Chapter 32

"Back then, the Holy Monk of Sumeru sealed me in this painting, urging me to sincerely repent and cut off my base nature. He instructed me to help the next warrior who possesses the mark of the Temporal and Spatial Divine Martial Imprint, guiding them to cultivate the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts* and become an unparalleled powerhouse in the world."

The voice continued, "Tell me, if you don't release me, how can I teach you the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts*? And if I don't teach you, how can you become an unparalleled powerhouse?"

"Are you sealed by the Holy Monk of Sumeru in this painting?" Zhang Ruochen always felt that the cat's words were somewhat unreliable.

The Holy Monk of Sumeru must have had a very significant reason to seal it in the painting; it couldn't be just for a minor wrongdoing.

The Holy Monk of Sumeru also possessed the Temporal and Spatial Divine Martial Imprint, and the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts* was written by him. In the Middle Ancient Era, the Holy Monk of Sumeru was a renowned sage, and there are historical records about him.

The voice sighed, "Apart from the Holy Monk of Sumeru, who else in the world could wield the power of spatial seals? To create a world within a painting, only he could do it. Of course, once your cultivation becomes powerful enough, you will also be able to create a world space at will."

"You say you can teach me the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts*? Does that mean you can also use the power of space and time?" Zhang Ruochen asked.

The voice replied, "Although my cultivation is unparalleled and I can do anything, I have not activated the Temporal and Spatial Divine Martial Imprint, so I cannot use the power of space and time. However, I have always been by the side of the Holy Monk of Sumeru, and through constant exposure, I have a deep understanding of space and time. Teaching you will be more than sufficient."

"Finally, I can open the second page of the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts*!"

Zhang Ruochen picked up the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts*, held it in his hands, and flipped to the second page, which was written in silver characters.

"Space Inscriptions!"

The second page of the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts* recorded eight types of basic space inscriptions, each representing one of the eight fundamental networks that construct space.

The eight types of space inscriptions are: Point Inscription, Line Inscription, Vertical Inscription, Horizontal Inscription, Height Inscription, Flat Inscription, Expansion Inscription, and Contraction Inscription.

Abbreviated as: Point, Line, Vertical, Horizontal, Height, Flat, Expansion, and Contraction.

A voice came from the painting, "The second page of the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts* only records the eight most basic space inscriptions. Successfully cultivating these eight basic space inscriptions will allow you to independently create a small space. However, even then, you cannot use spatial power to attack enemies. You must learn more advanced space inscriptions, such as Sealing Inscription, Collapse Inscription, Crack Inscription, and Teleportation Inscription, among others."

"For you, the most important thing is to first engrave the eight basic inscriptions."

Zhang Ruochen asked, "Why does the second page of the *Secret Canon of Temporal and Spatial Arts* only record eight space inscriptions and not time inscriptions?"

"Ha! Time is eternally flowing, and no one can create time, so there is no such thing as a 'time inscription.' However, a warrior who possesses the Temporal and Spatial Divine Martial Imprint can cultivate time marks, mobilize the power of time, and perform temporal spirit techniques."

"If your mental power is strong enough and the time marks you master are powerful enough, a single point of your finger can cut off decades of an enemy's lifespan, or even stop, accelerate, or slow down time within an independent space. The power of time is unpredictable."

"Even if your cultivation is high, you cannot defend against the power of time."

"Of course, with your current mental power, you do not meet the requirements to cultivate time marks. You can only start with the eight most basic space inscriptions."

Zhang Ruochen asked, "Is the requirement for mental power to cultivate space inscriptions and time marks really that high?"

The voice in the painting laughed, "Release me from the painting, and I will tell you!"

Zhang Ruochen was slightly hesitant, unsure whether releasing it would be a blessing or a curse.

"Don't hesitate. Although my cultivation is boundless and unparalleled, I have no interest in a young man like you. Release me! I will definitely tell you more secrets of time and space, allowing you to better utilize the power of the Temporal and Spatial Divine Martial Imprint."

If it were truly a threat, the Holy Monk of Sumeru would have eliminated it long ago, rather than just sealing it in the painting.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Ruochen said, "How can I release you from the painting?"

"You just need to drop a drop of blood on the painting to become its master. Then, inject your true qi into the painting, and you will naturally be able to break the seal and release me." The voice said excitedly.

With a flick of his nail, a bloodline appeared on the tip of Zhang Ruochen's right index finger.

A drop of crimson blood dripped from the tip, landing on the painting with a "drip."

The blood was absorbed by the painting.

"Whoosh!"

A faint blood light enveloped the painting, which then flew up from the ground and landed in Zhang Ruochen's hands.

It was incredible to think that a painting weighing eight hundred pounds could fly into his hands with just a thought.

"This painting is definitely an extraordinary treasure, far surpassing True Martial Artifacts."

After becoming the master of the painting, Zhang Ruochen could clearly feel that every line in the painting was an inscription, not only space inscriptions but also ice inscriptions, force inscriptions, earth inscriptions, fire inscriptions, and countless others, densely packed and difficult to count.

The Holy Monk of Sumeru was indeed one of the greatest sages of the Middle Ancient Era. Just this painting he created already surpassed the understanding of ordinary people.

With a thought, the painting transformed into a beam of white light, flying into the Divine Martial Imprint on his forehead and entering the qi pool.

The painting floated in the center of the qi pool, gently rotating and emitting a faint white light.

"Whoosh!"

With another thought, the painting flew out of the qi pool and returned to his hands.

The voice in the painting said, "This painting is called the *Heaven and Earth Divine Tree Map*. The paper is made from a leaf of the Heavenly Tree, and the Holy Monk of Sumeru spent ten years and countless mental power to complete this painting."

"Young man, can you release me now?"

"Of course!"

Although Zhang Ruochen said this, he still had some reservations about the cat and did not fully trust it.

Zhang Ruochen injected true qi into the painting.

The painting emitted a white light and trembled slightly.

"Whoosh—"

A black light shot out of the painting, landing on the ground and forming a black giant cat over a meter tall.

The cat was as large as a pig, extremely fat, with soft black fur and golden eyes larger than Zhang Ruochen's fist.

Zhang Ruochen had seen cats before, but never one so fat and large.

"Ha! I'm finally out! Ten thousand years, ten thousand years!" The black fat cat spoke in a human voice, which sounded very strange.

Suddenly, the black fat cat bared its sharp teeth, its round eyes gleaming with a fierce light, and charged at Zhang Ruochen, roaring, "Ant, I am the Emperor of Heaven and Earth, and I can crush you with just one claw! Ha!"

It rushed to Zhang Ruochen, extending a sharp claw toward his neck.

Despite its fat and bulky body, its speed was incredibly fast, like a black shadow.

Zhang Ruochen had been on guard. When the claw came, he struck out with a palm, hitting the black giant cat's face and making it howl in pain, its tongue hanging out of its mouth.

The black giant cat was thrown back, crashing into the inner wall of the temporal crystal space and falling to the ground like a dead pig.

Zhang Ruochen looked at his palm, then at the fallen giant cat, and frowned slightly. "Is your title really the Emperor of Heaven and Earth?"

The black giant cat pounded the ground with its claws, gritting its teeth. "Young man, how dare you doubt my strength? If my cultivation wasn't sealed in the painting, taking your life would be as easy as... What are you doing... Help... I was just joking... I am so pure, how could I kill anyone? What do you want... Don't be reckless..."

Zhang Ruochen grabbed the black giant cat by the tail, dragged it to the center, and stepped on its round belly, raising the Flash Soul Sword.

Injecting true qi into the Flash Soul Sword, the three force inscriptions in the sword were activated, and the sword's weight immediately reached 353 pounds.

"Fat cat, do you think I'll believe you again?"

Zhang Ruochen gripped the sword with both hands and thrust it downward.

A terrifying force erupted from the black giant cat's body, and it flipped over, escaping from under Zhang Ruochen's foot and hiding in a corner.

Its tail curled up, and it emitted a faint black light. "Young man, you must remain calm and not act rashly. I was just testing your cultivation. How could I really attack you? Besides, with my unparalleled cultivation, if I really wanted to kill you, would you have a chance to fight back?"

"Is that so?"

Zhang Ruochen raised the Flash Soul Sword and walked step by step toward the black giant cat, swinging the sword.

"Damn, do you really think I'm afraid of you? If we really fight, I might not be weaker than you."

The black giant cat extended a sharp claw, grabbing the Flash Soul Sword and letting out a deafening roar: "Meow!"