Xu Fu stood upon Mount Fangzhang and extended a hand toward Xu Ying. Xu Ying hesitated briefly before taking it. With a firm pull, Xu Fu drew him up onto Mount Fangzhang.
Yuan Qi hastily shrank his body, leaped onto the immortal mountain, and cried, "Wait for me!"
Standing upon this diminutive immortal mountain, Xu Ying could not help but click his tongue in wonder.
Mount Fangzhang was barely a zhang across, yet it offered more than enough room for two people to stand.
The miniature immortal mountain drifted out of the hall. As it flew, wondrous patterns surfaced along the rock face, shifting incessantly.
Xu Ying fixed his gaze on these patterns. They felt oddly familiar, resembling bird-and-insect script, yet when he looked closely, they vanished from sight, denying him any chance to fathom their mysteries.
"Is this mountain truly a fragment of the Immortal Realm? It seems rather ordinary."
Hanging from Xu Ying's ear, Yuan Qi peered about and whispered, "Xu Fu is always standing on this mountain. Could it be that he cannot leave it?"
A ripple of divine sense came from the bronze bell. "What would happen if he stepped off?"
The scar at the corner of Xu Fu's eye twitched.
Xu Ying's eyes flickered, and he murmured, "Stop guessing blindly. Just now, he said Zulong commanded the world's most powerful Qi Refiners at the time to pry open a mere crack in my seal, after which Zulong sent the two of us across the sea in search of the immortal mountain. Could the knowledge of Mount Fangzhang have come from me?"
He blinked, puzzled. "How could I have possessed information about an immortal mountain?"
Neither the bronze bell nor Yuan Qi could answer that. They had never even heard of Mount Fangzhang, much less its miraculous uses.
Yuan Qi slithered down onto the ground and suddenly gasped, "Look, you really can see the Immortal Realm!"
Startled, Xu Ying hurriedly looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Yuan Qi called out, "Shrink yourselves! You can only see it if you're as small as me!"
The bronze bell quickly reduced its size until it was palm-sized and settled onto the ground. "You truly can see the Immortal Realm!" it cried in astonishment.
Hearing this, Xu Ying reversed the Nuo technique of scattering beans to form soldiers, shrinking himself to the size of a bean before dropping to the ground. Tilting his head back, he saw that beyond this tiny immortal mountain lay a layer of atmosphere that formed a celestial canopy above it!
Through this thin canopy, they could see colossal immortal mountains floating far beyond, resembling phantom mirages and appearing utterly ethereal.
Looking further into the distance, immortal radiance arched like rainbows and fluttered like ribbons. Peaks upon peaks of immortal mountains were shrouded in radiant clouds and mist, while celestial palaces drifted in the sky. Immortal trees hovered in the air, laden with flat peaches—looking as though one could pluck a fruit or two simply by reaching out a hand.
This Mount Fangzhang was truly wondrous!
Xu Fu's voice seemed to drift in from beyond the heavens. "That is the Immortal Realm. However, we can only see it; we cannot touch it. This stone fell into the mortal world from the Immortal Realm. Though it dropped below, it still shares a patch of sky with the Immortal Realm. That is why standing here allows us to witness the vistas of the Immortal Realm."
Xu Ying dispelled the Nuo technique of scattering beans to form soldiers, returning his body to normal size. "Mount Fangzhang is truly marvelous," he praised.
Xu Fu said, "There is something even more wondrous. When sunrise comes to the Immortal Realm, you will discover just how exhilarating it is to refine qi while bathed in its sunlight! The sunlight of the Immortal Realm transforms into yuan qi within your body, refining away all impurities and grime, leaving you translucent as jade—as though you had consumed an immortal elixir!"
Hearing this, Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the bronze bell felt an unbearable itch of anticipation, wishing the Immortal Realm's sun would rise that very moment so they could experience it.
Xu Fu's disciples, all dressed in white robes with sword caskets strapped to their backs, gathered in groups of four and rode their swords through the air, flanking Mount Fangzhang on either side.
Treading upon the flying immortal mountain as it traversed steep peaks and valleys, Xu Fu gave a soft chuckle. "One day in heaven is one year on earth. Since acquiring Mount Fangzhang, I have witnessed only four thousand sunrises. If you wait here for a year, you will see the next one."
Standing upon the immortal mountain, Xu Ying spotted a parasol tree atop a peak ahead. The divine parasol tree grew facing the sea, tall and elegant, towering over the surrounding mountains!
As Xu Ying peered into the distance, a crisp avian cry suddenly rang out. He looked up to see a divine bird trailing a long tail of fire soaring through the sky.
The divine bird climbed into the heavens and abruptly flapped its wings. A blanket of fire swept across the sky as the bird tumbled through the flames, surging forward at tremendous speed before piercing the void and vanishing.
Xu Fu remarked, "The one that just flew past was a divine bird that awakened an ancient bloodline. I hear a phoenix resides nearby; ever since that phoenix arrived, more and more divine birds have gathered here."
Xu Ying looked toward the tall parasol tree and saw the divine bird land upon its branches. *Could that be Xiao Fengxian?* he wondered.
"This place is known as Mount Huotong, the first of the thirty-six cave-heavens handed down from ancient times," Xu Fu said. "In those days, countless Qi Refiners cultivated here, and just as many underwent their tribulations."
Mount Fangzhang flew toward an adjacent mountain peak and slipped into a massive fissure running through its core. Bizarre flesh and blood grew along the cliffs on both sides, crawling across the rock faces.
As if catching the scent of living beings, this flesh suddenly lashed out with countless writhing tentacles, sweeping toward them!
The disciples unleashed their sword qi to fight off the flesh on the precipices, but a number of them were still pierced by the tentacles. Their vital essence drained away violently, reducing them to withered skeletons in the blink of an eye!
Only after a dozen disciples had died or suffered severe wounds did Xu Fu flick his sleeve. The entire fissure shuddered violently, and the flesh clinging to the cliffs detonated into mist, swept clean in a single stroke.
"Thank you, Master, for saving us!" the disciples shouted one after another.
Yuan Qi whispered, "If he had the power to destroy all that flesh from the start, why didn't he act right away?"
The nearest white-robed disciple replied, "This is a trial for our cultivation. If Master had to intervene in everything, how could we ever grow?"
The other disciples nodded in agreement.
Yuan Qi was about to say more when a toll of the bell rang out, dazing him until he forgot what he wanted to say. *Why did Lord Bell strike me?* Yuan Qi wondered.
Mount Fangzhang flew into the deepest recesses of the chasm, where a massive lake of blood came into view ahead. Thick tentacles of flesh crawled outward from this very lake!
Though Xu Fu had just wiped out the flesh on the cliffs, fresh flesh was already sprouting anew from the bloody waters.
The water of the lake was foul and reeking, bubbling incessantly. It looked nothing like a grotto-heaven or blessed land!
As Mount Fangzhang drew closer to the lake of blood, Xu Ying and the others immediately sensed a surge of malevolent energy pressing in. The sword caskets on the backs of the surrounding disciples chimed and rattled as sword light flashed out, severing invisible wisps of evil aura.
Each time a wisp of malevolence was struck down, a bloody glow flashed in the air, scattering droplets of blood.
Yuan Qi shuddered and muttered, "This place is far too eerie. Is it truly a grotto-heaven and blessed land?"
"Beyond any doubt," Xu Fu said.
Xu Fu raised a hand, and the lake of blood parted to either side. Mount Fangzhang carried them into the lake, while the white-robed disciples vigilantly flew alongside on their sword qi, guarding them closely.
*These disciples possess cultivation far inferior to Xu Fu's. Why would he need their protection?*
Xu Ying was puzzled, but understanding quickly dawned on him. *I see. This is a habit left over from when he led the three thousand boys and girls across the sea. So many died on that voyage, and only he and I survived. He must have stayed at the very center of the group, guarded by others at every moment, and that was how he made it through alive.*
These disciples, like the boys and girls back then, were entirely expendable.
Passing through the lake of blood, they finally arrived in Huotong Cave-Heaven.
This was the foremost of the thirty-six cave-heavens, vast beyond imagination!
From its center to its borders spanned a thousand li, with a circumference of roughly six thousand li!
Yet Huotong Cave-Heaven had fallen into complete ruin. The bizarre flesh blanketed the ground, swallowed the peaks, and consumed the colossal beasts native to this land, leaving behind nothing but scattered skeletons.
The flesh had even climbed into the sky, obscuring the firmament of this cave-heaven.
Yet what stood out above all else were the four beams of ascension rosy glow lingering at the heart of the cave-heaven!
The four beams fell from the sky and intertwined, radiating the irresistible allure of ascension.
Xu Fu sighed wistfully. "It was these four beams of ascension rosy glow that drew countless Qi Refiners like moths to a flame, rushing here to brave their tribulations."
Suddenly, the earth shook violently. Countless masses of flesh surged and lunged toward them!
Xu Fu's expression remained serene. His Primordial Spirit manifested behind him, opening its mouth to spew forth Samadhi true fire, setting both the earth and the heavens ablaze!
The Samadhi true fire burned with terrifying fury. In moments, the blaze swept across the plains, reducing all the flesh to ashes.
Mount Fangzhang carried Xu Ying, Xu Fu, and the rest higher and higher into the air, entering the midst of the four beams of ascension rosy glow. Looking down, Xu Ying immediately saw lightning tribulation circles of all sizes!
One basin after another came into view below. The smallest circle was only several dozen li across, while the largest lay a mere ten-odd li from the edge of the cave-heaven!
The sheer scale of these heavenly tribulations was chilling!
"The flesh here is formed from the corpses of Ascension-stage Qi Refiners who perished in this place, transformed by the malevolent despair of being unable to ascend," Xu Fu said, standing beside Xu Ying. "Faced with tribulations that grew ever more terrifying, they fell into despair. That despair bred resentment and fury, and their corpses transformed, coalescing all evil to break through this grotto-heaven and blessed land to pollute the mortal world. Had we not come, in a few more years this evil would have invaded the mortal world to devour men!"
The disciples cried in unison, "Master's compassion is boundless!"
Xu Fu asked, "Patriarch Xu Ying, can you see where the greatest heavenly tribulation lies?"
Xu Ying replied, "Isn't the greatest tribulation the one ten-odd li from the edge of the cave-heaven—wait!"
His mind jolted as he looked toward the horizon. Along the boundary of Huotong Cave-Heaven ran another lightning tribulation line, resembling a ring of black smoke that encircled the entire cave-heaven!
A heavenly tribulation spanning thousands of li!
With a thought from Xu Fu, Mount Fangzhang darted directly toward the border of Huotong Cave-Heaven. Before long, they reached the periphery, and the mountain began cruising along the tribulation line.
Xu Ying caught the scorched scent of lightning strikes lingering in the air. To his even greater shock, it was not merely a single line, but forty to fifty lines laid side by side!
Every single line formed a complete loop around Huotong Cave-Heaven!
This meant that forty to fifty formidable Qi Refiners had undergone their tribulations here, each triggering a super heavenly tribulation of identical scale that enveloped six thousand li around!
"According to *Fangshi Yaji*, written by Pre-Qin Qi Refiners, super heavenly tribulations have existed since ancient times. They seal the mystic passes between heaven and earth and shut the gates to immortal ascension. No one can survive them."
Xu Fu retrieved a scroll of bamboo slips and gently unfurled it; it was indeed *Fangshi Yaji*, authored by Pre-Qin Qi Refiners. He turned through the slips, which rustled crisply. "It records here that ascension sites are closest to the Immortal Realm, where the power of lightning tribulations is at its weakest. Thus, Qi Refiners sought out ascension sites to face their tribulations. They categorized the world's ascension sites into thirty-six cave-heavens and seventy-two blessed lands."
With a gentle wave of his hand, the bamboo slips of *Fangshi Yaji* unfolded in the air. Each slip expanded, and the characters etched upon them surfaced.
As his divine sense surged, the characters shone and projected scenes of the thirty-six cave-heavens and seventy-two blessed lands into the air.
Every one of these grotto-heavens and blessed lands was an ascension site where immortals had once ascended, leaving behind ascension rosy glows.
Xu Fu continued, "According to *Fangshi Yaji*, the thirty-six cave-heavens and seventy-two blessed lands completely lost their efficacy once the super heavenly tribulations appeared. No Ascension-stage Qi Refiner who faced a tribulation in these grotto-heavens and blessed lands could survive it. The last Qi Refiner recorded to have undergone tribulation here was named Gao Yue."
He studied the tribulation lines and said, "One of these lines should belong to him. According to the text, he died during the era of the Son of Heaven of Zhou, serving as the Grand Guardian to the Zhou king—a rank comparable to today's Prime Minister."
Xu Ying listened in silence.
Xu Fu went on, "During Emperor Zulong's reign, the arts of Nuo sorcery emerged and gained immense popularity. Some Qi Refiners sought to replace qi refinement with Nuo sorcery. Enraged, Zulong gathered the world's texts on Nuo sorcery and burned both the books and their practitioners alive."
Yuan Qi whispered, "Burning the books and burying the Nuo alive."
Xu Fu said, "The realm's literature was gathered in Xianyang. I was fortunate enough to read those collections and learned several secrets. In truth, not a single immortal has emerged in this world for thousands of years, ever since the Shang and Zhou dynasties."
He let out a sigh. "Back then, super heavenly tribulations erupted at regular intervals, blanketing the land of Shenzhou, shaking Yuanshou, and terrifying gods and demons alike. One supreme Qi Refiner after another perished beneath the might of those super heavenly tribulations. Over thousands of years, these tribulations buried generation after generation of geniuses. By the time of Zulong, the Qi Refiners were already in decline."
The bronze bell spoke up suddenly: "In my master's era, many qi refinement arts had already been lost, and even the sword control techniques were incomplete."
Xu Fu lamented, "Back then, the figures who practiced the pinnacle qi refinement arts had already fallen to the super heavenly tribulations. The rest lived in constant terror, trying every means to avoid tribulation. After crossing the sea with you, Lord Xu, I obtained Mount Fangzhang and endured untold hardships to return. The reason I was able to find the continent of Yuanshou and return to Shenzhou was precisely because I used the super heavenly tribulations to navigate."
His expression turned somber. "Four thousand years ago, a super heavenly tribulation erupted every few years—perhaps every three or four. Three thousand years ago, one broke out every forty or fifty years. Two thousand years ago, when I returned here, the final super heavenly tribulation erupted, separated from the previous one by eight hundred years. I knew then that the very last Qi Refiner of Yuanshou since Zulong's time had passed away."
An era had come to an end.
Zulong's burning of books and burying of Nuo practitioners had failed to halt the decline of the Qi Refiners.
Xu Fu looked disheartened, the light in his eyes dimming. "Over the next two thousand years, I never sensed another super heavenly tribulation. Not until recently."
Zhou Qiyun's tribulation.
It had triggered a super heavenly tribulation!
The flames in Xu Fu's eyes flared back to life. Looking at Xu Ying, he said, "That tribulation reignited my hope for ascension!"
Chapter 117