The Son of Heaven of Zhou and Grand Preceptor Jiang exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. Once the laughter died down, Grand Preceptor Jiang shook his head. "Can an ageless immortal who has lived for myriad lifetimes truly be this naive?"
The Son of Heaven of Zhou smiled and said, "He may appear to have lived much longer than us, but for most of that time, he was merely a rural youth—innocent, carefree, and untouched by worldly affairs."
Grand Preceptor Jiang chuckled. "Fellow Daoist Xu, the kind of world you envision simply does not exist. In the end, your thinking is far too naive."
Xu Ying thought it over and smiled. "Both of you speak the truth. Most of my days were spent tending cattle and herding sheep, and sometimes catching snakes. My parents always treated me like a child as well. If you say I don't understand and am too naive, then I suppose I truly am naive."
At times he even had to consult Yuan Qi, which showed he really was rather naive.
They returned to the Cangwu Abyss, where another Great Zhou Qi Refiner came to report, saying, "Your Majesty, we have discovered traces of the heavenly god Hebo in the Heping heavens."
The group hurried to the Heping cave-heaven, only to find torrential floods ravaging the land. Homes were destroyed, crops entirely lost, and the ground transformed into an endless ocean. People trapped on the mountains had no choice but to offer sacrifices and worship to the Water God, Hebo.
Without wasting words, Xu Ying stepped directly before Hebo, suppressed him, and analyzed the Heavenly Dao runes on his body one by one. He then disabled the runes, stripping Hebo of his divinity and casting him down to the mortal realm.
He did not kill Hebo; instead, the enraged populace swarmed forward, hacking the fallen god to pieces.
The Great Zhou Qi Refiners numbered as many as two thousand, searching across the myriad heavens and worlds with immense efficiency.
No sooner had Xu Ying eradicated the Water God Hebo than another search party located the Thunder God.
The Thunder God commanded heavenly lightning, ploughing the earth with bolts and striking down countless living beings across the Jian'an world, coercing the mortals into offering sacrifices and constructing temples in his honor.
Xu Ying, the Son of Heaven of Zhou, and their companions rushed over without pausing for breath. Barely had they resolved the matter of the Thunder God when Great Zhou Qi Refiners discovered the Wind God committing atrocities in the Yonghan world.
After eliminating the Wind God, news arrived that the Fire God had set fires across the Guanghe world, roasting the populace.
Xu Ying, the Son of Heaven of Zhou, and the others swept through world after world. Gradually, Xu Ying accumulated more and more Heavenly Dao runes. Within his mind, more memories concerning the Heavenly Dao stirred awake, and the Heavenly Dao runes under his mastery grew ever more numerous.
Deploying his Heavenly Dao domain became increasingly effortless; he could casually lay down a domain with Heavenly Dao runes, and his Heavenly Dao avatar grew ever more formidable.
However, as time went on, the longer the heavenly gods enjoyed mortal incense, the stronger they became.
In particular, when the mortals of an entire world were concentrated into worshipping them, the growth of their divine power was truly terrifying!
With every passing day, Xu Ying could sense the increase in the heavenly gods' power.
"As these heavenly gods absorb mortal incense, their cultivation and strength will steadily approach that of their predecessors, the outer gods. Back then, the outer gods could descend to the lower realm at will and gather faith among mortals."
Great Emperor Cangwu possessed some knowledge of past events and spoke to Xu Ying, "In those days, the outer gods could freely wield Heavenly Dao divine artifacts to descend upon the mortal realm and punish humanity. Later, when the outer gods vanished, these heavenly gods were strictly forbidden from descending to the lower realm."
Xu Ying inquired, "What happened after that?"
Great Emperor Cangwu replied, "Over forty thousand years ago, I was already dead, my Primordial Spirit cast adrift, so I caught wind of some happenings. Back then, upheavals struck heaven and earth. First came the catastrophe of Kunlun, which claimed the lives of many first-generation heavenly gods of the Heavenly Dao world. Later, another great calamity unfolded; I sensed heavenly gods from the Heavenly Dao world descending to the mortal realm in droves, slaughtering their way through the starry sky against someone, suffering catastrophic casualties. Ever since then, the first-generation heavenly gods of the Heavenly Dao world fell into decline."
Chu Xiangxiang chuckled and said, "I've heard of this as well. Legend has it that someone descended from the Immortal Realm, carved a bloody path through the heavenly road, and shattered it completely, severing everyone's hope of ascension. Countless gods and god kings of the Heavenly Dao world perished because of it, ultimately causing the decline of the first-generation heavenly gods. Later, new gods arose in the Heavenly Dao world, replacing the old gods and driving those first-generation gods out of the Heavenly Dao world."
*The one who severed the heavenly road was me,*
Xu Ying thought quietly to himself. *However, by then, that great villain had already triggered the super heavenly tribulation and severed everyone's path to ascension. If people couldn't even survive the tribulation, how could they have stepped onto the heavenly road to ascend? Clearly, that ascender who triggered the super heavenly tribulation was the true great villain.*
The decline of the old gods had likely occurred when Xu Ying slaughtered his way across the heavenly road.
"So I was the one who beat them into decline," Xu Ying grumbled inwardly, feeling somewhat sheepish.
He suddenly recalled the outer god Tianshu. That heavenly god commanded Heavenly Dao runes and was an old god who had once sought to kill the current High God Tianshu and take his place.
"Where did those exiled old gods go?" Xu Ying asked.
Great Emperor Cangwu said, "They hide scattered across the myriad heavens and worlds, though they haven't shown themselves in a very long time."
Xu Ying suddenly remembered Long Yuan, whom he had encountered in the Taiyi Lesser Profound Heaven; he was likely an old god as well.
*It seems old gods like Long Yuan aren't few in number across the myriad worlds,* he thought to himself.
Great Emperor Cangwu said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, if I were the only one revived, the Immortal Realm wouldn't pay it much mind, as my Cangwu alone could not stir up much trouble. But now the Kunlun gods, Dongyue, and Fengdu have all revived. The Immortal Realm certainly won't sit idly by. These past few days have been so quiet that my heart cannot help but leap with dread."
He paused, then added, "You must make quick work of your task. I will give you three more days. No matter what, I must relocate the Cangwu Abyss to evade the Immortal Realm's pursuit!"
Xu Ying and the Son of Heaven of Zhou felt an immediate sense of urgency and quickened their pace.
***
In the Benshi world, High God Tianyao had descended to this realm, yet he had not unleashed his divine might. Instead, he restrained his aura and walked among mortals with great interest.
Here, he had discovered many intriguing things.
This Benshi world was filled with countless temples housing all manner of bizarre statues. People offered worship to different deities in these temples, praying for marriage, offspring, happiness, or wealth.
Different statues oversaw different walks of life: merchants prayed to the God of Wealth, travelers worshipped the Earth God, and river crossers paid homage to the Water God.
Yet strangely enough, though the statues across these temples differed completely, every single deity shared the exact same name:
Chongxiao.
Even stranger, these temples answered every prayer!
High God Tianyao visited these temples one by one, examining every statue. After spending considerable time, he finally located the oldest temple in this realm: the Benshi Great King Temple.
When High God Tianyao stepped into the Great King Temple, he found incense smoke swirling thick and worshipers gathered in large numbers, all praising the miraculous efficacy of the enshrined statue.
With a gentle flick of his sleeve, High God Tianyao spun everyone inside the temple into a dizzying whirl and transported them far away.
He strolled before the towering statue enshrined upon the altar and spoke leisurely, "Chongxiao, what a clever scheme you have. Without needing to intimidate the realm, you enjoy the full measure of mortal incense. You maintain tens of thousands of clones, seated in different temples and manifesting as different statues, performing miracles to harvest the faith of the world."
The imposing statue seated upon the shrine remained motionless, standing there like painted clay and carved wood, gazing straight ahead.
It depicted a handsome man with purple hair, but bizarrely, a third eye rested upon his forehead, and extra heads grew from his left and right shoulders.
Upon his right shoulder was an avian head, and upon his left was a wolf head.
High God Tianyao sneered, "Chongxiao, did you think you could hide this from me? When you were driven out of the Heavenly Dao world back then, how utterly wretched you were! Who would have thought you were putting on gods and playing ghosts here, enjoying the worship of an entire world!"
The moment he said this, the eyes on the shrine rolled, fixing their gaze upon him. "Tianyao, you are just as much a fool as you were before. Back then, your faction seized power from me and drove me down to the lower realm. I thought I would fall into decline, never imagining that here, peacefully partaking of mortal incense, I would comprehend the supreme Heavenly Dao."
The sky suddenly darkened. Vast divine power surged in, turning into a howling vortex that poured madly into the statue!
The statue revived, turning into flesh and blood. Various Heavenly Dao rune imprints surfaced across his body, and his aura swelled with surging power, radiating an incomparable sense of oppression!
The oppressive majesty of the Heavenly Dao!
Chongxiao took a step forward, arriving before High God Tianyao. Behind him, the shrine flew into the air, enveloped by countless streams of incense smoke. Shimmering with divine radiance, Heavenly Dao runes lit up one after another along the shrine's four walls, transforming it in an instant into a Heavenly Dao divine artifact radiating vast heavenly might!
Stifled by this heavenly majesty, High God Tianyao lifted his head and said, "Chongxiao, you were the Tianyao of the previous generation, but unfortunately, you are no longer a heavenly god—merely an outer god! If you dare touch me, that is rebellion! The Heavenly Dao world will never let you off, and in all the vastness of the universe, there will be no place left for you to hide!"
Outer God Chongxiao snorted. Clearly wary of the Heavenly Dao world and unwilling to take things too far, he slightly reined in his aura.
High God Tianyao breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "You have occupied this place and enjoyed mortal incense for long enough; it's time you moved aside. Recall your clones, and I shall take your place to enjoy a few years of worship on your behalf."
On Outer God Chongxiao's shoulders, the wolf and bird heads bared their fangs and snapped in fury, shouting reprimands.
High God Tianyao sneered, "You refuse to leave? Truth be told, the God King has also descended to the lower realm this time. Surely you don't think you can match the God King as well?"
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Outer God Chongxiao said, "It is not impossible for me to yield all these temples to you. But if you wish to gather mortal incense, you must commune with the human heart. You must know the duties of each temple's deity, understand the prayers each god answers, and do your utmost to grant what the people seek. Only then will they revere and worship you..."
High God Tianyao roared with laughter, cutting him off with mockery: "Chongxiao, did that great villain beat you stupid back then? I am a heavenly god, exalted above all! Common mortals are mere ants, mayflies born in the morning and dead by dusk. Why should I serve them? I descended to the mortal realm to enjoy blessings, not to suffer!"
Outer God Chongxiao reined in his temper and asked, "What do you plan to do, then?"
High God Tianyao replied, "Once I am seated upon the shrine, I will appear in the dreams of all people across the land, commanding them to worship me and chant my true name. A small offering every three days, a grand sacrifice every ten days, with incense burning without cease. If a household fails to worship me, burns no incense, or does not chant my true name, one person in that home shall die on the first day. If they fail to worship for two days, another shall die. If they refuse for three days, their entire household shall be slaughtered. If they resist me, their clan shall be exterminated. If they conspire with Qi Refiners against me, their entire lineage shall be wiped from existence."
The wolf and bird heads on Outer God Chongxiao's shoulders grew beside themselves with rage, snarling with agitation.
"Tianyao, do you know what Heavenly Dao I have comprehended over these forty thousand years?"
Outer God Chongxiao struck without warning. Layer upon layer of feathered wings extended from behind him, sweeping downward like blades toward High God Tianyao as he sneered, "Before you die, let me show you the Heavenly Dao that you could never comprehend in your entire lifetime!"
Undaunted, High God Tianyao sprouted dense feathers from his back as well, laughing. "You've lost your patience already? Chongxiao, you remain as brainless as ever! We both wield the exact same Heavenly Dao runes. Did you think that absorbing a few extra years of incense would make you stronger than me?"
The two gods' wings collided. Tempestuous divine power detonated, reducing the Benshi Great King Temple to fine powder and leveling the ground!
A searing pain tore through High God Tianyao's wings—they had been cleanly sheared off!
Terror seized his heart. "This isn't purely the Tianyao Heavenly Dao! There are other Heavenly Daos..."
Before he could finish, countless flashes of blade light filled his vision. In the next instant, the high god of the Heavenly Dao was sliced into countless fragments!
The sky full of feathered divine blades clashed and vibrated, ringing out incessantly like clanging metal and stone.
Suddenly, the feathered blades coalesced into torrential streams and surged back into Chongxiao's body.
"I told you, I comprehended the supreme Heavenly Dao in the mortal realm."
Retracting the final wing into his body, Chongxiao spoke with a solemn expression, "When mortals sacrificed to me and offered incense, I initially intended to exploit them. But later, as I answered their prayers and worked on their behalf, I comprehended how communion between heaven and man gives birth to the myriad Daos."
The aura of the Heavenly Dao around him grew increasingly intense, and various Heavenly Dao runes surfaced around his form.
Those Heavenly Dao runes were not merely those of Tianyao; they included runes belonging to other heavenly gods, which he had surprisingly comprehended on his own!
"Only from that moment on did I grasp the true meaning of the Heavenly Dao. Whereas you, just like the old me, are nothing more than a creation—you never understood the Heavenly Dao at all."
Chongxiao exhaled a breath of turbid air and glanced at the Benshi Great King Temple, now flattened to rubble, his brows furrowing slightly.
This place was compromised and could no longer serve as a refuge.
Killing Tianyao was a grave crime; the Heavenly Dao world would certainly trace it here. If he lingered, he would be encircled and hunted by the gods, and perhaps even the God King would track him down.
Chongxiao looked toward the temples scattered across the Benshi world, feeling a pang of sorrow.
Over the span of forty thousand years, he had unconsciously developed deep affection for this land and felt reluctant to part with its people.
Back then, he had descended under orders to hunt down the great villain. Yet after the deed was done, the Immortal Realm bestowed no rewards for his service, and he was driven out of the Heavenly Dao world, reduced to roaming the mortal realm.
Now that he had to leave, a myriad of emotions welled within him—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy—mirroring the heartfelt prayers mortals offered before his shrines.
"I must go!"
Chongxiao unfurled his wings and took flight. Across the Benshi world, statues in every temple stirred to life, soaring into the air and transforming into demon gods that merged into Chongxiao's form.
With his divine power bolstered even further, Chongxiao beat his wings and rushed toward the Cangwu Abyss.
Upon reaching the colossal abyss, Chongxiao folded his wings, reined in his divine power, and concealed the two extra heads on his shoulders. Just as he was about to enter, his body suddenly stiffened.
He whipped his head around, his gaze locking onto a youth who had just flown out of the Cangwu Abyss.
Several companions accompanied the youth, one of whom was saying, "Someone in this realm saw a heavenly god fall, but its whereabouts are unknown."
Chongxiao blurted out, "Xu Ying!"
The youth in plain robes exuded a touch of heroic grace. Hearing his name, he stopped, turned around with an affable smile, and said, "I am indeed Xu Ying. And who might you be, brother?"
Chongxiao laughed wildly, his voice shrill and agonized: "It really is you, you scoundrel! You are the one who caused me to be banished to the mortal realm for forty thousand years!"
He let out a piercing screech as Heavenly Dao majesty erupted from him. A wing shot into the sky, transforming into ten thousand great blades that came cleaving down toward Xu Ying with a resounding clang!
Chapter 293