Restoration of the Qi Refiners

Xu Ying looked toward him and saw a fire burning fiercely in his eyes, fueled by an unyielding will! Xu Fu said, "Undergoing tribulation and ascending is merely a personal ambition of mine. My true goal is to trace the source, clear the waters, and set things right! It is a restoration!" His demeanor was impassioned, his voice ringing loud and clear: "The restoration of the Qi Refiners!" Xu Ying, the bronze bell, and Yuan Qi stared at him in stunned silence. "Three thousand years ago, that Qi Refiner surnamed Dong dismissed the hundred schools, revered only the Nuo arts, and proposed Heaven-Human Induction, ultimately sounding the death knell for the Qi Refiners!" Xu Fu's eyes burned with fervor. Placing both hands upon Xu Ying's shoulders, he said with utmost sincerity, "For three thousand years, the Nuo methods have reigned supreme while the Qi Refiners declined. But what are the Nuo methods even worth? A lifespan of a mere three hundred years! They cannot even outlive a demon in the Qi Harvesting stage, nor can they outlive the dogs I keep at home! Even a dog lives longer than a Nuo Master!" He shouted, "The Nuo methods are a mistake! Three thousand years of being covered in dust, three thousand years of darkness—today marks the breaking of dawn, the moment for Qi Refiners to rise once more! Lord Xu, you are the ageless immortal!" A roar echoed in Xu Ying's mind. *I am the ageless immortal?* *South of the Xiaoxiang, in the depths of Cangwu. Beneath the Nine Mountains, the ageless immortal.* Could the words spoken by the maiden in the coffin have been referring not to someone else, but to himself? Xu Fu's gaze was burning. "Indeed! You are the ageless immortal, the living legend of eternal life! I traced your footprints through ancient texts and uncovered your origins in myth. I know your past. You will surely help us revive the glory of the Qi Refiners!" Xu Ying frowned, glanced down at the hands resting on his shoulders, and said, "I don't think the techniques of the Qi Refiners are all that perfect..." Xu Fu laughed aloud. "That is precisely why we need the ageless immortal's aid to make the Qi Refiners' imperfect techniques whole!" Standing upon Mount Fangzhang, he draped an arm over Xu Ying's shoulder, looked out across this grotto-heaven and blessed land, and declared loudly, "Lord Xu, as long as you agree to help, I will share this immortal mountain with you! Disciples, what are you waiting for? Come pay your respects to the ageless immortal! He shall be your Immortal Master of Longevity!" The white-robed disciples who had followed him here felt their blood boil with excitement. One after another, they bowed deeply and chanted, "Disciples pay respects to the ageless immortal! Greetings, Ancestor Xu Ying!" Both Yuan Qi and the bronze bell were deeply shaken by this scene. Blood rushed to Yuan Qi's head in excitement, and he murmured, "Could it be that this world is truly about to witness the return of the golden age of Qi Refiners?" Xu Fu laughed boisterously. Driving Mount Fangzhang forward, he carried Xu Ying out of the cave-heaven, saying, "We Qi Refiners have lain dormant for three thousand years. After three thousand years without sun or sky, we finally see the light today!" Xu Ying composed himself and asked, "Brother Xu, how do you intend to bring about the restoration of the Qi Refiners? The lineage of the Qi Refiners was clearly severed long ago. Trying to stage a resurgence now is no different from carving out an entirely new cultivation system!" "The lineage of the Qi Refiners has never been broken!" A fervent light shone in Xu Fu's eyes as he smiled. "Truth be told, back when the hundred schools were dismissed and only the Nuo arts were revered, a group of young Qi Refiners managed to escape that calamity. When the cleansing of the world's great seal took place, they survived and kept the spark alive! Not long after I returned from across the sea, they sought me out. I will take you to meet them!" Mount Fangzhang passed through the great fissure in the mountain and emerged outside, shuttling between the towering peaks. Soon, Mount Fangzhang arrived at the great hall by the sea. As the immortal mountain slowly descended, rays of light dropped from the sky, landing and transforming into men and women dressed in archaic attire. They wore garments from the Qin and Han eras. One woman among them wore only a simple Daoist robe, her hair pinned up with nothing more than a peach-wood hairpin, completely devoid of other ornaments. She curtsied gracefully to Xu Ying and said in an elegant, measured manner, "This humble woman, Hua Xianchen, pays respects to the ageless immortal." Her gaze was burning with eagerness. Looking at Xu Ying as though gazing upon an invaluable treasure, her excitement was plain to see. A man walked toward Xu Ying, clad in coarse hemp garments, with broad hands, large feet, and a burly, imposing physique. He wanted to approach Xu Ying yet hesitated, stopping several zhang away in uncontainable excitement. "I, Dong Meiqing, a Qi Refiner from the era of Emperor Wu, am blessed to finally behold the ageless immortal today!" Xu Ying nodded gently, feeling somewhat at a loss. He could not shake the feeling that they were calling out to someone else, and that person was not him. Another person walked over, bowing from a distance with an almost fawning tone: "A humble junior, the Qi Refiner Qi Qingzhou, pays respects to the ageless immortal!" There were also those clad in splendid, glamorous attire with handsome features who had cultivated a Primordial Spirit. They too bowed deeply toward Xu Ying, moved beyond words, choking with emotion. "The ageless immortal reappears in the mortal realm! Our lineage of Qi Refiners has finally seen the light!" There were even trembling, elderly men and women who burst into loud weeping upon seeing Xu Ying, too choked with sobs to speak, merely nodding repeatedly: "Good! Good! Heaven has eyes! The ageless immortal has descended at last to lead us out of these dark times and make the Qi Refiners prominent once more!" Someone laughed heartily, a fiery sense of indignation in his voice as he shouted, "The Nuo heretics stole our standing, stole our realm, brought chaos to the world, and spread their poison for millennia! Heretical doctrines took what rightfully belonged to us! Today, the time has finally come to set things right and settle old scores!" "Burn the heretics to death with our Samadhi true fire!" A familiar voice rang out. Xu Ying looked toward the sound and saw Xiao Fengxian flying over from somewhere. The little girl was shouting with feverish excitement, her cheeks flushed bright red. "Burn them with Samadhi true fire—" "That's right! Burn those heretics who cultivate the Nuo methods to death!" More Qi Refiners chimed in. Xu Fu laughed boisterously, slung an arm around Xu Ying's shoulder, and said with fervor, "Lord Xu, do you see? The Qi Refiners are still here. They have always been here; they never went extinct!" Xu Ying's eyes shifted, sweeping over one excited face after another, meeting pair after pair of burning gazes. "For three thousand years, darkness engulfed the world, but the light never truly departed—it was merely overshadowed by the dark. We have been waiting for an opportunity, and you are the opportunity we were waiting for! Your return has brought the light!" Xu Fu laughed aloud. "Only Qi Refining is the orthodox path! Heretical doctrines have no right to exist in this world! Once you return, the very first thing we must do is resurrect Emperor Zulong!" Xu Ying's heart jolted violently. He turned to look at him. "Resurrect Emperor Zulong?" Xu Fu was extraordinarily excited and laughed. "That's right, resurrect Emperor Zulong! That man surnamed Dong dismissed the hundred schools and revered only the Nuo arts, turning the world into a foul mire. Only by reviving Emperor Zulong can we set things right with an iron fist!" An excited light danced in his eyes. "Emperor Zulong will carry out another burning of books and burying of Nuo Masters, and this time, it will be even more ferocious than the last! This realm, and the new territories that have surfaced, will be washed clean in the blood of Nuo Masters!" Xu Ying steadied his mind. Though he had not even recovered his memories of this current life, he faintly sensed that what Xu Fu intended to do was not necessarily a good thing. While the Nuo methods had all manner of drawbacks, they served as a supplement to the Qi Refiners' techniques. *I ought to tell them that relying on the techniques of the Qi Refiners alone cannot grant longevity,* Xu Ying thought to himself. Just then, he caught sight of two familiar figures and suddenly froze. Xu Fu also sensed his body stiffen. Startled, he followed Xu Ying's gaze and saw a dashing, suave young gentleman alongside a charming, lovely woman. Xu Fu asked in confusion, "Lord Xu recognizes Young Master Xiang and Thirteenth Mistress?" Xu Ying nodded slightly and said impassively, "Naturally." Xu Fu waved a hand toward Young Master Xiang and Thirteenth Mistress. The two hurried forward. Young Master Xiang was the first to bow, saying with a smile, "Junior Xiang Haikong pays respects to the ageless immortal! Ancestor Xu, this junior failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended you on the Nai River last time. I beg Ancestor's broad-minded forgiveness!" Thirteenth Mistress also scurried forward, bowing gracefully and speaking in a pitiable, delicate manner: "Chu Thirteenth Mistress offended Senior on the Nai River. I will never dare do so again. Whether Senior wishes to beat me, punish me, or do something else entirely, this junior will obey your every wish." Having said that, she stole a glance upward through her eyelashes to observe Xu Ying's expression. Xu Ying's face remained as calm as an unruffled ancient well. Xu Fu chuckled. "So that's what it was. I was wondering how Lord Xu could know the two of you. You committed a grave offense by crossing Lord Xu, and I cannot easily let you off. However, we are currently in need of able hands, so your transgressions will be recorded for now and dealt with later." Xiang Haikong and Chu Thirteenth Mistress were both surprised and overjoyed, looking up at Xu Ying. Xu Fu smiled. "Lord Xu, just let them go like a fart." He waved his hand, signaling the two to leave. "Wait." Xu Ying said indifferently, "A fart can be let loose freely, but not people." Xu Fu turned around, surprised. "Could it be that Lord Xu's anger is not yet appeased? Young Master Xiang, Thirteenth Mistress, Lord Xu is not appeased. You two figure out what to do." Xiang Haikong hesitated for a moment, drew a sword, gritted his teeth, and plunged it into his own thigh. Seeing this, Chu Thirteenth Mistress also produced a throwing dagger and thrust it into her own abdomen. Xu Fu shook his head and sighed. "Why torment yourselves like this? Lord Xu, what do you think?" Xu Ying's gaze rested on the two of them. He said softly, "The grudge of them trying to intercept and kill me was settled on the spot when I beat them until their bones snapped and their tendons tore. I did not keep them here for vengeance." Xiang Haikong and Chu Thirteenth Mistress both breathed a sigh of relief. Standing up, they smiled obsequiously. "Ancestor is truly magnanimous." With that, they supported each other, preparing to depart. Xu Ying said, "You cannot leave." The two stopped and looked back at Xu Ying. With a chilling gaze, Xu Ying asked, "I want to know—were you the ones who summoned the Plague God?" He still remembered that night aboard the boat of the maiden in the coffin, seeing the tragic sights along both banks of the Nai River, where countless corpses piled up like mountains, burning in fire. He also remembered how the rerouting of the Nai River had ruined countless families, causing them to perish in the ensuing invasion of ghosts and gods! He sought the truth not for anything else, but simply to avenge those who had died unjustly! The expressions of Xiang Haikong and Chu Thirteenth Mistress changed drastically as they looked toward Xu Fu. Yuan Qi and the bronze bell had not understood Xu Ying's intention until now, and the realization struck them instantly. Back when the Nai River shifted its course, the maiden in the coffin had asked Xu Ying to intervene, lashing out to drive away the Plague God and setting ten thousand li of sky ablaze. Why the Plague God had descended and why the Nai River had been rerouted had remained unsolved mysteries! "When you summoned the Plague God, how many people did you sacrifice?" Xu Ying's gaze bore down on the pair, his expression impassive, revealing neither anger nor joy. "How many people did the Plague God kill? A million? Or ten million? Was the rerouting of the Nai River also your doing? What about the Netherworld's invasion? Was that related to you as well?" Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Xiang Haikong's forehead as he kept glancing toward Xu Fu. Xu Fu said softly, "This matter is no great issue. Young Master Xiang, Thirteenth Mistress, if it was truly your doing, simply admit it." Chu Thirteenth Mistress giggled. "The sacrifice to the Plague God was indeed related to us, and the rerouting of the Nai River was also our doing. If we didn't kill some people as sacrifices, how could the Plague God have descended? And if the Plague God didn't slaughter indiscriminately, how could the Nai River have been forced to change course?" Young Master Xiang hurriedly added, "Only by rerouting the Nai River could the waters flood Little Stone Mountain, strike the ruined temple, and rescue the Qi Refiner imprisoned within the stone well!" Hearing this, the bronze bell flared with rage and cried in sorrow and fury, "So on the night the Nai River changed course, it was you who attacked Little Stone Mountain! You ruined my three thousand years of hard work! Imprisoned within that well was a heavenly god who wreaked havoc three thousand years ago!" Chu Thirteenth Mistress spoke sharply: "It's just that that woman didn't know what was good for her! We saved her, yet instead of showing gratitude, she injured that bell and took off!" Xiang Haikong said, "She even set the Plague God ablaze in the Kingdom of Zhudu and launched a sneak attack—" Xu Fu coughed lightly. Xiang Haikong felt a chill run through him and dared not speak another word. Xu Fu smiled faintly. "This was merely a minor matter. For the great cause of restoring the Qi Refiners, some sacrifices must always be made. Sacrificing these mortal lives in exchange for the rise of the Qi Refiners—I believe it was well worth it..." "Did Brother Xu ask the people who were sacrificed?" Xu Ying asked, "Did you ask them whether their deaths were worth it?" Xu Fu frowned and sighed. "Lord Xu, four thousand years have passed, yet you are still so stubborn. You have crawled and scrambled in the mortal dust, living as a mortal for four thousand years, enduring countless beatings from life—have your sharp edges still not been smoothed away?" A tempest of fury raged within Xu Ying's heart. With a cold, piercing gaze, he said, "Brother Xu, do not make an enemy of me." He walked toward Young Master Xiang and said, "Today, I am going to kill two people!" Suddenly, Xu Fu laughed boisterously, reached out from behind, and pressed a hand against Xu Ying's shoulder, smiling. "What happened before was merely a misunderstanding." Xu Ying found himself unable to move. Turning his head, he locked eyes with Xu Fu and said softly, "And what if it wasn't a misunderstanding?" The scar at the corner of Xu Fu's eye gradually reddened, and his gaze slowly turned cold. Releasing Xu Ying's shoulder, he smiled. "Four thousand years, and you haven't changed in the slightest. Back then on the sea, you looked at me with that exact same expression. The scar you left on me all those years ago has yet to heal to this day."