Chapter 171: Dao Foundation, Eleven

Dao Foundation, Eleven

If fortune is the integration of all necessity and contingency in the universe, then what is causality?

Ruan Ci's heart seemed to be divided into several parts. One part was concentrating on thinking about the essence of causality, while the other part was watching coldly, watching the four clusters of fortune fall to the infinitely distant place, and even 'seeing' the contention caused by countless momentums in the void. Although only a very small number of people in the universe are qualified to snatch such Dao Ancestor fortune, under the Dao contention, no one can be exempted. And how could Grotto-Heaven contention not involve low-generation cultivators? Although there were only four clusters of this fortune, they stirred up the grand trend, and I really don't know how many waves they would stir up and how many people's fates they would change. Even Ruan Ci at this moment seemed to be able to vaguely see the changes in the karmic connections of many cultivators in each direction, and even joys and sorrows. There were even some things that had already happened in the past and could not be changed now, which also gave rise to causality and linked with this fortune.

"This is more mysterious than what my teacher demonstrated to me... but it cannot be said that my teacher failed to glimpse the secrets of the Great Dao at this level. It was just that what I knew at the time was limited. My teacher perhaps only explained a little for me, and deeper mysteries will have to wait until I reach the upper realm to explore on my own." Ruan Ci gazed at the direction the white light went, also yearning, feeling intoxicated by the mystery of the Great Dao, and suddenly sighed secretly, "The wonders of the universe are so magnificent and boundless, but we cultivators of the Langhuan Zhou Tian can only sit trapped behind the Dao rhyme barrier. Even Grotto-Heaven cultivators cannot break the barrier and go out, while the cultivators of the Dayu Zhou Tian can come and go freely. How unfair the Grotto-Yang Dao Ancestor is to us."

She had had this thought for a long time, but how dared she think about it casually? Ruan Ci did not know how many great blasphemous guesses were in her heart, but she also knew deeply that she was in the Langhuan Zhou Tian, deeply shrouded by the Grotto-Yang Dao Ancestor's Dao rhyme, just like being in his inner landscape. Even if she had the Donghua Sword to suppress her body, if her own cultivation was too low, I fear her thoughts could not withstand a single exploration of the Grotto-Yang Dao Ancestor, which was why she had not thought much about it. At this moment, having obtained the Nirvana fortune, and being the most free and easy, while her spirit was wandering in the Great Thousand Universe, she finally relaxed her vigilance slightly and pondered, "I have no Grotto-Yang Dao rhyme and originally could not cultivate the Dao, yet I happened to obtain the sword passed down by Sister Xie. Before she left, she even cut down the sword seeds of the world, and all the true spirits were collected in the sword. Was this to protect them from being disturbed by all parties, to successfully draw the sword, and to guard the Donghua Sword until she returned? Probably yes, but not entirely so. Sister Xie also wanted to cut off all possibilities for true cultivators who were contaminated with Grotto-Yang Dao rhyme to obtain the sword... Except for me, there are no more sword seeds in the Zhou Tian. Could the Grotto-Yang Dao Ancestor have thought that in his Dao domain, it would happen to be a cultivator who was not contaminated with Dao rhyme and could leave the Langhuan Zhou Tian anytime and anywhere who became the Donghua Sword Envoy of this generation?"

Xie Xie Yan Huan hid in the Song Guo great formation for seven hundred years. Was this great formation to trap her, or to block all those with cultivation from entering the three kingdoms, hindering her from cultivating secret methods? Who could say clearly? What kind of sacred person was the Grotto-Heaven cultivator who could set up the Absolute Spirit Great Formation? Looking at it now, the angle was completely different from before. Ruan Ci also secretly sighed at Xie Xie Yan Huan's decisiveness, "No wonder Sister Xie said she was the first-class figure of the Langhuan Zhou Tian in ten thousand years. When she left from above South Zhuzhou, her Dao body burned with spiritual fire, which was exactly the same as the sparks burned when True Person Qingshan's avatar opened the passage. This must also be a secret method. True Person Qingshan used it to burn open the space barrier, but Sister Xie burned away the Dao rhyme on her body. If, if she successfully returns, then, whether the Donghua Sword is in my hands or returns to her hands, it will be someone without Grotto-Yang Dao rhyme who will be this sword envoy."

Wanting to break through the Dao rhyme barrier, how could it be so simple? After Ruan Ci returned from Cold Rain Marsh, she already knew that like Seed Sixteen, Langhuan cultivators who fell out of space cracks and fell outside the Zhou Tian barrier could only go to the furthest place where the Dao rhyme fragrant flowers could link, and there was no possibility of traveling freely at all. Even Grotto-Heaven powerhouses like True Person Qingshan, wanting to walk out of the Zhou Tian, had to be prepared for the damage of their avatars. This was also because this avatar had been cut off and was not connected to the main body's fortune, only having memories that faded with time, so it could enter Cold Rain Marsh. Otherwise, Grotto-Heaven fortune, even if it was only a part, was a weight that Cold Rain Marsh could not bear, and the Cold Rain Flower would wither completely. Cold Rain Marsh would not be able to be sealed as tightly as it was now.

From her last closed-door cultivation until now, there was still no news of the remnants of the Dayu Zhou Tian, or even the person who rescued Ruan Rong. But seeing that True Person Wang and others were not anxious, she also knew that this matter might have already shown clues in the fortune and causality. Furthermore, at this time, it was still mainly to watch the four clusters of fortune. As soon as her thoughts flew far away, she concentrated them back again, seeing that the four clusters of fortune had already flown to a very distant place in the universe, and even the surrounding stars could not be seen clearly. This was not a vision she could see. Ruan Ci even had a trace of feeling that this fortune could not fly so far in a short time no matter what. She was using the extremely close connection between fortunes to peek at the scene in some future place, and even the time of each fortune vision might not be consistent.

Her heart moved, and she secretly thought, "Could it be that... this is causality? Fortune is the integration of all necessity and contingency in the universe, and causality is the most essential thread of relationship between all things in the universe, spanning across time and space, regardless of closeness or thickness, before or after in time, far or near in space, the collective term for all connections?"

As soon as this thought arose, she only felt that the four clusters of fortune shook violently, and a sturdy thread connection was born between them and her. Looking at her whole body again, dense threads of causality grew outward, but they were no longer divided by cultivation level, unlike when True Person Wang showed her, omitting many unnecessary connections, with only a few worth noting. With Ruan Ci's body as the center, infinite causality grew outward. Wherever her divine sense passed, she pulled a thread at will, and her heart felt a response. For example, the many threads of causality on her body that were between existence and non-existence, as light as nothing, came from the sword seeds that were cut off in the past. The reason they were between existence and non-existence was because Xie Xie Yan Huan held her hand to cut off the sword seeds, and neither of them explained who would bear this causality, so it was hard to say who this causality counted on. At this moment, it might be fine, but in the future, if either of them wanted to bind the causality, they would have to explain it clearly.

Looking left and right, some black and blood-colored lines came from the people and beasts Ruan Ci had killed, and some shining, softly colored lines came from friends. It was just that she could only observe herself, but could not see the people at the other end of the lines. Thinking about it, her cultivation was limited after all, and she had not cultivated any sensing heart methods, so she could only guess roughly.

Ruan Ci was naturally happy when she saw those pleasing lines, and she flicked a pink silk thread three times, a mischievous smile hanging on her lips, thinking, "I wonder if there is any response at the other end of the silk thread."

She accepted the negative causality calmly, nodded, and said, "It should be. If I can kill you, I can naturally bear this causality."

She also curiously thought, "I have already glimpsed the power of causality, but I have no way to take and use it. I wonder who will give it to me?"

She vaguely knew that these three layers could only be condensed by borrowing the power of Dao Ancestors. The Nirvana Dao Ancestor gave her the power of fortune, and by borrowing the flying fortune, she realized causality and knew that her eleventh tier was cast by causality. But among the seventy-two Dao Ancestors, she did not know who was willing to give her the origin of causality. This answer could only be pondered by Ruan Ci herself. If the answer did not come out, I fear she could not hold this gift firmly.

Such a great opportunity, if it were someone else, I fear they would be somewhat anxious about gains and losses, but how could Ruan Ci be an ordinary person? Unhurriedly, she lowered her head and pondered for a while, a smile already appeared on her lips, and she called out, "I understand. The power of causality spans time and space, but my vision may not be able to span it. The one who let me see this scene is not the Dao Ancestor of my original scripture "Yin Jun Yi Huan Dan Ge Zhu", the Dao Ancestor of Time, Yin Jun Tai Yi!"

As she spoke every word, one of the four clusters of fortune suddenly shone brightly and fell into a star somewhere in the infinite void. The star lit up slightly, and only a long jade staircase reaching the sky could be seen, lighting up slowly section by section. At the end stood a statue, just waiting for the fortune to fall, cast into the center of the brows, rolling down from top to bottom, illuminating it into a living person inch by inch. It was exactly the Tai Yi Monarch that Ruan Ci could see every time she practiced thought cultivation!

Ruan Ci knew of three Dao Ancestors who had placed pieces on her, among whom Tai Yi was the most mysterious. Speaking of which, long before she entered the Dao, Tai Yi had already placed a piece, but even Ruan Ci was ignorant of it. Thinking about it now, although she also tempered her magic power according to "Qinghua Secret News", the key to cultivation still relied on "Yin Jun Yi Huan Dan Ge Zhu". That Tai Yi Monarch statue was the bridge for her to meet the Green Lord every time. Wasn't this piece placed much earlier than the one placed by the Nirvana Dao Ancestor?

The Tai Yi Monarch stood at the top of the jade staircase and smiled at Ruan Ci, nodding. The two seemed to be meeting for the first time, yet they seemed very familiar. Ruan Ci thought, "With such a big commotion, aren't you afraid of attracting the attention of the Grotto-Yang Dao Ancestor? Ah, I understand. For causality, time sequence has no meaning, just as the Nirvana Dao Ancestor can make the fruit appear before the cause. Perhaps for others, this fortune has just flown out of the Langhuan Zhou Tian, and it will only fall into the hands of the Tai Yi Monarch in the infinitely distant future, but with this cause, he can give me the fruit at this time."

And that heavy obstruction, the infinitely distant space, for causality, was also like non-existence. Ruan Ci took a step and walked to the bottom of the jade staircase, walking together with the fortune light cluster, or perhaps she herself was the fortune light cluster. Before her eyes was an infinite jade staircase, and in the dimness, a statue could be vaguely seen standing at the end of the jade staircase. This step not only spanned an unknown distance but also seemed to trace back time for a moment, returning to the time when the fortune just fell.

With every step she took, that eleventh layer of Dao foundation grew a bit more solid. Ruan Ci did not bother to think about when she would reach the end; she only thought about walking a distance that was neither long nor short, obtaining the portion she deserved and desired—no more, no less. As for distracting thoughts like greed, ambition, caution, fear, and complacency, she had cast them aside the moment her fortune condensed, viewing them as nothing more than the interesting sound of wind brushing through her soul. The thought of wandering freely in her heart had long since taken the upper hand. As she climbed the steps, she was even more leisurely, gazing at the starry sky, having long since cast distance and time to the ends of the earth.

I don't know how long it had been, or how far she had walked. In the inner landscape, the eleventh-tier Dao Foundation was finally fully forged. Wind and clouds rose again in the world. Ruan Ci only felt a sinking in her lower abdomen, as if in the inner landscape at the dantian, there was an extra bit of weight, as light as nothing, as heavy as a thousand jun. This contradictory feeling of being both light and heavy was because she was in some mysterious state at this time, and she felt that her Dao body was uncomfortable. If it weren't for the several times of body tempering before, I fear she really could not persist and continue.

This extra bit was the weight of causality. In Ruan Ci's inner landscape, even a blade of grass or a tree had its own causality at this time, tightly connected with her. The causality of each thing individually was simple and weak, but the inner landscape was so vast, with grass and trees scattered, and all causality counted together, it was so heavy. But because of this, those living beings born in the inner landscape, and even the demon beasts that might be moved in later, could truly exert influence on the outside world. Otherwise, without causality lingering, although there was no connection, in the eyes of others, it was like non-existence and could never interact with the outside world. It was just that other cultivators in the Golden Core realm had not yet felt the weight of causality, while she had already gained realization at this time.

At this time, she had already walked to the top of the jade staircase. The fortune light cluster fell into the center of the Tai Yi Monarch's brows again, illuminating it and bringing it back to life. It stepped down from the lotus seat step by step and met Ruan Ci. Their eyes met. Ruan Ci was calm and composed, but the Tai Yi Monarch was full of interest, looking Ruan Ci up and down. After a long time, a mysterious smile appeared on his lips, and he reached out to Ruan Ci.

Ruan Ci did not hesitate, put her hand into the Tai Yi Monarch's palm, and followed him to walk behind the lotus seat. She already knew who would give her this twelfth tier. The Tai Yi Monarch was leading her to meet that person. Without his help, it could not be done.

It was just that what needed to be clarified in her heart at this time was which origin power she wanted to condense for this twelfth tier—the Green Lord must be the person who helped her condense the twelfth tier, but what she asked of her was up to Ruan Ci herself, and could only be decided by herself.

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Updated, sorry for the wait, everyone. This section of core formation will not end until chapter 174. Winking at everyone (an action without any meaning). If you can't wait, then just let it accumulate.

I watched... I still didn't watch anything yesterday. I don't know what I was busy with all day. I'm going out today, and I probably won't watch anything either. I'm short on books, short on books! Crying, crying.

Beef noodle soup for lunch! With stir-fried bitter bamboo shoots!

. Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me during 2020-12-05 12:00:56~2020-12-06 11:59:05~

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: SweetLuna, Wu Mingya (3); Yu Yu Wan Yao, Filu, Beidaoguohao de Lizhi, Tianzhen Lan, Yeseru Mo, Mingji, 123, Banmu Fangtang (1);

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Leilei (222 bottles); Cong Haidi Yangwang Tiankong (85 bottles); catherine (76 bottles); anchi (50 bottles); Pixing Daiyue (38 bottles); Aimisiyou (30 bottles); Taoziwei de Xiatian, Priscilla (20 bottles); Lalala (19 bottles); minmin (14 bottles); 34443803, Ma Shenme Mei (10 bottles); Zhang Dachui, Yishengjun Bufajiao (5 bottles); Zhigengniao (4 bottles); Wa Wangwang (2 bottles); Muwan, Dandan, youyo, Tingfeng, xiaoxiao, Yisheng de Junjun, Jingjingjingjingjing, Xieyue Zhishi Biebuchu Pinglun w, Qinglou Chuguan Yihong Academy (1 bottle);

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard! ===== CHAPTER 172 =====