161: Mo Yu Enlightenment

The severed remains of the Starry Sky Whale, split in two by a single sword strike, stood like two collapsed mountains, silently telling of the despair-inducing power of the Envoy of Heavens Path.

The indifferent figure in white still stood at the edge of the territory, not moving again, but the wisp of Golden Immortal pressure radiating from them acted like an invisible shackle, weighing heavily upon the heart of every living being, making even breathing difficult.

The lights of the Thunder Sword Great Wall flickered uncertainly under this pressure, and atop the city walls, the energy halos gathering at the countless sequence cannon muzzles appeared unsteady and fragile.

Inside the command tower, Mo Yun's face was livid, her tightly clenched fists trembling slightly; this was not fear, but the anger and humiliation of being powerless.

Having just forcibly resisted the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, her Dao foundation was severely damaged, and facing this true manifestation of the Heavenly Dao, she felt as though she were a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Ink Snow remained unconscious, and it seemed that only she and Mo Yu were left as the high-end combat power of the entire Divine Dynasty.

Meanwhile, Mo Yu stood behind the crenellations of the city wall, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on the distant white-clad figure and the remains of the Starry Sky Whale.

Her face was equally pale, but unlike the despair of others, her eyes held not only shock and anger but also an extremely rare, almost obsessive focus!

She was "watching," not with her eyes, but with the extraordinary perception of the power of all waters in the world that she had gained after taking charge of the Four Seas Tide-Rising Token, to "watch" the subtle flow of Laws around the Envoy of Heavens Path when they struck, and to "watch" the "trajectory" of space and energy being severed when that invisible Sword Intent cut down the Starry Sky Whale!

It was a kind of absolute "sharpness," a kind of ultimate "destruction," a "severing" Law that allowed for no doubt and left no room for retreat!

Resist head-on? Absolutely impossible! The defense of the Starry Sky Whale was a cautionary tale.

Then what should she do?

In her mind, the various insights she had gained since taking charge of all waters surfaced involuntarily.

Water is the softest, yet also the hardest.

It can nourish things silently, or it can be a raging tide.

But whether soft or hard, water never clashes head-on with rocks; it always flows around, always permeates, and always uses what seems to be the smallest force to find the slightest crack, until finally... water drips through stone!

"Sharpness... severing..." Mo Yu muttered to herself, her eyes growing brighter, "Can even the sharpest sword sever flowing water?"

"Drawing a blade to cut water only makes it flow more!"

A thought like lightning split the fog in her heart!

What she needed was not stronger power to collide with, but another way to "respond," to "guide," and even to... "utilize" that unrivaled sharpness!

She slammed her eyes shut, and her entire mind sank into the insights of the Four Seas Tide-Rising Token and her own Dao Laws.

The terrifying Golden Immortal pressure outside, the remains of the Starry Sky Whale, and her sister's anxiety were all forcibly shut out by her at this moment.

In her Sea of Consciousness, it was as if an endless ocean had appeared, and a terrifying Sword Intent that tore through heaven and earth, invincible and unbreakable, was descending from the sky, aiming to split the ocean apart!

How does the ocean respond?

Not by raising giant waves to resist; that is not responding, it is foolishly courting death.

Instead... it is to contain, to accept, to guide.

When the Sword Intent cuts into the ocean, the immense kinetic energy is absorbed, dispersed, and transmitted layer by layer by the endless seawater.

The sharp Sword Intent itself is enveloped, entangled, and weakened by the water flow.

The ocean might be split with a fleeting gap, but in an instant, the surrounding seawater rushes in to fill it, as if nothing had ever happened.

No matter how strong the Sword Intent is, how much seawater can it sever? How long can it last?

The softest in the world overcomes the hardest in the world. That which has no substance can enter where there is no space.

She suddenly understood.

It is not to block, but to "flow."

It is not to resist that "severing" Law, but to integrate into it, to go along with it, and then... while going along with it, quietly change its trajectory, disperse its power, and finally dissolve it into nothingness!

A brand new, completely different path of circulating Qi and understanding of Laws spontaneously formed and began to operate within her body!

The surging and impassioned water-element magic power around her began to become introverted, profound, and gentle, as if it had transformed into invisible, intangible, yet omnipresent flowing water.

The "Supreme Virtue is Like Water Sutra"!

This technique, which did not originate from any Legacy, but was created by her under extreme pressure based on her own Dao foundation and her insights into the Four Seas Tide-Rising Token, merging the urgent need to resist the Heavenly Dao Sword Intent, suddenly became clear and mastered at this moment!

Her aura changed abruptly!

It was no longer sharp and surging as before, but had become unfathomable, harmonious, and transparent.

It was as if she were standing there, yet also as if she had turned into nothingness, merging into the surrounding water vapor.

Her cultivation Bottleneck loosened with a roar under this Epiphany, and her magic power and Divine Sense surged, condensed, and sublimated at an unprecedented speed!

A majestic aura far exceeding anything before shot up into the sky, stirring the surrounding water elements of heaven and earth to leap for joy, even temporarily diluting the oppressive feeling brought by the Envoy of Heavens Path!

True Immortal!

At this life-or-death juncture, Mo Yu had actually made a Breakthrough in the heat of battle, creating the "Supreme Virtue is Like Water Sutra" based on her insights from resisting the Heavenly Dao Sword Intent, and stepped into the realm of True Immortal in one fell swoop!

"Hmm?"

The white-clad Envoy of Heavens Path, who had been standing silently and seemed indifferent to everything, appeared to notice this aura of Breakthrough that contained a strange "Dao Rhyme," and that blurred face turned slightly for the first time, their cold gaze crossing space to land on Mo Yu atop the city wall.

In their gaze, a trace of an extremely faint emotion, similar to "surprise," seemed to flash.

It was as if they had seen some "correct" evolution that should not have appeared in this "wrong" place.

But it was merely a momentary surprise.

The next moment, they raised that hand holding the scabbard again.

It was still aimed at the direction of Mo Capital, still delivered with that same understated ease.

However, this time, everyone could feel that the "sharpness" and "severing" intent contained within this "delivery" was far more powerful than when they dealt with the Starry Sky Whale before, by several times over!

They intended to completely erase this "accident" that had just achieved a Breakthrough and seemed to bring a glimmer of a variable!

The invisible, yet terrifying Sword Intent capable of freezing the Divine Soul of even a True Immortal, descended instantly!

The target was aimed straight at Mo Yu!

"Be careful!" Mo Yun exclaimed, wanting to mobilize the power of the earth to block it, but it was already too late!

However, facing this strike that was even more terrifying than before, the newly broken-through Mo Yu appeared unusually calm.

She did not even look at the attack, but slowly raised the Four Seas Tide-Rising Token in her hand, her eyes ethereal, as if she had completely merged with the surrounding water-element Laws.

She parted her vermilion lips slightly, her voice soft yet carrying a certain strange Dao Rhyme:

"The highest good is like water; water benefits all things and does not contend."

"It dwells in places that all men despise, and so it is close to the Dao."

"There is nothing in the world softer or weaker than water, yet for attacking the hard and strong, nothing can surpass it, because there is nothing that can replace it."

As she chanted, a soft blue water light rippled around her; it was not a defensive shield, but more like a layer of flowing, constantly rippling "Water Domain"!

The invisible Sword Intent released by the Envoy of Heavens Path fiercely slashed into this Water Domain!

A bizarre scene occurred!

The terrifying Sword Intent, which was invincible and could instantly slice through even Star Shields and Heaven Deceiving Lightning Runes, seemed to fall into an endless quagmire the moment it entered the Water Domain!

Its speed slowed down visibly to the naked eye, and its sharpness was constantly entangled, dispersed, and guided by layer upon layer of flowing water-element power!

The Sword Intent continued forward, but it seemed to be gently pulled and deflected by countless invisible hands, dispersing its destructive power, which had been concentrated at a single point, into the water elements of the entire Domain!

Sss, sss, sss—

The Water Domain rippled violently, sending out countless fine ripples, as if it might be torn apart at any moment, but it was incredibly resilient and always maintained its integrity!

Finally, when that Sword Intent exhausted its power, penetrated the entire Water Domain, and reached before Mo Yu, its might was less than one-tenth of what it had been!

Only then did Mo Yu gently wave the Four Seas Tide-Rising Token, drawing out a stream of water to gently disperse its final remnant of power.

Her figure swayed slightly, her face turning even paler, clearly, neutralizing this strike had consumed her greatly.

But, she had blocked it!

With the stance of a newly ascended True Immortal, using softness to overcome hardness, she had actually managed to neutralize that terrifying, peerless sword strike from the Envoy of Heavens Path!

Although she was disheveled and it had been a close call, this was undoubtedly a miracle!

There was dead silence atop the city wall, and everyone was stunned by this incredible scene.

Even the white-clad Envoy of Heavens Path seemed to pause slightly, and in those cold eyes, for the first time, a clear glimmer of something called "scrutiny" appeared.

Mo Yu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, raised her eyes, and met the gaze of the Envoy of Heavens Path without any fear.

In her eyes, there was no longer any fear, only a firmness and composure born from Epiphany.

She had found the method.

Although it remained difficult, and the gap was still huge.

But at least, she had seen... a glimmer of hope!