Jin Buyi was startled and looked at Xu Ying's face to see if he was joking.
Xu Ying looked dead serious, showing not the slightest hint of jest.
Jin Buyi turned to Lord Bell. The bell said solemnly, "I also feel Seventh Master has changed. Rest assured, Ah Ying—I will personally take action and finish Seventh Master off."
Jin Buyi looked at Lord Bell again, utterly baffled.
Xu Ying asked in surprise, "Why would you say such a thing, Lord Bell? Why finish off Seventh Master? Seventh Master is our brother, flesh and blood!"
Lord Bell froze, nearly driven mad. It thought to itself, *Just a moment ago he said he wanted to kill Seventh Master, and now he doesn't. I can't keep up with him anymore... Wait. Unless it's different Ah Yings speaking! Inside Ah Ying dwell seven Ah Yings, one of whom is his original self. Right now, his original self has the upper hand!*
Xu Ying said to Jin Buyi, "If you wish to comprehend the Ancestral God and achieve great attainments, you must first understand what the Primordial Spirit is. The Primordial Spirit is the innate qi before life existed, a cluster of imperishable spiritual light. When you can see that the Ancestral God is a cluster of innate qi and imperishable spiritual light from the dawn of the universe, you will be able to behold the Ancestral God's true countenance."
Surprised, Jin Buyi asked, "Ah Ying, could your imperishable true spirit have been cultivated by contemplating the Ancestral God?"
Xu Ying actually had no memory of that. He only knew that during the half a year he had spent observing the Ancestral God, the sights he beheld had grown increasingly astonishing.
At first, the Ancestral God he saw had been a decrepit elder. Later, when he attempted to usurp Him, he looked at the Ancestral God again and saw a young man.
Later still, after Xu Ying had spent a long time by the Ancestral God's side, what he saw was an imperishable true spirit enveloped in wondrous innate qi!
Without seeing through all this, comprehending the profound mysteries of the Primordial Spirit from the Ancestral God was simply impossible!
Xu Ying had stayed here for half a year already. Each time he observed the Ancestral God, he made new gains, and his Primordial Spirit cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds.
Now, his Primordial Spirit had broken past the limit of one zhang eight chi and reached around two zhang.
This bit of progress was in truth the advancement of his imperishable true spirit, truly a rare feat.
Jin Buyi asked, "Then how does one see that the Ancestral God is a mass of innate qi? How does one see that He is imperishable spiritual light?"
Xu Ying hesitated for a moment, then said, "Tonight, you take over attending to the Ancestral God when He wakes in the night."
Jin Buyi agreed.
"Then you draw your blade and say you're going to usurp Him, that you will be the Ancestral God," Xu Ying stated earnestly.
Jin Buyi blinked.
Lord Bell also chimed with a *dang* to express its confusion.
Xu Ying became even more earnest: "Don't ask why. Just do it. Then you will see the Ancestral God's true countenance—it's just that the process is a bit painful."
Jin Buyi committed this carefully to memory.
Xu Ying diligently shared his experience, saying, "You will be shocked for an entire night. By the next morning, you should roughly be able to comprehend the Twelve Signs of the Primordial Spirit. But the Twelve Signs are only your first step. Once you've cultivated them, when you look at the Ancestral God again, you'll discover that He is primordial qi filling the cosmos, an imperishable spiritual light born before Heaven."
His expression grew solemn. "He is like light, like qi, like the void. At His greatest, He can be as vast as the universe; at His smallest, as minute as a mustard seed. Once you comprehend this, achieving an imperishable true spirit will be within reach."
Jin Buyi nodded hurriedly and asked, "If I strike at the Ancestral God, He won't be angry, will He?"
Xu Ying recalled that night when the Ancestral God had punched him flying. He shook his head emphatically. "Not at all! Don't worry, He'll even be very pleased."
Jin Buyi was reassured and said eagerly, "Ah Ying, you don't need to attend to the Ancestral God tonight. Let me do it."
Xu Ying nodded gently.
Jin Buyi had little comprehension of the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao runes drifting around the stone statue of Tian were like gibberish to him, and he could hardly wait for night to fall.
Xu Ying waited for a long time, but none of those Imperial Sons came looking for them. He wondered to himself, *Those three have decent patience and restraint. It must have been those Demon Sovereigns who caused trouble, forcing Lord Jin to pass on the technique.*
He asked Jin Buyi about the situation back then. Fearing Xu Ying would worry, Jin Buyi smiled and said, "All that has long passed. Why bring it up again?"
Lord Bell sneered, "Why shouldn't you say it, Lord Jin? Demon Sovereign Han, Demon Sovereign Kun, and Demon Sovereign Feng coerced us, saying that if you didn't hand it over, they would kill Seventh Master and me. Why can't that be spoken of?"
Xu Ying raised his brows.
Lord Bell scoffed, "When we first entered the Demon Ancestral Court, they made things difficult for us at every turn—why shouldn't that be spoken of? They coveted the Eastern Emperor Heaven-Calming Formula on Lord Jin, scheming by every means to get their hands on it. Some even resorted to assassination to ruin you—why shouldn't that be spoken of? They even slandered you, claiming you had stolen their ancestral Eastern Emperor Heaven-Calming Formula—how could that not be spoken of?"
Xu Ying looked at Jin Buyi. He had been in Weixu at the time and had no idea Jin Buyi had gone through all of this.
Jin Buyi said with a smile, "Lord Bell, hasn't all of that passed already?"
Indignant, Lord Bell replied, "Of course it's passed. But we survived because of you, because of Demon Sovereign Jinghong, and because Seventh Master and I fought our way out! We didn't survive on the charity of those other Demon Sovereigns or Imperial Sons!"
It said to Xu Ying, "When we entered the Demon Ancestral Court, we thought we could smoothly take the seat of Imperial Son. Instead, there were assassinations, sneak attacks, swindles, and deceits at every turn. If not for Lord Jin bearing the title of Imperial Son and battling his way through, we'd probably have died long ago."
Jin Buyi smiled. "None of this has anything to do with Ah Ying. Why dredge up old matters?"
"It has everything to do with him!" Lord Bell said. "Ah Ying and Ling Siyi played a part in this too. If Ling Siyi hadn't warned the other demon experts that the Demon Ancestor wanted to meet Ah Ying, and that you were Ah Ying's family—making those demon magnates wary of causing collateral trouble—we would have ended up dead without a burial place!"
Xu Ying smiled and said, "Lord Jin, are you worried that I'll act too rashly, hurt those three Imperial Sons, and invite retribution from the Demon Sovereigns? Rest assured, I am not unreasonable. During these past few years away from you, I've grown a lot. I won't be that impulsive."
That was precisely what Jin Buyi had been worried about. Hearing this, he felt somewhat relieved.
Xu Ying resumed studying the Heavenly Dao runes without any unusual behavior. Seeing this, Jin Buyi believed he held no grudges, and his mind was set completely at ease.
Yuan Qi slipped over and whispered, "Lord Bell, did an episode act up?"
Lord Bell transmitted via divine sense, "No. He's extraordinarily normal."
Yuan Qi said, "What do you think of this? I pretend to offer him the saber. I'll hold it up before him and say, 'Ah Ying, this saber has a hidden fracture.' When he bends down to inspect it, I'll slash him!"
Lord Bell hesitated, then shook its head. "Your scheme won't work; you can't ambush him like that. It's better to use the Diamond Snare. Catch him off guard, trap him with the Diamond Snare, and then I'll deliver the slash!"
Yuan Qi's eyes lit up, silently praising it as a brilliant plan.
Just as he was about to make a move, Lord Bell hastily warned, "Don't do it in front of Lord Jin."
Yuan Qi understood. Jin Buyi doted on Xu Ying the most. If they moved against Xu Ying in front of Jin Buyi, Jin Buyi would surely fight them to the death.
Before they knew it, night fell. Xu Ying returned to the thatched hut and shared a room with Jin Buyi. Only, this time it was Jin Buyi's turn to attend to the Ancestral God.
In the middle of the night, hearing thunder, Xu Ying kicked Jin Buyi awake and gestured toward the door with his chin.
Summoning his courage, Jin Buyi picked up the chamber pot and walked into the Ancestral God's room. After a moment, Jin Buyi's stammering voice drifted out: "An—Ancestral God Grandpa, this d—disciple wants to usurp your place..."
The Ancestral God's voice answered, "Wait a moment."
Moments later, it was as if billions of suns had ignited simultaneously within the thatched hut! The light blazed so fiercely that the hut seemed to vanish entirely!
An earth-shattering crash rang out, and Xu Ying caught a fleeting glimpse of a silhouette rocketing through the air and vanishing without a trace!
Xu Ying hurriedly flew off in the direction Jin Buyi had hurtled. Before long, he finally found Jin Buyi lying wide-eyed at the bottom of a massive crater.
Demon Sovereign Jinghong had transformed into a giant bird and stood guard beside the crater. Xu Ying was surprised; Demon Sovereign Jinghong had actually arrived here ahead of him!
Seeing that the newcomer was Xu Ying, Demon Sovereign Jinghong let down her guard.
Xu Ying smiled and asked, "Lord Jin, did you see it?"
"S—Saw it!" Terrified, Jin Buyi could barely speak straight.
Hearing this, Xu Ying felt at ease. Jin Buyi had seen the Ancestral God's true form; he would certainly gain some comprehension.
Leaving Jin Buyi there, he returned to the thatched hut. Nearby, the Baxia, Bifang, and celestial roc mounts of the demon experts were all resting not far away, while several Demon Sovereigns and Imperial Sons were resting within the palaces on the celestial roc's back.
The earthshaking roar from earlier had startled them as well, leaving them unsettled and suspicious.
The gazes of Demon Sovereign Han and the others fell upon Xu Ying. Each knitted their brows, but none spoke.
Early the next morning, the three Imperial Sons continued to stare at the Ancestral God, attempting to fathom the mysteries of the Primordial Spirit.
Suddenly, radiant divine light soared into the sky in the distance. Dazzling brilliance and surging demonic power sent chills down everyone's spines—it was the awakening of bloodline power belonging to the Imperial Clan of the demon race!
No longer in any mood to observe the Ancestral God, everyone turned to look. In the distance, a divine tree had rooted itself between heaven and earth, while ten suns rose together in magnificent splendor!
Behind this colossal divine tree that propped up the sky, the Twelve-Storyed Mansions emerged. Jin Buyi's Primordial Spirit flew forth from the Twelve-Storyed Mansions, bathed in iridescent clouds as it ascended into the Jade Pool!
The sight of that three-legged golden crow Primordial Spirit soaring into the Jade Pool seemed to embody the profound mystery of the Dao itself.
"In a single night, he refined the Twelve Signs of the Primordial Spirit!" Everyone was filled with disbelief and shock.
"Which means he has beheld the Ancestral God!" Jin Daoli, Jin Yiqi, and Jin Lan exchanged glances.
Yesterday, they had observed the Ancestral God all day without gleaning a thing, whereas Jin Buyi had simply run off to fool around with Xu Ying for the entire day.
"Last night, Jin Buyi shared a room with Xu Ying, and afterward he comprehended the Twelve Signs of the Primordial Spirit from the Ancestral God without any teacher."
Their hearts skipped a beat as their gazes settled on Xu Ying.
At this moment, Xu Ying was stepping out carrying the chamber pot, preparing to go to the Waste Pool to dump the Ancestral God's bodily discharges.
The three exchanged looks, got up quietly, and followed Xu Ying.
Xu Ying seemed completely oblivious, letting the trio follow him the entire way. When they arrived at the edge of the Waste Pool, one could see that although called a pool, it was actually a vast expanse of dark void with no bottom in sight.
Xu Ying emptied the chamber pot and turned around, only to see Jin Daoli and the other two standing not far behind him.
"Under your guidance, Jin Buyi cultivated the Twelve Signs of the Primordial Spirit in a single night and obtained the Ancestral God's true heritage."
Clad in white robes, with a sword and a jade pendant at his waist, Jin Daoli looked rather refined as he smiled and asked, "Xu Ying, could you tell us how you enabled him to receive the Ancestral God's true heritage?"
Holding the chamber pot, Xu Ying smiled faintly. "So that's why you bullied Lord Jin?"
The trio didn't understand.
Jin Lan said, "We want to know how one may receive the Ancestral God's true heritage, Young Master Xu."
Xu Ying smiled. "If not for Lord Jin, I wouldn't be where I am today. To secure the position of Imperial Son, you plotted painstakingly against him to extract the Eastern Emperor Heaven-Calming Formula, isn't that right?"
Jin Yiqi coughed lightly and said, "This matter was approved by all the Demon Sovereigns. Moreover, the Eastern Emperor Heaven-Calming Formula is a technique of the Imperial Clan, not Jin Buyi's personal property. Since he obtained it, he must pass it on to the Imperial Clan."
Jin Daoli and Jin Lan nodded in agreement.
Xu Ying snorted, a ferocious glint entering his eyes. Just as he was about to strike, Demon Sovereign Han's voice rang out: "Young Master Xu, the three Imperial Sons are not wrong. Having Jin Buyi hand over the Eastern Emperor Heaven-Calming Formula was the collective will of we three Demon Sovereigns."
Demon Sovereign Feng's voice chimed in: "The Imperial Clan was already scarce in population. Inside and outside the Demon Ancestral Court, no small number of individuals coveted the Eastern Emperor Heaven-Calming Formula, and just as many launched sneak attacks and ambushes against Jin Buyi. To prevent this Demon Emperor technique from being lost again, we decided to impart it to the three Imperial Sons."
Demon Sovereign Kun walked over and said with a smile, "Do not misunderstand, Young Master Xu. The three of us have always been fair. Once Jin Buyi passed on the Eastern Emperor Heaven-Calming Formula, he stood at the exact same starting line as the three Imperial Sons. This way, fairness is ensured, and no one takes advantage of anyone else."
Demon Sovereign Han and Demon Sovereign Feng stepped forward, walking past the three Imperial Sons to stand before Xu Ying.
The three Demon Sovereigns flanked him from three directions, while right behind Xu Ying was the Waste Pool.
Demon Sovereign Han chuckled, "Young Master Xu is a remarkable talent who knows how to contemplate the Ancestral God's true body and comprehend the Twelve Signs of the Primordial Spirit. Since Young Master Xu passed this method to Jin Buyi, then for the sake of fairness, Young Master Xu should also impart this method to the three Imperial Sons."
Demon Sovereign Feng and Demon Sovereign Kun nodded slowly, smiles on their faces.
Demon Sovereign Feng smiled. "Young Master Xu knows what he ought to do."
Xu Ying swept his gaze across the three of them, unable to suppress the fury rising within his chest. "Is this how you threatened Lord Jin back then?"
The three Demon Sovereigns smiled faintly. "You could say that."
Xu Ying tossed up the chamber pot in his hand. The next instant, a glittering Primordial Spirit manifested, grasping the wooden bucket with one hand and shining it through the air. A flash of golden light streaked past, and with a whoosh, Demon Sovereign Kun was sucked right into the bucket, without even a chance to resist!
Xu Ying's Primordial Spirit aimed the wooden bucket at Demon Sovereign Han. Demon Sovereign Han roared in fury as a ten-thousand-zhang Primordial Spirit materialized behind him. The next moment, his body expanded rapidly, terrifying divine power erupting as he prepared to reveal the true form of an ancient behemoth!
The blood and qi circulating within his body erupted with an earth-shattering roar; the innate Dao power of his bloodline shook the surrounding space into continuous collapse!
Even before revealing his true form, the power he unleashed had already reached the level of an Immortal Monarch!
Yet a beam of brilliance shone from the Ancestral God's chamber pot. The divine light bore down so heavily that blood spurted from Demon Sovereign Han's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. He struggled to transform, yet couldn't, and with a whoosh, he too was sucked into the chamber pot!
Having swallowed two great Demon Sovereigns, the chamber pot seemed like a bottomless pit, showing no sign of filling up.
Realizing things had gone terribly wrong, Demon Sovereign Feng took to the air immediately, transforming into five-colored radiance that tore through the void. In an instant, she was ten thousand li away.
Xu Ying's Primordial Spirit held the wooden bucket high. Demon Sovereign Feng was an ancient variant with nine heads and four wings. Her four wings beat furiously, slicing through layers of the void. Yet as she looked back, she witnessed an utterly terrifying scene!
She saw boundless void collapsing toward the wooden bucket; no matter how swiftly she flew, she could not outrun the speed at which space itself was tumbling downward!
"What kind of treasure is this?!"
She shrieked in terror and tumbled straight into the wooden bucket.
Having collected the three Demon Sovereigns, Xu Ying turned around and dumped them out of the bucket into the Waste Pool. With miserable wails, the three Demon Sovereigns were swept away by the void beneath the Waste Pool, vanishing without a trace.
Xu Ying turned back, set the wooden bucket down, and looked toward the three Imperial Sons—Jin Daoli, Jin Yiqi, and Jin Lan. Wearing an affable expression, he said, "Rest assured, I won't bully you with the Ancestral God's chamber pot. This battle will be a fair fight!"
Excitement crept onto his face, his voice cracking with thrilling anticipation: "In this battle, it's the seven of us fighting the three of you!"
Chapter 460