Hearing this, the Taiyi disciples finally snapped to their senses. Wu Ke cried out, "This falling snow of Dao ash isn't coming from the immortal palace—it's our own Great Daos turning to ash! Everyone, run!"
They rushed frantically out of the immortal palace, only to find the air around them already thick with an endless flurry of gray snow, obscuring their vision and casting heaven and earth in a dreary haze.
The sound of Dao weeping grew louder still, ringing with an eerie aura that lingered around their ears, refusing to disperse.
It was the Great Daos of heaven and earth they had cultivated, wailing and weeping!
The disintegration of their own Daos accelerated rapidly, and even their skin began turning to ash, peeling away from their flesh flake by flake, drifting up and dissolving into cinders!
Their primordial spirits, cultivation realms, divine sense, and even their dharmic power—all of it was transforming into Dao ash!
Xu Ying vaulted aboard the emerald rock multi-decked vessel and shouted, "Hurry, get on the ship! We're charging back to the Chaos Sea!"
The others filed aboard one after another. The moment they stepped onto the vessel, Xu Ying activated the ship, piloting it toward the exit of the Thunder Marsh.
Though the emerald rock multi-decked vessel had previously moved at a startling speed, its momentum was now flagging rapidly. Xu Ying hurriedly glanced toward the principle runes branded into the hull, and his heart turned to ice.
The reason the vessel could fly was that skilled artisans from the other shore had etched countless principle runes across its surface, refining the craft into a treasure.
Yet now, even the principle runes on the hull were altering, with flakes of Dao ash sloughing off its surface.
Around the multi-decked vessel, the flurry of Dao ash snow swirled thicker and thicker, while the ship crept along ever slower.
At last, the emerald rock vessel broke out of the Thunder Marsh, swaying precariously, its flight unstable.
Xu Ying had to suppress his own conversion into Dao ash while keeping the vessel under control, leaving him utterly exhausted.
Aboard the vessel, figures abruptly evaporated one after another, disintegrating into countless plumes of black Dao ash that surged into the sky, billowing straight toward the clouds!
The people vanished completely, leaving not even a bone behind!
*The Great Dao framework of this universe surpasses principle runes by far!*
Just as this thought crossed Xu Ying's mind, he saw other emerald rock multi-decked vessels succumbing to the Dao ash, swallowed by heavy flurries swirling all around them!
The disciples of other Grand Dao Lords, Dao Lords, True Kings, and Indestructibles aboard those ships must have also discovered ancient architecture within other Dao sceneries and fallen victim to the same trap.
Tens of thousands of people were turning to Dao ash. In mere moments, dozens of bloodcurdling screams rang out, followed by pillar after pillar of ash-smoke shooting skyward!
These emerald rock vessels were also wheeling around—instead of sailing toward the continent at the center of the stars in the New Universe, they turned their bows to flee back the way they had come.
Yet the conversion into Dao ash even infected the emerald rock multi-decked vessels. The brandings across their hulls were scrubbed away piece by piece, causing ships to lose control and careen toward the stars.
People aboard screamed hysterically as their bodies twisted out of shape, before bursting apart with muffled pops and evaporating into Dao ash.
Xu Ying felt a chill of solemn dread at the sight.
His own Great Dao was turning to ash as well, and the sound of Dao weeping grew louder and more frantic, threatening to spiral out of control!
*At this rate, it won't be long before I meet an unnatural end like the rest, turned completely to Dao ash!*
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. There was only one way to counter this: comprehend the spirit runes of the spirit framework, assimilate with them, and complete his spiritualization before he dissolved into Dao ash!
Back at the immortal palace, he had only copied down a few spirit runes. How to achieve spiritualization remained a daunting problem!
"Lord Bell!" Xu Ying bellowed.
The big bell flew forth, hanging suspended in midair, and cried, "Lord Bell is here!"
The conversion into Dao ash eroded toward the bell, yet the big bell remained rock-still without shedding a speck of ash. The spirit runes of this universe could not shake it in the slightest!
Xu Ying sprang from the vessel and barked, "Lord Bell, stay on the ship and protect those few! I'm going back to the Thunder Marsh immortal palace!"
Hearing this, the big bell hurriedly unleashed its Dao power, inverting itself like an overturned bowl to shield the emerald rock multi-decked vessel.
Only eight people remained alive aboard the vessel. As the big bell pressed down with its suppression, the progress of their conversion into Dao ash was actually quelled, losing some of its terrifying ferocity.
Even so, their Dao methods continued dissolving into Dao ash. Their total reduction to flying dust was only a matter of time.
Xu Ying tore through the air at full tilt, barging through the Thunder Marsh and braving wave after wave of terrifying thunderbolts. Before long, he reached the ancient immortal palace.
"Up!"
Xu Ying exerted strength with both hands, lifting the massive structure bodily, and strode toward the outside of the Thunder Marsh.
The source of their transformation into Dao ash was this very palace; now that he carried it aloft, his own decay sped up even further!
At the same time, thunder roiled violently within the marsh. Creatures manifested from various Great Daos—beasts and birds, soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes—surged out in unison to intercept Xu Ying!
The might of those thousands of Dao creatures was terrifying beyond measure as they pounced forward, threatening to engulf him in an instant.
"Lord Lotus, lend me a hand!" Xu Ying roared.
The Chaos Lotus flew forth, and the Hongyuan manifested. With a resounding hum of vibration, every Dao creature in the vicinity exploded, turning into pools of lightning paste and liquid electricity!
Treading atop the electric paste, Xu Ying dashed forward and finally broke out of the Thunder Marsh. Leaping back onto the emerald rock vessel, he shouted, "Lord Bell, take the helm! The rest of you, help me power this ship—we're heading back to the other shore!"
"Ah Ying..."
The big bell's voice drifted over. There was no one else left.
Xu Ying froze slightly. Looking around the deck, he saw that Wu Ke and the few other Taiyi disciples from earlier were nowhere to be found.
"I could slow their decay, but I couldn't stop it," the big bell said dejectedly. "Before you got back, they had already turned entirely to Dao ash."
Xu Ying fell silent. After a moment, he said, "Lord Bell, guard the immortal palace and carry it to the continent of the New Universe. I need to comprehend this palace."
The big bell was taken aback, unable to understand his reasoning. "Shouldn't we be charging out of this universe? Why head toward an even more dangerous place?"
Yet sensing his resolve, the big bell felt a solemn chill in its heart. It hurriedly enveloped the immortal palace to suppress Xu Ying's decay, hauling the structure toward the continent nestled among the stars.
The emerald rock vessel was left behind. Nearby, vessel after emerald rock vessel drifted haphazardly among the stars.
Not a soul remained aboard any of them.
Inside the palace, Xu Ying fixed his gaze upon the framework of the spirit runes, deducing and calculating ceaselessly as he attempted to grasp the principles contained within every minute spirit rune structure.
Learning a framework and deciphering it was not terribly difficult. Given a few years, Xu Ying would surely be able to crack a new framework completely.
"Ah Ying! Hang in there!"
The big bell chimed clang-clang as it hauled the immortal palace across the stars, moving faster and faster. The continent amid the stars grew steadily clearer, looming larger as it rushed toward them.
Inside the immortal palace, billowing clouds of Dao ash poured from the doorway like smoke from a raging fire, growing denser by the second.
Knowing how precarious the situation was, the big bell strained with everything it had, hurtling toward the continent at breakneck speed.
*Boom!*
At last, the big bell dragged the immortal palace as it pierced through the void, plunging into the continent's atmosphere. Trailing blazing flames and billowing smoke, it streaked across the sky and slammed toward the ground.
After a long while, the bell and the palace struck the earth with tremendous force, tumbling, rolling, and skidding a great distance before finally grinding to a halt.
"Ah Ying!" the big bell immediately called out. "Are you all right, Ah Ying?"
It whizzed into the immortal palace, only to find Xu Ying engulfed by a dense blizzard of Dao ash, as if trapped within a black vortex.
The big bell promptly hovered high above, pushing its Dao might to the utmost limit to suppress Xu Ying's decay with all its power!
Xu Ying's conversion slowed slightly, yet it remained dire. Forcing himself to endure, he continued studying the brandings on the immortal palace.
After a short while, human voices suddenly drifted from outside. Xu Ying, entirely focused on preserving himself from turning to ash, did not catch what was said.
The big bell heard it, yet could not understand a single word. It was unlike any tongue they had ever encountered before.
This language seemed to stem from the soul itself, carrying an intuitive sense that struck straight at true meaning.
The big bell instantly sent out a divine sense transmission, speaking in the Dao language: "Who goes there?"
Outside the palace, the voice carried a note of pleasant surprise as it replied in a crude, halting Dao language: "An old immortal?"
"What old immortal?"
Taken aback, the big bell continued communicating in Dao language: "We aren't old immortals."
The voice asked, "Then who are you?"
The big bell was preoccupied with helping Xu Ying suppress the decay and had no mind to reply, but Xu Ying's voice suddenly drifted over, halting and weak: "Lord Bell, keep asking. Don't stop."
Thus, the big bell continued, "We are visitors from beyond the heavens. Who are you?"
Surprised and overjoyed, the voice replied, "I am a cultivator of this land. Seeing fire fall from beyond the heavens and crash here, I came to investigate. Never did I imagine the otherworldly visitors would be you!"
Just then, Xu Ying convulsed violently and collapsed backward onto the ground. His body was riddled with holes like a honeycomb, jetting out billowing streams of Dao ash with dull puffs!
Shocked and horrified, the big bell rushed over to check on him, only to find half of Xu Ying's body already turned to Dao ash and vanished, followed closely by the other half dissolving away.
In mere moments, Xu Ying was reduced to nothing more than a head!
The neck beneath the head was still continuously turning to ash. At this rate, within moments, Xu Ying would be thoroughly reduced to flying dust, erased from existence!
"Ah Ying, you can't die!"
The big bell suppressed it with all its power, and the conversion at the neck below Xu Ying's head finally slowed, creeping to his chin before grinding to a halt.
At this moment of life and death, Xu Ying had finally grasped some of the spirit runes' subtleties through the exchange between Lord Bell and the person outside the palace, preserving his head.
The Dao language used by the person outside communicating with Lord Bell was an expression where one took their own comprehension of the Great Dao as speech to convey their intent, commonly employed between races that lacked a shared language.
In using the Dao language, the person naturally infused it with his own understanding of the Dao, an understanding built upon the foundation of spirit runes.
Thus, through the stranger's Dao language, Xu Ying had at the final juncture grasped a hint of the spirit runes' profundities, saving his head at the very brink of turning completely to Dao ash!
"Close call... so close!" Bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down Xu Ying's forehead.
The big bell had been terrified as well, and only breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Xu Ying still had breath in him.
The person outside called out again, "Old immortal, what happened in there?"
The big bell chuckled wryly, "There really is no old immortal here, only an injured man. Ah Ying, do you want to go out and see him?"
Xu Ying cautiously channeled the Taiyi Cave Abyss, but the moment it appeared, the Taiyi Great Dao within began showing signs of turning to Dao ash, making him frown slightly.
Since the Taiyi Cave Abyss could not be used, neither could the cave abysses of Primordial Beginning, Chaos, Wuji, or Samsara. The only one he could tap into now was the Martial Dao Cave Abyss.
Martial Dao had no framework, making it the only Great Dao preserved intact through this ordeal.
All his other Great Daos had suffered grievous damage.
*Only after I learn the spirit runes of this place will I be able to restore these five great cave abysses.*
Xu Ying sighed inwardly. Channeling the power of the Martial Dao Cave Abyss, he made his head float into the air and said, "Lord Bell, let's go meet this local expert."
The big bell shrank down, flying out of the immortal palace alongside him, one ahead of the other.
Outside the palace stood a three-eyed young man waiting respectfully. Whether due to natural complexion or sun exposure, his face was tan with a reddish hue, inspiring an instinctive warmth in Xu Ying.
Seeing Xu Ying, the three-eyed young man was taken aback. "This immortal's injuries are so severe!"
Xu Ying spoke in the Dao language, inquiring, "Brother, we hail from beyond this realm. Unfamiliar with your land's spirit runes, we nearly turned to Dao ash. It was only by good fortune, upon hearing your Dao language, that I managed to save my life. I am Xu Ying. May I ask your name?"
The three-eyed youth quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare claim brotherhood! Old immortal, to survive with only a head remaining, you must surely be an immortal! This humble disciple is named You Xuan, the sect master of Taiwei Palace."
Xu Ying smiled. "Don't call me an old immortal. Even counting my first life, I'm only a little over fifty thousand years old. I'm still very young."
You Xuan was both startled and thrilled. Bowing low at once, he exclaimed, "Over fifty thousand years old, and you're not an old immortal?!"
Xu Ying bade him rise. Seeing that his cultivation was not particularly high—merely a step above a Qi Refiner at the Ascension stage, not yet equal to an immortal—Xu Ying nodded slightly and asked, "Besides yourself, does Taiwei Palace have anyone of higher cultivation?"
You Xuan shook his head. "I am the one with the deepest cultivation in Taiwei Palace."
Xu Ying felt a twinge of disappointment. He had hoped to acquire more spirit runes so he could quickly restore his physical body, replace his various Daos, and cease turning to Dao ash.
Yet with You Xuan's realm of cultivation, he was clearly not qualified to possess higher-grade spirit runes, nor had he witnessed higher Great Daos.
You Xuan earnestly invited Xu Ying to visit Taiwei Palace as a guest. Hesitating for a moment, Xu Ying realized he had nowhere else to go and knew nothing of the New Universe's geography. Thus, he replied, "Very well, I shall stay at your place for a few days."
With a slight thought, the immortal palace behind him floated into the air, following along.
You Xuan looked at the immortal palace, eyes gleaming as he asked in a trembling voice, "Old Immortal Xu, could this immortal palace be the legendary immortal palace from the Thunder Marsh?"
"It is indeed from there," Xu Ying said.
"You truly are an old immortal!"
You Xuan puffed out his chest with evident pride. "This disciple, You Xuan, happens to be the number one swordsman in the righteous path across the Cuixu Continent for the past century!"
Xu Ying was dumbfounded. He quickly posed another question: "What about the other continents? While in the cosmos, I saw bridges connecting to other galaxies! Are there experts there?"
You Xuan shook his head. "Those places are most likely inferior to our Cuixu Continent. Our spiritual qi and spiritual power are dense, and our Dao power flourishes. There is no one over there stronger than me, either."
Xu Ying's head buzzed.
*Something's wrong, completely wrong! Where is the problem?! With such an exquisite Great Dao framework, how could there not even be a single immortal?!*
Chapter 757