Mingman hurried to keep pace with Xu Ying as they walked out of the city, grumbling in dissatisfaction, "Little Master, the dragons of Ziqing City are far too open-minded. We haven't encountered a single challenge since arriving here."
Xu Ying cast a backward glance in the direction Former Emperor Ming Xun had departed and chuckled. "If you want to improve, focus first on mastering the Record of Heavenly Martial Dao Realization I taught you. That technique was founded by a Dragon Martial Dao Emperor! Pair that with cultivating various cave abysses, and your cultivation and strength will advance by leaps and bounds!"
Mingman's eyes sparkled. During their few days recuperating at Qingping Temple, Xu Ying had imparted the ultimate martial art of Heavenly Martial Dao Realization to her. The art had offered immense inspiration for Xu Ying's own Martial Extreme Dao Realization, and Mingman's progress in martial arts had been remarkably swift since taking it up. She was itching to find someone to pummel right away.
Only after they were gone did Former Emperor Ming Xun reveal himself, murmuring in astonishment, "How is this girl's cultivation rising so fast?"
When he had encountered Mingman last time, her cultivation realm was still faint and fragile, yet now she could rival dragon immortals of the fourth- or fifth-fold Dao scenery!
Moreover, she was cultivating six kinds of cave abysses, each harboring a distinct Great Dao!
Former Emperor Ming Xun even sensed that brand-new cave abysses were currently taking shape within her body!
Such cultivation speed and methodology lay completely beyond his understanding.
"That barbarian grandson-in-law truly has some ability."
His gaze fell upon Xu Ying, suddenly finding him far more agreeable to the eye.
Nevertheless, the "barbarian grandson-in-law's" own growth in cultivation was no trivial matter either, even if it had not matched Princess Mingman's dramatic leap in scale.
Mingman had started from a low baseline, so her cultivation had nearly doubled. Over these past few days, Xu Ying had only grown by roughly ten percent. But that ten percent was an increase atop his original foundation!
Cultivating to Xu Ying's current stage already enabled him to defeat the vast majority of dragon elders; only a handful of figures like Fu Qianqiu could best him.
To possess such an immense foundation without yet stepping into the eighth-fold Dao Realm, and still achieve such an astonishing advance in a mere matter of days, drew genuine admiration even from Former Emperor Ming Xun.
"The barbarian grandson-in-law guided me to seek the Heavenly Dao hidden within vegetation, awakening me with a single sentence,"
Former Emperor Ming Xun murmured softly. "He is exceptional enough for me to lay aside racial prejudice. Even if he is a human barbarian, he is worthy of being my grandson-in-law. For a fool like Mingdao to father such a daughter, he really struck it lucky!"
His figure faded away, melting into the world without leaving a single trace.
Back when he battled True King Cang Zhu, he had been wounded by Cang Zhu and forced to flee, barely escaping with his life at the cost of grievous injuries.
It was precisely then that he recalled Xu Ying's words, and in the depths of his grave wounds, he sought out the Heavenly Dao harbored within the subterranean immortal plants, finally attaining enlightenment.
He had already possessed extraordinary attainment in the Heavenly Dao of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, capable of using his own magic power to form an underground Heavenly Dao domain and contend against the Emerald Rock to this day. Comprehending the Heavenly Dao residing within the immortal flora was naturally second nature to him.
Not only did he heal the Dao injuries inflicted by True King Cang Zhu, but his cultivation and strength took another step forward. That was why, without ever raising a hand, he had been able to reduce the personal Dao of a supreme master like Fu Qianqiu—a figure capable of defeating the Holy Venerable—into drifting ash!
Unbeknownst to anyone, Former Emperor Ming Xun's Dao attainment had advanced once more!
All of this was owed to Xu Ying's brief pointer, which had subtly transformed Former Emperor Ming Xun's opinion of him, making him deem the youth worthy of being his grandson-in-law.
Overcoming racial bias was an extraordinarily rare feat for a proud, stubborn old dragon.
The next city ahead was Jinque. Along the way, Xu Ying and Mingman had surprisingly met no pursuers at all. As they drew near Jinque City, however, the outskirts were littered everywhere with mountains punched through by divine powers and cracked, ruptured earth. Patches of land had been reduced to scorched soil, and other shore supreme treasures the size of small hills stood thrust into the ground or lodged atop peaks.
As Xu Ying and Mingman walked past, they saw a dragon immortal hanging from a spear shaft, the weapon driven through his shoulder blade and pinning him to an ancient divine tree. The dragon immortal's head drooped, blood dripping down pat-pat-pat, yet he was still breathing, clinging to life.
On a nearby cliff face, six or seven dragon immortals were embedded into the stone wall, some upside down, some upright, some horizontal or slanted.
The two continued forward and came across a cave abyss that had been blasted through. Nearly half destroyed, it still spun with a roaring whoosh, radiating alarming Dao force.
The master of the cave abyss lay sprawled in front of it, his eyes blank, staring lifelessly toward the sky.
In the distance, a ship stood rammed vertically into the earth. The stern bore the distinct indentations of a massive hand, as though a giant had seized the vessel and hurled it violently downward.
As for the passengers on board, they had vanished without a trace.
Mingman glanced left and right, muttering, "Could someone have invaded the Dragon Court?"
Just then, the resounding Dao tone of erupting divine powers echoed from up ahead. The two swiftly picked up their pace and dashed forward. Along the way, hundreds—perhaps thousands—of young dragon immortals lay sprawled where an unknown attacker had struck them down: some spread-eagled, others dangling from branches, every one of them in a pitiful state.
When they reached the place where the Dao tone had exploded, they saw a dragon elder sent flying by a punch from a burly, muscular dragon man. With a tremendous crash, the elder slammed into the city gates of Jinque City.
The gatehouse and gate tower shattered into flying debris!
Blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, the dragon elder shot skyward from the ruins, glaring fixedly at the bearded brute. Yet he dared not attack, crying out in fury, "Man Kongming, you have committed an outrageous crime! Injuring so many dragon experts and even daring to strike an elder—the Dragon Court will surely sentence you to death!"
The hulking man roared with laughter. "Once I defeat Xu Ying, the Dragon Emperor will grant me four cave abysses and enfeoff me as Marquis Man! Who dares sentence me to death?"
Xu Ying studied the giant with curious eyes, thoroughly astonished. *Seventh-fold Dao Realm? The Heavenly Immortal Realm actually has an opponent capable of rivaling me?*
He was genuinely taken aback. He had assumed he would encounter no peers at his level throughout this journey, never expecting to run into someone of comparable standing today.
*What he cultivates is... the Supreme Dao!*
Xu Ying grew even more surprised. Daoist Wukong had comprehended a fragmented Supreme Dao to realize the Leakless Golden Body, running rampant across the Three Realms. Who could have imagined that someone in the Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivated the Supreme Dao as well?
"The dragon race truly does possess geniuses," Xu Ying chuckled to Mingman. "Just a tiny bit behind us master and disciple."
Mingman gave a silent thumbs-up in her heart. *My barbarian master's words are as infuriating as ever. My attainment in the Leakless Golden Body is far behind his.*
Man Kongming's gaze swept over, his voice booming like thunder. "Xu Ying? You are the barbarian Xu Ying? You cultivate the Supreme Dao?"
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "I cultivate far more than just the Supreme Dao. There is also the Martial Dao, Taiji, Wuji..."
Before he could finish, Man Kongming strode toward him, grinning broadly. "No need to blather! All those dragon fools who dreamed of challenging you have already been beaten down by me. This fool of an elder tried to stop me, so I gave him a thrashing too."
Xu Ying said, "My thanks."
Excitement flared in Man Kongming's eyes as he suddenly charged forward, unleashing a mighty fist with a roar: "No thanks needed! They were merely a bunch of lackeys—I am your true opponent!"
*Boom!*
The moment his fist struck, the air between heaven and earth seemed completely drained in an instant. Space warped under immense compression, stacked upon itself, and instantly shattered!
Accompanied by a resonant Dao tone, the vision of a burial-transformed ancient god manifested behind Man Kongming—the shadowy silhouette of an Immortal being from the other shore, the Master of the Taishang Cave Abyss!
Xu Ying stood rooted to the spot without moving. The space before him suddenly extended infinitely, pulling the distance between himself and Man Kongming far apart.
Standing beside him, Princess Mingman watched as the peak of Man Kongming's fist crushed through countless layers of space, unstoppable as splitting bamboo. With a deafening boom, the fist—massive as a small hill—slammed directly onto Xu Ying's body!
The instant the blow struck Xu Ying, a Taishang Cave Abyss abruptly manifested above Man Kongming's head. The ancient, magnificent cave abyss rotated while three equally ancient cave abysses drifted around it, anchored by the Taishang Cave Abyss as they collectively bolstered Man Kongming!
The power of his fist doubled. The moment it crashed into Xu Ying, golden light erupted brilliantly from Xu Ying's entire body, driving his Leakless Golden Body to its absolute limit!
From the side, Princess Mingman witnessed the horrifying shockwave of the divine power burst from between the fist and Xu Ying's Leakless Golden Body, slicing toward her.
The shockwave resembled an impossibly sharp blade, threatening to carve her into countless thin slivers!
Yet even as those razor-sharp edges slashed toward her, the space between her and Xu Ying continuously multiplied and expanded. Though they were separated by mere inches, an endless chasm seemed to stretch between them!
By the time the force of Man Kongming's strike reached the edge of her hair and skin, it had been completely exhausted, dissipating into nothing.
Princess Mingman's voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Heavenly Universe Dao Realization? Master, I want to learn that!"
Man Kongming drew back his fist, his expression turning solemn. For Xu Ying to take his strike head-on with the Leakless Golden Body proved the power of Xu Ying's Supreme Dao was formidable indeed.
A thin trail of blood leaked from the corner of Xu Ying's lips, but he paid it no mind, smiling. "You are named Man Kongming? Very good. You are the first opponent worth mentioning that I have encountered since entering the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Now, it is my turn."
Man Kongming roared, circulating his profound art and mobilizing every shred of power to shield himself, shouting, "You took a punch from me, good! I will take one from you!"
He sank his feet into a horse stance. "Come!"
Without moving his feet, Xu Ying threw a straight punch. As the fist shot forward, heaven and earth spun; surrounding space warped and distorted, and the peak of his fist arrived directly before Man Kongming!
*Boom!*
Behind Xu Ying, thirty-six cave abysses of varying sizes leapt out simultaneously. Some were merely of the third- or fourth-fold Dao Realm, while the highest reached the sixth- or seventh-fold, far from attaining the eighth-fold level.
Yet as these cave abysses rotated, Xu Ying's power rose step by step, surging to its absolute pinnacle the very moment his fist landed on Man Kongming!
Though Man Kongming was shocked by the sheer ferocity of Xu Ying's punch, he remained motionless, thinking, *He doesn't know that I had already stepped into the eighth-fold Dao Realm. Even though I severed my realm, my physical cultivation remains intact...*
The instant Xu Ying's fist struck his body, a savagely domineering force invaded his flesh, blasting through his seven-fold Dao Realm and tearing out through his back!
A massive fissure resembling the Taishang Cave Abyss ripped open across the back of his heart, deep enough to expose bone.
Man Kongming swayed, his face filled with utter disbelief.
"The Supreme Dao has a flaw. I knew this long ago, and I have found it,"
Xu Ying walked over to his side, speaking apologetically. "My victory over you was somewhat unfair. Had you cultivated a different cave abyss, I would not have defeated you so easily."
Man Kongming fell to his knees, propping himself up with both hands as he coughed up mouthfuls of blood, struggling to suppress his injuries. Turning his head, he asked, "Why do you have no flaw?"
Xu Ying smiled. "I have a friend named Daoist Wukong. He already patched this flaw."
Man Kongming grunted, "That golden-haired monkey? The last time he came to the Heavenly Immortal Realm, he was beaten half to death..."
Xu Ying replied, "It was precisely that time that he completed the Supreme Dao, leaving the Leakless Golden Body without a single loophole."
Man Kongming coughed up another mouthful of blood.
It was during Daoist Wukong's rampage through the Heavenly Immortal Realm that Man Kongming had clashed with him, breaking through the shackles of the seventh-fold Dao Realm to reach the eighth fold and become an elder-tier figure.
He had never imagined that Daoist Wukong would perceive the flaw in the Supreme Dao through that very battle and patch it, whereas Man Kongming, despite raising his realm, had retained the flaw, leading directly to this defeat.
Seeing his despondence, Xu Ying said, "You are actually not weak at all. Back when I first arrived in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, I didn't possess strength like yours."
Man Kongming's eyes brightened. "Truly?"
Mingman chimed in with a laugh, "He's lying to you! My master didn't undergo burial-transformation. Had he burial-transformed, he still would have pummeled you to death. He's just giving you a way to save face—don't take it seriously!"
Man Kongming let out a muffled groan and vomited another mouthful of blood.
Xu Ying praised, "Wanming truly understands my heart. To tell you the truth, your master once had a dear friend named Qi who was cultured and well-mannered. He often taught me that winning is fine, but you must always leave the other person a way to step down gracefully so everyone keeps face."
Mingman nodded repeatedly, completely agreeing.
Right then, a jeweled carriage drawn by four divine dragons approached at an unhurried pace, coming to a halt in midair. Several dragon maidens carrying flower baskets drifted lightly forward, scattering petals along the way. Melodious music chimed like trickling springs, and to the rhythm, Imperial Son Mingxi floated up from the carriage, stepping upon the drifting petals as he walked lightly toward them.
"Man Kongming, do you now realize how vast the gap is between you and me?"
Imperial Son Mingxi advanced until he stood before Xu Ying and Man Kongming, his feet never touching the ground. The petals whirled upward beneath him, lifting him aloft like a blooming flower. He smiled and said, "From beginning to end, that flaw existed within your art. The reason I never targeted it during our numerous clashes was to lull you into complacency, ensuring you would never perceive your own weakness. In that way, your life and death remained firmly in my grasp. I never cared about victory or defeat against you, yet I controlled your very survival. Tell me, how vast is the gap between you and me?"
Hearing this, Princess Mingman whispered, "That's my brother. I never realized he was so wicked..."
Xu Ying asked, "Is your brother formidable?"
Princess Mingman said, "He's been formidable since childhood. Whatever I tried to learn, I could never pick it up, but whatever he touched, he mastered in an instant!"
Xu Ying felt a jolt of vigilance in his heart. Imperial Son Mingxi was essentially a Mingman who had mastered every manner of immortal technique!
After thoroughly crushing Man Kongming's confidence, Imperial Son Mingxi turned his gaze to Xu Ying. His eyes lingered on Princess Mingman for only a brief glance before sliding away.
He had not recognized Mingman.
At present, Mingman appeared as a young human girl, bright and lovely, bearing the naive charm of youth, completely devoid of her former dragon maiden form.
Imperial Son Mingxi's gaze settled upon Xu Ying's array of cave abysses. He said with a faint smile, "The Taiyi Great Dao. You also cultivate the Taiyi Great Dao. Presumably, you discovered the wonders of the Taiyi Great Dao and planned to use Taiyi as your foundation while using other Great Daos as support, which is why you cultivate so many paths. Though a barbarian, you possess a clever head and have embarked upon a proper path."
Xu Ying looked him up and down and remarked, "You cultivate the Taiyi Great Dao as well? However, you misjudged on one point: the Taiyi Great Dao is not the foundation of my cultivation. My foundation is the Martial Dao."
"Martial Dao?"
Hearing this, Imperial Son Mingxi burst into laughter. "There is no such thing as a Martial Dao in this world! The Martial Dao is merely an acquired Great Dao, not innate! It is a Dao created by humans and demons! Compared to innate Great Daos like Taiyi, Creation, Karma, and Cosmic Light, an acquired Great Dao is nothing more than the flicker of a firefly."
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "Yet the Martial Dao can reverse the innate, using the acquired to command the innate!"
"Utter nonsense,"
Imperial Son Mingxi sneered. "An acquired Great Dao can reverse the innate? By that logic, can a barbarian defeat his master? You have a rebel bone at the back of your head!"
Xu Ying replied leisurely, "It isn't that I have a rebel bone at the back of my head. In fact, in my entire body, not a single bone was set straight."
Chapter 689