Yinyuanzi was frightened out of his wits, coming within a hair's breadth of turning tail and fleeing. But he soon came to his senses. "No, this cave abyss is indeed of the tenth level of the Dao Realm, but the Great Dao within is ownerless, completely different from the Dao cultivated by this great dragon! That entity of the tenth level of the Dao Realm must already be dead!"
He let out a long breath of relief.
If a being of the tenth level of the Dao Realm had truly descended, ten of him would not have been enough to face them; he would have been slain in a single strike.
From the look of things, however, that tenth-level entity had long since passed away, leaving behind only this inconceivably massive cave abyss, which by sheer fortune had been discovered and claimed by this brawny dragon.
"This dragon cannot unleash even a hundredth of this cave abyss's power!"
Relieved, he was also filled with utter bewilderment. *How could the Three Realms possess a tenth-level cave abyss? Could a being of the tenth level of the Dao Realm have once been born here? If such an entity ever existed, how could they have died? Moreover, how could the Dao techniques and divine abilities of the Three Realms be so backward?*
He was thoroughly puzzled. If the Three Realms possessed an entity so formidable, then when the Emerald Rock flew through this universe, the rock would have unleashed none of its power because the local Dao architecture was on par with the Emerald Rock's own. It would have simply passed straight through this universe to seek the next.
Had this universe's Dao architecture been superior, the Dao architecture upon the Emerald Rock would have been replaced, and once it returned to the other shore, the powerhouses of the other shore would have taken and studied it. However, such a situation had never yet occurred.
Instead, the Emerald Rock had directly devastated the Three Realms without triggering any superior architecture, leaving behind a host of mysteries.
The Far Ancestor summoned the Abyss Sea. As the Abyss Sea churned, an incomparably majestic Dao force poured down, virtually flooding into his body and causing his cultivation and strength to surge several times over in a split second!
A dragon's roar reverberated through the void. The Far Ancestor's confidence soared as he charged right before Yinyuanzi, his speed so astonishing that he even startled himself.
Yinyuanzi met the blow head-on. Though the impact sent his blood churning, their divine abilities collided, and the Far Ancestor's ability shattered instantly. Yinyuanzi turned weakness into victory, dismantling the dragon's technique before it could achieve any result.
Knocked staggering back, the Far Ancestor was jolted. *An immortality divine ability? His immortality divine ability is far more powerful than mine!*
After achieving the Immortal realm, the Far Ancestor had found no rivals capable of contending with him, and his divine abilities had stalled, unable to advance any further.
Yinyuanzi fended off the simultaneous onslaught of the Ancestral God, Emperor Ming Xun, Lu Yiren, and the Holy Venerable with flowing, effortless moves, while clashing head-to-head with the Far Ancestor without yielding an inch.
Xu Ying, meanwhile, spurred the Zhuxian sword. Boiling with murderous intent, he struck straight toward Yinyuanzi's Heavenly Concealment cave abyss, aiming to shatter it first.
A beam of sword light spanning tens of thousands of li plunged into the Heavenly Concealment cave abyss. Xu Ying stirred it vigorously, like churning an ocean, and wherever the sword light swept, immortal mountains collapsed into ruin.
Startled and enraged, Yinyuanzi sensed the damage to his cave abyss and the steady decline of his cultivation. He immediately broke away from the others and charged straight at Xu Ying.
The others hurried to pursue, but only the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor could keep pace.
The cave abyss was Yinyuanzi's Dao Realm, the very place where his Great Dao was branded upon heaven and earth. If Xu Ying broke his cave abyss and ruined his Dao Realm, it would deal him a catastrophic blow!
Yinyuanzi hurled the Ancestral God flying with a single palm strike, clashed brutally against the Far Ancestor, and instantly unleashed an immortality divine ability. As his palm struck out, the Heavenly Concealment Great Dao surged like a torrent, producing a magnificent spectacle of countless bursting stars.
Though brilliant, the sight heralded total extinction; a strike from an Immortal realm powerhouse was terrifyingly potent.
Truly enraged, Yinyuanzi roared, "I said it would take no more than a single strike to kill you, and a single strike it shall be!"
Xu Ying felt the space around him lock down completely. There was nowhere to hide, nor any way to evade. He immediately executed Zhuxian, the fourth method of the Eight Immortality Methods, to meet the strike head-on!
The Zhuxian broken sword also sensed the encroaching danger. Sword intent erupted from it, its sharp edge shattering every star in its path.
At the same time, the Far Ancestor lunged in, drawing upon the power of the Abyss Sea to drive a divine ability straight at Yinyuanzi's back!
Yinyuanzi's face took on a livid hue. He raised his other hand to meet the dragon's attack, yet kept his true power focused upon Xu Ying!
The broken sword sliced through Yinyuanzi's divine ability, but the crushing weight of billions of stars bore down immediately after. Though Xu Ying swung his sword with all his might, he still could not hold it off. In a flash, he stepped onto the River of Time and bolted into a sprint.
Yet Yinyuanzi's fatal strike still swept over him. Running atop the river, Xu Ying channeled the power of time to wear away the blow's force, but the shock still made him cough up blood, and the River of Time snapped and shattered beneath his feet!
Xu Ying flew backward, crashing into the ground with a thunderous roar. He plowed a colossal crater into the earth and lay there motionless.
"You had it coming!"
Coughing up blood from the Far Ancestor's strike, Yinyuanzi sneered.
He turned to meet the Far Ancestor and the Ancestral God as Lu Yiren, Emperor Ming Xun, and the Holy Venerable charged in as well. Having eliminated the bane that was Xu Ying, Yinyuanzi breathed a sigh of relief, his expression turning vicious. "First kill the Ancestral God, then kill the Dragon Emperor to purge the traitor! Once they are gone, one big dragon and one petty barbarian will be far easier to handle!"
His divine abilities were immortality divine abilities, natural and unblemished, thrumming with Great Dao force. He fought on the move to avoid being surrounded, and within just a few exchanges, he battered the Ancestral God's breath into disarray.
The Ancestral God's magic power was immense, rivaling his own, but the Ancestral God was after all a Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit, possessing little innate comprehension; in divine abilities, he lagged far behind.
Fixing his gaze upon the Ancestral God, Yinyuanzi unleashed the Nine Heavenly Concealment Styles. From Celestial Stars Descending to the Mortal Realm to the Nine Dao Concealment Fingers, his strikes battered the Ancestral God into coughing up blood.
Even with the Far Ancestor's tremendous cultivation, Emperor Ming Xun's exquisite arts, Lu Yiren's formidable attacks, and the Holy Venerable's subtle techniques, they could not halt the Ancestral God's decline!
Right at that moment, Yinyuanzi suddenly felt his cave abyss suffer damage once more and his magic power destabilize. Looking back in haste, he was struck by shock and fury.
Somehow, Xu Ying was alive again. Spurring the Zhuxian broken sword, he wielded its ten-thousand-li blade like a toothpick stirring a giant vat, thrusting deep into the cave abyss and churning wildly, cleaving immortal mountain after mountain into powder!
Consumed with rage, Yinyuanzi forced back the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor, springing into the air to attack Xu Ying. "Are you still not dead, boy?!" he roared.
Xu Ying thrust the Zhuxian broken sword forward to meet him, brimming with arrogance. "Didn't you say you'd kill me in one strike? If you didn't finish me off, how am I supposed to die?"
Yinyuanzi executed the Nine Dao Concealment Fingers. A rapid flurry of finger force struck the Zhuxian broken sword with metallic clangs, shattering Xu Ying's technique, before the remaining finger strikes thrust directly toward Xu Ying's vitals!
The Zhuxian broken sword was jolted from Xu Ying's grasp, leaving him no choice but to rely on his divine abilities. Unifying the other five cave abysses under his Martial Dao cave abyss, he channeled all his power to perform the Eight Immortality Methods, deflecting the finger strikes one after another.
By the time he reached the fifth method, a beam of finger force pierced through his Myriad Daos divine ability. Terrifying power punched through his flesh, and Xu Ying instantly lost all strength, his corpse plummeting downward.
Yinyuanzi let out a breath, only to take another blow to the back from the Far Ancestor. Spitting blood, his features twisted into a snarl. *This time, I must wipe them out once and for all!*
He felt a touch of helplessness; none of these foes were being influenced by his Great Dao of the other shore. By all reason, the native Dao framework of the Three Realms was comparatively crude and weak, unable to contend with the Li framework, and should have gradually been emeraldized—yet none of these people showed the slightest tendency toward emeraldization!
*The Dao framework of the Three Realms is evolving! These masters have improved the Three Realms' Dao architecture!*
A vicious light flickered in Yinyuanzi's eyes. If that was the case, allowing them to live was even less tolerable.
He circulated the Heavenly Concealment Profound Art to constrict the Heavenly Concealment cave abyss, shrinking it down until it hovered behind his head. The Nine Heavenly Concealment Styles were ever-changing and unpredictable; though consisting of nine forms, every execution differed, never repeating the same technique.
This was the true power of an Immortal whose Dao was equal to his body!
Suddenly, Yinyuanzi felt a bout of dizziness. Sensing his cultivation plummeting once again, he was seized by shock and rage. Manifesting his ancient god Primordial Spirit, he dove into the Heavenly Concealment cave abyss.
Sure enough, Xu Ying was alive yet again, wielding the Zhuxian broken sword to wreak havoc within the cave abyss!
Yinyuanzi's Primordial Spirit charged into the cave abyss, shouting, "This time, there will be no escape for you!"
He lunged at Xu Ying. Fearless, Xu Ying drove the Zhuxian broken sword forward to meet him, and the two fought until the heavens and earth turned dim. Yinyuanzi's willpower was peerless, holding its own against the murderous intent of the Zhuxian broken sword, and as they clashed, he beat Xu Ying into steady retreat.
Yet as Xu Ying mobilized his six cave abysses under this relentless pressure, his cultivation grew increasingly powerful, and his comprehension of the Dao of Taiyi deepened by the moment.
Yinyuanzi's Primordial Spirit noticed this with mounting shock and fury. He longed to eliminate the boy, but could not achieve it quickly.
Their duel wrought massive devastation upon the Heavenly Concealment cave abyss, which in turn chipped away at Yinyuanzi's own cultivation and strength.
While the battle raged within the cave abyss, the fight outside was even more brutal. The Far Ancestor, the Ancestral God, Emperor Ming Xun, Lu Yiren, and the Holy Venerable threw their lives into attacking Yinyuanzi's physical body, covering him in wounds even as they took heavy damage themselves.
Suddenly, with a sharp crack, the Holy Venerable plummeted to the ground. He tried to stand, but dozens of bloody holes abruptly erupted across his body, hissing as blood sprayed out.
His cave abysses were tattered and ruined, unable to function.
The Holy Venerable collapsed face-first into the dirt.
In the next moment, Lu Yiren's six cave abysses were shattered and both his legs snapped by Yinyuanzi's sweeping blow. Coughing up blood, he was sent flying by a palm strike, his fate unknown.
Emperor Ming Xun transformed into an immortal dragon, coiling tightly around Yinyuanzi's body, only for Yinyuanzi to thrust a hand behind his neck and rip out his dragon sinew!
One spitting blood and the other battered and bruised, the Far Ancestor and the Ancestral God wore ferocious expressions, still attacking maniacally and opening ever more wounds across Yinyuanzi's body!
Just then, the sky of the Netherworld suddenly brightened, blinding light shining down as a rift split across the heavens. An outlander called out in surprised delight, "We've found Master!"
A look of joy appeared on Yinyuanzi's face as silhouette after silhouette flew toward them from the sky.
At the same time, beneath the gate tower of the Immortal Court's imperial capital, Emperor Mingdao—who had been suspended there—slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon the Ancestral God, the Far Ancestor, and Yinyuanzi engaged in their desperate fight.
Beams of bright light poured down from the realm of the living, illuminating this ancient immortal city.
The Dragon Court Imperial Capital was a city Emperor Mingdao had built in the likeness of Tianjue City on the other shore after returning to his homeland in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Its layout matched Tianjue City's exactly, every building reflecting the style of the other shore. It was his greatest labor of love and his pride.
He had pushed for comprehensive emeraldization; across the entire Heavenly Immortal Realm, all dragons had been made to learn the culture, civilization, and language of the other shore, casting aside all their past traditions.
His gaze landed on his father, whose dragon sinew had been ripped out. Former Emperor Ming Xun was still crawling forward, attempting to fight on.
He had long taken in the sight of Xu Ying and the others battling Yinyuanzi, and he understood their goal.
"You intended to eliminate Yinyuanzi and his disciples, forcing my hand to choose the New Dao and align with the Earth Immortal Realm. But you overestimated your own strength, and underestimated Yinyuanzi."
With a complicated expression, his body stirred, slipping noiselessly from beneath the gate tower. The emerald-green ribbon piercing through his body hung limply like a dead snake, slithering downward.
"You have never been to the other shore; you have no idea how powerful an Immortal True King from the other shore truly is. You simply charged forward on a surge of hot-blooded passion."
Shaking his head in bafflement, he murmured, "Youths like Xu Ying and the Holy Venerable being driven by hot blood is one thing, but Father, why are you so hot-blooded as well? And you, Lu Yiren, why must you rebel against the other shore too?"
What puzzled him even more was that ancient fossils like the Far Ancestor and the Ancestral God would also not hesitate to shed their blood and lay down their lives!
All these old fogies wanted was to make him resolve to abandon emeraldization!
"Father, Far Ancestor, I do not understand why you must do this, but I cannot sit by and watch you be beaten to death!"
His speed surged abruptly, darting toward Yinyuanzi. Behind him, that colossal immortal artifact, the Dragon Court Imperial Capital, erupted with power!
The dragons and outlanders swooping down from the sky stared toward him—some astonished, some horrified, some panicking, while others waved frantically and shouted at the top of their lungs. Still others cast divine abilities and raised magical treasures, hurtling them recklessly toward him.
Under Emperor Mingdao's control, the Dragon Court Imperial Capital erupted. The Great Dao of the other shore awakened, barreling toward Yinyuanzi with supreme might!
Yinyuanzi turned around, only to see the Great Dao of the Dragon Court Imperial Capital coalesce into a tangible yet incorporeal torrent of energy surging directly at him!
He raised both hands to meet the strike, only to hear the sharp snap of his arms breaking. Behind him, the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor slammed their palms into his back. Two immense forces bore down upon him, and he heard his ribs crack and splinter!
Roaring, the Far Ancestor and the Ancestral God shoved his body straight into the Dragon Court Imperial Capital.
A thunderous crash resounded as the gate tower of that immortal treasure blew apart on impact, and immortal palaces and halls thought to be indestructible shattered one after another under the violent collision!
At the same time, Xu Ying sensed the panic in Yinyuanzi's ancient god Primordial Spirit. Without a second thought, he pushed the Zhuxian broken sword to its utmost. The sword's aura of death filled the world, and with a sharp swish, the sword light pierced clean through Yinyuanzi's Primordial Spirit!
Right at that moment, he caught an unsettling sensation.
"Lord Sword! Move—"
Giving his all, he flew toward the outside of the cave abyss. The Zhuxian broken sword had intended to sift through the ancient god Primordial Spirit's consciousness for more information regarding the Master of the Tongtian Sword, but hearing Xu Ying's call, it hurried to follow him out.
Man and sword shot through the Heavenly Concealment cave abyss with sharp whistling sounds.
Glancing back in haste, Xu Ying saw the Heavenly Concealment cave abyss spinning rapidly and shrinking continuously, until it abruptly vanished without a trace!
Back in the Dragon Court Imperial Capital, the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor besieged Yinyuanzi, finally beating this Immortal True King from the other shore to death.
The Far Ancestor roared with laughter, his voice booming like thunder: "We've finally slain an Immortal of the other shore! Mingdao, you brat, now you have no choice but to rebel!"
Xu Ying gazed in the direction where the Heavenly Concealment cave abyss had disappeared, a faint unease telling him something was amiss.
Emperor Mingdao tossed the emerald-green ribbon in his hand into the air. The ribbon circled once before darting away into nothingness. He said impassively, "Far Ancestor, none of you have been to the other shore; you do not know its true might. An Immortal True King of the other shore controls thousands of universes and the life and death of countless beings. They would never descend in person."
Soaring into the air, he flew toward the outlanders and the dragons. His eyes gleamed sharply as he declared in a low, resonant voice, "All people of the dragon race, hear my command: slay all outlanders from the other shore, and cast away all cave abysses immediately!"
Taking the lead, he charged toward Yinyuanzi's disciples.
The dragons in the air were still dazed and bewildered, having no idea what was happening.
Xu Ying was the first to realize the truth. His scalp tingling with dread, he also charged toward the outlanders, shouting, "Everyone, sever your cave abysses at once!"
***
The other shore, Heavenly Concealment Palace.
Immortal True King Yinyuanzi sat withered and motionless. Behind his head, the Heavenly Concealment cave abyss flew in, hanging in the dark sky, while deep in the darkness hung countless other cave abysses, large and small.
However, these cave abysses were not located on the other shore, but scattered across the thousands of universes governed by the other shore, summoned by practitioners cultivating the incomplete version of the Heavenly Concealment Profound Art.
Immortal True King Yinyuanzi slowly opened his eyes. Standing up on bare feet, his vast, profound divine consciousness swept outward, echoing into the minds of every True King upon the other shore.
"The Heavenly Immortal Realm of the Three Realms has spiraled out of control. Fellow Daoists, please begin the harvest!"
Chapter 705