Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2263: 155: Perception_2
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
Wang Ba’s spirit lifted slightly as his gaze swept across the four divine beasts before him.
Unlike standard innate divine beasts, these four were unique manifestations of the Realm Sea’s fundamental laws, possessing a nature even more distinct than ‘Fu Gui’.
In the records, the Four Spirits are also referred to as the Four Symbols.
Present here were those very Four Symbols: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.
It is common knowledge among cultivators that Taiji produces two forms, which in turn generate the Four Symbols.
The reverse of this principle also holds true.
By fusing the Four Symbols, the dual forms of Yin and Yang can be realized.
Furthermore, the divine beast that governs the Path of Yin and Yang is...
Feeling a surge of inspiration, Wang Ba immediately utilized Fu as the primary vessel, integrating the bloodlines of the White Tiger, Ding Twenty-two, and Erya into its being.
In the following instant, the three other figures dissolved into beams of light, surging into Fu’s body.
Fu’s dragon head began a slow metamorphosis, gradually taking on the likeness of a human countenance, featuring vertical red eyes that hovered between wakefulness and slumber.
The dragon claws withdrew into the torso until they vanished entirely.
Without a sound, the once-azure dragon scales shifted into a vibrant crimson!
Its massive form coiled across ten thousand miles, appearing as if it were wrapped around a bell-shaped mountain peak.
When those red eyes closed slightly, the surrounding Realm Sea was plunged into total darkness, stripped of every spark of light.
When the eyes cracked open, the Realm Sea was instantly flooded with blinding radiance!
Its exhalation brought a freezing frost that locked the void in ice, while its inhalation felt like a surge of molten magma, capable of incinerating peaks and boiling the vast oceans.
In the rhythm of its breathing, fierce winds howled without end.
In a mere moment, Fu had been reborn as a divine beast with a human face and a serpentine body—
The Candle Dragon!
“Unbridled beasts... the path of bloodlines is truly profound!”
Wang Ba sighed inwardly as he observed the radically transformed divine beast.
Because of their unique properties, the Four Spirits were categorized separately within the teachings of Master Chao.
A practitioner can merge them with other spirit beasts, yet the Four Spirits cannot be fused with one another. Should the Four Spirits exist simultaneously within a bloodline, the secret technique of unbridled beasts will cause them to peel away, naturally manifesting as a ‘Candle Dragon’.
If a Kirin were added to this mix, uniting the Five Elements with Yin and Yang, it would evolve further into ‘Chaos’.
This ‘Chaos’ does not refer to the Chaos Origin Substance, but rather a specific type of divine beast.
“It is a shame the Blood Qilin remains with Chong Hua; otherwise, I could have seen the true form of ‘Chaos’,” Wang Ba thought with a hint of regret.
Nevertheless, he felt immense satisfaction sensing the power of the ‘Candle Dragon’ born from the Four Spirits.
Through Wang Ba's diligent Cultivation, the Four Spirits had grown; while the Black Tortoise’s deep foundation allowed it to return to the late-stage Seventh Tier, the other three remained at the early-stage Seventh Tier.
Yet, because the rules of the Four Spirits complemented each other perfectly, this ‘Candle Dragon’ had already ascended to the Eighth Tier!
Though it had only recently reached the Eighth Tier, its every movement was dictated by rules. It was far superior to common divine beasts that relied on brute strength; in essence, its power was comparable to an early-stage Tribulation Crossing Cultivator from Zhang’s Ruins.
While it was still far below his own current strength, its potential for growth was clearly vast.
With a casual wave, the ‘Candle Dragon’ split apart, reverting into the four separate divine beasts.
“Wait, something is wrong. Eight thousand years have passed, yet Fu and the others haven't changed at all...”
As he looked at the reverted beasts, he noticed the discrepancy, and his previous suspicions returned to the surface.
With a flick of his sleeve, the Wu Monkey King emerged.
Upon questioning the Wu Monkey King, Wang Ba discovered that only a little over ten years had passed since his battle with the Northern Great Bodhisattva.
“Ten years... versus eight thousand years...”
He stared at the Silkworm Dragon Staff in his grip, an unbelievable thought taking root in his mind:
“Could this Silkworm Dragon Staff actually manipulate time?!”
“No, if it truly possessed the power to warp time, it would likely be the most precious Dao Treasure in the entire Third Realm Sea. This staff signifies ‘perception’... Perhaps it alters the perception of the one using it?”
“I perceived the passage of eight thousand years, but that was merely a mental illusion. In reality, only a decade has gone by!”
This seemed to be the only logical conclusion.
After a moment of contemplation, Wang Ba’s demeanor grew grave. He held the Silkworm Dragon Staff horizontally, straightened his robes, and gave a respectful bow to the artifact.
“Master Chao, I refine this treasure today solely to save the Little Cang World from its crisis. I promise to return it in the future!”
He then gripped the treasure with determination.
His Primordial Spirit and mana flowed into the staff simultaneously, finding no resistance whatsoever, as if entering an empty house.
Wang Ba was stunned.
There was no lingering will or trace of Master Chao’s Primordial Spirit within the Silkworm Dragon Staff; it was completely ownerless.
It was evident that before giving him the Dao Treasure, Master Chao had wiped away his own imprint entirely.
Realizing this, Wang Ba felt a deep sense of respect and debt toward the Great Cultivator. Despite their brief meeting, the man had been entirely selfless, holding nothing back.
The world is full of schemers and those who act only for profit, yet few possess the ‘immortal air’ and grace of Heavenly Monarch Chao.
Wang Ba admitted to himself that it would be incredibly difficult for him to show such selflessness.
Checking his emotions, he ceased the formalities and focused his mana and Primordial Spirit. Given his high cultivation level, it took only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to complete the first stage of refinement.
He finally grasped the true function of the Silkworm Dragon Staff.
“It grants a cultivator the power to command earth, fire, water, and wind through thought alone...”
At first, Wang Ba frowned, finding the description vague.
However, as he delved into the underlying truth, his heart raced!
The elements of earth, fire, water, and wind are fundamentally different from the gold, wood, water, fire, and earth elements used by cultivators.
In Buddhist philosophy, earth, fire, water, and wind are the foundational pillars of the Realm Sea. The phrase ‘all is void’ suggests that since these four elements are empty, the material reality of the Realm Sea is also an illusion.
To control these elements within one's mind is to create a new ‘void’ within that ‘emptiness’.
Essentially, it allows one to reconstruct an entire world within the realm of thought.
“I understood the four elements before, but ‘emptiness’ and ‘awareness’ were always unclear to me. It seems earth, fire, water, and wind form the ‘existence’ of the world. If I am right, the corresponding ‘non-existence’ is the ‘void,’ and the bridge between them—how living things perceive this world—is ‘awareness’!”
“By manipulating the perception of living beings and building worlds within their consciousness, one can indirectly create different flows of time. That is the power of the Silkworm Dragon Staff!”
“This must be why the Beast Tamer lineage of the Silkworm Dragon Realm is so renowned throughout the Realm Sea...”
A realization dawned on Wang Ba.
The Illusory Realm Master Chao had placed him in was useful for general Cultivation and the Hundred Arts, but its greatest utility was undoubtedly in Beast Control.
The staff’s power is most effective on living creatures, and spirit beasts are the most abundant subjects in the Realm Sea besides cultivators.
By using Illusory Realms to train spirit beasts, one can achieve bloodline advancement at minimal cost, followed by simple resource-driven growth.
“I have only finished the preliminary refinement, so the effects are subtle. I wonder what it can do once fully refined.”
Wang Ba looked at the staff, hesitated, and then stowed it away.
Having already refined the thirty-six innate cloud bans on his Wind-Driving Staff, he could control all its forms. While he was curious about the Silkworm Dragon Staff’s full power, he knew now was not the time for deep refinement.
Glancing at Fu and the other spirits, Wang Ba pondered for a moment. He took out various spirit materials from the storage Dao Treasure gifted by Master Chao, prepared them, and fed them to the four beasts.
Afterward, he took them back into his storage.
He checked his sleeves; there were still spirit chickens and turtles inside, but they were only Class VI. Even with Ten Thousand Beasts Unchained, they wouldn't be very useful in the immediate future.
Finally, he turned his attention to the Wu Monkey King.
The monkey's bloodline was now clearer to his eyes.
It wasn't a legendary ape bloodline, but the influence of Immortal Blood had refined its bones and perception. It now resembled a human cultivator more than a beast, capable of advancing through steady Cultivation.
Wang Ba thought for a moment, then selected spirit materials from his storage to assist the monkey’s breakthrough. He prepared the mixture and gave it to the Wu Monkey King, leaving it to decide when to consume it.
He then put the Wu Monkey King away as well.
“Now, I should reunite with Divine Corpse Six Fingers and Jiu Futu. After a short rest and further cultivation of the Four Spirits, I will head toward the Cloud Sky Realm to scout the area...”
As he reached out with his senses to locate the mark on Divine Corpse Six Fingers, his brow suddenly furrowed.
“What is this? Why is the connection so faint?”