Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 288 The Realm of Harmony

Zhu Ge was blasted away, spitting out a mouthful of blood, but his eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

"So this is what momentum is!"

He stumbled a couple of steps after landing, steadied himself, and looked up at Zhuge Yu.

Zhuge Yu's power is the power of the night, the power to devour everything.

But momentum doesn't arise out of thin air; it evolves from true intention.

His vision of dawn is to tear through the darkness and break through the predicament.

If the intention of dawn can evolve into the momentum of dawn —

Then he can break free from all constraints!

"Again!" Zhu Ge gripped the Purgatory Star Staff and charged forward.

This time, he didn't use the Heavenly Secrets Path to predict, but instead used his heart to feel.

Feel the power of Zhuge Yu, feel the logic of the night, feel the rules of devouring.

He doesn't want to imitate, but to feel, and then cultivate his own weaknesses from it.

"You're courting death." A glint flashed in Zhuge Yu's eyes, and he flicked his sword tip repeatedly, sending streaks of black sword energy toward Zhu Ge.

Zhu Ge neither dodged nor evaded, sweeping his Purgatory Star Staff horizontally to meet each sword energy head-on.

"Clang clang clang clang clang"

'

The sword energy collided with the staff, sparks flying everywhere.

Zhu Ge's hand was ripped open by the shock, and blood dripped down his wrist, but he did not back down.

He is still feeling it.

Feel the power, speed, angle, and rules of each sword aura.

Feel how the power of the night works.

"Not enough," Zhu Ge gritted her teeth.

"Are you studying me?" Zhuge Yu frowned.

He discovered that Zhu Ge was not fighting, but comprehending the Dao.

"Even now, you still want to use me as a whetstone?" Zhuge Yu sneered, his sword stance changing.

A rain of swords filled the sky.

The black sword energy poured down like a torrential rain, each strike carrying the power of the night, each one enough to kill an ordinary third-realm cultivator.

This made Liu Jianjian and the others in the distance gasp in shock.

Liu Jianjian was originally a demon with a full head of hair and was not afraid of anyone.

But faced with this terrifying rain of swords, she estimated that she would be almost dead in just two rounds.

At this moment, Zhu Ge closed his eyes, and four forces—literary energy, blood energy, witch power, and spiritual energy—surged within his body.

The silver and red light on the Purgatory Star Staff shone brightly, and the four colors flowed through the staff, gradually merging and becoming one.

The Light of Return to Origin!

Although it is not fully integrated yet, it is already purer than before.

He raised the Purgatory Star Staff high, and his phantom image appeared in the sky.

This time, the phantom was no longer tearing through the darkness, but rather—

Standing in the darkness, I shine on my own.

"The dawn breaks, tearing through the darkness to become light."

Zhu Ge opened his eyes and slammed the stick down.

"boom""

A burst of silver-red light erupted, like a sun rising in the courtyard.

Wherever the light passed, the black sword energy melted away like ice and snow.

Zhuge Yu's momentum has been broken!

No matter how dark the night, it cannot stop the dawn.

Zhuge Yu took a few steps back, looked at Zhu Ge, and a look of shock flashed in his eyes.

"What kind of aura is this?!" Instinctively, Zhuge Yu felt a sense of dread from Zhu Ge's aura.

The problem is that he never showed his power to anyone.

He had just broken through to the next level a few days ago, and even his own ancestor, Zhuge Hua'er, didn't know about it.

The card that has been revealed to the outside has always been Zhuge Cong.

His power was born in the darkest, quietest, and most solitary seclusion room.

No one has ever visited him, and almost no one knows of his existence.

But today, his newly formed "momentum" has been destroyed?!

"What kind of posture is this?!"

Zhuge Yu took a few steps back, his pupils slightly contracted.

"The Dawn Breaks"

Zhu Ge stood up, a trace of blood still clinging to the corner of his mouth, but his eyes shone brightly: "Initial understanding, not yet perfect."

He wasn't afraid to tell Zhuge Yu, after all, it was just a very simple name, and he wasn't afraid of being targeted.

Just like many people tell him there is a lithography machine, but he can't build it; many people tell him there are eight unsolved mathematical problems in the world, but he can't solve them either.

Even if he told Zhuge Yu, he wasn't afraid of Zhuge Yu targeting him.

"Dawn—" Zhuge Yu murmured, repeating the two words over and over.

breaking Dawn.

No matter how dark the night, it cannot stop the dawn.

His momentum is the darkness of night, while Zhuge's momentum is the dawn.

Night and dawn are two sides of the same coin.

Without night, how can there be dawn?

What is the meaning of the night without dawn?

"What a powerful dawn!"

Zhuge Yu sighed, sheathed his sword, and the coldness on his face faded slightly, replaced by a complex expression: "You are the first person to break my formation."

"Just lucky." Zhu Ge smiled.

Just as Zhuge Yu was about to say something, he heard a whooshing sound from above.

Ignoring the noise generated by her supersonic speed, Zhuge Hua'er arrived directly above the group.

"You actually grasped the concept of 'momentum'?"

Zhuge Hua'er looked at Zhuge Yu with an indifferent expression.

"It's just a matter of power." Zhuge Yu was equally indifferent, even with a hint of mockery and disdain, saying, "I have always been a prodigy."

Zhuge Hua'er nodded gently: "Come with me to the Wuhou Temple to pay homage to our ancestor, Marquis Wu."

Zhuge Yu smiled faintly: "I have never received any favors from Zhuge Liang. My mother was humiliated to death, and I was imprisoned for killing that beast. If I hadn't broken out of the prison with my power, you might never have seen me."

Zhuge Yu's face held a hint of arrogance.

Meanwhile, Zhu Ge and the others watched this scene with great curiosity.

Zhu Ge knew that if he didn't use his last resort, he wouldn't be able to defeat Zhuge Yu with just the Dawn Force.

Although he felt he could defeat Zhuge Yu by using all his methods, it didn't mean he wouldn't have to pay a price.

Now, it's clear that the battle can't continue.

Since that's the case, we might as well just enjoy the melon.

"Now that you've already fought, you may leave the city," Zhuge Hua'er said to Zhu Ge.

Family scandals should not be aired in public.

Moreover, what about matters concerning the prodigy?

So, Zhuge Hua'er waved to Zhu Ge and the others.

Before Zhu Ge could even finish speaking, they had already arrived outside the city. Before he could say anything, Liu Jianjian started shouting.

"What's going on?!" Liu Jianjian exclaimed, looking displeased. "I'd only heard half of it!"

Zhu Sisi nodded in deep agreement: "Me too." Then she continued to crunch on the mulberry leaves.

Zhu Ge sighed helplessly, "There's nothing we can do! Let's go, let's keep going, Mazhu."

There was no other way but to keep going.

For Zhu Ge, gossip and the like were not so bad.

The biggest takeaway from this trip was the dawn.

If it were a normal momentum, Zhu Ge probably wouldn't have been able to comprehend the Dawn Momentum.

But it just so happens that Zhuge Yu possesses a certain power representing the darkness of night.

What a coincidence!

It's a perfect match for my major!

Unintentionally, Zhu Ge touched the threshold of "momentum".

If that's all there is to it, Zhu Ge probably won't be very happy.

The most crucial point is that once he possesses power, he can merge with his own realm!

Among a very small number of aristocratic families and sects, outstanding prodigies may naturally obtain their own realm after comprehending the power of momentum.

As a rogue cultivator, Zhu Ge naturally didn't have that kind of arrogance.

His sense of self-worth was something he achieved through great hardship.

But no matter what, this self-realm is a hard-won treasure.

Moreover, his self-containment has been nurtured very well by Redmi Daxian.

It should be noted that the Red Rice Immortal had planned everything in advance. Once he reached the Fusion Realm, he would use the power of his own realm to become incomparably powerful.

Unfortunately, all of this benefited Zhu Ge.

Now, everything is a blessing.

"Um?"

Zhu Ge, who had just entered, saw the True Lord of Annihilation walking around, with three copper coins in his hand.

"Aren't you feeling unwell?" Zhu Ge smiled.

It seems that Lord Annihilation's cold has finally gotten better.

At this moment, the True Lord of Annihilation looked up at Zhu Ge and clicked his tongue in amazement: "You lad, you've certainly taken a different path."

A different path?

Zhu Ge was taken aback and asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

"I have no spiritual energy or sword aura left in my body," True Monarch Annihilation laughed. "But I can still deduce some heavenly secrets."

Calculating the secrets of heaven!

Zhu Ge understood upon hearing this.

Not to mention the True Lord of Annihilation, even many old charlatans he knew in his previous life could "predict the secrets of heaven".

It's important to know that divination can be related to feng shui and geomancy.

From simple divination like "Is it appropriate to step out with my right foot today?" to "Should I order spicy hot pot for lunch today?"

From major life events like marriage and burial to childbirth, everything can be tried using divination.

However, most of them are ineffective, much like feudal superstition.

After all, the 300,000 innocent souls who died back then suffered terribly. Their deaths were not due to a lack of feudal superstition, but rather to a lack of scientific and technological advancement.

That world has no metaphysics.

But now, we live in a world filled with metaphysics.

Can an ordinary person perform divination?

The True Lord of Oblivion provided the answer.

"What did you calculate? Is it useful?" Zhu Ge asked curiously.

"I calculated whether this rice will mature and bear fruit this month," the True Lord of Oblivion chuckled, "and then I came up with the advice, 'Hidden dragon, do not act.'"

What does "Hidden dragon, do not use" mean? — Zhu Ge was puzzled, but said on the surface, "Hmm, it seems you can indeed calculate it."

Although he can memorize the Book of Changes, he cannot interpret the hexagrams.

Speaking of which, it's possible that someone might be able to create a book specifically for interpreting the hexagrams based on the I Ching in the future.

Just like Confucianism and Taoism, books are becoming more and more numerous, as vast as the ocean.

"Perhaps, I will become a useful person in the future." The True Monarch of Annihilation laughed: "Although the cultivation is slow, I used to only cultivate the way of the sword and the way of immortality. Now I am cultivating the way of Confucianism, which is quite interesting."

"Are you sure?" Zhu Ge asked in surprise.

He hasn't yet told the True Lord of Extinction about the method he has to restore his cultivation in Shengjing.

He was also afraid of being disappointed.

"Confirmed." The Annihilation True Monarch said nonchalantly, "Anyway, my elder brother is one of the founders of Confucianism and Taoism. What else do I have to think about if I don't cultivate Confucianism and Taoism?"

That makes so much sense — Zhu Ge was both amused and exasperated.

However, through repeated sermons and applications, he has indeed gained a much deeper understanding of the I Ching.

Before the True Monarch of Annihilation recovers his cultivation, it's good to have some Yi Dao cultivation.

"But you can't go out." Zhu Ge said seriously, "While you're in your own realm, at least everyone thinks you still have cultivation, but if you go out—"

Once outside, everyone could sense the faint literary energy within the body of the True Monarch of Annihilation.

That is the literary spirit born from the Way of Change.

At that time, anyone with a bit of sense would guess that the True Monarch of Annihilation must have lost his cultivation.

Although it's just a guess, it's a way to test the waters.

The Annihilation True Lord cannot withstand testing.

"That's natural." The Annihilation True Lord nodded with a smile: "Perfect, I see you have already grasped the power, you can try to contain your own realm."

"6

Contains its own boundaries!

Zhu Ge was also somewhat excited upon hearing this.

His Dawn Intent, manifested as the true essence of martial arts, can help him overcome obstacles and defeat enemies.

Now he has even grasped the concept of "momentum". If he breaks through to the third realm, how strong will he become?

Moreover, that was still "momentum"!

If one day he completely integrates himself into the world, when he makes a move, not only will the outer world help him, but the inner world will also help him.

At this point, he could contend with a Great Being even at the peak of the Second Realm. What about at the Third Realm?

With internal and external forces combined, plus divine sense, wouldn't one be able to defeat a powerful being with a single punch?

"Come, I'll teach you how to contain your own world," said the Annihilation True Lord with a smile.

He then sat cross-legged by the irrigation ditch beside the spirit rice field, patted the stone slab next to him, and gestured for Zhu Ge to sit down.

Zhu Ge sat down without hesitation.

The spiritual energy within this realm was several times denser than that outside. The air above the high-level rice plant was still slightly distorted, like an invisible flame burning.

Moonlight streamed down from the array in the dome, casting a silvery-white glow on the water's surface.

"The concept of 'encompassing the realm' is complicated to explain, but simple to implement." The True Monarch of Annihilation took out a flask of wine from his sleeve, took a sip, and narrowed his eyes: "It's simply about treating your own realm as a spiritual artifact and refining it into your body."

"Treating it as a spiritual artifact?" Zhu Ge was taken aback.

"That's right." True Monarch Annihilation nodded: "How are spiritual artifacts refined? By imprinting them with divine sense, nurturing them with blood and qi, and communicating with them through the mind. The same applies to one's own realm."

"But the Self-Realm is different from a Spiritual Artifact." Zhu Ge frowned: "A Spiritual Artifact is an inanimate object, while the Self-Realm is alive."

"Alive?" The Annihilation True Monarch raised an eyebrow: "Tell me your understanding."

Zhu Ge pointed to the surrounding spirit rice fields: "These rice plants are alive."

"That high-yield rice plant is also alive; it grows, withers, and dies—something that inanimate objects cannot do."

The Annihilation True Monarch laughed: "You're right. The Self Realm is alive, so it cannot be refined using the methods for refining spiritual artifacts."

He paused, then asked, "Do you know how to refine living beings?"

Zhu Ge thought for a moment and shook her head.

"Pay attention." The Annihilation True Monarch smiled mysteriously: "Close your eyes and feel your surroundings carefully."

"With heart?" Zhu Ge closed her eyes, sensing everything in her own world.

Spirit rice paddies, irrigation ditches, wooden houses, high-level rice paddies, an array dome overhead, the earth beneath one's feet, and the distant border.

All of this is part of the self.

But self-boundaries are not them; they are components of self-boundaries, and self-boundaries are the sum of them.

Just like a person, who has hands, feet, head, and body, but a person is not hands, feet, head, or body; a person is the sum of all of these.

Zhu Ge opened her eyes, somewhat puzzled.

He wasn't sure if his understanding was correct, and was about to ask a question when the True Lord of Extinction said, "There is a spirit in this world. Its spirit is not in any one place, yet it is in every place."

"Just like the human soul, it is neither in the heart nor in the brain, yet it is both in the heart and in the brain."

"Therefore, to refine it, you cannot use your divine sense to imprint it as you would when refining a spiritual weapon; instead, you must communicate with it using your 'heart'."

Zhu Ge asked, "Is it like letting it accept me, similar to the body accepting the soul?"

The Annihilation True Monarch nodded: "That's true. Why don't you try it yourself first?"

Zhu Ge nodded.

He immediately stood up, walked to the rice paddy, and reached out to gently stroke its leaves.

The leaves trembled slightly, like a newborn baby observing the world.

Try to communicate — Zhu Ge closed his eyes and immersed his mind in his own world.

Feel it with your heart.

Feel the joys and sorrows of this rice plant, feel the pulse of the sky, feel every tremor of the earth.

Every beat.

The self-contained is spiritual.

Its spirit is very weak and ignorant.

Like a newborn baby, it knows nothing and can't do anything, but it is breathing, growing, and changing.

He felt a faint connection between his own world and his heart.

It is not a forced connection like a divine imprint, but a communication between hearts, an equal, mutual, and voluntary connection.

However, it is very faint.

Zhu Ge opened her eyes.

"Take your time to find the right feel for it. This kind of realm can't be achieved overnight." The Annihilation True Monarch smiled. "Anyway, you're not in a hurry."

"I'm not in a hurry," Zhu Ge smiled.

He walked back to the canal, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and continued to focus on feeling his own world.

The leaves of the high-quality rice swayed gently in the night breeze, the rice ears in the paddy fields were heavy, bending the stalks, and the spring water in the irrigation ditches flowed gurglingly, making a crisp sound.

The world itself is breathing, growing, and changing.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Ge opened her eyes.

It was still night in the realm, and the array on the dome cast moonlight down, projecting a silvery-white glow onto the water's surface.

The True Lord of Oblivion is no longer by the canal.

The lights were on in the wooden house, and a blurry figure could be seen through the paper window.

This is the original text of the "Human Classic" by the True Lord of Obliteration studying the blessing song.

"How long have I been trying to understand this?" Zhu Ge stood up, stretched her stiff limbs, and looked around.

I sensed it briefly and estimated that only a few days had passed, which wasn't very long.

But I am hungry.

Zhu Ge left, while Liu Jianjian and the others were idly cultivating.

Ma Zhu is now sitting in the carriage, and Liu Jianjian has had a white tiger come out to pull the carriage.

Because we've been far from Chengdu in the last few days, there's been a growing number of demons, ghosts, and monsters.

Ma Zhu and the others alone couldn't subdue those beings at the third realm, so Liu Jianjian summoned a white tiger at the third realm to pull the carriage.

After Zhu Ge emerged, her eyes gleaming with hunger: "Jianjian, go find a hundred water buffalo from the First Realm! I want to eat a whole roasted beef!"

The next moment, the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling echoed for miles around.