The Holy Venerable rose slowly to his feet, his gaze settling upon the towering figure, and spoke in a deep voice: "'All Dao arts under heaven originate from the Emerald Rock'—such words are utter nonsense. The Dao arts of the world all arise from nature; only by contemplating heaven, earth, and nature can one obtain divine abilities. Take the Dragon Court era or the Demon Court era, for instance: without the Emerald Rock's Dao arts, there were still cultivators of great divine power."
He assessed Lu Yiren. The giant wore human garments, though they were extremely archaic and bore no resemblance to the clothing styles of the modern day.
Lu Yiren stood about three to five men tall. Though burly and imposing in stature, he carried a gentle, scholarly air. His features looked no different from an ordinary human's, yet he gave off an unmistakably inhuman impression.
"The Mortal Realm still hides an expert of this caliber?"
The Holy Venerable felt a chill in his heart. He could not discern the depth of this Lu Yiren's cultivation at all!
One had to understand that within the Supreme realm, he could see right through the strength of any other Supreme. Without even lifting a finger, he could fathom whichever Great Dao his opponent cultivated.
Yet when he observed Lu Yiren, it was as if a veil hung between them, blurring everything beyond recognition.
Lu Yiren smiled. "The Dragon Court era appeared incomparably flourishing, yet upon encountering the Emerald Rock, it turned to ash and smoke. The Demon Court era inherited the remnants of the Dragon Court's afterglow, but it was merely a fleeting bloom. The moment Emperor Haotian gleaned the barest surface from the Emerald Rock, the Demon Court era was overthrown."
He smiled faintly and continued, "As for your so-called ancient era, it was built upon the foundation of Emperor Haotian's insights into the Emerald Rock, gradually growing and flourishing from there. Yet this era could not even withstand the Dao weeping, suffering catastrophic damage during its onset. As an existence capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Ancestral God, does the Holy Venerable truly fail to realize that the cultivation methods and divine abilities recorded on the Emerald Rock belong to a higher order?"
Solemnly, the Holy Venerable replied, "The Great Dao of the Emerald Rock is indeed superior. That is precisely why I took the initiative to leave the Earth Immortal Realm and journey here in search of the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock."
Lu Yiren chuckled. "I had assumed that as the de facto ruler of the Earth Immortal Realm, the Holy Venerable would be set in his ways, clamoring to eliminate the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock. I did not expect you to be so open-minded. You are a great figure; why stoop to staying in this barren wilderness? Why not accompany me to my humble abode to rest for a few days?"
Wishing to discern his background and fearing nothing, the Holy Venerable smiled. "Lead the way!"
Lu Yiren guided him toward the depths of the Mortal Realm. Both possessed vast divine powers; while they did not appear to move swiftly, their actual speed was astonishing, and they soon crossed half of the Mortal Realm.
Seeing that Lu Yiren's pace matched his own, the Holy Venerable thought to himself, "Even if my injuries were fully healed, I would only be a few paces ahead of him."
Within this dark mortal world, there was unexpectedly a hidden paradise of pristine mountains and clear waters. It was not vast, spanning merely three thousand li, and was inhabited by both humans and demons.
Lu Yiren led the Holy Venerable into this realm where humans and demons lived side by side. Familiar with the way, he brought the Holy Venerable back to an ancient immortal palace.
This immortal palace was taller and more majestic than ordinary immortal palaces, completely carved with strange, branch-like patterns.
The Holy Venerable was filled with doubt and suspicion. After arriving in the Mortal Realm, he had carried Xu Ying's letter to the Perfect Dao Sect to meet Xu Ying's two disciples, Old Zang Jingming and Ming Wangsun.
Upon seeing Xu Ying's letter and knowing the Holy Venerable was not someone to cross, the two treated him with great courtesy, allowing him to comprehend the Emerald Rock. Although he had not studied it long before being discovered by the Ancestral God—sparking a fierce battle between them—the Holy Venerable was exceptionally gifted after all and had still gleaned many principles from the patterns on the Emerald Rock.
Yet the principles from the Emerald Rock were everywhere here!
"Just who is this Lu Yiren?" he wondered internally. "His attainments in the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock are likely far beyond even Xu Ying's!"
Walking in front, as though aware that the Holy Venerable was secretly guessing his origins, Lu Yiren smiled. "I grew up in the Mortal Realm. Contemplating the Emerald Rock, I taught myself and comprehended the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock, cultivating continuously until I finally achieved some success in this world. Under my protection, the people here have managed to survive and propagate. Six million years ago, I had already reached the Eighth Dao Realm. Though I sensed another path ahead, taking even half a step forward proved impossible."
The Holy Venerable's heart skipped a beat. To have attained the level of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo six million years ago—could cultivating the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock truly elevate someone to such heights?
Still, the fact that this man had sensed the Ninth Realm demonstrated astonishing talent. The Holy Venerable had also sensed the Ninth Realm, yet had found himself unable to break through.
"Knowing the things recorded on this Emerald Rock were limited, I grew restless after prolonged stillness and left the Mortal Realm."
Lu Yiren walked over to a mural and quietly admired it while several demons carefully dusted and wiped it down.
"I traveled along the River of Indestructible Spiritual Light, crossed the Heavenly Sea, and arrived at the Demon Immortal Court of that era. The Earth Immortal Realm's Emerald Rock was located right there in the Demon Immortal Court. That stone contained the secrets to unraveling the Mortal Realm's Emerald Rock, as well as the mysteries of various Great Daos."
Lu Yiren continued, "Back then, studying the Emerald Rock alongside me was a young human fellow who called himself Haoyi. He watched how I cultivated and managed to teach himself, gaining insights of his own from the Emerald Rock. By the time I returned to the Earth Immortal Realm, Haoyi had already become Emperor Haotian."
The Holy Venerable was profoundly shaken. Emperor Haotian's Grand Origin Enlightenment had been connected to this man?
He looked at the mural. It depicted Lu Yiren contemplating the Earth Immortal Realm's Emerald Rock, and beside him was a human youth—undoubtedly Emperor Haotian!
Lu Yiren said, "I am not boasting of my antiquity to you, but rather telling you that the cave abyss methods you practice today and the cave abyss Great Daos you master all originated from the Emerald Rock. The Dao arts you once cultivated are utterly powerless before the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock."
The Holy Venerable nodded. "Fellow Daoist speaks the truth. The Great Dao of the Emerald Rock is indeed far more subtle and profound. Having noticed this myself, I came to the Mortal Realm to learn."
Lu Yiren asked in surprise, "Is the Holy Venerable truly so selfish? You study the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock alone—do you have no desire to spread the Dao to all under heaven so every cultivator can comprehend it? Could it be that you, like Emperor Haotian, are an autocrat?"
The Holy Venerable shook his head. "Let everyone under heaven learn the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock? The Great Dao of the Emerald Rock is exceedingly dangerous; it destroys the worldly Great Daos. Therefore, the Emerald Rock must remain in the hands of a select few and cannot be disseminated!"
Lu Yiren looked disappointed. "So you too are an autocrat, speaking in high-sounding words merely to protect your ruling status. Holy Venerable, true broad-mindedness is allowing the world's cultivators to discard Dao patterns and talismans, to shift toward cultivating principles and comprehending the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock! For the three realms, there is only one viable path: complete Zangification!"
"Complete Zangification?" The Holy Venerable's face darkened.
"Yes, complete Zangification!"
Excitement flared in Lu Yiren's eyes. "Only through complete Zangification can the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock flourish! This Emerald Rock came from the other shore not to destroy all living beings, but to save them. Only with complete Zangification can the three realms emerge from ignorance and become ever more prosperous!"
The Holy Venerable snorted and said coldly, "I wondered what profound discourse you possessed, but it turns out to be nothing more than such vulgar rubbish. My Earth Immortal Realm has its own heritage: the immortal Dao talismans of the new dynasty were inherited from the Dao patterns of the ancient era, and those Dao patterns were inherited from the dragon scripts of the Dragon Court. Ever since the Dragon Court, passed down generation after generation, civilization has never perished. If we undergo complete Zangification, civilization will be severed at its roots! From then on, who would still recognize their ancestors?"
Lu Yiren laughed aloud. "The Dragon Court you revere so much was reduced to ash and smoke before the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock. What meaning is there in such a civilization? Holy Venerable, do not remain obstinate."
The Holy Venerable's eyes turned frosty. "If we are weak, then we study the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock. Once we master it, we will become stronger. Complete Zangification alters the very species and discards all ancestral heritage. If that happens, who would dwell in the three realms—would it be us, or outlanders wearing our skin? I do not consider that a good thing."
He stared at a second mural. Its contents made his heart pound with dread, and his gaze grew colder and colder.
Lu Yiren sighed. "I did not expect the Holy Venerable to be so incorrigible as well. You were gravely injured at the hands of the Ancestral God; being so stubborn, I fear you will find yourself in danger."
The Holy Venerable burst into laughter, his expression grim. "Even the Ancestral God could do nothing to me. What danger could I possibly be in?"
Lu Yiren smiled faintly. "Does the Holy Venerable not wish to know what the true Great Dao of the Emerald Rock looks like?"
The Holy Venerable looked behind him, and his expression changed abruptly. Six grand cave abysses materialized behind Lu Yiren, each containing a different Great Dao, immensely profound and heavy!
Among the Great Daos recorded on the Emerald Rock inscriptions—such as Grand Origin, Grand Supreme, Grand Primordial, Supreme Purity, and Grand Void—practitioners had already summoned corresponding cave abysses. Yet there were still many Great Daos that no one had cultivated to profound depths.
Now, however, the Holy Venerable realized that even if someone were to cultivate those Great Daos to high depths, they would never be able to summon the corresponding cave abysses, because those cave abysses had already been summoned by this very Lu Yiren!
"Does the Holy Venerable wish to know the disparity between yourself and the true Great Dao of the Emerald Rock?" Lu Yiren asked with a smile.
Suddenly, an immensely muffled boom erupted within the immortal palace, shaking it violently.
One strike, two strikes!
Inside the hall, the Holy Venerable withstood two palm strikes from Lu Yiren. Three Supreme cave abysses manifested behind him, and blood leaked from the corners of his mouth. Just as Lu Yiren's third palm was descending—one he could no longer deflect—the sky outside suddenly blazed with radiant light, and boundless divine power cascaded downward!
A youthful Ancestral God materialized in a flash from outside the palace. Surging divine power filled the immortal palace as He met Lu Yiren's third strike, seized the Holy Venerable, and turned to flee!
Lu Yiren gave chase outside the palace, exchanging three blows with the Ancestral God in midair. Knocked back down to the ground, he let out a muffled grunt, his expression shifting drastically, and chose not to pursue further.
Transforming into a white rainbow, the Ancestral God carried the Holy Venerable away through the void. After flying for a long time, the white rainbow suddenly shuddered, and the two stumbled out of the sky. This place was vastly distant from Lu Yiren; he would not be able to reach them anytime soon.
The Holy Venerable grunted, coughing up mouthfuls of blood filled with flitting branch-like patterns. With a pale face, he said, "My thanks to Fellow Daoist for lending a hand."
The youthful Ancestral God said, "I did not go to rescue you. I sensed your aura and went there to kill you."
Sitting cross-legged, the Holy Venerable channeled his three cave abysses to heal his injuries and said, "I know. I deliberately released my aura to draw you there. If you sensed it, you would definitely come and save my life."
The youthful Ancestral God glared at him, exasperated. He wanted to kill him, but that Lu Yiren was truly too formidable; without joining forces with the Holy Venerable, it would be difficult to deal with him.
The youthful Ancestral God could not help spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Exchanging four blows with Lu Yiren had gravely injured Him as well!
"Just what is that Lu Yiren's background?" He asked in horror.
"I suspect he is a visitor from the other shore," the Holy Venerable panted, his voice heavy. "Aside from Xu Ying, I have never seen anyone cultivate the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock to such a degree! In fact, Xu Ying's attainments in the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock fall far short of his. There is another thing: this person inspired Emperor Haotian. Thanks to his pointers, Emperor Haotian comprehended the Grand Origin Enlightenment from the Emerald Rock, which later led to the human Immortal Court."
The Ancestral God looked solemn. He was the Ancestral God, nearly omniscient, yet He knew nothing of this matter.
The Holy Venerable hesitated briefly before continuing, "I also saw another mural in his immortal palace. Fellow Daoist, on the day the Earth Immortal Realm's Emerald Rock flew away, did you notice anything?"
The Ancestral God shook His head. "I know nothing of the Emerald Rock flying away, nor do I know when it departed."
The Holy Venerable said, "On the mural in Lu Yiren's immortal palace, it depicts him offering up the Emerald Rock and causing it to fly away, departing the Earth Immortal Realm! That Emerald Rock carried off great experts of the Wondrous Realm like Great Dao Lord Xuhuang, Dao Lord Yuxu, Dao Ancestor Yuqing, and Dao Ancestor Taiqing! Even the Buddhist sect's wholesale migration to the other shore might have been connected to him!"
The Buddha Ancestor had relocated the peak of Mount Sumeru to the other shore before the Emerald Rock flew away.
How could the Buddha Ancestor have known the path to the other shore?
Someone must have told him!
The Holy Venerable's gaze turned dark and cold. "I suspect that regarding the departure of the Emerald Rock, there must be many secrets we do not know. Furthermore, not long after the Emerald Rock flew away, the Dao weeping erupted across all the major cave abysses. Is this also connected to Lu Yiren? It is highly suspicious!"
With a grave expression, the Ancestral God murmured, "In other words, this person orchestrated that great upheaval six hundred thousand years ago, plunging living beings into misery and destroying the ancient era. But what was his goal?"
He was thoroughly perplexed.
The Holy Venerable could not figure it out either.
Right then, the Ancestral God suddenly said, "Mingzun, Zaohua, Dao Lord Luofu, and the others are searching in this direction. Holy Venerable, they must be looking for you."
The Holy Venerable's expression shifted slightly. "If they see that Fellow Daoist is also gravely injured, they will surely be more than happy to do us a favor and send us to the afterlife to spare us further suffering."
The youthful Ancestral God's eyes flickered. He extended a hand and said in a low voice, "Help each other walk!"
The two mightiest beings supported one another, walking forward until they vanished into the mountain forests.
Before long, the Immortal Emperor, Zaohua, and the others descended from the sky, landing where the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable had rested. Dao Lord Luofu examined the ground closely and said in astonishment, "These two pools of blood—one belongs to the Holy Venerable, and the other to the Ancestral God! Both old bastards are gravely injured!"
As soon as he spoke, even the three Supremes and six Wondrous Realm experts could not contain their excitement.
Without another word, Danxuanzi shook his body, and external avatars stepped out from the shadows behind him, soaring into the sky and scattering in all directions!
In the Realm of the Great Void, while Xu Ying was engrossed in his reading, the white-bone divine dragon took the opportunity to swing an absurdly oversized broadsword with a rushing whoosh. With a deafening clang, it chopped down onto Xu Ying's head!
The broadsword was an archaic immortal weapon forged by an existence of the Eighth Dao Realm. Yet when it struck Xu Ying's head, the broadsword shattered to pieces. Having endured the erosion of the Dao weeping for far too long, its power was already far inferior to what it once had been.
Furious, Xu Ying threw a punch that separated the divine dragon's head from its neck, sending it flying high into the air.
Deprived of its head, the white-bone divine dragon staggered about like a drunkard, stumbling as it went looking for its lost skull.
The gold key hanging around its neck fell off as a result.
Yuan Weiyang picked up the key. It stood over half the height of a person and gleamed with golden radiance, remaining as lustrous as new despite the long ages that had passed. Puzzled, she asked, "What is this gold key used for?"
At that moment, the World-Crossing Golden Ship rotated in tandem with the turning of the gold key, drifting millions of li across the Realm of the Great Void!
Chapter 633