Chapter 1818: Conflict of Ideals
“Heh, Seventh Brother…”
Ancient memories awakened, and Third Young Master Ling Xiao finally remembered himself, remembered his experience of being cast by Qin Mu into the Creation Calamity of the Seventeenth Era.
He fell into the Creation Calamity, and countless versions of him simultaneously rushed toward the Filth Ground that had not been destroyed by the Annihilation Calamity.
Only there was there a sliver of hope for survival!
But just as countless versions of him were charging toward the Filth Ground, the Creation Calamity erupted. Its power was unimaginable. Countless versions of his future self across infinite spaces, as if experiencing the universe’s creation, suddenly exploded, transforming into the Five Primes, expanding into space, their bodies destroyed and their Dao extinguished!
Countless future selves of his did their utmost to resist the Creation Calamity, pushing the divine techniques and Dao methods of the Miluo Palace to their limits. But even the power of a young master was useless against this unimaginable calamity.
It was at this moment that he realized the gap between himself and the master of the Miluo Palace, between himself and Taishang, between himself and Wuji, and even between himself and Qin Mu.
This gap was not one of cultivation level, but of Dao attainment—a difference in understanding of the Dao.
The Creation Calamity had severed countless futures of his!
He even suspected that tens of billions, even hundreds of billions of years of his future had been annihilated by the Creation Calamity!
That was utterly terrifying.
In that Creation Calamity, he had only managed to escape with his head into the Filth Ground.
“Now, ninety-five billion years have passed since the Creation Calamity. The injuries I suffered in that calamity should have ended.”
Third Young Master Ling Xiao’s skull regained its memories, and flesh and blood immediately began to grow. Before, he had been nothing but a head, drifting in the Filth Ground, dazed and confused, acting only on instinct, unable to figure out how to restore his physical body.
It wasn’t until Qin Mu was sealed within the pagoda formed from Tai Chu’s flesh and blood, flying into the Filth Ground, that Ling Xiao’s skull obtained a trace of that flesh and blood.
—The most peculiar thing about this incident was that the flesh-and-blood pagoda was formed from Tai Chu’s flesh, but at the time, the one controlling Tai Chu’s physical body was Third Young Master Ling Xiao.
Moreover, the divine technique contained within that flesh-and-blood pagoda was another great technique created by Ling Xiao specifically to target the weaknesses of Qin Mu’s techniques and cultivation methods: Miluo Transformation into Dao!
In the end, Ling Xiao’s skull in the Filth Ground obtained a trace of flesh and blood from the pagoda, allowing him to be reborn!
The cyclical relationship within this was quite intriguing.
Young Master Ling Xiao did his utmost to restore his physical body. This body was actually the flesh and blood of the ancient god Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu, combined with his own skull. However, in the Creation Calamity, all spiritual nature within his skull had been erased, so he could only rely on Tai Chu’s flesh to restore his body.
Fortunately, Tai Chu’s physical body was also extremely powerful. Although Tai Chu himself could not cultivate his body to its peak, Young Master Ling Xiao could.
“As it stands now, the Creation Calamity only erased ninety-five billion years of my future.”
Young Master Ling Xiao’s skull grew rapidly. His neck sprouted beneath his skull, and he sensed his Dao spear. The Dao spear, which had been impaling his head, must have been damaged along with him when they fell into the Filth Ground during the Creation Calamity, its power greatly diminished.
“The future beyond ninety-five billion years was not destroyed by the Creation Calamity. I am reborn at this moment. In the future of the Seventeenth Era, I still have infinite time. In this battle, I have still won!”
He grew ribs and arms. As long as he restored his physical body, even if it was Tai Chu’s body, he could refine it to a very high level in a very short time.
Even if it wasn’t as good as his original body, it would be close.
What he lacked now was the cultivation that had been worn away by the Creation Calamity. But with his abilities, he could cultivate back to his peak within a few years.
Beside him was a broken ship.
Young Master Ling Xiao’s pupils contracted slightly. This broken ship seemed to have been struck by something, snapped in two. One half was missing, leaving only half a ship.
He looked at the ship but couldn’t recall its origin.
He remembered that when he was just a skull, there were dried-up bones of Dao Achievers on the broken ship that fought him for the flesh and blood, tearing a large piece of Tai Chu’s flesh from his face and sticking it onto their bones. But those Dao Achievers’ cultivation was clearly far lower than his, and they couldn’t preserve the flesh.
“This ship is not the teacher’s World-Crossing Golden Ship. The Dao Achievers on the ship were also extremely powerful. Who were they?”
Young Master Ling Xiao frowned. The ship gave him a familiar feeling. The cabin was filled with the dried bones of many Dao Achievers, locked inside. Their strength in life was formidable, though inferior to his, their abilities were profound and unfathomable.
A force with so many experts was truly rare across the past sixteen cosmic eras.
“This place is not safe. Seventh Brother will definitely be watching here. Every moment I stay brings more danger!”
In his current state, although he could quickly restore his physical body, he was still insufficient to contend with Qin Mu.
He had to hide for a few years, recover to his peak, and then he could defeat Qin Mu.
Young Master Ling Xiao reached out, and the rusted Dao spear flew up, landing in his bony hand.
Young Master Ling Xiao flew with the spear, his physical body racing through the Filth Ground. Flesh and blood continuously grew and spread. Soon, his upper body was fully formed, followed by the growth of his leg bones.
Finally, Young Master Ling Xiao could walk. He let out a long sigh of relief. With legs, he could both fight and flee, greatly increasing his speed.
Just then, his expression changed slightly. He saw the obelisk forest left by First Young Master Taishang to suppress the enemies of the Miluo Palace. The entrance to the obelisk forest had been shattered by Qin Mu, and the forest appeared behind the portal.
A powerful suppressing force emanated from the forest, and he could vaguely see a Dao tree hung with twelve Dao fruits standing there.
“Tai Yi! Or rather, Tian Du! He is hiding here!”
Young Master Ling Xiao departed, thinking to himself, “So the Creation Masses who stowed away here must also be in this place. They are being suppressed by Tai Yi. No wonder they have been unseen for the past thirty-five billion years. I need a few years to recover. If these Creation Masses can break free, they could lend a hand to the Miluo Palace.”
After all, he needed a few years to heal, and during that time, Qin Mu and the Yánkāng forces would have enough time to uproot the Miluo Palace’s influence.
If the Creation Masses broke free, Qin Mu would not be able to go and help the Yánkāng forces eradicate the Miluo Palace. The Creation Masses, acting recklessly, would force Qin Mu to run around putting out fires, leaving him no time to destroy the Miluo Palace or search for his whereabouts.
But how could he make the Creation Masses break free?
Not long after, Young Master Ling Xiao showed a hint of joy. He saw the Creation Ground!
The ruins of Tian Du City appeared before him, and the Creation Ground was there. If he could send the Creation Ground into the obelisk forest, the power of the Creation Masses would greatly increase, allowing them to shatter the obelisk forest in one blow!
Young Master Ling Xiao steadied himself and walked into the ruins of Tian Du City. Just then, a voice came from behind him: “Third Senior Brother, if you use the ruins of Tian Du City to strike the obelisk forest, do you know what the consequences will be?”
Young Master Ling Xiao’s body stiffened. He stopped in his tracks and gripped the rusted Dao spear tightly.
“In past cosmic eras, First Young Master Taishang captured the most vicious and evil individuals and suppressed them in this Filth Ground. Many of them have already perished in one Creation Calamity after another. But some have not died and are still suppressed in the obelisk forest.”
Behind him, Qin Mu’s figure slowly emerged. He walked toward him unhurriedly and said, “Tian Du’s physical body is also suppressed there. Even after ten Annihilation Calamities and eleven Creation Calamities, it remains undissolved. Tai Yi guards that place, transforming into obelisks to suppress the Creation Masses while also suppressing his past-life body. If you use the ruins of Tian Du City to strike the obelisk forest, you will release a great terror.”
Young Master Ling Xiao felt Qin Mu’s aura locking onto him and dared not make any move.
Qin Mu came to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as he looked toward the Creation Ground within the ruins of Tian Du City, and said, “The Creation Masses will be released. Tai Yi will become Tian Du. The demons suppressed by Taishang will swarm out. The entire Seventeenth Era universe will be plunged into misery, and may even be destroyed! Third Senior Brother, is this the ideal you uphold from the teacher? Or have you abandoned all principles just to win?”
Young Master Ling Xiao’s grip on the Dao spear tightened. He said coldly, “What the teacher could not accomplish, I can! To achieve the teacher’s ideal, sacrifices must be made!”
Qin Mu turned to face him and sneered, “Sacrifices? The offerings on the altar are sacrifices, but you have never been the one making the offering. When you abandoned all principles, you had already completely discarded the teacher’s ideal. You used blood sacrifices to bring down the Miluo Palace’s forces. How are you any different from the Creation Masses?”
Young Master Ling Xiao vibrated the Dao spear. The residual power of the spear erupted, severing the aura Qin Mu had used to lock onto him!
Young Master Ling Xiao immediately stepped back, his aura rapidly rising, and sneered, “Little Junior Brother, after the teacher’s Dao heart died and he entered nirvana, the Miluo Palace had already collapsed! Taishang does not concern himself with worldly affairs. Taiji committed evil and was suppressed. Fourth Senior Brother is obsessed with personal love. Fifth and Sixth Senior Brothers are missing. And you are stirring up trouble everywhere! Only I am the backbone of the Miluo Palace. Only I can uphold the teacher’s ideal! What right do you have to accuse me?”
His aura grew stronger and stronger, and his own Dao rapidly awakened. He said grimly, “Without me, the Miluo Palace would have long since turned to dust! If the Dao Achievers of the Miluo Palace left the palace, they would only create even greater calamities!”
“Then the Miluo Palace must be destroyed!”
Qin Mu stepped forward and said coldly, “The Miluo Palace was meant to save all living beings. If it cannot save them, then it should no longer exist!”
Young Master Ling Xiao was furious: “So you are determined to destroy the Miluo Palace and eradicate the teacher’s legacy?”
“Exactly!”
Qin Mu’s killing intent was overwhelming: “I am going to destroy the Miluo Palace and eradicate the teacher’s legacy! The mistakes he made, his last disciple will correct! If you remain stubbornly deluded, then you are also a mistake and need to be corrected!”
Young Master Ling Xiao suddenly thrust his Dao spear into the ground beneath the ruins of Tian Du City. With a single effort, he could lift the ruins with his spear and hurl them at the obelisk forest!
The collision of the two great ruins would trigger the residual power of the Creation Ground, enough to destroy the obelisk forest and release the cancers of the past sixteen cosmic eras!
“You cannot kill me.”
Young Master Ling Xiao said, word by word, “The Creation Calamity has already erased ninety-five billion years of my history. But in the future, I still have infinite time. Little Junior Brother, in this battle, I have ultimately won!”
Qin Mu’s gaze was strange. He shook his head and said, “All your futures have already been ground away in the Creation Calamity. Third Senior Brother, among countless futures, only the present you escaped. You only have this brief span of time left.”
Young Master Ling Xiao’s pupils contracted sharply. He strained to lift the ruins of Tian Du City with his spear!