Xu Ying watched Dao Master Taiyi depart into the distance, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, and lingered without pursuing the other numinous treasures.
The big bell rang beside his ear: "Ah Ying, there is no need to worry. He is Dao Master Taiyi. When Dao Master Hua mastered the Taiyi Great Dao, how formidable was he? In the future, Dao Master Taiyi will surely be no less magnificent! He will have the strength to suppress these Dao Masters and keep them from harboring disloyal thoughts."
Xu Ying exhaled a breath of turbid air. "Let us hope so. If..."
He shook his head and did not finish the thought.
Just then, he saw the radiant light that the Ancestral God had transformed into streaking straight toward an innate numinous treasure. His interest piqued, he quickly followed.
The Ancestral God was now the primordial spirit of three great universes, His mana truly boundless and profound. Even though Xu Ying activated the spacetime cycle to draw boundless space ahead beneath his feet and release it behind him, he could not immediately catch up to Him.
"Eh? That numinous treasure isn't heading toward the Chaos Sea!"
Gradually, Xu Ying noticed something unusual. The other numinous treasures were all flying toward the Chaos Sea to seek their native universes, yet the innate numinous treasure the Ancestral God pursued was flying toward the mid-heavens of the other shore!
"This treasure is an innate numinous treasure of the other shore!"
He suddenly realized: when a cosmic Hongyuan reaches maturity, it opens into a complete universe. As the myriad Daos bloom, it expands infinitely, pushing the boundaries of the Hongyuan into the far distance. Consequently, the original Chaos spirit root enters the central pole of the universe, becoming the native world's First Sacred Ground!
At this moment, the innate numinous treasure pursued by the Ancestral God was flying toward the mid-heavens of the other shore, so Xu Ying concluded that it had to be an innate numinous treasure formed from the other shore's Chaos spirit root!
At that point, several more figures entered Xu Ying's view. Looking closely, he saw unfamiliar faces that were not among the ten Dao Masters following Taiyi.
"They are Dao Masters resurrected by Dao Master Luo, and they're pursuing that other shore treasure as well!"
Xu Ying's heart sank slightly. The Ancestral God was strong on the outside but weak within, far from reaching the heights of Luo Taizong; He only appeared mighty. If those Dao Masters caught up with Him, disaster would surely follow.
He suddenly summoned the Great Dao Sutra Banner. The ninefold Dao Realm unfolded, his cultivation and Dao strength surging step by step until he possessed mana nearing that of a Dao Master!
With this mana, Xu Ying raised the Nirvanic Azure Void Lamp and blew a single breath. Nirvanic heavenly fire surged forward, filling the void with blazing light that obscured the starry sky and blocked the path of those Dao Masters.
Even Dao Masters dared not provoke this Nirvanic heavenly fire, fearing they might bring the flames upon themselves.
Dao Masters were sovereigns of the Great Dao, capable of governing all worldly Daos, yet the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction was beyond their control. On the contrary, should they be tainted by even a speck of it, it would cause them immense trouble.
Xu Ying whooshed past, flying straight through the sea of fire and leaving the Dao Masters standing outside the blaze, not daring to step into the inferno.
"Zong Qi, Li Jian, Sha Zhe, why do you hesitate?" A streak of azure light flew from behind, bearing a chariot. Dao Master Luo's voice drifted out from within.
Dao Master Zong Qi hurriedly said, "Dao Master Luo, a Dao Master unleashed Nirvanic heavenly fire, blocking our path."
Dao Master Luo glanced out of the chariot, astonished. "Nirvanic heavenly fire? Someone actually cultivated such a Dao and achieved the Dao Master realm with it? How is it I was unaware of anyone in our other shore possessing such audacity?"
He reached out with a hand, and heavenly fire spanning hundreds of millions of li rapidly contracted. Moments later, it was refined into a ball by him.
Dao Master Luo's gaze darkened as he observed the flame. "I recognize this heavenly fire," he said indifferently. "It belongs to Dao Master Hua's numinous treasure, the Nirvanic Azure Void Lamp. This treasure has an extraordinary origin—it comes from a cyclic universe known as the Ruins Realm."
Driving his chariot forward, he said, "What was remarkable about the Ruins Realm was that just as the previous Ruins Realm universe plunged into a Nirvanic Tribulation and was turning into a Nirvanic Hongyuan—burning everything into Chaos—another spirit root was reborn amidst that Chaos. This spirit root absorbed the residual embers of the Nirvanic Tribulation and turned into a green lamp, which is the Nirvanic Azure Void."
A glimmer of murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he looked ahead, his tone gradually chilling. "To deal with my rebellious father, Dao Brother Hua gave this treasure to Xu Ying. Thus, the one who summoned this treasure to block your way is no Dao Master, but Xu Ying."
Zong Qi, Li Jian, and Sha Zhe hastened along beside his chariot. Sha Zhe asked, "Yet we clearly sensed fluctuations in mana no weaker than our own. Is this Xu Ying truly not a Dao Master?"
Dao Master Luo sneered. "If he had become a Dao Master, how terrifying would his Dao of Nirvanic Extinction be? It is the most domineering among the Nine Daos! Why would he bother blocking your path? Killing you would be far simpler!"
Only then did the three understand.
A long-simmering hatred flickered in Dao Master Luo's eyes, and he thought to himself, *Xu Ying, I always assumed it was that old scoundrel Taiyi who harmed me and left me paralyzed for over a hundred million years. Who would have guessed it was actually you! Infuriating! And to think I held you in such high regard...*
At this thought, fury flared within his heart.
In the past, he had let Xu Ying examine the Dao injury at his waist more than once, treating him with great courtesy and entreating Xu Ying to treat his wounds.
Looking back now, every bit of it had turned into humiliation!
Ever since he became a Dao Master, dominating the myriad universes and going wherever he pleased, when had he ever suffered such utter disgrace?
*If I do not kill Xu Ying, my lifelong renown will be ruined completely!*
With that in mind, he felt quite astonished as well. *How did that brat set his eyes on my other shore's Chaos spirit root? That rascal may be utterly bereft of virtue, but his eye is exceptionally keen.*
Ahead, Xu Ying shouldered the Great Dao Sutra Banner and sprinted at top speed with the cultivation of a Dao Master, finally closing the distance with the Ancestral God.
The numinous treasure the Ancestral God was pursuing also came into sight.
It was a divine axe somewhat resembling the Falling Petals Divine Axe in shape. Its light shimmered as it spun through the void at astonishing speed!
*Dao Master Hua's Falling Petals Divine Axe clearly fell into the Dao Venerable's hands. Could his divine axe have actually been an imitation of this treasure?*
Xu Ying was puzzled. Since Dao Master Hua clearly possessed a vastly superior innate numinous treasure, why had he not used it, choosing instead to forge a replica?
Xu Ying flew faster and faster, and just as he was about to catch up with the Ancestral God, the divine axe vanished into thin air.
The Ancestral God also took a step forward; His figure abruptly flattened into an impossibly thin sliver before disappearing as well!
Reaching that spot, Xu Ying felt his physical body seized by an unusual force, flattening out until it was countless times thinner than a sheet of paper!
Though he had thinned out, the Great Dao Sutra Banner remained unchanged.
Xu Ying had no choice but to step back, put away the Great Dao Sutra Banner, and walk forward once more. His body immediately became unimaginably thin again.
"I'm practically a paper cutout right now!"
When he raised his hand, he could see only a line. Looking down, his body was likewise reduced to a line. Yet when he turned his head to the side, he saw that his body had become entirely flat.
Marveling at the sight, Xu Ying walked forward. Moments later, the view before him opened up dramatically, and his body swelled like an inflating balloon, returning to its original form.
"The other shore's First Sacred Ground isn't in Daoji Heaven after all—it's right here!"
Xu Ying looked around. This place was a natural Dao scenic land where mountains, rivers, trees, sun, moon, and stars formed from the Three Thousand Great Daos were visible, resembling an exquisite world.
Every flower and blade of grass here harbored extraordinary Dao strength, radiating breathtaking Great Dao light that surpassed any immortal mountain or blessed land, and far exceeded any cultivator's cave abyss!
The ores and stones here were exceedingly rare as well; some gave off chilling glints, some were scorching hot, and others held the power of Samsara—truly remarkable!
Xu Ying glanced toward a stone cliff, which actually contained Primordial Dao strength, leaving him staring wide-eyed.
There was even a lake formed of Chaos Qi!
What was even more wondrous was that as he stood there and looked back toward the path he had come from, he witnessed an even more astonishing spectacle!
He could take in the entire starry sky of the other shore at a single glance!
The starry sky of the other shore appeared completely flat, split down the middle by an extremely fine fissure. All the stars of the other shore clustered on either side of the rift, resembling two flat star charts pressed together!
He could even clearly see that the mortal realm of the other shore and Daoji Heaven were nestled within those two star charts!
Next, he saw Tianjing.
Tianjing stood like a shield, perched on the opposite side of the starry sky.
"The universe of the other shore looks as though it was cleaved open by an unimaginably sharp treasure!"
Observing this scene closely, Xu Ying was thoroughly shocked. *Could it be that the other shore wasn't born naturally?*
He walked through the sacred ground, murmuring, "If the other shore was cleaved open by someone wielding an axe, then the one who struck that blow must have held the axe... and stood right here!"
He stopped abruptly and looked down, only to find that his feet were standing squarely in the center of a jade platform!
And that jade platform happened to sit at the exact center of this sacred ground!
Xu Ying lifted his left foot; beneath it was a footprint. He lifted his right foot, and beneath it was another footprint.
Xu Ying was dumbfounded.
*The other shore wasn't born naturally either!* The realization suddenly sprang into his mind.
The Three Realms had been forcefully carved out by Dao Master Dao Zongyuan of the Origin Realm, but who would have thought the other shore had also been created artificially!
Yet who could have opened the other shore?
Could it have been Luo Taizong?
*Luo Taizong is a cosmic primordial spirit who only came into being after the other shore universe formed. It definitely couldn't be him.*
Unable to make sense of it, Xu Ying had no choice but to set the matter aside for now.
"This place is truly wondrous. If I could refine this precious ground into my Hongyuan, this trip would be well worth it. However, this is the other shore's First Sacred Ground; forcibly seizing it might harm my merit... Then again, the other shore is about to plunge into a Nirvanic Tribulation. If I cleanse the calamitous destiny for the other shore, that will be boundless merit! This land rightfully belongs to me!"
With that thought, he immediately rose into the air and scanned around, muttering, "The Ancestral God entered my treasure land, but where did He go? For Him to track down the other shore's numinous treasure is truly, truly..."
Xu Ying froze, utterly dumbfounded, as he finally caught sight of the Ancestral God.
A divine axe was embedded four or five inches deep into the Ancestral God's forehead, almost cleaving His skull in two!
Meanwhile, the Ancestral God's hands still gripped the axe handle tightly, looking for all the world as though He had swung the axe Himself to chop His own head!
Xu Ying was horrified and rushed forward.
The Ancestral God quickly barked, "Don't come over! I am subduing this treasure! If you come near, all my efforts might be ruined!"
Xu Ying halted his steps, summoned the Nirvanic Azure Void Lamp, and shouted, "Ancestral God, if you can't hold on, just say the word and I'll burn this treasure to ashes!"
A crack sounded from the Ancestral God's head as the divine axe sank another fraction of an inch deeper.
Xu Ying felt intensely anxious, fearing the divine axe would cleave the Ancestral God to death.
After all, this item was formed from a Chaos spirit root and possessed formidable power. Though the Ancestral God was a Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit, this divine axe truly seemed capable of hacking Him to death.
"I am the other shore's Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit! Can I not even subdue a mere innate numinous treasure?"
The Ancestral God bellowed, mobilizing the worldly Daos of the other shore. Instantly, myriad plants, rocks, sun, moon, and stars in this sacred ground burst with Dao light, streaming into His body!
The Ancestral God's aura soared, His body swelling larger and more towering. Grasping the axe handle with both hands, He hauled upward with all His might!
Xu Ying could not help breaking into a cold sweat on His behalf. Yet he watched as the Ancestral God lifted the divine axe higher and higher, finally pulling it free from the wound in His forehead.
Right at that moment, the axe light shuddered violently. Boundless spiritual light surged from the ground and coursed through the axe body. All the Dao strength in the First Sacred Ground rushed forward and poured into the axe—even the Dao light flowing into the Ancestral God veered sharply away to plunge into the divine axe!
The Ancestral God froze. With a wet slash, the divine axe dropped, cleaving His head right down the middle!
The axe blade fell further, splitting His neck, slicing open His torso, and cutting all the way down to His lower abdomen!
The Ancestral God was nearly split clean in two. The two halves of His upper torso each possessed an arm, which desperately hauled up on the axe handle, arms trembling violently.
Xu Ying was both shocked and furious. Just as he was about to unleash the Nirvanic Azure Void Lamp, something occurred to him. He hastily called out, "Ancestral God, come over here!"
He dashed back to the jade platform and shouted, "Quickly, walk over here! Step into these footprints!"
Hearing this, the Ancestral God staggered forward, His legs trembling, trudging step by agonizing step.
The divine axe continued sliding down His spine; every few steps He took, another vertebra split open.
By the time He reached the jade platform, His two halves were almost completely severed!
Finally, the Ancestral God's feet stepped squarely into the pair of footprints.
Suddenly, heaven and earth spun. The entire sacred ground erupted with dazzling Dao light, submerging both the Ancestral God and Xu Ying!
Outside this sacred ground, Dao Master Luo drove his chariot forward, leading the three Dao Masters. Dao Master Zong Qi's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Brother Luo, what makes this treasure so extraordinary that you would abandon all other numinous treasures just to obtain it?"
Dao Master Luo replied, "This treasure is the Chaos spirit root of our other shore, known as the Kaiyuan Divine Axe. To master this axe is to master all the worldly Daos of the other shore. Even more wondrous, the Kaiyuan Divine Axe is both a Chaos spirit root and a divine artifact of world-opening, having undergone the tempering of opening the heavens and earth. Though there are many innate numinous treasures across the myriad universes, not a single one can compare to this."
The three Dao Masters were astonished and exchanged glances. Though Dao Masters themselves, they had never heard of this.
"Since Dao Master Hua possessed this treasure, why did we never see him use it?" asked Dao Master Li Jian.
Dao Master Luo hesitated briefly before saying, "This matter is a secret that shouldn't have been revealed to you, but now that Dao Master Hua is dead, there is no harm in telling you. Back then, the Kaiyuan Divine Axe was found by my father, Luo Taizong, who brought it down to the mortal realm. Later, when my father was banished, the axe fell into Dao Master Hua's hands. Before leaving, my father told him that this treasure already had a master and could not be refined."
The three Dao Masters grew even more astonished. How could the other shore's Chaos spirit root already have a master?
Who could possibly be the master of the other shore's Chaos spirit root?
"Dao Master Hua attempted to refine it as well, but because the treasure had a master, he could never succeed. Yet coveting its power, he forged the Falling Petals Divine Axe, hoping that one day he might refine the genuine article."
Dao Master Luo continued, "Back then, when Hong Tiangang cultivated the Dao of Karma and finally achieved the Dao, Dao Master Hua invited him over to trace the karma of the Kaiyuan Divine Axe and see if he could locate its master. Hong Tiangang examined the Kaiyuan Divine Axe and deduced for over five thousand years before finally calculating something. He told Dao Master Hua that this treasure still lacked one piece of karma."
Curiosity piqued, the three Dao Masters pressed eagerly, "What karma was it lacking?"
Dao Master Luo paused, then said, "The karma of world-opening."
Chapter 864