199: Tracing Zhang Yuanhai

After leaving the Immortal King's Dao field, Liu Qingtian did not immediately set off for the “Myriad Dao Origin Sea.” He first stayed in a desolate Star Domain for several days, thoroughly digesting the information in the Jade Slip given by the Palace-Attired Woman, and carefully contemplating his current state.

“Comprehending fifty percent of the Great Dao…” He inwardly observed himself; the ten percent of the Great Dao coiled above his dao foundation like a brilliant galaxy. About half of this area glowed intensely, intimately connected to his mind, obeying his every command. The other half was relatively dim; though he could still mobilize its power, it always felt as though a thin veil separated him from its core mysteries, preventing him from fully grasping them. This was what Luo Jiuxuan meant by “not fully comprehended.”

In the remaining seventy-nine years, he must Breakthrough this barrier.

“Myriad Dao Origin Sea…” Liu Qingtian cast his gaze towards this Secret Realm recorded in the Jade Slip. According to the description, it was a failed attempt by ancient great powers to replicate the true Sea of the Great Dao, long since dilapidated. Its space-time structure was extremely unstable, filled with chaotic, twisted, and even conflicting Law fragments. The dangers were self-evident, but for him, who needed extensive contact and analysis of different Great Daos to draw inferences, it might be an excellent “testing ground.”

Having made up his mind, Liu Qingtian no longer hesitated. Following the ancient star map recorded in the Jade Slip, he embarked on an ultra-long-distance void traversal.

The speed of the Star Plucking Realm far surpassed that of the Star Shattering Realm, especially for an existence like Liu Qingtian, who had achieved a Breakthrough with a Black Hole Level Foundation and bore ten percent of the Great Dao. He did not rely on any teleportation array, purely using his own power to tear through the Void Realm, leaving behind fleeting, dim traces in the sea of stars.

Along the way, he also vaguely sensed some prying gazes, some from Kasaer Empire patrol fleets, while others had obscure auras, making their Origins difficult to determine. But at this moment, he was eager to return, and his aura was restrained, so he did not actively provoke them. Often, before the other party could react, he had already vanished into the depths of the starry sky.

After nearly three months of such travel, traversing countless Star Domains, Liu Qingtian finally reached his destination.

Before him was not the imagined star continent, but a vast, boundless, and colorful “energy mist.” This mist enveloped several star systems, revealing countless shattered star remnants, twisted spatial rifts, and Law turbulence that flowed like aurora but was filled with destructive energy. A chaotic, primordial sensation, as if countless Daos had been shattered and haphazardly reassembled here, washed over him.

This was the entrance to the Myriad Dao Origin Sea, or rather, this energy mist itself was the outer region of the Origin Sea.

“Indeed, it is a broken and chaotic place.” Liu Qingtian could feel that the space-time structure here was extremely fragile, even more unstable than the Chaos Secret Realm, with intense Law conflicts, forming a forbidden zone for living beings.

He did not rashly enter the core, but first stopped in the outer region, cautiously extending his Divine Thought.

Buzz!

As soon as his Divine Thought touched the energy mist, it was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, triggering a violent reaction. A turbulent current containing the “tearing” Law surged forth, while simultaneously, a hidden “freezing” Law fragment from the side was activated, silently spreading, intending to freeze him along with space.

Liu Qingtian frowned slightly, pointing his fingers like a blade, and gently swiped. The Power of Guixu surged from his fingertips; he did not forcefully resist, but like a butcher dismembering an ox, precisely cut into the weak points of the two conflicting Laws, causing them to annihilate each other.

With a soft “chi la” sound, both the tearing turbulence and the freezing Law dissipated simultaneously.

“Although the Laws here are broken and chaotic, precisely because of this, their manifestation is more direct and fundamental.” Liu Qingtian pondered. Here, he needed to constantly deal with various sudden and bizarre combinations of Law attacks, which was undoubtedly an extreme test of his Great Dao comprehension and ability to adapt on the fly.

He no longer lingered, activating the fifty percent of the Great Dao he had initially comprehended, especially the parts concerning “inclusion,” “dissolution,” and “guidance,” combining them with his Myriad Manifestations Returning to Ruin Dao Foundation, forming a thin, constantly circulating and changing Guixu force field outside his body. This force field was not a rigid defense, but rather like a lubricant, deflecting, guiding to neutralize each other, or slowly devouring and decomposing the invading chaotic Law powers.

After preparing, he stepped into the colorful and dangerous energy mist.

Upon entering, various bizarre and fantastical sights immediately assailed him.

To his left were blazing flame Laws, yet they exuded bone-chilling cold; to his right were life Laws flowing like babbling water, yet everything withered in their path; ahead, space constantly folded and shattered, time flowed sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and occasionally even reversed… Various phenomena defying logic and conflicting Laws unfolded here. Liu Qingtian was like a lone boat in a raging sea, cautiously moving forward, his Guixu force field constantly fluctuating, sometimes violently flickering under impact, sometimes perfectly neutralizing danger invisibly.

He did not merely avoid, but actively sought to contact and analyze the incoming Law fragments. Whenever a new Law phenomenon appeared, he would dedicate a wisp of his mind, using the fifty percent of the Great Dao he had comprehended as a Foundation, to deduce and understand its operating rules, its essential core, and its connection to his own Guixu Dao.

This process was extremely taxing on his mind, yet the rewards were immense. Many subtle aspects of the Great Dao that were difficult to perceive in a stable environment became clearly apparent in this extreme conflict and chaos. His understanding of the fifty percent of the Great Dao he had comprehended deepened, and his application became more refined. He even gained some new directions and inspirations for the fifty percent he had not yet comprehended.

He lingered in this outer region for a long time, constantly honing himself.

One day, he encountered an extremely strange area. It was permeated with a dense “forgetfulness” Law; upon stepping into it, even his sense of existence began to blur, and memories flowed away like a sandcastle. At the same time, an “assimilation” Law lurked within, attempting to decompose intruders and turn them into part of the chaotic energy of this area.

Liu Qingtian’s Guixu force field was greatly diminished under the erosion of these two concept-oriented Laws. He felt his consciousness begin to dim, and some past memories became fragmented.

In this critical moment, a sudden inspiration struck him. Instead of forcibly resisting, he immersed his mind in the comprehended Laws of “existence,” “true self,” and “ending.”

“All manifestations are illusory, only the Dao is eternal. The end of Guixu is also the beginning of the true self!”

He used his unwavering Dao Heart as an anchor, and the intent of “ending” to strike at the encroaching “forgetfulness” and “assimilation”! Since all will eventually return to nothingness, what did temporary forgetfulness and assimilation matter?

Buzz!

A strange resonance occurred. The Laws of “forgetfulness” and “assimilation,” upon touching his Dao Heart, which contained the true meaning of Guixu, actually receded on their own, like ice and snow meeting the sun. They were not destroyed, but rather “embraced” and “covered” by the essence of his “ending.”

Seizing this opportunity, Liu Qingtian quickly escaped from that area, his eyes growing even brighter.

“So that’s it… Inclusion is not tolerance, and covering is also a form of conquest. My understanding of the Guixu Dao was still too narrow.”

After this experience, he felt his comprehension of the Great Dao, especially of “Guixu,” had deepened another layer. The parts concerning “nothingness,” “concept,” and “existence” within the fifty percent of the Great Dao he had not yet comprehended seemed to have loosened slightly.

He looked towards the deeper parts of the energy mist, where the conflict of Laws was more intense, and the colors were more pure and fundamental.

“The core region might hold the opportunity I need.”

Without fear, he adjusted his state and once again stepped towards the more dangerous depths of the Myriad Dao Origin Sea.