Seeing the characters written on the yellow talisman paper, the three breathed a sigh of relief. The sorrowful old man said, "I will go to the Palace of Heavenly Gods to fetch the demon-quelling runes. You two stay here and keep a close watch on him. Nothing must go wrong!"
The woman in red replied, "The sealing runes are of grave importance. In these turbulent and troubled times, should anything go amiss on the road, it would spell disaster. I will accompany you!"
The sorrowful old man pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. The situation is urgent, so let us go and return quickly. Brother Deng, we leave Xu Ying in your care."
The white-robed old man said, "Do not dawdle on the way, lest I remain on pins and needles."
"Understood!" The sorrowful old man and the woman in red departed in haste.
The white-robed old man looked toward Shendu, only to see Xu Ying shatter Shi Beihuang to death with a toll of the bell. Xu Ying then charged into the Shi Manor, brandishing the blood-drenched stone axe as he went on a rampage of slaughter. Blood flowed like a river in an instant.
No matter who confronted him, Xu Ying cut them down with a single stroke. If one blow failed to finish them, a casual toll of the bronze bell followed—blasting their souls to scattered wisps!
This slaughter was accompanied by the sound of a pipa, relentless and urgent, laden with murderous intent. Whenever Xu Ying killed, the notes tumbled in a frenzied flurry; whenever he lowered the axe, the rhythm slowed.
Seasoned and well-traveled though the white-robed old man was, his heart leaped into his throat. *If he keeps butchering like this, more of his memories might awaken. Before they return with the sealing runes, he'll break free!*
Suddenly, an unsettling vibration rippled from within the Shi Manor. Shi Mole had awakened from his seclusion to rescue his clan.
Even though the Pure Yang anomalous fire had severed his life-force and gravely wounded his soul, he remained a Nuo immortal who had opened nine cave-heavens!
Yet the moment he broke out of seclusion, the bronze bell was summoned aloft by Xu Ying, trapping him beneath it along with the grand hall in which he had secluded himself.
Trapped under the bell alongside him was a wisp of Pure Yang anomalous fire. As its power was ignited, blazing flames surged beneath the bell. Shi Mole's agonizing shrieks rang out, shrill and dreadful, echoing across all of Shendu!
The bronze bell hovered above Shi Mole's head. Concentric walls of light rotated, etched on the inside with the myriad things of creation and on the outside with intricate patterns, revolving ceaselessly.
Imprisoned beneath the bell, Shi Mole's physical body, soul, and Realm of Xiyi were all set ablaze by the Pure Yang anomalous fire. Contorted in agony, the Nuo immortal battered frantically against the radiant barrier.
The walls of light shook violently under the onslaught, yet they held fast. Outside, Xu Ying circled the great bell, planting palm strike after palm strike against its bronze hull. The bell shuddered, its might erupting, its tolls fueling the Pure Yang anomalous fire until the flames grew all the fiercer!
The Pure Yang anomalous fire countered the power of Shi Mole's Bubbling Spring secret depository; it was precisely this vulnerability that Xu Ying had seized upon.
Suspended in midair, Zhu Hongyi was drawn along with Xu Ying's movements, her red robes swirling around the great bell. Her pipa music grew increasingly shrill and impassioned, each note striking to kill!
High above Shendu, powerful figures watched the scene with pounding hearts.
Suddenly, amid the sea of fire beneath the bell, Shi Mole activated his Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground, concealing himself within the illusion to stave off the searing flames.
Xu Ying's cultivation was nearly exhausted. The raging anomalous fire scorched Shi Mole's Realm of Xiyi down to the Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground tucked within his depository.
Zhu Hongyi felt the pipa strings abruptly slacken beneath her fingers. Flooded with relief, she clutched the instrument to her chest and fled without daring to linger a moment longer.
Just then, the radiant walls of the bronze bell trembled slightly. Xu Ying paused, lowering his palms to conserve his final wisp of cultivation. The towering flames under the bell abruptly contracted, returning to a tiny flicker.
The bronze bell paused in bewilderment. "Ah Ying, what is it? Do you still recognize me?"
Xu Ying gave it a puzzled look, wondering why it would ask such a strange question.
The bronze bell said, "You suddenly turned terrifying just now. You pushed the power of that stone axe to its limit, drew forth every bit of the anomalous fire's might, and even summoned me to unleash my greatest strength. It was as if you had become an entirely different person."
Xu Ying laughed. "Lord Bell, I have always been myself. There is no one else. I simply felt an urge to wield the axe and the fire that way; I didn't think twice about it."
Hearing this, the bronze bell set its worries aside and said with a chuckle, "I only wanted to make sure nothing happened to you."
It breathed a sigh of relief. Although Xu Ying's display had been frightening, he was still the same Xu Ying as before, not someone else entirely.
Moved, Xu Ying asked, "Lord Bell, did you notice anything slipping through the wall of light into the bell just now?"
The bronze bell was thoroughly mystified. "My light walls are the Dao images born of my own Great Dao. How could anything pass through them without me sensing it? You must be seeing things."
Xu Ying murmured, "I could have sworn I felt something strange pierce through the barrier and slip inside..."
Zhu Chanchan trotted over and praised, "You truly live up to being the Dao protector I chose! Ah Ying, your skills as a Nuo master are remarkably good! The bell is formidable, too!"
Yuan Qi quickly piped up, "What about me?"
Zhu Chanchan shot him a sidelong glance and said nothing.
Xu Ying asked, "Chanchan, did you see anything enter the bell?"
Zhu Chanchan shook her head. "I saw nothing."
Xu Ying questioned Yuan Qi, who had seen nothing either. After a moment of contemplation, Xu Ying had the bronze bell dispel its walls of light. "Let us go down to Old Ancestor Shi's Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground to take a look. I have an ominous premonition."
The bronze bell instantly grew tense. "The only reason we managed to trap and refine him to death was that we seized the upper hand! In a direct confrontation, I might not be able to protect you all!"
Xu Ying insisted on going in, leaving the bronze bell with no choice but to warn them, "Once we're in, none of you may step outside the rim of my opening. If you wander out, I fear I won't be able to keep you safe!"
It dissolved its walls of light and hovered high above their heads. Free of its suppression, the Nuo immortal Shi Mole's Realm of Xiyi unfurled, revealing a charred, ruined realm before them.
To enter a Nuo immortal's Realm of Xiyi, one ordinarily required their guidance, or a mighty being had to breach the boundary by force—just as that sword qi had done at Shuikou Temple, ripping the realm wide open.
Yet Shi Mole's Realm of Xiyi had been burned until the space itself shattered, laying it bare before the world.
From the outside, it resembled a sheet of paper riddled with burns and holes. Walking through one of the scorched breaches, one could see the sky still smoldering. Five immortal mountains had caught fire, the rivers and lakes were boiled dry, and the Heavenly River was severed!
Shi Mole's Realm of Xiyi was tinged with an eerie, grim aura. Dark vapors drifted everywhere, screeching as the anomalous fire burned them, darting across the sky like burning black mice.
Zhu Chanchan hastily took Xu Ying's hand, feeling a bit more secure.
Xu Ying peered around in search of a path. After a moment, he used his sword flight to descend, passing through a parched stretch of the Yellow Springs and plunging into the subterranean depths. The Yellow Springs twisted through eighteen bends deep underground, hung everywhere with thick, tangled cords crisscrossing in a terrifying web.
"This place likely corresponds to Shi Mole's feet. We are flying down along his left leg!" Xu Ying observed the surroundings and remarked to Yuan Qi and the bronze bell, "I never noticed before that such a place existed within a Realm of Xiyi."
Traveling deeper, he finally arrived at the deepest recess of the Realm of Xiyi, coming to a halt before Shi Mole's Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground.
Before them stretched a Nether Sea, its waters bearing lotus leaves spanning several mu. Six leaves drifted on the surface, encircling a single lotus blossom with white petals tipped in pink. The flower was in full bloom, and Shi Mole sat serenely within it, solemn and dignified.
Xu Ying took Zhu Chanchan's hand and flew forward. The bronze bell nervously let out a chime, lowering a curtain of light to shield the group.
"Lord Bell, that probably won't be necessary," Xu Ying said, landing on the lotus and looking at Shi Mole.
The bronze bell refused to lower its guard. Zhu Chanchan stepped forward to inspect Shi Mole, only to discover that nothing remained of him but an empty human skin, sitting upright and lifelike!
The back of his skull had been slit open, the cut running straight down his neck all the way to his tailbone!
It was as if, shedding the skin like an unwanted garment, his flesh and blood had slipped out stark naked, abandoning the outer layer behind!
Fearless though Zhu Chanchan usually was, the sight terrified her so thoroughly that she darted behind Xu Ying.
The bronze bell kept its barrier firmly in place and warned in a deep voice, "Ah Ying, if someone entered this place and consumed the Shi clan's ancestor, they most likely haven't left yet!"
Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and Zhu Chanchan felt a chill run through their hearts and hurriedly scanned their surroundings. Zhu Chanchan grumbled inwardly, *The world today seems even more wretched than back in my time!*
The Nether Sea remained calm, as still and reflective as a mirror.
After a long while, there was still no movement.
Xu Ying exhaled. "Whoever ate the Shi clan ancestor has probably departed. This is no place to linger; let us leave at once!"
He immediately channeled the Sword Control Formula, sweeping Zhu Chanchan up into the air.
The bronze bell dared not let its guard down in the slightest, keeping its radiant barrier over them as it rose.
Reaching a high altitude, Xu Ying casually cast his gaze downward—and froze. Floating just beneath the undisturbed surface of the Nether Sea was a smiling face.
The smiling face stretched across the entire expanse of the Nether Sea, gazing up at him with cold, shadowy eyes.
A surge of icy dread climbed Xu Ying's spine, sending a shiver through him. But then the face slowly sank, dissolving gradually into the dark depths of the Nether Sea.
Only after flying out of Shi Mole's Realm of Xiyi did the bronze bell disperse its radiant barrier. Shrinking rapidly, it burrowed back into Xu Ying's mind and thought, *Ah Ying is growing stranger by the day. I wonder if the awakening of his memories is a blessing or a curse.*
Xu Ying walked through the ruins of the Shi Manor, looking around. Suddenly seizing an injured Nuo master of the Shi clan, he demanded, "Where is Shi Jingtang?"
The Nuo master gasped, "The young master fled... No one knows where he went."
Xu Ying cast him aside and swept his gaze over the area, finding no trace of Shi Jingtang.
Shi Jingtang had been responsible for harvesting ghosts so Shi Mole could cultivate his demonic arts. The disreputable Nuo masters lurking outside the city were all his underlings. The fact that Shi Mole had been able to open the Bubbling Spring secret depository and attain his present realm owed much to Shi Jingtang's efforts.
"If he escapes and cultivates Shi Mole's demonic arts in the future, who knows how many people he will torment!" Xu Ying frowned as he walked out of the Shi Manor.
Yuan Qi said, "No need to trouble yourself, Ah Ying. Now that the Shi clan ancestor is dead, their great clan is finished. The other prominent clans are like scavenging vultures; once they catch the scent of a corpse, they will swarm in and pick the bones clean! If Shi Jingtang doesn't run, those clans will swallow him whole!"
The bronze bell chimed in, "Seventh Master is right. The fate of the Zhou clan is proof enough; the Shi clan's end is easy to foresee! You need not worry about Shi Jingtang slipping away."
Outside Shendu, the white-robed old man watched from afar as Shi Jingtang fled the city in panic. He let out a breath of relief, pinched a chess piece between his fingers, and murmured, "The divine dynasty already shows signs of decline, imperial authority teeters on the brink, and martial stars encroach upon the Ziwei constellation. This Shi Jingtang is one of those very stars encroaching upon Ziwei—a figure destined for an emperor's bearing!"
A smile touched his lips as he toyed with the chess piece. "Heaven's will is absolute. Shi Jingtang was fated to endure this calamity, but once it passes, he will flee beyond the borders. There, his fortune will turn, and he will eventually divide Shenzhou to forge an empire of his own."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a brilliant ray of sword light soared into the sky above Shendu. It paused midair, snapped around with abrupt violence, and shot out of the city like an arrow!
The direction of the sword light was precisely the path of Shi Jingtang's escape!
The white-robed old man froze, the chess piece in his hand shattering with a sharp pop.
At the same time, the streak of sword light hurtled through the air, plunging from the heavens straight toward the fleeing Shi Jingtang!
*Boom!*
Terrifying sword might detonated where the light struck, sending countless whistling sword beams shooting in all directions and obliterating an entire mu of mountain forest!
The white-robed old man raised a trembling hand to stroke his white beard, accidentally yanking out several hairs in his distress. "Heaven aids the worthy, heaven aids the worthy!" His thoughts in turmoil, he stammered, "Shi Jingtang is heaven's chosen, a youth endowed with immense fortune. He won't die here! He certainly won't..."
He watched as a youth drenched in blood stumbled out from the dust of the pulverized forest. The old man let out an easy breath. "Shi Jingtang truly is a future martial star, destined to vie for the throne!"
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
More blazing beams of sword qi streaked across the sky, each as thick as roof rafters, soaring out from Shendu. Beneath the old man's stunned gaze, they hammered relentlessly down onto Shi Jingtang's body!
The forest was inundated by ferocious sword qi, and the earth was leveled flat!
This time, Shi Jingtang did not walk out.
The white-robed old man grunted, nearly spitting a mouthful of blood. A martial star critical to the future had fallen before ever having the chance to rise!
"He has violated the laws of heaven!"
The white-robed old man glared at the sky, screaming in his heart, *Bring down the tribulation! Strike him dead with lightning! Are you heavenly gods good for nothing? He has violated the laws of heaven!*
Yet the clouds in the sky drifted leisurely by, with not the slightest sign of heaven calling down retribution.
Beside himself with fury, the white-robed old man shouted, "Refusing to bring down a tribulation, are you? No one cares to oversee this? Fine, if no one else cares, then I won't care either!"
Even so, his eyes remained glued to Xu Ying, terrified that the youth might slip from his sight.
Having expended his last reserves of yuan qi to kill from a hundred li away with flying sword qi, Xu Ying confirmed that Shi Jingtang was dead. Relieved, he turned to the bronze bell and Yuan Qi. "I can't yet take a head from a thousand li away with a flying sword, but a hundred li is manageable. To pull weeds, one must dig up the roots. Now that he is dead, I can rest easy."
The bronze bell asked, "Ah Ying, are you certain he's dead?"
Xu Ying walked toward the city gates. "Lord Bell makes a good point. Let us go inspect the corpse and deliver one more sword strike to be sure."
Yuan Qi praised, "Ah Ying is as cautious as ever. A fine habit."
Zhu Chanchan blinked, then hurried after them in small hops. She thought to herself, *My Dao protectors don't seem like gentle, righteous folks at all... Then again, neither am I!*
Chapter 106