Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. *The karmic reward accumulated from my first life has arrived! This man has seen me in my first life!*
His mind raced as he tried to guess the white-robed scholar's intentions. *I hurried to Tushita Palace, and he came here too. Hearing the towering resentment in his words, could he be here to kill me? But from his tone, I shouldn't have done anything truly heinous in my first life. Still, he seems to harbor an enormous grudge...*
The white-robed scholar apologized, "Forgive my discourtesy. I was reminded of an old acquaintance just now, and seeing how much you resemble him made it hard to keep my emotions in check. What I despise most of all is betrayal! Ah, we've spoken for so long, yet I still don't know your name."
Xu Ying maintained his composure and smiled. "People often resemble one another in this world; I suppose I must look a great deal like that Xu Ying. I am the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis, Chu Tiandu. The Chu Tiandu whose fame has been soaring lately is none other than myself."
He retrieved Chu Tiandu's mask and fastened it over his face.
Once the mask was on, Xu Ying's aura shifted noticeably, carrying the distinct demeanor of the foremost expert among the younger generation of the demonic realm.
"May I ask your esteemed name?" Xu Ying inquired.
The white-robed scholar replied, "Xu Ying and I are figures of the same era. No one remembers my true name anymore. However, the people of the Ancestral Court call me Little Celestial Venerable."
The chilly wind rustled bleakly.
Standing in the autumn wind, Xu Ying removed his mask, feeling a touch of sorrow in his heart.
The karmic reward accumulated from his first life had truly arrived.
Little Celestial Venerable was Chu Tiandu's honored master.
Impersonating his disciple right to Little Celestial Venerable's face—could this be retribution finally catching up to him?
"Back then, when Xu Ying arrived at the Ancestral Court, the land was devastated and the people lived in utter misery," Little Celestial Venerable recalled, unable to hold back a sigh of emotion. "The survivors who eked out an existence here were merely clinging to life.
"The Great Dao of heaven and earth in the Ancestral Court was shattered. Of the gods, those who didn't perish were suppressed, and the living ones were branded as demon gods. Every single person here bore the label of the demon race. When Qi Refiners from the myriad worlds arrived, they slaughtered us and defiled us at whim. Back then, people's circumstances were dire—far worse than today. The Ancestral Court was covered in Immortal Dao anomalous zones, a hundred times more grueling than the present."
Xu Ying had not regained the memories of his first life and knew nothing of that era's history. Yet even today, the Ancestral Court was still treated as a demonic realm, where Qi Refiners from the myriad worlds treated hunting down Ancestral Court Qi Refiners as a way to amass merit.
Presumably, the Ancestral Court's plight back then had been far more tragic; after all, in those days, they lacked even the power to resist.
"Only a handful of Qi Refiners struggled desperately, trying to cultivate and change their own fates. No one ever thought of changing the fate of the Ancestral Court itself. Everyone was just a maggot in a cesspool, digging through filth for scraps of food—why bother thinking of such pipe dreams?"
Little Celestial Venerable looked up at the inscriptions on the stone beam and said, "Until one day, a youth who looked just like you arrived in the Ancestral Court."
His gaze grew distant as he reminisced about those turbulent, magnificent years.
"His name was Xu Ying, and many ancient beings called him the Scion of the Xu Clan. That man was utterly wicked. Once he arrived in the Ancestral Court, he stirred this stagnant pool into absolute chaos."
Little Celestial Venerable said, "He went into sacred lands to steal immortal weapons, and traveled to the slumbering grounds of gods and demons to awaken them. He delved into ancient history and excavated immortal tombs, drawing the relentless pursuit of celestial soldiers. He forced his way into forbidden zones and stormed restricted grounds, triggering an Immortal Tide. A bizarre surge of the Immortal Dao swept outward, submerging the entire Ancestral Court and transforming countless people into grotesque, aberrant creatures. Though he ultimately quelled the Immortal Tide, the evils he committed were too numerous to record."
Summoning his courage, Xu Ying ventured, "I think... this Xu Ying's intentions must have been good. He harbored no malice; his methods were just a bit rough around the edges."
Little Celestial Venerable said, "His intentions were good, naturally. Otherwise, so many Ancestral Court Qi Refiners would not have followed him back then, and I would never have become his close friend. He shone with blinding brilliance, the brightest star in the Ancestral Court of that era—no, the brightest sun. There was no dilemma in this world he could not resolve. Under his guidance, the Ancestral Court gradually regained a glimmer of vitality. In my heart, he was an honored master, a father, an elder brother, and a kindred spirit!"
Xu Ying was stunned. He had initially assumed his first life shared some acquaintance with Little Celestial Venerable, but he never expected the bond to be this profound.
A master held the grace of imparting the Dao; a father, the grace of upbringing; an elder brother, the grace of support; a kindred spirit, the grace of mutual understanding.
All four of these debts of gratitude were immeasurably weighty!
One could only imagine just how monumental the first-life Xu Ying was in Little Celestial Venerable's heart.
"Back then, we gathered together, studying Dao methods and divine powers, envisioning the future, unearthing ancient history, and standing together against formidable foes,"
Little Celestial Venerable said, "We swore an oath to restore the Ancestral Court, to return it to its true state and restore the Great Dao of heaven and earth to normalcy! We wanted to unearth the history that had vanished, to dig up the truth deliberately buried and hidden away, so that every person in the Ancestral Court could live with pride! We resolved to overthrow the Immortal Dao that oppressed us; we believed no one was born to be butchered at another's whim!"
Agitation gripped his expression. He paused, waiting until he regained his calm before continuing, "I thought we would fight shoulder to shoulder until the end—until one day, he abandoned us and ascended alone!"
Murderous intent surfaced on his face as he abruptly turned his head to look at Xu Ying.
"Marquis, this is betrayal, is it not?" Little Celestial Venerable asked.
A drop of cold sweat broke out on Xu Ying's forehead. If he answered "yes," Little Celestial Venerable would strike in the next instant and eliminate him, the traitor.
If he answered "no," how could he possibly explain why it wasn't betrayal?
His gears spun faster than ever before. Just as he was desperately racking his brain for an answer, a voice suddenly drifted over: "Little Celestial Venerable, before Chu Tiandu duels the Weixu disciples, I would like very much to experience your skills and see if you have grown old."
Hearing this, Xu Ying's thoughts stirred. *That sounds like the sect master of the Linglong Heavenly Sect!*
He looked toward the sound and saw an old man and a young woman emerge from the Immortal Dao anomalous zone. The old man was Sect Master Yuan Gongtong, and the fair-skinned demonic girl beside him was Hu Zhuojun.
Seeing Little Celestial Venerable and Xu Ying, Hu Zhuojun also showed surprise and hurriedly ran over.
Xu Ying discreetly waved his hand, signaling her to keep away, but the girl had already dashed right up to his side.
"Marquis, you found your master, Little Celestial Venerable!"
Hu Zhuojun lowered her voice and appraised the white-robed scholar, saying excitedly, "So he's Little Celestial Venerable! He really is as handsome and elegant as the legends say! I told my old man not to come challenging Little Celestial Venerable, but he insisted on coming anyway—a team of ten oxen couldn't have held him back."
Xu Ying mumbled a few noncommittal replies, his heart in his throat.
Hu Zhuojun, still oblivious to his predicament, laughed and continued, "My old man has refused to acknowledge Little Celestial Venerable for a long time. Ever since he learned the Linglong Pagoda techniques from you, he hasn't been able to sit still."
A glimmer of hope rose in Xu Ying's heart. *If Yuan Gongtong severely injures Little Celestial Venerable, I might still have a chance to survive. But is Yuan Gongtong a match for Little Celestial Venerable?*
Little Celestial Venerable glanced toward the Immortal Dao anomalous zone, where several powerful silhouettes lingered. The murderous aura on his face gradually faded, and he smiled faintly. "Yuan Gongtong, cultivating to your level was no easy feat. Why look for trouble?"
Yuan Gongtong's aura surged as he laughed. "The battle between Chu Tiandu and the Weixu successors is already a foregone conclusion in my eyes—Chu Tiandu is certain to win. What worries me is you. If Chu Tiandu wins, you will convince yourself that your strength has surpassed an Immortal King's, and then you will move against Weixu."
His cultivation was accompanied by incense smoke qi, immensely powerful and far surpassing that of an Ascension stage Qi Refiner!
As his momentum unfurled, the surrounding heaven and earth twisted and warped, distorting perception and making it nearly impossible to pin down his position.
He was not an immortal, yet his power had already surpassed one.
"You are the Little Celestial Venerable. If you lose to Weixu, the Ancestral Court will be in mortal peril!"
Yuan Gongtong's presence grew fiercer and fiercer. With a sudden thunderous roar, his Primordial Spirit emerged behind him, wrapped in billowing incense smoke qi that veiled it in thick fumes. Seen from afar, he looked just like a demon god!
"I shall test your mettle myself and see if you possess the power to match an Immortal King!"
His aura erupted, rolling plumes of smoke surging around him. Where he had looked like a demon god just moments ago, he now resembled a demon king!
Seeing this, Xu Ying's expression stirred slightly. He had long wondered where the upper limit lay for the Ancestral Court's top experts.
The Qi Refiners of the Ancestral Court certainly could not undergo tribulation to ascend to the Immortal Realm. To the outside world, this was a demonic realm where the Heavenly Dao did not exist. Without the Heavenly Dao, how could there be a heavenly tribulation?
Since they did not need to undergo tribulation, could they break past the upper limit of the Ascension stage?
Furthermore, the Ancestral Court's cultivation system differed from that of the myriad worlds. Qi Refiners here often practiced with incense alongside their cultivation, accumulating merit and cultivating both godhood and immortality.
Many powerful Qi Refiners were simultaneously the "demon gods" spoken of by the outside world!
What was the ceiling of this cultivation path, which the outside world branded as demonic?
Yuan Gongtong's incense divine power was extraordinarily immense. Though not on par with the Tortoise and Snake Generals of the Zhenwu Monastery, several tens of thousands of years of cultivation were nothing to scoff at, granting him power nearing that of a heavenly god!
As for his cultivation realm, Xu Ying could not quite decipher it.
He had a Realm of Xiyi, as well as the realms of the three passes, Intermingled Refining, the Twelve Storeyed Pavilions, and the Jade Pool. Yet his Primordial Spirit did not stand upon the God Bridge; instead, it had stepped half a foot into the Jade Capital!
Half a step inside the Jade Capital, half a step outside the city.
"A half-immortal..." Xu Ying was slightly taken aback.
Sect Master Yuan Gongtong was likely of a half-immortal body, yet for some unknown reason, he had never been able to step fully into the immortal realm.
A flash of inspiration struck Xu Ying, and he instantly understood the reason. *The Great Dao of heaven and earth in the Ancestral Court is incomplete, leaving him unable to undergo tribulation! There must be many powerful half-immortals like Yuan Gongtong in the Ancestral Court, trapped at this boundary because they cannot face a tribulation. If Yuan Gongtong is like this, then Little Celestial Venerable must be as well.*
"Marquis, stand back for now,"
Little Celestial Venerable said calmly. "I will deal with Yuan Gongtong first, then we can resume our previous conversation."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ying immediately pulled Hu Zhuojun into the ruins of Tushita Palace, steering clear of the two supreme masters.
*Eh? That Taiqing Qi isn't scattered throughout the ruins of Tushita Palace, but concentrated in a single place.*
The moment Xu Ying set foot inside Tushita Palace, his resonance with the Taiqing Qi intensified rapidly. Moving with a sudden realization, he darted through the ruins, following the scent of the Taiqing Qi.
"Hey! Hey! Aren't you going to watch the fight?" Hu Zhuojun stopped and glanced back at Little Celestial Venerable and Yuan Gongtong, hesitating.
The battle between Little Celestial Venerable and Yuan Gongtong was a clash between the most powerful beings in the present Ancestral Court. Watching it would naturally bring endless benefits, helping one comprehend Dao methods and divine powers.
Yet Xu Ying was sneaking off in such a clandestine manner—there was clearly something far more interesting ahead!
Gnashing her teeth, Hu Zhuojun hunched over and stealthily followed him, whispering, "Marquis, wait for me!"
Hunched low, she scampered and bounded along until she finally caught up with Xu Ying.
Behind them, the two supreme powerhouses finally made their moves. Yuan Gongtong directly activated the Linglong Golden Pagoda. Golden radiance bathed his entire form, and combined with the murky billowing incense smoke qi, his ten-thousand-zhang Primordial Spirit resembled a god king among demon gods. Sinewy, formidable, and ferocious, he brought the Thirty-Three Heavens Pagoda down to suppress Little Celestial Venerable.
Hu Zhuojun glanced back and secretly praised, *My old man doesn't look like a good person at all.*
Though the old man was as scrawny as a monkey, his attacks were violently ferocious. Without any probing strikes, he directly unleashed his newly acquired cultivation technique and divine power!
When Xu Ying attained enlightenment at the Linglong Heavenly Sect and restored the Linglong Golden Pagoda, he had comprehended thousands of divine powers, yet all of them were merely components of the pagoda!
To truly master the Linglong Golden Pagoda, one had to learn every single one of those divine powers.
In addition, an accompanying cultivation method existed alongside this divine power; once circulated, the spine from tailbone to cervical vertebrae resonated like the Thirty-Three Heavens, tyrannical in the extreme!
Though Yuan Gongtong was the sect master, he had not fully mastered it either. Fortunately, back when he had practically worshipped Xu Ying like an ancestor, he had pestered Xu Ying constantly for pointers, so executing it now posed no obstacle.
This was precisely why he dared to challenge Little Celestial Venerable.
Xu Ying didn't even look back. Watching the duel between the two supreme beings held no interest for him; after all, he was the one who had taught Yuan Gongtong the technique and divine power, and the old man's mastery wasn't even as refined as his own.
He came to an abrupt halt. Hu Zhuojun, still looking back at the battle, nearly crashed into his back and quickly braked.
Turning around, she saw Xu Ying standing motionless with his eyes closed.
*Could it be that my master isn't working hard enough?* she wondered in bemusement.
Suddenly, the surrounding heaven and earth trembled violently. As Hu Zhuojun looked on in shock and bewilderment, an incomparably dazzling halo of light surfaced before them.
It was a ring-shaped radiance, and at its center lay a mass of white heaven-and-earth yuan qi, radiating blinding luminescence!
Xu Ying snapped his eyes open and, without a word, thrust out his hand to seize the white yuan qi within the ring.
The ring suddenly vibrated like a metallic armlet, buzzing as it spun. Overlapping Dao patterns emerged across its surface, and the immeasurably profound might of ancient Immortal Dao surged, about to erupt!
Seeing this, Xu Ying swiftly retracted his hand. The Taiyi Qi flew out from the crown of his head, transforming the one qi into three purities, dividing into three Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits dressed in azure, yellow, and white robes.
Among them, the white-robed Xu Ying reached into the ring. The ring did not activate, allowing the white-robed Xu Ying to collect the white yuan qi inside!
Both surprised and overjoyed, Xu Ying hurriedly recalled his three Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits, grabbed the hand of the bewildered Hu Zhuojun, and took off running.
Hu Zhuojun blurted, "There's still that gleaming silver bracelet back there! Why didn't you take the bracelet too?"
Sprinting out at breakneck speed, Xu Ying chuckled. "The bracelet is just a container; the yuan qi inside is the real treasure! Besides, the bracelet is sentient and dangerous—run, run!"
The two fled Tushita Palace in a flustered scramble.
At the exact same moment, Yuan Gongtong's pagoda shattered. Coughing up blood, both his physical body and Primordial Spirit crashed into the Immortal Dao anomalous zone. He cried out, "Little Celestial Venerable, I acknowledge your strength! If you wish to challenge Weixu, I won't stand in your way!"
Little Celestial Venerable had been about to deliver a finishing blow, but upon hearing this, he halted his step and muttered under his breath, "Old fox..."
He searched for Xu Ying's whereabouts, catching sight of the gleaming silver bracelet inside Tushita Palace. Frowning slightly, he suddenly rose into the air and dashed into the Immortal Dao anomalous zone, leaving the silver bracelet untouched.
After everyone had departed, an eccentric Daoist strolled over unhurriedly. Making his way straight into Tushita Palace, he stopped before the gleaming silver bracelet and remarked in surprise, "Is this... buying the case and returning the pearl?"
He reached out and gently plucked the bracelet. The bracelet offered no resistance whatsoever.
Slipping the bracelet onto his left arm, the eccentric Daoist ambled leisurely away.
Chapter 343