Daoist Yuxu sat atop Qilin Cliff, listening as voices from inside Yuxu Palace drifted to his ears on the wind from time to time.
"...Xu Ying, the only reason I held off making a move on you was so you would form your bodhimanda! When that time came and our bodhimandas merged, that was when I was going to seize your body!"
"...Everything you have is mine, so how could you possibly seize my body? Brother Xiao, stop persisting in your delusions!"
"...I have waited far too long for resurrection! Since you've discovered me, I might as well take your body right now! Heavenly Net of Myriad Phenomena!"
Next came the roar of erupting Dao techniques and divine arts. Before long, Xiao Lanshan's excited shout carried out: "Xu Ying, you're nothing special after all! Rather than dying at the hands of Emperor Changsheng, you're better off dying in mine!"
*Smack!*
Everything fell silent.
Daoist Yuxu glanced over his shoulder. The Great Luo bodhimanda within Yuxu Palace had been battered into a tattered, riddled mess by the clash. The combat prowess of both Xiao Lanshan and Xu Ying was truly extraordinary.
*If they fought outside, they'd probably wreck my bodhimanda too.*
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the Great Luo bodhimanda began to reconstruct itself. The postures of the ancient gods shifted, transforming into another profound and wondrous stance. The ten Dao scenes returned to their pristine state, and the ten Dao flowers bloomed and faded in turn.
Daoist Yuxu looked away. Soon after, Xu Ying's voice echoed out again: "Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan, come out! I need you to aid my cultivation!"
*It's starting again. This cultivation method really is something else,* Daoist Yuxu mused.
"...All these days, I've been devouring your cultivation, refining your spiritual qi, comprehending your Grand Dao, and practicing your divine arts! Xu Ying, what do you have to fight me with?"
"Spring Returning to Myriad Phenomena!"
Once again, the explosive clash of two great masters shook the air as they fought so fiercely they seemed ready to turn the Great Luo Heaven upside down.
*Smack!*
The crisp sound of a ruler struck, and all returned to peace.
...
"Aid my cultivation!"
"Stubborn fool!"
"Thousand Forms and Myriad Phenomena Return to Void!"
*Smack!*
...
"Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan!"
*Smack!*
...
*Smack!*
...
Daoist Yuxu flicked his horsetail whisk and shifted it to rest across his other arm.
He had figured it out by now. The Evil Golden Immortal, Xiao Lanshan, had actually lost control over the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven long ago. From the moment he possessed a strange flower and entered the Great Luo Heaven, he had fallen entirely into Xu Ying's grasp.
*This Ruyi Great Luo Heaven is different from an ordinary Great Luo Heaven,* Daoist Yuxu reflected. *A normal Great Luo Heaven is manifested from one's own Grand Dao, coalescing into a bodhimanda. Because Xiao Lanshan practiced heterodox arts, he couldn't form a Great Luo Heaven normally, so he gathered innate qi and used it as an aid to forge one.*
*That planted the seeds of trouble. After his death, Dao weeping dismantled his Grand Dao, leaving only the innate qi intact. Once Xu Ying refined that innate qi and reconstructed the Great Luo Heaven, the new realm had nothing to do with him anymore. Yet Xiao Lanshan still believed he controlled the Great Luo Heaven, running rampant inside Xu Ying's domain.*
The Evil Golden Immortal devoured Xu Ying's cultivation, refined Xu Ying's spiritual qi, comprehended Xu Ying's Grand Dao, and practiced Xu Ying's divine arts. It seemed like a brilliant scheme, keeping Xu Ying under his thumb and making Xu Ying work for his benefit, but in reality, he was merely aiding Xu Ying's cultivation.
After all, he had already turned himself into a part of the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven.
Perhaps only his consciousness still belonged to him.
*So every time Xu Ying beats him to death and reshapes the innate qi to recreate the Great Luo, the Evil Golden Immortal revives alongside it.*
Daoist Yuxu could not help but shake his head. *He's so pigheaded. The boy already laid it bare for him: all you have left is your consciousness, while your food, clothes, and sustenance all belong to someone else. Yet you shamelessly insist on seizing his body. How could you ever win?*
Besides pointing this out, Xu Ying had even told Xiao Lanshan that as long as he promised never to harm another person, he would be set free. He was truly a generous soul.
Yet the Evil Golden Immortal stubbornly refused to listen, unwilling to live on in the form of a flower and determined to seize Xu Ying's body. Even Daoist Yuxu could only shake his head repeatedly.
On the first day of the ten-day period, the Evil Golden Immortal revived thirty-seven times. Each time, he returned full of vigor, lunging at Xu Ying with roaring vitality.
With such a formidable sparring partner to feed him moves, Xu Ying grew at an astonishing pace. Step by step, his Indestructible Golden Body became stronger and more refined. In the beginning, Xiao Lanshan could still wound him, but as time went on, his chances of gaining the upper hand dwindled.
After a dozen more rounds, having fought Xu Ying for so long without ever subduing him, malice flared in Xiao Lanshan's heart. He abruptly activated the Luotian Annihilation Technique.
The moment this technique was unleashed, the Great Luo Heaven collapsed with a tremendous roar. Xiao Lanshan hollered, "Xu Ying, if I can't beat you to death, then assimilate with me!"
The Luotian Annihilation Technique was Xiao Lanshan's pinnacle achievement, a renowned art of mutual destruction. It lured an enemy into his Innate Great Luo Heaven, then annihilated the realm itself, using earth-shattering might to reduce the enemy to innate qi alongside it!
While seemingly a move of mutual destruction, the beauty of it lay in the fact that Xiao Lanshan's Great Luo Heaven was forged from innate qi. Even after annihilation, it would revert to a mass of innate qi. Xiao Lanshan could regenerate from that innate qi, whereas his enemy would be permanently transformed into it, swelling his Great Luo Heaven.
He had originally aimed to claim Xu Ying's physical body, but seeing that it was now out of reach, he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure!
The Great Luo Heaven disintegrated at terrifying speed. Dao flowers withered, Dao realms crumbled, and phantoms of ancient gods collapsed. Soon, the great extinction swept in from all directions, swallowing both Xu Ying and Xiao Lanshan!
Xu Ying's heart stirred. *This move is somewhat similar to the Imperial Monarch's Nine Heavens Ten Earths Extermination Immortal Array. Whether I can withstand the Extermination Immortal Array all comes down to this!*
He activated his Leakless Golden Body. The cataclysmic annihilation crushed forward with a roar, submerging them both.
Xiao Lanshan shattered with a bang, his consciousness swept up in the roaring torrent of innate qi. *That brat must be dead meat this time, right?*
Yet within that destructive deluge, a hazy figure still stood upright, holding firm against the onslaught of universal annihilation.
Through his drifting consciousness, Xiao Lanshan could only see radiant golden light shining from within that figure. Amid the great annihilation, the golden light constantly broke apart and reformed.
*Can he really withstand this move of mine?* Xiao Lanshan felt his heart leap into his throat.
Suddenly, the golden light was extinguished. The universal annihilation swallowed Xu Ying's silhouette, twisting and tearing his physical body into shreds that dispersed as strands of innate qi.
Xiao Lanshan breathed a sigh of relief. *The brat died after all. No matter how leakless your golden body or how indestructible your primordial spirit, didn't you still turn to ash in my hands?*
Just then, within the churning innate qi, a humanoid radiance of indestructible spirit light appeared, completely steady and unshakeable amid the great annihilation, showing not the slightest hint of collapse.
Xiao Lanshan was appalled. *The Indestructible Primordial Spirit is truly this terrifying?!*
He mobilized his consciousness, preparing to restore the Great Luo Heaven and reconstruct his physical form. Yet no matter how his consciousness stirred, the innate qi remained utterly motionless.
Xiao Lanshan was startled. *What is going on?*
Right then, a crisp, clear voice rang out from within the innate qi: "Heaven, open!"
The innate qi shuddered violently, instantly evolving into the firmament!
Xiao Lanshan's consciousness grew increasingly blurred, horror gripping him. *Is this even my Great Luo Heaven anymore?!*
His consciousness plunged into a muddle of chaos, drifting into stupor.
Xu Ying's primordial spirit radiated beams of spirit light as it strode beneath the unformed heavens. The Heavenly Daos of the Earth Immortal Realm, the mortal realm, and the dark mortal realm shone forth from within him, illuminating the sky.
"Earth, form!"
The moment his words fell, the innate qi surged and solidified into earth. Mountain ranges rose from the ground, mighty rivers surged, lakes pooled, and vast oceans spread.
Mists and clouds gathered in the sky, winds coursed through them, and thunder and lightning flared. Sweet rain fell from the heavens, golden light welled from the earth, and brilliant rosy clouds stretched across the sky.
Phantoms of ancient deities materialized, and the ten Dao scenes formed one after another. Atop each Dao scene, a Dao flower slowly emerged and gently unfurled.
In mere moments, the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven was restored to normal.
Xu Ying slowly reformed his physical body and sank into contemplation.
*Still not enough. If the Leakless Golden Body cannot endure the Luotian Annihilation Technique, it won't be able to withstand the Extermination Immortal Array either.*
He steadied his mind and called out, "Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan, come out!"
Behind the ten scenes of Luotian, the strange flower of the Heavenly River stepped forward, asking in surprise, "Xu Ying, you knew long ago that I was hiding in the Great Luo Heaven?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Xiao Lanshan felt a twinge of bewilderment. *These words sound familiar, as if I've said them before... Wait, this scene feels familiar too.*
When the Great Luo Heaven had annihilated and reverted to innate qi earlier, his consciousness had lingered for a time. Though his memories had grown hazy, they had not been completely wiped away.
Xu Ying said, "...I will give you a chance, a way out. You may leave the bodhimanda and live on in an anomalous form. But you must not harm anyone."
Xiao Lanshan sneered, "And what if I refuse?"
Having said that, he froze again. *It feels like I've said that before too...*
Eventually, their exchange reached the point where the dagger was revealed. Xiao Lanshan roared, suppressing the confusion in his heart, and lunged at Xu Ying.
As the battle reached its climax, Xiao Lanshan exhausted all his techniques and had no choice but to unleash the Luotian Annihilation Technique once more, barking, "Xu Ying, let's see if you die this time!"
Before long, Xiao Lanshan was once again reduced to a mere consciousness lingering within the innate qi, still puzzled: *This scene feels familiar...*
His awareness gradually faded.
Xu Ying gathered his insights and ran the cycle again. This time, Xiao Lanshan's confusion deepened even further.
After more than a dozen repetitions, Xu Ying's Indestructible Golden Body held out against the Luotian Annihilation Technique for longer and longer. Xiao Lanshan's doubts multiplied, and fragmented memories began surfacing in his mind.
After yet another round, Xu Ying shouted as usual, "Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan, come out! I need you to aid my cultivation!"
A moment passed, yet there was no movement. Xu Ying waited a little longer, but Xiao Lanshan was still nowhere to be seen. Suspicious, Xu Ying stepped forward to investigate.
Behind the Dao scene of the Yujing Immortal City, a man in a large green robe with a flower tucked behind his ear was crouching on the ground, scraping at the dirt with his fingers while muttering to himself.
"Not right, something's not right. Everything that happened today gives me this sense of déjà vu."
"That brat refined his body so well, he just needs to form a bodhimanda. Once he forms it, I'll take his body!"
"Wait, why do I keep feeling like this is a trap..."
Xu Ying cleared his throat. The Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan glanced at him, a ferocious glint flaring in his eyes as he straightened up, sneering, "Xu Ying, what do you want?"
Xu Ying blinked in surprise. That was different from before.
"Xiao Lanshan, my showdown with the Imperial Monarch is imminent, so I must resolve the threat you pose. However, I have gained plenty of benefits from occupying your Great Luo bodhimanda,"
Xu Ying said seriously, "So I will give you a chance, a way out. You may leave the bodhimanda and live on in an anomalous form. But you must not harm anyone."
"Fine!"
The Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan agreed readily, turned on his heel, and strode toward the exit of the Great Luo Heaven.
Xu Ying stood dumbfounded, raising a hand. "Hey, aren't you going to think about it?"
Xiao Lanshan didn't look back as he walked out, waving dismissively. "Think about what? My Innate Great Luo is yours now. Once I'm out, I won't go around killing people casually. If someone hurts me, I won't easily strike back either. From now on, I'll do one good deed a day and hate evil like an enemy! Satisfied?"
Xu Ying was left speechless, watching blankly as Xiao Lanshan walked out of the Great Luo Heaven.
Emerging from Yuxu Palace, Xiao Lanshan caught sight of Daoist Yuxu sitting by the cliff's edge. A vicious look flashed in his eyes as he thought, *If this were before, I would have kicked this useless old man off the cliff long ago. But... do one good deed a day! Not doing bad things counts as doing good!*
He walked up to Daoist Yuxu and demanded, "Old fogey, how do I get out of here?"
Daoist Yuxu said with a faint smile, "Evil Golden Immortal, your Dao methods are heterodox. Why not stay and cultivate with me?"
Xiao Lanshan sneered, "Cultivate my foot! I've nearly driven myself insane cultivating. I suspect I practiced heterodox ways until I possessed myself with evil!"
He steadied himself and snapped, "Old man, tell me the way out right now, or I'll break both your shins!"
Daoist Yuxu pointed out the path. Xiao Lanshan sprang into the air, leaped off the cliff, and fled at top speed as if escaping for his life.
Xu Ying let out a soft sigh. "He couldn't even commit fully to being a villain. It really is true that you can't keep shearing the same sheep, or you'll shave it bald. Still, on the bright side, my cultivation has progressed tremendously, and my mastery of the Indestructible Golden Body is far deeper!"
Two days had already passed. Achieving so much in just two days was no small feat.
Xu Ying's plan for these ten days had three parts: first, use the Evil Golden Immortal to check for weaknesses and help patch the flaws in his Leakless Golden Body; second, form his own bodhimanda to break free from the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven;
And third, merge his bodhimanda and the ten Luotian scenes with the Taiyi Cave Abyss!
While a few flaws remained in his Leakless Golden Body, there were very few left. Without the Evil Golden Immortal's cooperation, it would be difficult for Xu Ying to resolve the rest on his own.
Xu Ying's cultivation was shallower than Emperor Changsheng's. Therefore, forming his own bodhimanda to step into the Immortal King realm would narrow the gap between them.
Once he formed his own bodhimanda, he would possess dual bodhimandas. Merging the two would dramatically shrink the disparity in cultivation between him and Emperor Changsheng.
Furthermore, after forming his bodhimanda, he intended to walk the orthodox Supreme path: combining the ten Luotian scenes with the Taiyi Cave Abyss.
However, Xu Ying had even more in mind.
He had not abandoned the Old Dao's path of Dao trees, Dao flowers, and Dao fruits. Thus, he planned to refine the bodhimanda into the Taiyi Cave Abyss as well, testing whether he could fuse the two paths of the New Dao and the Old Dao.
*The Old Dao's Daluo Golden Immortals cultivate Dao fruits, while the New Dao's Supreme realm does not. Yet oddly enough, the stages preceding the Supreme realm cultivate Dao trees, Dao flowers, and bodhimandas, only to abandon Dao fruits at the Supreme realm. It's thoroughly contradictory,*
Xu Ying's eyes gleamed with thought. *Qingxuan founded the Supreme realm upon the foundation of the Old Dao's stages, but that doesn't mean the Old Dao was discarded entirely. If the Supreme realm can also cultivate Dao fruits, then this brand-new realm will undoubtedly be far stronger than a simple Supreme realm!*
The Supreme realm might not be as simple as just the ten scenes of Great Luo. He planned to cultivate both the new and the old, to see if he could carve out an entirely new path.
"First, cultivate the Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda!"
Xu Ying sat cross-legged and recalled the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven, turning it into a halo of light resting behind his head. To him, the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven was more like a magic treasure—a treasure in the form of a bodhimanda shaped from innate qi, not a true bodhimanda of his own.
Now, he needed to forge his own bodhimanda.
Over the past several days, he had thoroughly unraveled the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven, and his understanding of bodhimandas had reached unprecedented heights.
Around him, the Domain of the Ten Immortals expanded outward. Within it appeared the ten great Dao scenes: the Chaos Sea, the Black and Yellow Twin Qi, the Glazed Pure Void, the Indestructible Spirit Light, and the rest.
The Domain of the Ten Immortals was his Dao domain. Long ago, back at the Ziwei Ancestral Court, Xu Ying had already unified the ten domains into one, forming a true Dao domain.
Refining the Dao domain into a bodhimanda now was as natural as water flowing into a channel.
As the ten domains merged into one and the Dao domain formed, the Taiyi Cave Abyss standing behind his head also spread open flat, blending into a single entity with the Dao domain.
Melodious Dao sounds resonated from the ten great Dao scenes. Amid that resonance, profound Immortal Dao runes flew forth: *Heaven and earth dark and yellow, the universe vast and wild; sun and moon wax and wane, stars and constellations spread in arrays...*
Each Immortal Dao rune represented a distinct Immortal Dao.
Before long, more than three thousand characters of Immortal Dao runes flew out from the ten Dao scenes, branding themselves onto the canopy of the Dao domain. Imprinting the Immortal Dao upon the Dao domain was the very first step in forging a bodhimanda!
Suddenly, Daoist Yuxu turned his head in surprise, gazing toward the Taiyi Cave Abyss as his heart stirred. *Something is off about this cave abyss! There is something inside it!*
Chapter 592