Emperor Mingdao watched Xu Ying depart. After pondering for a long time, he murmured in a low voice, "Xu, Dao Ancestor of the New Dao? To be able to guide Man'er to her current level in such a short time, this New Dao is indeed extraordinary. As for this marriage... it is not entirely out of the question..."
Suddenly, he sensed two extraordinarily potent auras surging between heaven and earth. The Dao methods being invoked were obscure and profound, even causing aberrant fluctuations in the Great Daos of heaven and earth!
Emperor Mingdao's heart stirred, and with a sudden flicker of his form, he vanished from the Dragon Court imperial capital!
"These two auras belong to my old stubborn father and True King Cangzhu!"
Emperor Mingxun was his father. Back then, this dragon emperor had sent him aboard the last World-Crossing Golden Ship while choosing to stay behind himself, determined to live and die alongside the Three Realms. After weathering countless perils, Emperor Mingdao returned with the surviving clansmen, only to find the world desolate and unrecognizable, the entire Heavenly Immortal Realm submerged beneath a thousand li of Dao ash. Believing Emperor Mingxun had perished, he became the new generation's Dragon Emperor with the backing of the clansmen from the ship.
Yet over the ensuing millions of years, Emperor Mingdao repeatedly sensed someone watching him from the shadows. Whenever he went out to search, he never found any trace of the watcher.
He had once searched all across the Heavenly Immortal Realm, yet never found so much as a shadow of Emperor Mingxun.
Rumors of Emperor Mingxun nevertheless circulated within the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Some claimed to have encountered the Retired Emperor in the mist, disfigured beyond recognition; whenever someone mentioned Emperor Mingdao to him, the Retired Emperor would always call him a vile creature, seemingly filled with resentment toward him.
Later, Emperor Mingdao led his court officials in a meticulous search for his father's whereabouts, and sure enough, they uncovered clues left in his wake. Astonishingly, this Retired Emperor appeared to be plotting a restoration—seeking to alter the Great Daos of heaven and earth to restore them to the primordial era.
This was something Emperor Mingdao naturally could never tolerate, and he foiled Emperor Mingxun's schemes several times.
From that point on, the shadow watcher disappeared, never coming to observe him again.
Speeding like wind and lightning, Emperor Mingdao headed toward the bitter cold of the Myriad Dragon Nest. His heart was conflicted; he hardly knew how to face this father of his.
The father of the past had been a hero, but the father of today was obstinate and willful, capable of bringing total ruin upon the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
When he arrived at the Myriad Dragon Nest, he indeed saw True King Cangzhu transformed into a nine-headed evolved divine dragon, locked in combat with Emperor Mingxun. Both were among the supreme powerhouses of the present age, possessing monstrous combat strength and divine powers and Daos that reached unfathomable heights.
Fortunately, their battle took place near the Myriad Dragon Nest. Otherwise, it would have inevitably wrought devastation upon countless lives; even Dao Realm eighth-layer elders would have struggled to withstand the shockwaves of their divine powers.
Emperor Mingdao hesitated for a moment and was about to charge forward to stop them when he suddenly noticed another figure also watching the battle between True King Cangzhu and Emperor Mingxun. His heart gave a jolt.
That figure was quite tall, around four to five zhang in height, naturally possessing a physique akin to an ancient god. His form resembled a human's, yet was far sturdier, his sinewy frame seemingly harboring boundless divine strength.
Yet this outsider exuded an air of scholarly refinement, as though deeply learned and well-versed in the classics.
The outsider was also observing the fight, looking rather puzzled by the Dao methods used by the two combatants, a frown of perplexity on his face!
"Lu Yiren!"
Emperor Mingdao was astonished. *What is he doing here?*
Lu Yiren noticed his arrival as well and bowed slightly from afar in greeting. Emperor Mingdao returned the gesture, his mind unsettled: *All passage between the Heavenly Immortal Realm and the Earth Immortal Realm has been severed. How could he have entered the Heavenly Immortal Realm?*
Lu Yiren walked toward him and smiled. "Brother Mingdao, long time no see."
Emperor Mingdao snorted. "Your departure without taking leave last time left Us quite aggrieved. When did Fellow Daoist Lu arrive in our Heavenly Immortal Realm?"
"Not long ago," Lu Yiren replied with a smile. "Have you been well since we parted, Brother Dao?"
"Thanks to your blessings," Emperor Mingdao said. "The injuries you inflicted on Us back then have long since healed, and We have grown far stronger than We were then."
He spoke of events from long ago. At that time, after returning to the Heavenly Immortal Realm aboard the World-Crossing Golden Ship, two million years had passed. The dragons had gradually prospered, multiplying their descendants and reviving their civilization.
It was then that Lu Yiren visited the Heavenly Immortal Realm. The dragons of the realm assumed he was an honored guest from the other shore and thus entertained him with great hospitality, dreading the slightest slight.
Emperor Mingdao had hosted him personally. Seeing that Emperor Mingdao was older than him, Lu Yiren addressed him as Brother Dao. The two exchanged insights on Dao methods and divine powers, conversing with great pleasure.
Later, however, several distinguished guests arrived from the other shore and revealed that no one by the name of Lu Yiren existed there, demanding to know where he came from. The Dragon Court was outraged and mobilized to surround and eradicate Lu Yiren, only to suffer heavy casualties.
Emperor Mingdao took the field personally. At the time, he had just entered the Immortal realm, yet he was wounded by Lu Yiren. Fortunately, True King Cangzhu intervened in time, and Lu Yiren, injured by two Immortal beings, was forced to retreat.
Knowing he was severely wounded, the Dragon Court hunted for him far and wide, but Lu Yiren seemed to have evaporated from the world, vanishing without a trace.
Only after that battle did Emperor Mingdao realize there were always greater men beyond men, and higher heavens beyond the heavens. Yet in the millions of years that followed, he could never fathom where this outsider came from or why he had appeared in the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
Lu Yiren chuckled. "After all this time, Brother Dao is still brooding over the events of the past?"
Emperor Mingdao kept his eyes fixed on the clashing Emperor Mingxun and True King Cangzhu and gave a cold snort. "You impersonated the Sacred Race of the other shore with sinister motives, and you even wounded me. How could I possibly forget?"
Lu Yiren smiled. "Had you not besieged me, how could I have harmed you? Even when surrounded by your forces, I never went for the kill, always showing mercy."
Emperor Mingdao recalled the battle from back then. When they besieged Lu Yiren, many had been gravely wounded, but very few dragons actually died by his hand. Clearly, Lu Yiren had indeed reined in his power, refraining from killing unless left with no alternative.
Still, Emperor Mingdao could not easily let it go.
"What is your purpose in returning to the Heavenly Immortal Realm this time?" Emperor Mingdao asked.
Lu Yiren turned serious. "When I came to the Heavenly Immortal Realm back then, I saw that you had evolved just like the other shore, flourishing and prosperous. Because of that, I held high hopes for the path of evolution, hoping that the Earth Immortal Realm and Mortal Realm could also undergo complete evolution, just like you."
Emperor Mingdao's expression shifted slightly. His gaze fixed on Lu Yiren as he asked in doubt, "You come from the Earth Immortal Realm?"
Lu Yiren shook his head. "I come from the Mortal Realm."
Emperor Mingdao was thoroughly baffled. "How could the Mortal Realm have anyone from the Sacred Race of the other shore?"
Lu Yiren did not answer, instead saying, "After being driven from the Heavenly Immortal Realm all those years ago, I came to understand just how powerful the dragons are, and knew that the Earth Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm would struggle to withstand you, bound to fall into your hands sooner or later. Today's dragons fawn over power: subservient and obsequious toward the Sacred Race of the other shore who stand above you, yet enslaving and browbeating those races you deem beneath you. I had to find a way to prevent the Earth Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm from falling into your hands."
Emperor Mingdao said, "And the method you thought of was full evolution, just like the Heavenly Immortal Realm?"
Lu Yiren nodded slightly.
Emperor Mingdao said, "Back then, when you and I exchanged insights on Dao methods, you were brilliant and quick-witted, the most intelligent person I had ever met, commanding my deepest admiration. But so many years have passed—why has your cultivation realm never attained the Immortal realm?"
Lu Yiren replied, "The karmic opportunity has not yet arrived."
Emperor Mingdao asked, "Then have you ever considered why, when I was in the Immortal realm and you were only at the eighth layer of the Dao Realm, you were able to best me?"
Lu Yiren pondered. "Most likely because I am of the Sacred Race of the other shore, and indeed stand a tier above you."
Emperor Mingdao shook his head. "You are mistaken. The real reason is that when we sought teachings from the other shore, what we obtained was not the true scripture, but flawed, incomplete methods. That is why I, in the Immortal realm, lost to you at the eighth layer of the Dao Realm."
Lu Yiren was stunned.
Emperor Mingdao continued, "As for why you have failed to attain immortality in the three million years since our battle, it is because what you learned was not the true scripture either!"
As he said this, Lu Yiren was profoundly shaken. And in the very instant his mind wavered, Emperor Mingdao struck!
Emperor Mingdao pressed forward with aggressive strides, ancient cave abysses surfacing above his head. More powerful than Supreme cave abysses, their Dao energy was virtually limitless, augmenting his body and elevating his cultivation to its peak in an instant—far more terrifying than when he had suppressed Xu Ying with sheer aura in the imperial palace!
At the same time, the duel between True King Cangzhu and Emperor Mingxun had reached its critical juncture, on the verge of deciding victory and defeat!
Without a second thought, Lu Yiren also activated a cave abyss to meet Emperor Mingdao's attack. The moment their techniques clashed, Lu Yiren felt that the current Emperor Mingdao's cultivation was several times deeper than back then; his own three million years of bitter cultivation were actually no match!
Yet immediately afterward, he spotted a flaw in Emperor Mingdao's technique, and without hesitation, struck through the opening.
As their techniques collided, Lu Yiren broke Emperor Mingdao's divine power, leaving a bone-deep wound across Emperor Mingdao's chest. Even so, he was rattled by Emperor Mingdao's divine power, his vital blood surging and his internal organs feeling as though they were twisted into a knot.
Borrowing the force of the impact, Emperor Mingdao hurtled backward at speeds exceeding his usual limit. At the exact same moment, the palm strikes of Old Emperor Mingxun and True King Cangzhu collided, their dharmic powers erupting simultaneously!
True King Cangzhu roared furiously, mobilizing all his cave abysses to overwhelm Old Emperor Mingxun. Right at that moment, Emperor Mingdao flew in like a splitting bamboo, slicing into True King Cangzhu's Dao Realm and lopping off one of his heads with a single palm strike!
Simultaneously, Old Emperor Mingxun used the rebound to vault away, flying backward to intercept Lu Yiren, who was charging after Emperor Mingdao.
Lu Yiren met his palm head-on, his vital blood churning even more violently. On the other side, True King Cangzhu, having lost a head, instantly spun around to fight Emperor Mingdao.
Yet Emperor Mingdao disengaged after a single clash, lunging straight for Lu Yiren and leaving his own back completely exposed!
The eyes of True King Cangzhu's eight remaining heads lit up. Just as he was about to strike, he was met by Old Emperor Mingxun's assault. Old Emperor Mingxun's fingers tapped in rapid succession against the joints of Cangzhu's neck bones; with each tap, a bone protruded sharply from the back of his neck.
With more than a dozen consecutive finger strikes, Old Emperor Mingxun crippled one of his necks. But as Cangzhu lashed out at Old Emperor Mingxun, Emperor Mingdao abandoned Lu Yiren to strike at Cangzhu again, while Old Emperor Mingxun turned straight toward Lu Yiren!
In the span of mere moments, the battlefield shifted like storm clouds. The father and son, Old Emperor Mingxun and Emperor Mingdao, continuously traded opponents, beating Lu Yiren and True King Cangzhu until both spat blood repeatedly, their wounds worsening by the second!
Between father and son, Emperor Mingdao's techniques and divine powers were inferior to Lu Yiren's, and Old Emperor Mingxun's raw combat strength fell short of True King Cangzhu's, yet they had battered two peerless powerhouses into utter disarray!
Lu Yiren suddenly leaped and vanished into the void.
Having two more heads severed, True King Cangzhu fled in panic as well, screaming shrilly, "You brutes, father and son! This isn't over between us!"
Emperor Mingdao intended to pursue, but Old Emperor Mingxun made no move, so he had no choice but to stop as well.
Together, father and son could contend with either one of them or take on both at once, but if Old Emperor Mingxun did not pursue, chasing them down alone would be suicide.
Furthermore, True King Cangzhu and Lu Yiren had fled in the exact same direction; giving chase would not necessarily yield any advantage.
On the desolate wilderness, the two men stood facing each other amid the wind and snow.
After a long silence, Old Emperor Mingxun's lips twitched. "Vile son."
Emperor Mingdao broke into a smile, which grew wider and wider.
The frost on Old Emperor Mingxun's face melted, and a smile broke across his features as well.
Father and son burst into hearty laughter, their voices echoing across the frozen plains.
Emperor Mingdao stepped forward, and father and son embraced, all past grudges melting away.
Within the Dragon Court imperial capital, Yinyuanzi's disciple, Hongbo, held dragon maidens in his arms on either side, revelling in sensual delight. Suddenly, another person appeared in the room.
Startled, Young Master Hongbo rose immediately and braced himself, only to see that the newcomer was an outsider as well. His stature was tall and imposing, yet for some reason he was dressed in robes of a similar style to that Xu Ying, his hair arranged similarly as well, giving him an incongruous, out-of-place look.
"So you are the expert from the other shore whom Heavenly Prime Minister Yuan Heng invited to deal with Xu Ying?"
The outsider appraised Young Master Hongbo, shook his head, and chuckled. "You do not know how formidable Xu Ying is. You are by no means his match."
Young Master Hongbo bowed slightly. "May I ask who Brother Dao is?"
The outsider replied, "I am Lu Yiren, and I arrived in the Three Realms earlier than you. Xu Ying is the Dao Ancestor of the New Dao from the Earth Immortal Realm. His strength is immense, augmented by the Heavenly Dao of the Earth Immortal Realm. At merely the seventh layer of the Dao Realm, he already commands the power of a peak eighth-layer Dao Realm cultivator. If you underestimate him, your defeat is certain!"
Young Master Hongbo said in surprise, "His strength can actually rival the eighth layer of the Dao Realm?"
Lu Yiren said, "If you wish to defeat him, you must abstain from women in the coming days. Your Dao methods and divine powers also need further polishing. This Xu Ying crawled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Underestimate him, and you will die!"
Young Master Hongbo pushed the dragon maidens aside, assumed a solemn expression, and bowed. "Please instruct me, Brother Dao!"
In Princess Mingman's manor, Xu Ying, Imperial Son Mingxi, and Princess Mingman continued to discuss Dao methods. After two days, Imperial Son Mingxi said, "Our great battle is at hand, and each of us needs time to digest and settle our gains. Farewell."
Seeing that Mingxi still had injuries, Xu Ying did not urge him to stay, smiling as he replied, "I also need a day or two to study that line of true transmission from Grand Dao Lord Taiyi."
Imperial Son Mingxi gave him a deep look and said, "In that case, in the battle three days from now, I beseech Fellow Daoist Xu to definitely win."
Xu Ying was slightly taken aback, not grasping his meaning.
Imperial Son Mingxi took his leave.
Knowing Xu Ying was facing a decisive battle three days later, Princess Mingman dared not disturb him. Xu Ying welcomed the peace and quiet, immersing himself in Grand Dao Lord Taiyi's line of true transmission and gradually entering the Dao.
This Dao method expounded the marvelous transformations of the Great Dao and formed the very bedrock of the Great Dao of Taiyi. Though Xu Ying had cultivated Taiyi since childhood, only now did he feel he was truly crossing the threshold.
As he thoroughly penetrated that line of true transmission, the profundities of the Great Dao of Taiyi flooded his mind, and the wonders of the cycling transformations among various Daos grew increasingly clear and distinct, no longer so inscrutable.
Above his head, cave abysses of the fourth and fifth layers continuously ascended to the seventh layer. The various cave abysses—such as Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, Yuqing, and Zhouguang—expanded immensely in succession.
By the third day, the number of his cave abysses grew fewer and fewer. Originally possessing thirty-six cave abysses, he now had only six remaining: Taiyi, Chaos, Hongmeng, Wuji, Samsara, and Martial Dao.
Yet among these six great cave abysses, Taiyi was the most vast. This single cave abyss alone surpassed the others by an untold margin!
"Taiyi can assimilate Daos such as Yin-Yang, Taiji, the Five Elements, and the Nine Palaces, and can even encompass the Great Dao of Creation. Why can it not assimilate Chaos, Hongmeng, Wuji, and Samsara?"
Xu Ying pondered. *Could it be that these Daos stand as equals alongside it, being just as supreme? Then what about the Martial Dao? Can an innate Great Dao not accommodate an acquired Great Dao?*
As he pondered, Princess Mingman's voice came from outside: "Little Master, time's up!"
Xu Ying stood up and walked outside.
When Princess Mingman saw him, she was taken aback. Looking him up and down several times, she felt that after merely two-odd days of comprehending the Dao, Xu Ying seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis, carrying an extraordinarily otherworldly air.
Xu Ying smiled. "Mingman, what are you looking at?"
Princess Mingman's face flushed slightly, and she hurried to say, "Little Master, let's go beat up my brother!"
Leading the way in front, she suddenly felt crimson rush to her cheeks. Gathering her courage, she asked, "Little Master, do you have someone you fancy?"
"I do," Xu Ying said with a smile.
Princess Mingman's face instantly went pale. After a moment, she asked again, "Do you mind having one more?"
Chapter 696