After ascending to this height, there were surprisingly fewer obstacles. Ling Han and the others only took a few hours to reach an area near the mountain peak. Mists and clouds swirled, and this place seemed much like a celestial abode.
A group of people appeared before them. Shu Yarong, Yan Xianlu, and the others were all among this group.
Ling Han walked over, and asked, “Brother Yan, why have you all stopped here?”
Yan Xianlu shook his head with a sigh, and said, “Brother Ling, I truly can’t bear to tell you. I’m afraid that you’ll beat your chest and stomp your feet in frustration!”
Ling Han involuntarily chuckled, and said, “Then I’m even more curious to find out.”
Yan Xianlu nodded before pointing ahead, and saying, “There’s a stone tablet before us.”
‘F*ck!’
“Sh*tface! Do you want to die?!” Hu Niu immediately shouted. This person actually dared to mess with them!
Yan Xianlu faltered upon hearing this. Before Hu Niu, he truly didn’t dare to play any tricks on Ling Han and the others. He hurriedly said, “This is no simple stone tablet. Rather, it’s been formed and nurtured by heaven and earth. Inscribed on it… is the true meaning of the great dao!”
“True meaning of the great dao?”
“Yes, true meaning of the great dao!”
Ling Han and the Empress both wore expressions of confusion. Meanwhile, Hu Niu immediately jumped forward, rolling up her sleeves, and saying, “Where is it? Where is it? It’s Niu’s!” She was wearing an expression of greed.
“What exactly is it?” Ling Han asked Yan Xianlu.
“Brother Ling, what we cultivate and comprehend is the Regulations of heaven and earth. However, Regulations are formless and intangible, so each person possesses their own unique understanding of the great dao. No one can say for sure whether their comprehension is correct,” Yan Xianlu said with a serious expression.
Ling Han nodded in agreement. This was indeed the case. Even though he possessed two Source Powers in the Nine Heavens Flame and the Xuanyin Source Water, he still needed to use a lot of trial and error when trying to comprehend the great dao of heaven and earth. At most, possessing two Source Powers only allowed this process to become much easier for him compared to other people.
“However, the true meaning of the great dao…” Yan Xianlu paused for a moment before continuing, “This is something that heaven and earth have formed through some mysterious method. Through this, you can truly comprehend the great dao in a leisurely manner!
“Of course, the true meaning of the great dao is only the most fundamental matter. However, the most important thing in cultivation is none other than such fundamentals.”
Ling Han agreed with this a.s.sertion. While in Guanhua City, he had given an in-depth explanation about such fundamental matters. However, even Three-Star Alchemists had been inspired by his explanations, and in the end, they had all viewed him with utmost respect. In fact, they had almost treated Ling Han like their teacher.
Regardless of how talented one was, Regulations would still be formless. As such, it was almost impossible to obtain a perfect grasp of them. Even Ninth Heaven Celestial Kings would have some very slight imperfections in their grasp of Regulations. However, with the true meaning of the great dao, everything would be different. By observing this true meaning, one could fix up their imperfections one by one. By doing so, they could eventually obtain a flawless grasp of the Regulations.
“However, there are far too many Regulations in the world, so it’s hard to say which one this stone tablet is targeting,” Yan Xianlu said.
“Is there some kind of insurmountable abyss ahead? Why has everyone stopped here?” Ling Han asked with a smile. With such a treasure lying ahead, it was only normal that everyone charged forward with courage and excitement. Yet, they were all standing here for some reason?
“It’s not an insurmountable abyss. Rather, it’s a sinister dog!” Yan Xianlu replied.
“Dog? I love to pummel dogs!” Hu Niu shouted as she roughly pushed her way through the crowd of people.
Even though many people stumbled and fell as they were pushed aside by her, none of them dared to say anything. After all, Hu Niu had already become renowned for her hot temper. Thus, they could only shoot a frustrated glare at her.
“Wow! What a large toad! What an ugly toad!” Hu Niu exclaimed. She then ran back in displeasure, pointing at Yan Xianlu, and saying, “Where’s the dog? Where’s the dog that you promised?”
Yan Xianlu was rendered speechless. After a brief moment, he said, “I only mentioned dog as a metaphor. As the saying goes, good dogs don’t block the path!”
“Niu doesn’t care! Hurry up and give me a dog to pummel!” Hu Niu shouted.
Ling Han also walked over, only to see a flat platform ahead. There was a large stone tablet resting on this platform, and it looked like it was cut from jade. There were various symbols inscribed into this stone tablet, yet it was as if they were being obscured by a layer of mist. Even with his astonis.h.i.+ng eyesight, he could only just make out the first few symbols.
However, this was already enough to send billowing waves through his mind. A burst of murderous aura rose, and projections of swords and sabers continued to flash across his eyes.
Regulation of Slaughter!
This was the true meaning of the Regulation of Slaughter.
The others were unaware of this, because they hadn’t cultivated the Regulation of Slaughter before. However, Ling Han had already cultivated this Regulation for quite some time, so he immediately felt some resonance upon glancing at the symbols on the stone tablet.
No wonder Yan Xianlu described the true meaning of the great dao as a precious treasure. Indeed, Ling Han was already experiencing billowing waves in his mind after glancing at just the first few symbols. He obtained countless understandings, and these allowed him to determine many of the mistakes that he had made while cultivating the Regulation of Slaughter.
However, it was a shame that a giant toad was sprawled across the stone tablet, covering a portion of the symbols. In any case, even the uncovered portion was unclear, and it was as if heaven and earth had reached over to cover it from view.
‘I have to get closer to the stone tablet.’
Anyhow, this toad was no different from the previous monsters. Its body was filled with sharp spikes, and this caused it to look even uglier and stranger than it already was.
Ling Han turned around, and asked, “Is this toad extremely strong?”
“It’s at the heaven soul, so what do you think?” a monarch tier from the Wide Prosperity Heaven said. There was a hint of disdain in his voice, and it was as if he were feeling a sense of superiority.
Ling Han involuntarily chuckled, and said, “What are you feeling so smug about? Perhaps I can’t defeat heaven soul elites, but can you? I truly don’t understand where your sense of superiority is coming from.”
The monarch tier immediately flushed red with anger and embarra.s.sment. However, he was rendered completely speechless, so he could only glare at Ling Han in anger.
Indeed, he couldn’t defeat this monster, either. However, after seeing those more powerful than him also suffering defeat, he couldn’t help but feel a mysterious sense of joy. He felt as if they were no better than him.
“Brother Ling, a monster at the heaven soul has already exceeded the limits of our abilities. If we fight against it one-on-one, that will be nothing more than seeking death. Why don’t we put aside the differences between the two heavens first? Why don’t we team up to shoo the monster away?” Shu Yarong walked over and said to Ling Han.
Hu Niu glared at Shu Yarong, and said, “Ugly woman, what are you trying to do to Niu’s Ling Han?” She was like a cautious tiger protecting her food.
Shu Yarong smiled, and said, “You’re more beautiful than me, and your cultivation talent is also superior to mine. That being the case, is there any need to be so afraid of me? Perhaps you lack confidence in yourself?”
Hu Niu humped, and said, “Of course Niu is confident! However, one after another, all of you ugly women are overestimating yourselves. Yet, you still insist on sticking your face over. Niu is super annoyed!”
Hu Niu’s words captured a very large group of women. Bewitching Maiden Rou couldn’t help but cough upon hearing this. Her expression was slightly awkward.
Shu Yarong’s smile was still extremely composed and elegant, and she said, “Rest a.s.sured, I’m only inviting you to team up with us to deal with that toad.”
“Fine, since you’re so understanding, Niu won’t argue with you anymore,” Hu Niu said as she grabbed Ling Han’s right arm. It was as if she were declaring her owners.h.i.+p.
She was a jealous little lover.
Ling Han gazed into the distance, and said, “Heaven soul elites are heaven knows how much more powerful than earth soul elites. Even if we team up, our chances of defeating the monster are still slim.”
“But we still have to try. Otherwise, how can we be sure?” Shu Yarong said. “When it comes to such fundamental understandings, the earlier we master them, the better. Otherwise, once we’ve a.s.sembled our tower of cultivation, any deficiency in the foundations might cause a catastrophic collapse.
“So, if we don’t fight for it now, when else will we?”
Her words were very persuasive. Even though her target was Ling Han, many in the surroundings involuntarily nodded upon hearing this. Even Yan Xianlu was no exception.
Ling Han smiled, and said, “Fine, then let’s give it a shot.”