Returning to the Demon Ancestral Court, the Demon Ancestor plucked a Dao fruit from his body and handed it to Demon Emperor Jin Buyi. "Your Majesty, from this day forth, I entrust the demon race to you. This old servant has served ten generations of Demon Emperors without a shred of merit to show for it, and my only regret is that I cannot witness the rise of our people. I have left behind all the wealth amassed by those ten emperors. Your Majesty may plant this Dao fruit here in the Demon Ancestral Court as a small memento of me."
Demon Emperor Jin Buyi replied, "Go without worry, Demon Ancestor. I will hold both the interior and exterior of our demon race together. After you all make this crossing, I will venture there as well in the future."
The Demon Ancestor chuckled. "If Your Majesty wishes to depart, you must first leave behind an heir. We cannot allow our race to sink into civil strife once again."
Jin Buyi assented.
After offering a few more parting instructions, the Demon Ancestor turned and took his leave.
Daoist Yuqing returned to the Shangqing Dao Sect. Gathering his disciples Yun Hai and Daoist Yuan, he instructed them, "The ancient Dao of Shangqing must renew its mandate. If the wisdom of the past is to stand tall in this world, it will not come from endlessly delving into the old ways alone, but from assimilating the New Dao atop the old foundation and making it our own."
Yun Hai and Daoist Yuan wept as they saw him off, deeply reluctant to part.
Daoist Yuqing laughed. "I am merely a Primordial Spirit of Heaven and Earth. If I die, so be it; my true body still resides on the other shore. Why weep and wail like children? When the future comes, the day will arrive when we meet again." With that, he drifted away like a wisp of smoke.
Daoist Yuxu also returned to Mount Kunlun. His lineage had already died out with Xu You, an ancestor of the Xu family, leaving him with little to linger over.
Standing upon Qilin Cliff, he looked down and saw Xu Jing and his wife laying down a God Bridge. Moved by the sight, he came down to meet them and bestowed upon them the mantle of the Kunlun Realm. "The Yuxu lineage ended with your ancestor. Back then, he abandoned the legacy of Yuxu Palace precisely because the New Dao indeed possessed something unique. Now that you worthy spouses have received my mantle, see whether it proves of any use. If useful, study it; if not, simply cast it aside."
He was remarkably carefree, departing Yuxu Palace just like that.
Daoist Taiqing had no successors. Although a great serpent had once studied his Dao arts and divine abilities, that serpent was a demon after all, and even an official of the Demon Ancestral Court, so they were never particularly close.
Daoist Taiqing sat quietly in Tushita Palace for a long time before rising to depart. Just then, a great serpent slithered across the sky. Its massive body stretched thousands of li; its inhalation became wind, and its exhalation turned to clouds.
Behind the serpent's head hung the Yin and Yang Dual Qi, refined into a Taiji loop, descending from the sky toward Tushita Palace.
Daoist Taiqing halted at the sight. The great serpent transformed into a plump, fair-skinned youth, an erect Yin-Yang Taiji diagram floating behind his head and the Diamond Snare hanging around his neck. Dropping forward, he bowed low.
"This disciple, Yuan Qi, saw the Demon Ancestor bid farewell to the Demon Emperor and knew that Master would most likely be part of this journey as well," Yuan Qi said with a bow. "Though Master never formally accepted me in name, you imparted no small measure of ability to me in truth. Thus, this disciple has come to see you off."
Daoist Taiqing hurried to help him up and laughed. "You are not my disciple; there is no need to bow to me. I originally intended to accept that Xu Ying as my disciple and pass my mantle to him. Alas, he had been plotted against far too many times and was suspicious by nature, leaving me with no choice but to give the Diamond Snare to you..."
Reaching this point, he suddenly chuckled. "Still, it seems fate has bound us after all. Very well, I acknowledge you as my disciple."
Yuan Qi rose to his feet.
Daoist Taiqing looked him up and down and could not help frowning. "Take that Diamond Snare off. Do not hang it around your neck—wear it on your wrist."
Yuan Qi swung his two arms limply as if he had no bones. "Master does not know, but these hands are fake. When I took human form, I feared I would not look human enough, so I deliberately conjured them."
He took a few steps, pacing left and right. "And these two legs are fake as well. This disciple prefers crawling."
"Enough, enough!"
Daoist Taiqing raised a hand to stop him. "Time is pressing—say no more, or your master will regret this. Over these next few days, I shall transmit the supreme arts of the Taiqing Dao Sect to you. Pay close attention, memorize them, and learn."
Yuan Qi hesitated for a moment before plucking up his courage. "Master, my head might be a bit slow..."
Daoist Taiqing chuckled. "Your cultivation today is extraordinary, placing you among the rare powerhouses of this era. Could such cultivation ever be achieved by someone with a dull mind? You possess an innate wisdom of your own."
Yuan Qi was overjoyed. "Here I thought it was because my wife was clever! Who would have guessed that I had my own innate wisdom?"
Daoist Taiqing spent the next two days teaching him, and almost immediately began to regret his decision. He thought to himself, *Could my eyes have played tricks on me? Is his wife truly the clever one?*
He imparted all the realizations and knowledge of his half-lifetime to Yuan Qi, no longer harboring any expectations as to how much the serpent could actually learn.
"Senior Brother Qingxuan!"
Fairy Qiongtai arrived at Yanxia Mountain in the Yingquan World to see Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan. She harbored few obsessions in life, yet a knot still lingered in her heart.
Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan stood up lazily, glanced at her, and said, "So it's Junior Sister Qiong of Tushita Palace. Come to kill me?"
Fairy Qiongtai shook her head with a smile. "I came to see if you were living well. Seeing that you're not living well puts my mind at ease."
Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan chuckled and scolded, "I'm living more comfortably than you could ever imagine! I eat whenever I want and drink whenever I want. I even go peek at fairies bathing from time to time. I have nothing to do all day, and I can lie around for a dozen days straight. I'm not like you lot, constantly spouting righteousness, either killing someone or on your way to kill someone."
Fairy Qiongtai was not the least bit angered by his mockery. She smiled. "In the past you were a saint, but now you are human, with much more human warmth. Had you been like this back then, I would surely have dared to fall in love with you."
Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan instantly perked up. Lust emboldening his heart, he grinned from ear to ear. "I'm just like this right now. Do you dare?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
Fairy Qiongtai settled into his ramshackle thatched cottage. The two lived like a young wedded couple, Qiongtai washing his clothes, cooking his meals, and tending to his daily life.
Just as Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan grew accustomed to it all, he woke up one morning to find the spot beside him empty.
"Junior Sister!"
Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan panicked, frantically searching everywhere, but Fairy Qiongtai was nowhere to be found.
Fairy Qiongtai returned to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, where the Ancestral God had already established the barrier sealing off ascension from the Earth Immortal Realm. He was currently refining the Emerald Rock tiered ship; having the closest bond with Him, the Demon Ancestor was assisting in the refinement. Meanwhile, Xu Ying deciphered the imprints upon the Emerald Rock from the side, instructing them on how to refine it.
Daoist Taiqing, Daoist Yuqing, Daoist Yuxu, and the others arrived one after another. The five human Immortal Emperors—the Last Lord of Ziwei, Emperor Taihao, Emperor Shaohao, Emperor Haoying, and Emperor Haohong—also arrived side by side.
"Has the Grand Dao Lord not arrived yet?" the Last Lord of Ziwei asked.
Daoist Yuqing said, "He is most likely making arrangements at the Wangxiang Platform."
The Last Lord of Ziwei gave a gentle nod.
At the Wangxiang Platform, Great Dao Lord Xuhuang bowed. "I entrust all of this to Fellow Daoist."
"I would not dare claim such credit," Dao Venerable Lu replied with a bow. "Thanks to the Grand Dao Lord's care, I shall certainly go in person to oversee it."
Great Dao Lord Xuhuang took his leave and headed for the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court.
By the time he arrived, everyone was assembled.
The Ancestral God hoisted the Emerald Rock and smiled. "Gentlemen, we may embark. Xu Ying, you may disembark."
Xu Ying silently walked down from the Emerald Rock tiered ship, watching as one figure after another boarded the modestly sized vessel.
"Farewell, everyone!" the Last Lord of Ziwei called out, waving.
"Farewell!" The people on the ship waved back in turn.
"Farewell!"
...
The Emerald Rock tiered ship slowly lifted into the air, gradually accelerating as it soared toward the sky. It turned into a streak of emerald-green light, rising to intercept the emerald-green radiance traversing the gelatinous zone.
The two streaks of light resembled comets invading the Earth Immortal Realm—one arriving from afar, the other ascending from within.
The Holy Venerable gazed into the distance as far as his sight could reach, then suddenly turned around. "Mingyu, it is time for us to depart. Time waits for no one; we must redouble our cultivation! If the Ancestral God and the others fail to seize that Emerald Rock from the enemy, I will have to step onto the battlefield myself!"
Lou Mingyu hurried after him, bowing slightly to Xu Ying. "Dao Ancestor Xu, I go to protect the Holy Venerable!"
Xu Ying nodded gently.
The Holy Venerable glanced at Xu Ying and halted in his tracks. "Xu Ying, do you think you will be the first to attain the New Dao Supreme Realm, or will I?"
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "Naturally, the Holy Venerable will be first. You have been steeped in the Supreme Realm for six hundred thousand years; how could I presume to surpass you?"
The Holy Venerable replied, "It matters not even if you surpass me. I cultivate the New Dao backed by six hundred thousand years of foundation. My Dao trees and Dao fruits are countless, and my Dao scenes innumerable! In the same realm, I will only ever be stronger than you!"
With a smile on his face, Xu Ying said, "What the Holy Venerable says is entirely correct."
The Holy Venerable gave him a profound look, then turned and strode away.
Lou Mingyu quickly asked, "Master feels pressured?"
The Holy Venerable nodded slightly. "Only after cultivating the New Dao did I realize it is not so simple—it cannot be accomplished overnight. It is very likely that Xu Ying will break through to the Supreme Realm before me."
Lou Mingyu's heart skipped a beat. When the Holy Venerable had said in front of Xu Ying that it mattered not if Xu Ying surpassed him, he was likely acknowledging that he could not break through ahead of Xu Ying.
*Then what did Master mean when he said that in the same realm, he would be stronger than Dao Ancestor Xu? Could it be that Master lacks confidence even in that?*
Without exposing this, he probed cautiously, "Master, what realm is Xu Ying at now?"
The Holy Venerable answered, "He has already cultivated a bodhimanda and is on the verge of stepping into Dao scenes."
Lou Mingyu said, "Once he steps into Dao scenes, his realm will match what it was during the decisive battle at the Heavenly Abyss."
"He is stronger than he was then," the Holy Venerable said. "Back then, he possessed thirteen Dao scenes that merged into one to become the Taiyi Cave Abyss, allowing him to cultivate the Grand Dao of Taiyi. Now, in addition to the Grand Dao of Taiyi, he has comprehended the Martial Dao and possesses a Martial Dao Cave Abyss. Furthermore, he and Yuan Weiyang studied the Emerald Rock inscriptions together, deriving five great Daos from them: Wuji, Taiji, Taiying, Taicang, and Taishang."
Lou Mingyu was secretly astonished. "Seven great Daos? Then how many kinds of Dao scenes does he cultivate?"
The Holy Venerable shook his head. "I do not know. However, no matter how many Dao scenes he cultivates, he cannot possibly have as many as I do. He can comprehend the Emerald Rock inscriptions, and so can I! I can derive even more great Daos from those carvings!"
Though he spoke with conviction, his confidence was not entirely steady.
Beside Xu Ying stood Yuan Weiyang, whose aptitude and comprehension were in no way inferior to Xu Ying's. The two researching together far outstripped what he could achieve studying alone!
Moreover, their distinct minds allowed them to check and mend each other's gaps, whereas he could find no such Dao friend.
*I once had such a Dao friend. What a pity I killed him,* he thought to himself.
In the sky, the emerald-green light of the tiered ship climbed higher and higher, drawing steadily closer to the other emerald-green radiance. After more than ten days, the two streaks of emerald light finally clashed!
Xu Ying had remained in the Heavenly Dao domain cultivating all this time. At that very moment, a premonition stirred in his heart, and he looked up. In the gelatinous zone beyond the Earth Immortal Realm, the strands of ascension radiance swirling around that other emerald-green light suddenly banked and swept toward the Emerald Rock tiered ship.
These strands of ascension radiance were exceedingly nimble, traversing the gelatinous zone far more effortlessly than the tiered ship.
The first exchange of probes between the two sides erupted within the gelatinous zone!
Xu Ying saw the raging fire of the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace burst forth, as brilliant as a star detonating in the depths of space. Yet in the next instant, that roaring fire was pierced through—a Supreme-level existence within the ascension radiance must have struck, shattering the furnace's might!
The Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace was Dao Ancestor Taiqing's Wondrous Realm treasure, possessed of immense power that surpassed even current New Dao Supreme treasures, yet it was actually forced into a disadvantage upon colliding with the opponent's divine abilities!
Suddenly, slender threads appeared within the gelatinous zone, illuminated by the fire of the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace and glittering with silver light from afar.
That was Daoist Yuxu's horsetail whisk, another Wondrous Realm treasure of extraordinary might.
Yet before the whisk could strike home, it swayed erratically left and right, as if buffeted by violent winds.
The Taiji Diagram and Wuji Diagram flew forth, each erupting with boundless might, yet these two Wondrous Realm treasures also wavered unsteadily, unable to close in.
Four great Wondrous Realm treasures could not even approach the Zangified Dragon Court powerhouse wrapped within that ascension radiance.
Xu Ying's heart sank. The strength of Daoist Taiqing, Daoist Yuxu, and the others was already considered peerless in the Earth Immortal Realm, no weaker than Grand Supreme Golden Immortals, and with their respective Wondrous Realm treasures, their might was formidable.
Yet against an existence of the eighth layer of the Dao Realm from the Zangified Dragon Court, they still had no way to resist.
Just then, the light of the Glazed Lamp flared to life, sweeping toward that ascension radiance and cleaving it apart!
"Splendid!"
Xu Ying could not help crying out in praise. The Last Lord of Ziwei's strike was exquisite, timing the blow to the exact moment that Zangified Dragon Court powerhouse parried the attacks of Yuxu, Taiqing, and the others to shatter the ascension radiance he commanded!
Stripped of the ascension radiance, that expert of the Dao Realm's eighth layer was instantly reduced to an insect trapped in amber, unable to move and pinned firmly within the gelatinous zone.
Trapped alongside him was another ascendant of the Earth Immortal Realm.
They hung motionless in the void.
Several other strands of ascension radiance surged toward the Emerald Rock tiered ship, repelling the purple qi of the Hongmeng banner and directly withstanding the attacks of the Heaven-Measuring Ruler as they closed in at blinding speed.
Yet before they could reach the vessel, the Demon Ancestor's roots suddenly lashed out and ensnared them. Taking advantage of the opening, the others struck, their divine abilities shattering the ascension radiances of those figures.
Nevertheless, several strands of ascension radiance still landed upon the ship. From afar, Xu Ying could only watch as all manner of terrifying divine abilities erupted upon that modest vessel with ferocious savagery.
After a moment, every tremor of divine power upon the ship abruptly vanished.
A moment later, the Emerald Rock tiered ship set sail once more, ascending higher as it veered away from the Emerald Rock of the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
Watching for a moment, Xu Ying suddenly realized: *They intend to ascend further and destroy the passage bored open by the Heavenly Immortal Realm's Emerald Rock!*
All they needed to do was seal the Emerald Rock passage with the gelatinous substance, and the passage that the Zangified Dragon Court powerhouses had painstakingly opened would come to naught!
The Dragon Court powerhouses atop the Heavenly Immortal Realm's Emerald Rock clearly realized this as well. Abandoning their descent, they spurred their rock to pursue the Emerald Rock tiered ship!
Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. The strategy of the Ancestral God and the others was sound: so long as they led the enemy by the nose, they could buy an immense amount of time.
If they could stall until the Holy Venerable recovered to his peak—or even surpassed it—and unified the forces of the Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous Ones, the pressure upon them would be drastically reduced!
"Fellow Daoists, I leave it to you."
Xu Ying ceased watching the battle beyond the heavens and devoted himself fully to cultivation.
The Holy Venerable had also been watching the clash; seeing this development, he exhaled a breath of relief and withdrew his gaze.
At Yanxia Mountain in the Yingquan World, Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan stood up and looked into the sky with conflicted eyes. At that moment, he welcomed an unexpected guest.
Liu Guanyi, the Heavenly Monarch of the Ten Wastes.
Chapter 651