Xu Ying descended into the underworld and rescued the mortally wounded Holy Venerable, Lu Yiren, and Emperor Mingxun.
Many more dragon souls now drifted through the underworld—members of the dragon race slain in this harvest, vast in number.
Xu Ying intended to send the Holy Venerable and the others back to the living world when he suddenly paused in surprise. Without him realizing when it had happened, a Nether Sea had appeared within the underworld. The soul of an azure dragon swam through its waters, appearing and disappearing beneath the waves.
Xu Ying halted and gazed out toward the sea.
Princess Mingman came to his side. Together, they watched the azure dragon's soul slowly vanish into the depths of the Nether Sea. After observing for a moment, they brought the Holy Venerable and the others back to the living world.
The Heavenly Immortal Realm's underworld was slowly expanding and was already larger than the Heavenly Immortal Realm itself. If this wondrous world continued to grow, it would eventually break through the gelatinous zone and connect with the Earth Immortal Realm's underworld.
However, its growth rate was exceedingly slow; only large-scale death could cause the underworld to expand.
Over ten days later, Xu Ying had fully healed the injuries of the Holy Venerable, Lu Yiren, and Emperor Mingxun, and also assisted Emperor Mingdao in treating his wounds. Across the Dragon Court, everything awaited reconstruction from the ruins.
The Far Ancestor, the Big Dragon, carried the Ten Thousand Dragon Banner that Xu Ying had entrusted to him, searching everywhere for the corpses of the fallen dragons so that the dragon Primordial Spirits within the banner could possess the bodies and return to life.
Tens of thousands of dragon Primordial Spirits were sheltered inside the Ten Thousand Dragon Banner—refugees from primeval times. The dragon race's original revival plan had been to seize human physical bodies tens of millions of years in the future to restore the Dragon Court.
However, plans could never keep up with changes. When the Dragon Court in the Heavenly Sea of the Yuanshou world was annihilated, most of the Ten Thousand Dragon Banners were destroyed in that catastrophe, leaving only this final banner in the Far Ancestor's hands.
These resurrected dragons would now live on bearing the likeness of their own kin.
Preserving the dragon race's culture, art, language, and customs, they would seize this opportunity of rebuilding from scratch to pass on dragon civilization.
After great turmoil inevitably came great order. Emperor Mingdao promoted new dragons, largely choosing those who had rendered meritorious service in this battle to form the backbone of the new Dragon Court.
Only the post of Heavenly Prime Minister lacked a suitable candidate.
Xu Ying said, "Why not summon Bi Yanhai, the Heavenly Prime Minister of the past, to take up the post?"
Emperor Mingdao was astonished. "Bi Yanhai sailed far into the Chaos Sea back then, and there was never any news of him. Is he truly still alive?"
Xu Ying retrieved Qin Daoquan's golden book notes, handed them over, and said, "Bi Yanhai and Qin Daoquan intercepted the scouts aboard the emerald rock multideck ship. One died in battle, while the other sealed his own memories and transformed into a white-bone divine dragon. The outlander child among them was Lu Yiren. Bi Yanhai has now regained his memories and physical body, and is currently studying the New Dao in our Earth Immortal Realm."
Emperor Mingdao was overjoyed and immediately wished to invite Bi Yanhai over.
Xu Ying said, "I am just about to return. I will simply have him take a ship here."
"Dao Ancestor Xu is not staying behind to spread the New Dao?"
Emperor Mingdao urged him to stay, saying, "The dragon race has suffered this great calamity. If Dao Ancestor Xu preaches the Dao to our people in our hour of need, your name will go down in history and be praised by dragons for generations to come."
Xu Ying smiled. "If I were to teach the Dao, who knows how long it would delay me. Spreading the Dao can easily be handled by my disciples and grand-disciples."
Emperor Mingdao shook his head. "If so, wouldn't our dragon race be considered a generation below humans and demons? That will not do. Please stay for ten days to impart the Dao, Dao Ancestor Xu, and establish the lineage of the New Dao here. It will not be too late to depart after ten days."
Xu Ying had no choice but to agree.
He set up an altar in the Dragon Court to transmit the teachings, explaining the wonders of the New Dao's fourteen realms. The Far Ancestor Big Dragon, Emperor Mingxun, and Emperor Mingdao personally attended, sitting beneath the altar to listen. They treated Xu Ying with immense reverence, observing the etiquette of disciples.
Elders from various dragon tribes also arrived with their people, among whom were no small number of ancient dragon powerhouses who had possessed corpses to return to life. It was a spectacle of unprecedented grandeur.
After concluding his discourse on the New Dao, Xu Ying invited the Far Ancestor to take the altar and explain the marvelous transformations of the new dragon patterns. The Far Ancestor, the Big Dragon, was not polite about it either; he mounted the altar to expound the Dharma, his spiritual light manifesting various dragon patterns.
When he finished, he invited the Ancestral God up to explain the New Heavenly Dao.
The Ancestral God mounted the altar, imparting the principles of the New Heavenly Dao—ceaselessly generating life, flowing endlessly, and continually evolving forward.
Xu Ying's New Dao was a revolution against all prior methods of cultivation. It allowed cave abysses to be forged through internal cultivation rather than summoned from elsewhere, severing any possibility of harvest.
The Far Ancestor's new dragon patterns were an evolution of the primeval dragon runes, preventing the rational scripts of the other shore from structurally replacing dragon runes. Even if emerald rocks struck again, they could no longer cause a mass extinction.
The Ancestral God's New Heavenly Dao was the struggle of mortals in the Mortal Realm against heaven, earth, and nature, as well as the adaptation of immortal plants in the Heavenly Immortal Realm transforming harsh environments—a vigorous, thriving force pregnant with immense potential.
In the future, continuous evolution to resist emerald rocks and counter invasions from the other shore would rely entirely on these foundations.
Ten days later, Xu Ying once again tendered his departure: "I have conveyed the broad strokes of the New Dao, and this journey has reached a complete fulfillment. Your Majesty need not urge me to stay. The pressing matter now is to sever the art of summoning cave abysses and allow the cultivation method of the New Dao to replace the old way."
Emperor Mingdao saw him off, saying, "The Heavenly Immortal Realm is vast, and dragons are legion. There will inevitably be youths from impoverished families who have no chance to cultivate the new arts. If they discover an ancient immortal's abode or receive an inheritance from some voice whispering across the void, they may well walk the old path of mutation once more. The True Kings of the other shore would still have a chance to descend."
Xu Ying nodded gently. "That is why the passage connecting heaven and earth must be opened as soon as possible. When Heaven and Earth connect, when Earth and Mortal connect, and when Heaven and Mortal connect, travelers between the Three Realms can easily use dragon runes, Dao patterns, and talismans to decipher the arts of the other shore. At the same time, build academies far and wide so that even children from poor families can develop their talents to the fullest. When that happens, the Heavenly Immortal Realm is bound to flourish once more. Even if an occasional dragon summons a cave abyss and mutates, what is there to fear?"
He tapped his foot, and a River of Time appeared. Over its waters sailed an emerald multideck ship. The Ancestral God and the Holy Venerable boarded, but the Far Ancestor, the Big Dragon, did not board, choosing instead to remain behind.
Xu Ying stepped onto the ship and waved farewell to everyone. The vessel slowly sailed into the gelatinous zone, charting its course toward the Earth Immortal Realm along the unfinished passage between heaven and earth.
"Lu Yiren did not board," the Holy Venerable noted.
Xu Ying replied, "He has his own ways of traversing the gelatinous zone. We needn't worry about him."
Suddenly, his intuition stirred. Staring at the Ancestral God, he barked, "Come out!"
A slender silver dragon squirmed out from the Ancestral God's sleeve. Upon hitting the deck, she transformed into Princess Mingman, bright-eyed and fair-toothed. She hurried to Xu Ying's side, looped her arm through his, and grinned affectionately. "Little Master is truly amazing! You could even tell I was hiding in the Ancestral God's sleeve!"
Xu Ying hurriedly pulled his arm free and scoffed, "I was the one who emptied the Ancestral God's chamber pot! I've long since rummaged through all the good things on His person, and I even snatched His chamber pot away! When He hides someone in His sleeve, I can tell at a glance. You really thought you could hide that from me?"
The Ancestral God laughed. "Little girl, I told you we couldn't fool him."
With a darkened face, Xu Ying said, "Mingman, if you stayed in the Dragon Court to spread the Dao, you could have become the second ancestor of the New Dao, and countless dragons would address you as Patriarch in the future! Why did you follow me?"
Mingman beamed. "To accompany Master to meet Mistress!"
Xu Ying's face darkened further, the corner of his mouth twitching. "The bond between your mistress and me is not something you can wedge yourself into!"
"Give it a try, who knows? Maybe I will slip right in," Princess Mingman's eyes sparkled as she giggled. "I want to have a contest with Mistress to see who gets to be the first wife and who gets to be the second!"
The moment Xu Ying recalled Yuan Weiyang steering her ship, a shiver ran down his spine. He thought, *Determine first wife or second? More like determining how flat she'll ram you.*
The Holy Venerable sighed. "A clash between human and dragon is inevitable."
Elsewhere on the ship, the big bell was muttering under its breath, whispering something to the Zhuxian broken sword. The two treasures were acting thoroughly sneaky. Suddenly, the Zhuxian sword bowed toward the bell—and with a loud crack, the bell was split clean in half!
The Zhuxian sword prepared to bow again, but the bell shouted in a panic, "One kowtow is enough! Don't do three! Any more and I'll die!"
Only then did the Zhuxian broken sword halt.
Struggling to piece itself back together, the bell grumbled, "Your cultivation is too profound, while my virtue is shallow; I can't endure your bows. One bow as a polite gesture is plenty. But let's get something straight: you still have a martial uncle named Qi. When you meet him, give him three full kowtows. He can take it."
The tip of the Zhuxian broken sword dipped, agreeing to the deal.
Imagining the sight of Qi getting chopped into four pieces, the bell couldn't help but feel utterly delighted.
"Master Sword, you call me master, and I'll call you Master Sword. That way, neither of us loses out," the bell said. "For us magical treasures seeking the Dao, the first priority is finding an excellent host so we can borrow his cave abyss to cultivate... Hey, not that one! That one is my host; you can't have him! I've watched him grow up since he was a kid... Kowtowing again won't work either... Fine, fine! Just because I can't beat you, I'll lend you half the host. But in return, you have to help me chisel a piece off the emerald rock..."
The dragon experts of the Heavenly Immortal Realm had already cleared nearly half of the passage between heaven and earth, saving them many days of travel. The emerald multideck ship advanced slowly. More than ten days later, they spotted another emerald multideck ship entering the gelatinous zone and sailing toward them.
When the two sides crossed paths, those aboard the opposing emerald rock ship included Qingxuan, Dao Venerable Lü, Liu Guanyi, the now-crippled Demon Ancestor, and others. Beside these familiar faces were also new arrivals like Wei Xu, Jijue, Jinhe, Ning Zhong, and Lou Mingyu.
Xu Ying was astounded to see Little Heavenly Venerable and his father, Xu Jing, aboard as well. Inspecting them closely, he realized they too had broken through to the Supreme Realm.
*A shaky foundation makes the mountains tremble. Why were they in such a rush to break through?* Xu Ying could not help but shake his head.
Both Little Heavenly Venerable and Xu Jing possessed the talent to attain the Supreme Dao, though Xu Jing's natural aptitude was somewhat inferior—after all, Xu Ying took after his mother, inheriting far more of Lan Suying's talent and comprehension.
They had likely made their breakthroughs under pressure from the Heavenly Immortal Realm's Dragon Court. Yet breaking through under such circumstances inevitably left their foundations somewhat unstable, which would hamper their future advancement.
As the two vessels drew alongside each other, Xu Ying immediately stepped beside Little Heavenly Venerable and Xu Jing, carefully examining their cultivation realms. To his surprise, he found no instability or shakiness whatsoever; their foundations were remarkably solid.
He then examined the cultivation of Sword Monarch Jinhe, Ning Zhong, and the others, finding their strength equally profound and astonishingly potent!
Xu Jing remarked with deep feeling, "Had Weiyang not deciphered the mysterious immortal art recorded on the emerald rock, it would have been difficult for us to achieve the Supreme Realm."
He had first utilized Xu Ying's Yingzhou cave abyss to become an Immortal Monarch and a Heavenly Monarch, then cultivated a Dao Fruit provided by his wife, Lan Suying. Now, armed with the immortal art deciphered by Yuan Weiyang, he had smoothly broken through to the Supreme Realm.
Looking back on his life, Xu Jing could not help but sigh with emotion.
The Demon Ancestor had shrunk to less than half his former height, reaching only to Xu Ying's thigh. He searched frantically all over the ship, looking up at everyone, and suddenly wailed, "The Far Ancestor... is gone?"
Though he did not share much affection with the Far Ancestor Big Dragon, far too many people had died recently; even an ancient being like him could no longer hold out, crushed under the weight of grief.
The Ancestral God hastily said, "The Far Ancestor is perfectly fine! Thanks to Dao Ancestor Xu, disaster was turned into safety this time. The Far Ancestor stayed behind in the Dragon Court to teach the dragons the new dragon patterns, which is why he didn't come with us. Fellow Daoist Sang, weep no more, lest the juniors laugh at you."
Despite His words, tears streamed down the Demon Ancestor's face like rain as he choked back sobs: "So many people have died! They didn't make it back alive!"
Xu Ying looked across the ship. More than half of the Six Venerables and Twelve Wondrous were missing, and the Later Ruler of Ziwei was nowhere to be seen.
"Emperor Haocang was crippled and couldn't fight anymore. He is now buried on Mount Qian in Ziwei," the Demon Ancestor told him.
Xu Ying's heart trembled. When the two vessels returned to the Earth Immortal Realm, he did not head straight for the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court; instead, he first made a trip to the Ziwei Ancestral Court.
Nan Ziyan came out to greet him, saying, "Master is buried in the Haocang Emperor Mausoleum on Mount Qian. He receives no guests."
Xu Ying feigned indignation: "He won't even see me? Am I a guest? Coming to Ziwei is like coming home for me!"
Nan Ziyan said, "The remnant souls of the four emperors—Taihao, Shaohao, Haoying, and Haohong—have completely perished. Master was also gravely wounded and has abandoned all earthly attachments; he prefers to lie in his coffin. Now that Emperor Haotian's corpse has returned, Master said the Six Human Emperors cannot be without him, so he sealed himself away and will no longer come out."
Hearing this, Xu Ying arrived before Emperor Haocang's mausoleum. He wished to step inside to visit his old acquaintance, but hesitated for a moment and stopped in his tracks.
He offered several sticks of incense to Emperor Haocang, bowed respectfully, and sat outside the tomb, recounting his experiences and encounters in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. He talked and rambled for quite a while before finally concluding.
"Brother Dao, it doesn't matter if you won't come out to see me. I have resolved the crisis in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. You need not worry; just nurse your wounds in peace."
He did not enter the imperial tomb to discover whether the Later Ruler of Ziwei was truly crippled or if his remnant soul had already been obliterated by dragon powerhouses.
After all, some measure of hope had to be left for the living.
He chose to believe that the Later Ruler of Ziwei was lying quietly in the tomb, occasionally rising to awaken Emperor Haotian, Emperor Taihao, and the others, playing chess and chatting over tea to soothe their loneliness.
Xu Ying turned and walked down the mountain, saying to Nan Ziyan, "Emperor Haocang was upright his entire life. Though he bore infamy in the final days of his reign, the fault lay not with him, but with the other shore. You inherit his legacy; you must press forward bravely, make the old tree sprout new shoots, and make your mark on the New Dao."
Nan Ziyan had already reached the Dao Scenery Realm, not far from the Supreme Realm. Hearing this, he answered, "I have not dared to slacken for a single day."
Xu Ying smiled. "I have organized the new Dao patterns and will hold lectures at the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. Fellow Daoist, do not forget to attend."
Nan Ziyan agreed.
Xu Ying left first and returned to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court.
In the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, the Holy Venerable and the others had gathered once again by that emerald rock. Qingxuan and Yuan Weiyang were explaining the mysterious immortal art recorded upon it.
This cultivation art sent from the other shore by Xuhuang Grand Dao Lord was exceedingly unfathomable. Yuan Weiyang had led the effort to decipher it for several years. After Qingxuan, Jun Wuyou, Dao Venerable Lü, Liu Guanyi, and the others returned from the gelatinous zone, they aided her in the task, and only recently had it been completely deciphered.
This mysterious immortal art was called the *Hunyuan Cave Abyss Calamity Dispelling Scripture*. Its text was profoundly obscure. After listening for a short while, Xu Ying realized that this art was actually a method for opening a cave abyss as well!
However, its primary purpose was to open a cave abyss to dispel calamities. As for dispelling calamities, the scripture did not elaborate clearly; it merely stated that a great tribulation existed within the Chaos Sea, and only by achieving a cave abyss could one hope to avert it.
While its purported goal was dispelling calamities, the actual contents of the scripture had nothing to do with evading tribulation; rather, it largely expounded on the wonders of attaining the Dao. The immortal divine powers within had also been deciphered by Yuan Weiyang, Qingxuan, and the others!
Xu Ying's Eight Immortal Arts had absorbed part of the divine powers from the *Hunyuan Cave Abyss Calamity Dispelling Scripture*, developing seven divine powers upon his own foundation—though, naturally, they were still somewhat inferior to the divine powers recorded in the Calamity Dispelling Scripture.
*The cultivation arts the dragon race obtained from the other shore are far too crude compared to this Calamity Dispelling Scripture. In fact, this technique seems vastly more profound even than the Tianyin Dao Attainment Scripture practiced by Yinyuanzi, that Immortal True King!*
Xu Ying was amazed in his heart. *Where did Xuhuang Grand Dao Lord find this cultivation art? Which Immortal of the other shore would impart such a profound scripture to him?*
The hardest section to decipher was its final chapter, which was abstruse and enigmatic. Even translated, it remained exceedingly convoluted and halting, containing bewildering terms like "Chaos Master," "Hongyuan," "Menghong," "Hundong," "Kongdong," "Taiwu," "Five Tais," and "Calamity Fortune."
*This technique is definitely not as simple as the Ninth Layer of the Grand Dao! The one who created this art has most likely touched upon the Tenth Layer of the Grand Dao!*
At this thought, Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. *The Far Ancestor summoned his Deep Sea as a cave abyss... Could that Deep Sea be a tenth-layer cave abyss?*
Chapter 708