Watching the Mountain

Chapter 346: Chapter 195: Not Injured?

Upon hearing this, Xu Ran immediately understood the man’s reasoning. It made sense, he thought. He was trading a Healing Elixir, not other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. The consequences of any deception would have been far more severe.

Of course, this also stemmed from the other party’s absolute confidence in his own strength.

”Thank you for your trust, Senior.” Xu Ran rose and bowed solemnly. Although he understood the reasoning, for the man to hand over the Elixir at the first opportunity was a gesture not to be taken for granted.

Especially since he hadn’t even given the man his end of the bargain yet.

Cloud Sea Guest, one hand stroking his round belly, sat there with an air of perfect composure and accepted the bow.

”Senior, please take a look.” Xu Ran then took out a Jade Scroll. He imprinted the method he had conceived to solve the world’s malady onto it and presented it to Cloud Sea Guest.

Cloud Sea Guest accepted it and began to read with great concentration. A long time passed before he slowly opened his eyes. His expression was complicated as he remarked with a sigh:

”In the beginning, when the world’s malady first descended, we considered solving this problem by reordering the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth. After all, we do have experience with reordering the world itself.”

”Back when the continent steered by the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race collided with our world, the Laws of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth fell into chaos. It was our predecessors who intervened to reorder them, forming the unique geographical landscape of the Cultivation Realm we see today.”

Xu Ran nodded slightly. He was already aware of this.

The concentration of powerful Major Sects in the Eastern Domain within the three counties of Taixu, Profound Celestial, and Cyan Cloud was a direct result of this. The farther a County was from this central hub, the sparser its Spiritual Qi, the fewer its resources and opportunities, and the fainter the manifestation of its Law Dao Rhyme. This disparity was so great that in the distant Overseas Archipelago, the Dao Laws were imperceptible in most places.

This was all because this corner of the world had been manually reordered after the great collision.

Cloud Sea Guest paused for a moment before continuing:

”However, knowing what to do is one thing; knowing how to do it is another. We ran countless simulations and deductions but could never find a viable path.”

He looked at Xu Ran and said in a peculiar tone, ”To think of Heaven and Earth as a person, yet not a person... to conceive of such a philosophy, such a method... you are truly worthy of the name Shennong.”

After speaking, he frowned and fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Xu Ran quickly asked, ”Senior, is there a problem with this method?”

Cloud Sea Guest waved his hand. ”I can’t say for certain if it will be effective. We will need to invite our peers from across the realm to help deduce and verify it before we can reach a conclusion.”

”It’s just that... if we follow your proposed method, it seems to require a period of Heaven and Earth Dao Concealment, doesn’t it?”

Xu Ran nodded. Much like medicine can have side effects, he could offer no guarantees.

”That is indeed a possibility, but I can’t say for certain.”

Cloud Sea Guest nodded slightly and let out a long sigh. ”I am suddenly reminded of a piece of history. Eons ago, when the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race first descended, powerful Cultivators in this world were exceedingly rare. It was only after the world was reordered and the Dao Laws became fully manifest that a golden age dawned, leading us to where we are today.”

He looked at Xu Ran and asked, ”So this time, if the world is reordered again according to your method, will it also usher in a glorious new age?”

”I... I don’t know,” Xu Ran answered hesitantly.

Cloud Sea Guest nodded, unsurprised by the answer. He then asked, ”And if this Dao Concealment does occur, how long do you think it will last?”

Xu Ran frowned at the question and pondered for a moment before shaking his head. ”I can’t say for certain. If Dao Concealment truly occurs, it could last for hundreds or thousands of years. Even ten thousand years, or longer, is possible.”

Cloud Sea Guest’s gaze sharpened. After a moment of contemplation, he murmured, ”If it really takes ten thousand years... a Dao Concealment of that length would surely trigger a backlash, causing the Great Dao to manifest fully... But that length of time...”

He then nodded at Xu Ran. ”I understand. I will return first and invite our peers to run their deductions. I will inform you of the results.”

Seeing Xu Ran’s reaction, he waved his hand dismissively. ”Whether your method works or not, the Infinite Creation Pill is yours. There’s no need to return it. Your title as Shennong alone makes it worthwhile for me.”

With that, he let out a hearty laugh, then turned and strode away with Liu Yunge in tow.