"The power of Grandpa Dragon's primordial spirit is truly monstrous!"
Xu Ying only came to his senses after a moment. He had half a mind to strike with the whip again, but his dharmic power was already almost completely drained.
The might of this spiritual light whip was terrifying indeed. Xu Ying had practically overwhelmed Daoist Taiyuan, yet still had not managed to kill him. But a single lash from that whip had blasted Daoist Taiyuan to pieces!
"The power of this treasure surpasses any Supreme magic treasure I have ever seen!"
The Big Dragon flew over in haste, overjoyed. "Ah Ying, hurry, give me my whip! With this whip, I can break the seal on the white-bone divine dragon!"
Xu Ying handed the spiritual light whip to him. The Big Dragon was about to refine it, but caught sight of Xu Ying, hesitated, and offered the whip back to him. "You should keep using this whip for now. Return it to me after you deal with Mingzun."
He knew Xu Ying's duel with Mingzun was imminent, and he worried that Xu Ying lacked a handy weapon. Even though the whip was a piece of his own primordial spirit, he was willing to part with it.
Xu Ying shook his head with a smile. "Grandpa Dragon, I'm not used to relying on magic treasures. Cultivating to my current stage, using a magic treasure or not actually doesn't make much difference."
This was by no means an exaggeration.
Though his battle against Daoist Taiyuan had involved an element of opportunism, even if Daoist Taiyuan had not used the wrong supernatural power, the outcome of the battle would have been the same.
While the spiritual light whip possessed astonishing might, its demands on cultivation were also extraordinarily steep. With dharmic cultivation as immense as Xu Ying's, unleashing it with full force once left him unable to use it a second time.
For Xu Ying, keeping his cultivation intact was far better for self-preservation.
Upon hearing this, the Big Dragon said, "Just now you manifested a Dao scenery. Have you already reached the Dao Scenery realm?"
Xu Ying nodded gently. "I just entered the Dao Scenery realm."
The Big Dragon said, "Your current cultivation is already stronger than when you fought at Heavenly Abyss! In that case, I will refine this whip first! Even if you are no match for the Immortal Emperor, I can beat him to death with my own hands!"
Xu Ying burst into hearty laughter and said, "There are still two months until my duel with the Immortal Emperor. If I can break through to the Supreme realm within these two months, I will have absolute certainty."
The Supreme realm of the New Dao would bring about earth-shaking changes—a qualitative leap!
This realm was the linchpin of the New Dao!
Xu Ying had already immersed himself in the Dao Scenery realm for a considerable time. Thus, under the pressure of the Immortal Emperor Supreme, he intended to force a breakthrough, striving to advance to the Supreme realm within these two months!
And Daoist Taiyuan and his ilk were merely his stepping stones!
*Moreover, the Big Dragon also needs to restore his primordial spirit,* Xu Ying thought silently.
If they wanted to thwart the invasion from the Heavenly Immortal Realm, they had to restore Far Ancestor Big Dragon to his peak. Without his peak strength, there was no way to stop the powerhouses of the Heavenly Immortal Realm!
At that moment, the spiritual light whip suddenly disintegrated, turning into strands of indestructible spiritual light that merged into the head of Far Ancestor Big Dragon. For a time, tens of thousands of rays of multicolored light radiated throughout the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, breathtakingly splendid.
When the light subsided, Far Ancestor Big Dragon's massive head stood majestically in the sky, trailing a long, thin dragon body behind it—complete with mane, scales, claws, and tail.
Yet this form looked like a water bucket with a piece of string dangling from its rear, unspeakably comical.
The Big Dragon took a few steps on his spindly claws, wobbling back and forth, beaming with excitement. "How is it? How do I look?"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang hemmed and hawed, while the white-bone divine dragon was beside itself with glee, rolling on the ground in laughter.
The big bell could not help but chime, "Grandpa Dragon, can you coil up?"
The Big Dragon curled his body into a coil, bearing a head several times larger than the rest of him, and shouted, "How does that look?"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang dared not speak, but the big bell was bold, remarking, "Old sir, you look just like a sprouted potato gone wrong. Do you know what a sprouted potato looks like? Your head is the potato, and your body is the shoot—growing long and spindly..."
*Boom!*
The Big Dragon swung a "spindly" claw and blasted the bell flying with a single punch. It was only slender compared to his head; compared to Xu Ying and the others, that dragon claw remained ridiculously thick and massive!
Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, and the white-bone divine dragon fell as quiet as cicadas in winter.
After a moment, the big bell wobbled back, decidedly more broad-minded. "Grandpa Dragon, old sir, could you change your appearance? This really is a bit too thin."
Spiritual light burst from within the Big Dragon as he restructured himself. When the light cleared, the Big Dragon had adopted a new form: a vast dragon head with a flowing mane trailing behind, looking awe-inspiring, and a dragon torso of immense thickness with gleaming scales. Beneath the scales of his forelimbs, muscles bulged as if carved by blades and axes, exceptionally robust.
And then, it came to an abrupt stop.
There was no lower half.
The Big Dragon bolted forward on his two front limbs, moving swift as flight, and said joyfully, "How about this?"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang exchanged dumbfounded looks. The white-bone divine dragon laughed so hard that its entire skeleton fell apart, scattering all over the floor.
The big bell hesitated, mindful of its earlier fate, and cautiously suggested, "Grandpa Dragon, perhaps try another approach?"
The Big Dragon's face darkened. With a snort, he enveloped himself in spiritual light. Once it dissipated, a dragon with all four limbs intact appeared before them. He declared proudly, "How about this?"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang were dumbstruck, while the big bell rang in meaningless clangs.
The Big Dragon's head remained unchanged and all four limbs were present, but his torso was drastically shortened, leaving virtually no belly. His front and hind legs were almost joined together, trailing a ridiculously short tail behind.
The white-bone divine dragon, having just reassembled itself, dropped its jaw at the sight and raised a claw, pointing at the Big Dragon while silently shaking with laughter.
With a loud *clang*, the big bell knocked it out cold, then said, "Mm-hmm, yes, this... not bad, not bad at all."
The Big Dragon perked up and laughed. "Now that my cultivation has grown so much, I can finally break the seal on that white-bone lad!" With that, he shrank his form and, with a *swoosh*, darted into the unconscious white-bone divine dragon's skull.
Curious, Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang followed him inside.
The white-bone divine dragon appeared to be a young dragon, but according to Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang's deductions, he was very likely Heavenly Prime Minister Bi Yanhai, who had used a secret art of rejuvenation to grow progressively younger in order to evade death.
As a top powerhouse of the eighth Dao Realm, Bi Yanhai was crucial to the current situation. If they could awaken him, it would greatly bolster their capital against the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
Upon entering the skull of the white-bone divine dragon, Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang were astonished to find an entirely separate world within!
It did not feel like entering a divine dragon's skull; rather, it was like stepping into an enormous, winding tunnel full of twists and turns like a labyrinth, riddled with junctions and gateways in bewildering complexity.
They had to open the correct doors to proceed to the next passage. Opening the wrong door could lead down an erroneous route, stranding them deep in the maze with no way back.
*No wonder Grandpa Dragon and Master Bell couldn't break his seal all this time. This seal must have been placed by Bi Yanhai himself to hide his memories and keep them from being destroyed in the Dao weeping.*
Xu Ying examined the seals on these gateways and could not help frowning. Though he was a grandmaster of seals, the seals on these doors were carved in dragon runes, about which he still knew little.
*Isn't Grandpa Dragon the most erudite and wise Far Ancestor? Why couldn't he break these seals and rescue Bi Yanhai's memories?*
Having thought this, he immediately found his own answer. Erudite as the Big Dragon was, the Dao methods and supernatural powers of the Dragon Court era had continued to advance, especially during the crisis of survival, which gave rise to many geniuses—such as Qing Mufeng, who could calculate the future ten million years ahead, and Qin Daoquan, the human royal historiographer.
This Bi Yanhai had surely been another dazzling figure of that era, possessing extraordinary attainments in the art of sealing that could even stump Far Ancestor Big Dragon.
"This lad's seal is indeed no small matter, but now I can break it!"
The Big Dragon said with high spirits, "Clear out of the way, everyone!"
He stepped forward, his four limbs slightly clumsy. Abruptly drawing a deep breath, he exhaled a torrent of spiritual light. Instantly, gateway after gateway ahead rattled and slammed open under his breath!
The dead ends were inundated by the indestructible spiritual light, which rebounded back, while the viable paths bore the brunt of more light, blasting open even more doors!
The Big Dragon's breath lasted so long that his own body continued to shrink. By the time his breath gave out, his body had diminished by seventy to eighty percent. Hopping forward, he called out, "Keep up with me, don't get lost. If you get lost, even I won't be able to lead you out!"
Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, and the big bell hurried after him, traveling along a tortuous, winding path. After walking for who knew how long, they finally reached the end of the passage, where the final door remained tightly shut.
The Big Dragon went forward and pushed open the massive gate. Immediately, emerald green light rushed over them. Inside stood a classic dragon immortal palace, immense in scale and magnificent to behold.
A green dragon was coiled around the pillars of the palace, almost filling the entire hall.
His upper torso emerged from the rear hall, climbing onto the roof and resting his head upon the ridgepole, fast asleep.
His scales were an azure green, clear and translucent like fine green tea.
Yet his body was covered in wounds and scorch marks, with scarcely a single intact scale—scars left behind by life-and-death struggles against powerhouses of the other shore.
"Bi Yanhai,"
Xu Ying spoke, calling out, "The Far Ancestor has come to take you home."
The green dragon slowly awoke and opened his eyes. His gaze settled on Far Ancestor Big Dragon. He hesitated, hardly daring to believe that this was the Far Ancestor of the dragon race.
"Wake up, child," Far Ancestor Big Dragon said with a gentle, benevolent expression.
The green dragon whimpered, slowly uncoiling his body and crawling with great effort before the Big Dragon. In the Dao language of the dragons, he asked, "Far Ancestor, is the dragon race extinct?"
"Not extinct,"
Far Ancestor Big Dragon said, "There are still you and me."
The green dragon Bi Yanhai choked with sobs and followed him outside.
***
Outside the Heavenly Dao domain, Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan had been lurking near the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, secretly watching Daoist Taiyuan take a beating. He had felt deeply gratified: *Daoist Taiyuan incited me to eliminate Xu Ying, but his real purpose was to see how badly I was thrashed so he could deduce Xu Ying's cultivation from my wounds. He plotted against me, so he deserved to be plotted against!*
When Xu Ying seized the spiritual light whip and blew Daoist Taiyuan apart with a single strike, cold sweat covered the Evil Golden Immortal's forehead. Stunned for a good while, he had quickly limped away, thinking silently: *The era has changed; the Old Dao is a dead end. I must never be an obstinate old fossil like Daoist Taiyuan. The New Dao—I must cultivate it!*
Suddenly he turned and flew toward the spot where Daoist Taiyuan had been blasted apart, his eyes flickering with thought: *Did Daoist Taiyuan truly perish just like that? Can an existence of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo die so easily?*
Before long, he flew over the site of the explosion. Although blood stained the ground everywhere, he could not find a single bone, only shredded flesh.
*Daoist Taiyuan tempered a fine set of Dao bones! That lash shattered his flesh, yet his Dao bones survived!*
The Evil Golden Immortal continued his search, discovering fragments of Daoist Taiyuan's disintegrating primordial spirit, but he found no Undying True Spirit. *Though his Undying True Spirit is not of the Supreme grade, it is still extraordinary, and it managed to preserve itself beneath the spiritual light whip. Right now, he must have returned to his Taiyuan Great Luo Heaven bodhimanda to prepare for reincarnation!*
The Evil Golden Immortal was intensely excited. He muttered under his breath, "A man like him will surely have prepared a physical body for his reincarnation. The moment he reincarnates will be his most vulnerable, and that works entirely to my advantage!"
With that thought, he exerted himself to suppress his injuries and immediately flew wobbling toward the Great Luo Heaven of the Immortal Realm.
Above the nine heavens lay the Great Luo Heaven, Daoist Taiyuan's Great Luo bodhimanda. This place had originally been destroyed by the Ten-Waste Heavenly Monarch, but had now been rebuilt.
However, Daoist Taiyuan's Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit had been slain by the Ten-Waste Heavenly Monarch, and he had yet to recreate it.
Xing Daoyuan was currently cultivating in the Taiyuan Dao Palace when footsteps suddenly sounded outside, followed by Daoist Taiyuan's voice: "Good disciple, your master has suffered heavy injuries and my life hangs by a thread. I feel deeply ashamed for failing to guide you to greatness, so I fought my way here with my last breath to bestow my final set of Dao bones upon you, fulfilling my final wish!"
Xing Daoyuan looked up and saw a bloody human skeleton walking into the palace from outside, leaving bloody footprints with every step.
Overwhelmed with grief, Xing Daoyuan kowtowed and cried, "Master, who injured you so grievously? Disciple will surely avenge you!"
That bloody skeleton was none other than Daoist Taiyuan. With a single speck of his Undying True Spirit remaining, he arrived in the Dao palace and said with a bitter smile, "Foolish child, even I was no match for that person; what ability do you have? I do not need your vengeance. Sit properly, empty your mind, and I will integrate my Dao bones into your body."
Xing Daoyuan wept loudly and sat down as instructed.
Daoist Taiyuan's skeleton walked behind him, and with a gentle stroke, sliced Xing Daoyuan's back open, exposing flesh and bone.
Xing Daoyuan said, "Master, disciple hurts so much!"
Daoist Taiyuan said, "Transferring Dao bones does hurt a bit. Bear with it."
Xing Daoyuan replied, "Yes."
The bloody skeleton stepped into Xing Daoyuan's fleshly vessel. Daoist Taiyuan's Undying True Spirit activated at once, heading straight for Xing Daoyuan's primordial spirit, intent on seizing it, obliterating his consciousness, and taking his place!
Yet when it surged forward, it struck nothing.
*Where is Xing Daoyuan's primordial spirit?* Daoist Taiyuan was startled. He searched all around, but could find it nowhere.
Right at that moment, Xing Daoyuan stood up and said, "Having obtained Master's Dao bones, it doesn't hurt so much anymore."
Daoist Taiyuan was horrified. Xing Daoyuan had stood up, yet he himself remained sitting right where he was.
At this moment, he was not inside Xing Daoyuan's physical body at all—he was inside an empty human skin!
Xing Daoyuan turned around, familiarizing himself with these Dao bones, and praised, "Master tempered these bones quite well indeed. No wonder your bones survived even after your flesh and primordial spirit were shattered."
Daoist Taiyuan panicked completely, attempting to stand up and reclaim his Dao bones, but the human skin was exceedingly difficult to control, billowing like a wind-blown sack, shivering and trembling.
"Master, in the mortal realm I was known as the Master of the Niwan Palace, and I have harvested countless souls. You cannot outplay me with your tricks."
Xing Daoyuan raised his hand and pressed down heavily on the head of the human skin. Instantly, a massive vortex appeared beneath the skin's feet, leading straight to the netherworld place of reincarnation!
"Disciple respectfully sees Master off!"
Chapter 654