With Old Zang Jingming and Ming Wangsun becoming Xu Ying's disciples one after the other, the Perfect Dao Sect grew increasingly formidable in the darkened Mortal Realm.
Besides these two personal disciples, thousands of Zang served as regular students, while the white-bone skeletons were beyond counting.
Having listened to Xu Ying's lectures for several days, Ming Wangsun could not help sighing with emotion, "Taking him as master was truly no mistake."
Over the past ten million years, he had also gradually come to realize that a bizarre Heavenly Dao might exist within this darkened Mortal Realm.
The operation of this Heavenly Dao allowed mortals to survive, plants to grow, and Zang like them to exist.
Only Qi Refiners, Immortals, the Dao-Attained, and Dao Achievers could not survive beneath this Heavenly Dao.
Whenever he attempted to comprehend and decipher this Heavenly Dao, he found it fraught with difficulties and impossible to grasp. Even after mutating into a Zang, he could only figure out a tiny wisp of how to apply its principles, never forming a coherent system.
His intuition told him that the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock was likely a Dao that stood above all other Great Daos, and the foundation constituting it was also exceedingly profound and inscrutable.
He had labored to decipher it over all these years, and though he had made some gains, summarizing its laws to discover a method of cultivation was next to impossible.
Yet Xu Ying seemed to possess the key to deciphering the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock. As he contemplated the rock, he imparted his insights to them with flawless coherence, penetrating deeper into its mysteries than Ming Wangsun ever had!
*Does Master have Heaven's aid?* Ming Wangsun thought to himself.
Xu Ying did not have Heaven's aid, but Emperor Haotian had given him immense help. Had Emperor Haotian not deciphered a portion of the Emerald Rock inscriptions and attained the *Taiyi Enlightenment*, Xu Ying attempting to fathom the Heavenly Dao of the darkened Mortal Realm from this Emerald Rock would have been nothing short of a fool's dream!
"Just what is Master's background?" Ming Wangsun asked Old Zang Jingming.
Old Zang Jingming shook his head. "I came to see for myself only after hearing that someone could actually lift the Emerald Rock, carry it for a million li, and arrive here to preach the Dao."
Ming Wangsun looked toward the Emerald Rock, his expression solemn. "I also rushed here after hearing that rumor."
Lifting the Emerald Rock and walking a million li—even they could not accomplish such a feat!
The Emerald Rock harbored an alien Dao. Those who possessed no comprehension of the Emerald Rock's Great Dao could not budge it in the slightest. Only someone with an understanding of the rock could move it.
Beings like Ming Wangsun and Old Zang Jingming had both attempted to lift the Emerald Rock in the past, intending to cast out the root of disaster that had destroyed the Mortal Realm.
Yet even beings of their caliber had only managed to lift a single corner of the rock.
They could not even take a single half-step!
Xu Ying supporting the Emerald Rock and walking a million li was an achievement they could never hope to match!
This was also why the Zang had chosen to follow Xu Ying after seeing him stride as if on wings while holding the Emerald Rock in both hands.
"Only by mastering its Dao can one carry the Emerald Rock. It seems Master truly is the chosen Zang of Heaven!"
Just as Ming Wangsun spoke those words, his heart stirred. He rose abruptly, his gaze turning chilled and somber as he looked toward the northwest. "Senior Brother Jingming, did you sense it?"
The branch-like patterns around Old Zang Jingming shifted slightly. He replied calmly, "I sensed it. The intruder is powerful."
Ming Wangsun stood tall with an arrogant air. "Six hundred thousand years ago, an outsider powerhouse arrived. After exchanging blows with us, both sides reached a truce. Since then, no supreme expert had entered the Mortal Realm. Who would have thought so many powerhouses would arrive recently?"
"Spying on Master is unforgivable," Old Zang Jingming said coolly.
Ming Wangsun said, "Senior Brother Jingming, these past few days, I have gleaned some fine things from Master and believe I have comprehended a divine ability belonging to the darkened Mortal Realm."
Old Zang Jingming stood beside him. "What a coincidence. I, too, comprehended a modest divine ability from Master's teachings. However, I entered Master's sect before you, so my modest divine ability is surely more profound than yours."
Ming Wangsun chuckled. "You were defeated earlier than I was, which only proves your aptitude and strength are inferior to mine."
With a sudden flash, the two Zang vanished without a trace!
Far in the distance, Immortal Emperor Supreme gazed toward the Emerald Rock. Some time ago, he had fought a battle with Saint Luo and inflicted severe wounds upon him. Saint Luo had fought back desperately with his life on the line; unwilling to risk grievous injury to execute Saint Luo, Immortal Emperor Supreme had let him flee.
Afar on the Emerald Rock, Xu Ying's behavior and mannerisms were resembling a human more and more. Immortal Emperor Supreme exhaled and gave a low chuckle. "Suppressing my killing intent was indeed worthwhile. Had I struck back then, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. Yet it is rather peculiar that he can comprehend the mysteries of the Emerald Rock..."
The Emerald Rock radiated an eerie glow, which left him slightly uncomfortable even from this distance.
*How did he comprehend the Emerald Rock's Great Dao?*
Immortal Emperor Supreme was baffled. Xu Ying could only have arrived in the Mortal Realm not long ago—even if earlier than them, by no more than a few months. How, then, had Xu Ying unraveled the Emerald Rock's secrets?
Furthermore, Xu Ying's attainment in the Emerald Rock's Great Dao was surging at a visibly astonishing speed!
"The technique he is circulating... seems to be derived from the Taiyi Inborn Technique!"
Immortal Emperor Supreme's eyes flickered. The Taiyi Inborn Technique was something he had passed down to the ancestors of the Xu family!
This technique was extraordinarily unadorned, originating from Emperor Haotian's lineage. After Qingxuan defected from the Shangqing Dao Sect, he had roamed the world and coincidentally acquired Emperor Haotian's heritage.
As Qingxuan's disciple, Immortal Emperor Supreme had also received this heritage.
However, Qingxuan later broke free from the shackles of ancient-era techniques, pioneered the new Dao, and abandoned Emperor Haotian's method.
Yet the Immortal Emperor retained the Taiyi Inborn Technique, using it to lay his schemes, seize the imperial throne, and calculate the future six hundred thousand years later.
This was also why Wei Xu had claimed his attainment of the Supreme realm was not the orthodox path.
He cultivated Emperor Haotian's technique, using an old Dao method to cultivate the new Dao; consequently, out of the Ten Great Dao Landscapes, he could only form six, while the remaining four eluded his lifetime's wisdom!
"Why is it that cultivating the Taiyi Inborn Technique beside the Emerald Rock allows him to comprehend the mysteries of the Emerald Rock's Great Dao?"
Immortal Emperor Supreme's eyes gleamed. In the darkened Mortal Realm, he could not utilize divine divination, nor could any calculation be accurate.
However, he could deduce the secret!
"Master Qingxuan once said that the Taiyi Inborn Technique came from the Emerald Rock of the Earth Immortal Realm—that Emperor Haotian comprehended certain mysteries from the patterns of that Emerald Rock, thereby creating this technique that directly proves Great Luo."
He murmured under his breath, "The mystery Emperor Haotian comprehended was called *Taiyi Enlightenment*. Back then, forced by circumstance, Emperor Haotian had no choice but to disseminate *Taiyi Enlightenment*. Later, Emperor Taihao gathered the scattered copies of the *Taiyi Enlightenment* and forbade people from summoning cave abysses, causing *Taiyi Enlightenment* to gradually cease circulating."
By the generation of Emperor Ai, only the major Dao sects still preserved complete copies of *Taiyi Enlightenment*.
Yet toward the end of Emperor Ai's reign, Qingxuan cracked down on the major Dao sects to eliminate Emperor Ai's faction, and *Taiyi Enlightenment* was lost in the turmoil. Very few in the world even knew of the book's existence.
Immortal Emperor Supreme looked toward the Emerald Rock, his eyes burning with desire. "Xu Ying definitely possesses the complete *Taiyi Enlightenment* on him! Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to comprehend the Emerald Rock's Great Dao!"
Unable to conceal his excitement, his aura released a faint ripple. "The Emerald Rock in the Earth Immortal Realm actually records the deciphering method for the Mortal Realm's Emerald Rock Great Dao!"
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a sudden shock struck his heart. Without hesitation, he activated his Six Great Dao Landscapes and struck toward the darkness!
Simultaneously, a massive hand reached out from the gloom. Principles intertwined around the palm, accompanied by a foul wind rushing toward his face and erupting in alarming Dao weeping!
A sinister voice rang out: "Going against our Perfect Dao Sect—do you have what it takes?"
*Boom!*
Immortal Emperor Supreme met the strike. The clashing palm forces twisted space, bulging outward, but before expanding far, they were neutralized by the eerie Heavenly Dao of the darkened Mortal Realm, failing to display their full might.
*Perfect Dao Sect?*
Immortal Emperor Supreme was startled. *What is that? It sounds like a Dao sect. Could the Dao Ancestor be...*
He raised his other palm to meet an assault from the opposite flank. Slashing down from the darkness was a hollowed divine saber composed of branch-like patterns; though seemingly incapable of killing, its power was astonishingly terrifying!
Parrying the blade, Immortal Emperor Supreme let out a muffled groan, a sweet taste rising in his throat. Forced back by Old Zang Jingming and Ming Wangsun as they charged out from the darkness, he had no choice but to retreat.
The divine abilities of these two were clearly quite crude, failing to match even a Qi Refiner who had just formed Dao images in the Earth Immortal Realm—for even such a Qi Refiner could mend and perfect a divine ability.
Yet it was precisely these simplistic divine abilities whose power proved so shocking, even inflicting injuries upon him!
Flanking him from left and right, the two Zang closed in, attacking him frantically.
Immortal Emperor Supreme mobilized his Six Great Dao Landscapes, seeking to suppress the two Zang. But each of his opponents possessed eight Dao Realms; pressing down in tandem, they caused even his Six Great Dao Landscapes to falter in their operation!
In a mere instant, the two sides clashed over a hundred times. Suddenly, tearing sounds hissed from behind Immortal Emperor Supreme as bloody branch-like patterns burst through his flesh, tangling into boughs, trunks, canopies, roots, and leaves—as if he were carrying a great tree upon his back!
*I am going to turn into a monster like them!*
Terror seized Immortal Emperor Supreme. With their palm force invading his physical body, he could no longer suppress his injuries. Spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, he fled in panic.
Jingming and Ming Wangsun did not pursue him. Stroking his branch-like beard, Old Zang Jingming remarked, "He is heavily wounded. If he fails to escape to the Heavenly Dao Territory in time, it will not be long before he becomes our fellow Daoist."
Ming Wangsun chuckled. "When that time comes, he will be our Third Junior Brother. Master's lecture is about to begin, let us hurry!"
They hurried back, managing not to miss Xu Ying's lecture.
Immortal Emperor Supreme fled all the way, not daring to pause for even a breath.
He could feel the Dao weeping wreaking havoc inside his body. His physical functions had been damaged, Dao weeping began afflicting his Six Great Dao Landscapes to ruin his cultivation, and demonic sounds poured into his Primordial Spirit. Though not immediately fatal, dragging this out would surely inflict incurable injuries!
More crucially, those two Zang had wounded him.
The attacks of peak Dao-Attained Immortals from primeval antiquity were no trifling matter. Having suffered such heavy wounds, if left untreated, he would likely undergo Zangification before long!
Yet he could never stop to heal within the darkened Mortal Realm, where the Heavenly Dao was warped and cries of Dao weeping echoed everywhere.
Moving like wind and lightning, Immortal Emperor Supreme finally burst out of the darkened Mortal Realm and reached the Heavenly Dao Territory before his wounds completely erupted.
Although the Ancestral God was an adversary, His vast Heavenly Dao sustained this territory, which was enough to shelter the severely wounded Immortal Emperor Supreme.
Immortal Emperor Supreme's injuries were too severe, making it difficult to check his momentum. His footing gave way, and he tumbled and rolled down, finally coming to a stop by a great river.
He staggered to his feet. Ever since ascending the imperial throne, when had he ever been in such a wretched state?
Just as he stood, he coughed up another mouthful of blood and nearly collapsed.
As he coughed blood, waves of Dao weeping resonated from his throat, sending chills down his spine.
*I must refine away the Dao weeping inside my body!*
Just as he prepared to search for a safe place to hide, he suddenly saw a potbellied, chubby old man walking out from the valley—none other than Saint Luo, whom he had severely wounded!
*He is healing here as well?*
Immortal Emperor Supreme's face fell. Saint Luo's injuries had already recovered somewhat. As the saying goes, when enemies cross paths, their eyes blaze with fury; seeing Immortal Emperor Supreme in such a miserable state, Saint Luo charged straight at him.
Without a second thought, Immortal Emperor Supreme turned and fled. Saint Luo pursued relentlessly, shouting from behind, "Worthy nephew, come have a proper talk with your Uncle Luo!"
The two tore through the air, one fleeing and the other chasing. When Immortal Emperor Supreme flew past a magnificent, extraordinary sacred mountain, he saw misty rosy clouds atop the peaks. The Ancestral God sat amidst the clouds, His form colossal, standing tall between heaven and earth as He held up the firmament.
*The Ancestral God is maintaining the Heavenly Dao Territory to prevent it from being crushed by the darkness, so He has no time to deal with us!*
As this thought crossed his mind, Immortal Emperor Supreme casually glanced at the mountain gate of that sacred mountain, and his heart gave a jolt: *Perfect Dao Sect! There really is a Perfect Dao Sect!*
The two fled and pursued in swift succession. Within the Perfect Dao Sect, a dragon-headed big bell had sprouted two eyeballs, which were slowly swiveling, fixed intently upon the duo.
"Lord Dragon, Lord Dragon!" the big bell called out. "Are that fat guy and that tall old man the ones who ambushed you? They seem to be injured!"
The Big Dragon instantly perked up, seizing control of one eye to look. It was pleasantly surprised: "They really are injured!"
The big bell suggested, "Why don't we head over and see if we can pick up some easy spoils?"
Hit with an immediate agreement, they whistled out together, shooting straight toward Immortal Emperor Supreme and Saint Luo.
Beside the Emerald Rock, Xu Ying finished another lecture.
Old Zang Jingming shot a glance at Ming Wangsun, who understood at once. With a flash, the two vanished.
From the distance came the muffled grunt of Daoist Taiyuan. Within a few exchanges, Daoist Taiyuan was grievously wounded and fled in panic, hurtling toward the Heavenly Dao Territory.
The moment Daoist Taiyuan rushed into the Heavenly Dao Territory, he witnessed a scene that left him utterly dumbfounded.
The Ancestral God's Dragon Bell was on a rampage, chasing down Immortal Emperor Supreme, Saint Luo, and Dao Lord Jiugong.
—Dao Lord Jiugong and Yuji had mutually wounded each other, and while hiding in the Heavenly Dao Territory to heal, he had been inadvertently blasted out by the Dragon Bell.
"Lord Dragon, this old fellow is probably one of those who ambushed you too, right?" the big bell asked upon spotting Daoist Taiyuan.
The bell tolled, and a dragon's roar resonated, sweeping Daoist Taiyuan into the fray as well.
Atop the Emerald Rock, Xu Ying stood in silence. Behind him, the branch-like patterns formed a dark space shaped like a great black circle, immensely profound, concealing the profound wonders of the Emerald Rock with subtle profundity.
The black circle happened to envelop the Taiyi Cave Abyss as though they were originally one. Yet Shenpo and the others inside the Taiyi Cave Abyss felt nothing out of the ordinary, experiencing it just as any other day.
By refining these branch-like patterns into this dark space, he had transformed from the form of a Zang back into a human form, recovering his original appearance.
Yet the Zang and white-bone skeletons still held him in deep reverence. Through his teachings, some Zang had awakened their intellect, growing increasingly clever. Even the Zang with the highest cultivation were beginning to transform toward human form.
Without realizing it, eight months had passed since his arrival in the Mortal Realm. Recalling when the Ancestral God had sent him here, it had merely been to cross the Tribulation of the Three Realms; who would have thought so many events would unfold?
In recent days, he had been circulating the *Taiyi Indestructible Scripture* to contemplate the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock, reaping immense rewards. The *Taiyi Indestructible Scripture* was his very own technique; using it to comprehend the Emerald Rock naturally caused his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.
This cultivation belonged to the darkened Mortal Realm, and it was truly extraordinary.
He could be considered the first person in the darkened Mortal Realm to approach ascension!
"If I want to comprehend the Heavenly Dao of the darkened Mortal Realm even faster, there is another shortcut: crossing the tribulation and ascending. Using the opportunity of tribulation ascension to fathom the Heavenly Dao."
Looking up at the sky, Xu Ying murmured silently in his heart, *When I cross the Tribulation of the Three Realms, the place I ascend to will be either the Earth Immortal Realm or the Heavenly Immortal Realm. But if I cross the heavenly tribulation of the darkened Mortal Realm, where will I ascend to?*
Faint unease stirred within him.
Ming Wangsun's voice called out, "Master, a guest has come to visit, claiming to be an old acquaintance of Master."
Xu Ying started slightly, surprised. "An old acquaintance? Who could it be? The Ancestral God, or Lord Bell?"
Suddenly, a voice drifted into Xu Ying's ears, speaking lazily, "Does Fellow Daoist Xu still remember the Returning Dao Jade Platter?"
Xu Ying's heart trembled violently, and he looked toward the source of the voice.
Chapter 578