Chapter 196

Chapter 196: Dividing the qi into three purity

"Boundless Celestial Lord."

Duobao Daoist clasped his hands together, his eyes calm and unmoved. "It has been far too long since these old bones moved. Today will finally shake off the stiffness."

"Very well. Let me see what you’re truly capable of."

Clang!

Emperor Venerable Yama gripped his spear and charged toward Duobao Daoist.

He invoked his mana, unleashing the fury of the Great Dao of Slaughter. The killing aura surged violently. Yet the Jianmu divine tree’s rules suppressed the power of the Great Dao, limiting him to only thirty percent of his strength.

The stronger one’s cultivation, the more severe the suppression.

Even so, Emperor Venerable Yama’s might remained terrifying. A single strike trembled the void itself, his spear aimed directly at Duobao Daoist.

"Not a single one of these four masters is easily dealt with," Lin Qianmo said solemnly.

Here upon the Jianmu divine tree, enshrouded by its rules, the mere fact that Emperor Venerable Yama could shake the void proved his exceptional prowess.

"I stand behind you."

Duobao Daoist spoke the words unhurriedly, his voice a low murmur.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, Duobao Daoist vanished from sight. A moment later, his form slowly materialized behind Emperor Venerable Yama, effortlessly evading the strike.

Words becoming law!

Lin Qianmo had witnessed the terrifying potency of this power back in Returning to the Ruins. Suppressed here as it was, it remained uncannily formidable, impossible to defend against.

Indeed, Emperor Venerable Yama’s blow struck nothing but air. In that instant of vulnerability, Duobao Daoist closed the distance.

Shhhhk!

Duobao Daoist wielded his imitation of the Human Emperor’s brush. Its silvery tip, sharp as iron, carved three long gashes across Emperor Venerable Yama’s flesh. Threads of karmic fortune energy intertwined, sealing several of the Emperor’s vital acupoints.

"Fortune energy?" Shock struck Emperor Venerable Yama’s heart. His sealed acupoints resisted unsealing, bound by fortunes.

"Dao brother Yama, need assistance?" Emperor Venerable Miao Fa laughed.

"Cease wasting time. End this quickly," urged Emperor Venerable Zi Zai.

Emperor Venerable Yama’s face darkened.

"This Sovereign alone suffices!"

Whether this foe hailed from the Immortal Realm or not, Emperor Venerable Yama possessed the utmost confidence in subduing a mere Duobao Daoist.

"Domain of the Six Paths!"

Emperor Venerable Yama cycled his profound cultivation. His domain of the Great Dao unfolded upon the Jianmu divine tree. An illusion of a bloody purgatory appeared, its pathways of the Hell Dao interweaving, crushing ten thousand demons and ghosts.

BOOM!

Emperor Venerable Yama thrust his palm down. The void itself froze under his dominion. The power of Duobao Daoist’s words becoming law utterly failed this time, pinning him helplessly where he stood.

"Truly wondrous, the domain of the Great Dao," Ye Xu murmured in admiration.

"Naturally so," Great Emperor Ziwei responded. "When a domain of the Great Dao unfolds, it creates a world unto its own. Emperor Venerable Yama becomes its Sovereign of the World. His Great Dao dictates its rules."

Although suppressed by the Jianmu divine tree, Duobao Daoist’s ability to have words become reality was more than sufficiently restrained.

"If Duobao Daoist doesn’t possess other means, this game is truly over," declared Ye Xu.

"But there’s still a show to behold."

Duobao Daoist had many skills at his disposal.

"Dividing the qi into three purity!"

He activated the Book of All Mysteries, releasing an aura so profound and mystical it bordered on the unfathomable. From his body emerged a white-robed scholar and a monk in tattered robes.

The white-robed scholar wielded the Human Emperor’s brush, the old monk held a wooden box, and Duobao Daoist himself gripped a ghost-faced pottery jar.

"One qi transforming three purity?"

Dao King’s lips curved into a near-smile.

Dividing the qi into three purity was a supreme grand technique, each incarnation possessing combat power not inferior to the original body, a marvel of profound art.

This technique alone could rank as the ultimate heritage of a top-tier sect.

Boom!

The white-robed scholar channeled the Human Emperor’s brush. Condensed spiritual energy manifested as the character for "人" (human). The majestic destiny of humanity surged forth; from the brush emerged the silhouettes of countless figures, pioneers and sages who had channeled the destiny of humans throughout the ages, stepping into that single character.

Though faint, they held a trace of their ancient power.

The old monk chanted Buddhist scriptures. As the wooden box opened, a golden Buddha’s relic emitted a blinding radiance, materializing a golden Buddha in the void whose chants echoed across heaven and earth.

Duobao Daoist empowered the ghost-faced jar. A immortal descended from within.

This was the essence of an immortal, awakened by him, traversing time from the past to the present to unleash a world-shaking strike.

These three treasures were extraordinary, all obtained by Duobao Daoist within the Return to the Ruins tidal surge.

Rumble!

Emperor Venerable Yama’s Six Paths Giant Palm descended. The Great Path of Hell crushed the "人" character first. The Human Emperor’s brush held by the white-robed scholar shattered instantly.

Next was the golden Buddha, utterly pulverized.

The immortal projection blazed with ultimate brilliance, palm meeting palm with Emperor Venerable Yama.

Boom!

The Six Paths domain was ripped asunder. Emperor Venerable Yama staggered back several steps. The white-robed scholar and old monk dissipated into wisps of smoke, returning to Duobao Daoist’s original body.

Glimmering veins appeared across Duobao Daoist’s form.

At his thought, Immortal spirit liquid merged into his flesh, mending the injuries in an instant.

Swoosh!

Duobao Daoist flashed forward, ten fingers weaving seals.

"Is he summoning the Gate of All Mysteries?"

Dao King’s gaze locked fiercely on Duobao Daoist’s movements. His arcane energy circulated, primed to seize the profound secrets of the Gate of All Mysteries.

No memory was more vivid than the arcana of that celestial gate.

"Ten Thousand Laws Seal!"

But Duobao Daoist disappointed Dao King. He did not summon the Gate of All Mysteries but activated a great divine ability. He melted ten thousand laws into one furnace and condensed them into a single seal.

At that moment, Duobao Daoist traversed through space and time and blasted a palm strike towards Emperor Venerable Yama.

"Hmm?"

Emperor Venerable Yama looked shocked.

Duobao Daoist completely disregarded the Six Paths Domain like it was nothing.

"What the hell!"

Emperor Venerable Zi Zai lost his composure again and cursed, "Could this old geezer be about to turn the tables?"

"That’s not so certain."

Emperor Venerable Miao Fa said with gleeful satisfaction.

"Don’t forget, he has a Slaying Immortal Gourd in his hand," the Palace Master of the Holy Mother Palace solemnly stated.

Boom!

The Ten Thousand Laws Seal descended. Emperor Venerable Yama pulled out the Slaying Immortal Gourd without hesitation.

The gourd mouth opened.

A wisp of sword light slashed out.

It instantly annihilated the Ten Thousand Laws Seal.

The Slaying Immortal Sword aura cut down.

Duobao Daoist turned to dust.

It seemed he didn’t even have time to scream.

"Is Duobao Daoist dead?" Lin Qianmo widened her eyes.

The process was too quick and also too strange.

From start to finish, Duobao Daoist acted like he was willingly courting death.

Knowing full well that Emperor Venerable Yama held the Slaying Immortal Gourd.

Yet he still attacked Emperor Venerable Yama on his own.

Ye Xu narrowed his eyes.

Intuition told him that Duobao Daoist wasn’t dead.

"Emperor Venerable Yama, did you kill him?"

The Supreme Ancestor of the Holy Ancestor Dynasty suppressed his rage and spoke coldly, "Then who will tell us the secrets of the Immortal Realm?"

Emperor Venerable Hama also looked utterly bewildered.

He was well aware of the Slaying Immortal Gourd’s power.

Given Duobao Daoist’s strength, he couldn’t possibly withstand that strike.

So Duobao Daoist’s death was within expectations.

But this was a major figure from the Immortal Realm.

Could he have just casually perished like that?

Emperor Venerable Mi Luo also looked stupefied.

He stood there dazedly.

He was still pondering whether to intervene.

But the man was already gone.

"Dao King, what do you think of this?" Su Miao Zhen looked straight at Dao King.

Dao King laughed and said, "My grand-teacher’s master is probably an expert in escape techniques. He should still be alive and simply hiding."

"Don’t forget, his concealment skills are so good that even you couldn’t detect them."

Su Miao Zhen nodded lightly.

If Duobao Daoist truly wanted to hide, she really couldn’t find him.

But how did Duobao Daoist dodge that attack just now?

That was the Slaying Immortal Gourd. Although suppressed by the rules of the Jianmu divine tree, even a cultivator who had merely reached the early stage of Emperor Venerable couldn’t possibly withstand it.

After Dao King offered his take, everyone else also leaned toward Duobao Daoist remaining alive.

However, the vastness of Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest made finding the cunning old man several times harder than searching for a needle in the ocean.

"Delaying for someone whose fate is unknown is unnecessary," solemnly declared White-browed Buddha.

"This humble monk departs first."

He was already burning with impatience to attain Buddhahood.

Monks from The Little West Heaven Temple promptly followed as White-browed Buddha departed.

Dao King passed his gaze over Ye Xu and the others, his lips curling into a peculiar smile.

"Brother, why do I feel like he’s preparing to strike us?" Great Emperor Ziwei shuddered, having fully grasped Dao King’s ruthless methods today.

Ye Xu remained unconcerned.

"He who does evil will meet his doom," Ye Xu remarked lightly. "Di Wuyou’s death approaches."

Lin Qianmo looked at him, surprised.

"Daoist Friend Ye, Dao King stands as the strongest beneath true immortals. Beyond the Creation Spiritual Embryo of Junior Brother Nan Gong, no one could likely slay him."

"Even Su Miao Zhen, at most, would be evenly matched with him."

Lin Qianmo’s estimation of Dao King was exceptionally high. Though Emperor Venerable Mi Luo and Emperor Venerable Yama were ranked alongside Dao King, Lin Qianmo judged that they likely were no match for him.

"Moreover, I have this constant feeling that Dao King possesses some understanding of the Immortal Realm," Lin Qianmo murmured to herself.

The conversation they had at the Hidden Dragon Gathering remained vivid in her memory.

It was the first time since leaving the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion that she sensed danger lurking.

Ye Xu gave a knowing smile but remained silent.

Of course, Dao King had ties to the Immortal Realm.

It was only because his cunning was unmatched that he had excised those specific memories.

One must know crafting a Reincarnation Lock was a technique understood only by Immortal Realm experts like Lin Qianmo and Duobao Daoist. Dao King’s knowledge of its method could only have been passed down from the Immortal Realm itself.

Hence, Dao King never entertained the notion of secretly breaching its borders.

"Heaven would destroy someone, first making him wild with hubris," Ye Xu chuckled. "Just you wait and see."

Lin Qianmo grew increasingly puzzled.

"We must hurry and follow them," Great Emperor Ziwei urged.

…

Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest, Sea of the Universe.

A figure stumbled down from the void, barely escaping a fall into one of the shimmering universe bubbles.

It was Duobao Daoist.

He was gravely wounded. His Purple Palace was fractured, his body a lattice of wounds. The Slaying Immortal sword intent gnawed incessantly at his life force, its effects horrifying.

"That blasted gourd, absurdly potent," Duobao Daoist fumed regretfully. "If only I’d used some means back then to seize one. Sparing me this futile wound."

Struck by the sword, he indeed had been.

To be precise, the blow annihilated one of his Dao bodies, sparing his true form.

Yet, the destruction of the projection allowed the Slaying Immortal sword intent to reach his essence, inflicting critical damage and forcing his frantic retreat.

Despite his arsenal of supreme arts, his sheer power remained insufficient to parry that single, deadly stroke.

Without the Book of All Mysteries, he would’ve kicked the bucket long ago.

"Since I now know the origin of Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest, lingering serves no purpose," Duobao Daoist decided, settling into meditation. He activated the Book of All Mysteries to suppress the persistent Slaying Immortal sword intent.

His goal wasn’t the Immortal Realm; it was the treasures.

But the objects within the Origin Palace were not meant for just anyone to seize.

All that the human ancestor had left there was predestined.

An hour later, his injuries slightly eased, allowing him a fraction of his strength to return. He casually scooped an entire universe bubble into his Purple Palace before soaring toward the exit of Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest.