Master of Strange Dao

Now we had been stable for long enough, yet the calamity was bound to come. Its arrival concerned whether the Feng and Yin Two Families could continue their legacy.

I was going to break through, I felt I couldn't wait any longer."

"How many layers have you cultivated?" Yin Busan asked after a long silence.

"The Eighth Layer."

On Feng Buju's body, forehead, back of the head, chest, abdomen, back, lower back, and both shoulders, each appeared a rune, totaling eight.

Seeing Feng Buju's appearance, Yin Busan was somewhat surprised; he shook his head with a bitter smile.

"I've only cultivated the Sixth Layer. No wonder the former Family Head of the Feng family said that letting you assume the position was harming you by making you bear too much. If you hadn't taken up the Family Head position, by now you might already be preparing for the third calamity."

"There was no such harm. That was my own choice; no one forced me to be the Family Head." Feng Buju smiled without any regret.

The so-called "layer" was the term used by the Feng and Yin Two Families.

Even if they were to die, as long as it didn't affect the legacy of the Feng and Yin Two Families or lead them to extinction, they would never break through to the Ninth Tier.

To be perfect meant starting the process from fullness to deficiency, and secondly, they feared the trials of calamity might affect the family.

What they sought was absolute stability, merely to continue, never intending to become the strongest.

Eighth-Tier Peak was the most suitable state.

But upon reaching the Eighth-Tier Peak, many things couldn't be changed by human thought.

They began to seal their powers, cultivating afresh to reach the Eighth-Tier Peak once more, then sealing again.

The eight runes on Feng Buju represented that he had sealed himself a full eight times, yet his power still remained at the Eighth-Tier Peak.

This meant he had started from zero to reach the Eighth-Tier Peak a total of nine times.

And sealing himself eight times was indeed the limit for Feng Buju.

When Yin Busan saw those eight runes, he understood why Feng Buju did not want to wait any longer.

He couldn't wait.

Both external and internal factors had come together, as said in the ancestral teachings, a forced breakthrough must occur to seek a chance of survival.

Yin Busan did not try to dissuade him further, raising his head to look at the moon in the sky.

Tonight, the full moon hung bright like a plate.

"No matter how you obstruct, no matter how you delay with all your effort, the full moon's arrival cannot be prevented."

"Indeed, the ebb and flow of the tide, the waxing and waning of the moon, are the ultimate truths of heaven and earth, beyond human alteration."

Feng Buju sighed softly.

"Now, aside from us, only Jinlan Mountain knows about this.

Last time, I felt things were getting complicated, not expecting them to be even more complicated than I thought."

"Have you informed them?"

"We have no choice; currently, besides the Three Divine Dynasties, with the potential for significant change, there is only Jinlan Mountain that doesn't belong to the Three Divine Dynasties.

Don't say you didn't know; all sects, all families that have developed to a certain extent have intricate ties with the Three Divine Dynasties, including our two families. Those without ties simply haven't developed enough.

The events of the Abyss last time proved my suspicions, ultimately leading to a direct connection with Jinlan Mountain.

Now, no one can remain unscathed. Those who can, either live isolated lives in solitary cultivation or are too weak.

We cannot avoid it, nor can Jinlan Mountain. They have already been targeted, and naturally, they won't be abandoned, just like our two families."

"Are you betting on them?" Yin Busan asked in a deep voice.

"Though not betting, consider it like that if you wish."

"Did you not consider a retreat?"

"Busan, in some ways, you indeed can't compare to Busi. At least Busi understands that although we focus on family legacy and stability, some times leave no room for retreat, requiring bold advancement to find a way out. Considering retreat from the start leaves no path as there was never a path to begin with."

Feng Buju's eyes carried a hint of sharpness, his words were practically a reprimand for Yin Busan.

Hearing this, Yin Busan stood up immediately and bowed.

"Thank you for the lesson, I understand."

"I am preparing to find an appropriate opportunity for a breakthrough soon. You too should choose your timing, but I suggest you do it quickly. Moreover, try to prepare more Dao-protecting measures, as harmony has already begun to break."

"I understand, I will break through soon too."

"Let's go."

Feng Buju stood up, and with a grasp in the void, the surrounding scenery and all traces remaining here were caught in his hand and sealed into a Jade Scroll.

After doing this, no one would know what they had discussed here.

...

Jinlan Mountain, Yu Ziqing walked out from the Eight-direction Sand Sea Array, shaking his head with some regret.

The Despair Abyss of Cece was nearly about to fully integrate the Eight-direction Sand Sea Array, staying there as the entry to the earth cage left a thousand miles outside Dali's Imperial City, yet still, no one had come.

Failing to fish made his mood quite bad.

Climbing up from the cliff abyss, Yu Ziqing brought a chair, sat while drinking tea, while Cece pulled out an imprisoned Devil Thought, bound it with chains, placing it beside them, allowing the Devil Thought to confess their affairs itself.