Chapter 667: Painting the Sacred Mountain Meditation

In the Qian Shan Star System of the San Wan River Zone, on the ninth floor of the Eternal Tower.

Meng Chuan's primordial spirit avatar arrived here, browsing through the holographic images of countless items available for sale from the Eternal Tower. "A token for the Sacred Painting Mountain in the Shan Wu Secret Realm," Meng Chuan selected the item he wanted. "Ten thousand units required," a cold, imposing voice echoed from above. Meng Chuan was already prepared.

The Sacred Painting Mountain, a painting relic left behind by Dao Monarch Shan Wu, is a treasure land within the River of Spacetime. It is currently occupied by the Seventh-Tribulation Realm mighty figure, Prefect Hundred Flowers, who has also dispatched Master Poison Gaze to guard it long-term. Any cultivator can visit the Sacred Painting Mountain to observe! However, observing requires a cost of ten thousand units, allowing for unlimited time to comprehend. "Observing the Sacred Painting Mountain costs ten thousand units for one cultivator; for a thousand cultivators, that's ten million units. It's truly easy for a Seventh-Tribulation Realm mighty figure to earn treasures," Meng Chuan mused inwardly. The entire River of Spacetime has tens of thousands of Sixth-Tribulation Realm cultivators, and even more Fifth-Tribulation Realm cultivators. Although the River of Spacetime offers many opportunities, and painting relics are not explicit cultivation methods, quite a few are willing to pay ten thousand units. After all, it is a relic left by an Eighth-Tribulation Realm mighty figure. These resources in the River of Spacetime are all occupied by the pinnacle powerhouses.

The Shan Wu Secret Realm is a secret realm created by Dao Monarch Shan Wu, and the Sacred Painting Mountain is located within it. With ease, the Shan Wu Secret Realm does not obstruct outsiders, and Meng Chuan easily arrived there.

This was a world of beautiful scenery. As Meng Chuan arrived, a lean old man materialized out of thin air. He was clad in a black robe, with silver eyes, and exuded an aloof aura, clearly indicating he was not easy to get along with. Yet, upon seeing Meng Chuan, this silver-eyed, lean old man showed a hint of a smile: "So it's City Lord Dongning." "Greetings, Senior Poison Gaze," Meng Chuan replied with great humility.

This was a top-tier Primordial Spirit Sixth-Tribulation Realm expert whom Meng Chuan deeply admired. What Meng Chuan admired was not his strength, but his actions. In the River of Spacetime, very few dared to openly defy infamous top-tier factions like the Black Demon Hall, the Land of Shadows, or the Dark Star Society. However, Master Poison Gaze, who stood before him, was one such individual. Master Poison Gaze was actually a very benevolent Tribulation Realm mighty figure. Due to the Black Demon Hall's rampant atrocities, Master Poison Gaze could not tolerate it and repeatedly thwarted their schemes, incurring their relentless retaliation. Anyone close to Master Poison Gaze could be implicated, which led him to change his name and become even more reclusive. Prefect Hundred Flowers valued Master Poison Gaze greatly and personally intervened to protect him. Prefect Hundred Flowers had the most extensive network among the Seventh-Tribulation Realm cultivators, with nearly ten other Seventh-Tribulation Realm mighty figures, including Emperor Wanxing and Curator Bai Niao, owing him favors. His intervention made Master Poison Gaze's life a bit easier.

"This is the token for the Sacred Painting Mountain," Meng Chuan immediately produced the token and handed it over. "From now on, City Lord Dongning, you may observe the Sacred Painting Mountain at any time, without time limit," Master Poison Gaze said, a smile appearing on his rigid face. "Dao Monarch Shan Wu's paintings are truly remarkable. Although I have guarded the Shan Wu Secret Realm for over thirty thousand years, I still find these paintings filled with endless profound mysteries. City Lord Dongning, you are also a Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm expert; you can easily dispatch a primordial spirit avatar to comprehend them here long-term. Oh, and I must mention something in advance: the Shan Wu Secret Realm also contains countless living beings, so cultivation by observing the Sacred Painting Mountain is limited to an area within a million *li* around it. Other areas are off-limits." "I understand," Meng Chuan nodded.

"Follow me," Master Poison Gaze personally led, flying alongside Meng Chuan. At their flying speed, even a leisurely flight would take only one or two breaths of time to reach their destination. "That is the Sacred Painting Mountain." Master Poison Gaze pointed towards a majestic peak in the distance. One entire side of the mountain had been cut away, leaving a perfectly flat surface. This smooth mountain wall was ninety thousand *li* high and tens of thousands of *li* wide.

On the mountain wall were numerous incredibly vast paintings. As Meng Chuan's gaze swept over them, he felt as if an ant were being overwhelmed by an approaching world, his mind becoming somewhat dizzy. "Do not view them as a whole," Master Poison Gaze quickly advised. "There are thirty-three paintings on the mountain wall in total. Each painting, at the very least, contains fundamental rules. If viewed as a whole, the thirty-three paintings interact with each other, forming a single entity that would cause even a Seventh-Tribulation Realm mighty figure to feel dizzy and overwhelmed. One must comprehend them painting by painting, individually." "Even the remaining scrolls possess such might," Meng Chuan exclaimed in awe.

"Indeed," Master Poison Gaze said, "each painting clearly represents a different aspect of Dao Monarch Shan Wu's comprehension, some even left at different periods. Some of these paintings were created hundreds of millions of years apart, yet all thirty-three still appear as a unified whole." "Hundreds of millions of years apart?" Meng Chuan was surprised. Although he had learned about the Sacred Painting Mountain, he truly hadn't known this detail. Master Poison Gaze nodded: "I greatly admire Dao Monarch Shan Wu, so I've studied him thoroughly. These paintings were created by him at different times; the last one was made over seven hundred million years ago. Dao Monarch Shan Wu is still alive to this day... He even appeared in our universe once over three million years ago. Perhaps one day he will reappear and leave a thirty-fourth painting on the mountain." Meng Chuan nodded. Eighth-Tribulation Realm mighty figures, though not truly eternal, can completely transcend the River of Time, allowing them to easily exist in different time periods and even different universes. Meng Chuan found himself quite envious at the thought. Dao Monarch Shan Wu appeared once over three million years ago; perhaps his next appearance will be hundreds of millions of years from now.

"Currently, there are eleven other cultivators observing the Sacred Painting Mountain here," Master Poison Gaze said with a faint smile. "When cultivating here, please do not disturb other cultivators, and do not venture beyond the million-*li* radius. Otherwise, there are no other restrictions." "I will bear all that in mind," Meng Chuan replied.

Master Poison Gaze nodded with a smile and flew off into the distance, entering a cave dwelling that spanned two or three *li*. He, too, had been comprehending here long-term. Meng Chuan did not rush to set up his own cave dwelling, choosing instead to first observe the Sacred Painting Mountain.

"First, a rough look." Although Meng Chuan had felt a suffocating pressure from his initial overall glance, he was still drawn to one of the paintings. "The painting with the Primordial Chaos Hole as its core." Meng Chuan gazed at this particular painting; the Primordial Chaos Hole lineage was also what he had comprehended the most.

This 'Primordial Chaos Hole Painting' spanned over eight thousand *li*. The artwork was incredibly intricate, with every brushstroke clearly visible. Although it was painted on the flat surface of the mountain wall, Meng Chuan perceived different spatial layers. He was now capable of sensing all spatial dimensions, and this painting influenced all of them, making it a profound artwork with a multi-layered structure. From a spatial perspective, it felt as though he was witnessing a true dark primordial chaos hole, ceaselessly rotating and devouring. When viewed from a flat perspective, however, it appeared as countless dark, cold brushstrokes, like myriad tadpoles spread across eight thousand *li*, converging towards the center.

"Let's look at the other paintings." Although Meng Chuan felt a strong urge to immediately comprehend it, he did not rush, instead moving on to the next painting. The next painting depicted a pair of enormous eyes, and from the countless brushstrokes, it was evident that Dao Monarch Shan Wu must have painted it for a very long time. Each painting provided Meng Chuan with a powerful stimulus.

Painting offered a different perspective on viewing the world, distinct from the usual comprehension of spacetime operation rules. As someone who also enjoyed painting, Meng Chuan could view the world from an artistic angle and understand some of Dao Monarch Shan Wu's intentions while painting. "Hmm?" "This painting?" Meng Chuan had only given each painting a rough glance, but when he saw the twentieth one, he paused in surprise.

All of Dao Monarch Shan Wu's previous paintings had been incredibly vast and complex, like gazing up at the boundless starry sky, with brushstrokes numbering in the hundreds of millions—which Meng Chuan understood. After all, those paintings contained fundamental rules, some even multiple fundamental rules, and even spacetime rules. They were naturally intricate and profound. However, the twentieth painting before him was remarkably simple. Just six strokes. Six seemingly casual strokes... naturally formed a painting. This painting appeared simple at first glance, but each stroke held infinite profoundness, and the six strokes together derived countless more mysteries. "This painting feels harder to comprehend," Meng Chuan, also a painter, realized. Complex paintings were easier to get into, but this one before him would be much more difficult to understand.

"But this painting should delve deeper into the essence," Meng Chuan thought, scrutinizing it before turning to look at the others. Of the thirty-three paintings, thirty-two were incredibly intricate, with only one simple artwork. These paintings, through their subtle interactions, formed a perfect whole.

"No rush," Meng Chuan murmured. He was not in a hurry. He descended to the base of the Sacred Painting Mountain wall and, with a wave of his hand, set up a simple cave dwelling spanning one or two *li*. This would be his temporary residence for his upcoming cultivation.