Within the enlightenment ground, various divine power imprints hung suspended in midair, radiating the brilliant glow of different Great Daos. A single flower, a single blade of grass—each was a manifestation of a Dao; a single drop of water, a single tongue of flame possessed intricate architectures.
Looking closely, one could see different Great Daos connected inside the divine powers in exquisite, peerless structures.
Looking even closer, one could see the branching textures of principle frameworks that formed the different Great Daos.
Emperor Haotian's divine powers were unified by the Taiyi Dao. Without understanding the framework of his divine powers, barging in blindly was a path to certain death.
Now, as Xu Ying wove between these divine powers, the imprints he previously could not decipher stood out clearly in plain sight, and the Dao structures he once could not comprehend became distinct and transparent.
He no longer needed to probe for safe paths. Even if he brushed against these divine power imprints, he could activate the identical Dao method to clash with them at the precipice of their unleashing.
The moment those divine power imprints were triggered, they were suppressed by Dao methods identical to their own, quieting down into stillness.
Xu Ying leaped forward again and again, bounding onward. Avoiding the direction they had come from, he exited the forbidden zone from another route.
Previously, it had taken them half a year to reach the core of the forbidden zone, but now it took Xu Ying less than half a day to leave it behind.
The instant Xu Ying burst out from the forbidden zone, he felt invigorated and refreshed. Testing his capabilities along the way, everything had truly come effortlessly to his hand, flowing just as he willed.
Within his body, the merged cave abyss formed from the three great cave abysses—Hunyuan, Hundong, and Taiyi—churned steadily, generating an endless stream of primordial qi from within.
In the past, what flowed from the cave abysses had been immortal spiritual qi, requiring him to ingest and refine it before it could transform into primordial qi. Now that the Three Qis were unified as one, what flowed directly from the cave abyss was primordial qi itself!
"With this, my Martial Extreme Dao Attainment Scripture can be greatly simplified, eliminating the entire process of ingesting and refining qi."
Xu Ying glanced around and, seeing no sign of Yu Xuantong or True King Jiuquan, tore through the void and departed immediately.
Streamlining his technique from complex to minimalist was of paramount importance. The circulation paths across the thirteen realms he had previously practiced—Qi Ingestion, Hidden Scenery, Golden Core, Cave Abyss, Primordial Spirit, Nine Realms, Jade Pool, Six Daos, Ascension, Dao Domain, Six Domains, Bodhimanda, and Dao Scenery—could all be stripped away!
From now on, he only needed to retain the circulation path of the Supreme realm!
Once simplified, the circulation speed of the Martial Extreme Dao Attainment Scripture, as well as the pace of cultivating his cultivation base, would increase dramatically!
Moreover, simplifying the technique freed up room for him to explore whether other possibilities existed for circulating techniques in the Supreme realm.
On the other side of Haoyi's enlightenment ground, Yu Xuantong and True King Jiuquan had waited for nearly half a year. Yu Xuantong said, "Those scoundrels should already be dead inside the forbidden zone. We can enter now."
Towering multi-decked ships sailed in. A multitude of cultivators from the other shore aboard bowed deeply and paid their respects: "Greetings, Taishang Dao Ancestor!"
Yu Xuantong gave a slight nod. These cultivators practicing the Taishang path stepped forward one by one and ventured into the forbidden zone.
Yu Xuantong rose to his feet as well, accompanying them.
On the other side, True King Jiuquan likewise summoned his disciples, protégés, and junior grand-disciples in great numbers, entering the forbidden zone from a different spot.
With two Immortal realm beings presiding in person, they commanded their disciples and grand-disciples to scout ahead.
Many of these disciples had cultivated avatars, incarnations, or Dao bodies to send in front. Even so, there were divine power imprints that could not be tested beforehand, and before long, a great swath of disciples and grand-disciples perished.
Seeing this, Yu Xuantong frowned slightly. He stepped forward to personally attempt unraveling Emperor Haotian's divine power imprints, but taking merely a single blow left him slightly injured.
"When Haoyi left this enlightenment ground behind, it was on the eve of challenging Grand Dao Lord Taiyi. At that time, his strength was already greater than that of a Grand Dao Lord."
His gaze swept across the forbidden zone formed by varied divine power imprints, his brow furrowing deeper. "Then how did that barbarian from the Three Realms manage to go inside?"
The most terrifying aspect here was not any single divine power, but the entire Firmament of Divine Powers!
This was the grand divine power with which Emperor Haotian had heavily wounded Grand Dao Lord Taiyi.
A total of two hundred and fifty-six Great Daos, arranged in varied combinations, formed these tens of millions of divine powers, constructing a magnificent Firmament of Divine Powers.
If the Firmament of Divine Powers were fully triggered to erupt, forget these disciples and grand-disciples—even he, a former Dao Lord, would perish here!
"The Three Realms barbarian and the monkey couldn't have gotten far before dying here. It's impossible for them to have made it far."
Yu Xuantong ordered them to press forward. Casualties continued to mount. Yu Xuantong personally took the lead to counter the triggered divine power imprints, but soon nearly half of his disciples were dead or injured.
Exhaling a turbid breath, Yu Xuantong was about to order a retreat when True King Jiuquan's voice came from behind: "Dao Lord, why don't we join forces?"
Yu Xuantong's heart stirred. Turning back, he saw that True King Jiuquan's disciples had also suffered heavy casualties, losing nearly half their number.
Evidently, seeing the losses mount so severely had spurred True King Jiuquan to consider scouting the path together.
"I had the same thought."
The two Immortals hit it off immediately and began exploring together, cautiously seeking a path of survival. Whenever danger arose, Yu Xuantong and True King Jiuquan joined hands to counter Emperor Haotian's divine power imprints, combining their strength to suppress the erupting powers before they could fully unleash Emperor Haotian's arts.
In this manner, their progress quickened.
Yet even collaborating, the two Immortals found it hard to endure, needing to stop and rest after every brief period of exploration.
Yu Xuantong looked back and realized that across all this time, they had only advanced four or five steps. His brow furrowed.
"A Grand Dao Lord is truly a Grand Dao Lord, far superior to us!"
They continued onward, struggling forward in their exploration. Unknowingly, more than half a year passed. Eighty to ninety percent of the disciples the two Immortals had brought were dead or wounded, and Yu Xuantong and True King Jiuquan had both sustained injuries all over their bodies.
Yet they had still seen neither the corpses of Xu Ying and his companions, nor anything like the Primordial Source or the Chaos bell.
Whenever despair overtook the two Immortals, a glimmer of hope would inevitably sprout in their hearts: "It shouldn't be much further, right? Perhaps if we push just a little further ahead, we'll see that treasure!"
Xu Ying did not undergo Zangification, flying directly in human form to the nearest Dao scenery.
This place was a Dao scenery formed by a mass of Primeval Dao Wind. The wind was exceptionally domineering—a vast, pitch-black expanse that dissolved all Daos and extinguished all things, crushing cultivators' Dao bodies and melting away their primordial spirits with terrifying potency!
"Our Three Realms has no such frightening Dao scenery! Wind is merely an ordinary Great Dao, yet it can be so formidable!"
Reaching the edge of the Dao scenery, Xu Ying was nearly sucked in by the force of the wind, his heart filled with marvel.
This Dao scenery was vast, spanning tens of millions of li across. Some cultivators from the other shore sailed in on ships, braving the howling gales and hurricanes to comprehend the true essence of the Wind Dao.
"I wonder if I can withstand such terrifying Dao scenery?"
Stirred by the thought, Xu Ying slowly approached this Dao scenery of wind, when suddenly the force of the gale surged violently, swallowing him whole!
"Someone fell in!" an outlander cried in shock from a ship in the distance.
An old man aboard shook his head. "No saving him. This Dao wind was refined by collecting and fusing Dao sceneries from hundreds of universes. Unless one reaches the Immortal realm, falling in will only get you torn to shreds. Only by riding special wind-calming boats like ours can casualties be avoided. That kid threw his life away just to save some coin."
An outlander woman laughed. "Those who can afford tickets for a wind-calming boat are young masters and ladies from prominent clans. That fellow earlier probably couldn't afford one."
Inside the Dao wind, Xu Ying tumbled up and down. The wind raged like blades, pulverizing everything, yet as it swept across his body, it was blocked by his mighty physical form and failed to pierce his skin.
Nevertheless, this Dao wind was pervasive, burrowing into his pores and seeping into every acupoint, threatening to invade his Realm of Xiyi, destroy his internal organs, and melt away all his cultivation realms!
Xu Ying unleashed divine powers, striving to resist the Dao wind, but he could not steady himself at all and was swept deeper into the interior!
Deeper within this Dao scenery, the wind grew even more horrific. Even if it could not pierce his mortal hide, it could dissolve his viscera entirely!
Tumbling through the tempest, he executed all the divine powers he had learned and comprehended, trying his utmost to steady himself.
He unleashed various divine powers of Emperor Haotian as well. When Xu Ying performed a certain technique, he suddenly noticed the surrounding wind growing docile.
He started slightly. "This divine power employs the Wind Dao alongside several other Daos—not to oppose the wind, but to harness its nature."
Realizing this, he channeled the divine power while contemplating the principles embedded in the Dao wind.
After a long time, he was finally able to steady his footing within the Dao wind.
A wind-calming boat carrying a dozen outlander cultivators ventured ever deeper into the Dao scenery. Even with the boat, it took over half a month to reach the depths of this Dao scenery.
The old man aboard said, "We can go no further. Ahead lies the core of the Dao wind, where the Great Dao condenses and rages at its fiercest. If we go any further, even the wind-calming boat won't withstand it and will be torn to shreds!"
The people on the boat focused their attention, contemplating the Great Dao contained within the local Dao wind. Right at that moment, someone cried out, "Look, quick! There's someone in the core of the Dao wind!"
Everyone looked over hurriedly. The old boatman laughed. "How could there be anyone in the core of the Dao wind? Who could possibly survive there? Even Immortal realm beings wouldn't need to..."
Before he could finish, his jaw dropped in disbelief. Within the core of the Dao wind, a silhouette indeed flickered in and out of view.
The figure could vaguely be identified as a youth, sitting cross-legged amidst the incomparably furious Dao wind!
The Dao wind there was utterly terrifying, condensing into the very forms of the Great Dao. But what was even more shocking was that the Dao wind was being absorbed by the youth, flowing into his mouth and nostrils!
"It's that youth who fell into the Dao wind!" someone shrieked.
The people aboard were stunned. The youth sat motionless in the core of the Dao wind, unmoved by any blast, as steady as a mountain while the Dao wind whipped around him.
"Just what is his background?"
An outlander woman said, "Why hasn't he transformed into a Saint Race form? Can someone withstand such vicious winds without taking the Saint Race form?"
As everyone marveled, boundless Dao wind gathered behind the youth, forming a cave abyss of wind! Inside the Dao scenery, this cave abyss grew steadily more powerful, its might skyrocketing!
Two or three days later, the youth suddenly rose and strode toward them.
The crowd aboard watched in bewilderment as the youth passed by the wind-calming boat, accompanied by a magnificent cave abyss of wind behind his head.
Suddenly, that cave abyss sank into another of his cave abysses and vanished without a trace.
Looking on, they saw the youth walking further and further away until he vanished into the layered folds of Dao wind.
"It seems what he cultivates isn't the other shore's principle patterns either," someone murmured.
"This person is too bizarre."
Xu Ying exited this Dao scenery and headed toward others in the distance. The other shore's Dao environments were truly abundant, with larger scales and deeper principles, so he wished to visit more Dao sceneries to comprehend different Great Daos.
In just a few months, Xu Ying visited Dao sceneries of Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Heaven, Earth, Yin, Yang, and other varied Great Daos, contemplating each and reaping bountiful gains.
The other shore had plundered the wealth of countless universes, abducting the natural Dao sceneries of those universes and congregating them into a towering spectacle.
Though he had comprehended these Daos within Haoyi's enlightenment ground, only upon entering the actual Dao sceneries did he realize how shallow and incomplete his understanding had been.
He had never imagined that ordinary Great Daos of heaven and earth could possess such extraordinary power.
This trip was a process of filling in those gaps.
During this time, Xu Ying also dropped by the enlightenment ground to look in. Finding Daoist Wukong, Shi Tianyang, and the Zhuxian broken sword still immersed in contemplation, he did not disturb them.
On this day, Xu Ying arrived beside a stretch of chaos qi. This chaos qi differed from that of the Chaos Sea—the Chaos Sea was not a Dao scenery, whereas this mass of chaos qi was a naturally formed Dao scenery, likely plundered by the other shore from another universe as well.
The Chaos Dao was an exceptionally high-order Dao, and the number of outlanders visiting this Dao scenery to observe and comprehend numbered in the tens of thousands. Even disciples of Immortal True Kings rushed here to cultivate, often cutting magnificent figures as they deployed auspicious clouds, multi-decked ships, precious carriages, immortal palaces, jade pavilions, treasure pagodas, and all kinds of artifacts to resist assimilation by the chaos.
This mass of chaos qi was devoid of light, color, Dao, and law, immensely vast and heavy.
Standing near this Dao scenery was extraordinarily perilous; the slightest misstep could send one tumbling in. When Xu Ying arrived, in the blink of an eye, he witnessed four or five people fall into the Chaos Dao scenery, screaming as they were dissolved into strands of chaos qi.
This Dao scenery differed from the Chaos Dao Scenery among Qingxuan's Ten Great Dao Sceneries. Qingxuan's Chaos Dao scenery was meant to boost physical vitality, whereas this Chaos Dao scenery was a natural manifestation of the Chaos Dao formed within a universe.
Although the Chaos Dao was an exceedingly exalted Dao, comprehending it was notoriously difficult; even Dao Lord Hunyuan, who cultivated the Chaos Dao, had never reached the height of a Grand Dao Lord.
"Although I studied techniques in the Heavenly Immortal Realm and contemplated Dao in the Chaos Sea, I have never made great headway in the Chaos Dao."
Xu Ying stood beside the Chaos Dao scenery, looking up eagerly as he thought, "If I can make some gains here, perhaps I will finally be able to look directly upon Master Bell."
He felt that the origin of the ripples on the big bell's surface was likely of monumental significance, and he dearly wanted to comprehend them.
Just at that moment, his body shuddered violently. The Chaos Cave Abyss suddenly spun out from within him and hovered upright behind his head!
Seeing this, the surrounding outlanders cheered in admiration: "What an impressive youth, to have cultivated such a massive Chaos Cave Abyss! His attainments are remarkable!"
Xu Ying's expression changed drastically, however, and he hastily shouted, "Everyone, scatter quickly! Get as far away from me as possible!"
Hearing his words, the crowd sneered. Swaying their bodies, they manifested their own Chaos Cave Abysses of varying sizes and snapped, "Boy, who are you looking down on? Everyone who makes it here has cultivated the Chaos Dao—who among us is inferior to you?"
Xu Ying turned a deaf ear to them, muttering frantically to himself, "Brother Lotus, don't do this, Brother Lotus... All of you, run quickly, I can't keep it suppressed!"
Hearing this, someone strode straight toward Xu Ying, sneering, "Your eyes are above your head, looking down on the rest of us. Today, I, Zhangsun Chen, will demand—demand—de—"
Horror flooded his face.
Inside Xu Ying's Chaos Cave Abyss, dazzling radiance blazed forth as it suddenly spun with a screeching roar. In an instant, the chaos qi within the Chaos Cave Abysses of every cultivator near the Chaos Dao scenery surged out of control, howling through the air and streaming toward the human youth's cave abyss!
Even more terrifying, the Chaos Dao scenery in front of them also spiraled out of control without warning. Countless streams of chaos qi surged in like a raging tide, rolling into the youth's cave abyss!
"Don't come over! Run for your lives—!" The youth was, after all, dark-faced but kind-hearted, shouting frantically to the people further away.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Even further away, people helplessly manifested their own Chaos Cave Abysses one after another, the chaos qi within draining away uncontrollably and rushing toward the youth's cave abyss!
Chapter 732