After parting ways with Tianchengzi and Taiyi, Xu Ying was still pondering the matter.
'I understand now. Tianchengzi cultivated the Great Dao of Space-Time and deduced Reincarnation backward from space-time; he is a Dao Master of Space-Time Reincarnation. When the karma threads shifted, he was not affected, which is why he still remembers what happened before the shift,' Xu Ying thought. 'Taiyi's attainments in space-time reincarnation, however, are not as deep as his. Taiyi was affected by the shift in the karma threads, so he does not remember what happened before it—he only remembers Dao Master Luo becoming paralyzed back on Qionghua Island.'
He took out a sheet of paper, cut it into a long strip, and drew a red line on the front and a blue line on the back.
The red line represented the karma thread where Taiyi and the others resided, while the blue line represented the karma thread where Tianchengzi belonged.
In the red line, Dao Master Luo had been paralyzed ever since the grand gathering on Qionghua Island. In the blue line, Dao Master Luo was never paralyzed right up until Tianchengzi was murdered.
Xu Ying gave the strip of paper a half twist and brought its two ends together, forming a loop. The red line and the blue line intersected, appearing on the very same plane.
This meant that the paralyzed Dao Master Luo and the unparalyzed Dao Master Luo coexisted within the same karmic space-time!
And what had caused this twist was none other than the Immortal Slaying Sword Finger Xu Ying had unleashed against Dao Master Luo through the workings of karmic reincarnation!
'Everyone else, including the Immortals and Dao Masters, was affected by the shift of the karma threads and only remembers Dao Master Luo being paralyzed since Qionghua Island. This stems from their insufficient cultivation; they failed to thoroughly fathom karma, perceive reincarnation, and see through space-time,' Xu Ying thought. 'Tianchengzi, on the other hand, had not reached the pinnacle in reincarnation, and his grasp of the Great Dao of Karma was only partial, so he could not examine both karma threads simultaneously. He failed to detect where the two karma threads intersected.'
Naturally, Xu Ying had not accomplished this either.
He could not span the karma threads of two space-times at once to hold mastery over it all.
He had merely deduced after the fact the shifts and intersections of reincarnation, space-time, and karma.
Xu Ying walked toward the exit of Longxing Temple, thinking, 'However, another person who should be able to sense this change is Dao Master Luo. When I struck his younger self, fluctuations rippled through his Dao of Soul, which he must have felt. With Tianchengzi revived, Dao Master Hua might not intervene, but Dao Master Luo will definitely come looking for Tianchengzi! I must leave as soon as possible!'
He quickened his pace, rushing toward the temple gates, when Grand Dao Lord Shenmo's voice suddenly rang out: "Xu Ying!"
Xu Ying's heart jolted; things were looking grim. The Dao injury to his soul had yet to heal. Facing Grand Dao Lord Shenmo in this state, he feared he wouldn't even have a chance to escape!
Suppressing his soul injuries, he sped up and darted straight out of the temple.
Seeing this, Grand Dao Lord Shenmo quickened his pace in pursuit, sneering, "It truly is you! Xu Ying, you wiped out my Shenmo Dao Sect. Today, no matter what, you will pay for that in blood!"
One fleeing and one chasing, the two raced forward.
Ahead, the gate of Longxing Temple was already in sight. Xu Ying felt a bit puzzled: 'I'm so heavily injured, yet Grand Dao Lord Shenmo still hasn't caught up with me after all this time... Of course, he's injured too!'
Looking back, he saw terrifying Dao injuries all over Grand Dao Lord Shenmo. Of his three faces, the one on the left looked as if split down the middle by an axe. Four of his six arms were severed, and a gaping hole was blasted through his chest.
His injuries appeared even more grievous than Xu Ying's.
In Xu Ying's eyes, the cycles of reincarnation within Longxing Temple had been strange and bizarre, yielding immense gains for him. But to Grand Dao Lord Shenmo and the others, they had no idea they had fallen into a space-time reincarnation loop.
All they knew was that upon entering Longxing Temple, inexplicable wounds suddenly multiplied across their bodies, and the companions beside them turned into corpses, tumbling from the sky!
Worse still, any of them could become a corpse at any moment!
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo had been gripped by precisely this terror. When he returned to the present world, he had no memory of the events within the space-time reincarnation; he could only see corpse after corpse plunging from the sky.
Severely wounded himself, something profoundly horrific had clearly transpired!
When he plummeted to the ground alongside those corpses, he discovered Grand Dao Lord Taiyi presiding over a blood sacrifice, refining those bodies and their Great Daos into nourishment to resurrect Tianchengzi!
'Taiyi is rebelling!'
This discovery was of monumental gravity. Terrified of being spotted by Taiyi, Grand Dao Lord Shenmo had remained hidden, not daring to show his face.
Only now, after Taiyi and Tianchengzi had departed, did he dare surface. Spotting Xu Ying alone, he had charged in to hunt him down.
'Grand Dao Lord Shenmo's injuries are so severe, why not send him on his way?'
His courage bolstered, Xu Ying deliberately slowed down.
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo pounced, striking with the Divine-Demon Extreme Dao Ode. Blending the divine dao and the demonic dao, its power swelled tremendously.
As he unleashed the Divine-Demon Myriad Manifestations supernatural power, the dual might of the divine and demonic paths erupted. Yet at that very moment, his Dao injuries flared up as well, causing the might of the Divine-Demon Myriad Manifestations power to plummet sharply, leaving behind nothing more than a hollow facade!
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo inwardly cried out in dismay: 'If I charge forward, this kid will definitely see right through my bluff and beat me to death!'
Luring the enemy deeper, Xu Ying immediately channeled the Scripture of the Hongyuan Counter-Proof of the Great Dao. To his horror, his primordial spirit felt as if it were about to split apart as the soul Dao injuries flared. His heart skipped a beat: 'Though the Dao of Soul isn't one of the Nine Innate Daos, it's nothing to sneeze at! This is bad!'
When their supernatural powers collided, both froze in astonishment: 'Turns out he's just a wax-tipped spear too—completely limp!'
Both their spirits soared at once, glowing with renewed vigor as they pressed their attacks against each other.
Xu Ying chuckled. "Brother Daoist, your injuries are quite grave. I happen to be a master of the healing arts—why not let me take a look? I guarantee the ailment will be removed the moment the medicine touches it!"
His expression suddenly turned ferocious: "Along with that old life of yours!"
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo sneered, "Xu Ying, I'll send you on your way today, and then take your head to Dao Master Hua to claim my reward!"
Fierce as their words were, their moves were pitifully diminished compared to their prime. Exchanging blows as they moved, they gradually reached the outside of Longxing Temple.
Right then, the Lingxing Gate came crashing down with a roar. Dazzling starlight blazed from the starry portal, forming a sword with the gate as its hilt and slashing down toward the two of them!
Startled and enraged, Grand Dao Lord Shenmo was forced to mobilize his Divine-Demon Cave Abyss to resist the sword light, shouting, "Fellow Daoists of Qionghua Island, what is the meaning of this?!"
At the same time, Xu Ying unfurled the Chaotic Dao Apricot Yellow Banner to meet the sword light.
Yet both of their hearts sank: 'We might not be able to withstand this strike...'
Glancing at Xu Ying raising the apricot yellow banner, Grand Dao Lord Shenmo made a split-second decision, channeling his own magic power into the banner as well.
With the two joining forces, the banner's might surged dramatically!
The banner bore the name "Chaotic Dao." The so-called Chaotic Dao referred to the Great Dao of Hunyuan, meaning the banner could absorb the Dao power of other Great Daos, assimilating it into itself to augment its strength.
Thus, even though Grand Dao Lord Shenmo channeled divine-demonic Dao power, the banner still unleashed its corresponding might!
This banner was an innate numinous treasure. Though it was only a fragment of the full set, in the hands of Xu Ying and Grand Dao Lord Shenmo, it displayed formidable potency!
The banner unfurled across the sky and intercepted the strike. The radiant sword light looked as though it could cleave the other shore in two, but upon contacting the supremely supple fabric, it failed to slice through, its momentum dissipated by the banner's pliant force.
Those who had invoked the Lingxing Gate were naturally Li Xue, Li Jie, and the others, who had been lying in wait outside Longxing Temple for the right opportunity. Seeing Xu Ying and Grand Dao Lord Shenmo emerge, they had seized the moment to strike.
As the sword light fell, a multitude of stars rose.
Countless stars bore down upon the banner, eliciting muffled groans from both men beneath it.
Li Xue barked, "Junior brothers and sisters, change stances!"
The disciples immediately mobilized the Lingxing Gate, maneuvering it like a peerless blade to slash down once more.
Xu Ying and Grand Dao Lord Shenmo held aloft the great banner, its fabric fluttering as it met the sword light, yet they were struck repeatedly by the sweeping brilliance.
Innate numinous treasure though the Chaotic Dao Apricot Yellow Banner was, the two beneath it felt their bodies on the verge of bursting, teetering on the brink of ruin!
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo inwardly lamented: 'I was supposed to stand alongside Dao Lord Li Xue and the others to take down Xu Ying! How on earth did I end up in this mess?'
Beyond the sky, a carriage glided silently into view. Dao Master Luo sat within, robes draped over his legs, quietly seated before a tea table.
Taishi, the chubby boy who served as his attendant, stood at his side, cradling a pagoda in his hands.
Dao Master Luo said, "Taishi, go to the window and cast down the Elegance Pagoda."
Taishi voiced his obedience. Approaching the window, he pushed it open and gently tossed out the Heaven and Earth Elegance Pagoda, wondering, 'Could there be an enemy? Does Master intend to crush that enemy to death?'
As the Heaven and Earth Elegance Pagoda fell, it spun and expanded. By the time it neared the ground, the pagoda had grown a hundred zhang tall, radiating peerless, crushing Dao prestige!
Li Xue, Li Jie, and the rest drove the Lingxing Gate to strike with another sword blow, battering Xu Ying and Grand Dao Lord Shenmo until they sprayed mouthfuls of blood.
Just as they were about to execute this pair of rebels together, a golden-based pagoda plummeted from the sky, kicking up blazing flames.
In an instant, both the Lingxing Gate and Xu Ying's apricot yellow banner were suppressed, immobilized and unable to unleash their might.
"The Heaven and Earth Elegance Pagoda?"
A tremor of shock struck Li Xue. Casting aside all other thoughts, he immediately bowed and knelt, proclaiming aloud, "Disciples of Qionghua Island pay homage to Dao Master Luo!"
Xu Ying's gaze fell upon the pagoda. He had seen the Elegance Pagoda before in the Zhao Realm. The Zhao Realm would not have suffered an outbreak of calamitous destiny, had someone not framed it. Back then, this pagoda had been used to bridge the two realms and sustain the passageway between them.
And the one who had invoked that pagoda was none other than Dao Master Luo.
'Dao Master Luo has tracked us here!'
Cold sweat broke out on Xu Ying's forehead. 'Will he recognize me? The lingering power of his Dao of Soul techniques is still inside me, and my wounds haven't healed. If he sees me, will he deduce that I'm the one whose sword strike paralyzed him?'
After a quick calculation, he immediately hid his primordial spirit inside the big bell, saying, "Master Bell, hide inside the Hongyuan!"
Hearing this, the big bell carried his primordial spirit into the lotus pond, diving into the Hongyuan to take cover.
Xu Ying spoke swiftly: "Master Lotus, protect me! I must refine away the soul Dao injuries as quickly as possible so Dao Master Luo doesn't get suspicious!"
Seeming to sense the danger, the Chaos Lotus slowly unfurled its petals, shielding the Hongyuan with its own power to keep Dao Master Luo from noticing anything amiss.
Seated cross-legged within the big bell, Xu Ying's primordial spirit attempted to decipher the Dao of Soul within his injuries!
At that moment, a carriage approached slowly. Though it appeared leisurely, its speed was astonishing, as if gliding over space-time itself.
The carriage came to a halt.
Sitting inside, Dao Master Luo addressed Li Xue and the others beside the Lingxing Gate: "Brother Hua is counting on him to release more of our old friends. If you kill him here, Brother Hua won't bestow any rewards—he'll take your lives instead."
Li Xue and the others dared not argue. Bowing, they chorused their assent, though inwardly they scoffed: 'The Old Master instructed us to issue a Dao Master Hunt Order and proclaim it across the world. How could he possibly indulge Xu Ying to stir up trouble?'
Dao Master Luo turned his gaze upon Grand Dao Lord Shenmo, studying him before saying with visible emotion, "Grand Dao Lord, your cultivation has progressed remarkably. It seems it won't be long before you attain the status of a Lord of Great Dao."
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo felt a jolt in his heart. He was only half a step away from becoming a Dao Master, yet that half step was like an uncrossable chasm.
Moreover, he did not dare take that final step.
Throughout history, without exception, anyone who attained Dao Master had received a strike from Dao Master Hua's axe!
He had believed himself deeply hidden, never expecting Dao Master Luo to see through him at a glance.
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo bowed and asked, "How did Brother Daoist see through it?"
Dao Master Luo chuckled. "You have comprehended the divine and demonic Daos across every universe beneath the other shore, converging the two, and gathered all the cave abysses across the myriad universes. All of this is merely to amass sufficient Dao power to fuel your breakthrough into a Dao Master. Something so obvious is clear at a glance."
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo felt a chill. If Dao Master Luo could see it, Dao Master Hua certainly could as well!
'When I attain Dao Master, I fear I won't escape that axe of his,' he thought to himself.
Dao Master Luo said, "The reason your cultivation reached this stage so recently is thanks to the *Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture*, isn't it? That technique helped you forge the Divine-Demon Dao Realm and unify the two paths. And that scripture was spread by Xu Ying. By hunting him down, aren't you hunting down your own benefactor?"
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo glanced at Xu Ying and replied, "He killed all of my disciples, sparing only one."
Dao Master Luo laughed. "He aided your attainment of the Dao; killing your disciples merely squares the ledger. You hold no genuine feud, so why stir up further trouble?"
Grand Dao Lord Shenmo hesitated, then asked, "Might Brother Daoist guide me through the perplexity?"
Dao Master Luo said meaningfully, "Daoist Hua did not stop Xu Ying from reviving Xuanhong, and I did not stop Xu Ying from reviving Tianchengzi. Do you think that if you break through amid the calamitous destiny and become a Dao Master, Brother Hua will still swing that axe at you?"
Realization dawned upon Grand Dao Lord Shenmo. Bowing in gratitude, he turned and departed.
Dao Master Luo's gaze settled upon Xu Ying. After a moment, a smile graced his face. "Young Friend Xu, would you care to share my carriage?"
Xu Ying's intensely nervous state settled into sudden calm. Bowing in thanks, he said, "How could I dare refuse the Dao Master's invitation?"
Putting away the apricot yellow banner, he boarded the carriage.
Upon stepping inside, Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. The decor inside was identical to how it had been one hundred and twenty million years ago—a simple arrangement with a table and chairs, and an incense burner by the door.
Dao Master Luo's gaze remained fixed on Xu Ying. Maintaining an unruffled demeanor, Xu Ying smiled and said, "In telling Grand Dao Lord Shenmo all that, Dao Master Luo surely harbored sinister motives."
Taishi's face drained of color, and he hurriedly waved his hands at Xu Ying, signaling him not to speak recklessly.
Dao Master Luo let out an "Oh?" and asked, "What makes you say that?"
Desperate to divert Dao Master Luo's attention, Xu Ying steeled himself and continued, "The Dao Master probably believes that this calamitous destiny requires many deaths to avert its outbreak. Reviving past Dao Masters is one source of Dao Masters; allowing the Four Grand Dao Lords to become Dao Masters is another."
Dao Master Luo's smile gradually widened. "Taiyi's disciple is truly gifted. It is enviable."
Suddenly, his face darkened, and his tone shifted abruptly: "Inside Longxing Temple, who exactly sacrificed so many lives to revive Tianchengzi?"
Without a second thought, Xu Ying answered blithely, "My master, Grand Dao Lord Taiyi!"
Chapter 823