Heavenly Dao Replacement Plan

A sudden realization dawned on Xu Ying. *Perhaps the human Primordial Spirit is the Dao image of the primordial Heavenly Dao gods between Heaven and Earth. That is why their Primordial Spirits possess immense might, like heavenly gods. Cultivating to become an immortal, crossing the tribulation, and ascending—that is the process of the Primordial Spirit breaking through the Heavenly Dao.* To refine qi and become an immortal, one had to first learn from the Heavenly Dao, forging one's Primordial Spirit into the form of a heavenly god. Crossing the tribulation and ascending was to break through the Heavenly Dao. Learning from the Heavenly Dao, breaking through the Heavenly Dao, and only then attaining freedom—such was an immortal. Behind Xu Ying, cave-heavens emerged one by one, suspended behind him. Immortal herbs from the Mud Pill, Crimson Palace, Jade Capital, Bubbling Spring, Jade Pool, Yellow Court, and the Martial Dao other shores flowed in an unending stream into his Twelve-Storyed Mansions, soaking and nourishing his Golden Core. At this moment, his Golden Core seemed forged from imperishable spiritual light, shining brilliantly as it swallowed the immortal herbs from the seven other shores like a ravenous whale. Because the Mud Pill and Crimson Palace held Nuo ancestor cave-heavens, their speed in refining immortal herbs could keep pace with the Golden Core's absorption, but the other five cave-heavens lacked this capability. Especially the Martial Dao cave-heaven. Xu Ying possessed a Martial Dao cave-heaven that others did not, having opened four tiers by now. However, Martial Emperor Shen Luo had not fully opened the Other Shore of the Martial Dao, leaving that shore incomplete. The martial immortal herbs Xu Ying's Martial Dao cave-heaven could angle for were relatively scarce, falling far short of the requirements for his Golden Core's transformation. *Martial Emperor Shen will have to work hard to open the Other Shore of the Martial Dao,* Xu Ying thought. *I wonder if he has met the Martial Heavenly Venerable, Zhai Wuxian, and the others. They will certainly urge him along earnestly.* Just then, he sensed a cataclysmic surge of magic power. Waking from his meditation, he took to the air and soon arrived outside the doomsday sun. What greeted his eyes was the back of Dongyue's head, along with a torrent of ashes spiraling around the sun and Dongyue. Within the torrent, golden Heavenly Dao runes flared continuously, vibrating and buzzing with deafening Dao chimes! "Primordial Heavenly Dao runes!" Xu Ying witnessed Dongyue confronting that horsetail whisk, pitting the primordial Heavenly Dao against the three thousand immortal Dao filaments of the whisk and severing every single thread of that immortal weapon. Xu Ying was shaken beyond measure. With the whisk beaten back, Dongyue's Primordial Spirit flew out, immense beyond compare. Another Dongyue, roughly of Xu Ying's height, walked over. This Dongyue was not the ash-formed Dongyue from earlier. He possessed a divine golden body, shining brilliantly, yet was different from the yin gods Xu Ying had encountered before. Yin gods possessed bodies of carved wood and molded clay, gathering magic power from incense. Drawing near to those yin gods, one would hear the clamor of mortals' stray thoughts, disturbing the mind. Mister Dongyue's golden body, however, did not resemble carved wood or molded clay. His golden body seemed to be the power of mortal prayers chanting his name, condensed within boundless incense smoke qi to forge this god's golden body. The magic power of yin gods was mixed and impure, placing an upper limit on their strength. Mister Dongyue's magic power, by contrast, was exceptionally pure—not a whit inferior to Pure Yang true essence, and perhaps even surpassing it. Aside from incense, he also carried the Heavenly Dao. Yet this Heavenly Dao was the primordial Heavenly Dao, devoid of the danger found on modern heavenly gods' Heavenly Dao runes, bearing only a sacred aura. Even so, Xu Ying knew that a god who mastered the Heavenly Dao could certainly make it incomparably perilous! Dongyue appraised Xu Ying, showing delight as he smiled. "Fellow Daoist, your cultivation has advanced. Truly worthy of congratulation." Xu Ying asked, "Mister Dongyue, have your old injuries healed?" Dongyue shook his head. "Not yet. I have not returned to my peak state." Xu Ying was stunned. The scene just now had been thoroughly awe-inspiring, yet it had not even been his full strength. How powerful had Dongyue been at his peak? The two returned to the palace and sat down. Xu Ying inquired, "Dare I ask Mister Dongyue, what is a heavenly god?" Dongyue replied, "A heavenly god is born of human hearts and formed through incense. When the human heart longs, there is divine consciousness; when people offer worship, their hopes are placed upon it. A heavenly god is formed when mortals place their hopes and yearnings into a god." Xu Ying asked for further clarification. Dongyue explained in detail, "For example, mortals revere fire. Fire allowed them to cast aside eating raw flesh and drinking blood, prolonging their lives. Yet heavenly fire, subterranean fire, wild fires, conflagrations, and falling flames can also harm them. Mortals' sacrifices formed the manifestation of a heavenly god who commands fire. This god is named the Fire God, and this Heavenly Dao is named the Dao of Fire. Over time, the Fire God was born from mortals' sacrifices, gaining physical form and divine consciousness. He knows no good or evil, right or wrong, but acts in accordance with the Heavenly Dao. This is a heavenly god." Xu Ying fell into thought. Only a god who acted in accordance with the Dao could truly be called a heavenly god. Those heavenly gods of the Heavenly Dao world were likely immortal-crafted creatures who wielded incomplete Heavenly Dao runes, fundamentally different from true heavenly gods. They were better described as creations that commanded a portion of the Heavenly Dao's power, yet did not act in accordance with the Heavenly Dao. Dongyue said, "The Fire God exists because fire exists. But a god can also exist where there was once nothing. For example, mortals believed there was a god in the Netherworld named Dongyue, who commanded life and death as the Emperor of the Netherworld. Mortals sacrificed to Dongyue, burning paper money for him, praying for him to protect their deceased kin in the Netherworld. Over time, Dongyue was born from the paper money, possessing divine power and mastering the Heavenly Dao to become a deity." Revealing his own origin, he said, "Originally, there was no Dongyue in the Netherworld. With prolonged sacrifice, Dongyue came to be." Xu Ying's eyes lit up. "Originally, there was no Heavenly Dao that commanded life and death to protect dead souls. With prolonged sacrifice, such a Heavenly Dao came to be." Dongyue smiled. "This Dao differs from the Dao of Fire. This Dao was born from mortals." Though these were only a few brief words, Xu Ying's understanding of the Heavenly Dao deepened greatly. Dongyue explaining the origin of the Heavenly Dao to him was also of tremendous benefit to his contemplation of the Primordial Spirit. Xu Ying asked, "Mister Dongyue, you receive the sacrifices of the multitude of living beings across the myriad realms and possess vast magic power. How did you end up in your current state?" "More than sixty thousand years ago, the Immortal Realm suddenly turned against us primordial gods. Many of us were slaughtered, and many were suppressed. I was fortunate enough to escape with my Primordial Spirit, but my golden body was suppressed by them." Dongyue said calmly, "Though I reclaimed my golden body, I lacked the power to heal myself. Later, someone told me that Jade Pool immortal water could heal my wounds and revive me." Xu Ying's eyes flickered, recalling Jin Buyi. Dongyue continued, "What made her different from you was that she was not under close surveillance. I encountered her when I was steering the Sun Palace on patrol through the Netherworld, chancing upon her in a place called Penglai. She divined a hexagram for me and told me how to revive." "Penglai?" Xu Ying was slightly taken aback. He had awakened memories of going out to sea with Xu Fu. In those memories, Xu Fu had consulted ancient texts which recorded that Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang were all immortal mountains brought down from the Immortal Realm by Xu Ying. However, at that time, Xu Ying's memory held only the whereabouts of the Fangzhang immortal mountain, which was why they had gone to sea in search of Fangzhang. When Xu Ying asked about Penglai's location, Dongyue shook his head. "The Penglai immortal mountain is extraordinarily mysterious. It was only by chance, when that immortal mountain passed through the Netherworld, that I had the opportunity to visit the God-Woman. Penglai immortal mountain has long ceased to be in its original place." Xu Ying thought, *That Pavilion Master Lin Tianhua, who was parasitized by Lord Grass, seemed to come from the Penglai Pavilion. Is the Penglai Pavilion connected to the Penglai immortal mountain? When I have time, I must pay a visit to the Penglai Pavilion!* Dongyue said, "Aside from me, other primordial gods were also suppressed. Some are not yet dead, but the mortals of the world no longer remember them. Mortals only know of the Heavenly Dao world, only of the heavenly gods within the Heavenly Dao world." He stepped out of Dongyue Palace and stood within the doomsday sun, gazing at the skeletal Golden Crow pulling the chains ahead to haul the doomsday sun onward. Slowly raising his right hand, he said solemnly, "If they are forgotten, they will slowly wither away until their divine power is utterly extinguished. At that time, the Immortal Realm's Heavenly Dao Replacement Plan will be completely realized." Xu Ying asked in confusion, "The Heavenly Dao Replacement Plan?" Divine power erupted from Dongyue's palm, the Heavenly Dao rumbling as it surged toward the skeletal Golden Crow. The skeletal Golden Crow screeched, beating its wings. Flesh and blood began to sprout among its bones, a heart grew between its blood vessels, and bone connected to sinew! Its plumage gradually grew lush, its aura steadily stronger, and its fire fiercer by the moment! Dongyue commanded life and death within the Heavenly Dao, reviving the Golden Crow from death. This resurrection was a divine ability of his Heavenly Dao. Once separated from the empowerment of his Heavenly Dao, it would fall back into death; nevertheless, it was enough to stun the world! As Xu Ying watched this astonishing scene, Dongyue's voice sounded by his ear. "More than sixty thousand years ago, the heavenly tribulations of Qi Refiners were born from the Qi Refiners' own karmic trials, resonating between Heaven and mankind, arising according to fortune. Good, evil, right, and wrong were all within the Heavenly Dao, and at the moment before ascension, a judgment was made." *Boom!* A world-shaking crash resonated by Xu Ying's ear. He hastily looked up, only to see countless winter crows flying through the Netherworld like a star river spanning the sky, surging toward the doomsday sun. Xu Ying was startled. *A whole day has passed?* The resurrected Golden Crow beat its wings and flew forward, blazing with raging true fire as it pulled the doomsday sun plunging downward. Xu Ying looked ahead. A vast Nether Sea entered his view, radiating bone-chilling cold. The Golden Crow was about to pull the doomsday sun and plunge into the sea. "Back then, when crossing the tribulation to ascend, the intensity of the heavenly tribulation was determined by your own trials," Dongyue's voice echoed. "After the Heavenly Dao Replacement Plan was implemented, we gods were either killed or wounded. The Heavenly Dao world gradually took shape, and ultimately, the rules of the heavenly tribulations changed as well." Suddenly, an immense yet gentle force pushed Xu Ying aside. By the time he steadied himself, he had already been moved outside the doomsday sun, hovering above the Nether Sea. The three-legged golden crow pulled the colossal sun, racing across the surface of the Nether Sea and kicking up towering waves. Countless winter crows plunged into the sun one after another, extinguishing it. The Golden Crow spread its wings and dove into the Nether Sea. Dongyue's voice drifted from afar: "From then on, a new heavenly tribulation began!" Back then, when Dongyue had ordered the skeletal Golden Crow to deliver the egg it had laid to Xu Ying's doorstep, someone must have given him guidance, subtly intending to use Xu Ying's affection for Jin Buyi so that Xu Ying would retrieve the Jade Pool immortal water for him. Yet had Dongyue not done so, the Xu Ying of that time could never have become a powerful Qi Refiner. Without Jin Buyi, Xu Ying would have remained an ordinary mortal manipulated by his watchers. Precisely because Jin Buyi had never abandoned Xu Ying, seeking out his young master time and again, and confronting the watchers time and again, Xu Ying had finally gained the chance to cultivate and grow, thereby planting the seeds for his eventual reversal of fortune! One could say that without Dongyue gifting Jin Buyi to Xu Ying, Xu Ying would not be where he was today. "Who was it that told you the Jade Pool immortal water could save you?" Xu Ying asked. Dongyue said, "A fortune-telling God-Woman." Xu Ying was slightly startled. Dongyue would consult a God-Woman? Could a God-Woman divine the fate of a primordial heavenly god and tell him how to revive himself? Dongyue's eyes flickered as he said, "Like you, she is an immortal person." Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. *Immortal like me?* The extinguished doomsday sun plunged into the sea, vanishing within a whirlpool! Xu Ying floated above the pitch-black Nether Sea, piercingly cold. The Nether Sea gradually calmed, white mist rising from the surface like petals of a lotus flower. *The other shore of the Bubbling Spring secret depository?* Xu Ying's heart stirred. He flew toward the mist, but passed right through it without arriving at the corresponding other shore of the Bubbling Spring secret depository. Flying past the lotus-petal-shaped patches of mist, he could not help but frown. This Nether Sea was boundless, with no end in sight. Moreover, there was no light here. In such darkness, he had no idea when he would find a way out. Suddenly, a voice came from ahead: "Nuo Xiang, your doom is sealed today. Why struggle?" Xu Ying's thoughts stirred. *Nuo Xiang? The Nuo ancestor who commands the Bubbling Spring cave-heaven?* *Hum—* In the depths of the Nether Sea, a burst of light erupted, followed by a surging wave of qi that swept across all directions, completely clearing away all the mist! As the mist dispersed, bright light immediately shone through. Xu Ying looked toward the light and saw cave-heavens of various sizes suspended above the Nether Sea. Among them, the most eye-catching was naturally the Bubbling Spring cave-heaven commanded by Nuo ancestor Nuo Xiang. The cave-heaven was shaped like a lotus flower, constantly blooming and fading away. In the depths of this lotus cave-heaven, the other shore's nether fire burned fiercely, and within the flames stood a Twelve-Storyed Mansions! *The rare treasure on the other shore of the Nether Sea is the Twelve-Storyed Mansions, and within our human body's Qi Refinement realms, there is the Twelve-Story Pavilion stage, also twelve stories!* Xu Ying gazed at the pavilion deep within the lotus cave-heaven, filled with shock and doubt. *Is this a coincidence, or did someone arrange it deliberately?* He had just broken through the second Pass-Breaching stage to enter the Twelve-Story Pavilion stage. Seeing that the palace on the other shore of the Bubbling Spring took the form of a Twelve-Storyed Mansions identical to the human body's twelve-storyed mansions, he could not help but grow suspicious. *Then again, why did Mister Dongyue drop me off here?* Xu Ying's eyes flickered with thought. *He never does anything without purpose; there must be a deeper meaning. He surely wants me to play the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole lurks behind, ambushing these anglers and Nuo Xiang to reclaim my Bubbling Spring cave-heaven! This high god is truly too good to me.* He surveyed the situation, secretly calculating how to seize the Bubbling Spring cave-heaven. Meanwhile, the doomsday sun plunged deep into the Nether Sea and leapt out from the other side. Pulling the sun, the Golden Crow rose higher and higher, entering the Netherworld of another realm. "Your Majesty, why did you leave him behind?" the Golden Crow asked. Dongyue replied, "That old ghost in the Nether Sea also needs Jade Pool immortal water, but he is thin-skinned and would never ask for it. So I sent Fellow Daoist Xu over to let him forge a good bond with the old ghost of the Nether Sea." The Golden Crow said, "I saw people fighting nearby." "Mm. Fellow Daoist Xu shouldn't be the sort to join in the commotion," Dongyue said. "Many experts are tracking him. If he goes to watch other people fight, he will soon become the one being beaten." *I definitely won't let this opportunity given by Mister Dongyue slip by!* Xu Ying's eyes flashed. Like an arrow leaving the bowstring, he shot forward toward the Bubbling Spring cave-heaven!