Daoist Wukong had only heard of Emperor Haotian by title. He knew nothing of Haoyi as an individual, nor was he aware of the emperor's glorious history in the other shore.
Shi Tianyang, however, had heard Haoyi's name before. He cried out in shock, "This is Grand Dao Lord Haoyi's place of enlightenment? We're finished! We've wandered into a place of certain death!"
Gripped by panic and dread, he wanted to turn back the way they came. But their path in had been tortuous, and looking back, he had no idea how they could ever find their way out.
Xu Ying asked curiously, "Grand Dao Lord Haoyi? Emperor Haotian was a Grand Dao Lord?"
Xu Ying had only heard Milun and others give a broad outline of Emperor Haotian's deeds, but knew very little about him.
Shi Tianyang said, "Back then, you opened Grand Dao Lord Haoyi's coffin and used his corpse to intimidate the ruin masters of the Origin Realm. Didn't you know he held the title of Grand Dao Lord?"
Xu Ying shook his head.
"Back then, Haoyi challenged all the True Kings and Dao Lords, meeting no match until he fought all the way to Grand Dao Lord Taiyi. Grand Dao Lord Taiyi was his master. If he defeated Taiyi, he could attain the honored title of Grand Dao Lord and become one of the most powerful, supreme beings in the other shore,"
Shi Tianyang continued, "In our other shore, there are only four Grand Dao Lords—the four supreme rulers. Only the legendary Lords of Great Dao stand above them, though no one has ever seen a Lord of Great Dao. After that battle, Grand Dao Lord Taiyi was defeated by Haoyi, and Haoyi became the fifth among them, revered thereafter as Grand Dao Lord Haoyi."
Xu Ying was somewhat aware that Emperor Haotian had challenged the powerhouses of the other shore, but he had never imagined the other shore would actually recognize an outsider as a Grand Dao Lord.
"Most of the Immortal True Kings of the other shore are not native inhabitants; many hail from other universes,"
Shi Tianyang explained to Xu Ying. "True King Jiuquan, for example, comes from the Taihe Universe, one of the universes governed by the other shore. Because of his immense strength and extraordinary talent, True King Jiuquan came to the other shore to study, and only then did he attain the Immortal realm."
Xu Ying asked, puzzled, "If most of the True Kings in the other shore come from other universes, aren't they worried about rebellions? The other shore spreads the Emerald Rocks to harvest other universes, costing countless lives. That is a blood debt as vast as the sea—an irreconcilable hatred!"
Shi Tianyang sneered. "Those who clung to blood debts, like Grand Dao Lord Haoyi, were beaten to death. What hope would anyone else have? What's more, the True Kings harvest as well. When they harvest their native universes, they strike even more ruthlessly than other True Kings. Where would any blood debt come from?"
Hearing this, Xu Ying found it difficult to comprehend. After a moment, he shook his head and muttered, "Still, one shouldn't harvest their own people..."
"Their own people?"
Shi Tianyang mocked him for being unsophisticated. "Harvesting is a form of wisdom. 'Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost.' If you don't harvest, you are weak, and the weak do not deserve to live in this world! Every year, quite a few geniuses from other universes make their way to the other shore through various means. If they don't participate in harvesting, they can barely survive! As for wanting to take the Dao methods of the other shore back home—heh, leave your life behind first."
Xu Ying stared blankly for a long while before speaking slowly, "So this is Zangification."
"Zangification" was a term coined by Liu Guanyi, Heavenly Monarch of the Ten Wastes. To the people of the other shore, it was called naturalization.
They continued searching for a path to survival. Aside from helping Daoist Wukong replenish his hairs, Xu Ying devoted himself entirely to comprehending the divine ability imprints left behind by Emperor Haotian.
These divine ability imprints were the crystallization of wisdom from the Great Dao of Taiyi. Each imprint was exceedingly powerful. Xu Ying had built his foundation upon the Great Dao of Taiyi, so he took to it like a fish to water.
His mastery of the Great Dao of Taiyi rose steadily, edging closer and closer toward the Immortal realm.
Before they knew it, the three finally arrived at the center of this forbidden zone. This was where Emperor Haotian had comprehended the Dao. The Great Daos of heaven and earth around them were exceptionally dense and potent. Cultivating here, one could effortlessly enter the Dao with a single lapse in attention—a hundred times better than anywhere else!
The three looked all around. Unlike the outside, this area lacked dense clusters of divine ability imprints; instead, it was remarkably tranquil.
Looking up, they saw divine ability imprints forming a massive vault of heaven, magnificent beyond compare.
All three were filled with admiration.
Ahead stood an immortal palace and an ancient tree, lush and verdant, its canopy spreading like a royal canopy. Nourished by the dense Great Daos here, it radiated world-shaking power!
"This tree has absorbed the Great Daos and spiritual energy of this place of enlightenment. Its might is probably not inferior to the Ginseng Fruit Tree!"
At that thought, Xu Ying felt a stir in his heart. Inside his Martial Dao cave abyss, there was still a miniature Ginseng Fruit Tree, though he didn't know its purpose yet.
*Maybe I should plant it here. Perhaps it could grow into another Lord Tree,* Xu Ying thought.
Suddenly, Daoist Wukong halted and whispered, "There's someone in the palace!"
Xu Ying also sensed another presence inside the immortal palace ahead. Without a second thought, he activated Martial Ultimate Dao Attainment, driving the cave abysses within his physical body to elevate his cultivation to its peak!
Daoist Wukong took out his golden staff as well, while Shi Tianyang manifested his thousand-armed ancient god form, waiting in full battle array.
Inside the immortal palace, an outlander sat upright in solemn composure. Though he appeared young, his aura was growing stronger and stronger. Branch-like patterns of Dao principles fluttered around him, coalescing into all manner of anomalies.
The outlander suddenly rose and floated out of the palace, arriving beneath that ancient Dao tree. He performed divine abilities one after another; though their raw power was restrained, they were exquisite to the utmost degree!
He seemed to be in the midst of enlightenment, completely oblivious to his surroundings, unaware that Xu Ying and the other two had arrived nearby.
Watching this, Xu Ying felt shock and doubt. He hurriedly looked up at the divine ability imprints in the sky.
The divine abilities this outlander was executing were identical to the imprints emblazoned across the sky!
This person had actually deciphered the Great Dao Emperor Haotian wielded and mastered the divine abilities Emperor Haotian had comprehended!
"He also cultivates the Great Dao of Taiyi!"
Xu Ying's eyes flickered, darting back and forth between the outlander and the vault of heaven, searching for the corresponding divine abilities.
The divine abilities executed by that outlander and the Great Dao they contained were indistinguishable from the ones in the sky!
For a time, all kinds of divine abilities danced beneath the tree, constructing a celestial canopy of magnificent arts—truly dazzling!
Suddenly, as if sensing visitors outside, the outlander dispersed the canopy of divine abilities and turned to look at Xu Ying's group.
Surprise flickered in the outlander's eyes. Clearly, he had not expected anyone else to penetrate the layered screens of divine abilities to reach this place.
His body shrank down, gradually returning to ordinary human height. He had silver hair and appeared not to be a native of the Sacred Race of the other shore, but from another universe.
Behind his head surfaced a Taiyi cave abyss, surrounded by about a hundred other diverse cave abysses of various sorts.
Suddenly, these hundred-plus cave abysses merged one after another into the Taiyi cave abyss, causing the silver-haired youth's cultivation to climb precipitously!
He was not an Immortal realm being, but a powerhouse of the eighth Dao Realm.
He walked toward the three of them, silver hair flying, a sharp glint in his eyes. Speaking in the Dao language of the other shore, he said, "Rare indeed that someone could make it here. But you should not have come here, and you should never have seen me!"
He struck without warning, attacking Xu Ying, Daoist Wukong, and Shi Tianyang simultaneously!
The instant he made his move, Xu Ying immediately perceived that this person's Great Dao of Taiyi was far more powerful and pure than his own, and his divine abilities were vastly more refined!
Leaving no room for hesitation, Xu Ying mobilized his cave abysses: the Primordial Qi of the Hunyuan cave abyss, the Profound Qi of the Hundong cave abyss, and the Origin Qi of the Taiyi cave abyss erupted at once!
The opponent was using Emperor Haotian's divine abilities. Even while channeling the Three Qis, Xu Ying, under the immense pressure, unleashed Earth-Opening—the strongest single-target move among the Eight Immortality Methods!
Raising his hands high, radiant axe light rose from behind him like a god splitting heaven and earth, swinging a massive axe to clash against the opponent's divine ability!
The moment Xu Ying executed this strike, he realized his divine ability fell far short of his opponent's.
The Earth-Opening divine ability was born when he first ascended to the other shore and witnessed Buddha Ancestor and the myriad buddhas being attacked by an Immortal True King of the other shore. An immense body had risen steadily from the mountain ranges like a giant carving open the heavens and splitting the earth, bringing a gigantic axe crashing down on Buddha Ancestor.
That scene had remained deeply etched in Xu Ying's mind for ages, eventually leading him to develop the Earth-Opening divine ability.
However, he had merely observed the Immortal True King's attack; he had never comprehended the underlying Great Dao or studied the Dao method.
In contrast, the silver-haired youth before him had comprehended and studied Emperor Haotian's various Great Daos and divine ability imprints. Who was superior was obvious at a glance!
"You have received the true transmission of Taiyi as well?"
The silver-haired youth remarked in surprise, "You are not from my sect, so where did you get the true transmission of Taiyi? Ah, of course—you learned it from Junior Brother Mingxi! You're a barbarian from the Three Realms!"
In the next instant, the axe light shattered. Sensing imminent lethal danger, Xu Ying didn't hesitate to activate the Zhuxian Sword Formation to meet the oncoming attack!
Three thousand flying swords clashed with the opponent's divine ability. Sword qi swept across the space, piercing in every direction, yet failed to break through!
Xu Ying was astonished. At the same time, Daoist Wukong cried out in alarm, pinned down by the youth's divine ability!
On the other side, Shi Tianyang, his thousand arms wielding a thousand kinds of magic treasures, collided head-on with the silver-haired youth's divine ability. He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, staggering backward!
Fighting all three of them at once, this silver-haired youth still held an overwhelming upper hand!
Xu Ying summoned the Zhuxian broken sword. As soon as it emerged, it filled the missing eye of the Zhuxian Sword Formation. Its power surged explosively, unleashing all-annihilating killing intent. Sword light whistled through the air, tearing through the silver-haired youth's divine ability!
Startled, the silver-haired youth hastily shifted arts. Paying no heed, Xu Ying ground the Zhuxian Sword Formation straight forward, shredding the incoming technique to pieces!
Aided by his intervention, Daoist Wukong and Shi Tianyang steadied themselves and launched a frenzied assault against the silver-haired youth.
While fending off Xu Ying's Zhuxian Sword Formation, the silver-haired youth met the attacks of Daoist Wukong and Shi Tianyang without a trace of disorder in his technique, quickly arresting his retreat!
"To think that a momentary lapse of softheartedness back then, when I passed a sentence of the true transmission to Mingxi, would produce an expert like you,"
the silver-haired youth praised. "You are not a direct disciple of Grand Dao Lord Taiyi, yet you managed to cultivate Primordial Qi, Origin Qi, and Profound Qi. You are truly a genius rarely seen in the world! What a pity you came here!"
The longer the battle dragged on, the more alarmed Xu Ying, Daoist Wukong, and Shi Tianyang became. The silver-haired youth's moves and arts were unfathomably fluid, and the power latent in his techniques grew steadily stronger. Though they had briefly gained the upper hand, as time passed, the silver-haired youth only grew more formidable!
He was actually beginning to suppress the three of them!
Daoist Wukong let out a long howl, turning from one into myriad avatars. Countless Daoist Wukongs attacked the youth from every direction, only for the youth to tap out a single finger. The myriad avatars collapsed back into one, forcing Wukong to reveal his true body and meet the extraordinarily exquisite finger strike head-on.
Shi Tianyang pushed his various magic treasures to their absolute limits, his thousand arms hammering down like a tempestuous squall. Yet cracks spread across his treasures, damaged by the opponent's divine abilities!
Xu Ying drove the Zhuxian Sword Formation. Though it had not been broken, the ferocious nature of the Zhuxian broken sword was fully stoked, tiny cave abysses emerging from within the blade, ramping up the formation's lethal might!
Yet the silver-haired youth still blocked the Zhuxian Sword Formation!
Xu Ying was secretly shocked. At the same realm of cultivation, he had never encountered an opponent this formidable.
At the same realm, even disciples of True Kings like Yinyuanzi could barely survive a move or two against him. For a long time, he had harbored an innate pride, believing that even in the other shore, no one at the same realm could contend with him.
Yet now, this silver-haired youth was at the same realm and could fight one against four, giving him no visible hope of victory!
—The so-called fourth combatant was, in truth, the Zhuxian sword; after all, the Zhuxian broken sword had embarked on the path of an artifact cultivator and could be considered a cultivator in its own right.
*Are disciples under Grand Dao Lord Taiyi really this terrifyingly powerful?*
Thoughts flashed like lightning through Xu Ying's mind. *No, that's not it! Although he is Grand Dao Lord Taiyi's disciple, in truth, he is Emperor Haotian's disciple! What he studies isn't Grand Dao Lord Taiyi's Dao, but Emperor Haotian's! The reason he wants to slaughter us is out of fear that his secret study of Emperor Haotian's legacy will be discovered by Grand Dao Lord Taiyi, so he needs to silence us!*
The silver-haired youth's resilience was extraordinary; even when the Zhuxian broken sword unleashed its savage ferocity, he could withstand it completely!
Suddenly, the young man seemed to sprout countless arms. All manner of divine abilities flew forth, instantly forming a canopy of divine arts!
"Not good!"
Without a second thought, Xu Ying retracted the sword formation, reached out, grabbed Daoist Wukong with one hand and Shi Tianyang with the other, and leaped backward, shouting, "Lord Bell!"
The big bell flew out spinning. Xu Ying set down Daoist Wukong and Shi Tianyang, slamming both palms against the bell!
Daoist Wukong and Shi Tianyang stepped forward in unison, each thrusting a palm against the bell!
The folds upon the bell's surface, born of the Chaos Sea, radiated dazzling brilliance. A resonant tolling boomed forth, rushing to meet the crushing canopy of divine abilities!
*Dong—!*
The canopy of divine abilities collided with the big bell, obliterating countless arts. Shaken by the impact, the silver-haired youth floated backward, flipped in midair, and slid to a halt behind the immortal palace.
He looked up to see Xu Ying, Daoist Wukong, and Shi Tianyang holding the big bell high and charging toward him. Hesitating no longer, he spun around and plunged into the forbidden zone!
Inside the forbidden zone lay various divine ability imprints left by Emperor Haotian. It was perilous beyond measure; the slightest graze meant death and the disintegration of one's Dao!
Yet the silver-haired youth moved like a fish in water, darting between the imprints, executing dazzling arts to counter the brandings as he departed with total composure!
Before the immortal palace, beneath that ancient Dao tree, Xu Ying, Daoist Wukong, and Shi Tianyang watched this scene, dumbfounded, unable to calm their turmoil for a long time.
The Zhuxian sword also appeared somewhat dispirited.
The three beings and one sword, including Shi Tianyang, held immense pride in their own abilities. None of them had expected that even by joining forces, they would still fail to retain that silver-haired youth!
Only Lord Bell remained open-minded and cheerful, completely unfazed.
Such victory or defeat mattered little to Dao Ancestor Bell; after all, that silver-haired youth could never beat Dao Ancestor Bell anyway.
Chapter 730