Chapter 2008: Accompanying Burial

“It’s this technique?”

In the Northern Territory, Shen Yi awoke from his state of enlightenment, a little surprised.

Everyone knew that he had shattered Cui Yin’s physical body with one blow in the Shen Zhi Yi Ji, which was the direct cause of Cui Yin’s current weakened and dispirited state.

However, few people knew that in that battle, the Siming Ba Wang’s blow was merely a surprise attack.

Later, Cui Yin was startled and immediately unleashed “Ni Jin Lun Sheng,” restoring his combat power to its former peak.

Only with Shen Yi’s sacrificial power could he withstand two blows; after that, he was repeatedly beaten back, retreating to a corner of the Thirty-Third Heaven.

At that time, there was no Xiang Shi Zhu Ou Jing.

Nor was there You Yuan’s help, combining Yin and Yang to open the Three Realms.

If Cui Yin hadn’t known that ancient martial arts had considerable explosive power and didn’t dare to go to extremes, fearing that his power would be wasted on the Siming and Three Realms without gaining any benefit, thus being forced into a lose-lose situation, Shen Yi would have already perished in the Thirty-Third Heaven during the Shen Zhi Yi Ji incident.

“It was just Ni Jin Lun Sheng; it was quite effective against me back then.”

“Facing Gui Ling Zu Shen, even if Cui Yin can borrow his peak combat power, does his peak compare to Yao Zu’s current peak?”

This was a simple question.

Shen Yi didn’t even need to think hard to compare the two.

No matter how strong Cui Yin was, his hard power had been lost in all aspects, and his soft power couldn’t keep up. The power he forcibly borrowed, like his own Three Realms, would eventually dissipate.

Therefore, Shen Yi didn’t understand why Cui Yin would erupt, or dare to erupt, but he assumed that if it was a “direct confrontation” method, even if Cui Yin was skilled in techniques, he still couldn’t defeat a fully prepared Yao Zu.

“Only by taking an unconventional path can there be hope of winning.”

“Cui Yin is probably going to unleash a surprise move. What could it be?”

An eerie purple light bloomed, and power surged out like a spring.

Clearly, Cui Yin had overdrawn everything to exchange for a brief burst of power, forcefully pulling his sluggish state back to its peak.

“This fellow…”

Even Yao Zu didn’t expect Cui Yin to be so decisive, and he wondered who he had learned from, becoming such a brute.

However, putting himself in Cui Yin’s shoes, wasn't this also due to the immense pressure he brought upon Cui Yin after his own Gui Ling?

Once a mistake was made, and the initiative was lost, Cui Yin would truly become the World Tree.

If not now, then when?

As for the technique “Ni Jin Lun Sheng,” Yao Zu naturally recognized it.

Although it contained the characters “lun” (wheel) and “sheng” (birth/life), it had no connection to the Dao of “reincarnation” or “life.”

It was purely Cui Yin pushing the limits of the Dao of Techniques, overdrawing his resources to borrow a brief period of full power for himself.

This technique significantly boosted combat power, but it came with many side effects. Various countermeasures flashed through Yao Zu’s mind.

One of them was the “delay” tactic.

There was no need to fight Cui Yin; as long as he evaded him, when the time came, the power would dissipate, and Cui Yin would be like a fish on a chopping block, ready to be slaughtered!

But…

“Why avoid him?”

A hint of scarlet light flashed in Yao Zu’s eyes, filled with disdain.

If he had retreated before Gui Ling, it would indeed have been an excellent choice, but today was different from the past.

The first battle after returning to Sheng Shen Continent was not only to defeat Cui Yin but also to firmly suppress him, to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, and to curb Mo Zu’s surging greed.

Furthermore, if the World Tree went mad, it might destroy the Sheng Shen Continent, this new heavenly realm. How could Yao Zu tolerate that?

“Kill!”

“Must eliminate him… wait?”

Suddenly, Yao Zu was startled awake again.

Through the dazzling purple light, he saw the Xue Shi Zhu in Cui Yin’s hand, frowning slightly, then relaxing.

Although his previous thoughts might have been guided by the Xue Shi Zhu, Cui Yin’s greatest fear should be his avoidance of battle.

But…

“Guidance, so what?”

“Since you are determined to fight, I will give you a chance, just to avenge the ancient divine war.”

From ancient times to the present, various Ancestral Gods have had their share of grudges, big and small. Now that the Dao has been perfected, why tolerate any longer?

“Sheng Zhong Ji Dao!”

As Yao Zu retreated at lightning speed, he clapped his hands, still using the old method, activating the technique seeds within Cui Yin’s body.

The River of Life flowed, extending from under his feet into the distance.

A strong floral fragrance permeated the air, and in an instant, the desolate and ruined Gui Fo Jie was covered in blooming flowers.

“This is…”

Even Cui Yin, who was rapidly ascending and recovering his strength, trembled with all three of his eyes simultaneously upon seeing this.

It wasn't because he was surprised that Yao Zu was trying to disintegrate him from within with the same method, but because he saw a river again.

“The River of Dao…”

This was the third river!

The River of Time, the River of Memory, the River of Life.

The humiliation of being tricked by Dao Qiong Cang surged into his heart, along with a growing understanding.

Yao Zu being able to manifest the River of Life indicated that he had also reached the pinnacle in the Dao of Life, just like an Ancestor.

To this day, Cui Yin still couldn't believe how Dao Qiong Cang, despite not having become an Ancestral God in his comprehension of the Great Dao, could stand alongside Yao Zu and Shi Zu. However, this was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.

Once Ni Jin Lun Sheng was activated, power was rapidly ascending!

Once Sheng Zhong Ji Dao was unleashed, power was rapidly draining!

His own vitality was thrown into disarray, his hands and feet began to mutate, splitting into tree roots and tendrils, growing towards becoming a tree.

And at this moment, Yao Zu’s ability to control the technique seeds within him from a distance had actually increased by several times compared to before Gui Ling.

As a result, Cui Yin was horrified to find that after the inflow and outflow, his recovery speed was actually unable to instantly return to its peak; it would still require at least half an incense stick of time.

“How could this be?”

Gui Ling Yao Zu, the change was too immense.

This completely exceeded Cui Yin’s expectations.

With just the first move, he suffered another heavy blow, seeing almost no hope of success.

“Alas, Cui Yin is too pitiful.”

At the Crossroads, the moment the River of Life appeared, Dao Qiong Cang almost instantly calculated Cui Yin’s predicament.

He was being completely suppressed!

Yao Zu’s calculations were too exquisite; with just such a small change in power control, Cui Yin was caught off guard.

If no one helped him, this hungry tiger might not be able to devour the wolf and would instead feed it.

“Go.”

With a rustle, the River of Memory bloomed under his feet.

Dao Qiong Cang unceremoniously drew a “Jiong” (囧) character brand in the air and deeply imprinted it onto the Cui Yin puppet in his hand.

The brand’s aura was so strong that even the Heavenly Mystery Art couldn’t conceal it.

In fact, Dao Qiong Cang didn't try to conceal it at all. After doing all this, he simply crushed the Cui Yin puppet in his hand.

“Tsk.”

Xu Xiao Shou watched everything from the side, suffocating.

Caught between Yao Zu and Dao Qiong Cang, two ruthless individuals, both playing their cards openly, yet Cui Yin had to accept every move. How agonizing must that be?

As the Cui Yin puppet exploded, immense power surged out.

Illusory clouds of consciousness裂出了from the sealed space, transforming into blurred forms of Cui Yin’s consciousness.

Each carried a large amount of Cui Yin’s power after his recovery, but also bore memory imprints deep within the power. Cui Yin naturally sensed this, but…

“Ahhh!”

Cui Yin was going mad!

At the critical moment, Dao Qiong Cang unsealed the Cui Yin puppet, and Cui Yin was very happy.

However, this power, which was about to return to his body, was imprinted with deep memory marks, and there was no doubt that Dao Qiong Cang could influence him through it.

But he couldn’t refuse to accept this part of the power!

If he spent time trying to discard the memory influence, then during that time, Yao Zu would likely be able to kill him;

If he accepted this power to fight Yao Zu, then he would have to worry whether Dao Qiong Cang would explode within his body through the memory imprints at a critical moment.

Caught between a rock and a hard place!

Why are there such disgusting people in this world? Why does such calculation exist?

Couldn't everyone just be like Shen Yi?

Couldn't everyone just be a good person?

“Die die die——”

Above Gui Fo Jie, Cui Yin roared in a maddened frenzy, tortured.

But at the same time, the Technique Seed Reversion activated, receiving the part of himself from the Crossroads that was influenced by the memory imprints.

Dao Qiong Cang was a future problem.

Yao Zu was the immediate priority.

First kill the one in front, then kill the one behind!

Cui Yin, who was as stubborn as the Dao itself and as extreme as he was, no longer knew whether he was himself, or if Xue Shi Zhu, Yao Zu, Dao Qiong Cang, and others had influenced him, or if the Myriad Transformations of Self had changed him.

In short, he completely abandoned reason, wanting only to live, focusing only on the present, no longer wanting to think about how the future would evolve.

“Forbidden · Technique Seed Nurtures Spirit!”

After accepting the power of his self from the Cui Yin puppet at the Crossroads, another technique was unleashed.

The technique seed at the top of his head emerged, its outer skin cracking in an instant, and a blurred, embryonic Cui Yin form, a Dao Infant, was born from within, as if rooting and sprouting.

This was the pure Cui Yin.

Cui Yin under the Dao of Myriad Transformations was the stubborn Cui Yin.

This was the path of Yin-Yang balance that Cui Yin had originally intended to follow, having observed Ba Zun An’s sealing of the Dao and acting step by step.

Ba Zun An and Qing Ju were mutually dependent.

Cui Yin could be mutually dependent with the self-Dao Infant born from the Nurturing Spirit of the Technique Seed.

This Dao was superior, its only drawback being that the Dao Infant, being newly formed, needed time to grow.

And now…

There was no time!

There was no chance for that Yin-Yang balance!

Cui Yin’s calculations had been excellent, but Yao Zu, Dao Qiong Cang, and Xu Xiao Shou intervened, shattering all the beauty into a phantom bubble, forcing him to go to extremes.

“Forbidden · Sacrificing Self to the Dao!”

Another technique was unleashed, and Cui Yin opened his mouth wide, directly swallowing the Dao Infant.

The funnel of life-seed inflow and outflow seemed to have its bottom blocked, and Cui Yin’s state immediately soared to its peak, his combat power reaching its zenith.

Above Gui Fo Jie, magnificent purple Dao waves instantly rippled out.

Its immense power swept across the ancient battle platform, shattering its structure and Dao chains, and even the towering totem poles threatened to break.

“The power of Gui Ling Zu Shen…”

The Five Regions were horrified; this wave of Cui Yin’s power was indeed at its maximum.

Just the explosive force alone showed signs that Sheng Shen Continent couldn’t withstand it, similar to when Ba Zun An unleashed his sword.

And it was very clear that, although the previous changes in the life-seed had elevated the Sheng Shen Continent’s level somewhat, it was still not enough!

At least, if the ancient battle platform were to completely shatter at this moment, Sheng Shen Continent alone might not be able to withstand even one round of combat between Cui Yin and Yao Zu.

The world could see this, and Yao Zu was even clearer.

Cui Yin could act recklessly because he had no retreat, but the new heavenly realm was Yao Zu’s possession. How could he tolerate such destruction?

But where did the power come from?

“That’s right…”

“Cui Yin must have swallowed the power from that puppet!”

A sudden burst. Yao Zu, upon reflection, could only conclude that the Cui Yin puppet had been unsealed.

The puppet was in Xu Xiao Shou’s hands…

So, was Xu Xiao Shou assisting Cui Yin?

Xu Xiao Shou was insignificant; was this another idea of Ming Zu?

No, he had met Ming Zu before, and at least regarding the new heavenly realm idea, Ming Zu had turned a blind eye, essentially approving of it. He wouldn’t turn around and cooperate with Cui Yin…

No!

He was again guided and misled in his thinking by the Xue Shi Zhu!

Xu Xiao Shou had clearly created a grand Heavenly Mystery formation at the Crossroads, but was defeated by Bei Huai, so the puppet had already fallen into Bei Huai’s hands.

Bei Huai and Dao Qiong Cang met in the Dragon Cave and had already exhausted the power in the Life Elixir Pool. So this wave was not Xu Xiao Shou assisting Cui Yin…

It was Bei Huai and Dao Qiong Cang assisting Cui Yin!

Cui Yin was in front, Bei Huai and Dao Qiong Cang were behind, but what did they want to do?

In a flash of lightning, Yao Zu understood everything, yet still couldn’t comprehend one point:

“Are they trying to seize the Dao?”

This was absolutely impossible!

With all his calculations completed and possessing two Rivers of the Great Dao, how could he lose?

Even if Cui Yin, Bei Huai, and Dao Qiong Cang were tied together and Xu Xiao Shou was thrown in, he still couldn’t lose!

With this thought, he raised his head.

Yao Zu looked at the struggling Cui Yin, feeling as if he was seeing a wild beast desperately trying to break free from its cage, yet destined to slowly bleed out and reach the end of its life.

He smiled.

A very disdainful smile.

When the smile solidified, his eyes turned cold and sharp like swords:

“How can a mere mayfly know the height of the sky?”

“The Two Daos of Techniques and Cui Yin cannot contend with the vastness of the Twin Rivers!”

Having uttered this declaration, Yao Zu stepped forward, facing the menacing glow of Cui Yin, showing no avoidance or concession, as if to confront Cui Yin at his peak.

With a soft rustle, to the horrified gaze of the Five Regions, another winding river unfolded beneath Yao Zu’s feet, originating from the unknown and flowing towards the nameless.

Upon it, scenes of reincarnation, like flickering candlelight, depicted every period of Cui Yin’s cultivation of the Dao from ancient times to the present, every segment of his life, every external incarnation, and even the changes of his past, present, and future lives.

“What?!”

At this moment, Cui Yin’s face changed dramatically.

Not only him, but even Xu Xiao Shou at the Crossroads was moved.

The Twin Rivers of the Great Dao! Shen Nong Shi, after countless years of planning, must have completely surpassed Shi Zu at this moment!

Dao Qiong Cang was like a wild dog starved for thirty years, staring fixedly at the Gui Fo Jie battlefield, as if seeing an incredibly delicious meat bun. His eyes suddenly turned red, and his breathing involuntarily became heavy—he clearly didn’t want to pretend anymore; he was just salivating!

Zi Chong of Si Ling Shan Sheng Gong also showed a solemn expression, finally realizing at this point the source of Yao Zu’s previous confidence in claiming to suppress Cui Yin with one hand.

“There can be two Rivers of the Great Dao?”

What astonishing talent could enable one’s cultivated Dao to advance side by side, both reaching the extreme?

Compared to this, Cui Yin, who had merely transformed the Dao of Techniques into the Dao of Cui and reached another extreme, felt a sense of shame when looking at it now.

From ancient times to the present, among the Ancestral Gods of all generations, for extraordinary talent, there was Ba Zun An; for mature and steady progress, it was none other than Yao Zu, Shen Nong Bai Cao!

“Sheng Mie Lun Hui!”

Yao Zu bravely charged into the purple mist of Cui Yin, and slapped Cui Yin’s forehead with his palm: “Die!”

With a boom, the ancient battle platform completely shattered into fragments.

The power of life and the power of reincarnation surged wildly, and the Twin Rivers of the Great Dao churned, creating ripples.

In an instant, Cui Yin’s own vitality was completely reversed, plummeting from its peak to its lowest point, shifting from “life” to “death,” his entire being permeated with the aura of death.

The life patterns were forcibly altered.

Power surged chaotically, like a breached dam, completely out of control.

Not only that, but Yao Zu’s palm seemed to only strike Cui Yin’s forehead, but it actually obliterated every weak period of Cui Yin in every time segment on the River of Reincarnation.

Confused pasts, mutated futures…

With various karmic effects added to him, and a palm strike delivered in the present, Cui Yin actually showed signs of self-disintegration, opening his mouth and spurting blood.

However, in times of desperation, courage is found.

Cui Yin gritted his teeth and endured this blow, just to wait for this opportunity to get close to Yao Zu.

He didn’t even resist.

He didn't even counterattack… not even throwing the Xie Zui Gong at Yao Zu’s face to vent his hatred.

Being struck by a palm didn’t disrupt Cui Yin’s preparations.

His two free hands behind him came together, still forming hand seals. After a slight pause, the technique was completed.

“Forbidden · Ba Shi Duo She!”

After unleashing the most powerful soul-seizing technique of this era, and also his final forbidden technique.

With a thunderous explosion, the power of the Twin Rivers burst forth, and Cui Yin shattered into dust, but at the same time, his body transformed into countless purple streams of light.

Each stream pushed to its limit, and after the soul-seizing imprint was placed on Yao Zu’s hand, they plunged from the highest heavens to the lowest underworld, striving to burrow from Cui Yin’s body into Yao Zu’s.

You want to destroy me, so I will be reborn through you!

Heaven cannot kill Cui Yin, and fate cannot control me!

This Dao, in the hands of you, Shen Nong Bai Cao, today, can also be used by me tomorrow!

Purple light shone brightly, illuminating the sky.

With the ancient battle platform gone, the entire world trembled.

As the streams of light poured into Yao Zu’s body, Cui Yin’s hysterical, maniacal laughter also resounded throughout the Five Regions, north and south:

“What a magnificent Twin Rivers of the Great Dao, what a splendid Shen Nong Bai Cao!”

“But even if I, Cui Yin, perish today, you, too, must be buried with me!”