Nu Master Mask

The "Detailed Explanation of the True Vortex of the Dao" was not a technique of the Demon Race, so Yuan Qi couldn't understand it. He nervously scratched his face with the tip of his tail, deciding to memorize it for now, though his memory wasn't very good.

After the immortal finished explaining the "Detailed Explanation of the True Vortex of the Dao," he still just stared blankly.

The white-clothed immortal stopped speaking after finishing and waited for everyone to comprehend.

Yuan Qi mustered his courage, raised his tail high, and called out, "Immortal Master, I can't learn that 'Detailed Explanation.' Does the Immortal Master have any simpler techniques? Martial arts supreme skills would also work. I don't have immortal destiny, I'll just learn something basic."

The white-clothed immortal observed his nose and his heart, unmoved.

Yuan Qi was determined to seek immortal destiny and couldn't let this opportunity pass. He clamored noisily, begging for a basic technique, disturbing the surrounding people who couldn't enter their meditative cultivation.

The white-clothed immortal finally opened his eyes and said, "You wretched snake, stop making noise. I'll give you a martial arts technique suitable for a snake demon like you." With that, he threw down a scroll and said, "We have no destiny, you can scram."

Yuan Qi hastily picked up the scripture and flipped through two pages with his tail. He saw that the scripture was titled "True Cultivation of the Flood Dragon" and quickly said, "Immortal Master, Flood Dragons and I are of the same species but different lineages. It is a Flood Dragon, and I am a Yuan snake. If I learn the Flood Dragon's technique, I fear I will be laughed at by my own kind."

The white-clothed immortal's mouth twitched in anger. He threw down another scroll and said, "Take this 'Dragon Snake Awakening Technique' and scram."

Yuan Qi accepted the "Dragon Snake Awakening Technique" and saw that it was indeed suitable for him, far superior to the ancestral Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist. He was overjoyed and quickly said, "Immortal Master, I love reading. Please gift me that 'True Cultivation of the Flood Dragon' scroll as well."

The white-clothed immortal waved his sleeve.

Yuan Qi kowtowed to the immortal repeatedly, tears streaming down his face. He choked out, "No one has ever been so good to me. Immortal Master, you are my reborn parents. I want to kowtow a few more times as a disciple's offering."

The white-clothed immortal quietly clenched his fist, then relaxed it, and said, "You have filial piety, that's very good. You may go."

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

The white-clothed immortal also breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he saw that troublesome snake swim back.

The white-clothed immortal was furious and almost couldn't resist killing him, but he forcibly suppressed it and asked, "What else do you want?"

Yuan Qi said with a fawning smile, "Immortal Master, I just remembered I have a good friend still outside who couldn't come in. He's clever and bright, and the Immortal Master will surely like him. I took the liberty of accepting him as a disciple for the Immortal Master on your behalf. Please trouble the Immortal Master to give another scripture, so I can give it to him to cultivate and remember the Immortal Master's kindness."

The white-clothed immortal nearly jumped up, but he restrained himself again and chuckled, "You wretched snake are quite loyal. Fine, fine, today I will grant you a bit of immortal destiny. Whatever you don't understand in 'Detailed Explanation of the True Vortex of the Dao', I will explain to you one by one, and I will definitely teach you!"

Yuan Qi was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed, saying, "Disciple understands nothing."

The white-clothed immortal suppressed his anger, determined to teach him and lead him to his own demise. He smiled and said, "Then I shall teach you from the beginning!"

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

Suddenly, a sound of violent collision came from ahead. Xu Ying hurried over and saw from afar a stone statue of a deity come to life and wreaking havoc.

Nearby lay the corpses of several Yongzhou prefectural officials, and a few more Yongzhou officials were fighting fiercely with the deity's stone statue!

After all, they were officials of the prefecture, and their cultivation and strength were extremely formidable, with profound Nu Arts. What surprised Xu Ying was that one of the officials, carrying a large mask, behaved most strangely.

The mask was very peculiar, with a pale face, large eyes, a long tongue, and a mouth full of fangs, resembling the Wuchang Ghost, a deity of the underworld from folk legends.

As the official put the Wuchang Mask on his face, countless flesh tendrils suddenly grew from the edges of the mask, burrowing into his skin and connecting with his flesh and blood!

His body was controlled by the power surging from the mask, growing rapidly. Soon, he became tall and thin, reaching a height of sixteen feet. He was skeletal but filled with extraordinary strength!

His tongue also hung down from his mouth, a full two to three feet long!

After this official put on the Wuchang Mask, a chilling wind emanated from him. He no longer resembled a human but a ghost god from the underworld, a Wuchang!

The Nu Art he wielded also became bizarre, carrying a chilling ghostly aura that specifically harmed the soul. He struck the deity's stone statue, causing its soul to be injured and forcing it to retreat repeatedly.

However, the deity's stone statue they were fighting was incredibly powerful. It had a third eye on its forehead, stood on a Xuanwu turtle, wore golden armor, and its Magic Power formed from Incense Qi was immensely potent, even deeper than the deity that had pursued Xu Ying earlier!

Incense Qi swirled around it, and the thoughts of all living beings buzzed, with thousands of people chanting. It even formed tangible golden characters that combined with the Incense Qi, transforming into flowing ribbons!

As it retreated a few steps, the third eye on its forehead shot out divine light. With a chi sound, it almost cut the official, who had transformed into a Wuchang, in half.

The Xuanwu turtle beneath its feet was also ferocious and vicious, moving with extreme speed, completely unlike the slow pace of a turtle. It carried the deity, charging forward, invincible!

The Xuanwu turtle opened its massive maw and bit down, capable of shattering metal and stone, crushing both people and magical treasures!

Xu Ying observed with his Heavenly Eye and could see many intermittent flaws in the deity's Magic Power, with numerous loopholes, and the Xuanwu turtle was the same.

Even if I see these flaws, I won't be able to reach it and even make a move before I'm killed, Xu Ying thought.

The gap between him and this deity was too great to be bridged by skill alone.

Suddenly, an official flew out, crashing not far from Xu Ying.

This was the official wearing the Wuchang Mask. Only half his body remained, and the mask fell from his face, rolling to Xu Ying's feet.

The official lay on the ground, staring blankly at Xu Ying, his breath faint. His lips moved, "Save me..."

Poof!

A large foot stomped down, crushing him into pieces!

The Xuanwu turtle, carrying the three-eyed deity, walked over and crushed the half-bodied official to death.

The Xuanwu turtle's face was ferocious and vicious. It followed the gaze of the Nu Master before death, but finding no one, it let out a roar and moved up the mountain.

Xu Ying and the Great Bell hid in a nearby gully. Xu Ying clutched the Wuchang Mask in one hand, his eyes wide, holding his breath. Only after the Xuanwu turtle and the three-eyed deity were far away did he gasp for air.

The Great Bell was also trembling.

Xu Ying stood up and climbed out of the gully, seeing a ground full of corpses. The officials from before had been completely killed by the deity; not a single one had escaped!

"So strong, too strong!"

Xu Ying frowned. Now that many deity statues were reviving, and these statues were so formidable, heading to the great temple might not be easy.

"And what's this mask? Why does it change my form when I wear it?"

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 reads a lot. If he were here, he'd definitely know what this is.

He slung the Wuchang Mask behind his back and looked up at the sky, where deities could be seen moving among several giant stone belts.

Xu Ying looked into the distance, where there was another stone belt, but he didn't know if there were any deities there. He immediately headed towards it when suddenly, a terrifying Nu Art fluctuation erupted ahead, even more fearsome than before, its impact causing entire swathes of forest to fall!

Xu Ying crept closer and saw that the combatants were still the three-eyed deity standing on a Xuan Turtle, but this time, his opponent was a middle-aged man!

"It's a high-ranking official from the Yongzhou Governor's side!" Xu Ying's heart leaped.

The Yongzhou Governor, Zhou Heng, had sent this man to lead experts in pursuing him, so Xu Ying had a deep impression of him.

The middle-aged man, named Zhou Zheng, let out a mountain-shaking roar. As he charged towards the three-eyed deity, he suddenly transformed into a Golden Winged Great Peng, its wings like blades, slashing at the deity!

His cultivation and power far surpassed Zhou Yihang's. While Zhou Yihang had received the Zhou Family's true inheritance, he hadn't obtained the most top-tier one, whereas Zhou Zheng clearly had.

His transformation into a Golden Winged Great Peng was enough to injure the deity. In the air, his wings flapped, and from high above, his wings, golden feathers, and sharp claws continuously attacked!

His wings, golden feathers, and sharp claws possessed extreme power!

After several rounds of engagement, the three-eyed deity sustained multiple injuries. Suddenly, the third eye on its brow opened, emitting a blinding light that sliced through Zhou Zheng's transformed Golden Winged Great Peng wings with a shing sound!

Zhou Zheng's golden feathers scattered, and he fell from the sky. While still in mid-air, his muscles suddenly bulged, and he transformed into a Raging Ape several zhang tall, descending from the heavens!

The Raging Ape was covered in golden fur, its muscles like bronze, its bones like iron, and its forehead like steel. It engaged the deity in close combat, even battering the Xuan Turtle until its bones broke and it retreated continuously!

The three-eyed deity repeated its tactic, opening its third eye again and shooting divine light at the Raging Ape.

Zhou Zheng suddenly dispersed the Raging Ape form, twisting his body. Golden scales emerged from beneath his skin, and he transformed into a giant with a dragon's head and a human's body, stepping on lightning as he moved across the sky.

The divine light from the three-eyed deity's eyes struck his body, but it was reflected in all directions by his lustrous dragon scales, leaving the ground and forests riddled with holes, yet failing to cut him open.

Zhou Zheng swung his hand, and lightning gathered beneath his palm, like a long sword. With a crack, he severed the three-eyed deity's head!

"He deserves to die for killing so many disciples of our Yongzhou Prefecture!"

Zhou Zheng stomped his foot heavily, crushing the Xuan Turtle into pieces.

Xu Ying held his breath, not daring to make a move. The Great Bell also dared not exhale. This Judicial Inspector of Yongzhou was far more powerful than Zhou Yihang or Master Zhou.

Then, Zhou Zheng's voice echoed, "Where is this Xu Ying hiding? Five immortal mountains, such a vast area, and with quite a few deities revived, it's really troublesome to find him! Cao Mu Jie Bing!"

He suddenly let out a loud shout and stomped his foot down heavily, unleashing a wave of Nu Art.

Hearing the shout, Xu Ying knew something was wrong. As expected, a surge of immense vitality erupted from Zhou Zheng's direction in all directions. Wherever it passed, all plants and trees were uprooted!

Whether it was wild grass or flowers, shrubs or giant trees, they all came to life. Wild grass transformed into small figures in green robes with pointed hats, wildflowers into girls with straw hats as thick as a thumb, shrubs covered in thorns moved like wolves, and giant trees became treants with lush crowns.

They surged in all directions like a tide, searching for Xu Ying's whereabouts.

The next moment, countless small figures in green robes and pointed hats looked up at Xu Ying from beneath his feet. Some girls with straw hats ran over, blinking their bright, dark eyes at him.

Xu Ying pointed into the distance, gesturing to them.

The small figures didn't fall for it. They whispered amongst themselves, "Yi gu yi gu!"

One of the girls with a straw hat took out a small portrait, unfolded it, and held it up to Xu Ying twice, then looked at the portrait.

Xu Ying leaned closer and saw that it was indeed him. He whispered, "This person isn't me. Look, there's a hole in my clothes here, but he doesn't have one."

The small figures in green robes and the girls with straw hats chattered "Yi gu yi gu!" for a moment, then suddenly all looked behind him.

Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. He straightened up and whispered, "Grandpa Zhong, is that Yongzhou official behind me?"

The Great Bell chimed, its sound muffled.

Xu Ying turned around slowly with a smile. He saw Zhou Zheng, the Judicial Inspector of Yongzhou, standing not far away, watching him leisurely.

I thought I had fooled these little grasses and flowers, but I didn't expect the big trees between him and me to have all run away, Xu Ying thought ruefully.

Zhou Zheng had used the Nu Art Cao Mu Jie Bing, causing the nearby plants and trees to uproot themselves. The dense forest that had originally separated Xu Ying and Zhou Zheng had now been cleared by the moving treants, allowing Zhou Zheng to see the suspect, Xu, hunched over, trying to trick the flowers and grasses.

"Suspect Xu, do you have anything else to say?" Zhou Zheng asked leisurely.

Xu Ying burst into laughter and suddenly sprinted away, reaching the edge of the immortal mountain in an instant before leaping off.

Zhou Zheng hurriedly chased to the edge of the immortal mountain and looked down. He saw Xu flying through the air on a large bronze bell, over a zhang tall. The Great Bronze Bell was struggling and slowly flying towards the great temple.

Zhou Zheng chuckled. His body slowly transformed, becoming a Heavenly Peng Divine Being with a bird's head, human body, and wings. He flapped his wings gently and leisurely flew towards Xu Ying.

Xu Ying frantically urged the Taiyi Guiding Technique. The half-acre light field above his head shone brilliantly, expanding and growing, soon becoming a full acre, forming a considerable celestial phenomenon.

Zhou Zheng remained unfazed and chuckled, "Xu Ying, even if you recover your cultivation and power, you're nothing to me. Why bother with this futile effort?"

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, and he suddenly realized Xu Ying's intention: He's not cultivating demonic arts to recover his power, but to use this celestial phenomenon as a marker to indicate his location!

Just as he thought this, streaks of green Incense Qi rapidly flowed through the air towards him. Before they even got close, the streaks of Incense Qi transformed into sharp Flying Swords, imbued with terrifying power, and slashed at him!

Zhou Zheng followed the origin of the Incense Qi and saw that the City Gods of Ningyuan, Dongning, Daozhou, Jiangyong, Lanshan, and other places were stepping on auspicious clouds and flying towards them!

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

Zhou Zheng's heart filled with hatred. His golden wings flapped, and feather after feather shot out, clashing with the Flying Swords of the City Gods, making it difficult for him to break free.

He glanced sideways and saw Xu Ying riding the bell, slowly flying towards the great temple.

That kid's back is so damn hateful! A strong sense of helplessness welled up within him.