The demon ape narrowed its eyes, somewhat surprised, and said, "How do you know I have it? It was left behind by the 'Void' Ancestor when he was comprehending the Momentary Maze. It explained some of the principles of the Momentary Maze and has always been passed down orally. No one but the Cave Master of the Demon God Cave can pass it on. No one in the world would know this secret. How could you know it?"
Jiang Liu grinned, his expression enigmatic, and said, "There's little in the world I don't know. The short can't be grasped, the long can't be grasped, so what can be grasped? This kind of profound understanding isn't some rare skill!"
Short and uncontrollable.
It is too long to grasp.
What can be grasped?
This was the scripture. Jiang Liu read the entire scripture aloud in detail, leaving the demon ape "Ba" stunned for a few seconds. This scripture was a closely guarded secret of the Demon God Cave and the Mighty Vajra Divine Ape clan, and it could only be obtained by the Cave Master of the Demon God Cave before the previous Demon God passed away. Although Jiang Liu only uttered a few words, it still aroused his doubts.
"I submit to you, but dare you let me go?" The raging giant ape finally relented.
"Heh... I can subdue you once, and I will do it again. You are no match for me now, and you will still be no match for me ten years from now. The world is about to change, and you will be too old to be the protagonist of this world. You have no choice but to submit!"
Jiang Liu roared again: "Open your heart, let me leave my soul imprint, and I will spare you... spare you... ferry you to the other shore... the other shore!"
The demonic ape "Ba" lost its Dao heart instantly, and Jiang Liu's soul also entered it. Just as it left a mark, he instantly regained consciousness.
Jiang Liu chuckled, then moved his hand away, took three steps back, and looked at the giant ape with a ferocious expression.
"What did you do to my soul? You... a Buddha? You left a Buddha deep within my soul! You want to convert me!" The demon ape "Ba" gritted its teeth, glaring with its blood-red eyes.
"I was just holding back a trick; I'll take it back once you're completely subdued."
"Heh... Good trick, using words to lure my soul out of control... You'd better beg me not to reach the level of the Creator first, otherwise, even if you put a hundred Buddhas in my soul, it won't work!"
The demon ape slowly stood up from the ground, its wounds healing at a visible speed, truly befitting its thousand years of cultivation and ancient divine beast lineage!
The Vajra Mighty Ape is an ancient divine beast whose physical form is similar to that of a human, but with an exceptionally long lifespan. While ordinary apes can live for two hundred years, the Heavenly Demon "Ba" has lived for over a thousand years, and only now is its physical body beginning to decline.
Although "Ba"'s physical body was beginning to deteriorate, he still had thirty years of life left, which was considered extremely long by ordinary people.
Moreover, "Ba" has already reached the sixth level of tribulation, and can undergo corpse disintegration and reincarnation at any time, entering the body of a newly born Vajra Divine Ape, and can recover to his peak state in a short time.
If we were to rank the cultivators of this vast world, his strength would be within the reach of two hands.
Jiang Liu withdrew his imposing aura, returning to his ordinary state. He took out a piece of white paper with simple ink marks on it and said, "This is the artistic conception of the Clock of the Universe, which illustrates the rules of time. It was drawn by Meng Shenji himself. You will explain it, and we will exchange them!"
Although her voice was soft, her tone made it impossible for the demon ape "Ba" to refuse.
With a cold snort, "Ba" began reciting the sacred text: "Life and death are but a dream, eternity is like an ungraspable dream. The length of eternity is immeasurable, and this ungraspability is commonplace. Yet, a fleeting moment is right before our eyes; who can grasp it? The short cannot be grasped, the long cannot be grasped, so what can be grasped..."
The ape-like creature recited the profound syllables one by one, as if reciting a memorized text.
Jiang Liu frowned. These words were profound and mysterious. With just a little chewing, they were full of charm and contained endless secrets.
"Eternity is far too long to grasp, which is perfectly normal! But a moment is so fleeting, how many people can truly grasp it? If we can't even grasp a moment, how can we grasp eternity?"
Just as Jiang Liu was pondering the word "moment" word by word, the demon ape "Ba" was also quietly watching the paper. Its huge palm gently held the white paper, and it would occasionally scratch its head with its fingers, then shake its head or nod.
Jiang Liu raised his head slightly, feeling the changes in the wind between heaven and earth, as if he were about to merge into the wind.
"Seize the moment, perceive the near from the far, and see the significant from the subtle. Observe all the minute and hidden changes, and know the inner from the outer. My innate Dao body has finally grown, from the primordial embryo to an infant. I have taken another step forward in my understanding of the Dao and the rules. Ba... you are no longer my match!"
Chapter 205 A Moment, A Subtle Perception
The desolate continent, Tongtian Plain, Tianjue Mountain.
This is the location of the Heavenly Witch City of the Witchcraft Path. A person and an ape stepped onto this land.
“Master, I have almost fully comprehended this ‘Clock of the Universe’. If possible, I am willing to exchange the Heavenly Demon God-Slaying Technique for the Master’s momentary insight into the Dao.” The Heavenly Demon Ape “Ba” respectfully handed the “Clock of the Universe” painted by Meng Shenji to Jiang Liu and then said.
As the saying goes, "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head," especially after witnessing Jiang Liu's extraordinary enlightenment, where he could freeze time in the blink of an eye. This filled him with envy, jealousy, and resentment. He had been practicing for five hundred years and still hadn't reached Jiang Liu's current level.
Looking at the seemingly completely subjugated demon ape "Ba," Jiang Liu didn't hold back and said, "A moment, a subtle understanding, are time and space. In our world, no matter how powerful you are, you cannot separate time and space. If someone were to separate time, then space without time would be eternal. Since it is eternal, then one has reached the other shore, which even the ancient holy emperors did not reach. Time without space is nothingness. Since it is nothingness, how can it exist?"
Jiang Liu flicked his finger, and an extremely profound artistic conception seemed to emanate from it, causing the demonic ape "Ba" to pause in surprise, its eyes filled with confusion. Jiang Liu continued, "Space has size, time has length. A flick of the finger is sixty moments, and a moment is nine hundred births and deaths. The changes of a moment are all contained in a flick of the finger! The mystery of birth and death may be the other shore..."
The demonic ape "Ba" fell into deep thought, its eyes growing increasingly confused, and it seemed to be falling into a demonic trance.
Jiang Liu roared, and Ba finally snapped out of his daze, feeling a chill run down his spine and lingering fear. Just now, his thoughts and soul seemed to be sinking into the river of time, about to drift away with it. If it weren't for Jiang Liu's enlightening shout, his soul would have been swept away by time.
"Then... what is Zhiwei?" Ba asked with difficulty.
Jiang Liu scooped up a handful of soil from the ground and opened his palm: "This is Zhiwei!"
With a tremor of his hand, the soil in his palm vanished without a trace.
The demonic ape "Ba" stared with its large, blood-red eyes and said in a deep voice, "An illusion? No... this is simply vanished! You've cultivated the ability to shatter the void to its extreme..."
“You’re wrong!” Jiang Liu refuted his words decisively, and said, “They haven’t disappeared; they’ve simply transformed into a subtle state that your eyes can’t see. Not only your physical body, but even your thoughts can’t detect them. I call them molecules!”
"The philosophers? The philosophers of the medieval period?" the demon ape asked in confusion.
Jiang Liu was also taken aback, then laughed and said, "To control these and call them 'children' is still a long way off! You must break the structure of these molecules, turn them into the smallest atoms, and then arrange them according to your thoughts to generate what you want. That is the creator, and can be called a 'children'."
Ba opened his mouth wide, his eyes bulging out, and after a long while asked, "Master, do you know how to reach the realm of the Creator? I have been stuck in the sixth level of the tribulation for three hundred years. How can I break through? How can I break through?"
Jiang Liu shook his head, his palm trembled, and the handful of soil suddenly reappeared. He stopped and looked at the cliff face in front of him, saying, "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. I can only tell you four words: destruction and rebirth. The Tao of the Creator is contained within them."
"Destruction and rebirth?"
"You haven't even surpassed me in destruction, how can you become a creator? Cultivate diligently!" Jiang Liu smiled and thought to himself: Strong force, weak force, intermolecular force, nuclear fusion, fission—if I understand and master these, I will be the strongest creator.
After saying that, he tore open a section of the mountain wall, and the next moment, a vast new world appeared before them.
It turned out that the mountain wall was a huge illusion.
Before them stretched a vast plain, seemingly endless, upon which countless houses and altars stood.
This land has fields, land, roads, rivers, and cities, just like the territory of a small province of the Great Qian Dynasty.
There were many indigenous people farming the land, and even soldiers in armor riding horses on the roads. There were also many houses, mulberry trees, and villages, making it seem like a small country.
Given Jiang Liu and the demon ape "Ba's" strength, no one could detect them, and they flew openly towards a huge city in the plains.
This is a very magnificent city. The city walls are all made of large stones stacked together, with glutinous rice flour and other medicines poured in between, and molten iron was also mixed in.
Although it cannot compare to the appearance of Yujing and is smaller in scale, it is still much larger than the provincial capital of any province in the Great Qian Dynasty.
The city has an ancient and magnificent atmosphere, with many stone statues standing on the four walls, giving people a sense of antiquity.
Jiang Liu sensed that within this large city, there were two places with abundant yang energy. In his perception, these two places...
Two straight beams of energy, like smoke from a wolf, rose from each other, reaching towards the sky and piercing through heaven and earth.
"At least the blood essence of a Martial Saint!"
Riding the wind, I saw a great monk practicing his fist in a square. With a single palm strike, his strength was like that of a giant dragon or elephant, and his blood energy was like the rising tide of the sea, with waves crashing against the shore.
"Dragon and Elephant Seal!"
Jiang Liu immediately recognized that the monk was practicing the Dragon and Elephant Seal of the Great Zen Temple. With each shift in his fist intent, the giant dragon and elephant appeared vividly within the practitioner's body, granting him immense strength and allowing him to wield the power of both a dragon and an elephant.
"This monk is a Martial Saint, but he hasn't reached his peak yet. However, his fist intent is condensed, and his strength is not bad!" If the demonic ape "Ba," who is at the sixth level of the Thunder Tribulation, says that this monk has enough to be proud of!
A man and a monkey watched him practice his boxing in silence. Jiang Liu remained still, and so did Ba. When the monk finally finished practicing, he unleashed a powerful strike, causing his entire black-gold robe to bulge, and his body to grow half a size larger out of thin air, truly resembling a guardian deity in Buddhism.
In an instant, the monk turned to look at the sky and roared, "Who is spying on me?"
His blood energy surged straight to the sky. Ba was stunned for a moment. Just now, he had been comprehending the Dao of "destruction and rebirth" that Jiang Liu had mentioned. His aura had leaked out a little, and the great monk had actually sensed it.
"So you are the monk Jingren?" Jiang Liu had already landed three zhang away from him, looking at the monk calmly.
"Who are you? Sneaking around, spying on my martial arts practice! Eh, Mighty Vajra Divine Ape, flying through the air, you are experts of the Thunder Tribulation..." The big monk looked at the giant ape that was as tall as two people and couldn't help but take a step back.
Jiang Liu's primordial spirit stirred, and a great Buddha appeared, saying, "Jingren, do you recognize this Buddha!"
“In the past, Amitabha Buddha…you…you cultivated!” The blood energy that the monk Jingren had just activated slowly subsided, and his hands trembled slightly, showing that his heart was not at peace.
The demonic ape "Ba" plopped down on the ground, looked at the senior monk and laughed, "Little monk, I've heard that only the abbot of the Great Zen Temple can cultivate. Twenty years ago, the Great Zen Temple was destroyed, and I was in seclusion at the time. It was a great misfortune to miss it! Otherwise, I could have met Monk Yinyue!"
"Who are you, old ape?" After his initial surprise, the monk Jingren turned to look at the demon ape.
"My ancestor's name is just one character, 'Ba'!"
The monk Jingren's breath hitched immediately. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "The ancestor of the Heavenly Demon Cave, the Mighty Vajra Divine Ape..."
Then he looked at Jiang Liu. Although he only cultivated martial arts, he knew that the young man in front of him was a tribulation expert. The illusory Buddha exuded an aura of extreme yang and strength, which was comparable to his uncle, Monk Yin Yue, who was a human immortal.
From this, he knew that the boy's cultivation level might have reached an unimaginable level.
Then he spoke, whether to himself or to Jiang Liu, it was unclear: "This is the highest secret scripture of our Great Zen Temple. Throughout history, this scripture could only be viewed by the abbot, and only the abbot could cultivate it. When our Great Zen Temple was destroyed, the abbot entrusted this scripture to Uncle Yin Yue, asking him to keep it safe for those with the right affinity. Now it has fallen into your hands, this is the will of Heaven!"
As he spoke, a glimmer of hope, long forgotten, seemed to appear in his eyes, and his voice rose slightly: "The abbot once prophesied that if the Sutra of the Past were to reappear in the world, it would be an opportunity for our Great Zen Temple to be rebuilt. Now, this humble monk has finally seen hope! Benefactor, this humble monk has a question: what is your relationship with the Heavenly Demon? It is absolutely impossible for this humble monk to pledge allegiance to the Heavenly Demon."
Before Jiang Liu could speak, the demonic ape "Ba" sneered, "You've been cooperating with this infamous Witchcraft and Ghost Path for twenty years, so why can't you submit to your ancestor?"
The monk Jingren clasped his hands together, chanting Buddhist mantras, and said, "I entered this desolate land and settled here to protect myself. Moreover, although the path of witchcraft and ghosts is evil, it is still a path of humanity. My ancestor possesses boundless magical power, but he cultivates the path of demons. Those who follow different paths cannot work together!"
Jiang Liu withdrew his Dharma form and laughed, "Judging from your cultivation, you've already reached the mid-stage of Martial Saint. Your fist intent is refined, and you have a chance to step into the realm of Human Immortal in this lifetime. I've received many opportunities from the Great Zen Temple, and I want to repay you for the karma I've accumulated. Come with me; it's not impossible for us to revive the Great Zen Temple!"
“Master, this monk isn’t very strong. My Cloud Mist Mountain has over a thousand monkeys and their offspring, nearly a hundred of whom are at the Martial Saint realm. If you want them, I’ll send them all to you to command. I only hope that Master… could explain the Dao of the Subtle Mind in that instant to me in detail!”
As he spoke, the demon ape "Ba" looked at Jiang Liu with hopeful eyes. Breaking through to the level of a Creator was too difficult; so difficult that he had wasted three hundred years without ever stepping into it, only lingering at the door. His physical body still had thirty years left before he would perish. Now that he had grasped the opportunity to achieve enlightenment, he naturally wanted to hold on to it tightly.
Every move of the demonic ape "Ba" was naturally observed by the monk Jingren, who was immediately horrified, thinking to himself: Who exactly is this young man? He actually... even the celestial demon "Ba" is fawning over him. Could this be the opportunity the abbot spoke of?
Chapter 206 The Universe Bag
Just as Monk Jingren was in shock, Jiang Liu's newly manifested Dharma form alarmed the group of cultivators from the Witch Ghost Path.
This Heavenly Witch City was the headquarters meticulously built by the Witch Ghost Path, naturally with many powerful figures stationed there. These cultivators of the Witch Ghost Path were undoubtedly powerful to mortals, with several reaching the Ghost Immortal realm, but in front of Jiang Liu and the demonic ape "Ba," they were like weaklings.
The great era has only just begun, and those capable of undergoing tribulation are few and far between throughout the entire Great Thousand World. Of the eight renowned demon immortals, only the Peacock King, the Heavenly Serpent King, and the White Ape King have survived their tribulations; the rest are all ghost immortals. Even Su Mu, the Holy Maiden of the Supreme Dao, barely managed to survive her tribulation with Jiang Liu's help.
Starting this year, powerful cultivators who have undergone tribulations will emerge like mushrooms after rain. And three years from now, according to the original author Hong Yi, this "Yang God" world will enter an era of great cultivation and great opportunities.
Currently, Hong Yi's opportunity has been seized by Jiang Liu, but Jiang Liu believes he will definitely obtain an even greater opportunity. He already understands this situation in the "Battle Through the Heavens" world, and this "Yang God" will definitely be no exception.
Talented people emerge in every generation, each leading the way for hundreds of years.
The development of an era is never linear, and the emergence of powerful figures is never predictable by year. Turbulent times produce heroes, and heroes shape the times. The Great Qian Dynasty has existed for sixty years; twenty years ago, it destroyed the Great Zen Temple, ushering in a new era. However, Hong Xuanji and Yang Pan were merely protagonists for a time. Meng Shenji dominated for three hundred years; his era has also passed.
A great era has arrived, and everyone can compete for great fortune.
From then on, martial saints were as common as dogs, and lightning tribulations were everywhere.
This is the great era! Like wildflowers on a hillside, they don't bloom in summer, autumn, or winter, but suddenly they all sprout up in early spring.