Chapter 889: I Can

Hearing that Ling Zhuzhen was actually a Dao Ancestor of the Eighth Step, Feng Pu and Yi Qi Dao Ancestors both felt their scalps go numb.

Although they now claimed to be Dao Ancestors and controlled their own worlds, they still had some self-awareness.

Everyone knew that before the Great Calamity, a more powerful cultivation civilization had once existed in this great universe.

In that cultivation civilization, there were twenty or so Eighth Step cultivators.

Yet in this current great universe, the Seventh Step is the absolute limit—no one can ascend to the Eighth Step.

This is not due to their innate talent; all Seventh Step Dao Ancestors clearly understood that within this universe, the Seventh Step was the ceiling—they could never reach the Eighth Step.

It was restricted by the cosmic laws of this newly evolved great universe.

Ling Zhuzhen spoke calmly: "After enduring the Great Cosmic Calamity and watching our original universe vanish before my very eyes, I realized…"

Ling Zhuzhen fell silent; Feng Pu and Yi Qi stared at him anxiously.

"... that even my Eighth Step was merely the Eighth Step within this universe—it is not the same concept as the true Eighth Step of the boundless Dao."

Although my Eighth Step is not a false Eighth Step, it is also not the true Eighth Step of the Dao; if I stepped beyond this universe and faced a true Eighth Step cultivator, I would merely be crushed."

Of course, I do not know whether the true Eighth Step of the Dao even exists. I merely sensed its possible existence through the Great Cosmic Calamity."

Feng Pu and Yi Qi Dao Ancestors grew even more uneasy.

If Ling Zhuzhen's Eighth Step isn't the true Eighth Step, then what of theirs?

Fortunately, Ling Zhuzhen did not make them wait long—he continued: "You are different. Your Seventh Step differs greatly from the Seventh Step of the great universe before the Calamity."

Hearing this, Feng Pu and Yi Qi Dao Ancestors finally exhaled in relief.

At least their Seventh Step was genuine—perhaps the cosmic laws of this newly evolved universe after the Calamity were more refined?

But wait—if that were true, why could Ling Zhuzhen, still far from restored to his Eighth Step, stand against Qing Sha Dao Ancestor?

Ling Zhuzhen's voice continued:

"Your Seventh Step's Dao is, at best, equivalent to the Fourth or Fifth Step of the great universe before the Calamity."

You have not grasped the essence of the Seventh Step of the Dao, nor understood what the true Seventh Step of the Dao truly is."

Of course, now I know I too have not understood the true Seventh Step of the Dao—yet my Seventh Step is still vastly superior to yours."

Ling Zhuzhen's words exploded like an ice thunderbolt in the hearts of Feng Pu and Yi Qi Dao Ancestors, leaving them icy cold.

They did not doubt Ling Zhuzhen's words—because Ding Huan had killed Zi He Dao Ancestor without even reaching the Fourth Step of the Dao.

Ling Zhuzhen, with only the Fifth Step of the Dao, could hold his own against Qing Sha Dao Ancestor's Seventh Step; he needed Ding Huan's help not because he was weak, but because his artifacts were suppressed by Qing Sha's.

No wonder Ding Huan earlier said he was unworthy to be a Dao Ancestor.

Turns out they were all clowns.

To claim the title of Dao Ancestor with only the Fourth Step of the Dao—what else could they be but clowns?

Ling Zhuzhen continued:

"I say this not to mock you, but to reveal a fact."

"If the Tianmeng race truly intended to exterminate the human cultivators of this great universe, they would have done so long ago—they wouldn't have waited until now."

"Why?" Feng Pu couldn't help asking.

Ling Zhuzhen sighed: "The Calamity favored the Tianmeng race. After the Calamity, nearly all human cultivators of this great universe perished—only a few escaped."

After all, the great universe itself vanished—who could have survived?"

Yet the Tianmeng race seemingly preserved a significant portion of their strongest members by using a star continent untouched by the Calamity."

Even if those survivors possessed only Seventh Step or Sixth Step Dao cultivators, just one of them could slaughter every human cultivator in this great universe."

"Master Ling, are you saying that during the struggle for the Ten Thousand Dao Abyss, the Tianmeng cultivators didn't emerge because humanity was losing?"

Yi Qi Dao Ancestor couldn't help asking.

Ling Zhuzhen nodded, his tone certain: "Correct. Since the Tianmeng race's homeland wasn't utterly destroyed by the Cosmic Calamity, some must have survived."

Those survivors are very likely recovering their strength—the Dao veins of the Ten Thousand Dao Mountains are their source of recovery."

During the battle for the Ten Thousand Dao Abyss, when humanity fell back, they had no need to emerge—both to train their own cultivators and to seize time for healing."

"These Tianmeng aberrations actually treat human cultivators as training targets?"

Feng Pu was furious—but then he remembered his own injuries, and Ling Zhuzhen's words that his Seventh Step was no better than a Fifth Step, and fell silent.

"That must be it," Ding Huan spoke up.

His thoughts aligned with Ling Zhuzhen's.

The atmosphere grew heavy and oppressive.

"Ding Dao friend, Master Ling—what should we do now?" Yi Qi Dao Ancestor rose and bowed.

If this were true, humanity would eventually be wiped out by the Tianmeng race.

Ling Zhuzhen had no good solution—he could only turn his gaze to Ding Huan.

His power had plummeted severely; frankly, even his Fifth Step of the Dao was barely stable, let alone facing the surviving Tianmeng powerhouses.

Ding Huan's tone was calm: "Before absolute power, all schemes are hollow. The Tianmeng race hasn't reached Wan Dao City yet—this proves only one thing."

"What?"

Feng Pu asked urgently; all eyes turned to Ding Huan.

Ding Huan said: "It proves their strongest cultivators still need more Dao veins and time to restore their power. That's why they seized the Heavenly Dao Mountains and drove out human cultivators."

"Then what should we do?" Yi Qi Dao Ancestor looked at Ding Huan with equal hope.

Even if Ding Huan was right, if they had no way to stop it, they were still waiting to die.

They could only flee this great universe and leave this place.

But after so many years of searching, this realm seemed to contain only this one high-level universe.

Leaving this great universe would only weaken them further.

"We make Wan Dao City our stronghold and hold fast here—then we too seek out Dao veins. Only by strengthening ourselves can we resist the Tianmeng race; otherwise, it's meaningless."

Ding Huan had long since decided this when he spoke.

He must perfect his own universe world, then prove the fourth step of the Great Dao that belonged solely to him.

As for Ling Zhuzhen, he only hoped he could quickly recover to the eighth step of the Great Dao.

Whether that eighth step was real or false.

If Ling Zhuzhen recovered to the eighth step of the Great Dao, he could at least deal with these fellows of the Tianmeng Clan.

Of course, the prerequisite was that no eighth-step Great Dao powerhouse of the Tianmeng Clan had survived.

Hearing that Ding Huan only spoke of raising his strength, both Fengpu and Dao Ancestor Yiqi fell silent.

Even if they raised it further, how far could they go in a short time?

It would only prolong the time before they were killed, that's all.

Ding Huan did not know what Fengpu and Dao Ancestor Yiqi were thinking. His gaze turned to the two of them: "What injuries did you sustain?"

Fengpu sighed: "My Dao foundation is damaged. The Dao meridians are of little use to me now; healing requires time to accumulate."

Dao Ancestor Yiqi nodded: "I'm the same—my Dao foundation is damaged."

If not for the damaged Dao foundation, their injuries would not have dragged on for so many years.

"Dao Ancestor Fengpu, if you trust me, you can let me take a look." Ding Huan said.

If it were some other injury, perhaps treating it would be a bit troublesome, but Ding Huan believed he could still cure it.

Before cultivating the Dao, he had already perfected his own healing genes. Later, cultivating the Grand Universe Art, he further transformed this innate genetic ability into his own Great Dao laws.

As for a damaged Dao foundation—wasn't that simply shattered Great Dao laws, with problems arising in the Dao principles?

His Grand Universe Art fused billions upon billions of laws. Even if there were Great Dao laws he had never encountered, he could fuse and evolve entirely new laws from them in the shortest time possible.

His Grand Severing Art had come about exactly this way.

Not only that, his Chaotic Law Sea had been done the same way.

Otherwise, he would have had no qualification at all to perfect the laws of his own universe world without borrowing an external universe, and to prove the fourth step of the Great Dao.

"Dao Friend Ding?" Fengpu looked at Ding Huan in surprise.

It was not that he did not trust Ding Huan.

It was simply that everyone's Great Dao was different.

Different Great Daos meant the Dao principles constructing one's own Great Dao were different, and the Dao foundation laws were worlds apart.

Let alone Ding Huan's cultivation—even if a true eighth-step Great Dao cultivator were here, there would be no way to repair their Dao foundations.

Besides, even if Ding Huan could save him, Fengpu, he could not save Yiqi.

Because they too cultivated different Great Daos, and the Dao-rhyme laws constructing their Dao foundations were completely different as well.

What person could be proficient in and comprehend the billions of Great Dao laws throughout the vast universe?

Ling Zhuzhen smiled: "I feel that trusting Brother Ding Huan won't be wrong. Of course, this is only my suggestion."

What a joke—was there any Dao foundation Ding Huan could not perfect?

Back then, Ding Huan had even been able to save him when his Great Dao had been Chaoticized, let alone the mere repair of a Dao foundation.

The reason he trusted Ding Huan was precisely because Ding Huan might ultimately prove the fourth step of the Dao without relying on this universe world.

Once Ding Huan proved the fourth step of the Dao, he could then seek guidance from Ding Huan on what the true fourth step of the Great Dao was.

If necessary, he was willing to sever his own Great Dao and re-prove the fourth step of the Dao.

Fengpu gritted his teeth. He had already fallen to such a state—what was there left to worry about?

"Dao Friend Ding, go ahead and treat my injuries. Even if my Dao foundation completely collapses and my Great Dao falls into chaos, that will be my own problem." Fengpu walked up to Ding Huan.

The reason he said this was precisely because he knew very well that repairing a Dao foundation was no ordinary healing.

One careless move, and his Great Dao would collapse and scatter, leading to his death.

Now the Tianmeng Clan had already come knocking at the door. Whether he hesitated or not, he would likely not escape death in the end.

In that case, he might as well take a gamble.

Ding Huan looked at Fengpu speechlessly, as if he had somehow gotten some great bargain.