Chapter 705 - 21: Shangqing’s Dao Integration, Near Transcenders, The Jun of Wa Huang’s God

Without any warning, Xuan Sheng was swallowed in a single gulp.

He didn't even put up the slightest bit of resistance.

"Xuan Sheng is Lu Xuan? I see, so that's how it is!"

Fu Xi roared with laughter, a look of sudden realization on his face. He laughed so hard that tears and snot streamed down his face.

He felt the position of Daoist Ancestor that was now his. He felt his absolute control over the path from the Jade Tower—or rather, from Refining Essence and Transforming Qi all the way to the Daluo Realm—and even the Realm of Transformation and the Realm of Unity...

He patted his stomach, looked at Taiyi, and grinned.

"I've eaten a part of Lu Xuan. Now, what will you do?"

Feeling the position of Daoist Ancestor slowly manifest behind Fu Xi, Taiyi also came to a sudden, furious realization, his eyes nearly splitting with rage!

He too understood now. He knew where Lu Xuan's powers of Transformation Dao and Integration Dao, which he had been unable to obtain, had come from.

"FU! XI!"

Taiyi roared.

"You are courting your own destruction!"

As soon as the words fell, Taiyi, utterly enraged, struck out—not at Fu Xi, but at the Lame Daoist to the side.

The Lame Daoist, holding the Qing Ping Sword, was sent flying. He left a trail of blood as he plummeted into the unknown.

The great tide of the Final Calamity surged once more, crashing down with a roar, and the corpse formed from the Era Remnants smashed its way in!

Taiyi walked toward his own remains, the two merging into one. His aura skyrocketed!

Immediately after, he reached out, grabbed another dying Lu Xuan, and shoved him into his mouth. He chewed violently before swallowing him down, digesting him completely!

Taiyi was completing himself, bit by bit, inch by inch, getting closer and closer to Transcendence...

But in the end, it wasn't enough.

He was stuck at the final step, unable to advance.

He was missing a part of "Lu Xuan."

Taiyi's eyes instantly turned red. He stared coldly at Fu Xi.

"It doesn't matter. Devouring you will complete me all the same."

His voice was like a great bell, stirring up an infinite tide. After merging with the Era Remnants and devouring the majority of Lu Xuan, Taiyi had already approached the level of Transcendence.

A Near Transcender.

"Devour me?"

Fu Xi burst out laughing, tears and snot again streaming from his face.

"Taiyi, you're a step away from Transcendence, but I... I'm about to transcend right now."

Hearing this, Taiyi froze for a moment. He seemed to have thought of something, and his expression changed drastically.

"The Goddess?!"

「Meanwhile, within the Great Heaven and Earth, in the Supreme Celestial Realm, inside Douluo Palace.」

The four versions of Fu Xi, each occupying a Dao Fruit body, lifted the lid of the Eight Trigrams Furnace. They gazed at the unconscious Goddess within, who was like a lamb to the slaughter, and a smile appeared on their faces.

"Finally..."

Fu Xi said, almost intoxicated.

"After countless years of scheming, countless years of waiting, I will finally be made whole. I will be made whole..."

He glanced at the dying embers of Shangqing Sword Light next to the Goddess, slightly surprised, but didn't give it much thought.

The four of them lifted the Goddess out together and placed her on the ground.

"We will finally become one."

'Haotian,' 'Amitabha,' 'Buddha Mother,' and 'Bodhi' spoke in unison, greedily absorbing the Transcendence Origin from the Goddess's body.

Fu Xi also began to take steps toward Transcendence. The Door of Transcendence even appeared, growing closer and closer...

And then it stopped abruptly.

???

Fu Xi froze.

He had completely drained the Transcendence Origin from the Goddess's body, only to discover...

There was clearly only half of the Transcendence Origin.

Where was the other half? WHERE WAS THE OTHER HALF???

Fu Xi stomped his feet in fury and let out a roar. The shriek of his rage destroyed the entire Celestial Realm!

"Where is the other half!!"

Countless Fu Xis merged into one at that moment, transforming into an Infinite Giant. His eyes scanned the heavens and the earth, searching for the other half of the missing Transcendence Origin!

At the highest point of Chaos, Taiyi began to laugh, tears welling in his eyes from the force of it.

"Oh, Fu Xi, Fu Xi..."

"Why don't you take a look and see where the other half of Wa Huang's Essence is?"

As he spoke, a brilliant light erupted from Taiyi's body. The half True Form of Transcendence and the half Transcendence Origin he had obtained from Lu Xuan shone with dazzling radiance!

The two Near Transcenders faced each other, their auras colliding. Their power surged!

... ...

「Time rewound to the moment before the Lame Daoist left the Eight Trigrams Furnace.」

"Remember, Xiaoxuan, one must break in order to build..."

He smiled, patted Lu Xuan's shoulder heavily, and said softly,

"I'm so damn unlucky. The Final Calamity is here, but I'm not sure I can beat those two..."

Tears streamed down Lu Xuan's face as if they cost nothing. He nearly choked on his words.

"Master..."

"Alright, your master is leaving now."

As he spoke, the Lame Daoist stroked the Qing Ping Sword, and his Physique began to glow.

He was performing the Integration Dao.

Integrating with the Dao of the Final Calamity.

"I've always been a bit resentful. Primordial ruled supreme at The Beginning of Ancient Times, and Supreme unleashed a mighty power at the very end that silenced all sides. How is it that when it's my turn, I get such a raw deal? I can't beat Taiyi, and I'm not even sure I can beat Fu Xi."

The Lame Daoist grumbled.

"This is a huge loss to swallow..."

His voice gradually faded until it was gone.

The Lame Daoist had completed his Integration Dao.

His final words then drifted down.

"The Final Calamity is here. Your master has integrated with its Dao. This leftover body should be able to sever all connections and help you block the link between you and Taiyi..."

"Xiaoxuan, allow your master to be willful this one time. From now on, you must walk the path alone... I'm sorry."

Lu Xuan listened quietly, his eyes closed. His lips trembled, wanting to speak, but no words would come out.

From this point on, Supreme had dissipated, Primordial was in slumber, Spirit Treasure had performed Integration Dao, and the Goddess was unconscious.

He was almost completely alone.

After coughing for a long while, Lu Xuan's True Spirit, commanding numerous Transcendent Traits and that cluster of Transcendence Origin, drilled out of his original physical shell.

Then, with a single thought, he raised a ball of fire and burned his own true body to ash. His True Spirit then bored into the Lame Daoist's empty shell.

He glanced at his own burning true body and lightly swung his sword. A vibrant sword light flashed, completely annihilating the remains of his old form.

He annihilated the old body that had lost its True Form of Transcendence. He also annihilated "Lu Xuan."

'I'm still one step away from completely severing my connection with Taiyi...'

'Just one step away.'

The 'Lame Daoist' let out a soft sigh. He pushed open the Eight Trigrams Furnace, strode into the sky, and his voice boomed.

"The Final Calamity is my home turf!"

He swung his sword, and a beam of light rose up, holding back the great tide of the Final Calamity!

He fought Taiyi to a standstill!

He thought of that saying.

"When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits."

How could he make the snipe and the clam grapple?

Lu Xuan, controlling Xuan Sheng Dao Ancestor, allowed himself to be swallowed by Fu Xi without resistance.

And just like that... it was done.

Taiyi flew into a rage, sending the Lu Xuan-inhabited Lame Daoist flying and merging with the Era Remnants. Fu Xi absorbed half of the Transcendence Origin.

Both of them simultaneously stepped into the ranks of Near Transcenders and began to fight to the death!

The battle raged so fiercely that the great tide of the Final Calamity itself nearly dispersed!

"Fu Xi, if I eat you, I can become whole!"

"Taiyi, if I eat you, I can become whole!"

As the Near Transcenders fought to the death, All Realms fell silent. Only The Beginning of Ancient Times and the Current World remained unaffected.

... ...

「Within the ruins of an Ancient Realm.」

Lu Xuan, in the form of the Lame Daoist, leaned on the Qing Ping Sword, quietly watching the two Near Transcenders locked in combat. Blood streamed from his eyes.

A Perfect Dao Fruit is the limit, and Transcendence is the final leap. A Near Transcender is just one final step away from Transcendence.

The sheer magnitude of a Near Transcender approached the limits of what a Great Era could bear, and it also surpassed the bounds of Lu Xuan's imagination.

To speak of a being at this level was to be wrong; to think of one was to be in error. They could not be described with words...

It was only because this was the Final Calamity, and because Spirit Treasure Great Heavenly Venerate had integrated with its Dao and sent down a shield of protection, that Lu Xuan could avoid being perceived by the two and sever his connection to Taiyi.

Though Shangqing's Integration Dao had rendered him emotionless, he still bestowed a sliver of protection upon Lu Xuan.

But even so, by looking directly at the two Near Transcenders, Lu Xuan's eyes were scorched. They bled continuously, constantly taking damage!

This was especially true when he activated the Omniscience of his True Form of Transcendence's eyes. Seeing countless things and events beyond comprehension on the two Near Transcenders, he nearly became a mindless fool!

But he still forced himself to stare.

'Fu Xi...'

Lu Xuan stared at Fu Xi, letting blood flow from his eyes, letting his mind and spirit be battered by things beyond the limits of thought, and silently activated the Path of Great Balance.

The Realm of Transformation could bear one Transcendence Origin. The Realm of Unity could bear two.

This time, Lu Xuan chose...

Wa Huang's God.

An unknown amount of time passed. Time and Years had already lost all meaning. Lu Xuan stared at the two Near Transcenders for so long that the very concept of his eyes was burned away, and he completely lost the ability of "sight"!

Everything between heaven and earth became dark to him. Even with his current power, he could not recreate his eyes. He had lost one of his six senses.

Fortunately, in the final moment before the concept of his eyes was incinerated, Wa Huang's God was finally "balanced" over to him, silently gathering within Lu Xuan's body.

He could feel his True Spirit and Soul completely transform into the Infinite and the Boundless. The turn of a thought was the Birth and Death of the Great Dao. His Innate Spiritual Light was enough to illuminate the entire Era!

At this point, Wa Huang's God, Wa Huang's Essence, and the Six Paths Transcendent Traits had all gathered within Lu Xuan.

He was only missing one thing—Wa Huang's Qi—and then he could achieve Transcendence.

But the Realm of Unity could only bear two Transcendence Origins. More critically, Lu Xuan had not yet completely severed his connection with Taiyi.

He was still Taiyi's True Self Incarnation. He was only temporarily insulated from this connection by relying on the physical remains and Dao Fruit left behind by his Three Masters' self-sacrificial Integration Dao...

'I must sever the connection.'

Lu Xuan muttered to himself, leaning on the Qing Ping Sword. His expression was bleak. He looked back at the Great Heaven and Earth, but it was already completely destroyed. One by one, all those he knew had withered away.

Uncle Yan, Yang Jian, Xiaonian, Little Peach Spirit, Wang Zhiyao, Senior Brother Zhang...

And then his Three Masters, Elder Haotian...

Not a single one was left.

Only Xiaoyan remained, quietly staying in The Beginning of Ancient Times. But even The Beginning of Ancient Times was on the verge of collapse.

'How can I sever this final thread of connection?'

Lu Xuan muttered in confusion, sighing softly.

"And how can I, in a world utterly dominated by two Near Transcenders, step into the next realm, master the Dao Fruit, achieve Enlightenment, and firmly secure the position of Daoist Ancestor?"

He was at a complete loss.

Lu Xuan sat withered in the ruins of this Great Realm, lost in thought for many years, but still had no clue. He tried to recall bits and pieces of the past and suddenly remembered his second master's words.

"When you reach a dead end, with no way forward and no way back, go find Qing Xuan."

He raised his head, his eye sockets empty, and muttered to himself.

"Qing Xuan..."

Leaning on the Qing Ping Sword, Lu Xuan stood up. Although he had lost the ability of "sight" and could see nothing,

he could still hear, smell, and touch. He had lost one of his six senses, but five remained.

Relying on the support of his other senses, he left the ruins of the Great Realm and tried to walk toward the Great Heaven and Earth.

But with every step he took, he was struck by the aftershocks of the Near Transcenders' battle. Each time he was hit, Lu Xuan would cough up a large mouthful of blood.

If not for the existence of his True Form of Transcendence, he would have long since entered Nirvana. But even so, he was covered in wounds and utterly exhausted.

Braving the aftershocks of the Near Transcenders' battle, Lu Xuan quietly returned to the annihilated Great Heaven and Earth.

He passed through silent cities, walked across dried-up rivers, and climbed over collapsed mountain ranges, finally approaching the peach-blossom-covered Kongtong Mountain.

In the entire Great Heaven and Earth, this was the only place where a trace of life remained. The fragrance of peaches wafted through the air, refreshing the heart and soul.

On Kongtong Mountain, nestled among the peach groves, Guangcheng Palace still stood.

The Daoist leaned on his Qing Ping Sword, smelling the peach blossoms, and dragged his broken body arduously up the mountain. He stopped before the Guangcheng Daoist Palace for a long time before finally reaching out a hand.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Lu Xuan, his eyes empty sockets, knocked on the gate of the majestic Daoist Palace.