The Immortal Emperor's heart sank. Ahead lay no path forward; behind him stood Xu Ying.
He could not dive into the River of Time to submerge into the past. He had tried many times before: whether one sought the past or the future, it was impossible to dive into the River of Time. The past could not be changed, and if one entered the future, it would collapse into a state of chaos in an instant.
Such was the nature of time.
He could only cross over to the river's opposite bank.
This was the other shore, but it was also a cage.
All those years ago, it was here that he had imprisoned Fairy Qiongtai's consciousness, ensuring she would never escape this temporal cage and never return to the present world.
If leaping into the River of Time could bring one back to the present, then this place could never have held Qiongtai.
Yet by the same token, Xu Ying had cornered him here, leaving him no choice but to fight with everything on the line.
If Xu Ying did not die, then he would.
"Xu Ying, without Lan Suying, Gushe, and the others to aid you, and without Creation and the Ginseng Fruit Tree, are you truly so certain you are a match for me?"
The Immortal Emperor exhaled a long breath of turbid air. Rallying his fighting spirit, he charged at Xu Ying once more, roaring, "In our battle today, victory and defeat are yet to be decided!"
Behind him, four cave abysses rotated, supplying him with peerless magic power and Dao power. Within his body, the residual fragments of the Far Ancestor Primordial Spirit remained, making his divine powers terrifying in their might!
Howling, he lunged forward. This time, what he targeted was the flaw in Xu Ying's Leakless Golden Body!
There were four flaws in his own Dao methods, left behind by the four cave abysses. But a flaw likewise existed in Xu Ying's Leakless Golden Body—one the emperor had already probed during their previous battle at the Heavenly Abyss!
He treaded across the long river, rushing in to deliver a fatal blow!
Xu Ying stood upon the river's surface, letting time wash away beneath his feet like running water. Facing the Immortal Emperor Supreme's onslaught, he neither dodged nor parried, allowing that peerlessly fierce strike to land squarely upon his chest!
*Boom!*
The Immortal Emperor's domineering, peerless strike sent Xu Ying's vital blood churning, damaging his internal organs and shaking his realms one after another.
Yet, contrary to the emperor's expectation, this blow failed to cleave open his Leakless Golden Body!
It was as though the flaw of the Leakless Golden Body did not lie there at all.
Panic seized the Immortal Emperor Supreme. Looking up, he was met by Xu Ying's resolute, silent face and a pair of eyes that locked onto him like stars in the dead of night.
*The flaw isn't here—it must be somewhere else!*
The Immortal Emperor Supreme flipped through the air, preparing to switch to another divine power and strike another part of Xu Ying's body. Right at that moment, Xu Ying raised his hand and chopped down horizontally with an open palm.
"Meng Shanming, you are not worthy to wield my cave abyss!" Xu Ying's voice pierced his ears.
*Swish—*
A flash of light cut through the air. The Immortal Emperor suddenly felt his aura plummet drastically as the immortal spirit energy and Dao power flowing from his cave abyss dropped sharply.
He glanced back in haste, only to see a Taiyi cave abyss spinning as it fell away from behind him, tumbling toward the River of Time.
"My cave abyss!"
The Immortal Emperor Supreme felt a wrenching pain like a blade through his heart as he watched helplessly while the Taiyi cave abyss plunged into the long river, melting, dissolving, and turning to nothingness within the water.
Time would never permit such a formidable cave abyss to return to the past and alter established history.
Beside himself with rage, the Immortal Emperor Supreme stirred the fragments of the Far Ancestor Primordial Spirit and threw a punch straight into the back of Xu Ying's heart, forcing a mouthful of fresh blood from Xu Ying's lips.
Xu Ying turned around and swung his hand, sending down another sword ray. The Immortal Emperor Supreme felt his back lighten once more. The turbulent rush of Taiyi Dao power and immortal spirit energy dwindled drastically in an instant.
Terror gripped his heart. Another Taiyi cave abyss had been severed by Xu Ying! The one Xu Ying had cut down previously was only the cave abyss Xu Ying had refined during their first battle at the Heavenly Abyss, equivalent to a Daluo Golden Immortal-grade cave abyss. But the one Xu Ying had severed this time was a Supreme-grade cave abyss!
"This is the Taiyi cave abyss used by Qingxuan and Emperor Haotian—you are not worthy to wield it!" Xu Ying's voice rang in his ears once more.
This Taiyi cave abyss drifted upward. Instead of falling into the River of Time, it suspended itself motionless on the other shore of time. The earlier Taiyi cave abyss had been unable to resist the erosion of time, but this one was a solid, genuine Supreme-grade cave abyss, unshakeable even by the River of Time.
It neither plunged into the river nor could it fly away.
Enraged to the extreme, the Immortal Emperor Supreme drove his remaining two cave abysses to attack anew. Without the empowerment of the two Taiyi cave abysses, the magic power and Far Ancestor Primordial Spirit energy he could marshal were greatly diminished.
Even so, his might remained formidable, still capable of posing a threat to Xu Ying!
*Boom!*
His third divine power slammed into Xu Ying's head, knocking it violently to the side.
Xu Ying shoved his head against the fist, forcing it straight back into place. Raising his arm, he chopped down heavily, his voice chillingly stern: "Emperor Haocang's Haocang cave abyss—you are not worthy to wield it!"
*Slash!*
The beam of light sheared down, and the Haocang cave abyss spun outward, caught by the Taiyi cave abyss as the two began orbiting one another.
Just as the Immortal Emperor prepared to attack again, Xu Ying strode forward and slashed toward his neck. The emperor ducked in haste, feeling the terrifying palm force graze the scalp of his head.
"Creation Supreme's Creation cave abyss—you are not worthy to wield it!"
With that furious roar, the Immortal Emperor Supreme felt the final Supreme cave abyss suddenly slip from his grasp, causing his aura to plummet again and again.
His heart sank. Stripped of the four cave abysses, even driving the Far Ancestor Primordial Spirit became extraordinarily arduous; every bit of magic power he expended within his body was gone for good.
Ever since harvesting Xu Ying, the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao, he had never once cultivated the New Dao himself. This was primarily because over the preceding five years, the bulk of his energy had been devoted to refining Xu Ying's realms, finding ways to integrate Xu Ying's realms with his own, and refining Xu Ying's thirteen Dao scenes.
As for cultivating the New Dao, he saw no need. Since Xu Ying was the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao, taking his realms directly was far easier—why bother expending endless labor to cultivate it from scratch?
Over the following year, his efforts had been spent mainly on hunting down the Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable; compared to cultivating the New Dao, killing those two was obviously far more critical.
Only now did he suddenly realize how flawless the New Dao founded by Xu Ying truly was. Had he realized this earlier, he would never have had to fear someone shattering his cave abysses, nor would he have feared having them harvested away.
Because the cave abysses of the New Dao were cave abysses that belonged entirely to oneself!
Only, it was already too late for him to comprehend this.
Feigning a strike, he lunged desperately toward the three Supreme cave abysses on the opposite bank of the river. Xu Ying had severed his three cave abysses, but he could still refine them back. As long as he reclaimed them, he would still have the strength to fight.
At that moment, Xu Ying pushed through the feinted blow and appeared behind him. Bringing a fist crashing down, Xu Ying struck him with an impact that made the Immortal Emperor feel as if he had been rammed by Yuan Weiyang's Crossing Golden Ship, shattering his bones and tearing his sinews.
His body skimmed along the river's surface, tumbling upward, crashing down, bouncing, and crashing again.
Like a battered ragdoll, he rolled and slammed down over a dozen times before finally coming to a halt.
When he looked up, Xu Ying was already standing before him once more.
Knowing full well that escape was impossible, the Immortal Emperor roared like a cornered beast, activating his six Dao scenes. His divine powers erupted as he lashed out madly at Xu Ying.
Xu Ying stood motionless, letting the tempestuous onslaught rain down upon his body, unmoved by even a fraction.
Suddenly, Xu Ying let out a furious howl, his vital blood boiling. His hand thrust forward, plunging violently into the Immortal Emperor Supreme's chest, and with a savage yank, tore out his entire ribcage along with the fragments of the Far Ancestor Primordial Spirit!
The Immortal Emperor Supreme slumped as though his spine had been ripped away.
Yet he still possessed his Dao scenes and physical vitality. In the next instant, his spine regenerated, his ribs reformed, and his chest filled out once more.
Discarding the fragments of the Far Ancestor Primordial Spirit, Xu Ying unleashed a punch!
*Crash!*
The Immortal Emperor Supreme's gray-haired head exploded, leaving nothing but an empty neck!
"This punch is to avenge the Undying People who perished in Kunlun!"
Xu Ying's other hand grabbed the emperor's collar. The boundless physical vitality from his cave abyss surged forth, pouring into the Immortal Emperor Supreme's body to trigger his dormant life force. In the very next moment, the emperor's head grew back.
*Boom!*
Xu Ying's fist blasted through his facial features, punching clean through the back of his skull, as he shouted harshly, "This punch is to avenge my fallen kinsmen of Xujiaping!"
The Immortal Emperor Supreme still clung to life. Struggling frantically, he unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks against Xu Ying, but his strength ebbed with every blow.
At the same time, the vast vitality from the chaos Dao scene flooded in once again, causing his head to regenerate. Yet the moment it grew back, he caught sight of Xu Ying's oncoming fist in sheer horror!
"This punch is to avenge the tribulations suffered by my parents!"
*Boom!*
His head was caved in by the blow, his features crushed as thin as paper and smeared across Xu Ying's blood-soaked fist.
"This punch is to avenge the Nuo masters and Nuo Immortals slaughtered in the harvesting of Nuo methods over these fifty thousand years!"
*Boom!*
A dull crash echoed as the Immortal Emperor Supreme turned once more into a headless corpse. But in the next breath, his head reformed under the staggering vitality Xu Ying poured into him.
"This punch is to avenge the Nuo Immortals of Yuanshou who slaughtered one another over these fifty thousand years!"
"This punch is to avenge all the Qi Refiners across the myriad worlds who could never ascend over these fifty thousand years!"
"This punch is to avenge me in my first lifetime!"
"This punch is to avenge Zitong in her first lifetime!"
"This punch is to avenge Heavenly Venerable Yuan Daohai, Emperor Chen Changsheng, and Prime Monarch Ling Su!"
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
...
Muffled crashes echoed across the River of Time. Head after head of the Immortal Emperor Supreme was smashed to pulp, only for another to grow back immediately after, while Xu Ying pounded down with mechanical rhythm.
He wanted to avenge himself. Every incarnation of his had been a living soul; every incarnation of Zitong had been an involuntary pawn manipulated by fate.
The hatred accumulated over ten thousand lifetimes and fifty thousand years drove him into a frenzy, erupting in this single moment. He wished to end his enemy with one blow, yet could not bear to kill him so swiftly, for there was still far too much vengeance left unspent, far too much hatred left unavenged.
The Immortal Emperor Supreme cycled endlessly between life and death. At first, he still had the strength to resist Xu Ying's violent barrage, but gradually his strength withered away.
It was far worse than losing strength. His consciousness was nearly hammered to dust by Xu Ying, and every shred of power within his body felt completely drained. His six Dao realms had been shattered by Xu Ying's strikes, his Dao power dispersed. Even raising a hand to defend himself was no longer possible.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Xu Ying continued to hammer down, striking with ever-increasing fury. Shattered limbs tumbled into the long river one after another, gradually dissolving and vanishing within time.
After who knew how long, Xu Ying began to feel weary. With a final punch, he reduced the Immortal Emperor Supreme to a heap of mangled flesh.
"This punch is for myself!"
He cast aside the Immortal Emperor Supreme's corpse, shook the crushed meat and bone from his hands, and walked toward the three cave abysses and the fragments of the Far Ancestor Primordial Spirit.
Behind him, the Immortal Emperor Supreme's remains slowly sank into the River of Time, melting into the currents of time.
Xu Ying retrieved the three cave abysses and the Far Ancestor Primordial Spirit, then walked along the river toward the opposite shore.
Time flowed beneath his feet.
Six hundred thousand years ago, Meng Shanming had been painstakingly deducing and calculating how to save the life of his revered master, Qingxuan. He was already a diviner of modest renown, his calculative prowess remarkable even within the Ziwei Immortal Court.
Yet no matter how he calculated, Qingxuan was destined to face a fatal tribulation.
He could not save his teacher.
"I cannot save Master, but I can save myself! I must make flawless preparations for my future! From this day forth, I live only for myself!"
He stepped out of the stone chamber of his secluded cultivation into the open air.
Just then, heavy thudding sounds reached his ears—one blow after another, rhythmic and steady, like fists pounding upon flesh.
He looked around in all directions, yet saw no sign of where the noise was coming from.
He asked others, but strangely enough, none of them could hear it.
The noise was far too bizarre; it seemed he was the only one who could perceive it.
"Senior Brother Shanming! Senior Brother Shanming!"
His junior brother Wei Xu came running toward him, calling out, "Master is looking for you! Come with me quickly... Senior Brother, why has so much of your hair turned white?"
Meng Shanming was startled. Hurriedly looking into a mirror, he saw that his hair had turned grizzled and gray without his realizing it; he had aged considerably.
In his efforts to defy heaven and alter Qingxuan's destiny, he had exhausted far too much mental effort, turning his hair white without notice.
"It is nothing. Wei Xu, why is Master looking for me?"
The young Wei Xu, still a cheerful boy, smiled and said, "Master has comprehended a new realm. He plans to travel to Kunlun to visit Yuxu Palace in the Kunlun Realm. He heard that Kunlun's scenery is magnificent, where the Dao unfolds into the grandeur of the universe, and he wishes to grasp the wondrous scenery of the Great Dao at Yuxu Palace!"
Meng Shanming went to see Qingxuan and accompanied him to Mount Kunlun in the Ancestral Court.
Upon arriving at Mount Kunlun, Qingxuan went to request an audience with Daoist Yuxu. Daoist Yuxu instructed his disciple, Xu You, to come out and entertain the two brothers.
The heavy thudding sounds still echoed by Meng Shanming's ears. Over those days, he had grown accustomed to the noise.
His gaze fell upon Xu You, and a terrible thought suddenly sprang to mind.
He prepared to use his divine calculations to divine his own future.
Right then, lightning flashed and thunder roared across the skies of Kunlun. Amidst the crisscrossing bolts, a heap of mangled flesh plummeted from the heavens, slamming onto the ground before him with a dull thud.
Startled, Wei Xu and Xu You rushed forward to examine it, only to find that the rotten flesh was decaying at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it decomposed completely into a puddle of bloody water, which then evaporated entirely.
Meng Shanming was filled with doubt and suspicion, feeling an unsettled premonition that this mass of rotten meat was somehow connected to him.
Yet as his eyes settled on Xu You, he cast the matter to the back of his mind.
He entered secluded cultivation with absolute focus, stepping into the River of Time and walking toward the future, seeking to observe the flow of what was to come.
Standing upon the long river, he suddenly saw a receding figure far ahead, with Supreme cave abysses swaying faintly behind him.
"Who is that?" Meng Shanming was stunned.
The young man's figure vanished from his line of sight.
Meng Shanming pressed forward to peer into the future, until finally, at the limit of his strength, he caught a glimpse of a scene five hundred and fifty thousand years later.
Upon Mount Kunlun, Double-Pupiled Emperor Yao Chonghua held aloft a newborn child, laughing, "Where there is a promise, there must be fulfillment—why not call him Xu Ying?"
Gathering lightning from his own heavenly tribulation, he traced a thunder rune between the infant's brows.
"He shall be renowned throughout the world—known to all under heaven, unknown to none!"
Seeing this child named Xu Ying, Meng Shanming could not help bursting into hearty laughter. His laughter echoed over the river, lingering for a long time before fading.
"My mastery of Taiyi and my sole grasp of supreme power under heaven—it all hinges on this child!"
Chapter 670