As the sect master of Mount Emei, although Yan Kongcheng was young, he had memorized the names of all the ancestral patriarchs of Emei and knew their deeds backwards and forwards.
Qiao Zizhong was obscure among Emei's ancestral patriarchs, with few recorded deeds. Placed among the generations of ancestors, he had never drawn much attention.
His life could hardly be called legendary: he had joined Mount Emei, cultivated, possessed fine talent and deep comprehension, attained high cultivation, and became an ancestral patriarch.
He had never fought great battles to eradicate demons and defend the Dao, accomplished world-shaking feats, or lived through a poignant, epic romance.
Yet at this moment, everything changed.
Qiao Zizhong, who had lived for over twenty thousand years, stood right before Yan Kongcheng's eyes, filling him with profound shock.
For according to Emei's records, this Patriarch Qingshuang had passed away long ago and was buried right here within Mount Emei!
Qiao Zizhong said indifferently, "Those who cultivate immortality possess secret arts of longevity; there is nothing strange in that. Nuo methods were originally a branch of Qi refinement. Back then, I cultivated Nuo techniques and became a Nuo immortal, then faked my death to escape, roaming free and living as an earthly immortal in the mortal world."
Yan Kongcheng was half-convinced, murmuring, "Does the history of Nuo immortals stretch back that far?"
Qiao Zizhong still wore that utterly ordinary appearance, devoid of anything remarkable. "When Mount Emei underwent its great upheaval, everyone vanished and heaven and earth drastically changed. I returned here, thinking Emei's heritage was lost forever. I never expected that when heaven and earth reemerged, you would actually have survived. Thus, I entered Emei's ranks anew, wishing to see why the ancestral patriarchs chose you."
Yan Kongcheng hesitated no longer. Bowing deeply, he said, "Disciple pays respects to Patriarch Qingshuang!"
Qiao Zizhong stepped aside to avoid the bow. "You are the Emei sect master, and I am Zhong Ziqiao, a disciple beneath your sect—not Patriarch Qingshuang. You must remember that. Just now, Xu Fu harbored murderous intent toward you, which forced me to reveal myself and make him retreat."
He paused, then added, "I can help you once, but I cannot help you countless times. Since you have seen through my guise, I shall take my leave."
Yan Kongcheng called out loudly, "Patriarch!"
Qiao Zizhong stopped and looked at him in puzzlement.
Yan Kongcheng's voice trembled, hoarse, yet he said loudly, "Patriarch, aside from you and me, there is no one left on Mount Emei!"
Qiao Zizhong replied, "My way of survival is to remain thoroughly ordinary. To save you just now, I revealed my extraordinary strength and drove Xu Fu off. That has already put me in grave danger. I cannot remain at Emei."
Holding back the tears welling in his eyes, Yan Kongcheng pleaded, "Before the heavens and earth were sealed, Mount Emei had thirty-seven thousand disciples. Now, only the two of us remain. I cannot carry this burden alone, Patriarch!"
Qiao Zizhong frowned. "The reason I have lived so long is that I am cautious enough, and ordinary enough. I cannot stay to help you. You are the Emei sect master now. For them to choose you as sect master, there must be a reason..."
Yan Kongcheng said in a low voice, "Watching over such a vast legacy all by myself, I am terrified. I constantly fear that Emei will be ruined in my hands. I fear that if I die, Emei's heritage will end. I fear that if I am defeated, Emei's reputation will be destroyed."
Tears finally escaped his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.
Just then, a pair of feet appeared before him. Yan Kongcheng looked up to see Qiao Zizhong's corpse-like face.
"Once you have grown capable, I will leave," Qiao Zizhong said, squeezing out a faint smile.
Yan Kongcheng wiped away his tears and smiled. "With Patriarch staying, my heart finally has a pillar to lean on."
"No. You are the pillar of Emei."
With a flicker, Qiao Zizhong vanished, his voice drifting from afar: "Xu Fu harbored murderous intent toward you; this precedent cannot be set. I must let him know that my Emei is not without protectors!"
There was one more thing he had left unsaid. In his heart, he thought, *Besides, the timing of Xu Fu's appearance was far too subtle. The moment my home was ransacked bare, he showed up. Over the past two thousand years, that fellow has constantly made underhanded moves. Could it be he has set his sights on me this time?*
Yan Kongcheng chased forward a few paces, but saw only drifting white clouds and lush green peaks. Qiao Zizhong was nowhere to be seen.
"To think Patriarch Qingshuang has lived from the Great Shang era until now. Could becoming a Nuo immortal truly grant longevity?"
Yan Kongcheng stood in a daze. Xu Ying had taught him Nuo arts and Nuo methods, but had never mentioned that Nuo immortals could achieve immortality.
Even Xu Ying was not certain of this, for he had once met a female Nuo immortal secluded within a Hidden Scenery, named Bai Qiuzi, who was four thousand years old. Bai Qiuzi hid within her Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground and had mentioned that her aging had accelerated in recent years.
Yan Kongcheng, of course, knew none of this.
"With Patriarch Qingshuang overseeing things, Emei's revival is in sight!"
***
Meanwhile, Xu Ying steered clear of Xu Fu and departed Mount Emei, heading straight for Yunmeng Marsh.
Last time, he had escaped Xu Fu's control only by taking advantage of the chaos caused by Zulong's resurrection; naturally, he had no desire to fall into Xu Fu's hands again.
"Lord Bell, when you fought Xu Fu before, you were captured in a single move. If Xu Fu catches up this time, how many moves can you withstand?" Xu Ying asked, feeling a lingering unease.
The bronze bell calculated for a moment before replying, "After leaving that defunct master of mine, I broke through and rebuilt myself. I am nothing like before! Old Ancestor Chanchan smelted magic treasure fragments and reforged my true body with countless treasures. I have also comprehended the True, Spiritual, Void, Quiet, Empty, and Bright of the Golden Core Great Dao, have eight Immortal Dao runes inscribed upon me, and regularly borrow qi and blood from you and Seventh Lord to cultivate—never paid it back, of course. My strength is leagues beyond what it was back then! Now... I can last two moves!"
Xu Ying fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
The bronze bell hurriedly added, "Or maybe one move. That One Hand to Turn Heaven and Earth of his... I still feel I can't dodge it. I might still be captured in one move."
Xu Ying said in deep anguish, "Lord Bell, I can be captured in a single move too! You aren't much better than me!"
The bronze bell mumbled, "Except when he hits me, one move won't kill me. When he hits you, one move and you're dead..."
With a darkened expression, Xu Ying traveled thirty thousand li eastward, arriving in the region of Ba South.
Seeing that Xu Fu still hadn't pursued them, Xu Ying felt slightly relieved. He smiled and said, "Lord Bell, our harvest on this trip hasn't been small. Not only did we eliminate the hidden threat of Fu Yi, but we also made a friend like Yan Kongcheng. To think that kid is three thousand years old!"
He couldn't help marveling at the fact that he had actually met a three-thousand-year-old youth; it truly had been an incredible journey.
Hearing this, the bronze bell thought, *Ah Ying still considers himself Ah Ying the snake catcher, only eighteen years old. But strictly speaking, he should be eleven, because all his memories before age seven were fake.*
"Dealing with Beichenzi and Yutang will be rather difficult," Xu Ying calculated. "Those two are terrible chess players who are practically glued to each other, sitting together over a chessboard whenever they have free time. There's no way to defeat them one by one. If I don't deal with them, who knows when they will plot against me again. I can't be lucky every time and slip through their schemes. Still, at least I obtained some clues from Fu Yi!"
He looked into the distance, feeling a sense of relief. "Granny Meng is always selling tea on Naihe Bridge. Finding her will be far easier than tracking down Beichenzi and Yutang. Lord Bell, do you think Granny Meng knows about Xujiaping?"
He flashed a confident smile. "I'm sure she must know!"
Right at that moment, he spotted a neat, square boulder floating above a mountain peak ahead, with a figure standing atop it.
Xu Ying's heart leaped. *Xu Fu! I didn't expect him to arrive so quickly!*
The bronze bell said in a heavy voice, "Ah Ying, what do we do?"
"There's definitely no dodging him. He's waiting up ahead, which clearly means he calculated that we would pass this way."
Xu Ying steeled himself and moved forward. The bronze bell also quietly absorbed Xu Ying's qi and blood, gradually amping up its own power.
"Ah Ying, if I don't fight Xu Fu to the death in a moment and turn tail to run instead, you must know it's not because I'm disloyal," the bronze bell whispered. "It's not that I fear death, but that I'm going to bring reinforcements and have Lord Jin come rescue you."
"Mm," Xu Ying replied.
Xu Fu waited atop Mount Fangzhang. Seeing him fly over, he stepped back and gestured for Xu Ying to step onto the immortal mountain.
Xu Ying stopped beside the mountain, choosing not to set foot on it.
Xu Fu didn't mind. He moved forward side by side with him toward Yunmeng Marsh, remarking with an airy calm, "To see Lord Xu again brings great joy to my heart. Having met Yan Kongcheng, what does Lord Xu think of a Qi Refiner's Dao methods and divine powers?"
Xu Ying replied, "Exquisite beyond compare. Breathtaking."
Xu Fu smiled. "Emei's heritage is merely one among thousands of Qi Refiner traditions. In ancient times, when ascension was still possible, these Qi Refiner sects left behind profound immortal arts and incantations passed down across eras. During the great upheaval of heaven and earth three thousand years ago, the immortals from these sects who ascended to the Immortal Realm certainly left an escape route for their respective lineages."
He looked toward the misty peaks in the distance, where strange new mountains were still continuously surging forth. "When the heirs inheriting their Dao traditions awaken one by one, you will witness the rebirth of the Qi Refiners."
He turned to Xu Ying. "You could win over one Yan Kongcheng, but you cannot win over everyone. In today's world, the decadent Nuo master clans and this corrupt world will be utterly vulnerable before Qi Refiners. The prosperity of Nuo techniques is merely a fleeting phenomenon, just as Zulong burned the books and buried the Nuo alive—it will ultimately be reduced to ashes!"
Xu Ying smiled. "Ah Fu, perhaps those who inherit the lineages will willingly embrace Nuo techniques, breathing new life into Qi refinement. Why don't you embrace Nuo techniques as well?"
Xu Fu's gaze swept over. Xu Ying met his eyes without a hint of fear.
The bronze bell immediately tensed up, ready to erupt at any second, thinking, *I'll block Xu Fu's lethal blow for Ah Ying first, then it won't be too late to run!*
Suddenly, Xu Fu's posture stiffened, and a surge of battle intent rose from within his body!
Xu Ying started slightly, realizing that this battle intent was not aimed at him!
Just then, he saw an ordinary-looking man with a corpse-like face standing in the distance. Xu Ying's heart leaped, and he immediately pulled back from Xu Fu's side.
"You surprised me," Xu Fu said calmly. "Had you obediently harvested your crops, no one would have had the chance to strike at you. Yet you sought me out of your own accord. Why?"
That ordinary man was none other than Qiao Zizhong. With an indifferent expression, he said, "You should not have harbored murderous intent toward the Emei sect master, nor should you have harbored thoughts of manipulating him."
Xu Fu was astonished, bewildered. "You came to intercept me over this? Do you realize you are risking your life? You have harvested so many crops that the immortal medicines accumulated in your body are enough to make other harvesters drool with desire. In your prime, no one would take that risk. But the moment you are wounded, they will swarm like rats and hounds catching the scent of blood, waiting for the chance to hollow you out."
Qiao Zizhong walked forward, the faint silhouettes of cave-heavens manifesting behind him. "It is not entirely for Emei. You have had your eyes on me for a long time, haven't you? To me, you are a hidden danger; to Emei, you are also a hidden danger. At minimal cost, I shall teach you a lesson."
Xu Fu frowned, not knowing why he said that. However, he had no need to know.
Standing upon Mount Fangzhang, he was an immortal, invincible!
"You merged Emei's methods with Nuo arts, refining your transplanted cave-heavens to a seamless, boundless state. Truly admirable," Xu Fu stood on the immortal mountain, his robes billowing without wind as he said indifferently. "Emei is an orthodox immortal lineage; you received its true heritage and integrated Nuo methods so flawlessly. Very well. I will give you a chance: if you can withstand a single move of mine, I will let you leave and inquire no further into Emei."
Qiao Zizhong walked toward him. His dharmic power, yuan qi, physical body, divine sense, Primordial Spirit, and the dual qi of yin and yang had all reached the level of an immortal. Coupled with Emei's immortal art heritage, even though his cave-heavens were transplanted, they were refined to absolute perfection!
Qiao Zizhong struck. In this moment, immortal radiance blazed around his body, making this plain-looking Qi Refiner resemble a true immortal descended to earth!
Emei's divine powers erupted in his hands with the might unique to the Immortal Dao, harmonizing with the Dao of heaven and earth and bearing the majesty of the world as they struck toward Xu Fu atop Mount Fangzhang!
Xu Ying was already far away when his heart suddenly stirred. Turning his head, he beheld an unforgettable sight:
Astride Mount Fangzhang, the Immortal Dao converged like a mighty river, surging forth to meet Qiao Zizhong's Emei divine powers!
That vast river was like the Heavenly River, so magnificent that it was impossible to forget.
"Ah Ying, stop looking! Run!" the bronze bell urged.
Xu Ying tore his gaze away and accelerated, pushing the Extreme Intent Freedom Technique to its absolute limit as he sped toward Yunmeng Marsh. He was still far from Yunmeng Marsh; even if he maintained the Extreme Intent Freedom Technique without pause, it would likely take him a day and a half to reach the Fusang tree.
Suddenly, a miniature immortal mountain descended from the sky ahead. Xu Fu stood atop Mount Fangzhang, his black robes spreading in all directions as he slowly drifted down.
Xu Ying slowed his pace. Gritting his teeth, he walked forward, once more arriving beside Mount Fangzhang.
"How was that move just now?" Xu Fu asked with his habitual smile.
Xu Ying said sincerely, "Inconceivably wondrous. It is the strongest and most beautiful divine power I have ever seen."
"You created it."
Xu Fu came to a halt without advancing further. "Lord Xu, it was created by you. Lord Xu, a divine power so perfect and so mighty is what you imparted to me across the sea."
Xu Ying walked forward, glancing back over his shoulder. Xu Fu did not stop him, which left him somewhat puzzled.
However, since Xu Fu had no intention of capturing him, he seized the chance to leave!
From behind drifted Xu Fu's meaningful voice: "Lord Xu, seeking to integrate Nuo methods and merge divine powers with Nuo arts is a betrayal of yourself!"
Turning a deaf ear, Xu Ying transformed into a streak of rainbow light and tore through the sky.
Xu Fu watched him vanish into the distance. After a moment, he suddenly coughed twice, took out a square handkerchief, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and murmured, "As expected of an old monster over twenty thousand years old—his cultivation is profound indeed... But it is not that Qi refinement falls short against his dual cultivation of Nuo and Qi! He was injured even worse than I!"
Chapter 205