Reclaiming the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler left Xu Ying overjoyed. Yet, worried that Emperor Changsheng might have tampered with it, he inspected and tested it repeatedly, refining it several more times before his mind was finally put at ease.
Just moments ago, relying on the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, he had clashed with Emperor Changsheng upon the Taiyi Divine Bridge and astonishingly held his ground through nine moves. The feat filled him with boundless delight and deepened his affection for the ruler.
In his grasp, the treasure served as a discipline ferule or a longsword to execute sword arts. Moreover, whenever he channeled its might, shadows of the ruler blanketed the surrounding space, leaving opponents with nowhere to hide and no way to resist!
Had his opponent not been Emperor Changsheng, anyone else would have been struck down by him long ago!
Emperor Changsheng's backhand brush against his spine had also been terrifying beyond measure. Fortunately, Xu Ying's Leakless Golden Body had attained a minor stage of completion, saving him from being killed on the spot.
The force behind that flick was astonishing. Rushing into his body, it had stirred the Realm of Xiyi into a tempest and thrown the Great Luo bodhimanda's Ten Views into disarray. But as Xu Ying circulated the Leakless Golden Body, every trace of foreign power within him was swiftly refined away!
Not only did his injuries fully heal, but he also sensed that his cultivation had actually climbed slightly from Emperor Changsheng's strike, sending him into raptures!
The Leakless Golden Body was the first art capable of channeling his Great Luo Ten Views all at once, utilizing the strength of the Ten Views to temper and elevate his physical frame. The speed with which it enhanced his body was breathtaking.
Even more crucially, taking a beating could actually increase his cultivation—a benefit he had never anticipated.
*What kind of mindset did Daoist Wukong have when he created a body-refining technique that grows stronger from getting beaten?* Xu Ying wondered secretly.
The greatest boon of the Leakless Golden Body was its ability to refine the Creation Basin inside him.
The Creation Basin had been left within his body when the Returning Dao Jade Platter reshaped his flesh, transforming him into a Creation Sacred Body far sturdier than before.
Yet later, during his duel against the Imperial Monarch's avatar at Wuzhuang Temple, his physical body was obliterated within the Extermination Immortal Array, leaving only his Indestructible Primordial Spirit.
At that time, Xu Ying had regrown a physical form from the Indestructible Primordial Spirit. That new form should have been a pure, ordinary body, no longer the Creation Sacred Body. And yet, the body he reconstituted remained a Creation Sacred Body nonetheless.
The Creation Basin from the Returning Dao Jade Platter restoring his body might not have been an act of goodwill after all!
Now that the Leakless Golden Body could refine the Creation Basin, he could break free from the possibility of being controlled by the jade platter's master.
*Daoist Wukong is probably the only being I have met who harbored no ulterior motives toward me,* Xu Ying thought. *Even this Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler likely has huge hidden troubles. Only Daoist Wukong helped me so much purely out of gratitude. He is a truly genuine soul.*
Meanwhile, Zhongyi Imperial Monarch, Chen Chaosheng, and the others flew in hot pursuit of the freed Wei Xu. Ahead of them, worldly yuanqi surged in violent billows, gathering into clouds that formed a black canopy spanning ten thousand li.
The worldly yuanqi churned within those dark clouds like a colossal millstone. From the center of the millstone came rumbling thunder, with countless bolts crackling and splitting across the sky. Suddenly, an immense column of spiritual energy plunged from the heavens and poured into Wei Xu's body.
As Wei Xu moved, the dark clouds woven from worldly yuanqi followed along.
*Such murderous ferocity is truly earth-shattering!*
Zhongyi Imperial Monarch was secretly shocked. Wei Xu had risen to fame long ago, shaking the realm as early as six hundred thousand years in the past. A notorious battle maniac, he had once achieved countless monumental exploits for the Immortal Realm.
Back then, Zhongyi Imperial Monarch was merely an insignificant immortal who could not even make a name for himself in the Immortal Realm, while Wei Xu shone with dazzling radiance, lauded as the figure with the greatest promise of becoming a Supreme.
In those days, Wei Xu was someone he had to look up to with reverence. Now that Zhongyi Imperial Monarch had cultivated to his current heights, he discovered he still had to look up to him.
Yet Wei Xu's disappearance was just as swift as his rise. Without warning, he vanished from the Immortal Realm, leaving not a trace behind.
Everyone maintained absolute silence regarding Wei Xu, as if this person had never existed. After all, the grand enterprise had just been established and the Immortal Realm newly founded. Everyone was waiting to divide the merits; with one less person to share the spoils, the others would receive a larger piece.
Only now had someone sent orders commanding Zhongyi Imperial Monarch and Chen Chaosheng to rescue Wei Xu. The Tide of the Three Realms was fraught with perils, after all. Having one more powerhouse to share the danger meant one less measure of peril for oneself.
Everyone understood the reasoning behind it.
Flying out from the Boundless Sea of Fire, Wei Xu headed straight for the core region of the Ancestral Court. After surveying his surroundings, he abruptly touched down upon a sacred mountain.
The area possessed picturesque mountains and limpid waters, rich with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers. The sacred mountain abounded in immortal spiritual energy, extraordinary in every way. An Ancestral Court sect had been built here as well, numbering some four to five hundred disciples, flourishing and lively.
Yet in the next breath, heaven and earth spun. The entire sacred ground distorted, curling up alongside the neighboring mountains to transform into a cave abyss spanning hundreds to thousands of li, hovering above Wei Xu's head.
All the immortal spiritual energy produced within this sacred ground was swept up as if caught in a violent gale, drawn into white vapor that poured out of the cave abyss and directly into Wei Xu's body!
Not only that, but every disciple of the sect established here saw their vital essence bleed away at terrifying speed. In mere moments, they withered to skin and bones. Their Golden Cores melted, their primordial spirits dried up, and before long, their souls shattered and dispersed!
Several immortals dwelt within the sacred ground as well—newly ascended immortals of the Ancestral Court serving as the sect master and elders, possessing considerable strength.
Yet before an entity with half a foot across the threshold of the Supreme Realm, they merely held on for a few moments longer before their immortal domains rotted away, their primordial spirits unraveled, and their lives and Dao were extinguished!
As for the thousands of li of land within the cave abyss, rivers evaporated, vegetation withered, and every immortal herb and spirit plant was instantly stripped of its spiritual potency, reduced to scorched earth!
Even the mortals dwelling there were reduced to piles of white bones.
Having thoroughly drained the spiritual energy and worldly yuanqi from this stretch of heaven and earth, Wei Xu relaxed and unfurled the newly formed cave abyss. The sacred land emerged like a towel wrung dry of every drop of moisture, completely devoid of life, leaving behind only heaped white bones.
Catching up to the scene, Chen Chaosheng, Zhongyi Imperial Monarch, and their companions felt a chill seize their hearts. *I heard that when Wei Xu received his orders back then, he came to the Ancestral Court to eradicate all its remnants, leaving none alive. This man is indeed utterly ruthless—no wonder he was chosen for such a task!*
Wei Xu had been refined within the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace for hundreds of thousands of years, his cultivation drained almost to absolute exhaustion. Now that he was free, his first priority was naturally to absorb worldly spiritual energy to replenish the cultivation he had lost over those eras.
Having just absorbed that sacred ground, his cultivation had recovered somewhat, and his aura grew even more terrifying, exuding a chilling, suffocating pressure.
Chen Chaosheng flew forward, calling out from afar, "Senior Wei, my master is Saint Luo of the Nine Heavens! Please hold your steps, sir!"
"So you are a disciple of that Old Monster Luo. I hadn't expected that after hundreds of thousands of years, he would actually be revered as a saint!"
Wei Xu sneered. "I was trapped in the Boundless Sea of Fire for five to six hundred thousand years, and Old Monster Luo never once came to save me. Rescuing me now only proves he wants to use me."
Chen Chaosheng stopped and bowed deeply. "Before I departed, my master instructed me to explain that the reason he delayed rescuing you, Brother Wei, was that your tribulation had not yet run its course. Only now has your tribulation reached its fulfillment."
Wei Xu burst into booming laughter, his expression grim. "What utter nonsense. He refused to rescue me before simply because he didn't want to grant me the power and standing promised to me back then. Saving me now is merely because he wants me to risk my life for him!"
His gaze swept over Chen Chaosheng, Zhongyi Imperial Monarch, and the others like lightning. He looked upon them not as people, but as plump, succulent morsels of food!
Under his stare, a dreadful shiver ran through Zhongyi Imperial Monarch and the rest. *He wants to eat us!*
The thought had barely crossed their minds when Wei Xu vanished. An instant later, he materialized behind an Immortal Monarch, reaching out to seal off all of the man's transformations and seizing him in his grasp.
His frame was towering, his limbs extraordinarily robust, his body packed with thick muscle. Even his neck bulged with cords of sinew, vastly different from an ordinary human's. He opened his massive maw and truly devoured that Immortal Monarch in two or three bites!
Horrified, Zhongyi Imperial Monarch, Chen Chaosheng, and the others scrambled back, summoning their treasures to stand guard in terror.
After swallowing the Immortal Monarch, Wei Xu circulated his cultivation art to extract the immortal spiritual energy from the man's flesh and primordial spirit.
A moment later, Wei Xu opened his mouth and spat out a skull, chuckling. "These things are rather tough to digest."
Seeing his smile, Zhongyi Imperial Monarch and Chen Chaosheng felt their hearts leap into their throats, shuddering uncontrollably.
Wei Xu spoke with polite geniality. "You need not worry. I do not normally eat people. It's just that after being trapped for five to six hundred thousand years without tasting meat, I grew a bit peckish. Besides, I require a vast amount of worldly spiritual energy to restore my stamina, so I ate one just for a taste."
With blood still clinging to the corner of his mouth, he smiled. "Though I hold Old Monster Luo's character in contempt, he did send you to free me after all. I cannot eat you all, or Old Monster Luo would complain that I bully the young. Did you not bring any cave abysses when you set out?"
Zhongyi Imperial Monarch, Chen Chaosheng, and the others shook their heads.
Their descent to the lower realm was supposed to be a clandestine affair. Bringing a cave abyss down would have created too large a target, making it difficult to answer inquiries from the Immortal Court. Moreover, Zhongyi Imperial Monarch held a leisurely post without real authority; if he were stripped of his title over this, the loss would far outweigh any gain.
Wei Xu sighed in disappointment. "Old Monster Luo is as stingy as ever. It seems I have no choice but to devour a few more sacred grounds in the Ancestral Court to recover."
His savage nature laid bare, he suddenly felt a stir in his senses. Gazing into the distance, his eyes lit up, and he chuckled. "Someone actually delivers themselves to my door! What a fine cave abyss!"
Chen Chaosheng and Zhongyi Imperial Monarch looked into the distance and saw a cave abyss shining with dazzling brilliance. Within it lay an expanse spanning a hundred thousand li, teeming with jade mountains, immortal vegetation, and spirit herbs.
Recognizing it, Zhongyi Imperial Monarch said, "That cave abyss is called Yingzhou, one of the ten great cave abysses of the Earth Immortal Realm of old, refined from the Earth Immortal Realm's Yingzhou Sacred Ground. It was originally part of the Earth Immortal Realm. This cave abyss once allowed one to cultivate into a Heavenly Monarch. However, I heard it was struck and shattered into three pieces, degenerating into an Immortal Monarch cave abyss, and was stolen by the rebel Xu Ying."
Chen Chaosheng added, "When we encountered the rebel Xu Ying in True Lord Erlang's tomb, he indeed had such a cave abyss floating above his head."
Wei Xu licked the blood from his lips and gave a low chuckle. "Once I take that cave abyss, I won't need to eat you. Swallowing it will restore seventy to eighty percent of my strength."
Zhongyi Imperial Monarch shivered, thinking, *That old monster claimed he wouldn't eat us, yet deep down he was still brooding over it.*
Wei Xu possessed no moral qualms and cared nothing about devouring people. While consuming sacred grounds one by one could eventually restore him to his peak, it took too much time. It would be far more convenient to directly devour an expert like Zhongyi Imperial Monarch.
Though he took no particular pleasure in consuming others to replenish his cultivation, it was hardly something he avoided.
Following the direction of Wei Xu's flight, the big black dog sprinted forward. Xu Ying, Little Celestial Venerable, and the big bell hurried behind in pursuit.
The big bell shouted, "Lord Dog, stop! The opponent is too strong—we must plan this carefully!"
The big black dog charged straight toward Wei Xu's position, barking, "This was the task Second Master gave me! Before he passed, Second Master commanded me to guard the immortal tomb. If I let that bastard escape, how can I face Second Master after I die?"
Xu Ying frowned slightly, gazing ahead at the earth-shattering vortex of worldly yuanqi. Never before had he witnessed a yuanqi vortex on such a stupendous scale!
This Wei Xu's strength was truly no trifling matter. The moment he broke free, he had rushed to the Ancestral Court to absorb worldly yuanqi and restore his cultivation, maintaining an utterly unshakeable composure.
From within Yingzhou, the Divine Mother's voice rang out, "Immortal Master, go no further! That person is already on the verge of the Supreme Realm. If you proceed, fortune and misfortune cannot be foretold!"
*Fortune and misfortune cannot be foretold?*
Xu Ying's heart turned cold. The Divine Mother meant that she could no longer deduce that man's intentions, nor could she calculate his divine presence.
Being beyond divination was precisely one of the hallmarks of a Supreme entity!
Had the cultivation realm of Wei Xu, who had been suppressed here by True Lord Erlang, truly reached such a height?
The Divine Mother said, "This person's Dao attainment is exceedingly high, likely surpassing even Imperial Monarchs and Heavenly Venerables. If I attempt to divine him, he will certainly detect it and come to strike me down instead. Immortal Master, it is not too late to turn back!"
Xu Ying hesitated, slowing his pace.
Just then, a sea of white bones met his eyes. It was a town, filled everywhere with stark white skeletons, some standing, some lying prone. It was as though the inhabitants had perished in an instant, stripped clean of flesh and blood before they could even react.
He looked farther ahead. More white bones littered the fields, the shade beneath the trees, and the streets within the city walls. Everywhere lay absolute silence, utterly devoid of life.
"Is this the immortal Dao of a Supreme?"
His voice was raspy, his fingers trembling slightly. This was entirely different from the Supreme immortal Dao he had envisioned. Shouldn't the Supreme immortal Dao resemble Daoist Qingxuan's Ten Views of Taixu?
Shouldn't it resemble his own Great Luo Ten Views?
Pillaging the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, plundering the vitality of all living beings—what kind of bullshit Supreme immortal Dao was this?
Xu Ying's pace quickened. Abruptly, he said, "Divine Mother, help me."
The Divine Mother froze. *Help him? How?*
At that moment, she sensed something and turned back. Above the Yingzhou cave abyss, the sky suddenly grew brilliantly luminous. The Taiyi Cave Abyss radiated dazzling light, drawn closer to the mortal world!
*The Immortal Master is forcibly dragging down the Taiyi Cave Abyss—he's putting his life on the line!*
The Divine Mother gritted her teeth and cried, "Gushe, Tiangang, lend me a hand!"
Xu Ying quickly overtook the big black dog. The dog was momentarily startled and hastily increased his speed, barking, "Little brother, this is my business, it has nothing to do with you!"
Xu Ying's blood and vitality surged, his magic power vibrating fiercely. Behind him, massive Immortal King treasures flew out one after another, assembling into the nine external realms.
Behind his head, the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven rotated, the bodhimanda hanging like a radiant halo behind him. Xu Ying scooped the ruler into his grasp, his gaze locking onto that towering figure.
"Son of a bitch!" he cursed softly, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
The big black dog was taken aback, though he felt Xu Ying wasn't cursing him.
The instant Xu Ying charged, Little Celestial Venerable, the big black dog, and the big bell burst forth from the shadow behind him, rushing respectively toward Zhongyi Imperial Monarch, Chen Chaosheng, and the surviving Immortal Monarchs!
Chapter 535