Zhou Yihang reached the foot of Mount Wuwang. Just as he was about to ascend, a prickle of warning struck his heart. An Earth God poked out from the soil, a stone perched atop his tall hat.
*Now that the Earth Gods have tracked their way here, City God Xue and Shilongzi probably aren't far behind!*
Just as he was about to strike decisively to silence this Earth God and stop him from reporting back, Shilongzi's voice drifted over from nearby: "Lord City God, the Earth God questioned the local demon gods and beasts. They reported seeing Xu Ying around here."
City God Xue's voice followed: "What of that old man Zhou?"
"According to the Earth God, Zhou Yihang is also nearby. We tracked him all the way here. That old coot's Every Tree and Bush an Enemy art is remarkable indeed—he actually tracked down Xu Ying's hiding spot."
"We should thank him properly. Once we run into him, send him on his way."
"Understood."
A chill ran through Zhou Yihang. Melding silently into the shadows, he thought, *My injuries haven't healed yet. It's unwise to clash with them right now. Best to stay hidden in the dark.*
A moment later, hordes of Earth Gods popped out of the ground, combing the mountains and wilds.
Zhou Yihang thought, *Even if Xu Ying burrowed underground, these Earth Gods would likely dig him up. Still, searching this entire wilderness will be no easy task for them.*
Suddenly, an Earth God shouted, "Lord City God, look at the sky!"
Zhou Yihang hurriedly looked up. His soul shuddered. Above Mount Wuwang hung a field of light roughly half a mu across. A so-called light field was formed by condensing solar essence from sunlight, planted in the sky like glittering golden sprouts to catch the morning sun, blazing with dazzling brilliance.
From afar, it resembled a glowing paddy of grain.
The field of light over Mount Wuwang measured a full half-mu. Let alone having seen such an immense light field, Zhou Yihang and City God Xue had never even heard of one!
"Beneath that light field must be Xu Ying. That boy cultivates demonic arts, and his cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds—manifesting an anomaly not even demon gods could produce!"
Zhou Yihang muttered under his breath, "He truly is an unparalleled genius at demonic arts. What a pity he must die. I'll leave his corpse intact later."
He sped toward the half-mu light field. At the same time, City God Xue Lingfu led Shilongzi and the other deities toward the area beneath it.
Beneath the light field, Xu Ying ran the Taiyi Guiding Technique. The primordial qi within him swelled with mounting vigor, refined by that plume of Pure Yang anomalous fire until it turned into Pure Yang.
As his cultivation rose, the darkness within the Realm of Xiyi receded further, unveiling ever more territory.
Tempered by thunderous resonance, bathed in the great sun, and nourished by rain condensed from primordial qi, these new expanses burst with vibrant life. Xu Ying felt his vital qi and blood surging with boundless vigor, his physique growing ever stronger.
With every breath, he stirred howling gales that whipped up sand and stones. Beams of light half a foot long flickered in and out of his eyes—the manifestation of divine sense!
The maiden in the coffin had gifted him the Pure Yang anomalous fire, accelerating his cultivation to breathtaking speed and even fortifying his divine sense.
*What will happen if I open this mystic pass?*
Xu Ying's divine sense arrived before the darkness, gazing up at the mystic pass of the human body.
The mystic pass stood towering between heaven and earth. On one side rushed a surging Heavenly River; on the other rose magnificent, imposing mountain ranges, each descending from the heavens above!
Only by breaking through this portal spanning heaven and earth could he explore the vaster internal world that lay beyond!
*The maiden in the coffin said that the Nuo masters' Hidden Scenery latent transformation technique is flawed, and following her path is the true way. Yet Qi Refiners like her have all vanished, their methods supplanted by the Nuo techniques of Nuo masters.*
Xu Ying pondered silently, *So is Nuo technique the orthodox way, or is Qi Refining the true path?*
Nuo techniques flourished everywhere, while the arts of Qi Refiners had been relegated to cultivation methods for monsters and demons. What had happened between then and now?
He stirred his vital qi and blood, focusing his spirit. Just as he was about to push open the gates of the mystic pass, the earth shook violently. An apocalyptic crash like the splitting of heaven and earth tore at his ears. Losing his footing, Xu Ying hastily halted his circulation and steadied himself!
Yuan Qi was sent tumbling and rolling. In a panic, he whipped his tail around a boulder, terrified and bewildered.
"Doesn't the netherworld invade at night? Why is it invading in broad daylight?" the bronze bell wondered aloud.
Once steady on his feet, Xu Ying looked toward the sound and gaped in disbelief. Over ten li to the west, the earth bucked as billows of dust rose into the air. Amidst the mountain peaks, a sun leaped forth from the dust!
Radiant sunshine poured forth, blazing with brilliant light!
Within the brilliant glare, a majestic mountain tore free from the earth and slowly ascended into the sky. Its colossal mass blotted out the sun and sky, suspended in the firmament!
Gigantic boulders constantly broke off and plunged from the floating mountain, some crashing into the earth, others hovering in midair.
Xu Ying stared numbly at the spectacle, then turned around in confusion to look behind him. There in the east, another sun was rising. Two suns—one in the east, one in the west—radiating in mutual brilliance.
The bronze bell's voice sounded in his ear: "Ah Ying, what did you do this time?"
Xu Ying muttered, "I didn't do anything! Is this something I could even pull off?"
"Hard to say,"
the bronze bell floated over and said. "I guarded Little Stone Mountain in peace and quiet for three thousand years without encountering a single oddity. Ever since I met you, disaster struck on our very first night! First the Nai River changed course, then the black coffin in the old well, and even my temple was demolished! After that, you whipped the Plague God and got us hunted along the road. Now a sun pops out from beneath the ground! You're at the scene of the crime every single time, and you still claim it has nothing to do with you?"
Xu Ying grunted and set off.
Yuan Qi hastily slithered after him and cried, "Ah Ying, where are you going? Lord Bell is right—stop committing crimes!"
Xu Ying turned back with a grin. "This sun and that mountain are right near our Mount Wuwang. As the two great monster kings of Mount Wuwang, how could we not go take a look?"
Yuan Qi peered ahead and said, "It seems to be coming from the direction of Shuikou Temple."
His massive body slithered with astonishing speed. He called out, "Hop on my back! I'll carry you over!"
Xu Ying kicked off lightly and landed on the giant snake's back. The bronze bell trailed Xu Ying, but lacking the speed to keep up with the giant serpent, it simply burrowed into Xu Ying's mind.
Zhou Yihang, City God Xue, and the others were ascending the mountain when they noticed the earth-shattering upheaval. They froze in stunned bewilderment.
City God Xue declared at once, "Capturing Xu Ying is secondary; that great sun and immortal mountain are far more important! The boy is sure to head there as well. We might as well seize him on site!"
Zhou Yihang looked up to see the half-mu light field moving through the sky, rushing down the mountain directly toward Shuikou Temple.
*Shuikou Temple is just a run-down shrine. How could a sun and an immortal mountain spring out of that place?*
Perplexed, he immediately changed direction and rushed toward Shuikou Temple to get ahead, thinking, *Xu Ying is heading there too. I'll arrive first and wait for him to walk right into my trap!*
Shuikou Temple was originally located right at the foot of Mount Wuwang. However, ever since the netherworld's invasion, the earth had shuddered continuously, pushing the two places further and further apart. By now, Shuikou Temple lay more than a dozen li away.
Yuan Qi surged forward carrying Xu Ying, scarcely slower than Xu Ying running at full tilt. Swarms of beasts and great demons fled frantically toward them; only Xu Ying and Yuan Qi were rushing against the tide.
A boulder the size of a two-story building plummeted from the heavens. Yuan Qi swerved frantically out of the way. The boulder smashed into the earth, blasting out a massive crater!
Xu Ying took fright as well. Looking up, he saw the immense shadow of a mountain blotting out the sky. Suddenly, brilliant light shone as a sun moved around from the far side of the peak, illuminating the ancient, majestic slopes!
Giant stones broke off the mountain in a relentless shower, filling the sky like raindrops.
The stones floating in midair were one thing, but those plunging downward were truly terrifying—a single direct hit would reduce anyone to mincemeat!
Another, even larger boulder hurtled down from above and landed right in front of them, prompting a shriek of terror from Yuan Qi.
Xu Ying leaped down and approached the newly fallen boulder. Inspecting it closely, he whispered, "Strange... This rock actually has hair growing on it. Lord Bell, have you ever seen anything like this?"
The massive rock that had fallen from the sky was covered in things resembling hair yet also tentacles, looking like countless strands twisted together into ropes, tangled and unruly.
These growths covered all sides of the boulder; some sprouted from fissures, while others coated the stone face like moss.
The bronze bell flew out and examined it closely with divine sense. "Bizarre. This rock is like stone yet not stone, like hair yet not hair, like flesh yet not flesh. What on earth is it?"
Well-traveled and experienced though it was, it had never seen such a grotesque stone.
Yuan Qi was the most well-read among them, yet he could not recognize it either.
Suddenly, the earth shuddered violently once more. Ten li away, another majestic mountain tore free from the soil and slowly rose into the sky!
This mountain hung inverted, its peak pointing downward. Its emergence caused an even greater disturbance than the previous one; as it rose from underground, bursts of fire and iridescent dawn glow erupted from its body, blindingly bright!
At the same time, strange whooshing screeches echoed from deep underground, like bowstrings snapping under immense tension, but far louder. Trapped in the resonance, one felt as though their very body were being torn in two!
Xu Ying suddenly sensed a peculiar sword qi surging from beneath the earth. His face drained of color. Leaping aside, he barked, "Yuan Qi, over here!"
Yuan Qi slithered frantically to his side. The earth beneath their feet suddenly split open. From the chasm, strange torrents of qi erupted, blasting from beneath the earth straight into the sky like sword qi, forming a wall of sword qi tens of li long!
A streak of sword qi grazed Yuan Qi's tail. Feeling a sharp sting, he glanced back and saw that the tip of his tail had been shaved down to a sharp point. Tears flooded his eyes from the pain, and he lamented internally, *The tip of my tail was blunt so I could execute the Elephant-Strength Bull Demon Fist! Now that it's whittled into a point, my fist technique's might will probably be ruined!*
The wall of sword qi grew wider and higher until it almost reached the level of the two mountains hanging in the sky.
Only after the sword qi sealed within the fissure had completely vented did the wall of sword qi gradually fade away.
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi stared in shock and awe. Tracing the great fissure, they saw that its edges were impeccably straight and even, drawing a perfect line across the landscape. The sheer rock faces inside were as smooth as mirrors!
It looked as though a peerless giant, brandishing a heaven-propping sword, had cleaved the very earth in two!
"This world has probably gone mad," Yuan Qi muttered.
Xu Ying walked to the edge of the chasm and peered down. Its depths were fathomless.
"A supreme master of the sword path sealed their sword qi within this fissure. Buried deep underground for countless years, it had remained pent up and unreleased. Had the netherworld's invasion not caused the realms of Yin and Yang to collide, this fissure would never have been jolted open."
Sensing the sword qi lingering beneath the earth, Xu Ying could still feel stray wisps flitting and clashing against each other thousands of feet down in the chasm. He sighed, "A pity that the bulk of the sword qi stored within has dispersed. I cannot carefully study the profound mysteries of the sword art within."
Yuan Qi was equally shaken. "This strike was even stronger than Yuan Tiangang's swordsmanship at the Wangxiang Platform!"
Xu Ying tried to comprehend the sword intent, but the era when that peerless expert unleashed this strike was too distant in the past. Moreover, with the sword qi dispersing, the sword intent lingering in the chasm had grown extremely faint.
Suddenly, he noticed the sword casket on his back vibrating gently, as if a living creature were skipping joyfully within.
Not only that, a faint wisp of sword qi and sword intent seeped out from the sword casket, linking directly with his divine sense!
Delight surged within him. This was Yuan Tiangang's sword casket, containing Yuan Tiangang's sword qi, which over time had been refined into a treasure.
Xu Ying had carried the sword casket on his back all this time, yet it had never established any connection with him. Who would have thought that today, the casket would manifest spirituality? Sensing the peerless sword qi bursting from the earth, it took the initiative to resonate with him, aiding his comprehension of the sword intent and sword qi hidden in the great fissure!
The bronze bell also noticed the sword qi and intent from the casket. Uttering a soft hum of surprise, it said, "This junior has great prospects—it's about to awaken sentience just like me! Not bad, not bad at all!"
Its tone was pompous; clearly, it considered its achievements far superior to the casket's, viewing itself as a revered elder.
Sensing the sword intent within the great fissure, Xu Ying followed the chasm toward Shuikou Temple. The closer he got to Shuikou Temple, the stronger the sword intent became, making the sword qi in the casket leap with mounting excitement!
"Hurry to Shuikou Temple!"
Far off in the distance, Xu Ying spotted several finely dressed officials carrying gourds on their backs sprinting along the great chasm. One official shouted to the others, "This sun and those two immortal mountains erupted right out of the ruined shrine at Shuikou Temple!"
"Has Lord Regional Inspector been notified?"
"He has! But Lord Regional Inspector has surely seen the anomaly at Shuikou Temple by now!"
Hearing this, Xu Ying's heart jolted with shock. *The sun and immortal mountains erupted from a ruined temple? How is that possible?*
He had been to Shuikou Temple before. The place was named after a grand temple by the water, but due to years of neglect and having no resident deity, its incense offerings had long ceased, leaving it dilapidated.
He had even stepped inside that ruined shrine. It looked no different from an ordinary temple—merely a place where common mortals once worshiped deities for protection. After falling into ruin, it had become a den for wild foxes and weasels.
Could such a ruined temple truly spew forth immortal mountains and a sun?
Chapter 29