The public execution of Dao Master Tianyang by Tongtian struck terror into the hearts of the Dao Masters present. The Dao Masters of the other shore were especially incensed, yet none dared to speak out.
After all, no one could say whether Dao Master Tongtian would demand that they, too, repay the cosmic karma owed to heaven and earth.
Seeing an esteemed Dao Master of the other shore slaughtered in public like livestock by a barbarian from the Three Realms made their hearts race in dread. They worried that they might be next, even as a sullen rage smoldered deep within them.
Qingxuan sent a hushed voice transmission: "Ancestor Xu, Daoist Tongtian's state seems..."
Xu Ying shot him a warning glance, and Qingxuan took the hint, falling silent. With a warm smile, Xu Ying turned to Dao Master Tongtian. "Dao Brother, our Lord Bell goes way back with the Immortal-Slaying Sword, and they haven't seen each other in ages. Might I borrow Master Sword for a while?"
Dao Master Tongtian drew the Immortal-Slaying Sword and placed it directly into Xu Ying's hands.
Xu Ying left with the Immortal-Slaying Sword.
Seeing this, the Holy Venerable and Qingxuan hurriedly followed him.
The three arrived at a secluded spot, where Xu Ying raised the Xuanhui Pagoda. They slipped into the thirty-third heaven of the pagoda, and only then did he bring out the big bell.
Lord Bell was overjoyed to see the Immortal-Slaying Sword. Unable to contain its excitement, it clamored for a sparring match to compare its might against its eldest disciple.
Yet no matter how it flitted circles around the Immortal-Slaying Sword, the sword remained motionless.
Xu Ying reached out and drew the Immortal-Slaying Sword. As the divine blade left its sheath, a chilly emerald light cast an emerald hue over their surroundings.
Xu Ying asked, "Master Sword, is Dao Brother Tongtian doing well? The way he acts and handles things seems rather different from before."
At these words, the Immortal-Slaying Sword replied, "The master is wonderfully well. He has never felt as refreshed and invigorated as he does today."
Only then did the others heave a sigh of relief.
Xu Ying's eyes flickered, and he asked, "It appeared to me as if Dao Brother Tongtian has been overcome by slaughter and is finding it difficult to rein in his murderous intent."
The Immortal-Slaying Sword sounded taken aback. "Why would Ancestor Xu say such a thing? The master is merely following the course of the Dao, conforming to arising and passing away, helping all living beings settle their karma with heaven and earth. The master is slaughter, and slaughter is the master! Your words make no sense."
Xu Ying's heart lurched. He reached toward the hilt of the sword and barked, "Master Sword, you have also been overtaken by the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction! Your Dao heart has fallen into Nirvanic extinction!"
His grasp closed on empty air. With a sharp whoosh, the Immortal-Slaying Sword shot backward. Its emerald radiance vanished in an instant, replaced by blazing Nirvanic heavenly fire. The sword sneered coldly, "Ancestor Xu, I took you for an exceptional soul. Who would have thought you are no different from this filthy, polluted world! Very well. I shall destroy you all along with this world!"
Its sword light erupted, rivaling an innate numinous treasure, and slashed straight toward Xu Ying!
Everywhere the sword light reached, spinning vortexes of Nirvanic Extinction Hongyuan opened up, swallowing all things in their path!
It had originally cultivated the Dao of Slaughter. Upon returning to Tongtian's side and being refined by him, it had further mastered calamitous destiny and Nirvanic extinction.
The sword's might was nothing short of apocalyptic, bearing an overwhelming momentum that threatened to sever all ten thousand Daos!
Qingxuan and the Holy Venerable stared with wide eyes, and the big bell was utterly dumbfounded, having never expected such a turn of events.
Facing the onslaught of this celestial sword, they felt all their Dao methods suppressed, leaving them powerless to resist.
Xu Ying stepped in front of them and sneered, "Master Sword, I knew I could draw you out! Tongtian isn't the only one who has fallen into Nirvanic extinction—you've sunk even deeper than he has!"
He thrust out his hand to meet the sword light. His fingers swelled to colossal proportions, resembling gigantic primordial forms emerging from Chaos, and clamped down one after another onto the blade of the Immortal-Slaying Sword.
He drove the cyclic verification of the nine Daos, unleashing an eruption of Chaotic Dao power that inexorably crushed the sword's might until its malevolent aura finally shattered.
Xu Ying caught the blade in his grip. With eyes gleaming, he said to the Holy Venerable and Qingxuan, "When Dao Brother Tongtian fought Dao Venerable, he cycled calamitous destiny and slaughter into Nirvanic extinction. In the end, all of his Dao power had to flow into the Immortal-Slaying Sword to transform into peerless sword beams against Dao Venerable. Consequently, the Immortal-Slaying Sword was also invaded by the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction, and its Dao heart succumbed to Nirvanic extinction."
The big bell asked anxiously, "Can my disciple still be saved?"
Xu Ying smiled. "Of course. The greatest danger of the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction is that all of one's Daos, and even one's Dao heart, must go extinct. Once extinct, when no Dao heart remains, one becomes a mere tool controlled by the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction. Back then, I was also overtaken by the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction and lost my mind, acting even more deranged than Master Sword. But once I realized the cyclic verification of Nirvanic extinction into Chaos, I broke free from that state."
The Immortal-Slaying Sword shrieked, "Put me down, or I will reduce you all to flying ashes!"
The big bell spoke up: "Master Sword, it's Little Bell. Do you still remember me?"
"Of course I remember," the Immortal-Slaying Sword said, its tone chillingly calm. "You are my master and the Dao Ancestor who taught magic treasures to cultivate immortality. How could I forget? Now let me finish you off!"
The big bell gave a startled jolt.
Qingxuan remarked, "To cultivate the cyclic verification of Nirvanic extinction into Chaos is likely far beyond this sword's capacity alone. Master Sword has lost its senses and is trapped in a state of Nirvanic extinction. How could it possibly comprehend the Dao of Chaos?"
Xu Ying replied with a smile, "Someone trapped in Nirvanic extinction possesses only a single desire: to make the entire universe repay its karma, and to bring about its destruction."
The Immortal-Slaying Sword jerked violently in his grip and screamed, "As long as you know! You scoundrel Xu, release me this instant, and I will reunite your whole lineage in the grave!"
Turning a deaf ear, Xu Ying said with a grin, "For a person cultivating the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction, emerging from that state is impossible unless they already possessed profound attainment in the Dao of Chaos beforehand. Otherwise, they can only pray that at the very instant they fully succumb and extinguish themselves, they grasp the great truth of Chaos being born from Nirvanic extinction. Failing that, only death awaits. Fortunately, Master Sword is not a person."
The Immortal-Slaying Sword shouted, "I am the Sword Ancestor of Nirvanic Extinction! I will burn you all to dust!"
Xu Ying summoned the big bell and continued, "Master Sword is a magic treasure. The greatest advantage of a magic treasure is that Chaos imprints can be etched directly onto it. And the surface of Lord Bell just happens to carry the most profound Chaos imprints under the heavens."
He channeled the big bell. The bell tolled, sending the corrugated imprints across its surface crashing one by one into the Immortal-Slaying Sword!
The Immortal-Slaying Sword had been thrashing desperately against his hold, but as the Chaos imprints drove deeper, the divine blade gradually ceased its struggle.
Seeing this, Xu Ying let go of the hilt and guided the big bell to circle around the sword. He struck the bell's wall again and again, pouring his vast Chaotic Dao power into the bell to engrave even more Chaos imprints into the blade.
Gradually, wisps of Chaotic qi began to seep from the Immortal-Slaying Sword, and its Chaotic Dao power grew stronger.
Dao Master Tongtian had used the sword to extinguish three Dao Masters in succession, leaving their Nirvanic heavenly fire embedded within it. Suppressing the lingering power of those three extinguished Dao Masters with Chaos proved exhausting even for Xu Ying.
After a long time, feeling drained, Xu Ying concluded his technique and stepped back.
Only then did the Immortal-Slaying Sword awaken as if from a nightmare. It said hurriedly, "Ancestor Xu, the master's condition is not good! During his final moves against Dao Venerable, he cycled calamitous destiny into slaughter, and slaughter into Nirvanic extinction. The Nirvanic power was simply too colossal, far beyond its ordinary potency. Ever since, I have sensed an overwhelmingly destructive urge inside his Dao heart!"
Xu Ying replied, "It is just as I thought. During his duel with Dao Venerable, his Dao heart was tainted by the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction when it surged so abruptly. If this continues, I fear he will completely succumb to Nirvanic extinction. Right now, he still retains some reason and harbors affection for the Three Realms. But once he falls completely, even that shred of feeling will vanish."
The Immortal-Slaying Sword pleaded, "Please, Ancestor Xu, you must save him!"
Xu Ying shook his head. "With my current strength and attainment, saving you is within my power, but saving him is beyond me. He is not a magic treasure, and I cannot simply brand Chaos onto his body. Even so, now that I have branded these Chaos imprints onto you, they will help slow his descent into Nirvanic extinction. Dao Master Tongtian possesses extraordinary comprehension; he will surely glean something from you."
The Immortal-Slaying Sword felt somewhat reassured.
The big bell's body gleamed, and it nudged forward hesitantly. "M-Master Ying... since you can add imprints to Master Sword, surely you could bestow a few upon me as well? It would be wonderful if you could share the favor and let the rain fall on all alike..."
Xu Ying laughed. "Why belittle yourself, Little Bell? Haven't you reaped plenty from studying my cyclic verification of the nine Daos all these years? The only thing you lack is the Dao method of Nirvanic Extinction. But the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction has no Dao runes or talismanic scripts, so I cannot teach it to you."
The big bell had no choice but to let the matter drop.
Its years of cultivating alongside Xu Ying had already yielded considerable results. While other cultivators had to perceive and enter the Dao through arduous effort, it lived right inside Xu Ying's Hongyuan, constantly immersed in comprehension. Moreover, it could copy the Dao scripts Xu Ying derived from various Great Daos, allowing it to cultivate far faster than anyone else.
It was diligent as well. Whenever Xu Ying practiced the cyclic verification of the nine Daos, the bell followed along, thereby mastering the subtleties of the cyclic verification among the eight innate Daos.
"However, if you can comprehend the Dao of Nirvanic Extinction on your own, you will achieve the cyclic verification of the nine Daos. While the cyclic verification of the nine Daos is not overly complicated, there are still many who will never grasp it."
Xu Ying pondered for a moment and added, "As a magic treasure, you are free from the limitations of mortal aptitude. It all depends on your comprehension and whether you have a natural knack for it. If you do, your future achievements will be boundless!"
The big bell felt immensely encouraged, while Qingxuan and the Holy Venerable looked on in sheer disbelief.
Not even Dao Venerable or Luo Taizong had mastered the cyclic verification of the nine Daos, yet Xu Ying claimed it was not that difficult and even held high hopes that a magic treasure could accomplish it.
The Holy Venerable smiled and said, "Ancestor Xu hasn't visited the Dao Alliance of the other shore to exchange Dao methods in quite some time. Many of our brothers in the Dao Alliance are hoping you will open an altar and deliver a sermon."
Qingxuan nodded vigorously, smiling. "It would be best if you could explain the cyclic verification of the nine Daos."
Of the two of them, one had achieved insights into slaughter, while the other possessed a natural talent for calamitous destiny, and both dabbled in Taiyi, Samsara, and other paths. Yet far from achieving the cyclic verification of nine Daos, even managing three was a monumental struggle.
Xu Ying hesitated briefly, then said, "I have always felt that the cyclic verification of the nine Daos still fails to encompass all Daos. It is merely a method to march toward the end of the Great Dao. Even if one reaches the end through it, it remains an incomplete culmination, not true attainment of the Dao..."
Reflecting on this, he smiled. "I haven't even sorted this out for myself, so how can I tell you what true attainment is? Very well. I shall visit the Dao Alliance of the other shore and expound the cyclic verification of the nine Daos from start to finish."
Qingxuan and the Holy Venerable were overjoyed. "We'll go inform the others in the Dao Alliance!"
The two hurried off.
Xu Ying pondered for a moment, made up his mind, and stepped out of the Xuanhui Pagoda, carrying the Immortal-Slaying Sword back to Dao Master Tongtian.
Dao Master Tongtian took the sword. The moment his fingers closed around the hilt, he froze slightly.
A few moments later, his clarity returned somewhat. He looked deeply at Xu Ying. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist."
Xu Ying smiled. "What need is there for thanks between you and me? Had you not gone to slay Dao Venerable, how would you have been affected by Nirvanic extinction? If Dao Venerable had freed up his hands, the other shore would have been doomed. How could there be this present resurgence of the other shore?"
Dao Master Tongtian shook his head. "This is no resurgence of the other shore; it is merely a slight ebb in calamitous destiny. It is nothing more than the calm before the catastrophe."
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at him sharply.
Dao Master Tongtian continued shaking his head. "The other shore inherited Tianjing's calamitous destiny, and the transference was thorough. What is more, the other shore committed far too many evils, harvesting myriad universes. This calamity will by no means subside quietly; following this calm, it will only intensify until it spirals beyond control. It was precisely through the push of this calamitous destiny that I attained the realm of a Nirvanic Extinction Dao Master so effortlessly. Who is to say this wasn't the choice of calamitous destiny itself?"
Xu Ying's expression shifted slightly.
The other shore's calamitous destiny was powerful enough to select a Nirvanic Extinction Dao Master to preside over the tribulation of Nirvanic extinction—a phenomenon he had never witnessed even during the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation of the Emperor Realm!
Dao Master Tongtian said, "The other shore's misdeeds are too grave; it cannot be saved. Fellow Daoist Xu, as the Grand Primordium Dao Master of the other shore, you must make your preparations early."
Xu Ying hesitated. "Dao Brother, what about you?"
Dao Master Tongtian replied, "So long as the Three Realms are not safe, I will not depart. But once the Three Realms are secure, I must also leave this den of trouble at an early hour to seek my own path to the end of the Dao."
Xu Ying steadied his mind and said, "There isn't much time before the Three Realms run aground, so I must first return there. The Dao Alliance of the other shore is also waiting for me to deliver a sermon. Dao Brother, I leave the other shore in your hands."
Dao Master Tongtian nodded gently. "With your Chaos imprints, I can hold out longer. You may return to the Three Realms with an easy mind."
Xu Ying went to see Dao Master Taiyi and said, "Master, I just spoke with Dao Master Tongtian. He believes the other shore's calamitous destiny might not have truly receded. You should pay a visit to Dao Master Haining just to be safe."
Dao Master Taiyi was surprised. "Now that the fighting and killing on the other shore have ceased and all three sides are at peace, how could calamitous destiny strike again? Still, Fellow Daoist Tongtian's cultivation is profound; he must have discovered something to say this. Rest assured, I will go see Dao Master Haining."
Xu Ying smiled. "I will be returning to the Three Realms in the coming days to prepare for the running aground of the Three Realms against the other shore. I won't participate in your peace talks with Dao Master Lin. With Dao Master Tongtian watching over things, Dao Master Lin shouldn't dare pull any tricks."
Taiyi smiled. "Go ahead and return. When the Three Realms run aground and you visit the other shore again, I guarantee you will find a thriving and prosperous realm reborn!"
Xu Ying bade him farewell. Dao Master Taiyi watched him go with reluctant fondness, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "Xu Ying, thank you."
Xu Ying paused, smiled, and turned away.
Not long after, he found Zhangsun Shenghai. Looking out from afar, he saw the Great Daos of heaven and earth shifting tempestuously outside Qiyan Hanging Ridge. The manifestation evolved from Chaos through Grand Primordium, Non-Ultimate, Taiyi, Samsara, and onwards, step by step, all the way to Nirvanic extinction, before returning to Chaos once more.
Or it would evolve from the Dao of Chaos toward Nirvanic extinction, reverse-engineering Chaos through slaughter, calamitous destiny, karma, and Samsara.
The world surrounding Zhangsun Shenghai was like an enormous Hongyuan, the evolution of nine Great Daos forming a system of cyclic verification!
This Hongyuan grew continuously alongside his cultivation, each innate Great Dao connecting directly with the innate Great Daos of the other shore!
When it cycled to Chaos, Chaotic qi flooded from the void into his Hongyuan. When it cycled to Grand Primordium, Grand Primordial qi poured in as well!
Even when he reached Nirvanic extinction, Nirvanic heavenly fire streamed into the Hongyuan!
"Eldest Senior Brother's method of external verification of heaven and earth's Great Daos is truly formidable!"
Xu Ying was deeply moved. Zhangsun Shenghai's method of external verification differed from his own internal verification, allowing him to borrow far more Dao power from the cosmos. Though he had entered the Indestructible realm many years after Xu Ying, in terms of cultivation, he was actually threatening to catch up!
"If I were to cultivate both internal and external verification together..." Xu Ying blinked.
Chapter 881