Within the sun, two gigantic birds flapped their wings, flying through the thick, batter-like blaze and lightning toward the sun's depths.
Here, the solar essence was incomparably rich, and the true solar fire reached an unbelievable temperature capable of melting all things.
Yet the two giant birds were like fish in water, thoroughly at ease.
Flying in front was a skeletal Golden Crow, reduced to nothing but feathers and bones, with a cluster of flame leaping within its skull. Trailing behind it was a smaller, elderly Golden Crow.
Drifting chains appeared ahead. Following the chains as they flew forward, a magnificent multistoried ship gradually came into view.
The ship was remarkably made of wood, yet it did not burn within the sun, nor had it been destroyed by the solar storms; what manner of timber it was crafted from remained unknown.
The ship was a hundred times larger than the Golden Crow's body. The skeletal Golden Crow led Jin Buyi across the upper deck of the ship, where colossal weapons were embedded and skeletal remains lay prostrate.
Jin Buyi even saw an unburned corpse sitting against a pavilion, its garments still intact.
As it flew overhead, it seemed to catch the corpse twitch.
"Whose corpse is that?" Jin Buyi asked in shock and doubt.
"I don't know," the skeletal Golden Crow's voice echoed. "They existed before I was born. Do not approach them—they are exceedingly dangerous."
Following the chains extending from the stern of the vessel, they continued flying deeper into the sun. Jin Buyi spotted other multistoried ships in the sun, all similarly bound with chains.
The chains of these vessels seemed to be towing a colossal monstrosity together.
Before long, Jin Buyi finally caught sight of that gargantuan object. It was a magnificent golden palace, now reduced to crumbling ruins and broken walls, yet even so, it was breathtakingly grand beyond imagination.
The two Golden Crows flew beneath collapsed pillars, navigating past ruined walls like mountain ranges, and entered the main hall.
Upon one of the pillars rested a bird's nest woven from golden straw.
The skeletal Golden Crow nudged Jin Buyi toward the nest and said, "Cultivating the Great Sun True Scripture here will yield twice the results with half the effort."
Settling into the nest, Jin Buyi felt that the solar essence was devoid of impurities, and the true solar fire had become exceptionally pure. When it cultivated the Great Sun True Scripture, its progress was indeed faster than usual.
Jin Buyi settled down. With cultivation, its form gradually grew younger, its memory improved, and it gradually began recalling more things.
*I wonder where Ah Ying is,* it thought quietly. *I wonder if the Little Master is doing well.*
At the foot of the great snow mountain, Xu Ying walked toward the sacred mountain of Kunlun. Around him stood snow-capped peaks in endless undulating rows, each exuding wafts of incense smoke qi; it seemed these snow mountains had become deities as well. Walking beneath these vast, boundless mountains, he could not help feeling as if he were on a pilgrimage, suddenly struck by his own insignificance.
They were not the only ones on this road; there were other Qi Refiners and Nuo masters who had arrived earlier than Xu Ying. Instead of trying to fly over the snowy mountain, they had chosen to trek over it on foot, suffering few casualties.
"Brother Xu!"
Looking toward the voice, Xu Ying saw Young Master Gu and that Nuo immortal of the Gao clan hurrying over.
Young Master Gu said, "The journey to Kunlun is fraught with peril. We suffered heavy casualties as soon as we entered the snow mountain. Would you be willing to travel together? That way, we can support one another."
Standing eight feet tall with a face like fine jade, a long sword at his waist, he radiated confidence and poise, showing none of his earlier disheveled state in the snow mountain.
Xu Ying inquired, "May I ask how to address you, brother?"
Young Master Gu smiled. "You have forgotten me. We met by chance on Mount Tai back then, and after three thousand years of separation, I never expected you would still look the same as you did then. My name is Gu Feiyu. Back then, I was merely a nobody in the Wuji Sect of Mount Tai, but today I am the Wuji Sect Master. Yet the ageless immortal of old remains the ageless immortal today."
Xu Ying said apologetically, "My memories have not returned; I do not recall what happened three thousand years ago. Could it be that Brother Gu knew me well back then?"
Walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him, Gu Feiyu chuckled. "It is only normal that you do not remember. Back then, you did not remember the past either. We tried every means possible, using the Stone of Three Lives to trace your past life, and only then did we learn from you about the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai."
Xu Ying raised his brows and asked in a low voice, "Tried every means? What means did you try?"
Gu Feiyu laughed heartily. "Just some past events. I fear hearing them would make you unhappy."
Xu Ying's eyes flickered, the intent to kill quietly rising within him.
Gu Feiyu looked at Yuan Qi behind him. Yuan Qi had shrunk to the size of a normal large serpent instead of three hundred zhang, and a burst of flame occasionally sputtered between the black and white horns atop his head to warm himself and avoid freezing.
"That beast you keep is quite a rare breed, having already awakened the ancient yuan serpent bloodline. Grown to such a size, it rivals my two black dragons. Those two black dragons of mine are ancient exotic beasts as well, left behind by the ancestors of our Wuji Sect, over four thousand years old."
Gu Feiyu's gaze then fell upon the bronze bell, and he praised it, saying, "This bell is also a remarkable treasure. In a smaller sect, it could well be handed down as a sect-guarding treasure. Brother Xu, seeing you after three thousand years, you have actually accumulated your own treasures and are no longer the pauper you once were. It fills me with emotion."
He could not help sighing. "It took you three thousand years of accumulation to reach this point today, whereas my fate is far better. As Sect Master of the Mount Tai Wuji Sect, I command wealth a hundred times yours. At your current pace, it would take you tens of thousands of years to rival my fortune."
He shook his head. "This world is truly unfair."
Both Yuan Qi and the bronze bell felt thoroughly displeased. Yuan Qi said, "Brother Gu, I am not a beast. I am a monster race Qi Refiner."
Gu Feiyu's face darkened, and he turned to Xu Ying. "Your mount is rather insolent. When the master speaks with a guest, how dare it interrupt? And to address me as 'brother'—is it trying to insult me?"
Xu Ying said indifferently, "Seventh Master is my friend. He is indeed a monster race Qi Refiner."
Gu Feiyu hummed, then apologized insincerely, "My mistake; I assumed he was Brother Xu's mount. Still, for Brother Xu to associate with inferior races like monsters is rather debasing yourself."
Xu Ying's intent to kill flared a bit hotter. He thought to himself, *Though his words are unpleasant, I cannot kill a man merely because I dislike what he says. Otherwise, how would I be any different from a devil?*
Suppressing the anger in his heart, he asked, "Brother Gu, you mentioned the Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony earlier. I have always been curious about that matter. Might I ask you about it?"
Gu Feiyu burst into hearty laughter, radiating vigor and drawing glances from the Nuo masters and Qi Refiners nearby.
He paid them no heed and said, "I was waiting for Brother Xu to say that. Back then, my martial uncles captured you, attempting to refine your soul to uncover the secret of your immortality. But no matter how hard they tried, they could gain nothing from you. Consuming your blood did not grant immortality; eating your flesh did not grant immortality. Compounding you with other medicinal herbs did not grant immortality either."
He sighed. "My Sect Master Uncle even wanted to refine you into an elixir to consume, but that was also ineffective."
Xu Ying's face darkened further. "And then?"
Gu Feiyu said, "Then I advised my Sect Master Uncle: perhaps the greatest value of the ageless immortal lies not in his flesh, sinews, or bones, nor in his soul, but in his memories. Perhaps we could unlock his past-life memories and find the secret of his immortality. My Sect Master Uncle was overjoyed. The entire Wuji Sect employed all manner of divine arts and Dao methods to pry open your memories, but with little success. Not until later, when my Sect Master Uncle went to the Underworld and stole a Stone of Three Lives."
He sighed in admiration. "For that Stone of Three Lives, our Wuji Sect suffered catastrophic losses. Brother Xu, to uncover the secrets in your memories, we sacrificed dearly!"
Xu Ying's face was as dark as still water. He said flatly, "But your sacrifice was worth it, wasn't it?"
Yuan Qi and the bronze bell inwardly thought, *Not good.*
The more Xu Ying acted like this, the more it proved he was anything but calm! Gu Feiyu had clearly enraged him completely!
"Lord Bell," Yuan Qi whispered, glancing at Gao Shiqing, the Nuo immortal.
The bronze bell understood and whispered back, "He is a dead man."
Gu Feiyu smiled. "Indeed, those sacrifices were well worth it. Using that Stone of Three Lives, we actually traced Brother Xu's past life all the way back to the day of the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai! And for that very reason, we uncovered the purpose behind Emperor Zulong's ceremony back then!"
He laughed aloud. "Who would have thought? Who would have thought that this secret was actually tied to Kunlun! Zulong's Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony was in fact using you as a sacrificial offering, dedicating you to the six Nuo ancestors of the Kunlun Ruins in hopes that they would bestow an elixir of longevity!"
Xu Ying was shaken to the core, his voice hoarse. "I was a sacrificial offering?"
Gu Feiyu nodded. "You were the primary sacrifice. On the day of the sacrifice, the skies changed color, the Great Dao of heaven and earth resonated with Dao voices, and auspicious radiant clouds descended from the heavens. When Zulong offered you up, the phantom of the sacred mountain of Kunlun emerged in the sky, encircled by sacred mountains in unimaginable magnificence."
Xu Ying steadied his mind. Whenever he heard Zulong's voice, he felt nothing but dread; presumably, in that era, his life had not been easy.
Gu Feiyu said, "Whether that sacrifice succeeded, I do not know. However, Zulong died after returning and was buried in the Mount Li Mausoleum. I hear Zulong has revived now; presumably, it was a faked death, and the six Nuo ancestors likely bestowed upon him a portion of the immortal elixir of longevity, allowing him to live until today."
Yuan Qi asked, "You claim to be of Mount Tai's Wuji Sect, yet you knew so little about the Fengshan ceremony. How is that?"
Gu Feiyu chuckled. "Emperor Zulong united Shenzhou; who dared disobey? Which sect that defied him did not fear extermination? He wished to perform the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai to make his name known to Heaven. Had our Wuji Sect not yielded Mount Tai, we would likely have been wiped out four thousand years ago."
He paused, then continued, "Once my Sect Master Uncle learned the truth about the Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony, he investigated further. And that investigation was monumental—we actually unearthed even more of the truth."
He looked at Xu Ying as if gazing upon an incomparable treasure.
"We delved deeper along the clue of the Nuo ancestors and finally found the Kunlun Ruins. Mount Kunlun is the King of Sacred Mountains, home to the earliest Nuo masters: Nuo Peng, Nuo Di, Nuo Yang, Nuo Lü, Nuo Fan, and Nuo Xiang. They are the ancestors of Nuo, corresponding to the six great secret realms. Rumor has it that the origin of the six secret depositories is none other than these six Nuo ancestors."
Gu Feiyu said, "The First Emperor performed the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai, sacrificing the ageless immortal, with the purpose of summoning the immortal medicine from the six Nuo ancestors!"
Xu Ying had never heard of this. He inquired, "Weren't the Six Secret Depositories of the Human Body created by Qi Refiners? I heard that Qi Refiners could not ascend, so they delved into methods of longevity and discovered the human body's six secret depositories."
Gu Feiyu laughed loudly. "Brother Xu, I heard Nuo masters from Shendu say you are the greatest figure of our time in synthesizing Nuo arts and qi refinement, the foremost of the younger generation. Who would have thought your understanding was so obtuse!"
Xu Ying clenched his fists, then quietly relaxed them.
Yuan Qi's heart leaped into his throat. *Demon King Xu isn't just secretly harboring murderous intent—he's ready to devour someone alive!*
Gu Feiyu said, "Have you still not noticed? The cultivation method of the human body's six secret depositories is completely different from the cultivation method of qi refinement. The six secret depositories require opening the body's secret depositories, establishing cave-heavens, and internally refining the human immortal realm through Hidden Scenery latent transformation. Qi refinement gathers and refines qi, opens every mystic pass, and internally refines Golden Cores, yuan qi, and the Primordial Spirit to cross the God Bridge directly to ascension. This is completely different from the Nuo arts of the six secret depositories. If Qi Refiners had created them, there would be some connection, yet Nuo arts and Qi Refiner methods share no connection whatsoever."
Hearing him say this, Xu Ying also sensed something amiss.
The Six Secret Depositories of the Human Body seemed to have appeared out of thin air; distinct from Qi Refiner techniques, yet complementing them. It was indeed bizarre.
Gu Feiyu said, "My Wuji Sect is a renowned and ancient sect with ancient texts handed down through generations. Among them is a record of a journey westward by the Son of Heaven of Zhou. On this western journey, legend has it that the Son of Heaven of Zhou came to Kunlun, met the six Nuo ancestors, and obtained immortal medicine."
Xu Ying's heart stirred. He suddenly recalled that the Son of Heaven of Zhou had set out for the other shore—could it be that the six Nuo ancestors told him immortal medicine was to be found on the other shore?
Gu Feiyu said, "Back then, the Son of Heaven of Zhou led the elite civil and military officials of his court. Upon obtaining the immortal medicine, he returned to Haojing and began crafting the Divine Boat of the Other Shore. From then on, powerful Qi Refiners continuously ventured toward the other shore, vanishing without a trace. And after the Son of Heaven of Zhou returned, knowledge of the six secret depositories gradually began to spread."
Xu Ying said, "I heard people say that during the Great Zhou era, Qi Refiners became obsessed with going to the other shore in search of immortal medicine, which led to the decline of Qi Refiners. The remaining Qi Refiners, unable to comprehend the cultivation techniques left behind by their forebears, developed the human body's six secret depositories based on the immortal medicine. I never imagined the true reason was this."
Gu Feiyu looked at him with an odd gaze and laughed. "From that time on, Nuo arts began to circulate, but false Nuo arts also gradually spread, using Nuo immortals to refine great medicines of longevity."
Yuan Qi asked, "The Son of Heaven of Zhou journeyed to the other shore over six thousand years ago, and his journey to Kunlun must have been even earlier. Can the Nuo ancestors have survived to this day?"
Gu Feiyu's gaze turned even stranger as he stared at Xu Ying and laughed. "The Nuo immortals of today are not true Nuo immortals. True Nuo immortals construct an internal Immortal Realm within the human body using six kinds of immortal medicine; naturally, they can endure forever in the world. As the Nuo ancestors, they must have survived!"
Xu Ying ignored his gaze and said, "However, the six secret depository Nuo arts circulating in the world today are not the true Nuo arts. Thus, you believe the orthodox method of the six secret depositories must be in Kunlun."
Gu Feiyu said, "When I was sealed, it was during the height of Heaven-Human Induction. I searched for six secret depository cultivation techniques and found the orthodox method among them. Truth be told, three thousand years ago, I was already cultivating both Nuo and qi."
His body jolted, and Dao voices boomed. Behind him, cave-heavens spun out one after another, pinning themselves to the sky and taking root in six other shores!
His aura surged violently as twenty-eight cave-heavens shone in mutual radiance!
He spoke no lie; he truly practiced both Nuo and qi! And it was the purest dual cultivation of Nuo and qi!
During the era when Nuo arts were solely revered and Heaven-Human Induction flourished, he had sought out the finest orthodox Nuo master techniques, opening the six secret depositories, unsealing cave-heavens, and refining immortal medicines to become the most powerful existence among his peers in that era!
"Even if the immortal master of my Wuji Sect had not sealed me, I could have relied on the human body's six secret depositories to form an internal immortal realm and survived through Hidden Scenery latent transformation," Gu Feiyu said indifferently. "However, the immortal master took note of my potential, believed I held even greater promise, and therefore sealed me until now. The immortal master of the Wuji Sect hoped that I would obtain the true inheritance of the six secret depositories."
Xu Ying walked forward unhurriedly and said, "To obtain the true inheritance of the six secret depositories, one must meet the six Nuo ancestors. And to meet the six Nuo ancestors, how could one not bring along a sacrifice?"
Gu Feiyu walked behind him and said leisurely, "Indeed."
Xu Ying said, "The sacrifice Zulong offered to the six Nuo ancestors was none other than my humble self."
Gu Feiyu smiled. "Indeed."
A cold gleam flashed in Gao Shiqing's eyes. Suddenly, his Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground flew out, turning into an immortal realm that trapped both the bronze bell and Yuan Qi. He said coldly, "You two, don't make any rash moves!"
Chapter 226