"I lost an opportunity to curry favor with Xu Ying."
The earth rumbled and shook as the Cangwu Abyss crept steadily forward, arriving near Taizhou. An old man wearing a crown of thorns and leaning on a wooden staff came walking along.
This old man was none other than the God of Cangwu. Seeing from afar that Xu Ying had nearly been swallowed by the colossal eye of Weixu, he had just been preparing to intervene when he saw blossoms open and close behind Xu Ying, who had somehow escaped right under the colossal eye's gaze. He could not help feeling secretly vexed.
"If only I had arrived one step sooner, I wouldn't have had to give away my daughter!"
He did his best to rein in his influence, walking slowly forward. Yet he was the God of Cangwu after all; wherever he stepped, a fissure still opened in the earth.
Tearing open the boundary between the Yin and Yang realms, the rift was bottomless!
Fortunately, he strove with all his might to restrain his power, so the crack was not wide.
Still, if he were to walk all the way from west to east along the Yuanshou world's centerline, the entire Yuanshou world would likely be cleaved clean in two!
"Fortunately, Xu Ying is not far away now."
A surge of anticipation rose in the old man's heart. "He has met my daughter Xiangxiang. Who knows, perhaps they are already fond of each other. Once I marry my daughter to him, he will be my son-in-law. When a father-in-law grows thirsty, asking for a ladle of Jade Pool immortal water to drink would only be reasonable."
Xu Ying stood before the shrine, carefully inspecting the immortal insect inside the cage.
This creature was an Immortal Dao organism. The Immortal Dao was so powerful that it could create living things, and this immortal insect was a creation of the Immortal Dao.
Only a single insect remained in the cage. Earlier, that immortal had manifested through the swarm into an insect man. After Xu Ying crushed him, the immortal's divine consciousness and dharmic power had been devoured clean by the insects, leaving not a scrap behind!
"This kind of immortal insect is truly terrifying. That illiterate immortal didn't know how to decipher the 'Prison' character rune, which means he probably didn't create the immortal script composing the insect either. He was merely an end user."
Xu Ying put away the immortal insect and approached the front of the shrine. Unable to suppress the excitement in his chest, he peeled off the two demon-suppressing talismans enshrined within.
Without incense, the two demon-suppressing talismans were nothing more than scrap paper, lacking even a shred of suppressive power!
Yet to Xu Ying, these two demon-suppressing talismans were far from scrap paper!
In fact, their significance was immense!
He unfolded the talismans and carefully inspected the Immortal Dao runes upon them. One of the talismans was the one that had suppressed him in the past, reading: "Commissioned by Heaven, forever suppressed in this life; imprisoned and trapped, sealed and encircled."
Yet the content of the other talisman was vastly different!
There were only eight Immortal Dao characters inscribed on that demon-suppressing talisman, reading: "Desolation, ruin, ferocity, sorrow; tyranny, savagery, obstinacy, benightedness."
Xu Ying studied the demon-suppressing runes and murmured under his breath, "Strange. These eight runes aren't a seal; they look more like a curse. What do these eight characters mean? I'll have to ask Qi Ye..."
"Master Xu!"
A voice weathered by age called out. Xu Ying immediately put away the two demon-suppressing talismans and looked back, only to see a grey-robed old man leaning on a wooden staff walking toward him. Pale grey mist swirled around him, flowing like a waterfall in an endless cycle.
The grey-robed old man walked up to him and smiled. "It really is Fellow Daoist Xu."
Puzzled, Xu Ying asked, "May I ask who the elderly gentleman is?"
The grey-robed old man beamed. "This old man's origins are extraordinary. At the first cleaving of Hongmeng, when humankind was newly born and consciousness remained chaotic, the myriad worlds of the heavens were linked together, resting in close proximity. But the people of that time were ignorant, believing that every celestial phenomenon was governed in secret by deities. So, people thought..."
Right then, another voice called out from the air: "Master Xu!"
Xu Ying looked up and saw a Qi Refiner of the Great Zhou descending on a cloud.
This Qi Refiner was an acquaintance of his: Grand Groom Gongyang Ce of the Son of Heaven of Zhou.
Gongyang Ce cut off the grey-robed old man's words, bowed, and said, "His Majesty and the Grand Preceptor were worried about Fellow Daoist Xu's safety. They ordered the soldiers of Great Zhou to search high and low, fearing that you might have fallen victim to the Nuo ancestors or the anglers. What immense fortune that I ran into Master Xu here today! Master Xu, please come with me to Haojing!"
Xu Ying's heart stirred, and he asked, "Are a few of my friends in Haojing as well?"
Gongyang Ce replied, "Qi Ye, Lord Bell, and Master Grass are currently with Heavenly Artisan Zhu, saying they need to temper magical treasures."
Xu Ying hastily said to the grey-robed old man, "Old gentleman, I have urgent matters to attend to. Please excuse me."
The grey-robed old man was about to speak again, but Xu Ying and Gongyang Ce had already leaped into the air. The auspicious cloud steered by Gongyang Ce was a flying magical treasure; the two of them stood upon it, heading toward Haojing.
The old man could only hear their voices drifting back:
"Master Xu, who was that old man?"
"No idea. When I asked who he was, he started blabbering about Hongmeng, chaos, and ignorance. Probably some god who isn't living very comfortably; I sensed incense smoke qi on him."
The grey-robed old man's face flushed red with embarrassment. He hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hold on! Master Xu, this old man's name is Cangwu! I have a daughter! I really do have a daughter! You've met her before!"
Hearing this, Gongyang Ce chuckled. "Master Xu, that old man says his name is Cangwu and that he has a daughter—as if she's so impossible to marry off!"
Xu Ying was startled, then smiled. "Taipu, look at my face. Has it turned fair?"
Gongyang Ce examined his face carefully and shook his head.
Xu Ying looked down, thoroughly bewildered. "Since my face hasn't turned into a fair-skinned kept boy's, why would an old gentleman bring up his daughter the moment we meet? Could his daughter really be impossible to marry off...?"
His gaze suddenly fell behind the grey-robed old man. A slender crack followed the old man's footsteps, extending endlessly forward.
And far in the distance along that crack, the earth was cleaved wide open, forming a colossal chasm—and the farther away it went, the wider the abyss became!
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. "Cangwu, Cangwu... daughter, met before... Wait! Taipu, let's go down!"
Grand Groom Gongyang Ce was anxious, but he still descended as told, saying, "Master Xu, His Majesty and the Grand Preceptor have already been waiting for several months."
Unconcerned, Xu Ying smiled. "Since they've waited several months, waiting a little longer won't hurt."
Stepping off the auspicious cloud, he greeted the grey-robed old man and smiled. "Old gentleman, what is your daughter's name?"
Gongyang Ce blinked, thinking to himself, *So Master Xu took a fancy to this old codger's daughter. Why didn't he say so earlier? If he fancied his daughter, I would have just gone over, kidnapped the girl, held a sword to this old codger's throat, and forced her to comply! If she still refused, we'd turn a funeral into a wedding, chop off the old man's head, and enter the bridal chamber tonight!*
The grey-robed old man chuckled. "Master Xu, this old man's daughter is named Xiang. She is the Goddess of the Xiang River in Chu."
Remembering the name Chu Xiangxiang, Xu Ying came to a sudden realization. He smiled and said, "Taipu, I won't be going to Haojing after all. I'm going with this old gentleman to the Cangwu Abyss. Go back and tell the Son of Heaven of Zhou that if he is interested, he can come to the Cangwu Abyss to see me."
Gongyang Ce was furious, but remembering the instructions of the Son of Heaven of Zhou and Grand Preceptor Jiang, he forcibly suppressed his anger, thinking, *His Majesty and the Grand Preceptor ordered me never to offend him, saying our ascension depends on him. But this brat is really pushing his luck!... Magnanimous, I must be magnanimous, can't lose my temper!*
Xu Ying gave it some thought and added, "Taipu, tell the Son of Heaven of Zhou that if he doesn't find it too troublesome, he might as well move Haojing over to the Cangwu Abyss as well, saving him the extra trip."
"You!"
Gongyang Ce clenched his fists, veins throbbing across his knuckles. After a moment, he gave a thumbs-up, gritted his teeth into a smile, and praised, "Your wit is truly sharp. I am deeply impressed."
Xu Ying nodded slightly. "Tell the Son of Heaven of Zhou and the others to hurry. Also, tell Chanchan, Qi Ye, and Lord Bell to come to the Cangwu Abyss first."
With a smile on his face, Gongyang Ce nodded slowly. "Does Master Xu have any other instructions?"
"None. Off you go." Xu Ying waved his hand.
Still smiling, Gongyang Ce rose upon the cloud and drifted toward Haojing.
"Ha!"
A thunderous shout echoed from that cloud. A pale cloud in the distance suddenly exploded, and soon after, clouds even farther away burst one after another. Standing upon the auspicious cloud, Gongyang Ce vented his fury, clearing away all the clouds within a radius of over a thousand li!
"The insolent brat relies on being the Immortal to boss our Son of Heaven around! Not only does he want the Son of Heaven to visit him in person, but he even expects us to relocate the imperial capital! Outrageous!"
Only after flying far enough did Gongyang Ce unleash the wrath in his heart, sneering, "Once I get back, I will report this faithfully to the Son of Heaven and the Grand Preceptor, and have his head chopped off! Even that Heavenly Artisan Zhu's head, and that snake, that bell, and that stalk of grass—every last one of them shall be beheaded!"
Xu Ying watched Gongyang Ce depart, then turned to the grey-robed old man with a smile. "Brother Dao, after you."
Cangwu hastily said, "Master Xu, after you."
The two walked along the fissure. Xu Ying smiled and asked, "When Brother Dao was introducing himself earlier, you mentioned that at the beginning of Hongmeng, people believed celestial phenomena were governed by gods. What happened after that?"
Cangwu smiled. "Later on, people offered sacrifices to those celestial phenomena, and primitive Heavenly Dao gods gradually took shape. In this universe, there is a natural celestial phenomenon known as the Cangwu Abyss, a rift running through all worlds. People made sacrifices to this abyss, and thus the heavenly god within the abyss, Cangwu, came into being."
He smiled. "Beside Cangwu lies the Xiang River, and so there came to be a goddess. Master Xu, how is my daughter Xiangxiang's appearance?"
Xu Ying turned solemn and replied, "Miss Xiangxiang's beauty is elegant and exquisite, her eyes like the stars and the moon, her skin like mutton-fat jade. She embodies all the world's loveliness."
Cangwu burst into hearty laughter, stroking his beard. "How is my daughter Xiangxiang's character?"
Xu Ying spoke smoothly, "Miss Xiangxiang treats others with warmth and is exceptionally clever. She possesses none of the haughty arrogance of a heavenly god, but all the tender charm of a Xiang maiden. Being around her is like a refreshing spring breeze."
Cangwu laughed heartily. "Splendid, splendid!"
Xu Ying thought to himself, *The God of Cangwu is so proud of Chu Xiangxiang that he wants to brag about his daughter to everyone he meets. Fortunately, I learned how to praise girls from Qi Ye.*
Each carrying his own thoughts, the two gradually stepped into the Cangwu Abyss.
Cangwu asked, seemingly offhandedly, "Fellow Daoist Xu, what benefits did the Northern Emperor give you?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "The Northern Emperor and I address each other as fellow Daoists, and he treats me as a friend. He helped me eradicate the Primordial Spirit of Nuo Ancestor Nuo Xiang. Nuo Xiang had intended to ambush me, stationing many heavenly fiends on the other shore of the Nether Sea, waiting to strike the moment I opened my cave-heaven. Only thanks to the Northern Emperor's presence was I spared."
Cangwu hurriedly took mental note, thinking, *The Northern Emperor helped him eliminate a Nuo ancestor, slew numerous heavenly fiends, and saved his life. This will be tricky to match. There are only six Nuo ancestors in total; every one that dies is one fewer. Taking down one myself would be pushing my limits, but the real question is, how do I save his life?*
Xu Ying continued, "Though the Northern Emperor is somewhat reserved, he is truly warmhearted. He even helped me search for my past memories, not hesitating to offend the beings who sealed me, helping unseal my memories up to the late Shang and early Zhou era. Because of that, he had nowhere to call home and was forced to haul Mount Fengdu away into exile."
Speaking up to this point, a touch of melancholy washed over him, accompanied by a warm surge in his chest.
Remembering his various misfortunes in the past, he had once felt cynical and bitter, wanting nothing more than to eradicate everyone and leave the world washed pure and clean.
Yet thinking of how genuinely warmhearted the Great Emperor Beiyin was, he realized good people still existed in the world, which lessened his hostility.
Listening to this, Cangwu found himself truly stumped.
*That fellow Beidi did so much for him, even getting forced to carry Fengdu on his back and wander. There's no way I can go that far.*
He sighed inwardly, thinking, *All I have to offer is a good daughter... but a daughter alone isn't enough!*
In his heart, he silently cursed the Great Emperor Beiyin for doing too much for Xu Ying, thinking, *No matter what, I must kill a Nuo ancestor, seize a Nuo ancestor cave-heaven for him, and then have him marry Xiangxiang. Only then will I appear sincere! That bastard Beiyin has bullied this old man into a corner!*
Then he recalled another titan of the Netherworld, and could not help feeling a streak of smug satisfaction: *That old fellow also wants to beg for a ladle of Jade Pool immortal water. He'll probably have to pay an even steeper price!*
Suddenly, Cangwu grew cautious, leading Xu Ying to avoid areas illuminated by light as much as possible.
Surprised, Xu Ying whispered, "Brother Dao, what is it?"
Before his words had fully faded, two thick beams of light shone down from overhead, tracking toward his voice!
Cangwu hurriedly pulled him into the shadows, dodging the two pillars of light. Xu Ying peered outward and saw that the owner of those beams of light was a strange, expressionless man holding a long whip, flying directly above the Cangwu Abyss.
Xu Ying's heart stirred. He had seen people like this before: those who monitored the abyss, known as Abyss Watchers.
They were extremely mysterious and never interacted with the outside world. Carrying whips, whenever an anomaly arose in the abyss, they would lash downward mercilessly until the anomaly vanished!
Only after the Abyss Watcher had flown far away did Cangwu whisper, "Those people are monitoring me. At every turn, they whip my corpse, forcing my dead body to drag the Netherworld into invading the Yang realm... Ahead lies the Cangwu Secret Realm, the place where I dwell. Daughter, Xiangxiang! An honored guest has arrived—"
***
Haojing.
Grand Groom Gongyang Ce rushed with all his might, finally returning. Upon hearing the news, the Son of Heaven of Zhou summoned him immediately. Gongyang Ce recounted Xu Ying's words verbatim, feeling smug inside: *When the Son of Heaven is enraged, blood flows in rivers. What 'Immortal'? Behead them all! Once the Son of Heaven gives the command, I will go kill Zhu Chanchan and that snake to be buried alongside the Immortal...*
The Son of Heaven of Zhou pondered for a moment, then issued an order: "Very well, then we shall relocate Haojing to the Cangwu Abyss."
Overjoyed, Gongyang Ce drew his sword and beamed. "This official shall go claim his head at once... Wait, what did Your Majesty say?"
With a solemn expression, the Son of Heaven of Zhou stood up and looked south. "The God of Cangwu must be the Great Emperor of Cangwu of the Netherworld, one of the four titans of the Netherworld. Since Fellow Daoist Xu thinks so highly of Us, We should naturally go in person. Go quickly, summon Heavenly Artisan Zhu!"
Gongyang Ce was both shocked and terrified, his mind thrown into chaos. Upon hearing the order to summon Heavenly Artisan Zhu, he could not help feeling thrilled, his voice trembling: "Is Your Majesty going to have her beheaded?"
The Son of Heaven of Zhou glared at him and snapped, "Relocating Haojing to the Cangwu Abyss cannot be done without Heavenly Artisan Zhu!"
Feeling exceedingly wronged, Gongyang Ce cried out, "Your Majesty, that wasn't what you said on the Divine Boat of the Other Shore! Back then, in front of all the civil and military officials, you said you'd behead me to sacrifice to the flag upon our return! You still haven't beheaded me!"
The Son of Heaven of Zhou roared furiously, "Dare mention this again, and I'll behead you first as a sacrifice to Heaven! Go invite Heavenly Artisan Zhu at once, and treat her with courtesy! And summon the Grand Preceptor as well; We have matters to discuss with him!"
Chapter 285