Chapter 2095: First Sequence

"Disaster is imminent?" Zhang Xuan was utterly incredulous.

At most, the Temple wanted to kill him, but how could that be "disaster is imminent"?

"Exactly!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Master Kong's eyes flashed. "You should possess a part of the Heavenly Dao within you!"

"You..." Zhang Xuan was startled.

This was his most closely guarded secret. First, the Temple leader detected it today, and now Master Kong had articulated it so precisely, as if his greatest secret was completely exposed to the world. He couldn't help but frown.

"You're wondering how I knew?"

Seeing his expression, Master Kong smiled. "Don't be nervous! Actually... like you, I also obtained a part of the Heavenly Dao!"

"Master Kong also obtained the Library..."

When he learned of Master Kong's experiences on the Master Teacher Continent, Zhang Xuan had speculated whether the other party, like himself, had also acquired another library, which would explain why Master Kong could cultivate perfect Heavenly Dao cultivation techniques and progress faster than him.

"A library?"

Master Kong paused, surprised. "No, I obtained the Heavenly Dao's temporal and spatial abilities; in other words, the Heavenly Dao of Order!"

"The Heavenly Dao of Order?"

"All things in the universe, the grand Dao of heaven and earth, reach their peak and then decline, like the sun at noon or the full moon. As long as there is life, there must be order, and time and space are its most fundamental necessities, the most basic order," Master Kong nodded.

For life to survive, space and time are essential. These are the primary laws, the first sequence, for constructing the entire world.

No wonder the artifact Master Kong created, the Spring and Autumn Annals, contained both time and space laws. It could even form a special cultivation area within the Library, which seemed related to his "Heavenly Dao of Order."

With time and space, everything becomes orderly, allowing for natural development without chaos.

Without these two, it would merely be chaos!

Previously, seeing Kong Shiyao's bloodline ability—"a single word forms rules, all laws follow"—Zhang Xuan had always wondered what Master Kong had comprehended. Now he understood.

So that's it!

It was because of order that the Master Teacher Pavilion was founded, a place to regulate and teach order.

This allowed humanity to develop in an orderly fashion. After tens of thousands of years of persistence, even the powerful Spirit Devourer race, abandoned by the gods, found it difficult to surpass them.

"With order, there are rules, and only then can one cultivate better!" Seeing that he understood, Master Kong nodded, then looked at him with a puzzled expression. "The part of the Heavenly Dao you obtained... isn't it the Heavenly Dao of Order? It's a library? What kind of library?"

Although he understood that Master Kong, like himself, possessed a part of the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao was vast and profound, and he didn't know which specific part it was.

"Oh, what I obtained... although I call it a library, if I'm not mistaken, it should be... the Heavenly Dao of Defects!"

After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan nodded.

When he first activated the Library, a voice appeared in his mind: *Heavenly Dao of Defects!*

It was precisely because of this ability that the Library could identify the flaws in all things and find the correct path, accompanying him on his journey until today.

"The Heavenly Dao of Order, the Heavenly Dao of Defects..."

Master Kong suddenly understood. "So that's it!"

"Master Kong just said that disaster is imminent for me, that I don't have long to live... Is it related to the Library?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Exactly!" Master Kong nodded. "Obtaining a part of the Heavenly Dao is a tremendous opportunity and something cultivators desire most. However... have you considered that using it for too long might lead to the Heavenly Dao invading you, eventually making you a part of it?"

Zhang Xuan froze.

He had never considered such a thing.

However, the longer he cultivated, the more he indeed found himself increasingly dependent on the Library. As of now, without Heavenly Dao cultivation techniques, he wouldn't even know how to cultivate!

Could this be the Heavenly Dao's invasion?

"It's only natural that everything has a cause and effect. While obtaining a part of the Heavenly Dao allows for rapid cultivation advancement and explosive increases in strength, there must certainly be corresponding drawbacks! If I'm not mistaken, you also cultivate Heavenly Dao techniques, don't you?"

Master Kong looked over, his gaze serious. "Have you noticed, upon reaching the peak of Immortal Monarch, that a dark, black gas has always been hidden within your body? That heavenly flames, lightning, or even immortal energy cannot remove it?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Yes! Is that... the thing you mentioned in your will on the Master Teacher Continent, hidden within the prenatal toxin?"

Back then, after using heavenly flames to burn away the innate prenatal toxin, a dark gas remained within his body that couldn't be expelled, no matter how much he tried to refine it.

He had initially been somewhat worried, but since it hadn't caused any anomalies or changes in his body, he gradually put his mind at ease and stopped paying attention to it.

Now, at Master Kong's mention, he immediately recalled it.

It seemed that the will he left on the Master Teacher Continent had indeed specifically warned him about it, though it hadn't elaborated further.

Master Kong said with a solemn expression, "Exactly. Now, take a look and see what's different about this black gas compared to when you first noticed it."

"Different?"

Zhang Xuan inwardly examined his body and looked closely. A moment later, his body stiffened. "It seems... its volume is larger than before, and it's no longer dark black, but... hazy gray!"

The previous gas, only about the length of a finger, was too tiny and he hadn't observed it very carefully, so he perceived it as black. Now, it had nearly doubled in size, swirling within his body like a small snake, and its color was clearly visible: a hazy gray, like morning mist.

"Yes, that's the color!" Master Kong nodded. "Have you noticed anything unusual about it?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

This substance had been in his body for a long time, and he had never understood what it truly was, so he naturally hadn't noticed anything unusual. In any case, it had no effect on his cultivation or the flow of his vital energy, nor did he feel it caused any harm to his body.

"Try using your 'Heavenly Dao of Defects' ability... Make sure to concentrate and pay attention to this gray gas!" Master Kong instructed.

"This... alright!" After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan looked up at the formation Master Kong had just set up, while inwardly calling out, "Flaws!"

The Library vibrated, and a book appeared, detailing the advantages and disadvantages of the formation.

With a quick glance, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but marvel.

This individual's understanding of formations was indeed formidable. A casually set up formation had reached the Heavenly Dao level, utterly flawless. Even he, in his current state, couldn't achieve that.

"How is it? Now check if there's any change in the gas..." Master Kong prompted.

Zhang Xuan hurriedly looked at the gas, frowning. "No change... Wait, it seems to have increased slightly, becoming a bit stronger..."

The gray gas in his vision had increased by a faint trace after he used the Library just now. Although it was so minuscule as to be almost imperceptible, with his current strength, he could still sense something was amiss.

"Precisely, it should have increased..." Master Kong nodded. "Every time you use the Heavenly Dao of Defects, a trace of this energy will be produced, causing it to gradually grow!"

Zhang Xuan was stunned. "Why didn't I notice this before?"

If this were true, why hadn't he detected it earlier?

With his cultivation level, he was intimately aware of even the slightest changes in his body. Under normal circumstances, he should have been able to discover it.

Master Kong explained, "The martial arts and artifacts on the Master Teacher Continent are quite weak. Even when using the Heavenly Dao of Defects ability, not much gray gas would be produced. However... it's different here. As the level of objects increases, the side effects will also become greater! It was normal not to notice it before, but... once you encounter pseudo-gods, or even enter the God Realm, the side effects will become prominent!"

It's like a horse pulling a cart; pulling an empty cart doesn't feel like much and causes few side effects, but the heavier the cart, the faster its strength is naturally depleted.

Any treasure from the Firmament is far more sophisticated than anything on the Master Teacher Continent. Using the Library to appraise them requires greater energy, and consequently, the gray gas produced naturally increases.

"This... gray gas, is it fatal?"

Zhang Xuan stiffened.

"Being fatal wouldn't be so bad!" Master Kong shook his head with a bitter smile. "What I fear is that this substance will accumulate more and more within your body, and because it cannot be expelled, over time it will replace you, ultimately turning you into a part of the Heavenly Dao, causing you to lose your self-awareness!"

Zhang Xuan's body went rigid.

What exactly was this gray gas? He hadn't cared before, but hearing Master Kong's explanation now, it truly seemed possible!

This substance couldn't be expelled, and as time passed, it would definitely accumulate more and more within his body. Eventually, it would cause his entire being to merge with the Library, ultimately transforming him into a Heavenly Dao devoid of emotion and consciousness.

If that really happened, how would it be any different from dying?

"Could it be, Master Kong, you..."

He quickly looked over.

This person before him, like himself, possessed a part of the Heavenly Dao—the so-called Heavenly Dao of Order. If so, would Master Kong also be troubled by this gray gas, unable to expel it?

"Indeed, I was once like you, unable to expel it, and nearly lost my self-awareness... Fortunately, I discovered it in advance and have successfully resolved it!"

Master Kong nodded.

"Resolved?"

Zhang Xuan bowed and cupped his fists. "Please, Master Kong, tell me the solution. If this hidden danger can be resolved, Zhang Xuan will be eternally grateful!"

The Library's ability was good; it allowed him to cultivate faster and become stronger in combat. But if it meant losing his life, he would do anything to resolve it!

It seemed that before completely resolving the gray gas issue, he shouldn't use the Library for the time being.

"It's quite simple!"

Master Kong looked at him. "It depends on whether you are willing to let go, whether you can bear to part with it!"

"As long as the hidden danger can be resolved, I am willing to do anything!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"That's good. In fact, to put it plainly, it's not difficult... The main reason the gray gas is produced is because, as a human, you've gained control over the Heavenly Dao, which violates its rules!"

Master Kong narrowed his eyes. "As long as you strip this thing—this 'Library' you speak of—from your body, you will naturally no longer have to worry about your life!"