"Ah, ah, ah! So hot, so hot!"
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon’s colossal body thrashed across the Panlong Mountain Range, smashing numerous palaces and peaks. Many cultivators preparing for their seclusion, mistaking it for an enemy attack, rushed out of their chambers only to see the chaos and immediately retreat far away, not daring to utter a sound.
This was a flood dragon whose cultivation had reached the Ninth Tribulation Realm. Few in the entire Six Royal Manor could afford to provoke it.
Ling Xiu and his five brothers stood on a cliff face, watching this scene unfold, all shaking their heads with a wry smile.
"Even after consuming it, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon’s robust physique still experienced such potent medicinal effects. The Immortal-grade Blood Spirit Pill truly lives up to its name," Xiao Yi exclaimed, his anticipation for the effects of the Immortal-grade Blood Spirit Pill growing.
"Indeed," Ling Xiu nodded and said, "Being able to befriend Brother Zhang Fan is a stroke of luck for our Six Royal Manor. However, this small Wu Shan Star Domain ultimately cannot retain him; a Kunpeng is destined to soar through the nine heavens."
"Yes, we six brothers are considered heavenly prodigies, standing at the pinnacle of the Wu Shan Star Domain, yet compared to Brother Zhang Fan, we can only sigh in admiration," Shen Feichen also nodded, his words filled with emotion. "The Nascent Soul realm, which we have been striving for, is likely a smooth and unobstructed path before him."
Shen Feichen suddenly recalled something and looked at his second brother. "Are there any updates on the Teng Snake tribe?"
Mo Yan shook his head. "The Teng Snake tribe is truly terrified. They have even abandoned their tribal strongholds and fled with their entire clan. Their whereabouts are unknown."
After tidying up the aftermath of the Black Sand Grotto-heaven, Mo Yan had also paid a visit to the Teng Snake tribe. He knew of Zhang Fan's grievances with them and intended to eliminate them as a favor. However, upon his arrival, the Teng Snake Sacred Hall was already deserted.
Xiao Yi chuckled. "The Teng Snake tribe has always survived in the crevices of the World Heart Continent, maintaining a low profile and not daring to provoke the six top-tier powers. Naturally, they lack the mettle of such powers. When their clan faced a disaster of extinction, abandoning their homeland was normal."
Ling Xiu issued an order: "Investigate. The Wu Shan Star Domain is not that large. Transmit the command to every inhabited planet. Anyone who provides effective clues to the Teng Snake tribe's whereabouts will be rewarded with five hundred million spirit crystals."
After Ling Xiu's command was relayed through various channels, it reached every inhabited planet within three days, causing a massive stir.
In the face of such a substantial bounty, many cultivators, despite the immense risk involved, joined the ranks of those searching for the Teng Snake tribe's trail.
...
Within the Golden Light Immortal Mansion.
Besides the Immortal-grade Blood Spirit Pill, Zhang Fan had also prepared a large number of spirit crystals for Lin Haotian, Wu Chen Sword Immortal, and Tian Hua Heavenly Monarch.
"I will be entering seclusion for a period. No one is to disturb me during this time," Zhang Fan instructed the others before heading alone to the third floor of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion.
"Just one step away from perfecting the rules of the Great Dao, but how can I break through this barrier?" Zhang Fan sat cross-legged on the third floor of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion, countless cultivation methods flashing through his mind.
This was the first time he had encountered a bottleneck since cultivating in this life.
The white immortal infant was indeed powerful, having already contained nearly two million rules of the Great Dao, only one step away from perfection.
But this single step was like a chasm, preventing him from crossing.
During this period, he had employed various divine abilities and secret arts to strengthen the white immortal infant, but neither the Sword Dao rules nor the Lightning Dao rules could reach perfection.
When a single Dao's rules of the Great Dao are cultivated to perfection in the Nascent Soul stage, one's strength undergoes a qualitative change, enabling the manifestation of the Domain of the Great Dao even at the Nascent Soul stage. The deeper the foundation of the rules, the smoother the path ahead.
"In my previous life, I was an Immortal Emperor, standing at the peak of the universe, overlooking the myriad realms and star fields. I witnessed countless individuals considered geniuses and prodigies, yet very few could cultivate the rules of a single Dao to perfection in the Nascent Soul stage."
"If one Dao is already so difficult, is there any possibility of success in pursuing two Daos simultaneously?" Zhang Fan murmured to himself, questioning his inner self. Even with his experience, he saw no hope of success.
"Should I just give up? What does it matter if the rules of the Great Dao are not perfect?"
As soon as this thought surfaced in his mind, he ruthlessly extinguished it. Having come this far, how could he possibly give up?
"Hm?"
Zhang Fan suddenly thought of something, his eyes gleaming with an incredibly bright and passionate light. He repeatedly muttered, "One Dao! Two Daos?"
"Since cultivating two Daos simultaneously is too difficult, why don't I merge them into one?" At this moment, endless inspiration flashed through Zhang Fan's mind, and he became increasingly certain of the feasibility of his conjecture.
"If different Daos can be merged, why can't different rules of the Great Dao be merged?" Zhang Fan suppressed his inner excitement, opening a new door to a new world on his cultivation path.
"Merging different Daos is something even powerful beings at the Void Refining stage cannot achieve; it is a realm accessible only to Dao Merging Immortal Kings, let alone Nascent Soul cultivators. But for me, it seems there is no difficulty." Zhang Fan smiled. The bottleneck that had troubled him for half a year was finally broken, and he felt an immense joy in his very soul.
"Once the Dao of Lightning and the rules of the Sword Dao are fused, my cultivated Dao can be called the true Dao of Thunderous Sword." Thinking of this, Zhang Fan was filled with anticipation.
"Since I have found a direction, let us begin." Calming his mind and gathering his focus, Zhang Fan began to mobilize the rules of the Sword Dao and the rules of Lightning within his white immortal infant, intending to fuse them. Rules are formless, but they carry the power of their true essence: the sharpness of the Sword Dao, the destructive power of the rules of Lightning.
The first attempt, despite Zhang Fan's extreme caution, was met with intense repulsion as the two merged.
"Boom!"
With a muffled explosion within his body, it failed.
But Zhang Fan was not discouraged; instead, a smile graced his face. Since there was a reaction, it proved the method's feasibility. Zhang Fan, who could even fuse Great Daos to perfection, was filled with confidence in merging the rules of the Great Dao, which formed the foundation of Daos.
As Zhang Fan continued to try, on his one thousand and twenty-fifth attempt...
"The first Dao is successful!" Zhang Fan exhaled deeply. Although it was only one rule fused out of nearly a million, a single success provided the experience of merging, making subsequent attempts much easier.
In the first month of merging the rules of the Great Dao, Zhang Fan successfully fused nearly ten thousand.
In the second month of merging the rules of the Great Dao, Zhang Fan successfully fused over a hundred thousand.
As he became increasingly proficient, Zhang Fan only spent two months to complete the fusion of the remaining hundreds of thousands of rules of the Great Dao.
Thus, within the white immortal infant within Zhang Fan's body, the number of rules of the Great Dao decreased from nearly two million to just over nine hundred thousand. While the quantity of rules had halved, Zhang Fan could clearly feel that its power had increased by more than several times.
...