"Can someone ascend, take a stroll around, and then ascend right back?"
Even the Demon Ancestor was utterly bewildered; he had never witnessed such a thing in his life.
The Immortal Emperor Supreme, on the other hand, was wild with joy. *My chives are back!*
At that exact moment, as Xu Ying returned from the other shore, Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang's Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit atop Xuandu Jade Capital Mountain within the Wangxiang Platform abruptly raised his head and gazed into the void.
At this instant, he received a chaotic, jumbled message from the cosmic depths—his true form had made contact with him.
Fleeting though this connection was, it conveyed a flood of disordered impressions regarding the other shore straight into his mind!
Between the other shore and the Three Realms, a brief moment of communication had finally taken place!
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang pondered for a brief moment, then rose to his feet at once, mobilizing his Daluo bodhimanda to its fullest. The Wangxiang Platform shook violently, awakening the ancient beings dwelling within it one after another. They revived in succession, filled with alarm and suspicion.
Just then, a figure slowly rose from the depths of the Wangxiang Platform. Exceedingly imposing, a dense slaughtering aura surged from his body into the firmament, startling the celestial river like a fiend-god rising from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
His aura steadied the ancient, fragile space of the Wangxiang Platform, sustaining the operation of this bizarre land.
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang met the figure's gaze from afar and nodded slightly. "Thank you for your trouble."
The towering figure returned the courtesy, his divine sense rippling obscurely. "I am indebted to the Grand Dao Lord for looking after me for over five hundred thousand years. Allow me to shoulder the Wangxiang Platform in your stead for a time."
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang tore through the void and vanished.
The imposing figure was quite surprised by the Grand Dao Lord's departure. "Among the many Dao Ancestors," he murmured, "the Grand Dao Lord is the only being capable of self-revival. Without needing anyone's help, he can mend the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth and reconstruct his primordial spirit on his own. Yet after waking, he remained atop Xuandu Jade Capital Mountain, never taking half a step away. Staying here made it seem like he was waiting for someone. Could it be that he wasn't waiting for Creation Supreme? His departure this time must mean he has finally received what he was waiting for."
Yet what could that thing possibly be?
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang arrived at Tushita Palace in Lihen Heaven. Before he could even step inside, Daoist Taiqing noticed his arrival. His expression grew grave. Dispensing with formal greetings, he flew up directly to the Grand Dao Lord's side and inquired, "A message has arrived?"
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang nodded. "Let us go meet the other Dao friends."
Daoist Taiqing felt a surge of mingled shock and joy, and he followed after him.
They arrived at the Shangqing Dao Sect. When Daoist Yuqing caught sight of them, he was similarly startled. Without stopping to tidy up, he called out, "Yunhai, I leave this place to you!"
With that, he stepped forward to join Xuhuang and Taiqing, asking urgently, "There is news?"
"Yes!"
Daoist Yuqing froze for a moment, his voice trembling. "Truly?"
"Truly."
Daoist Yuqing burst into hearty laughter. "We have finally lived to see this day! Let us make haste to find Daoist Yuxu!"
The three Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits set off immediately for the Kunlun Realm to meet Daoist Yuxu. When they informed him of the matter, Daoist Yuxu was overjoyed. "These six hundred thousand years of bitter waiting were not in vain! There is also Daoist Taiyi!"
They hurried to the Underworld of the ancient universe without delay. The Yama Kings of the Ten Courts were the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits of Heavenly Venerable Taiyi. Seeing Xuhuang, they immediately understood the visitors' purpose. King Pingdeng said, "I shall accompany you, fellow Dao brothers. The rest of you remain and guard this place."
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang said, "We are all gathered now, but with just our strength, I fear we still cannot catch it. We will need the Ancestral God's assistance."
Daoist Taiqing said, "The Ancestral God went to the Mortal Realm and clashed with the Saint Venerable. He has yet to return."
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang asked, "Is there a way to contact him?"
"There is. We must go to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court and find Brother Tian."
They hurried to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. When Senior Brother Tian saw their arrival, he dared not neglect them. After brief pleasantries, he fetched the Ancestral God's fishing rod and cast it directly into the starry sky of the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court.
The fishing line and hook drifted along the cosmic firmament, gradually sinking into the Mortal Realm.
A moment later, Senior Brother Tian felt the rod dip violently. He hurriedly raised the rod and reeled in the line, clearly having hooked something massive.
Everyone looked over, only to see a dragon-shaped bell hooked by its nose being hauled out of the void.
Senior Brother Tian blurted out, "Far Ancestor, where is the Ancestral God?"
"The Ancestral God went off chasing the Saint Venerable! Only we were left behind to guard the Shiquan Dao Sect!" the big bell answered.
Senior Brother Tian froze. "Then what are we to do?"
The Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits of the Dao Ancestors likewise furrowed their brows in distress. Seeing this, the Big Dragon chuckled. "Whatever the Ancestral God can do, the Far Ancestor can naturally do as well! If you've run into some trouble, just speak up!"
The Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits exchanged glances, and Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang said, "Time waits for no one. At this point, we can only place our hopes in the Far Ancestor's vast divine abilities."
The Big Dragon caught on to something and asked suspiciously, "Seeing you all so solemn, could it be something extraordinary? What is it, exactly?"
Xuhuang explained, "The Grand Dao Lord encountered Dao friend Xu Ying, who had ascended to the other shore. When sending him back to the Earth Immortal Realm, he seized the opportunity to dispatch an object along with Xu Ying into our universe. His consciousness arrived ahead of time to instruct me to release my aura, and that object would fly toward me. He warned me that this item is exceedingly heavy, far beyond my ability to catch alone. I had to seek out several Dao friends, and ideally have the Ancestral God intervene as well."
The big bell asked, "What in the world did the Grand Dao Lord cast over?"
Xuhuang shook his head. "Even I do not know."
Daoist Taiqing said, "The Grand Dao Lord possessed the highest attainment and cultivation among us. Thus, when we followed the emerald rock back then, we made an agreement: if news arrived from the other shore, he would notify us at the earliest opportunity. Yet we all knew that with his cultivation being the highest, the one most likely to establish contact with him was his own Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit. That was why we asked our Dao brother to remain stationed in the Xuandu Jade Capital bodhimanda all along."
Daoist Yuqing praised, "And you guarded it for hundreds of thousands of years without ever stepping away. Brother's state of mind far surpasses ours."
Xuhuang shook his head. "A mere withered vigil, without a shred of merit to speak of. Gentlemen, the thing is coming!"
The moment his words fell, an emerald-green glow suddenly emerged from the depths of the starry cosmos, filling their vision.
Tearing through the void, that emerald radiance streaked directly toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court at terrifying speed.
The big bell and the Big Dragon took one look and jumped in fright. "That thing looks like... an emerald rock!"
The emerald rock hurtled in from another cosmic space-time, its trajectory locked squarely onto the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. The Earth God within the Ancestral Court promptly crouched and burrowed straight into the ground. Senior Brother Tian took fright as well, leaping into the heavens to meld with the firmament.
Daoist Taiqing hoisted the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace; Daoist Yuxu brandished his fly-whisk; Daoist Yuqing deployed the twin treasures of the Taiji Diagram and the Wuji Diagram. Four Wondrous Realm treasures rose into the air, moving to intercept the incoming emerald rock in an effort to slow its speed!
Yet before the four Wondrous Realm treasures could even draw close to the emerald rock, their power suffered a massive drain, falling far short of their former might.
The emerald rock actually sent all four Wondrous Realm treasures flying one after another. Daoist Yuxu controlled his fly-whisk, wrapping strand after strand of horsehair around the emerald rock's surface in a desperate bid to drag it back, only to be hauled along by the rock, dragged straight toward their position!
High in the heavens, Senior Brother Tian shrieked, "If it crashes at this speed, the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court will be smashed to pieces!"
"Junior Brother, join forces!" Daoist Yuqing barked.
Daoist Taiqing immediately abandoned the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace, stepping forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. One drove the Taiji Diagram while the other drove the Wuji Diagram, combining their might to hoist both paramount treasures!
Daoist Taiqing was the Dao Ancestor who possessed the most Wondrous Realm treasures, holding both the Diamond Snare and the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace. Even the Taiji Diagram, the supreme treasure of the Shangqing Dao Sect, had been crafted by his hands. It was only due to ideological differences with Yuqing that he had departed Shangqing to establish his own sect, leaving the Taiji Diagram behind.
With the two joining forces, the power of the Taiji and Wuji Diagrams erupted. Suddenly, a golden bridge materialized between Taiji and Wuji, linking the two supreme treasures together.
The moment the bridge appeared, Taiji and Wuji became fully interconnected. At that very instant, the *Yellow Court Scripture* and the *Shangqing Great Cavern Perfect Scripture* flowed into one another, fusing into a seamless whole!
The might of both Dharma treasures skyrocketed, noticeably slowing the emerald rock's speed.
Yet the emerald rock's momentum remained astonishing, dragging the three treasures along as it hurtled toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court.
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang stamped his foot and shouted, "Arise!"
A great purple banner shot into the sky to meet the emerald rock. As the banner fluttered, waves of the purple Qi of Grand Primordium poured forth, pushing back against the emerald rock.
Surge after surge of purple Qi of Grand Primordium crashed outward from the banner, only to be forced back by the rock. Even so, the treasure possessed extraordinary power, dragging down the rock's speed by another substantial margin.
Senior Brother Tian shouted, "It's still fast enough to shatter the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court!"
Seeing the emerald rock's terrifying might, the big bell trembled and whispered, "Lord Dragon, are you sure you can take this? If you're not..."
"We have to charge regardless!" the Big Dragon cried excitedly, lunging straight toward the incoming emerald rock. "Even if I only have a head left, I'm still stronger than an old fossil who can only piss blood!"
The Dragon Bell clanged deafeningly, shaking space and time as layers of sonic waves combined with the Far Ancestor's dragon roar to blast against the emerald rock!
The emerald rock was unimaginably hard. Under the layers of sound waves, it showed not the slightest scratch, punching straight through the various Dao tones generated by the Dragon Bell and continuing its descent.
The Big Dragon bellowed, tolling furiously as he slammed directly into the emerald rock!
*Boom—!*
Streaks of innate indestructible spiritual light scattered in every direction across the sky—the force of the impact had shattered the countless spiritual lights within the big bell into disarray!
The big bell cried, "Lord Dragon, I'm going to crack!"
"Not yet!"
The Big Dragon was beyond excited. Wrestling with the emerald rock, he pulled the scattered spiritual lights drifting across the sky back down into the bell's body.
Dragging the Taiji Diagram, the Wuji Diagram, and the Yuxu Fly-Whisk, and pressing against Xuhuang's Grand Primordium Banner, the emerald rock bore down against the Dragon Bell, still pushing it toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court!
Despair gripped everyone at the sight. Senior Brother Tian could no longer hide in the heavens; he manifested his form and channeled his divine power to push back with all his might.
Yet the instant his boundless divine power touched the emerald rock, it was suppressed by the bizarre force emanating from it, snapping inch by inch!
"It's really going to crack!" the big bell wailed.
The Big Dragon roared and leapt out of the bell, manifesting the Far Ancestor's primordial spirit. Though only a dragon head remained, it still commanded world-shaking might!
The Far Ancestor's dragon head braced against the emerald rock, joining the big bell to resist the crushing weight. The rock's speed slowed drastically, yet it still bore down on them, driving them relentlessly toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court!
At the same time, Taiqing, Yuqing, Yuxu, King Pingdeng, Xuhuang, and Tian all soared into the air together, using their arms and backs to physically resist the emerald rock. One by one, they were shoved backward by its overwhelming momentum toward the ground.
Pressed by sheer terror, the Earth God suddenly sprang up from the soil, howling at the top of his lungs as his hands hammered furiously against his war drum, charging headlong toward the falling emerald rock!
The drum thundered continuously. Grinding down against everyone, the emerald rock plummeted from the sky until it barely hovered above the ground—and finally came to a halt.
The Earth God was still screaming, his drum rolling without pause. The big bell drifted out from beneath the emerald rock and called, "Earth God, stop drumming! You've already stopped the rock!"
The Earth God's pupils were unfocused, his soul still shaken from fright.
Everyone gingerly lowered the emerald rock to the ground, terrified that it might take flight again and trigger another world-ending Dao weeping.
The emerald rock was covered in inscriptions. There were two distinct kinds of text: one consisted of branch-like veins, also known as Dao principles; the other comprised Dao patterns, colloquially known as ghostly scrawls.
The two forms of writing each occupied half of the stone surface.
The big bell leaned in and asked, "What is carved on this emerald rock?"
The Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits stepped closer, inspecting it for a long while before furrowing their brows. They were merely Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits, capable of comprehending only the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth within their respective bodhimandas; they had no way to decipher principles outside their domains.
Senior Brother Tian also leaned in, pondered for a moment, and shook his head. "Can't read it."
The Big Dragon moved in, feigning a careful examination for a while before asking in embarrassment, "Are the Dao patterns on this side, or on that side?"
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang looked around, frowning slightly. "Nowadays, the only one among us with any real attainment in Dao patterns is you, little friend Bell."
"Me?" The big bell went blank.
Everyone turned to look at it, their eyes filled with expectation. Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang said, "In this world, many follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, but few blaze a trail of their own. Yet you, Dao friend Bell, are a grandmaster who walks a unique path. You are the very first Dharma treasure to cultivate the truth, versed in both the new and old Daos, and you have even refined the dragon patterns of the Dragon Court era. Across the entire world, scarcely anyone possesses a broader horizon or deeper insight than you. There is no need for modesty."
The big bell hummed softly—unsure whether it was humming from the lavish flattery or from sheer guilt. *Is he really talking about me?*
Still, being showered with such high praise made the big bell feel rather pleased with itself. Even so, looking at the emerald rock made its heart quail. It had no choice but to brace its bell walls, lean forward, and carefully study the meaning of the Dao patterns etched into the rock.
*If Ah Ying were here, where would he begin deciphering it? How would he unravel it?* it wondered silently.
Gradually, it caught a trace of the profundity hidden within the stone's Dao patterns. Before it realized it, it became immersed in the wondrous joy of decipherment, delving deeper and deeper.
*Clang—!*
Unable to contain itself, the big bell let out a succession of profound tolls.
Hearing these tolls, Xuhuang, Taiqing, and the others wore looks of astonished delight. Clearly, this big bell truly had deciphered and grasped the contents inscribed upon the stone!
The Dao profundities contained within those chimes were so profound that even they could not help but feel profound admiration!
After a long time, the big bell finally snapped out of the joy of decipherment, only to find everyone gathered in a wide circle around it. Even the Far Ancestor's enormous head was hovering in the air, staring unblinkingly down at it.
"I... I could only decipher a tiny bit of what's carved on the stone..." the big bell admitted rather sheepishly.
"What does the stone actually say?" everyone asked in a hurry.
"The immortal Dao patterns on this stone are actually a translation of the text beside it—they decipher the foreign Dao principles adjacent to them."
The big bell hesitated a moment, then said, "According to this... the foreign Dao principles record the Ninth Realm of the Dao."
Chapter 613