The scene was exceedingly bizarre. The skeleton inside the temple beckoned warmly as though it were a living person, sending a chill running down the spines of both Xu Ying and Yuan Qi.
From the open temple doors, an extraordinary aura surged out. It was the aura of a Dao, yet it fell completely outside the governance of the Heavenly Dao!
Xu Ying's heart stirred slightly. *The aura of this aberrant Dao is strange.*
Earlier, during his life-or-death struggle against the tower of flesh, he had already noticed that it was not a creature governed by the Heavenly Dao.
Just then, Xue Ying'an woke up. Seeing what lay before them, he cried out in shock, "A temple of the heterodox Dao?"
He had been focusing all his efforts on opening his Mud Pill cave-heaven just moments ago. Absorbed in his concentration, he had remained oblivious to everything happening in the outside world. Only now, having succeeded in opening it, did he awaken—only to be startled by the skeleton inside the temple.
Puzzled, Xu Ying asked, "Ying'an, you know about temples of the heterodox Dao?"
Composing himself, Xue Ying'an replied, "The world we are in is actually a heterodox world, one not counted among the myriad worlds of the heavens. The living beings here worship gods of the heterodox Dao, and the places where they worship these deities are known as temples of the heterodox Dao."
Yuan Qi asked curiously, "What is this 'heterodox Dao'?"
Xue Ying'an explained, "When a Qi Refiner wishes to cultivate divine abilities, they must comprehend various Dao images. These Dao images are the external manifestations of the Dao. Take yourself, for example—you are a Dao image. All manner of Dao images reside within the Heavenly Dao and form a part of it. What falls outside the Heavenly Dao is called the heterodox Dao. You've heard of 'evil gods and heterodox ways,' haven't you? The 'heterodox' in that phrase refers precisely to the aura of the Dao inside this temple!"
Xu Ying raised his head to glance at the temple's lintel plaque and asked, "Are you saying this is a place dedicated to worshiping an evil god of the heterodox Dao?"
Xue Ying'an nodded gently, his expression grave. "The heterodox god inside the temple is putting on an act to lure us in! Once we step inside, we will fall victim to it."
Xu Ying chuckled despite himself. "I am young and full of vigor. Why would the heterodox god transform into a skeleton to lure me in instead of turning into a beautiful maiden?"
No sooner had he spoken than the skeleton behind the temple doors transformed into a gorgeous maiden dressed in dazzling finery. She looked identical to Yuan Rushi, her eyes brimming with affection. Leaning against the doorway, she said tenderly, "Husband, how much longer will you linger outside before coming in?"
Xu Ying's Dao heart remained steadfast and unmoved. He smiled and said, "But we have a snake with us. He might not care for young maidens."
Suddenly, the dazzling maiden transformed again, this time into a female snake with a pair of horns upon her head. In a coy, delicate voice, she called to Yuan Qi, "Husband, our kind is nearing extinction. Time waits for no one—won't you come inside to mate?"
Yuan Qi was just about to slither in when Xu Ying blocked his path.
Furious, Yuan Qi hissed, "Ah Ying, my species is almost extinct, and you're stopping me! You get to see living, breathing women every single day, while I can't even catch a glimpse of a female snake!"
Xu Ying activated the Heart-Centering Technique, finally calming the giant snake down.
Once his senses returned, Yuan Qi felt goosebumps prickle all over him and blurted out, "That evil god of the heterodox Dao inside the temple saw right through my desires!"
Xu Ying smiled. "It is currently suppressed, so it can only cast minor spells. It cannot truly perturb your mind. Your Dao heart was simply unsteady, which is why you fell for its trick. Look at Ying'an—he is far steadier than you and wasn't swayed by the evil god at all."
Before the words entirely left his mouth, the female snake inside the doorway shifted into Li Xiaoke's likeness. Even the voice matched perfectly. Looking upon Ying'an with a warm, gentle gaze, he spoke tenderly, "Ying'an, do you still remember the first day you climbed the mountain to become my disciple? Your master wishes so dearly to return to that day so we could start anew."
"Master!" Tears streaming down his face, Xue Ying'an moved to walk into the temple. Yuan Qi whipped his tail around, coiling tightly about him to keep him from stepping across the threshold.
Xu Ying circulated the Heart-Centering Technique to help him regain his senses.
Xue Ying'an continued to weep uncontrollably, choking back sobs. "I am actually a native of this world. When my family was destroyed, it was Master who took me in."
Only after Xue Ying'an had regained his composure did Xu Ying ask, "If this temple was built to worship a god of the heterodox Dao, why is there a seal carved onto the door plaque?"
Pulling himself together and wiping his tears, Xue Ying'an replied, "I once heard a legend. My ancestors were ordered to suppress the god of the heterodox Dao. They brought with them an immortal's seal to pin down the heterodox god here and prevent it from escaping. But as ages passed, our ancestors were gradually led astray by the heterodox god. Bit by bit, they became believers in this outer god and no longer revered the Heavenly Dao."
With a heavy expression, he continued, "This evil god of the heterodox Dao gradually broke through the immortal's seal, unleashing a great catastrophe. All the carpets of living flesh you saw across the Land of Heaven's Scourge are actually the flesh of this evil god. It is attempting to restore its strength and cast off its suppression once and for all."
Pausing briefly, he added, "The true body of this evil god should still be pinned under this very temple."
"So the seal on the temple plaque was left behind by an immortal?"
Xu Ying scrutinized the characters on the plaque and could not help shaking his head. "Turns out that immortal was illiterate too."
Visualizing Tianzhu, he moved his sword like the wind, modifying the two characters for 'Sealed and Barred' on the plaque to match the sealing characters on the bronze bell.
The moment he finished, the Li Xiaoke inside the temple grunted in stifled pain. His face twisted into an agonizing grimace as a shrill screech tore from his throat. He morphed into a snake-bodied beauty, then into a maiden bearing Yuan Weiyang's likeness, before finally bursting into wisps of dissipating smoke with a soft *pop*.
Xu Ying stepped into the temple and said, "Earlier, when I destroyed that tower of flesh, it was an entity of the heterodox Dao, likely formed from this evil god's flesh. My ordinary sword techniques had no effect on it whatsoever. In the end, it was only through the Tianzhu sword qi that I was able to pierce its heart."
With a racing heart, Xue Ying'an followed him inside.
Yuan Qi hesitated for a moment before slithering in behind them. "Ah Ying, Li Xiaoke is still hunting us down. If he tracks us here..."
Xu Ying took in their surroundings and said, "This ancient temple rests on the back of a colossal beast, and the beast is currently fleeing the towers of flesh. With us hidden inside, even if Li Xiaoke had supernatural foresight, he wouldn't easily track us down."
Yuan Qi considered the matter and found it made good sense.
The interior of the ancient temple was well-preserved. Incense sticks and candles were planted into an ancient altar, their smoke curling lazily upward, as though someone had paid worship to the evil god not long ago.
*Could someone have visited here recently?* Xu Ying wondered as he inspected the candles.
At the center of the altar lay a deep well. Its cover had already been cast aside, revealing heavy iron chains hanging down into the depths.
Passing beside the altar, Xu Ying noticed ancient murals etched across the interior walls, depicting historical scenes. One wall portrayed primitive forebears constructing the temple and sealing the evil god of the heterodox Dao.
Depicted on the wall were powerful Qi Refiners floating in midair. Magical treasures such as blades, spears, swords, halberds, tiered pavilions, and pagodas radiated boundless might, pinning the towering evil god down and sealing it within the deep well.
At the edge of the mural, an elderly figure was brush-writing bird-and-worm seal script; this was presumably the immortal.
"This mural must depict the scene of my ancestors suppressing the evil god!" Xue Ying'an said, his heart surging with pride. "Tracing back to ancient times, whose family didn't have a few capable ancestors? What a pity that they eventually fell from grace, led astray by the evil god."
Stepping closer for a better look, Xu Ying murmured, "Their garments belong to the Great Shang period! Ying'an, your ancestors were Qi Refiners of the Great Shang!"
Xue Ying'an puffed out his chest, his spirits buoyed.
They moved to the next mural.
Xu Ying paused, studying the painting with care.
This mural depicted the evil god like an enormous slab of flesh blanketing the sky, occasionally calling down Heavenly Tribulations, while the ancient forebears below struggled to stave off floods, earthquakes, plagues, beast swarms, and other disasters.
Xue Ying'an remarked, "He truly is an evil god! This portrays the aftermath of his escape—once free, he tormented my ancestors!"
Xu Ying moved to the next mural. This one showed the forebears bound in chains. Some formidable Qi Refiners had their Realms of Xiyi and Primordial Spirits pierced through, their divine abilities and magical power sealed away, as they struggled under great hardship to construct the ancient temple.
Xue Ying'an also noticed something amiss. Scratching his head, he wondered, "Could the order of these murals be mixed up? Shouldn't this one come first?"
The next mural showed ancient tiered ships traversing the starry void, approaching an uncharted world.
Standing upon the decks were countless captives, their cultivation and Primordial Spirits locked away.
Their garments were tattered and ragged, and among them were many of the very Qi Refiners who had suppressed the evil god.
Behind these prisoners in the cosmos loomed a towering figure—the true body of the evil god, rendered only as a faint, indistinct silhouette whose exact shape was impossible to discern.
This mural plainly depicted the evil god escorting Xue Ying'an's ancestors to the Land of Heaven's Scourge!
Xue Ying'an scratched his head again and muttered, "The sequence of these murals is definitely backwards. Or perhaps the evil god painted them to slander my ancestors as exiled criminals. Yes, that must be it!"
Xu Ying moved to the following mural and froze.
It depicted a battlefield where the Qi Refiners of the Great Shang fought with all their might against radiant foes cloaked in light, locked in desperate slaughter.
The faces of those enemies could not be discerned; their bodies were enshrouded in luminescence, yet they could effortlessly withstand the combined attacks of the Qi Refiners with a single hand, possessing unfathomable might.
Xu Ying steadied his focus and saw, among the Great Shang Qi Refiners, a bird ablaze with flames spreading its wings to battle the enemy.
It was a three-legged golden crow, fighting heaven and earth with immense valor.
Upon the golden crow's back stood a youth whose appearance looked strikingly familiar.
Beside the youth stood a young girl, accompanying him through life-and-death peril.
Xu Ying stood dumbfounded.
*The golden crow is Jin Buyi. Then this girl...*
Right then, a familiar chime echoed from outside the temple, followed by Li Xiaoke's voice: "Supreme God, this junior, Li Xiaoke, has come to pay respects. Senior, I need to borrow your eyes to search for two individuals."
Xu Ying's heart leaped into his throat. He swiftly brought Xue Ying'an and Yuan Qi behind the main hall, holding his breath and not daring to make a sound.
The ancient colossal beast continued to gallop across the land with the temple upon its back, rumbling loudly as the wind howled outside.
With the great bronze bell floating above his head, Li Xiaoke stepped into the ancient temple. He glanced at the incense and candles burning upon the altar and smiled. "Supreme God, the incense and candles this junior lit during my last visit are still burning. It seems my filial devotion, just like this incense, remains unbroken."
Facing the deep well, he chuckled. "Three thousand years ago, when this junior cultivated the Heaven-Human Induction, my divine sense connected across the heavens and crossed paths with Senior's. Only then did I come to understand the fickleness of the Heavenly Dao!"
He sighed softly. "Senior was carrying out the will of heaven, escorting those criminals to the Land of Heaven's Scourge so that they and their descendants might atone for their crimes through countless generations. Who could have thought they would exploit Senior's benevolence and suppress you instead?"
Xue Ying'an was stunned. *This doesn't match the ancestral legends at all. Well, ancestors always like to put a positive spin on things... No, why shouldn't my ancestors be the righteous ones?*
Li Xiaoke continued, "Senior promised this junior longevity. In return, I poured all my efforts into sensing your presence, folding Jiulong Mountain and the surrounding terrain into this world. I helped Senior undo part of the seal, allowing a portion of your body to escape from the well."
His voice brimmed with satisfaction. "Over these years, Senior has nearly wiped out the descendants of those criminals and devoured the treasures they left behind to suppress you. It was this junior who helped Senior eliminate those foes!"
Xue Ying'an shuddered, tears welling in his eyes.
He was a native of the Land of Heaven's Scourge. After his home and family were wiped out, Li Xiaoke had taken him in as a disciple, and he had always revered Li Xiaoke as his own father!
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh, drawing blood.
Li Xiaoke's voice drifted over once more. "Senior's vengeance has been largely fulfilled. All that remains is the seal upon this temple, which prevents you from breaking completely free. Fortunately, this junior now has the means to break it."
He raised the bronze bell, sending out a lingering chime, and smiled. "Senior, this bronze bell bears the corresponding Immortal Dao runes!"
Just then, the deep well shook violently, causing the chains to rattle and clash with a loud clangor!
Li Xiaoke smiled. "Senior's escape is in sight, yet what this junior sought has yet to be granted. Senior, what about the longevity you promised? Isn't it time to fulfill your word?"
From within the deep well came a profound divine sense, vibrating through the space like an immense giant speaking aloud, rattling the eardrums of Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and Xue Ying'an until their ears rang!
They could not understand what that divine sense was saying in the slightest!
Xu Ying felt a sudden shock. *Not good! The evil god in the well isn't fully suppressed—it can still project its divine sense!*
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. A slender wisp of sword qi shot from his fingertip, lightly shaving off one of his eyebrows.
Xue Ying'an and Yuan Qi stared at him in utter bewilderment as Xu Ying went on to shave half of his head bald, unbuttoned his robe, and put it on backward.
He then kicked off his left shoe and adjusted the vitality in his Mud Pill cave-heaven, making one of his eyes significantly larger than the other.
Just as he finished, Li Xiaoke's voice rang out from nearby: "Many thanks for Senior's guidance."
In the next instant, Li Xiaoke appeared right before them. His overpowering aura bore down directly upon the two young men and the snake. Xue Ying'an and Yuan Qi had only just summoned their Golden Cores when, before the spheres could even lift into the air, they were frozen on the spot!
Li Xiaoke burst into laughter. "You wear out iron shoes searching high and low, only to find what you seek without the slightest effort! To think you would hide here... You... you?!"
His eyes went wide, staring fixedly at Xu Ying, his mouth stammering in complete disbelief!
In the split second that his aura wavered, Xu Ying roared, breaking free of the suppressive pressure. He clenched his fist tightly, and Yuan Qi's jaws flew open against his will!
A dense Heavenly Dao aura erupted from Yuan Qi's mouth as a severed arm flew out, woven with swirling Heavenly Dao runes, aimed straight for the back of Li Xiaoke's head. It was the arm of Heavenly God Longyuan, which Xu Ying had been storing inside Yuan Qi!
The divine aura pouring from the god's hand disrupted Li Xiaoke's divine sense, carrying catastrophic, indomitable might!
At the same moment, Xu Ying joined his fingers into a sword and leaped into the air, thrusting forward. A burst of Tianzhu sword qi surged from his fingertips, piercing Li Xiaoke between his brows with a crisp strike just as the god's hand slammed into the back of his head!
"Lord Bell!" Xu Ying roared.
The great bell hovering over Li Xiaoke's head suddenly blazed with treasure light, unleashing its full might downward!
A crushing wall of sonic force struck Li Xiaoke's brain, driving him straight into the ground like a nail!
Reaching out, Xu Ying seized the bell's suspension loop and poured all his power into driving its resonance, shattering the Tianzhu sword qi entirely as he drove it straight into Li Xiaoke's glabella!
The bronze bell bellowed, "I never knew a person could be so thoroughly wicked! Xu Ying, beat him to death for me!"
Chapter 169