Old servant Zhou Buyi's body trembled again, his hands shaking as he tried to raise them to eliminate Xu Ying, but he didn't dare.
Others might not know Xu Ying's background, but he did.
He knew that Xu Ying had been personally delivered by the Zhou family ancestor, Zhou Qiyun!
On that basis alone, he didn't dare act rashly.
"I only intended to have Young Master Fan teach this country bumpkin a lesson. Who told him to be disrespectful and humiliate me as incompetent? But how dare he kill Young Master Fan?"
Cold sweat beaded his forehead. As the inner household steward, he had seen many storms over the years. The great families of the Divine Continent were filled with intrigue—what hadn't Zhou Buyi witnessed?
For an unknown youth like Xu Ying to enter the Zhou family, rely on talent to be arrogant, offend a steward like him—a small adjustment could make Xu Ying wish for death and beg for mercy.
But for someone like Xu Ying to use real force from the start, even killing his master—he had truly never seen that before.
Xu Ying noticed his expression and said with some disappointment: "You lied to me. You said the Zhou family's healing was second to none, but you can't save him. If I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have struck so hard."
Yuan Qi was puzzled: "Really?"
"Fake."
Xu Ying shook his head: "He was avenging a corrupt official like Zhou Yang—he deserved to die. Why would I hold back? I only said that to be diplomatic, to give him a way out without making him lose too much face."
Yuan Qi praised: "A-Ying, I didn't expect you to be so considerate. I misunderstood you."
"What the hell? Do you think my Zhou family has no one?"
Finally, someone regained their senses from the shock and fury. A figure charged forward, murderous intent radiating. Within a few steps, the figure had grown to fifteen chi tall, skin glowing golden like a Buddha's golden body!
Behind the Buddha, the Sea of Chaos churned, two grotto-heavens emitting bright radiance, empowering the physical body!
"Today, I will avenge those Zhou family disciples and students who died at your hands!"
The man's palm was massive. One palm carried the sound of thunder, like a Buddha from the legendary Great Thunder Temple performing his demon-subduing technique. Beneath the palm was the nameless fury of the Buddha!
Xu Ying stepped back: "Sparring or vendetta?"
"Vendetta!"
The words had barely left the man's mouth when Xu Ying's palm struck out. Behind him, dust rose as a horned great serpent burst from the mist. When their palms collided, the Ba Serpent met the Buddha's great hand.
The Zhou family man grunted, feeling monstrous force surge toward him. His arm bones cracked and shattered!
His body was driven back by the Ba Serpent, then froze in midair as the Ba Serpent's jaws clamped down and devoured him!
The Ba Serpent image projected from Xu Ying's qi and blood dispersed—revealing Xu Ying's five fingers spread wide, gripping the man's throat and holding him aloft.
"You still dare harm people?"
Each Zhou family disciple raged. Two more charged from the flanks, but before they reached him, Xu Ying's hand twisted. The Ba Serpent image reappeared, coiling around the Zhou family man and suddenly constricting!
"Crack!"
Every bone in the man's body shattered. Even his neck bone was snapped. More terrifying still, Xu Ying's strike had severed the Mud Pill Secret Treasury's vitality transmission—after falling, the man could only heal his head, while everything below the neck was like amputation, completely numb.
The man's heart filled with terror as he screamed.
The other two Zhou family disciples had fully opened their Mud Pill Secret Treasures from the moment they charged, grotto-heavens blazing, pushing their cultivation to the extreme!
These two had each mastered one of the Zhou family's Thirty-Six Heavenly Hidden Visions, cultivating to the stage of vision-body unity and body-soul unity.
Vision-body unity meant the hidden vision merged with the physical body. The Thirty-Sity Heavenly Hidden Visions featured gods, demons, Buddhas, divine beasts, and even celestial forms. Vision-body unity allowed one to transform into these divine forms.
Body-soul unity was even harder—the soul and body merged tightly, transforming along with the hidden vision. With three bodies united, cultivation and power naturally multiplied!
One was a three-legged divine being with flames as his blade. The other was a three-eyed divine being whose eyes shot divine light. While Xu Ying manifested the Ba Serpent's true form, they attacked from left and right!
Xu Ying leaped: "Are you sparring or seeking vengeance?"
"Vendetta!"
In midair, Xu Ying twisted like the Ba Serpent. His limbs danced as dragons flew and great serpents rolled beneath his clothes, colliding with their strikes!
All were martial artists, not yet at the level of divine abilities. What seemed like images clashing was actually martial techniques colliding.
The two men felt their opponent's power crash down like mountains and seas—unfathomably deep and vast. Each thought: "He opened three grotto-heavens? No—he's a yao cultivator. Has his yao technique broken through the Qi-Gathering stage?"
For them, Xu Ying's yao power was supreme, long exceeding the limits of Demon Kings and Demon Gods!
Both exerted their full might, roaring as they barely blocked the dragon-serpent strike. The images shattered, but the bulging muscles on their bodies burst open. Blood that hadn't yet flowed was vaporized into mist by the violent yang origin qi!
They locked eyes, gritting their teeth: "As long as a Zhou family member isn't killed, no injury is too severe!"
The blood mist erupting from their bodies suddenly merged, condensing into a crimson short sword—Xu Ying's sword qi fusing with the blood mist. With a hiss, one man's temple was pierced through!
The blood sword turned, arriving before the second man, about to pierce him when a white-haired youth stepped across, blocking the sword qi with his bare palm!
His palm instantly became like gold and stone, gleaming with golden light. The moment it clashed with Xu Ying's sword qi, it suddenly grew thick and massive. Flicking his fingers, each strike was incredibly heavy, producing clanging sounds as he deflected the sword qi to the side!
The sword qi grazed him and struck the ground, following the surface to hit a thick bronze pillar.
The pillar rang with a loud clang, then—meeting strength with strength—the sword qi's power surged. The pillar rang again, the sound lingering!
Xu Ying's sword had missed, but he felt a chill. His feet planted one forward, one back, body lunging forward as he performed the Dragon-Serpent Awakening Art's "Twin Dragon-Serpent" movement.
Suddenly, as if by divine inspiration, he thought of the third character of the Great Yin Nurturing Art—"origin"—and grand, resounding Dao sounds echoed in his mind. His origin qi split into yin and yang paths, water and fire tempering each other, accompanying the Twin Dragon-Serpent strike!
"Roooar—"
Xu Ying pushed both palms forward. Pure yang origin qi formed a divine dragon, pure yin origin qi formed the Ba Serpent. The dragon soared and roared, the Ba Serpent coiled and entwined, rolling forward to crush the white-haired youth!
The white-haired youth was Zhou Youyou, the Zhou family's sixth young master, who had been studying the Scripture of Tuoyu in this very hall. His exceptional talent had earned him special attention since childhood.
However, the Scripture of Tuoyu was indeed obscure and difficult, causing his hair to whiten in youth.
But his talent was genuinely extraordinary—his earlier deflection of Xu Ying's realm-breaking sword was merely a small test.
Yet Xu Ying's current strike was supremely fierce and powerful. Dragon and serpent combined, the power multiplied six or sevenfold. The cascading sound waves from this strike wrinkled even his own face!
Zhou Youyou shielded the Zhou family disciple behind him, unable to hold his ground under Xu Ying's violent assault, sliding backward involuntarily. Seeing the dragon-serpent images bearing down, he shouted: "Sparring! It's sparring, not vendetta!"
He fought with all his strength to block the strike. In his moment of despair, the Twin Dragon-Serpent's after-force suddenly vanished.
Zhou Youyou was startled and uncertain as he watched Xu Ying stumble backward, face flushed red as if drunk.
"Young Master's cultivation is deep, your divine abilities astonishing."
Xu Ying retreated several steps before finally steadying himself, regulating his breathing: "To spar with you is my honor. Let's call today's battle a draw?"
Zhou Youyou froze, hands still trembling: "I'm not as good as you..."
Xu Ying smiled: "Then it's a draw. I am Xu Ying. May I ask your name?"
"Zhou Youyou." Zhou Youyou's face was dazed.
Xu Ying bowed respectfully: "Brother Youyou is so young yet so skilled—it's truly admirable. How old are you?"
Zhou Youyou still hadn't recovered: "I'm sixteen..."
Xu Ying said: "Truly young and accomplished. I'm fourteen."
Zhou Youyou fell silent.
Yuan Qi secretly gave Xu Ying a thumbs-up with his tail: "A-Ying, you've learned how to behave now. Your stay at Qinyan Cave wasn't wasted. You read many books and become refined. Did you read the 'Comprehensive Study of Rites'?"
Xu Ying was delighted: "You noticed? That was the thickest book. I read it every night before sleeping—puts me right to sleep."
They had just had a heaven-shaking battle, yet the thirteen Zhou family elders in the center of the hall hadn't stirred, still devotedly contemplating the jade slip Dao text—truly admirable.
The other Zhou family disciples, though eager, were intimidated by Xu Ying's final combined strike, unable to gauge his depth, and didn't dare approach.
Yuan Weiyang's gaze had remained on Xu Ying. Suddenly she said to the blue-robed elder beside her: "Demon King Xu has received the true transmission."
"What?" Xiao Bo seemed not to have heard.
Yuan Weiyang said: "He received the true transmission. The Scripture of Tuoyu's contents are a false text, not the true transmission. Perhaps only half is true."
Xiao Bo still didn't understand: "Weiyang, what are you trying to say?"
Yuan Weiyang's eyes dimmed slightly. She said nothing more, walking directly toward the jade slip Dao text, muttering to herself: "When he just performed the martial technique of dragon-serpent combination, his origin qi wasn't that dense. But when he fought, yin-yang changes appeared, dramatically increasing the strike's power. That move secretly corresponded to the Great Yin Path described in the Scripture of Tuoyu, but added yang changes. This proves the Scripture of Tuoyu is either incomplete or false..."
She arrived before the jade slip Dao text, contemplating the jade bamboo: "Then how did he receive the true transmission from these eight characters?"
She sat down, pondering the eight archaic characters on the jade slip with all her intelligence, but gained nothing after a long time.
Suddenly, Yuan Weiyang had an inspiration, recalling the bizarre movements Xu Ying had performed before the jade slip: "Could it be this reason?"
She immediately imitated his movements, performing the same actions before the jade slip.
Xu Ying's eight movements weren't complex, and she had observed them carefully, so learning them wasn't difficult.
Xiao Bo watched in stunned silence as a Zhou family disciple muttered: "Great, another one's gone mad"—unclear who he was referring to.
Yuan Weiyang tried for a long time, copying Xu Ying's eight movements perfectly, but gained nothing: "There must be a mental technique."
She looked for Xu Ying, but he and Yuan Qi were no longer in the hall.
She walked out and found Xu Ying and Yuan Qi had somehow climbed to the roof—one performing strange movements, the other coiled up. Human and serpent breathed in unison, inhaling and exhaling like a giant bellows, wind howling.
Only in the intervals between breaths was there calm.
This method of cultivation didn't look human at all—clearly the work of yao.
Yuan Weiyang leaped to the roof: "Aren't you going to contemplate the celestial scripture?"
Xu Ying's limbs continued moving, still slowly practicing the Great Yin Nurturing Art: "I've already learned it, so I'm not going."
The great serpent was straightforward: "I can't understand it, so I'm not going either. When A-Ying is familiar with it, he can teach me."
Yuan Weiyang opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, then said: "When I return, I'll consult my mother!"
Xu Ying stopped: "You're going to consult your mother? Are you planning to exchange your Yuan family's techniques for the jade slip Dao text's contents? But Brother Yuan, does your family have divine techniques worthy of exchange?"
Yuan Weiyang's face darkened: "No."
She was about to leap from the roof when Xu Ying smiled: "So don't consult your mother for everything. You can make decisions yourself. For example, if you offer your Yuan family's Dragon Seeking Location Technique, the method to open the Yellow Court Secret Treasury, and your ancestral techniques, I'll trade with you."
Yuan Weiyang showed a flicker of joy and was about to agree when blue-robed elder Xiao Bo suddenly appeared behind her, expressionless: "Young Master Weiyang, it's time to go down. Don't forget—you are the future master of the Yuan family, bearing the responsibility of restoring its glory. You cannot associate too closely with yao people."
Yuan Weiyang's body stiffened: "Xiao Bo, I understand."
The joy in her eyes vanished, replaced by an indifference that moved for nothing. She leaped from the roof.
Xiao Bo gave Xu Ying a long look: "Young Master Xu would do well to stay away from Young Master Weiyang and not think of obtaining our Yuan family's supreme arts through him."
Xu Ying stretched lazily and continued practicing the Great Yin Nurturing Art, seemingly not hearing.
Xiao Bo leaped down from the roof.
The Great Bell's voice came: "Yuan Weiyang is quite perceptive—she recognized the Scripture of Tuoyu's flaws and came to find you. It's a pity this old servant lacks tact. A-Ying, I just observed you practicing the Great Yin Nurturing Art and found it quite profound. If you teach me, I could probably heal my injuries faster!"
Yuan Qi asked curiously: "Great Bell, you can practice the Great Yin Nurturing Art too? You're a bell—how would you practice?"
The Great Bell huffed: "Stupid serpent, the Eight Nurturing Movements are just external forms—the foundation is the Eight Nurturing Sounds! Those eight Dao sounds are the essence of Great Yin Nurturing! Once I learn the Eight Nurturing Sounds, I can practice. And since I'm a bell, I'll learn even faster!"
Yuan Qi asked: "Can I learn too?"
Xu Ying looked at Yuan Qi's form, reluctantly: "You probably can, but you might not be able to learn it all."
The Great Bell said mischievously: "A-Ying, teach him half—let him cultivate into a woman. After his transformation, you can save on bride price money!"
Yuan Qi roared: "Broken bell, I'll fight you!"
The serpent and bell brawled, and soon Yuan Qi was begging for mercy. All was well.
Xu Ying waited for them to quiet down, then transmitted the Eight Nurturing Sounds of the Great Yin Nurturing Art to Yuan Qi and the Great Bell. He couldn't fully articulate the Dao sounds of all eight characters, but even a rough approximation was extraordinary. While not as profound as the Scripture of Tuoyu, it was more complete.
So one human, one serpent, and one bell sat on the roof, absorbing the rich heaven-and-earth origin qi from the floral fragrance while assuming various peculiar poses.
Old servant Zhou Buyi glanced up, snorted coldly, and strode toward the Scholar Flower Palace's main hall.
"Ancestor, that snake catcher Xu Ying has caused trouble." He entered the palace and bowed to Zhou Qiyun.
Zhou Qiyun was meditating with closed eyes: "How many did he injure?"