Counterattack

At this moment, Wei Xu's divine ability, Peaks Surpass Mount Kun, was at the peak of its detonation. Terrifying Dao power warped space-time, giving the sensation that the entire Kunlun realm was crashing down upon the world! In recent years, Wei Xu had not only restored his cultivation to its peak, but had also seized the opportunity of the Earth Immortal Realm's restoration and the emergence of various precious lands to enter them alongside Zulong Zhao Zheng in search of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, making no small leap in his cultivation. Beneath his surging palm force, Xu Ying rose swiftly to his feet and raised his hand, unleashing the Burial Dao Heavenly Abyss to meet Wei Xu with the divine ability of his first life. Wei Xu roared with laughter, his wild hair flying. "A Heavenly Abyss? Even the real Heavenly Abyss couldn't trap me! Don't bother bringing out petty tricks like this!" He crushed forward like an avalanche over mountains and seas—overbearing, savage, with berserk killing intent. Qingxuan's divine abilities were originally sacred, solemn, and magnificent, yet in Wei Xu's hands, the Kunlun realm was like a hell forged of blood and corpses. The towering mountains were all piled high from the bones of gods and immortals who had died by his hand! The baleful aura of blood turned both the Heavenly Abyss and the Heavenly Sea crimson! The New Dynasty's Number One God of Slaughter truly lived up to his name! Seeing this, the onlookers felt a chill in their hearts. The Last Lord of Ziwei's voice rang out. "Wei Xu's explosive power is so astounding, and Mingzun's is just as astonishing." At these words, everyone nodded silently. Wei Xu and the Immortal Emperor shared the same master, both being disciples of Qingxuan. The Immortal Emperor's cultivation realm was even higher, having immersed himself in the Supreme realm for hundreds of thousands of years. The depth of his cultivation far surpassed Wei Xu's. When his divine abilities erupted, their explosive force would undoubtedly surpass Wei Xu's. Before their divine abilities even collided, Xu Ying's Burial Dao Heavenly Abyss was shattered by the shockwaves. The Burial Dao Heavenly Abyss was a divine ability from his first life. It had accompanied Xu Ying for years, helping him overcome foes and seize victory, but facing a Supreme-level divine ability, it was utterly inadequate. As for divine abilities like the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace and the Chaotic Star Sea, they were even more useless against Wei Xu. Wei Xu had been suppressed inside the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace and refined for five to six hundred thousand years without being refined to death—so how could an ability modeled after an alchemy furnace possibly affect him? Furthermore, the Chaotic Star Sea was the ruin left behind when Wei Xu slaughtered the Great Deity of the Three Altars and Sea Gathering. Using the Chaotic Star Sea divine ability against him would be completely futile. Other divine abilities Xu Ying had mastered, such as those from the Imperial Monarch's Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Secret Art, were also not worthy of being deployed. Practically every divine ability he had learned in the past, aside from the Zhuxian sword qi, was unworthy of use! Xu Ying retreated swiftly. He realized that facing Wei Xu, he had only a handful of divine abilities he could actually deploy: the Zhuxian sword qi, the Taiyi God Bridge, the Three Seals of Earth, Human, and Heavenly Immortals, and the Emerald Rock divine abilities! He halted his footing and stood in the vast sky. Below lay the Heavenly Abyss, spanned by a long bridge. Xu Ying turned his hand into a seal, meeting Peaks Surpass Mount Kun with the Human Immortal Seal! The two divine abilities erupted, and Wei Xu's incomparably wild, domineering assault came to an abrupt halt. Wei Xu's disheveled hair whipped around, a trail of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth as Peaks Surpass Mount Kun collapsed in vast swathes. The corner of Wei Xu's eye twitched, feeling a trace of panic in his heart. *Master was right. This little bastard's ability truly isn't what it used to be.* In that single clash with Xu Ying just now, his internal organs and even his eight Dao landscapes had suffered injury. Moreover, he discovered that the gap between himself and Xu Ying seemed rather large. Mobilizing his eight Dao landscapes to drive Peaks Surpass Mount Kun yielded power of supreme hardness and ferocity—even among the Nine Emperors of the Nine Heavens, few could withstand this strike. Yet Xu Ying had not only received it, but had even shaken and injured him! Such cultivation was already above his own! "I don't believe it!" Wei Xu roared furiously, his momentum becoming even more ferocious as he unleashed the second stance, Tide-Surged Dark Ocean! Once this move appeared, it was as if another Heavenly Sea rose atop the Heavenly Sea, its power surpassing even the previous move! Two Heavenly Seas, one above and one below, made it impossible to tell which was reality and which was illusion! With this move, the Dao power he drew from his eight Dao landscapes was stronger and fiercer, intent on recouping his prior setback! Xu Ying stood upon the golden bridge. Clouds surged and Xuanhuang qi churned beneath his feet as thirteen Dao landscapes manifested around him. Numerous Dao powers mingled together, coalescing beneath his palm into a towering Kunlun—he had actually executed Peaks Surpass Mount Kun, the very divine ability Wei Xu had just used! Only under Xu Ying's palm, this strike was even more overbearing. Meeting Wei Xu's Tide-Surged Dark Ocean, it acted like a sea-calming pillar amidst the waves, cleaving through the surging waters to strike straight into Wei Xu's central defense! Wei Xu grunted. Tide-Surged Dark Ocean was actually unable to withstand Peaks Surpass Mount Kun! The instant their divine abilities collided, the breath in his chest churned violently, and a mouthful of fresh blood welled up. Mobilizing the power of his thirteen Dao landscapes, Xu Ying immediately sensed the explosive surge in the divine ability's might. Startled and delighted, he promptly reined in his power. Seeing his technique broken, Wei Xu instantly switched stances, unleashing in succession the third stance Divine Splendor of Gathered Essence, the fourth stance Radiance of Sun and Moon, the fifth stance Shimmering Phantasm, the sixth stance Water Mist and Rosy Clouds, the seventh stance Rainbow Abyss of Cloud and Mist, the eighth stance Astral River Descending to Earth, and the ninth stance Primordial Chaos! His moves grew increasingly violent, his strikes fiercer and fiercer, yet Xu Ying answered exclusively with Peaks Surpass Mount Kun. No matter how many divine abilities Wei Xu shifted through, Xu Ying met them with that single move. Yet as he executed the same move again and again, his mobilization and application of the various Dao landscape powers of Qingxuan's lineage grew steadily more familiar and seasoned. What he sought to learn was not Qingxuan's divine abilities, but the way Qingxuan's lineage wielded the power of Dao landscapes. Master the subtleties of that application, and even the lowliest divine ability could unleash astonishing might. By the time Wei Xu unleashed his ninth stance, Primordial Chaos, Xu Ying no longer used Peaks Surpass Mount Kun. Instead, he met it with an ordinary palm strike. This palm seemed entirely unremarkable, yet its power was evenly matched with Wei Xu's Primordial Chaos, receiving all of that primordial vastness in a single palm. As their palm forces made slight contact, Wei Xu felt his attack fully absorbed by a gentle, peaceful force without feeling any counterforce at all, and a sudden chill gripped his heart. Not only was he unhurt, but the injuries inflicted on him earlier by Xu Ying's divine abilities healed within that single palm strike—he had actually been healed by Xu Ying. Wei Xu drew back his hand and said in a heavy voice, "Entrusted by another, I remain faithful to the task. Now that you have seen the divine abilities of Qingxuan's lineage, I have fulfilled my responsibility. Farewell!" He whistled as he sprinted toward the opposite bank of the Heavenly Abyss, plunging into the vast mist and shouting, "Old bastard Luofu, get out here and fight your grandpa for three hundred rounds!" In his duel with Xu Ying, he had been suppressed at every turn, and he desperately needed an opponent to vent his frustration. The Last Lord of Ziwei and the Demon Ancestor exchanged a glance, each nodding gently. Xu Ying's plain and unassuming palm just now had fully demonstrated that he had grasped the true essence of Qingxuan's lineage. "Xu Ying also belongs to Qingxuan's lineage. In explosive power, he is not the slightest bit weaker than Wei Xu or Mingzun." The Last Lord of Ziwei praised, "This young man possesses extraordinary natural talent; a single hint is enough for him to see through everything. No wonder Mingzun chose him to be his leek." The Demon Ancestor said, "Xu Ying was painstakingly cultivated and trained by Mingzun. He wishes to harvest Xu Ying to reach the heights of his master, Qingxuan. Thus, he likely raised Xu Ying to Qingxuan's specifications. Now that Xu Ying has filled the gap in applying Dao landscapes, the distance between them isn't so vast anymore." Jin Buyi showed a look of hope and asked, "Demon Ancestor, does this mean Ah Ying has a sure chance of victory?" The Demon Ancestor shook his head. "Still no. Xu Ying is merely sharpening his spear before the battle, whereas Mingzun yearns deeply for power and has surely cultivated day and night. I heard that for over five hundred thousand years after becoming Immortal Emperor, he was unfailingly deferential to the Nine Emperors of the Nine Heavens, and even more respectful toward the Three Rarities of Luotian. It was only around the time Wei Xu broke free that he suddenly bared his claws and fangs. Only then did the Nine Emperors of the Nine Heavens and the Three Rarities of Luotian discover that the nine emperors joined together could not contend with him, and when the Three Rarities fought him one-on-one, each was bested." His gaze fell upon the Immortal Emperor Supreme standing motionless above the Heavenly Abyss as he said, "A man of such forbearance could endure for more than five hundred thousand years for victory. Once he strikes, he will not leave his prey the slightest opportunity." Daoist Taiqing said, "He is a hero among men." "No, an ambitious predator," the Demon Ancestor said. "An owl haunts the dead of night, perching silently on a branch without a sound, observing every movement in the dark. It remains motionless until the moment it strikes, and once it strikes, it never misses. It glides noiselessly through the air; only when death arrives does its prey realize it had been targeted all along. Mingzun is just such an owl—devising infallible schemes. Prey targeted by him can rarely escape." Hearing this, everyone turned to look at the Immortal Emperor. The Immortal Emperor Supreme still stood there motionless, watching Xu Ying, truly like an owl staring down its prey. Even harvesting a crop planted and cultivated for six hundred thousand years could not cause the slightest ripple in his Dao heart. Xu Ying paid him no heed as well, quietly sitting down to continue contemplating what he had gained from exchanging blows with Wei Xu. His heart was utterly calm, leaving only the flames of vengeance quietly burning. A battle with the Immortal Emperor was already inevitable, so he would face this battle of vengeance and harvest in his best possible state. After a long while, Xu Ying stood up, walked through the void, and tentatively performed several divine abilities to channel the power of his Dao landscapes. He sat back down, quietly continuing his contemplation. The Immortal Emperor Supreme still did not rush him, continuing to wait. Primordial Monarch Zitong's eyes settled on the profile of the Immortal Emperor's face, and she suddenly said, "Are you truly not in a hurry at all?" The Immortal Emperor's aura was serene, carrying the sense of blending into one with heaven, earth, and nature. He replied leisurely, "Why should I be in a hurry? This is the finest ingredient, and he is working hard to stretch his body, circulating his vitality and blood, making his sinews firmer and more tender, flushing out sourness and impurities so that he will taste all the better. Facing such a self-disciplined delicacy, why would I ever be in a rush?" Primordial Monarch Zitong chuckled. "You see that he isn't in a hurry either. Why do you suppose that is?" The Immortal Emperor turned his head to look at her with amused interest. "Why?" Primordial Monarch Zitong said, "He isn't in a hurry because he is the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao. His cultivation and strength increase with every passing moment; the wider his New Dao spreads, the stronger he becomes. His aptitude surpasses yours, his comprehension surpasses yours, and his potential surpasses yours. If you are not in a hurry, he will never be in one either." The Immortal Emperor smiled. "You care so much about him—does he know?" Primordial Monarch Zitong felt a pang in her heart and remained silent. The Immortal Emperor said leisurely, "Zitong, you and Xu Ying have long been mere bugs caught in my web—small, frail, struggling within my strands. The feelings between you two were also engineered entirely by my hand; your every thought is completely under my control. You need not waste your breath. As for the outcome of this battle, I have already calculated it: I will win a complete victory, while you and your lover fall into reincarnation, never to attain release. You should rejoice that after you die, you will finally break free of my grasp." The corner of Primordial Monarch Zitong's mouth twitched, and she suddenly said, "Whether you arranged it or not, my meeting him, understanding him, and falling in love with him were all inevitable. Meng Shanming, haven't you realized? In truth, you can arrange nothing at all." The Immortal Emperor laughed aloud, mocking, "Inevitable? Without my divine divination arranging your meeting, where would your inevitability come from?" Primordial Monarch Zitong pursed her red lips and smiled. "Is it not so? Even with divine divination as formidable as yours, you still realized that the future cannot be changed. Otherwise, why couldn't you save Qingxuan?" The smile vanished from the Immortal Emperor's face. Failing to save Qingxuan was the beginning of the drastic change in his temperament. A faint smile hung on Primordial Monarch Zitong's face as she continued unhurriedly, "Since the future is already set and you can never change it, then my fate and Xu Ying's were also predestined long ago. Whether you plotted or not, we would have met; whether you played schemes or not, we would have understood and loved each other. In truth, in the face of the future, you can do nothing at all, can you?" The Immortal Emperor gave a cold snort. Primordial Monarch Zitong recalled the past, lost in sweet memories, and said, "In that era, Lord Xu and I were the brightest stars in the entire Immortal Court. Beneath the Nine Heavens, all were ordinary mortals; even figures like the Eastern King, the Imperial Monarch, the Heavenly Venerable, and the Primordial Monarchs were merely somewhat exceptional mortals. Only Lord Xu and I were peerless in talent and elegance—two of the most outstanding people would inevitably attract each other. A handsome scholar and a lovely lady, each brilliant and gifted, had no need for your arrangements to naturally come together. Your arrangements, your calculations, were nothing more than predestination taking its course. You are merely a puppet who fools himself into believing he holds the destiny of others." The Immortal Emperor's expression darkened and flickered, a baleful malice gradually rising in his heart. He prized logic, and logically speaking, Primordial Monarch Zitong's words were not wrong! Primordial Monarch Zitong said, "You are a master of divine divination. You should know that you cannot change a single thing. If the future could be changed, how could your divination ever be accurate? And if it were not accurate, how could you be called a divine diviner? A contradiction so obvious even a three-year-old child could grasp it, yet you actually took your divine divination as absolute truth, laying plans for the future based on what you foresaw! If you are truly a divine diviner, you cannot change the future!" "Shut up!" White strands of hair gradually drifted up around the Immortal Emperor as he growled in a low voice. Primordial Monarch Zitong smiled faintly. "All these years, you have merely been deceiving yourself. You know that everything you have done is utterly pointless. Did you truly divine the outcome of this battle?" The Immortal Emperor's white hair whipped wildly, his inner calm unraveling further and further. At that moment, beside Grand Dao Lord Xuhuang, Lan Suying cried out in surprise, "There is a flaw in Mingzun's Dao heart—it wavered for a split second! Gushe, Divine Mother, come quickly!" The Divine Mother, Fairy Gushe, and Yuan Tiangang hurried to her side, the four masters of divine divination gathering together. Lan Suying said, "Just now, a slight ripple disturbed the Immortal Emperor Supreme's Dao heart, allowing me to actually calculate his thoughts, though it vanished in a flash! If his Dao heart fluctuates again, perhaps Fairy Gushe can plant a seed of karma in his Dao heart!" She activated her Past and Future Incarnations, focusing with utmost vigilance to search for flaws in the Immortal Emperor's Dao heart. Using divine divination against a Supreme was exceedingly perilous. A Supreme resided beyond karma and beyond time, their Dao heart complete and consummate, making it fundamentally impossible to calculate them. Yet if a Supreme's Dao heart suffered severe turmoil, they might temporarily descend into the mortal world from outside karma and time, becoming susceptible to divination. However, calculating a Supreme also meant being sensed by the Supreme. A Supreme's counterattack was bound to be extraordinarily lethal, capable of claiming their lives at any moment! The Divine Mother's voice was hoarse with tension as she rasped, "Do you all remember? The First Precept of Divine Divination: Divining a Supreme is forbidden! Right now, we are all breaking the precept!" Her voice cracked as it trembled. "We will die!" Even so, she surged with all her cultivation, ready at a moment's notice to sever the Supreme's counterattack! Beside the Immortal Emperor, Primordial Monarch Zitong pressed on: "Meng Shanming, is the future you saw truly the real future? Or was it merely an illusion that the future presented to you? Meng Shanming, have you ever considered that perhaps destiny lied to you?" "Found it!" Lan Suying rejoiced, crying out, "Gushe, plant a strand of karma on him!" Guided by Lan Suying, Fairy Gushe instantly slipped into the Immortal Emperor's Dao heart and wove a karmic thread into it! In the next moment, the world in the eyes of Lan Suying, Fairy Gushe, and Yuan Tiangang collapsed and shattered, leaving only the immensely colossal figure of the Immortal Emperor Supreme, warping space-time and crushing all things as it filled their vision! "Divine Mother—!" the three cried out in alarm. The Divine Mother gritted her teeth, activating the Dragon Heaven Mixed Dao Numerology and raising a peach-wood sword to slash downward. "Sever!" she barked. *Snap!* The peach-wood sword shattered. Their karma with the Immortal Emperor was not severed, and the figure of the Immortal Emperor filling their vision grew ever more real as he walked toward them!