Swallowing the starry sky, my clones can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 110 The Primal Tongtian Mountain

Inside the cultivation room, wisps of chaotic mist enveloped the space.

A tall and magnificent Chaos Stele appeared and disappeared in the mist.

Before the Chaos Stele, Shen Mu sat cross-legged, his gaze fixed on the fifth image on the stele.

This is a river rushing under the starry sky, with each wave constantly surging and churning, embodying the profound meaning of the two great laws of water and space.

A strange beast can be vaguely seen in this magnificent river, but its form is not fixed.

Sometimes it resembles a golden-horned behemoth, sometimes it transforms into a dragon-like life form, and sometimes it even becomes a humanoid life form.

If you look closely, you can see that the silhouette of that kind of human life form is extremely similar to that of the Lord of the Ice Peak.

Those with the talent for fusion laws can perceive the essence of fusion laws from the figure of this strange life form, and their future path will be much longer.

As for those without the talent for fusion, they can only follow the conventional path of comprehension. Comprehending all nine diagrams means having complete mastery of the two laws of water and space, and the ultimate goal is to become a cosmic venerable.

"Come out!"

"Come out!"

The mind-blowing demonic sound echoed in Shen Mu's ears, waking him from the complex and profound realm of laws and concepts.

As Shen Mu regained his senses, a rich and intense fluctuation of primordial laws involuntarily surrounded him.

"Wow! I didn't expect such great progress this time."

A faint smile appeared on Shen Mu's face. Previously, Shen Mu had only barely achieved a level of law mastery comparable to that of a Marquis by relying on the blessing of his entry into the fusion of laws.

However, after observing the Chaos Stele this time, Shen Mu's understanding of the laws of space reached a new level.

The so-called changes in spatial laws are simply the combinations of the 108 essential spatial laws. By understanding the mysteries of different combinations, one can naturally unleash different transformative techniques.

"My progress in spatial laws has been so rapid, partly due to my talent and mental state, but the biggest contributor is the teleportation technique of my Azure Dragon clone."

When Shen Mu encountered a bottleneck in comprehending the essence of the laws, he would habitually have his Azure Dragon clone use the teleportation technique.

He sensed the fluctuations in the laws of space during the execution of the teleportation technique. By comprehending the mysteries and artistic conceptions contained within, Shen Mu was almost unhindered by these bottlenecks, and within a year, he had mastered one of the most complex transformations.

It was precisely because of this method of understanding that, even though Shen Mu focused on analyzing the essence of things, he still gained many subtle insights into the instantaneous changes of spatial laws.

Shen Mu had not noticed it before, but as he began to comprehend the fifth diagram of the Chaos Stele, he had an unusually familiar sense of déjà vu.

Especially when trying to comprehend the various laws governing the direction of teleportation, it feels like a fish entering the ocean, often giving a sudden realization, "So that's how it is!"

"At this rate, I might be able to comprehend a kind of spatial law teleportation-like change mystery before leaving the initial universe."

Shen Mu couldn't possibly devote himself entirely to comprehending the laws of space, so his progress over the past three hundred years is already quite remarkable.

"I still have five chances to comprehend the Chaos Stele, but the sixteenth level of the Bridge to Heaven definitely won't stop me."

"Let's postpone the next attempt to comprehend the Chaos Stele for fifty years from now."

"Every fifty years, by the three hundredth year, all the opportunities for enlightenment will have been used up."

Shen Mu then turned and left the meditation chamber, bowing slightly to Kandri, who was guarding the chamber, before beginning his cultivation journey in Chaos City.

……

Time passed day by day.

In the blink of an eye, fifty-two years had passed since Shen Mu entered Chaos City to cultivate in seclusion, and more than one hundred and fifty years had passed in the primordial universe.

Over the past hundred years, the fervor surrounding Shen Mu's initial sweep of the first fifteen floors of the Tongtian Bridge has gradually subsided, no longer becoming a topic of casual conversation.

Meanwhile, news that Shen Mu had become the third personal disciple of the Ice Peak Lord had already spread throughout the upper echelons of the human race. Almost every Venerable-level expert knew about this news.

The Virtual Universe Company (Lord of Ice Peak) even dispatched a Cosmic Venerable to Earth in secret to oversee Earth's safety (protect Shen Mu's family).

This treatment is astonishing; even Luo Feng, who became the personal disciple of the Chaos City Lord in the original novel, did not receive this treatment.

Becoming an apprentice of the Lord of Ice Peak and becoming an apprentice of the Lord of Chaos City are different. The Lord of Chaos City has many personal disciples, so it is impossible for him to care about each and every one of them.

However, the Lord of Ice Peak is different. He has no more than ten disciples in name only, and the only living direct disciples are Venerable Bai Feng and Shen Mu.

As a powerful figure among the universe's overlords, Venerable Bai Feng doesn't need his care, so he naturally pays more attention to his junior disciples.

At this moment, in the courtyard of the Icebound Palace, Shen Mu was having a video call with Luo Feng.

"Senior brother, how did you become a preliminary candidate back then? That's too exaggerated."

On the other side of the screen, the background behind Luo Feng was the inheritance palace of the Purgatory God General.

At this moment, Luo Feng had just stepped onto the 21st step of the inheritance staircase. With his soul comprehension speed at the World Lord level, he did not feel too much pressure.

"I estimate that even with the blessing of a World Lord-level soul, at my current comprehension speed, I can only reach the level of a preliminary selector at most."

The difficulty of inheriting the title of Purgatory God depends on the genetic level and the speed at which one masters the secret techniques.

Although Shen Mu was only a Domain Lord-level soul at the time, he possessed the talent value of a spirit-possessed demonic insect, and his thought process was faster than most Realm Lords.

The faster one's mind works, the faster one can process information and understand secret techniques, and the shorter the time it takes to cultivate secret techniques. This is how one barely became a preliminary candidate and obtained the Blood God Fruit.

"Keep it up, break through to the Domain Lord level soon, then you can go home," Shen Mu said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, a look of longing appeared in Luo Feng's eyes: "Yes, I can finally go home."

After chatting for a few minutes, Luo Feng hung up the call; his time was extremely tight. If he couldn't become a preliminary candidate and obtain the Blood God Fruit, then suppressing it at the cosmic level for over three hundred years would be of little use.

"More than a hundred years have passed again, how time flies."

Immersed in contemplation and practice, coupled with the difference in time flow between the two universes, Shen Mu felt as if a day in the mountains was equivalent to a thousand years in the world.

"After I leave the seclusion, I'll meet up with Brother Hong and the others, and then I'll go and study the Chaos Stele."

Shen Mu has made progress over the years, as have Luo Feng, Hong, and the three brothers, Lei Shen.

There's no need to elaborate on Luo Feng's side, but Hong and Lei Shen joined the core layer of the Giant Axe Arena more than twenty years ago and entered the initial universe to cultivate.

Although the timeline is similar to that in the original work, Hong and Thor's mastery of the laws is quite high. The thirty years in Chaos City have not yet ended, and they have respectively passed the third and second levels of the Bridge to Heaven.

A moment later, in a corner of Chaos City.

On the rooftops of two adjacent cultivation residences, Hong, dressed in black, and Lei Shen, dressed in white, were both staring at the ever-changing patterns of laws on the horizon.

"Big brother, second brother!"

A streak of light flashed, revealing Shen Mu dressed in a golden battle robe.

Shen Mu's golden battle robe was formed from an immortal-grade Star-Eating Grass, and its defensive power far surpassed that of the Spirit-Controlling Armor.

After the Star-Eating Grass breaks through to the Immortal Realm, the golden patterns on its white leaves become more complex and numerous. The strongest Thousand Vine Star-Eating Grass will directly turn golden.

"Third brother!"

"The three sons have emerged from seclusion?"

Hong and Lei Shen smiled when they saw Shen Mu appear. The last time the three of them had gathered was when Shen Mu had just been transferred to another post.

"Hmm, that's progress. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to get past the sixteenth level of the Sky Bridge."

Over the course of fifty-two years, Shen Mu successfully comprehended the first level of the Path of the Beast God: the "Scale and Armor Chapter".

The difficulty of comprehending the essence of the Scale Armor Chapter is roughly the same as comprehending a minor variation of a spatial law; both require the ability of the fifteenth level of the Bridge to Heaven.

With the Beast God's intent from the Scale Armor Chapter, combined with Shen Mu's current mastery of spatial and water laws, he passed the sixteenth level with almost no difficulty.

"Your progress rate is just unscientific!" Thor complained with a funny expression.

Hong couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Lei Zi and I have tried our best, but we feel that the gap between us and you and Luo Feng is getting bigger and bigger."

Hong is no longer a novice; he has a good understanding of the various levels of the Tongtian Bridge.

The sixteenth level of the Bridge to Heaven represents the advanced level of legal attainment, akin to being granted the title of Marquis.

"Let's drink and not talk business today!"

Shen Mu waved his right hand, and two bottles of wine appeared in front of Hong and Lei Shen respectively, namely Thunder Rain Wine and Star Spirit Essence.

To be precise, there is no concept of alcohol in the universe. However, when translating it into Chinese, "alcohol" is the most appropriate word to describe it, since one gets drunk after drinking it.

Although Hong and Thor did not recognize the two bottles of wine, their AI assistants certainly did.

"Third brother, we're not outsiders, there's no need to take wine worth millions of Chaos Units." Thor put away his playful expression and spoke with some seriousness.

Hong nodded slightly. He wasn't a proud person and wouldn't deliberately refuse Shen Mu's help, but there was no need to make such a big deal out of having a drink together.

"Drinking is one aspect, but Thunderstorm and Star Spirit Essence are very suitable for the eldest and second brothers, as they can enhance their talents in the laws of light and lightning."

Both of these precious wines have the remarkable effect of altering physique and genes. However, they do not directly enhance the genetic level like Blood Crystal, but rather enhance the talent of laws.

Hong and Lei Shen's talent in the laws of magic is quite average. They received resource support in the Qianwu Secret Realm, which improved their talent in the laws of magic, but they are still far from the average level of the top 100 in the Genius Battle.

But with the help of these two bottles of wine, the gap in their talent for the laws can be basically bridged.

"Alright, today the second brother and I will taste what this wine with millions of mixed units tastes like."

Hong and Lei Shen did not make any deliberate excuses, and Shen Mu also showed a faint smile.

As the two bottles of precious wine were opened, wisps of lightning and soft starlight filled the rooftop, emanating a rich yet gentle fluctuation of the laws of nature.

"Cheers!"

The atmosphere on the rooftop became lively, with the faint echoes of the three brothers' hearty laughter.

With his increased strength and status, Shen Mu hadn't experienced this kind of atmosphere for a very long time.

When his old friends and acquaintances met Shen Mu, they were all incredibly reserved. Perhaps only those with exceptionally high moral character, such as Hong and Lei Shen, could remain as composed as ever.

……

The following day, in the virtual world, the Rain Mountain dimension.

Inside the study, on the screen in front of Shen Mu, information and introductions about the three levels of the original Tongtian Mountain appeared.

The cosmic-level "Primordial Tongtian Mountain" requires the ability to cross the 12th level of the Tongtian Bridge.

The Domain Lord level "Primordial Tongtian Mountain" requires approximately the strength of the 16th floor of the Tongtian Bridge to pass through.

The "Primordial Tongtian Mountain," a realm master level challenge, requires the equivalent of about 20 levels of the Tongtian Bridge to conquer.

"Let's see if we can get through Tongtian Mountain directly."

Whoosh!

Shen Mu disappeared directly from the study.

……

In the Tongtian Mountain dimension, there are only three majestic mountains on this vast land.

The three mountains are each taller and more majestic than the last. The last one, the Primitive Tongtian Mountain, is particularly magnificent and mysterious, with precipitous terrain.

call out!

Shen Mu's figure appeared out of thin air on this vast land, his gaze sweeping over the three mountain peaks. Then, he transformed into a streak of light and appeared at the foot of the Primordial Tongtian Mountain in an instant.

At the foot of the mountain, there were three figures: a burly minotaur wielding a giant axe, a lean, golden-haired ape carrying a bamboo pole, and a bewitching woman with a human body and a snake tail.

The three are a martial artist, a mentalist, and an illusionist. Even if someone has the same level of mastery of the laws, they can still defeat the challenger by working together and attacking in unison.

The three gatekeepers at the foot of the mountain, the middle of the mountain, and the summit are the same three, but their strengths differ. The number of gatekeepers at the middle of the mountain is ten times that at the foot of the mountain, and naturally, the number of gatekeepers at the summit is also ten times that at the middle of the mountain.

"Your Highness Shen Mu, are you planning to venture into the Tongtian Mountains?"

The minotaur obtained Shen Mu's information immediately upon seeing him.

Shen Mu nodded gently: "Mm."

"Your Highness, the strength of the fifteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge is not enough to overcome the Primal Tongtian Mountain, which is at the Domain Lord level."

The alluring snake woman leaned closer, her voice filled with endless seduction.

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work."

After Shen Mu finished speaking, the Frost God Weapon behind him emitted a dark blue glow and reformed into a 3.3-meter-long Frost Sky Ice Shard.

The battle is imminent!

……

Half a minute later, at the summit of Tongtian Mountain.

Shen Mu, dressed in a white robe, slowly landed on the platform at the top of the mountain.

"Your Highness, be careful."

The minotaur roared excitedly and brandished his terrifying giant axe.

The lean ape-man psychic let out a strange laugh, and the black bamboo pole behind him flew out, each section separating instantly, with countless threads connecting and running through them, like a ferocious venomous snake.

"Please, Your Highness Shen Mu, have mercy on them!"

The snake woman's voice was alluring, and a clear light flashed in her enchanting eyes as she cast some kind of illusionary spell.

Shen Mu completely ignored the snake woman's illusion technique, unleashing his full power with a soul amplitude nearly a hundred times greater, manipulating the Frost Sky Ice Shards to perform a basic secret technique recorded in the "Sixfold Water and Sky".

Boom!

Endless cold winds intertwined, and an incomparably strange pressure erupted from the Frosty Sky Ice Shards, vaguely forming the phantom of a strange beast.

In that instant, an incredibly fierce aura and fluctuation erupted, causing the three gatekeepers' expressions to change drastically.

call out!

The next instant, the Frosty Ice Shards vanished from their original spot.

Tear!

The void around the minotaur was suddenly torn open in three places, as if it had been slashed by an invisible beast claw.

A burst of brilliant blue light erupted, instantly obliterating the minotaur's enormous head.

Before long, the mountaintop fell completely silent, and the dense energy and law fluctuations disappeared.

call out!

A blue streak of light flashed past, transforming back into the most basic form of the Frost God Weapon behind Shen Mu.

The three gatekeepers lay dead on the ground beside Shen Mu.

The next second, the injuries on the three corpses disappeared instantly, and they returned to normal. At the same time, the minotaur, the snake woman, and the ape all stood up.

The minotaur bowed slightly and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness Shen Mu, you have successfully passed through the Primordial Tongtian Mountain, a Domain Lord level mountain."

The golden ape-man also spoke up: "Since the establishment of the Primordial Tongtian Mountain at the Domain Lord level, among all the geniuses who have ventured through it, His Highness Shen Mu is the youngest."

The snake woman asked with a curious expression, "Your Highness Shen Mu, why have you been able to ignore my illusions?"

"My soul amplitude is higher than that of most cosmic beings. What level do you think my resistance to illusions would be?"

Shen Mu did not answer directly, but instead asked a question with a smile.

After answering his questions, Shen Mu wasted no more time and teleported directly to the Tongtian Bridge dimension.

A moment later, we reached the sixteenth level of the Sky Bridge and passed through.

……

On that day, news of Shen Mu's fifty years of seclusion and his success in conquering the sixteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge and the Tongtian Mountain, a domain lord-level mountain, spread among the powerful and high-ranking individuals.

However, this time, news of Shen Mu's breakthrough was only known among the Universe Venerables.

By order of the highest will of the virtual universe, starting fifty years ago, any records and videos of Shen Mu's attempts to pass through levels will become top secrets of the human race.

Only the most powerful beings who can attend the Human Race's Council of Gods are qualified to view and consult this information, and any form of dissemination is strictly prohibited.

(End of this chapter)