Xu Ying turned around to look, only to see Elder Yu approaching with a dark expression, walking at an unhurried pace. As he walked, the ancient god Primordial Spirit behind him drove the Wheel of Zaohua.
Grey mist swirled around him as he rapidly underwent burial transformation, his body growing taller and taller.
One burial-transformed Elder Yu after another emerged from the Wheel of Zaohua, stepping down one by one in ever-increasing numbers.
Xu Ying gave a faint smile. "Elder Yu, your ghost really refuses to disperse. To think you could even track me down where I'm hiding."
Elder Yu had only stumbled upon this place by chance. Noticing the ground violently undulating, he had known something momentous must be happening underground, never expecting to run right into Xu Ying.
"This is your luck turning to ill omen—bringing about your own destruction."
With a thought from Elder Yu, copies of himself rose and fell in motion, surrounding Xu Ying on all sides.
The subterranean commotion grew even greater, stirring up even the thick layers of Dao ash buried deep underground. Faintly, beams of Dao light penetrated from below the earth, their radiance illuminating the firmament and piercing right through the sky!
A few of the Elder Yus were unfortunate enough to be standing directly above that brilliance; they instantly disintegrated within the light, reduced to bare skeletons in the blink of an eye, and in the next instant, even the bones dissolved into the Dao light!
Both Xu Ying and Elder Yu felt a chill in their hearts. This Dao light was the brilliance formed by two suspected Immortality Realm beings clashing—their respective Great Daos mutually counteracting, their divine powers colliding and annihilating each other. It was indestructible, utterly terrifying!
Suddenly the earth bulged upward as if the earth's lungs were venting. Accompanied by howling torrents of air, several more beams of Dao light broke through the layer of Dao ash, shooting straight into the sky.
The earth beneath Xu Ying split open. He immediately shifted his position, and an apocalyptic beam of Dao light brushed right past him.
Right at that moment, all the Elder Yus lunged at him simultaneously, each executing different Creation divine powers to attack him!
Xu Ying halted his motion, spiritual light whirling around him as it soared into the sky. A forest of Dao trees instantly formed in midair, various Great Daos shuttling between the trees to cast radiant clouds of multicolored light.
With his head down and feet up, wielding the Great Dao in reverse, Xu Ying turned a blind eye to the other attacking Elder Yus and thrust both palms forward. Ten thousand Daos resonated in unison, his palm force incomparably majestic, surging straight toward Elder Yu's ancient god Primordial Spirit!
The Eight Immortality Methods: All Daos!
Behind the head of that ancient god Primordial Spirit, the gigantic Wheel of Zaohua spun, and more Yu Lingcais continuously rushed out from the wheel to meet Xu Ying's palm strike.
The horde of Elder Yus combined their power, but immediately, snapping crunches of breaking bones rang out. One after another, the bodies of creation bled profusely from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses, suffering devastating injuries.
Elder Yu's true body was shocked. Abandoning his concealment, he immediately thrust out both palms as well, bolstering those creation bodies to resist Xu Ying's All Daos divine power.
Their respective cave abysses operated frantically. Xu Ying broke into a smile as a Creation Cave Abyss rose slowly behind him, forming his eighth cave abyss.
The moment this Creation Cave Abyss appeared, his cultivation surged once more, overwhelming Elder Yu with crushing force.
Among Elder Yu's creation bodies, some had all their limbs snapped by colossal force, some had their waists bent backward until their heads touched the soles of their feet, some spiraled into the sky and were twisted into pretzels by rotational Dao force, some were blown apart by thunder and fire, some were corroded by Kuishui water, and some were incinerated to ash!
All sorts of deaths manifested in every conceivable manner. Elder Yu's true body was heavily wounded as well; spitting blood, he staggered back, shocked and furious. Only a few days had passed, yet Xu Ying's cultivation and magic power were already above his!
Not only was Xu Ying above him, but he had even cultivated the exact same Creation Mysterious Technique, and had attained an extremely high realm in it!
In just a few short days, Xu Ying had mastered the Creation Mysterious Technique, seemingly advancing it to the fifth or even sixth heaven of the Dao realm.
"However, without burial transformation, you cannot obtain the true essence of the Creation Mysterious Technique!"
He mobilized his Primordial Spirit with all his might to meet Xu Ying's All Daos divine power.
*Boom!*
The ancient god Primordial Spirit collided with Xu Ying's palm force. A vast and profound will surged along the Primordial Spirit toward Xu Ying—the ancient god's will!
This will was the second time Xu Ying had encountered a will capable of clashing with the Zhuxian sword intent. Flowing along the Primordial Spirit's palm force, it sought to obliterate Xu Ying's will!
When Xu Ying had faced Cang Jue last time, he had sensed that the ancient god Primordial Spirit cultivated from Cang Jue's Five Candles Burning the Heavens Technique also harbored a terrifying ancient god's will.
That had been his first encounter with an ancient god's will since entering the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
Elder Yu's cultivation was inferior to Xu Ying's, and his divine powers were not as exquisite as the Eight Immortality Methods. The only thing that could defeat Xu Ying now was this ancient god's will.
Elder Yu had sensed this will ever since he began cultivating the Creation Mysterious Technique; after burial transformation, this technique could temper one's will to become stronger and stronger, potent enough to even affect reality!
His Dao methods and cultivation could not beat Xu Ying, but the ancient god's will would surely wipe out Xu Ying's will. When that time came, once this tiny barbarian's mind was destroyed, he would be at his mercy!
Xu Ying remained unflustered in the face of crisis. Monolithic killing intent surged forth, transforming at his fingertips into an unparalleled Zhuxian sword intent that charged straight at the ancient god Primordial Spirit's will.
This sword strike advanced with unstoppable momentum, piercing through the ancient god's will. The world-extinguishing killing intent shattered the ancient god's will, and as the sword light flashed past, the five fingers of that ancient god Primordial Spirit went flying, the sword beam piercing straight through the space between its brows!
*Whoosh!*
The sword light exited from the back of the ancient god Primordial Spirit's head and stabbed into the massive Wheel of Zaohua. The sword intent exploded, and the Wheel of Zaohua instantly collapsed and annihilated, dissolving into a mass of creation vapors.
Yet the killing intent of Xu Ying's strike had not flown out with the sword intent. Instead, the moment it pierced into the brain of the ancient god Primordial Spirit, it traced the ancient god's will, driving that world-extinguishing killing intent straight toward the source of the ancient god's will!
"I'd like to see just which expert from the other shore intends to harvest the Heavenly Immortal Realm!"
As this sword struck forth, ten thousand Daos fell silent; no divine power or Dao method could withstand it—it was utterly exhilarating!
Right then, Xu Ying felt the Zhuxian sword intent suddenly strike something solid. The sword intent halted abruptly, and in the next instant, it was annihilated!
Xu Ying's hair stood on end. He instantly sensed an even vaster, more profound will tracing back along his sword intent, searching for him. "This will is vastly stronger than the sword intent I cultivated!" He flew backward, only a single thought in his mind: leave this place immediately—do not linger for a second!
Xu Ying turned around and drove the Ultimate Intent Ease Technique, transforming into a streak of rainbow light that boomed across the sky. Behind his head, the eight cave abysses, originally aligned in a row, were pulled taut into a straight line, separated by thousands of li, whistling and spinning as they rushed forward!
Princess Mingman, who had been floating within the Martial Dao Cave Abyss watching the battle, was suddenly hurled deep into the cave abyss. With a smack, she plastered against the Pinnacle of Martial Dao, pinned firmly against it by the tremendous inertia, unable to budge.
Her eyes rolled around. Within the Martial Dao Cave Abyss, every phantom of Xu Ying was sprinting at full tilt, moving like fleeting light and passing shadows!
Those were Xu Ying's ultimate martial intents. Originally drilling martial moves, every single one of them was now sprinting for dear life. Evidently, her young barbarian teacher had converted his ultimate martial intent into an ultimate escape intent!
"So this is the true lineage of our sect!" Princess Mingman was both startled and delighted.
At that moment, clanging sounds rang out as a big bell actually flew in reverse, rushing outward.
Princess Mingman froze in surprise. "A... a magic treasure forged from indestructible spiritual light."
Although that big bell had been refined to supreme treasure tier, its magic power was not quite up to par. After struggling to charge forward for a moment, *clang!*—it smacked against the Pinnacle of Martial Dao alongside her. It wriggled a few times, completely immobilized.
"Who are you...?" Mingman asked in great curiosity.
"Call me Master Bell," the big bell said. "Or you can call me Martial Uncle Bell."
Elder Yu's ancient god Primordial Spirit had taken Xu Ying's sword of extinction; cracks spread across its surface, sword qi spraying out in all directions as it verged on total collapse.
Right then, darkness welled up in the ancient god Primordial Spirit's eyes, engulfing its pupils until they turned pure black.
"Daoist Tongtian's sword intent?"
Dao language of the other shore issued from the mouth of the ancient god Primordial Spirit, leaving Elder Yu frozen in place, paralyzed with shock.
He had never dreamed that one day, another will that did not belong to him would reside inside his own Primordial Spirit.
This discovery made his flesh creep.
Where did this will come from? Why would it appear inside his Primordial Spirit?
Why was he unable to control his own Primordial Spirit right now?
The ancient god Primordial Spirit strode in the direction Xu Ying had fled, murmuring to itself, "Are you a disciple of Daoist Tongtian? Could it be that Daoist Tongtian hails from this realm?"
Elder Yu struggled to his feet and shouted, "What monster dares invade my Primordial Spirit—"
Before he could finish, the ancient god Primordial Spirit raised its right hand and clenched it tightly. *Bang!* Elder Yu's physical body exploded, followed by an unbroken barrage of bangs as Elder Yu's remaining creation bodies exploded one after another.
Flesh and blood flew across the sky, then converged into one place, swirling to form a wheel of flesh and blood.
The Dao Wheel of Zaohua.
The ancient god Primordial Spirit accelerated faster and faster. Suddenly crouching on its right leg, it exerted full force and sprinted!
"Daoist Tongtian, I have found your roots!"
*Boom!*
It tore through the sky.
Xu Ying sensed a figure rapidly closing in from behind, its speed even greater than his own. Without hesitation, he summoned his Primordial Spirit and leaped onto its shoulder.
His Martial Dao Primordial Spirit was vastly larger than his physical form, standing around a thousand zhang tall. Sprinting at full tilt, its speed was not the least bit slower than his true body.
"Master Bell, I can't hold it off this time—lend me a hand!"
The moment his voice fell, radiant light swirled around the big bell next to Princess Mingman. With a resonant vibration, *buzz, buzz, buzz*, a succession of cave abysses surged out from within the bell.
Bolstered by the cave abysses, the big bell whistled into the air and charged outward.
Princess Mingman was dumbfounded. "This Martial Uncle Bell is actually a cultivator too! But... but it's clearly a bell!"
This scene completely overturned her understanding of reality. Even as an imperial daughter, she had never witnessed anything so absurd.
The big bell flew out of the Martial Dao Cave Abyss and promptly inverted itself over Xu Ying to shield him.
With its support, Xu Ying's cultivation surged dramatically. He immediately mobilized his magic power to recall each of the cave abysses trailing behind him, channeled Martial Ultimate Attains Dao, and spurred the Zhuxian sword intent, transforming that supreme extinction sword intent into a beam of sword light aimed directly at the pursuer!
None of his other divine powers—whether Opening Earth, All Heavens, Dragon Dance, or All Daos, Years, and Reincarnation—could contend against that ancient god's will.
Only the Zhuxian sword intent possessed a will of equal caliber, making it the only power capable of holding the entity at bay.
This sword strike struck out with even greater ferocity than before—the strongest sword Xu Ying could currently muster!
The moment the sword intent flew forth, the cave abysses cultivated by the big bell also spun frantically, pouring roaring magic power into the strike. Empowered by the might of two great masters, the sword qi cleaved across the skies and stretched for ten thousand li, colliding with the charging ancient god Primordial Spirit!
*Crack!*
The sword qi, carrying the high hopes of one man and one bell, blew apart. The ancient god Primordial Spirit's will surged counter to the sword qi, heading straight for Xu Ying!
Xu Ying fought desperately to drive the Zhuxian sword intent against that terrifying will, pushing the sword intent to its utter limit. The big bell spun at high speed, various bodhimandas unfolding from its walls to envelop Xu Ying and bolster his cultivation and strength.
And yet, it still could not stop the onslaught.
"Lord Sword!"
Xu Ying roared, straining with everything he had to elevate his sword intent, driving it to the absolute peak.
All of a sudden, he felt his sword heart become crystalline and clear. The space-time barrier separating the Heavenly and Earth Immortal Realms seemed to shatter. An emerald-green sword beam mirrored into the sea of consciousness between his brows, resonating across immeasurable space-time with his sword heart.
In the next instant, monstrous sword intent erupted from Xu Ying's forehead, sweeping forth with crushing momentum, piercing the surging ancient god's will in a split second!
The shattered ancient god's will attempted to coalesce once more, but the Sword Dao condensed from that sword intent erupted at that precise moment. It was as if countless infinitesimally fine rays of Sword Dao light shuttled through the air, completely obliterating every piece of the broken will!
The monstrous sword intent charged straight at the ancient god Primordial Spirit. A brilliant flash dazzled the Heavenly Immortal Realm, illuminating half the sky.
*Ch-ch-ch!*
The ground behind the ancient god Primordial Spirit cracked continuously. Sword intent was formless, but after splitting the ancient god Primordial Spirit open, the Sword Dao still manifested as leaking sword qi.
Under the sword qi's impact, the ground tore open for thousands of li before the force finally dissipated.
Yet within the canyon forged across the earth, remnants of the Zhuxian sword intent lingered, likely never to dissipate for thousands or tens of thousands of years.
After that sword intent passed, the ancient god Primordial Spirit abruptly froze in place, stiff and motionless.
"Daoist Tongtian, what magnificent swordplay!"
It uttered a sigh of praise. Suddenly, a bright light appeared at the center of its brow, cleaving down through its body from top to bottom. Extinction sword intent erupted immediately, tearing it to shreds and severing the will that had descended from another universe's space-time!
The terrifying will issued an unwilling sigh and was forced to withdraw.
With lingering fear, Xu Ying steadied his mind and said, "Thank you for the hand, Lord Sword!"
Within his sea of consciousness, that emerald-green Zhuxian sword gradually faded, severing its connection to him.
At the same time, in the Earth Immortal Realm's Ancestral Court, on the desolate plain outside Biyou Palace, the Zhuxian broken sword stood upright between heaven and earth. Its vast sword qi had leveled the surrounding mountains, leaving no one daring to reside here.
Ever since returning from the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, this sword had changed color to emerald green and had swaggered about arrogantly for a while. Yet it had soon found things dull, as no one dared provoke it or let it test its blade!
In the end, it could only return to its native soil and hang upside down.
Right at this moment, the Zhuxian broken sword suddenly sensed something. Its blade hummed and vibrated, and the overflowing sword qi swept away cloud vapors across ten thousand li, instantly leaving ten thousand li of clear sky.
*Whoosh!*
The broken sword vanished from heaven and earth, leaving behind only an incomparably bright sword light that streaked across the horizon!
The crowd within Biyou Palace streamed out one after another, looking up into the sky. They saw the brilliant sword qi travel straight from the wilderness through the skies of the Earth Immortal Realm, entering the starry cosmos and heading straight for the gelatinous zone!
Once it reached the gelatinous zone, the sword light extended for tens of thousands of li. Only then did the sword light in the Earth Immortal Realm begin to fade, followed by the fading of the light in the cosmos.
All that remained was the emerald-green sword light in the gelatinous zone, growing shorter and shorter as it crept toward the Heavenly Immortal Realm. It traveled sluggishly, even a bit slower than experts of the Earth and Heavenly Immortal Realms steering Emerald Rocks. For it to traverse the gelatinous zone and arrive at the Heavenly Immortal Realm would likely take more than ten days.
Like a tiny bug, the Zhuxian broken sword struggled forward, stubbornly insisting on reaching the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
Its journey to the Heavenly Immortal Realm was not for Xu Ying's sake; rather, the moment it had clashed with that Immortal's will from the other shore, it had detected clues to the whereabouts of its master, Sword Master Tongtian, from the opponent's lingering will.
That Immortal's will had been fragmented, leaving only floating remnants of memories. It had called itself the True King of Creation.
Within its memories were many negative feelings regarding Sword Master Tongtian; it was likely an enemy of Sword Master Tongtian.
However, the True King of Creation had addressed Sword Master Tongtian as Daoist Tongtian. The Zhuxian broken sword was going to the Heavenly Immortal Realm to search for more clues about Sword Master Tongtian.
*Find that brat Xu Ying, team up with him to track down those bizarre True King wills, kill them off, collect more fragments, and piece them together. Then I can find even more clues about Master.*
Chapter 685