Who Dares Touch My Crop?

The figure shrouded in a thin membrane moved with blinding speed, already breaching Daming Palace's myriad Dao images and charging into the Dao seeds! Daming Palace was the Holy Venerable's experimental testing ground, housing endless Dao images that were all products of his visualization. Each Dao image represented a great divine power of the ancient Qi Refiners. Although their power could not rival the divine powers of the Immortal Dao, having been derived by the Holy Venerable himself, their might was naturally not to be trifled with. Yet the intruder bypassed them entirely without triggering a single Dao image. Lou Mingyu felt a chill in his heart: "Even if this person isn't Mingzun, his cultivation and strength can't be far behind!" Without hesitation, he activated the countless Dao seeds! The Holy Venerable's Great Luo Heaven seemed devoid of any defensive measures, but its greatest defense lay in these very fruits of his research. Those Dao seeds, Dao trees, Dao flowers, Dao fruits, and Dao sceneries were all conceived through his blood, sweat, and profound comprehension, possessing stupendous might! At that moment, countless Dao seeds erupted with immense power, like boundless rays of light linking together to weave an incomparably dense web! The membrane-shrouded intruder's movements were uncanny. Weaving erratically through the web, he darted inward at incredible speed. Whenever he met an impassable obstruction, he unleashed short, exquisite minor divine powers to pierce the Dao seeds' radiance, slipping effortlessly into the forest of Dao trees. Lou Mingyu was startled and hastily channeled his dharmic power to activate the forest of Dao trees. In the forest stood countless Dao trees, each harboring a distinct Great Dao and exuding a unique Dao aura. Yet at this moment, the myriad Daos converged into a single torrent, sweeping toward the membrane-shrouded figure with earth-shattering force. The Dao trees were nurtured by the Great Dao and possessed their own inherent dharmic power, so Lou Mingyu needed only to mobilize their might. However, commanding the majesty of so many Dao trees was no easy feat; it required mastery over their corresponding Great Daos. As the Holy Venerable's disciple, he had never been denied access to Dao methods and divine powers. Lou Mingyu was studious and sharp-witted, having mastered the vast majority of the Dao methods stored within Daming Palace. As he rallied the Dao trees this time, the power of tens of thousands of them was unleashed, and their terrifying majesty was truly earth-shattering! The membrane-shrouded figure leaped backward, flipped in midair so his head hung below his feet, and thrust both palms forward, clashing directly with the torrent of ten thousand Daos from the forest! Boom! As the two forces collided, a Dao tree suddenly materialized behind the intruder. A Dao fruit flew from its branches and unfurled with a resonant hum, manifesting a Great Luo Heaven forged from pure Dao, solid and unyielding. The Great Luo Heaven shone brilliantly, actually withstanding the surging might of the tens of thousands of Dao trees. Flickering like a specter, the membrane-shrouded intruder plunged into the forest of Dao trees and raced ahead at blistering speed. He looked as if he possessed countless arms, unleashing a flurry of compact, lightning-fast minor divine powers that parried every incoming assault from the myriad Dao trees! Wherever he passed, Dao trees snapped or were uprooted whole. Unstoppable, he tore through the forest and burst into an endless ocean of Dao flowers! "He is an existence of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo! He isn't Mingzun, and he hasn't come for Xu Ying—he's here to slaughter the Holy Venerable's Great Luo Heaven in vengeance!" Shocked, Lou Mingyu acted instinctively, immediately marshaling the countless Dao flowers to intercept him. The ocean of Dao flowers was far more formidable, boasting more than ten times the power of the forest of Dao trees. Yet the membrane-shrouded intruder's mastery over minor divine powers was unmatched by anyone Lou Mingyu had ever seen. His minor arts were swift and compact, released with a mere flick of his wrist and driven purely by thought. Detonating like a continuous barrage of fireworks, they carved a path straight through the sea of Dao flowers before its true power could even erupt! Lou Mingyu saw blossoms bursting ceaselessly along his path, petals of every vibrant hue drifting and swirling in a scene of indescribable beauty. "Which Martial Uncle has invaded Daming Palace?" Lou Mingyu abruptly ceased driving the ocean of Dao flowers and called out clearly, "Please state your name." The membrane-shrouded figure uttered not a word, slicing straight through the ocean of Dao flowers. Ahead, countless Dao fruits hung suspended, radiating tremors that made the soul tremble. Lou Mingyu's sudden withdrawal of force had not been a surrender; he had halted the ocean of Dao flowers precisely to channel the Dao power of the myriad Dao fruits gathered here. The Dao might emanating from the Dao fruits was ten times that of the ocean of Dao flowers! Even though this membrane-shrouded intruder was once a rebel leader of the uprising who had taken part in campaigns wiping out the Demon Ancestor, Ancestral God, Shangqing, Yuxu, and other ancestral courts, as well as the decisive siege against the Ziwei Immortal Court, facing this ocean of Dao fruits in Daming Palace still gave him pause. "Holy Venerable Yuan Yu, you've certainly come up with quite a few fine toys over the years!" The intruder moved in a flash, lunging toward the ocean of Dao fruits. In the next moment, the combined power of tens of thousands of Dao fruits erupted to bar his way, forcing him into a direct clash! Repeating his previous tactic, the intruder once again unleashed his Dao tree, Dao fruit, and Great Luo Heaven, meeting the force of the myriad Dao fruits head-on! Yet this time, the power of the ocean of Dao fruits was simply too vast. Each Dao fruit was like a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and their combined Dao power slammed into him, shaking his Great Luo Heaven, making his Dao tree sway violently, and forcing him into a staggered retreat! Still, the intruder was extraordinarily capable, managing to cast his minor divine powers even under such crushing pressure. His execution was dazzling, deflecting the barrage of thousands of Dao fruits one by one in a dizzying display. Lou Mingyu had never seen anyone hone minor divine powers to such a pinnacle—not even the Holy Venerable could match this! Though stumbling backward, he showed no signs of defeat, ultimately weathering the assault and regaining his footing. "The Holy Venerable truly lives up to his name," the membrane-shrouded figure finally spoke, his voice low, disguised and unrecognizable, praising, "Even while confronting the Ancestral God in the Mortal Realm and absent from this place, he can still hold me back with merely the arrangements he left behind and a single disciple. The eldest brother of our rebel army back then is indeed worthy of his reputation!" Just then, a second membrane-shrouded figure passed through the forest of Dao trees and the ocean of Dao flowers, arriving at his side. He remarked casually, "In those days, the Holy Venerable's cultivation and strength were consistently above Qingxuanzi's, right until Qingxuanzi pioneered the method of attaining the Supreme Dao and surged ahead. Even then, the gap between them never grew wide. Shortly after Qingxuanzi attained the Dao, the Holy Venerable proved his own Supreme status as well." This newcomer's face was likewise veiled by a thin membrane; though facial features were visible, his actual likeness could not be discerned. Lou Mingyu's expression shifted drastically. Dealing with one intruder was already straining his limits; the arrival of a second multiplied the pressure! 'I wonder if Master's ocean of Dao fruits can hold them back?' No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a third voice rang out, swiftly drawing near: "After defeating the other Supremes and those of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo, he monopolized four great cave abysses and amassed the treasuries of the world. It is only natural that his cultivation reached its current heights over the years. Had I possessed such vast resources, I would not necessarily be inferior to him." The newcomer was yet another membrane-shrouded figure, somewhat taller than the other two, his countenance veiled within a spatial membrane of Great Luo Heaven so that his true appearance remained obscured. Lou Mingyu's heart sank completely. 'I wonder if Mingzun is among these three.' Despair crept into his chest. Could he really fend off so many formidable figures all by himself? And yet, weren't the Six Supremes and Twelve Wondrous Ones either dead or imprisoned? How could three suddenly emerge out of nowhere? He glanced back. Xu Ying was still immersed in his cultivation, completely oblivious to what was happening outside. 'This time, it is my Great Luo Heaven that has dragged him down, entangling Junior Brother Xu in their vendetta against Master. These people have come to wipe out the Holy Venerable's Great Luo Heaven to exact their vengeance! Junior Brother Xu sought refuge here to evade Mingzun, only to be caught in the crossfire.' The three great experts looked at one another. Clearly unfamiliar with each other's disguised identities, none recognized the others, and so they kept a cautious distance between them. None of them wore their true faces, having altered them specifically to conceal their identities. After all, the battle between the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God had not yet concluded in life or death. If the Holy Venerable survived and their identities were exposed, they would be the ones to perish. Suddenly, the three experts moved in unison, charging into the ocean of Dao fruits. Lou Mingyu roared in fury, mobilizing every Dao fruit he could command to strike at the trio while simultaneously drifting backward. The Dao fruits coalesced into a deluge of Dao majesty. Inside Daming Palace, ten thousand Daos rumbled, unleashing a staggering power that inspired dread even in the three membrane-shrouded figures! Yet all three charged straight into the torrent. If they could not even withstand the power within Daming Palace, how could they hope to face the Holy Venerable? One after another, the three unleashed their divine powers to combat the Dao fruits and Dao sceneries. In an instant, the first figure deployed his Dao tree and Dao fruit, and even brought forth a Wondrous Realm treasure—a four-legged cauldron. Densely inscribed inside and out with the sun, moon, myriad phenomena, and Dao runes, the vessel churned with dense, extraordinarily heavy purple qi. As the first intruder raised the cauldron, purple qi poured downward like an inverted waterfall to shield his body, radiating the aura of an eternal emperor. This cauldron was none other than an artifact forged by severing the cultivation of the Last Lord of Ziwei. "The supreme treasure, the Ziwei Demon-Subduing Cauldron! And such minor divine powers!" the second intruder suddenly laughed aloud. "Isn't this Brother Gu Bunian, Dao Lord of Luofu?" The first figure felt a chill. He was indeed Dao Lord of Luofu, Gu Bunian. He thought, 'He has seen through me and holds leverage over me. If the Holy Venerable isn't dead, he will probably report this to the Holy Venerable...' Dao Lord of Luofu immediately turned his gaze toward the second intruder, only to see ten magnificent Dao scenery phenomena materialize behind him. This was an existence of the Supreme realm. Though he had wished to hide his identity, Daming Palace was simply too formidable, forcing him to go all out. The ten Dao sceneries behind him suddenly reared up and interlocked, forming a massive platter-shaped object that revolved slowly, adorned with endlessly shifting patterns of the Great Dao. When the crushing might of the thousands of Dao fruits and Dao sceneries surged toward him, it was instantly distorted by the platter-like construct behind him. It transmuted their Dao structure, altered the architecture of the divine powers, and dissolved them into blossoms and auspicious clouds that drifted past him. "Transmuting enemy powers, endless creation!" Gu Bunian, Dao Lord of Luofu, broke into loud laughter. "Creation Supreme Yin Yuan, your divine powers of creation truly live up to their name! Rumor had it you died back then and even lost your Supreme magical treasure, the Returning Dao Jade Platter. How come you've risen from the dead today?" The two were old acquaintances; recognizing the other's techniques, each easily identified his peer. Creation Supreme snorted coldly. While "rising from the grave" was hardly glorious, Gu Bunian had been in an equally pathetic state back then. "I heard that back then you were captured by the Holy Venerable and suppressed in the Heavenly Abyss to plug an ocean spring, Old Gu. When did you crawl out?" Creation Supreme said with a false smile. Meanwhile, the third intruder was also forced to exhaust his methods. Six Dao sceneries manifested behind him—the Sea of Chaos, Black and Yellow Qi, the Pure Lapis Lazuli Void, and other phenomena—which were instantly recognized by the other two. "So it's Mingzun!" Dao Lord of Luofu and Creation Supreme exchanged a knowing glance. Dao Lord of Luofu said, "The three of us share a common enemy. We should raze the Holy Venerable's lair to the ground and exact our vengeance!" That third intruder was indeed the Immortal Emperor Supreme. However, he had not come for vengeance; he was here to pluck the fruit that was Xu Ying. He was not on their side. Yet seeing Lou Mingyu swiftly retreating with the motionless Xu Ying, he grew secretly anxious: 'Could the fruit I planted have been harvested by that brat Lou Mingyu?' Having identified one another, their mutual wariness relaxed considerably, allowing them to exert their full strength against the Dao fruits and Dao sceneries of Daming Palace. Joining forces, the trio hacked their way through the ocean of Dao fruits and reached the opposite side. Before they could even find their footing, they were suddenly confronted by an endless domain of Dao realms. Shock gripped their hearts: "A trap!" The three barked in alarm, doing everything they could to push their divine powers to the limit and defend on all sides. "Back to back!" they shouted. Dao Lord of Luofu, Creation Supreme, and the Immortal Emperor Supreme pressed their backs together in a triangle. To their flanks, tens of thousands of Dao fruits and Dao sceneries erupted in cataclysmic tremors, unleashing an endless tide of Dao light that submerged all three! Boom! Daming Palace shook violently. Beams of Dao light burst from within, shooting in all directions, riddling this Great Luo Heaven with holes and even punching through other Great Luo Heavens, causing streaks of radiant clouds tens of millions of li long to streak across the skies of the Immortal Realm! Dao Lord of Luofu, the Immortal Emperor Supreme, and Creation Supreme were severely wounded by the backlash. Coughing up mouthfuls of blood, their auras slumped. Yet their combined strike also withstood the power of the Dao fruits and Dao sceneries on both sides, repelling it! On the other side, Lou Mingyu, who stood in the Dao Weeping Corridor carrying Xu Ying, suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of blood with a retch. His aura withered, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud. The combined strike of the three Supremes and Wondrous Realm experts had also jolted him into grave injury. Blood leaked from Lou Mingyu's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Struggling to his feet, he carried Xu Ying forward while releasing the corrupted Zang sealed along the sides of the Dao Weeping Corridor. Stumbling as he fled, he thought, 'It doesn't matter if I die, but I must get Junior Brother Xu out! Since I chose to be a sword-bearing attendant... Bah! Since I chose to be the Dao Protector of the New Dao's Ancestor, I must ensure his safety no matter what!' Behind him, the Immortal Emperor, Creation, and Dao Lord of Luofu coughed blood repeatedly, overwhelmed by shock. The Holy Venerable was not at home, his true body absent, yet merely by relying on the Holy Venerable's disciple and the arrangements in Daming Palace, three peerless masters like them had been severely injured! If word of this got out, probably no one would believe it! 'The Holy Venerable's Dao attainment is as towering as an insurmountable mountain!' The same thought arose in all three minds at once. It was not Lou Mingyu who had injured them, but the Holy Venerable. Lou Mingyu had merely used what the Holy Venerable left behind to inflict these wounds; in terms of strength, Lou Mingyu was still two whole realms below them. Suppressing their injuries, they charged forward again. Dao weeping broke out, and the Zang imprisoned here surged toward them. The Immortal Emperor, Creation, and Dao Lord of Luofu carved a bloody path forward, invincible and unstoppable. These Zang were not inherently weak, but the three intruders were terrifyingly strong, ranking among the world's apex figures; slaughtering these Zang was naturally child's play for them. At last, Lou Mingyu's fleeing figure carrying Xu Ying appeared ahead. The Immortal Emperor's eyes flashed, his gaze falling onto Xu Ying. Earlier, separated by the ocean of Dao fruits, he had been unable to see clearly, but now he had an unobstructed view. Around Xu Ying's body drifted the auras of twelve Great Daos. Aside from the six the emperor was familiar with and the four he had yet to cultivate, there were two additional Great Daos. One was a Great Dao structure formed of branching, node-like patterns, while the other resembled the Heavenly Dao of the Earth Immortal Realm—yet far more intricate, seemingly encompassing other principles within it. "The Emerald Rock Dao and the Heavenly Dao of the Three Realms!" The Immortal Emperor Supreme felt a mixture of shock and delight. Something even his master Qingxuan had failed to cultivate, Xu Ying had actually mastered! This was something he had never anticipated when he first planted him! 'Strange, why has his cultivation plummeted so drastically all of a sudden? Did Lou Mingyu harvest my crop?' The Immortal Emperor Supreme flared with anger, but then realized that Xu Ying's state did not look like he had been harvested. Instead, it seemed as if he were cultivating anew from the ground up—though the cultivation realms he was traversing were so bizarre that even the emperor could not make head or tail of them. "Let's kill these two brats first, and Daming Palace will be ours!" Dao Lord of Luofu and Creation Supreme lunged forward together, preparing to execute Lou Mingyu and Xu Ying. Without a second thought, the Immortal Emperor Supreme slammed his palm against the center of Dao Lord of Luofu's back and shoved with brutal force. The ribs on the back of Dao Lord of Luofu's chest cracked and shattered, and a mouthful of old blood sprayed from his lips. The corner of the Immortal Emperor Supreme's mouth twitched, and he thought to himself, 'Nobody touches my crop!'