When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

Chapter 125 Coming out of seclusion

The universe and all things are without beginning or end; all laws return to one, but where does one return to? By refining the laws of the Great Dao within my inner universe, I, in my human form, achieve the supreme, the limitless, and the beginningless.

When Zhu Chongjiu spoke of the supreme Dao, the changes within his dantian were earth-shattering. The five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—merged into one and then slowly separated, repeating this cycle endlessly for nearly two hundred years. Upon closer inspection of the source of the five elements, they were found to be intertwined, each containing the other.

The dantian was no longer a vast expanse of white; instead, it was sometimes filled with raging storms, sometimes with towering flames, sometimes with earth-shaking tremors, and sometimes with dazzling golden light. Only a lush green area remained peaceful, undisturbed by the chaotic world outside.

"As pardoned, the order is granted. Melt it!"

As Zhu Chongjiu's voice of the Great Dao resonated into his dantian, all the chaotic energy dissipated like a strict teacher reprimanding a naughty student, a tone of sternness tinged with a hint of indulgence. It was also like a precise machine executing commands, domineering and brooking no argument.

Looking into the dantian, one sees lush green forests and grasslands, crystal-clear, slowly flowing lake water, vibrant, vast, and fertile land, a bright, warm sky, and finally, the metal mountains and ores hidden in various places.

When Zhu Chongjiu saw this, his feelings could only be described as jaw-dropping!

Holy crap, did I succeed? Did I create a world within my dantian?

I……!

this……!

With an excited heart and trembling hands, I was speechless at the sight of what was happening inside my dantian. I could only give myself a silent thumbs up.

As Zhu Chongjiu sensed and examined his dantian, he discovered that something resembling a world—or rather, the nascent form of one—had appeared within it. However, upon closer inspection, he found that this world was lacking many things. Although it appeared peaceful and serene, a closer examination revealed an atmosphere of profound stillness and emptiness.

Moreover, since the understanding of the laws is still far from complete, the seemingly orderly and well-ordered world before us is actually a creation forcibly shaped by Zhu Chongjiu based on his own understanding and perception of the Great Dao.

Furthermore, since these sources of the Five Elements Laws themselves lack any independent consciousness, they were able to obediently converge in Zhu Chongjiu's dantian under his refining influence. However, even having achieved this, Zhu Chongjiu could only slightly control the small world within his dantian at this moment. To truly manipulate all the power and rules within at will, he still had a long way to go, requiring countless explorations and trials, as well as continuously deepening his understanding and comprehension of the Great Dao.

After his consciousness withdrew from the dantian world, he thought to himself, "It's like having profound theoretical knowledge and having the best workers in every field work together to create a sophisticated machine. But when the machine is finished, I realize that I only have theoretical knowledge, and if the machine malfunctions, I don't know how to repair it."

Furthermore, although this machine is usable, it was discovered that it is missing many core components, so I can only use it in a basic way.

Zhu Chongjiu sighed inwardly, "We've already overcome the most difficult one, how far away can the second one be? Let's remain humble and forge ahead!"

It seems this period of seclusion should come to an end. It's time to go out, and I should go out.

Just as Zhu Chongjiu gazed up at the sky above Guixu, seemingly seeing through the entire world, and muttering to himself while planning his next move, the pitch-black heavy water that had enveloped him slowly receded. In no time, the heavy water was pushed away, revealing a space a thousand feet in size. Zhu Chongjiu knew that Senior Shuiying had arrived.

A clear, bell-like voice rang out, "Congratulations on your great success in cultivation." As soon as the words were spoken, Shui Ying, wearing half armor and half clothing on the upper body and a black gauze skirt on the lower body, appeared in front of Zhu Chongjiu.

To Zhu Chongjiu's surprise, this time Shuiying did not appear in front of him alone, but was holding the hand of a girl who looked about two or three years old.

Zhu Chongjiu took a closer look and found that the girl looked nine-tenths like Shui Ying, clearly a miniature version of Shui Ying. Moreover, her clothes were also the same as Shui Ying's, a miniature version as well.

Zhu Chongjiu quickly recovered from his surprise, bowed, and said, "Senior Shuiying, you are too kind. It is just a small achievement and not worth mentioning."

As soon as Zhu Chongjiu finished speaking, Shui Ying's voice rang out, "Zhu Chongjiu, I won't mince words with you. In truth, I have been observing you for the past two hundred years."

What surprises me is that, despite my abilities, I cannot see through your cultivation methods. I can only sense that although your aura is growing stronger every day, even now that you have completed your cultivation, your strength is not as great as it was when you first completed the Five Elements Body Tempering. Yet, your aura is incredibly powerful, leaving others far behind, and I cannot sense the source of your power. Why is that?

Upon hearing Shui Ying's question, Zhu Chongjiu pondered for a moment before bowing respectfully. "First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to you, senior, for your protection over the past two hundred years. I will never forget it."

Secondly, regarding Senior Shuiying's question, it's not that I'm hiding my abilities or unwilling to discuss it with you; it's simply that I haven't fully grasped it myself. Moreover, it involves many profound truths that cannot be expressed in words. If I were to rashly discuss it with you, I sense that it wouldn't be a good thing for either of us. Please forgive me, Senior.

"When I'm strong enough to contend with certain things in the future, I'll explain the reasons in detail to you, senior. I believe this will also be helpful to your cultivation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Chongjiu bowed deeply to Shui Ying once again.

"Alright, since that's the case, you don't need to blame yourself." Shui Ying said, handing the little girl she was holding to Zhu Chongjiu. "This is the spirit of law that I nurtured during your two hundred years of cultivation. I can't leave here for now, so let her travel with you through the universe in my place and experience a different kind of life."

As Shuiying finished speaking, she slowly let go of the girl's hand.

When the little girl stood in front of Zhu Chongjiu, she raised her head, looked at him for a moment, and then suddenly stretched out her hands and raised them upwards.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhu Chongjiu's eyes were instantly covered by mist, and two tear tracks flowed down his face, drifting into the dark space enveloped by heavy water.

Zhu Chongjiu slowly squatted down, gently picked up the little girl, placed her head on his shoulder, and hummed a few lines of a nursery rhyme: "Baby, baby, go to sleep, Daddy, Daddy is by your side, baby, don't be afraid, go to sleep, Daddy has chased away the monster."

After choking out the last word, Zhu Chongjiu stopped gently patting the girl's back, his expression shifting from sorrow to a smile as he said to Shuiying, "Don't worry, senior, I will definitely take good care of her."

Shuiying sensed Zhu Chongjiu's inner pain and sorrow, but said nothing. "Alright, you can leave now. Those little brats outside are practically turning the Cangshen Realm upside down."

"Make sure she doesn't pick up bad habits from those kids after she goes out."

As Shuiying spoke, she pointed to the little girl in Zhu Chongjiu's arms.

Hearing this, Zhu Chongjiu's face turned fierce. "Those good lads, when I get out I'll give them a good beating."

Senior, in our local dialect, let me say "See you later!"

After pondering the meaning of those two words for a moment, Shuiying smiled and replied, "See you there!"

Having said that, Zhu Chongjiu flashed to the ground, carrying the little girl. Just as he was about to sense the auras of the little creatures, Shui Ying's voice rang in his mind: "Recently, a Heavenly King-level expert has been lingering outside the Heavenly Canopy."

With your current strength, your chances of surviving even a Heavenly General are extremely slim, let alone a Heavenly King. If you intend to leave this world, you must be extremely careful. After all, no matter who it is, I cannot intervene unless they set foot on this snowfield.”

After hearing this, Zhu Chongjiu bowed deeply to Guixu, then carried the girl and flew towards the direction where the four little ones were.