Zhou Yashu tumbled to the ground. He froze for a moment, and then ecstatic laughter burst from his lips. “I avenged them! I finally avenged them!”
His laughter sounded like weeping as he knelt on the ground, lost in frenzy.
Xu Ying’s Taiqing Primordial Spirit was still controlling the Little Celestial Venerable’s physical body. Just as he was about to speak, a voice transmitted to him: “Do not tell him the truth. Isn’t it better to let him believe he has had his revenge, so he can put this enmity behind him?”
“Little Celestial Venerable?”
Xu Ying was overjoyed. The Taiqing Primordial Spirit flew out from the Little Celestial Venerable’s Twelve-Storyed Mansions and arrived at Yujing City within the Realm of Xiyi, where he indeed found the Little Celestial Venerable’s Primordial Spirit.
The Little Celestial Venerable’s Primordial Spirit had awakened and unsealed his Dao field, yet he remained exceedingly weak. “Perfected Cangyue is nearby,” he said. “In my current state, I am no match for him. We will only have a single chance to ambush him.”
Xu Ying smiled. “That will be simple.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he withdrew the Taiqing Primordial Spirit he had left inside the Little Celestial Venerable’s body. The Little Celestial Venerable was momentarily taken aback; just as he prepared to regain control of his flesh, he caught on at once and slumped limply to the ground.
Xu Ying’s Taiqing Primordial Spirit transformed into a streak of white qi, flying toward the green pool and returning into Xu Ying’s body.
Retrieving this stream of primordial qi, Xu Ying split his Primordial Spirit into three, sending them into his Realm of Xiyi to heal his Dao injuries.
Right at that moment, the shrill notes of a xiao suddenly arose, carrying surging cadences of slaughter that caused the Dao images within a person’s body to run amok, plunging the Dao heart into demonic madness until one perished in frantic delirium!
Xu Ying’s expression changed drastically. The Dao injuries in his Realm of Xiyi were already seventy to eighty percent healed. He sprang up at once and darted toward the Little Celestial Venerable’s location, shouting sternly, “Perfected Cangyue, how dare you!”
A slender Daoist walked toward the Little Celestial Venerable with a smile on his face. Behind him stood a Primordial Spirit like an eight-armed demon god, playing a dongxiao with two hands. It was none other than Perfected Cangyue.
Zhou Yashu had the lowest cultivation realm and was instantly overcome by the flute music. The Dao images inside him spiraled out of control and turned back on his own body, placing him in mortal peril.
The body of the Little Celestial Venerable, abandoned by Xu Ying, trembled violently. The Great Daos within him seemed to run wild as well, descending into self-destruction.
“Xu Ying, you survived this long only because of your meticulous caution, but you still gave yourself away!”
Before Xu Ying could reach them, Perfected Cangyue burst into loud laughter. The many arms of the Primordial Spirit behind him danced frantically, plucking qin, zheng, and pipa, and beating bells, chimes, and great drums. Torrents of Dao resonance howled as they surged straight toward Xu Ying!
These Dao resonances were visible to the naked eye; wherever the sound waves passed, mountains and forests were pulverized, and the sky itself was sliced into countless shards.
Xu Ying’s figure flashed repeatedly, yet he was forced farther and farther back, unable to close the distance between them.
All at once, Xu Ying activated the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace and hid inside the great furnace. The furnace charged straight ahead against the Dao resonance, but in the next breath, it shattered!
The Sea of Chaotic Stars surged around Xu Ying, countless stars protecting his body as they bore him forward.
Yet beneath the horrific onslaught of the Dao resonance, the Sea of Chaotic Stars also rapidly broke apart!
The strength of the Ancestral Court’s third most formidable expert was truly unfathomable!
“Along the way, you matched wits with experts from the myriad worlds in the heavens, deduced Meng Wuhuai’s secrets, and struck him down. Yet you were still a little too hasty. Had you not been in such a rush to heal yourself and withdraw your Primordial Spirit, how could I have realized the Little Celestial Venerable had never truly awakened?”
Perfected Cangyue strolled unhurriedly over to the Little Celestial Venerable’s side, bowed slightly to the body, and chuckled. “Dao brother, Cangyue has come to see you off! Taking your head will pave my path to splendid glory!”
Behind him, the eight-armed Primordial Spirit suddenly played the bell, chime, qin, zheng, pipa, sheng, drum, and xiao. Profound Dao resonance blasted straight into the Little Celestial Venerable’s body.
In the blink of an eye, the Little Celestial Venerable was covered in wounds. The various melodies blasted into his Realm of Xiyi, wreaking rampant destruction within!
Seeing this, Xu Ying’s heart jolted, thinking, *Why hasn’t the Little Celestial Venerable attacked? Could he be...*
Unable to dwell on it, he threw caution to the winds and charged forward with everything he had.
The Little Celestial Venerable had already been grievously injured. He had awakened from his coma with great difficulty, and before he could even begin healing, he had been subjected to such abuse by Perfected Cangyue!
Xu Ying had only helped suppress the Dao injuries within the Little Celestial Venerable’s body without actually curing them. Now, he feared all the suppressed wounds would be triggered by Cangyue, heaping damage upon damage!
“Gourd Heaven validates the Dao, Heaven and Earth Yuanji within the palm!”
A plume of azure qi shot out from Xu Ying’s head as he thrust his hand forward. High above Perfected Cangyue, the azure sky shook violently as a colossal palm descended, grasping down toward Cangyue!
This was precisely a divine ability from the Gourd Heaven Dao Verification Scripture!
Finding it difficult to push through Perfected Cangyue’s onslaught of Dao resonance, Xu Ying resorted to the methods of the Gourd Heaven Dao Verification Scripture.
At the same time, he charged through by brute force, invoking the Abyss of Burying Dao. A deep abyss swallowed the Great Daos of heaven and earth; each time Perfected Cangyue’s Dao resonance was absorbed by the abyss, it vanished like a clay ox plunging into the sea, without a whisper of a sound.
Even the Abyss of Burying Dao, however, could not hold out for long before it collapsed.
Braving the impact of the Dao resonance, Xu Ying dashed forward, his form turning into absolute void in an instant. Yet the Dao resonance actually shook his physical body out of the void, forcing him back from intangible to tangible!
Xu Ying’s heart sank. Even an Immortal King art like the Taiyin Void Sky Technique could not protect him before Perfected Cangyue!
*I only just used this technique to slay Meng Wuhuai, yet Cangyue has already broken through it.*
The six great cave-heavens behind Xu Ying spun rapidly. Bearing the brunt of injuries, he hurled himself forward and finally closed the distance.
*Clang—*
Perfected Cangyue’s Primordial Spirit plucked the qin strings to meet the colossal hand falling from the sky. Right at that moment, the Little Celestial Venerable suddenly sat straight up and delivered a gentle palm strike to Perfected Cangyue’s chest!
*Bang!*
Terror sprang into Perfected Cangyue’s eyes. The single strike caved in his chest, blew out his back, and nearly snapped his torso in two.
At the same moment, Xu Ying cut across and drove the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace forward, drawing Perfected Cangyue’s Primordial Spirit into the furnace with a whoosh.
Inside the furnace, the eight instruments resonated—Perfected Cangyue had regained his senses and was mobilizing his Primordial Spirit.
The furnace shook, spiderwebbed with cracks. Xu Ying could not suppress it; the Primordial Spirit cracked the furnace and prepared to burst out.
The Little Celestial Venerable leaped into the air and tapped the Primordial Spirit three times in rapid succession.
The first tap forced out the Primordial Spirit’s Heavenly Soul; the second tap forced out the Earthly Soul; just as the third tap was about to force out the Living Soul, Perfected Cangyue’s Primordial Spirit frantically plucked the qin and pipa and rang the great bell, blasting the Little Celestial Venerable out of the sky.
Xu Ying seized the opening and swept his sword across horizontally. Perfected Cangyue’s head separated from his neck and flew into the air, and the eight arms of his Primordial Spirit were severed.
Xu Ying raised his sword for another strike, only to see Perfected Cangyue’s Primordial Spirit grab the hair of its own severed head and sprint away for dear life!
The moment the Little Celestial Venerable landed, he gathered his remaining strength and flicked his fingers repeatedly. With sharp whistling sounds, several transparent holes were blasted clean through the Primordial Spirit from front to back!
The Primordial Spirit stumbled and bolted frantically. Suddenly, a colossal hand crashed down from the sky, sending Cangyue’s Primordial Spirit rolling and tumbling across the earth!
Beside the Little Celestial Venerable, Xu Ying pushed the Gourd Heaven Dao Verification Scripture to its limit, striking out blow after blow—sometimes with fingers, sometimes with palms, sometimes with fists. In the sky above, enormous fingers, palms, and fists rained down incessantly.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The earth was battered until mountain ranges crumbled and all things were pulverized to dust!
After unleashing dozens of moves in a row, even Xu Ying felt the strain. He activated the Jade Pool cave-heaven to replenish his primordial qi.
Covered in blood, the Little Celestial Venerable limped forward, blood steadily trickling from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose—his old injuries had evidently flared up again.
Xu Ying forcibly maintained the intensity of his attacks so Perfected Cangyue could not catch his breath. Only when the Little Celestial Venerable reached the spot did Xu Ying halt his assault. Catching his breath, he darted over at high speed.
Landing beside the Little Celestial Venerable, he looked ahead and saw that the ground had been battered into a basin several thousand zhang deep and several hundred li across.
The Little Celestial Venerable exhaled in relief. His aura plummeted sharply, utterly exhausted, and he sank onto the ground. “He is finally dead.”
Xu Ying’s legs were also slightly weak. Perfected Cangyue had already been wounded, yet even after suffering an ambush from the Little Celestial Venerable, he had proven so formidable, holding out for so long before perishing.
Only now did Xu Ying feel a burning pain across his body—the Dao injuries left behind by Perfected Cangyue when he had charged in to rescue the Little Celestial Venerable.
Earlier, in his urgency to save him, he had not noticed, but the pain came rushing in now.
After a moment, the Little Celestial Venerable barely managed to suppress his injuries and swayed to his feet.
Xu Ying pointed out, “Little Celestial Venerable, your clothes are covered in blood.”
The Little Celestial Venerable looked down at the bloodstains on his robe, his brow furrowing deeply.
Xu Ying said, “All these days you were unconscious, I never once changed your clothes or washed your body.”
The Little Celestial Venerable’s brow furrowed tighter.
Xu Ying offered a helpful reminder: “Just now you sat on the ground, so your buttocks are covered in dirt.”
The Little Celestial Venerable glanced at him, exuding an effortless majesty with a clear warning in his eyes, and said indifferently, “Xu Ying, do not forget that you are still my prisoner. For betraying the Ancestral Court, you will inevitably pay the price.”
Xu Ying nodded repeatedly. “I naturally remember. But your buttocks are covered in dirt; aren’t you going to brush it off?”
The Little Celestial Venerable gave a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and said, “I don’t need your guidance! I have sensed my carriage; before long, it will arrive to fetch us.”
Hearing this, Xu Ying hastily ran back, calling out, “I’ll go check whether that Zhou Yashu is dead or alive!”
Seeing Xu Ying turn and leave, the Little Celestial Venerable quickly used his hand to discreetly brush the dirt off his buttocks. Xu Ying whipped his head back, caught sight of it, and flashed a meaningful smile.
The Little Celestial Venerable flustered, at a momentary loss.
Then he came to his senses: *Why should I fear him? This isn’t forty-eight thousand years ago!*
Xu Ying withdrew his gaze with a grin, musing inwardly, *He still doesn’t know that I already know he’s my disciple. Let’s see whether this kid wants to go so far as murdering his brother, father, and master, or just keep putting on airs in front of him!*
Although Perfected Cangyue had not targeted Zhou Yashu earlier, Zhou Yashu had still been caught in the crossfire. His internal Dao images had spiraled out of control, nearly killing him on the spot. Xu Ying suppressed his Dao injuries and brought him back beside the Little Celestial Venerable.
The Little Celestial Venerable frowned. “You know this youth?”
Xu Ying revived Zhou Yashu and said, “Back in the World of Primordial Beginning, Meng Wuhuai tried to kill me, and his divine ability swept through Zhou Yashu’s sect, wiping it out completely. Since this happened because he was after me, I have a duty to look after him.”
As Zhou Yashu woke up, an epiphany struck him, and he hurriedly prostrated himself before Xu Ying. “I implore Master to accept me as your disciple!”
The Little Celestial Venerable’s expression changed instantly. He snorted and said, “Xu Ying, you are a dying man; how could you take him as a disciple? Furthermore, you helped him avenge the destruction of his sect, which counts as a kindness toward him. You have no obligation to look after him!”
Xu Ying took on a solemn expression and said, “The Little Celestial Venerable speaks the truth. Zhou Yashu, you brought me the Taiyin Void Sky Technique, which helped me slay Meng Wuhuai and avenge my first life’s great grudge. I was kind to you, and you were kind to me—we are even! I shall swear brotherhood with you, perform the eight bows, and become your sworn brother!”
The Little Celestial Venerable’s face turned green. He thrust a hand out between the two of them. “Hold on! You cannot become brothers!”
Xu Ying feigned indignation. “Little Celestial Venerable, aren’t you sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong? I wish to become sworn brothers with him; by what right do you stop me?”
Blue veins bulged on the Little Celestial Venerable’s forehead. He clenched his fists, then slowly unclenched them, saying, “Because I intend to take him as my disciple! This youth has brilliant natural talent, not inferior to Chu Tiandu’s, so I have taken a liking to his potential. I have no wish to bear the reputation of killing my disciple’s sworn brother.”
Xu Ying grumbled, “Fair enough.”
Just then, red light flooded the sky. Xu Ying looked up and saw a distant red sunset cloud hurtling toward them. Hidden within the clouds were the terrifying auras of two primordial strange beasts.
Those two auras were in no way inferior to existences like Daoist Ji!
The Little Celestial Venerable looked up and said, “My carriage is here!”
The red clouds parted as two black qilin descended from the sky pulling a treasured chariot. A fiery-red canopy sat atop the chariot, hung with strings of pearls and adorned with several glowing gems the size of bushel baskets.
The dazzling crimson clouds from earlier had radiated from this very canopy.
The two black qilin drew the carriage to the ground, strode up before the Little Celestial Venerable, and nuzzled him affectionately.
The Little Celestial Venerable boarded the chariot, glanced at Xu Ying and Zhou Yashu, and said, “Get on.”
Xu Ying stood before the two black qilin, clicking his tongue in admiration, and said solemnly, “Fellow Daoists, you are magnificent and extraordinary, with such mighty auras. One look tells me you are primordial heroes! I am willing to perform the eight bows and become your sworn brother!”
The Little Celestial Venerable’s hands could not help but tremble. He thought in alarm, *He’s had amnesia for so long, yet somewhere along the way he picked up this wretched habit of swearing brotherhood! Who knows how many senior and junior martial uncles he’s created for me! My reputation as the Little Celestial Venerable...*
Xu Ying was about to pull the two black qilin into swearing brotherhood. The Little Celestial Venerable gave a dry cough. The two black qilin, initially hard-pressed to refuse such overwhelming hospitality and genuinely contemplating burning incense to become his sworn brothers, hastily backed off upon hearing the cough.
Xu Ying had no choice but to board the qilin chariot, visibly sullen.
The two black qilin pulled the chariot skyward, heading toward the other side of the Ancestral Court.
The Little Celestial Venerable said, “This chariot is named the Red Splendor Treasure Chariot. Once the canopy is activated, it forms a world of its own, filling the sky with red light. The hanging pearls turn into a sea of stars, and those large gems were refined from suns and moons. Even Perfected Cangyue at his peak would find it difficult to breach.”
Puzzled, Xu Ying asked, “Then why didn’t you bring this chariot earlier?”
Without thinking, the Little Celestial Venerable replied, “To meet you, there was no need for such extravagance.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt it was inappropriate and fell silent.
The qilin chariot flew for half a day, leaving a trail of crimson clouds across the sky. Suddenly, clusters of mist and glowing clouds blocked their path ahead.
Upon the clouds sat a jade terrace, and atop the terrace stood palatial pavilions where voluptuous young maidens strolled.
A man sat playing a qin at the palace gate. Amidst the drifting mist before him, a woman in red was dancing with a sword.
“Master, it is True Lord Yan’s traveling palace!” one of the black qilin called out.
The Little Celestial Venerable’s gaze darkened. “True Lord Yan blocks my path; could it be he has also come to kill me?”
As they spoke, the man playing the qin cast his gaze over and said placidly, “I came merely to see whether you were truly grievously wounded and unconscious as the rumors claimed. If you were crippled, I would become the foremost person in the Ancestral Court. Without you as an opponent, wouldn’t life lose much of its flavor?”
Xu Ying poked his head out of the chariot and laughed. “True Lord Yan’s lofty heroism is truly admirable! I am Xu Ying, and I would gladly swear an oath of golden orchid with you to become sworn brothers!”
The Little Celestial Venerable clamped a hand over Xu Ying’s mouth and called out to True Lord Yan, “I am perfectly fine; I won’t die so easily. As long as I live, you will always be second.”
True Lord Yan shook his head. “Once your injuries heal, we shall contest again.”
Just as he was about to instruct the palace maidens to set off, the Little Celestial Venerable suddenly smiled and said, “There is one more matter I must trouble the True Lord with. Please spread the word that the Little Celestial Venerable is returning to Hunyuan Palace to nurse his wounds.”
Surprised, True Lord Yan said, “You wish to draw all your enemies to Hunyuan Palace? Good, excellent! The Little Celestial Venerable is still the Little Celestial Venerable, after all!”
He cast a glance at Xu Ying and remarked, “This brother is named Xu Ying? If you wish to swear brotherhood, I will oblige you anytime.”
Xu Ying was held firmly by the Little Celestial Venerable, unable to respond.
The palace maidens steered the clouds, gradually drifting away into the distance. One of them smiled and asked, “Why did the True Lord agree to swear brotherhood with that Xu Ying? How could a complete nobody become the True Lord’s younger brother?”
“Not him becoming my younger brother, but me honoring him as my elder brother.”
True Lord Yan gently stroked the qin strings, smiling faintly. “He is the Little Celestial Venerable’s revered master. If I take him as my elder brother, I will claim seniority over the Little Celestial Venerable by an entire generation. Why wouldn’t I take such a bargain?”
Chapter 354