At Heavenly Sea Ferry, the garrison of immortal soldiers and generals peered into the distance. Heavenly Sea Ferry was vital—a key outpost connecting to the Mortal Realm—and the Immortal Emperor Supreme had ordered them to guard it.
The previous duel to the death between Xu Ying and Emperor Changsheng here had thrown the ferry into chaos, but fortunately, the shrewd immortal officers had fled early on, escaping with their lives.
"Who are those three?" an immortal general asked in bewilderment as he squinted across the waters. "Why are they coming toward us from the River of Spiritual Light?"
The three travelers were dressed in tattered rags, unkempt and grimy, their faces unrecognizable. The one punting the boat was shrouded entirely in darkness, looking like a humanoid black paper silhouette standing at the helm. The other two were in no better shape, covered in blood like convicts fresh out of prison.
"We're back!" The three leaped and danced about the prow, crying out gleefully, "We finally escaped that cesspool!"
Just then, the sky suddenly blazed with light. Radiant glows filled the heavens as if tens of thousands of suns were soaring overhead. Vast, boundless divine might flooded heaven and earth in an instant. The immortal hosts raised their heads in awe. They saw an expanse of indestructible spiritual light enveloping the cosmos, radiating a holy luminescence as it swept majestically from the other end of the Heavenly Sea, rushing straight toward the Earth Immortal Realm.
Beyond that, chiming bell tolls echoed from within the spiritual light, joined by the peculiar sound of dragon roars.
"The Ancestral God! It's the Ancestral God!" one shadowy figure on the boat shouted excitedly. "I told you the Ancestral God controls the Heavenly Dao of the Mortal Realm and would definitely make it back! You just wouldn't believe me—and now he's run right ahead of us!"
The other two on the boat froze, their earlier joy vanishing without a trace.
The Ancestral God's crossing was accompanied by immense commotion, his brilliance illuminating the Immortal Realm. Yet he moved so swiftly that in the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving no trace behind.
An immortal general bellowed, "Who goes there? Identify yourselves—"
Before the words left his mouth, his flesh exploded and his primordial spirit shattered into dust.
With a sullen expression, the Immortal Emperor Supreme stood at the prow. Wherever his gaze fell, the immortal soldiers and generals guarding the ferry burst apart, their flesh detonating and their primordial spirits disintegrating.
In the span of a breath, thousands of defenders across the entire ferry were wiped out. Only a few immortals stationed inside the camp tents, who had remained out of his line of sight, survived for the moment.
Hearing the agonized shrieks rise and abruptly fall outside, followed by an eerie silence, the survivors trembled in terror, cowering in their hiding spots and not daring to show their faces. A few daring ones bolted from the encampment, trying to flee for their lives, but the moment they took to the air, the Immortal Emperor's gaze caught them. One after another, they burst apart, meeting violent deaths.
"Mingzun, what are you doing?!" Daoist Yuji demanded in shock and fury.
With a mere thought from the Immortal Emperor Supreme, the primordial qi in the sky roiled, forming a colossal hand that plunged from the clouds and crushed the immortal army's camp to rubble. He slowly raised a hand, watching streams of indestructible true spirits flutter upward, drawn by the Netherworld and vanishing into its depths.
"I did this only to preserve our lives," the Immortal Emperor Supreme said, casting a glance at Daoist Yuji. "None of the three of us have healed from our injuries. If they see us in this state, our enemies will seize the chance to take our lives. I have been away from the Immortal Court for over a year, and I fear changes have occurred there. We must act with extreme caution."
Daoist Yuji sneered, "Even so, there was no need to slaughter them, you tyrant!"
"There was every need," Zaohua Tianzun said leisurely. "After all, we crawled out of an exile realm like the Cosmic Dark Realm and plunged in and out of the cosmic cesspool nine times. If they were to see us like this, it would ruin our prestige. Silencing witnesses is thoroughly necessary."
Daoist Yuji snorted, flicked his sleeves, and said, "Men on different paths cannot make plans together. Now that the three of us have landed safely, let us go our separate ways and heed our own destinies. Farewell!"
Zaohua Tianzun's eyes glinted with murderous intent, and he smiled. "Yuji, you were useful before. Now, you're not."
Daoist Yuji's heart skipped a beat, crying inwardly that things looked grim.
The Immortal Emperor Supreme smiled and said, "Martial Uncle Zaohua, do not frighten him. Martial Uncle Yuji, the Immortal Court is in desperate need of capable hands. I hope Martial Uncle can lend me your aid and serve the Immortal Court."
Daoist Yuji hesitated, glancing from Zaohua to the Immortal Emperor. He knew full well that if he refused, he would end up just like the slaughtered soldiers—dead without a grave.
"Your Majesty has decreed; how could I dare disobey?" He bowed.
Zaohua Tianzun chuckled. "Mingzun, is the reason you're sparing him because he excels at forging Supreme treasures? Don't tell me you still haven't refined a Supreme treasure of your own?"
The Immortal Emperor sighed. "I was constrained hand and foot by the Nine Heavens, the Nine Earths, and the Great Luo Heaven. Where would I find the opportunity to forge a Supreme treasure? Even if I had the chance, I lacked a master craftsman. Rest assured, Martial Uncle Yuji: I cherish talent and will never burn bridges after crossing the river. I will entrust you with great responsibility."
Though clad in rags, looking no different from a beggar, the Immortal Emperor's spirits rose high. A surge of bold ambition welled within him, and he declared loudly, "Now that the Mortal Realm has opened, the rule of the Immortal Realm must extend there! I need Martial Uncle Yuji to build ships for the present Immortal Court, recreating the glorious prosperity of the distant Primordial Dragon Court!"
He pointed toward the Heavenly Immortal Realm and smiled. "Martial Uncle Yuji, in the future, the ships you build will not merely cross the long river, navigate the starry skies, and traverse the Heavenly Sea to conquer the Mortal Realm. They will also go there—deep into the cosmos, to an even higher world! Your ships will carry my warriors as they ascend into the Heavenly Immortal Realm!"
Daoist Yuji looked toward the Mortal Realm, then turned to gaze at the colossal shadow hanging over the Immortal Realm. Though he despised the Immortal Emperor's character, his words still stirred a fiery pride in his chest. In the past, he had served as the Grand Master of Heavenly Works under Qingxuan, loving the craft of artifact forging as much as his own life. During the hundreds of thousands of years he had exiled himself to the Mortal Realm, he had lacked any opportunity to forge treasures. If the Immortal Emperor was truly offering him this chance, he would seize it without hesitation.
"I will forge treasures for you, but I will not help you kill people, nor will I help you scheme against others," Daoist Yuji stated.
The Immortal Emperor laughed heartily. "Martial Uncle Yuji need not worry about other matters."
Daoist Yuji nodded. "You must place all departments of Heavenly Works under my command, and you must select outstanding craftsmen from among the immortals for me."
"Everything shall be as you wish," the Immortal Emperor replied. "However, that cannot happen just yet. I still need to nurse my wounds in secret and assess the current situation. Martial Uncle Zaohua, will you join us to heal?"
Zaohua Tianzun shook his head. "Go ahead without me. I still have matters to attend to."
The Immortal Emperor gave him a deep, searching look. "Martial Uncle, the Holy Venerable remains above the Nine Heavens. You must be careful."
Zaohua Tianzun said gravely, "I know how to take care of myself."
With that, his figure flickered and vanished. The Immortal Emperor and Daoist Yuji also departed, leaving behind only the devastated Heavenly Sea Ferry.
Before long, through his own secret intelligence channels, the Immortal Emperor pieced together all the major events that had transpired in the Earth Immortal Realm during his absence. His heart was filled with a mixture of shock, joy, and a touch of sorrow.
His sorrow stemmed from the fact that after the Heavenly Venerable's rebellion, the Eastern King and Emperor Changsheng had revolted one after another. In this vast Immortal Court, not a single person had proven loyal and righteous! The greatest irony was that Xu Ying and Xu Jing had quelled the rebellion; in the entire Immortal Court, the ones who appeared the most loyal turned out to be the family of rebels!
As for the Eastern King—the Eastern King was his son, yet his death at the hands of Emperor Changsheng after revolting had long been within the Immortal Emperor's expectations. Even so, he mourned for a brief moment.
His joy came from Xu Ying's splendid growth. Xu Ying had actually slain Emperor Changsheng after being tempered by both the Imperial Monarch and Emperor Changsheng! Clearly, the crop had matured and was ready for harvesting. His six-hundred-thousand-year plan had finally arrived at the reaping stage; how could he not rejoice?
What shocked him, however, was that Xu Ying had grown a little too fast, truly startling him. He had originally thought it would take Xu Ying another two years to form a Dao domain, never expecting that within a mere half year after ascending from the Mortal Realm, Xu Ying would have already achieved it.
Even more alarming were the reports from onlookers that Xu Ying had unleashed divine powers involving the Dao Crying and the Emerald Rock. This unsettled him. The crop he had labored so painstakingly to cultivate must not turn into a wild boar and gore the old farmer who planted it!
"Time to harvest. It is time to harvest," he murmured. "Could it be that once Xu Jing proclaims himself emperor, the reaping can begin? Proclaiming himself emperor is treason—an unpardonable crime! When that happens, even the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths will have no excuse to intervene, nor could the Holy Venerable say anything."
Yet what shocked him most of all was the report of a young man resembling Qingxuan appearing over the Heavenly Sea during the duel between Xu Ying and Emperor Changsheng. That news left him unable to eat or sleep peacefully.
In the Continuous Heavenly Palace, within Changsheng Hall, the Immortal Emperor Supreme assumed a disguise and temporarily secluded himself there alongside Daoist Yuji. Familiar with every path, he found the secret chamber of Changsheng Hall. Opening it, he saw rows of bookshelves.
He walked over, pulled out a scroll, and unrolled it. Written inside was the story of Qingxuan, complete with records of the methods Qingxuan had devised to assemble the power of cave abysses. "Changsheng, back when you found this scroll of Qingxuan's tale, you must have been overjoyed," the Immortal Emperor said faintly. "I wrote that scroll myself. It was not in vain that I left it in a place where you were sure to find it."
At that moment, the Earth Immortal Realm trembled violently, shuddering without pause. Such occurrences had become commonplace in recent years. Under the influence of the Tide of the Three Realms, the myriad worlds were merging into the Earth Immortal Realm, constantly colliding with one another.
The Immortal Emperor Supreme stepped out of Changsheng Hall and looked toward the origin of the tremor, momentarily stunned. "The Ancestral Court has merged with the Earth Immortal Realm!"
The source of this tremendous upheaval was indeed the Ancestral Court.
That ancient continent, the primordial origin of the myriad heavens and the ancestral home of humanity, had finally merged with the Earth Immortal Realm. With this, the Earth Immortal Realm was made whole once more.
As the Ancestral Court and the Earth Immortal Realm merged, dazzling clouds of light erupted from famous mountains and grand rivers across the land. Immortal qi surged in density, more cave-heavens and blessed lands emerged, and heaven-and-earth primordial qi flourished with exceptional abundance.
Throughout the Earth Immortal Realm, countless extraordinary sacred grounds appeared—some even resembling natural cave abysses capable of producing immortal spiritual qi and spiritual power.
"The Ancestral God returned from the Mortal Realm, and now the Ancestral Court merges with the Earth Immortal Realm. Could this be his doing?"
Just as this thought crossed the Immortal Emperor's mind, boundless clouds of radiant light converged over the Ancestral Court, coalescing into an unimaginably vast, white-haired, white-bearded elder. It was the Ancestral God! His colossal cosmic primordial spirit nearly enveloped the entire Ancestral Court.
The truth was even more staggering than the Emperor's suspicion:
The Ancestral God had physically carried the Ancestral Court, accelerating the merger!
The Immortal Emperor's expression changed abruptly. Such monstrous power was something he fell far short of—even the mightiest Qingxuan back in the day had been far inferior.
This was power that shattered the limits of the Great Luo Wonder Realm and the Supreme Realm, reaching into an entirely different tier, another realm altogether!
The eighth realm of the New Dao, the ninth realm of the Old Dao, the ninth Dao realm of the Dragon Court era—this was the power the Ancestral God possessed right now!
The Immortal Emperor was overwhelmed with excitement. This was the exact power he yearned for!
Just then, Daoist Yuji let out a soft exclamation of surprise and flew out from behind him, heading straight toward the Ancestral Court. "Your Majesty, I must make a trip outside."
The Immortal Emperor frowned slightly, but had no choice but to let him go. He thought to himself, *Now that the Ancestral Court has merged and the Earth Immortal Realm is restored, Xu Jing should be ascending the throne.* He understood the allure of the imperial seat better than anyone.
Inside the Supreme cave abyss, Xu Ying located Xu Jing, who was cultivating diligently, and urged, "Father, give up the thought of ascending the throne. Your merits are already great enough; why not become the next Emperor Changsheng instead?"
Xu Jing laughed. "I don't care in the slightest about any throne. A mere imperial title brings constraints at every turn; only power-hungry men like Mingzun covet it day and night."
Puzzled, Xu Ying asked, "Then why did you remain inside the Supreme cave abyss?"
Xu Jing explained, "I wanted to know how the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths managed to constrain Mingzun. After cultivating in this cave abyss for two months, I finally grasped a portion of its Great Dao. Tracing the resonance, I discovered the key to how they held Mingzun in check. Ying'er, come with me."
Xu Ying followed him. Father and son traversed soaring immortal peaks and layers of Dao realms. This Supreme cave abyss was vast and profound beyond measure; its Great Dao naturally manifested into various Dao realms, deep and brimming with flora, fauna, birds, beasts, insects, and fish born of the Dao. To enter and comprehend the Dao here would yield a hundredfold return for half the effort.
"No wonder he was able to rely on this cave abyss to reach the Wonder Realm back then, forcing Emperor Hao Hong to abdicate to him," Xu Ying praised. "Just by studying the layout of the Dao realms in the Supreme cave abyss, one could cultivate various Dao domains and master different Daos."
Xu Jing led him deeper, passing from one Dao realm into another, until they finally arrived in the eighth Dao realm world. Before them lay a picturesque scene, yet in the deepest recess of the cave abyss sat a profound fracture.
"The Supreme cave abyss is incomplete!"
The moment Xu Ying saw that fracture, he understood everything. Back then, all factions compromised to let Mingzun become the Immortal Emperor. At the time, Mingzun had not yet reached the Supreme Realm and required an earth-grade cave abyss to attain it. As the price for ascending the throne, Mingzun had to use this flawed, damaged cave abyss to cultivate and attain the Supreme Realm before they would trust him.
Xu Ying stared at the fracture in the cave abyss, deeply shaken. Cultivating with a flawed cave abyss meant his Great Dao remained flawed—a fatal vulnerability. Mingzun had essentially surrendered his life into their hands in exchange for their trust.
*This is why the Supreme is obsessed with harvesting us like chives! Back when his cultivation and status were low, if he wanted to climb higher, his only choice was to place his life in someone else's hands to gain the chance to rise,* Xu Ying murmured inwardly. *Now that his cultivation is high and his status supreme, he wants to take his life back into his own hands!*
"Ah Ying, this is why I stayed here," Xu Jing said. "If I can seize this chance to discern the flaw in the Immortal Emperor Supreme's Dao methods, he won't be invincible. I have no interest in his throne, but I have a great interest in his life! The destruction of Xujiaping was triggered by a single thought of his!"
Xu Ying said, "The Immortal Emperor has likely returned to the Immortal Realm. We must leave early—we cannot delay."
Xu Jing was startled. "How do you know he returned? He was trapped in the Cosmic Dark Realm; he shouldn't have been able to escape!"
Xu Ying answered, "The Cosmic Dark Realm is no longer dark. The Ancestral God mastered the Heavenly Dao of Darkness and returned from there. His return will surely link up with Big Dragon's physical body, connecting the Mortal Realm and the Earth Immortal Realm to facilitate migration. Since the path is open, the Immortal Emperor Supreme must have returned as well. We had best leave immediately and not let him know we've uncovered his fatal weakness, or disaster will follow."
Xu Jing agreed. Just as the two were about to leave, Xu Jing suddenly felt a jolt of premonition. His face turned pale, and he looked at Xu Ying. "The Immortal Emperor is divining my whereabouts!"
Xu Ying's heart pounded. "Focus your mind on your Dao fruit! Keep your awareness unified!"
Hearing this, Xu Jing immediately guarded his Dao fruit. His Dao fruit had been formed by refining a Ginseng Dao fruit, equivalent to the Dao fruit of a Daluo Golden Immortal. By concentrating all his consciousness within it, it became as if the Immortal Emperor were attempting to divine the fate of a Daluo Golden Immortal. Even for the greatest divine prognosticator under heaven, pinning down an accurate reading would be extraordinarily difficult.
Father and son hurried toward the outside, crossing layers of cave abyss Dao realms and sweeping past peaks. Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the Supreme cave abyss.
Before Xu Jing could even breathe a sigh of relief, a tall, imposing silhouette appeared right at the mouth of the cave abyss.
Chapter 601