In the sky, the stars shifted, pursuing the doomsday sun until it vanished into the Nether Sea. Only then did the astral bodies halt.
The stars glittered against the dark celestial vault.
"Xu Ying has been cast down!"
A voice resonated across the night sky. "Mister Dongyue did not protect him to the very end. Otherwise, it would have been quite troublesome for us."
"Mister Dongyue knows how to handle people tactfully; he feared us," someone murmured.
"A figure of his lofty status and great authority ought to be an astute man who recognizes the prevailing winds. Otherwise, he would never have lived until now."
Suddenly, the situation below caught their attention. The stars flickered unpredictably, slowly rotating around the vast, boundless expanse of the Nether Sea.
"What is that?"
"Nuo ancestor Nuo Xiang! The Bubbling Spring secret depository, the Lotus Flower cave-heaven, the Twelve-Storyed Mansions!"
Their auras stirred with intense excitement. "To think Nuo Xiang fled here! No wonder we couldn't find him for so long!"
"Now there are three Nuo ancestor cave-heavens! Obtaining these three cave-heavens will allow one to sever an opponent's Bubbling Spring, Crimson Palace, and Mud Pill secret depositories in succession, drastically reducing their magic power!"
Upon the surface of the Nether Sea, five masters were currently besieging Nuo Xiang. The strength of these five could be called the pinnacle among Qi Refiners; their magic power was towering and peerless, and they were well-versed in immortal arts lost since ancient times. Even though Nuo Xiang had once been an ascended immortal, he had suffered repeated wounds under their assault.
Back on Mount Kunlun, Nuo Xiang had been ambushed by Xu Fu, but having slipped away quickly, his injuries had been the lightest. Yet the five individuals besieging him were by no means ordinary.
While other anglers did their utmost to avoid contact with one another—knowing nothing about each other and keeping their distance—these five seemed to know one another inside and out.
They were all Qi Refiners from the same era: the Great Shang.
Judging from their divine arts, they walked the path of the Xuanbird lineage and likely hailed from the same sect. In all probability, they were Qi Refiners who had accompanied the Great Emperor of the Great Shang into Kunlun in ancient times to offer sacrifices to the ancestors.
However deferential they had been toward the Nuo ancestor back then, their strikes were now equally ruthless.
Having served as officials in the same imperial court, they knew one another intimately. Joining forces, they had hounded Nuo Xiang into the Netherworld, finally cornering him above the Nether Sea.
Without the other Nuo ancestors present, Nuo Xiang could not hold out alone. In particular, lacking Nuo Peng's Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven to heal his wounds, his injuries deepened continuously.
Nuo Xiang's expression turned vicious. His immortal qi transformed into pink and white lotuses. Standing amid the blossoms, he swung his cane, which also transformed out of immortal qi into a large speckled serpent. It whipped back and forth, meeting the five supreme masters head-on.
He had a tall, gaunt frame crowned with unkempt white hair. At this moment, both his garments and white hair were dyed crimson with blood.
Yet he still possessed the power to severely wound any one of the five, which kept all of them from daring to unleash a definitive, fatal blow.
Suddenly, the five noticed an anomaly in the sky, and a chill settled in their hearts. The stars in the firmament seemed ordinary enough, but their very presence was unnatural—for there were never supposed to be any stars above the Nether Sea!
"Someone else has their eyes on Nuo Xiang besides us. To kill him, we sacrificed a Bubbling Spring cave-heaven and endured endless hardships just to drive him to this desolate, godforsaken place! To think others would track him down anyway!"
The five harbored their own hidden motives and had been unwilling to be the first to step forward and trade lives with Nuo ancestor Nuo Xiang. Now, there was no time to hesitate. Exchanging glances, they let out long howls and activated their respective Hidden Scenery latent transformation grounds, revealing their true forms in the realm of the five immortals!
Apart from their Primordial Spirits having not yet reached the immortal realm, every other facet of their beings had attained the level of an immortal—even surpassing ordinary immortals!
A brilliant radiance instantly illuminated the Nether Sea. Immortal light billowed forth, transforming into apocalyptic Xuanbirds that swooped down toward Nuo Xiang amid the lotuses!
For a time, immortal might surged across the Nether Sea, and the Immortal Dao hummed, throwing the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth in this sea into chaos!
Drenched in blood, Nuo Xiang saw his white lotuses shattered and his speckled serpent torn to pieces by the Xuanbirds. As countless Xuanbirds lunged toward him, he shrieked fiercely, "If I can't live, none of you will either!"
Throwing caution to the winds, he stomped his foot heavily. The Nuo ancestor cave-heaven of the Bubbling Spring secret depository erupted, and boundless Nether Fire surged out from it, flooding the sea's surface in an instant!
In that single breath, the Primordial Spirits of both Nuo Xiang and the five supreme masters were ignited by the Nether Fire. Agony welling from the depths of their souls contorted their faces into grotesque grimaces!
That Nether Fire was an immortal fire used to refine soul immortal medicines, yet it was also extraordinarily perilous. Under normal circumstances, even if Nuo Xiang were to step into the Nether Fire, he would have to weave incantation hand seals with utmost caution to avoid the flames.
Now, however, bent on dragging everyone down with him, he unleashed the Nether Fire unconditionally, intending to make them all his burial companions!
The next instant, Xuanbirds lunged forward and burrowed into Nuo Xiang's body.
Nuo Xiang's body stiffened for a moment before raging flames ignited inside him, bursting from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. His mortal body was reduced to ashes by the Xuanbirds!
Yet no one noticed that Nuo Xiang's Primordial Spirit quietly slipped out. Instead of attempting to flee, it dove toward the Lotus Flower cave-heaven behind him.
The sky-engulfing immortal fire consumed everything, obstructing everyone's vision. Nuo Xiang's Primordial Spirit took advantage of the chaos to slip into the Lotus Flower cave-heaven.
The other five exerted all their strength to suppress the Nether Fire burning their bodies. However, one of them had received special attention from Nuo Xiang; more than half of the Nether Fire had poured into him. Seeing him standing rigidly motionless, the other four knew he had been gravely injured by Nuo Xiang.
That person was decisive, immediately flying backward and fleeing far away.
Knowing the Nuo ancestor cave-heaven was the true prize, the other four chose not to reap his life. Enduring the searing agony of the Nether Fire burning their souls, they charged forward, reaching out to seize the Lotus Flower cave-heaven.
At that very moment, Xu Ying activated the Extreme Intent Freedom Technique, hurtling forward like a streak of rainbow light. The young man zipped straight between them and, in the next instant, severed the Lotus Flower cave-heaven.
The Lotus Flower cave-heaven tilted and tumbled toward the Nether Sea. Attached to it was a long lotus stem, thick as a water bucket and over a dozen zhang long.
Having severed the Lotus Flower cave-heaven, Xu Ying hoisted it onto his shoulder without a second thought and bolted at full tilt!
He had no time to refine it now. After all, this was an opportunity Mister Dongyue had "secured" for him, so he had to seize it. This fleeting chance would slip away in an instant; if he ran too slowly, he would surely be blasted into dust by the four supreme masters!
"Drop it!"
Four voices roared simultaneously. The four Great Shang masters bellowed in unison, manifesting their Primordial Spirits all at once. Myriad-foot Primordial Spirits towered in the void behind them, ringed by wheeling Xuanbirds—a spectacle both magnificent and terrifying.
The immortal fire nearly melted the skies above the Nether Sea, dyeing the heavens crimson!
*Whoosh—*
The Primordial Spirits of the four reached out. Across ten thousand li, the sea's surface twisted and spun, swept by the wings of the Xuanbirds into whirling channels that became their fingers!
Spreading their five fingers wide, their reaching hands encompassed tens of thousands of li!
Xu Ying's Extreme Intent Freedom Technique was extraordinarily swift. Created by a martial genius, it was an art that disgraced the martial spirit and martial will, yet when it came to fleeing for one's life, it truly moved like wind and lightning, unmatched in speed.
Even with such an overbearing escape method, however, it was impossible to cover tens of thousands of li in a short span of time!
Hoisting the Lotus Flower cave-heaven, Xu Ying bounded and vaulted, slipping through the gaps between the gigantic fingers before emerging onto the back of a hand, skimming along its knuckles at breakneck speed.
Suddenly, the sea ahead exploded. Towering waves surged ten thousand feet into the air as the waters of the Nether Sea formed a colossal hand supporting the heavens, crashing down toward him!
Xu Ying pivoted midair, narrowly dodging the massive hand formed of seawater. He was startled. *That wasn't unleashed by the four Great Shang masters; this isn't their divine art. Could there be others here besides me?*
Only now did he notice the stars in the sky moving at breakneck speed. Dozens of stars had begun streaking like meteors!
Furthermore, meteors continuously split away, casting brilliant trails falling from the parent stars toward him. Each was a world-shaking divine art!
The power of these divine arts remained coiled and unreleased, but the moment they reached his vicinity, they would violently erupt to inflict grievous wounds upon him!
Xu Ying's heart tightened. *Mister Dongyue never told me there would be this many people here!*
The corners of his eyes twitched. Behind him were four supreme masters of the Great Shang era, still alive despite the burning Nether Fire; above him were formidable existences like the master of the Mud Pill Palace, the man in the bamboo hat, the vegetable farmer, and the woodcutter.
He had initially thought only five people were striking at Nuo Xiang, so he intended to play the oriole waiting behind the mantis. He never expected dozens of eagles to be tailing behind this oriole.
Gaze after gaze fixed intently on Xu Ying. Compared to Nuo Xiang, Xu Ying was of far greater value.
Nuo Xiang possessed only one Nuo ancestor cave-heaven, whereas Xu Ying held two.
And now, he held three!
The sky above the Nether Sea abruptly blazed with blinding brilliance as divine arts descended from above, warping the surrounding space-time. Just as Xu Ying was about to be engulfed by these arts, a gigantic fish leapt from the Nether Sea, opening its maw to swallow him whole.
*Splash!*
The giant fish plunged back into the Nether Sea. With a flick of its tail, a field of stars surfaced within the ocean.
The divine arts of the master of the Mud Pill Palace and the others crashed down upon the sea's surface. Those cataclysmic arts penetrated the depths, buffeting the stars, but their force grew weaker and weaker.
The pursuers hastily descended from the sky, diving into the Nether Sea to search, only to find that the seawater had transformed into countless stars, with the giant fish swimming among them.
"Is this an illusion or reality?"
Suddenly, they caught sight of the Nai River. Laden with countless ghosts, the Nai River flowed from the heavens of myriad realms into this star-studded expanse of ocean. The stars in this sea were not real stars, but the souls of the stars.
They stared in astonishment at the scene before snapping back to their senses. Rushing forward in pursuit, they drew closer and closer to the giant fish. Suddenly, someone pointed ahead and cried out, "The other shore! The other shore!"
The crowd hurriedly looked forward, their minds reeling in shock. Deep within the countless stars, immortal light erupted; viewed from afar, it looked like a lotus flower blooming in the starry sky!
That was the other shore—the other shore of the Nether Sea!
Beside the other shore lay an ancient mountain range, unimaginably colossal, dwarfing the stars. The giant fish was swimming precisely toward those mountains.
Pursuing the fish, they looked from a distance and saw massive characters written upon a mountain gate: "Fengdu."
Suddenly, the stars surged like a tidal wave of seawater, submerging them all. Wave after wave pushed them into the distance, carrying them further and further from the other shore.
Struggling in the water, they surfaced one after another. Yet all they saw was ordinary seawater—there was no giant fish, no Xu Ying, no stars, no other shore, and no Mount Fengdu.
Everyone was left baffled and unnerved.
Xu Ying stood inside the giant fish's mouth, hoisting the Lotus Flower cave-heaven and looking forward with a dazed expression.
Ahead of him, immortal light rose while Nether Fire burned, forming a sea of flames. In the center of that fiery sea stood a Twelve-Storyed Mansions, perfectly motionless amidst the fire.
Xu Ying lowered the Lotus Flower cave-heaven from his shoulder and peered inside. There, too, was a sea of Nether Fire, with a Twelve-Storyed Mansions standing within the flames.
Xu Ying glanced at the Twelve-Storyed Mansions in the Lotus Flower cave-heaven, then at the Twelve-Storyed Mansions ahead.
*Could they be the same place? Did this giant fish bring me to the other shore of the Nether Sea?*
Acting on a whim, he rummaged through his Realm of Xiyi and retrieved a magic treasure—an axe he had casually stowed away after the tomb raid with the Mount Tai Wuji Sect.
Xu Ying activated the axe and tossed it into the Lotus Flower cave-heaven.
Above the other shore ahead, the large axe suddenly plummeted from the sky, crashing into the sea of fire.
Enlightenment struck him. He hurriedly set about refining the Lotus Flower cave-heaven. As a Nuo ancestor cave-heaven that absorbed immortal medicine from the other shore of the Nether Sea, it inherently belonged to his lineage; refining it was entirely natural, presenting no difficulty whatsoever.
The moment he finished refining the Nuo ancestor cave-heaven and circulated it slightly, it completely refined all the soul immortal medicine accumulated within his body over the years, leaving not a single drop unrefined.
Xu Ying immediately felt the Golden Core within his Twelve-Storyed Mansions make a considerable advancement. Although his magic power remained insufficient, his soul power was now abundant; if he wished to break out of the cocoon and give birth to a Primordial Spirit, he could already do so!
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Ying held back from taking that step.
At present, he possessed three Nuo ancestor cave-heavens and walked the realm of the three immortals, giving him far greater magic power than before. Forging a Primordial Spirit would not provide as substantial a boost to his cultivation and strength, so he preferred to wait a little longer.
He wanted his Primordial Spirit to be utterly flawless.
The giant fish did not swim toward the sea of fire, but toward Mount Fengdu. This mountain was truly magnificent and imposing, rivaling Kunlun, yet it was dark as iron without the slightest semblance of a sacred peak, appearing grim and eerie instead.
The giant fish halted at the mountain gate. Just as Xu Ying was about to step out of its mouth, a voice came from behind him: "Pardon me, make way."
Startled, Xu Ying hurriedly stepped aside. An old man with a hunched back walked out from the fish's belly holding a clear oil lamp, then hopped down from the fish's mouth.
Setting down the lamp, the old man drew a rope from beneath the fish's neck and tethered the beast before the mountain gate.
Xu Ying stepped down from the fish's mouth. The giant fish swished its tail and gradually settled down.
Holding the clear oil lamp, the old man walked past the mountain gate and finally breathed a sigh of relief. In a soft, gentle voice, he said to Xu Ying, "Inside the mountain gate is my Dao arena. Within the gate, I can still use my magic power. Once outside, I can only rely on my mount to bluff and scare people. It wasn't that I was unwilling to help you kill a few of them just now, but that I couldn't act. The moment I strike, my bluff will be exposed."
Xu Ying blinked. "Senior..."
As if having been lonely for far too long, the old man rambled on, "Fellow Daoist Xu, please reveal your Lotus Flower cave-heaven. Let me forge a good affinity with you."
Suppressing his confusion, Xu Ying complied and manifested the Lotus Flower cave-heaven.
The old man brought the clear oil lamp to his lips and said, "I was the one who set the fire on the other shore back then. In recent years, I've grown useless, allowing many heavenly fiends to slip in and run amok... That fellow intends to ambush you. Outside the mountain gate, I couldn't have done anything to him, but now within my Dao arena, I've saved up a breath..."
He blew a long breath at the oil lamp. Instantly, a dragon of Nether Fire descended from the heavens upon the other shore of the Nether Sea, setting the entire shore ablaze!
Amid the sea of flames, Nuo ancestor Nuo Xiang's Primordial Spirit suddenly shot into the sky with a bloodcurdling scream before being reduced to ashes within the raging Nether Fire!
Within that fiery sea were also heavenly fiends that had possessed the physical bodies of Qi Refiners. Ignited by the Nether Fire, they twisted in agony and shrieked hideously—a sight too gruesome to behold!
Xu Ying jumped in fright, only now understanding why the old man had spoken of an ambush!
Who would have thought that Nuo Xiang had survived and even summoned so many heavenly fiends to lie in wait on the other shore of the Nether Sea!
If Xu Ying had opened the Lotus Flower cave-heaven, Nuo Xiang could have caught him off guard and led the heavenly fiends out to strike!
*If he had tried to seize my body...*
Xu Ying pondered. *He probably would have died an utterly miserable death, wouldn't he?*
After a moment, panting with exhaustion, the old man finally burned all the heavenly fiends and Nuo Xiang to death. Squeezing a faint smile onto his unaccustomed face, he said, "A good affinity. Fellow Daoist Xu, a good affinity."
Chapter 275