Chapter 2271: Vigil!

The eight statues seemed to have become spiritual.

Clearly they were all inanimate objects, yet they gave a lifelike impression.

The moment their gazes came over, it was as if the entire world was looking over. Ning Tianping's mind shook violently, and with a “wow,” he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Just then, a gentle aura invaded from behind and enveloped him.

Ning Tianping looked at Ye Yuan in surprise, finding him calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.

“You focus on your enlightenment, don't worry about the rest. No matter how strong they are, they cannot harm you,” Ye Yuan said indifferently.

Ning Tianping nodded slightly, relaxed his mind, and began to comprehend the Dao.

But the Dao was not so easy to comprehend.

Ning Tianping's strength had long surpassed his peers.

However, he had not yet found his own Dao.

Only those who have attained the Way can reach the pinnacle.

Yet to take this step is exceedingly difficult.

Ning Tianping's talent was not bad, but he was merely born in the Tianying Imperial City.

If it were a normal trajectory, he would at most have reached the Divine God realm.

His current breakthrough to the Heavenly Sovereign was less due to Mo Lifei's careful instruction and more due to Ye Yuan's elixirs.

It was Ye Yuan's elixirs that allowed him to wash his marrow and transform his sinews, constantly surpassing his own limits.

But to forge his own Way is not so easy.

The Way can only be intuited, not explained.

Even if Ye Yuan had comprehended his own Way, he could not tell those around him and make them also comprehend the Way.

Yet these eight divine statues possessed an aura similar to that of the Lesser Tongtian Mountain, though not as unfathomable.

For Ning Tianping, this was the best place to comprehend the Way.

Of course, relying on his own strength, it was utterly impossible for him to comprehend the Way.

This was a Dao tailor-made by the eight progenitors of the Divine Clan for their own kind; the human body simply could not withstand it.

But Ye Yuan, relying on the power of the Lesser Tongtian Mountain, was able to neutralize part of the Dao's force for Ning Tianping, allowing him to comprehend the Dao in a peaceful environment.

"The Dao lies in the heart; follow your own heart. You have encountered too few setbacks in life. This experience of life and death is precisely the time for great enlightenment. Open your heart, accept your inner self, and find your own great Dao!" Ye Yuan's words echoed in Ning Tianping's ears.

Ning Tianping's entire body trembled, and his eyes gradually grew bright.

Little by little, his whole mind and body relaxed, quietly accepting the baptism of the Dao.

Originally, this was the most perilous step.

How formidable was the power of the Dao? How could an ordinary person bear it?

Once the Dao heart collapsed, all cultivation would be lost like water under the bridge.

But Ye Yuan helped him withstand the vast majority of the impact, allowing him to comprehend his own Dao in great comfort.

Beside them, Rufeng's mind was shaken violently!

"This brat actually dares to defy the Divine Clan's imprint within the Great Dao? How... how did he do it?"

"And his Dao—has it already advanced this far? I'm afraid even the Dao of an ordinary Heavenly Emperor hasn't gone as far as his!"

"Monster, truly a monster! How could the human race produce such a monster?"

A glint of murderous intent flashed in Rufeng's eyes. At that moment, he had the urge to kill Ye Yuan.

The sense of threat Ye Yuan brought him was too intense.

A person like Ye Yuan, born on the opposing side, was far too unsettling.

But after thinking it over, he still suppressed the killing intent in his heart.

Killing one Ye Yuan would cost tens of millions of Hidden Vein clansmen their lives as a sacrifice.

That deal was far too unprofitable.

The Divine Clan was about to emerge; the great age of contention was imminent. These were the backbone of the Divine Clan's combat strength!

At this moment, Ning Tianping walked before the first divine statue and sat down cross-legged.

Ye Yuan smiled knowingly and nodded to himself.

Misfortune rests upon fortune; fortune lies hidden within misfortune!

This incident, instead, benefited Ning Tianping, allowing him to attain great enlightenment.

Mo Lifei's death dealt Ning Tianping an unprecedented blow, yet it also benefited him.

Ning Tianping had entered the state and would soon take the first step toward enlightenment!

The beginning is always the hardest!

In comprehending the Dao, the first step into it is the most difficult.

Many people spend their entire lives unable to take this step.

"Mo Lifei, you can rest in peace!" Ye Yuan said in his heart.

Between life and death, one can attain great enlightenment.

However, what Ye Yuan did not know was that Ning Tianping's ability to take this step was not only due to this life-and-death trial but also to his own teaching by example.

Over the years, staying by Ye Yuan's side, he had witnessed Ye Yuan's miraculous rise from an observer's perspective.

The world knew Ye Yuan as the foremost alchemy master of the Southern Domain and the sub-sage of the Priest Temple, but no one knew how much he had paid for it.

The difficulties Ye Yuan had experienced were beyond ordinary imagination.

Yet Ye Yuan never feared, never retreated.

How firm his Dao heart was, Ning Tianping had witnessed firsthand.

Although Mo Lifei was his master, the one who influenced Ning Tianping the most was Ye Yuan.

Ning Tianping regarded Ye Yuan as the ultimate goal of his life, unconsciously imitating him.

Ye Yuan's words and actions also influenced him constantly.

Otherwise, given Ning Tianping's temperament, he could never have recovered so quickly from the blow of Mo Lifei's death.

He might even have been utterly disheartened.

In fact, over the years, unconsciously, Ning Tianping's inner self had become very strong.

One had to admit that Ye Yuan possessed such magic.

Those around him were always infected by him.

As days passed, Ning Guichen's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Meanwhile, Ye Yuan beside him continuously withdrew his own aura, allowing more of the Dao's aura to fall upon Ning Tianping.

The momentum on Ning Tianping grew stronger, and he could withstand more and more of the Dao's power.

However, Ye Yuan did not seek enlightenment.

This was not his Dao!

These divine statues were merely the Dao inscribed by the eight ancestors.

If they were true incarnations of the Heavenly Dao, he might comprehend them.

Ye Yuan felt that was the true Dao!

As for these statues, he did not think much of them.

Three years later, he suddenly stood up and made some very strange postures.

These postures were exactly those of the divine statues.

Ning Tianping learned with great difficulty; at first, he could not make them at all, and even coughed blood when he tried.

But he did not lose heart and tried again and again.

Ten years later, he finally managed the first posture.

Another five years passed, and he managed the second posture.

Thirty years later, he finally completed all eight postures!

And Ye Yuan stayed by Ning Tianping's side, guarding him for thirty-three years!

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the entire sacred land changed.

A terrifying law force descended abruptly!

The Sea of Laws!

Ye Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up, revealing a hint of pleasant surprise.

Ning Tianping's progress far exceeded his expectations!

He had truly attained great enlightenment and comprehended his own Dao!

The Sea of Laws descended, stirring the entire sacred land into commotion.

Those who were seeking enlightenment were all startled by this scene, abandoning their own comprehension, and looked at Ning Tianping in shock one after another.