The two figures stood before each other, one large and one small, like two ancient gods of a foreign domain. Zangification varied according to the cultivation method being used. After Long Dai's Zangification, he bore a green face and protruding fangs, his physique drastically enlarged and cast as if from molten iron and bronze, while knobby bones formed from numerous branch-like patterns sprouted across his back.
The Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel behind him also twisted and revolved like skeletal joints; viewed from afar, it resembled a circular wheel formed by bare skeletal hands grasping one another.
Carved into the surfaces of these skeletal joints were countless branch-like patterns, explicating the Great Dao of the other shore.
His cultivation technique was called the True Explanation of the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel. When set in motion, it gave off an indescribable eeriness.
At the center of the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel lay the Supreme cave abyss he had summoned. Immeasurably profound, sounds of Dao weeping echoed from within, corroding the worldly Great Dao of the Earth Immortal Realm.
Another sound issued from the Dao wheel, resembling an ancient god from the primordial beginning whose countenance remained concealed in the abyss's darkness—solemn and dignified, chanting in low, muffled, ancient cadences.
Xu Ying's technique was called Martial Ultimate Proving the Dao. In its Zangified version, he retained a humanoid form, but the contours across his body had broadened significantly, with sharply chiseled, hard-edged muscles.
Though shorter than Long Dai, he fully displayed the might of an ancient god's body.
Grey mist swirled around him, and his Daos formed rings of dark Dao wheels around his various cave abysses. Only a single Dao did not form a dark Dao wheel: the Martial Dao.
The Martial Dao possessed no immortal Dao runes; it was simply the most primitive aggregation of spirit, primordial qi, will, and vital blood, which the principle runes of the other shore could not replace.
Xu Ying took the Martial Dao wheel as his core, positioning it upright behind his head, while the other Dao wheels—Taiyi, Taiji, Wuji, Taishang, Taicang, and Taiying—stood arrayed behind the Martial Dao.
With their respective Zangifications complete, neither uttered a word before striking out ruthlessly, bypassing all probing!
Xu Ying strode forward. The six great cave abysses behind him poured forth Dao power, blending with the Martial Dao and coursing through his entire body as a boundless surge of strength.
Lifting his hands as if hoisting a colossal weight, he looked just like a world-splitting titan raising a genesis axe. Raging Dao power transformed into brilliant axe light.
This axe seemed to emerge from chaos, cleaving open spacetime as it chopped downward toward Long Dai.
Facing this axe strike, Long Dai felt the exact same realization as the Holy Venerable: there was nowhere to dodge, nowhere to flee; he could only confront it head-on.
This was an Immortal-grade divine power that transcended the horizons of an Eighth Realm Dao Realm expert. Dodging it was impossible; he could only clash with it head-on!
Yet standing before this move, before the axe light had even landed, Long Dai felt as though he had already been sliced apart. His cultivation, physical body, primordial spirit, and Dao realm all split under the axe light, dissolving amidst its brilliance into scenes of sun and moon, mountains and rivers, lakes and streams, birds, beasts, insects, and fish!
He surged his spirit, and only then did the vision before his eyes dissipate.
"Playing tricks!"
Long Dai let out a long howl, spurred the True Explanation of the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel, and raised his hand to meet the axe light head-on. When the two clashed, Elder Long Dai's expression changed abruptly. His palm was severed by the axe light, and the moment it fell away, a white crane flew out from within it.
Next, a great fish leaped from the severed cross-section of his palm. Then birds, beasts, insects, and fish poured forth in continuous succession, streaming outward. Very quickly, the severed hand vanished completely.
"A Creation divine power? Not entirely!"
Long Dai was startled. This move bore a strong resemblance to Creation Supreme's Creation divine powers, yet differed subtly. He had fought Creation Supreme before, and the other's divine powers could not affect his physical body in the slightest. Xu Ying's strike, however, was far more potent—it could actually dissolve his flesh!
Earlier, when his spirit had been suppressed and he witnessed his physical body and primordial spirit turning into sun and moon, mountains and rivers, lakes and streams, that had merely been the Dao conception contained within Xu Ying's martial divine power.
Yet if this axe were truly to strike his body, he might genuinely dissolve along with the move's conception, transforming into sun and moon, mountains and rivers, birds, beasts, insects, and fish.
"Deriving the profundities of Creation through the Martial Dao? With talent like this, you cannot be allowed to live!"
Long Dai's flesh regenerated, his arm swiftly restoring itself. With a furious roar, the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel behind him whirled violently. Empowered by eight layers of the Dao Realm, he pounced toward Xu Ying.
As the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel whistled and spun, a field of treasure radiance instantly appeared beneath Xu Ying's feet, as if he had fallen into a world within a cauldron. The Dao power of Long Dai's eight layers of the Dao Realm bore down upon him, sealing the Dao power within his body!
Just as Xu Ying was about to resist this seal, the cauldron world vanished the next instant, replaced by a tortoise shield whose sealing Dao power was distinct!
The Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel shifted again; the tortoise shield beneath Xu Ying's feet disappeared, replaced by a grand banner, and the Dao power altered once more!
Before he could break through this blockade of Dao power, as the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel revolved, the banner turned into a bright mirror, the bright mirror into a lotus pedestal, the lotus pedestal into a treasure pagoda, and the treasure pagoda into a treasure box!
The different treasure forms manifested by the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel had different effects, and the suppression they exerted upon Xu Ying varied accordingly.
Xu Ying leaped back, yet he seemed ensnared in a ring of treasures from which he could not escape.
Constrained under the seals of varying Dao powers, his cultivation strength was restricted. Long Dai charged in and attacked Xu Ying. Xu Ying channeled Martial Ultimate Proving the Dao, but was battered backward step after step, his blood and qi churning violently!
Even when employing the Eight Immortal Methods, he struggled to contend with his opponent.
As the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel rotated behind Long Dai, it grew larger and larger, expanding to thousands of times the size of their bodies. The seals it formed shifted cyclically—at times the mirror shone upon him, at times the great cauldron suppressed him, and at times the pagoda sealed him—causing Xu Ying's cultivation power to grow weaker and weaker!
"Xu Ying, the conception of your Dao methods is profound and your techniques are not bad, but unfortunately your cultivation falls short—you are a whole realm below me!"
Long Dai reached out with a palm, colliding against Xu Ying's incoming fist. Even though this strike was All Heavens, the second of the Eight Immortal Methods—embodying a conception capable of cleaving open his physical body and turning it into all heavens—its power was too weak, allowing Long Dai to dismantle it with ease.
"Boom!"
Xu Ying flew backward, crashing into a grand banner. The banner's surface shook violently, its Dao light crisscrossing like flying clouds of dawn.
Xu Ying rose to his feet and looked up, only to see Long Dai's ever-expanding palm bearing down. Xu Ying surged his cultivation, and innate indestructible spiritual light flew from his body, transforming into the Far Ancestor dancing around him to clash against Elder Long Dai's divine power.
Xu Ying's feet hissed against the ground as he slid back several hundred li. Elder Long Dai shoved him forward in overwhelming suppression, grinned, and abruptly raised his other hand, slamming it down atop his right hand!
His strength doubled instantly, sending Xu Ying tumbling and rolling away to crash in the distance!
Just as Xu Ying stabilized his stance, he found himself standing upon a tortoise shield. Long Dai descended from the heavens, rushing down with a voice that thundered, "What you are using is that monkey's flawless golden body? No wonder you can withstand so many of my moves without dying! Your scalp must be worth even more; it can fetch far more treasures from the other shore!"
Xu Ying narrowed his eyes and looked forward. Countless branch-like patterns swirled behind Long Dai as the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel grew even more gargantuan, rotating with a thunderous roar.
'To break his moves, I must first break his Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel!'
Xu Ying immediately executed Immortal Slaying, the fourth of the Eight Immortal Methods. Sword light surged forward, carrying world-ending killing intent!
Yet as the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel turned, the power of this sword strike was drastically reduced, and Long Dai countered it with ease.
Long Dai's True Explanation of the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel was virtually unassailable!
Of course, if one possessed combat power like that of Big Dragon, no matter how exquisite the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel might be, pure brute strength alone could shatter it without the need for fancy moves or divine powers.
"Ten Thousand Daos!"
Xu Ying thrust both palms forward, forming a forest of Dao trees. Clashing against the surge of Long Dai's palm force, he was sent flying backward once more, like a fallen leaf in the wind.
Long Dai caught up like a whirlwind, reaching out to clasp Xu Ying's head, laughing, "Another scalp claimed!"
He extended a finger to carve off Xu Ying's scalp, but after tracing a full circle, Xu Ying's scalp remained completely unharmed.
Long Dai froze in disbelief. Taking advantage of the opening, Xu Ying delivered a rapid flurry of kicks to his chin, broke free, and flipped over to land on the ground.
Just as Long Dai prepared to press the attack, his expression shifted slightly. Three more cave abysses had suddenly manifested behind Xu Ying, causing his aura to surge explosively!
He was no stranger to these three cave abysses—they were precisely the ones once used by Immortal Emperor Supreme. Among them was a Taiyi Cave Abyss containing the Taiyi Dao, a Taicang Cave Abyss containing the Taicang Dao, and a Creation Cave Abyss!
All three were Supreme-grade cave abysses!
Xu Ying had not originally intended to use these three cave abysses. First, he already possessed seven cave abysses of his own, which, though not Supreme-grade, were extraordinary nonetheless, making it rare for him to meet any match with his current strength. Second, these three abysses—Taiyi, Creation, and Taicang—all harbored hidden dangers stemming from the other shore.
Yet Long Dai's Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel was so remarkable that it forced Xu Ying's hand.
The moment the three cave abysses emerged, they blocked the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel's suppression and even showed faint signs of turning the tables to suppress the wheel instead, allowing Xu Ying to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"Long Dai, let me show you the sixth form—one even the Holy Venerable has never witnessed!"
Xu Ying stamped his foot, shot forward, and pointed a finger. Instantly, a vast river rushed forth, knocking Long Dai into a violent tumble. Long Dai felt years flowing like a river, scouring and eroding him, decaying everything about his being.
This move was none other than the sixth of the Eight Immortal Methods:
Years.
Ten Thousand Daos was a divine power Xu Ying had comprehended by studying the Holy Venerable's Daming Palace and combining it with the Immortal Mysterious Art of the other shore. This move, Years, was a divine power he had comprehended during his battle against Immortal Emperor Supreme.
Although Immortal Emperor Supreme's cultivation, strength, and Dao attainment fell far short of the Holy Venerable's, his mastery of divine calculation and the sight of him traversing the river of time had provided Xu Ying with deeper inspiration.
Thus, blending the Dao methods from the Immortal Mysterious Art with the divine power of the Taiyi Divine Bridge, he created this divine power of Years.
"I am a Dragon Immortal, and thus I am immortal!"
Long Dai took to the air, charging across the river of years toward Xu Ying, shouting, "Your divine power cannot harm me!"
Traveling upstream against time, the dragon scales on his body suddenly grew mottled, his teeth loosened, his dragon claws aged, and the circulation of his vital blood dwindled far below what it had been. Panic seized his heart.
He could feel his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys rapidly deteriorating; he was actually growing old!
"In this world, apart from the realm of Immortality, nothing can be immortal—not even immortals!"
Xu Ying's finger force pierced through Long Dai's glabella, and appearing behind him, Xu Ying sneered, "You simply are not old enough. If even heaven and earth decay, if even the Great Dao withers with age, how can you remain immortal?"
Feeling his physical body, primordial spirit, and even his Great Dao rotting away, Long Dai panicked and wheeled around to attack: "Killing you will break your divine power!"
Xu Ying turned with a long chant, meeting his assault. As he raised his hand, the radiance of Samsara abruptly flared.
Forty-eight thousand years of ten thousand reincarnations swallowed Long Dai whole.
Flustered and terrified, Long Dai tumbled down into reincarnation. This was none other than the seventh move of Xu Ying's Eight Immortal Methods: Samsara. This technique was created from his insights into the forty-eight thousand years of life-and-death reincarnations, combined with the Dao methods of the Immortal Mysterious Art. Paired with the sixth method, Years, the two complemented each other, yielding even greater might!
Just as Long Dai was about to plummet into Samsara, a fist covered in branch-like patterns suddenly flew out from the Taiyi Cave Abyss behind Xu Ying's head, slamming heavily into the back of Xu Ying's skull.
The power of this strike was immense, punching through Xu Ying's layered cave abysses. By the time Xu Ying noticed, it was already too late; the blow knocked him unconscious.
His Samsara divine power instantly dispersed. Escaping from the cycle, Long Dai was both shocked and overjoyed. Looking toward that cave abyss, he saw an outsider of towering stature like an ancient god standing at the entrance of the Taiyi Cave Abyss, shrouded in grey mist and exuding extraordinary sanctity.
"A young master from the other shore?"
Long Dai hurriedly bowed, calling out in the foreign tongue, "Long Dai of the Heavenly Immortal Realm pays respects to the young master of the other shore!"
The outsider drew in the grey mist around him and inquired in the same foreign language, "What place is this?"
Long Dai said in haste, "This is a subordinate world of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, the Earth Immortal Realm. How may I address the young master?"
The outsider looked slightly disappointed and said, "The Earth Immortal Realm subordinate to the Heavenly Immortal Realm? Does that mean this place has already been conquered? How boring."
Hearing this, Long Dai smiled and said, "There is something the young master does not know: this world has not yet been conquered. Although the Earth Immortal Realm is a vassal to the Heavenly Immortal Realm, it is currently resisting our conquest. Right now, we are attempting to bring about their Zangification and guide them back to the proper path."
Only then did the outsider smile. "Now that sounds somewhat interesting. Descending upon an already conquered world would be far too dull..."
He had only gotten that far when suddenly, with a sharp swoosh, chains flew out from the Taiyi Cave Abyss, binding him securely!
Elder Long Dai stood dumbfounded. Just as he moved to rescue him, with a whoosh, a tremendous force dragged the outsider into the Taiyi Cave Abyss, where he vanished from sight.
Elder Long Dai rushed into the Taiyi Cave Abyss in hot pursuit, shouting aloud, "What evildoer dares ambush a young master from the other shore?"
Suddenly, Xu Ying's body floated up, following right behind Elder Long Dai into the Taiyi Cave Abyss. Before Elder Long Dai could react, a sword pierced through his back, and the sword intent of Immortal Slaying erupted within his heart.
Elder Long Dai was cleaved in two by this sword strike, his mind going blank: 'He was faking unconsciousness?'
He had no time for further thought. His upper torso immediately sped forward as he drove his cave abyss, doing everything in his power to restore his physical body. He thought to himself, 'That young master came from the other shore, yet was captured. There must be some misunderstanding here! Those who captured him must also hail from the other shore. Once I see them and clear up the misunderstanding, I can kill Xu Ying!'
Xu Ying followed close behind in swift pursuit. Elder Long Dai tried to deploy the Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel once more, but Xu Ying gave him no opportunity, sticking close in hand-to-hand combat.
Tumbling and grappling, the two surged toward that piece of the other shore within the Taiyi Cave Abyss!
"Boom!"
The two slammed onto the pure land of the other shore. Elder Long Dai scrambled to his feet and dashed toward the depths of the other shore, calling out loudly, "This is a misunderstanding—"
Before he could finish, he saw that the area was littered with skeletons of ancient gods from the other shore, and the rest of his words caught in his throat.
Upon these ancient god skeletons, there were even gnaw marks and human teeth impressions.
As he ran further ahead, he even saw a massive cauldron pot.
Elder Long Dai's mind was in total chaos. Such a scene meant something had to be guarding this place, slaughtering and devouring every single ancient god and outsider that arrived from the other shore!
Wasn't this utterly treasonous and sacrilegious?!
He rushed forward, only to see that the chains originated from an incomparably ancient immortal palace; they extended from deep within the palace.
From afar, he saw light emanating from the immortal palace—an amber radiance. The chains binding the outsider were retracting toward that amber-like light.
And amidst that radiance, eight mighty figures bearing a golden coffin were walking in this direction!
Elder Long Dai shouted, "What evildoers—"
"What evildoers!"
A deep, booming voice erupted from within the light. "Who dares prevent the heroic spirit of Emperor Haotian from returning to his homeland?!"
Chapter 674