Those golden-armored Bean Soldiers were still surging forward one after another, pouncing on the blue Exotic Bird. One after another fell before Xu Ying, pecked by the Exotic Bird until they were smashed to pieces, then swallowed.
Yet some golden-armored Bean Soldiers still managed to reach the Exotic Bird's body. They fought it with the green swords in their hands. To them, the Exotic Bird was a god hundreds or thousands of times greater than themselves, boundless and immense—yet they showed no fear of death!
Though they were merely beans, they still moved Xu Ying.
He activated Ni Wan Cave Heaven, plunged it into the Sea of Chaos, and transformed the energy of the Sea of Chaos into a surging vitality!
He had never learned Nu Art, yet he intended to fight as a Nu Master!
He treated these yellow beans as people—as thinking, living people!
He wanted to try a field he had never set foot in for these people!
The Great Bell, which had been recuperating, was instantly jolted awake. It was inside Ni Wan Cave Heaven and immediately sensed that this cave heaven was slowly beginning to turn. The vitality pouring out of it was incredibly dense, even seeping into its body.
Of course, this vitality was of little use to it. It had no physical body and could not use vitality to heal its wounds.
Compared to it, Xu Ying's cave heaven was tiny, not even equal to the cave heavens of some ordinary Nu Masters from the Zhou Family. Yet the quality of the Ni Wan vitality drawn from it was exceptionally high!
"Is A Ying about to perform Nu Art?"
The Great Bell was stunned. "But he has never learned Nu Art! He only just opened the Ni Wan Secret Treasury. He can't possibly think that makes him a Nu Master, can he?"
Xu Ying carefully recalled the strange condition of his body when he had been shrunk after being struck. Sensing the surging vitality within him, he tried treating it as his own primordial qi and circulated it into every corner of his body.
He circulated the vitality as he would primordial qi. Gradually, his primordial qi and the vitality began to merge, seeping into his organs and filling his flesh, making his primordial qi flow with lively vigor. Little by little, he sensed the creation of all things.
Suddenly, he activated Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist. His back gradually swelled, his body grew taller and taller, and his fingers lengthened and joined together, transforming into hooves.
His nose grew, his brow bones rose high, and his head grew larger and larger. His ears gradually flared out like the wings of a bell, and before Yuan Qi's eyes, he demonized, becoming an elephant-headed, human-bodied, hoof-footed Elephant King God barely two beans tall!
"A Ying has finally revealed his true form..."
Yuan Qi widened his eyes and muttered, "The Stone Mountain God was right. He really is a demon!"
Xu Ying dispersed the form of the Elephant King God, and his body returned to normal. After this trial, he was already sixty or seventy percent confident that he could perform Every Plant a Soldier!
In his heart, there was no such thing as Nu techniques, nor any spells or divine abilities of Qi Refiners. He had only one thought: to follow his nature, make use of the strengths of his primordial qi and vitality, and naturally unleash his abilities.
He simply felt that he now possessed the ability to perform Every Plant a Soldier or Beans Become Soldiers.
A blue Exotic Bird stepped down, crushing a Bean Soldier beneath its foot. It opened its beak and pecked toward his head.
Just as it was about to shatter the Bean Soldier's skull, Xu Ying suddenly pointed. The Bean Soldier's body immediately expanded section by section, transforming in an instant from the size of a bean into a golden-armored little god-man two feet tall!
The blue Exotic Bird pecked into his chest, but the little golden-armored god-man pierced through the bird's head with a single sword thrust.
Xu Ying circulated the primordial qi and vitality within him and strode into the battlefield between the Bean Soldiers and the Exotic Birds. With casual gestures, he rapidly transformed one Bean Soldier after another into two-foot-tall little god-men, instantly reversing the situation.
The little golden-armored god-men leaped and charged at the blue Exotic Birds. They soon killed nearly half the flock. Seeing this, the remaining Exotic Birds beat their wings and flew into the sky.
More than a dozen little golden-armored god-men drew bows and arrows, bent their bows, and shot, killing the fleeing Exotic Birds one after another.
Yuan Qi stared, dumbfounded, then hurriedly asked, "A Ying, was that Nu Art?"
Xu Ying thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know if it was Nu Art. It just felt like it should be that way."
Yuan Qi was stunned. After a long while, he finally asked, "Senior, what sort of divine being were you reincarnated from?"
Xu Ying burst out laughing. "Yuan Qi, you've read too many idle books. Where did your thoughts wander? I am naturally just myself, not the reincarnation of anyone. My family lives in Xu Family Village, my parents dote on me, and I remember it all clearly..."
Seeing that he was about to start on this again, Yuan Qi hurriedly interrupted him. "Stop! A Ying, since you can perform Beans Become Soldiers on these Bean Soldiers, can you perform this spell on us as well and break that old demoness's Nu Art?"
Xu Ying did not sink into memories of Xu Family Village. His mental state was perfectly normal as he smiled and said, "Breaking her Nu Art won't be difficult. The hard part is that my cultivation is far inferior to hers. To break her Nu Art, we'll have to do it bit by bit."
Yuan Qi's spirits rose. "As long as it can be broken, that's enough."
At that moment, an old woman's voice drifted over, laughing. "What is Young Master Xu trying to break?"
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi's expressions changed. They saw a silk handkerchief fall from above, covering them and the Bean Soldiers.
In the next moment, they appeared inside a basket. Old Woman Zhou Rain Granny lifted the handkerchief and glanced into the basket, chuckling. "Fortunately, I had these Bean Soldiers. Otherwise, I truly wouldn't have found Young Master Xu. What a pity these beans are ruined."
She gave it a light shake, tossing the Bean Soldiers out of the basket without another thought, then walked away.
"Old demoness, Seventh Master will fight you to the death!" Yuan Qi leaped up and opened his mouth to bite the old woman's finger, intending to poison her. However, Zhou Rain Granny lightly pinched him between two fingers, clamping down on his vital point.
Zhou Rain Granny gave a cold laugh and was about to crush him to death.
Xu Ying said calmly, "The Zhou Family invited me as a guest to break the Demonic Arts for your family, yet you intend to kill my friend. Are you not afraid of angering your Ancestor?"
Zhou Rain Granny hurriedly stopped and smiled. "Young Master Xu, the Ancestor said to invite you, but never said to invite this Strange Snake. Still, I will sell you some face and spare him trouble." With that, she set Yuan Qi down.
Yuan Qi let out a sigh of relief.
Xu Ying climbed to the edge of the basket and looked out. He saw that the Bean Soldiers were still following Zhou Rain Granny, bewildered and at a loss.
Xu Ying waved his hand. Life force surged out of the Ni Wan Secret Treasury, and the golden-armored Bean Soldiers took root and sprouted one after another, growing into sturdy bean seedlings.
Xu Ying returned to the basket and silently thought, "They're so tiny that surviving in the new land will be difficult. But once they return to their original selves and become beans again, they'll grow sturdily in these mountains and forests, blossom, bear new beans, and live on from generation to generation."
Seeing this, Yuan Qi thought, "Ever since I met A Ying, I've encountered so many dangers, and the Great Bell has been injured again and again. Yet we never left this Plague God, probably because of the human warmth on him."
Many people lacked that sort of human warmth.
Zhou Rain Granny sensed the flow of vitality within Xu Ying and was shaken to the core. She exclaimed, "Young Master Xu has opened the Ni Wan Secret Treasury?"
Xu Ying lay on his back in the basket with his legs crossed, speaking leisurely. "Even your Ancestor has to seek my guidance. What's so surprising about me opening the Ni Wan Secret Treasury?"
Zhou Rain Granny snorted, covered the basket with the silk handkerchief, and hurried along with the basket in hand, her eyes flickering. "The Ancestor is locked in a fierce battle with that underground monstrosity, fighting until the new land split apart. I don't know how the battle is going. I was struck by the shock waves and badly injured. I must find the other members of the clan as soon as possible."
From inside the basket, Xu Ying asked, "Rain Granny, how did you come here? Logically speaking, a figure as lofty as the Zhou Family Ancestor should have remained in the Capital City to guard it, shouldn't he?"
Zhou Rain Granny said, "Young Master Xu doesn't know. The Nai River changed course, and the Underworld Invasion caused a tremendous upheaval throughout the court and the common people. Now everyone is watching this new land in Yongzhou. Heh, what treasure mountain or blessed land in the Divine Land hasn't been occupied by the Aristocratic Clans and powerful families? Only this new land has yet to be set foot upon. All the treasures here are ownerless!"
Xu Ying suddenly understood.
People died for wealth, and birds died for food. With the Underworld Invasion, there had to be countless treasures in the new lands on both banks of the Nai River. Treasures had stirred people's hearts since ancient times, so naturally all the forces of the Divine Land had been alarmed. More and more people would surely come to the new land to seek treasure and explore.
"My Zhou Family rose to prominence from Yongzhou. Now that a new land has appeared in Yongzhou, it naturally belongs to my Zhou Family. Our Ancestor had no choice but to come," Zhou Rain Granny said.
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded. "Old Woman, may I ask how to get to Mount Wu Wang?"
Xu Ying's heart jolted. "That voice is... Yuan Weiyang! Right, that blue-robed old servant Uncle Xiao beside Yuan Weiyang is definitely a great expert!"
He was just about to speak when Zhou Rain Granny suddenly reached one hand into the basket, seized Yuan Qi by the neck, and smiled. "The two of you should go that way."
Xu Ying's thoughts stirred slightly. He did not make a sound, instead concentrating on comprehending the World Breaker sword intent. A faint, almost imperceptible sword intent spread out from the basket.
Yuan Weiyang said, "Thank you, Old Woman. Uncle Xiao, let's go."
Uncle Xiao's voice came from outside. "Young Master can go to Mount Wu Wang to meet that Demon King Xu, but Young Master must remember—under no circumstances are you to go into the river to catch fish or dig for loaches!"
Yuan Weiyang's gentle voice came back. "I'm only going to exchange knowledge with him about circulating and refining spiritual consciousness. Why would I go into the river to catch fish?"
Their voices gradually faded into the distance. Only then did Zhou Rain Granny loosen the hand gripping Yuan Qi's neck and continue forward. Before long, her voice came from ahead. "Young Master Xu, there's a ruined temple ahead. Let's go there first and wait for the clansmen to find us... Shuikou Temple! What a strange name!"
Zhou Rain Granny carried the basket toward Shuikou Temple. Xu Ying's heart tightened. "This is bad! The Zhou Family doesn't want to kill me, but the White-robed Nuo Immortal absolutely does!"
Yuan Weiyang's gentle voice came from ahead. "Old Woman, just ahead is a hidden transformation ground of a Nuo Immortal. That Nuo Immortal died a violent death and harbors deep resentment. It would be unwise to proceed."
Zhou Rain Granny stopped and smiled. "Thank you for the warning. Weren'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 would I still go to Mount Wu Wang?"
Inside the basket, Xu Ying suddenly heard a tremendous crash like the earth splitting and mountains collapsing. The basket shook violently. It seemed that the blue-robed old servant Uncle Xiao had suddenly attacked Zhou Rain Granny!
"Yuan Family Nu Arts?"
The basket jolted wildly. Unable to see anything outside through its woven sides, Xu Ying had no idea how the battle was going.
Suddenly, with a whoosh, Xu Ying sensed the basket rise into the air. It did not feel as though anyone was holding it. He hurriedly called to Yuan Qi, and man and snake leaped out of the basket!
Sure enough, the basket was flying through the air, while Zhou Rain Granny was nowhere nearby. Only violent fluctuations of divine abilities came from the distance.
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi were suspended in midair and began falling. Yuan Qi cried out repeatedly, while Xu Ying shouted, "Ants can't be killed by a fall. We're not much bigger than ants, so we won't be killed either!"
They plummeted with a whistle and smashed a small pit into the ground.
Xu Ying bounced to his feet and sped away with Yuan Qi. They ran wildly without stopping. After they had no idea how long, they finally halted to rest when they could run no farther.
After running for so long, they had only crossed a small hill.
Suddenly, Zhou Rain Granny's venomous voice drifted over. "Young Master Xu, why did an expert from the Yuan Family suddenly attack me? Can Young Master Xu give this old woman an explanation?"
Xu Ying's heart tightened. He rose and looked over, only to see Zhou Rain Granny approaching, covered in blood.
The old woman had already been injured by the fluctuations of the divine abilities unleashed by the Zhou Family Ancestor and the underground monstrosity. Even the Ni Wan Secret Treasury could not heal her. Now Uncle Xiao had gravely wounded her again, and fury roiled in her heart. She said viciously, "Young Master Xu, you have countless schemes, but you still cannot escape this old woman's palm! You were struck by my Nu Art. No matter where you go, you cannot escape my senses! Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame this old woman for being ruthless!"
Her expression darkened. "My Ancestor only ordered me to bring you back. He never said whether you had to be alive, dead, or merely crippled!"
Xu Ying stirred his blood and qi. His body suddenly grew from the size of a soybean to two or three inches tall. "Rain Granny, have you never considered that perhaps you weren't the one who tracked me here? Perhaps I lured you here instead?"
Zhou Rain Granny sneered and reached out to grab him. "Break my Nu Art? Dream on! Even if you lured this old woman here, what could you do?"
At that moment, she sensed danger and hurriedly leaped into the air. A White Bone Soul Striking Whip silently attacked from behind her, flying beneath her feet.
"That was close, but it didn't hit me!"
She had just thought this when four White Bone Soul Striking Whips struck her body, lashing the old woman into a scream and sending her tumbling to the ground!
Xu Ying sighed in relief and looked behind Zhou Rain Granny. Five sturdy Bull Demons stood in the sinister wind, each holding a White Bone Soul Striking Whip. They surrounded Zhou Rain Granny, striking with every rise and fall of their whips and lashing her from all sides!
Yuan Qi found it incredibly satisfying and shouted, "Good beating!"
Xu Ying smiled faintly and murmured, "I've finally waited for you."
After escaping from the basket, he had deliberately fled in the direction of the already broken Mount Wu Wang, because he knew that as long as the five Bull Demons were still alive, they would relentlessly pursue him.
Sure enough, when Zhou Rain Granny caught up with them, the five Bull Demons had also reached this place.
Zhou Rain Granny screamed repeatedly as she was beaten, rolling around on the ground. Her cries even made Xu Ying feel a little reluctant to listen, so he plugged his ears with his fingers.
If he couldn't hear them, he wouldn't feel compassion.
At that moment, Xu Ying saw a young man not far away. His brows and eyes were brimming with heroic spirit, but his eyebrows were snow-white, which looked rather strange.
The youth stood there quietly, watching the Bull Demons lash Zhou Rain Granny without intervening.
Yuan Qi also saw the white-browed youth, and an inexplicable sliver of fear arose in his heart, as though he had encountered a natural enemy.
Xu Ying raised his brows slightly. He saw something familiar in the white-browed youth.
The white-browed youth walked over and said softly, "The reason I did not stop you from lashing her is that she violated my orders. I told her to invite you, yet she used humiliating means to shrink you, showing no respect for an honored guest. Therefore, she deserved to be beaten."
He came before Xu Ying and said calmly, "My name is Zhou Qiyun. More than three hundred years ago, I was a Snake Catcher just like you."
Before you continue