Xu Ying and the Ancestral God felt a ringing in their heads. Exchanging a glance, each saw the shock in the other's eyes.
If the Kaiyuan Divine Axe was indeed the Chaos spirit root from the ruins of the Spirit Realm, did that not mean the other shore was built upon the remains of the Spirit Realm?
*Impossible. Impossible. I went to the Spirit Realm with Zhangsun Shenghai and the others back then. I was even the Spirit Realm's Immortal Ancestor, the very first immortal of the Spirit Realm.*
Xu Ying's scalp tingled. Journeying to the Spirit Realm with him back then were Zhangsun Shenghai and Yin Rao, who had stayed in the Spirit Realm even longer.
Zhangsun Shenghai and Yin Rao had even become Dao companions, wed as husband and wife, spreading the teachings together to become the two ancestors of the Spirit Realm! Zhangsun Shenghai had later left the Spirit Realm to avenge the sea of blood from the Emperor Realm's extinction, while his Dao companion, Yin Rao, had remained behind.
Besides them, Xu Ying's disciple, You Xuan, had also been in the Spirit Realm. Could all these people have perished in the Spirit Realm as well? Yet Xu Ying had parted ways with them a mere millennium ago.
For a moment, he found it impossible to accept. The Ancestral God sat restless, his voice low and solemn. "Right now, I happen to carry an axe on me. Could it be the Chaos spirit root from the ruins of the Spirit Realm...?"
Yet if the Kaiyuan Divine Axe he carried was indeed the Chaos spirit root from the ruins of the Spirit Realm, wouldn't that mean two Kaiyuan Divine Axes existed simultaneously? He was thoroughly baffled!
The Ancestral God brought out the Kaiyuan Divine Axe and presented it to Dao Master Zuo Lian for inspection. "Dao Master Zuo, is this axe the same as the Chaos spirit root from the ruins of the Spirit Realm?"
Dao Master Zuo Lian had long recognized that the Ancestral God was not an ordinary cultivator, but a cosmic primordial spirit. Cosmic primordial spirits were generally constrained by the heavenly and earthly Great Daos of their native universes, with limited cultivation and achievements. Yet the Ancestral God had surprised him, appearing considerably stronger than normal cosmic primordial spirits. Taking the Kaiyuan Divine Axe in hand, his astonishment only grew. Examining the divine axe over and over, he said in bewilderment, "Have the two of you seen that Chaos spirit root? This axe does bear a striking resemblance to it."
The axe had a long handle and an exceptionally thin blade shaped like a crescent moon, gleaming with cold radiance. The handle was bronze-colored, engraved with many peculiar textures and patterns. The Ancestral God froze, cold sweat breaking out all over his body, his voice hoarse. "Then this is most likely the very same divine axe."
Dao Master Zuo Lian scrutinized the Kaiyuan Divine Axe and shook his head. "Though your axe resembles the Chaos spirit root, that Chaos spirit root exists in the form of spiritual radiance, absorbing power from the chaos to nurture the Hongyuan. Where does your axe show any sign of spiritual radiance? Moreover, the Chaos spirit root lacked these patterns on the handle."
Only then did the Ancestral God let out a breath of relief.
Xu Ying, however, sighed softly, thinking, *If the Hongyuan above the ruins of the Spirit Realm is not the future other shore, how are we supposed to return to the other shore?*
The three of them sat on the multi-decked vessel as it sailed across the Chaos Sea. The Chaos Sea stretched boundless without edges or an end in sight. Dao Master Zuo Lian must have left an imprint or something similar on the ruins, allowing him to sense the direction of the Spirit Realm's ruins and avoid losing his way within the Chaos Sea.
"Dao Brother, how did you survive the Spirit Realm's Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation?" Xu Ying inquired.
Dao Master Zuo Lian's expression showed neither joy nor sorrow as he replied, "Though the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation is terrifying, the Dao Alliance possesses tribulation-evasion methods to bypass it. If one is even stronger and achieves the mutual corroboration of the Nine Daos, one can also weather the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation unscathed."
His gaze was distant. Though his face remained detached, deep sorrow lingered within his eyes. Whether it was the tribulation-evasion methods or the mutual corroboration of the Nine Daos, both were means to save oneself, incapable of saving others. In the face of the Spirit Realm's Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation, he had been powerless, forced to watch the Spirit Realm meet its destruction.
Xu Ying pondered for a moment, then said, "The Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation is a catastrophe that obliterates everything. It does not merely destroy who you are in the present; it likewise destroys who you were in the past. It annihilates your youth, your childhood, and even your parents, your grandparents, your distant ancestors, and everything that ever existed in that universe. This is an annihilation on a causal level. How could one evade such a tribulation?"
Dao Master Zuo Lian exclaimed in astonishment, "Fellow Daoist Xu, your attainments in the Great Dao of Nirvanic Extinction are profound indeed! To think you have comprehended it to this extent."
Xu Ying replied modestly, "I cultivate the mutual corroboration of the Nine Daos and have achieved some minor success, so my comprehension of the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction has naturally advanced as well."
Dao Master Zuo Lian was even more shaken. "You have even accomplished the mutual corroboration of the Nine Daos?"
Xu Ying felt somewhat puzzled. Achieving the mutual corroboration of the Nine Daos clearly wasn't that difficult, so why did the man look at him as if mastering it was an extraordinary feat?
Dao Master Zuo Lian looked him up and down as though regarding a freak, then shook his head. After a moment, he said, "Your attainments in the Great Dao of Nirvanic Extinction have already far surpassed mine. Might I ask you how the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation destroys a universe?"
Xu Ying mused for a moment, then said, "Many believe that the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation destroys a universe by destroying all the figures within the present universe, but that is entirely mistaken. In truth, the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation destroys all of time and obliterates all karma. If someone proficient in the Great Dao of Space and Time were to hide in the past when the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation erupted, wouldn't they easily weather the tribulation if the past could not be destroyed?
"Yet that is mere wishful thinking. The Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation annihilates every single inch of time in the past, including those who have died and those who have yet to die within that time. That is the true terror of the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation. It leaves you nowhere to hide, no way to flee, forcing you to settle all cosmic karma. Even if you escape into the Chaos Sea, the moment you appear anywhere with space and time, the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation will catch up to you and erase you."
*So that is how it is.* Dao Master Zuo Lian stared blankly, then suddenly remarked, "No wonder the Dao Alliance created that tribulation-evasion method." He paused, laying out the Dao Alliance's method entirely without reservation. "This method is called Reflecting Back. It is a technique that unifies past and future time, bringing countless versions of oneself from past and future into grand unity—flawless and devoid of weaknesses. At any given point in time, the self is the most powerful self, leaving even the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation unable to destroy you."
Hearing this, Xu Ying could not help but feel crestfallen. His Immortal Slaying Sword Finger had just been countered like this. The Immortal Slaying Sword Finger was his method of returning to the past to kill an opponent by unifying the four innate Great Daos of karma, reincarnation, calamitous destiny, and slaughter.
This divine ability was formidable beyond measure. Striking into Dao Master Luo's body, it had left that Dao Master crippled for one hundred and twenty million years, unable to break it.
Xu Ying himself had been unable to counter it. Later, Luo Taizong had appeared and broken the divine ability, but that had merely been a brute-force unraveling, not a resolution in the sense of Dao principles. The true theoretical resolution in terms of Dao principles was precisely the Reflecting Back method Dao Master Zuo Lian spoke of—projecting oneself across the past and future, leaving behind no weaknesses in space and time whatsoever.
*The Dao Alliance created Reflecting Back solely to contend with the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation, never even intending to break my divine ability, yet my divine ability was broken nonetheless,* Xu Ying thought, despondent. He had originally believed this to be the most flawless divine ability he had ever created, never imagining that the Dao Alliance would inadvertently neutralize it.
Dao Master Zuo Lian said, "Cultivating Reflecting Back isn't difficult; any Dao Master can achieve it. It's just that this method hasn't circulated outside yet."
Xu Ying hurriedly pressed, "How does one cultivate it?"
"Use the Reincarnation Great Dao to unify past and future space-time, use the Great Dao of Cause and Effect to bind all karma, and use the Great Dao of Taiyi to bring past and future into oneness," Dao Master Zuo Lian explained in detail. Xu Ying knew these Great Daos like the back of his hand, yet found that he was unable to cultivate it.
"A Dao Master can achieve it, but you are not yet a Dao Master, so you cannot," Dao Master Zuo Lian said.
Xu Ying had no choice but to abandon the thought of cultivating Reflecting Back. Over a decade more passed aboard the ship before they finally arrived at the ruins of the Spirit Realm. Xu Ying and the Ancestral God gazed in that direction, seeing from afar a sizable Hongyuan floating amidst the chaos. This Hongyuan had already reached the state of Wuji, with the Five Tais evolving, yet it remained suspended in the state of Wuji without advancing into the state of Taiyi.
"Where is the spirit root?"
Xu Ying scanned his surroundings but found no Chaos spirit root connected to the Hongyuan, feeling puzzled. Just then, an incomparably sharp radiance suddenly swept forth. With a tearing sound, it sliced open the surrounding qi of Chaos. The qi of Chaos instantly evolved, turning into Hongmeng qi and pouring into the Hongyuan.
That radiance flashed and vanished in an instant. Xu Ying was startled and bewildered; caught off guard, he had been unable to make out what the stream of light actually was.
"That is the Chaos spirit root, manifesting only in the shape of an axe," Dao Master Zuo Lian said. "This spirit root is peculiar beyond measure and extraordinarily powerful. Not only can it open chaos, but its movements are erratic and elusive."
He frowned slightly and added, "Right now, this Hongyuan is already many times larger than a normal Hongyuan, yet it still hasn't matured to open itself up. It may well be because this Chaos spirit root continually opens the chaos to feed the Hongyuan."
Though well-traveled and experienced, he did not know whether this was a boon or a bane. If the Hongyuan was fed until it became too massive, it remained uncertain whether it could split itself open relying solely on its own power.
The Ancestral God moved to retrieve his Kaiyuan Divine Axe, but Xu Ying held him back. The Ancestral God looked at Xu Ying in confusion, but Xu Ying gently shook his head. "I would like to pay my respects to the Spirit Realm first."
Dao Master Zuo Lian steered the multi-decked vessel toward the space beneath the Hongyuan. Beneath this Hongyuan lay an exceedingly ancient expanse of ruins. Xu Ying followed Zuo Lian into the ruins, where he saw a few remnants that had not been completely wiped out by the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation. Having endured the immense pressure of the Chaos Sea, even the treasures that had escaped destruction were slowly disintegrating into qi of Chaos; their disappearance was only a matter of time.
Dao Master Zuo Lian said, "When a universe falls into extinction, the things that were not destroyed will float nearby. Once a new Hongyuan is born and expands outward, treasures will fall into the new universe."
Treading upon the mottled ruins eroded by chaos, he arrived before a stretch of debris. Xu Ying glanced around and saw the colossal wreckage of numerous magic treasures. They were Dao-tier magic treasures, and some were even Numinous Treasures. Many magic treasures had once stood guard over this place, forming a final sanctuary.
Alas, the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation had been too ferocious, destroying even these magic treasures. The people within the sanctuary had perished alongside their treasures, unable to survive. Xu Ying walked amidst the debris of the many treasures, noticing that although the spiritual essence within them was extinguished, specks of spiritual light still drifted up from the artifacts like fireflies, soaring toward the chaos. "These specks of light are merging with that axe light."
Dao Master Zuo Lian said, "When I came to pay my respects last time, I noticed this as well. That Chaos spirit root was likely formed by absorbing the lingering obsessions of the Spirit Realm's Dao Masters. I believe that before their deaths, those Dao Masters must still have been thinking of opening heaven and earth to find a new home for the people of the Spirit Realm."
Xu Ying gazed silently at the broken magic treasures, feeling a surge of sorrow. When those Dao Masters faced the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation, they must have exhausted every conceivable method. Yet the tribulation had been far too savage, rendering all their efforts futile. *They could have saved themselves, but they didn't. If they hadn't left behind this sanctuary, they likely could have survived,* he thought silently.
Just then, his gaze was drawn to the wreckage of a magic treasure, and his heart gave a sudden shudder. The treasure took the form of a Karma Golden Wheel, eroded into a craggy, mottled state with many sections collapsed. "You Xuan..."
Xu Ying walked forward. The lower half of the immense Karma Golden Wheel was plunged into the ruins, while its upper half had been almost completely eroded away. The spiritual patterns upon this treasure had been ground smooth, yet characters remained etched upon the inner rim of the golden wheel, blurred by the attrition of the qi of Chaos. Xu Ying scrutinized them closely, and after a moment, recognized the words. "'For what my heart deems good, though I die nine times, I still would not..." he read in a low voice.
This line came from the Three Realms universe, spoken by an ancient figure from Yuanshou of the Earth Immortal Realm. Xu Ying was not widely read; when teaching You Xuan back then, wanting to pull out a few philosophically profound lines, he had recited this very phrase. Seeing his disciple carve these words upon his magic treasure, dedicating a lifetime of cultivation and his own life to defend this final sanctuary, Xu Ying felt a wave of grief. "You fool, you could have fled entirely..." he whispered. "I harmed you. I shouldn't have told you that..."
"Was he your disciple?" Dao Master Zuo Lian stepped forward and asked.
Xu Ying nodded gently, his chest straightening slightly, his voice carrying pride. "He was my disciple."
"He did not disgrace you," Dao Master Zuo Lian said in a low voice. "Compared to those who died here, I am the only deserter."
Standing before the Karma Golden Wheel, Xu Ying was stirred by many emotions. He turned from the golden wheel to examine the other magic treasures. Many of the Dao Masters here had been disciples of You Xuan; the heritage of the sect was evident from the treasures they left behind. *They are my successors...* Xu Ying thought silently.
Soon, he found Yin Rao's magic treasure. Having become Zhangsun Shenghai's Dao companion, the woman had grown proficient in many Great Daos, transcending the scope of the Yin and Yang Great Dao to eventually become a Dao Master herself. Her disciples were even more numerous; from the lineages of the treasures, Xu Ying could trace many disciples belonging to her and Zhangsun Shenghai. Meanwhile, Dao Master Zuo Lian arrived at the center of the ruins, where a jade platform stood. He stood atop the jade platform, paying his respects to the universe that had nurtured him.
"Ah Ying," the Ancestral God beckoned. Xu Ying stepped forward, his gaze falling upon the jade platform. Lowering his voice, the Ancestral God asked tremulously, "Could it be that jade platform?"
Xu Ying observed it carefully. This jade platform was virtually identical to the one in the First Sacred Ground, except that there were no footprints upon it. *Could this truly be the jade platform from the other shore's First Sacred Ground? Was it this jade platform and the Kaiyuan Divine Axe that sent us back here?*
He had just had this thought when Dao Master Zuo Lian's voice came: "Fellow Daoist Xu, would you like to pay your respects as well?"
Chapter 867