The Taiyi Inborn Technique was the Xu family's ancestral art. In the beginning, before Xu Ying had recovered his memories, he had still remembered the Taiyi Guiding Technique and practiced it diligently. It was by relying on the Taiyi Guiding Technique that he had grown stronger day by day, gradually stepping out from under the thumb of a manipulated destiny.
Only later, when he shattered the Imperial Monarch's seal, did he recall the Taiyi Inborn Technique hidden deep within his memories.
Later still, Xu Ying comprehended the Ancestral God's true body and grasped the Undying True Spirit, creating the Taiyi Undying Scripture upon the foundation of the Taiyi Inborn Technique.
The original Taiyi Inborn Technique was merely a mental cultivation method; it had no divine powers, nor did it incorporate Nuo methods or the Heavenly Dao. Thus, it could only be considered a technique.
Xu Ying's Taiyi Undying Scripture, however, not only included methods for cultivating the true spirit, but also mobilized the various cave-heavens and the blessings of the Heavenly Dao when circulated, and it possessed divine powers designed to work in concert with the cultivation method. Hence, it was called a scripture.
Yet the pristine Taiyi Inborn Technique was exceedingly simple, free of superfluous branches—much like an unadorned coconut tree, upright and direct.
However, as Xu Ying compared it against the patterns on the Emerald Rock inscriptions, he caught glimpses of the Taiyi Inborn Technique within them!
When comparing Emperor Haotian's reflections on the Emerald Rock with the stone inscriptions themselves, the profundities of the Taiyi Inborn Technique were indeed present, but far more intricate. Or perhaps "intricate" was not the right word—rather, there were many things present that the Taiyi Inborn Technique lacked!
What had been added was an understanding of the Taiyi Cave Abyss.
"Wait a moment!"
Xu Ying suddenly raised his head and set down the jade slip Dao scriptures and Emerald Rock inscriptions, lost in thought. "The writings on the Emerald Rock inscriptions conceal how to sense the Taiyi Cave Abyss, while the final cave-heaven in the Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method the Demon Ancestor gave me is the Taiyi Cave-Heaven. The senior who founded the Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method was truly formidable to actually deduce the tenth cave-heaven."
Looking at the jade slips and stone rubbings, he murmured, "With the aid of his Taiyi Cave-Heaven comprehension method, blending the jade slip Dao scriptures and the Emerald Rock inscriptions, I can comprehend what was concealed within the Taiyi Inborn Technique and sense the vanished Taiyi Cave Abyss. But..."
"Isn't this a bit too coincidental?"
Xu Ying looked at the jade slips, the stone rubbings, and the golden book, a faint unease stirring in his heart.
It was too coincidental, as though deliberately arranged.
He had revived the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth in the Dao Revelation Ground, followed by mending the heavens in Lihen Heaven, which was why he had caught the attention of the Demon Ancestor and Emperor Ai.
The Demon Ancestor possessed the Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method and the Emerald Rock inscriptions; Emperor Ai possessed Emperor Haotian's reflections on the Emerald Rock. Bringing all these together, coupled with Xu Ying opening various Immortal Realm cave-heavens, Xu Ying cultivating the Taiyi Cave-Heaven and summoning the long-lost Taiyi Cave Abyss would be a natural, inevitable outcome!
And if Xu Ying were not Xu Ying—if he lacked the Taiyi Inborn Technique and the Xu family's ancestral method of the six secret depositories—he never could have comprehended the various Immortal Realm cave-heavens!
All of it seemed far too orchestrated!
"No one could have arranged all this."
Xu Ying composed himself and muttered under his breath, "What kind of beings are the Demon Ancestor and Emperor Ai? They couldn't possibly be pawns used by someone else. Who could manipulate them without being detected? Besides, before I ever came into contact with the Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method, I had already opened six Immortal Realm cave-heavens. To scheme against me, wouldn't they have had to predict even that?"
He shook his head and scoffed. "Even Shenpo doesn't have such divinatory power! If Shenpo had that kind of foresight, she would have become a Supreme long ago!"
What about that divine diviner who once seized the Supreme treasure, the Returning Dao Jade Platter?
Xu Ying shook his head. That person was not a Supreme and couldn't even master the Returning Dao Jade Platter. While scheming against Xu Ying wouldn't be hard for him, scheming against the Dao Ancestor, the Demon Ancestor, and Emperor Ai was entirely out of the question.
He seemed to think of something. Tilting his head in thought, he shook it again, murmuring, "Not very likely."
Xu Ying steadied his mind, casting away restless thoughts to immerse himself in comprehension.
Possessing the Taiyi Inborn Technique, having already cultivated nine Immortal Realm cave-heavens, and now with the Taiyi comprehension method from the Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method, the Emerald Rock inscriptions, and Emperor Haotian's reflections, comprehending the Taiyi Cave-Heaven proved even easier than he had anticipated!
Gazing upon the Dao patterns on the Emerald Rock inscriptions, insights regarding the Dao of Taiyi flooded his mind. Everything fell into place naturally.
The Last Lord of Ziwei was training Nan Ziyan and several young women, instructing them in cultivation.
This was one of his few pleasures in death.
In life, he had placed immense value on power. But after death, reduced to a single wisp of an essential soul housed within his portrait, he was no longer so obsessed with worldly authority.
He viewed Nan Ziyan and the others as his disciples, passing down his absolute best arts, and had even taught them his emperor-grade techniques without reservation.
Nan Ziyan and the others had indeed lived up to his expectations, their cultivation and strength astounding. Yet they remained stuck at the half-immortal realm, unable to take another step forward.
*Three years from now, once Xu Ying comprehends the Taiyi Cave Abyss and breaks the seals, the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth contained within the corpses of the six emperors will replenish the Great Daos of Ziwei. When that time comes, Nan Ziyan and the others will be able to become immortals,* the Last Lord of Ziwei thought to himself. *And when my wisp of an essential soul re-enters my corpse, I wonder if I can return from the dead...*
Right then, his expression shifted drastically. He whipped his head around toward the immortal hall that enshrined the spirit tablets of the six emperors, disbelief written across his face.
From within the hall, an indescribable aura emanated. Above the hall, Xu Ying's nine cave-heavens—Activity, Soul Power, Yin-Yang, Divine Consciousness, Vital Qi, Heart Power, Life and Death, Dao Power, and Void—hung suspended in the sky, connected to the Immortal Realm!
The nine cave-heavens intertwined and pulled at one another, their auras resonating. A wondrous power seemed to be unifying the distinct forces harbored within the nine cave-heavens!
Tempering them into one: the power of Taiyi!
"Impossible!"
The Last Lord of Ziwei spun around, his expression flickering between dark and pale. "He couldn't possibly have opened the tenth cave-heaven in such a short time. Only half a month has passed since he opened the two cave-heavens of Dao Power and Void!"
Xu Ying had taken half a year to open the two cave-heavens of Dao Power and Void. As the tenth cave-heaven, the Taiyi Cave-Heaven was a grand unifying cave-heaven that could only be formed by refining the previous nine into one whole.
The Last Lord had believed it would take Xu Ying three years to achieve this. He never imagined Xu Ying would accomplish it in just half a month!
In the sky, the nine cave-heavens revolved faster and faster. The nine powers blended together, the boundaries between each cave-heaven blurring!
Wave after wave of majestic force erupted from the merging cave-heavens, venting terrifying Dao light and pouring forth frightening Dao power!
Around Mount Qian, gale-force winds howled, and thunder crashed. The storm whipped the robes of the Last Lord and the others backward.
The tempest made it difficult for them even to open their eyes, the skin of their faces rippling under the onslaught.
*Boom!*
Heavenly thunder burst again and again—lightning formed by the leakage of Dao power, extraordinarily dangerous. It struck the open void, tearing the void of the Ziwei Ancestral Court and leaving behind a pitch-black rift. Only after a moment did the fissure slowly heal.
They could even smell a strange scorched odor, like the acrid stench of scorched space.
"Your Majesty, the Dao thunder is extremely dangerous!" Nan Ziyan braved the howling storm to step forward, shouting to the Last Lord of Ziwei, "We should seek shelter!"
The Last Lord of Ziwei did not answer.
Nan Ziyan came up before him and stole a glance at his face, only to recoil in shock. The Last Lord's face was coated in frost, radiating a murderous aura so chilling it was terrifying beyond words!
Nan Ziyan's heart pounded wildly. He quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look again.
In the past, when the Last Lord said, "We shall have your head," it was usually in jest. In life, he had been accustomed to executing people; though stripped of his authority in death, he had kept the catchphrase of taking heads.
Nan Ziyan, for instance, had been "executed" several thousand times by the Last Lord.
But this time was different.
Nan Ziyan truly saw an unmistakable murderous intent upon the Last Lord's face. Veiled within this murderous intent were jealousy, vigilance, wariness, menace, and many other complex emotions.
Yet intertwined together, they manifested as naked murderous intent!
The Sixth Immortal Emperor harbored murderous designs toward Xu Ying!
Nan Ziyan was beside himself with panic. *What should I do?*
"Emperor Haotian!" the Last Lord of Ziwei rasped, a vicious gleam in his eyes.
In the sky, Dao thunder crashed amidst the escalating fusion of the spinning nine cave-heavens. Finally, accompanied by violent Dao power and Dao light, the nine cave-heavens in the sky shuddered violently. The barriers between the nine cave-heavens vanished completely, replaced by an immense cave-heaven that spanned nearly half the sky and dominated the center!
The Taiyi Cave-Heaven.
The Taiyi Cave-Heaven radiated an ethereal Dao power that pierced through the void, linking directly to Xu Ying, who sat upright and motionless inside the immortal hall.
Yet at its other end, the Taiyi Cave-Heaven did not connect to the Immortal Realm.
Behind this cave-heaven, a colossal entity vaguely materialized—profound, ancient, mighty, unknown!
It was an unimaginably ancient cave abyss. This was where the Taiyi Cave-Heaven connected, drawing boundless power from the cave abyss and pouring it like a deluge into Xu Ying's body!
This Dao power surged through his physical body and his Primordial Spirit, transforming into heart power at the heart orifice, soul power at the Yongquan, dharmic power at the Jade Pond, immortal dew at the Jade Pool, and yin-yang qi at the Jade Capital...
This power was so pure and vast, nearly inexhaustible, constantly pouring in!
The deluge of power from the Taiyi Cave Abyss sent his cultivation soaring. His physical body was entwined with Dao power, and divine radiance blossomed outward from within.
His Primordial Spirit stood atop the Yao Platform, bursts of immortal power erupting and coiling around it, lifting his form upward as if about to ascend to the God Bridge.
Xu Ying circulated the Taiyi Undying Scripture, surging his cultivation to let his Primordial Spirit bathe as much as possible in the Jade Pool's immortal light and absorb its immortal power.
Yet his Primordial Spirit was still pulled by an overwhelming force, beginning its flight toward immortality, soaring toward the God Bridge.
His Jade Pool stage was already consummate, and his Primordial Spirit had long absorbed enough Jade Pool immortal dew. Even if he remained in the Jade Pool, there would be little further improvement. Furthermore, even if he tried, he could not stay.
Xu Ying's Primordial Spirit soared high, bathed in the fluttering immortal light and immortal spiritual qi cascading from above, until it finally landed lightly upon the God Bridge.
This God Bridge stretched across boundless void, seemingly endless. Gazing into the distance, one could vaguely make out a colossal gateway spanning heaven and earth, barring the ascension path of Qi Refiners.
This pass was countless distances away, hazy and ethereal, seeming gaseous yet real.
That heavenly pass was the Third Heavenly Pass, also known as the Jade Pillow Pass. Once pushed open, beyond the gates lay the Jade Capital. Ascending to the Jade Capital marked the Ascension stage.
Only upon entering the Jade Capital was one truly an immortal.
As Xu Ying's Primordial Spirit walked upon the bridge, he felt an immortal wind blowing toward him. Immortal light carried by the wind passed through him, sweeping away impurities from his Primordial Spirit and leaving behind more luminescence of the Immortal Dao.
Facing the wind, as far as his eyes could see, rays of light harboring the mysteries of the Immortal Dao came flying toward him. The breeze and glow washed over him with indescribable comfort.
Yet the further forward he walked, the greater the resistance grew, and his Primordial Spirit felt an increasingly pronounced exhaustion.
His Primordial Spirit had undergone a rebirth in the Jade Pool, yet having arrived on the God Bridge to endure the buffeting of the immortal wind, he still could not advance very far. He needed to continue cultivating and strengthening his Primordial Spirit before he could journey further through the immortal winds and lights, gaining the power required to push open the Third Heavenly Pass!
"The Jade Pool realm requires the Primordial Spirit to undergo rebirth within the Jade Pool, while the God Bridge realm requires enduring the tribulation of immortal winds and immortal lights upon the God Bridge. Both realms overlook the cultivation of the physical body."
Xu Ying awoke from his state of entering the Dao and rose to his feet. The ceiling of the immortal hall above him seemed nonexistent as the Taiyi Cave Abyss appeared directly above him, phasing through the roof.
This Taiyi Cave Abyss seemed close enough to touch, yet in reality it was infinitely distant, hazy and indistinct.
Xu Ying raised a hand. The Emerald Rock inscriptions floated up and the golden book closed, returning to his Realm of Xiyi. He tidied the jade slip Dao scriptures before drifting outward and stepping out of the immortal hall.
Outside the immortal hall, Nan Ziyan was waiting. Seeing him emerge, he hurried forward and said with a smile, "Young Master Xu, His Majesty ordered me to wait here for you to finish your seclusion. He said you are to see him the moment you come out."
Xu Ying nodded gently and smiled. "Thank you for the trouble, Ziyan."
Nan Ziyan gestured politely, leading the way. Suddenly, his divine consciousness rippled, and he sent a voice transmission: "Run!"
Xu Ying was startled, not understanding what he meant.
"His Majesty wants to kill you," Nan Ziyan transmitted. "I have never seen his face so fraught with malevolence. Even when speaking of his own death, he always wore a cynical, mocking demeanor. But when you broke through, tempering the nine into one to cultivate the Taiyi Cave-Heaven, he truly developed murderous intent!"
Xu Ying remained silent for a moment, then continued walking behind him. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Nan."
Nan Ziyan was stunned. "You're not running? You still have time to escape!"
"A true man in this world cannot spend his whole life running," Xu Ying replied leisurely. "I made an agreement with Daoist Yuan to accompany him to the Shangqing Ancestral Court at the earliest opportunity. Yet the moment I heard that the Ziwei Ancestral Court concerned whether cultivators of the Ancestral Court could become immortals, I broke our agreement and came here with you. Over the past half a year and more, I chose to bear the reputation of being faithless not so that I could cultivate the Taiyi Cave-Heaven, but to mend the final link in the Heavenly Dao of the Ancestral Court. Having come here, I must ensure that the people of the Ancestral Court can achieve immortality!"
Nan Ziyan clenched his fists, then loosened them after a moment, smiling. "Brother Xu's righteousness is profound. If His Majesty insists on striking you, I will risk my life to shield you!"
Xu Ying laughed heartily. "I believe His Majesty is not that kind of person."
Following Nan Ziyan up Mount Qian, he saw the Last Lord of Ziwei standing before his own mausoleum. The tombstone in front of the tomb had been knocked over, face-down on the ground, hiding its inscription from sight.
However, carved onto the back of the tombstone were numerous tally marks formed stroke by stroke from the character *zheng*.
The Last Lord stood with his back to the two. Hearing their footsteps, he did not turn around, merely angling his head. "Xu Ying, look at these tally marks. Every time We thought of you here, We felt murderous intent, and so We carved a stroke upon the tombstone. In the time it took you to break through, We have harbored murderous intent toward you three hundred and fifty-two times."
Xu Ying stepped forward and chuckled. "Because my talent is so great that it roused Your Majesty's murderous urge?"
The Last Lord glared like a falcon and turned like a wolf, bursting into loud laughter like the howling of a jackal. "'Orphaned young and dying untimely is called *Ai*; reverent and benevolent yet dying untimely is called *Ai*; failing to establish virtue is called *Ai*; suffering excessive disaster is called *Ai*; executed unjustly is called *Ai*.' Though We were overthrown, the posthumous title of Emperor Ai was not unearned! We are indeed envious of the worthy and jealous of the capable. With skills and comprehension like yours, you would have died very quickly in Our dynasty!"
He was so candid about it that his wickedness was uniquely refreshing.
"Yet We are already dead. The rise of someone with your talent means nothing to Us, and We would not be jealous simply over that."
The Last Lord of Ziwei spun around, staring intently at Xu Ying, and spoke chillingly, "What We refuse is to be made a fool of! Emperor Haotian, reveal your true form!"
Chapter 496