The Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God were both startled. "That voice is..."
The silhouette of a youth appeared aboard the golden ship, catching the eyes of the two supreme beings.
"Xu Ying?" Both of them were stunned.
Neither the Holy Venerable nor the Ancestral God was a stranger to Xu Ying. Xu Ying was practically half an apprentice and mantle successor to the Ancestral God, while the Holy Venerable had once summoned Xu Ying to inquire about the secrets of the Emerald Rock Great Dao and the Dao weeping.
The only reason the Holy Venerable had rushed to the Mortal Realm was that Xu Ying told him an Emerald Rock lay here, and Xu Ying had even penned a letter of recommendation allowing him to cultivate in the Perfect Dao Sect.
It was just that fortune had not smiled kindly on either of these paramount beings.
Back then, Qingxuan, the Holy Venerable, and their cohort had joined forces to gravely wound the Ancestral God, leaving him languishing for six hundred thousand years. This time, the Ancestral God had come seeking vengeance, aiming to take down the Holy Venerable, while the Holy Venerable wished to test his own cultivation and strength amassed over the years. In the end, both ended up grievously wounded.
The Holy Venerable took the worse beating, and then encountered a being like Lu Yiren, adding wound upon wound. When the Ancestral God came looking to finish him, he too crossed paths with Lu Yiren and suffered a catastrophic battering of his own.
The two were both alarmed and overjoyed. Meeting Xu Ying was truly coal delivered in a snowstorm. Xu Ying was well versed in the Emerald Rock Great Dao. Though his attainments could not rival that unfathomable Lu Yiren, he was already the most accomplished cultivator in existence today!
*Xu Ying can heal our Dao wounds! Our recovery will be accelerated immensely!* both thought at the same time.
Xu Ying also noticed them, wild joy surging in his chest. *Ancestral God! Holy Venerable! Heaven have mercy, to let me run into them here! With their help, the Dao wounds left behind from when I was harvested can definitely be healed! My cultivation and strength can return to their peak!*
Xu Ying welcomed these two ancient figures aboard the World-Crossing Golden Ship. When the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God saw that his cultivation was utterly gone, all his realms harvested down to nothing, and his body still riddled with Dao wounds, they were dumbfounded.
When Xu Ying saw how thoroughly Zangified both of them were, frail and decrepit, he was equally aghast.
United in shared misery, the three stared at one another, overwhelmed by emotion.
Yuan Weiyang interrupted them, asking with great unease, "Who was that person I just ran over?"
"An expert of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo, Daoist moniker Dan Xuanzi, hailing from the Tushita Palace of Lihen Heaven, an apprentice of Dao Ancestor Taiqing," the Holy Venerable said. "Dan Xuanzi formed the Lihen Righteous Army, proclaimed himself emperor, and took the title of Emperor Dan. He alone constitutes an army of a million men, an extraordinarily formidable figure ranked fifth among the Twelve Wondrous Ones. His mastery over tactical formations is somewhat lacking; otherwise, his standing would be even higher."
The Ancestral God said, "Rest easy, Little Miss Yuan, you didn't kill him. Crushing a Great Luo Wondrous Realm cultivator to death is far too difficult. We must depart this place as soon as possible. Aside from Dan Xuanzi, Zaohua, Mingzun, Luofu, and others are in the area. It won't be long before they track us here."
Hearing this, Yuan Weiyang immediately steered the World-Crossing Golden Ship away from the area in search of a safe haven, asking curiously, "Grandpa Ancestral God recognizes me?"
Xu Ying laughed. "Don't call Him Grandpa. Call Him Ancestral God or Teacher. I'm His disciple—don't go elevating His seniority."
The Ancestral God shot him a glare and said testily, "I never took you as an apprentice. Little Miss Yuan, everywhere the Heavenly Dao reaches falls under my watchful gaze, which is why I know who you are."
The Holy Venerable inquired, "Xu Ying, you were harvested? When did this happen?"
Xu Ying recounted his battle against the Immortal Emperor. When the Ancestral God heard that the Immortal Emperor had designated the Heavenly Abyss as the duel's location, He could not help but sigh. Only after Xu Ying finished his general account did He say, "The Heavenly Abyss is the burial ground of the Dao, where the Great Daos of heaven and earth are laid to rest. It is also one of the rare places my gaze cannot reach. He chose to fight you to the death there precisely to blind me."
The Holy Venerable said, "Mingzun is a schemer of profound depth. He foresaw every outcome and prepared contingency after contingency. That you were harvested by him was inevitable."
Xu Ying remained rather unresigned. "I still had the upper hand to defeat him. It was only because my first life intervened that it all fell apart at the final step."
The Holy Venerable shook his head. "If you cling to that mindset, even if your cultivation recovers, you will still lose the next time you face Mingzun. Since the founding of the new Immortal Realm, the Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous Ones have been almost entirely wiped out, yet he, a mere junior, has laughed his way to the present day. That alone speaks volumes. Do you truly believe he showed his full hand during your duel?"
Xu Ying frowned slightly.
The Holy Venerable continued, "He obtained the primordial spirit fragments of the Dragon Court's Far Ancestor, yet he never once revealed them. Even if you had an opening to kill him back then, you could never have finished him off. He withheld those Far Ancestor fragments not to deal with you, but to counter allies like Zaohua and Dan Xuan. Yet had you truly pushed him into a corner, he would have unleashed them without hesitation."
A chill ran through Xu Ying's heart. The Immortal Emperor indeed had gathered a portion of the Big Dragon's primordial spirit fragments, and in their clash, he had truly never brought them to bear!
"I stand corrected," Xu Ying bowed respectfully.
"Seniors, can you heal this kind of Dao wound of mine?" Xu Ying inquired.
The Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God exchanged a look and sighed. The Ancestral God said, "If my cultivation were intact, I could certainly mend your soul and recreate your Undying True Spirit."
The Holy Venerable said, "The foundation of your Great Dao was harvested, but with my secret arts for defying heaven to change one's fate, I could cause each of your realms to regrow anew. It is just that the requirement for magic power is exceedingly high..."
Now, their injuries were so severe that even protecting themselves was difficult, let alone defying heaven to change Xu Ying's fate and remolding his Undying True Spirit.
The Holy Venerable rallied his spirits and said, "If you could heal the Dao wounds inflicted on us by the Emerald Rock Great Dao, we would be able to rapidly return to our peak, and then we could heal you..."
Reaching this point, his voice trailed off.
Xu Ying had been harvested clean as a blank slate; he certainly lacked the cultivation and strength to heal their Dao wounds. And without their Dao wounds removed, they lacked the power to heal Xu Ying.
It was a complete deadlock.
Xu Ying had no choice but to set the matter aside for the moment and asked, "Seniors, how did you two end up reduced to such a state?"
The Holy Venerable recounted his encounter with Lu Yiren. Upon hearing the tale, Xu Ying was dumbstruck. "A towering master proficient in the divine abilities of the Emerald Rock Great Dao? One who has cultivated six Supreme-grade Daos and obtained six Supreme cave abysses?"
The Holy Venerable nodded. "He calls himself Lu Yiren. Back in the day, he contemplated the Emerald Rock alongside Emperor Haotian and claims Haotian derived the Supreme One Enlightenment from him. On the murals of his palace, there are even depictions of him activating the Earth Immortal Realm's Emerald Rock. After the Earth Immortal Realm's Emerald Rock departed, the Dao weeping erupted, devastating the ancient era. Thus, I suspect the Dao weeping back then was no accident, but a premeditated conspiracy!"
The Ancestral God added, "His cultivation is terrifyingly overbearing, not a whit weaker than mine at my peak."
Xu Ying retrieved the golden book left by Qin Daoquan, the Dragon Court's court historian, and said, "Please have a look, seniors."
The Ancestral God skimmed through it, His brow furrowing deeply, and passed the golden book to the Holy Venerable. As the Holy Venerable read on, his brow knitted tighter and tighter.
"In other words, there were three Emerald Rocks back then: one fell upon the Mortal Realm, one upon the Earth Immortal Realm, and the third likely descended upon the Heavenly Immortal Realm," the Holy Venerable pondered. "This Lu Yiren is very likely that surviving alien child from the other shore. When the Emerald Rock struck the Mortal Realm, it severed the River of Spiritual Light, wiped out the Qi Refiners of the Mortal Realm, and altered the worldly Great Daos to form this Dark Mortal Realm. That alien child could only survive in an environment like this."
The Ancestral God wondered, "If the Emerald Rocks originated from the other shore, what purpose did the aliens have in hurling three of them across? If their aim was extermination, why engrave the Emerald Rock Great Dao and cultivation methods upon them? And if they came to impart more profound Dao arts, why obliterate the Dragon Court and wipe out the ancient era?"
Even as the oldest god between heaven and earth, He could not fathom the underlying cause.
***
Dan Xuanzi sped through the air when suddenly, with a wretched heave, he sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood and plummeted from the sky. The dark Heavenly Dao pervading the Mortal Realm instantly began to invade his flesh, setting off Zangification across his body!
Dan Xuanzi looked utterly pallid. The collision with that golden ship was one thing—it had merely inflicted minor injuries—but the crucial blow came from the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God, those two unreasonable old monsters whose paired palm strikes had crippled the better part of him.
*I must reach the other half of the Mortal Realm to nurse my wounds...*
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a vast divine sense surged forward, sweeping across his person before abruptly focusing upon him.
Dan Xuanzi's heart seized. Forcing a breath into his lungs, he straightened his back.
The next instant, a powerful aura rapidly approached from the darkness, halting before him. "Emperor Dan, you are injured?" the voice gasped in surprise.
"So it is Dao Brother Yuanying," Dan Xuanzi let out a sigh of relief. "I tracked down the scent of the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable and fought them for three hundred rounds. Who would have guessed they possessed no martial decency and ambushed me by ramming a massive ship into my flank? Caught off guard for a single breath, I took wounds from those two."
The figure stepped out from the darkness—a woman with gray-streaked hair, none other than Dao Lord Yuanying of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo, one of the Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous Ones.
Though a woman, her temperament was extraordinarily fierce; she, too, had been a rebel leader who overthrew the Ziwei Immortal Court.
Dao Lord Yuanying looked Dan Xuanzi up and down with a faint, half-mocking smile. "You truly fought them for three hundred rounds?"
Dan Xuanzi's expression did not waver in the least. "Those two are already withered timber and stagnant waters without a source; trading three hundred blows with them is hardly a heroic feat. However, they possess a ship—colossal and exceedingly heavy. You must exercise caution, Dao Brother Yuanying."
Dao Lord Yuanying's eyes flickered. She was sorely tempted to strike Dan Xuanzi down right then and eliminate a future rival.
While Qingxuan lived, the Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous Ones could still cooperate. But after Qingxuan's death, they had shattered into a scattered heap of sand, fighting tooth and nail over power and dominance.
Dao Lord Yuanying held her own grudges against Dan Xuanzi; given an opportunity to eliminate him, she would gladly seize it.
Dan Xuanzi remarked softly, "Dao Brother, the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God are not dead yet."
Dao Lord Yuanying chuckled softly and quietly melted away, vanishing into the darkness.
Dan Xuanzi remained frozen where he stood, not daring to relax in the slightest. Only after a long while did he stir, maintaining a defensive posture as he crept noiselessly toward the half of the Mortal Realm governed by the Heavenly Dao.
Dao Lord Yuanying arrived at the spot where Dan Xuanzi had been wounded. Suddenly, she sensed another aura descending. Her heart stirred, and she concealed herself in the darkness without showing her face.
A massive Wheel of Zaohua rolled through the dark like a Returning Dao Jade Platter, continually illuminating its surroundings. Wherever the light of the Wheel of Zaohua touched, Dao arts manifested within the void, sketching out the rough contours of the World-Crossing Golden Ship.
With a whoosh, the Wheel of Zaohua suddenly soared aloft, flickering as it blazed a path deeper into the darkness.
*Zaohua Supreme! He has hidden in the Dark Mortal Realm for so long that he must know this place intimately. If anyone can track down the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable, it is bound to be him!*
With that thought, Dao Lord Yuanying quietly shadowed the Wheel of Zaohua.
Just then, she sensed several other faint, lingering auras within the gloom, and thought to herself, *I am not the only one. Others are tracking Zaohua Supreme as well, using him as a hound to find the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable!*
***
Built by the dragon race to breach the cosmos in search of the other shore, the World-Crossing Golden Ship was extraordinarily swift and sailed without a sound. Carrying its passengers across the better part of the Mortal Realm, it silently drifted to a halt high in the sky, resembling a dense, dark cloud.
Aboard the vessel, the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God watched Yuan Weiyang cultivate with diligent focus, contemplating the dark Heavenly Dao, and secretly nodded in approval.
In just two short days, Yuan Weiyang's mastery over the dark Heavenly Dao had advanced by leaps and bounds. Before long, she would be ready to undergo her tribulation and ascend!
"What was lost in the east is gained in the west. Xu Ying is already crippled, so this girl is our final lifeline," the Holy Venerable praised. "If her attainments regarding the Emerald Rock rise just a fraction higher, she can attempt to heal our wounds."
The Ancestral God was also brimming with delight. "She is exceptionally gifted. She needs only cultivate by my side for half a year to a year, and she will most likely grasp the Undying Primordial Spirit, laying the groundwork for the Supreme realm."
Not far from Yuan Weiyang rested the Emerald Rock tower ship, where Xu Ying was honing his martial Dao, each stance and strike methodical, disciplined, and clearly defined.
Advancing along the path of the martial Dao was arduous. Though Xu Ying trained tirelessly day and night with two Ginseng Dao fruits aiding him, his progress remained sluggish.
By contrast, that white-bone divine dragon sparred alongside Xu Ying's martial training without resting day or night, striking with ferocious vigor. It was actually beginning to generate magic power, dragon markings steadily surfacing across its skeleton.
The Holy Venerable did not look at Xu Ying, but his gaze drifted toward the dragon from time to time, wearing an expression of surprise as he murmured, "There is something bizarre about this white-bone divine dragon. Even a master of Qin Daoquan's stature perished, dying alongside the alien. How did it survive? What is more, it appears to retain some trace of sentience."
The Ancestral God kept His eyes on Xu Ying, lost in thought without responding.
The Holy Venerable continued, "Furthermore, Little Miss Yuan said the golden key controlling this ship was hung around its neck. A golden key of such immense value—how could it be entrusted to a dragon with the lowest cultivation? It ought to have been placed in the care of the strongest Dragon Immortal! And its progress in learning the martial Dao is unnatural as well; its cultivation is climbing far too fast!"
The Ancestral God said in puzzlement, "Something is indeed off. Even Little Miss Yuan cannot board that ship, so how can Xu Ying, with his meager wisp of true qi, withstand the assimilation of the Emerald Rock tower ship?"
The Holy Venerable's eyes flickered. "I suspect this white-bone divine dragon is none other than Bi Yanhai, the Dragon Court's Heavenly Chancellor recorded in the golden book as the commander of this vessel! Bi Yanhai must have practiced a secret art that enabled him to preserve his consciousness in dire peril! He likely suffered grievous injuries clashing with the two aliens, took heavy damage to his cultivation, and chose to seal himself away! Though Zangified, he still retains some capacity for thought."
The Ancestral God observed, "His martial Dao is absorbing the energy of the two Ginseng Dao fruits, refining Dao fruits into true qi! The martial Dao true qi he cultivates is undeniably peculiar!"
The Holy Venerable said, "In his moment of crisis, Bi Yanhai surely sealed all his awareness into his skull or within his personal magical artifact. As long as we locate that item, we can awaken him! Then we will gain another mighty powerhouse on our side!"
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the white-bone divine dragon began brawling with Xu Ying once more. Man and dragon traded punches and kicks—heedless of whatever grudge they held, the skeleton dragon was constantly itching to take a swipe at Xu Ying.
The white-bone divine dragon's maneuvers were peculiar and fiercely aggressive, yet it was ultimately no match for Xu Ying's thoroughly tempered Leakless Golden Body. After a short bout, Xu Ying snapped all four of its legs.
The white-bone divine dragon wriggled and crawled down from the Emerald Rock tower ship to scavenge for suitable leg bones.
The Holy Venerable frowned slightly.
Even if Bi Yanhai, the Heavenly Chancellor of the Dragon Court, were still alive, he was probably just another ruined master. Like the two of them, he was now an invalid, utterly useless.
Suddenly, Xu Ying hopped down from the Emerald Rock tower ship, creeping stealthily after the white-bone divine dragon.
The Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God grew curious as well, sneaking along quietly behind him.
The white-bone divine dragon scavenged leg bones from the battlefield, fitted them onto its joints, looked around furtively, and tiptoed its way into a dragon estate.
Xu Ying followed on tiptoe; the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God followed behind him on tiptoe. They saw the white-bone divine dragon reach the mansion and begin gesticulating before a jade wall, seemingly practicing the stances recorded upon it.
Xu Ying suddenly leaped out and barked, "I knew you were practicing something behind my back!"
The white-bone divine dragon trembled in fright, its bones knocking against one another in a frantic, rattling clatter.
Chapter 635