Over the next few days, Xu Ying gradually became well-acquainted with his Eldest Senior Brother, Zhangsun Shenghai. Zhangsun Shenghai was truly the sort of person everyone took an instant liking to, treating others and handling affairs with a warmth like a gentle spring breeze.
His knowledge was vast and profound. Whenever Xu Ying consulted him on profound questions regarding the Great Dao, he answered with fluent ease, offering many exquisite insights in his explanations.
"Zhangsun Shenghai's talent is simply extraordinary."
Xu Ying admired him immensely, thinking to himself, *Do the other Grand Dao Lords have disciples this formidable under their tutelage as well?*
There were many scriptures stored in She'an Palace, and disciples were not barred from studying and comprehending them. Xu Ying took this opportunity to study these texts, translating them from principle scripts into Dao patterns, runes, and dragon patterns, absorbing and making them his own.
He attempted to search the collection for the other high-level Great Daos Zhangsun Shenghai had mentioned, but Grand Dao Lord Taiyi had not gathered cultivation methods for those Daos either.
Xu Ying went to seek Zhangsun Shenghai's guidance, asking, "Eldest Senior Brother, where might one find cultivation techniques for the Daos of Reincarnation, Wuji, Karma, Nirvanic Extinction, Tribulation, and Slaughter?"
Zhangsun Shenghai shook his head. "How could finding such methods be easy? As for the Great Dao of Reincarnation, the one who has reached the pinnacle on the other shore is Dao Lord Daosheng. His Dao of Reincarnation has already achieved Dao equal to the body, enabling him to manipulate the reincarnation of all living beings across the myriad universes. However, that Dao Lord would certainly never impart his technique to us."
Xu Ying's eyes gleamed as he committed the name to memory, thinking, *I might not be able to learn his core technique directly, but I can learn the method he uses to harvest his leeks. If he reaps the myriad universes like the other Immortals, obtaining his harvesting technique won't be difficult.*
Once he had the harvesting technique and deciphered it using Dao patterns, runes, and dragon patterns, Dao Lord Daosheng would not be able to reap him.
What Xu Ying was trying to obtain were the profound mysteries of Dao Lord Daosheng's Great Dao of Reincarnation. That way, he could take the bait without swallowing the hook and stay alive.
"As for cultivating the Great Dao of Wuji, comprehending the Innate Five Tais, and achieving immortality through Wuji, that would be True King Guangzheng," Zhangsun Shenghai continued. "Although True King Guangzheng's cultivation level is merely that of a True King, his strength is definitively at the level of a Dao Lord. Then there is Dao Lord Hong—Hong Tiangang—who cultivates the Great Dao of Karma. His Dao of Karma has reached the stage of Dao embodied, making him extraordinarily formidable as well."
Xu Ying blinked and remarked, "That Dao Lord Hong who embodied the Dao has already been killed by Grand Dao Master Xuanhuang."
Zhangsun Shenghai gasped in surprise. "Such a thing happened? How lamentable."
Xu Ying thought to himself, *Still, Dao Lord Hong should have disciples and students left behind. What Grand Dao Master Xuanhuang obliterated was the entire network of cave abysses subordinated beneath his Karma Cave Abyss, wiping out his legacy through those linked cave abysses. Dao Lord Hong's disciples didn't summon Dao Lord Hong's Karma Cave Abyss, but cultivated their own Karma Cave Abysses, so they could have survived.*
His mind grew lively.
Dao Lord Hong was dead, and very few people knew about it yet. He could still seize his legacy!
"As for the Great Dao of Slaughter, someone did master it in the past," Zhangsun Shenghai said. "His cultivation was exceptionally high, but his killing intent was too heavy, and he has long since vanished without a trace. To this day, no one has been able to reproduce his Dao of Slaughter. Ah, that's right—he called himself Daoist Tongtian, and just like you, Junior Brother, he hailed from the Three Realms universe. Do you know him?"
Xu Ying felt a jolt in his heart, but shook his head. "Never heard of him."
He was secretly puzzled. *Didn't Daoist Tongtian cultivate the Sword Dao, rather than the Dao of Slaughter? That Daoist arrived on the other shore even earlier than Emperor Haotian. Is he still among the living?*
"As for Nirvanic Extinction and Tribulation, those two Great Daos exist only in legend," Zhangsun Shenghai said. "No one on the other shore has ever cultivated either to the realm of immortality."
Xu Ying offered his thanks repeatedly, saying, "Eldest Senior Brother's guidance has truly enlightened me."
Zhangsun Shenghai smiled. "Junior Brother, you possess extraordinary Dao power in Taiyi, Chaos, and Primordial Beginning, and you could prove immortality through them. However, I have observed that while you specialize primarily in Taiyi, your refinement and application of Chaos and Primordial Beginning are sorely lacking. You must have had fortunate encounters regarding these two Daos, allowing you to achieve such astonishing heights in a short period. Yet if you cannot refine and integrate them—knowing only what they are without understanding why they are so—I fear you will not reach greater achievements."
Hearing this, Xu Ying took on a solemn expression and hurriedly bowed in gratitude.
Although his Great Dao of Primordial Beginning had reached the level of immortality, that was due to the merit of mending the heavens in the Three Realms.
His accomplishments in the Dao of Chaos were growing higher and higher as well, but that was because the Chaos Lotus absorbed chaotic Dao scenery and tossed whatever chaotic Great Dao it couldn't use to Xu Ying, causing his cultivation to climb in leaps and bounds.
Between the two, Xu Ying had put a bit more effort into the Dao of Chaos, which had allowed him to create the eighth method of the Eight Immortality Methods: the Chaotic Hun-Tian Hand.
As for divine powers of Primordial Beginning, he had not created a single one.
Zhangsun Shenghai had seen through his flaws with a single glance; he truly was a fine mentor and friend.
*Ever since I entered his tutelage, Grand Dao Lord Taiyi hasn't taught me a thing and is still waiting for me to teach him the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture. Eldest Senior Brother, on the other hand, has taught me so much. Calling him a mentor and friend is by no means an exaggeration.*
Having received Zhangsun Shenghai's pointers, Xu Ying immediately went looking for cultivation techniques regarding Chaos and Primordial Beginning. However, these two Great Daos were also exceedingly high-level, and She'an Palace held no collection of them.
*Grand Dao Lord Taiyi is grievously wounded and will still need time to awaken. Currently, not many know Dao Lord Hong is dead. Why not take this chance to visit Dao Lord Hong's bodhimanda first, search for his techniques, and master the Great Dao of Karma!*
No sooner had the thought crossed Xu Ying's mind than he acted. He inquired about the location of Dao Lord Hong's bodhimanda from a junior brother, who, intimidated by Xu Ying's tyrannical reputation, gave an honest accounting.
Xu Ying immediately channeled his technique. Only after undergoing Zangification did he leave She'an Palace and head straight for Dao Lord Hong's bodhimanda.
Dao Lord Hong was a Dao Lord among the Immortals; his status in Daoji Heaven was slightly below that of the Grand Dao Lords, but above that of True Kings.
The reason Daoji Heaven had the characters "Daoji"—Dao Epoch—in its name was entirely because the Great Daos of heaven and earth here were transformed from the Daos of the Immortals.
Various Great Daos arrayed across the heavens to form Luotian. Because Daos differed in supremacy and cultivators differed in standing, the hierarchy and prestige of the various Great Daos were ranked in orderly succession.
Although the Great Dao of Karma was an exceedingly high-level Dao, its highest achiever had been Dao Lord Hong; thus, the Luotian formed by the Dao of Karma was somewhat lower than those of Taiyi, Gods and Demons, Yin-Yang, and Life and Death.
Xu Ying arrived at the Luotian of the Dao of Karma, known as Dragon Phoenix Cliff. When Dao Lord Hong died, Dragon Phoenix Cliff had quaked and fractured right on the spot!
The Great Daos of heaven and earth on Dragon Phoenix Cliff had fractured as a result, triggering considerable chaos.
At present, Dao Lord Hong's Dao of Karma was continually breaking apart upon Dragon Phoenix Cliff. The disciples on the cliff were thrown into sheer panic, with many attempting to mend the fracturing Dao.
Xu Ying slipped into Dragon Phoenix Cliff and wasn't even questioned.
*Dao Lord Hong taught disciples, so he must have left behind scriptures or manuals of some kind.*
Xu Ying moved like a ghost, rummaging here and there across Dragon Phoenix Cliff for any manuals Dao Lord Hong might have left behind. Dragon Phoenix Cliff was leaderless, and quite a few disciples were looting in the chaos, gathering whatever treasures and magical artifacts Dao Lord Hong had left before fleeing down the mountain.
Xu Ying arrived at Hanguang Pavilion, only to find layers upon layers of seals encasing the structure. Several disciples of Dao Lord Hong had come here trying to break through the seals, but failed and were forced to retreat in frustration.
Several corpses lay on the ground; judging by their attire, they were likely Dao Lord Hong's disciples as well.
Xu Ying waited until the others left. Just as he was about to step forward and try, a tall, slender figure approached Hanguang Pavilion, looking over the seals on the pavilion from top to bottom.
Xu Ying's heart stirred. Halting his steps, he watched secretly. The newcomer was dressed in neat, nimble attire, with a black cloth masking his face, clearly harboring the exact same intention of looting the place.
*This person's build looks somewhat familiar.*
As Xu Ying watched, he discovered that this person also cultivated the Great Dao of Karma—and at an exceptionally high level. Gliding gracefully like a startled swan, he circled Hanguang Pavilion several times, grasping the pavilion's seals in no time.
His sleeves fluttered as though he had grown hundreds of arms. Deploying various karmic arts, he accurately pinpointed each thread of karma within the restrictions, unraveling them one by one. Breaking through layer upon layer of seals, he walked into Hanguang Pavilion.
Xu Ying silently followed behind, flitting into Hanguang Pavilion like a wisp of azure smoke.
Inside Hanguang Pavilion, the masked, slender figure moved like a specter, dismantling the internal seals layer by layer as he ascended floor by floor, searching as he climbed.
Xu Ying leaped and bounded like flight, staying hot on his heels. Along the way, the corpses of Dao Lord Hong's disciples littered the floors; evidently, many had entered Hanguang Pavilion seeking treasure, only to be slain by its various seals.
*The seals in Hanguang Pavilion must have been set by Dao Lord Hong himself. His disciples also cultivated the Great Dao of Karma, yet countless died here—in a sense, they all perished by karma.*
Seeing this, Xu Ying hesitated slightly. Cultivators of karma often died by karma's hand, imbuing this Great Dao with an ominous aura.
No matter how stubborn one's fate was, it likely could not outlast karma.
However, having already come this far, he put those thoughts aside and pressed onward.
Hanguang Pavilion had thirteen floors in total, each packed with restrictions. Anyone who barged in without understanding the Great Dao of Karma would only trigger karmic ties.
No one knew what the karmic threads here were connected to. They might link to mighty divine powers, terrifying magical treasures, or even untouchable existences!
With the slightest carelessness, triggering the karma tied to them might prompt that entity to send a single divine sense over to slay the intruder!
Yet that slender figure cracked the seals all the way up, arriving at the thirteenth floor with virtually no hindrance, leaving Xu Ying marveling inwardly: *This person's mastery of the Great Dao of Karma is astonishingly high—it exceeds that of all Dao Lord Hong's disciples! He is the foremost expert of the Dao of Karma today! With such mastery, why on earth did he come here?*
The slender figure rummaged all around. Seeing this, Xu Ying crept in as well and began searching alongside him.
Suddenly, the sound of rummaging ceased.
Xu Ying looked up, meeting the slender figure's gaze directly.
Xu Ying was Zangified, his original features unrecognizable. The slender figure had a black cloth over his face, showing only two eyes.
Without a second thought, both unleashed divine powers simultaneously, striking at one another!
The interior of Hanguang Pavilion was cramped and narrow, leaving no room to deploy major divine powers, only minor ones.
Xu Ying immediately utilized the ultimate intent of the Martial Dao upon making his move, which was ideal for such a confined space. In an instant, countless phantom figures of Xu Ying appeared, unleashing various martial maneuvers where every strike was lethal.
Meanwhile, the slender figure deployed the ultimate intent of the Great Dao of Reincarnation. In an instant, reincarnation spun into motion as masked men stepped forth from the cycle to clash head-on with Xu Ying!
Their moves grew increasingly powerful. The other's ultimate intent of Reincarnation was exceedingly subtle and ingenious, and his dharmic cultivation was even more robust than Xu Ying's.
Xu Ying was secretly shocked. His current cultivation could already rival an ordinary Immortal of the other shore, yet he was actually being outmatched by this person.
Suddenly, unable to hold back any longer, Xu Ying unleashed the Firmament of Divine Powers!
In an instant, thousands of martial divine powers imprinted on the surroundings, forming a miniature Firmament of Divine Powers whose might detonated in a flash!
*Boom!*
Terrifying force swept in all directions, battering Hanguang Pavilion and causing the surrounding restrictions to flare up wildly!
The slender figure dropped into a crouch and thrust both palms forward. In an instant, nine peculiar cave abysses manifested behind him—some large, some small; some possessing wild, domineering power; some carrying the aura of karma and fate; some swirling with primordial mists; some cycling endlessly through reincarnation!
There was even chilling killing intent, and the rising and sinking of chaos!
Of these nine cave abysses, some had nearly attained the level of immortality, while others were at most at the standard of an immortal.
The moment their powers collided, Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat: *He can mobilize the Dao power of nine cave abysses simultaneously—his raw power is even greater than mine!*
Hanguang Pavilion could hold out no longer and finally shattered to pieces!
At that exact moment, one of the walls exploded to reveal a hidden compartment within, from which two broken steles flew out. As Xu Ying retreated, he snatched one of the steles without hesitation and bolted!
The slender figure likewise grabbed the other stele and shot away like the wind.
One after the other, the two had just burst out of Hanguang Pavilion when they saw numerous experts under Dao Lord Hong charging toward the pavilion, bombarding them with a rain of magical treasures and divine powers!
"If you don't sever karma, they will track it down to you and me sooner or later!" the slender figure suddenly barked in a gruff, disguised voice.
Xu Ying visualized the Chaos Lotus, wrapping himself in chaotic qi and passing through it to sever his karmic ties.
On the other side, the slender figure abruptly channeled supreme killing intent, pushing the Dao of Slaughter to its peak. A gleam of cold light flashed with a metallic ring, circling once around him to sever all karmic ties!
Inside Xu Ying's Martial Dao Cave Abyss, beside the big bell, the Zhuxian broken sword—which had been quietly cultivating—suddenly gave a start and floated up, crying vigilantly, "Master's aura!"
Dao Lord Hong's disciples were already attacking in force. Xu Ying couldn't dwell on it; tearing through the void, he left the pursuers far behind.
The slender figure also vanished without a trace in the melee.
Xu Ying shed his Zangified body and restored his human form. Returning to She'an Palace, he quickly went to his quarters, his eyes flashing.
*That masked man looked extremely familiar. It has to be someone I know! And in the other shore, I don't know many people!*
He had already determined the person's identity. Lord Sword hastily spoke up, "Ah Ying, I sensed Master's aura from that person! If he isn't Master, he is definitely connected to Master!"
"Cultivating so many Great Daos, and connected to Daoist Tongtian?"
Xu Ying was astonished and muttered under his breath, "And you're lurking right beside Grand Dao Lord Taiyi—just what are you planning?"
Putting the matter aside for now, he took out the broken stele. It was indeed an Emerald Rock stele, inscribed with the karmic Dao methods Dao Lord Hong had obtained from the Heaven Realm!
However, the stele had split in two, and the other half was still in the slender figure's possession.
Xu Ying stood up, put away the stele, and walked out the door to find his Eldest Senior Brother.
Just as he stepped onto the veranda, he saw a tall, slender figure walking toward him—none other than his Eldest Senior Brother, Zhangsun Shenghai.
Chapter 754