After an unknown amount of time, Xu Ying slowly stirred awake. All around him lay dim gloom. He was no longer on Qionghua Island, nor was he in the space-time of the past; instead, dilapidated walls and shattered ruins surrounded him.
He had returned once again to the ruins of Longxing Temple.
Xu Ying swayed as he rose to his feet. Before losing consciousness, he remembered that Grand Dao Lord Taiyi had stepped in front of him at the most critical juncture, withstanding the impact of the Dao of Soul's power.
The Dao of Soul was an exceptionally profound Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, encompassed within the Great Dao of Taiyi and capable of being governed by the Great Dao of Reincarnation.
All living beings between heaven and earth fell under the Dao of Soul. The more intensely life flourished, the stronger the Dao of Soul became.
The might of such a Great Dao was naturally not to be underestimated.
"To kill an enlightened being who has attained the Dao using karma and reincarnation, one must first be able to withstand the ripples of his Great Dao."
Tianchengzi's hoarse voice drifted over. "Xu Ying, I made things out to be far too simple. Even if I learned your Dao methods and mastered your divine powers, I still could not kill Hua Shengsheng and the others."
Xu Ying staggered toward him, only to find Tianchengzi collapsed amidst a patch of rubble. Dao blood covered the ground around him, and from that blood rose fragments of space-time, floating quietly in the air like pieces of colored glaze.
These fragments resembled mirrors reflecting fractured mountains and rivers. If pieced together, they surely would have formed a breathtaking sight.
Xu Ying walked over, helped him into a sitting position, and leaned him against a broken wall.
"Hua Shengsheng is far too powerful compared to me, and Dao Master Luo and Dao Master Lin are vastly stronger as well. Even taking action in person, I still couldn't withstand the ripples of their Great Daos."
Tianchengzi's face was ghastly pale. Shaking his head, he chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Heh, the other shore's calamitous destiny is destined to be unavoidable."
His injuries were exceedingly grave; the Great Dao of Space-Time within him was beginning to shatter, spilling out from his body in fragments.
Tianchengzi's eyes grew unfocused, his breath dwindling by the moment. Dao Master Hua had already slashed him into a dying state, leaving him with only a single day to live. By shielding Xu Ying from most of the Dao of Soul's ripples, he had essentially taken a fatal blow from Dao Master Luo.
That blow finally claimed his life.
"I only regret... that I could not save the other shore..." Tianchengzi's head tilted to the side, and his breath ceased.
Just at that moment, Xu Ying sensed a familiar aura and his heart stirred. 'A blood sacrifice?'
He sensed the aura of a blood sacrifice.
Rising to his feet, he saw thousands upon thousands of corpses floating in the air, disintegrating one after another. These corpses belonged to those who had died on Qionghua Island, now serving as offerings for the blood sacrifice.
Their Great Daos crumbled into countless Dao fragments, and their entire cultivations dissolved into blood qi, slowly flowing toward Tianchengzi's corpse.
Even the fractured Great Dao of Space-Time in the air gradually reconstituted through this blood sacrifice. As the Great Dao of Space-Time revived, the Dao blood on the ground regained its vitality, streaming directly back into Tianchengzi's body.
Looking up, Xu Ying saw a tall, broad figure presiding over the blood sacrifice atop the ruins of Longxing Temple—none other than Grand Dao Lord Taiyi.
Xu Ying walked forward and came behind Grand Dao Lord Taiyi.
Taiyi's figure staggered, plummeting down from the air. Xu Ying stepped forward to support him, but Taiyi raised a hand to stop him, saying, "I haven't become a cripple yet. I don't need your help."
Steadying himself, Taiyi shook his head and said, "I had just torn open the space-time of the past and entered it when I saw you and Tianchengzi in peril, so I blocked a blow for you. I don't know what happened either. I clearly had only just entered the past, yet found myself covered in wounds."
He wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth and exhaled a breath of turbid air. "Most of the injuries on my body bear the traces of Tianchengzi's divine powers. Yet I don't remember what happened."
Xu Ying's lips twitched. In his ears, the shouts of "Taiyi is murdering people!" seemed to echo once more.
Taiyi said, "Fortunately, Tianchengzi blocked most of the attack for you. Otherwise, in my state, I probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the aftermath of Dao Master Luo's attack either."
He shook his head, still unable to wrap his mind around certain things.
After taking the aftermath of the Dao of Soul's ripples for Xu Ying, he had found himself abruptly returning from the past to Longxing Temple.
What was even stranger was that of all the people who had previously entered Longxing Temple, aside from a rare few like Grand Dao Lord Shenmo, everyone else had turned into corpses.
When he landed, he had seen a rain of corpses pouring from the sky, bodies thudding onto the ground one after another—an utterly horrifying scene.
Fortunately, these people seemed to have died only recently and were still quite fresh. Thus, dragging his heavily wounded body, he had presided over this blood sacrifice to revive Tianchengzi.
"Xu Ying, speak up. What on earth happened?" Taiyi asked.
Xu Ying recounted everything from start to finish without holding back, saying, "Tianchengzi and I went through over nine hundred reincarnations. These corpses are what was left behind by the pursuers who died in the past."
Taiyi glanced at him, looking puzzled.
Xu Ying shook his head. "They really weren't killed by me this time. Their deaths had nothing to do with me. They died of their own greed."
Driven by greed, those people had wanted to eliminate the young Dao Master Hua and the others to take their places. As it turned out, Dao Master Hua and his peers could die over and over, because the cycle of space-time would reset time back to the previous day. But when the pursuers died, they were truly dead, never to be revived.
"In the end, I unified karma, reincarnation, and calamitous destiny, and stabbed Dao Master Luo with my sword," Xu Ying said. "Had that strike succeeded, Dao Master Luo would no longer exist in this world today."
Taiyi shook his head. "If you could truly erase a master of the Great Dao like Luo Shizong in the past, you could erase anyone on the other shore—including Dao Master Hua, Dao Master Lin, our Four Grand Dao Lords, and every Immortal on the other shore. You could just rebel outright, and I would support you as Lord of the Other Shore."
Xu Ying felt a surge of temptation at his words, his eyes sparkling. "Really?"
Taiyi said, "Except you cannot do it. Even now, I can still sense that Dao Master Luo's Dao of Soul burns like the midday sun, still hung high in the mid-heavens of Daoji Heaven. You didn't kill him."
Xu Ying's expression darkened.
Taiyi walked toward Tianchengzi and suddenly remarked, "However, I do know one thing: prior to the Grand Meet of Qionghua Island, Dao Master Luo had always been completely able-bodied. But during the meet, for some unknown reason, his lower body suddenly became paralyzed and lost all feeling."
Xu Ying's eyes widened, and he hurriedly caught up with him. "Are you saying that my sword strike actually hit him?"
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi shook his head. "I don't know either. Back then, I was merely a minor figure. All I know is that because of this incident, Hua, Lin, and the others were thrilled, claiming that Tianjing people who came to the other shore with great cultivation had ambushed Dao Master Luo on the road and crippled him. In the over one hundred million years since, Dao Master Luo has never been able to heal that Dao injury. Even after attaining Dao Master, he remains a cripple. As for whether you did it, that is beyond my knowledge."
Xu Ying froze, rooted to the spot, murmuring, "Can one truly travel to the past and alter history? Or did my returning to the past merely fulfill history rather than alter it?"
He pondered for a moment, then caught up with Taiyi.
By this point, Tianchengzi had already revived and exchanged greetings with Grand Dao Lord Taiyi.
The two were no strangers to each other, having once been friends. However, Taiyi rarely socialized and never formed factions, so Tianchengzi was not particularly close to him.
Xu Ying stepped forward, greeted Tianchengzi, and smiled. "Congratulations on your rebirth, Brother Dao."
Tianchengzi hastily returned the courtesy. "Thank you, Dao Friend Xu, for risking your life to help. I, Tiancheng, have benefited immensely."
Seeing him treat Xu Ying with such respect, Taiyi could not help feeling a sense of pride. A hint of a smile touched the corner of his lips as he remarked, "He's merely my clumsy disciple."
Tianchengzi said, "Having such a disciple is the envy of all. This disciple of yours is bound to achieve great things in the future; his accomplishments will know no bounds!"
The smile on Taiyi's face deepened, only to abruptly vanish as he said, "Unfortunately, he is rebellious to the bone. Once he attains success in the future, he will surely rebel."
Tianchengzi's expression grew strange, the cries of "Taiyi is murdering people!" involuntarily echoing in his mind.
'The injuries on Taiyi's body are precisely because every single time, he wanted to rebel and eliminate Dao Master Hua and the others, driving Xu Ying so desperate that Xu Ying had me beat him into this state,' he thought to himself. 'Does he not know that he himself is the biggest rebel in the Taiyi Dao Sect?'
Although Grand Dao Lord Taiyi knew the injuries on his body were likely related to Tianchengzi, he did not inquire. Few people in this world could injure him, and the wounds Tianchengzi had left behind actually allowed him a glimpse into the profound mysteries of the Great Dao of Space-Time.
The Great Dao of Taiyi was originally the ancestor of all Daos; the more one comprehended Daos like Space-Time and Soul, the higher one's attainment in the Great Dao of Taiyi would become.
After exchanging pleasantries, Taiyi asked, "Tianchengzi, what are your plans now that you've revived?"
Tianchengzi said, "First, heal my injuries. Since I cannot return to past space-time to kill the fifty-eight Dao Masters like Hua, Lin, and Luo, I will remain in the present. Once my wounds are healed, I will kill Hua, Lin, and Luo."
Taiyi said, "Dao Friend, you are not the first Dao Master to revive. Besides you, Ji Cang and Xuan Hong have also revived. Ji Cang went to Tianjing to seek refuge with the Dao Venerable. If I am not mistaken, Xuan Hong will likely head to Tianjing as well."
Tianchengzi raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to go to Tianjing as well and turn to the Dao Venerable? Taiyi, though I believe the Grand Meet of Qionghua Island was the root of the other shore's calamitous destiny, I have never believed his deduction was flawed."
His hair bristled upright like needles. "The Great Daos of Heaven and Earth of the other shore were replaced by rational patterns, bringing heavy snowfalls of Dao ash for over a million years and killing countless members of the sacred race! Could the Dao Venerable truly not have known that Tianjing's rational patterns would trigger the collapse and reorganization of the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth once brought to the other shore? Why didn't he warn us?"
Taiyi fell silent.
Tianchengzi sneered. "Compared to Hua, Lin, and Luo, I distrust the Dao Venerable even more! I would rather stay on the other shore and die on the other shore than go to Tianjing to seek refuge with him!"
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi said, "If you stay here, what do you plan to do? The calamitous destiny of the other shore approaches. You cannot dispel the calamity, and once it arrives, you too will perish, your body and Dao extinguished."
Tianchengzi laughed heartily, brimming with heroic spirit. "In that case, I will have a real, open clash against Dao Master Hua and the rest! Even in death, I will be a hero!"
Taiyi broke into a smile. "Dao Friend, since we cannot change the past nor avoid the calamitous destiny, I have an idea: why not face the tribulation head-on and overcome it fair and square? Revive more Dao Masters, truly confront the calamitous destiny, and cross this tribulation! Even if it means scraping the poison from the bone, even if it means severing and regrowing limbs, it is far better than constantly transferring the calamity and making it grow ever heavier!"
Xu Ying glanced at Taiyi, thinking to himself, 'The old man wants to rebel!'
Hearing this, Tianchengzi was deeply moved. "Before overcoming the tribulation fair and square, we must first eliminate Hua, Lin, and Luo! Otherwise, how can we peacefully help the other shore cross this calamitous destiny?"
Taiyi said slowly, "That is precisely my intention. My only regret was never meeting a fellow traveler on this path!"
Tianchengzi extended a palm. The two slapped their palms together and clasped their hands firmly.
Xu Ying also reached out a hand, indicating he wanted to join their clasp. Taiyi hesitated and did not take his hand.
Tianchengzi, however, shook hands with him and laughed. "With Dao Friend Xu's assistance, our chances of success are even greater!"
Taiyi quietly sent a voice transmission: "This disciple of mine is rebellious to the bone. Rescuing you and the other Dao Masters this time actually harbors malicious intent—to plunge our other shore into utter chaos."
Hearing this, Tianchengzi thought to himself, 'Aren't you doing the exact same thing?'
"Dao Friend Xu, you sustained significant Dao injuries from the Dao of Soul. Do you need my help?" Tianchengzi asked.
Xu Ying's injuries this time were indeed not light. All of his wounds were Dao injuries caused by the Dao of Soul, which harmed the soul and were exceedingly difficult to heal.
In today's world, the supreme attainment in the Dao of Soul belonged to Dao Master Luo, whose lineage's cultivation techniques had never been shared externally. Xu Ying's own attainment in the Dao of Soul was also not very high.
Xu Ying shook his head. "I can take this opportunity to use these Dao injuries to comprehend the Dao of Soul."
Tianchengzi said, "Fair enough. Dao Friend Taiyi and I are leaving together. Will you accompany us?"
Xu Ying shook his head.
Taiyi said, "We shouldn't stay here long. Although Dao Master Hua is too overwhelmed to attend to other matters, Dao Master Luo has a grudge against Tianchengzi. If Dao Master Luo notices the disturbance here, he will certainly make a massive move!"
Hearing this, Tianchengzi said in surprise, "I have a grudge against Luo Shizong? How come I didn't know?"
Taiyi said, "My clumsy disciple joined hands with you prior to the Grand Meet of Qionghua Island and struck Dao Master Luo with a sword. Even if Dao Master Luo couldn't recognize my clumsy disciple's moves, it wouldn't be difficult for him to recognize the traces left by your Great Dao of Space-Time. He was paralyzed by my clumsy disciple's sword strike, paralyzed for one hundred and twenty million years. The hatred in his heart..."
"Wait a minute!"
Tianchengzi frowned and raised a hand to stop him, asking in confusion, "Luo Shizong was paralyzed? Since when?"
"Since one hundred and twenty million years ago!"
Taiyi was utterly bewildered as well. "You didn't know this? I recall you even called him Luo the Paralytic behind his back. Could you have forgotten?"
Tianchengzi was dumbfounded. "No, that's not right! When the first wave of calamitous destiny erupted, all the way until I was gravely wounded by Dao Master Hua, Luo Shizong was perfectly fine—he was definitely not paralyzed!"
Taiyi became even more perplexed. "My memory is definitely not mistaken. Dao Master Luo has always been paralyzed; every time he travels, he must ride in a carriage. I have known him for so long and seen him countless times—I wouldn't remember something like this wrongly."
Tianchengzi said, "I wouldn't remember it wrongly either... Wait!"
A look of utter disbelief appeared on his face. His gaze fell upon Xu Ying, and he stammered, "I didn't remember wrongly, and you didn't remember wrongly either—the karma threads really were altered! Dao Friend Xu's sword strike changed the past!"
Xu Ying's head buzzed as well.
Could it be that he hadn't merely fulfilled past history, but had actually altered it as well?
Could there really have been an unparalyzed Dao Master Luo in history, until he traveled to the past and channeled karma and reincarnation to strike him with a sword, only then giving rise to a paralyzed Dao Master Luo?
Chapter 822