With the true body of the Far Ancestor Big Dragon arriving in person, everyone aboard the ship—even lawless daredevils like Jun Wudao—became thoroughly docile and dared not make the slightest unruly move.
The power radiating from this dragon-headed divine being was truly astonishing.
While the Ancestral God's strength had crossed into the Ninth Realm, the Immortal Realm, the dragon's cultivation realm itself had crossed into the Ninth Realm!
In all recorded history, he was the sole existence confirmed to have stepped into the Immortal Realm!
The Big Dragon's complete primordial spirit was already remarkably formidable. Treasures forged from shards of his primordial spirit were capable of maiming or killing even existences of the Supreme or Wondrous Realm with a single touch. Even with Xu Ying having cultivated the Leakless Golden Body, he had been forced to dodge its razor edge.
Confronted by such spiritual-light treasures, Liu Guanyi had needed to sacrifice a body and feign death just to find an opening to strike back!
As for the Far Ancestor's physical body, it had transformed into the River of Spiritual Light, flowing across the Heavenly Sea, spanning countless stellar rivers and galaxies, and bridging the Earth Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm. Crossing it required the Three Realms Golden Ship even for existences of the Supreme and Wondrous Realms. Falling into it meant that even if one survived, one would be stripped of a layer of skin.
Now, such a physical body and such a primordial spirit were finally reunited into one.
The gap between the Ninth Realm and the Eighth Realm was evident from this alone.
The Far Ancestor Big Dragon looked down upon everyone with an overbearing, thoroughly pleased smirk.
Yet his arrival also allowed everyone to heave a sigh of relief, their expressions relaxing.
The dragon race's Far Ancestor was an existence of the Immortal Realm; with him around, this journey was far safer.
Suddenly, a clanging noise rang beneath the Big Dragon's neck. A small bell wobbled and detached from his throat, transforming into a large bell that flew to Xu Ying's side. It said in delight, "Ah Ying, what are you doing here too?"
Xu Ying was both surprised and overjoyed. "Master Bell! You're here too?"
"Lord Dragon brought me along!"
"Where is Xiao Bai?"
"Xiao Bai went off to cultivate the new Dao."
Useless Qingxuan said, "Our journey has two objectives. First, rendezvous with the Ancestral God and board his emerald rock tiered ship so Dao Ancestor Xu can pilot this vessel into the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Second, seize the enemy's emerald rock. The second objective is of the utmost importance."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Seizing the other side's emerald rock would sever their designs on the Earth Immortal Realm once and for all!
Xu Ying frowned slightly. The enemy also had only a single piece of emerald rock, so they would surely assign top experts to guard it. Going to attack that emerald rock would inevitably turn into an exceptionally bloody slaughter!
He looked at the crowd. Among these familiar faces, quite a few had once been his enemies, clashing swords with him and wishing for nothing more than to eliminate him. But now, watching them head toward death, he could not help feeling a pang of reluctance.
The reason the emerald rock tiered ship carrying the Ancestral God had held out until now was that they had avoided a decisive pitched battle, opting instead to harass and wage guerrilla warfare. If they had fought a head-on battle, even the Ancestral God would likely have found it hard to survive.
If they went to wage a decisive battle against the enemy now, even with the Far Ancestor Big Dragon present, they would likely suffer heavy casualties!
Xu Ying said, "I will go with you. Once we seize their emerald rock, I will head to the Heavenly Immortal Realm."
The Holy Venerable and the others shook their heads in succession. "You go to your Heavenly Immortal Realm, and we will seize our emerald rock. Once you reach the Heavenly Immortal Realm, the dragon experts will all pursue you, making things easier for us instead."
Xu Ying pondered this and recognized the truth in the reasoning.
The tiered ship shuddered gently as it entered the gelatinous zone, its speed abruptly slowing down drastically.
Liu Guanyi inquired, "Just how strong are the enemies after Zangification?"
Everyone turned their gazes toward Xu Ying.
Among those present, only the Far Ancestor Big Dragon and Xu Ying had ever crossed blows with dragon immortals after Zangification. However, the Big Dragon's strength was too formidable, rendering him useless as a benchmark for gauging their combat power.
Xu Ying said, "An ordinary Eighth Dao Realm expert of the dragon race is somewhat stronger than I am after Zangification. If I do not undergo Zangification, I probably could not last two exchanges."
Jun Wudao leaped up, activating his Dao domain and raising his Dao Tree and Ten Dao Fruits. Pouncing toward Xu Ying, he barked, "Let me test how strong you are!"
Behind Xu Ying, seven great cave abysses revolved, instantly driving his cultivation to the peak. Inside the cave abysses, one hundred and eight Dao sceneries of varying sizes shone with dazzling brilliance!
Their palms collided. Under the pressing weight of the Ten Dao Fruits, Xu Ying was forced back a step, whereupon he rapidly underwent Zangification. The two traded another blow. Jun Wudao's expression shifted slightly as his Dao domain violently churned and his Dao Tree rattled. He tried to steady himself, but still stumbled a step backward involuntarily, his vitality roiling to the point where he could not press the attack.
Silence fell over the crowd once more. The Eighth Dao Realm experts of the dragon race corresponded to the Supreme and Wondrous Realms.
If such experts were even stronger than Xu Ying after Zangification, then even if the cultivation and strength of a new Dao Supreme stood half a realm or a full realm higher than the traditional system, that advantage would be completely wiped out by Zangification!
Aside from the Holy Venerable, Useless Qingxuan, and Jun Wudao, the rest of them barely possessed the qualifications to clash with such opponents.
Liu Guanyi asked, "Then does the dragon race possess even stronger foes?"
"Yes!" Xu Ying answered. "The peak Eighth Dao Realm experts of the dragon race, judging purely by aura, are on par with the Holy Venerable in his prime, perhaps falling a fraction or two short of the Ancestral God. However, they fall far short of the Big Dragon as he is now."
Everyone's hearts sank. In his prime, the Supreme could trade blows head-on with the Ancestral God; although he suffered defeat, the Ancestral God had still been unable to slay him outright. And because the Ancestral God was a cosmic primordial spirit lacking a physical body, He fell a notch short of the Big Dragon in his prime.
Such beings could effortlessly crush Supreme and Wondrous Realm figures like them.
Master Dongshi muttered under his breath, "We're already on the ship. Even if we wanted to back out now, there's no way off."
Dan Xuanzi smiled and said, "I left an avatar back in the Earth Immortal Realm. I've always pondered a question: after I die, can an avatar survive on its own? It seems I will finally have an answer this time."
The others remained silent.
They had no path of retreat left.
The tiered ship sailed toward the emerald rock tiered ship. They would first rendezvous with the Ancestral God and the others to send Xu Ying off to the Heavenly Immortal Realm, before engaging the dragons aboard the other emerald rock in a fight to the death!
The distance between the tiered ship and the emerald rock tiered ship steadily shrank. The Ancestral God had clearly spotted them as well and was deliberately drawing closer. However, the dragon immortals on the other emerald rock were visibly stronger. Driving their emerald rock forward, they moved faster than the Ancestral God's group, intending to intercept Xu Ying's ship beforehand.
The Ancestral God and the opposing experts hurled divine powers across the void. Beams of divine power drifted sluggishly through the gelatinous zone, leaving behind radiant streaks of light.
Both sides' divine powers turned exceedingly slow within the gelatinous zone, yet their potency remained unchanged. Should an enemy's divine power draw near and detonate, the resulting devastation would undoubtedly be terrifying!
Engaged in a contest of wits and courage, they drew ever closer to the tiered ship carrying Xu Ying and his companions.
Xu Ying and the others could already make out the scene on the opposite emerald rock from afar. Atop that emerald rock stood an ancient immortal hall, bathed in swirling auroral light that made it appear as though set amidst candlelight.
Dragon immortals stood before the immortal hall, numbering around a hundred. Each cast forth divine powers, bombarding the Ancestral God's emerald rock tiered ship. While some among them were somewhat weaker, no fewer than ten possessed cultivation and strength comparable to Elder Long Dai!
Yet it took only three such experts to pin down the Ancestral God!
As for whether more experts lurked inside that immortal hall, there was no way for them to know.
Furthermore, an extraordinarily burly dragon immortal was currently pounding against the emerald rock beneath his feet, attempting to smash it into two halves so they could split their forces and pincer the ship.
Xu Ying shook his head. "With his strength, he could never break that emerald rock."
As they spoke, the two tiered ships had drawn very close. Between them, several sluggish divine powers swathed in gray mist were drifting across. They were so close that one could clearly see every structural detail of these Zangified divine powers.
Dao Master Luoxiao smiled. "Divine powers like these have simple structures. Dispelling them is trivial."
He channeled his divine power and attacked one of the other shore's divine powers, aiming to dismantle it.
"Do not approach!" Fairy Qiongtai's anxious cry drifted from the emerald rock tiered ship.
Even as she called out, the two divine powers collided. Dao Master Luoxiao was an existence of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo who had not severed his cultivation to restart in the new Dao, meaning his foundation remained intact.
The instant the two divine powers met, Luoxiao's divine power was instantly annihilated. The tremendous recoil caused blue veins to bulge along his arm and his muscles to twist violently, his fingers snapping backward one after another!
Meanwhile, the opposing divine power surged forward with abrupt acceleration, rushing straight toward him. What had appeared simple moments ago now revealed an incomparably ferocious edge, poised to obliterate Luoxiao on the spot!
Without a word, the Holy Venerable stepped across to shield Dao Master Luoxiao. Raising a hand, he reached forward, his palm quivering slightly as the space ahead contracted. He caught the other shore's divine power in his grasp and squeezed, detonating it by sheer force!
Even as it burst, only wisps of gray mist leaked through the gaps between his fingers, leaving the others untouched.
On the other side, the Far Ancestor Big Dragon waved his hand, causing the scattered divine powers between the two vessels to disintegrate into nothingness as he erased them.
Finally, the two ships drew together, coming alongside each other.
Xu Ying hoisted the Demon-Subduing Tripod and stepped aboard the emerald rock tiered ship, saying, "Last Lord, I have brought you this object..."
He froze slightly.
Aboard the emerald rock tiered ship, only the Last Lord of Ziwei, Fairy Qiongtai, the Demon Ancestor, and the Ancestral God remained. Only half of the Last Lord of Ziwei's body was left. Fairy Qiongtai had lost an arm, and her Sky-Measuring Ruler was battered and broken.
The Demon Ancestor slumped against the ship's railing, the Fusang Ancient Tree behind him reduced to nothing more than a stump.
Standing at the prow, the Ancestral God had shifted from his youthful form into an elderly state—his hair stark white, coughing incessantly, looking as though he had returned to the frail condition in which Xu Ying had first encountered Him.
All of them had essentially reached the end of their strength, their oil lamps burned to the wick.
He did not see Emperor Taihao, Daoist Taiqing, Daoist Yuxu, or any of the others.
Aboard the deck lay only coffins—the coffins of the Four Emperors: Taihao, Shaohao, Haoying, and Haohong. The corpses within were mostly broken and incomplete, devoid of any fluctuation of consciousness, chillingly cold.
There was also the battered Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace, punched clean through and discarded in a corner of the deck.
Xu Ying then caught sight of the Yuxu Fly-Whisk snapped in two, alongside the Taiji Diagram and Wuji Diagram pierced through by sharp implements.
"You retrieved it?" The Last Lord of Ziwei smiled. Propping himself up with both hands, his upper torso sat upright. "My lamp oil is nearly dry."
Xu Ying handed the Ziwei Demon-Subduing Tripod to him. He did not ask where the others had gone, choosing instead to mobilize the physical vitality within himself to treat the man's wounds.
Useless Qingxuan, the Holy Venerable, Jun Wudao, and the rest boarded the vessel, walking past Xu Ying. They mobilized their respective cave abysses, treating the wounded to help restore their cultivation as quickly as possible.
The Big Dragon also stepped aboard and said in a heavy voice, "Ah Ying, return to your own ship. There is nothing more for you to do here."
Old Ancestor Boshan and the others walked past Xu Ying. Boshan said with a smile, "Once this battle breaks out, it will surely shake the Heavenly Immortal Realm! By then, it will be too late for you to go there!"
"Quite so, quite so," Master Dongshi said, wagging his head with a grin. "Once we begin fighting, eradicate the dragon experts on that emerald rock, and seize it, those old fogies in the Dragon Court of the Heavenly Immortal Realm will be furious beyond measure. They will come running out to watch us wipe out their vanguard. When that happens, you won't have any chance to enter the Heavenly Immortal Realm."
Xu Ying nodded and slowly rose to his feet. "I'm off, then."
"Go on, go on!" they waved to him.
Xu Ying returned to the green tiered ship and waved back. "Take care."
"Take care," they replied with smiles.
Xu Ying steered the tiered ship away from the emerald rock tiered ship, dodging the stray divine powers drifting through the gelatinous zone as he set course for the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
The emerald rock carrying the dragon immortals immediately veered, giving chase after Xu Ying.
Aboard the emerald rock tiered ship, Useless Qingxuan's gaze fell upon Fairy Qiongtai. He walked over to heal her injuries. Meanwhile, the Far Ancestor Big Dragon stepped up beside the Ancestral God and suddenly threw back his head in thunderous laughter.
"Fellow Daoists! Let us charge! Cast—"
Spiritual light swirled around his form, cloaking the emerald rock tiered ship and propelling the ancient vessel forward.
The Holy Venerable surged his cultivation, activating nine Supreme cave abysses as he roared, "Cast!"
Nine Supreme cave abysses and nine Supreme Daos erupted in near-boiling fury!
Useless Qingxuan, Ten Discarded Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi, Jun Wudao, Dao Venerable Lü, and the rest all shouted in unison, "Cast—"
The speed of the emerald rock tiered ship surged tremendously, hurtling directly toward that colossal emerald rock. Atop that rock, the dragon immortals were just picking up speed to pursue Xu Ying's ship, completely unprepared for this emerald rock tiered ship to charge in from an angle, closing the gap in the blink of an eye!
"Little brats, do you still have dragon blood flowing in your veins?"
With a tremendous crash, the emerald rock tiered ship violently slammed into the giant boulder. Several dragon immortals, caught off guard, were smashed into pulpy mud!
The emerald rock tiered ship plowed straight through, knocking down dragon immortals along its path and sliding all the way to the front of the immortal hall before grinding to a halt.
The Far Ancestor Big Dragon took the lead, charging off the ship as ancient bloodline power dating back to primeval antiquity erupted from him. He roared, "Allow your old ancestor to awaken it for you!"
Within the dragon immortals atop the emerald rock, the ancient divine dragon blood began to boil, on the verge of having the memories carried within their blood awakened by him.
Those were memories rooted in dragon blood since primeval antiquity, the heritage of Dao methods passed down through generations of the dragon race!
Yet just as that bloodline power was about to awaken, the dragon immortals underwent Zangification one after another, completely suppressing the bloodline power and rendering it utterly ineffective!
The Far Ancestor Big Dragon let out an enraged roar and unleashed a punch, his innate indestructible spiritual light surging outward to engulf the entire immortal hall!
The Zangified dragon immortals bellowed furiously and unleashed their respective Dao methods. Instantly, cave abysses surfaced above their heads, colliding with the Far Ancestor's power!
In a flash, the gelatinous zone blazed with dazzling brilliance, the penetrating radiance illuminating the Earth Immortal Realm. That light even pierced through the breach in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, sending a radiant pillar of light into the Heavenly Immortal Realm and startling the dragons residing there.
The Holy Venerable, the Ancestral God, Useless Qingxuan, and the others leaped from the emerald rock tiered ship, charging past the Far Ancestor straight into the enemy ranks.
Ten Discarded Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi shouted, "Soldier to soldier, general to general! The Far Ancestor will take on their peak expert! Qingxuan, Holy Venerable, Jun Wudao, each pick an opponent! Dao Venerable Lü, Dao Lord Kuyang, you two team up against one! The rest of you, follow me!"
His gaze swept over Boshan, Dan Xuanzi, Yuan Ying, Dongshi, Luoxiao, Saint Luo, and the others, before lingering on the mad Yaoluo, his lips twitching faintly.
"Charge!"
Taking the lead, he rushed off the emerald rock tiered ship with a howling gale. Old Ancestor Boshan and the others followed close behind, leaving only the addled, raving Supreme Yaoluo on the tiered ship.
"Kill them all!" Jun Wudao's ecstatic voice rang out.
A torrent of killing intent surged, instantly turning the mountain-sized emerald rock into a gory slaughterhouse. Supreme Yaoluo remained on the emerald rock tiered ship, suddenly hopping to one side with a snicker. "Hey, I lost!"
Then he hopped to the other side, laughing aloud. "I am number one in the sword Dao..."
All at once, the overwhelming murderous aura crashed against him. Supreme Yaoluo froze, the fog in his mind gradually receding and his expression clearing. Battle cries echoed in his ears and the scent of blood filled his nostrils. He gazed around in bewilderment.
"This is... a battlefield? Qingxuan, the Holy Venerable, Jun Wudao! Have I returned to six hundred thousand years ago?"
He looked upon the unfamiliar enemies, battle intent blazing in his chest. This was not six hundred thousand years ago, but a new foe!
"How could the Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous be complete without me, Yaoluo?"
His blood surged. Charging down from the ship, he plunged into the enemy host as sword radiance flared, illuminating millions of miles around.
Chapter 678