Weakness Is the Original Sin

The Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable both frowned, each feeling that he was being somewhat overconfident. Xu Ying's gaze grew profound, and a quiet voice spoke within his heart: "Meng Shanming, have you still not realized? The tides of the leeks have already turned. Now, everything about you belongs to me. What will you use to stop my harvest?" Naturally, he did not utter these words before the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable. Before anticipating victory, one must plan for defeat. Prior to the first decisive battle at the Heavenly Abyss, Xu Ying had already pierced his two Taiyi cave abysses, leaving two fissures behind. His objective had been that even if the Immortal Emperor succeeded in harvesting him and seizing his cave abysses, those two fractures would inevitably embed flaws into his Dao methods and divine arts when he cultivated! Others might have to search for the flaws in the Taiyi cave abysses, but to Xu Ying, they were glaringly obvious. He could even deduce the precise orientation of every opening in the Immortal Emperor's techniques! This was the most overt trap he had laid for the Immortal Emperor. The deeper trap was that Xu Ying knew his own cultivation realms inside and out. In severing Xu Ying's realms, usurping the title of Dao Ancestor of the New Dao, and cultivating with those stolen realms, the Immortal Emperor was merely helping Xu Ying temper and strengthen them. The more deeply the Immortal Emperor utilized those realms and the more he relied on Xu Ying's Dao landscapes, the easier it would be for Xu Ying to harvest him! "The Meng Shanming of the past was fathomless to me, but the Meng Shanming of today is riddled with openings," Xu Ying reflected silently. And every one of those openings had been planted by Xu Ying through that very harvest. "Ancestral God, Holy Venerable, please continue instructing Weiyang," Xu Ying said with an easy smile. "Once I cultivate a bit longer, I will be able to help heal both of your Dao injuries." The Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God nodded in silence. Farther away, the Immortal Emperor Supreme led Creation, Yaoluo, and the others as they withdrew. Noticing his somber countenance, Dao Lord Luofu smiled and said, "Your Majesty need not worry. The Dao injuries on Xu Ying have not healed at all, and he may not even recover within a year. Stripped of his Great Dao foundation, he was razed to barren ground. In his current state, he cannot harm you in the slightest. He will only be harvested by you once more." Dao Lord Yuanying frowned slightly and remarked, "However, he hardly seemed like someone without a Dao foundation. According to the New Dao, he has already attained the Six Paths realm. Can someone truly start from nothing and surge all the way into the Six Paths realm in just five years?" Dao Lord Luofu shook his head. "Forget the Six Paths realm—even if he managed to reach the Dao Landscape realm, he would at best be on par with his former self. Meanwhile, Mingzun has refined his realms, annexed his cave abysses, and used his hidden landscapes to remedy his own deficiencies. Even among the Six Supremes, Mingzun's cultivation and strength rank second only to the Holy Venerable. How could Xu Ying possibly compare to him?" Dao Lord Yuanying thought it over carefully and had to admit that the reasoning was sound. The Immortal Emperor let out a sigh. "Xu Ying was never my target. Xu Ying is merely a harvested crop, sprouting anew from a few leftover roots. Such a crop can hardly bear any remarkable fruit, and harvesting him will not be difficult. My true targets are the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God. This opportunity is rare. If we let it slip and allow them to recover, eliminating them will become exceedingly difficult." Everyone's expression grew grave. The Holy Venerable was their greatest adversary, and the true objective of their voyage. Yet at present, their own injuries were severe. Their bodies and primordial spirits were sliding toward Zangification, and their cultivations were polluted by the Emerald Rock Great Dao, making it arduous to refine away those Dao wounds. Yaoluo Supreme frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Xu Ying is not that simple. He is merely in the Six Paths realm; for him to withstand the Great Luo Subduing Heaven Swords I unleashed is utterly absurd." This time, neither Creation, Dan Xuanzi, Fairy Huoling, nor the others—not even the Immortal Emperor—had clashed head-on with Xu Ying. The only one who had truly crossed blades with him was Yaoluo Supreme. While pinned beneath the ship, Yaoluo had driven the Great Luo Subduing Heaven Swords to assassinate Xu Ying. Even though the swords had been resisted by the Holy Venerable, the Ancestral God, and Yuan Weiyang in succession, forty-nine of them had still broken through the perimeter. Yet every single one of those Subduing Heaven Swords had been intercepted by Xu Ying! True, Yaoluo had been forced to contend with the crushing weight of the World-Crossing Golden Ship at the time and could not exert the swords' full might. Still, how formidable was a Supreme magical treasure? Even unleashing ten or twenty percent of its power should have been enough to obliterate a Six Paths realm qi refiner a million times over! "No matter how fast Xu Ying grows, it is impossible for him to cultivate to the Supreme level within a year," Yaoluo mused silently, keeping the matter from the Immortal Emperor. After all, divulging such an incident would be utterly humiliating. Furthermore, the Six Supremes and Twelve Wondrous figures were ever prone to "delivering charcoal in the snow." Since the Immortal Emperor Supreme was not yet on the brink of death, why bother adding flowers to his brocade? "When I harvested Xu Ying, one of the Dao landscapes I obtained was the Emerald Rock Dao Landscape," the Immortal Emperor Supreme said with a mild smile. "That Dao landscape was forged when Xu Ying comprehended the Emerald Rock Great Dao, and it holds the key to unraveling the Dao injuries on all of you. Xu Ying comprehended the Emerald Rock Great Dao by relying on Taiyi Enlightenment. If any of you martial uncles possess Taiyi Enlightenment, why not bring it forth so we may study the Emerald Rock Great Dao together and cast off our injuries that much sooner?" Taiyi Enlightenment was the method of comprehending the Dao that Emperor Haotian had derived from the Emerald Rock in the Earth Immortal Realm. By virtue of this method, Emperor Haotian had comprehended the Taiyi Great Dao and summoned the Taiyi cave abyss. Successive Immortal Emperors and the various Dao Ancestors had likewise relied on Taiyi Enlightenment to summon their respective cave abysses. Later, however, Taiyi Enlightenment had been banned from circulation and vanished from the world. This enlightenment method was extraordinarily precious. The Immortal Emperor Supreme was merely Qingxuan's disciple, a puppet propped up by the Six Supremes and Twelve Wondrous figures, and had never been qualified to access it. He had coveted this method for a very long time. Creation Supreme smiled. "Your Majesty speaks reasonably. This old minister happens to possess a scroll of Taiyi Enlightenment, which I am willing to offer." He produced the prized Taiyi Enlightenment from his collection. This technique had once belonged to the Xuandu Jade Capital Palace; after Xuandu was eradicated, it had fallen into his hands. The Immortal Emperor was overjoyed. Stowing the scroll away, he said, "Brother Creation, rest assured. Once I decipher the mysteries of the Emerald Rock Dao Landscape, I will help treat everyone's injuries." He no longer addressed him as Martial Uncle, calling Creation Supreme his Dao brother instead. Creation Supreme took no offense, chuckling as he replied, "This scripture is vast and profound. Why does Your Majesty not share it with our fellow Daoists so we may decipher Taiyi Enlightenment and the Emerald Rock Dao Landscape together? Back then, many practiced Taiyi Enlightenment, but those who achieved success and summoned a Supreme cave abyss were few and far between. It would be better to pool our wisdom and efforts so everyone can recover sooner." How could the Immortal Emperor be willing to share it? Yet if he refused to impart it, Creation Supreme would surely become the object of everyone else's favor, as Creation Supreme had certainly kept a copy for himself. "I am willing to share it with all fellow Daoists," the Immortal Emperor replied with a smile. Everyone was immensely pleased. Aboard the World-Crossing Golden Ship, Xu Ying recreated his hidden landscapes and rebuilt his cave abysses. After a dozen days, he had reclaimed the Taiyi cave abyss through cultivation. Not only that, but Xu Ying also cultivated the Wuji, Taiji, Taicang, Taiying, and Taishang cave abysses that Yuan Weiyang practiced. Yuan Weiyang possessed six cave abysses; should she achieve the Supreme realm, they would become six Supreme-grade cave abysses. Yet Xu Ying possessed one more than she did: the martial cave abyss. At present, the scale of Xu Ying's seven cave abysses remained shallow, but the power they held was staggering. It accelerated his cultivation speed many times over; in a mere three months, he cultivated back both his Undying True Spirit and his Undying Primordial Spirit. The seven cave abysses advanced side by side, pushing his Six Paths realm another step forward and crossing into the Ascension realm. As the seven cave abysses revolved behind him, immortal spirit qi and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured ceaselessly into his body, propelling his cultivation steadily forward. As for Yuan Weiyang, her cultivation grew increasingly profound, faintly rivaling the Xu Ying who had crossed the tribulation and ascended all those years ago. She had cultivated six cave abysses, whereas Xu Ying back then had cultivated only the Taiyi cave abyss, trailing far behind her in number. Standing side by side with all their cave abysses fully unleashed, their radiance shone upon one another. Spending these days together deepened their affection. As they studied the Dao injuries of the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable and traded insights, their mutual understanding grew even stronger. The Ancestral God was proficient in the Heavenly Dao of Darkness, but was unversed in the Emerald Rock Great Dao and could hardly join the discussion. The Holy Venerable had indeed conducted some research into the Emerald Rock Great Dao, but whenever he attempted to interject, Xu Ying's cold glance would cause him to tactfully hold his tongue. Under the treatment administered by Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang, the injuries of the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable gradually improved significantly, and their cultivation strength grew ever more formidable. Throughout the treatments, listening to Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang's exchanges left both the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable astonished. These two youths were remarkably gifted, deciphering many wonders of the Emerald Rock Great Dao from their wounds and benefiting the two ancient figures immensely. Meanwhile, the white bone divine dragon frequently scurried over to listen to Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang, and regularly cultivated alongside Xu Ying. Its progress became swifter by the day. Swathed in dragon qi, it actually began to generate qi and blood, forming bone, flesh, sinews, membranes, internal organs, whiskers, claws, scales, and mane! This was Lord Bell's method of refining the false to cultivate the true, and it was actually being verified upon its body! This was what astounded the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable most of all. Who could have imagined that a creature dead for tens of millions of years, merely following Xu Ying in martial cultivation, was on the verge of returning from death to life? "Little White will definitely forge a flesh-and-blood body!" Observing the white bone divine dragon, Xu Ying was also quite surprised. Cultivating Lord Bell's method of refining the false to cultivate the true was extraordinarily difficult, and not just anyone could master it. Even Lord Bell had hidden inside Xu Ying's Innate Bodhimanda, chipping away relentlessly before finally carving a way through. "Little White's innate talent must be extraordinary, no less than my own," Xu Ying mused. As the date of Yuan Weiyang's half-year ascension drew near, Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang took turns sitting upon the Emerald Rock to erect an altar and preach the Dharma, imparting the insights they had gained from treating the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable to disciples like Jingming, Ming Wangsun, and the others. Beneath the Emerald Rock sat tens of thousands of Zang who had achieved success in cultivation and restored their human forms. They listened with rapt attention, not daring to relax for an instant. Both Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang possessed extraordinary comprehension, and as each expounded with eloquence, the audience listened in spellbound wonder. Right at that moment, a deep, resonant voice drifted from the darkness: "Fellow Daoist Xu and Fellow Daoist Yuan's exposition is indeed refreshing, yet it is still not profound enough. Presuming to pay a visit, I would be honored to exchange insights with both of you." Hearing this, Xu Ying followed the sound with his gaze. The Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable turned grim and sprang to their feet, brimming with murderous intent! Though the two paramount experts had not fully healed, they had recovered most of their strength over this period of treatment. The sudden eruption of their aura crushed the surrounding void, summoning thunder and lightning! Behind the Holy Venerable, three Supreme cave abysses manifested, boundless, unfathomable, and immense, as three Supreme-grade Great Daos surged into his body like a boiling torrent! With a thought, thousands of Dao trees, Dao fruits, and Dao landscapes drifted into view all around! The Ancestral God stomped his foot, and the sky overhead suddenly split into half-light and half-darkness. Billions of stars across the universe instantly emerged in the sky, as though pulled exceptionally close by a colossal power, seemingly within arm's reach. Even so, the two supreme beings remained tense, staring fixedly at the source of the voice. Xu Ying looked and saw a tall, burly man striding forward. Elegant and scholarly, he exuded an air of refined grace. Arriving before the ship-shaped Emerald Rock, an inquiring look crossed his face. Xu Ying gestured hospitably and said with a smile, "May I ask who you are?" "Lu Yiren." The tall man stepped onto the Emerald Rock and smiled. "When Fellow Daoist Xu was comprehending the Dao in the Mortal Realm last time, I caught sight of you, though I did not disturb you. This time, hearing you two decipher my Great Dao divine arts and preach atop the Emerald Rock, I became utterly engrossed and could not resist coming to share a few words." Xu Ying glanced toward the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable. Lu Yiren chuckled and said, "The Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God harbor some misunderstandings regarding me. Furthermore, I too was injured. Let us consider the misunderstanding settled." The Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God made no commitment, remaining silent. Inviting Lu Yiren to sit, Xu Ying said solemnly, "Since you have come to preach the Dao, then please, Fellow Daoist. We are all ears." Lu Yiren did not indulge in pleasantries either. Sitting down to face the multitude of Zang below, he began to speak. Xu Ying, the Ancestral God, the Holy Venerable, and Yuan Weiyang all revealed looks of astonishment. The speech leaving his mouth was not any tongue familiar to them, but an exceedingly ancient language. Every syllable was a Dao tone, pregnant with the mysteries of Dao methods. Though they had never heard this tongue before, the moment it reached their ears, they could comprehend the meaning of each syllable and the Dao mysteries contained within. "Could this Lu Yiren truly have come merely to preach the Dao?" they wondered inwardly. As more of the ancient tongue rolled from Lu Yiren's lips, branching patterns danced around the Emerald Rock, gradually congealing into various forms of ancient gods—some seated in meditation, some standing tall, others suspended alone in the void, displaying a thousand distinct postures! The Dao language spilling from him gradually surpassed Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang's comprehension, ascending to a brand-new pinnacle of the Emerald Rock Great Dao, leaving even Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang utterly entranced! "What in the world does Lu Yiren want?" That question continued to flash through their minds from time to time. After a long while, having grown weary of speaking, Lu Yiren finally stopped. A dead silence enveloped the surroundings, broken only by the faint, occasional weeping of the Dao carrying from the distance. Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, and the others were still immersed in their comprehension of the Emerald Rock Great Dao, feeling that Lu Yiren's discourse had surpassed all their previous realizations! Xu Ying absorbed most of the Dao methods Lu Yiren had taught. Setting aside what was still difficult to understand for the time being, he said, "Your Dao methods are exquisite and worthy of admiration. I am far from your match and gladly concede." Lu Yiren broke into hearty laughter. A moment later, his laughter subsided, and he asked, "Since Fellow Daoist Xu understands that the Emerald Rock Great Dao is superior, why not undergo complete Zangification? You are a wise man—why preserve an inferior Great Dao framework? Why continue maintaining a mortal body? Look around you: how flawless are the forms of these ancient gods?" He paused, then smiled faintly. "Through Zangification, you can possess a body as perfect as that of an ancient god." Xu Ying pondered for a moment, then replied, "The Emerald Rock Great Dao is indeed superior. The various frameworks of the Three Realms—dragon patterns, Dao patterns, and runes—are all vastly inferior to the Li framework that records the Emerald Rock Great Dao. Cultivators of our generation ought to study the Emerald Rock Great Dao and learn the Li framework." Lu Yiren shook his head. "That treats the symptoms, not the cause. The root cure is total Zangification. In days past, my parents came with goodwill, seeking precisely to change the backward, savage state of this universe and bring forth the spark of civilization from the other shore. Yet they were misunderstood by the cultivators of your universe." Xu Ying said coldly, "Could the 'misunderstanding' you speak of be unleashing the Emerald Rock, destroying the Three Realms, and burying the Dragon Court Era outright?" With a smile on his face, Lu Yiren replied, "That was merely an inevitable occurrence when a higher cultivation system collided with a lower one. In truth, my parents had no intention of destroying you. It was simply that you were too weak. In the vast, boundless Chaos Sea, weakness is the original sin."