Before long, the wind weakened slightly. Great Bell plummeted from the sky, smashing and rolling with a clang for dozens of zhang before finally coming to a stop.
Xu Ying rolled out from inside Great Bell, both legs still trembling. His knees nearly gave way, and he hurriedly grabbed Great Bell to steady himself.
After the chaos, everything fell silent.
Xu Ying staggered forward, climbed a small hill, and froze. One of Plague God's tentacles had struck the place where they had just been standing, blasting out a massive crater a hundred zhang across, so deep that its bottom could not be seen!
White wisps of smoke still rose from the crater.
Xu Ying caught his breath. Great Bell came wobbling through the air and said, "A Ying, Plague God has probably set his sights on you. Since that strike missed, He'll definitely remember you every now and then and give you another poke."
Xu Ying shuddered and forced out a faint smile. "Plague God was sent back to the Heavenly Dao World. How could He come down again so easily?"
Great Bell said, "Unless someone summons Plague God again. The moment He descends, He'll sense your aura and poke you with a finger."
Xu Ying laughed loudly to bolster his courage. "Summoning a heavenly god isn't easy. I doubt anyone will summon Plague God again anytime soon."
Great Bell said leisurely, "By the time Plague God descends again, my injuries should have healed."
Xu Ying's eyes lit up, and he asked expectantly, "Once your injuries heal, you'll be able to withstand Plague God?"
Great Bell spat loudly. "Once my injuries heal, of course I'll stay far away from you, Plague God, and let Him strike you to death! Ever since I met you, I haven't had a single good day. I've either been gravely wounded by a demoness or beaten senseless by a deity, and you even used me to knock down walls. Now I've got another blood debt with Plague God!"
Xu Ying said, "I've felt my qi and blood growing abundant lately, and I sense that I'm about to break through. I'll probably enter the Gate Knocking Stage soon."
Great Bell softened its tone and consoled him, "Focus on cultivating, and stop dwelling on Plague God's revenge. If the sky falls, Master Zhong will hold it up for you. Master Zhong is tall, after all. Uh, once you break through, lend me some qi and blood to heal my injuries..."
Xu Ying sat down on the hill and activated his heavenly eye, gazing across this unfamiliar land. The black plague aura filling heaven and earth gradually dispersed. In the distance, the people who had been afflicted had lost all their Plague God tentacles, leaving only scars. It would not be long before they recovered from the plague.
This world gradually became clear as well.
"So the Maiden in the Coffin's purpose was to send Plague God away and save the common people."
Xu Ying was somewhat puzzled. The Maiden had been suppressed in the Dry Well of the Stone Mountain Desolate Temple for several thousand years. Shouldn't she have been a fiend or Demon King of supreme wickedness?
How could a fiend or Demon King save the common people?
If the Maiden in the Coffin was a good person, then were the people who suppressed her good or evil?
What about Great Bell? Was it good or evil?
Xu Ying suddenly realized that he had assumed from the start that Great Bell's master was a good person who had suppressed evil demons. But what if Great Bell's master was a villain?
"They could both have been villains." Xu Ying glanced at Great Bell and thought.
While he was letting his imagination run wild, Great Bell, worried that the Maiden might return, quietly burrowed into the back of his head and hid near the Ni Wan Secret Treasury.
Thunder continued to rumble in the sky. From time to time, dazzling light illuminated and pierced through heaven and earth, terrifying beyond words.
Xu Ying felt vaguely uneasy. After a long while, the strange phenomena in the sky suddenly vanished without a trace. A moment later, the Black Coffin flew over and landed before him.
Xu Ying looked up and saw the Maiden drifting down from the sky, landing lightly in front of him.
"I gravely wounded the person who summoned Plague God. My Primordial Spirit is still tracking him and investigating his purpose, so I have no time to personally send you back."
The Maiden opened the Black Coffin and rummaged around. She took out two leaves and a basin of clear water, placed one leaf in the basin, and said, "When you reach the River of Oblivion's Edge, place this leaf on the water. Stand on the leaf, set down the basin, and blow on the leaf inside it. Remember, do not let anything disturb the clear water in the basin. I have left a spell inside it that can send you back to Mount Wu Wang."
Xu Ying held the basin of clear water in both hands and pinched one of the leaves. He was about to speak when he suddenly began drifting upward against his will, sailing through the air. In the next moment, he arrived at the River of Oblivion's Edge.
He turned around, but the Maiden had already vanished.
Xu Ying composed himself and looked at the leaf in his hand. It was an ordinary Maple Leaf. Both leaves were still tender and had not yet turned yellow.
"Can this Maple Leaf really take me back to Mount Wu Wang?"
Half skeptical, half convinced, Xu Ying tossed the Maple Leaf into the River of Oblivion. As it fell, it rapidly grew larger. By the time it landed on the river, it was already two or three zhang long, with its stem curving upward.
The Maple Leaf floated in the River of Oblivion, utterly motionless.
Xu Ying cautiously extended a foot and stepped onto the Maple Leaf after testing it.
The enormous Maple Leaf floated on the surface of the water, astonishingly steady. It was not buffeted by the winds and waves of the River of Oblivion at all.
Xu Ying relaxed. He held the basin while sitting on the Maple Leaf and blew on the Maple Leaf inside it, thinking, She says I can return to Mount Wu Wang by blowing like this. Is it really true?
The Maple Leaf in the basin drifted forward under his breath. Strangely, though the basin was only about a chi across, the Maple Leaf kept drifting ahead without ever reaching its edge.
This tiny basin seemed to contain infinite space!
Xu Ying was watching the leaf in the basin when a fierce wind suddenly rose behind him. It sent the giant Maple Leaf beneath him racing upstream against the River of Oblivion, carrying it dozens of li in the blink of an eye!
Xu Ying was startled and bewildered, but the sudden gale gradually weakened, and the giant Maple Leaf slowed as well.
As if possessed, he puffed out his cheeks and blew another breath at the Maple Leaf in the basin. Sure enough, the gale rose again, driving the giant Maple Leaf on the River of Oblivion upstream at lightning speed toward where he had come from!
Xu Ying marveled repeatedly. "I never imagined such a spell existed in this world. It's truly miraculous!"
Great Bell flew out from the back of his head and said disdainfully, "It merely folds space. Nothing worth mentioning."
Xu Ying extended one finger, trying to poke the leaf in the basin. Great Bell hurriedly said, "A Ying, don't mess around!"
Suddenly, thunder boomed overhead. Xu Ying looked up and saw the sky split open. An incomparably thick finger scraped through the air, erupting with rolling thunderfire as it came from beyond the heavens and pressed down toward the Maple Leaf boat!
Xu Ying hurriedly stopped his finger, and the enormous finger from beyond the heavens halted as well.
Xu Ying withdrew his finger, and the pillar-like finger reaching down from beyond the heavens likewise pulled back, finally vanishing into concealment.
Xu Ying broke out in a cold sweat.
Great Bell sighed in relief and said, "Space Magic isn't something you can play with casually. Be careful not to play yourself to death. Behave!"
Xu Ying obediently sat before the basin. Whenever the Maple Leaf boat slowed, he blew another breath to speed it up.
However, he still had the mindset of a young man. He secretly extended a finger into the basin, and the finger from beyond the heavens appeared again, reaching into the firmament.
"My finger is huge!" Xu Ying exclaimed in wonder.
He adjusted its position, keeping the finger beyond the heavens away from the river, and leisurely admired his enormous finger. Suddenly, there came a thunderous boom. The finger slammed into the peak of a mountain. Xu Ying felt pain in his finger and hurriedly withdrew it, only to see that the fingertip had been smashed open and was bleeding.
On the left bank of the River of Oblivion, a mountain peak exploded. Broken rocks filled the sky, flying dozens of li away.
Xu Ying jumped in fright and did not dare play around anymore.
Seeing him suffer, Great Bell could not help laughing heartily, clanging loudly.
The Maple Leaf boat traveled more than a thousand li eastward and entered a desolate region. The mountains were steep, and the River of Oblivion rushed violently. When the Maple Leaf boat reached a bend in the river, the current slowed. Suddenly, light appeared ahead. It was a Painted Boat, brightly illuminated, sailing across the River of Oblivion.
At the bend, the river's surface was as broad as the sea. A moon as large as a bushel hung above the western mountains, making the peaks seem much smaller than the moon.
Xu Ying secretly praised the scenery. The underworld had a beauty all its own.
"A Ying, not every boat can sail on the River of Oblivion."
Great Bell lowered its voice. "This Painted Boat likely means trouble."
Suddenly, a voice came from the Painted Boat: "Nai Yue, the wind is fierce on the river. Hang up the Wind-Sheltering Lantern."
A woman's voice answered, "Yes, Young Master Xiang."
Xu Ying looked over and saw a woman emerge from the Painted Boat carrying a lantern. Her figure was graceful. Rising onto her tiptoes, she hung the lantern beneath the eaves.
As soon as the lantern was hung, the fierce wind suddenly stopped. The Maple Leaf boat slowly came to a halt, floating on the water.
Xu Ying raised his brows but said nothing.
At that moment, the "Young Master Xiang" from the Painted Boat emerged and gazed at Xu Ying from afar, astonished. "The one who lashed Plague God in the Country of Judu and drove Him back to the Heavenly Dao World is actually a mere youngster."
Another Painted Boat sailed over. A beautiful woman aboard it giggled. "Young Master Xiang, your Wind-Sheltering Lantern fixed the wind around him, and he's already at a loss. He's clearly a fledgling. You made such a grand show of it and invited me here to help you, all to deal with a junior like this?"
Xu Ying's heart sank. Damn it! There's more than one person behind Plague God's descent. Someone lured the Maiden in the Coffin away, while the others intercepted me on the river.
Xu Ying coughed and gathered his courage. "Who are you people? How dare you block my path? What audacity! How do you compare with Plague God?"
The beautiful woman exchanged a glance with Young Master Xiang, and both of them burst out laughing.
Xu Ying said coldly, "I can beat Plague God. Why can't I beat you? Leave at once. I won't hold it against two juniors like you."
The beautiful woman giggled. "This little devil is still sticking a scallion up his nostril and pretending to be an elephant. We can see your cultivation level at a glance. Young Master Xiang, will you make a move, or shall I?"
Young Master Xiang held a folding fan. With a swish, he opened it and gave it a slight wave, looking suave and elegant as he smiled. "Thirteen Niang, capturing the person who sent Plague God away would be a great achievement. I'll leave this achievement to you."
The beautiful woman looked at Xu Ying, and her heart suddenly stirred. "In the past, I've abducted plenty of handsome, fair young men, but I've never tasted one with dark skin..."
Xu Ying was shocked and enraged. She wants to eat me!
The beautiful woman giggled. Suddenly, two lengths of Red Silk flew from the boat, dancing across the river before transforming into two Red Dragons, their heads as large as mountains and their baleful flames surging into the heavens!
The leading Red Dragon roared. Its dragon cry shook the mountains as it pounced toward the Maple Leaf boat.
Without thinking, Xu Ying pressed one finger into the Bronze Basin before him. At once, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky. Rolling thunderfire surged as a flesh-colored pillar reaching the heavens descended from above, thunderfire coiling around its body. It pressed down on the Red Dragon like a finger pinning an earthworm, forcing it from the surface of the water all the way to the bottom of the River of Oblivion!
The water exploded, sending hundred-zhang waves surging up and tossing both Painted Boats and the Maple Leaf boat into the air.
Young Master Xiang and the beautiful woman were horrified. They hurriedly steadied themselves, and the beautiful woman cried, "He was pretending to be a pig while eating a tiger! He's an old schemer! We underestimated him!"
Xu Ying formed a circle with another finger and his thumb, then flicked.
A thumb descended from the sky and clasped against his middle finger. The middle finger snapped out, and the other Red Dragon spat blood as it was flung away, crashing into the nearby underworld mountains. Its organs ruptured and its bones shattered. It was clearly on the verge of death.
The Red Dragon he had crushed at the bottom of the river had likewise had all its organs shattered. Its flesh was corroded away by the River of Oblivion, leaving only a pile of bleached bones.
Xu Ying was both startled and delighted. "The Bronze Basin has this ability too?"
The beautiful woman was shocked and enraged. With a sharp shout, layers of grotto-heavens appeared behind her, large grotto-heavens nested within small ones. Beyond the grotto-heavens, the phantom of a long river emerged, and Dao Rhyme thundered!
She was about to attack when Xu Ying hurriedly placed his hand in the Bronze Basin and flicked again. The middle finger instantly broke through layer after layer of Nuo Dharma Divine Abilities. Every Nuo Dharma Divine Ability shattered completely, and the enormous middle finger struck the beautiful woman squarely.
The Painted Boat exploded with a boom. The woman spat blood, her hair disheveled, and was knocked back several li before crashing into a mountain.
On the other side, Young Master Xiang waved his folding fan and was about to attack when he suddenly felt dark clouds pressing down overhead. He hurriedly looked up, his eyes nearly splitting from rage.
He saw an enormous hand blotting out the sky, wrapped in endless flames, descending from the firmament toward him!
He could not spare a thought for anything else. He immediately soared into the air, treading on empty space as he fled wildly through the void.
The enormous hand clenched into a fist, chased him for more than a hundred li, and then punched from afar, smashing into his body.
Young Master Xiang plunged into the mountains and wilderness, his fate unknown.
With a crash, the beautiful woman blasted apart the rocks burying her. She rose like a startled swan and cried, "Thirteen Niang was blind and offended Black-Faced Senior. I beg your forgiveness!"
"Black-Faced?"
Xu Ying was furious. He extended his index finger and jabbed repeatedly into the Bronze Basin. At last, he struck the beautiful woman, breaking her bones and tearing her sinews as she spat blood and fell to the ground.
Behind Xu Ying, Great Bell had long since been left dumbfounded.
"It seems the only thing that hasn't improved over the years is me."
It thought to itself, "The demoness was suppressed by me for three thousand years, and her cultivation hasn't advanced, but her divine abilities are truly earth-shaking. Even if no one rescued her, she would have defeated me and broken free on her own after a few more years!"
It had hung in the Stone Mountain Desolate Temple and slept for several thousand years, wasting away the years. The Maiden in the Coffin, however, had continued to improve. As one rose and the other fell, Great Bell realized that it could no longer see through the Maiden in the Coffin's divine abilities.
Before you continue