"Does the demonic realm have immortals too? What an awfully long title this demonic immortal has."
Xu Ying was taken aback, studying the great tomb within the sea of fire. He thought, 'When demonic immortals ascend, where do they ascend to? Could it be that the demonic realm has its own Immortal Realm? Still, a demonic immortal's abilities probably aren't that high, right? Surely they can't compare to the immortals of the Immortal Realm.'
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the boat, propelled by the demon god, was swept along by the raging immortal fire surging around the immortal tomb. Like a leaf tossed in the spray, it seemed poised to be engulfed by the turbulent waves at any moment!
Xu Ying's expression shifted drastically. He immediately felt an incomparable might of the Immortal Dao emanating from True Lord Erlang's immortal tomb!
Closing his eyes, he could even faintly sense an extraordinarily towering figure seated within the tomb amidst the sea of fire, hands forming seals, radiating a peerless divine light as dazzling as the great sun!
Endless immortal fire swirled around the tomb like flowing water. That was the immortal fire formed by the person's own Immortal Dao after death, guarding the mausoleum and preserving the corpse!
To possess such residual might even in death—just how powerful must this person have been in life? It was simply unimaginable!
Xu Ying opened his eyes to see their vessel weaving through the streams of flame around the immortal tomb, cutting across colossal waves of fire.
The tomb amidst the fiery sea twisted the surrounding space-time, dragging the boat downward toward the tomb. The demon Qi Refiners aboard cried out in alarm, their faces draining of color. The demon god, however, seemed long accustomed to this. Navigating the familiar currents with practiced ease, he adjusted the sails and fought the fiery swells. Before long, they broke free from the vortex formed by the immortal tomb. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Xu Ying looked back, watching the tomb recede into the distance.
The demon girl Hu Zhuojun stole a glance at Xu Ying and suddenly smiled. "How come your face didn't turn pale with fright like the others?"
Xu Ying replied with an earnest face, "Probably because my skin is dark. It's not easy for it to turn deathly pale."
Hu Zhuojun burst out laughing. "You're quite amusing. I saw you staring at that immortal tomb the whole time. Have you never been here before?"
Xu Ying answered, "Never. I'm a Qi Refiner from the other side of the fire sea."
He pointed toward the Yuanchu Great World.
Hu Zhuojun came to an understanding and smiled. "So you're a Qi Refiner from the homeland! No wonder you haven't been here. The homeland was originally lost territory, only reclaimed in recent years. If you're a Qi Refiner from there, does that mean you come from the front lines?"
Xu Ying gasped in apparent astonishment. "How did you know?"
Hu Zhuojun puffed up proudly and grinned. "The homeland was only reclaimed recently, so there aren't many powerful Qi Refiners there yet. Only a few ancient lineages have traveled there to pass down supreme arts. You've never seen the immortal tomb, yet you're a demon Qi Refiner. You must be a disciple taken in by the soldiers on the front lines! Your background was obvious from a single guess."
Xu Ying offered fulsome admiration. "Sister Zhuojun, you're truly brilliant."
"Of course!" Hu Zhuojun puffed out her chest with pride.
Colossal waves of fire rose in the sea, throwing up arcs of light tens of thousands of li across, bridging the void like rainbows. The demon god steered the boat beneath the fiery arches.
Xu Ying asked, "Who was this True Lord Erlang in the immortal tomb?"
Hu Zhuojun shook her head. "I don't know either. Word has it that when this sea of fire appeared, the tomb was already here. As for what deeds the immortal in the tomb accomplished, no one knows."
The demon god rumbled in a deep, booming voice, "I have heard some legends. It is said that this True Lord Erlang attained sainthood through the mortal body, cultivating to an extremely exalted realm to become an Emperor. He cultivated a third divine eye between his brows, capable of peering through heaven, earth, and the nether gloom, gazing across the myriad heavens and worlds, and seeing through every supernatural art and transformation."
Xu Ying listened intently, and a thought struck him. 'True Lord Erlang's eye is similar to the Nai River and the Cangwu Abyss. If one could cultivate such a divine eye, existing simultaneously in the myriad heavens and worlds, the Immortal Realm, and the Netherworld, wouldn't they be able to peer through heaven, earth, and the nether gloom, and gaze across all realms?'
He suddenly recalled the giant eye of Weixu, and his heart gave a lurch. 'Where did the eye of Weixu come from?'
The boatman demon god continued, "Legend says his martial prowess was unmatched under heaven. He was the mightiest war god, a battle immortal of ancient times! He also kept a divine hound named Xiaotian, an archaic anomalous breed capable of swallowing the sun and moon."
He sighed and said, "Regrettably, those are merely tales of ancient antiquity; no one can verify their truth. However, the immortal in the tomb still retains upright righteousness in death. From time to time, violent upheavals erupt within this fiery sea. Whenever that happens, miraculous might bursts forth from the immortal tomb to suppress the disturbances deep within the flames."
Surprised, Xu Ying asked, "Does that mean something else is suppressed beneath the sea of fire? Let me see!"
He stepped to the edge of the boat and peered into the sea of fire. Just then, an eruption occurred: a plume of flame shot toward the sky, and a massive wave of fire nearly reduced his head to ash.
Hu Zhuojun hastily reached out, seized his collar, and yanked him back, scolding, "You little Qi Refiner, where do you get such nerve? I have no idea how you survived on the front line!"
Xu Ying scratched his head and ventured tentatively, "Could it be because my strength is actually quite remarkable?"
Hu Zhuojun spat in amusement. "What realm are you even in? What cultivation method do you practice? What supernatural arts do you know?"
Xu Ying puffed up with pride and said, "I've already cultivated a Primordial Spirit! Daily, I practice the Taiyi Inborn Technique. As for supernatural arts? I learn whatever's available, and I learn fast!"
Hearing that he had already formed a Primordial Spirit, Hu Zhuojun did not dare underestimate him. She said, "The Taiyi Inborn Technique? Never heard of it. Sounds grandiose, probably just a bluff. Show your Primordial Spirit; let me see."
Xu Ying hesitated briefly, quietly suppressing the Heavenly Dao aura within his Primordial Spirit before manifesting it.
Over recent days, traveling deep into the demonized territories and communicating with the demon gods worshipped in various villages, he had gained an understanding of the Demonic Dao, deepening his attainment in it.
When he summoned his Primordial Spirit, its aura appeared no different from that of an ordinary demon Qi Refiner's Primordial Spirit.
However, the moment he brought it out, the many demon Qi Refiners aboard burst into uproarious laughter. Xu Ying's Primordial Spirit was merely three inches tall, pitifully small.
Mocking him, they manifested their own Primordial Spirits. Even the shortest was over ten zhang tall, while the tallest reached fifty or sixty zhang, towering like majestic gods and fiends, radiating imposing grandeur.
Hearing their laughter, Xu Ying's face flushed crimson, and he looked thoroughly mortified.
Hu Zhuojun put on a fierce scowl and glared daggers at the laughing Qi Refiners, shouting, "What are you laughing at? He's a Qi Refiner from the front lines, shedding blood in battle to protect the folk back home! What right do you have to mock his Primordial Spirit for being small?"
The demon Qi Refiners shrank back, no longer daring to mock him. Several felt deeply ashamed and stepped forward to apologize to Xu Ying.
Xu Ying was somewhat bewildered, thinking, 'These demons are strange! Why do they lack the demonic nature spoken of in legends? Are they putting on an act for me?'
Hu Zhuojun said to him, "Don't mind them. Learning on the front lines and still managing to form a Primordial Spirit is already extraordinary."
Xu Ying humbly asked, "Sister Zhuojun, is my Primordial Spirit truly that small?"
Hu Zhuojun hesitated before explaining, "When a Qi Refiner first forms a Primordial Spirit, it is naturally as tall as their physical body. The saying goes: cultivating spirit is cultivating the body; spirit and body are one, only then can they integrate as a whole to unleash formidable offensive power. Your Primordial Spirit being three inches tall is indeed just a tiny bit on the small side... Oh well!"
She quickly followed up with a smile, "Small is small, but it's not like it doesn't work!"
Xu Ying mumbled, "So when a Primordial Spirit is first formed, it's supposed to be as tall as the body..."
His Primordial Spirit wasn't just a tiny bit small; it was far too small, looking thoroughly malnourished. No wonder those demon Qi Refiners had burst out laughing.
Most of the demon Qi Refiners on board were quite friendly. Some offered to instruct Xu Ying on how to cultivate Dao methods and how to visualize Dao images. The demon god steering the boat also spoke up: "You haven't had many opportunities on the front lines and haven't seen much of the world. This sea of fire is the true grand spectacle. The entire sea is a colossal Dao image. If you can comprehend it, you could grasp peerless supernatural arts!"
At these words, many demon Qi Refiners shook their heads. "Honored god, who could possibly comprehend the Dao image of this whole sea of fire? A-Ying, don't listen to him."
The demon god shook his head and said, "I remember that someone once succeeded in cultivating the sea of fire anomaly."
He drifted into contemplation and said, "I once witnessed that phenomenon. It was a boundless sea of fire; I was steering my boat across the waters amidst rising wind and tempestuous waves. Suddenly, another sea of fire rose steadily from the flames, shaped like a colossal furnace, with the sun and moon contained within that fiery crucible... The spectacle was so magnificent that even after tens of thousands of years, I remember it vividly."
Hu Zhuojun pulled Xu Ying aside and whispered, "Don't listen to his nonsense. This sea of fire has infinite details. If you try to cultivate the Dao image of the whole sea of fire, you'll definitely fail. If you want to grasp the Dao's profundity, you have to look at the details! Look over there, where the flames leap up and transform into a soaring phoenix—comprehending that Dao image would yield a remarkable supernatural art! And over there, the flames form a fire dragon Dao image!"
She pointed outward. Indeed, across the ocean-like expanse of fire, marvelous sights appeared: fire dragons, fire phoenixes, fire serpents, golden crows, and various extraordinary spectacles, each magnificent.
Even suns, moons, and stars soared out of the fiery sea, forming spectacular Dao images of their own!
Xu Ying plucked up his courage and said, "Sister Zhuojun, I want to learn the difficult one. I want to comprehend the anomaly of this entire sea of fire!"
Hu Zhuojun fumed, "He who heeds advice gets fed; he who rejects it winds up dead! Fine, see if I care! I paid good money for this passage, so I'm going to get my money's worth!"
She manifested her Primordial Spirit to observe and study the Dao images within the sea of fire.
The other demon Qi Refiners seized the opportunity as well, visualizing and contemplating one after another.
Their boat needed three to five days to cross the sea of fire to reach the opposite shore, so they made the most of every moment to cultivate and gain enlightenment.
Seeing this, Xu Ying followed suit. He released his exquisite, pocket-sized Primordial Spirit into the sky to observe the various transformations of the fiery sea.
Though he had retrieved memories of the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace from his first life, they were only brief fragments; he had never developed a profound personal realization of this supernatural art.
Now, standing before this cosmic wonder, he naturally had to seize the moment to comprehend it to his heart's content.
The demon god steering the boat saw the boy's Primordial Spirit rise into the upper air and felt a surge of alarm. Just as he was about to warn him of the danger, a wave of fire swept over, submerging Xu Ying's Primordial Spirit. Yet once the wave passed, Xu Ying's pocket-sized Primordial Spirit emerged completely unharmed!
This youth appeared to be the weakest among them, but in truth, he was the strongest.
The demon god was filled with doubt and bewilderment. The more he looked at Xu Ying, the more familiar he seemed, yet he simply could not recall when they had met.
Xu Ying sent his Primordial Spirit higher and higher, taking in the overall anomaly of the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace. Then he flew before the great sun to study the solar Dao image.
He even trailed after the sun and moon, examining the geography across the celestial bodies' surfaces!
Before long, his Primordial Spirit descended to the surface of the fire sea, swimming alongside the phoenixes and dragons to scrutinize every detail, rising once more with flames tens of thousands of li long to study their Dao images.
Without realizing it, they sailed for four days across the fiery sea until the distant shoreline came into view. Everyone recalled their Primordial Spirits, and Xu Ying drew his pocket-sized spirit back into the Twelve-Storyed Mansions.
By now, his Primordial Spirit had ascended to the Second Mansion. His cultivation had advanced considerably, his spirit and vitality brimming with vigor. Though diminutive, it was exceptionally spirited.
Without resorting to the Nuo ancestor cave-heavens, this pocket-sized Primordial Spirit was his most potent asset.
"Did you manage to comprehend a great supernatural art?" Hu Zhuojun asked.
Xu Ying felt a bit guilty and laughed sheepishly. "I comprehended a tiny bit..."
"You comprehended jack shit!" Hu Zhuojun scolded. "I told you, don't seek breadth, seek precision! But you just had to go study the whole sea of fire. Now look—not a single fart to show for it! If you had listened to me and focused on something smaller, you definitely would have mastered some powerful arts over these few days!"
Xu Ying defended himself, "You never said 'don't seek breadth, seek precision'..."
Hu Zhuojun reached out and aggressively knocked on his skull—once, twice, three times—scolding, "I'm doing this for your own good, and you dare talk back! Once we hit the shore, stick close to your big sister. Don't run around, or some villain will snatch you away!"
Xu Ying rubbed the bumps on his head and thought, 'No one has ever dared hit my head, not even the Immortal Master of Penglai. Should I just kill this girl...? Hmm, she doesn't seem to harbor any malice; in fact, she seems to care about me...'
These demon Qi Refiners appeared to be decent people, making it hard for him to take action.
At last, the boat docked. The passengers leaped onto the shore, waving farewell to the demon god.
The aged demon god waved back, scooping up a handful of coins. The coins dissolved into pure incense smoke qi, which he absorbed into his body.
He watched Xu Ying and the others walk away. New passengers boarded, and he steered the vessel back into the boundless sea of fire.
"When contemplating the fiery sea's anomalies, do not send your Primordial Spirits too high. If they ascend into the sky and stray too far from the boat, my vessel will not be able to protect you," he warned the new travelers. "Do not bite off more than you can chew. By observing the dragons, phoenixes, serpents, and crows in the flames, you can realize extraordinary supernatural arts. Over all these years, I have seen only one person capable of comprehending the anomaly of the entire sea of fire..."
Within his ancient memories, the scene from tens of thousands of years ago surfaced once more: the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace rising slowly from the fire sea, the sun and moon leaping from the flames, and another sun and moon flying from within the furnace.
He recalled finer details: back then, he had been poling his boat across the sea, gazing upward. Beside the colossal sun-refining furnace floated a tiny, tiny figure.
That figure had turned its head to look at him, its features gradually growing distinct.
'That youth astonished the world.'
The ancient demon god turned his head to look in the direction Xu Ying had gone, musing silently, 'Yet that happened over forty thousand years ago. That youth must be dead by now, right? And now, someone bearing an identical resemblance has returned to the Ancestral Court. Who knows what will happen this time?'
"A-Ying, hurry up and keep up! Stop dragging your feet!"
Hu Zhuojun looked back, glaring at Xu Ying as she urged him, "We have to move fast. This area isn't safe; heterodox demons often haunt this place to hunt us down."
Xu Ying hurried to catch up and asked, "Sister, heterodox demons? What are they?"
Hu Zhuojun whispered, "Those fellows are evil cultivators entrenched in the myriad heavens and worlds, wicked Qi Refiners governed by an evil Heavenly Dao. They have many demonic immortals backing them and frequently descend here, lying in ambush to slaughter passing Qi Refiners without mercy."
Xu Ying was stunned. 'Evil cultivators? The evil cultivators she's talking about must be the Qi Refiners of the myriad heavens and worlds, right? Wait a minute!'
A question suddenly surfaced in his mind:
'Who is the real demon?'
Chapter 330