Without hesitation, Outlander Qi Xuan channeled the Great Dao divine powers of the other shore. In an instant, a grey mist seemed to rise all around, transforming heaven and earth as towering ancient gods materialized within the haze.
He revealed his true outlander form, immensely burly, with branch-like patterns dancing through the air to weave manifold extraordinary divine powers. Countless spinning blades crisscrossed high and low, surging toward Xu Ying!
Yet in the very next instant, Xu Ying’s silhouette slipped straight through the blades to appear before his face. With a thunderous boom, a fist slammed squarely into his visage.
*Boom!*
The space behind Outlander Qi Xuan blew apart. Broad swaths of space detonated and collapsed into oblivion amidst roiling thunder and fire!
The power of Xu Ying’s strike struck his face, pouring through his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose to surge into his brain before tearing out through the back of his skull. The excess force blasted the space behind his head into nothingness!
This was the martial dao divine power recorded in the *Record of Heavenly Martial Dao Attainment*, compiled by the Dragon race's Martial Dao Great Emperor—only modified by Xu Ying to suit himself far better!
From the moment he evaded the myriad blades, breached his opponent’s bodhimanda, and planted a fist into his face, barely an instant had elapsed. At the exact same time, Outlander Qi Xuan’s counterattack followed right on its heels. Around them, the phantoms of ancient gods struck toward Xu Ying in succession with unmatched, overbearing might.
Xu Ying could manifest these ancient gods as well, yet he could not mobilize them. Clearly, Outlander Qi Xuan possessed another secret art that allowed him to command the ancient gods' power.
Even as Outlander Qi Xuan directed the ancient god phantoms, he channeled the Dao methods of the other shore. The thousands of blades that had sliced through empty air spun around and snapped back, whirring toward Xu Ying’s back!
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The strikes of the ancient gods rained down on Xu Ying with ferocious, domineering force, shaking the surrounding earth so violently that the ground cracked and buckled. Mountain after mountain tore out from the earth, and magma welled up from the depths.
Immediately after, thousands of blades hissed across Xu Ying in midair, erupting in a shower of sparks.
When the assault of the ancient god phantoms finally dispersed, Xu Ying was still standing right where he had been, safe and sound. Neither the phantoms of the ancient gods nor Outlander Qi Xuan’s assault had managed to leave a single scratch upon his flesh.
Outlander Qi Xuan gasped in astonishment, "What a powerful physical body! Now I'm looking forward to carving off your skin even more!"
Just as he spoke, dizziness suddenly washed over him. He felt a warm flow gush from his nose. Reaching up to touch it, his palm came away soaked in blood.
"You shattered my nose!" Outlander Qi Xuan exclaimed in shock and fury.
"No," Xu Ying replied, raising his hand and condensing vital qi into a sword as he strode forward. "That punch shattered your sea of consciousness, reducing your brain to mush as boiling hot as churning magma. That punch pierced right through your primordial spirit’s head, blasting a gaping hole straight through it."
Outlander Qi Xuan blinked, and fresh blood poured from his eyes as well.
Panic seized his heart. With a furious roar, he attempted to summon the Supreme cave abysses hanging in the sky.
He had underestimated Xu Ying moments ago and hadn't mobilized his Supreme cave abysses, which were the greatest trump card of the divine people from the other shore. As long as he channeled a Supreme cave abyss, his cultivation and power would increase tenfold or more, equivalent to jumping an entire major realm!
Yet the moment he tried to channel his power, he heard the sound of his own primordial spirit cracking.
Crying out in terror, he summoned forth his primordial spirit. Right in the center of its ancient-god-like head, a clean, through-and-through hole had appeared!
Xu Ying’s punch had been terrifyingly overbearing, carrying the fierce momentum of the Dragon race's ancient Martial Dao Great Emperor. It had snuffed the life from his mortal body and obliterated his primordial spirit in a single strike!
Xu Ying arrived before him, sliced off his scalp with a flick of his sword, and said impassively, "When you carved off the scalps of others, did you ever consider how they might take revenge on you?"
*Bang!*
Outlander Qi Xuan’s skull exploded.
It was exactly as Xu Ying had described: his brain had already been torched into churning magma by the explosive force of that punch!
"Master!"
Overjoyed, Little Celestial Venerable rushed toward Xu Ying, followed by a vast crowd of ascended immortals.
With a smile on his face, Xu Ying reached out and patted his scalp.
A shudder ran down Little Celestial Venerable’s spine.
Xu Ying laughed aloud and said, "Lead the way. Let's go rescue the others!"
Bodhi also flew over and said solemnly, "Many thanks for the rescue, Patron Xu."
"No need to be polite, Evil Buddha. Saving people takes priority."
Without lingering for pleasantries, Xu Ying followed Little Celestial Venerable and the others as they charged toward a portal. Xu Ying called out loudly, "Weiyang, the key!"
With a whoosh, Yuan Weiyang hurled the key over. Instead of using his magic power to catch it, Xu Ying leaped up and caught the key with his hand.
Carrying the key, he burst through the portal into an immensely profound cave abyss. Immortal mountains radiated a gentle glow, and suspended around these mountains hung goose cages like lanterns.
Yet the cages did not hold geese; they held immortals who had ascended from the lower realm!
The number of immortal mountains in this cave abyss was immense, and the goose cages were even more astonishing, numbering in the tens of thousands!
Dragon-shaped chains bound these cages, tethering them to the mountains.
Upon the peaks, numerous dragon immortals were cultivating and guarding the cages. Unaware of the chaos outside, they took to the air the moment they saw Xu Ying and the others intrude, barking in the outlander Dao language, "What happened? What are you doing?"
There were even dragon immortals of the seventh Dao realm revealing their true dragon forms, coiling around the peaks with overwhelming arrogance.
Without a word, Xu Ying brandished the golden key and thrust it toward the immortal mountains.
*Rumble!*
Crushing portal after portal, the World-Crossing Golden Ship suddenly breached the cave abyss. Soaring directly over the heads of Xu Ying, Little Celestial Venerable, Bodhi, and the rest, it collided head-on into the immortal mountains.
The mountains shattered to pieces. Dragon immortals were crushed to powder, and even the giant dragons of the seventh Dao realm had their spines snapped clean through.
Right on the heels of the World-Crossing Golden Ship, Xu Ying soared into the air, grabbed the severed chains that linked the tens of thousands of goose cages, and hauled with all his might.
As the golden ship swept past, Xu Ying hitched the cages to the hull, letting the vessel tow them along.
"Xu Ying! Why is it you again?"
Locked within one of the cages was the Jiuyou Emperor, who stared at Xu Ying in terror.
Xu Ying had no time to mind him and shouted to Little Celestial Venerable and the others, "Quick, board the ship!"
Little Celestial Venerable and the rest flew aboard. With his tall, burly build, Bodhi seized the chains and hauled with all his strength, dragging the cages onto the deck.
Seeing him strain, Little Celestial Venerable channeled the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art and stepped forward to help. Other immortals joined in as well.
Xu Ying chuckled. "To think the Evil Buddha would see the day of doing good deeds. Could it be you've repented and turned back to shore?"
"I am compassionate," the Evil Buddha Bodhi said with a posture of sorrow for the world. "After ascending, I was forced into death matches and slaughtered too many. Performing an act of kindness serves as slight penance."
Xu Ying had originally planned to give him Outlander Qi Xuan’s scalp, but hearing this, he abandoned the thought. Brandishing the golden key, he drove the golden ship surging outward.
As the World-Crossing Golden Ship flew out of the cave abyss, Xu Ying’s divine sense vibrated, transforming into a voice: "Weiyang, Emperor Ai, I have them! Withdraw quickly!"
Yuan Weiyang and the Last Lord of Ziwei immediately charged toward them. The big bell revealed its true spiritual light form, fighting side by side with the White Bone Divine Dragon to scatter the surrounding dragon immortals before flying toward the ship.
In the distance, Big Dragon, whose primordial spirit had only a head remaining, was locked in fierce combat with Elder Long Dai. Hearing Xu Ying’s call, he did not even respond.
Xu Ying immediately steered with the golden key, rushing straight toward them. Right at that moment, an immense aura shook the sky, radiating from one of the Supreme cave abysses.
Xu Ying’s expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Grandpa Dragon, run!"
Deep, resonant dragon roars echoed from within the Supreme cave abyss, carrying a terrifying ocean of magic power—a magnitude Xu Ying had only ever sensed from beings like the Holy Venerable!
Big Dragon immediately sensed that things were amiss. The entity awakening from that cave abyss was ancient and immensely powerful, likely one of the dragon experts who had sailed aboard the ship toward the other shore during the ancient Heaven-Stealing Plan!
Though not at the ninth Dao realm, the suffocating pressure was truly frightening!
"Unfilial descendant!"
Big Dragon gritted his teeth, abandoned the half-dead Elder Long Dai, and turned to fly toward the golden ship.
Xu Ying received him aboard and immediately reversed course, heading straight for the Void Tower.
At the same time, immense auras stirred awake one after another within the Supreme cave abysses across this dragon city. The dragon race’s elders were waking in succession, each radiating an aura no weaker than Elder Long Dai of the eighth Dao realm!
Just as the golden ship burst out of the dragon city, another terrifyingly powerful aura erupted from another dragon city amidst distant, mist-shrouded immortal mountains—an elder of the dragon race unleashing his presence in a show of force against the intruders!
Right after, an aura far surpassing the eighth Dao realm elders began awakening in that city as well. It was ancient and overwhelming—an existence on the level of the Holy Venerable!
Xu Ying steered the golden ship, roaring through the air, only to sense the powerful auras of yet another dragon city erupting!
Those mighty beings were moving at tremendous speeds, closing in on the World-Crossing Golden Ship!
"We've stirred up a hornet's nest!"
Xu Ying’s face darkened as he drove the golden ship to fly faster and faster. Just then, an ascender drifted down from ahead, enveloped in ascension glow. Spotting Xu Ying and the others from afar, he shouted excitedly, "Are you also ascenders? I've ascended too! My name is Li Zhe'an! Seniors? Seniors?"
The World-Crossing Golden Ship blasted past. A goose cage trailing behind drifted close, and a hand reached out from within, grabbing Li Zhe'an and yanking him clean out of his ascension light.
Li Zhe'an was furious and cursed loudly, "You monster, why are you grabbing me? I'm supposed to ascend to the Heavenly Immortal Realm!"
Inside the cage, the Jiuyou Emperor’s face darkened as he snarled, "I am the Jiuyou Emperor! You dare curse at me?"
Fuming with anger, Li Zhe'an unleashed a torrential scolding, cursing him up and down.
The Jiuyou Emperor snorted, refraining from killing him, thinking, *I was just saved by that scoundrel Xu Ying. Consider this my good deed for the day—I'll spare his life.*
Suddenly, the space around the World-Crossing Golden Ship collapsed in massive sheets. Space cracked like fragile glass, crumbling into ceaseless torrents of earth, water, fire, and wind. The space ahead was swallowed by ever-expanding storms of primordial elements!
The collapse spread rapidly, overtaking the World-Crossing Golden Ship and racing out ahead of it.
The vessel rocked violently, tossing up and down and swaying side to side. Suddenly, the ancient tiered vessel seemed to lose control, its prow tilting upward as it flew toward the sky.
Aboard the ship, Xu Ying poured all his magic power into holding the ship's course, yet it was beyond his control.
Space across millions upon millions of li was twisting and warping, collapsing into a colossal sphere!
More and more space plummeted onto the surface of this sphere.
Even with all its extraordinary power unleashed, the World-Crossing Golden Ship could only sail within this sphere, unable to break free.
Everyone aboard looked back, only to see a dragon-headed elder with hair and beard as white as snow raising both hands, gathering those millions of li of space within the embrace of his arms.
The space held between the dragon-headed elder's arms grew smaller and smaller, steadily compressing those vast reaches of space. The World-Crossing Golden Ship was like a fish trapped inside a shrinking sphere, struggling to escape before being crushed, yet finding no way out.
Suddenly, the White Bone Divine Dragon drifted up to Xu Ying in a daze and channeled a surge of magic power into the golden key.
Xu Ying was momentarily stunned. Then the pavilions, halls, decks, and immortal mountains of the World-Crossing Golden Ship erupted in brilliant radiance. With a deafening boom, the ship broke through the spatial sphere and tore through the void!
Not only were Xu Ying and the others stunned, but even the dragon-headed elder stopped in his tracks, not pursuing any further.
"The World-Crossing Golden Ship breaking through the cosmic mystic pass... Only the Dragon Court leader who oversaw the ship back then knew such a sacrificial refinement technique!"
He gazed at the receding golden ship and murmured, "Who is that fellow daoist aboard?"
Behind him, a host of dragon elders surged forward, bypassing him to chase down the World-Crossing Golden Ship. Just as they were about to close the distance, a flash of golden light cut across the vast sky, stretching for tens of thousands of li. A golden ape swung a heavy staff, bringing it down with a resounding clang right onto the head of one of the dragon elders.
Pacing the Astral Dipper, the golden ape intercepted them in midair. Within a few exchanges, he knocked that dragon elder tumbling to the dust, then immediately pursued another.
In an instant, the sky was blanketed in radiant golden light. The ape multiplied into tens of thousands of duplicates, each fighting with savage abandon, quickly knocking the dragon elders from the sky one after another.
The myriad golden apes snapped back together, turning into a streak of golden rainbow that followed closely behind the World-Crossing Golden Ship.
Furious and alarmed, the dragon elders rallied to pursue. They chased all the way to the forbidden zone, arriving before the gap in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Standing at the breach, they looked down, only to see the golden ship carrying countless ascenders gliding past the dragon bones toward the boundless void.
The Earth Immortal Realm floated above the vast Heavenly Sea, coming into view.
The golden ape swung his staff down onto the dragon bones, shattering the colossal remains and scattering them into the gelatinous substance.
Shading his eyes with his hand, the golden ape looked up, chuckled, and turned to leave.
The dragon elders knitted their brows at the sight. Suddenly, one dragon elder leaped down from the Heavenly Immortal Realm, plunging through the gelatinous substance in an attempt to pursue the World-Crossing Golden Ship.
Yet the gelatinous matter was profoundly bizarre: the higher one's cultivation, the firmer its grip. Even as an existence of the eighth Dao realm in full Zangification, he was held fast within the jelly.
He struggled at first, but once his strength was exhausted, he could not move an inch. He could only stare wide-eyed, watching in gloomy silence as the golden ship sailed away.
"Only an Emerald Rock can pierce through this formless, substance-less matter," the white-haired elder of the dragon race said, walking up from behind with a heavy voice. "Or we must wait for the next ascender."
Only an ascender's ascension glow could pass through the gelatinous substance.
Aboard the golden ship, a golden rainbow flashed down, transforming into a golden ape clad in loose robes with broad sleeves, walking with an airy, graceful gait.
"Daoist Wukong!"
Both surprised and delighted, Xu Ying hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, laughing. "Daoist, long time no see! Have you been in the Heavenly Immortal Realm all this time? You weren't scalped, were you?"
He couldn't resist raising a hand, wanting to feel Daoist Wukong’s head.
Daoist Wukong laughed. "Who would dare scalp me? I went to the Heavenly Immortal Realm to learn their Zangification arts, which delayed me a few years... Don't touch my head! Touch it and I'll beat you!"
Chapter 647