As the scroll unfurled, countless beams of dazzling immortal radiance erupted from within, bursting straight into Xu Ying's eyes. Immortal chants rang out deafeningly, sounding as if an immensely ancient entity were intoning the Great Dao, stirring heaven and earth to resonate in harmony!
*Whoosh!*
The immortal radiance in the scroll flashed and vanished in an instant, leaving only shifting gleams of immortal light dancing in Xu Ying's pupils.
Xu Ying stood frozen in a daze when suddenly the scroll vanished from his grasp—Young Master Yuchuan had caught up and snatched the treasure away!
Both shocked and furious, Young Master Yuchuan unrolled the scroll to inspect it, only to find it completely devoid of markings—utterly blank.
He was thoroughly bewildered. *What is going on? Martial Uncle Crane gave me this painting and strictly commanded that it must not be lost under any circumstances. Why is there nothing inside it?* He turned it over and inspected it several times, yet he still could not see a single thing upon the canvas.
However, when Xu Ying had unfurled the scroll just moments before, immortal light had unmistakably surged forth, accompanied by deafening immortal chants. How had it turned completely blank the moment it reached his own hands?
Young Master Yuchuan looked toward Xu Ying. Seeing that Xu Ying was still standing there in a daze, he attacked Xu Ying without a second thought, barking, "It was you, brat! You ruined this painting!"
The divine ability he unleashed was precisely one from the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art, known as the Nine Heavens Wind and Thunder Seal. He thrust a palm forward, and nine heavens manifested behind him as wind and thunder raged fiercely, augmenting his divine power!
This single strike held the Imperial Monarch's profound comprehension of the immortal path. As the palm thrust forth, it locked the space around Xu Ying, harboring nine layers of Dao power. That single palm immediately instilled in Xu Ying the suffocating feeling that across the nine heavens above and the ten earths below, there was nowhere to flee, nowhere to hide!
Xu Ying's gaze was blank, but his eyes suddenly blinked. He flipped his palm upward to meet the blow.
*Boom!*
Fierce wind and thunder similarly erupted from his palm. Astonishingly, it was also the Nine Heavens Wind and Thunder Seal, likewise imbued with the Imperial Monarch's insights into the immortal path!
As this palm thrust forth, it locked the space around Young Master Yuchuan, giving him the exact same sensation of having nowhere to hide!
The power of their palms clashed. Both bodies shuddered violently, and they stumbled backward.
Infuriated to the point of laughing, Young Master Yuchuan spun into the air. Descending from the sky, he pressed down with an imprint of his palm, roaring, "Where did you steal the divine arts of my Bai family? You've learned them well, but can you match this move? Ten Earths Soul-Imprisoning Palm!"
Behind him surfaced the wondrous phenomena of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. A torrential surge of palm force targeted the soul directly, carrying the terrifying sensation of banishing one's spirit into the ten layers of hell!
Without a moment's hesitation, Xu Ying countered with the exact same Ten Earths Soul-Imprisoning Palm. It was identical to his opponent's—and in certain respects, his mastery was even higher!
Young Master Yuchuan was struck so hard that his Primordial Spirit wavered. Stumbling backward, his heart raged with shock and fury.
He immediately switched techniques. The diverse divine abilities of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art poured forth in endless succession. Yet Xu Ying's long sleeves fluttered as he danced along; whatever technique Young Master Yuchuan unleashed, Xu Ying was actually able to recreate it flawlessly!
To call it identical was not enough—one could only say it was even stronger.
Young Master Yuchuan was both shocked and utterly lost. *How does he know the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art? This cultivation method was clearly created by the Imperial Monarch and passed down only to me. How could he know it?! And he uses it even better than I do!*
Xu Ying was not executing the cultivation mantras of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art, but rather its divine abilities. Even so, through these divine abilities, it was obvious that his comprehension of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art vastly surpassed Young Master Yuchuan's!
*But how is this possible?*
The Imperial Monarch would never have taught this technique to Xu Ying, so where had he learned it?
The more Young Master Yuchuan fought, the more alarmed he became. Xu Ying could reproduce every single move he used and even grasped subtleties he himself had never realized, as if the Imperial Monarch were guiding him by the hand!
*Could it be the effect of that painting just now?*
Xu Ying also noticed his own bizarre state. Each time Young Master Yuchuan executed a technique, he naturally understood the profound mysteries within that divine ability, with all kinds of revelations flooding into his mind.
He even clearly grasped how the divine abilities operated and how many variations they possessed. It was simply marvelous.
*It seems I can execute them even better than he does!* Xu Ying marveled inwardly.
*What in the world was that painting just now? How could it be so extraordinary? Why was I able to comprehend so much from just a single glance?*
He did not know that the painting had been manifested by the Imperial Monarch specifically to unravel the seal placed by the Buddhas of the Great Thunderclap Temple. The seal of the Buddhas was extraordinarily profound; even an entity of the Imperial Monarch's stature had to rack his brains, exhausting his utmost potential and foundation, pouring his life's learning and wisdom into breaking it. In truth, simply opening the scroll would have dismantled the seal of the Buddhas. However, Xu Ying had carved sixteen immortal Dao runes onto the underground palace's gateway, deepening the seal and forcing the Crane Boy to return to consult the Imperial Monarch—which led to the scroll falling into Xu Ying's hands.
When Xu Ying unfurled the scroll, the seal-breaking method containing the Imperial Monarch's boundless wisdom and immortal Dao foundation was imprinted directly into his vision.
This time, Xu Ying matching Young Master Yuchuan move for move was merely a minor trial of the Imperial Monarch's wisdom and foundation. If Xu Ying truly absorbed all of that wisdom and immortal foundation, he might well be able to deduce the entire cultivation method of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art, and even the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Extermination Immortal Array!
Xu Ying fought with ever-increasing fluency. Profound Daoist principles rushed continuously through his mind, taking form as diverse divine abilities. Letting out a series of long howls, he took the initiative and turned to press the attack on Young Master Yuchuan!
Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Guidance!
Nine Heavens Dao King Seal!
Ten Earths Cloud Platform!
Ninefold Dao Field!
Dragon Roar of the Nine Heavens!
Dazzled and overwhelmed, Young Master Yuchuan did everything in his power to withstand Xu Ying's divine abilities one after another. Every single one of these divine abilities originated from the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art, yet they were executed far more exquisitely than his own, forcing him back step by step.
Suddenly, Xu Ying's palm broke through his center line and slammed against his chest. A ninefold Dao field manifested behind Xu Ying, amplifying the strike's force. With a loud crash, Young Master Yuchuan's chest exploded outward, and the surging blast of air sent him staggering backward. Though his physical body was powerful, the strike still broke his ribs and fractured his xiphoid process, nearly piercing his heart.
Young Master Yuchuan grunted, overwhelmed with shame and rage. Without another thought, he offered up an immortal diagram, thinking, *If I can't beat him, I'll refine him to death!*
Just as he raised the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Extermination Immortal Array, he found that Xu Ying had already slipped away without a trace.
Xu Ying had witnessed him activate this array against God King Xuankong and knew he was far from a match for Xuankong, so he had retreated decisively.
"Xu Ying!" Young Master Yuchuan roared toward the sky in utter grief and indignation. "Don't you dare let me catch you! If I do, I will throw you into this array diagram and refine you for three days and three nights!"
Xu Ying returned to the side of Ling Siyi and the others, only to discover that they had already engaged in battle. Ling Siyi unleashed the willow branch; its terrifying might forced Xu Ying to dodge away immediately.
The Earth God pounded his drum, and the concussive sound waves struck out, whittling down one's Primordial Spirit and driving Xu Ying back repeatedly.
"Young Master Xu, let's get out of here!" Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang had read the situation early and retreated far away.
Xu Ying immediately summoned the Third Heavenly Pass and pushed the door open to enter. Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang hurried inside with him. As the residual force of the willow branch crashed toward them, Xu Ying hurriedly shut the gateway of the Third Heavenly Pass.
Once the gate closed, the entire heavenly pass vanished from the mortal world, leaving the residual might of the willow branch and the other treasures to sweep through empty space.
Young Master Yuchuan pursued them to the area, but seeing the four of them locked in combat, he was startled. *Where did these four come from? They are terrifyingly powerful! When did masters like this appear in the Taishi Great World?*
Not daring to approach, he hastily retreated.
Just as Young Master Yuchuan departed, God King Xuankong's face manifested in the sky, gazing toward Ling Siyi, Nan Ziyan, and the others with uncertainty in his heart.
*The Dao methods of these four are completely different from those of the myriad worlds. Just who are they?*
God King Xuankong hesitated, glancing toward Mount Sumeru. He thought, *The Crane Boy arrived at Mount Sumeru on the Imperial Monarch's orders. Back then, I also descended to the mortal realm on the Imperial Monarch's orders to intercept and kill Xu Ying, only for my subordinates to suffer heavy casualties, while the new gods of the Heavenly Dao world seized my authority.*
Back then, he had realized that behind it all was the Imperial Monarch seizing control!
The Imperial Monarch wanted total mastery over the Heavenly Dao world, so old gods like them were the first targets to be eliminated.
*This time, I stirred up huge turmoil on Mount Sumeru and killed so many factions loyal to the Imperial Monarch. Sadly, it fell short at the final step, and I failed to eliminate Xu Ying and Young Master Yuchuan. Instead, I even lost the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron.*
God King Xuankong leapt and escaped through the air, thinking, *Xu Ying ruined my great undertaking. If the Crane Boy comes again, it will be to take my life. I can no longer stay in the Taishi Great World! I must leave this place, contact the ancestors, and reconsider the long game!*
Meanwhile, the Crane Boy revealed his true form and flew back toward the Immortal Realm, only to cross paths with Perfected Jade Pot descending to the mortal realm. Perfected Jade Pot stopped him and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, instead of keeping the Imperial Monarch company, where have you been?"
Seeing who it was, the Crane Boy quickly took on human form and smiled. "The Imperial Monarch ordered me to descend and unseal an evil Buddha trapped on Mount Sumeru. When I arrived, I discovered Xu Ying had been there and placed another layer of seal over the evil Buddha. And that layer happened to be the one the Imperial Monarch had used to seal Xu Ying."
Perfected Jade Pot chuckled. "Such a thing happened?"
The Crane Boy inquired, "Where is the Perfected One headed?"
Perfected Jade Pot replied, "I am also descending on orders to handle the matter of the Immortal Realm cave-heaven. Someone has opened an Immortal Realm cave-heaven, and the Primordial Monarch dispatched me to investigate."
The Crane Boy said in surprise, "The Primordial Monarch sent you down? As far as I know, the Imperial Monarch has already tasked Young Master Yuchuan in the mortal realm with this matter."
Unconcerned, Perfected Jade Pot smiled. "How could the Primordial Monarch's aims be something for me to question? I simply do as I am told. Fellow Daoist, descending is easy for you—you can just fly back and forth. But it is bitter for me; I have to sever my own cultivation and re-traverse the heavenly path. Could you perhaps carry me down to the mortal realm?"
The Crane Boy said hurriedly, "You want to preserve your cultivation and sneak into the mortal realm? I wouldn't dare do such a thing! Farewell, Perfected One!"
"Growing distant, are we?" Perfected Jade Pot said with a beaming smile.
Suddenly, he struck viciously, snapping the immortal boy's neck! He then hooked his five fingers through the void, and five massive flesh-colored fingers descended from the sky, trapping the Crane Boy between them.
Fire dragons coiled around the five fingers, opening their mouths to spew immortal fire. In an instant, the Crane Boy was incinerated to ash!
Pity this Crane Boy; possessing an entire lifetime of skills, he had not even had the chance to display them before losing his life at the other's hands, dying without ever understanding why.
Perfected Jade Pot summoned a jade gourd, collected the Crane Boy's imperishable true spirit, and smiled. "Fellow Daoist, you shouldn't have refused me. Each of us serves his own master. On this descent to the mortal realm, I might as well help the Primordial Monarch sever one of the Imperial Monarch's arms first!"
He arrived at the Ascending Immortals Platform. This was the terminus of the heavenly path. Back when Xu Ying had not yet destroyed the path, immortals ascending from the myriad worlds had to walk this road, undergoing nine transformations before reaching the Ascending Immortals Platform to become true immortals.
Along this path grew nine heaven-and-earth spiritual roots, linking the cosmos and piercing through the obscure void, delving deep into vast, unfathomable domains. Regrettably, during the battle to surround and eliminate Xu Ying, all nine heaven-and-earth spiritual roots had been shattered by him!
Ascension along this path was no longer possible. Perfected Jade Pot severed his realm, storing it within the jade pot, and leapt off the Ascending Immortals Platform, falling toward the mortal realms below.
His Gourd Heaven Dao-Attainment Scripture was truly potent; even with the spiritual roots severed, he could walk across the void relying solely on the scripture, heading straight for the myriad worlds!
*On this journey, I'll first go to Yuanshou to retrieve my precious treasure! I must also see those cheap disciples of mine—especially that fool who tricked me!*
Thinking back to how the Foolish Ah Fu had spun him in circles back then, Perfected Jade Pot could not help feeling a surge of irritation. His Dharma treasure, the Dao-Attainment Immortal Pot, was still in that Foolish Ah Fu's hands.
The jade pot currently in his possession was only something he had newly refined recently; in terms of material and power, it was far inferior to the Dao-Attainment Immortal Pot.
His speed grew faster and faster, turning into a streak of flowing light.
Xu Ying arrived in the Yuanzheng World. After journeying around it, he still had not found Mount Kunlun. Yet over recent days, strange occurrences had taken place one after another. Even though he had left Mount Sumeru and the Taishi Great World, he would still fall into an illusion every so often, seeing that young monk frozen in time and space.
Every time he saw that young monk, he found that the monk had moved a bit closer to him through the darkness!
This indicated that the young monk was not entirely frozen within the dark expanse of space-time; he was still striving to walk forward, attempting to draw closer to Xu Ying!
*Still, now that I have left Mount Sumeru, I shouldn't be seeing these phenomena anymore,* Xu Ying wondered inwardly.
Just as he was about to depart the Yuanzheng World, his gaze suddenly froze, landing upon a familiar back: Fairy Qingbi.
Fairy Qingbi was cultivating here while exploring the secrets of ancient eras, searching for relics from before antiquity.
"Xu Ying, why have you come to disturb my Dao heart again?" Fairy Qingbi asked with a smile upon seeing him.
Xu Ying smiled. "I am searching for Kunlun and passed through here by chance. It is rare to run into an old acquaintance. Qingbi, have you returned to Yuanshou these past few years?"
Fairy Qingbi shook her head. "I thought you were still in Yuanshou, so I didn't go back."
Xu Ying was taken aback, then shook his head. "Just because I'm in Yuanshou, you'll never return?"
Fairy Qingbi did not answer, smiling as she asked, "What about you? Have you gone back?"
Xu Ying shook his head and said, "After you left Yuanshou, there was hardly anyone left worth lingering for. Perhaps when I'm not so busy, I'll go back to visit."
Fairy Qingbi said, "Me too."
Master Fire Dragon and Han Zekang found it a rare sight to see Xu Ying settle down. These past days, they had followed Xu Ying across world after world, seeking that elusive, mythical divine mountain of Kunlun.
Xu Ying had always been in a tremendous rush; finding that Kunlun was not in a given world, he would depart immediately.
This time, Xu Ying had finally halted his steps, allowing master and disciple to rest for a few days.
"Master, there seems to be a history between them," Han Zekang pouted his lips and whispered.
Master Fire Dragon's face darkened, and he said, "Do you still remember my words? Misfortune enters through the eyes, and misfortune comes out of the mouth."
Xu Ying and Fairy Qingbi toured the mountains and waters together, catching up on their experiences since parting, passing a few leisurely days. Fairy Qingbi brought him to see an immortal tomb she had excavated, which held the remains of an immortal from an ancient era.
Outside the immortal tomb, Xu Ying saw the tombstone inscribed with this ancient immortal's honorable titles: *Founding Patriarch, Venerable Father of the Nine Heavens, Grand Superintendent of the Five Directions, High General Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Polar Left Wall, Master of the Northern Polar Law, Grand Marshal Tianpeng, True Lord of Azure Heaven Supreme Sovereign Protecting the Nation and Quelling Demons, Fruition-Realized Cloud of Law Universal Canopy Heavenly Worthy.*
They entered the immortal tomb. Inside the ancient tomb stood a stone statue of the ancient immortal: red hair, a golden crown, three heads and six arms, and four faces that all bore furious expressions. He held treasures including a battle-ax, a bow and arrows, a sword, a chime, a halberd, and a binding cord.
These Dharma treasures still retained terrifying power, their inner light contained within, as if harboring entire worlds woven of the Dao. Should these treasures stir, heaven and earth would tear apart!
The sculpture exuded an incomparably grand aura that endured eternally, as though the statue might return to living flesh at any moment and embark on a slaughter!
"This Grand Marshal Tianpeng is truly formidable!" Xu Ying could not help but sigh in admiration, then asked in bewilderment, "I saw similar immortal tombs in the Ancestral Court. Though I didn't explore them, one could tell how powerful the tomb masters were. Why have all these ancient immortals passed away?"
"Perhaps changes in the Great Dao of heaven and earth caused the world in which the ancient immortals lived to cease to exist," Fairy Qingbi said. "Come look over here. This ancient immortal wrote a sentence; I think it is the key to why the ancient immortals passed away."
Xu Ying went over to her side, leaning over with her to look down. Carved upon the jade dais of the immortal tomb was a line of characters:
*The emerald crag flew away, leaving the other shore void; the dream of immortality was broken, leaving endless calamity behind.*
Chapter 390