Within the city of Haojing, Yuan Qi, the half-finished bronze bell, and Jin Buyi carefully examined the traces. The manor where Xu Ying had been staying was reduced to bare ground; the entire residence had vanished into thin air.
Jin Buyi plucked a feather and exhaled. Immediately, blazing flames erupted from the feather, burning along the spatial traces and drawing out a cube in midair.
Surfacing on the six faces of this cube were strange patterns—the runic imprints of the Heavenly Dao. Clearly, someone had just used a Heavenly Dao divine power to carve out the entire space Xu Ying occupied and send it elsewhere!
The fiery feather abruptly drew in its light and burrowed into the void with a whoosh.
Where the feather vanished, space rippled like waves.
"I used my feather to form an avatar, pursuing the direction of the spatial shift to track him down," Jin Buyi said unhurriedly, leaning on a dazzling divine blade, looking old and decrepit. "The residual spatial energy left behind was only enough for a single feather to pass through. Any more wouldn't make it."
Not the least bit anxious, he added, "This sort of thing has happened many times before. Don't worry, I will find him."
Yuan Qi said, "I can help you!"
Though only half-reforged, the bronze bell still floated up and chimed, "One of you has a terrible memory, and the other suffers from intermittent amnesia. I can't let you two go without me."
Yuan Qi said, "Lord Bell, you only have half a body. You should stay here, wait for Ancestor Chanchan to finish forging your form, and then catch up with us."
The bronze bell chuckled. "Battered I may be, but my wits are sounder than yours! Without me around, you're bound to make a mess of things. Besides, Ancestor Chanchan will follow us, won't she?"
Zhu Chanchan sneered, "What do your affairs have to do with me? It's not like we're close. I am a subject of the Son of Heaven of Zhou, and I have to stay behind to build Haojing. Forgive me for bowing out!"
She turned and walked away.
The bronze bell hesitated no longer. "There is no time to lose! Lord Jin, lead the way. Let us set off at once!"
Jin Buyi swept his wings, planted two divine blades into the ground, and said, "Climb onto my back."
Yuan Qi and the bronze bell hurriedly hopped onto his back. Yuan Qi said gingerly, "Lord Jin, please don't roast this humble one."
Spreading his wings, Jin Buyi took flight and called out, "Hold on tight!"
Flames abruptly erupted around him. With a flap of his wings, he transformed into a streak of rainbow light that tore through the sky, and in the next instant, like a rainbow bridge, his opposite end reached a thousand li away!
Speeding like wind and lightning, Jin Buyi pursued his fiery feather. In an instant, tens of thousands of li slipped beneath him as he crossed through mountain ranges. Suddenly, the three-legged golden crow slowed down and landed on a peak that stood erect like dead wood, unhurriedly grooming his feathers.
"Who are you?"
Jin Buyi was astonished to discover a snake and a bell hidden among his feathers. "Why are you on my back?" he cried out.
Yuan Qi and the bronze bell felt their hearts turn cold. Yuan Qi hurriedly said, "Lord Jin, don't you recognize this humble one? I'm Yuan Qi, and this is Lord Bell. We're on our way to find Ah Ying! Ah Ying has gone missing, and you tracked him with a fiery feather. Right now, only you can locate him."
Jin Buyi looked at them blankly, the white feathers on his face twitching. "I don't know anything about a fiery feather. I don't know you... Ah Ying, where are you? Ah Ying?"
Just as Yuan Qi and the bronze bell were at their wits' end, an azure mountain peak suddenly flew over, landing with a boom upon a nearby summit.
Zhu Chanchan stood atop the azure peak and grinned. "How did Ah Ying restore his memory in the past? Wouldn't it work if we just do the same?"
"Ancestor Chanchan!" Yuan Qi and the bronze bell were both startled and overjoyed.
The bronze bell suddenly remembered that Jin Buyi had always suffered from poor memory. Xu Ying had left him some primordial Dao essence, supplemented with the immortality elixir of the Mud Pill secret depository to stimulate Jin Buyi's physical vitality, which was how Jin Buyi had gradually recovered some of his memories.
It explained the matter, and Zhu Chanchan and Yuan Qi immediately channeled some immortality elixir into Jin Buyi. After a moment, Jin Buyi recalled what had happened before and said briskly, "There is no time to lose, let us set off immediately!"
Zhu Chanchan raised Feilai Peak and resumed hammering the bronze bell, laughing. "Aside from Haojing, I hate half-finished magic treasures."
Having the hammer fall upon it actually felt quite comfortable to the bronze bell, which thought, *Chanchan really is a responsible heavenly artisan after all. I misjudged her before, thinking she'd secretly plant her imprint on me... Wait a minute!*
An alarm sounded in its heart. *How did Chanchan catch up to this place? She must have relied on her connection to a magic treasure to find us so quickly... She must have branded Lord Seven with her imprint!*
Xu Ying awoke from a slumber with a splitting headache. Bolting upright, he clasped his forehead as a surge of memories flooded his mind.
The original owner of this body was named Xu Ying—sharing his name—and was the fourth son of Xu Menglong, the Prince of Xiang of the Great Xia Kingdom.
However, he was born to a concubine, and his life in the Xu family had been far from pleasant.
A sharp pain throbbed in Xu Ying's forehead. Brushing his fingers against it, he found a deep scar. He recalled that the original owner of this body was naturally forbearing, always worried that standing out too much would prompt his half-siblings to eliminate him in secret.
After all, power struggles within prominent clans were ruthlessly vicious, especially in aristocratic families of royal descent like that of the Prince of Xiang, where fights over succession were nothing short of bloody.
The original owner had inadvertently revealed himself to be a martial prodigy, only to be ambushed and plotted against.
According to the original owner's memories, he had been bedridden for over two months, his injuries never having healed.
He had likely heard the news of his mother being murdered; overwhelmed by grief and fury, his old injuries had flared up, costing him his life.
Xu Ying felt a twinge of pity. *You were named Xu Ying, and so was I. I inadvertently entered your body and possessed your corpse the moment your soul dissipated. It seems Heaven willed it so, granting me your body to live on. From this day forth...*
He slipped out of bed and stood up, a sharp glint flashing across his eyes before vanishing. *I am the Fourth Young Lord of Prince Xiang, Xu Ying! May your spirit in heaven rest easy. I shall live well in your stead and avenge you!*
"A new life, here I come! Hahaha... Wait, who am I?"
Xu Ying froze. He tried to recall how he had come to this world. His hometown seemed to be Xujiaping... There was a great fire in Xujiaping, and he had died in the flames.
His soul had drifted across unknown distances before suddenly being dragged into this body by an immense pulling force.
"Never mind that! From this day forth, I begin anew!"
Xu Ying was filled with ambition. Suddenly, the mnemonic of a cultivation technique surged into his mind, named the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Technique. Despite bearing the name of a dragon sparrow, it actually cultivated saber qi.
This technique had nine levels in total. When the owner of this body reached the seventh level of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Technique, he had accidentally revealed his saber qi, which was noticed and led to the ambush.
"The pinnacle of this world is called the Nine Innate Realms, and the ninth level is a terrestrial immortal! Once this Xu Ying cultivated the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow saber qi to the ninth level, he could enter the Innate realm and return to the innate state!"
Sorting through the other Xu Ying's memories, he thought, *Reaching such a level at a young age proves he truly was exceptionally gifted. What a pity he was ambushed by an expert of the second Innate realm.*
While Xu Ying was lost in thought, footsteps approached. Glancing over hurriedly, he saw an old man with a sorrowful expression walk in holding a bowl of medicine. A loud clatter rang out as the bowl slipped from the old man's hands and shattered on the ground.
Looking at Xu Ying in shock and joy, the sorrowful old man couldn't hold back his sobs, his voice raspy: "Young Master, you're finally awake..."
Xu Ying dredged up the memory of this sorrowful old man from the original owner's mind. The old man was named Fu Yi, a loyal servant who had followed his mother for years.
"Uncle Yi, I'm awake."
A surge of immense confidence shone in Xu Ying's eyes. "Uncle Yi, don't worry. I won't allow myself to fall into peril again. This time, I will live a new life, avenge Mother, and take back what belongs to me!"
The old servant Fu Yi smiled with relief, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "If Young Master has such resolve, this old servant will support you with all my might, until my dying breath!"
Xu Ying nodded firmly. "I will not let Uncle Yi down!"
A sharp glint flashed in the old servant Fu Yi's eyes. "This old servant has been investigating in secret these past days. The one who ambushed Young Master was an Innate expert hired by the First Young Lord, Xu Hao—Jin Peng of the second Innate realm, a disciple of the Imperial Preceptor!"
Xu Ying snorted coldly, hatred burning like fire in his eyes. "Jin Peng?! Uncle Yi, leave Jin Peng alone. Leave him to me!"
The old servant Fu Yi looked up in surprise. "Young Master..."
Xu Ying said calmly, "Uncle Yi, if I'm not mistaken, you are also an Innate expert, aren't you? By staying at Mother's side, you've actually been protecting the two of us all along. With your strength, dealing with Jin Peng wouldn't be difficult, but I want to take revenge with my own hands!"
The old servant Fu Yi teared up once more, choking back a sob. "Young Master, you truly have grown up."
An aura of quiet dominance radiated from Xu Ying as he said, "Uncle Yi, I am no longer the person I once was."
Drying his tears with a resolute look, Fu Yi said, "Since Young Master possesses such determination, this old servant shall not intervene. Young Master, Madam's death is connected to another matter. This old servant must go investigate it. Please be extra careful these days!"
Xu Ying nodded and said placidly, "Rest assured. Now that I have awakened, none shall harm me again!"
Filled with emotion, Fu Yi turned and left, muttering, "Mistress, do you see? Young Master has finally grown up... He has grown up..."
Once Fu Yi was gone, Xu Ying stepped out of his room.
Within Prince Xiang Manor, the youth was met with disdainful glares and sarcastic sneers from the household servants, yet it was like a gentle breeze against his face; he paid them no mind.
*I must hasten my cultivation and break through to the Innate realm as soon as possible! With the experience of two lifetimes, heh, making a name for myself in this world won't be hard! Eldest Young Lord, disciple of the Imperial Preceptor—just you wait! Like the dragon sparrow of Great Xia, I will stun the world with a single cry!*
...
The old servant Fu Yi hurried away from Prince Xiang Manor. The capital of the Great Xia Kingdom was opulent and bustling, teeming with Innate experts, where dragons mingled with snakes. Fu Yi, his face etched with sorrow, made his way to a teahouse, where a woman in red and a white-haired elder were playing chess by the street.
At this moment, all traces of grief vanished from the sorrowful old man's face, every wrinkle blooming with laughter. "Yutang, Beichen, how leisurely you two are, while I had to put on quite a show back at Prince Xiang Manor!"
He walked over, poured himself a cup of tea, and tossed it back.
Fairy Yutang smiled. "How did it go? Did he remember anything of his past life?"
Fu Yi's wrinkles beamed. "Of course not. He has completely immersed himself in the role of Prince Xiang's fourth son, and is currently plotting revenge for himself and his mother."
Beichenzi could not help bursting into hearty laughter. "To think the High God of Heavenly Will could find a world like this! The spiritual energy here is thin, and the mortals have no understanding of Qi Refinement, nor are they even Nuo masters. In this world, Xu Ying will surely fade into mediocrity."
Fairy Yutang sighed, "Fulfilling his desires in this life and fading into mediocrity might actually be a blessing for him."
The sorrowful old man, Fu Yi, remarked, "And a blessing for us as well."
Xu Ying secluded himself in Prince Xiang Manor and circulated the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Technique. *This technique is already the supreme secret art of Prince Xiang Manor, refining vital qi and blood into saber qi, with a dragon sparrow circling the blade light—exceptionally ferocious! Yet, if I want to attain the Innate realm, I fear this technique alone won't suffice...*
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly felt that something was amiss with the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Technique.
*Cultivating this way requires refining vital qi and blood into a dragon sparrow. That is not the origin of the Martial Dao.*
Xu Ying had a sudden realization: *The origin of the Martial Dao is fundamentally about humanity using their own flesh and limbs to combat foreign foes, resist nature, defy tyrants, and confront the Heavenly Dao. What use is refining vital qi and blood into a dragon sparrow? One should cultivate oneself!*
Surging his vital qi and blood with pure intent, body and mind aligning as one, he activated the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Technique. He streamlined the cultivation method, discarding the dragon sparrow to extract only the saber intent!
As he threw punches and kicks, they materialized into saber qi that burst from his body. Inside him, the Five Sacred Peaks immortal mountains rumbled, his five viscera glowed, the Heavenly River surged with accelerated momentum, and marrow fluid flowed. As Xu Ying cleansed and tempered his physical body, circulating the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Technique for a few cycles, he reached the eighth level!
In a brief moment, Xu Ying pushed the technique another level higher, reaching the ninth level. Still not stopping, the saber qi within him transformed into Innate Astral Qi, formally stepping into the Innate realm!
He immersed himself in cultivation, forgetting time and forgetting his enemies, focusing solely on advancing along the Martial Dao, blasting through the first Innate level, second Innate level, and third Innate level one by one!
The sorrowful old man, Fu Yi, sipped tea while watching the chess game.
To the people of this lower martial world, they were lofty old immortals whom outsiders could not even perceive. Their divine powers were vast; they could distort heaven and earth, and with a single thought of divine sense, they could alter the minds of all living beings.
This world posed no threat to them whatsoever.
What was more, the High God of Heavenly Will was watching over this place; there was zero risk.
Suddenly, a vast, primal aura gradually permeated the capital, forming a faint rainbow light in the sky above Great Xia's capital city, hanging conspicuously aloft.
Fu Yi, Beichenzi, and Yutang all looked up. Within the Great Xia capital, many ancient consciousnesses stirred and clashed across the city:
"Someone else has attained the Innate Extreme Realm."
"In the past twenty years, he is the only being to have reached the Innate Extreme Realm."
"Just like us. I sense the Great Dao of the Taichu World rejoicing, resonating with the birth of another innate being."
...
The three of them keenly captured these stray thoughts. Having a slight understanding of this world, Fairy Yutang said, "This is an anomaly of heaven and earth caused by someone breaking through to the ninth Innate realm. Cultivating to this stage makes one the strongest existence in this world."
The three withdrew their gazes, unconcerned.
Fu Yi said, "In a few days, I'll go see Xu Ying again and tell him that his late mother had a secret heritage—that she was the Saintess of an enigmatic sect, and I am the sect's protector tasked with guarding her. Now that the Saintess has died, he is our sect's Holy Son."
He complained, "Don't just sit there playing chess. Go look around and see if there are any suitable sects in this world."
Beichenzi paid it no heed, chuckling. "It won't be too late to look after finishing this game. This world is exceedingly low-tier; finding such a sect couldn't be simpler. Even if there isn't one, just picking a random sect, tampering with all their memories, and fabricating a background for Xu Ying wouldn't be much trouble at all."
Fu Yi considered it; it was indeed true, so he pressed no further.
Within Prince Xiang Manor, Xu Ying broke through to the ninth Innate realm and mused, *I have already attained the highest realm of the Innate realm, yet why do I feel there are realms beyond the ninth? Could it be that the Nine Innate Realms do not stop at nine levels?*
He continued to delve into the Martial Dao. His stances and moves no longer followed the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Technique, but were forms of his own creation. His vital qi and blood no longer circulated according to the technique either, forging paths of their own.
And so, he broke through to the tenth level of Innate, the eleventh, the twelfth...
By the time Xu Ying awoke from this session of entering the Dao through martial arts, he had already pushed the Innate realm to the two hundred and fifty-third level!
*Strange. It feels like the Innate realm can still be raised higher!*
Xu Ying continued cultivating, oblivious to the passage of time, immersing himself once more in the exploration of the Martial Dao.
When he cultivated up to the nine hundred and ninety-ninth level of the Innate realm, he awoke from entering the Dao and finally emerged from seclusion.
Three days had passed.
Chapter 177