Meng Wuhuai’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. He bowed and chuckled. "This old man understands. In the Sea of Chaotic Stars, the Little Celestial Venerable had already lured the snakes from their holes, drawing out a vast host of experts to wipe them out within the chaotic starry expanse."
Xu Ying’s heart gave a slight jolt.
He knew that a wily old fox like Meng Wuhuai could never be swayed by mere fragments of speech, yet he had not expected Meng Wuhuai to already know what had transpired in the Sea of Chaotic Stars.
The Little Celestial Venerable grunted noncommittally. "How much do you know about the battle in the Sea of Chaotic Stars?"
Xu Ying’s gaze shifted. Meng Wuhuai was probing them, but he was also probing Meng Wuhuai. Meng Wuhuai had been gravely wounded by him the last time, knocked straight down from the Immortal King realm. Although Xu Ying did not have the Penglai Immortal Mountain by his side right now, if they truly crossed hands, he would not necessarily lose!
Meng Wuhuai smiled. "I heard that the Little Celestial Venerable was with that person, hiding within the Sea of Chaotic Stars. Many experts charged in, only to suffer catastrophic losses. Just now, a few managed to flee outside, and this old man asked a question or two in passing."
The Little Celestial Venerable asked, "What is Immortal Master Meng actually trying to say?"
Meng Wuhuai hurriedly beamed. "Little Celestial Venerable, I harbor no ill will; I am truly concerned about your injuries. I only caught wind of some rumors and found them hard to believe. Rumor had it that you were knocked unconscious, carried on Xu Ying’s back while he wielded immortal artifacts against everyone, slaughtering scores of people."
He sighed and shook his head. "How could I possibly believe such a thing? After all, the Little Celestial Venerable is the foremost figure of the Ancestral Court, a supreme presence possessing the cultivation of an Immortal King. How could I believe you were gravely injured and comatose?"
Xu Ying’s heart sank slightly. The more Meng Wuhuai spoke like this, the deeper his suspicion ran.
"Besides, the Little Celestial Venerable hates that villain Xu Ying to the bone," Meng Wuhuai went on. "How could Xu Ying carry the Little Celestial Venerable on his back and fight off the crowd? It must be false!"
Meng Wuhuai sighed with emotion. "What is more, the Little Celestial Venerable stands right before this old man. There is no trace of Xu Ying—only a masked Divine Marquis in Purple. It is plain that person was indeed lying to me. Fortunately, I have already slain him."
He smiled affably. "Divine Marquis in Purple, did this old man do right?"
The Little Celestial Venerable chuckled. "You did very well. Very well indeed... However, the person beside me is indeed Xu Ying, not Chu Tiandu."
Xu Ying gently lifted his mask and smiled faintly. "Immortal Master, it has been a long time."
This move caught Immortal Master Meng Wuhuai completely off guard. The tall, imposing old man froze inward. *The Little Celestial Venerable actually let Xu Ying reveal his true face—is he confident because he has nothing to fear, or is this an empty bluff?*
He had originally thought that by exposing the ruse, he would throw the Little Celestial Venerable into disarray. He had not anticipated the Little Celestial Venerable turning the tables to catch him unprepared, making him hesitate to make a real move.
Xu Ying smiled. "Immortal Master, I have been placed under the Little Celestial Venerable's control through the Corpse God Great Technique, and I have no choice but to serve him. Could it be that you, too, have fallen under the Corpse God Great Technique?"
Immortal Master Meng Wuhuai turned solemn. "The Corpse God Great Technique?"
The Little Celestial Venerable suddenly let out a cold snort, his majestic gaze sweeping toward Xu Ying. "Insolent!"
Xu Ying’s face instantly flushed crimson. Veins bulged across his forehead, and his entire frame trembled violently as though enduring agonizing torment. After a moment, Xu Ying rasped in a strangled voice, "V-Venerable, Little Ying d-doesn't dare... won't dare again!"
Seeing this, a chill crept down Immortal Master Meng Wuhuai’s spine. He knew well how terrifying Xu Ying was—how the youth had wrested the Penglai Immortal Realm from him without batting an eye. Yet even such a person had been tortured into humble submission by the Little Celestial Venerable’s Corpse God Great Technique!
This Corpse God Great Technique was truly formidable!
Meng Wuhuai chuckled heartily. "This old man is an old friend of the Little Celestial Venerable and far more useful than you. Why would the Little Celestial Venerable ever subject me to the Corpse God Great Technique?"
Xu Ying caught his breath from the "torture" of the Corpse God Great Technique, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and sneered, "Meng Wuhuai, what use could you possibly be? The Penglai Immortal Mountain is now in my hands. Leading the immortal mountain to pledge allegiance to the Little Celestial Venerable, I can even assist him in completing his plan to mend the heavens! What can you do for him?"
At these words, cold sweat broke out across Meng Wuhuai’s forehead, and he hastily glanced toward the Little Celestial Venerable.
Sure enough, the Little Celestial Venerable cast a scrutinizing look his way.
"There is so much I can do for the Little Celestial Venerable!" Meng Wuhuai quickly said. "I know the secrets of the Ninth Immortal King and the Five Extremes Immortal King inside and out. I know the mysteries of Weixu! That's right—I also know the whereabouts of the Emperor's Purple Nether Blade! The very Purple Nether Blade that struck down Xu Ying back then!"
Xu Ying’s heart jolted at the revelation. In his first life, he had been defeated and captured, but his cultivation had been so earth-shattering that no one could slay him. Thus, the Emperor had bestowed his own immortal artifact, the Purple Nether Blade. It was this weapon that had severed Xu Ying’s mortal flesh and Primordial Spirit.
Yet even the Purple Nether Blade had failed to destroy Xu Ying entirely. Only his imperishable true spirit remained, from which a new body and soul were born anew.
That was true immortality.
Later, the Purple Nether Blade had not returned to the Immortal Realm; it remained behind in the mortal world, poised to handle any unforeseen upheaval.
If someone were to retrieve that immortal artifact, striking Xu Ying down would likely be effortless!
Xu Ying refused to be thrown back into the endless cycle of reincarnation again!
With that in mind, he smiled and said, "I can help the Little Celestial Venerable slaughter his foes and purge his rivals. Can you? Just moments ago, you required this young friend to support you simply to walk. You are clearly crippled by grave injuries, without a shred of strength!"
Meng Wuhuai’s spirits flared at once, completely shedding his frail elder facade. He sneered, "Xu Ying, I was merely pretending that my injuries had not healed. Away from Penglai, you are nothing. Whatever you can do for the Little Celestial Venerable, I can do as well!"
Xu Ying let out a cold laugh. "Fine! Then the next time we encounter an enemy, we shall invite Immortal Master Meng to take the field so that I may witness your true prowess!"
Meng Wuhuai readily agreed, but then paused, sensing something was not quite right.
He had rushed here after receiving word, intending to take advantage of the Little Celestial Venerable’s grave injuries to capture him and trade him for a chance to return to the Immortal Realm.
How had it turned into him working on the Little Celestial Venerable’s behalf?
He had originally come to test how severe the Little Celestial Venerable's wounds were, to see whether he should take him down and claim an ascension quota. Now, cowed by the Corpse God Great Technique, he dared not test him, which felt utterly stifling.
Still, even Xu Ying had been broken by the Corpse God Great Technique; he naturally did not dare take reckless risks.
If the Little Celestial Venerable’s cultivation and power remained intact, would he not be courting his own humiliation?
Little did he imagine that the Corpse God Great Technique was something Xu Ying had made up on the spot. No such art existed, and the one being controlled was not Xu Ying, but the Little Celestial Venerable.
A smile touched Xu Ying’s lips. *When we run into enemies shortly, I’ll let Meng Wuhuai take action. That way, I can observe the patterns of his divine arts and Dao methods, as well as the depth of his power. If he gets injured, all the better—I can finish him off right there!*
The blue-clad youth beside Meng Wuhuai kept sizing up Xu Ying and the Little Celestial Venerable, lost in thought.
Noticing his gaze, Xu Ying offered an amiable smile. "What should I call you, little brother?"
The youth hastily replied, "This one is Zhou Yashu, a disciple recently taken in by the Immortal Master."
Xu Ying smiled. "How are your master’s injuries? After being struck by me, his wounds should be nearly healed by now, right?"
Meng Wuhuai coughed lightly, and Zhou Yashu quickly said, "My master's learning rivals the heavens. His Taiyin Void Sky Technique is profound and miraculous; a mere trifle of an injury healed long ago."
A smile returned to Meng Wuhuai’s face.
Xu Ying blinked. *The Taiyin Void Sky Technique? Could that be Meng Wuhuai’s cultivation method? His Immortal King technique is indeed extraordinarily marvelous.*
Meng Wuhuai’s divine art, the Void Cauldron, reduced everything in its path to absolute nothingness. That supreme ability was truly astonishing, something Xu Ying regarded with immense caution.
Among the four, three harbored secret designs, and one remained unconscious as they walked forward.
Suddenly, Meng Wuhuai halted, sneering, "Which friend has laid down an immortal array diagram here? Aren't you overestimating yourself?"
Xu Ying was startled. He hurriedly channeled the Gourd Heaven Dao-Attainment Scripture and surveyed his surroundings. Sure enough, there was a faint, hazy boundary separating the mountains, rivers, and trees from the real world. Even under close scrutiny, it was virtually impossible to distinguish!
The Heavenly Eye divine ability Xu Ying cultivated had been acquired from Fairy Qingbi, and what Fairy Qingbi cultivated was the Gourd Heaven Questioning the Immortals Scripture, which was inferior to the Gourd Heaven Dao-Attainment Scripture.
With the Gourd Heaven Dao-Attainment Scripture, Xu Ying could only barely detect an anomaly along the contours of the landscape, yet Meng Wuhuai had spotted the flaw at a single glance. This Immortal King truly possessed remarkable skill!
The landscape ahead remained dead silent; no one emerged.
"Still trying to hide?"
Meng Wuhuai sneered. He flicked a casual palm forward, and the world ahead instantly dissolved into incorporeality. Mountains, rivers, and trees all turned into void, followed by a violent tremor that shook heaven and earth. An immortal artifact surfaced—it was an array scroll.
The array diagram radiated immortal light, but its substance continued to fade into nothingness, entirely incapable of withstanding Meng Wuhuai’s palm force!
Xu Ying’s heart gave a leap. The Taiyin Void Sky Technique was domineering beyond measure!
Just as the immortal array scroll was about to vanish completely, a figure lunged from behind, hurtling straight toward the Little Celestial Venerable. Meng Wuhuai’s form drifted like a wraith, cutting behind the Little Celestial Venerable and raising a palm to meet the array master’s strike!
The one who had come to assassinate the Little Celestial Venerable was an expert of the Ancestral Court, resembling both a god and an immortal. His might was formidable, surpassing even Daoist Ji by a margin. Yet the instant his palm collided with Meng Wuhuai’s, his expression twisted in sheer horror, and he turned to flee immediately.
"That man won't live."
Meng Wuhuai’s breath surged from the impact, sending him stumbling back several paces. Hastily steadying his blood and Qi, he laughed. "He was struck by my divine art. Within a day at most, or under an hour at quickest, his entire being will dissolve into nothingness. His flesh and Primordial Spirit will continuously vaporize until he perishes!"
Xu Ying praised, "An Immortal King's divine art is truly remarkable."
Yet he could not help but furrow his brows. Facing such a bizarre and insidious technique, he would indeed find it difficult to withstand.
*The Linglong Heavenly Sect should be nearby, shouldn't it? If I can summon the treasure, let alone Meng Wuhuai being merely at the Ascension stage, even if he were still an Immortal King, it could probably crush him to death!*
Xu Ying carefully tried to sense the location of the Linglong Golden Pagoda, but detected nothing.
When he had come ashore from the Sea of Chaotic Stars, he had not taken the original path, wandering further and further from the Linglong Heavenly Sect.
He did not know the way.
Just then, the sound of a xiao flute resonated from up ahead. Xu Ying’s heart skipped a beat, and he swore silently. *Perfected Cangyue! That lingering ghost refuses to disperse!*
He cast a glance at Meng Wuhuai, an idea forming in his mind.
The Little Celestial Venerable spoke in a flat voice: "Immortal Master Meng, another enemy has arrived. It is your turn to act."
Suspecting nothing, Meng Wuhuai stepped forward with a laugh. "What is so difficult about that? I shall go dispose of him!"
He took a few strides forward, only for his expression to shift abruptly. He felt the Great Dao within his body begin to stir restlessly beneath the notes of the flute. Meng Wuhuai looked up, a trace of shock on his face. "The newcomer is an expert!"
His Primordial Spirit soared forth, and the Immortal Dao within him brimmed over, bursting into resonant Dao chimes to counter the melody.
All around, the strange Dao ran rampant. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding foliage surged wildly, twisting and flailing in midair like countless writhing tentacles.
Meng Wuhuai pressed forward step by step, struggling against the haunting flute melody.
Xu Ying watched the battle with rapt attention, attempting to uncover any flaw in the Taiyin Void Sky Technique. Suddenly, the blue-clad youth beside him spoke: "I have a copy of the Taiyin Void Sky Technique here."
Xu Ying was taken aback and looked toward Zhou Yashu.
Zhou Yashu said, "I was a disciple of the Daozhen Palace in the Yuanchu Great World. A few months ago, a Void Cauldron swept across the skies above our palace, wiping Daozhen Palace out of existence."
Xu Ying’s heart stirred. The Void Cauldron the youth spoke of was the very divine art Meng Wuhuai had unleashed during their long-distance clash back then!
Zhou Yashu produced a scroll of scripture and pressed it into Xu Ying’s hands.
Xu Ying unfurled the scripture and skimmed it hastily. The contents were indeed the *Taiyin Void Sky Technique*.
Yet judging from the transcribed text, Zhou Yashu had not received Meng Wuhuai's genuine teachings. The four Immortal Dao runes for *Tai*, *Yin*, *Xu*, and *Tian* recorded in this scroll were plausible but counterfeit; the Immortal Dao they encompassed was not the authentic path!
The genuine Taiyin Void Sky Technique ought to have used four supreme Immortal Dao runes to record the scripture and illuminate its ultimate mysteries!
Writing was the vessel of the Dao. Such Immortal Dao script was meant to be inscribed upon jade slips—forming jade-slip Dao books—rather than paper, for paper could never endure the profound weight of true Immortal Dao characters.
Most of Zhou Yashu’s scroll consisted of transcriptions. Only the four characters *Tai*, *Yin*, *Xu*, and *Tian* bore a distinct hand, presumably penned by Meng Wuhuai himself.
Yet these four characters held only outer form without any true Immortal Dao essence concealed within them. Clearly, he had never intended to pass on the genuine art to Zhou Yashu!
Xu Ying scanned it at lightning speed, his eyes glinting.
Although the copy of the *Taiyin Void Sky Technique* Zhou Yashu offered was not the genuine scripture, the moment Xu Ying saw those four characters, far more profound Immortal Dao runes surfaced in his mind—the very same four characters, yet infinitely more exquisite!
The four words—*Tai*, *Yin*, *Xu*, *Tian*—unlocked a buried fragment of memory from his first life, granting him intuitive mastery over the mysteries of these four Immortal Dao characters without any need for instruction.
Combining the profound truths of those four characters with the breathing techniques of the Taiyin Void Sky Technique, Xu Ying grasped the entire art in an instant!
*The scroll Zhou Yashu gave me isn't the authentic scripture, so I can't deduce the flaws in Meng Wuhuai's art from it. In that case, I might as well cultivate the Taiyin Void Sky Technique myself and pay him back in kind!*
Without hesitation, Xu Ying began channeling and refining the technique at once, musing inwardly, *I would like to see whose Taiyin Void Sky Technique is truly authentic when matched against Immortal Master Meng's!*
Before long, the flute music and the alluring strains of the Immortal Dao fell silent, plunging the mountain forest ahead into absolute stillness.
Zhou Yashu watched anxiously. Then, his face drained of color as he turned toward Xu Ying. He saw Xu Ying’s figure gradually dissolving, shifting from solid to ethereal, as though he were about to vanish from the world entirely!
A moment later, Xu Ying materialized back from void to solid!
Shortly after, he shifted from solid to void once more. After repeating this cycle several times, his presence finally stabilized.
Zhou Yashu was gripped by bewilderment and dread. He had witnessed this very phenomenon on Immortal Master Meng Wuhuai!
A daring thought took root in his heart: *Immortal Master Meng Wuhuai’s mastery... doesn't seem anywhere near as profound as his! But he only just laid hands on the Taiyin Void Sky Technique!*
At that moment, Xu Ying opened his eyes and smiled at him. "Yashu, do you want to learn the authentic Taiyin Void Sky Technique?"
Zhou Yashu hastily replied, "What I learned was the Taiyin Void Sky..."
Xu Ying said calmly, "What I will teach you is the authentic version. An authenticity that even Meng Wuhuai does not know."
Chapter 352