This untalented junior has a question to ask."

"...Speak."

Yang, who was thoroughly enjoying the show, was in an excellent mood. Hearing Wang Ping suddenly call for him, he acted on a whim and actively revealed himself.

"I dare ask, Senior."

Wang Ping bowed with a face full of respect before asking, "Can one contact the Deity Transformation Realm from here? This junior wishes to return for a short while."

"..."

Yang's expression instantly froze.

"Mingdu wants to see you?"

Wang Ping quickly shook his head. "It's just that this junior lacks a few Major Divine Abilities, so I want to return to the Deity Transformation Realm to retrieve them. That's why I'm letting Senior know beforehand."

Hearing this, Yang fought back the urge to roll his eyes.

'The way you say it makes it sound like we could stop you from entering the Deity Transformation Realm if you didn't tell us. A True Monarch is personally guiding you; how could we possibly block you?'

"You can try."

Yang said softly, "We will not stop you. But whether Mingdu will guide you back is entirely up to you."

"This junior understands."

After gaining Yang's approval, Wang Ping sat down on the ground. He gently stroked the Profound One Calamity-Crossing Ring and silently called upon the True Monarch's Dao title in his heart.

'True Monarch, love me one more time!'

In the next second, that familiar sensation of weightlessness surfaced. The world spun as murky colors flowed by. When he opened his eyes again, Wang Ping had returned to the familiar small island.

'It really worked!'

Wang Ping knew very well that although his own True Monarch hadn't spoken a single word so far and remained hidden from the world, she was indeed paying attention to him at all times.

Acquiring new Major Divine Abilities, accelerating his mastery of more qi manifestations, and raising his cultivation level—these things inherently helped increase the karma attached to him. This would threaten the Bodhisattva throne of the Master of Secret Traces, forcing him to step into the killing trap as soon as possible. Therefore, by all logic and reason, the True Monarch had no reason to refuse him.

Following this, Wang Ping waited in place for a short while.

This time, however, Yunlong did not appear. After waiting in vain, Wang Ping simply summoned his fleeing light and flew toward the Dao Transmission Tower himself.

Since this was his third time here, he was already thoroughly familiar with the route.

Before long, he once again saw the towering pagoda that pierced heaven, earth, and the mortal realm. To his surprise, however, there was a person standing in front of the tower.

It was a white-haired elderly cultivator. Judging by his features, he must have been a handsome Daoist in his youth. His wrinkled, orange-peel-like face bore a kind smile.

When Wang Ping arrived at the Dao Transmission Tower, the man was holding a Whisk, sweeping the area around the tower. He didn't seem to possess any cultivation. Upon seeing Wang Ping arrive via fleeing light, he was startled at first, but then a look of pleasant surprise crossed his face. He hurriedly bowed to Wang Ping. "This old man greets the Dao Child."

Before Wang Ping could speak, the old man spoke up first, "This old man currently serves as the watchman of the Dao Transmission Tower. If the Dao Child requires anything, you need only tell me directly."

"Watchman..."

Wang Ping frowned slightly. "I haven't met you before, fellow Daoist."

"This old man has also just arrived at the post."

The old man tilted his head, seemingly a bit puzzled as well. "Before, it was always Senior Brother Kunyun. Then it switched to Senior Brother Yunlong. And then, Senior Brother Yunlong told me to come."

'Oh, so he's a lackey Yunlong found to do the work.'

Wang Ping understood completely. He smiled and said, "I plan to take some divine abilities. Let me in. I cultivate earthly yin water."

"At the Dao Child's command."

The old man bowed. He then formed a hand seal, and the tower's door corresponding to earthly yin water rumbled open. In a flash, Wang Ping darted inside.

The entire process was exactly the same as before.

However, unlike before, the moment Wang Ping entered the area housing the divine abilities, all the Major Divine Abilities instantly surged toward him in unison.

'It really is easier to get things done when you have connections at the top.'

Wang Ping wasn't surprised by this. After all, if his own True Monarch had been watching him the entire time, she definitely understood that he needed to gather all the divine abilities in one fell swoop.

Therefore, even though in principle, the divine abilities a cultivator could obtain here depended on karma and affinity—and without affinity, even the highest cultivation wouldn't earn the desired ability—it was a different story entirely when the arbiter of those principles actively opened a back door for him.

Wang Ping looked around.

Soon, he selected four Major Divine Ability jade slips one by one. Holding them in his hand, a sweep of his divine sense confirmed that they perfectly corresponded to four earthly yin water qi manifestations.

Profound Female Heavenly Chaos Mantra.

It corresponded to the qi manifestation 'Nourishing All Creation'. It was a method for constructing Grotto-Heavens, claiming "There was something nebulous and complete, born before Heaven and Earth." The Grotto-Heavens it created were of extremely high grade.

The Great Ravine of No Return.

It corresponded to the qi manifestation 'Heavenly River's Destination', claiming "Pour into it, yet it is never full; draw from it, yet it is never exhausted." Once mastered, it could swallow all waters, increasing one's own magical power.

Nine Hells Spring.

It corresponded to the qi manifestation 'Subterranean Spring Veins'. This qi manifestation was the jack-of-all-trades of earthly yin water. While lacking any profound mysteries of its own, it could amplify other qi manifestations.

The reason Wang Ping chose it was to buff the Netherworld Communication Profound Arbiter and the 'Communing with Ghostly and Divine Matters' qi manifestation, further elevating his offensive capabilities.

As for the final divine ability, it was called the Book of Cyclical Life-Substitution, corresponding to the 'Qi of Cycles and Beginnings'. One could entrust their life to it. No matter how much lethal damage one sustained, this book could take the blow instead, substituting for them up to a hundred times. If it exceeded a hundred times, the divine ability would instantly shatter, and all the lethal damage would rebound onto the user.

Wang Ping clicked his tongue in wonder as he read.

To substitute a hundred fatal injuries was equivalent to having a full hundred extra lives. As long as he didn't encounter an enemy that completely crushed him, he would definitely survive.

This was a true immortality art.

The more Wang Ping looked, the more he lamented how incredibly exalted water qi was.

Just look at the effects of these Major Divine Abilities: infinite magical power, Grotto-Heaven creation, life-substitution, Magical Treasure storage, absolute stealth...

None of them felt remotely fair or human.

'I like it!'

However, Wang Ping soon frowned again. His gaze swept over the many divine ability jade slips one by one, yet he still couldn't find what he was looking for.

There was still one missing. There wasn't a single Major Divine Ability corresponding to the 'Extreme Yin Weak Water' qi manifestation. There were only some Middle Divine Abilities, or even Minor Divine Abilities. This shouldn't be the case. The divine abilities in the Dao Transmission Tower were the prized collection of the water qi lineage over countless eons. How could it be missing exactly this one qi manifestation?

'Could it be on purpose?'

Carrying this doubt, Wang Ping slowly walked out of the Dao Transmission Tower. He saw the elderly watchman diligently sweeping the area with his Whisk.

"Old sir."

After a moment of thought, Wang Ping took the initiative to ask, "I want to find a Major Divine Ability corresponding to the earthly yin water qi manifestation, 'Extreme Yin Weak Water'. Does the Dao Transmission Tower not have it?"

"Extreme Yin Weak Water?"

Hearing this, the old man pondered for a moment before sudden realization dawned on him. "Ah, that one... It's normal. To observe a taboo regarding the True Monarch, no one dares to study Major Divine Abilities for that qi manifestation."

To observe a taboo regarding the True Monarch?

"The Dao Child might not know," the old man explained in a low voice. "The 'Extreme Yin Weak Water' qi manifestation is the most core and vital qi manifestation of earthly yin water."

"However, long ago, this wasn't the case. It was back when the True Monarch was still in the Qi Nurturing stage. After mastering all nine qi manifestations, she used her own Dao foundation to refine the 'Extreme Yin Weak Water.' Only then did it leap in prominence to become the core symbol of earthly yin water. This qi manifestation has always been personally controlled by the True Monarch."

"Naturally, no one else dares to touch it."

Such a thing had happened?

Wang Ping's heart stirred. Evidently, this was something only a Qi Refining Second Layer cultivator would do—making the heaven and earth's qi exclusively favor oneself... 'Crap, will there be a conflict?'

After all, when he reached the Qi Refining Second Layer in the future, he would also pursue the same achievement. When the time came, he might usurp and seize the position of 'Extreme Yin Weak Water'...

No wonder there were no related divine abilities in the Dao Transmission Tower.

After all, as long as all Major Divine Abilities related to 'Extreme Yin Weak Water' were locked away, no one would be able to master this qi manifestation, making its status unshakeable.

Did this mean he couldn't master all nine qi manifestations?

Just as Wang Ping was feeling apprehensive and pondering this, he saw the old man suddenly reach into his robes, pull out a jade slip, and stuff it into Wang Ping's arms.

"This is...?"

Wang Ping was instantly stunned.

With a sweep of his divine sense, complex contents far surpassing the previous Major Divine Abilities flooded into his mind. Finally, they formed a line of large characters that imprinted themselves into Wang Ping's thoughts:

Taiyin Dwelling.

This was the Major Divine Ability corresponding to 'Extreme Yin Weak Water', and yet the old man had just casually pulled it out and handed it to him... Was this his True Monarch's intention?

For a moment, Wang Ping actually felt no joy.

Instead, his first reaction was: 'The True Monarch is treating me this well?'

'It's not a trap, is it?'

The old man, however, didn't care in the slightest. It was as if he had suddenly become a completely different person. His originally murky eyes became clear, and his tone turned profound. "In one month, the Heaven Defiance Palace will emerge."

Wang Ping snapped his head up.

So soon?!

He hadn't forgotten. He knew that the day the Heaven Defiance Palace emerged was approaching, and that it would most likely be the very day his life tribulation arrived.

Only one month left?

"Not only that,"

The old man glanced at Wang Ping and continued, "The location where the Heaven Defiance Palace will manifest has also changed. The True Monarch predicts that it will land in the Star Grave Sand Sea."

"...What?" Wang Ping's eyes widened.

Didn't that mean this killing trap aimed at the Master of Secret Traces would also land in the Star Grave Sand Sea? Why was there such a sudden change?

"It's Supreme Dao Lord Xuangong."

The old man's tone was haunting. "He was once deeply trusted by the Human Emperor. He might possess the means to influence the landing spot of the Heaven Defiance Palace. He is likely doing this to protect himself."

"Protect himself?"

The old man nodded. "He actually fears that the True Monarchs of the various factions might scheme against him too. Therefore, he chose the Star Grave Sand Sea as the battlefield so that the various factions would have some reservations."

"After all, if True Monarchs go all out, even Cosmic Deep Space would struggle to bear it. And the Star Grave Sand Sea is inherently the most fragile place in the Cosmos. Once a battle between True Monarchs breaks out and real fire is exchanged, it will cause the Star Grave Sand Sea to shatter. The Grave Stars inside would spiral out of control, inevitably triggering a massive collapse."

"Ah?"

Hearing this, Wang Ping blinked. "But if that's the case, wouldn't the Master of Secret Traces also profit from this? If the True Monarchs can't go all out, how can they kill him?"

"This is where Supreme Dao Lord Xuangong is brilliant."

The old man smiled. "If the Heaven Defiance Palace suppresses the Star Grave Sand Sea, then under normal circumstances, it will be fine. True Monarchs fighting with all their might wouldn't cause any harm."

"But the moment he withdraws the Heaven Defiance Palace, the Star Grave Sand Sea will immediately riot. Then disaster will strike... This is his prepared trump card."

"If some True Monarch really plots against him and forces him into a corner with no retreat, he will withdraw the Heaven Defiance Palace, detonate the entire Star Grave Sand Sea, and drag everyone down with him... I can only say this move is exquisite. It practically forces the True Monarchs to stand on his side."

"As for why it will be in one month..."

"..."

Speaking up to this point, the old man suddenly pointed at Wang Ping. "It's because of the Master of Secret Traces' dharma blood on you. He left a mark on it."

"He can use it to sense your cultivation level."

"The True Monarch deduces that the moment you master six qi manifestations, he will drop the Heaven Defiance Palace and actively open the killing trap, using you as bait."

"Six... Only six?" Wang Ping gritted his teeth.

The old man nodded.

"Six is enough, because six qi manifestations have already broken past the limit. The karma on you will grow so heavy that the Master of Secret Traces will no longer be able to sit idly by."

"Allowing you to continue growing is utterly meaningless to all sides."

"Look out for yourself."

As his voice faded, the clear light in the old man's eyes rapidly dissipated, returning to their former murkiness. Paying no more attention to Wang Ping, he picked up the Whisk and continued sweeping the area.

"...Thank you, Senior!"

Wang Ping cupped his hands in a bow. He understood in his heart that this was definitely an expert from within the Deity Transformation Realm who had received the True Monarch's dharma decree to come specifically to guide him.

In the next second, murky colors surfaced in Wang Ping's eyes.

After the world spun, he found himself back in the Dao Tomb, sitting right where he had been. It was as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than an illusory dream.

Until a voice drifted over: "You're back?"

Wang Ping blinked and looked at Yang standing beside him. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Senior. This junior has brought back huge news this time!"

"...What news?"

Yang's expression swiftly turned solemn. News brought back from the Deity Transformation Realm... Did that woman, Mingdu, have something to say to them?

Wang Ping didn't drag it out, stating directly, "The Heaven Defiance Palace is about to enter the world, and the location is right here in the Star Grave Sand Sea!"

As the words fell, Yang was initially stunned. A look of contemplation then crossed his face, followed by a few moments of divination calculations. His expression grew gradually gloomier throughout the process.

Rumble!

At this moment, the Dao Lord's fury caused the entire world to tremble slightly. Unimaginable might and wrath continually churned within Yang's heart.

"Yi Shentong! What a great Yi Shentong! To think he actually dared to use the Star Grave Sand Sea and the entire ancient Dao lineage to blackmail the Immortal Dao True Monarchs laying out this trap! For the sake of his own Dao path, he disregarded the grace of our sheltering him back then and our camaraderie as fellow Daoists! Utterly shameless! To think he has turned into this..."

Yang was furious!

Because Supreme Dao Lord Xuangong's actions were clearly a desperate, all-or-nothing gambit, forcefully pushing the already precarious ancient Dao lineage onto the gambling table.

This was something the Supreme Dao Lord Xuangong of the past absolutely would never have done. If he were this kind of person, he couldn't possibly have earned the Human Emperor's trust back then.

Yet he had gone and done exactly that.

Yang didn't doubt the accuracy of Wang Ping's information. After all, something like the coordinates of the Heaven Defiance Palace's emergence could be divined with a little calculation.

Thinking of this, he lost all interest in watching the show. He immediately said in a deep voice, "I need to leave for a while. As for the test here... Never mind, just continue. It's a fortuitous encounter after all. However, biting off more than you can chew will only harm you. Your comprehension is very high, so I shouldn't need to remind you of this."

"Take care, Senior." Wang Ping bowed.

In the next second, Yang vanished from where he stood. With the survival of the Star Grave Sand Sea at stake, he had to awaken his other slumbering comrades.

As for the still-slumbering Hua...

To be honest, upon seeing the extra Major Divine Abilities Wang Ping had brought back, Yang knew Wang Ping could definitely pass the test and wake Hua up.

Of course, it might be a rude awakening.

Seeing this kindly-mannered senior Dao Lord leave—and even receiving encouragement to continue before his departure—Wang Ping immediately mustered 100% of his motivation to keep scraping the earth away.

'Cultivating the first five qi manifestations actually isn't hard. To put it bluntly, it's just grinding away with time and effort. As long as your comprehension isn't too low, you can basically master them.'

As for the fifth qi manifestation, Wang Ping had already chosen.

He was choosing 'Heavenly River's Destination'!

The reason was very simple: scraping the earth away actually consumed a tremendous amount of magical power. Currently, his magical power was limited. After scraping for a while, he had to take a break.

His efficiency was too low.

And the qi manifestation 'Heavenly River's Destination' shared the same root as heavenly yang water's 'Endless Flow.' Both were qi manifestations capable of massively boosting one's magical power.

'For the parts related to this qi manifestation... I have to specifically dig up the rivers and currents!'

Wang Ping set to work with immense enthusiasm.

Soon, the rivers in this world were drained dry by Wang Ping one by one. From the tributaries up to their sources, not a single one was spared; they were all excavated entirely.

And the moment these rivers left the world, they instantly converted into intense qi manifestations, which Wang Ping promptly fed into 'The Great Ravine of No Return'.

Using this Major Divine Ability to connect with the qi manifestation 'Heavenly River's Destination'... The whole process was smooth and seamless. What would originally have taken a century of progress to master was practically achieved in one fell swoop!

Rumble!

At the now long-dried-up source of water, Wang Ping sat cross-legged. Boundless qi manifestations steadily rose from his body, shooting straight into the firmament like a reverse waterfall.

The Great Ravine of No Return!

Looking out, one could see the entire sky seemingly transform into an ocean. The water shone like a mirror, reflecting everything on the earth below across its surface.

This Major Divine Ability was now resonating with 'Heavenly River's Destination'. The waters of the eight expanses, the nine wilds, the five great mountains, and the four mighty rivers all came surging forth, pouring entirely into this Major Divine Ability, yet it could never be filled. And as the divine ability consumed these waters, converting them into magical power to supply Wang Ping, it was truly inexhaustible, seemingly endless.

And that was indeed the case.

As long as this Major Divine Ability was not broken, his magical power truly could be infinite. This undoubtedly brought his stamina and endurance to a whole new level.

Of course, there was also a price.

"Phew..."

Wang Ping exhaled deeply. With five qi manifestations blessing his body, he could clearly sense that earthly yin water's affection for him, and even its tolerance, had reached its limit.

'Nine-five represents the supreme ruler, a flying dragon in the heavens.'

'Top nine brings the arrogant dragon cause for regret.'

'Five qi manifestations is the absolute limit. If I push higher and seek all nine qi manifestations, it will be the arrogant dragon having cause for regret. It means my cultivation will inevitably reach its peak and then decline...'

In short, earthly yin water's attitude toward him would turn from love to hate, becoming bitterly hostile. Their relationship would no longer be intimate, seamless cooperation, but a life-and-death enmity. If he wanted to progress any further, he could only fight against it and slowly subjugate and refine it.

"...Continue!"

Standing up, Wang Ping felt no hesitation or doubt over this. Instead, he gained even more motivation and continued digging through the mountains and river veins.

Hollowing out the mountain's surface corresponded to 'Nourishing All Creation.'

Digging underground corresponded to 'Subterranean Spring Veins.'

With the buff from 'The Great Ravine of No Return,' he no longer had to worry about running out of magical power. Acting like a ravenous Taotie beast, he immediately began to feast upon the entire world.

Just like that, he tunneled right into the ground.

Along the way, all the qi manifestations he excavated were fed into his divine abilities, rapidly propelling his progress with the other Major Divine Abilities toward absolute perfection.

Until finally—

Clang!

Wang Ping abruptly stopped in his tracks, looking with surprise at the Natural Splendor Heavenly Treasure Armory in his hand. He realized that this divine ability had actually sustained minor damage.

Had he hit an iron plate?

It had to be a treasure!

Wang Ping was so happy he practically danced with joy. He immediately increased his output. Before long, from deep within the subterranean spring veins, a head surfaced from the dirt.

"...A head?"

The dharma body's head, which he couldn't find no matter how hard he tried earlier, had now simply appeared right in front of him. It even left Wang Ping feeling slightly bewildered.

'What's going on? Did I clear the trial?'

But he quickly tossed that thought aside. 'Clear what trial? My divine abilities haven't been filled up yet. Besides, no one has stepped out to tell me I cleared it.'

'If no one said so, then it didn't happen!'

'Keep digging!'

He couldn't dig through the head, so Wang Ping dug around it. The moment he broke through, he emerged into a patch of hazy gray, and his entire body actually plummeted straight up into the sky.

"Hm?"

Wang Ping looked around and was struck by a sudden epiphany: 'That spot underground is actually connected to the sky... I get it now. The heavenly river's destination is the subterranean spring veins, and the subterranean spring veins originate from the heavenly river. The two form a cycle in themselves, rotating endlessly through life and death. This is the location of the "Qi of Cycles and Beginnings" qi manifestation.'

With that understood, what else was there to say?

Wang Ping rolled up his sleeves and immediately flew straight back underground to resume digging. Gradually, the foundation beneath the entire mountain range was hollowed out to the point where it could no longer hold up.

Rumble!

In a flash, because the underground area was mostly empty, it could no longer support the mountains' immense weight. They completely collapsed, triggering a massive, continuous cave-in!

"Hm?!"

The head instantly opened its eyes.

Even though he had fallen into a deep sleep and actively sealed his perception of the outside world, if something serious actually happened, he could still wake up very quickly.

Just like right now.

To Hua, this feeling was exactly like rolling over while asleep and then tumbling off the bed with a heavy thud onto the floor. He was even a bit dazed.

What just happened?

Hua blinked. His divine sense quickly locked onto a youth not far away. The other party was standing there, twiddling his fingers together with a bashful look on his face.

'Oh, this must be the youngster Yang mentioned.'

Hua had just woken up and instinctively nodded. "Well done, little friend. To think you could actually awaken me from my slumber. You have passed my te—what the fuck?!"

Hua's eyes suddenly bulged.

'My dharma body... What happened to it?!'

Even though the only things lost were the surface qi manifestations, there were craters and holes everywhere. Essentially, it looked exactly like someone had stripped him entirely naked...

What in the world happened?

What was done to me?

At this moment, Hua was truly taken aback. He immediately began calculating silently. Very quickly, every single one of Wang Ping's actions was derived.

"..."

Silence.

He had to admit that this test had veered off his original plan right from the start. Was the style of the water qi demonic path this wild nowadays?

Scanning heaven and earth, even Hua couldn't help but sigh.

Good grief, he literally scraped three feet off the sky and shaved seven layers off the earth! He had never seen anyone scrape the ground so ruthlessly. No wonder he caught the eye of that female demon, Mingdu.

'Is he not afraid of offending me?'

At this thought, Hua cast another glance at Wang Ping, observing his destiny. In a flash, he understood Wang Ping's past experiences and his current plight.

"Oh, a man with nothing to lose fears nothing."

'Stealing the mandate of heaven, walking the old path of the Human Emperor, and stuck right in the middle of a life tribulation. Used as a chess piece by many True Monarchs. If it were me, I wouldn't be afraid of anything either. It's just one rotten life anyway.'

However— "You are too greedy."

Hua shook his head. "It is true that my dharma body is beneficial for you to cultivate qi manifestations. But you truly are fearless through ignorance. How could cultivation possibly be that simple?"

Wherever his gaze swept, he could clearly see the changes in Wang Ping's body. Not only were five qi manifestations fully under his control, but the progress of the Major Divine Abilities corresponding to the remaining four qi manifestations had also been pushed almost to the limit. They were only lacking the final kick to pass the threshold. It seemed as though perfecting all nine qi manifestations was but a single thought away.

In truth, that was absolutely not the case.

"Under these circumstances, it's no longer possible for you to accumulate qi manifestations one by one. Your only choice is to master the remaining four all at once, in a single breath."

Hua sighed. "Because the moment you begin to break through, the heaven and earth's qi will immediately fight back. However many qi manifestations you have a connection with, that's exactly how many will backlash against you."

"And right now, you have a connection with all nine."

"If you were only cultivating one additional qi manifestation, then only that one would backlash against you. The other unconnected qi manifestations would hold their troops back."

"But you cultivated them all."

"Under these circumstances, compared to anyone else, there are only two possible outcomes for your breakthrough: either you master the remaining four in one breath and perfect all nine qi manifestations..."

"Or, you suffer a backlash from all the qi manifestations and die, your Dao erased!"

"At first glance, it might just seem like the difference between one backlash and four backlashes. But the actual difficulty isn't simply multiplied by four. After all, the more qi manifestations you cultivate, the greater the backlash naturally becomes. If you really calculate it, the difficulty has probably skyrocketed by more than forty times!"

By the end, Hua's tone took on a hint of icy coldness. "You have severed your own path to mastering the nine qi manifestations. My advice to you is to give up right now and directly break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer. Five qi manifestations is already not bad."

Though he said this, he inevitably felt disappointed in his heart.

Because he saw an insatiably greedy cultivator.

True, greed was the driving force behind the pursuit of immortality. But as the saying goes, a snake lacking contentment tries to swallow an elephant. A cultivator unable to control his own greed has no future.

This kind of person was destined to take risks. However, if you constantly walk by the river, your shoes are bound to get wet eventually. No matter how high their talent or how strong their battle prowess, if they take too many risks, there will always be a moment when the horse stumbles. The price might be their life. Therefore, in Hua's eyes, such a person was not worth nurturing.

However, what surprised Hua was...

After he gave his evaluation, Wang Ping's face showed absolutely no fluctuation in expression. There was no trace of remorse; instead, he remained just as calm as he was at the very beginning.

This actually piqued Hua's curiosity. "...You don't regret it?"

"Of course not."

Wang Ping shook his head. "I dare ask, Senior: if I chose to slowly cultivate them one by one, how long would it take to reach perfection with all nine qi manifestations?"

Hua pondered for a moment, then replied, "Within a hundred years, there's a chance. After all, you've seen for yourself that by using my dharma body as resources, you truly can rapidly complete the accumulation needed to cultivate them."

Hearing this, Wang Ping shook his head. "I don't have a hundred years."

Hua raised an eyebrow. Right, this kid had an extremely heavy life tribulation on him. At the juncture of life and death, he couldn't worry about too much, so he was willing to take extreme risks?

At this thought, Hua wanted to calculate it. But alas, he was not a participant on the board and couldn't divine the variables within the life tribulation. So he simply asked, "How much time do you have left?"

Wang Ping held up a single finger. "Only this much."

"Ten years? Then you were still too reckless."

Hua frowned slightly. "You steal the mandate of heaven and walk the Human Emperor's old path. By cultivating them one by one over ten years, achieving the perfection of nine qi isn't impossible."

Wang Ping shook his head.

"One year? Alright then."

Hua shook his head helplessly. "Back then, the Human Emperor ascended to True Monarch in thirty years, and even he spent five of those years on the nine qi manifestations. One year is indeed far too rushed."

Wang Ping shook his head once again.

"Only one month."

Wang Ping's tone was incredibly resolute. How could he not know the drawbacks of pushing all the divine abilities to the limit to sense the qi manifestations? In fact, he had noticed it midway through.

The problem was, he was out of time.

Cultivating them one by one was far too slow. The various factions wouldn't give him the chance anyway. The moment he mastered six qi manifestations, he would be forced like a duck driven onto a perch to undergo his life tribulation. Therefore, his only choice was a simultaneous breakthrough, leaping directly from five qi manifestations to nine. Only by doing this could he subvert everyone's expectations!

Although, up to now, he still didn't know the exact layouts of the various True Monarchs—everything remained shrouded in fog—there was one thing he could be absolutely certain of.

That is: the less they want me to do this, the more it means doing this is right!

Thinking of this, Wang Ping looked up at Hua.

"Within one month, I'm going to push to perfect all nine qi manifestations. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Hearing this, Hua frowned deeply. "It's impossible for you to succeed."

"No."

Wang Ping suddenly flashed a smile. "Senior, right now, I'm a chess piece that still has its uses... I should say, this very moment is the only chance I'll ever have to succeed!"

"You..."

Looking at the utterly calm Wang Ping, the trace of disappointment in Hua's heart gradually melted away. He couldn't help but pinch his fingers and begin calculating. His eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"That's right, that's right!"

He was still amidst his life tribulation; he was a pawn of the True Monarchs... And he needed to master six qi manifestations to force the Master of Secret Traces to act.

So, he had to break through! None of the True Monarchs would allow him to just stall right here. And as long as he firmly refused to break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer, preferring death over anything less than perfecting all nine qi manifestations, then the various True Monarchs would have no choice but to help him! They would have to ensure he survived the backlash from the heaven and earth's qi!

"I see!"

Hua finally comprehended the entire cause and effect. For a moment, he actually couldn't stop himself from clapping his hands and roaring with laughter. "What immense audacity! You are blackmailing the very True Monarchs who are using you as a pawn!"

A stroke of absolute genius!

What should have been a suicidal act of self-sabotage actually presented a chance when used at this exact moment and time. It practically inverted the entire board.

This wasn't insatiable greed; it was premeditated!

"What brilliant scheming!"

Thinking of this, the look in Hua's eyes as he stared at Wang Ping changed completely. He was different from Yang, and his standards for whether a cultivator had talent were also different.

In his view, comprehension and battle prowess were secondary.

Because times had changed.

In the current Immortal Dao, using the false to cultivate the true had long become the mainstream. The true key lay in having cunning and shrewdness—knowing how to scheme against lower-realm cultivators and how to wager against upper-realm ones.

That was why, in the beginning, he hadn't thought much of this Wang Ping whose comprehension Yang had praised to the heavens, especially considering this genius was currently entrenched in a life tribulation.

It was glaringly obvious that it was a ten-deaths, zero-survival situation.

No matter how heaven-shaking a genius was, once dead, they were nothing but a pile of yellow dirt, completely meaningless. This was Hua's view, and it was his initial attitude toward Wang Ping.

Now, however, he had changed his mind.

Just like Yang.

He, too, somewhat wanted to participate in Wang Ping's life tribulation!