Chapter Eighty-Six: An Unexplained Connection! The Mysteries of the World Map of Heaven and Earth

Relying solely on inner strength to imprint the Diagram of Heaven and Earth seems, at this stage, nothing more than a fool’s dream! Zhou Yi pondered deeply. After all, even with a millennium’s worth of inner strength—and despite my golden finger—the odds are grim, and there is simply no possibility of success!

Originally, I believed all this had come to an end, put aside, waiting…

But! Zhou Yi’s eyes flew open. He hadn’t expected that, quite unintentionally, he would break through to the realm of the Celestial, and so soon after having just reached the innate stage.

And, astonishingly, upon this breakthrough, he had already reached the pinnacle of the Celestial realm! Zhou Yi could not have foreseen how things would unfold to this point.

Yet these details were insignificant. What mattered was the harvest he reaped after breaking through—the gains that allowed him to revisit what he once had to shelve!

Human strength is finite, Zhou Yi mused. And the Diagram of Heaven and Earth, as it stands now, seems to have surpassed the very concept of martial arts; relying on inner strength alone is exhausting.

But now, I can command the power of heaven and earth!

Compared to inner strength, the power of heaven and earth is on a whole new level. Though my inner strength is refined, and the power of heaven and earth is raw and unrefined—perhaps its quality does not surpass inner strength—yet in sheer quantity, it easily eclipses it beyond measure!

With inner strength, I cannot imprint too many Diagrams, for the numbers are insufficient. But with the power of heaven and earth, this problem vanishes—within a range of a thousand meters, the power at my disposal is more than enough!

This was just a notion, so Zhou Yi first visualized in his mind the heaven and earth he could control, directing his spirit to command all its power. He then pictured the Diagram of Heaven and Earth, guiding the power to fuse into it.

Because both belong to the same essence, the power of heaven and earth—upon entering the Diagram—found its place naturally, each segment locating its position and etching its own line.

With this initial guidance, everything else proceeded without Zhou Yi’s intervention; the power entered the diagram of its own accord, quickly completing it in full.

As the Diagram became whole, the sphere outside immediately transformed into a beam of light, forming an illusory painting suspended before Zhou Yi.

Mountains and rivers, flowers and trees—all appeared vividly alive within the painting, as if they had come to life, stunning Mo Hu and his companions into a daze. They were entranced, absorbing the aura of heaven and earth emanating from the picture!

Blade, come! Zhou Yi shouted, his right hand grasping at the air. Instantly, the familiar long blade, which had appeared countless times before, materialized in his hand.

Come! Zhou Yi spoke softly.

The floating Diagram responded, vanishing from its place and appearing as a beam of light beside Zhou Yi.

He seized the scroll and pressed it against the blade.

Boom!

The blade flashed red, its brilliance soaring skyward and disappearing in an instant. A pattern reminiscent of childish scribbles appeared on its surface.

Buzz!

The Diagram of Heaven and Earth successfully imprinted onto the blade, instantly amplifying its power. Zhou Yi was well aware, and without further inspection, he reached out with his left hand—another sphere appeared.

In his mind, his thoughts moved with practiced ease, manipulating the power of heaven and earth, his spirit merging with it, manifesting the Diagram once again. The power surged in.

With the second Diagram now present, and boundless power flowing into it, Zhou Yi—watching everything—immediately noticed a change.

Each line was as before, but the Diagram now absorbed much more power. Zhou Yi looked closely and found a mysterious connection linking this newly formed Diagram to the one already etched on the blade.

The extra power absorbed was dedicated to maintaining this mysterious link. Through careful observation, Zhou Yi gradually understood its purpose.

This connection was the reason the Diagrams could be stacked, their power multiplied!

In truth, the amount of power required to solidify each Diagram was the same.

But if, say, there were ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand Diagrams without this connection—their combined power could only match the increase of a single Diagram!

Because they lacked this link!

The reason so much power was needed to maintain it was precisely its importance—it unified and solidified all the Diagrams, like a formula: only one plus one equals two; one and one, if unconnected, remain just one!

This mysterious link was that formula. To stack more Diagrams, to wield greater force, strengthening this connection’s endurance is essential!

So that’s how it is! Zhou Yi exhaled deeply, feeling a strange sense of relief. The Diagram of Heaven and Earth was his pillar, but until now, he had known it without understanding its nature. Only after discovering this mysterious link and studying it did he finally achieve true comprehension.

Boom!

With clarity, Zhou Yi acted now without hesitation, moving with practiced fluency. Sphere after sphere appeared in his hand, each manifesting a Diagram.

With a grab and a press, he affixed each newly formed Diagram onto the blade.

The blade grew heavier and heavier, the patterns on its surface thickening, exuding a profound, mysterious aura. Though the lines were simple, they seemed to contain the entirety of heaven and earth.

Whew! Gradually, Zhou Yi stacked up to the eighth Diagram. Holding the ninth, his body began to tremble, an immense resistance surging through him, causing sweat—previously vanished—to suddenly reappear.

It seems nothing can be accomplished simply! Zhou Yi sighed inwardly. Stacking the first eight Diagrams was manageable; with the ninth, he noticed real difficulty.

First, after the eighth Diagram, the blade grew many times heavier when the ninth appeared, due to the mysterious link.

So much heavier—in fact, Zhou Yi was drenched in sweat, barely able to grip the hilt with all his strength, nearing his limit.

And when he reached for the ninth Diagram, the weight surged again. Had he not sensed danger and instantly channeled all accumulated energy into his body, he would have been crushed by this abrupt increase!