Chapter 710: Painting the World (Makeup for First Update)

His primal spirit transformed into a scroll, depicting streams of water circling the core of primal chaos.

Early painting captured the 'form, spirit, and essence' of its subject. Painting isn't merely copying reality; instead, it's about extracting external features, intrinsic charm, and the artist's personal insights, then integrating them into a cohesive whole. A painting, while originating from reality, ultimately transcends it.

Cultivation follows the same principle. As a cultivator, Meng Chuan observes the workings of the heavens and earth, comprehending everything in the universe. This is akin to painting with his heart, extracting his 'personal understanding' from all phenomena and refining these insights into fundamental rules.

"My cultivation path is also a path of painting," Meng Chuan realized. "Initially, I depicted the heavens and earth; now, I illustrate all things in the universe. To this day, I have only managed to paint space and primal chaos." His true path wasn't *Immovable Rock and Flowing Water*, nor was it about remaining internally indestructible while externally adapting to change. Instead, it was painting — painting the world.

*Immovable Rock and Flowing Water* was merely the outcome of seven thousand years spent painting the world. What if it had been seventy thousand years, or even longer? The resulting creations would be far more vast and splendid.

"I'll call my primal spirit technique 'Painting the World'," Meng Chuan said with a smile. 'Painting the World' would depict everything he perceived. In his youth, he had painted *Faces of All Beings*; after the victory in the Cangyuan Realm war, he had painted *The Backbone*. Throughout his growth, he would continue to create a succession of paintings.

Following the transformation of his primal spirit, Meng Chuan found it to be exceptionally clear. While he might still harbor many uncertainties about the universe and all its phenomena, he no longer had any doubts about his own cultivation path. His mind and will had also undergone a profound transformation. Compared to the 'Primal Chaos Primal Spirit' he had previously comprehended, the current 'Scroll Primal Spirit' appeared non-aggressive but was far more inclusive and immense.

The primal spirit world is as vast as one's heart. After solidifying the Scroll Primal Spirit, Meng Chuan's mind became significantly more expansive and profound.

Having created his primal spirit technique, Meng Chuan had achieved his most crucial objective before transcending the tribulation. Within the Cangyuan Realm, he leisurely perused the tomes on the *Three Thousand Illusory Formations*. The *Three Thousand Illusory Formations* demanded extensive time for slow comprehension and deliberation; even an Eight-Tribulation Realm mighty figure would find it difficult to fully decipher them. Meng Chuan was in no hurry.

Time flowed like water. It was the seventy-ninth year since Meng Chuan had mastered the primal chaos rules.

On Yuanchu Mountain, in a pavilion within a separate courtyard, Meng Chuan sat idly, a black book in his hand. Suddenly, he looked up, his gaze transcending space and time, settling on an ancient star in a distant river domain.

"My grandson truly possesses a good deal of fortune," Meng Chuan said with a smile. His true body back home possessed the exotic treasure 'Space-Time Token,' the composite secret treasure 'Silver Cube,' and numerous other artifacts left by Ancestor Cangyuan. Monitoring any part of space-time or instantly dispatching a primal spirit avatar across vast distances was effortless for him.

In the Zhou Tian River Domain, specifically the Seven Star Galaxy, on an unnamed, ancient star, the void distorted, and five figures emerged, each with a distinct aura. The weakest among them was a black-clad youth, Meng Yu, who was only at the Three-Tribulation Realm. The other four were all at the Four-Tribulation Realm.

"Everyone, let's part ways here," Meng Yu said with a smile, joy clearly visible in his eyes. Their gains this time were truly immense.

"Brother Meng, I owe you a favor for this," a stout elder said. "You must visit me often in the future."

"Absolutely," Meng Yu replied with enthusiasm.

"Let's leave quickly, before anything changes," a purple-robed middle-aged man beside him urged, attempting a short-range spatial shift to depart. He was quite adept with spatial techniques, but this time, his attempt failed. The purple-robed man's expression changed instantly: "This is bad."

The other Tribulation Realm cultivators, including Meng Yu, immediately sensed trouble. However, the strongest among them were only at the Four-Tribulation Realm. While some had one or two 'Void Teleportation Talismans' hidden in their home worlds, their true bodies operating in the outer domains did not carry them. When acting in the outer domains, their true bodies were prepared to be expendable; reconstructing a physical body was a minor issue, while Void Teleportation Talismans were far more difficult to acquire. This time, however, all five of them would have gladly sacrificed a Void Teleportation Talisman for a chance to escape.

"Hahaha..." A deep laugh accompanied his appearance. A figure clad in battle armor appeared, his aura enveloping the entire ancient star. The terrifying presence sent a chill through Meng Yu and the other four.

"A Five-Tribulation Realm mighty figure?" Meng Yu and his companions realized the gravity of the situation. Meng Yu, with his exceptional swordsmanship, could contend against Four-Tribulation Realm opponents despite being a tier lower. However, the further one advanced in cultivation, the greater the disparity became. The gap between a Four-Tribulation Realm and a Five-Tribulation Realm cultivator was simply immense! A Five-Tribulation Realm mighty figure could effortlessly crush all five of them, leaving no room for unexpected outcomes.

"I hear you discovered the abode of a Seven-Tribulation Realm mighty figure?" The armored figure's voice echoed across every corner of the star. "Your luck is truly something."

"There's a traitor among us," they realized. Meng Yu and the other four were startled, instantly realizing one of them was a traitor. Their team had explored the ruins without knowing its true nature beforehand. Only after the exploration did they discover, to their surprise, that it was the reclusive abode of a Seven-Tribulation Realm mighty figure. Although the remaining treasures were not numerous, with no Eight-Tribulation Realm secret artifacts, the combined value of the ordinary items used in daily life was enough to make even these ordinary Tribulation Realm cultivators envious. For instance, the most valuable items were nine 'Calming Beads' embedded in the roof of a meditation chamber, each worth approximately ten thousand units. They had been ecstatic. The entire abode contained dozens of treasures, collectively valued at around two hundred thousand units, making all five of them considerably wealthy from this expedition.

Yet, the moment they emerged from the abode, they were ambushed. The attacker even publicly declared it a "Seven-Tribulation Realm abode," a fact no one had known prior to their exploration.

"Don't bother trying to escape; I've already set up a formation," the armored figure said calmly. "As long as you obediently surrender all your treasures, I promise to let you leave safely."

"Scatter and flee!""He's only one. If we scatter, there's a slim chance some of us can escape.""Run!"

Meng Yu and the others scattered without hesitation. Staying together? Not only was there a traitor among them, but even if all five united, they would still be easily overwhelmed by a Five-Tribulation Realm mighty figure. Their only chance was to scatter and flee; after all, there was only one Five-Tribulation Realm mighty figure, and they still held a slim hope of escape. They wouldn't simply surrender. For the sake of their treasures, they would desperately seize any opportunity to flee.

"Most of the treasures I acquired from the abode are cultivation artifacts," Meng Yu thought, choosing a direction and fleeing rapidly, filled with vexation. "That alchemy furnace must be quite valuable, but it's useless for escape. That divine sword, while valuable, offers no hope of contending with a Five-Tribulation Realm opponent."

"If I had earned treasures earlier, I would have already acquired a Void Teleportation Talisman." Meng Yu grew anxious. Void Teleportation Talismans were vital life-saving treasures for ordinary Tribulation Realm cultivators. But he was too poor. Since leaving his home in the Kunyun Secret Realm, he had never had the chance to acquire a Void Teleportation Talisman. His journey had relied entirely on his swordsmanship. His swordsmanship had reached such heights because nearly all his energy was dedicated to *Immeasurable Sword Heart*, the Meng clan's supreme swordsmanship technique. As he cultivated, he increasingly realized how profound this technique, given to him by his grandfather, truly was. At least within the Kunyun Secret Realm, even at the Three-Tribulation Realm, he had yet to encounter a more powerful skill.

"No—" A grey-robed cultivator, while attempting to flee, was the first to be intercepted by the armored figure. The grey-robed man looked up in despair at his attacker. His gains from this expedition amounted to thirty thousand units, several times more than his accumulated wealth over many years. How could he willingly let it be seized?

"Boom!" The armored figure's palm enveloped him, instantly freezing the grey-robed man solid, and his treasures were effortlessly plundered.

"Next," the armored figure said, and with a flicker, he pursued Meng Yu.

Meng Yu transformed into a streak of sword light, and despite the formation's resistance, his escape speed remained incredibly fast. Yet, the armored figure was rapidly closing in. Unaffected by the formation and possessing an immensely high cultivation realm, he covered tens of millions of miles with each stride, steadily gaining on Meng Yu.

"What do I do? What do I do?" Meng Yu panicked.

"I'm in the outer domains, and this rare treasure I've finally obtained is about to be snatched away?" Meng Yu watched as the armored figure drew closer, feeling only powerlessness. The disparity was too vast; he couldn't resist.

"Grandson, do not panic," a familiar voice suddenly resonated in Meng Yu's mind.