Earth Immortal Realm, Heavenly Sea Ferry.
Heavenly craftsmen of the Ministry of Heavenly Crafts dragged countless sunken ships from the sea, salvaging intact components to piece together and assemble. Whenever whole parts could not be found, they forged them on the spot.
Other heavenly craftsmen retrieved nine innate spiritual roots from the Heavenly Road. These roots formed the very trunk of the Heavenly Road, and their true origin was the nine dragon whiskers of the dragon race's Far Ancestor.
The Far Ancestor's physical body was extraordinarily powerful, endowed with unfathomable might, able to span the three realms and reach into the netherworld. However, during the catastrophe at the end of the primeval era, that colossal form had also suffered destruction.
The Ministry of Heavenly Crafts had fetched these dragon whiskers solely to lay them across the severed stretches of the River of Spiritual Light, bridging the gaps to facilitate passage.
Now that the golden ship was repaired and the River of Spiritual Light was fully connected, Immortal Emperor Supreme could not conceal his delight, issuing orders to reward the Ministry of Heavenly Crafts.
Just as he was about to board the golden ship, he felt a sudden premonition. Looking back, he saw several Daoists of archaic and venerable bearing approaching together, causing his heart to skip a beat.
*Those old fellows from the Great Luo Heaven—they've come to reap where they did not sow.*
Keeping an impassive face, he bowed in greeting to Dao Lord Jiugong and the others, saying, "Fellow Dao brothers, having traveled so far, could it be that you too have come for that dark expanse?"
Dao Lord Jiugong chuckled. "Your Majesty, that place is the Mortal Realm, an exceptionally perilous domain. You will not be able to handle the Three Realms Golden Ship there. Better to leave it to us old bones to brave the hazard on Your Majesty's behalf."
"The Mortal Realm?"
Immortal Emperor Supreme was indeed entirely ignorant of this. The old fellows of the Great Luo Heaven had always withheld all kinds of information from him, keeping him completely in the dark and treating him like a marionette to be manipulated at will.
*This Mortal Realm is evidently of paramount importance. Otherwise, old fogies like Jiugong wouldn't have waited until I repaired the golden ship and reconnected the River of Spiritual Light before showing themselves.*
Immortal Emperor Supreme composed himself and smiled. "Age does not favor physical exertion. You are all revered seniors, and the Mortal Realm is fraught with peril. It would be best if We accompanied you on this journey."
Daoist Taiyuan said, "Your Majesty is the shared sovereign of the Three Realms; how could you take such risks alongside us? Should any mishap occur, it would hardly be a blessing for all under heaven."
Immortal Emperor Supreme's brow twitched slightly. Since Daoist Taiyuan had put it that way, these old fellows had clearly reached a consensus. If he were to insist on going to the Mortal Realm, civility would be cast aside and force would follow.
Immortal Emperor Supreme's eyes flickered. Just as he was about to swallow the humiliation and yield the golden ship to them, a weathered voice suddenly spoke: "The golden ship is so vast. Taking on one more person and one more bell won't sink it, will it?"
"The Ancestral God?"
Everyone was startled, bracing as if facing a mortal foe. *How did his injuries heal so fast? And what is with this bell? Why is it so ugly?*
As the figure strode forward, the myriad stars in the firmament shifted with him. Constellations shone brilliant and the starry river flowed radiant, splendid as poetry.
In his hand rested a bizarre, dragon-headed bell. Its appearance was grotesque, yet astonishingly, its body was composed of indestructible spiritual light, emanating an alarming tremor!
The Ancestral God appeared in his aged form, walking toward them. Tension gripped their hearts, and each secretly readied their respective Wonder Realm treasures.
Their treasures were far away in the Great Luo Heaven Above the Nine Heavens. At this moment, those treasures of unfathomable power radiated world-shaking might, rising from the Great Luo Heaven as if to destroy the world!
Yet as the Ancestral God walked, his flesh rapidly regained its youth—transforming into an exceptionally handsome young man, the constellations of the heavens and the Heavenly River shifting alongside him. Seeing this, they immediately settled on their course of action.
Dao Lord Jiugong said courteously, "Since the Ancestral God extends such an invitation, how could we decline? Your Majesty, the golden ship is spacious; you may board as well."
Immortal Emperor Supreme smiled faintly, well aware that they were wary of the Ancestral God and had only permitted his presence for that reason.
*It isn't that these old fogies are no match for the Ancestral God, but they fear he might fight to the death and take them with him. Unwilling to suffer grave injuries, they are dragging me along.*
He knew full well that if a fight broke out, Dao Lord Jiugong and the others would push him forward as a scapegoat to stall the Ancestral God, and then use the opening to severely wound and seal him.
As for killing the Ancestral God, they had already tried once back then. They had only managed to grievously injure him, unable to end his life. In that battle, they had even lost one of their fellow Daoists.
The Ancestral God smiled faintly, as though he had long anticipated this outcome, and stepped onto the Three Realms Golden Ship without hesitation.
Dao Lord Jiugong and the others exchanged glances before boarding as well.
Immortal Emperor Supreme stepped aboard and said with a smile, "You are all seniors, and I alone am a junior here. Allow me to steer the ship."
Fearing he might tamper with the vessel, Daoist Taiyuan smiled and countered, "No need for that. Each of us shall contribute a wisp of vital energy to propel the ship."
Everyone nodded in agreement, each pointing a finger to send a strand of vital energy into the hull. The golden ship slowly set sail, cruising along the River of Spiritual Light formed from the dragon's carcass toward the darkness at the river's end.
The River of Spiritual Light was broken and discontinuous; the connected stretches relied only on individual dragon whiskers, making the passage perilous.
Though innate spiritual roots were powerful, they were not truly stable—Xu Ying had even severed them in the past. Consequently, the journey was quite turbulent. Even though those aboard were the most formidable beings in the world, the crossing was still nerve-racking.
The passengers on the ship harbored their own hidden thoughts and remained silent. Only that dragon bell was exceedingly busy, taking flight from the Ancestral God's hand to flit to the bow one moment and the stern the next, occasionally hovering before the Immortal Emperor, and at other times darting in front of Dao Lord Jiugong and the others.
Immortal Emperor Supreme's gaze rested on the dragon bell, his eyebrows arching.
Dao Lord Jiugong and Daoist Taiyuan also looked toward the dragon bell and exchanged a silent glance.
They had both taken part in the ambush against the Far Ancestor at the Dragon Court; seeing the indestructible spiritual light of the dragon bell naturally stirred their suspicions.
While the Ancestral God had not participated in the Dragon Court affair, Xu Ying had. It was not impossible that the Ancestral God, through Xu Ying, had also harvested a share of the Far Ancestor.
Just then, the big bell floated up. Two eyeballs sprouted on its surface, spinning rapidly, while the mouth of the bell parted and shut like a dragon's maw, producing a voice like a cracked gong: "Ancestral God! Ancestral God! Look! The Mortal Realm has lit up again!"
Hearing this voice, everyone dismissed their earlier suspicions.
*It's not the Far Ancestor. How could the Far Ancestor be so vulgar and ignorant? This is that big bell from Xu Ying's household, the one called Master Bell.*
Nevertheless, they turned their gaze toward the darkness. Indeed, a brilliant purple flash lit up the expanse, illuminating the magnificent Mortal Realm. Yet the illumination was fleeting; soon the darkness surged back, swallowing heaven and earth until only a few scattered specks of light remained.
*What is the Ancestral God going to the Mortal Realm for?*
Immortal Emperor Supreme's eyes shifted. He wanted to divine the Ancestral God's intent, but knowing that a being of this caliber would be beyond his calculations anyway, he gave up. He thought to himself, *Could the Ancestral God be after that purple glow? Or is it for that patch of light that has been growing larger and larger?*
"Hey! It lit up again!" the big bell cried in surprise.
Everyone looked. A short time later, the purple light flashed once more, but the illuminated patch was no longer expanding, remaining the same size as before.
"The interval between the purple flashes seems to have shortened considerably," Daoist Taiyuan remarked in astonishment. "Could some unknown upheaval have occurred there?"
As he spoke, his gaze settled on the Ancestral God's face, hoping for an answer.
The Ancestral God remained completely unperturbed, maintaining an impassive air.
Daoist Taiyuan smiled and said, "The Earth Immortal Realm is gradually recovering; the Ancestral God's cultivation and strength must have recovered considerably as well, yes? Your Dao wounds from all those years ago must be completely healed by now?"
Dao Lord Jiugong, Immortal Emperor Supreme, and Saint Luo all turned to look, intensely intrigued by the topic.
However, Big Dragon, hidden inside the big bell, was fraught with anxiety. The bell was utterly carefree, still hollering and shrieking without the slightest concern for their safety. But Big Dragon knew that the Ancestral God's Dao wounds had never fully healed!
Although Xu Ying had helped elevate the Ancestral God's cultivation and healed a portion of his wounds, before Xu Ying departed, the Ancestral God had still been pissing blood, proving his injuries were far from cured.
Right now, the Ancestral God was putting on a pure bluff. If these Wonder Realm beings caught wind of the truth, they would strike immediately and wipe them out!
*The only reason the Ancestral God brought me along is that this long river is my physical body,* Big Dragon thought. *What the Ancestral God means is: if it comes to mutual destruction, then let's drag everyone down together and sink into the river to feed the turtles!*
Not knowing the Ancestral God's true condition, but seeing that he dared come all alone carrying only an ugly bell, they did not dare test him carelessly.
Several more days passed. The purple flashes occurred from time to time, and those aboard grew accustomed to them, paying them no more heed.
They were far more concerned with the Ancestral God's injuries and strength. Their words grew increasingly probing, and some even showed signs of restlessness, contemplating making a test move.
The Ancestral God maintained his composure, but inwardly cried out in dismay.
*I might actually meet my end here this time,* he thought.
Suddenly, the big bell shrieked, "A ship! A ship!"
The Ancestral God froze. *Did the old dragon already move to sink the ship?*
Yet their vessel showed no sign of sinking. Just then, another golden ship entered their sight. Both vessels were traveling at tremendous speed, crossing paths in an instant.
At the moment the two ships passed each other, those on board saw each other's faces clearly, expressions of astonishment turning to anger and alarm.
"Ten Useless Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi!" Dao Lord Jiugong blurted out.
"Martial Uncle Liu!" Immortal Emperor Supreme exclaimed in shock.
"Traitors!" Liu Guanyi cursed furiously.
"Not good!" Daoist Taiyuan shouted. "This scoundrel Liu Guanyi has escaped his place of exile and comes filled with resentment! With the Great Luo Heaven currently unguarded, beware that he doesn't ransack our Great Luo Heaven!"
The expressions of Dao Lord Jiugong, Saint Luo, and the others changed drastically. Back then, Liu Guanyi had been fiercely loyal to Qingxuan. Having escaped the Cosmic Dark Realm now, he would surely seek vengeance for the injustices of the past.
With them away from the Great Luo Heaven, wouldn't their homes be plundered?
"Do not panic, everyone," Immortal Emperor Supreme said. "The Nine Emperors of the Nine Heavens still guard the Immortal Court. Nothing serious will happen!"
Once he said this, their unsettled hearts steadied somewhat. Dao Lord Jiugong smiled and said, "Emperor Changsheng, Emperor Qinghua, and the rest of the Nine Emperors are Daluo Golden Immortals. Liu Guanyi is nothing more than a Heavenly Monarch. No matter how ferocious he was back then, his era has long passed."
Daoist Taiyuan chuckled. "Once we return, we can interrogate him at our leisure."
The group turned their gazes back to the Ancestral God, their expressions seemingly genial.
Holding the dragon bell, the Ancestral God secretly sent a voice transmission: "Old dragon, if they can't hold back and attack, everything will depend on you."
From within the dragon bell, Big Dragon replied, "Rest easy, I know what I'm doing!"
Suddenly, Daoist Taiyuan laughed heartily. "The Mortal Realm draws near. In ancient times, the Mortal Realm was also known as the Cosmic Dark Realm. Ancestral God, could your coming to the Mortal Realm be for the Heavenly Dao here?"
"Dropping the pretense at last, are you?!"
The dragon bell in the Ancestral God's hand suddenly expanded with a howl, turning into a peerless, colossal bell as it snarled viciously, "If we die, we all die together!"
The Ancestral God hastily shouted, "Wait—"
The dragon bell's power surged violently and crashed down. Daoist Taiyuan was dumbfounded. "What is this? Why did the Ancestral God strike first instead?!"
The dragon bell possessed immense power, its chimes accompanied by roaring dragons, its force supreme and unyielding. Under this colossal bell's assault, the Immortal Emperor, Taiyuan, and the others each activated their Dao methods and divine arts to protect themselves. But the golden ship beneath their feet was not so fortunate—under the dragon bell's bombardment, it shattered with a resounding crash!
Their footing lost, everyone was about to plummet into the River of Spiritual Light. They hurriedly exerted their divine arts in an attempt to stand upon the water's surface, only to see massive waves of spiritual light surging forward. As a crest of spray flew past, the spiritual light within transformed into countless colossal stars, roaring toward them!
Without the golden ship, this grand river traversing the three realms of the cosmos finally revealed its true form—stupendously vast!
Dao Lord Jiugong sneered and chanted in a long, resounding cadence:
"Without hands that can overturn heaven and earth,
How would one dare sit enthroned in Great Luo Heaven?"
His magic power erupted, suppressing the starry river. In mere moments, he crushed those immeasurable stars back into sprays of spiritual light, and the River of Spiritual Light reappeared beneath his feet.
Daoist Taiyuan laughed aloud:
"I possess the strength to bind dragons,
Capable of subduing primeval dragons!"
With that, his magic power also burst forth, suppressing the starry river and restoring it to the River of Spiritual Light.
"Under the whole heaven, every spot is the sovereign's ground; to the borders of the land, none but are the sovereign's subjects."
Immortal Emperor Supreme smiled faintly. "The starry river beneath Our feet is also Our domain. How dare you stir up trouble?"
He stomped down, also subduing the starry river so the River of Spiritual Light reappeared.
On the other side, Saint Luo lacked the literary refinement to recite a poem, but fortunately possessed formidable magic power, stamping down the River of Spiritual Light beneath his feet as well.
"Have a taste of your Grandfather Dragon's peerless physical might!"
A resonant voice suddenly boomed from the river surface, accompanied by a deafening bell strike, along with the Ancestral God's shout: "Old dragon, don't be reckless!"
Boom!
The River of Spiritual Light coiled like a primeval divine dragon whipping its body. Amid the violent convulsions, Saint Luo, Dao Lord Jiugong, Daoist Taiyuan, Immortal Emperor Supreme, and even the Ancestral God were all thrown off their feet and tumbled into the water!
Turbulent waves surged, one massive breaker after another crashing down and submerging everyone's heads.
"Come, let us all perish together!" Big Dragon's voice bellowed.
The Ancestral God's voice drifted over: "Old dragon, I think they bore no ill will just then..."
"Ancestral God, if I hadn't struck, we'd all be dead!"
"I think striking is the very reason we're all going to die! Old dragon, have some patience!"
Within the River of Spiritual Light, their voices drifted farther and farther away.
Two months later, the purple glow flared once more in the Mortal Realm, shining over the mortal expanse and illuminating heaven and earth.
This bolt of Purple Dawn Tribulation Lightning blasted Xu Ying's clothes to tatters, yet it failed to knock him off his feet. Streaks of purple lightning darted wildly through his body, gradually refined and absorbed by his Leakless Golden Body.
Xu Ying stood up. A nearby disciple brought over robes and draped them across his shoulders, asking, "Dao Ancestor, will you be cultivating further today?"
Xu Ying waved a hand. "Your comprehension of the Heavenly Dao is already quite solid. Rest today."
The disciples withdrew.
Over these past two months, they had benefited immensely, gleaning profound Heavenly Dao principles from Xu Ying crossing tribulations. Though they could not merge with the Heavenly Dao to achieve Dao union as Xu Ying, Xiao Man, and the others had, their cultivation progress had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Yet the one who had improved the most was Xu Ying himself.
From being powerless against the Purple Dawn Tribulation Lightning, to gradually refining a portion of its power, to swallowing the tribulation lightning whole and transforming the power of heaven and earth into his own, his Dao attainment had not increased by much, but the strength of his physical body had grown ever greater.
*My Leakless Golden Body cannot be pierced even by the Purple Dawn Tribulation Lightning! I wonder if I can step into the darkness now?*
Xu Ying's eyes gleamed as he walked toward the darkness beyond the Heavenly Dao territory.
Seeing this, Yunyun the immortal crane turned to the young Daoist boy Tong Hao and said, "Senior Brother Tong, once Dao Ancestor Xu passes away, you will succeed him as acting Dao Ancestor by order of seniority. Congratulations, congratulations."
Chapter 570