Xu Ying sat before the gates of the Guo manor in the Second Shendu, lost in a daze. He was no stranger to that sorrowful old man, and he had crossed paths with both the white-robed elder and the woman in red as well.
To his eyes, the three of them were almost certainly a band, all intent on forcing Meng Po soup down his throat. But why had they stepped in to save him at such a critical juncture?
The bronze bell was equally puzzled and guessed, "Could it be that they bear you no ill will, and are actually your protectors?"
Yuan Qi shook his head. "If they meant to protect Ah Ying, what sense does it make to feed him Meng Po soup?"
The bronze bell pondered. "Could the purpose of feeding Ah Ying Meng Po soup be to protect him?"
Having said that, it could not help feeling the idea was absurd. "That's impossible. The point of Meng Po soup is to wash away Ah Ying's memories so he can never recall the past. But why would they protect him and keep the Nuo immortals from devouring him?"
It banged against the wall, *clang, clang*. "I can't make head or tail of it!"
Yuan Qi also thumped against the wall, *thud, thud*. He could not figure it out either.
Xu Ying rallied his spirits and chuckled. "Regardless, my origins must be connected to those three! As long as someone knows the secret of my past, there will surely come a day when that secret is unraveled! Most importantly, didn't we just make it through our crisis? Surely those Nuo immortals won't dare come to eat me now!"
He planted his hands on his hips and laughed heartily.
Yuan Qi grinned. "Didn't I say that good men don't live long, while scourges last a thousand years? Ah Ying truly enjoys Heaven's favor!"
When Xu Ying's laughter subsided, he thought about the phrase and felt something was slightly contradictory about it. But having read few books, he felt embarrassed to correct Lord Qi.
Guo Yue approached and said, "Tonight, the old ancestors of the great clans—Li, Shi, Zhu, Zhao, Chai, Cui, and Gao—as well as the old ancestor of our Guo clan, were all severely wounded. They will all have to lie low for a while. Shendu should be safe now. My wife and I will head outside first to scout for news. Stay here and do not wander about; wait until we return to bring you out."
Guo Xiaodie and Xu Ying exchanged glances and hastily nodded.
Guo Yue, Li Yingzhu, and the others returned to Shendu. Without someone outside performing the incense rites to the Guo clan ancestor, the portal to the Second Shendu could not be opened, leaving Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie unable to leave. Thus, they had to remain here and await Guo Yue and the others' return.
Guo Xiaodie's eyes rolled playfully as she suggested, "With the old ancestors of the major clans injured, each manor must be in utter turmoil. We can't sneak into the manors in Shendu, but we can cross over through the Second Shendu!"
Xu Ying's eyes sparkled. "Is that really appropriate?"
Even as he spoke, he stepped forward, heading alongside Guo Xiaodie toward the nearest Cui manor. Yuan Qi slithered down from Xu Ying's shoulder, hit the ground, and revealed his true form over twenty zhang in length. The bronze bell also flew out, hovering in the air to follow them.
"Xiaodie, when I first arrived at your house, your ancestor said he wanted to eat me. He was joking, wasn't he?" Xu Ying asked.
Guo Xiaodie shook her head. "Of course not. I think he really wanted to eat you. He must have eaten people in the past."
Xu Ying turned pale as ash and blurted out, "Are you serious?"
Guo Xiaodie hastily added, "I was just teasing you! Look how scared you are. Can the great Xu the Monster King really be this cowardly?"
Only then did Xu Ying breathe a sigh of relief and laugh. "I actually thought he was going to eat me."
"Of course not!"
Guo Xiaodie offered him a comforting word, thinking to herself, *Xu the Monster King may be wicked, but he's quite gullible. I told him a lie, and he believed it right away.*
When they arrived outside the Cui manor, they saw a Lingyan Pavilion divinity standing guard. As Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie walked toward the manor, the incense smoke qi suddenly transformed into layers of dense fog. The deeper they walked into the mist, the heavier it became, making it impossible to discern their bearings.
After walking for more than ten li without managing to enter the Cui manor, they had no choice but to give up.
The instant they turned around, the incense smoke mist dispersed, and they found themselves standing right before the gates of the Cui manor.
Yet whenever they attempted to enter, the mist surged before their eyes once more, barring their way. Xu Ying had no choice but to abandon the attempt and head for the other clans.
Aside from the Cui clan having a Lingyan Pavilion divinity guarding it, the Chai clan, Gao clan, Pei clan, and others were likewise protected by Lingyan Pavilion divinities, preventing entry. Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie bypassed these houses and arrived at the Shi clan.
Legend had it that the Shi clan had risen during the Han dynasty, though they had remained obscure until this generation, when they finally ascended as an emerging clan, much like the Zhou clan.
With Old Ancestor Shi severely wounded this time, the entire Shi clan was in total disarray. Some were brewing medicine, some refining pills, some praying to gods, and others went to the pleasure houses to drag over the women of the Zhou clan, forcing them to treat Old Ancestor Shi's injuries.
Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie strolled brazenly through the Shi manor. Faint, ethereal figures bustled past them, unable to see them at all. Though Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie could see the members of the Shi clan, they could hear nothing of what was said, only knowing the place was in an uproar.
"Old Ancestor Shi was the first to strike, attempting to storm our Guo manor and seize you."
Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie went to observe Old Ancestor Shi. Across the young man's chest was a massive gash, nearly bisecting him! Not only that, but his Realm of Xiyi had been slashed open, with bolts of lightning crackling chaotically along the fissures!
Xu Ying drew a sharp breath and murmured, "Xiaodie, your ancestor's skill is far too domineering. Old Ancestor Shi's wounds can't be healed by the Zhou clan's people! His injuries are even worse than Lord Bell's!"
Guo Xiaodie said, "Our old ancestor was invincible for a hundred years; of course he is formidable."
Seeing Xu Ying's confusion, she explained, "After Emperor Zhidao Dasheng grew muddled and decrepit, our old ancestor reigned supreme over the world. With his nine heavens of the Crimson Palace, he possessed the mighty power of an immortal and could hardly find a match! Later, when Zhou Qiyun rose, our ancestor couldn't quite keep up, but his nine heavens still remain."
Suddenly, Old Ancestor Shi opened his eyes and looked toward where the two were standing. His gaze was like lightning, sending a tremor through the space surrounding Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie!
The two were startled. Xu Ying whispered, "This man's cultivation is extraordinarily high. If we speak here, he might easily detect us. Let's go."
Guo Xiaodie nodded, and they moved to leave together.
Just then, a youth strode in, clutching a large vermilion gourd. Behind him followed a crowd of people, also clutching large vermilion gourds, barging into the room where Old Ancestor Shi, Shi Weile, was convalescing.
The youth was dressed in dark teal robes, tall and burly. He shouted something aloud, but although his mouth moved, no sound could be heard. Having spoken, he set the large vermilion gourd upright and popped open its stopper. The other Nuo masters followed suit, opening their gourds. From each of the half-man-tall gourds surged black qi, out of which flew ghosts with agonized, wretched expressions.
Xu Ying hurriedly said, "Lord Qi!"
Understanding immediately, Yuan Qi opened his mouth and brought forth a half-man-tall vermilion gourd.
Xu Ying compared it with the gourds before him, his chest heaving violently as a surge of fury welled up within him. "After searching for so long, it was you all along! The Wang clan claimed these gourds were an unorthodox tool for refining souls to prolong an elder's lifespan! This is plainly devouring people for cultivation!"
They watched Old Ancestor Shi, Shi Weile, activate an unknown art. The souls shattered one by one, turning into wisps of black smoke that burrowed into his body.
At the same time, nine pitch-black cave-heavens manifested behind Shi Weile, rooted deep within a dark abyss, drawing upon some unknown power!
"Who knows what evil art Old Ancestor Shi is cultivating!"
Guo Xiaodie's expression shifted drastically. Suddenly, she saw faint wisps of black qi infiltrating the space of the Second Shendu. The moment it brushed against her skin, the flesh on her arm began to rot and wither away! Tears welled in Guo Xiaodie's eyes from the pain. Floating backward in retreat, she cried out, "Be careful! His evil art can invade the Second Shendu!"
Like living creatures, the black qi thrashed like tentacles, reaching toward Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie. Everywhere it touched, all things withered; even the incense smoke qi of the Lingyan Pavilion divinities rapidly decayed!
Xu Ying stepped in front of Guo Xiaodie and flicked his fingers, sending a flame flying forth!
That was none other than the Pure Yang anomalous fire given to him by Qingbo, the maiden in the coffin. Upon encountering the black qi, the flame flared brilliantly and surged in size with a loud sizzling, incinerating all the black qi clean down to the last drop!
In the Shi manor of Shendu, Old Ancestor Shi, Shi Weile, revealed a look of astonishment, clearly having never expected that the black qi he cultivated would fail to slay the eavesdroppers.
Xu Ying pressed the sword-finger of his right hand to his brow, concentrating all his divine sense at the tip of his fingers! "Go!"
His fingertip touched the Pure Yang anomalous fire. Its might erupted, and a raging blaze instantly manifested beside Shi Weile in the Shi manor of Shendu. The roaring fire surged forth, engulfing Shi Weile!
Amid the blazing anomalous fire, Shi Weile struggled and screamed with a contorted expression, yet not a sound reached the ears of Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie, creating an indescribably eerie spectacle.
The Shi clan youth fled in panic, while the other Nuo masters had no time to evade and were burned to ash within the anomalous fire!
Xu Ying channeled the fire across space for a brief moment, only to feel his divine sense draining drastically. Knowing that pushing the fire further risked depleting his divine sense to hazardous levels, he immediately withdrew his sword-finger. The Shi manor's conflagration instantly dissipated. Old Ancestor Shi, Shi Weile, was charred like black coal, his mouth still wide in silent screams as though he were still trapped within a sea of flames.
Guo Xiaodie, Yuan Qi, and the bronze bell watched the scene in shock.
The incident had unfolded so abruptly that before they could react, Guo Xiaodie had already suffered Old Ancestor Shi's ambush. The bronze bell had not even had time to assist before Xu Ying struck. To their disbelief, Xu Ying had acted with such decisive ferocity, not only refining the black qi that invaded this space, but even using the anomalous fire to nearly roast the severely injured Shi Weile to death!
"Lord Qi, something isn't right with Ah Ying,"
the bronze bell whispered via divine sense transmission. "He shouldn't have known that the Pure Yang anomalous fire could counter that black qi, nor how to channel the power of the Pure Yang anomalous fire from the Second Shendu into the outer Shendu. Yet he did it without even thinking!"
Yuan Qi suddenly realized. "Are you saying some memory in his mind has awakened?"
The bronze bell said, "It must be so. In his extreme fury, some memories were revived." It could not help feeling a trace of worry, murmuring, "Let's hope it's a good thing."
Xu Ying's heart was also pounding. Just now, he had used the Pure Yang anomalous fire without a second thought. That entire sequence of actions had been purely instinctive; he had not expected to unleash such power from the flame. Only now did his wits return, leaving him baffled as to how he had wielded the Pure Yang anomalous fire to such a degree.
Though burned to such a state, Old Ancestor Shi, Shi Weile, was still not dead. His nine cave-heavens were charred and tattered. Forcing himself to stagger outward, he collapsed with a heavy thud just outside the doorway, rasping, "An expert is hiding nearby... plotting against me!"
The dark-robed Shi youth had already returned with a host of Shi clan experts, dragging over a dozen more Zhou clan women to treat his wounds, finally managing to pull him back from the brink of death.
The Shi clan experts were shaken to the core. A clan elder remarked, "This time it was all thanks to Jingtang. Otherwise, our Shi clan might have been wiped from the face of the earth, just like the Zhou clan."
Old Ancestor Shi, Shi Weile, regained consciousness and summoned the youth over, saying, "My soul and spirit were burned by that expert, and more than half of my Realm of Xiyi was incinerated. My lifespan has been severed; I will not live more than a few years. You kept your composure in the face of peril, showing superb mettle. From this day forth, you shall inherit my true legacy."
The youth, Shi Jingtang, was both startled and overjoyed, hastily kowtowing.
Shi Weile coughed up mouthfuls of blood and rasped, "Blessed by Heaven, I obtained the most enigmatic of the six depositories—the Bubbling Spring secret depository. I thought I was destined to dominate the realm and become an unrivaled sovereign, yet who could have foreseen that someone would burn away my life force! Hatred! How I hate this!"
Blood flowed endlessly from his mouth, and he fainted once more.
The Shi clan members were stricken with horror and hurriedly whipped the Zhou clan women, ordering them to do everything in their power to save him.
Meanwhile, Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie made their way to the Zhao clan, where they saw that the Zhao clan's two old ancestors were also severely injured.
Those two ancestors had clashed head-on against Old Ancestor Guo. Both had opened the Crimson Palace secret depository among the six depositories of the human body, specializing in raw strength. Under that collision, the internal organs of the two Zhao ancestors had nearly been shattered, and their Realms of Xiyi were fractured.
As for their physical bodies, broken bone fragments jutted out from their backs, piercing through the skin. They, too, had somehow captured several Zhou clan members to treat their wounds.
"The two Zhao ancestors won't be coming out to capture and eat me anytime soon," Xu Ying remarked with a chuckle.
Guo Xiaodie laughed. "After tonight's upheaval, which clan's ancestor would dare make a move against you?"
Xu Ying roared with laughter.
Without realizing it, they arrived at the Imperial Palace. Xu Ying eagerly prepared to head inside, but Guo Xiaodie quickly stopped him, pouting toward the entrance. "The door gods of the Lingyan Pavilion guard this place; no one can enter through the front gate! Let's go through the back!"
Xu Ying looked and indeed saw two Lingyan Pavilion divinities, one holding a golden whip and the other a golden mace, standing to the left and right of the palace entrance. Once they reached the rear palace, however, there were no divinities guarding the area.
This was the Cold Palace, heavily laden with yin qi and grim resentment. As Xu Ying and the others made their way through, they had to bring forth the Pure Yang anomalous fire and ordinary fire to dispel the resentment and yin qi pervading the Cold Palace.
Upon reaching the Eastern Palace, they heard Emperor Shengshen's furious roar from afar: "Even you, surnamed Guo, dare conspire against Us?"
Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie leaned in to look, only to see that Emperor Shengshen's body had nearly been severed in two. His aura was withered and exhausted, his cultivation showing signs of collapse.
Old Ancestor Guo had stood in the fourth heaven and unleashed his Green Dragon Halberd. Though it was merely a single strike, it had broken the Emperor's art. With his technique shattered, this lifelong cultivation had nearly gone down the drain! The fury in Emperor Shengshen's heart was readily apparent.
"We merely sought to eat someone harbored by his Guo clan, not someone from the Guo clan itself!" Emperor Shengshen cursed furiously. "Yet he dared harm Us! This is outright rebellion!"
Beside him, Eunuch Chen looked as pale as dirt. "Your Majesty, there are still several official courtesans of the Zhou clan in the Music Bureau. This servant has already had them brought over to treat Your Majesty."
Emperor Shengshen snatched up the imperial jade seal and hurled it at his face, barking, "You dare have whores treat Us? Have you lost your mind?!"
His face covered in blood, Eunuch Chen hurriedly dropped to his knees. "Your Majesty, all the Zhou clan men have already been slaughtered; there are no men left to be found!"
Emperor Shengshen waved his hand, bidding him rise. "Bring those whores in. Once they have treated Our wounds, leave no word of this to slip out. Dispose of them, and do not spare even their souls."
Eunuch Chen acknowledged the order and was about to leave when Emperor Shengshen called him back, saying, "We keep feeling that something went awry in practicing the Nine Heavens Yang Spirit Mysterious Altar Technique. Most likely, that Xu Ying sabotaged Us and distorted the scripture. Now that We cannot return to Jiuyi and Our technique is broken, go and capture some living people; We must cultivate."
Eunuch Chen shuddered and bowed his head, turning to leave.
"Let no word slip out. You know the consequences," Emperor Shengshen's voice drifted from behind him.
Xu Ying, Guo Xiaodie, and the others could not hear what they were saying. Guo Xiaodie grew mischievous, darting behind Eunuch Chen's neck to blow a chill against his skin. Eunuch Chen shuddered several times in succession, glancing left and right as he mumbled prayers for the gods' protection, wrapping his robes tight and scurrying away.
"Could he really think the palace is haunted?" Guo Xiaodie said excitedly.
The girl dashed forward, hopped onto Eunuch Chen's back, throttled his neck, and shook him back and forth, crying, "Return my life to me!"
Eunuch Chen suddenly tumbled to the ground with a thud, scrambling on all fours and fleeing for his life.
Chapter 101