Xu Ying’s courage surged. He raised the Fire-Tipped Spear, leveled it at the surrounding crowd, and shouted with thunderous resolve, "Who dares bar my way?"
As soon as the words left his lips, experts from the myriad worlds and the demonic realm swarmed toward him. Immortality—it was a word that drove countless souls mad. Yet how arduous was the path to becoming an immortal? For the mighty of the myriad worlds, attaining immortality was the lifelong dream of every Qi Refiner. But the heavenly tribulations had severed the path to immortality for all living beings; even if one survived the tribulation, the heavenly road was broken, rendering ascension impossible.
Now, only one road to immortality remained: an ascension quota.
The single ascension quota released by the Emperor was enough to drive the experts across the myriad worlds into a frenzy! Countless masters from these worlds had gathered in the Ancestral Court solely to hunt the Little Celestial Venerable for this precious slot.
All manner of divine arts surged forth first, hurtling toward Xu Ying! Few masters of the myriad worlds engaged in close-quarters melee; instead, divine arts preceded the combatants, deciding victory from afar before enemies could even clash. In the Chaotic Star Sea, the brilliance of diverse divine arts burst forth simultaneously. Representing disparate heritages and different Dao methods, their radiance, forms, and Dao sounds were equally distinct.
Magnificent Dao phenomena coursed through the Chaotic Star Sea, radiating world-destroying tremors as they locked down Xu Ying's surroundings and bore down upon him! Even without the encumbrance of the Little Celestial Venerable, Xu Ying could never have blocked or evaded such a barrage alone!
From Xu Ying's shoulder, the Huntian Ribbon took flight. The crimson sash broadened as it wove through the starry void. Utterly supple as though made of nothing, it blocked wave after wave of divine arts. No matter how formidable those arts were, they could not harm the crimson ribbon in the slightest.
Holding the Fire-Tipped Spear, Xu Ying charged head-on at the experts from the Ancestral Court. The next instant, flames flared beneath his feet, leaving two long streaks of light across the starry sky.
With a flick of his wrist, the Fire-Tipped Spear struck like a fiery dragon bursting from an abyss!
The one intercepting this strike was a great master from the Jianwu World named Mu Qiu, who carried the mortal heritage of Immortal King Daoming and cultivated the Daoming Xuanwu Art. Seeing the long spear thrusting toward him, Mu Qiu hastily channeled his profound skill. Immortal Dao runes swirled around his body, and the qi behind him formed a Xuanwu phenomenon, cloaking him beneath a myriad-zhang Xuanwu tortoise!
*Chi!*
The Fire-Tipped Spear pierced right through the giant tortoise and skewered Mu Qiu, killing this great master on the spot in the starry void.
Banners came fluttering through the void, planting themselves around Xu Ying. In an instant, a Myriad Banners Creation Array sprang up, anchored by an ancient-looking Daoist standing at its center, channeling immortal arts.
Ten thousand banners fluttered as gods and demons rose on all sides within the formation, standing beneath each grand banner. The old Daoist's eyes shone brightly, and he laughed heartily. "Today, the Myriad Banners Sect of the Longxing World shall claim this fortune of ascension!"
Before his words could finish echoing, the Qiankun Ring flew from Xu Ying's shoulder. A single hoop swallowed heaven and earth, radiating brilliant golden light that sucked all ten thousand gods, demons, and banners straight into the ring!
The moment they fell into the hoop, they were ground into dust. The Myriad Banners Creation Array was shattered in an instant!
Xu Ying jerked his shoulder, and the Golden Brick shot out. With a shrill whistle, it smashed the old Daoist's head into paste.
Behind him, the Huntian Ribbon billowed, deflecting immortal artifacts one after another. Beneath Xu Ying's feet, the Wind Fire Wheels roared to life with a whoosh, carrying him weaving through the swarm of immortal artifacts to narrowly evade their terrifying power!
The Chaotic Star Sea instantly dissolved into utter chaos. Although the figures who had come to claim the Little Celestial Venerable's life were all top-tier experts, their naked eyes could barely track the Wind Fire Wheels.
All they could see were two blazing trails of fire, but those flames were merely the afterimages left behind. By the time they caught sight of the Wind Fire Wheels themselves, Xu Ying was already upon them, thrusting the Fire-Tipped Spear that could pierce through anything directly into their faces.
*Whoosh!*
Three Ancestral Court experts charged obliquely from three directions. Before they even arrived, their Heavenly Dao domains and Immortal Dao domains swept out, trapping Xu Ying within.
Each of these three masters possessed cultivation no weaker than Daoist Ji's. More critically, their minds were connected as one, coordinating their moves with seamless perfection. They were known as the Three Sages of the East Sea, ranked among the top hundred combatants in the Ancestral Court.
The Three Sages originated from the East Sea of the Ancestral Court, where the ancient dragon palace was rumored to have once stood. Cultivating there, the three had acquired extraordinary skills. They had held back until now, watching the battle to seek an opening. Striking together, they had discerned that Xu Ying's cultivation was only at the Twelve-Story Pavilion stage; though he had mastered ancestral methods, his cultivation had an upper limit.
Thus, their plan was simple: suppress Xu Ying's cultivation first, after which they could slaughter Xu Ying and the Little Celestial Venerable at will! With three people and six domains overlapping, they instantly suppressed Xu Ying's Primordial Spirit and dharmic power, freezing even his six Nuo ancestor cave-heavens from operating.
Yet at that moment, Xu Ying lifted his head and looked at them with an eerie expression, fire swirling within his eyes. "Did you think I was the one fighting right now? You're wrong! It's the immortal artifacts of the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering that are fighting!"
The Fire-Tipped Spear leaped in Xu Ying's grasp. Suddenly, a bizarre power flooded into his body. In the next breath, Xu Ying sprouted three heads and six arms—no, three heads and eight arms!
The Fire-Tipped Spear, Huntian Ribbon, Qiankun Ring, Golden Brick, and various other treasures landed in his hands. Above Xu Ying's head, Taiyi Primordial Qi erupted, One Qi Transforming into Three Purities to form three Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits. They, too, possessed three heads and eight arms, grasping various immortal weapons!
The Huntian Ribbon whipped outward, throwing the surrounding starry sky into disarray. The stars shook, and the charging crowd could barely keep their footing! Fang Songhuai, one of the Three Sages of the East Sea, could not dodge in time. The Huntian Ribbon wrapped around him like an archaic divine dragon, snapping his bones inch by inch and shredding his flesh. His Primordial Spirit was trapped within and instantly crushed to oblivion!
Wang Pingnan, another of the Three Sages, was sucked into the Qiankun Ring and refined into ash. The final sage, Li Ruyan, took the Golden Brick straight to the forehead. His head burst apart, and his corpse sank into the Chaotic Star Sea.
In the blink of an eye, all three sages were dead!
Xu Ying charged toward the other rushing experts like a specter, spear striking like a dragon, Qiankun Ring whirling, Huntian Ribbon darting through the void, and Golden Brick appearing and vanishing unpredictably. Wherever he passed, hardly any general could withstand a single bout!
Behind him, bloody mist boiled, gradually coalescing into a colossal shadow that shrouded the entire Chaotic Star Sea!
It was the shadow of the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering—three heads, eight arms, brandishing various immortal weapons, towering like a god and a demon, holding down the Chaotic Star Sea.
As more and more experts fell by Xu Ying's hands, the shadow grew ever clearer, solidifying into an imposing phantasm.
Those who had charged into the Chaotic Star Sea were terrified out of their wits. Experts from the Taishi Great World raised their sects' heirloom immortal artifacts and hid behind a colossal floating continent, their hearts pounding in terror!
Through the starry sky around them, blood-curdling screams rang out continuously. Some were impaled by the draconic spear, some were bound and pulverized by the crimson ribbon, some had their heads smashed into nothingness, and others were bludgeoned until only their heads remained!
Everyone stared wide-eyed, holding their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.
Right then, a Golden Brick shot forth, punching straight through the continent and blasting apart the head of the Sect Master of the Purple Palace Divine Sect!
"Run!"
Someone screamed, and the crowd broke into a panicked stampede. Each person raised their immortal artifacts to protect themselves, transforming into streaks of light fleeing in all directions.
Glancing back in their scramble, they saw Xu Ying alone battling eighteen Ancestral Court experts. With a shake of his body, three Primordial Spirits flew from above his head, each sporting three heads and eight arms, lunging at the enemies on all sides!
Within a few breaths, those Ancestral Court masters were slaughtered. The shattered stars around them were swept clean by the terrifying power of the immortal artifacts, pushed far into the distance.
The survivors routed, fleeing outward with all their might, bitterly regretting ever setting foot into this sea of demons.
The stars were in turmoil, punctuated by sporadic screams. Gradually, the cries grew sparse, and after a long time, the screams ceased entirely. In the end, only Xu Ying remained standing in this patch of starry sky!
His three heads and eight arms gradually receded, and his Primordial Spirits returned to normal, sinking back into his physical body.
Xu Ying unfastened the Huntian Ribbon, released the Fire-Tipped Spear, stepped down from the Wind Fire Wheels, and looked back at the colossal phantasm that blanketed the Chaotic Star Sea.
It was the phantom of the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering, formed by the condensation of blood qi here—three heads and eight arms, incomparably majestic, radiating battle intent like an ocean.
Yet the blood qi that sustained this deity was now dispersing.
Now that Xu Ying was no longer fighting or slaughtering foes, the mental imprint left behind in heaven and earth by the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering once again dissipated into the Chaotic Star Sea.
The god was gone. Even his mental imprint was broken and fragmented, drifting like scattered sparks.
Only when Xu Ying took up the Fire-Tipped Spear, unfurled the Huntian Ribbon, stepped onto the Wind Fire Wheels, and confronted powerful enemies did that ethereal, shattered spirit reconvene and reawaken.
However, Xu Ying could not fight forever, nor was there an endless supply of enemies to kill. In the end, this ancient war god still had to return to dust.
A sudden thought crossed Xu Ying's mind: *If there were enough enemies, enough blood qi, could the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering's spirit fully reconverge, his phantom turning from illusion to reality? Could he be brought back from death because of it?*
The scene just now seemed to suggest that such a possibility existed.
The Huntian Ribbon fluttered over, an ancient consciousness transmitting from within it: "Do not flatter yourself. We helped you not because you offered a few sticks of incense to the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering, nor because you treated us with courtesy and never regarded us as mere tools. A few sticks of incense cannot buy our loyalty!"
Xu Ying tightened the unconscious Little Celestial Venerable on his back and smiled. "I still have a few sticks left."
The consciousness within the Huntian Ribbon replied, "We harbor no fondness for you, let alone affection. You committed all manner of wickedness back then—raiding the Great God's tomb, abducting the Wind Fire Wheels, pocketing the Golden Brick. We remember it vividly."
Xu Ying nodded slightly.
The Fire-Tipped Spear drifted beneath his palm, brushing gently against his skin, carrying an ancient thought: "The primary reason we helped you is our discontent with the Immortal Realm. We will not allow the Dao domain of the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering to become a hunting ground for the lackeys of the Immortal Realm to seek fame and fortune."
The Golden Brick flew over and hovered before Xu Ying, an aged consciousness echoing from it as well: "Our duty is to guard this Dao domain and protect his immortal tomb."
"Until he awakens from his slumber."
Xu Ying hesitated briefly before asking, "But can the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering truly awaken?"
The immortal artifacts fell silent, offering no answer. Regardless of whether he would ever wake, they would continue to guard this place.
Xu Ying said no more. Setting the Little Celestial Venerable down, he dispatched a strand of his Primordial Spirit to take control of his body. He bowed in salute to the artifacts, then turned and walked toward the edge of the Chaotic Star Sea.
Looking back, he saw the Huntian Ribbon and the other artifacts still floating there, as if seeing him off.
Beyond the Chaotic Star Sea, Xu Ying would have to walk the road alone. No matter how great the danger, they could not aid him. Xu Ying waved his hand and turned away, murmuring, "Why did that ancient era decline? Why did these sacred beings with heaven-shaking might fall? What legends did they leave behind? Little Celestial Venerable, do you know?"
He glanced at the Little Celestial Venerable walking beside him and sighed. Without his Primordial Spirit animating him, the Little Celestial Venerable was like a mindless shell, incapable of anything.
He could not even keep Xu Ying company in conversation.
In the Chaotic Star Sea, beside the immortal tomb, the Huntian Ribbon continued to loop gently around the grave, drifting softly to deflect the drifting stars that threatened to crash into it.
The Fire-Tipped Spear planted itself into its old pit, motionless. The Qiankun Ring hung from the headstone, and the Golden Brick lay quietly within the outer coffin.
The Wind Fire Wheels ceased burning, resting silently against the tomb wall.
They returned to the quiet days of old, unchanging, as though reliving combat through Xu Ying had merely offered them a fleeting memory of their glorious past. They were still waiting—waiting for the day someone would don them once more, draw the Fire-Tipped Spear, tread upon the Wind Fire Wheels, and illuminate this dark age.
At the edge of the Chaotic Star Sea, Xu Ying came ashore. Gazing out over the Ancestral Court, where Immortal Dao anomalous zones dotted the landscape, he picked a direction at random and braced himself to push forward.
Without the aid of the Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering's immortal artifacts, he did not know how far he could go.
He could already sense eyes watching him.
"You are the disciple I left behind. I certainly won't let you die at their hands," Xu Ying muttered to himself.
Although this was his second time setting foot in the Ancestral Court, it remained largely unfamiliar to him.
The sky was dim. Suddenly, a slit opened slowly across the center of the heavens like an eyelid. An eye rolled inside it, its gaze falling upon Xu Ying.
Sensing it, Xu Ying did not look up directly. Instead, he controlled the Little Celestial Venerable's body to gaze upward. The slit in the sky snapped shut at once, as if it had never existed.
Xu Ying felt slightly relieved. The Little Celestial Venerable's lingering prestige was still enough to deter the Immortal Kings of Weixu, but the experts hunting them for the ascension quota were reckless and fearless.
*There is still one path to survival, and that is going to Penglai!* Xu Ying thought, his eyes flashing. *If I reach Penglai, I can rely on the Heavenly Dao of the Penglai Immortal Realm to battle Immortal Kings! At that point, I won't need to fear anyone!*
Just then, an aged voice called out, "Little Celestial Venerable, hearing that you were gravely injured, this old man rushed over in haste. Fortunately, I am not too late!"
Hearing this, Xu Ying's expression shifted slightly. He immediately brought out Chu Tiandu's mask and placed it over his face.
Looking toward the sound, he indeed spotted an old acquaintance: Meng Wuhuai, the Immortal Master of Penglai!
A youth of pure, honest demeanor was supporting the Immortal Master, walking toward them!
Meng Wuhuai wore a broad smile, his gaze fixed on the Little Celestial Venerable. However, his aura remained feeble; evidently, the Dao injuries he had suffered in his battle against Xu Ying had yet to heal.
With Chu Tiandu's face masking his own, Xu Ying remained unrecognized. Meng Wuhuai had no idea that the person behind the mask was his old nemesis.
The blue-robed youth beside Meng Wuhuai possessed formidable cultivation. Xu Ying gave him an extra glance, bowed slightly, and altered his voice. "Chu Tiandu greets the Immortal Master."
Meng Wuhuai was taken aback, then chuckled. "To think the Divine Marquis has heard of this old man. I have long heard of your renowned name; among the young experts of the myriad worlds, the Divine Marquis is undoubtedly foremost."
Hearing this, the youth beside him turned his gaze onto Xu Ying.
Meng Wuhuai's objective was clearly not Chu Tiandu. He turned his attention back to the Little Celestial Venerable, asking with apparent concern, "Little Celestial Venerable, I heard you were surrounded by the Five Extremes Immortal King's Myriad Immortals Array and severely wounded, then ambushed by the Five Extremes Immortal King and Perfected Cangyue, compounding your injuries until your cultivation was utterly crippled. Hearing of this, I was frantic with worry and rushed here despite my own grave injuries to rescue you. Thankfully, I was not too late."
Xu Ying, using his Taiqing Primordial Spirit to control the Little Celestial Venerable's body, smiled faintly and replied with deep meaning, "Is the Immortal Master here to probe how severe my injuries are?"
Meng Wuhuai's expression flickered. He bowed and said, "I would not dare."
"I trust you wouldn't."
The Little Celestial Venerable clasped his hands behind his back and walked slowly past him, remarking casually, "If you dared, you would already be a dead man."
Meng Wuhuai's eyes shifted. Straightening up, he smiled. "Though this old man's foresight is shallow, I can see that the Little Celestial Venerable must be feigning injury to lure the snakes from their holes, drawing out all the factions in the Ancestral Court that refuse to submit to you so you can wipe them out in one stroke!"
The Little Celestial Venerable burst into hearty laughter, glancing back at him with an appreciative look. "As expected of the Immortal Master—you truly understand me. Keep this to yourself; going forward, I shall continue to feign grave injury to draw out even more enemies. Understand?"
Chapter 351