Xu Ying let out a silent sigh. He knew there was no chance of escape. Zhou Family Ancestor Zhou Qiyun was a legendary figure, the most powerful existence in the world today.
There was absolutely no way he could escape from him.
He found it somewhat absurd. More than three hundred years ago, Zhou Family Ancestor Zhou Qiyun had been Snake Catcher. After capturing a Strange Snake, he had accidentally entered Qin Yan Cave and obtained the inheritance of Ni Wan Palace.
More than three hundred years later, Snake Catcher Xu Ying had also entered Qin Yan Cave because of a Strange Snake.
In the unseen workings of fate, some wondrous bond had brought them together.
Zhou Qiyun waved his hand lightly. The five Bull Demons suddenly floated up without a sound and landed to one side. Rain Granny Zhou held back her pain, struggling to rise and standing respectfully nearby, not daring to speak.
Xu Ying felt a wondrous power surge through him. The Bean Soldier Technique on his body immediately dissolved, and his body returned to normal. Yuan Qi also recovered his original physique.
Zhou Qiyun came to Xu Ying's side and looked him up and down before saying, "You opened the Ni Wan Secret Treasury, but never cultivated his techniques? I see. I took away all the classics he left in Ni Wan Palace that I could carry, and burned everything I couldn't. That's why you didn't receive his inheritance."
Xu Ying was slightly stunned.
This was absolutely an ugly deed. He had never expected Zhou Qiyun to speak of it so openly. There was even a sense of being bad in a bright and aboveboard manner.
"Senior Zhou, why did you burn the life's work of the Master of Ni Wan Palace back then?" Xu Ying asked.
Zhou Qiyun walked ahead, saying indifferently, "Back then, I barged into Qin Yan Cave while trying to capture a Strange Snake. I accidentally entered a stone chamber and obtained the inheritance of the Master of Ni Wan Palace. I was overjoyed and kowtowed to that skeleton, taking it as my master. I thought I would surely rise to prominence and never have to be a snake catcher again. But there were far too many classics in the stone chamber—so many they could fill carts and carts. Every kind of martial art, every kind of divine ability and technique was there. I couldn't take them all away, but I didn't want to leave them for future generations, nor did I want anyone else to come here and learn the same techniques as me. So I hardened my heart and burned everything I couldn't carry!"
Xu Ying frowned slightly and followed closely behind him.
A smile appeared on Zhou Qiyun's face. He clearly did not think he had done anything wrong. Instead, he was rather pleased with himself over the deed.
He continued forward at an unhurried pace and said, "I knew Qin Yan Cave was of tremendous importance. If people learned that there was a Ni Wan Palace Cave Heaven here, along with an inheritance as mysterious as it was unfathomable, most likely they would follow every clue and trace it back to me. So I left behind one scroll of scripture and one gourd of spirit pills."
Xu Ying's heart shook violently. He blurted out, "That gourd of spirit pills Yuan Qi's grandfather found was left by you!"
"Yuan Qi's grandfather?"
Zhou Qiyun looked at Yuan Qi in surprise and said, "You're the grandson of that Strange Snake? Hahaha, fate has truly tied your grandfather and me together."
Yuan Qi was also shaken to the core. He blurted out, "You were the one who chased my grandfather and forced him into Qin Yan Cave? When my grandfather was alive, he often mentioned you. He said that without a snake catcher like you, he never would have discovered the cave within Qin Yan Cave, and he never would have become a demon."
A smile appeared on Zhou Qiyun's face as he said, "Your grandfather becoming a demon was thanks to me. The Master of Ni Wan Palace left many miraculous spirit pills in the stone chamber, which aided me in Foundation Establishment and cultivation. So I left one gourd of spirit pills for the Strange Snake that had led me here. Once that Strange Snake took the pills, it would awaken its intelligence. I still remember that the scripture I left for him was called the Great Sun Guiding Technique. It was one of the few Demon Race techniques among the Master of Ni Wan Palace's collection."
Yuan Qi hurriedly said, "The Great Sun Guiding Technique also contains a martial art called the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist!"
Zhou Qiyun thought for a moment and said, "It should have that martial technique. I had ulterior motives at the time. I thought that since I could find this place, someone else could certainly find it too. If they discovered that the treasure of the Master of Ni Wan Palace had fallen into my hands, they would do everything possible to kill me and seize it. Heh heh, so I gave that Strange Snake spirit pills and the Great Sun Guiding Technique."
Yuan Qi still did not understand, but Xu Ying had realized what was going on. He said, "Senior Zhou, what a scheme. Even if others found this place, they would assume that the Strange Snake had obtained the inheritance of the Master of Ni Wan Palace. They would also think that the Master of Ni Wan Palace's inheritance amounted to nothing much and would not investigate further."
The moment he said this, Yuan Qi suddenly understood and shouted, "You framed my grandfather!"
Zhou Qiyun said indifferently, "If I hadn't left behind that gourd of spirit pills and those techniques, how could there have been a you later?"
Yuan Qi fell silent.
Xu Ying asked, "Senior Zhou, how old were you back then?"
Zhou Qiyun looked at him and said, "About your age."
Xu Ying sighed with emotion. "I don't have such meticulous thoughts as Senior. You managed to think of so many things in such a short time. You thought far too deeply and far too far ahead."
Zhou Qiyun sighed. "Only later did I realize that I had been overly cautious. No one went to Qin Yan Cave at all, and no one cared about a snake becoming a Snake Demon. Meanwhile, I gradually rose to prominence in Lingling. By the time I came of age four years later, I was already the foremost person in Yongzhou."
A ruined temple appeared ahead. Xu Ying looked over, and his heart leaped. It was Shuikou Temple.
At this moment, Shuikou Temple was no longer on the great rift. It had moved thirty li south!
Xu Ying's heart jolted. "This ruined temple is moving toward Mount Wu Wang! It seems the White-robed Nuo Immortal probably knows that I live on Mount Wu Wang. He just doesn't know that Mount Wu Wang has already suffered a Disaster of Wu Wang!"
Zhou Qiyun walked straight toward Shuikou Temple and continued, "When I was fifty-seven, I opened the Eighth Cave Heaven. I had already opened the eighth layer of the secret treasury. At that time, I was the most eye-catching young prodigy of Nuo arts in Shenzhou. When Emperor Mingxiao of Zhidao saw me, he stroked the top of my head and praised me as a universal genius. I understood one thing and all things thereafter; I truly deserved that title."
Xu Ying's mind surged. A genius acknowledged by everyone under heaven indeed had reason to be proud.
Zhou Qiyun entered through the gate of Shuikou Temple. By now, Shuikou Temple was no longer one world outside the gate and another inside. It was completely ordinary, with nothing distinguishing it from a common temple.
"I opened the eighth layer of the secret treasury at fifty-seven. Yet it wasn't until I was one hundred and forty-three that I opened the ninth layer. Everyone said that a universal genius like me had exhausted his talent. They mocked and humiliated me. But the reason I failed to break through for so long was that I had seen the trap the Master of Ni Wan Palace had left in his techniques." Zhou Qiyun walked straight toward the central hall, a sorrowful expression appearing on his face.
Xu Ying frowned slightly. "A trap? What trap?"
He suddenly thought of his own experience opening the Ni Wan Secret Treasury and immediately realized the answer. "Senior Zhou, could it be that the Master of Ni Wan Palace helped you open the Ni Wan Secret Treasury?"
Zhou Qiyun reached the central hall of Shuikou Temple and lightly flicked his sleeve. Space immediately trembled, and the central hall, along with the trembling space, was pushed apart to both sides!
Space shook violently. Thunder and lightning raged, and thunderous roars continued without end. Rolling thunderfire was squeezed out of space, and boundless energy erupted!
Xu Ying watched with his heart in his throat. He saw another world hidden within Shuikou Temple opened by Zhou Qiyun. The Five Sacred Mountains and the great temple appeared before their eyes!
"Great Ancestor of the Zhou Family is fierce!" Yuan Qi exclaimed.
Rain Granny Zhou glared viciously at the giant snake. Yuan Qi said, "Keep staring and I'll have A Ying's bull whip beat you!"
Rain Granny Zhou shuddered and timidly glanced at the five Bull Demons behind Xu Ying.
Xu Ying looked around. The ruined-temple world was already vastly different from when he had visited last time. The giant rocks suspended in the sky had vanished, and the huge chunks of flesh waving blood-vessel tentacles had also disappeared.
Yet on those five immortal mountains, scarlet flesh writhed. Thick lines of muscle climbed over the mountainsides like enormous blood-red pythons, seemingly still growing.
Xu Ying felt a chill in his heart. "That Evil Nuo Immortal must have devoured the flesh of many more people! After being eaten clean by that person, he tried to seize the flesh of others. He wants to resurrect!"
Clouds formed beneath Zhou Qiyun's feet and carried everyone into the sky. He himself strolled leisurely toward the great temple between the Five Sacred Mountains and said, "In the stone chamber, when I kowtowed to the bones of the Master of Ni Wan Palace, the skeleton suddenly raised a hand and pointed at my brow. That single finger opened my Ni Wan Secret Treasury. It truly was a trap. When I opened the fifth layer of the Ni Wan Secret Treasury, I realized this. So I crippled the five Cave Heavens and started cultivating again from the beginning. I nearly died because of it."
Xu Ying withdrew his gaze. He was both shocked and impressed. "Senior is a person of great courage, great perseverance, and great wisdom. Opening five layers of the secret treasury and cultivating five great Cave Heavens already makes one a dragon among men, enough to become a military governor entrusted with major responsibilities. Yet you discarded them just because you said you would, and then managed to cultivate them all over again. Your talent is truly astonishing!"
Zhou Qiyun said, "You also opened the Ni Wan Secret Treasury. Could it be that when you kowtowed to that skeleton, he pointed at your brow and opened your treasury?"
Xu Ying shook his head. "Why would I kneel to him? I could open the Ni Wan Secret Treasury myself. Why would I need to beg someone else?"
There was a natural pride in his words.
Zhou Qiyun looked at him in surprise. After a moment, he continued, "The trap I spoke of was a trap in the techniques. Opening the secret treasury without the corresponding techniques makes it very difficult to bring out its full power. When I was fifty-eight, I prepared to attack the ninth layer of the secret treasury. That was when I suddenly sensed this flaw, and cold sweat broke out all over me."
By then, they had reached the great temple. Its doors stood wide open, with wind and rain raging outside. The waterfall had become terrifyingly fierce, and the countless divine abilities hidden within it were on the verge of erupting!
Several hundred deities, each seven or eight zhang tall, also stood before the gate. They were brimming with killing intent, surrounded by swirling Incense Qi, while the chanting of countless people rumbled like thunder!
Through the open entrance of the great temple, they saw the White-robed Nuo Immortal seated before the immortal palace. His white hair whipped about, and Immortal Light circled him like swords. He looked as if he were facing a great enemy!
The moment Zhou Qiyun stepped into the ruined temple, he had sensed this powerful enemy. Knowing that the newcomer was unfathomably strong and had come with ill intent, the White-robed Nuo Immortal had already laid a net of heaven and earth before the great temple, waiting quietly for Zhou Qiyun and the others to arrive!
Zhou Qiyun ignored the imposing formation before him and inclined himself slightly toward Xu Ying. "Sorry for the trouble."
With that, his figure drifted into the air, seemingly transforming into a streak of Immortal Light as he passed between the erupting waterfall and the several hundred murderous deities!
In the next moment, he appeared inside the great temple, before the immortal palace!
Before the White-robed Nuo Immortal Chen Mianzhu could even rise, Zhou Qiyun pointed one finger at his brow. The skin sack behind him immediately exploded, and all his vital essence leaked out. He quickly shriveled, turning into an uninflated human skin that drifted backward!
"Smack!"
The human skin hung from the great hall of the immortal palace, pressed tightly against the wall!
Xu Ying's heart leaped. The voice of the Great Bell came at that moment. "A Ying, this man is so powerful! That single finger shattered the Evil Nuo Immortal's resentment and erased him completely!"
At that moment, Zhou Qiyun seemed to sense something unusual and turned to look at Xu Ying.
The Great Bell was grim. "He sensed me!"
Xu Ying also tensed inwardly. With a smile on his face, he walked forward. He had just reached the front of the great temple when he suddenly saw the Hidden Scenery waterfall, containing an endless Great Dao Manifestation, collapse into pieces. The foreheads of several hundred towering deities exploded one after another!
Before Xu Ying could reach the temple gate, everything had already settled into dust!
"I only saw his figure flash past like lightning. I didn't see when he struck and shattered all of this." He was utterly horrified.
"This Evil Nuo Immortal is a pitiful man."
Zhou Qiyun stood in the great hall of the immortal palace with his back to him, hands behind his back and head raised as he looked at the human skin nailed to the wall. Waiting for Xu Ying to approach, he said, "I sensed that the Nu Master's techniques concealed an enormous flaw, but he failed to notice it. As a result, he secluded himself in the Hidden Scenery Sublimation Land, where others took advantage of him and ate him clean. Heh, inferior skill leads to a fitting death!"
Xu Ying came up behind him. Hearing this, he blurted out, "You mean this Nuo Immortal's Nuo arts contained a trap, and that was why he was eaten? But who could have known that his techniques contained a trap?"
As he said this, he suddenly realized the answer.
The person who naturally knew that the techniques contained a trap was the person who had created them!
Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He suddenly thought of the inheritance of the Master of Ni Wan Palace. If the bones of the Master of Ni Wan Palace opened the secret treasury for someone, and that person then cultivated the Master of Ni Wan Palace's techniques, wouldn't that be equivalent to stepping into a trap and handing his own life over to him?
Zhou Qiyun beckoned, and the human skin drifted down.
He examined the human skin carefully and said, "Do you know how I escaped the trap in the inheritance of Ni Wan Palace?"
Xu Ying was about to shake his head when a flash of inspiration struck him. "Demonic Arts! No, the techniques of Qi Refiners!"
Zhou Qiyun raised his head in surprise and looked at him, the corner of his eye twitching once. After a moment, he said, "You're so clever that you've suddenly given rise to a murderous urge in me. I'm not used to seeing people who are smarter than me."
He paused, then continued along with Xu Ying's words. "That's right, the techniques of Qi Refiners. After discovering the trap, I pondered bitterly for a long time but still couldn't find a way to resolve it. For eighty-six whole years, I traveled everywhere, searching for traces of Nuo Immortals. Over those eighty-six years, I found the Hidden Scenery Sublimation Lands of seventeen Nuo Immortals in total."
He exhaled a breath of foul air, his expression calm. "They all died in their own Sublimation Lands, without exception. Heh, the so-called Ascension to the Inner Small Immortal Realm was nothing but a joke!"
----Thanks to Meng Chuan Covers the Sky with One Hand, Too Low Presence, Papaya Shrimp, and Zhang Zhang 1, the four Alliance Leaders, for their rewards. I'm overwhelmed with trepidation—bowing, bowing!!
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