Chapter 895: The Patient One

Ding Huan sized up Hou Yucheng: "Brother Hou, don't even talk about whether I'm bold or not—I'm a Dao Court Dao Master, so I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

But you, with your cultivation level, staying here in the Ten Thousand Dao Mountains? You've got more guts than I do."

Hou Yucheng was also at the Creation Realm.

From Ding Huan's perspective, it was clear Hou Yucheng's Dao had been refined to perfection, with not a trace of leakage.

The depth of his Dao foundation was likely even greater than Ling Zhuzhen's.

It wasn't that Ding Huan overestimated Ling Zhuzhen—Ling Zhuzhen had once been one of the Dao Ancestors of the Great Cosmos, a being of the Eighth Step of Dao.

Such a person's Dao could not be weak; moreover, Ding Huan had once helped Ling Zhuzhen resolve the issue of Dao Chaos, so he knew well just how powerful Ling Zhuzhen was.

Hou Yucheng's Dao foundation surpassed even Ling Zhuzhen's—clearly, he was no ordinary person.

Hou Yucheng laughed heartily: "Brother Ding, your way of speaking reminds me of a friend of mine."

But since I dare stay here, I certainly have no fear of those Tianmeng hairy folk."

If I wished to advance, I wouldn't even need to say the Seventh Step of Dao—I'm already at least a Sixth Step of Dao."

Ding Huan's eyes lit up—could it be that Hou Yucheng, too, had sensed the childishness and crudeness of the world's heavenly rules, and made the same choice as him?

"Why haven't you certified the Fourth Step of Dao?" Ding Huan asked, fixing his gaze on Hou Yucheng.

Anyone who understands that the Fourth Step of Dao cannot be certified here is no simple soul.

Hou Yucheng smiled faintly and said calmly: "Dao Master Ding, aren't we the same? I believe that if you wanted to certify the Fourth Step of Dao, you'd have done so long ago."

Ding Huan laughed: "What puzzles me is how you knew certifying the Fourth Step of Dao here holds no great future."

Ding Huan understood this because he cultivated the Great Cosmos Art, perceiving the infinite laws of the cosmos.

He had known the nature of this world's heavenly Dao since the moment he entered the Creation Path.

Certifying the Fourth Step of Dao here is like digging your own Dao's grave.

Ling Zhuzhen knew this because when the Great Cosmos Cataclysm came, he hid within the Great Cosmos.

The only difference was that Ling Zhuzhen hid in the Chaos Zone of the Great Cosmos.

When the Cataclysm arrived, Ling Zhuzhen perceived fragments of the true essence of Dao.

Though he vaguely sensed the Dao's profundities and cosmic mysteries, he paid the price of Dao Chaos.

Had Ding Huan not intervened, Ling Zhuzhen would have been ruined.

Hou Yucheng sighed—he did not answer Ding Huan's question.

It was his secret.

Though he still intended to ally with Ding Huan, that didn't mean he'd reveal his secrets to a stranger.

At the very least, he knew nothing about Ding Huan.

The only thing he could discern was that Ding Huan held strong identification with human cultivators.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have abolished all other worlds, rescinded those ridiculous titles of Dao Ancestors, and founded the Dao Court.

This was also one reason he sought out Ding Huan to form an alliance.

Seeing Hou Yucheng fall silent, Ding Huan didn't care—he waved his hand: "Then I won't disturb you, Brother Hou. Until we meet again."

It was normal for such secrets to be withheld from him.

"Dao Master Ding—are you going to the Tianmeng clan?" Hou Yucheng suddenly asked as Ding Huan turned to leave.

Ding Huan did intend to go—but before that, he needed to derive the Dao gene law of the Tianmeng clan's annihilation.

He wouldn't tell anyone about such a thing.

Not even Hou Yucheng—or those few Dao Ancestors.

Ding Huan looked at Hou Yucheng in confusion but said nothing.

Hou Yucheng spoke slowly: "If I'm not mistaken, the Tianmeng clan will slaughter the human cultivators of the Great Cosmos within ten years and seize the entire Great Cosmos."

As the Dao Master of the Great Cosmos Dao Court, since you haven't yet reached the Fourth Step of Dao, you naturally seek another way to counter the Tianmeng clan."

I think it's nearly impossible—you probably don't even know the Tianmeng clan still has one Eighth Step of Dao, and at least two Seventh Steps of Dao…"

Here, Hou Yucheng paused, then added: "The Seventh Step of Dao I mean is the Seventh Step before the Great Cosmos Cataclysm."

Not the Seventh Step born after the new cosmos emerged—now, the Great Cosmos's heavenly Dao rules are crude and feeble; the Seventh Step certified here is weak."

Rather than the seventh step of the Great Dao derived after the new cosmos came into being, the present grand cosmos's Heaven and Earth Dao rules are crude and its regulations are thin; the seventh step of the Great Dao proven here is very weak."

The implication was clear: with such strength, you, a Creation Realm cultivator, going there is suicide.

Ding Huan said nothing in reply.

He understood exactly what Hou Yucheng meant.

The Seventh Steps and Eighth Steps born before the Great Cosmos Cataclysm—against a Creation Realm cultivator like him—they'd crush him like an ant.

No matter how powerful his Dao was, it wouldn't matter.

The gap was too vast—nothing else could compensate.

Hou Yucheng was right.

But his gene law was pure annihilation and dissolution of Dao—perfect for countering the Tianmeng clan.

"Dao Master Ding…"

Ding Huan waved his hand to stop him: "Brother Hou, though we're not instant friends, our views align—just call me by my name."

Hou Yucheng, relaxed and open, clasped his fists: "Brother Ding, I've stayed here precisely to oppose the Tianmeng clan."

But I'm alone and weak—over the years, I've only uncovered fragments of their true strength, and never found a partner."

I once wanted to ally with you, but you were in seclusion in Wanda City, so I've remained here alone, searching for a way."

Hearing this, Ding Huan finally understood completely.

Earlier I did want to seek cooperation with Brother Ding, but Brother Ding was always in closed-door cultivation in Wandao City, so I could only continue looking for a way here on my own."

Hearing this, Ding Huan finally understood completely.

Hou Yucheng being here was not just about finding dao veins to get rich; he also shared the same idea as him, which was to take down the Tianmeng Tribe.

He was quite a decent fellow, actually.

In that case, he could actually tell Hou Yucheng his plan.

Hou Yucheng had definitely been here for some years, and he surely knew more than him.

"Actually, there were originally two Eighth Step powerhouses of the Tianmeng Tribe here. One of them was taken out."

There was someone in the human race capable of taking out an Eighth Step powerhouse? Ding Huan immediately asked: "Who? Where?"

Naturally, he had to contact such a person at the first opportunity, and then join forces to deal with the Tianmeng Tribe.

Hou Yucheng smiled: "Actually, you should know this person. His name is Xi Changmei."

Dung beetle?

Ding Huan frowned. Zuo Shanyi's cultivation was at most about the same as his, and even if a bit stronger, he couldn't possibly have taken out an Eighth Step powerhouse of the Tianmeng Tribe.

Even if the opponent's Eighth Step powerhouse was heavily wounded, it still wasn't something Zuo Shanyi could take out.

"How does Brother Hou know? And Xi Changmei's cultivation shouldn't be enough to kill an Eighth Step powerhouse either, right?" Ding Huan looked at Hou Yucheng with some doubt.

Hou Yucheng sighed: "This man is the most enduring person I've ever seen, bar none.

There actually is a top-grade dao vein in the Myriad Dao Mountain Range, and I was the first to discover this top-grade dao vein…"

Ding Huan was shocked. There really was a top-grade dao vein in the Myriad Dao Mountain Range?

How could a top-grade dao vein exist given the rules of heaven and earth here?

Hou Yucheng continued: "It can't really be called a complete top-grade dao vein, because the Myriad Dao Mountain Range itself was later derived from chaos.

That top-grade dao vein is also still being perfected. If no one disturbs it, it will eventually be completely perfected.

I discovered that top-grade dao vein, and even borrowed that dao vein to cultivate for a period of time…"

"Why didn't you draw out this dao vein?" Ding Huan asked.

Hou Yucheng gave a slight smile: "That dao vein only needs at most a thousand years to be completely perfected and become a true top-grade dao vein.

If I drew it out early, wouldn't that be a waste of heaven's gift?"

Ding Huan could feel the sincerity in Hou Yucheng's tone; he wasn't lying.

Even Ding Huan couldn't help but admire him secretly in his heart.

If it were him, he couldn't do it.

If this dao vein only had a few dozen years left before completing its transformation into a top-grade dao vein, he might still wait.

A thousand years—just to wait for a top-grade dao vein to fully form—he didn't have that patience. He would definitely draw it out first.

If he didn't draw it out, was he waiting for someone else?

This Hou Yucheng's ambition was truly extraordinary; he could actually hold out and wait.

"While I was waiting on the side, that Xi Changmei also discovered this dao vein.

I thought Xi Changmei would draw out this dao vein, and was just about to tell him that this dao vein hadn't been completely perfected yet. He actually didn't make a move, but instead sent out a message.

I felt Xi Changmei wasn't the kind of existence who would share a top-grade dao vein with others, so I was somewhat puzzled in my heart—what was this fellow trying to do.

What I didn't expect was that after Xi Changmei sent the message, he immediately concealed himself…"

Speaking up to here, Hou Yucheng shook his head: "I felt my concealment methods were already extremely powerful, yet this Xi Changmei's concealment methods were actually no weaker than mine.

Not only could he conceal himself, he was also proficient in the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformation Divine Powers.

When he concealed himself at that time, he almost completely merged with the laws of heaven and earth. If I hadn't arrived a step earlier, I wouldn't have sensed him at all.

Just like that, about half a month passed, and a Tianmeng Tribe cultivator rushed over. After he discovered that dao vein that was about to become top-grade, he was overjoyed.

Only at this point did I realize that Xi Changmei had invited this Tianmeng Tribe powerhouse to come draw out the top-grade dao vein…"

Ding Huan interrupted: "Xi Changmei couldn't possibly be this kind-hearted, to

give a top-grade dao vein to someone else. It's just that Xi Changmei isn't a Tianmeng Tribe cultivator, so why would he invite a Tianmeng Tribe cultivator here?"

Hou Yucheng nodded: "Brother Ding, your guess is correct. That Tianmeng Tribe cultivator did not draw out that dao vein that was almost about to become top-grade.

He sat down on that dao vein, and was actually repairing his own great dao…"

Only at that time did I realize that the Tianmeng Tribe powerhouse's great dao had become turbid, and he wanted to borrow that dao vein to perfect his own great dao."

Ding Huan nodded.

If one's great dao became turbid, unless someone like him who cultivated the Great Universe Art intervened, borrowing a top-grade dao vein was indeed a method of repair.

It just required a very long time.

"That Tianmeng Tribe powerhouse at the Eighth Step of the great dao was still somewhat cautious at first, but after a thousand years, he seemed to sense that his great dao had the possibility of repair, and no longer held back, even opening up his own great dao world…"

Although Hou Yucheng was still speaking, Ding Huan was stunned.

He knew Zuo Shanyi could endure, but enduring for a thousand years was simply perverted.

If Zuo Shanyi was perverted, then this Hou Yucheng in front of him didn't seem to be much weaker than a pervert either.

This fellow said with his mouth that Zuo Shanyi was the most enduring person he'd ever seen, yet hadn't he himself hidden on the side and endured for a thousand years?

Why were they all this kind of person?