"The beings of the ancient era certainly had grander boasts with each passing one,"
Xu Ying remarked softly as he stepped through the gateway of the Jade Void Palace. At the Dao Initiation Ground, there had also been a couplet:
*Unfolding the Taiji Diagram, nothing lies beyond the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams;*
*Wielding supreme divine power, the One can transform into the Three Pure Ones.*
The couplet at the Jade Void Palace, by contrast, proclaimed that he was like Mount Kunlun, propping up half the cosmos with a heart as boundless as the sea—while endless time flowed past outside, time within the towers of the Jade Void Palace remained changeless and eternal.
Yet that vast breadth of spirit had neither sustained the Jade Void Palace nor preserved this Kunlun Realm. Everything here remained utterly shattered, with nothing left standing except the gateway.
"This was where I meditated all those years ago, forging the Jade Void Palace to place on the other shore of the Jade Pool cave-heaven."
Xu Ying laid a hand upon an upright, unbroken pillar of the palace. Suddenly, his vision blurred, and a memory surged into his heart.
His father—that young scholar who taught at the private school in Xujiaping—was touching this very pillar, saying to him, "The great achievers who dwelt here in ancient times expounded the Dao in this place. Their comprehension of the Dao was so profound that whenever they preached, the Great Dao was branded into heaven and earth. If you quiet your heart, you can sense those imprints. It sounds like they are whispering..."
Xu Ying murmured in a low voice, "It sounds like they are whispering, like the Dao is musing aloud, like heaven and earth are recounting the myriad phenomena."
What he spoke were the exact words his father had spoken back then.
"This was their dojo, their Daluo. The great achievers who lived here eventually cast this dojo aside, abandoning this Daluo," his father had said.
"Why did they abandon it?" In the memory, Xu Ying saw a much smaller version of himself tilting his head upward to ask.
His father shook his head. "I do not know. Perhaps they had no choice but to depart, or perhaps they found something better. After they left, this place fell to ruin, and the Great Dao collapsed. The sky shattered, and the earth was left riddled with devastation."
Suddenly, Xu Ying saw another self—the self of his first lifetime. It must have been after the fall of Kunlun, for this self appeared quite mature, even somewhat more mature than he was now.
Xu Ying's present body was still that of a fourteen-year-old, occasionally troubled by the vigorous sprouting of adolescent hair.
His first incarnation looked far more grown, appearing around seventeen or eighteen years of age, returning to revisit this old haunt.
*Is that me in my first lifetime?*
Xu Ying watched his past self reminiscing over bits and pieces of the bygone days, seemingly lost in memories of their father as well.
At last, his past self sat down with a serene expression, tuning his senses to the imprints of the ancient immortals and gods scattered across heaven and earth.
Xu Ying quietly stood beside his past self, and a torrent of epiphanies came flooding in.
Those were the insights gained by his first lifetime while meditating here. Relying on those very epiphanies, his first incarnation had forged the Jade Void Palace and placed it on the other shore of the Jade Pool.
More and more of his memories were returning. Ever since he had completely unraveled the five-character seal consisting of ling, quan, qiu, you, and yu, fragments of his first lifetime's memories had been unsealing from time to time.
The memories of his first incarnation were like a treasure trove, saving him an untold amount of time.
Without them, he would have had to linger here in the Jade Void Palace of the Kunlun Realm, slowly gathering the scattered imprints of ancient immortals and gods, piecing together the fractured Great Dao of heaven and earth, and painstakingly sorting through the fragments.
His first incarnation had meditated here for many years before leaving. Now that Xu Ying had recovered these memories, he could build upon that foundation, continuing his cultivation to restore and perfect the local Great Dao.
However, he had not yet fully restored the memories of that first life. Arriving here had stirred his emotions through familiar sights, prompting him to recall what he had once experienced.
Had it been anywhere else, the effect might not have been so pronounced.
His seals still retained eleven characters: 'Mandated by Heaven, Forever Suppressed in This Life, Karma Sealed,' along with eight other characters: 'Huang, Shang, Li, Ai, Bao, Nüe, Bi, Hun'—nineteen sealing characters in total.
Only by breaking all nineteen would his memories be unlocked entirely.
After a long time, Xu Ying sorted through his first incarnation's insights regarding the Jade Void Palace of the Kunlun Realm. His first self was indeed an exceptional genius; even present-day Xu Ying could only sigh in admiration at such intellect.
Self-taught, his first lifetime had laid an extraordinarily solid foundation for him.
"In the Tushita Palace of Lihen Heaven, I only managed to mend the local Great Dao because I had already unified with the Dao at the Dao Initiation Ground. Yet in my first life, without any foundation of unifying with the Dao, I still pieced together thirty to forty percent of this place's Great Dao!"
Back then, Xu Ying had forged the Jade Void Palace using merely that thirty to forty percent.
He could not help but admire his past self. With talent like that, it was no wonder others had grown so jealous that they had sealed him away when they couldn't kill him.
*I really was incredible.*
He sat down cross-legged in the very spot where his father had once sat, which was also the spot where he himself had sat in his previous life. Building upon his own foundation, he resumed his contemplation, continuing to assemble the shattered Great Dao of the Kunlun Realm and the Jade Void Palace.
From time to time, radiant glows rippled across the Kunlun Realm—flashes of Dao light released as the Great Dao was restored. Immortal qi surged quietly, condensing into clouds. Accompanied by the resonant thunder of the Great Dao, mist and dew fell like rain, moistening the once-dead soil.
Shattered immortal mountains gradually reformed, and the parched earth slowly radiated vitality. Rainwater gathered into streams, brooks, mountain springs, and even lakes.
The cracked sky, resembling shattered glazed glass, began to mend like a broken mirror made whole once more.
In the peach orchards of the Kunlun Realm, ancient, withered trees that had looked like ferocious demonic claws—dead and decayed for countless tens of thousands of years—now found spring in their dead wood, sprouting tender green shoots anew.
Beneath the ash-covered earth, buried skeletons crept and writhed, gradually growing flesh, skin, and fur.
Desiccated birds suddenly opened their eyes as blood flowed within their bodies, hearts growing anew and resuming their beat.
Fish began swimming through the waters, and along the banks, flowers gently blossomed.
This transformation unfolded slowly yet tangibly, an awe-inspiring sight.
And the architect of it all was Xu Ying.
This was not a true heaven and earth; it was the dojo of an ancient great achiever, forged entirely of the Dao. As Xu Ying repaired the shattered imprints of the world's Great Dao, the Dao recovered, and heaven and earth naturally revived with it.
The process of mending the Great Dao was, in essence, Xu Ying seeking the Dao and learning from the dojo's original creator.
Though it did not directly increase his cultivation strength, it elevated his Dao attainment and mastery.
Day after day slipped by. The heavens and earth of the Kunlun Realm grew increasingly complete, and even Qilin Cliff beneath Xu Ying gradually restored itself.
The only thing that remained unrestored was the Jade Void Palace where Xu Ying sat.
The Jade Void Palace was the linchpin of the Kunlun Realm. In ancient times, the great achiever had propagated his teachings and spread his Dao from this very spot; the palace had been his paramount achievement.
Before he realized it, several months had passed. The Kunlun Realm was filled with singing birds and fragrant blossoms, resembling a true fairyland, yet the Jade Void Palace still showed no sign of recovery.
On this day, Xu Ying finally opened his eyes, rose, and stepped out of the palace ruins.
The instant he crossed the threshold of the gateway, countless tiles and fragments from the ruins soared into the air, constantly rearranging and assembling themselves in the sky into pavilions, towers, covered bridges, and flying rainbow corridors.
Under the illumination of the newly revitalized sun, the Jade Void Palace gleamed with dazzling brilliance, looking fresh and brand new!
Xu Ying took a step forward and walked out of the Kunlun Realm. Looking back, he saw a daoist of transcendent, immortal bearing seated within the Jade Void Palace, seemingly smiling toward him.
Xu Ying froze. When he looked again, the illusory figure of the daoist was gone, as if his eyes had merely played tricks on him.
*Could that daoist have been a Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit similar to Daoist Taiqing?* he wondered.
The Great Dao of this Kunlun Realm dojo had been restored; if it possessed a Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit, it ought to have revived as well.
Still, Xu Ying could not be certain whether it was just a trick of the light.
He continued outward. Behind him, the Great Dao surged with resonant chords. Suddenly, the sky whirled and roared, the Immortal Realm split open, and another Immortal Realm cave-heaven descended from above, linking directly to his Jade Pool secret depository!
The moment this secret depository opened, boundless primordial qi surged forward, sending Xu Ying's cultivation skyrocketing stage by stage!
The second Immortal Realm cave-heaven had opened!
This cave-heaven secretly refined primordial qi immortal medicine, elevating one's cultivation of primordial qi.
With the flawed Nuo methods alone, opening the Jade Pool secret depository and cultivating it to the Ninth Heaven was enough to let one's magic power rival that of an immortal.
The orthodox method was even more potent, while the Xu family's ancestral method far surpassed the orthodox method.
Now, Xu Ying had opened an Immortal Realm cave-heaven, refining the spiritual energy of the Immortal Realm into primordial qi immortal medicine. The boost to his primordial qi vastly outstripped even the ancestral method!
Within just a few paces, he had already opened the Jade Pool Immortal Realm cave-heaven to the Fifth Heaven. The primordial qi it mobilized rivaled that of the Nuo Ancestor cave-heaven. One could only imagine how terrifying the leap in cultivation would be were he to reach the Ninth Heaven!
Xu Ying descended gently from the void, floating down atop the Jade Capital. He looked up to see the Jade Void Palace of the Kunlun Realm glowing with an alluring luster before gradually fading from sight, vanishing without a trace.
"The Jade Void Palace of the Kunlun Realm was a dojo shaped by an ancient great achiever using his own Dao, enshrining the supreme Great Dao he comprehended. What, then, could have driven them to abandon their dojo?"
Xu Ying stepped out of the Jade Capital and strolled along the Divine Bridge, unconsciously sinking into deep thought. He murmured, "Could it be the other shore?"
He instinctively recalled the ancient Buddhas plunging from the Sumeru Realm, vanishing alongside the peak of Mount Sumeru as if they too were searching for the other shore.
Could the great achiever of the Kunlun Realm's Jade Void Palace have also departed to seek the other shore, leading to the decline and ruin of his dojo?
"Yet why did that young monk shout so urgently, warning me to flee the other shore?"
As Xu Ying pondered this, the clear, lingering toll of a bell suddenly startled him awake.
"Ah Ying!"
Xu Ying hurriedly turned around. Yuan Qi and the big bell were hurtling along the Divine Bridge, the bell clanging rhythmically while the giant serpent's tail rippled like waves.
The two fellows were thrilled beyond measure. Rushing to his side, they spoke over each other—one complaining about being left behind, the other recounting everything they had done during this time, giving Xu Ying no chance to get a word in edgewise.
Xu Ying listened with a smile until he suddenly noticed the silver bracelet around Yuan Qi's tail. His expression shifted, and he asked hurriedly, "Lord Seventh, where did you get that bracelet?"
Seeing that Xu Ying had spotted the silver bracelet on the tip of his tail, Yuan Qi puffed up with pride. "Ying-zi, I used this treasure to bag things across the world, making a mess of all the Immortal Dao anomalous zones in the Ancestral Court! Even when Gou-zi caught up to me, I snatched his Heavenly Halberd too!"
"Ying-zi? Gou-zi?"
Xu Ying's eyelid twitched. He knew Ying-zi referred to himself, while Gou-zi had to be Little Celestial Venerable.
Yuan Qi continued, "Gou-zi told me that collecting immortal artifacts would enrage the immortals sleeping in the tombs and urged me to return them. He called me Uncle and addressed me as Lord Seventh, so I gave them back. Then Gou-zi said the Ancestral Court was in crisis and needed its Immortal Dao anomalous zones cleared out, so Bell-zi and I did him a favor and cleared a bunch of them."
Xu Ying warned him with earnest gravity, "Lord Seventh, fine as that silver bracelet is, it's a snare. If you take the benefits, you have to bear the karma. That treasure is the supreme relic of Tushita Palace. One of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit incarnations of the palace master is Daoist Taiqing himself. His karma could easily crush you to death."
Yuan Qi took fright, hurriedly yanking the Diamond Snare off the tip of his tail and tossing it away.
Yet with a flash of silver light, the Diamond Snare flew right back onto the tip of his tail, hugging it snugly like an oversized ring.
Yuan Qi pulled it off and hurled it away again, but the Diamond Snare flew straight back. No matter how wildly Yuan Qi whipped his tail into a blur, the snare stayed firmly locked on the tip.
Yuan Qi's face paled. He pulled the Diamond Snare off, flung it away, and let out a yelp, channeling his Yin and Yang Qi to bolt away at breakneck speed, leaving streaks of lightning and thunder in his wake!
A moment later, Yuan Qi flew back crestfallen, wearing a tearful grimace. Sure enough, the Diamond Snare was still snug on the tip of his tail.
Xu Ying consoled him, "Lord Seventh, it's fine, it's fine. Ying-zi here has some history with Daoist Taiqing. At worst, I'll plead with him, and we can definitely be rid of this Diamond Snare—Lord Bell!"
With that sudden roar, Yuan Qi swiftly pulled off the Diamond Snare and tossed it to Xu Ying. Behind Xu Ying, layers of immortal cave-heavens sprang open. Stirring his magic power to its limit, he hoisted the big bell!
The big bell unleashed everything it had. Its chime rang out with earth-shattering force, blasting the Diamond Snare straight into the Immortal Realm!
The immortal cave-heavens snapped shut with a boom.
Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the big bell burst into hearty laughter. Xu Ying raised a hand, Yuan Qi high-fived him with his tail, and the big bell bumped against his palm as well.
Just as man, snake, and bell were rejoicing, the sky tore open. The Diamond Snare actually ripped through the barrier between the Immortal Realm and the mortal world, appearing directly above the Divine Bridge of Kunlun!
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi craned their necks to look. The sky spun as the massive Diamond Snare expanded into a colossal ring large enough to lasso an entire star, exerting a crushing suction upon heaven and earth!
A terrifying, inexplicable force seized Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the big bell, hoisting them into the air and dragging them toward the center of the ring!
*Whoosh!*
The moment the giant serpent entered the snare, the massive silver ring shrank at blinding speed, cinching tightly around his neck. It then slid slowly down his body all the way to the tip of his tail before gently coming to a halt.
Only then did Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the big bell regain their mobility, tumbling from midair back onto the Divine Bridge.
Xu Ying and the big bell fell dead silent.
After a moment, Xu Ying gently advised, "Lord Seventh, this bracelet is an ancestor. You'd better just enshrine it."
The big bell chimed in with two hurried wobbles. "It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away. Lord Seventh, if you end up dying from this, you'll drag us down with you and splatter us with your blood. You'd best stop thrashing about."
Yuan Qi nodded miserably, accepting his fate.
They returned to Jade Void Peak in Kunlun. Xu Ying picked up his earlier train of thought and shared his troubles with them, asking, "Why did that young monk warn me to flee the other shore?"
Yuan Qi suddenly chimed in, "Ah Ying, since you opened an Immortal Realm cave-heaven, doesn't that mean the Immortal Realm is the other shore? Could fleeing the other shore mean fleeing the Immortal Realm?"
Chapter 397