In the distance, the roar of rushing water echoed as a long river flowed through the open sky. Chu Xiangxiang, peerlessly elegant, stood atop the surging waves, rushing toward them.
Facing the sea breeze, Zhu Chanchan saw a giant snake poke its head out from the clouds above, slowly swimming downward.
Xu Ying had found his way here.
Zhu Chanchan stowed Fu Hui's human skin into her Realm of Xiyi, wiped away her tears, and let a smile blossom across her face as she looked toward Xu Ying stepping down from Yuan Qi's head.
Chu Xiangxiang also descended from the air, and the long river vanished.
Yuan Qi, however, remained suspended in the sky, his body half-hidden amidst the clouds.
He was simply too colossal. After his cultivation these past few years, Zhu Chanchan's tempering, Xu Ying's ancestral method, the immortal medicine ingested at Kunlun, and the immortal qi from the Cangwu Abyss, he had grown so gigantic that concealing his form was nearly impossible.
While he could certainly force his body to shrink down to the thickness of a finger, doing so felt rather uncomfortable.
He much preferred this relaxed state.
The big bell drifted down. Where the Five-Colored Immortal King Banner had grazed its bronze body, it still radiated immortal light.
Zhu Chanchan curtsied and said, "Without informing you beforehand, I took the liberty of using Lord Qi and Lord Bell. Chanchan has failed everyone's trust; please forgive me."
Yuan Qi lowered his massive head and laughed. "In the past, whenever we came to you to forge treasures, you helped without a second word. Lord Bell was rescued by you, and you elevated both me and Lord Bell to this level before using us against the Son of Heaven of Zhou. If debts and grievances were as simple as one plus one and two minus one, it would be easy to settle. We still owe you a favor."
The big bell said, "We consider you a friend. Helping you was only natural."
It paused to ponder, then suddenly felt its hair stand on end and blurted out, "Wait, is this thought something you forced onto me with a brand stamped into my body?"
Zhu Chanchan shook her head. "The brands on both of you have already been dissolved. If there were still brands, you would have sensed them."
She looked toward Xu Ying and bowed. "Chanchan failed your trust; I will repay you in the future. Having killed the Son of Heaven of Zhou, there is no place left for me in the Yuanshou world. Today, I must leave Yuanshou."
Xu Ying shook his head. "The Son of Heaven of Zhou is not dead."
Zhu Chanchan's body stiffened. "Then I cannot remain in Yuanshou even more. Haojing has been destroyed; he will spare no expense to destroy me. Ah Ying, Lord Bell, Lord Qi..."
A few leaves of the purple immortal plant sprouted from the great snake's forehead.
Zhu Chanchan added, "...and Lord Grass. With today's farewell, who knows when we will meet again. But one day, I will surely return to Yuanshou and slay Ji Man!"
She limped over to Xu Ying and opened her arms. Xu Ying embraced her and said, "Take care."
Zhu Chanchan released him, gave the big bell a hug, and patted it gently. The big bell cried out in alarm, "You didn't leave another brand in me, did you?"
"Who knows?" Zhu Chanchan teased. She turned and opened her arms toward Yuan Qi. Yuan Qi lowered his gigantic head, and Zhu Chanchan leaned against a massive scale beside his mouth, tilting her head as she struggled to wrap her arms around it, but the scale was simply too large.
The purple immortal plant wriggled out from Yuan Qi's body, plucked a leaf, and offered it to her.
Zhu Chanchan was taken aback, her eyes reddening. "Thank you," she whispered.
She walked over to Chu Xiangxiang and hugged the young woman, whispering, "Keep a close eye on him. Don't let any other vixens steal him away."
Chu Xiangxiang chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Little Sister. I won't give any vixen a chance."
Xu Ying called out to stop Zhu Chanchan just as she was about to depart. He produced a jade slip and smiled. "Before, when you were bent on killing the Son of Heaven of Zhou, you might not have been willing to sever your own realm to cultivate the Mud Pill Palace ancestral method from scratch. But now, you should have time to cultivate it, right?"
Zhu Chanchan accepted the jade slip, looking deeply into his eyes. Suddenly, she hopped on her limp right up to him, cupped his face in her hands, and planted a firm, loud kiss on his cheek.
Chu Xiangxiang was both startled and furious. She stammered, "Chanchan, y-you... You vixen!"
Zhu Chanchan giggled. A skiff materialized beneath her feet as mist gathered on its own, carrying her gently aloft, soaring straight beyond the azure clouds.
"I told you to watch out for vixens!"
Her voice drifted down from above the clouds, and soon the skiff sped away, vanishing without a trace.
Yuan Qi suddenly asked, "Say, did Ancestor Chanchan actually embezzle anything or not?"
Xu Ying said, "She definitely did. Otherwise, where did such a huge Feilai Peak come from? When we were Generals of the Household, we scavenged so many treasures. Repairing Lord Bell definitely wouldn't have used them all up, so naturally she forged them into part of Feilai Peak."
The big bell said, "Yet when she rebuilt my body, it seemed she didn't embezzle anything."
Yuan Qi said, "The world inside my body is even bigger than I am. It consumed an awful lot of materials."
Chu Xiangxiang said, "When she refined treasures for me, she definitely never skimmed anything."
Xu Ying put an end to the topic and smiled. "Let's put this matter aside for now. We can ask her when we meet again in the future. Lord Qi, it's time for us to attend to serious business."
Yuan Qi was rather puzzled and asked, "What serious business?"
Xu Ying looked toward the land of Shenzhou. Ancient mountain after ancient mountain was shrouded in azure mist, appearing sacred and primordial.
"What Lord Qi will be doing this time is to use the second Pass-Breaching stage to challenge the sect masters, cult masters, and leaders of every sect across the realm, and clear the name of the Nuo method!"
His gaze fell upon the nearest mountain, Yinlong Mountain, where a sect known as the Longyin Sect resided. He smiled faintly. "It's time to clear away the world's misunderstandings about the Nuo method brought about by Xu Fu, the six Nuo ancestors, those anglers, and the chive harvesters. Let's go pay Sect Master Longyin a visit and have a little debate with him!"
Yuan Qi felt somewhat uneasy. He hurriedly kept up, babbling behind him, "Can I really challenge sect masters across the realm? Master Ying, I don't feel tough enough. Those sect masters are all terrifyingly formidable, talents chosen from thousands upon thousands..."
Xu Ying pondered and said, "Since returning from Kunlun, enough time has passed for them to break through and reach the Twelve-Story Pavilion stage. That's one realm higher than Lord Qi. But Lord Qi is an ancient behemoth, and your vitality is far more vigorous than theirs, which compensates for the difference in cultivation realm. So it can hardly be considered bullying them."
Yuan Qi blinked, thinking to himself, *Is the 'Lord Qi' Ah Ying is talking about really me?*
The Longyin Sect came into view. The immortal artifact, the Five Dragon Stakes, hung suspended over the mountain, radiating streaks of immortal light.
Feeling somewhat timid, Yuan Qi asked, "Ah Ying, why don't you challenge them? You're in the Twelve-Story Pavilion stage, just like them."
"Then it would truly become bullying them, and it wouldn't showcase the wonders of the ancestral method." Xu Ying sighed, looking thoroughly dejected. "I am simply too strong nowadays."
They arrived before the mountain gates of the Longyin Sect. Xu Ying and Chu Xiangxiang did not ascend the mountain; instead, they stood atop the Xiang River floating in the sky, gesturing for Yuan Qi to step forward and conduct the debate.
Gathering his courage, Yuan Qi poked his head down from the clouds and called out in a clear voice, "Sect Master Longyin, Qi Refiner Niu Yuanqi has mastered the ancestral method of the Nuo method and opened the Nuo ancestor Mud Pill Palace. Today, I have specifically come to seek Sect Master's guidance to clear the name of the Nuo method. I hope Sect Master will not hesitate to enlighten me!"
At his words, an uproar swept through the Longyin Sect. Disciples swarmed out one after another, brimming with murderous aura.
Through its recent development, the Longyin Sect had accepted many disciples, and the sect was gradually flourishing.
However, the journey to Kunlun had made everyone in the world realize the perils of the Nuo method. Longyin's Sect Master, Tao Zhu, had courageously crippled his own six secret cave-heavens and returned to being purely a Qi Refiner, lest he be harvested by others once his cultivation matured.
The partnership between the Longyin Sect and the Nuo master clans had also ceased because of this. In the past, a sect like the Longyin Sect had to rely on great clans to gain a foothold; after all, only a single sect master was left of the sect, and surviving without the backing of great clans was nearly impossible.
But now, everyone knew that the Nuo method was a harmful practice, and that even the Nuo ancestors harvested mortals. The Nuo master clans were seized with panic and dread, their circumstances undergoing a seismic shift.
Now, the Nuo master clans had to rely on these ancient sects just to obtain Qi Refiner heritages and abolish their own Nuo heritages.
Sect Master Tao of the Longyin Sect walked out of the sect manor and looked up. Seeing the massive serpent hanging inverted from the clouds, he gasped. "This thing is a Qi Refiner?"
Yuan Qi possessed a natural Dao manifestation. His body was hidden among the clouds, showing its head while keeping its tail unseen. Black and white horns had sprouted behind his head, giving rise to the two qi of yin and yang that formed a Taiji diagram—a truly astonishing sight.
It was no wonder Sect Master Tao was horrified.
Yuan Qi was impeccably polite as he said, "I am Niu Yuanqi, possessing the cultivation of the second Pass-Breaching stage. Having opened the Mud Pill Palace through the ancestral method, I come specifically to seek instruction and clear the name of the Nuo method."
Suddenly, a hum sounded behind his head as the Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven spun out and hung in the sky.
This cave-heaven was also far vaster than anyone else's, hanging in the air like a moon hovering close to the earth.
Apart from this Mud Pill Palace, he did not summon any other cave-heavens behind him, to show fairness.
Sect Master Tao looked across. Seeing a long river floating in midair with an exquisitely dressed woman standing upon it alongside a youth in black robes, his heart chilled. *Xu Ying!*
He recognized Xu Ying. Back then, on the Kunlun God Bridge, when Xu Ying protected Yuan Weiyang as she communed with the Other Shore of the Martial Dao, he had thrashed the masters and leaders of many sects—and Tao had been one of them.
"Brother Xu!" Knowing full well he was no match for Xu Ying, Sect Master Tao called out loudly, "This giant serpent is your mount, is it not? Having your mount challenge me—could it be that you deliberately intend to humiliate my Longyin Sect?"
He made up his mind: the moment Xu Ying acknowledged it, he would activate the Five Dragon Stakes, transforming them into five divine dragons swirling around the immortal stakes to strangle the serpent and Xu Ying together!
Xu Ying smiled. "Sect Master Tao misunderstands. Niu Yuanqi is my friend; we address each other as Dao friends, not mount. He is indeed a demon Qi Refiner, presently in the second Pass-Breaching stage. He wishes to use this realm to spar and debate with you over the strength of the ancestral method within the Nuo method."
Hearing this, Sect Master Tao felt relieved. He looked at Yuan Qi again and thought, *He's just a crude ancient behemoth. Immense in body, but without an ounce of brains—surely he doesn't know any subtle divine powers. Won't defeating him be child's play? Very well, I shall debate with him.*
He smiled and said, "A few days ago, I broke through to the Twelve-Story Pavilion stage, giving me a slight advantage in realm."
"No matter."
Xu Ying instructed, "Lord Qi, when you fight this time, I lay three rules upon you. First, you must not use Heavenly Dao runes. Second, you must not use Qi Refiner divine powers. Third, you must not use magic treasures."
Sect Master Tao chuckled. "Brother Xu, placing so many restrictions on him, how is he supposed to debate with me? Brother Niu, a guest from afar takes precedence; you make the first move."
Hearing Xu Ying's orders, Yuan Qi said, "Nuo masters cultivate Dao manifestations, which are similar to a Qi Refiner's divine powers. I myself am a Dao manifestation, so I shall contend with you through physical might alone."
He activated the Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven behind him to angle for immortal medicine from the Sea of Chaos. In an instant, boundless life force surged in like rolling waves, pouring into his physical body and Golden Core. Combined with Yuan Qi's innate Dao manifestation, his physique multiplied nearly tenfold, and his vitality surged like a boundless ocean without end!
The moment he moved, thunder clapped across the entire sky. Sect Master Tao looked and saw the giant serpent reveal his true form, far more colossal than before. A body as thick as a pillar supporting the heavens swept across, crushing the surrounding air into explosive concussions!
Everywhere that body swept, thunder crashed relentlessly with earth-shattering momentum!
"Well come!"
Sect Master Tao roared furiously. Clouds churned across the nine heavens as azure dragons reached down from the sky, claws raking toward Yuan Qi!
At the same time, Sect Master Tao raised both palms. A Nine Dragon Wall materialized before him in the shape of a shield, nine divine dragons swimming within it.
In terms of divine powers, his techniques had reached the zenith of the Longyin Sect; even past sect masters were no better.
*Boom!*
Yuan Qi swung his tail, and in the next instant crushed the Nine Dragon Wall, breaking the divine power with pure brute force and smashing directly into Sect Master Tao.
As that gargantuan tail swept over the Longyin Sect, a howling hurricane erupted over the mountain, flattening trees and plants and obliterating swaths of forest.
Even the hundreds of disciples of the Longyin Sect lost their footing in the hurricane, swept uncontrollably into midair, tumbling within the churning vortex.
Sect Master Tao spewed blood from the impact and went flying backward, feeling as though he had never flown so fast in his life.
*Bang!* Several dozen li away, he crashed straight through a mountain peak, shattered boulders bursting from the far side as he punched clean through the mountaintop.
Yuan Qi was startled. He hurriedly opened his maw and inhaled, sucking the hurricane whipped up by his tail into his stomach. The hundreds of Longyin Sect disciples caught in the gale, seeing themselves swept toward the great serpent's open mouth, were overcome with despair. *They didn't come to debate the Nuo ancestral method—they came to exterminate our sect!*
They tumbled into the serpent's mouth, where the hurricane abruptly ceased. Instead, they found themselves in another world akin to a cave-heaven, with stars scattered across the sky, profound and serene, harboring an inexplicable Dao charm.
Before they even had time to examine it, the cave-heaven opened and expelled them. The crowd found themselves back on Yinlong Mountain, shaken and bewildered.
Suddenly, Sect Master Tao came flying back with unending, furious roars, drenched in blood. The Five Dragon Stakes suspended over the Longyin Sect instantly erupted with rays of immortal light. The five divine dragons coiled around the massive tree-trunk stakes rattled their dragon scales and fluttered their whiskers, on the verge of waking.
"Lord Bell," Xu Ying said softly.
The big bell flew forward. With a resounding *dong* that shook the mountain ranges, Dao manifestations of all creation materialized across its bronze walls. Brilliant immortal light burst from within the bell, making the myriad phenomena—rivers, mountains, lakes, dragons, phoenixes, qilin, flowers, birds, insects, fish, clouds, skies, and seas—appear all the more vivid and real!
The moment the big bell stepped forth, it displayed the majestic bearing of an immortal artifact, preemptively suppressing the yet-to-awaken Five Dragon Stakes!
Sect Master Tao's furious roars stopped abruptly. He braked in midair, bowed low in salute, and said with impeccable courtesy, "Brother Xu, Fellow Daoist Niu's Nuo ancestor technique is truly formidable. Tao cultivates only Qi Refinement methods and does not practice the Nuo method, making it difficult to withstand. May I ask Brother Xu to retrieve this bell?"
The big bell flew back, no longer suppressing the Five Dragon Stakes.
Xu Ying tossed over a jade slip and smiled. "Recorded upon this jade slip is the Mud Pill Palace ancestral method. Sect Master Tao, take it and cultivate."
Catching the jade slip, Sect Master Tao was gripped by doubt and suspicion, his eyes flickering. "Could Brother Xu be aiming to harvest Tao?"
Xu Ying burst into hearty laughter, waved his hand, and departed alongside Yuan Qi, Chu Xiangxiang, and the big bell.
Atop Yinlong Mountain, Sect Master Tao's expression shifted erratically. Looking at the method recorded on the jade slip for opening the Nuo ancestor cave-heaven, he struggled to make a decision.
"After undergoing the upheaval at Kunlun, has the Ageless Immortal gone mad and decided to harvest my Longyin Sect?"
He murmured, "A fine scheme he has concocted. As long as he gets me to cultivate this damned Mud Pill Palace ancestral method, he will be able to harvest every last member of my Longyin Sect a thousand years from now... But what if this isn't a trap?"
Once that thought surfaced, it could not be contained.
Sect Master Tao stared at the jade slip as though gazing at a demonic relic capable of conjuring an inner demon, his eyes filled with dread yet tingling with eager temptation.
The following day, news arrived: three thousand li southwest of the Longyin Sect, Linghu Yue, master of the Yinyang Sect entrenched upon the Great Volcano, had been defeated by a giant snake, losing in miserable fashion.
Word spread that the giant snake had cultivated a certain ancestral method of the Nuo method and opened the Mud Pill Palace Nuo ancestor cave-heaven. With immense might, he could amplify his combat strength tenfold in an instant, defeating Sect Master Linghu of the immortal sect, the Yinyang Sect, in merely a single move.
*Did Linghu Yue receive a jade slip as well?* Sect Master Tao's heart stirred. Ordering his disciples to guard the mountain gates, he traveled in person to the Great Volcano to meet Linghu Yue.
The Yinyang Sect and Longyin Sect were so close to one another that they had never gotten along. But when Sect Master Tao took out the jade slip carved with the ancestral method, Linghu Yue immediately lowered his guard and took out a jade slip of his own.
The two exchanged glances and compared the contents of their jade slips. They were identical.
"I worried that the Ageless Immortal wanted to harvest my Yinyang Sect, so I haven't cultivated it," Linghu Yue said.
Sect Master Tao said, "I held the same suspicion, which is why I haven't cultivated the Nuo method on the jade slip either."
As the two were discussing what to do with the jade slips, further news arrived: in the north, at Mount Hama's Haoyue Sect, Sect Master Xiao Baiqing was also challenged by a giant snake, proved no match, and was defeated in a single blow.
Sect Master Tao and Linghu Yue promptly departed for Mount Hama. Arriving at the Haoyue Sect, they found that Xiao Baiqing held a jade slip in his hands as well, exactly like theirs!
The three drew in a sharp breath. "Just how many people does the Ageless Immortal intend to harvest?"
Just then, more news arrived: the master of the Tiankui Sect at Mount Shiliang was defeated by a giant snake surnamed Niu. The three traveled together to Mount Shiliang to meet the Tiankui sect master, only for another report to come in: the cult master of the Jiuyin Cult at Mount Jiuzhe had fallen at the hands of a giant snake surnamed Niu.
Sect Master Tao, Linghu Yue, and the others pursued their trail for over two months. By then, more than two hundred cult masters, sect masters, and school leaders had gathered around them—all defeated by Niu Yuanqi using the Nuo method.
What infuriated them even more was that this demon Qi Refiner was a full realm lower than them.
Not only had they suffered defeat, but each also held a jade slip gifted by Xu Ying, carved with none other than the ancestral method of the Mud Pill Palace!
Having obtained the Mud Pill Palace ancestral method, they claimed aloud that it must never be cultivated, yet every single one was secretly training in it.
Because Xu Ying had already proven the ancestral method's overwhelming power to them. If you did not cultivate it, others would pull far ahead of you, and when you were weak, they would annex your sect!
If they didn't cultivate it, only death awaited them!
"The Ageless Immortal has finally lived long enough to become the wicked dragon. A thousand years from now, he intends to harvest the entire world!"
Chapter 304