The evolution of the Great Dao's power was wondrous beyond measure. Deep within the Endless River, the yellow and blue hues were gradually replaced by a five-colored radiance—gold for Metal, azure for Wood, water-blue for Water, flame-red for Fire, and earth-yellow for Earth!
The five colors intertwined, making the interior of this vast river all the more vibrant and varied.
Chaos split into Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang transformed into the Five Elements.
The Dao of Yin and Yang could be encompassed as a single Great Dao, or subdivided into two. The Dao of the Five Elements was the same—broken down further, it comprised five separate Daos. Cultivators always had their own particular emphasis during their practice.
Yet for any human cultivator, Yin and Yang and the Five Elements were the foundation of all Great Daos. Once one's cultivation reached the Emperor Realm and condensed their own Dao Seal, they needed to refine seven types of resources: Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. By absorbing the power within those resources for their own use, they would continue building the capital needed to create a world within their own bodies.
A towering edifice must rise from level ground—Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were of paramount importance.
Thus, regardless of which Great Dao a human cultivator pursued, they would have at least some familiarity with the Dao of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. The only difference lay in the depth of their attainment.
Take Yang Kai himself as an example. Even without the myriad gains he had made within the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, he would still have had some attainment in the Dao of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements—albeit shallow.
Now, his Dao of Yin and Yang was approaching the eighth level, and his Dao of the Five Elements was bound to undergo a transformation here as well.
Dense, pure, and primordial power of the Five Elements Dao circulated around him. Yang Kai did not rush to absorb and refine it. Instead, he sat quietly, experiencing and comprehending.
After a while, he opened his eyes and slowly shook his head.
His attainment in the Dao of the Five Elements was not high. At this moment, he could only perceive how the Five Elements powers surrounding him restrained and generated one another in endlessly shifting cycles. Anything beyond that was beyond his ability to grasp.
He was not discouraged. For now, improving his own Dao attainment was the priority.
Having reached this place, he was feeling a renewed sense of pressure. The washing of Great Dao powers from all sides made the Space-Time River that had been swirling around him and Lei Ying grow violently unstable—a clear sign that his attainment in the Dao of the Five Elements was insufficient.
Just as before, he opened the gates of his Small Universe and greedily absorbed and refined the Great Dao power in this place.
Five Elements Dao Marks within his Void World began to rapidly accumulate.
This reminded him of the situation within the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon—somewhat similar, yet different. Back in the Celestial Phenomenon, he had needed to actively chase down and capture each river of the Great Dao, a laborious and mentally taxing process. Here, however, it was entirely different. He merely needed to devour.
As the Five Elements Dao Marks continued to increase, within the Void Academy, several Disciples suddenly experienced insights and hastily entered seclusion to cultivate...
He did not know how much time had passed before Yang Kai once again felt a bottleneck. The Five Elements Dao Marks within his Small Universe could no longer increase, and the absorbed Great Dao power could not be refined.
After a brief internal survey, he found that his attainment in the Dao of the Five Elements was now roughly on par with his Dao of Yin and Yang—both at the peak of the seventh level.
Sure enough, the eighth level represented a boundary within the Dao, not so easily breached.
Following the same method as before, Yang Kai carved out a separate region within his Small Universe and sealed away the absorbed Five Elements Dao power within it, to be used later.
Just as he had previously considered, the sealed Yin and Yang Dao power could be given to Qu Huashang and Tao Lingwan. If he found himself with no use for this Five Elements Dao power, he could distribute it to other human powerhouses as well.
The human race had gained quite a number of powerful cultivators of late. However, although these newly advanced Open Heaven realm masters possessed considerable strength, when compared to the veteran Eighth-Order cultivators, they were still lacking in accumulated depth—particularly in terms of Dao attainment.
Most of the veteran Eighth-Order cultivators had already reached the limits of their martial Dao, unable to elevate their realm any further. But the accumulation of years could better aid them in deepening their comprehension of the Dao.
The newly advanced Open Heaven masters, after all, had not cultivated for very long. Those talented individuals who had leapt directly to the Seventh Order especially had started high and advanced quickly in cultivation, but their comprehension of the Dao might not necessarily keep pace with their growth in strength.
Many things required time to polish and refine.
Bringing this Five Elements Dao power back out would undoubtedly benefit a great many human cultivators.
And as Yang Kai's attainment in the Dao of the Five Elements continued to rise, the pressure he bore grew ever lighter.
Within his Small Universe, once he had sealed away a sufficient quantity of Five Elements Dao power, Yang Kai finally ceased and continued his descent.
At this point, Lei Ying suddenly spoke: "As you said—Chaos split into Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang transformed into the Five Elements. Then what comes next is the Five Elements giving rise to the Ten Thousand Daos?"
Yang Kai nodded. "That should be it."
Lei Ying trembled with shock. "Why does such a wondrous evolution exist within the Endless River?"
This was not merely an evolution of the Great Dao—it was a transformation of Heaven and Earth itself. This unfolding of Great Dao power was like presenting the world's emergence from primordial Chaos in its entirety.
Perhaps, in the distant age of Chaos, the vast expanse of Heaven and Earth had been born in precisely this manner.
Yang Kai had a vague suspicion, but dared not be certain.
One man and one demon continued their descent, and the evolution of the surrounding Great Dao power unfolded exactly as Lei Ying had described. Amidst the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements, the power of the Ten Thousand Daos began to emerge.
The further down they went, the more dazzling and varied the river's colors became. Countless ribbons of different hues converged within the depths of this great river, gathering into powerful undercurrents surging through the waters.