Karma had both good and bad, virtuous causes and virtuous fruits, as well as evil causes and evil fruits.
This time, Xu Ying had resolved the knot in Dao Lord Zuo Lian's heart, leading him to step out from his Dao scenery, cease hiding, and take the initiative to fulfill his oath. In doing so, he had effectively cured the stubborn affliction that had plagued the entire Spirit Realm for twenty-eight million years, preventing anyone from ascending!
From this day forth, cultivators of the Spirit Realm could all undergo tribulation and hope to ascend, attaining great freedom and achieving great accomplishments.
The Great Dao methods that had previously been in continuous regression were freed from their shackles as well, and would inevitably climb ever higher.
This was a virtuous cause and a virtuous fruit.
And when the weight of this virtuous cause and virtuous fruit fell upon Xu Ying, his cultivation in the Karma Great Dao surged in a straight vertical climb!
His karmic cultivation rushed straight toward the sixth Dao realm, smoothly broke through into the seventh, and charged toward the eighth!
The power of this virtuous cause and virtuous fruit was simply too immense, overturning his suppression of his tribulation fortune and causing the heavenly tribulation to erupt.
No tribulation clouds appeared above Xu Ying's head; instead, the Thunder Marsh manifested directly. The Dao power of the Great Dao of Thunder condensed to an extreme degree, forming phenomenal manifestations of mountains, rivers, great marshes, dragons, and phoenixes, all surging toward Xu Ying at once.
Xu Ying looked up at the Thunder Marsh, his figure flickering as he suddenly plunged into it. The various phenomena formed by the Great Dao of Thunder erupted with boundless might, flooding toward him.
Xu Ying stood motionless, experiencing the might of the Thunder Marsh. Yet each phenomenon vanished the instant it touched his body, absorbed by him and transformed into energy within his flesh.
There was no Immortal Realm in the Spirit Realm, and thus naturally no ascension glow. Here, mortals and immortals lived together, often coexisting in the very same world.
At that moment, Xu Ying felt his karmic Dao power skyrocket once again, bursting into the eighth Dao realm in the blink of an eye—his first karmic Dao validation!
His Karma Great Dao was branded into his cave abyss, forming a Dao-validated cave abyss, while the Ginseng Fruit Tree blossomed and bore fruit, coalescing into the Daluo Heaven of Karma!
Not only that, the Karma Great Dao surged onward toward the ninth Dao realm, the Immortal realm! Were it to break into the Immortal realm, it would be his second validation of the Dao: the Dao equal to the body, and body and Dao becoming one!
"What is going on?"
Xu Ying was startled. He hurriedly looked toward the Karma Golden Wheel and saw that it had taken the karma of all living beings across the Spirit Realm into its wheel, bringing all of their karmic ties under its sway.
Ever since Dao Lord Zuo Lian and True King Pei Yi departed, there had no longer been any immortals in the Spirit Realm; every preceding immortal had dissolved into chaotic qi and returned to the Chaos Sea.
By undergoing tribulation, Xu Ying had unexpectedly become the Spirit Realm's very first immortal—its Immortal Ancestor!
This karmic bond involved every single person in the Spirit Realm, effectively planting a stupendous virtuous cause no less momentous than his resolving the Chaos Oath. The boost to his cultivation and Dao attainment was, naturally, terrifying in the extreme!
"I could achieve the Dao through karma, but there is no need. Powerful as the Karma Dao is, it cannot encompass Taiyi, Chaos, and Hongmeng."
Sensing that the Karma Great Dao was climbing madly with every sign of achieving a second Dao validation, Xu Ying immediately channeled his magic power to suppress it, preventing it from breaking through into the Immortal realm.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother," Zhangsun Shenghai stepped forward and offered his felicitations.
Xu Ying returned the greeting and smiled. "Senior Brother, I have merely claimed the title of the Spirit Realm's Immortal Ancestor, whereas you still hold the title of Dao Ancestor. With this opportunity before you, validating the Dao through karma is only a matter of time."
His comprehension of the Karma Great Dao had reached unprecedented heights, and he could see at a glance that Zhangsun Shenghai still bore the heavy mantle of Dao Ancestor, and would surely attain extraordinary achievements in the Dao of Karma in the future.
Zhangsun Shenghai laughed. "Even so, when it comes to the Karma Great Dao, I remain one step behind you, Junior Brother."
Xu Ying gave a slight smile and said, "Senior Brother, now that the immortal destiny of this realm has been restored, you may begin imparting the Dao."
Zhangsun Shenghai inquired, "Do you wish to share in the karma of being a Dao Ancestor, Junior Brother?"
Xu Ying shook his head. His current attainment in the Karma Great Dao had reached the absolute peak possible for him; even if he stood alongside Zhangsun Shenghai as a Dao Ancestor, it would not elevate his Karma Great Dao any further.
The two went their separate ways.
The big bell said, "Ah Ying, do you truly intend to carve the spirit runes onto ships and bring those multi-decked vessels back to the other shore? If you do, it will surely be a cataclysm of world destruction, yet I fear it won't have much effect on Immortals and Lords of Great Dao. An Immortal has the Dao equal to the body, so while they might be affected, they will surely find a way to evade it. And a Lord of Great Dao is formless and unconstrained; spirit runes will have no effect on them."
Xu Ying nodded gently. "So long as the other shore does not cross the line, I will not use spirit runes to destroy the world. However, I will first pass the spirit runes down to the Three Realms."
The big bell said, "The moment you bring spirit runes to the Three Realms and teach them to the very first person, the instant that person unleashes a spirit rune divine ability, the destruction of the world will begin."
Xu Ying imagined the scene: when a spirit rune divine ability was unleashed, Dao ash would erupt, reducing every cultivator into ash. "Quite a spectacle indeed."
Xu Ying smiled. "Still, my promotion of spirit runes won't be that overbearing. You needn't worry."
Before long, Xu Ying returned to Taiwei Palace and once more activated it. Though the master of Taiwei Palace was dead, his magical treasure, Taiwei Palace itself, concealed six types of spirit runes within. Those six spirit runes were his life's Dao attainment! In life, that mighty figure must have been at the pinnacle of the Immortal realm; deducing six types of spirit runes was already a tremendous feat.
Xu Ying transcribed the six spirit runes, then departed Taiwei Palace and came to Mount Yuxiu. Mount Yuxiu stood tall and steep, piercing the clouds. Xu Ying channeled his magic power, and the mountain began to tremble and shatter, revealing a gleaming golden magical treasure inside shaped like a golden pillar. Xu Ying stimulated the treasure and examined its spirit runes.
"Seven spirit runes—another Immortal!"
He committed the seven spirit runes to memory, turned, and left.
Master Bell asked in confusion, "Ah Ying, such an Immortal treasure possesses astounding power. Aren't we going to take it? Taiwei Palace can be left to You Xuan, but this golden rod is ownerless!"
Xu Ying shook his head with a smile. "The treasures here belong to the people of the Spirit Realm. What do they have to do with me? Besides, I have already taken the most precious spirit runes; there is no need to seize the treasures themselves. It is far better to leave them for the descendants of the Spirit Realm."
The big bell was thoroughly puzzled. Sometimes, for the sake of a single magical treasure, Xu Ying would brave any danger and offend any great figure just to get his hands on it. Yet at other times, when an incomparably precious treasure lay right before him, he turned a blind eye.
Dao Lord Zuo Lian and True King Pei Yi rode upon the emerald rock multi-decked vessel, letting it drift through the Chaos Sea. Suddenly, swelling waves rose ahead, and indistinctly, another ship came into view.
True King Pei Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said, "Dao Lord Zuo, look at that ship ahead. Doesn't it look like the one that once visited our Spirit Realm?"
Dao Lord Zuo Lian fixed his gaze upon the ship. Overlord of the Spirit Realm though he was, his spirit could not help but be severely shaken at this moment, an absurd, bizarre sensation welling up in his heart.
The ship ahead was precisely the vessel ridden by the envoy dispatched by the youth Shen Tulun twenty-eight million years ago.
He still remembered that on that ship was a young man covered in wounds, who had kowtowed to him until his forehead bled, begging him to rescue their clan and fight against the Dao Alliance.
Dao Lord Zuo Lian's voice grew somewhat hoarse. "Let us draw closer and look."
True King Pei Yi said, "Twenty-eight million years have passed. That young man must have died long ago."
This ship was not an emerald rock vessel, but merely a magical treasure forged with great exertion by a figure of immense divine ability. Containing the Chaos Great Dao within, it could endure for a long time in the Chaos Sea. But the young man aboard had not possessed particularly formidable cultivation, so he deduced that the youth must have perished ages ago.
The emerald rock vessel caught up and pulled alongside the ship.
At the bow, that young man stared at the two in astonishment, before suddenly turning overjoyed and bowing to them. "Dao Lord Zuo keeps his word! You are our great benefactor!"
Dao Lord Zuo Lian and Pei Yi were equally dumbfounded, staring blankly at him.
This person, who should have died long ago, was actually standing alive and well upon the deck, as though twenty-eight million years had never passed for him at all.
"Leng Shuyang, how long have you been in the Chaos Sea?" Dao Lord Zuo Lian could not resist asking.
"I have only just entered the Chaos Sea and was planning to rush back to live and die with my clan," the young man choked out. "I thought I had failed my mission, yet who would have thought the two of you would catch up after all?"
The years he had experienced were merely his own; the Chaos Sea had not experienced that same passage of time.
"Hahahaha!" Dao Lord Zuo Lian burst into wild laughter, but as he laughed, he collapsed on the bow, weeping bitterly.
Witnessing such a surreal sight, True King Pei Yi likewise felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity.
And that was all.
Xu Ying arrived in Yun'an City. Within the city was an ancient well, dug who knew when; the people had long grown accustomed to it, and its water was sweet.
He stepped to the well's edge and activated it. Instantly, the ancient well soared into the air, its interior connecting space and time. Countless Dao seals interlinked in magnificent splendor, capable of collecting and refining all things!
A few days later, Xu Ying returned the ancient well to its original spot, left Yun'an, and came to Daliang, where he activated an ancient temple.
The temple radiated terrifying power and skies full of glowing light, stunning the people of Daliang.
Over the days that followed, terrifyingly powerful magical treasures imbued with profound Dao power were discovered by Xu Ying one after another.
The people had never imagined that the mountain ranges, rivers, clouds in the sky, buildings in the cities, palaces on the mountains, bells in the temples, and tripods in the shrines around them could actually be boundless, mighty magical treasures! These were all relics left behind by the supreme experts who had perished in the Chaos Oath. Though they were gone, their Dao methods remained branded into these treasures, and their achievements had crystallized into the various spirit runes within!
Seeking out these treasures and transcribing their spirit runes was precisely the opportunity Dao Lord Zuo Lian had pointed out to him!
The experts of that ancient era had used varying numbers of spirit runes when forging their treasures—some over a hundred, others merely two or three.
These spirit runes were exceptionally advanced and concealed profound mysteries, embodying all that their creators had studied and comprehended throughout their lives.
As Xu Ying gathered these spirit runes, his own vision and insight broadened step by step, and only then did he realize how extraordinary Dao Lord Zuo Lian's guidance truly was.
A few years slipped by unnoticed. Xu Ying searched across the Cuixu Continent, then journeyed to other continents like Lingxi and Lingfang, seeking out all sorts of magical treasures and collecting diverse spirit runes of the Immortal realm.
The structures of these spirit runes were distinct from one another; each was an Immortal's comprehension of the Dao. When Xu Ying gathered many varieties together to observe and study them, his heart could not help but marvel at the wisdom of these Spirit Realm cultivators.
To his disappointment, among all the treasures he found, the fewest spirit runes any possessed was two; there was not a single treasure with only one spirit rune.
"It is not that the Spirit Realm lacked anyone capable of cultivating a single spirit rune, but rather that any being who could do so had already validated the Lord of Great Dao realm."
Xu Ying felt at ease. These spirit runes spared him much of the deduction and derivation process, allowing him to innovate upon their foundation and sort out his own unique, singular spirit rune all the sooner.
"Now, it is also time to return."
Xu Ying felt a yearning to return home—not to the other shore, but to the Three Realms.
Furthermore, he needed to make the journey back to pass down the spirit runes he had learned, along with the true methods of the other shore, to the people of the Three Realms.
Once that thought took root, it grew ever stronger. He returned to Taiwei Palace and summoned his disciple, You Xuan.
The war between orthodox and demonic factions led by You Xuan had long since concluded, and he was now an immortal. Though not the first, he was the second, and his fame resonated far and wide.
Xu Ying encouraged him, saying, "All that Master can teach you has been imparted without reserve. If you achieve great things in the future, do not forget Master's teachings."
You Xuan bowed reverently. "Disciple shall never forget Master's grace of remaking me."
Xu Ying smiled. "In the future, Master might send someone to summon you to battle. Do not refuse."
You Xuan said hastily, "Disciple is willing to swear an oath..."
Xu Ying waved his hand with a smile. "No need. Whether you come or not is entirely up to you. I will not bind you with a Chaos Oath."
Leaving behind a copy of all the spirit runes he had gathered for You Xuan, Xu Ying rose and departed.
Zhangsun Shenghai was currently imparting the Dao in Tianyin Valley on the Cuixu Continent. When Xu Ying came to see him, he noticed a woman beside him, assisting him and helping preach the Dao to the world.
Xu Ying was surprised.
Zhangsun Shenghai said, "This is Miss Yin Rao, disciple of the Yin-Yang Grand Dao Lord."
Yin Rao offered a greeting and smiled. "Acting on Master's orders, I came to the Spirit Realm with the intent to capture Senior Brother Xu. Yet after arriving, I discovered that the Lord of Great Dao realm Master pursues is actually so straightforward here. The Lord of Great Dao realm in the Spirit Realm is merely a spirit rune cultivation system: once you master a single, unique spirit rune, you can become a Dao Lord. Once I learned of this, I gave up all thoughts of capturing Senior Brother Xu."
Xu Ying praised, "Senior Sister Yin possesses great wisdom. Senior Sister, I am about to return to the other shore. Would you like to travel together?"
Yin Rao glanced at Zhangsun Shenghai and shook her head. "I am not going back to the other shore."
Xu Ying was taken aback.
Yin Rao chuckled. "Returning to the other shore only means continuing as a disciple under the Yin-Yang Grand Dao Lord, where every resource is controlled by the Dao Lord. The Spirit Realm, on the other hand, is waiting to be rebuilt from the ground up, full of infinite possibilities. Cultivating here, I can become the second Dao Ancestor, and perhaps even validate the Dao Lord realm in the future. Why should I return to the other shore to live under someone else's roof?"
Xu Ying did not press her. "I am returning to the other shore, and came to bid the two of you farewell. Senior Brother Shenghai, won't you see me off?"
Zhangsun Shenghai hesitated, glancing at the crowd in Tianyin Valley still waiting for him to expound the Dao. Yin Rao understood his thoughts and said, "I will continue preaching here. Go ahead, Senior Brother."
Zhangsun Shenghai stood up and smiled. "Junior Brother Xu, allow me to see you off."
Xu Ying was delighted.
The two stepped across the void, walking beyond the heavens. Xu Ying returned the immortal palace he had collected upon arriving in the Spirit Realm back into the Thunder Marsh.
Watching him finish this, Zhangsun Shenghai asked in puzzlement, "Junior Brother Xu, you did not take any magical treasures, nor are you taking a single treasure away from the Spirit Realm. Why is that?"
Xu Ying said leisurely, "I came with nothing, and I leave with nothing. Why should I burden myself with added karma?"
Zhangsun Shenghai remarked, "Your attainment in the Karma Great Dao has truly become unfathomable."
Xu Ying admonished him, "Senior Brother, women only get in the way. Keeping Yin Rao by your side, I fear she might hinder your cultivation. What if you can no longer beat me in the future? Wouldn't that make me the Eldest Senior Brother?"
Zhangsun Shenghai replied with earnest sincerity, "Junior Brother speaks true. Nothing whatsoever will happen between Junior Sister Yin Rao and me."
Xu Ying said warmly, "If you lack confidence in that, Senior Brother, you can knock Junior Sister Yin unconscious and place her on my ship. I'll take her away so you can cultivate in peace."
Zhangsun Shenghai saw him off with great eagerness. "How could I dare trouble you and hinder your cultivation, Junior Brother? Safe travels—on your way now!"
Chapter 763