Gong Jiexuan, Dong Xuan, and the others departed the other shore and set out for Tianjing.
Messengers from Tianjing had arrived long ago to inform them that Dao Venerable had been struck down by Dao Master Tongtian, imploring them to return and preside over Tianjing.
Though they harbored boundless hatred toward Dao Venerable, they still held deep affection for Tianjing and could not bear to sit idly by while it fell into decline.
After all, the other shore was currently formidable; if it seized this opportunity to eradicate Tianjing, it would likely be effortless.
Dongxuanzi suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Haining, why didn't you speak the truth to Taiyi?"
Hearing this, everyone halted and turned to look at him.
Dongxuanzi said, "You could see that the calamitous destiny of the other shore had fallen quiet, and you could see whose shoulders it rested upon. Why then did you tell Taiyi that without Jiangningzi, you could not sort out the cause and effect to resolve the calamitous destiny?"
Hainingzi's eyes flickered. "Brother Dong, discerning where the calamitous destiny lies cannot resolve it—only unraveling the cause and effect can! I know Taiyi is your disciple and you care for his safety, but do not forget our mission!"
To them, if the calamitous destiny of the other shore subsided, they would survive, and Tianjing would survive. If the calamitous destiny of the other shore erupted, they would perish, yet Tianjing would still survive.
Their mission was to ensure Tianjing survived, even if it meant sacrificing themselves.
It was certainly good if the other shore's calamitous destiny quieted down. But should the other shore pose a threat to Tianjing, they would ensure that even at the cost of their own lives, they dragged the other shore into the calamity, driving it into complete nirvanic extinction to destroy this sworn enemy!
Dongxuanzi fell silent for a moment before saying, "Naturally, I have not forgotten our mission. I only felt you were keeping something from Taiyi. Haining, what on earth did you see?"
Hainingzi hesitated briefly, then replied, "I saw that the greatest calamitous destiny of the other shore is bound to Dao Master Taiyi."
Gong Jiexuan, Dong Xuan, Cenxi, and the others were all stunned. Dong Xuan blurted out, "How is that possible?"
Hainingzi said, "Anything can be mistaken, but calamitous destiny never lies. Right now, the other shore's greatest calamitous destiny coils tightly around Taiyi! I don't understand the causal relationship behind it, but my Dao eyes could never be wrong."
A hush fell over the group, and they each looked back toward the other shore.
Presently, the other shore was gradually returning to order, though recovering from the slaughter calamity would still take years.
"Everyone, let us tend to our own affairs first," Gong Jiexuan said. "Tianjing currently lacks the strength to confront the other shore, and I worry certain Dao Masters might stir up trouble. Let us return as swiftly as possible."
Upon returning to Tianjing, they saw from afar the great cross mark crisscrossing the firmament. Dao Master Tongtian's sword had severed the Great Daos of heaven and earth that were in the midst of reviving!
Those two sword strikes had pushed the Dao of Slaughter to its absolute limit, moving even Jingningzi to say, "In my prime, I might not have matched him."
At that moment, several Tianjing Dao Masters were attempting to grind away the sword qi hidden within the cross mark. However, this undertaking was perilous in the extreme; the slightest carelessness would result in being wounded by the sword qi.
Dao Master Tongtian's sword qi was exceedingly fierce and overbearing. Even Dao Masters found it difficult to withstand, and any injury sustained was usually a severe Dao wound.
"Shall we resolve Dao Master Tongtian's sword marks and mend Tianjing's Great Dao?" Cenxi inquired.
With mixed emotions in her eyes, Gong Jiexuan said, "Let us go see Dao Venerable first before making any decisions."
They arrived at Cuiluo Heaven, where from afar they beheld a colossal Nirvanic Extinction Hongyuan. The Great Daos within the Hongyuan had completely burned to ashes, leaving no sign of life whatsoever!
Lady Bifei and several Tianjing Dao Masters stood guard outside the Hongyuan, attempting to awaken it.
"Jiexuan is here!"
Startled and overjoyed, Lady Bifei hurried forward to greet them. "Splendid, Yuxizi is here as well! Yuxizi, try using your Great Dao of Chaos—perhaps you can awaken Dao Venerable's consciousness!"
Expectation showed on everyone's faces.
Yuxizi glanced at Gong Jiexuan and did not move an inch.
Noticing something amiss, Lady Bifei quickly pressed, "Why are you hesitating? Yuxizi, Dao Venerable might still be saved!"
Gong Jiexuan said, "Your Ladyship, our purpose in coming here is solely to safeguard Tianjing, not to awaken Dao Venerable. Having Dao Venerable trapped in nirvanic extinction is for the best; it saves us the trouble of taking action ourselves! Everyone, let us go!"
Leading Dong Xuan, Cenxi, and the others, she strode away, leaving Lady Bifei and the rest frozen in place, utterly at a loss.
The Great Daos of heaven and earth rumbled, and the Dao power within Tianjing surged in turbulent waves, only to be repeatedly severed by the cross mark.
Whenever the tremors arose, dazzling radiance erupted from the sword marks, fading away only after the rumbling ceased.
Jingningzi frowned slightly. "The power of Tianjing's reviving Great Daos is growing stronger and stronger. Dao Master Tongtian's sword marks likely won't be able to keep the Great Daos severed for long."
They waited for several years. Just as the sword marks seemed on the verge of giving way, Dao Master Tongtian arrived unhurriedly. Unrivaled sword radiance rose once more—shua, shua! Two strikes pierced heaven and earth, severing the Great Daos anew.
Consumed by fury, Lady Bifei and the others fought against Tongtian, yet none could withstand a single blow. One by one, they left behind severed fingers, ears, arms, eyes, or thighs, while Dao Master Tongtian departed at his leisure.
Seething with rage, Lady Bifei sought out Gong Jiexuan and the others, fuming, "When that villain Tongtian came, why didn't you intervene? You have failed Dao Venerable's nurturing and Tianjing's grace of sustenance! How dare you call yourselves Dao Masters? You are clearly Dao thieves! And you, Jiexuan—you are Dao Venerable's daughter. Are you truly going to watch him die without lifting a hand?"
Unable to hold back, Jingningzi snapped in fury, "We are Dao Masters of the other shore, not of Tianjing! That we bear calamitous destiny is all thanks to Dao Venerable! Dao Venerable wished to wipe us out to trigger the other shore's Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation completely. Now Wu Xizi and Jiangning have already answered the calamity! Though they fell by other hands, the arch-culprit was Dao Venerable! Does such an insidious wretch deserve our rescue?"
Lady Bifei was dumbfounded. Seeing this, Dong Xuan recounted the entire chain of events from beginning to end, saying, "We are already bearers of the other shore's calamitous destiny. By rights, we should not have come to protect Tianjing, yet when Tianjing faced peril, we still came. This is for righteousness, but it has nothing to do with Dao Venerable. We ask Your Ladyship's understanding."
Lady Bifei still found it impossible to believe, her mind in a daze. "Jiexuan was among the sacrifices as well? But Jiexuan is Dao Venerable's daughter..."
"Originally, the young lady was destined to die. The moment she attained the Dao in Hongmeng, she would have perished on the other shore. Fortunately, someone attained the Dao in Hongmeng before her, buying her a glimmer of hope," Hainingzi said. "The young lady did not attain the Dao of Hongmeng on the other shore, having only achieved her second attainment there. If she attains the Dao in Hongmeng within Tianjing, her calamitous destiny will not be severe. As for us..."
His gaze swept over Dong Xuan, Cenxi, Yuxizi, and Jingning. "We are already destined to be destroyed in the calamity."
Cenxizi said, "Dong Xuan and Jingning still have a chance. Hua Shengsheng, who attained the Dao in Taiyi, is already dead."
Lady Bifei shook her head. "Dao Venerable would never do such a thing. Could there be some misunderstanding between you and him?"
Gong Jiexuan had remained silent, but now she spoke, shattering the woman's illusions completely. "Dao Venerable has already done it."
Lady Bifei urged hastily, "He did it for Tianjing's sake!"
Gong Jiexuan replied, "Your Ladyship, we too would gladly die for Tianjing. We have already prepared ourselves for death. If he had said to me, 'Daughter, I need you to die for Tianjing,' I would not have batted an eye. But I want to die with clear eyes, not be deceived into marching to my death!"
Hainingzi said coldly, "In truth, when he transferred Tianjing's calamitous destiny to the other shore, the other shore could have delayed it. Yet he had us attain the Dao there specifically to deepen the calamity and bring about its total nirvanic extinction. His goal was never as pure as simply saving Tianjing."
Jingningzi said, "His true aim was to use the other shore's nirvanic extinction to cultivate a perfect Great Dao of Nirvanic Extinction!"
Lady Bifei turned and walked away in silence, only to halt abruptly and turn her head. "I don't believe he would do such a thing."
Several more years passed. The cross mark spanning heaven and earth was once again shaken loose by the reviving Great Daos. Dao Master Tongtian returned to Tianjing to mend the sword marks.
Only this time, Lady Bifei did not step forward to stop him.
From then on, every few years, Dao Master Tongtian returned to Tianjing to deepen the sword imprints. Yet the tremors of the Great Daos grew ever more frequent and violent, the power of their revival swelling relentlessly!
Dao Master Tongtian's visits grew more frequent as well. A century later, he simply remained in Tianjing, sitting cross-legged atop Shenglang Peak, the highest peak in the realm, using his vast sword qi to contend against the Dao power of heaven and earth!
From time to time, astonishing tremors echoed from Shenglang Peak in sync with the vibrations of the Great Daos, caused by the surge of Tianjing's reviving Dao power transferring onto Dao Master Tongtian!
Dao Master Tongtian kept to his own business, never interfering with Dong Xuan, Jingning, and the rest. Jingningzi, however, paid close attention to the tremors from Shenglang Peak and told the others, "Dao Master Tongtian will not be able to hold out much longer against Tianjing's Dao power! In six more years, he will surely be injured by its backlash!"
Sure enough, several years later, blood seeped from the corner of Dao Master Tongtian's mouth from the jolt of Dao power, and Shenglang Peak cracked and sank considerably.
"I'll go assist him!" Jingningzi said.
With his aid, the Great Daos remained unrecovered, yet the surging Dao power gathered like floodwaters held back by a dam, growing increasingly ferocious.
Sooner or later, this Dao power of heaven and earth would tear through the obstruction of the two Slaughter Dao Masters and fully revive Tianjing's Great Daos!
'Where does this Dao power of heaven and earth come from?' Jingningzi groaned inwardly. 'How can it be getting stronger and stronger?'
—
"...Hence, the Dao power of heaven and earth originates from the void. The Dao power within the void is inexhaustible, capable of sustaining countless cultivators across the countless universes of the Chaos Sea simultaneously."
Xu Ying's voice was resonant as he demonstrated void Dao methods while speaking. "Comprehending the Great Dao of the Void places one in an invincible position. No Dao method can harm you."
In the Void Realm of the Three Realms, several centuries had passed since the previous Void Assembly held by Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang.
This Void Assembly hosted by the Dao Alliance was attended not only by experts from the Three Realms, the other shore, and Tianjing, but also by numerous young masters from the myriad universes, who had crossed layers of the void to reach the Void Realm and attend the grand gathering.
Many of the unfamiliar faces had been invited by Daoist Wukong and Shi Tianyang.
After journeying to the Stone Realm, that Daoist and Shi Tianyang had met with unique encounters, becoming leaders of the Stone Realm. Hoping to establish ties with more universes to build leverage against the other shore, they had spent these years tirelessly traversing the Chaos Sea.
They had openly rebelled, and it was only because the other shore was bogged down by its calamitous destiny that they had survived.
Even so, the reputation of the other shore's Dao Alliance had spread throughout the myriad universes, drawing many exceptionally gifted talents to join.
During the grand gathering, Xu Ying served as the chief speaker on the recursive confirmation of the Nine Daos, elucidating its marvels, while others stepped forward to explain the wonders of Chaos, Hongmeng, Wuji, and the other Great Daos.
Zhangsun Shenghai was also a great master of the recursive confirmation of the Nine Daos and was repeatedly invited by Xu Ying onto the lecturing platform to explain its intricacies from another perspective.
Yuan Weiyang took the platform as well to speak on the profundities of the void, though her explanations were so arcane that few could comprehend them. Fortunately, with Xu Ying supplementing the Dao of the Void through the methods of the Nine Daos recursive confirmation, six or seven people managed to follow along.
Even so, the only ones capable of actually utilizing the void were still Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang.
The Great Dao of the Void was simply too obscure. Cultivation arts pertaining to it were vanishingly rare, those who could comprehend it were few and far between, and those who achieved any success in it were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns. Making any real headway on this path was exceedingly difficult.
In all the Three Realms, the only ones who had achieved anything in the Dao of the Void were Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, and Yuxu.
When the grand assembly concluded, Xu Ying suddenly felt a faint sense of unease. He carefully examined the threads of cause and effect, yet could not discern where the unease came from.
Just then, the rosy glow of a Great Dao rose once more.
Xu Ying looked over and said, "Emperor of the Void has attained the Dao again."
Yuan Weiyang asked in bewilderment, "How many times is that now?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "I haven't kept count. But if he keeps attaining the Dao like this, he'll soon have attained every Great Dao of heaven and earth in the Three Realms."
Over the years, Emperor of the Void attained the Dao anew at regular intervals. At first, his breakthroughs had drawn worship and veneration from many, but with time, people grew accustomed to it.
The period following a Void Assembly was particularly frequent for Emperor of the Void's breakthroughs; he would often attain the Dao several times in short order.
Yet compared to his frequent breakthroughs, figures like Yuqing, Taiqing, Yuxu, Ancestor of Earth Immortals, Buddha Ancestor, Heavenly Venerable Taiyi, and the Far Ancestor appeared to lag far behind.
They had also grasped the marvels of recursive confirmation and comprehended the Self-Sufficiency of My Nature, but the Daos they cultivated were not as eclectic as Emperor of the Void's; they pursued the innate Great Daos among the Nine Daos, which made attaining the Dao tremendously arduous.
What Emperor of the Void was attaining were the three thousand subsidiary Daos subordinate to Taiyi. Though vast in number, attaining the Dao in them was far easier.
"Emperor of the Void likely intends to first master the three thousand Daos, then deduce the Great Dao of Taiyi from them to achieve a reverse attainment of Taiyi," Yuan Weiyang speculated. "Once he reverse-attains Taiyi, he can initiate the recursive confirmation of the Nine Daos. With the foundation of a Dao Master in three thousand Daos, his recursive confirmation will be faster than anyone else's!"
Xu Ying praised, "His talent is truly frightening. No wonder Dao Venerable refused to let him go and kept him by his side. Once freed, he only needed an opportunity to shine with boundless brilliance!"
Suddenly, he frowned slightly, sensing that inexplicable palpitation once again.
An epiphany struck Xu Ying, and he said, "Weiyang, I will use karma and calamitous destiny to form an All-Knowing Eye to observe myself. Look and see if my calamitous destiny has shifted!"
He channeled both the Great Daos of Karma and Calamitous Destiny, intertwining them into a golden wheel. Within the golden wheel, boundless Dao light coalesced into an All-Knowing Eye that gazed upon Xu Ying.
Looking at Xu Ying through the All-Knowing Eye, Yuan Weiyang's heart stirred. "Your calamitous destiny has changed. It is evolving into a slaughter calamity! A bloody light is emerging, deep crimson, as though concealing a sea of blood! Judging from the cause and effect, the calamity originates from Hongmeng."
Xu Ying stared blankly, then suddenly said, "I have been blinded by the other shore's calamitous destiny. This calamity seems somewhat different. In past calamities, I could still keep myself from being blinded!"
He exhaled a long breath of turbid air and immediately began packing his belongings, saying to Yuan Weiyang, "I became a Hongmeng Dao Master on the other shore, and the calamity has caught up with me—there is no escaping it. Today, the only way forward is to face the slaughter calamity on the other shore, to seek a path of survival for myself and for the Three Realms!"
Chapter 885