Xu Ying smiled and said, "Dao Brother, since you were able to guide me regarding my Crimson Palace cave-heaven, the other cave-heavens should surely come just as easily to you."
Daoist Taiqing sighed. "The Kunlun Realm's Yuxu Palace, the Xuanhuang Realm's Yellow Court Mansion, the Primordial Chaos Realm's Mud Pill Palace, the Xuandu Realm's Yujing Palace, the Nether Sea Realm's Twelve-Story Pavilion—each of these is an extraordinary place, none inferior to Lihen Heaven. This old Daoist is merely the Heavenly and Earthly Primordial Spirit of the Dao Revelation Ground. How could I oversee such places?"
"Kunlun's Yuxu Palace?"
A flicker stirred in Xu Ying's heart. He knew nothing of the other places, but the name Yuxu Palace of Kunlun sounded extremely familiar.
Kunlun was his ancestral land!
Last time he went to Kunlun, though he had not found Yuxu Palace, Kunlun's main peak was named Yuxu Peak!
"The Queen Mother of the West resides on neighboring Yuzhu Peak. She must surely know of Yuxu Palace! As for the Nether Sea, others might not know the Nether Sea Realm, but Great Emperor Beiyin definitely does!"
Thinking this, Xu Ying asked, "Dao Brother, do you know where these places are located?"
Daoist Taiqing replied, "I do not know where the other places have gone, but on the day the Netherworld's Female Emperor confronted that ancient corpse from Weixu, I sensed an unusual trace of aura coming from Weixu. If you go search there, you might make unexpected discoveries."
"The ancient corpse of Weixu?"
Xu Ying was taken aback. At that time, gnawed by the insect swarm, he had already fallen unconscious and did not know that an existence even more terrifying than the two Immortal Kings had appeared in Weixu.
"Does Weixu hold the Yellow Court Mansion, the Mud Pill Palace, or Yujing Palace?"
He delayed no longer and immediately took his leave of Daoist Taiqing.
Daoist Taiqing smiled. "Fellow Daoist Xu, why not wait a few more days?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "The injuries to my Six Secret Depositories have not healed. I cannot delay!"
Daoist Taiqing hesitated for a moment, then did not press further.
"Right, Dao Brother!"
Xu Ying suddenly stopped and asked, "I comprehended this Immortal Realm cave-heaven in Lihen Heaven. Can it be passed on to others?"
Daoist Taiqing stared in disbelief and blurted out, "You plan to pass it on to others? This is your unique skill! By cultivating the Immortal Realm cave-heaven and channeling the power of the Immortal Realm, you stand in a class of your own; no one can compare to you! You want to impart it to others?"
Xu Ying smiled. "While contemplating the imprints left by the Dao Ancestor in Lihen Heaven, I realized that the Dao Ancestor branded everything he learned and comprehended throughout his life into heaven and earth, turning it into this dao venue. He imparted the Great Dao to all under heaven. Why should I jealously hoard what I have? Wouldn't that be laughable?"
Daoist Taiqing composed himself and smiled. "Fair enough, there is reason in what you say. However, to cultivate an Immortal Realm cave-heaven, one must harmonize with the Dao in the Dao Revelation Ground and comprehend the Dao in Lihen Heaven before one can sense the other shore of the Immortal Realm. Where in this world could you find a second person who has done that? If you can find one, by all means pass it on."
Xu Ying froze.
Suddenly, he realized that it was impossible to teach his Immortal Realm cave-heaven to anyone.
This unique skill truly had become an art solely his own; even if he poured out everything he knew without holding back, no one could possibly learn it!
Xu Ying returned to Penglai. Penglai had already recovered from the insect plague and the tide of corpses, though the immortal mountains devoured by the insects would never return. The immortals were still repairing the huabiao celestial pillars and restoring Penglai's Heavenly Dao to wholeness.
Xu Ying helped them draw the Heavenly Dao runes and quickly went over the huabiao celestial pillars to repair them. He then bade farewell to the Divine Mother, asking, "I am setting out to seek the mysteries of the other five great secret depositories. Divine Mother, what do the omens say for my journey—fortune or misfortune?"
The Divine Mother smiled. "Immortal Master Xu, if I truly knew everything and could see through all of the future, how could I be trapped on this mountain? It is precisely because my Dao falls short in certain areas that I cannot leave Penglai, and precisely because I cannot divine all of the future that I have lived until now."
Her words held deep meaning, seemingly hinting at something, though she did not elaborate.
The Divine Mother smiled and asked, "Why must the Immortal Master be in such a rush? Why not wait a few more days?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "Business takes priority. I shall first go seek Kunlun! I have the Third Heavenly Pass and can come and go as I please. I will return in a few days; it is no trouble."
The Divine Mother said no more.
Xu Ying activated the Third Heavenly Pass. As this Immortal King-grade immortal artifact stood in midair, its portal opened, revealing an expanse of pure white ice and snow behind it—high mountains and snow-covered plains came into view.
This was the wondrous aspect of the Third Heavenly Pass.
This treasure was originally Xu Ying's realm from the third knocking on the pass stage, the heavenly pass at the end of the Divine Bridge. When Xu Ying was defeated, various Immortal Kings and God Kings divided the spoils, and the Immortal Master of Penglai was allotted this treasure, refining it into an Immortal King immortal artifact.
Once activated, in addition to having Yujing at one's back—which granted immense boosts in dharmic power and Immortal Dao empowerment—one could travel at will to any world within the myriad worlds of the heavens. It was a rare immortal artifact for escaping danger!
Back then, the Immortal Master of Penglai had intended to use this treasure to escape Xu Ying's ambush. Unfortunately, it happened to have been refined from Xu Ying's own realm, preventing him from slipping away and forcing him to flee toward the Ancestral Court instead, which ultimately led to his death.
Xu Ying stepped into that world of ice and snow. Looking back, he saw the Third Heavenly Pass still standing tall behind him, its front facing him, as if he had not stepped into the gate, but rather walked out from it.
"My third knocking on the pass realm is truly incredible!"
Xu Ying could not help but marvel. Stowing the treasure away, he rode the wind, drifting across the sky to search for Kunlun's whereabouts.
He met Qi Refiners of this world and learned upon inquiry that the realm was called Zhaoning. Fast as Xu Ying flew, scouring an entire world still took several days, and he still failed to find Kunlun.
"Kunlun is not in this world."
He activated the Third Heavenly Pass and opened the portal. Another world appeared behind the gate, and Xu Ying stepped inside.
At Tushita Palace in Lihen Heaven, four days after Xu Ying's departure, several tall, beautiful girls arrived in haste from afar to visit Tushita Palace.
These girls were dressed quite luxuriously, mostly in furs, yet their attire was far from vulgar, serving only to accentuate their snow-white skin.
The leading girl, in her early twenties, was especially gorgeous. Dressed in red with a trim of snow-white fur along her collar, she had red lips, white teeth, and skin fairer than ice and snow. She bowed gracefully to Daoist Taiqing and asked in a gentle voice, "Daoist Priest, may I ask if Young Master Xu, Xu Ying, is here?"
Daoist Taiqing saw through them at a glance, recognizing they were not humans. He smiled and said, "So you are young ladies from the Demon Ancestral Court. You have arrived at an unfortunate time; Young Master Xu left just a few days ago, saying he had important business to attend to."
The red-clad young woman's delicate brows knit slightly. "The Daoist Priest has discerning eyes. We do indeed come from the Demon Ancestral Court. Seeing the Daoist Ancestral Court return from the dead filled us with joy and encouragement, so we came to seek an audience with Young Master Xu. Did this Young Master Xu mention when he would return?"
Daoist Taiqing shook his head. "He did not say."
Still unwilling to give up, the red-clad young woman asked, "May I ask where Young Master Xu went, and what business he intended to conduct?"
Knowing none of the answers, Daoist Taiqing said, "You may inquire at Penglai."
The red-clad young woman took her leave and arrived at Penglai. After asking around, she learned that the Divine Mother was Penglai's overseer. She ordered the maidens under her command to present several hu of treasures, saying, "Please, Divine Maiden, cast a divination for me to see where Young Master Xu has gone."
The Divine Mother accepted her treasures, overjoyed, and said with a smile, "Miss Ling, why be so courteous?"
The red-clad young woman was surprised. "You know of me?"
The Divine Mother smiled. "The Demon Ancestral Court keeps to a secluded corner of the Ancestral Court and has little contact with the outside world, yet it is the supreme sacred ground in the hearts of all demon cultivators across the myriad worlds of the heavens. The current successor of the Demon Ancestral Court is none other than you, Miss Ling Siyi."
The red-clad young woman, Ling Siyi, smiled. "The Divine Maiden of Penglai truly possesses divine foresight."
The Divine Mother performed a divination and said, "The Young Master Xu you seek is currently in the Guanghe world. If you hurry, you may still meet him there. If not in time, you can wait for him in the Taishi Great World."
Ling Siyi bowed in sincere gratitude. "Thank you, Divine Maiden. Let us go!"
Leading the young women, she flashed away.
The Divine Mother patted the several hu of treasures and said with a beaming smile, "It's good that the Xu boy is running all over the place; it brings business straight to my door."
In the Ziwei Remnant Realm, the streak of purple qi hanging between heaven and earth rippled. After a moment, someone rowed a boat through the purple qi. As the purple qi parted, one could faintly glimpse an entirely separate realm within, another world altogether.
This youth rowed his boat toward Lihen Heaven to seek an audience at Tushita Palace. Daoist Taiqing directed the youth to Penglai to seek the Divine Mother. The youth took note of this solemnly, mindful of the Divine Mother's rules for divination. He prepared generous gifts before coming to see her.
"Young Master Nan of the Ziwei Ancestral Court, if you wish to find Young Master Xu, please go to the Taishi Great World and wait for him," the Divine Mother said with a smile after accepting the handsome gifts.
The youth, Nan Ziyan, bowed in heartfelt thanks and rowed his boat away.
Not long after, an elder and a youth arrived in haste at Penglai. The elder smiled apologetically and said, "Divine Maiden of Penglai, this old one wishes to inquire about someone."
Behind him, a horse carriage trotted up clattering. The youth lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a Purple Blood Treasure Tree inside. Immortal dao resonated around it, and immortal music wafted through the air.
The Divine Mother's eyes lit up, and she praised, "The Shangqing Ancestral Court is wealthy and imposing indeed, truly admirable. Daoist Yuan may proceed to the Taishi Great World to await Young Master Xu."
The elder expressed his thanks and departed with the youth, leaving the carriage behind at Mituo Temple.
With trembling hands, the Divine Mother drew back the carriage curtain and respectfully moved the Purple Blood Treasure Tree down. Her voice trembled slightly: "In the Immortal Realm, I had only heard of such an Immortal Dao marvel and never seen one. Who would have thought that after descending to the mortal realm, I would actually have the fortune to obtain such a treasure? Following Young Master Xu down to the lower realm—it seems I made the right bet!"
Xu Ying had no idea that the Divine Mother had made a fortune selling information about him. He was still searching for Kunlun in the Guanghe world.
"To evade searches from the Immortal Realm, the Queen Mother of the West will definitely hide Kunlun in some world and relocate it every once in a while. Finding Kunlun is truly no easy feat."
Frowning, Xu Ying once again activated the Third Heavenly Pass. The Heavenly Pass opened, and behind the gate lay the Taishi Great World.
Stepping into this great world, Xu Ying put away the Heavenly Pass and could not help being astonished.
Before him, sacred mountains were spread out like stars across the sky, their summits wreathed in dense incense smoke qi, with beams of ascension rosy light connecting to the sky.
As far as his eyes could see, atop one towering mountain, hundreds of ascension rosy lights clustered together. The heaven-and-earth primordial qi was extraordinarily concentrated, condensing into rain and dew that fell continuously.
He even saw numerous immortal artifacts floating above the sacred mountains, connecting to the Immortal Realm, where sunlight from the Immortal Realm could faintly be seen filtering down.
"This world is truly magnificent!"
Xu Ying could not help but marvel. Taking flight, he soared across the sky and sighed in admiration, "If the Yuanshou world hadn't suffered so many tribulations, it would probably be this spectacular as well, wouldn't it?"
From time to time, Immortal Dao talismans descended from the sky, likely patriarchs in the Immortal Realm transmitting messages to communicate with their sects.
Xu Ying skirted around these sacred mountains to avoid inviting unnecessary trouble.
Suddenly, the most magnificent sight in this world entered his eyes: at the center of the world, a divine mountain was rooted in the earth and soared into the vault of heaven. No one knew how tall or wide it was, nor how vast its perimeter—it was truly breathtaking!
That was none other than the Taishi Great World's Mount Sumeru!
This mountain possessed divine power and was shrouded in incense smoke. Even from afar, one could feel supreme divine power churning among the peaks.
"This divine mountain bears the aura of the Heavenly Dao!"
Xu Ying was astonished. Just then, he saw fire and water churning at the mountain peak, forming a Taiji diagram. A great cauldron floated within the water and fire, absorbing the incense smoke qi and being forged without rest day and night!
The aura of the Heavenly Dao came precisely from that great cauldron refined by fire and water!
Xu Ying looked at the great cauldron, a sudden premonition seizing his heart.
"This fire and water, this cauldron—it was formed from my Intertwined Refining stage realm!"
He gazed toward Mount Sumeru. Hidden within this mountain, there was almost certainly one of the mighty figures who had besieged him back then!
Anyone capable of taking part in carving up Xu Ying's cultivation realms had to be a figure of extraordinary standing!
"I wonder which Immortal King this person is?"
Xu Ying collected himself. With his current strength, having restored only the Crimson Palace among his Six Secret Depositories, and lacking the support of Penglai's Heavenly Dao, confronting an Immortal King was out of the question.
Even with the three Immortal King treasures, he was no match for an Immortal King.
"But if I had four Immortal King treasures..."
Xu Ying looked toward that dao venue where fire and water were intertwined in refinement, thinking silently to himself, "Even an Immortal King won't be able to do anything to me!"
Chapter 376