Chapter 1519 — The Ancient Capital Sets a Trap

Tai Yi fought his way from this side of the river to its center when, all at once, a skeleton slowly rose from the water and blocked their path. "Dao brother, you have attained the Dao. Why, then, do you still place such importance on life and death?" Tai Yi stopped and asked, leaning on his staff. The skeleton seemed able to understand him. Its jaw opened and closed, and the words that came from its mouth were incomprehensible to Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun. They were spoken in an abstruse Dao language. It seemed to be reproaching Tai Yi. The races of this world were as numerous as the stars in the heavens, and this universe had already undergone sixteen cycles of creation and destruction. It was only natural that their languages should be mutually unintelligible. Yet there was one language through which they could communicate: the language of the Dao. By using the Great Dao as language, one could give voice to one's thoughts. But anyone capable of conversing in the Dao language naturally possessed extraordinary attainments. This skeleton in the river was likewise a being who had attained the Dao, and its strength was formidable. Tai Yi listened for a while, then shook his head. "However eloquently you put it, you are still merely clinging to life and fearing death." The skeleton in the river lunged at Tai Yi. At the same time, the Chaos River boiled, and skeleton after skeleton slowly rose from its depths, attacking Tai Yi from every direction. Another skeleton emerged from the Chaos River beneath his feet and struck at him as well. The divine abilities they wielded were unfathomably profound to Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun. The depths and mysteries of their Dao realms were things the two had never witnessed before. Even the divine abilities of the Ten Heavenly Venerables were things they could understand to some extent, but they could not comprehend these river skeletons' arts in the slightest. Tai Yi raised his staff and tapped forward. No matter how myriad and wondrous the skeleton's divine abilities were, that single strike pierced through them with uncanny precision and touched the center of its brow. The skeleton's skull exploded, and it fell back into the Chaos River. Tai Yi's staff flashed up and down, sometimes tapping, sometimes sweeping, sometimes smashing. Every move appeared so simple as to be clumsy, yet every blow struck its opponent with absolute accuracy. They seemed slow, but were swift in truth, and before long he had knocked every skeleton back into the chaos. He withdrew his staff, its tip coming to rest upon the surface of the river. Beneath the water, the skeleton that had been preparing to ambush the soles of his feet was struck precisely between the brows by the staff's tip, and sank into the river without a sound. Tai Yi turned to the still shaken Shu Jun and Wei Suifeng. "These people are beings from former universes who attained the Dao. This Chaos River is the destroyed universe in which they dwelled. When they leap from the river and attack us, they are attacking from those ruined universes. You need only knock them back into the river. Then they will return to the universes in which they belong and will be unable to cross over." Wei Suifeng asked, "Dao brother, what if they leap from the Chaos River and set foot on the shore?" "If they leap from the Chaos River but do not come ashore, they have not truly entered our universe. Once they reach the bank, however, there is nothing I can do." After a long while, they finally reached the opposite bank. The three of them looked ahead, only to find another vast Chaos River blocking their way. Tai Yi frowned, and Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun were likewise filled with doubt. "This body of mine is old. Though my divine abilities are exceedingly high, its physical functions are no longer sufficient. If I continue fighting all the way forward, I will surely be exhausted." Tai Yi turned to the two of them. "Stay here and do not move. I am going to change bodies." Their hearts leapt into their throats as they watched Tai Yi jump into the Chaos River. After a moment, the water churned and splashed, and a young man emerged from within. He had fine features and a vigorous bearing, and he held a wooden spear adorned with several tender green leaves. "Let us go." The two had no idea where he had gone or whose body he had exchanged for this one. They studied the wooden spear in the youth's hand, unable to tell what kind of wood had been refined into it. Young Tai Yi led them into the second Chaos River. This time, he was not as composed as his aged form. His spear techniques and divine abilities were far more elaborate, no longer plain and unadorned. Though the two men's vision was nowhere near Tai Yi's, they could still see that while young Tai Yi's spear arts were suited to close combat, they lacked the feeling of the Great Dao reduced to utmost simplicity that old Tai Yi had conveyed. Fortunately, the young form had stronger physical functions. He fought his way forward in a violent charge, though with considerably more danger. The journey kept them trembling with fear, yet they crossed the great river safely. On the opposite bank, however, another Chaos River awaited them. Young Tai Yi frowned and observed it for a while. "This river will be difficult to cross. Wait here while I change bodies." With that, he jumped into the river once more. Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun were already accustomed to it. They stood waiting at the bank, and after a while an alluring woman emerged from the water, a slender sword dangling from her hand. With a charming smile, she said, "Come with me, both of you." The woman led them across the river. Sword light flashed like lightning, darting through the chaos with sharp hissing sounds and cutting down the many strange and dangerous things within it, sending them plunging into the depths. They crossed one great river after another, and Tai Yi changed into more than ten different forms, while the weapons in his hands changed more than ten times as well. Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun were filled with doubts, unable to understand where he had obtained all those weapons. They came to another great river. This time Tai Yi took the form of a burly man with a divine bow slung across his back. Wei Suifeng found the bow strangely familiar, and the corners of his eyes twitched. "That looks like the divine bow our junior brother carries! How strange. Did Tai Yi go to the previous universe and borrow the bodies and weapons of other beings who attained the Dao? How did he reach the previous universe? Could this Chaos River truly lead to other universes?" Shu Jun also saw that the bow resembled the one Shen Mu had dug out of the mineral vein. He was equally perplexed. Had all of Tai Yi's former shapes been borrowed from the bodies of other beings who had attained the Dao? His abilities were simply too vast to imagine. Neither of them asked further questions. Instead, they looked down into the river, but the chaos below was thick and hazy, making it impossible to see what lay beneath. Suddenly, a fierce wind swept past. The burly Tai Yi raised a hand to shield himself, and at once the Chaos River surged. Its surface grew thin, and Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun suddenly realized that they seemed to be standing atop clouds. Beneath them stretched the boundless Ancestral Court. Yet this was not the Ancestral Court of the present day, but an older and far more ruined one. That Ancestral Court was collapsing. Below, not only was the Ancestral Court collapsing, but the entire universe was collapsing and contracting. Only one magnificent giant tree stood between heaven and earth, unmoved by the great destruction. The two men shuddered repeatedly. Through the chaos, they faintly saw mighty figures arriving at the roots of that great tree as the universe crumbled. Their powerful, robust bodies transformed heaven and earth, shifted the stars, and forged a splendid divine city. At that moment, the fierce wind ce