Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the bronze bell felt their hearts tighten, inwardly groaning. Judging by Zhu Chanchan’s track record, whatever crime she had committed to warrant "atoning with meritorious service" was definitely no small matter.
After all, the scraps she had gouged out from the Divine Boat of the Other Shore were staggering—an entire Feilai Peak several li high.
Xu Ying guessed that the Son of Heaven of Zhou's Divine Boat of the Other Shore probably wasn't much larger than that!
The bronze bell and Yuan Qi even suspected whether Ancestor Chanchan had simply used leftover scraps from Feilai Peak to build the Divine Boat of the Other Shore for the Son of Heaven of Zhou!
Could a craft so blatantly shortchanged on materials truly carry the Son of Heaven of Zhou and his civil and military officials all the way to the other shore?
"The Son of Heaven of Zhou didn't execute Ancestor Chanchan as a sacrificial offering to the heavens—what remarkable magnanimity." Xu Ying praised the Son of Heaven's forbearance inwardly, before inquiring cautiously, "Grand Preceptor Jiang, did Heavenly Artisan Zhu confess?"
Jiang Qi, Grand Preceptor of the Great Zhou, wore pale purple robes. At his waist hung a Zhou sword, a slender bronze rapier that gave him the gallant bearing of an immortal swordsman stepping out of a scroll. Shaking his head, he said, "Her lips are sealed tight; how could she ever confess? She was tortured in the past—strung up and beaten for ten days and ten nights—without giving up a single word."
He gave a half-smile. "Is the ageless immortal well-acquainted with Heavenly Artisan Zhu?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "I am not familiar with her, having only crossed paths a few times."
Yuan Qi hurried to clear himself of suspicion: "Quite right! We merely met by chance and shared a few meals together. She enjoys thrashing people and is terribly violent. We are scholars of letters and have always abhorred violence, so we distanced ourselves from her."
"I thought you were Heavenly Artisan Zhu's accomplices, harboring stolen goods for her," Jiang Qi remarked.
The bronze bell chimed in hastily, "Never! Birds of a feather flock together; with hearts as pure as ours, how could we ever keep company with such despicable riffraff?"
Yuan Qi whispered, "Ah Ying, Ancestor Chanchan still has half of Feilai Peak stashed inside my belly. Will the Son of Heaven of Zhou treat us as accomplices and throw us in prison?"
Xu Ying signaled him to stay calm and lowered his voice. "We stick to our story and claim it's ours, refusing to confess no matter what. He has no real evidence anyway."
Jiang Qi asked, "Can the primordial Dao essence the ageless immortal stole from me be returned now?"
Xu Ying took out the gourd and laughed heartily. "I happened upon this gourd entirely by accident, so of course it must be returned to its rightful owner. No need for words of gratitude, Grand Preceptor Jiang—returning lost property without keeping it for oneself is simply what people of our standing ought to do."
He knew Jiang Qi was ruthless; using a Heavenly Dao divine artifact, he had wiped out hundreds of millions of living beings across a heavenly world just for an immortal spirit root.
If Xu Ying kept the primordial Dao essence for himself, this ruthless man might slaughter him on the spot to refine medicine.
Jiang Qi accepted the gourd, uncorked it, and took a look inside. His expression shifted slightly. *How is there so much missing?*
Watching his expression, Xu Ying felt uneasy as well. *Truth be told, we did consume quite a bit of that primordial Dao essence. But it was a dire situation—if we hadn't drunk it then, we might never have had another chance, so naturally we drank our fill.*
Jiang Qi tilted his head back, swallowed a mouthful of the primordial Dao essence, and suggested, "Does the ageless immortal wish to return to the Yuanshou world? I have a way back."
Xu Ying's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Could Grand Preceptor Jiang be referring to Tianzhu?"
Jiang Qi drew Tianzhu and said solemnly, "As long as the ageless immortal masters this sword and wields the Heavenly Dao, you can transform into a dragon-headed, human-bodied deity to traverse spacetime and return to Yuanshou."
Placing Tianzhu into Xu Ying's hands, he added, "Holding Tianzhu exposes one to the control of the Heavenly Dao, turning one into a slaughtering machine. The ageless immortal will need to resist the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao..."
Grasping the hilt of Tianzhu, Xu Ying felt suspicious and alarmed, asking hastily, "Grand Preceptor Jiang, aren't you the one taking us back to Yuanshou?"
Suddenly, Jiang Qi spat out a mouthful of blood with a retch and collapsed stiffly, his breath faint as gossamer.
Just moments ago, he had possessed an ethereal, dashing grace, yet now he appeared as wretched as could be. The injuries across his entire body erupted simultaneously—his divine sense fell into chaos, his Primordial Spirit unraveled, and his condition was grave in the extreme!
Xu Ying hurried over to examine him. Jiang Qi seized his hand, spewed another mouthful of blood, and gritted his teeth, forcing out, "Though I gravely wounded Longyuan, he injured me just as severely. When the Great Terror erupted, he and I plummeted into Lesser Xuan Heaven together. I was killed by you a hundred and four times..."
He coughed violently, as if he would hack up his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.
Xu Ying hurriedly channeled a thread of Mud Pill vitality into him to help suppress his wounds.
Jiang Qi's complexion improved slightly, and his voice turned hoarse. "Longyuan fell in as well; he must have been killed by you over a hundred times too. But he is a heavenly god, after all, and his regenerative powers surpass mine. Right now, only you can activate Tianzhu. Our safety rests entirely on your shoulders..."
Having said his piece, his eyes stared wide, his legs kicked once, and his head slumped to the side.
Xu Ying checked his breathing and let out a sigh of relief. Turning to the bronze bell and Yuan Qi, who had leaned in close, he said, "He's still breathing."
Yuan Qi hastily untied the gourd of primordial Dao essence from Jiang Qi's waist and urged, "He's beyond saving. Ah Ying, let's leave him behind, activate Tianzhu, and head back to Yuanshou Shenzhou at once!"
Xu Ying shook his head. "Tricks aside, he did personally hand Tianzhu over to me—I didn't steal it from him. How could I abandon him with a clear conscience? Seventh Master, let's take him with us and leave Lesser Xuan Heaven before Heavenly God Longyuan finds us!"
With no choice, Yuan Qi flicked his tail, scooping Jiang Qi up and balancing him atop his head. "Lord Bell, keep an eye on him so he doesn't tumble off."
The bronze bell agreed.
Yet none of them noticed the unconscious Jiang Qi discreetly letting out a breath of relief, quietly dispersing the divine ability gathered in his hand.
Xu Ying settled his mind and examined Tianzhu. This Heavenly Dao divine artifact that everyone dreamed of possessing was immensely heavy, resting ponderously in his grip.
Around the blade coiled a reddish-gold divine draconic aura, partially obscuring the bird-and-worm seal script engraved along its length.
Reading the bird-and-worm seal script carefully, Xu Ying felt a stir in his heart: *The Heavenly Dao runes on Tianzhu seem to be written incorrectly in several places.*
The seal script on the blade expounded the meaning of the Heavenly Dao of Heavenly Execution—Tianzhu. In Xu Ying's eyes, their meaning became naturally clear.
Yet he vaguely sensed that the characters contained numerous flaws and omissions, failing to truly expound the Dao of Tianzhu.
*No wonder Jiang Qi said Heavenly God Longyuan and the others were impostors posing as the Heavenly Dao back then. It turns out even their Heavenly Dao divine artifacts aren't entirely authentic.* Xu Ying could not help but chuckle.
Yuan Qi urged, "Ah Ying, can you activate Tianzhu?"
Xu Ying softly chanted the Heavenly Dao runes along the blade's spine, visualizing them with his divine sense, and instantly unleashed Tianzhu's might!
Tianzhu blazed with dazzling radiance that soared straight into the clouds, coalescing into the phantom of a dragon-headed, human-bodied deity!
Surging murderous intent flooded heaven and earth. In an instant, across hundreds of li surrounding Xu Ying, the desert quaked. Skeletal remains clambered out from the yellow sands one after another, brandishing all manner of broken treasures, fighting furiously even in death!
Having perished in this place, they were already filled with deep rancor; now under the thrall of the Heavenly Dao radiating from Tianzhu, their clash tore heaven and earth asunder, sending broken treasures flying everywhere.
*Boom!*
One skeleton's skull was knocked flying, tumbling until it landed on the shoulder of another skeleton. That skeleton already had a head on its shoulders, but as the flying skull landed, it took root and fastened itself in place.
With two heads now sprouting from its shoulders, a dispute immediately broke out between them—one bit the other, and the other bit back. One controlled the left hand while the other controlled the right, throwing punches at each other and gouging at each other's eye sockets in an inextricable brawl!
Beside Xu Ying, Yuan Qi and the bronze bell somehow began brawling as well. The bell's chimes reverberated, blasting Yuan Qi tens of li away and leaving him battered and bloodied. "Niu Qi, today it's either you or me!" the bell roared.
"Bell, my hatred for you is irreconcilable!"
The giant serpent's shriek echoed from afar. A sky-blotting barrage of bronze magic treasures hurtled forward, slamming *bang, bang, bang* against the bronze bell's body!
Fearless in the face of the torrent of treasures, the bell charged forward, barking, "I've endured you for far too long! Today I'll serve as a pot and stew you!"
Yuan Qi opened his gaping maw, spewing out even more magic treasures as he shouted, "You're nothing but scrap metal forged by Li Xiaoke, flimsy as paper! And you think you can stew me? Lord Niu Qi will patch you up good—I'll smash you to bits, you piece of junk!"
As Xu Ying held Tianzhu, he suddenly felt a consciousness of the Heavenly Dao—vast and imposing as the firmament—invade from within the blade, attempting to suppress his own consciousness!
If swallowed by the sword's Heavenly Dao consciousness, he would become a weapon controlled by the Heavenly Dao, stripped of all autonomy.
Tianzhu enacted the will of heaven to execute and annihilate, raining tribulations far and wide. If Xu Ying were subjugated by Tianzhu, everywhere he passed would likely be rendered a barren wasteland spanning a thousand li, devoid of all living things!
*However, your Heavenly Dao runes are flawed, and your Heavenly Dao consciousness is a fake.*
Xu Ying visualized the true Heavenly Dao runes in his mind, instantly driving back the Heavenly Dao consciousness and safeguarding his true self.
He finally gained control over Tianzhu. At once, the murderous intent to execute heaven, annihilate earth, and slaughter all living beings receded. Without Tianzhu's control, the withered bones scattered across the desert collapsed with clattering rattles, no longer springing about.
Yet Yuan Qi and the bronze bell were still pummeling each other.
Yuan Qi stuffed a heap of treasures into the bell's mouth so it could not chime, while the bell pressed down upon the giant serpent's head, hammering away furiously.
"Today we settle this once and for all! Just watch me burst you apart!"
"Between us, only one will walk away alive, and that's going to be me!"
Xu Ying raised Tianzhu and scratched his head, perplexed. *Could my Tianzhu runes be wrong as well? That shouldn't be—those skeletons have all collapsed, so why are these two still going at each other's throats?*
He visualized the Tianzhu runes once more to reaffirm control over Tianzhu. Feeling the sword completely under his command and radiating no invasive influence, Xu Ying caught on at once. Clearing his throat, he reminded them, "Lord Bell, Seventh Master, I've already brought Tianzhu under control."
"Under control?"
The bronze bell wobbled as it flew up, stammering, "When did that happen? How did I not know? Oh my, Brother Qi, look how muddled I was to beat you into such a state!"
Inside the bell, treasures flew out one by one. Retrieving them, Yuan Qi replied with deep remorse, "Lord Bell, I was controlled by Tianzhu and carelessly stuffed you full. You won't blame me, will you?"
"This won't affect our pure brotherhood, will it?"
"Hahahaha! Our brotherly bond is stronger than gold—how could a trivial squabble like this ever shake it?"
"Seventh Master speaks the truth! The guilt in my heart is already gone."
"Mine too! Lord Bell!"
"Seventh Master!"
The two idiots were completely hypocritical. Xu Ying turned a deaf ear to their nonsense, letting them fool around as he activated Tianzhu on his own. Directing the dragon-headed, human-bodied deity, he had it gather Jiang Qi, Yuan Qi, and himself onto its palms and ascend gently into the air.
Standing on the palm of the dragon-headed deity, Xu Ying felt no crushing, austere Heavenly Dao majesty, but rather a sensation like bathing in a spring breeze.
However, once a Heavenly Dao divine artifact unleashed its full Heavenly Dao might, the consequences were terrifying—it could influence an entire heavenly world, wiping out its inhabitants in a very short time!
*This is no safe haven. Heavenly God Longyuan is likely lurking nearby, biding his time to strike. I wonder how much of his power remains?*
Xu Ying felt uneasy as Tianzhu hovered before him, spinning continuously.
Jiang Qi remained unconscious. His injuries were severe, and while previously controlling Tianzhu, he had also needed to concentrate on fending off the backlash of Tianzhu's Heavenly Dao against his consciousness, exhausting himself so heavily that he would not easily awaken anytime soon.
Bearing them upward, the dragon-headed deity climbed higher and higher until they reached outer space. There, the heaven-and-earth spirit root—the Yin-Yang Vine—was seen emerging from the immortal palace and reaching deep into the starry cosmos.
Composed entirely of spiritual light, the colossal Yin-Yang Vine wound like two coiling serpents, spiraling away into the distance like a heavenly ladder. It seemed that simply climbing along this ladder would allow one to reach another world!
*Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi is still sound asleep. I wonder if this Yin-Yang Vine connects to the next stage of the heavenly road?* Xu Ying thought.
He manipulated Tianzhu. The sword's tip slowly rose and tapped gently against the void ahead. With a resonant hum, a massive vortex of lightning materialized and spun into existence in the starry sky.
Previously, they had passed through this very lightning vortex to enter Taiyi Lesser Mysterious Heaven from the Yuanshou world, but once the Stone City departed, the vortex had vanished without a trace.
Now, Xu Ying used the Heavenly Dao might of Tianzhu to reopen this vortex.
Xu Ying remained vigilant of his surroundings as the dragon-headed deity carried them slowly toward the lightning vortex.
Half of the dragon-headed deity's body had already entered the vortex when an inexplicable, mighty force rushed in from the swirling lightning. Because Xu Ying controlled Tianzhu and served as the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, and because the bronze bell and the unconscious Jiang Qi were too powerful, none of the three were affected by this strange force.
Only Yuan Qi continuously shifted between different species within the vortex, morphing into various bizarre forms—oxen, horses, birds, beasts, and insects.
Just as the dragon-headed deity was about to submerge completely into the lightning vortex, an imposing deity crowned with maple-leaf-shaped radiance charged from behind, reaching out a hand to seize Xu Ying and the others inside the vortex!
His target was neither Xu Ying nor Jiang Qi, but Tianzhu!
As for exterminating Xu Ying, Jiang Qi, and the rest, that was merely an afterthought!
Just as Heavenly God Longyuan was about to crush everyone to death, Xu Ying burst into hearty laughter and prepared to unleash Tianzhu's might. At that very instant, Jiang Qi, who had been lying unconscious all this while, suddenly sprang upright, laughing heartily as he mobilized Tianzhu's power. "Longyuan, I have waited for you for quite some time!" Jiang Qi laughed. "To think you are still so worthless, truly coming here to snatch the sword!"
Xu Ying's laughter cut off halfway, for Jiang Qi had already spoken every word he intended to say.
Moreover, Jiang Qi's Dharmic power was clearly far more robust than his own. When Jiang Qi activated Tianzhu, the unleashed might was vastly greater, making Xu Ying's intervention unnecessary.
*Chhh—*
Tianzhu's power erupted, its overwhelming murderous aura cleaving even the lightning vortex in two and severing Heavenly God Longyuan's hand!
Standing atop the massive palm of the dragon-headed deity, Jiang Qi exuded an awe-inspiring presence like a sword immortal transcending tribulation and ascending to immortality. "Today, I shall teach you an unforgettable lesson," he said with calm composure.
From the other end of the lightning vortex came a muffled grunt from Longyuan, divine blood dyeing the lightning vortex crimson.
Jiang Qi smiled faintly as he gazed toward the opposite end of the vortex—before suddenly toppling over with a *thud*, blacking out completely.
This time, he had truly lost consciousness.
Chapter 152