Centering on Xu Ying, the Heavenly Dao Crowd deployed eight Heavenly Dao treasures three li out, and resplendent Heavenly Dao rays rose steadily into the air.
These rays intertwined to form a domain resembling a miniature Heavenly Dao world. Once the domain was complete, they would become heavenly gods within it, executing the Heavenly Dao across this tiny realm.
Xu Ying had witnessed this art before in the town of Xiadu. It was extraordinarily formidable; had he not hidden in the divine temple under Lu Wu's protection, he never would have escaped.
The old crone who had just perished at his hands had also used her divine sense to construct a Heavenly Dao domain inside his mind. Unfortunately for her, the Heavenly Dao runes she had mastered were riddled with errors. Moreover, she had laid the domain entirely on her own, allowing Xu Ying to break through and seize the upper hand.
Now, although the Heavenly Dao Crowd possessed only eight treasures to establish this domain, its completion would drastically magnify each member's cultivation and strength. Even with the bronze bell shielding Xu Ying, they would slaughter him with ease!
Xu Ying charged forward. The iridescent haze spilling from the Heavenly Dao treasures climbed higher and higher, on the verge of joining together into a vaulted canopy. Xu Ying reached the perimeter just in time.
The bronze bell took the lead, churning its myriad Dao images. With an earth-shattering bong, it slammed directly into the barrier of light!
Though not yet fully erected, the domain's power was breathtaking. Countless Heavenly Dao runes buzzed into view amidst the radiant haze, densely packed and interlinked to form an incomparably magnificent tapestry.
The bronze bell's might was instantly and thoroughly suppressed. Across its surface, the Dao images of all creatures and creations dimmed into total impotence. Only the immortal runes—Truth, Spirit, Void, Stillness, Emptiness, and Clarity—still gave off a glow, yet even their radiance was vastly diminished.
With the bell's power alone, breaking the Heavenly Dao domain was entirely out of the question.
As the bronze bell dimmed, Yuan Qi felt his Golden Core sink. His Dao images extinguished one after another, the yuan qi in his body gradually slipped from his control, and his divine sense began to fray into madness.
Beneath the Heavenly Dao, one was either an immortal or an ant!
Seizing the moment, Xu Ying lunged forward like a gust of wind. His hands flew in a flurry of fingers and palms, striking the drifting Heavenly Dao runes. At his fingertips, runes shattered and exploded one after another, tearing a massive gap straight through the closing domain.
Xu Ying broke out of the Heavenly Dao domain. On his shoulder, Yuan Qi's mind—warped by the Heavenly Dao—was just about to sink his venomous fangs into Xu Ying when he suddenly snapped awake, trembling in retroactive terror.
'Ah Ying and I are like brothers. How could I take his life...'
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than one of the Heavenly Dao Crowd swooped in—an elder so ancient that he had withered to the size of a monkey, his age impossible to fathom.
The elder had already invoked his Heavenly Dao treasure, distorting Yuan Qi's mind once more. Evil thoughts surged in the snake demon's breast: 'Fratricide is an eternal, unshakable truth! Did not Emperor Wenwu Dasheng slaughter his own brothers to seize the imperial throne?'
The bronze bell flew out to meet the Heavenly Dao treasure. Its clanging boom finally jolted Yuan Qi back to his senses, leaving him shaken with dread. 'The Heavenly Dao is truly foul, ruining my brotherly devotion.'
Having suffered grievous damage earlier, the bell was far weaker than before and found itself pinned down, falling into a disadvantage against the Heavenly Dao treasure.
The wizened elder sneered. A Heavenly Dao Primordial Spirit towered behind him, extending a hand to seize Xu Ying, who was dragged toward his palm against his will.
In the next breath, the elder held Xu Ying in his grasp, pulling the boy before his eyes. "A living member of the Heavenly Dao Crowd..."
The old man's voice quavered and his Adam's apple bobbed. He reached out to stroke Xu Ying's cheek, cackling, "Such tender flesh—how could one gulp it down in a single bite? It must be savored slowly, eaten minutely, without wasting a single morsel. Dropping even a solitary shred would be a sin."
From beneath Xu Ying's collar, Yuan Qi darted out like lightning, sinking his fangs into the crook of the elder's thumb and pumping in venom. Overjoyed, the snake thought, 'Got him!'
Suddenly, Yuan Qi's neck tightened as the elder pinched his seven-inch mark.
The monkey-sized elder tilted his head back and sneered, "No poison can harm a vessel of the Heavenly Dao."
The words had barely left his lips when Xu Ying's fingers danced across his Primordial Spirit's palm, unraveling its Heavenly Dao runes. The elder felt an entire arm of his Primordial Spirit go numb, and shock seized his heart.
At that exact instant, a purple streak shot straight for his face. The elder hastily raised his other hand to block, but struck empty air.
The purple streak had already entered his Realm of Xiyi. His Primordial Spirit hurriedly dove back into his flesh, but before it could seize the streak, fibrous roots burst through his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
The elder's mind went blank, instantly falling under the control of the purple immortal plant.
The Heavenly Dao treasure locked in combat with the bronze bell immediately lost direction and fell to the ground, revealing itself to be a shield engraved with Heavenly Dao runes.
Xu Ying snatched up the shield and barked, "Move!"
With the bronze bell hovering above his head and Yuan Qi back on his shoulder, Xu Ying tore along the great river flowing down from the snow mountains, moving like wind and lightning. Behind him, the monkey-like elder bounded through the air, babbling unintelligibly without pause: "Aba, aba!"
Seeing Xu Ying break free, the other cultists rushed forward to kill him. Under the purple plant's control, the old man charged into their ranks to face them, grappling a Heavenly Dao cultivator and unleashing a frenzied barrage of knee strikes and eye gouges until the middle-aged man's face turned purple.
The other cultists invoked their treasures, joining forces to blast the monkey-like elder to pieces. Unable to locate the purple immortal plant, they hastily resumed their pursuit of Xu Ying.
'Master Grass has fallen in battle,' Yuan Qi grieved bitterly, tears flying from his eyes. 'Master Grass and I never had... much affection between us. After it showed up, my status even dropped down a rank. Now that it is dead, my standing moves back up by one... Wait, Master Grass gave its life heroically to save us! How could I be so vile, caring about my rank instead of its life? I must be under the influence of that Heavenly Dao treasure.'
He tilted his head back, looking for any incoming treasures above, but found none, which tightened his chest again.
Only when his gaze fell upon the shield in Xu Ying's hands did he breathe a sigh of relief. 'It was this shield messing with my mind.'
The Heavenly Dao Crowd surged after Xu Ying and his companions. Yet behind them, with a soft pop, seven leaves sprouted from the soil as the purple immortal plant poked its head out, thinking, 'Ah Ying and the others treated me decently, but our destiny together has run its course. Now that I am in Kunlun, where wondrous herbs and immortal flora abound everywhere, it is time for me to rise to glory...'
Right then, its head tightened as someone yanked it from the earth. A woman's voice rang out in delighted surprise: "I found an immortal plant! Young Master Zisang, I caught an immortal plant!"
The one clutching its head was none other than Zhu Hongyi, clad in fire-red robes. She hauled the purple plant free and laughed, "I just saw a beam of purple light shoot out from the ground and knew there had to be a treasure here—mmph, mmph, mmph..."
Young Master Zisang and a group of Zhu clan Nuo masters rushed over. Young Master Zisang called out loudly, "Be careful, Hongyi! Every immortal herb and wondrous flora on Mount Kunlun possesses remarkable power!"
Before his words could land, Zhu Hongyi turned around, her face crawling with roots as she stared blankly. "Aba?"
Both shocked and furious, Young Master Zisang sprinted forward, brandishing a horsetail whisk and shouting, "Insolent creature!"
The whisk's countless strands danced through the air, moving even more nimbly than the purple plant's roots. Seeing this, the purple plant knew it was outmatched and turned tail to flee.
Zhu Hongyi had been an elegant lady of a noble house, a poised maiden, but now she bolted like a wild ox or a giant ape, running on all fours with the muscles in her thighs bulging tight. Roots sprouted from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, hitting the dirt like dozens of scuttling limbs. Young Master Zisang and the Zhu clan members stared slack-jawed as the young lady galloped off with bizarre swiftness, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Gritting his teeth, Young Master Zisang shouted, "After her!"
Yet the further they chased, the more alarmed they grew. The girl ran far too quickly, leaving them trailing far behind. Fortunately, her wild dash left erratic tracks, giving them a direction to follow.
Noticing that the Zhu clan members were far too slow, Young Master Zisang said, "Follow behind me. I will go on ahead!"
He accelerated sharply, pulling far ahead of the pack.
At the same time, Xu Ying crept stealthily along, refraining from using the Extreme Intent Freedom Technique. Instead, he carefully suppressed his aura, leaving no trace behind.
Though swift, the Extreme Intent Freedom Technique left a radiant streak in its wake that would expose his position. If the Heavenly Dao Crowd caught up to him, they might also implicate the young Undying maiden.
That was something he refused to let happen. With his presence concealed, he immediately sensed the remaining seven pursuers split up, scouring in different directions.
"Ah Ying, we can shake them off," the bronze bell whispered. "Once we steer clear of them, we can head for Yuzhu Peak and reunite with your kin."
"Steer clear of them?"
Xu Ying's expression darkened, and he shook his head. "Lord Bell, did you see the bones of the Undying People back in Xiadu? Is a blood debt like that something to simply avoid? If I run, how could I face my ancestors, or my own conscience?"
Slowing his pace, he summoned his Pure Yang anomalous fire to melt down the captured Heavenly Dao shield.
Once the metal softened, he revised the Heavenly Dao runes upon it bit by bit, saying, "I will not run. I will strike back."
By now, Yuan Qi was clear-headed again and chimed in, "Yuanshou means conquest and crusade! As sons and daughters of Yuanshou, we naturally possess the courage to wage war against adversity! But how do we strike back?"
Xu Ying rapidly reforged the shield, engraving more and more Heavenly Dao runes upon its surface.
A moment later, he halted his steps, thrust the shield upright into the dirt, and declared, "We strike back inside our own Heavenly Dao world!"
The bronze bell paused, and Yuan Qi hopped down from Xu Ying's shoulder to examine the shield. Rings of peculiar bird-and-worm seal script covered its surface, holding the profound mysteries of the Heavenly Dao. Xu Ying abruptly stripped off his robes, bit his finger until blood welled up, and used his yuan qi dipped in blood to paint Heavenly Dao runes directly across his skin.
Before long, the patterns were complete, and Xu Ying dressed himself again. As he pulled his garments on, he casually plucked a stray hair, cast it aside, and reduced it to ashes with his Pure Yang anomalous fire.
"Ah Ying, you missed a spot," Yuan Qi remarked.
Xu Ying brushed it off. "No need to draw there."
"What if we run into a degenerate scoundrel like Master Grass?" Yuan Qi pressed.
Xu Ying pondered for a moment, then took his clothes off again, looked down, and inscribed the runes.
He had just pulled up his pants when he sensed the aura of the nearest Heavenly Dao cultivator closing in rapidly. Before the man even arrived, his divine sense locked onto Xu Ying!
Xu Ying slowly straightened his back and said in a heavy voice, "Lord Bell, Seventh Master, stand back. Today, I shall use the authentic Heavenly Dao to meet these heretics."
Yuan Qi and the bronze bell retreated at once, putting distance between them.
Just then, another aura approached at blistering speed, accompanied from afar by frantic cries of "Aba, aba!"
Yuan Qi was overjoyed. "Master Grass is still alive!"
He hurriedly turned toward the sound and saw Zhu Hongyi racing toward them on all fours at breakneck speed. Besides her four limbs, countless roots whipped against the ground, propelling her forward in an utterly bizarre sprint.
Xu Ying, who had been focusing all his concentration on the approaching enemy, could not help but gawk at the sight. He hurriedly steadied his mind, refusing to be distracted.
This was his first time confronting a member of the Heavenly Dao Crowd alone; uncertain of the outcome, he could not help but feel a twinge of apprehension.
The purple plant abandoned Zhu Hongyi and dashed toward Yuan Qi, landing squarely atop the giant snake's head. The serpent dared not move a muscle, thinking, 'We are brothers through life and death. It definitely won't kill me...'
Zhu Hongyi came to her senses, utterly bewildered. She had no idea how she had ended up here, and her garments were disheveled, revealing far too much skin—clearly, something terrible had transpired.
She hastily adjusted her robes. Catching sight of Xu Ying, she froze for an instant before crying out, "Young Master Xu!"
Staring ahead as though facing a mortal enemy, Xu Ying suddenly smiled. "Lady Hongyi, back on the Luo River in Shendu, you played a piece for me. Today, I have a great battle ahead. Might I trouble you to play another?"
Though confused, Zhu Hongyi felt a surge of joy at his request. She rose to her feet, produced her pipa, and cradled it in her arms. Smiling, she said, "Looking back on that battle from years past, I composed a melody entitled Lord Xu's Killing Array. Yet you never returned to Shendu, Young Master Xu. Today, I would be honored to perform it for you."
Ahead of Xu Ying, a member of the Heavenly Dao Crowd approached—a middle-aged man of imposing stature and dignified countenance, bearing the refined air of an ancient scholar.
Across his back rested an iron umbrella, his Heavenly Dao treasure. Xu Ying clenched his fist, then suddenly thrust his hand forward with fingers splayed. The shield planted in the dirt leapt into the air, hovering mid-flight.
Buzz!
The shield spun once, and Heavenly Dao radiance cascaded from the heavens, draping down on all sides.
Simultaneously, the pipa rang out with a resounding, metallic strum. A faint trace of slaughtering intent seeped from the notes, casting a chilling desolation over the surrounding woods and the snowy peaks in the distance.
Cradling the pipa, Zhu Hongyi violently plucked two ferocious chords. That gossamer thread of murderous intent erupted into frenzy, quickening the blood like a savage god or fiend descending upon the mortal realm, wading into the masses, and raising a blade to unleash a massacre!
The middle-aged man looked up in astonishment. In mere moments, that single shield had unfolded into a Heavenly Dao domain!
This domain was sustained solely by a treasure belonging to an Ascension-stage Qi Refiner, covering an area of merely a hundred mu. To Qi Refiners of their caliber, a hundred mu was negligible.
Yet countless Heavenly Dao runes flared to life within the radiant haze, glowing brilliantly and resonating with the runes inscribed across Xu Ying's body, fusing into a seamless whole.
Xu Ying felt a surging torrent of heavenly majesty course into him, flooding his entire being. Authority, Principle, Laws, Mechanism, Destiny, Balance, and Axis—all the Heavenly Dao transformed into the Great Dao within his frame.
He had encountered the gods of the Heavenly Dao; he had studied the petrified remains of those gods in the Pantheon; and now, after facing so many members of the Heavenly Dao Crowd, he had mastered hundreds of Heavenly Dao runes. Moreover, these were runes he had personally corrected.
"You understand Heavenly Dao runes? You understand the Heavenly Dao domain?" the middle-aged man blurted out in disbelief.
Amidst the thrumming pipa, Xu Ying struck boldly. Within the surging killing intent, countless runes in the domain roared, producing a resounding chord of the Heavenly Dao!
Xu Ying soared obliquely into the air. At this moment, as though wielding the supreme authority of the heavens, he shouted, "I understand them far better than you and your masters do!"
Young Master Zisang silently drew near. Beholding the spectacle within the domain, shock overtook him, and he quietly concealed himself without stepping forward.
The middle-aged man showed no fear. With a twitch of his shoulders, his iron umbrella took flight. He sneered, "Undying Person, did you truly believe a mere Heavenly Dao domain could rival tens of thousands of years of my cultivation? Dream on!"
The pipa's tempo rose to a frantic pitch, each note driving the blood forward. Carrying the supreme majesty of the Heavenly Dao, Xu Ying's strike came crashing down onto the iron umbrella! The umbrella radiated heavenly might, unfurling bursts of multicolored light. Each rib stood like a pillar upholding the heavens, and between the ribs, Heavenly Dao runes blazed to life one after another!
Yet in the next heartbeat, row upon row of runes went entirely dark!
Bearing the full might of the domain, Xu Ying plummeted from the sky and shattered the iron umbrella with a single palm.
The middle-aged man's Primordial Spirit manifested behind him, towering and majestic, raising both arms to meet the blow head-on.
Just as he parried the strike, the runes behind Xu Ying boiled over. Boundless divine radiance erupted from the earth—it was the light of heaven, coalescing into an avatar of the Heavenly Dao that bridged heaven and earth. As it brought its hand down, its five fingers resembled five Kunlun peaks crushing inward!
Boom!
Within the domain, heavenly might flooded every corner and brilliant Dao light swept outward, battering the surroundings in every direction. Behind Xu Ying, the Heavenly Dao avatar suddenly crumbled, and countless runes along the domain's walls fractured—a fracture that instantly spread to the shield.
With a sharp crack, the shield split apart and disintegrated into dust! The avatar's giant hand also shattered, and as the dust cleared, the middle-aged cultivator had been pulverized completely beneath that single blow, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood and gore.
"Kunlun."
Xu Ying lifted his head toward the sacred mountain in the distance, a flame leaping within his chest. "I have returned. With the blood of your enemies, I shall avenge you!"
Chapter 232