On Mount Wuwang, the Master of the Mud Pill Palace sat atop a severed mountain peak, heavy chains dragging across the ground behind him. In his hand rested a jade slip, blazing with brilliant light as the cultivation method inscribed within was projected into the empty air. Compared to his towering frame, the projected characters appeared infinitesimally small.
Xu Ying had distributed far too many jade slips. Snatching one was child's play for a being like the Master of the Mud Pill Palace.
His gaze never wavered from the ancestral method. His mind worked at furious speed, calculating again and again to search for hidden traps buried within.
"There must be a trap. There is bound to be a trap in here!"
He muttered under his breath, "The Immortality Immortal is ambitious. He wants to harvest everyone in the world. He's waiting for the day when all under heaven have ripened, so that just like Weixu, he can harvest every Qi Refiner who cultivated this ancestral method. Heh heh... what a spectacular day that will be, with empty human skins floating everywhere... But what if it isn't a trap?"
He paused, terror creeping across his face. "If it isn't a trap, then I must sever my own cultivation back to the second Pass-Breaching stage before I can practice this so-called ancestral method!
"And when that happens, Xu Ying will come to kill me!"
***
In Shendu, a manure cart halted at the entrance of a bustling street, prompting passersby to pinch their noses and scatter in disgust.
The manure collector was an unremarkable-looking old man. At that moment, he was turning a jade slip over in his hands, inspecting it from every angle.
"Exquisite. Truly exquisite. No, this can't be right!" the old man murmured. "A trap must be lurking inside. The Immortality Immortal would never be so kind as to share the genuine ancestral method. He has to be waiting to harvest us. Because if the roles were reversed..."
A bizarre expression settled on his face, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I would do the exact same thing! But if I don't cultivate it, once the entire world masters this ancestral method, any random person will be able to sever my Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven with ease..."
Terror once again seized his features—a profound, bone-deep dread of Xu Ying.
"He is forcing us! We have no choice but to cultivate an ancestral method laced with his trap! He intends to use this open scheme to harvest me and turn me into a human skin!"
***
At a street corner in Xuzhou, a vegetable farmer sat huddled against a wall, his shoulder propped against the masonry. Staring down at the jade slip in his grip, his eyes were filled with fear and defiance.
"If I cultivate it, a lifetime of cultivation and immortal medicine will all serve to make a bridal gown for him! If I don't cultivate it, anyone will be able to sever my Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven, and I'll become the weakling, harvested by others! You're forcing my hand... you're forcing me..."
He slowly rose to his feet and drew out a golden carrying pole hidden beneath the vegetables.
***
In Jingzhou City, a woodcutter carrying bundles of firewood halted mid-stride, his expression darkening. He pulled a handaxe from the firewood and whispered, "You're forcing me to seek you out, forcing me to kill you. Isn't that right, Immortality Immortal?"
***
Among the ancient ruins of Chaoge, four Great Shang Qi Refiners rose in unison. Tugging down their bamboo hats, they strode outward side by side.
"Since the Immortality Immortal forces our hand to kill him, we shall grant his wish!"
***
At the ruins of Haojing, Great Zhou Qi Refiners were still rummaging through the rubble for salvageable items. Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi approached carrying a jade slip, reporting, "Your Majesty, Fellow Daoist Xu has been traveling with the giant snake Yuan Qi, challenging renowned sects and prominent factions while distributing jade slips containing the Nuo ancestral method. In the Yuanshou world today, there are at least eight hundred to a thousand such slips in circulation. And from what I hear, they are continuing to challenge even more sects."
A creaking rattle approached as the Son of Heaven of Zhou was wheeled forward on a wooden chair. His face was deathly pale. The right side of his skull had been cleaved open, crackling and hissing with arcs of lightning.
That was the aftermath of Zhu Chanchan's final blow. She had activated the big bell, driving it straight through the barrier of the Five-Colored Immortal King Banner to strike his head and crush his skull.
That single attack had inflicted catastrophic injuries upon him, nearly costing him his life amidst the heavenly tribulation.
Fortunately, he had previously used the ancient method to absorb the tribulation's power, refining his physical body and Primordial Spirit to evolve from a mortal frame into an immortal, which ultimately preserved his life.
Yet he was left crippled. In the tribulation's final stages, powerless to resist, he had been forced to wrap his head in the Five-Colored Immortal King Banner merely to survive, leaving his body completely numb and paralyzed from the neck down.
He had indeed survived the tribulation, yet he had become a crippled immortal of the mortal realm—an undeniable irony.
"Xu Ying, a fellow daoist? He is unworthy,"
the Son of Heaven of Zhou said coldly. "He merely used me to locate heavenly gods and acquire Heavenly Dao runes. We were only using each other. How does he qualify as a fellow daoist?"
Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi knew he was still harboring deep resentment, so he raised the Nuo ancestral method into the air. "Please take a look, Your Majesty."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou turned his gaze upon the projected method, reigned in his emotions, and read through it with painstaking care. After a long moment, he asked, "Grand Preceptor, what do you make of this?"
Jiang Qi replied, "While traveling abroad, this humble official heard all manner of rumors. They all essentially claim that the Immortality Immortal Xu Ying has fallen into demonic ways, circulating a false ancestral method with the intent to harvest the entire world. Anyone who dares cultivate it will eventually be harvested by him."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou read the method over and over. "What else?"
Jiang Qi answered, "This humble official believes this move serves two purposes. First, spreading the ancestral method across the realm: if there is a trap, he can harvest everyone under heaven to bolster his own strength; if there is no trap, making the world stronger provides more allies to resist those above. Second, it draws out the fishermen and the leek harvesters—and perhaps even the Nuo ancestors themselves!"
The Son of Heaven of Zhou inquired, "How so?"
Jiang Qi said, "If everyone in the world cultivates the ancestral method, they will be capable of severing the cave-heavens of anyone who hasn't. The fishermen and leek harvesters will be forced to cultivate it too. Yet they fear a trap and dare not do so. The best way to resolve such a dilemma is to eliminate the person who created it."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou gave a slight nod. "Xu Ying created this dilemma specifically to lure them out into the open."
Jiang Qi continued, "Xu Ying also possesses four Nuo ancestor cave-heavens, which will act as irresistible bait. At the same time, his ability to diminish the tribulation's power by seventy percent gives them yet another reason why they must seek him out."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou stared at the jade slip suspended in midair. "So, is the method inscribed within the jade slip genuine or not?"
Jiang Qi hesitated before answering, "In this humble official's estimation, Fellow Daoist Xu is not someone who hoards knowledge or clings to secrecy. It is entirely plausible that he made the true ancestral method public. Therefore, I believe the method on the jade slip is genuine."
The corner of the Son of Heaven of Zhou's eye twitched. Suddenly, he sneered, "I don't believe it! There is bound to be a trap in this ancestral method! Xu Ying is an obstinate, conceited man who desires total control. What he craves is dominion over all under heaven—even if he never exercises that power, he still insists on holding the life and death of every soul in the palm of his hand!"
Jiang Qi bowed his head. "Then Your Majesty, will you cultivate this ancestral method?"
The Son of Heaven of Zhou snorted coldly. "I am already an immortal of the mortal realm. What need do I have for an ancestral method?"
Jiang Qi hesitated and did not pursue the matter further.
He had originally intended to ask whether their soldiers should abolish their cultivation and start anew with the ancestral method, but judging by the Son of Heaven's attitude, he knew such permission would never be granted.
"Has that rebel Zhu Chanchan been found yet?" the Son of Heaven of Zhou asked.
Jiang Qi shook his head. "Men have already been dispatched to track her down."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou coughed violently before adding, "You must also search for immortal medicines, immortal mountains, and Kunlun... cough, cough, cough."
Jiang Qi assented, "Your Majesty, please rest early."
Walking out of the ruins of Haojing, Jiang Qi looked up into the sky and thought silently, *Xu Ying, what on earth are you trying to accomplish? Do you really believe you can contend with the fishermen and the leek harvesters? And do you not know that lurking behind them are the hidden Nuo ancestors?*
***
In Xianyang, Zulong stood atop the city gate tower, turning a jade slip over in his hand and reading it repeatedly. With a sharp snap, he crushed it to powder.
"Abolish my cultivation just to practice this? Zhen will never do such a thing."
Looking out over his vast rivers and mountains, his voice was deep and resonant. "Zhen has already restored the missing link of Kunlun; my Dao methods and divine abilities harbor no further flaws. When Zhen faces the heavenly tribulation, I will not rely on external treasures like Xu Fu, nor will I borrow another's power to weaken it by seventy percent like the Son of Heaven of Zhou.
"Zhen is no incompetent fool! When I cross my tribulation, it will be by my own strength, meeting it head-on with upright, honorable means—to strike the tribulation directly and defeat it!"
***
On Mount Jiuyi, atop Zhou Qiyun's burial mound, Fool Ah Fu leaned against the grave, activating a jade slip in his hands.
"The Mud Pill Palace ancestral method... If it truly hides a trap, it could harvest the entire world in one fell swoop. Countless human skins drifting through the skies of the Yuanshou world would be quite a sight to behold."
Fool Ah Fu smiled with carefree ease. "And yet, you would never leave a trap behind. Everyone assumes you did, but I know you wouldn't. What baffles me is why you chose to do this."
A puzzled look crossed his face. "Do you truly believe you are ready to challenge those fishermen and leek harvesters? Not to mention the Nuo ancestors, who are waiting like the oriole behind the mantis. How do you intend to deal with them?"
***
At the Golden Summit of Mount Emei, Yan Kongcheng waited with bated breath.
He had been waiting for a long time. When he finally spotted Yuan Qi riding the clouds toward them, sheer joy washed over him. He turned to Qiao Zizhong and exclaimed, "Patriarch, Brother Xu is here!"
Qiao Zizhong looked concerned. "Sect Master, his arrival at this juncture may not be a blessing for our Emei."
Yan Kongcheng laughed. "You're mistaken—it's a tremendous blessing! Rumors have been flying all over Shenzhou that Brother Xu has turned into the Boy of Good Fortune, handing out the ancestral method everywhere he goes. Now he has finally delivered it to my doorstep!"
Qiao Zizhong cautioned, "The jade slip he gives out might not be the real ancestral method. Even if it is, a trap could easily be hidden inside. Sect Master, one can know a man's face but not his heart. We must remain on guard."
Yan Kongcheng shook his head with a grin. "You don't know Xu Ying, but I do. He would never harm me in a matter like this!"
He strode forward to welcome them, laughing heartily. "Brother Xu, you've finally arrived! Where is my ancestral method?"
Xu Ying raised his hand and tossed a jade slip across the air.
Yan Kongcheng hurriedly caught it. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Ying's expression shifted slightly. He took to the air from Yuan Qi's head, gesturing for Yuan Qi, Chu Xiangxiang, and the others to head into Emei first.
Qiao Zizhong sighed. "This is precisely what I meant by not being a blessing."
Yan Kongcheng was still somewhat bewildered when he noticed a vegetable farmer treading through the sky with a carrying pole balanced across his shoulders, walking straight toward them.
"Young Master Xu, you command vast resources and hail from Kunlun, possessing the remarkable power to seize the heavenly tribulation and turn it into a Heavenly Dao mantle."
The vegetable farmer halted, standing suspended in midair with a chuckle. "Pity this poor old farmer and seize a Heavenly Dao mantle for me as well, won't you?"
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "You wish to cross the tribulation and ascend?"
Every wrinkle on the farmer's face creased with a broad grin. "Who doesn't want to cross the tribulation, ascend, and roam free and unhindered? Young Master Xu, if I remain in the mortal realm, I will continue to kill and devour people, spreading counterfeit Nuo methods to harvest the populace. Why not show some mercy and help me cross my tribulation? A single merciful thought from you could save countless lives."
Xu Ying chuckled. "Should I pass you the genuine ancestral method as well?"
The vegetable farmer lowered his eyes and smiled meekly. "Between men of understanding, let us speak plainly. Even if you offered me the genuine method, would I dare cultivate it? I would have to discard my current cultivation just to start anew. By then, stuffed full of immortal medicines, I would become an easy harvest for anyone."
He gave a low chuckle. "So, it is far better for Young Master Xu to help me cross the tribulation. Young Master Xu, you surely don't wish to see more innocents suffer and die by my hands, do you?"
Xu Ying smiled gently. "Naturally not."
He raised a hand and grasped at the empty air. Above them, thunder snapped and crackled as clouds gathered in turbulent swirls.
"I can diminish the tribulation's power, but I can also command it,"
Xu Ying said placidly. "If you don't mind, old gentleman, I shall summon your tribulation, bolster its fury by a few measures, and send you on your way."
The vegetable farmer's face drained of color. He looked up in horror to find his own heavenly tribulation rapidly taking shape!
At that very moment, radiant Nuo ancestor cave-heavens blazed to life behind Xu Ying, banishing the gloom of the darkening sky!
Chapter 305