Hu Zhuojun stared blankly at Xu Ying's back. Framed against the majestic silhouette of the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace, his figure seemed towering and extraordinarily distinguished.
"So he was the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis, Chu Tiandu, all along..." a demonic Qi Refiner murmured. "No wonder he said on the ferry that he wanted to learn something difficult. It turns out he truly could comprehend the divine power of the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace from the Boundless Sea of Fire."
Remembering that moment, Hu Zhuojun felt overcome with embarrassment.
Back then, she had scolded him, claiming he hadn't comprehended a thing, and had even rapped him on the head three times with her knuckles.
Thinking back now, the fact that the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis hadn't struck her down must mean he genuinely regarded her as a friend.
They gazed at Xu Ying's back, their hearts churning with emotion. Chu Tiandu, the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis, stood at the very pinnacle of the demonic realm's younger generation. He was the spiritual pillar for countless youths; as long as he stood, the Qi Refiners of the Ancestral Court would never know defeat!
No matter how powerful the otherworldly evil cultivators were, no matter how vast their numbers, and no matter that they had both the Celestial Court and the Heavenly Dao world backing them, a single unshakable conviction kept the demonic realm's spirits alive—
And that was that the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis, Chu Tiandu, had never suffered defeat!
He proved that the Ancestral Court's Dao methods and divine powers were not in the least inferior to those practiced by the otherworldly evil cultivators who branded them demons!
"We shouldn't have doubted him. If we hadn't doubted him, he would still be by our side, adventuring and training under the name Xu Ying. Now that we forced him to reveal his identity, will he still travel with us? Does an eagle fly alongside sparrows?"
Hu Zhuojun felt deep regret. She recalled how Xu Ying had saved them at Green Goat Palace in the Dao Revelation Ground, only to hide his tracks and claim that Chu Tiandu had defeated the three great evil cultivator masters.
She remembered how, when the Immortal Realm launched its sudden attack on the Dao Revelation Ground, Xu Ying had carried them as he charged out of the Immortal Dao's fallout.
Coupled with how they had inexplicably defeated a formidable powerhouse like Wu Bing and evaded the suppression of immortal artifacts, all the perplexing mysteries across these events gradually fell into place.
Even Xu Ying's remark that Chu Tiandu's divine powers were "nothing special" now looked like pure modesty!
All along, the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis had been right beside them!
And yet, they had suspected he was an evil cultivator, a spy sent by the myriad worlds of the heavens!
"It is lonely at the heights. He only wanted to live like an ordinary person for a few days, yet we exposed him. I wonder if we can still be friends in the future."
They were filled with guilt. "Even if we can remain friends, we probably will never return to those carefree days without doubts or reservations."
Meanwhile, Xu Ying looked at Wei Changming and thought, 'Things have come to this—I have no choice but to impersonate the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis. But Chu Tiandu is a master of the demonic path after all, and my grasp of the demonic Dao isn't particularly deep. I might be exposed.'
During his time in the Dao Revelation Ground, he had merged with the Great Dao of heaven and earth, giving him a respectable understanding of the demonic city's Great Dao. Yet posing as an expert of Chu Tiandu's caliber would still prove challenging.
If he faced an opponent he could dispatch in a move or two, he might carry the ruse off. But if he ran into someone who couldn't be settled so quickly, his true colors would likely be revealed.
'Can this Young Master Changming be dealt with in a move or two, or is he someone I can't dispatch quickly?'
Xu Ying resolved to go all out.
Wei Changming's fighting spirit soared, his aura bursting forth like an eruption. His long hair cascaded upward, flowing against gravity like an inverted waterfall!
He let out a furious roar as a hundred-zhang Primordial Spirit rose behind him. Immortal Dao runes coiled about the Primordial Spirit as immortal light rippled out, pushing back the influence of the demonic realm's Great Dao!
The demonic realm's Great Dao differed from that of the myriad worlds. When ordinary Qi Refiners entered the demonic realm, they felt as if they had stepped into an external space-time. The Dao images and dharmic powers they had painstakingly cultivated would lose all potency, reducing them from mighty Qi Refiners to defenseless mortals at the mercy of others.
Those capable of entering the demonic realm while retaining their peak strength either possessed exceptional attainments in the Heavenly Dao or notable achievements in the Immortal Dao.
Only by mastering one of these two could one overcome the suppression of the demonic realm's Great Dao.
Wei Changming hailed from the Yongkang Great World. Though Nuo methods were practiced there, that world had never endured the Great Purge of Weixu, so many Immortal Dao inheritances remained fully intact.
With immortal arts passed down through generations, its foundation was naturally profound, far outstripping the Yuanshou world.
Among the myriad worlds, places as cutthroat and resource-starved as the Yuanshou world were, after all, in the minority.
Wei Changming's Primordial Spirit stood proud in the void. The space around him trembled, manifesting an anomaly of nine layers of heaven. High above those nine heavens hung an immortal sword.
This was none other than Young Master Changming's Nine Heavens Dao Guidance!
The so-called Nine Heavens Dao Guidance suspended a divine power above the ninth heaven, gathering the strength of heaven and earth and infusing it into that single technique.
As the divine power descended from the heavens, each layer it traversed bestowed the power of that entire heaven upon it.
Once it broke through all nine heavens, it amassed the might of all nine skies, unleashing unbelievable destructive power!
Years ago, when the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis Chu Tiandu matched his Ever-Changing Demonic Art against Wei Changming's Nine Heavens Dao Guidance, it had been a breathtaking clash. One fighter possessed myriad transformations, while the other wielded the amplified might of nine heavens. That battle had dazzled the spectators, giving them a feast for the eyes.
Now, returning twenty years later, Wei Changming wielded a Nine Heavens Dao Guidance far more terrifying than before.
After his defeat at Chu Tiandu's hands back then, he had reflected deeply and recognized his flaw:
He had excessively pursued raw power while paying too little heed to the transformations of his divine powers.
In raw might, his techniques surpassed Chu Tiandu's Ever-Changing Demonic Art. Yet in variety and nimbleness, he fell far short, trailing by tens of thousands of miles in subtlety and finesse.
Therefore, over the past twenty years, he had traveled far and wide, seeking the Dao, visiting friends, and learning Immortal Dao techniques from various sects, all to achieve a breakthrough in technique transformations.
When cultivating in isolation, a genius might never perceive their own weaknesses. But once they faced a worthy rival, their deficiencies became plain as day.
At that point, a genius became terrifying, and their progress defied imagination!
Wei Changming was precisely that kind of person!
His immortal sword appeared to be a pure sword dao technique, but the moment it dropped from the ninth heaven into the eighth, variations emerged!
Nine new variations blossomed from the immortal sword, as though nine swords were thrusting toward Xu Ying simultaneously!
As it plunged from the eighth heaven to the seventh, each variation shivered slightly and split into nine more variations atop its foundation!
Descending to the sixth heaven, each variation gave birth to another nine!
And so it continued. By the time the immortal sword pierced through the first heaven, this single sword dao technique carried over forty million variations! It surged forth like the waters of the Heavenly River churning across the cosmos, blanketing the sky and blotting out the earth!
This technique had been forged specifically to counter the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis's Ever-Changing Demonic Art.
No matter how numerous your transformations, no matter how profound your divine powers, it is impossible to counter forty million variations in an instant!
Furthermore, what Wei Changming had cultivated over the past twenty years went beyond the sword; it encompassed sabers, spears, halberds, battle-axes, hook-swords, tridents, and the Dao methods of mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas!
The instant the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis failed to counter all the variations of his opening move, he would fall into a defensive posture. Wei Changming's subsequent attacks would then cascade without pause, driving his opponent into an irreversible decline until total defeat!
Wei Changming brimmed with confidence. He had spent twenty years of bitter cultivation solely for this day!
He would wipe away his past humiliation and hold his head high!
In the next instant, the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace manifested with boundless, awe-inspiring majesty. The divine furnace swallowed all forty million and thirty thousand sword lights in one fell swoop, drawing them cleanly into its belly.
Flames scorched through the nine heavens. The Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace crushed the nine skies and smashed directly into his body.
Wei Changming coughed up blood and was hurled backward, his mind wiped completely blank.
Only after he crashed more than a hundred li away, tumbling and rolling for several more li, did some trace of consciousness return to his head.
'Isn't the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis renowned for the versatility of his transformations?'
He lay on the ground, riddled with Dao injuries, embers still flickering in his wounds. Dazed and bewildered, his thoughts spun in confusion. 'I began pursuing technique variations... could it be that he began pursuing sheer power instead?'
At that realization, awe seized him. 'Chu Tiandu is indeed my lifelong nemesis! Fighting him revealed my own shortcomings, and who would have thought he saw his as well!'
Staggering to his feet, he bowed toward the direction of Xu Ying. "With such a rival, how could I ever fail to advance? Chu Tiandu, I will return to test myself against you again!"
'Whew, good thing Young Master Changming was an opponent I could settle in a single move.'
In front of Hu Zhuojun and the others, Xu Ying drew back his hands and secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Had Wei Changming withstood that strike, Xu Ying genuinely wouldn't have known what divine power to deploy next without exposing the fact that his arts weren't of the demonic path.
Behind him, Hu Zhuojun spoke timidly, "Ah... Ah-Ying... No! Purple-Robed Divine Marquis!"
Summoning her courage, she said, "Divine Marquis, we were wrong earlier..."
Xu Ying turned around, let out a soft sigh, and said mournfully, "Sister Zhuojun, can we really never return to how things were?"
Hu Zhuojun froze and said, "You are the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis, while we are merely minor Qi Refiners..."
Xu Ying raised a hand, signaling that she need not say another word, and walked away despondently.
Hu Zhuojun and the demonic Qi Refiners moved to pursue him, but Xu Ying had already vanished without a trace.
Everyone stood in a daze, overwhelmed by a hollow sense of loss.
A great figure had wished to be their friend, yet they had let it slip away.
After a moment, Hu Zhuojun gathered her spirits and said, "Let's keep moving. We need to reach our sect soon!"
The group pressed onward. After traveling roughly a hundred li, they spotted a familiar figure standing at a crossroads. A youth dressed in black stood there hesitating, looking just as he had when he stood before the Boundless Sea of Fire, gazing at the ferry without boarding.
Hearing their footsteps, Xu Ying turned around with a shy smile, scratching his head. "I am Xu Ying. I just arrived from the front line and am unfamiliar with the area. Fellow martial travelers, would you mind if I joined your company?"
Hu Zhuojun and the others were both surprised and overjoyed, rushing over to him.
A demonic Qi Refiner chuckled under his breath, "The Purple-Robed Divine Marquis is pretending not to know us—he wants to start over from scratch!"
Hu Zhuojun whispered back, "Then we'll pretend not to know him either, so he isn't embarrassed. Let's act like this is our first meeting. Don't call him Divine Marquis! Understood?"
Approaching Xu Ying, Hu Zhuojun smiled and said, "Ah-Ying, if you don't know the way, just travel with us!"
Xu Ying voiced his thanks.
When he had parted from them earlier and hurried to this point, he had run into a dilemma: the crossroads split into two paths, and he hadn't the faintest idea which one to take. He had no choice but to wait here obediently for Hu Zhuojun and the others.
Even though Xu Ying had "met" them anew, things could never fully return to the way they once were.
Along the road, the demonic Qi Refiners acted far less natural around Xu Ying than before, and every now and then, someone would humbly ask him for guidance on Dao methods and divine powers.
Xu Ying held nothing back, answering everything he knew.
He harbored no prejudice or disdain toward demonic Qi Refiners. At the border of the Yuanchu Great World, he had witnessed the demonic realm's invasion mutate local villagers into demonic Qi Refiners.
From that, he knew demonic people were fundamentally human, no different from the mortals of the myriad worlds.
The only distinction lay in the fact that the Heavenly Dao of the myriad worlds and the Heavenly Dao of the demonic realm were divergent, alien Daos.
Since they were all human, he was more than happy to share the Dao methods and divine powers he understood.
Although he hadn't been in the demonic realm for long, his divine sense had merged with the revived Great Dao at the Dao Revelation Ground, granting him an attainment in the demonic path that surpassed what most practitioners could ever hope to reach.
As they walked and talked, Xu Ying observed that the demonic realm's interior was scarred and devastated, bearing marks of warfare everywhere. In some places, even the sky had been blasted apart, allowing streams of chaotic qi to pour down from another space-time like gray waterfalls.
Other areas bore traces of the Immortal Dao, where brilliant immortal radiances erupted from deep mountain valleys, corrupting the surroundings and turning the land within a hundred li into forbidden zones.
Corpse fiends wreaked havoc in certain places, rumored to be the transformed remnants of immortals who had perished when the Immortal Realm laid siege to the Ancestral Court.
"The Little Celestial Venerable has always sought to purge the perils from the Ancestral Court and restore it to its former glory, but even he cannot bring it to pass. The Immortal Realm is simply too formidable," Hu Zhuojun sighed.
Xu Ying gazed upon the broken landscape, lost in thought.
He had no memory of why he had come here in his first life, but he remembered his existence four thousand years ago. When he went to sea with Xu Fu, they had slipped into the demonic realm through a mysterious sea.
To them back then, the demonic realm had been a world ruled by the demonic path, filled with twisted Daos that warped one's Dao heart.
Even the demon gods had been terrifying and hideous, forcing them to sacrifice their companions' lives just to press forward.
Because of that, Xu Ying had always held a poor impression of the demonic realm, believing its denizens possessed twisted Dao hearts.
Yet being here now gave him a completely different perspective.
Perhaps the demonic realm was not as evil as what he had witnessed four thousand years ago, and perhaps the demon gods were not so utterly vile after all.
In fact, perhaps there was no such thing as a "demonic Dao" at all!
'The demonic Dao is merely an umbrella term people of the myriad worlds use for an alien Great Dao. After all, people are naturally terrified of what they do not understand.'
With this thought, Xu Ying's mind widened as he looked upon the demonic realm once more.
'When the demonic realm invaded the Yuanchu Great World, I formed my Primordial Spirit, allowing the demonic Dao to seep into it. Perhaps that wasn't a misfortune, but an opportunity that broadened my mind and allowed me to embrace an external Dao.'
Eventually, they arrived before a sheer precipice. Beyond the edge floated countless shattered continents, clustered densely together—some resembling star fragments, others looking like shattered pieces of land.
They waited until a floating landmass drifted near before stepping aboard, letting it carry them forward into the void.
"This looks remarkably like my divine power, the Chaotic Star Sea!" Xu Ying marveled as he took in the vast expanse, where countless shattered stars and floating continents rose and sank.
'Could it be that this was where I comprehended and attained the Dao back then? Could the Immortal Realm be right after all—was I truly an arch-fiend?'
Standing on the drifting land, Xu Ying peered into the distance. Amidst the swaying stars of the Chaotic Star Sea, a broad red silk ribbon fluttered gently, parting the surrounding stars as it guarded an immortal tomb.
The immortal tomb rested between mountains and streams. A red sash unfurled from the tomb, sweeping aside the stars and wrapping about the firmament to form a secluded world of its own.
As the land beneath Xu Ying's feet drifted closer, the landmass holding the immortal tomb rotated slowly. Flames circled the tomb, revealing a square stone stele.
Carved upon the stele were the words:
"Tomb of the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering, the Daluo Immortal Lingzhuzi."
Chapter 337