The Evil Golden Immortal Xiao Lanshan arrived at Daoist Taiyuan's Great Luo Heaven and lurked quietly outside the Dao palace. Hearing the conversation from within, he thought to himself, *This Xing Daoyuan is truly a fool. What kind of figure is Daoist Taiyuan? Would he take you as a disciple and impart his Dao methods for no reason?*
He sneered inwardly. *These sanctimonious hypocrites only want to use their techniques to reshape you into an ideal vessel for possession! Fool, absolute fool—I would never be so gullible!*
Just as he was about to charge inside to interrupt the possession and finish off Taiyuan, Xing Daoyuan's subsequent words made his hair stand on end.
He cautiously poked his head out and witnessed Xing Daoyuan casting Daoist Taiyuan into the cycle of reincarnation, turning his face ashen.
*This Xing Daoyuan is a ruthless character!*
At that moment, Xing Daoyuan's voice drifted over in a mutter: "A pity my revered master only has his Dao bones left and no physical body. Otherwise, taking his body would have been even more interesting. After all, Master cultivated the Dao Turning Mind Sutra as well, refining his own form until it became suited for me..."
Cold sweat broke out on the Evil Golden Immortal's brow. His eyes widened, and he stepped backward one pace at a time.
*This Xing Daoyuan is more terrifying than me, more evil than me, and far more calculating!* he thought.
"So it is Senior Brother Xiao."
The Evil Golden Immortal froze in his tracks. A woman's voice came from behind him: "When did Senior Brother Xiao arrive?"
Turning around, the Evil Golden Immortal saw one of Daoist Taiyuan's female disciples standing not far behind him. Beside her stood five or six other disciples, scattered about in positions that completely sealed off all his routes of retreat.
His heart tightened. He knew Daoist Taiyuan's disciples possessed profound cultivations, every one of them a Heavenly Monarch. Had he been uninjured, even tying all of them together would not have been enough to survive his blade. Yet he happened to be severely wounded!
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed behind him. The Evil Golden Immortal felt a surge of hope: *If I tell them Xing Daoyuan killed their master, Daoist Taiyuan, I can slip away!*
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Xing Daoyuan's towering, imposing figure appeared. Though built tall and burly, the man wore a genial expression and carried an aura of refined, scholarly grace.
In the past, Xing Daoyuan had been the leader of the orthodox path in Yuanshou, erudite and exceptionally gifted, with unmatched conversational elegance—without the slightest air of an angler.
Xing Daoyuan offered a faint smile to the Evil Golden Immortal. At the same time, the female disciple behind Xiao Lanshan said, "I have long heard of the Evil Golden Immortal's renowned name. Meeting today is Xing's great fortune."
A chill ran down Xiao Lanshan's spine. He looked back at the woman.
She was beaming a warm, friendly smile at him.
Another of Taiyuan's disciples spoke up: "Senior Brother Xiao was a titan of the evil path in ancient eras with remarkable achievements, even escaping alive from Dao Ancestor Xu's hands. Xing is deeply impressed."
Yet another disciple added, "Could Senior Brother Xiao have come for my revered master's Dao bones? To be frank, those Dao bones have already fallen into my hands."
The Evil Golden Immortal's face went white with horror. After a moment, he bowed deeply to Xing Daoyuan and greeted him with utmost respect: "Seeing Fellow Daoist Xing's endless ingenuity just now fills Xiao with immense admiration; I truly cannot compare. No matter which disciple Taiyuan tried to possess, he would have ended up in your pocket."
Xing Daoyuan returned the bow and smiled. "In this era, the New Dao flourishes, yet the older generation clings stubbornly to past glory, unwilling to relinquish even a shred. Thus, I had no choice but to undertake this harvest. Is Fellow Daoist Xiao interested in making a name for himself in this grand age?"
Swayed by his words, the Evil Golden Immortal smiled. "I share that exact intention. It is just that I am alone and weak."
Xing Daoyuan chuckled. "Now, Fellow Daoist is no longer alone. Together, we can comprehend the New Dao and surely achieve great things."
The two exchanged a smile, minds in complete accord. Xing Daoyuan gestured in invitation, and the Evil Golden Immortal accompanied him into the Dao palace. As they discussed Dao methods, they felt like old friends meeting too late, thoroughly delighted.
Yet Xiao Lanshan remained uneasy throughout. Whenever his back was turned to Xing Daoyuan, he could sense a pair of eyes scrutinizing his neck.
It was a bizarre gaze, shifting up and down, as though searching for a convenient cutting angle.
In the end, he chose not to linger in Taiyuan's Great Luo Heaven and took his leave.
Xing Daoyuan watched him depart, his gaze still unsettling: "What an odd man. Not easy to harvest."
The Evil Golden Immortal never realized that it was his body—formed from the Heavenly River monstrous flower—that spared him from a brush with death. In truth, he owed Xu Ying thanks for that.
***
In Jingmi Town of Tianshuang World, Fairy Huoling let out a muffled groan. Her hands trembled so violently she could barely lift them.
She had clashed with the Holy Venerable's disciple Lou Mingyu, even unleashing her Wondrous Realm treasure—nine fire bells—to summon Great Luo immortal fire against him. Yet she was still suppressed by the terrifying dharmic power surging from Lou Mingyu's more than one hundred cave abysses!
Aside from the Holy Venerable and the Ancestral God, Fairy Huoling had never seen anyone possess such immense dharmic power.
Crucially, Lou Mingyu was only in the Dao Scenery realm—equivalent to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm of the Old Dao, or the seventh layer of the Dao realm in the Dragon Court era. For his cultivation and strength to be this vast was simply unbelievable!
*If the Holy Venerable makes a comeback, how terrifying will his cultivation and strength be?*
Her figure drifted backward as a string of fire bells chimed before her. Instantly, all-consuming Great Luo immortal fire and dreadful chiming sounds surged toward the pursuing Lou Mingyu!
Behind Lou Mingyu, one hundred and eight cave abysses spun. Thousands of Dao sceneries emerged from within them, forming various immortal mountains and blessed lands. His palm strikes carried shocking force, overwhelming the immortal fire. Even the chiming of the bells could not shake him in the slightest.
The nine fire bells jingled incessantly as they were knocked flying in all directions, rattling Fairy Huoling's vital energy and blood.
Lou Mingyu closed the distance to catch up with Fairy Huoling, preparing to strike a lethal blow, when the Holy Venerable's voice called out from behind: "Mingyu, stop."
Lou Mingyu halted his attack and stood straight, the rotation of the one hundred and eight cave abysses gradually slowing.
The young Holy Venerable stepped forward, his gaze resting on Fairy Huoling. "Huoling, if you had been the final victor back then, would you have spared my life?"
Suppressing her Dao injuries, Fairy Huoling shook her head. "I definitely would not have spared you. Your talent was peerless; had Qingxuan not existed, you would have been the undisputed first. Leaving you alive would have posed too great a threat to me. To become empress, I would have had to kill you first!"
The young Holy Venerable said, "If Mingzun had won, would he have spared your lives?"
Fairy Huoling froze, then shook her head. "Mingzun is harsh and devoid of mercy, plotting too deeply. If he had slain you and eliminated the Ancestral God, he would have purged us in blood. He certainly would not have spared us."
The young Holy Venerable asked, "When you were defeated by my hands back then, which of you died at my command?"
Fairy Huoling was momentarily stunned.
The young Holy Venerable said, "Aside from Qingxuan, I did not kill a single one among the Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous. Today, I will not kill you either. Go. Once the battle between Xu Ying and Mingzun is decided, return to my side."
With a complex expression, Fairy Huoling bowed slightly to him, turned, and departed.
The young Holy Venerable watched her leave, then said, "Mingyu, the commotion from your fight with Huoling was too great. Others are bound to notice. This place is not safe to linger. We must leave at once."
Lou Mingyu assented, looking at him with admiration. "Seeing how Master handled this today, Mingyu realizes I still have much to learn from you."
The young Holy Venerable said, "Do not belittle yourself. You are one of the Two Sages of the New Dao, and your momentum is already established. All these years you chose not to ascend, preaching the Dao in Xu Ying's stead. Your future accomplishments will not be inferior to mine. However, there is one flaw: you cultivated far too many cave abysses in the Dao Scenery realm, falling prey to greed. You should consolidate these cave abysses as much as possible, integrating the various Great Daos. If they cannot be merged, then sever the inferior ones. Otherwise, when you seek to attain the Supreme realm, you will have no path forward. The more cave abysses you cultivate yourself, the more difficult it becomes to achieve the Supreme realm!"
A chill ran through Lou Mingyu's heart.
He had also realized he had too many cave abysses. Cultivating them was becoming harder, draining more of his energy with each passing day. Advancing further seemed nearly impossible.
He had never imagined the problem lay here.
The young Holy Venerable said, "In seeking the Dao, we must know what to take and what to discard. I will impart Taiyi Enlightenment to you to help you comprehend the Emerald Rock inscriptions. Try to see if you can integrate your cave abysses. If you succeed, your future achievements will be limitless."
Deeply moved, Lou Mingyu asked, "Why is Master imparting these to me?"
In the past, the Holy Venerable would never have taught him such things. This sudden generosity made him somewhat anxious.
The young Holy Venerable fell silent for a moment before replying, "After I die, there must be a new Holy Venerable—someone stronger than me who can carry my legacy and stand against the Heavenly Immortal Realm. I do not want my lineage severed."
Lou Mingyu fell silent.
The young Holy Venerable sighed with emotion. "Yet even if I pour out everything I have and help you surpass your master, you will still be overshadowed by Dao Ancestor Xu—just as I was overshadowed by Qingxuan back then. How truly frustrating!"
He paused, then added, "Do not deal with Dao Ancestor Xu the way I dealt with Qingxuan. You two should advance hand in hand. Let the errors of the older generation end with us."
Lou Mingyu was stunned. The Holy Venerable had never acknowledged that killing Qingxuan was a mistake; this was the first time he admitted doing wrong.
"Come with me. I will take you to meet the experts ranked first, second, and eighth among the Twelve Wondrous!"
The Holy Venerable said leisurely, "With your current strength, though you may not be their match, they won't be able to kill you either. The time has come to set them free!"
Concealing their tracks along the way, master and disciple slipped quietly away.
Not long after, Dao Lord Yuanying and Dan Xuanzi arrived together. After a brief inspection, they took flight and departed.
Next, Old Ancestor Boshan rushed over and continued tracking the master and disciple.
The Immortal Emperor Supreme and Creation Supreme arrived side by side, trailing Old Ancestor Boshan.
Observing Old Ancestor Boshan's route, the Immortal Emperor Supreme frowned slightly. "Brother Dao, the Holy Venerable and his disciple are heading for the Heavenly Prison!"
Creation Supreme said in surprise, "The Heavenly Prison? Aren't they walking into a trap?"
The Immortal Emperor shook his head. "Brother Dao does not know. Imprisoned in that Heavenly Prison is a person even I dare not approach."
Creation Supreme asked in astonishment, "Who is imprisoned there?"
"The head of the Twelve Wondrous," the Immortal Emperor said.
Creation Supreme's face shifted abruptly. "Jun Wudao is suppressed there? What boldness! Why didn't you kill him instead of keeping him imprisoned?"
The Immortal Emperor shook his head. "The Holy Venerable never gave the order to kill him. Who would dare lay a hand on him?"
Creation Supreme's expression darkened, turning uncertain. After a moment, he said, "It is not too late to act now! Let us make haste!"
The two immediately rushed toward the Heavenly Prison together, quickly overtaking Old Ancestor Boshan.
***
Within the Heavenly Dao domain.
The white-bone divine dragon slowly regained consciousness and looked over his body, filled with a whirl of emotions. Over these days, he had cultivated martial arts alongside Xu Ying, refining his vital energy and blood to immense vitality. Now that his true conscious self had returned, he immediately channeled his blood and qi, cultivating the big bell's art of refining false into real!
Vital energy and blood swirled around him, flowing along his skeleton to gradually weave bone, flesh, sinew, and organs. Soon, blood flowed out from within the bones, forming an extensive network of meridians that reached everywhere.
"After millions of years of despondency, this Heavenly Prime Minister still possesses such extraordinary aptitude and comprehension."
Xu Ying could not help but shower him with praise. Bi Yanhai's talent was exceptionally high; having grasped the true essence of Grandpa Bell's refining false into real, his flesh and blood were already regenerating.
Before long, he would successfully rebuild his true body.
"Weiyang, you and the others stay here. I need to cultivate alone for a period,"
Xu Ying said to Yuan Weiyang. "In these two months, I must attain the Supreme realm! Without immense pressure, reaching the Supreme realm will be difficult."
Yuan Weiyang hesitated slightly. "Be careful of Mingzun."
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "The one Mingzun worries about most is the Holy Venerable; he hasn't paid me any attention at all. After all, I've already been harvested by him once. Rather, it is all of you who must be careful. Once I leave, people will certainly come looking for me."
Yuan Weiyang replied, "Rest assured, we will readily sell out your whereabouts."
Xu Ying laughed heartily and drifted away, departing from the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court.
No sooner had he left than Dao Lord Jiugong arrived.
Dao Lord Jiugong reached the spot where Daoist Taiyuan had been blasted apart. Seeing the blood scattered all around, his expression shifted drastically. Xu Ying's battle with Daoist Taiyuan had taken place inside the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, unknown to the outside world.
Yet the final strike, delivered when Xu Ying unleashed the spiritual light whip, had erupted with truly shocking power. Dao Lord Jiugong had traced his way here following the remnant force of that spiritual light.
*Daoist Taiyuan's cultivation and strength were inferior to mine, but certainly not so weak that he could be blasted apart. His greatest asset was his Dao skeleton! Refining that Dao skeleton was his highest achievement!*
Dao Lord Jiugong looked up toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court and muttered under his breath, "That old rascal must have fled back to Great Luo Heaven to possess his disciple. The only thing capable of injuring him to this extent is the Far Ancestor's primordial spirit fragment. Having refined that fragment into a weapon, how could he let someone take it from him?"
He hesitated briefly, then raised the Ten Thousand Dao Golden Book and flicked his finger, sending it flying toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. *Let me test the strength of this Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court first!*
He possessed two great Wondrous Realm treasures: the Ten Thousand Dao Golden Book and the Nine Perfections Immortal Slaying Sword. Both treasures held extraordinary might, though the Ten Thousand Dao Golden Book had had a page torn out by the Ten Wastes Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi, leaving its power diminished.
Still, the Ten Thousand Dao Golden Book encompassed ten thousand Daos; even short of a page, its might was formidable.
Yet before the book could reach the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, a figure intercepted and plucked it from the air.
In that person's hand was the missing page of the golden book—it was none other than the Ten Wastes Heavenly Monarch, Liu Guanyi.
"Liu Guanyi, you are seeking death!" Startled and enraged, Dao Lord Jiugong spurred the Ten Thousand Dao Golden Book with his will while simultaneously summoning the Nine Perfections Immortal Slaying Sword to strike.
Liu Guanyi pressed the torn page onto the title leaf. The Ten Thousand Dao Golden Book, raging with power only a moment before, instantly grew docile, its surging might vanishing completely.
Liu Guanyi raised his hand casually, and the golden book fluttered gently into his grasp.
He strode toward Dao Lord Jiugong, saying placidly, "Jiugong, you are an offer Xu Ying will find impossible to refuse. Whether Qingxuan can be revived rests entirely on this!"
Chapter 655