He was invincible from the beginning of the Heaven-Covering Era.

Chapter 86 Combat Power and Daoist Cultivation

This was indeed a compliment, not some sarcastic remark, which Zhou Qing could sense.

In fact, this is how discussions about the Tao are. No one will look down on the other just because their own Tao is stronger. It is a process of mutual verification, and what is needed is the difference in the Tao.

Just like now, although the same natural way of evolution is being followed, the way of evolution is different. This is the way, which varies from person to person. Everyone is different.

Therefore, it is not enough to simply imitate the ways of others. In the initial stage of cultivation, it is indeed common to learn from and imitate others because people do not understand anything in the early stages of cultivation. However, as one's cultivation level increases, one's realm deepens, and one's experience increases in the later stages, one will inevitably develop one's own characteristics, which will become more and more obvious, until finally creating one's own ancient scripture.

Therefore, Dao Qingling did not feel disappointed, but was even a little surprised, because this was the strongest she had ever seen among all the geniuses, second only to her.

Of course, in terms of the actual effect of the discussion, the stronger the other party's Dao, the better. If the Dao is too weak, although there will still be some gains, these gains will be very small.

At this moment, the small room was filled with divine light, and two miniature stars in the center were spinning around as if they had been plucked from the starry sky.

As Zhou Qing gazed at the star opposite him, countless thoughts collided, deduced, and verified in his mind. He gained a great deal, and his combat power in the Great Dao of Nature was gradually increasing.

What is combat power? What are the Eight Prohibitions? Why can some people fight across borders while others cannot? What exactly is the difference?

Before reaching the Four Extremes, the most important thing is a person's physique and the secret techniques they cultivate. Although everyone can comprehend the Dao at this stage, they cannot draw upon the power of the Great Dao between heaven and earth because they are not connected to the Four Extremes. In fact, everyone is just brute forcefully using their magical power to fight head-on.

If one has a strong physique, then one's physical body will be stronger at the same level, and one's divine power will be more abundant and even purer, so one's combat power will naturally be much stronger. If one's secret techniques are better, then even if one uses the same abundant divine power, the power that can be unleashed will be even greater.

As for consuming divine medicines, they essentially strengthen the basic attributes of the physical body, divine power, and divine consciousness, which is equivalent to building a stronger foundation for the Dao, and the added attributes are still in the physical body.

However, each realm is like a different world, and the gap between different realms is quite large. Therefore, at this stage, no matter how strong one's physique is, one can only achieve combat power of around the fourth level of the Forbidden Realm at most.

Before reaching the Four Extremes and then the Dao, there is another stage. In this stage, in addition to physical constitution and secret techniques, one must also comprehend the Dao.

Just like Zhou Qing now, although his understanding of the Great Dao of Nature is not as deep as Dao Qingling's, even if he does not use imperial techniques such as the Nine Secrets, he can still have the combat power of the Seven Forbidden Realms by fighting with only the Great Dao of Nature.

What is combat power? Combat power is the means of applying Taoist skills, and the efficiency of applying Taoist skills.

What is Dao Xing? Dao Xing refers to the strength of a cultivator's magical power, that is, the abundance of divine power in the source of power within their body.

Dao patterns are a basic means of applying Dao cultivation. This means will change after severing the Dao, but for now it can only be presented in the form of Dao patterns.

将神

The force condenses into Dao patterns, which are then unleashed. Furthermore, since the individual is connected to the four cardinal directions of heaven and earth, the power of the Great Dao is naturally drawn in.

The higher the number and complexity of the Dao patterns condensed, the stronger the power of the Great Dao will be attracted. This is the means of using Dao cultivation.

What is the efficiency of using one's spiritual power? It's actually quite simple to understand: it's about using the same amount of divine power to maximize its power.

Many people don't really care about this. As long as the power is great, many people won't pay attention to the degree of divine power consumption. However, this is the difference between ordinary Eight Forbidden Techniques and top-level Eight Forbidden Techniques.

Anyone like Zhou Qing, who aspires to attain enlightenment, strives for perfection, revising the densely packed Dao patterns again and again.

By constantly changing their arrangement and combination, these different Dao patterns can be combined to attract more power of the Great Dao.

Cultivation is not just about comprehending the Dao, but also about understanding how to apply it. That's why we need to combine Dao patterns in different ways. Dao patterns are just a kind of imitation of the rules of heaven and earth. Only by combining countless Dao patterns in a specific way can we get closer and closer to the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

There are many details involved, such as which Dao patterns should be placed next to each other to unleash their maximum power, and when activating the Great Dao, which area of ​​Dao patterns should be activated first, and which area of ​​Dao patterns should be activated next, and what order is closer to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

These details are things that Zhou Qing only understood after he came into this world and truly experienced cultivation.

After all, this is a real world. If it weren't for the fact that as one cultivates, one's spiritual power increases, and one's calculation ability also increases, his mortal brain would be completely unable to handle these things.

The ordinary Eight Forbidden Zones refer to the limit that a person can reach in terms of the number and complexity of Dao patterns evolved on a certain Dao, at which point they will naturally break through to the Eight Forbidden Zones.

Although one can continue to comprehend the Great Dao, the number and complexity of the Dao patterns that evolve at this level cannot be increased, because the limit of the realm has been reached, unless one breaks through to the next realm.

While changes in realm are related to comprehending the Great Dao, not every comprehension of the Great Dao can lead to a breakthrough.

For example, in the Four Extremes Secret Realm, no matter how much one comprehends the Great Dao of Nature, it will not directly allow a person to break through, because this realm requires the Four Extremes Dao of Heaven and Earth.

It will only happen that, due to the high level of understanding of the Great Dao of Nature, the effect of drawing inferences from one instance to another is so good that as soon as one comprehends the Four Great Daos, this understanding of the Great Dao will increase rapidly, and then one will break through the realm quickly.

This is why people with higher combat power often break through realms much faster.

Only when one's realm changes again, and one's cultivation in this secret realm reaches a higher level, can one use divine power to evolve more profound Dao patterns upon reaching the next realm.

The top-level eight forbidden points refer to the arrangement and combination of these ultimate Dao patterns, which can fully utilize the power of these Dao patterns, making them exactly the same as a certain part of the rules of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth in the outside world.

In other words, there is no more efficient permutation and combination than this. It is completely identical to the Great Dao of the outside world in a certain part, and can draw upon this part of the power of heaven and earth 100%.

This is why there are only eight restrictions under the divine prohibitions, and not nine, because in the application of the Dao, this is the true limit.

As for divine restrictions, those require a different factor to break through.

At this moment, as Zhou Qing continued to comprehend another Great Dao Star, he was also constantly adjusting his own Star.

Those are all obvious problems. Without another star to compare with, it might take a long time to discover those problems by relying on one's own understanding. But that's where the benefit of discussing the Dao lies. With comparison, those problems can be quickly corrected through verification.

Dao Qingling will not come away empty-handed. As mentioned before, although the evolved Dao patterns have reached their limit, they can still deepen the understanding of the Great Dao. When he reaches the next realm, he will directly push the evolved Dao patterns to their limit.

However, due to the addition of new Dao patterns and new variables, the combat power will drop slightly from the top eight forbidden level, only able to exert more than 90% of its efficiency. After a short period of adjustment, it will immediately return to the top eight forbidden level.

Chapter 87 The First Goddess of Central Plains

"Princess Qingling's Dao is indeed unfathomable," Zhou Qing exclaimed.

At this moment, Zhou Qing had already opened his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye. His eyes were like an infinite star field, with star fields appearing and disappearing as they opened and closed.

The Martial Dao Heavenly Eye can penetrate directly to the origin of all laws. Within the Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, what is before one's eyes is no longer stars, but rather the intertwining of countless Dao principles, the condensation of the extraordinary forces between heaven and earth, and the evolution of the true meaning of the Great Dao.

This naturally surprised Dao Qingling for a moment, but the surprise was fleeting, and she quickly calmed down again.

Dao Qingling smiled modestly and said, "I am not even one ten-thousandth as good as my ancestor."

Half a day passed quietly as they verified each other's findings.

Outside the window, the soft moonlight spilled down like a thin wisp of smoke, creating a gentle, hazy, quiet, and harmonious atmosphere in the room.

Zhou Qing's eyes gradually softened, revealing pupils like black gemstones.

"Before I leave, I have a rather impolite request, but I don't know if I should say it."

Zhou Qing raised his robe, slowly stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Since you know it's impolite, then don't say it." The young girl serving Dao Qingling had a clear voice, but she spoke very bluntly.

Dao Qingling immediately burst into laughter, a heavenly laugh, and said, "Xiaoyu, when will you ever change your temperament? If some cold-hearted people were here, they would definitely hold a grudge against you right now."

"Who is it? With Miss here, who would dare to bully me?" the girl said nonchalantly. She knew exactly how amazing her young mistress was. Several old princes of the dynasty had been defeated by her. Her confidence was built up step by step with her young mistress over the years.

"Young Master Zhou, please speak freely." Dao Qingling ignored the girl and looked at Zhou Qing.

"I wonder if the princess would be so kind as to reveal her true form?" Zhou Qing smiled awkwardly, his face flushed.

"Miss, look, I knew it would be like this, they're all the same," the girl said angrily, her face showing an expression that she had expected it.

Dao Qingling smiled and said, "Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be a bit impolite for Young Master Zhou to say such a thing, but I am in a very good mood right now, and Young Master Zhou's natural way of doing things is second to none among those who discuss the Dao with me, so such a small request is certainly not impossible."

With that, the veil slipped down, revealing a flawless and ethereal face.

Zhou Qing was momentarily dazed; she couldn't help but be dazed. It was so beautiful it seemed unreal, like a dream. Her gentle smile was like a fairy flower in full bloom, dazzlingly radiant.

The moonlight flowed, spreading like mist all around, enveloping Dao Qingling in a soft glow. Dao Qingling seemed to be in the Moon Palace, her smile captivating, indescribably otherworldly, as if she had gathered all the divine beauty in the world.

Her features were exquisitely sculpted like jade, her beauty unparalleled. Blending with the moonlight, she was ethereal and natural, making everything else in the world pale in comparison. Only she radiated a crystal-clear fairy light, becoming the only one in the world.

"Sigh, another one." The girl next to her shook her head and sighed repeatedly.

"Aren't you ready yet? Are you stunned? You're no different from anyone else. How can you be stronger than my young lady?" the girl shouted.

Zhou Qing suddenly woke up, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "I'm sorry, I was just distracted."

Even now, he still feels some turmoil.

He had seen beautiful women before. His mother was already stunningly beautiful, and the women of the Zhou family were all very beautiful. After all, once they became cultivators, their appearance and temperament would naturally undergo tremendous changes.

A man like him should not be distracted by even the most beautiful women in the world. In his eyes, they are all just pretty faces and he would not be moved in the slightest. Otherwise, he would reveal a great flaw in the battle.

However, he was truly amazed by her beauty, so much so that he was momentarily stunned. It was truly breathtaking, and he couldn't imagine how flawless her face was.

"I knew you would do this. You know, there are already busybodies outside who call my young lady the most beautiful woman in Zhongzhou."

The girl was disdainful; she had always been like that, saying what she meant and being straightforward.

Zhou Qing's heart trembled, and countless memories surged from the depths of his mind.

He had some impression of the "Ten Beauties of Zhongzhou," but he only remembered two of them: Yue Ling of Jiuli and Yu Die of Anping Kingdom, because only these two had ever appeared.

However, he once had a question: Princess Yueling was clearly the second most beautiful woman in Zhongzhou before, so why did she later become the most beautiful woman in Zhongzhou?

Before coming to this world, he would have thought these were just typos, but now, this is a real world.

Every trace has a cause and effect; even the smallest change may conceal a huge secret.

Now, he seemed to understand something, but he was also somewhat incredulous.

Things that are universally acknowledged, although seemingly judged by appearance, are actually closely related to one's cultivation level.

The higher one's cultivation level, the more unique and ethereal one's temperament becomes, and even one's appearance becomes more and more astonishing.

People who are ordinary-looking in their mortal life will change their appearance as their cultivation level increases, becoming more and more beautiful. If they were born with exceptional natural beauty, they will become even more stunning after cultivation.

Although some people choose not to let their appearance change and don't care about such things, most of those who make this choice are men. Ninety-nine percent of female cultivators become more and more beautiful after they start cultivating.

The most beautiful woman in Zhongzhou could also be called the most divine woman in Zhongzhou, meaning that she was the most stunning woman in Zhongzhou during this era.

Just like the most beautiful woman in the Eastern Wilderness six thousand years ago, the Holy Maiden of Tianxuan, her cultivation was the most amazing among all the women of the Eastern Wilderness in that generation. She had the qualifications to become a saint in the post-ancient era. She was known as one of the Three Heroes of Tianxuan along with the Old Madman and Wei Yi. Their cultivation swept across the Eastern Wilderness, and they could not find a single opponent.

Based on Zhou Qing's impressions from today's discussion, Dao Qingling is indeed very strong. He dares to say with absolute certainty that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yue Ling will always only be able to reach second place, and Yu Die will only be able to compete with Yue Ling for that second place. There is absolutely no possibility that she will surpass Dao Qingling in the slightest.

But what if Dao Qingling no longer exists in the world?

Before the Ziwei Star Domain, Yue Ling was second, but after twelve years in the Ziwei Star Domain, she became first.

If we think more deeply about what happened during that period, the Primordial Lake, Blood Phoenix Mountain, Fire Kirin Cave and other ancient races emerged one after another, and the Primordial Ancestral Kings also emerged one after another. Moreover, there was no Jade Pool Assembly, and everyone acted recklessly.

If they were to see some prodigies with astonishing talent and ability, whose combat prowess could threaten the ancient princes, would they remain indifferent or allow these prodigies to exist?

Moreover, during that period, human saints did not manifest much, and the ancestral kings did not believe that there were any saints among the human race.

However, the attitude of the human saints changed dramatically. After twelve years of inaction, they suddenly became tough and tried every means to prevent the birth of the saints of all races.

The details involved, once considered, are terrifying. Something earth-shattering must have happened, something that caused all the human saints immense grief, forcing them to use all heaven-defying means to establish the rule of "no saints under heaven".

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing's eyes immediately became complicated. He dared not imagine this outcome, and he desperately hoped that his speculation was wrong.

However, at this moment, he used his own Dao of Destiny to make a slight deduction, and the result of fate was cruel.

Fortunately, it is still early, and fate is not immutable. Moreover, with his intervention, the course of this world may not be the same as before.