Above the Great Dao

The same scene unfolded in Xinxiang, where the provincial capital was also enveloped by the moonlit night. The moon overhead appeared to be four or five zhang in size, hanging in the sky, making it possible to read and write under its light.

Yet, the moonlight was cold and devoid of warmth.

At the coast, the border army tasked with defending the provincial capital of Xinxiang slowly pushed a copper mirror over a zhang high, reflecting it towards the pitch-black sea surface.

Where the light shone, it seemed that a massive object was undulating on top of the Sea of Darkness, rolling on the sea surface as if advancing towards the coastline.

However, all moonlight was directed onto the West Bull New Continent, unable to illuminate the sea itself, rendering the scene indistinguishable between a visual illusion and reality by merely relying on the light of the copper mirror.

One of the border soldiers exerted himself to turn the winch, and the mirror's light slowly directed upwards, only to find the same pitch-black sea surface, still as though a colossal body was approaching the shore.

The border soldier continued turning the winch, and the mirror's light ascended further, revealing not the sea surface but a gargantuan head, human-faced with seaweed hair and tendril-like beards.

The border soldier arduously turned the winch, and the mirror's light swept across the high sky, revealing shadows of oceanic monsters, colossal as demon gods, emerging on the sea surface, surging towards the shoreline like a tide.

"Enemy attack——"

He shouted in a deafening cry, the oceanic monsters surging like a tide, colliding with a tremendous roar against the towering city walls, quickly inundating them, breaking through the border army's defenses, submerging each border post, and flooding into the city.

And at the periphery of Xinxiang Province towards Gongzhou, one border post after another was overrun, the monsters advancing like a tide, driving straight into the West Bull New Continent.

In Gongzhou, at the precipice, within the Mazu Temple, boundless divine power suddenly erupted, sunshine flooded from within the temple.

The sea birthed raging tides, countless monsters roared, assaulting this Mazu Ancestor Temple of the West Bull New Continent, only to explode in front of the suspended temple over the sea.

The Red Mountain Lady sat within the temple, fused with Mazu's divine image, controlling the sea, divine power surging within the ocean, shredding the monsters attempting to land.

At the main altar of Red Mountain Hall in Gongzhou, Yu Tiancheng led the talisman masters of the Talisman Master Association, rushing between every village and county town in Gongzhou at the last sunrise, to erect temples and create images for the Red Mountain Lady.

The Red Mountain Hall did not possess enough strength to relocate everyone, so sub-temples were established to cast incarnations for the Red Mountain Lady.

These temples, upon receiving the incense offerings, allowed the descended incarnations of the Red Mountain Lady to protect these villages and county towns.

But by nightfall, Red Mountain Hall had managed to visit only a third of the villages and county towns in Gongzhou.

Yu Tiancheng was overwhelmed with busyness, taking over a dozen talisman masters straight to Ta County.

The underworld of Gongzhou did not have the complex geography of Qianyang Mountain but had expanded tenfold, several dozen times, making the terrain unbelievably complex, making the journey to Ta County once an easy task, now extremely difficult.

They were weary and fatigued, their Qi-blood dwindling. Incense Master Lu said: "Master Yu, the brothers can't hold on anymore, let's rest for a while!"

Yu Tiancheng looked back and saw each talisman master worn out, forcing the journey further would likely kill those with weaker cultivation.

"I'll teach you the Call Yin God Technique, a supreme technique realized by Chen Zhenwang from the Call Yin God Talisman. It can refine yin into yang, ensuring you won't be eroded by yin energy and quickly restore your cultivation!"

Yu Tiancheng imparted the Call Yin God Technique to everyone, teaching them how to cultivate it.

This cultivation technique was created by Chen Shi at the time of the Immortal Bridge incident when he fell into Buddhist Hell, to save those scholars, derived from the Call Yin God Talisman, a relatively easy-to-learn cultivation technique.

For Chen Shi, realizing this technique from the Call Yin God Talisman was not difficult, thus he placed it in the Ministry of Rites collection of the Little Heavenly Realms.

But for others, realizing a cultivation technique from the Spirit Talisman was immensely difficult.

This technique is extremely easy to grasp and not complicated, yet it's an unparalleled technique for traversing the underworld!

Yu Tiancheng saw that everyone's state was gradually improving, also felt relieved, sat down silently eating dried rations, and looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

"Will the sun truly never rise again?"

He was somewhat bewildered.

At this time, he felt something familiar in the bag of dried rations, taking it out to see, it was indeed his piece of the Heavenly Court Token.

Yu Tiancheng wiped the crumbs from his chin, raised the Heavenly Court Token, a portal appeared, he suppressed his excited heart, stepping into the Little Heavenly Realms.

The Little Heavenly Realms remained unchanged, only much more shadowed.

Here, empty and deserted, aside from him, not a soul was around.

Yu Tiancheng was disheartened, perhaps, we cannot withstand this catastrophe, perhaps the Human Clan has no future...

His Dao Heart dimmed, wandering like a walking corpse among the Heavenly Court Six Divisions, filled with sorrow, unknowingly ending up in front of a mural.

He looked at the handwriting on the mural, his heart shaken greatly.

"Where there is hope, there is a future!"

His Dao Heart seemed to burn with a flame, reviving the once-declining Dao Heart, filling it again with fighting spirit!

"Fighting with the heavens brings endless joy!"

Yu Tiancheng grabbed a handful of incense ashes and wrote under Chen Shi's handwriting, "I am still alive! Heavenly Court Yutu Yu Tiancheng, leaving a note!"

He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, reignited his ambition, and turned to walk out of the Little Heavenly Realms.

Taihua Mountain, Taihua Qingyang Palace.

Chang Ying Daoist looked at the ruined earth and mountains, his hand trembling.

The twenty-eight peaks of Taihua, the eighty-eight Demon Peaks, at this moment their number has multiplied more than tenfold, and the strength of ghosts and demons far exceeds that of Taihua Qingyang Palace!

With the strength of Taihua Qingyang Palace, it can hardly protect Youzhou, let alone the original territory of Taihua Mountain!

"Ancestors of generations, please reveal your divine skills!"

Chang Ying Daoist burned incense and prayed, chanting continuously, "Protect Taihua, protect all living beings!"

He chanted endlessly to the statues of the ancestors, but there was never any response.

At this moment, a commotion arose from the foot of the mountain. Chang Ying Daoist stepped out of Qingyang Palace to look, only to see in the direction of the Ancestor Master's Tomb, a fiery red sun suddenly leaped out from between the mountains, illuminating the entire mountain, forcing the ghosts and demons that covered the mountains and fields to retreat, not daring to invade.

"Innocent Taoist?"

Chang Ying Daoist was stunned, hurriedly heading to the Ancestor Master's Tomb.

There, a remnant soul of Innocent Taoist lingered, his obsession unresolved, Yu Lingzi was guarding Innocent Taoist, offering incense for him.

"Master Chang Ying, I have persisted since the True King Era until now, maintaining a single remnant thought in this world, probably for this very moment."

The void great realm of Innocent Taoist blossomed with radiance, he smiled, "I shall use the last glimmer of myself to illuminate the path for the world, to guard the inheritance for the ancestors."

Chang Ying Daoist bowed deeply, tears unavoidably moistening the soil.

It was the ancestor who raised the Evil-Slaying Sword to slay Innocent Taoist, yet this Daoist boy remained without resentment or regret, even after death, still sheltering Taihua Qingyang Palace.

Yu Lingzi stood up, said to Chang Ying: "Sect Leader, Innocent Ancestor also has evil qi invading, he cannot hold on forever, the urgent task is to do everything possible to save the nearby people."

Chang Ying Daoist agreed, his mind previously in turmoil, now gradually sobered, immediately gathering the Daoists cultivating in the mountain, ordering them to each descend to save the people of Youzhou.

Yu Lingzi took down the True Martial Evil Extermination Sword offered, said: "Sect Leader, we cannot sit on Taihua Mountain, but must take the initiative to subdue the surrounding ghosts and gods!"

Chang Ying Daoist hesitated, "This... the ghosts and gods are powerful!"

Yu Lingzi said: "Did the eighteen Daoists of Qingyang Palace fear when they swept through Guxing Province?"

Chang Ying Daoist's heart stiffened, said: "I will go with you!"

The two led the masters in Qingyang Palace to march forth, using the might of the True Martial Evil Extermination Sword, sweeping across the mountains.

By the time the nearby mountains of Taihua Mountain were swept through, Chang Ying Daoist was exhausted, unable to fight anymore, and many Daoists of Qingyang Palace also had perished. Yu Lingzi sent the sect leader back to the mountain, placing the True Martial Evil Extermination Sword back on the altar, bowed several times.

He relaxed, looking at the sun shining over the mountains, lost in thought.

He knew that Innocent Taoist wouldn't last long. Should there come a day when Innocent Taoist couldn't hold on, and the sun extinguishes, it would likely be an apocalyptic disaster for Qingyang Palace and the people it shelters!

Yu Lingzi sighed, summoned the Heavenly Court Token, and entered the Little Heavenly Realms.

In the Little Heavenly Realms, apart from him, there was no one else.

Filled with concerns, he unconsciously came to the mural.

Yu Lingzi gazed at the mural, after a while, revealed a slight smile, grabbed a handful of incense ashes, and wrote on the mural: "This body is nothing more than a stinking skin bag, even in death, it must have the fragrance of a chivalrous spirit! Heavenly Court Taoist Yu Lingzi, leaving a note."

——Brothers, happy New Year in the 25th year to everyone! Where there is hope, there is a future!