Chapter 541: The Dao of Cause and Effect of the Falling Luo Xu Zong

Cluster Heavy Cannons Bombard Cultivators, Main Text, Volume 573, Chapter: The Dao of Cause and Effect of the Falling Luo Xu Zong. Numerous Jin Dan cultivators tread the rotating stone steps, a total of ninety-nine levels, walking slowly upward.

Jiang Ding swept his divine sense around and, as expected, saw the lingering traces of the sky-restricting formation, which had long lost its function after ten thousand years of erosion.

Ten thousand years ago, from the sect master down to the mortal disciples just entering the gate, all should have climbed these steps one by one, with hearts of reverence and gratitude, seeking the wisdom left by countless generations of Falling Luo Xu Zong ancestors to serve as the ladder for their own entry into the Dao of Immortality.

"So many Gong Fa classics; this is not something an ordinary sect could possess."

"The Falling Luo Xu Zong must hold the Gong Fa and knowledge in extremely high regard."

Jiang Ding thought silently in his heart: "The birth of Shuo Yang Canghai Tianjun, an invincible within the realm, may not be a mere coincidence; the exploration of the Dao of Immortality by the ancestors of the Falling Luo Xu Zong must have played a crucial role."

Although the sky-restricting formation was gone, everyone still obediently climbed the stone steps slowly.

Fear not the ten thousand, but fear the one in ten thousand.

When not in an emergency, the patience of Jin Dan cultivators is terrifying; they will not take unknown risks for mere convenience.

On the second floor, the sea of books still stretched endlessly, but the quantity was obviously much less than on the first floor.

"These are all second-tier Gong Fa and spells, forging lineages, alchemy lineages, and so on."

Jiang Ding casually picked up a stone tablet, read it with his divine thought for a moment, and judged: "This place should have been frequented by Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Falling Luo Xu Zong ten thousand years ago. The lineage is complex and exquisite; using it as the sect's lineage could ensure that Foundation Establishment disciples are not inferior to major powers like the Liu Dao Sect or the Guishan Tie family in terms of foundation."

"Perhaps they might even surpass them in Foundation Establishment foundation."

Casually comparing the Foundation Establishment lineage of the Falling Luo Xu Zong with the lineages of General General Heishi and Yin cultivators he had obtained before, Jiang Ding vaguely arrived at a somewhat incredible conclusion.

The development of Northern Origin Immortal Dao techniques, after ten thousand years, had not only failed to progress but had actually regressed slightly!

If this situation continued for tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand more years, perhaps any Foundation Establishment Gong Fa here released would become a so-called ancient Gong Fa, powerful, simple to cultivate, fast in cultivation speed, with low requirements, capable of what others cannot.

If some lucky person obtained it, they might become a protagonist-like genius of a region.

"It has truly become archaeological cultivation."

Jiang Ding muttered a complaint in his heart, then turned and asked: "Does anyone need to select a Gong Fa? If not, I will take them away."

Since he had promised, he would fulfill it; he would not force anyone.

"As my lord Master Tushan says."

Everyone bowed their hands in unison.

Although some of these second-tier lineages would greatly benefit sect or family lineages, in the face of the path to Nascent Soul, they were naturally insignificant.

Jiang Ding did not begin to collect them but looked at one of the clear-featured women in a blue skirt.

A late-stage Jin Dan realm cultivator, who seemed to be her senior sister, whispered a few words to a peak-stage Jin Dan cultivator, showing hesitation, and did not respond like the others.

"My lord Master Tushan, I am Ou Kong Yuling."

The woman in the blue skirt took a deep breath, bowed her hands, and said: "I wish to find a second-tier lineage here named 'Discussions on the Alchemical Infant'; please forgive my impudence."

"Agreed."

Jiang Ding did not ask why or where she had heard the news.

After confirming no one else had objections, he expanded his divine sense, swept through the bookshelves one by one, confirmed that the lineage the other party mentioned was absent, and then collected the entire red spirit wood bookshelf.

Compared to the first floor, the materials of the lineage carriers here—jade slips, beast skins, talisman books, and so on—were much better; most remained intact after ten thousand years, unlike the Gong Fa on the first floor where applying slightly too much force during divine sense reading risked the entire lineage collapsing.

While he acted, the woman in the blue skirt, her senior sister, and some other Jin Dan cultivators who had been promised something also began searching, their divine senses constantly sweeping the second-floor bookshelves, occasionally picking up a jade slip lineage to verify.

Among the surrounding Jin Dan cultivators, many showed resentment, thinking this woman was wasting time, but some Jin Dan cultivators' eyes lit up, and they too joined the search.

Searching, flipping through pages; time flew quickly.

Several days passed.

More than ten days passed.

The entire second-floor space became quiet; the sound of turning pages appeared occasionally, restoring this place to its original state.

"This 'Magnetic Light Heavenly Thunder Method' is useless; it has no novelty. Immortal sect research far surpasses this; it is completely outdated..."

"This 'Three Fire Spirit Method' has reference value; it is worth some library points..."

With ample time, Jiang Ding also had the leisure to pull out some Gong Fa classics to study, repair damaged jade slips, and do his professional trade, gaining something from time to time.

Many ideas within the Gong Fa were unheard of, taking a sharp, unconventional path; they were simply thoughts a normal person should not have.

But the ancestors of the Falling Luo Xu Zong had actually made them and succeeded, giving him considerable inspiration.

"No wonder..."

Jiang Ding seemed to realize something: "Immortal sects tirelessly pursue new Immortal Dao knowledge; these seemingly low-end things, if utilized properly, have a value that is quite astonishing."

Immediately, he became much more serious, his face taking on a solemn and dignified air, roughly examining these Gong Fa one by one, not seeking understanding as there were too many and time was insufficient.

He merely strove to form an impression; if needed in the future, he would know where to find them.

"This one, Cause and Effect?"

After flipping through more than two hundred thousand books consecutively, Jiang Ding let out a slight exclamation, his gaze fixing on a jade slip: "'Guide to Cause and Effect'."

"Cause and Effect?"

"Is the Falling Luo Xu Zong's scholarship so sloppy? Foundation Establishment cultivators dare to boast of touching Cause and Effect; this is truly too arrogant."

"They probably haven't even figured out their own divine sense."

Jiang Ding sneered, feeling somewhat disappointed in his heart.

Flipping through it casually, sure enough, he was not proven wrong; this was a mixture of mortal superstition, shamanic mumbo-jumbo, and some cultivator kinship and entanglement matters, claiming to clear the heart and cut off desires, sever Cause and Effect, ensuring a smooth path ahead with significantly fewer bottlenecks.

"The Falling Luo Xu Zong is, after all, a classical sect; negligence in this aspect is normal."

Jiang Ding comforted himself.

If this were truly a sect full of mumbo-jumbo, constantly speaking of empty things like the Great Dao and Cause and Effect, the value of their exploration of the Immortal Dao would be greatly diminished.

Continuing to collect and organize the Gong Fa classics.

"'Discussions on Cause and Effect', 'Jin Zhi Cause and Effect', 'Wood Cause and Effect'... 'Five Elements Cause and Effect', 'My Cause and Effect', 'Human Path Cause and Effect', 'Heaven and Earth Cause and Effect'..."

The more he flipped through, the higher the frequency of the words "Cause and Effect" became.

"... Cause and Effect..."

From his initial dislike, irritation, and worry, Jiang Ding's expression gradually grew solemn.

"Most of it is nonsense, but a few of them overlap with the immortal sects' research on karmic fate..."

"No, the Dao of karma is too metaphysical.

"These people might not be talking nonsense — I don't understand this, so I can't judge."

"What kind of ghost sect is this?"

"They started researching this stuff at only Foundation Establishment, and actually produced something — that doesn't make sense, there must be something unreasonable influencing things."

Jiang Ding's eyes brightened slightly.

Anomalies, things that don't make sense — those were exactly what he had been searching for.