Xu Ying was both surprised and overjoyed. He rushed forward and urged, "Master Qi, manifest it so we can see!"
With a slight stir of Yuan Qi's mind, a Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven suddenly leaped into being behind him as if breaking above water, hanging suspended in the sky.
The roar of crashing waves resonated with surging force as the Sea of Chaos appeared beneath the cave-heaven. The brilliance of the Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven illuminated the water's surface, casting sparkling ripples of profound depth.
Xu Ying drifted up behind the giant snake's head to examine the operation of the Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven closely. Yuan Qi channeled the cave-heaven with great care. The Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven reeled in immortal medicine from the other shore of Chaos, refining it without pause to nourish and expand the giant snake's physical vitality—leaving not a shred of medicine unabsorbed!
This was the unmistakable sign of mastering a Nuo ancestor cave-heaven!
Xu Ying froze for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
"If even a brain like Master Qi's can learn the ancestral method, then it truly can be spread far and wide!"
His spirits lifted immensely. Xu Fu had exposed the true colors of the Six Nuo Ancestors, causing people across the world to cast aside the Nuo methods like worthless rags. The very name of Nuo methods had been thoroughly blackened.
Xu Ying had spent much time pondering how to revitalize the Nuo methods. Later, when he inadvertently recalled the ancestral method within the Nuo path, he was seized by the desire to pass down this technique to the world.
Yet if the ancestral method proved exceedingly difficult to cultivate, it would still fall into the hands of a select few and become a tool for exploitation. A few powerful individuals using supreme might to rule over and harvest the world was fundamentally no different from the Nuo ancestors and the anglers doing the same.
Therefore, he needed to gauge how difficult the ancestral method was to master, and Yuan Qi had served as the test subject.
If Yuan Qi could succeed, then the barrier to cultivating the ancestral method could not be unreasonably high; others had a fighting chance as well.
Xu Ying exhaled a long breath and smiled. "Everyone, let us depart the Cangwu Abyss as quickly as possible."
Great Emperor Cangwu summoned Chu Xiangxiang and gave his instructions. "While Father is away, stay with Uncle Xu and do not cause trouble."
"Uncle Xu?"
Chu Xiangxiang blinked, flustered. "First he was Fellow Daoist, then Brother Ying... How did he suddenly become an uncle?"
Cangwu sighed inwardly. *How should I know he has this kind of predilection?*
Xu Ying and the others departed the Cangwu Abyss and returned to the Yuanshou world. When they looked back, the Cangwu Abyss expanded and shrank by turns—at times straddling the Yuanshou world and tearing through the starry cosmos, at other times shrinking until it was imperceptible, vanishing from the naked eye.
Cangwu transformed into an old man standing above the Cangwu Abyss, waving toward them from afar.
At last, accompanied by a peculiar flash of light, the Cangwu Abyss vanished without a trace.
Chu Xiangxiang watched her divine father depart, feeling an acute sense of loss.
Chongxiao remarked, "Though Cangwu is an ancient god born of nothingness, his divine strength is formidable indeed—no God King can match him. Unless the Four God Kings of the Heavenly Dao world join hands, keeping him trapped would be next to impossible."
Xu Ying glanced at Chongxiao and smiled. "Once the runes on you have been completely transcribed, what are your plans?"
Chongxiao sneered, "I am only taking temporary refuge from the heavenly gods' search. Do not think I intend to submit to you."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou chuckled. "What an unreasonable god you are. Brother Xu was making his way down to the mortal realm in peace when you ambushed him on the road. You failed and ended up slaughtered instead, yet you hold a grudge against him. Who, then, should Brother Xu hold a grudge against?"
Chongxiao was struck dumb.
He felt the Son of Heaven of Zhou made good sense. Yet whenever he recalled his fallen comrades who had shared his trials, so many of whom had died by Xu Ying's hand, he found it impossible to let go of the enmity. In the end, he remained silent.
Xu Ying smiled. "We share a common enemy. Even if we had our friction in the past, an alliance is not out of the question. There is no need to make everything a matter of life and death. Chongxiao, once you have surrendered the Heavenly Dao runes, I will not kill you. If you wish to leave, I will not stop you."
Chongxiao nodded in silence.
***
At the foot of the Nai River Bridge in the Netherworld, Meng Po was still selling tea to passing ghosts.
Suddenly, the little old woman felt a tremor run through heaven and earth. She hurried to gaze into the distance and saw that the Cangwu Abyss of the Yuanshou world had vanished.
Her heart jolted. She activated her mystic sight, and in an instant, all the myriad worlds, great and small, fell beneath her gaze!
The Cangwu Abysses across all those worlds had disappeared simultaneously!
"Great Emperor Cangwu slipped away as well. Now, of the Netherworld's Five Titans, only this old woman and that one remain."
Meng Po looked toward the depths of the Netherworld and murmured, "That existence who governs reincarnation surely will not accept remaining dead, will he? Still, once the Immortal Realm and the Heavenly Dao world learn that Dongyue, the Northern Emperor, and Cangwu have revived one after another, they will guard him with extreme vigilance. If he wants to return to life, it will not be so easy."
***
Taishi Great World.
The sky suddenly darkened as countless bolts of lightning crackled alongside waves of boundless, unchecked divine power. The colossal form of a heavenly god descended slowly through the thunder.
Behind him, Heavenly Dao runes carpeted the sky like stars, draping down like a mantle torn from the heavens.
This heavenly god was one of the Four God Kings of the Heavenly Dao world, known as Xuanyu.
The Taishi Great World was an exceptionally fertile realm with a vast population and numerous kingdoms, larger even than the Yuanshou world. Immortal legacies had established sects here, and every state was sheltered by earthly sects left behind by immortals, causing Qi Refinement to flourish.
However, ever since ascension had become impossible, the Qi Refinement lineage here had declined as well. Over twenty thousand years ago, an emperor unified the Taishi world and journeyed to Kunlun to offer ancestral sacrifices, bringing back the Nuo methods. From then on, Nuo methods spread throughout this world too.
High God Tiangang had chosen this very realm to descend upon, and consequently suffered a fall.
In the Taishi world, there were many Qi Refiners who, just like the scoundrels of the Yuanshou world, passed down false methods to harvest the populace. Over time, many terrifyingly powerful old monsters had been born.
High God Tiangang ranked among the top ten deities of the Heavenly Dao, possessing startling strength. Yet the moment he arrived, before he could even flex his authority, he was ambushed, captured, and suppressed.
God King Xuanyu's descent was for the sole purpose of ransoming him.
The one suppressing High God Tiangang was an immortal sect occupying Mount Ling, which held him pinned beneath an immortal treasure known as the Lingbao Platform, unable to budge an inch.
God King Xuanyu stepped forward, bowed, and said, "I am God King Xuanyu of the Heavenly Dao world. I have brought a hu of Heavenly Yin Pearls as a humble tribute to High Immortal Qionghua of your esteemed sect."
The sect master of Mount Ling did not make things difficult for them. Accepting the five dou of Heavenly Yin Pearls, he released High God Tiangang.
God King Xuanyu exchanged formal courtesies. "Please, do not trouble yourself to see us out."
He led High God Tiangang down the mountain, his expression souring into a scowl as he scolded, "Tiangang, what is wrong with you? How dare you stir up trouble in the Taishi world? You were fortunate that you crossed Mount Ling, which was willing to give me face. Had you offended Mount Sumeru, not even I could have saved you!"
High God Tiangang mumbled meekly, casting a sidelong glance toward the divine mountain standing at the heart of the Taishi Great World. It was colossal beyond measure, rooted deep in the earth and towering into the heavens—Mount Sumeru itself.
"Who knew the Taishi world would be so abnormal, with so many immortal legacies..." he muttered under his breath.
God King Xuanyu snorted and stomped heavily. The surrounding sky and earth shifted colors, and the two heavenly gods sank straight into the Netherworld.
God King Xuanyu took flight, pulling him along as he said, "The Taishi world is a major realm, one that has produced Immortal Dao emperors. How could ordinary worlds compare to it? Which of the sects capable of gaining a foothold in the Taishi world does not have backing up above?"
Ashamed and embarrassed, High God Tiangang thanked him repeatedly, then asked, "God King, why are we entering the Netherworld?"
God King Xuanyu's expression turned grave. "I had not descended to the mortal realm before and assumed that all was peaceful and prosperous down here. Yet this descent on official business revealed that chaos is already brewing. Those feral gods from the primitive era who had long died are actually reviving! This is an immense crisis. If left unchecked, it will turn heaven and earth upside down, claiming countless heads and devastating living beings. It would be a calamity for mortals! How could heavenly gods like us tolerate such a thing?"
High God Tiangang felt a chill run through him.
God King Xuanyu sped through the sky over the Netherworld like lightning, his voice deep. "I received word that of the primitive era's four titans of the Netherworld, Dongyue, Beiyin, and Cangwu have already revived. Now, only the one governing reincarnation remains among the dead. The person who revived Dongyue, Beiyin, and Cangwu will surely come to rescue him. Thus, we shall wait here for him to walk into our trap!"
High God Tiangang asked in confusion, "Weren't there five titans in the Netherworld? I heard Meng Po was also one of them!"
"Meng Po, a titan? What right does she have?"
God King Xuanyu snapped in annoyance, "Aside from Meng Po claiming so herself, who ever took it seriously? Back then, we spared her only because she still had some use. A titan? She falls far short."
The Netherworld was vast and profound beyond reckoning. The Nether Court occupied by the Nether Emperor was merely an insignificant corner of the Yuanshou world's Netherworld, and the Wangxiang Platform only occupied a small riverbank in the Netherworld, hardly vast.
As for the Nai River, it was nothing more than a river connecting the Nine Underworlds and Yellow Springs, serving as a conduit to the mortal myriad worlds.
What truly constituted the Netherworld's vastness was an infinite expanse of dark earth, wide as the cosmos itself, utterly devoid of light.
Yet within this darkness, a light gradually came into view.
It was a peculiar cave-heaven surrounded by an extraordinarily bright halo, half-embedded in the earth of the Netherworld and half-towering into the sky above, revolving in the void.
Upon nearing this place, all manner of sounds turned deafening and clamorous. Even a God King found his mind assaulted by an endless cacophony.
Those were the final lingering thoughts of countless ghosts.
Countless ghosts queued up to enter, drawn by the cave-heaven and throwing themselves inside one by one. The next instant, the cave-heaven disassembled them into three souls, seven spirits, and a single speck of true spiritual light, crushing every memory of their past lives into nothingness.
These souls and true spirits flew deeper into the cave-heaven, and the three souls, seven spirits, and true spirits scattered throughout heaven and earth. Some souls fell upon plants, some onto birds, beasts, insects, and fish, gradually bestowing sapience upon vegetation and animals—some even cultivating into demons.
Others entered newborn infants. At such moments, disparate souls, spirits, and true spirits often melded together, forging completely new souls and spiritual sparks.
At this moment, several ancient and powerful heavenly gods stood stationed around this reincarnation cave-heaven with menacing expressions, cracking soul-striking whips to maintain order. Others held immortal gourds aloft to collect the resentment and lingering grievances of the aggrieved ghosts for some unknown purpose.
If a vengeful ghost attempted to cause trouble, a heavenly god would simply lash out with a whip, haul it over, and devour it whole.
"God King Xuanyu!"
One of the heavenly gods noticed Xuanyu and Tiangang, hurried forward, dropped to one knee, and called out, "Why has the God King found the time to visit this place? Is there an important assignment?"
In the Immortal Realm, immortals often pulled strings with these heavenly gods to arrange reincarnations for their kin, or even sneaked into reincarnation themselves. Terrified of having their souls shredded by the cycle of rebirth, they regularly made arrangements.
God King Xuanyu shook his head. "No arrangements today. Someone will come here to revive the feral god within the cycle of reincarnation. I arrived first, and the other three God Kings will be here shortly. Go about your duties."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than another God King descended, landing on the opposite end of the reincarnation cave-heaven. Soon after, a heavy aura followed closely behind, touching down to God King Xuanyu's left.
"Xuanchen, Xuanxing, you have finally arrived!"
God King Xuanyu asked in puzzlement, "Why has Xuanhao not arrived yet? By all rights, he should have gotten here ahead of us."
Just as he spoke, a blood-drenched heavenly god plummeted from the sky with a heavy *thud*, crashing into the ground and nearly tumbling into the cycle of reincarnation.
God King Xuanyu hurried to catch him. A closer look confirmed it was indeed God King Xuanhao. This God King was in a wretched state—his body and Primordial Spirit had nearly been torn in half, countless bones were broken, and his injuries were exceptionally severe.
Xuanyu quickly helped him stabilize his wounds. Xuanhao gave him a grateful look and said, "Cangwu's revival injured me."
He made no mention of Xu Ying. After all, suffering such grievous injuries from Xu Ying brandishing the Five-Colored Immortal King Banner was far too humiliating.
God King Xuanyu frowned slightly and said in a heavy voice, "Now that all of us are assembled, let each prepare. Let us see whether the fellow who revived the three titans of the Netherworld dares show his face!"
"He will come!" Xuanxing's sullen voice echoed from the shadows.
***
Haojing stood by the Xiang River. The waters flowed gently through the Hundred Thousand Mountains, flanked by beautiful scenery. From the mountain peaks, one could gaze toward the distant Mount Jiuyi, Mount Wuwang, and others.
Lately, the Son of Heaven of Zhou had grown increasingly anxious, unable to sit still. He visited Xu Ying and Chongxiao repeatedly, only to find the two sorting through Heavenly Dao runes together. The insights into the Heavenly Dao they discussed were profound and abstruse, far beyond his comprehension.
The giant snake named Yuan Qi recorded everything beside them, while the big bell listened in, transcribing the Heavenly Dao runes as if competing with the snake.
Across the big bell's surface, in addition to the imprints of all creatures and forms, were various Heavenly Dao runes arranged in cycles and distinct tiers, exuding the posture of containing the entire Heavenly Dao within its bell walls.
Niu Yuan Qi refused to be outdone.
On one occasion, Zhu Chanchan was refining a treasure for Chu Xiangxiang and lacked a certain material, so she ventured inside the snake demon's body. The Son of Heaven of Zhou followed her in. Inside the giant snake was a magnificent golden expanse like a passage several li wide and of unfathomable length, radiating brilliant golden light like a whole realm of its own.
Across its sky were imprints of cosmic stars and shining constellations. Upon closer inspection, what shone were not stars at all, but runes and Dao phenomena!
There were not only the Heavenly Dao runes Xu Ying had organized in recent days, but also Immortal Dao runes. The Dao phenomena were exceedingly intricate, including Xu Ying's Buzhou and Eight Desolations Sun Refining phenomena, which the snake had copied.
He did not seek deep understanding, only sheer breadth and completeness.
The immense ambition of these two startled the Son of Heaven of Zhou, while simultaneously fueling his impatience and anticipation day by day.
Grand Preceptor Jiang understood his hopes: the king wished to borrow Xu Ying's power to master the heavenly tribulation and aid his own ascension to immortality. If even the giant snake and big bell at Xu Ying's side could achieve such results, how much more could Xu Ying himself accomplish?
It was only because Xu Ying had yet to state that he could master the heavenly tribulation that the Son of Heaven of Zhou was left restless.
Grand Preceptor Jiang consoled him, "Your Majesty, pray be patient. Since Fellow Daoist Xu has promised us, he will not go back on his word."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou sighed. "I know he is a man of his word, but surviving the tribulation and ascending is my lifelong ambition—it carries tremendous weight. If I cannot ascend, I will have failed my ancestors. If Brother Xu cannot control the heavenly tribulation..."
He hesitated, then gritted his teeth. "I will have to take a gamble! Grand Preceptor, what do you think our chances are if the entire court ascends together?"
Chapter 298