Since their parting at Kunlun, Mount Emei had made considerable strides. Its disciples flourished, and the sect had grown noticeably larger than any other.
Some of the disciples already possessed impressive cultivation and could perform divine powers, flying on swords between the mountains, though their speed remained modest. Viewed from high above, they resembled silver insects flitting through the peaks. Their sword lights cut through the thin clouds, leaving faint trails across the mountain mist.
Still, most disciples at Mount Emei remained in the Qi Gathering stage. At sunrise, they would ascend to the summits to gather and refine qi beneath the dawn’s first rays.
Seeing Mount Emei thrive so, Xu Ying could not help but feel delighted for Yan Kongcheng.
"Brother Xu, do not rush off just yet. Give me some time to study the ancestral method. If there is anything I do not understand, I will need to consult you."
Yan Kongcheng was overjoyed, warmly inviting Xu Ying to stay for a few more days. He even turned a blind eye to Qiao Zizhong, who was frantically giving him meaningful looks from the side.
Qiao Zizhong cursed inwardly, realizing the young man’s mind was made up. He hastily excused himself, rose, and went to Mount Emei’s other peaks to invoke the magic treasures left behind by the past patriarchs.
Mount Emei boasted an ancient history, predating even the Immortality Immortal. It had served as a dojo for immortals long ago, and its successive patriarchs had left behind a great abundance of treasures.
Across Mount Emei’s many peaks and golden summits, formidable treasures rose into the air. Some cast shimmering halos of rosy light that shielded entire mountains; some drifted through the valleys like gossamer veils of blue-green smoke; some took the form of inverted golden bells; and others transformed into magnificent divine beasts guarding the landscape. On certain peaks, golden-armored divine beings stood tall, resembling heavenly gods!
Mount Emei’s profound treasury left Xu Ying staring wide-eyed.
"Mount Emei's heritage is truly boundless and unfathomable," Xu Ying marveled.
Yan Kongcheng set down his jade slip and said with a laugh, "Mount Emei's foundation is indeed exceptionally deep, but its standing in the upper realm is still lacking. Otherwise, during Xu Fu's tribulation at Kunlun, the one ascending wouldn't have been Sect Master Xiao of the Wuyan Sect, but me, Yan Kongcheng."
He paused, then added, "And, of course, the one you beat to death wouldn't have been Sect Master Xiao either—it would have been me."
Xu Ying replied modestly, "A'cheng, you are exceptionally strong. Killing you would not have been easy."
Yan Kongcheng snorted, feigning indignation. "Stop flattering me. After returning from Kunlun, I reflected deeply on the painful lesson, abolished my Nuo cultivation, and severed my six secret cave-heavens. Whether I could even defeat Seventh Master now remains up in the air!"
Hearing this, Yuan Qi's eyes lit up, eager to test his mettle.
Xu Ying whispered, "Seventh Master, do not take him seriously. He is only being modest. Defeating you would still be child's play for him."
Yuan Qi’s excitement vanished instantly.
Yan Kongcheng was a true inheritor of Mount Emei's finest arts, exceptionally gifted in Immortal Dao runes. Even if he discarded his Nuo cultivation, besting Yuan Qi remained effortless. Yuan Qi understood only a fraction of the runes branded inside his belly; compared to a genius like Yan Kongcheng, he still fell far short.
"Brother Xu, Mount Emei is anchored by the Myriad Dao Banner and guarded by more than a hundred ancestral treasures, great and small. You may recuperate here for several days to nurse your wounds."
Yan Kongcheng glanced outside and saw that Qiao Zizhong had already activated the protective arrays across every peak. Breathing a sigh of relief, he smiled and said, "When I offered to let you stay for a few days, I knew the Patriarch would make everything airtight."
Xu Ying felt a surge of gratitude. Borrowing the heavenly tribulation to slay the vegetable farmer had cost him several strikes from the golden carrying pole. Though his body had not been shattered, his injuries were severe. He needed a few days of quiet recovery to purge the foreign Dao manifestations invading his flesh before he could return to peak condition.
Yan Kongcheng’s invitation was in truth buying him time.
Qiao Zizhong was renowned for lying low and playing things completely safe. He did everything without leaving a single seam or vulnerability, so he would naturally arrange every defense to perfection. Even if other fishermen came knocking, they would find no openings to exploit and would have to wait until Xu Ying departed Mount Emei.
Tense and vigilant, Qiao Zizhong monitored every stir around the mountains, daring not let his guard down for a moment.
Suddenly, the Silken Stream Gauze over Mount Emei’s western peak began to ripple. Without hesitation, Qiao Zizhong hoisted the immortal weapon, the Myriad Dao Banner, radiating murderous intent.
"Fellow Daoist, Mount Emei is restricted ground. If you force your way in, I fear untoward consequences will follow," he warned darkly.
The Silken Stream Gauze billowed in the wind, blanketing the entire western peak, lifted high by a bizarre and mighty power. The force was so immense that even a treasure of this caliber struggled to suppress it.
Qiao Zizhong activated the Myriad Dao Banner, causing the immortal weapon's might to surge. The ripples in the Silken Stream Gauze ceased at once, and the power invading Mount Emei swiftly receded into the distance.
Still, Qiao Zizhong did not relax. He chose to keep the Myriad Dao Banner continuously raised, thinking to himself, *If the Sect Master needs a few days, I will hold out for a few days—until that harbinger of trouble named Xu has finally moved on!*
Four days later, Xu Ying had healed his Dao injuries, returning to peak condition, and went to see Yan Kongcheng.
However, Yan Kongcheng had entered seclusion to cultivate the Mud Pill Palace ancestral method. Xu Ying pondered for a moment, fetched a brush and paper, and penned a farewell letter. Then he called Chu Xiangxiang, Yuan Qi, and the others, and walked outside.
"Patriarch Qingshuang."
As Xu Ying walked past Qiao Zizhong, he halted and smiled. "What does Patriarch Qingshuang think of my distributing the Mud Pill Palace ancestral method this time?"
Qiao Zizhong froze for a moment, then pondered briefly before replying, "There will inevitably be a bloodbath. Even if you hold sway over the heavenly tribulation, it will be hard for you to survive."
Xu Ying burst into laughter. "I am not speaking of my own safety. Qingshuang, I am asking how you fishermen and leek-harvesters plan to deal with yourselves."
Qiao Zizhong understood his meaning. "What you did is tantamount to roasting us over an open fire, leaving us nowhere to advance and nowhere to retreat. The only solution is to eliminate you."
Xu Ying nodded gently and pressed, "And if that fails?"
Qiao Zizhong hesitated for a moment. "If eliminating you proves impossible, we will settle for second best. We will carefully avoid everyone else, find a secure sanctuary, sever our own cultivation, and practice the ancestral method. It is a choice of last resort."
Xu Ying gazed into the distance. "It is also your only way to survive."
Qiao Zizhong's frame quivered slightly.
Xu Ying took a step past him. "You have always been cautious, never willing to place yourself in danger. Even when facing me, you do not let down your guard for an instant. While we were talking just now, you were secretly readying the Myriad Dao Banner."
Qiao Zizhong said nothing; it was in his nature to be this careful.
Xu Ying continued, "From your words, I can deduce that you intend to take the second path. But along that path, your greatest danger will not be me, but those who are just like you."
Qiao Zizhong nodded in silence.
Xu Ying smiled. "When you hide, make sure I do not find you. If I find you, I will show no mercy."
A faint smile surfaced on Qiao Zizhong’s deathly pale face. "Rest assured. Once I hide, you will never find me."
Xu Ying, Chu Xiangxiang, and the others took their leave, setting out for the Mount Shu Sword Sect.
Two days later, Yan Kongcheng used Mount Emei's immortal weapon to sever his Chonglou realm, knocking himself back down to the second Pass-Breaching stage, and successfully opened his Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven.
Upon emerging from seclusion, Qiao Zizhong delivered Xu Ying's letter. Yan Kongcheng unrolled and read it, discovering that the letter detailed common pitfalls in the cultivation process with remarkable precision.
Moved, Yan Kongcheng put the letter away and asked, "They just left like that? Patriarch, their journey ahead is perilous. Why didn't you see them off?"
Qiao Zizhong’s eyes flickered. "Does the Sect Master mean... on the road...?"
With a menacing expression, he raised his hand and made a sharp slicing motion.
Yan Kongcheng jumped in fright and said hurriedly, "I was worried about their safety! Right now, many fishermen are bound to be hunting for his whereabouts. I wasn't asking you to kill them! Those fishermen have been driven into a corner by him, and their only way out is to eliminate him. If you went to see him off, you could have protected him."
"I will not go,"
Qiao Zizhong replied. "The Sect Master must not forget that I, too, am a fisherman. By reason and duty, I ought to eliminate Xu Ying. Protecting him this once has already breached my principles."
Yan Kongcheng turned to look at him. "Patriarch, Brother Xu spreading the ancestral method is also your opportunity. You can seize this chance to cast aside your identity as a fisherman!"
Qiao Zizhong smiled once more. "That is indeed my intention."
Yan Kongcheng said with heartfelt sincerity, "I know you are eager to cultivate the ancestral method and shed your status as a fisherman, but if you sever your cultivation now, you will place yourself in grave peril. Therefore, I must ask you to wait a little longer. Wait until I reach the Ascension stage and have the strength to protect you. Only then should you sever your cultivation and practice the ancestral method."
A look of touched emotion crossed Qiao Zizhong’s face. "You wish to protect me during my cultivation? You are the Sect Master of Mount Emei, noble and unsullied, pure as the wind and bright as the moon. Not a single blemish can be allowed to touch your name."
Yan Kongcheng waved it off, smiling. "By then, Mount Emei will have already been revitalized. I will simply pass on the position of Sect Master. Once I am no longer Sect Master, it won’t count as bringing shame upon Mount Emei."
Qiao Zizhong fell silent for a moment, then chuckled. "Rest assured, Sect Master, I know what I am doing. I have always been careful; nothing will go wrong."
Yan Kongcheng still felt slightly uneasy and looked into his eyes.
Qiao Zizhong looked as calm as ever.
After a moment, Yan Kongcheng scratched his head with a grin. "The Patriarch is indeed far more cautious than I am. I was overthinking it."
Two days later, Yan Kongcheng could not find Qiao Zizhong anywhere. He found only a letter left behind, which read: *The Sect Master is honorable and upright; Mount Emei cannot bear a blemish.*
Panic seized Yan Kongcheng's heart. He ordered his disciples to search high and low, but they found no trace of Patriarch Qingshuang.
They searched for years, yet Qiao Zizhong never appeared again.
A flicker of hope remained in Yan Kongcheng's heart, wishing that one day Qiao Zizhong would return, having reformed his ways and embarked on the righteous path, no longer needing to cultivate human elixirs.
Yet Qiao Zizhong never returned.
His life and death became an unsolved mystery that lingered with Yan Kongcheng for the rest of his days.
***
Meanwhile, Xu Ying traveled toward the Mount Shu Sword Sect after leaving Mount Emei. The journey was surprisingly peaceful. Yuan Qi soared through the open sky, riding wind and thunder, with the two currents of yin and yang swirling behind his head at blazing speed.
Xu Ying and Chu Xiangxiang sat atop the great serpent's head, admiring the surrounding scenery.
The Mount Shu Sword Sect came into view. As Xu Ying looked toward it, his expression suddenly shifted. With a violent flick of his sleeve, countless stars rose and sank around them, spreading across hundreds of li into a vast Chaotic Star Sea!
Chu Xiangxiang was baffled, but in the next instant, the sky and earth trembled violently. Even the distant Mount Jianmen shook unstably, fluttering like a sheet of paper!
The world was not merely trembling; it was disintegrating, collapsing into churning chaos, as if a cataclysmic doom had descended!
"The world is being destroyed?"
Chu Xiangxiang gasped in shock, but quickly realized: *The world isn't being destroyed—we've fallen into a painting! The painting merged with heaven and earth, transforming into Mount Jianmen and the surrounding scenery, but a flaw somewhere was spotted by Uncle Ying!*
Vast, boundless chaos crushed toward them from all directions, above and below. But as it collided with Xu Ying's Chaotic Star Sea, the two clashed violently!
The chaos crushed star after star, but new stars instantly coalesced within the star sea, preventing the chaos from grinding them to dust!
The big bell clanged, suddenly soaring into the sky. It yelled, "As long as it's a magic treasure, Lord Bell has never feared anything!"
The bell chimes resonated, blazing with immortal radiance, sweeping away every surging wave of chaos!
Sky and earth instantly cleared, leaving behind only a torn scroll.
The big bell had just destroyed the scroll treasure and was reveling in its triumph when a sudden palm slammed against it. The power behind the blow was horrifying, blasting the bell backward as earth-shattering might erupted within its frame!
"I'm going to die!"
The big bell panicked. Its bronze wall warped, the handprint sinking so deeply into the bronze that it threatened to punch right through!
Yet in the next moment, various Dao representations circulated along the inner walls of the bell, gradually dispersing the blow's force one strand after another. Overjoyed by the surprise, the big bell watched its dented wall steadily bulge back into shape.
Looking ahead, it saw the Chaotic Star Sea illuminated and melted away by one Xuan bird after another!
The figure who had just sent the bell flying plunged into the Chaotic Star Sea, cave-heavens arrayed behind him. With a thunderous roar, he suppressed a large swathe of the star sea.
At the same time, another man clad in archaic robes charged into the star sea from the opposite direction, hoisting his cave-heaven to suppress the other half!
Xuan birds flapped their wings and swooped forward with brutal ferocity, extending their talons toward Yuan Qi, and toward Xu Ying and the others atop his head!
*Ah Ying is in danger!*
Just as this thought crossed the big bell's mind, the Heavenly Dao cloak behind Chu Xiangxiang atop Yuan Qi's head fluttered. With a crisp snap, it unfurled like a curtain blotting out the sky, scooping up all the Xuan birds in a single sweep!
Chu Xiangxiang drifted into the air as the cloak behind her spread wide, reducing every Xuan bird to ash.
Suddenly, another figure pierced through layers of clouds, descending from beyond the sky. It was a third Great Shang Qi Refiner! He pressed downward with a palm, bearing down so heavily that Yuan Qi struggled to maintain his balance and plummeted.
Chu Xiangxiang swept her sleeves to meet the Great Shang Qi Refiner. The ornaments in the young woman's hair took flight, instantly transforming into over a hundred magic treasures that collided with the attacker!
Phoenixes cried and soared amidst dazzling jewels and radiant treasures. Small though they were, these treasures erupted with unimaginable might at this moment, holding the Great Shang Qi Refiner at bay!
Simultaneously, the various small adornments upon her person blazed with brilliant light, wreathing her in dazzling radiance and peerless divine strength as she engaged the Great Shang Qi Refiner in close combat!
On the other side, a fourth Great Shang Qi Refiner struck from below just as the other two were pinning Xu Ying down, leaving Xu Ying unable to counter his assault!
"Lord Bell!" Xu Ying bellowed.
The big bell finally stabilized and came roaring forward, crying, "Lord Bell is here!"
Its might erupted as it blocked the fourth Great Shang Qi Refiner.
At the same time, Xu Ying broke free from the suppression. A bronze peak materialized, bearing down from above. The Great Shang Qi Refiner attacking from below had barely clashed head-on with the big bell when Buzhou Mountain crushed down upon him, sending him tumbling downward!
Xu Ying let out a long whistle and leapt into the air, brushing past Chu Xiangxiang. As his palm rose gently, the Heavenly Dao cloak behind her lit up, transforming into Heavenly Dao runes that filled the sky.
In the Netherworld, within the realm of reincarnation, the three God Kings—Xuanyu, Xuanchen, and Xuanxing—all scowled in unison.
Seeing this, God King Xuanhao hurriedly scowled as well.
"It has started again! That outlaw is borrowing the heavenly tribulation to strike down his foes once more!"
God King Xuanxing was beside himself with fury, his beard and hair bristling. He roared, "Does he think the Heavenly Dao is run by his family? Where is heavenly reason? Where is heavenly law? Brother Xuanyu, are we just going to sit by and do nothing?"
God King Xuanyu waved his hand.
"Pay him no mind!"
Chapter 307