Xu the Great Benefactor

City God Xue Lingfu was pinned beneath a willow tree. Seeing Xu Ying approaching with the Great Bell, the City God suddenly sat up and laughed heartily, "Our Underworld Court is blessed by heaven! Today we have Xu Ying!"

Just moments before, he and Zhou Yihang had attacked together, intending to kill Xu Ying. However, they had mistakenly struck the Great Bell, and the bell's rebound had nearly shattered his five hundred years of cultivation in his Golden Body, and the Incense Qi accumulated in his shrine was almost reduced to dust!

Fortunately, the Earth God was in the temple at the time, enfeoffing Huang Sanduo, Steward Huang, as a deity and had not left. Seeing him injured, the Earth God quickly emerged from his side, inserted a few sticks of incense into the shrine, and offered them to him.

Receiving the incense, the City God finally managed to catch his breath, gathered the scattered Incense Qi, and stabilized his Golden Body.

Now, with Xu Ying running towards him, it was like walking into a trap. Even though the City God was deeply calculating, he couldn't help but beam with joy.

Before he could even stand up, Xu Ying was only two to three zhang away. The young man was turning around as he ran!

As City God Xue Lingfu just got to his feet, his smile still gracing his face, he saw a great bell sweep towards him!

"My Lord, defend!" the Earth God cried out in alarm.

City God Xue Lingfu remained calm in the face of danger. He immediately mobilized his remaining Incense Qi, transforming it into a large shield to block at his side.

"Bang!"

The shield was crushed by the bell. The bronze bell continued to sweep forward. City God Xue Lingfu ducked his head, shrugged his shoulders, and prepared to withstand the blow head-on, while simultaneously reaching out with his left hand to grab Xu Ying.

With the shield acting as a buffer, he was dazed by the impact but otherwise unharmed.

Zhou Yihang, watching from afar, thought to himself with dismay, "Xue Lingfu has the Earth God offering incense to him, so he's recovering faster than I am! I fear Xu Ying will fall into his hands!"

However, Xu Ying was like a spinning top that had come unraveled. As he charged forward, he spun wildly. Just as the City God Xue Lingfu blocked the bell's impact, the bell spun around like a madman and struck again, its speed so fast that he couldn't keep up!

Couldn't keep up, meaning his eyes couldn't follow it.

If his eyes couldn't follow, let alone his hands and feet?

City God Xue Lingfu withstood the bell's second impact, but not the third, fourth, or fifth. He was sent tumbling and rolling through the air!

The moment he flew into the air, he was struck by the bell several more times, his flight speed increasing even further. He was smashed directly towards the temple!

The Earth God had been hiding behind the City God. When Xue Lingfu was smashed away, how could he fare any better? He too was sent flying by the bell, his whereabouts unknown.

Zhou Yihang saw the City God flying towards him and quickly dodged. With a loud crash, the City God smashed into the temple wall.

Xu Ying, dragging the bell, charged forward. Before he even got close, he leaped sideways, pressing his hand lightly against the ground, and began to spin parallel to the earth at high speed!

The Great Bell was also swung, whistling and spinning, and with a clang, it struck the temple wall, smashing the City God Xue Lingfu, along with the wall, into the ground!

"Clang, clang, clang, clang!"

A series of explosive sounds rang out. The City God Xue Lingfu's Golden Body was actually smashed in half!

Zhou Yihang mobilized his Ni Wan Secret Treasury, desperately trying to repair his body. Suddenly, Xu Ying, head down and feet up, spun like a windmill, and the whistling Great Bell struck him!

"I've lost this time," Zhou Yihang thought, his heart turning to ice. He was brutally struck by the Great Bell, half of his body flying off.

After knocking Zhou Yihang away, Xu Ying immediately turned, swinging the Great Bell to smash at the City God, giving neither of them a chance to breathe.

Zhou Yihang landed, spitting blood. Seeing Xu Ying charging towards him, he shouted, "City God Xue, we can only survive if we join forces!"

The City God Xue Lingfu's Golden Body was shattered by half, and the other half was tattered. His Incense Qi was also on the verge of scattering, making it difficult to hold on. Hearing Zhou Yihang's call, he realized that his old rival was also at his wit's end.

"If we don't join forces, we'll truly be beaten to death by this junior in Huangtianpu Town!"

With this thought, he gathered his remaining Magic Power. His Incense Qi transformed into a hand over ten feet long, reaching into the temple.

Huang Sanduo, the newly appointed temple deity, was hiding in the temple, observing the battle. He saw the City God's giant hand reaching for him and was grabbed.

Huang Sanduo cried out in a panic, "City God Xue, do you remember? I gave you a gift!"

"I know, that's why I'm borrowing your life!"

City God Xue Lingfu, using all his strength, hurled him out, smashing him towards Xu Ying!

Xu Ying was in the process of swinging the bell at Zhou Yihang. He caught sight of the two six-armed divine statues flying towards him and quickly turned, letting the Great Bell meet Huang Sanduo.

The Great Bell struck the divine statues, and they immediately shattered into pieces. Huang Sanduo was merely a newly appointed deity, having only just enjoyed a trace of incense. His divine body was broken, his divine soul turned to dust, and a single inextinguishable true spirit flew towards the Underworld.

However, this brief delay allowed Zhou Yihang to catch his breath. He immediately mobilized his remaining Magic Power, activated the Dong Jun Pingtian Seal, and struck the Great Bell with his palm.

"Clang!"

The Great Bell let out a world-shattering roar. It was lifted by the terrifying power unleashed by the Dong Jun Pingtian Seal, tumbling and rolling into the sky.

Xu Ying was not hit by the Dong Jun Pingtian Seal, but he felt an irresistible force surge towards him, sweeping him up. In the air, he spun and rolled uncontrollably for who knew how many revolutions.

"This is bad! I can make the Great Bell perform all sorts of actions, but the Great Bell can also make me perform all sorts of actions," the young man thought.

The Great Bell hit the ground, bounced, fell, and rolled dozens of zhang.

Xu Ying also hit the ground, bounced, fell, and rolled dozens of zhang.

Zhou Yihang and City God Xue Lingfu were stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "To deal with him, we have to use this method!"

Xu Ying placed his hands on the ground and stood up, warily staring at the two of them.

Zhou Yihang and Xue Lingfu managed to get to their feet, but neither of them advanced. Although they were the top powerhouses in Lingling, they were both at their wit's end. Even though they knew how to deal with Xu Ying, if they charged forward without the cooperation of a partner, they would likely be beaten by Xu Ying swinging the bell.

Xu Ying, having suffered a setback, felt his shoulder wound burst open. He also knew things were not looking good and slowly began to retreat, staring at the two of them.

He retreated into the drugstore.

The drugstore apprentice had already wrapped the medicine and packed it into a large sack. He and the drugstore owner stood outside the shop, watching. Seeing Xu Ying approach, they quickly returned to the shop.

Xu Ying snatched the sack, slung it over his shoulder, and carefully retreated, lest the Great Bell knock down the pharmacy the moment he turned around.

He exited the pharmacy, turned, and ran out of town.

Clang, clang, clang. The Great Bell, trailing smoke, followed him, its sound like a group of people happily beating gongs and drums behind him.

Zhou Yihang and Xue Lingfu, each suppressing their injuries, did not pursue, letting Xu Ying leave.

"You walk by the river often, how can your shoes not get wet?"

Zhou Yihang exerted all his strength, mobilizing the vitality of his Ni Wan Secret Treasury to repair his physical damage, and said with a bitter smile, "This time, it wasn't just wet shoes, I was almost dragged to my death by this little fellow Xu Ying."

City God Xue's face was grim, his Golden Body crackled, and golden fragments occasionally exploded, turning into gold upon landing.

That Earth God, appearing from who knows where, knelt at City God Xue's feet, offered him incense, and kowtowed, muttering incantations.

The scattered Incense Qi of City God Xue gradually coalesced again, and the broken gold on the ground bounced, as if it had legs, hopping back towards him.

"Xu Ying took us by surprise and injured us with his protective magical artifact. With proper defenses, dealing with his broken bell won't be difficult."

City God Xue said lightly, "It's just that Old Master Zhou probably won't be able to personally capture Xu Ying, because Old Master Zhou will soon be heading to the Yellow Springs."

As soon as he finished speaking, demonic energy filled the town entrance, and a Demon God strode into Huangtianpu Town.

City God Xue said, "I have an Earth God who can travel underground, summon reinforcements from mountains and lakes, and also monitor Xu Ying's movements. Old Master Zhou is injured and probably powerless to resist my subordinate Demon God, right?"

Zhou Yihang sighed and chuckled softly, "You can call for reinforcements, but I can't? Does City God Xue not know my Zhou family's Nu Art, where every blade of grass and tree can be an enemy? It's not difficult for me to notify some juniors to come and assist."

At the other end of Huangtianpu Town, officials from various departments of Lingling County, such as the Director of Merit, the Director of Granaries, and the Director of Revenue, arrived one after another.

Deities from various villages and towns, as well as various Demon Gods, also arrived at Huangtianpu Town. Upon seeing the injured City God, they were greatly shocked, hastily bowed, offered incense, and inquired about his well-being.

On the other side, there were also dozens of officials from Lingling County, including the Judicial Assistants, Granary Assistants, Revenue Assistants, Military Assistants, Judicial Assistants, Scholar Assistants, and Warden, from various departments. Although fewer in number than the deities, they were all Nu Masters raised by the Zhou family, and their skills far surpassed those of ordinary Grass Head Gods.

The two sides formed ranks and confronted each other, radiating killing intent.

After the death of Emperor Mingxiao of Zhidao, the disharmony between divine authority and imperial authority was already common knowledge.

It was even more pronounced in Yongzhou.

While other places could maintain a semblance of harmony, in Yongzhou, especially in Lingling, where the emperor's reach was far away, imperial authority barely extended to the county level, let alone divine authority.

Here, the Zhou family was the de facto ruler, carving out their own territory and clashing with the divine authority of the Underworld Court, an irreconcilable conflict.

Zhou Yihang resumed the appearance of a refined old man and, forcing himself, walked to the front of the formation, smiling, "City God, this matter was originally a misunderstanding, wasn't it?"

City God Xue Lingfu, having received the incense offerings from the village and town gods, managed to suppress his injuries and stepped forward, saying sternly, "This matter was indeed a misunderstanding."

Zhou Yihang smiled, "Since it's a misunderstanding, and the fugitive Xu Ying is fleeing in panic, it's really not appropriate for our two sides to argue further. Wouldn't it be a laughingstock if that Xu Ying escaped from Lingling?"

City God Xue Lingfu showed a look of shame, "Old Master Zhou speaks wisely. The fugitive Xu Ying is extremely dangerous and has violated heavenly laws. He should be brought to justice as soon as possible and not be delayed. Let's set aside the misunderstanding between our two families for now and discuss it in the future."

Zhou Yihang said sternly, "I have the same intention."

The two men each gave orders, instructing their officials, village and town gods, and water and land deities to track and capture Xu Ying, while they themselves remained behind their respective forces to recover from their injuries.

City God Xue ordered an Earth God to offer incense and instructed, "The matter of Xu Ying is of great importance. Go and invite the divine dragon from Ningyuan Confucian Temple to assist."

Zhou Yihang also secretly ordered someone to invite the County Magistrate Zhou Yang. When Zhou Yang arrived at Huangtianpu Town and saw Zhou Yihang's injuries, he was astonished.

"Yang'er, Xu Ying is on the run. Have the officials with lower cultivation levels come down; they are no match for the suspect. You lead some skilled individuals to capture him personally. I will hold the rear for you and guard against Xue Lingfu."

Zhou Yihang instructed, "Also, report Xu Ying's matter to the Provincial Governor and ask him to mobilize the Zhou family's experts to hunt down Xu Ying."

County Magistrate Zhou Yang was startled and said, "This brat is just a commoner from the countryside, is it necessary to alarm the Provincial Governor?"

The Provincial Governor of Yongzhou, surnamed Zhou and named Heng, was the imperial governor stationed in Yongzhou, holding military power and commanding a vast number of experts. Although Zhou Yang was also a member of the Zhou family, he could not access the core of the Zhou family's power.

Only a handful of people could enter this aristocratic family's power center, and Provincial Governor Zhou Heng was one of them.

Zhou Yang was quite puzzled. Reporting Xu Ying's matter to Provincial Governor Zhou Heng would be handing over credit. Why not keep this credit for himself?

Zhou Yihang said, "The suspect Xu Ying has cultivated his demonic arts to the level of a Demon King. Even among demons, few reach this level. Our Zhou family absolutely cannot allow him to fall into the hands of the Underworld Court!"

Zhou Yang hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and asked, "Father, our ancestor's cultivation is heaven-defying. He has fully unlocked the power of the Secret Treasury, and few ghosts or deities in the world today can surpass him. Why is he still so interested in demonic arts?"

Zhou Yihang's gaze was distant, "Yang'er, you are not yet qualified to access these secrets. However, since you are curious, I will tell you some of the secrets I know."

He was silent for a moment and said, "Twenty years ago, I followed an elder of our clan to Duqiao Mountain in Lingbei County, Lingnan. There, our clan's Nu Masters discovered an ancient grotto-heaven. The elder searched through royal ancient texts and speculated that this was the cultivation place of the ancient Qi Refiner Tuo Yu, and it was likely a rare and relatively well-preserved grotto-heaven in the Divine Land. That time, three clan elders were present, two hundred core disciples of the Zhou family, and a thousand Nu Masters. We explored this grotto-heaven in a grand expedition. We encountered many strange phenomena."

Fear appeared in his eyes. After a moment, he calmed his emotions and said, "Strange phenomena that neither Nu Art, Nu Techniques, nor the spells of ghosts and deities could explain! These strange phenomena could only be explained by immortal arts and divine methods! We Nu Masters, including the three clan elders, couldn't understand them at all! Couldn't understand, do you understand?"

The fear in his eyes turned to despair.

The Zhou family's deep excavation of the grotto-heaven in Duqiao Mountain resulted in heavy casualties. All thousand Nu Masters were wiped out, more than half of the Zhou family's core disciples were killed or injured, and one of the three clan elders was also lost.

Finally, after paying a heavy price, they brought back some items from the ancient grotto-heaven in Duqiao Mountain. Among them was a jade slip left by the ancient Qi Refiner Tuo Yu.

The slip was one foot two inches long, as green as tender bamboo, with golden characters on it that no one could decipher.

In addition to the jade slip, there was also a handwritten ancient book, which should be the textual record left by the ancient Qi Refiner Tuo Yu after deciphering the jade slip.

This ancient book was a cultivation method, obscure and difficult to understand.

"We also saw a mural of tribulation transcendence and ascension to immortality in that grotto-heaven, so some clan elders speculated that the ancient Qi Refiner Tuo Yu had seen someone ascend to immortality. What she deciphered was precisely the cultivation method of an immortal!"

Zhou Yihang said, steadying himself, "From then on, I never saw that ancient book again. However, I still remember the scene when those clan elders saw that ancient book and flipped through it. Their expressions were very strange, as if they had eaten three-day-old swill! They said..."

He paused and said, "They said that the beginning of the immortal method deciphered by Tuo Yu was the same as demonic arts."

County Magistrate Zhou Yang's eyes widened, a storm raging in his heart.

In the mountains and wilds of Lingling, monsters were numerous. While they weren't everywhere, you could stumble upon one or two by chance.

Some of these monsters wreaked havoc on the countryside, some hid deep in the mountains, and others, with the audacity of a leopard, claimed territory as their own. However, most of those who had cultivated to become Demon Kings were absorbed by the Underworld Court, granted official positions like Mountain God or River God, and tasked with managing the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas for the Underworld.

Zhou Yang looked down on monsters. Their cultivation methods were bizarre and varied, but they were all Qi Gathering Stage techniques. After reaching the peak of the Qi Gathering Stage, their path ended, and they could go no further.

Demon cultivators were inferior to Nu Masters. Once Nu Masters opened their Secret Treasures, they could harness the power within to refine their Hidden Scenery, allowing their cultivation to grow ever higher, reaching the heavens and earth, their abilities surpassing mortal comprehension!

The ancestor of the Zhou family was a figure at the very pinnacle of this world, someone even the current Emperor treated with respect!

But demon cultivators were even inferior to deities who received divine titles through Incense Qi!

Deities who received divine titles through Incense Qi, as long as their divine positions remained, could continuously absorb Incense Qi, their magic power growing deeper by the day, and they could cultivate to extremely formidable realms!

Only demon cultivators could only reach the Qi Gathering Stage, at best becoming a Demon King, or being enfeoffed as a Demon God, ruling over no more than a single mountain.

As for demon cultivation techniques, they were largely uninspired, and few people bothered to study or research them.

But now, Zhou Yihang had actually said that the opening of immortal methods was the same as demon methods, and Zhou Yang couldn't help but be shocked!

"The ancient Qi Refiner Tuo Yu left behind this scripture. Although it's a deciphered immortal method, it's too obscure and difficult to understand, requiring further deciphering."

Zhou Yihang closed his eyes to rest and said, "Even deciphering this scripture has worn out several geniuses of my Zhou family, and many brilliant figures in the clan have grown gray-haired worrying about it. It's too hard to comprehend."

He sighed, tears welling in the corners of his eyes.

Zhou Yang's eyes flickered. "This is why Xu Ying, who can decipher the demon race's cultivation methods, appears so exceptionally rare."

"But if my Zhou family cannot obtain it, then it must be destroyed. We cannot let other families benefit!"

Zhou Yihang's expression turned somewhat cold. He waved his hand and said, "Yang'er, you may go. Remember to notify the Provincial Governor."

County Magistrate Zhou Yang acknowledged this and bowed, then departed.

In a cave on Mount Xiao in Lingling, Xu Ying stood inside, looking out. The sky was overcast, with thunder and rain. The rain poured down heartily, like a deluge, and the strong wind whipped the rain into streaks, making them dance and sway.

The sky gradually darkened.

This sudden downpour blocked the pursuing soldiers.

Xu Ying withdrew his gaze. A large pot was suspended over a bonfire in the cave, simmering medicine.

The snake demon Yuan Qi was curled up by the bonfire, warming himself, looking sickly as he waited for the medicinal ingredients to be brewed.

In a corner of the cave, a black bear cowered, looking at Xu Ying with fear. This was his cave, yet it had now been occupied by Xu Ying and Yuan Qi.

"Xiong Qianli, don't be afraid. We'll leave after the rain stops," Xu Ying said kindly, trying to comfort the bear demon.

The black bear spoke human words. "Great Benefactor Xu, are you tricking me? Last time you stole my scriptures, you said you'd return them after reading them, but you still haven't!"