"Yin and Yang," Wu Hong muttered as she opened her eyes. "The Grand Dao Source formed the framework of the laws of the universe. However, that's just the biggest piece. There are smaller pieces — the hidden rules — that once bined with the Grand Dao Source, plete the system.
"Interestingly enough, these hidden rules are not easily manipulated; they are more rigid than Grand Dao Sources and will resist any attempts at control or manipulation. And the best way to manipulate them is not to be perceived by them, not to be influenced by them, not to be limited or restrained by their power."
Wu Hong's eyes shone with immense brilliance. "Everything is connected. A Saint's Soul Quintessence means their soul has detached itself from the universe — from the influence of the hidden rules, which also means it can now manipulate those very same rules.
"And once the soul can manipulate the hidden rules and the body is a strong enough vessel, a Saint can bine their understanding of the hidden rules with their Grand Dao Source to form their own perfect system: an independent Dao Source, or, in other words, a Dao Quintessence."
With this enlightenment, Wu Hong saw clearly the path from Primordial Chaos Saint to Grand Dao Saint. More importantly, she understood what is missing from her Dao Quintessence Prototype: a clear structure of hidden rules. Unfortunately, without the assistance of the Saint Array, she can barely even perceive the hidden rules, let alone control or influence them in any shape or form.
"There is no point in hurrying: let's take things one step at a time," Wu Hong thought. Currently, her soul hasn't even perfected yet, let alone reach the requirement to condense a Soul Quintessence; even her three transcendent foundations are not pleted yet.
Wu Hong controlled her rampaging thoughts and glanced at the Three-Path Array. From her analysis, three individuals or three Saints established the array. The first set up a deep connection to the Grand Dao Source to draw power that the array could use. The second person was responsible for connecting the Grand Dao Source and the Source Qi Space. The connection is based on the principles of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, and Wu Hong sensed a bit of Taoism from it.
The third person is the most remarkable. The latter harmonized all the Qi in the Source Qi Space, allowing the barrier to utilize them fully. As such, no matter what approach or method the Red Cloud used to destroy it, the array could find Qi to counter it. And if it doesn't, the array can just use the power of the Grand Dao Source to create the Qi it needs.
"The people of this timeline are living because of the effort of their predecessors, but unfortunately, nothing can truly escape time," Wu Hong sighed. After so many years, all three aspects of this formation are on the verge of collapse. At this rate, the array probably won't last more than 200 yuan epochs, and that's only if nothing else happens.
"Well, it doesn't matter to me," Wu Hong thought as she stood. This enlightenment was quite beneficial: whether it was for her cultivation path or for her mastery of arrays and Qi. Using her finger, she calculated how long had passed: 13 yuan epochs.
"I thought it would have been longer," she shook her head, preparing to leave. Suddenly, all color disappeared from the surroundings, and time itself seemed to have stopped.
"Who goes there?" Wu Hong yelled.
"You can fix it, can't you?"
"Hmm?" Wu Hong looked at the perpetrator: a transparent woman with a blurry facial expression appeared in front of her. "A spirit?... Are you the Array Spirit? Yes, the best way to maximize the effects of such a plex array is to designate a spirit tasked with controlling it."
"Human, answer my question: can you repair me?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't. Such a level of power is beyond my understanding," Wu Hong replied.
"...You are lying." The spirit had seen countless Array Masters who tried to prehend this array, and only she had succeeded. And she didn't just understand it; she mastered its very essence.
Wu Hong shrugged, "I can't do anything about it if you don't believe me."
"Human, the world is on the verge of annihilation. You have a moral duty to help if you can."
Wu Hong remained silent. The destruction of this timeline was in her best interest, so why would she save them? More importantly, the time and effort required to fix this broken array was not something she was willing to mit, not to mention there was no guarantee of success. If this were a normal array without some unknown power interfering, she would be more confident. But who knows what the Red Cloud might do in its attempt to destroy the Three-Path Array?
"Shame on you. The Three Great Saints put their differences aside for the greater good, yet you — who have benefited from their sacrifices — can be so selfish."
"Can I leave?" Wu Hong asked, her guard already raised to the highest level. If not for the immense power displayed by this spirit, she would have left long ago. More importantly, Wu Hong was prepared in case this confrontation turned sour; there were a few key nodes that, if targeted, would cause catastrophic damage to the array and the spirit.
The array spirit snorted coldly before disappearing. Wu Hong secretly sighed in relief. She no longer wanted to remain in this dangerous place, so she hurried to the Symbol Array Master's inheritance with the utmost haste and activated it. As she expected, there was another series of trials after entering the dimension. By Wu Hong's standard, the test itself wasn't that challenging, as it was just a step-by-step process of creating a rune system. However, the subtle manipulation of Qi in many areas did cause some trouble. And as fate would have it, Wu Hong loves challenges since it's often the best learning opportunity.
A small smile hung on the corner of the empress' mouth as she passed through trial after trial. There is nothing more peaceful, more enjoyable to her than expanding her mind and reducing her ignorance. As she reached the last section of the inheritance, Wu Hong saw three rooms: the one on the left led to a library and the one on the right contained resources — all preserved with formations. However, the central one contained one item: a recording talisman. Intrigued, Wu Hong activated it after checking that there was nothing wrong.
"He is real," an old and tired voice uttered. "He watches. He observes. He determines. He judges…My inheritor, please, please, protect my legacy at all costs. Do not let him remove it from the world."
"You had so much time to say all this nonsense, but you couldn't clarify who 'He' was?" Wu Hong thought, utterly speechless. Even if the Symbol Array Master was referring to a taboo individual whose name could not be stated, there were so many better ways to convey the information.
Wu Hong put the talisman away before walking to the left room. Her eyes shone as she saw the rows of books, and without wasting another second, she picked up a scroll, immediately sensing a pull. "Hmm? What an interesting method of inheritance."
She stopped resisting the pull, and her spirit entered the memory engraved on the scroll. As she opened her eyes, Wu Hong found herself sitting across an elderly man dressed in casual blue clothes and with unkempt hair. The Symbol Array Master began to explain the concept of Rune Integration monotonously, and Wu Hong listened while thinking this man was a terrible lecturer.
Intense learning is an easy way to lose track of time, especially when someone enjoys the process. Libraries — no matter how small — are small Havens for Wu Hong, so she lost herself in this one. The Symbol Array Master's inheritance was inconsequential to her. In all her years, she has seen too many Rune Systems, and her own system would be considered a masterpiece in any timeline; this world's system was so primitive that it wouldn't even inspire Wu Hong to innovate on hers.
However, the uniqueness of this civilization was its mastery of Qi: from its understanding to its application, and even its manipulation of the Source Qi—this civilization had reached the highest standard Wu Hong had ever experienced. As such, she did not hesitate to absorb as much knowledge about Qi as possible, turning it into the foundation of her cultivation.
Wu Hong lost track of time, but with each passing day, she made drastic improvements. And after years of training, she finally met the requirements to use this world's cultivation system. However, before starting, she needed to test the recording the Symbol Array Master left. So, after organizing the inheritance into a more perfect and easily adaptable state, she sent it to mander Long.
"Let's see if 'He' is going to interfere with the spread of this rune system," Wu Hong thought.
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