Seeing this, Qingfeng hurriedly activated that golden ruyi-like immortal artifact, picking one ginseng Dao fruit after another, which Xu Ying hastily caught.
By the time Qingfeng knocked down the fourth Dao fruit, the Imperial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable, Primordial Monarch, and many other Heavenly Monarchs were already very close to them.
Xu Ying felt deeply anxious; if they did not leave now, they would not be able to escape at all.
"Mingyue, consume the Dao fruit!"
Qingfeng barked out the command. Hearing him, the Daoist boy Mingyue immediately consumed his own fruit.
Qingfeng swallowed his own fruit whole. Both had prior experience consuming Dao fruits, so they instantly activated their Heavenly Monarch bodhimandas. Splendor swirled within both bodhimandas, and a natural, heavenly Dao rhythm manifested.
Originally, their Dao fruits had been shattered by the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler. After consuming the ginseng Dao fruits, both Dao fruits rapidly recovered.
Qingfeng and Mingyue channeled their Dao fruits to heal their injuries. Before long, the Dao wounds that had plagued them for ages were resolved!
Qingfeng sent the golden ruyi soaring into the air. It struck another Dao fruit, and the fruit immediately tumbled down.
"Senior Brother Xu, the two of us brothers owe you nothing more! Mingyue, follow me!"
Qingfeng let out a long cry. Flanking left and right, the two apprentice brothers charged outward together, intoning chillingly, "Intruders die!"
Catching the Dao fruit, Xu Ying hurriedly shouted, "Qingfeng, Mingyue, don't go!"
Qingfeng's voice drifted back from the distance: "The two of us were ordered by the Patriarch to guard Wuzhuang Temple. Even if our bodies perish and our Daos are extinguished, we cannot disobey the Patriarch's command! Senior Brother Xu, farewell!"
He turned and waved to Xu Ying, calling out, "Find an opening and escape on your own!"
Qingfeng glanced at the addlepated Mingyue and saw him waving foolishly at Xu Ying as well. In his heart, Qingfeng felt both gratified and despondent.
He knew that even the ancient era had failed to withstand the Immortal Court, let alone Wuzhuang Temple.
Going forth this time, he and Mingyue would likely be pulverized to dust.
"Junior Brother Mingyue, keep up with me!" he called out, charging ahead to meet their foes.
Qingfeng and Mingyue were Heavenly Monarchs to begin with. Though they appeared young, they were actually ancient monsters hundreds of thousands of years old, possessing profound cultivation.
They had long since died during the Dao weeping, maintaining a state between life and death solely through their Dao fruits, and their Dao trees and Dao flowers had already been destroyed. Without Dao trees, their Dao fruits lacked a foundation, leaving them less powerful than true Great Luo Golden Immortals.
Thus, Dao fruits like theirs were known as pseudo-Dao fruits.
Of course, if they could mend their broken souls, they could still cultivate Dao trees.
However, both were desperate to protect the tree and trapped in this half-dead, half-alive state, making it impossible for them to cultivate from scratch.
Xu Ying seized the moment to swallow a ginseng Dao fruit, circulating its power to refine it.
Lan Suying, on the other hand, stowed away her two Dao fruits without consuming them.
Their gazes remained fixed on Qingfeng and Mingyue. Ghostly in their footwork, the two moved through the bodhimanda without brushing against a single strand of Dao light, intercepting the Imperial Monarch.
The Imperial Monarch halted. Sensing their profound cultivation and seeing that they possessed the Dao fruits he had longed for even in his dreams, he did not dare be careless. He instantly channeled the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Secret Art and unleashed the Nine Heavens Dao King Seal to meet their assault!
Taking on both at once, he immediately felt two terrifying surges of Dao power grinding down upon him.
The Imperial Monarch retreated, leaping erratically like a civet cat, his posture shifting constantly as he avoided the Dao light of the Ginseng Fruit Tree. He praised, "What immense magic power! If I obtain a ginseng Dao fruit, I will certainly advance a step further!"
Within a few steps, he deflected Qingfeng and Mingyue's force, remaining serene and utterly unharmed.
Beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree, Xu Ying's pupils constricted slightly. The Imperial Monarch's handling of Qingfeng and Mingyue was completely different from the performance of his avatar.
The Imperial Monarch's true body faced Qingfeng and Mingyue with such effortless ease that, compared to his avatar's pathetic state, they were worlds apart.
Qingfeng and Mingyue attacked once more. The Imperial Monarch smiled faintly as a Dao wheel suddenly emerged behind him, clashing with the two boys over a dozen times in a brief instant.
Suddenly, the Imperial Monarch pulled back unscathed, praising, "The Dao arts of the ancient era are truly remarkable."
"Let me try!"
The Eastern King let out a long roar and charged at Qingfeng and Mingyue, attacking both simultaneously. Just now, the Imperial Monarch had parried their blows while dodging the Dao light. Having fought the Imperial Monarch in earlier years, the Eastern King knew that although it had nominally been a draw, he had actually lost.
By stepping forward now, he aimed to test his own strength against Qingfeng and Mingyue and deduce the Imperial Monarch's true depth in the process.
He was adept in divine calculation; even the Dao light of the Ginseng Fruit Tree and the attacks of Qingfeng and Mingyue fell within his calculations.
Yet Qingfeng and Mingyue possessed Dao fruits, and their combat power was simply too formidable. After taking sixteen moves in succession, the Eastern King had no choice but to retreat.
"Let me try!"
The Primordial Monarch let out a sharp cry and plunged into the fray just as the Eastern King pulled back, taking his place.
She fought Qingfeng and Mingyue for fifteen exchanges before withdrawing from the battlefield.
Then the tall, burly Heavenly Venerable strode forward to take on Qingfeng and Mingyue. After battling for over a dozen rounds, he too stepped back.
Heavenly Venerable Ning of the Taisui Department stepped forward, saying, "Allow me to test them."
He was also a top-tier Heavenly Monarch, and his Supreme Mysterious Origin Jade Hall Great Method was extraordinarily refined. Yet after receiving just two strikes from Qingfeng and Mingyue, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Forced to leap away, he was struck by a sweep of Dao light from the Ginseng Fruit Tree!
Heavenly Venerable Ning activated the treasure of the Taisui Department's palace: a mass of primordial flesh. In an instant, the primordial flesh spread across his entire body. As the Dao light swept over, the flesh dispersed and re-formed endlessly, inexhaustible and boundlessly regenerative.
Seeing this, the others felt a jolt of awe: "This treasure of the Taisui Department surpasses countless other magic treasures!"
Heavenly Venerable of the Fire Department Li Sixue dashed forward. A wheel of flames spun behind her head, and clumps of chaotic immortal fire flew forth, moving in rhythm with her divine power with world-destroying might.
Yet in the next moment, this female Heavenly Venerable was sent flying backward, spitting blood, having lasted only three moves against Qingfeng and Mingyue.
Heavenly Venerable Sixue was fiercely proud by nature. Seeing Heavenly Venerable Ning fall after two moves, she insisted on outdoing him and forcibly withstood a third strike, suffering far heavier injuries as a result.
"Let me meet them!"
Heavenly Venerable of the Water Department Xie Qingshan surged forward atop the surging waters of the Heavenly River beneath his feet, which bore him aloft. Heavenly Venerable Qingshan wielded the Heavenly River as a whip, lashing out at Qingfeng and Mingyue.
Beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree, Xu Ying stimulated the medicine's potency while keeping his eyes glued to the scene.
He watched as Heavenly Venerable Qingshan was defeated, followed by the Heavenly Venerable of Finance stepping up, exchanging a move or two with Qingfeng and Mingyue before retreating.
"They are using Qingfeng and Mingyue to gauge the gap between themselves and the Imperial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable, Eastern King, and Primordial Monarch!"
Xu Ying's eyes flickered. "From this battle, they will realize their rightful place and no longer dare vie against the four titans."
Aside from them, several unfamiliar rogue Heavenly Monarchs also stepped forward to exchange a move or two with Qingfeng and Mingyue.
In name they were rogue cultivators, but in truth they were former court officials who had stepped down after losing political struggles, stripped of their power and ousted.
They had come to Wuzhuang Temple this time for the Dao fruits as well.
If they could consume a Dao fruit and become Great Luo Golden Immortals—even with merely a pseudo-Dao fruit—they would not be relegated to mere rogue cultivators in the Immortal Realm.
"Things look grim for Qingfeng and Mingyue."
Xu Ying's gaze shifted rapidly. "Once these people have tested their limits and know where they stand, they won't probe any longer—they will join forces and besiege Qingfeng and Mingyue directly!"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the power of the ginseng Dao fruit suddenly erupted!
Shaped like an infant, this ginseng Dao fruit was a humanoid Dao fruit composed of clusters and motes of indestructible spiritual light. When consumed and refined, it could adapt to one's own Great Dao, transforming into the corresponding Dao fruit.
For instance, if a cultivator cultivated the Dao of Fire, consuming the ginseng Dao fruit would forge a Dao Fruit of Fire; if the Dao of Water, a Dao Fruit of Water.
If one cultivated many Daos, the energy of the humanoid Dao fruit would adjust accordingly, distributing itself among the different Daos.
If dispersed too thinly, one might fail to form a Dao fruit altogether.
Xu Ying felt wave after wave of power surge through his body into his Great Luo Heaven bodhimanda. Suddenly, it split into ten streams and flowed toward the Ten Scenes of Great Luo.
Xu Ying's Ten Scenes of Great Luo corresponded to the Ten Scenes of Great Void in the Realm of the Great Void: the ten scenes represented ten Great Daos, ten great attainments.
The Chaos Sea represented Chaos; the Two Basins of Xuanhuang corresponded to Xuanhuang; the Glazed Pure Emptiness corresponded to Nature; the Indestructible Spiritual Light corresponded to the Primordial Spirit; the Yujing Immortal City corresponded to Yin and Yang; the Crimson Palace Immortal Domain corresponded to Vitality and Strength; the God Bridge corresponded to Life and Death; the Indeterminate Long River corresponded to Dao Force; the Void Flame corresponded to Void; and the Taiyi Cave Abyss corresponded to the Dao of Taiyi.
The Dao fruit Xu Ying consumed split into ten streams of power, drawn by these ten Great Daos, and surged toward the ten scenes respectively.
Xu Ying frowned. Had the power of the Dao fruit bolstered only a single Great Dao, it could have allowed him to form a pseudo-Dao fruit, granting him the strength to fight his way out of the encirclement.
However, divided into ten parts, each could only unleash a tenth of the Dao fruit's power—and combined, what they could bring to bear was not ten-tenths, but still merely a tenth!
It was just like holding ten Ascension-stage magic treasures in your hands: the power unleashed by activating one treasure was virtually the same as activating all ten at once.
Because what truly limited you was your realm.
If you were to activate an immortal artifact, however, that would be extraordinary. An immortal artifact was equivalent to granting you advance entry into the Immortal realm, its might naturally incomparable to that of an Ascension-stage magic treasure.
"Moreover, with ten Great Daos, how can I attain a Dao fruit?"
Xu Ying's heart stirred. Back when they parted ways, the Demon Ancestor had given him two books, one of which was Ten Attestations of Dao Fruits written by Ten Useless Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi!
"Yet even Ten Useless Heavenly Monarch never cultivated a Dao fruit."
Xu Ying's expression dimmed slightly. He glanced at the Heavenly Monarchs who had arrived; Ten Useless Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi was likely not among them.
The power surging into the Ten Scenes of Great Luo grew stronger and stronger, and Xu Ying could feel the power within them steadily climbing. The Dao rhythm was profound and enduring, and his mastery over his bodhimanda deepened continuously!
The power of the Great Daos he could mobilize also grew increasingly potent!
In fact, Dao flowers even began to form within the Ten Scenes of Great Luo. A Xuanhuang Dao flower grew between the Two Basins of Xuanhuang, taking root in two realms. A void flower blossomed within the Void Flame, stunningly beautiful. There were also the glazed flower in the Glazed Pure Emptiness, the immortal plant within the Indestructible Spiritual Light, the lotus within the Indeterminate Long River, the twin plants of Yin and Yang in Yujing Immortal City, the flower of life and death beneath the God Bridge...
All manner of marvelous Dao flowers bloomed in silence, lending his bodhimanda an added touch of magnificence.
Just then, a loud clang rang out as the big bell viciously slammed into the strange flower of the Heavenly River, sending it flying and tumbling from above Xu Ying's Chaos Sea.
"Ah Ying, this old bastard wants to devour your Chaos flower!" the big bell said indignantly.
With a thought, Xu Ying pinned the strange flower of the Heavenly River in place and said rapidly, "Lord Bell, keep an eye on it! I need to concentrate my mind to break out of here!"
The big bell agreed and hung inverted above the strange flower, ready to suppress it the moment it made any move.
Xu Ying continued refining the Dao fruit to elevate his strength. By now, the Imperial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable, and the others had finished testing their moves. Suddenly, the Primordial Monarch smiled and said, "Why waste time squabbling with two dead men? Let us attack together and claim the Dao fruits quickly."
The others voiced their agreement and charged at Qingfeng and Mingyue.
Qingfeng and Mingyue were far smaller than them, appearing like mere children. Yet facing the Imperial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable, and the others, they showed no fear at all as they fought back. Even so, two pairs of fists were no match for four dozen hands; there were too many masters, and supreme figures like the Imperial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable, and Eastern King had not even exerted their full strength. In this battle, despite having consumed their Dao fruits, the two boys were fraught with peril and suffered wound after wound!
Suddenly, Qingfeng shouted, "Mingyue, Dao weeping!"
Mingyue opened his mouth, and a shrill, bizarre wail instantly issued from within.
When this sound blasted out, the Imperial Monarch bore the brunt of it. His mind went dizzy and muddled at once, followed by the horrifying realization that his own Great Dao was decaying at rapid speed.
Shocked to his core, he could no longer afford to hide his strength. He immediately channeled his true technique. In a single instant, an immense Dao wheel manifested behind him.
Upon the ring of this Dao wheel were twelve smaller Dao wheels, and seated within each of the twelve was one of the Imperial Monarch's external avatars, overwhelmingly powerful!
This was the outward manifestation of his Supreme-grade technique!
Just as he mobilized his technique, Qingfeng also opened his mouth, and the sound of Dao weeping erupted from him as well. The Imperial Monarch's Dao wheel wobbled unsteadily, and all twelve external avatars showed signs of decay, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
The Imperial Monarch paled in horror. As Qingfeng and Mingyue attacked in concert, he parried several moves while his head grew increasingly groggy, until the pair struck him squarely in the chest, sending him tumbling backward through the air!
The Dao weeping from Qingfeng and Mingyue did not cease. The two Daoist boys darted back and forth, severely wounding the Eastern King within a few moves; even though the Eastern King unleashed the technique of the Immortal Emperor Supreme, he could not withstand them!
In the next moment, the Primordial Monarch spat blood, the Heavenly Venerable was repelled, the Heavenly Venerable of Finance had his myriad treasures shattered, Heavenly Venerable Sixue's chaotic immortal fire was extinguished, and Heavenly Venerable Qingshan's whip of the Heavenly River collapsed!
In mere moments, the Heavenly Monarchs of the Immortal Court, who had held the absolute advantage just before, were utterly routed!
Leading Mingyue as he charged toward the Heavenly Monarchs, the young Daoist boy Qingfeng shouted, "Junior Brother Mingyue, get rid of them all and restore peace to Wuzhuang Temple!"
With the sound of Dao weeping ceaselessly pouring from their mouths, the two forced the Imperial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable, and the others into retreat step after step, filling their hearts with immense humiliation.
They clearly possessed boundless, staggering power, yet against the Dao weeping they could not unleash it, reduced to taking beatings helplessly. Even more terrifying, their Dao flowers began to wither, their Dao trees shed leaves, and their Great Daos started to disintegrate!
This was what truly chilled them to the bone!
Suddenly, Lan Suying's voice sounded by Xu Ying's ear: "Celestial Venerable Xu, fight your way out now. This is your only chance of survival."
Hearing this, Xu Ying froze slightly. The only chance of survival?
Because they were standing beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree, they were less affected by the Dao weeping; waves of Dao resonance burst forth from the Ginseng Fruit Tree, neutralizing much of the wail.
If he charged out now, he would enter the attack range of the Dao weeping!
Nevertheless, Xu Ying resolved to charge forth, dashing toward the outside of the Ginseng Fruit Tree's bodhimanda.
He believed Lan Suying would never harm him to the point of death, because if she truly was the Immortal Emperor Supreme, she had to keep him alive to secure the Taiyi Cave Abyss for her!
With momentum as vast as a rainbow and Dao weeping pouring from their mouths, Qingfeng and Mingyue were on the verge of sweeping away the Imperial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable, and the others in one fell swoop. Suddenly, a cold light flashed past Qingfeng's cheek.
The wail of Dao weeping in Mingyue's mouth came to an abrupt halt, falling silent.
Noticing that his junior brother had stopped in his tracks, Qingfeng turned back to look. He saw the addlepated Mingyue standing frozen where he was, black blood dripping from his forehead.
"Senior Brother, my head hurts so much..." Seeming to have finally regained his senses from the Dao weeping, he spoke and gave Qingfeng a strained smile.
Qingfeng saw a large hole torn open in his forehead.
"Qingfeng, watch out!"
From the distance, Xu Ying screamed at him. Qingfeng whipped his head around to see a white-haired youth in wide, flowing robes walking toward him. The youth gave his wide sleeves a shake, revealing a pair of pristine white hands.
The youth appeared before him and tapped lightly with a finger. Qingfeng's glabella blew apart, and the life in his eyes rapidly faded away.
Chapter 524