Xu Ying shook his head. "I don't really want to be so out of the ordinary. I'd still prefer to beat them all into one fold and get along with everyone."
The bronze bell probed cautiously, "When you say beat them all into one fold, do you mean getting along in the figurative sense, or literally beating them into a pulp?"
It felt that this youth's idea of mingling with the crowd was not quite the same as other people's.
Xu Ying said, "The Mud Pill secret depository must be opened. In my view, since Qi Refiners and Nuo masters are two entirely different cultivation systems, cultivating both wouldn't conflict with one another, would it? In that case, I want both."
The bronze bell was stunned.
Weren't Qi Refiners and Nuo masters supposed to be weighed against each other to see which was superior? How could anyone think of taking both?
Besides, wouldn't cultivating both clash?
Xu Ying walked into Qinyan Cave with a puzzled expression. Lost in thought, he muttered, "Strange. The Netherworld has invaded, drastically altering the local terrain. How did County Magistrate Zhou manage to find this place?"
Not long after he left, rustling sounds suddenly echoed through the mountain forest. Countless little figures in green robes, barely a chi tall, came running across the hills and valleys.
These tiny figures had slender, paper-thin bodies, clad in emerald-green robes, wearing pointed hats on their heads and straw sandals on their feet. Each was sharp and capable, craning their necks and peering about to search every corner they came across.
This was none other than the Zhou clan's Nuo art—the Every Tree and Bush an Enemy art.
The green-robed little figures were wooden soldier dolls crafted from plants and trees, endowed with life through Nuo arts to be used for assassination or scouting.
A Grand Nuo of the Zhou clan could even use this Nuo art to create an entire army, marching onto the battlefield to drown enemies with sheer numbers.
Suddenly, one of the green-robed figurines inadvertently looked up and let out a startled cry upon seeing Zhou Yang pinned to the cliff face. The other figurines immediately swarmed over. Chattering in an unintelligible tongue, they scrambled over one another to scale the cliff.
Working together, they pulled out the swords one by one, then hoisted Zhou Yang's corpse and surged into the mountain forest.
By dusk, the green-robed figurines had carried Zhou Yang's body across ridges and peaks, arriving at Yilin Temple. Yilin Temple and Mount Wuwang had originally been close to each other. But when the Nai River invaded and the Netherworld collided with the mortal realm, countless massive mountains and rivers had materialized out of thin air. Not only was the character for Mount Wuwang altered from 'Wu' to 'Wuwang,' but Yilin Temple had also been displaced forty li away.
Most of the land between the two places was now Netherworld territory, fraught with treacherous paths and perilous hazards, virtually impassable to ordinary mortals.
When the green-robed figurines carried Zhou Yang's corpse into Yilin Temple, Zhou Yihang's aged eyes brimmed with tears. Trembling, he reached out and closed Zhou Yang's eyes.
"Let no wind blow through to disturb my son's spirit," he ordered the surrounding officials, commanding them to seal all doors and windows tightly.
Come nightfall, as the Nai River surged with its Netherworld presence, Zhou Yang's ghost drifted up and stood before his own corpse, the feet of his spirit linked to the feet of the body.
Ordinarily, ghosts were invisible to the naked eye. But after the Nai River's invasion disrupted reality, spirits could be seen once night fell.
Zhou Yang's ghost wailed, "Xu Ying killed me! Father, avenge me!"
Old tears streamed down Zhou Yihang's face as he choked out, "Rest easy, my son. No matter what it takes, your father will slay that fiend on this expedition and sacrifice his head to your memory!"
Zhou Yang's resentment lessened slightly, and he said, "The cold wind hurts so much when it blows against me."
Zhou Yihang wiped away his tears and said, "I have already ordered men to carve a divine statue. Once it is sculpted, we will gild it in gold leaf to craft a golden body for you. After your first seven days of mourning pass, your father will have the lowborn wretches of Lingling make offerings to you. Within a few years, you will become a deity! Then, father and son shall meet again!"
Zhou Yang wept aloud and bowed down.
Zhou Yihang shut the door, his face grim. Gazing toward Mount Wuwang, he muttered in a low voice, "'Wuwang' signifies calamity and turmoil. Xu Ying, even if you possess heavenly and earthly talents, this old man will take your life to avenge my son! The very name 'Wuwang' portends that catastrophe is upon your head!"
At the foot of Mount Wuwang, Xu Ying saw that Yuan Qi was still in the midst of his transformation, so he slipped out of Qinyan Cave to go look at the Nai River.
When the sun dipped below the horizon, the Nai River reappeared, surging with a mighty torrent. Ghostly miasma filled the air in an instant. Countless strange beings poured out from Mount Wuwang, flitting across the hills and valleys. Others crawled out of desolate graves, calling out to friends to share drinks and make merry.
Xu Ying spotted a brightly lit village at the foot of the mountain. An affluent family had laid out a banquet to entertain guests, making him wonder in surprise: *Why didn't I see a village here during the day?*
There was no food in Qinyan Cave. For his three daily meals, he caught fish in the water and picked fruit from trees. While he could fill his stomach, going without rice or noodles left him feeling constantly hollow inside.
He walked over. The villagers bore no ghostly aura and were exceptionally hospitable, inviting him to join the banquet. The town was filled with handsome men and pretty maidens. An elder even offered to play matchmaker, proposing a marriage with an exquisite young woman as radiant as a flower and charmingly graceful.
Xu Ying flushed crimson and said awkwardly, "I... I have no bride price..."
"Why would you need a bride price?"
The elder stroked his black beard and chuckled. "If I demanded a bride price from you, wouldn't that be selling my daughter? That would be a lack of virtue. We of the Hu family have always provided the groom with a dowry when marrying off our daughters. If you are willing, this old man would gladly give you two shops and a courtyard residence on a bustling street in Yongzhou, plus five hundred taels of fine silver."
Xu Ying was sorely tempted. Looking at the Hu family girl, he found her looking ever more fresh, dewy, and enchanting. Just as he was about to agree, a woman's voice suddenly carried over from outside the town: "A pack of seductive foxes, daring to swindle an innocent human boy! Do you really think no one can put you in your place? Scram!"
The moment those words rang out, the villagers' expressions changed drastically. Yellow fur sprouted across their faces as they turned into fox demons, scurrying all over the ground to hide inside the houses.
Xu Ying could not help lamenting internally, *If I could get two shops, a courtyard residence, and marry a beautiful fox maiden, what would be the harm in playing the innocent boy?*
At least he had managed to score a full meal. Bowing toward the hiding foxes, he said, "Many thanks for the hospitality, good sirs. I am Xu Ying, Demon King of Mount Wuwang. We are all neighbors, so there is no need to be nervous."
A fox demon emerged from a house, standing upright like a human, and bowed in return. "So you are Demon King Xu! Forgive us, forgive us. We are mere wild foxes of the mountains. Seeing King Xu's valiant spirit when slaying his enemies, we simply wished to form an alliance through marriage."
"No harm done to those who didn't know. If you still wish to marry off your daughter, Old Sir, I am open to it." The youth's eyes shone brightly.
The old fox demon stammered noncommittally, not daring to bring the matter up again.
Thinking what a pity it was, Xu Ying walked out of the town and followed the direction of the woman's voice. Before long, he saw a black coffin standing beside the Nai River, its long chains trailing down to the water's edge.
The maiden in the coffin sat in front of the black casket, hugging her knees and gazing up at the moon.
Xu Ying looked up. A full moon, large as a bushel basket, hung over the opposite bank of the Nai River. Its glow was serene and ethereal, completely unlike the mortal realm.
Under the moonlight, the maiden looked even more breathtaking.
Xu Ying's heart pounded. He quietly called out twice for Lord Bell, but the bronze bell made no sound at all, as if playing dead. Yet previously, this bronze bell had always babbled incessantly, urging Xu Ying to cultivate so it could siphon his vital qi and blood, working him like a donkey grinding grain.
*Lord Bell has gone all detached and open-minded again.*
Composing himself, Xu Ying walked over, bowed, and gave thanks. "Thank you for speaking up, miss. Otherwise, I wouldn't have realized they were a pack of fox demons."
The maiden in the coffin turned her gentle gaze upon his face, her voice equally soft as she said, "The reason you couldn't see through them is that you have yet to master the Heavenly Eye. Harbor divine light within the eyes; observe the sun and moon within. Train the mind like polishing a mirror; gather the three lights at the brow. Such are the knacks of the Heavenly Eye."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ying remarked, "'Harbor divine light within the eyes' refers to divine sense. 'Observe the sun and moon within' refers to both eyes. 'Train the mind like polishing a mirror' means polishing divine sense into a mirror. 'The three lights' are the lights of the sun and the moon—what is the remaining light?"
The maiden looked surprised. "Your comprehension is remarkable indeed. The remaining light resides in the hollow between your eyebrows, known as the heavenly light. Now, concentrate your spirit, place your divine sense between the sun and the moon, and firmly remember: train the mind like polishing a mirror. Then you can open the Heavenly Eye and see through the illusions of demons and fiends."
As she spoke, Xu Ying put it into practice.
Xu Ying focused his spirit, his divine sense entering the Realm of Xiyi and drifting between the sun and the moon. Circulating his divine sense, in just a brief moment he had polished it as bright and clear as a mirror.
Suddenly, a beam of light shone in from beyond the heavens—precisely the third light, the heavenly light!
At the same time, his eyes opened. As his left and right eyes reflected the outside world, that reflection mirrored into the Realm of Xiyi as well. The rays mirrored by both eyes fell upon the polished surface of his divine sense, and upon making contact with the heavenly light, an extraordinary transformation occurred!
Xu Ying looked out toward the light, and the world was instantly transformed!
He saw a dividing line between the Netherworld and the mortal world appear on the right bank of the Nai River, resembling a terminator line where night meets day.
Where the two worlds collided and overlapped, a colossal fissure yawned open. The space and earth of both worlds crashed and pressed violently against each other with terrifying momentum!
At this moment, Xu Ying and the maiden in the coffin stood right on the edge of that great fissure!
And the fissure was continuously widening!
From within the chasm came immense roars, resembling both oxen and dragons, like the bellows of monstrous beasts. Xu Ying looked down and saw an unimaginably vast, slick torso slithering faintly within the depths, as if some gargantuan living behemoth were trapped beneath the earth, struggling to break free!
Yet whenever he strained his eyes to look closer, all he could see were massive rocks shaped like scales.
He could also clearly see the Netherworld's invasion, along with the ghosts wandering within the Nai River!
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. *Being able to see ghosts and deities with the Heavenly Eye might not necessarily be a good thing.*
Ghosts retained the appearance they had at the moment of death. The grotesque ways some died were terrifying enough to shock one's own soul.
Thus, practitioners of the Heavenly Eye could not keep it open constantly. Beyond easily attracting ghosts, it was also prone to startling oneself and unsettling the soul.
Even more crucially, employing the Heavenly Eye consumed an immense amount of divine sense. Xu Ying still did not know how to cultivate his divine sense to make it stronger, so he could not keep the Heavenly Eye active at all times.
While his divine sense could still hold out, he glanced toward the maiden in the coffin, and his heart jolted in astonishment.
The maiden asked, "Did you see it all?"
Xu Ying nodded. Behind the girl sat another divine maiden, towering like a mountain and seated in midair, exuding an aura of unfathomable vastness!
That divine being looked almost identical to the girl, sharing the same features and brow, but she was bathed in brilliant, dazzling divine radiance!
The light shining outward through her body could actually be seen in distinct strands, slender as fine hairs and barely a chi in length!
Her body did not touch the ground. Clouds drifted beneath her as she floated in midair; though appearing boundless, she occupied no physical space at all.
Behind her floated streamers formed of divine light, not fastened to her body, but drifting freely in the air.
The maiden in the coffin possessed an innocent, enchanting charm, whereas the divine figure behind her radiated supreme majesty and sanctity, solemn and inviolable!
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Xu Ying inquired, "What is that behind you?"
"A Primordial Spirit. You will have one in the future as well," the maiden said.
"I will have one too?" Xu Ying was both surprised and delighted.
"You are currently in the Qi Harvesting stage, gathering solar essence to nourish your physique, soul, and primordial qi. Once you enter the Pass-Breaching stage, you will open the Weilu mystic pass, unseal the gate of qi refinement, and connect the path to the Heavenly River. Advancing further brings the Cross-Refinement stage, where water and fire refine each other to forge the elixir cauldron together. Thereafter, you breach a pass a second time, opening the Jiaji pass to add oil and extend your life, granting yourself longevity."
The maiden spoke in an unhurried manner. "Next comes the Twelve-Story Pavilion stage, soaring across the twelve tiers. Then the Jade Lake stage, shedding mortal form to forge the Primordial Spirit. In the Divine Bridge stage, you fly across the divine bridge and breach a pass a third time, striking the Yuzhen heavenly pass to receive heaven's mandate."
Xu Ying listened with rapt attention and asked, "And then?"
The maiden said, "And then comes soaring ascension into immortality. However, that path has already been severed."
Xu Ying, still yearning for that prospect, was caught off guard by her words. "Severed? How did that happen?"
"It was blocked by a vile villain, cutting off the path to immortality."
A trace of sorrow flickered through the maiden's eyes. Then she gathered herself, gazed toward Mount Wuwang shrouded in night, and asked, "Do you know what 'Wuwang' means?"
Without waiting for Xu Ying to reply, she continued on her own, "'Wuwang' means the unexpected. What is termed 'Wuwang' is an encounter unforeseen. I thought I was the only Qi Refiner left beneath the heavens; I never expected to meet you. You and I are of the same kind."
A smile surfaced on her face as she said, "To think that after three thousand years, someone would still embark upon the path of a Qi Refiner. I am not alone on this path."
Standing before the black coffin with her robes fluttering in the breeze, she said, "Three thousand years ago, I launched a ship upon the Nai River. Three thousand years later, I board that ship here. My vessel has arrived."
As she spoke, the surface of the Nai River suddenly churned with tempestuous waves. Huge swells rolled, and an enormous multi-decked tower ship burst from the water, leaping out from the river!
On the deck of that tower ship, hundreds of skeletons brandished swords, sabers, hooks, and tridents, fighting fiercely among themselves. None had anticipated that this vessel, which had sailed through the water for thousands of years, would suddenly breach the surface, leaving them completely dumbfounded.
The maiden gave a flick of her sleeve and called out coldly, "You ghost pirates dare occupy my treasure vessel? Scram!"
With that sweep of her sleeve, the skeletons on the tower ship flew up uncontrollably and tumbled into the Nai River.
The maiden drifted lightly upward and landed at the prow. Standing by the riverbank, Xu Ying watched the tower ship surging toward him, torrents of Nai River water cascading off the deck like roaring waterfalls, radiating an imposing pressure.
The tower ship came to a halt. Peering over the prow, the maiden smiled and said, "I have a great deed to perform tonight, and I happen to need a helper. Meeting by chance without design means we share a destined affinity. Come with me to carry out this great deed. Rest assured, I will bring you back at daybreak."
Xu Ying leaped up, landing on the ship, and asked with a grin, "What deed?"
"Sending off a god."
Chapter 24