"Benefactor Ah Ying, you are finally awake?"
Buddhist Child Jijue had finally suppressed the influence of the three characters—Malevolence, Violence, and Tyranny—over Xu Ying with his Buddhist arts. Remembering his earlier behavior, Xu Ying was thoroughly ashamed and apologized profusely to the two of them.
The pair remained exceedingly wary of him, sticking close to his side and never letting him out of their sight.
Stranded on Yingzhou with no way off the island, the three could only wait anxiously for the next other shore. Yingzhou drifted through the void; only when it drew near another shore and the geomagnetic torrent formed a bridge could they seize the chance to cross over.
Even after reaching an other shore, the only way to leave was if a Nuo Immortal or a Qi Refiner who cultivated the six secret depositories opened a cave-heaven; guided by a faint psychic resonance, they might find their own cave-heaven and take the opportunity to return. Other than that, their only hope was to wait until Yingzhou's orbit brought it back near Weixu.
Young Master Ningqing said, "Yingzhou is a piece of the Immortal Realm. It is vast, abundant, and strewn with treasures at every turn. Having entered such a place, how could we return empty-handed? I must seize every moment to cultivate and elevate my cultivation and strength!"
Xu Ying asked, "Do you not have opportunities like this in the Immortal Realm?"
Young Master Ningqing answered, "Every inch of soil in the Immortal Realm already belongs to someone. Its sacred grounds and immortal mountains are tightly held by powerful figures. Even as the son of the Taisui Department's Heavenly Venerable, I have very little territory to my name—only barely enough to sustain my cultivation up to the Heavenly Immortal realm."
Xu Ying had not realized resources in the Immortal Realm were so scarce.
Young Master Ningqing gathered as much immortal spiritual energy as he could and threw himself diligently into cultivation. Buddhist Child Jijue instructed, "Stay right here. No wandering around! Focus on refining your sword dao primordial spirit. I am going to cultivate for a while as well."
Xu Ying gave an obedient nod, staying put to temper his sword heart and refine his sword technique.
Yingzhou's immortal spiritual energy was exceptionally rich, so Buddhist Child Jijue made haste to cultivate and advance his strength. Yet every two days, the Buddhist child woke up like clockwork, slapped a few Buddhist divine abilities onto Xu Ying, and only then resumed his meditation.
Young Master Ningqing woke up periodically as well to keep an eye on Xu Ying, returning to his cultivation only after confirming nothing was amiss.
Yingzhou truly lived up to its name as a sacred ground of the Immortal Realm. Both Jijue and Ningqing made rapid progress. Ningqing, in particular, progressed by leaps and bounds after obtaining the Great Cavern Creation Returning to Origin Scripture; bolstered by Yingzhou's resources, his cultivation advanced by thousands of li a day.
Born to a Heavenly Venerable, he possessed deep ancestral knowledge. Beyond drawing in immortal spiritual energy to cultivate, he plunged deep into the earth's mantle to draw upon subterranean qi to temper his dao principles.
Buddhist Child Jijue's progress was equally swift. Only Xu Ying, despite days of single-minded focus on refining his sword dao primordial spirit, made hardly any headway—his sword heart was not yet clear and unobstructed.
Xu Ying settled his mind. Inhaling Yingzhou's immortal spiritual energy, he felt thoroughly refreshed. Unable to break through with his sword heart and form the sword dao primordial spirit, and feeling rather lonely and bored while Ningqing and Jijue were lost in cultivation, he decided to sort through all the divine abilities and dao methods he had comprehended over the years.
Ever since setting foot in the Ancestral Court, he had never had the chance to sit quietly and organize everything he had learned.
Now turned out to be an ideal opportunity.
'When the Heavenly Fiend Sovereign gave me his garments, he told me that my attainment was too profound for my cultivation realms to contain, implying that to bring my attainment to bear, I had to forge my own path. But how difficult is it to walk a path of one's own?'
Xu Ying stilled his spirit and began sorting through the Great Daos of Taiqing, Jade Void, Jade Capital, the Netherworld, and Xuanhuang. He thought silently to himself, 'Young Master Ningqing was right about one thing: to build a carriage, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Stand upon the shoulders of others; as long as you stand tall enough, you can tread them beneath your feet. The principles contained within the ancient bodhimandas of Taiqing, Jade Void, and Jade Capital are the very shoulders I can stand upon.'
As he systematically reviewed and contemplated them, he gradually uncovered the wondrous intricacies of the Daos from those ancient eras, sinking deeper into their depths and savoring the subtleties of their application.
Buddhist Child Jijue and Ningqing awoke several times to find Xu Ying sitting obediently, seemingly lost in contemplation. Rosy clouds rose steadily from his body, mist and qi billowed, and faint, marvelous Dao voices resonated around him.
Unlike the overbearing Dao voices of the Immortal Dao, these sounds brought no terrifying anomalies and were utterly incomprehensible, yet immensely serene, as though devoid of any force.
Even so, both Jijue and Ningqing could sense the frightening power latent within them.
The two exchanged a knowing glance: 'As long as Benefactor Ah Ying doesn't relapse, there is no need to disturb him.'
Every two days, Jijue woke up to refresh Xu Ying's Buddhist arts, keeping the Six-Character Seal's potency dissolved.
Days rolled by, and before they knew it, more than half a year had passed. A light suddenly appeared in the sky, faint at first, like a distant star.
A few days later, the star grew brighter and more dazzling.
After several more days, it shone like a full moon, illuminating the night sky almost as bright as day.
"What is that?"
Young Master Ningqing was the son of a Heavenly Venerable, seasoned and knowledgeable, while Buddhist Child Jijue had studied under the Buddha Ancestor and various buddhas, possessing extraordinary breadth of vision. Yet both of them stared blankly at the brilliant glow hanging in the void.
As more days passed, the light expanded further. Ningqing and Jijue felt their primordial spirits slowly growing, their soul strength continuously rising.
Ningqing gazed up at the massive cluster of light beyond the heavens and murmured, "That thing is... it's a colossal mass of imperishable spiritual light!"
Jijue was shaken to the core, staring into the void. "That is impossible..."
Even from Yingzhou, the light appeared immense; out in the void, it had to be far larger still.
"Whose imperishable true spirit could that be?" Ningqing muttered.
Every being possessed an imperishable true spirit, and the radiance it emitted was imperishable spiritual light. If that brilliance in the void originated from an imperishable true spirit, he could not fathom what kind of person could possess one of such monumental scale.
"It might not be an imperishable true spirit," Jijue offered. "I have heard that certain creatures in the universe are born naturally as imperishable spiritual light."
Ningqing jolted at the reminder and came to his senses. "The Heavenly Road connects the mortal world to the Immortal Realm. I heard the anchors along the Heavenly Road are nine creatures formed of imperishable spiritual light. When shattered, that imperishable spiritual light can even turn into stalks of extraordinary immortal medicine!"
The two looked up. Even the imperishable spirit roots along the Heavenly Road were vastly inferior to the immense light before them.
The geomagnetic primal torrent stirred by the light erupted from the earth's mantle, surging into the sky toward that brilliant expanse and forming a bridge.
"This must be the Gushing Spring Other Shore!" Young Master Ningqing murmured.
He had heard of the six secret depositories, but he had never cultivated them. Having been born in the Immortal Realm and attained immortality there, many things were foreign to him.
An other shore formed entirely of imperishable spiritual light!
It was breathtaking.
Yet, having drifted on Yingzhou and witnessed other shores formed of Xuanhuang qi and the Sea of Chaos, seeing another formed of imperishable spiritual light no longer seemed so unimaginable.
Besides, a giant Sovereign's skull was already drifting through this mysterious void—bizarre sights were hardly in short supply here.
Xu Ying remained deep in meditation, unbroken. Rather than disturbing him, Jijue supported him with his dharmic power and stepped with Ningqing into the geomagnetic torrent, making their way toward the other shore.
As splendid as Yingzhou was, they could not remain there forever; they had to find a way out.
Upon reaching the Gushing Spring Other Shore, however, they found Netherworld immortal fire burning everywhere. Long ago, the immortal fire here had been ignited by Xu Ying using a clear-oil lamp borrowed from the Northern Emperor. Within the fire stood the Twelve-Storyed Mansions he had forged, housing the immortal furnace he had crafted to refine imperishable spiritual light into soul immortal medicine, augmenting a Qi Refiner's soul strength.
Unable to find a way to leave, and seeing the geomagnetic torrent on the verge of collapsing, Jijue and Ningqing had no choice but to carry Xu Ying back to Yingzhou.
Another stretch of relentless cultivation followed. Months slipped away, and they came upon the Jade Pool Other Shore.
There lay an ancient clump of primal worldly qi, forming a glazed, crystalline pocket of heaven and earth where someone had carved out an other shore, allowing a foothold.
Jijue and Ningqing rushed over with the meditating Xu Ying. That other shore was also ablaze with immortal fire, in the center of which stood a Jade Void Palace.
Still finding no way out, they could only turn back once more.
A few more months passed. Stubble had overrun Ningqing's chin, and his temper grew increasingly foul, cursing heaven and earth until Jijue began wondering if he had caught the lingering curse of Xu Ying's seals.
Day after day went by. Xu Ying had yet to wake, but the Jade Capital Other Shore soon drifted into the skies above Yingzhou.
They rushed over to the Jade Capital Other Shore, only to meet with disappointment yet again. There was still no sign of a path or method to escape.
"Must we really wait until Yingzhou forms a geomagnetic passage with Weixu?" Ningqing cursed under his breath. "Who the hell knows how many donkey's years that will take?"
More critically, the passage between Weixu and Yingzhou had only appeared for the first time; whether Yingzhou would ever drift back to that exact position remained completely unknown.
What if, in the end, Yingzhou never crossed paths with Weixu again?
"I am supposed to inherit my father's legacy, become the Taisui Heavenly Venerable, and rise to become a Supreme!" Ningqing roared furiously. "I refuse to be trapped here forever with a bald donkey and a mad bastard!"
Jijue said, "Benefactor Ningqing, do not give in to wrath. Even our Buddha has wrathful forms."
"You want to beat me?" Ningqing sneered.
Jijue shook his head. "This humble monk was trapped in a dark space-time for two long years without giving way to the slightest anger. If Benefactor continues this ceaseless chatter, do not blame this humble monk for resorting to force!"
Daggers were drawn between the two when, suddenly, Xu Ying's eyes snapped open. He leaped up, roaring with laughter. "I understand! I finally understand!"
Ningqing and Jijue spun around to look at him, their hearts skipping a beat. Ningqing hastily summoned the Returning Dao Jade Platter to shield himself, whispering, "Monk, did you apply your Buddhist arts to him? He looks unhinged, like he's about to relapse!"
Jijue said, "I would never forget."
Overjoyed, Xu Ying threw his head back and laughed, his voice exploding across the surroundings. "After contemplating Taiqing, Jade Void, Jade Capital, the Netherworld, and Xuanhuang all these days, I finally grasped how my first life refined the qi of chaos to forge the Chaos Mud Pill Palace!"
Jijue tilted his head. "Will comprehending that Mud Pill Palace let us leave this place?"
Ningqing shook his head. "No idea."
After cheering for a moment, Xu Ying entered meditation once more, this time engaging in the visualization of the Sea of Chaos.
In his first life, it was by refining the power of the first five other shores into immortal medicine that he had discovered the secret to refining chaos qi into medicine. Now, by contemplating the five distinct Great Daos of Taiqing, Jade Void, and the rest, Xu Ying had finally grasped that principle as well.
Moreover, the worldly Great Daos he had obtained from the bodhimandas of Taiqing and Jade Void were far more complete than those held by his first life. Thus, visualizing the Sea of Chaos, he sought to open his sixth Immortal Realm cave-heaven!
At long last, Yingzhou drifted near the Crimson Palace Other Shore.
Ningqing had once been an elegant young master of refined bearing, but now he was scruffy and unkempt. He used the Returning Dao Jade Platter as an ordinary tray—fetching water from mountain brooks or carrying immortal fruit on it, and hoisting it casually back above his head after eating without even wiping it clean.
Jijue exercised more restraint, though he occasionally set off to hunt down any stray immortal corpses. When he found one, he was reluctant to deliver them right away; he had to lecture them thoroughly on the Buddhist Dharma before sending them on their way.
Young Master Ningqing looked at Xu Ying and said to Jijue, "Since he came here in the past, he must know how to leave. I hear that if you hit someone with amnesia hard enough on the head, they might remember their past."
Jijue blinked, sorely tempted.
Just as the two were about to strike, a mass of chaos qi billowed out behind Xu Ying, swirling and slowly forming a sixth cave-heaven!
Xu Ying slowly opened his eyes. A misty turbulence of chaos qi seemed to flicker within them before quietly fading away.
"Now that my cultivation has advanced, I can finally employ my primordial spirit. Fellow Daoist Jijue, you may undo the Buddhist arts upon me," Xu Ying said with a faint smile. "We feel quite well—more than enough to handle the Imperial Monarch's Six-Character Seal Curse."
Hearing that, Jijue promptly slapped several more Buddhist seals onto him to ease his own mind.
Xu Ying instantly regained his full clarity, thanking Jijue. "With the sixth cave-heaven opened, a smooth path lies before me; there are no longer any obstacles to my primordial spirit realm."
Jijue inquired, "Do you have a way to leave Yingzhou?"
Xu Ying smiled. "Of course. I have a good friend named Shen Luo, Emperor Wu of the Martial Dao. He entered the Dao through martial arts and stands at the apex of the mortal realm. He opened the Other Shore of the Martial Dao, which must surely lie within this void. We need only find the Other Shore of the Martial Dao, and we can leave!"
Ningqing and Jijue were overjoyed.
Over the following days, everyone kept watch. The Crimson Palace drew nearer and nearer, yet no new other shore appeared.
After drifting past the Crimson Palace, another seven or eight months went by, still with no sign of the Other Shore of the Martial Dao.
Xu Ying grew increasingly restless; even several Buddhist divine abilities cast by Jijue failed to steady his nerves.
Suddenly, they spotted a light in the void, blazing brighter than fire, drifting leisurely past Yingzhou.
Xu Ying froze, staring blankly as the radiance receded. Within the light lay a mysterious domain, indistinct from afar.
"A seventh other shore... no, an eighth other shore! It is just an other shore that has yet to be opened!"
A few days later, Xu Ying stood bewildered in the wind. He saw a ninth other shore—a meandering, boundless river drifting through this mysterious void!
The boundless river offered nowhere to set foot; it, too, was an unexcavated other shore!
"How could this be?" Xu Ying murmured.
Just then, a fractured radiance met his eyes.
Xu Ying stared fixedly at the shattered light drifting through the void, muttering, "The Divine Bridge... it's the Divine Bridge!
"The Divine Bridge atop Mount Kunlun was broken right here!"
Chapter 438