The Sundial hovered above Venerable Lake, its stone needle casting shadows that moved endlessly across the dial.
Flowers bloomed and withered in the mountains; spring departed and winter came.
Time flew; countless divine stones were consumed.
…
Over ten thousand years, Zhang Ruochen spent most of his time within the Sundial’s range: inscribing rules, cultivating mental strength, studying arrays, or refining artefacts.
When hungry, he dug Yuanhui-grade sacred herbs from the Six Ancestors’ Zen Diagram of Release and swallowed them. When thirsty, he drank from the divine springs in the lake.
Though the lake water was not pure divine spring, it carried a rich divine-spring aura.
Elsewhere, finding even one divine herb was harder than ascending to heaven.
Yet at the bottom of Venerable Lake, Zhang Ruochen had detected three divine herbs. All grew within ancient ruins, hidden and guarded by Venerable divine patterns; even Butian-realm gods could not enter.
The spring water was merely diluted essence from those three herbs.
As the drunkard had said, ten thousand years truly was a major threshold.
Even though Zhang Ruochen had not spent all his time cultivating—he sparred and discussed dao with Ming Wang and Feng Chen Sword God, played qin and chess with Yan Zhe Xian, Guyu Huanhuan, and Luo Yi, explored the Venerable divine palace ruins, and travelled the mortal world of Xinghuan Heaven—he still felt distracting thoughts multiply, his mind restless, unable to fully immerse in cultivation.
The desire to advance quickly grew heavier; he wished to step into Divine Venerable realm overnight.
This was dangerous!
Zhang Ruochen realised he could not continue cultivating.
Not just him; other gods who had cultivated over five thousand years also showed emotional instability.
Xiao Hei grew extremely irritable; Xue Tu became increasingly unhinged. The two fought at the slightest provocation, disturbing everyone’s peace. The reasons were absurd.
Once, Xiao Hei walked past Xue Tu. Xue Tu glanced sideways.
Xiao Hei immediately took it as a challenge and declaration of war. And so…
They fought.
Luo Yi’s state was also strange. She no longer cultivated quietly in her divine hall but stormed into the Seven Star Imperial Palace, repeatedly urging Zhang Ruochen to marry her at once and fulfil their engagement.
Zhang Ruochen was not unwilling, but with the Sundial open, raising cultivation was clearly the priority.
Closing the Sundial midway to marry her—how could he explain that to Ming Wang, Feng Chen Sword God, Yan Yu, and the others cultivating?
After repeated arguments, Luo Yi gave up immediate marriage but insisted on cultivating together with Zhang Ruochen.
A lone man and woman in one palace—how could that be calm cultivation?
After another refusal, Luo Yi camped outside the Seven Star Imperial Palace. She appeared to cultivate, but her actions were extreme.
Prajna, Bai Qing’er, Yan Zhe Xian, even her friend Guyu Huanhuan—anyone wishing to see Zhang Ruochen had to pass her first.
Fights were inevitable.
Clearly, when seclusion time far exceeded a cultivator’s prior age and experience, emotions, personality, and thinking underwent drastic change.
These were signs of impending deviation!
Only the older A’Ji, Ming Wang, Yan Yu, and Bai Qing’er remained relatively stable. Though Xiao Hei was oldest, most of his time had been sealed in the scroll.
“We cannot let them continue!”
Zhang Ruochen stored the Sundial and brought those with heart-demon issues to visit the drunkard.
At Nameless Manor.
The drunkard was teaching Goose Big and Goose Two fist techniques in the garden.
He stood in horse stance, fists raining like storm, using neither mental strength nor divine qi. While punching, he explained the subtleties to Goose Big and Goose Two.
Notably, the two geese had entered the Sundial’s range multiple times and now reached the Immeasurable Great Saint realm.
Their slow progress was because the drunkard suppressed them.
Each realm had to be perfected before breakthrough.
Originally ordinary fowl, under the drunkard’s secret arts, they were nearly transforming into white-winged great pengs.
Bathed in great-peng blood, tempered with dragon soul essence, even fed divine herb leaves.
Now Goose Big and Goose Two had cultivated human-like divine bodies: dragon necks, fist-sized goose heads, wings blazing with divine flame.
Both had potential to become Yuanhui representatives.
Cultivating a Yuanhui representative was harder than ascending heaven, even for someone like the drunkard. The main reason was their innate deficiency.
In truth, behind nearly every Yuanhui representative stood a vast power with transcendent experts nurturing them, or they possessed extraordinary fortune.
If Yuanhui representatives were so rare, Yuanhui geniuses were even more elusive.
Seeing Goose Big and Goose Two, Zhang Ruochen’s feelings were subtle. He finally understood how insignificant he had been to gods when still a great saint.
Absolutely negligible.
Before cultivating first-grade saint intent, most gods probably would not even deign to glance at him.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, the drunkard stopped punching and laughed. “Where is Niu Qiangjin? Release him to spar with my two useless gate-guard saint beasts. This time, let us see if it can still win!”
Goose Big and Goose Two looked uncomfortable, inwardly bitter. Until they defeated Niu Qiangjin or reached godhood, the drunkard would not acknowledge them as disciples.
“That can wait. This junior has an important matter to seek guidance on.”
Zhang Ruochen explained everyone’s condition, hoping the drunkard could offer a solution.
“I thought it was something serious!”
The drunkard said, “Long seclusion causing unstable heart and emotions is perfectly normal. I have one slow and one fast method!”
“What are they?”
“The slow method is simply to ignore it. With their mental will and heart cultivation, given time, they will recover on their own.”
“And the fast method?”
The drunkard grinned at Zhang Ruochen. “The Six Ancestors’ Bodhi Tree and Mirror Platform are with you, yes?”
Zhang Ruochen knew he could not hide it and nodded.
At the same time, he understood what to do!
The Bodhi Tree was a Buddhist divine tree.
The Mirror Platform was formed from the Six Ancestors’ sarira, a Buddhist divine artefact.
Both were supreme treasures for calming the mind; naturally they could help everyone escape impending deviation.
The drunkard grew extremely serious. “Though the Bodhi Tree and Mirror Platform can restore heart and emotions, remember cultivation is gradual. Do not seclude again in the short term. Go out, see the world. Your horizons are still far too narrow!”
“This junior understands.”
Zhang Ruochen was about to leave but stopped, as if recalling something puzzling. “One more matter to ask!”
The drunkard looked impatient. “Speak or fart!”
Zhang Ruochen neither spoke nor farted. He released his Taiji circle, maintaining an eighteen-zhang radius.
Countless fine rules flowed across it.
Zhang Ruochen’s hands moved in profound patterns. The flowing rules scattered evenly within the circle.
The rules divided clearly.
Darkness, death, killing, water… yin-attribute rules gathered together.
Light, life, fire… yang-attribute rules gathered. They did not merge, repelling each other—one yin, one yang.
Other rules without yin-yang attributes shuttled chaotically within.
Bang!
Zhang Ruochen could not maintain the yin-yang rotation; balance broke. After a violent tremor, all rules returned to the circle’s edge.
The drunkard’s eyes narrowed, strange light flashing. Clearly surprised. “How many types of rules have you inscribed?”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “All nine eternal ancient paths and seventy-two supreme sacred paths—I learned from heaven and earth. As for the three thousand great paths and hundred thousand minor paths, I have not studied them all; together perhaps over ten thousand rules.”
“Oh, and some heavenly paths created by Hell’s ten clans—I inscribed some rules, but only superficial understanding, no deep study.”
The drunkard said coldly, “You accomplished quite a bit in ten thousand years. Surviving without self-destructing truly is a miracle.”
Zhang Ruochen gave an embarrassed laugh. He knew it was no miracle; refining too many treasures into his body, plus the inclusiveness of the Wuji Dao, kept him alive.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “This junior knows the next change in Wuji Dao should relate to the primordial separation of yin and yang. But with yin and yang clashing, how to achieve balance?”
“Some paths have no yin-yang attribute; how to unify them into yin-yang?”
The drunkard replied, “All paths in the world derive from yin and yang; naturally they all possess yin-yang attributes. Take time and space—they seem attributeless, yet time is yin, space is yang; one soft, one firm.”
“You cannot see their attributes only because your realm is insufficient, your understanding shallow.”
Zhang Ruochen listened attentively.
The drunkard continued, “Actually, you should not ask me. Your path resembles the Daoist lineage. You should study in Daoism, take a Daoist master. That is the key to your breakthrough!”
Zhang Ruochen understood. He had been too impatient, thinking a word or two from the drunkard would grant instant breakthrough.
In truth, he still had much to learn.
The drunkard said, “The Daoist lineage originated from Tianchu Civilisation’s Book of Luo. After countless years, it reached its peak in Kunlun Realm’s Taiji Dao and Pangu Realm’s Nüxi clan period. Add the Five Elements Temple in Heaven—the true Daoist holy lands are only these four.”
