Chapter 109 Analyzing Divine Arts, Taking a Different Approach

【In this deathly silent space called "Divine Might Abyss Prison," the passage of time became extremely blurred.】

【There was no sunrise or moonset, no sound of wind or insects, only the unchanging heavy pressure and this silent, giant divine statue before you.】

【According to your biological clock's estimation, you have been sitting cross-legged here for nearly a month.】

【Every twelve hours or so, the originally violent Divine Might in the Void Realm would experience a slight disturbance.】

【Immediately after, six drops of crystal-clear "sweet dew," radiating intense vitality, would emerge from the Void Realm.】

【Although there were only a pitiful six drops, far less than the massive amount of "sweet dew" available for you to take at will in the outside world.】

【For the current you, however, they were precious rations.】

【Relying on these six daily drops of energy replenishment, your Origin Opening Realm Physical Body maintained its cycle of vitality.】

【This month, your life has been extremely simple.】

【You were like a piece of dry sponge thrown into water.】

【You thirstily absorbed, disassembled, and reorganized the divine Daoist Magics you obtained from the divine statue.】

【From the initial jerky pauses when casting "Acting Shepherd Divine Might."】

【To later being able to skillfully use the "Cangming Spirit Healing Art" to repair the Meridians damaged by the heavy pressure.】

【And then to being able to casually manifest an indestructible "Xuan Xi Origin Condensing Shield."】

【"Whew..."】

【When you finished circulating the "Cangming Spirit Guarding Art" for the last time.】

【You felt the Divine Thoughts in your Sea of Consciousness wrapped in an invisible layer of water film.】

【Feeling as tough as if it could resist all external evil intrusions, you slowly opened your eyes.】

【The originally somewhat piercing water-blue mark on your brow now had its light restrained, becoming gentle and profound.】

【You slowly stood up and stretched your somewhat stiff limbs.】

【The bones in your body let out a series of crackling sounds, which sounded particularly harsh in this empty space.】

【"The techniques... are all practiced."】

【You looked around, your brow furrowing tighter and tighter.】

【The surroundings remained the same unchanging, nihilistic gloom.】

【Although relying on "Acting Shepherd Divine Might," the gravity that would have crushed you into a meat patty had been mostly offset, allowing you to regain your mobility.】

【But—where is the road?】

【No teleportation beam, no annoying female voice prompting "Level Cleared," and even the divine statue showed no reaction.】

【Everything was exactly the same as when you first entered.】

【"Could it be that learning these divine arts isn't the condition for clearing this stage?"】

【You stroked the stubble growing on your chin, falling into deep thought.】

【This month, you weren't just mechanically practicing.】

【As someone accustomed to thinking about problems from their underlying logic.】

【While Cultivating, you had been trying to reverse-engineer the essence of this divine Dao system.】

【You wanted to know why you could borrow Han Ming's power? Why was this power weakened? Why were there no side effects?】

【As the deduction deepened, a hypothesis gradually took shape in your mind.】

【And this hypothesis made you feel a heartfelt awe for the methods of that Grotto-Heaven Great Powerful Being.】

【"This isn't just simple 'borrowing of power'."】

【You named the core mechanism of this system—Intermediate Technique Medium.】

【This should be a layer of protection set up by that Great Powerful Being to prevent successors from being backlashed by direct contact with the godhead.】

【It was a protective net, and also a filtering net.】

【Its carrier was the Profound Water Origin Markings omnipresent within this Grotto-Heaven, as well as the "Profound Water Si Heaven Prayer God Method" you were using.】

【Its function was extremely ingenious.】

【It was like a highly skilled "middleman"; when you cast the prayer method, it would instantly shield your Divine Thoughts from direct contact with Han Ming's godhead.】

【Then, it would transform your intention to draw power into a "natural operational signal of the Grotto-Heaven's rules."】

【This gave the sealed, unconscious Han Ming an illusion.】

【Thinking that this was just his own Divine Power naturally dissipating over the long years.】

【"In other words, as long as I am in this Grotto-Heaven, or even after I leave..."】

【"As long as I cast the techniques, as long as this set of rules is still operating..."】

【"I can always legally and safely 'freeload' off Han Ming's power."】

【Having figured this out, you couldn't help but want to give a thumbs up to the Great Powerful Being who designed this set of rules.】

【They truly took the concept of "making the best use of everything" to the extreme.】

【But this was only the foundation.】

【Your gaze became even deeper, penetrating the radiance on the surface of the divine statue, looking toward the core of the divine body pierced by chains.】

【There, a deeper, more violent power was hidden—the Core Technique Medium.】

【That was the true source of high-tier divine arts.】

【Through the layers of filtering by the Intermediate Technique Medium, you could briefly "borrow" the true Water Element Authority within Han Ming's godhead.】

【With it, you could break through the Divine Thought limitations of your own Origin Opening Realm and cast terrifying techniques that far exceeded your peer level, even touching the power of the Soaring or Mountain-Sea Realms.】

【But this borrowing was by no means without a price.】

【According to your deduction, even after filtering, a Mortal Soul simply could not withstand the erosion of divine authority for long.】

【Low-tier authority was fine, with almost no side effects.】

【But if you used mid-tier or even high-tier authority.】

【The daily number of uses must be strictly limited.】

【With your current Divine Thought strength, you made an estimate.】

【High-tier authority at most 3 times, mid-tier authority at most 5 times.】

【Once this limit was exceeded, your Divine Thoughts would become irreversibly disordered because they couldn't withstand the impact of divinity.】

【After you clarified all this, you had a good grasp of how to use this divine Dao system.】

【But at the same time, a lingering sense of strangeness also surfaced in your heart.】

【"It's too disjointed..."】

【You recalled those step-by-step, logically rigorous "Spiritual Form" Legacies from the first five stages.】

【Practicing Spiritual Forms gave you a sense of fulfillment, of becoming stronger step by step.】

【Then look at this "divine art" system in your hands now.】

【Although its conception was still extremely ingenious, even allowing you to touch the edges of the rules in advance.】

【This power was ultimately "borrowed."】

【This gave you a sense of unease and superficiality, as if you couldn't fully control it.】

【This had a fundamental conflict with the martial Dao philosophy you had always believed in: "great power belongs to oneself."】

【But you could also understand the deeper meaning.】

【Just as that cold female voice said before, with your current Realm and Divine Thought strength.】

【Trying to learn higher-tier Profound Water Secret Techniques would be extremely difficult.】

【This seemingly opportunistic system was both a last resort and the most suitable springboard for you.】

【"But this doesn't feel like a product of the same Legacy system at all."】

【You looked up at the massive, locked-down divine statue, the strange feeling in your heart growing stronger.】

【"This place... rather than a rigorous academy for cultivating successors, it's more like..."】

【"More like a 'playful work' created by that Great Powerful Being on a whim."】

【"Or perhaps to verify some whimsical idea, they just grabbed an unlucky deity for an experiment."】

【"And after recording the data, it was discarded like a piece of scrap draft paper."】

【Although there seemed to be many problems.】

【The power currently held in your hands was real.】

【You composed yourself, burying these currently unverifiable guesses deep in your heart, and refocused your gaze on the most immediate problem.】

【"Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it."】

【The problem returned to the starting point—how to get out?】

【You raised your head, your gaze slowly moving up the massive body of the divine statue.】

【From the patterned boots, to the calves wrapped in chains, to the broad knees...】

【Finally settling on the lowered head, covered by long hair.】

【"Since this is a projection of the 'Divine Might Abyss Prison,' and this divine statue is the source of the pressure for the entire space..."】

【"Could the most dangerous place be the only way out?"】

【An interesting idea uncontrollably surfaced in your mind.】

【"If I can withstand this pressure and climb to the top of the divine statue, or even... stand on his head?"】

【"Would I be able to transcend the shackles of this gravity there and see the true exit?"】

【Once this thought appeared, it could no longer be suppressed.】

【"Try and die?"】

【"No, not trying is truly waiting for death."】

【You took a deep breath, no longer hesitating.】

【*Buzz—*】

【The mark on your brow shone brightly as you fully operated "Acting Shepherd Divine Might."】

【An invisible shield of Divine Might wrapped around your entire body, offsetting the external gravity as much as possible.】

【Then, you walked to the feet of the divine statue.】

【You reached out both hands and gripped a protrusion of an archaic pattern on the divine statue's boot.】

【Like a tiny gecko attempting to climb a tower that reached the heavens.】

【"Up!"】

【You let out a low growl, the muscles in your arms suddenly exerting force.】

【*Boom!*】

【The moment your feet left the ground, the surrounding pressure suddenly surged!】

【This was not just an increase in gravity, but a terrifying repulsion stemming from status.】

【Although the divine statue was sealed, the dignity of a god could not be profaned, even if it was just a projection.】

【Your body felt as if it were hung with a thousand-pound boulder; every upward pull was accompanied by the groans of your bones.】

【But you did not let go.】

【One meter... two meters...】

【For every meter you climbed, the divine impact grew stronger.】

【When you climbed to the divine statue's ankle, you began to experience auditory hallucinations.】

【"Get down..."】

【"Ant..."】

【It was as if countless people were roaring in your ears, trying to shatter your mind.】

【When you reached the knees, the scene before your eyes began to distort.】

【Those golden chains wrapped around the divine statue.】

【Seemed to transform into ferocious giant pythons, opening their bloody maws to roar and snap at you.】

【Sweat had long since blurred your vision, your fingernails cracked from excessive force, and blood stained the cold skin of the divine statue.】

【But your eyes remained clear.】

【Canglan Divine Sense firmly protected your Sea of Consciousness as you squeezed out every ounce of physical strength.】

【"A little higher... just a little higher..."】

【And so, you moved step by step, with frequent pauses.】

【On this thousand-foot-tall divine statue, you began a climb destined to be arduous.】