Xu Ying walked out of Biyou Palace, still somewhat uneasy in his heart.
"He is, after all, a senior sage who guided me. Perhaps I am being overly suspicious," he thought to himself.
Great Dao Lord Xuhuang quietly notified Dao Ancestor Taiqing, Yuqing, and the others. Upon hearing that they were to depart, everyone was rather surprised. Dao Ancestor Yuxu asked, "Should we not inform the Dao Venerable before leaving? He has, after all, shown us great kindness."
Xuhuang shook his head. "Better not to inform him. Every time we wanted to leave in the past, the Dao Venerable always found some excuse to stop us. Rather than being held back once more, it is better to keep him in the dark and slip away quietly."
Reflecting carefully, the others realized this made sense.
The first time they wished to leave, the Dao Venerable had sent someone to weep and plead with them, begging them to save the other shore. The second time they wished to leave, the Dao Venerable stepped forward in person to detain them, offering to impart Tianjing's peerless arts. The third time they wished to leave, the Dao Venerable proposed an alliance between Tianjing and the Three Realms to jointly resist the other shore.
Time and again, they had been forced to dispel the thought of departing, remaining in Tianjing to contribute their strength.
If they tried to leave now and the Dao Venerable learned of it, he would surely find yet another pretext to keep them from returning.
"Very well! Then we return to the Three Realms!"
Their minds made up, Heavenly Venerable Taiyi suddenly remembered the Ancestral God and asked, "Should we notify the Ancestral God and have Him return to the Three Realms as well?"
Xuhuang smiled. "The Ancestral God is now an ancient god of Tianjing, serving to govern and foster the revival of Tianjing's Great Dao. With Him here, He can give warning should the other shore attack. It is best that He remains here, lest Tianjing fall to the other shore."
Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.
Although the other shore and Tianjing had sworn a Chaos Oath, the one who made the oath was Dao Master Hua alone. Should the other shore sacrifice Dao Master Hua's life to violate the oath, none other than Dao Master Hua would perish.
Thus, Tianjing still faced the danger of destruction, and the Ancestral God's presence here truly safeguarded its security.
"If the Ancestral God were to leave, the commotion would be far too great and the Dao Venerable would certainly see through it. Let us set off directly without concerning ourselves with Him."
Each of them left behind an avatar mimicking their every move, then immediately set out toward the Chaos Sea.
The two great universes of Tianjing and the other shore had run aground together, and Tianjing had lost most of its starry expanse to the other shore's encroachment. Even so, it was not far from the Chaos Sea; given their speed, they could reach it in about ten days.
Once there, they could summon their multi-decked emerald rock vessel, hoist its sails, and return to the Three Realms by following the imprint Xu Ying had left within the ship.
For years, Shi Yuting had been cultivating under Xuhuang. On this day, returning to Xuanji City after seeking guidance, a look of perplexity hung on his face.
The lord of Xuanji City was another Dao Master of Tianjing, known as Lady Bifei. Having a great fondness for him, she noticed his confusion and asked, "Yuting, what weighs on your mind?"
Shi Yuting replied, "I went to see Master Xuhuang, but I could not help feeling something was off about him—he did not seem like his real self. Over the past few days, I have also seen Heavenly Venerable Taiyi and the other masters, and they were rather strange as well."
Hearing this, Lady Bifei felt a stir in her heart. She went to find Xuhuang, spoke a few words with him, and then took her leave.
She hurried to see the Dao Venerable and said, "Xuhuang is merely an avatar. It seems he has already fled!"
The Dao Venerable was astonished. "Yet the Ancestral God remains. How could they abandon Him?"
Lady Bifei said, "Go and see for yourself, Dao Venerable, and you will understand."
The Dao Venerable went to inspect Xuhuang, and with a single glance, he saw through the deception.
* * *
Xuhuang and the others hurried on without pause. After more than ten days, the Chaos Sea came into view ahead, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Right at that moment, a yellow-robed figure was seen standing in the distance ahead—none other than the Dao Venerable of Tianjing.
Xuhuang stepped forward and offered a salute.
The Dao Venerable sighed. "Fellow Daoists, what is the meaning of this? Departing silently without so much as a farewell—have I done something wrong? If there is any fault, please point it out, and I shall certainly mend my ways."
Xuhuang smiled. "It has nothing to do with you, Dao Venerable. We are simply overcome with longing for our homeland. We left the Three Realms more than six hundred thousand years ago, and after reaching the other shore, we remained in Tianjing to protect it. Now, the Three Realms draws near to the other shore, and it will not be long before they cross paths. It is time for us to return and protect the Three Realms."
"So that is how it is."
The Dao Venerable chuckled. "Longing for the Three Realms and wishing to protect it is only natural and human. However, six hundred thousand years have already passed; what difference would another thousand or two hundred years make? Why not remain here until the Three Realms runs aground before returning? By then, you will surely have fostered a great multitude of experts. Tianjing and the Three Realms could then serve as flanking horns of a pincer, leaving the other shore caught between them."
Xuhuang replied, "The Three Realms is weak and fragile; I fear it cannot serve as the other horn. Only when the Three Realms grows strong can it stand alongside Tianjing to jointly oppose the other shore."
Seeing that Xuhuang's resolve was firm, the Dao Venerable pondered for a moment before cheerfully saying, "In that case, I will not force you to stay. Please, fellow Daoists!"
Xuhuang bowed in gratitude. "We will never forget your guidance and nurturing kindness."
Taiqing, Yuqing, and the others stepped forward to bow as well. The Dao Venerable returned the courtesy with a smile. "The Dao belongs to all under heaven, not to me alone. Imparting it to you was merely returning the Dao to all under heaven."
Xuhuang bade farewell and led the group away.
The Dao Venerable watched them depart into the distance. After a moment, Lady Bifei's voice sounded from behind him: "Dao Venerable, with their departure, I fear the Three Realms may become another other shore in the future. Long ago, when the other shore ran aground, its people possessed meager Dao arts. We imparted the Dao to them, and only then did the other shore flourish and grow powerful. Yet far from repaying our kindness, they struck at us ruthlessly, nearly driving the people of Tianjing to extinction!"
She walked over with graceful steps and stood behind the Dao Venerable. "Dao Venerable, when the Three Realms runs aground against the other shore, and we join forces with them to eliminate it, the Three Realms will simply be stranded beside Tianjing. How can we know they will not act just as the other shore did?"
The Dao Venerable fell silent.
Lady Bifei was about to speak further, but the Dao Venerable raised his hand to cut her off. "I have my own plans."
Lady Bifei could only hold her tongue.
* * *
Xuhuang and the others reached the edge of the Chaos Sea, brought forth the multi-decked emerald rock vessel, and launched it into the waters. Boarding the ship, they sailed into the boundless expanse of the Chaos Sea.
Xuhuang activated the imprint Xu Ying had left upon the vessel, and the ship automatically steered toward the Three Realms.
"Fellow Daoist Xu instructed us that during our voyage back, an unforeseen event might occur behind us. If a strange Dao light appears, we must under no circumstances turn our heads to look back," Xuhuang said. "Bear this firmly in mind; do not violate it."
The others were greatly surprised, exchanging glances. Taiqing asked, "Brother, what is the origin of this strange Dao light? How could Fellow Daoist Xu know in advance that it would appear?"
Xuhuang's eyes flickered. "I do not wish to guess its origin, and it is best that none of you guess either. If such a light appears, simply do not look back."
Hearing this, Taiqing and the rest harbored their own suspicions, yet all kept silent.
The vessel sailed across the Chaos Sea for a long time without any mishap, and gradually Xuhuang and the others relaxed.
"If nothing happens, that is naturally for the best," he thought.
* * *
At the borders of the other shore, sal trees grew abundantly within the Chaos Sea. These ancient trees had flourished for countless ages, their roots drawing energy directly from the Chaos Sea, each far more massive than an entire planet.
Smaller trees grew between the colossal ones, and many cultivators were climbing them to harvest their fruit. These fruits could be used to cultivate new sal trees, making them indispensable treasures for the other shore when searching out other universes.
However, because the trees were so immense and close to the Chaos Sea, the Dao qi of Chaos had spawned a kind of snow-white creature from their branches known as nether worms. Shaped like white dragons, they excelled at slithering and concealing themselves, and preyed on humans.
Cultivators harvesting fruit on the trees could easily be devoured if they let down their guard for even an instant.
There was also a breed of blood bats that fed upon the nether worms. Flying with elusive stealth, they often left streaks of red light across the sky.
The cultivators took advantage of these flashes of red light to scale the sal trees and pluck the fruits.
On this day, several hundred cultivators arrived at the sal tree forest, stopping far off to peer inside. They dared not draw too close, lest the nether worms catch their scent and pounce to devour them.
Yet the surrounding woods remained utterly quiet, and no blood bats appeared.
"These blood bats have grown cunning. In the past, they actively hunted nether worms. But ever since we cultivators began picking the fruit, they learned that wherever we appear, nether worms are bound to come and feed on us," an experienced elder cultivator explained to a newcomer beside him. "So when we come here, the blood bats often lie in wait nearby, waiting for the nether worms to come for us rather than searching for them."
Puzzled, the newcomer asked, "Then how do we lure out the nether worms?"
"Capture a few outlanders and toss them in. That will draw out the nether worms, and once they appear, the blood bats will naturally follow. Then we can harvest the fruit without trouble," the elder cultivator said. "With calamitous destiny erupting across the other shore lately, outlanders are worth next to nothing."
Nearby, several cultivators from other universes were already being held under guard, ready to be hurled forward. Just then, a multi-decked emerald rock vessel sailed over, passing straight through their midst and heading directly into the sal tree forest.
Standing upon the prow was an emaciated, green-robed elder, completely ignoring the blood bats and nether worms lurking within the woods.
The gathered cultivators were both startled and delighted. "Someone has come to die!"
No sooner had the thought crossed their minds than the green-robed elder raised a hand and waved gently. Instantly, the boundless sal tree forest parted to either side like arboreal planets pushed aside, revealing a path leading straight into the Chaos Sea.
Countless blood bats and nether worms were startled, swarming into the air in a frenzy.
The green-robed elder suddenly drew his sword. The solemn slaughtering qi of the entire universe of the other shore, summoned by the emerald sword light, surged forth in a torrent!
It was the universe's slaughtering qi, a power capable of cleaving all Great Daos, flooding into the emerald sword radiance!
*Boom—*
A colossal sword light pierced into the Chaos Sea, instantly boring through who knew how many tens of thousands of miles!
The cultivators stared blankly at the sight as the green-robed elder piloted the ship into the channel opened within the Chaos Sea.
The emerald sword light swirled within that massive passage, lingering without fading.
"Who is that?" they murmured.
Suddenly, someone recalled something and cried out, "He is Dao Master Tongtian of Biyou Palace! The fourth Great Dao Sovereign of the other shore!"
Dao Master Tongtian stood upright upon the vessel, the Zhuxian Sword dancing under his command to keep the passage from collapsing.
He did not steer the vessel deliberately, merely letting it carry him forward; his sole task was to carve open this corridor.
This passage remained connected to the other shore, allowing the slaughtering qi of the entire realm to serve as his backing.
He knew that person was extraordinarily powerful—formidable beyond measure. Without the aid of the other shore's calamitous destiny, he would have no confidence whatsoever!
* * *
Aboard the other vessel, Xuhuang and his companions had encountered no anomalies and felt a sense of relief.
"We should have sailed past the other shore by now, haven't we?" Dao Ancestor Yuxu asked.
Suddenly, violent waves surged within the Chaos Sea. Chaos qi filled the surroundings, and now the Chaos qi behind them pressed forward like dark rolling storm clouds. From within the mist came bursts of Dao resonance, sounding like the roars of strange beasts!
Alarmed, the group was about to strike out against the waves when an extraordinary Dao light miraculously pierced through the Chaos qi, beaming from behind!
"There really is such a light!"
Taiqing and the others hurriedly turned their heads away, yet in that split second, they still caught sight of a figure stepping through the Dao light that pierced the Chaos qi, striding toward them!
Their hearts pounded wildly. Crossing the Chaos Sea in the flesh, pursuing a vessel, with Dao brilliance strong enough to penetrate the Chaos qi—what kind of existence was this?
More critically, what was this person's intent in pursuing their ship?
The Dao light blazing from behind grew ever brighter, and the figure within drew nearer and nearer. Their Dao hearts wavered, each of them tempted to look back, yet they forcibly restrained themselves.
"If we do not look upon his face and do not confirm his identity, there remains room for maneuver. The moment we see his face, all leeway is gone!" Xuhuang sent his voice in a rapid transmission. "Fellow Daoist Xu said he had made proper arrangements, so he surely has!"
Just then, an emerald sword light burst forth without warning, parting the Chaos qi and grazing past their vessel.
Xuhuang and the others followed the sword light with their eyes and saw that it originated from another multi-decked emerald rock vessel, upon which stood an elder of ancient, stately bearing.
That vessel floated within a corridor hollowed out by sword qi, and at the end of the passage, the sun, moon, stars, and the continent of the other shore came into view!
The slaughtering qi from the other shore, like oil poured onto fire, swelled within the calamitous destiny and transformed into a force that shook the Chaos Sea, surging toward the figure within the Dao light behind them!
"Sword Master Tongtian!" Xuhuang exclaimed in shock.
The people of the Three Realms actually knew very little about this Sword Master Tongtian. Few knew his origins; they only knew him as an eccentric old man who dwelt in the northwest of the Ancestral Court at Biyou Palace and disliked interacting with outsiders. He was a master of the sword, yet refused all who came seeking instruction, so over time, no one associated with him.
Yet Xuhuang knew that Sword Master Tongtian was a senior from the era of the Dragon Court, preceding both the Demon Court and the subsequent human Immortal Court.
It was precisely because he had survived the Dragon Court era and witnessed the history of the three emerald rocks destroying the realm that Sword Master Tongtian had grown solitary and eccentric.
"So the one Fellow Daoist Xu spoke of to block the strange Dao light was him!"
Both ships bore Xu Ying's imprints. He had placed different marks upon them so that once set in motion, the two vessels would cross paths in the Chaos Sea.
As the two ships passed each other, everyone's gaze fell upon Dao Master Tongtian, yet he did not spare them a glance, his eyes fixed firmly on the figure within the Dao light.
Xuhuang, Taiqing, and the others felt the Dao light behind them suddenly flare with dazzling intensity, and the sword radiance penetrated the Chaos qi as well, casting brilliant hues before them.
"If the one pursuing us is truly that existence, does Sword Master Tongtian have any assurance of surviving?" Heavy dread weighed on their hearts.
Even if Dao Master Tongtian had attained the Dao through slaughter, and even with the backing of the other shore's calamitous destiny, he would likely be no match for that being!
They drifted farther and farther from the battlefield within the Chaos, yet the sword qi and Dao light grew ever fiercer, piercing the Chaos Sea and shining upon their ship, casting its shadow onto the Chaos qi ahead.
"Sword Master Tongtian, do not throw your life away," Dao Ancestor Yuxu whispered. "There is no need to die for us."
At that moment, the ringing of a bell chimed across the Chaos Sea, echoing from afar and drawing closer.
*Clang, clang—*
"This sound..." Xuhuang gasped. "It is the toll of the wondrous bell in the Chaos Sea!"
Everyone strained to look ahead, but the vast Chaos was too murky to see clearly. They had long heard of this great bell that moved like a ghost through the Chaos Sea, yet none had ever laid eyes on it.
Behind them, the strange Dao light suddenly retreated at blinding speed, vanishing without a trace.
The tolling drew nearer. Looking into the distance, Xuhuang and the others saw yet another multi-decked emerald rock vessel sailing toward them, a large emerald bell hanging from its prow.
Standing beneath the bell was Xu Ying, striking it with resounding clangs.
Chapter 831