As soon as they returned to the small courtyard, Fang Xuan began focusing on comprehending the laws of time.
The dao weapon was already inside his body, making it quite convenient to sense.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and looked inward.
Deep within his dantian, a cluster of chaotic, indistinct light floated quietly.
That was the time-based dao weapon.
Around it, the laws of lust had already transformed into a crimson mist, tightly entangling the laws of destruction.
The laws of destruction were still struggling, its dark red light flickering like a trapped beast.
Fang Xuan could feel the laws of lust devouring it bit by bit, and the process was going quite smoothly.
But... a sudden realization struck him.
The holy land's ancestor was certainly dead, but he didn't know if time was still moving in the outside world.
If they left and the ancestor's body was discovered to have been dead for days just as he reappeared, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out who the killer was.
Even worse, if they exited the small world only to find it surrounded by a crowd of Immortal Venerables...
They would all just stand there, staring at each other in stunned silence.
And then he would be dead in a heartbeat.
...
It seemed he had to master the laws of time as quickly as possible.
Even if Senior Sister tried to seduce him now, he wouldn't care. He had to dedicate himself entirely to meditation and cultivation.
The laws of lust began to devour the laws of destruction with full force.
The process was far smoother than he had imagined.
The crimson mist constantly permeated the dark light, causing the latter to grow weaker and weaker.
Finally, the laws of destruction vanished completely.
The laws of lust expanded significantly, its color deepening and taking on a faint, dark red luster.
Fang Xuan opened his eyes, a strange light flickering within them.
It was finished already. That was fast.
The laws of destruction were far too weak; they were devoured in no time at all.
These laws of lust... they really do seem quite powerful.
No, they are incredibly powerful.
It was no wonder Senior Sister had described them as such.
He looked over at Ning Xian.
She was staring at him with wide eyes, looking utterly bored.
Seeing him open his eyes, her gaze brightened.
"Are you finished?"
"The devouring is complete," Fang Xuan nodded. "Next, I need to comprehend the laws of time."
Ning Xian gave a soft "oh," and the light in her eyes dimmed once more.
Fang Xuan didn't pay much attention and closed his eyes again...
...
Comprehending the laws of time was much harder than he had anticipated.
Fang Xuan felt as if he were watching a movie on fast-forward.
Time blurred past him, scene after scene flashing by so quickly he couldn't see anything clearly.
What the hell is this?
The laws of space hadn't been this difficult.
The laws of lust were even simpler; he had reached enlightenment on those in a single second.
He calmed his mind and tried again.
The time-based dao weapon in his dantian vibrated slightly, emitting ripples of energy.
Those ripples swept over his divine soul, bringing with them a profound and mysterious understanding.
The past cannot be chased, the future cannot be predicted...
Fang Xuan felt a spark of realization.
Time was fluid, but it wasn't a simple flow.
It was like a river, with an upstream and a downstream, yet it was also possible to swim against the current.
...
Meanwhile, in the outside world.
Ning Xian sat by the bed, watching Fang Xuan.
He had been sitting like that for an entire day.
Since this morning, he hadn't moved an inch, nor had he opened his eyes.
He hadn't said a word either.
Ning Xian bit her lip.
Why hasn't Junior Brother woken up yet?
In her current mortal frame, she had no spiritual power and could only estimate time based on her feelings.
It felt like a very, very long time had passed.
He still wasn't awake.
Ning Xian rested her chin on her hand, staring at Fang Xuan.
Although she had learned how to satisfy herself, she always felt like something was missing when her Junior Brother wasn't the one leading.
That wonderful, miraculous feeling...
And his laws of lust... every time, they made her feel so good that she just wanted to keep going with him forever...
Ning Xian's face flushed slightly.
What am I thinking?
Junior Brother is cultivating. I can't disturb him. I have to be a proper Senior Sister.
But...
She looked at Fang Xuan with an aggrieved expression.
But Fang Xuan remained motionless.
Ning Xian sighed and went back to counting the bamboo leaves outside the window.
...
An unknown amount of time passed again.
Ning Xian was slumped over the stone table outside, her eyes half-closed.
After becoming a mortal, time felt incredibly slow.
Back when she could cultivate, a single session of seclusion could last months or years, passing in the blink of an eye.
But now, even the time it took for a single stick of incense to burn felt like an eternity.
It had been thirty-two hours and forty-five minutes. Junior Brother hadn't looked at her once, nor had she heard his voice.
Hateful Junior Brother, becoming so obsessed with cultivation. He must be severely punished...
...
At the same time.
In the Third Heaven, within the Tianxu Holy Land.
The place was in utter chaos.
The ancestor was dead! Truly dead!
The spatial dao weapon was gone! Completely gone!
Outside the restricted small world, dozens of figures stood suspended in the air.
The aura of every single figure was terrifying; the weakest among them were Golden Immortals.
At the front of the group stood Lu Zheng.
He stared at the entrance to the small world, his face ashen.
"The ancestor is dead."
Those four words caused every Immortal Venerable present to gasp in shock.
"The time-based dao weapon is also gone."
Another bombshell of a message.
"Martial Nephew Fang has also vanished."
Lu Zheng spoke each word deliberately, his voice as cold as ice.
"And the lingering traces left at the scene belong to the laws of heavenly mechanism and the laws of space."
One of the Immortal Venerables spoke up. "Fengling, do you mean..."
Lu Zheng turned to him, his gaze sharp and piercing.
"It must be the people from the Daotian Holy Land! They must have used their laws to predict the existence of Martial Nephew Fang—a peerless genius with dual laws—as well as the time-based dao weapon."
"Then they killed our ancestor, abducted Martial Nephew Fang, and stole the dao weapon!"
He gritted his teeth and continued, "From this day forward, we shall launch an all-out attack on the Daotian Holy Land. Kill them on sight; leave no one alive. Since when does a holy land from the Fifth Heaven think they can act so arrogantly in our Third Heaven?!"
The other Immortal Venerables looked at each other but said nothing.
After all, Fengling Immortal Venerable had always been the most upright and gentle among them.
For him to have such a violent reaction, he must be truly enraged.
"Understood!"
The disciples took their orders and scattered.
Lu Zheng stood in place, watching them leave.
Only after everyone was far away did he withdraw his gaze, the fury on his face slowly fading away.
"Eight Immortal Venerables..." he murmured to himself.
"One ancestor dead, one Immortal Venerable dead... that leaves six."
"The First Ancestor has been in seclusion for a thousand years, and the Third Ancestor lacks sufficient strength."
"They are no longer a threat."
He turned and looked toward the depths of the small world.
That was where the ancestor had fallen.
"Fang Xuan... don't you dare disappoint me."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
To set this chess piece in motion, he had played the fool for a very, very long time—so long that everyone in the holy land believed he had only become an Immortal Venerable through sheer luck.
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