Within Yingzhou, the Divine Mother asked gingerly, "Immortal Master, is it at all possible that even if the Eastern King couldn't divine your ravenous ambition, he could still read it right off your face?"
Xu Ying laughed heartily. "Divine Mother, aren't you joking again?"
Yet the moment he turned his face away, his expression clouded with uncertainty, and he muttered under his breath, "Am I truly that easy to read?"
The few immortals tailing Xu Ying poked their heads out sneakily, exchanging appalled glances. *Old Devil Xu really did do away with the Imperial Monarch's avatar!*
"What reckless nerve this fellow has! To dare touch an avatar of the Imperial Monarch! Just look at his face—black and terrifying!"
"Even the Eastern King fled in terror from that very face!"
Xu Ying cast a backward glance, and the group slowly ducked their heads back down, not daring to show themselves.
Suddenly, the Divine Mother said, "Immortal Master, we should leave!"
Xu Ying's figure flickered, vanishing from the Jade Pool.
Scarcely had he stepped away when the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler arrived in a streak of radiant light. It shimmered uncertainly over the Jade Pool, and finding no one, suddenly tore through the void and flew off.
The commotion stirred up by Xu Ying's clash with the Imperial Monarch just now had been too great, alerting the ruler's master.
Xu Ying had not hidden far away. Gaping from a distance at that Supreme treasure, he suddenly shifted his feet and silently followed behind the measuring ruler. His eyes flickered as he murmured, "It isn't the Eastern King, nor is it the Imperial Monarch. That leaves only the Heavenly Venerable. Could the one who unleashed the measuring ruler to commit murder be the Heavenly Venerable?"
The title "Heavenly Venerable" specifically referred to the Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department.
The Immortal Court possessed six departments: Thunder, Fire, Water, Taisui, Dipper, and Wealth. The head of each department was titled Heavenly Venerable, but the other Heavenly Venerables usually had their office, Daoist title, or surname attached to the honorific. Only the Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department had performed such towering feats that "Heavenly Venerable" became his exclusive title.
Similar titles included Imperial Monarch and Primordial Monarch, both designating specific individuals. Such honorifics were bestowed only upon those of monumental merit and towering achievement.
"The Heavenly Venerable was originally Perfected Yuan Daohai under the Ancestral God. As far as I know, the great achievement he performed was establishing the Heavenly Dao world, taking control over the world's calamity fortunes, and governing heavenly tribulations. But was Yuan Daohai's towering merit truly just the Heavenly Dao world?"
Xu Ying's eyes gleamed. He suspected Yuan Daohai had ascended to the throne of Heavenly Venerable by betraying or even ambushing the Ancestral God.
As for the Heavenly Dao world, it seemed more like a reward than an achievement!
For whoever controlled the Heavenly Dao world effectively turned every ascended soul in the mortal realms into their disciple!
After an immortal ascended, upon entering the Immortal Realm to seek out sects, pay respects to factions, and honor masters, they all had to pay homage to the Heavenly Venerable. Through this, the Heavenly Venerable had swiftly become the greatest power in the Immortal Court, commanding real authority!
Therefore, the Heavenly Dao world was not an achievement, but a reward!
*The Heavenly Venerable must also possess a Supreme treasure to truly secure his footing,* Xu Ying pondered. Far too many people coveted the Heavenly Dao world; figures like the Imperial Monarch and the Primordial Monarch had meddled with it more than once, attempting to empty the cage for new birds—hollowing out the Thunder and Fire Ministry of Works and inserting their own cronies to gain indirect control.
If the Heavenly Venerable lacked the capital to suppress the gathered titans, he could never sit securely on that seat and would have been overthrown long ago. It was indeed reasonable for him to possess a Supreme treasure.
"Yet what if the one wielding the measuring ruler isn't the Heavenly Venerable?"
Xu Ying moved slightly, his body gradually fading into the void. Quietly stepping onto the God Bridge of Wuzhuang Temple, he followed the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler toward the immortal city of Yujing.
After inspecting the area, the measuring ruler had departed on its own. Following right behind it placed him in the blind spot beneath the lamp, where it was easiest to evade the Supreme treasure's detection and attacks.
Xu Ying had barely departed when those few immortals poked their heads out again. Looking at one another, one of them inquired, "Old Devil Xu followed the measuring ruler! Does he actually intend to kill whoever is wielding it and seize that Supreme treasure?"
Another immortal said, "If he really does that, I'll have to admire him as a true hero! But how could a being commanding a Supreme treasure be so easily killed by him?"
"Should we still follow?"
"We've already lost sight of him!"
On the God Bridge, Xu Ying tracked the measuring ruler, thinking to himself, *Anyone capable of becoming a Heavenly Venerable over the six departments is no ordinary figure. The Heavenly Venerable of the Wealth Department holds the purse strings of the Immortal Court and occupies a position of utmost significance. Without the full trust of the Immortal Emperor Supreme, how could he sit firmly on that throne? Thus, he too is a suspect.*
As for the Heavenly Venerables of Water, Fire, and Taisui, Xu Ying had never crossed paths with them and knew little about them.
Apart from them, could Primordial Monarch Ling Su be a simple woman?
Primordial Monarch was an exclusive title referring specifically to Ling Su, an unprecedented honorific. Anyone bestowed the title of Primordial Monarch was hardly someone to be trifled with.
*Furthermore, would the Immortal Emperor Supreme be tempted by the Ginseng Fruit Tree?*
Suddenly, Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat as he realized he had overlooked the most important figure of all. He had been guessing that the person attempting to seize the Ginseng Fruit Tree was someone like the Imperial Monarch or the Heavenly Venerable, forgetting another person entirely.
The Immortal Emperor Supreme!
The Ginseng Fruit Tree was the spirit root of heaven and earth belonging to the Earth Immortal Realm, vital beyond measure. The Tide of the Three Realms was beginning to merge the three realms together. If the Immortal Realm, the Earth Immortal Realm, and the Underworld unified, possessing the Ginseng Fruit Tree would be tantamount to holding the orthodox sovereignty over the Earth Immortal Realm!
Would the Immortal Emperor Supreme tolerate the Ginseng Fruit Tree falling into someone else's hands?
*The Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler is a Supreme treasure, so it is only reasonable for it to be in the hands of the Immortal Emperor Supreme!*
Cold sweat broke out on Xu Ying's forehead. The Immortal Emperor was the prime suspect!
Should he still follow the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler, then?
If the one wielding the ruler truly was the Immortal Emperor Supreme, wouldn't going there be walking straight into a trap?
*No, it's definitely not the Immortal Emperor!*
Xu Ying steadied his mind. The Immortal Emperor Supreme was the very fellow scheming against him for the Taiyi cave abyss, as well as the father of the Eastern King. That man was extraordinarily versed in divine divination, daring to plot against the likes of the Demon Ancestor and Daoist Taiqing—a man who worked on a grand scale.
If he had made a move, the avatars, Dao bodies, and incarnations of the Imperial Monarch, the Eastern King, and the others would have been thoroughly wiped out long ago!
*Someone else is making the move! Regardless of who it is, let's first enter the bodhimanda of the Ginseng Fruit Tree!*
Xu Ying's eyes flickered. Advancing along the God Bridge, he kept pace with the flying Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler and headed straight for Yujing City.
Yujing City was an immortal city, a place of ascension. When a Qi Refiner's Primordial Spirit ascended and entered Yujing, they became an immortal. Thus, in ancient times, Qi Refiners had no need to enter the Immortal Realm to attain immortality, and mortals and immortals living alongside one another had been the norm.
The Yujing of Wuzhuang Temple was exceedingly profound, differing from the Kunlun Yujing. The Kunlun Yujing was mostly filled with ceremonial relics left behind by mortal emperors who made offerings to the Ancestral Court and their ancestors.
This place, however, was an emblem of the Dao, adorned with grand palaces and halls that subtly matched the realms of immortal cultivation.
The voice of the Dao attendant Qingfeng came from Yingzhou behind him. "Senior Brother, within Yujing lie the Human Immortal's Domain of Six Immortals, the Earth Immortal Dao domain, the Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda, the Golden Immortal Dao chain, the Immortal Monarch Dao tree, the Heavenly Monarch Dao flower, and the Great Luo Golden Immortal Dao fruit. These extraordinary zones are immensely useful for comprehending the various immortal realms."
Xu Ying's heart stirred. He wanted to pause and comprehend them one by one, reluctant to bypass such marvelous zones.
"Only by passing through these zones can one reach the bodhimanda where the Ginseng Fruit Tree resides," Qingfeng said. "That is the core of Wuzhuang Temple, the most important bodhimanda."
Xu Ying gazed ahead. In the distance, that colossally massive Ginseng Fruit Tree, radiating multicolored Dao light, was the most eye-catching thing in this entire city of Yujing, completely overshadowing every other immortal palace and hall.
All the other wondrous zones paled in comparison to the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
He glanced in all directions and spotted a ring of green tiles and white walls standing vaguely between heaven and earth like a thick rampart.
Presumably, those green tiles and white walls formed the outer perimeter of Wuzhuang Temple.
Xu Ying shuttled forward behind the measuring ruler, concealing his traces as best he could. His attainments in the Gourd Heaven Dao Verification Scripture had already surpassed Perfected Jade Pot's; when he went into hiding, outsiders could hardly detect him.
He passed through the Human Immortal's Domain of Six Immortals, looking left and right as he walked. He noticed that this Domain of Six Immortals corresponded to the physical body, soul, primordial qi, divine consciousness, yin and yang, and mental strength.
*The Ancestor of Earth Immortals' Domain of Six Immortals is no more profound than the Xu family's Six Secrets ancestral method. Daoist Qingxuan, who created the ancestral method, built upon ancient foundations to develop the Domain of Six Immortals to its absolute limits!*
Without lingering, Xu Ying traversed this wondrous zone.
Having already cultivated ten immortal domains, the Ancestor of Earth Immortals' Domain of Six Immortals was of no use to him.
Ahead, the measuring ruler entered another zone: the Earth Immortal Dao domain.
The Earth Immortal Dao domain belonged to immortals who had reached the Earth Immortal realm, melding the six immortal domains into a single unified whole to form a Dao domain. Upon reaching this stage, a Qi Refiner's Dao imagery could transform into Dao rules—the laws of the Great Dao.
However, Xu Ying had already achieved the union of ten domains into the Taiyi Dao domain, so he looked down upon the Ancestor of Earth Immortals' Dao domain as well.
*It still falls a bit short compared to my Dao domain.*
As he passed through the Earth Immortal Dao domain, another figure suddenly flickered, also quietly pursuing the measuring ruler.
Xu Ying looked closely and saw a lithe, graceful figure belonging to a young woman. His heart stirred. *It's the Primordial Monarch's Dao body.*
The Primordial Monarch's attention was fully focused on the measuring ruler, her mind intensely concentrated, leaving her oblivious to his presence.
Xu Ying simply trailed behind the Primordial Monarch. Following the measuring ruler was too dangerous, but following the Primordial Monarch was considerably safer.
One after the other, the two pursued the measuring ruler into the Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda.
Xu Ying hesitated. The Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda held far more significance for him. For the longest time, despite possessing profound Dao attainment, he had been unable to bring it to bear simply because he had not cultivated a bodhimanda.
Although Daoist Wukong had gifted him the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven bodhimanda to resolve his pressing emergency, his understanding of a bodhimanda remained severely deficient.
Ahead, the Primordial Monarch had already crossed the Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda in pursuit of the measuring ruler. Suddenly, Xu Ying spotted a figure stir within the bodhimanda, stealthily trailing the Primordial Monarch.
The figure bore an unfamiliar face, clad in red robes and black shoes, with a hollow, flame-shaped wheel behind her head. It was a woman.
"Immortal Master, that woman is the Heavenly Venerable of the Fire Department. Her name is Li Sixue," the Divine Mother's voice chimed in. "She has come as an incarnation, and her abilities are not among the top tier of those present."
An incarnation typically lacked a true physical body and was inherently weaker than an avatar. For instance, transforming the one qi into the three pure ones yielded incarnations—heaven and earth primordial spirits composed of qi rather than mortals of flesh and blood.
The Imperial Monarch's avatar was a reincarnated form possessing flesh and blood and even various cultivation realms; that was a true avatar.
As for the Primordial Monarch's Dao body, it was forged from her own flesh and blood, nourished through secret arts and nurtured with the Great Dao like refining a treasure—a treasure crafted within a bodhimanda.
The Primordial Monarch instantly spotted Heavenly Venerable Sixue of the Fire Department, and Heavenly Venerable Sixue simultaneously noticed the Primordial Monarch's sweeping gaze. Both women hesitated, neither making a move. The Primordial Monarch slowed her pace, allowing Heavenly Venerable Sixue to pull alongside her, and together they stepped into another wondrous zone: the Golden Immortal Dao chain.
Xu Ying pursued them out of the Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda and was about to enter the Golden Immortal Dao chain when he saw figures flickering within it—others were tracking the measuring ruler as well!
"Immortal Master, this person is the Heavenly Venerable of the Water Department, named Xie Qingshan, also known as Heavenly Venerable Qingshan."
Just as the Divine Mother said this, she caught sight of another figure and hastily added, "That one is Heavenly Venerable Ning of the Taisui Department! Wait, the Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department is nearby as well! He is tracking the measuring ruler too!"
She said excitedly, "My divine divination has made great strides! I actually divined the Heavenly Venerable's whereabouts!"
Yuan Tiangang reminded her, "Teacher, the one who came from the Thunder Department is merely a Heavenly Demon incarnation. Divining his presence is hardly proof that your skills have improved."
The Divine Mother's face darkened instantly.
Just as Yuan Tiangang opened his mouth to say more, Fairy Gushe hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to keep quiet.
Xu Ying was thoroughly flabbergasted. *Could it be that the master of the measuring ruler isn't the Heavenly Venerable after all?*
With the Imperial Monarch's avatar eliminated by his own hands and the Eastern King severely wounded, the prime suspect had been Heavenly Venerable Yuan Daohai. Never had he expected Yuan Daohai to be pursuing the measuring ruler as well!
Who, then, was controlling the measuring ruler?
The crowd concealed their figures to avoid startling the ruler, closing in stealthily.
Xu Ying frowned deeply. More and more people were pursuing the measuring ruler. Aside from the Heavenly Venerables and the Primordial Monarch, several unfamiliar faces had appeared, likely formidable experts among the independent immortals.
The Heavenly Venerables and the Primordial Monarch had come as incarnations, avatars, or Dao bodies. While their true selves were exceedingly powerful, these forms were not their genuine bodies, meaning their cultivation and strength might not reliably surpass the powerhouses among the unaffiliated.
*Their target is the master of the measuring ruler as well!* Xu Ying realized. These people likely intended to slaughter the ruler's master and claim the Supreme treasure for themselves!
*These scoundrels actually share the exact same idea as me!* Xu Ying grimaced. Far too many people harbored this identical notion.
*When every survivor wants to kill the master of the measuring ruler, the idea ceases to be a good one!*
Seeking out the master of the measuring ruler to kill them was perilous in the extreme; one slight misstep made it far more likely to end up killed instead.
At this juncture, it was hard to tell who was the hunter and who was the prey.
Making a prompt decision, he halted his steps, turned around, and retreated to the Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda, thinking, *Far too many people are going. Who is to say this isn't the ruler's master luring the snakes out of their holes? Rather than rushing in, I might as well wait and comprehend the Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda first before planning my next move!*
Returning to the Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda, he descended and began carefully studying it. Just then, a voice laughed, "Though the Ancestor of Earth Immortals' Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda is exquisite beyond compare, his comprehension of bodhimandas was still incomplete. This Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda is founded upon the Domain of Six Immortals and lacks four crucial Dao marvels."
Xu Ying followed the voice and saw an emaciated youth in white robes standing within the bodhimanda, examining its structure and profound mysteries.
Qingfeng felt indignant and was about to speak when Xu Ying asked, "May I ask, fellow Daoist, which four Dao marvels is the Ancestor of Earth Immortals' bodhimanda lacking?"
The white-robed youth smiled. "It lacks life and death, Dao strength, void, and Hunyuan—four Dao marvels in total. One cannot blame the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, however. In that era, he had yet to comprehend those four."
The youth lifted his head, looked at Xu Ying, and smiled. "Why didn't Celestial Venerable Xu pursue the measuring ruler?"
Xu Ying scrutinized him from head to toe, replying cautiously, "I suspect the master of the measuring ruler is fishing in reverse, and those chasing the ruler are the fish. How should I address you, fellow Daoist?"
The white-robed youth said, "My humble name is Su Yeqing. I rank sixth in my family, so old acquaintances call me Sixth Young Master."
Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "For a moment, I thought your name was Supreme."
Chapter 520