Xu Ying looked up at that bright light, thinking silently to himself, *Some people live on as torches.*
He looked toward the massive mountain beside him. Wu Tianzun's torch was brilliant, yet before this colossal peak, it still appeared minuscule.
Upon this mountain covered in five-colored stones, numerous corpses of immortals floated in the air, drifting motionless like drowned people submerged in still water.
Something terrifying must have taken place here to cause the fall of immortals.
Watching the massive mountain, the floating immortal corpses gave Xu Ying a sense of familiarity; he had once seen similar corpses during a state of Heaven-Human Induction.
Back then, he had seen immortal corpses drifting within a colossal eye that filled an entire abyss.
*Perhaps the secret of why the Taichu World lacks the heaven and earth yuan qi lies upon this Five-Colored Mountain,* he thought silently.
Suddenly, multi-hued light surged forth from within the mountain, accompanied by deafening roars like dragons bellowing and tigers roaring that shook the earth. The surrounding heaven and earth yuan qi abruptly grew extraordinarily dense. Xu Ying hurriedly looked over, only to see the immortal corpses drifting in midair seemingly revive, waking one after another from death.
They stood tall in the sky, unleashing towering auras to suppress the glowing light bursting from the mountain!
Xu Ying looked up and saw colossal characters emerging from the light—bird-and-worm seal script, runes of the Immortal Dao. Stimulated by the auras radiating from the corpses of the immortals, they shone ever brighter.
The positions of those immortal corpses were arranged in an orderly pattern, not placed at random.
Xu Ying had been studying the demon-quelling runes that sealed him and had made considerable gains over these past days. Gazing deep into the mountain, he felt those Immortal Dao runes were somewhat familiar, but from his vantage point so low to the ground, he could not see them clearly.
The Five-Colored Mountain shook ceaselessly as dragon roars and tiger bellows rang out continuously. The glowing light erupted outward with increasing fury and intensity, and the heaven and earth yuan qi grew even more concentrated!
The yuan qi was visible even to the naked eye, forming surging streams of five-colored qi that flowed down the mountain slopes.
Wherever this five-colored qi passed, all living things sprang to life and all manner of species flourished. Countless tender green trees, shrubs, and wildflowers took root and sprouted across the Five-Colored Mountain, bursting into splendid blooms!
Xu Ying even saw rare and exotic plants bloom and bear fruit, drawing together the spiritual power of heaven and earth into vibrant red fruits whose surfaces bore natural veins formed of Dao images!
"Wu Tianzun, look! Fruits containing Dao images! Consuming them grants divine abilities!"
He raised a hand to point toward the Five-Colored Mountain, only to suddenly remember that the old man beside him had already passed away. His expression darkened with sorrow.
The five-colored qi formed of heaven and earth yuan qi continued surging down the mountain, colliding at the foot of the slopes with the gale wall that enclosed the entire Five-Colored Mountain. Yet a mere wisp of yuan qi that seeped past the wind barrier was enough to cause the withered bones beneath the gale wall to sprout flesh and blood, staggering to their feet!
Xu Ying noticed a finger on the deceased Wu Tianzun twitch, and his heart gave a violent jolt.
The five-colored yuan qi erupting from that mountain actually possessed the power to bring the dead back to life, bearing a striking resemblance to the power of the six secret depositories, granting vitality to Wu Tianzun's corpse!
*If I could gather some of this heaven and earth yuan qi, could Wu Tianzun be brought back to life?*
His gaze burned with eagerness. Even if this yuan qi could not revive Wu Tianzun, there were immortal plants on the Five-Colored Mountain that had already borne fruit under the nourishment of the heaven and earth yuan qi.
Perhaps a fruit that had absorbed such wondrous heaven and earth yuan qi possessed the power to resurrect the dead!
Xu Ying looked eagerly toward the immortal corpses in the sky. If even those immortal corpses could awaken under the influence of the Five-Colored Mountain's heaven and earth yuan qi, then upon reaching the mountain, Wu Tianzun might truly be resurrected!
However, this gale wall blocked his path.
Suddenly, a voice drifted over from the distance: "It's finally here! The grand tomb of Mount Jiuyi has finally reopened!"
Startled by the voice, Xu Ying looked toward the sound. In the distance, the surging waters of the Nai River came rushing forward. That great river of the Netherworld had not originally flowed through this region, but had somehow altered its course and was now roaring straight toward them.
Banners fluttered above the water as a multideck ship cut through the waves. From afar, a massive coffin could be seen resting upon the vessel.
Upon the deck, ghosts and gods were everywhere—of all shapes and sizes, kinds and sorts—along with judges and ghost kings, presenting an eerie, terrifying spectacle.
The Son of Heaven of the Nether Court sat in the multideck ship's pavilion, his divine form immense and imposing. He laughed from afar, "Brother Xiaoke, since you came as a guest to my realm, I could not fail to treat you well. With the opening of Mount Jiuyi's grand tomb this time, you have your chance as well."
Li Xiaoke's voice drifted out, somewhat lacking in vitality: "If I hadn't carried you out of Mount Jiuyi's grand tomb on my back all those years ago, you would still be drifting around on this mountain."
The Son of Heaven of the Nether Court replied flatly, "Without my guidance back then, you too would have perished upon the mountain. Today, you are heavily wounded and hunted by Qingzhuang, barely able to preserve yourself. Why not show me a little courtesy?"
Li Xiaoke replied, "Dao Brother speaks true. This humble one understands."
The Son of Heaven of the Nether Court laughed heartily. "Brother Xiaoke is like a divine dragon—able to bend and unbend, grow large or small, vanish or appear—truly a paragon among men! Why must we stand on ceremony? If you help me harvest the immortal medicine, I am willing to join forces with you against Qingzhuang..."
Their voices gradually lowered.
*Li Xiaoke and the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court are colluding, teaming up to seek immortal medicine on this Five-Colored Mountain?*
Xu Ying was utterly astounded. Wasn't this a weasel paying New Year's greetings to another weasel?
*Wasn't that wound in the forehead of the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court's corpse made by Li Xiaoke's eight-sided sword? They should be mortal enemies!* He found it completely baffling. *From what they said, the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court was originally an immortal corpse on the Five-Colored Mountain, and Li Xiaoke carried him down! Far from being enemies, they're birds of a feather!*
Xu Ying composed himself.
The Netherworld's Nai River surged loudly, crashing against the Five-Colored Mountain.
The multideck ship sailed along the Nai River toward the Five-Colored Mountain, though looking at their position, they were still quite a distance away.
Just as the vessel berthed, a voice suddenly called out, "There's a light over there, and faintly someone standing! Go take a look!"
"That's a battlefield from the primordial era, full of fiends and monsters. What could possibly be there?"
"Carefulness keeps the ship sailing for ten thousand years!"
Xu Ying's heart stirred. He looked up; Wu Tianzun's martial spirit burned like a torch, which had attracted the attention of the ghosts and gods aboard the ship.
A ghost god came drifting over at high speed. Xu Ying stood in the shadow behind Wu Tianzun. The entity had blue skin, protruding fangs, and the bearing of a ghost king—entirely blue-bodied, bare-chested and barefoot, wearing only a pair of baggy shorts.
Its head was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, crowned with a fleshy growth, hideous in appearance.
"Turns out it's just a dead man. Startled me."
The ghost king let out a sigh of relief, speaking in human tongue: "I thought it was a ghost."
Just as it turned to leave, a fist suddenly flew out of the shadows straight toward its face. Behind the fist, it caught sight of Xu Ying, radiant as a god king ruling over the celestial gods of the firmament!
The next instant, the punch filled its vision, blocking out everything else!
Thunder cracked out of thin air with this strike. The fist never made physical contact, merely vibrating faintly an inch before the creature's face, yet that subtle shock shattered its soul to pieces while leaving the ghost king's physical form completely unharmed!
Xu Ying's blow made no sound and leaked no aura whatsoever.
This was the fifth method of the Eight Methods of the God of War: the Dao Hammer Method!
Though the ghost king's soul had been pulverized by his punch, its physical body bore not a single scratch, its incense smoke qi remained unchanged, and its heart was even still beating.
It was a native creature of the Netherworld, unlike other consecrated ghosts and gods who possessed no bodies of flesh and blood; it had real flesh and blood. Xu Ying sat cross-legged at Wu Tianzun's feet. His martial spirit and soul separated from his body and entered the ghost king, leaving only his Golden Core behind to guard his mortal shell. The ghost king flexed its hands and feet, familiarizing itself with the body, and strode toward the multideck ship.
He looked back at Wu Tianzun's remains and murmured softly, "Rest assured. On this journey, I will surely bring back an immortal medicine!"
*One who carries firewood for the multitude must not be left to freeze to death in wind and snow.*
He wanted to climb the mountain to search for the immortal medicine, even if it meant being in the direct presence of Li Xiaoke and the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court!
With a quick sprint, Xu Ying leapt into the air and arrived beneath the multideck ship. A host of ghosts and gods were disembarking; apart from the judges who still retained human forms, none of the other ghosts and gods looked human.
Li Xiaoke and the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court had already disembarked. Both men carried themselves with an elegant bearing, exuding the grace of refined masters.
The Son of Heaven of the Nether Court went without saying: as lord of the Nether Court, he commanded the ghosts and gods of the world—though naturally, this referred only to those within the boundaries of Shenzhou; those beyond lay outside his domain.
Even so, he exuded an aura of supreme nobility, bearing the undeniable presence of a sovereign ruler.
Li Xiaoke did not look well, yet he still held the dignity of an otherworldly master and transcendent swordsman. Looking youthful, he bore the scholarly grace of a Han-dynasty gentleman.
To ascend the mountain, one first had to bypass the gale wall enclosing it.
Li Xiaoke and the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court were clearly well prepared. From somewhere unknown, the Son of Heaven retrieved a battered doorframe, ancient and weathered, marked all over by footprints and wormholes.
From his Realm of Xiyi, Li Xiaoke fetched a door panel, which was evidently a pair with the frame.
The Son of Heaven of the Nether Court waved at Xu Ying. Xu Ying stepped forward, took the doorframe, and set it upright before the gale wall.
Li Xiaoke summoned a disciple who followed him, saying, "Yan Liu, fit the door on." Although he had fled Jiulong Mountain, many disciples still followed him.
Li Xiaoke instructed, "Yan Liu, open the door."
Yan Liu complied and pushed the door open with force. Behind the door was no longer the soul-destroying gale wall—instead, it opened directly into the space behind the barrier!
Xu Ying was secretly amazed.
The gale wall was undeniably a restrictive seal laid down by a being of immense supernatural power, exceptionally perilous. Yet simply opening this door allowed one to bypass the seal completely—this door was truly an unfathomable treasure!
He even realized that with such a treasure, seals on any treasure trove in the world would become useless; it was equivalent to having every vault in existence open wide to him!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a withered skeleton beneath the wind wall—steeped in five-colored qi—lunged forward. It grabbed Yan Liu, sank its teeth into the youth's neck, and dragged him onto the Five-Colored Mountain!
Flesh and blood had already sprouted across the skeleton's frame, endowing it with boundless strength. Even though Yan Liu had cultivated a Golden Core, he had no power to resist. He was dragged inside, letting out a streak of shrill screams that shot rapidly up the mountain before cutting off into silence.
"What was that?"
Shocked and enraged, Li Xiaoke's disciples drove their flying swords through the doorway, only to encounter other revived skeletons.
Those skeletons reached out to clash bare-handed against the flying swords, sparking fiery bursts without taking any damage!
With flesh and muscle pulsating across their bones, skeleton after skeleton charged out from the doorway. The crowd moved to resist them, the judges and ghost kings unleashing their magic treasures and divine abilities.
Only Xu Ying, standing right beside the door, was not targeted by the revived skeletons.
*The five-colored qi here is wrong. The withered bones revived by this heaven and earth yuan qi have turned into monsters that devour anyone on sight!*
Xu Ying grew uneasy. If Wu Tianzun were revived by this five-colored qi, he might also become a mindless monster. With the terrifying strength of Wu Tianzun's physical body, he would likely sweep through all four directions and devour the entire world!
Suddenly, the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court produced a bright mirror and shone it upon the fleshed skeletons. Wherever the light fell, the flesh and blood upon the bones dissolved instantly, and they collapsed one after another, shattering into pieces across the ground.
Li Xiaoke laughed. "You and I are friends through life and death. How could I enter ahead of you? We should go into the mountain hand in hand!"
The Son of Heaven of the Nether Court knew his concern: he merely feared that once he entered, the Son of Heaven would remove the doorway and trap him to die on the mountain—though to be fair, the Son of Heaven indeed had that very intention.
"Hahaha! Xiaoke speaks the truth. Let us enter the mountain hand in hand!"
The two locked arms and walked shoulder to shoulder through the doorway.
Li Xiaoke's disciples and the ghosts and gods under the Son of Heaven filed in through the doorway onto the Five-Colored Mountain.
Xu Ying was about to follow them inside when a judge pressed a hand against his chest and said, "Ba'en hulu, tiantian bayin! (Stay outside and guard the door!)"
Xu Ying stopped and scratched his head. Watching everyone ascend the mountain, he thought, *Leaving me here to guard the door? Isn't that just asking the fox to guard the henhouse?*
He pulled the door shut, hoisted the entire doorway onto his shoulder, and walked off.
Up on the mountain, Li Xiaoke and the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court were chatting and laughing merrily, reminiscing about when they were here in the past. But glancing back, they caught sight of the chubby, honest-looking ghost king outside the gale wall, shouldering their precious battered door and walking off with it. The smiles froze on the faces of the two top masters of the age, turning instantly into utter shock, which just as quickly morphed into fury.
The two roared in fury and led the even more enraged mob of ghosts, gods, and Qi Refiners charging down the mountain, shouting and cursing all the way: "You with the tumor on your head, put the door down!"
"You bastard! Put that door back right now!"
A ghost king and a vice prefect had remained behind to guard the multideck ship. Seeing this, they immediately charged to attack. Xu Ying steadied the wooden door with one hand and threw a punch with the other. Before his fist, layer upon layer of air was compressed into a solid wall, stacking together before violently detonating!
The sky of the Netherworld shuddered. While still in midair, that ghost king was blasted apart by the wind of his fist.
The other official, the vice prefect, possessed profound cultivation. Channeling several centuries of attainment, he lashed out with a long whip against Xu Ying. The whip failed to dislodge Xu Ying's soul; instead, it sent the ghost king's physical body tumbling across the ground.
The vice prefect froze, looking at Xu Ying's soul in disbelief.
Xu Ying's soul shone radiantly. Grabbing the long whip, he gave it a fierce snap, flinging the vice prefect into the air.
*Smack!*
He swung the whip, shattering the vice prefect into pieces!
"Turns out I'm already this strong!"
Hoisting the doorway, Xu Ying's soul strode back toward Wu Tianzun.
He set the doorway down beside Wu Tianzun and returned to his physical body.
"Wu Tianzun," he said, "we'll wait for them to die, and then we'll go up the mountain to reap the spoils."
Chapter 185