Chapter 1079: Great Wisdom Appears Foolish
Continue advancing within the illusion realm. The illusion once again spawned his phantom, whose every gesture carried the might of heaven and earth, its power terrifying beyond compare. Even when Lin Feng used his killing techniques, they were shattered by a single palm strike from the opponent. Poor Lin Feng was, without any suspense, blasted out once again, his internal organs trembling.
"Keep going. One day, you will defeat him!" Qiongqi lay there with a half-smile, clearly gloating.
Lin Feng glared fiercely at him and said, "Pseudo-Emperor, how about you give it a try too!"
Qiongqi shot Lin Feng a contemptuous look and said, "I, the Emperor, possess such divine abilities. Why would I need to test myself on such a trivial technique? Let alone the power of this grand momentum of heaven and earth, I have already mastered the power of the Dao itself. Otherwise, how could I so easily inscribe the killing sacred pattern grand formation?"
"Who knows? Keep boasting!" Lin Feng gave Qiongqi a dismissive look, which infuriated Qiongqi so much that he jumped up from the ground and cursed, "You little bastard, what the hell do you know? Don't think that just because you've grasped some power of sacred patterns, you can truly unleash their might. I tell you, without touching the power of the Dao, you can never truly unleash the power of sacred patterns. Otherwise, how could you fail to kill even someone at the Heavenly Martial Realm? The tiny sacred patterns you inscribe are merely imitations of the Dao's embryonic form. They have only its shape, not its spirit!"
"What is the Dao?" Lin Feng asked.
"A single flower, a single world—that is the Dao. A single thought, a single Bodhi—that is the Dao. One step, one void—that is also the Dao. The Dao encompasses all things. The creation of sacred artifacts is based on inscribing sacred pattern principles through mastery of the Dao, granting them the might of heaven and earth." Qiongqi held his head high, preaching the Dao to Lin Feng. After finishing, he shot Lin Feng another contemptuous look. "Even if I tell you, you wouldn't understand!"
Lin Feng gritted his teeth. This old bastard was a figure who had lived for a thousand years and was even a Great Emperor. His knowledge was vast, and it was indeed something Lin Feng needed to absorb. Let him be contemptuous for a while.
"Then what is the relationship between the power of heaven and earth and the Dao?" Lin Feng asked again.
"Without understanding heaven and earth, how can you nurture the Dao? Only by mastering the power of the grand momentum of heaven and earth can you comprehend the principles of the Dao and, with every gesture, unleash the trajectory of the Dao." Qiongqi continued to look down on Lin Feng, his demeanor solemn and dignified, though on his ferocious body, it appeared somewhat comical.
"You mean I must first master the power of the grand momentum of heaven and earth before I can comprehend the power of the Dao?" Lin Feng asked.
"Yes. Martial Dao, Martial Dao—do you understand the true meaning of these two characters?"
"No!" Lin Feng answered bluntly.
"Stubborn wood!" Qiongqi sighed, sat down with his head held high, and fell silent, his front legs even twitching, making Lin Feng grind his teeth. This bastard.
"I have some Essence Crystals here. Great Emperor, you can use them." Lin Feng tossed a Storage Ring to Qiongqi, whose eyes lit up, becoming exceptionally bright.
After peeking into the Storage Ring, Qiongqi murmured softly, "The true meaning of Martial Dao is priceless. Not a single word exchanged for a thousand gold!"
With that, he continued to hold his head high and remain silent, leaving Lin Feng speechless with frustration. This bastard was clearly holding back. Lin Feng had no idea why he needed so many Essence Crystals, and what was more infuriating was that Qiongqi's cultivation level hadn't changed at all. Needless to say, Lin Feng knew this old bastard was hiding things and certainly wasn't standing still!
"This old bastard!" Lin Feng gritted his teeth in hatred, said nothing, and tossed over another Storage Ring.
After checking it, Qiongqi finally seemed satisfied. "How many years the Nine Heavens Continent has existed is no longer verifiable, but the ancients did not deceive me. The two characters 'Martial Dao' were not chosen randomly; they possess true meaning. Martial Dao, when separated, becomes Martial and Dao. Dao refers to the so-called Dao of heaven and earth. Heaven, earth, nature, and all things are the Dao. By mastering the Dao, you can derive all kinds of terrifying power. As for Martial, it refers to law. The ultimate of Martial is law. Those who master law can truly destroy heaven and earth with a single thought, shatter space, make time flow, and turn seas into mulberry fields. Essence is the embryonic form of law!"
"So the Martial Dao we pursue is merely the continuous exploration and pursuit of the power of law and Dao. When Dao and law unite, one becomes capable of annihilating everything and piercing through this heaven and earth!"
Lin Feng fell silent for a moment. So the two characters "Martial Dao" indeed contained such true meaning. Law and the Great Dao were the ultimate goals pursued by martial artists.
"That palace you reside in contains not only the power of momentum but also the power of the Dao within it, mysterious and unfathomable. It should be the work of a Martial Emperor!" Qiongqi said to Lin Feng again, causing Lin Feng's body to tremble slightly. Indeed, Mu Chen had already said that a Martial Emperor had personally participated in the refinement of this palace.
"Thinking back to my glorious days back then... how tragic, how lamentable!" Qiongqi sighed to the sky, utterly melancholic. Watching this old bastard put on airs, Lin Feng really wanted to kick him flying.
"A few words cost me so many Essence Crystals, you undying old bastard!" Lin Feng gritted his teeth, then stepped into the illusion realm once more. He was repeatedly beaten out, unable to cross this illusion realm, which meant he couldn't enter the rows of halls standing behind it.
After being tormented countless times, Lin Feng finally gave up and dragged his exhausted body back to the main hall. But the terrifying power instantly pressed down on him, bending his body and causing an excruciating soreness throughout his entire being. However, Lin Feng gritted his teeth and endured it, treating it as a form of training. These were all prepared for him, the First Disciple. If he was unwilling to bear them, there were plenty of others behind him eager to take his place.
Earlier, he had glanced down at the Nine Heavens, where many people were attempting to climb upward, trying to ascend to the next heavenly ladder. By doing so, they could replace others' positions, obtain their palaces, and gain better cultivation resources.
To avoid being surpassed, others could not afford to slack off either. They had to try climbing the heavens as well, lest they be pushed down.
He was at the Ninth Heaven, temporarily free from the crisis of being replaced. But one must be prepared for danger in times of peace. Not to mention being replaced, even without these people, he should constantly spur himself forward.
Half a month later, still within that illusion realm, Lin Feng's palm power had become even more terrifying. Even without relying on divine abilities to attack, a casual palm strike could trigger terrifying power from heaven and earth. Combined with his own monstrous physical strength, a single slap could crush and kill those at higher cultivation levels than him.
Yet even so, it was still not enough. He was still beaten black and blue before being thrown out. But now, there was no trace of discouragement or defeat in him, only a cold, sharp tenacity, a heart as hard as iron and stone.
"Pseudo-Emperor, when a palm strike unleashes the power of natural momentum, it can indeed unleash terrifying attack power. But others can achieve the same with powerful divine abilities. In that case, is the power of heaven and earth's momentum only meant for comprehending the Dao?" Lin Feng asked Qiongqi, seeking clarification. His palm power was now terrifying, but against those with formidable divine abilities, he still needed to rely on killing techniques.
"Stupid as a pig!" Qiongqi exaggeratedly looked down on Lin Feng, sighing to the sky in sorrow. "To think there is such an idiot! If you can draw enough momentum power and turn it into your attack, and a two-fold attack can't kill the opponent, what if you achieve three-fold? What about four-fold?"
"What leaves me even more speechless is that you would ask such a foolish question. Having you comprehend natural momentum is not about using it brute-force. When you attack with divine abilities, why not integrate it into them? If your divine abilities are already powerful enough, and you use the momentum of heaven and earth to amplify their power several times over, what then? A true great power's casual attack contains the Great Dao. This attack does not refer to brute-force attacks but any form of attack."
"Uh..."
Lin Feng felt foolish himself after being scolded by Qiongqi. It seemed that these days, being oppressed by the phantom and the palace's momentum had dulled his mind. He only knew to comprehend momentum and neglected other aspects. If it were before, he shouldn't have been like this. This left Lin Feng somewhat puzzled.
"Alas, thinking back to my glorious days back then, how tragic it is to have to instruct such a dull-witted person!"
Qiongqi sighed longingly to the sky, his four hooves walking away, his back to Lin Feng, his figure seemingly desolate and lonely. Lin Feng ground his teeth in fury. This was too contemptuous!
But unknown to Lin Feng, Qiongqi was secretly gloating in his heart. Great wisdom appears foolish. When one immerses themselves in a certain state, their comprehension becomes extraordinary, but at times, they can appear extremely foolish, neglecting other things. Lin Feng was in such a state, which was why his understanding of momentum was advancing by leaps and bounds, casting everything else aside!