Resurgence of the Great Dao

"The cultivators of the other shore seem obsessed with scalping. When they overcome a powerful and respectable opponent, they scalp them as a mark of respect." Xu Ying studied the scattered bones and thought, *Where did these skeletons come from? They don't look like powerful, respected adversaries.* He squatted down to examine them, his brows furrowing slightly. There were simply too many skeletons. Nearly every set bore fatal injuries—pierced skulls, shattered ribs, and other puncture wounds that had likely been inflicted by magic treasures. Aside from those, there were also signs of blunt-force trauma, likely dealt by heavy treasures such as hammers or battleaxes. Xu Ying examined them one by one, his frown deepening. He realized that these remains did not belong only to grown men; there were also the elderly and children. At the crown of their skulls were the distinct marks left by blades. Their scalps had been severed as well. After a moment, Xu Ying rose and walked over to the emerald-green stone monument. It was carved from a slab of Emerald Rock, inscribed with Li script that detailed a cultivation technique. As he studied it closely, he could not help but be moved. Carved into the monument was a mysterious art spanning nine realms of the Great Dao, founded upon the Grand Dao of Taiyin to cultivate a Dao equal to the body. However, the monument was incomplete. It only contained the technique up to the eighth realm; the ninth realm had been cleaved away with a sharp weapon. Even so, it was vastly more complete than any technique passed down from the other shore to the Heavenly Immortal Realm! Xu Ying examined the cut on the stone and felt a jolt within. Such a weapon had to be comparable to the Zhuxian broken sword, incomparably sharp and domineering. Straightening his back, Xu Ying looked out toward the murky, dim Tianjing Ruins and mused, *There must still be complete techniques in the Tianjing Ruins that were never cleaved away. If I can find one or two intact slabs of Emerald Rock and obtain the inheritances on them, they surely won't fall short of the Hunyuan Cave Abyss Calamity Dispelling Scripture.* He walked toward the outskirts of the Tianjing Ruins. Though greatly tempted by the techniques here, he still planned to rendezvous with Taiyi Heavenly Venerable first. "The four Grand Dao Lords have mobilized together this time, likely with the goal of searching for the techniques of a Grand Dao Master." At that moment, Zhuo Daochun's voice drifted over. "Their karmic burdens are exceedingly heavy, so they never dare tread lightly here, terrified of triggering the karma of the past and suffering retribution." Xu Ying followed the sound. Zhuo Daochun stood before the broken monument he had just examined, scrutinizing the stone. Halting in his tracks, Xu Ying asked with genuine confusion, "What karma could the Grand Dao Lords bear?" Zhuo Daochun replied, "How would I dare criticize our predecessors? Still, judging by the state of these corpses, one can piece together some cause and effect." Xu Ying inquired humbly, "May I ask for enlightenment?" With his hands behind his back, Zhuo Daochun fixed his gaze upon the emerald stone monument. "Let us hypothesize for a moment. What if it wasn't Tianjing that ran aground on the other shore, but the other shore that ran aground on Tianjing? Coincidentally, Tianjing happened to be in the low tide of its Great Dao cycle. The heavens possessed no Dao, the people could not wield their cultivation, and their Daos were stripped of power. They were left with nothing but their vast knowledge." Xu Ying looked down at the bones beneath his feet. "And at that time, the people of the other shore were merely barbarians, having mastered only a few crude Dao methods." Zhuo Daochun nodded. "When the other shore ran aground, its barbarians discovered Tianjing. Venturing in, they found unimaginable wealth at every turn, along with people possessed of profound wisdom. The people of Tianjing taught those barbarians their Dao methods, instructed them in Li script, and imparted civilization to them." Stepping forward to inspect the bones on the ground, Xu Ying picked up the thread. "Then one day, the situation shifted. The barbarians grew stronger. Although the people of Tianjing were their teachers, they possessed no strength due to the receding tide of the Great Dao." Zhuo Daochun said, "And so a slaughter began. The barbarians went on a rampage, slaying their benefactors, their very teachers." Xu Ying's heart stirred. "Wanting to eradicate their benefactors entirely, they issued a decree: anyone who brought back a scalp from a person of Tianjing would be rewarded with treasures or divine cultivation arts. Over time, scalping became a custom on the other shore." Evidently, the other shore had turned scalping into a tradition. Zhuo Daochun continued, "The people of Tianjing had Dao attainments but no magic power, unable to deploy Dao arts or divine powers. Once their scalps were carved off, only death awaited them. The barbarians herded them before the stone monuments carved with their own techniques, sliced away their scalps, and left them to die here. "Back then, when they slaughtered every last person of Tianjing, Tianjing's Great Dao of Heaven and Earth lay dormant in the ebb of the tide. But now, the tide of the Great Dao is rising, and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth is reviving. They massacred every cultivator and Dao attainer who practiced Tianjing's Daos. That is the karma they owe Tianjing! This is no petty karma of a life for a life or settling a debt of coins—it is cosmic karma. And this karma must be repaid!" A debt of blood, of course, had to be paid in blood! Xu Ying asked, "How do you know the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth in the Tianjing Ruins is reviving?" Zhuo Daochun turned his head to look at him. Suddenly, Xu Ying sensed a chilling murderous intent surge toward him. His heart pounded twice in alarm, ready to summon the big bell and the Zhuxian broken sword at any second. Zhuo Daochun seemed to realize that with the big bell present, he could not easily deal with Xu Ying. He turned to walk away. Yet he could bear it no longer—suddenly whirling around, he lunged forward! The moment he struck, he unleashed the divine powers of his enlightenment ground. As his palm swept out, a mighty river materialized, encircling his body and surging toward Xu Ying! Xu Ying's intention all along had been to provoke him into fighting, eager to test how much of a gap remained between the fruits of his recent years of study and Zhuo Daochun's prowess. "Come on, then!" With a long roar, Xu Ying catalyzed his Ultimate Martial Dao Attainment. The cave abysses within him surged, and an identical great river materialized, colliding squarely with Zhuo Daochun's palm force! The rivers conjured by the two men appeared to be formed from the Dao of Water, yet upon impact, the powers of more than a dozen other Daos erupted from within their currents! A single spray of water held ten thousand stars; a single drop embodied a passing moment of time. What the river churned was Samsara, what its rush brought forth was slaughter, and what its waves crashed with was the force of Taiying! As their palm forces clashed, Xu Ying immediately felt that the other man's magic power was far more profound than his own. Though he did not lag behind in divine powers, an undeniable gulf remained in their raw cultivation! Xu Ying immediately vaulted backward. Zhuo Daochun spun his body like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, rocketing forward and blasting out countless divine powers in an instant, forming a Firmament of Divine Powers! He had truly resolved to kill. Initially, he had merely been conversing casually with Xu Ying. He had never expected Xu Ying to be so sharp as to deduce his true origins in just a few sentences, leaving him no choice but to silence the youth forever! Even as he retreated, Xu Ying maintained an unbroken roar, driving his martial Dao to its utmost limit. In that instant, countless Xu Yings seemed to materialize around him, each unleashing a distinct divine power! It was likewise a Firmament of Divine Powers! The two Firmaments of Divine Powers collided. For a moment, it was as if two blazing suns had risen within the Tianjing Ruins, yet thousands of times more blinding than ordinary sunlight! *Boom!* The might of their divine powers erupted, scouring and obliterating everything in the vicinity. Two overlapping torrents surged forth, melting the surrounding mountain ridges into glowing magma! Spitting a mouthful of blood, Xu Ying summoned the big bell without hesitation, unleashing its full power and blasting it straight out, showing not the slightest pity for the possibility that Zhuo Daochun might be the last surviving person of Tianjing! Zhuo Daochun catalyzed his Firmament of Divine Powers once more to meet the bell head-on. This time, without Daoist Wukong, Shi Tianyang, and the Zhuxian broken sword to reinforce it, Zhuo Daochun actually managed to withstand the big bell's assault. Both combatants had fought into a frenzy. Trailing close behind the big bell, Xu Ying unleashed a second strike of the Firmament of Divine Powers. Having deployed the Firmament of Divine Powers twice in succession, Zhuo Daochun's magic power had run dry. Incapable of mustering another immense technique, he could only raise his hand to block. *Pfft—* He spat out a massive mouthful of blood and was sent hurtling backward. Having also cast the Firmament of Divine Powers twice in a row, Xu Ying was entirely depleted of magic power as well. Yet he immediately broke into a sprint, charging straight for Zhuo Daochun. The big bell followed right behind, bellowing, "Silver-haired brat, today Master Bell sends you to the great beyond! Ah Ying, sacrifice me! Hurry, sacrifice me!" Xu Ying had no strength left to sacrifice it or draw forth its might, so the big bell had no choice but to sacrifice itself. Numerous cave abysses emerged outside its bronze body, rotating independently as it joined Xu Ying in a pincer attack from above and below, pressing their assault against Zhuo Daochun! The two men and one bell fought as they moved through the Tianjing Ruins, tearing heaven and earth asunder. Xu Ying clung relentlessly to Zhuo Daochun, trading blows and divine powers. Though his cultivation was not as dense, neither had much magic power left, allowing Xu Ying to keep him thoroughly entangled. The main striker remained Master Bell. Finding himself on the back foot, Zhuo Daochun felt a surge of secret regret: *Could it be that I am fated to die here today?* Suddenly, Xu Ying burst into laughter, caught the big bell by its crown loop, and leaped high into the air, causing Master Bell's fatal strike to hit empty space. Cradling the big bell in his hand, Xu Ying drifted away, his voice echoing from afar: "Senior Brother Zhuo, it seems I still fall short of you this time. Next time we clash, I will certainly defeat you!" Zhuo Daochun stood dumbfounded, watching as Xu Ying cradled the big bell in his left hand and vanished into the vast gloom. "He isn't going to kill me?" Zhuo Daochun raised an eyebrow, murmuring, "Of course. His origins are just like mine—hardly clean. He only wanted to test my skills and see the gap between us." He, too, practiced the Taiyi Dao, whose greatest advantage was rapid recovery. Before long, Zhuo Daochun had returned to his peak. Only the Dao injury inflicted by Master Bell remained. "Refining this Dao injury will be somewhat difficult, but it won't defeat me! Xu Ying, this is the closest you will ever come to me. The gap between us will only grow wider." Zhuo Daochun stepped into the darkness and murmured, "Because the Great Dao of Tianjing has already begun to revive!" *** After parting ways with Zhuo Daochun, Xu Ying cradled Master Bell in his hand, full of vigor and spirit. A moment later, he arrived at a mountain peak and froze, standing motionless for a long time. "Little Ying, what's wrong?" Master Bell asked, equally high-spirited. Xu Ying scratched his head. "Master Bell, do you remember the way we came?" Two eyes sprouted on the bell's bronze wall, rolling wildly. "How could I know? Let me check what Dao patterns are engraved on me... Ah Ying, I'm blind!" Having fought so fiercely with Zhuo Daochun across an unknown distance, Xu Ying realized now that his head had cooled: he seemed to be hopelessly lost. Looking up at the sky, he could no longer find Dao Lord Wuchen's immortal palace. This place was entirely unfamiliar! "Zhuo Daochun is a native of Tianjing; he must know the local geography. Going back to ask him to guide me out wouldn't be embarrassing... No, it would be terribly embarrassing!" Xu Ying sighed. After beating Zhuo Daochun, laughing heartily, and striding off with the bell, how free and untamed had he appeared? To slink back now just to ask for directions—where would his pride go? "Still, I should go back and ask. After all, getting out of Tianjing and regrouping with Taiyi Heavenly Venerable and the rebels is what truly matters." Xu Ying retraced his steps, but found no trace of Zhuo Daochun, and a wave of desolation washed over his heart. "Where on earth is this?" The big bell soared into the air, calling out, "Ah Ying, wait here and don't wander off. I'll go take a look from the sky!" The moment it took flight, another big bell suddenly flew in from the sky beyond, colliding with it with a loud clang. The big bell crashed back down, dazed and disoriented. Suddenly, it floated up again and flew into the air, calling out, "Ah Ying, wait here and don't wander off. I'll go take a look from the sky!" *Clang!* As it ascended, it collided once more with an abrupt, incoming big bell, clattering to the ground a second time. Groggy and confused, the big bell said to Xu Ying, "Ah Ying, wait here and..." It was the Dao of Space-Time in the Tianjing Ruins beginning to awaken, causing the big bell to repeatedly encounter its own ascending self and endlessly loop through its prior actions. The space-time Dao of the Tianjing Ruins was extremely unstable. Rushing blindly into the upper air risked far worse than minor injuries—it could cost one's life! *** At the edge of the Tianjing Ruins, Taiyi Heavenly Venerable shook off Dao Lord Hong's pursuit and exhaled a breath of turbid air. Looking around, he murmured in puzzlement, "Why isn't Dao Ancestor Xu waiting for me here? Could he have already entered the Tianjing Ruins?" Just as he was about to step inside, he felt a sudden premonition, and his expression shifted slightly. "The Great Dao of Heaven and Earth in the Tianjing Ruins... has begun to revive!" Elsewhere, Dao Lord Hong was still preparing to hunt down Taiyi Heavenly Venerable when a voice called out, "Dao Friend Hong, stay your steps!" Dao Lord Hong looked over and hurriedly bowed. "Hong Tiangang pays his respects to the Grand Dao Lord!" An imperial carriage approached, carved from fine jade and drawn by cloud dragons. Within sat a Dao Lord of extraordinary bearing, behind whose head shone a brilliant light that illuminated the surroundings, obscuring his true features. It was none other than Grand Dao Lord Taiyi, one of the four supreme beings of Daoji Heaven. Grand Dao Lord Taiyi nodded gently and said, "Dao Friend Hong, please approach. With the revival of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth in the Tianjing Ruins, my entry will inevitably trigger karmic retribution. Yet I must go this time. Dao Friend Hong, you are deeply versed in the Grand Dao of Karma and are a True King of karmic immortality. For this expedition into the Tianjing Ruins, remain by my side. Come aboard the imperial carriage." Dao Lord Hong bowed in assent, carefully stepped onto the carriage, and took a seat in the lower position. "Has the Grand Dao Lord come for the events of that year?" Grand Dao Lord Taiyi shook his head. "No. I have come for the cultivation techniques of a Grand Dao Master."