Chapter 351: Playing with a World in the Palm of One's Hand, Grasping Dao Patterns Like Fishing

"It just depends on whether you can grasp this glimmer of survival, and how many among you can actually seize it~"

Fang Longye's eyes were deep and dim; his gaze passed one by one over these "Innate Spirits" of various forms, and an inexplicable smile appeared on his face.

Just as mentioned before,

since it conformed to the rules and caused no harm to himself, he naturally did not care, nor would he be idle enough to go and extinguish the glimmer of survival for the living beings in this world.

Furthermore,

the lower limit of these "Innate Spirits" born in his Inner World was not low, and their upper limit was also quite decent; moreover, their bones were filled with the "Yuanlong Dao." If they truly grew up, they could be considered decent helpers in the future.

Of course, the premise was that someone among them could grasp the glimmer of survival from the 'Fuli Creation Map' and rely on it to dodge the so-called "World-Extinguishing Calamity" of the future.

A glimmer of survival, a glimmer of survival—naturally, it is not so easy to grasp. Opportunity, luck, aptitude, strength,... and so on and so forth, not a single one can be missing.

He, Fang Longye, does not raise idlers; only the outstanding ones among them can catch his eye.

To be regarded by him as a helper, merely being an "Innate Spirit" of a Middle Thousand World is not enough.

"It just depends on your luck and strength~"

Fang Longye withdrew his gaze, no longer paying too much attention to these "Innate Spirits," and instead turned his divine sense inward to perceive the changes in himself under the feedback of his Companion Spiritual Root.

"As expected, the step from Innate Spirit to Xiantian Shengsheng is not so easy to cross~"

Fang Longye let out a breath and sighed with emotion.

To say there was no change at all would not be accurate; at the very least, his strength had increased quite a bit.

But there was no change that transcended his essence.

It was just that his origin had become more profound, his Bloodline had become more mysterious, and his overall aura looked a bit more noble.

Apart from that, there was nothing special.

He had long anticipated this; after all, the creation fed back by the Xun Wood's Reverse Innate process could only allow one to achieve the status of an Innate Spirit~ And thanks to many rare innate treasures, he was already a top-tier Innate Spirit after he had previously performed the secret technique to Reverse Innate~

As such, even with the two superimposed, the benefit it brought to him could only be described as negligible~ "Let's take it one step at a time!"

Now that his Companion Spiritual Root had achieved the innate state, they would complement each other in the future, and through constant cultivation, it would still be useful for his achievement of becoming a Xiantian Shengsheng.

Standing up, Fang Longye stretched, appreciated the surrounding scenery for a while, and after soothing his mind, returned to the Cloud Platform and sat down.

He had originally taken out a batch of treasures, seemingly preparing to refine his Dao Palace and Yuanlong Cauldron, but he suddenly stopped the movements in his hands.

Suddenly, he patted his forehead, his face wearing an expression as if he had remembered something.

"Almost forgot!"

Fang Longye exhaled, shook his head with a laugh, and with his Dharma eyes shining, he looked into the void.

The shadow of a world swirled in his eyes: mountains and rivers, flowers, birds, fish, and insects, the mundane world, immortal sects and demon manors,... and so on and so forth.

In a single thought, he scanned the entire world, seeing through everything clearly, sitting and observing the ten directions, heaven and earth, with no obstructions, inside and outside the six directions, hidden or manifest, large or small.

All things and all matters were understood clearly.

"I almost forgot about you!"

This world was no other place; it was the very place where Fang Longye first arrived in this Honghuang, his "newbie village"—that Gourd Small World.

Initially, he had intended to devour it once his Inner World advanced to a Small World; after all, it contained the Dao Patterns left behind by many Great Divine Ability holders.

It was just that he hadn't expected to underestimate those Dao Patterns; his Inner World, at the Small World stage, actually couldn't swallow this Gourd Small World.

By the time his Inner World advanced to a Small Thousand World, he happened to have many things on his plate and was constantly busy, so he gradually pushed this matter to the back of his mind.

Well, at first he might have been too busy to care, but later on, it was more that he didn't really care anymore.

Especially after he made a trip to that battlefield ruin, in front of the remains of various Daluo and even those above Daluo, the Gourd Small World didn't count for much.

After all, the most essential creation had already been melted into his own body back then.

Call him fickle if you will, or call him one who prefers the new over the old. In any case, under a series of fortunes, he had long since cast this Gourd Small World to the back of his mind.

Even though he had previously sought it diligently.

It can only be said that his horizons had changed.

Just like a toy one thought was very, very expensive when young, only to find out after growing up, oh, it seems it was just like that, and it wasn't really that expensive.

Of course, with Fang Longye's nature of "scraping the ground three feet deep," if he hadn't remembered it, that would be one thing, but now that he had, he naturally wouldn't just leave it alone.

"Even the smallest ant is still meat!"

This was his catchphrase.

He saw that above his crown, auspicious clouds rose, and divine light radiated from behind him; the "Yuanlong Dao" permeated time and space, and in an instant, it connected with the Gourd Small World.

The "Yuanlong Dao" descended, magnificent and grand.

No matter how much foundation the Gourd Small World had, at this moment it was only a Small World, its essence was very weak, its rules were incomplete, and even the sun, moon, and stars were merely projections—this much could be seen.

Therefore, it was quickly and thoroughly refined by Fang Longye, and he held it in his hand, shrunk down like a pellet.

As the Gourd Small World was refined by Fang Longye, his aura and Great Dao naturally permeated within, entangling and colliding with the world's original Dao rules and spiritual energy.

Suddenly, in the Small World, which was in the middle of the night, it became bright, and strange phenomena appeared frequently.

"What is that?"

"What happened?"

"What on earth is going on?"

At the same time, the people in the Small World, especially the cultivators, discovered in horror that the sky, where starlight had been faint and flickering, had suddenly become as bright as day.

The galaxy was brilliant, and the sun and moon appeared together! Immediately following, the sky was filled with roaring Dragon Qi, connecting heaven and earth, and indescribable divine splendor and strange colors permeated the air, scattering like Golden Flowers and tassels, sweeping across the world.

Accompanied by a dragon roar that sounded like the might of heaven, above the firmament, the spiritual energy and starlight, invisible to the naked eye, gathered together and condensed into an Innate Yuan Dragon Image.

The dragon head was held high, and the incomparably massive dragon body appeared and disappeared in the smoke and clouds; the scales were distinct, and a majesty that rushed toward one's face permeated the entire world.

This Innate Yuan Dragon Image wound its way out, covering the heavens and the earth, obscuring the sun and the moon, and was unimaginably massive.

Every dragon scale, every dragon whisker, along with every Dao Pattern upon them, could be clearly seen.

The purple and azure Dragon Qi swept forth, and no one could ignore it.

Never mind the cultivators within the Small World, even the most ordinary mortals could clearly perceive just how extraordinary this phenomenon was~

"What is this?"

"It is the Divine Venerable Yuanlong!"

"The Divine Venerable Yuanlong has manifested!"

"..."

In the current Gourd Small World,

tens of thousands of years had passed since Fang Longye first departed, and the Yuan Kingdom of the past had long since vanished into the dust of time.

Only the myths and legends concerning the Divine Venerable Yuanlong remained deeply imprinted upon the human world of this Small World, widely known by all.

After so many years, the moment the phenomenon appeared, it was recognized by the many mortals; whether in awe, excitement, or piety... they all knelt in worship.

The ancestral grounds of the 'Yuanlong Dao', Yuanhuang Mountain.

A chime of a bell and stone chime resounded, followed by the appearance of a Treasure Map; its light was clear enough to reflect shadows, red clouds rose, and it evolved into thousands of immortal cranes dancing gracefully.

The treasure light was radiant, gathering the spirit of the land. In the center, a person stood with hands behind their back.

This person appeared young, handsome, and elegant, yet their temples were frosted white and their eyes were deep, revealing the vicissitudes of life; clearly, their actual age was not small.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

Seeing this person appear, the 'Yuanlong Dao' from top to bottom bowed in unison, their expressions respectful.

This was because the Old Ancestor before them was not only the person with the most profound cultivation in the 'Yuanlong Dao', but their own legendary experiences were also worthy of reverence.

It is said that when the founder of the 'Yuanlong Dao' descended to the mortal world to preach, it was only for a dozen years or so before they had to return to the seat of Yuanlong. At the time, the various sages begged the founder to stay for a longer period, but the founder only shook their head and sighed.

They only said that their mission was complete and the mandate of Heaven could not be defied.

Fortunately, the founder took pity and could not bear for the orthodoxy to be severed, so before returning, they left behind the Yuanlong Dharma Seal.

The founder said that three hundred years after their return to Heaven, a wise person would hold this Dharma Seal, comprehend the true scripture, and greatly flourish the Yuanlong Dharma, ensuring the orthodoxy would continue without end~ And indeed,

three hundred years later, there truly was a person who, just as the founder had predicted, held the Yuanlong Dharma Seal and comprehended the true scripture, causing the 'Yuanlong Dao' to truly flourish in the world! And this Old Ancestor was that legendary figure who had verified the founder's prediction back then.

Over these tens of thousands of years, the 'Yuanlong Dao' had weathered many storms but had always stood firm, all relying on this Old Ancestor whose achievements had reached the level of creation and who had attained eternal life in the world.

"Is it truly the legendary Divine Venerable Yuanlong?"

Zhang Xiangqing had no time to attend to the disciples and grand-disciples of his sect; he raised his head and looked at the shadow of the Yuanlong that covered the firmament and permeated the entire boundary of the world.

His eyes were filled with shock and fear.

He had already lived for tens of thousands of years and was no longer that ignorant little sweeping acolyte from the beginning.

He had his own insights regarding the Divine Venerable Yuanlong, whom both cultivators and mortals believed in.

Or rather, he had his doubts.

At the very least, he already knew that this world did not have the Heavenly Court that the 'Yuanlong Dao' proclaimed.

Yes, Zhang Xiangqing had already touched the edges of the world, and he could confirm that he was the existence with the highest cultivation realm in the entire world.

Perhaps the answer lay beyond the heavens.

Unfortunately,

he had previously been unable to find the path leading beyond the heavens.

And now—

Zhang Xiangqing stared fixedly at the shadow of the Yuanlong hanging from the sky; the many perplexities that had been brewing in his heart for the last ten thousand years might finally have an answer~

But at this moment, he would rather have remained perplexed.

It was simply too terrifying!

This power, terrifying to an extreme degree, gave Zhang Xiangqing the same feeling as when he sensed the laws of heaven and earth during his cultivation.

Supreme, cold, and profound.

Yet the laws of heaven and earth had no consciousness or wisdom.

And this Yuanlong manifestation appearing before him, just by looking at it, gave one a sense of unbridled dominance and strength that penetrated heaven and earth.

Clearly, it possessed will and intent.

What was even more terrifying was that he had a feeling—he did not know if it was an illusion—that if this Yuanlong manifestation were to move even slightly, the entire world would collapse and be destroyed.

"Is this a blessing or a curse!"

Zhang Xiangqing sighed secretly~...

On the Cloud Platform, Fang Longye sat quietly.

In his hand, he toyed with a "bead" the size of a pellet; its shimmering treasure light intertwined with the surrounding void, projecting a miniature of a world.

It was none other than the Gourd Small World, which he had completely refined and held in his hand.

"I never imagined that a mere sweeping acolyte from back then would have such talent~"

Fang Longye's gaze was like a torch as he looked at Zhang Xiangqing inside the "pellet" in his hand; phantom images swirled in his eyes, seeing his past and present lives entirely.

This Zhang Xiangqing was none other than that original little acolyte who had been wiping the "founder's relics" and happened to trigger the opening of the Restriction, obtaining the cultivation technique from the stone seal.

He never imagined that the boy would rely on some scattered, incomplete Dao Scriptures in the Small World, combined with that 'Dragon God Art', to forcibly complete the technique.

Subsequently, he broke through the Immortal Realm in one go, and by now, he had walked a long way within the Yuan Immortal realm.

"I flipped back several hundred lifetimes, and there were no issues~" Fang Longye withdrew his gaze and began to ponder.

It seems it really was a matter of being favored by destiny.

Or rather, he had unknowingly been tainted by the lingering Dao essence contained within the Gourd Small World~

Shaking his head,

Fang Longye moved his mind, and the entire Gourd Small World instantly came to a standstill—a complete, total standstill, even time itself stopped.

The entire world was rendered in a deep hue, as if frozen; everything within the Small World, all living things, became like insects trapped in amber.

Not only was it motionless, but it had completely lost consciousness, falling into a deep slumber.

No, that description is not accurate; to be precise, this is Fang Longye's perception from the outside world.

As far as the Small World is concerned, even time has already stood still, and the consciousness of all living things naturally is no exception, likewise falling into stillness.

To them, there is no concept of time standing still at all; eternity is merely like a single instant.

Fang Longye's eyes shone brilliantly as he stared at the pellet-sized Gourd Small World in his hand, seeing through it with perfect clarity.

Deep within the world, there were some distinct fragments, seemingly present yet absent, emitting wondrous celestial sounds, occasionally rippling with profound seven-colored divine radiance, incomparably mysterious~

These fragments,

were the Dao essence hidden within the Small World.

They originated from the traces left behind by several top-tier Great Divine Ability practitioners, suffused with unfathomable Dharma, becoming firmer the more one delved into them, higher the more one looked up to them, encompassing everything.

Even with his current realm of cultivation, he still could not see them clearly, as if looking at flowers through a fog, dazed and confused.

Fang Longye's thoughts stirred, and his own "Yuanlong Dao" rose up, transforming into something like a fishing rod; with a light flick, it headed straight for these fragments.

In just a single moment, he fished these fragments up one after another and took them into his own Inner World, letting the Inner World slowly absorb and refine them later~

After seizing these unfathomable Dao essences,

Fang Longye's thoughts turned, recalling the skeptical mindset he had glimpsed in Zhang Xiangqing's mind just moments ago, and he could not help but sigh.

He shouldn't have boasted so grandly back then~

He simply employed his methods to sever, one by one, all the various traces he had left behind in the Gourd Small World in the past.

This included the memories of the billions of living beings in this Small World regarding him, which were no exception.

He left behind only some ambiguous legends, such as the vague legend that "He, the Dragon Lord, is the creator god who opened up the heavens and split the earth of this realm."

As for the rest, such as sending a Heavenly Official to the lower realm to assist the founding ancestor of the Yuan Kingdom in unifying the universe, or descending to the lower realm to unite with the founding ancestor of the Yuan Kingdom to bear a child,..., and so on and so forth.

All were severed from the memories of the beings of this realm~ After erasing all traces of the past and applying some patches, Fang Longye flicked the "pellet" away, tossing it into the dark, mysterious space covered by the territory of his own Dao Palace, 'Cangmang Mountain'.

He let it fend for itself~ He stretched, then buried his head in continuing the task he had previously planned, preparing to refine his own Dao Palace and the 'Yuanlong Tripod' in his hand.

(End of chapter)