Chapter 157 - No Longer Pure

Jiang Qi looked at Xu Ying with a mixture of respect and fear.

He rarely felt such awe, not even when he faced the emperor of Zhou.

Jiang Qi thought, Something astonishing must have happened to him!

He suddenly recalled what happened inside Taiyi Little Profound Heaven’s illusory realm, where Xu Ying killed him over a hundred times. The Xu Ying before him resembled that Xu Ying!

Yuanqi escaped Xu Ying’s ethereal void and stared at him in shock and confusion.

Earlier, when the Dragon Abyss heavenly god’s roar erupted, Xu Ying had pulled him into his ethereal void, while he faced the impact alone. Yuanqi was relatively unharmed, but the impact left Xu Ying’s soul unconscious.

Yet, the moment Xu Ying’s soul fell unconscious, Yuanqi saw it awaken again.

With his awakening, Xu Ying’s ethereal void underwent tremendous changes. Countless unimaginable Dao avatars of heaven and earth surged forth.

Yuanqi had seen these Dao avatars before. It was when Bei Chenzi had undone a portion of the seal on Xu Ying’s memories. Terrifying phenomena had manifested behind Xu Ying.

A bronze peak wedged between heaven and earth, a deep abyss that buried the Great Dao, a colossal tree that blocked the stars, a furnace with suns rising and falling amidst raging flames, an ocean of stars rippling with waves, and countless other manifestations.

The various Dao avatars threw Yuanqi’s mind into disarray, and he lost focus.

Back then, Xu Ying had been more sinister than the otherworldly god lurking in the depths of the Abyss of Cangwu, and more terrifying than the Heavenly Punishment Sword when it unleashed the full might of the Heavenly Dao.

Yet moments ago, Yuanqi had seen those terrifying Dao avatars manifest once more within Xu Ying’s ethereal void. He had no choice but to flee, lest Xu Ying’s Dao avatars influence him.

Xu Ying rose to his feet.

Behind him, the various artifacts that constituted the ethereal void of the golden statues shattered with a clatter, scattering across the ground.

“They’re all useless,” said Xu Ying, his gaze bright as he ignored the fragments beneath his feet.

Despite having only Transmutation Stage cultivation, Xu Ying remained utterly calm as he faced a Heavenly God whom even Ascension Stage Qi Cultivators could not defeat.

He flicked his finger against the Heavenly Punishment Sword. With a resonant hum, the runes of the Heavenly Dao flew out and swirled in the air. Heaven’s killing intent instantly descended. The people on the Fusang Tree plunged into chaos as violence erupted everywhere.

Yuanqi and Jiang Qi’s hearts pounded with terror. The power of the Heavenly Punishment Sword could influence everyone’s minds. They feared that before the heavenly god even arrived, Xu Ying would annihilate everyone on the Fusang Tree!

Xu Ying activated the sword. It soared into the air and pierced straight into the starry sky!

Suddenly, thunder rumbled across the starry sky. Enormous thunderclouds appeared out of nowhere, swirling in the sky above the Fusang Tree.

The tree had only a thin layer of atmosphere, barely enough to support travel through the starry sky. It could neither endure prolonged journeys nor produce wind, rain, lightning, or thunder.

Yet, thunderclouds were gathering furiously in the sky above the tree, expanding nonstop.

The dense thunderclouds formed an enormous vortex. Bolt after bolt of heavenly lightning furiously struck Xu Ying.

Dazhong flew over, swaying. He had also witnessed this scene before. When Xu Ying had recovered part of his memories, lightning likewise descended continuously from the thunderclouds like a heavenly tribulation, infusing him with power.

However, at that time, various terrifying Dao avatars had manifested behind Xu Ying. None appeared this time.

Dazhong was shocked and confused.

After drawing out Heavenly Dao’s lightning tribulation, Xu Ying casually beckoned with his hand, and the Heavenly Punishment Sword flew back to him.

The youth gently swept his left hand across the blade in a sword-finger gesture. The Heavenly Dao runes instantly retracted, and the violence ceased. The people who had been fighting moments ago stopped, bewildered.

“Just a broken sword that’s barely usable.”

Holding the sword, Xu Ying raised it and lightly tapped it on Dazhong.

Earlier, the heavenly god had flattened Dazhong. His surface was covered in harrowing cracks, as though he could shatter at any moment. That was why it had taken him so long to fly back to Xu Ying’s side.

Yet, with a light tap from Xu Ying, Dazhong immediately felt a strange power spread through him, filling him with indescribable comfort.

His mouth returned to its original shape instead of remaining split open, though the cracks across his body remained.

Xu Ying raised the sword and flicked his wrist. Some of the patterns on Dazhong were wiped away, and the sword left new markings on him!

Dazhong hurriedly cried out, “Ah Ying, what did you carve onto me? Those are the marks my master left behind! You can’t just change them however you please! Master Qi, Master Qi! Take a look for me, quick! Am I defiled?”

He flew toward Yuanqi in a panic.

Xu Ying withdrew his sword and turned to face the colossal divine dragons charging toward him. He said calmly, “When I wake up, show me the engravings on your body.”

With that, the youth charged straight ahead to face the heavenly god with his sword.

Dazhong flew over and said, “Rest assured, Master Qi. Ah Ying will definitely return alive. Help me take a look, quickly. What did Ah Ying leave on me?”

Yuanqi looked and said, “Ah Ying carved some bird-worm seal script characters on you. They’re very complicated. Strange, I think I’ve seen them somewhere before...”

“I’ve been defiled!”

Devastated, Dazhong dropped to the ground with a clang and said dejectedly, “My master bestowed these markings upon me, and they have never changed in three thousand years! Even Old Ancestor Chanchan never altered them! And now Ah Ying has defiled me!”

Yuanqi examined the runic marks Xu Ying had left behind closely. These strange bird-worm seal-script characters seemed to contain deeply unfathomable principles. He couldn’t understand them or grasp their meaning.

“Strange. I think I’ve seen them somewhere before.”

The giant snake circled Dazhong repeatedly, examining them again and again. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He smiled. “I remember now! Ah Ying once said that these eight characters mean ‘locked in a prison, sealed within these bounds!’ Master Zhong, Ah Ying has engraved eight sealing Dao runes on you. Don’t worry.”

Dazhong was skeptical.

Yuanqi took out a mirror. Dazhong looked into it and rotated slowly. Indeed, he saw that Xu Ying had engraved eight strange bird-worm seal script characters on him.

Xu Fu possessed a golden booklet containing sixteen bird-worm seal script characters. Among them were exactly these eight characters.

Back then, only Xu Ying could make out these characters. He could understand their meaning, but could not write them.

Dazhong pondered, Master Ying asked me to show this to Ah Ying when he wakes up. Could it be that Master Ying wants Ah Ying to see these eight characters... Couldn’t he have just written them somewhere else? Why did he have to engrave them on me?

He felt deeply frustrated.

He had kept himself pure in the hope of seeing his master again, only for Xu Ying to ruin it. How could he possibly face Li Xiaoke now?

Originally, he bore only the markings Li Xiaoke had left behind. Now, someone else’s runes had been engraved onto him as well. For an artifact, that meant he was no longer pure!

Yuanqi said mischievously, “Who knows? Perhaps you lost your purity long ago. Maybe Old Ancestor Chanchan left her markings on you ages ago, and you simply never noticed.”

Dazhong sneered coldly, “I wouldn’t dare say whether she left her markings on me, but there must be some on you. How petty is she? Whenever she stored artifacts in your stomach, wouldn’t she leave a few marks behind? Her methods are incredibly subtle. You wouldn’t notice even if she stamped a dozen marks onto your butt!”

Yuanqi’s expression darkened slightly. He secretly raised his butt to check, only relaxing after finding nothing amiss.

Dragon Abyss had no head or hands. Instead, the flesh on his back had split open into a vast abyss of flesh and blood. More than a hundred enormous divine dragons emerged from it, moving like a hundred nimble arms.

One of the divine dragons opened its mouth wide and swallowed the starry sky in its path, along with Xu Ying!

Just then, streaks of sword light exploded from the divine dragon’s neck. The snow-white light pierced through the divine dragon’s massive limbs, spinning and cutting along the divine dragon’s thick body, destroying everything in their path as they headed toward the deep canyon on the heavenly god’s back.

Dragon Abyss turned around and roared furiously. The other divine dragons flitted about in the air with their mouths open and biting down at that divine dragon. In mere moments, they tore that divine dragon’s limbs into shreds!

Yet, they couldn’t stop that breathtaking sword light in time. One by one, the divine dragons’ whiskers, beards, even fangs and horns were severed by the incomparably sharp sword qi!

Some had their tongues sliced off. Others lost their noses, while still others were blinded.

The remaining dragons flew into a rage. Roaring, they charged after the sword light as it continued tearing through flesh and blood. Their combined roars shattered the unfortunate dragon’s remaining limbs into pieces.

Finally, they forced out Xu Ying, floating before the deep abyss of flesh and blood.

The divine dragons surged and bit toward him. Suddenly, bloody light erupted from the necks of all the divine dragons. Fresh blood gushed forth. The dragon heads roared miserably as they fell from their necks.

Although these divine dragons had forced Xu Ying out just moments ago, Xu Ying’s sword had also severed all the divine dragons’ necks!

Xu Ying drifted gracefully, flying toward the flesh on the heavenly god’s back with his sword in hand. He intended to charge into Dragon Abyss’ body and slay this heavenly god from the inside out!

Just then, an earth-shattering laughter echoed from the abyss of flesh and blood. The abyss receded, revealing countless sharp teeth. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

This abyss of flesh and blood resembled an upright mouth, though it grew on Dragon Abyss heavenly god’s back.

The divine dragons Xu Ying had just severed were like his nimble tongues.

“Xu Ying, you’ve finally delivered yourself right to my doorstep. Let me devour you!” Dragon Abyss laughed. The massive mouth on his back closed heavily as it bit down, swallowing Xu Ying whole.

The massive mouth opened and closed repeatedly as it chewed. His teeth were incomparably hard, like mountain peaks intertwined, crushing everything.

Jiang Qi, Yuanqi, and the others felt a chill in their hearts.

Jiang Qi shouted, “Let’s go!”

Yuanqi and Dazhong hurriedly rushed forward to help Jiang Qi move the Fusang Tree.

He activated the Fusang Divine Tree with all his might, making it fly toward the Yuanshou Realm. Yuanqi and Dazhong stared back blankly. Suddenly, Yuanqi cried out, “That is Master Ying! He can’t be eaten! He’ll surely return safely!”

Dazhong chimed in, “That’s right! That is Master Ying. He even killed a heavenly demon easily. No matter how powerful Dragon Abyss is, there’s no way He could defeat Master Ying!”

Behind them, the heavenly god’s massive form began to shrink, gradually reducing to slightly over a thousand zhang tall. He immediately strode forth and chased after the Fusang Tree.

Dragon Abyss heavenly god’s laughter rang out. “No need to flee! Xu Ying is dead; you won’t escape either. Even if you escape, where could you go?”

A chill surged in their hearts.

The heavenly god gradually closed in, slowly increasing his pace. Jiang Qi’s expression shifted between light and dark. Suddenly, he stopped. “You go first! Keep advancing in this direction, and you’ll see the Yuanshou Realm very soon!”

Yuanqi and Dazhong hesitated momentarily, but they still pushed the Fusang Tree ahead, roaring forth.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qi turned around to face the approaching heavenly god. He channeled his remaining cultivation, and a tattered ethereal void appeared behind him.

He thought, I can probably still make it in time if I leave now. Xu Ying heavily wounded Dragon Abyss. In addition to the damage I caused Him earlier, His power is far from what it used to be. I can escape his pursuit if I flee with all my might.

His eyes flickered. In his current state, he had absolutely no chance of stopping Dragon Abyss.

His best option would be to abandon the mortals on the Fusang Tree and leave immediately.

My Primordial Spirit is still on the Fusang Tree. I only need to retrieve it and slip away to survive. I am Grand Preceptor to the emperor of Zhou, a wise man. I should cast aside human emotions. I’m not related to these people. Even if I risk death to save them, there’s no way they could repay my kindness.

Such a deal went completely against his principles!

He had aspired to become a god free of distracting thoughts, unbound by human emotions and incapable of making mistakes.

Every decision he made was absolutely wise, devoid of any personal sentiments!

At that moment, his Primordial Spirit looked toward the people on the Fusang Tree. Many were huddled together in silence, watching as Dragon Abyss closed in.

Some were bowing deeply before his tattered Primordial Spirit, praying for the protection of their ancestors’ spirits. Some sat listlessly, their gazes lifeless.

Jiang Qi’s Primordial Spirit hovered above the Fusang Tree. He heard quiet sobbing. He saw people rise to their feet, gripping the weapons their ancestors had left behind and brandishing them defiantly at the approaching enemy.

He saw a young mother telling her child not to be afraid.

Jiang Qi let out a low growl. Perhaps his injuries had not yet healed, for his breathing was still ragged. His chest burned as a surge of qi and blood rushed upward.

“I am Emperor Zhou’s Grand Preceptor. I am absolutely rational. I know that a mortal’s body can never stand against a heavenly god.”

He tore his clothes open, allowing the heat in his chest to dissipate as quickly as possible.

He let out a loud cry, and his tattered Primordial Spirit on the Fusang Tree flew over, standing behind him.

At that moment, he no longer wished to be a god of perfect rationality.

He wanted to be a human!

To battle a heavenly god in the body of a human and stand against the Heavenly Dao!

Dragon Abyss’ massive, headless frame charged forth with wide strides, roaring with laughter. The huge mouth on his back opened wide, and divine dragons flew out one after another.

He smiled. “I’ve seen too many pitiful worms like you who throw their own lives away for the sake of others! Humans are ungrateful and not worth saving. Let me send you on your way!”

Jiang Qi roared furiously, pushing his aura to the limit as he braced himself for his final battle!

Suddenly, countless sword auras flashed within Dragon Abyss, crisscrossing everywhere. In the blink of an eye, the heavenly god exploded with a loud boom and shattered into pieces before Jiang Qi.

He was stunned for a moment. The berserk heavenly god’s blood covered his face and even splashed into his eyes.

Through his blood-stained vision, he saw Xu Ying walking toward him. The youth held the Heavenly Punishment Sword in reverse, extending the hilt toward him.

Jiang Qi took the sword with a confused look.

Xu Ying tilted his head and asked, “Is there any blood on me?”

Jiang Qi examined him up and down, then shook his head. He was completely clean, as if he’d just washed himself. Not a single stain of blood marked him.

Xu Ying smiled faintly, then said softly, “After I fall unconscious, a man will come flying, standing on a stone.”

With that, he collapsed.

Jiang Qi hurriedly supported him. Then, he sensed something. Sure enough, a young man dressed in black robes with a red sash flew past them, seated atop a massive stone roughly a zhang wide.

That young man held a golden book in his hand.

Jiang Qi recalled Yuanqi’s description. His heart stirred slightly, and he exclaimed, “Xu Fu!”