Stone Mountain God Huang Siping's gaze was cold. One of his legs had no flesh left, only bone, and if it took too much force, it would snap. Therefore, he had to finish this battle quickly!
A flash of saber light flared in his hand. His True Yang Vitality coursed through the Hundred Refinements Horse-Slaying Saber, and the saber light, as bright as a strip of silk, collided with the bronze pillar Xu Ying swung at him!
The bronze pillar Xu Ying swung carried astonishing momentum, whipping up a gale. Huang Siping's saber qi blazed fiercely as it struck the pillar, its sharp force slicing the bronze pillar apart!
His True Yang Vitality burned even hotter than raging fire. Wherever the saber light passed, it actually scorched the bronze pillar's broken surface crimson!
Yet the force within the bronze pillar also came crushing along the saber. It was the power of the Elephant God. Although Xu Ying was not a Demon King, his strength far surpassed Huang Siping's!
Huang Siping's hands trembled around the saber. He could not help retreating a step to keep his left leg from bearing too much force.
Xu Ying thrust half a bronze pillar straight at him. Huang Siping retreated another step, then met the pillar with a downward slash. His True Yang Vitality grew even more searing. Beneath the blade, the bronze pillar even began to melt, transforming into molten bronze that dripped steadily to the ground!
That single slash even split the bronze pillar in two from the center!
Yet at the very moment he cleaved the pillar apart, Xu Ying rotated it, twisting the Hundred Refinements Horse-Slaying Saber and both of Huang Siping's arms into a warped mess!
Huang Siping roared. His body shook, revealing his true form: a yellow wolf with a wolf's head and a human body. He stood over ten feet tall, mighty and extraordinary, with silver fangs and sharp claws. His body was covered in yellow fur, each strand as stiff as a golden needle!
His roar was like a gale whimpering. His True Yang Vitality surged, and he wrenched the Horse-Slaying Saber free. But Xu Ying closed in, his palm like the Elephant God's swinging trunk, and with a slap, struck the saber's flat.
The Hundred Refinements Horse-Slaying Saber bent out of shape from the blow, but Huang Siping's True Yang Vitality also followed the saber into Xu Ying's palm and invaded his body along his arm!
Huang Siping was the Demon King of Stone Mountain, with incomparably robust qi and blood. On top of that, his True Yang Vitality was incredibly scorching, hot enough to melt bronze with ease. What chance did Xu Ying's flesh-and-blood body have?
However, the moment his qi and blood invaded, they were met by Xu Ying's own qi and blood.
The instant saber and hand touched and parted, Huang Siping sensed that although Xu Ying's qi and blood were inferior to his own, they were extraordinarily pure. In the blink of an eye, they blocked his True Yang Vitality at the elbow, then pushed it back out without leaving any hidden danger!
"At such a young age, you already possess this level of cultivation. No wonder you managed to slay the Grass Head God!"
Huang Siping's arms were numb from the impact. The Hundred Refinements Horse-Slaying Saber slipped from his grasp, yet instead of growing angry, he praised Xu Ying inwardly. "As expected of an aberrant member of my Demon Race!"
The cultivation method Xu Ying practiced was clearly a demon race guiding technique, and the martial arts he cultivated were also demon race martial arts. Although he looked like a human, in Huang Siping's heart, he might not be human at all.
He had never seen anyone this wild.
He showed no mercy, sweeping out his sharp claws. With his True Yang Vitality added to them, their might was in no way inferior to the Hundred Refinements Horse-Slaying Saber!
At the same time, Xu Ying's fist came crashing in. Behind him, the Elephant God Fiend Body, with an elephant's head and a human body, also struck with all its might. One punch sent gales roaring!
The two were hit at the same time. Xu Ying spat blood and flew backward, crashing into the Great Hall of Heroes. Blazing flames erupted across his body, setting the hall ablaze!
The violent force smashed into Huang Siping's chest. The clothes on his back exploded, and his enormous body flew backward. When he landed, there was a loud crack—every bone in his left leg had broken!
Huang Siping staggered backward several steps before finally collapsing. He rolled across the ground, transformed into a huge yellow wolf with only three legs, then turned and bolted into the mountain forest.
"Xu Ying, we are both of the Demon Race. Since your demonic nature has not yet faded, I will spare your life!" His voice carried from far away.
Earlier, when his leg bones were intact, he could still fight Xu Ying. Now that he had lost a leg, less than thirty percent of his strength remained, so he had no choice but to flee.
Inside the Great Hall of Heroes, Xu Ying leaped up and pressed both hands against the floor. The flames in the hall were immediately snuffed out beneath the pressure.
Suddenly, his throat grew hot, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood struck the ground and transformed into raging flames. It was the damage caused by Huang Siping's True Yang Vitality invading his heart and lungs.
True Yang Vitality was scorching enough to melt bronze and iron. If Xu Ying's qi and blood had not been robust enough to resist it, his entire body would likely have been burned to a crisp!
Xu Ying grunted and circulated his qi and blood, doing his utmost to suppress the True Yang Vitality. Yet the wound on his chest burst open, revealing his ribs.
If he had not cultivated the Elephant God Fiend Body to block part of Huang Siping's strength, his ribs would have been severed by that claw!
Xu Ying barely stabilized his injuries. He left a trace of True Yang Vitality at the wound on his chest, letting it scorch the flesh before driving that trace of vitality out.
Xu Ying breathed in and out, circulating the Taiyi Guiding Technique. Suddenly, Wei Chu's legs moved in the courtyard.
The corner of Xu Ying's eye twitched. He seized the bent Horse-Slaying Saber and hurled it with a whoosh.
Wei Chu rolled aside, dodging the thrown saber. He sprang to his feet and laughed loudly. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. God Slayer Xu Ying, you really do possess the strength to slay a god. But you and the Stone Mountain wolf have both suffered heavy injuries. Can you still fight me?"
His right leg, which had been devoid of flesh, was actually slowly growing flesh again!
Xu Ying smiled. "Master Wei is clearly a Nu Master who has opened the Ni Wan Secret Treasury, with extraordinary strength, yet you lay there pretending to be dead. Normally speaking, Nu Arts restrain Demonic Arts, so Master Wei should have had no trouble fighting both of us. Yet you insisted on waiting until we were both wounded. That can only mean Master Wei's injuries cannot be healed by the Ni Wan Secret Treasury."
Wei Chu's expression darkened.
He had indeed pretended to be dead because his injuries were too severe.
When the roar erupted from the well, he had been the closest and had taken the brunt of the impact. More importantly, although he was a Nu Master, his physical cultivation was far inferior to Xu Ying's and Huang Siping's—not even equal to that of the Snake Demon Yuan Qi!
Although the Ni Wan Secret Treasury could make him immortal, it did not grant absolute immortality!
The internal injuries caused by the roar from the well could not be healed in such a short time!
"At that time, I truly was no match for you. But now..." Wei Chu walked toward Xu Ying with a cold laugh. "I can kill you with ease!"
Xu Ying stood there without moving an inch. "Master Wei seems to have forgotten my good brother Yuan Qi. He is currently hiding on the roof of the Great Hall of Heroes. The moment Master Wei makes a move, he will deliver you a fatal strike."
Wei Chu's expression changed abruptly as he remembered the neck of Judicial Assistant Ding Quan.
Xu Ying's expression turned solemn. "You should be familiar with Judicial Assistant Ding Quan, shouldn't you, Master Wei? My good brother Yuan Qi's snake venom is Fifth Under Heaven. He bit Master Ding once. Even if you manage to save Ding Quan, he will still die without treatment! The Ni Wan Secret Treasury cannot save him either!"
Suddenly, Ding Quan's laughter came from outside the temple. "Didn't that Snake Demon say last time that his snake venom was Fifth Under Heaven? How did it become Second Under Heaven in the mouth of you, you insolent commoner?"
Xu Ying's expression shifted slightly. Ding Quan stepped through the temple gates. His neck was pitch-black, and his complexion looked poor. Clearly, the snake venom had not yet been completely neutralized.
Wei Chu could not help laughing loudly as well. He mocked, "Insolent commoner, what else do you have to say for yourself?"
Ding Quan came to Wei Chu's side, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply. "Many thanks, Brother Wei, for helping me purge the poison. If not for Brother Wei's aid, I would already be a ghost in the Yellow Springs."
Wei Chu waved his hand and laughed. "We are colleagues. Saving you was a mere turn of the hand. It was nothing worth mentioning."
Ding Quan said solemnly, "For Brother Wei, it was effortless. For me, it was a life-saving grace. I have studied the books of the sages since childhood and know propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. I will never forget Brother Wei's kindness for as long as I live!"
Xu Ying quickly composed himself, his expression returning to normal. In a low voice, he recited, "The heavenly soul gives birth to the White Tiger; the earthly po gives birth to the Azure Dragon. The treasure circulates in the Ni Wan; essence is moved into the upper palace. Whoever understands this method will retain a youthful appearance for ten thousand years."
Wei Chu and Ding Quan both heard him, and their expressions changed drastically.
Ding Quan's body trembled.
Wei Chu stepped forward and shouted, "What did you say? Where did you obtain the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method? This is clearly something the Zhou Family does not pass down..."
Before he could finish, countless roots began writhing beneath his feet, like tiny spirit snakes boring into the flesh of both his legs!
The flesh on his right leg was still growing, giving the roots an opening. In the blink of an eye, countless roots pierced his blood vessels and invaded his heart!
Wei Chu stared blankly for a moment, then turned around and looked at the person beside him in disbelief.
Ding Quan gazed at him, tears filling his eyes. Choking back sobs, he said, "Brother Wei, he forced me to do this. Don't blame me! The moment he revealed the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method, I had no choice but to kill you. I don't want the Zhou Family to exterminate my entire clan! I have a wife at home, and three concubines to support. I'm a pitiful man too, you know..."
Wei Chu's face flushed red. Blood surged from his mouth, and he struggled to force out his final words. "I saved your life..."
Tears streamed down Ding Quan's face as he wailed, "I know! I will certainly live well and never betray your life-saving grace. So go in peace. Once you are dead, no one will know my secret!"
Wei Chu's skin and clothes exploded, blood spilling in every direction.
His flesh shockingly transformed into countless roots. Even his brain had become a mass of roots twisted together into its shape!
"I can't let the Zhou Family know that I copied a version of the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method! Much less let them know that I lost the handwritten copy!"
Ding Quan's expression gradually turned vicious. He faced the humanoid root creature and said, "If you want to blame someone, blame Xu Ying! Blame that insolent commoner Xu Ying for his loose tongue! Xu Ying killed you, not me! Brother Wei, I will now send this insolent commoner to join you and avenge you!"
He placed his palm on the roots growing from Wei Chu's body. His Nu Art erupted, and the roots rapidly grew upward. Before long, they had grown into a great willow tree!
The willow's roots coiled around one another. Near the trunk, they grew into a face somewhat resembling Wei Chu's, still bearing an expression of shock.
The willow's crown grew larger and larger, gradually shrouding the ruined temple. Ten thousand willow branches hung down one after another, swaying in the wind.
Ding Quan stood beneath the willow tree and looked up at Xu Ying, his gaze vicious. "Insolent commoner Xu Ying, you killed the man who saved my life. Today, I, this official, will avenge Lord Wei!"
Xu Ying said nothing. Suddenly, wheezing laughter came from atop the Great Hall of Heroes. Yuan Qi had awakened and poked his head out from beneath the eaves, laughing. "You're quite something. You killed the man who saved your life, yet you still want to pin the blame on someone else. You brag that you've studied since childhood, but I think you studied until all the books went into a dog's head!"
Ding Quan's expression darkened. The willow branches rustled and lashed toward Yuan Qi as he sneered, "Monster, what do you know? Brother Wei was my savior. The one who killed him was Xu Ying, and the accomplice was you, Strange Snake! I am avenging my savior by exterminating the two of you scoundrels. My righteousness reaches the heavens!"
Yuan Qi's body darted about. Using his thirty-foot body as fists and feet, he bent and folded his form, displaying the techniques of the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist. His qi and blood surged, forcing back the willow branches that came near!
He weaved through the air, unleashing various boxing techniques. Elephant cries rang out inside his body as he sneered, "You surnamed Ding, people call me a venomous snake and a monster, but I think you're the real venomous snake and monster! You don't have even the slightest trace of humanity left in you!"
Ding Quan flew into a rage and struck with murderous intent. Yuan Qi was immediately wounded again and again, teetering on the brink of defeat.
Xu Ying walked out of the Great Hall of Heroes and said earnestly, "Ding Quan, I carefully studied the Nu Arts and Nu techniques within the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method. I discovered that there are quite a few flaws in them."
He stirred his remaining qi and blood, barely forming the phantom of the Elephant God Fiend Body behind him. "Your Nu Arts and immortal body are not actually that difficult to break. As long as one finds the right location, killing you is as easy as turning over a hand."
Ding Quan's heart trembled slightly. He sneered, "You're bluffing! I have studied the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method for eight years. Even if you stole it, you've had it for only half a day. How could you see through my flaws?"
Xu Ying limped toward him. The Elephant God Fiend Body behind him limped as well. He smiled. "The Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method has its unique points, but it is still merely a crude Nu Art. I have studied more than fifty cultivation methods of the Demon Race, and Ni Wan Hidden Scenery is the crudest of them all. Clearly, the Zhou Family never taught you any profound Nu Arts."
Ding Quan laughed loudly. "The highest realm of demon race cultivation methods is the Qi Gathering Stage. They are not even worthy of carrying Nu Arts' shoes, yet you have the nerve to call my Nu Arts crude?"
A thought stirred in his mind, and countless willow branches flew about like venomous snakes and giant pythons, twisting toward Xu Ying from every direction!
At the same time, countless other willow branches darted back and forth, dealing with Yuan Qi.
This was precisely the supreme Nu technique recorded in the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method: the Nu Willow Sword Wiping Technique. It used willow branches as swords, wielding tens of thousands of them in sword techniques to face enemies from every direction!
When there were fewer enemies, the willow branches could also be concentrated to strangle them!
Xu Ying approached, his body linked with the Elephant God Fiend Body. He limped forward, occasionally flashing aside or turning his body. Each time, he narrowly avoided the attacks of the Nu Willow Sword Wiping Technique, drawing closer and closer to Ding Quan.
Ding Quan panicked inwardly. Had he really seen through the flaws in my Nu Arts? No, no, that's impossible. I have cultivated for eight years—how could I not know that my Nu Arts had flaws? He's trying to scare me!
He immediately changed his technique. Countless willow roots erupted from the ground beneath his feet, clinging to and winding around his body. They served as his muscles and sinews, amplifying his strength!
Just then, Xu Ying's fist came crashing over. Ding Quan hurriedly raised his hand to meet it, thinking, It's this move again! I've seen it long ago...
Yet the fist Xu Ying sent out suddenly unfurled. His five fingers danced, rapidly tapping the root-covered arm!
Each time Xu Ying's fingertip tapped, Ding Quan felt another part of his body grow numb, as though his muscles and sinews had lost their connection to his brain and could no longer sense anything!
Xu Ying brushed past him at close range, his ten fingers flying as they tapped every part of Ding Quan's body.
The willow roots covering Ding Quan's body went limp like dead snakes and fell to the ground. The willow branches attacking Yuan Qi also suddenly lost control and returned to normal.
Ding Quan stood there blankly. He had completely lost sensation in his limbs, and immense terror welled up in his heart—the fear of death.
"Ding Quan, I told you that killing you would be as easy as turning over a hand."
Xu Ying pointed backward, tapping the back of Ding Quan's head. "See? I didn't lie to you."
There was not the slightest wound on the back of Ding Quan's head, yet his forehead suddenly exploded. His body swayed once before collapsing face-first onto the ground.
"Although the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method does not state the precise location of the Ni Wan Secret Treasury, judging from the cultivation method's circulation path, the Ni Wan Secret Treasury originates in the brain."
Xu Ying turned around and spoke to Ding Quan's corpse. "I understood the circulation path of your Nu Arts and knew the moves of your Nu techniques, so killing you was very simple. You should not have killed Wei Chu. I had never seen his cultivation method, so I could not have broken it in such a short time."
Yuan Qi slid down from the roof of the hall and hurriedly said, "Why are you explaining this to a corpse? It's getting light. We need to leave quickly, or we'll be trapped on Stone Mountain!"
Xu Ying limped after him. "I was afraid he would die without knowing why. I heard the villagers say that people who die without knowing why become vengeful ghosts."
"You believe that? That's something used to fool children!"
They had just left the ruined temple when they saw Stone Mountain God Huang Siping standing not far from the temple gates.
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi grew tense.
Both of them were injured. If Huang Siping delayed them again, they would certainly be doomed!
Huang Siping acted as though he had not seen them and said to himself, "After you descend the mountain, do not head northwest. I received word yesterday that many Mountain Gods and Grass Head Gods are waiting there for you to walk into their trap. Go southwest instead, along Anzi Ridge and Jian Mountain. The gods there have gone northwest."
He transformed into a three-legged demon wolf and limped down the mountain. "When you reach Jian Mountain, you should bathe. You're covered in blood, and your scent is very strong. The Demon God can track you by smell."
Xu Ying called after him, "Stone Mountain God, why did you spare us?"
Huang Siping stopped and glanced back at Xu Ying. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Perhaps because your demonic nature is difficult to tame, yet your human nature has not faded. I once possessed those things too, but after I submitted to the Yin Court and became Stone Mountain God, they disappeared."
He limped down the mountain and said, "If you are human, then you are an aberration among humans. If you are a demon, then you are a marvel among my Demon Race. I look forward to seeing what you become in the future."
Xu Ying laughed. "I'm definitely human, not a demon!"
The demon wolf vanished into the mountain forest and said faintly, "Don't be so certain. The wildness within you is fiercer than mine. If you reveal your true form one day, you might frighten even yourself."
Before you continue