The sorrowful old man hurried down from the parasol tree and made his way down Mount Jiuyi, his heart gripped by shock and dread. A disaster had occurred: the Meng Po soup had failed!
Xu Ying had downed ten bowls of Meng Po soup in one breath, yet it hadn't put him to sleep like a baby as it always had before—and he even still remembered that bronze bell!
He should have forgotten everything since the age of six, just like all the times before.
He was supposed to remember only the great fire of Xujiaping, believing himself to be an orphan who had escaped the flames.
The seal in his mind would have soon generated new memories for him, starting him on yet another life.
Yet this time, the Meng Po soup might as well have been plain water tinted with dye—it had actually failed!
"I must report this upward at once. Not a moment can be spared!"
Just then, the sorrowful old man caught sight of Zhou Qiyun. With his hands behind his back, the white-browed youth watched him coldly.
The sorrowful old man's heart gave a sudden thump. Slowing his pace with a heavy frown, he said, "We meet again."
Zhou Qiyun's expression was indifferent and his voice chilling. "I chose to undergo my tribulation in Yongzhou not only because it is my hometown, but also because it is new territory. In new territory, there are fewer entanglements, fewer complications, and therefore fewer top masters."
The sorrowful old man listened in silence, not interrupting.
Zhou Qiyun continued, "Undergoing my tribulation here allows me to focus completely, without worrying that some master might leap out of nowhere and stab me in the back. For this tribulation, I swept through twenty-six ancient tombs and thirty-four immortal mountains, gathering up every scrap of treasure. The old bastards from the other great clans are already mocking me as a tomb raider who specializes in robbing graves."
The sorrowful old man said, "To bear such infamy, you must have grand ambitions. Ascension has become your obsession."
"Anyone who jeopardizes my ascension will face my wrath," Zhou Qiyun said. "No matter who that person is. No matter their origins or background."
The sorrowful old man sighed. "And yet I have appeared near you twice. The first time, you could still tolerate me; the second time, you cannot."
A faint smile touched Zhou Qiyun's face. "You are very clever, but you should not have come too close to me, nor should you have come too close to Xu Ying. Xu Ying is a crucial link in my ascension; I need him to decipher and complete the Qi Refiners' cultivation arts for me. Whoever dares ruin my affairs, I will kill!"
Sensing danger, the sorrowful old man retreated step by step, then suddenly vaulted into the air, transforming into a beam of azure light shooting toward the horizon. He thought, *My backward steps just now showed no flaws whatsoever. Zhou Qiyun shouldn't be able to strike!*
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the sky and earth spun wildly, and the direction of his flight inverted, sending him hurtling straight back toward Zhou Qiyun!
The sorrowful old man was shaken. *When I encountered him at Wangxiang Platform, he was inferior to me! When I ran into him again at Mount Wuwang, he exerted immense pressure on me and could already stand on equal footing! Now, his prowess seems even greater!*
As the two drew nearer, a vast, boundless Primordial Spirit manifested behind the sorrowful old man. Surging with all his might, he thrust out a single finger!
His true yuan erupted violently as he poured everything he had into the strike, thinking, *In such a short time, I refuse to believe you could fuse the arts of the Qi Refiners to forge an entirely new divine technique! Taste my Immortal Slaying Finger!*
This finger strike carried an exquisite, peerless immortal radiance. Immortal qi swirled around his finger, and its tip quivered, giving rise to phantom silhouettes moving at varying speeds, appearing to strike at Zhou Qiyun across different coordinates of time and space!
Zhou Qiyun similarly thrust out a single finger. The sorrowful old man's pupils shrank as terror struck him. *The Immortal Slaying Finger? Where did he get the technique for the Immortal Slaying Finger? Of course—he became a grave robber and dug up so many tombs! He most likely dug up my master's grave as well!*
A succession of muffled thuds echoed as every immortal beam and phantom silhouette vanished, leaving only their two fingers colliding.
With a sharp crack, the sorrowful old man's finger broke. Crying out in pain, he spun around and fled, thinking, *He refined all the vitality of the Mud Pill secret depository into his physical body! This physique is already close to an immortal's body, far surpassing mine!*
He leaped into the air, only to see heaven and earth turn upside down once more, reversing his motion so that he was charging toward Zhou Qiyun again!
*He already commands the methods of an immortal!*
Both shocked and enraged, he had no choice but to attack Zhou Qiyun once more. The two exchanged a strike. The sorrowful old man was wounded again and pulled back to escape, but the world inverted once more, flipping him head-down and feet-up as he hurtled toward Zhou Qiyun for a third time!
They exchanged yet another blow. Adding injury to injury, the sorrowful old man leaped into the sky and fled once again.
This time, Zhou Qiyun's art hitched slightly in its circulation, allowing him to break free!
Spitting blood as he tore through the air, the sorrowful old man was seized by panic. *Zhou Qiyun has advanced at breakneck speed. Xu Ying must have given him the authentic method rather than fooling him! By practicing the Qi Refiners' art on top of the nine heavens of the Mud Pill secret depository, his cultivation and power already surpass mine!*
Fleeing in haste, he skimmed past one mountain range after another across the new territory. Suddenly, he spotted two people playing Go on a mountain ahead: a white-robed old man and a red-robed woman. Overjoyed, the sorrowful old man hurriedly touched down!
Those two were none other than the ones who had intercepted Xiao Fengxian. Seeing him wounded, both were startled and stepped forward to examine him.
The red-robed woman asked hastily, "Who injured you?"
Coughing up blood, the sorrowful old man shouted, "Zhou Qiyun!"
Before the words had even settled, the two sensed lethal danger closing in. With no time to turn around, the white-robed old man summoned his Primordial Spirit to leap out, bracing a palm behind his back—just in time to meet Zhou Qiyun's Immortal Slaying Finger.
Though merely a single finger, its force concentrated the strength of Zhou Qiyun's entire being. Even the Primordial Spirit could not withstand it; the strike punched clean through the palm, pierced into his back, and burst out through his chest!
The white-robed old man coughed up a spray of blood, staining his white robes crimson.
His strength was not supposed to be so frail; it was primarily because Zhou Qiyun had launched an ambush, catching him completely off guard and dealing him a devastating blow in a single strike!
Zhou Qiyun's voice rang out: "Two more experts! But what does Zhou have to fear?"
The red-robed woman leaped away, only to find the heavens and earth spinning, yanking her straight back the next moment. She leaped and somersaulted again and again, yet it was as though she were tethered by an immensely elastic cord; each time she was dragged back, forced into a direct clash with Zhou Qiyun.
After more than ten such exchanges, the red-robed woman was vomiting mouthfuls of blood, thoroughly battered.
The sorrowful old man rallied all his strength to assault Zhou Qiyun, finally forcing a lapse in Zhou Qiyun's rhythm. Seizing the opportunity, the three transformed into three streaks of light and fled into the distance.
Zhou Qiyun did not give chase. His surging aura gradually calmed, a trace of blood showing at the corner of his mouth.
He stood in silence atop the mountain for a long while before his qi and blood finally settled.
*Still not enough. The immortal art cannot yet fully bridge with the secret depositories; there are still flaws when circulating it.*
Swallowing the blood welling in his throat, he thought to himself, *Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang must decipher the immortal scripture as quickly as possible! I cannot wait any longer!*
He sat before the stone table, gazing at the half-finished game of Go. Casually fiddling with the stones, a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes. *Ever since I found Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang, obstacles have cropped up at every turn. In the past, I wouldn't run into this many experts in decades or even centuries, yet in these past few days they have crossed my path like carp swimming across a river!*
Looking up at the heavens, he murmured silently, *Could the heavens have sensed that my tribulation is near, sending down human tribulations beforehand to ruin my karmic destiny of ascension? Even if the heavens bring disaster upon me, I fear nothing!*
Zhou Qiyun stood up, tucked away the chessboard, scooped all the stones into his robes, and headed toward Mount Jiuyi once everything was packed, thinking, *This board and these stones are all treasures. They must not go to waste.*
On the other side, the sorrowful old man and the other two had fled ten thousand li before their stamina gave out, forcing them to halt and rest. Looking back and seeing no sign of Zhou Qiyun pursuing them, they finally let out a breath of relief.
Exchanging glances, lingering dread remained in their eyes.
"Having reached Zhou Qiyun's stage, his secret depositories must have been developed to the absolute peak, haven't they?"
Frowning, the white-robed old man said, "Back when the Nuo system was developed to replace Qi refinement, no one ever imagined it could be this formidable, could they?"
The sorrowful old man shook his head. "The secret depositories are certainly powerful, but what is even more terrifying is Zhou Qiyun himself. He had already cultivated the Nuo techniques to a level equal to our own, and then turned to Qi refinement. Now that he walks both paths side by side, he has already achieved considerable success."
Carefully wiping the blood from the corner of her lips, the red-robed woman said, "More crucially, what he learned are the supreme methods of Qi refinement. He has dug up far too many graves."
The white-robed old man suddenly cried out, "My Qingyun chessboard is still on that mountain!"
The sorrowful old man replied offhandedly, "Just leave it there. We can retrieve it later; who could possibly steal it from you? Right now, there is something far more important."
He sighed and continued, "Ten bowls of Meng Po soup yielded nothing more than a brief dream. Everyone, the Meng Po soup has failed."
The white-robed old man and the red-robed woman were shaken to the core. The woman blurted out, "Could Granny Meng have watered down the broth?"
"Even if it were broth watered down with water, ten bowls would be enough to knock anyone out," the sorrowful old man said. "The Meng Po soup is no longer effective on him and cannot reinforce his seal. If matters continue to deteriorate at this rate, heh, it won't be long before he breaks free of it entirely!"
The faces of the other two changed drastically, revealing expressions of sheer terror.
All three fell silent, speechless for a long time.
After a moment, the red-robed woman said in a raspy voice, "In that case, has Zhou Qiyun become his Dao protector? No wonder Zhou Qiyun blocked you time and again. What exactly is Zhou Qiyun's goal?"
The white-robed old man looked grim. Judging by Zhou Qiyun's actions so far, he truly seemed like Xu Ying's Dao protector, shielding him from being eliminated by powerful enemies!
If a monstrously talented grandmaster like Zhou Qiyun was protecting Xu Ying, they would hardly find any opportunity to make a move against the boy.
"What should we do now?" he murmured.
"We have no choice but to report this upward," the sorrowful old man said. "Come with me!"
The white-robed old man and red-robed woman exchanged glances. Hesitating, the white-robed old man said, "My Qingyun chessboard... Fine, this matter takes precedence. We shall accompany you first and retrieve the chessboard on our way back!"
The three flew like bolts of lightning, swiftly arriving in Daozhou.
Daozhou had also been affected by the new territory, gaining countless mountains and rivers that drastically altered its geography. The three arrived at an inconspicuous mound called Rotten Stone Mountain, not even two hundred feet tall. At the foot of the hill stood an Earth God shrine, small enough to reach only half a person's height.
Flanking the shrine doors was a couplet that read:
"Though the temple is small, its divine power is vast;
Though the heavens are high, the sun and moon shine bright."
The sorrowful old man wrote the matter of the Meng Po soup's failure onto a slip of paper, rolled it into an incense stick, lit it, and planted it before the Earth God shrine. Bowing with hands clasped, the three stood in attendance, waiting for a reply.
Unassuming as this tiny Earth God shrine appeared, it was actually an ascension site. As the incense burned, fragrant smoke curled upward to the roof of the shrine, which connected to another space-time. The aroma seeped through the delicate barrier into that distant realm.
When the paper incense finished burning, an Earth God hopped out of the shrine. Unlike other Earth Gods, this one carried no incense smoke qi about him.
"Go on back," the Earth God called out, holding a sheet of yellow talisman paper containing an official receipt. "The higher-ups have received it. Take this receipt and keep it safe. When instructions come down from above, writing will appear on the yellow paper. Only then will you know how to proceed."
The sorrowful old man asked, "This matter is of grave importance. May I ask what the higher-ups plan to arrange? That way, we might prepare ourselves somewhat."
The Earth God replied impatiently, "What nagging! When the higher-ups handle business, doesn't it have to go through the proper procedures? Since when has submitting a slip gotten things done immediately? Besides, who knows if your paperwork is complete? If it's lacking, you'll have to make several more trips. Go on back first. Waiting for approvals to trickle down tier by tier from the top—won't that take a few years?"
"Wait a few years?" The three looked at each other, despair washing over them.
The red-robed woman said, "This is an extraordinary case that calls for extraordinary handling. Please, put in an urgent word for us!"
The Earth God sneered, "There are so many matters being handled—who am I supposed to urge? Am I even qualified to urge anyone? Out, out with you!"
Helpless, the three had to leave in dejection. "We will just have to wait, then."
The white-robed old man said, "Let us return to the mountain first and retrieve my Qingyun chessboard."
When the three hurried back to the mountaintop, where was there any trace of the Qingyun chessboard? Not even a single stone remained.
The three stood there as a chilly breeze swept past. The white-robed old man's mouth twitched, his robe still soaked with blood.
The sorrowful old man consoled him, "Someone walked off with my green paper umbrella too, and I had nowhere to complain about it either. You lost a Qingyun chessboard; just forge another one."
At Wutong Palace on Mount Jiuyi, Xu Ying still felt somewhat dizzy, as though what he had drunk was not tea, but fiery liquor. He thought to himself, *Could that sorrowful old man have drugged the tea?*
Seeing his pale complexion, the bronze bell said, "More likely he brewed tea in medicine. What happened?"
Xu Ying recounted the chain of events from the previous night. The bronze bell and Yuan Qi, coiled around the bell, were thoroughly flabbergasted. They hadn't expected that so much could have unfolded while they were lured away.
Every single event sounded extraordinarily intriguing.
The bronze bell inquired, "You really saw that birthmark on Xiaodie? On the left or the right? Ah, the left..."
Pondering, it noted, "In that case, what you witnessed when entering the Dao was real, and this foolish snake saving you while asleep was real as well. How peculiar. Why would one encounter great horrors upon entering the Dao?"
Recalling the scenes from when he had entered the Dao, Xu Ying offered his conjecture: "I think the great horror in the abyss exists to prevent people from entering the Dao. If one goes too deep, it will devour the seeker, causing them to meet an unnatural death!"
Yuan Qi jumped in fright and said, "Thank goodness I don't know how to enter the Dao. Ah Ying, how did Guo Xiaodie end up in your bed? And without any clothes, no less. Something is fishy here."
"That isn't important!"
Xu Ying's expression was grave. "What matters is the second issue: even Xiao Fengxian couldn't break the seal inside me. She said my seal has loosened, but I don't feel any difference. We need to shake off Zhou Qiyun as soon as possible!"
The bronze bell fell dead silent. Yuan Qi didn't utter a peep either, blinking continuously at him.
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat, but his expression did not waver as he continued smoothly, "Therefore, we must decipher Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture as fast as possible! We must translate Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture in its entirety to assist Old Ancestor Zhou in attaining the Dao and becoming an immortal. Once he ascends, we will be free!"
He turned his head, only to see that Zhou Qiyun had arrived at Wutong Palace at some point and was standing right behind him.
Xu Ying asked in surprise, "When did Old Ancestor Zhou arrive?"
Chapter 75