Xu Ying rushed over and kicked the white-bone divine dragon to the ground. "I knew something was off about you, kid! You've been learning my martial Dao, but when we fight, some of your moves don't come from my martial Dao. At first you couldn't land a blow on me, but over the last few days you've hit me several times! You really have been secretly practicing other martial arts behind my back!"
The Holy Venerable's heart skipped a beat. *That white-bone divine dragon might be Heavenly Prime Minister Bi Yanhai of the Dragon Court. Kicking him like that—are you tired of living?*
Xu Ying pummeled the white-bone divine dragon with punches and kicks until it begged for mercy. Only then did he let it off and turn to inspect the contents carved into the stone wall.
He let out a soft exclamation of surprise, his eyes lighting up. Carved onto this jade wall was actually a martial Dao cultivation technique from the Dragon Court era!
By the present day, martial Dao techniques had largely declined. The most formidable martial Dao expert was Martial Emperor Shen Luo, and for anyone else—even someone like the Little Celestial Venerable—martial Dao was merely one means among many in their cultivation, supplemented by other methods to elevate their cultivation realms.
Yet even Martial Emperor Shen Luo was still in an exploratory stage with the Dao arts he cultivated.
Yet the martial Dao technique on this jade wall led straight to the Eighth Dao Realm!
Xu Ying carefully studied the dragon-clan script on the jade wall. This cultivation technique was likely translated as the *Record of Heavenly Martial Dao Realization*, the actual practice followed by a dragon emperor who had verified and attained the Dao through martial arts.
Xu Ying deciphered the characters one by one, gradually coming to understand this emperor's path of cultivation.
Dragons were born close to the Dao. Many divine arts were instinctual to them from birth, and they possessed physical bodies rivaling the demons and wisdom rivaling humanity. However, because his bloodline had been cursed by an enemy, this martial emperor had been unable to sense the Great Dao from birth and had fallen to the status of a lowly dragon.
Unwilling to let his life wither away in obscurity, he resolved to forge a path unlike any other. He decided to venture into the mortal world and seek instruction from the human race, who were still very weak at the time.
He apprenticed himself to human martial masters, practicing the martial Dao under humanity.
Back then, practicing martial arts was something only inferior races like humans engaged in; dragons possessed no martial Dao. Yet beyond anyone's expectations, this dragon forged an unprecedented path, proving the Dao through martial arts and advancing the martial Dao all the way to the Eighth Dao Realm!
Through this, he rose in one leap to become the most formidable expert of that era, even daring to challenge the Dragon Emperor!
His technique thus became known as Heavenly Martial Dao Realization.
Examining the moves and circulation pathways of the technique on the jade wall, Xu Ying fell into thought and glanced at the white-bone divine dragon.
Although the founder of Heavenly Martial Dao Realization was a dragon, the foundation of his art came from humans. It was precisely because the white-bone divine dragon had been practicing martial Dao alongside Xu Ying and found it somewhat similar to the techniques on the stone wall that it had snuck over to secretly study them, hoping to surpass Xu Ying and give him a sound thrashing.
It simply had not anticipated that Xu Ying would be so sharp, seeing right through its moves and tailing it all the way here to uncover its secret.
"The martial Dao can actually be cultivated to the Eighth Dao Realm... The martial aptitude of this Heavenly Martial Emperor was truly defying heaven. Fortunately, though he was a dragon, his technique has human roots."
Xu Ying's eyes shone brightly. He had been lacking a technique capable of reaching profound depths; relying solely on polishing his true qi day and night, who knew how long it would take to form a cave abyss?
However, the *Record of Heavenly Martial Dao Realization* was ultimately a technique from the Dragon Court era, different from the cultivation system of today. Forcing himself to practice it as-is would restrict him to the path of the Dao Realm.
Yet Xu Ying was the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao, the one who had pioneered the path of the cave abyss, which was both faster and stronger than the Dao Realm.
"I just need to alter this Heavenly Martial Dao Realization a bit to make it suit the cave abyss..."
Staring at the jade wall, he suddenly raised a hand and punched the newly risen white-bone divine dragon right on the skull, slamming it flat against the ground once more.
Xu Ying said nonchalantly, "From now on, train with me. I'll teach you the techniques on this wall, but whatever benefits you gain, you offer to me first. Understood?"
The white-bone divine dragon wobbled to its feet, crouched on all fours, and nodded frantically.
Xu Ying was quite satisfied.
Watching this unfold from a distance, the Holy Venerable shook his head and thought, *Is he truly Heavenly Prime Minister Bi Yanhai of the Dragon Court? If he trains under Xu Ying and gradually undoes his seals on his own, once he remembers what happened today, will he beat this kid to death...?*
He recalled that Bi Yanhai was a being capable of battling adult aliens without perishing, with cultivation and strength likely on par with Qin Daoquan.
"He definitely will!" he concluded decisively.
Thus, Xu Ying openly took the white-bone divine dragon along to practice the *Record of Heavenly Martial Dao Realization*. For his own cultivation, he needed to modify the technique to better fit his path, but there was no need for such adjustments when instructing the dragon.
Because the white-bone divine dragon lacked physical flesh and blood, circulating qi was difficult for it. Xu Ying recalled Master Bell and taught it Master Bell's method of turning illusion into reality, guiding it to control a wisp of its own breath and circulate it along the pathways of the Heavenly Martial Dao Realization.
In just a few days, that single wisp of breath grew stronger and stronger, swirling around its body and darting in and out like a white dragon, turning thicker, larger, and increasingly agile!
Xu Ying also revised the *Record of Heavenly Martial Dao Realization* and finally commenced his own cultivation.
As the Heavenly Martial Dao Realization circulated, the Dao power within the two Ginseng Dao fruits suddenly found an outlet through which to pour, and was continuously refined!
Throwing punches and kicks, Xu Ying drilled basic martial arts moves while running the Heavenly Martial Dao Realization. His cultivation surged instantly like rising waters; in less than half a day, he brought his Five Sacred Immortal Mountains to full completion!
Surging true qi flooded in like a tide, submerging his Weilu mystic pass, nourishing the vanished pass, nourishing the vanished heavenly mountains, coursing into the riverbed of the Heavenly River, and charging toward the Hidden Scenery Realm!
The projections of thirteen realms manifested behind Xu Ying. Between Qi Gathering and Hidden Scenery, under the nourishment of the martial Dao true qi, the first mystic pass, the heavenly mountains, and the Heavenly River grew distinct, becoming more and more vivid!
For the New Dao, the first mystic pass was merely a barrier to break through, no longer counted as a distinct realm, but the pass nonetheless remained.
Back then, the Immortal Emperor had severed and harvested this realm entirely from him, depriving Xu Ying of any pathways for primordial qi to circulate—effectively cutting off the passes of his Great Dao. Only today could Xu Ying truly be considered to have embarked upon the path of cultivation anew!
Without breaking his stride, he continued to drive his martial Dao divine arts. Suddenly, he leaped into the air and treaded across the sky, striking out in midair. With every punch and kick, thunder roared across the heavens. Wherever his moves passed, thunder birthed from the void—not a divine art cast through dharmic power, yet surpassing one cast through dharmic power!
Alongside his punches and kicks, an incomparably intense martial spirit manifested phantoms of Xu Ying all around him, practicing various martial arts together with his true form!
The martial arts these phantoms of Xu Ying performed differed from one another: barehanded strikes, sabers, swords, axes, poleaxes, spears, and halberds—every weapon imaginable was present.
Behind him, the Five Sacred Immortal Mountains soared aloft. More and more phantoms of Xu Ying appeared, wielding different martial Dao divine arts to clash and slaughter one another like gods of war and martial immortals. The atmosphere was harrowing and fierce. In that span, Xu Yings were continually struck down, grievously wounded, and slain one after another, resolving back into streaks of martial spirit!
Startled by this spectacle, the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God looked up. As countless Xu Yings fought atop the Five Sacred Mountains, their fallen forms raining down like corpses, an extraordinary Dao power gradually took shape, coalescing with the Five Sacred Immortal Mountains at the core into the form of a cave-heaven!
This was precisely the sign of Xu Ying condensing his Hidden Scenery!
Witnessing this, the Holy Venerable said slowly, "He is already the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao. Mingzun remains incompetent—he actually failed to eradicate the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao root and branch. It will bring endless trouble."
Though Xu Ying had recounted the Battle of the Heavenly Abyss, he had not mentioned pioneering the New Dao. But with the Holy Venerable's vast knowledge, seeing Xu Ying cultivate an entirely unseen, novel realm with such swiftness made it clear that Xu Ying's New Dao was complete, and that he was inevitably the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao.
The Ancestral God shifted his gaze to him, observing the Holy Venerable's calm expression, showing neither joy nor anger. "Does facing the New Dao stir murderous intent within you, Holy Venerable, or wild joy?"
The Holy Venerable replied, "Having spent my life researching the New Dao, naturally I hope to see it succeed. But I also know the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao will never be under my control, and might even threaten my rule in the future. So I would rather see him die at someone else's hands."
"You are unabashedly wicked," the Ancestral God could not help but remark.
The Holy Venerable said, "Unless one looks out for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy him. I am merely looking out for myself."
The Ancestral God said, "Since you sit upon the supreme throne of the Immortal Realm, you should no longer think solely of yourself. You represent Heaven, the Immortal Realm, and all living beings."
The Holy Venerable sneered. "Ancestral God, spare me your moral theories. If I were bound by benevolence and righteousness, it would have been impossible for me to attain the utmost limit of the Great Dao. My Dao heart is steadfast and unchanging throughout eternity; you cannot sway it."
The Ancestral God offered no further counsel.
The pair turned their eyes back to Xu Ying's rear. Xu Ying's martial Dao cave-heaven had already formed, majestic and grand, with hundreds of martial Xu Ying phantoms battling within to deduce and advance the martial Dao!
From within that cave-heaven, martial Dao true qi surged forth, battering against the Golden Core Realm, nourishing the severed Sea of Water and Fire, and forging the elixir tripod!
"What terrifying speed!" the Ancestral God could not help exclaiming softly.
The Holy Venerable said, "That is because all his realms are still there—they were merely emptied when the fruits of his cultivation were harvested. All he needs to do now is recast those realms!"
The Ancestral God said, "Only, this time, what he is using to recast these realms is not primordial qi, but his martial Dao true qi. And his martial Dao true qi is by no means normal. I have never seen any qi capable of resisting the Dao weeping. No qi of heaven and earth can do it, yet his martial Dao true qi alone can."
At His words, the Holy Venerable also noticed the peculiarity. He was a master of Dao arts, versed in ten thousand Great Daos. In Daming Palace, the Dao fruits he had simulated were countless, and his Dao scenes were as numerous as hairs on an ox. Yet before the Dao weeping, no Great Dao could resist; all were swiftly Zangified.
Yet Xu Ying's martial Dao true qi seemed entirely impervious to Zangification!
"The martial Dao is extremely primitive. His martial Dao true qi must be a primitive qi of heaven and earth; it may not necessarily be superior to innate qi or taichu qi," the Holy Venerable said.
The Ancestral God nodded slightly. In the brief moments of their conversation, Xu Ying had already formed his martial Dao Golden Core, recast his vanished second mystic pass, and was dashing toward the cave abyss realm!
Such pace of progress truly astounded these two supreme beings!
The Holy Venerable said, "It is not that martial Dao is overwhelmingly powerful, but that the Dao power of his two Ginseng Dao fruits is too formidable! Previously, he had never managed to stimulate the medicinal potency of the fruits, but now that potency has erupted, causing his martial Dao true qi to skyrocket continuously!"
The Ancestral God nodded. "Everything you've guessed is correct, but it is still outrageous."
The Holy Venerable nodded slowly.
The *Record of Heavenly Martial Dao Realization* Xu Ying cultivated was simply so ridiculously potent that it converted the medicinal potency of the Ginseng Dao fruits with astonishing speed!
Then again, only because Xu Ying was the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao—having pioneered and personally verified every realm—could he harness the fruits' potency with such effortless mastery. Anyone else would have long since suffered medicinal seepage and dispersing Dao power, unable to make use of much.
Just then, the Ancestral God's heart stirred, and He whispered, "Someone is coming!"
Hearing Him, the Holy Venerable only then sensed it. Hurriedly tracking the aura, he looked out. A moment later, a beam of light shone out from the darkness, illuminating the World-Crossing Golden Ship concealed within the dark clouds!
That light contained a strange power. As it bathed the ship, countless dragon bones upon it clattered loudly, flesh and blood sprouting across them as though they were about to resurrect from death!
"Zaohua Supreme Yin Yuan!"
The expressions of both the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable changed. Neither was a stranger to the Zaohua Supreme. Before the Immortal Court of the New Dao was established, there were the Six Great Supremes: Qingxuan ranked first, the Holy Venerable second, and Zaohua third.
Ranked right behind the Holy Venerable, the Zaohua Supreme had once brought immense pressure to bear on him!
"If the Zaohua Supreme has arrived, I fear our chances look bleak,"
the Ancestral God said to the Holy Venerable. "You and I are old and spent. Rather than drag Dao Ancestor Xu down, let us fight the Zaohua Supreme to the death. What say you?"
The Holy Venerable sneered, "Ancestral God, what fine calculations you make. If I die, I cannot resurrect, but you are the primordial spirit of the universe—you cannot die at all. If I agree, the one throwing away his life will be me. However..."
He shifted his tone and said indifferently, "That the Zaohua Supreme could threaten me was something from six hundred thousand years ago. To the me of today, even grievously wounded, even Zangified, I can still guarantee that I will not die by his hand!"
Towering battle intent rose from both. Stumbling forward toward the edge of the ship, they drew a deep breath, preparing to fight the Zaohua Supreme to the death!
The two had to fight; if they didn't, and Xu Ying or Yuan Weiyang were killed, their own return to their peak would become an impossible dream!
Suddenly, the Zaohua Wheel came to a halt. The Zaohua Supreme's voice drifted out from the darkness, calm and measured: "Fellow Daoists, have you been well since we last met?"
The Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable felt a chill. *He has already seen us!*
The Zaohua Supreme's voice came again: "...You two, we have always minded our own business and kept the peace. Today, would you really fall out with me over a kid you've known for barely half a year? What makes you think Yin fears you?"
The Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable were bewildered, having no idea what he was talking about.
Suddenly, terrifying fluctuations of divine arts surged from the darkness, sweeping through the mountain forests and demolishing mountains and rivers!
Faintly, the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable saw two tall, Zangified silhouettes clashing with the Zaohua Supreme. Though their Emerald Rock divine arts were crude, their power was exceedingly unyielding and immense—even suppressing the Zaohua Supreme!
This clash was exceedingly brief. Within mere exchanges, the Zaohua Supreme was forced onto the back foot. Enduring a strike from the two Zangified experts, he let out a muffled grunt, turned, and fled, vanishing into the darkness.
The two Zangified experts withdrew their bizarre limbs formed of branching patterns. One transformed into a tall old man, while the other took the form of a bird-headed demon-man. Standing in midair, both bowed toward the World-Crossing Golden Ship: "Master, your disciple Jingming (Ming Wangsun) arrives late to your aid."
"Rise."
Xu Ying's voice sounded from above the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable. Looking up, they saw Xu Ying still practicing his martial arts in the air.
"As your master, I am heavily injured and must cultivate martial arts to recuperate. You two are to guard the safety of this ship," Xu Ying's voice drifted down.
Old Zang Jingming and Ming Wangsun bowed once more. At the same time, thousands of voices echoed from the darkness, overlapping in unison: "We obey the decree."
The Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable hurriedly looked out, only to see countless Zang that had cultivated into humanoid forms hidden in the darkness, all bowing low in worship to Xu Ying!
Chapter 636