Xu Ying kept pace with him, pondering as he said, "Duke Xu, wouldn't it be better if we could integrate Nuo methods into qi refinement? On one hand, it would carry forward the past, inheriting the ultimate legacy of our predecessors; on the other hand, it would pave the way for a new future, laying a better foundation for those to come."
He had not even fully recovered the memories of his present life. He was just a fourteen-year-old boy, and many truths remained beyond his grasp.
Yet he felt that perhaps the revival of the Qi Refiners and the Nuo masters' pursuit of change could proceed at the same time. Let the Nuo masters walk one path and verify whether it was right; let the Qi Refiners walk another and test its truth as well.
One could even forgo distinguishing between Qi Refiners and Nuo masters altogether, allowing each person to freely choose their own path. Wouldn't that be better?
If everyone gave full play to their talents and took responsibility for their own choices, with no need to contend over orthodoxy and no orthodoxy at all, perhaps that would be a better way forward.
Xu Fu stepped onto the riverbank, followed by hundreds of Qi Refiners. He said, "Passed down through generations, handed down like a flame—is that something to be brushed off with a mere 'wouldn't it be better'? Among Qi Refiners, people have undergone tribulation and ascended to become immortals; it is difficult, but by no means impossible. And Nuo methods? Fit only to be slaughtered like meat! Zhou Qiyun has already proven that this is an erroneous path. A wrong path does not deserve to exist in this world; it should be extinguished!"
Ahead, Nuo immortals and Nuo masters had already cleared a path leading to Zulong's suspended coffin, and the crowd pressed forward along it.
Xu Fu looked ahead, where Nuo immortals clashed with the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Men in earth-shattering combat. His eyes flickered as he said, "Rather than letting these Nuo masters and Nuo immortals end up as butchered meat for others, eaten alive, they might as well make a contribution and be refined into immortal medicine to revive Zulong! That is the finest end for them!"
Suddenly, an Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man stepped ashore behind them. The Golden Man was wrapped in streamers formed of incense smoke qi; far from being rigid, they drifted gracefully like smoke.
Behind him manifested a vision of the Realm of Xiyi: the Five Sacred Peaks immortal mountain, the Heavenly Mountain, the Heavenly River, the Jade Pool, and the God Bridge. It was magnificent and crystal-clear, looking as though these wonders were truly floating behind him!
His aura was tremendous. As the ultimate creation forged to suppress the destiny of Qi Refiners, he had been revered by mortals, received their incense offerings, and transformed into a divinity.
He bore Xu Ying's face, yet was a divinity in the form of a magical artifact!
Hua Xianchen and the others felt a chill in their hearts, their eyes turning toward Xu Fu. Xu Fu said indifferently, "Stay here and hold off this Golden Man. I will go to Zulong."
He spread his arms, and Mount Fangzhang carried him flying higher and higher.
The hundreds of Qi Refiners stood in silence, then turned around one after another. Hua Xianchen's voice trembled, but she feigned composure and called out loudly, "Did you hear that? We must hold off the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man and buy time for Old Ancestor Xu Fu! The Qi Refiners will surely be restored!"
Qi Qingzhou and the other Qi Refiners felt their throats run dry. Looking at the approaching Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man, they shouted, "We will surely be restored!"
Xiao Fengxian stayed behind as well. She said to Xu Ying, "For Young Master Xu's kindness, Fengxian'er will repay it in the next life."
Xu Fu halted in midair, sweeping his sleeves to shatter the restrictions and clearing each seal blocking the way.
Mount Fangzhang hovered in the sky, and Xu Fu looked down, seemingly waiting for Xu Ying.
Xu Ying looked at the Qi Refiners, then back at Xu Fu. Hesitating for a moment, he chose not to accompany Xu Fu, walking instead to Fengxian'er's side.
Xu Fu paused slightly, irritation rising in his heart: *Still the same as four thousand years ago!* He waited for Xu Ying no longer, flying straight toward Zulong's suspended coffin enveloped in the ascension rosy glow.
Fengxian'er looked back at Xu Ying in surprise, tilting her head. "Why didn't you follow Old Ancestor Xu Fu?"
Xu Ying smiled. "I'm not him. I don't have the habit of abandoning my companions."
The Golden Man approached. Even before he drew near, many Qi Refiners were already losing their senses and descending into madness—the mortal obsessions contained within the incense smoke qi were invading their minds, throwing their Dao hearts into chaos!
Those maddened Qi Refiners screamed, unleashing divine powers and deploying magical artifacts, attacking in all directions without distinguishing friend from foe, wounding many people in an instant.
Chaos erupted among the crowd. The Golden Man swept his massive hand, sending countless flying swords hurtling toward them, sword qi blanketing the sky to wipe them all out in a single sweep!
Xiao Fengxian's body shook violently as she revealed her true phoenix form. Spreading her wings, she stirred up blasts of astral wind to meet the incoming sword qi, deflecting countless strikes.
The stray sword qi tore through the air and plowed through the ground, carving ruts a hundred li long.
Had those strikes landed, hardly any of the Qi Refiners would have withstood them!
Xiao Fengxian let out a piercing cry, wheeling into the air. Bursts of phoenix divine fire surged from beneath her wings, crashing onto the Golden Man and detonating one after another, instantly turning the area into a sea of flames!
Suddenly, a red-hot giant hand thrust out from the blaze, grasping toward Xiao Fengxian.
Xiao Fengxian felt a jolt of despair: *The Golden Man was forged using phoenix fire. How can we possibly fight this?*
The Golden Man had likely been smelted using the flames of an adult phoenix. Xiao Fengxian was not yet fully grown; her fire could not melt him at all.
Xiao Fengxian flapped her wings to maneuver away, using them as blades to slash at the grasping hand.
Suddenly, the Golden Man's other palm swept in, and his two hands slammed together with a deafening crash, producing a ringing shockwave like a monumental bell that rivaled a blow from the bronze bell itself, hurtling violently toward Xiao Fengxian!
At that very moment, the bronze bell shifted horizontally to shield Xiao Fengxian. With a resonant chime, their divine powers collided, throwing up a violent shockwave like an upright disc spinning and slicing outward in every direction!
Even as it blocked the strike, Hua Xianchen, Qi Qingzhou, and the hundreds of others unleashed their strongest magical artifacts and cast their most potent divine powers, attacking the Golden Man!
As the last Qi Refiners, they possessed various strange treasures handed down by their ancestors, every single one immensely powerful, radiating terrifying might once deployed!
Their divine powers had also improved greatly thanks to Xu Ying's pointers.
Yet no matter how powerful their artifacts were or how subtle their divine powers, as the attacks struck the Golden Man, intricate, marvelous patterns surfaced and flowed across his body, repelling their artifacts and arts!
The bronze bell swooped in, circling the Golden Man—surging high and low, darting front and back, its ringing peals relentless as it blasted the Golden Man with all its might!
It even slammed directly into the Golden Man, yet only made him stagger!
The Golden Man was like a grand Qi Refiner versed in all manner of spells and divine powers, standing at the Ascension stage with immeasurably profound cultivation, trading blows head-on against the bronze bell!
His fingers were like the sharpest spears, his palms like the mightiest seals, his elbows like heaven-splitting axes, and his legs like the heaviest whips.
From head to toe, every part of his body was a magical artifact!
He even let out a roar, unleashing heavy soundwaves that forced everyone to spit blood, sending them flying in all directions!
"Use the Samadhi true fire and Samadhi divine water!" Hua Xianchen shouted.
Many Qi Refiners had already mastered the Samadhi true fire and Samadhi divine water. Hearing her command, they immediately deployed their fire and water, yet neither could burn the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man, nor could the divine water wash him away.
The Golden Man's body shook, and the patterns on his surface shifted into flame and wave patterns. Suddenly, true fire and divine water surged from the two patterns, sweeping and surging toward the crowd!
The fire and water intermingled, blending together without conflict.
Xu Ying suddenly lunged forward to shield the others. Channeling the Pure Yang anomalous fire, he exhaled, sending a blaze rolling out to meet the Samadhi fire and water!
The moment the Pure Yang anomalous fire collided with the Samadhi fire and water, a violent explosion erupted!
Xu Ying stepped forward, holding back the Samadhi fire and water, then leaped into the air. Withdrawing the Pure Yang anomalous fire, he swung the stone axe, slamming it into the Golden Man with a ringing clatter!
The stone axe's power was unleashed, conjuring a soaring sea of blood behind Xu Ying, with the corpses of colossal gods and demons floating within the bloody surge!
The blow was staggering, yet it left only a shallow mark on the surface of the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man, doing no real damage!
Xu Ying's hands were battered bloody from the recoil, the flesh on his palms tearing open. Fortunately, he had opened the Mud Pill secret depository, allowing his wounds to heal rapidly.
Yuan Qi flew from his shoulder, opening his maw wide to spew blazing heavenly fire to engulf the Golden Man, yet he could not even make the metal glow red!
Startled, Yuan Qi was about to withdraw his heavenly fire when a pulse of light rippled across the Golden Man's surface, extinguishing the flame on the spot.
"Ah-Ying, how are we supposed to fight this?" Despair gripped him.
Xu Ying leaped into the air, landing on the floating streamers of incense smoke trailing from the Golden Man, and dashed forward along them.
Coiled around Xu Ying's shoulder, Yuan Qi shrieked in terror. Wherever Xu Ying's feet landed, the incense smoke of the streamer transformed into various divine powers, churning like clouds and wind as they struck at them!
Every divine power conjured by the incense smoke carried destructive tremors that would grind them to dust if they hit!
At that moment, the bronze bell was locked in frontal combat with the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man, thoroughly on the receiving end of a beating and unable to spare any attention for them.
Xiao Fengxian was likewise taking a beating, unable to come to their aid!
As for the other Qi Refiners, some were dead and others wounded, unable to withstand even a single technique from the Golden Man, let alone rescue them!
"Ah-Ying! Run faster!" Yuan Qi cried out, his hair standing on end.
Xu Ying dashed forward at full speed along the curve of the incense streamer. Ahead, the smoke suddenly formed into divine powers, leaping from the mist.
"Ah-Ying—!" Yuan Qi screamed.
Xu Ying flipped his body abruptly, cloaked in swirls of sword qi, transforming into a streak of sword light that plunged into the massive shrine behind the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man!
The shrine was the very source of the incense smoke qi. Standing sixty to seventy feet tall, the concentration of incense smoke within was even thicker.
Upon entering, Yuan Qi could no longer endure the chanting of ten thousand mortals embedded in the incense smoke, fainting on the spot.
Xu Ying channeled the Taiyi Guiding Technique, keeping his divine sense focused and free of stray thoughts, steadfast as a mountain. Landing at the center of the shrine, he unleashed the Pure Yang anomalous fire!
Raging flames ignited the shrine. At the same time, the divine powers pursuing him crashed in, blasting the shrine to pieces with the Golden Man's own attacks. Fiery fragments rained down, burning with anomalous fire.
Xu Ying had leaped clear the instant the attacks struck the shrine, but the concussive shockwave of the detonation battered him severely, dealing heavy damage to the City of Xiyi within him and causing blood to leak from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth!
As he tumbled downward, he looked up, only to see that despite the shattered shrine and dispersed incense smoke qi, the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man's movements remained terrifyingly potent!
The bronze bell was battered and dented, while Xiao Fengxian had lost many of her phoenix feathers, stained with her own blood.
As for the other Qi Refiners, more than half had fallen, their ranks utterly broken.
*This time, it really is a crushing defeat...*
Just as the thought crossed Xu Ying's mind, a young girl suddenly leaped over, landing on the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man's shoulder, and delivered a heavy punch to his neck with a loud thud.
"It's Old Ancestor Chanchan!"
Xu Ying fought to surge his blood and qi, setting his yuan qi racing through his body again. Leaping into the air, he executed the Heaven-Soaring Cloud Ladder and rushed upward!
The young girl was indeed Zhu Chanchan. She darted swiftly around the Golden Man's neck, raining down a flurry of punches—*thud, thud, thud!* The Golden Man's hands froze in midair, his feet locked in place, and the flickering patterns across his body dimmed!
Floating in the air, Zhu Chanchan dusted her hands, puffed up with pride. She giggled, "I cut off the flow of dharmic power in your neck. Let's see you run rampant now!"
Right then, Xu Ying lunged forward, scooped the girl into his arms, and dashed away!
*Swoosh!*
Two thick beams of fiery light shot from the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man's eyes, slicing across and nearly cutting the pair into four pieces!
Zhu Chanchan went pale with fright. Tucked in Xu Ying's embrace, she hastily shouted, pouring all her dharmic power into a crisp command: "Feilai Peak! Come—!"
*Boom!*
A terrifying shockwave erupted behind Xu Ying, blasting the two of them away. Looking back in haste, the boy saw a bronze mountain descending from the sky, crashing onto the Golden Man's head and pounding it straight down into his chest!
The Golden Man's eyes continued to blaze with fire, slowly heating his chest red-hot until the metal began to melt.
Seeing this, Xu Ying scrambled to dodge. With two sharp hisses, two beams of fiery light sixty to seventy feet thick soared past overhead!
Xu Ying landed, and Zhu Chanchan quickly scrambled out of his arms, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Xu Ying thought nothing of it and asked in a rush, "Chanchan, is that Golden Man dead?"
"Not yet."
Composing herself, Zhu Chanchan said, "He's half magical artifact and half deity—how could he die so easily? An attack like this wouldn't even kill that bronze bell, let alone a Golden Man."
Xu Ying looked over and saw that the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Man was driven halfway into the earth by Feilai Peak, his head driven into his torso. Yet his melted chest revealed two glowing, fire-red eyes from within!
The Golden Man was indeed alive!
Xu Ying smiled. "Chanchan, hit him hard one more time!"
Zhu Chanchan stayed silent.
Xu Ying looked at her in surprise. The girl stammered, "My artifact is too big... Unleashing it once with all my strength is already my limit..."
Xu Ying nodded. "Did you embezzle too much material when refining treasures for the Son of Heaven of Zhou?"
Zhu Chanchan folded her hands behind her back, kicking at a pebble on the ground. She fidgeted awkwardly. "How could that be? Even the prison warden couldn't get a confession out of me! Don't you go making baseless accusations."
The bronze bell wobbled through the air toward them, crying out, "Ah-Ying, I'm wounded again... Old Ancestor Chanchan, hurry, give me two good thuds! I'm going to fight him to the bitter end!"
Chapter 126