Chapter 5725 Cultivating the Dao and Using the Dao
“Do you have any plans?” asked Long Chen
“Me? The Nine Heavens are now connected, and all the secret realms are appearing. I’ll probably be busy for a while,” Mo Nian replied helplessly.
The Dragonblood warriors looked at Mo Nian oddly. With the bindings on the nine heavens gone, he could now travel anywhere at will. The myriad races were emerging once more, and this wretched fellow was likely calculating which ancestral tombs held the most treasures.
“Strangely, we haven’t seen Hu Feng,” Guo Ran suddenly remarked.
Long Chen also found it odd. Hu Feng had been able to guide Wilde to Long Chen, yet he never showed up himself. Furthermore, the female nine star warrior, whom Long Chen had saved, also vanished without a trace, as had the green parrot. It was very odd.
“There’s nothing strange about it. The Heaven Vein Mystic Realm has multiple entrances. They likely left through their own paths,” Feng Xinyue explained.
Hearing that, everyone nodded in understanding, their concerns eased.
Feng Xinyue continued, “The bindings on the nine heavens have just been lifted, and primal chaos energy is reviving. The laws of the Heavenly Daos are becoming more complete. Right now is not the time to cultivate. With the Heavenly Daos still unstable, attempting to break through to the Human Emperor realm would be dangerous. Use this period to solidify your foundations in preparation for the tribulation ahead.”
Long Chen nodded and said, “Everyone can just treat it as a vacation. Knowing how to relax is also important. Once I’m done on my side, I’ll come back and we can undergo tribulation together. Once we become Human Emperors, we’ll be violet-crown Human Emperors. Then, even against violet-crown Divine Emperors, we’ll still be able to fight back.”
Hearing this, the Dragonblood warriors grew excited at the prospect of the next tribulation. Every tribulation was an opportunity for complete transformation, allowing them to borrow heavenly tribulation’s power to temper their bodies and souls. Both their physical forms and dragon souls would evolve together.
After Long Chen had passed down some details, the Jewel Blood Devil carried Long Chen and Long Zhantian away.
Then, the Dragonblood warriors led the dragon race’s warriors back onto the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest. After saying goodbye to Feng Xinyue, they flew off.
Seeing Tang Wan-er and Bai Shishi looking as though they were about to cry, Feng Xinyue comforted them. “Don’t worry. It won’t be long before you’re all reunited.”
Slightly embarrassed, Tang Wan-er quickly changed the subject. “Master, they all had something carrying them away. Don’t tell me we have to walk by ourselves?”
“Oh? On the way here, you were happy to walk. But now that only your master is beside you, you’re unhappy?” Feng Xinyue asked with a teasing frown.
“What are you saying? Accompanying Master is this disciple’s greatest joy. Even if my feet are ground to dust, I won’t complain!” Tang Wan-er immediately clung to her master’s hand, laughing.
Watching the two of them acting like mother and daughter, Bai Shishi suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She then thought of her own mother.
Even as a child, she had always acted proud and distant, rejecting her mother’s attempts to hold her hand. Now, she felt like a terrible daughter. After experiencing countless dangers with Long Chen, brushing past death multiple times, she was suddenly afraid—afraid that one day, she might not get the chance to say sorry to her mother.
Feng Xinyue smiled and said, “Rather than reading about the world, walking through it yourself is the best teacher. The world you see with your own eyes is completely different from what words can describe. Let’s return the way we came. You’ll find that everything has changed.”
...
The Jewel Blood Devil strode across the void, its claws igniting blood-colored flames that bloomed like flower petals in the sky.
The Jewel Blood Devil wasn’t traveling too fast because Long Zhantian was in no rush. Long Chen understood why. Along the way, he keenly sensed the changes in heaven and earth. The Sovereign Emperor Heaven was no longer the same. He could feel the Heavenly Daos better.
“How does it feel?” Long Zhantian asked with a smile, seeing Long Chen’s expression.
“It’s something others receive effortlessly, yet no matter how hard I fought for it, I could never obtain it. Now that I finally have it... I suddenly feel that even being an ordinary person is a kind of blessing,” Long Chen said softly.
In front of his father, he felt as if he were standing before a Sovereign. His father’s wisdom seemed boundless, as though nothing in the universe could escape his understanding.
“Personal experience is the greatest teacher,” Long Zhantian said. “Many people focus only on the destination, forgetting that the journey itself is what truly matters. Without the process of striving toward a goal, they never truly obtain it.”
Long Chen nodded in agreement. He had always believed the journey was more important than the destination. Yet, only a few people truly understood this principle.
Long Zhantian continued, “Every step we take holds meaning. Even retracing our steps is not wasted effort. The hardships you’ve endured have tempered your Dao-heart. In terms of the Dao, I have nothing more to teach you. But in terms of technique, you still have much room for improvement.”
Hearing that, Long Chen grew excited. “Dad, are you going to teach me cultivation?”
Long Zhantian chuckled. “Foolish child, even at your level, have you not realized that cultivation cannot be taught?”
Long Chen scratched his head. “I’m not sure I understand.”
Long Zhantian rubbed Long Chen’s head with a kind smile. He explained, “Studying the Dao is easy, but entering the Dao is difficult. Entering the Dao is easy, but comprehending the Dao is difficult. Comprehending the Dao is easy, but cultivating the Dao is difficult. Cultivating the Dao is easy, but using the Dao is difficult. Using the Dao is easy, but corroborating the Dao is difficult.
“Cultivation means cultivating the Dao as well as using the Dao. One can be guided into the Dao and shown how to comprehend it, but once they reach the stage of cultivation, no external force can help them. Think back on your past. Has anyone ever taught you the Dao or how to use the Dao?”
Long Chen’s heart shook. The Dragon Sovereign, the Earth Cauldron, and all the powers he had gained—none of them had ever truly taught him the Dao. Only now did he understand the true meaning of cultivation. At this stage, there were no more guides.
“If entering the Dao and comprehending the Dao are the roots, then cultivating the Dao and using the Dao are the flowers. And corroborating the Dao—that would be the fruit! So that’s the true meaning of the term Dao Fruit!” Long Chen exclaimed, slapping his leg in realization.
Long Zhantian’s smile deepened with gratification.