Yuan Wuji's might was truly astounding. Xu Ying had always assumed that Yuan Wuji, having fallen in defeat to Zhou Qiyun, was nothing more than an ordinary Nuo immortal, but the strength he now displayed far exceeded his expectations!
Judging by the techniques Yuan Wuji used to break the restrictions, his moves were magnificent and ever-changing, an endless cascade of various divine powers that exhausted the very limits of transformation!
Xu Ying had never seen anyone wield Nuo art divine powers to such a height. He thought to himself, *No wonder Zhou Qiyun said the disciples of the Yuan clan are all exceptionally brilliant. As their old ancestor, Yuan Wuji is indeed no exception.*
Suddenly, divine radiance surged as the towering figure of a Golden Man rose slowly into view among the mountains. Even from such a distance, the droning chants of ten thousand mortals could still be heard, throwing one's soul into disarray!
The Qi Refiners of lower cultivation around Xu Ying could no longer hold out. Dizziness overcame them one after another, and they tumbled into the river of mercury.
Unexpectedly, however, they did not sink into the river. Instead, they floated on the surface of the water, surviving the fall.
Yet in the very next moment, as if some creature lurked within the river of mercury, exceedingly slender root-tentacles shot forth and burrowed into their skin, spraying blood wherever they made contact!
"There's something in the river!"
The other Qi Refiners cried out in alarm and rushed to save them. Old Bamboo Slender grabbed one of the fallen and yanked him upward, only to see the man's flesh and blood tear apart. Over a hundred of those silver root-tentacles had already bored into his skin and flesh, latching firmly onto his skeleton!
Old Bamboo Slender gave a forceful tug, nearly tearing off half the Qi Refiner's body!
Aghast, Old Bamboo Slender dared not use force again. Just as he stood there at a loss, he saw the silver root-tentacles spread across the Qi Refiner's entire body!
The Qi Refiner's eyes also took on the color of mercury, and churning streams of mercury gushed from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, splashing onto Old Bamboo Slender's hand!
A sharp pain shot through Old Bamboo Slender's palm. He yanked his hand back in haste, tearing away a large patch of his own skin!
There were silver root-tentacles within that mercury as well. The instant it made contact with his palm, they had burrowed into his flesh, proving too much to bear even for a grand Qi Refiner of the Ascension stage like him!
Enduring the agony, Old Bamboo Slender looked around, only to see that the Qi Refiners who had reached out to rescue the fallen were now holding people whose eyes, ears, mouths, and noses were likewise gushing with mercury!
His heart seized in terror, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Don't touch that mercury!"
Yet it was already too late. The spurting mercury splashed onto the rescuers, and exceedingly slender silver root-tentacles burrowed into their skin, slithered through their flesh, and coiled around their bones!
These bone-clinging tentacles grew with astonishing speed, wrapping around their skeletons in the blink of an eye. Then, rolling waves of mercury gushed forth from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses!
"Get away from them!" Old Bamboo Slender waved his arms frantically, shouting harshly, "Stay back, everyone! Do not approach!"
The other Qi Refiners had long gone numb with terror and immediately backed away from those corrupted by the mercury.
Looking back, everyone saw those Qi Refiners standing blankly on the river of mercury without sinking, mercury gushing ceaselessly from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses.
Suddenly, countless silver root-tentacles burst from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses, flailing wildly into the air!
The contaminated Qi Refiners leaped forward to attack them. Cries of panic erupted as everyone scattered in flight. Chaos broke out instantly; people were continually caught, slipped into the water, or were forced onto the riverbank!
Those who were caught became glued to their attackers the instant the slightest contact was made!
The ensnared victims screamed in terror and struggled with all their might to flee, tearing away half their bodies along with their bones in their desperation!
As for those who fell into the river, no matter where their bodies made the slightest contact with the water's surface, they were instantly invaded. Before long, mercury poured down their faces, and they rose to pounce upon the others!
And those who fled blindly onto the riverbank met all manner of deaths—some were reduced to ashes in a flash of flame, others were cleaved in two by a sudden blade of light!
The vessel under Xu Ying's feet was Xiao Fengxian's Phoenix Feather Boat. Though she could do nothing against Xu Ying, she was ruthless toward the other Qi Refiners.
Before the contaminated Qi Refiners could even reach the boat, they were ignited by a burst of fire and burned to ashes in an instant!
Even those Qi Refiners who attempted to flee onto her boat were incinerated by her flames, as the girl feared either contamination or having too many people capsize her little craft.
Seeing how fierce she was, Yuan Qi was startled. Remembering what he had said to her earlier, his heart thumped nervously. *This young miss won't hold a grudge, will she? She won't dare kill Ah Ying, but if I say the wrong thing, she'll definitely do me in! Maybe I should be more broad-minded, like Lord Bell...*
Xu Ying, however, was pondering something else: *Could I take advantage of this chaos, while Xu Fu has his hands full, to slip away quietly?*
A contaminated Qi Refiner charged toward Xu Fu, only to have his throat seized by Xu Fu in the next instant. Churning mercury flowed from the Qi Refiner's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, contaminating Xu Fu's arm!
Countless silver root-tentacles wriggled out of the mercury and immediately bored toward Xu Fu's arm, yet they could not pierce it at all.
Xu Ying's eyes lit up. But then he saw Xu Fu rotate his palm slightly, gathering the silver root-tentacles into his grasp, and give them a sharp tug, saying calmly, "Can you break through the body of an immortal?"
*Rumble!*
Inside the Mount Li Mausoleum, the winding river of mercury that wove through the mountains shook violently from his pull. The contaminated Qi Refiners were yanked off balance, each sinking into the river until only their upper torsos remained above the surface!
Even from afar came cries of shock; Nuo masters who had entered earlier had also been corrupted by the bizarre creatures in the river of mercury, and as they fought with the uncorrupted Nuo masters, they too were yanked down until half their bodies sank into the river, drawing cries of dismay.
"Can you withstand the power of an immortal?" Xu Fu said flatly.
With another forceful pull, waves surged in the river of mercury, and a giant worm dozens of zhang wide and seemingly tens of thousands of li long was dragged out from the river!
The moment the worm cleared the water, countless silver roots flailed about, slicing through the air with shrill whistles.
Shaped like an earthworm, it had no eyes, mouth, ears, or nose, nor any excretory organs. It writhed through the air before suddenly contracting rapidly.
In a flash, it transformed into a massive silver-white grub curled into a ball, resembling a mountain of flesh covered in slender root-tentacles, its skin covered in folds and ridges.
The worm's strength was immense. Even after being dragged out of the river of mercury by Xu Fu, it showed not the slightest hint of fear; instead, it exuded waves of a terrifying beastly aura!
It was an ancient ferocious beast whose bloodline was fully awakened, even wrapped in coils of incense smoke qi. In ancient times, it had surely been worshiped as a god by barbaric tribes!
After capturing such an evil god, the First Emperor had placed it within the Mount Li Mausoleum to serve as a guardian of his tomb!
The evil god worm's countless silver root-tentacles lashed out, blotting out the sky and denser than a swarm of bees as it lunged toward Xu Fu!
Xu Fu's expression remained placid as he remarked calmly, "Can you withstand immortal fire?"
Flames suddenly leapt from his fingertips—a peculiar fire in which crystalline sparks seemed to dance. It possessed no overtly overwhelming might, exuding only a faint warmth.
Yet the moment it touched the silver root-tentacles, the fire ignited them, spreading through the evil god worm's entire body in an instant. Neither the worm's formidable flesh nor its peerless incense smoke qi could withstand it in the slightest!
The flames burned so fiercely that the evil god worm's flesh burst apart repeatedly, spilling mercury from within. In mere moments, the worm was burned clean through!
*Bang!*
The evil god worm crashed into the river of mercury. Even after sinking to the bottom, it continued to burn, muffled explosions echoing from beneath the water.
Only after a long while did the explosions subside.
Xu Fu beckoned with his hand, and a wisp of flame flew out from the river of mercury—the very immortal fire from before. It burrowed back into his body through his fingertips and vanished.
Xu Ying whispered, "Lord Bell, do you think that immortal fire is an exotic treasure he collected, or did he refine it himself?"
If it was merely collected, it would only mean Xu Fu had better fortune than others. But if he had refined it himself, that was a matter of grave consequence—it would mean Xu Fu's strength had already reached the level of an immortal!
The bronze bell said, "He is no immortal; how could he refine immortal fire? It must have been collected. The power of this immortal fire is far greater than Pure Yang anomalous fire. If Pure Yang anomalous fire burns me, it might not melt me, but if this immortal fire touches me, I'm done for!"
Yuan Qi whispered, "Then what about his immortal body and immortal power? Could those have been collected too?"
The bronze bell had no answer.
Xu Fu's voice drifted over, calm and detached: "You may tread upon the river again. Regroup, and we shall press on."
The Qi Refiners pulled themselves together.
Xu Fu drifted forward atop the immortal mountain, his gaze falling onto Xu Ying's face. He asked in an eerie tone, "Master Xu, having seen my immortal body, immortal power, and immortal fire today, who do you think is stronger—me or Zhou Qiyun?"
Xu Ying bowed slightly and replied, "Zhou Qiyun is far inferior to Lord Xu."
Xu Fu broke into hearty laughter, his ambition soaring. "Receiving Master Xu's praise is worth more than ten thousand words from the rest of the world."
Xu Ying added, "It is just that Zhou Qiyun was able to undergo tribulation, whereas Lord Xu has yet to do so. Therefore, public opinion has not settled on who is truly stronger."
Xu Fu said, "I care nothing for public opinion; I care only for Master Xu's word." With that, Mount Fangzhang drifted forward.
Beneath Xu Ying's feet, the Phoenix Feather Boat followed along.
He looked ahead and saw that the battle between Yuan Wuji and the Golden Man was moving toward the hanging coffin of the First Emperor Zulong. One was an elite Nuo immortal, while the other was an exotic treasure forged by the First Emperor from treasures across the realm to suppress fortune; their clash shook heaven and earth.
Xu Ying was amazed, thinking to himself, *Yuan Wuji is not as incompetent as Zhou Qiyun claimed. He seems to understand Qi Refiner methods as well, and is not any weaker than Zhou Qiyun. Could Little Sister Weiyang have helped him decipher Qi Refiner cultivation arts?*
The strength Yuan Wuji displayed was astonishing, clearly the result of merging Nuo arts with the Yuan Dao Heavens Induction—and doing so with flawless perfection!
Such talent was extraordinary!
Were it not for this, he could never have withstood an Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man.
Suddenly, another terrifying aura soared into the sky, warping the heavens. Immortal mountains shifted slowly, drifting aside in avoidance.
That was another Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man awakening, displaying its overwhelming majesty! Then came a third Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man, followed by a fourth!
At the same time, various cave-heaven phenomena manifested from beyond the mountains. Cave-heavens rose gracefully, piercing through various worlds of the other shore to draw power from them!
Those were the Nuo immortals of the great clans taking action in person to battle the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Men.
This spectacle could truly be called a clash between antiquity's greatest treasures and the world's strongest living Nuo immortals.
Xu Ying gazed into the distance and noticed that those Nuo immortals were also vastly stronger than when he had first encountered them. His heart stirred: *Could they, like Zhou Qiyun, have also practiced Qi Refiner arts? Who passed it to them?*
He had no idea how immense a shockwave he had caused throughout Shendu after his departure.
Xu Ying had practiced both Qi and Nuo cultivation. Wielding a stone axe, he had carved his way into the Shi clan, slaughtering their members, burning Old Ancestor Shi Mole to death under the bell, and slaying Shi Jingtang with a flying sword after chasing him for a hundred li. That battle had thoroughly shaken the great clans!
From then on, dual cultivation of Qi and Nuo had become mainstream! This was something Xu Ying had never anticipated.
However, dual cultivation was easier said than done. Yet another momentous event had taken place in Shendu around the same time: Old Ancestor Guo, Pei Du, and the head of the Cui clan had joined forces, breaking into the deepest worlds of the other shore within the cave-heavens and abducting an "immortal" from within!
Although the three families kept the matter secret, the Guo, Pei, and Cui clans had long been infiltrated by the other clans until they were riddled with leaks like sieves; how could it possibly be kept under wraps?
Consequently, more "immortals" were secretly rescued by the various great clans. These "immortals" suffered a wretched fate—their cultivation had been stripped away by immortal fire or immortal light, and their Primordial Spirits had been refined down to mere souls, leaving them barely clinging to life. How could they resist the great clans?
Through threats, inducements, brutal torture, or soul searching, the great clans wrung complete Qi Refiner methods from the mouths of these "immortals."
From that point onward, whether younger disciples or old ancestors, the cultivation and strength of every great clan advanced by leaps and bounds.
Yet compared to them, Yuan Wuji was still vastly more formidable, trading blows back and forth against a Golden Man all on his own.
Xu Ying looked into the distance, his mind suddenly stirring: *Over there is someone without a cave-heaven who can still take on a Golden Man. That must be a Qi Refiner! Could it be the Great Zhou Qi Refiner who killed with the suspended sword?*
He glanced around. In this brief span, ten Imperial Mausoleum Golden Men had already awakened, charging toward those who dared trespass upon the imperial tomb. Each of these ten Golden Men was held at bay by a Nuo immortal.
*Where are the other two Golden Men?* Xu Ying wondered.
Right then, mind-rattling fluctuations rippled from behind them, growing ever stronger. Xu Ying turned his head hastily, only to see an altar floating along the river of mercury. The Golden Man atop the altar was currently awakening!
Without looking back, Xu Fu said, "Old Bamboo Slender, Dong Meiqing, I leave this Golden Man to you."
Old Bamboo Slender and Dong Meiqing exchanged a glance and came to a halt. Old Bamboo Slender chuckled, "Old Dong, I'm afraid I won't live to see the revival of Qi Refiners. Keep an eye out for me."
Dong Meiqing's gaze fell upon the drifting Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man, and he smiled. "I am older than you; it is not yet certain which of us will depart first!"
Old Bamboo Slender's diminutive frame leaped lightly, planting his deer-head staff onto the surface of the mercury river. Perched atop the staff, the little old man laughed boisterously. "Still, with the ageless immortal here, we die a worthy death! The Qi Refiners shall surely be restored!"
Dong Meiqing's aura surged forth with soaring heroism, and he roared with laughter, "The Qi Refiners shall surely be restored!"
Xu Ying felt a tingle run across his scalp, an inexplicable surge of emotion welling up within him. He looked back at them, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
"Now you understand, don't you?"
Xu Fu looked ahead and murmured, "You think the Qi Refiners' heritage is of no consequence, but in their hearts, that heritage is heavier than life itself. A noble scholar dies for the heritage, braving fire and boiling water without hesitation."
Chapter 125