Xu Ying stood frozen in a daze. That familiar scent was the scent of Meng Po soup.
Everything in his dream had been real.
It was no dream. Perhaps revisiting an old haunt, or perhaps some mysterious power sealed within this place, had awakened a buried segment of his memories from three thousand years ago.
Those past events had been sealed by Meng Po soup and forgotten by him, but now he had retrieved them.
He had relived that memory in the dream, ethereal and illusive.
A blaze seemed to ignite in his heart, burning with grief and fury. Why had he been forced to endure all of this? Who was manipulating his fate?
His grief and fury made him want to kill!
The white-robed old man, Beichen, watched Xu Ying tilt his head back and drink down a cup of Meng Po soup as if it were nothing, feeling a shiver down his spine. *He downs it like water now. Those two Dao friends should have reached the Palace of Heavenly Gods by now, right? I only hope they can bring the demon-quelling runes as quickly as possible without any mishaps along the way...*
Xu Ying's chilling gaze swept over. Beichenzi's heart skipped a beat, and he nearly fled in terror, crying out inwardly, *What kind of look is that? Does he recognize me?*
His hair stood on end. *Did he remember me? No, no. I wasn't the one who delivered him to Jiangjiatian, and I've only met him twice. Once at Mount Wuwang, and once here. There was never a third time. He couldn't possibly recognize me!*
The murderous chill in Xu Ying's eyes gradually faded, replaced by dejection and absentmindedness as his mind continually drifted back to those few months.
At times, it suddenly felt to him as though everything by his side was still there. Yet when he returned to his senses, he realized it was already lost to him.
Seeing this, the bronze bell was about to toll to help steady his spirit, but then it saw Xu Ying activating the Heart-Converging Seal Method again and again to anchor his mind, forcing himself to stop letting his thoughts wander.
The bronze bell sighed inwardly and felt relieved. *Ah Ying can walk out of it on his own. His Dao heart is already very strong.*
Xu Ying walked slowly around the city of Diqiu. When he first entered this stone city, everything had felt alien, but now it looked so familiar.
After all, he had lived here for several months and held fond memories of it.
At last, the time came for them to leave.
Yuan Qi revealed his true form, and the others sat atop his head. Xu Ying invited Beichenzi up, and Beichenzi—who had been worrying about lacking an excuse to travel with them—delightedly climbed onto the great serpent's head upon hearing the invitation.
"What a fragrance!" Beichenzi caught another whiff of the immortal medicine scent on Zhu Chanchan, his appetite thoroughly whetted.
Xu Ying inquired, "Senior Beichenzi, you are knowledgeable and widely traveled. I have a question to ask. It has been three thousand years since Emperor Wu of the Great Han, and the Nuo masters rose three thousand years ago. Is there any connection between the disappearance of Qi Refiners, the rise of Nuo masters, and Heaven-Human Induction?"
Hearing this, the bronze bell also listened attentively.
Beichenzi's eyes flickered, and he chuckled. "How could I possibly know about matters from so long ago? The Qi Refiners fell into decline and gradually lost their heritage, so people turned to Nuo cultivation instead. Isn't that perfectly normal? Qi Refiners were out of step with the times and weeded out by history, as was only natural."
Xu Ying pressed further, "I heard that the decline of Qi Refiners and the rise of Nuo masters occurred because something went wrong with Heaven-Human Induction. Has Senior heard any rumors about this?"
Beichenzi's expression shifted slightly. "Who told you that?"
Having said that, he caught himself and hurried to laugh it off. "Those are all mere rumors, completely unfounded. Forget three thousand years ago—who could even give a clear account of what happened three hundred years ago? I am merely a humble Nuo master..."
"You're lying!"
With a sharp *thwack*, Zhu Chanchan punched Beichenzi, barking in a crisp voice, "You are clearly a Qi Refiner! Why claim to be a Nuo master?"
Her strike landed squarely on him, rattling the various magic treasures hidden within his body with clattering thuds that jolted about, frightening Beichenzi half to death. *This little madam packs quite a punch!*
Her fist did not hurt his flesh in the slightest, yet the magic treasures stashed within his Realm of Xiyi had been shaken so violently they almost cracked, giving Beichenzi quite a shock.
Surging his yuan qi, a chain of cave-heavens emerged behind him, glowing with purple mist. Those cave-heavens were rooted in an expanse of purple vapor, filled with swirling primordial haze.
Beichenzi smiled. "See? I am clearly a Nuo master."
Zhu Chanchan was utterly bewildered and scratched her head. "Bizarre. I clearly sensed the aura of Qi Refiner magic treasures from you."
The bronze bell and Yuan Qi were also astonished. They had assumed Beichenzi belonged to the same group as the sorrowful old man and was bound to be a Qi Refiner, never expecting him to truly be a Nuo master!
Xu Ying remained impassive and remarked, "I initially believed Zhou Qiyun was the first person to cultivate both Nuo and Qi, never imagining that Senior Beichenzi was the true pioneer of dual Nuo and Qi cultivation."
Upon hearing this, Beichenzi laughed heartily. "I have indeed dabbled slightly in Qi refinement. What does Demon King Xu wish to know? I shall hold nothing back."
Xu Ying said, "During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Great Han, that Qi Refiner surnamed Dong proposed Heaven-Human Induction and had Great Masters communicate with the gods of heaven and earth here. A disturbance occurred in this very place of Diqiu, causing everyone in Diqiu to vanish overnight."
Beichenzi's expression changed subtly, cold sweat beading on his forehead. *He remembered these things? Weren't his memories sealed?*
Xu Ying asked, "May I ask Senior, what kind of disturbance occurred?"
Panicking internally, Beichenzi replied, "How could I know about events from such ancient times? I am merely an ordinary old man passing through. Things from three thousand years ago have nothing to do with me..."
Xu Ying pressed, "Where did all those people go? Where did the Qi Refiners go? They couldn't have vanished overnight!"
Beichenzi gritted his teeth and said, "I truly was just passing by. I... Fine. Regarding the matter of Diqiu, I have heard a sliver of rumor. It is said that it might have been related to the Heaven-Human Induction during Emperor Wu's reign. Back then, Qi refinement had reached a dead end. In pursuit of longevity, people embarked upon another path: Heaven-Human Induction, infinitely magnifying their communion with heaven, earth, and nature."
Fine beads of sweat broke out on his brow as he continued, "They made contact with gods."
Puzzled, Xu Ying asked, "Gods? Could they be heavenly gods?"
Beichenzi shook his head. "Not heavenly gods. The gods they sensed did not originate from the Heavenly Dao world, but from another void called Weixu. Rumor has it that Weixu is concealed within the abyss."
Xu Ying was momentarily taken aback. At that moment, Yuan Qi was slithering along the edge of the abyss, searching the renowned mountains and great rivers to see if there were parasol trees where phoenixes perched.
Unconsciously, Xu Ying looked downward, only to see that within the abyss, the two great realms of the Netherworld and the mortal world were still colliding. Deafening roars echoed from deep underground, resembling the bellow of oxen and the roaring of dragons.
If one looked with the Heavenly Eye, one could even catch glimpses of enormous, slimy bodies writhing within the magma, but upon closer inspection, they appeared to be scale-like rocks.
"The Qi Refiners of that era could not ascend, so they magnified their perception without limit and made contact with the mysterious gods of Weixu. Under the instruction of those enigmatic gods, even more powerful methods of induction were developed."
With cold sweat pooling on his forehead, Beichenzi chose his words carefully and cautiously explained, "This powerful induction technique allowed Qi Refiners to enter the Dao to an extreme depth, reaching deep into Weixu and establishing a profound connection with its world. Back then, rumors claimed that entering Weixu granted longevity. Perhaps Diqiu's disappearance and its reappearance today are connected to the Weixu induction."
Xu Ying's heart pounded violently as he suddenly recalled the enigma of entering the Dao.
When a Nuo master entered the Dao, if they delved too deep, they would encounter great terror—as though hearing inconceivable ravings drifting from the abyss, dragging them down into its depths!
Xu Ying himself had encountered this exact phenomenon!
Could it be that the great terror encountered when entering the Dao too deeply was in fact the gods of Weixu?
It was very likely!
However, why did the connection forged back then by Qi Refiners with the gods of Weixu turn into a lethal terror that endangered Nuo masters' lives?
Entering the Dao could lead to death!
This was almost universally acknowledged among gifted Nuo masters, turning it into an endeavor fraught with peril!
Suddenly, he took out the two pages of the technique Yuan Weiyang had given him—the Yuan Dao Heavens Induction—and his heart leaped!
The Yuan clan's Yuan Dao Heavens Induction cultivated supreme divine sense to commune with the heavens, granting impossibly mighty divine powers. The Yuan clan was deeply versed in this path!
*Perhaps I can use this technique to commune with the depths of the great abyss!*
Xu Ying's eyes shone brighter and brighter. Though what Yuan Weiyang had given him was only a fragment, it was more than enough. He had originally intended to mend the technique's flaws and cultivate it only after he could refine the Yellow Court immortal medicine.
Now, however, he decided to cultivate it ahead of time to bolster his divine sense and make contact with the world of Weixu that Beichenzi spoke of!
Xu Ying inquired, "Senior, does that mean the end of the abyss is Weixu?"
Beichenzi shook his head. "I do not know."
"Then, was it during Emperor Wu's reign that Qi Refiners used Heaven-Human Induction to connect with Weixu, leading to their disappearance?"
"I do not know."
"Did the people who disappeared go to Weixu?"
"I do not know."
"Then, has this ancient realm reappeared in the mortal world because it was released from Weixu?"
"I do not know."
Having received four consecutive denials, fury flared within Xu Ying. Flicking his sleeve, he snapped, "Senior knows nothing at all. What use are you to us? If you do not know the answer to the next question either, please disembark!"
A troubled look crossed Beichenzi's face, and he thought, *Some of the things you ask, I truly do not know; others, I know but cannot say. What choice do I have?!*
Xu Ying said, "Where Fengxian'er is right now, Senior should at least know that much, right?"
Beichenzi wanted to answer that he did not know, but remembering Xu Ying's recent anger, he worried the youth might dash off recklessly. *If he finds that foolish phoenix, I won't have to worry about him running amok. Once the demon-quelling runes arrive, everything will be settled, and I can enjoy peace for many years to come!*
He chuckled and said, "Demon King Xu is far too short-tempered; that is not good. Fortunately, I happen to know a few places that possess divine parasol trees capable of attracting phoenixes. Perhaps we might find that little phoenix in one of those spots."
Xu Ying's anger turned to delight, and he bowed in apology. "Junior was in a foul mood just now. I apologize to Senior and ask for your understanding."
Beichenzi smiled. "What wrong did you commit?"
Having said that, he froze slightly, thinking, *Wait a moment! He asked me questions, and when I didn't answer, he threw a fit. I risked my life to answer him, and after getting pleased, he apologized to me, only for me to tell him he did nothing wrong. Hmm...*
A chill ran down his spine. *What has gotten into me?*
After a moment of self-reproach, Beichenzi rallied his spirits and said, "If you go to Mount Song, you most likely won't find Fengxian'er. The Book of Songs says: 'The phoenix cries upon that high ridge; the parasol tree grows toward the morning sun.' A parasol tree worthy of a phoenix must be a divine tree, and such a tree must be planted at the highest peak, so that it can catch the first ray of sunlight every day at dawn!"
With this explanation, Xu Ying understood immediately. The parasol tree atop Mount Jiuyi grew at the very summit, towering far above the surrounding peaks, which was why it could draw Fengxian'er down to rest upon it.
Beichenzi added, "A phoenix excels at awakening the bloodlines of ancient divine birds. Wherever a phoenix roosts, extraordinary avians are sure to gather. We need only keep an eye on these two signs to know whether a phoenix is there."
Xu Ying thanked him sincerely, saying, "Without Senior's guidance, who knows how many detours we would have taken."
Beichenzi chuckled. "Demon King Xu, why are you all so eager to find Fengxian'er?"
Xu Ying gestured toward Zhu Chanchan with a nod of his chin. "Isn't it to protect her?"
Beichenzi looked at Zhu Chanchan, deeply perplexed. *Protect her? Why protect this girl? She smells so delicious!*
Dismissing the thought, he chuckled. "Why would you need a phoenix to protect her? With this old man around, protecting her is child's play. If Demon King Xu trusts me, why not head to Mount Song anyway? We can stay there for a few days and meet this girl's enemies."
Zhu Chanchan, who was refining the immortal medicine in her body, suddenly tensed up and said to Xu Ying, "I've been targeted! We need to find a place to hide quickly!"
Xu Ying hesitated briefly before saying to Beichenzi, "Then once we arrive at Mount Song, we will rely on Senior's help to fend off the formidable foes."
"Easily done, easily done!"
Beichenzi agreed wholeheartedly, thinking, *If I follow them running all over the place searching for some phoenix, finding us will take immense effort for those two Dao friends. Who knows how long it would be delayed before they can slap the demon-quelling seal on him? Staying at Mount Song will make it much easier for them to locate us.*
Mount Song was not far, and Yuan Qi slithered with astonishing speed. Before dusk fell, they had already arrived at the foot of Mount Song.
The present Mount Song was extraordinary, having become far more towering and majestic. The mountain was unlike its former self; originally it had seventy-two peaks, but now those seventy-two peaks had been pulled up from the earth, sprouting countless more peaks from below!
Those thousands of peaks, together with the seventy-two original ones, grew atop an enormous mountain massif!
The massif was ancient and colossal, steep as a wall and difficult to scale. White mists drifted among the crags, and surging rivers flowed down through the peaks. Upon reaching the edge of the massif, the waters plunged like shattered jade and cascading pearls, forming a ten-thousand-zhang waterfall of breathtaking grandeur.
When Xu Ying and his companions arrived, the setting sun was dipping in the west, seemingly suspended in the crevice between the waterfall and the mountain, lending the peaks an indescribable magnificence.
Immortal vapor curled amidst the mountain, likely marking the grotto-heaven and blessed land Pei Du had mentioned.
"Let's head to the highest peak. From there, we can survey whether there are parasol trees within a radius of a thousand li," Xu Ying suggested.
Beichenzi naturally agreed, thinking, *The highest peak is best. It will make it easy to signal those two Dao friends so they can hurry over.*
Xu Ying said, "Lord Seventh, sorry to trouble you."
Yuan Qi laughed. "Nurture a sword for a thousand days, use it for a single moment! Now is my time to shine!"
He surged his blood and qi, and instantly sword qi swirled around him. The twenty-zhang serpent rode the sword qi to soar on wind and thunder, flying directly toward the sky-piercing summit of Mount Song!
Beichenzi was dumbfounded. *Not only has this great serpent awakened his bloodline, but he's also a Qi Refiner practicing dual Nuo and Qi cultivation. If he ever cultivates to the ascension stage, who could stand against him?*
*Fortunately, he doesn't seem very bright,* he added in his thoughts.
Upon reaching the Golden Summit of Mount Song, they found that although the sun had set below the horizon, the peak was still bathed in bright sunlight.
Her spirit uneasy, Zhu Chanchan whispered, "Ah Ying, the heavenly fiend is drawing near. It might arrive tonight."
Xu Ying consoled her, "With Beichenzi here, you can set your mind at ease."
Zhu Chanchan still felt restless.
Xu Ying turned to Beichenzi and said, "Chanchan has an enemy visiting tonight whose strength is exceptionally profound. We ask for Senior's assistance."
Beichenzi chuckled. "Let it come. It may have the life to come, but it won't have the life to leave!"
Xu Ying felt reassured and asked Zhu Chanchan, "How will the heavenly fiend track us down?"
Zhu Chanchan replied, "Heavenly fiends excel at body seizure and are extremely formidable themselves. If one seizes the body of a powerhouse, it becomes even stronger."
Xu Ying immediately felt completely at ease and laughed. "This place is entirely uninhabited. Aside from us, there is no one for it to seize. Furthermore, with Lord Bell around, no heavenly fiend could ever hope to seize any of us."
Zhu Chanchan said, "I hope so."
Mount Song spanned three thousand li in circumference. Immortal radiance lingered within the mountain, shrouding the Sima Cave-Heaven. This cave-heaven was even vaster than Mount Jiuyi; legend had it that Immortal Deng had ascended here, leaving behind an ascension site.
At this moment, night fell. The Nuo masters, descendants, and clan elders of great clans like the Pei, Cui, and Li clans were still excavating within this cave-heaven, attempting to uncover ancient immortal treasures.
Knowing they could not monopolize this grotto-heaven and blessed land, the prominent clans had excavated it together, acting as tomb raiders.
Over the past several days, they had suffered countless casualties, yet they had also unearthed treasures of immense value.
"We found it! We found it!"
Suddenly, an ecstatic shout echoed from the cave-heaven as a Nuo master ran in joy to report to a clan elder: "We've dug up an immortal corpse!"
The clan elder was struck with both shock and delight.
Chapter 109