Zangification

The Holy Venerable still failed to achieve his wish, and the two returned to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. When Xu Ying inquired about his subsequent plans, the Holy Venerable said, "Of the Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous, those who remain are Dao Venerable Lü, Qiongtai, Yaoluo, Jun Wudao, Kuyang, Boshan, Dan Xuanzi, Yuanying, Dongshi, Luo Xiao, Huoling, and Saint Luo. Qiongtai has already gone to the Heavenly Immortal Realm. As for the rest, I must find them and consolidate their strength to prepare for intercepting the Heavenly Immortal Realm." He harbored subtle worries in his heart, for most of these people had also discarded their former cultivation to cultivate the New Dao. Cultivating the New Dao could not be accomplished overnight. Even though many of them had previously reached the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo, they might not necessarily break through the mysterious pass of life and death to prove their Dao as Supremes. The Wondrous Realm of Great Luo and the Supreme Realm were two entirely different realms. If they failed to cultivate into Supremes, their strength would inevitably fall far short of what it had been before. Xu Ying pondered this and said, "If so, then I shall not detain you. Go find them first and instruct them in their cultivation. Daoist Yuji is currently studying the Emerald Rock, attempting to uncover the principle behind how it can pass through the gelatinous zone. If he succeeds, we will be able to construct ships capable of traversing it. When that time comes, there will be no need to wait for the Ancestral God and the others to die in battle just to send back an emerald rock multideck ship." The Holy Venerable nodded slightly and asked, "And what if Daoist Yuji fails to figure it out? What then?" Xu Ying said indifferently, "The sacred relic of my Perfect Dao Sect, the Emerald Rock from the Mortal Realm, can also pass through the gelatinous zone. If you do not spare your life, why should I begrudge this treasure?" The Holy Venerable gazed at him. After a moment, feeling somewhat reluctant, he asked, "Do you truly not need me to help you break through?" Xu Ying shook his head. The Holy Venerable sighed and called Lou Mingyu over, saying, "Your New Dao is not yet complete. You must continue comprehending and cultivating. Furthermore, you must also train in the Immortal Mystic Technique recorded on this Emerald Rock." Lou Mingyu acknowledged the command. The Holy Venerable waved his hand and turned to depart. As for the Dao injuries Xu Ying had left on him, having extensively researched the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock, healing them himself was well within his power. Now that he had returned to the Supreme Realm, under all the heavens only the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor were worthy of being his adversaries; even the broken Zhuxian Sword, with no one wielding it, was no match for him. On this journey, he would surely unite the former Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous into a formidable force to reinforce the Ancestral God! Xu Ying watched him recede into the distance, then turned to meet Daoist Yuji. Daoist Yuji was attempting to detach a piece of the Emerald Rock. Yet the stone was extraordinarily resilient; no matter what magic treasure he employed, he could not mar it in the slightest. "This thing smashed straight through the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Trying to chip a piece off will not be easy," Xu Ying reminded him. Daoist Yuji then attacked it with fire and quenched it in cold water, hoping thermal expansion and contraction would cause the Emerald Rock to fracture on its own. Yet even when scorched by chaotic immortal fire, the rock remained icy-cool to the touch, rendering his efforts entirely useless. Daoist Yuji racked his brains but remained helpless against the slab. He said, "If only we could chip off a piece of the Emerald Rock to test in the gelatinous zone, perhaps we could ascertain whether it is the stone itself or the Dao methods of the other shore that can traverse the gelatinous substance." Seeing this, Xu Ying felt a stir in his heart and said, "Daoist, wait for me a moment. Perhaps I have a way!" He immediately flew off. Before long, Xu Ying hurried back. Just as Daoist Yuji was about to ask what method he had found, a torrential wave of killing intent suddenly surged over them. A broken sword plummeted from the sky and struck the Emerald Rock with a sharp clang, sending sparks flying in all directions. The people gathered around the rock were thrown back in all directions by the surging shockwave, filled with shock and bewilderment. That broken sword was none other than the Zhuxian Sword. Finding that a single strike had failed to damage the Emerald Rock, it flew into a rage, its sword Qi growing even sharper as it stabbed repeatedly at the rock in a flurry of clangs! Yet the Emerald Rock remained completely unmoved. Daoist Yuji drew in a sharp breath. "This thing is simply too hard! How bizarre. Just who inscribed the characters upon the Emerald Rock? The one capable of leaving writing on it must surely have reached the Immortal Realm, no?" Xu Ying's heart stirred. Apart from the foundational text of the other shore, the inscriptions on the Emerald Rock also included Dao patterns left by Great Dao Lord Xuhuang. Could it be that Great Dao Lord Xuhuang had entered the Immortal Realm as well? Setting his thoughts aside, he mobilized his seven cave abysses and said in a deep voice, "Master Sword, let me!" The broken Zhuxian Sword shrank rapidly, blending its aura with his until man and sword became one. Xu Ying channeled the sword with all his might, pouring his monstrous magic power into the broken blade, and slashed down at a corner of the Emerald Rock! The sword light flashed like a bolt of white silk, cleaving off a corner of the rock with a sharp hiss! The severed piece struck the ground, gouging a small pit in the earth. The broken Zhuxian Sword flitted back and forth around Xu Ying in high spirits. Yet Xu Ying felt no joy, thinking to himself, *The gap between me and the Grand Dao Lords is probably still quite vast. The Grand Dao Lord likely wrote the Immortal Mystic Technique on the Emerald Rock with his bare fingers, whereas I had to rely on the sharpness of the Zhuxian Sword.* Daoist Yuji attempted to pick up the detached stone, yet failed to lift it. He let out a soft exclamation of surprise and channeled all his magic power, but the fist-sized piece of Emerald Rock remained utterly motionless. He was an existence capable of contending with experts of the Wondrous Realm—how astonishing was his physical strength? Grasping stars in his palm and toying with the sun and moon was child's play for him. Yet this fist-sized chunk of Emerald Rock seemed unimaginably heavy, its weight far surpassing that of the sun, moon, and stars! Xu Ying stepped forward, reached out lightly, and picked up the piece of Emerald Rock, smiling. "Unless one understands the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock, it is very difficult to lift it." Daoist Yuji scrutinized the stone and said, "Strange. I have never seen such a peculiar forging material..." Xu Ying's heart stirred. "This thing is a material for forging artifacts?" Daoist Yuji nodded and said, "The Emerald Rock should be a material for forging magic treasures. However, across the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Mortal, there is likely no such material to be found. Most likely, it exists only on the other shore. Come with me; let us make a trip to the gelatinous zone!" Carrying the piece of Emerald Rock, Xu Ying boarded Yuan Weiyang's World-Crossing Golden Ship alongside him. Greatly intrigued, the broken Zhuxian Sword tagged along as well. Yuan Weiyang steered the golden ship toward the gelatinous zone outside the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Before long, they arrived near the gelatinous zone. Looking upward, they saw gigantic dragon skeletons trapped within like insects in amber. In addition, there were exceedingly powerful Dragon Immortals fixed in spacetime as well, some able to advance only a single step every ten days or half a month. Yet such progress was far too slow; it would likely take them a hundred million years to walk out of the gelatinous zone. Daoist Yuji said, "Channel this piece using the Emerald Rock Dao method." Xu Ying complied, sending the piece of Emerald Rock aloft. It flew toward the gelatinous zone and slowly sank into it. Daoist Yuji then produced several immortal artifacts inscribed with Emerald Rock Dao methods, channeled them, and sent them into the gelatinous zone as well. Under Xu Ying's control, the chunk of Emerald Rock drifted sluggishly deeper into the gelatinous zone, as though wading into something extremely viscous. The immortal artifacts Daoist Yuji had channeled, however, were all frozen on the surface of the gelatinous zone. The broken Zhuxian Sword grew curious and flew toward the gelatinous zone as well; in the very next instant, it was immobilized right on the surface. Xu Ying hurriedly recalled the piece of Emerald Rock, gripped it in his palm, and cautiously approached the Zhuxian Sword, seizing the broken blade to finally haul it back. The broken Zhuxian Sword harbored lingering fear and dared not try again. "It truly is the effect of the Emerald Rock! This gelatinous substance can solidify spacetime, yet the Emerald Rock can traverse through solidified spacetime! Materials used to forge Supreme magic treasures are not even worthy of carrying its shoes!" Daoist Yuji was wildly excited and said, "If we use this Emerald Rock to refine treasures, even quenching divine weapons with just a tiny bit would allow them to surpass Supreme magic treasures!" Yuan Weiyang asked, "But how are you going to grind the Emerald Rock into powder to incorporate into divine weapons?" Daoist Yuji turned his head, looking toward Xu Ying and the broken Zhuxian Sword. Xu Ying was startled. "You mean chopping the Emerald Rock into pieces sword strike by sword strike until it turns to dust?" Daoist Yuji nodded, somewhat embarrassed. "I know this is grueling, but it is the only way." Xu Ying looked at the broken Zhuxian Sword and said, "I have no problem with it; it will only deplete my magic power. But as for Master Sword..." The broken Zhuxian Sword flew to Daoist Yuji's side. The man and sword withdrew into the distance, Daoist Yuji nodding at times and shaking his head at others. Voices drifted over: "No, no, that is utterly impossible... That won't do either, that violates my professional ethics as a Heavenly Craftsman! I am not Zhu Chanchan... You weren't broken by me; I only smelted your shards to forge the Great Luo Subduing Heaven Sword... Fine, fine, but not as a precedent!" Having settled their terms, the man and the sword returned. Daoist Yuji wore a sorrowful expression and sighed repeatedly, clearly coerced by the broken Zhuxian Sword into agreeing to some conditions against his conscience. Just as the World-Crossing Golden Ship was about to return to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, Xu Ying suddenly spotted only a single emerald-green radiance in the gelatinous zone. His heart tightened, and he said, "The Emerald Rock of the Heavenly Immortal Realm has returned to the Heavenly Immortal Realm!" Hearing this, Yuan Weiyang immediately understood what he meant and gasped, "They went back to bring reinforcements!" Their expressions turned solemn. The dragon experts on that Emerald Rock had consistently failed to catch up to the emerald rock multideck ship carrying the Ancestral God and the others, so they had turned back toward the Heavenly Immortal Realm. When they returned once more, they would likely bring not just those few from before, but far more formidable beings! There might even be experts of the Immortal Realm! "The Ancestral God is in peril!" Xu Ying took a long breath and said in a heavy voice, "Weiyang, let us return to the Ancestral Court first!" Yuan Weiyang immediately steered the World-Crossing Golden Ship toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. While aboard the ship, Xu Ying channeled the broken Zhuxian Sword, merging man and sword as one, and slashed down at the piece of Emerald Rock, splitting it in two! He continuously slashed with the broken sword, but after several dozen strikes in succession, his cultivation was completely drained. Even his seven cave abysses could not sustain such horrifying expenditure, forcing him to halt. Channeling this broken sword consumed immense magic power, yet the broken sword's strength alone was insufficient to split the Emerald Rock, meaning Xu Ying had to drive it personally. Once his cultivation recovered, he channeled the broken sword anew and continued chopping. Gradually, the Emerald Rock was carved smaller and smaller, but as the cuts increased, so did the number of small pieces. Xu Ying had to strike even more times to cut them smaller. Fortunately, he could levitate the tiny fragments and line them up in a row, bisecting them all in a single strike. He drove the broken sword, cutting tirelessly. A month later, he finally reduced the Emerald Rock until it could be divided no further, and only then did he stay his hand. Over this past month, by constantly swinging his sword and striking fragments as fine as dust—and later, even striking pieces a ten-thousandth the size of a speck of dust—Xu Ying felt that his sword Dao attainments had improved substantially, granting him subtle revelations into the profound principles of the sword Dao. Standing before him, Yuan Weiyang sensed his all-pervading sword intent and could not help but feel delighted for him. Daoist Yuji took the Emerald Rock powder and immediately set to work, racing against time to forge treasures capable of traversing the gelatinous zone. The broken Zhuxian Sword sneakily followed him. Xu Ying tilted his head to look beyond the sky, only to see that an additional emerald-green glow had appeared within the gelatinous zone. Its speed was far greater than before as it pursued the emerald rock multideck ship. *They are forcing the Ancestral God into a decisive battle... What is that?* His pupils contracted slightly. From within the Earth Immortal Realm, a beam of ascension radiance was slowly rising, soaring toward the Heavenly Immortal Realm. *Why is someone ascending to the Heavenly Immortal Realm? Could the Ancestral God's seal...* Xu Ying's face changed abruptly. He shouted, "Weiyang! The ship! The ship!" He leapt into the air, darting straight toward that beam of ascension radiance! Realizing what was happening, Yuan Weiyang instantly summoned the golden key, soared into the sky, and gave chase. *Whoosh—* The World-Crossing Golden Ship swept in from behind with a roar, catching Yuan Weiyang before overtaking Xu Ying. As light as a feather despite its gargantuan size, it surged straight for the ascension radiance! The World-Crossing Golden Ship accelerated rapidly, but the ascension radiance moved quickly as well. Seeing that it was about to enter the gelatinous zone, Xu Ying surged his magic power and threw a punch from afar! The ascension radiance silently burst apart. The immortal within tumbled head over heels, crashing with a smack onto the surface of the gelatinous zone. After struggling twice, he froze there, completely motionless. Xu Ying was furious. Reaching out, he snatched the immortal out of the gelatinous zone and barked, "Who told you to ascend to the Heavenly Immortal Realm?" The immortal felt utterly wronged and said, "I only just overcame my heavenly tribulation when the radiance descended to carry me up in ascension..." Xu Ying dropped him, his face darkening with suspicion. "The Ancestral God's seal could not have loosened so quickly. Someone must be sabotaging it in secret. Could it be Long Dai? Is he still alive?" Faint unease stirred in his heart. He spoke rapidly, "Weiyang, return to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court first and protect Daoist Yuji! Nothing must happen to him. If Long Dai is not eliminated, he will become a disastrous threat! I shall stay and confront him!" Just as Yuan Weiyang was about to head back to the Ancestral Court, her face suddenly turned pale. Looking in the direction of the Ancestral Court, she saw beam after beam of ascension radiance rising one after another from every corner of the Earth Immortal Realm, heading toward the Heavenly Immortal Realm. "Ah Ying..." She turned her head back, feeling somewhat helpless. Xu Ying said in a deep voice, "Go with peace of mind; I am here. You probably don't know, but back then I emptied nightstools for the Ancestral God for a few days, and by night I stormed into his room wanting to become the new Ancestral God. When it comes to attainments in Heavenly Dao, aside from the Ancestral God himself, no one compares to me!" With a shout, he unleashed his Heavenly Dao domain, expanding its reach farther and farther to locate the breaches in the Ancestral God's seal. Seeing this, Yuan Weiyang breathed a sigh of relief. She immediately steered the World-Crossing Golden Ship, sweeping along to shatter the beams of ascension radiance one by one before speeding back toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. Xu Ying collected himself, tracked down each tear, and mended it properly. Afterward, he sat cross-legged beneath the gelatinous zone, motionless, cultivating in silence. Several days later, Xu Ying opened his eyes and said leisurely, "Long Dai, long time no see." An old man with a dragon head and human body approached from afar, chuckling. "Xu Ying, you committed grave offenses in the Heavenly Immortal Realm and obstructed my grand designs. I have no choice but to come in person to personally send you on your way." Xu Ying rose to his feet and smiled. "Long Dai, I comprehended the Immortal Mystic Technique of the other shore and derived the Eight Immortal Methods. Using merely five of them, I beat the Holy Venerable half to death, only regretting that I have met no worthy rival. I wonder whether you can hold out until the eighth method?" "Zangification!" Elder Long Dai roared, undergoing complete Zangification. In an instant, he assumed the form of an ancient god, his Great Dao turning like a wheel behind him. Stamping his foot, eight layers of Dao Realms flew forth. "Zangification!" Xu Ying channeled the Great Dao of the Emerald Rock and likewise assumed the ancient god form, his physical body swelling in size by leaps and bounds!