"The Ninth Realm of the Dao?"
Everyone present was thoroughly shaken, their eyes turning toward the emerald rock one after another. What Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang had sent from the other shore was actually the key to recording the Ninth Realm!
As matters stood, whether under the old path or the new path, cultivation had only been developed up to the Eighth Realm of the Dao. Moreover, the new path's Eighth Realm was incomplete due to defects in the preceding seven realms.
Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang's purpose in sending this emerald rock from the other shore was undoubtedly to allow the people of their home realm to achieve a breakthrough and cultivate the Ninth Realm.
"Fellow Daoist Bell, is the inscription upon this rock a cultivation technique for the Ninth Realm of the Dao?" Daoist Yuxu inquired.
The big bell replied, "It should be, though I can't quite understand it."
It had already been hailed by Xuhuang as a grandmaster, but truth be told, its cultivation had been forcibly elevated by Xu Ying and the Big Dragon. Most of the Great Daos it comprehended were those Xu Ying cultivated; it merely had to accompany Xu Ying in his comprehension within the Great Luo Heaven.
As for the dragon runes covering its body, they had been branded upon it by the Big Dragon, the ancient ancestor of the dragon race—simply stamped on without any deep understanding on the bell's part.
"However, the way I see it, this Ninth Realm technique probably wasn't created by Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang. Rather, it appears to be a foreign technique he transcribed," the big bell said cautiously.
Everyone stared at the inscriptions on the emerald rock with complicated feelings. Xuhuang and the others had followed the emerald rock across the void to the other shore, searching there for the Ninth Realm of the Dao, deciphering it, and sending it back to the Earth Immortal Realm. Their intention had to be spreading this higher cultivation method.
Yet, why were Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang and the others unable to return?
Were they doing well on the other shore?
Daoist Yuqing smiled and said, "The other shore is a place countless people dream of. Their lives there must be exceedingly comfortable—dwelling with the Dao, roaming with the Dao, envied by who knows how many. That is why they are enjoying themselves so much that they have no wish to return."
The primordial spirits of heaven and earth laughed and chimed in, "Indeed. They don't even have leisure to exchange letters with us, and could only take advantage of Fellow Daoist Xu's ascension to pen a letter for him to bring back."
"Their goal is for us to spread the Ninth Realm of the Dao. In that case, we shall not fail their trust."
As Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits formed from the heaven-and-earth Great Daos of their bodhimandas, they harbored little selfishness. What occupied their minds was merely how to fulfill the trust of Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang and the others, ensuring the technique on the emerald rock was passed down.
"Deciphering the Ninth Realm technique on the emerald rock requires someone of exceptional talent; we alone cannot accomplish it," Xuhuang said. "The one best suited to take on this task is undoubtedly whoever has studied Dao patterns the deepest. Creation Supreme, the Immortal Emperor, and the Saint Venerable have undeniably studied them most thoroughly, but their selfish motives are also the heaviest. If they obtained the emerald rock, they could certainly decipher the contents recorded by the Dao patterns, but they would never share them. Therefore, we must find someone whose selfish desires are not so heavy, while being thoroughly proficient in the Dao pattern system."
Daoist Taiqing smiled. "That person is Fellow Daoist Xu Ying. He is immensely learned, having restored the heaven-and-earth Great Daos in the bodhimandas of our various ancestral courts, and his cultivation is exceedingly profound. In his attainment of Dao patterns, he can stand shoulder to shoulder with those Supremes and Wondrous Realm masters."
Leaving the emerald rock in the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, the group walked outside. "He just crossed his tribulation and ascended before being sent back by the Grand Dao Lord. Without delay, let us find him at once!"
They arrived beneath the Fusang Tree, but there was no sign of Xu Ying.
"The Grand Dao Lord traced the trajectory of his ascension and sent him back along the same path. He should have returned precisely to the spot where he ascended," Xuhuang deduced. "After his return, that disciple of the Saint Venerable must have worried for his safety and moved him."
Everyone nodded gently. Daoist Yuxu asked, "However, where would that disciple of the Saint Venerable have moved him to?"
Lou Mingyu was speeding away with Xu Ying, braving the stars and moon in a lightning-fast rush. *No one can stop me from becoming the Dao protector of the new path's Dao Ancestor!*
Because his cultivation and strength were relatively low, he had been unable to catch up with Xu Ying during the ascension. Consequently, when Xu Ying returned from his ascension, Lou Mingyu ended up being the very first to reach his side.
At the time, Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang had gone to contact the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits, while Creation Supreme, the Immortal Emperor, the Demon Ancestor, and others were all en route. Taking advantage of the moment, Lou Mingyu relocated Xu Ying to prevent him from being seized by the Immortal Emperor.
He was fully confident that he could evade the tracking of the Immortal Emperor and the rest.
Leaving the Ancestral Court, Lou Mingyu first dove into the Netherworld, dashed through the underworld realms, and then leapt back into the mortal world. Altering his direction dozens of times, he finally hid away in a mountain village of an obscure small world.
He severed cause and effect and laid down the Grand Array of Ten Thousand Obfuscated Daos to shield against divine divination, thinking to himself, *If the Immortal Emperor Supreme tries to divine my whereabouts, his calculations will definitely be off!*
The Saint Venerable was proficient in far too many Great Daos, including the Dao of Cause and Effect. Lou Mingyu was also well versed in divine divination; though he could not rival the likes of the Divine Mother, his divinatory power was by no means weak.
Xu Ying was still deep in cultivation. Behind him, the Taiyi cave abyss rotated unhurriedly as he gradually approached the second immortal realm of the new path: the Six Domains Realm.
This realm corresponded to the Earth Immortal Realm, requiring one to unite six domains into a whole. However, the new path possessed three fewer realms than the old system, so the cultivation strength of the Six Domains Realm basically corresponded to an Immortal Monarch.
Yet what Xu Ying cultivated was not six domains, but thirteen Dao domains.
Each Dao domain was a cave abyss in its own right, containing immortal mountains and blessed lands that naturally produced spiritual qi and spiritual power—sacred and extraordinary.
To forge thirteen Dao domains into a unified whole at this realm and turn them into one grand cave abyss was by no means an easy feat.
Lou Mingyu observed Xu Ying's progress and saw that Xu Ying's Dao domains were divided into thirteen kinds: vitality, divine consciousness, primordial qi, soul power, yin and yang, heart power, life and death, Dao power, void, hunyuan, Heavenly Dao, emerald rock, and grand primordium.
Among them, Xu Ying had forged the first ten Dao domains into one, forming the Taiyi Dao domain, and was currently refining and merging the three peculiar Dao domains: Heavenly Dao, emerald rock, and grand primordium.
If he could merge these three domains into the whole and reduce the thirteen Dao domains into one, he could form a bodhimanda and step into the third realm of the immortal path: the Bodhimanda Realm.
In this realm, the cave abyss was the bodhimanda—formidable to the extreme!
"The Bodhimanda Realm can basically compete with the sixth realm of the old immortal path, the Heavenly Monarch Realm. The fourth realm of the new immortal path, the Dao Scenery Realm, should correspond to the seventh realm, the Daluo Golden Immortal!"
Lou Mingyu's eyes flickered with thought. *And the fifth immortal realm, the Supreme Realm, should correspond to the old path's eighth realm and...*
He froze, suddenly sensing that something was amiss.
The Supreme Realm had always been measured against the old path's Daluo Golden Immortal and Wondrous Realm of Great Luo—spanning two realms!
If in Xu Ying's new path, the Dao Scenery Realm corresponded to the Daluo Golden Immortal, then the Supreme Realm would correspond to the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo and the legendary Ninth Realm: the Immortality Realm!
*The Saint Venerable has been tirelessly searching for the Immortality Realm above Daluo and above the Supremes, searching bitterly in vain. Could it be that Junior Brother Xu's new path system encompasses the Immortality Realm?*
He suddenly came to his senses: *No, it doesn't encompass it!*
The Immortality Realm still existed and was not subsumed into the Supreme Realm, but the new path's Immortality Realm would likely far surpass that of the old path!
*Pushing the Supreme Realm to the level of the Ninth Dao Realm... No one can rob me of being his Dao protector! Not even if someone tries to steal my position as his sword-bearing attendant!* Lou Mingyu wore a fierce, resolute expression.
Xu Ying's cultivation in the Six Domains Realm took an exceedingly long time. It took over three months before he finally integrated grand primordium, emerald rock, and Heavenly Dao into Taiyi, officially stepping into the third realm of the new immortal path: the Bodhimanda Realm.
In the past, this realm corresponded to a Heavenly Immortal; now, it corresponded to a Heavenly Monarch.
*Junior Brother Xu should be waking up soon,* Lou Mingyu thought.
Previously, Xu Ying had cultivated up to this realm. Returning to it now, this was precisely the moment he ought to awaken.
He observed Xu Ying's aura and noticed that it was already nearly at the level prior to his self-severing, only slightly inferior.
Before severing his cultivation, Xu Ying had been able to stand on equal footing with Lou Mingyu. Now, having cultivated back to the Bodhimanda Realm, although it corresponded to the Heavenly Monarch Realm, he had not yet formed his Dao sceneries.
Yet to Lou Mingyu's surprise, Xu Ying still did not awaken. Instead, he continued cultivating along the Bodhimanda Realm, charging toward the fourth realm of the new immortal path!
Lou Mingyu was slightly startled. The fourth realm was the Dao Scenery Realm, measured against the Daluo Golden Immortal.
*Of course. He had already formed ten Dao sceneries previously; breaking through to the Dao Scenery Realm now is only natural.*
Lou Mingyu sighed inwardly, filled with envy.
If Xu Ying entered the Dao Scenery Realm, his cultivation and strength would surpass his own.
*The new path truly holds immense allure. I have also formed Dao sceneries; if I severed my cultivation base and walked this new path, I could advance smoothly just like him, surpassing my past self.*
Lou Mingyu continued to wait. After roughly half a year, Xu Ying finally cultivated all thirteen Dao sceneries and woke up.
Behind him, besides the Taiyi cave abyss, there was actually another Taiyi cave abyss!
Though this cave abyss was not quite comparable to the genuine Taiyi cave abyss, it was nonetheless extraordinary. Immortal spiritual qi poured forth from within without cease, harboring the Dao rhymes of Taiyi. At a casual glance, it was almost indistinguishable from the true Taiyi cave abyss.
Upon closer inspection, however, differences could still be discerned.
The Taiyi cave abyss Xu Ying had forged himself was relatively shallow, and its immortal mountains were not as numerous as those in the true Taiyi cave abyss. More importantly, it contained no other shore.
The real Taiyi cave abyss was unfathomably deep and possessed numerous immortal mountains. Most crucially, it contained a continent of the other shore, upon which stood foreign architecture and various carved patterns of cosmic principles.
Seeing Xu Ying awaken, Lou Mingyu was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Dao Ancestor Xu, are you ready to impart the Dao?"
Xu Ying was currently observing the differences between the new path and the old path. Hearing this, he laughed. "How did I suddenly become Dao Ancestor Xu? Have you joined my Perfect Dao Sect as well?"
Lou Mingyu had heard of the Perfect Dao Sect. He said solemnly, "The Perfect Dao Sect was merely founded by Liu Guanyi, the Ten-Waste Heavenly Monarch. How could it compare to the Dao Ancestor of the new path? The new path established by Dao Ancestor Xu is destined to crush the old path and every other sect."
Flattered by his praise, Xu Ying felt rather pleased. He smiled and said, "Cut the flattery. If you want to learn, I'll teach you."
Lou Mingyu invited him to take the seat of honor, then went outside into the courtyard. Straightening his robes, he knelt and bowed toward the hall from across the courtyard, but once entering the hall, he did not kneel.
Xu Ying was thoroughly astonished.
Lou Mingyu smiled and explained, "I already have a master, so I cannot take you as my master; doing so would be betraying my sect. Therefore, I can only perform the etiquette of a half-disciple, not counting as an initiated disciple."
Xu Ying was never one to care much for such formalities. He chuckled, "You and I are friends. How can you bow to me? Come sit up here, and I'll kowtow back to you."
Lou Mingyu's expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly said, "You must never do that! Brother Dao, from now on, whoever you encounter, you must never kneel! Even bowing is according them excessive respect! Ordinary people cannot bear it; it will shorten their lifespans!"
Puzzled, Xu Ying asked, "Not even to my parents?"
Lou Mingyu said, "Bowing to parents is fine, and bowing to heaven and earth is fine, but there is no need to bow to monarchs, and no need to bow to masters. You are the founding patriarch of the new path. In terms of generational standing, only your parents and heaven and earth stand above you. No one else qualifies; at most, they can only interact with you as peers."
Finding it troublesome, Xu Ying laughed. "I haven't even spread my Dao yet. Where did all these rules come from?"
Thereupon, Lou Mingyu severed his own cultivation base and realms, staying by Xu Ying's side to cultivate the new path with devoted focus.
Xu Ying returned to Yuanshou and met with his old acquaintances, such as Xue Ying'an, Shi Yuqing, Xiong Qianli, and Guo Xiaodie, imparting the new path so they could comprehend and cultivate it themselves.
Among his old friends in Yuanshou, some had already reached the immortal realm and were not necessarily willing to scrap their cultivation to start over from scratch. Xu Ying did not force them. After teaching the Dao, he departed directly for the Ancestral Court.
The Little Heavenly Venerable and Xiao Xixian hurriedly came out to welcome him. Xu Ying was quite surprised to run into Xiao Xixian, only to learn that ever since the Immortal Realm merged into the Earth Immortal Realm, she had been left idle with no livelihood. Unskilled in any other trade, she had no choice but to seek out her junior brother to make a living.
"Master, I hear that Daoist Taiqing, Daoist Yuqing, and the others are searching for your whereabouts," the Little Heavenly Venerable said.
Xu Ying asked in surprise, "Why are they looking for me?"
The Little Heavenly Venerable shook his head. "I don't know."
Xu Ying did not take it to heart and smiled. "Once I have free time, I'll go see them. Your master has comprehended the new path and reorganized its system. Today I shall teach it to you; cultivate it diligently."
Catching sight of Lou Mingyu, Xiao Xixian asked in surprise, "Master, is this a new disciple you've taken in?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "This is Lou Mingyu, a fellow Daoist of mine who severed his cultivation to cultivate alongside me. Address him as Martial Uncle Lou."
The two hurriedly bowed in greeting. "Martial Uncle Lou."
Xu Ying said, "Go summon my old friends: A'fu, Qingbi, Chanchan, as well as Chu Tiandu, Hu Zhuojun, the Four Sages of the Ancestral Court, and the Four Evils of the Ling Family—bring them all. The old acquaintances from the various ancestral courts as well, the more the better. After I teach the Dao, you can spread it on my behalf, saving me so much toil."
The Little Heavenly Venerable assented, then asked, "May I ask where Master intends to lecture?"
Xu Ying recalled how, when he had first arrived at the Ancestral Court, the Little Heavenly Venerable led him to the Dao Comprehension Platform to comprehend the Six Secrets. He replied, "Right on the Dao Comprehension Platform."
The Little Heavenly Venerable took his leave to carry out the order.
The Ancestral Court was many times larger than the Yuanshou world; even for a Qi Refiner in the Ascension stage, a round trip would take two to three months. Fortunately, numerous Heaven-Mending Divine Artifacts hung in the sky above the Ancestral Court, capable of manifesting Heavenly Dao divine spirits everywhere to convey messages, making communication vastly swifter.
By the time Xu Ying arrived at the Dao Comprehension Platform, the Little Heavenly Venerable had already spread the word across the Ancestral Court. Xiao Xixian possessed an immortal raft and moved with exceptional speed, darting about to pick up people and rush them to the platform.
After several days, the grounds beneath the Dao Comprehension Platform were packed with a sea of people. In his first life, Xu Ying had abandoned his old friends in the Ancestral Court to ascend to the Immortal Realm. Some still harbored resentment toward him, but over recent years Xu Ying had bustled back and forth on behalf of the Ancestral Court, gradually dissolving those grudges, even if things could never return entirely to the way they once were.
Dao Ancestors such as Taiqing, Yuqing, and Yuxu had also arrived, though they sat afar in the sky, solemn and dignified, not stepping forward to disturb him.
Once most of the people had arrived, Xu Ying sat upon the Dao Comprehension Platform. The moment he began to speak, the crowd broke into an uproar. Even Dao Ancestors like Taiqing and Yuqing could hardly stay seated upon their cushions, nearly tumbling off!
The Ancestral Court cultivated the old path, founded upon Dao patterns. Yet what Xu Ying preached was a new path that completely overturned and upended the old path!
Moreover, even the Immortal Court's current "new path" was not truly new: from Qi Gathering all the way to Ascension, all were realms of the old path, differing only once one reached the immortal stage.
Xu Ying, however, had overthrown the old path starting from the very second realm of Qi Refinement!
"Is Celestial Venerable Xu trying to lead us old diehards to rebel against the old path?" Xuan Yazi of Biyou Palace asked in astonishment, turning toward Daoist Wuliu beside him.
"Just listen for now," Daoist Wuliu said, an unfriendly look on his face along with the other Ancestral Court experts as he whispered, "If he preaches well, so be it. If he preaches poorly, we'll overturn his bodhimanda and hack him to death with a flurry of swords!"
"We can't beat this rebel!" Fiend God Pan muttered.
Daoist Wuliu jutted his chin forward. "Look, even the Dao Ancestors don't look pleased!"
Chapter 614