In the sky, that colossal hand came pressing down. Astral winds surged, lightning intertwined, and the billowing divine power of the Heavenly Dao empowered that single hand—it was truly domineering beyond compare!
Atop Mount Sumeru, whether the common folk making sacrificial prostrations or the experts from various sects who had come to observe the ceremony, all were pressed breathless by the surging aura of the Heavenly Dao. Those able to maintain their calm and composure were few and far between!
Around the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, oceans and seas of fire surged, carrying this supreme treasure of the Heavenly Dao higher and higher. Just as it was about to be grasped by the giant hand, a tall figure suddenly appeared beside the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, raising a palm to meet the sky-covering hand.
In that instant, all the incense smoke qi of Mount Sumeru was mobilized. Across the Four Realms and one hundred and eight kingdoms, the incense smoke qi of hundreds of millions of subjects gathered over forty thousand years transformed into supreme divine power. Accompanied by the surging divine might of the Heavenly Dao, with a tremendous crash, it shattered the sky-covering hand to pieces!
In the sky, the sky-filling face revealed a look of astonishment, fading into the firmament until it vanished without a trace.
Beside the Golden Dragon Pool of the Great Thunderclap Temple, Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang hurried over, only to see Xu Ying let out a muffled grunt as the hand he had dipped into the water jerked violently.
The water's surface exploded with a bang, and Xu Ying yanked his hand back—it was covered in blood!
The two were startled and rushed forward in alarm. Master Fire Dragon summoned his Primordial Spirit. Clustered flames manifested around the Primordial Spirit, rising to form talismanic seals that guarded their surroundings as he bellowed, "Evil entity! Begone! Begone! Begone!"
Han Zekang hastily stepped in front of Xu Ying, channeling a divine ability to protect him while pushing him away from the Golden Dragon Pool.
Suppressing his turbulent qi and blood, Xu Ying asked in surprise, "You two, what are you..."
Master Fire Dragon activated his divine eyes, searching for any hidden danger around them without daring to let down his guard. "The Great Thunderclap Temple is exceedingly bizarre," he said. "Incredible phenomena often appear here! There are rumors that the buddhas of an ancient era were unwilling to accept their deaths, so they drag people in as scapegoats to die in their place!"
Han Zekang nodded repeatedly and chimed in, "When you reached your hand into the water just now, could you have encountered an evil entity? If we hadn't arrived in time, you would have been dragged into the water by those buddhas!"
Xu Ying felt both touched and somewhat amused.
Though it was Xu Ying's first time meeting the master and disciple Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang, they were truly good-natured, which left Xu Ying—who came from the Yuanshou world—somewhat unaccustomed.
In the Yuanshou world, there were too many fishers and leek farmers; one had to tread cautiously, and sincerity was rare. Yet this master and disciple were remarkably simple and honest at heart.
Xu Ying had initially traveled with them merely because they were headed the same way, not regarding them as friends, but now he genuinely considered them comrades.
"I'm fine. I think my hand was just scratched by dragon bones in the pool," Xu Ying said with a smile.
Still, the master and disciple dared not be careless. Master Fire Dragon took out a handful of talismans, burned them to ash, and scattered them into the pool, muttering incantations: "Begone! Evil spirits, begone!"
Seeing that the characters on his talismans contained runes of the Netherworld's ghosts and deities, showing genuine skill, Xu Ying thought, *Could Divine Vulture Palace usually make a living by exorcising ghosts and evil spirits?*
He looked up at the sky, the wound on his hand still throbbing faintly, his heart filled with doubt and astonishment.
That tall figure who had suddenly appeared just now possessed truly astonishing divine power, breaking his Gourd Heaven Dao Verification Scripture with utter ease. Could someone of such divine power and cultivation be that God King Xuankong?
*Still, isn't this God King's divine power a bit too boundless and domineering? The God King Xuanhao I encountered before was one of the Heavenly Dao world's Four Great God Kings, but Xuanhao's mana wouldn't even be fit to carry his shoes!*
Xu Ying was secretly alarmed.
Though the Gourd Heaven Dao Verification Scripture he used originated from Perfected Yuhu, Xu Ying possessed extraordinary comprehension and the foundation of his first life; unless Perfected Yuhu had made substantial progress, his mastery over the scripture might not even rival Xu Ying's.
The divine ability Xu Ying unleashed had been amplified over tenfold by the Gourd Heaven, backed by his Heavenly Dao domain, with his Crimson Palace bolstering his physical strength. Yet in a single clash against God King Xuankong, it had collapsed upon contact!
The Gourd Heaven Dao Verification Scripture allowed one to cast divine abilities across vast distances, so when God King Xuankong's mana struck back, it failed to trace Xu Ying's true whereabouts. Had Xu Ying not severed the connection in time, his injuries would have been far more severe than a wounded palm.
*Over these forty-thousand-odd years, God King Xuankong has received the faith and incense smoke of the people in the Sumeru Realm. Not only has his divine power grown terrifyingly, but he even taught himself many Heavenly Dao runes without a master, no longer an illiterate God King,* Xu Ying thought to himself.
Han Zekang waved a hand in front of him, finally snapping him out of his reverie... "Brother Xu, this place is uncanny, not somewhere we should linger!"
Han Zekang said, "Let's leave at once. Up on the summit, the sacrificial grand ceremony has already begun. We're already running late, and if we delay any longer, it will be over!"
Master Fire Dragon remarked, "It won't end so quickly. This ceremony lasts over ten days. However, after the commotion just now, I'm afraid Little Friend Xu might run into trouble going in."
Han Zekang realized with a start. "Brother Xu, that giant face in the sky earlier looked just like you! If you go to the summit and someone sees your face, it could stir up serious trouble."
Xu Ying took out Chu Tiandu's mask and said with a smile, "I have a mask that can hide my face."
Chu Tiandu thought he looked too pretty and lacked majesty, so he wore a mask all day long. Xu Ying had extorted several masks from him, and today they happened to come in handy.
Neither Han Zekang nor Master Fire Dragon had ever been to the Ancestral Court, so naturally they did not recognize the mask.
Just as Xu Ying was about to put on the mask, he suddenly sensed something amiss. Lowering the mask, he looked around, only to find the scenery of Mount Sumeru had abruptly shifted. It was no longer a divine realm in the mountains where deities stood in ranks.
Before his eyes, heavy layers of cloud and mist billowed as brilliant golden light shone forth, and lotus-shaped multi-hued radiance sprouted from within the mist.
That Mount Sumeru was far grander and taller than what he currently saw. Towering Buddha statues rose toward the heavens across the mountain, large and small statues standing shoulder to shoulder.
And atop Mount Sumeru, another cave-heaven hung high, filled with buddhas seated across the void, their precious radiance illuminating everything with incomparable splendor!
Waves of resonant, lingering Buddhist chants echoed, sweeping away the mind's obscurations.
Xu Ying's heart clenched. *Not good. There truly is an evil entity in the Great Thunderclap Temple! The buddhas wish to ruin my Dao heart and derange my mind!*
He hurriedly called out, "Master Fire Dragon! Han Zekang!"
His voice echoed into the distance, returning only reverberations. Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang, who had been right beside him a moment ago, were nowhere to be seen!
Without a second thought, Xu Ying stirred his Immortal Realm cave-heaven, ready at any moment to summon the three Immortal King treasures to forcibly shatter this space.
*I really have run into an evil anomaly! Yet these buddhas of the ancient era don't appear evil, and their Dao voice is full of compassion. Why would they trap me?*
No sooner had the thought crossed Xu Ying's mind than the light radiating from the buddhas atop Mount Sumeru before him faded, and in an instant, their bodies grew covered in defilements.
Immediately after, the peak of Mount Sumeru seemed severed by something, tumbling downward alongside the cave-heaven where the buddhas sat, receding farther and farther away!
Mount Sumeru, along with the buddhas, was gradually swallowed by darkness.
Xu Ying stood in place, fully on guard, thinking, *The danger should be coming now, right?*
After a moment, a gleam of light suddenly emanated from the darkness. Xu Ying focused his gaze, vaguely discerning that within the light lay the severed peak of Mount Sumeru.
A moment later, the light drew closer, and Xu Ying finally saw clearly: it truly was the missing mountain peak of Mount Sumeru.
Above the summit, the cave-heaven still hung suspended, but the vast multitude of buddhas who had presided over the void were no longer to be seen within it.
On that peak stood a lone figure, tall and thin, clad in black monk's robes, appearing to be a young monk.
The young monk stood on the mountain, sprinting with all his might, before suddenly leaping forward toward Xu Ying!
He charged through the air, yet seemed to encounter an invisible resistance. His robes and skin tore and cracked repeatedly, but his physical body was outrageously robust, regenerating continuously in a manner not in the least inferior to the undying body granted by a Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven.
However, something in the space surrounding the young monk seemed to make it increasingly viscous. His speed slowed further and further, yet a gap still remained between him and Xu Ying.
The young monk opened his mouth, shouting with all his might, yet though his mouth moved, no sound emerged.
He extended a hand toward Xu Ying, seemingly wishing for Xu Ying to pull him forward.
Just as Xu Ying was about to decipher his lip movements, flames flared before his eyes, and the surrounding darkness instantly dissolved. Master Fire Dragon had summoned his Primordial Spirit, guarding Xu Ying's flank; the fiery light Xu Ying saw was precisely the flame from Master Fire Dragon's burning talismans.
Looking around, Xu Ying found that he was indeed still within the Great Thunderclap Temple, merely having walked a short distance away from where he had been standing.
"Little Friend Xu, a gust of mist blew over just now, and you vanished without a trace."
Master Fire Dragon looked around vigilantly. "This Great Thunderclap Temple frequently suffers evil hauntings, mostly ancient-era buddhas seeking scapegoats after their deaths. Let's leave at once!"
Han Zekang's voice called from above: "Master, Brother Xu, this place is too uncanny—even God King Xuankong didn't dare leave the Great Thunderclap Temple on the mountain summit! We'd better hurry up to the mountain to attend the sacrificial gathering!"
Xu Ying steadied his mind and nodded in agreement.
The three once again made their way toward the mountain summit.
"Brother Xu, what happened just now?" Han Zekang asked curiously.
Xu Ying recounted what he had seen. Master Fire Dragon's expression turned grave. "Someone trying to run out of the darkness? Almost certainly looking for a scapegoat. If you had reached out and he grabbed your hand, he would have made you his substitute in death, while he survived in this world wearing your skin."
Xu Ying asked, "In that illusion, I saw the ancient-era buddhas suddenly sink into darkness along with the peak of Mount Sumeru. Did something like that happen in the ancient era?"
Master Fire Dragon shook his head. "Never heard of it. But the Great Thunderclap Temple is exceedingly bizarre; it's best not to touch it."
He paused, then added, "I've heard that the demonic realm invasion over forty thousand years ago seemingly broke out from the Great Thunderclap Temple. God King Xuankong suppressed the demonic realm invasion and purified the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, earning immense merit. Yet some say it was he who released the ancient evil spirits suppressed within the Great Thunderclap Temple, thereby causing that catastrophe."
At this point, a chill went through his heart, and he warned, "Forget what you just heard, understand? Neither of you is permitted to spread this! Trouble comes from a loose tongue!"
Xu Ying and Han Zekang nodded repeatedly.
"So, were the buddhas of the ancient era evil?" Han Zekang asked.
Master Fire Dragon took it for granted: "They must have been evil!"
In Xu Ying's mind, the image of that young monk straining forward in the darkness continued to surface from time to time, lingering for a long while. He thought, *Where did the ancient-era buddhas sink to? Why did the scene of them sinking into darkness appear before my eyes?*
...A daring thought arose in his heart: *If I had grasped that young monk's hand just now and pulled him out of the darkness with all my strength, what would have happened?*
He soon shook his head and chuckled inwardly. *Well, the illusion has already vanished.*
Atop Mount Sumeru.
God King Xuankong's aura gradually settled. The scene just now had shocked him greatly, nearly making him hesitate to strike. For he had recognized who that sky-filling face in the heavens belonged to.
"Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, I sense your power wavering. You sensed your original master's arrival, didn't you?"
Detecting the unease and agitation in this supreme treasure of the Heavenly Dao, he frowned slightly.
Although he had refined this treasure for over forty thousand years and fed it the incense smoke of the common people, nurturing it to be peerlessly powerful, the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron had, after all, been formed from Xu Ying's Intertwined Refining stage realm. Because of this, he felt a twinge of unease.
"God King Xuankong, the person who struck just now was that Great Villain Xu Ying."
Looking toward the voice, God King Xuankong did not dare show disrespect. "Young Master Yuchuan knows of this person as well?"
Young Master Yuchuan walked over and said, "The one the Imperial Monarch ordered me to deal with is precisely this man. That Great Villain Xu Ying once appeared in the demonic realm, taking advantage of my lack of vigilance to injure me."
God King Xuankong said, "When I exchanged blows with him just now, his cultivation seemed vast and his combat strength formidable, but in truth, he was employing a spatial technique. That method belongs to Perfected Yuhu of the Immortal Realm—strong on the outside, weak within. Young Master Yuchuan need not worry; Xu Ying is by no means your match."
Young Master Yuchuan knew the God King's discerning eyes were peerless. With this reassurance, capturing and killing Xu Ying would be effortless.
God King Xuankong said, "This Huntian Cauldron of mine was refined from his third realm, the Intertwined Refining stage. Since Xu Ying struck once, there will surely be a second time."
"Rest assured, Young Master Yuchuan. When he shows himself again, I will leave him to you." Young Master Yuchuan offered his thanks.
On the other side, Xu Ying arrived at the mountain summit with Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang. Xu Ying had also donned the mask to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"As guests, once the people of Mount Sumeru finish worshipping the Huntian Cauldron, we can step forward to offer a stick of incense," Han Zekang said. "This is a rare opportunity—the Huntian Cauldron is branded with Heavenly Dao runes! When you offer incense, memorize them with all your heart, memorizing as many as you can!"
Xu Ying agreed, a ray of hope rising in his chest: *When offering incense, I can seize control of the Huntian Cauldron!*
"Chu! Tian! Du!"
Behind Xu Ying, a voice boomed like thunder. Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. Turning around, he saw a curly-bearded youth standing not far away, glaring at him with a menacing scowl.
*This youth seems to be Shen Baiyu, who challenged me in the Dao Revelation Ground and whom I beat until he was left hanging from an immortal artifact...* Xu Ying thought.
"Purple-Robed Demon Marquis Chu Tiandu! It really is you!"
Shen Baiyu bellowed, "Chu Tiandu, what bold nerve you have! Experts from our myriad worlds went to the demonic realm to challenge you, never expecting you'd actually dare run out of the demonic realm!"
"In the past, I always mocked you as a coward hiding in his shell, not even daring to enter the Dao Revelation Ground. Now I won't mock you anymore! Everyone, he is Purple-Robed Demon Marquis Chu Tiandu, disciple of the demonic realm's Little Celestial Venerable, the number one figure among the demonic realm's younger generation!"
Xu Ying sighed inwardly, murmuring to himself, *It seems my granddisciple Chu Tiandu is about to become famous across the myriad worlds once again.*
"That's right."
Rallying his spirits, Xu Ying smiled and said, "I am indeed the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis, Chu Tiandu."
Chapter 378