Chapter 17: Chapter 17 - Dao
It was as though he was in the distant sky. A white robed middle aged man quietly stood there.
"Who am I? Where did I originate from and where am I to go? In my eyes, countless living beings are declining, countless lives are being born. Every living creature struggles in the cycle of reincarnation. However, generations of bloodlines shall continue to be inherited. Mankind constantly chases after the path of the supreme. Where is the end of the Dao?" The white robed man let out a sigh,
"What is the Dao?" Those words had completely taken Yun Tian pondered about the words itself having reached a profound power but had yet to completely find the answer.
'A Dao huh….it is the World and Self. It is shapeless and formless yet boundless and endless. This is everything yet nothing. A Dao is whatever one comprehends it to be. To find Dao is….to know and master oneself.'
Yun Tian was deeply affected by the question that he entered an enlightened state of being ascending further than he's ever reached where his fleshly body reformed and changed becoming lustrous and beautiful where before it was godly and beyond perfect for mortal eyes but now it vastly different as if he became the center of everything. A Dao itself.
His hair grew longer and became more mature than his former true form. Yun Tian was churning the energy within him, understanding that the Dao is mastering himself and the world moving with its ever changing flow.
After his insight grew exponentially, The sound opening gate was heard causing an ocean of energy to flood into his Soul realm. He was able to unlock his potential and allowed him to break through his shackles.
Without halting for a second absorbed more energy being greedily taken by his Temporal Vine having more flower petals in the branches. While circulating the energy in his body spreading it evenly and erasing any flaws from his body, the old man continued.
"Infinity has no beginning, no beginning can have no end."
Yun Tian inhaled and started to affect the world where he resided where fate itself seemed to flow and accommodate his passing. He didn't explode in a burst of energy rather the violent storm had been tamed and subdued where he advanced further and became peak Divine Emperor!
His body, his soul, and his energy were in tranquility and his thought and action was more clear than before as if looking at the universe with a new outlook. Fortunately, Yun Tian was not like normal people who abandon their Seven Emotions and Six Desires turning them into nothing but hollow dolls.
'Dao…There are many more things I need to learn.'
Yun Tian felt something was missing and didn't let his thoughts ponder for too long, acknowledging that only when the time is right shall the opportunity reveal itself. The scene continued when a person came flying and stopped in front of this ancient monument. He mumbled to himself,
"I never thought that there would be such an area in Glory City. Seems like this trip was worthwhile. Those who follows me, shall be honoured. Those who oppose me, shall perish? Hmph hmph, such big words. Who is this Emperor Kong Ming to actually be so arrogant."
This person looked at the ancient monument for a long time, his brows were tightly knitted together.
"Infinity has no beginning, no beginning can have no end. What shit is this? What masterpiece cultivation can be hidden in just these ten words? This Emperor Kong Ming fella is really ridiculous!"
This person no longer seems to have any interest towards this ancient monument, turned around, and was preparing to leave. However, after pondering for a moment, he turned back around.
"Since even me, the Demon Lord, is unable to comprehend it, others can give up on getting it."
The self-proclaimed Demon Lord took out a dagger and scraped the ancient monument and cleanly scraped the ten words away,
"Haha, now it's clean." Suddenly, the Demon Lord suddenly frowned his brows,
"Eh? What was the ten word chant again? Why can't I recall it?"
The Demon Lord scratched his head, then no longer pondered about it. What exactly is the ten word chant? He roughly had a feeling that the ten word chant is something extraordinary. However, he had already scrapped it away. He regretfully looked at the ancient monument, revealing a fearful expression on his face.
The person that left behind the ancient monument must be an extraordinary supreme expert.
The Demon Lord looked at the ancient monument and pondered for a moment before leaving. He understands that he's not fated to know the ten word chant.
Yun Tian suddenly woke up, there was someone before this ancient monument?
"Seems like the action of this Demon Lord has been recorded in this ancient monument and was seen by me. So that was the Demon Lord? He was actually here before me. Infinity has no beginning, no beginning can have no end."
Yun Tian murmured, engraving this ten word chant into his heart. The surge of power felt like a breezy wind that gave the same feeling when he looked at the setting. He finishes chanting and decides to continue his exploration hoping to harvest more.
He spread his senses and found a nearby town and immediately flew towards the places. It's hard to imagine that in this mountain forest raging with demon beasts, there would actually be such a bustling city.
This market stretched for miles, many of the buildings here are made from thick woods and there is even a defense post. Most of the people wore plain clothes and had set their stores up on the ground, trading various items with voices of negotiation that can easily be heard. Yun Tian asked the locals about the place and found out it was called Abyss Prison Realm.
"Tell me what you know about the situation of the individual families?"
"There are a total of thirteen families. Their relationship is very complicated. Among the families, some of them have made an alliance, while others hold grudges and fend for themselves. The strongest three are the Silver Winged Family, the Divine Flames Family and the Ash Wolves Family. These three families have a Legend rank expert, while the rest mostly have Black Gold rank experts. However, since they are able to survive in this mountain for so long, they definitely have some methods up their sleeves. Aside from the thirteen families, there are also many villages within the mountain and their strongest is usually only Gold rank. These villages often have to offer some sort of tribute; otherwise, they'll be captured by one of the thirteen families and become their slaves."
Yun Tian took notes of those families deciding to check them and judge if they should be brought to Glory City as an ally. The expansion of Glory City was more than enough to accommodate each family if they are willing to leave their former home.
Three Legend rank experts and a large number of Black Gold rank experts, Yun Tian never thought that there would be so many experts in this world. However, because of the lacking of demon spirits, it's extremely hard to find a suitable demon spirit for these Legend rank experts. Therefore, most of them are just Legend rank fighters and not Demon Spiritualists, their strengths are certainly a lot weaker compared to Ye Mo.
These families claimed the mountain and made all kinds of self-proclamations without anyone objecting to their rule; therefore, it's certain that they would abuse their powers. Yun Tian looked at the man and asked.
"Among these thirteen families, which family is the most righteous?"
"Among the thirteen families, the most righteous would be the Divine Flames Family. Their strength is only second to the Silver Winged Family. Due to the Silver Winged Family always trying to swallow up the other families, the Divine Flames Family gathered four other families to fight against them which is the reason why the Silver Winged Family still doesn't dare to take any action. In addition, the thirteen families also have a trading town, but due to the fact that it's unattended, it has become extremely chaotic. The patriarch of the Silver Winged Family, Sikong Yi, has been wanting to get jurisdiction of the town. However, eleven other families agreed to let the Divine Flames Family have jurisdiction. The other eleven families believed that only the Divine Flames Family could achieve fairness."
Yun Tian was satisfied with the answer and considered giving the chance to be part of Glory City. Aside from the thirteen families, there are also villagers that came from various villages. The people in the town look thin and malnourished.
He found out that the food here is very lacking. The thirteen families are considered better off, even though they could barely manage their food and clothing. As for the villagers, it was more depressing for them. The majority of the demon beasts' meat in this world carried a weird sour stench and taste, making them inedible. Only a small minority of the beasts could be eaten; however, they have been hunted to the point that their population is very small now. Their food mainly came from the mountain berries, fruits and mushrooms.
Food is the most valuable thing here!
Yun Tian couldn't help but take pity on the people who lived here where they are essentially waiting to waste away and it was amazing that they still stood strong after a generation of struggle. He went around the market finding a few treasures like a Dragon's Soul Stone that can have energy sealed within it. It is usually embedded into weapons, causing the combat ability of the weapon to become much greater.
In Glory City, these are extremely rare, but in the dark space within the Abyss Prison Realm, they are very common and can be found everywhere.
They are so common in fact, that they use them as a consumable single use arrowhead. These arrowheads have a high lethality against demon beasts, but once they are shot into their body they melt. He continued hunting until he came across something that caught his eye.
This is a strange item. It's a spherical object, somewhat similar to a soul puppet. It has a complex metallic structure. From the looks of it, Yun Tian could tell that it originates from the hand of a grand master. However, as for the usage of this item, not even Yun Tian could tell.
The one selling this is an old man that wore tattered clothes. His appearance was thin and weak, his clouded eyes didn't even have a trace of clearance and his booth only had a few items.
Yun Tian extended his hand and picked up the spherical object. Inside the metallic structure, was a sparkling crystal. Within the crystal, there are strands of a blizzard that was constantly changing its shape.
When Yun Tian saw this scene, he was utterly shocked. This should be the legendary Blizzard Spiritual Gem.
"This young master over here, this is the treasure that has been passed down in my family for over five hundred years. If it wasn't for the fact that the family is declining now, I wouldn't even be willing to take it out and sell it." said the old man, in a hoarse and feeble voice.
"What's your price for this?" asked Yun Tian as he opened his mouth.
"Five bags of food and I'll sell it to you." said the old man after pondering for a while.
"What? Five bags of food?"
Yun Tian's voice shot up. Is this some kind of a joke? Five bags of food could buy a Blizzard Spirit Gem? This is a Blizzard Spirit Gem, one of the nine great spirit gems! With the Blizzard Spirit Gem, a Snow Wind attribute Demon Spiritualist would be able to have their soul force grow several times more than their original amount.
Furthermore, all their Snow Wind attribute combat abilities would experience an increase in power! If Yun Tian used the Nightmare Demon Pot then it could grow even more!
This is simply a god-like item!
"Is five bags of food too expensive? Then how about three bags?" The old man looked at Yun Tian timidly, frightened by Yun Tian's expression.
After giving it a thought about it, he eventually understood. During the Age of Darkness, the usage of many treasures has been long lost. Although this item has been passed down by their ancestor, this old man probably doesn't even know what the Blizzard Spiritual Gem is nor its worth. If they can be satisfied with their meal, then what's the point of protecting an item that's been passed down by their ancestor?
'You misunderstood me elder. It is fate you met me, go and gather the people you trust then I shall bring a place far better than this place and provide you the appropriate price. Once you're done, simply think about me then I shall take you out of this place.'
He sent a mental transmission to the Old man who was surprised to realize that he encountered a blessing and cast an illusion where people didn't see them as Yun Tian took the Blizzard Spiritual Gem. The old man kowtowed as Yun Tian looked around to some place until he told Mio and Mia to head to meet up with the Divine Flames Family and discuss his proposal.
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