The Imperial Monarch's technique was known as the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Secret Art. The "Nine Heavens" in its name referred to the nine Grand Luo Heavens suspended high above the Immortal Realm—Yantian, Cangtian, Haotian, Xuantian, and the rest. The "Ten Earths" were the nine realms of earth overshadowed by those Nine Heavens, along with the Immortal Realm itself.
Now, as Emperor Changsheng channeled the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Secret Art, it was as if the Immortal Realm itself stood behind him, the Nine Heavens sheltering the Immortal Court in an imposing, magnificent spectacle.
He harbored grand ambitions, and his sights were set on the entire Immortal Realm!
Above his head hung nine great cave abysses, from which nine Grand Daos surged forth to merge with the Nine Heavens, magnifying the might of his cultivation art even further!
"Xu Ying, are you ready?" Emperor Changsheng asked.
His bodhimanda had opened—plum blossoms, an ancient tree, Dao fruits, and a youthful sovereign, displaying all the detachment and supremacy expected of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal!
Xu Jing tossed the Yingzhou cave abyss over, shouting, "Ah Ying, catch!"
Xu Ying steadied the Yingzhou cave abyss, invited the Divine Mother and the others out, and activated the abyss. The Taiyi cave abyss still could not be revealed lightly; it needed Yingzhou as a cover.
His aura blossomed. In the next breath, his Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda and the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven unfolded simultaneously. Strangely, however, the Luo Tian Ten Sceneries were nowhere to be seen within his Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda.
Yet the terrifying Dao power of the Luo Tian Ten Sceneries surged from within the Yingzhou cave abyss—vast, profound, and inexhaustible!
Those Luo Tian Ten Sceneries were virtually equivalent to a doubled version of the Six Secrets ancestral method. Ten Grand Dao forces—vitality, divine consciousness, primordial qi, soul power, yin and yang, heart power, life and death, Dao power, void, and primal chaos—flooded his body, causing his cultivation to skyrocket madly!
The Six Secrets ancestral method borrowed the power of the Ten Sceneries of Great Void. Because the Ten Sceneries of Great Void were the ten Dao sceneries of Supreme Qingxuan, the power that could be borrowed from them was ultimately limited.
Xu Ying's ten sceneries, on the other hand, were Dao sceneries he had cultivated himself. When circulating the Taiyi Indestructible True Scripture, he was not drawing upon external strength, but mobilizing his own Grand Dao power, granting him far greater explosive force and astonishing might!
More crucially, his ten great Dao sceneries appeared to reside within the Yingzhou cave abyss, but in truth, the Taiyi cave abyss was concealed inside Yingzhou.
Yingzhou alone could never support the operation of ten great Dao sceneries, but sustained by the vast, boundless spiritual energy and spiritual power of the Taiyi cave abyss, the might of his ten great Dao sceneries became continuous and infinite!
At the same time, the Dao flowers nurtured by his Grand Luo Ten Sceneries burst into bloom, bringing with them the surging strength of the Heavenly Monarch realm.
Xu Ying had indeed only cultivated to the Heavenly Immortal realm and had not stepped into the Immortal King realm. However, having consumed the Ginseng Dao fruit, its refined power had merged with his ten great Dao sceneries. Instead of forming Dao fruits, it had blossomed into ten Dao flowers.
In the Immortal King realm, Dao principles coalesced into Dao chains. In the Immortal Monarch realm, those chains served as seeds, sprouting into Dao trees. In the Heavenly Monarch realm, those Dao trees bloomed into flowers.
Though Xu Ying had never become an Immortal King, his Grand Daos had already blossomed, making him equivalent to an unorthodox Heavenly Monarch.
The torrential magic power of the Heavenly Monarch realm elevated his cultivation to a level capable of contending directly with Emperor Changsheng!
Yet he did not stop there. He summoned the nine great realms of his first life and suspended them behind him.
It had been a very long time since he had used these nine great magic treasures; even during his duel against a Grand Luo Golden Immortal like Emperor Yantian, he had held them back.
He brought them forth now because Emperor Changsheng was simply too powerful. If he failed to withstand his strikes, only death awaited him!
His aura swelled higher and higher, standing on equal footing with Emperor Changsheng, who wielded nine Heavenly Monarch cave abysses.
The Eight Emperors of the Nine Heavens, Heavenly Venerable Ning Zhong, and the others looked on, their expressions changing drastically. To confront an emperor of the Nine Heavens from the Heavenly Immortal realm without yielding an inch—Xu Ying was setting a precedent unprecedented in all history!
Xu Ying stepped firmly forward, and the Taiyi Divine Bridge materialized beneath his feet, supporting him upon it. Radiant golden light shone as Taiji parted to his left and right, and Wuji hung suspended above. In a deep voice, he said, "Imperial Monarch, I am ready."
The moment his words fell, an enormous Dao wheel materialized between the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths behind Emperor Changsheng, uniting the realms into one. Within the Dao wheel were twelve smaller Dao wheels, each containing an avatar of Emperor Changsheng.
Emperor Changsheng raised a hand. A spray of plum blossoms drifted down from his Dao tree into his grip. Using the plum branch as a blade, he slashed toward Xu Ying.
As the plum branch swung down, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths behind him suddenly flattened into an impossibly thin plane. The myriad colors of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths converged into a radiant purple light that surged down the plum branch and struck toward Xu Ying!
At the same time, within the twelve Dao wheels, the avatars of Emperor Changsheng raised their blades and slashed in unison, sending a tempest of saber qi hurtling across the sky!
Xu Ying's expression shifted. The instant Emperor Changsheng attacked, he realized the twelve Dao wheels represented twelve Dao sceneries, each corresponding to a Grand Dao. Twelve Grand Daos, twelve avatars, each channeling a distinct Dao method transformed into a Purple Nether Saber, slashing down from twelve different directions!
Nine of those twelve strikes were aimed straight at the nine Immortal King magic treasures behind Xu Ying.
Every beam of saber light sent a chill through Xu Ying's soul, feeling as if the blades were cutting into his own flesh—flaying skin, ripping sinew, cleaving bone, and tearing flesh apart!
This was a memory engraved in his Undying True Spirit. Back then, the Imperial Monarch had used this very technique to dismember him, severing away his realms one by one!
Now history was repeating itself, awakening the agony branded into his Undying True Spirit.
Simultaneously, the other three blades plunged into Xu Ying's bodhimanda, meticulously slicing between his Heavenly Immortal bodhimanda and the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven.
These three strikes were executed with consummate delicacy, far surpassing even the legendary precision of Cook Ding carving an ox. The two bodhimandas, previously knitted together in seamless harmony, were cleanly pried apart within the purple radiance!
Meanwhile, the blade light born from the phantoms of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths within the great Dao wheel slashed toward the Taiyi Divine Bridge—divine power pitting itself against divine power!
Standing upon the bridge, Xu Ying struck out with both hands like a multi-armed giant, meeting the onslaught of the twelve Dao wheels and the great Dao wheel at once.
Whether it was the broken Immortal Executing Sword, the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art, the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Secret Art, the Dao Burial Abyss, or the Sun-Refining Furnace, he unleashed them all to withstand Emperor Changsheng's terrifying offensive!
Yet at that very moment, Emperor Changsheng's true self was already upon him, brandishing the plum branch. Using the branch as a saber, he gave it a gentle flick; petals separated and whirled into spinning discs, following the branch down in a slash.
While his other attacks were earth-shattering, his true self's strike was light and understated, imbued with an effortless, celestial grace.
Yet this single cut forced Xu Ying to focus every shred of his concentration, pulling back his attacks to meet Emperor Changsheng's strike head-on.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Amidst the flashes of blade light, the nine Immortal King treasures behind Xu Ying—the Jade Capital Immortal City, the Divine Bridge, the Third Heavenly Pass, the Jade Pool, the Twelve-Storyed Mansions, and the rest—were knocked askew one after another, tumbling down into the Heavenly Sea, severed by Emperor Changsheng's blades.
Xu Ying's aura plummeted. Immediately after, the Taiyi Golden Bridge collapsed with a thunderous roar, disintegrating inch by inch under the blade light of the great Dao wheel. The Xuanhuang energies of the Taiji diagram broke apart, and beneath the bridge, the chaotic currents surged wildly upward, slamming into the Wuji diagram above with deafening booms.
At the same time, the other three blades wielded by Emperor Changsheng's avatars carved deep into Xu Ying's two bodhimandas, sundering them completely!
Cries of shock rang out from all around. The plum branch in Emperor Changsheng's hand had already struck Xu Ying's body, its whirling blossoms slicing into his flesh.
The Leakless Golden Body finally collided with Emperor Changsheng's world-shaking strike!
*Clang—!*
With a clear, bell-like chime, Xu Ying was driven back dozens of paces, letting out a muffled grunt as serious injuries racked his body.
With a jerk of his shoulder, the skies filled with mountains and rivers as the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler flew into his grasp. With a light sweep, every inch of space within sight was overlaid by diverse landscape paintings!
"The Heaven-Measuring Ruler that no one in the world can evade—I would like to test whether I can dodge it!"
Emperor Changsheng let out a hearty laugh and suddenly shifted his stance. Countless measuring rulers filled the air, and an infinite number of landscape paintings erupted with power, striking at him from countless angles and positions at once!
The assault of a Supreme treasure was dazzling to behold; even beings of the caliber of the Eight Emperors of the Nine Heavens could not see how one could possibly evade such an attack!
Useless Qingxuan's eyes lit up, and he chuckled. "Lady Qiongtai's treasure? Ah, right, that fake young lady Qiongtai was quite pretty. Heh heh... Qingxuan ended up cutting his own... out too."
*Boom!*
Countless landscape paintings struck empty air and smashed into the Heavenly Sea. The sea vibrated violently, vast quantities of water vaporized instantly, and colossal waves surged into the sky, as if a sun had crashed into the depths. The terrifying force unleashed by this collision filled the watching immortals with dread, sending them fleeing in every direction.
At that moment, Ning Zhong, Heavenly Venerable Guan, Xu Jing, Evil Buddha Bodhi, and others unfolded their respective bodhimandas to protect their flanks, warding off the shockwaves of the divine powers and treasures.
Simultaneously, the Eight Emperors of the Nine Heavens mobilized their remaining magic power to resist the horrific shockwaves. Emperor Yanglong seized the chance to glance at Useless Qingxuan steaming buns by the ferry, thinking, *He's just someone who looks like Qingxuan. This shockwave will certainly pulverize him without a trace!*
Yet when the apocalyptic shockwave reached the Heavenly River ferry, it dissolved into nothingness like a gentle breeze, leaving even the steam rising from the steamers undisturbed!
Emperor Yanglong's eyes nearly popped out of his head. His legs trembled, his heart pounded, and a voice screamed in his mind: *A ghost! It's truly a ghost...!*
Once the impact subsided, the onlookers managed to steady themselves, though many weaker immortals had been blown away to parts unknown, their fates uncertain.
Fortunately, Xu Ying and Emperor Changsheng had chosen a deserted place like the Heavenly Sea Ferry for their duel; had they fought elsewhere in the Earth Immortal Realm, the casualties would have been catastrophic.
"Why is there no corruption from their divine powers and Dao methods?" someone suddenly cried out.
These words prompted widespread murmurs of surprise. An immortal's Dao methods and divine powers almost invariably produced corruption; even when the emperors of the Nine Heavens acted, immortal corruption frequently tainted the sky and earth.
Emperor Changsheng had fought before, leaving vast swathes of land corrupted. Yet this time, neither Emperor Changsheng nor Xu Ying had left behind any immortal corruption at all.
Just then, Useless Qingxuan's voice drifted over, faint yet carrying clearly into everyone's ears: "Cultivating the true Supreme realm produces no immortal corruption. If your Dao methods and divine powers generate corruption, it means your techniques do not lead straight to the Supreme realm. Your cultivation paths were tampered with, diverted toward becoming Grand Luo Golden Immortals instead."
A commotion swept the crowd.
For the longest time, the immortals of the Immortal Realm had regarded immortal corruption as entirely natural, never stopping to ponder its cause. None had known that their path did not lead directly to the Supreme realm, but was a muddied mixture of Supreme and Grand Luo, which gave rise to immortal corruption!
"Such breadth of insight and vision..."
Emperor Yanglong's legs shook as immense terror welled within him. Forgetting the battle between Xu Ying and Emperor Changsheng, he stared fixedly at Useless Qingxuan, screaming internally, *He's alive! He's alive!*
At the center of the battlefield, Emperor Changsheng had astonishingly evaded the strike of the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler—an unprecedented feat that made the faces of the other seven emperors pale.
Emperor Taixiao murmured, "Emperor Changsheng's strength has reached such heights by channeling nine cave abysses that even a Supreme treasure cannot touch him! His power has already surpassed mine; even Boss Yang in his prime might not have been his match..."
Just then, Xu Ying summoned the Heaven-Measuring Ruler once more. The supreme treasure wheeled around him, darting up and down, left and right, no longer unleashing its power indiscriminately. Yet each strike left behind a trail of landscape paintings, its might unyielding and incomparably fierce.
Emperor Changsheng engaged him in close-quarters combat. The great Dao wheel behind his head spun continuously; with each revolution, a burst of Purple Nether Saber qi flew out, clashing with the Heaven-Measuring Ruler.
Suddenly, his twelve Dao wheels flew out, and twelve external avatars condensed vital energy into blades, wheeling around Xu Ying and assailing him from every direction with long purple sabers!
Xu Ying was thrown into disarray. Even manifesting three heads and six arms was not enough to block the onslaught of the twelve external avatars completely.
Wielding the plum branch as a blade, Emperor Changsheng struck again and again, swirling plum blossoms carrying tremendous power as they sliced into Xu Ying repeatedly!
The Purple Nether Sabers hurled by the great Dao wheel were more powerful still, forcing Xu Ying to channel the full might of the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler just to counter each blow.
Xu Ying was clearly losing ground.
Seeing him injured, Xu Jing grew frantic and moved to charge forward, only to have his wrist caught by Lan Suying. Xu Jing looked back, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart. "Madam, did you divine that Ah Ying can turn the tables?"
Lan Suying shook her head. "It would be better to have another child... Hey, hey, don't get excited, you bookworm! I meant I can't divine anything about Ah Ying, nothing at all! His cultivation is far too high!"
At that moment, Emperor Changsheng struck Xu Ying's chest with the plum branch once more. In a matter of breaths, he had struck the exact same spot twelve times in succession.
Suddenly, Emperor Changsheng lowered his blade and stood still. His twelve external avatars flew backward, returning to the great Dao wheel behind his head.
Ignoring Xu Ying, Emperor Changsheng walked toward the Dao tree in his bodhimanda. Looking up, he placed the plum branch back against the spot where it had been broken off.
The branch reattached to the break, flourishing with life once more.
Xu Ying stood behind him, channeling the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler with murderous intent. Striding forward, he shouted, "Imperial Monarch, why have you stopped? Fight me again!"
"I do not kill dead men." Looking up to admire the plum blossoms on the tree, Emperor Changsheng said indifferently, "Xu Ying, I have already slain you. Those twelve strikes of mine were called the Twelve Dao Scenes Plum Blossom Chart. Each strike against your body appeared not to pierce your flesh, but in truth, the Grand Daos within my blade were severed into your body."
Xu Ying strode toward him with towering fury, but with each step, his pace slowed and his body began to tremble.
"Those twelve cuts, having penetrated your body, will coalesce into a complete divine power within you to rip your golden body apart."
Emperor Changsheng turned around with a faint smile. "Now, you may die."
Xu Ying let out a roar as torrential purple saber qi suddenly burst through his chest, severing his life force and extinguishing his life!
Emperor Changsheng sighed, turning away and murmuring, "In truth, I admired you greatly..."
A pang of melancholy gripped him, as though he had just slain another version of himself.
Suddenly, a gaunt, brightly dressed man came sprinting over with great excitement, shouting, "Xu Ying's flesh cannot go to waste!"
Emperor Changsheng frowned, repulsed by the grotesque man. *He even wants to possess a corpse?*
The man was none other than the Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan. Seeing Xu Ying killed, he was ecstatic. Rushing to Xu Ying's side, he revealed his true form as a monstrous flower of the Heavenly River. A wisp of remnant soul consciousness shot toward Xu Ying's corpse, trying to burrow into it as he cried, "Xu, you're dead anyway! Better me than anyone else!"
Xu Jing stood frozen in shock. Lan Suying frowned, her fingers still rapidly calculating.
Jin Buyi trembled, slowly drawing his Purple Nether Saber. Tui Qi's eyes reddened as he raised the Diamond Snare.
"Father, Xu Ying showed me kindness—the kindness of saving my father!" Ning Qing raised the Returning Dao Jade Platter and spoke to Ning Zhong.
Standing beside him, Ning Zhong said, "Xu Ying also passed me the complete Heavenly Dao; I too owe him a debt of gratitude!"
On the Ancestral Court's side, the crowd surged. The Little Heavenly Venerable, the Four Evils of the Ling Family, Daoist Wuliu, Demon God Pan, the Four Saints of the Northern Pole, and others advanced with murderous intent.
Emperor Changsheng glanced at the approaching crowd and smiled faintly. "Rebels and rabble. Today, I shall sweep the world clean as my crowning achievement upon ascending the throne!"
Just then, the voice of the Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan rang out: "Wait, this isn't right! I can't possess him!"
Emperor Changsheng looked back and saw the Evil Golden Immortal back inside that colossal, bizarre flower. The flower shrieked, "A dead Xu Ying cannot be possessed at all!"
*Bang!*
Xu Ying's corpse exploded, transforming into a plume of clear qi that soared toward the ferry.
Emperor Changsheng froze in bewilderment. At that moment, a familiar voice came from his left: "What a pity, to have lost a fellow Daoist."
Emperor Changsheng whipped his head around toward the sound, only to see a white-robed Xu Ying walking toward him, raising a hand to recall Xu Ying's magic treasures one by one.
"The green-robed fellow Daoist did not die in vain; at the very least, he drew out most of Emperor Changsheng's divine powers."
Another Xu Ying's voice sounded. Emperor Changsheng looked over to see a yellow-robed Xu Ying approaching from another direction.
"One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones? No, that's impossible! His avatars could never be this strong!"
His composure shattered, he hurriedly looked toward the fleeing clear qi. It flew above the immortals steaming and selling buns at the ferry, then plunged straight into the head of an immortal who had been stoking the fire.
That immortal slowly rose to his feet, removed his bamboo hat, shook out his robes, and strode toward Emperor Changsheng. Yingzhou and the Landscape Heaven-Measuring Ruler flew straight toward him.
Around him, countless branch-like patterns spread out, gradually sketching the silhouettes of towering, majestic ancient gods. An eerie weeping sound seeped out from the void.
"Clear the field!"
The white-robed Xu Ying bellowed, pushing both hands slowly outward. The waters of the Heavenly River churned violently, and an invisible, titanic force pushed the crowd relentlessly backward.
"Clear the field!"
The yellow-robed Xu Ying also erupted with aura, pushing the crowd even farther away as he shouted, "We are about to unleash our full strength! Stand back lest the innocent be harmed!"
Chapter 597