The jade statue was an avatar of the Heavenly Venerable, harboring a wisp of his divided soul. At this moment, that divided soul was also burning within the inexorable karmic fire. The flames contorted the Heavenly Venerable's soul into a hideous grimace, yet not a single scream escaped him!
Worse still, he had been struck by Xu Ying's Zhuxian sword qi!
The sword qi surged through his divided soul, threatening to obliterate it at any second!
The contorted soul of the Heavenly Venerable glared at Xu Ying and spoke abruptly: "I know who you are. The rebel, Xu Ying. Did you think storming into the Heavenly Dao world was child's play? Doing this will only infuriate me. You already have the Imperial Monarch as an enemy—do not make an enemy of another person you cannot afford to provoke!"
Xu Ying gave a gentle flick of his hand. The Zhuxian sword intent erupted, tearing him to pieces.
Jijue frowned slightly. That divided soul was merely a wisp of the Heavenly Venerable's soul, yet it was already this terrifyingly powerful. If his true body were to descend, a mere wisp of his aura would probably crush the two of them to death!
"Benefactor Ah Ying, this place is not safe. We must leave as soon as possible," he said nervously.
"Wait a moment longer."
Xu Ying turned back toward the temple and set up the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron. As this Heavenly Dao supreme treasure rose into the air, countless brilliant Heavenly Dao runes of all sizes manifested across the celestial canopy of the Heavenly Dao world, swirling endlessly through the sky.
Hum—
Beams of Heavenly Dao radiance shot forth, fastening onto the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron. The great cauldron's might steadily surged, growing stronger by the moment.
Divine Heavenly Dao light beamed from Xu Ying's eyes as well as he stared at the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, imprinting the Heavenly Dao upon it.
In the sky above his head, the power of the Heavenly Dao surged and swirled, forming a colossal Heavenly Dao incarnation. It towered between heaven and earth, as tall as the Heavenly Dao world itself. Blazing divine light shone from its eyes as it formed various Heavenly Dao seals in unison with him, stamping them onto the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron!
This was a Heavenly Dao incarnation condensed from the power of the Heavenly Dao world, possessing strength far beyond what could be formed in the Penglai Immortal Realm. In this moment, Xu Ying even felt as though he had become the God King of all the heavens and myriad worlds.
It felt as if he wielded endless tribulation power, capable of visiting calamity upon any world, upon any life!
He could even strip away the life of any being, or even the lives of an entire world!
This vast and terrifying tribulation power was refined into the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron by Xu Ying and his Heavenly Dao incarnation!
When the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron's power reached its peak, Xu Ying finally grasped the operational rules of the Heavenly Dao world and directly altered the rules set down by the Heavenly Venerable.
Buddhist Child Jijue was on edge, constantly watching the sky. Above the divine temple, the canopy reflected the scene of the Thunder and Fire Ministry of Works in the Immortal Realm. Though calm on the surface, clouds and mist were quietly shifting within.
"Benefactor Ah Ying, hurry, we have to go!" he urged loudly.
Xu Ying formed even more Heavenly Dao seals with both hands, refining the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron until it became completely attuned to the imprinted rules of the Heavenly Dao world.
Suddenly, Jijue saw figures flying into the Thunder and Fire Ministry of Works, leaving streaks of immortal light across the skies of the Immortal Realm. He yelled in alarm, "If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"
Within the Thunder and Fire Ministry of Works, banners rose one after another, fluttering in the wind.
Throwing caution to the winds, Jijue grabbed Xu Ying's hand and sprinted toward the Tongtian River.
Xu Ying maintained the Heavenly Dao incarnation, which continued stamping various palm seals onto the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron. The great cauldron flew toward Xu Ying, faintly feeling as though it were merging into one with the Heavenly Dao world.
Yet in the next moment, that immensely powerful Heavenly Dao incarnation was abruptly shattered to pieces, collapsing under a surge of immortal power.
Xu Ying let out a quiet sigh, recalled the Water-Fire Huntian Cauldron, and leapt alongside Jijue into the Tongtian River, plunging downstream toward the lower realm.
After their departure, the sky of the Heavenly Dao world blasted open with a deafening boom. Countless beams of immortal light whistled as they rained down from the heavens. Tens of thousands of immortals and gods descended into the Heavenly Dao world in an instant, in orderly ranks and with staggering grandeur!
Next, heavy treasures of the immortal dao emerged from another space-time one after another, floating in the sky like floating continents, shaking the wind and clouds.
It was these very immortal dao heavy treasures that had just blasted Xu Ying's seemingly formidable Heavenly Dao incarnation to pieces. An incarnation forged from the Heavenly Dao power of the entire Heavenly Dao world was utterly fragile before the heavy treasures of the Thunder Department's one palace, two courts, and three offices!
Though the Thunder Capital Office and the Wanshen Thunder Department had originally been wiped out, the Immortal Realm was brimming with talent, and both offices had already been replenished.
The immortals of the one palace, two courts, and three offices wore solemn expressions, not uttering a word.
"Has the Heavenly Venerable not yet arrived?" asked the Lord of Shenxiao Yuqing Palace.
The Immortal Kings and Immortal Monarchs of the Five Thunders Court, the Exorcism Court, the Thunder Capital Office, the Thunder Department Office, and the Wanshen Thunder Department shook their heads one after another.
"For such a trivial matter, the Heavenly Venerable tasked our one palace, two courts, and three offices to handle it. Why would he need to descend in person?"
The Five Thunders Court possessed five great Thunder Kings, all of whom were Immortal Kings commanding heavy immortal treasures. As their gazes swept the surroundings, they could not help but frown. The heavenly gods had been wiped out completely, leaving behind only primeval and ancient behemoths. "The Heavenly Dao here has been tampered with!"
Thunder King Shenhua frowned and said, "This Heavenly Dao is different from the Heavenly Dao passed down by the Heavenly Venerable. That thief Xu Ying had the audacity to alter the Heavenly Dao! What insolence!"
Thunder King Shenwei soared into the air, reaching toward the sky of the Heavenly Dao world with a shout: "Then we shall simply change his Heavenly Dao runes back!"
As he struck, myriad Heavenly Dao runes instantly appeared in the sky, dazzling and radiant, reflecting flying rainbows across the heavens.
The immortals from the various palaces, courts, and offices looked up, expressions of astonishment spreading across their faces.
Though the Heavenly Dao runes Xu Ying had laid down were tugged by Thunder King Shenwei, they could not be pulled down. Although Shenwei was an Immortal King, his cultivation and prowess were on par with an Immortal Monarch.
His pull was strong enough to shake the entire Heavenly Dao world!
"Five Thunders Court, all thunder generals, thunder commanders, central directors, and division chiefs, hear my command: raise the Five Thunders Banners!"
At Thunder King Shenwei's order, nearly ten thousand immortals under the command of the thunder generals and commanders of the Five Thunders Court mobilized their magic power and activated their Primordial Spirits to summon the heavy treasures of the Five Thunders.
Those Five Thunders heavy treasures were five great banners. When unfurled, the Dao scripts of immortal divine thunder were inscribed upon their surfaces, representing the five thunder arts: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
The five Thunder Kings of the Five Thunders Court waved their respective banners. Instantly, the runes Xu Ying had imprinted into the Heavenly Dao world shattered one by one, and before long more than half were destroyed.
Once Xu Ying's imprints were completely obliterated, the five Thunder Kings drew back their Five Thunders Banners and looked up.
Yet they watched as the power of the Heavenly Dao converged in the sky, re-forming Xu Ying's Heavenly Dao imprints without the slightest change.
The five Thunder Kings and the immortals of the Exorcism Court and the three offices were all startled, thinking to themselves how bizarre it was.
The Lord of Yuqing Palace said, "Originally, the Heavenly Dao world had a Heavenly Dao supreme treasure here suppressing its fortune. Now that the supreme treasure, the jade ruyi, has been destroyed, that scoundrel Xu Ying must have pulled a sleight of hand to replace it with another artifact. That artifact must also be a Heavenly Dao supreme treasure."
At these words, an uproar erupted among the crowd.
The Heavenly Dao was held in the hands of the Thunder Department. Back then, the Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department had emerged in response to destiny, taking command of the Heavenly Dao as a natural-born divine being. Seeing that the Heavenly Dao was controlled by primordial gods, and mourning the misfortunes of all living beings and the hardships of mortal life, he personally penned three thousand Heavenly Dao runes, forged Heavenly Dao divine artifacts, supported various God Kings, selected heavenly gods, and rebuilt the Heavenly Dao world.
Only after the Heavenly Dao world was established did the people of the heavens and myriad worlds realize that the Heavenly Venerable was the true orthodox master of the Heavenly Dao.
The mortals of the lower realms then mined Kunlun jade, crafted a jade ruyi, and presented it to the Heavenly Venerable. The Heavenly Venerable then refined this jade ruyi into a Heavenly Dao supreme treasure to anchor the fortune of the Heavenly Dao world.
This story was widely circulated throughout the Immortal Realm!
And now, the Heavenly Venerable's supreme treasure had actually been replaced, and control over the Heavenly Dao world had been stolen away!
The Immortal Kings of the Exorcism Court shouted in fury, crying out, "Change these Heavenly Dao runes back!"
Yet the Lord of Yuqing Palace wore a grave expression. Summoning the heads of the other courts and offices, he said, "That scoundrel Xu Ying is exceptionally cunning; he fled to the lower realm with that Heavenly Dao supreme treasure. Unless we destroy that treasure, we cannot alter his Heavenly Dao rune imprints. His Heavenly Dao runes are indeed more complete than the Heavenly Venerable's."
The leaders of the courts and offices were shocked upon hearing this. Thunder King Shenhua whispered, "Choose your words carefully, My Lord."
The Lord of Yuqing Palace replied, "No matter. As things stand, we have only three options. First, dispatch experts to the lower realms to track down Xu Ying, kill him, and seize the Heavenly Dao supreme treasure—and if they cannot kill him, at least destroy that treasure! Second, assign sharp minds to transcribe the rune imprints in the Heavenly Dao world and study them. Once we understand them completely, we can devise a way to break his imprints. Third, completely destroy the Heavenly Dao world and forge a new one."
The heads of the courts and offices pondered this and chimed in, "The third option is inappropriate. Re-forging the Heavenly Dao world would cause too great a disturbance, not to mention that who knows how many ages it would take to finish."
"The first two approaches can be carried out simultaneously."
The Lord of Yuqing Palace nodded slightly and said, "There is one more matter: the heavenly gods and God Kings who perished at Xu Ying's hands. We must select a new batch of heavenly gods and God Kings. I leave this task to Immortal King Lu of the Thunder Department Office."
Immortal King Lu bowed in assent, took his orders, and descended to the lower realm, flying toward Weixu.
Half a month later, he arrived in Weixu and met with Wujue and the Ninth Immortal King. The two Immortal Kings received him warmly, asking, "Brother Lu, what brings you here with time to spare?"
Immortal King Lu replied, "The villain Xu Ying slaughtered his way into the Heavenly Dao world and butchered the heavenly gods. The higher-ups have instructed me to select a new cohort of heavenly gods and God Kings."
The two Immortal Kings were astonished. "Even the four God Kings were killed by him?"
Immortal King Lu said, "Indeed they were. If the Heavenly Dao world lacks God Kings and heavenly gods, the world is bound to descend into chaos. Gentlemen, forgive me, but I cannot stay long."
The two Immortal Kings dared not delay him, sending him on his way toward the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain with deep shock and suspicion.
Within that Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain, there were many unintelligent heavenly fiends—roaming masses of black mist that pounced upon any living being they encountered, seeking to possess and seize their bodies.
Immortal King Lu was, after all, the head of the Thunder Department Office and possessed extraordinary ability. He swiftly gathered several hundred heavenly fiends before returning to the Heavenly Dao world.
Upon reaching the Heavenly Dao world, soldiers of the Thunder Department Office had already captured primeval behemoths and were branding Heavenly Dao runes onto the beasts' bodies.
Immortal King Lu sent the heavenly fiends into those primeval behemoths one by one. The behemoths contorted and roared in agony, soon taking human-like forms and transforming into towering, imposing heavenly gods!
Four of the primeval behemoths received special favor, bearing the greatest number of Heavenly Dao runes branded into their flesh, and transformed into the four new God Kings.
Originally primitive beasts possessing little intellect, they were now branded with the Heavenly Dao and possessed heavenly fiends as their Primordial Spirits. Operating strictly according to the rules of the Heavenly Dao, they were formidable in power.
Within the Heavenly Dao world, the immortals sat cross-legged, transcribing the Heavenly Dao runes in the sky and painstakingly studying their intricacies, deducing the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao.
Meanwhile, the Lord of Yuqing Palace gathered unaffiliated immortals from the Immortal Realm to descend to the lower realm and hunt down Xu Ying.
Anyone who earned the merit of slaying Xu Ying would gain entry into the Thunder Department, securing a meteoric rise to prominence.
"My Lord, why give this chance for merit to unaffiliated immortals?"
Thunder King Shenhua asked in confusion. "Our Thunder Department is filled with experts. Are we lacking capable hands to capture Xu Ying and bring him to justice?"
The Lord of Yuqing Palace said, "Right now, countless eyes are fixed on our Thunder Department. The destruction of the Thunder Capital Office and the Wanshen Thunder Department has already sparked considerable controversy. The Thunder Department cannot afford another blunder. If we err again, the Heavenly Venerable's prestige will be completely ruined. Therefore, sending unaffiliated immortals from the Immortal Realm to hunt Xu Ying is the best course of action. Besides, these wanderers have never been able to squeeze into the imperial court; to secure an official post and royal stipend, they will surely risk their very lives!"
Thunder King Shenhua said, "Without talismans from the Immortal Realm, they can only descend by severing their cultivation realms. I have heard that Xu Ying's strength rivals what he once possessed in his prime. If these unaffiliated immortals chop their cultivation back down to the Ascension stage, which of them could possibly be a match for him?"
The Lord of Yuqing Palace smiled. "You need not worry about that. These wanderers have plenty of tricks up their sleeves; they will certainly find ways to smuggle themselves down. The only problem right now is that Xu Ying holds the Heavenly Dao supreme treasure, blinding heavenly sight and deafening heavenly hearing, preventing the immortals of the Immortal Realm from interfering with the tribulations."
A look of worry crossed his face as he added, "I fear the Heavenly Venerable's bid to win over a faction of immortals through these ascensions will run into trouble. And that is a loss of face he can ill afford."
This time, the Heavenly Venerable had issued an edict offering more than two thousand ascension spots all at once, not only to court these Qi Refiners on the verge of ascending, but also to win favor with the immortals backing them.
If the descendants and disciples of those immortals were struck dead by lightning, instead of courting those factions, they would undoubtedly end up creating hosts of enemies.
This was what gave the Lord of Yuqing Palace the biggest headache. Yet he could not simply warn those immortals against having their descendants and disciples undergo tribulations—doing so would constitute an earth-shattering scandal, utterly humiliating the Heavenly Venerable!
"The Three Realms tide is drawing near, and the Immortal Realm is currently in troubled times. Countless eyes are watching the Heavenly Venerable. A single misstep could mean eternal damnation."
The Lord of Yuqing Palace murmured, "When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain unbroken?"
At this time, both the Immortal Realm and the heavens and myriad worlds were plunged into total turmoil.
The Heavenly Venerable had sent imperial edicts to every world, granting quotas for ascension—more for large worlds, fewer for small worlds, and none at all for some. Yet this was an unprecedented grand affair, and countless individuals were eager to test their mettle, preparing to brave their tribulations. However, those capable of surviving tribulations were few after all. Those without backing who dreamed of ascending were merely daydreaming, often dying beneath the heavenly tribulations. Only those with immortal ancestors who intervened on their behalf could ride the rosy ascension clouds into the Immortal Realm to become immortals.
Yet suddenly, it no longer worked.
Xu Ying had charged into the Heavenly Dao world, reorganized the Heavenly Dao, and altered its rules. Those Qi Refiners who had stepped forward full of ambition received no protection whatsoever from their ancestral immortals, and were blasted into oblivion by heavenly lightning.
In an instant, casualties mounted beyond count across the heavens and myriad worlds, and those struck dead were leaders of prominent sects and renowned clans.
The Immortal Realm was likewise thrown into an uproar. For immortals to assist their descendants or disciples in passing tribulations had long been standard practice.
Whenever an immortal died in the Immortal Realm, leaving a vacancy, they would promote one of their own from below to fill the slot. It was an unspoken convention.
Now, however, the immortals discovered that the conduit of incense had been severed. They could no longer intervene in the lower realms through the Heavenly Dao world. To ascend, one could rely only on genuine capability to survive the tribulation. Bitter complaints spread among these immortals. Those whose descendants or disciples had been struck dead by tribulation lightning grumbled all the more that the Heavenly Venerable was far too cold and merciless.
At this time, the Imperial Monarch was invited by the Primordial Monarch for tea. The Primordial Monarch smiled and said, "You spent tens of thousands of years operating in the Heavenly Dao world, finally replacing the Thunder and Fire Ministry of Works with your own people so as to control the Heavenly Dao world through them. But you never expected this, did you? With a single command from the Heavenly Venerable, the Heavenly Dao world you had in hand had to be handed back over."
The Imperial Monarch sipped his tea and remarked calmly, "Many descendants of renowned immortals have already died in the lower realm over this matter of ascension quotas. The Heavenly Venerable is by no means such an upright and selfless person. In my view, something momentous must have occurred in the Heavenly Dao world. The one who has lost control of the Heavenly Dao world is not me, but the Heavenly Venerable himself."
Chapter 442