Although Xu Ying had contemplated Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture and knew that cultivating the technique would deplete one's primordial yang, gradually turning a man into a female body with masculine traces, he did not know exactly how that primordial yang was lost. Naturally, his curiosity was piqued.
Zhou Zhi, the eldest young master of the Zhou clan, swept up from below with a whistling roar. While still airborne, the dao image behind him transformed into a golden-furred violent ape. With claws digging into the tree bark and its massive body parallel to the trunk, it sprinted upward. Still more than a dozen zhang away from Xu Ying, he threw a savage punch!
His frenzy was wilder than a bull demon's. With each punch unleashed in this berserk manner, the fist of the several-zhang-tall golden ape dao image behind him struck out as well. The mere wind from his fists caused mat-sized slabs of the giant locust tree's bark to burst apart.
Xu Ying executed the Eight Forms of the Ba Snake, a giant python coiling around his body as he met the assault head-on. The impact jolted his qi and blood into a violent churn, knocking him upward again and again. His Ba Snake dao image began to smoke like incense as his vital energy steadily dissipated!
Suddenly, Xu Ying formed a sword seal with his fingers. Bringing his left index and middle fingers together, his thumb pinning down his ring finger and pinky, he thrust the twin fingers forward.
Within the Realm of Xiyi, the dao image of the Realm Breaker sword qi vanished in an instant. The next moment, a sword ray like a brilliant rainbow erupted from his right shoulder, slashing down from above toward Zhou Zhi!
Zhou Zhi clapped his palms together to meet the sword qi head-on. Behind him, the ape dao image also slammed its palms together with a roar like thunder!
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out. Zhou Zhi and the violent ape dao image were forced to their knees together, shattering the bark beneath their kneecaps into flying splinters!
Xu Ying's Realm Breaker sword qi grew stronger against greater resistance. The fiercer Zhou Zhi resisted, the more powerful the sword qi within the blow became!
Zhou Zhi knelt on the bark. The ape dao image behind him had already been cleaved in two, and the sword ray pressed directly against his forehead, forcing blood from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose!
The blade finally came to a halt an inch from the center of his brow. Blood mingled with sweat as it streamed down Zhou Zhi's face, yet a smile spread across his lips.
Behind him, the five Zhou clan disciples caught up. Seeing the situation, they unlatched their sword caskets one after another, unleashing a flurry of flying swords that whistled toward Xu Ying!
Seeing this, Xu Ying thrust out his right hand in a sword seal. Instantly, the flying swords broke from their masters' control, seized by his sword intent. With sharp hisses, their power swelled immensely, packed with monumental force as they turned and impaled Zhou Zhi!
Zhou Zhi's Vajra Indestructible Body was formidable indeed. The flying swords sank merely two inches into his flesh before coming to a dead stop, unable to pierce any deeper!
"Splendid skill!" Zhou Zhi cried out in a delicate shout.
He sprang into the air, his anomaly shifting once more mid-flight. The ape dao image behind him burst into raging flames, transforming into a three-legged golden crow that swooped down to attack.
The golden crow's wings blazed with searing fire, harboring terrifying solar essence that melted the flying swords with a single flap.
As for the crow's three claws, they struck with devastating fury, capable of cleaving skulls and splitting brains. Even when flying swords struck them, they failed to leave the slightest mark!
Xu Ying traded several blows, but finding it impossible to withstand the assault, he used the recoil to retreat further up the tree. Suddenly, he unleashed the "Tai" dao sound from the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing.
Within his body, his five viscera mobilized at once. His belly swelled like a drum as the waters of the Heavenly River in his Realm of Xiyi surged downward, churning alongside his primordial qi to invigorate his internal organs!
Xu Ying threw a punch straight toward Zhou Zhi and the three-legged golden crow. The sleeve of his right arm tore open with crisp pops. His bones and sinews sang in unison, his blood coursing with vibrant energy. Even the Ba Snake coiled around him condensed many times over, resembling a genuine Ba Snake endowed with the power to swallow the heavens!
As his fist blasted forth, Zhou Zhi looked up mid-air only to see the Ba Snake open its cavernous, blood-red maw, swallowing him and the golden crow dao image whole!
Since the Ba Snake dao image was not a physical entity, it could not truly swallow him, but the staggering force behind the punch landed square against his body.
Zhou Zhi's body cracked and burst all over, and the golden crow dao image behind him was crushed instantly, scattering into ash and smoke!
"No wonder you could slaughter so many experts from my Zhou clan. Demon King Xu, you truly are formidable!" Zhou Zhi laughed shrilly.
As he fell, he shifted his visualization, invoking another variation of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Hidden Scenery Technique. A heavenly dragon dao image manifested behind him.
The dragon swam along the trunk, swift as flight, rushing upward from below!
Xu Ying deployed the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing, shattering several variations of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Hidden Scenery Technique in succession.
The two fought their way from the middle of the giant locust tree all the way to its crown. Far behind, the five Zhou clan disciples were panting heavily from exhaustion, utterly unable to keep pace, struggling forward on pure grit.
With two soft whooshes, Xu Ying and Zhou Zhi landed on separate branches within the canopy.
Young Master Zhou Zhi raised his left hand, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear. Pressing his lips together in a smile, he said, "Demon King Xu truly lives up to his name. To withstand my Zhou clan's Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Hidden Scenery Technique—you are truly a young hero!"
Xu Ying said indifferently, "The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Hidden Scenery Technique isn't the Zhou clan's supreme method. When the Zhou clan ancestor faces powerful enemies, he never uses this hidden scenery technique. Clearly, your clan's supreme arts were never passed down to you."
Zhou Zhi nodded in deep agreement, sighing. "The affairs of my Zhou clan have long been corrupted by entrenched abuses—the common ailment of every great clan. The old refuse to step down, and the young cannot rise, denied access to the greatest legacies. Everyone schemes and claws over a handful of core disciple slots, not hesitating to butcher their own kin. Heh, if these old fogies refuse to yield to the young, a great clan loses all vigor. Were it not for that, why would I have bothered cultivating Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture?"
Xu Ying laughed aloud. Circulating the Taiyi Guiding Technique to recover some primordial qi, he smiled. "So you comprehended the true essence of Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture?"
Zhou Zhi replied leisurely, "I have had high talent since childhood, but I know my limits; I was never the cleverest in the Zhou clan. With so many brilliant minds in our family, not even all our prodigies combined could decipher the scripture. Why would I waste my time? But I knew that those clever people would compile everything they deciphered and deliver it to the ancestor."
Xu Ying was surprised.
Zhou Zhi smiled. "Didn't expect that, did you? Neither did anyone else. Even the old ancestor himself never imagined that I could steal the deciphered contents of the scripture right from under his nose! I cultivated diligently, and within a few years, I grasped the profound mysteries of Supreme Yin Primordial Nurturing, celestial-human transformation, and the flourishing of all things."
Xu Ying gave him a strange look. "You mean to say you didn't decipher it yourself, but stole it from Zhou Qiyun?"
Zhou Zhi giggled. "Deciphering Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture drains wit and wisdom, wastes time, and requires combing through endless ancient texts. Clever people leave that drudgery to others, saving their time for other pursuits. When even the old ancestor refused to decipher it himself, why should I bother?"
Xu Ying asked, "How long has it been since you shaved your beard?"
Zhou Zhi's face was pale and hairless, smooth as a boy's. He smiled proudly. "I used to have a thick beard, but after cultivating Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture, not only did my beard vanish, but my skin improved considerably as well."
Xu Ying probed further. "Aside from the beard, have there been other changes?"
Zhou Zhi's expression shifted slightly. His voice turned somewhat effeminate as he snapped in a shrill tone, "What have you heard? Who has been gossiping behind my back?"
Just then, the five Zhou clan disciples finally reached the canopy. Seeing the two conversing instead of fighting, they were all taken aback.
Xu Ying continued to guide him patiently. "Do you think it's possible Zhou Qiyun left the scripture there deliberately for you to take? To be frank, Zhou Qiyun is far too meticulous. I don't believe you had a ghost of a chance of stealing anything from him."
Zhou Zhi's face changed again. He laughed shrilly. "He let me steal it? What good would it do him to let me have Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture?"
Xu Ying sighed. "He didn't know whether the scripture was genuine, nor did he know if cultivating the deciphered text carried hidden perils, or whether it was compatible with the Nuo master system. He needed a guinea pig. By stealing the scripture, didn't you turn yourself into his test subject?"
Zhou Zhi's eye twitched violently. "Nonsense!" he snarled.
Xu Ying said, "He also needed to observe you, to see what changes occurred in your body after cultivating Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture. He probably understands every alteration in your body better than you do."
Zhou Zhi's expression flickered between fury and uncertainty.
Xu Ying mused, "What I wonder now is, since he already had a deciphered copy of the scripture, why did he have Yuan Weiyang and me decipher it as well?"
At that thought, realization struck him.
The reason Zhou Qiyun sought others to decipher the text was to repeatedly verify whether any flaws remained.
After all, capturing two juniors cost him virtually nothing.
Xu Ying said, "Once you turned into a woman, the Zhou clan ancestor already deduced that Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture was an art meant only for women. With Yuan Weiyang and me each providing a deciphered copy, he was able to confirm it beyond doubt."
"A woman?" The five Zhou clan disciples were both bewildered and amused. One called out, "Eldest Brother, is what he says true? Have you really become a woman?"
Another couldn't help laughing. "Should we call you Big Brother or Big Sister from now on..."
Zhou Zhi suddenly raised his hand. With a wet squelch, that disciple was sliced in two by a fleshy, winged blade formed from his right arm!
The others were horrified and shouted in panic, "Eldest Brother, we're family! He was only joking—how could you kill him? If the old ancestor finds out..."
"The old ancestor will never know!"
Murderous intent flared in Zhou Zhi's eyes. With a sweep of his fleshy wings, golden feathers flew out in a torrent of flying daggers, submerging the remaining disciples!
Moments later, the four collapsed into lifeless corpses.
Xu Ying merely watched from the side without intervening. Only when Zhou Zhi finished slaughtering his kin and turned a vicious gaze upon him did Xu Ying speak: "You weren't thorough enough. The Zhou clan will still trace this back to you."
Zhou Zhi paused slightly, confused.
Xu Ying said, "The Zhou clan possesses arts to forge golden bodies and techniques to interrogate souls. Their souls are still here. One need only question their ghosts to learn they died by your hand."
Zhou Zhi looked at the five corpses, his brow furrowing.
Xu Ying continued, "I have cultivated the Heavenly Eye and can see human souls. After death, a soul doesn't depart immediately for the Netherworld; it remains tethered to the feet of the corpse. Right now, their souls are standing beside their feet, glaring at you with venomous hatred."
Zhou Zhi sneered. He patted the back of his head, and a White Bone Banner flew out—evidently a treasure used by the nether ghost soldiers under the Bone Emperor's command.
Zhou Zhi waved the White Bone Banner, and white bone chains shot forth, binding the five vengeful spirits and dragging them inside.
Though he could not see the souls himself, this nether treasure was designed specifically to suppress spirits; capturing five ghosts was effortless.
Stowing the banner, Zhou Zhi giggled. "Now, you're the only one left who knows my secret."
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "Not quite. Lord Bell, Yuan Qi, come out."
Zhou Zhi stiffened. A colossal shadow rose steadily behind him, blotting out the light. He whirled around and looked up in horror to find a massive, mountain-like head held high, its mane-feathers fluttering like battle flags in the wind.
It was a giant snake.
A serpent of unbelievable proportions.
His scales resembled polished mirrors, reflecting the colors of the world and splitting the sunlight into rainbow hues.
Upon his head sprouted tender, velvet horns like those of a stag—one black, one white, branching outward and pointing toward the sky behind his head.
His body was coiled around the immense boughs of the locust tree, bending the massive branches low under his weight.
Hanging upside down, he lifted his mountain-sized head, looking at the tiny Zhou Zhi with an expression of mild curiosity.
It was Yuan Qi.
Far from taking human form in this transformation, he had grown even more gigantic.
He radiated an aura from the remote primeval era, as if ancient power had awakened in his bloodline, exuding a suffocating pressure.
Behind his head floated a bronze bell taller than a man, mottled with green patina. It spoke: "Ah Ying, the giant locust is dead."
Xu Ying replied, "Zhou Qiyun killed it, borrowing its eight thousand years of longevity to heal his wounds. We should head down. The Zhou clan is preparing to fell the tree and haul it away."
The bronze bell remarked, "A pity for a life of such boundless age. Even it could not pass the threshold of ascending to immortality, ultimately meeting its celestial tribulation at Zhou Qiyun's hands."
Zhou Zhi surged with all his cultivation. Behind his head, a Sea of Chaos manifested, three cave-heavens blazing with radiant light as he shrieked, "I have opened three cave-heavens, cultivated Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture, and reached the second realm of the Qi Refiners—"
Clang!
The bronze bell vibrated. At the sound of the toll, Zhou Zhi's soul was blasted straight out of his body.
Xu Ying thrust his left hand forward in a sword seal. A burst of sword qi pierced the center of Zhou Zhi's brow, puncturing his brain along with the Sea of Chaos and three cave-heavens behind his head, draining all the vitality from his secret depositories!
From above, Yuan Qi's enormous tail crashed down, slamming violently against him and pulverizing his physical body into paste!
Xu Ying turned toward the edge of the canopy. "Lord Bell, Yuan Qi, let's go!"
Yuan Qi slid down from the branches, and the bronze bell floated to Xu Ying's side. Xu Ying raised a hand and slapped the bell's flank.
The strike tilted the bell's mouth toward Zhou Zhi's dazed soul. With a resounding dong, the shockwave obliterated the spirit on the spot!
"Pitiable as you are, I cannot let Zhou Qiyun learn my secrets through your ghost."
Without looking back, Xu Ying leapt from the giant locust tree, bounding away into the distance. Behind him, the colossal serpent coiled down the trunk, following closely in his wake.
Chapter 56