The Ten Kings of Hell watched Xu Ying depart the Netherworld. Looking down, they saw that the Ancestral Court's Nether Sea had evaporated completely, leaving not a trace behind. A massive crater had torn open in the ground, revealing an immensely grand and ancient land.
That was the cosmic wreckage of the Former Court era.
"Dao Ancestor Xu's cultivation and strength have actually reached such heights, far surpassing what we possessed in our day. Now that the Ancestral Court's Netherworld is gone and everything has returned to the Three Realms, our duties here have come to an end. It is time to leave this place and seek another home."
They took to the skies and departed. Spiritual light surged throughout the starry expanse as countless radiant rays converged, gradually taking shape as the Ancestral God's towering, magnificent form.
He revealed his true form—the colossal Cosmic Primordial Spirit—visible with crystalline clarity whether viewed from the Heavenly Immortal Realm, the Earth Immortal Realm, or the Mortal Realm.
Behind the Ancestral God, with a dragon's roar, the Far Ancestor revealed his true form. His body of innate indestructible spiritual light spanned countless star rivers, truly a magnificent sight.
The great dragon coiled closely, shining like a galaxy standing behind the Ancestral God amidst a riot of wondrous visions. The Ancestral God's brows and eyes were snow-white, the divine light streaming from his gaze rippling like an endless river of stars.
Across from him, trails of light rushed swiftly toward his position.
From afar, he could already sense the aura of alien Great Daos from another realm.
These Daos differed from those of the Three Realms; to him, they were like poison—flawed, broken, and incomplete.
Yet they were remarkably potent. Flying toward him was not the Former Court era itself, but vast ruins of that bygone era, each containing a self-contained world within!
"Do these powerhouses of the Former Court intend to move into the Three Realms? Did they bother asking the masters of this realm?" Without haste, the Ancestral God drew a stroke across space with his hand. An expanse of starry sky sprang to life before him, and countless stars hurtled into the distance, pulling space apart layer by layer and pushing the ruins farther and farther away.
Now that Xu Ying had mended the heavens and the three daos, allowing the Three Realms to absorb the Primordial Source core and expand immensely, the Ancestral God's cultivation had also undergone an earth-shattering surge, becoming overwhelmingly profound.
Xu Ying had only asked him to hold back these prehistoric beings, not to engage them in battle, so he felt quite at ease.
Yet in the next instant, one of the ruins blazed with dazzling radiance, folding the boundless starry sky ahead. The cosmos collapsed in layers, packing the stars into extreme density.
The distance between the ruin and the Ancestral God closed instantly! The Ancestral God gave a cold snort and said, "You wish to match arts with me?"
Countless stars instantly transformed into his avatars. As the Former Court ruin barged into his avatars' domain, starlight converged continuously into a colossal palm that seized the ruin.
A plume of black qi surged from the ruin, shattering the palm. The Ancestral God's beard and brows fluttered as his long eyebrows of spiritual light extended, piercing into the ruin and pinning it in place despite the black qi. In a deep voice, he said, "Fellow Daoists, you are all figures of great renown. Why make things difficult for the living beings of the Three Realms?"
A heavy voice issued from the ruin: "We seek only a place to roost and survive. We ask fellow Daoist to grant us some convenience."
"Grant you convenience?" The Ancestral God sneered coldly. "You carry alien Daos. If you enter the Three Realms, not only will you contaminate the Great Dao of heaven and earth, but you will also bring your tribulation fortune into the Three Realms, costing countless innocent lives! How could I possibly grant you convenience?"
From within the ruin, a figure slowly emerged, exuding an immensely heavy aura of oppression. With a cold, impassive expression, he said, "The Primordial Source Dao was originally discovered by us. Your realm was born as merely two realms back then, meant to help us ward off tribulations when none of you existed yet. If it comes down to who arrived first, we were first and you were second!"
The other ruins followed in close succession.
The Ancestral God snorted, sweeping his long sleeve to scoop boundless space-time into it.
After the Primordial Source core merged into the Three Realms, these ruins bearing the immortal lands of the Former Court were miraculously scooped entirely into his immense sleeve!
One by one, the masters of the ruins awoke. Gazing upward, they saw the starry sky spinning like a wheel, brilliantly luminous, enveloping them in a cylinder whose walls bristled with countless stars, forming an impenetrable barrier!
"Fellow Daoist, you are a god formed after the Grand Dao Master opened the Three Realms; your life was bestowed by the Grand Dao Master. Do not remain obstinately blind!" The masters of the ruins struck out simultaneously. Suddenly, the Ancestral God's sleeve detonated, countless stars scattering into flying sparks of spiritual light.
His breath churning, the Ancestral God violently retracted the sky full of spiritual light, reforming it into his sleeve. In a low voice, he said, "Do you have any proof for those words?"
At that moment, the Far Ancestor soared forward, transforming into a powerfully built man with the head of a dragon. He shouted toward one of the ruins: "Ancestral God, why waste courtesies on them? If they refuse to turn back, then we'll beat them back!"
Within that ruin, an Immortal lying in a coffin suddenly sat bolt upright. His aura stirred the stars of heaven, throwing the constellations into disarray, not a whit weaker than the Far Ancestor. The two clashed, but within mere moves, the Far Ancestor realized that the other's Dao methods and divine powers far surpassed his own, and his heart gave a jolt.
Having joined Xu Ying and the others in comprehending the Primordial Source core, his foundation in the Great Dao had vastly increased, and his cultivation was far greater than before. Yet he never anticipated that he would still be much weaker than an Immortal of the Former Court who had been tormented by tribulation fortune!
"I really should cultivate Dao Ancestor Xu's New Dao too. If I don't, I'll only stray further down this erroneous path," he thought to himself.
Although he was in the Indestructible realm, his physical body and primordial spirit had merely been modeled after the Ancestral God's. He possessed matchless Dharmic power in vain, yet had never attained a Great Dao physical body. After comprehending the Primordial Source core, he had already noticed the limitations imposed by this flawed path of cultivation.
While others had made astonishing leaps from comprehending the Primordial Source core, every step forward for him was agonizingly difficult. Moreover, he had not delved deeply into Indestructible-tier divine powers; against ordinary foes that was fine, but against truly formidable enemies, his flaws became glaringly evident.
The being in the ruin remained calm and composed, his techniques seasoned and ruthless. Within a few exchanges, he drove the Far Ancestor into a disadvantage!
Seeing this, the Ancestral God cast caution to the wind. His appearance instantly shifted back to youth as he charged into the ruins, shouting, "Old Solitary Dragon, let's team up!" He plunged into the ruin where the Far Ancestor fought, standing shoulder to shoulder with him to attack the ruin.
They were close friends; the Far Ancestor's body and primordial spirit had been derived from comprehending the Ancestral God. Together, they moved quickly to inflict heavy damage on the Immortal within the ruin.
While the Ancestral God was still pinning the ruin's Immortal down and pummeling him, the Far Ancestor quietly stopped and nudged the Ancestral God's heel with his foot. The Ancestral God lifted up the half-dead foe, straightened up, and looked around, his heart skipping a beat.
In the surrounding ruins, masters stood watching: some shrouded in black qi, some soaking in pools of blood, some standing atop upright coffins, others stationed before palace halls. All of them glared with hostile gazes at the battered, wretched Immortal in the Ancestral God's grasp.
"What did Xu Ying tell us to do again?" the Far Ancestor asked.
The Ancestral God tossed aside the Immortal and replied, "He told us to stall for time as long as possible."
The Far Ancestor looked puzzled. "He didn't tell us to fight?..."
The Ancestral God shook his head. "No. If you hadn't charged in, I wouldn't have lifted a hand."
The Far Ancestor blinked. "I was just testing him. Why did you charge in too? Now that we've shed all pretenses, what do we do?"
"So, Your Excellency is not as formidable as we imagined," one ruin master suddenly spoke up.
Earlier, when held back by the Ancestral God, they had witnessed his Cosmic Primordial Spirit scoop up the numerous ruins in a single sleeve—a display of divine power that was truly vast and awe-inspiring.
Furthermore, the Far Ancestor's great dragon form made quite an impressive appearance, coiling in the cosmos behind the Ancestral God. Having never encountered a creature of such grand bearing, the ruin masters had been intimidated.
Consequently, they had tried to remain patient, speaking politely and cordially to the Ancestral God.
But the Far Ancestor had attacked straightaway and proved no match, and when the Ancestral God intervened to help, it exposed that both of them were fierce without, but hollow within.
"Earlier, we thought too highly of you two. As it turns out, you are merely mediocre. In that case, why should we fear you in the slightest!" Another Former Court Immortal lunged forward.
Prehistoric Daos erupted. Churning his aura, the Ancestral God charged outward, bellowing, "Fight our way out first! Harass them as much as possible so they cannot descend upon the Three Realms!" With a dragon's roar, the Far Ancestor fought alongside him.
Coordinating closely, the two battled their way through the encirclement covered in wounds. Relentlessly pursued and battered by the ruin masters, they did not flee toward the Three Realms, but toward the edge of the universe. After chasing them for a stretch, the ruin masters turned back—only for the two to double back in an ambush!
They caught up to one trailing ruin, stormed inside, and ganged up on its master, pummeling him soundly.
The other ruin masters rushed to rescue their comrade, and after a bloody clash, the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor fought their way out and fled in panic once more.
The ruin masters gave hot pursuit, but the pair fled with such speed that even they could not catch up. Left with no choice, they resumed their journey toward the Three Realms—only for the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor to strike again!
"You two are seeking death!" Seeing another lagging fellow Daoist knocked to the ground, surrounded and having his head kicked repeatedly by the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor, the ruin masters flew into a rage and charged back.
The Far Ancestor hurriedly pulled away the Ancestral God, who had gotten carried away kicking, and the two whistled away into the distance.
"Do not pursue them!" one ruin master barked, halting the others. Another said in a heavy voice, "These two are using rogue tactics solely to stall us and prevent us from descending upon the Three Realms. We will form an array and proceed. If they dare attack again, we will ensure they never return!"
Thus, the ruins formed a defensive formation and advanced toward the Three Realms. The Far Ancestor and Ancestral God eagerly struck again, catching up to the rearmost ruin and charging in to gang up on its master. Suddenly, heaven and earth spun, the primordial yellow churned into chaos, space-time fractured, and everything dissolved into disorder.
Through the boundless primordial mist, the ruin masters surged toward them like specters, their strikes impossible to predict. Realizing they had fallen into a trap, the two hurriedly joined forces to fight their way out.
This time was not as easy as before. Though they fought with everything they had to break free, they were beaten until they coughed up blood before fleeing in disarray. The ruin masters did not pursue, continuing toward the Three Realms.
Fleeing into the distance and seeing that no one was chasing them, the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor finally came to a halt.
Trembling, the Ancestral God produced a chamber pot to relieve himself.
The Far Ancestor said, "Ancestral God, lend it to me."
After the two oldest and most powerful beings of the Three Realms finished relieving themselves, both fell into silence. The Far Ancestor asked, "Should we go back and stop them again?"
The Ancestral God asked, "How much time has passed?"
"Less than two months."
"Let's go," the Ancestral God stretched his limbs and said gravely. "I promised Xu Ying to hold them back for three months, and I will see it through! Otherwise, wouldn't he laugh at me?"
The Far Ancestor laughed heartily. "Xu Ying was once your disciple, after all. If he laughs at you, your old face will be thoroughly disgraced!"
The two pursued the ruin masters once more, doing everything in their power to harass them and slow their advance.
Time slipped by, drawing closer and closer to the three-month deadline.
On this day, covered in wounds and utterly exhausted, the Ancestral God and the Far Ancestor were running for their lives, dodging the pursuit of the ruins behind them.
"Kill us if you've got the guts!" the Far Ancestor yelled, thoroughly worked up, sloshing the contents of the chamber pot toward them.
Suddenly, the Ancestral God tugged at the Far Ancestor's sleeve, staring blankly into the distance.
The Far Ancestor put away the chamber pot and followed his gaze, only for all hope to shatter.
Before a colossal ruin, an incomparably immense skeleton was sailing toward them. Exuding the aura of a Grand Dao Master, the skeleton commanded the submission of all Daos even from afar; even the power within their own bodies began to settle, instilling an impulse to bow in allegiance.
The Ancestral God watched as the Abyss Sea, hovering above the Far Ancestor's head, suddenly broke free of the Far Ancestor's control, soaring away with a whoosh to hang behind the giant skeleton's head.
"That skeleton... is the owner of the Abyss Sea. The Former Court's Grand Dao... it's over. The Three Realms are finished," the Far Ancestor muttered, his face pale as paper.
That ruin moved relatively slowly, yet it crept inexorably toward the Three Realms.
An endless, resonant roar echoed. The Ancestral God looked back to see the starry sky burst open as the young Holy Venerable stepped through the shattered cosmos. Inside the blasted rift lay the Earth Immortal Realm.
The Holy Venerable had clearly torn through boundless space with his bare hands to arrive here in a single stride!
"Holy Venerable!" the Far Ancestor cried in shock. "You've achieved the Indestructible realm!"
The Holy Venerable wore an impassive look and said nonchalantly, "I am merely the first to attain the Indestructible realm through the New Dao, half a step faster than Qingxuan and Dao Ancestor Xu, that is all."
The Far Ancestor fell silent. While the Holy Venerable's breakthrough to the Indestructible realm was certainly cause for celebration, for some reason, he had an overwhelming urge to punch the kid.
Right then, the voice of Waste Qingxuan came from behind the Holy Venerable: "Yuan Yu, be so kind as to make way."
The Holy Venerable gave a start, hastily stepping aside and facing him, not daring to leave his back exposed.
Emperor Qingxuan would never launch a sneak attack from behind, but Waste Qingxuan certainly would.
Waste Qingxuan strolled out leisurely from the temporal-spatial breach the Holy Venerable had blasted open, smiling. "With the Holy Venerable opening the path, I've saved myself some effort."
"We from the Heavenly Immortal Realm haven't arrived late, have we?" came the voice of Dragon Emperor Mingdao. Everyone turned to look and saw Emperor Mingdao leading many dragons who had yet to cultivate the New Dao, arrayed in formation with sky-shaking auras.
The dragons boasted a tremendous number of eighth-realm Dao Realm experts; even after the harvests, over a thousand remained, far outnumbering those of the Earth Immortal Realm.
Although these dragon powerhouses no longer possessed cave abysses, their realm and Dharma treasures remained intact. They were still a force that could not be underestimated!
"How could this battle lack our Earth Immortal Realm?" Yuan Weiyang steered the World-Crossing Golden Ship as it sailed forward. Aboard the ship were Dao Venerable Lü, Qiongtai, Emperor Jing, Wei Xu, the Little Heavenly Venerable, and a host of other Supreme realm powerhouses, old and new.
A slaughterous battle was inevitable!
At that very moment, an Emerald Rock tiered ship from the other shore silently breached the Chaos Sea, arriving at the edge of the universe. Yinyuanzi, a True King of the other shore who ruled over a great chiliocosm of universes, stood at the ship's prow with hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping toward the Three Realms.
Chapter 718