Just moments ago, the crowd atop Mount Sumeru had been locked in a fight to the death with Xu Ying. Now, with the intervention of God King Xuankong and Young Master Yuchuan, matters seemed to have settled as gently as a spring breeze, sweeping away the murderous aura that had hung over the peak.
Although the people of the Taishi Great World still wished they could beat Xu Ying to death, it was not their place to speak in the presence of God King Xuankong and Young Master Yuchuan.
In this world, the Nine Heavens Dao Sect to which Young Master Yuchuan belonged held supreme authority. This was because the founder of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect was an Imperial Monarch of renown in the Immortal Realm!
The sect bore the name "Nine Heavens" because nine Immortal Kings had hailed from the Taishi Great World and left behind nine great sects; "Nine Heavens Dao Sect" signified the common Dao sect uniting all nine!
Seeing that they could not lay a hand on Xu Ying, the members of these sects cast venomous glares toward Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang.
The master and disciple trembled with anxiety. Han Zekang hurriedly tugged Master Fire Dragon along to keep up with Xu Ying. "Master, we're Chu's accomplices now! If we don't stick close to him, someone could slaughter us at any moment in the name of eliminating evil and defending the Dao!"
Catching sight of the murderous stares surrounding them, Master Fire Dragon lamented, "We master and disciple have always treated others with kindness. How did things turn out like this?"
Han Zekang said, "Master, staying alive is what matters! Don't let your mind wander!"
Ahead of them, God King Xuankong let out a hearty laugh. "Little Brother Chu, how could my Huntian Cauldron fail to bear it? This is my supreme treasure for subduing demons, a treasure of merit for the Taishi Great World, and a supreme treasure of the Heavenly Dao! It has gathered the incense of countless beings. Whose incense could the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron ever fail to bear?"
Xu Ying said in apparent surprise, "Is this treasure truly so formidable?"
Bai Yuchuan looked toward the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron and remarked, "I have heard that the God King used this treasure to refine demons, gathering all the demonic ways of the Taishi World to re-forge heaven and earth and restore clarity to the realm. Is this true?"
God King Xuankong was tall and burly, curled in wisps of incense smoke qi. He smiled. "You flatter me. In the chaotic upheaval back then, the demonic realm invaded, and demonic ways disturbed the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, extinguishing the Heavenly Dao. Fortunately, the earthly domains of the true immortals were guarded by immortal artifacts to withstand the demonic ways. That I, together with the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, could gather all the demonic ways under heaven was also thanks to the aid of those immortals."
Xu Ying feigned confusion. "Over forty thousand years ago, the demonic realm was fractured, and its living beings could barely protect themselves. How could they have invaded the Taishi Great World? Even the Little Celestial Venerable of the Demonic Realm, who possesses the strength of an Immortal King, likely still lacks the power to invade the Taishi World today. Was the invasion of the demonic realm forty thousand years ago truly an invasion from the demonic realm?"
God King Xuankong glanced at him. "Young Master Chu is young in years, but deeply steeped in demonic nature and skilled at bewitching others."
Xu Ying laughed aloud. "Isn't that how a devil should be?"
Bai Yuchuan smiled. "The Demon Marquis is quite a fascinating character!"
He continually glanced behind Xu Ying, his heart burning with desire. *An Immortal Realm cave-heaven—there truly is an Immortal Realm cave-heaven! The Imperial Monarch imparted to me the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Secret Art and the Extermination Immortal Array, with the twin goals of refining Xu Ying to death and eliminating the one who cultivated an Immortal Realm cave-heaven! But since an Immortal Realm cave-heaven is so formidable, if it could belong to me...*
When Xu Ying had clashed with him moments ago, he had revealed his Immortal Realm cave-heaven. The sheer power of that cave-heaven had stirred greed even in Bai Yuchuan.
Meanwhile, God King Xuankong's gaze rested on the mask covering Xu Ying's face. He thought to himself, *Who is really beneath that mask—Chu Tiandu, or Xu Ying?*
He had once been a God King of the Heavenly Dao world and had taken part in the Battle of the Heavenly Road, so he was no stranger to Xu Ying.
Just moments ago, Xu Ying had attempted to seize the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron and was driven back by him. Now, a masked Chu Tiandu had appeared, making him suspicious of the person's true identity.
His suggestion that Xu Ying offer a stick of incense was meant to lure the snake from its hole.
If Chu Tiandu was indeed Xu Ying, Xu Ying would surely be unable to resist trying to refine the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron.
*This treasure has already been refined by me into a treasure of merit. Unless you possess greater merit than my subduing of demons, do not even dream of taking it!* God King Xuankong mused silently. *Let us see if you give yourself away! The moment Xu Ying shows his hand and tries to refine the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, I shall strike immediately, activating the cauldron to blast him to ashes! Dying by his own realm would be quite poetic.*
As Xu Ying drew closer to the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, he began to feel the oppressive weight brought on by its incense smoke qi.
Though called a treasure of merit, the cauldron in truth absorbed incense from across the world, condensing it into divine power that drove its might ever higher!
Xu Ying was secretly astonished. The divine power of the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron was immense. Intaglio Heavenly Dao runes covered the outer surface of the massive vessel, while nothing could be discerned on its interior.
Most of the Heavenly Dao runes inscribed on the outside were correct, an exceptionally rare feat. Over the years, God King Xuankong had settled on Mount Sumeru and ruled the Four Realms. Benefiting from the incense of myriad beings, he had comprehended the principles of the Heavenly Dao, making him far more powerful than he had been in the Heavenly Dao world!
Arriving before the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, Xu Ying took a stick of incense. Just as he was about to offer it before the cauldron, the celestial phenomena suddenly shifted violently. The sky tore open, and a youth in yellow robes charged in, reaching out toward the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron as he shouted, "Xuankong, you severed my Jiaolian realm and forged it into a magic treasure! Now forty thousand years have passed—it is time to return it!"
"Xu Ying!"
God King Xuankong was shocked. That yellow-robed youth was indeed Xu Ying, come to seize the treasure. Clearly, the Chu Tiandu standing beside him was the real Chu Tiandu!
Without a second thought, the God King leapt into the air, reaching out to seize the yellow-robed Xu Ying.
Seeing his ferocious momentum, the yellow-robed Xu Ying dared not face him head-on. Leaping lightly, he transformed into a streak of yellow light and shot through the void!
God King Xuankong sneered, "I let you slip away before, and now you think you can flee again? Do you think you can escape?"
As his body moved, thunder roared across the skies. Divine thunder gathered from every quarter, erupting like a heavenly tribulation as God King Xuankong rode a massive beam of lightning, charging straight after the yellow-robed Xu Ying!
Both figures were blindingly fast—one utilizing the supreme martial art, the Extreme Intent Freedom Technique, and the other commanding tribulation arts. In the blink of an eye, both vanished from everyone's sight.
Beneath the Huntian Cauldron, Xu Ying stood holding the stick of incense, appearing stunned by the turn of events and at a complete loss.
The gods of Mount Sumeru's Four Realms took to the air one after another, stationing themselves high above the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron in strict vigilance.
Suddenly, the sky tore open once more, and a white-robed Xu Ying charged down, laughing loudly. "Old ghost Xuankong, you've fallen for my trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain!"
The many gods guarding the Four Realms surged into the sky to intercept the white-robed Xu Ying.
The white-robed Xu Ying sneered, "A pack of false gods—let me show you what a true heavenly god is!"
Three thousand Heavenly Dao runes lit up around his body, forming a Heavenly Dao domain. For a moment, heavenly majesty billowed, and though the gods of the Four Realms possessed formidable divine power, their grasp of the Heavenly Dao was lacking. One by one, they were suppressed and sent plummeting toward the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron!
The white-robed Xu Ying laughed heartily, circulating his magic power to sweep up the water-fire domain.
Right at that moment, within the water-fire domain, incense smoke qi condensed to form two avatars of God King Xuankong—one of water, one of fire. Laughing, they declared, "Xu Ying, I have waited for you for a long time! Did you think I was unprepared?"
The white-robed Xu Ying's expression changed abruptly, and he turned to flee.
"Where do you think you're going!"
These water and fire avatars were Xuankong's incarnations of merit. Immediately flanking him on the left and right, they shot into the air in pursuit of the white-robed Xu Ying!
Just as they departed, the sky trembled, and another Xu Ying, clad in azure robes, descended from above. He laughed and said, "Now there is no one left to stop me, is there?"
He headed straight for the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, determined to claim it!
Just then, someone shouted in a loud voice, "He's the Xu Ying who severed the Heavenly Road and prevented us from ascending!"
At these words, fury erupted atop Mount Sumeru. " Xu Ying, that great villain! Heaven itself cannot tolerate him!"
Those who had come to attend the assembly were largely sect masters of the Taishi Great World, or at least elders and supreme seniors, all possessing formidable strength!
Moreover, the arts they cultivated were immortal arts handed down by their ancestors. In an instant, immortal arts and divine abilities trailed dazzling brilliance into the sky above Mount Sumeru, rising to meet the azure-robed Xu Ying.
As powerful as the azure-robed Xu Ying was, he could not withstand so many mighty experts at once, and he turned to flee without delay.
The experts soared into the air from the summit of Mount Sumeru, trailing multicolored streaks of light as they gave chase to the azure-robed Xu Ying.
In a matter of moments, the bustling summit of Mount Sumeru was left with only the gods of the Four Realms and the worshippers. Most of the other experts had flown off in pursuit of the three Xu Yings.
"Strange, how can there be three of that great villain Xu Ying?" Beside Xu Ying, Han Zekang muttered in bewilderment.
Still holding his stick of incense, Xu Ying planted it into the incense burner before the colossal Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron and laughed. "Perhaps this Xu Ying was born as triplets!"
He could not help laughing aloud, his voice trembling slightly.
The three Xu Yings in different colored robes had been created by his One Qi Transforms into Three Purities, forming his three Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits: Jade Pure in azure, Supreme Pure in yellow, and Grand Pure in white.
All three were him, and each seemed entirely real!
What was even more remarkable was that each Xu Ying possessed eighty to ninety percent of his true body's strength!
If not for that, they could never have lured away God King Xuankong and the gathered masters.
Bai Yuchuan gave a soft cough and said, "Brother Chu seems rather excited."
Xu Ying smiled. "Do I?"
His heart was racing. Now that the masters atop Mount Sumeru were gone, his stick of incense was burning, communing with the Huntian Cauldron without any hindrance!
Bai Yuchuan looked up at the sky, his eyes flickering with an amused glint. "God King Xuankong and his two merit avatars have both been drawn away by Xu Ying, and the guests who came to observe have been lured away as well. If a mighty being descended from the heavens at this moment to snatch the Huntian Cauldron, who could possibly stop them? Brother Chu, wouldn't you agree?"
Xu Ying initially thought his disguise had been pierced, but hearing that Bai Yuchuan's voice was also trembling slightly, he paused in surprise.
Right then, the sky suddenly burst open, and a majestic God King descended from the heavens, reaching down with a voice like a great bronze bell. He laughed, "Xuankong, you hid in the lower realm to forge a supreme treasure of the Heavenly Dao—an unpardonable sin! Today, this God King shall take custody of it on your behalf!"
This God King was none other than God King Xuanyu, one of the four great God Kings of the Heavenly Dao world. His timing was impeccably chosen. Grasping the Huntian Cauldron, he prepared to tear through the void and fly away!
Xu Ying was both shocked and infuriated. *Son of a bitch! He dares to rob even my things?!*
Before Xu Ying could make a move, the Huntian Cauldron suddenly blazed with golden light. Within the brilliance, an immortal talisman rose slowly, carrying a deep, resonant voice: "A God King of the Heavenly Dao dares touch my subordinate? Courting death!"
Though inscribed merely with Immortal Dao runes, the talisman harbored terrifying power that surpassed even God King Xuanyu. The moment the immortal light flared, God King Xuanyu coughed up a great mouthful of blood, his aura instantly withering.
Xu Ying's eyes went wide. He had anticipated all manner of contingencies, but he had never foreseen this one.
Yet on second thought, it was only natural.
Mount Sumeru was the center of the Taishi Great World, the central sacred mountain—how momentous, how exalted was its status?
Over forty thousand years ago, God King Xuankong had been nothing more than an outcast of the Heavenly Dao, abandoned in the lower realm. Even the lineage of the Imperial Monarch had not dared occupy Mount Sumeru; what right did he have to hold this mountain?
*Behind God King Xuankong, there must be a titan of the Immortal Realm supporting him! A titan whose background is not inferior to the Imperial Monarch, or perhaps even greater!* Thoughts flashed like lightning through Xu Ying's mind. *That is why God King Xuankong could occupy Mount Sumeru, freely harvesting incense and cultivating the Heavenly Dao without fear! That Mount Sumeru was fashioned into a miniature Heavenly Dao world was also at the instruction of the Immortal Realm titan behind him!*
That Immortal Realm titan's goal was to recreate a Heavenly Dao world and replace the original!
Just as this thought crossed Xu Ying's mind, Young Master Yuchuan beside him smiled and said, "God King Xuankong's backing is indeed profound. But if his opponent also possesses an immortal talisman, wouldn't that make things dangerous?"
Xu Ying blinked and looked at Young Master Yuchuan.
Suddenly, an immortal talisman flew from Young Master Yuchuan's sleeve, soaring into the air. It was a talisman of the Imperial Monarch, and it began to burn the instant it took flight.
Both immortal talismans radiated brilliant light, exuding auras as vast as the abyss and as heavy as mountains. Immortal Dao divine abilities burst forth from them, colliding like two Imperial Monarch-level immortals clashing in battle!
Young Master Yuchuan smiled at Xu Ying. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; and behind the oriole, a falcon waits. The Heavenly Dao world requires a supreme treasure of the Heavenly Dao to command all Heavenly Dao divine artifacts. Brother Chu, whose hands do you think the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron will fall into?"
Before he could finish speaking, God King Xuanyu suppressed his injuries, grasped the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, and leapt into the air to depart.
Young Master Yuchuan laughed aloud. "It seems Heaven's Way is constant; the Heavenly Dao world remains the orthodox realm after all. God King Xuankong forged this supreme treasure of the Heavenly Dao for over forty thousand years, only to make a wedding dress for the Heavenly Dao world in the end."
Rallying his strength, God King Xuanyu tore open the sky. Rosy light spilled downward, washing over the summit of Mount Sumeru.
On the other side of the rift lay the Heavenly Dao world, where the other heavenly gods and two God Kings stood flanked on either side, ready to receive God King Xuanyu.
At the same time, the power of the two immortal talismans erupted to its peak. With one final clash, both dissolved into flames.
As the talismans burned furiously, the voice of the Imperial Monarch emerged from the fire with a chuckle: "Fellow Daoist, it is merely a game in the lower realm. Why get so worked up?"
"What you say is true, Fellow Daoist," an aged voice responded from the other burning talisman, chuckling. "In this match, the Imperial Monarch has won by a narrow margin."
As the two talismans burned to ash, God King Xuanyu was on the verge of flying into the Heavenly Dao rift. Suddenly, the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron trembled violently, its force shattering his five fingers!
God King Xuanyu's fingers bent backward until they almost touched the back of his hand, the searing pain bringing tears to his eyes.
The Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron broke free of God King Xuanyu's grasp and plummeted downward with a roar. Inside the Heavenly Dao world, God Kings and heavenly gods cried out in dismay, rushing out of the rift and reaching down to catch it!
Water and fire erupted from within the Huntian Cauldron as it swept past the ashes of the two talismans. Water and fire intertwined, bearing down upon the summit of Mount Sumeru. The sea of flames and the vast ocean merged into one, sweeping across heaven and earth with such terrifying might that the worshippers panicked and scattered in all directions!
Young Master Yuchuan also reacted as if facing a mortal foe. Without hesitation, he activated the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Secret Art and summoned the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Extermination Immortal Array, preparing to clash head-on with this supreme treasure of the Heavenly Dao.
Yet at that very moment, the sky full of water and fire abruptly vanished, and the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron disappeared without a trace. The phenomenon of intertwining water and fire seemed as though it had never existed.
The sky was clear and washed clean, leaving behind only the heavenly gods who had descended from the Heavenly Dao world.
Beside Xu Ying, only Master Fire Dragon stared at him in utter terror, not daring to utter a single word.
For at that very moment, the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron was resting quietly inside Master Fire Dragon's Realm of Xiyi!
Chapter 380