Inside the immortal palace, that deep, heavy voice spoke: "Fellow Daoist, you indeed possess extraordinary methods—an old hand at harvesting. Yet I cannot fathom why you wish to save me."
Following his death, he had been suppressed and sealed here. Across the vast span of time, the Lingxing Gate had become a restricted zone where countless people had perished. Yet all those people had come in search of treasure; not a single one had come to save him.
Xu Ying had hurried here, claiming repeatedly that he wanted to save him and even resurrect him. It could not help but arouse his suspicion.
Xu Ying looked solemn and said, "Currently, the tribulation fortune of the other shore runs profound and heavy. Dao Masters Hua, Lin, and Luo need to slay several Dao Masters to resolve the tribulation fortune upon themselves. I merely cannot stand by and watch, unwilling to see a presence such as Senior die an inexplicable, violent death."
The voice from the coffin fell silent for a moment, then asked, "You wish to resurrect me to throw the other shore into chaos?"
Xu Ying paused slightly, and then a slow smile crept onto his face. "I do indeed intend to disrupt the other shore."
The voice within the coffin said, "You are an evil person."
With a faint smile on his face, Xu Ying replied, "To the other shore, I am indeed an evil person."
The voice inside the coffin was deeply resonant, tinged with what seemed like a compassionate concern for the world. "Now that I know you are an evil person, and know that your resurrecting and releasing me is meant to disrupt the other shore and bring harm to it, I will categorically refuse to let you succeed. Once resurrected, the first person I will kill is you!"
Before his words had finished echoing, blood qi could be seen flying in from outside, seeping into the coffin!
This blood qi belonged to the powerhouses of the other shore who had died in the sea of stars; their deaths were a sacrifice!
Xu Ying had altered the layout of the sea of stars, so that everyone who died here would sacrifice themselves to the Dao Master inside the coffin!
The smile on Xu Ying's face remained unchanged. "Brother Daoist, to be frank, the four Dao Masters—Ji Cang, Xiang Kun, Sang Qing, and Duanmu—were resurrected not long ago. Yet the moment they were revived, they fell under the control of the three Dao Masters, Hua, Lin, and Luo. Xiang Kun, Sang Qing, and Duanmu all met tragic ends one after another; only Dao Master Ji Cang was fortunate enough to survive."
Inside the coffin, silence fell.
Xu Ying continued, "At present, Dao Master Ji Cang has fled into hiding in Tianjing, forced by circumstance to join hands with the Tianjing Dao Venerable. Trapped in tribulation fortune, he could barely protect himself, and it was I who used the Grand Dao of Tribulation Fortune to help him postpone it. If you do not believe me, Fellow Daoist, you need only go to Tianjing and meet him to see for yourself."
The voice in the coffin rose once more: "Are you saying that Tianjing's Grand Daos have experienced a rising tide? Indeed... back then, when Tianjing's tide ebbed, we were able to rise. Counting the time, it should be time for Tianjing's tide to rise again. If a Dao Master like me is still dead but not decomposed, an existence like the Tianjing Dao Venerable could certainly survive. Only, would the Dao Venerable tolerate Ji Cang...?"
Back then, it was these Dao Masters who made the decision to annihilate every life in the entirety of Tianjing, pulling up roots and eradicating stems without sparing a single soul. The Tianjing Dao Venerable had also been killed by them.
Such an immense blood feud could not be erased by a mere apology; thus, hearing that the Tianjing Dao Venerable could tolerate Ji Cang, he was inevitably surprised.
Xu Ying said, "Brother Daoist, under the oppression of the three Dao Masters Hua, Lin, and Luo, even bitter enemies might find cause to cooperate."
The voice in the coffin said, "Do you have proof?"
Xu Ying smiled slightly and unleashed the Hundao Apricot Yellow Flag. As soon as the flag appeared, it flew out of the immortal palace with a whoosh. In the next breath, it arrived in the sea of stars, skimming rapidly across the water's surface.
Suddenly, the great flag unfurled, slicing an Immortal neatly in two, who dissolved and scattered into xuanhuang qi.
The Hundao Apricot Yellow Flag flew back and sank into Xu Ying's cave abyss.
Xu Ying said, "There are four of these treasures in total, known as the Four Innate Flags, which were originally used to suppress Dao Master Ji Cang. After breaking free, Dao Master Ji Cang was grateful to the four of us for our meritorious assistance in saving him, so he presented this Hundao Apricot Yellow Flag to me for my use."
The voice from the coffin said, "I believe you. Yet you harbor treacherous intentions. Once I am revived, I will inevitably kill you to eliminate future trouble for our other shore once and for all!"
Sensing the chilling killing intent radiating from the coffin, Xu Ying smiled slightly. "How should I address you, Brother Daoist? At least let me know at whose hands I will die."
"My Dao title is Xuanhong!"
Right at this moment, someone had already crossed the sea of stars and arrived at the immortal palace, reaching out without a word toward the Chaos Lotus and the Hongyuan.
Xu Ying bowed slightly and said, "Pardon me."
From within the coffin came the voice of Dao Master Xuanhong: "Xu Ying, you will not escape my grasp!"
Paying him no heed, Xu Ying stepped out of the immortal palace and called out, "Lord Lotus, time for us to go."
At this moment, several True Kings were already locked in combat around the Chaos Lotus and the Hongyuan. Their strikes were ruthless and the struggle savage, every move aimed to kill. Yet the Chaos Lotus suddenly rose into the air bearing the Hongyuan and flew toward Xu Ying.
The eyes of those True Kings turned red with greed at once. Pouncing toward Xu Ying, they shouted, "Little thief, leave my treasure behind!"
"Your treasure?"
Xu Ying activated the Chaos Lotus. Suddenly, chaos qi suffused the air, transforming the area as if into the Chaos Sea, wherein a lotus rose gracefully!
In the next moment, the lotus bloomed!
Tier upon tier of petals unfolded, and in that instant it felt as though chaos had been cleaved open. The physical bodies and Primordial Spirits of those Immortal True Kings exploded, reduced to fine dust, and the Grand Daos they had cultivated were obliterated completely!
Just as Xu Ying was about to retrieve the Chaos Lotus, a massive hand suddenly reached through the chaos, striking straight for Xu Ying's face as a voice bellowed: "Xu Ying, you didn't die after all! That's fine too—this is the perfect chance for me to take my vengeance!"
Xu Ying saw that the hand lacked all five fingers and was rounded like a stump. He knew at once who had arrived.
"Dao Lord Hunyuan!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Dao Lord Hunyuan tore through the chaos qi and traded a heavy blow with him. Both landed upon the lotus throne of the Chaos Lotus.
The lotus throne was vast, serving as the pedestal for the Hongyuan, and floating above it was a cosmic Hongyuan. Strands of Dao power rose slowly from the holes in the lotus throne, pouring into the Hongyuan.
The Hongyuan was like a child reared by this innate numinous treasure, unable to do without the nourishment of the lotus throne.
The instant Dao Lord Hunyuan touched down on the lotus throne, he hastily surged his magic power, pinning down the Chaos Lotus with both feet to prevent Xu Ying from deploying the treasure.
When Xu Ying first arrived at the other shore, he had comprehended Dao at the Chaos Dao Scenery. The Chaos Lotus had coveted the Chaos Dao Scenery and absorbed half of it. When Dao Lord Hunyuan came to hunt Xu Ying down, Xu Ying had deployed the Chaos Lotus and dissolved all five of his fingers. To this day, he had still been unable to re-forge those five fingers.
As the saying goes, when enemies come face to face, their eyes turn bloodshot with hate. Dao Lord Hunyuan's eyes were crimson, recalling how he had pursued Xu Ying to the Jing Realm, only for this rascal to disregard all rules and ruin his grand plan of descent through sacrifice, leaving him trapped in amber substance for over forty years, barely managing to escape.
Xu Ying could not help but secretly admire Dao Lord Hunyuan's remarkable cultivation. Just now, Xu Ying had hastily received his palm strike, yet Dao Lord Hunyuan was not injured at all, showing how truly profound his cultivation was.
"Worthy of an existence who cultivates the Grand Dao of Chaos among the Nine Innate Daos. This level of cultivation far surpasses the likes of Dao Lord Nie Xuan," Xu Ying secretly praised.
Dao Lord Hunyuan ground his teeth, glaring at Xu Ying, recalling how this rascal had brought Dao Lord Jiuzeng to visit him, only to have Jiuzeng beat him senseless and force him to hand over his cultivation technique, the Chaos Great Vehicle Scripture of Dao Attainment.
What was worse, even Grand Dao Lord Taiyi had come to bully him!
Fierce rage surged from within Dao Lord Hunyuan's gut. Abruptly activating the Chaos Great Vehicle Scripture of Dao Attainment, he channeled divine powers and lunged at Xu Ying, shouting, "Xu Ying, Jiuzeng isn't here! Assimilation of Ten Thousand Daos!"
As his palm crashed down, it carried the momentum to dissolve all the heaven and earth's Grand Daos into chaos!
This seal was precisely a supreme technique from the Scripture of Dao Attainment!
Xu Ying likewise unleashed the Assimilation of Ten Thousand Daos. When their seal methods collided, Dao Lord Hunyuan's aura fluctuated and showed signs of being suppressed, prompting him to urgently mobilize the cave abysses behind him.
He did not have many disciples throughout the vast universe either, because the Grand Dao of Chaos was simply too difficult to cultivate, and the Hunyuan Dao Sect was far less immense than other Dao sects.
The chaos Dao power he could channel was far from as terrifying as that of other Dao Lords.
Yet it was sufficient to withstand Xu Ying's strength.
However, Xu Ying's next move surpassed the contents of the Chaos Great Vehicle Scripture of Dao Attainment. With a strike of Radiant Lotus Blossoms, Dao Lord Hunyuan's vision turned dazzlingly bright—it was as if Xu Ying's hands had become a Dao lotus of chaos, quietly blooming!
The chaos Dao power within his body shook violently as though boiling; his entire cultivation was about to be split open, displaying a trend of turning from chaos into the ten thousand Daos!
This was clearly a chaos divine power Xu Ying had developed from comprehending the Chaos Lotus and the Hongyuan.
This kind of divine power was indeed a chaos divine power, but it was a reverse application of the Assimilation of Ten Thousand Daos. It was not that Dao Lord Hunyuan was stupid and could not think of this; rather, creating such a divine power presented insurmountable obstacles.
First, not everyone possessed a Chaos spirit root and a Hongyuan, able to observe the interaction between spirit root and Hongyuan at all times.
Second, even if one possessed a spirit root and a Hongyuan, the core driving the evolution of Dao power from chaos into the ten thousand Daos had to transcend chaos and transcend the ten thousand Daos. What could that core be?
The Nine Innate Daos were already the peak of the Grand Daos; what Grand Dao could stand above them to serve as the pivotal core governing the variations of the nine Daos?
Hence, even if Dao Lord Hunyuan had thought of it, he could never have achieved it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He took Xu Ying's palm strike head-on, only to see his five fingers explode in succession, evolving space-time into stars and yin and yang into the sun and moon. Next, his arm blew apart, a cluster of stars glittering and rising rapidly as xuanhuang qi surged, parting heaven and earth!
Half of his body was torn apart as the ten thousand Daos formed; in an instant, around him beasts galloped, dragons soared and tigers leaped, birds shrieked—phoenixes, pengs, cranes, and eagles.
Seeing Xu Ying's third strike incoming, Dao Lord Hunyuan felt all hope vanish.
"Teach the apprentice, starve the master. I'm truly done for this time. His attainment in the Grand Dao of Chaos is already above mine!"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the chaos qi around the Chaos Lotus suddenly exploded. In an instant, the heavens cleared and the earth settled into turbid muck as a universe cleaved open. A figure streaked toward them, purple qi stretching ten thousand li, shouting, "Xu Ying, you dare plot to murder the Immortals of our other shore—what audacity!"
"Hongmeng Dao power?"
Xu Ying was surprised. Without a second thought, he shifted his technique to meet the charging newcomer.
When their divine powers collided, Xu Ying grew even more astonished. The newcomer's Hongmeng divine power was actually able to break through his chaos Dao power, displaying strong momentum toward suppressing the chaos!
Seeing this, Dao Lord Hunyuan rejoiced and yelled, "Brother Daoist Duyu, kill him quickly!"
The newcomer was none other than True Monarch Duyu, who was also a Dao Lord among the Immortals. He cultivated the Grand Dao of Hongmeng. Seeing Dao Lord Hunyuan in peril, though he despised the man's character, he still stepped forward to rescue him.
He also sensed that Xu Ying's chaos Dao power was extraordinary, showing signs of forcibly assimilating his Hongmeng Dao power, and was secretly shocked: He isn't even an Immortal yet, yet he possesses such cultivation?
His intervention made Xu Ying itch to test himself against such prey.
He had not yet managed to acquire a cultivation technique for the Grand Dao of Hongmeng, so his mastery in maneuvering and transforming Hongmeng Dao was still somewhat lacking in refinement.
"Xu Ying, once word spreads that you harvest Immortals, there will no longer be any place for you on the other shore!" True Monarch Ling Duyu charged forward furiously, crying coldly, "You will not just be ruined in name—you will die without a burial place!"
Xu Ying laughed. "Your other shore is allowed to harvest the vast universe, but I am not allowed to harvest you Immortals? What kind of logic is that?"
He channeled the Grand Dao of Hongmeng, copying what he saw as he clashed with him, but within a move or two he was forced at a disadvantage.
True Monarch Duyu's attainments in the Grand Dao of Hongmeng indeed surpassed his by a wide margin!
Dao Lord Hunyuan yelled, "He is the master of the Chaos Lotus and can trigger its might. We cannot let him mobilize the Chaos Lotus!"
True Monarch Duyu said in a deep voice, "Chaos and Hongmeng represent the unfolding course of the Grand Dao. The Chaos Lotus transforming chaos into a Hongyuan is precisely the turning point of Hongmeng's transformation. Atop this lotus and beneath the Hongyuan, I am invincible!"
Yet Xu Ying was likewise proficient in the Grand Dao of Hongmeng, and the height of his cultivation and achievement was not in the least inferior to his own, filling him with astonishment.
The Grand Dao of Hongmeng was the juncture where chaos transformed into a Hongyuan. There were only two paths to cultivating this Grand Dao: one was to comprehend Hongmeng and cultivate step by step; the other was to make immense contributions to cosmic Hongyuans, naturally receiving the blessing of Hongmeng fortune.
True Monarch Duyu walked the first path. As for the second path, he only had time to harvest the vast universe—how could he ever have had the chance to perform such good deeds?
Seeing Xu Ying forced onto the defensive, Dao Lord Hunyuan breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately channeled the Grand Dao of Chaos to suppress his injuries, regrew the other half of his body, and joined hands with True Monarch Duyu to attack Xu Ying!
The three clashed atop the Chaos Lotus, fighting with escalating ferocity.
Xu Ying continued to meet the two with Hongmeng Dao methods, focusing most of his energy on True Monarch Duyu to observe how he channeled Hongmeng Dao power, how he executed divine powers, and how he evolved Dao power.
In a brief span of moments, the three powerhouses traded hundreds of blows. Dao Lord Hunyuan and True Monarch Duyu joining forces pushed Xu Ying further onto the back foot, unable to contend against the pair.
Yet True Monarch Duyu noticed that Xu Ying's cultivation in the Grand Dao of Hongmeng was advancing by leaps and bounds—it could be described as miraculous!
He's stealing my Hongmeng attainments! He felt both shocked and furious.
Suddenly, on the surface of the distant sea of stars, an Immortal shrieked as waves formed of clusters of stars crashed down, killing him and entombing him in the waters.
As for the other experts crossing the sea of stars, their vessels had capsized and their crews perished, or they had been swallowed beneath the wind and waves; the only survivors were a few True Kings still struggling to cross through the surging billows.
Within the sea of stars, wisps and threads of blood qi drifted toward the immortal palace. Meanwhile, Dao Master Xuanhong inside the immortal palace had shown no movement for quite some time.
Glimpsing this scene, Xu Ying hesitated no longer. He abruptly channeled Hongyuan Inverse Attainment, and his Martial Dao Cave Abyss transformed into a Hongyuan, revolving within his body!
His aura surged violently tier by tier. The nine Daos unified, turning into branches of the Martial Dao to form unconstructed Dao power!
"Firmament of Divine Powers!"
Xu Ying's Martial Dao ultimate intent erupted. In an instant, countless divine powers froze space-time, turning into a firmament composed of divine power Dao force that exploded with a roar, surging toward Dao Lord Hunyuan and True Monarch Duyu!
The two Dao Lords had originally held the upper hand, but the situation reversed abruptly; they felt death looming near.
Roaring in fury, the two channeled all their strength, harvesting all their disciples across the vast universe to meet Xu Ying's strike!
Boom!
An incomparably dazzling light erupted from the center of the sea of stars, sweeping in all directions and kicking up countless stars, which turned into colossal surges rolling outward!
Xu Ying withdrew his hands, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Yet he had no time to mind it; stowing away the Chaos Lotus and the Hongyuan, he pursued that surge toward the Lingxing Gate!
And upon the lotus throne of Chaos, the Grand Daos throughout Dao Lord Hunyuan and True Monarch Duyu were shattering into pieces. The two Dao Lords cracked like porcelain!
When facing Dao Lord Nie Xuan, Xu Ying had not used his full strength; but facing the two of them, it was the first time he exerted the entirety of his cultivation.
At that moment, above the immortal island, within the immortal palace, the coffin suspended inside the hall suddenly began to violently shake!
The death of the two Dao Lords released blood qi transformed from the power of blood sacrifice, which was now flowing directly into the coffin!
Chapter 813