Within the stone city, many had already received Xu Ying's warning and rushed out in haste.
No sooner had they made it outside than they saw the god with the dragon head and human torso dragging the colossal city along. Amid flashes of thunder and lightning, the giant city rose into the air, tilting precariously as it followed the titan and crashed into the depths of darkness.
Those who had escaped looked on in horror. Most of them were Nuo masters of the Guo clan, with only a few from the other prominent families. The entire Guo clan placed immense trust in Xu Ying, which was why so many of them had fled in time. However, Guo Xiaodie, Guo Yue, Li Yingzhu, and several others had not managed to seize the opportunity to escape.
Inside the stone city, chaos had erupted long ago. Regardless of kinship or friendship, everyone had fallen under the sway of the killing intent, striking each other with lethal malice. All kinds of divine abilities, magical treasures, and Nuo arts were unleashed upon whoever stood nearby!
Xu Ying had practiced the Taiyi Guiding Technique for years, keeping his mind pure and unaffected. Coupled with the Heart-Centering Technique passed down to him by Pei Du, he remained untouched by the bloodlust. Under the shelter of his qi dynamic, Yuan Qi was spared from its influence as well.
The next instant, sword light flickered before Xu Ying. Suddenly, points of sword glare split apart, flooding his entire field of view in the blink of an eye!
It was the eight-faceted sword summoned by Xue Ying'an, stabbing toward Xu Ying amidst the chaos. His sword technique was unlike anything Xu Ying had ever seen before!
Xu Ying had grasped the fundamental secrets of swordplay from Yuan Tiangang's sword casket and comprehended the Realm-Breaking Strike from the sword qi fissure at Shuikou Temple.
Compared to Xue Ying'an's sword art, which was learned from Li Xiaoke, his own swordplay was far too crude.
However, Xu Ying was proficient in more than just sword arts. He retreated, unleashing his Nuo art to meet Xue Ying'an's eight-faceted sword with the sixth stance of the Rhapsody of the Azure Heavens: Splendor of the Stars.
Darkness enveloped his surroundings, illuminated only by a river of surging stars that surged forth alongside his palm force to meet the points of sword light filling his vision!
In terms of cultivation, he had opened the six secret depositories. His yuan qi, divine sense, strength, and physical body far surpassed those of ordinary Qi Refiners!
Yet as he unleashed this strike, his heart skipped a beat. When those points of sword light collided with the starlight, their power abruptly skyrocketed. Hidden within the sword glare were three to four waves of follow-up force, each several times more powerful than the last!
The Realm Breaker sword qi Xu Ying had comprehended grew stronger against strong foes. After its initial burst of power, a second, even more domineering surge would erupt, possessing the momentum to vanquish any enemy!
Yet it was only a single stance.
The sword art Xue Ying'an wielded was far more intricate than the Realm Breaker sword qi, vastly outmatching the Rhapsody of the Azure Heavens in terms of technique! Moreover, Xue Ying'an's eight-faceted sword was an extraordinary treasure in its own right. Seeing the sea of stars shatter and knowing his move had been broken, Xu Ying immediately hurled himself backward!
Behind him stood a stone tower. Its layout differed somewhat from ordinary buildings, bearing an exotic design. A spiral staircase wound upward along the wall like a coiling dragon, while stone chambers were built directly into the four walls.
The moment Xu Ying retreated inside, sword light flooded the interior as Xue Ying'an barged into the stone tower.
Xu Ying retreated swiftly up the stairs. Xue Ying'an's sword light billowed and steamed from the floor, howling upward like a colossal pillar of sword qi that spun and ground everything to dust! "What an impressive sword technique!"
Xu Ying praised inwardly. He flicked his fingers to deflect several strands of sword qi nearing him; before their second and third waves of power could even erupt, they were crushed outright by his vast magic power.
Yet the strands Xu Ying deflected were merely a drop in the ocean. The pillar of sword qi surged from the ground, already rising more than two hundred feet high and continuing to swell!
*His sword qi is too formidable. It has already built an overpowering momentum, forcing me to retreat. Otherwise, my only choice would be to fight him with my life on the line. Such divine sword abilities are truly worthy of being passed down by Lord Bell's master!*
Without a second thought, Xu Ying darted into a stone chamber, leaped out through the window lattice, and nimbly flipped upward onto the stone tower's roof.
*Boom!*
The pillar of sword qi within the stone tower unleashed its full force. Instantly, sword light erupted outward from the windows of every stone chamber, yet it failed to bring down the tower itself.
This stone city had been forged by the greatest Qi Refiners of the various heavenly worlds to face mighty foes. As exquisite as Xue Ying'an's sword art was, he was powerless to destroy the stone building.
As if anticipating this, Xu Ying stood on the roof, watching the sword qi exhaust itself.
Xue Ying'an flew out from a window, standing midair atop his sword light as he looked all around in search of Xu Ying.
*Though this Sword Control Formula isn't as good as the one Weiyang and I perfected, it's still extraordinarily rare,* Xu Ying remarked inwardly. He could tell that Xue Ying'an's Sword Control Formula was not entirely authentic; Li Xiaoke had likely acquired only a fragmentary mnemonic and used it as a foundation to develop a new sword control technique.
Suddenly, Xu Ying flicked a small pebble with a casual wave of his hand, bouncing it squarely off Xue Ying'an's forehead.
Xue Ying'an felt a chill run down his spine. He snapped his head up, thinking, *If that hadn't been a pebble, but a flying sword or a divine ability instead...*
After a moment's hesitation, he rode his flying sword up to the roof, landing beside Xu Ying. Pointing his sword at Xu Ying, he called out loudly, "You and I are strangers. I shouldn't have attacked you, but you slandered my master, claiming he devours human flesh! For the honor of my sect, I had no choice but to strike!"
Surging his true essence, he proclaimed, "Just now, I ambushed you and seized the advantage. To be fair, you strike first this time!"
Yuan Qi was astounded. "Ah Ying, this lad really has never roamed the pugilistic world. If someone so naive had wandered the realm for years, he'd have turned into a wandering ghost long ago, dancing on his own grave every single day!"
Xu Ying smiled. "Xue Ying'an, look outside."
"I won't fall for your tricks!" Xue Ying'an shouted back. "The moment I look away, you'll ambush me, and I'll end up dead."
Yet he could not resist stealing a peek anyway. That single glance took his breath away. Xue Ying'an froze, his gaze locked blankly on the view beyond.
"Silly boy," Yuan Qi muttered under his breath.
Still, the spectacle outside the city was truly staggering. The stone city was currently flying past a colossal planet composed entirely of gas. The gases formed a vast sea of clouds across its surface, swirling with shades of yellow, red, and white.
The planet was so immense that it completely dominated their vision as it drifted over their heads.
They could even hear a low, humming drone emanating from the sphere. Within that sea of clouds, gargantuan fish countless tens of thousands of li long darted through the mist, riding wind and thunder in pursuit of the stone city.
Ahead of the city, wind and lightning raged. The titan with the dragon head and human torso—an embodiment of the Heavenly Dao divine artifact—bathed in wind and thunder, hauling the stone city forward at full speed. Even the great fish within the colossal planet could not keep pace, falling farther and farther behind.
Beside this giant gas planet, in the depths of starry space, spun an enormous vortex that seemed formed from converging lightning.
The stone city was being dragged directly toward that vortex of thunder!
Xue Ying'an was utterly stunned by the sight. Suddenly, a jolt of alarm struck him. Without thinking, he summoned his protective small bell just as an ocean-vast surge of magic power materialized into a palm print and bore down before him!
The protective bell was a replica of the Xiaoyao Bell. The light along its walls flared, forming a giant inverted bell. But the next instant, the force of the palm pressed down, causing the luminous wall to tremble and blur, pushing it to the brink of collapse!
*Clang!*
In his terror, Xue Ying'an pushed the small bell to its absolute limit, yet he still felt an irresistible force grinding over him. Hurled into the air against his will, he went tumbling and rolling off the stone tower!
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Crashing all the way down, he struck the ground with a resounding boom, blasting open a massive crater and embedding himself, bell and all, deep into the earth.
Xu Ying pulled his hand back and said to Yuan Qi, "See, Seventh Master? He won't be so foolish as to actually look next time."
Yuan Qi praised, "Ah Ying, your benevolence knows no bounds! Truly the heart of a bodhisattva!"
Furious, Xue Ying'an scrambled to climb out. Xu Ying pressed down with another palm strike. Anticipating it, Xue Ying'an instantly raised his eight-faceted sword, unleashing his sword technique!
However, this palm strike was a divine ability Xu Ying had comprehended from Zhou Qiyun's Heavenly Tribulation on the foundation of the Rhapsody of the Azure Heavens: Tribulation Descends from Heaven!
All Qi Refiners had to face heavenly tribulations. As the palm descended, Xue Ying'an's heart leapt into his throat. Answering the tribulation with a single blow, he was hammered back down into the crater by the force of the palm.
Inside the pit, the small bell clanged incessantly, frantically shedding the blow's power.
*I'm done for!*
Xue Ying'an felt utter despair. The very first opponent he had encountered upon leaving the mountain seemed outrageously strong. The moment an opening appeared, the fellow pinned him down and beat him senseless! If he remained trapped in this crater, he would surely be pummeled to death!
Yet after delivering this strike, Xu Ying did not press the attack. Xue Ying'an struggled to his feet in disbelief, wondering, *What does he mean by this?*
Without anyone noticing, the slaughter inside the stone city had ceased. The ghosts of ancient warriors from various worlds stood solemn and still, gazing upward like a disciplined army.
Yet in that brief moment of madness, the stone city had become strewn with corpses. Only thirty to forty percent of the Nuo masters who had entered remained alive; sixty to seventy percent had perished at the hands of their fellows!
The survivors had no time to tend to the wounded. They all raised their heads, watching in horror as the stone city approached the vortex of thunder in the starry sky.
Many noticed the clash between Xue Ying'an and Xu Ying, each breathing a sigh of relief.
Zhu Zhongquan's eyes flickered as he thought, *I took that Qi Refiner for an expert, but he couldn't even take a single palm strike from Monster King Xu. Nothing special after all.*
Gao Xingqian set aside his ancient zither and thought, *His control of magical treasures is refined, but his strength falls short. Monster King Xu has been gone for two years and is already out of touch, yet this man was still battered to the ground by him. These Qi Refiners truly have nothing respectable to show for themselves, far inferior to the twin cultivation of Nuo and qi practiced by the great families.*
The young masters of the Chai and Zhao clans looked on with calculating eyes, assessing Xue Ying'an's strength by the beating he had received, and each breathed easy.
They had not witnessed the astonishing sword qi Xue Ying'an unleashed within the stone tower. They had only seen him pinned down and hammered by Xu Ying, concluding that this young Qi Refiner was unremarkable.
Accompanied by rolling thunder, the stone city sailed into the terrifying lightning vortex. Light and shadow flickered within the city, bringing the sensation of traversing a membrane of spacetime!
The feeling was remarkably similar to when Zhou Qiyun crossed his tribulation, when the distorted fluctuations of spacetime passed through a person's body. It was also akin to entering a Nuo immortal's Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground from the outside world at Shuikou Temple.
Only, this crossing lasted much longer.
Everyone lost their sense of weight, drifting in midair as spacetime stretched them thin. At times they turned into white-haired elders, at times into stumbling toddlers. Suddenly, they would transform into cattle, horses, or other beasts, or even into giant fish, insects, and bizarre creatures.
Their divine sense, magic power, Golden Cores, magical treasures, and divine abilities were completely inaccessible, leaving them to float helplessly.
After an indeterminate period, the sensation of passing through the spacetime membrane gradually faded. Everyone felt their magic power return and regained control of their bodies, tumbling down from midair.
Just then, an ancient continent came into view. What met their eyes was a vast, desolate desert. The stone city slammed down, skimming over the sands and kicking up skies full of yellow dust!
"Kill!" The ancient warrior ghosts inside the stone city raised a sky-shaking battle cry and surged forth, charging into the desert. Many Nuo masters were swept along by their momentum, plunging into the desert and vanishing from sight.
Only about thirty people remained in the stone city, having resisted the ghosts' bloodlust.
Everyone stared blankly outside. The stone city had ground to a halt, stopping before a massive stone monument.
The monument was a mountain split in half, bearing dripping words written in blood.
"Taiyi Lesser Mysterious Heaven Perilous Realm!" Xu Ying looked up and read aloud. Beneath those words were several smaller lines of text:
"The First Pass of the Heavenly Road. Here, the soldiers of ten thousand worlds subdued demons, deploying six Heavenly Dao divine artifacts in battle, losing one thousand six hundred men. Erected in commemoration. Do not forget the past; let it serve as a guide for the future! Tian Qingzi stands guard here over the graves of the one thousand six hundred soldiers and watches over the archdemon. Inscribed by Tian Qingzi!"
Xu Ying's heart surged with emotion. He murmured, "Such blazing valor, guarding the soldiers' graves and suppressing demons. A true hero!"
Yuan Qi was filled with admiration as well. "Ah Ying, I reckon you were a hero just like that back then."
Xu Ying's thoughts drifted into yearning.
Suddenly, the old immortal of the Zhu clan, who had been suppressed inside the cage, burst into laughter. "Good disciple, this is the first stop of the ancient Yunmeng battlefield! Hurry, carry me on your back!" The cage had been smashed during the melee, and the old immortal was covered in blood, having suffered numerous divine abilities. He was draped in hooks and chains, and even his Realm of Xiyi had been sealed by chains, leaving him unable to resist; consequently, he had been gravely wounded during the battle.
Yet his spirits remained high as he roared with laughter. "There are supreme immortal plants here, treasures bestowed by the Heavenly Dao to aid the soldiers in slaying demons! Quick, carry me to find the immortal plants!"
Zhu Zhongquan scrambled forward, falling to his knees to receive him. The old immortal climbed onto his back, and Zhu Zhongquan sprinted away, rushing into the desert.
The old immortal's voice echoed from afar, shouting, "Time waits for no man! Our time is short, and we must find the immortal medicine before the stone city makes its return journey, or unimaginable horrors will unfold! Go, go!" Everyone looked on to see the old immortal lashing his chains across Zhu Zhongquan's buttocks like a rider whipping a horse, vanishing in a cloud of dust.
The surviving Nuo masters of the Zhu clan hastily followed suit, plunging into the desert.
Seeing this, the members of the other great families inside the city ventured into the sands one after another in search of the immortal plants.
Guo Xiaodie ordered a Guo clan Nuo master to stay behind, instructing, "Every quarter of an hour, cast a divine ability into the sky to mark our position." The Nuo master complied.
Guo Xiaodie glanced at Xu Ying, hesitating briefly before deciding against inviting him to join them in the desert. After all, Xu Ying was not a member of the Guo clan; if they harvested an immortal plant, they would have to share a portion with him.
"If Monster King Xu were willing to marry into the family, we wouldn't need to share," Li Yingzhu remarked leisurely, seeing the girl's dilemma.
Guo Xiaodie sighed. "I'm afraid he wouldn't agree."
"Then force him!" Li Yingzhu said with excitement. "Knock him out, strip his pants, and force him! I can help you pin down both his arms!"
Guo Yue glanced at his wife, hesitated, and decided not to interject.
Inside the stone city, Xue Ying'an looked at Xu Ying and chose not to tangle with him any further. He summoned his eight-faceted sword, stepped onto the flying blade, and tore through the air. Yuan Qi craned his neck, asking, "Ah Ying, everyone else was too afraid to fly, yet Xue Ying'an recklessly took to his sword. Do you think he's going to run into bad luck?"
Hardly had the words left his mouth when Xue Ying'an slammed into an invisible barrier. That barrier was a defensive divine ability generated by a fragment of an ancient magical treasure; Xue Ying'an's collision instantly triggered the residual power of the shard!
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi craned their necks, watching as hundreds of bolts of lightning harbored within the treasure's lingering might struck the youth. The boy tumbled straight down, and only then did man and snake exhale in relief.
"He really did run into bad luck," Yuan Qi gloated.
Xu Ying felt quite satisfied as well, walking toward the city gates.
In the distance, Xue Ying'an had been charred to a crisp, yet he remained alive. Much more cautious this time, the youth abandoned flying on his sword and chose to travel on foot.
Before long, Xu Ying, trailing far behind him, watched a sandstorm erupt ahead, swallowing the young Qi Refiner whole. It was the ruined Realm of Xiyi belonging to an ancient Qi Refiner; failing to notice it, Xue Ying'an had tumbled right inside.
"Ah Ying, he might not live past today," Yuan Qi said, craning his neck to look.
Chapter 141