Xu Jing watched as the group rode their immortal light back toward the Immortal Realm. Only then did he turn and make his way back to Hunyuan Palace.
Upon returning to the Immortal Realm, Xiu Yushu and Realized One Qingke led Ren Xuanji and the others back to the Northern Dipper Yangming Tanlang Heavenly Palace. Xiu Yushu's expression darkened at once. He took his seat on the throne and fell utterly silent.
Ren Xuanji, Chen Bin, and the rest kept their silence as well.
Xiu Yushu was the head of the Northern Dipper Seven Stars. The Northern Dipper Seven Stars formed the largest department within the Dipper Department, possessing seven heavenly palaces in total and commanding the greatest military force.
In name, the Three Realized Ones of the Central Dipper served as the commanders of the Dipper Department. Yet, relying on their sheer numbers and strength, the Northern Dipper Seven Stars stood toe-to-toe with them, refusing to take orders from the Three Realized Ones.
Xiu Yushu's countenance shifted unpredictably. Abruptly, he spoke: "Forty-eight thousand years ago, the Xu Ying who fought his way out of the Dipper Department and severely wounded Huo Changge and Si Chuanzhao had also opened six cave-heavens. His methods were identical to that man's just now."
His face contorted slightly as he said in a low voice, "Back then, when I went to the Dakui Hall of the Central Dipper, my original intention was merely to watch the show. I meant to wait until Xu Ying, Huo Changge, and Si Chuanzhao tore each other apart so I could reap the benefits. Once I captured Xu Ying, I would have eclipsed the Three Realized Ones of the Central Dipper, and the entire Dipper Department would have had to obey the commands of my Northern Dipper Seven Stars."
His face was pale, his voice raspy. "Never did I imagine that Huo Changge and Si Chuanzhao's cultivation was so formidable—far stronger than my own. Even less did I anticipate that those two great experts would fall so swiftly. Back then, those cave-heavens appeared behind Xu Ying as well. When he walked right past me after crippling Si Chuanzhao and Huo Changge, I didn't even dare lift a finger to stop him."
A look of shame crossed his face.
That incident had become his nightmare over the past forty-eight thousand years, haunting his heart like a monumental disgrace.
A dignified head of the Northern Dipper Seven Stars had actually quailed before Xu Ying, helplessly watching as Xu Ying strode past him and slaughtered his way out of the Dipper Department with unbridled audacity.
As if he had lost his very soul, he had trailed behind Xu Ying for a stretch of the way, seeing rivers of blood along the path and corpses strewn everywhere, all slain by Xu Ying.
Those six incomparably brilliant halos of cave-heavens had burned into his heart like a brand, impossible to erase.
At the thought, Xiu Yushu's hand trembled. He extracted a wisp of heavenly fiend thought from his Dao heart and flicked it down toward the lower realm.
"The cave-heavens of that man just now were even more seasoned and formidable than Xu Ying's back then."
Having severed the fiend thought, Xiu Yushu felt considerably lighter. He continued, "Though my cultivation has improved over all these years, there has been no fundamental leap. The moment that man unleashed six great cave-heavens, I knew his strength was hardly inferior to Xu Ying's from forty-eight thousand years ago."
Liang Hao, Realized One Qingke, and the rest felt a chill run through them.
Ren Xuanji asked, "Brother Xiu, what about our vengeance?"
"Endure it," Xiu Yushu replied indifferently. "Someone else won't be able to hold back anyway—such as Perfected Lord Yang, the newcomer among the Three Realized Ones."
His eyes flickered, and he chuckled. "Perfected Lord Yang was promoted to the Three Realized Ones after Xu Ying left. He became the foremost of the Three Realized Ones of the Dipper Department, addressed as Heavenly Venerable Yang or Realized One Yang. Yet since arriving in the Dipper Department, he hasn't achieved an inch of merit. He can't suppress those two old foxes, Huo Changge and Si Chuanzhao, in the slightest. If he wants to earn merit, he must seize this opportunity."
Realization dawned upon the crowd.
For Perfected Lord Yang to be promoted, he naturally possessed backing. But backing alone was not enough; only tangible merit could command everyone's submission.
Perfected Lord Yang was in dire need of an accomplishment.
Ever since their defeat at Xu Ying's hands, Huo Changge and Si Chuanzhao had let themselves go, too apathetic to grasp opportunities even when handed to them on a platter. Perfected Lord Yang could not afford to act like them; he had to actively seek out chances.
Suddenly, Ren Xuanji remarked, "For some reason, that scholar was able to unravel our techniques and divine powers."
Liang Hao, Chen Bin, and Fu Hui nodded in agreement.
They, too, had been defeated by Xu Jing after their arts and divine powers were broken. Otherwise, they would not have been so vulnerable—let alone suffering such a swift and clean defeat even when three palace lords joined forces.
"Your arts were unraveled?"
Xiu Yushu froze. A similar scene had unfolded forty-eight thousand years ago when Xu Ying fought his way out of the Dipper Department. Xu Ying had broken every move under heaven, knowing their Daos, arts, and divine powers like the back of his hand, sweeping through all opposition until he reached the Southern Heavenly Gate with no rival in sight.
"This scholar is versed in the six great cave-heavens and shares nearly the same path as Xu Ying. In that case, his background raises a few questions."
Xiu Yushu continued suddenly, "Back then, Perfected Lord Yang was not in the Dipper Department, so Xu Ying could not have figured out his ways. In other words, his arts and divine powers remain unbroken! That means..."
If Yang Yanlong were to cross paths with Xu Jing, it would surely be a clash between dragons and tigers!
"We shall quietly watch the show unfold. Perhaps we may even have the chance to reap the spoils!" Xiu Yushu laughed, a glint flashing in his eyes.
* * *
Xu Ying and Fairy Qingbi temporarily resided in Little Celestial Venerable's Hunyuan Palace. Over these past few days, Xu Ying pondered the Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra, consulting Qingbi whenever he met with something he could not comprehend. Time flew by pleasantly.
Neither Little Celestial Venerable, Zhu Chanchan, nor Fool Ah Fu had returned. They remained occupied with the Heaven Mending Plan, releasing even more heaven-mending divine artifacts into the skies of the Ancestral Court.
The inhabitants of the Ancestral Court had been filled with immense fervor by Little Celestial Venerable's Heaven Mending Plan. Even the ancient beings who had once followed Xu Ying were moved by the cause and threw themselves into this grand undertaking of restoring heaven and earth.
Xiao Xixian's immortal raft was exceptionally fast, so Xu Ying asked her to help search for Zhu Chanchan and Fool Ah Fu. However, the Ancestral Court was vast, and tracking them down was no easy feat.
Xu Jing frequently visited Xu Ying and Qingbi. Seeing them absorbed in studying the Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra, he rarely disturbed them.
Though he was eager, he knew haste would only spoil things; he had to give Xu Ying and Qingbi enough room to spend time together on their own.
The Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra was vast and profound; mastering it entirely was no simple task. Fortunately, what Xu Ying sought to learn was only the core cultivation method. By leaving the other divine powers, formations, and Dao arts untouched, studying it proved relatively manageable.
With his foundation in opening the ancestral cave-heavens, he grasped the Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra within a few days and began attempting to cultivate it to open the Supreme Cave Abyss.
He intended to fly into the Supreme Realm to see what was truly going on in there.
At last, Xu Ying sensed the Supreme Realm. As his cultivation deepened, a cave-heaven descended from the sky, linking directly to his spirit.
The deeper his cultivation became, the clearer that cave-heaven grew, as though a peculiar world truly lay hidden in the depths of space; by sensing its Dao, one could draw upon its power!
This method of cultivation indeed shared an underlying likeness with the Xu family's ancestral six secrets method.
Yet Xu Ying could distinctly feel that the Supreme Realm was definitely not the Realm of the Great Void!
*Apart from the Realm of the Great Void, there exists another space known as the Supreme Realm, harboring the profound mysteries of the Great Dao!*
Xu Ying resisted the urge to immediately enter and explore the Supreme Realm. Only when his Supreme Cave Abyss had stabilized enough to allow his Primordial Spirit to pass through did he make an appointment with Fairy Qingbi.
The two channeled their arts together. A rift abruptly tore open in the sky, and two beams of light descended, shining upon each of them.
Xu Ying and Fairy Qingbi's physical bodies sat bathed in the radiance. As their Primordial Spirits flew out and looked upward, they saw two openings appear in the sky, each revealing an otherworldly haven glowing with light within.
It was as if they stood at the bottom of a well, peering out through water at the expanse beyond, the radiance gentle and not blinding.
Xu Ying and Fairy Qingbi exchanged a glance. One large and one small, their Primordial Spirits took flight together, soaring along the beams inside the openings toward the world "outside the well."
Fairy Qingbi had entered the Supreme Realm several times before to comprehend the Dao, so the path was familiar to her. But for Xu Ying, it was the first time. The moment his Primordial Spirit flew out from the "well," it felt as though he had breached the water's surface and entered another vast expanse.
Before him, light shone everywhere, yet no source of illumination could be seen.
He drifted through the void without any ground beneath his feet, yet it felt as though he could step anywhere, and just as easily take flight from any point.
The sensation was wondrous beyond measure.
Indeed, a marvelous Great Dao flowed through this realm. Xu Ying could feel the wonder of the Supreme Dao—profound, deep, and unfathomable.
Right then, Fairy Qingbi's Primordial Spirit flew over and extended a hand to him.
Xu Ying hurriedly took her hand. Fairy Qingbi's Primordial Spirit had originally stood tens of thousands of feet tall, but she had shrunk it to roughly match his size. The two flew forward, one following the other.
Qingbi's Primordial Spirit bore a solemn, majestic air, akin to an ancient god, save for her slightly rounded cheeks.
This was the inherent trait of a Primordial Spirit, endowed with divinity.
Across this ancient space-time hung numerous colossal halos. Dao runes revolved around the halos, giving rise to waves of Dao resonance.
The smaller halos were as tall as a person, while the larger ones rivaled stars in magnitude, blazing brightly like suns yet without any blinding glare.
Following Fairy Qingbi, Xu Ying passed through the center of a massive halo, entering a bodhimanda.
Filled with astonishment, Xu Ying looked up to see an incomparably towering Primordial Spirit seated in the middle of the bodhimanda. The halo was nothing other than the Dao light radiating from behind the Primordial Spirit's head.
This Primordial Spirit was so colossal that the two appeared minuscule beside it.
Fairy Qingbi held his hand, flying back and forth before this ancient Primordial Spirit as if searching for something. After a moment, she came to a halt on the Primordial Spirit's palm.
Xu Ying looked down and saw an elderly man in black robes with the bearing of a transcendent immortal seated upright there. His features were virtually identical to the Primordial Spirit's.
"This is a cultivator who fell into the oblivion of self and world, dying right here," Fairy Qingbi whispered. "His Primordial Spirit is merging with the Great Dao of the Supreme Realm, transforming into the Dao of this place."
Xu Ying shuddered. A being this powerful had simply passed away here, assimilated into the Dao!
Cultivating this Supreme Dao was perilous indeed.
Fairy Qingbi led him away, passing through one halo after another. Xu Ying caught sight of ancient cultivator after ancient cultivator seated in forgetfulness.
Some had Primordial Spirits that had entirely dissolved into the Great Dao, fusing into this ancient realm. Others had even seen their physical forms disintegrate, laying bare their skeletons!
As they flew past another halo, they found neither a Primordial Spirit nor a physical body—only a solitary halo remained, everything else assimilated clean away!
Appalled, Xu Ying said to Fairy Qingbi, "The Supreme Dao is too horrifying. How could anyone cultivate such an art? You should stop practicing such a perilous method."
Fairy Qingbi replied, "So long as one is not drawn in by the Supreme Dao, merging into it and falling into the oblivion of self and world, it can still be cultivated. The Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra contains a method to avert the tribulation. If one cultivates here without succumbing to the oblivion of self and world brought by the Supreme Dao, their speed of cultivation will be dozens or even hundreds of times faster than in the outside world!"
Hearing this, Xu Ying attempted to run the Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra. Sure enough, his cultivation progressed dozens of times faster than before.
Suddenly, an epiphany struck him, and he inadvertently entered a state of Dao enlightenment. Pondering the Supreme Dao, countless marvels rushed into his mind. Comparing them against the Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra, he rapidly integrated the profound principles!
After an unknown length of time, Xu Ying felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into enlightenment, finding it harder and harder to awaken. He struggled desperately to pull himself out, yet no matter what he did, he could not withdraw from that state.
Just then, he held steadfast to the Supreme One and anchored the concept of "self" in his mind. Abruptly, a cool clarity washed over the crown of his head, as if a beam of light had shone in.
Xu Ying opened his eyes, awakening from sitting in forgetfulness, only to see Fairy Qingbi leaning close, gazing at him with an anxious expression.
Xu Ying let out a long breath. "Terrifying! One truly cannot enter this Supreme Realm lightly; the slightest slip, and you die here!"
Fairy Qingbi exclaimed in surprise, "You only cultivated the core art without learning Imperial Monarch Cangtian's countermeasure. Breaking out of sitting in forgetfulness should have been terribly difficult. How did you manage it?"
Xu Ying explained how he had held steadfast to the Supreme One to break free, then added, "I still feel that comprehending the Dao in the Supreme Realm carries far too great a hazard. It is best not to cultivate it."
Qingbi smiled. "On the contrary, I feel this technique suits me quite well."
Ahead lay a grove of Dao trees. Xu Ying flew over behind Qingbi and saw many archaic-looking Daoists seated beneath the trees, expounding the Dao and imparting arts. Every word was a gem, exquisitely profound, making listeners instinctively want to lose themselves in the teachings.
"They are manifested from refined essence and qi, not actual living persons," Fairy Qingbi explained. "These were great cultivators who had cultivated Dao trees, even more formidable than those who merely formed bodhimandas back there."
Xu Ying's heart pounded. Looking out, he saw countless Dao trees stretching as far as the eye could see like a vast forest—all of them great cultivators who had sat in forgetfulness and died here!
"Last time, I flew near this forest of Dao trees and was affected by their Dao arts, nearly falling into the oblivion of self and world. I had to hastily activate the countermeasure and flee with my Primordial Spirit," Fairy Qingbi said. "Venturing further ahead is even more dangerous. At the slightest lapse, one will be entranced by the truths spoken by these Daoists born of essence and qi. Once you reach this point, you can sense that the Supreme Dao is incomplete."
Xu Ying replied, "I will hold steadfast to the Supreme One while you circulate the Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra. Let us explore further ahead."
Fairy Qingbi had also wished to see what lay deeper, but during her previous visit she had not dared advance. With Xu Ying by her side, she felt far bolder.
Xu Ying held steadfast to the Supreme One, refusing to listen or think.
Fairy Qingbi also channeled the Sovereign Cang Heart Sutra. The two flew through the forest of Dao trees, going deeper and deeper.
They turned deaf ears to the exquisite words spoken by the Daoists of refined essence and qi, and blind eyes to their Dao trees, holding firmly to their original minds.
Moments later, they finally flew out of the forest. Suddenly, the resonance between the Great Dao and themselves grew even more intense, seeping directly into their Dao hearts and threatening to pull them into the Dao at any second.
Xu Ying hurriedly bade Fairy Qingbi halt. Qingbi looked at him with curiosity. Xu Ying silently reached out with his senses, and before long, a beam of Buddhist light flew over, turning into a string of prayer beads that settled into his hand.
Only then did Xu Ying feel at ease. He activated the prayer beads, manifesting one hundred and eight great Buddhas who circled around him and Qingbi. He smiled and said, "Now we can rest easy!"
Ahead, boundless Dao light surged from a rift, glittering brilliantly as though the Great Dao itself vibrated within the radiance. All around, rainbow lights formed from the lifetime cultivations of Dao-assimilated cultivators constantly flew over, merging into the colossal brilliance within the fissure.
Xu Ying and Qingbi watched with pounding hearts. The assimilation into the Dao here was tremendously violent, and the comprehension of the Supreme Dao was thousands of times swifter than in the world outside!
If one could cultivate here, a single year would equal a millennium outside—an irresistible temptation!
Yet cultivating here would likely only hasten one's oblivion and assimilation into the Dao!
Qingbi pointed toward the light before the rift, asking in puzzlement, "Xu Ying, is there a person in front of that great fissure?"
Xu Ying looked closely and indeed saw a thin, small figure seated before the rift.
"Who could sit before such celestial Dao power for so long without being completely assimilated? This senior's cultivation must be incomparably profound!"
The two exchanged a glance. Xu Ying drove the prayer beads with all his might, and they walked toward the small figure.
As they drew close, the influence of the Dao power from the fissure began seeping even into the one hundred and eight great Buddhas conjured by the prayer beads. The Buddhist scriptures chanted by the Buddhas began to warp, gradually turning into the Dao resonances of the Supreme Dao!
Xu Ying's expression shifted slightly. Stepping beside the small figure, he saw that it was not human, but a slender, golden-furred ape. It merely bore a humanlike posture and wore human robes, its face covered in golden fur.
It possessed no aura whatsoever, having died countless years ago.
Above their heads, the chanting of the great Buddhas had mostly morphed into the Dao resonance of the Supreme Dao.
"We must leave, quickly!" Fairy Qingbi urged.
Xu Ying considered for a moment, then dragged the golden-furred ape's corpse along as they retreated.
Chapter 471