"If the ninth level of the Innate realm is the pinnacle of this world, then what am I, having nearly reached the thousandth level?"
Xu Ying emerged from seclusion, feeling somewhat bewildered.
His cultivation realm didn't seem to make much sense.
Still, it was time to take his revenge.
Walking outside, Xu Ying muttered under his breath, "Going by the usual script, I should endure and bide my time first. I ought to let the First Young Lord bully me a bit, only for me to stage a desperate counterattack, heavily wounding and thoroughly humiliating him. Then that Jin Peng who injured me would come seeking vengeance for the First Young Lord, giving me the chance to strike ruthlessly and finish him off!"
He mused, "After that, the disciples of the Imperial Preceptor would swarm out seeking revenge. I'd kill and maim them, shocking the world with my martial prowess, and that would force the Imperial Preceptor himself to act. I'd duel the Imperial Preceptor, winning the hearts of four or five beauties along the way. And my mother's background probably holds some great secret as well... Wait a minute, this plot sounds awfully familiar. I've seen it in the books Seventh Master collected!"
Xu Ying stopped in his tracks, crying out in alarm, "Wait! Who is Seventh Master?"
In his ears, he faintly heard the tolling of a bell, feeling his mind drift in a trance. He mumbled, "Lord Bell, do you remember that there was a snake demon by our side..."
At that point, a chill ran down his spine. He looked around in all directions, sensing that something was terribly off. "And who is Lord Bell?"
He paused, looking at his surroundings with an uncanny sense of déjà vu.
Suddenly, his aura at the thousandth level of the Innate realm erupted, and his expression turned resolute. "Wait, I'm already at the thousandth Innate level! Why should I bother with such petty scheming? I can just march up to the First Young Lord, slaughter him, and then kill Jin Peng! If the Imperial Preceptor gets in my way, I'll take him down too!"
He strode forward. Suddenly, a firebird flew across the sky and landed on a branch in his courtyard, sizing him up with curiosity.
The bird had three legs, giving him a strange sense of familiarity.
Xu Ying halted, his aura surging as he stared at the firebird, feeling as though he had seen it somewhere before.
The firebird flapped its wings and flew toward him, turning into a plume of flame that burrowed between his brows.
Xu Ying was startled and hastily scrambled back, but could not evade it in time. As the bird sank into his mind, bright thunder patterns immediately surfaced between his brows.
The memories of twenty thousand years past crashed over him like a roaring blaze, submerging him.
Xu Ying felt as though he were cast into a sea of fire as countless visions rushed in, engulfing him.
"Jin Buyi... Master Jin."
Xu Ying looked around, feeling as though he had just awakened from a dream. A look of astonishment crossed his face. *Wasn't I tempering my Martial Dao in Haojing? How did I end up here?*
He remembered wanting to explore the origin of Nuo arts and divine powers, which was why he had begun with the Martial Dao, casting aside all techniques to hone the pure essence and qi of the martial way within the city.
*Back then, I seemed to see stone statues suddenly appearing one after another on the tree in my courtyard, and after that, I remembered nothing. When I awoke, I had become the Fourth Young Lord, Xu Ying.*
Xu Ying composed himself and immediately cast his senses inward, intending to recover his cultivation base and realm.
Yet in the next instant, various Heavenly Dao imprints flashed before his vision—a dense blockade of divine consciousness.
The Heavenly Dao imprints flickered and vanished without a trace!
The moment he attempted to mobilize his divine consciousness, he was immediately disrupted by the Heavenly Dao!
*This is different from the seals before! This time, it's a seal of the Heavenly Dao! But when it comes to these Heavenly Dao imprints, no one understands them better than I do.*
Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, Xu Ying had seen those imprints clearly—he had even spotted quite a few typos and mistaken glyphs. He thought, *Cracking these Heavenly Dao runes is much simpler than Immortal Dao runes. It won't take long before I can break through the seal.*
He tried to sense his Golden Core, but could feel nothing; he tried to mobilize his origin qi, but it was nowhere to be found. He could not see his soul, nor could he open the Realm of Xiyi!
A drop of cold sweat appeared on Xu Ying's forehead. Currently, the only thing he could mobilize was the innate true qi he had cultivated over these past three days!
Using only the innate true qi cultivated in three days to unravel Heavenly Dao runes was sorely inadequate.
*Which means my soul didn't possess this body, nor was I ambushed by the First Young Lord, let alone killed by Jin Peng.*
Xu Ying relaxed. Recalling his experiences over the past three days, an absurd feeling washed over him. *In fact, it's very likely that even the memories of the First Young Lord, Jin Peng, and the others were tampered with by Beichenzi and the rest.*
Just then, a voice called out, "You've also realized there is something strange about the Innate realm, haven't you?"
Xu Ying looked toward the sound. A stranger had appeared in Prince Xiang Manor at some point. He looked seventeen or eighteen years old, roughly the same height as Xu Ying. A handsome youth, he carried himself like a peerless grandmaster with an extraordinary bearing that inspired awe like a towering mountain.
The refined youth walked over and asked, "What level of the Innate realm have you cultivated to?"
Xu Ying replied, "The nine hundred and ninety-ninth level. And you?"
The refined youth said, "The hundred thousandth level."
Xu Ying felt a surge of deep respect. To cultivate to such a height in a world where heaven-and-earth origin qi was extraordinarily thin was truly remarkable!
"May I ask which sacred senior you are?" he inquired.
"I dare not claim to be a senior. Two hundred years ago, people called me Zhai Wuxian. I have come to deliver you."
The youth's expression was placid. Snapping off a branch from a tree, he said, "Two hundred years ago, I attained the ninth Innate realm. Though I stood at the pinnacle of this world's martial path, despair filled my heart, for the road ahead was severed. That is, until one day, while condensing my blood and qi, I suddenly realized there were realms beyond the ninth Innate realm."
He gazed at the branch in his hand. Xu Ying could sense the flow of his innate true qi. The bare branch sprouted flowering twigs and budded, bursting into full bloom in a matter of moments.
Zhai Wuxian planted the blossoming branch into the ground and said, "I challenged the world's innate masters and defeated five hundred and forty-two experts who stood at the Innate pinnacle. In my final battle, I finally broke through, cultivating to the tenth level of the Innate realm. Reaching that stage was like an epiphany; my cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds."
The flowering branch took root rapidly, growing tall and bearing fruit. In mere moments, the tree was laden with fragrant pears.
Zhai Wuxian plucked a fragrant pear and handed it to Xu Ying. "When I reached the nine hundred and ninety-ninth level of the Innate realm, a single strand of my aura could crush a peerless expert. Having defeated all rivals across the world, I was revered as a Martial Immortal by the people of that era. Yet I knew that the thousandth Innate level was far from the end of the Martial Dao. I recalled those in history who were likewise revered as Martial Immortals, and a thought struck me: Could it be that they, too, were like me?"
Xu Ying took a bite of the pear; the juice was sweet.
Zhai Wuxian gently raised his hand and pulled up the pear tree. As if time were reversing, the ripe pears turned green and shrank, while the extended branches grew tender and shortened.
Its roots retracted, quickly returning to a blooming sprig of pear blossoms, which then shrank back into the branch.
Zhai Wuxian reattached the twig onto the parent pear tree. Eating his pear, Xu Ying stepped forward to inspect it closely—the branch looked as though it had never been snapped off at all!
"This is the Martial Dao?" Xu Ying exclaimed in surprise. Such a feat ought to belong to Nuo arts!
Earlier, when Zhai Wuxian planted a branch to grow a tree, Xu Ying had not been amazed; having opened the Mud Pill secret depository, he controlled vitality and could easily replicate that.
However, causing the pear tree to withdraw all its branches, turning the pears back into buds and retracting them into the twigs, and then fusing the twig back onto the tree was something even he could not do!
This could no longer be called an art; it was a Dao.
Zhai Wuxian said, "This is the Martial Dao. Anything worthy of being called a Dao gives birth to all things, woven naturally by creation. Planting a branch to grow pears is merely according with the principles governing the generation of all living things; it is nothing extraordinary. When you and I cultivate the Martial Dao, our very bodies become vast treasure troves. When your cultivation reaches my level, you will be able to do this as well."
Suddenly, his aura vibrated. A martial aura soared into the sky like a gigantic Mud Pill cave-heaven, radiating boundless vitality!
Within Prince Xiang Manor, blossoms bloomed and wilted in cycles, filling the entire garden with fragrance in an instant!
Zhai Wuxian's aura shifted again. His heartbeat thumped like war drums, and a tragic, suffocating killing intent assailed the senses, as if a battle god seasoned on countless fields of slaughter stood before him, backed by mountains of corpses and seas of blood!
His aura changed once more, displaying the formidable might of the martial spirit to Xu Ying—solid as bronze walls and iron ramparts, indestructible!
The strength of his will rivaled a Yellow Court cave-heaven, purer even than the divine consciousness immortal medicine of the Yellow Court!
He unleashed his soul without reserve; it too was exceptionally powerful, intimately united with his physical body. As long as his flesh remained intact, his soul would never perish!
This spectacle shook Xu Ying to the core!
Zhai Wuxian had successively demonstrated martial vitality, martial strength, martial divine consciousness, martial soul, and martial origin qi, corresponding respectively to five of the great secret depositories: Mud Pill, Crimson Palace, Yellow Court, Bubbling Spring, and Jade Pool—touching upon everything except the Yin and Yang qi of the Jade Capital secret depository!
Though his aura was immense, it was highly refined and internalized, confined to a small radius, not even alerting anyone else in Prince Xiang Manor.
This differed fundamentally from the cave-heavens of the human body's six secret depositories.
When activating the six secret depositories, the cave-heavens shone brilliantly, their auras earth-shaking!
"To have cultivated the Martial Dao to such an extent..."
Xu Ying marveled. Steadying his mind, he asked, "Zhai Wuxian, you must be close to ascending, right?"
Zhai Wuxian replied, "I tempered the true yang of my soul with the pure essence and qi of the Martial Dao, igniting the true fire of martial arts, and using my flesh as a furnace vessel, I condensed a Martial Dao Golden Core. At the hundred thousandth level of the Innate realm, I finally opened the second mystic pass. Even now, I do not know how far away I am from ascension."
Xu Ying pondered, "Then you are in the second Pass-Breaching stage, having opened the Jiaji mystic pass. The Heavenly Mountain corresponds to thirty-three vertebrae; from the first Pass-Breaching stage to the perfection of the second Pass-Breaching stage, there are twenty-one vertebrae in total. The remaining twelve correspond to the Twelve-Storyed Mansions of the throat."
Zhai Wuxian stared at him in astonishment, having no idea what he was muttering about.
Xu Ying smiled and explained, "I'm referring to legendary realms. For instance, the nine hundred and ninetieth level of the Innate realm corresponds to the Qi Refining stage, while the thousandth Innate level reaches the Pass-Breaching stage. Cultivating to the ten-thousandth level reaches the Cross-Refinement stage, forming a Martial Dao Golden Core. Reaching the hundred thousandth level brings one to the second Pass-Breaching stage—the Jiaji stage. Your next step will be the Twelve-Story Pavilion stage, where your Golden Core will transform into a Primordial Spirit."
Zhai Wuxian was thoroughly astonished and blurted out, "You know the realms beyond?"
Xu Ying nodded with a smile. "According to the terminology of the martial path, the realm after that should be called the Martial Dao Primordial Spirit."
Zhai Wuxian burst into hearty laughter. "It seems my coming to guide you was truly the right call! According to our rules, you would have to break through to the thousandth Innate level before being formally guided. But since you already know the realms ahead, we can make an exception!"
Xu Ying was puzzled. "We?"
Zhai Wuxian enveloped Xu Ying with his aura, tapped his foot lightly, and shot into the air in the next instant.
Wind howled in Xu Ying's ears. Looking down, he saw that the capital of Great Xia had dwindled to a tiny speck!
Leaping into the midair void, Zhai Wuxian transformed into a rainbow streak tearing through the sky as he said leisurely, "As I mentioned earlier, where did those in history who were hailed as Martial Immortals go? If I could survive, what about those martial legends of old?"
He continued at an unhurried pace, "Back then, when I reached the thousandth Innate level, I discovered that mystic pass, which I called the Innate Mystic Pass. After stepping past that realm, someone sought me out. He was my predecessor, a martial legend from five hundred years before me, my guide. He told me that the true Martial Dao was not here. Those who pursued the ultimate truth of the Martial Dao had built an Other Shore of the Martial Dao."
He smiled at Xu Ying. "My purpose here is to deliver you to the Other Shore of the Martial Dao."
"The Other Shore of the Martial Dao?" Xu Ying was startled.
Zhai Wuxian carried him through the vast expanse of the sky, traversing tens of thousands of miles. Suddenly, he let out a long cry. The Golden Core within him shone brilliantly, and his martial essence and qi surged into the heavens, churning the clouds and winds across dozens of miles amidst crashing thunder!
Zhai Wuxian threw a punch. Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the sky was torn open by his fist.
Xu Ying saw that an ancient seal had been ripped apart by Zhai Wuxian, uncovering a forgotten battlefield of the Taichu World. A surging wave of killing intent rushed at them!
The murderous aura was immensely thick. Gigantic weapons were embedded across the wilderness like mountain peaks. Baleful qi swirled in billowing mists that howled past, flickering with fiery lights that looked like peering eyes.
Xu Ying's heart pounded with trepidation. "What is this place?" he murmured.
Zhai Wuxian carried him as they plunged inside. Condensing his voice into a single thread that transmitted tens of thousands of miles, he announced, "Everyone, I have brought a new fellow Daoist! Please receive us!"
No sooner had his voice fallen than a fist blasted out from the dense baleful mist. The roaring gale of the punch blew away the surrounding baleful qi, revealing a path paved with grim white bones!
Leading the way, Zhai Wuxian swiftly brought Xu Ying onto that path, saying, "The one who just threw that punch is the oldest martial legend on our Other Shore of the Martial Dao. He is on the verge of reaching the millionth level of the Innate realm, yet he has never been able to form a Martial Dao Primordial Spirit."
Xu Ying was deeply shaken. Along both sides of the path, the baleful qi of the ancient battlefield coalesced into grotesque and horrifying fiends that lunged at them, only to be pulverized by the lingering fist intent.
*Someone so formidable truly hasn't formed a Primordial Spirit?* he thought silently.
"Recently, the invasion of the Underworld has caused the demonic corruption here to grow heavier and heavier!" Zhai Wuxian frowned slightly.
"Invasion of the Underworld?"
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at him in shock. "There's an invasion of the Underworld here as well?"
Zhai Wuxian answered, "This place is the Underworld, sealed away in primordial antiquity. Our Other Shore of the Martial Dao was established on this ancient battlefield of Taichu's Underworld in an attempt to purify it with the Martial Dao."
Xu Ying's mind was in turmoil. He thought to himself, *There is an Underworld invasion in the Taichu World, and an Underworld invasion in the Yuanshou world. Are the Underworlds of both worlds one and the same? If they are the same Underworld, then who is behind all of this, driving the invasion?*
In the imperial capital of Great Xia, the sorrowful old man, Fu Yi, sipped tea while watching the game of Go. His addiction to Go was not as obsessive as that of Beichenzi and Fairy Yutang, who could play a single match for a century.
Having watched for only five days, he snapped out of it and said, "I'll go check on Xu Ying."
Beichenzi and Fairy Yutang remained engrossed in their match, paying him no heed.
Holding a green paper umbrella, Fu Yi walked through the misty drizzle of Great Xia's capital with a smile on his face. He thought, *Now that the High God of Heavenly Will has taken action, we have returned to the way things used to be: Beichenzi and Fairy Yutang playing Go, and the Earth God returning to his temple in Shenzhou to enjoy incense offerings. And I can hold my green paper umbrella, strolling under the sunset or through the misty drizzle...*
He returned to Prince Xiang Manor. Moments later, the smile on his face froze, gradually morphing into sorrow.
"What is going on?"
He searched high and low, but found no trace of Xu Ying. Veins bulged on his forehead as he tried his best to suppress his fury. "Aren't you supposed to be diligently cultivating the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Technique here? Once you reach the Innate realm, you can seek vengeance against the First Young Lord! You can kill the Imperial Preceptor's disciple, Jin Peng!"
His voice grew louder, crying out in bitter exasperation, "You'll offend the Imperial Preceptor and be hunted down by him, which will allow me to reveal your mother's secret identity—she is a Holy Maiden, and you are the son of the Holy Maiden, destined to inherit the position of sect master in a mysterious sect! Along the way, you'd meet several female confidantes, then return to claim the title of First Heir, avenge yourself on the Imperial Preceptor, aid your father in seizing the imperial throne, and then seize the imperial throne from your father..."
The First Young Lord, Xu Hao, stepped into the courtyard. Hearing these words, he flared with anger, barking displeasedly, "Old slave, what are you howling like a ghost for?"
The sorrowful old man Fu Yi turned his head, his gaze vicious. With a flick of his finger, the First Young Lord Xu Hao burst with a *bang*, reduced to a cloud of blood mist!
All around, the servants and maids of Prince Xiang Manor screamed and fled in terror.
Fu Yi's expression turned savage. With a shudder of his aura, he shocked all those maids and servants to death.
The innate masters of Prince Xiang Manor rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Growing vicious and reckless, Fu Yi could not be bothered to tangle with them. His Primordial Spirit manifested behind him, towering in midair. With a single downward palm strike, the entire capital of Great Xia across a hundred li was instantly ground into fine powder—not a person or beast was spared!
Whether princes, dukes, generals, ministers, peddlers, or commoners, every last one was annihilated!
Fu Yi stomped his foot and roared toward the heavens in rage, "I spent a hundred years arranging all this for you! How could you just run off without saying a single word?! Do you think you can run?! High God of Heavenly Will—"
Chapter 178