When the Emerald Rock Arrived, the Heavens Collapsed

Xu Ying stood before the final mural, silent for a long time. This Emerald Rock had passed through the Heavenly Immortal Realm, where the Dragon Court resided, unleashing an even more horrifying disaster. Yet this mural depicted only what the tomb's master had witnessed—the cataclysm that befell the Dragon Court was merely the tip of the iceberg. The Earth Immortal Realm had also possessed an Emerald Rock, but toward the end of that ancient era, before the great upheaval of the Earth Immortal Realm, that rock had already flown away. Departing alongside that rock were the Dao Ancestors of the major Dao sects, as well as the Buddha Ancestor and the various Buddhas of Mount Sumeru. Not long after the Emerald Rock flew away, the Dao weeping erupted, destroying the Immortal Court of that ancient era! Both the ancient era and the Dragon Court era had been ruined by calamities wrought by an Emerald Rock. The only difference was that in one, the rock had flown in, while in the other, it had flown away. Xu Ying chanted softly under his breath, "The Emerald Rock flew away, leaving the other shore an empty void. The dream of longevity shattered, leaving boundless calamities behind..." Reciting these words now, he felt their weight far more deeply. Standing beside him, Liu Guanyi said, "When the Emerald Rock arrived, the heavens collapsed, the Three Realms split apart, and dragons lost their dominion." Xu Ying was slightly taken aback and turned to look at him with a puzzled expression. Liu Guanyi explained, "Those words were recorded in a notebook I obtained when I visited the first Eastern Emperor. They mean that with the sudden arrival of the Emerald Rock, the Heavenly Dao disintegrated, the Three Realms tore apart, and the dragon race lost its dominance over the world. It was likely a lament by the demon race's Eastern Emperor the Great over the destruction of the Mortal Realm and the Heavenly Immortal Realm back then." Xu Ying still found it somewhat hard to believe. "Could a mere Emerald Rock truly strip the dragon race of its rule when they were at the zenith of their power?" The Dragon Court had been overwhelmingly formidable. Cultivators of that era practiced the Dao realm system, which comprised nine heavens—an entire realm higher than today's most mature Wondrous Realm of Great Luo. Beings of such profound might could entirely form their own independent realms, immune to the Dao weeping, and could even shelter an entire land to protect all living beings within their borders! Why would the Dragon Court believe they stood no chance against the cataclysm, executing their Three Great Plans before the disaster even arrived, such that they mounted no resistance whatsoever when the calamity finally struck? Liu Guanyi said, "Yet that is precisely what happened." Both men found it utterly inconceivable. The Dragon Court held dominion over the Three Realms; its strength was hundreds, if not thousands, of times greater than the present Immortal Court! How could a faction so colossal, boasting so many supreme experts, believe they had no hope of resisting? The mighty figures of the Dragon Court had foreseen impending extinction and implemented the Ten Thousand Dragons Banner, Heaven Theft, and Revival plans in hopes of carrying on the dragon race's destiny tens of millions of years in the future. They had chosen to forfeit resistance back then, but had they fought back, would they truly have been unable to weather that cataclysm? Liu Guanyi continued walking deeper into the grand tomb. Ahead lay the main corridor of this underground resting palace. The tomb's master had constructed a magnificent, golden underground palace of extraordinary grandeur. Xu Ying followed Liu Guanyi past nine springs, three rivers, and a suspension bridge before finally reaching the main hall where the tomb's master rested. The exterior of the hall was overgrown with desiccated root-like growths. Stepping upon them produced crisp crunching sounds; they seemed to be hollow. Liu Guanyi stepped into the burial chamber, stopped, and said, "Here it is. When I came to pay my respects to the tomb's master back then, I encountered a Zang. After a fierce battle, I slew him right here." Xu Ying followed him inside and looked up. Suspended in midair hung a figure, root-like tentacles sprouting from all over his body, spreading out in every direction and piercing through the cracks of the chamber. He hung suspended between heaven and earth, his body covered in various wounds that had likely been inflicted by Liu Guanyi. A jolt went through Xu Ying's heart. This Zang had been transformed from the tomb's master himself! "This primeval expert didn't die outright in the cataclysm," Liu Guanyi said, stepping up before the Zang and gazing upward with a surge of emotion. "Unable to escape the Mortal Realm and knowing he was doomed, he prepared this mausoleum for himself. He thought he would perish peacefully in his resting palace, but he never anticipated that though he died, he didn't truly die. Under the influence of the Emerald Rock, he unknowingly turned into a monster known as a Zang." Deeply shaken, Xu Ying murmured, "The Emerald Rock turned him into this?" Liu Guanyi replied, "Those experts who did not perish immediately in the cataclysm often turned into Zang. That Emerald Rock possesses a bizarre power; the higher a person's cultivation, the deeper the influence, causing them to gradually transform into a Zang. After I killed this one back then, I encountered others on my journey back. I nearly died at their hands, barely managing to fight my way out." Though his tone was nonchalant, the encounter must have been perilous in the extreme. "Later, while seeking out ancient sages, I ran into several more," Liu Guanyi continued. When he had established his bodhimanda in the Mortal Realm, Zang had also come to interfere. However, seeing that breaching his bodhimanda would demand an unacceptable price, those Zang chose not to fight to the death and departed on their own. "A Zang could be a human expert from the primeval era, or a mighty figure from another race—even a dragon," Liu Guanyi said. "Their Grand Daos have fused with the Emerald Rock and the darkness. As long as the darkness remains, they live; when the darkness disperses, they perish. By attempting to restore the Heavenly Dao of the Mortal Realm, you are coming into conflict with them and pitting yourself against the Emerald Rock. Can you truly stand against the Emerald Rock that destroyed the Mortal Realm?" Over the past several days, he had witnessed the miracle of Xu Ying reviving the Heavenly Dao through tribulation transcendence, and he also understood why Xu Ying could advance the Heavenly Dao no further. Reviving the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao meant contending with the Emerald Rock and making enemies of the Zang! That was simply not something Xu Ying could achieve! Xu Ying fell into thought. "Do you mean to say that the Zang possess Dao methods and divine arts different from the past, and that these arts can only be wielded in the dark world?" Liu Guanyi answered, "They are living beings only within the darkness. Once separated from it, they die." After pondering for a moment, he added, "It is as though they exist in a world where life and death are inverted." Xu Ying paced back and forth, lost in thought. Liu Guanyi said, "There is no need to rack your brains for a solution. Setting aside your current strength, even if the Ancestral God came in person, he might not be able to resolve the problem of the Zang." Xu Ying stopped and chuckled. "I'm not thinking about how to get rid of them. I'm wondering why they must live in the dark world. Does this suggest that the darkness of the Mortal Realm possesses a Heavenly Dao law distinct from that of the Mortal Realm itself? And that the source of this law actually stems from the Emerald Rock?" Hearing this, Liu Guanyi appeared thoughtful. Xu Ying pressed further. "The Emerald Rock carries its own worldly laws, but those laws were simply so advanced that they suppressed the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao back then, triggering the Dao weeping. Could that be possible?" Liu Guanyi paced around, staring up at the corpse of the Zang suspended in midair, his thoughts torn. "Your conjecture is possible, but it is far too absurd." Xu Ying argued, "Judging by the murals left by the tomb's master, the moment the Emerald Rock breached the Heavenly Immortal Realm and manifested in the Mortal Realm, the Grand Daos of the entire Mortal Realm were disrupted, falling into utter disarray. That truly resembles suppression by a higher Grand Dao." "Then how do you explain the Dao weeping?" Liu Guanyi countered, catching Xu Ying off guard. "The Dao weeping can shatter every Dao method under heaven. Whoever hears it suffers a violent disruption of their internal Daos, which turn upon themselves until the Daos sever, their flesh and Primordial Spirit dissolve, leaving behind only bones! The higher one's cultivation, the more devastating the Dao weeping's effect! That clearly cannot be explained merely by the suppression of a higher Grand Dao." Seeing Xu Ying's dilemma, Liu Guanyi smiled. "Fellow Daoist Xu, there is no need to dwell on such useless matters. I am about to leave the Mortal Realm and return to the Earth Immortal Realm. Will you come with me?" Xu Ying shook his head. "I must undergo the Three Realms Heavenly Tribulation. I have to remain here." Liu Guanyi did not press him. "In that case, I shall return alone. First, let me escort you back to the Sacred Mountain." The two made their way out of the tomb, retracing their steps. Upon returning to the Sacred Mountain, Liu Guanyi summoned his disciples and instructed them, "After I depart, Xu Ying shall serve as the acting Dao Ancestor. From now on, treat him just as you would treat me." The disciples acknowledged the order. The young Dao boy Tong Hao stepped forward leading the immortal crane, but Liu Guanyi shook his head. "You two stay behind to assist Dao Ancestor Xu without fail." The Dao boy had no choice but to agree, his eyes brimming with reluctance. Liu Guanyi said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, I entrust my Ten Perfections Dao Sect to you. From this day forward, you are the Ten Perfections Dao Ancestor. To transcend your tribulation and ascend, you will likely remain in the Mortal Realm for a long time. Once I uncover the truth behind the death of Supreme Qingxuan, I will return. You can return the seat of Dao Ancestor to me then." Xu Ying smiled. "Who knows? The moment your front foot leaves, I might just succeed in my tribulation and ascend on glowing clouds on my back foot." Liu Guanyi burst into hearty laughter. "Unless you can take away the Emerald Rock, you will never be able to ascend in the Mortal Realm." With those parting words, he drifted away. Xu Ying watched him vanish into the distance, a sense of worry clouding his mind. Though he was now the Dao Ancestor of the Ten Perfections Dao Sect, he felt no joy at all. If what Liu Guanyi said was true—that the Emerald Rock had created the darkness of the Mortal Realm—then the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao might never expand enough to contend with it. If so, wouldn't that mean he could never overcome the Three Realms Heavenly Tribulation? "Dao Ancestor Xu!" Tong Hao stepped forward and asked, "What orders does the Dao Ancestor have for us?" Xu Ying rallied his spirits and looked at the mountain full of disciples, at a loss for what Dao methods or divine arts to teach them. Having only recently arrived in the Mortal Realm, he had merely grasped its Heavenly Dao and knew nothing of the local techniques! "Have any of you comprehended the Heavenly Dao?" Xu Ying smiled. "Why don't you join me in meditating on the Heavenly Dao? What do you say?" Tong Hao and the other disciples exchanged bewildered glances. The immortal crane craned its long neck from behind, brought its beak close to the Dao boy's ear, and whispered, "It seems this Dao Ancestor has nothing to teach us. Should we tell him that the master left behind some scriptures?" Before it could finish speaking, fierce winds surged, clouds roiled, and thunder and lightning cracked across the sky. A ten-thousand-li tribulation cloud formed in an instant, rapidly condensing into a Purple Dawn Tribulation cloud. The sky fell dead silent as a bolt of Purple Dawn Tribulation Thunder descended from the heavens, blasting directly toward Xu Ying! Xu Ying looked up at the sky and shouted with excitement, "Let's all comprehend the Heavenly Dao together and enhance our cultivation!" *Crack!* Accompanied by an earth-shattering clap of thunder, the numerous disciples of the Ten Perfections Dao Sect watched with wide eyes as their newly appointed patriarch was struck dead by lightning on his very first day in office. *** Liu Guanyi strode briskly through the darkness. Suddenly, the flash of the Purple Dawn Tribulation Thunder burst across the Mortal Realm, illuminating more than half of the world. Hidden in the darkness, the Zang were exposed one after another with nowhere to hide, their bodies contorting grotesquely as they unleashed shrill, agonizing cries of Dao weeping! Surprised, Liu Guanyi looked back toward the territory enveloped by the Heavenly Dao and murmured, "Fellow Daoist Xu truly possesses the stubbornness of an ox, refusing to give up. Yet his heavenly tribulation is so ferocious—a tribulation of supreme catastrophe—that it even affects the Zang." His eyes flickered. "Perhaps he can use the power of the heavenly tribulation to weaken the strength of the Emerald Rock in the darkness and restore the Heavenly Dao of the Mortal Realm." As the brilliance of the Purple Dawn Tribulation Thunder faded, darkness swept back over the surroundings. The Zang who had been crying the Dao weeping quieted down one by one. Suddenly, Liu Guanyi came to a halt. He surveyed the dark void with sharp vigilance. The darkness churned restlessly, pressing against his Dao domain until wisps of shadow began seeping into it! Not far off in the darkness stood a faint, humanoid silhouette! It was not unusual to encounter bizarre creatures in the darkness, but a humanoid silhouette was exceedingly strange! Yet Liu Guanyi seemed accustomed to it, showing no surprise at its appearance. The shadowy humanoid figure walked toward Liu Guanyi's Dao domain. Liu Guanyi's ten layers of Dao domains were immensely heavy, exuding overwhelming power as they expanded continuously, colliding violently with the surrounding darkness with thunderous roars. "Ten Useless Heavenly Monarch, are you leaving already?" The dark silhouette did not clash with him head-on. After taking only a few steps into the ten layers of Dao domains, it halted, clearly wary of Liu Guanyi and unwilling to fight to the death. "That's right," Liu Guanyi replied. "Supreme Qingxuan is dead. The Mortal Realm can hold me no longer. I am going out to uncover the truth behind his death!" The dark figure trembled violently, its voice turning hoarse. "Is Qingxuan truly dead?" Liu Guanyi said, "I know you possess a ship capable of crossing the Heavenly Sea back to the Earth Immortal Realm. We can travel together." The dark figure let out a cold sneer. "Travel together? For what? Qingxuan exiled me here, pushed me into a corner, and forced me to flee into this desolate place! Why should I go with you? Heh heh, he got what he deserved! Good riddance! Don't expect me to avenge him!" Liu Guanyi frowned. "In that case, lend me your Three Realms Golden Ship. I will go investigate the truth myself!" "You want to avenge Qingxuan?" The dark figure burst into wild laughter. "Ten Useless, Qingxuan was the one who decreed your exile, yet you want to avenge him? You truly are a wretched cur!" Liu Guanyi snapped in fury, "Are you going to lend it to me or not?!" The dark figure laughed. "Of course I will! If I don't lend it to you, how can you go back and play the fool? Take it!" A colossal object rumbled out from the darkness, bearing down with crushing weight. Liu Guanyi leapt up hastily to avoid its path, his figure drifting gracefully down onto the ship's sail. Beneath his feet rested a magnificent golden ship—the Three Realms Golden Ship, used in the primeval era to cross the Heavenly Sea and traverse the Three Realms! As a relic of the dragon race, it was extraordinarily massive. Liu Guanyi looked down at the dark silhouette. "You truly won't come along?" The dark figure shook its head. "I'm living quite happily here. Why should I return with you just to scurry around like a rat crossing the street?" Liu Guanyi did not press the matter. He steered the golden ship, breaking through the darkness as it sailed toward the Mortal Realm ferry port of the Dragon Court era. Just then, another bolt of purple heavenly thunder detonated across the firmament, illuminating the Mortal Realm. The surrounding darkness shrieked and writhed, burrowing frantically into the dark figure's body! Even as dazzling as the light of the Purple Dawn Tribulation was, it failed to pierce the darkness clinging to him. The dark figure looked up in astonishment at the light of the Purple Dawn Tribulation Thunder and muttered, "Revived so quickly? That's four or five times faster than the last time I saw him! It seems the Heavenly Dao is no longer reviving, and he has simply begun treating tribulation transcendence as a method of body refinement!"