Aboard the dragon carriage, Zhou Qiyun looked up at the giant serpent before him, his white brows knitting slightly. Although his dragon carriage was a rare treasure, it still could not accommodate such a gargantuan creature.
Previously, Yuan Qi had been about thirteen or fourteen zhang long and could lie straight inside the carriage. Now, he was not only longer but also far thicker; curling him up to stuff him inside would prove quite difficult.
Yuan Weiyang looked up to inspect Yuan Qi and admonished, "It has only been a few days, and you've grown this fat? You should lose some weight."
Yuan Qi sneered, "Fat chance!"
Xu Ying said to Zhou Qiyun, "Old Ancestor Zhou, there is no need to worry. He cultivates the True Cultivation of the Ba Snake and can change his size, so the carriage can still hold him. Xiao Qi, shrink a little."
Yuan Qi yelled, "Xiao Ying, don't call me Xiao Qi from now on—call me Lord Niu Qi!"
With that, he circulated the True Cultivation of the Ba Snake. After straining for a good while, he seemed to shrink by just a hair.
Xu Ying turned toward Zhou Qiyun and asked, "Old Ancestor Zhou, could your dragon carriage grow a little bigger?"
In the end, they settled on a compromise: Yuan Qi's body was crammed into the carriage while his snake head poked out front. Even so, the carriage interior remained somewhat cramped.
Zhou Qiyun climbed inside, squeezing together with Xu Ying and the others. The grand figure did not mind in the slightest. As long as you had talent and were useful to him, he would tolerate you as much as possible.
Yet if you proved useless, you were in mortal danger.
The divine dragons hitched to the carriage set off with visible strain. The moment they stepped onto the clouds formed of incense qi, they nearly stumbled and fell. Their legs trembled slightly, but the four divine dragons ultimately succeeded in riding the clouds and mist, winging their way toward Yongzhou Prefecture.
The dragon carriage soared into the clouds, passing between verdant mountains and emerald waters. A waterfall hung suspended between the peaks, its mist catching the brilliant sunlight to cast a colorful rainbow across the twin mountains.
As the carriage passed beneath the rainbow, it caught a brush of the arc's moisture, gleaming splendidly under the sun.
Inside, Zhou Qiyun sat by the window. He laid out three scrolls and leafed through them at his leisure. Xu Ying stole a glance and saw that the contents of all three books were essentially identical.
Just then, a soft, warm hand grasped his own, tracing strokes across his palm.
Xu Ying's heart stirred. Looking down, he saw Yuan Weiyang sitting beside him, holding his hand and quietly writing with an index finger.
She wrote the words "Immortal Scripture."
Xu Ying nodded gently. The three volumes Zhou Qiyun was perusing were all deciphered copies of Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture!
Xu Ying clasped her hand and began tracing characters in her palm in return. Yuan Weiyang tried to decipher what he was writing, only to realize moments later that he meant to write an entire lengthy passage that would take forever to finish. She hastily pulled her hand back.
Without drawing attention, Xu Ying brought his hand beneath his nose, thinking to himself, *Why are Brother Yuan's hands so fragrant? Could he be a flower demon?*
He had heard tales of flower demons—spirits that dwelt inside flower buds, exuding an intoxicating fragrance, emerging to dance gracefully whenever blossoms bloomed.
Yet despite walking night roads for so long and encountering countless demons, Xu Ying had never run into a flower demon.
*Strange. Today the fragrance on his hands isn't daphne or orchid.*
Xu Ying distinguished the scents carefully, musing, *It smells more like lily and gardenia. Mm, and there's still that sweet milky scent. Does Brother Yuan still drink milk every day?*
Seeing Xu Ying repeatedly sniffing his fingers with an odd expression, Yuan Weiyang glared fiercely at him.
Still reading, Zhou Qiyun suddenly asked, "After cultivating Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture, the eldest young master must have become rather strange, didn't he?"
Snapping out of his thoughts of the scent, a chill crept up Xu Ying's spine straight to the back of his neck.
Inside his mind, the bronze bell shuddered violently, crying inwardly, *Disaster! He knows we killed the eldest young master!*
Yuan Weiyang's heart turned solemn. Though she did not know the full story, anything Zhou Qiyun brought up was bound to be of grave importance.
Zhou Qiyun fell silent again, seeming to await Xu Ying's reply.
Xu Ying hesitated for a moment before speaking the truth. "After cultivating the deciphered Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture, the eldest young master was extraordinarily powerful. However, his primordial yang was entirely depleted, and he forged a primordial yin constitution, turning into a woman."
Zhou Qiyun lifted his head, fixing his gaze squarely upon him.
Xu Ying's eyes remained clear and steadfast, meeting his stare without flinching.
Zhou Qiyun withdrew his gaze and asked, "Then why didn't you cultivate Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture?"
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Xu Ying's forehead as he immediately understood the man's suspicion. The eldest young master, Zhou Zhi, had stolen the scripture and could not resist cultivating it the moment he laid eyes on it. Why would Xu Ying, the one who deciphered it, hold back?
*Perhaps his whole purpose in having me decipher Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture was to see whether I would turn into a woman like the eldest young master!*
Composing himself, Xu Ying smiled slightly. "Because while deciphering the scripture, I realized that cultivating it would inevitably deplete one's primordial yang and turn one into a woman. Thus, I did not practice it."
Zhou Qiyun's gaze fell upon his face once more. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Xu Ying's smile never wavered. "If even I could discern it, how could Old Ancestor Zhou fail to see it? Old Ancestor Zhou is a living immortal in the mortal realm; how could you turn into a woman over a mere immortal scripture? A person of your peerless brilliance would at most use the scripture as a stepping stone to pioneer your own supreme arts, rather than binding yourself to the methods of predecessors."
Zhou Qiyun smiled. "You handle yourself very tactfully."
Xu Ying hesitated. "Old Ancestor Zhou, regarding the matter of the eldest young master..."
Zhou Qiyun resumed reading and said coolly, "He was born a man, yet chose to become a dainty woman, bringing shame upon the Zhou clan's reputation. It is just as well that he is dead; it spared me the trouble of doing it myself."
Xu Ying held his tongue.
A short while later, Xu Ying stepped out of the dragon carriage onto the carriage shafts. Seeing this, Yuan Weiyang followed him out.
The green-robed old servant, Uncle Xiao, saw Yuan Weiyang step outside and wished to follow, but leaving Zhou Qiyun alone in the cabin felt somewhat discourteous. Only when Zhou Qiyun waved a hand did he heave a sigh of relief and exit the carriage.
Stepping outside, Uncle Xiao saw that Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang were nowhere on the shafts. His scalp tightened, and his mind went blank. *Abducted already? How am I supposed to explain this to the Old Mistress?*
He hurriedly bounded up onto the carriage roof, only then letting out a breath. Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang were sitting atop the great serpent Yuan Qi's brow.
Yuan Qi had an enormous head, and between his two thick antlers lay two massive, flat scales resembling slabs of stone. Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang sat down upon them. It was already the fourth month and the weather was warming up; sitting here against the rushing wind, they felt no chill at all.
The wind blew briskly, ruffling the youths' clothes and hair.
Yuan Weiyang reached out to stroke the mane behind Yuan Qi's head, marveling, "It's so soft! It really is feathers, like the down on a newborn bird!"
Xu Ying stepped forward and stroked it as well, clicking his tongue in wonder. Yuan Qi's mane was plush with the delicate texture of downy feathers; smoothing it from top to bottom felt exceptionally pleasant.
"Touch me again and I'll bite you!" the giant snake threatened, his body trapped inside the carriage while his head reared outside.
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang turned a deaf ear and gave him two more strokes. Yuan Qi yelled, "I am a snake, devoid of human sympathy! Pet me again and I'll spew a blast of poison to kill you both!"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang reluctantly pulled their hands back. Xu Ying asked, "When will Seventh Master be able to take human form?"
Yuan Qi exhaled clouds and inhaled gales, replying unhurriedly, "This time, sensing the approach of knocking on the pass, the generative force within me grew steadily. Thus, I arrived before the black iron mystic pass to comprehend the Heavenly and Earthly Mystic Root. I grasped the Tai hexagram image of heaven and earth inverted, and comprehended the communion of Fire and Water, thereby establishing my own mystic root. The mystic pass opened as a result. From the vast obscurity, I also felt the bloodline summons of my forebears, and letting nature take its course, I assumed my current form."
Xu Ying listened in bewildered awe, thoroughly dumbfounded. He asked the bronze bell, "Lord Bell, can he transform again in the future?"
The bronze bell replied, "I don't know how many times a Yuan snake can transform. But most demons can only take form once, whereas he has already transformed twice..."
Yuan Weiyang expressed deep admiration. "He comprehended the true essence of the Dao and awakened the ancient bloodline within him. Seventh Master is a demon of extraordinary spiritual roots, already possessing the image of the Great Dao."
Xu Ying's heart stirred. After Yuan Qi opened the Weilu mystic pass, an ethereal quality indeed seemed to linger about his physique. In stillness, he stood like a towering mountain peak; in motion, he carried an inexplicable gravity and majesty—truly bearing the traits of an image of the Great Dao.
Inside him, the bloodline of the Primordial Yuan Snake was gradually stirring. Whether it was the result of knocking on the pass, the locust flowers, or his molting remained uncertain.
The bronze bell remarked, "Ah Ying, look at the foolish snake. His knocking on the pass is what a proper Qi Refiner's breakthrough should look like! Compared to his, can what you did even be called knocking on the pass?"
Xu Ying humbly asked, "Lord Bell, is there any fundamental difference between Seventh Master knocking on the pass and my own?"
The bronze bell said, "None at all. He merely tacked on some grandiose, empty musings about snake life."
Yuan Qi's gaze grew profound as he looked into the distance, his voice turning deep and resonant. "I felt the boundless sky, the heavy breadth of the earth, and the vanity of life. I have attained enlightenment... I'm starving. Got anything to eat? The locust flowers have all withered these past few days, and I've nearly starved to death up there!"
Uncle Xiao walked over with a solemn expression. "Why doesn't Seventh Master feast upon the vanity of life?"
At those words, Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang burst into laughter. Even the corner of Uncle Xiao's mouth twitched with a faint smile before he quickly stiffened his face, cleared his throat, and said, "Young Master, do not show your teeth when laughing."
Yuan Weiyang hurriedly sat up straight. After a moment, she said, "Xu the Demon King once mentioned that he tried repeatedly to fly by sword, but could never grasp the method. Over these past days, I consulted some ancient records in the Zhou clan's collection and found that the sword control technique has long been lost. Ancient texts contain only scattered records, mostly stating that when pre-Qin Qi Refiners flew by sword, they did not stand atop the blade. Instead, their sword qi transformed into a cocoon of flowing light, enveloping their entire bodies."
She took out the records she had copied, among which was an illustration. The drawing depicted a figure forming a sword hand sign, with sword qi flowing like liquid light from head to toe, enveloping the entire body.
Yuan Weiyang said, "This style of flying by sword resembles a shuttle—pointed at both ends and bulging in the middle. The practitioner is concealed inside, piercing through the void."
Xu Ying leaned in close to inspect it and praised, "In that case, the sword light shields the body, allowing one to break through the sound barrier and traverse thunder and flame unharmed. It is indeed far superior to standing on a sword."
Yuan Weiyang sighed. "Unfortunately, the art of flying by sword has been lost. The Zhou clan's records don't describe how to accomplish it, containing only sketches left by predecessors. Although my Yuan clan possesses vast archives, we don't have many records regarding flying by sword either."
She took out several more transcript scrolls and unrolled them one by one. "My Yuan clan possesses a divine sense leaping method, the Zhou clan has techniques for physical transformation, and the Guo clan has the Heaven-Soaring Cloud Ladder Technique. Among them, the Guo clan's Heaven-Soaring Cloud Ladder Technique is the most brilliant: scaling the heavens upon cloud ladders, a single light leap carries one as swift as a falling star. My Yuan clan's divine sense leaping method relies on visualization—using divine sense to visualize objects in midair, treading upon them to walk across the sky."
The transcripts detailed a simplified divine sense leaping method. Xu Ying understood the principle after a single read.
Divine sense leaping was still walking, only across the sky.
The method involved first visualizing a foothold in the air, such as a square brick, to step upon, and then visualizing the next brick to take another step.
In this manner, one could stride across the void step by step.
If one's divine sense was powerful enough, one could visualize a smooth boulevard in the sky, sprinting along it as the road extended continuously forward.
However, this leaping technique placed a severe drain on divine sense. Even a master of divine sense like Yuan Weiyang, who had unlocked the Yellow Court secret depository, was reluctant to travel this way, preferring to go on foot.
As for the flight techniques of other clans, they likewise relied on visualization to traverse the sky, including the Zhou clan's art of transforming the flesh into birds.
Evidently, none of these methods could compare to the sword control technique.
Xu Ying's heart stirred, and he inquired, "Lord Bell, do you know the sword control technique?"
The bronze bell replied, "In my era, Qi Refiners were already in decline, and many arts had been lost. My master didn't know the sword control technique either, but he once found a fragmented formula for it and chanted it in front of me."
It recited the text once. Xu Ying listened carefully; it was a brief method for directing a sword with divine sense, concise and comprising barely over thirty characters.
Xu Ying spoke the fragmented formula aloud. Yuan Weiyang took out paper and brush, writing down the words. Though the formula was short, its meaning was profound and obscure; Yuan Weiyang could not grasp it right away.
Xu Ying, however, understood it at a glance and explained its meaning. Enlightened by his pointers, Yuan Weiyang said with delight, "My Yuan clan has unique insights into divine sense. Perhaps we can fill in the missing portions of the formula!"
The green-robed old servant, Uncle Xiao, hesitated and moved to intervene, but stopped himself. *If we can use the Yuan clan's techniques to complete the fragmented formula, that would be a great boon as well,* he thought. *Divulging a mere sliver of our techniques shouldn't cause any harm.*
Yuan Weiyang wrote down over a hundred words on the paper before her inspiration ran dry, leaving her unable to continue.
Xu Ying leaned close to her, pondering the text and taking up the brush to write further. Both possessed extraordinary talent, capable of deducing the grand imagery of sword arts from a mere spark of sword intent. Before long, they had composed a sword mantra of over two hundred words.
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang exchanged a glance, their eyes sparkling.
Xu Ying said, "I'll test it first. I have Lord Bell, so I won't die from a fall."
A smile touched the corners of Yuan Weiyang's lips. Suddenly, she leaped straight down from Yuan Qi's head—so fast that even Uncle Xiao could not stop her!
Xu Ying was startled and hurriedly leaped after her.
Uncle Xiao and Yuan Qi cried out in alarm, watching the two plummet through the sky at terrifying speed. At such velocity, even a body of iron would be smashed to smithereens!
Just then, sword light suddenly swirled around both of them. It was dancing sword qi, erupting from their fingertips and spiraling around their bodies, gradually condensing into two ever-brightening flying shuttles of sword qi.
*Whoosh!*
Just as they were about to hit the ground, the two shuttles crisscrossed, carving two colossal waves across the river between the two mountains below, sending white spray flying like shattered jade.
The two shuttles accelerated further, suddenly pulling up from the water's surface to soar steeply along the mountain cliffs on both banks, spiraling around the peaks.
Inside, Zhou Qiyun was startled by the commotion. Pushing open the carriage window to look outside, he saw the two shuttles meet at the mountain summit, twining around each other as they shot into the high sky. They quickly overtook the dragon carriage, then parted again to dart through the valley.
A smile appeared on Zhou Qiyun's face as he murmured, "What remarkable talent, to actually deduce the art of sword control. And yet..."
His expression turned cold, feeling a sour annoyance in his heart, and he sneered, "What a pair of wretched lovebirds!"
Chapter 57