436: Chapter 440 "The Supreme Being of Myriad Treasures Accepted by the Heavenly Realm"

Lu Ming slowly opened his eyes.

He sat in the secret room, everything around him as usual, as if nothing had happened.

But his feeling was completely different!

At this moment, his Spiritual Terrace was clearer than ever before!

It was as if his thoughts, which had been shrouded in a thin mist, were now completely blown away by a clear breeze, letting the light of heaven fall directly and illuminate every corner of his heart.

His thinking became incredibly smooth, his thoughts became incredibly clear, and his Divine Sense perception became incredibly sharp!

That feeling was beyond words.

It was like a person who had been trapped in a miasma for a long time suddenly walked out of the mist and saw the bright world.

Lu Ming closed his eyes, silently feeling this brand-new state.

If he were to re-comprehend those obscure and difficult Karmic secret methods in the "Heavenly Mandate Compilation and Fortune Diagram Record" now...

He had a strong intuition that he would definitely not be as clueless as before!

"It's done..."

Lu Ming murmured to himself, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

With this Spirit Nurturing and Wisdom Cultivation Array, the efficiency with which he comprehended any Cultivation Technique or secret art would be greatly improved.

"Just in time for me to comprehend 'The Mi Luo Heavenly Demon Luo Dharma Idol' next."

Practicing "The Mi Luo Heavenly Demon Luo Dharma Idol" was actually not troublesome; one just needed to follow the steps.

However, what Lu Ming wanted to do was far more than that.

His ultimate goal was to integrate this Divine Ability into the Netherworld Space system of the human emperor banner, allowing it to act as a pillar supporting the heavens and stabilizing the space that had begun to fluctuate due to accommodating too many powerful Banner Spirits.

The principles involved were interlinked, mysterious, and complex.

If it were before, with his hard-to-describe Comprehension Ability, trying to achieve this would have been nothing but a pipe dream.

But now...

The corners of Lu Ming's mouth curled up slightly.

He could actually give it a try!

He raised his hand, and two Jade Slips appeared in front of him simultaneously.

One had blood-colored light flowing through it; it was the upper volume obtained from the Calamity Cultivator, recording the offensive path of the Dharma Idol.

The other was as warm and smooth as jade; it was the lower volume obtained from the Pu Family, recording the mysteries of the Sumeru Space within the Dharma Idol.

"Divided into two, united as one..."

Lu Ming whispered to himself, his Divine Sense probing into the two Jade Slips at the same time.

Buzz—

Two mysterious streams of information flooded into his Sea of Consciousness at once!

Normally, although he wouldn't be unable to understand it, he would still need to spend some time and mental effort to fully grasp it.

But at this moment, Lu Ming felt no pressure at all and operated on both tracks simultaneously.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Spirit Nurturing and Wisdom Cultivation Array quietly operated!

A warm and cool Aura emerged from the depths of his Divine Soul, instantly enveloping his entire Sea of Consciousness!

The complex stream of information was like tangled hemp that had been combed through, appearing clearly before his eyes, strand by strand!

His thoughts and ideas were clearer and more unobstructed than ever before!

The originally obscure and difficult-to-understand formulas were now as clear as the patterns on his palm at a single glance!

This was the beauty of the Spirit Nurturing and Wisdom Cultivation Array!

It didn't directly increase Comprehension Ability, but rather allowed the Cultivator's thoughts to enter a state of "transparency."

Like clearing the mist to see the blue sky, or wiping away the dust to reveal a bright mirror.

In this state, any Cultivation Technique or secret art became solvable, comprehensible, and penetrable.

Lu Ming was immediately immersed in it, intoxicated.

...

"So, the original name of this Divine Ability is 'The Mi Luo Heavenly Receiving and Granting Myriad Treasures Bright Venerable Idol'."

As his comprehension deepened, Lu Ming gradually gained understanding.

The core of this method lay in the words "Receiving and Granting"—meaning to encompass all things and take everything for one's own use.

Ordinary Cultivators refine treasures by nurturing Magic Treasures with their own magic power, making them share the same mind.

But this method did the opposite, sacrificing Magic Treasures to the Bright Venerable Dharma Idol.

For every Magic Treasure sacrificed, the Dharma Idol would gain an extra arm.

The more Magic Treasures sacrificed and the higher their grade, the greater the power of the Bright Venerable Dharma Idol, the more arms it would have, and the richer its methods would be.

Theoretically, there was no upper limit to this method.

If there were enough Magic Treasures, the Dharma Idol could even grow a thousand arms; with a thousand hands waving together and ten thousand treasures firing at once, its power could destroy heaven and earth.

The difference between the upper and lower volumes was as follows.

The upper volume recorded the "offensive path," which was how to use the Dharma Idol's arms to activate the power of Magic Treasures, how to coordinate multiple Magic Treasures to exert force, and how to achieve an effect where "one plus one is greater than two."

The lower volume recorded how to open a Sumeru Space within the Dharma Idol, how to use this space to nurture Magic Treasures, and how to make the Dharma Idol and the space complement each other.

Only when the two were combined did it become a complete Divine Ability.

It was meant to appear in all directions, harboring infinite power within.

And what Lu Ming wanted was precisely this effect.

His concept was that after condensing the Dharma Idol, he would not use it as a combat method but would directly "transplant" it into the Netherworld Space of the human emperor banner.

Like erecting a pillar in a crumbling house.

This pillar itself wouldn't occupy space, yet it could share the pressure and stabilize the Foundation.

In this way, the carrying capacity of the Netherworld Space would be greatly increased, and it would not be a problem to accommodate a few more powerful Banner Spirits in the short term.

Of course, the prerequisite was that this pillar must be sturdy, which required a very high demand for the Dharma Idol's power, rather than relying solely on that Sumeru Space!

Moreover, this was only treating the symptoms, not the root cause.

The true fundamental way was to upgrade the human emperor banner to the level of a fourth-tier Spirit Treasure.

At that time, the quality of the space itself would leap, and all hidden dangers would naturally be resolved.

But that was a matter for later.

For now, he just needed to temporarily stabilize it and get through the trip to the Xuanling Secret Realm.

...

After spending half a day, Lu Ming finally finished his comprehension.

He opened his eyes, a glint of sharp light flashing through them.

"It's time to begin."

Standing up, he raised his hand, and the human emperor banner behind him rustled, swirling a ghostly light that enveloped his entire person.

In the next moment, his figure disappeared from the secret room.

...

Inside the human emperor banner, the Netherworld Space.

This was a vast and gloomy world.

The sky was eternally gray, with no sun, moon, or stars, only layers of churning dark clouds.

The ground was black, cracked, and barren, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The air was filled with a thick Yin Nether Qi; one breath felt bone-chillingly cold.

In the distance, a murky river flowed slowly, like a boundary separating the worlds of Yin and Yang, spanning heaven and earth.

By the riverbank, Equinox Flowers as red as blood were in full bloom, swaying in the wind as if guiding the souls of the dead on their return journey.

Everything was in good order, seemingly evolving slowly toward the true "Netherworld" Lu Ming had envisioned.

However, Lu Ming frowned.

He felt the omnipresent but faint sense of being overburdened.

Looking back, he saw that the gray sky seemed to have lowered a bit, giving a sense of oppression.

"It seems this space really cannot carry too many powerful Banner Spirits."

Lu Ming thought to himself, his Divine Sense quickly sweeping through the Netherworld Space to count the "residents" inside.

Murong Jingyang, Li Daoxuan, Mu Han, Zhuge Mingyi...

And Pu Yuanqing, who had just been sent in!

If he added other miscellaneous Banner Spirits at the Foundation Establishment and Early Golden Core Stage...

All in all, it was already close to the limit of the space's carrying capacity.

If he threw a few more powerful Banner Spirits in, this space might really collapse with a bang.

"I have to hurry."

Lu Ming murmured to himself, no longer delaying.

With a wave of his hand, dozens of Storage Pouches and Storage Rings flew out from his sleeve, hovering in the sky above the Netherworld Space.

These were his entire collection from Qi Refining to Golden Core.

Some were stolen, some were picked up, and others were gathered from raiding homes and exterminating clans.

Though miscellaneous, they piled up like a mountain.

He hadn't realized it before without taking inventory, but now, with a sweep of his Divine Sense, even Lu Ming himself was a bit surprised.

This quantity... was simply too much!

Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts numbered in the thousands!

Although most of them were low-tier items, the sheer quantity was overwhelming!

If used to feed the Dharma Idol, it would be enough to feed it into a colossus.

"Just as well, it saves me from going out to scavenge again."

The corners of Lu Ming's mouth curled up slightly as he began to perform hand seals and recite incantations, then raised his hand with a beckon.

Instantly, countless Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts flew out from the storage spaces, turning into a torrent that converged toward him!

Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, forks, bells, tripods, mirrors, seals, rings, bracelets, beads, and towers...

All kinds of Magical Artifacts, a dazzling array, densely hovering around him like a Myriad Treasure Heavenly River spanning the sky!

And behind him, a huge phantom also began to slowly take shape!

The phantom was just a faint wisp at first, gradually becoming solid and clear.

Finally, a phantom a hundred zhang tall and pale gold in color began to condense, and then it stood tall in the Netherworld Space with a roar!

The Dharma Idol was born with six arms, but at this moment, all six arms were empty.

Lu Ming looked up at this colossus, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"Eat!"

He said softly.

As his voice fell, the six arms of the Dharma Idol moved simultaneously!

They were like six greedy giant pythons, crazily grabbing at the hovering Magical Artifacts around them!

With every grab, dozens of Magical Artifacts were swallowed into its palms, turning into pure energy and merging into the Dharma Idol's body!

The Magical Artifacts were wailing, shattering, and dissolving!

And the Aura of the Dharma Idol was climbing at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Unsure of how much time had passed.

When the last Magical Artifact was swallowed by the Dharma Idol, this Bright Venerable Dharma Idol had already undergone earth-shaking changes.

Lu Ming looked up and saw it standing quietly between the heaven and earth of the Netherworld Space, its entire body emitting a faint golden glow that even brightened the gray world of Yin and Nether a bit.

The Dharma Idol was a hundred zhang tall, as majestic as a mountain.

Its body was not of flesh and blood but was somewhere between illusory and real, as if condensed from pure light.

Those rays of light intertwined to form a faint halo of light above the Dharma Idol's head.

It made it appear with a warm pale gold color, as delicate as jade, yet faintly revealing a metallic texture, like a statue of a deity from ancient times.

Its face was solemn and dignified, its eyes lowered, compassionate and peaceful, as if looking down on all things in the world, transcendent.

And the most shocking part was the one hundred and eight arms behind it.

They spread out from behind the Dharma Idol like a peacock's tail, or like the descent of a thousand-armed Guanyin, layered and covering the sky.

Every arm was thick and powerful, with smooth and perfect muscle lines, full of the beauty of strength.

The postures of the arms were all different: some were held high, some were stretched forward, some hung by the side, some were crossed in front of the chest, some were in hand seals, and some were clenched in fists awaiting strength.

One hundred and eight arms, one hundred and eight postures, not a single one was repeated.

And in the hand of each arm, an "object" condensed from the phantom of a Magic Treasure hovered, either holding a sword or saber, grasping a bell or tripod, performing a hand seal, or pinching an incantation seal.

One hundred and eight arms, one hundred and eight Treasure Artifact phantoms, a dazzling array.

Solemn and dignified, holy and compassionate, one hundred and eight arms, a magnificent sight.

Lu Ming looked up at this colossus, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

The Hundred-Armed Bright Venerable Dharma Idol.

Although it was far from the legendary "thousand arms" or "ten thousand arms," it was already shocking enough.

Since that was the case...

"Then let's begin!"

Lu Ming took a deep breath, his hands forming seals, and his Divine Soul power surged into that Bright Venerable Dharma Idol with a roar!

In an instant, a mysterious connection was established between him and the Dharma Idol.

It was a feeling of an "external body," as if that hundred-zhang giant was an extension of his body, the Incarnation of his will.

"Rise!"

Lu Ming shouted low.

The Bright Venerable Dharma Idol slowly raised its head, and its one hundred and eight arms stretched out simultaneously, reaching toward the gray and low-hanging sky of the Netherworld Space!

In the next moment, the Dharma Idol's back suddenly straightened!

One hundred and eight arms all supported the heavens!

That posture, that Aura, was like an ancient god or demon opening up heaven and earth, wanting to support this about-to-collapse world with a body of flesh and blood!

Boom—

An invisible force erupted from within the Dharma Idol!

It was formed by the convergence of thousands of Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts, and even the power of Magic Treasures.

That power was like substance, turning into pale gold pillars of light that soared into the sky, fiercely striking that low-hanging firmament!

The sky trembled violently!

That oppressive grayness was as if being held up fiercely by an invisible giant hand!

Lu Ming gritted his teeth, his Divine Soul power pouring out crazily, driving the Dharma Idol to continue exerting force!

The Dharma Idol's body trembled slightly, the veins on its one hundred and eight arms bulged, its muscles tensed, and every inch of its body was burning with power!

That feeling was as if a giant god was truly carrying the entire firmament with a body of flesh and blood!

"Rise... for me!"

Lu Ming gave a violent shout!

The Dharma Idol suddenly exerted force!

Rumble—

The entire Netherworld Space shook violently!

That low-hanging, oppressive sky was actually forced up!

An inch, two inches, three feet, more than a zhang...

Until the sky returned to its former "height," and that sense of oppression completely dissipated!

The Bright Venerable Dharma Idol maintained its heaven-supporting posture, standing tall between heaven and earth.

One hundred and eight arms were like giant pillars supporting the heavens, firmly holding up this world that was about to collapse!

The Netherworld Space finally stabilized.

That feeling of being about to fall apart also completely disappeared.

Lu Ming gasped for breath, fine beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, but a smile appeared on his face.

It's done.

His idea was indeed correct; with this Dharma Idol supporting it, this space would no longer have problems in the short term.

However...

Lu Ming quickly restrained his smile, his gaze returning to calmness.

He knew this was only a temporary fix.

No matter how strong the Dharma Idol was, it could only support things for a while, not forever.

As more powerful Banner Spirits were added in the future, the space would still become fragile, unstable, and shaky again.

At that time, the Netherworld Space would again become overburdened.

The true way to cure the root cause was still to upgrade the human emperor banner to the level of a fourth-tier Spirit Treasure.

Once the quality of the space leaped, all hidden dangers would naturally be resolved.

But that was a matter for the future.