The Crane Boy

Zi Xi's death put Xu Ying on his guard. Just moments earlier, Zi Xi had been overwhelmingly powerful, like an Immortal King, seemingly invincible. Yet these few masters from the ancestral courts had knocked him down from his Immortal King stature, reducing him back to what he once was. "The Heavenly Dao of the Penglai Fairy Realm, treasures refined from the realms of my first life such as the Huntian Cauldron and the Twelve-Storyed Mansions—like the six cave-heavens Zi Xi harvested, they are all external objects. They can make me appear formidable, but what truly belongs to me is my own cultivation realm." Xu Ying felt a deep surge of realization. Previously, he had relied on the Nuo ancestor cave-heavens, and later on Penglai's Heavenly Dao and the Twelve-Storyed Mansions. How was that any different from Zi Xi? Pursuing external power while neglecting one's own growth—was that not sheer folly? The twelve proofs of the Primordial Spirit mentioned earlier by the Earth God were merely the basics of the Primordial Spirit. Only by entering the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court and observing the Ancestral God could one grasp its true marvels. The immortal Dao fields of the Shangqing Ancestral Court and the Dao patterns of the Demon Ancestral Court were both extraordinary, none relying on external things. "Along my path of cultivation, there must be many aspects I never fully cultivated—perhaps not even in my first life. Still, Penglai's Heavenly Dao really is powerful," Xu Ying thought to himself. "The Twelve-Storyed Mansions and the Third Heavenly Pass are also very handy. If I can gather all of my scattered realms and assemble all nine, I can recreate my first life's strength—perhaps even surpass it!" This was an enormous temptation! More importantly, he had already gathered four realms! Assembling all nine realms was no longer an unattainable dream! Therefore, although Xu Ying knew relying on external power might lead to an end like Zi Xi's, he still could not bring himself to abandon it. He thought, "I can cultivate while simultaneously searching for the whereabouts of these realms without neglecting either. Furthermore, once I possess greater strength, I can also seek out the true Yuxu Palace, Mud Pill Palace, and Yellow Court Mansion, opening even more Immortal Realm cave-heavens." This was the best of both worlds. Shen Baiyu and Li Pingsheng, having slain Zi Xi, were both injured. They bowed to Xu Ying, and Shen Baiyu said, "I'm afraid the two of us cannot accompany you to Penglai, Young Master. Now that the angler has been eliminated, we must find our master's skin and return to our mountain to bury him properly." Li Pingsheng said, "Brother Xu, I hold immense admiration for your skills. Losing to you in the demonic realm last time was my honor. Next time I encounter Chu Tiandu, the Purple-Robed Demon Marquis, I will have the courage to fight him..." Shen Baiyu nodded repeatedly. They had realized that the Chu Tiandu they met at the Ancestral Court before had actually been Xu Ying, meaning they had not truly lost to Chu Tiandu. "Chu Tiandu defeating Nalan Du, the successor of Weixu, was also evidently Xu Ying's doing. In that case, Chu Tiandu is still the same old Chu Tiandu—what do we have to fear from him?" Fighting spirit reignited within the two of them. Once their affairs were settled, they planned to return to the Ancestral Court to challenge the real Chu Tiandu and claim the title of the strongest in the myriad worlds! Watching them depart, Xu Ying thought, "Now that Chu Tiandu has my divine abilities, he has probably also cultivated the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art I completed, right? Even if those two tied themselves together, they wouldn't be his match. Should I warn them..." He then shook his head, thinking, "Forget it. Chu Tiandu is my granddisciple after all. We're closer." Ling Siyi stowed away her willow branch and said to Xu Ying, "Young Master Xu, now that matters here are settled, would you accompany this humble woman to visit the Demon Ancestral Court?" Daoist Yuan shook his head. "Young Master Xu should come to the Shangqing Ancestral Court. Fellow Daoist Ling, your Demon Ancestral Court should step aside for now." The Earth God chimed in, "I bear the Ancestral God's decree inviting Young Master Xu to the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court. Are you going to contest me? I spent a fortune with Shenpo at the Penglai Immortal Mountain just to buy news of Young Master Xu!" Xu Ying froze. "Shenpo sold me out?" He felt somewhat displeased. "I wonder how much she sold me for? Did she even cut me a share?" "The price paid by my Ziwei Ancestral Court was no less than yours," Nan Ziyan said with a light cough. "Did my Shangqing Ancestral Court pay any less?" Daoist Yuan looked around and said, "To obtain news of Young Master Xu, my Shangqing Ancestral Court even gave a Purple Blood Precious Tree to Shenpo as toll money! That Purple Blood Precious Tree once listened to the scriptures preached at the Shangqing Ancestral Court back in the day!" Ling Siyi sneered. "The treasure my Demon Ancestral Court sent was the inner core of our Heavenly Demon, refined from the lifelong cultivation of a demon immortal who had reached supreme heights! Is that a small toll? My Demon Court paid an enormous price; we must take Young Master Xu with us!" She raised the willow branch, radiating murderous aura, and declared, "Whoever dares to stop me stands against the Demon Ancestral Court!" Daoist Yuan huffed. "Little girl of the demons, do not assume you can reign supreme just because you hold a single branch from the Demon Emperor's Dao tree. Before this Daoist, you are still lacking! Neither the demons nor the Heavenly Dao will snatch Young Master Xu from under my Shangqing Dao Sect!" His immortal Dao field expanded with grand magnificence. He whispered to the youth beside him, "Little Martial Uncle, I definitely won't be able to hold them off. Be ready to kill!" The youth's eyes widened, a torrent of murderous aura surging from his body as he whispered, "Should I kill them all?" Daoist Yuan's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. "Except for Young Master Xu!" The Earth God raised his great drum and grabbed his drumstick, sneering, "The demons are no good, but is your Shangqing Dao Sect any better? My Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court suffered plenty at your hands back then! Today, I shall beat the Thunder Duke Drum and turn you all to ash!" Ling Siyi scoffed, "An artifact of the Thunder Duke—can a mere Earth God like you unleash its full might? Shorty, you will be the first one I send on your way!" "It wasn't without reason that the demons were the first to be destroyed back then!" Tensions flared to a breaking point. Suddenly, Nan Ziyan of the Ziwei Ancestral Court shouted sharply, "Of all ancestral courts under heaven, Ziwei stands supreme! Do you all intend to become rebels?" The other three sneered, and the Earth God laughed. "We never revered you in the past, and now that Ziwei is ruined, you still expect us to revere Ziwei?" Ling Siyi said, "Ziwei Ancestral Court should stick to playing the mascot obediently. You have no right to meddle between us!" Nan Ziyan flew into a rage, sneering, "I will meddle! Today, nobody takes Young Master Xu except me!" Murderous intent filled the air, each party poised for a fight to the death at the slightest provocation. Xu Ying cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, I have urgent business and must first search for Kunlun to visit Yuxu Palace. I'm afraid I cannot accompany any of you to your ancestral courts. There is no need for you to fight." Ling Siyi, Daoist Yuan, and the others remained fiercely intent on battle, ready to strike at any moment. Without turning her head, Ling Siyi said, "This has nothing to do with Young Master Xu. These are grudges from the previous generation!" Daoist Yuan sneered, "Indeed! A pack of demon freaks and ancestral gods harboring delusions of mastering the Great Dao, showing no respect for my Shangqing Dao Sect. Today, this master will teach them their place!" Master Fire Dragon whispered, "Young Master Xu, what should we do?" Xu Ying frowned and shook his head, raising the Third Heavenly Pass. "Once you've had your fight, you may wait for me at Penglai or Kunlun." Just as he was about to leave, his heart stirred, and he looked up toward the sky. Beams of immortal light cascaded from the firmament, swirling and distorting the surrounding sky. Such a phenomenon was exceedingly rare, bearing a striking resemblance to Xu Ying's Immortal Realm cave-heaven! "What is that?" Xu Ying was surprised. High in the sky, Young Master Yuchuan was driving the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Extermination Immortal Array, and his battle with God King Xuankong had reached a critical juncture. Though God King Xuankong possessed immense strength, facing such an extermination array filled him with dread. Right at that moment, the immortal light descended. God King Xuankong's expression changed drastically, and he hastily transformed into a streak of divine light, fleeing far away! Within that immortal light, a white crane flapped its wings, holding a scroll in its beak as it descended from the Immortal Realm. The white crane possessed an overwhelmingly powerful aura, enveloped in immortal radiance. Yet it was not an immortal, but an immortal crane that had cultivated the immortal Dao, granting it passage between the Immortal Realm and the mortal world. Young Master Yuchuan was both surprised and delighted. Hastily stowing away the extermination array, he flew up to meet the white crane. "Uncle Crane, why have you descended to the mortal realm?" The white crane's wings blotted out the sky as it flew at great speed toward Mount Sumeru below, calling out, "I come by order of the Imperial Monarch to release a fellow Daoist from the ancient era." It snapped its wings shut and spun downward. A crisp, boyish voice echoed from its beak: "Jie Puti, I come by order of the Imperial Monarch to release you... Bastard, who offered so much incense here?" The Crane Boy's magic power vanished instantly, and with a thud, he crashed before the underground palace imprisoning the ancient Buddha. Outside the ancient Buddha's underground palace stood towering stone Buddhas. Xu Ying had planted arm-thick sticks of incense before every single one, awakening them to suppress the area. As a result, the Crane Boy suffered a sudden setback upon landing. He had just transformed into human shape, leaving him wingless. Stripped of his magic power, he had plummeted straight down. Furious and alarmed, the Crane Boy endured the suppression to extinguish the burning incense, finally feeling some relief. Stepping before the underground palace, he said, "Jie Puti, when the Imperial Monarch came here back then to inspect your seal, he told you that he would surely release you in the future. Now, I have arrived with the Imperial Monarch's promise. Simply unrolling this picture scroll will shatter all the Buddhas' seals, seal..." He stammered to a halt, staring blankly at the sixteen-character seal on the portal, speechless for a long time. A faint, feeble voice drifted from within the palace: "Someone named Xu Ying left his seal on the gate..." "Xu Ying?" The Crane Boy was so enraged that he began to stutter. "This is clearly the immortal Dao rune the Imperial Monarch used to suppress Xu Ying! How could he use it to suppress you instead? Bastard! What an utter bastard!" The ancient Buddha's voice carried out, faint as a mosquito's hum: "Since it is the Imperial Monarch's rune, can you break it? This rune has merged with the seals of the Buddhas. Only by first breaking the immortal Dao rune can the ancient Buddha seal be undone." The Crane Boy shook his head. "The Imperial Monarch gathered the wisdom of many great masters to design this sealing rune; it represents the pinnacle of the immortal Dao. How could I break it? Only the Imperial Monarch himself can undo these immortal Dao runes!" He turned around just as Young Master Yuchuan walked over. Handing the scroll to Young Master Yuchuan, the Crane Boy said, "Hold onto this. On no account must it be lost! I am returning to the Immortal Realm!" He spread his wings and took flight, soaring toward the Immortal Realm against the brilliant immortal light. Clutching the scroll, Young Master Yuchuan quickly raised a hand and called, "Uncle Crane!" Whoosh— A streak of rainbow light flashed by. Young Master Yuchuan's hands were suddenly empty. Seeing the scroll snatched away, he was both shocked and enraged, whipping his gaze toward the rainbow light. The rainbow light halted. Xu Ying stood at its end, examining the scroll. "Bai Yuchuan, what sort of treasure is this? Let me take a look!" Xu Ying chuckled, and with a crisp snap, unfurled the scroll.