Mister Dongshi glanced back over his shoulder. He saw Xu Ying standing over the inverted cauldron, his black hair floating upward, his surging aura still uncalmed—clearly still in a state of towering rage.
That cauldron was many times larger than Xu Ying, making the sight resemble an ant shaking a giant tree, yet the scene was overwhelmingly awe-inspiring.
*Dao Lord Luofu... even his Undying True Spirit was likely obliterated by him! Ruthless! Utterly ruthless!*
Mister Dongshi hesitated no longer and immediately fled at full speed, thinking to himself, *Dao Lord Luofu was ranked fourth among the Twelve Wondrous, while I am only seventh! Granted, Gu Bunian made a terrible blunder on account of the Last Lord, was suppressed by the Holy Venerable in a sea eye, and suffered six hundred thousand years of being sliced by a thousand blades, but his foundation remained. I am probably still not his match. If even Dao Lord Luofu was beaten to death, what about me?*
His escape arts were second to none. He cast layer upon layer of divine powers behind him—first to block Xu Ying's sight, and second to sever karmic ties, preventing divine prognostications from divining his whereabouts.
*I am no longer his match. The others are all hunting the Holy Venerable, and Yaoluo Supreme is the only one who also came to kill Xu Ying. I must go find Yaoluo Supreme!*
With a few bounds, he vanished without a trace.
Xu Ying dispersed his churning magic power. His aura gradually settled as he set down the Ziwei Demon-Subduing Cauldron.
This Wondrous Realm treasure had been summoned by Dao Lord Luofu to clash head-on against him, leaving several cracks across the cauldron's walls. They did not appear severe at first glance, but in truth, its foundation had already been damaged. If left unrepaired, it would become useless after only a few more uses.
*This cauldron was forged from the Last Lord of Ziwei's cultivation base. When the Last Lord reclaimed just one cauldron leg, his cultivation and strength vastly surpassed what they were before. If he were to obtain this cauldron, even if he might not return to his peak state, he would still rival the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo.*
Xu Ying looked up toward the gel zone outside the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Two rays of emerald-green light were still chasing each other there, their battle outcome unknown.
*How can I return this cauldron to the Last Lord?* he wondered silently.
He did not care at all about the departing Mister Dongshi.
He made no attempt to conceal his tracks precisely because he hoped more experts like Dao Lord Luofu and Mister Dongshi would come to temper him.
He was already very close to the Supreme realm. The pressure brought by Dao Lord Luofu alone was far from enough; it had only barely allowed him to glimpse the doorway.
To truly step into the Supreme realm, he still needed an even mightier existence to bring him greater pressure!
*No wonder Heavenly Lord Pingnan hoped to break through to the Supreme realm under sufficient pressure back then, only for the Heavenly Fiend Supreme to laugh at him for harboring delusions.*
Recalling the past, Xu Ying thought, *Heavenly Lord Pingnan could only have broken through under pressure if a Supreme took action. But if a Supreme stepped in, he would be certain to die. That was the dilemma. In the end, it was because his own cultivation and strength had not accumulated enough.*
Heavenly Lord Pingnan had died at the hands of Imperial Monarch Zhenwu of Zhenwu Temple, proving he was still far from the point where he could break through to the Supreme realm. Otherwise, Imperial Monarch Zhenwu, who had perished alongside him, would also have been able to break through the Heavenly Monarch stage and achieve Great Luo.
*The traditional Supreme realm corresponds to two realms: Daluo Golden Immortal and the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo. The New Dao's Supreme realm corresponds to the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo and the legendary Imperishable realm.*
Xu Ying murmured to himself, *I am the Dao Ancestor after all, somewhat stronger than normal New Dao experts. Reaching the Supreme realm should be enough for me to contest against peak Supremes. If I want to break through, I must also find a peak Supreme to provide me with sufficient pressure. But where can I find such a peak Supreme?*
The reason he had left the Heavenly Dao domain was precisely to place himself in peril and gain enough pressure to break through.
Staying in the Heavenly Dao domain, under the protection of Big Dragon—the strongest existence in the Earth Immortal Realm at present—it was difficult for him to face adequate pressure.
Stowing the Ziwei Demon-Subduing Cauldron away, he re-entered the Earth Immortal Realm. As he continued to temper his cultivation, he drove his seven cave abysses, not hiding his aura in the slightest, even making it stronger and more conspicuous.
Xu Ying cultivated this way for more than ten days, yet no subsequent opponent appeared. Feeling anxious, he thought, *Could it be that because I was too ruthless, no one dares to hunt me anymore?*
Over these past few days, he had detected several terrifying fluctuations of divine powers, but by the time he rushed over, the performance had already ended and the crowd dispersed; he had no idea who had fought whom.
Suddenly, Xu Ying sensed a powerful aura soaring into the sky. He hurried over, muttering fiercely under his breath, *This time, unless you beat me to death, don't even think of leaving!*
When he arrived, he saw rolling mountains stretch across the landscape with precipitous ridges. A few immortal mountains even floated midair, continuously cascading with immortal spiritual qi that fluttered down like waterfalls.
This place was the Wudao Mountain Range within the Longxing Great World, famous for often yielding massive dragon bones, with even rumors claiming that an ancient dragon immortal cave abode had been excavated here.
Back before the myriad worlds merged, many immortal sects had resided here. After the convergence, it had once become a fiercely contested territory among immortals, with many rushing out from the Immortal Court to vie for these immortal mountains.
That aura grew ever more robust, though it was not quite as mighty as the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo.
Just then, Xu Ying saw a cave abyss appear in the sky. Dao sceneries flowed within it; in just a short moment, he caught sight of the Primordial Chaos Sea, the Xuanhuang Twin Qi, the Glazed Pure Void, and other Dao sceneries.
Xu Ying paused, startled, and approached.
At the summit ahead of him stood a small giant, bare-chested, driving profound arts. He had already cultivated to the Great Perfection of the New Dao's Dao Scenery realm and was currently making an assault on the Supreme realm!
The Great Dao blazed around his body, coalescing into chains that wrapped and wove around him with loud clattering, the savage aura causing the surrounding rocks to disintegrate continuously!
"Wei Xu!" Xu Ying was astonished.
He had not expected Wei Xu to cultivate the New Dao as well, nor that his progress would be so rapid that he had already begun attempting to break through to the Supreme realm!
*If his breakthrough succeeds, he will be the very first person to cultivate the New Dao to the Supreme realm—even ahead of me!*
Just as this thought crossed Xu Ying's mind, he suddenly spotted Zulong Zhao Zheng standing in the distance.
Clad in black robes with a red sash, Zulong Zhao Zheng's cultivation progress was also by no means slow. Floating behind him were realms constructed from various magic treasures, forming the thirteen realms of the New Dao—he, too, was in the Dao Scenery realm!
*Who refined such powerful magic treasures for him?*
Xu Ying was amazed. The magic treasures forming his realms were exceedingly numerous; aside from the thirteen realms of the New Dao, many realms that Xu Ying had previously glossed over or hidden—such as the Three Passes—had also been refined.
Zulong Zhao Zheng was taking the path of attaining the Dao through magic treasures: treasures leading the way, with cultivation following behind.
This method of cultivation utilized treasures to construct external realms far higher than one's internal realm, using them as an aid to comprehend each subsequent realm.
However, this path had many disadvantages. First, external realms were vulnerable to enemy attacks; if the treasures were damaged, one's realm would plummet and one's cultivation would be severely harmed.
Second, refining such treasures was extraordinarily difficult. Even with ample wealth and resources, one required a peerlessly formidable Heavenly Craftsman who possessed a deeply thorough understanding of every realm.
Back then, Xu Ying had briefly explored this path, but had only dabbled in it without taking it further.
Zulong Zhao Zheng, however, had clearly resolved the second hurdle.
Right at that moment, Wei Xu's surging momentum, which had burned like oil poured onto a fire, began to wane. The vast cave abyss failed to break through to the Supreme rank, and his own Great Dao started to bleed away.
Xu Ying stepped forward abruptly and struck toward Wei Xu. His fist carried overbearing might, the surging Dao force shattering the space around Wei Xu in an instant!
Zulong Zhao Zheng was startled and immediately mobilized the thirteen-realm magic treasures behind him. Only when he saw it was Xu Ying did he hesitate and halt.
Under attack, Wei Xu's ferocity was instantly triggered. He roared, his blood qi surging. His flagging momentum flared fiercely once more, and he turned, raising his massive fist to meet the blow!
*Boom!*
Their fists collided, their respective Dao forces erupting. Sensing that Wei Xu could not hold his ground, Xu Ying immediately pulled back ten to twenty percent of his power. Even so, the shockwave sent Wei Xu stumbling backward repeatedly!
This small giant had forged a Supreme physical body. Though forced back step after step, his savagery erupted all the more; instead of retreating, he lunged to kill Xu Ying, his strikes vicious to the extreme!
Xu Ying smiled faintly and unleashed his ultimate martial intent. In an instant, it was as if countless Xu Yings were attacking Wei Xu simultaneously.
Wei Xu roared repeatedly, struggling to resist. Yet how formidable was Xu Ying's ultimate martial intent? Before long, he battered Wei Xu until he was covered in wounds.
The more he was beaten down, the fiercer Wei Xu became. Bathed in blood, he fought on with wild abandon, his battle lust and killing intent manifesting terrifying visions of a sea of blood littered with floating corpses of gods and demons. All manner of slaughterous Dao sounds rose like boiling water, growing louder and more resounding!
He was Qingxuan's second disciple, born of an era steeped in destruction and death. To survive, one had to be a hundred times more ruthless than others; to rise above the rest, one had to advance across the bones of countless enemies!
He had developed a violent disposition. Only after being taken in as a disciple and instructed by Qingxuan did he learn his mission, becoming the fiercest general of that era.
Everything from the ancient era, whether people or things, had to be smashed to pieces!
All decay had to be overturned!
Anything that stood in the path of the New Dao had to be ground into dust!
All so-called monsters and demons had to be struck down, their idols toppled and trampled underfoot!
After Qingxuan died, he had been traumatized, turning even more erratic and cruel, slaughtering even his own allies.
Xu Ying's pummeling and pressure brought out his innate ferocity, making him ever more menacing and wild!
Wei Xu's aura swelled stronger and stronger. The skin over his entire body had nearly burst apart completely, and the Dao chains around him turned thicker and brighter, winding around his fists. His moves grew increasingly vicious, every strike launched with suicidal disregard!
Such a violent surge even made Xu Ying feel a twinge of alarm. *Could he be driven by my pressure to blow apart and die?*
Back then, after Xu Ying was defeated in the battle of Heavenly Abyss, Wei Xu had realized the era had changed. Thus, he had entrusted Zulong Zhao Zheng to the care of Useless Qingxuan and resolutely crippled his own cultivation to start anew from scratch.
He was among the earliest figures to cultivate the New Dao. Because his previous achievements were extraordinarily high and he had lacked a Supreme cave abyss to break through, his progress in recultivating the New Dao had been exceptionally swift.
Yet even with such fierce diligence, he had only cultivated for six-odd years. If his accumulation was insufficient, Xu Ying's relentless pressure would amount to pulling up seedlings to help them grow, very likely leading to his premature demise.
Even as Xu Ying hesitated, the skin across Wei Xu's entire body had been completely stripped away by his own boiling blood qi, the blood inside him evaporating into steam!
Even his muscles and tendons began to snap!
Even though he cultivated the Ten Extremities Taixu Dao Scenery Technique imparted by Emperor Qingxuan, which tempered his flesh's vitality into the Dao scenery of the Primordial Chaos Sea so that skin and muscle regenerated as fast as they ruptured, the rate of destruction had now outpaced the rate of rebirth!
If this continued, Wei Xu would wear himself to death!
*His accumulation is insufficient; he hasn't reached the point of breaking through to the Supreme realm!*
Just as Xu Ying thought this, he saw Wei Xu actually burning his eight Dao sceneries. Amid the raging flames, his Dao force burned with searing intensity, illuminating his cave abyss thousands of times brighter than the sun!
*He's going to die!*
Xu Ying made a prompt decision and prepared to halt his attack. Suddenly, as if breaking through some extraordinarily heavy barrier, a formidable aura surged from Wei Xu into the heavens, waves of explosive power churning within his flesh and blood!
The cave abyss above his head expanded again and again, rapidly swelling and evolving toward a Supreme cave abyss. Billowing Dao force poured from the void—vast, profound, and fathomless—flooding into the cave abyss!
Xu Ying ceased his strikes, drifted back, and leaned aside, dodging Wei Xu's berserk attack.
The wounds across Wei Xu's body healed at blinding speed, muscle regenerating and skin regrowing, quickly restoring him to his original state. Having broken through to the Supreme realm, he immediately realized that Xu Ying had not come to kill him, but to lend him a hand, and he promptly stopped attacking.
He focused whole-heartedly on stabilizing this hard-won Supreme realm, continuing to draw Dao force from the void. As the surging Dao force poured in, profound insights into the Taiyi Great Dao followed!
He lacked the two Dao sceneries of the Void and Hunyuan Taiyi; even in this recultivation, he had failed to cultivate them. Yet even without those two Dao sceneries, his cultivation and strength were extraordinary.
Xu Ying waited quietly. Watching him break through to the Supreme realm, he could not help but feel a pang of envy.
Over these past six hundred thousand years, the first person to break through and achieve the Supreme realm of the New Dao was not Xu Ying, nor was it the Holy Venerable.
It was Wei Xu.
Who could have imagined that this innately brutal man would become the first New Dao Supreme?
Zulong Zhao Zheng strode forward, bowing slightly toward Xu Ying. "Dao Ancestor Xu."
Xu Ying gave a slight nod in return.
Wei Xu's comprehension of the Taiyi Great Dao deepened, his cultivation grew more robust, and his aura soared. Xu Ying could not help but admire him. Through Wei Xu, one could also envision the scene when Qingxuan broke through to the Supreme realm back then—it must have been earth-shattering and astonishing.
After all, Qingxuan had created an entire realm from nothing, breaking free from the shackles of the Old Dao!
Finally, Wei Xu's aura reached its limit, and his Taiyi Cave Abyss ceased expanding.
The small giant reined in his aura; the Dao chains around him vanished, and his savagery retreated into his body. After a moment, he opened his eyes, walked toward Xu Ying, and bowed deeply in gratitude: "Thank you, Dao Ancestor Xu, for your helping hand. Had you not stepped in, I do not know when I would have broken through."
Xu Ying smiled. "I acted rashly and exerted too much pressure on you, nearly pushing you to death. It was somewhat reckless. I should have waited until your cultivation progressed further and you were fully prepared before stepping in to help."
Wei Xu shook his head. "You are mistaken. If one waits until one is fully prepared for everything, nothing will ever get done—because there is no such thing as full preparation. My master told me that whenever you have sixty percent certainty, you must strike and try."
Xu Ying pondered this, the knot in his chest gradually loosening. "That is true. By the time you are fully prepared, the opportunity has already slipped away. Seizing the opportunity is paramount; once preparation reaches sixty, seventy, or even just fifty percent, one ought to strike."
"History is forged by reckless men. Without some recklessness, the decayed Immortal Court of the ancient era could never have been overthrown!"
Wei Xu continued, "Dao Ancestor Xu, I had many misunderstandings about you before, believing you were colluding with the monsters and demons of the ancient era, an insignificant wretch attempting a restoration. Only today do I see your breadth of mind and magnanimity. Allow me to offer my apologies!"
Without warning, he dropped to his knees and knocked his head against the ground several times with loud thuds.
Xu Ying wanted to stop him, but it was already too late, so he could only accept the gesture.
Wei Xu clambered to his feet and said, "Now that I have broken through to the Supreme realm, I am not what I once was. Dao Ancestor Xu, do you need pressure to break through to the Supreme realm? I can help."
Seeing Xu Ying's skepticism, he added hurriedly, "Rest assured, even though I owe you a debt of gratitude, if I attack, I will definitely beat you within an inch of your life. The pressure will be immense!"
Xu Ying shook his head. "You have only just broken through to the Supreme realm. As you are now, you merely equal the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo—far from my match."
Wei Xu suddenly blasted a fist forward. His Taiyi Cave Abyss spun into motion, his aura instantly surging to its absolute peak as the Dao force of his eight Dao sceneries boiled and bolstered him. He shouted, "I don't believe it!"
Xu Ying raised a hand.
*Boom!*
Wei Xu flew backward, crashing into the mountains.
"Only after we trade blows do you believe it." Xu Ying shook his head.
Chapter 658