Zhou Qiyun's expression shifted between dark and light. "Why would His Majesty come to Yongzhou at this time? Why use ghost children to gather yang qi? Could it be..."
His expression turned peculiar. "The wound I gave him all those years ago—he still hasn't healed?"
He sighed, raising his head to gaze silently at the sky. *The Supreme Dao Emperor showed me kindness. I have no desire to usurp the throne. Sacred Divine Emperor, coming to Yongzhou at a time like this puts me in a difficult position.*
Xu Ying looked around and found himself standing in a mountainous region. Beneath his feet was a cliff, and below that, only a stretch of emerald water was visible.
It was a lake. They had just been fished out of it by golden-armored soldiers stationed at the cliff's edge using fishing lines!
What was strange was that moments ago they had been in the Cangwu Abyss, not in a lake.
Moreover, the Cangwu Abyss should have two banks, yet this cliff could only serve as one side. Where was the other bank?
Xu Ying gazed across. On the opposite side was open sky, distant green mountains and clear waters—no corresponding cliff face in sight.
*Could the other bank of the Cangwu Abyss not be located within Mount Jiuyi?*
His mind filled with questions. Then where would the other side be?
"Demon King Xu, this great figure from the capital is somewhat suspicious!"
Yuan Weiyang approached him and whispered, "Look at the people guarding the passes throughout Mount Jiuyi. None of them belong to ordinary martial sects. Their uniforms—those are the attire of the Golden Guards from the capital!"
Xu Ying looked and indeed saw armored figures stationed at various treacherous points on the mountain peaks. He came from the countryside and couldn't identify clothing styles, but he could tell these armor pieces were rare treasures.
Every single scale of their armor gleamed with a precious radiance!
Above these figures, sword light spiraled, dancing around them. Occasionally, streaks of sword qi would descend, flying into the sword cases at their feet to be further nurtured.
From within Xu Ying's collar, Yuan Qi poked his head out and whispered against Xu Ying's ear: "The Tang Dynasty was founded on martial prowess. Back then, Nuo masters were called 'Martial Nuo.' During the golden age, the children of the capital loved to cultivate swords—not physical blades, but sword qi, nurtured within sword cases. After long cultivation, the sword qi within could soar forth and kill invisibly. However, the practice declined later, leaving only the ceremonial guards of the palace still cultivating swords."
"Strange—why is there also the scent of incense offerings?" Xu Ying looked toward the hall, bewildered.
The great hall reeked of incense offerings, so thick that the aura drifted beyond the building itself, forming blue-green clouds—auspicious clouds!
Xu Ying had only seen comparable quantities of incense aura on the grand statues of the Heavenly Court in the Underworld!
Yuan Weiyang gazed at the auspicious clouds. "Imperial authority is the master of the people's livelihood, the focus of their hopes, the convergence of their hearts. The Emperor, embodying the faith of all people, is in himself the most powerful deity under heaven. Within that hall must reside the supreme ruler of the mortal world!"
Xu Ying was shaken. "You mean the Emperor is inside?"
Yuan Weiyang replied, "There should be."
At that moment, a man in purple emerged from the distant hall, shrill-voiced. "Today there is turmoil in the Underworld. Qi harvesting is suspended for now. You may rest, and tomorrow you will descend into the Underworld to gather yang qi!"
The numerous Nuo masters of the Cangwu Sect all breathed sighs of relief, forming lines to head into the mountains. Some removed their Impermanence masks, chatting and laughing.
"So the ones occupying Mount Jiuyi and forcing the Cangwu Sect to descend into the Underworld to harvest yang qi are actually people from the palace."
Xu Ying studied the man in purple intently. "Could that man in purple be what they call a eunuch?"
He had never seen a eunuch before and couldn't help but be curious.
The man in purple gazed down at everyone with an air of superiority, frowning. "So many Nuo masters have died? General Yingyang, go recruit more Nuo masters from nearby martial sects."
Behind him stepped a powerful, imposing man. "The Nuo masters of these martial sects cultivate disorganized techniques—mere drifters. Neither their cultivation, strength, nor vision compares to the young masters of noble families. Why not mobilize some noble family descendants instead?"
The man in purple shook his head. "His Majesty's journey from the palace into the martial world is already a secret matter. Alerting the noble families would alert the entire realm. The more covertly this is handled, the better. Martial sects are weak—after using them, we simply eliminate them, causing minimal disturbance. But noble families are not so easily disposed of."
General Yingyang agreed. "Over the years, His Majesty has been trying to weaken the feudal lords and reduce the influence and power of noble families. If they learned we came to Yongzhou to gather qi and extend His Majesty's life, who knows what trouble would arise! Previously, when we harvested yang qi from living mortals in the mortal realm, the deaths of over two hundred commoners already caused quite an uproar. Those meddling noble families—killing countless commoners daily without a word, yet the moment His Majesty causes a few deaths for immortality, they start shouting."
The man in purple sighed. "The entire world watches His Majesty. Countless eyes search for his faults. The two hundred or so commoners could be suppressed with tales of evil spirits and a few martial sect heads on the chopping block, but we can't continue this in the mortal realm. Fortunately, the situation in Yongzhou has changed—the Underworld's invasion means we no longer need to descend for yang qi."
He smiled slightly, sighing. "It's just hard on the commoners of Yongzhou."
General Yingyang also sighed. "A few more years of hardship for Yongzhou's commoners, and they'll grow accustomed to it and stop complaining. Eunuch Chen, I shall take my leave."
He turned and departed.
Eunuch Chen in purple returned to the hall, thinking to himself: *His Majesty's old illness has relapsed, and with his cultivation of immortal techniques, he's become increasingly irritable these past few days, killing at the drop of a hat. Will cultivating those techniques truly cause no problems?*
Yuan Weiyang quietly poked Xu Ying's waist, signaling him to look behind. Xu Ying turned to find that Zhou Qiyun had vanished at some point.
"Trying to slip away?" Yuan Weiyang whispered.
Xu Ying hesitated, then shook his head. "There's no opportunity."
Yuan Weiyang considered this, then slumped. Zhou Qiyun was simply too powerful—he had even stormed the Underworld Court unscathed. Escaping from his grasp would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Xu Ying removed his mask and looked around. Mount Jiuyi had undergone changes. The mountain had originally not been very tall, its scenery pleasant. Though he had been here before, he had never examined it closely.
Now Mount Jiuyi rose tall and rugged, its peaks piercing the clouds, its terrain varied and majestic—a completely different mountain from before!
This version of Mount Jiuyi more closely resembled the depiction on the jade disc within the Qin Cave's Muddy Pillar Palace Grotto-Heaven!
"South of the Xiao and Xiang rivers lies the Cangwu Abyss. Beneath Mount Jiuyi dwells the Ageless Immortal. I've already seen the Cangwu Abyss. Where is the Ageless Immortal?"
The more Xu Ying looked at Mount Jiuyi, the more extraordinary its aura appeared. He and Yuan Weiyang unconsciously wandered through the mountains, admiring the magnificent scenery, when they suddenly heard someone speak: "The Cangwu Sect—such a tiny martial sect, yet it occupies such a famous mountain. I can't tell if it's fortune or misfortune."
"Definitely misfortune. Once they've been used, not even scraps of this sect will remain."
Xu Ying followed the voice and saw two beautiful young women dressed in palace attire—green gowns with white chest wraps that pushed their busts high, swaying gently as they walked, quite dazzling in the sunlight.
"The Analects say 'do not look at what is contrary to propriety.' Demon King Xu, where exactly are your eyes wandering?" Yuan Weiyang reminded him.
Xu Ying asked, "Weren't you looking too? Are they palace women? Their clothes are quite beautiful."
"Are you really looking at the clothes?"
Yuan Weiyang rolled her eyes and whispered, "Their garments are those of young maidens, not palace maids or consorts—they must come from somewhere else. I've heard that the current Emperor's empress surnamed Guo comes from a great noble family. The Emperor married into the Guo family to secure his throne."
Yuan Qi added, "After the Supreme Dao Emperor fell into incompetence, the empire nearly collapsed. It was the Guo family that turned the tide and saved the empire from ruin. The Guo family rose to prominence and earned the Emperor's deep respect."
Yuan Weiyang said, "If the Guo family didn't give their blessing, the Emperor couldn't hold his throne either."
Along the way, they encountered many more beautiful men and women, all presumably descendants of the Guo family. Mount Jiuyi was vast, and the Golden Guards could only blockade the treacherous mountain passes. As for the mountain itself, they couldn't restrict access, leaving visitors free to roam and admire.
Before they knew it, they had reached the mountainside. Yuan Weiyang suddenly exclaimed, "Why is there another Mount Jiuyi over there?"
Xu Ying came to her side and looked. There, standing amid a sea of clouds, was another Mount Jiuyi. At a glance, it appeared almost identical to the one beneath their feet—indistinguishable!
"There's yet another Mount Jiuyi!" Yuan Weiyang spotted a third.
The third mountain rose tall and elegant, wreathed in rainbow mists at its waist, its scenery extraordinary. Yet its structure was nearly identical to the other two!
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang looked further into the distance. Through the clouds and mist, one Mount Jiuyi after another stood proudly among the heavens—virtually identical!
"The so-called Jiuyi means nine mountains that look similar," Yuan Qi said from within Xu Ying's collar, disdaining their lack of knowledge. "The books say all nine mountains are Mount Jiuyi."
The great bell's voice came: "Do the books say anything about these nine mountains being so tall and so vast?"
Yuan Qi fell silent. The books said nothing of the sort.
These nine mountains were taller than any mountain that had existed in the world before!
Suddenly, a melodious cry echoed from within the clouds. Xu Ying looked toward the sound and saw a magnificent bird emerge from the mountains, trailing seven-colored tail feathers, its wings carrying it across the peaks.
Surrounding this great bird were all manner of rare avians—among them Bifang, the Great Peng, and the Peacock, divine birds rarely seen!
Closest to the great bird were three Azure Luan.
The three Azure Luan were enormous, their wings spread like clouds hanging from the sky. Atop each head rested a luminous pearl, suspended in the air, radiating ten thousand rays of light.
They surrounded the magnificent bird, flying toward the mountain summit.
"A Phoenix!"
Yuan Weiyang cried out. "A Phoenix dwells in this mountain! Let's go comprehend the Phoenix Dao Manifestation!"
Xu Ying's heart surged with excitement as he followed her in a sprint toward the summit. The Phoenix, accompanied by a hundred birds, soared directly toward their mountain peak.
Many others in the mountains had witnessed this sight and were also rushing toward the summit.
"Such a phenomenon—a once-in-a-millennium opportunity! We must comprehend it quickly. Perhaps we can forge an extraordinary Hidden Vision!"
"A Phoenix never rests where there are no treasures! There must be a rare treasure on the mountain!"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang quickened their pace, heading straight for the peak.
Though Mount Jiuyi was extraordinarily tall, it was not infinite. When Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang reached the summit, they found a Paulownia tree growing at the cliff's edge. The divine birds circled and danced around the tree, occasionally landing on a branch to rest before taking flight again.
That Paulownia tree was truly majestic—it seemed like a mountain peak had sprouted from the mountain itself!
Xu Ying was filled with wonder and admiration. "If one could comprehend the Dao Manifestations of divine birds here and grasp all their mysteries, it would be possible to create a technique rivaling the Zhou family's Thirty-Six Celestial Hidden Vision Art!"
The youth stood beneath the Paulownia tree at the summit, gazing outward. Below lay a hundred thousand mountains like black jade and emerald, emerging and vanishing within the sea of clouds. No vast landscape could surpass this sight.
Suddenly, Xu Ying noticed something peculiar. The hundred thousand mountains did not point straight toward the heavens. Their peaks were all tilted toward Mount Jiuyi—without exception!
A hundred thousand mountains, as if all honoring Mount Jiuyi!