This world-opening merit divided into two, becoming shared merit between Xu Ying and Taiyi.
During their great battle within the cosmic Hongyuan, the two had used their respective Taiyi Great Daos to comb through and order the various Dao powers under the Hongyuan's primordial state, advancing the progression of this Hongyuan's evolution by untold tens of thousands of years.
The cosmic Hongyuan was thus opened and cleaved, transforming into a new universe within the Chaos Sea. For the life destined to evolve in this universe in later generations, this merit was incomparable.
Xu Ying had already attained Hongmeng Indestructibility. The qi of Hongmeng surged in, driving his Hongmeng cultivation ever higher, swiftly surpassing the early Indestructible realm, elevating to the level of True King, and then rising to the level of Dao Lord!
Before long, his Hongmeng cultivation rose to the level of Grand Dao Lord, radiant with boundless Dao power!
"If I had obtained this opening merit entirely alone, I'm afraid I would already be a Hongmeng Dao Master," he thought to himself.
A thought flashed through his mind: "If I get rid of Taiyi right now, I can claim the opening merit all for myself and become a Hongmeng Dao Master!"
His palm was still suspended above Taiyi's head. If he struck at this moment, he could annihilate Taiyi and eliminate future troubles once and for all.
Yet for reasons unknown, he suddenly remembered how Grandmaster Dongxuan, who clearly could have killed him, had merely rubbed his head instead.
As though guided by some unseen force, Xu Ying dispersed the lethal power gathered in his palm and gave Grand Dao Lord Taiyi's forehead a gentle rub.
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi looked up at him in astonishment, meeting a warm, gentle smile on his face.
In that instant, he sensed no killing intent whatsoever from Xu Ying.
"I could eliminate Taiyi for the sake of the Three Realms, but eliminating him just to snatch merit is something I cannot bring myself to do," Xu Ying thought quietly.
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi suddenly relaxed. He had never cultivated the Hongmeng Great Dao before, yet in an instant his Hongmeng cultivation leapt from nothingness, swiftly reaching the eighth layer of the Dao Realm!
Before long, he smoothly broke through to the ninth layer of the Dao Realm, leaping over True King to become a Dao Lord of the Hongmeng Great Dao!
However, Grand Dao Lord Taiyi did not care about this in the least.
His gaze was fixed upon the constantly evolving Great Daos of Heaven and Earth. The process of evolving from the primordial state into the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth brought him immense comprehension.
His state of mind relaxed as never before, as if the young man beside him were not an enemy, not someone from the Three Realms, but a disciple who sincerely protected his path, allowing him to cast aside all vigilance.
What he had realized during his earlier clash with Xu Ying suddenly converged and fused in this moment. In his eyes, the opening of this cosmic Hongyuan appeared in reverse: evolving from the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth back into the Hongyuan.
Inside his body, the three thousand Great Daos gradually transformed toward the primordial Taiyi, and an aura of transcendence involuntarily emanated from him.
Within the cosmic Hongyuan, the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth grew exceptionally lively, thronging toward him in harmony.
Rosy light bathed the starry sky; cosmic light cleared the expanse into late-blooming rainbows.
At this moment, he was the Master of Heaven and Earth, the Grand Dao Master.
After a long time, Dao Master Taiyi woke from the state of a Dao Master, only to see that the Hongyuan's boundaries were no longer visible. The starry sky had not yet fully formed from the primal dark and yellow; if there was light in the universe, it was everywhere, and if there was darkness, all was hazy.
Yet he could not find Xu Ying anywhere.
Shortly after, he arrived at the core of this universe, where the seven-leaved lingzhi stood.
This spirit root had grown even larger. Naturally born an innate numinous treasure, peerless under heaven, it contained vast, wondrous might.
However, Xu Ying was not beneath the seven-leaved lingzhi; he was among the roots of the tree stump upon which the lingzhi grew as a parasite.
Xu Ying showed little interest in these two innate numinous treasures, but was instead deeply intrigued by the wreckage of the Lou Realm universe.
The roots beneath the stump branched out in all directions, immensely vast, and at their ends connected to a tract of wreckage spanning well over one hundred thousand li.
That was the wreckage of the Lou Realm universe.
Because the calamitous destiny it bore had not been its own, the Lou Realm universe had not been annihilated completely. Upon the wreckage of this universe, one could still find the faintest traces left behind by its civilization from long ago.
This was proof left by a civilization.
Dao Master Taiyi walked slowly up behind Xu Ying and gazed at the ruins of this universe. The living beings of the Lou Realm, including all cultivators, were no more. On the other shore, there might still be descendants of the Lou Realm, but they no longer acknowledged themselves as people of the Lou Realm.
Everything in this universe was gone without a trace, leaving only this remnant.
"Without Dao Master Hua's axe, it always feels as though something is missing."
Dao Master Taiyi glanced at Xu Ying and asked, "Xu Ying, when we clashed earlier, did you want to kill me?"
Xu Ying said in astonishment, "Master, where did that come from? Absolutely not! If I wanted to kill you, I indeed had the chance, yet did I not stay my hand?"
Dao Master Taiyi snorted, recalling the way Xu Ying had rubbed his head. Xu Ying truly had the opportunity to kill him back then, yet for some inexplicable reason, he had stroked his head instead!
And with such a benevolent expression, no less.
"Master, when the other shore overcomes its calamitous destiny in the future, how will it deal with the Three Realms and Tianjing?" Xu Ying asked.
Looking at the cosmic wreckage before him, Dao Master Taiyi said, "You helped me attain the Dao today, so I will certainly show leniency. As for Tianjing, I can only decide once I see what the Dao Venerable truly intends to do."
Xu Ying asked, "Then what of the myriad universes?"
Dao Master Taiyi's expression turned solemn. "The myriad universes are the private property of the other shore. For the other shore to grow stronger, it must still rely on them. Therefore, things will remain just as they were in the past."
Xu Ying looked deeply at him. "In that case, sparing the Three Realms is indeed showing immense leniency."
Dao Master Taiyi nodded gently. "Xu Ying, I know your stance. Though you appear open-minded and magnanimous, your inner core is unyielding, and you hold your own steelyard to weigh right and wrong. The only reason you are magnanimous is that you are not yet strong enough. Once you become strong, you will immediately cease being magnanimous. People like you can go far in a treacherous world."
When Xu Ying first entered the other shore, he disguised himself as a member of the sacred race. Later in Tianjing, he acknowledged Taiyi as his master. Upon reaching the Taiyi Dao Sect, he took the initiative to become the Eldest Senior Brother, mingling seamlessly with his fellow disciples.
Although he had long possessed spirit markings and new Dao patterns that surpassed the other shore's rational glyphs, he always stuck to using rational glyphs while on the other shore.
When he encountered deceased Dao Masters, he instantly switched allegiances; when facing Dao Master Luo, he promptly denounced Taiyi as a rebel. When facing an enemy he couldn't beat, he would cozy up to them and call them his adoptive father; when facing one he could defeat, it was immediately, "Old thief, why aren't you dead yet?!"
To call Xu Ying two-faced and double-dealing, honey-mouthed and dagger-hearted, would not be an exaggeration.
Yet to the people of the Three Realms, the Xu Ying in their eyes endured humiliation to shoulder heavy burdens, lying on firewood and tasting gall, never hesitating to bow to enemies as his adoptive father or suffer indignities, all to exhaust every means to throw the other shore into chaos and buy more time for the Three Realms to develop.
"Xu Ying, you are no heroic champion,"
Dao Master Taiyi shook his head and said, "Heroic champions do not survive this long. To the other shore, you are a venomous viper wearing a smiling face. It is dangerous to have you as an enemy, and I do not wish to be your enemy. My enemies are not the Three Realms, but the three Dao Masters—Hua, Lin, and Luo—as well as Tianjing's Dao Venerable."
Xu Ying smiled. "I have no desire to be an enemy of the other shore either."
Dao Master Taiyi said, "After returning this time, I will unite with the other Dao Masters to first deal with Dao Masters Hua, Lin, and Luo, unifying the power of the other shore to resist calamitous destiny and slaughter."
He turned around, intending to leave, when Xu Ying's voice came: "Master, as long as the wreckage of the Lou Realm universe remains, the karma remains. The calamitous destiny of the other shore is so ferocious that it may well stem in part from enslaving and destroying the Lou Realm. Once the New Lou Realm growing atop its wreckage flourishes in the future, it will surely demand that the other shore repay this karmic debt."
Dao Master Taiyi paused slightly, then shook his head. "In the Chaos Sea, karma does not exist."
"Karma does not exist only in Chaos, but it certainly exists within space-time,"
Xu Ying's gaze was deep and brooding. "I attained the Dao through Karma, so I see more clearly than you. If the other shore wishes to successfully survive its calamitous destiny, the karmic debts owed to the myriad universes must be repaid. Otherwise, the other shore will still be finished."
Dao Master Taiyi remained silent for a long time before saying, "I will consider it. Do you want to return to the other shore together? I have a ship."
Xu Ying nodded.
Dao Master Taiyi summoned his multi-decked vessel and sailed toward the outer heavens.
As the two passed the tree stump and the seven-leaved lingzhi, Dao Master Taiyi glanced at Xu Ying and asked in wonder, "You aren't going to claim this spirit root? It is extraordinary, an innate numinous treasure formed from two Chaos spirit roots combined, far surpassing ordinary innate numinous treasures in power."
Xu Ying shook his head. "It belongs to another realm; I cannot take it by force. Besides, I already have a Chaos spirit root. Master, why haven't you taken it?"
Dao Master Taiyi said nonchalantly, "I already have a Chaos spirit root as well. Furthermore, if mine proves insufficient, I can always seize one from another Dao Master."
The two exchanged a smile.
The Great Daos of Heaven and Earth here were not yet stable, and stars had not yet coalesced. It would likely require an immense span of evolution before life could be born.
The multi-decked vessel sailed out of the New Lou Realm and entered the Chaos Sea.
When they reached the Chaos Sea Abyss, Dao Master Taiyi slowed down, carefully piloting the vessel on guard against something.
"Is this abyss natural, or was it created by someone?" Xu Ying couldn't help but ask. "Master, since you were able to locate this Chaos Sea Abyss, you must know something about it, right?"
Dao Master Taiyi shook his head. "I only know that such a place exists, but as to how the Chaos Sea Abyss came to be, I know nothing. There are several similar places in the Chaos Sea, but all their origins are shrouded in mystery."
The two did not linger at the Chaos Sea Abyss, urging the vessel onward into the distance.
Xu Ying looked back and suddenly saw a great bell slowly rising from the abyss. That bell was chaotic and boundless, devoid of color, yet as it flew, it suddenly grew luminous, evolving from Chaos into Hongmeng, and from Hongmeng into Wuji and Taiyi, giving birth to hundreds of millions of stars, star rivers, and galaxies.
It was as though the bell harbored untold eons of a universe's entire history within, endlessly mesmerizing.
Xu Ying stared blankly, but in the next instant, he saw the great bell vanish into the Chaos Sea, leaving no trace behind!
"Could this bell be the very one that left the imprint of creases upon Master Bell?"
His heart pounded wildly. He wanted to pursue it, yet feared encountering unforeseen disaster if he did; after all, that bell's might was truly unfathomable.
To Xu Ying now, Dao Masters no longer seemed so inscrutable, yet looking upon this bell, he still found it completely unfathomable.
"Right! The creases on Master Bell—I should be able to study and decipher them now!"
Xu Ying simply sat down, leaving Dao Master Taiyi to steer the ship, while he summoned the big bell to carefully study the creases along its wall.
These creases held unfathomably profound insights into the Chaos Great Dao. In the past, a single glance would have turned Xu Ying into chaotic qi, but now his comprehension of the Chaos Great Dao grew deeper by the day and his cultivation was far stronger, so looking upon the bell no longer carried mortal peril.
"Ah Ying, once you figure it out completely, you have to tell me,"
the big bell urged. "Otherwise, I can't even look in a mirror to admire my dashing, heroic posture!"
Xu Ying agreed and studied them closely. Suddenly, the creases sprang to life, like lines swimming continuously, nimble as fish darting through the Chaos Sea.
In his eyes, these fish-like lines wove through the Chaos Sea, displaying the profound mysteries of Chaos—all-encompassing, all-embracing.
Comparing them against what he had learned and comprehended of the Chaos Great Dao, he suddenly felt that his own knowledge and insights were so very shallow.
Unwittingly, he lost himself in contemplating the mysteries of Chaos.
Just then, Dao Master Taiyi sensed the multi-decked vessel growing heavier and heavier. Startled, he glanced back and saw chaotic qi surging in from the Chaos Sea all around Xu Ying's body, connecting to him.
And within the Chaos surrounding the vessel, colossal creatures could faintly be seen swimming around their ship.
"What are those things? Could they be trying to devour Xu Ying?"
Without a second thought, Taiyi unleashed his Dao sword, thrusting it into the Chaos. The sword's Dao light instantly illuminated the surroundings with crystal clarity.
He saw that those Chaos creatures were turtle-like yet not turtles, tortoise-like yet not tortoises. Vast beyond measure, they exhaled and inhaled chaotic qi; with every opening and closing of their eyelids, it seemed as if entire universes were harbored within.
His Dao sword pierced into the body of one Chaos creature, only for the monster's flesh to swallow his sword light like a bottomless pit, leaving nothing behind.
Dao Master Taiyi shuddered. Even though he had just attained the rank of Dao Master, facing such an incredible sight filled him with dread.
A Dao Master was already the mightiest existence in this era, and a Dao Master who cultivated the Taiyi Great Dao was the absolute pinnacle among them!
Yet at this moment, he felt that these Chaos creatures were the ones truly unfathomable!
Fortunately, the Chaos creatures merely flickered in and out of view, neither ramming the vessel nor launching a deadly assault, allowing Dao Master Taiyi to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Dao Master Taiyi's eyes flickered, and he suddenly projected his Dao voice into the Chaos: "Fellow Dao brothers, what is your intention in holding back my ship?"
A melodious Dao voice resonated from the Chaos Sea, grand and magnificent beyond words, yet when it reached Dao Master Taiyi's ears, it rattled him until he was dizzy and seeing stars—he could not understand a single word.
"The end of the Great Dao... Could they be creatures from the end of the Great Dao?" He was terrified inside.
Those Chaos creatures acted like a gathering of observers, circling their vessel and watching with great interest for over two years, refusing to leave.
As long as they did not leave, Dao Master Taiyi could not drive the ship back toward the other shore. He had no choice but to sit at the vessel's prow, keeping his hand on his sword without moving, watching his surroundings.
His caution was well-warranted.
During this time, one of the Chaos creatures actually bit down on the ship's stern, trying to drag the multi-decked vessel back into the Chaos Sea Abyss!
Dao Master Taiyi noticed in time and struck downward with his Dao sword, prompting the Chaos creature to finally release its grip. Naturally, his sword strike still failed to harm the creature in the slightest.
After another three years, the Chaos creatures suddenly dispersed, and the chaotic qi connecting Xu Ying to the Chaos Sea slowly withdrew into him.
Xu Ying finally awoke.
Taiyi asked hurriedly, "Xu Ying, just what did you comprehend?"
Xu Ying opened his eyes and laughed. "Just a bit of insight into the Chaos Great Dao. What happened?"
Taiyi pressed urgently, "In your enlightenment this time, did you glimpse the end of the Great Dao for Chaos?"
Xu Ying shook his head and chuckled helplessly. "Master, where did your mind wander off to? I only briefly entered the Dao through Chaos; who knows how far away the end of the Great Dao still is?"
Dao Master Taiyi's expression shifted uncertainly as he thought to himself, "If it wasn't the end of the Great Dao, then what realm were those Chaos creatures in?"
Chapter 843