Did you think Baili Yuan would bore into the ground? No, no, no! Your cognitive ability is limited by your imagination.
Divine abilities are the concrete manifestation of "Dharmas." Across the generations of the strongest inheritors of Six Lives and Five Realms, every great power possessed unique insights into the "Dharmas." The profound mysteries of the "Dharmas" had long been researched by them to the point of absolute mastery.
The ones who understand you best are your enemies. Within the lineage of Six Lives and Five Realms, the ancestors' research into the San Zhen sect could be considered ultimate--take that peerless and invincible Celestial Lord of Myriad Dharmas, Jiang Mingzi, for instance. In his lectures, he once taught: "All things are Dharmas; this is the truth! Techniques are the keys to controlling all things in the world."
In any case, Zhuo Zhao could not beat him... Perhaps the strongest, "Huang," had an even more unique understanding of the "Dharmas," but in the end, they were all "themselves." This kind of understanding actually carried an indescribable, subtle meaning.
As the base of Six Lives and Five Realms, the Nine Realms Gate had nurtured nearly half of the grand experts with divine abilities in the World of Divine Abilities, so it naturally had its unique qualities. The tradition here had always held that "myriad laws are all Dharmas," placing greater emphasis on the utilization of one's Natal Divine Ability--it might not be the strongest, but it was definitely the most comprehensive.
The two major systems of "Talismans" and "Treasures" were both established by thoroughly researching a sect founder's Natal Divine Ability before undergoing civilianization and downgrading modifications, which allowed them to be passed down to this day. Of course, this all applied to the World of Divine Abilities, not the Douluo world before his eyes.
The martial souls and even the soul skill of countless soul masters could actually have their power refined into "Talismans" and "Dharmas." Unfortunately, they were constrained by the suppression of the Douluo Plane's rules.
Fortunately, the Lord of the Plane had long been occupied by that fellow Tang Hao, who only knew how to swing a giant hammer. If it had been a normal Spirit of the Plane, their future days would be difficult to manage.
Baili Yuan leaped onto the roof of the teaching building, moving nimbly through the Shrek Inner Court. Wherever he passed was like being brushed by a light breeze, leaving absolutely no trace.
In the next second, he appeared directly in front of a Titled Douluo who was patrolling around the Sea God Lake.
How could escape techniques be such inconvenient things? I have escaped! You cannot see me, you cannot touch me, and even if you use spiritual power to perceive, you will gain absolutely nothing! This is the true essence of "Escape"!
This Titled Douluo's martial soul was a wind-attribute beast martial soul, the Gale Eagle. The martial soul was decent, and his spiritual power was acceptable as well.
Unfortunately, Baili Yuan's Anatta Avatar was inherently weak, and right now he was only at the Middle Divine Ability fruition stage, meaning many core essences could not be displayed. At present, he could only convert soul power into flesh and blood to merge into his physical form. He could only seize the bodies of targets below the Spirit Sea Realm silently; to possess this Titled Douluo without leaving a trace was simply impossible.
"Sigh! My heart is weary! If I could swallow the nutrients inside the Ancient Golden Tree, I wouldn't have to shrink back in fear here."
Utilizing the Nine Realms Gate's exclusive technique, "Physical External Transformation," Baili Yuan caused a fish-like light and shadow to drift out from his body, plunging straight into the Sea God Lake.
"Not bad! Not bad! The vitality is so abundant. Sending away all members of the Sea God Pavilion was a casual move played right."
No living being could resist the temptation of life force, let alone an existence like Baili Yuan, who was in a semi-Dharma-corpse state--a powerful vitality was precisely the excellent material for a Dharma corpse to restore its cultivation.
Wrapped in the abundant life force of the lake water, his originally intact body actually began to dissolve gradually as if corroded, ultimately turning into a small clump of flesh and blood tissue covered in tentacles, lurking silently at the bottom of the lake.
Baili Yuan's principle of conduct had always been: "One must not act recklessly! If you can gang up on them, never fight a duel."
[I, Baili Yuan, dare to be certain that that fellow Yun Ming hasn't really left, or rather, he must have left some backup plan next to the Ancient Golden Tree.] Jumping into the water, Baili Yuan pondered inwardly. [This fellow wasn't swept away by that messy atmosphere of Shrek Academy; he didn't become a slave to glory. He has his own unique insights, and he can definitely see through the extreme ideology of Shrek Academy... To be able to maintain his original heart in this kind of environment, this is perhaps the key to how he could cultivate a Divine Seat.]
It was just like living in a pyramid scheme organization, yet learning their methods, turning around to brainwash the pyramid scheme personnel, and even making the organization carry forward and grow--then you were definitely an extraordinary figure.
Even if Yun Ming did not know about the information sent out by Sui Yuan, when it came to becoming a god, he also knew that the Sea God Pavilion's elders would definitely lose their patience and would inevitably head to Sea God Island together. Therefore, he absolutely left a backup plan inside the Sea God Pavilion. Even if it wasn't to guard against himself, it had other uses.
Moreover, by this era, the Ancient Golden Tree functioned more to help people comprehend the Dao and assist in cultivation. The Sea God's Light had not been activated for many years, to the point that people had almost forgotten why it was called the "Sea God's Light"--because a portion of the Sea God's power of faith had been stored and accumulating deep within the tree roots all along.
Rushing out rashly now would simply be playing right into Yun Ming's hands! Therefore, all Baili Yuan needed to do at this moment was pretend to be a fish, secretly absorbing life force at the bottom of the lake and lurking quietly.
Yun Ming could keep his composure and possessed a meticulous mind, but that did not mean those two "idiots," Ah Yin and Tang Hao, were equally cautious and prudent...
"Today, eighty to ninety percent of the Limit Douluos in the entire world are already present here. Only a few failed to accept the invitation due to other matters. But if we talk about absentees, it should absolutely not include the Sky-Reaching Douluo--Yun Ming." Looking at the teams from the War God Hall, Tang Sect, and Shrek who were secretly exchanging glances, Sui Yuan pointed out the key directly and cleanly.
Hearing these words, countless conspiracies and calculations instantly surged through Long Yeyue's mind. Being the first to lose her composure, she suddenly roared in anger, "What do you mean! You must be completely clear about the situation over on the Vast Sea Douluo's side, yet you've even plotted against Yun Ming!"
Before her voice had fully faded, she completed her martial soul possession--the two top martial souls, the Dark Holy Dragon and the Radiant Holy Dragon, bloomed simultaneously. A dripping dragon might swept out like a tsunami, pressing straight toward Sui Yuan with an unmatchable prestige.
However, Sui Yuan acted as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring this pressure. In the Douluo Continent where bloodline was supreme, any beast martial soul would be suppressed upon encountering dragon might. This was also the primary reason why Tang Wulin relied on his Golden Dragon King bloodline to slaughter in all directions. But Sui Yuan's body at this moment was inherently the manifestation of a "Dharma," formed by the aggregation of his Anatta Avatar. It possessed no shackles like a bloodline at all, so it was naturally unaffected by the dragon might.
Seeing that the situation looked bad, several other Limit Douluos were about to step forward to smooth things over, but those with sharp vision had already seen through Sui Yuan's reality.
"The one Your Eminence has manifested at this moment is a clone? No... This is a martial soul!!" The speaker was the Hall Master of the Star Luo Empire's Enshrinement Hall, a Limit Douluo possessing the Spirit Eyes martial soul. His eyes, which could see through falsehood, accurately exposed Sui Yuan's true body.
"Haha... It is merely a small, ingenious use of a martial soul, an extension from when Sui investigated the 'Dharmas.' Everyone need not pay it any mind." Sui Yuan brushed past the topic lightheartedly, subsequently summoning a tortoise shell radiating golden light from a nearby bookshelf.
"This is a divination technique created by the ancients. It was originally intended for observing astronomy and calculating calendars, belonging to the Dao of observing the heavens and understanding the earth. Coincidentally, Sui is proficient in this Dao." He shook the tortoise shell covered in strange symbols in his hand, then pointed to that star crown hanging on the wall.
"Ten thousand years ago, during the era when the Star Luo Empire was still surnamed Xu, the Star Crown martial soul was the paradigm of astrology. Those possessing this martial soul could divine a wealth of information through 'Asking the Stars,' and could even manipulate a corner of destiny. Regrettably, by this day, the Star Crown martial soul has vanished into the long river of history, and their inherited martial soul has also turned into the Staff of Stars..."
"As for Sui, after my cultivation reached the peak in my early years, I discovered that the road ahead was cut off. Thus, I turned to research other 'minor arts and crafts' instead, and indeed made a few discoveries..." Sui Yuan deliberately paused, leaving them in suspense, which instantly drew everyone's attention. Even Long Yeyue, who just a moment ago had her eyes wide with rage and was ready to fight and kill, stared intently at him.
Hearing up to this point, the Limit Douluos finally shifted their gazes from the tortoise shell to Sui Yuan's bronze mask, only then noticing that pair of hollow eyes beneath the mask which hid resentment.
"Someone is suppressing us from becoming gods..."
These words exploded like a sudden thunderclap, crashing heavily onto the heart of every single Titled Douluo, causing the originally restless scene to plunge into dead silence instantly.