Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 954 Contract forging the Mysterious Gate

"So that's how it is. Before the sealing of the heavens, he was still there..."

After Chu Tai returned, the Primordial True Lord in the Eastern Celestial Realm sensed something and retrieved some information from the distant past that he could not recall because it was obscured by the Eastern Emperor Bell.

"No wonder we couldn't figure out the origin of that bell before, because it had already been influenced in the past."

Qing Shi Zhenjun sighed. As a first-rank Zhenjun, he knew very well that when he saw the Eastern Emperor Bell, everything in the past, present, and future had already been anchored.

Only the final wielder of the innate things can maintain the original linear time; all other changes will ultimately lead to that inevitable future.

It's as if the Demon King and the Demon Buddha have already attained enlightenment, their true paths merging with heaven and earth, becoming part of the construction of the Eastern Celestial Radiance Great Heaven.

Therefore, their attainment of enlightenment was inevitable in the entire timeline, and there was virtually no possibility of going back in time to modify the process.

After all, modifying the past of a True Monarch-level being is a complete subversion of all timelines after their attainment of enlightenment.

It will affect not only him, but also all the True Lords and other such beings who have interacted with him, and may even involve some of the Dao Lords and other such beings in the Great Luo Heaven.

This state of mutual influence among numerous first-rank cultivators, who are Dao Lords, keeps the River of Time in the Eastern Celestial Radiance in a chaotic and powerful state. It also means that a first-rank True Lord can only maintain a first-rank state at any given time.

In the Great Luo World, where other Dao Lords have little influence, a First-Rank True Lord can control all of his time, making every version of himself on the timeline a First-Rank True Lord, and even directly modify the past, altering his own birth.

However, the vastness and unpredictable chaos of the Eastern Pole Starlight Great Heavenly River of Time also constantly refines the Dao Fruits of the First-Rank Realm beings, allowing each of them to temper and condense a River of Timelight originating from their own Dao Fruit within the origin of time.

This river reflects the light of the great heavens, enabling the True Lord to maintain himself amidst the erosion of time, ensuring that the river never dries up, the Dao fruit never dissipates, the True Spirit remains, and the form and spirit endure forever.

Furthermore, with the two rivers interacting, if anyone attempts to trace back time or alter the past, it will inevitably cause ripples in the Great Heavenly River. The True Lord will immediately be able to observe the variables within and understand the changes in cause and effect.

Of course, all methods have their limitations, and this reflective ability naturally has its limits. It can see the smallest details and reveal the most minute things to those of the same or lower level.

However, as for interference from higher levels that transcend one's own realm and remain hidden in the profound mystery, as long as it does not touch the fundamental principle of one's own immortality, even if there is disturbance, it is like the wind passing over a lake, difficult to detect, and may even cause fog to rise on the river surface, thus obscuring one's vision.

Even if something is truly detected as amiss, attempting to forcibly investigate could very likely trigger a violent conflict, ultimately causing the Great Celestial Light to surge and triggering the Great Celestial Repulsion, forcing one to leave the Great Celestial Realm.

Chu Tai's Eastern Emperor Bell was clearly an interference of a higher rank than the first grade, directly preventing Qing Shi Zhenjun and others from recalling the information about the Eastern Emperor Bell.

Even after seeing the Eastern Emperor Bell, they would be unable to recognize its origin due to its deceptive nature.

Understanding the thoughts of his two fellow cultivators, True Monarch Yu Li coldly said, "Unfortunately, in order to reverse the River of Time and send Chu Tai back to the past, Taiyi has consumed too much energy and won't be able to recover in a short time. Now, shouldn't we first..."

The words came to an abrupt halt, not because Jade Emperor had fallen silent, but because an unimaginable, domineering force descended without warning.

The surrounding void emitted a sound of being unable to bear the weight, as if a piece of cloth was being torn apart piece by piece.

An arm stretched out from the shattered void rift, reaching straight for Chu Tai, who was still unsteady on his feet.

Chu Tai, who had just come to his senses, was startled when he saw the large hand covering him.

This was the Demon Lord's method, devoid of any skill, simple and brutal, carrying only a pure power that instilled despair, slamming down with the force of suppressing the entire world.

Wherever it passed, the light of the universe and the void seemed to be kneaded into a lump of mud, cutting off all means of escape.

Ordinary people would be powerless to defend against such methods, but Chu Tai was different. He pointed his finger, and the Eastern Emperor Bell stood above his head.

The eight first-grade Dao fruits recorded within manifested under the Dao of Taiyi.

The earth was vast and desolate, with mountains and veins surging, supporting the illusory image of the heavens. Gods stood among them, and the long river of cosmic light surged like a dragon, causing the mortal world and clouds to change in countless ways, stirring up the cycle of life and death, and enlightening countless spiritual opportunities, which transformed into an eternal and unbreakable primordial light, blocking the way before the giant hand.

During this time, the giant hand tried to steer all the future in the direction desired by a certain demon king, but the long river churned, and another force wrestled with it, causing the giant hand to press down on the wall of the Eastern Emperor Bell.

In an instant, the earth trembled, the earth veins roared, rocks cracked and mountains collapsed, shaking the heavens. This caused the phantoms of the gods to rise and fall uncertainly, and the long river of time to surge with waves, stirring up the changes in life, death and spirituality in the mortal world, causing the Xuanhuang treasure light to sway continuously.

Chu Tai stood beneath the precious bell, his robes fluttering and rustling, and looked into the void, saying, "Senior Junmo, you have cultivated for ten thousand years, yet you bully the weak like this, dealing with a junior like me who has just achieved enlightenment. Isn't that going too far?"

"As expected of a primordial artifact, although it lacks a complete Dao Fruit, its eightfold first-grade intertwining makes it virtually impervious to all laws. But this thing can only protect you at most; it cannot protect your fellow cultivators. Tell me what happened back then, or I will reduce all things in the Eastern Peak to ashes!"

"Let the Eastern Peak turn to ashes, Demon Lord, do you regard us as nothing?"

Qing Shi Zhenjun, Hun Yuan Zhenjun, and Yu Li Zhenjun arrived on a cloud and stood beside Chu Tai. At the same time, Dao Qi surged, protecting the entire Dongyue Dharma Realm.

Faced with the help of the three True Lords, the Heavenly Demon Lord, the Blood Demon Lord, and the Buddha Demon Lord also diverted some of their power, aiming at the three True Lords from afar, seemingly intending to take sides.

Especially the Buddha and the Demon, who wished the Demon King would fight Chu Tai right now.

After all, one of them was not strong enough at the time, and the other was asleep. They knew much less information than the three True Monarchs, the Heavenly Demon, and the Blood Demon Lord, and were not very clear about the beginning and end of the events.

Perhaps it was because the Buddha and Demon's gazes were too intense, but after the power of the three Dao Lords subsided, the Demon Lord actually calmed down a bit.

"I just want to know what really happened back then! You must have known something else, tell me!"

Junmo's tone was icy, and terrifying power continuously impacted the surrounding void.

Chu Tai could sense that the other party was suppressing his emotions. After thinking for a moment, he felt it was not appropriate to provoke him further, so he said, "I don't know much, and what I have at hand needs to be verified."

When will we have an answer?

"What if those guys are wiped out? After all, they were involved in this whole thing. Rather than fighting each other, I think it's better to get rid of these three guys first. What do you think?"

Chu Tai pointed in the direction of the dynasty, and the three presiding figures on the Holy King's Avenue immediately felt a terrifying pressure descend upon them.

Three supreme treasures flew out, and Junmo unleashed three punches in quick succession, sending the three treasures flying back into the Holy King's Path. The powerful force even shook the entire Divine Continent several times, causing countless earth veins to churn and frightening many of the Eastern Peak Gods into manifesting to stabilize the changes. Ignoring the danger, Junmo, who was using his great divine power, swayed slightly as the Great Heavenly Backlash descended, continuously weakening his aura until he managed to suppress it back to a safe level.

He looked at Chu Tai and whispered, "Fine, but if you don't tell me then, I will surely turn Dongyue to ashes."

"A word is settled!"

After Chu Tai made a pact with Jun Mo, Jun Mo transformed into a streak of light and left.

Seeing this, Qing Shi Zhenjun walked to Chu Tai's side and said, "It seems you'll be busy for a while again."

"After this period is over, everything will be settled."

After Chu Tai answered, Hunyuan Zhenjun stepped forward and asked about the methods Chu Tai used to seal the heavens. He said that the [Beidou] Dao Fruit under that system was very interesting.

"It's clearly only equivalent to a second-grade Dao Fruit, yet it exerts a great restraint on the heavens, firmly connecting it to the sky. With our combined strength, we successfully sealed it off, and it hasn't caused any disturbances until now. It's just a pity that, to prevent any changes, we added layers of seals to the Dao Fruit, making it difficult for me to analyze its power. I remember that your treasure bell can condense fragments of Dao Fruits; could you show me?"

"Naturally."

Chu Tai nodded, and with a thought, the Dao Fruit of the Gate System manifested.

He pointed to the Ninth Grade Dao Fruit Fragment [Apprentice] and said, "This is the most basic Ninth Grade power, which can improve physical fitness in all aspects, but it does not exceed the limits of ordinary people. At the same time, it enhances spirituality and grants the abilities of entry and opening the gate."

"Entry and opening? These two abilities are quite interesting."

The Primordial True Lord could tell the true nature of the two at a glance.

The former corresponds to the concept of an apprentice, that is, a novice who enters a certain field. The door to the entrance is a barrier to knowledge and cognition. Outside the door is ignorance, and inside the door is knowledge. The process of going from ignorance to knowledge is the entry into the field.

The latter refers to actual magical abilities, such as the ability to pass through walls or pick locks. It allows one to pass directly through closed doors and walls. Here, "door" refers to a physical barrier, and this barrier is what is meant by "opening the door."

The True Lord reached out and gently tapped, guiding out a fragment of the Eighth Grade Dao Fruit, "The Magician."

If the "Apprentice" level represents a breakthrough on the cognitive and physical levels, then the "Trickster" level represents a breakthrough on the spiritual level, with a significant increase in spirituality and the acquisition of various strange but not powerful spells.

Of course, as first-rank beings, the three True Lords could naturally see that this spell was not the result of the circulation of primordial energy, but rather a projection of natural phenomena after spirituality broke through the blockage; it was a link between spirituality and nature.

"The power is less affected by changes in external energy, but greatly limited by the intensity of spirituality and corresponding phenomena. This kind of technique is quite interesting. However, with the blessing of this fragment of the Dao Fruit, it should also be able to extract certain symbolic spiritual materials from ordinary materials, thereby enhancing the power of the technique..."

Qing Shi Zhenjun was also somewhat interested, but having already helped Chu Tai deduce the Dao Fruit system once, he quickly found the key and propelled the manifestation of the seventh-grade Dao Fruit fragment [Ling Tai Lang].

Compared to the Apprentice and the Magician, the Spirit Master leans towards the ability to perceive his own "position," gaining the ability to perceive celestial bodies and accurately pinpoint his location as well as the speed at which time passes around him.

This characteristic also gives Lingtai Lang the foundation to cultivate many stellar methods, as well as a powerful spiritual sense that allows him to sense the impact of external forces on his "position." This manifests as a premonition of great danger, allowing him to sense many disasters before they occur.

Next is the sixth-grade Dao Fruit fragment [Cloud Traveler], which is somewhat similar to Yun Zhongjun's eighth-grade Dao Fruit fragment [Wandering Scholar], but it is greatly enhanced in all aspects and its symbolic meaning is completely different.

The essence of the 【Cloud Visitor】is a summary and enhancement of the first three Dao Fruit fragments. Its abilities can be roughly divided into positioning the universe, traveling among immortal sects, and the Ruyi Treasure Book.

Positioning oneself in the universe is an elevation of one's own perception of location. Its essence is the interaction between spirituality and the Way of the universe. It manifests as a stronger perception of one's own "location" and the ability to leave a mark in the corresponding place as a reference.

The Cloud Wandering Immortal Gate can be considered an elevated concept of opening a gate, treating the universe as a barrier. By breaking through the barrier, one can achieve the effect of spatial traversal. With the help of positioning the universe, one can teleport over long distances, and during battle, one can change one's spatial position back and forth over short distances.

At first glance, the final Wish-Fulfilling Book is a sublimation of magic tricks, or rather, a sublimation of the projection of phenomena. However, the objects of this ability are no longer limited to natural phenomena, but also include the supernatural powers and magic of other people. Therefore, it also contains a certain meaning of positioning and reproduction on the level of cosmic light.

"Compared to the previous three Dao Fruit fragments, this one represents a qualitative change. This kind of cultivation system is quite interesting and can serve as a supplementary method for future immortal cultivators."

Seeing this, True Lord Yu Li also intervened. The influence of the three True Lords had already caused some distortion and changes in the sect system.

Chu Tai dared not let them interfere any further, so he could only condense a fifth-grade Dao Fruit fragment, [Red Dust Immortal], himself.

At this stage, the Dao of the Universe contained within the Dao Fruit fragment has been further enhanced, and it has condensed the Dharma intents of [Gate], [Void], and [Spiritual Realm], gaining the three abilities of Transforming Spiritual Realm, Universe in the Sleeve, and Thousands of Doors and Households.

Among them, the Transformation Realm can create its own hidden realm within the painting, or it can establish its own unique realm on the mountains and rivers, which is a projection and preservation of information about nature or civilization.

The Sleeve Universe can create an independent space in advance. Unlike the transformation of the Spirit Realm, which projects natural environment and human information, this space is a pure manifestation of the Way of the Universe. It can be used to store things or to imprison enemies.

The final "thousands of doors and ten thousand households" represents a further mastery of the concept of a door.

You can enter by opening any door and exit through another door within a certain range.

You can also create a small, private "home" by closing the door, thus keeping danger out.

You can also create a "cage" by closing off a certain area to imprison your opponent.

Seeing this, the three True Lords began to understand why Chu Tai's [Big Dipper] Dao Fruit was able to seal the will of heaven.

The will of Heaven is too closely connected to Heaven to be separated, so turn it around, regard Heaven as its "home", and lock it from the outside, imprisoning it.

Once they understood this, they no longer felt so much emotion when they looked at the fourth-grade Dao Fruit fragment [Wandering Celestial Official] and the third-grade Dao Fruit [Great Void Star Chariot].

After all, the [Big Dipper] is only a second-grade Dao Fruit. Once they know what they want to know, the Dao principles and laws contained within this Dao Fruit are not very attractive to the three True Monarchs who have cultivated for tens of thousands of years.

Of course, in return, the three of them also shared some of their insights with Chu Tai, helping him to improve the sect system and allowing the first-grade Dao Fruit [Xuanmen] to take initial shape.

In addition, while imparting their insights, the three also shared some other insights, stimulating the other eight Dao Fruits of the Eastern Emperor Bell to further improve, which slightly enhanced Chu Tai's power.

(End of this chapter)