Xu Ying was exceedingly nervous, staring unblinkingly at Dao Master Hua, unease churning within his heart. *It's impossible to withstand, completely impossible... but after all, there are hundreds of innate numinous treasures here...*
Dao Master Hua had decided to clash head-on with the Chaos Oath only under his "encouragement." Had Xu Ying not imparted to Dao Master Hua the method of proving the Dao through strength and verifying the Taiyi Great Dao, Dao Master Hua would never have gone so far as to violate the Chaos Oath.
Xu Ying's true goal had been to use the Chaos Oath to eliminate this formidable enemy. To the Three Realms, Dao Master Hua was undoubtedly an invincible foe. He possessed the worldly Daos of the myriad universes as his foundation, his Dao strength was boundless, and he wielded hundreds of innate numinous treasures—any single one of which was vastly more powerful than the current Ginseng Fruit Tree of the Three Realms.
The Ginseng Fruit Tree was still taking shape, its complete form still growing, incapable of rivaling these mature innate numinous treasures nurtured within cosmic Hongyuans.
If Dao Master Hua did not die this time, Xu Ying's cleverness would backfire on himself. One could even say he would plunge the living beings of the Three Realms, as well as Dao Masters like Taiyi, into even greater peril. For if Dao Master Hua survived, having mastered the Taiyi Great Dao, his power would increase ten- or even dozens-fold.
Alive, the number of innate numinous treasures he could wield would be even greater, leaving Dao Masters like Taiyi and Tianchengzi without the slightest chance.
Dao Master Hua stood towering on Qionghua Island. All around him, innate numinous treasures had spun out of control, tumbling in various directions under the Dao ripples of the Chaos Master. From a distance, the falling treasures seemed slow, but they were hurtling at staggering speed! Powerful figures loomed in the surroundings, half-hidden, yet none dared reach out to claim those treasures. Xu Ying was not the only one near Qionghua Island; other mighty figures lay in ambush as well, waiting like vultures for an overlord to fall so they could swarm in and strip the corpse bare.
The magnificent spectacle of Dao Master Hua resisting the Chaos Master's Dao ripples stirred them deeply, but it unsettled them just as much. The strength Dao Master Hua displayed was simply too immense: the Taiyi Great Dao traversed the myriad universes, commanding nearly every worldly Dao within them.
With all that Dao power concentrated into his single body—where each worldly Dao could correspond to a Dao Master, a wielder of lightning becoming a Lightning Dao Master, a wielder of fire a Fire Dao Master, a wielder of ice and snow an Ice and Snow Dao Master, and the myriad Daos of an entire universe together formed a Taiyi Great Dao—the nearly complete collection of worldly Daos across thousands of universes converged into the Taiyi Great Dao. The sheer magnitude of Dao power blessed upon Dao Master Hua propelled his cultivation to a terrifying height that was beyond any Dao Master's imagination.
"If he survives, there will never be any hope of vengeance..." a trembling voice whispered from the void! The other experts hiding nearby shared the same thought. Such a Dao Master Hua was already peerless throughout the world, surpassing Dao Masters Lin and Luo by far and possessing the might to dominate the other shore alone.
Meanwhile, in Daoji Heaven, many True Kings and Dao Monarchs were also alarmed by this spectacle. They raised their heads one after another and peered toward Qionghua Island, only to see innate numinous treasures giving off terrifying palpitations, radiating world-destroying might as they plunged from Qionghua Island.
"What is that? What happened?" They were thoroughly shaken, yearning to pursue those treasures, yet not daring to do so!
After all, Dao Master Hua's towering figure still stood firmly on Qionghua Island, and all the Daos of the other shore universe were suppressed under his weight. To these True Kings and Dao Monarchs, Dao Master Hua standing there was like a colossal boulder pressing down upon the other shore, keeping the Daos within their own bodies obedient and cowed, not daring to stir in the slightest.
The corners of Xu Ying's eyes twitched violently. Dao Master Hua still stood on Qionghua Island, motionless. Dao Master Hua was currently displaying his true form: he was of the bloodline born of the union between the Ancient God of Battle and the Ancient God of Strength, possessing both divine bloodlines. His body bore the most robust muscular contours and physical structure of both ancient gods.
His silver hair fluttered, his four arms symmetrically aligned front and back, horns crowning his head, a third eye set between his brows, his sinewy physique formidable and menacing—like an unrivaled titan supporting heaven and earth, radiating pure, unrestrained might.
Behind him, the rays of Dao light from the myriad universes still undulated, a hundred times more magnificent than an aurora. Suddenly, Xu Ying's eyes lit up: beneath Dao Master Hua's eyelids, a wisp of Chaos Qi seeped out! Without a second thought, Xu Ying darted toward the nearest innate numinous treasure.
The Thirty-Three Heavens Xuanhui Precious Pagoda—this cyan pagoda spun as it tumbled, still exuding lingering might. Though jarred by the Dao ripples of the Chaos Master and shedding scattered spiritual light, its residual force remained lethal. Wherever its fractured rays swept, they could shatter planets, split suns with ease, and annihilate stars.
As Xu Ying charged forward, he activated the Nirvanic Cyan Void Lamp. As the cyan spiritual light scattered from the Xuanhui Pagoda swept toward him, Xu Ying channeled the lamp, causing the flame within to blaze brightly. He blew gently, and Nirvanic Heavenly Fire surged forth. In an instant, flames flooded the void, leaping and dancing, incinerating all Daos and annihilating even spacetime itself.
A gaping hole was promptly burned through the scattered spiritual light of the Xuanhui Pagoda—the power of the Nirvanic Cyan Void Lamp was truly terrifying. Channeling the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction, Xu Ying shot through the heavenly fire, closed in on the Xuanhui Pagoda, and reached out to grasp it. Around Qionghua Island, eyes turned toward Xu Ying from all directions, watching his every move with bated breath.
Unsure whether Dao Master Hua was dead or alive, they desperately needed someone to test the waters. Just then, as if disturbed by Xu Ying, Dao Master Hua snapped his head around and looked straight at him!
The onlookers concealed in the shadows caught their breath in shock, while secretly feeling fortunate.
"Xu Ying is a dead man."
"Good thing I didn't rush out."
"Men die for wealth just as birds die for food. He had it coming."
Yet before their thoughts could even settle, billowing Chaos Qi suddenly poured from Dao Master Hua's eyes like two crashing waterfalls, rumbling with a deafening roar! At the same time, the thousands of rays behind Dao Master Hua snapped one after another, retracting into their respective cosmic spacetimes. In an instant, the Taiyi Great Daos of the myriad universes severed their connection with Dao Master Hua.
Behind Dao Master Hua, cosmic spacetimes receded at dizzying speed, and the boundless void that followed was submerged in chaos, fading into obscurity. The figures lurking in the dark were stunned and ecstatic. Someone immediately burst out of hiding, their voice trembling with exhilaration as it tore from their throat: "The old scoundrel Hua is dead!"
Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar erupted from Dao Master Hua's mouth! "Xu Ying, you ruined me!"
That person took fright and retreated at even greater speed, terror written across their face.
Dao Master Hua reached out with a massive hand, grabbing toward Xu Ying and the Xuanhui Pagoda. But the moment his hand thrust forward, his colossal frame began to collapse.
The Taiyi Great Dao within him shattered, turning into surging Chaos Qi that poured from the six apertures of his body. Having violated the Chaos Oath, a single Dao ripple from the unseen depths had pulverized the Taiyi Great Dao he had cultivated, annihilated the Dao power of the myriad universes, and destroyed his primordial spirit. His hand began to dissolve, turning into Chaos Qi.
Not only that, but his entire body crumbled as well, the Chaos Qi collapsing like smoke and dust, washing across the surface of Qionghua Island. When his hand closed, his five fingers brushed past the Xuanhui Pagoda only to dissipate into Chaos Qi, failing to harm Xu Ying in the least.
Xu Ying seized the pagoda and tossed it straight into his physical Hongyuan. At the same time, the Chaos Lotus surfaced within his Hongyuan, eagerly absorbing the Chaos Qi left by Dao Master Hua's hand. Without pausing, Xu Ying darted toward the second innate numinous treasure.
*Weiyang doesn't have an innate numinous treasure yet, nor does Qingxuan, nor the Holy Venerable, nor Wukong, nor do I... My dad has one, but it belongs to the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, which is basically like having none.*
He charged toward a peculiar, giant blossom that was falling rapidly toward Daoji Heaven. As it spun, it radiated waves of Reincarnation Dao power. Within its blooming petals, the receptacle seemed to harbor an ever-evolving world that shifted with the flower's rotation like a revolving lantern.
With just a single glance, Xu Ying felt himself falling uncontrollably toward the world within the flower. At that exact moment, powerful figures in hiding broke through the void one after another, chasing after the more than three hundred innate numinous treasures.
The moment they emerged from the void, they caught sight of each other's faces: Taiyi, Holy King Lingyan, Cen Xi, Dongxuan, and others, as well as some unfamiliar faces who were the twenty-odd Dao Masters who had died at the hands of the three supreme Dao Masters—Hua, Lin, and Luo—in ancient times. In addition to them, Yin-Yang, Shenmo, Zhangsun Shenghai, Qingxuan, the Holy Venerable, and others had also laid in ambush here, prepared to seize treasures.
Yin-Yang and Shenmo had cultivations exceedingly close to Dao Master and were remarkably powerful; Qingxuan and the Holy Venerable possessed two of the four Innate Banners and held formidable combat strength as well. However, their cultivation and power were still far inferior to true Dao Masters, so they all dove downward, steering clear of the zones where the innate numinous treasures were densest and trying to claim those falling further away.
Ever since acquiring the Nirvanic Fire-Tipped Spear, Zhangsun Shenghai had synthesized the Nine Innate Daos and attained immortality. Boasting exceptional combat prowess, he summoned the Nirvanic Fire-Tipped Spear and plunged among the numinous treasures, pursuing the Jade Emperor Bell.
The lingering might radiated by the innate numinous treasures was immense. Jarred by the Chaos Master's Dao ripples, the Jade Emperor Bell chimed incessantly, reverberating with tumultuous force. Every time Zhangsun Shenghai drew close, the shockwaves tossed him backward. Even with the Nirvanic Fire-Tipped Spear unleashed, he could not close the distance, and so the man and bell pierced through Daoji Heaven, hurtling straight toward the lower realm!
*If I can obtain a numinous treasure, I can repay Martial Uncle Xu's kindness for gifting me the spear,* he thought to himself!
Daoji Heaven was in an uproar at the same time. Many Dao Monarchs and True Kings took action as well, chasing after the falling treasures. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out as someone was struck by the scattered spiritual light of the Seven Stars Tower, instantly reduced to flying ashes!
Never mind having their Dao embodied as an Immortal—even having harvested myriad universes could not preserve their life; they perished cleanly and without delay. Further away, several more agonizing shrieks echoed as a few more True Kings and Dao Monarchs met untimely deaths. A chill gripped everyone's hearts. These numinous treasures had been wielded by Dao Master Hua to contend against the Chaos Master's Dao ripples; though the majority of their might had been crushed by the Dao ripples, their residual force was still terrifying beyond measure.
Immediately, people chose to tail the innate numinous treasures from afar, waiting for the residual power to disperse before moving in to claim them.
Xu Ying nearly tumbled into the Rebirth Flower. Hastily channeling his Reincarnation Dao arts, reincarnation revolved, and he extricated himself from the spacetime within the blossom. Stowing the Rebirth Flower away, he felt a lingering fear. Even though these innate numinous treasures had become masterless, they still could not be underestimated.
Just then, someone exclaimed in shock, "These innate numinous treasures are changing direction! Dao Master Hua is still alive!"
Hearing this, Xu Ying was startled as well and glanced back toward Qionghua Island! But Dao Master Hua had already dissolved completely into Chaos Qi. The Chaos Qi pressed down upon Qionghua Island with unimaginable weight, crushing this sacred land and smashing it toward the mortal realm. "There is no way Dao Master Hua could have survived."
He immediately looked toward the nearby innate numinous treasures and indeed saw that, as if guided by an unseen power, they were no longer falling, but turning to fly toward different parts of the other shore, each heading in a distinct direction.
At the same time, Xu Ying noticed that the Xuanhui Pagoda and Rebirth Flower he had just collected were also stirring restlessly, attempting to fly out of his physical Hongyuan.
"I understand now! With Dao Master Hua dead, these numinous treasures are masterless. They are the Chaos spirit roots of their respective universes, and right now they want to return to their original homes!" Xu Ying had an epiphany. The innate numinous treasures of the three supreme Dao Masters came from the myriad universes; now that Dao Master Hua was dead, they would return. "Forcibly collecting these treasures might taint me with karma.
"However, as long as one's methods are strong and unyielding, what does incurring karma matter? Dao Master Hua didn't die at the hands of these treasures; he died under the Chaos Oath." With that thought, Xu Ying promptly channeled the Reincarnation Great Dao, imprinting his own mark onto the Rebirth Flower, and then channeled the Taiyi Great Dao, leaving a mark on the Xuanhui Pagoda as well.
Once lightly refined by him, the two numinous treasures ceased their commotion. Meanwhile, the other treasures outside were flying toward the other shore's Chaos Sea, gaining more and more speed!
"The Three Realms are too weak right now and need these treasures to build strength against unforeseen dangers. In the future, I can simply return them."
Xu Ying channeled Spacetime Reincarnation and gave chase to one of the treasures. It was a massive sutra banner thirty to fifty feet tall, with nine tiers in all. Each tier bore profoundly wondrous Dao imprints that resembled sacred scriptures. As the great banner flew, it swayed, its scriptures humming and vibrating, manifesting visible Dao patterns all around. Continuous Dao sounds pulverized everything in their wake.
Xu Ying dashed forward in pursuit and repeated his earlier tactic, summoning the Nirvanic Cyan Void Lamp. Blowing a breath of Nirvanic Heavenly Fire, he burned through the scriptures of the banner, pushed his way to the side of the Great Dao Sutra Banner, and grasped the pole!
"Xu Ying, leave that treasure!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out, followed by a heart-stopping tremor from behind. Without thinking, Xu Ying spun around and shook the banner. The Great Dao Sutra Banner whirled with a shriek, its nine tiers unfurling like layered parasols. In an instant, Xu Ying felt nearly boundless Dao power at his command across nine Great Dao worlds. *The Great Dao Sutra Banner is extraordinary! With this treasure, I am practically a mini Dao Master myself!*
Both shocked and delighted, he raised his hand, channeling the Dao power of the nine Great Dao worlds to meet the attacker's Dao divine ability. When their divine abilities collided, Xu Ying grunted softly and took a step back. Yet his heart surged with thrilled astonishment: *It can even withstand a Dao Master's palm strike! This Great Dao Sutra Banner is truly remarkable. If I refine it further, even a Dao Master won't be able to do anything to me!*
He looked up and saw that the attacker was a female Dao Master, her long sleeves billowing, possessing ethereal grace and transcendent Dao bones. It was none other than Dao Master Shi Lan.
Xu Ying channeled the Hongmeng Great Dao to refine the Great Dao Sutra Banner and chuckled, "Dao Master Shi Lan, I claimed this treasure first. There are plenty of innate numinous treasures out there—why fight me for this one?"
Dao Master Shi Lan took a step forward, sneering, "Xu Ying, the Great Dao Sutra Banner is my treasure! Back then, I died at Dao Master Hua's hands, which was how the banner fell into his possession. Return it to me!"
Xu Ying shook his head. "Once this treasure took flight, it became masterless. Whoever gets hold of it naturally owns it. What is more, you did not contribute an inch of merit toward killing Dao Master Hua. Had I not plotted his doom, you wouldn't even have the chance to claim any other treasures."
"A barbarian from the Three Realms dares to defy a sacred race master? Do you think that because Taiyi values you, you can act with impunity?" Dao Master Shi Lan laughed out of sheer fury, stepping forward as she sneered, "A servant is always a servant. Today, I'll let you know who the masters of the other shore are!"
Xu Ying's expression darkened slightly. Just as Dao Master Shi Lan was about to strike, Dao Master Taiyi's voice rang out: "Fellow Daoist Shi Lan, there are many treasures. If you don't take them now, you won't have another chance!"
Dao Master Shi Lan hesitated, then flicked her sleeves and departed, her voice drifting back from afar: "Xu Ying, I'll spare you today. When we locate the Three Realms in the future, you will kneel and beg me for mercy!"
Murderous intent surged in Xu Ying's eyes. He was on the verge of activating Spacetime Reincarnation to travel back to the moment Dao Master Taiyi had rescued Shi Lan. Suddenly, a hand pressed down on his shoulder. Xu Ying looked back to meet Dao Master Taiyi's gentle gaze.
"Xu Ying, do not be in a rush. Give me a little more time," Taiyi said softly.
Xu Ying quelled the Dao ripples around him, his expression settling into calm. "Master, what if you cannot suppress these people in the future? They might not submit to you."
Taiyi smiled. "The other shore can have a brighter future. Once they witness that scene, how could they not be thoroughly convinced?"
Chapter 863