"At this very moment, I am walking into the First Sacred Ground, where I will encounter Xu Ying and the Ancestral God." Dao Master Luo stared fixedly at the vertical line before him, sweat pouring from his forehead. "I will vanish alongside Xu Ying and the Ancestral God, appearing before the other shore was even cleaved open."
In that case...
The flesh on his face twitched violently. "If I step into this line of the First Sacred Ground again, will what happened before replay itself? This is a karmic cycle of reincarnation—a grand causal loop bound to the Chaos Sea and the very origins of the other shore!"
He was a Dao Master of the Soul Dao and had mastered only a few varieties of the heavenly and earthly Great Daos. Having not yet achieved reverse-attainment, he had no way to comprehend such a colossal causal cycle!
"Brother Dao, are Xu Ying and the Three Realms' Ancestral God still inside the First Sacred Ground?" Dao Master Li Jian inquired.
Dao Master Luo was at a loss. He did not know whether the four of them would experience the same encounter upon entering, or whether they would find Xu Ying and the Ancestral God standing right where they had been. Either outcome was hard for him to accept.
He glanced back over his shoulder, seeing the endless starry sky of the other shore, with Tianjing at its furthest reaches. If he walked into that single line and looked back, he would likewise see the endless starry sky of the other shore, also terminating at Tianjing. In truth, within that line was the other shore itself; the other shore he currently stood in was merely the exterior, three-dimensional one, while the one within the line was planar. Yet both were complete universes of the other shore.
Would entering that line plunge him into an endless cycle of reincarnation? Would stepping inside cause history to repeat itself, hurling him once more back to the time before the other shore had been cleaved open?
"Most likely, the moment we entered the Hongyuan of the other shore earlier, we had already stepped into the First Sacred Ground. In fact, we have been flying through the First Sacred Ground all along. We were within the other shore, and at the same time within the sacred ground."
He could not be certain, nor was he willing to take another gamble. "Now that the heaven-opening karma of the Kaiyuan Divine Axe has been spent, we probably won't be able to seize it!" Dao Master Luo stared at the line and said, "There are still other innate numinous treasures. If you pursue them with all your might, you should still make it in time."
Hearing this, Zong Qi and the other two were overjoyed and departed in their respective directions.
This place was simply too bizarre. Over the past century or more, the three of them had lived in a daze. If time had flowed normally, they might have sorted out cause and effect; but the spacetime in the Chaos Sea was jagged and trackless, and its karma was hopelessly tangled, leaving them eager to depart as soon as possible.
Dao Master Luo hesitated for a long time, still not daring to take half a step into the First Sacred Ground. He waited in silence, yet Xu Ying and the Ancestral God never emerged.
"Could they not be in the sacred ground?" Dao Master Luo murmured.
Within the First Sacred Ground, the Ancestral God raised the Kaiyuan Divine Axe, his body following its movements as he drilled through the Seven Forms of Kaiyuan. The Seven Forms of Kaiyuan were seven divine abilities contained within the axe. Xu Ying and the Ancestral God had wielded only the first form to cleave open the Hongyuan of the other shore. The subsequent forms were even more formidable, but because the Ancestral God had not achieved the ultimate meaning of the Martial Dao, he could only master them through repeated trial and error.
Occasionally, he glanced toward the jade platform, where Xu Ying remained seated upright. The Hongmeng purple qi around him surged with increasing vigor and density. Assisting the Ancestral God in opening the heavens had naturally elevated Xu Ying's Hongmeng Great Dao, finally bringing him to the threshold of the Dao Master realm.
"If Ah Ying can fully comprehend Hongmeng, he will be the other shore's Hongmeng Dao Master."
The Ancestral God looked at Xu Ying and mused, *The Hongmeng Great Dao is probably the one he spent the least effort on. Who would have thought it would be the first in which he achieves the Dao Master realm? Truly bizarre.*
Xu Ying had not originally cultivated Hongmeng. His first contact with it had occurred when he became the New Dao's Dao Ancestor of the Earth Immortal Realm, gaining a portion of Hongmeng insights.
The second time came when he handed over the Hongyuan core to mend the Three Realms' Hongyuan, obtaining the second greatest merit of the Three Realms universe.
The third time was during his battle against Taiyi in the Lou Realm, where he used his own Dao of Taiyi to cleave open the new Lou Realm Hongyuan and bring order to the heavenly and earthly Great Daos. That was a heaven-opening merit, which also granted him Hongmeng purple qi.
And this time, joining forces with the Ancestral God to cleave open the Hongyuan of the other shore had finally brought his cultivation in the Dao of Hongmeng to its zenith.
*Still, I have also broken through the boundaries of an ancient god and achieved Hongmeng Immortality!* A smile broke across the Ancestral God's face. *Luo Taizong had to sever his own body to cultivate Hongmeng, but I have no such need. He was merely an ancient god born of the universe I created; he is inferior to me.*
At this thought, he practiced the Seven Forms of Kaiyuan with renewed vigor.
After an unknown stretch of time, the Ancestral God noticed a gradual change coming over the First Sacred Ground. The worldly Dao power and condensed Dao radiance within this sacred land began to ripple inexplicably, as though disturbed by a peculiar force. He halted his practice and surveyed his surroundings. The change was not obvious, yet an unmistakable, uncanny transformation was taking place.
Suddenly feeling an intuitive tug, the Ancestral God looked down at an immortal herb on the ground. A moment ago, the herb had embodied the Dao of Wood, but in the next instant, it transformed into the Hongmeng Dao.
"How can the Great Dao be altered?" The Ancestral God was astonished. This defied his understanding. Moreover, transforming directly from a lower-grade innate Great Dao like the Dao of Wood into the Hongmeng Dao was simply absurd. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw more and more plants, trees, insects, and fish evolving from various disparate Daos into the Hongmeng Dao. Although the Ancestral God possessed immense cultivation in the Hongmeng Dao, his comprehension was not particularly profound, leaving him baffled by the spectacle.
Soon, every Great Dao of heaven and earth throughout the entire First Sacred Ground transformed into the Hongmeng Dao. The First Sacred Ground seemed to turn into a primal state: the mountains were Hongmeng mountains, the trees were Hongmeng trees, the grass was Hongmeng grass, and the sun, moon, and stars were all fashioned from Hongmeng.
"When a Hongyuan is cleaved open, the Hongmeng state is exceedingly fleeting. Why has the First Sacred Ground assumed this Hongmeng state?" Full of doubt and wonder, the Ancestral God hurriedly looked toward Xu Ying. *Could it be related to Ah Ying?*
At that moment, the big bell was busy disciplining innate numinous treasures like the Great Dao Sutra Banner and the Rebirth Flower, attempting to awaken their spiritual awareness without success. Suddenly, it discovered that the various Daos it cultivated within its own body were altering, shifting into the Hongmeng Dao. It clicked its tongue in amazement.
Its cultivation was exceptionally profound. When Xu Ying cultivated the Ninefold Daos Cyclic Verification, the bell had copied whatever it could, achieving remarkable accomplishments across the nine innate Great Daos. Being a magic treasure itself, harboring nine Daos simultaneously posed no impediment; at most, it only needed to brand a few more Dao patterns onto its surface.
Yet this time, it discovered that all of its innate Great Daos—aside from the chaos folds—had entirely transformed into the Hongmeng Dao. Not only that, but the transformed Hongmeng Dao had formed out of a single Hongmeng Dao pattern.
*Ah Ying's comprehension of Hongmeng has actually reached this stage! One step further, and he will be a Dao Master of the structureless Great Dao.*
Both surprised and delighted, the big bell hastily devoted all its attention to copying this Hongmeng Dao pattern onto itself. *Others need to contemplate the structure of a Hongmeng Dao pattern and fathom its subtleties to grasp the Hongmeng Dao,* it mused inwardly. *But I am a magic treasure; I can just copy it directly onto my body!*
Xu Ying remained seated motionless where he was, yet his body drifted upward, floating above the jade platform. The Hongmeng purple qi around him connected with the Hongmeng Dao of the First Sacred Ground, instantly producing resounding, unending Dao tones. The Ancestral God and the big bell listened, utterly enraptured. The Ancestral God in particular, despite his formidable cultivation in the Hongmeng Dao, had always remained largely ignorant of it, unaware of its origins or applications. Hearing the Hongmeng Dao tones now, countless insights clicked into place, completely free of obstruction.
After an unknown duration, the Hongmeng Dao within the First Sacred Ground resonated with Xu Ying, and streams of Hongmeng Dao power poured unceasingly into his body. Simultaneously, glowing rays of the Great Dao from across the heaven and earth of the other shore arrived in succession, ribbons of purple qi flowing in unison toward the same singular point.
Standing outside the First Sacred Ground, Dao Master Luo witnessed this spectacle. Hesitating, he lifted his foot to charge inside, but right as he was about to cross that thin line, he paused again and drew his foot back. "I will wait until they come out."
The rays of Hongmeng light drifted like falling blossoms, pouring into the First Sacred Ground. Meanwhile, Gong Jiexuan, who was in pursuit of an innate numinous treasure, felt the Hongmeng Dao within her own body surge uncontrollably, drawn by the Great Dao tremors originating from the central pole of the other shore, as though summoned to pay homage to the Hongmeng at the center.
The disturbance in her Hongmeng Dao nearly left her injured by the innate numinous treasure. She hurriedly focused her spirit and activated her Purple Qi Jade Ruyi to fend off the treasure.
*The Hongmeng Dao is so active—could someone have attained the Dao in Hongmeng?* Gong Jiexuan was struck with shock and disbelief. Who could possibly attain the Dao in Hongmeng ahead of her? *Could it be him? But even if his mastery of the Hongmeng Dao is high, it was not gained through his own comprehension. Could he still attain the Dao?*
Within the First Sacred Ground, the Hongmeng Dao power grew dozens of times stronger in mere moments, surging continuously into Xu Ying's body. Xu Ying operated the Ninefold Daos Cyclic Verification, causing his other eight Daos to rise in tandem, their depths steadily expanding. Though he had already detected shortcomings in the Ninefold Daos Cyclic Verification technique, it remained the strongest art he possessed, propelling his cultivation toward the innate self-sufficiency of the Acquired Daos.
*If I can achieve the innate self-sufficiency of the Acquired Daos, where one Dao unlocks a hundred, then attaining the Dao in Hongmeng will allow all other Daos to attain it alongside it—that would be perfection!*
Sensing that the Hongmeng Dao power had reached its peak and that failing to harness it would make attaining the Dao difficult, Xu Ying ceased circulating the Ninefold Daos Cyclic Verification and directed all available Hongmeng Dao power into his own body to store it away. After a long while, the various anomalies within the First Sacred Ground gradually subsided, returning to normal.
"This First Sacred Ground is truly a treasure trove. Cultivating here is a hundred times better than in any blessed immortal mountain!" Xu Ying stood up, feeling as though the Hongmeng Great Dao circulated at his fingertips—a sensation of having the Great Dao firmly in his grasp! He observed the surrounding Dao phenomena; the hidden principles embedded in the heavenly and earthly Great Daos were distinct and vividly apparent. His gaze fell upon the Ancestral God, and the various worldly Great Daos the god cultivated were reflected with absolute clarity within his Dao heart, stripped of all secrets.
*So this is the true Dao Master realm!*
*Using my Acquired Martial Dao as a bodily Hongyuan was merely a pseudo-Dao Master realm, incapable of interfering with outer Daos! In the true Dao Master realm, outer Daos are as if held in the palm of one's hand.* Marveling at this, Xu Ying shifted his gaze to the big bell, instantly seeing through all of its Dao methods.
*It seems they're all mine!* His gaze then fell upon the Kaiyuan Divine Axe. As the foremost numinous treasure of this era, baptized by the cleaving of heaven and earth, merely gazing upon it gave him the sharp, slicing sensation of being split apart, making it impossible to stare at for long.
Xu Ying examined the few numinous treasures he had collected; how to refine and operate each of them was mirrored with pristine clarity in his Dao heart!
Both astonished and delighted, the big bell timidly flew forward, its voice trembling: "Yingzi... Lord Ying, what realm are you in now?"
Xu Ying chuckled. "I have attained the Hongmeng Dao Master realm and verified the Hongmeng Dao power. I am the Master of All Things!"
Filled with both awe and dread, the big bell offered a fawning smile: "Lord Ying, can I still enter your Hongyuan to cultivate?"
"Of course, Zhongzi!" Xu Ying gave a hearty laugh, bearing no grudge over its past habit of addressing him as Yingzi. Overjoyed, the big bell hastily flew into the center of Xu Ying's Hongyuan, terrified he might change his mind.
Xu Ying smiled and said, "Zhongzi, once you reach the level of a Dao Master, the Great Dao becomes structureless. You won't be able to copy anything anymore; it will require your own comprehension!"
The big bell agreed obsequiously, "Lord Ying speaks the truth. Little Bell understands!"
Dao Master Luo continued to stand guard outside the First Sacred Ground. After several more days, a burst of Nirvanic heavenly fire suddenly erupted from the thin line. He backed away; this fire was ferocious, and even he was unwilling to touch it. After all, he carried a heavy burden of calamitous destiny. If ignited by heavenly fire, his physical body, primordial spirit, and Great Dao would likely be reduced to ashes.
As the Nirvanic heavenly fire forced him back, Xu Ying emerged from the flames. He held the Thirty-Three Heavens Xuanhui Pagoda in one hand, the Ninefold Great Dao Sutra Banner rested above his head, the Rebirth Flower hovered before him, the Nirvanic Azure Emptiness lamp rested in his palm, and the Chaos Lotus blossomed beneath his feet—armed to the teeth.
Behind him strode the Ancestral God, transformed into a muscular middle-aged man gripping the Kaiyuan Divine Axe, radiating murderous intent.
Dao Master Luo smiled faintly, unbothered. "Fellow Daoist Xu, congratulations on finally attaining the Dao in Hongmeng!"
Xu Ying smiled. "Ah Zong, why be so polite with your Martial Uncle?"
Dao Master Luo's expression darkened, and he sneered, "Politeness has nothing to do with it. Whether you attained the Dao is of no consequence to me. Let alone attaining a mere Hongmeng Dao, even if you attained all nine Daos together, killing you would take me only a single move!"
Xu Ying burst into laughter, his fighting spirit soaring. "Cripple Luo, do you really think you can kill me? Back when Taiyi had just attained the Dao and clashed once with your Great Dao fluctuations, I tested your capabilities. I already knew back then that you were nothing special."
Dao Master Luo's expression turned peculiar. "Is that so?"
Xu Ying said, "Weathering a move or half a strike from you is no difficult feat. And as long as I can withstand a single blow, I will be able to kill you."
Without a word, Dao Master Luo let his boundless Great Dao surge behind him, piercing through the myriad universes as the Dao power of heaven and earth gathered to him in unison. Between him and the myriad universes, it was as though chaos ceased to exist and the void vanished. Such mastery surpassed even Dao Master Hua's; back then, transferring calamitous destiny to the Zhao Realm had required his divine abilities.
Simultaneously, innate numinous treasures materialized around him one after another, suffused with an aura capable of suppressing all Daos.
"Brother Dao Luo, everything can be discussed."
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. Revealing his Hongmeng Great Dao, he said with a smile, "Brother Dao, my attainment in Hongmeng stems from opening the Hongyuan of the other shore, bearing the karma of cleaving heaven and earth. If you kill me, you will immediately trigger your own Nirvanic Extinction, and you will be doomed! Why bring mutual destruction upon us?"
Dao Master Luo snorted and shifted his gaze to the Ancestral God. The Ancestral God tightened his grip on the Kaiyuan Divine Axe and barked, "The same goes for me!"
Dao Master Luo replied calmly, "I am confident I can kill you without triggering my own Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation!"
Xu Ying narrowed his eyes. The Nirvanic Azure Emptiness lamp in his palm quietly floated upward, vanishing into thin air in an instant. He said indifferently, "You are welcome to put that to the test. But as long as I survive a single strike from you, you are dead!"
Chapter 870