Chapter 261

The seven seas and twenty-eight realms.

Translation: "Seven Seas Twenty-eight Realms." Keep period.

The azure realm beyond the sea.

Translation: "Departing Sea Azure Blue Realm." Keep period.

A small boat moved on its own without wind, sailing into a sea area where clouds and mist surged.

A small boat moved without wind, sailing into a sea area where clouds and mist surged.

On the boat stood a handsome Taoist with disheveled hair, wearing a green robe.

On the boat stood a handsome Taoist with disheveled hair, wearing a green robe.

At this moment, he carefully examined the seemingly empty sea ahead, while deep in his eyes reflected a mysterious island as vast as the primordial wilderness.

At this moment, he carefully examined the seemingly empty sea ahead, while deep in his eyes reflected a mysterious island as vast as the primordial wilderness.

Just then, a haze fell over heaven and earth, and suddenly a spacetime river with no beginning or end appeared around the handsome Taoist, carrying the sense of ancient eternity.

Just then, a haze fell over heaven and earth, and suddenly a spacetime river with no beginning or end appeared around the handsome Taoist, carrying the sense of ancient eternity.

And in the upper reaches of that spacetime river, a vague, inexplicable mark appeared, linked to the handsome Taoist's aura, allowing his form to instantly penetrate the past, absorb the mark, and make it part of himself.

And in the upper reaches of that spacetime river, a vague, inexplicable mark appeared, linked to the handsome Taoist's aura, allowing his form to instantly penetrate the past, absorb the mark, and make it part of himself.

In a daze, the handsome Taoist's vital energy underwent a strange change, as if he existed simultaneously in past and present.

In a daze, the handsome Taoist's vital energy underwent a strange change, as if he existed simultaneously in past and present.

"First penetrate past and future, then use this to reach the other shore; that's actually not a bad path."

Translation: "\"First penetrate past and future, then use this to reach the other shore—this is actually not a bad path. \"" Need to keep quotes and punctuation. Chinese line includes Chinese quotation marks 「」. We'll keep English quotes. So: "\"First penetrate past and future, then use this to reach the other shore—this is actually not a bad path. \"" Note the Chinese uses fullwidth quotes; we can use regular English quotes. Keep the internal punctuation: Chinese uses ， and 。 but we can translate to English punctuation. The line ends with a closing 「」 and no period after? Actually line ends with 「」 and then line break. We'll output the translation as a single line with the quotes.

"However, this was originally the road opened by Qingdi; it still needs to be changed a bit."

"However, this was originally the road opened by Qingdi; it still needs to be changed a bit."

A low voice sounded, and in the handsome Taoist's eyes the river of time flowed, reflecting scenes containing different figures at different time points.

A low voice sounded, and in the handsome Taoist's eyes the river of time flowed, reflecting scenes containing different figures at different time points.

After a moment, the images in his eyes faded, and he once again looked toward the boundless sea ahead.

Translation: "After a while, the images in his eyes vanished, and he once again gazed toward the boundless sea." Period.

"The flesh and blood of Donghuang Taiyi on Golden Turtle Island."

"The flesh and blood of Donghuang Taiyi on Golden Turtle Island."

Saying this, the handsome Taoist waved his hand; a divine light filled with the vitality of azure wood and the power of time enveloped heaven and earth, the mist ahead instantly dissipated, and an ancient island appeared out of nowhere upon the boundless sea.

Saying this, the handsome Taoist waved his hand; a divine light filled with the vitality of azure wood and the power of time enveloped heaven and earth, the mist ahead instantly dissipated, and an ancient island appeared out of nowhere upon the boundless sea.

Note that the term means 'azure wood'; the phrase means 'vitality of azure wood'. Therefore the divine light is filled with the vitality of azure wood and the power of time.

The island seemed to form its own realm; whether heavenly laws or natural environment, everything was completely different from the present realm.

Translation: "On the island, it seemed to form its own world; whether heavenly laws or natural environment, everything was completely different from the present realm." Period.

Golden Crow, Golden-winged Great Peng, True Dragon, Immortal Phoenix, Candle Nine Yin.

Translation: "Golden Crow, Golden-winged Great Peng, True Dragon, Immortal Phoenix, Candle Nine Yin." No period? The line ends with no punctuation. We'll keep as is: "Golden Crow, Golden-winged Great Peng, True Dragon, Immortal Phoenix, Candle Nine Yin". No period.

Various immortal birds and divine beasts that had long been extinct in the real realm galloped across the island, as if returning to the primordial wilderness era.

Translation: "All manner of divine beasts and immortal birds long extinct in the mortal realm roamed the island, as if returning to the primordial wilderness." Period.

And in various places on the island stood ancient buildings adorned with the totem of the mysterious bird, carrying a hint of the primitive style of ancient peoples.

Translation: "And in various places on the island stood ancient buildings adorned with black bird totems, carrying a hint of the primitive style of ancient ancestors." Period.

The Mandate of the Mysterious Bird; descending, it gave birth to Shang!

Translation: "Heaven's Mandate Dark Bird, descend and give birth to the Shang!" Keep exclamation.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

A cold shout rang out, and a figure emanating powerful aura rose from a magnificent tall building that stretched into the starry sky, as if one could pluck stars by reaching out.

Translation: "A cold shout rang out, and a figure emanating powerful aura rose from a splendid high tower that stretched into the starry sky, as if one could pluck stars by reaching out." Period.

She was an extremely beautiful woman, bewitching beyond compare, her beauty heavenly born, radiating the most dazzling light.

Translation: "She was an extremely beautiful woman, her charm unmatched, her complexion heavenly natural, radiating the most dazzling brilliance." Period.

However, before her words even finished, the woman suddenly stiffened in midair, her face filled with shock as she gazed at the handsome Taoist ahead.

Translation: "However, before her words faded, the woman stiffened in midair, her face full of shock as she gazed at the handsome Taoist ahead." Period.

Upon sensing the vast aura within the handsome Taoist's body, the stunning woman's anger vanished instantly, her expression becoming unusually respectful as she hastily bowed.

Translation: "Sensing the vast aura within the handsome Taoist's body, the beautiful woman's anger vanished instantly, her expression becoming unusually respectful as she hastily bowed." Period.

"Junior Su Daji, I pay my respects to my senior!"

Translation: "\"Junior Su Daji pays respects to her senior! \"" Keep exclamation inside quotes.

The handsome Taoist merely glanced at Su Daji indifferently, paying her no heed, and went straight toward the depths of Golden Turtle Island.

Translation: "The handsome Taoist merely glanced at Su Daji indifferently, paid her no heed, and headed straight for the depths of Golden Turtle Island." Period.

Su Daji trembled all over, watching helplessly as the green-robed figure walked toward the grand Daoist palace deep in the island, yet she dared not make the slightest move to stop him.

Translation: "Su Daji trembled all over, watching helplessly as the green-robed figure walked toward the grand Daoist palace deep in the island, daring not to make the slightest obstructive move." Period.

Just a single glance made her feel as if she were being torn apart by an endless sea of suffering, destined to sink forever and never escape.

Translation: "Just a single glance made her feel as if she were being torn apart by an endless sea of suffering, destined to sink forever and never escape." Period.

This feeling was not unfamiliar to her!

Translation: "This feeling was not unfamiliar to her!" Period.

As a Demon Race powerhouse who has survived from ancient times to the present, and once the mistress of the Yin-Shang dynasty, although her cultivation is only at the Heavenly Immortal realm, her insight far surpasses that of ordinary people; she understands that this azure-robed figure is definitely a great divine ability wielder comparable to the Island Lord.

"Nowadays, the world's rules have drastically changed; how could a great divine ability wielder walk the world? Even the Island Lord dare not casually manifest in the world—how did this mysterious powerhouse evade the scouring of time?"

Thinking of this, Su Daji's eyes flashed with a hint of worry.

"I wonder if the Island Lord can cope with this mysterious great divine ability wielder?"

At the center of Gold Ao Island stands an incomparably grand Daoist palace; above its gate hangs a plaque inscribed with three ancient characters in archaic seal script: Azure Wanderer Palace.

And deep within the Azure Wanderer Palace lies a chamber that almost cuts off the river of time and space, concealing the cycle of life and death.

On the stone bed inside the chamber lies a man whose whole body is shrouded in countless points of light.

He seems to have fallen into a slumber, yet each point of light around him contains a scene, as if depicting the life experience of a certain figure.

At that moment, the man seemed to sense something; he suddenly opened his eyes, and shock flashed in the depths of his gaze, impossible to conceal.

Crack!

Before the man could react much, the sound of a door opening rang out, and this chamber that cut off time and life and death was forcibly flung open from the outside.

Thud thud thud

A rhythmic footsteps sounded, and into the man's view came a young Daoist clad in azure robes, hair disheveled, handsome and transcendent.

"Azure Emperor."

The man let out a cry of alarm, immediately sprang from the bed, and gazed warily at the handsome Daoist before him.

At the same time, a shift in his vital energy caused the points of light around him to turn into strands of white monkey fur, which merged into his body.

"Yuan Hong."

The azure-robed Daoist gazed calmly at the man before him and lightly said, "Gold Ao Island is not yours to occupy; hand over the fragments of the East Emperor Bell and leave Gold Ao Island."

His tone was utterly casual, as if he gave no thought to Yuan Hong, who had cultivated the Eight-Nine Mystic Art to perfection, a great divine ability wielder.

Yuan Hong's face darkened; he never expected that, as a fellow great divine ability wielder of the Creation level, the Azure Emperor would adopt such a lofty, looking-down posture.

However, considering that the other's cultivation still surpassed his by a half step, Yuan Hong forcibly suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Azure Emperor, the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable has long vanished from the world, and Gold Ao Island has long been ownerless; I rely on this to continue the former glory of Yin-Shang—why may I not occupy it?"

The azure-robed Daoist gave Yuan Hong a strange look, then suddenly said, "Do you want to become the new Heavenly Emperor?"

In ancient times, the Yin-Shang dynasty, with the support of the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable and the Demon Emperor, ruled over the Demon Race, spirits, and humanity, defying heaven with earth, and vied for the Heavenly Emperor's throne against the Time Heavenly Emperor backed by the Virtuous Heavenly Venerable and Yuanshi Tianzun.

This is the origin of the Investiture of the Gods war in this realm.

The final result was a crushing defeat for Yin-Shang, the Time Heavenly Emperor dominated the age, becoming the ancient Heavenly Emperor.

Now Yuan Hong, a Creation-level great divine ability wielder, seeking to restore Yin-Shang's glory, naturally could not merely be nostalgic; he aims to fulfill the ancient Yin-Shang ambition, seize the nest, and let himself ascend to the Heavenly Emperor's throne.

Seeing the Azure Emperor wear a look as if viewing a fool, Yuan Hong's heart flared with anger, and he coldly said, "What's impossible about it?"

Given that the Heavenly Emperor's throne is vacant, others can become Heavenly Emperor; Yuan Hong, who cultivates the supreme divine art Eight-Nine Mystic Art and is himself a Creation-level great divine ability wielder, how could he not sit upon that throne?

Shaking his head, the azure-robed Daoist offered no further comment—after all, Yuan Hong was seeking his own death.

"Yuan Hong, I say again: hand over the fragments of the East Emperor Bell, leave Gold Ao Island, or else today you will return to the Great Dao!"

The moment his words fell, the azure-robed Daoist's gaze turned deep and gloomy, and endless illusory sea waves surged around him, carrying the sense of sinking in the sea of suffering.

"Too deceitful!"

Seeing Qingdi still aloof, as if he were merely an ant, Yuan Hong could no longer contain his anger and shouted:

"Qingdi, don't think that just because your cultivation is only half a chip, you can act so arrogantly; do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

A earth-shaking roar rang out, and Yuan Hong instantly transformed into a towering white ape, seeming larger than the entire universe, each hair and inch of flesh like a complete world.

If Golden Turtle Island itself were not a Dao field of the other shore with extremely high level, the whole island would likely be burst apart by that towering white ape.

Hum

At the moment he transformed into his true form, Yuan Hong's Eight Nine Mysterious Technique overloaded, all his power instantly condensing into a singularity before erupting violently.

Facing one of the Ancient Five Emperors whose cultivation surpassed his own, Yuan Hong held nothing back, directly unleashing his greatest divine ability.

Boom

A furry fist tore through the void, gathering immense power, and came crashing down upon Qingdi.

Wherever the fist passed, space collapsed, time was torn, forming a chaotic void that reduced all things to ultimate nothingness, even stirring the surrounding spacetime turbulence and altering the past and future of this place.

All things return to the void!

The sole pure attack divine ability recorded in the Eight Nine Mysterious Technique, usable all the way to the other shore level.

"Overestimating one's abilities."

Facing Yuan Hong's all-out attack, the handsome Taoist merely raised his hand slightly, letting a light palm fall forward.

Boom

When fist and palm met, a thunderous roar shook heaven and earth; the surrounding void instantly shattered, endless spacetime fragments flew about, and boundless universes were born and destroyed.

Hmm

A muffled grunt sounded; although Qingdi's palm seemed not very powerful, the moment they clashed, Yuan Hong felt a tremendous force sweep over him, far beyond his imagination.

As a master of the Eight Nine Mysterious Technique, a supreme divine art renowned for cultivating the holy body, Yuan Hong believed his physique far surpassed ordinary creation.

But at this moment, a single strike severely damaged his indestructible Dao body, which he had trained for years, nearly breaking it.

Pfft

A mouthful of blood spurted out, and Yuan Hong stumbled back countless steps, shattering the boundless chaos.

On Golden Turtle Island, Su Daji's hairs suddenly stood on end as an unprecedented sense of crisis welled up, and without hesitation she fled outward.

Just as her silhouette vanished, the entire Golden Turtle Island resonated with a earth-shaking roar.

The earth split, the sun and moon fell, and every celestial beast and divine beast turned into white monkey hairs, which then turned to ash.

Golden Turtle Island was completely engulfed by endless spacetime turbulence, turning entirely into a chaotic wasteland.

And in the depths of this chaotic land stood an ancient sword as long as a lotus leaf, bearing two ancient characters impossible to describe in words.

Qingping!

The handsome Taoist's gaze shifted slightly, directly toward that lotus-leaf-long sword deep in the chaos.

"Qingping Sword!"

With that thought in mind, his gaze did not rest on the Qingping Sword itself, but on its tip.

Only see that in the void where the Qingping Sword is plunged, a mass of dark black flesh wriggles slowly, yet seems suppressed by the sword, unable to escape.

Upon seeing that mass of flesh, the handsome Taoist's mind and spirit were violently shaken; every drop of his blood, every inch of his flesh, every cell, even his own Dao, resonated intensely.

"The flesh and blood of Donghuang Taiyi."

The handsome Taoist's spiritual sense stirred slightly; countless hexagrams flowed in his eyes, with endless future branches emerging, ultimately leading to the result he had previously deduced.

Elsewhere, in the boundless chaos, Yuan Hong's indestructible Dao body, cultivated over many years, was on the verge of collapse, and his entire aura had waned to the extreme.

He stared in disbelief at the handsome Taoist, whose aura seemed hardly changed, with only one thought in his mind:

"So strong!"

"Beyond imagination, so powerful!"

Completely unlike any perfected creation-level divine master he had encountered before, and indeed it could be said to have utterly transcended the creation level!

If it weren't for the endless sea of suffering surging around the handsome Taoist—something he had not yet truly transcended—Yuan Hong would have thought he was facing a heavenly will of the other shore.

He had only ever seen such a despair-inducing power gap in the true heavenly will of the other shore.

"No wonder he's one of the Ancient Five Emperors; Qingdi is now only half a step, or perhaps just a single opportunity, away from breaking free of the sea of suffering and reaching the other shore."

With that thought in mind, Yuan Hong's anger completely faded, and he instead felt that Qingdi's recent condescending gaze was the true bearing of a strong one.

Thinking this, he immediately activated the Eight Nine Mysterious Technique, seeking to escape into the chaos.

Although he was reluctant to abandon Golden Turtle Island, this other-shore Dao field, and the Qingping Sword, this other-shore ultimate artifact, facing Qingdi—a foe far surpassing him—Yuan Hong also knew exactly what he should do.

Hum

Just then, a broken mirror appeared above Yuan Hong's head, casting down hazy light that illuminated all realms, filling every corner, causing everything to freeze.

Yuan Hong, who was about to flee, was instantly frozen in place, unable to move at all.

"Haotian Mirror."

Feeling this spatial power that surpassed the creation level, Yuan Hong's mind instantly conjured an ultimate other-shore artifact that had perfected the way of space.

"The fragments of the Haotian Mirror are actually in Qingdi's hand—no wonder he wants the fragments of the Donghuang Bell!"

"Fragment of the Donghuang Bell."

Thinking this, the keen spiritual sense granted by cultivating the Eight Nine Mysterious Technique trembled violently; Yuan Hong suddenly understood, and a hazy, illusory light emanated from within him.

Within that light hovered an irregular fragment that at times became an ancient great bell suppressing time and space, at times a surging endless river, manifesting the way of time.

Core fragment of the Donghuang Bell.

With the appearance of the Donghuang Bell fragment, Yuan Hong felt the spatial power he had solidified dissipate; without hesitation he instantly fled into the chaos and vanished.

Though treasures are fine, they are not as important as one's own life.

Being able to survive from the ancient times until now, Yuan Hong deeply understood this point.

He now instead felt relieved that the Azure Emperor didn't have too much killing intent.

Hum—

The moment Yuan Hong left, fragments of the Haotian Mirror fell down, enveloping the fragments of the Donghuang Bell, and together they merged into the Handsome Daoist's body.

The Handsome Daoist's qi shifted slightly, as if reaching some kind of completion, becoming ever more vast.

He paid no attention to the departing Yuan Hong, and with a movement of his feet, he directly arrived before the Qingping Sword.

Gazing at the ancient, simple long sword resembling a lotus leaf, the Handsome Daoist's eyes flickered slightly, his inner qi underwent a mysterious change, and a thread of illusory fate-star line extended into the void.

Clang!

A clear, resonant sword cry rang out; the entire Qingping Sword seemed to receive some summons, azure light blazed, and in an instant it transformed into a silken thread that vanished into the void.

Faintly, a palm appeared in the void, firmly grasping the hilt of the Qingping Sword, then disappeared.

The Handsome Daoist paid no heed to the changes in the void, instead turning his gaze to the remaining clump of mysterious black flesh.

With the loss of the Qingping Sword, this supreme otherworldly suppression, Donghuang Taiyi's flesh began to truly awaken; a violent, chaotic, terrifying qi surged through Chaos, causing the entire Jin'ao Island to tremble.

But just then, the Handsome Daoist's eyes brightened, his entire being's qi shifted, and he directly transformed into an ancient, sacred Chaos Qinglian, which fell upon Donghuang Taiyi's flesh.

The roots of the Chaos Qinglian penetrated into Donghuang Taiyi's flesh, and resplendent, sacred Chaos divine light poured down, completely enveloping the entire mass of Donghuang's flesh.

(End of chapter)