Chapter 284: Targeted

"Oh? So you're saying that the Asura, who successfully ascended and transcended the tribulation hundreds of thousands of years ago, didn't leave the continent for the Upper Realm? Instead, he remained here?" Long Kun continued to ask.

"Precisely. That's because the Asura had an unparalleled adversary back then, arguably his lifelong enemy. This person was Daoist Monarch Xiaoyao, the protector of the Ancient Desolate Dynasty and its eternal legacy, and the founder of the Xiaoyao Dao sect. He was the other peerless prodigy alongside the Asura hundreds of thousands of years ago. They battled for over a hundred thousand years, both reaching the pinnacle of tribulation transcendence, seeking the perfect opportunity for final ascension. When the Asura infiltrated the Ancient Desolate Dynasty and unleashed rampant slaughter, the Daoist Monarch intervened and gained the upper hand. However, in his desperation, the Asura defied heaven and severed his path, completing his ascension and acquiring truly divine power. Regrettably, he was still ultimately defeated by the Daoist Monarch." The crowd listened, looking utterly bewildered.

"No way? Did this Daoist Monarch also ascend?" Long Kun's eyes widened. "No. I once heard the previous Sword Master say that Daoist Monarch Xiaoyao acquired some divine power from Qilin Mountain to suppress the Asura, thus saving the continent from a catastrophe. After that, both the Asura and the Daoist Monarch completely vanished. The Ancient Desolate Dynasty, also affected by the incident, was soon invaded and brutally partitioned by the surrounding cultivation forces..." Upon hearing this, Xu Yang and the others finally understood.

"I see! No wonder the Xiaoyao Dao sect, despite its small scale, has endured for hundreds of thousands of years, and the Nine-Colored Qiankun Bell serves as the core medium to Qilin Mountain. So, the origins are all tied to Daoist Monarch Xiaoyao! With this, everything seems to make sense." Xu Yang frowned, then spoke again, "Then is the Endless Pagoda you mentioned also connected to all of this?"

The Sword Spirit's expression turned solemn. "The previous Sword Master once speculated that although the Asura was suppressed by Daoist Monarch Xiaoyao, he had, in the true sense, achieved ascension through his own power. In terms of cultivation realm, he was incomparable to the Daoist Monarch. The Daoist Monarch's victory was purely due to external aid, and thus, with his own strength, he couldn't utterly destroy the Asura, only suppress him. The core secret of imprisoning the Asura and the truly world-destroying prohibitive power lie within the Asura's Burial Mound. Or rather, the name 'Asura's Burial Mound' itself was a diversion, leading people to believe the power here originated from cultivators across the continent. By using such a narrative as a cover, no one could connect it to the secrets concerning the Asura from back then. As for the Endless Pagoda, it was a faint, unsubstantiated notion that the previous Sword Master and I perceived while cultivating in this place. Although it was just a guess, my master always firmly believed that the Endless Pagoda is the vessel for the power Daoist Monarch Xiaoyao inherited from the Qilin Mountain lineage, and what is suppressed within the pagoda must be the Asura's soul!"

The Empress nodded. "So, if Tuobayun inherited the Asura's mantle, he should immediately receive the Asura's soul's summons to go to the Endless Pagoda and release him! As long as we can follow the clues in the images to find the parallel space and specific location of the Asura's tomb, we can then track Tuobayun's position and find the Endless Pagoda!"

"Exactly! This will be our next course of action! But what about Bai Lianxue and the Facing-Heaven Plant?" Xu Yang gently shook his head. "They should be safe. The Facing-Heaven Plant's spiritual power is no weaker than ours, and any clues we perceive, they will surely sense as well. If they encounter a truly life-threatening danger, the Facing-Heaven Plant will definitely send us a distress signal. We just need to focus on finding Tuobayun and his group; we'll eventually reunite with Lianxue and them!"

Hearing this, everyone finally felt relieved and nodded, agreeing with Xu Yang's plan. "Alright, boss, give the order! We'll set off immediately to track Tuobayun and his group! If all our previous assessments are correct, we must stop him before he reaches the Endless Pagoda and releases the Asura! Otherwise, once the Asura descends, the entire continent will face another catastrophe!"

With a clear objective and direction, the group wasted no more time. After preparing for battle and adjusting their states, they immediately broke free from the illusion and arrived above the parallel space, which was now entirely overrun by vengeful spirits.

"Kill!" Xu Yang unleashed his strongest killing move. The black qi of the Dao of Slaughter rapidly spread, and world-shaking thunder exploded in the sky once more. With a single sword swing, all the vengeful spirits in the entire space instantly vanished.

"Tsk, tsk... Boss, seeing you like this now, especially with the Azure Sky Sword, I think you're fully capable of fighting even the most powerful Tuobayun." Long Kun gave Xu Yang a thumbs-up, but Xu Yang himself felt a strong sense of danger.

Although he was confident in his ability to fight, he had, after all, previously fought Tuobahong, the Asura Dao successor in the early stages of tribulation transcendence, and was keenly aware of the terror of Asura's power. Compared to the previous Tuobahong, the current Tuobayun was undoubtedly equivalent to the Asura's true form descending, with his combat power reaching a new height. This was truly terrifying.

After clearing out these minor threats, Xu Yang and the Empress quickly found a loophole in the parallel space's laws, guided by the memories derived from the Great Sumeru Dao. After some effort, they finally pinpointed the source of the vengeful spirit energy and successfully entered the parallel space where Tuobayun and his group were located.

Compared to their own starting point in the Asura's Burial Mound, Tuobayun's parallel space was far more terrifying. A blood-red moon hung in the sky, shimmering with bewildering crimson light, and the air was thick with a bloody stench, much more pervasive than what they had initially envisioned.

Evidently, the current state of this environment was a direct result of Tuobayun's acquisition of the inheritance. All life force within the space had been completely annihilated, leaving behind only endless gloom and sickening gore.

"My heavens... This environment greatly hinders our tracking! The bloody scent has a strong masking effect, making it very difficult for us to pinpoint Tuobayun's group's direction and path based solely on the traces here." The Five Little Flowers of Cold Moon, being most averse to blood, showed immediate disgust upon entering the space. While others fared relatively better, anyone would feel uncomfortable staying in such a place for too long.

At this moment, Xu Yang's power became evident. As his Dao Heart Whisk gently floated, and the group was bathed in the power of the Dao, they felt immense comfort, and the pressure emanating from within the space significantly lightened.

Rumble! Just then, a silent sword glow suddenly surged, inexplicably flying from the far end of their dark vision and firmly locking onto the bodies of the Five Little Flowers of Cold Moon. "Dodge!"

The enhanced insight gained from the White Bone Night Owl's sacrifice became apparent. Without needing anyone's protection, the Five Little Flowers simultaneously made the most accurate reactions, narrowly dodging the attacks of these sharp sword glows. "Everyone, be careful, it's an ambush!"