Chapter 506: Heterogeneous Artistic Conception

Duan Rong followed Zhu He back to Yunfu Peak.

In truth, he had nothing much to pack; after advancing to the Qi Cyclone Realm, he had already entered a state of inedia. In terms of daily life, living in the deep valley was actually quite suitable for him.

Because he was still thinking about going to the Dark Forest with Lv Qingzhu to hunt the Profound Ice Turtle, Duan Rong only rolled up his bedding and a few pieces of clothing, gave a few instructions to Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi, and prepared to leave.

He told Ximen Kankan to take Shen Mizhi to pick out cultivation techniques and weapons over the next few days, and then, after running through the sword styles of Shen Mizhi in his mind, he told her about a few techniques she could use for reference.

Carrying his bedding on his back, Duan Rong had just walked out of the pavilion on Yunfu Peak when he saw Zhu He standing there in the twilight, his hands clasped behind his back.

Zhu He's eyes gazed at the churning clouds and mist between the valleys; his robe hem and sideburns danced wildly in the wind, and the afterglow of the sunset painted a faint golden hue upon his back.

"Master."

Duan Rong walked over slowly and called out softly.

Zhu He turned around, handed a scroll to Duan Rong, and said, "This is that piece of calligraphy from Junior Disciple Gu. For over a month now, I have studied it repeatedly, yet I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Since you can see some meaning in it, I shall gift this calligraphy to you. Take it into the deep valley; perhaps it may be of some benefit to your cultivation."

Duan Rong looked at the scroll before him, his nose feeling slightly sore. Zhu He had treated him quite well; although he had schemed against him, after returning to the mountain, he had not only prepared medicine to treat his hidden injuries and improve his constitution, but this painting by Uncle-Master Gu Daoling was clearly the painstaking work of a powerhouse in the late Dongming Realm. That Zhu He was willing to part with it and gift it to him could be considered wholehearted cultivation.

Duan Rong reached out to take the scroll and said, "This disciple will return to see you often; please take care of yourself, Master! If there is any tricky matter that requires this disciple, just have Mr. Chu send me a message."

Zhu He nodded and said, "Go to the valley and cultivate well."

"Mm." Duan Rong said, "This disciple is leaving. Master, the matter of you scheming against me in Shenyun Prefecture, let us consider that settled."

As Duan Rong spoke, he moved his mind, and the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown formed above his head; his figure suddenly soared like a great bird, heading toward the misty clouds.

Hearing Duan Rong's final words, the corners of Zhu He's mouth couldn't help but twitch. Watching Duan Rong's figure weaving through the clouds and mist, he muttered to himself, "This brat, he's still holding a grudge against me."

Carrying his bedding and the scroll, Duan Rong landed in a certain mountain hollow and walked slowly to the front of that thatched cottage.

The old farmer was sitting on the threshold, snapping off cabbage leaves, when he suddenly saw Duan Rong walking over with his bedding. His eyes widened in surprise, and he said, "What? The Ancestor is letting you live in the valley permanently?"

"Mm," Duan Rong said. "He gave me the Array Ruler, too. But I don't know how to use it; I must trouble you, elder, to teach me."

As Duan Rong spoke, he fished the copper-green, mottled Array Ruler from his lower back.

The old farmer glanced at the ruler, clapped the dust off his hands, stood up, and said indifferently, "Let's go."

Carrying his bedding roll, Duan Rong followed the old farmer into the thin mist of the Deadwood Forest; the fallen leaves under their feet were crushed with a *crackling, rustling* sound.

Duan Rong reached out and touched a dead branch beside him. He snapped it lightly, and with a *rustling* crisp sound, the branch broke.

As he walked, he stuffed the dead branch into his mouth and chewed it a few times; it was astringent and had a strange taste.

Duan Rong spat out a mouthful of saliva and looked at the dead branch in his hand, one end soaked by his own spit, his eyes dazed.

Whether through sight, touch, hearing, smell, or taste, he could not deny that this Deadwood Forest truly existed.

But, did it really exist?

Duan Rong walked behind the old farmer and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Chu, is this Deadwood Forest an illusion array?"

Upon hearing this, the old farmer acted as if he hadn't heard, just walking on his own.

Seeing that the old farmer had no intention of answering, Duan Rong did not ask again.

After walking for a while longer, the old farmer suddenly said, "When you yourself achieve the Nascent Soul Realm, you will naturally know whether it is an illusion array or not. For now, asking more is of no use."

Duan Rong listened to the old farmer's words and thought for a while, feeling that the old farmer was right. His master, Zhu He, was a powerhouse of the Dongming Realm and still could not see through the true reality of this Symbol Array. In that case, to know what this Deadwood Forest really was, wouldn't he have to achieve the Nascent Soul Realm?

Duan Rong felt that achieving the Nascent Soul Realm was truly a bit too far off for his current self, so he threw away the half-broken branch in his hand and followed honestly behind the old farmer.

The two walked for another stretch; in this Deadwood Forest, thin mist was everywhere, and every place looked the same. Staying inside for a little too long, even the concept of time seemed to become confused.

Suddenly, the old farmer stopped at a certain spot. He stood there, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Take out your Array Ruler."

Hearing this, Duan Rong took the Array Ruler from his lower back.

The old farmer said, "From left to right, rotate the Array Ruler three times above your head."

Duan Rong followed the instructions. He had seen the old farmer do this move before; it was like a shaman dancing or pretending to be a ghost. The first time he saw it, Duan Rong had almost laughed out loud.

However, since the old farmer had said so now, he followed the instructions.

As Duan Rong rotated it, the moment he finished the third circle, his eyes suddenly widened, and his expression changed instantly, as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing Duan Rong's appearance, the old farmer knew he had made contact, so he said, "Did you feel it?"

"Mm!"

Duan Rong gave a heavily emphasized "Mm" and nodded at the old farmer.

Just in that instant, he clearly felt a drifting, swaying force coming from the Array Ruler. The force was not great, but it was as if someone were pinching the other end of the Array Ruler in his hand, shaking it incessantly, trying to pull the ruler out of his grip.

Duan Rong gripped the Array Ruler tightly, but the ruler was still trembling lightly, which was extremely eerie. If it weren't for the old farmer's calm expression, as if he had expected it all along, Duan Rong would have truly thought he had encountered a ghost.

The old farmer said, "Take the Array Ruler down."

Hearing this, Duan Rong took down the Array Ruler he had been holding above his head, and the ruler, like a living thing, was still trembling incessantly.

The old farmer said, "Hold the Array Ruler and turn in a circle; the direction where the sensation disappears is the southwest."

"The direction where the sensation disappears is the southwest." Duan Rong muttered, repeating it, and began to rotate the Array Ruler in his hand as instructed. As he turned, the force on the Array Ruler in his hand suddenly vanished, and the ruler was finally held steadily in his hand.

His eyes moved as he looked at the direction the Array Ruler was pointing; it was still dead wood and thin mist, but Duan Rong knew this direction was southwest. He stopped there and turned his head to look at the old farmer.

The old farmer nodded and said, "Mm, that is the southwest. Continue rotating; the direction where the trembling suddenly becomes violent is the southeast."

Duan Rong continued to rotate as instructed. He remembered the old farmer's words: the direction where the trembling suddenly becomes violent is the southeast, so he gripped the Array Ruler even tighter.

After turning for a while, past a certain point, the Array Ruler suddenly shook violently, causing Duan Rong's arm to tremble. Seeing that the Array Ruler was about to slip from his hand, Duan Rong immediately retreated a distance, and the violent shaking vanished instantly.

"That is the southeast!" The old farmer acted as if he hadn't seen Duan Rong's somewhat clumsy reaction; it was normal to be unaccustomed to it on the first try.

"Good, now take your Array Ruler, with the side with the symbols facing up, and throw it toward the due south direction."

Hearing this, Duan Rong looked at the Array Ruler in his hand; the symbol side was indeed facing up. His eyes moved, and he tested the two directions from before again, estimating the due south position. He was a bit hesitant, fearing he wouldn't estimate it accurately enough.

The old farmer said, "Close enough is fine. The Array Eye will sense the Array Ruler and pull it in. Just don't be too far off."

Hearing this, Duan Rong felt greatly relieved; he was confident enough about the general southward direction.

Duan Rong threw the Array Ruler in his hand, symbol side up, toward the due south direction he had estimated, and only heard a *clatter* sound.

The next moment, the visible thin mist gradually dissipated like a receding tide, and along with the dissipation of the mist, those few dead trees also disappeared.

And where the mist and dead trees had vanished, the entrance to the valley was now revealed.

The old farmer said, "That is all. You may go now."

After the old farmer finished speaking, he turned and vanished into the thin mist behind him.

"Thank you, Mr. Chu!"

Duan Rong also learned to call out like Zhu He, then carried his bedding on his back and walked into the valley entrance; he walked beneath the stone tablet at the entrance, picked up the array ruler, and tucked it into the back of his waistband.

It was unknown how long that old stone tablet had stood at the valley entrance, its surface covered in withered moss. Duan Rong stood there, staring at the mottled runes on the tablet for a while; the ancient, profound runes did not seem complex in their strokes at first glance, yet they were twisted and curved, with many variables in the details.

Duan Rong tightened the bedding on his back and walked into the valley amidst the twilight.

Inside this valley, there were indeed many cave abodes; Duan Rong wandered through a few and found they were all much the same.

He chose a cave abode that was a bit further away from Lv Yinlin.

Walking into the depths of the cave abode, there was a faint, dim light that illuminated the interior; it was a type of fluorescent mushroom growing on the stone walls.

Duan Rong stared at the mushrooms for a while, feeling they were a species from the Dark Forest.

Inside the cave abode, all sorts of things were present, though they were all covered in dust.

Duan Rong first cleaned the stone bed and set up his bedding, then took a willow basket and brought miscellaneous items like the water pot and cups out of the cave abode, arriving at a spring eye in the deep valley where a pool of mountain spring water gushed out with a gurgling sound.

He washed all the items, cleaned the dust off his own hands and face, then filled a pot with mountain spring water and returned to the cave abode.

Duan Rong sat there, poured himself a cup of mountain spring water using the damp bamboo tube, and sipped it slowly.

After taking a few sips, he suddenly saw the scroll placed at the head of the bed; his gaze shifted, and he walked over to open the scroll. Under the dim light, seeing that seal script "Blade" character again, he was still struck with awe at the sight.

A painting or calligraphy infused with Artistic Conception is like a person with a soul; the form is merely its shell, and beneath that form, there seems to be something even more agile and mysterious. It is thought-provoking and elusive.

Duan Rong hung this piece of calligraphy on the stone wall not far from the stone table. He stared at it for a while; although he felt a sense of shock, the strange state of resonance with the Artistic Conception did not occur as it had when he first viewed it.

Duan Rong watched for a while, then suddenly pressed his hand onto the scroll at the bottom and secretly thought, "Read Spirit Tool."

The next moment, a data panel emitting a dim light floated before Duan Rong's eyes.

Artifact: Seal Script Blade Calligraphy

Spirit Artifact Tier: Twenty-first Tier

Devour Requirement: Host Mental Power Level 21 (Not met)

Devour Effect: Comprehend the origin of Blade Intent, connect with Law Power

Duan Rong looked at the data panel before him, his gaze flickering slightly; Gu Daoling was actually able to imprint the origin of Blade Intent into this calligraphy. No wonder he could resonate with the Blade Intent in his own heart when he first viewed it.

It seems that among the many Blade Intents he has devoured, there must be parts corresponding to the Blade Intent that Gu Daoling imprinted into the calligraphy, which is why they could resonate and stir each other.

However, he could not yet devour a twenty-first-tier Spirit Tool.

His gaze swept over "connect with Law Power," and his eyes revealed a look of deep contemplation. Gu Daoling was a great cultivator in the late Dongming Realm; his understanding of Law Power far exceeded that of cultivators in the early Dongming Realm like Zhu He and Ge Rusong.

According to the meaning of that sentence on the data panel, what Gu Daoling imprinted into the calligraphy was likely not ordinary Artistic Conception, but the origin of Artistic Conception capable of being used to connect with Law Power.

In other words, what was contained within the "Blade" character was not just Artistic Conception, but also the Law Power hidden behind the Artistic Conception, latent and unreleased.

Although Zhu He had also initially grasped Law Power, his Artistic Conception did not correspond with Gu Daoling's, so it was impossible for him to see that latent Law Power through the Artistic Conception. It was just like how, because the Artistic Conception was different, it was hard for him to even touch the door of the maze; although Duan Rong had touched the door, his level was limited, and he could only remain at the level of Artistic Conception.

Duan Rong looked at the ancient, rigid "Blade" character again, his expression filled with astonishment.

If viewed solely from the perspective of brushwork, this character was actually not written well at all. But as long as you look at it once, all those theories of calligraphy are instantly shattered, because this character is actually alive—not the life of a biological organism, but the vitality of a universe, of a world, layered and endless...

Duan Rong watched for a while and actually felt a sharp pain in his Divine Soul.

He immediately turned his eyes away and sighed, "It seems this character cannot be viewed for long."

Duan Rong turned around, picked up the bamboo tube again, took two sips of clear water, and walked out of the cave.

At this moment, above the valley, a full moon hung high like a bright mirror, spilling silver radiance into the pitch-black deep valley; the tree shadows in the valley were mottled, as if coated with a layer of faint silver light.

Such a quiet and beautiful scene made Duan Rong's state of mind suddenly clear. He walked in the silver radiance and glanced at the entrance of Lv Qingzhu's cave; since it was night, it was inconvenient to disturb her. Duan Rong decided to find Lv Qingzhu early tomorrow morning and go with her into the Dark Forest to get the shell of that Profound Ice Turtle.

Duan Rong strolled through the silver-lit valley, his heart free of distracting thoughts, completely transparent.

Just then, he suddenly heard a voice: "Kid, come here!"

It was the voice of Lv Yinlin; Duan Rong's heart stirred. The voice did not ring out beside his ear, but came from the shadows beneath a withered pine tree three zhang away.

Duan Rong narrowed his eyes to look at the shadow beneath the withered pine, seemingly wanting to confirm if Lv Yinlin was in that shadow.

But how could he see clearly into the darkness while standing in the silver light?

In the darkness, looking at a bright place, one sees more clearly. But in a bright place, looking into the darkness, it is all the more dim.

Just then, a figure was seen slowly walking out from that shadow; under the clear radiance, it was indeed Lv Yinlin.

Duan Rong looked at Lv Yinlin, who was bathed in silver light, and immediately knelt down.

Lv Yinlin said, "Today is the night of the full moon! Didn't you grasp Artistic Conception while in the Qi Refining Realm? Come! Show it to me, let this old man see!"

"Yes!"

Duan Rong drew his blade and stood up, performing the Mountain River Moon Shadow Blade amidst the silver radiance.

As Duan Rong raised his opening stance, amidst the flickering Blade Shadow, the Blade Radiance erupted like flames!

At this moment, Lv Qingzhu also stood at her cave entrance, watching Duan Rong, whose figure flickered in the silver light.

Lv Yinlin watched for a while; at first, his expression was calm, as he merely considered watching a junior dance with a blade in the moonlight as a bit of amusement.

But as he watched, his expression became increasingly grave. Because, while an ordinary person could not see it, and even Zhu He might not be able to see it—perhaps even Duan Rong himself could not feel it—his Blade Intent and Blade Radiance were actually quite heterogeneous, containing at least a hundred different types of Artistic Conception.

"How is this possible?!" Even though Lv Yinlin was an old monster who had lived for over a thousand years, his face was full of shock at this moment.

"How can one person grasp over a hundred different types of Artistic Conception?!"

And those were not just various Blade Intents! There were also Sword Intent, Whip Intent, Spear Intent... all eighteen types of weapons were represented, not a single one missing!

Although Duan Rong was performing the Mountain River Moon Shadow Blade at this time, and what was connected on the blade edge was the formed Blade Intent, Lv Yinlin could clearly see, from the delicate details of the Blade Intent and Blade Radiance, the heterogeneous Artistic Conceptions flickering in turns...

(End of chapter)