Chapter 3052: The Four Symbols Transformation
Zhang Ruochen tapped the wooden clapper. The sound was not loud, but deep and heavy.
Yet, the sound of the wooden clapper layered upon itself, spreading across the entire Qiankun Realm. The fact that the sound could propagate so far was not due to Zhang Ruochen using his own power, but by borrowing the power of heaven and earth, harmonizing with the Heavenly Dao.
When the song ended, Kong Lanyou was already deeply melancholic, tears falling from her eyes. She said, "I never imagined my cousin's musical attainments could be so profound! What piece is this? Why does hearing it, even with my cultivation, affect me so, making me cry involuntarily?"
"It is a piece an old friend often played while alive. Just now, I unconsciously infused my own sorrowful emotions into it. I should not have made you cry."
Zhang Ruochen thought of Uncle Mu and Mu Xiaolin, gently shaking his head. "Actually, my musical attainments are not that extraordinary. I cannot compare to those spiritual power gods who have immersed themselves in music for tens of thousands of years. But do you know why I could make you cry, and why the sound could move the world?"
"Why?" Kong Lanyou asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "When sound unites with the Dao, it becomes omnipotent. This Dao is the Heavenly Dao."
Kong Lanyou was momentarily dazed.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "There are countless famous masters in the world. But if one only pursues the music itself, after reaching a certain level, it is actually very difficult to make further progress, and one might even regress. Only by broadening one's vision and allowing music to harmonize with the Heavenly Dao can everything in heaven and earth be unified within the music. The Heavenly Dao is boundless, without end."
"When sound unites with the Dao, it becomes omnipotent."
Kong Lanyou repeated the phrase, pondered for a moment, and said, "Does my cousin mean that one's thoughts must be completely expanded, not limited to what is in front of them, and one's vision must be broad enough to use music to seek the foundation of the Heavenly Dao?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Exactly! The divine path I cultivate now is the Wuji Divine Dao. It exists within this heaven and earth, yet it can be said to have transcended it. If you can understand the mystery of the Wuji Divine Dao, you too can move the world with sound like I do, and all the power in the world can be used by you."
Kong Lanyou was very serious, seeking guidance. "What is Wuji?"
"Wuji is the Heavenly Dao itself," Zhang Ruochen said.
Kong Lanyou said, "But I can only see what is in front of me. I cannot see Wuji."
Zhang Ruochen looked around at the four directions. "Just like now, the places you can see truly exist. For the places you cannot see, you can construct them within your soul. Even if this is only illusory, you must construct it. When you become powerful enough, even the illusory world you construct can become a real world. They will change according to your will!"
He continued, "In the path of music, many masters can achieve states where people are intoxicated, butterflies and birds dance in accompaniment, ants stop, and geese land. I believe you can do this too. But, using only music, without any spiritual power or saintly qi, can you make the rain stop, the wind cease, and the flowers bloom?"
"Without using spiritual power and saintly qi, how could that be possible?" Kong Lanyou said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "This is what I call Wuji. This is the impossible illusory world I want you to construct. What the heart thinks, the world will change for you. If you can walk this path, you may one day become a Music Divine Master, proving the Dao with your flute."
"Make the rain stop, the wind cease, and the flowers bloom?"
Kong Lanyou tightly gripped her bamboo flute, wanting to try.
Zhang Ruochen picked up a small stone. "You can take it step by step. For example, first use only the flute's sound to make this stone float. Use sound to control objects!"
If one used spiritual power and saintly qi, this would be the simplest thing!
But, using only the flute's sound...
Kong Lanyou felt that her cousin was either teasing her or being too whimsical.
It was simply impossible.
Yet, she chose to believe Zhang Ruochen. "The stone is too heavy. Let me try with a bodhi leaf first."
"That's fine! Rest assured, your cousin will never lead you astray. If within a hundred years, you cannot make the bodhi leaf move with your flute's sound, then this path is not worth continuing!" Zhang Ruochen said.
"I will definitely succeed!"
Kong Lanyou's gaze was firm. She took a bodhi leaf and her bamboo flute, and went to the base of the sundial.
The sound of the flute rose, melodious and pleasant.
Zhang Ruochen listened for a moment, his expression turning somber. He could not just sit and wait for death. He had to find a way to search for the Sword Realm, or to leave the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain.
Although the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain was only endless darkness, it was not completely empty.
There was thin spiritual energy, spatial veins, and heavenly and earthly rules...
When Zhang Ruochen flew along the path the Yaksha Clan had explored, relying on his keen perception, he had actually discovered a pattern.
That path was carved out along a thin band of spiritual energy.
This line of thinking was correct!
Otherwise, the Yaksha Clan would have been crazy to spend a massive amount of manpower and resources to explore a path of thirty million steps.
However, the spiritual energy bands in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain crisscrossed like a spider's web, countless in number. Finding the right path and avoiding going in circles within one area was incredibly difficult.
This was precisely why the Yaksha Clan suspected that the path they had explored might be a wrong one.
Now, Zhang Ruochen had no other choice. He could only cast a divination.
Of course, it was not a real divination.
"Hua!"
Zhang Ruochen stood in the dark void, releasing seven Soul Swords and six Divine Swords. He did not use any power to control them, letting them drift out completely on their own.
In the end, he chose the direction pointed to by three Soul Swords and one Divine Sword simultaneously.
The other swords all pointed in different directions.
Since all the cultivators in the world thought he, Zhang Ruochen, had the best chance of finding the Sword Realm, he could only rely on this blind guess!
"I'll fly along this spiritual energy band. You already know the Divine Spirit Step, right? You need to keep practicing. If it intersects with another spiritual energy band, send me a message, and I'll divine again."
Zhang Ruochen patted Old Yellow Ox's rump and returned to the Scroll World.
"You call this a divination?"
Old Yellow Ox looked reluctant, but still stepped on the Divine Spirit Step, walking alone along the spiritual energy band.
Back in the Qiankun Realm, Zhang Ruochen began to cultivate under the sundial. He first spent several years consolidating the Taiji Two Symbols Diagram Seal, then began studying the "Luo Shu," contemplating the Daoist lineage's interpretation of heaven and earth, and thinking about the next direction of evolution.
The "Luo Shu" said that after the Two Symbols, the Four Symbols would evolve.
The so-called Four Symbols refer to Greater Yang, Greater Yin, Lesser Yang, and Lesser Yin.
Within the Two Symbols, there is Yin Qi and Yang Qi, which both repel and depend on each other, revolving without cease.
Since Yin Qi and Yang Qi are in motion, places of accumulation must appear.
Where Yang Qi gathers, it transforms into Greater Yang.
Where Yin Qi gathers, it transforms into Greater Yin.
Within Yang Qi, Lesser Yin is hidden.
Within Yin Qi, Lesser Yang is hidden.
Currently, in the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram Seal that Zhang Ruochen had cultivated, it had only just transformed from chaotic Qi into the neutral Qi of Yin and Yang combined. There was no Greater Yang Qi, Greater Yin Qi, Lesser Yang Qi, or Lesser Yin Qi.
Zhang Ruochen secretly guessed that if the Four Symbols truly achieved great completion, it would surely bring about earth-shattering changes again.
At that time, although the universe was vast, he feared there would be no place he could not go.
Currently, he had only just evolved the Two Symbols. The Yin and Yang Qi were not yet thick enough, and the Rule Divine Marks still needed tempering. Rashly trying to evolve the Four Symbols would be like using a paper bowl to hold molten iron.
Therefore, strengthening his "bowl" was the primary task at hand.
"I need to set a small goal for myself. First, accumulate ten times the Yin and Yang Qi, and temper the Rule Divine Marks to twice their current strength. As for the number of Rule Divine Marks... I can put that on hold for now."
According to what Zhang Ruochen knew, those Great Gods who had just reached the Taiyi Realm had to complete this step to reach the middle stage of the Taiyi Realm.
Thus, all paths in the world lead to the same destination.
Yin and Yang Qi naturally refer to two types of divine Qi.
To cultivate divine Qi, the consumption of divine stones is truly enormous.
Back when he activated the sundial for ten thousand years of cultivation on Xinghuantian, countless gods from the Heavenly Court and Hell had come to him, and Zhang Ruochen had collected a huge amount of divine stones.
But no one knew how long they would be trapped in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. If the divine stones were exhausted, Zhang Ruochen would have no choice but to enter a state of slumber, otherwise, the divine Qi within his body would continuously leak out.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen did not directly absorb divine stones for cultivation. Instead, he took out the Chaos Bottle.
As soon as he opened the bottle's seal, the curses of Zhao Wuyan, a Great God of the Darkness Temple, came from inside. He clearly knew that Qing Pingzi would never let him go, so he did not beg for mercy or submit.
"How can it be you, Zhang Ruochen? What is your relationship with Qing Pingzi?" From within the bottle, Zhao Wuyan sensed Zhang Ruochen's aura.
Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself, "A Great God's divine soul and spiritual will are truly powerful. Refined by the Seven Scattered Divine Water for decades, and still not dead."
"Zhang Ruochen, what is your relationship with Qing Pingzi?" Zhao Wuyan's roar came out again.
Because he thought of a terrifying possibility.
Zhang Ruochen ignored him.
Why answer a dead man's questions?
"Forget it, let me send you on your way!"
Zhang Ruochen continuously mobilized the death rules and death qi of heaven and earth, channeling them into the Chaos Bottle. He did not use the Death Esoterica given to him by Desolate Heaven, but instead used the Wuji Divine Dao.
To completely kill a Great God, using a specialized god-killing divine artifact is the fastest way.
For example, the divine axe on the Execution Platform of the Destiny Temple. It is said that even an Infinite Realm god, struck by one axe, would have their divine form annihilated. Their divine soul, spiritual will, and life force would be completely severed.
Of course, such god-killing weapons are rare. The Heavenly Court and Hell combined only have a few pieces.
Not every divine artifact is born for slaughter.
Nor can every divine artifact reach the extreme in terms of killing attributes.
Once the killing intent is too heavy, controlling it is no easy task.
Besides such god-killing weapons, using targeted Esoterica to refine and kill a god is the next fastest way!
For instance, Death Esoterica can draw upon the death rules of heaven and earth. Each death rule is a blade. If one blade is not enough, then a billion blades will be, eventually killing you.
As Zhang Ruochen mobilized the death rules and death qi of heaven and earth, he suddenly sensed a powerful wave of death qi emanating from beneath the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
He then remembered that he had placed a pink skeleton under the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
Zhao Wuyan's roar came from the bottle. "Zhang Ruochen, my attainments in the Way of Death surpass yours by tenfold. Can you kill me using the Way of Death?"
Zhang Ruochen snorted lightly and immediately mobilized the light rules and light power, channeling them into the Chaos Bottle.
Finally, Zhao Wuyan began to scream in agony. Amidst various curses and threats, Zhang Ruochen ground away his spiritual will and divine soul.
This process took a total of seventeen days.