Xu Ying's scalp prickled. Seventeen Nuo Immortals had secluded themselves in their Hidden Scenery Sublimation Lands, hoping to become immortals in the mortal world. Who would have thought that not one of them had survived?
Then did the path of Nuo Master cultivation still have any meaning or value?
"They experienced great terror before their deaths. When I examined their corpses, they were often just like this Ghost Nuo Immortal—nothing but a skin sack remained."
Zhou Qiyun carefully examined the White-robed Nuo Immortal's human skin, refusing to overlook any detail. "Some Nuo Immortals' corpses were relatively intact, but parts were missing. For example, the Nuo Immortals who cultivated the Ni Wan Secret Treasury were missing the Ni Wan Palace in their brains. Those who cultivated the Jiang Palace Secret Treasury had their hearts dug out. Others had both feet severed, their heads removed, and so on."
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi could not help shivering.
According to their deductions, the people who had killed these Nuo Immortals were the ones who had taught them their cultivation arts—in other words, their masters!
Yet from Zhou Qiyun's description, they seemed more like food that had been raised in captivity. Picky gourmands would choose the tastiest parts to sample. Some found the Ni Wan delicious, others the heart, so they ate only those parts.
Yuan Qi could not help saying, "I read in a book that some people ascend by casting off their mortal shells, their bodies becoming like cicadas' cast-off skins—mere skin sacks, worldly things that burden us. Only by shedding those skin sacks can one ascend. So is it possible that the Nuo Immortals who were left with nothing but skin sacks had actually already ascended?"
Zhou Qiyun said in surprise, "You've read quite a few books."
Yuan Qi proudly raised his head, his tone carrying a hint of modesty. "My Old Niu Family is a family of scholars with a great many books in its collection. I read some in my spare time."
He remembered that his family was gone now, and those books had probably been buried beneath the water as well. The glory of three generations of the Old Niu Family had all gone down the drain, and sorrow welled up in his heart.
When Zhou Qiyun heard the words Old Niu Family, he could not help frowning. He did not understand why this family had the surname Niu. He had no idea that the trouble had been caused by the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist he had inadvertently left behind all those years ago.
"I also know of such a theory. There is another theory called transformation and ascension. They say the person transforms into a butterfly, sheds their original shell, and changes into another form we cannot comprehend."
Zhou Qiyun said, "But I carefully studied the skin sacks left behind by these so-called ascenders and discovered that they had actually been eaten. There was no such thing as ascension."
Yuan Qi said, "There is another method of ascension called ascension by tribulation fire. The Nuo Immortal dies in meditation, tribulation fire ignites on their body, and their physical body is reduced to a lump of ashes. Yet their true soul has already ascended to the Immortal Realm."
Zhou Qiyun could not help looking at him twice more before praising him. "You really have read a lot. Do you know of another theory, ascension through Liberation by Violence?"
Yuan Qi nodded. "I do. Legend has it that when a Nuo Immortal dies, or is killed, and is buried in a coffin, opening the coffin reveals no corpse—only clothing, fingernails, and the like. It is said to be ascension through Liberation by Violence or ascension through corpse liberation. They left behind fingernails and clothes only to blind people's eyes, so as not to shock the world."
Xu Ying had never been able to get a word in. He merely listened to them talk and thought, It seems reading really does have its uses. I can't talk about any of this.
"What if all of that is false?" Zhou Qiyun asked. "What if these Nuo Immortals did not ascend, but were eaten until only their clothes and fingernails remained?"
Yuan Qi's face darkened, and he angrily said, "Are you saying everything in the books is a lie?"
Zhou Qiyun smiled. "You have to see who wrote the book. If I wrote one, I would expose these deceitful tricks and write down the bloody truth, so future generations would not stray down the wrong path!"
He tossed down the White-robed Nuo Immortal's human skin and strode out of the great temple. "The teachers of these seventeen Nuo Immortals are the true culprits! Those old fools passed on their cultivation arts not to carry on their own traditions, but to harvest leeks!"
He sneered. "They treat the heroes of the world as leeks, cutting one crop after another! But I refuse to be one of those leeks! I will turn against them!"
Xu Ying followed him, only to find the area outside the great temple packed with people, a dense, dark mass.
These people radiated astonishingly powerful auras. Behind them, the Sea of Chaos churned, while brilliant grotto-heavens warped space and plunged into the sea, drawing in energy.
The dazzling radiance emitted by the grotto-heavens was so bright that even the sun in the great temple's world lost its luster!
"The Zhou Family's experts are as numerous as the stars in the sky!" Xu Ying exclaimed in amazement.
What a colossal Aristocratic Clan! What a colossal force!
Standing before the temple gates, Zhou Qiyun's voice spread across the mountains. "Zhou Family disciples and students, heed my command. Tear down every temple gate you encounter, strip the tiles from every house, and pry out every coffin nail. Empty this Hidden Scenery Sublimation Land for me!"
The many Zhou Family experts bowed in unison. "Yes!"
They scattered in all directions, dismantling and carrying away anything useful. Even the hidden scenery left behind by the White-robed Nuo Immortal was refined by powerful Nuo Masters and packed into strange vessels one after another.
Xu Ying even saw them roll up the White-robed Nuo Immortal's human skin.
Some people went to the Five Sacred Mountains and cut off the flesh there piece by piece, placing it in vessels to cultivate it. No one knew what they intended to do.
As for the deities that had already turned to stone, they carried them away too, without leaving a single one behind.
From their orderly movements, this was clearly not their first time doing such a thing. They had done it many times before.
Zhou Qiyun continued walking ahead. Clouds formed beneath Xu Ying and Yuan Qi's feet of their own accord, and the man and snake stood upon them, following him involuntarily.
"Senior Zhou, you've found so many Nuo Immortals over the past eighty years. Didn't even one of them survive?" Xu Ying asked.
Zhou Qiyun stopped and pondered for a moment. "I found seventeen dead Nuo Immortals, but there are also some Hidden Scenery Sublimation Lands that were completely empty. There were neither Nuo Immortal corpses nor ashes. I cannot be certain whether they are alive, but the hope is slim."
Xu Ying understood what he meant.
The Nuo Immortals who entered the Hidden Scenery Sublimation Lands had basically reached the end of their lifespans. Even if they saw through the trap and escaped, they probably would not live more than a few years.
"After I discovered the traps in the cultivation arts, I searched the Five Sacred Mountains and Three Mountains, finding these Nuo Immortals who had died in their own Hidden Scenery Sublimation Lands. Though I was disappointed, it was not without gains."
Zhou Qiyun walked toward the entrance to the ruined temple's world and continued the earlier topic. "Those who could become Nuo Immortals were no mediocrities. To some extent, they had also realized that there were problems in the Nuo Master cultivation arts. Some Nuo Immortals had even gone very far, attempting to find a solution in older cultivation systems. I found some Demonic Arts among their relics."
Yuan Qi opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but ultimately said nothing about his conjecture concerning the Demon Race's precursor civilization. He thought, The man surnamed Zhou is human, after all. Even if I expose the human bastards' conspiracy, I would only alert the snake. Better to avoid adding trouble.
Xu Ying said, "The so-called Demonic Arts are actually the cultivation arts of the Ancient Qi Refiners. But for some reason, they were lost and became cultivation arts for demons. Their efforts in this direction reminded Senior Zhou?"
Zhou Qiyun said leisurely, "Although they failed, their experience is extremely valuable."
Xu Ying's eyes flickered as he probed, "You came to Yongzhou New Land this time to find me and have me decipher the Qi Refiner cultivation arts, solving the trap in your own cultivation arts?"
Zhou Qiyun threw back his head and laughed, shaking it. "The trap in my cultivation arts was resolved long ago. Otherwise, I would not have dared to break through and open the ninth layer of the secret treasury a hundred and seventy years ago."
His words carried powerful conviction and arrogance. "I came to the New Land for three things! The first, and the least important, is to kill the Master of Ni Wan Palace and eliminate this threat once and for all!"
Xu Ying's heart shook violently as he stared at his back.
Zhou Qiyun was certainly no good person, yet for some reason, he was extraordinarily charismatic.
With his hands behind his back, Zhou Qiyun looked up at the sky, his eyes bright. "Although he showed me the kindness of a teacher, he deliberately intended to eat me. I cannot sit back and await death. In the past, I lacked the confidence to eliminate him, but now I have it. The battle at Mount Wu Wang was my first clash with him. Because I had to guard against another person, I allowed him to escape. But he will certainly come again."
He remained calm and unhurried. "Next time, I will not give him any opportunity."
"What is the second thing?" Xu Ying asked.
Zhou Qiyun smiled faintly. "The second thing is that I want to emulate Emperor Mingxiao of Zhidao and personally go to the Underworld to speak with the Son of Heaven of the Underworld Court. I do not want someone stabbing me in the back while I am giving it my all."
Xu Ying looked at him in disbelief. To travel to the Yin Court and negotiate with the Son of Heaven of the Underworld Court—could Zhou Qiyun already possess the combat strength of the Supreme Dao Great Sage Emperor?
Zhou Qiyun smiled faintly. "The third thing is the most important of all. I am doing the first two things merely to pave the way for the third."
Xu Ying composed himself and asked, "Then what is the third thing?"
Zhou Qiyun smiled. "I will tell you after I kill the Master of Ni Wan Palace. It is still too early now. Xu Ying, stay by my side and help me decipher the Tuo Yu Immortal Scripture."
"The Tuo Yu Immortal Scripture?" Xu Ying asked in confusion.
"My Zhou Family obtained an immortal scripture from an ancient grotto-heaven on Duqiao Mountain. It is extraordinarily profound and obscure. The grotto-heaven's master was called Tuo Yu, so it was named the Tuo Yu Immortal Scripture."
Zhou Qiyun said, "Quite a few of my Zhou Family's talented individuals are already deciphering the immortal scripture and have worked out a great deal of useful content. Xu Ying, you possess the talent to decipher immortal scriptures. My Zhou Family will not treat you unfairly."
The corner of Xu Ying's eye twitched. "Senior Zhou is inviting me so warmly, and you are also my senior, so naturally I will not refuse. However, I killed Zhou Yang and Zhou Yihang. I fear there may be some misunderstandings when I arrive at the Zhou Family."
Zhou Qiyun shook his head. "They would not dare be too excessive with you."
"You misunderstand, Senior."
Xu Ying's expression remained calm. "What I mean is that I will fight back."
Zhou Qiyun gave him a deep look and smiled. "Those who dare to slay gods are indeed lawless. Fight back as you please."
They emerged from the ruined temple's world and returned to Shuikou Temple, only to find someone inside. The youth at the head had refined features, white robes, and dark brows. He was none other than Yuan Weiyang. Behind him stood the blue-robed old servant, Uncle Xiao.
The two had originally been near Shuikou Temple. They had clashed with Rain Granny while attempting to rescue Xu Ying, after which Rain Granny escaped. The pair pursued her for a long while but failed to find Xu Ying or Rain Granny.
Just then, Zhou Qiyun had forcibly torn away Shuikou Temple's disguise, revealing the Five Sacred Mountains. The two hurried to Shuikou Temple and unexpectedly encountered Xu Ying's group.
Yuan Weiyang's gaze fell on Zhou Qiyun. He slightly furrowed his brows, then looked at Xu Ying.
Uncle Xiao followed behind him and looked at Zhou Qiyun, failing to recognize him as the Zhou Family Ancestor.
Zhou Qiyun had made his name more than two hundred years ago. After that, he had lived in seclusion and rarely appeared in public, so Uncle Xiao had never seen him.
Yuan Weiyang was about to speak when Xu Ying suddenly laughed heartily. "Weiyang, you came too? Long time no see!"
He stepped forward, took Yuan Weiyang's hand, and secretly squeezed it. Smiling, he said, "Senior Zhou, this is an old friend of mine from Lingling City. Weiyang, this is Senior Zhou of the Zhou Family, a foremost figure in the Zhou Family."
He squeezed Yuan Weiyang's hand again and wondered, Why are his hands so soft? His skin is also much finer than mine—so smooth. The boys in the city really take good care of themselves. They're nothing like us rough country men.
Uncle Xiao stared at their hands, his eyes nearly spitting fire.
Xu Ying squeezed it again, confirming that it was very smooth.
Yuan Weiyang calmly pulled his hand free and said softly, "Since it is inconvenient for you, Weiyang will take his leave first."
He turned and walked away. Uncle Xiao glared fiercely at Xu Ying twice before hurriedly following him.
Just then, Zhou Qiyun's voice rang out. "Your surname is Yuan? Yuan Wuji of your Yuan Family is quite capable. I fought him once, and he lost to me by a single move."
Yuan Weiyang stopped. Uncle Xiao's expression changed drastically, and only then did he realize that Xu Ying had been acting out of kindness.
Yuan Wuji was the ancestor of the Yuan Family, possessing cultivation that reached the heavens and penetrated the earth, unfathomable and profound. He had long since become the Yuan Family's legend!
Yet this white-browed youth claimed that Yuan Wuji had narrowly lost to him. Then this person could only be the Zhou Family Ancestor!
Zhou Qiyun's tone brooked no argument. "Deciphering the Tuo Yu Immortal Scripture requires someone of extraordinary talent. The people of your Yuan Family are all highly talented. Stay."
Uncle Xiao was about to erupt in anger, but Yuan Weiyang raised a hand to stop him. Yuan Weiyang bowed. "How could I disobey?"
He came to Xu Ying's side and stood there quietly without saying a word, as if his predicament had nothing to do with him.
Yuan Qi suddenly noticed that Xu Ying kept sniffing his right hand, his expression strange. He hurriedly whispered, "A Ying, what's wrong with your hand?"
Xu Ying sniffed his fingertips again and said in a low voice, "Strange. I squeezed Brother Yuan's hand just now, and now my hand has picked up a fragrance. Smell it!"
Yuan Qi sniffed it and said disdainfully, "This old man's hand is so effeminate, yet it smells so good!"
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