Perfected Cangyue was, after all, the third-ranked expert of the Ancestral Court. Possessing extraordinary vision and vast experience, he quickly noticed something amiss despite being intimidated by the Little Celestial Venerable's lingering might.
Who could possibly spout blood like that while continuing to talk and laugh so casually?
He knew at once that the Little Celestial Venerable must have succumbed to his injuries and fallen unconscious; the one truly controlling his physical body was none other than that purple-robed Divine Marquis sitting on the Dao Comprehension Platform, pretending to comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth!
Just as he was about to charge forward and eliminate both the Little Celestial Venerable and Chu Tiandu, the purple-robed Divine Marquis, radiant immortal light blazed before the Dao Comprehension Platform. A colossal doorway some seventeen or eighteen zhang tall creaked open.
Immortal light surged violently out of the portal. Immortal music resonated, and the Immortal Dao hummed as ancient immortal artifacts poured from the gateway like unbridled wild horses or frolicking wild boars, whistling through the air as they flew outward!
These immortal artifacts took every conceivable shape—from the eighteen traditional weapons like battle-axes, halberds, hooks, and pitchforks, to zithers, go boards, calligraphy scrolls, and paintings, along with all manner of bizarre immortal weaponry; pavilions, terraces, towers, bells, cauldrons, drums, musical instruments, banners, pennants, and streamers. Everything imaginable rushed outward in a tidal wave!
As the immortal artifacts gleefully surged out, they unleashed waves of immortal majesty. The impact tossed Xu Ying and the Little Celestial Venerable about like leaves in the wind, lifting them helplessly from the Dao Comprehension Platform.
Xu Ying's Yuqing Primordial Spirit controlled the Little Celestial Venerable's body, weaving through the throng of immortal artifacts. The two tumbled head over heels several times from the impacts, struggling to regain their footing.
Strangely enough, he felt as though he had once refined every single one of these treasures!
They all bore his imprint!
However, these imprints had become exceedingly faint, bordering on nonexistent. With so many treasures that originally belonged to others, their spirits were sentient and completely unwilling to submit to his control, even though he had left his imprint upon them.
Now that so many treasures had been imprisoned by him within Tianxu, they had spent all this time searching for a way out while gradually wearing away the imprints he had placed upon them.
Now that Xu Ying had opened Tianxu, the treasures were like prisoners detained for over forty thousand years celebrating their release. Rejoicing, they rushed outward heedless of him, eager to return to their original domains.
"The Little Celestial Venerable said this is our only chance to escape!"
Xu Ying reached out and grabbed the Little Celestial Venerable. Leaping through the air, he wove through the passing treasures, searching for one that could carry them away to safety.
Perfected Cangyue stared in shock before bursting into wild delight, lunging toward the immortal artifacts.
"I heard long ago that a great fiend had collected the world's treasures, explored mysterious forbidden zones, and hidden them near the Dao Comprehension Platform. To think it was actually true!"
Yet before his hand could even draw near, the might of an immortal artifact erupted.
At the Jade Pool of Jade Bead Peak, Xu Ying met the Queen Mother of the West. When the divine mother's divine consciousness touched his, she knew his resolve was unyielding; once made, his decision could not be altered. Thus, she said, "The Immortal Realm will strike against Kunlun once more. I must borrow the fairy's power to relocate Kunlun to another world to evade their pursuit. She cannot accompany you to Yuanshou."
Xu Ying felt a profound sense of loss and asked, "Is the fairy still Yuan Weiyang?"
The Queen Mother of the West said meaningfully, "Her circumstances differ from yours. You have never died in this life; the you of forty-eight thousand years ago is still the you of today. She is different. Yuan Weiyang is her, yet she is more than just Yuan Weiyang."
Xu Ying asked, "Since we are about to part, may I see her one last time?"
Before him, immortal fire surged from his Crimson Palace, blazing fiercely and turning the Jade Capital into a sea of fire in an instant.
Bathed in the blazing immortal fire, Xu Ying remained completely unharmed. The flames seemed tainted by his fury, growing manic and brimming with destructive power that could incinerate all things.
His six secret depositories had been severed, his memories sealed away, and his achievements in physical body, magic power, and divine consciousness suppressed.
On top of that, Qi Refiners had been sent to monitor him and manipulate his fate, forcing him to drink the Soup of Meng Po every ten or so years to wash away his memories. Then they would dispatch him to a new place, implant new memories, and start him on a new life.
For over forty thousand years, he had lived in such a muddled daze!
He clenched his fists tightly.
The Crimson Palace's immortal fire raged even fiercer with his fury. Waves of flame billowed and roared, and from the sea of fire, a flaming giant slowly rose—with four faces and eight arms, like an enraged God King!
Lu Wu was guarding the God Bridge, waiting for Xu Ying. Just as he was growing bored, he suddenly saw a blazing sea of fire erupting within the Jade Capital, and his heart leapt into his throat. "What is that?"
Astonished and uncertain, he watched the immortal fire of the Crimson Palace cave-heaven fall under Xu Ying's fury, taking form as a wrathful God King composed entirely of immortal fire. He had never witnessed such an anomaly!
Xu Ying turned and strode out of the Jade Capital, walking toward the pool.
A sea of fire swept behind the youth, trailing his movements. The roaring immortal flames continually flowed into that cave-heaven, and even the wrathful God King of immortal fire was drawn into it in the blink of an eye.
Watching closely, Lu Wu saw that the wrathful God King had not dissipated, but stood upright amid the immortal flames.
"The boy of the Xu family unwittingly refined the cave-heaven's immortal fire into his own wrath avatar," Lu Wu thought in shock. "Not even an Ascension-stage Qi Refiner could accomplish this! Perhaps only someone as powerful as me could achieve such a feat. When he fled Kunlun, he must have been a weak, helpless child. What happened to him after he escaped?"
Xu Ying restrained his raging fury, concealing it within the Crimson Palace cave-heaven. Walking toward Lu Wu, he said in a low voice, "The enmity of being suppressed for over forty thousand years, the hatred of my home destroyed—I swear I will not rest until I have my revenge!"
Behind him, the colossal Crimson Palace cave-heaven moved with his body, emitting deep, rumbling reverberations. The roaring immortal fire resembled a crescent-moon immortal furnace, whistling with wondrous resonance like whispers of the Immortal Dao.
This cave-heaven was the very one Xu Ying had opened back then using the ancestral method, refining nine into one to reach the pinnacle; upon opening it, one could gaze directly upon the Crimson Palace.
Back on Mount Kunlun, when Nuo Fan unleashed this cave-heaven, all Nuo cultivators who laid eyes upon it knelt and bowed, crying out to the Nuo Patriarch!
One could only imagine just how awe-inspiring this Crimson Palace cave-heaven was!
Now, the resonance between him and the Crimson Palace cave-heaven grew ever closer and more intimate, their bloodlines intertwined and their auras linked.
Suddenly, a buzzing hum echoed as one Crimson Palace cave-heaven after another flew out behind Xu Ying, hanging bright against the sky.
These four cave-heavens were the ones he had opened in this life. Xu Ying had once believed his creations were near perfection, yet compared to the Crimson Palace of that past life, they paled in comparison.
With a whoosh, Lu Wu carried him, transforming into a streak of rosy light and streaking straight for Jade Bead Peak.
At the Jade Pool of Jade Bead Peak, Xu Ying met the Queen Mother of the West. When the divine mother's divine consciousness touched his, she knew his resolve was unyielding; once made, his decision could not be altered. Thus, she said, "The Immortal Realm will strike against Kunlun once more. I must borrow the fairy's power to relocate Kunlun to another world to evade their pursuit. She cannot accompany you to Yuanshou."
Xu Ying felt a profound sense of loss and asked, "Is the fairy still Yuan Weiyang?"
The Queen Mother of the West said meaningfully, "Her circumstances differ from yours. You have never died in this life; the you of forty-eight thousand years ago is still the you of today. She is different. Yuan Weiyang is her, yet she is more than just Yuan Weiyang."
Xu Ying asked, "Since we are about to part, may I see her one last time?"
Yuan Weiyang opened her eyes, parting her lips to speak, but the words never came. She merely watched him descend the mountain in silence.
*I have remembered the past, yet he has not,* she thought quietly to herself.
Xu Ying summoned Qi and the big bell and arrived at Tiantang City on Jade Bead Peak. Shrouded by the Pearl Tree on the opposite cliff, this divine city was originally the dwelling of the feathered people.
However, the feathered people had all perished, leaving it an empty ghost town.
The purple immortal plant hung upside down outside the city. From time to time, the shadow of a whip lashed out from nowhere, landing on the purple immortal plant with a crisp crack, making the grave grass twitch violently.
Xu Ying bowed and said, "Brother Pearl Tree, could you do me a favor and spare it?"
The Pearl Tree paused, then released the purple immortal plant.
Limping as it drifted over, the purple immortal plant flopped onto the giant serpent's forehead, lying completely still.
It was finally much better behaved.
Xu Ying led them down the mountain toward the exit of Kunlun Ruins. Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, a familiar voice called out, "Grand Elder, you really are still in Kunlun!"
Xu Ying looked over and saw a lovely young girl standing in the distance, waving at them with gold bells jiggling at her wrist.
Behind her head hung a bright moon, and within the moon stood a sword gate.
Xu Ying walked over and asked in surprise, "Sect Master Shi, you haven't left yet?"
Shi Yuqing smiled. "Quite a few people haven't left yet. Kunlun's reemergence is a rare opportunity. Even if one cannot find an immortal encounter, finding a few immortal plants and herbs is still worthwhile. During my time in the mountains, I found some treasure materials for weapon crafting. Thinking that you lacked a flying sword, I decided to forge a fine flying sword for you."
Xu Ying shook his head. "I probably have no use for a flying sword anymore. No sword could withstand the power of my physical body."
These were no idle words. Having reclaimed his Crimson Palace cave-heaven, the slightest activation of the Crimson Palace unleashed power comparable to a primeval beast!
An ordinary flying sword would shatter the moment he exerted even a bit of force!
Shi Yuqing frowned slightly. "You are the Grand Elder of our Mount Shu Sword Sect. How could you not have a sword suited to your hand?"
Talking as they walked, the two made their way outward.
Upon Jade Bead Peak of Mount Kunlun, the fairy's vast Primordial Spirit quietly watched them drift further and further away.
Suddenly, Xu Ying felt a tug at his heart and looked back. The Kunlun peaks stood washed clean under a crystal-clear sky, while the myriad worlds drew ever nearer to Kunlun, displaying an array of bizarre and dazzling colors.
Withdrawing his gaze, he walked with Shi Yuqing toward the exit of Kunlun Ruins.
His aura blossomed, his ancient cultivation climbing steadily.
Xu Ying sighed, took off the mask from his face, and withdrew his Primordial Spirit from the Little Celestial Venerable. The Yuqing Primordial Spirit turned into a wisp of azure qi, sinking back into his body.
Straightening his posture, Xu Ying said indifferently, "Daoist Ji, this decree from the Immortal Realm was proclaimed across the myriad worlds of the heavens, and the Ancestral Court is not among them. Even if you kill the Little Celestial Venerable, you will never become an immortal."
Daoist Ji glanced at him and asked in surprise, "Who are you?"
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "Forty-eight thousand years ago, I stirred up a great turmoil, triggering the eruption of the Immortal Dao abnormal zones that swept through the Ancestral Court. Who do you think I am?"
Daoist Ji was stunned, then burst into laughter. "You're that Xu Ying who abandoned the Ancestral Court to ascend? I heard that you were later suppressed for over forty thousand years, reduced to an immortal mortal living worse than a dog or pig! The Little Celestial Venerable even went to the Yuanshou world to see you once!"
Xu Ying froze, looking toward the unconscious Little Celestial Venerable. He murmured, "He came to see me? Then why didn't he kill me back then to take his revenge...?"
Daoist Ji roared with laughter. "He copied down some of the seals from your body, trying to unravel them. The fool actually began studying the Immortal Dao! That idiot didn't realize our Ancestral Court is a demonic realm? The demonic path of our Ancestral Court is completely incompatible with the Immortal Dao! As the Little Celestial Venerable of the demonic realm, he actually squandered most of his energy studying the Immortal Dao! Beyond foolish!"
Xu Ying looked at the Little Celestial Venerable lying motionless there and murmured, "You're saying he went to the Yuanshou world to see me, transcribed the Immortal Dao runes from my body, and then spent his energy learning the Immortal Dao just to break the seals?"
Daoist Ji sneered, "That's exactly why he's an idiot. He thought he could crack the Imperial Monarch's seals and rescue you. A mere Little Celestial Venerable of the demonic realm—how could he possibly break the Imperial Monarch's seals? Even the ones guarding the gates of the Imperial Monarch's seals are Immortal Kings!"
Xu Ying's lips trembled slightly. "Didn't he want to kill me? Why would he spend ten thousand years trying to save me?"
"Kill you?"
Daoist Ji looked as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing uncontrollably. "It seems you're still bound by the seal, Celestial Venerable!"
"Celestial Venerable?" Xu Ying froze.
"Indeed, Celestial Venerable Xu!"
Daoist Ji laughed. "He is your disciple! That's why he's called the Little Celestial Venerable! What else did you think?"
"My disciple?"
Xu Ying stood in dazed disbelief, looking down at the blood-drenched scholar in white. He murmured, "He's my disciple..."
He walked over and stepped in front of the Little Celestial Venerable, shielding him. One cave-heaven after another lit up behind him. Suppressing the surging emotions in his chest, he said in a deep voice, "With me, his master, here—no one will ever harm him again!"
Chapter 349