"I don't know."
Zhuge Lingjun shook his head.
Although he had been with Daoist Tianlong on Longhu Mountain and they had arrived here together, he didn't know what Daoist Tianlong intended to do.
After leaving the front-line command compound, Daoist Tianlong looked up at the distant Mount Everest and the vast curtain spanning across it. His feet shifted, and he headed towards Mount Everest alone.
Under the morning glow, his feet were wrapped in true qi, like stepping on a pair of true qi wind-fire wheels. He moved at an incredibly fast speed, his entire body like a flashing point of light.
Simultaneously, several drones hovered around Mount Everest, like eagles drifting in the wind.
These were drones dispatched by the Dragon Country's Military Department and the Divine Network, equipped with cameras and monitors to observe the situation of the curtain and detect the strength of the extraterrestrial enemy leaders.
The surveillance footage recorded by the drones was transmitted in real-time to the Divine Network live broadcast. Martial artists from all over the world could watch and understand the battle at Mount Everest through the Divine Network live broadcast platform.
At this moment, the host of the Divine Network live broadcast was in place, along with two experts from the War God Temple.
Perhaps because the extraterrestrial enemies had not yet descended, or perhaps because they knew this battle was fraught with danger, both the host and the experts from the War God Temple remained silent, their expressions extremely serious.
In contrast, martial artists from all over the world were more active, posting comments and expressing their opinions.
"The anomaly at Mount Everest in Dragon Country has been occurring for nearly twelve hours. The extraterrestrial enemies have not yet descended, and we can't even see their figures clearly through the curtain. The situation is not good!"
"Yes, according to past conventions, the stronger and more numerous the extraterrestrial enemies, the longer it takes for them to descend! Even the divine war twelve years ago, it didn't take this long for the extraterrestrial enemies to descend!"
"Is Mount Everest really going to witness the descent of true extraterrestrial Heavenly God realm powerhouses? If that's the case, what are we going to do?!"
...
As the words "Heavenly God realm powerhouse" appeared in the comments, almost all the martial artists in the live broadcast room fell silent. No one continued to comment; everyone looked at the last question with undisguised worry on their faces.
"The monitors on the drones have detected martial arts powerhouses approaching Mount Everest. Someone is going up!"
Just as martial artists worldwide were expressing their worries, the host, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
She had received feedback from the Divine Network's Dragon Country liaison station. The latter, using data from the drone monitors and footage from Mount Everest, had determined that someone was ascending Mount Everest.
Swish, swish, swish...
Upon hearing the host's words, all the viewers in front of the live broadcast screens turned their attention to the screen in unison.
Soon, they saw a figure.
The person was wearing a tattered Taoist robe, gaunt and thin, but stood as steady as a rock in the strong wind!
"It's Daoist Tianlong!"
"I was just thinking, if extraterrestrial Heavenly God realm powerhouses descend, Daoist Tianlong is Earth's only hope!"
"In the battle at Donghai Martial Academy, Daoist Tianlong settled the universe with one battle. Today, as the extraterrestrial army descends, he is the first to ascend Mount Everest alone. It is truly admirable!"
As Daoist Tianlong's figure appeared in the live broadcast, the Divine Network live broadcast room became like a pot of boiling water, instantly erupting.
The worries on the faces of martial artists worldwide receded like a tide, and they excitedly posted comments.
"The extraterrestrial army hasn't truly descended yet, and they aren't even clearly visible in the curtain. What is Daoist Tianlong doing ascending Mount Everest at this time?"
Soon after, someone raised a question.
There was no answer.
At this moment, the gaze of almost all martial artists worldwide was focused on the old man, watching his every move.
Due to the terrifying energy fluctuations caused by the appearance of the curtain, the summit of Mount Everest had broken off, and rocks and ice had piled up to form a small platform.
In the footage, the old man ascended the small platform on Mount Everest, standing at the pinnacle of this planet, with his hands behind his back, squinting his eyes and staring at the black dots within the curtain, as if sensing something.
One minute, ten minutes...
Under the watchful eyes of almost all martial artists worldwide, Daoist Tianlong stood motionlessly before the curtain, like an ice sculpture.
What was he doing?
At this moment, the hearts of almost all martial artists worldwide were filled with confusion, but none could figure it out.
Because, everyone felt that the extraterrestrial enemies had not truly descended, and standing before the curtain, Daoist Tianlong could not kill them through it.
Even if the extraterrestrial enemies were to descend, Daoist Tianlong should not be so close to the curtain, as it would be easy for him to be surrounded and killed by them!
With doubt and confusion, martial artists from all over the world continued to pay attention to Daoist Tianlong's actions.
"According to the feedback from the drone monitors, someone else has ascended Mount Everest!"
Two hours later, Daoist Tianlong was still standing on the platform on Mount Everest. Martial artists from all over the world were still in a daze. The host of the Divine Network live broadcast suddenly spoke.
Who could it be?
Upon hearing the host's words, martial artists from all over the world stirred, immediately shifting their gaze from Daoist Tianlong and searching for another figure in the footage.
Soon, they saw the second person to ascend Mount Everest.
Jiang Wuming!
After Jiang Wuming arrived at the front-line command post below Mount Everest, he learned of his master's request from Qi Wufu and rushed here immediately.
"My God, Dragon Country's Jiang Wuming has also ascended Mount Everest!"
"What are these master and disciple doing?!"
As Jiang Wuming appeared in the footage, the Divine Network live broadcast room erupted again, and the doubts in the hearts of martial artists worldwide grew even stronger.
On the platform of Mount Everest, Jiang Wuming saw the curtain spanning several miles, saw the black dots within the curtain, and felt the terrifying energy fluctuations emanating from it.
All of this left him shocked!
Although he had participated in several battles and seen the curtain more than once, the current curtain exceeded his imagination and sent a shiver down his spine!
With such an exaggerated curtain, how many extraterrestrial enemies would descend?
How powerful would the extraterrestrial enemy leaders be?
"Master."
Jiang Wuming was shocked, but his expression was relatively calm. He soon turned his gaze to the old man standing alone before the curtain.
"Wuming, come here and stand with your master," Daoist Tianlong said without turning his head.
"Okay."
Hearing this, Jiang Wuming immediately stepped forward and stood beside the old man, facing the curtain at a closer distance.
"Are you scared?" Daoist Tianlong asked with a smile.
"I'm not scared, just a little worried," Jiang Wuming said with a wry smile. "Judging by the scale of the current curtain, this war will be very fierce."
Daoist Tianlong did not follow up on this topic. Instead, he asked, "Wuming, what do you think the curtain is?"
"A passage connecting the extraterrestrial world to Earth," Jiang Wuming replied subconsciously.
"That's just the surface. We need to look beyond the surface to see the essence," Daoist Tianlong shook his head.
Essence?
Jiang Wuming pondered seriously and finally shook his head, "Master, I cannot see the essence of the curtain."
"Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. From individuals to worlds, it is all the same. Individuals have principles, companies have regulations, countries have laws, and the world also has rules."
Hearing this, Daoist Tianlong began to explain:
"Our Taoist sect emphasizes that one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. Two represents yin and yang. The alternation of yin and yang is one of the rules of the world.
And... the curtain before us is a loophole in the rules of this world!"
"A loophole in the rules?" Jiang Wuming's heart stirred.
"Yes. Our world's rules have developed a loophole, which the extraterrestrial world has captured, and they have come to this world through the loophole."
Daoist Tianlong nodded, then gave an analogy:
"It's like a hacker in the cyber world using a vulnerability in a user's computer system to invade the user's computer."
"So that's how it is!" Jiang Wuming suddenly realized.
"Everyone believes that to stop or even end the extraterrestrial war, we can only fight the extraterrestrial enemies and defeat them into submission. In reality, this is wrong.
Because the extraterrestrial world is a world more suitable for cultivation than ours. Theoretically, the combat power of Earth's martial artists cannot surpass that of extraterrestrial martial artists.
Unless there are exceptions, like you.
In this case, even if we win the war, it will only be temporary.
Only by repairing the loopholes in the world's rules and closing the passage between the two worlds can the war be ended forever!"
Daoist Tianlong stood shoulder to shoulder with Jiang Wuming, his back to the drone's camera, speaking slowly and progressively revealing the 'essence' in his heart.
"Master, how can we repair the loopholes in the world's rules?" Jiang Wuming's heart stirred. He felt that Daoist Tianlong's theories were peculiar and also made a lot of sense.
"By controlling the rules of this world." Daoist Tianlong provided the answer, then added:
"After martial artists take that step towards the Heavenly God realm, they begin to comprehend rules, integrate the essence of rules into their martial arts, and form their own domains to fight and kill enemies—this is the core of the Heavenly God realm.
Controlling the rules means integrating oneself into the rules of heaven and earth, ultimately representing the will of this world, and being able to use the rules of this world freely and easily."
"Master, according to what you've said, the Heavenly God realm is about comprehending and utilizing rules, while repairing loopholes in the world's rules requires integration and usage. The difference between these two is significant."
Jiang Wuming understood Daoist Tianlong's meaning. He then recalled the battle at Donghai Martial Academy and what Zhuge Lingjun had said at the time about Daoist Tianlong embodying the will of the world. His heart stirred:
"Master, can you control the world's rules?"
"I cannot, but you can in the future!" Daoist Tianlong's words were astonishing.
...