The Mountains Exhausted and No Plan

The golden-armored Bean Soldiers were still charging forward, one after another, attacking the blue strange birds. People kept falling in front of Xu Ying, their bodies pecked to pieces by the strange birds before being swallowed.

Yet, some golden-armored Bean Soldiers still managed to land on the strange birds, using their swords to fight them. To these Bean Soldiers, the strange birds were deities a thousand or even a hundred thousand times more powerful than themselves, boundless and vast, yet they fought without fear of death!

Even though they were just beans, they moved Xu Ying.

He activated his Ni Wan Cave Heaven, plunging it into the Sea of Chaos, transforming the energy of the Sea of Chaos into boundless vitality!

He had never learned Nu Art, yet he was about to fight as a Nu Master!

He treated these soybeans as people, as thinking, living beings!

He wanted to venture into a realm he had never explored before for the sake of these people!

The Great Bell, which had been recuperating, was suddenly awakened. It was inside the Ni Wan Cave Heaven and immediately sensed that the Cave Heaven was slowly operating, emitting an extremely potent vitality that even seeped into its body.

Of course, this vitality was of little use to it. It had no physical body and couldn't use the vitality to heal its injuries.

In comparison, Xu Ying's Cave Heaven was very small, not even comparable to the Cave Heavens of some ordinary Nu Masters in the Zhou Family. However, the Ni Wan vitality it extracted was of extremely high quality!

"Is A Ying trying to perform Nu Art?"

The Great Bell was stunned. "But he's never learned Nu Art! He just opened his Ni Wan Secret Treasury, he doesn't think he's a Nu Master now, does he?"

Xu Ying carefully recalled the abnormality of his body shrinking when he was hit. He sensed the vast vitality within him and tried to treat this vitality as his own Yuan Qi, transporting it to every corner of his body.

He circulated the vitality as if he were circulating Yuan Qi. Gradually, his Yuan Qi and vitality began to merge, nourishing his internal organs, filling his flesh and blood, making his Yuan Qi circulate vibrantly, and a sense of all things coming to life gradually emerged.

Suddenly, he activated the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist. His back began to bulge, his body grew taller, his fingers lengthened, merged, and transformed into hooves.

His nose grew, his forehead bones bulged, his head grew larger, and his ears flared out. In front of Yuan Qi, he transformed into a bull-headed, human-bodied, bull-hoofed figure, looking like an Elephant King God, only two bean-sized!

"A Ying has finally revealed his true form..."

Yuan Qi's eyes widened, and he muttered, "The Stone Mountain God was right, he really is a monster!"

Xu Ying dispersed the Elephant King God form, and his body returned to its original state. This trial had given him a sixty to seventy percent chance of being able to perform the "Plants and Trees Becoming Soldiers" technique.

In his heart, there was no such thing as Nu Art, nor the magical powers of a Qi Refiner. He had only one thought: to act on impulse, to leverage the strengths of his Yuan Qi and vitality, and to naturally unleash his abilities.

He simply felt that he possessed the ability to perform "Plants and Trees Becoming Soldiers" or "Scattering Beans to Become Soldiers."

A blue strange bird stomped down, crushing a golden-armored Bean Soldier under its foot. It opened its beak and pecked at its head.

Just as it was about to peck the Bean Soldier's head to pieces, Xu Ying suddenly pointed. The Bean Soldier's body instantly swelled, growing from the size of a bean to a golden-armored little divine being, two feet tall!

The blue strange bird pecked its chest, but the little golden-armored divine being pierced its head with a sword.

Xu Ying circulated the Yuan Qi and vitality within him and strode forward, entering the battlefield between the Bean Soldiers and the strange birds. With a flick of his finger, one Bean Soldier after another rapidly transformed into two-foot-tall little divine beings, instantly reversing the situation.

The little golden-armored divine beings leaped and dodged, attacking the blue strange birds. Soon, nearly half of the bird flock was killed. The other strange birds, seeing this, flapped their wings and flew into the sky.

More than a dozen little golden-armored divine beings took out their bows and arrows, nocking them and shooting down the fleeing strange birds.

Yuan Qi stared, wide-eyed, and quickly asked, "A Ying, are you performing Nu Art?"

Xu Ying thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know if it's Nu Art. I just feel it should be this way."

Yuan Qi was stunned. After a long pause, he said, "Who is the reincarnation of, Senior?"

Xu Ying laughed heartily upon hearing this. "Yuan Qi, you've read too many idle books. What are you thinking? Of course, I am me, not someone's reincarnation. I live in Xu Family Village, and my parents love me very much. I remember it clearly..."

Seeing that he was about to reminisce about Xu Family Village again, Yuan Qi quickly interrupted, "Wait! A Ying, you can perform the 'Scattering Beans to Become Soldiers' technique on these Bean Soldiers, so can you perform this spell on us too, to break that old hag's Nu Art?"

Xu Ying did not get lost in memories of Xu Family Village. His mental state was very normal. He smiled and said, "Breaking her Nu Art is not difficult. The difficulty lies in my cultivation being far less profound than hers. To break her Nu Method, we have to take it step by step."

Yuan Qi's spirits lifted. "As long as it can be broken, that's good."

Just then, a voice of an old woman was heard, laughing, "What does Young Master Xu want to break?"

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi's expressions changed. A silk handkerchief fell from above, covering them and the Bean Soldiers.

The next moment, they appeared in a basket. The old woman, Granny Zhou Yu, lifted the silk handkerchief and glanced into the basket, chuckling, "Fortunately, my Bean Soldiers are still here, otherwise, I wouldn't have found Young Master Xu. It's a pity these beans are damaged."

She shook her hand slightly, throwing the Bean Soldiers out of the basket, and left without another glance.

"Old hag, Seventh Master will fight you to the death!" Yuan Qi leaped up, opening his mouth to bite the old woman's finger, intending to poison her. However, Granny Zhou Yu pinched him lightly with two fingers, trapping him by his vulnerable spot.

Granny Zhou Yu sneered and was about to crush him.

Xu Ying said calmly, "The Zhou Family invited me as a guest to break the demonic arts for your Zhou Family, yet you want to kill my friend. Aren't you afraid of angering your ancestor?"

Granny Zhou Yu quickly stopped her hand and smiled, "Young Master Xu, the ancestor said he invited you, but he didn't say he invited this strange snake. However, I'll give you face, Young Master, and not trouble him." With that, she let go of Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Ying crawled to the edge of the basket and looked out. He saw that the Bean Soldiers were still following Granny Zhou Yu, bewildered and lost.

Xu Ying waved his hand, and the life force from his Ni Wan Secret Treasury surged out. The golden-armored Bean Soldiers took root and sprouted one by one, growing into lush bean sprouts.

Xu Ying returned to the basket and thought silently, "They are so small, it will be difficult for them to survive in a new place. But if they return to their original nature and become beans again, they will grow vigorously in this mountain forest, bloom, bear new beans, and live on for generations."

Seeing this scene, Yuan Qi thought, "Since meeting A Ying, I've encountered so many dangers, and the Great Bell has been injured again and again, yet we haven't left this jinx, A Ying. It's probably because of the human touch he possesses."

This human touch was something many people lacked.

Granny Zhou Yu sensed the flow of vitality within Xu Ying and was greatly shocked, exclaiming, "Young Master Xu has opened his Ni Wan Secret Treasury?"

Xu Ying lay on his back in the basket, legs crossed, and said leisurely, "Even your ancestor still wants to consult me, so what's so surprising that I could open the Ni Wan Secret Treasury?"

The old woman, Zhou Yu, snorted, covered the basket with a silk handkerchief, and quickened her pace, her eyes flashing. "The Ancestor is in a fierce battle with that subterranean behemoth. The fight has torn the new land apart; I don't know how it's going. I was hit by the shockwave and injured quite severely. I must find the other clan members as soon as possible."

Xu Ying asked from inside the basket, "Granny Yu, how did you end up here? Shouldn't a high-ranking figure like the Zhou family's ancestor be stationed in the capital?"

Old woman Zhou replied, "Young Master Xu, you don't know. The River of Oblivion has changed course, and the Underworld is invading, causing great upheaval in the court and the country. Everyone is now focused on this new land in Yongzhou. Heh heh, on the Divine Land, what kind of treasure mountains and blessed lands aren't already occupied by the great aristocratic families? Only the new land has yet to be explored. The treasures here are all ownerless!"

Xu Ying understood.

Humans die for wealth, birds die for food. With the Underworld invading, there must be many treasures in the new lands on both banks of the River of Oblivion. Since ancient times, treasures have stirred the hearts of men. It was likely that all sorts of forces from the Divine Land had been alerted, and more and more people would come to the new land to seek treasures and adventure.

"My Zhou family started from Yongzhou. With new land appearing in Yongzhou, it rightfully belongs to my Zhou family, so my ancestor naturally had to come," Old woman Zhou said.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "Esteemed Granny, may I ask how to get to Mount Wu Wang?"

Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. "This voice is... Yuan Weiyang! Right, the old servant in green beside Yuan Weiyang, Uncle Xiao, is definitely a master!"

Just as he was about to speak, Old woman Zhou suddenly reached into the basket, grabbed Yuan Qi by the neck, and smiled, "You two go that way."

Xu Ying's mind stirred, and he remained silent. Instead, he focused on sensing the World Breaker sword intent. A faint sword intent emanated from the basket.

Yuan Weiyang said, "Thank you, Granny. Uncle Xiao, let's go."

Uncle Xiao's voice came through, "Young Master can go to Mount Wu Wang to see that Demon King Xu, but Young Master must remember, absolutely do not go into the river to catch fish or dig for loaches!"

Yuan Weiyang's gentle voice replied, "I am merely discussing the methods of spiritual energy refinement with him. Why would I go into the river to catch fish?"

As they gradually moved away, Old woman Zhou finally released Yuan Qi's neck, which she had been holding, and continued forward. Not long after, Old woman Zhou's voice echoed, "Young Master Xu, there's a dilapidated temple ahead. Let's find shelter there and wait for our clansmen to find us... Shuikou Temple! Strange name!"

Old woman Zhou walked towards Shuikou Temple with the basket. Xu Ying's heart tightened. "This is bad! The Zhou family doesn't necessarily want me dead, but the White-robed Nuo Immortal definitely wants me dead!"

Yuan Weiyang's gentle voice called out, "Esteemed Granny, ahead is a place where a Nuo Immortal's hidden scenery undergoes sublimation. That Nuo Immortal died tragically, and their resentment is quite strong. It is not advisable to proceed."

Old woman Zhou stopped and smiled, "Thank you for your guidance. Aren't you going to Mount Wu Wang? Why have you returned?"

Yuan Weiyang's tone was somewhat indifferent. "My friend is in your basket. Why should I go to Mount Wu Wang?"

Inside the basket, Xu Ying suddenly heard a deafening roar, like the earth cracking and mountains collapsing. The basket shook violently. It must have been the old servant in green, Uncle Xiao, suddenly attacking Old woman Zhou!

"Yuan family's Nu Art?"

The basket jolted. He couldn't see the scene outside through the basket's weave, and Xu Ying had no idea how the battle was going.

Suddenly, with a whoosh, Xu Ying felt the basket lift into the air. It didn't feel like someone was holding it. He quickly called out to Yuan Qi, and the man and snake leaped out of the basket!

Indeed, the basket flew through the air, and Old woman Zhou was nowhere in sight. Only the violent fluctuations of divine powers could be heard in the distance.

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi were in mid-air, falling. Yuan Qi shrieked repeatedly. Xu Ying shouted, "Ants don't die from falling! We're not much bigger than ants, so we won't die either!"

They plummeted to the ground, creating a small crater.

Xu Ying sprang up and fled rapidly with Yuan Qi. They ran non-stop for an unknown amount of time. Only when they could no longer run did they stop to rest.

After running for so long, they had only passed a small hill.

Suddenly, Old woman Zhou's venomous voice echoed, "Young Master Xu, why did the Yuan family's expert suddenly attack me? Can Young Master Xu give this old woman an explanation?"

Xu Ying's heart tightened. He got up and looked. Old woman Zhou was walking towards him, covered in blood.

This old crone had already been injured by the shockwaves from the battle between the Zhou family's ancestor and the subterranean behemoth. Even the Ni Wan Secret Treasury couldn't heal her. Now, severely wounded by Uncle Xiao, the old servant in green, her rage was boundless. She said fiercely, "Young Master Xu, you are full of schemes, but you cannot escape my grasp! You have fallen for my Nu Art, and no matter where you go, you cannot escape my senses! Since you refuse a toast and insist on a penalty, do not blame this old woman for being ruthless!"

Her face was grim. "My ancestor only ordered me to bring you back, but he didn't say whether you should be alive, dead, or crippled!"

Xu Ying stirred his Blood Essence, and his body suddenly grew from the size of a soybean to two to three inches tall. "Granny Yu, don't you think it's possible that it wasn't you who found me here, but rather that I led you here?"

Old woman Zhou sneered and reached out to grab him. "Dream on if you think you can break my Nu Art! Even if you led me here, what of it?"

Just then, she felt a sense of danger and quickly leaped up. A White Bone Soul Striking Whip silently attacked from behind her, passing beneath her feet.

"So close, but it didn't hit me!"

As soon as she thought this, four White Bone Soul Striking Whips landed on her, causing the old woman to cry out and fall to the ground!

Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and looked behind Old woman Zhou. He saw five mighty Bull Demons standing in the eerie wind, holding White Bone Soul Striking Whips, surrounding Old woman Zhou and lashing her repeatedly!

Yuan Qi felt greatly satisfied and shouted, "Well beaten!"

Xu Ying smiled slightly and whispered, "Finally, I've been waiting for you."

After escaping from the basket, his escape route led him to the already broken Mount Wu Wang, because he knew that as long as these five Bull Demons were alive, they would relentlessly pursue him.

Indeed, when Old woman Zhou caught up to them, the five Bull Demons also arrived.

Old woman Zhou cried out in pain, rolling on the ground. Her screams were so unbearable that even Xu Ying felt a pang of pity, so he plugged his ears with his fingers.

If he couldn't hear it, he wouldn't feel compassion.

At this moment, Xu Ying saw a young man not far away. His brows were filled with heroic spirit, but his eyebrows were snow-white, which was quite strange.

The young man stood there quietly, watching the Bull Demons whip Old woman Zhou, making no move to stop them.

Yuan Qi also saw the white-browed young man and felt an inexplicable fear, as if he had encountered his natural predator.

Xu Ying raised an eyebrow slightly. He saw something familiar in the white-browed young man.

The white-browed young man walked over and said softly, "The reason I didn't stop you from whipping her is because she violated my orders. I told her to invite you, but she humiliated you by shrinking you, showing no respect to a distinguished guest, and therefore she deserves to be beaten."

He came before Xu Ying and said indifferently, "My name is Zhou Qiyun. Three hundred years ago, like you, I was a snake catcher."