Qingfeng and Mingyue

"Xu Ying's Divine Bridge is truly remarkable." The Imperial Monarch's eyes shone brightly as he continued walking forward. Earlier, when Celestial Venerable Guan of the Finance Department had attacked Xu Ying, the Imperial Monarch had already arrived in the Thirty-Three Heavens. However, the clash between Xu Ying and Celestial Venerable Guan had unfolded too swiftly. Catching only a fleeting glimpse of Xu Ying's Taiyi Golden Bridge, he had found it extraordinary. In his heart, there had been admiration, but also a twinge of wariness; that was precisely why he had arranged to duel Xu Ying beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree. Xu Ying's progress in this lifetime was simply too rapid, giving him a faint foreboding that if Xu Ying were allowed to keep growing, his own safety would soon be jeopardized. The Thirty-Three Heavens of the Realm of Xiyi corresponded to the thirty-three vertebrae of the human spine, whereas the Thirty-Three Heavens of Wuzhuang Temple were as magnificent as the true Thirty-Three Heavens of the cosmos. The Thirty-Three Heavens were not cultivation realms; they were merely stepping stones when crossing between Qi Refinement realms, easily overlooked by most. Yet as the Imperial Monarch traveled along them, he had benefited immensely and gained a great deal. From the Thirty-Three Heavens of Wuzhuang Temple, he saw how the Ancestor of Earth Immortals tempered the spine and polished the Dao foundation. "The so-called Dao foundation is the bedrock of the Great Dao. All realms prior to ascension are Dao foundations. Only upon becoming a Heavenly Immortal and cultivating a bodhimanda can one be considered to have attained the Dao. I have already comprehended the Thirty-Three Heavens, and by goading Xu Ying, I have prodded him to bypass the Thirty-Three Heavens and head straight to the Ginseng Fruit Tree to fight me." The Imperial Monarch's eyes flickered, thinking, *This way, I can ruin his Dao foundation, keeping him from discovering the profound mysteries of the Thirty-Three Heavens.* Just as he was about to step into the Twelve-Storyed Mansions, an enraged shout suddenly erupted from within. Startled, the Imperial Monarch felt an incomparably terrifying pressure burst forth from the building! *Boom!* A figure flew backward out of the Twelve-Storyed Mansions—a graceful, slender silhouette. It was none other than the Dao body of the Primordial Monarch, coughing up blood from the strike, battered and disheveled. The Imperial Monarch was filled with shock and doubt. The Primordial Monarch's Dao body was extraordinarily formidable, possessing virtually invincible might, yet she had actually been sent flying. Could there still be an expert inside the Twelve-Storyed Mansions? The moment the thought crossed his mind, the Primordial Monarch spotted him and urgently called out, "Fellow Daoist, join forces with me!" As she spoke, a Daoist boy of twelve or thirteen strode out of the Twelve-Storyed Mansions, whisk in hand, looking clear-browed and delicate. The Imperial Monarch was astonished. Had this person injured the Primordial Monarch just now? "He is a Daoist boy of Wuzhuang Temple! He was originally just a skeleton, but when I approached, flesh and blood suddenly sprouted across his bones, and he seemed to come alive!" the Primordial Monarch said rapidly. "His cultivation and strength are far too immense. If we don't join forces, neither of us can hope to obtain the Dao foundation of the Twelve-Storyed Mansions!" Before her words finished, the fair-skinned, red-lipped Daoist boy charged without a word. With a flick of his whisk, countless horsehairs whistled through the air like countless slender rapiers, swirling and hissing as they struck toward both of them simultaneously! Without hesitation, the Imperial Monarch activated the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art. Yet in the very next instant, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were pierced through by the whisk, and strands of fine filaments whipped toward him! The Imperial Monarch planted his foot, expanding his bodhimanda, while a Dao tree rose behind him in ten thousand beams of radiant light. The Primordial Monarch also unfurled her bodhimanda and manifested her Dao tree. Though one was an avatar and the other a Dao body, both possessed consummate cultivation and strength, and their insight and mastery were peerless. Now, joining forces and unleashing their bodhimandas, they worked together to suppress the boy! The Imperial Monarch roared, runes whirling wildly within his bodhimanda: "Mandated by Heaven, forever suppressed in this life; imprisoned and bound, sealed in confinement!" The sixteen-character seal converged from all directions, suppressing and sealing the young Daoist boy! Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the sixteen-character seal suddenly detonated all at once. The young Daoist boy planted his foot, and his own bodhimanda unfurled, rolling Dao power bearing down like an avalanche. Both the Imperial Monarch and the Primordial Monarch grunted, blood seeping from the corners of their mouths, their bodhimandas stifled and unable to operate under the crushing weight of his overbearing Great Dao. The Daoist boy charged in, whisk flying as he clashed with the two. The more they fought, the more alarmed they became. The boy showed no trace of being a dead husk; his moves, divine arts, and strict adherence to principles were orderly and measured, precisely like a living, supreme grandmaster! Even if their true bodies had descended to fight him head-on, they feared they still might not gain the upper hand! *The Primordial Monarch hasn't used her true abilities; she hasn't deployed the thirty-third heaven of her Spirit Confluence Art!* The Imperial Monarch's eyes flickered, and after a moment's hesitation, he too held back from exerting his full strength. He had already transcended the scope of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Art to cultivate the Twelve Dao Wheels, but he had yet to reveal them before others. With this being merely an avatar, he was all the less willing to expose his trump card. They had clashed for barely dozens of exchanges when the boy's whisk swept across the Imperial Monarch's ribs. A sickening crack echoed as his ribs snapped! "Where did this Daoist boy come from? How can he be this formidable?" The two suddenly split, tearing through the air to the left and right as they fled for their lives. The boy soared into the air in pursuit of the Primordial Monarch, allowing the Imperial Monarch to breathe a sigh of relief. He had just reached the Jade Pool when he saw yet another Daoist boy there, hair tied in double topknots, bearing an extraordinary air. Battling him was a winged divine figure covered in blood—the Heavenly Demon incarnation of the Heavenly Venerable. Sensing the Imperial Monarch's arrival, the boy splayed his five fingers, bringing them down like a cast net. Cursing his misfortune, the Imperial Monarch joined forces with the Heavenly Venerable's Heavenly Demon incarnation to resist the boy. Yet this boy's strength was not a whit inferior to the previous one. He battered them until both were wounded and forced to retreat. Unfortunately, the Imperial Monarch's luck was rotten this time: the boy abandoned the Heavenly Venerable and came straight for him. Unable to spare the time to contemplate the Jade Pool, the Imperial Monarch hurriedly flew onto the God Bridge and bolted directly toward the Third Heavenly Pass. Thunderous tremors rumbled from the Third Heavenly Pass, and beyond the pass, Dao light surged forth through the gates, accompanied by the deafening roar of the Great Dao—an appalling spectacle. Peering across the Third Heavenly Pass, the Imperial Monarch saw an ancient, incomparable bodhimanda within the Jade Capital Immortal City. The colossal silhouette of the Ginseng Fruit Tree trembled violently, as if situated in another spacetime and descending from across dimensions. Accompanied by the shuddering of spacetime, the multicolored rays of the Great Dao emanating from this Dao tree swept out of spacetime fissures, obliterating everything in their path! By now, quite a few people had breached the Third Heavenly Pass and were rushing toward the Jade Capital Immortal City. Several Immortal Kings failed to evade in time; caught in the sweeping Dao light, their bodhimandas instantly pulverized into dust, their physical bodies disintegrated, and their Primordial Spirits were obliterated! The Imperial Monarch shivered. Looking back, he saw the Daoist boy floating through the air toward him, expressionless and dripping with murderous aura. The Imperial Monarch immediately plunged through the pass, thinking, *If this boy continues pursuing me relentlessly, I have no choice but to discard this avatar.* "Who would have thought that the dignified Imperial Monarch would have such a pathetic day?" Just as he entered the Third Heavenly Pass, a voice reached his ears. Hurriedly looking toward the source, he saw an Immortal Monarch leading more than a dozen Immortal Kings, also rushing toward the Jade Capital Immortal City. Clad in purple robes, this Immortal Monarch was named Qin Mufeng. In former years, he had been the immortal official in charge of the Five Hells Celestial Prison, titled the Imperial Monarch of the Five Hells. During the Imperial Monarch's rapid rise to power, he had suppressed all rivals. Although Qin Mufeng had also held the title of Imperial Monarch, his authority had paled in comparison to the Imperial Monarch's. The Imperial Monarch had used an excuse of malpractice to strip him of his title. He and his subordinate Immortal Kings were dismissed from office, reduced to unaffiliated immortals. As the saying went, when enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. Qin Mufeng immediately led those dozen-odd Immortal Kings to lay an escapeless net, merely waiting for the Imperial Monarch to walk into the trap. Having once been the Imperial Monarch of the Five Hells, most of his divine arts and Dao methods revolved around chains; his bodhimanda was riddled with chains, shackles, and instruments of torture. The Imperial Monarch knew full well how many enemies he had. If he became entangled with Qin Mufeng while the Daoist boy caught up from behind, death would be all but certain. Yet Qin Mufeng's cultivation and strength were formidable, and he was especially adept at capture. Although the Imperial Monarch could defeat him in combat, doing so would require considerable effort and time. As the boy behind burst through the Third Heavenly Pass, the Imperial Monarch charged forward without hesitation, throwing himself straight toward Qin Mufeng's escapeless net. "Good timing!" Delighted, Qin Mufeng instantly activated the Escapeless Net Formation. Countless chains whipped and crisscrossed, instruments of torture flying everywhere, submerging the Imperial Monarch. At that exact moment, the Daoist boy also arrived. With a gentle flick of his sleeve, two Immortal Kings flew up and were pulverized by the twisting momentum of his cuff. The Escapeless Net Formation was instantly torn open with a gaping breach. The Imperial Monarch's heart sank without a shred of joy. Although the net had been torn open, the gap faced directly toward the Daoist boy. If he charged out, he would run headlong into the boy's assault, and with Qin Mufeng and the others piling on, he would be ground to dust without even a grave to rest in! Qin Mufeng was equally terrified. He had used the Escapeless Net Formation to trap the Imperial Monarch, never anticipating that the oncoming Daoist boy would be so terrifying, slaying two great Immortal Kings with a mere flick of his sleeve. Plunging into the formation without distinguishing friend from foe, the boy launched lethal strikes against the Imperial Monarch, Qin Mufeng, and the others alike. Qin Mufeng grunted in pain, repeatedly facing mortal danger within moments, and another Immortal King under his command lost his life, slaughtered by the boy! At this point, Qin Mufeng had no choice but to join hands with the Imperial Monarch to confront the boy together. Yet they were forced onto the defensive far more than they could attack, thoroughly suppressed by the boy! Qin Mufeng was shocked and furious. Right then, spacetime tremors pulsed from the Jade Capital Immortal City behind them as the Ginseng Fruit Tree drew another step closer to the present world. Following it, the multicolored rays of the Ginseng Fruit Tree's Great Dao swept through the fissures from that other spacetime! Qin Mufeng's and the Imperial Monarch's eyes lit up. Straining with all their might to withstand the boy's onslaught, they waited until the sweeping Dao rays reached their backs before scattering. Caught off guard, the boy was swallowed by the Dao light. When the light dissipated, the flesh on the boy's face and hands had been stripped clean away, leaving behind only ghastly white bone. Yet he was still not dead, charging straight after them! His heart pounding in terror, the Imperial Monarch dashed at top speed toward the Jade Capital Immortal City. Qin Mufeng and the others also fled toward it in panic. In the distance, the Eastern King watched this scene without approaching. Within the cave abyss above his head, thousands of divine diviners were coordinating calculations, helping him deduce everything in his surroundings. The Eastern King was a grandmaster of divine calculation himself, possessing astonishing deductive power. By consolidating and synthesizing the calculations of the immortal diviners, he readily grasped the causes and effects. "These two Daoist boys are the young attendants left behind in Wuzhuang Temple by the Ancestor of Earth Immortals. One is called Qingfeng, and the other Mingyue. They were ordered to guard Wuzhuang Temple, but when the Dao weeping arrived, neither managed to survive it," the Eastern King murmured. "However, they were too powerful. In life, they consumed Ginseng Dao fruits, allowing them to borrow the fruits' power even after death to resurrect and guard Wuzhuang Temple. With these two boys being so formidable, I'm afraid only our true bodies coming in person could break through their obstruction to obtain the Ginseng Dao fruits!" He dared not clash with Qingfeng and Mingyue either, but he understood that unless these two boys were resolved, no one stood a chance of claiming a Ginseng Dao fruit, let alone the Dao tree itself. The Ginseng Fruit Tree they currently beheld was not the actual tree; this ancient Dao tree resided in another spacetime and was presently entering the Earth Immortal Realm! The Dao fruits were not yet fully ripe; only when they reached complete maturity would the Ginseng Fruit Tree genuinely descend into the mortal realm. *That bastard Xu Ying should have arrived by now, right?* The Eastern King fumed inwardly, sneering, *"A man of his word, heh! That brat is as slippery as an eel. Trying to use him to test the upper limits of Qingfeng and Mingyue's strength seems impossible..."* Just as the thought crossed his mind, a foul wind suddenly swept in from behind. The Eastern King turned around, his expression instantly changing as he saw Qingfeng charging his way! Clashing with Qingfeng was the graceful Primordial Monarch, thoroughly battered, alongside the external avatar of Celestial Venerable Ning of the Taisui Ministry. Both supreme experts were covered in injuries, fleeing in his direction. With his hands behind his back, the Eastern King's eyes flickered, and he chuckled coldly under his breath. "My deductive power is unmatched. No matter how strong you are, Qingfeng, you cannot escape my calculations. I can anticipate every move and technique you have, knowing exactly how to dodge and how to counter, while you can do nothing against me!" He stood motionless, awaiting Qingfeng's charge. Celestial Venerable Ning and the Primordial Monarch fled toward him in panic. Seeing the Eastern King, both rejoiced inwardly: *Someone to take the fall!* *Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!* Before the Eastern King's eyes, the whisk danced, transforming into myriad beams of sword light plunging toward his face. His divine calculations whirred, instantly identifying the trajectory of the strike. He countered immediately, only for Qingfeng's technique to abruptly shift as the whisk lashed out like a divine whip. The Eastern King's face drained of color. Though he had deduced how to handle the move, Qingfeng's execution was simply too fast; before he could alter his stance, the blow had already landed! The strike sent the Eastern King spinning like a top. The moment he regained his balance, he saw the boy bear down on him, slamming a palm into his chest. He had only just finished calculating Qingfeng's move and had no time to defend. Coughing up blood, the Eastern King tumbled and rolled violently along the God Bridge, smashing into the surface dozens of times before skidding to a halt. *I can calculate his moves and divine arts, but he is too fast for me to react! Without my true body here, it's ill-advised to clash head-on with him!* He leaped to his feet, suppressed his injuries, and dashed straight toward the Jade Capital Immortal City! By now, the Primordial Monarch and Celestial Venerable Ning had already slipped into the city, using the local terrain to hide. The Eastern King hastily sought a hiding spot as well to avoid Qingfeng's detection. Within the Jade Capital Immortal City, earth-shaking tremors pulsed continuously as brilliant rays of light erupted. Clearly, the Ginseng Fruit Tree was drawing closer and closer to the present world, and the Dao fruits' ripening was imminent! Everyone burned with silent anxiety. If Qingfeng and Mingyue were not eliminated, then even if the Ginseng Fruit Tree descended, they would have little hope of seizing the Dao fruits! Before long, Qingfeng and Mingyue joined forces. They ferreted out the experts one by one, either slaughtering them or chasing them out of the Jade Capital. Having fled the Jade Capital in panic to escape the hunt of Qingfeng and Mingyue, the Eastern King ducked into a hiding spot and seethed with bitter resentment: *Where on earth has that great man of his word gone? Why hasn't he shown his face yet?* Xu Ying walked through the heavens one by one, contemplating the Thirty-Three Heavens of Wuzhuang Temple. Strangely enough, these Thirty-Three Heavens were astonishingly quiet; without suffering the slightest disturbance, he arrived at the Twelve-Storyed Mansions. "Where did all the people go?" The big bell flew out and, seeing the temple so deserted without a soul in sight, couldn't help but wonder.