Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang exchanged a glance, both secretly thrilled.
As the saying went, accompanying a sovereign was like keeping company with a tiger. While Zhou Qiyun was no emperor, his moods were fickle and volatile; there was no telling when he might suddenly turn murderous and wipe them out.
Now that Zhou Qiyun was besieged by the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court and a host of ghost Nuo immortals, even if he managed to fight his way out, he would surely suffer grievous wounds and have a hard time catching up to them.
This was without doubt the prime opportunity to escape!
Suddenly, another terrifying shockwave swept over, slamming into the bronze bell. With a deafening clang, the falling bronze bell was flung high into the air, tumbling and somersaulting through the sky before plummeting toward who knew where.
"It's fine, it's fine," Xu Ying comforted the others, sounding thoroughly seasoned. "I've seen plenty of scenes like this. Lord Bell can definitely pull through. Right, Lord Bell? Lord Bell? Lord Bell! Wake up... No need to worry, it just faints as a habit. It'll be fine soon."
The bronze bell swept over the mountains, flying an unknown distance. It struck the ground with a resounding clang, bounced back up, plummeted down, and tumbled through countless rolls before finally grinding to a halt.
From inside the bell, Yuan Qi rolled out first, flopping flat on his back—his bones had been jostled apart once again.
Aching and numb all over, his legs weak, Xu Ying barely managed to stagger out of the bronze bell.
Behind him, Yuan Weiyang had only just stepped outside when her footing gave way and she sat on the ground. She tried to stand, but her legs were too sore to support her, leaving her no choice but to pound her thighs first.
Uncle Xiao leaned against the bronze bell, vomiting violently to the side.
To shield them and carry them out of the Nether Court, the bronze bell had grown immensely, its mouth expanding to roughly ten zhang wide. Bearing the brunt of so many impacts, it had suffered severe damage this time.
It remained in a deep slumber, unable to shrink back down.
Xu Ying tried channeling some qi and blood into it, but it showed no sign of waking.
"Lord Bell was gravely injured by a Qi Refiner proficient in spatial arts. Although the external wounds inflicted by that Qi Refiner have healed, its internal injuries remain and refuse to mend," Xu Ying explained to Yuan Weiyang. "It's always stealing my qi and blood to heal itself..."
Yuan Qi reminded him, "Lord Bell said it's 'purloining.'"
Stepping forward, Xu Ying painstakingly helped the giant serpent pop his displaced bones back into place. "It's always purloining my qi and blood to heal itself. Falling unconscious this time shouldn't be a big deal either. As long as I train diligently and provide it with qi and blood, it will wake up."
Yuan Weiyang came over to help move the giant serpent's body and asked, "If Lord Bell doesn't wake up, how are we supposed to carry it with us?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "No need to worry about that. Before it blacked out, Lord Bell must have made proper arrangements."
Once he had set the snake's bones and Yuan Qi regained his strength, Xu Ying walked more than thirty paces forward. When no sound came from behind him, he grew puzzled. "Did Lord Bell forget?"
Yuan Weiyang was also surprised, not understanding what he meant. But when Xu Ying took another step forward, the bronze bell suddenly let out a loud clang and shifted one step forward after him.
Delighted, Xu Ying chuckled. "Lord Bell didn't forget after all!"
He bolted forward, and the gigantic bell followed right behind him with a series of loud clangs, churning up billowing clouds of dust wherever it passed. Trailing behind him, Yuan Qi, Yuan Weiyang, and Uncle Xiao choked on the dust until they could barely breathe, and they hastily sprinted past him to get in front.
This was the territory of the Nether Court, after all, teeming with all manner of freaks and fiends. Hearing the commotion, shades and specters throughout the dark mountains and ghostly ravines poked their heads out, looking over.
They saw a bell of absurd proportions aggressively chasing after three humans and a serpent. The monsters and specters were utterly baffled. "There are actually bell ghosts in this world?!"
"The world grows more chaotic by the day; all sorts of ghosts are crawling out," an old ghost sighed.
The specters craned their necks to watch, bewildered. "Where are those three people and that snake heading? Are they freshly dead? That direction leads to parts of the Netherworld beyond even the Nether Court's rule. Running out there—do they think the Netherworld isn't happy enough and want to seek death?"
"Why not stay behind to be eaten by us?"
Xu Ying and the others had never set foot here before, so how could they know what this place was? Bent on escaping Zhou Qiyun's clutches, they fixed their sights in the direction of the Palace of Heavenly Gods and marched on. Yet the Netherworld was packed with winding mountain ranges; after walking for a while, they completely lost their way.
Xu Ying looked up at the sky. Night hung thick over the Netherworld, the surroundings dim and murky. At some point, a dense fog had rolled in, laying a blanket of pale mist across the ground that obscured every path.
The fog was heavy and clung low to the ground. As they walked through it, the mist reached their thighs, soaking their trouser legs in no time. Xu Ying circulated his vital qi to steam away the moisture, looking up at the sky to see a crescent moon dangling from the tips of willow branches.
He stirred his sword qi. From the sword casket on his back, sword qi immediately surged out and swirled around him, spinning faster and faster.
Whoosh!
Xu Ying shot into the air, and the enormous bell behind him whistled upward as well, soaring into the sky!
Below, Yuan Qi and Uncle Xiao quickly looked up to see Xu Ying turning into an afterimage, followed by the giant bell as he climbed higher and higher.
Suddenly, another streak of flowing light rose beside them; it was Yuan Weiyang, flying up in pursuit of Xu Ying.
The sword qi around the two dimmed slightly as they paused midair. The sword qi revolved rapidly around them, forming shuttle-shaped protective barriers.
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang looked all around, but saw only pale, sprawling mountains blanketed by mist. Discerning directions was impossible; even the Nether Court was nowhere to be seen.
Yuan Weiyang drifted back down and said, "Two pieces of news. The good news is that Zhou Qiyun can forget about finding us. The bad news is that we can't find him either. We're lost."
Xu Ying descended from the sky. When he landed, the bronze bell slammed onto the ground as well, producing an ear-shattering boom.
Suddenly, something in the mist seemed startled by the bell's toll, scattering in panic. They were numerous but diminutive, concealed within the fog where ordinary eyes could not detect them.
With a thunderous shout, Uncle Xiao unleashed his vital qi and divine sense, instantly blasting away the fog across an area of hundreds of mu!
Though the creatures in the mist were swift, the magical power of a Grand Nuo like Uncle Xiao was profoundly vast and his aura exceedingly formidable. Caught before they could hide, they were exposed right before everyone's eyes.
They were pale little ghosts, resembling toddlers of three or four years old. Their bodies were an eerie, sickly white, wearing only white shorts. They scurried on all fours at startling speed.
In the blink of an eye, they had vanished without a trace.
"Just some petty ghosts, that's all," Uncle Xiao said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Hehehe." Chuckles from the little ghosts drifted out of the mist.
Soon, the fog surged back in, submerging the surroundings once more. Xu Ying walked forward, surrounded by tall willow trees whose branches swayed gently in the night.
Those little ghosts lurked within the mist, appearing and vanishing like phantoms. Occasionally, one would scramble up a willow tree and squat upon a branch, giggling non-stop at them.
Their climbing posture was bizarre as well; their feet were as nimble as an ape's, gripping the bark and walking up the trunk as if strolling across flat ground, soon perching atop the branches.
They leaped from branch to branch just like agile apes.
"Ah Ying, where have we walked to?" Yuan Qi, trailing at the very back, let out a yawn and murmured weakly, "I'm so sleepy... I have no strength left."
Xu Ying halted and said, "I was just wondering if we should stop and wait for Zhou Qiyun to find us and get us out. We really are lost... Little Qi, what happened to you?!"
Hearing his exclamation, Yuan Weiyang looked toward Yuan Qi and jumped in fright. In the blink of an eye, the plump, gigantic serpent had become emaciated and frail, his breath hanging by a thread!
At some point, the giant snake's back had become crawling with snow-white ghost babies. Giggling gleefully, they puckered their lips and sucked mouthful after mouthful of yang qi from the great serpent!
Many more ghost babies were blowing at Yuan Qi's yang fires. Of his three yang fires, two had already been extinguished by these ghost infants!
The final yang fire, atop Yuan Qi's head, burned the brightest and had not yet been put out, but it was already wavering under their breaths, on the verge of dying at any second!
Where on earth did these little ghosts come from?
Just as the thought crossed Yuan Weiyang's mind, she noticed a ghost baby straddling Uncle Xiao's neck. Giggling maliciously, the ghost baby covered Uncle Xiao's eyes with both hands.
Uncle Xiao's eyes were wide as saucers as he babbled to a willow tree, evidently mistaking the tree for his young master!
"A ghost has blinded him!" Yuan Weiyang was both shocked and furious.
Uncle Xiao could still see a path, but heaven only knew what he was actually seeing!
Xu Ying saw the ghost baby riding Uncle Xiao's back as well. He reached out to snatch it, shouting, "What kind of foul thing is this?"
Yet Yuan Weiyang clearly saw Xu Ying's hand pass right through the ghost baby's body without making contact with anything.
These ghost babies were souls with no physical bodies. Having never learned Nuo arts that targeted souls, Xu Ying could not touch them.
At that moment, Yuan Weiyang suddenly felt her vision tilt and distort. She said urgently, "Monster King Xu, is there a ghost baby on my back covering my eyes?"
Xu Ying looked over. Two ghost babies had leaped onto Yuan Weiyang's back—one covering her eyes, while the other giggled as it jammed two fingers into her ears.
More ghost babies scrambled onto her back, blowing at the two yang fires upon her shoulders.
Xu Ying said hastily, "Brother Yuan, have you learned any Nuo arts that target souls?"
By now, Yuan Weiyang could no longer hear his voice, nor could she see where he stood. Both her sight and hearing were compromised by the ghost babies.
Xu Ying felt a surge of alarm and fury. Yet he noticed that these ghost babies were attacking only Yuan Weiyang, Yuan Qi, and Uncle Xiao, while steering well clear of him.
He suddenly remembered that he had consumed numerous Myriad Spirits Pills, turning his soul into a virtually solid imperishable true spirit. Wielding the bone soul-thrashing whip, he had even made gods in the ruined temple's world wail in agony!
My soul is extremely powerful, which is why they dare not attack me. But how do I unleash the might of my soul?
A flash of inspiration struck Xu Ying. During the Pass-Breaching stage, whenever he practiced the Taiyi Guiding Technique, he could clearly sense his soul growing stronger. He immediately circulated the Taiyi Guiding Technique, carefully sensing his soul, recalling the process by which Lord Bell's chimes had previously jolted his soul clean out of his physical body.
With a dull thud, Yuan Qi collapsed to the ground. The giant snake was now skin and bones, his jaw agape as he snored heavily. The ghost babies continued blowing relentlessly at the yang fire atop his head.
This fire burned the most vigorously, resisting their attempts to extinguish it for the moment. But the instant it went out, his lifespan would be exhausted, and he would turn into a ghost as well!
"Beast, what are you trying to do to my young master?!" Uncle Xiao suddenly roared, lashing out viciously at a willow tree, having mistaken it for some enemy and striking with ruthless force.
Yuan Weiyang maintained her composure, knowing that her five senses were deceived by the ghost babies and that anything she said or did would be wrong. She simply stood motionlessly in place.
Gradually, Xu Ying's perception of his soul grew sharper, and the fusion between his divine sense and his soul tightened.
Suddenly, he tapped a finger between his eyebrows.
Xu Ying felt a wave of daze. Looking back, he saw himself standing in place while his physical body had collapsed to the ground. Once again, because his soul was too powerful, his fleshly shell had been jolted right out of his spirit.
With no time to dwell on it, he roared violently. The imperishable true spirit around him blazed with brilliance, radiating dazzling soul light in all directions!
Whoosh—
The ghost babies shrieked one after another. Under the bathing soul light, their bodies twisted into contorted balls, tumbling down from Yuan Weiyang, Uncle Xiao, and Yuan Qi.
Channeling vital qi through the Taiyi Guiding Technique, Xu Ying made the light surrounding his soul burn even brighter. Pressed down by the radiant aura, the ghost babies wailed continuously, their bodies shrinking even smaller!
Seeing that the soul light was holding them at bay, Xu Ying checked on Yuan Qi and saw the giant snake still snoring away, the yang fire on his head still intact. He breathed a sigh of relief.
As for Yuan Weiyang and Uncle Xiao, both regained their senses.
Relieved, Xu Ying eased his effort slightly, and the soul light dimmed. The ghost babies scrambled to their feet, their faces filled with awe and terror toward him. Muttering appeasing ghost-talk that no one could decipher, they steadily backed away.
The ghost babies that had swallowed Yuan Qi's yang qi leaped back onto his body and spat out the stolen energy. Soon, Yuan Qi's other two yang fires reignited, burning brighter and brighter.
Having returned the yang qi, they kept their eyes fixed on Xu Ying, offering flattering smiles and whispering streams of ghost-talk before slowly retreating into the dense fog, vanishing completely.
"These ghost brats bully the weak and fear the strong," Xu Ying said, shaking his head as he woke Yuan Qi.
Yuan Qi was still bewildered. "What happened? Why did I fall asleep?"
He was a Qi Refiner in the Pass-Breaching stage, while Uncle Xiao was a Grand Nuo, yet both had nearly perished after being hoodwinked by these seemingly frail little ghosts. The incident put Xu Ying on high alert.
"Something is strange here. Everyone stay vigilant. Stick close together, and let's get out of this willow forest!"
***
Back in the Nether Court, Zhou Qiyun braved the assaults of the Nuo immortals, advancing step by step toward the Hall of Senluo. As he reached the final few stone steps, his aura surged violently. Besides directly confronting the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court, the rebounding force of their clashing Nuo arts shook the magnificent lands of Hidden Scenery latent transformation throughout the court.
Afraid of damaging their own domains, the ghost Nuo immortals within those latent transformation grounds stayed their hands one after another.
Inside the Hall of Senluo, the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court also ceased his attacks.
Zhou Qiyun stepped onto the final stone tier and entered the hall. Inside sat a delicate, handsome immortal with a sword wound penetrating clean through the center of his forehead.
From the wound, one could tell that the blade that had slain him was an eight-sided sword.
Indeed, he was a corpse.
His Primordial Spirit hovered behind him; it was this Primordial Spirit that had just clashed with Zhou Qiyun.
"Master Zhou, your current strength already surpasses that of Emperor Zhidao Dasheng back then. In combining qi refining with Nuo arts, you are taking on the air of a grandmaster," the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court praised. "Your lifespan is near its end. If you have come here to usurp power, I can only abdicate and yield to a worthy successor, allowing you to inherit the throne of the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court."
Zhou Qiyun sat cross-legged on the floor, meeting his gaze with a serene expression. "I did not come here to usurp the authority of the Nether Court."
Puzzled, the Son of Heaven asked, "Could your purpose be the same as Emperor Zhidao Dasheng's—to sign a covenant with me, stipulating that the living realm belongs to your rule while the Netherworld belongs to mine?"
He smiled faintly. "I can sign a covenant with you. But when you lack the strength to enforce it, a covenant is nothing more than scrap paper—too stiff even to wipe one's backside with."
Zhou Qiyun shook his head. "Nor did I come for matters of the living realm."
The expression of the Son of Heaven of the Nether Court gradually turned grave. In a deep voice, he asked, "Then what have you come here for?"
Zhou Qiyun enunciated each word with steady precision: "I want to undergo tribulation and ascend!"
Chapter 61