Chapter 484: Spatial Law

No, this isn't possession.

Just as Ding Huan realized this wasn't possession, he sensed a faint, elusive sensation of shattered space.

The feeling was too strange, yet he was certain space had shattered—and this shattered space had gained layers within his consciousness.

A flash of light flickered at the deepest recess of his memory.

Ding Huan stared in disbelief at the shadow flowing through his consciousness's Great Dao Universe, resembling shattered space.

Is this a space fragment?

Not just a space fragment—it's been condensed into a tangible form, a sentient space fragment.

Space fragments barely exist; even when one does form, it requires conditions of extreme harshness.

Countless cosmic transformations and spatial chaos passed during its formation.

Even then, it remained insubstantial—faint, elusive, untouchable.

A tangible space fragment, so difficult to condense, exists only in imagination and legend.

It is the product of countless eons of spatial laws nourishing it.

Once such a tangible space fragment, forged by spatial laws, gains sentience, it slowly becomes a Spatial Spirit.

The tangible space fragment in Ding Huan's consciousness is a Spatial Spirit.

But for some reason, this Spatial Spirit had shattered and been locked deep within the Soul-Eating Realm Ring.

When he just now cultivated the 107th seal of the Realm Ring, the locked shattered space fragment broke free.

Because he was cultivating the Realm Ring, the fragment surged into his consciousness.

Ding Huan was overjoyed—if this truly was a Spatial Spirit, he had struck it rich.

Spatial Spirits are nearly impossible to capture, but now trapped within Ding Huan's Great Dao Universe, it had nowhere to flee.

Ding Huan did not lock it down; instead, his spiritual sense settled upon the Spatial Spirit.

That ultimate faint, elusive sensation surged again, and Ding Huan soon sank into it.

One after another, profound spatial laws were perceived by Ding Huan, then transformed into his own laws and merged into his Great Dao Universe.

At this moment, the vast universe beneath his will felt as if it lay within the palm of his hand.

Simultaneously, the Great Dao Universe within his consciousness grew ever vaster and more majestic, the stars clearer.

Below the stars, galaxies, star bridges, and star rivers were sharply distinct, as if something indescribable had been added.

Space now had layers—it was no longer as hollow and void as before.

After an unknown length of time, Ding Huan opened his eyes.

Though the space around him spanned only four or five meters, when Ding Huan reached out, the soil four or five meters away was seized in his hand.

He used neither spiritual sense nor immortal energy, yet achieved what previously required spiritual sense.

When he extended his hand, the space before him seemed to vanish.

No—it was as if, under his control, he could compress this spatial distance.

So this is the Spatial Law…

Ding Huan took a deep breath—he had finally touched the second law: the Spatial Law.

The Spatial Spirit fragment vanished, yet Ding Huan gained a wealth of information.

This Spatial Spirit had originally been complete, even possessing sentience.

At its origin, the Spatial Spirit was not the fragmented space Ding Huan had previously sensed, but a true sentient entity forged over infinite time and circumstance by spatial laws.

More precisely, it was the spirit of the Soul-Eating Realm Ring itself.

But its first master, Fei Ai, was defeated in battle and sought to flee through a dimensional rift—yet before he could tear it open, his opponent caught up.

In desperation, Fei Ai used the Soul-Eating Realm Ring to block the attack, shattering the ring's spirit into a pile of space fragments, its sentience slowly fading.

Had it not been sealed within the 107th seal, the Spatial Spirit's sentience would have vanished long ago.

After countless years, the Soul-Eating Realm Ring came into the hands of a man called Sun Wukong the Great Emperor…

Wait…

Ding Huan suddenly realized—wasn't Sun Wukong the Great Emperor one of the Four Great Emperors of the Immortal Court?

So the Soul-Eating Realm Ring belonged to Sun Wukong the Great Emperor, one of the Four Great Emperors?

Everything became clear: Sun Wukong the Great Emperor must have known that cultivating the Soul-Eating Realm Ring to the 107th seal would unleash a terrifying spatial chill that would consume the cultivator.

That is, the body would turn to nothingness, while the soul would merge with the Spatial Spirit's fragments and regenerate a new Spatial Spirit.

Sun Wukong the Great Emperor was seeking a Spatial Spirit?

This guy was truly no good.

Had he not possessed the Iron Cauldron and body-cultivation arts, Sun Wukong the Great Emperor would have succeeded.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense settled into his consciousness—and indeed, two spiritual marks remained within.

These spiritual marks must have been left by Sun Wukong the Great Emperor.

Sun Wukong the Great Emperor gave out the Soul-Eating Realm Ring as a reward because he knew the sect that won first place would surely have the most elite disciples.

The Soul-Eating Realm Ring was likely awarded by the Immortal Court to its top talents.

If a cultivator below the Immortal King realm could cultivate the Soul-Eating Realm Ring to the 107th seal and revive the Spatial Spirit…

Then he was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses—perfect as a ring spirit.

It was certain that if the Soul-Eating Realm Ring had not been cultivated to the 107th seal after some time, Sun Wukong the Great Emperor would come to reclaim it.

Ding Huan sneered inwardly—Sun Wukong the Great Emperor wanted to reclaim the Soul-Eating Realm Ring? Dream on.

He even knew why Sun Wukong the Great Emperor needed the ring's spirit: without the Soul-Eating Realm Ring's spirit, Sun Wukong could never cultivate the 108th seal.

That is, the Soul-Eating Realm Ring was useless on Sun Wukong the Great Emperor—he could not cultivate the final seal.

Ding Huan frowned slightly—he now had no ring spirit for the Soul-Eating Realm Ring either.

If he cannot refine the one hundred and eighth seal, then this Soul-Eating World Ring is as useless in his hands as trash.

Regardless, he would try first.

Thinking of this, Ding Huan quickly peeled the Divine Mind imprint left by Sun Wukong the Emperor from his consciousness's Great Universe, and set it aside.

If Sun Wukong the Emperor failed to sense his Divine Mind imprint and came chasing, it would be troublesome.

But how could one refine the one hundred and eighth seal?

Ding Huan thought for a long while, then suddenly slapped his own head—he was not Sun Wukong the Emperor; if Sun Wukong the Emperor couldn't refine it, that didn't mean he couldn't.

In the vast cosmos, what cultivation art could surpass the Great Universe Art?

The Great Universe Art perceives the laws of all things; even if he couldn't refine the Soul-Eating World Ring immediately, given enough time, once he comprehended its sealing laws, he could refine it.

Ding Huan knew time was urgent—he had to speed up.

Directly using the Great Universe Art to draw the Soul-Eating World Ring into Zhou Tian, Ding Huan's Divine Mind settled upon the one hundred and eighth seal of the ring.

Vast and intricate sealing patterns flooded in; even his powerful Divine Mind grew dizzy.

All manner of space laws crisscrossed within; if a normal cultivator—even an Emperor—tried, they might not untangle the threads at all.

Because the laws within space were too complex and chaotic: by the time you clarified one law, another you had just sensed had already vanished.

Unlike other seals, these space-law seals were disordered and shifting.

Unless you mastered space law.

Ding Huan chuckled coldly—Sun Wukong the Emperor had been too clever by half.

Sun Wukong the Emperor must have touched upon space law, but not enough.

If he could fully comprehend all fragments of the Space Spirit's law, he might barely manage to refine the one hundred and eighth seal.

He said "barely" because Sun Wukong the Emperor lacked the Great Universe Art.

The Great Universe Art was not merely a supreme cultivation technique—it was also an auxiliary art for all other Dao paths.

Refining was one such application.

Once Ding Huan captured the first sealing pattern of the one hundred and eighth seal, the rest became progressively simpler.

Under Ding Huan's Great Universe Art Zhou Tian, one sealing pattern after another was locked and refined; he did not miss a single space law.

If his Divine Mind was insufficient, it didn't matter—he had a consciousness as vast as a universe.

Back when he carved safe paths through the Gray Sea, his Divine Mind had operated continuously for a full year.

Even if the current situation was more complex, his strength had increased immensely.

A month later, the Soul-Eating World Ring in Ding Huan's hand suddenly became crystal clear—everything within the ring appeared in his perception with perfect precision.

Infinite, myriad space laws crisscrossed within; Ding Huan exhaled deeply.

He had fully refined the ring.

Because he had fully refined the ring, all of Sun Wukong the Emperor's imprints within it now stood clearly revealed beneath Ding Huan's Divine Mind.

The Divine Mind imprint he had found on the Space Spirit fragment was merely one ten-thousandth of Sun Wukong the Emperor's total imprints.

Sun Wukong the Emperor had attached Divine Mind imprints to every single seal of the ring, and these imprints did not vanish with refinement.

Impressive.

But no matter how impressive, you still have to drink my master's washwater.

Ding Huan took out a plain ring and transferred all these seals onto the ordinary ring.

After double-checking and confirming everything was correct, Ding Huan knew he could leave.

The Soul-Eating World Ring was now worn on Ding Huan's hand; any soul he killed would be devoured by the Soul-Eating World Ring.

The more souls the Soul-Eating World Ring devoured, the stronger its sense of spatial domains would become—perhaps one day, he could truly use this ring to escape this universe.

He waved his hand and removed a pile of seals and array patterns—he had no use for them.

Emerging from underground, Ding Huan landed on the ground and sent out his Divine Mind.

Where his Divine Mind reached, demonic aura surged wildly—he saw not a single human cultivator.

(Friend, good night!)