"There is another problem: Immortal Elder Wuji has seen me before."
Cold sweat covered Xu Ying's palms. After he killed Gu Feiyu, Immortal Elder Wuji had manifested an avatar through a gold-scripted immortal talisman, only to be sealed by Xu Ying and fed to insects.
Even if Xu Ying could fool the Wuji Sect's immortal artifact, Nuo Peng would expose his disguise the moment she met Immortal Elder Wuji.
*What should I do now? Launch a surprise attack directly?*
Leading the way, Xu Ying's eyes flickered. If he launched an ambush now, with his current divine abilities bolstered by the heart power from the Crimson Palace cave-heaven, he could definitely wound Nuo Peng.
Having unlocked his memories from the time he set out to sea with Xu Fu, he had recalled several ancient divine abilities and could already hold his own against formidable beings. However, slaying a Nuo Ancestor—even an injured one—was still near impossible.
Though the six Nuo Ancestors were impostors, they were originally immortals who had descended to the mortal realm. They had spent tens of thousands of years harvesting the people of the world and had amassed an unfathomable store of six-secret immortal herbs.
A Nuo Ancestor cave-heaven could fully refine immortal herbs. In that respect, the cultivation of the six Nuo Ancestors was peerless—surpassing even those anglers!
If Xu Fu had not severely wounded the six Nuo Ancestors that day, all fifty-three anglers combined would likely have died at their hands!
Suddenly, a resonant, measured voice drifted through the air, leisurely asking, "Nuo Peng, you masquerade as a Nuo Ancestor, deceiver of the world who reaps mortal lives—what punishment do you deserve?"
Then came a woman's voice, chuckling. "On Kunlun, you were revered as an esteemed Nuo Ancestor, enjoying the sacrifices of the entire world. Perched so high, worshiped by countless mortals as their ancestor—even immortals could hardly live as joyfully as you. Did you ever imagine that the day would come when you would be reduced to a stray dog fleeing for your life?"
Yet another voice chimed in. "Hand over your Nuo Ancestor cave-heaven, and we will grant you a way out alive."
Nuo Peng's weathered face twisted between shadow and light. She let out a dry cackle. "Three little ghosts projecting their voices from ten thousand li away, trying to goad me into revealing my location. You underestimate this old woman."
A sinister look crossed her face as she snarled, "However, you three little wretches have revealed your own positions as well—you've split up. Battered as I may be, taking out one of you is still trivial!"
She abruptly shot into the air and vanished from sight, her voice echoing back from afar: "You two, go prepare the immortal artifact! I will be right back!"
Xu Ying let out a breath and immediately transmitted his divine sense: "Lord Qi, Lord Bell, I am Sect Master Gu Feiyu of the Wuji Sect, and Shi Yuqing is my wife. Nuo Ancestor Nuo Peng will return shortly and coerce us into retrieving the sect's protecting immortal artifact. Be on your guard!"
Inside the golden hall ahead, the bronze bell and Yuan Qi instantly understood his meaning upon hearing the transmission, realizing that Xu Ying and Shi Yuqing were being held under duress. The bronze bell quickly turned to Yuan Qi and asked, "Lord Qi, what do we do?"
Yuan Qi rapidly flipped through the records of the Wuji Sect and said, "I just read about this in their archives. It mentioned the sect's protecting immortal artifact... let me check... found it!"
He hastily replied via divine sense: "Sect Master, the protecting immortal artifact of the Wuji Sect is the Wuji Chart! It is enshrined within the Wuji Immortal Pavilion on the Fengshan Platform!"
"The Fengshan Platform!"
Xu Ying hurriedly leaped into the air and scanned the surroundings until he spotted the platform. Sure enough, a pavilion stood atop it.
Suddenly, brilliant rays of light flared across the night sky ten thousand li away, painting the heavens as if they were on fire.
Xu Ying looked into the distance and saw an enormous halo of a cave-heaven suddenly manifest ten thousand li away. Incomparably radiant, it resembled a hollow solar ring, and on its far side lay the Sea of Chaos!
Vast and boundless, an ocean hung beyond the heavens. Two enormous serpents—one black, one white—slithered down through the cave-heaven. Illuminated by its glow, they appeared startlingly lifelike as they struck down from beyond the firmament!
The sky ten thousand li away trembled violently. Even on Mount Tai, Xu Ying and the others could feel the soul-shaking shockwaves rolling over them!
Nuo Peng had tracked down one of the anglers hunting her and was locked in combat!
Knowing time was of the essence, Xu Ying pressed on: "Which ancestral master does the Wuji Chart belong to?"
Yuan Qi's divine sense replied: "Immortal Elder Wuji!"
*It really is him!*
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. He urgently transmitted: "Come out of the golden hall at once! We will use the wooden door to escape into one of the ancestral tombs. Once Nuo Peng can't find us, she will leave..."
Before he could finish, a rainbow streak cut across the sky. Nuo Peng descended with a dripping, bloody head in her grip, crashing down not far from him and sending shattered rocks flying in all directions.
That severed head belonged to none other than one of the fifty-three anglers who had "ascended"!
*Too late,* Xu Ying's heart sank.
Nuo Peng coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood as soon as she hit the ground, laughing grimly. "These little brats took far too much for granted, thinking that just because Xu Fu wounded me, they could walk all over this old woman. Heh heh... you eye someone else's immortal herbs, while they eye your life! This little wretch was quite the tonic!"
She began coughing violently again. Although she had slain one of the anglers, the clash had clearly exacerbated her injuries.
Her condition was dreadful. When Xu Fu injured her, he had used Xu Ying's divine ability—slamming a bronze mountain peak against her physical body and Primordial Spirit, leaving behind grievous corporeal Dao wounds.
Then he had pierced her body with sword qi, tearing through her Realm of Xiyi and Primordial Spirit to damage her foundation, before finally branding her with an alien Great Dao forged of astral rivers!
Though the anglers had pursued her relentlessly for three months, the harm they had inflicted was far less severe than the wounds dealt by Xu Fu.
Over the past few days, her condition had deteriorated rapidly. Driven into a corner, she had no choice but to seek a way to contact the Immortal Realm.
Xu Ying's eyes flickered with thought. *The Mud Pill Palace harbors the immortal herb of physical vitality, capable of healing the flesh and granting immortality. Yet she continues to cough up blood, meaning those anglers inflicted severe Dao injuries that even my Mud Pill cave-heaven cannot mend.*
He said in a gentle voice, "Senior, your injuries are so severe. Why not recuperate for a few days before paying respects to our sect's immortal treasure?"
Nuo Peng sneered, "Are you trying to play tricks with me? Lead the way at once!"
Xu Ying had no choice but to fly toward the Fengshan Platform with her.
Suppressing her injuries, Nuo Peng wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. When she laid eyes on the Fengshan Platform, she froze for a moment, reminiscing about the past. With a sigh, she said, "Four thousand years ago, the Kunlun Ruins drifted into other worlds, and we six ancestors went to harvest them. We suddenly sensed a sacrifice offered to us by that sucker of an emperor from the Yuanshou world, who begged for longevity..."
*The Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai!*
Xu Ying listened intently. Although he had already recovered his memories of the Fengshan ceremony, they were only from his own perspective; he knew little of the wider details behind it.
The sucker of an emperor Nuo Peng spoke of was undoubtedly Zulong!
Shi Yuqing asked softly, "Senior, our Wuji Sect has resided on Mount Tai for generations, yet I know very little about the Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony, as the records have long been lost. Could you enlighten us, Senior?"
Nuo Peng glanced at her without the suspicion she held toward Xu Ying. "Your ancestral master, Immortal Elder Wuji, is an old acquaintance of mine. Originally, I planned to silence you both once I was done using you. But seeing as you know your place, I shall spare your lives."
Shi Yuqing was surprised and overjoyed. She bowed gratefully, thinking to herself: *What face did Martial Uncle Ah Ying give me? Why is Nuo Peng so pleasant to talk to?*
She was deeply curious about her current appearance, but she could hardly check her reflection in front of Nuo Peng.
The old crone waved her hand. "My reputation is already in ruins; there is nothing I cannot say. Four thousand years ago, that sucker of an emperor paid an exorbitant price for that sacrifice. We were originally immortals from the Immortal Realm—what treasures hadn't we seen? Yet the offerings he laid out even aroused our greed. But what tempted us most of all was a young man Zulong sacrificed."
They arrived at the Fengshan Platform.
Xu Ying stepped onto the platform, leading the way while listening closely.
Shi Yuqing's heart stirred. She shot a glance at Xu Ying and asked with a smile, "Senior, who was that young man?"
"A rebel."
Recalling the past, Nuo Peng murmured, "Those above said that was the rebel's seventh ascension. If he succeeded that time, catastrophe would ensue. We were ordered to intercept him on his path to ascension. We shattered the heavenly road and barely managed to bring him down. Far too many died."
Shi Yuqing was stunned. "The seventh ascension?"
She had initially assumed the rebel Nuo Peng mentioned was Xu Ying, but hearing about seven ascensions made her doubt herself.
Remembering the battle from all those years ago, terror surfaced on Nuo Peng's face as she muttered, "Top experts from every faction were mowed down like grass before him, cut down in a single blow! Even immortals were struck down with one strike each! Before him, I barely had the courage to raise a hand. I have never seen divine abilities like that..."
Shi Yuqing said gently, "Senior must be blessed with great fortune to have survived."
Her soft, soothing voice seemed to ease the turmoil in Nuo Peng's heart, steadying the old woman's emotions.
Calming her lingering fear, Nuo Peng shook her head. "It wasn't good fortune, but stubborn resilience. Those more skilled than me, of higher status, of greater talent—didn't they all end up dead by his hand, reduced to dust? Yet I survived. I outlived them all."
As they ascended the Fengshan Platform, stepping onto familiar ground, the image of Zulong offering sacrifices to Kunlun and the spectral silhouettes of the six ancestors appearing across the sky surfaced in Xu Ying's mind.
Nuo Peng's voice drifted into his ears: "Yet in the end, he was defeated. We suppressed him and severed his cave-heavens. His cave-heavens were exquisite treasures, but back then, nobody paid them any mind—no one cared about those six cave-heavens. The immortals who outranked us chose his God Bridge, his three passes, his Jade Pool, and his Twelve-Storyed Mansions. Heh heh... they carved up those treasures among themselves..."
Xu Ying's heart twitched, his voice growing somewhat hoarse: "They? Who were they?"
Nuo Peng chuckled. "Other suckers like us, of course! No, they were the biggest suckers of all! Back then, they were ordered to descend to the lower realm just like us, believing that disposing of that Great Villain would earn them promotions and noble titles. Little did they expect that the higher-ups would pull the ladder away right after!"
She broke into mad laughter, raving like a lunatic: "Those son-of-a-bitch lords in the Immortal Realm kicked away the ladder and forbade us from returning!"
She glared up at the sky, her face warped with malice as she snarled, "It was clearly promised that once we brought down the Great Villain, we would be allowed to return to the Immortal Realm and receive promotions! Yet the bastards wouldn't let us ascend, spouting nonsense about the Heavenly Dao, spouting nonsense about surviving tribulations! Cough, cough, cough!"
The old woman spat up mouthfuls of blood, her aura plunging.
Shi Yuqing hurried forward, taking out an immortal fruit and feeding it to her. "Senior, this is a fruit I found on Mount Kunlun. It might help heal your injuries."
Suppressing her Dao wounds, Nuo Peng shook her head. "You're a kindhearted girl, but my Dao wounds are beyond the cure of mere immortal herbs and fruits. Back then, the higher-ups ordered us to undergo tribulation to ascend. Damn them! How ferocious was that super heavenly tribulation? Who could possibly survive it? It was an outright trap to silence us!"
She cursed for a long time, foul language spilling endlessly from her mouth. Gone was any dignity befitting a Nuo Ancestor; she had completely discarded all pretenses.
"Heh heh, those fellows who outranked us chose the three passes, the mansions, and the God Bridge, thinking they had picked the better share. But when they realized they could never return to the Immortal Realm, panic set in—only then did they realize that choosing the cave-heavens was the true path."
The old crone chuckled. "Choosing the three passes, the mansions, or the Jade Pool only boosts one's dharmic power. But choosing the cave-heavens allows one to refine immortal herbs and attain immortality! By the time they realized that, it was too late. We had already refined the cave-heavens; how could we hand them over? These cave-heavens are extraordinary—they are Nuo Ancestor cave-heavens, the sole authentic legacy, capable of truly refining immortal herbs to grant eternal life. Not even the Undying People possess such a true heritage."
Shi Yuqing smiled. "Senior truly has a resilient fate."
Nuo Peng grew fonder of her by the second. "A pity there were six of us, and each could only claim a single Nuo Ancestor cave-heaven. If all six Nuo Ancestor cave-heavens could be gathered into one person, heh heh, then true longevity could be attained."
Reflecting on the past, the old woman continued, "We all thought the same way, so conflict was inevitable. Each of us wanted to kill the others to monopolize the six secrets. But none of us had the confidence to wipe out the rest and survive to the end. In the end, we had no choice but to cooperate, harvesting the people of the world under the guise of the Nuo Ancestors."
She bared her teeth in a grin. "All we needed to do was impart the Nuo methods to the emperors and accompanying officials who came to Kunlun to offer sacrifices, and they would spread the methods far and wide. The Nuo methods we passed down were genuine—they were the methods of the Undying People, never falsified. To reap the world, one must display a certain degree of magnanimity. But once they spread them to others, they tampered with them."
She laughed heartily. "You covet the immortal herbs in other people's hands, while they covet your life. The principle is that simple. We told them we possessed immortal pills capable of granting ascension, so they would return here to plead for those pills. Once they swallowed them, they became the immortal pills that fueled our longevity."
Shi Yuqing flattered, "Senior merely went with the flow of the human heart, and the human heart is the Heavenly Dao."
"When that sucker of an emperor offered up that young man in sacrifice all those years ago, we recognized him in an instant. It was him—the man who had undergone seven tribulations."
Nuo Peng sighed. "He was still alive. We had severed all his cultivation, yet he survived. Every one of us wanted him. We knew that only by obtaining him could we overpower the other five old bastards and seize their Nuo Ancestor cave-heavens. Alas, we were all too greedy, each wanting to keep him for ourselves..."
She shook her head.
Suddenly, Nuo Peng snapped back to reality. She barked harshly at Xu Ying, "Brat! I was talking to your wife—who told you to stop walking? Open this pavilion at once!"
Xu Ying stepped forward and pushed open the doors of the Wuji Immortal Pavilion. A vast and ethereal aura surged toward them from within.
Inside the pavilion sat a study, in which a scroll was enshrined on an altar. That had to be the Wuji Chart.
Xu Ying retrieved a few sticks of incense, lit them, and said to Nuo Peng, "Senior, if you wish to ask the immortal chart for aid, please offer incense to it. Only then will the chart help Senior contact the Immortal Realm."
Nuo Peng ignored the incense in his hand, sneering, "This old woman was originally an immortal and an old acquaintance of Immortal Elder Wuji. I don't even bow to him in person, so why would I offer incense to his chart?"
She strode forward and shouted, "Immortal Chart, awaken!"
The scroll abruptly unrolled. It was completely blank—a sheet of plain white paper—yet a wave of divine sense rippled from it: "So it is Fairy Pengyan! Greetings, greetings!" With that, the image of a young boy surfaced on the paper, bowing to Nuo Peng.
Nuo Peng said, "Dispense with the formalities. Inform your master that this old woman wishes to speak with him."
The immortal chart dared not tarry. After a brief moment, the scene within the painting shifted, revealing an immortal island adorned with lavish jade pavilions and halls of extraordinary splendor.
A white-haired old immortal appeared within the painting. He looked at Nuo Peng in surprise and remarked, "The Fairy Pengyan of the past has actually turned into an old crone today. Daoist Friend Pengyan, aren't you on Kunlun? What brings you to my Wuji Sect?"
Nuo Peng replied, "Kunlun was raided. I am currently being hunted, heavily wounded, and backed into a corner. Fortunately, one of your successors was still on the mountain; otherwise, I would not have been able to find you..."
The white-haired old immortal was none other than Immortal Elder Wuji. Surprised by her words, he said, "My Wuji Sect was wiped out long ago. Where would a successor come from?"
Nuo Peng froze in surprise. "It's Gu Feiyu..."
She turned around, only to see Xu Ying's face shifting into the very countenance that terrified her to her core.
A bronze mountain peak surged directly toward her, resonating with the wounds across her body. In an instant, the Dao injuries tore her entire frame apart—a divine ability that drove her into utter despair!
Chapter 268