Xu Ying kept looking back, but he could no longer see the Buddha Ancestor and the myriad Buddhas, nor could he see that immensely colossal figure.
The sight of that towering silhouette swinging a titanic hammer down upon the Buddha Ancestor and the Buddhas was truly staggering!
His mind was in a muddle, temporarily unable to process such overwhelming revelations.
Was that truly the other shore?
Why was the other shore not the ideal world everyone imagined?
The Buddha Ancestor was trapped on the other shore—why could he not return?
And what was the story behind that domineering, peerlessly majestic figure?
Furthermore, were Taiqing Dao Ancestor, Shangqing Dao Ancestor, and Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang also on the other shore? Were they also trapped there? Were they dead or alive?
What truly lay upon the other shore? What connection existed between the Emerald Rock and the other shore?
Xu Ying's ascension glow had been repelled by the Buddha Ancestor, hurtling back along the path he had come. Behind him, vast swathes of space detonated—a cataclysmic devastation of space-time wrought by the falling blow of that colossal figure's hammer!
Even though that strike had been aimed at the Buddha Ancestor, the world-destroying shockwave pursued Xu Ying relentlessly from behind. The grand collapse of space-time swept forward like an inescapable tide, obliterating the space and time in his wake. Xu Ying felt like an insignificant insect before a sky-high tidal wave, on the verge of being swallowed at any second!
Fortunately, the devastating shockwave gradually slowed, and the ascension radiance ultimately left it far behind in the distance.
Xu Ying exhaled a sigh of relief and calmed his mind slightly. *Even if I cannot ascend to the other shore, ascending to the Heavenly Immortal Realm is good enough. I just don't know whether I can return to the Earth Immortal Realm after going to the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Perhaps I'll have to sneak across?*
Bathed in the ascension radiance, he returned to his home universe.
*With the Dragon Court destroyed, the Heavenly Immortal Realm is bound to be filled with blessed lands, cave paradises, and supreme cultivation grounds. Everywhere will be ownerless territory and unclaimed treasures. When I arrive there, a mere Human Immortal like me could even call himself an Immortal Emperor. A pity I don't have a woman accompanying me... No, two... Hmm, three would be even better. I feel I can handle that...*
Just as Xu Ying was daydreaming about the grand prospects in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, he suddenly noticed that the ascension radiance was not flying toward the Heavenly Immortal Realm at all, but heading straight for the Earth Immortal Realm.
Startled, Xu Ying called out loudly, "Buddha Ancestor, I'm ascending to the Heavenly Immortal Realm! I'm ascending to the Heavenly Immortal Realm! I am an immortal!"
However, the Buddha Ancestor was far away on the other shore and could not hear his cries at all. Furthermore, the Buddha Ancestor was in dire peril at this moment; even if he heard, he would have no leisure to pay him any heed.
The reverse-traveling ascension radiance continued to plummet, moving faster and faster, drifting farther and farther away from the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
Failing to receive any response from the Buddha Ancestor, Xu Ying looked back and saw that the ascension light that had originally guided him toward the Heavenly Immortal Realm had long since dispersed. He steadied his emotions, doing his best to maintain an attitude unaffected by external gains or losses. *Ascending to the Earth Immortal Realm is fine too.*
*The Earth Immortal Realm is still an immortal realm after all. Even if I ascend to the Earth Immortal Realm, with my father serving as Heavenly Venerable of the Dou Department there, he can arrange some decent official post for me.*
The ascension radiance broke through the barriers of the Earth Immortal Realm and descended over its sky, passing through the Realm of the Great Dao.
An expectant look appeared on Xu Ying's face, only to see that the ascension light did not stop in the Earth Immortal Realm, but shot straight toward the Heavenly Sea!
Across the worlds still in the process of merging, the inhabitants looked up one after another to see a brilliant light illuminating the Earth Immortal Realm. Xu Ying trailed a long beam of light, plunging directly toward the Heavenly Sea and heading for the Mortal Realm!
"I have to ascend somewhere, anywhere will do, but I absolutely cannot ascend to the Mortal Realm!"
Xu Ying was furious. He hurled himself with all his might against the boundaries of the ascension radiance, shouting, "I didn't cultivate so hard just to return to the Mortal Realm and become a zang! Even if I return to the Earth Immortal Realm, it still counts as an ascension!"
The ascension radiance proved impossible to breach through brute force alone, keeping him firmly enclosed within its glow.
Xu Ying immediately summoned the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler, raising it high and barking, "You're merely a streak of ascension light! Do you really think I can't break through you?!"
Vast landscapes of mountains and rivers surged forth from the ruler, instantly blasting a breach through the ascension radiance.
Xu Ying gripped the Heaven-Measuring Ruler and swept it outward!
The ascension radiance burst apart. Holding the ruler, he crashed violently into the surface of the Heavenly Sea. His entire body tumbled and skipped across the waves, bouncing thousands of li away before bouncing and plunging repeatedly!
Only after the inertia imparted by the ascension radiance completely dissipated was he able to stabilize himself. Standing on the water's surface, he slid for dozens of li before finally grinding to a halt.
Xu Ying's face was livid. He gripped the Heaven-Measuring Ruler tightly, itching to find an enemy to thrash.
His sweet dreams of being an Immortal Emperor accompanied by three women in the Heavenly Immortal Realm had been utterly shattered; it was no wonder he was in a foul mood.
Moreover, he hadn't even ascended to the Earth Immortal Realm, crashing into the Heavenly Sea instead. Fortunately, he had detonated the ascension light in time.
Otherwise, he would have landed straight onto the Emerald Rock in the Mortal Realm by now!
The Emerald Rock was so hard that even if it didn't kill him, he would have lost half his life.
And had he returned to the Mortal Realm, he would have had to hand back the title of Dao Ancestor before Jingming's seat had even grown warm. Jingming would probably wonder if his teacher had been kicked back down by the Heavenly Immortal Realm for poor character.
Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself, "Just now, I saw that the Immortal Realm has already merged with the myriad worlds, and the basic scale of the Earth Immortal Realm has taken shape. In that case, I don't need to ascend; I can just walk over to the Immortal Realm."
His eyes gradually brightened. Xu Jing had undergone a "father inheriting from son" promotion to become the Heavenly Venerable of the Dou Department, making Xu Ying the scion of a high-ranking official. He certainly wouldn't have people shouting for his blood everywhere like before.
He took to the air and flew toward the Earth Immortal Realm.
Only then did he realize that the Heavenly Sea Ferry Crossing was nearby. Flying over it, he saw the Far Ancestor's physical body transformed into the River of Spiritual Light, stretching across countless hundreds of millions of li, delving deep into space-time on a terrifying scale.
However, this river was severed in multiple places, likely smashed apart when the Emerald Rock fell. The severed sections were still churning violently, presenting a horrifying sight.
Xu Ying watched with a pounding heart, when he suddenly noticed Heavenly Craftsmen sailing golden ships along the River of Spiritual Light toward the fractured points.
Those Heavenly Craftsmen carried chains forged from various rare treasures, attempting to reconnect the River of Spiritual Light.
Yet any magic treasure they cast into the river shattered in the next instant, pulverized into dust, unable to endure within the torrent for any meaningful duration.
One Heavenly Craftsman said anxiously, "His Imperial Majesty went to the Dark Domain of the Cosmos and has yet to return. Now that the river is severed, if we cannot reconnect it, His Majesty might never make it back!"
"More than that!"
Other Heavenly Craftsmen on the ship whispered among themselves, "I heard that His Majesty wasn't the only one on the ship back then. Three great figures from the Great Luo Heaven above the Nine Heavens were with him!"
"I was present; I saw it! Those three are the most profoundly cultivated experts of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo! Aside from them, there was also an old man carrying an ugly bell who called himself the Ancestral God!"
"If the River of Spiritual Light isn't repaired, they won't be able to return either, just like His Majesty."
"The Dark Domain of the Cosmos is a place of exile. In other words, His Majesty, the three experts of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo, and the Ancestral God have all been exiled!"
"Tell me, if the three great figures of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo cannot return, and His Majesty cannot return either, will chaos break out in the Immortal Realm?"
"Bite your tongue! From top to bottom, who in our Immortal Realm isn't utterly loyal to His Majesty?"
...
Flying past the golden ship, Xu Ying was surprised. *Three experts of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo went to the Mortal Realm along with the Immortal Emperor? What did they go there for?*
He had only met the potbellied Saint Luo; he had no idea that two other figures of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo were also in the Mortal Realm.
Even less did he know that the reason those three had gone to the Mortal Realm was related to him. When Dao Lord Jiugong and the others saw flashes of light and the revival of the Heavenly Dao within the dark domain, they assumed the Supremes of the past were hiding in the Mortal Realm, and thus ventured down to search.
Now, their Three Realms Golden Ship was destroyed, the River of Spiritual Light had been severed by the Ten Wastes Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi, and the Immortal Emperor and his cohort were grievously wounded within the Ancestral God's Heavenly Dao domain. Returning would be immensely difficult.
Xu Ying blinked, and a grin suddenly broke across his face. *The Immortal Emperor and three experts of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo are stranded in the Mortal Realm, leaving the Immortal Realm without a master. In the short term, the Nine Heavens Great Emperors might still be able to hold things together, but if this drags on, the world will surely descend into utter turmoil!*
At this thought, he no longer cared about failing to ascend to the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Heading directly toward the Immortal Realm, he murmured under his breath, "In such troubled times, it is precisely the moment for a great man to rise! It's time to settle the debts and grudges left behind from my first life one by one!"
A fire seemed to burn within him, blazing up to his throat, blazing into his eyes.
***
The Mortal Realm.
Three days after Xu Ying's ascension, Immortal Emperor Supreme was hiding within another Heavenly Dao domain. It lay some distance from the one where the Ancestral God was located, free from the reach of the Ancestral God's Dao methods.
Back when the Ancestral God had discovered several points of light in the darkened Mortal Realm, Xu Ying had gone to one, while the Immortal Emperor was currently in another. The Dragon Bell had hunted him for a long time, compounding his injuries; had he not fled here, his life might well have been forfeit.
However, after these few days of recuperation, his wounds had improved considerably. If he were to face the Dragon Bell again, he would at least possess the strength to put up a fight.
"Did Martial Uncle Creation come to see how miserable his nephew's plight is?"
Immortal Emperor Supreme spoke abruptly, his voice faint and ghostly. "Martial Uncle has tracked me here for so long. Why have you never shown yourself?"
A moment after his words fell, Creation Supreme walked out of the darkness in mild surprise. "Mingzun, you were actually able to detect me lurking in the shadows. It seems that after taking the imperial throne, your cultivation and strength have not stagnated in the slightest; on the contrary, you've made rapid strides."
He shook his head and gave a mocking sneer. "How laughable that those three useless fools—Jiugong, Taiyuan, and Old Luo—still think they can control you. In my view, it won't be many years before you break free from their grasp."
Immortal Emperor Supreme smiled faintly. "What good is breaking free from their grasp? There are still people above them."
Creation Supreme nodded slightly. "Unless the Sacred Supreme and his cohort are eliminated, your throne will never be secure. Back then, after I was defeated and fled, was he the one who handled the victor?"
Immortal Emperor Supreme nodded gently.
With his hands behind his back, Creation Supreme walked over to him, filled with deep emotion.
He said, "Back then, I released the Returning Dao Jade Platter, inciting a fierce struggle across the Immortal Realm. Among the contenders, I noticed your son, so I allowed the Returning Dao Jade Platter to fall into his hands. And you were indeed clever; taking advantage of your son's lack of vigilance, you knocked him unconscious to meet with me."
Immortal Emperor Supreme smiled. "Although my son Menglong is extraordinarily gifted, he cannot compare to the Imperial Monarchs and Heavenly Venerables when it comes to schemes and methods. The fact that the Returning Dao Jade Platter fell into his hands naturally aroused my suspicion. I reasoned that Martial Uncle Creation had always been cautious; if you were still alive, you would certainly attempt to make contact with me. That was why I entered the Returning Dao Jade Platter to meet your avatar."
Creation Supreme smiled slightly. "Meeting that way was safer. Mingzun, back then I asked whether you wanted to break free from control, and you said yes. Does that still hold true today?"
Immortal Emperor Supreme turned solemn. "My purpose in coming here was precisely to meet Martial Uncle and invite you out of retirement!"
Creation Supreme laughed heartily, brimming with ambition. "With you and me joining hands, we can sweep across the Great Luo of the Nine Heavens and force the Sacred Supreme into the open!"
Immortal Emperor Supreme frowned. "However, the Three Realms Golden Ship has already been destroyed, and the Ten Wastes Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi fled the Mortal Realm aboard the other golden ship. He harbors great hostility toward us and will surely take the opportunity to sever the River of Spiritual Light. Martial Uncle, we cannot return."
Creation Supreme smiled with absolute confidence, saying leisurely, "That is why we need another person in the Mortal Realm to act. Back then, this person was the chief Heavenly Craftsman under your master, responsible for supervising the forging of magic treasures. My Supreme treasure, the Returning Dao Jade Platter, was originally cast from a blank he forged."
Immortal Emperor Supreme's heart stirred. "Daoist Yu Ji?"
Creation Supreme nodded. "He is here as well. Come with me to find him. If he can forge a Supreme treasure, he can naturally forge a Three Realms Golden Ship!"
Immortal Emperor Supreme followed him, asking, "Daoist Yu Ji was never exiled back then. How did he end up here?"
Creation Supreme smiled. "Who knows? Perhaps he was ensnared by love, or perhaps he was disillusioned with the Immortal Realm. Arrogant geniuses like him often possess eccentric temperaments. Mingzun, your injuries are not yet healed, and it will take Daoist Yu Ji some time to build the ship. Your Immortal Realm is likely to fall into utter chaos."
Immortal Emperor Supreme said indifferently, "Let it fall into chaos. The day of my return will be the day the turmoil is quelled."
Creation Supreme chuckled. "Your Supreme cave abyss is still in the Immortal Realm. Are you not afraid that someone might seize it and take the opportunity to attain the Supreme realm? If that happens, the outcome will be hard to predict."
Immortal Emperor Supreme smiled. "Don't I still have you, Martial Uncle?"
Creation Supreme laughed uproariously.
***
In the Earth Immortal Realm, one year after the Immortal Emperor's disappearance.
On the Nai River Bridge, Meng Po raised her head and looked up at the sky above the Underworld. Suddenly, the heavens split open, and rows of celestial maidens with fluttering robes descended gracefully, scattering fresh flowers that carpeted the path.
Then, two jade qilin pulled a fragrant, precious carriage, gliding forward across the scattered petals.
Pairs of handmaidens followed beside the carriage, holding swords, bows, zithers, harps, pipes, go sets, calligraphy scrolls, and paintings, advancing into the Underworld in a grand, imposing procession.
Meng Po's expression changed drastically. She dropped to her knees at the head of the bridge and called out loudly, "This humble god of the Underworld pays respects to the Primordial Monarch!"
From within the carriage came the gentle voice of Primordial Monarch Ling Su: "You may rise. Now that the Three Realms are united as one, the Underworld still has Four Evils yet to be eradicated. Today, I have come to subdue the Four Evils."
Meng Po was shaken. *Things look dire for Dongyue, Beiyin, and the others. After this battle, I fear only one titan will remain among the five giants of the Underworld.*
The Primordial Monarch's entourage moved swiftly, leaving no time to send a warning. In her mounting anxiety, Meng Po suddenly had a thought: *Over the past few days, I received several new ghosts from the Immortal Realm who claimed to have been killed by Xu Ying. They said Xu Ying currently holds an official post in the Dou Department of the Immortal Realm. The only way to save Dongyue and the others now is to find Xu Ying!*
At this thought, she quickly dispatched an avatar, hurrying toward the Immortal Realm.
Avatars of Meng Po existed throughout the myriad worlds, making it convenient for her nearest avatar to enter the Immortal Realm.
Chapter 582