Nu Master Masks

The <Daoist Truth and Celestial Pivot Detailed Explanation> was not a technique of the Demon Race, and Yuan Qi could not understand it. Anxiously, he scratched his face with the tip of his tail, so he could only memorize it for now. Unfortunately, his memory was not particularly good, either.

After the Immortal Master finished explaining the <Daoist Truth and Celestial Pivot Detailed Explanation>, Yuan Qi still stared blankly, eyes wide.

The white-robed Immortal Master finished speaking and fell silent, waiting for everyone to comprehend it.

Yuan Qi mustered his courage, raised his tail high, and shouted, "Immortal Master, I can't learn that explanation thing. Do you have any simpler techniques? A martial arts secret technique would do. I have no immortal affinity, so I'll settle for something basic."

The white-robed Immortal Master looked at his nose and heart and remained unmoved.

Yuan Qi was determined to obtain an immortal opportunity. How could he let this chance slip by? He clamored and begged for a basic technique, making it impossible for everyone around him to enter meditation and cultivate.

The white-robed Immortal Master finally opened his eyes and said, "You unruly snake, stop making noise. I'll give you a martial arts technique suited to a Snake Demon like you." With that, he tossed down a scroll and said, "You and I have no affinity. Get lost."

Yuan Qi hurriedly picked up the scripture and used his tail to turn through a few pages. Seeing that it was titled True Cultivation of the Flood Dragon, he quickly said, "Immortal Master, the Flood Dragon and I are of the same kind but different clans. It's a Flood Dragon, while I'm a Yuan Snake. If I learn a Flood Dragon technique, I fear my own kind will laugh at me."

The white-robed Immortal Master's lips twitched with anger. He tossed down another scroll and said, "Take this Dragon Snake Awakening Technique and get lost."

Yuan Qi accepted the Dragon Snake Awakening Technique. After looking at it, he found that it truly suited him and was far superior to the ancestral Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist. He was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Immortal Master, I love reading. Could you give me this scroll of True Cultivation of the Flood Dragon as well?"

The white-robed Immortal Master waved his sleeve.

Yuan Qi repeatedly kowtowed to the Immortal Master. Tears streamed down his face as he choked out, "No one has ever treated me so well. You're my reborn parents, Immortal Master. I'll kowtow a few more times, as a gesture of taking you as my master."

The white-robed Immortal Master secretly clenched his fists, then relaxed them again. "You have filial devotion. Very good. Go."

Yuan Qi flicked away his tears with the tip of his tail and slithered out of the temple.

The white-robed Immortal Master also breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, that shameless snake slithered back.

The white-robed Immortal Master burned with rage and nearly lost control and slaughtered him, but forcibly restrained himself. "What is it now?"

Yuan Qi smiled apologetically. "Immortal Master, I just remembered that I have a good friend still outside who couldn't come in. He's clever and quick-witted. You'll definitely like him when you see him. So I took the liberty of accepting him as your disciple. Sorry for the trouble, Immortal Master. Please give me another true scripture so I can take it to him and let him cultivate. That way, he'll remember your kindness."

The white-robed Immortal Master nearly leaped to his feet, but again forced himself to endure it. He chuckled and said, "You unruly snake are quite loyal. Very well, very well. Today, I'll give you an immortal opportunity. Whatever you don't understand in the <Daoist Truth and Celestial Pivot Detailed Explanation>, I'll explain to you one point at a time. I'll definitely teach you until you understand!"

Yuan Qi was ecstatic. He hurriedly kowtowed and said, "This disciple doesn't understand anything."

The white-robed Immortal Master suppressed his anger. Determined to teach him until he understood and send him to his own death, he smiled and said, "Then I'll start from the beginning!"

In the immortal mountains, Xu Ying insisted on going to the Great Temple. The Great Bell had no choice but to follow him.

Suddenly, violent collisions rang out ahead. Xu Ying hurried over and saw, from afar, a divine Stone Statue awakening and slaughtering everything in its path.

Several corpses of Yongzhou Prefecture officials lay nearby, while several other Yongzhou officials were locked in fierce combat with the divine Stone Statue!

After all, they were officials of a prefecture. Their cultivation and strength were formidable, and their Nu Arts profound. What astonished Xu Ying was that one of the officials, who carried a broad mask on his back, displayed the strangest abilities.

The mask was extremely bizarre. It bore a deathly pale face with huge eyes, a long tongue, and a mouthful of sharp fangs. It resembled the Wuchang Ghost, a deity of the underworld from folk legends.

When the official put on the Wuchang Mask, countless fleshy buds suddenly grew from its edges and burrowed into his skin, joining with his flesh and blood!

His body was controlled by the power surging from the mask. He rapidly grew taller, soon becoming thin and towering, sixteen feet high, emaciated as a skeleton yet filled with extraordinary strength!

His tongue also lengthened and hung from his mouth, reaching two or three feet long!

After putting on the Wuchang Mask, an eerie wind spread outward from him. He no longer looked human, but rather like an underworld ghost god—a Wuchang Ghost!

The Nu Arts he used also became strange, carrying a dense ghostly aura and specifically injuring the soul. The divine Stone Statue was battered until its spirit was wounded and it retreated again and again.

Yet the divine Stone Statue they were fighting was exceptionally powerful. It had a third eye on its forehead, stood atop a black tortoise, and wore golden armor. The Magic Power formed from Incense Qi was incomparably vigorous, even far deeper than that of the divine being that had pursued Xu Ying earlier!

Incense Qi coiled around its body. The thoughts of all living beings buzzed, and the chanting of ten thousand people even formed tangible golden characters that combined with the Incense Qi and transformed into ribbons!

After retreating several steps, the third eye on its forehead shot out divine light with a hiss, nearly cutting the official who had transformed into a Wuchang Ghost in half at the waist.

The black tortoise beneath its feet was also ferocious and vicious. It moved extremely fast, without the slightest trace of a tortoise's usual sluggishness. Carrying the divine being into battle, it was unstoppable!

The black tortoise opened its bloody maw and bit down. It could snap metal and stone, crushing man and magical treasure together!

With his Heaven's Eye, Xu Ying could see that the divine being's Magic Power had many interruptions and numerous flaws. The same was true of the black tortoise.

"Even if I spot those flaws, by the time I get close, I won't even be able to launch a move before being beaten to death." Xu Ying thought to himself.

The gap between him and this divine being was too great. No amount of technique could make up for it.

Suddenly, an official flew out and crashed down not far from Xu Ying.

It was the official who had worn the Wuchang Mask. Only half his body remained. The mask had fallen from his face and rolled to Xu Ying's feet.

The official lay on the ground, staring fixedly at Xu Ying. His breath was as thin as a thread, and his lips moved. "Save me..."

"Pfft!"

A massive foot came down and crushed him to pieces!

The black tortoise carried the three-eyed divine being over and trampled the half-bodied official to death.

The black tortoise's face was ferocious and vicious. It followed the Nu Master's dying gaze but saw no one, so it roared and climbed the mountain.

Xu Ying and the Great Bell hid in a ravine to one side. Xu Ying gripped the Wuchang Mask with one hand, eyes wide and breath held. Only after the black tortoise and three-eyed divine being had gone far away did he gasp heavily.

The Great Bell was trembling as well.

Xu Ying stood and climbed out of the ravine. Corpses covered the ground. Those officials had clearly been slaughtered by the divine being, not one escaping alive!

"Strong. Far too strong!"

Xu Ying frowned. Many divine Statues had now awakened, and they were so powerful that reaching the Great Temple would certainly not be easy.

"And what's going on with this mask? Why does wearing it change the body?"

Xu Ying examined the Wuchang Mask. Recalling how the official had transformed into an underworld ghost god after putting it on, he thought, "Yuan Qi has read a lot of books. If he were here, he would definitely know what this thing is."

He slung the Wuchang Mask over his back and looked up at the sky. Divine beings appeared on several enormous stone belts.

Xu Ying looked into the distance. There was another stone belt there, though he did not know whether any divine beings were present. He immediately hurried over. Suddenly, terrifying Nu Art fluctuations came from ahead, even more frightening than before. The impact even flattened swaths upon swaths of forest!

Xu Ying quietly approached and saw that the opponent was still the three-eyed divine being standing atop the black tortoise. This time, however, its opponent was a middle-aged man!

"That's a high official beside the Governor of Yongzhou!" Xu Ying's heart jolted.

The Governor of Yongzhou, Zhou Heng, had ordered this man to lead experts in pursuing him, so Xu Ying remembered him vividly.

The middle-aged man was named Zhou Zheng. He let out a roar that shook the mountains and rivers. While charging toward the three-eyed divine being, he suddenly transformed into a Golden Winged Great Peng, his wings becoming blades as they slashed toward the divine being!

His cultivation and strength far surpassed Zhou Yihang's. Zhou Yihang had received the Zhou Family's true inheritance but not its highest inheritance, while Zhou Zheng had clearly obtained that topmost legacy.

After transforming into a Golden Winged Great Peng, he was strong enough to injure the divine being. High in the air, his wings beat as he attacked from above, both wings, golden feathers, and sharp claws striking down without pause!

His wings, golden feathers, and claws possessed an utterly fierce and mighty force!

After several exchanges, the three-eyed divine being was wounded in several places. Suddenly, the third eye between its brows opened, and a dazzling beam of light shot out. With a hiss, it severed both wings of the Golden Winged Great Peng formed by Zhou Zheng!

Zhou Zheng's golden feathers scattered as he fell from the sky. While still midair, muscles suddenly sprouted across his body, transforming him into a Raging Ape several yards tall that descended from above!

The Raging Ape was covered in golden fur, with bronze sinews, iron bones, and a steel forehead. It engaged the divine being in close combat, even beating the black tortoise until its bones broke and tendons snapped, forcing it back again and again!

The three-eyed divine being used the same trick again. It opened its third eye and shot divine light at the Raging Ape.

Zhou Zheng suddenly dispersed the Raging Ape's body and swayed. Golden scales burrowed out from beneath his skin, transforming him into a giant with a dragon's head and a humanoid body. He stepped on lightning and walked beneath the blue heavens.

The divine light from the three-eyed divine being's eyes struck his body but was reflected in all directions by his gleaming Dragon Scales. It cut the earth and forest into a field of devastation, yet failed to cut him open.

Zhou Zheng raised his palm. Lightning gathered beneath it like a long sword. With a crack, it cleaved off the three-eyed divine being's head!

"You slaughtered so many sons of Yongzhou Prefecture. You deserved to die!"

Zhou Zheng stamped down hard, crushing the black tortoise into pieces.

Xu Ying held his breath and focused, not daring to move. The Great Bell did not dare breathe loudly, either. This Judicial Inspector of Yongzhou was far more powerful than Master Zhou Yihang.

Zhou Zheng's voice rang out. "Where exactly is this Xu Ying hiding? Five immortal mountains, such a vast place, and quite a few divine beings have awakened. Finding him is truly troublesome! Every blade of grass and tree is an enemy!"

He suddenly shouted and brought his foot down, stamping heavily. At once, Nu Arts erupted.

Hearing that shout, Xu Ying immediately knew something was wrong. Sure enough, boundless vitality burst from Zhou Zheng's direction in all four directions. Wherever it passed, all the plants and trees tore themselves from the earth!

Whether wild grass and flowers, shrubs, or towering trees, all gained life. Wild grass became little people in green clothes and pointed hats; wild flowers became girls in straw hats, each as thick as a thumb; shrubs, covered in thorns, ran like wolves; and giant trees transformed into Tree People with lush crowns atop their heads.

Like a rising tide, they surged in every direction, searching for Xu Ying.

The next moment, countless little people in green clothes and pointed hats beneath Xu Ying's feet looked up at him. Several straw-hat girls ran over as well, blinking their dark, shining eyes at him.

Xu Ying pointed toward the distance, signaling to them.

The little people did not fall for it. They whispered among themselves. "Yigu yigu!"

One straw-hat girl took out a tiny portrait and unfolded it. She held it up to Xu Ying twice, then glanced at the portrait.

Xu Ying leaned closer and looked at it. It was indeed a picture of him. He whispered, "This person isn't me. Look, my clothes have a hole here, but his don't."

The little people in green and the straw-hat girls chattered for a few moments. Suddenly, they all turned to look behind him.

Xu Ying's heart jolted. He straightened his waist and whispered, "Master Zhong, is that Yongzhou high official behind me?"

The Great Bell gave a deep, muffled clang.

Xu Ying put on a smile and slowly turned around. Sure enough, Judicial Inspector Zhou Zheng of Yongzhou stood not far away, gazing at him leisurely.

"I thought I'd fooled these little plants and flowers. I didn't expect all the trees between him and me to run away." Xu Ying felt sullen.

Zhou Zheng used the Nu Art Every Blade of Grass and Tree Is an Enemy. The flowers, grass, and trees nearby had all torn themselves from the ground. Dense forest had originally separated Xu Ying and Zhou Zheng, but now the trees had transformed into Tree People and run away, leaving Zhou Zheng with a clear view of the wanted criminal, Xu, hunched over and trying to fool the flowers and plants.

"Criminal Xu, what else do you have to say?" Zhou Zheng looked completely at ease.

Xu Ying burst out laughing, then suddenly bolted. In the blink of an eye, he reached the edge of the immortal mountain and leaped off.

Zhou Zheng hurried to the edge and looked down. He saw Xu riding a Great Bronze Bell taller than a person, floating in the air as the bell struggled to fly slowly toward the Great Temple.

Zhou Zheng chuckled. His body slowly changed into a Heavenly Peng Divine Being with a bird's head, a humanoid body, and two wings. With a light flap, he flew toward Xu Ying at an unhurried pace.

Xu Ying frantically circulated the Taiyi Guiding Technique. A half-acre Light Field above his head shone brilliantly, swelling again and again until it soon became a one-acre Light Field, forming an impressive celestial phenomenon.

Zhou Zheng paid it no attention and laughed. "Xu Ying, even if you recover your cultivation and strength, you're still nothing to me. Why go to all this trouble?"

Suddenly, his expression changed as he realized Xu Ying's intention. "The purpose of his cultivating Demonic Arts isn't to recover his cultivation. He's using the celestial phenomenon as a marker to show that he's here!"

He had just reached this thought when streaks of azure Incense Qi began flowing rapidly through the air toward him. Before they even reached him, the Incense Qi transformed into sharp flying swords containing terrifying power and slashed toward him!

Zhou Zheng looked along the path of the Incense Qi. He saw the City Gods of Ningyuan, Dongning, Daozhou, Jiangyong, Lanshan, and other places riding auspicious clouds into the sky and pursuing him!

The flying swords arrived before the several City Gods themselves, their purpose being to stop Zhou Zheng from capturing Xu Ying!

Zhou Zheng seethed with hatred. His golden wings beat, and feather after feather shot out with ringing sounds, battling the flying swords of the several City Gods. For a time, he could not break free.

He stole a glance over and saw Xu Ying riding the bell, slowly flying toward the Great Temple.

"The sight of that brat's back is truly damnable!" An intense sense of helplessness welled up in his heart.