The Earth God of the Ancestral Court had barely finished speaking when the incense smoke qi surrounding the stone statue beside the Heavenly Venerable churned violently. The surface of that towering stone statue rapidly transformed into flesh and blood, and the Heavenly Dao runes within the incense smoke shifted unpredictably.
In an instant, Dao voices resonated throughout the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, deafening to the ears, as if tens of thousands of heavenly gods were chanting in unison!
Seeing this, Xu Ying ran even faster.
Others were unaware of the statue's power, but he knew just how terrifying it was.
Over the past half year or so, his comprehension of the Heavenly Dao runes had come from observing the changes of the runes within this stone statue's incense smoke. Only through this had he cultivated the Heavenly Dao to an exquisitely subtle realm.
He had first learned the Heavenly Dao runes from this stone statue, using them as a foundation before proceeding to comprehend the myriad manifestations of the Ancestral God's Primordial Spirit, thereby achieving his breakthrough.
Furthermore, the Earth God of the Ancestral Court had once told him that this stone statue was the Heaven of the old world; the Lord Heaven worshipped and sacrificed to by the common mortals was none other than He!
He was the head of all gods in the Heavenly Dao world.
At this moment, because the Earth God's legs were too short to catch Xu Ying, he had awakened Lord Heaven of the old world.
The stone statue of Lord Heaven rumbled, its upper body already turning into flesh and blood—or more accurately, turning into qi. It transformed into a slurry-like, flowing qi, resembling incense smoke qi yet also resembling clouds and mist, forming His physique.
This wondrous qi flowed within Him, bringing about marvelous transformations, and Dao methods and divine powers were born in response!
Xu Ying glanced back and saw Lord Heaven swinging His right hand, swatting down toward him. Xu Ying hurriedly called out, "Senior Brother Heaven, I am also a disciple of the Ancestral God! Please, show some leniency!"
Lord Heaven's divine power was simply too immense. It was the power gathered over countless tens of thousands of years of incense offerings and sacrifices by the mortal populace of the ancient old world. Coupled with His incomparable mastery over the Heavenly Dao, as this palm descended, it became like a cage, locking down the space-time around Xu Ying!
Where Heavenly Will was, there lay a cage!
Without a second thought, Xu Ying kicked the wooden bucket and in the next moment unleashed it as a treasure.
Golden light erupted from the wooden bucket, unexpectedly drawing Heaven's right hand toward it as well!
With a flick of His left forefinger, Lord Heaven sent the wooden bucket flying.
Xu Ying caught the wooden bucket in his arms and whizzed away. Seeing Lord Heaven's right hand clutching down, he brought forth the Buddha Ancestor's Buddhist prayer beads. The one hundred and eight prayer beads transformed into one hundred and eight great Buddhas, whirling and flying around Xu Ying's palm to meet the right hand of Heaven!
This treasure had been refined by the Buddha Ancestor and possessed boundless might, serving as Xu Ying's prime weapon when dealing with masters he could not otherwise match. Yet the moment his palm touched Heaven's right hand, the great Buddhas instantly shrank back into prayer beads, rattling as they wrapped around his wrist.
The prayer beads were damaged, unable to be deployed again in the short term!
Xu Ying activated the new cultivation technique he had comprehended and let out a roar. Taiyi Qi swirled around his body, and his Primordial Spirit emerged, measuring twenty-two to twenty-three feet tall.
Suddenly, his physical body merged with his Primordial Spirit, his stature swelling segment by segment until he became a small giant twenty-two to twenty-three feet in height.
With one hand gripping the bucket, he thrust his other palm against Heaven's tapping left hand!
This time, Lord Heaven only tapped with a single index finger, yet the tip of that finger was still countless times larger than Xu Ying. It collided with Xu Ying's palm.
Xu Ying grunted, his body hurled backward through the air, countless spirit lights jolted into wild disarray inside his physical frame!
This was precisely the Undying Primordial Spirit he had comprehended from the Ancestral God's true form!
The Undying Primordial Spirit, combined with his newly comprehended technique, fused flesh and Primordial Spirit into seamless unity, ensuring he was not jabbed to death by a single finger under Heaven's attack.
Lord Heaven also let out an exclamation of surprise, astonished that He had not poked the bucket thief to death with one finger.
His upper body had turned into flesh and blood, but His lower body remained stone, leaving Him unable to uproot His feet in time to pursue Xu Ying.
Borrowing the force of that finger strike, Xu Ying flew at top speed toward the gateway of the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court.
The rapid series of clashes between Xu Ying and Lord Heaven left Jin Buyi, Demon Sovereign Han, and the others utterly dazzled, unable to take it all in.
Yuan Qi was tense with anxiety, having raised the Diamond Snare, ready to support Xu Ying at any moment. Only when he saw Xu Ying escape to the gateway did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Clutching the bucket, Xu Ying nearly failed to catch his breath; the oppressive force of Lord Heaven's finger had been so overwhelming that his cultivation was in slight disarray.
Behind him, the Earth God beat the war drum with a resounding thrum, blasting toward him. Unable to blast his Primordial Spirit out of his body, the strike instead sent him hurtling backward repeatedly, tumbling straight out through the gateway of the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court.
The Earth God stood dazed. "Did I just help him escape?"
The stone statue of Heaven completely broke free of its stony form to reveal His true body. With a light leap, He arrived beside the Earth God and was about to pursue and strike down the fugitive when the Ancestral God's voice drifted from behind: "No need to pursue."
The Earth God and Lord Heaven immediately stopped, turned around, and bowed attentively in attendance.
The Ancestral God's voice came from in front of the thatched cottage: "Lend him this treasure for a while."
The Earth God hurriedly said, "Lord, how will You relieve Yourself at night?"
The Ancestral God replied, "Just now, when Xu Ying attained enlightenment and merged into heaven and earth, he helped Me sort out My origin qi. I am much better than before."
The Earth God and Lord Heaven were both surprised and overjoyed.
When Xu Ying attained enlightenment, his consciousness had suddenly permeated the void to comprehend the Great Dao of heaven and earth, feeling himself as vast as the Ancestral God, becoming like the Ancestral God Himself.
The profound mysteries of his enlightenment had also helped the Ancestral God regulate His scattered origin qi, rendering Him a tremendous favor.
The Ancestral God's power had long struggled to enter the myriad worlds; when all living beings migrated to the myriad worlds, He had already suffered severe injuries. With Xu Ying's enlightenment this time, the Ancestral God also borrowed his power to enter the heavens; thus, not only were His injuries much improved, but His strength was gradually growing as well.
"These injuries have lingered for hundreds of thousands of years, plaguing Me. Now, at last, there is hope for a cure."
The Ancestral God said to Lord Heaven, "Now that My wounds are on the verge of healing, enemies may well strike to disrupt My cultivation. Your strength is insufficient, so stay here and do not intervene. Whatever strange visions you witness tonight, pay them no heed and ask no questions. Wait until daybreak."
Heaven and the Earth God turned solemn and bowed in assent.
When night fell, the myriad worlds hung across the firmament, appearing all the more radiant and dazzling, while countless star rivers adorned the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court.
Suddenly, the Earth God and Heaven looked up to see the myriad worlds dimming and vanishing one after another. After watching for a moment, the Earth God whispered, "Senior Brother Heaven, could some colossal behemoth be blocking those worlds?"
Lord Heaven said, "To block out the myriad worlds, just how huge would such an object have to be? That is hardly possible."
The Earth God said, "Just how vast is our Lord? Anyone coming to kill Him must be immense as well, for how else could they slay Him?"
Lord Heaven thought about it, and it was indeed reasonable.
Still, a treasure so colossal that it could obscure the myriad worlds was truly difficult to imagine!
A moment later, radiant light suddenly cascaded from the heavens. A beam of radiance plunged from the starry sky of the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, hurtling straight down upon the thatched cottage.
The cottage shattered into pieces, torn apart by surging hurricane gales.
Inside, the Ancestral God had assumed the form of a young man, sitting cross-legged. Brilliant spiritual radiance atop His head connected to the cosmic void, flickering relentlessly as it blocked the light beam time after time.
Suddenly, an undulating shadow that blotted out the myriad worlds flowed across the starry sky, abruptly morphing into a banner. It possessed a long pole tipped like a spear, plummeting down at an angle to stab at the Ancestral God!
The youthful Ancestral God leapt into the air, facing the banner bare-handed. The banner darted and flickered incessantly through the air, stabbing and flicking as though an invisible wielder were dueling the deity.
The banner's cloth unfurled, revealing all manner of glittering golden runes and sigils, intricate and uncanny.
After a moment, the entity within the radiant light suddenly broke through the void and flew off, disappearing without a trace.
The banner attacked a bit longer, but seeing it could gain no advantage, it also pierced through the void and departed. As the banner flew away, the myriad worlds were obscured once more, left dim and lightless.
"That banner looks small, but it is actually extraordinarily immense!" The Earth God was horrified.
Heaven and the Earth God intended to step forward, but the Ancestral God raised a hand from afar, halting them, and remained on high alert. However, the latter half of the night proved very peaceful; nothing else came to attack.
When dawn broke, the Ancestral God spat out a mouthful of blood and relaxed, gesturing for the two to approach. He said, "A few old bastards never made a move, likely thinking that even if they attacked they could do nothing to Me, so they gave up."
Heaven and the Earth God were delighted.
The Ancestral God shook His head. "This is not the moment they are waiting for. What they await is the Three Realms tide. Right now it is inconvenient for them to descend to the lower realms; only when the Three Realms tide arrives will they strike to raze this place. Make preparations early."
With a solemn expression, He looked up at the sky.
In the sky were the myriad worlds and the ancient worlds, the Heavenly Sea and the Heavenly River, but conspicuously absent was the Immortal Realm.
Lord Heaven bowed. "Since the Ancestral God's injuries are no longer grave, my remaining here serves no further purpose. I shall return to the ancient world to recover my vitality!"
The Ancestral God hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently.
Lord Heaven turned around, His ancient divine sense surging forth. One after another, the stone statues across the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court were awakened by Him. Ancient gods gradually reclaimed their true bodies, their churning divine power shaking the heavens and earth to slight instability.
They were the Heavenly Dao deities of an ancient era. The main reason they had gathered here was to contribute their divine power to heal the Ancestral God's wounds.
Now that the Ancestral God's injuries were no longer critical, they too would return to the ancient world.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Streams of divine light pierced through the void, soaring into the heavens and carving trails of luminescence across the starry sky.
The Ancestral God watched them recede into the distance and murmured, "The future remains bleak."
Though hope was faint, at long last, there was a glimmer of it.
Xu Ying carried the wooden bucket, beaming with joy as he inspected it over and over again. Jin Buyi, Yuan Qi, and the others exchanged glances; along the way, Xu Ying had examined this bucket more than a dozen times.
Even if it was an extraordinary treasure, even if it was used by the Ancestral God, it was still a chamber pot—was it really worth scrutinizing like this?
After they left the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, Ling Siyi warmly invited Xu Ying, insisting he must visit the Demon Ancestral Court.
Xu Ying had originally intended to decline, but Ling Siyi said, "The Demon Ancestor commanded me to invite you multiple times, yet you were never able to come. Now that the time has come to select the Demon Emperor, you truly cannot refuse, Young Master."
Xu Ying's heart stirred. Glancing at Jin Buyi, he agreed and smiled. "You all go ahead to the Demon Ancestral Court. I need to make a trip to the Ziwei Hunyuan Palace to see the Little Celestial Venerable."
Ling Siyi hesitated briefly before smiling. "The Imperial Son must return to the Ancestral Court to prepare for the Demon Emperor selection, so I shall accompany you to Hunyuan Palace, Young Master."
She was terrified that Xu Ying would slip away again, so this time she made sure to stick by his side wherever he went.
Xu Ying hesitated, then quietly handed the wooden bucket to Jin Buyi and instructed, "Lord Jin, one cannot be without vigilance against others. Take this bucket first to defend yourself."
Jin Buyi shook his head. "Ah Ying, you fought with your life to snatch this. How can I accept it?"
Xu Ying chuckled. "If the Ancestral God didn't want to give it to me, I couldn't have snatched it even if I risked my life. Contending for the title of Demon Emperor this time is extraordinarily perilous, so keep the bucket for self-defense. Those three Imperial Sons are no match for you, but the glory of being a founding merit-holder is coveted by countless people!"
He cast a sidelong glance at Demon Sovereign Han and the other two demon sovereigns.
Jin Buyi had no choice but to accept the wooden bucket.
Xu Ying said, "Seventh Master, bring out the Purple Nether Saber."
Yuan Qi handed over the Purple Nether Saber, and Xu Ying stowed it away, instructing, "Seventh Master, Lord Bell, Brood Mother, protect Lord Jin well. I will first go to Hunyuan Palace to see Chanchan and Ah Fu."
He still possessed the other half of the Purple Nether Saber in his hands, its Imperial Monarch brand not yet erased. He needed to enlist Zhu Chanchan and Fool Ah Fu to help wipe away the imprint, and after that, reforge and rejoin the immortal artifact.
Apart from that, there was also the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Extermination Immortal Array, which likewise required the aid of Zhu Chanchan and Fool Ah Fu.
Jin Buyi excelled in divine sabers, so Xu Ying planned to reforge the Imperial Monarch's Purple Nether Saber and gift it to him!
With this divine weapon, Jin Buyi's path to claiming the Demon Emperor's throne and securing it firmly would be far easier.
Jin Buyi had lived the first half of his life for Xu Ying; now, Xu Ying intended to prepare thoroughly for the rest of his life!
Xu Ying bid them farewell and set out with Ling Siyi on the road toward Ziwei Hunyuan Palace.
Ling Siyi summoned a treasure carriage and had her two accompanying maidservants reveal their true forms, which turned out to be two dark birds. Ling Siyi entered the carriage, from which rustling sounds soon emerged. A moment later, the young woman had changed into a new outfit. Pushing open the carriage window, she giggled, "Young Master Xu, come on in."
Her clothes had originally been a red robe and long skirt, but now she had switched to white garments. The neckline dipped rather low, accentuating her fair, rosy skin.
As she propped open the window, half of a snow-white arm dangled outside.
Xu Ying averted his gaze and shook his head. "I won't get in. Every time I ride in a carriage, I have bad luck; something always happens."
A pearl dangled beneath Ling Siyi's earring, swaying slightly and tugging at her translucent earlobe. Hearing this, she chuckled. "How could that be? Our journey this time will surely be completely safe and peaceful."
She had barely spoken those words when a burst of dazzling immortal light suddenly plummeted from the heavens. With a deafening boom, it crashed down onto the carriage, smashing it to splinters!
Ling Siyi grunted, nearly crushed into meat paste. In panic, she hastily summoned her willow branch for protection. The willow branch rapidly enlarged, soft yet resilient, catching and propping up the burst of immortal light!
Crushed under the immense weight, Ling Siyi coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood as her body plummeted swiftly.
She barely managed to cling to life, but the two dark birds transformed from her maidservants enjoyed no such luck, crushed directly into powder by that mass of immortal light!
At that moment, a massive hand reached down from the heavens. Coarse black hair covered the back of the hand and grew thickly all over the arm. The hand grasped the handle behind that cluster of immortal light and lifted it with ease.
"Missed the mark a bit. Little girl, my apologies!"
Amid the sky, winds roared and clouds surged as an immortal god built like a black tower emerged. He held a colossal warhammer of equally pitch-black hue and chuckled heartily. "Celestial Venerable Xu, it has been a long time. Do you still remember your colleague from the Dou Department, Ying Tianci of the Western Dipper?"
Chapter 463