Chapter 772: Dao Fruit of Oblivion

Lu Yang produced a swatch of crimson cloth, meticulously wrapping and securing the dragon-patterned jade bracelet.

This was a genuine immortal artifact, capable of withstanding multiple strikes from an immortal; even now, with its energies entirely depleted, its value remained staggering.

"It seems the immortal of the Xinhuai Dynasty was formidable indeed." Lu Yang’s expression grew solemn; that that immortal had actually sought to slay Ao Ling was tantamount to declaring war upon the Qilin Immortal and the four ancient immortals—a rift so absolute it left room for nothing save a death-match until the bitter end.

"Yet, why did that foe never make a move against Senior Lianyi? It cannot be that they failed to find her—no, Senior Lianyi’s manifestation within the Demon Realm was known throughout the entire cultivation world. The enemy must have known, so there must be another reason they stayed their hand."

"Hold on, I recall the Daoist Master of Myriad Laws mentioning that an immortal is deliberately erasing all traces of the Xinhuai Dynasty’s existence, slaying anyone with knowledge of it."

"If the immortal erasing the Xinhuai Dynasty and the Qilin Immortal's adversary are one and the same..."

As though a knot had untied in his mind, Lu Yang parsed it aloud: "Could it be that Senior Ao Ling and Senior Lianyi did not enter their slumber at the same time? Senior Lianyi fell into slumber first, freshly following that great war, before the Xinhuai Dynasty was ever founded. Senior Ao Ling’s slumber came later, after the dynasty had already been established. Because Senior Ao Ling knew of its existence—perhaps even more than the Daoist Master of Myriad Laws did—she fell within the scope of those marked for erasure?"

The more Lu Yang pondered, the more a chill crept over him; if this hypothesis held true, what could that immortal possibly hope to achieve that was worth making enemies of the four ancient immortals?

"Fairy, can you discern what manner of Dao Fruit the Qilin Immortal's adversary possessed?"

The Immortal Fairy knit her brows, unfurling her immortal consciousness to scan every vestige of the surroundings, refusing to overlook the faintest scrap of evidence, though her tone carried a rare hint of hesitation.

"That is precisely what puzzles me most. The techniques deployed by the Qilin Immortal’s opponent are intimately familiar to me—it is almost, almost as though they were fighting me."

"What?!" Hearing the Immortal Fairy say this, Lu Yang felt his heart skip a beat. The deeper he listened, the more bottomless the quagmire of the Xinhuai Dynasty seemed to grow.

Perhaps it would be wiser to ask Eldest Senior Sister to come and discern the truth; when the time came, he could simply claim the Immortal Fairy had taken control of his body to bring them here.

The Immortal Fairy pointed toward a particular scar of battle: "Look at these ruins; the marks of the Qilin Immortal’s Dao Fruit techniques are everywhere, yet these methods are utterly shattered, destroyed once already."

"Ordinarily speaking, after I detonate myself, the Qilin Immortal’s Dao Fruit techniques end up looking exactly like this."

"Could it be that the opponent also detonated themselves... wait, what if it was not self-detonation, but Nirvanic Extinction?"

The Immortal Fairy struck her palm with her fist, a sudden epiphany dawning upon her: "Of course! The opponent possesses the Nirvanic Extinction Dao Fruit. No wonder it looks so familiar, it bears such a striking resemblance to this Celestial!"

"What is the Nirvanic Extinction Dao Fruit?" This was the first time Lu Yang had ever heard of such a thing, leaving him thoroughly mystified.

"Allow this Celestial to think where to begin." This touched directly upon the Immortal Fairy’s domain. "Do you still recall that before this Celestial possessed the embryonic form of the Immortal Dao Fruit, there was another embryonic Dao Fruit?"

Lu Yang nodded; the Immortal Fairy had mentioned this before.

According to her account, she was meant to be the very first immortal in the world, but she had wavered when choosing her Dao Fruit, fashioning an embryonic form only to find herself dissatisfied with it. Later, inspired by the Immortal of Time, she discarded that original embryonic form to fashion the embryonic form of the Immortal Dao Fruit, eventually attaining immortality and solidifying the true Immortal Dao Fruit.

"The very first embryonic Dao Fruit this Celestial fashioned was the embryonic form of the Nirvanic Extinction Dao Fruit. The Nirvanic Extinction Dao Fruit, as the name implies, is a fruit capable of bringing total annihilation to all creation; its combat prowess is terrifying in the extreme!"

"At the time, this Celestial felt that achieving immortality through Nirvanic Extinction did not quite align with my heart’s desire. The Immortal of Time then told me that all things have their period of flourishing and their period of decay, and that both flourishing and decay are mere fleeting moments to nature itself. Only by emulating nature and returning to pristine simplicity can one maintain eternal might."

"This Celestial found those words exceedingly agreeable, and so I discarded the embryonic form of Nirvanic Extinction in favor of the embryonic form of Immortality." The Immortal Fairy spoke of it casually, yet only those who had reached the Tribulation Transmutation Stage could truly comprehend the sheer terror behind her words.

For a Tribulation Transmutation cultivator, merely comprehending a single embryonic Dao Fruit was an immense trial, unlike the Immortal Fairy, who could cast them aside and alter them entirely at a whim.

"What is immortality? Immortality is nature, it is eternity; it encompasses both flourishing and decay, which is why this Celestial can both resurrect and detonate herself."

"Then the Qilin Immortal's adversary is..."

"That is why this Celestial finds it strange. In any case, back when this Celestial was still among the living, no half-immortal had ever fashioned the embryonic form of the Nirvanic Extinction Dao Fruit. The difficulty of doing so is immense; only a talent of celestial genius like myself could manage it."

"Could it be that during the era of the Xinhuai Dynasty, a genius only slightly inferior to this Celestial emerged?" The Immortal Fairy scratched her head in vexation, unable to fathom it.

"If that is the case, then perhaps the Qilin Immortal truly could not best them."

If it was a matter concerning Dao Fruits that even the Immortal Fairy could not untangle, Lu Yang certainly had no hope of doing so.

Seeing that this battlefield of immortals had been thoroughly examined, and realizing it was impossible to glean Senior Ao Ling's whereabouts from this place—as the Qilin Immortal, to prevent the enemy from tracking her down, had obliterated every conceivable clue—Lu Yang suggested they head back.

With the Immortal Fairy’s agreement, Lu Yang used the cover of night to slip back into the Kunpeng Clan's domain, and the rest of the night passed without incident.

"Fairy, there is another very important matter," Lu Yang reminded her, his expression grave.

"What is it?"

"Regarding our discoveries at the immortal battlefield, we must certainly inform Eldest Senior Sister upon our return. When the time comes, we shall say that we stumbled into it by mistake, and while we were occupied fighting the zombies, you used your immortal consciousness to carefully examine the place, thereby discovering all this. We must absolutely not mention that the two of us came here under the cover of night."

"It is still you, Second Chief, who considers every detail."

Lu Yang and his companions rested quietly within the Kunpeng Clan for three days—though it was chiefly Tao Yaoye who lay resting, while Lu Yang, the other three, and Xiao Xinghai spent the time rehearsing 'The Calabash Brothers Stir up the Sea.'

Though Tao Yaoye was absent from the scene, they could use a shadow-recording orb to capture it all and take it back for her to watch.

"According to the script, we should now rehearse the Kunpeng Clan flooding Penglai Island. Reason dictates that anyone capable of instigating such a grand event must be an elder or the clan chief, a figure of great renown. Must we go and invite them?" Lu Yang hesitated; would acting it out this way be a bit too realistic?

Xiao Xinghai waved his hand dismissively: "Why go to all that trouble? Can I not simply play my father?"

He executed the Nine Transformations of the Kunpeng, shaking his form as he transformed into a golden-winged roc nine hundred Zhang in length, majestic and imposing, the very spitting image of Clan Chief Xiao.

Xiao Xinghai grinned smugly: "Though it is only a change of appearance, it is more than enough."

"Usually when I go out and stir up trouble, if I encounter something I cannot suppress, I simply disguise myself as my father. It works every single time."

"Come, come, come, let us keep acting."

Xiao Xinghai was all smiles, caught up in the thrill of the performance as he opened his arms wide, casting a massive shadow over the island.

"Daoist of the Three Mountains, hand over the four Calabash Brothers, or I shall submerge your Penglai Island!"

The four Calabash Brothers looked up into the gloom, a sudden chill striking their hearts.

The genuine Clan Chief Xiao manifested, transforming into a thousand-Zhang Kunpeng directly behind Xiao Xinghai, his gaze freezing cold...