Xu Ying was also taken aback, whispering, "Were all those grand generals, prime ministers, and ministers of state Nuo immortals?"
Yuan Qi shook his head. "I don't know. The book didn't say. But whatever else may be true, the grey-robed elder before us is a Nuo immortal who has cultivated nine cave-heavens! He isn't among the Pei clan generals, prime ministers, or ministers recorded in the book. I reckon the Pei clan has even more Nuo immortals than that."
Xu Ying was astonished. For a single aristocratic clan to produce at least eighty-seven Nuo immortals over two thousand years—could Nuo immortals truly be harvested by the batch? Or was there some other reason?
*Could this Pei clan be grown like chives?*
Recalling what awaited Nuo immortals in their twilight years, an absurd sensation rose in his chest. He whispered, "How do you write the 'Pei' in Pei clan?"
Yuan Qi traced the character "裴" with the tip of his tail.
Xu Ying inspected it and had an epiphany. "There's a 'chive' sitting right on top! No wonder they cultivate so many Nuo immortals."
Yuan Qi added, "The moment they arrived on the mountain, they started picking fights with an overbearing attitude. They claimed this wasn't masterless land, that their ancestors originally owned it, and pulled out a deed with the red ink on the seal still wet. Then they tried to drive us away. Niu Qian couldn't stomach it and beat up over a dozen of them. Niu Qian was hurt in the process as well, so I demanded they draw a line and settle it in an honorable duel."
Xu Ying cast a sideways glance at Pei Jingting. "Their target was me from the start; everything else was just a pretext to stir up trouble."
Seeing them whispering back and forth without knowing what they were saying, the grey-robed elder coughed and asked, "Demon King Xu, our Pei clan invites you to the imperial capital. May I ask if Young Master agrees?"
Xu Ying readily agreed. "I agree. I have old ties with the Yuan and Guo clans, and I was just planning to visit them in the capital."
The grey-robed elder, Pei Jingting, was momentarily taken aback. He had not expected Xu Ying to accept without offering the slightest resistance. Smiling faintly, he said, "What this old man means is that my Pei clan wishes to invite Young Master to the capital alone, with no involvement from other great clans."
Xu Ying agreed just as blithely, his tone laden with meaning. "As long as your Pei clan can stand alone against the other great clans, I certainly have no objection. I'm only afraid your Pei clan won't be able to bear the weight."
A chill ran through Pei Jingting. Savoring the implication of Xu Ying's words, his heart jolted violently. *That day on Mount Wuwang, when we watched Ancestor White Eyebrows undergo his tribulation, the patriarchs of every great clan were present. Almost certainly, they all recognized the youth with the giant snake. Yet over the past ten days and more, those old foxes haven't made a single move. Logically speaking, that makes no sense.*
Fine beads of cold sweat broke out across his forehead. *This time, the family head didn't come in person and sent me instead precisely because this trip is fraught with peril. The family head had to stay hidden in the shadows to guarantee absolute success! But clearly, I was played. No wonder he is the family head while I'm merely the errand runner.*
Yuan Qi whispered, "Ah Ying, are we really going to let ourselves be coerced into going to the capital?"
Xu Ying laughed softly. "A Nuo immortal has come in person to extend an invitation, backed by so many experts—it isn't as if we have a choice. Besides, who is coercing whom remains to be seen."
He glanced over at the Pei clan Nuo masters and sighed with feeling. "I wonder how many of these people will make it back to the imperial capital alive?"
Yuan Qi grew deeply anxious and asked the bronze bell, "Lord Bell, can you take down a Nuo immortal?"
The bronze bell replied, "Recently I've been steal—ahem, practicing diligently. My injuries have healed forty to fifty percent. If it's just one Nuo immortal, I could crush them dead. But if there are too many Nuo immortals, I won't be able to handle them all."
"Too many Nuo immortals?"
Yuan Qi was puzzled and looked around. Aside from Pei Jingting, he saw no other Nuo immortals. *Where are the Nuo immortals Lord Bell is talking about?*
Xu Ying turned to instruct the brothers Niu Zhen and Niu Qian. "Your master must travel to the capital for a period of time. Guard the cave dwelling well, remember to perform your morning lessons every day, and cultivate diligently. While your Martial Uncle Yuan and I are away, do not slack off. When I return, I will test your cultivation."
The two oxen promptly stood on their hind legs like men, crossing their front hooves over their chests, and bowed. "We obey Master's teachings!"
Xu Ying gathered up some dry clothes, stuffed them into Yuan Qi's mouth, and then fetched the massive stone axe resting against the corner of the wall, gesturing for Yuan Qi to open his mouth again.
Yuan Qi recoiled in fright. "It's so big, how could it fit? It'll tear me up!"
The axe head was taller than Xu Ying himself, and the shaft was even longer; it was indeed difficult to pack away.
Xu Ying explained, "On our journey to the capital, we might run into Yuan Tiangang's family, which means we'll have to return the sword casket. Besides, we might have to chop some people once we get there. How can we manage without a handy weapon?"
Yuan Qi had no choice but to stretch his jaws as wide as possible. Xu Ying hoisted the axe onto his shoulder, walked straight down into the snake's belly, set the axe in place, and then stepped back out.
Having packed everything in order, Xu Ying smiled at Pei Jingting. "Elder Pei, lead the way."
Pei Jingting was utmost courteous. "Demon King Xu, this way, please. This old man has prepared a precious carriage at the foot of the mountain."
Xu Ying fell into step behind him. The bronze bell flew up from behind and vanished into the back of his head. Yuan Qi also slithered forward, shrinking down until he abruptly leapt onto Xu Ying's shoulder, hooking his tail around his collar and letting his head droop down as he watched their surroundings warily.
However, forty or fifty members of the Pei clan were now groaning in agony from their wounds.
"Elder Pei, next time you wish to invite me, just say so outright," Xu Ying remarked to Pei Jingting. "All that business with deeds and duels will make even us country bumpkins laugh. We folk from the countryside don't know how to pull our punches; if we accidentally killed them, it would only displease you."
Pei Jingting conceded with a nod, then summoned a retainer. "Bring the slave out to treat their wounds."
A moment later, a figure was led forward. Xu Ying looked at this "slave" and saw a potbellied man with a dog collar around his neck, sharp iron hooks piercing through his lute bones. Covered in blood, he crawled on all fours like a dog, panting heavily with every step.
A Pei clan disciple kicked the slave, barking, "Get up and treat the masters' injuries!"
"Yes, yes..." the slave stammered, scrambling forward on all fours to tend to the wounded.
Xu Ying's eyes flickered. "You there, slave. Lift your head."
The Pei disciple kicked him again. "Master Xu told you to raise your head!"
The slave looked up, his eyes darting evasively, not daring to meet Xu Ying's gaze.
"Ah Ying, it's Zhou Heng, the Yongzhou regional inspector!" Yuan Qi gasped.
Xu Ying remained silent. The slave was indeed Zhou Heng, the regional inspector of Yongzhou. Xu Ying was well acquainted with him. Zhou Heng had ruled Yongzhou for many years, arrogant and tyrannical, committing crimes too numerous to record.
Under his governance, the people of Yongzhou had suffered unbearable misery, all of which Xu Ying had seen with his own eyes. The correspondence between Zhou Qiyun and Xu Ying had also been delivered by his hand.
To see him reduced to a chained slave truly shook Xu Ying's heart.
"Master Xu, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter," Zhou Heng said, his expression half laughing, half weeping.
Xu Ying waved his hand, and the Pei clan disciple dragged Zhou Heng away.
Pei Jingting remarked, "The Zhou clan was, after all, an upstart clan that lacked restraint. Relying on an invincible patriarch, they acted with extreme ruthlessness. They not only exploited the common folk, but also crossed paths with the other great clans. Now that Ancestor White Eyebrows is dead, the Zhou clan lacked the virtue to match their position, yet clung to high offices and vast wealth. It is only fitting they met this catastrophe."
Walking alongside him, Xu Ying asked, "The Pei clan knows Zhou Qiyun is dead?"
Pei Jingting chuckled. "Who doesn't know the movements of the Zhou clan? They scattered like locusts. Catching a few and interrogating them was enough to make everything clear."
He sighed with emotion. "Zhou Qiyun failed his tribulation, leaving behind an ascension rosy glow, turning Mount Jiuyi into an ascension site. Over that single ascension site, the great clans fought until brains were spilled and countless people died."
Xu Ying had spent these past days secluded in cultivation within the Mount Wuwang ascension site, completely unaware that so much had transpired. "Did the Mount Jiuyi ascension site fall into the hands of the Pei clan?"
Pei Jingting sighed. "Our Pei clan wished to monopolize it, but the land of Shenzhou hides dragons and crouching tigers; every great clan has old eccentrics holding down the fort. Claiming sole possession was impossible. Fortunately, my Pei clan is best at playing mediator and smoothing things over. Please!"
They arrived at the foot of the mountain to find a precious carriage waiting. Yoked to the carriage were two white rhinoceroses. Their bodies exuded heavy demon qi, but an even heavier scent of incense smoke qi!
White rhinoceroses naturally possessed long lifespans; once they cultivated into demons, they could live for one to two thousand years. If they enjoyed incense during that time and became demon gods, they could forge golden bodies and attain immense strength.
"These two white rhinoceroses were taken in by our ancestors and are already eighteen hundred years old. Unless receiving an honored guest, we would never deploy them," Pei Jingting said.
Xu Ying followed him aboard the white rhinoceros carriage. The two beasts trod upon clouds, rising step by step and pulling the carriage into the mist as they soared toward the northeast.
"This time at the Mount Jiuyi ascension site, when they had fought themselves into a bloodbath, our Pei clan stepped in as the peacemaker to broker an agreement: everyone shares the benefits equally,"
Pei Jingting said with a faint smile. "By setting designated times and a fixed quota of disciples, anyone can make use of the ascension site. My Pei clan didn't spill a drop of blood, yet we walked away with a share of the spoils. That is the wisdom of an ancient clan."
The interior of the white rhinoceros carriage was vast, resembling a grand palace hall. The company took their seats according to host and guest. Xu Ying was unfamiliar with such courtly etiquette, but with Yuan Qi perched at his ear giving quiet cues, he managed not to take the wrong seat.
Strings and woodwinds struck up an airy tune. Seven graceful, alluring women stepped briskly from the rear hall with dainty strides. With a flick of azure sleeves drifting past Xu Ying's eyes, they began twisting their waists and dancing before him.
Xu Ying felt somewhat at a loss, but quickly composed himself, thinking, *The girls in the cities are truly pretty, and they smell sweet too. Their arms are so fair... and everywhere else is fair as well. It's just a pity they're so poor they can't afford proper clothes. Every time they dance, so much flesh is exposed.*
"What melody is this?" he inquired.
"This tune is called 'Pure Serene Music,'" Pei Jingting answered, knowing Xu Ying lacked worldly experience. "We are heading to the imperial capital, which is also called Shendu. Back then, Emperor Zetian Dasheng usurped the throne with the ambition of forging a Divine Kingdom, merging imperial and divine authority into one, which was why she renamed the capital Shendu. However, she failed to accomplish it. Only after Emperor Zhidao Dasheng ascended the throne and marched into the Nether Court was Emperor Zetian Dasheng's dying wish fulfilled. In those days, myriad kingdoms came to pay homage, and Shendu rivaled the heavenly courts in its sheer magnificence!"
Beside Xu Ying was a carriage window. Looking outside, he saw many Pei clan disciples riding winged demon gods, escorting the carriage on all sides.
He glanced back. Mount Wuwang and Mount Jiuyi stood in separate regions of the new territory, gazing across at each other from afar. Along the perimeter of the new territory, massive chasms still roiled; the intrusion from the Netherworld had not ceased.
More and more expanses of earth were being unleashed from the abyss.
Xu Ying had remained inside the new territory without venturing out. The Yongzhou new territory had been the focal point of this upheaval of heaven and earth, the crucible where so much had taken place.
Now, standing high in the sky, he realized the world was no longer what it once was.
Without him noticing, new territories had cropped up across the length and breadth of Shenzhou. The mortal realm had grown vastly larger—and vastly more dangerous.
Looking down from on high, Xu Ying saw that Shenzhou was entirely transformed. The divine dynasty originally founded by the three great sovereigns—Emperor Wenwu Dasheng, Emperor Zetian Dasheng, and Emperor Zhidao Dasheng—had been fractured into disjointed pieces by the emerging lands, scattered across heaven and earth.
The ancient divine empire stood on the brink of collapse.
Xu Ying turned back. Within the carriage, songs and dances continued in peaceful splendor.
Amidst a golden age, dark crises lay concealed. Everyone saw them, yet everyone pretended not to notice, continuing to sing and dance.
Everyone believed that when the sky fell, it would not crush them.
Yuan Qi poked his head out from Xu Ying's collar and asked, "Elder Pei, your Pei clan has produced so many Nuo immortals—did they suffer misfortune in their twilight years?"
Pei Jingting's expression shifted abruptly. He summoned an attendant. "Go check if the water for tea has boiled yet."
The attendant answered, "Not yet."
"If that pot of water hasn't boiled, don't bring it up," Pei Jingting said.
Catching the unspoken hint, Yuan Qi held his tongue and asked no more.
Even with eighteen hundred years of cultivation, the two white rhinoceros demon gods began to tire after half a day of continuous flight. The other mounts of the Pei clan were also struggling to keep pace, so they descended to find a place to rest.
Nestled among the mountains was a small town where residents still lived. The group touched down within it, drawing many curious stares from the locals.
Pei Jingting glanced around, his heart tightening. He sensed that some of the townsfolk had breaths of incredible length; where an ordinary person breathed a dozen times, they drew only a single breath!
*We are being watched.*
Pei Jingting's eyes narrowed. He whispered, "Pei Yu, take the clansmen to burn incense for the two elder white rhinoceroses so they can swiftly restore their incense smoke qi! Also, instruct everyone not to loiter in town or eat anything from outside!"
The Pei disciple was startled, realizing the gravity of the situation, and hurried off. Yet several Pei clan members still took advantage of the rest stop to slip off into the town in search of pleasure.
Pei Jingting was exceedingly cautious, ordering his own cooks to build fires and prepare meals, refusing to touch a single item from the town. When mealtime arrived, more than thirty people had not returned. A Grand Nuo of the Pei clan went out to search for them, but he too failed to return.
After eating, the others wanted to wait a little longer, but Pei Jingting shook his head. "We wait no longer. Leave immediately!"
The company hastily mounted their beasts. The two white rhinoceroses kicked up auspicious clouds and vaulted into the air, pulling the carriage back into the sky.
As the town receded into the distance, a heavy gloom settled over everyone. Several dozen people, neither living nor dead, had simply vanished into that small town.
Pei Jingting stepped out of the carriage and peered downward. The town had already shrunk to a speck barely visible to the eye.
With a cold sneer, the old man pressed his palm down toward the empty air. The entire town suddenly caved in, sinking more than a hundred feet into the earth!
The town and its surrounding perimeter, several li across, were crushed into a single colossal palm print.
"I could not act inside the town, but I can avenge you," Pei Jingting muttered flatly.
Just then, a gentle breeze swept past. In mid-stride, the massive heads of the galloping white rhinoceroses silently detached from their necks.
Within that gentle breeze, experts of the Pei clan were cleanly quartered without a sound. Pei Jingting whipped his head around, catching the glint of cold steel dancing within the draft. In mere moments, more than half of his accompanying Pei experts were slaughtered!
The two white rhinoceroses, who had served the Pei clan for eighteen hundred years, were likewise dismembered in the breeze!
The white rhinoceros carriage shattered into fragments!
Inside, Xu Ying had been admiring the dance of the seven graceful maidens when suddenly their heads were severed from their bodies as well, and the entire palace hall disintegrated into dust!
The terrifying breeze rushed toward him, only to part abruptly and whistle past his flanks.
A single stray strand of the youth's hair brushed against the breeze and was instantly pulverized.
Only then did Xu Ying realize he was sitting in midair, surrounded by Nuo masters, Grand Nuo, and demon gods of the Pei clan being dismantled by the wind!
"Ah Ying!" Yuan Qi cried out in terror.
Xu Ying remained calm and composed. "No need to panic. The Pei clan will handle it. This person's technique is clumsy; they nicked a strand of my hair."
Pei Jingting threw himself in front of the surviving Pei clan disciples who had yet to be touched by the wind. Towering fury erupted within him. He pushed his cultivation to its peak, and an otherworldly expanse of jade-glazed crystal manifested behind him, nine great cave-heavens anchored deep within the glass!
Violent yuan qi surged outward as his Hidden Scenery latent transformation revealed his immortal presence—his soul standing tall within the latent transformation ground, ethereal as an immortal!
"Boundless Ocean!"
Pei Jingting roared, thrusting both palms forward into the breeze. Thunder shook the heavens as a vast ocean materialized out of nowhere, stretching tens of thousands of li, crashing forward with irresistible force alongside his palm power!
The sea was dark and grim, lashing with thunder and lightning, heavy beyond measure. It shattered the breeze and slammed into a towering mountain dozens of li away!
The mountain peak blew apart with a deafening blast, riddled with cracks. Yet the divine power of the Boundless Ocean seemed to hit an obstacle, as if striking an invisible wall; the churning seawater exploded in all directions with a deafening roar!
With his greyish-white hair wildly flying, Pei Jingting roared once more. His yuan qi surged again, his palm power doubling!
The mountain collapsed, and the rolling sea steamrolled across it. From the distance, a voice laughed heartily as it retreated at blinding speed: "Pei the Second, you risk your life over a mere joke! How stingy of you—can't even take a little jest..."
Pei Jingting's face was ashen. He dismissed his divine power, and the surging ocean vanished.
Turning back, he found that of the nearly three hundred Pei clan disciples and retainers he had brought, only two people remained alive, including himself!
The surviving disciple was none other than Seventh Young Master Pei Ye, who had previously been gravely injured by Yuan Qi. He was pale as a ghost, frightened out of his wits.
Pei Jingting looked at Xu Ying, only to see sword qi swirling around the youth as he hovered steadily in midair, his expression completely unfazed.
Suppressing the fury in his chest and calming his roiling blood and qi, Pei Jingting said in a deep voice, "Is Demon King Xu not afraid?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "I already said, who is coercing whom remains to be seen. Has Elder Pei forgotten?"
Pei Jingting's eyelid twitched. With a gentle stomp of his foot, a great river arched across the sky. His expression returned to normal as he said, "Demon King Xu, after you. I'm afraid the Demon King might get his feet wet this time."
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "Even getting soaked to the skin wouldn't matter."
He descended onto the river's surface and dismissed his sword qi. The waves of the aerial river bore his feet, carrying him forward at a brisk pace.
Leading Seventh Young Master Pei Ye, Pei Jingting maintained his river technique to escort Xu Ying forward, thinking to himself, *He is the Demon King Xu who understands the demon arts of Qi Refiners; no one will touch him. But they will definitely come for us...*
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Seventh Young Master Pei Ye fell stiffly forward, an arrow protruding from his back, dead on the spot.
He had been silently sniped!
Pei Jingting's eye twitched uncontrollably. Gritting his teeth against the surging fury, he continued onward.
Chapter 92