Now that the Little Celestial Venerable had supplied the final link to the Other Shore of the Martial Dao, Xu Ying was also able to fully open his martial dao cave-heaven. Needless to say, his cultivation leaped forward.
Yet he had also lost the prime opportunity to observe the very opening of the Other Shore of the Martial Dao!
"Xu Ergouzi got ahead of me by a step. Ah well, never mind. I'll go comprehend Lihen Heaven instead!" Settling his mind, Xu Ying continued to study the Dao Ancestor's imprints just as Daoist Taiqing had instructed.
Though the Dao Ancestor's imprints scattered across Lihen Heaven were fractured and disordered, gaining the occasional wondrous insight still brought him immense inspiration. Back in the Dao Revelation Ground, he had already harmonized with that realm's Heavenly and Earthly Great Dao. The Dao Revelation Ground was Daoist Taiqing's dao venue, and Daoist Taiqing was the Dao Ancestor's Taiqing Primordial Spirit. Now, by focusing on these imprints and comparing them against what he had gained during that harmonization, Xu Ying's comprehension of Dao methods advanced at miraculous speed!
Without realizing it, he had already stayed in Tushita Palace for dozens of days. Yet he remained thoroughly immersed in his insights, gathering the various imprints of the Dao Ancestor scattered throughout the world, his comprehension deepening by the day.
Daoist Taiqing came to check on him several times and sighed inwardly at the sight. *This person is the true worthy successor to the Diamond Bangle. Still, that useless snake is at least a snake—better than having none at all.*
Yuan Qi and the big bell also came to Tushita Palace to visit Xu Ying. Seeing him continually absorbed in quiet meditation, the giant serpent and the big bell had no choice but to return to Penglai and resume their cultivation.
Penglai received the immortal light from the Immortal Realm and channeled down immortal qi, making life there wonderfully nourishing for cultivation.
Ever since Daoist Taiqing began instructing him in his dreams, Yuan Qi seemed to have experienced an awakening. His cultivation and strength advanced by leaps and bounds. In particular, his refining of the Diamond Bangle reached the point where it could expand or shrink at will, discharging and returning entirely as he pleased!
He had unlocked many wondrous functions within the Diamond Bangle. Inside it, yin and yang qi intertwined into a Taiji Diagram that could capture both people and objects, shifting freely according to his intent.
Seeing him refine the treasure over these past few days, the big bell grew eager to try its luck. "Seventh Master, just how powerful is that treasure of yours? Why don't the two of us have a little spar?"
Yuan Qi did not know the full extent of the Diamond Bangle's might either, so he promptly cast it out.
The big bell rushed forward with a whistle, shouting, "I'll hold back a little—"
*Whoosh!*
The Diamond Bangle drew the big bell inside. In the next instant, it dropped into the Taiji Diagram, stripped of all its power. With a loud clatter, it crashed to the ground, rolled twice, and lay motionless.
The big bell was horrified. "Am I already dead?!"
Yuan Qi took fright as well. Hastily slithering forward, he nudged the bell with his tail. Only after a good moment did the big bell snap out of its stupor. Feeling its cultivation fully restored, it immediately declared, "Seventh Master, I held back just now, so that doesn't count. This time I'm going all out!"
Seeing that it was unharmed, Yuan Qi felt reassured.
The big bell surged its aura once more, mobilizing every single imprint across its surface to drive its power to the absolute limit, rivaling an immortal artifact as it came hurtling in!
In truth, after Zhu Chanchan's refinings and reconstructions, the bell's material constitution had already reached the level of an immortal artifact. Moreover, it was exceptionally diligent: three thousand Heavenly Dao runes were drawn within, ten thousand forms and phenomena carved without, alongside all manner of Immortal Dao runes. Whether it understood them or not, it had branded them all onto its body.
Its power was naturally extraordinary. Now desperate to salvage its pride, it unleashed every ounce of strength it could muster. Three layers of bell phantoms manifested outside while a Heavenly Dao domain lay hidden within, as though a Heavenly Dao God King were lifting the bell to annihilate the mortal world!
*Whoosh!*
Completely against its will, the big bell was swept into the Diamond Bangle's Taiji Diagram. Deprived of all might, it clattered to the ground, rolled weakly twice, and lay motionless.
Yuan Qi carefully prodded the bell's surface with his tail. "Lord Bell?" he asked tentatively.
The big bell suddenly stood upright. A furious voice rang out from within: "Ancestor Chanchan must have cut corners! She must have swapped the immortal gold gifted to me by the Queen Mother of the West for scraps! Otherwise, how could I have been captured straight away before I could even launch an attack?!"
Yuan Qi ventured, "Lord Bell, is it possible that my treasure is simply too strong?"
"Impossible!"
The big bell soared into the sky, bellowing, "One more time!"
This time, it brought forth the Eight Sounds of Yuanyu. Amid the reverberating tolls, it even activated five of the eight runes branded upon its walls—*ling*, *yu*, *qiu*, *yin*, *feng*, *jin*, *you*, and *yu*!
Between the brothers, these runes were considered forbidden arts that must never be deployed. Otherwise, it would lead to fratricidal ruin—one flinging a forbidden art and the other answering in kind until both ended up destroyed.
Yet the big bell's eyes were completely red with frustration. Casting all caution to the wind, it unleashed the Immortal Dao sealing runes!
*Whoosh!*
Like a bird darting into a forest, the big bell plunged straight into the Taiji Diagram. Its might vanished without a trace, and it clattered to the ground.
Losing all will to live, the big bell lay flat on the dirt. The Immortal Dao runes it had activated were the very runes used to seal Xu Ying. If even those runes were completely neutralized by the silver bangle, what hope was left? Despair washed over it.
Yuan Qi, on the other hand, was overjoyed. Quickly retrieving the Diamond Bangle, he stroked it affectionately, murmuring, "My precious..." Slipping the bangle back onto the tip of his tail, he felt a wave of swelling pride. *With this treasure, my standing is secure. Lord Bell, Lord Grass, Lord Worm—from now on, they can all drop the 'Lord'! There will only be one master from this day forth, and that is Seventh Master! Beneath Ah Ying, I stand first!*
At that thought, he suddenly felt that Xu Xiaoruan was not all that much either.
*Beneath Seventh Master, Little Ying is first. As for the rest, they can rank themselves however they please.* Yuan Qi smiled magnanimously, utterly at ease.
Suddenly, the big bell sprang up. "Seventh Master, can this treasure of yours take in any artifact?"
Yuan Qi asked guardedly, "Little Bell, what are you getting at?"
The big bell paid no mind to the name. Highly excited, it said, "There are tons of immortal tombs and countless Immortal Dao anomaly zones in the Ancestral Court, packed with hidden treasures! Now that we have your bangle, our chance to strike it rich has arrived!"
Yuan Qi froze, then came to his senses with a jolt. "Our chance to strike it filthy rich is here!" he stammered. "Lord Bell, you really are the sharpest among us! Come on, let's go get Ah Ying!"
The bell and the snake rushed over to Tushita Palace, but Xu Ying was still deep in comprehension of the Dao Ancestor's imprints and could not be awakened. Helpless, Yuan Qi had no choice but to set off with the big bell alone.
Surrounding Tushita Palace were stretches of Immortal Dao anomaly zones, perilous beyond measure.
The closer an anomaly zone lay to Tushita Palace, the more severe the Immortal Dao contamination. The nearest one contained a greenish lake, atop which sat a lavish carriage radiating dazzling immortal light. In front of the carriage stood a colossal deer whose pelt was rotten down to the bone, making it impossible to tell if it was alive or dead.
Most intruders who ventured into this place were already dead, their corpses floating across the lake's perimeter.
The anomaly here emanated from this very immortal deer. It possessed terrifying ferocity and overwhelming power, twisting the surrounding Great Dao and spacetime!
Detecting intruders, a sinister gleam flashed in the giant deer's corpse-like eyes. Just as it was about to lash out, a silver ring flew across the sky, bearing a Taiji Diagram in its center.
In the next instant, the giant deer lost all consciousness. When it woke up, the magnificent immortal carriage had vanished into thin air!
Roaring in fury, it was about to mobilize its divine abilities to hunt down the culprits when it suddenly realized that its pair of peerlessly forged antlers were gone as well!
In another Immortal Dao anomaly zone, a female corpse sat by a pool combing her hair. She abruptly stood up, smiling. "A friend comes from afar—"
Moments later, an enraged burst of immortal thought erupted from the anomaly zone: "Who was that?! Which god-damned bastard won't even spare the dead?!"
Upon a mountain cliff, a black coffin hung suspended by wrapping chains.
Whenever a living person drew near, the black coffin would gush blood, and a red-haired corpse king would crawl out, distorting the local Great Dao as red hairs swirled through the air with deadly peril.
On this day, a white light suddenly flew over the cliff. By the time the red-haired corpse king woke, it found itself lying on the bare ground. Its black coffin and every last treasure inside had vanished without a trace!
The red-haired corpse king roared at the sky, sending red hairs fluttering wild across the air.
Back in Tushita Palace, Daoist Taiqing gazed out toward the distant flashes of white light and demonic clouds, feeling a headache come on. *Giving that snake the Diamond Bangle... I wonder if it was a blessing or a curse...*
Without anyone noticing, dozens of days slipped by. The Immortal Dao anomaly zones around Lihen Heaven had been thoroughly plundered. Some anomaly zones vanished altogether once their core immortal artifacts were taken; from others, enraged immortal fiends stormed out to track down the elusive giant snake and big bell.
The gods and devils guarding the Lihen Plains were on edge. Over recent days, they had repelled several incursions of anomalies, but the disturbances deep within Lihen Heaven only grew more violent and frequent, and the immortal fiends emerging were increasingly bizarre and formidable.
"Quick, go to the Ziwei Remnant Realm and summon the Little Celestial Venerable!"
Within Hunyuan Palace in the Ziwei Remnant Realm, the Little Celestial Venerable returned from the Other Shore of the Martial Dao. During this period, he had been exchanging martial dao abilities with Commoner Martial Emperor Chen Luo, Wu Tianzun, and the others. Their discussions had been so exhilarating that he lost track of time. Only today had he remembered the Ancestral Court and rushed back.
*Those men truly are martial maniacs. No wonder they forged a path straight to the Other Shore of the Martial Dao all on their own. Strangely enough, they even recognized Master.*
The Little Celestial Venerable marveled at his extraordinary fortune. Just then, an uproar sounded outside. Stepping out of Hunyuan Palace, he looked out to see the Wind Fire Wheels, Fire-Tipped Spear, Huntian Ribbon, and Qiankun Ring hovering in midair, forming the shape of a person as they streaked past at lightning speed, seemingly hunting down something.
More and more powerhouses of the Ancestral Court gathered outside the Lihen Plains, clashing with the anomalous creatures in constant collisions of conflicting Daos. The Little Celestial Venerable, True Lord Yan, and other masters of the Ancestral Court slew the anomalous creatures, obliterating them alongside their corrupted Immortal Dao.
Gradually, both warring sides sensed something peculiar: the Heavenly and Earthly Great Dao near the Lihen Plains was steadily gathering, piecing itself together into wholeness.
*Something momentous must have happened deep within Lihen Heaven!* both sides thought in unison.
Within Taiqing Hall of Tushita Palace, Xu Ying had sat motionless for months. Over this time, he had gathered lost pearls from the sea, coming into contact with the Dao Ancestor's scattered imprints and deepening his comprehension of the Taiqing Dao of Lihen Heaven.
As anomaly zones were destroyed one after another, more and more imprints surfaced, allowing Xu Ying to piece together many scattered fragments.
Casually organizing these disordered imprints of the Dao Ancestor, he released them back into the world.
He did this purely on a whim, with no hidden agenda.
He simply felt that he had gained a great deal from the Dao Ancestor's imprints; by putting them in order, it would be much easier for future generations to comprehend this world.
Yet to the observers on the Lihen Plains, rays of Great Dao radiance burst through Lihen Heaven from time to time, golden springs welled from the earth, bursts of spiritual energy bloomed, or thunder rolled across the skies.
The Great Dao of this world was reviving!
The Little Celestial Venerable felt his heart surge with awe.
Meanwhile, the Immortal Dao anomalous creatures grew terrified, sensing their own strength steadily waning!
After an unknown span of time, Xu Ying finished organizing all the Dao Ancestor imprints he could reach. Some remained shattered beyond repair, leaving him with no place to begin.
*Though my cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, I still cannot restore the Six Secret Depositories of the Human Body.*
Xu Ying sighed. Right at that moment, he felt an immense other shore world looming impossibly close, nearer than it had ever been before.
That other shore world resonated with his Dao with breathtaking clarity, as though he could step into it with ease.
Xu Ying froze, realizing that this other shore world corresponded directly to the Crimson Palace of the human body!
*The Crimson Palace secret depository of the Six Secret Depositories? The Crimson Palace secret depository corresponds to the Crimson Palace Other Shore. Opening it grants heart power immortal medicine, which can be refined to enhance heart power, boost physical strength, and expand wisdom!*
Sensing that other shore carefully, Xu Ying found it vast and profound, subtly different from the Crimson Palace Other Shore he had sensed in the past.
*Regardless, I must seize this chance. Taking advantage of this enlightenment in the Taiqing Realm, I will reopen the Crimson Palace cave-heaven!*
With that thought, a beam of sword qi shot out, cleaving away his own Crimson Palace Nuo ancestor cave-heaven without the slightest hesitation! In the next instant, Xu Ying surged with all his origin qi to open the Crimson Palace anew!
*Rumble!*
The Little Celestial Venerable, True Lord Yan, and the others were locked in a decisive battle against several exceptionally formidable anomalous creatures when their hearts suddenly shook. Looking up toward the direction of Tushita Palace, they stopped in their tracks.
There, the sky abruptly twisted and rotated, and an immense, brilliantly radiant cave-heaven manifested, bridging heaven and earth.
As the cave-heaven hung between the sky and ground, the immortal light and immortal qi of the Immortal Realm cascaded through its far end, a spectacle so grand that it left everyone utterly stunned.
"An Immortal Realm cave-heaven..."
Dazed, the Little Celestial Venerable murmured, "Someone has opened an Immortal Realm cave-heaven..."
Chapter 374