Memories slowly rose as if from the murky depths of water, growing clearer with every passing moment.
Xu Ying recalled the lifetime he had shared with Feng Xue'er. It had lasted only a brief few months, yet it was engraved so deeply into his bones and heart that when he remembered it now, an overwhelming grief still welled up within him, taking a long while to subside.
The lover once lost, the solemn vows once forgotten—one day, they would return, rippling across his heart.
Like a boat drifting upon water.
Xu Ying steadied his mind, keeping silent.
Storing away the fleeting memories of that lifetime, he continued to trace further back into the past.
In his memories, there was very little concerning the distortion of the world or Heaven-Human Induction. After all, he had merely been an insignificant nobody back then—like a sparrow scratching for worms in the fields, unable to fly high.
What he had been able to witness was limited to what lay within his sight, and what he had heard was only what fellow sparrows like himself had spoken of.
These memories could only outline a single corner of the cataclysmic shifts of heaven and earth, revealing only that Qi Refiners who practiced Nuo methods had turned the world into what it was today.
Comparing these recollections across several lifetimes, Xu Ying shook his head in despondency. His memories still could not piece together the truth behind Heaven-Human Induction and the Great Seal.
Even so, when the Great Seal of heaven and earth erupted, he had heard the familiar voice of the Heavenly Dao, and traces of Heavenly Dao divine artifacts had appeared in the sky.
*Could it be related to the Heavenly Dao world? No, there is something strange here!*
Xu Ying's heart trembled. During the Great Seal of heaven and earth, many sacred grounds had plummeted into the Cangwu Abyss, vanishing from the mortal realm, while Qi Refiners had evaporated directly from the human world without a trace.
Within the Cangwu Abyss, he had also seen countless immortal corpses and immense, monstrous eyes. Those seemed connected to heavenly fiends, to the Netherworld—not to the Heavenly Dao world!
Then what was with the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts and the voice of the Heavenly Dao that surfaced in his memories?
"Brother Xu, the immortal medicine of Jade Void Palace is about to appear,"
Zhao Zheng's voice drifted from ahead, unhurried and leisurely. "Nuo Lu, one of the six Nuo ancestors, will also show himself. The immortal medicine in his hands will soon find its owner."
Gathering his thoughts, Xu Ying quickened his pace to keep up with him and asked, "Brother Zhao, are you not going to vie for the immortal medicine? Rumor has it that this medicine belongs to Jade Void Palace, one of the six other shores. If a Nuo master can attain longevity merely by stealing the scent of medicinal fragrance from Jade Void Palace, then perhaps one truly might ascend by obtaining the palace's elixir."
Zhao Zheng smiled faintly. "No matter whose hands the immortal medicine falls into, so long as they do not ascend on the spot, it will belong to me in the end."
In no rush whatsoever, he continued measuring Mount Kunlun with slow, deliberate strides.
Seeing how slowly he walked, Xu Ying excused himself and left him behind, pressing on up the mountain.
Zhao Zheng watched his figure recede into the distance, then suddenly chuckled. "Our ageless immortal, We have finally met you once more. How intriguing that you are going to see the six Nuo ancestors. Back then, We used you as a sacrifice, offering you to the six Nuo ancestors just to draw them out."
He could not help laughing heartily.
"Those six Nuo ancestors failed to claim you back then. If they see you this time, how will they react? We cannot help but look forward to it."
He recalled the bits and pieces of his past with Xu Ying.
Back when he had lived in Zhao as a hostage prince sent from Qin, life had been far from pleasant. Fortunately, he had a playmate named Xu Ying, and he would often sneak out to mingle with Xu Ying in the bustling city streets.
That Xu Ying was a scoundrel of the Zhao streets, brawling everywhere and causing trouble, yet he was fiercely loyal and shared a deep bond with him. Whenever young lords and ladies of Zhao bullied Zhao Zheng, Xu Ying would fight back on his behalf.
Later, the two parted ways. Zhao Zheng returned to Qin, and within a few years, he became the King of Qin.
Afterward, he displayed grand talent and bold vision, conquering the Six States, sweeping across Shenzhou, uniting the world under one rule, and commanding awe throughout heaven and earth. Yet as he grew older, he came to realize the limits of a Qi Refiner's lifespan. Three thousand years seemed long, but it too had an end.
However, in forty-four thousand years, no one had become an immortal. Even the prominent righteous sects that enjoyed the protection of immortals possessed no way to achieve eternal life.
The Nuo methods circulating among the common folk piqued his curiosity, but upon closer examination, they proved to be nothing more than bloody schemes of harvesting chives—turning others into great medicines to prolong one's own wretched existence!
As a great emperor, how could he tolerate such a thing?
And so he decreed a purge across Shenzhou, rounding up those chive-harvesters and anglers batch by batch, executing some and burying others alive. Naturally, those who practiced wicked, heterodox Nuo methods did not escape either; they too were rounded up and buried alive.
The manuals of Nuo methods were consigned to the flames.
This was the burning of books and burying of Nuo masters alive. Having done all this, he bore immense infamy, left exhausted in both body and mind.
It was then that someone presented an ageless immortal to him. Only then did he recognize the street scoundrel Xu Ying who had once led him into brawls, yet Xu Ying no longer remembered him at all.
"After we parted, you lived for more than a hundred lifetimes. Your countenance remained unchanged, just as it was a thousand years before. Some told Us that you were a humanoid immortal medicine of longevity, urging Us to consume you so that We might attain eternal life,"
Zhao Zheng murmured softly. "Had eating you truly granted eternal life, We would certainly have partaken. But fortunately, Xu Fu uncovered your origin, and only then did We learn that you have endured far longer than I ever imagined. Xu Fu said you were someone who walked down from the immortal mountains, and that you knew the whereabouts of the three immortal mountains and how to reach them.
"Since you did not remember Us, naturally you did not remember where the immortal mountains were. But We had a way to make you remember. Having unified Shenzhou, We had no shortage of extraordinary talents and all manner of magic treasures in Our court. Even if those fell short, celestial treasures could be borrowed. We mobilized three thousand Ascension-stage Qi Refiners to unravel the reason behind your lost memories."
That had been a colossal undertaking. The finest powerhouses and greatest minds all congregated in Xianyang to decipher the secret of the seal upon Xu Ying.
Yet it had also been an unimaginably terrifying venture. A mysterious and dreadful power invaded, descending from beyond the heavens in an attempt to stop Zhao Zheng.
The iron cavalry of Great Qin, though unmatched across the world, could not hold them back!
They butchered their way into Xianyang and stormed the Imperial Palace. More than half of the three thousand Ascension-stage Qi Refiners were slaughtered. Yet precisely at the moment they breached the palace, a tiny sliver of the ageless immortal's memories was finally unsealed.
Though only a tiny sliver had been unlocked, it had forced them to retreat, not daring to trespass again.
Xu Ying still did not remember his past, yet he had grasped terrifying power.
"We selected young boys and girls from various sects to accompany you and Xu Fu to the three immortal mountains. We thought you would bring back the three immortal mountains, yet you were the only one who returned. We believed you had failed, until four thousand years later when We met Xu Fu once again."
Zhao Zheng looked composed, musing silently in his heart, *You succeeded after all. My ageless immortal, you did not fail my expectations. You found the immortal mountains, but you did not hand them over to me. You betrayed Us. You made a fool of Us. Sacrificing you to the six Nuo ancestors in exchange for these four thousand years of lifespan was no loss to Us either.*
He gazed toward Jade Void Peak of Mount Kunlun, looking at Jade Void Palace nestled within immortal light and immortal fire, and whispered:
"Now that We have reached Kunlun, We no longer need you, ageless immortal. This time, We shall seize eternal life for Ourselves!"
***
While continuing to unlock the memories of lifetime after lifetime, Xu Ying hurried in the direction of Jade Void Palace.
His recollections reached back three thousand years. The memories from this period grew harrowing, for back then, Qi Refiners abounded.
Many knew of him—they knew there was an ageless immortal living in this world like an eternal youth, frequently changing identities.
His past was filled with tragic encounters. He had been treated as an immortal medicine, captured to brew elixirs, eaten raw, and had his blood drunk.
The humiliation and torture he suffered caused all manner of dark impulses to sprout in his mind, making him yearn to slaughter everything in sight.
Yet among those experiences, there were also wondrous moments.
One such wondrous memory took place beneath Mount Jiuyi, where he met a young girl.
The girl was named Qingbi, and she lived on Mount Jiuyi. Whenever Xu Ying went up the mountain to hunt, he would run into her. Qingbi would call out to him, chat with him, and sometimes accompany him on his hunts; he even learned several Qi Refinement techniques from her.
Qingbi would tell him about the troubles she encountered in her cultivation and speak of her master, worried that she would grow old just like her master had.
They talked about many things, and a tender affection seemed to blossom between them. Yet they always remained pure and proper, never crossing any line.
These wondrous sentiments came to an abrupt halt with Qingbi's disappearance.
As though sensing the budding affection between them, Qingbi had consciously avoided him. She had not waited for Xu Ying to vanish; rather, she had departed on her own initiative.
It was as if she knew that such feelings could bear no fruit.
Xu Ying traced his memories even further back. During that stretch, he had crossed paths with Qingbi several more times. Occasionally, the girl would stand in the distance watching him without approaching; other times, they simply brushed past each other.
"South of Xiaoxiang, the Cangwu Abyss. Beneath Mount Jiuyi, the ageless immortal."
Revisiting these words now, Xu Ying felt an unusual, melancholic stirring in his heart.
Putting those strange sensations aside, Xu Ying continued tracing back through that era, all the way to the late Qin dynasty. He saw himself crouching in the woods, imitating a fox's cry: "Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall be king! Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall be king!"
That cry had heralded the burial of Great Qin's empire.
*Doing that was rather unfair to Zulong,* Xu Ying thought with a touch of guilt.
Up ahead, Jade Void Palace drew closer and closer. Xu Ying's memories traced back to the Qin era.
When the memories of that lifetime awakened, he was atop an altar, surrounded by all manner of precious treasures and sacrificial beasts, occupying the foremost position.
Among the offerings, he was the most dazzling of all. Surrounded by sacrifices, he was draped in gold and silver, looking thoroughly festive.
"Damn that Zulong!"
Xu Ying grunted, cursing inwardly, *Serves you right that I overturned your empire!*
Next, he saw Emperor Zulong in his memory, and his face darkened further. The Emperor Zulong who had used him as a sacrificial offering to the heavens was none other than the Zhao Zheng he had met on the mountain just moments ago!
Fury flared in Xu Ying's chest. He nearly turned on his heel to charge back and settle the score, but stopped himself, regaining his composure.
*Even someone as formidable as Xu Fu was beaten into fleeing in disgrace by him. Why make a fool of myself?*
Turning back, Xu Ying continued rushing toward Jade Void Palace, thinking, *When I track down Xu Fu another day, we'll give him a sound thrashing together.*
More memories from that lifetime surged forth like a tidal wave. He saw the scene of the sacrificial rite: the sky collapsed, and six immensely towering and ancient figures emerged, distorting the firmament, the silhouettes of the Kunlun mountain range stretching behind them.
Those six ancient beings cast shadows that blotted out the Kunlun mountains, looking impossibly formidable.
Behind their heads hovered phenomena of immortal fire, the Nether Sea, jade skies, Xuanhuang Qi, and the Sea of Chaos. Faintly visible within these phenomena were visions of celestial palaces, immortal halls, precious pagodas, and layered pavilions!
As they seized the offerings, they told Emperor Zulong that this was not enough to exchange for eternal life.
Their gazes fell upon Xu Ying, their eyes brimming with greed as each reached out toward him.
Their six voracious faces covered the entire sky—as though they were not the Nuo ancestors who commanded the immortal medicine, but rather, Xu Ying was the immortal medicine in their eyes!
Xu Ying jerked his head up. Before Jade Void Palace up ahead, the figure of one of the Nuo ancestors came into view, matching one of the six faces that had blocked out the heavens!
Nuo Ancestor Nuo Lu.
A white-haired immortal elder, towering like a mountain, with a large red-spotted serpent coiled around his body, his countenance appearing benevolent and kind.
That red-spotted serpent was formed from the immortal qi on his body. Cloud mist swirled around the serpent, lifting Nuo Lu off the ground to tread upon the clouds.
Looking at Nuo Lu, more memories came rushing back to Xu Ying.
Back then, Nuo Lu and the other five Nuo ancestors had fought bitterly in the sky to claim him, each desiring to possess Xu Ying for himself. Their greed sent chills down one's spine—these were definitely no true Nuo ancestors!
Anyone capable of being the first to open the six secret realms could never be so avaricious!
In front of Jade Void Palace, countless figures had already gathered, all waiting for Nuo Ancestor Nuo Lu to retrieve the elixir from inside. A fierce struggle was inevitable!
As Xu Ying walked forward, he saw corpses strewn everywhere along the way—both Nuo masters and Qi Refiners—with heavy casualties on all sides.
Smiling, Nuo Ancestor Nuo Lu turned toward the immortal fire outside Jade Void Palace, preparing to retrieve the medicine.
He entered the immortal fire without burning, the flames parting on either side of their own accord.
The onlookers held their breath, daring not speak or make the slightest sound.
"Hey, old man!" Xu Ying called out loudly.
Hearing that voice, Nuo Ancestor Nuo Lu shuddered slightly and whipped his head around, and the immortal fire instantly surged toward him.
Chapter 244