4660 The Difficulty of Merging the Daos
Hong Dong Chuan was a straightforward person. After learning about Duan Ling Tian’s intention, he readily accepted Duan Ling Tian’s challenge. He even agreed to boost Duan Ling Tian’s fame by accepting the challenge. They quickly decided on a date to fight, which would be six months later. They would fight on the Towering Heaven Peak, the highest peak near the capital of the Surging River Divine Kingdom. Apart from that, the Hong clan would also spread the word about the fight immediately.

Similar to Hong Wu Zhi, Hong Dong Chuan had already guessed Duan Ling Tian’s background and purpose. He speculated that Duan Ling Tian’s purpose of becoming famous was to gather his family and friends who were scattered throughout the Divine Land.

Hong Dong Chuan asked bluntly, “Brother Ling Tian, you must have come from the world created by the Life Creation Chart, right?”

Duan Ling Tian was surprised by these words. He did not expect the other party to guess his origin so accurately. After a moment, he asked Hong Dong Chuan how Hong Dong Chuan had figured it out.

Duan Ling Tian did not intend to hide his origin because he did not think it was necessary. In his opinion, the powerhouses in the Divine Land seemed to be quite righteous, even if it was only superficial. After all, the powerhouses of the Divine Land hunted down the owner of the Life Creation Chart after they found out the other party had created a new world using the chart and cultivated the forbidden sacrificial Dao with the intention of sacrificing the lives in the world created by the chart to grow stronger, drawing the ire of heaven and mortals alike.

“If there were only you, I wouldn’t have suspected anything. However, there was also the sudden appearance of Zhao An Yi, the Azure Cloud Elder, in the Surging River Divine Kingdom. With the sudden appearance of two powerhouses who seemingly appeared out of thin air, I began to speculate and made the connections between the two of you. Originally, the strongest people in the two provinces were only level-six Dao Establishment powerhouses. It’s only natural for people to speculate when two powerhouses at and above the seventh level appear. Although there are many powerhouses who keep a low profile, many of them continue to keep a low profile. The fact that both of you appeared consecutively was naturally suspicious,” Hong Dong Chuan explained, “I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s able to guess it. I’m sure many powerhouses at or above the seventh Dao Establishment stage have also guessed it, and most of them are eager to meet you. Even if you don’t come to the capital, it won’t be long before someone visits you at the Duan Residence in the Distinct Province.”

After hearing this, Duan Ling Tian also realized the extent of his fame and that he had caught the attention of many powerhouses in the Surging River Divine Kingdom. He also figured out the reason why Hong Dong Chuan set the fight for months later and ordered people to spread the word about the fight. Clearly, Hong Dong Chuan was helping him. Initially, he assumed that Hong Dong Chuan wanted to defeat him in front of a large group of people to satisfy his own vanity. After speaking to Hong Dong Chuan, he finally realized that he had misjudged Hong Dong Chuan and misunderstood Hong Dong Chuan’s good intentions.

“Thank you, Brother Hong.”

Duan Ling Tian quickly expressed his gratitude. With the Hong clan spreading the word, the entire Surging River Divine Kingdom would soon find out about the fight that was set to take place in six months. At that time, many people would gather to watch the fight. Not only that, but it was possible that people from outside the kingdom might also come.

“You’re welcome, Brother Ling Tian. By the way, you just arrived so you must not have a place to stay yet, right? I’ll tell Wu Zhi to arrange a place for you and your wives to stay,” Hong Dong Chuan said. He had learned earlier that Duan Ling Tian was accompanied by his two wives.

“Thank you, Brother Hong.”

…

Thanks to Hong Dong Chuan and Hong Wu Zhi’s arrangements, Duan Ling Tian and his wives had a place to settle down in the capital of the Surging River Divine Kingdom.

After making the arrangements, Hong Wu Zhi returned to the Hong Residence and looked for Hong Dong Chuan.

“Ancestor, aren’t you a little too generous with Duan Ling Tian?” Hong Wu Zhi asked, puzzled. Although he knew that Hong Dong Chuan was curious about Duan Ling Tian’s strength, he was confused as to why Hong Dong Chuan was so generous.

“You should know that I have very keen senses, especially after comprehending the Dao. His comprehension of the Sword Dao is very profound, and it’s not any weaker than my Saber Dao. Most importantly, I’m sure he has comprehended at least another Dao to the seventh stage. Do you know what that means?”

Hong Wu Zhi inhaled sharply upon hearing these words. “H-how’s that possible?!”

Comprehending one Dao to the seventh stage was already very challenging. It was even more challenging to comprehend another Dao to the seventh stage.

Hong Dong Chuan was not only skilled in the Saber Dao, but he was also skilled in several other Daos. However, among these Daos, the strongest was only at the sixth stage. It was difficult to comprehend the second Dao to the seventh stage due to the suppression from his main Dao, which was the Saber Dao. Under the suppression of the Saber Dao at the eighth stage, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven to comprehend the other Daos to the seventh stage.

Based on Hong Wu Zhi’s knowledge, currently, in the Surging River Divine Kingdom, there were only a few people who had successfully comprehended a second Dao to the seventh stage. These people were naturally among the strongest people in the Surging River Divine Kingdom and were considered almost peerless. Among these people, one of them not only had a profound comprehension of two Daos, but he had also begun to merge his Daos.

To merge the Daos, one had to comprehend two Daos to the seventh stage. The second step was to further comprehend the two Daos to the ninth stage. After that, one would be able to merge the two Daos to create a completely new Dao. Based on this, one could tell how difficult it was to merge the Daos.

“He has already passed the first condition to merge the Daos,” Hong Dong Chuan said, “There’s no harm in befriending such a person. It’ll only be beneficial to me and the Hong clan…”

Hong Wu Zhi did not doubt Hong Dong Chuan’s words. He knew that Hong Dong Chuan was cautious and proud. Hong Dong Chuan would not treat Duan Ling Tian so well for no good reason. If Duan Ling Tian was not extraordinary, Hong Dong Chuan would not have deigned to become Duan Ling Tian’s ‘stepping stone’ in Duan Ling Tian’s bid for fame.

…

Meanwhile, Ke’er and Huan’er were quite surprised when they heard about Duan Ling Tian’s time in the Hong clan.

“The Hong clan’s Hong Dong Chuan is so helpful? He actually took the initiative to help you spread your name?” Ke’er asked. She was puzzled and skeptical about the other party’s kindness.

Duan Ling Tian had also thought about the reason behind Hong Dong Chuan’s generosity. He knew that Hong Dong Chuan likely wanted to build a good relationship with him because Hong Dong Chuan could sense his power. However, not many people would go to the extent of becoming a stepping stone for another person. Nonetheless, regardless of the reason, he had no intention of refusing Hong Dong Chuan’s goodwill.