Chapter 581: To Acknowledge the Sword Ancestor as Master?

Outside the perimeter of the Qianyang Dao Palace.

Xu Xing walked at a leisurely pace, with figures in gold-and-white Dao robes passing by his side from time to time, or streaks of escape-light sweeping across the horizon.

Their cultivations varied—some at Golden Core or Nascent Soul, others at Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment.

Most cultivated the 【Qianyang】 lineage founded by Xiyun, or other Yang-attribute Dao lineages; the auras within their bodies were sometimes fierce and scorching, sometimes gentle and mild—each one different.

Streams of Yang-attribute aura rose and surged upward, merging with the protective formations laid down by the Qianyang Dao Palace, forming a special Yang-attribute domain that pressed down across ten thousand li.

Looking up, one could faintly see rings of pale-golden law-arcs composed of flowing runes—eighteen layers in total, inside and out.

The closer to the inner side, the more intricate they became.

Where the law-arcs shone, demons and evils found it hard to approach, and no specters arose.

Even cultivators of Yin-attribute Dao lineages would suffer a certain degree of suppression.

And within the domain, a will—magnificent, upright, scorching like the sun—was omnipresent, permeating every inch of empty space.

Scorching, wild, inspiring awe in the heart.

Although influenced by the lingering radiance of Xi's Dao charm, he himself has still gained some new insights.

Though Xi's pure Dao charm also belonged to the 'Ultimate Yang,' it leaned more toward 'Protection' and 'Evil-Expulsion.'

By contrast, the 【Qianyang】 lineage founded by Xiyun now leaned more toward 'Attack' and 'Clarity of Heart.'

If he truly wishes to continue down this path, it may be harder than for others, but breaking free from the lingering radiance of Xi's Dao charm is not impossible.

Precisely because of this, Xu Xing laid out the pros and cons and let him choose for himself, rather than giving direct advice.

Before long, he arrived outside the Qianyang Dao Palace and looked up toward the distant city.

Escape-lights came and went, and the streets teemed with an endless stream of people.

In the final battle between the human race and the Beast God race of the Earth Immortal Realm, the humans suffered considerable losses, and many cities were still in the rebuilding stage.

But the Qianyang Dao Palace was now one of the greatest powers in the Earth Immortal Realm, so the surrounding cities had not suffered overly severe damage.

"Just an incarnation…" Xu Xing sighed softly.

Previously, Xuan's incarnation had come to this world to lay out a plan, leaving behind the 'Daoshi' lineage.

Though its fundamental purpose was to create the 'Origin-Returning Dao Anchor,' it also casually placed a spare chess piece.

His Sword-Intent Spirit Body intercepted the vast majority of Xuan's influence at the first instant, but it was ultimately too hasty, and some still remained.

And as Xuan's master in this world—

Xiyun was inevitably affected.

This was also the reason why, one hundred and thirteen years ago, Xiyun and the other Return-to-Void cultivators of this world erupted into conflict.

Otherwise, even with disagreements and the Beast God race's meddling, it would not have escalated to outright blows that even shattered the Inheritor's Sacred Ground.

At that time, Xu Xing was still repelled by the Grand Mystery Realm and unable to return from the Grand Peace Realm, so naturally he could not intervene.

It was only after returning and re-dispatching the Sword-Intent Spirit Body that the lingering influence was finally completely purged…

Suddenly!

Xu Xing paused, drew his gaze back from the distant city, and turned to look behind him.

"Have you decided."

He saw the eighteen faintly visible law-arcs above the Qianyang Dao Palace tremble in unison, erupting with immeasurable radiant light.

Buzz—!

Layer upon layer of tangible, sacred golden radiance spread outward, like golden waves pouring down from the high heavens.

Everyone within the Qianyang Dao Palace looked up, witnessing this wondrous and magnificent sacred scene.

Following it, a vast voice reached every corner of the Qianyang Dao Palace.

"I shall enter closed-door cultivation to comprehend the mysteries of Merging with the Dao. The position of Palace Master of the Qianyang Dao Palace shall be passed to Vice Palace Master Hongjing."

After that simple sentence, the sacred golden radiance pouring down cascaded toward the eight extremes, transforming into dense Yang-attribute spiritual energy that permeated every corner of the Qianyang Dao Palace.

The eighteen law-arcs high above shone brilliantly, exceptionally resplendent.

The entire Qianyang Dao Palace first fell utterly silent…

Crash!

Then suddenly erupted into an uproar.

The mysteries of Merging with the Dao?

Is the Palace Master finally going to break through Return-to-Void and advance to Merging with the Dao?!

The magnificent will permeating every corner of the Qianyang Dao Palace's void rapidly contracted, falling back to the deepest part of the Qianyang Dao Palace.

The blazing fireball then sealed itself shut, no longer leaking the slightest trace of aura, as within it a subtle and strange transformation quietly took shape.

Seeing this, Xu Xing merely shook his head and smiled.

"In the end, you still chose to accept."

Whether abandoning and starting over, or accepting and choosing to Merge with the Dao—both require tremendous courage.

Xiyun choosing to directly advance to Merging with the Dao did not surprise him.

Even though he had laid out the pros and cons clearly.

But for Xiyun, the 【Qianyang】 Dao lineage was the one he had cultivated his whole life, a lineage he had exhausted his heart's blood to forge.

Abandon it and start over?

In his view, that would be more like a denial of his own past.

But then again…

Come to think of it, it's quite interesting.

Before, when he didn't yet know what had happened to him, only vaguely sensing something amiss, he feared that pressing forward rashly would affect his future cultivation, so he hesitated.

Yet after learning everything, he still chose this path that would affect his future cultivation.

Sometimes, a person's fear of the unknown far outweighs the cost.

"It seems it won't be him." Xu Xing withdrew his gaze.

Once Dao Merging begins, it cannot be stopped.

Apart from a very few cultivators like Yuan, Dao Merging is always a long and dangerous process.

Moreover, Xiyun's situation is rather special.

The reason he has a chance at Dao Merging is entirely because of the lingering radiance of Xi's Dao essence.

If he follows the proper steps, the hope of successfully completing Dao Merging would be relatively greater, but if he wants to forge his own Dao, then it won't be simple.

"Then... let's begin about now."

Xu Xing stepped forward once more, and his figure vanished along with it.

Not long after he left the Qianyang Dao Palace.

A sudden blaze of light erupted in the high heavens.

Rolling golden clouds surged, spreading continuously across the entire sky of the Earth Immortal Realm.

Ten thousand crimson rainbows rolled in their countless streams; ten thousand auspicious breaths exhaled mist and glow.

A grand, resonant Dao-sound echoed from the depths of the world.

Every living being within the realm felt as if a torrent of enlightenment had been poured over their heads, as if they had swallowed hundreds of thousands of Grand Creation Pills—spiritual thoughts surged, their Dharma power swelled, and their spirits grew crystal clear!

The grandeur of its momentum far surpassed the earlier simultaneous trembling of the eighteen layers of Dharma-rings in the high heavens above Qianyang Dao Palace.

What followed was a vast voice that resounded through heaven and earth, clearly heard by every one of the realm's countless myriad living beings

"Today, the Ascension Platform is established. Having attained the Return-to-Emptiness Realm, and accumulating three thousand more external deeds, one's merit shall be complete, and one may ascend to the 'Immortal Realm' to seek the Great Dao once more."

Deploying an Ascension Platform—something like this, however you put it, has been done so many times before.

Doing it once more now comes quite naturally.

Because before deploying the Ascension Platform, Xu Xing had given the Earth Immortal Realm some more benefits, so the Earth Immortal Realm cooperated perfectly, spontaneously manifesting all manner of extraordinary phenomena.

As a Dongzhen Greater Realm, its foundations were naturally extraordinary.

The manifested phenomena were not only resplendently magnificent and grand in bearing, but also carried all manner of profound wonders, with boundless creation.

The earlier flashy but empty spectacles of the Floating Glaze Realm simply could not compare.

All living beings of the Earth Immortal Realm were utterly shaken.

And the disciples of Qianyang Dao Palace especially raised their heads to gaze at the sky, their eyes vacant and fixed.

Today...

What is going on?

……

……

At the same time, the Grand Mystic Realm.