Zhou Yihang was cleaved in two by a single sword strike. Countless buds of flesh still writhed in the air along the severed surfaces of his two halves, as if searching for the other half of his body so they could reconnect themselves.
However, his undying body was ultimately founded upon the Ni Wan Secret Treasury. At this moment, even the Ni Wan Secret Treasury within him had been split open by Xu Ying's sword, cutting off his vitality. His undying body immediately collapsed.
His two halves writhed for a moment, then the vitality in the buds of flesh vanished. Like dead earthworms, they tumbled to the ground one after another.
This was the world-shaking sword Xu Ying had comprehended before the temple gate. Previously, he had been constrained by his cultivation and had never been able to unleash the full power of this sword.
Only now, after entering the Gate Knocking Stage, with the Great Bell no longer stealing his primordial qi, had he unleashed the full might of this move for the first time!
This sword was balanced and upright, open and aboveboard. The stronger the opponent, the stronger it became. When it slew Zhou Yihang, the Sword Qi that leaked out evenly split four towering trees down the middle, thirty-eight thousand four hundred leaves, some weeds, and a small amount of hair.
"This sword technique shall be called World Breaker." Xu Ying dispersed the Sword Qi and thought to himself.
Nearly half the primordial qi in his body had been squandered by that single sword. He immediately retreated cautiously and whispered, "Yuan Qi, move!"
He sensed that something was not quite right. Besides Provincial Governor Zhou Heng, there seemed to be other people watching him as well, apparently taking a great interest in him.
Yuan Qi rushed onto a floating boulder, then swam to the other end. He curled his body, sprang again, and landed on another boulder more than thirty zhang away.
Xu Ying's gaze fell upon Provincial Governor Zhou Heng. He slowly retreated, then suddenly turned and leaped onto a floating boulder.
He sprinted across the boulder, then threw himself forward with all his strength on his final step!
Below Xu Ying lay an abyss tens of thousands of zhang deep. The young man cut across the sky and landed with a thud on another boulder more than a dozen zhang away.
Xu Ying rolled several times to bleed off the impact, sprang upright, and sprinted again. He leaped into the air once more, jumping toward another floating boulder.
Zhou Heng gazed at Xu Ying's back. He was on one immortal mountain, while Xu Ying was on another, and they were far apart. Yet with Zhou Heng's cultivation and strength, such a distance posed no problem.
Just as he was about to attack, he suddenly saw another figure and had no choice but to force himself to stop.
"Ling Tongpan, he's here too!"
His gaze shifted to Ling Tongpan. The man was tall and thin, like a frail scholar, yet he was wrapped in dense Incense Qi that coiled around him before and behind.
Within the halo behind him floated a scroll and an iron brush.
This man was Ling Tongpan of Yongzhou Prefecture.
In the Yin Court, the deity who governed a county was called a City God. A temple was established, and the City God lived within it. The deity who governed a prefecture was called a Tongpan. A prefecture office was established, and the Tongpan lived there.
Xue Chenghuang was responsible for the affairs of the deities in the Lingling region, while Ling Tongpan was his immediate superior, governing the deities throughout Yongzhou.
Ling Tongpan's name was Ling Youdao. He and Provincial Governor Zhou Heng kept each other in check, and his cultivation and strength were extraordinarily profound.
Zhou Heng narrowed his small eyes and said, "Although Zhou Yihang opened the Ni Wan Secret Treasury to the second layer, he was ultimately only a collateral descendant of the Zhou Family and had no access to the true inheritance. His death is no great loss. But even without the true inheritance, the Nu Art of the Zhou Family is no small matter. It seems Zhou Yang was right—Xu Ying truly is a genius who understands Demonic Arts! He has most likely already found the path beyond the Qi Gathering Stage."
At these words, even the two Ox Demons pulling the carriage reared up on their hind legs and looked toward Xu Ying.
To demons like them, the Qi Gathering Stage was the peak of their entire lives. If someone could truly break through the Qi Gathering Stage, it would be a grace of rebirth for the Demon Race!
Zhou Heng raised his head toward the great temple floating among the mountains. A smile appeared on his chubby face as he said, "Judicial Inspector, lead your men and capture him. Keep him alive. If you can't capture him, drive him into the great temple. I'll head to the great temple and meet Ling Tongpan along the way."
The Judicial Inspector was also a member of the Zhou Family. His name was Zhou Zheng. He bowed and said, "My lord, what should we do if we encounter deities of the Yin Court along the way?"
The carefree expression vanished from Zhou Heng's face. His features turned cold as he said, "During this Underworld Invasion, Yongzhou was the first place struck. It was likely the Yin Court's doing, and Ling Youdao cannot escape responsibility! If those deities obstruct us, kill them without exception!"
Zhou Zheng bowed and led a group of guards away.
On the other side, Ling Tongpan was also looking toward Zhou Heng. After giving instructions to several City Gods under his command, those City Gods immediately led the experts among the deities away.
Only a few people remained beside Ling Tongpan and Provincial Governor Zhou Heng. Ling Tongpan smiled faintly at Zhou Heng, then suddenly took a step and landed in the sky.
The Incense Qi beneath his feet transformed into clouds and mist, lifting his body so he would not fall from the air.
Ling Tongpan walked forward one step at a time. Layers of fragrant clouds continuously formed beneath his feet. Treading upon azure clouds, he proceeded toward the great temple at an unhurried pace.
"Riding clouds and driving mist? That's merely a minor spell among spells."
Zhou Heng burst into laughter. He braced his hands against the throne and stood up, the fat on his belly rolling like a water-filled ball. He laboriously climbed down from the imperial carriage and came to the edge of the mountain, with the endless sky directly beneath his feet.
Zhou Heng paid it no heed and simply walked forward. Behind him appeared the vision of a Golden Winged Great Peng, enormous and plump. As the Great Peng spread its wings and soared, Zhou Heng likewise stepped through the air.
"The Zhou Family's Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Hidden Scenery Technique?"
Ling Tongpan raised his brows slightly and smiled. "Lord Zhou, how much of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Hidden Scenery Technique have you mastered?"
Zhou Heng chuckled. "You'll know if you try me."
Xu Ying looked back and saw the guards under Provincial Governor Zhou Heng chasing after him. Some cultivated martial arts, while others practiced Nu Art, each possessing their own specialties.
Among them, the guards who practiced Nu Art urged the Green Vine onward. The Green Vine rapidly grew, linking the floating boulders together one after another.
The boulders formed by the collision of immortal mountains were scattered between the mountains like a long, drifting ribbon. By using Green Vine to connect these boulders, they could form bridges and cross swiftly.
The guards' speed increased greatly, and they rapidly closed in.
At that moment, Xu Ying saw that besides these guards, another group was also pursuing him, though they were taking a different route.
"Deities!"
Xu Ying saw those towering figures and the ribbons formed from Incense Qi, immediately recognizing their origins. However, he had never seen these deities before. Judging solely by their attire, there were at least four City Gods among them!
The Great Bell said doubtfully, "A Ying, something isn't right. You're only a lowly Qi Refiner. To these people, you're just an ordinary person who cultivates Demonic Arts. Why do they value you so highly? Where did your Taiyi Guiding Technique come from?"
Xu Ying sprinted forward, leaped, and jumped toward another boulder. "I don't remember when I learned the Guiding Technique either. I only know that this technique was already in my mind from the time I became aware."
The Great Bell said, "Think carefully. On what day did you remember this technique? What happened that day?"
Xu Ying tried hard to recall. His childhood in Xu Family Village once again surfaced in his mind: his father and mother, his playmates, the uncles and aunties on the streets of Xu Family Village, their voices and faces vivid before his eyes.
"I still remember that my father was Xu Zhigang and my mother was Liu Sanniang. We also raised a dog and had four ducks..."
Xu Ying recalled his childhood, a blissful smile appearing on his face.
Suddenly, the street he had seen at the Hometown Gazing Platform emerged in his mind, along with the young private-school teacher and the gentle woman. Although the faces of those two people in his memories were a blank blur, they certainly did not resemble Xu Zhigang and Liu Sanniang.
His mind became muddled and dazed.
"They were my parents? No, no! My parents in my memories didn't look like that!"
Xu Ying said, "I remember living in Xu Family Village. My father was Xu Zheng, my mother was Yue Rou, and I had a happy childhood..."
His head throbbed as if it were splitting apart. He suddenly raised his hand and struck his head hard, letting out a muffled roar as his eyes turned crimson.
Yuan Qi gritted his teeth and hurried forward with all his strength. He coiled his body and leaped from one floating rock to another.
Yuan Qi landed and slid a short distance before immediately swimming forward, gathering strength as he prepared to leap again. At that moment, he suddenly sensed something strange. "Why hasn't A Ying caught up?"
He hurriedly turned back. At the moment Xu Ying leaped, the youth had clutched his head and fallen from the sky.
"A Ying!"
Yuan Qi rushed to the edge of the boulder and looked down. Xu Ying was plummeting rapidly, still smashing his own head with his fists as he fell.
Just then, the Great Bell suddenly flew out from behind his head and caught him.
Yuan Qi breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, Xu Ying's falling speed was too great, forcing the Great Bell downward under his weight.
Yuan Qi's heart leaped into his throat. Amid a series of ringing chimes, the Great Bell fought with all its might and finally stabilized its descent. Only then did Yuan Qi relax.
"What happened to A Ying? Why did he suddenly miss his footing?" Yuan Qi was bewildered and uneasy.
Seeing that the Great Bell was carrying Xu Ying and that he should be in no danger, he hurriedly swam toward the great temple. When A Ying wakes up, he'll definitely head for the great temple. An immortal is protecting it, so I'll go there and wait for him first!
On the Great Bell, Xu Ying slowly regained consciousness. He nearly fell off the bell and hurriedly grabbed it, asking in surprise, "How did I get here?"
He had completely forgotten what had happened just now.
The Great Bell sensed that something was wrong with Xu Ying and grew curious. A Ying's brain isn't like a normal person's. Something extraordinary must have happened to him!
"Master Zhong, don't shake," Xu Ying said in alarm as he rode atop the bell.
The Great Bell raged, "You're heavy as a mountain, you know! Carrying you is exhausting. Why don't you carry me and see how it feels?"
Xu Ying snorted. "It's not as if I've never carried you. When you were injured and unconscious, I supported you. I didn't even let go during the fights."
The Great Bell shook violently. "You clearly used me to smash people!"
Xu Ying nearly fell off and hurriedly held on tight.
The Great Bell flew with difficulty. After a while, Xu Ying suddenly climbed up cautiously and stood on the bell's snout with both feet. His legs were still trembling slightly, but he stood facing the wind.
"What's wrong with you?" the Great Bell asked in puzzlement.
Xu Ying stood on the bell's snout as the Great Bell flew through the air. The young man looked rather dashing, though his hands were still trembling a little.
"Riding on a bell isn't dignified. I wanted to see whether I could stand up and fly. It feels better this way."
Xu Ying said softly, "I've recently been experimenting with whether I can fly by stepping on a sword. I'm afraid of flying too high, so I wanted to practice on you first."
The Great Bell said, "I thought you needed to relieve yourself. If you do, say so. Don't pee into the wind."
Just then, Xu Ying saw divine dragons flying toward them. They were four stone dragons. As their dragon feet rose, clouds surged beneath them, supporting their stone bodies.
The four stone dragons stepped upon azure smoke clouds and chased after the Great Bell.
Xu Ying frowned. Less than half of his primordial qi remained, and he would certainly be unable to deal with four stone dragons attacking him while riding the Great Bell.
"Master Zhong, go to that immortal mountain below!" Xu Ying hurriedly said.
A majestic immortal mountain moved beneath them. The Great Bell hurriedly descended into the mountain. From his high vantage point, Xu Ying saw many ancient altars hidden among the dense forest, with towering divine statues standing beside them like guardians of the altars.
"Strange. If this is the immortal realm, why are there divine statues and altars?"
Xu Ying was puzzled. There were no mortals in the immortal realm to worship deities and gather Incense Qi, so how could deities possibly be born there?
Could it be that immortals worshiped gods?
The Underworld, the River of Oblivion, the Hometown Gazing Platform.
Yuan Tian Gang sat before his thatched cottage, breathing in and out. At that moment, a person carrying a Green Paper Umbrella came along the path from the Hometown Gazing Platform.
"That person has appeared again." Yuan Tian Gang's tiger eyes blinked.
Since coming here and settling down, he had seen that Green Paper Umbrella dozens of times. Every so often, that person would pass by carrying it.
Yuan Tian Gang watched him leave. The person carrying the Green Paper Umbrella arrived at the River of Oblivion Bridge and joined the line waiting for Meng Po's Soup.
"Strange fellow." Yuan Tian Gang withdrew his gaze.
The person waited in line for a long time, and finally it was his turn.
Meng Po was just about to pour the tea when she saw him. Her hand trembled involuntarily.
A calm voice came from beneath the Green Paper Umbrella. "Granny, one bowl of tea. Make the soup strong."
Meng Po poured the tea and could not help asking, "Divine Envoy, you've been asking for tea rather often lately."
The voice beneath the Green Paper Umbrella sounded displeased as he accepted the tea. "Isn't that because your tea isn't strong enough? It never seals that person's memories. Someone above says you've been diluting the soup with water."
---Sacrificing a book: Three Kingdoms: Emperor Xian of Han Asks Me to Take the Throne, by He Lang Kuan. (Does that name sound familiar? That's right, it's a book fan I sacrificed before. He said he won't abandon it this time. I took a look—there's already no root left. He must have cut it so many times before that the entire root is gone.)
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