A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

In the darkness, Duan Rong's expression was rather grim.

Especially after understanding the reasoning behind this, he felt that relying on devouring artifact spirits to grow his Dongming was a difficult path to follow.

But he was still somewhat unwilling. With a thought, his figure, sitting cross-legged on the bed, disappeared into the darkness.

The next moment, he appeared like a ghost in the nearby dark valley, heading in a certain direction amidst the churning clouds and mist.

The Changliu Mountains stretch endlessly. In the deep darkness of night, Duan Rong's figure disappeared into the depths of the boundless mountains.

Suddenly, his figure froze, suspended in mid-air. With a thought, his divine sense swept downwards.

Wherever his divine sense passed, every detail was revealed. A faint smile involuntarily appeared on Duan Rong's lips.

Although more than a year has passed, he still hasn't gone astray.

This is Wuliang Cliff, and the hidden talisman array on the mountainside is the Wanxiang Cave.

More than a year ago, he was here when he was struck three times by the God-Slaying Whip, and he also killed Xiao Qiwu inside the Wanxiang Cave.

Wuliang Cliff was very remote, and it was the dead of night. He found his way here by memory and didn't get lost in the endless mountains.

However, Duan Rong did not descend to the summit of Wuliang Cliff. Instead, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked towards a certain place in the southeast. Then, his figure shot away into the distance like a ghost.

A moment later, his figure appeared at the bottom of a valley, where the sound of flowing water could be heard in the darkness. A stream flowed through the valley.

Duan Rong's eyes flickered slightly, and his divine sense suddenly spread out, enveloping the nearby mountains.

As time went by, he couldn't quite remember the exact location where he had hidden the God-Slaying Whip; he only remembered that it was in a cave nearby.

With Duan Rong's current powerful divine sense, once released, every detail of the surrounding mountains was clearly visible, and the location was quickly pinpointed. This was solely for the eagle dozing deep within the cave.

The next moment, his figure appeared like a ghost beside the eagle. In the darkness, a firefly flashed, and the dozing eagle had already entered the illusion.

Duan Rong slowly walked behind the eagle, bent down, and pulled out the God-Slaying Whip from under a pile of eagle feathers and droppings.

With a gentle shake, the eagle feathers and droppings on his hand fell off.

In the darkness, Duan Rong gripped the God-Slaying Whip, thinking to himself, "Read the spirit of the weapon."

Immediately, a data panel shimmering with a faint glow appeared before his eyes.

Artifact: God-Slaying Whip (damaged)
Spirit Rank: Rank 20
Absorption Requirements: Host's mental strength level 20 (met)

Devouring effect: Initial grasp of the laws of soul attack (incomplete)

Duan Rong's gaze lingered briefly on the word "incomplete" in the Devouring effect, and he thought to himself, "Devour."

The data panel in front of them slowly disappeared the next moment.

Duan Rong then plunged the God-Slaying Whip back into the depths of the cave, and his figure vanished like a ghost.

His figure suddenly appeared on a large tree beside a stream deep in the valley. He then sat cross-legged on the treetop and began to meditate, digesting the spirit of the artifact he had devoured.

This God-Slaying Whip was repaired after being damaged, so its spirit is also incomplete. However, its incomplete spirit is a level higher than the spirit of the calligraphy scroll by Gu Daoling, indicating that the power of laws it contains must be more profound.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged atop the tree for several hours. When the afternoon sun slanted into the valley, his eyes suddenly opened, and his face turned ashen.

The power of the laws contained within the spirit of the God-Slaying Whip dissipated completely once again, not a single trace entering his acupoint.

Although he had basically anticipated the outcome at the beginning, he still felt a sense of disappointment after verifying it again.

In fact, the digestion and absorption of these artifact spirits containing the power of laws should be slow. However, because the power of laws contained in the two artifact spirits he devoured did not correspond to the seventy-nine laws of laws he had comprehended in his cave, he could not absorb them at all. All of those laws of laws dissipated. Therefore, he only needed a few hours to digest the artifact spirits containing the power of laws.

Duan Rong, atop the tree, let out a long sigh. He raised his head, and the sunlight shone directly into his eyes.

His eyes flickered slightly, and suddenly he flipped his hand, revealing a round, curved object about three inches in size, which was the yang fish from the yin-yang symbol.

Duan Rong held the magical object in his hand and suddenly thought to himself, "Read the spirit of the artifact!"

Immediately, another set of data panels, shimmering with a faint glow, appeared before his eyes.

Object: The Yang fish of the Yin-Yang symbol

Spirit Rank: 23

Absorption Requirements: Host's mental strength level 23 (not met)
Devouring effect: Initial understanding of the principles of Yin and Yang transformation (incomplete)

Duan Rong looked at the data panel in front of him and gave a bitter smile.

The reason he hadn't read the spirit of this Yang Fish was because he remembered that its spirit was at the 23rd level, which he couldn't absorb yet.

He mastered the twenty-second level of the Womb Sutra, but the twenty-second level of the Womb Sutra does not increase spiritual power. Therefore, his spiritual sea only contains twenty-one stars, and his spiritual power is only level twenty-two, which is not enough to devour the spirit of the Yang Fish.

Moreover, even if he could devour something, Duan Rong wouldn't. Even if he did, it would just dissipate anyway.

The God-Slaying Whip and the calligraphy scroll from the Ancient Dao Mausoleum don't matter; if they're ruined, so be it.

Although this yin-yang fish is only half, it is still a magical artifact obtained from the ancient battlefield of gods and demons. If the yang fish and yin fish are collected, it may have wonderful uses. Why destroy it for no reason?

At this point, after repeated verification, Duan Rong had completely rejected the path of relying on devouring artifact spirits to increase and deepen the power of laws within the Cave of Darkness.

Although he had comprehended seventy-nine laws of power within his inner sanctum, the gates of law are ever-changing and countless. Even if he devoured a spirit containing the power of law, how could he possibly encounter the same law of power that corresponded to his own?

The total number of Gates of Law is virtually infinite.

Whether it's one or seventy-nine, when divided by infinity, the result is always zero. How rare are spirits in this world that contain laws! And to have one that perfectly resonates with the power of the laws he comprehends—the probability of that is truly infinitely close to zero!

Since it was clear that this path was no longer viable, Duan Rong put the matter aside and could only follow the four-step path of cultivation taught by Lü Yinlin, which began with investigating things and then seeking a medium to deepen his understanding of the power of laws.

Duan Rong's eyes narrowed, as if he had made up his mind, and he suddenly transformed into a black beam of light, shooting out of the remote valley.

When he returned to his courtyard, Xiao Yu was carrying a birdcage and teasing Qian'er, who was being held in Zhu Xiaoqi's arms.

Qian'er laughed as she patted the birdcage, inside which a sparrow hopped around as she patted it...

Duan Rong suddenly entered from outside, startling Xiao Yu. She had just checked on Duan Rong's room while Qian'er was taking a nap, and the door was still closed. Unexpectedly, Duan Rong walked in now. Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong, gave a slight curtsy, and said, "Husband, I thought you had been in your room the whole time."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong glanced at the birdcage that Qian'er and Xiao Yu were carrying and asked, "Where did these sparrows come from?"

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "It was caught by Old Master Lü. He made two birdcages, kept one for Shen'er, and sent this one over for Qian'er to play with."

Duan Rong looked at the chirping red-beaked sparrow in the cage and laughed, "It's quite a nice little thing."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked at the roof of the hall. The next moment, he flew up and sat cross-legged on the roof, then closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi exchanged glances, wondering what Duan Rong was up to. But seeing Duan Rong sitting cross-legged on the roof in peace, they didn't dare to make a fuss. Instead, they took Qian'er inside to play.

While playing with Qian'er inside the house, Xiao Yu would occasionally lift the curtain to look at Duan Rong, who was sitting cross-legged on the roof. Two hours had passed, and Duan Rong remained motionless, as if he were in deep meditation.

Dusk was already falling.

Zhu Xiaoqi was preparing dinner. She stood in the courtyard, looking at Duan Rong sitting cross-legged on the roof with a worried expression. Xiao Yu came over and instructed, "Make some sour mushroom soup for dinner."

Zhu Xiaoqi nodded; she knew that was Duan Rong's favorite dish.

As dusk settles, the aroma of food wafts from the kitchen.

Xiao Yu stood in the courtyard, looking at the dark figure sitting cross-legged on the roof in the hazy night. Suddenly, she moved swiftly, lightly touching the pillar with her toes, and leaped onto the roof, standing on the black tiles.

Although she has never reached the Yuan Qi Realm, Xiao Yu is still a martial artist. Using her lightness skill to step onto the roof is still very easy for her.

Xiao Yu stood there, bowed to Duan Rong who was sitting cross-legged, and said, "Husband, dinner is ready. Please come down to eat."

After Xiao Yu finished speaking, Duan Rong seemed not to have heard her. After a few breaths, he slowly opened his eyes.

In the dim light of the night, his eyes shone brightly as he said softly, "From this day forward, I will begin my fast."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he closed his eyes again and entered a meditative state once more.

Xiao Yu stood there, looking at Duan Rong with some worry in her eyes. Her mouth opened slightly, but she swallowed her words and rolled over.

As soon as Xiao Yu landed in the courtyard, Shen Mizhi came over. She looked at Duan Rong, who was sitting cross-legged on the roof in the dim night, and a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes. But she asked Xiao Yu instead, "Isn't it time for dinner?"

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at her and said, "All you ever think about is eating."

For several days afterward, Duan Rong sat motionless on the rooftop.

Unable to suppress her worry any longer, Xiao Yu ran to the courtyard next door. Lü Qingzhu was cultivating in a secret room, so she invited Lü Zhongtang over.

Although the two had a falling out because of the divorce scandal, during the six months that Duan Rong spent in the talisman array chamber condensing his inner energy, Lü Zhongtang often instructed Li Baoyue to send them various things.

Moreover, the things that Lü Zhongtang and the others bought for Shen'er would also be given to Qian'er. Over time, their relationship has become more and more harmonious.

As soon as Xiao Yu called out, Lü Zhongtang immediately followed.

He stood in the courtyard looking at Duan Rong, who was sitting cross-legged on the roof, and smiled slightly before saying to Xiao Yu and the others, "Don't worry. He's cultivating."

"Cultivation!?" Xiao Yu and the others were skeptical.

Shen Mizhi, being straightforward, asked directly, "Why is cultivation on the roof?"

Although Shen Mizhi was somewhat rude, she asked the same question that had been on Xiao Yu's mind. At this moment, Xiao Yu disregarded etiquette and looked at Lü Zhongtang with a questioning gaze.

In fact, Lü Zhongtang couldn't quite explain it either. The cave he condensed back then was flawed, while Duan Rong's cave was growing, which was completely different from his cultivation method.

However, Lü Zhongtang was, after all, of the Lü family bloodline, and he had some insight and knowledge. He said, "He should be investigating things... searching for a medium..."

"Investigation of things?! Medium?!" Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi were completely confused.

Lü Zhongtang said, "That's right. In short, you don't know about his cultivation method at this level."

Regardless, seeing that Duan Rong was truly cultivating, Xiao Yu finally felt relieved.

After that, they lived normal lives, occasionally glancing at Duan Rong as they walked through the courtyard.

After Lü Qingzhu came out of the secret room, she also came to see Duan Rong, but she did not disturb him and left after only glancing at him a few times.

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye. One night, a heavy snow fell in the endless mountains. The snow was as thick as goose feathers. When the curtain was lifted in the morning, the snow was already three inches deep.

Xiao Yu breathed out the cold air and looked up at the roof. She saw Duan Rong still sitting there, covered in snow.

She returned to the house, took out a straw hat and cloak from the chest, and used her light-footed skills to step onto the roof through the snow. She originally wanted to call out to Duan Rong, but after thinking about it, she stopped herself and slowly walked to Duan Rong's side.

She gently brushed the snow off Duan Rong's body. She had only brushed it twice when a thin gust of wind suddenly swept around Duan Rong and, within two breaths, completely swept away the snow off his body.

Xiao Yu's eyes lit up with joy. She curtsied and said, "Thank you, my husband, for your help."

Duan Rong sat there motionless, but Xiao Yu was still delighted. She put the straw hat and cloak on Duan Rong before climbing down from the roof.

The sky was overcast all day, and snowflakes fell intermittently.

Duan Rong's straw hat and cloak were gradually covered with a layer of snow.

With the snowfall, the temperature in the mountains has turned cold again.

In the afternoon, the thick curtain was lifted, and Zhu Xiaoqi came out carrying Qian'er, who was wrapped up very warmly. She squatted there and made Qian'er urinate against the wall.

A stream of water spurted out, and billowing steam rose...

Zhu Xiaoqi didn't notice that at the very moment Qian'er urinated, Duan Rong, who was sitting cross-legged on the roof, suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at the stream of water and the rising steam...

After Zhu Xiaoqi finished helping Qian'er urinate, she immediately carried him back into the house and took him to warm himself by the charcoal brazier. It was cold outside, and she was afraid Qian'er would catch a chill.

Just then, Duan Rong's figure suddenly disappeared from the rooftop, and the next moment he appeared near the corner where Zhu Xiaoqi was holding Qian'er and urinating.

Duan Rong stood alone in a vast expanse of white snow, his hat and cloak covered in snow. He stared blankly at a corner of the wall, where the snow had been splattered with honeycomb-like holes by Qian'er's hot urine.

Duan Rong looked at the strangely swirled snow and felt a stirring in his heart. He suddenly recalled the breakthrough experience of the founder of the Taiyi Sect and murmured, "The Dao is in excrement and urine..." (End of Chapter)