A village stood beside Shuikou Temple, but it was now in ruins. The appearance of the Nether realm's new territory had torn the settlement apart.
Houses from the village's eastern edge now perched atop a distant, sheer cliff. Others lay below the cliff face, and still more bridged the great fissure itself.
Xu Ying looked up. The cliff was perfectly smooth, and across the fissure stood another matching cliff—as if the two had once been one mass, split by some tremendous force.
Below the fissure yawned an abyss, cold wind moaning through the chasm.
The yin energy here was extraordinarily heavy. Numerous mountains from the Nether realm had appeared—grim, exuding cold, some formed entirely of stacked bones!
Atop one mountain sat an enormous skull, human in shape but vast beyond measure, a sword hilt still embedded in its crown.
Xu Ying looked away. It was daytime now, but at night this place would surely become the domain of demons and ghosts—countless specters running rampant!
Shuikou Temple sat precisely on the centerline of the great fissure.
The centerline of the temple's gate aligned perfectly with the fissure's centerline!
Xu Ying's mind's eye conjured a vision of majestic, overwhelming sword energy cleaving the heavens and tearing the earth, splitting a great mountain in two!
As he drew closer to the temple, the sword intent within the fissure grew dozens of times stronger!
Xu Ying could even faintly sense a sword light—like a rainbow beyond the heavens—threatening to pierce through his Domain of the Ineffable!
More people had gathered here than he'd expected. Among them were not only spirits and deities but also numerous Nuo shamans—some in official attire, others from independent schools.
"Why are there so many people here?"
Puzzled, Xu Ying asked a shaman who appeared to be from an independent school. The shaman told him this was newly emerged territory, rich with treasures and rare herbs—people flocked here like moths to flame.
Another shaman added: "The Zhou family and the Nether Court are both hunting a fugitive named Xu Ying. They say he can decipher demon arts. Somehow the news spread. The great families have sent people to capture him—it's a chance to curry favor. What's your name?"
"Ding Quan."
The shaman eyed the impossibly massive serpent beside Xu Ying with alarm. Though suspicious, he dared not ask further.
The ruined temple's gate hung suspended in the center of the great fissure. Though spanning the chasm, the temple itself remained intact. Some shaman had used Nuo sorcery to cultivate green vines into a long bridge reaching the temple's entrance.
Xu Ying walked onto the bridge and saw someone studying the great fissure, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone laid out beside them. They even produced measuring tools to gauge the fissure's dimensions—apparently conducting some kind of study.
Xu Ying approached. The person was a young gentleman, perhaps a year or two older than him, with fair skin and roughly the same height.
But Xu Ying's frame was broad—large hands and feet, giving him a rough appearance. This youth, though tall, had a slighter build, with delicate features in his brows, eyes, ears, nose, and lips.
He wore white robes trimmed with indigo at the collar, embroidered with faint green dragon patterns—elegant and unadorned, without excess ornamentation.
Beside him stood an elder in traditional servant's attire—blue robe, cloth shoes, graying hair. Seeing Xu Ying and Yuan Qi approach, his expression turned wary.
Xu Ying paid no attention. His gaze rested on Shuikou Temple. From outside, he could still see the old palace halls and a few large trees—unchanged from his visit two years ago.
But when he stepped to the gate and looked inside, what he saw was entirely different!
Through the gate, two majestic mountains filled his view—tall, wreathed in clouds, floating in the sky like something from a painting.
Behind the green mountains hung the sun, bright and pure, without scorching heat or blinding glare, orbiting around the two immortal mountains!
Xu Ying was utterly astonished—these immortal mountains and the sun had truly risen from within the temple!
He could even see an invisible barrier surrounding the floating mountains, like the boundary of a world, separating the inside from the outside!
Boulders falling from the immortal mountains—if they landed within the barrier, they floated in midair; if they landed outside, they crashed down!
In other words, inside and outside the temple were two different worlds!
"How is this possible?" Xu Ying stared in disbelief.
Yuan Qi murmured, "Has the world reverted to its primal state?"
Suddenly, the world inside the temple shook violently. The earth outside also rocked. A third majestic immortal mountain was rising slowly within the temple!
Xu Ying craned his neck to examine the ascending mountain and murmured, "The world has truly gone mad."
Then realization struck him. "I understand! The gate was opened by that peerless swordsman's sword energy! This gateway connects to another world! The sun and immortal mountains we see are all from that other world!"
"Quiet!" the blue-robed servant threatened in a low voice.
Xu Ying ignored him, his mind racing with possibilities.
In the distant past, a peerless master had used a sword to split mountains and tear open the earth, breaking through to another world. Later, someone built Shuikou Temple at the entrance to that world!
But at some point, the world behind the temple had been hidden. Someone built another great temple nearby, and it wasn't until the Nether invasion shattered the seal that this temple was revealed once more!
Yuan Qi was skeptical. "Old Bell, can anyone actually do such things?"
Though the Great Bell had witnessed ancient ages and the legends of primordial Qi-refiners, even it couldn't be certain. "In theory, yes. But since my creation, I've never heard of anyone achieving tribulation transcendence and ascending to immortality."
Its voice grew somber: "The path of ascension has been blocked. No one can ascend anymore... Could someone truly have broken through the barrier between two worlds using swordsmanship and ascended to immortality on level ground?"
Yuan Qi asked, "If he ascended, what kind of world did he go to?"
The Great Bell's tone was distant: "The Immortal Realm."
"The Immortal Realm?"
Man and serpent alike gazed into the distance, awestruck.
Xu Ying examined the great fissure, the cliffs, and the temple gate, tracing the trajectory of that single sword strike.
As his connection with the sword casket deepened, that rainbow-like sword from beyond the heavens gradually infiltrated his Domain of the Ineffable. The sword energy within the casket danced with joy, leaping ceaselessly.
Xu Ying stood motionless before the temple gate for a long time. Yuan Qi was about to approach and ask what was happening when he noticed invisible sword energy flickering around Xu Ying.
He drew slightly nearer, and several of his scales silently snapped off!
Yuan Qi's heart lurched. He dared not approach.
Then the Great Bell shuddered, emitting a soft tone—an invisible sword energy had struck it, causing it to ring.
The Great Bell was startled. Only then did it notice that within Xu Ying's Domain of the Ineffable, a rainbow-like sword light had appeared, almost imperceptibly!
"Self-taught the image of the Great Dao?" the Great Bell was shocked.
The coffin girl had mentioned the relationship between Cunxiang and the image of the Great Dao to Xu Ying, but hadn't elaborated, nor explained what the image of the Great Dao was or how to practice Cunxiang once one found it.
Yet here was Xu Ying, standing before this great fissure, spontaneously conceiving the image of the Great Dao contained within!
Inner observation and Cunxiang was an essential step in cultivation—Xu Ying had essentially taken his first step on the path!
"With just a little guidance, he accomplished inner observation and Cunxiang. It won't be long before he undergoes transformation and makes a stunning debut."
The Great Bell thought: "His aptitude and comprehension seem to exceed my master's... perhaps, perhaps..."
"Little Seven, have you comprehended the image of the Great Dao?" the Great Bell asked Yuan Qi through spirit sense.
Yuan Qi was confused: "The Great what?"
"The image of the Great Dao—the swordsmanship hidden in this great fissure... Never mind, just rest."
The Great Bell shook its body, thinking: "This fellow is just like A-Ying—both have seen Yuan Tiangang's sword and visited this great fissure, yet neither perceived anything. It seems some people's brains are brains, while others' just happen to be called brains."
The sword intent emanating from Xu Ying grew ever stronger, spreading outward. Suddenly, a clear sword cry rang through the air—his overflowing sword energy had encountered another, and the two collided in midair with a sharp ring.
The refined youth had finished his painting and was immersed in comprehending the Hidden Vision. His sword energy surged, and the two forces clashed—one wild and tyrannical, the other lingering and resilient, with a hidden lethal edge.
Their auras resonated, sword energies intertwined and clashed with increasing intensity. Merely through spiritual sensation, the offensive and defensive principles of the sword path were displayed.
Neither was aware of it, still lost in their own contemplations.
The blue-robed servant saw the aura collision between Xu Ying and the youth. Fearing the youth's meditation would be disrupted, killing intent flashed in his eyes—he was about to strike Xu Ying down.
But then he noticed that the youth's Hidden Vision was being consolidated under Xu Ying's pressure, revealing more transformations. He forced down his murderous impulse.
"This boy has impressive comprehension—he can actually contend with the young master," he murmured, surprised.
He could see that Xu Ying was advancing rapidly as well—his sword techniques demonstrated precise offense and defense, his understanding of the swordsmanship in the great fissure deepening by the moment.
"The young master hasn't encountered an equal match in a long time."
The blue-robed servant was torn with doubt. "Could this youth be a young expert trained by some great family? His clothes are plain, suggesting he's pretending to be a country boy—but his bearing betrays something extraordinary. Where could a country youth acquire such presence?"
Xu Ying wore simple garments, yet his bearing was transcendent—there was a lofty quality about him, the wild defiance in his brows flashing like a blade's edge!
After killing the Jiang family deity, he had gone on a path of slaying gods and officials, shattering his superstitions of divine and worldly authority. His speech and manner carried an extraordinary air.
Even standing there silently, doing and saying nothing, one could sense this was no ordinary person.
"Moreover, he rides such a magnificent steed—his origins must be far from common."
The blue-robed servant glanced at Yuan Qi. "But if his aura remains entangled with the young master's, there will inevitably be casualties. When that happens, regardless of his background, I will eliminate him!"
The aura connection between Xu Ying and the youth deepened, reaching the point of life and death. The blue-robed servant's killing intent surged—he was about to strike when a bell rang, and their auras separated.
"He has a hidden expert beside him!" The blue-robed servant was shaken, cold sweat beading his forehead.
Hearing the bell, Xu Ying knew the Great Bell had disrupted their clashing auras. He watched the youth gather his paintings and head into the temple, and quickly called out: "Brother, my name is Xu Ying. What is yours?"
The refined youth turned back, courteous and polite: "I am Yuan Weiyang." With that, he and the blue-robed servant entered Shuikou Temple.
"Yuan Weiyang."
Xu Ying repeated the name and said to Yuan Qi: "I thought I could grasp all the swordsmanship within the image of the Great Dao, but through our aura clash, I saw aspects I hadn't comprehended. This person is truly remarkable."
Within his Domain of the Ineffable, a mark of sword energy had been imprinted—brilliant and clear, the image of the Great Dao he had comprehended.
Without the aura resonance with Yuan Weiyang, he could never have achieved such deep comprehension in so short a time!
Yuan Qi urged, "While we stood at the temple gate, many people have already entered. If we delay any longer, they'll have picked the place clean!"
Then a voice called from within the temple: "There are immortals! There are immortals inside!"
Xu Ying quickly entered the ruined temple. The moment he crossed the threshold, he felt as though passing through something invisible, though he couldn't see what it was.
Xu Ying looked up and saw three immortal mountains floating in the sky, along with massive boulders drifting in orderly fashion around the mountains like pearls on a necklace.
Many people were climbing the boulders, trying to reach the immortal mountains above.
Suddenly, the earth shook violently. Xu Ying and Yuan Qi nearly lost their footing, nearly thrown into the air!
Xu Ying immediately activated the Elephant-Force Ox-Demon Fist, rooting himself like a divine elephant. Yuan Qi imitated him but still struggled to stay steady—fortunately, he had an extra tail, which he wrapped around a large tree to avoid being flung off.
Nearby, the deities and shamans who had entered the temple world were acting swiftly—green vines flew and roots erupted from the ground, snatching back those who had been thrown off.
Just as everyone was still alarmed, the ground shook even more violently. The earth rose higher and higher, and yet another immortal mountain erupted from directly beneath their feet!
Someone cried out: "We're ascending! How do we get down?"
As they spoke, the underground mountain finally burst completely free of the earth, carrying them upward into the sky!
First to be hit were the large boulders already floating in the air—remnants from when the first two mountains had risen. Now, as the third mountain ascended, it collided with those boulders in terrifying fashion!
The people on the mountain could barely maintain their balance, let alone dodge the falling boulders. Several deities and shamans were struck and crushed to pulp!
Others were rolled over by tumbling boulders, their flesh mangled beyond recognition.
Worse still, some lost their footing and slid from the mountain's edge, their screams trailing off for so long that they hadn't even hit the ground by the time their voices gave out!
The immortal mountain soared higher and higher into the sky, shedding many boulders from its surface that plummeted earthward!
When the mountain finally stabilized, Xu Ying's muscles slowly relaxed. He turned to check on Yuan Qi and found the serpent still clutching the tree. He exhaled in relief.
Xu Ying looked down. They were now at an unimaginable height. He could still make out a few figures falling from the immortal mountain—shamans who hadn't maintained their footing, still some time away from impact.
"There's a temple within the temple—immortals are preaching inside!" a booming voice called from the distance.
"Real immortals?"
Xu Ying was both shocked and elated. Following the voice, he saw four immortal mountains surrounding a grand, magnificent temple. People leaped across the sky, stepping from floating boulder to boulder, heading toward the great temple.
"A-Ying, let's go!" Yuan Qi cried excitedly.
Xu Ying was about to step onto a floating boulder when an elder in purple-black silk appeared before him, hands clasped behind his back, expression dark.
"My son died so miserably." Zhou Yihang's face twisted between weeping and laughing.
Xu Ying's heart jolted, but he quickly composed himself. "Ah, Elder Zhou. Your son died so tragically—why not join him below? I'll send you there."