Xu Ying sighed inwardly, knowing there was no longer any chance of escape. Zhou Qiyun, the Zhou clan ancestor, was a figure of legend—the most powerful existence in the world today.
Before him, there was no way Xu Ying could get away.
He felt only a sense of absurdity in his heart. Over three hundred years ago, the Zhou clan ancestor Zhou Qiyun had been a snake catcher who strayed into Qinyan Cave while hunting a strange snake, obtaining the legacy of the Mud Pill Palace.
Over three hundred years later, the snake catcher Xu Ying had also entered Qinyan Cave because of a strange snake.
In the unseen workings of fate, a bizarre karmic connection tied them together.
Zhou Qiyun waved his hand gently. The five bull demons floated soundlessly into the air and set down to one side. Granny Yu endured her pain, struggled to her feet, and stood deferentially at attention, not daring to utter a word.
Xu Ying felt a wondrous force surge over him. The art of scattering beans to form soldiers bound around him dissolved instantly, restoring his body to normal. Yuan Qi's frame also returned to its original size.
Zhou Qiyun approached Xu Ying, sized him up from head to toe, and said, "You opened the Mud Pill secret depository, yet you haven't cultivated his technique? Ah, of course. Of the classics he left behind in the Mud Pill Palace, I took everything I could carry and burned the rest to ash. That is why you didn't receive his legacy."
Xu Ying was taken aback.
This was undeniably a shameful deed, yet Zhou Qiyun spoke of it with complete candor, almost with a villain's open shamelessness.
"Senior Zhou, why did you burn the life's work of the master of the Mud Pill Palace back then?" Xu Ying asked.
Walking ahead, Zhou Qiyun said calmly, "Back then, while hunting a strange snake, I barged into Qinyan Cave, stumbled into the stone chamber, and obtained the master of the Mud Pill Palace's legacy. Overjoyed, I kowtowed before those white bones to acknowledge him as my master, thinking that from then on I would soar to great heights and never have to catch snakes again. But the classics in that stone chamber were far too vast—an immense library containing every kind of martial art, every variety of divine ability and method imaginable. I couldn't take them all with me, yet I refused to leave them for posterity, and even less did I want someone else to come here and learn the very same methods as I. So, hardening my heart, I burned everything I couldn't carry!"
Xu Ying frowned slightly and followed close behind him.
Zhou Qiyun smiled, clearly not believing he had done anything wrong; instead, he took great pride in that deed.
Pacing forward at an unhurried gait, he continued, "I knew that Qinyan Cave was of immense consequence. If word got out that a Mud Pill Palace cave-heaven lay here with an unfathomable legacy, someone would likely follow the clues back to my head. So, I left behind a scroll of scripture and a gourd of spirit pills."
Xu Ying was shaken to the core, blurting out, "That gourd of spirit pills Yuan Qi's grandfather found—you left it there!"
"Yuan Qi's grandfather?"
Zhou Qiyun glanced at Yuan Qi in surprise. "You are the grandson of that strange snake? Hahaha, what deep karmic affinity I share with your family!"
Yuan Qi was equally shaken, blurting out, "You were the one chasing my grandfather, forcing him into Qinyan Cave? When my grandfather was alive, he often spoke of you, saying that if not for that snake catcher, he never would have discovered the cave within Qinyan Cave, nor could he have ever cultivated into a demon!"
Zhou Qiyun smiled. "Your grandfather becoming a demon was my doing. The master of the Mud Pill Palace left behind many miraculous spirit pills in the stone chamber to aid my foundation establishment and cultivation, so I left a gourd of spirit pills for the strange snake that had led me there. Once that strange snake ingested the pills, it would open its sapience. I even remember the scripture I left him was called the Great Sun Guiding Technique—one of the few demon cultivation methods among the Mud Pill Palace master's collection."
Yuan Qi hurried to say, "The Great Sun Guiding Technique also contains a martial arts technique called the Elephant-Strength Bull Demon Fist!"
Zhou Qiyun pondered for a moment and said, "There should indeed be such a martial technique. I harbored ill intent back then, thinking that if I could find that place, others surely could too. If they discovered that the master of the Mud Pill Palace's treasures had fallen into my hands, they would try every possible means to eliminate me and take them. Heh-heh, so I gave that strange snake the spirit pills and the Great Sun Guiding Technique."
Yuan Qi still didn't quite understand, but Xu Ying saw through it and said, "A brilliant scheme, Senior Zhou. Even if others found that place, they would only assume the strange snake had obtained the master of the Mud Pill Palace's legacy. They would think the master's legacy amounted to no more than that, and would not investigate further."
At his words, Yuan Qi suddenly realized and shouted, "You shifted the blame onto my grandfather!"
Zhou Qiyun said placidly, "If I hadn't left that gourd of spirit pills and the technique, how could you have ever come to be?"
Yuan Qi fell silent.
Xu Ying asked, "Senior Zhou, how old were you back then?"
Zhou Qiyun looked at him. "Around your age."
Xu Ying sighed with feeling. "I certainly lack Senior's meticulous foresight—to think through so much in such a short time. Senior looked far ahead indeed."
Zhou Qiyun sighed. "Only later did I realize I had been overly cautious. No one ever went to Qinyan Cave, and no one cared in the slightest about a snake turning into a snake demon. Meanwhile, I gradually rose in Lingling. Four years later, when I reached adulthood, I was already the foremost figure in Yongzhou."
A dilapidated temple came into view ahead. Xu Ying looked over, his heart skipping a beat—it was Shuikou Temple.
At this moment, Shuikou Temple was no longer perched over the great fissure, but had moved thirty li to the south!
A jolt went through Xu Ying's heart. 'This dilapidated temple is moving toward Mount Wuwang! It seems the white-robed Nuo immortal most likely knows I live on Mount Wuwang, but he doesn't yet know that Mount Wuwang has already met with unwarranted disaster!'
Zhou Qiyun walked straight toward Shuikou Temple, continuing, "In the year I turned fifty-seven, I opened the eighth cave-heaven, unlocking the eighth layer of the secret depository. Back then, I was the most dazzling rising star of Nuo arts in Shenzhou. When Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Mingxiao met me, he stroked my crown and praised me as a universal talent. Having mastered one, I mastered all; I truly deserved that title."
Xu Ying's heart stirred. A genius recognized by all the world indeed had reason to be proud.
Zhou Qiyun stepped through the gates of Shuikou Temple. By now, Shuikou Temple no longer held one world outside and another inside; it appeared completely ordinary, no different from any mundane temple.
"At fifty-seven, I opened the eighth layer of the secret depository, yet it was not until I was one hundred and forty-three that I opened the ninth layer. The world claimed that this universal talent's genius was spent, mocking and humiliating me. Yet the reason I delayed breaking through for so long was that I saw the trap the master of the Mud Pill Palace had laid within his technique." Zhou Qiyun walked straight toward the central hall, a sorrowful expression appearing on his face.
Xu Ying frowned slightly. "A trap? What kind of trap?"
Suddenly recalling his own encounter when opening the Mud Pill secret depository, he immediately understood and asked, "Senior Zhou, did the master of the Mud Pill Palace help you open your Mud Pill secret depository?"
Zhou Qiyun reached the central hall of Shuikou Temple and gave a light flick of his sleeve. Space trembled violently, and the central hall along with the shuddering space parted and collapsed to either side!
Space convulsed fiercely, thunder clashed, and rumbling shook the air as rolling thunderfire was squeezed from the void, erupting with boundless energy!
Xu Ying's heart leaped to his throat. He saw the other world concealed within Shuikou Temple forced open by Zhou Qiyun—the Five Peaks of Immortal Mountains and the great temple came into view!
"The Zhou clan ancestor is fierce!" Yuan Qi marvelled.
Granny Yu glared viciously at the great serpent. Yuan Qi snapped, "Stare at me again, and I'll have Ah Ying's bulls thrash you!"
Granny Yu shivered, casting a fearful glance at the five bull demons standing behind Xu Ying.
Xu Ying looked around and found that the world of the ruined temple had changed dramatically since his last visit. The colossal boulders floating in the sky were nowhere to be seen, and the massive chunks of flesh flailing with blood-vessel tentacles had vanished as well.
Yet upon those five immortal mountains, crimson flesh writhed. Thick cords of muscle crawled across the mountain slopes like massive blood-red pythons, seemingly still growing.
Xu Ying felt a chill in his heart: 'This evil Nuo immortal must have devoured a great deal of human flesh and blood again! After being picked clean by that man, he is trying to plunder others' flesh and blood. He wants to resurrect!'
Clouds formed beneath Zhou Qiyun's feet, lifting everyone into the air, while he strolled casually toward the great temple nestled between the Five Peaks of Immortal Mountains. He said, "In the stone chamber, when I kowtowed to the corpse of the Mud Pill Palace's master, the corpse suddenly raised a hand and tapped my glabella with a finger. That single finger opened my Mud Pill secret depository. It was indeed a trap; I realized this when I opened the fifth tier of the Mud Pill. So, I crippled my five tiers of cave-heavens and started cultivating from scratch. I nearly died because of it."
Xu Ying tore his gaze away, feeling both shock and admiration. "Senior is truly a person of great boldness, immense perseverance, and profound wisdom. Unlocking five tiers of the secret depository and cultivating five great cave-heavens already makes one a dragon among men, worthy of being appointed a jiedushi with weighty responsibilities. Yet you discarded them just like that and managed to cultivate them back—your talent is astonishing!"
Zhou Qiyun said, "You also opened the Mud Pill secret depository. Could it be that when you kowtowed to that corpse, he tapped your glabella with a finger and opened your depository for you?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "Why would I kneel to him? I can open the Mud Pill secret depository myself—why would I need to beg anyone?"
A natural arrogance rang through his words.
Zhou Qiyun looked at him in surprise. After a moment, he continued, "The trap I spoke of is a trap within the cultivation technique. Without the corresponding technique after opening a secret depository, it is very difficult to unleash its power. At age fifty-eight, when I was preparing to push for the ninth layer of the secret depository, I suddenly detected this flaw, breaking into a cold sweat."
By now, they had arrived before the great temple. Its doors stood wide open, rain and wind lashing before them. The soaring waterfall had also turned exceptionally terrifying, the myriad divine abilities concealed within it on the brink of erupting!
In addition, several hundred deities standing seventy to eighty feet tall lined the entrance, radiating murderous aura. Incense smoke swirled around them, and the chanting voices of countless commoners rumbled like thunder!
Through the open doors of the temple, one could see the white-robed Nuo immortal seated before the immortal palace, his white hair whipping about and sword-like immortal light circling around him, poised as if facing a mortal foe!
The moment Zhou Qiyun set foot into the ruined temple, he had sensed this formidable opponent. Knowing the newcomer possessed peerless strength and harbored ill intent, he had long since laid an inescapable dragnet before the temple, waiting for Zhou Qiyun and the others to arrive!
Zhou Qiyun paid no heed to this imposing display. He inclined slightly toward Xu Ying. "Pardon me."
With that, his body floated up like a beam of immortal light, darting straight through the erupting waterfall and the hundreds of slaughterous deities!
The next moment, his figure appeared within the great temple, right before the immortal palace!
Before the white-robed Nuo immortal Chen Mianzhu could even rise, Zhou Qiyun's finger tapped his glabella. In an instant, the flesh and skin behind him burst open, and all his essence and vitality vented outward. He withered rapidly, turning into a deflated human skin that drifted backward!
*Slap!*
The human skin hung flat against the wall of the main hall of the immortal palace!
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. At that moment, the bronze bell's voice spoke: "Ah Ying, this man is terrifyingly strong! With a single finger, he shattered all of the evil Nuo immortal's lingering resentment, wiping him out completely!"
Just then, as if sensing something amiss, Zhou Qiyun looked back toward Xu Ying.
The bronze bell froze in alarm: "He sensed me!"
Xu Ying's heart tightened as well. Wearing a smile, he walked forward. Just as he arrived before the temple gates, he saw the hidden scenery waterfall—steeped in countless images of the Great Dao—suddenly disintegrate. The foreheads of hundreds of towering deities burst open with muffled pops!
Before Xu Ying could even reach the temple doors, the dust had already settled!
'Just now, I only saw his figure shoot across like lightning; I didn't even see when he struck to shatter all of this.' He was thoroughly astounded.
"This evil Nuo immortal was a pitiful soul as well."
With his back to Xu Ying, Zhou Qiyun stood in the main hall of the immortal palace, hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the human skin pinned to the wall. Waiting for Xu Ying to approach, he said, "I realized there was an enormous flaw concealed within the Nuo master techniques, but he did not. As a result, while in seclusion within his Hidden Scenery latent transformation grounds, he was taken advantage of and devoured clean. Heh, his skills fell short—he died as he deserved!"
Approaching from behind, Xu Ying blurted out, "Are you saying that a trap was hidden within this Nuo immortal's Nuo arts, which led to him being eaten? But who could know that a trap existed within his technique?"
Speaking up to this point, he suddenly realized.
The person who knew a trap existed in the technique could only be the one who created it!
Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He suddenly thought of the master of the Mud Pill Palace's legacy. If one had their secret depository opened by the skeleton of the Mud Pill Palace master and then cultivated his technique, wouldn't that be jumping straight into a trap and handing one's life over to him?
Zhou Qiyun beckoned, and the human skin drifted down.
Examining the skin closely, he asked, "Do you know how I broke free from the trap of the Mud Pill Palace's legacy?"
Just as Xu Ying was about to shake his head, a flash of inspiration struck him. "Demon arts! No, Qi Refiner techniques!"
Zhou Qiyun looked up at him in surprise, the corner of his eye twitching. After a moment, he said, "You are so clever that you make me suddenly want to kill you. I'm not accustomed to seeing people cleverer than myself."
He paused, then picked up where Xu Ying left off: "Indeed, Qi Refiner techniques. After discovering the trap, I agonized over it for a long time, yet I could never find a solution. For eighty-six whole years, I traveled everywhere, searching for traces of Nuo immortals. In those eighty-six years, I found seventeen latent transformation grounds of Nuo immortals in total."
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, he said calmly, "Every single one of them died in their own latent transformation grounds, without exception. Heh, so-called ascending to a mini Immortal Realm within the body—nothing more than a joke!"
Chapter 46