Chapter 1494: Too Yi's Downfall

"What if I can't?" Wei Sufeng called out loudly to Taiyi's retreating back. "Will I need to follow a map to rescue you? I came here by following you, and I left a geographical map outside the city!"

Taiyi did not turn back. His voice drifted back, "If you cannot stop him, you will have to fend for yourselves!"

Wei Sufeng and Shujun shivered, then obediently stood still, quietly waiting for Taiyi's return.

Taiyi approached the entrance of the Miluo Palace. With a creak, the gate slowly opened on its own, stiff from disuse.

Primordial chaos surged within the doorway, unfathomably deep. The moment the gate opened, a dense surge of primordial energy billowed out. This energy felt brimming with vigorous life, stirring the Great Dao they had cultivated within Wei Sufeng and Shujun, making them resonate with melodious Daoist tones.

Yet, concurrently, a heavy, oppressive death aura was present in the energy. This death aura was so potent that it filled their cultivated Great Dao with immense dread, as if even a slight contact would cause it to wither and decay.

The terrifying death aura resembled the accumulated decay and destruction from the annihilation of sixteen universes. As it surged towards them, both felt their lifespans rapidly draining away.

Taiyi waved his sleeve, dispelling the primordial energy that was surging towards them, then stepped into the Miluo Palace, his form vanishing into the depths of the primordial chaos.

Wei Sufeng and Shujun gazed into the doorway. The primordial energy was incredibly dense, and through it, they vaguely perceived a tall, majestic figure seated on a throne within the palace, quietly awaiting Taiyi's arrival.

They tried to see more clearly, but with another creak, the doorway closed.

The two waited in silence. This section of Jade Capital City was utterly deserted; not a single Dao Tree, usually abundant along the path, was found here. The stillness was somewhat unsettling.

Shujun couldn't help but glance around. He noticed marvelous imprints on the buildings, distinct from the Great Dao imprints of their current era. They were exquisitely beautiful and breathtaking.

He started to move closer for a better look, but Wei Sufeng pulled him back.

"Divine King," Wei Sufeng said, "Taiyi left this staff, and it must hold profound significance. We shouldn't stray too far from it."

Shujun looked at the staff, nodded, and remarked, "Old Cult Master Wei is truly experienced."

After a moment of quiet waiting, Wei Sufeng also found himself compelled to examine the Dao patterns etched onto the nearby buildings. Upon closer inspection, he realized they contained infinite mysteries.

The Dao patterns appeared uncomplicated, yet remarkably, each of them perceived and comprehended something entirely different from them, which was astonishing.

"How about we pull out the staff and get a closer look?" Wei Sufeng proposed.

Shujun nodded repeatedly. "That's an excellent idea," he agreed. "Let's examine them up close."

Wei Sufeng pulled up the staff, and they approached the Dao patterns. Shujun then produced a mirror, attempting to project the Dao patterns onto its surface. This mirror was a treasure invented by Qin Mu, crafted using techniques of the Painting Saint, a deaf master. Within the mirror lay a separate cosmos, and by simply pointing it at an object, a miraculous reflection would form within its inner world.

Qin Mu had previously used this method to illuminate the various seals on the Hall of Perfumed Incense, seeking a way to enter it. He had also employed this technique to capture images of all the ancient god Dao runes within the Heavenly Court's Archive Pavilion.

He had passed on the crafting method for this divine mirror to Yan Kang. There, cultivators skilled in the art of painting adopted it as a means of livelihood, refining and selling these divine mirrors to others. They named them Qiankun Mirrors, signifying "a universe contained within."

Shujun held the Qiankun Mirror up to the Dao patterns on the Miluo Palace wall. In the mirror, the pattern's reflection slowly began to reveal its intricate internal details. More and more details emerged, at an accelerating pace, creating a dizzying display!

Shujun's expression shifted slightly. In mere moments, the details revealed in the Qiankun Mirror had completely filled its internal cosmos.

Suddenly, with a sharp crack, the Qiankun Mirror fractured into two halves, unable to contain the endless details that continued to unfold from the Dao pattern.

Shujun felt a deep pang of heartache. This was merely a single Dao pattern on the Miluo Palace wall, yet it had shattered his Qiankun Mirror. With countless more Dao patterns here, did this mean they would have to witness an endless treasure trove without being able to gain anything from it?

Wei Sufeng chuckled softly, then took out another Qiankun Mirror. He whispered, "Divine King, how long has it been since you returned to Yan Kang? You haven't met the Painting Saint, have you? This mirror of mine was personally crafted for me by the Painting Saint."

"Personally crafted by the Painting Saint?" Shujun's face showed envy. The Painting Saint Wei Sufeng spoke of was the Deaf, revered for having entered the Dao through calligraphy and painting, thereby cultivating the Painting Dao Heavenly Palace.

"My junior brother also learned his painting Dao from him," Wei Sufeng added, "but only managed to grasp about thirty to forty percent of his skill."

Wei Sufeng calmly held his Qiankun Mirror up to the Dao patterns on the wall. "When I met him," he explained, "he had been invited to lecture at the Academy of Dao Inquiry. So, I shamelessly pestered him until he refined two Qiankun Mirrors for me. These mirrors truly contain a universe within, imbued with layers of his painting Dao's heavens. Your mirror simply can't compare."

Shujun leaned in for a closer look. Indeed, the Qiankun Mirror personally crafted by the Deaf Master also began to reveal an endless array of details from the Dao pattern. This single pattern's revealed details quickly filled the mirror's entire inner cosmos!

"Don't keep going, the mirror will crack..."

No sooner had Shujun uttered this than, to his surprise, another cosmos appeared within the mirror's existing one, continuing to reflect the Dao pattern's infinite details!

Shujun watched in stunned silence. The second layer of reality within the Qiankun Mirror was quickly filled with the Miluo Palace Dao pattern's details, and then yet another cosmos emerged within the Qiankun Mirror, continuing to reflect the pattern's intricacies.

Moments later, this brilliant mirror astonishingly revealed eighteen layers of nested cosmoses, and every single one of them was packed full with the details of just one Dao pattern!

And still, the details of this Dao pattern were not fully revealed!

Wei Sufeng's expression flickered. He quickly produced the other Qiankun Mirror that the Deaf Master had crafted and pointed it at the already brimming mirror.

As the two Qiankun Mirrors reflected each other, a mirror-within-a-mirror effect instantly emerged. In a flash, countless images of Qiankun Mirrors appeared within both.

Peculiarly, each layer of mirror images contained eighteen nested cosmoses. No matter how many details the Dao pattern continued to reveal, it could not fully occupy the countless reflections.

"The Painting Saint's skill is truly divine!"

Shujun stared, mesmerized, as layer upon layer of mirrors within mirrors continued to capture the intricate details of the Miluo Palace Dao patterns. An ever-increasing amount of details were displayed, and more and more of the nested mirrors became filled.

Both felt their scalps tingle. The sheer depth of knowledge contained within a single Miluo Palace Dao pattern was far beyond anything they had anticipated!

"If the Painting Saint's skill were cultivated to its peak," Shujun whispered, "I fear it would surpass even Divine King Gongjun's illusions!"

Finally, the mirror-within-a-mirror ceased revealing further details. At the very bottom of one of the innermost mirrors, a single rune mark became visible.

This rune mark was the very core of the Miluo Palace Dao pattern!

Shujun and Wei Sufeng exchanged glances. There were too many reflections, making it impossible for them to clearly discern the rune mark.

"We would need the Painting Saint himself to intervene to clearly see the details of that rune mark," Wei Sufeng remarked.

Wei Sufeng carefully observed the scene within the two mirrors, his lower eyelid twitching. He couldn't even begin to count the number of mirrored layers!

Shujun likewise found it impossible to count, and beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

They were familiar with the cultivation steps for divine abilities and Daoist techniques.

Divine abilities and Daoist techniques first require understanding Dao runes, which then form the abilities and techniques themselves. When a certain level of knowledge is accumulated, Dao runes can be assembled into Dao patterns.

Dao patterns are the very fabric of the Great Dao, holding its profound mysteries.

Constructing divine abilities and Daoist techniques from Dao patterns significantly enhances their power.

Essentially, Dao Realm divine abilities are typically formed from Dao patterns.

However, Dao patterns are not the pinnacle. Only after mastering them can one attempt to use them to form Great Dao rules, thus creating a domain.

Creating a domain signifies mastery over rules, but even then, it does not mean one has mastered the Great Dao itself.

They are called "Great Dao rules" precisely because the Great Dao transcends the rules.

In other words, a domain might merely be a component of the Great Dao.

Emperor Kai's Sword Dao domain already comprised thirty-five layers. When he unleashed a sword strike, these thirty-five sword domains would overlap, each layer distinct and expounding different principles.

Only upon cultivating to the thirty-sixth layer of the Sword Dao domain would he be considered to have attained enlightenment!

Yet now, a mere Dao pattern on the Miluo Palace wall revealed such an infinitely complex detailed structure, and the walls held countless other distinct Dao patterns!

Wei Sufeng and Shujun simply could not fathom the depth of the Miluo Palace Master's attainments!

Wei Sufeng's voice was hoarse. "Can Taiyi truly contend with such a powerful Miluo Palace Master?" he asked. "Such a divine being surely transcends the realm of enlightened ones, doesn't he?"

At that very moment, an incredibly terrifying tremor suddenly emanated from within the Miluo Palace!

Their scalps tingled; clearly, negotiations between Taiyi and the Miluo Palace Master had collapsed, and fighting had begun!

Wei Sufeng swiftly put away both mirrors, tucking them into his divine treasury. Both men's eyes were fixed on the Miluo Palace. Inside, it seemed as if a giant, splitting heaven and earth, was using a great chaotic axe to cleave through the primordial, carving out a clear and bright universe with a single stroke!

The other terrifying tremor, however, felt even more unfathomable. While Taiyi's strikes produced a discernible impact, the other tremor was utterly elusive!

Boom— The gates of the Miluo Palace suddenly burst open. The giant Taiyi stood with his back to them, covered in blood, wielding a chaotic axe. The massive axe spun and slashed, fending off the onslaught from within the palace. Each swing of the giant's axe seemed to conjure a new world from its blade, parting heaven and earth – a truly astonishing display of power!

Yet, his injuries steadily mounted.

Wei Sufeng and Shujun immediately scrambled backward, rushing towards the River of Chaos. Behind them, Taiyi retreated step by step, his blood filling each footprint, leaving behind pools formed from Dao blood.

Wei Sufeng and Shujun sprinted, not daring to glance behind them. As they neared the river, realizing there was no path forward, Taiyi suddenly kicked his foot backward, striking the staff in Wei Sufeng's hand.

The staff whistled as it swelled, transforming into a long boat with a raised prow. It carried Wei Sufeng and Shujun swiftly across the river's surface.

Taiyi delivered one final axe swing, then leaped onto the river's surface, pursuing the two men.

The long boat and Taiyi, one after the other, traversed multiple rivers of chaos. As they reached the fourth such river, a resonant Daoist sound suddenly echoed, speaking a phrase of indiscernible meaning.

The two on the boat quickly turned to look back, only to see a massive hand striking Taiyi from the River of Chaos, forcing him into its depths.

The giant Taiyi struggled fiercely, attempting to breach the river's surface. Suddenly, countless skeletons from within the river extended their skeletal hands, grabbing him all over his body.

The giant Taiyi struggled briefly, then looked up at the two on the long boat and smiled, before being pulled down into the River of Chaos.

"Follow the map to save me—" From the long boat, Wei Sufeng and Shujun heard Taiyi's voice echo from within the River of Chaos.

"Brother Dao, what map?" Wei Sufeng rasped.

However, the long boat was incredibly swift, traversing one chaotic river after another. Sixteen rivers of chaos flashed past, and neither man heard Taiyi's reply again.

Whoosh— The long boat, formed from the staff, streaked through the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City, cutting through its various bizarre phenomena. The two men on board were in a daze, inadvertently spotting figures like Heavenly Venerate Hao and Ancestor God King in the distance.

These figures watched the long boat depart with bewildered astonishment.

Soon after, they encountered Heavenly Venerate Xiao, Heavenly Consort Yan, and others. The Ancient God Taiji also regarded them with a look of surprise, clearly quite shocked.

The long boat embedded itself in the ground outside the city walls, throwing the two men off. Once they regained their footing, they saw that the boat had reverted into a wooden staff, now sticking upright next to the large cauldron Wei Sufeng had left outside the city.

"Is it the geographical map inside the cauldron?" Shujun frantically rushed to the cauldron's side, asking anxiously.

"Absolutely not!" Wei Sufeng solemnly shook his head. He pulled up Taiyi's staff, collected the large cauldron, and stated gravely, "We must return to the Hundred Thousand Holy Mountains at once to see my junior brother!"