Chapter 853: Great Cosmos Square

"Yes." Ding Huan understood what the other meant, but he would not hand over the cultivation art.

The more good things he had on him, the safer he would be.

"If I asked you for the cultivation art, would you give it to me?" Jiong smiled at Ding Huan.

At this moment, what he thought about was no longer killing Ding Huan after forcing him to hand over the items, but how to open Ding Huan's world.

To open Ding Huan's world, the first thing must be to understand Ding Huan's Dao.

To understand Ding Huan's Dao, one must first become familiar with Ding Huan's cultivation art.

Ding Huan remained silent.

Just as Jiong thought Ding Huan still wouldn't speak, Ding Huan suddenly spoke up:

"I could give you the Opening Heaven Divine Wood Scripture, but until I enter the Eternal Realm, I can only give you the latter half of it."

"The condition is that you find me a place to seclude myself and attain the Eternal Realm."

"Fine, it's settled." He agreed without hesitation.

A mere Ninth Turn Ant dared haggle with him.

Once he found a way to peel away Ding Huan's Dao world, he would kill Ding Huan the instant he could and strip his Dao world.

After that, Jiong said nothing more to Ding Huan, only controlling the flying treasure to flee at top speed.

For him, finding a place for Ding Huan to seclude himself was even more urgent than his own affairs.

Ding Huan remained silent, sitting to one side, as if awaiting fate's judgment.

In truth, Ding Huan knew clearly that a faint thread of intent now rested around him, observing the flow of his Dao rhythm.

A month passed, yet that faint thread of intent showed no sign of withdrawing.

Ding Huan began to cultivate.

Like a captured prisoner who, at first trembled in fear, now cautiously began cultivating once he realized his captor wasn't paying attention.

The moment Ding Huan began cultivating, Jiong sensed it.

He was ecstatic—he had finally caught this moment.

If he could perceive Ding Huan's Dao principles, he could gradually probe into Ding Huan's Dao and open his world.

At this moment, Jiong carefully suppressed his intent, leaving no trace of intrusion, cautiously sensing Ding Huan's Dao rhythm.

Soon he caught a series of pure wood-element Dao rhythms.

Indeed, he cultivates the wood-element Dao—Ding Huan hadn't lied to him.

As Ding Huan continued cultivating, the wood-element Dao rhythm grew clearer.

But that was all.

Though Jiong had encountered wood-element Dao before, he could extract nothing he needed from Ding Huan's wood-element Dao rhythm.

After continuously observing Ding Huan for over a dozen days, Jiong sighed and withdrew his intent.

He was certain: he could not probe Ding Huan's Dao by watching him cultivate, nor achieve his goal of opening Ding Huan's Dao world.

He still did not wish to openly probe Ding Huan's Dao rhythm.

If he provoked Ding Huan too much, the fellow might truly self-destruct—and his losses would be immense.

He could only wait until he obtained Ding Huan's cultivation art, then use it to sense Ding Huan's Dao.

The moment Jiong withdrew his intent, Ding Huan knew.

His Dao perception immediately wrapped around the Dao threads bound to his body.

Under the Great Cosmos Art, in but a short time, Ding Huan comprehended fully the Dao rhythm laws and all collapse points of the threads binding him.

Though this fellow's cultivation was vastly superior to his.

His cultivated Dao, in Ding Huan's eyes, was nothing special.

It didn't even compare to the Beginningless Dao, the Primordial Chaos Dao, or the Five Elements Dao he had already given away.

From these Dao threads,

Ding Huan could discern that Jiong cultivated two Daos.

The first Dao seemed to be some kind of Void Dao.

No wonder he could use his hammer shadows to affect the flying Cosmic Cauldron within the Void.

He indeed understood the Void to a certain degree.

Unfortunately, his Void Dao bore traces of damage, and his cultivation had dropped significantly.

Ding Huan wasn't surprised by the drop—after the Cosmic Cataclysm, countless powerful cultivators had suffered severe declines. Jiong was not the only one.

Thinking that even with his cultivation dropped, this fellow remained so terrifying, Ding Huan was secretly stunned.

If he was this powerful even after his decline, how strong must he have been before?

Fortunately, his cultivation had dropped.

Besides the Void Dao, this fellow also cultivated another Dao: the Light Dao.

Ding Huan was certain this fellow's Light Dao was inferior to the Light Dao Scroll—he didn't know which rogue path he'd taken.

On the threads binding him, the Light Dao rhythm was weak.

To Ding Huan, who had already perfected the Light Law Galaxy and forged the Light Dao principles, this feeble Light Dao rhythm was utterly insignificant.

At this moment, severing the threads binding him was nearly a thought away.

Jiong's two Daos left Ding Huan somewhat puzzled.

Jiong's Void Dao should have been an extraordinary Dao.

If he cultivated such an extraordinary Dao, his ultimate achievement should have far surpassed his current state—why had he switched to the Light Dao?

After thinking long and hard, Ding Huan could not find an answer.

He could tear the Dao threads at any moment; there was no need to study them further.

Since he dared not cultivate, Ding Huan simply shut down all his senses and spiritual awareness, closing his eyes to rest.

Ding Huan was awakened again by Jiong, twenty-seven years later.

When Ding Huan opened his eyes, he could hardly believe it.

All these years, he had not cultivated at all—he had merely slept, sealing off his senses and spiritual awareness.

Yet his gains were even greater than those from a full retreat.

He had a delusion that he could, at any moment, construct within his own Dao world a Law Star River of his choosing.

River.

If he wished now to step into the Eleventh Turn Saint, he need not again perfect a complete Law Star River.

Indeed, sometimes constant, unbroken retreat is not the only path to cultivation.

How many people could shut off their senses and spiritual awareness to waste time like this?

"Young Ding, we will soon reach the entrance to the Great Universe. I have a few things to tell you."

Jiong's voice came.

Ding Huan stood and, with cautious demeanor, sat before Jiong.

Jiong's expression shifted to one of great gentleness:

"When we enter the Great Universe, you will be questioned—you will say you are my disciple…"

Ding Huan looked at Jiong with confusion, not understanding what Jiong meant.

"But I haven't cultivated your cultivation art?" Ding Huan was bewildered.

Jiong smiled: "It doesn't matter. After you attain the Eternal Life Realm, I will teach it to you."

"And one more thing: if there are any living beings in your world, best send them all out now."

I'm not joking. If you don't remove them,

dying will be difficult.

Perhaps I cannot open your world, but in the Great Universe, there are countless powerhouses who can. And there, checking whether your world contains life requires no opening at all.

There was one thing he didn't say: Ding Huan was the one he brought back.

If Ding Huan's world were opened, he could pick one thing first.

Knowing how many fine things Ding Huan carried, he naturally didn't want to pick only one.

Now, he also didn't want Ding Huan's world opened by others.

Ding Huan answered seriously: "None."

His cosmic world still held one Jie, who had cultivated diligently these years—yet his cultivation was too weak, and Ding Huan had been wandering the void, never calling him out.

Even Ke couldn't open his world; he didn't believe any being stronger than Ke existed.

Jiong's words—he listened, but didn't take them seriously.

Thinking of Jiong's power, Ding Huan still couldn't help asking:

"May I ask what level your cultivation has reached?"

As he spoke, envy flashed briefly in Ding Huan's eyes.

Jiong's relaxed expression vanished. He fell silent for a moment before saying: "Long ago, I was merely at the Fifth Step of the Dao."

Indeed, this fellow surpassed the Fourth Step of the Dao.

As if certain Ding Huan could never slip from his grasp, and perhaps wanting to vent his inner emotions, Jiong's tone grew heavy:

"Yet I was once a Seventh Step of the Dao…"

Ding Huan's spirit trembled slightly.

He was a figure on the same level as the old Jia of old.

Ding Huan quickly agreed: "I know—after the Great Cycle, many elders' cultivation levels dropped…"

His spirit trembled again, and Jiong caught it.

Jiong paid no mind, only sneered: "Cultivation level dropped? Be grateful you're still alive."

After saying this, Jiong looked at Ding Huan, his tone even carrying sincerity:

"Ding Huan, as long as you keep your promise—after attaining the Eternal Life Realm, give me your cultivation art and the Light Dao Principle—I won't let you lose out."

Not only that, I will also give you my Seed Dao Void cultivation method. This Dao is certainly no worse than your Wood-elemental Creation Art."

Mine is a propertyless Dao art—you can ascend even higher in the future."

"Aren't you cultivating the Light Dao?" Ding Huan stared, incredulous.

at Ke.

Jiong didn't care whether Ding Huan's disbelief was real or feigned—he had no qualms telling Ding Huan these things:

"After the Cosmic Cycle, I remained at the Fifth Step of the Dao—I'm luckier than ninety-nine percent of others."

But my Seed Dao Void acquired Dao traces, preventing further progress, so I exchanged it with an old acquaintance for the Light Dao…"

"Why?" Ding Huan blurted out.

Jiong paid no attention to Ding Huan's acting—or even if he knew Ding Huan was acting, he didn't care.

"Because my Seed Dao Void had problems before the Cycle arrived. My son was slain. I was stronger than the killer—but I couldn't touch him."

You don't know that crushing despair. At that moment, I knew I could no longer cultivate the Seed Dao Void."

It wasn't that my Dao was flawed—it was my heart that broke."

Perhaps because he had long suppressed these thoughts, speaking them out made Jiong feel his heart much clearer.

Ding Huan silently praised the one who killed Jiong's son—he would thank the fellow face-to-face when he met him.

No wonder Jiong changed cultivation arts and wanted his Dao art.

Apparently, this fellow knew the cultivator who killed his son was strong—and his Dao art was extraordinary.

He must cultivate an equally powerful technique to seek revenge.

Jiong could not open his own world, so he set his sights on his own Great Dao technique.

Jiong looked at Ding Huan and said, "If you give me the Light Dao Principle, I will surely ascend to a higher level, and I will be deeply grateful to you."

Ding Huan understood the implication in the other's words.

That is, if Jiong obtains the Light Dao Principle, he will have a chance to step again into the Seventh Step of the Great Dao.

Ding Huan's expression did not change.

He must reach the Great Universe, understand the Great Universe, before he could decide what to do next.

As the two spoke, the flying artifact suddenly trembled slightly.

Ding Huan dared not extend his spiritual sense; he felt Jiong's flying artifact had entered a place resembling a teleportation vortex.

Unfortunately, he could not extend his spiritual sense and did not know the location of this teleportation vortex.

The teleportation vortex was clearly not short—it took over an hour to pass through.

The flying artifact came to a stop.

Ding Huan turned back to look—where was the vortex?

Jiong's flying artifact had stopped atop a colossal void plaza.

There were many people on the void plaza.

Even without extending his spiritual sense, Ding Huan sensed that nearly everyone here was no weakling.

The weakest among them were at the Pre-Saint level.

"Follow me. Don't look around," Jiong's voice landed in Ding Huan's ears, then he stepped down from the flying artifact.