Chapter 1264: Zero and One

Everyone looked at the Dao cocoon. Although the Devil Dao Cultivators had already forged a path through it, it still exuded a dangerous aura. So many Devil Dao Cultivators had just failed to penetrate the deepest part of the Dao cocoon, indicating that their own journey would likely be extremely perilous.

Everyone composed themselves. Suddenly, Lord Xi burst out laughing and declared, "Wen Tiange is a loyal and righteous subject, utterly devoted to the Celestial Court! He is an unswerving minister! So, Brother Wen, why don't you lead the way into this great cocoon? What do you say?"

The Woodcutter calmly replied, "Since that is the case, I shall certainly lead the way for all of you!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the Woodcutter's cultivation level wasn't high, his wisdom was extraordinary. Only he could decipher the hidden dangers within Haotianzun's Dao cocoon.

The Woodcutter took the lead, stepping into the opening of the Dao cocoon. He carefully examined the Dao threads on the cocoon, which were filamentous structures formed from the overflowing Dao when Haotianzun was unconscious.

"These Dao threads likely indicate that Haotianzun was too severely injured," the Woodcutter murmured. "His physical body couldn't contain the Heavenly Dao, creating a burden, so it was expelled from his body."

The Woodcutter continued, "From the intricate structure of these Dao thread patterns, the Dao threads are transformations of his Celestial Palace. Different Celestial Palaces form different Dao cocoons. This is the first layer of the Dao cocoon."

Everyone followed him, listening in a fog of confusion.

The Dao threads had formed into cocoons. Many Devil Dao Cultivators had already died here previously, suffering heavy casualties in their attempt to break through the Dao cocoon. The group walked past these bodies. Strangely, these Devil Dao Cultivators had also formed into cocoons, hanging upside down in the passage. The group avoided these bodies. Some of the Devil Dao Cultivators were not yet dead, with Dao threads from the cocoons piercing their bodies, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Heh heh, look at these little Devil Cultivators..." Lü Zheng chuckled.

They hadn't gone much further when they indeed saw the second layer of the Dao cocoon.

The Woodcutter Saint continued his careful examination. The Dao cocoon had been forcibly cut open by the Devil Dao Cultivators, creating a passage directly to its depths.

"According to Haotianzun's cultivation realm, his Dao cocoon should be divided into thirty-five layers," he explained. "However, Haotianzun is the son of the Celestial Emperor and Lady Yuanmu; he is proficient in both the Celestial Emperor's Primordial Qi and Lady Yuanmu's Gui Xu Grand Dao."

He looked at the Devil Dao Cultivators suspended in cocoons in the passage, his expression grave, and whispered, "Primordial Qi is One, and the Gui Xu Grand Dao is Zero. One, Zero, Zero, One... there must be some secret here..."

"Wen Ji, can you actually do this?"

Lord Xi couldn't help himself and shouted, "If we don't move forward soon, and Haotianzun recovers..." He left the sentence unfinished.

Red Emperor Qi Xiayu's eyes flashed, and a shimmering aura overflowed from her body, like a nine-colored phoenix. When the aura dissipated, she had changed her clothes and her face. She wore a circlet on her head, a short-sleeved top, and a black skirt, adorned with various pieces of jewelry. She appeared like a village girl from the Western Lands of the Primordial World, her true appearance completely obscured.

Lord Xi's expression became stern, and he also changed his appearance. After all, he was a Heavenly King of the Celestial Court; if he failed to kill Haotianzun, Haotianzun would surely find an opportunity to eliminate him!

The Woodcutter Saint was still examining the Devil Dao Cultivators hanging in the passage. He suddenly took out a large axe and tried to cut off one of the cocoons entangled with a Devil Dao Cultivator. However, the cocoon was extremely tough; even with all his strength, he couldn't cut it open.

"Let me try!"

Yan Yunxi suppressed her injuries and stepped forward. With a swing of her sword, she sliced the cocoon down. The fine threads within the cocoon, however, began to writhe like tentacles, lunging towards her!

Yan Yunxi was startled. Her sword light flashed, and she heard a rapid, dense clanging sound. The fine threads were incredibly tough, colliding with her precious sword and sparking. Yan Yunxi cut the threads and frowned slightly. Bai Yuqiong had injured her severely. This time, moving her sword aggravated her injuries, and she felt the pain recur. What was strange, however, was that as her sword collided with the fine threads, she vaguely felt some of her vital energy being drained and taken by the threads.

"Zixi, did you feel some of your vital energy draining away?" the Woodcutter asked.

Yan Yunxi nodded and said, "These fine threads are strange."

The Woodcutter Saint said, "Cut open this Devil Dao Cultivator and see if his body is also full of these threads. I have a rather unsettling suspicion that needs to be verified."

"You old geezer! You stinky old man!"

The Devil Dao Cultivator was still not dead. Hearing this, he roared angrily, "Wait until Grandpa gets out and eats you!"

Yan Yunxi swung her sword, cutting open the Devil Dao Cultivator's belly. His belly split open, and what poured out was not internal organs, but countless fine threads! The threads resembled tiny, swimming snakes, raising their heads and lunging towards Yan Yunxi. Yan Yunxi cut the threads. Her frown deepened.

The others also frowned deeply. "These guys' bodies are full of threads. What does this mean?" Niu Sanduo murmured.

"Just as I suspected."

The Woodcutter Saint said, "This is the effect of Zero and One. Haotianzun's Gui Xu Grand Dao is Zero, which devours all things, causing the Dao to cease to exist, and has devoured the energy within these Devil Dao Cultivators! The Primordial Qi is One, transforming from Zero to One, converting the energy of the Devil Dao Cultivators into One! Haotianzun is indeed unconscious, but he is intentionally unconscious!"

Everyone was shocked.

The Woodcutter Saint continued, "He intentionally brought a piece of collapsing void into the Void Realm, allowing it to evolve into the Void Devil Realm! He intends to use the peculiarities of the Void Devil Realm to allow his inner demons to manifest as reality, devour their energy, and heal himself as quickly as possible! He is using the process from Zero to One to heal his Dao injuries. He only needs to devour the Devil Dao Cultivators and then refine these Dao cocoons to recover to his peak state, possibly even stronger than before!"

Everyone's expressions drastically changed. Looking at the deep passage, they all hesitated.

Suddenly, Lord Xi burst out laughing and declared loudly, "Aha, you rebels! You actually tried to harm Haotianzun! I, your humble servant Xi Muhong, am unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness, and I have come specifically to protect him!"

He exuded righteousness, inspiring awe and admiration.

The Woodcutter Saint glanced at him and calmly said, "Haotianzun is still deeply unconscious; he cannot hear your words. If he were awake, not so many Devil Dao Cultivators would have come to their deaths, nor would he have allowed us to reach this point. He could control the thirty-five layers of Dao cocoons to attack us."

Red Emperor Qi Xiayu nodded and said, "These Dao cocoons only retaliate when attacked, which indicates Haotianzun is still asleep."

Lord Xi's expression remained unchanged as he said, "What you two Dao brothers say is true. So, what should we do now?"

His brazenness was truly astonishing.

The Woodcutter Saint said, "Whether we are friends or foes depends on whether there's a possibility of killing Haotianzun. Since that is the case, why don't I go to the center of the Dao cocoon and take a look?"

He took the lead and walked forward. Battle Master Zhuo Cha quickly came to his side and whispered, "I'll protect you. Woodcutter, how much strength do you think Haotianzun has recovered?"

The Woodcutter Saint quietly said, "Forget recovering 'some' strength; even if he recovered half an inch, we would all die if we attacked together. The only advantage now is that Haotianzun is in a coma, which means there's a chance to kill him! You've refined your Divine Heavenly River Treasure, haven't you?"

Battle Master Zhuo Cha nodded and smiled, "No more weaknesses."

The Woodcutter Saint said solemnly, "Among us, your strength is the greatest. Be wary of Lord Xi and the Red Emperor; it's hard to say if there aren't Haotianzun's people among them."

Battle Master Zhuo Cha's heart tensed.

The group passed through layer after layer of Dao cocoons. Suddenly, a vast open space appeared before them, filled with misty Dao light. In this immense space, the light ebbed and flowed like waves. Everyone looked and saw countless threads gathering from all directions within the Dao cocoon, converging on Haotianzun, who was at the center!