Chapter 196 - Turning the Tables

At the foot of the mountain, a human silhouette watched the movements in the sky. Hundreds of similar silhouettes stretched behind him. He waited patiently, still as a hunting tiger.

Xu Ying was waiting too.

He could hear the clamor of the Heavenly Dao, a din of chanting voices or screeching birds. Ever since he had begun using martial arts to temper his spirit and will, the noise had gradually lost its power over him. He could withstand its whispers now.

Xu Ying thought, There are still stone statues of heavenly gods nearby. I can’t figure out their exact count. Strange. Aren’t all the heavenly gods’ stone statues supposed to be in Heavenly God Hall? Why have they come out?

A branch of the parasol tree trembled slightly. A stone statue with a triangular head appeared on the branch. No larger than a palm, it stared at Xu Ying with an amused smile.

Disappointment crossed the human silhouette’s face. He turned and left in silence. This was not what he had been waiting for.

He wanted the honored god Heaven’s Fate to descend with his true body. Then he could seize the opportunity to eliminate Heaven’s Fate, take his place, and return to the Heavenly Dao World!

A strange fluctuation rippled through the air. The heretical god, the old Heaven’s Fate, raised his head in surprise. Streaks of divine light descended from the sky and landed on the parasol tree atop Mount Jiuyi.

He looked puzzled. “Why have the heavenly gods of the celestial circuit descended here instead of remaining in Heavenly God Hall?”

His spirits lifted, and he headed straight for Heavenly God Hall. The hall offers a shortcut to the Heavenly Dao World. Since these heavenly gods are away, I can take this chance to enter the hall and return!

The streaks of falling light left stone statues of all sizes perched among the parasol tree’s branches.

Ten thousand rosy rays burst forth as the divine tree swelled to an immeasurable height.

Before Xu Ying’s eyes, the statues on the tree—some no bigger than a palm, others as tall as a person—expanded into massive, owl-like entities looming over heaven and earth.

Now the parasol tree was like Heavenly God Hall itself!

Rushing toward Mount Jiuyi, Bei Chenzi and Fairy Yutang laughed in excitement at the sight. “We made it at last!”

The frowning old man, Fu Yi, rushed over too. “Beichen! Beichen! Hurry and bring out the Demon-Suppressing Runes!”

Bei Chenzi took out the Demon-Suppressing Runes and the altar. The incense was still burning, and the writing on the runes remained clear. However, the "imprison" seal had faded significantly.

Fu Yi’s brow remained furrowed. “When he broke through the Heavenly Dao seal last time, it loosened the ‘imprison’ seal. Entrusting this to the heavenly gods could end up weakening the other seals. That will make answering the superiors harder.”

Bei Chenzi and Fairy Yutang exchanged a look.

Fairy Yutang said softly, “Fu Yi, you worry too much. Xu Ying escaped last time through sheer luck. We had no idea so many martial arts masters were hidden in the Primordial Beginning Realm, and he exploited that opening. This time, we will seal him, erase his memories, and hand him over to Supreme God Heaven’s Will.”

Bei Chenzi hastily added, “I think Supreme God Heaven’s Will has an excellent plan. When you hit a dead end, adapt and find another way. If we follow Supreme God Heaven’s Will’s plan, Xu Ying could be neutralized within two centuries.”

Fu Yi sighed, every crease in his frowning face deepening. “Very well. We’ll let them intervene this once. If they still fail, we’ll go back to our old method.”

Fairy Yutang smiled. “Once the will of the Heavenly Dao bears down on him, Xu Ying will fall unconscious, leaving him entirely at their mercy. That was how they abducted him last time.”

As the words left her mouth, she froze. Xu Ying stood untroubled beneath the tree, fully conscious.

Panic seized all three. They each muttered, “This is bad.”

Fu Yi’s expression changed sharply. The martial arts Xu Ying practiced in the Primordial Beginning Realm have allowed him to overcome the will of the Heavenly Dao!

Bei Chenzi said, “Fortunately, his cultivation isn’t high. Even if he can break through the interference, he still can’t escape.”

Beneath the parasol tree, Xu Ying looked up at the stone statues of heavenly gods perched among its branches. One turned his head and stared at Xu Ying with an indifferent gaze. “Xu Ying, your doom is here. Stop resisting.”

Xu Ying threw back his head and laughed. “You heavenly gods have nothing but fake Heavenly Dao runes, yet you still think you deserve that title? Jin Buyi, where are you?”

An aged voice rang out in answer. “Here!”

Bam!

An elderly Golden Crow descended from the sky and landed heavily on the parasol tree. Supreme Yang Divine Fire blazed around him, setting the tree alight! He stood motionless, his expression fierce, radiating the ferocious malevolence of a primordial beast.

The stone statues on the tree branches flew into a rage. They rose into the air, intent on slaughtering the crow!

The elderly Golden Crow remained on the parasol tree, unmoving.

Yuanqi poked his head out from the bird’s neck feathers, quaking with fear. Has the old fellow forgotten how to fight?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when two gleaming divine sabers descended. Ten thousand rays of saber light danced through the air like flood dragons, weaving together like lightning. Within moments, the two divine sabers beheaded the heavenly god statues as easily as cutting melons and vegetables!

The blades flashed again, reducing the statues to mere plummeting rubble.

At the foot of Mount Jiuyi, the stone pieces rolled and crawled together, trying to reassemble. One heavenly god statue managed to reassemble his head and looked up. “Where did this bird come from?!”

The two gleaming divine sabers rang as they bit into Mount Jiuyi. Sunlight caught their bright steel, reflecting a beam that severed a cloud above.

At the foot of the mountain, the stone statues trembled at the peerless ferocity of those twin sabers.

Dazhong flew out from the parasol tree. With a hum, countless patterns surfaced on his body, forming a bell-shaped barrier of light that expanded outward.

The barrier enveloped all of Mount Jiuyi, and a resounding toll shook the air!

Terrifying power erupted within the barrier. Strangely, it struck only the stone statues, leaving the mountain and everything else untouched. Not even the plants were affected by the bell’s terrifying power!

Daaaaang!

The reverberating note echoed through the surrounding ranges. Inside the dome, every last statue disintegrated into fine dust.

In the distance, Bei Chenzi, Yutang, and Fu Yi watched with dread. They exchanged glances and whispered, “We need to reconsider our plans.”

The three departed in separate directions. Catching their retreat, Xu Ying watched them go, lost in thought.

Jin Buyi descended from the parasol tree. Yuanqi hurriedly slid off him and said with a smile, “Ah Ying, we finally found you!”

He started to leap toward Xu Ying, but froze upon spotting a blade of grass coiled on his shoulder. His heart sank. It’s only been a few days, and he’s already replaced me?

He still leaped onto Xu Ying’s other shoulder and eyed the Purple Immortal Herb warily.

Dazhong flew over, brimming with excitement. “Ah Ying, look at my new outfit!”

Xu Ying examined him. Though polished, the bell remained brassy rather than gleaming gold, hardly different from before.

A suspicion stirred in Xu Ying’s mind. He turned toward Zhu Chanchan and thought, Master Zhong just looks buffed. Did she pocket all those top-tier materials I stored in Master Qi’s belly?

Zhu Chanchan’s eyes sparkled, mesmerized by Jin Buyi’s twin sabers.

Suppressing his doubt, Xu Ying asked, “Master Zhong, how do you feel compared to before?”

“I feel better than ever! I don’t rust anymore!” replied Dazhong excitedly.

Xu Ying narrowed his eyes. He suspected Zhu Chanchan had placed countless imprints on Dazhong, which was why the bell wouldn’t say anything bad about her.

When the Emperor of Zhou returns, he could behead Ancestor Chanchan to consecrate his war banner, and she wouldn't even have a leg to stand on, he thought.

Still, Dazhong was indeed far more powerful than before. Those god statues were formidable foes; though Jin Buyi’s sabers had cleaved them, pulverizing the entire horde in a single blow was an extraordinary feat.

After all, those stone statues still contained a portion of the heavenly gods’ power.

By turning every stone statue to dust, Dazhong had also destroyed the heavenly gods’ lingering power. That was no small feat! Clearly, Zhu Chanchan had taken great care to reforge him.

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Yuanqi pointed at the Purple Immortal Herb. “Ah Ying, who’s that?”

Xu Ying smiled. “I forgot to introduce you. This is the herb of immortality, an immortal herb that grew in the imperial tomb on Mount Jiuyi.”

He explained the Purple Immortal Herb’s origins, and everyone’s eyes lit up. Zhu Chanchan tossed aside the divine saber and stared at the herb, her voice trembling. “If you eat it, you can live forever and become an Ageless Immortal?”

Xu Ying explained how the herb of immortality had to be taken. “In other words, you have to remain on an immortal mountain, like Xu Fu, to stay immortal. Or you can go to the Immortal Realm, where you can live forever without ever becoming an immortal.”

Everyone promptly lost interest in the herb of immortality.

Yuanqi drawled, “If you can reach the Immortal Realm, becoming an immortal is likely a breeze. Grave Grass, you’ll be following me from now on. Call me Master Qi.”

He had barely finished speaking when something tightened around his neck. The Purple Immortal Herb had wrapped his roots around the snake’s throat and hoisted him up. \

Yuanqi coiled around the herb, locking the herb in his grip. He sneered, “You’ve got some nerve picking a fight with me, Grave Grass! Fine, then. I’ll show you what Master Qi can do!”

The snake and the herb flew off Xu Ying’s shoulders and began fighting in midair. Dazhong hurried over, clanging away to cheer them on.

Long accustomed to such things, Xu Ying paid them no mind and walked over to Jin Buyi. The crow lowered his head to look him over. Finding Xu Ying unharmed, he nuzzled against him. Reassured, the Golden Crow tucked his head into his feathers and fell asleep where he stood.

Worried, Zhu Chanchan said, “Master Jin has been getting more and more forgetful lately. While we were looking for you, he kept forgetting our objective.”

A thoughtful gleam flickered in Xu Ying’s eyes. “Master Jin is an archaic beast. His lifespan is long, but it still has limits. But if he consumes the immortal herb and joins us when we ascend to the Immortal Realm, he can live forever.”

He had considered many ways to prolong Jin Buyi’s life. One was to have him open his Secret Trove and cultivate, but the crow was already past the best age for cultivation. Opening his Secret Trove at his age would be extremely difficult.

Another option was to transfer the immortal herbs of longevity from the Mud-Pill Palace to Jin Buyi, then use Origin Dao Essence to help him assimilate them. That, too, could extend his life, but the essence would eventually run out.

Xu Ying had weighed every alternative. Jin Buyi taking the immortal herb and going to the Immortal Realm remained the only true solution.

Zhu Chanchan shook her head. “No one can survive a super heavenly tribulation, and someone has severed the Heavenly Path. Ascension is impossible! That approach is doomed to fail!”

“Perhaps it’ll work out after all,” Xu Ying said with a smile.

Zhu Chanchan was about to reply when Yuanqi’s cry rang out.

“Spare me, Master Herb!”

She turned to look and was aghast. Yuanqi’s face was battered and swollen, his venomous fang snapped, and both black and white horns broken as he desperately begged the Purple Immortal Herb for mercy.

She thought, That herb is quite formidable. Master Qi seems to have fallen another rung down the ladder. Then again, he was already at the bottom.

In Heavenly God Hall, lightning surged across the ceiling. Streams of Heavenly Dao qi descended from another world and merged with the stone statues inside.

The heavenly gods awoke in succession, seething with fury. First, a bird had cut down their bodies. Then a bell had reduced them to dust. To them, it was an unbearable humiliation!

“Our true bodies cannot descend to the lower realm, and our stone avatars are no match for those brigands. But we heavenly gods can be reborn into the mortal world!”

A deep, commanding voice resounded above the great hall. “Fellow gods, if we use spiritual possession to descend into mortal bodies, we can freely intervene in worldly affairs and exact our revenge?”

The other heavenly gods agreed.

One heavenly god said, “If we do this and those above find out...”

“We’ll make the earth god of the Divine Land, Bei Chenzi, and the others take the blame!”

Before the words fully faded, Heavenly God Hall shuddered violently and began to crumble. Astonishment rippled through the gods as they turned toward the collapsing structure.

“Someone’s tearing down...” one heavenly god began, but an honored god raised a hand and silenced him.

Without a word, the heavenly gods watched as Heavenly God Hall was torn open.

A figure burst in, countless versions of himself arrayed behind him. It was the heretical Heaven’s Fate!

He had seen the heavenly god statues of Heavenly God Hall launch a surprise attack on Xu Ying. Realizing that the hall had been left undefended, he had hurried over, hoping to return to the Heavenly Dao World through it.

He had no qualms about tearing down Heavenly God Hall. All he needed was the ascension site inside it to return to the Heavenly Dao World.

What he had not expected was to tear the hall open, step inside, and find countless heavenly god statues staring straight at him!

“An evil god of the Heretical Dao!”

The heavenly god statues rose to their full height and lunged at him. Heaven’s Fate’s anger flared.

“I only intended to slip back into the Heavenly Dao World. But since you’ve caught me, I’ll slaughter you all and return openly!”

With a tremendous shudder, Heavenly God Hall broke apart.

***

Changsha, the Zhong clan.

The Zhong clan ranked among the more powerful noble clans. Though it could not compare with the Pei, Wang, Cui, Li, Guo, and other noble clans of the divine capital, it held sway in Changsha.

The current clan head, Zhong Chengxiao, had originally been a Great Exorcist with no hope of becoming an Exorcist Immortal.

Fortunately, he lived in a revolutionary era where exorcism merged with qi refinement. By mastering these dual arts, he opened all nine levels of grotto heaven in one sustained push and finally attained Exorcist Immortality.

Zhong Chengxiao was delighted and felt that his qi-refining cultivation had also improved. One day, while cultivating in his Radiant Vestige land of sublimation, he froze. An uninvited figure had materialized out of nowhere.

An old man with a frowning face walked toward him beneath a green paper umbrella.

Zhong Chengxiao’s expression changed drastically. He cried, “Who are you?”

The frowning old man sighed. Then his troubled expression gave way to a smile. “My dear disciple, I passed down your Zhong clan’s exorcism art, and you still ask who I am?”

Zhong Chengxiao’s mind reeled. “No! I still have a long life ahead of me. You shouldn’t be here yet!”

The frowning old man approached with a smile. “I hadn’t planned to consume the great elixir so soon. Unfortunately, I’ve been wounded several times in succession recently, and I’m in poor spirits. I have no choice but to harvest and consume it early.”

Terrified, Zhong Chengxiao attacked the old man, then tried to break through space and flee.

The frowning old man chuckled. “This is your land of sublimation and your ethereal void. Where do you think you can run?”

With a casual movement, he dispelled Zhong Chengxiao’s divine ability, then captured him in a single move, restricting his limbs, bones, and every aperture. “I’ve done this for millennia without a single hitch. I don't know why everything keeps going wrong lately.”

As he carefully extracted the medicine, the frowning old man spoke to Zhong Chengxiao, who was still alive. “My life hasn’t been easy, either. I’m under a great deal of pressure. Consuming immortal herbs is the only thing that makes me feel better.”

Zhong Chengxiao felt himself being opened, yet he felt no pain at all. Terror filled his heart.

The frowning old man stared at the immortal herbs, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He smiled. “I’m different from the others. Some of them like to eat theirs raw. I prefer mine cooked.”

He was about to light a fire when countless roots came flying through Zhong Chengxiao’s land of sublimation. Then a purple herb poked its head out from somewhere. The herb peered furtively around, then shrank back out of sight.

The frowning old man was astonished. While he was still puzzling over it, a voice said with a laugh, “Old slave Fu Yi, weren’t you going to uncover the truth behind my mother’s death? Why are you here eating people?”

The corners of the old man’s eyes twitched violently. A wooden door appeared out of thin air, and Xu Ying, dressed in black with a red sash, pushed it open and stepped into the land of sublimation.

He cut a dashing figure, his gaze gentle as it settled on the old man. He asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? Don’t you remember me, the heir apparent?”

Behind him, Dazhong flew out, and Yuanqi slithered in.