Chapter 312: The Reason for Seizing Hun Tian Yi

Taishang Dao Sect.

Xuan, whose form was ethereal and nearly nonexistent, held in hand a strange entity impossible to discern in shape yet glaringly present in the perception of every living being.

Connected to heaven and earth, originating from the cosmos, linked to the world—

Hun Tian Yi!

Not an incarnation descended to the mortal realm, but Hun Tian Yi itself, truly and utterly.

Xuan held Hun Tian Yi, and still possessed the strength for one final strike.

At this moment, Seeing Hong Zun had also been expelled beyond the realm; all He needed was to bring down that single strike, and even with countless immortals blocking Him, not a single disciple of Taishang Dao Sect would survive.

But He did not strike.

Until that crimson sword light slashed toward Him, leaving no escape, no retreat, sealing off every possible path.

Xuan finally smiled: "I have won this gambit. What do you think, Xiang Jianzong?"

Now that this sword had been unleashed, even if Xiang Jianzong did not return to his origin, he could not come back for a long while after being cast out of Taixuan Realm.

"Of course you have won."

Xu Xing's voice arrived with that crimson sword light.

Xuan had taken the initiative in his planning; all I did was react passively—naturally, I lost.

Zhum zhum zhum~!

The void rippled, sending out concentric waves of vibration.

Endless crimson light engulfed the sky above Taishang Dao Sect; the already exhausted Xuan was shattered by this sword light, instantly dissolving along with Hun Tian Yi in his grasp, vanishing without a trace.

After unleashing that sword strike, Xu Xing could no longer resist the realm's repelling force, and swiftly plummeted toward Qing Xu.

The crimson sword light that annihilated Xuan did not vanish—it split apart.

One portion remained at Taishang Dao Sect, one headed toward Xiang Jianzong.

The remaining Five Great Immortal Sects each received one fragment of the split sword light.

"I beg all fellow Daoists to watch over the younger disciples of Taishang Dao Sect and Xiang Jianzong."

"Brother, rest assured."

By this point, even the immortals could do nothing.

In an instant, under the combined force of repulsion and the Dao Anchor's pull, Xu Xing arrived above Qing Xu.

He saw his disciple.

Lin Ji, his seventh disciple, had broken free from the influence of the Tai Xu Sword Scripture and created the Seven Emotions Sword Scripture.

Now the Master of the Seven Emotions Sword.

He had not yet met him since his recent emergence from seclusion; he never imagined their reunion would come under such circumstances.

"Do not worry—you've done well. Protect the sect until I return."

Lin Ji stood frozen.

Before he could respond, Xu Xing had already plunged into the swirling crimson mist, falling beyond the realm and vanishing.

A purple glow flickered dimly within the mist, growing ever weaker, like a heart about to cease beating.

After several flickers, the purple glow finally extinguished.

Thick mist churned, as if nothing had ever happened…

Soon, a piercing scream echoed across Qing Xu, the mist sea roiling for a long time before calming.

…

…

Beyond the realm.

After leaving Taixuan Realm.

The repelling force had not lessened; instead, the Dao Anchor's pull grew ever stronger.

The Eternal Radiance shone down upon him, within which the principles of the Dao intertwined, spanning past and present, cause and effect, fate, and all things! This was the light of Taixuan Realm.

He had once incarnated beyond the realm, but never before had he perceived it so directly as now.

After leaving the tightly structured environment of the realm, Xu Xing's terrifying scale instantly manifested.

He became boundless, immeasurably majestic! Chaotic energy spontaneously coiled around him; countless miniature worlds took shape in a fraction of an instant, continuously evolving and forming.

Heaven Sword Realm, Dao Sword Realm, Derivative Sword Realm…

Aside from the Dao Anchor's pull, from countless worlds as numerous as sands, sword Dao radiance intertwined and rose, converging upon him to form a halo behind him that contained immeasurable sword Dao.

Revered by all realms, Ancestor of the Sword Dao! Xu Xing: "..."

Yet aside from showing off, this was useless—he still could not resist the terrifying repulsion from Taixuan Realm itself.

But faintly, he sensed the whereabouts of his senior sister, Xiang Yuanjun, and Seeing Hong Zun.

They were farther away.

His senior sister and Xiang Yuanjun were closer; Seeing Hong Zun was farther still.

A mysterious, metaphysical connection allowed him to perceive their locations at any moment.

After all, in this "farewell" from Taixuan Realm, they were all his "gifts," given to repay his debt.

His senior sister and Xiang Yuanjun were understandable—but why was Seeing Hong Zun also…?

Amid these thoughts, his entire being had already "fallen" from infinite heights, crashing into the boundless, endless chaotic sea.

Boom!

As if a thousand-jin boulder had struck a small pond, chaotic energy surged like colossal waves.

Countless worlds collided or were flung far away!

Yet each bore a trace of crimson light, shielding them from harm.

Although unable to resist the terrifying repulsive force originating from the Xuan Realm, safeguarding these small worlds was still within his capability.

Xu Xing himself continued to be pushed farther away, and even his sword intentions, previously scattered across several Return-to-Void-level worlds, were not spared—they were forcibly purged and swept away by the terrifying repulsive force!

The eternal, solitary Chaos Sea now churned with unceasing storms, waves surging without pause.

Moreover, apart from his own trail, there were signs of ongoing turbulent waves nearby, and the protective forces entwined around the many worlds floating and sinking within the Chaos Sea.

If nothing unexpected occurred, those must have been left behind by Bie Xuening, Xiang Yuanjun, and Seeing Hong Zun when they were previously expelled from the realm.

Xu Xing gazed at the infinite heights, where the Tai Xuan Tian grew ever more distant from him.

No, he must find a way to end this! He would never willingly give up resistance and be "sent" back! Tai Xuan Tian must have some scheme, and if no one suppressed the remaining Hun Tian Yi, it would gradually dissipate…

The "Heaven" would not revive because of this, but if one wished to extract it again, it would become far more difficult. The longer it dragged on, the worse the situation would become!

Yet thinking about it was one thing; acting upon it was another entirely.

At present, all his abilities were suppressed by the terrifying repulsive force of the Tai Xuan Tian—he could not move at all, let alone alter the situation.

Just as Xu Xing strained his mind to break the deadlock, a faint call reached his ear.

"Brother Dao, can you hear me?"

It was Seeing Hong Zun.

Huh? Why would it be Seeing Hong Zun? …………

Tai Xuan Tian.

Within the vast, ancient, ever-expanding domain of the past.

Ancient Tai Xuan Tian.

The sky was dark and heavy, with ceaseless drizzle falling, blanketing every corner of this strange world.

Within it, the Cang race occasionally looked up toward the very center of heaven and earth, where an immense hall seemed forged from infinite eons, their eyes filled with worry.

This world, existing within the domain of the past, was rooted in the Ancient One who had merged with the past.

Now, in his weakened state, the world itself was shrouded in gloom, with not a trace of light visible.

And within the hall at this moment.

Endless seven-colored radiance flowed continuously toward the solemn, heavy black Wang Zuo, upon which sat a towering divine figure in meditative rest.

Before the Wang Zuo.

On a ground resembling a profound, mysterious star-river, dozens of Cang race members with exquisitely perfect faces and profound qi already reaching Dongzhen sat in silent meditation.

Suddenly, one of the Dongzhen Cang opened his eyes, and a flicker of alarm surged within his seven-colored, crystal-like gaze.

His chaotic qi was immediately sensed by the surrounding Dongzhen Cang, who all opened their eyes and turned toward him.

But before they could ask, the Cang's eyes darkened with a tinge of purple, and in an instant, his colorful crystal eyes transformed into a pair of luminous purple orbs, like polished amethyst.

His exquisitely perfect face grew indistinct and blurred.

His entire aura surged rapidly upward, effortlessly surpassing the Dongzhen limit and reaching a level beyond the comprehension of the other Dongzhen Cang.

Such commotion could not escape the notice of the towering divine figure upon the black Wang Zuo.

He immediately opened his eyes and gazed downward.

"Xuan?"

The many Dongzhen Cang now realized and quickly rose, bowing respectfully.

"We pay homage to Ancestor Xuan!"

They felt both relief that Ancestor Xuan had not chosen them, and regret that they had entertained such thoughts at all.

"All of you, leave." Xuan waved his hand.

"Yes!"

The many Cang dared not defy Xuan's command and immediately hurried out.

Once all the Dongzhen Cang had departed.

Gu rose from the Wang Zuo, descended the steps, and approached Xuan.

"You're dead?"

"Mm."

"With your power, was it the Xiang Jianzong?"

"All the human immortals participated. I offered no resistance, so death was inevitable." Xuan spoke calmly.

Huh? "You crossed the boundary—or did the human immortals abandon their suppression of Hun Tian Yi?"

These two questions held no value in answering.

"I arranged countless realms beyond the boundary, using the shared nature of the 'outer-world humans' to form a Guiyuan Dao anchor, then stole the authority of the Tai Xuan Tian to send away the Xiang Jianzong, Sword Venerable, Xiang Yuanjun, and Seeing Hong Zun." Xuan directly spoke of his scheme.

Gu frowned.

For some reason, he felt he had just been discriminated against by Xuan again…

"Then I entered the Central Continent and, through one 'death,' seized five-tenths of the Hun Tian Yi guarded by the Xiang Jianzong and six-tenths of the Hun Tian Yi guarded by the Tai Shang Dao Sect."

"So that is how it was."

So this was Xuan's scheme…

"How long will it take you to recover this time?" Gu asked.

As long as the Cang do not perish, Xuan cannot die.

So long as the Cang race still exists, Xuan may be reborn through their bodies.

Of course, such supreme power came at a cost.

Once a half-step beyond Transcendence, Dao-Embracing cultivator, Xuan's aura had now withered to its absolute nadir—merely equivalent to a newly awakened Dao-seeker, weaker than even any ordinary Dao-Embracing cultivator.

In other words, any single human immortal surpassed him!

If he died again, he would likely plummet straight to Dongzhen.

It won't take long; before the Xiang Jianzong returns, I should restore myself fully.

That's good.

Gu nodded slightly and immediately asked: "When shall we begin preparing for the return of 'Hun Tian Yi'?"

"..." Xuan fell silent for a long while. "Why must we welcome 'Hun Tian Yi' back?"

He suddenly felt weary.

Had he not explained clearly enough last time?

Upon hearing this, Gu paused in surprise.

"Then what use is it to seize the 'Hun Tian Yi' guarded by the Xian Sect?"

"..." This time, Xuan decided to explain more carefully. "Do you know why my Cang Clan cannot ascend to the Dao-attaining realm?"

Gu naturally knew: "Though the human race is born weak, they comprehend the Dao, cultivate to perfection, then awaken the Ultimate Dao, and can knock upon the Immortal Gate—once successful, they transcend into Dao-attaining immortals."

This is the human race's method of attaining Dao, created by Seeing Hong Zun, the former Heavenly General under 'Hun Tian Yi' and now the Dao-attaining Immortal of humanity. "Yet my Cang Clan's sons struggle to awaken the Ultimate Dao, and have no Immortal Gate to knock upon."

This is why, apart from the original Four Ancestors, not a single member of the Cang Clan has ever reached the Realm of Profound Truth.

"Precisely." Xuan opened his palm, and an invisible, weighty substance hovered above it. "After eons of contemplation since the dawn of transcendent Dao, I have finally devised a method for the Cang Clan to attain Dao—the 'Build the Immortal Gate' method."