Young Master Hongbo from the other shore was dead, completely destroyed.
His death could not even be blamed entirely on Xu Ying; Xu Ying had only wounded him, never moving in for the kill. Hongbo had secretly tried to learn Xu Ying's technique, only to lose control of the power and explode.
Everyone had seen this clearly.
Yet the sight chilled everyone to the bone. Those who had harbored thoughts of copying Xu Ying's divine power were frightened out of their wits.
Xu Ying's divine power was not something just anyone could learn. If one failed, Young Master Hongbo's fate was what awaited them.
The elders felt heavy-hearted. Young Master Hongbo's death would inevitably incur the wrath of the other shore; vengeance would surely follow swiftly.
"Xu Ying, you cannot leave!"
Yuan Bugui suddenly lunged toward Xu Ying and shouted, "You killed Young Master Hongbo and Young Master Qi Xuan! You must remain here and await judgment from the other shore!"
Elder after elder surged forward, landing around Xu Ying to block every path of retreat.
The Holy Venerable snorted angrily. He abruptly shattered his shackles and handcuffs, bursting the surrounding seals. With a furious roar, his aura surged, matching those elders without the slightest inferiority!
Yuan Heng sneered, "Little barbarian Yuan Yu, do not presume to run wild here! Have you not learned your lesson? Do not forget you suffered twenty-seven consecutive defeats!"
The Holy Venerable laughed heartily. "That was then, this is now! Were we to fight again, I would claim twenty-seven victories! Every rotten, useless mediocrity of the dragon race will fall by my hand!"
His bearing was far beyond anything Heavenly Prime Minister Yuan Heng and the others could compare to—the fearless majesty of a leader who had overthrown an old era. Yuan Heng and his cohort were merely prime ministers and rulers of a peaceful age; before him, they seemed a head shorter in spirit.
Furious, the elders underwent their burial transformations one after another, shouting, "A barbarian from the Earth Immortal Realm has no right to boast here!"
"If your ancestor hasn't spoken, is it your turn to run wild?"
The Far Ancestor roared, his dragon cry shaking the heavens. His aura erupted, bearing down upon the arena. Shaken by that dragon cry, most of the dragon immortals felt the blood in their veins boil, and a powerful force stirred within them, on the verge of awakening their bloodlines!
The elders stepped forward in unison, activating their transformations to suppress the Far Ancestor.
The Ancestral God laughed aloud, channeling the Heavenly Dao he had comprehended to link with the Heavenly Dao of the Heavenly Immortal Realm. He boomed, "The dragon race has finally revealed its daggers! Fine! Let us all go down together—none of us will get out of this well!"
His aura erupted, and the earth beneath their feet suddenly softened and surged. The Dao ash from the archaic era floated into the air, transforming from ash into the Heavenly and Earthly Great Dao!
At once, the disparate Daos clashed violently in midair, and even the Dragon Court Imperial Capital swayed within the impact!
The three powerhouses—the Far Ancestor, the Holy Venerable, and the Ancestral God—commanded towering momentum, pushing back to suppress the dragons instead. The Ancestral God, in particular, awakened the Great Daos that had turned to Dao ash. Multi-colored radiance shot up from beneath the earth throughout the Heavenly Immortal Realm, enveloped in Dao light. Where the old and new Daos collided, immense Dao pollution formed.
Sky, earth, and rivers instantly turned into kaleidoscopic hues!
The immortal spirit qi belonging to the archaic era revived, surging into the firmament. Various ancient flowers and grasses sprouted from the earth, blossoming in brilliant colors with overwhelming spiritual potency!
The dragon race possessed many experts, with an abundance of figures at the Dao Realm Eighth Layer. Taking to the air, they faced the upheaval of the Heavenly Dao without the slightest fear.
"Burial transformation—!"
Bellows echoed as the dragon elders summoned their ancient god Primordial Spirits, joining forces to suppress the disturbance!
With thousands of eighth-layer Dao Realm experts—equivalent to several thousand Supremes—the Ancestral God had to contend with the Heavenly Immortal Realm's original Heavenly Dao while fighting thousands of Supremes simultaneously. The might of his Heavenly Dao faltered, straining under immense exertion.
He struggled to hold off the dragon elders, transforming even more Dao ash into the Great Dao of heaven and earth to ease his burden.
At the same time, the Far Ancestor revealed his true form, coiling and soaring through the heavens. His physical body was vast beyond measure, spanning tens of thousands of miles, his dragon cries ringing without pause.
The bloodlines inside dragon immortals awoke one after another. Yielding to an irresistible call, they assumed their true dragon forms and flew toward the Far Ancestor; only the elders were able to resist his summons and remain undisturbed.
"Open the cave abysses!"
Heavenly Prime Minister Yuan Heng bellowed. The thousands of dragon elders summoned cave abysses one after another—every single one a Supreme cave abyss. Each person had at least one, and some possessed as many as four or five!
Back then in the Earth Immortal Realm, there had been only a handful of Supreme cave abysses. The Holy Venerable alone had controlled four, commanding half the wealth under heaven.
Yet in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, Supreme cave abysses existed in such staggering numbers that they covered the sky in a blinding, densely packed array within an instant. Not only was the Ancestral God completely suppressed, but even the Far Ancestor was overwhelmed by the elders!
"A pack of unfilial wretches!" the Far Ancestor roared in fury.
"Unleash the magic treasures!"
Heavenly Prime Minister Yuan Heng roared once more. The dragon elders activated their respective treasures. Massive and bizarrely shaped magic treasures surged forth—some resembled bone wheels, some bone wings, others were forged of metal and stone, all engraved with principle patterns from the other shore.
The treasures of the Dragon Court's powerhouses were treasures of the other shore, possessing tremendous might. The moment they were unleashed, even the Holy Venerable, the Ancestral God, and the others blanched.
Seeing this, Lu Yiren was startled as well, his figure flickering as he vanished on the spot.
There were far too many Dragon Court powerhouses. Without cave abysses and magic treasures, he might have had a chance of survival; once cave abysses and treasures were brought to bear, even joining forces with the Ancestral God and the others would be futile.
The Dragon Court's might was simply overwhelming. Even without an expert of the Immortal realm stepping forth, these elders alone were enough to suppress them—or grind them into dust!
Xu Ying swept his gaze toward Emperor Mingdao, wondering, *Why hasn't Emperor Mingdao spoken up to stop this? Could he be taking this opportunity to flaunt his might and show me the true power of the Heavenly Immortal Realm?*
Emperor Mingdao's expression was indifferent.
This terrifying scene had already triggered cataclysms between heaven and earth.
Dao ash erupted continuously from underground, turning into archaic Great Daos, while the new Heavenly Dao grew stronger, contending against the other shore's Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Immortal Realm's mountains and rivers shifted endlessly; the sun and moon drifted from their courses, constellations wheeled out of place, and cosmic order fell into chaos.
Disparate Heavenly Daos warred against each other, churning earth, water, wind, and fire. The Heavenly Immortal Realm plunged into turmoil, shifting colors rippling across the sky.
Yet Emperor Mingdao seemed blind to it all, standing aloft and unmoved in midair, his robes billowing. Behind him loomed the entire Dragon Court Imperial Capital.
The imperial capital was blazing with radiance; it was his Dao-validation magic treasure.
Connected to the Great Daos of the entire Heavenly Immortal Realm, it formed a magnificent spectacle of myriad rays of twilight paying homage. Its overwhelming Dao might was enough to make anyone tremble!
With a single shift of his Dragon Court Imperial Capital, he could suppress the Far Ancestor and Ancestral God, or sweep away the dragon elders.
Yet he remained motionless.
*I understand Emperor Mingdao's dilemma!* Xu Ying suddenly realized. *My victory over Imperial Son Mingxi and my cleaving of Young Master Hongbo only proved that I am personally formidable, that I can defeat them. But it does not prove the New Dao can stand shoulder to shoulder with the other shore. That is why Emperor Mingdao hesitates!*
Choosing Xu Ying and suppressing the dragon elders would make him an enemy of the other shore; he had to weigh the other shore's reaction and the devastation it would bring upon the dragon race.
Choosing the other shore meant that harvest would inevitably come one day.
As Emperor of the dragon race, he could not afford to gamble.
Right then, mist rolled in, and time seemed to freeze. Through the mist, Former Emperor Ming Xun walked out, taking a steadfast stand alongside the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor.
Emperor Mingdao's eyelid twitched. Just as he was about to make his decision, True King Cangzhu suddenly appeared and said in a heavy voice, "Your Majesty, Immortal True King Yinyuanzi knows that his disciple Hongbo is dead. His carriage will soon descend. Why have you not prepared to receive him?"
Emperor Mingdao shuddered. He projected his voice across the realm: "All dragons hear my command: lower your weapons, retract your cave abysses, and follow me to receive the True King!"
Hearing this, the dragon elders hesitated. Many retracted their cave abysses and magic treasures, but nearly half still held them aloft.
Emperor Mingdao turned to True King Cangzhu. "Brother Dao, you speak to them."
True King Cangzhu said, "Retract your cave abysses and magic treasures. Prepare to welcome the carriage of the True King from the other shore!"
Only then did those elders put away their treasures and cave abysses.
Taking this in, Xu Ying thought, *True King Cangzhu's faction has enough strength to rival Emperor Mingdao. It seems Emperor Mingdao doesn't have the sole say in the Dragon Court.*
He frowned slightly. This made matters tricky.
To get Emperor Mingdao to abandon complete burial transformation and join hands with the Earth Immortal Realm against the other shore, Xu Ying had to present runes or Dao patterns capable of rivaling principle patterns.
Yet True King Cangzhu of the Heavenly Immortal Realm was another major power, and a massive wild card.
*Unless Emperor Mingdao makes up his mind, he will never join forces with us!*
Just as Xu Ying thought this, Emperor Mingdao said in a deep voice, "The Ancestral God, the Far Ancestor, the Holy Venerable, and Dao Ancestor Xu are guests of our Heavenly Immortal Realm. Now that we must receive the True King from the other shore, we have no leisure to entertain our guests. I must ask our four honored guests to take their leave."
Xu Ying's heart stirred. He knew Emperor Mingdao had still not abandoned the path of the New Dao; it was merely that the descent of an Immortal True King upon the Heavenly Immortal Realm overwhelmed all other considerations.
A True King of the other shore represented invincible might and boundless attainment—utterly peerless.
"Ancestral God, Lord Dragon, Holy Venerable, let us go!"
Xu Ying called out and turned to leave. The Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable hesitated briefly before hurrying after him. The Far Ancestor shrank his massive frame, transforming into a dragon-headed giant, and followed along.
Princess Mingman hesitated, bowed toward Emperor Mingdao, and hurried after Xu Ying and the others. But her pace was too slow, and she fell further and further behind.
Suddenly, mist rolled around her, sweeping her up. Startled, she looked back and saw the face of her grandfather, Ming Xun.
Ming Xun swept away with her, quickly catching up to Xu Ying's group.
True King Cangzhu sneered, "Your Majesty, by letting Xu Ying go, you will surely face the True King's wrath when he descends!"
Emperor Mingdao did not answer, saying only in a solemn voice, "Brother Dao, speak no more of this. Since the True King intends to descend, let us swiftly prepare the welcoming ceremony lest we incur his displeasure."
True King Cangzhu snorted and dropped the subject, joining him to prepare the great sacrifice.
The dragons assembled all the Tianyin cave abysses in the Heavenly Immortal Realm—somewhere between three to five thousand of them, varying in size. Some were Supreme cave abysses, while others were merely at the level of Immortal Kings or Immortal Monarchs.
Cave abysses large and small hovered in the sky. The dragons who cultivated the *Tianyin Mysterious Art* summoned their ancient god Primordial Spirits one after another. At the same time, around the sacrificial altar below, countless dragon experts slashed their wrists, letting dragon blood flow toward the cave abysses above.
In the next moment, those cultivating the Tianyin Mysterious Art felt their Primordial Spirits connect to an incomparably mighty and ancient entity, and a terrifying pulling force radiated from within the cave abysses!
As the dragon blood poured into the cave abysses, they seemed to come alive. The larger consumed the smaller, merging one after another until they formed a single colossal cave abyss of unfathomable scale.
Dao light burst continuously from the cave abyss, growing ever more brilliant. Faintly visible within, an immensely powerful figure stepped forward, using the blood sacrifice as a tether and the Primordial Spirits of the dragons cultivating the Tianyin Mysterious Art as anchors, treading toward the Heavenly Immortal Realm along the path of the sacrifice.
With every stride of that figure, Dao music rang out with deafening resonance from the cave abyss, as if ancient gods filled the void, chanting the immortal Great Dao!
Even True King Cangzhu lowered his heads, not daring to gaze directly at that Immortal from the other shore.
Suddenly, loud popping sounds rang out as the Primordial Spirits of dragon experts failed to withstand the pulling force, detonating one by one.
Emperor Mingdao's eyelid twitched. He bowed low, averting his eyes.
Yet corpse after corpse plummeted from the sky, crashing before him, twitching once or twice before turning lifeless.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
More and more corpses rained down from the sky. Emperor Mingdao kept his head lowered, eyes closed.
After a while, the sound of falling corpses slowly ceased. The Immortal True King from the other shore finally stepped out of that magnificent cave abyss.
He took a stride forward, and the cave abyss behind him rose slowly, standing erect behind his head.
He admired the mountains and rivers of the Heavenly Immortal Realm as though inspecting his own domain.
Reaching out a massive hand, he snatched a dragon immortal floating before him, inspecting him up and down. This dragon immortal happened to cultivate the *Tianyin Mysterious Art*. Knowing his grandmaster had arrived, he tried desperately to kowtow, but held fast in the giant hand, he could not bow.
The visitor opened his mouth and placed the dragon immortal inside, chewing slowly, as if sampling a crop grown on his land to see whether it had ripened.
*Ptu.*
He spat out the dragon immortal's head, looking somewhat disappointed.
"Mingdao, Cangzhu, rise," Immortal True King Yinyuanzi said gently, raising a hand.
Emperor Mingdao and True King Cangzhu rose and stood bowed in attendance.
Yinyuanzi walked over to the two with a warm smile. "My disciple Qi Xuan died in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, and not long ago you invited my other disciple, Hongbo, only for me to sense his sudden demise as well. What on earth has gone wrong in the Heavenly Immortal Realm to force me to come investigate in person?"
True King Cangzhu replied, "To answer the True King: both Young Master Qi Xuan and Young Master Hongbo died at the hands of a human named Xu Ying. This human hails from the Earth Immortal Realm and possesses formidable cultivation. After slaying both young masters, he was allowed to leave by Emperor Mingdao."
Yinyuanzi looked toward Emperor Mingdao with interest and smiled. "Is that true?"
Emperor Mingdao said in a heavy voice, "To answer the True King: it is true. That Xu Ying claimed to be a barbarian and came to challenge the Dao methods of the other shore..."
Before he could finish, an emerald-green ray of light flew out, binding Emperor Mingdao tightly, piercing through his physical body and locking his cultivation realm!
That emerald-green light was merely a ribbon dyed by Emerald Rock, yet its power was astonishing, leaving Emperor Mingdao unable to move a muscle!
"I did not come here to listen to your excuses."
Yinyuanzi pointed a finger, sending the emerald ribbon into the air to hang Emperor Mingdao beneath the gate tower of the Dragon Court Imperial Capital. He said calmly, "Reflect upon your deeds. Cangzhu, what is going on with the Earth Immortal Realm? Did you not claim you could not find it? Why has a visitor arrived from there?"
True King Cangzhu hurried to reply, "The True King may not know: the Earth Immortal Realm was originally shattered into myriad worlds, splintered into countless fragments. However, a cosmic tide caused them to recombine. The reunification of the Earth Immortal Realm then triggered the Three Realms Tide, pulling the three realms much closer together. That is how the Earth Immortal Realm became visible. Even the Mortal Realm has appeared!"
Yinyuanzi beamed with delight. "The Three Realms have appeared! My effort in descending this time was not in vain!"
Xu Ying, the Far Ancestor, the Ancestral God, and the others flew swiftly toward the breach of the Heavenly Immortal Realm. As they drew closer to the breach, Xu Ying suddenly halted.
The Ancestral God and the others stopped as well, looking at him in confusion.
"We cannot just leave like this!" Xu Ying said suddenly.
The Holy Venerable said, "What else can we do? An Immortal from the other shore has descended. If we don't leave, we are walking to our deaths!"
Former Emperor Ming Xun said, "Mingdao is indecisive and wavering; we cannot rely on him! If we don't leave, we are certain to die!"
Xu Ying shook his head. "We cannot leave. Emperor Mingdao merely lacks a nudge to push him forward, or he will never resolve his mind. If we leave, he will be pushed entirely into the arms of the other shore. We must stay!"
The group frowned.
Xu Ying said, "We now have two paths. First, discover a structure of runes and Dao patterns capable of contending with the principle patterns of the other shore. Second..."
He paused, then added, "Take out the Immortal True King and give Emperor Mingdao that push!"
Chapter 699