Within the span of a tea break, half of Daosheng Heaven’s Minghe Heavenly Waterfall had collapsed.
“Do you remember the first thing I said when I brought you into the sect?” Ying Zewei asked.
“Of course. Master said: ‘Daosheng Heaven gives birth to all things. Of everything under the sky, you must know nine out of ten, just as nine out of ten handfuls of soil beneath your feet belong to you.'”
The five netherworld rivers of the mortal realm clashed and suppressed each other. At the core of this swirling power, Daosheng Heaven’s third floating mountain was shrouded in dense, bloody mist.
The nine prisons could devour and impact each other. This time, his absence had led Daosheng Heaven to underestimate the threat.
Among the major netherworld rivers involved in the battle, from weakest to strongest in ghost power, the order was: Dim Spring, Lower Spring, Ming Spring, Feng Spring, and Yellow Spring.
Daosheng Heaven controlled Ming Spring and Lower Spring, which should have been enough to suppress Ji Yang’s Yellow Spring River. However, they hadn’t anticipated that he also commanded Dim Spring and Feng Spring Rivers. Feng Spring River, in particular, though long confined to the realm between mountains and seas, was associated with the legendary Fengmo Heaven. With sufficient power, it could command the other eight prisons.
The only way to resolve this stalemate was to find his good disciple and either compromise or clean house.
Ying Zewei walked through the bloody mist with closed eyes. He hadn’t intentionally left any tracking marks on Mo Xing Zheng, but from their casual conversation, he could deduce the other’s location from subtle clues.
“I never imagined that one day, my teacher would stoop to lying to his disciple,” Ji Yang’s voice carried a hint of mockery. “Master cultivates the righteous Heavenly Dao, which abhors improper actions. Years of this must-have bred heart demons. As the heart demon injures you, you share its pain.”
Ying Zewei replied nonchalantly, “I never resort to force when words can resolve an issue, even if those words are lies. I’ve always known you had a rebellious streak. It’s a pity that I was too busy with other matters back then and neglected your discipline, leading to this.”
Ji Yang retorted, “Indeed. As they say, ‘A lax teacher makes for an idle student.’ Master should reflect on why everyone has turned against him.”
“That’s an exaggeration. No one in Daosheng Heaven has strayed,” Ying Zewei countered.
Ji Yang scoffed, “If you’re referring to those senior disciples… can such mediocre, self-serving individuals even be considered people?”
“Disciples who don’t know how to please their elders won’t receive praise,” Ying Zewei said, seemingly honing in on a direction. He walked slowly, adding, “With such a rebellious nature, how will I ever arrange your marriage?”
“Just one encounter and Master claims to know me so well.”
A blurry figure appeared across the dense, dark bloody mist, alternating between near and far. Ying Zewei slowly opened his eyes, looking at the vague silhouette. He sighed, “If years passed and worlds changed, I should rejoice at you and that child finding love. But alas, after wronging our old friend, I must now wrong my disciple once more.”
As he spoke, he raised one hand, revealing a crystal heart flickering with yin-yang fish patterns and the light of the eight trigrams. As soon as this heart appeared, a distant heartbeat could be heard nearby.
This was the heart carved out of Ji Yang before his death, known as the Six Harmonies Dao Heart. Originally a sacred object of the Dao Venerable, it was bestowed by Daosheng Heaven and had been refined within Ji Yang’s body, merging with his own heart to reach a flawless state.
“The Six Harmonies Dao Heart, the Vermilion Emperor’s Demon Heart… only the Buddha’s Zen Heart remains. According to the Dao Venerable’s theory, combining the powers of Dao, Demon, and Buddha could break through the barrier of space,” Ji Yang’s voice grew colder. “So, after Nan Fangzhu, the next target is A’Yan?”
“My disciples, Nuan Niang’s… even Nuan Niang’s daughter’s,” Ying Zewei said with self-mockery. “In this vast world, it had to be you… Some things are destined from the start, aren’t they?”
“Has Master never considered stopping?”
“I’ve thought about it, but I dare not dwell on it.” As Ying Zewei slowly approached the figure behind the bloody mist, the Six Harmonies Dao Heart in his palm beat faster, as if infected.
“Daosheng Heaven has basked in people’s hopes for too long. If we can’t ascend, the rules and beliefs established over thousands of years will crumble one by one. I… once placed my hopes in you, but you ultimately coveted that taste of the mortal world too much.”
“So, Master, is it necessary to kill Nan Yan?”
“…Yes.” As soon as the word fell, the shadowy figure behind the bloody mist erupted in fury. A zither string snapped, and what rose around them was not the grim ghost power Ying Zewei had anticipated, but the Vermilion Emperor’s ultimate technique.
“Ying — Ze — Wei!”
The world rumbled, and space cracked. The city-destroying power of yesteryear swept toward the master of Daosheng Heaven with overwhelming force.
“Yi Gu…” Seeing Nan Yi appear, Ying Zewei realized this was another of Ji Yang’s deliberate moves. He closed his eyes, unleashing his Fifth Decay cultivation. The power of life control barely offset the killing intent of the Mad Zither. Then, the seven strings changed formation again, weaving the cracks in space into deadly lines, rushing toward Ying Zewei like knives and nets.
“Killing father, wife, sister… and now not even sparing the orphan. You deserve to die a thousand deaths!”
Ji Yang might not have initially expected to kill him, but upon seeing his heart demon injured and affecting Ying Zewei himself, he improvised this trap.
Ying Zewei didn’t counterattack, merely defending with a Dao sword formation. During a lull in the onslaught, he spoke dispassionately:
“Yi Gu, although I can only use half my strength due to the heart demon’s affliction, you’re still no match for me. Our fight is meaningless beyond venting your anger.”
“What about if I join?” A voice filled with countless thunderbolts sounded from behind, accompanied by a massive shadow blotting out the sky — it was a true dragon with deer antlers, a snake’s neck, carp scales, and eagle claws. Its dark golden body was half-hidden in thick clouds, its claws cradling a crystal coffin, its upper body coiled in the sky above them.
This dragon form was Ao Guanghan.
…Disciple, relatives, friends, classmates.
How many times had this scene appeared in his nightmares? In the end, what was meant to come had arrived.
“Then let’s begin,” Ying Zewei said.
Heavenly thunder, furious zither strings, ghostly wails — an earth-shattering combined attack fell. Daosheng Heaven’s third mountain collapsed and fell.
…
“It’s over. Things have gotten out of hand,” remarked cultivators from other regions who had yet to leave Daosheng Heaven. Watching one of the three floating mountains crash down, they couldn’t help but look shocked.
“How could it just collapse like that? My goodness… I can’t make out much, but that dragon shadow — could it be the Dragon Lord of Chenzhou?”
“Don’t say that! I’m worried we’ve all seen the Dao Venerable statue on Ten Karma Mountain. I was planning to find excuses to keep my sect uninvolved when I returned, but now I fear there’s no stopping it.”
“What about Daosheng Heaven? The law doesn’t punish the masses. I’ve already contacted the elders from my family to come and take us back. As long as we behave and don’t cause trouble, they shouldn’t hold us accountable.”
“But we haven’t done anything wrong…” The distant explosions from the falling Suspended Mountain continued to echo, shaking everyone to their core. Fortunately, they were far from that mountain. Shortly after the commotion subsided, a group of Nascent Soul cultivators flew toward their location.
“Attention, fellow cultivators who haven’t left Dao Sheng Tian! We’ve discovered fugitives escape. Please remain here for our inspection and pursuit!”
In the uneasy crowd, someone noticed Cloud Nian quietly trying to leave with a group of people. They called out, “Cloud Nian, where are you going?”
Cloud Nian’s gaze briefly swept over a slender figure among the Cloud family disciples behind him. He replied, “Our sect is tainted. The family head ordered me to return to Shen State early to report on Hu Rui’s harm to our fellow disciples.”
The Dao Sheng Tian cultivators noticed the commotion. Since the Mountain-Sea Forbidden Ceremony had ended, they changed their tone: “Young Master Cloud, even if you’re leaving, shouldn’t you bid farewell to the elders of Dao Sheng Tian? Why such haste?”
Shen State’s Confucian cultivators and Dao Sheng Tian had a long-standing friendship. Seeing their suspicion, Cloud Nian tried to appear natural and asked, “I wanted to discuss this with Senior Brother Mo, but I couldn’t reach him through message talismans or messengers. Do you know where he is?”
“Well…” The disciple’s face tightened as he exchanged glances with others nearby. “Young Master Cloud, as you’ve seen, demons are running amok on that Suspended Mountain. He must have gone with the masters to eliminate evil and protect the Dao. How about this: let us inspect your group first. If all is well, you may leave. Agreed?”
At that moment, a dragon-horse carriage bearing Yi State’s emblem stopped nearby. Cloud Nian glanced at its slightly moving curtain and stopped resisting. He allowed the disciples to test everyone with their magical treasures, finding no one in disguise. Their suspicions were dispelled, and they moved on to check the Yi State group.
When they reached the Yi State carriage, the Crown Prince of Yi, embracing a new concubine, complained, “I’ve already bid farewell to High Priest Qing Ge. We’re all family here; surely you don’t need to inspect our carriage?”
The disciples replied, “Please don’t take offense, Young Master Chu Ning. The fugitive is extremely important. The Six State High Priest personally ordered their capture. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
“Hmph, make it quick then.”
As they reached the last carriage, Chu Ning’s consort suddenly whimpered, “Oh, my dear husband, the battle on the nearby Suspended Mountain is making my stomach hurt…”
Another thunderous explosion echoed, but the carriage’s defenses mitigated most of the shockwave. Seeing the Dao Sheng Tian disciples about to force open the carriage, Chu Ning angrily exclaimed, “How dare you! My wife is using the Embryo Nurturing Technique to prepare for pregnancy. If you startle her, I’ll demand an explanation from the High Priest!”
The disciples frowned, hesitating. “But…”
Meng Ying’s plaintive voice came from inside the carriage: “I’ve always known Dao Sheng Tian’s law enforcement to be strict, but we came here as guests. Surely you don’t intend to search even a crown prince’s wife’s private belongings?”
The disciples were at a loss. They couldn’t bully a pregnant woman in broad daylight. After using their magical treasures to detect from outside, they hurriedly moved on.
As Yi State’s dragon-horse carriage flew out of Dao Sheng Tian’s gates, Meng Ying opened the window. She watched the ghostly wails and underworld rivers intertwining on the Suspended Mountain, creating a scene like a split sky. Her face paled.
“What a Dao Sheng Tian,” she muttered, closing the window and turning to Nan Yan, who was meditating inside. “Such a calamity would have turned our entire Yi State into scorched earth. I’ve heard about what happened to Sovereign Nan. However, the Mystic Ruler of Dao Sheng Tian is the most powerful cultivator in the realm, almost a demigod. With such a formidable enemy, I advise you to abandon your vendetta and go into hiding.”
Nan Yan suppressed the Buddhist energy emanating from her bones and replied, “You’re not an outsider, so I won’t hide it from you. Dao Sheng Tian killed my parents and ancestors. I possess something they desperately want. If not for someone helping me escape, I’d surely be dead by now.”
Meng Ying said, “But I thought the Dragon Lord would protect you…”
“Dao Sheng Tian is determined to obtain what I have. My birth mother and I already owe the Dragon Lord too much. Staying in Chen State is only a temporary measure. Besides, Dao Sheng Tian is cunning. Who knows if they’ll stage another bloodbath like in Linglong Capital? I don’t want to trouble the Dragon Lord further.” Nan Yan sighed deeply, worried about Mo Xing Zhi, who had helped her escape. “I was unconscious when I was rescued and woke up in Cloud Nian’s care. Do you know how Mo Xing Zhi is faring?”
“He’s a direct disciple of Dao Sheng Tian. Even if he committed a grave error, his life shouldn’t be in danger.”
Seeing Nan Yan’s furrowed brow, Meng Ying added, “If you’re worried, you can confirm with Cloud Nian once we’re out of Zi State. Those people are close; they likely have each other’s life tokens.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Several hours later, as they approached Zi State’s coastline, Nan Yan’s mood settled. Noticing Meng Ying taking some prenatal medicine, she asked curiously, “I heard earlier that you’re preparing for pregnancy?”
Meng Ying, who had her adventures between mountains and seas, had reached the late Foundation Establishment. She only needed to rest in Yi State to form her Nascent Soul. She smiled and explained, “This is the Embryo Nurturing Technique. Most female cultivators from noble families learn it. It allows the mother to transfer her cultivation essence and even certain physical attributes to the fetus, giving the child extraordinary innate talent. However, it also depletes the mother’s essence, likely preventing her from reaching the Transcendent realm.”
Nan Yan was shocked. “Isn’t that terrible for you?”
Meng Ying burst into laughter. “Do I seem that selfless? I secretly obtained an Embryo Fruit in Chen State. After forming my Nascent Soul, I can pretend to be pregnant while cultivating, tricking them into giving me more precious resources.”
“That doesn’t seem sustainable,” Nan Yan commented.
Meng Ying shrugged, unconcerned. “I’ve never believed anything in this cultivation world is truly reliable or lasting. Whether it’s your sect, your companions, or your partner, everything can vanish in an instant. Take Dao Sheng Tian, for example. Who could have imagined that such a lofty power could be brought down one day?”
Suddenly, the carriage jerked to a halt, interrupting their conversation. An overwhelmingly powerful divine sense pressed down like the weight of heaven.
“Stop right there.”
Nan Yan’s face tightened. She recognized the voice of the Six State High Priest.
“The Mystic Ruler is occupied and has ordered me to capture the fugitives. Young Master Chu Ning, you’ve always been reasonable. Surely you wouldn’t harbor criminals?”