"The heroic spirit of Emperor Haotian?"
Behind Elder Long Dai, Xu Ying swooped in, poised to thrust another sword into him, but upon hearing those words, he was utterly astonished as well.
"Didn't Emperor Haotian pass away peacefully of old age after abdicating the throne to Emperor Taihao?" he exclaimed in surprise.
According to history, toward the end of Emperor Haotian's reign, Emperor Taihao summoned the Taihao Cave Abyss and achieved extraordinary accomplishments. Believing himself inferior and his virtue too meager compared to Emperor Taihao's, Emperor Haotian offered to abdicate three times.
Emperor Taihao declined the first two times, but on the third occasion, unable to refuse any longer, he reluctantly assumed the imperial throne.
Thereafter, Emperor Haotian enjoyed his twilight years in peace, and an Immortal Emperor of his generation died of old age without illness, leaving the whereabouts of his Taiyi Cave Abyss unknown.
This was the orthodox history.
Of course, there were also folk rumors claiming that Emperor Taihao seized power, staging three coups to force Emperor Haotian's abdication, and on the third attempt finally succeeded in critically injuring him. After wounding him, Emperor Taihao demanded that he hand over the Taiyi Cave Abyss to prevent him from making a comeback. Emperor Haotian concealed the Taiyi Cave Abyss instead, and was slain by the enraged Emperor Taihao.
This was merely unofficial history.
Yet many believed it; even the Last Lord of Ziwei was firmly convinced.
Because that was precisely what he himself had done.
Xu Ying had once believed the second version as well, but there were questionable aspects to it—such as the whereabouts of the Taiyi Cave Abyss.
Back when Qingxuan proved his Dao, the Taiyi Cave Abyss had likely been summoned from the other shore through his comprehension of Taiyi Enlightenment. After Qingxuan died, the Taiyi Cave Abyss returned to the other shore, and was later summoned back by Xu Ying.
Therefore, Xu Ying had guessed that after Emperor Haotian died, the Taiyi Cave Abyss automatically flew back to the other shore.
Yet he never expected to hear news of Emperor Haotian's heroic spirit returning to his homeland now.
The chained alien was dragged to the golden coffin's side, laughing wildly. "Haotian is really dead? Good riddance! He deserved to die! We were ordered to hunt him down just to see if the old scoundrel was truly dead, and if so, destroy his corpse as well! To avenge my million clansmen..."
*Pfft!*
A chain pierced through the alien's skull, mangling and killing him.
*Pfft!*
Caught up in the excitement of watching, Xu Ying drove his sword straight into Elder Long Dai's back, murmuring, "Didn't Emperor Haotian die at Emperor Taihao's hands? Did he have an unknown past on the other shore? Otherwise, why would an alien try to stop his heroic spirit from returning to his homeland?"
Elder Long Dai spat blood and struck back with a palm. Xu Ying dodged, shouting aloud, "I am Xu Ying, Dao Ancestor of the New Dao of the Earth Immortal Realm, here to welcome the heroic spirit of Emperor Haotian back to his homeland!"
Hearing this, Elder Long Dai felt a chill in his heart: *This kid is quite an adept at forming alliances!*
Activating his Heavenly Treasure Dao Wheel, as they clashed again before the immortal palace, Long Dai shouted aloud, "I am Long Dai of the Heavenly Immortal Realm! This scoundrel Xu Ying refuses the civilization of the other shore and murdered a noble scion of the other shore! Dao brothers of the other shore, please lend me a hand!"
Seeing the chains that had bound the alien earlier, he knew they had returned from the other shore, and were undoubtedly powerful figures taking refuge here. Hearing the deceased alien's words, Emperor Haotian held immense status on the other shore, relentlessly pursued during his escape, which sparked Long Dai's desire to forge an alliance as well.
Suddenly, with several whooshes, chains flew out, lunging toward Long Dai.
Long Dai leapt into the air to dodge them, both shocked and furious: "Where on earth did I go wrong?"
After all, he had not been in the Earth Immortal Realm long and knew little of its history. Though he saw that these people came from the other shore, he had no idea Emperor Haotian was the first human Immortal Emperor, so his attempt to ally fell completely flat.
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Ying activated the Extreme Martial Path to Dao, thrusting a finger forward. A surging river of time rushed past, piercing through Long Dai's body.
Long Dai instantly aged even further and cursed furiously, "Xu Ying, if you have any skill, fight me one-on-one!"
He surged his cultivation to refine away the Dao wounds inflicted by Xu Ying's Eight Immortal Methods, finally halting his aging. Yet despite halting it, the injuries remained, and the decay of his physical body and primordial spirit was even more severe than before.
What terrified him most, however, was the aging of the Great Dao he cultivated.
For an existence at the eighth tier of the Dao Realm, such aging was virtually irreversible!
Spells of time were no trifling matter!
The chains whipped up and down with ferocious precision, never straying far from him and putting him completely on the defensive.
As Xu Ying pressed the attack with lethal strikes, he inwardly praised Long Dai's prowess. Elder Long Dai was the strongest opponent he had ever encountered; even unleashing all his cave abysses had not subdued him. Right now, even with those chains assisting, Xu Ying could not slay him in short order.
Yet, burdened with injury upon injury, Long Dai could hardly escape if he tried.
Finally, the eight powerful figures carrying the gleaming golden coffin stepped out from the amber-like time. As their figures emerged from the amber time, that time immediately dimmed, and the passage collapsed into nothingness.
A wisp of vast, primeval aura leaked from the golden coffin, shaking the Taiyi Cave Abyss. The Taiyi Great Dao surfaced alongside it, bathing the cave abyss in rays of twilight glow and causing the Great Dao to mourn, as if sensing the death of an old friend.
From just that single wisp of aura, both Xu Ying and Long Dai felt crushing weight, their hearts trembling in awe.
Xu Ying's gaze fell upon the eight figures, and he was startled: "They are humans, not aliens!"
The eight figures were far taller than ordinary people. Walking in the amber-like time, they had looked from afar like aliens of the other shore. Their cultivations were immensely formidable, each giving the impression of a peak Supreme!
"They are in the Wondrous Realm, not Supremes!"
Xu Ying instantly recognized their cultivation realms. The Wondrous Realm and the Supreme realm—one was the Old Dao, one was the New Dao. The Wondrous Realm focused on the Dao tree, Dao flower, and Dao fruit, while Supremes focused on Dao scenery, making them easy to distinguish.
However, visible wounds covered the eight figures—slashes from sabers, swords, axes, halberds, whips, palm prints—all manner of Dao wounds had penetrated into their flesh and their primordial spirits!
The golden coffin was also bristling with various formidable treasures of the other shore, radiating terrifying auras that made it hard to approach.
It was hard to imagine just how many ambushes and pursuits these eight had endured while carrying Emperor Haotian's imperial coffin along the way. That path must have been strewn with corpses.
"The ones who died at the hands of Trash Qingxuan must have been a small vanguard of pursuers who arrived ahead of them, intending to ambush them in the Taiyi Cave Abyss, only to be ambushed by Trash Qingxuan instead."
Xu Ying wore an odd expression. That Trash Qingxuan was a glutton who had killed those pursuers one by one and eaten them as demon gods.
"If he knew that what he ate weren't foreign demon gods, but aliens of the other shore... he probably would have eaten them anyway," Xu Ying thought.
Suddenly, two of them leapt into the air, circulating their cultivation. In an instant, their Dao trees unfurled, Dao fruits hung from branches, and their Great Daos underwent Zangification—Dao trees, Dao flowers, and Dao fruits all became unusually towering and burly as they attacked Elder Long Dai simultaneously!
"The Taiyi Great Dao!"
Xu Ying was utterly stunned. The two were wielding a Zangified version of the Taiyi Great Dao, distinct from his own cultivation. Even more extraordinary was how the Taiyi Great Dao had formed Dao trees, flowers, and fruits, displaying before Xu Ying a completely different cultivation path for the very same Great Dao!
However, the two were too heavily injured. Their Dao trees were fractured, their Dao flowers withered, and their Dao fruits shattered—injuries sustained from fighting off pursuers while protecting Emperor Haotian's corpse the whole way!
Even with Zangification, they were far from their peak!
If it were just one, Elder Long Dai could still have held his own, but facing both at once, Long Dai coughed blood within three exchanges. In under ten moves, the elderly dragon was knocked out of the air.
He leapt up, seeking to flee, but chains suddenly shot out from beneath the golden coffin, skewering his body and dragging him back. Flanking him from left and right, the two cleanly dispatched Elder Long Dai with swift, ruthless efficiency!
Turning around, their gazes fell upon Xu Ying, studying him.
"Hongmeng purple qi, indeed recognized by the Great Dao of heaven and earth, bearing the fortune of a Dao Ancestor."
One returned beneath the golden coffin, while the other offered a formal greeting, saying, "Emperor Haotian's disciple Mi Lun greets Dao Ancestor Xu. This name was bestowed upon me by His Majesty, from the saying: to govern all realms, to weave and establish eternal statutes."
Seeing him adopt the etiquette of a junior, Xu Ying hastily returned the salute and smiled. "No need for such formality. Fellow Daoists, before me, there was another master here named Qingxuan who guarded this place from the other shore to keep foreign gods and demons from invading. It was also through serendipity that I took over as master of the Taiyi Cave Abyss."
The Wondrous Realm expert named Mi Lun said, "This Qingxuan must have summoned the Taiyi Cave Abyss only after His Majesty passed away. This Taiyi Cave Abyss was originally a trap. Dao Ancestor Xu, forgive our discourtesy, but we must first lay His Majesty to rest."
Mi Lun helped shoulder Emperor Haotian's coffin. Auspicious clouds rose beneath the eight disciples' feet as they flew out of the cave abyss.
Xu Ying gripped a chain and followed in pursuit, watching the eight accelerate as they exited the Taiyi Cave Abyss and flew toward the Earth Immortal Realm.
Xu Ying accompanied them the entire way, watching the eight carry the imperial coffin across the mountains and rivers, seemingly letting the one within the coffin gaze once more upon the homeland he had once guarded.
Eventually, they arrived at the Ancestral Court and entered the Ziwei Ancestral Court.
Seeing the eight and the golden coffin, Nan Ziyan was struck with shock. Spotting Xu Ying arriving, he hurried over, bowed, and asked, "Dao Ancestor Xu, what is happening here?"
Xu Ying answered truthfully, "Emperor Haotian has passed away. His eight disciples have escorted the Emperor's bier back from the other shore to lay him to rest in his homeland."
Nan Ziyan blurted out, "Emperor Haotian? Didn't he die long ago? His imperial mausoleum is right there in Mount Qian!"
Xu Ying asked, "Some time ago, when the Last Lord came to awaken the heroic spirits of past Immortal Emperors to assist in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, was Emperor Haotian among them?"
Nan Ziyan shook his head. Back then, only the corpses of the four Emperors—Taihao, Shaohao, Haoying, and Haohong—had been awakened; Emperor Haotian had not been among them.
"Still, why return from the other shore?" Nan Ziyan found it hard to believe.
Xu Ying was equally in the dark.
The eight experts carried Emperor Haotian's golden coffin into the mausoleum that had been constructed long ago. Instantly, myriad rays of twilight glow filled the tomb, lingering in the sky without dispersing.
This aura was sacred and ethereal, coexisting with the Dao, equal in stature to the Great Dao itself.
"This aura..." Nan Ziyan's face changed drastically.
Xu Ying was equally solemn, murmuring, "The Immortal realm."
The aura leaking from the imperial tomb far surpassed even the Holy Venerable's; it was definitely the aura of an existence in the Immortal realm.
During his lifetime, Emperor Haotian must have stepped into the Immortal realm!
"How could a being in the Immortal realm die?" Nan Ziyan murmured.
Xu Ying shook his head and walked toward Mount Qian's Emperor Haotian Mausoleum. Nan Ziyan followed him. As they arrived outside the tomb, Mi Lun and the others were preparing to seal the mausoleum, entombing the eight of them within as well.
Mi Lun reached out to stop the two, saying, "Dao Ancestor Xu, the eight of us fought our way here, our life forces severed. We have come this far solely on sheer obsession, and our lamps have run out of oil. Guarding His Majesty's tomb is our final resting place. Please, turn back."
Xu Ying could also tell their condition was dire. He said, "We only wish to pay our respects to His Majesty. Furthermore, when Fellow Daoist mentioned earlier that the Taiyi Cave Abyss was a trap, what did you mean?"
Mi Lun hesitated a moment, then led the two into the imperial mausoleum, saying, "Back then, His Majesty had long intended to leave the Earth Immortal Realm and venture into the void in search of the other shore. Emperor Taihao desired the throne, so His Majesty abdicated in his favor, leading us eight disciples on a distant journey to the other shore from here."
Xu Ying was stunned. Had a genuine abdication truly existed in history?
Nan Ziyan was equally astonished; this differed completely from what the Last Lord of Ziwei had told him. In the Last Lord's tellings, every change of dynasty was rife with conspiracies and bloodshed.
Mi Lun continued, "His Majesty harbored doubts about the Emerald Rock. The Dao methods recorded on it were far too profound, vastly exceeding our era, yet so vague and ambiguous that they raised his suspicions. He once encountered an alien and achieved his accomplishments with that alien's guidance. According to that alien, the other shore existed in this world, and the Taiyi Cave Abyss originated from there."
Xu Ying's heart stirred. The alien Lu from the Mortal Realm!
Back then, the alien Lu had mentioned that when he was comprehending before the Emerald Rock in the Earth Immortal Realm, a young boy named Hao was beside him.
Mi Lun said, "That alien told him that the other shore was a pure land devoid of strife, incomparably wondrous. Yet during his cultivation, His Majesty noticed that the techniques originating from that pure land of the other shore might harbor significant flaws."
They arrived at the burial chamber of the imperial mausoleum. Another of Emperor Haotian's disciples, Mi Yi, stood guard there, various Dao wounds erupting across his body, dripping with blood.
Mi Yi was petrifying himself, sealing his own form. His voice boomed like thunder: "His Majesty once told us that the summoned cave abysses were filled with the Taiyi Great Dao, but where did that Taiyi Great Dao come from? Where did the immortal spiritual qi inside come from? Where did the cave abyss lead? Left unresolved, these mysteries gave him no peace. He felt that Taiyi Enlightenment was a latent peril..."
At this point, his body turned entirely to stone, motionless.
On the other side, Mi Xian was also turning himself to stone, saying, "To seek the truth, one had to go to the other shore. Thus, he told Emperor Taihao that until he uncovered the truth, no one must be allowed to cultivate Taiyi Enlightenment."
Xu Ying was amazed. Emperor Taihao had banned the dissemination of Taiyi Enlightenment and bore infamy for doing so; who could have known there was such a reason behind it?
Taiyi Enlightenment had been created by Emperor Haotian to decipher the Emerald Rock inscriptions, bringing boundless benefit to countless beings. Yet he himself claimed that Taiyi Enlightenment was a latent peril—what tremendous magnanimity!
Still, where the immortal spiritual qi in the cave abyss came from was indeed a question.
Back then, people only knew that comprehending Taiyi Enlightenment allowed one to summon a cave abyss filled with immortal spiritual qi and the Great Dao, but few ever investigated where that energy came from.
Emperor Haotian had been the first to spot the problem and take action.
Mi Yi and Mi Xian had turned into stone statues, motionless.
They still held their last breath; should foreign enemies invade, they would awaken to fight the intruders to the death.
Mi Lun guided them into the inner chamber, coming before Emperor Haotian's imperial coffin, and said, "Back then, the human race had secured the throne and produced masters in great numbers, leaving the demon race powerless to strike back. His Majesty abandoned the throne and led us across tens of thousands of years, traversing time to reach the other shore. Only upon arriving did we find that the other shore was indeed a tranquil pure land, filled with supreme masters everywhere. Their Great Dao architecture was far superior, vastly surpassing Dao patterns."
Mi Yu's voice came; he stood like a stone statue beside the imperial coffin: "Yet all of that was merely a facade. His Majesty led us to study on the other shore, and only after achieving success did we discover the countless corpses hidden beneath that pure land."
"Every Emerald Rock they cast out was a trap."
"Every civilization that obtained an Emerald Rock would be harvested!"
"Behind every summoned cave abyss stands a mighty Immortal waiting to reap the harvest!"
"And so His Majesty resolved to sever every passage leading to the Three Realms! The Taishang Cave Abyss was the first!"
"The Immortal he had to face was unimaginably powerful, yet His Majesty still inflicted an incurable Dao wound upon him! That Dao wound should still be hanging over the Taishang Cave Abyss to this day!"
Chapter 675