Stepping through the incense portal, Xu Ying immediately felt divine power surging between heaven and earth like a boundless ocean—vigorous and dynamic, radiant and life-giving, lush and flourishing.
Within that divine power were all phenomena of the Heavenly Dao and the bounds of the Earthly Dao; everything from the grand Dao governing the courses of celestial bodies to the subtle Dao of the birth and transformation of living things was encompassed within.
Its divine consciousness was ancient and profound, like the inception of heaven and earth's primordial qi, when the stars first stirred and were born from qi; like the dawn of living creatures, when awareness first sprouted, bringing order out of chaotic disorder.
Such divine dao, divine power, and divine consciousness left Xu Ying in marvel, convinced that the wonders of the Heavenly Dao could be no greater than this.
This Heavenly Dao surpassed anything he had previously comprehended. Xu Ying had once believed he had fathomed every mystery of the Heavenly Dao; now it seemed that his mastery of the three thousand Heavenly Dao runes was merely scratching the surface.
Xu Ying looked up to see a dazzling galaxy spanning the sky. The movements of the sun, moon, and stars were close at hand, and he could even make out vortex-like galactic nebulae hanging suspended in the air not far off.
He could see the worlds within those galaxies and nebulae—the myriad worlds of the heavens, each possessing its own unique form!
He tilted his head and searched among them. After a moment, he finally spotted Yuanshou and recognized Shenzhou, unable to conceal the excitement in his heart.
Seen from a distance, the Yuanshou world resembled an enormous begonia leaf.
The other worlds each had their own shapes: some looked like round flatbreads; some resembled a phoenix from afar; some were shaped like a black tortoise; and others were elongated like huge fish.
Yet the myriad worlds of the heavens occupied only a single corner of the sky. In fact, it could be said to be an exceedingly small corner!
Looking toward the other regions, Xu Ying saw vast swathes of oceans, along with entirely unfamiliar areas he had never seen before!
"The cosmic void holds more than just the myriad worlds?" At that moment, he noticed an empty, blank expanse that was exceptionally conspicuous.
As Xu Ying marveled in astonishment, a voice suddenly piped up: "Fellow Daoist Xu, Senior Martial Brother Tianpeng, you two are so tall, and you're craning your necks to look at the sky! How am I supposed to talk to you?"
Hearing the voice, Xu Ying quickly looked down. At some point, the squat, stubby Earth God of the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court had arrived at their feet.
Xu Ying was an eight-foot youth, and Imperial Monarch Cangtian was built even taller and broader than him, yet the Earth God was a mere foot or two in height—truly pocket-sized.
Seeing Xu Ying, the Earth God was delighted and beamed. "Young Master Xu really came! You truly are a man of your word."
Xu Ying felt a prick of guilt and thought to himself, 'Daoist Yuan and his martial uncle from the Shangqing Ancestral Court cordially invited me as a guest, yet I haven't gone even now. Instead, I ran off to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court first. By now, Daoist Yuan and his martial uncle must still be waiting wistfully for me at the Taiqing Ancestral Court, right?'
In Tushita Palace of Lihen Heaven, Daoist Yuan's youthful martial uncle paced back and forth beside him before abruptly stopping. "I heard news that Xu Ying has arrived at the Ancestral Court!"
Daoist Yuan remained seated in meditation, replying with placid composure, "Martial Uncle, calm yourself. Young Master Xu is a man of his word. If he said he would come, he will definitely come."
The young martial uncle asked, "Are you sure he's a man of his word?"
Daoist Yuan hesitated, suddenly not so certain.
More than three years had passed since he parted ways with Xu Ying. Xu Ying had said he needed to deal with the Immortal Realm cave-heavens, and once he refined them, he would meet them at the Taiqing Ancestral Court and head together to the Shangqing Ancestral Court.
Yet after waiting bitterly here for three years, they finally heard news of Xu Ying, only for him to fail to show up no matter how long they waited.
"Little Martial Uncle, calm yourself..."
Daoist Yuan was about to say more, but the young martial uncle cut in, "I just feel Daoist Taiqing is getting sick of us. We've been freeloading food and drink here this whole time."
Daoist Yuan had also noticed long ago that Daoist Taiqing was fed up with them; he had simply been feigning ignorance.
"Little Martial Uncle, we've bluffed our way through three years; a little longer won't hurt," Daoist Yuan said.
"Do you think Xu Ying might have gone to another ancestral court?"
"Surely not? Young Master Xu is a man of his word!"
...
The Earth God summoned a large drum and hopped onto it. Floating along, the drum carried him ahead to lead the way for Xu Ying and Cangtian. He smiled and said, "Young Master Xu, Senior Martial Brother Tianpeng, you might not know this, but things have been quite lively these past few days. Besides the two of you, several ancient gods have come to pay their respects to the Ancestral God."
Xu Ying looked around. Beneath the canopy of the sky, towering stone statues stood erect across the vast plains, radiating incredibly dense incense smoke qi.
Those had to be exceptionally ancient deities of boundless might, though for unknown reasons, they had fallen into deep slumber.
Faint murmurs drifted between heaven and earth like the solemn, majestic whispering of myriad gods.
Imperial Monarch Cangtian's heart stirred, and he inquired, "Could other Dao brothers have awakened as well?"
"Indeed they have!" the Earth God laughed. "Young Master Xu resurrected several Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits, and knowing that a single tree cannot make a forest, they came to the Ancestral Court to pay respects to the Ancestral God. The Ten Yamas of the ancient Netherworld came as well, departing just the day before yesterday. Aside from them, several new gods—Dongyue and Cangwu—also came to seek guidance from the Ancestral God, talking about reclaiming the Netherworld and such."
Xu Ying blinked. Dongyue and Cangwu were among the Netherworld's Four Big Giants, with origins steeped in antiquity, yet the Earth God referred to them as new gods.
Seeing his confusion, the Earth God explained, "The myriad worlds of the heavens are fragments of the Earth Immortal Realm. Originally, there was no Netherworld. Later, mortals and cultivators migrated there, and immortals, gods, and mortals were separated; only then did a Netherworld come to exist. Thus, the deities from that place are all called new gods."
Realization dawned on Xu Ying. "So that's how it is."
The deeper they ventured into the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, the taller the stone statues became and the more astounding their divine power grew. Xu Ying even saw statues enveloped by ribbons of incense smoke qi that ceaselessly wound around them. Floating within those smoky ribbons were flickering Heavenly Dao runes!
'A complete set of three thousand Heavenly Dao runes!'
Xu Ying felt a jolt of astonishment and looked at the statue with a tinge of reverence. He too was proficient in the three thousand Heavenly Dao runes and was a master among masters; his research into the wonderful applications of the Heavenly Dao surpassed even many God Kings!
Yet seeing this divine statue, he knew the other's attainment was far higher than his own, and their Heavenly Dao was vastly more complete!
In particular, its divine power was as vast as a great river. Hundreds of millions of living beings must have offered sacrifices for untold ages for someone to cultivate to such heights!
With divine power so massive, a single thought would suffice to sway the weather patterns across the myriad worlds of the heavens!
"This god is the Heaven of the old world."
Attentive to Xu Ying's every reaction, the Earth God discerned his thoughts. Floating ahead, he looked back and smiled. "When you came here last time, Young Master Xu, you stared at Him endlessly, and even studied at His side for a very long time."
Xu Ying's eyes went wide, and he blurted out, "I've been here before?"
The Earth God laughed. "Of course you've been here! Do you have any idea how brazenly resourceful you were? You barged into the Ancestral Court and turned the entire place upside down! What immortal tomb didn't you burrow into? Not a single corner could keep you out! You sneaked into the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court to see the Ancestral God, and you learned the twelve proofs of the Primordial Spirit."
He leapt abruptly onto Xu Ying's shoulder, cocked his head to scrutinize Xu Ying's throat, and shook his head. "Not authentic. Still not quite authentic. You need to see the Ancestral God again!"
He hopped back onto his drum and said, "Last time Young Master Xu came, you also stood before that stone statue for a very long time."
He moved before another imposing stone statue. Xu Ying walked over and saw that the statue had a dignified, handsome countenance, resembling both god and mortal, with an expression of compassion. The stone figure had its arms outstretched as if sacrificing itself to pray for the Ancestral God.
However, this stone statue lacked any incense smoke qi, nor did it bear any Heavenly Dao runes; it appeared dead.
'Why would I stand before a dead statue?'
Xu Ying wondered in perplexity. Suddenly, his mind grew hazy, and he saw another version of himself standing before this lifeless stone statue, murmuring two words.
Hearing those two words, Xu Ying could not help but repeat them aloud, whispering, "Heavenly Venerable."
"What?" Puzzled, both the Ancestral Court's Earth God and Imperial Monarch Cangtian turned back to look at him.
Snapping out of the trance, Xu Ying smiled. "I suddenly remembered standing here back then and saying something, so I blurted it out. At that time, I said..."
His expression abruptly changed. A sudden thought leaped into his mind, giving the other six Xu Yings a collective fright.
Seven distinct voices burst from Xu Ying's mouth all at once—some vicious, some ferocious, some cynical, some stammering, all jumbled together!
"That dog!"
"What a real dog!"
"What a venomous cur!"
"You sure play dirty, Heavenly Venerable!"
...
The Ancestral Court's Earth God stared at him blankly. Different voices spilled from Xu Ying's lips, and his facial expression shifted with each one: now ferocious, now savage, now manic, now timid.
The Earth God glanced at Imperial Monarch Cangtian. Cangtian, thoroughly accustomed to it, said, "He has these episodes from time to time, but rest assured, he seems to have found a method of balance and will recover shortly."
Sure enough, Xu Ying quickly returned to normal. Looking at the two of them, he appeared refined and polite, completely devoid of his previous madness.
"I suddenly recalled something and lost my composure for a moment," Xu Ying apologized.
The Ancestral Court's Earth God stammered, "You didn't just remember something... you're sick in the head..."
Imperial Monarch Cangtian tugged discreetly at the deity's sleeve. Coming to his senses, the Earth God promptly shut his mouth regarding the illness. Cangtian sent a voice transmission: "I also saw that he is ill, which is why I brought him to see the Ancestral God. Don't point it out, lest you frighten him away."
Gazing at the stone statue, Xu Ying smiled. "Just now, I suddenly recalled the words 'Heavenly Venerable,' and seeing this dead ancient god, everything clicked into place. So it turns out the Heavenly Venerable who governs the Thunder Department in the Immortal Realm actually originated from the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court."
The Ancestral Court's Earth God and Imperial Monarch Cangtian were stunned.
An excited light gleamed in Xu Ying's eyes. "No wonder he could construct the Heavenly Dao world, and slay the deities of the Netherworld and Kunlun to replace them. No wonder he could forge Heavenly Dao divine artifacts and supreme treasures. For an ancient god hailing from the Ancestral Court, possessing such abilities is hardly surprising."
The Earth God hastily said, "This is a different ancient god, who was also a Qi Refiner practicing both the immortal and divine paths, named Yuan Daohai, later known as Master Daohai. After the Ancestral God was ambushed, he came here as well, using his own divine power to extend the Ancestral God's life and pray for his blessing. Look—all these many ancient gods in the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court turned to stone, each using their own divine power to keep the Ancestral God alive. They have sat withered upon this barren plain for over six hundred thousand years."
Xu Ying's gaze flickered. "Yet Yuan Daohai's stone statue is empty, without a shred of divine power."
The Earth God sighed. "Though Master Daohai possessed vast divine abilities, he was not a true ancient god after all. He exhausted his divine power, which is why he died here."
Standing before Yuan Daohai's stone statue, Xu Ying asked abruptly, "How was Master Daohai's attainment in the Heavenly Dao?"
"Slightly inferior to the Heaven of the old world."
Fearing he might not understand, the Earth God quickly added, "Heaven is a god visualized in the image of the Ancestral God, making him one of the oldest deities. Heaven's Heavenly Dao is the purest Heavenly Dao. Although Master Daohai stands alongside him, he was only placed here because he gave up his life to save the Ancestral God."
Xu Ying nodded gently. "And then this Master Daohai shed his cicada shell, escaped to the Immortal Realm, and became the Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department. No, he must have gone to the Immortal Realm first, and only when constructing the Heavenly Dao world did he ascend to the seat of the Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department by virtue of his comprehension of the Heavenly Dao."
The Earth God laughed out of sheer fury. Kicking out forcefully with his small foot, he sent the large drum flipping over. His face darkened with murderous menace, and he sneered, "Xu Ying, I've put up with you for far too long! Last time you were completely lawless, running wild in the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court! If the Ancestral God hadn't favored you, I would have taught you a lesson back then! Now you dare defame Master Daohai, who sacrificed himself for the Ancestral God! Today, this old fellow will teach you your place!"
Xu Ying smiled. "If he was a mortal man, why would he turn to stone upon death? Where is his corpse?"
The Earth God was just about to strike the drum to blast his Primordial Spirit, but upon hearing those words, he froze dumbstruck.
Walking past him, Xu Ying chuckled. "Shedding the cicada shell—nicely played. It's enough to fool you, but trying to fool someone like me who has seven minds? Far from it! Yuan Daohai, you really are a dog! With so many illiterate heavenly gods and God Kings in the Heavenly Dao world, even the Heavenly Dao runes on the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts are flawed..."
He was full of appreciation for the Heavenly Venerable, laughing, "Most crucially, even the Heavenly Dao supreme treasure you forged, the jade ruyi, has flawed Heavenly Dao runes on it! Any immortal who overcomes the tribulation to ascend from the myriad worlds faces a Heavenly Dao tribulation that is one-sided and incomplete—all within your palm, isn't that right?"
It not only weakened the ascending immortals, but also seized hold of their vital weaknesses.
Even more crucially, if other high-ranking figures in the Immortal Realm sought to cultivate certain techniques and divine abilities using the Heavenly Dao, wouldn't that mean their techniques harbored flaws known only to Yuan Daohai?
For instance, Heavenly Venerable Ning Zhong of Taisui had refined his Supreme Mysterious Origin Jade Hall Great Method through the Heavenly Dao!
The last time Young Master Ningqing unleashed this technique, it was easily broken by Xu Ying, who was well versed in the Heavenly Dao. If Heavenly Venerable Ning Zhong of Taisui were to use this technique against the Heavenly Venerable, wouldn't he die cleanly and without resistance?
He would surely perish in the cleanest, quickest fashion, wouldn't he?
"The Imperial Monarch, Primordial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable Ning Zhong, and others laid their schemes across the myriad worlds of the heavens early on, stirring up turmoil across all worlds. And the Immortal Realm's foremost diviner ordered someone to carry the Returning Dao Jade Platter everywhere to stir up trouble, causing the Great Daos of ancient eras to revive. Only the Heavenly Venerable remained loyal and devoted to the Immortal Court, putting out fires everywhere, suppressing the gods of Kunlun and the Four Emperors of the Netherworld, suffering heavy casualties in the process."
Xu Ying was filled with profound emotion. "Yet the one who desires chaotic turmoil in the world the most is likely the Heavenly Venerable himself. It's just that he hid it the deepest!"
He looked at Yuan Daohai's stone statue. The smile on the face of this figure, whose raised arms seemed to sacrifice himself in prayer for the Ancestral God, now appeared heavy with hidden meaning.
Chapter 456