The Holy Venerable and his entourage made their way toward the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. As they drew near, they saw from afar a tall, slender figure standing erect outside the ancestral court, bearing a longsword on his back.
Above the man's head, an azure radiance shone, within which a cave abyss slowly revolved, its brilliance resplendent as a swirling river of stars.
"Dao Venerable Lü."
Everyone was astonished.
Jun Wudao snorted and muttered under his breath, "I wonder if killing this lad would let me transplant his Dao scenery onto myself? That way, I could be both in the Wondrous Realm and a Supreme!"
A chill ran down everyone's spine, and they hastily stepped away from him.
The Holy Venerable walked up to him. Dao Venerable Lü bowed in greeting and said, "Many thanks to the Holy Venerable for granting me six hundred thousand years of peace. But seeing that all the surviving Twelve Wondrous are present, wouldn't whichever of the Six Venerables still breathing be put to shame if they didn't show up?"
The Holy Venerable returned the courtesy and said, "Six hundred thousand years ago, you and I had a wager. You lost by a single move, vowing never to step beyond Wangxiang Terrace for the rest of your life."
Dao Venerable Lü exuded an ethereal immortal air as he smiled faintly. "Back then, there was also an agreement: whenever I could withstand a single strike from you, that was when I could step out of Wangxiang Terrace. And so today, I have walked out."
The Holy Venerable asked, "You think that today, you possess the power to withstand a blow from me?"
Dao Venerable Lü let out a long whistle. The longsword flew out from his sword casket, filling the heavens with radiant sword light like a dazzling galaxy as it whistled toward the Holy Venerable!
The Holy Venerable sneered. "Flashy theatrics. Not even as good as Yaoluo—"
Before he could finish, Dao Venerable Lü stamped his foot. Space revolved. In an instant, the Holy Venerable felt as though he were standing upon Wangxiang Terrace; the incoming galaxy of sword light actually carried the fated resonance of time travel inherent to Wangxiang Terrace, piercing through time itself and leaving the Holy Venerable with nowhere to hide!
The Holy Venerable gave a snort, myriad Daos swirling as he directly clashed against the sword light.
He sensed a sword intent lunging from behind as well. Snapping his head around, he saw no sword light, but rather his own childhood, his own homeland.
Chhh!
Dao Venerable Lü's immortal sword struck, piercing against his chest.
The Holy Venerable looked down. Two of his fingers were pinching the blade, preventing it from piercing deeper.
"What is this strike called?" he asked in a low voice.
Dao Venerable Lü replied, "Looking Back at Wangxiang Terrace."
The Holy Venerable nodded gently and walked forward. "You passed."
Dao Venerable Lü followed him, a smile appearing on his face. "Thank you for indulging me, Holy Venerable."
The Holy Venerable said nothing. This time, he had not actually attacked Dao Venerable Lü; he had merely received Dao Venerable Lü's move. Had he attacked, no matter how profound Dao Venerable Lü's Dao methods were, he likely still would not have survived the assault.
—He was already several degrees stronger than he had been before severing his own cultivation. The Supreme realm of the New Dao was half a realm to a full realm higher than the Supreme realm of old. Dao Venerable Lü had not severed his cultivation to recultivate the New Dao; far from narrowing, the gap between them had grown even wider.
The group entered the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court and looked up. A multi-decked ship had already taken shape. Yu Xuanji and a lovely young maiden were flying circles around it, employing various tempering arts to refine the vessel.
Their craftsmanship was staggering, leaving the Holy Venerable and the others dazzled.
Dao Lord Kuyang remarked, "If Yu Ji's head were a bit sharper, he could slightly evolve his forging methods into offensive divine arts. Who in the world could withstand a single punch from him?"
The moment he said this, the others waved their hands repeatedly. Dan Xuanzi grinned broadly and said, "Hush, hush! Don't speak of it! If you say that out loud and he figures out combat arts, who's going to forge magic treasures for us?"
Dao Lord Kuyang realized his blunder and immediately dropped the subject.
As they walked closer, they suddenly spotted someone—a scabby-headed lunatic who shouted at everyone he saw, "Huh, I lost!"
The Holy Venerable's face turned ashen, and he said coldly, "Yaoluo has already lost his mind! Just let him live out the rest of his life in peace! Who brought him here?"
No sooner had his voice fallen than Useless Qingxuan walked out from behind the ship, laughing. "He's only mad, not beyond saving."
Seeing him, the Holy Venerable's imposing aura hitched.
The others, however, were brimming with murderous intent, each taking a step forward.
Useless Qingxuan chuckled. "Can a useless fellow like me and a madman like him not board the ship?"
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, the Holy Venerable said in a deep voice, "After we leave, you shall be the Immortal Emperor. That is what we owe you."
Useless Qingxuan laughed. "Immortal Emperor? Who gives a damn? Only fools like you treat it like a treasure, slaughtering back and forth until your eyes turn red."
Fairy Huoling took a step forward and snapped, "Back then, had you not intended to make a move against us, would we have struck first to kill you? When the birds are gone, the bow is cast aside! You definitely wanted to seize the cave abysses in our hands and do away with us!"
Useless Qingxuan sneered, "Back then, I should have taken you into my harem first, made Qiongtai my empress, and then married Yuanying! Shatter your bastards' alliance from within, and only then slaughter you one by one!"
Dao Lord Yuanying spat at him playfully, her heart blooming with delight as she giggled, "Shameless rogue."
Seeing this, the others shivered inwardly. *Thank heavens Qingxuan severed his stray thoughts back then, or he really might have pulled it off!*
The crowd bristled with hostility, their gazes grim and unfriendly.
Just then, the two new-generation Supremes, Jijue and Wei Xu, strode over. Jijue pressed his palms together and said, "Fellow Dao brothers, this humble monk has also attained the Supreme realm. This time—"
"Get out," Jun Wudao said, his expression darkening.
Jijue was taken aback.
Dao Lord Kuyang said, "Get out!"
The others chimed in one after another, clamoring, "Out!" "Scram!"
Wei Xu said, "I'm a Supreme too! Why should I scram? Most of you haven't even attained the Supreme realm—you aren't even a match for your granddaddy here—"
Useless Qingxuan's face darkened. "You dare call yourself 'granddaddy' before us? Get out!"
The Holy Venerable also gave a cold snort and said, "Though some of them have yet to attain the Supreme realm, so long as they face danger in battle, they are bound to break through. You two are merely juniors who just achieved the Supreme realm; you do not yet have the qualifications."
Jijue and Wei Xu bristled with fury, their eyes widening into round glares. They wished nothing more than to give these old fossils their final rites, but a few of them were genuinely too strong to beat. In the end, the two could only withdraw resentfully.
Yet they also knew this was Useless Qingxuan, the Holy Venerable, and the others looking out for them. They had just achieved the Supreme realm and possessed boundless futures; it was not worth throwing their lives away under the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
At that moment, the Ten Wastes Heavenly Monarch, Liu Guanyi, arrived bearing his coffins. Carrying himself with an arrogant air, he walked up beside Useless Qingxuan.
Dao Lord Boshan sneered, "A mere Heavenly Monarch, and a useless one at that! Get out!"
Liu Guanyi glanced at him and said coldly, "If I don't go, not a single one of you disloyal, treacherous scoundrels can hope to survive! You're nothing but a bunch of useless trash!"
Enraged, the crowd was about to brawl with him.
The Holy Venerable raised a hand to stop them and asked in a deep voice, "Liu Guanyi, how many coffins do you have left?"
He had witnessed Liu Guanyi's power before. Back in his prime, Liu Guanyi had barged into the Great Luo Heaven, and the Holy Venerable had struck him with a palm. Though he hadn't used his full power, an expert of Liu Guanyi's level should have died cleanly and instantly.
Yet Liu Guanyi had used a bizarre art to forge a succession of coffins, each containing another Liu Guanyi, each stronger than the last. Liu Guanyi had actually relied on that trick to withstand his palm strike, catching him greatly by surprise.
"Six," Liu Guanyi said.
The Holy Venerable nodded slightly. "You may go."
He looked around at the gathering and suddenly smiled. "The Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous are not one bit inferior to decrepit relics like the Last Lord of Ziwei or Daoist Taiqing!"
Everyone could not help laughing and nodding along. "Precisely! Exactly! How could decrepit relics overthrown by us ever be spoken of in the same breath?"
Suddenly, a voice rang out: "I'm going to this battle as well."
At those words, everyone frowned deeply and turned toward the speaker. A tall youth strode forward—none other than Xu Ying.
Their brows furrowed even tighter. Old Ancestor Boshan barked, "Get out!"
Xu Ying's gaze swept over him. Old Ancestor Boshan hastily drew back his neck; recalling the battle between Xu Ying and the Immortal Emperor, he could not help shuddering.
Dong Shi, Dan Xuanzi, and the others had intended to chime in, but under Xu Ying's sweeping gaze, they fell silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter a peep.
Useless Qingxuan said, "Dao Ancestor Xu, you ought to stay behind. This battle belongs to us, the founders of the new Immortal Court. It has nothing to do with you."
Since he spoke up, Xu Ying had to give him some face and refrained from casting a chilly glare his way.
The Holy Venerable said, "You are the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao; staying behind offers far greater prospects. Once you cultivate into a Supreme, you will surely surpass us and shine brilliantly."
Xu Ying smiled. "I'm not coming along to intercept the enemy with you. I'm going to pay a visit to the Heavenly Immortal Realm."
Everyone shuddered violently. Old Ancestor Boshan shouted, "Bull... bull... bull—"
Xu Ying's gaze swept over, and Old Ancestor Boshan swallowed the word "shit" right back down, not daring to let it out.
The Holy Venerable scoffed, "Go to the Heavenly Immortal Realm? Can you handle it? You aren't even a Supreme!"
Useless Qingxuan said calmly, "You're still a bit green."
Xu Ying grinned. "If I can't, do you old fossils think you can?"
Everyone flew into a rage. Were it not for the fact that he was the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao, they would have swarmed him and taught him a harsh lesson.
Xu Ying said, "Daoist Wukong survived in the Heavenly Immortal Realm; so can I. He cultivates the Leakless Golden Body, and I cultivate the Leakless Golden Body too. The beatings I've endured are no fewer than his."
Just as the Holy Venerable was about to speak, Xu Ying said coldly, "Your Master didn't come here to ask for your permission. I came to notify you that there is a spot on this ship for me."
The Holy Venerable's hands trembled with fury. Yet in this world, the only person qualified to say those words was Xu Ying. Only a grandmaster whom all practitioners of the New Dao had to pay homage to could be called a Dao Ancestor.
A few more days passed, and the multi-decked ship had turned emerald green, having acquired the ability to enter the gelatinous zone.
One after another, the crowd boarded the vessel. Xu Ying boarded as well, waving farewell to those who had come to see them off.
Yuan Weiyang stood among the crowd, quietly gazing at Xu Ying. Suddenly, she came running like the wind, cupped Xu Ying's face, planted a kiss on his cheek, and dashed away in a flurry.
"She wanted me to taste her newly bought rouge and powder," Xu Ying explained to his shipmates.
Cold sneers sounded all around.
The ship paused slightly, then slowly set sail, soaring toward the heavens and climbing ever higher.
At the Heavenly Sea Ferry, Three Realms Golden Ships laden with the common folk of the Earth Immortal Realm—accompanied by countless Qi Refiners and immortals, within whose respective cave abysses tens of thousands of mortals also dwelled—began their migration toward the Mortal Realm.
This migration to the Mortal Realm had already been underway for some time, sending nearly a tenth of the Earth Immortal Realm's population to clear wasteland and establish new homes. Vast expanses of land in the Mortal Realm still awaited development.
These migrants from the Earth Immortal Realm would undertake a three-month voyage, sailing along the River of Spiritual Light before reaching the Mortal Realm.
In the Mortal Realm, disciples of the Perfect Dao Sect would receive and settle them.
As the golden ships sailed farther and farther, the River of Spiritual Light suddenly began to churn violently, growing intensely turbulent. It was as though some titanic colossus were thrashing beneath the riverbed, nearly capsizing the vessels multiple times!
Just then, the River of Spiritual Light gradually rose from the Heavenly Sea, climbing higher and higher, with massive ships floating atop its waters.
The ferry suddenly burst with loud cracking sounds as explosions echoed from below. The Heavenly Craftsmen upon the ferry fled frantically in all directions, shouting, "The Heavenly Sea is turning over!"
Boom!
The colossal shipyard slowly rose, tilting palaces, storehouses, and other structures. Unfinished golden ships slid out of their berths one after another, creaking and groaning as they plunged toward the sea surface.
The waters ahead churned into violent swells. Suddenly, two enormous dragon horns, resembling mountain peaks, cleaved the seawater and ascended slowly from the ocean depths.
An even more gargantuan dragon head gradually surfaced amid crashing waves. The head of the Far Ancestor dragon, buried in the deepest depths of the Heavenly Sea Ferry, finally reappeared in the world!
A roaring dragon cry rang out, shaking the Three Realms!
The River of Spiritual Light connecting to the Mortal Realm shuddered violently. Some golden ships, already nearing the Mortal Realm, were shaken clean off the river's surface, floating into the air.
Cries of terror erupted from the ships as the Mortal Realm, which had seemed so close just a moment ago, suddenly grew unimaginably distant.
"This body of mine, the Far Ancestor, hasn't been used in a long time. Today is the day of awakening!"
The River of Spiritual Light revealed its true form—an unfathomably massive dragon, slowly waking and stretching its limbs. Though its movements were gentle, they tossed the golden ships intending to cross the river into the air!
The people aboard the ships hurled into the starry void suddenly felt their vessels steady. Looking around, they discovered that, without their noticing, they had landed upon the back of a silver dragon. Carrying them aloft, the colossal beast shot toward the Mortal Realm at blinding speed.
A journey that was meant to take three months took less than half a day.
Depositing them in the Mortal Realm, the dragon soared into the air and vanished into the depths of the starry cosmos.
The people on the ships gazed into the distance, only to see that the River of Spiritual Light bridging the Mortal Realm and the Earth Immortal Realm had vanished, replaced by boundless starry space.
They could not even tell where the Earth Immortal Realm lay.
"We can't go back," an immortal murmured blankly.
"We can't go back. The path between the Mortal Realm and the Earth Immortal Realm has been severed."
An elderly immortal said, "We are the last batch to arrive in the Mortal Realm. Let us stay, settle down, establish sects, and teach disciples. In the future, our disciples will undergo tribulations and ascend, returning to the Earth Immortal Realm in our stead."
Leading the mortals, these immortals and Qi Refiners walked toward the depths of the Mortal Realm.
Aboard the emerald-green ship, Jun Wudao wore a vicious expression as he glared daggers at Xu Ying. Unbothered, Xu Ying stood at the bow, watching the starry expanse recede while the colossal dragon skeleton suspended between the two realms drew steadily closer.
At that moment, a dazzling, blinding light flared from behind. The people on board turned around, beholding an incomparably magnificent sight.
A colossal dragon formed from indestructible spiritual light tore through the void, blotting out their entire field of vision.
As it flew closer, its trajectory pointed straight at their little ship!
The dragon extended a claw, an immense appendage countless times larger than the small vessel!
Fortunately, as the dragon claw descended, it gradually transformed into a massive, muscular leg—though this leg remained many times larger than the ship.
The dragon strained to shrink its size, forcibly compressing the thick leg to its absolute limit, until at last a single foot stepped onto the deck of the ship. The deck creaked under the weight.
Drawing back its other leg, the dragon continued to shrink, its body contracting relentlessly until it finally transformed into a hulking figure with the head of a dragon and the body of a man, bulging with knotty muscles and radiating immense might.
The legend of the Primeval Era, the Dragon Far Ancestor of the Ninth Dao Realm, stood tall upon the ship. His awe-inspiring presence commanded all directions, leaving Jun Wudao cowering, the Holy Venerable trembling in dread, and Useless Qingxuan bowing in deep respect.
Chapter 677