Even as the two Grand Dao Lords were pondering this, the Zhuxian Sword Formation swept across all directions, driving Nangong Hao back and slamming head-on into his Yin-Yang Dao power!
That spy then summoned a big bell, scooping up the cluster of Yin-Yang Qi and delivering it directly into his Yin-Yang Cave Abyss.
Having obtained the Yin-Yang Qi, Xu Ying frantically threw himself into refining it, and his Taiyi Cave Abyss transformed into a Yin-Yang Cave Abyss as well.
Beside himself with grief and rage, Nangong Hao cried out, "You dared steal my opportunity! Today I will see you die without a burial place!"
"To steal my disciple's opportunity—today you will die without a burial place!"
Grand Dao Lord Yin-Yang's expression darkened. Just as he was about to intervene, a pair of Yin-Yang Dao Swords concealed within this place soared into the sky, tearing through the Zhuxian Sword Formation. Wherever their sword light swept, all three thousand immortal swords shattered to pieces, utterly unable to withstand the two Dao swords!
Only the Zhuxian broken sword clashed against the pair of Dao swords, yet even it was suppressed by them.
"Dao swords!"
Grand Dao Lord Yin-Yang was taken aback. Halting his steps, he refrained from stepping in, thinking to himself, *The emergence of Dao swords proves that the Grand Dao Master of the Tianjing Ruins indeed made arrangements, and Nangong Hao is his chosen successor! Whether I can obtain the Grand Dao Master–level method of the Yin-Yang Great Dao hinges on this single move!*
His karma was too heavy, and he bore deep enmity toward Tianjing. If he revealed himself, it would inevitably provoke a counterattack from Tianjing's Great Dao.
At that point, it might ruin his own layout.
The two swords—one black and one white, one Yin and one Yang—darted and whirled around Xu Ying with peerless ferocity.
Forged from the Daos of Yin and Yang, wrought from the Great Dao itself, they were known as Dao swords.
Although the Zhuxian broken sword had been tempered through countless trials and had once been Daoist Tongtian's personal weapon, Daoist Tongtian had only possessed the cultivation of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo when he left it in the Three Realms.
It was precisely because the Zhuxian broken sword had subsequently been broken by Qingxuan, the Holy Venerable, and others that its might had ascended to a higher level. Furthermore, having been tempered by the Emerald Rock and possessing the ability to cultivate on its own, it had managed to avoid being shattered by the two Yin-Yang Dao Swords.
Even so, the might of the Yin-Yang Dao Swords was no small matter. With every clash against them, the Zhuxian broken sword felt as though its very body could hardly endure the strain.
Xu Ying's Taiyi Cave Abyss was already vast and boundless to begin with, and transforming into a Yin-Yang Cave Abyss only made it larger. As he comprehended the profound mysteries of Yin and Yang contained within that cluster of Yin-Yang Qi, he mobilized the Yin-Yang Great Dao to drive the Zhuxian broken sword.
Pure Yin-Yang Qi surged from his cave abyss, reinforcing the Zhuxian broken sword and deploying a sword formation that met the Yin-Yang Dao Swords head-on without falling into a disadvantage!
With his aid, the Zhuxian broken sword's power surged explosively, and it no longer had to fear being severed in its clash against the Yin-Yang Dao Swords.
Nangong Hao lunged forward, his palms flashing with a strand of yin qi and a strand of yang qi. Snatching the Yin-Yang Dao Swords, he brandished them like two soaring dragons of rainbow qi, his surging Dao power pouring out to clash against the Zhuxian broken sword driven by Xu Ying in a deafening barrage of metallic clangs!
"Return my opportunity!" Nangong Hao roared.
Those Yin-Yang Dao Swords were formidable indeed, repeatedly breaching the Zhuxian Sword Formation. Xu Ying felt a jolt of alarm. *The Great Dao has its own biases, and it's playing favorites to an absurd degree! Next time, I'll snatch the treasures along with the qi!*
He summoned the big bell. With a thunderous *gong*, rolling waves of sound blasted toward Nangong Hao. Brandishing both swords, Nangong Hao wove a crisscrossing web of Dao power that actually fended off the bell's force. At the sight, Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. *What a terrifying treasure! How infuriating that it isn't mine!*
He turned and fled at once. Nangong Hao pursued in hot pursuit, his two Dao swords tumbling and churning as they slashed and hacked.
Xu Ying drove the big bell and mobilized the sword formation to fend him off.
Nangong Hao's strikes were vicious and relentless, treating the two Dao swords not as delicate magical treasures but hacking wildly at Xu Ying with reckless abandon. Xu Ying, on the other hand, cherished Lord Bell and Master Sword and had no desire to become hopelessly entangled with him.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Xu Ying rang the big bell repeatedly, sending out successive shockwaves that forced Nangong Hao back, before flashing away.
By the time Nangong Hao charged up to the spot, all trace of Xu Ying was already gone.
"Just what is this person's background? Even after obtaining these Dao swords, I still couldn't make him stay!" Nangong Hao was filled with shock and suspicion.
The moment Xu Ying departed, a savage light flickered in Grand Dao Lord Yin-Yang's eyes, and he prepared to strike at Xu Ying. Right at that moment, an inexplicable shiver ran down his spine; he felt himself locked onto by someone.
Showing no panic in the face of danger, Grand Dao Lord Yin-Yang turned to sweep his gaze across the surroundings, his voice low and heavy. "Which fellow Daoist is playing this joke on me?"
Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death had merged with the Dao, resembling a lifeless object, easily evading his probing sweep.
Grand Dao Lord Yin-Yang gave a cold snort. Knowing that such a supreme expert was lurking in the shadows, he realized it would be difficult to kill Xu Ying and reclaim the Yin-Yang Qi.
His figure slowly faded, vanishing without a trace.
Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death paid it no heed, murmuring softly, "That brat is the true harvest. He isn't a native of Tianjing, yet he possesses the karmic destiny of one. If I can figure this out, I too will be able to possess the karmic destiny of a Tianjing native, and thereby seize a Grand Dao Master's cultivation method! Fellow Daoist Yin-Yang failed to see this—he has only his own stupidity to blame."
The four Grand Dao Lords had all come for the legacy of a Grand Dao Master's cultivation method, but they did not get along; they were competitors.
Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death gave chase after Xu Ying, thinking to himself, *Earlier, this brat could only seize a tiny sliver of the Qi of Creation and Hongmeng Qi. Now, he took the entirety of the Yin-Yang Qi without leaving behind a single scrap.*
This meant his karmic destiny was steadily growing stronger!
If he plundered a few more people, his karmic destiny would likely become identical to that of a native of Tianjing.
Within the Tianjing Ruins, above a dried riverbed, layers upon layers of palaces rose from the very bottom of the river channel, extending upward in dense, orderly tiers.
However, this ancient complex of riverbed palaces had long gathered dust.
"The Qi of Gods and Demons belongs to my Gods and Demons Palace! Zhuo Daochun, you are a disciple of Grand Dao Lord Taiyi; coming here to snatch the Qi of Gods and Demons will do you no good!"
Atop the roof of one palace hall stood a burialized man exuding a towering aura. He possessed three faces upon a single body, and behind his head rotated a Gods and Demons Cave Abyss, the divine Dao and the demonic Dao corresponding with one another. He said in a deep voice, "This place is my fortuitous opportunity! If you persist in your folly, do not blame me for being ruthless!"
Opposite him, atop the roof of another palace hall, stood another person—none other than Zhuo Daochun.
Between the two of them, deep within this submerged divine palace, the Daos of Gods and Demons were reviving, condensing into the Qi of Gods and Demons.
Zhuo Daochun said, "All Daos under heaven return to Taiyi. Whether it is the divine Dao or the demonic Dao, both are contained within Taiyi. Taiyi encompasses all things and is the most powerful Great Dao under heaven."
Shi Yuting—that burialized man—burst into hearty laughter, exuding an imposing air. "Zhuo Daochun, you barely have any reputation under Grand Dao Lord Taiyi. It's hardly your turn to be considered the strongest among the Grand Dao Lord's disciples, is it? I spoke politely only out of respect for Grand Dao Lord Taiyi. Do not refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
Zhuo Daochun said no more, reaching out directly toward the Qi of Gods and Demons.
Shi Yuting hesitated no longer and attacked immediately. At the same time, Zhuo Daochun felt the local power of the Great Dao of Gods and Demons seethe, surging toward him to prevent him from taking the Qi of Gods and Demons!
Shi Yuting's lethal strike had already reached his back, and the Dao power of Gods and Demons was bearing down before him. At that very moment, with a mere thought from Zhuo Daochun, it was as if thousands of arms and hands sprouted from him, meeting Shi Yuting and the Dao power separately!
His divine powers had been honed to the extreme realm of divine powers, just like Xu Ying's Martial Dao. Within his Taiyi Cave Abyss, countless Zhuo Daochuns were practicing divine powers simultaneously, evolving them toward ever higher, more flawless forms!
In this instant, Shi Yuting beheld the signature divine powers of the four Grand Dao Lords: Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death's Mutual Demise of Life and Death, Grand Dao Lord Yin-Yang's Yin-Yang Heavenly Road, Grand Dao Lord of Gods and Demons' Rhapsody of the Ultimate Dao of Gods and Demons, and Grand Dao Lord Taiyi's Primordial Luotian Seal. Four supreme divine powers that should have been impossible for any single person to master had appeared on one man at the very same time!
Not only that, he also saw various other Great Daos transformed into divine powers under Zhuo Daochun's hands—Time, Space, Life, Five Elements, Hongmeng, Taiji, Taishang, Taicang, Taiying, Tianxin, Creation, and more!
All of these were supreme Great Daos. Any Indestructible expert would have to spend tens of thousands of years, and even rely on the "assistance" of the finest elites from multiple universes, to master just one of them.
Yet Zhuo Daochun seemed to have mastered them all by mastering one, unleashing these Great Dao divine powers with ease. His talent far exceeded his own!
Shi Yuting was both shocked and infuriated. The moment their techniques collided, he instantly knew he was outmatched. His divine power was shattered by Zhuo Daochun, and a palm struck him squarely in the chest.
The attack Zhuo Daochun had used was none other than the Rhapsody of the Ultimate Dao of Gods and Demons—the very divine power Shi Yuting specialized in!
To be defeated by his own specialty was a humiliating disgrace!
Shi Yuting flew backward, preparing to regroup and fight again. *Even if I am no match for him, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth here favors me! I'm not without a fighting chance!*
Yet before he could even steady his footing, he saw that Zhuo Daochun had already scattered the surging Dao power of Gods and Demons, seized the Qi of Gods and Demons in his hand, and drawn it into his Taiyi Cave Abyss!
Shi Yuting was struck with sheer terror. *His strength is simply too...* Just as the thought crossed his mind, the void shuddered violently, and the Dao power of Gods and Demons surged forth with immense vigor, rushing toward him.
Shi Yuting looked closely, only to see a scroll flying out from the void. As the scroll unfurled, paintings of a hundred gods and demons appeared within it, warring against heaven and earth with matchless valor!
These depictions of gods and demons contained an exceedingly formidable method of battle—it was unquestionably a supreme treasure from the era of Tianjing!
"This Scroll of a Hundred God-Demon Battles has come to take me as its master!" Shi Yuting was overcome with surprise and joy. *With this Scroll of a Hundred God-Demon Battles, my cultivation and strength will increase by leaps and bounds. Why should I fear any Zhuo Daochun?*
Yet the moment the Scroll of a Hundred God-Demon Battles appeared, Zhuo Daochun's palm was already reaching for it. The hundred gods and demons in the painting flew into a rage, preparing to charge out of the scroll, their upper bodies already emerging from the parchment!
With a forceful roll of his hands, Zhuo Daochun forcefully rolled those gods and demons back into the painting. Rolling up the scroll, he stored it into his cave abyss, bowed slightly to the dumbfounded Shi Yuting, and said, "Senior Brother, pardon the offense." With that, he turned and walked away.
Shi Yuting was beside himself with grief and indignation. Watching Zhuo Daochun's departing back, he wanted to stop him, yet lacked the courage to make a move.
In the distance, Grand Dao Lord of Gods and Demons watched Zhuo Daochun's back with flickering eyes, lost in thought.
*A disciple of Grand Dao Lord Taiyi has actually trained the various other Great Daos to such a degree. It seems Brother Taiyi has hidden a great deal of strength on ordinary days. To think he could even grasp my Great Dao of Gods and Demons... Brother, your wild ambitions are vast indeed; I must be more on guard against you.*
His figure faded away, vanishing without a trace.
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi stood in the distance. Seeing this, he shook his head slightly and whispered, "Has my old friend lost his trust in me as well? Has the life-and-death friendship we shared back then faded so easily? How truly chilling."
He let out a sigh. "Then again, if that is the case, I will have no qualms about making a move against you."
Beside him, Dao Lord Hong inspected the karma of the various revival sites across the region, frowning slightly. "Grand Dao Lord, the deeper we go, the more karma wraps around us. If we push further, I fear it may provoke a backlash from the Great Dao."
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi said, "Sever the karma."
"This is the karma between us and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth of Tianjing, mingled with deep grievances and resentment. It cannot be severed!"
Dao Lord Hong was an Indestructible-realm existence who governed the Great Dao of Karma, and he recognized the danger. "If we forcibly sever it, we will surely suffer a backlash! Our only option now is to obscure the karma."
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi nodded.
Dao Lord Hong took action at once, obscuring their karma so as to prevent them from falling into the designs of Tianjing's Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi inquired, "Is there any karma belonging to a Grand Dao Master?"
Dao Lord Hong shook his head. "Nothing discovered as of yet."
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi surveyed his surroundings, puzzled. "In this grand revival of heaven and earth, blessed grounds are manifesting one after another. Could there really be no layouts left behind by Tianjing's Grand Dao Masters? I don't believe it."
He felt a faint unease. With the tide of the Great Dao rising, so many revival sites had appeared, and the layout of each site seemed as though a Grand Dao Master was lurking behind it.
If that were truly the case, then the number of Grand Dao Masters was simply too immense.
Could Tianjing really have possessed so many Grand Dao Masters?
*Furthermore, did the Grand Dao Masters of Tianjing back then truly all die out?* he wondered silently.
Xu Ying pressed deeper into the Tianjing Ruins. The Dao grounds around him grew increasingly numerous and ever more perilous. The Great Daos of Heaven and Earth within these Dao grounds were chaotic, but more crucially, the extinct people of Tianjing had left behind their respective restrictions here.
In the past, when the Great Dao was at low tide, those restrictions had lost their power. But now that the Great Dao was rising, these places had become exceedingly dangerous!
*The rising tide of the Great Dao isn't something that happens overnight. This phenomenon must have existed for a long time. Taiyi Heavenly Venerable, Great Dao Lord Xuhuang, and the others must have discovered the rising tide as well, which is why they stayed here,*
Xu Ying thought, surveying his surroundings. *Perhaps I might run into them.*
Suddenly, Xu Ying sensed an unusual fluctuation and his heart stirred. *This feels like the aura of the Qi of Taiji! Tianjing's Great Dao of Taiji is awakening!*
He hurried toward the source of that fluctuation. The Qi of Taiji was of immense importance to him; among the Great Daos that constituted his Taiyi Great Dao, the Dao of Taiji was one of them!
When Xu Ying arrived, he found that the Taiji Dao ground ahead had already matured. The power of the Great Dao of Taiji had coalesced into a Taiji Diagram spanning a hundred li, and the Qi of Taiji had divided into yin and yang, swimming within the Dao power.
"This treasure has an affinity with me!" Xu Ying said with delight. "I have cultivated the Great Dao of Taiji and a Taiji Cave Abyss as well. This place was clearly a Dao ground prepared specifically for me by Tianjing!"
Just as he arrived outside the Taiji Diagram, another figure landed not far from him, eyeing him warily.
Behind that young man hovered a Gods and Demons Cave Abyss, with the Qi of Gods and Demons circulating within it, radiating an exceptionally formidable aura.
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. He heard the young man say, "I am Shi Yuting, a disciple of Grand Dao Lord of Gods and Demons. This place has an affinity with me; please step aside."
Disappointed, Xu Ying smiled and said, "Senior Brother, if this is your Dao ground, I naturally won't seize it by force. I will merely take a small portion of the Qi of Taiji."
Shi Yuting sneered, "You want to snatch half of my opportunity? Who do you think you are—Zhuo Daochun?"
Hearing this, Xu Ying's expression turned solemn. "You ran into Zhuo Daochun? Did Zhuo Daochun steal your opportunity? In how many moves did he defeat you? How did he counter the onslaught of Dao power? Was the magical treasure that rightfully belonged to you stolen by him as well?"
Infuriated, Shi Yuting glared at him with venomous eyes.
Xu Ying said hurriedly, "Senior Brother, don't misunderstand. Like Zhuo Daochun, I am also a disciple of Grand Dao Lord Taiyi. I only wish to know in how many moves I must defeat you to stand on equal footing with him. After all..."
He smiled faintly. "You are the best measuring stick for the gap between him and me."
In the darkness, several pairs of eyes quietly observed Xu Ying and Shi Yuting.
"Indeed, he really is from the Earth Immortal Realm. People from our Earth Immortal Realm are all exasperating enough to kill a man without having to pay with their lives," a voice chuckled softly from the shadows.
Chapter 740