Chapter 795: Everything Has Its Time

"Ever since we entered the Demon Domain, fragments of my master's past memories have been surfacing in my mind. It seems... my master originally came from the Demon Domain, and the Scale-Scale Void seems to have some connection with him, though what that connection is remains unknown." The Crab Immortal said after a moment of contemplation.

"You mean your master was a demon?"

Han Li was momentarily startled, then a hint of realization dawned on him.

Wasn't it in the Demon Origin Sea, the demon domain of the lower realm, where he first encountered the Crab Immortal?

"Indeed. However, for some unknown reason, he later went to the Immortal Realm and worked as a puppet artificer at the Hundred Creations Mountain." The Crab Immortal nodded.

"Regarding the matter of the Scale-Scale Void, I will investigate it later. Since the sensation only appeared in the Demon Domain, this place is likely related to it. If any more memories resurface, let me know promptly. Since I once agreed to fulfill his last wish, I will naturally not shirk my responsibility." Han Li said after some thought.

The Crab Immortal said nothing more, nodded, and took his leave.

Han Li sat alone in the bamboo building, his mind somewhat unsettled.

Ever since setting foot in the ruins of the True Word Sect, he had been exceptionally busy, to the point where even calming down to cultivate had become a luxury.

Earlier, by a stroke of luck in the Cleansing Abyss Pool, he had broken through the fifth layer bottleneck of the Spirit Refining Art. Although there were no further obstacles to cultivation afterward, he had been too busy to properly comprehend it, so the fifth layer technique had yet to reach completion.

As for the five time-attribute techniques of the True Word Sect, aside from the True Word Wheel Sutra, which he had studied most deeply, he had not conducted thorough research on the other four.

Speaking of which, as early as when he was in the Northern Cold Immortal Domain, he had vaguely sensed that there should be some connection among the True Word Wheel Sutra, the Illusory辰 Treasure Codex, and the Water Evolution Four Seasons Art.

Later, by another stroke of luck, he obtained the Eastern Yi Cycle of Decay and Bloom Sutra and the Severed Time Flowing Fire Collection, and a conjecture gradually took shape in his mind.

He believed that there must be some connection among these five techniques.

"Since I will be staying here for a while, I might as well try cultivating these techniques to further stabilize my cultivation base." Han Li murmured to himself after a moment's deliberation.

With this thought, he slowly closed his eyes and began to sit in meditation, regulating his breath.

After a while, a flash of light appeared in his sea of consciousness, and the Severed Time Flowing Fire Collection left to him by the Fiery Heat Immortal Venerable began to manifest. He had not examined it carefully before, but now he truly started cultivating this technique.

The Severed Time Flowing Fire Collection was quite similar to the other techniques, also having nine layers. Each layer cultivated deepened one's comprehension of the Time Law.

It was most similar to the Illusory辰 Treasure Codex, also mentioning a "Severed Time Fire Realm" akin to the "Illusory辰 Sand Realm," which seemed to allow time in a certain area to come to a standstill after cultivation.

This time standstill appeared to be an absolute temporal stasis, but the range of its effect was limited, requiring continuous improvement of the technique to gradually expand.

After a moment's deliberation, Han Li did not immediately begin cultivation.

In his sea of consciousness, light rippled again, and amidst a hazy green glow, tiny golden characters emerged, representing another time technique called the Eastern Yi Cycle of Decay and Bloom Sutra.

When he first obtained this technique, he had only glanced through it and later had no time to carefully study it.

After a thorough examination, Han Li discovered that this technique was vastly different from the others. Although it also cultivated the Time Law, it had little offensive power. Upon successful cultivation, it could condense a Divine Tree of Eastern Yi.

Where this divine tree was planted, within a certain range, the seasonal changes and cycles of decay and bloom of all vegetation were controlled by the cultivator. Against spirits and demons that had attained enlightenment through plant cultivation, it also had an innate suppressive effect.

However, Han Li was not particularly impressed by the latter effect, as a single Essence Fire Bird was enough to deal with plant-formed spirits. What he cared more about was the former effect.

If he could control the seasonal changes within a certain range, did that mean he could accelerate the cycle of the four seasons, thereby speeding up the growth of plants?

If so, planting a Divine Tree of Eastern Yi in his medicinal herb garden would allow large-scale ripening of herbs. Although the effect would certainly not be as strong as the green liquid from the small bottle, it would have the advantage of a larger range.

After examining it, Han Li suddenly recalled a difficulty he had encountered while cultivating the Illusory辰 Treasure Codex. He had never been able to resolve it, only following the cultivation method described in the technique and repeatedly pondering it. Today, after carefully studying the Severed Time Flowing Fire Collection, he discovered a method for condensing Severed Time Flowing Fire that, when combined with Illusory辰 Sand, seemed to have additional uses.

With this thought, he quickly closed his eyes and regulated his breath, using this method to begin cultivation.

Several hours later, Han Li opened his eyes, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.

This method was indeed effective!

Seeing this, a doubt arose in his mind: these five techniques all seemed to be time-attribute techniques, yet each had its own emphasis and differed. Their names also contained the five elements. Could combining them be the so-called "Great Five Elements Illusory World Art"?

With this thought, he immediately closed his eyes and, in his mind, cycled through the five techniques one by one, starting with the one he knew best, the True Word Wheel Sutra, carefully sorting through the cultivation threads of each technique.

Time trickled away, and soon the sky darkened, then the moon rose in the east and set in the west, until night gave way to dawn.

After a night had passed, Han Li remained seated in meditation. After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, a wry smile appearing on his face as he murmured to himself:

"None of the five techniques are simple or easy to understand. Their threads are tangled in countless ways, and the more I look, the more they seem like a mess. The places where they can corroborate each other are still few and far between. Enough, enough. If I can't untangle them, I'll set them aside for now. Let me first start cultivating the Severing Time Flowing Fire Collection and the Eastern Yi Withered Glory Sutra. Perhaps I'll gain some unexpected insights..."

Having made up his mind, Han Li no longer hesitated. He took a medicinal pill, formed hand seals, and silently recited the incantation of the Severing Time Flowing Fire Collection, channeling his immortal spiritual power. Layers of faint red ripples began to emanate from his body.

...

In the blink of an eye, over three months had passed.

Inside the bamboo building in the Flower Branch Space, Han Li had long since emerged from his cultivation state. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

After a moment, he frowned, pushed open the bamboo door, and walked into the small courtyard where mist rose from the lotus pond.

The spiritual energy in the courtyard was extremely abundant, making one feel exceptionally comfortable just being there.

Han Li stepped onto the small bridge, leaned on the railing, and gazed at the lotus leaves on the pond, staring blankly at the sparse, winding veins on them.

Over the past three months, he had begun cultivating both the Severing Time Flowing Fire Collection and the Eastern Yi Withered Glory Sutra. To his surprise, not only were they not as smooth as his previous cultivation of the Water Derivation Four Seasons Art, but he encountered obstacles everywhere and found progress difficult.

It wasn't that his understanding of the law of time was insufficient; rather, he discovered that when simultaneously studying the five techniques, there were not only points of mutual corroboration but also many contradictions.

In particular, during cultivation, the flow of immortal spiritual power in his body would align with the Severing Time Flowing Fire Collection and comply with the Illusory Chen Precious Canon, but conflict with the Water Derivation Four Seasons Art; or align with the True Word Wheel Sutra and comply with the Water Derivation Four Seasons Art, but conflict with the Eastern Yi Withered Glory Sutra.

In short, if one wanted to cultivate all five techniques simultaneously without finding the correct threads, the more one practiced, the more chaotic it became, losing all measure.

Han Li felt frustrated, realizing he had walked into a dead end. He wondered whether he should simply retreat, at most treating the five techniques as independent entities to cultivate, starting by mastering the True Word Wheel Sutra to its highest level.

At this thought, he suddenly remembered that the green jade bamboo slip containing the complete nine-layer True Word Wheel Sutra also recorded a bizarre text, the Sumeru Resonance Chapter.

"That's right, that's right! How could I have forgotten it?" Han Li slapped his forehead three times and exclaimed loudly.

With that, he turned his wrist, and a green light flashed in his palm, revealing a green jade bamboo slip.

On the bamboo slip, a line of small golden seal script was carved: "Hearing the Way at dawn and dusk, the dharma lies between heaven and earth."

Han Li held the bamboo slip, gently rubbing its characters, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He quickly walked back into the bamboo building and closed the door.

...

This seclusion lasted another several months.

During this time, Shi Chuankong came to visit Han Li once, but upon learning he was in seclusion, he left on his own.

Before leaving, he instructed the Crab Daoist to have Han Li meet with him as soon as he emerged from seclusion.

Han Li remained in seclusion inside the small bamboo building, never appearing.

One day, the closed door of the bamboo building finally creaked open.

Han Li walked out, refreshed and clear-minded. He shook his shoulders, stretched his body, and a smile appeared on his face.

Over these months, he had spent most of his time comprehending the Sumeru Resonance Chapter. Though it was only a few thousand words, it had given him quite a headache.

However, as the saying goes, hard work pays off. Two months ago, he finally grasped part of its mysteries.

The reason the Sumeru Resonance Chapter was so difficult was that Han Li's initial approach to understanding it was wrong. He had always thought it was a technique or divine ability related to the law of time.

In reality, this text was something like a general outline. It was not meant for cultivation but served as a guiding principle, elucidating the order of cultivation for the five techniques, including the True Word Wheel Sutra.

Of course, it did not merely indicate a simple sequence of who comes first and who comes later. Instead, it subtly revealed the mutually reinforcing and complementary relationships among the five techniques, serving as a guide for truly cultivating the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art.

The five techniques approach the law of time from the perspective of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. After all, everything has its time. As one of the three supreme laws of the immortal realm, the law of time is vast and boundless. The birth and destruction of all things cannot escape the constraints of time, yet the law of time is equally ethereal and elusive. Ordinary people may never grasp even a fraction of it in their lifetime.

But if one can start from specific points and expand outward, using the way of the five elements' birth and destruction to glimpse the true essence of the great path of time, success may not be impossible.