After learning the true nature of the Title Temple, Duan Ling Tian could not help but feel worried as he made his way back to his wooden house.
When he recalled the promises Xu Kong Hai, the Vice Temple Master of the main Title Temple, had made earlier, he realized it was all an empty promise to lure him into betraying his master and joining the Title Temple. As soon as he revealed his master’s Destructive Sword Dao and his Space Sword Dao to the Title Temple, they would kill him and lie to the public that they had only done so for his master’s sake. All they had to do was send one of their members to display his or Feng Qing Yang’s Dao to convince the masses of their lies. There was nothing Feng Qing Yang could do to avenge him at that time even if Feng Qing Yang was privy to the truth. On the other hand, if he did not give in to the Title Temple, they would imprison him and torture him. With a force whose history was as long as that of the Devata Realms, it was not impossible for them to hide him from the world. Even his master, Feng Qing Yang, would not be able to find him. Even if Feng Qing Yang found him, unless Feng Qing Yang had absolute proof they were imprisoning him, Feng Qing Yang could not easily make a move against the Title Temple.
Duan Ling Tian thought to himself, ‘Until I’m strong enough, I can’t go to the Title Temple unless master accompanies me there…’
…
Duan Ling Tian did not stay in his wooden house. He had sent a message to Wei Qi, the true disciple of Ding Fu; the Heavenly Emperor of the Primeval Heaven, asking Wei Qi to find him a secluded and vast place where he could practice his Space Sword Dao.
“Junior Brother Duan, nobody will disturb you here,” Wei Qi smiled at Duan Ling Tian and said, “Feel free to contact me if there’s anything else you need help with. I’ll take my leave now if there’s nothing else…”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Wei Qi,” Duan Ling Tian said gratefully.
Duan Ling Tian had informed Feng Qing Yang of his whereabouts as well. Although Feng Qing Yang had left a divine mark on him, he was not sure if the Title Temple knew of a method to render the divine mark useless.
When Feng Qing Yang heard about Duan Ling Tian’s worries, he replied, amused, “You’re thinking too much. I’ve placed a small part of my divine soul into the divine mark. If anything happens, I’ll be instantly alerted. Even supreme powerhouses can’t disrupt or nullify the effect of the divine mark. Although there are some ancient Formations and divine Formations that are capable of interfering with the divine mark, they can’t affect the Interlink Divine Pebble I gave you as a precaution…”
Before leaving the Solitary Destructive Heaven, Feng Qing Yang had given Duan Ling Tian a jet black thumb-sized pebble. The pebble was carved with intricate patterns and looked mysterious. At that time, Feng Qing Yang had only told him they could communicate through the pebble just like Soul Pearl; Feng Qing Yang did not say the pebble’s name was the Interlink Divine Pebble. Based on its name, it was clear the pebble was no ordinary item.
Duan Ling Tian brought the pebble out and asked, “Master, the Interlink Divine Pebble must be extraordinary, right?”
“I obtained it from the Asura Hell. It belonged to a dead god… He had many Interlink Divine Pebbles, but this pair that I obtained is the only one that’s working,” Feng Qing Yang said.
“He had other pebbles?” Duan Ling Tian’s eyes lit up. “Doesn’t this mean those that can’t be used belong to his family or friends? Can’t we build a good relationship with those from a Realm of Gods then?”
“It’s likely.” Feng Qing Yang nodded. “The Interlink Divine Pebbles are similar to the Communication Celestial Talismans. They only work when both sides are in the same realm. In order for us to contact his family or friends, we’ll have to be in the same realm. However, even if I have a chance to use the pebbles, I wouldn’t try to build a relationship with those gods. There’s a possibility it’ll end in a disaster instead. It’s best to rely on ourselves for success instead of constantly relying on others. If you rely on others too much, it’ll only lead to your downfall.”
Duan Ling Tian nodded. He naturally understood Feng Qing Yang’s words. Even if he could contact the dead god’s family or friends, he would not do such a thing. Who knew what kind of powerhouse he might encounter. It would not be a problem if they were good people, but it would be disastrous if he met those with ill intentions. There was also the possibility that the dead god’s family and friends might not listen to his explanation and blame him for the death of the god.
“Thank you, master,” Duan Ling Tian finally said. He felt warmth suffuse his heart after listening to Feng Qing Yang’s explanation. After all, Feng Qing Yang had given him one half of the Interlink Divine Pebble.
“Continue to comprehend your Space Sword Dao… I hope to see great improvements in your strength during the upcoming round…” Feng Qing Yang replied. He no longer replied to Duan Ling Tian’s messages after saying these words.
Following that, Duan Ling Tian emptied his mind of distracting thoughts and began to practice and study his Space Sword Dao.
At times, he could be seen moving as swiftly as the wind as he practiced his sword technique. However, most of the time, he could be seen sleeping as he comprehended the law of space through the Supreme Powerhouse Divinity to better incorporate the profundities into his sword technique.
In the end, his progress over this one month greatly surpassed his progress when he was in the Solitary Destructive Heaven. He could not help but wonder if it was due to pressure from the Title Temple that he progressed so quickly. Regardless of the reason, being able to progress was a good thing.
‘The fourth round of the Battle of the Geniuses will start tomorrow; I should return to the wooden house today…’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
When he returned to his wooden house, he did not continue to cultivate. Instead, he brought the Formation compass to hide his aura before he opened up his Little World to communicate with the World Cleansing Divine Water, which was one of the Five Divine Elements.
“Sister Water, since I can incorporate the profundities of the law of space into my sword technique to create my own Sword Dao, is it possible to also create other Daos using the same method?”
Over the last month, when Duan Ling Tian was comprehending his Space Sword Dao, he discovered his comprehension of the law of space had improved greatly as well. Although he did not manage to fuse any more profundities, he had the feeling like he could control the space in his surroundings.
“Of course, you can.”
Duan Ling Tian had decided to speak to the World Cleansing Divine Water about this matter because it was the most knowledgeable among the Five Divine Elements. After all, its previous host was the Tree of Life in a Realm of the Gods. If that Realm of God had not been destroyed, it would not have come to the Devata Realms.
“I’m sure you know there are various Daos; they’re not only restricted to Sword Daos, Saber Daos, or Spear Daos. In the Realms of Gods and the Devata Realms, Weapon Dao is only one of many Daos. There are the Mastery Dao, the Limitless Dao, and the Devouring Dao,” the World Cleansing Divine Water said, “Collectively, they’re known as the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth…”
“The Four Daos of Heaven and Earth? What’s the Devouring Dao?” Duan Ling Tian instinctively asked as his eyes brightened. He recalled the Elementary Devouring Tactic that he had mastered in the past and the Advanced Devouring Tactic, which the Heavenly Emperor of the Primeval Heaven mastered. Based on his master’s words, not only could the Advanced Devouring Tactic devour Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy, but it could also devour its opponent’s Celestial Origin Energy and the energy from the laws as well.
“The Devouring Dao is terrifyingly powerful. It can devour any kind of energy and transform it into attacks,” the World Cleansing Divine Water said, “Those who’ve mastered or created a Devouring Dao are extremely strong. You must be extra cautious when battling with this kind of opponent. Otherwise, your energy would be used against you if you’re careless. Needless to say, the Devouring Dao is difficult to master…”
Duan Ling Tian could not help but wonder if the Heavenly Emperor of the Primeval Heaven, Ding Fu, had comprehended or created any Devouring Dao.
“What about the Limitless Dao?” Duan Ling Tian asked.
“The Limitless Dao signifies infinite energy. Not only does one’s Celestial Origin Energy seem limitless, but even one’s Soul Energy seems limitless. The Limitless Dao also boosts one’s energy, pressuring the opponents. One can easily overwhelm one’s opponents after exhausting time. Naturally, this is just an illusion; how can energy be limitless? However, the illusion of the pressure from the Limitless Dao is more terrifying than any Illusory Formation. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be part of the Four Daos of Heaven and Earth…” the World Cleansing Divine Water explained.
Duan Ling Tian nodded. It seemed like the Limitless Dao was like an Illusory Dao. However, even if one knew it was an Illusion, it would still be difficult to escape from its effects.
“What about the Mastery Dao?” Duan Ling Tian asked as his heart began to thump wildly in his chest. After all, based on his recent experience where he felt as though he could do anything according to his will within a certain radius, he had a feeling he would eventually be led to the Mastery Dao.
“There are many types of Mastery Dao that are closely related to the major laws…”
Upon hearing these words, Duan Ling Tian was further convinced that he had a chance of creating a Mastery Dao.