Beneath the Fusang Ancient Tree stood none other than the Demon Ancestor. Demon Emperor Jin Buyi led the crowd beneath the branches, accompanied by Yuan Qi, the Palace Attendant he favored above all others.
Demon Emperor Jin Buyi was slightly unsettled, glancing all around, yet Xu Ying was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, the pale, plump youth beside him revealed his true form, transforming into a thousand-li serpent that shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ah Ying—!"
A voice rose from the Heavenly Abyss, echoing him like a mimic beetle: "Ah Ying—!"
Yuan Qi looked down into the Heavenly Abyss below, only to see another great serpent gazing back up at him from within its depths.
Startled, he swiftly resumed human form and drifted lightly back down.
"Careful, Attendant. Do not lock eyes with the Heavenly Abyss,"
the Demon Ancestor remarked with utter composure. "When you gaze into the Heavenly Abyss, the Heavenly Abyss also gazes into you. Stare too long, and you might fall right in. In the era of the Demon Court, countless great demons were executed here. Even Daluo Golden Immortals perished in numbers beyond count."
Yuan Qi jumped in fright and hastily pressed closer to the Demon Ancestor's side. With a faint look of distaste, the Demon Ancestor took a step away.
Demon Emperor Jin Buyi asked, "Demon Ancestor, what do you think Ah Ying's chances are in his duel against Mingzun?"
The Demon Ancestor replied, "Xu Ying is the founder of the new Dao, who pioneered its fourteen realms. His merits are immeasurable, his divine might reaches the heavens, and his accomplishments are peerless. Yet against Mingzun, he has no chance of victory whatsoever."
He had heaped on praise at the start, but that single 'yet' caused Jin Buyi's heart to sink.
The Demon Ancestor continued, "Your Majesty ought to seek out an alluring demoness and send her to Dao Ancestor Xu without delay to preserve his lineage. After Dao Ancestor Xu falls, the demon child he leaves behind will be the son of the Dao Ancestor, shouldering the grand burden of seeking vengeance and carrying on his legacy. Once that child comes of age, slays Mingzun, and ascends the human imperial throne, the realm will return to our demon race once more! The glorious revival of our people is just around the corner!"
Demon Emperor Jin Buyi smiled wryly. "Demon Ancestor, please do not joke."
The Demon Ancestor shook his head. "I am not joking."
Pausing briefly, he went on, "There is nothing wrong with Xu Ying's cultivation realm. I have deduced the various realms of his new Dao as well. Using the Dao Scenery Realm—the fourth tier of the immortal stages—to rival a Daluo Golden Immortal is beyond question. The problem is that Mingzun is not merely a Daluo Golden Immortal. Mingzun is in the Supreme realm."
The Supreme realm encompassed two stages: the seventh and eighth realms of the Dao, corresponding to Daluo Golden Immortal and the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo.
"The gulf between the seventh and eighth realms is immense, every bit as vast as the divide between a Heavenly Monarch and a Daluo Golden Immortal,"
the Demon Ancestor stated. "Xu Ying matching a Daluo Golden Immortal's standing against someone of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo leaves him far short of the mark, even if he is a Dao Ancestor, and even if he has cultivated thirteen kinds of Dao sceneries. As for the Supreme realm: Xu Ying has a Supreme Primordial Spirit, and he has a Supreme physical body. But what about magic power? What about divine consciousness? And what of Yin and Yang, or heart power? Which of those has attained the Supreme tier?"
Thoroughly unnerved, Jin Buyi hurriedly countered, "Ah Ying possesses exceptional mastery in Life and Death, Dao Power, the Void, Hunyuan, the Emerald Rock, the Heavenly Dao, and Primordial Chaos..."
The Demon Ancestor shook his head. "Without cultivating them to the Supreme tier, there remains a fundamental difference in quality. Even if Mingzun only surpasses him in six aspects while he surpasses Mingzun in seven, his defeat is still inevitable. What is more..."
He paused, then said, "Mingzun has plotted against him for six hundred thousand years. Six hundred thousand years ago, Xu Ying was already a plaything in his palm. Across those six hundred thousand years, even in his first life, he was nothing more than a grasshopper held in Mingzun's grasp. I simply do not believe he can turn the tables now."
He halted and peered warily toward the far side of the Heavenly Abyss.
The other bank was impossible to discern with the naked eye; one could see only a hazy, drifting mist, devoid of silhouettes. Yet the Demon Ancestor distinctly felt an immensely powerful presence standing on that distant shore, poised to cross the Heavenly Abyss and strike at any moment!
*The Supreme of Creation!*
The Demon Ancestor's heart thudded violently. *Furthermore, this clash is not merely a duel between the two of them; it is a contest between their respective factions as well. And on that front, we are at a distinct disadvantage.*
With his own strength, he held a slight edge over the Supreme of Creation, but only if the Supreme of Creation did not deploy a cave abyss.
Should the Supreme of Creation unleash a Supreme-grade cave abyss, the Demon Ancestor would be the one outmatched!
*Without the Ancestral God here to hold the line, we remain far inferior,* he mused silently.
Just then, Senior Brother Tian arrived, cradling the Dragon Bell. The bell rose into the air, suffused with indestructible spiritual light and radiating turbulent waves of power.
On the opposite bank, another formidable aura surged. A figure stood faintly visible in the haze, giving Senior Brother Tian a sudden jolt. *One of the Six Supremes and Twelve Wondrous Ones! The Immortal Emperor Supreme has recruited another master from the Twelve Wondrous Ones!*
Back then, numerous experts had besieged the Ancestral God. As the sky that shielded the Ancestral God, he had clashed with those foes and recognized the familiar aura. Lacking the aura of a Supreme, this newcomer was clearly one of the Twelve Wondrous Ones!
*The Holy Venerable is absent from the Earth Immortal Realm, so Mingzun intends to play for massive stakes—he has taken this opportunity to release the Supremes and Wondrous Realm figures once suppressed by the Holy Venerable!*
A voice piped up in delight, "This is a splendid spot to sell steamed buns!"
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw Useless Qingxuan ambling over, preparing to set up a roadside stall beside the Heavenly Abyss. The corners of the Last Lord of Ziwei's eyes twitched violently. He shot to his feet, brimming with murderous intent, his glare as piercing as beams cast by the Glazed Lamp of Supreme Firmament and Cavity Truth!
The Demon Ancestor was likewise draped in killing intent. The Fusang Tree behind him suddenly towered as if propping up the sky, glaring menacingly at Qingxuan.
Xuhuang, Taiqing, Yuxu, and the others braced themselves as if confronting a mortal foe, activating their respective Wondrous Realm treasures.
Only Daoist Yuqing sighed softly, his brow knitting slightly.
Qingxuan had originally been his disciple, as well as the gravedigger of the great Dao sects, making it difficult for him to face the man.
At the same time, shadowy figures stirred across the chasm, and another towering silhouette emerged on the far side of the Heavenly Abyss, veiled in obscurity.
Useless Qingxuan paused in his work, raised an eyebrow, and glanced toward the opposite bank.
Three more figures appeared on the far shore, standing opposite him from afar.
The expressions of the Demon Ancestor, the Last Lord of Ziwei, Xuhuang, and the others shifted drastically. In just three short days, the Immortal Emperor Supreme had managed to locate so many masters among the Six Supremes and Twelve Wondrous Ones to hold the line for him!
Had Useless Qingxuan not appeared, they would never have realized that the Immortal Emperor had already laid such exhaustive preparations!
The Demon Ancestor whispered, "Mingzun is reckless beyond measure. Releasing these ancient monsters means a total rupture with the Holy Venerable! But where does this Qingxuan stand?"
He was filled with doubt and suspicion.
Useless Qingxuan looked thoroughly annoyed. Glaring at the hostile crowds on both shores, he snapped, "You won't even let a man sell steamed buns? Meddling busybodies! If I can't sell them, fine, I'm leaving!"
Packing up his stall, he turned on his heel to depart.
Suddenly, a figure flashed from the opposite shore, streaking toward Useless Qingxuan as a streak of azure light. A cold voice rang out, "Qingxuan, staying dead and buried does everyone a favor! Why crawl back out to bewitch the hearts of men?"
The attacker's aura was formidable and blindingly fast, intercepting Qingxuan above the Heavenly Abyss in the blink of an eye.
Every strike from the assailant was vicious and lethal. Yet despite carrying the moniker of 'Useless,' Qingxuan's techniques were ferociously wild and overbearingly domineering—only for that haughty might to abruptly shift into insidious, venomous arts!
Suspended over the Heavenly Abyss, the two traded over a dozen blows in a matter of heartbeats. Suddenly, a deafening crash echoed.
Useless Qingxuan stumbled, clearly wounded, and vaulted away into the distance.
His pursuer did not give chase. Instead, the man turned and strode back toward the opposite bank. As he stepped through the air, drops of blood trailed behind him, dripping into the Heavenly Abyss.
"He is not Qingxuan; he is merely an inner demon Qingxuan severed from himself,"
the man's voice drifted across from the far shore. "Had he been Qingxuan, I would already be dead."
"Only an inner demon?"
Other voices carried over from that side. "An inner demon could wound you? That seems unlikely! Let me go test him!"
Several more figures leaped into the air, speeding off in the direction Qingxuan had vanished.
The Demon Ancestor, the Last Lord of Ziwei, and the rest breathed a collective sigh of relief. Those figures were evidently from among the Six Supremes and Twelve Wondrous Ones. In their minds, discerning whether Qingxuan was alive or dead was far more important than Xu Ying.
"Could this Qingxuan have come to aid us?"
The Demon Ancestor, the Last Lord of Ziwei, and the others were astonished. Back in the day, Qingxuan had purged their older generation with ruthless, merciless brutality, stopping at no villainy. Yet this Qingxuan appeared to carry a shred of human warmth.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Imperial Monarch Xu Ying has arrived!"
A clamor arose as everyone turned toward the sea. Walking across the waves with the blazing sun at his back was a young man—none other than the Immortal Court's current Imperial Monarch, Xu Ying.
The previous Imperial Monarch had been Xu Ying's mortal enemy; for the Immortal Emperor to name Xu Ying as the successor was irony itself.
Anticipation flared in every heart: Xu Ying was finally here!
The Last Lord of Ziwei signaled Nan Ziyan to turn the precious carriage around and meet Xu Ying. Rolling out from beside the colossal Heavenly Abyss, the carriage appeared like a speck of dust, intercepting Xu Ying out upon the sea.
The Last Lord of Ziwei rose and offered a greeting. "Dao Ancestor Xu, well met."
Xu Ying returned the courtesy.
The Last Lord chuckled. "A gentleman's vengeance is never too late, even after ten years. Dao Ancestor Xu, I did not come today to watch a spectacle, nor did I come to back you up. I came to tell you to endure for ten years before seeking your revenge."
Xu Ying looked at the Last Lord of Ziwei, feeling a touch of warmth. Though the Last Lord constantly spoke of taking his head, he was genuinely concerned for his safety.
"Do not assume I care for your well-being,"
the Last Lord said, seeing through his thoughts. "I care nothing for you. I simply feel it would be a pity if someone with such a brilliant future threw his life away over a moment of rash impulse."
Xu Ying bowed deeply in sincere thanks. "My thanks, Dao brother. But my mind is set."
The Last Lord's eyes flickered as he scrutinized Xu Ying from head to toe. After a moment, he said, "Since your mind is made up, there is little more I can say. I will exchange ten moves with you. If you can defeat me within ten moves, I shall not stand in your way. If you fall to me within ten moves, turn back and endure for ten years."
Xu Ying adopted a solemn expression. "Thank you for your guidance, Dao brother."
The Last Lord of Ziwei inwardly commended him, knowing Xu Ying had seen through his purpose.
These so-called ten moves were merely the Last Lord's way of sparring with Xu Ying to temper him. Xu Ying had never faced a Supreme-level figure before and had no inkling of how terrifying a Supreme truly was.
The Last Lord of Ziwei was the preeminent titan of the ancient era, a powerhouse whose abdication had required the concerted efforts of the Six Supremes and Twelve Wondrous Ones. His ten moves would undoubtedly broaden Xu Ying's horizons!
"First move!"
The Last Lord's aura abruptly flooded the world. The greatest sovereign of the six dynasties displayed unbridled, overbearing dominance as his presence bore down like a mountain. Blood rushed into Xu Ying's eyes; his pupils contracted to tiny points; his sight failed, his ears filled with deafening clamor, his hearing vanished, and his five senses collapsed into absolute darkness!
He hastily surged his vital blood to purge his eyes and ears, restoring his senses—only to find the Last Lord's fingertip already pressing toward the center of his brow.
*Clang!*
The finger struck firmly between Xu Ying's brows, hurling him tens of thousands of li across the water.
A searing pain flared across Xu Ying's forehead, though his golden body held. Yet as he looked up, the Last Lord's boundless magic power came crashing down like an inverted azure canopy of clouds, trapping him beneath it.
Planting his feet, Xu Ying was about to manifest the Taiyi Golden Bridge to combat the divine art when the Last Lord's voice echoed in his ears: "Second move!"
Splendid Dao patterns surfaced across every surface of that azure cloud canopy. In an instant, myriad divine arts coalesced into an encircling net. Shrinking from massive to infinitesimally small, it descended right around Xu Ying, engulfing him in a tempest of thousands of arts!
*Boom!*
The onslaught broke Xu Ying's technique, shattering the golden bridge before it could fully take shape. Then came a second wave of divine arts, followed by a third, a fourth, a fifth!
These were not profoundly intricate supreme techniques, yet strung together in an unrelenting chain, they left him with no way to evade and no way to block!
Xu Ying grunted, enduring five successive impacts before drawing the Measure-Heaven Ruler to cleave open the azure cloud canopy and break free.
Gazing across the distance, he saw that the Last Lord of Ziwei was still seated calmly inside the imperial carriage, having not shifted an inch.
Smiling faintly as he watched Xu Ying seize the initiative and charge boldly toward him, the Last Lord said softly, "Dao Ancestor Xu, when it comes to divine arts, you have not reached the Supreme tier either!"
Watching Xu Ying raise the Measure-Heaven Ruler to unfurl an expansive landscape scroll across the sky, the Last Lord flicked his hand with casual ease, tapping and pointing. Every strike landed precisely along the ruler's path, cutting off its trajectory and preventing the supreme treasure from unleashing its full might.
"Third move," the Last Lord said with a smile.
His third move was not directed at Xu Ying himself, but at breaking the Measure-Heaven Ruler, rendering it useless.
The Last Lord's fourth move followed without pause, shattering Xu Ying's techniques and planting a palm strike against his chest. An aerial tempest of palm imprints then rained down from every direction, assaulting Xu Ying's Leakless Golden Body!
Xu Ying's heart tightened. *He is searching for the flaws in my Leakless Golden Body!*
The Leakless Golden Body did indeed have flaws, for Xu Ying had yet to perfect the Taishang Dao. Only by completing the Taishang Dao could it become truly flawless!
In mere moments, Xu Ying took countless palm strikes. Though the Leakless Golden Body absorbed them, he sensed the force of the Last Lord's strikes following a peculiar path, secretly creeping into his body!
The Taishang Dao had imperfections, and the Leakless Golden Body built upon its foundation naturally harbored a fissure as well.
That fissure was uncovered by the Last Lord's fifth move.
Yet the Last Lord did not press his advantage against the flaw in the golden body. Instead, his technique shifted toward Xu Ying's thirteen Dao sceneries, seeking to unravel his thirteen Great Daos!
In the span of a few breaths, the duel reached the tenth move. Having lost nine consecutive exchanges, Xu Ying suddenly unleashed the Emerald Rock Great Dao. His body underwent zangification, and countless branch-like patterns surged forth, slashing toward the Last Lord of Ziwei atop the carriage!
The Last Lord raised a hand. The Glazed Lamp of Supreme Firmament and Cavity Truth rose, sending a ray of brilliant light soaring skyward before it bent sharply to meet the zangified wings!
A great Dao weeping erupted over the sea.
When everything settled, the Last Lord of Ziwei looked at the zangified wing that had cleaved down, hovering above his head a mere inch from his brow.
His gaze then shifted to Xu Ying. The light of the glazed lamp had sliced into Xu Ying's shoulder, yet at the critical instant, Xu Ying had checked the cleaving zangified wing, and the Last Lord had likewise refrained from driving the glazed lamp forward to slay him.
Both sides had stayed their hands.
The Last Lord of Ziwei withdrew the Glazed Lamp of Supreme Firmament and Cavity Truth and said, "Cultivate with me for ten years, and I shall temper your divine arts to the Supreme tier."
Xu Ying shook his head, stepped past him, and strode toward the Heavenly Abyss.
"Xu Ying, you lost!" Nan Ziyan shouted.
The Last Lord stopped him, saying, "His mind is set; there is no need for further words. Leave the rest to the Demon Ancestor."
Ahead, Demon Emperor Jin Buyi bowed and said, "Demon Ancestor, I leave it in your hands!"
The Demon Ancestor said gravely, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will surely make him turn back!"
He stepped forward and walked toward Xu Ying.
Chapter 619