Suddenly, the pairs of eyes hidden in the darkness withdrew and vanished without a trace.
Scarcely had they disappeared when the figure of the Grand Dao Lord of Gods and Demons descended. Casting a vigilant glance around, he suddenly sneered, "Remnants of the Three Realms, let us see where you can flee!"
Leaping forward, he vanished into the darkness.
The Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death followed closely behind. His gaze swiftly swept the area before he, too, drifted into the air and gave chase.
The very instant he moved, Shi Yuting struck brazenly, moving first to attack Xu Ying.
What he unleashed was the Grand Dao Lord of Gods and Demons's Ode to the Ultimate Dao of Gods and Demons. In this divine power, the two Daos of Gods and Demons were unified into one, circulating at his whim!
His physical body was like a god and his primordial spirit like a demon, manifesting three faces and eight arms!
"Boundless and vast, soaring with the Dao!"
As the divine power within the Ode to the Ultimate Dao of Gods and Demons erupted, Shi Yuting's aura grew vast and immense, like an ancient deity ruling over both the Daos of Gods and Demons. Wielding the most tyrannical and violent power in the world, the Dao power of gods and demons danced in accordance with his arms, shearing toward Xu Ying!
Xu Ying exerted his full strength. Within his body, Taiyi, Ultimate Martial, Hongmeng, Chaos, and Samsara all paid homage to the Martial Dao. In an instant, the Ultimate Martial Dao Attainment erupted, and countless illusory figures materialized in a split second!
Shi Yuting's heart chilled. *He knows this move too?*
No, Zhuo Daochun had cultivated the Ultimate Intent of Divine Powers, while Xu Ying had cultivated the Ultimate Intent of Martial Dao; the two were not the same.
Yet Shi Yuting sensed a terrifying power stemming from Xu Ying's martial divine powers, crashing toward his own divine power like a dry twig snapping before a gale!
Without thinking, he blurted out at top speed, "Zhuo Daochun defeated me with only one move, simultaneously crushing the Dao power of gods and demons, seizing the two Qi of Gods and Demons, and suppressing the Dao domain's Scroll of a Hundred God-Demon Battles!"
No sooner had his voice fallen than Xu Ying abruptly diverted a portion of his strength to grab toward the Qi of Taiji in this place. At the same moment, the Taiji Dao power here instantly turned violent, surging toward Xu Ying!
Shi Yuting immediately felt the strength Xu Ying directed at him plummet. He could not help breathing a sigh of relief, thinking, *If he had used his full strength, I fear I couldn't have withstood even a single move before being pummeled to death. But now that he split his power three ways, he has drastically reduced his own might.*
His stance broken by Xu Ying, he immediately shifted his technique.
"Serene as the abyss, an untethered boat!"
In this divine power, one of the two Daos of Gods and Demons was like a fathomless jade abyss, while the other was like an untethered boat drifting upon clear green water. As the two Daos merged and erupted, their power doubled!
Yet when Xu Ying's Chaos Sky-Blending Hand descended, Shi Yuting felt both the Daos of Gods and Demons grind to a dead halt, utterly immobilized. In an instant, struck by countless martial divine powers, he tumbled backward through the air.
At the same time, Xu Ying collided with the Taiji Dao power, his blood and vital energy churning violently from the shock as he staggered back repeatedly.
"Firmament of Divine Powers!"
The Ultimate Martial Intent surrounding Xu Ying instantly formed into the Firmament of Divine Powers, blasting forth Emperor Haotian's supreme divine power to finally hold back the Taiji Dao power.
At the same time, he executed One Qi into Three Purities, sweeping every last wisp of the Qi of Taiji into his cave abyss.
Rumble! The Dao domain shook violently. With a resounding clang, the surrounding heaven and earth collapsed into nothingness. Earth, water, fire, and wind surged into a violent torrent, and a massive bell rose slowly from the swirling deluge.
As soon as this bell emerged, it instantly pacified the earth, water, fire, and wind, regulating myriad qis, transforming Yin and Yang, separating the two polarities, and unifying them into primordial qi.
This Taiji Bell flew toward Shi Yuting, coming to hang behind his head.
At the same time, Xu Ying's body flew up diagonally. Spreading his fingers, the Zhuxian Sword Formation erupted, sweeping toward the Taiji Bell.
With a clang, the great bell vibrated, knocking the Zhuxian Sword Formation aside.
Xu Ying once again unleashed the Firmament of Divine Powers. Bowing deeply, the greatest divine power of the present age erupted, blasting into the bell with a tremendous crash and sending it tumbling to the side!
Shi Yuting came to his senses and immediately fell back alongside the Taiji Bell to refine it, thinking, *Favored by such a supreme treasure, I can turn the tables and kill him!*
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than he found another bell hovering above his head—emerald green, dominating the space above him so that the Taiji Bell could not draw near.
Shi Yuting was dumbfounded to see Xu Ying already gripping the Taiji Bell's suspension loop, pouring all his might into suppressing this marvelous treasure. Yet the Taiji Bell was extraordinarily fierce and overbearing, tumbling up and down with relentless shockwaves, shattering the surrounding heaven, earth, time, and space, extinguishing everything for thousands of li around!
In the end, Xu Ying managed to suppress the Taiji Bell by virtue of his peak Supreme cultivation.
Trembling with trepidation, Shi Yuting watched Xu Ying walk toward him with the Taiji Bell held in his palm.
Shi Yuting nodded slightly.
Xu Ying's face was as dark as still water. He pondered in silence for a long while.
Unease churning in his chest, Shi Yuting said, "Both of your divine powers are quite similar, but his are more powerful, and he controls more Daos. Furthermore, his comprehension of various Daos is likely above yours. Also, the structural framework of the Dao methods he uses is different from yours—he uses principle scripts, whereas yours are rather incomprehensible."
Xu Ying exhaled a breath of turbid air and turned to leave. "Is the gap between me and him still that vast? This Taiji Bell—I return it to you!"
He suddenly tossed the Taiji Bell out. Stunned, Shi Yuting hastily caught it, exulting inwardly, *If my two Qi of Gods and Demons can be cultivated through the path of Taiji, I will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort!*
He hesitated for a moment, then called out to Xu Ying, "And the Qi of Taiji..."
Xu Ying stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and glared with ferocious eyes.
Shi Yuting shrank his neck and muttered, "If you won't give it, then don't. Why glare so fiercely?"
The big bell caught up with Xu Ying. Seeing him looking somewhat preoccupied, it ventured, "Ah Ying, do you have something on your mind?"
Xu Ying pondered for a moment and said, "I suddenly realized that there is someone whose aptitude, comprehension, and natural talent are all above mine, and even his karmic destiny surpasses mine. It made me feel an involuntary pang of jealousy, yet at the same time, I feel joy, anticipation, and an immense pressure."
Dissecting his own state of mind, he smiled. "Zhuo Daochun shocked me, but at the same time, he ignited my fighting spirit, making me want to surpass him."
The big bell chuckled. "Across the vast Chaos Sea and myriad universes, there will always be people gifted with extraordinary talent. Yesterday you surpassed the Holy Venerable, today you surpassed Zhuo Daochun—and what about tomorrow? There will always be someone above you. Why not simply lie down and relax?"
"Here in the Tianjing Ruins, I can seize the opportunity of the awakening of heaven and earth's Great Daos to acquire the wisdom accumulated over hundreds of millions of years by the cultivators of the Tianjing Ruins. Only by using the wisdom of the Tianjing Ruins to make up for the deficiencies of the Three Realms can I stand alongside the powerhouses of the other shore.
"If there is no opportunity for me here, I will snatch one. If I have no karmic destiny here, I will seize it. All living beings across the universes of the Chaos Sea are simply vying to cross the sea."
While speaking, they found another Dao domain, where the Qi of the Five Elements permeated the air.
Xu Ying charged in reckless of everything, directly seizing the Qi of the Five Elements and making off in style before the local Dao power of the Five Elements could react.
"Little Ah Ying, there's a Five Elements supreme treasure here too!" the big bell reminded him.
Xu Ying had already fled far into the distance, replying nonchalantly, "I already have Lord Bell and Lord Sword. I have no need for other treasures!"
He searched along the way, snatching only the Dao Qi of high-ranking Daos, far faster than anyone else. Often, when the rightful claimants finally tracked down a Dao domain, they would only find that the Dao Qi had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the magic treasures destined for them.
Sometimes Xu Ying would encounter other disciples of the four Grand Dao Lords. Naturally, he paid no heed to propriety, charging straight forward to seize half of their Dao Qi before flashing away.
Before long, the notoriety of Grand Dao Lord Taiyi's disciple spread far and wide.
He paid it no heed; his sole goal was to obtain more Dao Qi and magic treasures to bolster his own strength.
"Taiyi Dao Qi!"
His heart gave a sudden thud as he abruptly sensed the aura of the Great Dao of Taiyi. He hurriedly sped toward that place. Calm as he usually was, his heart thumped wildly with excitement now.
The revival of the Great Dao of Taiyi from the Tianjing era... the Taiyi Dao Qi within it must surely contain the Great Dao of Taiyi at the unstructured level!
If he could obtain this Qi, it would be of immense benefit to his breakthrough into the Immortal realm!
Zhuo Daochun arrived with a whistle, reaching the location of the Great Dao of Taiyi's aura. Before his eyes floated a cluster of primordial qi—the vital energy yet undivided, the primal qi yet unmanifested, the profound qi yet unformed. Vast and hazy, resembling chaos yet not chaos, it held infinite vitality while being utterly empty.
Zhuo Daochun stepped forward, then abruptly stopped.
He did not feel the Taiyi Dao Qi here beckoning to him, nor did he sense the Great Dao of Taiyi here calling to him.
His heart sank. *I am not the one destined for the Great Dao of Taiyi.*
Unwilling to accept this, he took another step forward. Suddenly, the Dao power of the Great Dao of Taiyi coalesced, dark undercurrents churning; the moment he dared reach out to seize the Taiyi Dao Qi, he would suffer the backlash of the Taiyi Dao power!
*These past few days, I have collected over a hundred clusters of various Dao Qi and gathered no small number of Great Dao supreme treasures. A mere cluster of Taiyi Dao power cannot confound me!*
Although Zhuo Daochun knew the Taiyi Dao power was exceedingly formidable, he was completely fearless. Just as he was about to summon the Great Dao supreme treasures he had seized, a voice suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Brother Zhuo, you are here as well?"
Hearing this, Zhuo Daochun immediately raised the Great Dao supreme treasure, the Scroll of a Hundred God-Demon Battles. With a resounding rustle, the treasure scroll unfurled in midair, thirteen zhang tall and over a zhang wide, hanging like a waterfall. A hundred gods and demons roamed within the painting, vivid and lifelike, radiating the power to suppress heaven, earth, and all living beings!
Only then did he turn around to look at the approaching Xu Ying.
He was increasingly wary of this nominal junior brother of his. When the two of them first entered the Tianjing Ruins, they had fought a contest; that time, Xu Ying had relied on the heft of his big bell and the sharpness of his precious sword to best him by a round, and though he had spared his life, it had left an indelible shadow in his mind.
He dared not turn his back on Xu Ying.
Turning his back on others, they might not necessarily strike; turning his back on Xu Ying, Xu Ying would definitely strike.
"Junior Brother Xu has also sensed the aura of the Great Dao of Taiyi?" Zhuo Daochun said impassively. "Your senses are sharp indeed. The moment the aura of the Great Dao of Taiyi appeared, you came sniffing after it, but you are still a step too late."
Xu Ying smiled. "Senior Brother Zhuo's nose is even keener than my sworn brother Xiaotian's. I am full of admiration."
Zhuo Daochun was slightly taken aback. *Who is Xiaotian?*
He brushed the thought aside and said, "When you and I first entered the Tianjing Ruins, we had a contest. No day is better than today—how about having another match right now?"
He had already made up his mind. During his last confrontation with Xu Ying, he had not deployed any magic treasures, and at the time he truly possessed nothing that could rival the big bell and the Zhuxian broken sword.
Now, however, times were different.
The instant Xu Ying agreed, he would unleash his hundred-plus Great Dao supreme treasures all at once. Without even lifting a finger, their sheer weight would crush Xu Ying into submission!
Xu Ying said delighted, "I had the exact same thought. But please wait a moment for me, Senior Brother Zhuo."
Zhuo Daochun nodded slightly. "Very well, I will wait for you."
Xu Ying walked up beside him, unable to conceal his excitement, and strode toward the cluster of Taiyi Dao Qi. Smiling, he said, "Allow me to collect this cluster of Taiyi Dao Qi first."
Zhuo Daochun said, "This object is guarded by Taiyi Dao power, which is exceptionally fierce. That bell of yours definitely cannot withstand its might—"
Zhuo Daochun froze, staring dumbfounded in utter disbelief.
Xu Ying turned back, beaming triumphantly. "Surprised, Senior Brother Zhuo? This Taiyi Dao domain is my destined opportunity! The Great Dao of Taiyi is summoning me, calling me here. I too am a man blessed by karmic destiny!"
"How could you possess the karmic destiny of the Tianjing people? You are clearly from the Three Realms..."
Shaken to the core, Zhuo Daochun suddenly came to a realization and blurted out, "Xu Ying, you are not from the Three Realms—you are one of our Tianjing people! You and I are of the same clan!"
Xu Ying shook his head in amusement. "I am a bona fide native of the Three Realms through and through. Do not let your imagination run wild."
Zhuo Daochun still found it impossible to believe. "Impossible! If you were not from Tianjing, how could you possess Tianjing's karmic destiny amidst the Great Dao tide and obtain Tianjing's Daos and treasures?"
Xu Ying was equally in the dark about this. Raising his hand, he swung a sword stroke, shearing off a smaller half of the remaining Taiyi Dao Qi. With a light push of his palm, the cluster of Dao Qi floated in front of Zhuo Daochun.
Zhuo Daochun was startled, bewildered by the gesture.
"A gift for you."
Xu Ying smiled and said, "I am not from your Tianjing, so seizing your Dao Qi pricked my Dao heart with guilt. Giving you half sets my conscience at ease."
Zhuo Daochun was loath to accept this Dao Qi—he would rather Xu Ying continue to feel guilty. But the Taiyi Dao Qi was of paramount importance; without it, obtaining the True King's heritage would be exceedingly difficult.
After an internal struggle, Zhuo Daochun accepted the Taiyi Dao Qi and said, "By giving this Qi to me, your comprehension of the Great Dao of Taiyi will be flawed and incomplete."
"No matter."
Xu Ying smiled faintly, then suddenly shouted, "Come forth, my Great Dao supreme treasure!"
Rumble!
The Taiyi Dao power here swirled and surged violently as another dimension suddenly unveiled itself. A three-legged cauldron emerged slowly, becoming clearer and clearer.
The cauldron was round and plump, containing myriad Daos within. It was none other than the Great Dao supreme treasure of the Tianjing era—the Taiyi Myriad Daos Cauldron!
The moment this treasure emerged, Zhuo Daochun instantly achieved enlightenment without a master, sensing that he had grasped the ultimate mysteries of a Great Dao. He said, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Xu. For the Daos of Tianjing to awaken so swiftly, something momentous must be about to occur. If you and I fight, it will only benefit others. Farewell!"
In the darkness, the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death's eyes flickered. Stepping out slowly from the shadows, he murmured, "I see it now. As he plunders more and more Dao Qi, the karmic destiny upon this boy grows denser, until at last he claimed the opportunity of the Great Dao of Taiyi. There is no need to wait any longer—this brat is mine!"
Just as he was about to capture Xu Ying, another aura in the darkness suddenly locked onto him.
The Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death froze in his tracks and turned his head to look. From the shadows, a surging Dao power potent enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his own rolled toward him. Dimly visible within the darkness was a towering silhouette.
"Void Sovereign?" the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death asked tentatively.
Chapter 741