"Yin-Yang Sword Formation! Rise!"
This was no time to trade barbs. Since he had decided to kill his opponent, he had to annihilate him with thunderous force. If he dragged things out, who knew whether someone else would arrive?
Ten thousand swords surged into motion, light streaming across heaven and earth. Black and white blades converged as though the Great Dao itself were grinding everything to death!
"Boy, today I'll show you what it means to be strong!"
Facing the ten thousand incoming swords, An Zhuo unleashed a burst of golden light from his halberd. Space sealed itself off around him, and he swept his halberd outward like a horsetail whisk sweeping away every speck of dust.
The ten thousand swords scattered like a shattered cloud of dust. Only a few stray streaks of sword light struck him. Though they failed to kill him, the blood covering his body showed he had hardly escaped unscathed!
Still, he was ultimately in the Void Dao Realm. By merging with the void, he could seemingly commune with the Great Dao. Anyone outside his realm could scarcely hurt him at all. In the Nine Heavens, he could already claim the title of sect master!
The gap in realms still has me pinned down too tightly. This little damage isn't enough to make him truly hurt. Still, the Yin-Yang Sword Formation is quite powerful. I'm only at the Heavenly God Realm. Once I perfect it, even if he survives, he'll lose a layer of skin. The youth was not discouraged. He seemed to be testing some precious technique!
"Boy! Tell me your name. I must admit, you're remarkable. You're the first to wound me at the Heavenly God Realm. Even the Void Dao cultivators on your side couldn't do it. That deserves praise. But if you have no other tricks, you can die in peace!"
As An Zhuo finished speaking, golden talismans flowed out from within him and circulated over his body. The golden light of his halberd awakened once more. Somewhere beyond perception, a peerless divine being seemed to turn its gaze toward them.
The entire void seemed to freeze. Behind An Zhuo, a terrifying phantom formed from divine marks thrust its own golden halberd, piercing the sky and crossing the mighty power of time to stab at the youth!
The void tore open beneath that strike! Its power was already approaching something beyond the limits of the Void Dao Realm!
Is this his ancestral technique? As expected of a secret inheritance an Immortal King engraved into his bloodline. It truly can't be underestimated! But it isn't invincible!
"My name is Lin Yue. On the road to reincarnation, don't forget the man who killed you. I promised to cut you down today, and I won't break my word!"
"Arrogant! I'll send you to rebirth! Die, boy!"
Watching the halberd descend with the force to slaughter gods and slay immortals, the youth remained calm. He held his sword horizontally before his chest with his right hand, then pushed it straight outward!
"Azure Yang, Profound Calamity; Nether Yin Pure Land. The yin and yang of the Dao, heed my command."
Behind the youth, one white and one black phantom loomed like a god and a demon. The instant they opened their eyes, their divine power shrouded the heavens. Yin and yang fell into disorder, seemingly stripping the yin-yang divine marks from his opponent's technique.
"Great Yin-Yang Chengli Sword Qi!"
Amid An Zhuo's wild laughter, both techniques descended, each bearing the resolve to kill the other!
Boom...! The earth shook and roared, and the void split apart. Many on the battlefield were watching.
When the dust dispersed, the youth had vanished. The people of the Foreign Realm stared at the battlefield, torn open so deeply that underground lava lay exposed. Only a broken halberd remained, drifting down through the scorching air. An Zhuo was nowhere to be seen!
"An Zhuo! How is that possible? He was an outstanding talent of the Emperor Clan! Is his opponent a hidden descendant of an Immortal King?"
"This...!"
"He was actually killed!" No sooner had the words left his mouth than the speaker instinctively covered it, afraid someone's wrath would fall on him!
On the battlefield, a middle-aged man stared at the shattered soul tablet in his hand, his face twisting.
"Who was it? You even destroyed his soul! Ah...! I'll kill you all!"
He was presumably one of An Zhuo's elders.
Chapter 3: The Lin Family
The Brahma Sound Realm was also called Brahma Sound Crossing.
Blood seemed to reflect the flames and stain the entire void red. Blood rained from the sky, and songs of grief rose from the earth. Heaven and earth had never stopped wailing. This was the Great Dao mourning mighty cultivators. Even kings of the Immortal Dao had fallen amid the flames of war.
As a horn sounded its mournful cry, the people of the Nine Heavens fought while retreating, slowly withdrawing from the battlefield.
Aboard a flying ship, an old man covered in blood gazed down at the forces of the Foreign Realm. Rather than stop their retreat, they were laughing and jeering. As he watched the shattered sky, his eyes grew wet. Were they ultimately going to abandon this place?
The old man turned to look at the battered survivors slumped here and there behind him, so pitifully few compared with those who had come. Unable to hold back, he burst into tears!
Perhaps his grief had tugged at too many hearts. Without realizing it, the crowd slowly began to sob as well!
Just then, a middle-aged man, likewise covered in blood, approached and patted the old man's shoulder. He glanced at the people behind them, their eyes empty, and tears fell from his eyes too.
War was always this cruel. Sometimes, even knowing defeat was certain, people still could not let go and insisted on fighting to the death. Their homeland was their last lingering attachment to this world.
Another flying ship belonged to the Longevity Lin Family. Powered by a Great Dao formation, this private vessel could travel between worlds.
Their effort to reinforce the Brahma Sound Realm had ultimately ended in failure. Though they had known the outcome from the start, nothing could stop people from organizing themselves and coming. In the end, the leadership had stepped forward to lead them. Sadly, the result was exactly as expected, and another great host had been laid to eternal rest here!
The Longevity Lin Family had brought its own flying ship this time, showing just how seriously it had taken the expedition.
Inside a secluded chamber sat the youth who had appeared on the battlefield earlier.
The youth seemed accustomed to battlefields like that one.
At that moment, three strands of immortal qi flowed throughout his body, nearly reaching their utmost limit. Within his spiritual platform, the two tiny figures nurtured there, one black and one white, were fully active, radiating black and white divine light.
Knock, knock, knock!
A soft knocking came from the door!
"Come in!"
A middle-aged man opened the door!
"How are you doing, Little Yue?"
"Uncle Qi! What brings you here?"
Lin Qi said, "I'm worried about you, of course. A genius like you should cultivate safely behind the lines and only come to the battlefield once you're strong enough. The Nine Heavens are nearly shattered now. We simply can't protect you youngsters! If the enemy notices you, they might strike from the shadows! Besides, the Foreign Realm seems to have been sending over some Emperor Clan prodigies lately, specifically to kill the geniuses of our world! They want to shatter our young people's resolve and rob them of the courage to move forward!"
Lin Yue said, "They did strike from the shadows, but I killed the one they sent!"
"What? I was only saying it, and they're really doing it! No, absolutely not! You have to return to the clan immediately." Lin Qi was deeply anxious now! He had thought he was merely mentioning a possibility, never imagining the Foreign Realm would actually act that way!
Lin Yue said, "Uncle Qi, they only sent someone in the Void Dao Realm. There's nothing to fear! And I doubt they'll send anyone above that realm. Since they want to destroy our confidence, they naturally won't deploy mighty cultivators. Otherwise, their victory would prove nothing! And the Void Dao Realm isn't enough to frighten me!"
"'Only,' he says! If anything happens to you, the ancestor will roast me alive! You're the hope of our entire clan! Besides, you're only in the Heavenly God Realm! Your opponent was an Emperor Clan prodigy. Something unexpected could always happen!"
It was no wonder Lin Qi was so agitated. Though the youth before him kept a low profile, Lin Qi knew how terrifying his talent and aptitude were. He had no idea how the youth cultivated, but from the Blood Moving Realm onward, he had reached the utmost limit in almost every realm. He had even traversed Sacred Sacrifice within the Heavenly God Realm and stepped onto the God King Path. If he matured, he would likely become a Supreme Dao Venerable. A step further, and the Immortal Dao would be within reach. Even standing among the kings of the Immortal Dao someday was not impossible. The thought alone was exciting. What would they do if something happened to him?
Lin Yue said, "Uncle Qi, I understand what you're thinking. But since ancient times, no invincible warrior has ever been raised in a cradle. Invincibility is forged through battle. Look at the Immortal Kings of our Nine Heavens. Which of them didn't reach the peak amid the flames of war? Besides, the war isn't over yet. Immortal Kings have their battlefields, and we have ours. If they want to kill the young prodigies of our world, fine! Let's see who kills whom. They just want to show off, don't they? In a fight at the same realm, do you really think I'd fear them?"
Lin Qi said, "You're not wrong. Unfortunately, you're only in the Heavenly God Realm!"
Lin Yue said, "Once we return, I'll enter seclusion and take the final step. I'm ready to enter the Void Dao Realm!"
"Uh...! So soon!"
Lin Yue said, "The mingling of blood and fire is the fastest way to cultivate, and the path to becoming the strongest! More than one or two people in our world have become immortals through a single battle!"
Within the Nine Heavens!
The Yin-Yang Realm housed the ancestral lands of the Longevity Lin Family. Rather than a clan territory, it was more accurately an ancient world, for not only the Lin Family but many other Longevity Aristocratic Families had taken root there.
This was a family that had produced a True Immortal. Many people lived throughout the Yin-Yang Secret Realm. Besides the direct lineage, there were collateral branches and cultivators who had come seeking its protection.
In truth, cultivators found it difficult to have children, especially mighty cultivators and beings of the Immortal Dao. A direct lineage might have only a dozen or so members. Even a large one might number just a few dozen, while a small one might have only a handful. Yet those few people upheld an entire great clan!
As the warship returned, news of Brahma Sound Crossing's complete fall spread across several great worlds. Everyone fell silent! Brahma Sound Crossing had shattered. Could the others be far behind?
No one knew when this epochal war between worlds had begun. Its beacon fires had burned until now and would continue burning, perhaps all the way to the end of the epoch.
Yet the Nine Heavens had been unable to respond. At first, while its Kings were still present, it had the strength to fight. But as sinister forces descended and unforeseen upheavals arose, the outcome ceased to be in doubt. Step by step, the Nine Heavens lost its territory!
The moment Lin Yue stepped off the warship, his clan's old patriarch personally came to meet him. He looked like a man in his fifties or sixties, but judging a cultivator's age by appearance was clearly unwise. This was a mighty cultivator of the Escape One Realm who had lived through endless years.
"You're back!"
"Yes!"
The old man looked at Lin Yue. "The ancestor has been waiting for you for a long time!"
Lin Yue paid the patriarch no further attention and headed straight toward the courtyard in the deepest part of the grounds!
An old man with a graying beard was there, his face as tender as an infant's, without a single wrinkle!
"How did it feel?"
Lin Yue said, "Not bad. I killed a Void Dao cultivator! I'm getting ready to cross into the next realm."
The composed old man's brows twitched slightly. As he looked at the youth before him, with ink-black hair and a handsome yet masculine face, shock spread across his own features! Afterward, however, he slowly regained his composure!
With his strength and breadth of experience, the old man seemed to have witnessed such things before! All the more so for this descendant who had stepped onto the God King Path. Perhaps this was simply the kind of battle record every true powerhouse ought to possess!
In ordinary times, such a feat would have caused a sensation. But this was the era of the Immortal Ancient war, the cruelest age of warfare in the eyes of later generations. Any achievement was conceivable.
"Have you decided? What kind of seed do you need? Though our clan isn't an Immortal King family, we have some ancient seeds that aren't inferior to those families' treasures!"
The old man appeared to take the question seriously, but inwardly he knew this descendant probably had a plan already. He was merely asking in passing!
Lin Yue said, "Why must I find a seed? I want to take the path of using the self as the seed!"
Disappointment filled the old man's face. He was not disappointed in the youth, but in himself. As the invincible guardian of his clan, he could offer no help at all with the youth's cultivation!
"You're always like this. Ever since the Blood Moving Realm, the family hasn't been able to help your cultivation in the slightest. Now that you want to forge your own path, you can only rely on yourself. We still can't help you at all. It's deeply shameful!"
Lin Yue said, "What's gotten into you today, old man? This came out of nowhere. Shouldn't you all be used to it by now?"
"You! You little brat! I'm worried about you! Since ancient times, there has been no shortage of astonishing talents who wanted to open this new path. Sadly, all their halberds broke and sank into the sand! Are you confident?"
Lin Yue said, "Don't you know me by now?"
With that, Lin Yue walked toward the bamboo grove deeper within the grounds!
The old man watched the youth leave, his face filled with gratification, then looked into the distance!
"It's time to set out! How could our Longevity Lin Family fall behind anyone else!"
Chapter 4: Void Dao
Void Dao. What was Void Dao?
By mingling with the Great Dao and using a seed nurtured by the Great Dao of heaven and earth as a medium, one could touch the Great Dao and comprehend the profound principles between heaven and earth. It could even create the illusion that one had become the Great Dao itself, touching the very source of the Dao and wielding its power with every movement.
These seeds were like crystallizations of supreme laws naturally nurtured by heaven and earth. The World Tree, Myriad Dao Tree, primordial chaos purple qi, five-element seeds, and even seeds of life and proto-universes were among the many renowned invincible seeds!
When such things appeared, even Immortal Kings would be moved and seek to seize them for their descendants! As long as those descendants matured, they would at least become figures of the Immortal Dao!
Once cultivators fused with a seed, they were designated as being in the Void Dao Realm. In the Nine Heavens, they could be called sect masters. The Great Dao seemed to accompany their every movement. Against someone in the Heavenly God Realm, they could likely crush them with a raised hand.
That was why An Zhuo had been so confident earlier!
Unfortunately, he had encountered Lin Yue!
At that moment, this youth from the later ages of Blue Star sat cross-legged within the bamboo grove. The laws of heaven and earth seemed to seep slowly into his body.
Vital energy flowed through Lin Yue's twelve major meridians. His three hundred and sixty-five major acupoints and seven hundred and twenty bodily secret treasuries seemed to begin breaking free of the shackles of heaven and earth's Dao laws. Each hidden acupoint seemed to conceal a deity and a world. His blood and qi blazed like a magnificent sun, boundless vital essence heating his entire body and influencing the stars above.
The profound oneness of taiji, the twin energies of yin and yang; the Dao transformed into myriad forms, the yin and yang of heaven and earth!
Everything in heaven and earth possessed yin and yang aspects. The Great Dao bestowed yin and yang upon all living beings, then bound and confined their bodies with its laws. Living beings gradually unlocked the shackles imposed by the Great Dao within them, drawing closer to it step by step. This process was called cultivation.
Once sufficiently powerful, they could even merge with the myriad Daos. Wherever the Dao existed, there was their body; wherever their body stood, there existed the Dao!
Beyond their own strength, such people could also make the Great Dao imprint their path of cultivation, opening another branch for the Great Dao of heaven and earth and allowing it to advance further and grow stronger.
This was the Human Immortal Martial Dao's understanding of cultivation. Rather than cultivating, humans were simply breaking free of the shackles of Dao laws step by step, slowly becoming part of the Dao. Cultivating oneself, cultivating the Dao-it amounted to nothing more!
Of course, this had a scientific basis. Regardless of the world, whenever a powerhouse emerged, the Great Dao of heaven and earth rejoiced. Purple qi might even descend from the sky and golden lotuses spring from the earth in celebration! This was a shared understanding throughout the myriad heavens and worlds!
It was the same here. When an Immortal King was born, heaven and earth celebrated together. The Great Dao would even nourish the Immortal King's home world in return. The Immortal Domain was so powerful, and its laws of heaven and earth so complete, precisely because it had so many Immortal Kings.
The Immortal Domain had not existed from the beginning either.
When the Immortal Domain was first founded by several pioneers of the Ancient Method, its population was not large. As one Immortal King after another arose, the Great Dao nourished it again and again, eventually nurturing the Immortal Domain of today.
During that process, it would even send down lightning tribulations upon beings who had broken their shackles, testing once more whether they were truly qualified! There were merely differences in cultivation.
Among the myriad races of heaven and earth, humans were innately the weakest, yet possessed the greatest potential. The Great Dao gave humanity the frailest bodies, but also boundless possibilities!
Many innate sacred beings enjoyed an advantage at birth, yet they needed to cultivate for eight hundred thousand or a million years from gaining consciousness to assuming human form. Some humans, however, could reach the summit in a very short time!
Humans were a union of extreme yin and extreme yang, and thus were also called natural Dao bodies. Hence, yin and yang were the Dao of heaven and earth! Countless living beings seemed to ultimately take human form to comprehend the Great Dao. Even the Dragons, another race representing a supreme pinnacle, ordinarily maintained human form.
Besides cultivating the Immortal Ancient Method, Lin Yue also cultivated the Human Immortal Martial Dao! These human body divine universes, which relied on no external objects, were unaffected by the laws of heaven and earth. His body was like a vessel nurturing the myriad heavens and worlds. He could even use his own inner universe to perceive the laws of the world outside!
It was just like the laws of heaven and earth being drawn into his body now!
Using his flesh as the medium and his internal universe as the bridge, he communed with the Great Dao of heaven and earth, then used the power of his bodily secret treasuries to drive the methods of this world.
This was Lin Yue's Great Dao! A path nurtured through the union of the Human Immortal Martial Dao and the Immortal Ancient Method.
Before you continue