Hearing everyone's chatter, Xu Ying felt a little vexed. "I shouldn't have worn white clothes; it makes my skin look too dark. It's a pity Li Xiaoke died so early. His clothes fit me just right. If I'd known, I would have asked him for a few more sets to keep as spares."
The purple-robed young woman recognized Xu Ying and was inwardly startled. "The person who beat the Wuji Sect Master to death!"
Xu Ying had defeated Gu Feiyu, and even when the power of Gu Feiyu's Golden Script Immortal Talisman erupted, Xu Ying had punched straight through it and slain him. That scene had long since been etched deep into her mind. What terrified her most was not that he had pierced the Golden Script Immortal Talisman, but that he had even slain the immortal talisman avatar of Immortal Elder Wuji, the immortal ancestor of the Wuji Sect! More precisely, Xu Ying had sealed Immortal Elder Wuji's talisman avatar and fed it to bugs!
Piercing an immortal's Golden Script Immortal Talisman, slaying an immortal's successor, and sealing an immortal's avatar to feed to bugs—this dark-complexioned youth was an utterly ruthless character!
"How did they get across? Could Young Master Weiyang also have an immortal backing them?" The crowd was baffled. Without a Golden Script Immortal Talisman, how had Yuan Weiyang and this dark-faced youth crossed the seal of the immortal stamp?
Little did they know that Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang had also expended immense effort to set foot on the God Bridge. The two of them had repeatedly triggered the suppression of the immortal seal, coaxing out the Immortal Dao runes lining the path to the God Bridge and deciphering them character by character before finally succeeding in reaching the span. Because of this, they had been delayed for two full days.
The group walked forward past Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang. Xu Ying wore a genial smile as he watched them vigilantly, a Bright Moon Bead hovering behind him. Amiable as his smile appeared, the moment any of them made an untoward move, they would immediately face his thunderous strike!
The more genial he looked, the more alarmed the purple-robed young woman grew. She quietly retreated backward, thinking, *The foremost tenet of my Sun Moon God Sect is that preserving one's life comes first; everything else can wait.* Letting the crowd surge ahead of her, she thought, *This person's methods are vicious and merciless. There's no rush to seize the immortal encounter; I'll wait and see.*
As she backed all the way to the rear, she noticed Palace Master Zhang of Shangqing Palace also retreating to the back with a blank expression. Hovering above his head were a bronze bell and a large serpent.
The purple-robed girl blinked. Earlier, that snake demon and bronze bell had clearly followed Pavilion Master Lin of Penglai Pavilion, and everyone had assumed they were treasures belonging to Penglai Pavilion. Who would have thought they would switch allegiances so quickly?
Behind Palace Master Zhang Fugui stood yet others.
Looking closely, she saw that the girl hiding far in the distance was Sect Master Shi Yuqing of the Sword Sect, while the others were Sect Leader Yan Kongcheng of Mount Emei and a corpse-faced middle-aged man.
*Do they share the same philosophy as my Sun Moon God Sect? I ought to consult them,* she thought.
Arriving at the bridgehead, the crowd gazed into the distance toward the Jade Capital, their brows furrowing in unison. For some reason, the God Bridge was severed here, making it impossible to proceed to the Jade Capital. Even if an immortal encounter awaited inside the Jade Capital, one could not obtain it without reaching the city.
Suddenly, the void at the edge of the severed God Bridge trembled slightly. A wisp of immortal light arrived from somewhere unknown, shining toward them and connecting with the God Bridge! The God Bridge's severed end had not joined with the Jade Capital veiled in immortal light, yet now this wisp of immortal radiance actually linked with the bridge, allowing the span to extend. However, this extended bridge of immortal light did not lead toward the Jade Capital, but toward an indistinct, boundless, and unknowable place!
Xu Ying's heart surged with excitement. *Weiyang has established contact with the Great Emperor of the Martial Dao. It truly wasn't easy.*
This martial legend hailing from the Taichu World was on the verge of returning from the Other Shore of the Martial Dao, filling Xu Ying with immense anticipation.
Pavilion Master Lin of Penglai Pavilion was both startled and overjoyed. He rushed forward and leaped onto the bridge of immortal light, laughing, "The immortal encounter is right here!"
The others also leaped into the air one after another, landing on the bridge of immortal radiance and sprinting toward its far end.
Frowning, Xu Ying shot forth like a beam of iridescent light. In just a few bounds, he overtook the crowd and landed ahead of Pavilion Master Lin. In a deep voice, he called out, "Fellow Daoists, please turn back! This is not the God Bridge, but a resonance Weiyang has established with the other shore. We are merely sensing another spacetime. A senior cultivator opened a seventh other shore there, but because he failed his tribulation, he was trapped within that other shore!"
Hearing this, some on the bridge sneered, while others erupted in fury.
One young man cried out in bizarre indignation, "Opening a seventh other shore? What brazen audacity! The fraudulent nature of the six Nuo ancestors has already been exposed, yet you actually have the nerve to create another Nuo ancestor? Do you intend to become just like those six old dogs and harvest the people of the world?"
Pavilion Master Lin of Penglai Pavilion said resolutely, "Precisely! Harboring such sinister designs at your young age, the world has no place for you!"
"Once we return, we shall abolish all Nuo techniques throughout the world and promote the righteous path of Qi Refinement! Fiends and heretics like you must all be executed without mercy, lest you leave harm for posterity!"
Xu Ying frowned, about to speak, when suddenly, from the far end of the God Bridge, a towering silhouette strode toward them, causing the bridge beneath their feet to shudder faintly.
Yuan Weiyang's voice called out, "Ah Ying, there are too many people on the bridge. I won't be able to hold out much longer!"
Xu Ying took a long, deep breath and suddenly declared, "Gentlemen, forgive my offense!"
His figure blurred, appearing right in front of Pavilion Master Lin of Penglai Pavilion. Pavilion Master Lin let out a long cry and shouted, "Well met! First I'll take down this dark-faced servant boy, then seize the immortal encounter!"
With both arms curved as if hugging a sphere, a Penglai immortal mountain descended from the sky in wisps of ethereal immortal qi—the very Penglai Dao manifestation he had comprehended!
Xu Ying's expression darkened slightly, irritation stirring within him. *I merely wore the wrong clothes, and I'm slandered as having a dark face!* He had originally intended only to teach these people a lesson, but now, provoked to anger, he struck with greater force, immediately unleashing the Dao Hammer Seal from the Eight Methods of the War God!
His fist crashed like a hammer of the Dao, punching straight through the Penglai immortal mountain. With a resounding boom, he blasted Pavilion Master Lin's Golden Core and soul clean out of his body.
Pavilion Master Lin was terrified out of his wits, believing death was upon him. But suddenly Xu Ying's sleeve fluttered; sweeping over the shaken soul, the breeze guided it straight back into Pavilion Master Lin's physical body. Lin froze on the spot, not daring to twitch an inch.
Behind him, an utterly terrifying aura suddenly roiled like the collapse of the heavens. He could sense the turbulent primal qi of heaven and earth surging wildly, coalescing into an immortal seal capable of shattering the sky! This seal resonated with the colossal immortal seal suppressing the God Bridge above, as though borrowing the latter's immense power! Lin felt locked onto by the immortal seal, frightening him into complete stillness.
Yet Xu Ying's seal was not aimed at him.
Xu Ying's hands rose and the seal struck. Celestial Master An Siqing, master of the Celestial Master Dao, had just manifested his Three Pure Ones avatars when they were obliterated beneath the seal technique in the next instant.
Coughing blood, An Siqing was pinned to the spot by the impact, watching helplessly as Xu Ying's palm descended like a sky-shattering seal, poised to smash his crown to pieces! Yet the seal did not land on his forehead, halting just inches away. The world-destroying martial shockwave shook his spirit, blasting his soul right out of his body. Xu Ying stepped past him and threw a punch, meeting Sect Master Han of the Heavenly Dao Sect.
Sect Master Han bellowed, driving his Heavenly Dao Divine Skill and summoning one Heavenly Dao artifact after another to form a Heavenly Dao domain. In the next moment, the domain was smashed through with a single punch! Xu Ying plunged into the domain and engaged Sect Master Han in close quarters. In the blink of an eye, Sect Master Han's head was twisted two and a half full turns, his heart turning icy cold: *I'm dead!*
Just as he seemed doomed, Xu Ying twisted his head right back into place and casually treated his injuries along the way.
Xu Ying charged out of the fractured Heavenly Dao domain. Sect Master Xiao of the Five Elements Sect came rushing at him, but in the brief instant they crossed paths, Xiao was struck so hard by a fist that his soul was knocked from his body, his physical form collapsing to his knees on the spot.
Sect Master Zhao of the Two Instruments Sect had already prepared himself, raising his Heaven-Suppressing Ruler. But in the next heartbeat, twenty-four bright moons rose together and pressed down, crushing the Heaven-Suppressing Ruler beneath them!
Xu Ying brushed past him. Zhao's legs snapped with loud cracks. Just as he tried to raise his arms to attack, the bones in both arms—from the first knuckle all the way to his shoulder blades—snapped entirely, fractured one by one by Xu Ying's strikes.
Sect Master Luo of the Taiyin Sect activated the Xuanwu Taiyin Divine Skill, the phenomenon of a Xuanwu treading the Heavenly River rising behind him. Facing the oncoming Xu Ying, his technique was dismantled in two moves. The Heavenly River severed, the Xuanwu torn apart, Sect Master Luo sprayed blood and was sent flying backward, tumbling onto the God Bridge behind Yuan Weiyang.
The purple-robed young woman was utterly dazzled and shaken to her core. The combat prowess Xu Ying displayed was even more terrifying than she had imagined!
At that moment, the corpse-faced middle-aged man beside Mount Emei's Sect Leader Yan Kongcheng whispered, "An immortal formation could overcome him. Although he knows how to refine the Bright Moon Beads, he has never learned how to properly operate immortal formations; his arithmetic is too poor. Use an immortal formation to press him, and the Bright Moon Mountains and Rivers Beads can be broken."
The purple-robed girl quickly leaned in and asked, "My Sun Moon God Sect possesses the Sun Moon Five Elements Grand Formation, an immortal array that moves effortlessly. Could it break the Bright Moon Mountains and Rivers Beads?"
Her eyes flickered. If that were the case, she could give it a try—defeat Xu Ying and seize the immortal encounter.
Qiao Zizhong replied expressionlessly, "It can."
Just as the girl was about to step forward, Yan Kongcheng hastily intervened, "Sect Master Su, do not go. Once you break the Twenty-Four Heavens Immortal Formation, you will be beaten to death by him. What he operates with the greatest mastery is not my Emei's Twenty-Four Heavens Immortal Formation, but a Heavenly Dao domain. His Heavenly Dao avatar can rival an angler in the Ascension stage."
The purple-robed girl gave a start and instantly abandoned the notion.
Qiao Zizhong whispered, "Sect Leader, letting her die would remove a rival and destroy a major sect."
Yan Kongcheng replied, "Dissuading her from acting gains us a friend."
Qiao Zizhong said nothing more.
Shi Yuqing chuckled and remarked, "Sect Leader Yan seems quite familiar with our Sword Sect's Grand Supreme Elder."
Yan Kongcheng said in surprise, "Brother Xu is also a Grand Supreme Elder of your Sword Sect? No wonder his swordsmanship is so formidable!"
Qiao Zizhong's heart skipped a beat as he scrutinized Shi Yuqing, thinking, *When Mount Shu Sword Sect accepted Xu Ying and gave him the title of Grand Supreme Elder, did they not inform the sword immortals of the Sword Sect?* He immediately thought, *Those Mount Shu sword immortals probably fled overnight, swearing irreconcilable enmity against the Sword Sect. Pity this silly girl is still completely in the dark. Heh, that's another sect wiped out.*
While they spoke, the young sect masters, leaders, and pavilion masters had all suffered defeat.
Xu Ying, showing mercy, had merely beaten them half to death without actually killing anyone. Turning around, he cupped his hands and said, "Today I sparred with you all, and we were evenly matched. How about we call it a draw? Gentlemen, please return to the bridge."
Pavilion Master Lin and the others had grim, sullen faces as they filed back onto the God Bridge.
Yuan Qi secretly tilted his tail toward Xu Ying, thinking, *Ah Ying is taking on more and more the air of a scholar. Putting it this way, these sect leaders, pavilion masters, and masters won't lose face, and they'll even feel pleased inside.*
Xu Ying looked toward Pavilion Master Lin and the rest, feeling deeply touched. *Seventh Master teaches well. Now that I've beaten them severely yet spoken courteously, they won't cause any more trouble. Otherwise, killing them would have been my only option.*
Freed from their interference, Yuan Weiyang could devote her full strength to stabilizing the bridge connecting to the Other Shore of the Martial Dao. At the other end of the bridge, a silhouette draped in immortal radiance strode forward with visible difficulty through the void.
The figure was massive. Every step he took seemed weighed down by crushing pressure, surrounded by roars of thunder. Heavenly lightning struck relentlessly, cleaving into him and tearing his flesh until not an inch of unblemished skin remained.
*The Great Emperor of the Martial Dao is still undergoing his tribulation!*
Xu Ying was greatly shaken by the sight. He realized that the Great Emperor of the Martial Dao had not fully transcended his tribulation; the moment he stepped out of the other shore, the Heavenly Tribulation sensed him again, continuing its tribulation fortune and hurling thunderbolts down upon him!
Being so close to the Immortal Realm, the power of the Heavenly Dao's tribulation fortune was even stronger here. Yuan Weiyang could hardly maintain the connection, and the bridge linking to the Other Shore of the Martial Dao shook violently, on the verge of collapsing at any moment!
Making a prompt decision, Xu Ying flicked his fingers repeatedly. Bright Moon Beads shot out one after another, twenty-four bright moons whistling through the air as they skimmed along the bridge. Upon reaching the towering figure, they surged upward, forming a Heavenly Dao domain that enclosed the man within and severed his resonance with the external Heavenly Dao!
A bolt of heavenly lightning crashing through the void paused abruptly, skimming past the Heavenly Dao domain and striking empty space. Soon after, the thunderclouds in the void lost their target and slowly dissipated.
At that moment, the Son of Heaven of Zhou had just cracked the seal of the immortal stamp and stepped onto the God Bridge. Seeing this from afar, his heart leaped. *If he can fully master the Heavenly Dao runes, he could act on behalf of Heaven, allowing us to ascend without having to undergo tribulations! Does the ageless immortal possess such ability?*
Controlling the twenty-four Bright Moon Beads, Xu Ying bore the man up, slowly flying him over to the God Bridge.
Seeing this, Yuan Weiyang dispersed the heavens' resonance. Nearly exhausted, she swayed to her feet and looked toward the Heavenly Dao domain.
A burly, cloth-robed man sat cross-legged in midair. His powerful spirit radiated outward onto the boundary walls of the Heavenly Dao domain, projecting countless intricate martial arts supreme techniques, as though thousands of silhouettes were studying and cultivating the Martial Dao all at once!
"He was nearly struck to death by the Heavenly Tribulation, yet he remains this strong?" Qiao Zizhong gasped in astonishment. He knew all too well how difficult it was to survive a failed Heavenly Tribulation.
Having lived as an old monster for over twenty thousand years, he lacked the slightest confidence in surviving a Heavenly Tribulation if it went awry—none whatsoever! Yet this obscure, cloth-robed man had managed to accomplish it; it was truly unbelievable!
Suddenly, feeling a stir in his heart, Qiao Zizhong looked toward the ruins of the Yellow Emperor's temporary palace. Xu Fu was walking out from the ruins, treading upon empty air and passing directly through layers of seals. The restrictions beneath the immortal seal seemed to pass through sheer nothingness when they brushed him, leaving him untouched. Xu Fu stepped straight onto the God Bridge, staring in surprise at the cloth-robed man within the Heavenly Dao domain.
Xu Ying entered the Heavenly Dao domain and suddenly said, "Ah Fu, if all the other shores were opened by mortals, would Nuo techniques still be a trap? Right before you stands a man who opened an other shore."
Chapter 255