In the Land of Heaven's Scourge, countless masses of flesh and blood squirmed and converged in a single direction. Before long, the flesh of the entire realm gathered into a single cluster, throbbing violently as it continually shrank.
Soon afterward, the mass shrank to its absolute limit and gradually bulged outward. Halos of light seeped from the meat, barely outlining a humanoid form.
He rose from the flesh and stepped forward.
Layer upon layer of radiance draped over the humanoid silhouette, lending him an extraordinarily singular presence.
Yet what was even more bizarre was that another figure appeared behind him, also humanoid in outline and ringed by layers of halos forged from divine light.
Behind the second, a third emerged in identical form.
Then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth—in mere moments, an untold number of silhouettes manifested!
Looking from behind him forward, one could see only a single figure; looking from the front, one could likewise see only one. Yet if one's gaze shifted even slightly, countless figures came into view, like a colossal centipede composed of innumerable human shapes!
These silhouettes stood behind him, visibly endless, yet occupying no space at all.
He raised his head to look up at the sky, seemingly searching for traces of Jiulong Mountain. After a moment, he turned around to face the temple gate of the ancient monastery.
The sealing talisman runes upon the lintel had already worn away, leaving only the door standing there in isolation.
He raised a hand. The temple that had shattered into fine powder suddenly rose from the ground amid flying sand and rolling stones. In no time, the ancient temple was restored, as though it had never been destroyed.
He walked through the temple, studying the murals upon the walls.
The murals had been painted by the sinner-slaves he had enslaved. The passage of time could easily wear away paper and degrade silk, but wearing away a mural required a far longer span.
He stopped before one of the paintings.
Depicted within was a scene of many beings like himself besieging the sinners, though he himself was absent from it.
His gaze fell upon a great bird in the painting. It had three legs—precisely the Jin Buyi who had wielded twin divine sabers against him just moments ago!
Yet at that time, Jin Buyi had been in the prime of his life, commanding a divine might even more terrifying than now!
His gaze swept further, finally resting upon the youth on the great bird's back.
"The aura of the Heavenly Dao. You are my hope of returning to the Heavenly Dao!"
His voice was like the cry of a bird. Vast divine sense surged forth, probing deep into the void to scour the myriad worlds of the heavens, searching for the heaven-and-earth spirit root of Taiyi Lesser Mysterious Heaven—the Yin-Yang Vine!
Jiang Qi had transmitted his voice throughout the heavens and myriad worlds in the name of the Heavenly Dao, and it had naturally reached the Land of Heaven's Scourge. The path through Jiucai Ridge had been severed, leaving the Yin-Yang Vine as the only remaining way out!
"Found it!"
He located the aura of the Yin-Yang Vine and established communion. With a sharp whoosh, his form soared upward, turning into a colossal slab of flesh that plastered itself against the sky. The flesh writhed, squeezing into another space-time bit by bit along the sensed connection!
Like a monstrous leech that had found a flaw in space-time, he soon burrowed through the loophole and vanished without a trace.
The sky snapped back with a slight shudder, returning to how it had been.
The Land of Heaven's Scourge turned desolate beyond measure, devoid of any breath of life.
***
Yuanshou world, Daozhou, Jiulong Mountain.
The sky roiled violently as streaks of radiance plummeted from above, striking the earth in rapid succession. As the light faded, stone men of varying statures—some tall, some short, some stout, some lean—appeared upon Jiulong Mountain.
These stone men had triangular heads. Some looked fierce and menacing, some placid and indifferent, some grotesque and hideous, and others extraordinarily handsome.
Their heights fluctuated before they suddenly shot upward, transforming into giants dozens or even hundreds of zhang tall. Divine light beamed from their eyes, sweeping across all directions. One by one, the stone men turned their heads with creaking groans, looking around before taking flight, drifting parallel to the sky as they flew at high speed.
The divine light from their eyes swept across Jiulong Mountain, but failing to find whom they sought, they descended one after another, reverting to small stone figures outside Xiaoyao Palace.
These stone men tottered forward with stiff, labored steps toward Xiaoyao Palace.
Xue Ying'an stood as though facing a formidable enemy, leading the disciples of Jiulong Mountain outside the palace with their swords held aloft in anticipation.
The stone men paid them no heed as they inspected their surroundings. One stone man sensed an unusual aura and called out, "The person over whom the Heavenly Dao has no right to bring tribulation was once here! Wait, there is also the aura of an old god. An old god was once suppressed nearby!"
Another stone man with a ferocious countenance spoke: "The old gods once held sway over the Heavenly Dao, but after that battle forty-eight thousand years ago, their casualties were too severe. Their strength and influence are vastly diminished compared to the past."
Yet another sinister-looking stone man said, "They fell from power, and the mightiest of the old gods tumbled into the lower realms, unable to return to the Heavenly Dao world. As for the old gods who remained in the Heavenly Dao world, we stripped them of their authority; they no longer govern the Heavenly Dao. When they tried to resist, we bathed them in blood and cast them out."
"A decommissioned Heavenly Dao is worse than a dog. They have degenerated into the outer dao, fit only to wallow in the mortal dust. I can smell the putrid outer dao stench wafting from them. Truly nauseating."
Eventually, the stone men, large and small, arrived before the Hall of Xiaoyao. Their necks twisted with creaking sounds as they fixed their gazes on Xue Ying'an and the others.
"It has been a long time since we last feasted," one stone man remarked, staring at the crowd behind Xue Ying'an.
Cold sweat broke out across Xue Ying'an's brow. He gripped the eight-sided sword, his palm slick and dripping with perspiration. Although the tallest of these stone figures barely reached his height, the sense of oppression they radiated was overwhelming!
The triangular-headed stone statues let out a collective sigh, shifted their bodies, and lumbered away from Xiaoyao Palace before turning into streaks of flowing light that pierced the sky.
"A pity our physical bodies did not descend," their voices drifted from afar. "Find that person first!"
Xue Ying'an watched them recede into the distance, letting out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, his knees buckled, and he nearly tumbled to the ground.
He hurried to steady himself, full of shock and dread. *What on earth were those stone statues just now? Their presence was terrifying!*
Behind him, the Jiulong Mountain disciples felt as though a crushing weight had been lifted.
When those stone statues had descended, their Dao hearts had shattered in an instant, throwing their divine senses into complete disarray. Had Xue Ying'an not stood in front with his sword, using the eight-sided blade to withstand the statues' aura, their minds would likely have collapsed completely!
"Were they looking for Brother Xu?"
Xue Ying'an gazed toward the direction in which the statues had flown—the very direction Xu Ying had departed—and could not help feeling deeply anxious.
"Brother Xu, may you have a safe journey."
Farther away, Beichenzi and the Land God of Shenzhou watched from a distance as the stone men tore through the sky, and each breathed a sigh of relief.
*Can we finally rest easy this time?* both thought to themselves.
***
Xu Ying stood atop Yuan Qi's head, glanced back, and said, "Buyi, stop pecking at Seventh Master's tail. You've pecked it bald."
He had felt Yuan Qi growing slower and slower, and only when he looked back did he see Jin Buyi pecking away at Yuan Qi's tail to eat. Blood trailed behind the giant snake wherever he slithered, so his pace was naturally sluggish.
Jin Buyi lifted his dim, aged eyes and said, "I thought it was an earthworm. I was still wondering why another section grew back every time I ate one."
Yuan Qi endured the pain and said, "Lord Jin, that is this humble one's tail. You just pecked off a chunk, and I had to activate my Mud Pill vitality to regrow it."
Jin Buyi said in a muffled rumble, "No wonder there was always more after eating. Little brother, you are very much worth befriending!"
A glimmer of hope appeared on Yuan Qi's face. "Because I have a strong sense of loyalty?"
"No. Because you grow back after being eaten. Befriending you means I can have several more meals," Jin Buyi said.
Yuan Qi gave a sullen grunt.
Seeing that they got along so well, Xu Ying was quite pleased and said with a smile, "Let's head to Haojing to find Zhu Chanchan. Lord Bell was severely injured, battered so badly he hardly looks like a bell anymore. We need Chanchan to treat him."
Beneath Yuan Qi's neck, the broken bell shuddered incessantly, clearly none too thrilled about falling into Zhu Chanchan's hands.
Xu Ying chuckled. "Look, Lord Bell is delighted as well."
Yuan Qi ventured warily, "Ah Ying, I don't think Lord Bell is delighted. I think he's terrified."
Xu Ying laughed heartily. "Terrified of what? Terrified that Ancestor Chanchan will swindle us the way she swindled the Son of Heaven of Zhou? Nonsense! We're companions who have braved life and death together!"
Yuan Qi felt an uneasy flutter in his chest, having no optimism on the matter whatsoever. "Ancestor Chanchan can definitely fix Lord Bell, but once she does, he'll likely be an entire size smaller and considerably thinner. More importantly, Lord Bell's backside will definitely be stamped with an untold number of Ancestor Chanchan's personal hallmarks!"
The broken bell dangling beneath his neck trembled violently.
Xu Ying also harbored some concern, though not about that. The youth pondered, *I wonder if the Son of Heaven of Zhou has returned from the other shore? If he has, Ancestor Chanchan has probably already reincarnated by now, hasn't she? After all, the crimes she committed were enough to warrant beheading.* He sighed. "Bad people really don't live long."
Just then, Xu Ying noticed that his surroundings had grown far too quiet. Looking back, he saw no trace of Jin Buyi. Alarmed, Xu Ying vaulted into the air and flew back on his sword to search. After several dozen li, he indeed saw Jin Buyi standing in place without having moved an inch.
The three-legged golden crow, whose head was already covered in white feathers, stood with a bewildered expression, looking utterly at a loss.
"Ah Ying!"
Only upon seeing Xu Ying did it snap out of its daze. It scurried forward in a fluster and smiled. "I looked away for an instant and you were gone. I was afraid I'd lose you again, so I didn't dare move. I knew you would come back for me!"
Xu Ying's eyes reddened slightly. He smiled and said, "Rest assured, I will always come back. Lord Jin, can you shrink your size?"
Jin Buyi tried his best to shrink, but he remained a zhang and a half tall, clearly unfit to perch on Xu Ying's shoulder.
"Stand on Seventh Master's horn," Xu Ying suggested.
Jin Buyi flew over, splaying his three legs into a split to stand across both of Yuan Qi's black-and-white horns, tucking the middle leg into his plumage.
"Lord Jin, you can stand on just one horn," Xu Ying pointed out.
Realizing this, Jin Buyi hopped onto Yuan Qi's black horn. The aged golden crow shook his feathers, opened his beak, and spewed a blast of solar divine fire downward.
—Out of sheer habit, whenever he perched upon the Fusang tree, he liked to exhale a breath of flame first to warm the branches.
Xu Ying scrambled to the rescue and barely managed to salvage the charred Yuan Qi. Half-dead and sobbing, Yuan Qi adamantly refused to carry him any further.
Jin Buyi said apologetically, "I thought your horn was a tree branch, so I wanted to give it a puff. By the time I remembered, it was already too late."
Fortunately, Yuan Qi had also opened the Mud Pill secret depository, so after lingering before the Ghost Gate for a brief moment, he was pulled back to life.
Jin Buyi felt deeply guilty. Perching on his horn once more, he offered some guidance: "Those black-and-white horns of yours should possess remarkable natural gifts. Back in the day, I encountered a snake with awakened bloodline whose black-and-white horns could unleash Yin and Yang qi to slay gods and demons, making it extraordinarily formidable."
Yuan Qi was both startled and overjoyed, hurriedly asking, "How should I mobilize my bloodline power?"
Jin Buyi said, "Try channeling Yin and Yang qi and infusing it into your horns."
Yuan Qi immediately mobilized the Yin and Yang qi of his Jade Capital secret depository and directed it into his horns. Suddenly, a blinding flash of radiance erupted from the black-and-white horns, shearing clean through a distant mountain peak!
Yuan Qi jumped in fright and cried out, "My bloodline is this powerful?! Lord Jin, was that snake you met also very formidable?"
Jin Buyi nodded, reminiscing about the past. "It tasted quite good."
Haojing was still far off. Xu Ying cleared his mind of distractions and reflected on what he had learned over the past few years—from martial arts to Nuo techniques, sword skills, and divine powers. He realized that everything he had studied and comprehended was utterly chaotic and disjointed.
Martial arts relied purely on mobilizing vital qi and blood. Nuo techniques stimulated one's own secret depositories, using the power of those depositories to fashion Hidden Sceneries. Sword techniques required comprehending the sword path, while Qi Refiner divine powers depended on the visualization of Dao imagery.
Within his Realm of Xiyi, all manner of Hidden Sceneries and Dao images were scattered everywhere.
His cultivation methods were likewise exceedingly complex.
His own Taiyi Guiding Technique went without saying, but there were also the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing, which Xu Ying still regularly cultivated, using the Dao sounds to elevate himself. Each of the Six Secret Depositories of the Human Body required a distinct method; though he had already refined away the dross to retain the essence, operating all six simultaneously remained remarkably convoluted.
Furthermore, the Nuo arts of the six secret depositories differed from Qi Refiner divine powers. For instance, the Nuo techniques of the Mud Pill secret depository could manipulate living and non-living objects in nature and even strip others of life—divine powers that Qi Refiners simply did not possess.
And now, he had come into contact with yet another discipline: Heavenly Dao runes.
Xu Ying had realized that Heavenly Dao runes could be combined into Heavenly Dao divine powers, which were also immensely formidable.
*Aside from the Heavenly Dao, there are outer dao methods, as well as the art of creation. On top of that, there are immortal Dao runes!*
Xu Ying pondered deeply. These Dao methods and divine powers were simply too numerous and too intricate. At times, they seemed to belong to completely different systems, and some were entirely incompatible with one another.
He racked his brains in contemplation, losing all appetite for food or tea for three full days.
Yuan Qi and Jin Buyi, on the other hand, hit it off splendidly. The pair often dashed off to take down ancient exotic beasts with awakened bloodlines, which Jin Buyi would roast with his fire so the two of them could share the meal.
***
In Haojing, Zhu Chanchan was supervising the reconstruction when she suddenly felt a premonition. Overjoyed, she thought, *My snakeskin pouch has arrived!*
Wearing shackles that bound all her divine powers, she scrambled to run out of the city. Before she could make it very far, a whip lashed across her back, accompanied by a bark: "Heavenly Artisan Zhu, you carry grave offenses on your head. Are you trying to flee?"
Zhu Chanchan halted at once and said, "I'm not fleeing! You've bound my cultivation with the Lock of Heavenly Principle so I can't even cast divine powers. Right now I'm just a mortal, so where could I possibly flee?"
The man who had struck her with the whip was none other than Grand Steed Minister Gongyang Ce. Hearing this, he sneered, "You designed the Lock of Heavenly Principle yourself. I don't believe for a second that you didn't leave a backdoor!"
Just then, Jiang Qi walked over and said to Gongyang Ce, "An old acquaintance of Heavenly Artisan Zhu has come to visit. This guest is of supreme importance and must not be slighted. Heavenly Artisan Zhu, you are pardoned for today."
Zhu Chanchan was ecstatic. She burst free from the Lock of Heavenly Principle, restored her cultivation, and dashed outside the city, laughing merrily: "Ah Ying, are my treasures still there?"
Gongyang Ce pointed at the discarded Lock of Heavenly Principle on the ground, stammering, "G-Grand Preceptor, was I wrong? This woman even dared to embezzle materials from the Divine Boat of the Other Shore!"
Jiang Qi also had a massive headache over the matter. He sighed, "And what would you have me do with her? If you chop off her head, who will rebuild Haojing? Besides, greedy though she may be, the Divine Boat of the Other Shore still flew to the other shore without major mishaps. If we had swapped in another heavenly artisan to build the ship..."
He shook his head. "Even if they had used every scrap of material, it likely wouldn't have reached the other shore at all."
Chapter 174