Hunting Xu Ying

"Someone is hunting the Nuo ancestors. Their goal is also the Nuo ancestor cave-heavens." Foolish Ah Fu quietly sorted through the information he had gathered, murmuring, "Lord Xu is the master of the Nuo ancestor cave-heavens. He has already obtained two of them; he is the true Nuo ancestor. "The anglers and chive-gatherers are also eyeing these Nuo ancestor cave-heavens. Aside from them, the faction behind that woman in palace dress is coveting them as well. "The Twelve-Storyed Mansions in her hands is greater than any magic treasure, possessing unfathomable power. Once activated, it can even slay Nuo Peng. There is Lord Xu's imprint inside the mansions, so it must be connected to him. "Her goal is also to gather all six Nuo ancestor cave-heavens. Activating all six cave-heavens can not only refine immortal herbs, but perhaps even allow ascension..." Thinking of ascension, he suddenly lost all interest. "Ascension? Heh heh, nothing more than a joke." Lying atop Zhou Qiyun's grave, he muttered softly, "Whether you can ascend doesn't depend on your wisdom, your strength, or your talent. Ascension merely depends on whether you have someone above you. If you have someone, even someone in the second Pass-Breaching stage can ascend." When one attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs rise to the heavens. Unfortunately, not just anyone could be a chicken or dog either. It depended either on being reincarnated well, or on being willing to lower one's head to become a chicken or dog. "A chicken or dog is something I refuse to be. What else can I do?" He drifted off to sleep, muttering, "Eat full, lie flat, wait to die. That is all." Not long after, Feng Xian'er woke him and said, "There are more and more disciples on Mount Jiuyi now. I plan to establish a monster Qi Refiner sect called the Jiuyi Sect. I can't handle it all alone, so come help me teach the disciples." The Jiuyi Sect was considered one of the larger monster sects near Lingling. However, south of Mount Jiuyi lay another monster sect called the Wuwang Sect, which was also a prominent sect. It stood against the Netherworld and enjoyed a resounding reputation. During the years the Wuwang Sect fought against the Netherworld, it had earned quite a reputation. Furthermore, its members cultivated both Qi Refinement and Nuo methods, advancing much faster than the Jiuyi Sect, which only practiced Qi Refinement. Feng Xian'er wanted to rival the Wuwang Sect, but she could hardly achieve this on her own, so she sought Foolish Ah Fu's help. Foolish Ah Fu lazily got to his feet, accepted a position in the Jiuyi Sect, and spent his days instructing the monsters in cultivation. The Qi Refinement techniques he taught were exceptionally pure, his divine powers exquisite, and his knowledge vast. Various divine powers and Daoist methods flowed naturally from his fingertips, and before long he earned considerable fame. Soon, everyone knew that the Jiuyi Sect had a Qi Refiner who had lost his mind but possessed immense power. Xu Ying fled the pursuing woodcutter and vegetable farmer, traversing hundreds of thousands of li to shake them off before slipping into the Netherworld from the Wangxiang Platform. Within the Wangxiang Platform, Xu Ying looked back and once again witnessed the destruction of Kunlun. The heavens tore open, and immortal gods descended one after another, laying siege to Kunlun. His homeland destroyed and history erased, only a handful of the Undying People had escaped the Kunlun Ruins to wander the mortal world. "Kunlun, when I return, you shall rise again!" Xu Ying withdrew his gaze, turned around, and continued forward. This time, he did not mistakenly blunder into the depths of the Wangxiang Platform, instead skirting along its outer perimeter. Even if danger arose, he could handle it. The Heavenly Daos within the Wangxiang Platform were twisted, and out-of-control immortal Daos continued to erode the place, spreading far and wide with increasing ferocity, allowing many bizarre creatures to wander within. Xu Ying arrived before Yuan Tiangang's former residence and suddenly thought, "Last time, Yuan Tiangang left the Wangxiang Platform saying he had calculated an immortal opportunity would appear. His divination was spot on—Kunlun reappeared in the world shortly after. I wonder if he went to Kunlun." Just as the thought crossed his mind, a curly-bearded man walked out from the courtyard. Surprised, Xu Ying hurried forward and asked, "Didn't Fellow Daoist Yuan enter the mortal world to seek an immortal opportunity? Why have you returned to the Wangxiang Platform to seclude yourself?" Seeing it was him, Yuan Tiangang was also surprised and delighted. He smiled and said, "Ah, Young Master Xu. I indeed calculated that the present age is an era of great transformation and that there would surely be immortal opportunities. Sure enough, Kunlun reappeared in the world shortly thereafter. I went to Kunlun as well and gained many benefits. But after seeing Xu Fu undergo his heavenly tribulation, I suddenly lost heart and stopped seeking any damned immortal opportunity." Xu Fu had crossed his heavenly tribulation, yet it was Xiao Haihou who ascended, without even pretending otherwise. This spectacle had chilled the hearts of all under heaven, leaving people like Yuan Tiangang who aspired to ascend utterly dispirited. "Xiao Haihou is dead. I killed him." Xu Ying paused before continuing, "Now a spot has opened in the Immortal Realm, which means one more person can ascend. Why must Fellow Daoist Yuan be so disheartened?" Yuan Tiangang shook his head. "If not Xiao Haihou, there will be Zhao Haihou or Zhou Haihou. The line of these young marquises could stretch from the Wangxiang Platform all the way to the Nai River Bridge. My Yuan family has no one in the Immortal Realm..." Xu Ying was filled with emotion. Taking his leave of Yuan Tiangang, he continued forward. He arrived at the Nai River Bridge and saw countless wronged souls upon it. Among them stood a towering giant in their midst, exceedingly conspicuous. The giant had rugged features and simple clothing, wearing only short trousers and a short shirt. Two thick iron chains were wrapped around his body, binding him like a guilty convict. "The master of the Mud Pill Palace!" Xu Ying felt a jolt of alarm. The master of the Mud Pill Palace was a descendant of the ancient giant clan who had inherited an ancient mission: bearing the heavy duty of suppressing the Wuwang Female Immortal. Yet by the generation of the master of the Mud Pill Palace, an unprecedented genius had emerged among the giant clan. Apprenticing under the suppressed Wuwang Female Immortal, he comprehended the profound mysteries of the immortal Dao, surpassed his master, and refined the Wuwang Female Immortal to death with a cup of tea! He resided on Mount Wuwang, opened the Mud Pill Palace in Qinyan Cave, and called himself the master of the Mud Pill Palace. Xu Ying gazed from afar at the master of the Mud Pill Palace in the middle of the bridge. When Zhou Qiyun crossed his tribulation to ascend, it was he who harvested Zhou Qiyun! It was also he who joined forces with Xu Fu to plot against the six great Nuo ancestors! Naturally, the master of the Mud Pill Palace had not died. He stood on the Naihe Bridge, certainly not for Granny Meng's broth, but to wait for someone. Waiting for a living person forced into the Netherworld. Now, that person had arrived at the Nai River Bridge. Meeting Xu Ying's gaze, he could not conceal his excitement, and the chains rattled with a sudden clatter. Granny Meng frowned slightly and coughed. Xu Ying took a step, choosing not to set foot on the bridge. Instead, he landed upon the surface of the river. His aura remained calm, yet inwardly he was tense, on high alert. He moved upstream, journeying deeper into the Netherworld. Yet the master of the Mud Pill Palace never made a move, as though waiting for the right moment. "Anglers like him have far more patience than others." Xu Ying looked back. The giant still stood on the Naihe Bridge, gazing in his direction, his features obscured and blurred by the gloom. Xu Ying withdrew his gaze and hastened his pace. Suddenly, a small boat came into Xu Ying's view. At the bow sat a man in a bamboo hat, upright and still, holding a fishing rod as he angled in the Nai River of the Netherworld. Xu Ying's scalp went numb. He moved to retreat, but turning around, he saw a tall figure standing faintly within the river's haze, accompanied by the clanking of chains echoing through the mist. Xu Ying took a deep breath and walked forward toward the small boat. With a low hum, the Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven and Crimson Palace cave-heaven emerged behind him. Chaotic immortal fire filled the Mud Pill Palace, and Tushita immortal flame permeated the Tushita Palace. Xu Ying strode forward, his momentum growing stronger and stronger. Whoosh— Immortal radiance suddenly swirled over the river as a Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground materialized, moving along with Xu Ying's figure. That latent transformation ground was the Immortal Realm: a bronze peak propping up heaven and earth and connecting to the Immortal Realm, an ancient tree eclipsing the stars, a great furnace swallowing the eight wastes and containing the sun, an abyss burying the Great Dao, inverted heavens and earth, the distant other shore... Xu Ying strode forward with steady steps. Previously, he had focused primarily on Qi Refinement, while the Nuo cave-heavens served merely as supplements. Though they significantly boosted his cultivation, now that he possessed two Nuo ancestor cave-heavens, Qi Refinement had instead become supplementary. As he advanced, the small boat entered his Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground. At the bow, the man in the bamboo hat suddenly pulled back his rod, hooking a catch. As though he had hooked a leviathan, he whipped the rod upward with tremendous force, sending Xu Ying's Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground spinning in turmoil, its Great Daos falling into chaos! What he had hooked was not a fish in the Nai River, but Xu Ying's Hidden Scenery ground! Suddenly, within the Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground, that inverted heaven and earth erupted, forcefully setting the reversed universe back to rights! With a sharp snap, the fishing rod in the hands of the man in the bamboo hat shattered. He sprang to his feet and clashed palms with Xu Ying as they crossed paths! Their palm power detonated, instantly halting the flow of the Nai River. In that moment, the mountains along both banks vanished, replaced by visions of the myriad heavens and realms! It was as though they were no longer on the Nai River in the Netherworld, but floating amidst the starry expanse of the primordial cosmos. Xu Ying groaned as his Two Immortals' Domain Hidden Scenery ground was pierced through by the small boat. Behind the man in the bamboo hat, two cave-heavens suddenly detached, spinning away into the starry expanse. In the next instant, the Nai River reconnected, the visions of the myriad heavens and realms dissipated, and the mountains and rivers along the banks reappeared. Xu Ying and the man in the bamboo hat had already crossed paths, standing over a hundred zhang apart. The man in the bamboo hat snatched the two descending cave-heavens and vanished in a flash. Suddenly, a long roar echoed from the distance as a pitch-black chain pierced through layers of thick mist. Resembling a venomous dragon or python, it grew increasingly massive as it lunged toward Xu Ying! The giant shrouded in the mist above the Nai River was striking, launching no direct confrontation, only unleashing his chain. Having exchanged two moves with the man in the bamboo hat, Xu Ying's breath was unsteady. He waved his hand at once, and a heavenly chasm plunged down, burying all Great Daos under heaven and swallowing the chain! In the next instant, the Abyss of Burying Dao exploded, and the rust-covered chain pointed straight toward the center of Xu Ying's brows! Xu Ying extended a finger and drew a light stroke before him. Countless stars rushed forward, surging into existence between him and the chain. Stars large and small clustered and swarmed in chaotic disorder, rising and falling in endless succession, while innumerable stars collided continuously! The chaotic stars formed an ocean of celestial bodies, widening the distance between him and the chain! The chain darted like a black dragon through the stars, exceptionally swift and agile. Yet stars relentlessly battered the chain, slowing it down and forcing it farther and farther from Xu Ying. Before Xu Ying could breathe a sigh of relief, on the opposite shore of the Sea of Chaotic Stars, an indomitable giant steadily straightened his posture, raised his palm, and shook it violently. The entire sea of stars was held within the giant's palm! The giant roared, his curly hair whipping wildly in the wind. Supporting the Sea of Chaotic Stars with a colossal hand that blotted out the sky, he smashed it toward Xu Ying! Xu Ying halted his steps. Behind him, a seven-colored divine tree that shrouded the sun and moon rose slowly, casting rays of brilliant light and auspicious vapors. Xu Ying raised his hand, and beams of radiant light and auspicious vapor from the seven-colored divine tree shot out like arrows, clashing against the colossal hand. As the hand drew closer, the collisions grew ever more violent! Flames of energy surged around Xu Ying. Within the two cave-heavens behind him, wrathful avatars manifested in each, causing the might of the seven-colored divine tree to grow ever stronger! Boom! Struck by a titanic force, Xu Ying skidded backward dozens of li, yet remained standing steadily atop the water's surface. He looked up. The master of the Mud Pill Palace stood on the water dozens of li away, making no move to pursue. Mist rolled in from behind the giant, submerging him within the vapor. Blood seeped from the corner of Xu Ying's mouth. He turned and continued walking along the river's surface. "It's not that the master of the Mud Pill Palace and the man in the bamboo hat don't want to keep me here; rather, neither wants to get hurt. For anglers like them, getting injured means turning into the fish that others prey on." Xu Ying looked up. Several stars were moving swiftly across the sky—those were not stars, but the gazes of powerful beings. These anglers were like jackals catching the scent of meat. Not a single jackal was willing to risk injury to take him down, for being wounded meant they might be devoured by their own kind. Yet they were more than happy to strike one after another, tearing wound after wound into Xu Ying until his strength was utterly exhausted! When that time came, they would swarm forward and tear him apart together! This was the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak! Xu Ying suppressed his injuries and strode forward. Before long, a golden bridge spanned across the Nai River, gleaming with golden light, etched with Dao images from the Great Shang era—the totems of an avian tribe. Suddenly, the golden bridge took flight, shrinking smaller and smaller until it turned into a golden carrying pole, clutched in a rough hand. Xu Ying took a deep breath and stepped toward the vegetable farmer. Behind him materialized a divine mountain reaching into the heavens, its peak piercing into the Immortal Realm and churning the clouds! Boom! Thunder and lightning raged around the bronze divine mountain as it shifted across space to meet the golden carrying pole! The vegetable farmer closed in, and their figures crossed. Xu Ying staggered, while a sword scar appeared between the vegetable farmer's brows, which promptly closed and healed. Xu Ying strode away as the vegetable farmer recalled his golden carrying pole. The carrying pole shrank until it became a flat golden leaf, adhering to the center of his forehead. His injuries worsening, Xu Ying looked up, only to see the stars in the sky resembling glowing ants, circling and crawling around his zenith. More and more anglers were fixing their eyes on him. Suddenly, another streak of starlight plunged from the sky, crashing toward the surface of the Nai River. Just as Xu Ying prepared to engage, the surface of the Nai River swelled high beneath his feet, and a colossal entity surged up from beneath this mythic river! Thinking of ascension, he suddenly lost all interest. "Ascension? Heh heh, nothing more than a joke." Lying atop Zhou Qiyun's grave, he murmured softly, "Whether you can ascend doesn't depend on your wisdom, your strength, or your talent. Ascension merely depends on whether you have someone above you. If you have someone, even someone in the second Pass-Breaching stage can ascend." When one attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs rise to the heavens. Unfortunately, not just anyone could be a chicken or dog either. It depended either on being reincarnated well, or on being willing to lower one's head to become a chicken or dog. "A chicken or dog is something I refuse to be. What else can I do?" He drifted off to sleep, muttering, "Eat full, lie flat, wait to die. That is all." Not long after, Feng Xian'er woke him and said, "There are more and more disciples on Mount Jiuyi now. I plan to establish a monster Qi Refiner sect called the Jiuyi Sect. I can't handle it all alone, so come help me teach the disciples." Within the great sun, a shadow appeared, both hands grasping the chains that bound the Golden Crow and giving them a powerful whip. The Golden Crow's skeleton accelerated, shooting through the void! From afar, the master of the Mud Pill Palace, the man in the bamboo hat, and the others looked toward this Netherworld sun and the skeletal Golden Crow, their brows deeply furrowed. "With such a colossal Primordial Spirit, just what is the background of this Mister Dongyue?" the master of the Mud Pill Palace muttered in bewilderment as he looked at the shadow within the sun. The shadow within the sun was an ancient Primordial Spirit.