Xu Ying touched his face, only to find it wet with tears without him even realizing when they had begun to fall.
*Perhaps there truly are people in this world who can foresee the future,* he thought silently.
Seeing tears stream down his face, Chu Xiangxiang and Zhu Chanchan had no idea what had happened. Yuan Qi, however, hooked his tail around Xu Ying's shoulders and patted him gently in comfort.
Xu Ying said in a low voice, "Seventh Master, I remembered my parents—only a few fragments."
Yuan Qi smiled and said, "That's a good thing. The Immortal Realm's seal on you is growing weaker. The more you remember, the stronger you will become."
Xu Ying nodded gently.
At a moment like this, only the giant serpent who had accompanied him the longest truly understood him, sensed his grief, and could soothe the sorrow in his heart.
Xu Ying picked up the second sheet of paper written by Zhu Chanchan, which contained the induction chapter for the Crimson Palace. He read through it carefully, yet this time he did not reenter the memories of Xujiaping.
Putting this sheet down, Xu Ying picked up the Yellow Court induction chapter. After reading it once, he still did not recall the ancestral method of the Yellow Court.
He scanned through the contents of the remaining sheets, but failed to remember the ancestral methods for the Jade Pool, Jade Capital, or Bubbling Spring.
*It seems my unintentional recollection of the Mud Pill Palace's ancestral method was merely triggered by the loosening of my first life's memories.*
Xu Ying set down the induction chapters, feeling dejected. He had hoped to recall more details about his father and mother.
*I still can't see their faces clearly...* In the scenes he remembered, his parents' faces were blank voids. The seal targeting his first life was still affecting him.
"Seventh Master, Chanchan, I've remembered the ancestral method for the Mud Pill Palace. If you wish to cultivate it, you must sever the Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven you have already formed and cultivate it anew from scratch," Xu Ying said.
Both Yuan Qi and Zhu Chanchan hesitated. They had endured immense hardship to reach their current realm; severing it to start over was not only perilous, but also demanding of time and effort.
If it were a transplanted cave-heaven, severing it would at most diminish one's cultivation strength. But severing a cave-heaven one had opened on one's own put one's very life in jeopardy. Yuan Qi hesitated for a moment, glanced at the grave grass controlling Great Emperor Cangwu's flesh body, and then looked at the big bell capable of flying to the fissure in the Immortal Realm. Finally, he steeled his resolve and said, "Ah Ying, I'll sever it and start over!"
Xu Ying nodded gently and looked toward Zhu Chanchan. Zhu Chanchan grew flustered and said, "I have already formed my Primordial Spirit and reached the Ascension stage, having refined who knows how many immortal herbs inside me. If I sever my Mud Pill cave-heaven, I won't be able to open it again."
Xu Ying chuckled. "I command the Nuo ancestor cave-heavens and can draw upon immortal fire to burn your cultivation realm to ash."
Zhu Chanchan gritted her teeth. She had originally crossed over to the other shore to steal immortal herbs, accumulating vast amounts in her body, and even now relied on their power to advance rapidly to the Ascension stage. If her cultivation were burned away to start afresh from the second Pass-Breaching stage, not only would so many immortal herbs be wasted, but it would also be exceedingly dangerous.
Wavering and struggling, she looked at Yuan Qi and said, "Let's wait until Seventh Master severs his and starts over—assuming he doesn't die!"
Yuan Qi let out a muffled grunt.
Xu Ying smiled. "This is simple enough. Lord Bell, get ready. Seventh Master, summon your Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven."
Following his instructions, Yuan Qi summoned forth his Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven. To his surprise, no sooner had the cave-heaven emerged than a flash of sword light swept across. The Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven drifted away, sliding into the Cangwu Abyss of one of the worlds of the heavens, and vanished from sight.
Yuan Qi's magic power instantly spiraled out of control. Unable to maintain his shape, he reverted to his true form, transforming into a colossal beast four to five hundred zhang long. Sprawled like a mountain range, he writhed in agony!
His flesh body had grown extraordinarily mighty, his scales resembling those of a divine dragon, bearing the natural images of the Great Dao and awakening the power of his ancient bloodline. At the slightest movement, the earth quaked and mountains shook.
He had originally been an ancient behemoth as well as a demon Qi Refiner, possessing magic power far more profound than an ordinary person's. His twin horns in particular spun with the two qi of Yin and Yang amid the excruciating pain, forming a Taiji diagram. A ray of profound light blasted into the Cangwu Abyss, sending violent tremors along both banks of the chasm!
Right at that moment, the big bell flew out and hovered high above his head. With a deafening clang, layer upon layer of Dao images surged into Yuan Qi's body.
The Yin and Yang qi atop Yuan Qi's head crashed against the chimes, rocking the big bell slightly. The big bell was startled: *This kid Yuan Qi has actually grown this formidable!*
It had been worried Yuan Qi might be harmed, but seeing this, it felt relieved. The bell chimed loudly, finally suppressing the rampaging magic power within Yuan Qi's body.
Panting heavily, Yuan Qi took a moment to stabilize his magic power before retracting his true form to its ordinary size.
Before everyone's eyes, Xu Ying taught Yuan Qi the ancestral method of the Mud Pill Longevity Technique, explaining it in simple, accessible terms. What was clearly an exceedingly profound and arcane doctrine sounded remarkably lucid and easy to grasp from his lips, flowing smoothly.
Before long, even the big bell and the purple immortal plant understood it.
Chu Xiangxiang blinked and thought to herself, *Ah Ying is willing to teach even an ancestral method to them. It seems Father God misunderstood him, thinking Ah Ying would only save Him if I married him and he became Father God's son-in-law. Father God thought of Ah Ying as too mercenary. Perhaps there was no need for all these schemes; had He simply asked, Ah Ying would have used the Jade Pool immortal water to save Him.* No one understood a father better than his daughter. Knowing Great Emperor Cangwu had gone to retrieve Xu Ying's Nuo ancestor cave-heaven as a dowry, she thought, *If He knew Ah Ying was so accommodating, He probably wouldn't have been so eager to search for the Nuo ancestor cave-heaven.*
Yuan Qi contemplated for a long time, circulating the Mud Pill Longevity Technique to sense the other shore within the Sea of Chaos in fine detail.
The big bell grew a bit worried and said to Xu Ying, "Ah Ying, I think you considered everything thoroughly just now, except for one thing: Can Seventh Master truly master the Nuo ancestor cave-heaven?"
It added, "Seventh Master's comprehension isn't always that sharp. Have you forgotten? The first cave-heaven he ever opened was the Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven, and back then, you and I had to join forces to help him open it successfully."
Hearing this, Xu Ying could not help but feel a touch of worry as well, glancing toward Yuan Qi repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Great Emperor Cangwu's Primordial Spirit exerted all His might and finally slew Nuo Di. Seizing Nuo Di's Nuo ancestor cave-heaven, He hurried toward the Cangwu Secret Realm in jubilation.
The Nuo ancestor cave-heaven Nuo Di possessed was the Yin-Yang cave-heaven of the Jade Capital secret depository, shaped like a Taiji diagram. The immortal herb of this cave-heaven was called the Yin-Yang immortal herb, which could be refined into the two qi of Yin and Yang.
*My physical body has revived. Once my Primordial Spirit returns, I can restore my true self. Xiangxiang has suffered during this time. Should I help Fellow Daoist Xu retrieve that last cave-heaven?*
Thinking up to this point, He shook His head. *In the Netherworld, there is another fellow daoist in charge of samsara—a pitiful, hard-luck fellow. If I slay Nuo Lu as well and take the Jade Pool cave-heaven, He will probably jump in fury and curse me for going too far.*
Just as He entered the Cangwu Abyss, a figure suddenly flew across the sky—a towering giant heading straight for Nuo Di's hiding place.
Catching sight of him flying past, Great Emperor Cangwu felt a chill in His heart: *Those fishers are also searching for Nuo Di's whereabouts. My Primordial Spirit is alone outside; if they find me, I might not be able to protect this cave-heaven.*
He sped toward the Cangwu Secret Realm.
That giant was none other than the Master of Mud Pill Palace. Reaching the battlefield between Nuo Di and Cangwu, he saw Nuo Di's corpse and was inwardly shaken. He whispered, "A step too late. Now, the only Nuo ancestor cave-heaven left is the Jade Pool cave-heaven in Nuo Lu's hands."
Suddenly, his heart stirred, and he concealed his presence. A moment later, the sky abruptly cracked open, revealing a deep abyss.
"Weixu!"
The Master of Mud Pill Palace felt a jolt of alarm. *Weixu has tracked him all the way here too. Their reach is truly boundless!*
A young man flew out of the Weixu abyss, dressed in luxurious brocade robes and exuding immense nobility. Treading on auspicious clouds, he descended and swiftly scanned the battlefield.
Seeing Nuo Di's corpse, the youth could not help but frown. He muttered under his breath, "Too late again. Master heard that the six old bastards putting on airs on Mount Kunlun were injured and fled Kunlun, so he ordered me to hunt them down. Who knew I'd be one step behind everywhere? Not long ago, Nuo Yang was taken by someone, and now only that Nuo Lu remains."
The young man sighed, then suddenly grew alert. He barked, "Who is there?"
His gaze flashed like lightning toward the Master of Mud Pill Palace's hiding spot. Suddenly raising his hand, he struck a palm toward the Master of Mud Pill Palace!
The Master of Mud Pill Palace had not taken him seriously at first, but his expression changed drastically. Behind the youth appeared a dazzling, resplendent Jade Pool, with ten thousand li of jade-green waves and surging clouds of radiant dawn mist—utterly magnificent!
With the eruption of this Jade Pool, the young man's magic power suddenly surged to an astonishing degree, even surpassing his own—and he was a fisher who had harvested countless people!
The Master of Mud Pill Palace immediately revealed himself. Six great cave-heavens manifested behind him as he raised a hand to meet the blow.
Under his feet, primal qi erupted, forming more than a dozen immortal arrays of varying sizes. As his hand met the youth's palm, immortal runes flashed all around, unleashing Immortal Dao divine powers!
*Boom!*
One large, one small, their palms collided. The instant the power erupted, the Master of Mud Pill Palace pulled back and leaped into the air. Slipping away like a fish-dragon, he escaped into the Cangwu Abyss.
The youth showed a look of astonishment. "He actually took my palm strike without getting injured? What a formidable man—he must be one of the supreme figures of the mortal realm!"
Having fled into the Cangwu Abyss, the Master of Mud Pill Palace shook his arms and whispered, "The people of Weixu have mobilized to search for the six Nuo ancestor cave-heavens as well. They will inevitably target Xu Ying. Right now, Xu Ying possesses three Nuo ancestor cave-heavens, but without knowing the ancestral methods, he probably cannot contend with that youth's Jade Pool..."
He shook his arms twice more to suppress the violent magic power invading his body, feeling shaken inside. *What on earth is that youth's Jade Pool? Why is it so overwhelmingly powerful? He and Xu Ying are bound to clash. When that happens, it will be my chance to reap the fisherman's spoils!*
He flew out of the Cangwu Abyss, about to head into the Netherworld to track down the Nuo ancestor Nuo Lu, when he suddenly saw a massive city wobbling across the sky.
"That is... Haojing? How could that city fly? There are truly so many bizarre things happening these days."
The Master of Mud Pill Palace shook his head and slipped into the Netherworld.
Haojing slowly descended from the sky. When it was still a dozen zhang above the ground, it suddenly lost control and plummeted straight down. Cries of alarm rang out across the capital, everyone's hearts in their throats. Yet when Haojing hit the ground, it did not shatter to pieces, allowing them all to breathe a sigh of relief and wipe the cold sweat from their brows.
Seeing Grand Preceptor Jiang remain calm and unruffled throughout, Gongyang Ce was filled with immense admiration: *He truly deserves to be the Grand Preceptor. Such composure is something I could never match.*
Grand Preceptor Jiang's legs were trembling slightly. Forcing himself to stay composed, he said to the Son of Heaven of Zhou, "Your Majesty, after you."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou maintained an impassive face and said, "Do not panic, Grand Preceptor. Allow Us a moment to catch Our breath."
Grand Preceptor Jiang understood and replied, "This minister also needs a moment to catch his breath."
Before long, their legs finally stopped trembling. Ordering everyone to remain on guard at Haojing, monarch and minister departed the city and headed toward the Cangwu Abyss.
"Fellow Daoist Xu only said to meet him at the Cangwu Abyss, but didn't specify where in the Cangwu Abyss," the Son of Heaven of Zhou mused.
Right then, the two saw an elderly man wearing a crown of thorns walking toward them. Grand Preceptor Jiang hurried forward and inquired, "Elder, may I ask if you have seen a youth named Xu Ying?"
The old man had an extraordinary bearing, gray qi flowing around him like a garment woven from mist. He smiled and said, "So you are Young Master Xu's friends. This old man is Cangwu. Please follow me."
Grand Preceptor Jiang was stricken with astonishment, his voice trembling: "Could you be... Great Emperor Cangwu?"
The thorn-crowned elder chuckled and said, "Indeed I am. However, the world no longer worships me, turning instead to the gods of the Heavenly Dao. Thus, the title of Great Emperor probably hardly counts anymore."
Grand Preceptor Jiang hurriedly bowed.
Seeing this, the Son of Heaven of Zhou also stepped forward in haste to pay his respects, saying, "Ji Man, a ruler of later generations, pays respects to Great Emperor Cangwu."
Upon receiving their worship, Great Emperor Cangwu immediately felt His divine power recover a little. Helping them up, He smiled and said, "Since you are Young Master Xu's friends, you are not outsiders. Come with me into my Cangwu Secret Realm."
He gently waved His sleeve, and the Cangwu Secret Realm appeared. Heavenly abyss immortal light burst forth in the sky, illuminating the secret realm. The once-desolate and lifeless Cangwu Secret Realm was now suffused with immortal qi and bathed in immortal light, resembling a paradise on earth.
The Son of Heaven of Zhou and Grand Preceptor Jiang could not help but marvel.
Grand Preceptor Jiang quickly put away the Tianzhu Sword, feeling that bearing such a sword into this celestial paradise would be somewhat impudent and offensive.
Following Great Emperor Cangwu into the secret realm, the two instantly felt immortal qi seep into their bodies. The primal qi within them began to rise slowly, and every one of the 108,000 pores in their bodies opened wide, absorbing immortal qi and strengthening their flesh.
Great Emperor Cangwu looked around and felt rather pleased with Himself at the sight. *My good son-in-law is truly extraordinary. Not only did he revive me, he even opened the Immortal Realm's Cangwu Abyss. If I had returned any later, he and Xiangxiang might have cooked the rice, and the babes would already be calling me grandfather... Hmm?*
Just then, Great Emperor Cangwu saw His own physical body, with grass growing from its head, hopping up before Him and sizing Him up from left to right.
"Ah-ba, ah-ba?" The Great Emperor Cangwu with grass on his head scratched his head and asked.
Veins bulged on Great Emperor Cangwu's forehead. Grabbing the clump of grave grass atop His head, He gave a hard shake to pull the grass away from His flesh body.
The grave grass was fierce, scratching His face, gouging at His eyes, kicking His crotch, and delivering heavy blows to His kidneys. In the pain, Great Emperor Cangwu winced, and the purple immortal plant took the chance to flee.
Watching this unfold, the Son of Heaven of Zhou felt a shiver of terror: *That seems to be Xu Ying's grass. That grass actually dares to attack Great Emperor Cangwu! Isn't Xu Ying afraid Great Emperor Cangwu might fly into a rage and slaughter him?*
With His physical body reclaimed, the vast divine power permeating the myriad heavens and worlds came surging back, causing His cultivation and strength to skyrocket by leaps and bounds.
"Fellow Daoist Xu!"
Great Emperor Cangwu laughed heartily, waving to Xu Ying, who had arrived upon hearing the commotion. "This old man has fortunately fulfilled his mission and seized back a Nuo ancestor cave-heaven for Fellow Daoist Xu!"
The Son of Heaven of Zhou stood stunned. Exchanging a glance with Grand Preceptor Jiang, he thought to himself, *Teaming up with Fellow Daoist Xu... it feels like we're the ones out of our league.*
Chapter 289