Xu Ying was surprised and delighted, hastily offering his thanks.
The Demon Ancestor shook his head and said solemnly, "Do not thank me. Giving you the Emerald Rock Inscriptions is not without ill intent on my part. Keeping this golden volume among the demon race is a hazard; it once bewitched successive Demon Emperors out of their wits. In the future, should your cultivation ever reach that level, you too will be utterly captivated and left muddied and foolish."
He smiled faintly. "If we ever defeat the Immortal Realm, you might end up a stumbling block on our demon race's path to resurgence. By then, if the Emerald Rock Inscriptions can beguile you into incompetence, it will count as a great service of mine."
Xu Ying burst into hearty laughter. "To reach that stage, I would have to become a Supreme. That is far too distant."
The Demon Ancestor's eyes flickered, thinking silently to himself, *It is distant for others—most might never see hope in their entire lifetime—but for you, it might not be so far away. After all, you are someone who opened an Immortal Realm cave-heaven entirely through self-comprehension.*
The Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method had sat here for hundreds of thousands of years without anyone mastering it, yet Xu Ying had opened six of them in one go before even touching the golden scripture.
Such innate talent was truly terrifying.
*Besides, everyone made rubbings of the Emerald Rock Inscriptions back then. Giving him a copy does no harm,* he thought to himself.
The Emerald Rock Inscriptions were exceptionally precious. What was recorded within certainly stood at the peak among the three golden books, far exceeding both the ten cave-heavens and the ten attestations of Dao fruits. Yet, in another sense, it was not precious at all; after all, the Emerald Rock was masterless, and many had made rubbings back then.
Xu Ying flipped through the Emerald Rock Inscriptions. The inscribed characters seemed to come alive, unfathomably profound, shifting and morphing before his eyes. Dizziness washed over him, and knowing his cultivation was not yet deep enough, he hurriedly shifted his gaze away.
"This gift is far too valuable."
He stored the Emerald Rock Inscriptions inside the Realm of Xiyi and formally bade farewell to the Demon Ancestor.
The Demon Ancestor saw him out. Arriving outside the tree hollow, Xu Ying smiled. "Demon Ancestor, please walk no further. Lord Qi, Siyi, you stay your steps as well. I have lingered in the Demon Ancestral Court for too long; I must return to Tushita Palace soon. Daoist Yuan from the Shangqing Realm is still waiting for me there!"
The Demon Ancestor did not press him to stay, smiling. "Fellow Daoist Xu, the next time we meet, I will not be in this state."
Xu Ying said joyfully, "I look forward to meeting the Demon Ancestor in your prime."
The Demon Ancestor laughed heartily. "My peak state might be out of reach, but seventy or eighty percent should be feasible."
Xu Ying took his leave of them. Reluctant to part, Yuan Qi trailed behind him until Xu Ying smiled and said, "Lord Qi, you are now an expert among the demons and a high-ranking minister of the imperial court. Only by remaining at the Demon Ancestor's side can you advance further. Go on back."
Remembering the carefree days he once spent at Xu Ying's side, Yuan Qi fell into a momentary daze. "I wonder when we will ever return to days as carefree as back then."
Xu Ying waved his hand in farewell.
Yuan Qi watched him walk away. Returning to Ling Siyi's side, his earlier melancholy vanished without a trace, and he was soon chatting and laughing with her.
Ahead, Jin Buyi had already been waiting for a long time.
"Ah Ying, I knew you would leave the Demon Ancestral Court once the Demon Ancestor was revived, so I waited for you here. Since you are embarking on a long journey, I had to see you off."
Jin Buyi held two jars of wine and smiled. "Once we part, the world is wide and distant, and there is no telling when we will meet again. Yet mountains and rivers have their limits, and our paths will surely cross again."
The big bell flew out from behind him and chuckled. "Ah Ying, I am no demon, so I won't follow Lord Jin to enjoy luxurious days. I'll stick with you to live a few days of hard living."
Xu Ying was overjoyed and smiled. "With Bell Master for company, the road ahead certainly won't be lonely."
The big bell flew up beside him and sent a divine sense transmission: "I copied the Dao pattern imprints from the Imperial Bell. Help me decipher them later."
Xu Ying smiled and nodded, taking a wine jar from Jin Buyi.
The two drank heartily along the way. Jin Buyi escorted them out of the Ancestral Court and stood upon high ground, watching them vanish into the distance.
The big bell's voice drifted back from far away: "Ah Ying, I thought carefully over your words. You were right—I am going to become an unprecedented grand bellmaster!"
Jin Buyi returned to the Demon Ancestral Court, only to see faint multicolored halos rising from around the Fusang tree, connecting to heaven and earth. With the Demon Ancestor's revival, the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth of the Demon Ancestral Court were slowly returning to wholeness.
Jin Buyi could feel that as the Great Daos restored themselves, the might of the Dao methods and divine abilities he wielded was gradually climbing!
It was not just Jin Buyi who felt this. From Demon Sovereign Han, Demon Sovereign Kun, and the others at the top down to the common demons below, everyone sensed their cultivation and strength steadily rising!
The incompleteness of the demon race's heaven and earth Dao laws had caused their divine abilities to naturally fall short of other Dao traditions.
Now that the Demon Ancestor was revived and the Great Daos were recovering, the demon race, after enduring such long decline, was finally poised to rise again!
Beside Xu Ying, the big bell inhaled and exhaled like a cultivator, its body swelling and shrinking.
It had known how to breathe and gather qi originally, but that had only been simple respiration, and cultivating that way was extremely slow—far less efficient than leeching the vitality and blood of Xu Ying and Yuan Qi.
Because it had been too effortless, the big bell had gradually pushed that method of cultivation to the back of its mind, focusing wholeheartedly on siphoning qi and blood from Xu Ying and Yuan Qi.
Now, having received guidance from Xu Ying, it had reflected painfully on its past ways and begun cultivating step by step.
Its body was inscribed with far too many brandings, most of which it had never truly understood. With Xu Ying by its side, it humbly sought his instruction, and Xu Ying held nothing back, explaining everything he knew.
The big bell contemplated the meaning behind each branding bit by bit, no longer aiming merely to stamp runes and Dao patterns onto its surface, but probing into the profound mysteries of Dao methods and divine abilities.
Xu Ying activated his seven cave-heavens, drawing varied powers streaming toward him. While the first six cave-heavens were impressive enough, the seventh cave-heaven stood out above all—it drew immortal quintessence qi and converted it into Jade Pool Immortal Dew, which showered into his Jade Pool and rapidly propelled his Primordial Spirit's cultivation forward!
Previously, all the Jade Pool Immortal Dew he distilled had been given to the Demon Ancestor; only now was he condensing it for himself.
*The Jade Pool Immortal Dew holds the power of life and death. Consuming it transforms body and marrow, and the Primordial Spirit immortalizes alongside it. Continuing at this pace, it will not be long before my Primordial Spirit reaches the peak of the Jade Pool and steps onto the God Bridge!*
Xu Ying felt a surge of excitement. Stepping onto the God Bridge would allow him to gaze toward the Jade Capital from afar, with only the Third Heavenly Pass lying between them.
*The seventh cave-heaven holds such potency; the Dao power of the eighth cave-heaven will likely be even stronger!*
As he cultivated and contemplated, he made his way toward Tushita Palace in Lihen Heaven.
*Daoist Yuan and his Little Martial Uncle must be growing terribly anxious in Tushita Palace, right?*
Thinking of the two of them filled Xu Ying with guilt. *No matter what, I must head to Tushita Palace to see them this time. I cannot keep them waiting any longer. They have already waited five years for me.*
More than ten days later, both Xu Ying and the big bell had made substantial progress.
The big bell's breathing grew purer, and the disturbances it stirred grew ever greater. When expanding, it rattled the surrounding space with deep hums; when shrinking, it kicked up gusts of sand and flying stones.
Xu Ying offered guidance, saying, "When I studied sword Dao under Sword Lord Jinhe, he said that practicing the sword is like cultivating reality: first temper the sword of the Five Qis Gathering at the Origin, divided into five elements and five attributes; then temper the sword of knocking on the pass; then forge the Golden Core through the tempering of water and fire; then temper the Sword Dao Primordial Spirit; and so on. Even a concept as ethereal as the sword Dao can be pursued this way, so how much more should it apply to you, Bell Master, when you already possess a physical form?"
The big bell fell into deep thought.
Not long after, Xu Ying sensed the power of the five qis and the five elements stirring from its frame, which brought him great satisfaction.
Just as they were about to arrive at Lihen Heaven, a streak of golden light flashed by and descended, turning into a golden ape clad in a yellow robe with wide sleeves. Despite the lavish robes, the ape was rather lean.
"Xu Ying, you've made me search high and low!"
The golden ape was none other than Daoist Wukong, who chuckled. "I went to inquire with the Demon Ancestor, and he said you had already left. I searched everywhere, visiting the bodhimandas of several old friends, yet still couldn't find you. I thought I would check Tushita Palace, never expecting to run into you halfway there!"
Xu Ying hastily smiled. "So it is Senior Wukong. I was just heading toward Tushita Palace myself."
"What Tushita Palace?"
Without another word, the golden ape swept up Xu Ying and the big bell with a burst of dharmic power, laughing. "I'm taking you somewhere wonderful! Off we go—"
*Whoosh.*
A beam of golden light swept Xu Ying and the big bell through the void, vanishing without a trace.
***
Inside Tushita Palace of Lihen Heaven, Daoist Taiqing swept the floor with a broom, sweeping right in front of Daoist Yuan and brushing past him over a hundred times in an unmistakably pointed hint.
Yet Daoist Yuan wore a foolish grin, nodding repeatedly to Daoist Taiqing without showing the slightest intention of lifting his backside.
Daoist Taiqing put down his broom, raised his tea, took a sip, and said, "The tea has gone cold."
He repeated this dozens of times, but Daoist Yuan simply continued smiling with honest simplicity.
"Five years!"
The young martial uncle did not possess such good temper. Leaping to his feet in a fury, he shouted, "In another two months, it will have been five full years! I heard that fellow surnamed Xu went running off to the Demon Ancestral Court this time! The boy goes back on his word at every turn—I'm going to slaughter him!"
Daoist Yuan smiled. "Young Master Xu is a man of his—bah, that rascal must have forgotten all about us!"
"Are we leaving or not?" the young martial uncle demanded.
Daoist Taiqing pricked up his ears, an eager look on his face.
Daoist Yuan hesitated a moment, then shook his head. "We have already waited five years. If we leave now, wouldn't those five years have gone entirely to waste? Why not wait a little longer? Who knows, maybe his conscience will prick him and he'll come over after all?"
***
The Immortal Realm, the former site of the Heavenly River, at the ferry.
Dense fog rolled across the water as an immortal raft drifted out from the mist. A red-clad figure could be vaguely seen swaying within the haze.
The immortal raft berthed soundlessly at the shore. Two figures stepped out from behind the woman in red and hopped onto the bank.
Xiyue held out her hand, smiling sweetly. "Grandmaster, Emperor Chonghua, you haven't paid the boat fare yet."
Emperor Chonghua was taken aback. "He is your grandmaster, and you're still demanding a boat fare?"
"Small business—even if my master came, I would still collect," Xiyue said with a laugh. "I have my head tied to my waistband too, risking my life here. Much obliged, much obliged—that will be two bottles of immortal quintessence liquid in total."
Emperor Chonghua's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly laughed. "Little girl, do you think I would cheat you of your coin?"
He whispered quietly, "Fellow Daoist Xu Jing, I was suppressed under Five-Colored Mountain and don't have half a copper on me. At my command, we make a run for it... right now!"
With a sudden bellow, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. Noticing Xu Jing hadn't followed, he hastily looked back, only to see Xu Jing standing before Xiyue, settling the bill.
Emperor Chonghua flushed bright red, but quickly regained his composure, waiting as if nothing had happened for Xu Jing to catch up.
Having paid, Xu Jing came over to his side and said, "My son is filial; he secured an immortal mountain for me, so I happen to have some immortal quintessence liquid on hand."
Emperor Chonghua felt inwardly ashamed, and seeing Xiyue piloting the immortal raft toward them, he felt even more embarrassed.
Xu Jing said, "Xiao Xixian's boat is swift. The Immortal Realm is vast, making travel difficult; taking her raft will be much faster."
Xiyue grinned. "Senior Chonghua, the boat fare has been paid."
Emperor Chonghua boarded the raft and muttered sheepishly, "Had I not been suppressed for more than forty thousand years, with a grave-mound weed stuck in my body absorbing my energy, I wouldn't have stooped to dodging your boat fare."
Xu Jing asked, "Brother, is there somewhere you wish to go? I can escort you there first."
Emperor Chonghua's face darkened. "I wish to go to the Borderlands, the Northern Reach of the Great Desert. It was there that your son defeated me, wiping out all my subordinates and executing them on the spot."
Xu Jing nodded and said to Xiyue, "To the Northern Reach, then."
The Northern Reach of the Borderlands was distant; even on the immortal raft, they flew for several months before finally arriving at the place where Xu Ying had once surrounded and suppressed Emperor Chonghua.
Emperor Chonghua stepped down from the immortal raft. Yellow sands stretched endlessly across the desert; winds swept the grains aloft, where they drifted into the air and suddenly transformed into distant stars receding into the void.
Emperor Chonghua looked forlorn. Back then, Xu Ying had led the Nine Luminaries and the three thousand Battle Fiend immortals and gods to trap his righteous army here. When he came in person to mount a rescue, Celestial Venerable Xu himself intervened, capturing and suppressing him before throwing him into the Heavenly Prison.
Later, he heard that not a single member of his army had surrendered; all were executed, their corpses buried beneath this barren desert.
Xu Ying's reputation as the Desert Butcher had spread from that very battle.
Returning to this place of sorrow, Emperor Chonghua could not hold back his sobs, tears streaming down his face.
Right then, brilliant cave-heavens suddenly flared and rotated in the sky above. A giant rode across this perilous, desolate desert upon a sand boat. The vessel parted the sand and dust—which were, in truth, stars being swept aside.
Yet relying on the sand boat alone was not enough to repel the raging grit, so the giant released his cultivation, forcing back the sandstorm rushing toward him.
*This person possesses formidable strength!* Xu Jing thought in surprise. The technique the giant practiced was certainly no orthodox Nuo method, yet his cultivation and power were remarkably vast. Stepping forward, Xu Jing called out, "Brother, how may we address you?"
The giant was equally startled upon seeing the three of them. Noticing that they were entirely unfazed by the storm and that their cultivations were even deeper than his own, he hurriedly replied, "I am Xing Daoyuan, known to others as the Master of Mud Pill Palace—a mere rogue cultivator."
Chapter 484