The golden-armored bean soldiers surged forward wave upon wave, lunging at the monstrous blue birds. Time and again, one fell before Xu Ying, pecked to pieces by the strange birds and swallowed whole.
Yet bean soldiers still hurled themselves upon the birds, brandishing their green swords to battle them. To them, these birds were like deities hundreds, thousands of times their size—vast and boundless—yet they fought without the slightest fear of death!
Even though they were merely beans, they moved Xu Ying.
He mobilized his Mud Pill cave-heaven, driving it into the Sea of Chaos and transforming its energy into a surge of boundless vitality!
He had never learned Nuo arts, yet he was determined to fight as a Nuo master!
He treated these transformed yellow beans as humans—as thinking, living beings!
For their sake, he would venture into a realm he had never set foot in before!
The bronze bell, in the midst of tending its injuries, was instantly jolted awake. Nestled within the Mud Pill cave-heaven, it immediately sensed that this cave-heaven was actually turning slowly. The vitality gushing from it was exceedingly dense, even seeping into the bell's body.
Naturally, this sort of vitality was of little use to it; having no physical body of flesh and blood, it could not use vitality to heal its wounds.
By comparison, Xu Ying's cave-heaven was very small, not even matching the cave-heavens of ordinary Zhou clan Nuo masters, yet the Mud Pill vitality dredged from it was of exceptionally pure quality!
"Could Ah Ying be trying to cast a Nuo art?"
The bronze bell was stunned. "But he's never learned Nuo arts! He only just opened his Mud Pill secret depository—he can't possibly think he's already a Nuo master, can he?"
Xu Ying carefully recalled the strange sensations in his body when he had been struck and shrunk. Sensing the surging vitality within, he attempted to treat it as his own primordial qi, circulating it to every corner of his body.
He circulated the vitality just as he did his primordial qi. Little by little, his primordial qi and vitality blended, permeating his internal organs and suffusing his flesh and blood. It made his primordial qi surge with vibrant life, gradually evoking a sensation of the myriad things taking shape and coming into being.
Suddenly, he executed the Elephant-Strength Bull Demon Fist. His back swelled upward, his body grew taller, and his fingers elongated and fused together into cloven hooves.
His nose lengthened, his frontal bone bulged high, and his head grew larger and larger. Soon, his ears fanned out wide. Right before Yuan Qi's eyes, he demonized, transforming into an elephant head, a human body, and elephant hooves—the very image of an Elephant King God standing two beans tall!
"Ah Ying has finally revealed his true form..."
Yuan Qi's eyes widened as he muttered, "The Stone Mountain God was right—he really is a demon!"
Xu Ying dispersed the form of the Elephant King God, returning his body to normal. From this trial, he was already sixty to seventy percent certain he could execute Grass and Trees Form an Army!
In his heart, there were no strict distinctions of Nuo arts or divine abilities of Qi Refiners; he had only one thought, and that was to follow his nature, give full play to the strengths of his primordial qi and vitality, and unleash his power as naturally as breathing.
He simply felt that he possessed the ability to cast Grass and Trees Form an Army, or to scatter beans to form soldiers.
A strange blue bird brought its foot down, stomping a golden-armored bean soldier beneath its talons, and opened its beak to peck at his head.
Just as it was about to smash the soldier's head, Xu Ying suddenly pointed a finger. The bean soldier's body swelled explosively section by section, transforming from the size of a bean in an instant into a little two-foot-tall golden-armored demigod!
The blue bird's beak struck his chest, but the little golden-armored demigod ran his sword straight through the bird's head.
Circulating the primordial qi and vitality within him, Xu Ying strode into the battlefield between the bean soldiers and the strange birds. He pointed at will, and bean soldier after bean soldier rapidly transformed into two-foot demigods, instantly turning the tide of battle.
The little golden-armored demigods leaped and bounded, charging slaughterously into the blue birds and quickly killing nearly half the flock. Seeing this, the remaining birds took to their wings one after another and fled into the sky.
Over a dozen more little golden-armored demigods unslung bows and drew arrows, shooting down the fleeing birds one by one.
Yuan Qi stared wide-eyed and hurried to ask, "Ah Ying, was that a Nuo art you used?"
Xu Ying pondered for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know whether it counts as a Nuo art or not. I just felt that this was how it ought to be done."
Yuan Qi was dumbstruck. Only after a good while did he ask, "Senior, just what kind of divine being's reincarnation are you?"
Xu Ying burst out laughing upon hearing this. "Yuan Qi, you've read too many idle storybooks! Where are your thoughts wandering off to? I am me, of course—whose reincarnation could I be? My family lived in Xujiaping, and my parents loved me very much. I remember it clearly..."
Seeing that he was about to start on that again, Yuan Qi hastily cut him off. "Hold on! Ah Ying, since you can scatter beans to form soldiers on these bean soldiers, could you cast this art on us as well and break that old crone's Nuo art?"
Xu Ying did not lapse into memories of Xujiaping, his mental state remaining perfectly normal. He smiled. "Breaking her Nuo art isn't hard. The difficulty lies in the fact that my cultivation is nowhere near as deep as hers. To unravel her Nuo art, I have to take it step by step."
Yuan Qi perked up. "As long as it can be broken, that's what counts."
Right then, the voice of an old woman drifted over with a laugh: "What is Young Master Xu looking to break?"
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi's expressions changed drastically. Above them, a silk handkerchief descended, covering them and the bean soldiers.
The next moment, they found themselves inside a basket. The elderly Granny Yu lifted the handkerchief, peeked into the basket, and chuckled. "Thanks to these bean soldiers of mine, or else this old woman truly wouldn't have found Young Master Xu. A pity these beans are ruined now."
With a gentle shake, she tossed the bean soldiers out of the basket and paid them no further mind, turning to leave.
"Old crone, Lord Qi will fight you to the death!" Yuan Qi leaped up, mouth wide to bite the old woman's finger and poison her to death. Yet Granny Yu pinched two fingers lightly, clamping him right at his seven-inch mark.
Granny Yu sneered and moved to squeeze the life out of him.
Xu Ying said coolly, "The Zhou clan invited me as a guest to help dispel a demonic art for your family, yet you want to kill my friend. Are you not afraid of angering your clan ancestor?"
Granny Yu promptly stayed her hand and smiled. "Young Master Xu, the Ancestor said to invite you, but said nothing about inviting this strange snake. Still, this old woman will grant you face and let him be." With that, she set Yuan Qi down.
Yuan Qi breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Ying climbed to the edge of the basket and looked out. He saw the bean soldiers still following behind Granny Yu, dazed and at a loss.
Xu Ying waved his hand. The vitality of his Mud Pill secret depository surged forth, and the golden-armored bean soldiers took root and sprouted one by one, growing into vigorous bean sprouts.
Xu Ying returned to the bottom of the basket and thought silently, *They are so tiny that it would be hard for them to survive in this new territory. But returning to their true selves and becoming beans once more, they will flourish in these woods, blossom, bear new beans, and live on generation after generation.*
Seeing this, Yuan Qi thought to himself, *Ever since I met Ah Ying, I've run into so many perils, and the bronze bell has been injured again and again. Yet neither of us has ever abandoned this jinx of an Ah Ying—likely because of the humanity in him.*
That touch of human warmth was something many people lacked.
Granny Yu sensed the flow of vitality inside Xu Ying and was greatly shaken. "Young Master Xu has opened the Mud Pill secret depository?" she cried in surprise.
Xu Ying lay back in the basket with his legs crossed, saying leisurely, "Even your clan ancestor has things to ask of me, so what is there to be surprised about if I opened the Mud Pill secret depository?"
Granny Yu gave a cold harrumph, draped the silk handkerchief back over the basket, and quickened her pace, her eyes darting. *The Ancestor is locked in a fierce battle with that subterranean titan, fighting until the new territory tore apart. I wonder how the battle fares. Struck by the aftershocks, I am gravely injured; I must find our other clansmen as soon as possible.*
Xu Ying asked from within the basket, "Granny Yu, why did you all come here? Logically speaking, someone as high and mighty as the Zhou clan ancestor ought to be holding down the fort in the capital, shouldn't he?"
Granny Yu said, "Young Master Xu wouldn't know how much turmoil the rerouting of the Nai River and the Netherworld's invasion have caused across the court and the land. Right now, every eye is fixed on this new territory in Yongzhou. Heh, throughout the divine realm of Shenzhou, what blessed mountain or treasured land hasn't already been claimed by great clans and magnates? Only this new territory has yet to be touched. The treasures here are ownerless!"
Xu Ying came to an understanding. Men die for wealth as birds die for food. With the Netherworld's invasion, the new territory along both banks of the Nai River was bound to harbor countless treasures. Since ancient times, treasures had always stirred people's hearts; all factions across Shenzhou must have been alerted, and more and more people would surely flock to the new territory in search of treasure and adventure.
"Our Zhou clan originated in Yongzhou," Granny Yu said. "Now that new territory has appeared here, it rightfully belongs to us. Naturally, our Ancestor had to come."
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "Elderly woman, might I ask which way leads to Mount Wuwang?"
Xu Ying started. *That voice is... Yuan Weiyang! That's right—Uncle Xiao, the green-robed old servant beside Yuan Weiyang, is definitely a formidable expert!*
Just as he was about to speak, Granny Yu thrust a hand into the basket and seized Yuan Qi by the neck, replying with a laugh, "The two of you should head that way."
Xu Ying's thoughts stirred. He kept silent, instead focusing his mind on channeling the Realm Breaker sword intent. A faint, almost imperceptible wisp of sword intent drifted out from the basket.
Yuan Weiyang said, "Thank you, Granny. Uncle Xiao, let us be on our way."
Uncle Xiao's voice came: "Young Master may go to Mount Wuwang to meet that Demon King Xu, but you must remember: under no circumstances are you to wade into the river to catch fish or dig for loaches!"
Yuan Weiyang's gentle voice answered, "I am only going to exchange techniques on cultivating and refining divine sense with him. Why would I wade into a river to catch fish?"
As they drifted further away, Granny Yu finally released her grip on Yuan Qi's neck and continued walking forward. After a short while, her voice drifted down: "Young Master Xu, there's a ruined temple ahead. We'll rest there first and wait for our clansmen to find us... Shuikou Temple! What a strange name!"
Granny Yu carried the basket toward Shuikou Temple. Xu Ying's heart tightened. *Damn it! The Zhou clan doesn't want to kill me, but that white-robed Nuo immortal definitely does!*
Yuan Weiyang's gentle voice called out again, "Elderly woman, ahead lies the latent transformation ground of a Nuo immortal's Hidden Scenery. That Nuo immortal suffered an unnatural death and harbors deep resentment; it is not wise to proceed."
Granny Yu halted and said with a smile, "Thank you for the advice. Weren't you heading to Mount Wuwang? Why have you returned?"
Yuan Weiyang's tone was somewhat cool: "My friend is inside your basket, so why would I need to go to Mount Wuwang?"
Inside the basket, Xu Ying suddenly heard an earth-splitting, mountain-shattering roar outside. The basket jolted violently—it had to be Uncle Xiao, the green-robed old servant, abruptly striking out at Granny Yu!
"The Yuan clan's Nuo art?"
The basket rocked and pitched. Through the woven wicker, Xu Ying could see nothing of the outside and had no idea how the battle was unfolding.
Suddenly, with a whoosh, Xu Ying felt the basket soar into the air, no longer held in anyone's hand. He urgently called to Yuan Qi, and boy and snake sprang outward, leaping out of the basket!
Sure enough, the basket was tumbling through midair, and Granny Yu was nowhere to be seen. Only violent waves of divine abilities rippled in the distance.
Midair, Xu Ying and Yuan Qi plummeted toward the ground. Yuan Qi shrieked repeatedly, but Xu Ying yelled, "Ants don't die from falling! We're barely bigger than ants, so we won't die either!"
Whistling through the air, they struck the ground, punching a tiny crater into the dirt.
Xu Ying bounced to his feet and bolted away with Yuan Qi. They fled at top speed without stopping. After who knew how long, exhausted and unable to run another step, they finally halted to rest.
After running for so long, they had only managed to cross a single small mound.
Suddenly, Granny Yu's venomous voice drifted in: "Young Master Xu, why would an expert of the Yuan clan suddenly attack me? Could you offer this old woman an explanation?"
Xu Ying's heart tightened. He got up and looked, only to see Granny Yu approaching covered in blood.
The old woman had already been injured by the shockwaves from the clash between the Zhou clan ancestor and the subterranean titan—wounds that even the Mud Pill secret depository could not heal. Now severely battered by Uncle Xiao, the green-robed old servant, her fury raged sky-high. "Young Master Xu, you may have a hundred schemes, but you still cannot escape my palm!" she rasped viciously. "You've been struck by my Nuo art. Wherever you go, you cannot shake off my senses! Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Her expression turned sinister. "The Ancestor only ordered me to bring you back—he never said alive, dead, or crippled!"
Xu Ying surged his qi and blood, his body suddenly expanding from the size of a soy bean to two or three inches tall. "Granny Yu, has it never crossed your mind that perhaps you didn't track me down here, but rather that I lured you here?"
Granny Yu sneered and reached out to grab him. "You dream of breaking my Nuo art? Even if you did lure me here, what could you possibly do?"
Right at that moment, an alarm sounded in her mind. She sprang into the air in haste as a white-bone soul-thrashing whip struck silently from behind, whipping past beneath her feet.
*That was close, but it missed me!*
Just as the thought crossed her mind, four white-bone soul-thrashing whips struck her body simultaneously, eliciting a wretched shriek as the old woman crashed to the ground!
Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and looked behind Granny Yu. Five burly bull demons stood amidst a gloomy wind, wielding white-bone soul-thrashing whips. Surrounding Granny Yu, they raised their arms and brought their whips down in relentless, lashing strikes!
Yuan Qi felt an immense surge of satisfaction and cheered, "Well struck!"
Xu Ying smiled faintly and murmured, "I've finally waited you out."
After escaping the basket, the direction he had fled in was precisely toward the broken Mount Wuwang, because he knew that as long as those five bull demons were still alive, they would pursue him relentlessly.
Sure enough, just as Granny Yu caught up to them, the five bull demons caught up as well.
Granny Yu shrieked continuously under the whipping, rolling back and forth on the ground. Her screams grew so harrowing that even Xu Ying felt a pang of pity, so he plugged his ears with his fingers.
If he couldn't hear it, his heart wouldn't soften.
Just then, Xu Ying noticed a youth not far away. A vibrant, heroic vigor radiated between the youth's brows, but his eyebrows were snow-white—an oddity indeed.
The youth stood there quietly, watching the bull demons flog Granny Yu without making a move to intervene.
Yuan Qi also caught sight of the white-browed youth. An inexplicable dread welled up in his heart, as though he had encountered a natural predator.
Xu Ying raised an eyebrow slightly. He saw something familiar about this white-browed youth.
The white-browed youth walked over and said softly, "The reason I did not stop you from having her flogged is that she disobeyed my orders. I told her to invite you, yet she used humiliating means to shrink you, showing no respect whatsoever to an esteemed guest. Therefore, she deserved this beating."
He stopped before Xu Ying and said calmly, "My name is Zhou Qiyun. Over three hundred years ago, I was just like you—a snake catcher."
Chapter 45