The Immortal Master of Penglai stared into the pool before him. Its water was limpid and motionless, mirroring the figures of Xu Ying and Fairy Gushe across its surface.
"Smile while you can. Soon enough, you won't even have the breath left to weep."
Gazing at the two reflections, the Immortal Master looked up toward the towering huabiao pillars standing erect between heaven and earth. "Penglai can have only one master," he murmured softly. "And that master can only be me! Wait until you have gone a bit farther—just a bit farther. I would not want anyone seeing that you died by my hand! Hm?"
Suddenly, he froze as he saw several immortals turn off course in the water's reflection, abandoning their designated route to pursue Xu Ying and Fairy Gushe instead.
"What on earth do those seven buffoons think they are doing?"
Anger surged within him. Those seven were none other than Patriarch Yan Yu and the other six Penglai Pavilion masters!
Their assignment had been completely different from Xu Ying's, yet they had veered off course to chase after Xu Ying and Gushe, throwing the Immortal Master's plans into disarray!
"No matter. Killing two is murder; killing nine is murder all the same. So long as it is done cleanly, it can all be blamed on the vile fiends of the demonic path."
He sat down cross-legged and waited patiently for the right moment.
Fairy Gushe nervously examined the threads of karmic cause and effect clinging to her body, visibly distracted.
*Should I flee? Should I take this chance and run right now...?* Her mind was consumed by an entirely different matter.
Xu Ying looked up at the sky of the Yuanchu Great World. It was crisscrossed with countless lines, as though someone had dragged a brush across the heavens to slice the firmament into discordant shapes.
It was a bizarre spectacle unique to this world.
"This must be the anomaly caused by the demonic realm's invasion! Those lines are the result of conflicting Daos of heaven and earth!"
His curiosity piqued, Xu Ying closely observed the alterations wrought by the foreign realm's intrusion.
He also spotted several creatures corrupted by demonic qi. Unlike ordinary beasts, strange patterns grew across their bodies—grotesque, intricate designs that seemed to sprout outward from deep within their flesh.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, I really think we ought to run,"
Fairy Gushe summoned her courage, determined to recruit a partner to flee with her. "I cannot shake the feeling that the Immortal Master had ill intentions when he paired the two of us together," she said. "Last time, when I sought out your enemy, the thread led straight to him. I may have bluffed my way through, but who knows if he hasn't grown suspicious?"
Xu Ying paused to examine the demonic transformations among the flora and fauna. Hearing her words, he chuckled. "Fairy, you are being overly suspicious. The Immortal Master is open, upright, and brimming with integrity; from what I have seen, he is not that sort of person. If he harbored malice, why would he send me out alongside you?"
Fairy Gushe stopped as well, urgently arguing, "Have you forgotten? You share a profound karmic bond with him—a blood debt! By putting the two of us in the same group, he clearly intends to execute you, his enemy, and silence me along the way!"
Dense mountain forests surrounded them. Corrupted plants crept through the shadows, stealthily growing in an attempt to ensnare them.
Xu Ying rose into the air, shaking his head. "Fairy, you worry too much. The Immortal Master is an upright man. He sent us out together simply to deepen our mutual understanding, not to silence anyone."
Fairy Gushe flew up after him, staying hot on his heels. "You helped him forge Heavenly Dao divine artifacts! Now that he grasps the Heavenly Dao, what further use do you have to him? You have outlived your usefulness; he will definitely seize this chance to execute you!"
No sooner had the two taken to the air than countless writhing tendrils burst from the forest below, sweeping toward them midair, only to grasp empty space.
Flying one after the other, Xu Ying and Gushe pierced the air, delving deeper into the demonic realm.
The Heavenly Dao here was fractured into tatters. Tangled lines scored the heavens, creating a chaotic landscape where the demonic path and the Heavenly Dao coexisted.
Soaring over mountain ranges, they saw mortal villages, bustling markets, and several towns scattered in pockets where the demonic path had not yet breached.
There were also numerous human Qi Refiners battling corrupted beasts along the front lines, fighting desperately to stem the demonic invasion.
Farther ahead, exceptionally powerful Qi Refiners could be seen plunging deep into the demonic realm, locked in savage slaughter against equally formidable demonic beings.
"What is the source behind this invasion?" Xu Ying was deeply perplexed.
With a flick of her mind, Fairy Gushe pulled out a thread of karma from her body and said, "Look! This is the thread connecting me to the Immortal Master! Right now, it is saturated with murderous intent! If we don't flee now, it will be too late for regrets! If you won't run, I will!"
She leaped forward, about to abandon Xu Ying, when Patriarch Yan Yu of Penglai Pavilion and the other six pavilion masters suddenly popped out from who knew where. Yan Yu beamed, "Fairy Gushe! What a pleasant coincidence! To think we would cross paths again so soon after leaving Penglai!"
Xiang Hao quickly chimed in, "Patriarch, weren't you the one who shamelessly insisted on tagging along? The Immortal Master gave us a completely different route, but you refused to take it, whining that Fairy Gushe was over here!"
Patriarch Yan Yu blew his top, pummeling Xiang Hao until his head was covered in lumps. "I clearly said Fellow Daoist Xu was here! Following Fellow Daoist Xu allows us to learn from his insights into the Heavenly Dao!"
Sixth Pavilion Master Yu Qin said, "Liar! We all heard you say Fairy Gushe! Patriarch, let me give you some advice: a toad shouldn't dream of swan meat. Why don't you go back to sleep? You can have whatever you want in your dreams..."
Enraged, Patriarch Yan Yu threw himself at him, fists flying.
Yu Qin roared back, "Strike me again, and this old man will commit patricide and strike down his ancestor!"
The other pavilion masters cheered them on. "Well done, Sixth Pavilion Master! Clean out the sect on behalf of our Penglai founders!"
Yan Yu bellowed, "I am the founder of Penglai!"
"Old scoundrel, you're the one being cleaned out! Once you're dead, I'll be the patriarch!"
As the seven immortals descended into utter chaos, Fairy Gushe glared at them, wanting nothing more than to slip away. Yet she knew that Yan Yu and his companions would only latch onto her, leaving her no chance of escape.
*I am doomed!*
Her beautiful eyes swept over them, and she saw identical threads of karma clinging to Patriarch Yan Yu and the others. She knew that these seven Penglai immortals had also been dragged into the fold and were about to perish under the Immortal Master's strike.
She wanted to drive them off, but the shameless old fellows refused to budge.
Xu Ying cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, do you happen to know the source of this demonic invasion?"
Seeing that Xu Ying had spoken, Yan Yu and the others instantly halted their bickering.
Though they showed little deference to one another, they held immense respect for Xu Ying.
Xiang Hao answered, "The exact origin is unknown, but it is likely an invasion by an alien Great Dao of heaven and earth. Legend has it that in an unimaginably ancient era, the demonic realm stood in opposition to the mortal world. A catastrophic war broke out, claiming the lives of countless gods and immortals. Yet the demonic realm suffered even more devastating losses, collapsing to the point where it could never recover."
Pavilion Master Yu Qin added, "I heard that even the demonic path itself was blasted into oblivion, wiped entirely from existence. The gods and immortals sealed away the supreme demonic powerhouses, condemning them to eternal suppression without hope of rebirth."
Yan Yu continued, "Yet for reasons unknown, the demonic path has rekindled its dying embers in recent times. Unnoticed, it grew stronger and stronger, gradually gathering momentum. As demonic forces congregated, the demonic realm began to revitalize, expanding with every passing day."
Fairy Gushe could not help but cut in, "What you call 'recent times' is actually something from long, long ago. There are even rumors that the resurgence of the demonic path predates the Penglai Immortal Realm itself."
One after another, they pieced together the origins of the demonic realm.
Xu Ying gazed into the distance. The deeper they went, the fainter the ordinary Great Dao of heaven and earth became, while the demonic path grew proportionally stronger.
"Yet if the demonic path revived and the demonic realm reemerged, why invade the myriad worlds of the heavens?" Xu Ying remained puzzled. "Are they not afraid that the gods and immortals will beat them back once more?"
At that moment, the sky suddenly plunged into gloom, and the ambient yuan qi surged with abnormal volatility.
"A demon god!"
Fairy Gushe tensed, speaking in a hurried voice. "Volatile yuan qi is the herald of an approaching demon god!"
Yan Yu and the other six turned solemn as well, calling out grimly, "Everyone, summon your immortal Primordial Spirits!"
Suddenly, an instinctive premonition seized Fairy Gushe. She checked the karmic thread upon her body and then looked at those bound to Xu Ying, Yan Yu, and the others. Terror gripped her. The karmic threads were snapping taut!
This was the omen of an imminent karmic explosion!
*The Immortal Master is about to make his move!*
Despair welled within her heart. With a demon god descending and the Immortal Master poised to strike, her last avenue of survival had been cleanly severed!
Setting all else aside, she unhesitatingly summoned her Primordial Spirit. Ten thousand radiant rays of divine light burst across the sky amid swirling immortal qi. Her Primordial Spirit presided over a domain forged of the Great Dao, steeling itself to confront the impending threat!
Yan Yu and the others stared open-mouthed at her Primordial Spirit.
Gushe was breathtakingly beautiful, yet her mortal form paled in comparison to her Primordial Spirit.
Its beauty seemed to concentrate all the elegance and perfection of the immortal path into a peerless immortal maiden.
Yet in the very next instant, the Penglai jade talisman hanging at her waist abruptly shattered with a crisp snap!
Fairy Gushe froze. Her cultivation plummeted from the realm of an immortal, and her immortal Primordial Spirit reverted directly from divine to mortal!
Her cultivation evaporated at breakneck speed, dropping her all the way to an Ascension stage Qi Refiner!
Back in the Penglai Immortal Realm, the Immortal Master watched the water's surface, a faint smile touching his lips as he murmured, "Reduced to a mortal, how will you stand against a demon god?"
No sooner had he spoken than he saw Yan Yu and the other six immortals channel their own Primordial Spirits, preparing to engage the demon god.
The Immortal Master chuckled heartily, shaking his head. "The jade talismans you wear are treasures refined by my hand. Did you truly believe you had any hope of struggling?"
With a mere thought, the jade talismans on all seven immortals shattered one after another!
In the reflection of the pool, Yan Yu and the others were scrambling like ants on a hot skillet, while Fairy Gushe stared ahead with a ghastly, hopeless expression.
Before them, a colossal demon god a thousand feet tall strode out from the mountains, bristling with a hundred arms. Its overwhelming demonic might warped the surrounding Heavenly Dao!
The Immortal Master laughed. "Let us see how you escape death this time. As for you, Fellow Daoist Xu, you possess formidable strength after all—so I have prepared something special just for you."
Surging with dharmic power, his immortal Primordial Spirit manifested behind him. The winds and clouds over Penglai churned wildly as boundless immortal spiritual qi rushed toward him, coalescing into an earth-shattering divine power that shot outward, hurtling toward the boundary of the realm!
Just as the divine power was about to breach Penglai, it slammed violently against the celestial canopy of the realm, shaking the barrier so hard that it nearly shattered.
Yet the canopy held, arresting the strike.
Surprised, the Immortal Master rose slowly from the pool's edge, his expression darkening as he stared up at the sky.
His unleashed divine power erupted into waves of immortal light that rippled along the firmament, causing massive talismans to manifest across the canopy.
The talismans blanketed the entire sky.
Etched upon them were profoundly intricate bird-and-worm seal scripts!
And behind the celestial canopy, gigantic huabiao pillars loomed faintly in the azure expanse. It was the Heavenly Dao runes blazing from those very pillars that projected onto the barrier, forming the talismans that shrouded Penglai's heavens!
The Immortal Master raised his head and looked around, finding the sky plastered with these colossal talismans.
"Immortal Master, this is the Heavenly Dao domain I prepared for your Excellency."
A gentle ripple stirred the surface of the pool. The Immortal Master turned and saw the water surge, rising into a figure made of liquid whose appearance and attire were identical to Xu Ying's.
The water figure smiled faintly. "Had the Immortal Master not made a move against me, I would never have resorted to such measures. The moment you struck, you stepped directly into my trap."
The Immortal Master let out a hearty laugh. "This is all a misunderstanding..."
The water figure looked at him with an amused smile. "Fifteen thousand years ago, when my wife and I departed this place, we were ambushed and besieged by heavenly gods. Was that a misunderstanding as well?"
The Immortal Master's heart clenched. *Did that old crone restore those memories too? That witch has ruined me!*
"Fellow Daoist Xu, surely you don't think that eighteen hundred Heavenly Dao runes will be enough to subdue me?"
A sneer formed on the Immortal Master's lips as he mocked, "I have spent over fifty thousand painstaking years in Penglai, studying the Heavenly Dao runes, refining the huabiao pillars, and mastering fourteen hundred of them!"
He energized his Primordial Spirit to command the huabiao pillars under his control, sneering, "Penglai is my domain, my immortal territory! No one may act insolently in Penglai!"
His voice thundered across the realm, echoing endlessly.
Yet the Immortal Master's expression suddenly fell. He had indeed commanded the huabiao pillars, but they remained unresponsive to his will, like a clay ox plunging into the sea.
"Have you forgotten? Your Heavenly Dao runes were taught to you by me. And the huabiao pillars in your grasp were refined by me as well."
Behind him, the water figure spoke with a calm and measured voice. "Whose immortal state did you attain? Have you ever truly pondered that?"
The corner of the Immortal Master's eye twitched violently. With a savage roar, the immortal radiance of his Primordial Spirit soared skyward, erupting with the full might of the immortal path!
He had once severed his own cultivation realm as an Immortal King. Over fifty thousand years in Penglai, he had painstakingly regained that lost power, returning once more to the realm of an Immortal King!
Furthermore, with Penglai's Heavenly Dao now completed, his cultivation had doubled, matching the heights of his prime!
Hiding inside Mituo Temple, the Divine Mother sensed the terrifying power of an Immortal King. She sighed and murmured, "Had you possessed such strength in the Immortal Realm, he would have been utterly powerless against you. Alas, this is Penglai."
*Boom!*
The three thousand Heavenly Daos resonated in unison. Streams of light descended, coalescing into a towering Heavenly Dao avatar that slowly stood erect.
It was Xu Ying's Heavenly Dao avatar!
*Hum—*
A halo forged from the three thousand Heavenly Daos blazed to life behind its head, radiating unfathomable power!
From its mouth came Xu Ying's voice: "It was my Heavenly Dao you attained, and my immortal path you achieved!"
The Heavenly Dao avatar threw a single punch. The Dao of Heaven roared, unleashing a burst of light that instantly engulfed everything in Penglai!
*Boom!*
Ten thousand li away, the immortals of Penglai felt the reverberation. Turning around, they saw a colossal pillar of divine light erupt from Mount Penglai, piercing the heavens and scattering the chaotic demonic path across the sky!
The Immortal Master was sent hurtling backward, coughing up blood. His heart sank lower and lower. Even with the cultivation of an Immortal King, he had been utterly suppressed by Xu Ying's single strike!
Part of this was because his immortal realm was rooted in Xu Ying's Dao, but more than that, he still had no way to unravel Xu Ying's divine powers!
The Heavenly Dao avatar swept a sword forward in a level slash, speaking coldly, "Immortal Master, return to being a mortal!"
This strike contained the flawless majesty of the complete Heavenly Dao, leaving him no room to evade or escape!
"Mystic Pass, activate!"
The Immortal Master roared in fury. The Third Mystic Pass tore free from the earth and rose into the air. Its gates swung open, unleashing a suffocating immortal aura that pressed downward to suppress the strike!
Deflecting the sword light, the Immortal Master slammed a palm into the mystic pass!
At that exact moment, ten thousand li away, Xu Ying planted his feet wide and bellowed. Behind him, the seven great ancestral cave-heavens roared to life, casting brilliant light across ten thousand li!
"Fairy, Pavilion Masters, deal with the demon god!"
With a resounding shout, his own Heavenly Dao domain expanded outward, enveloping Fairy Gushe and the others.
Fairy Gushe, Yan Yu, and the rest instantly felt their immortal cultivation return, their hearts leaping with shock and delight.
With a grim expression, Xu Ying looked up. A grand divine power came shooting out from the mystic pass, bridging ten thousand li as it hurtled straight toward him!
"Immortal Master, let us see who dies first!"
Chapter 326