Chapter 579: Stealing Dao Technique
"That’s right, after Entering the Divine Dao, you can challenge other Daos. If you succeed, you can enhance your strength. But when you challenge other Daos with the Divine Dao, you must only use the same Dao."
"For example, if you challenge the Thunder Dao, you must use the Thunder Dao to surpass the opponent. In the challenge space, all your abilities will be restricted by the Cosmic Venerable, leaving only the Thunder Dao."
"There’s also a prerequisite: you must know this Dao. If you have no understanding of it, you don’t even have the qualification to challenge."
Yang Tian spoke in a deep voice, and Chen Lan was surprised, not expecting that after Entering the Divine Dao, it could be like this.
Becoming a god through multiple Daos could greatly increase one’s power.
"Then what lies above the Divine Dao?"
"The Emperor Dao, which is the highest realm we know of. It’s said that even those at the Emperor Dao realm don’t know if there is a breakthrough above it because they simply cannot explore it. Thus, it’s commonly believed that the Emperor Dao realm is the highest!"
Is the Emperor Dao the ultimate realm above the Divine Dao?
"What kind of realm is the Cosmic Venerable?" Chen Lan continued to ask.
"I don’t know. There are rumors that He is at the Emperor Dao realm, and also rumors that He has surpassed the Emperor Dao realm, controlling everything in the cosmos, omniscient, omnipotent, a supreme existence."
Chen Lan felt a chill, but this wasn’t something he should dwell on now.
"How does one break through the Emperor Dao realm?"
"Dao essence, how much Dao essence do you have within you?"
"Since stepping into the Dao Ancestor, it’s been an ocean, but once consolidated, I fear there are only over fifty thousand Dao essences."
"Too little, much too little. To break through to the Emperor Dao, you need at least a billion Dao essences."
"A billion Dao essences? The only way to obtain Dao essence is through cultivation, accumulated over time. I can produce at most five Dao essences a year. A billion Dao essences would have to wait for the end of the grand Dao." Chen Lan spoke in astonishment.
Dao essence has many marvelous uses. It can rapidly heal injuries and temporarily boost strength, but it depletes quickly. Obtaining it is also extremely difficult, so unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t use it.
Moreover, it cannot be taken from others. Upon death, it dissipates immediately, returning to the Dao, continuing to maintain the Dao.
"What if you take it from others?"
"What?!" Chen Lan was surprised. He had just thought this couldn’t be taken, "How do you take it? Isn’t it impossible to take?"
"That was millions of years ago. The Evil Race found a Secret Technique millions of years ago that allows the seizure of Dao essence. Not only can they take it from those above Dao Ancestor, but they can also drain Dao Emperors, Taoist Saints, and Daoist Venerables, condensing their Dao Power into very few Dao essences. Though few, they accumulate over time."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lan understood, his face gradually darkening: "So, for all these years, the Celestial Domain and Heaven above always wanted people for Ascension for this reason; ascending from other worlds to the Desolate Celestial Realm, then nurturing them to ascend to the Celestial Domain. The Ascension everyone yearns for is, in reality, marching into the slaughterhouse."
"Yes, otherwise, I wouldn’t have stopped you from coming to the Celestial Domain."
At that time, when Chen Lan went to get the Ghost God Sword, the Ghost God told him not to go to the Celestial Domain for this reason.
"What a joke. They long to gain the Dao for Ascension, believing that going to a bigger world will make them stronger, but in reality, they are rushing into someone else’s stomach." Chen Lan shook his head with a bitter smile.
Ascension is a scam, but many are unaware, one after another jumping into that pit.
Truly pathetic and lamentable.
"So, do you know what this Secret Technique is?"
"I do." Yang Tian nodded, pointing as a spiritual light entered Chen Lan’s mind.
[Stealing Dao Technique]
When using it, the other party must be alive and be seized of Dao essence while conscious, or have their Dao Power refined and Dao essence extracted. This technique violates the Heavenly Dao, but it can increase one’s own Dao essence, and if the other party’s cultivated Dao matches yours, it can yield twice the result with half the effort.
An evil technique, truly an evil technique, requires the other party to remain conscious, utterly vicious.
Chen Lan furrowed his brow. To think such an evil technique existed; over the years, many from the Evil Race may have used this evil technique to enhance their strength.
Suddenly, Chen Lan’s eyes widened, "Who manages the River of Time here?"
"You mean the Time Guardian, the Time Daoist?" Yang Tian paused, thoughtfully responding.
"Yes, did he take an apprentice a year ago?"
"I’ve heard rumors of it. The Time Daoist rarely takes apprentices, always selecting the elites of the Time Dao, but I have never met any of his students."
Reflecting on it, Yang Tian felt puzzled. Though the Time Daoist rarely appeared, he always came alone, with no tales of his students, as if he was always on his own.
Yet, the apprentices he took would number in the dozens, or at least five or four, so how could there be no word of them for so long?
"What, you..." Yang Tian just wanted to ask why Chen Lan asked this when he saw Chen Lan clench his fists, brows furrowed, an expression both shocked and angry.
"My master must have been taken to be deprived of Dao essence." Chen Lan said coldly.
The master was brought to the Celestial Domain; such is surely the consequence. That person wouldn’t be so kind to take his master away and use him to threaten his master.
Damn it, it’s his fault, defying the grand Dao back then, interfering with time to revive everyone, causing his master to be captured.
"Master?" Yang Tian was surprised, not expecting that Chen Lan had a master. Who could it be?
Who would be qualified to be the master of the Demon Emperor?
"Where is the Time Daoist?"
"Naturally in the River of Time, but his time is different. You must go to the Time Tunnel, located at Time Mountain, to enter to meet the Time Daoist. His strength is profound; even the Celestial Emperor wouldn’t dare to provoke him easily. Many Evil Race in the heaven above fear him."
"Since they are afraid, why doesn’t he strike down the Evil Race?"
"Once you become a Time Guardian, it’s hard to interfere with other matters. Extinction of races, world wars, all relate to time, occurring with the passage of time. Their task is to maintain the order of time; they cannot interfere with anything."
"What if someone forcibly interferes?"
"Then they will face time’s instability. Once unstable, other Time Guardians will know. At that time, you won’t have the heart to maintain your own time, leading to gradual collapse. Once the timeline you guard collapses, you too will perish and disappear into the Dao. To interfere, one must be extremely careful."
Chen Lan remained silent, knowing his master had done much for him, not realizing how much, to the point of risking life.
Such a master, he must save, even if it costs his life!
"How can I defeat the Time Daoist?"
"His strength is immense. To defeat him, you must enter the River of Time, but his strength would increase there, rendering him invincible. You must satisfy two conditions: first, becoming a god on the Time Dao, and second, luring him out of the River of Time, dragging him into the Great Dao space, and killing him!"