The Immortal Emperor's gaze fell upon Wei Xu. Wei Xu's body trembled slightly, clearly struggling to suppress the fear in his heart.
"Junior Brother, it has been many years since we last met."
The Immortal Emperor's gaze was benign, and he smiled gently. "Ever since Master died, we have grown further apart with each passing day. When I heard you had fallen into the lower realm, I was beside myself with anxiety and wished dearly to rescue you."
Wei Xu stopped trembling. Raising his head, he chuckled and said, "Senior Brother, your words are as sweet as ever. Today, you hold the exalted status of Great Emperor of the Immortal Realm. Rescuing me—wouldn't that take no more than a single word from you?"
The Immortal Emperor sighed. "You are not the Immortal Emperor; you do not know that sitting upon this throne comes with many constraints, keeping one from realizing one's ambitions at will. For instance, when I heard you were suppressed in the Immeasurable Fire Sea by Erlang True Monarch of the old era, tormented day and night by the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Crucible, I personally journeyed to the Immeasurable Fire Sea."
The fierce brows on Wei Xu's face twitched, his voice raspy. "You went to the Immeasurable Fire Sea?"
His heart pounded with dread.
What had his senior brother gone to the Immeasurable Fire Sea for?
Was it to rescue him, or to see whether he was suppressed securely enough?
The Immortal Emperor said, "I entered the immortal tomb, found the place where you were suppressed, and saw the seal left by Erlang True Monarch along with the crucible soul that was refining you. Though I hold the exalted title of Immortal Emperor Supreme, I cannot act entirely as I please, so I could only watch helplessly as you were kept pinned there. Seeing that you were in no danger of being refined to death, my mind was set at ease."
A ferocious aura hung about Wei Xu's face as he asked, "You saw there was no possibility of me escaping, so you left at ease?"
The Immortal Emperor shook his head. "I am your senior brother. How could I treat you that way? It is only that in the Immortal Realm, I do not rule unchallenged. Many others exert their influence over me, preventing me from rescuing you. Since you are my junior brother, if I had freed you, that would truly have been your undoing. Fearing that we two brothers might join forces, they would never have allowed you to live. Only by remaining suppressed beneath the immortal tomb in the Immeasurable Fire Sea did you have a slim chance of survival."
Wei Xu sneered. He did not believe a single word of what his senior brother said.
"Senior Brother, you showed far more promise than I did back then, but I still never expected that the one sitting upon the throne of the Immortal Emperor would turn out to be you."
Wei Xu said with deep emotion, "Back then, there were many who stood a far greater chance than you of claiming this seat. At that time, you had not attained the Supreme realm either. No matter how one looked at it, the seat of Immortal Emperor Supreme would never have fallen beneath your backside."
The Immortal Emperor smiled. "I always calculate one step further than others. Taking this seat was nothing out of the ordinary."
Wei Xu fell silent for a moment, then said, "Indeed. Your thoughts were deeper than anyone else's, and you calculated more than anyone else. However, spending too much effort on divine calculation ended up delaying your cultivation. That was why Master said you were distracted and told you to return to the proper path."
The Immortal Emperor paid it no mind and said, "I attained the Supreme realm. Is that not the proper path?"
Wei Xu sneered, "Whether it is the proper path or not, you know better than I do."
The Immortal Emperor did not argue with him and smiled. "We shall not speak of that today. Let us speak of business."
Wei Xu's heart chilled, and he said, "Are you finally going to make your move against me? Having just escaped the little junior brother's hands only to die by my senior brother's, luck truly is against me. Retribution never fails; I suppose it is because I took too many lives back then that I face this retribution today."
The Immortal Emperor was surprised. "Little junior brother?"
Wei Xu was taken aback as well. Suspicious, he asked, "Xu Ying. Is he not my junior brother?"
The Immortal Emperor shook his head and laughed. "Of course Xu Ying is not your junior brother. Junior Brother Wei, do not let your imagination run wild."
Wei Xu knit his fierce brows together. The Immortal Emperor told him not to let his imagination run wild, but that only made him ponder it all the more. Xu Ying's cultivation path was identical to Qingxuan's; there was bound to be some hidden connection between them!
Seeing this, the Immortal Emperor's expression darkened. Seemingly intentional yet casual, a wisp of killing intent emanated from him as he said coolly, "Do not meddle in Xu Ying's affairs."
Wei Xu felt a chill run through him. Knowing how fathomless his calculations were, he understood that certain matters truly could not be recklessly guessed at, lest they bring fatal disaster upon oneself.
"Senior Brother, if the one who saved me had been Old Monster Luo, I might still have lived. But since the one who saved me is you, Senior Brother, then I have no way out alive!"
Wei Xu sneered, "Senior Brother, we know each other inside and out. Could I fail to understand you?"
The Immortal Emperor shook his head. "What you understand is who I was in the past. Nearly six hundred thousand years have passed now, and I am vastly different from before. Saint Luo and the others above the Nine Heavens sought to seize you to use against me; I could not leave myself unguarded."
Wei Xu sneered, "So you must kill me. In the past, when I was suppressed and could not escape the palm of your hand, you could tolerate my living. But now that I have broken free, you are the first to want me dead! You fear those people above the Nine Heavens discovering the secrets of your arts and divine abilities from me!"
The Immortal Emperor shook his head. "I broke through Master's shackles and leapt beyond those bounds long ago. Even if they deduce my cultivation arts and divine powers from you, it will only be false arts and false powers, bound to be undone by me. In fact, I would welcome it."
There was immense confidence in his words.
Wei Xu asked, "Then how do you intend to deal with me?"
The Immortal Emperor smiled. "You and I are fellow disciples; how could I harm you? Cultivate here with me. I will provide you with sufficient cave abysses so you can return to your peak as soon as possible."
Wei Xu's eyes lit up.
Hands clasped behind his back, the Immortal Emperor stood tall. His eyes grew bright with self-assurance. "In the future, I will even seek justice for you."
***
In the Ancestral Court, the big black dog relocated Erlang True Monarch's grave, conveying the True Monarch's tomb to an auspicious site deep in the heartland of the Ancestral Court for burial. The Howling Celestial Dog wailed bitterly, lingering before the grave for days on end, still loath to leave.
"Doggy!" Xu Ying called out.
Fury rose in the big black dog's heart, evil courage surging forth, and he charged at this sworn brother of his. Parrying as he fled, Xu Ying drew him away from Erlang True Monarch's tomb.
"My cultivation went up another notch!"
Circulating the Leakless Golden Body, Xu Ying felt immensely pleased. "Lord Dog certainly hits hard enough!"
The big black dog saw this and felt an ache in his heart. *Second Brother went to such great lengths just to pull me out of my sorrow, yet I struck him so viciously.*
Xu Ying hadn't thought that far. Bidding farewell to him and Little Celestial Venerable, he immediately set off for the Demon Ancestral Court.
"Seventh Master, didn't you eat today? If you don't even have the strength to hit someone, what kind of Palace Attendant are you?"
From the Fusang Ancient Tree came Xu Ying's mocking taunts. Enraged, Yuan Qi channeled his newly acquired Dao fruit and blasted downward at Xu Ying!
The moment he did, regret welled up inside him. *Ah Ying is my brother after all...*
"Seventh Master, you haven't made any progress lately," came Xu Ying's voice.
Yuan Qi's guilt vanished without a trace. Shouting repeatedly, he roared, "Xu Softie, today it's either you or me!"
He hardened his heart, even contemplating using the Diamond Snare to give Xu Ying a vicious blow. But then he thought, *Ah Ying is my dear brother—different father, different mother, different race, different species... When I think about it like that, we don't seem all that close after all.*
In the end, he still refrained from using the Diamond Snare.
After testing Yuan Qi's recent progress, Xu Ying went to find Demon Emperor Jin Buyi. "Lord Jin, I'd like to experience your Eastern Emperor Leveling Heaven Art."
Jin Buyi had also received a Ginseng Dao fruit gifted by him and had already refined it. Hearing this, he shook his head. "Ah Ying, I will never harm you. Never."
Xu Ying dearly wanted to goad him into attacking, but after considering it, he gave up. Jin Buyi's affection for him was too pure—so pure that Xu Ying couldn't bear to hurt it.
*Would the Demon Ancestor hit me?*
He glanced toward the Fusang Ancient Tree, then immediately dismissed the thought. The Fusang Ancient Tree propped up the Demon Ancestral Court; this incomparably ancient divine tree was the pillar of the entire Demon Court, blanketing the four quarters.
Its power was truly terrifying; Xu Ying worried that a single leaf from the Demon Ancestor might swat him to death.
He took his leave of Yuan Qi and Jin Buyi, departing rather crestfallen.
"Ah Ying seems a bit off," Yuan Qi said to Jin Buyi, having transformed into a fair, plump youth. "He goaded me into a match with him, yet he didn't strike back and just took beating after beating. This isn't the Xu Ying I used to know. In the past, he could squeeze water from a stone just to threaten me."
Jin Buyi was equally perplexed. "Could the Imperial Monarch have placed some terrible curse on him again?"
Just then, the Demon Ancestor's voice drifted over. "Your Majesty, Palace Attendant, there is no need to worry. He has merely cultivated Daoist Wukong's body-refining technique, the Leakless Golden Body, and is deliberately looking for beatings to enhance his cultivation."
The two turned around. Floating with immortal grace, the Demon Ancestor walked toward them and said, "A so-called Great Sage is a pinnacle existence of the Saint Emperor realm who forged illustrious renown for the demon race; only then can one be hailed as a Great Sage. The reason Daoist Wukong was the last Great Sage is that during the twilight era of the demons, he warred against heaven and earth, establishing the prestige of the demon race. He was born relatively late, when the demon race had already declined, their realm usurped by the human race, and their resources seized by humans, leaving them unable to nurture a pinnacle expert. Daoist Wukong forged a new path, creating a breathtaking technique known as the Leakless Golden Body."
He stopped beside them and continued, "Back then, humans developed cave abysses and relied on the immortal spiritual qi within them to cultivate. The demons had no cave abysses, so how could they compete with humanity? Yet the Leakless Golden Body happens to be capable of refining all foreign Daos within the body. Any enemy attack, whether a divine ability or a magic treasure, upon invading the body, is refined by the Leakless Golden Body."
Jin Buyi and Yuan Qi were astonished. To think such a divine art existed!
"The monkey had no background and came from humble origins. Even with heavenly talent, though he might strive for ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or a million years, he might never have risen above the rest in the demon race—much less made his mark in the human Immortal Court. But once he created this Leakless Golden Body, he went around picking fights everywhere. The magic power and cultivation his opponents had painstakingly accumulated were transformed by the Leakless Golden Body into his own cultivation."
The Demon Ancestor said, "The more he fought, the stronger he grew. First he fought across the demon race, then across the human race, before storming the human Immortal Court, wreaking havoc in the heavenly palace and forging an Indestructible Golden Body. The breadth of his combat experience was virtually unprecedented throughout history! His methods of slaughter were revered as the Victorious Fighting Method! Thus, requiring neither cave abysses nor sacred grounds, he fought his way from an ordinary demon monkey to the Saint Emperor realm, becoming the final Great Sage before the great upheaval!"
Listening, Jin Buyi and Yuan Qi felt their blood boil with excitement, wishing they could travel back in time to witness Daoist Wukong's rise with their own eyes.
The Demon Ancestor said, "From the time he comprehended the Leakless Golden Body to his rise as a Great Sage, a mere three to five centuries passed. Think about it—how terrifying is such a cultivation speed? Later, he attempted to comprehend the Taishang Dao and was trapped in the Taishang Cave Abyss. Once rescued by Xu Ying, he stormed Great Luo Heaven once more, most likely hoping to use the experts of Great Luo Heaven to restore his cultivation. And now, Xu Ying is the second monkey."
His gaze grew deep and remote, and he said in a low voice, "To rapidly boost his cultivation, Xu Ying will surely follow in the monkey's footsteps. But..."
The current Immortal Court was no longer the human Immortal Court of that era.
Emperor Haocang had possessed great magnanimity and could tolerate the monkey back then. But could the current Immortal Court tolerate Xu Ying?
***
Xu Ying left the Demon Ancestral Court with the big bell, scheming silently in his mind. He was currently in the Third Barrier-Knocking Stage, which referred to the Yujing Heavenly Pass. When a Qi Refiner reached this step and unsealed the Heavenly Pass, they could align with Heaven's decree, perceive the Heavenly Dao, and prepare for the tribulation of ascension.
The Third Barrier-Knocking Stage was simple enough in principle: push open the Yujing Pass, align with Heaven's decree, comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and gain an understanding of the Heavenly Dao, and one could step into the next realm.
Yet it was also difficult: some people could never accumulate enough cultivation in their entire lifetimes to push open the Yujing Pass, while others pushed it open only to understand little of the Heavenly Dao.
But none of this posed a problem for Xu Ying.
He had already pushed open the Yujing Heavenly Pass. As for comprehending the Heavenly Dao, that was trivial for him; so long as his cultivation was sufficient, he could break through this realm at any time.
Furthermore, the moment he stepped into the Ascension stage, he could directly undergo tribulation and ascend to become an immortal!
To him, the will of Heaven could be controlled, and the Heavenly Dao could be commanded. Undergoing tribulation to ascend was merely a matter of a single thought.
He had already smoothed out the path through the Ascension stage; ascending was merely a matter of letting nature take its course.
*I only need to find a few more experts and take a thorough thrashing to break through Yujing and ascend to immortality!*
Xu Ying couldn't help but think of Sword Monarch Jinhe and Heavenly Lord Pingnan. These two could be considered the strongest figures on the surface of the Ancestral Court. If he could take a beating from them, he would most likely enter the Ascension stage.
Heavenly Lord Pingnan was ruthless and vicious. If Xu Ying invited him to attack, he would surely go all out, only too glad to turn Xu Ying into a corpse.
Sword Monarch Jinhe, however, might not agree to fight Xu Ying, and even if he did, he wouldn't use lethal moves.
If the blows weren't ruthless enough, how could they elevate his mastery of the Leakless Golden Body?
"Daoist Taiqing, the Ancestral God, the Last Lord of Ziwei, Daoist Shangqing, the Void Emperor, and Daoist Yuxu all have the strength to help me break through as well. But they might not be willing to take action either. Imperial Monarch Cangtian, Imperial Monarch Zhenwu, and the others are likely the same."
These were all friends. Even if they struck him, they wouldn't hit hard enough or be vicious enough.
"If friends won't do, I'll just have to look for enemies... Wait a minute, why am I so enthusiastic about taking a beating?"
Xu Ying froze. *Was I influenced by the Imperial Monarch's seal? No, the Imperial Monarch's attainment in sealing arts isn't necessarily deeper than mine.*
He collected himself. Thinking it over, it was probably the effect of the Leakless Golden Body.
This technique could refine all foreign Daos within the body. When others attacked Xu Ying, whether with divine abilities or magic treasures, once the blows landed upon him, their power would be absorbed and refined by the Leakless Golden Body, nourishing his physical body and Primordial Spirit.
The Qi of Creation within Xu Ying's physical body, the Innate Qi forming the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven, and the ten profound Dao wonders of the Ten Landscapes of Luo Heaven were of such a high order that the speed at which the Leakless Golden Body refined them was actually slower than the speed at which it refined the incoming divine abilities and magic treasures of others!
Therefore, taking a beating from others was unequivocally the best shortcut to increasing his cultivation, and his physical body was constantly growing stronger as well!
"Once my cultivation rises, the speed at which I refine the Innate Qi and the Qi of Creation will be even faster, making my body and cultivation stronger like a snowball growing bigger! Once the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven is completely refined into my body, the issue of the evil Golden Immortal will no longer be an issue!"
At this thought, Xu Ying's eyes shone brightly. In this Three Realms Tide, the Immortal Realm was drawing ever closer to the mortal realm, and the myriad worlds were beginning to merge one after another, forming larger worlds that then merged with still other worlds.
These merged worlds grew increasingly massive. Whenever worlds merged, hidden treasures would emerge; though not as extraordinary as the Ginseng Fruit Tree, they were still exceedingly precious, attracting many Immortal Realm experts to contest them.
"With all these descending experts, forget ascension—even Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, and Heavenly Immortal could probably be attained in no time!"
Xu Ying's eyes gleamed. Rather than summoning the Third Heavenly Pass, he directly activated his Yujing Heavenly Pass realm, causing a portal to form in the void.
He stepped into the portal and vanished, the portal gradually fading away behind him.
"This time, I can't just take beatings—I have to hit people too, fueling war with war!"
Chapter 539