Chapter 4
Creating writing was by no means an easy task.
Especially since Fuguang also wanted to create a writing system suitable for both innate beings and acquired beings.
The sheer volume of work involved was astronomical!
Yet, where there is a will, there is a way!
At a certain moment, five yuanhui later,
Inside Golden Crow Palace,
A hearty burst of laughter rang out:
"Hahaha—"
"It is done!"
"Your humble daoist has done it!"
Hum—
As the sound echoed, the tightly closed doors of Golden Crow Palace swung open.
Then,
Fuguang walked out of Golden Crow Palace, looking much as he had when he first entered seclusion, eager anticipation written across his face.
"Three thousand Ancestral Characters, and one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred Derivative Characters!"
Stepping out of Golden Crow Palace, Fuguang made his way beneath the Fuguang tree.
With a smile, he said:
"Now—"
"All that remains is to find a Spiritual Treasure capable of bearing these characters, and I can present the merit of creating writing to the Heavenly Dao."
As for the Spiritual Treasure to bear these characters, Fuguang had already formed a plan in his mind.
With those words,
Fuguang looked up at the Fuguang tree,
And smiled:
"I shall take a section of your trunk. Once this endeavor succeeds, I will return a share of the merit to you!"
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
Hearing Fuguang's words, the leaves of the spiritually endowed Fuguang tree quivered gently.
Crack—
Immediately,
A section of the trunk—seemingly small at first glance, but capable of expanding to an immense size once its seals were lifted—detached itself directly from the Fuguang tree and floated before Fuguang.
Taking the piece of the Fuguang tree,
Fuguang smiled and cupped his hands:
"My thanks!"
Without picking a particular spot,
he sat cross-legged on the ground and produced a large quantity of spiritual wood, spiritual bamboo, and other materials from his robes.
Following that, he arrayed a considerable amount of divine water before him.
These items—
were all various gains he had accumulated along his travels visiting the various clans across the Primordial World!
As the sole Great Sun Golden Crow, a single person who was an entire clan in himself, and as the spirit of the Sun Star, Fuguang was blessed by the vast Qi Fortune of the Sun Star since primordial times.
Wandering the Primordial World—
his opportunities and encounters were naturally endless!
Having laid out these materials, Fuguang then conjured a large batch of tool-grade Spiritual Treasures he had refined.
If anyone else who had transmigrated from another world were present here,
they would undoubtedly recognize these implements as—
papermaking tools, movable type printing tools, brush and ink-making tools, and so on. A complete set of bookmaking tools was gathered right here.
Creating writing.
This was an immense deed of merit!
At the same time,
devising the tools for the acquired beings—those without magic power—to learn and write was another avenue for gathering merit.
As for how much merit this particular portion would yield, that remained uncertain.
Still, even a mosquito's leg is meat!
Heavenly Dao Merit—
who could ever have too much of it?
Although the manual labor could not be bypassed, as a Daluo, making paper, ink, and printing tools using immortal methods was still effortless.
Before long,
sheets of paper made primarily from the wood pulp of the Fuguang tree, supplemented by various spiritual woods and bamboos,
a writing brush with a shaft of Sun Immortal Gold and bristles formed from his own feathers,
a lustrous and spiritually infused inkstick,
a complete set of printing tools,
and everything else had come into being within Fuguang's hands.
When all preparations were complete and he had checked multiple times to ensure no omissions,
Fuguang wore a solemn expression, purified himself with a flick of his Golden Crow whisk,
and looked up at the sky.
Driving his magic power, he spoke in a resonant voice:
"Above us is the Heavenly Dao—"
"I, the spirit of the Sun Star, the Golden Crow Fuguang, observing that the multitudes of beings in the Primordial World possess no universal script nor universal writing tools—which benefits neither their heritage nor their mutual communication—"
"have traveled across the various clans of the Primordial World to consult their ancestral scripts. Today, I create three thousand Ancestral Characters and one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred Derivative Characters."
"The tools for writing are four: brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."
"The tool for printing: movable type molds."
"Today, this undertaking is complete. I hereby report it to the Heavenly Dao and inform all living beings. From this day onward, the passing down of heritage shall be simplified, bringing great benefit to the Primordial World."
"May the Heavenly Dao and all living beings bear witness!"
Hum—
The moment Fuguang's voice fell, an unfathomable and majestic will descended, sweeping directly over Fuguang and the various tools arrayed around him.
A moment later,
Clang—
The solemn bell of the Heavenly Dao rang out, and a majestic force projected Fuguang's figure directly into the firmament of the Primordial World.
Drawing the gaze of countless mighty figures and ordinary beings alike.
Within the Yuxu Palace of Kunlun Mountains,
the Pangu Three Pure Ones, who were discussing the Dao, looked in astonishment toward the direction of the Sun Star.
Taiqing Laozi remained expressionless, Yuqing Yuanshi looked somewhat surprised, and Shangqing Tongtian wore a look of curiosity.
……
Deep within the Endless Sea of Blood,
Ancestor Styx, appearing as a youth dressed in crimson robes, furrowed his brow. He gazed at Fuguang's projected figure in the firmament, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
……
Wuzhuang Temple.
……
Lingshan.
……
A certain Daoist sanctuary on Mount Buzhou.
……
Within the sanctuaries of these Innate Divines, gazes filled with curiosity, disdain, or detachment swept toward Fuguang's figure.
At the same time,
the various clans across the Primordial World that Fuguang had once visited were all struck dumbfounded.
Within the East Sea Dragon Palace,
Ao Guang wore a face of joyous surprise:
"Could this senior be acquiring merit through writing? That being the case……"
Back then,
when Fuguang came to borrow the dragon script, he had mentioned a certain reward and benefit.
If nothing went wrong—
that reward must be Heavenly Dao Merit!
At this thought, Ao Guang grew immensely excited.
Likewise,
the patriarchs of the Phoenix Clan and the Qilin Clan also began to grow excited.
This was Heavenly Dao Merit; even the tiniest bit of it was the finest treasure imaginable for the three clans, whose karmic retribution was heavy.
Aware that he was currently being broadcast across the entire Primordial World by the mighty power of the Heavenly Dao,
Fuguang turned solemn.
Then,
with a deadpan expression of earnest concentration, he picked up the inkstick, poured some divine water into the inkstone, and began grinding the ink.
Once the ink was produced, Fuguang picked up the brush, dipped it into the ink, and began to write upon the paper.
Throughout this process—
the detailed manufacturing procedures for paper, ink, the brush, and the inkstone were likewise recreated by the power of the Heavenly Dao and imprinted into the minds of all living beings, ensuring that everyone understood how to craft them.
At the same time,
the three thousand powerful Ancestral Characters and the one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred powerless Derivative Characters that Fuguang began to write were also broadcast outward by the Heavenly Dao.
Every single process—how each character should be written, how it should be read, and what meaning it expressed—was made known to all living beings and grasped by them with absolute precision and without ambiguity.
Before long,
Fuguang had written out every single character.
At the same time,
he demonstrated the method of using movable type printing.
With this—
all the procedures for Fuguang's endeavor to attain Heavenly Dao Merit through the creation of writing were now complete.
Having finished all of this,
he laid down his writing brush and made a respectful obeisance with cupped hands toward the Heavenly Dao and all living beings.
To indicate that his demonstration was concluded.