Witch Wind

Chapter 389 Refining the Heavenly Dao (Part 2)

The three great emperors are dead.

Below them, there were those who held military and political power in the three great dynasties, were responsible for the daily operation of the court, and had extremely high prestige among the winged people. They were the dozen or so respected ministers who betrayed the main strategist of the Ten Thousand Buddha Thunder Sound Temple, and they were also dead.

As Xing Tianli had predicted, the three great dynasties, having lost their rulers, immediately descended into chaos.

Each of the three emperors had over ten thousand concubines and countless offspring. While the majority of them were纨绔废废 (wán kù fèi fèi, meaning wasted and dissolute), a small portion were promising young talents with good aptitude, strength, and character. These individuals competed and betrayed each other even while their own fathers were still alive, creating chaos and turmoil in the three imperial dynasties.

Now that their father is dead, good heavens, they immediately used all sorts of means to coerce or bribe the generals and ministers in command of the army, forming small groups that began to fight each other.

In the void, on two or three hundred thousand stars, the ambitious princes of the three great dynasties occupied as many as two or three stars, while others occupied seven or eight or ten. They gathered the garrison troops on each star and began a grand and chaotic war between the great nations.

As the fighting went on, these guys realized that everyone's strength was about the same. If they wanted to sweep away all the rivals and ascend to the highest throne, they needed a little bit of boost in strength!

For the winged people who want to increase their strength, the best way is to devour flesh and blood and refine their souls, which is to cultivate evil and heretical techniques. Fortunately, the three great dynasties all have extremely large armies composed of body cultivators from the Nine Provinces. They are actually the cultivation resources for the winged nobles!

Almost simultaneously, the princes began to target the body cultivators of the Nine Provinces.

Something devastating and terrifying happened—the normally sweet and delicious Kyushu body cultivators suddenly found themselves with a surge of evil poison within their bodies.

This evil poison does not harm the body cultivators of the Nine Provinces at all, but once the winged people devour their flesh and blood, their own bloodline is immediately polluted, and their cultivation level drops drastically. What is even more terrifying is that this evil poison is also attached with an extremely vicious curse.

Like the curses that befell the three emperors and more than a dozen high-ranking officials, this curse directly triggered the inner demons within these high-ranking winged people, leading to the invasion of external demons. With both internal and external demons attacking from the same side, seven or eight thousand princes and hundreds of thousands of high-ranking winged people perished in the process.

The high-ranking officials of the three imperial dynasties were all terrified. They were completely at a loss and acted like headless flies.

Terrifying rumors began to circulate among the winged people on those stars.

What kind of innate spirit ape has returned from the underworld to slaughter the Winged Human race?

The monks of Wanfo Leiyin Temple have supposedly come back to life and are trying to exterminate the winged people.

There are even more outrageous rumors, fabricated by some genius—that the Winged People are thieves who stole the fortune of heaven and earth, and now the heavenly way is turning against them. This world is going to exterminate all the Winged People, set things right, and restore order to the world.

All hell breaks loose.

It's a complete mess.

The high-ranking officials of the three great dynasties have lost control over their respective ethnic groups.

Thus, on the Holy Cloud Continent, 100,000 Great Luo-level four-armed demonic apes, wielding their great axes and leading tens of millions of other four-armed demonic apes, divided into tens of thousands of teams, began to conquer cities and seize territories.

Where did these 100,000 Great Luo Demon Apes come from?

Naturally, we should be grateful to the three emperors for personally leading the campaign and bringing billions of elite troops. They were all wiped out by the gravity formation, and all their flesh and blood ended up in the mouths of these demonic apes. Wasn't that exactly what gave birth to 100,000 Great Luo Immortals?
As mentioned earlier, the three great dynasties maintained extremely tight control over the kingships on the Holy Cloud Continent.

In all royal palaces, anyone who breaks through to the Great Luo realm will be immediately transferred to a high-ranking official position in the imperial court. In other large and small town garrisons, the strongest garrison officer is only at the Golden Immortal level.

The three major dynasties granted a total of about 8,000 princes and nobles, while the number of large and small towns and prefectures was nearly 60,000.

Each royal residence and each garrison was assigned a team of four-armed demonic apes, and thus, they swept through the land. A multitude of four-armed demonic apes at the Great Luo and Taiyi realms, with the three great imperial dynasties neither willing nor able to intervene, wiped out all winged human forces on the Holy Cloud Continent in just three short months.

Of course, only a few winged people were actually killed.

Those guards dared not abandon their posts, for that would be a crime punishable by the execution of their entire families. But the kings were not stupid. Seeing the four-armed demonic ape attacking, they immediately took all their belongings and flew away to seek refuge with their relatives and friends on the stars in outer space.

Within three months, the entire Holy Cloud Continent fell into the hands of Xing Tianli.

Ten thousand Great Luo cultivators commanded tens of millions of Taiyi cultivators, roaming freely in the void and setting up numerous early warning arrays, effectively sealing off the entire Holy Cloud Continent.

So, Xing Tianli began to act.

Within the Heavenly Spirit Banner, the great yakshas, ​​having absorbed the essence of death within the Death God Pool and experienced a rapid increase in strength, emerged in droves.

Catalyzed by the Death God Pool, nurtured by the Tongtian Yuling Banner (which was upgraded to a superior-grade innate spiritual treasure), and nourished by the more than 300 billion winged human souls that have been continuously invested in over the past few days, the strength of the Great Yakshas has soared.

At the pinnacle of the Great Luo, seventy-two.

In the early stages of the Great Luo Dynasty, one million.

A million Great Luo cultivators, commanding billions of Great Yakshas at the Taiyi Realm, formed a grand formation around Xing Tianli.

Xing Tianli slowly summoned nine of his natal Heaven-Reaching Cauldrons, while countless Yakshas roared, and the Heaven and Earth Furnaces within their bodies, more or less, began to operate simultaneously, frantically gathering all their power into the nine Heaven-Reaching Cauldrons.

When the power of billions of Great Yakshas and Xing Tianli's natal Heavenly Cauldron completely merged into one, Xing Tianli roared, and his figure suddenly expanded to a height of a thousand miles. Around him, giant dragons formed from chaotic energy coiled, and he unleashed the power of eight hundred and ten trillion luminaries, causing the entire Holy Cloud Continent and the nearby void to tremble slightly.

Xing Tianli stared wide-eyed in horror.

The world of the winged people is not rich in resources. The central continent is only a trillion miles in diameter, and the number of the surrounding suns and planets is only a few hundred thousand.

The power surging from Xing Tianli's body gave off a feeling that subtly shook the entire world.

In the eyes of the Great Dao Dao, a shimmering azure divine light appeared, and Xing Tianli immediately understood that this was a standard used by countless intelligent races who had mingled in the chaos for countless years to measure the power of cultivators.

The world of the winged people, based on the richness of its origin, the breadth of its space, and the size and number of its main continent and subsidiary stars, is merely a 'small heavenly world'.

The power of ten quadrillion luminaries is the total mass of this 'small heavenly world'.

Any cultivator who possesses the power of ten quadrillion suns can move and shift the entire 'Small Heaven World'—therefore, the power of ten quadrillion suns is also known as 'Small Heaven Power'!
Xing Tianli currently possesses approximately 0.8 small celestial powers.

"So this world is so weak. So this humble Daoist is already so powerful." Xing Tianli boasted smugly, then took a deep breath and immediately unleashed his full magical power.

With the activation of his supernatural power, his physical strength increased a hundredfold out of thin air.

'Swoosh~ Roar~ Boom!'
The entire winged world shook violently, the stars in the sky trembled, and thick earth energy rose from all directions of the Holy Cloud Continent.

In the sky, wisps of thick, bluish-gray clouds appeared out of nowhere, churning and rolling towards the center of the sky.

The consciousness of heaven and earth in this world has awakened.

Xing Tianli nodded slowly, observing the state of the awakened consciousness of heaven and earth. According to the knowledge in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, this world was clearly not fully developed. It was a premature baby, and it was relying on its slumber to gradually accumulate power.

The world operates entirely on some kind of instinct.

Xing Tianli suddenly realized that when Wanfo Leiyin Temple slaughtered those innate spirit apes, the world's consciousness did not provide timely feedback.

Otherwise, given the actions of the Ten Thousand Buddha Thunder Sound Temple, the heavens and earth would immediately retaliate, and all the monks would be killed by divine retribution. It would be far too late for these winged people to stab them in the back.

"I see."

Thick clouds slowly gathered, and gradually, a fierce and blurry face appeared in the clouds. At first glance, it looked about 70-80% similar to the ugly face of the four-armed demon ape created by Xing Tianli.

The true form of the consciousness of heaven and earth in this world is none other than the appearance of a primordial spirit ape.

Xing Tianli couldn't help but break down.

If the old monks of Wanfo Leiyin Temple had discovered this earlier, they wouldn't have killed all the innate spirit apes that behaved like demons just because they pitied these delicate, pretty, weak, and obedient winged people.

This world clearly belongs to those innate apes! But it doesn't matter.

Xing Tianli roared, his arms suddenly extending, carrying a thick stream of chaotic energy, as he reached out to grab the manifested consciousness of heaven and earth in the sky: "Brother, please come into my Tongtian Cauldron. From now on, we are on the same side."

Xing Tianli smiled brightly.

He planned to do the exact same thing he did on Yaksha Star: refine the Heavenly Dao of this world and forcibly transform it into a paradise for the descendants of the Nine Provinces.

The whole world was outraged.

All the suns and stars in the sky seemed to have been doused with a bucket of kerosene at the same time, their flames soaring into the sky, their brightness increasing a hundredfold out of thin air, and the surging heat they released nearly destroyed all the nearby planets.

The planets, like inflating balloons, seemed to draw strength from nowhere, frantically absorbing and exhaling the chaotic primordial energy from the void. The planets' volumes were constantly expanding, and the power of the stars was becoming stronger. Streams of stellar force fields, almost tangible, intersected and rubbed against each other, creating countless streaks of seven-colored aurora in the void.

The whole world is resisting Xing Tianli's violence.

Within the thick clouds, vortexes formed from clusters of divine lightning appeared. In the next instant, countless bolts of divine lightning, each several miles thick, fell like a torrential rain, striking Xing Tianli's arm with fury.

The purple-robed Taoist robe was activated at full power.

The overwhelming purple aura was like a huge purple glass dome, shining brightly in all directions and covering the fields. No matter how much thunder blasted, it didn't even touch a hair on Xing Tianli's head. The purple ribbon Daoist robe, a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, could easily withstand the lightning tribulation of Xing Tianli's previous life's homeland, the primordial world, for a long time.

This small world, lacking sufficient origin, could only possess such power in its tribulation.

Xing Tianli laughed loudly, his laughter even drowning out the sound of the heavenly tribulation lightning. His hands flashed with intense Dao light as he firmly grasped the invisible and traceless consciousness of heaven and earth, which ordinary people could not fathom.

"You, get down here!"

Xing Tianli roared, his power now reaching the level of eighty-one Lesser Heavenly Powers, enough to carry eighty-one such Lesser Heavenly Worlds on his shoulders.

In a mere winged world, Xing Tianli could carry it around like a ball!
With a mournful cry, the consciousness of heaven and earth was followed by a loud bang. A hazy, indistinct, formless, silent, and shadowless object shaped like a chicken egg was forcibly dragged out of the void by Xing Tianli and stuffed into the Tongtian Cauldron in the center.

The great demons roared in unison.

A raging inferno of flames erupted, bronze-colored flames spewing from the nine Heavenly Cauldrons, their light and fire dyeing the entire world a coppery green. Countless Daos belonging to the primordial world of the Nine Provinces, the Daos most familiar to the descendants of the Nine Provinces, transformed into visible bronze Dao patterns, slowly spreading outwards from the central Heavenly Cauldron.

The color of the sky.

The Earth's gravity.

The temperature of the sun.

The cycle of the four seasons.

Everything in the Dao began to subtly adjust, gradually moving closer to the frequency that the bloodline of the descendants of Kyushu was most accustomed to, most adapted to, and most comfortable with.

Even the salinity of the world's seawater and the composition of its atmosphere have begun to be fine-tuned—everything is geared towards the Kyushu descendants. Whatever makes them comfortable, the world's natural attributes and the universe's operating principles are aligning with the shape that the Kyushu descendants prefer.

And so, the sky turned blue.

Then, the clouds turned snow-white.

As a result, the wind became gentle and crisp, and the fragrance of flowers in the wind became softer and richer.

The flowers and plants of this world originally always carried a faint, verdant hue, like the wings of the winged people. But now, all the blooming flowers, all the colors, are incredibly pure, without that unpleasant hint of green.

The descendants of Kyushu, regardless of their identity or status in this world, and regardless of their cultivation level, subconsciously walked to an open space, raised their heads, and looked at the sky covered by wisps of bronze-colored Dao patterns that slowly meandered.

Xing Tianli began chanting scriptures.

He was reciting the introductory exercises from the Wanfo Leiyin Temple's classic text, "Wanfo Leiyin".

His voice, resonating with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, instantly covered the entire world, the Holy Cloud Continent, and hundreds of thousands of planets. Golden auspicious clouds floated in the sky, and the swastika Buddhist seal and lotus Dao patterns rippled across the heavens and earth like waves.

Strands of golden light, like tassels or raindrops from the eaves, dripped continuously from the sky, accompanied by the sound of bronze bells.

Bathed in this fine golden light, the descendants of Kyushu experienced the complete disappearance of all their old injuries and ailments, large and small, in the surging heat. Thus, they were inspired by the heavens and earth, they received the baptism of Buddhist teachings, and a flash of inspiration struck them. They sat cross-legged on the ground and began to silently comprehend the introductory technique of the Ten Thousand Buddha Thunder Sound taught by Xing Tianli.

Regardless of age, gender, intelligence, or physical constitution, it doesn't matter.

This introductory training method treats everyone equally, and everyone's progress in learning is almost exactly the same.

The "Ten Thousand Buddhas Thunder Sound" is such a fair Dharma gate. It doesn't care whether you are male or female, young or old, intelligent or dull, good or bad. All beings are equal. As long as you earnestly persist in your practice, then what you gain is certain.

To truly widen the gap, one must wait until a Celestial Immortal breaks through to the Golden Immortal realm.

Upon reaching the Golden Immortal realm, one must truly comprehend the Heavenly Dao and capture a wisp of immortal Dao essence that belongs to oneself... At that time, talent, aptitude, and especially comprehension become very important, and the subtlety and power of the "Ten Thousand Buddha Thunder Sound" will truly be revealed.

However, for ordinary cultivators, being able to attain the status of a Celestial Immortal and be free from external tribulations means having an almost endless lifespan, which is already an extraordinary stroke of luck.

The fundamental teachings of Wanfo Leiyin Temple can enable almost any living being to attain the status of a celestial being, as long as they cultivate step by step—truly, the Buddhist path is vast; as long as one is willing to enter, one is sure to have good fortune.

Sima Guang and the others were already sitting cross-legged on the ground.

They silently chanted sutras and mantras, and the faint sound of Buddhist chants could be heard around them, vaguely resembling the word 'compassion'.

Xing Tianli sat cross-legged in the air.

The laws of the winged world are quite interesting.

Those innate spirit apes, their source of power lies in their physical body, their eyesight, and their archery skills that can lock souls across vast distances... According to the evolution of this world, if those innate spirit apes could cultivate to the Great Luo realm, or even higher, they would not need to use bows and arrows in the later stages, as their eyes would naturally gather a ray of spiritual light.

That spiritual light, though separated by trillions of miles, can transform into an arrow that tears through the void and kills the enemy once it locks onto them.

"It's actually quite similar to the Sun-Shooting Bow and Sunset Arrow of the Witch Temple." Xing Tianli was shocked. This was an extremely powerful pupil technique. These innate spirit apes actually had such a wonderful destiny.

Unfortunately, the innate spirit apes had all been killed, and no matter how powerful the innate supernatural abilities that this world had prepared for them were, they would have no chance to enjoy them.

So, Xing Tianli happily imprinted this peerless eye technique into his Heavenly Dao Eye.

Regardless of whether it's useful or not, sometimes, a divine light shoots out from his eyes, and enemies billions of miles away perish—isn't that cool?
The cosmic consciousness of the winged world was clamoring wildly and resisting with all its might.

He roared hysterically, and within the Heavenly Cauldron, bolts of frenzied lightning surged, making Xing Tianli feel a tingling sensation all over his body.

However, it was only a slight tingling sensation.

As the consciousness of heaven and earth was about to be completely refined and transformed into the Great Dao of the Nine Provinces, a wisp of verdant green appeared out of thin air within this consciousness of heaven and earth, and the afterimage of a winged human flashed past in the Tongtian Cauldron.

This winged being has twelve pairs of wings on its back, and its entire body is jet black and translucent.

A resentful murmur quietly rang out: "Taoist, you dare to steal my clan's food... Ha, I will remember you."

Xingtianli was terrified.

(End of this chapter)