Chapter Seventeen: The Flower of the Great Way
Zhou Liang didn't understand the Tao Xin Zhong Mo Great Method. In his past life, he followed Zhou Fu Tong as the main soul for a long time, but how could Zhou Fu Tong possibly reveal such a secret to him? Having seen many demonic sects' techniques, Zhou Liang also knew that generally, if the balance of power between two sides changed, it would lead to a reversal. The Tao Xin Zhong Mo Great Method, as the top technique among the demonic sects, also had this weakness. When activated, if the main party encountered an unexpected event and their divine soul was severely damaged, the activation of the Tao Xin Zhong Mo Great Method would suddenly reverse.
To avenge, thoroughly, a hint of a smile appeared on Zhou Liang's face, two huge black clouds emerged in his hands, and with a forceful press downwards, the energy of extinction filled the chain. In Zhou Futong's desperate eyes, countless sharp thorns appeared at both ends of the chain, and the chain with thorns pierced through Zhou Futong's body, inch by inch, until he was crushed to ashes and turned into tiny sparks, his soul completely annihilated.
In the void, a profound and mysterious power reached its peak and suddenly descended upon Zhou Liang and Zhou Fu Tong. This was the power of the Dao Xin Zhong Mo Da Fa, a mystical technique passed down from the Four Great Strange Books - Tian Mo Ce. It seemed to have connected an unknown space, and at the same time that Zhou Fu Tong's divine soul was destroyed, it automatically reversed its operation. The bridge between the two did not disappear, but instead, one side waned while the other waxed, breaking the balance of power. A mysterious demonic energy began to circulate, belonging to Zhou Fu Tong's demonic energy, which had been refined and compressed into a double-layered power that never stopped evolving. However, due to the restrictions of the heavenly rules, the entire double-layered power that belonged to Zhou Fu Tong could not be directly transmitted to Zhou Liang, but would only transform into the purest energy, solidifying Zhou Liang's foundation.
Power to power, origin to origin, pure power, under the influence of mysterious spatial forces, through the bridge formed by the Taoist heart demon, was input into Zhou Liang's body one after another. It didn't stay in the body at all, but directly penetrated into the origin. Pure energy was input into the Tao foundation one after another. Zhou Liang felt a little melancholy. As someone who had cultivated his physical body in his past life, he clearly knew how powerful these forces were. If they were fully utilized, they could save him years of bitter cultivation. Unfortunately, they could only be used to benefit his Tao foundation.
The mysterious core of the Great Way, at this time is the nine-layered pagoda. Under the impact of such a powerful energy, it has become crystal clear and transparent. The surface, which was not particularly distinct before, is now covered with mysterious symbols. Faintly, as if there is a Buddhist chant coming from within, the inner heaven and earth are filled with an inexplicable power of rules. The external transparent energy keeps washing over the pagoda of the Great Way, making this power of rules more and more intense, more and more apparent.
Finally, under the impact of a powerful energy surge, on top of the lowest Daoji Tower, a sudden protrusion appeared. The protrusion swelled against the wind and in just a few breaths, it transformed into an almost two-foot diameter flower petal, entirely composed of special symbols that shone with a dazzling, bewildering light.
This flower is extremely familiar to Zhou Liang. The Dao foundation is the root of a cultivator's cultivation and also the foundation of the Great Dao. For a cultivator's life, it is extremely important and an important indicator of a cultivator's innate talent. However, outside of the Dao foundation, there are not no other indicators. Similarly, under the Dao foundation, there are distinctions between strong and weak, and differences in power. Most importantly, it is the flower of the Great Dao.
The flower of the Great Way, in short, is the condensed flower of the Great Way itself. On its surface are the most fundamental rules belonging to cultivators. The flowers of the Great Way have strengths and weaknesses. Some are powerful, such as those that enhance the power of a series of techniques, while others are small, with only individual techniques or special effects. There are only good or bad uses for the flowers of the Great Way, but no useless ones.
Unlike the foundation of Tao, the flower of Tao is not fixed and will only appear after entering the breath. Before entering the breath, the cultivators' flowers of Tao are hidden in the foundation of Tao. Generally speaking, it is three times the foundation of Tao. However, to obtain a complete flower of Tao is almost an impossible task. There are exceptions, that is, using the secret technique of absorbing the flower of Tao through the heart of Tao and reversing the infusion. Once, a genius from the Demon Gate borrowed the flower of Tao provided by four masters in reverse and finally possessed 11 parts of the foundation of Tao and 33 flowers of Tao. This is the ultimate of the flower of Tao. The terrifying existence that possessed 33 flowers of Tao was the Demon Gate, Xue Mo Da Di. He unified the entire demon path and became a giant of his generation. In that era, the Demon Gate suppressed the Taoist school and became the mainstream of the nine states.
The rules of the Great Dao Flower can only be understood after entering the breath, relying on the rules of heaven and earth. Currently, Zhou Liang has divine consciousness but no true yuan, so he doesn't know what this Great Dao Flower is. Generally speaking, among cultivators, the Great Dao Flower is divided into 108 categories in nine grades. The highest grade, the Divine Grade, can change a cultivator's strength. For example, the Divine Grade Great Dao Flower "聚气" ( Gathering Qi) can increase the speed of absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy by about 75%. This means that in the same environment with the same talent, one can be 75% faster than others. What concept is this? Among cultivators, advancing one boundary in a day brings changes that are worlds apart. How much more so for 75%? As long as a cultivator has a foundation above the ninth grade and possesses "聚气", they will almost certainly become a legendary figure.
The spiritual energy continued to flush the Dao base tower, and after obtaining the first large Dao flower, a second layer emerged, and another flower bud burst out. Zhou Liang's heart was excited, as a cultivator's voice echoed in his mind: "Possessing multiple large Dao flowers is possible, but most of them are low-grade Dao flowers with little use." However, quantity is always the root of obtaining high-quality ones. The divine being who possessed 33 large Dao flowers had one divine and four king-grade flowers among them, while others relied on these five flowers to achieve their respective grades. The Blood Demon Emperor forged the legend of the demonic gate, shattering the traditional legacy of the Daoist gate that had been passed down throughout the continent, creating a legendary tale for the demonic gate.
33, Zhou Liang didn't have high hopes, but if he did, he wouldn't refuse. The power slowly circulated on the Taoji Tower, and the nine-story Taoji Tower was filled with a bewildering glow. The second Great Dao flower also bloomed, and compared to the first one, it was slightly larger. Unlike the first one's colorless transparency, the second one faintly showed a blue hue. For now, it's still unknown what kind of Great Dao flower this colorless one is, as there are too many types without attributes. The light blue color could either be water or ice, with no other possibilities. Water-attribute spells are mostly used for defense or healing, which isn't bad at all.
For cultivators, the increase in the Great Dao's flowers represents more and more possibilities. However, if a cultivator practices two Great Daos at the same time, their speed will actually slow down. Whether to cultivate one's realm first and then upgrade one's divine abilities or to cultivate one's divine abilities first and then upgrade one's realm is a matter of different opinions among sages. Generally speaking, the increase in the Great Dao's flowers is more beneficial than harmful for cultivators, which makes them very pleased.
The reversal of the demonic energy in Dao Xin's body, the impact on his foundation was immense, and it lasted for a very long time. Half a time unit had passed, and it still hadn't ended. Zhou Liang felt slightly astonished. In his past life, he seemed to have finished this process in about half the time of burning an incense stick. The time was very short. After his astonishment, Zhou Liang suddenly thought that this should be normal. His past self was just an ordinary person who had never cultivated any techniques, at most, he had cultivated some basic soul techniques.
Nowadays, he successfully reversed the demonic heart of Dao Xin, which means that he absorbed a Tong Qiao second layer, and his foundation is at least 90% strong. It's no wonder it took so long, Zhou Liang couldn't help but look forward to seeing how many Great Dao flowers he could obtain.
Half a time unit passed in the blink of an eye, and on the ninth floor of the Tower of the Great Dao, six delicate flowers bloomed directly, following the crystal clear Tower of the Great Dao, just right in front of the sixth floor. Each of the Great Dao flowers was different, whether it was the color or the symbols on top, swaying with a special rhythm.
Six Great Dao flowers, and there were indeed six of them. Zhou Liang's heart was filled with excitement. In his past life, Zhou Fu Tong had obtained two Great Dao flowers from him, along with four Dao foundation flowers and three more that increased his cultivation level, for a total of nine. From this perspective, Zhou Fu Tong originally had four, almost all of which were absorbed into Zhou Liang's body. Of course, Zhou Liang knew that the Dao heart demon seed was fundamentally unable to absorb so much completely. Part of it should have come from Zhou Fu Tong's double-layered cultivation base and pure energy, transmitted into his body through the Dao heart demon seed technique, naturally giving birth to Great Dao flowers. The Blood Demon Emperor had also been like this back then. He was a genius carefully cultivated by the Blood Demon Sect, with 33 Great Dao flowers that were the result of four condensed infant stage experts reversing their cultivation method and exhausting the foundation of four condensed infant elders to create an extremely rare talent. Only a demonic sect that revered power above all else would do something so shocking and unconventional.
At this time, Zhou Liang's cultivation was not even at the entry level, yet he possessed six Great Dao flowers. Adding to his original nine-part Dao foundation, which had four basic Great Dao flowers, made a total of ten. Not to mention whether they were high-quality or not, just having a nine-part Dao foundation and ten Great Dao flowers would be enough to shock the upper echelons of any sect upon entering the Dao door. Perhaps there would even be elder-level figures who would directly take him on as a disciple.
