The Sorrowful Elder hurried down the paulownia tree and headed toward the base of Mount Jiuyi, his heart a mixture of shock and terror. "Disaster! The Soul-Bewildering Brew has failed!"
Ten bowls of the brew, gulped down by Xu Ying in one go—and yet the tea hadn't put him to sleep like an infant as it should have. He even remembered the Great Bell!
He should have forgotten everything since the age of six, just like before. He should have remembered only the fire at Xu Family Ridge and himself as an orphan escaping the blaze.
The seal in his mind should have quickly generated new memories, launching him into another life.
But this batch of Soul-Bewildering Brew was nothing more than colored water—it had failed completely!
"I must report this immediately! No delay!"
At that moment, the Sorrowful Elder spotted Zhou Qiyun. The white-browed youth stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching him with cold indifference.
The Sorrowful Elder's heart lurched. He slowed his pace, his expression deeply troubled. "We meet again."
Zhou Qiyun's face remained cold, his voice equally frigid. "I chose to undergo my tribulation in Yongzhou not only because it is my hometown, but also because this is New Territory. New Territory has fewer entanglements, fewer connections, and therefore fewer experts."
The Sorrowful Elder listened in silence, not interrupting.
Zhou Qiyun continued, "Here, I can focus entirely on my tribulation without worrying about some expert appearing behind my back to stab me. For this tribulation, I ransacked twenty-six ancient tombs and opened thirty-four immortal mountains, collecting all their treasures. The old fossils of the other great families have already been mocking me as a grave robber—nothing but a tomb raider."
The Sorrowful Elder replied, "You bear such infamy because your ambitions must be immense. Ascension has become your obsession."
Zhou Qiyun said, "Anyone who threatens my ascension will face my wrath. It doesn't matter who they are. It doesn't matter what background they come from."
The Sorrowful Elder sighed. "And yet here I am, having appeared at your side twice. The first time you could tolerate me. The second time—you cannot."
A faint smile crossed Zhou Qiyun's face. "You are clever, but you should not have gotten so close to me, nor so close to Xu Ying. Xu Ying is a crucial key to my ascension. I need him to decipher and complete the ancient cultivator's techniques. Anyone who dares to obstruct me—I will kill!"
The Sorrowful Elder knew danger was imminent. He retreated step by step, then suddenly leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of azure light hurtling toward the heavens. He thought, *Those last few steps I took were flawless—Zhou Qiyun cannot strike!*
But the thought had barely formed when the world spun, reversing his direction. He was now flying straight toward Zhou Qiyun!
The Sorrowful Elder's heart pounded. *When I met him at the Nostalgia Platform, he was weaker than me! When I encountered him again at Mount Wuwang, he already posed tremendous pressure—we were evenly matched! But now his power seems even greater!*
They drew closer and closer. Behind the Sorrowful Elder, his Primordial Spirit materialized—vast and boundless—channeling every ounce of his power into a single finger thrust!
His true essence trembled as he poured everything into the strike. *In such a short time, I refuse to believe you've managed to integrate the cultivator's techniques and create a new divine art! Witness my Immortal-Slaying Finger!*
His finger shot forward, trailing exquisite immortal light, with immortal energy swirling around it. The fingertip trembled, projecting phantom afterimages—some fast, some slow—as if striking from different moments in time, all converging on Zhou Qiyun!
Zhou Qiyun thrust his own finger forward. The Sorrowful Elder's pupils contracted sharply, his heart filled with horror. *The Immortal-Slaying Finger? Where did he obtain the technique for the Immortal-Slaying Finger? Of course—he became a grave robber, dug up so many tombs, and most likely dug up my master's as well!*
A series of muffled impacts rang out. All the immortal light and phantoms vanished, leaving only the two fingers colliding.
With a sharp crack, the Sorrowful Elder's finger snapped. He cried out in pain, turned, and fled, thinking, *He has refined all the vitality of the Mud-Pellet Secret Treasury into his physical body. This body is already approaching that of an immortal—above mine!*
He launched himself upward, but once again the world inverted, sending him hurtling toward Zhou Qiyun once more!
*He has already reached the realm of immortals!*
Shock and fury filled his heart. Forced into the exchange, he attacked Zhou Qiyun again. They traded blows, and the Sorrowful Elder sustained further injuries. He broke away once more, but the world reversed again, flipping him upside down and hurling him at Zhou Qiyun a third time!
They exchanged another strike, and the Sorrowful Elder's injuries worsened. He leaped into the air and fled again.
This time, Zhou Qiyun's technique faltered for a split second, allowing him to escape!
Blood spurted from the Sorrowful Elder's mouth as he tore through the sky. Panic consumed him. *Zhou Qiyun's progress has been far too rapid! Xu Ying must have given him the true techniques and didn't deceive him! With the cultivator's methods and the Nine Heavens of the Mud-Pellet Secret Treasury, his cultivation has already surpassed mine!*
He fled in haste, skimming over the mountains of New Territory. Suddenly, he saw two figures playing chess on a peak ahead—an old man in white and a woman in red. The Sorrowful Elder's spirits lifted, and he descended rapidly toward them.
The two were the same ones who had intercepted Little Phoenix. Seeing him wounded, they were alarmed and rushed to check on him.
The woman in red asked urgently, "Who injured you?"
The Sorrowful Elder coughed up blood and shouted, "Zhou Qiyun!"
Before his words had faded, both sensed danger approaching. The old man in white, without even turning around, summoned his Primordial Spirit and placed his palm behind his back—just in time to meet Zhou Qiyun's Immortal-Slaying Finger.
Though it was a single finger, the force gathered all of Zhou Qiyun's power. The Primordial Spirit couldn't withstand it; the finger pierced through his palm, struck his heart from behind, and exploded out through his chest!
The old man in white sprayed blood, staining his white robes crimson.
Had he been prepared, his strength wouldn't have crumbled so easily—but Zhou Qiyun had launched a sneak attack, catching him completely off guard, resulting in a devastating blow!
Zhou Qiyun's voice echoed, "Two more experts? But what do I have to fear?"
The woman in red leaped away, but the world spun and in the next instant she was yanked back. She flipped and vaulted, but it was as though she were tethered by an elastic rope—each time pulled back, each time forced into a direct confrontation with Zhou Qiyun.
After more than ten such exchanges, the woman in red was coughing blood, her appearance wretched.
The Sorrowful Elder gathered all his remaining strength and attacked Zhou Qiyun, finally forcing an opening. The three seized the chance and fled as streaks of light.
Zhou Qiyun did not pursue. His turbulent aura gradually calmed, and a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his lips.
He stood silently on the mountain peak for a long time before his qi and blood finally stabilized.
*It's still not enough. The immortal techniques still cannot fully connect with the secret treasuries. There are still flaws when circulating them.*
He swallowed the blood rising in his throat and thought, *Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang must decipher the immortal scripture as soon as possible. I cannot wait any longer!*
He sat down at the chess table, gazing at the unfinished game. He casually moved the chess pieces, his eyes hardening with resolve. *Since I found Xu Ying and Yuan Weiying, I've encountered one obstacle after another. In the past ten or even a hundred years, I never met this many experts—but in just these few days, they've come like a river of fish!*
He looked up at the sky and thought, *Has the heavens already sensed that my tribulation approaches, and sent human tribulations ahead to destroy my chance of ascension? Even if the heavens send tribulation, I will not fear it!*
Zhou Qiyun rose, gathered the chess board and pieces into his arms, and headed toward Mount Jiuyi. *These chess board and pieces are all treasures. I cannot waste them.*
Meanwhile, the Sorrowful Elder and the other two fled for ten thousand li before they could no longer continue and stopped to rest. The three looked back—Zhou Qiyun had not pursued them—and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They exchanged glances, all still shaken.
"At Zhou Qiyun's level, his secret treasuries must have been developed to their absolute limit, correct?" the old man in white frowned. "When the Nuo system was created to replace the cultivator's path, no one anticipated it would be this powerful."
The Sorrowful Elder shook his head. "The secret treasuries are formidable, yes, but what makes Zhou Qiyun truly dangerous is the man himself. He has cultivated the Nuo art to match our level, and then turned to the cultivator's path. Now he walks both roads simultaneously, and has already achieved initial success on both."
The woman in red carefully wiped the blood from her lips. "More importantly, he has learned the very pinnacle of the cultivator's arts. He's dug up far too many tombs."
The old man in white suddenly cried out, "My Azure Cloud Chess Board is still on that mountain!"
The Sorrowful Elder replied absently, "Leave it there. We can retrieve it later. Who would steal it? There is a more pressing matter now."
He sighed. "Ten bowls of Soul-Bewildering Brew—bought only a brief dream. Gentlemen, the Soul-Bewildering Brew has failed."
The old man in white and the woman in red were deeply shaken. The woman blurted, "Could it be that Meng Po diluted the brew with water?"
The Sorrowful Elder replied, "Even if it were watered down, ten bowls should have knocked him out. The brew no longer affects him. It cannot reinforce his seal. At the current rate of deterioration—huh—it won't be long before he breaks through the seal entirely!"
The other two's faces changed drastically, even showing traces of fear.
The three fell silent, saying nothing for a long time.
After a while, the woman in red said hoarsely, "In that case, Zhou Qiyun has become his Guardian? No wonder Zhou Qiyun kept blocking you. What exactly is Zhou Qiyun's goal?"
The old man in white's expression grew grave. Based on Zhou Qiyun's actions so far, it did indeed appear that he was Xu Ying's Guardian—protecting Xu Ying from being destroyed by powerful enemies.
If a genius of Zhou Qiyun's caliber was protecting Xu Ying, it would be extremely difficult for them to make a move against him.
"What do we do now?" he murmured.
The Sorrowful Elder replied, "There's nothing we can do. We can only report upward. Come with me!"
The old man in white and the woman in red exchanged a look. The old man in white said reluctantly, "My Azure Cloud Chess Board... Fine. This matter is more urgent. We'll go with you first and retrieve the board later!"
The three flew swiftly to Daozhou.
Daozhou had also been affected by New Territory, with numerous new mountains and rivers altering its geography. They arrived at an unremarkable rocky hill, less than twenty zhang tall. At its base stood a small Earth God temple, barely half a person's height.
On either side of the temple door was a couplet:
Small temple, great power; High sky, bright moon and sun.
The Sorrowful Elder wrote the matter of the Soul-Bewildering Brew's failure on a piece of paper, rolled it into incense, and burned it before the temple. The three stood with bowed heads, awaiting a reply.
This modest Earth God temple was unassuming, yet it was actually an ascension site. The incense burned, its smoke rising to the temple roof, where it connected to another timeline. The smoke drifted through the thin barrier into that other space.
When the incense and paper had finished burning, an Earth God jumped out of the temple. Unlike other Earth Gods, this one bore no scent of incense-offering qi.
"You may leave."
The Earth God held a yellow memorial paper bearing a written reply. "It has been received above. Keep this reply safe. When the orders from above arrive, characters will appear on the yellow paper. Then you will know how to proceed."
The Sorrowful Elder said, "This matter is of great importance. May we ask how the higher-ups plan to proceed? So we may prepare."
The Earth God replied impatiently, "So long-winded! When the higher-ups handle matters, don't they have to follow proper procedures? Do you expect things to be settled the moment you hand in your petition? And who knows if your materials are even sufficient. If not, you'll have to make more trips. Go back now and wait for the approvals to come down through the proper channels. It could take several years!"
"Several years?" The three looked at each other, despair in their eyes.
The woman in red said, "This is an emergency. Please expedite it!"
The Earth God sneered, "There are so many petitions waiting—how am I supposed to know which one to push? And which one would I even have the authority to push? Out, out!"
The three had no choice but to leave quickly. "Then we'll wait for now."
The old man in white said, "Let's return to the mountain first and retrieve my Azure Cloud Chess Board."
The three hurried back to the mountain—but the Azure Cloud Chess Board was nowhere to be found. Not a single chess piece remained.
They stood there in the cool breeze. The old man in white's mouth twitched, his robes still stained with blood.
The Sorrowful Elder consoled him, "My Green Paper Umbrella was also taken by someone. There's nowhere to complain. You lost the Azure Cloud Chess Board—just forge a new one."
---
At the paulownia palace on Mount Jiuyi, Xu Ying still felt slightly dazed, as if what he'd drunk wasn't tea but strong liquor. He thought, *Did that Sorrowful Elder drug the tea?*
The Great Bell, noticing his pale complexion, asked, "I'm afraid it was drug laced with tea. What happened?"
Xu Ying recounted the events of the previous night. The Great Bell and Yuan Qi, coiled atop the bell, were both stunned. They couldn't believe that so many things had happened during their brief absence.
Every single event sounded fascinating.
The Great Bell inquired, "So you did see that black mole on Xiaodie's chest? Left side or right side? Left side, hmm..."
It pondered. "So what you saw during your Dao-entry was real, and the stupid snake saving you while asleep was also real. That's strange—why would entering the Dao trigger such a great terror?"
Xu Ying recalled his experience during Dao-entry and voiced his speculation. "I believe the great terror within the abyss is meant to prevent people from entering the Dao. If one enters too deeply, the abyss will devour the entrant and cause their death!"
Yuan Qi was startled. "Good thing I don't enter the Dao. Ah Ying, how did Guo Xiaodie end up in your bed—and without clothes, no less? Something's fishy here."
"That's not important!" Xu Ying's expression grew solemn. "What matters is the second thing—even Little Phoenix couldn't break the seal inside me. She said the seal has loosened, but I don't feel any different. We need to shake off Zhou Qiyun as soon as possible!"
The Great Bell said nothing, and Yuan Qi remained silent as well, blinking at him repeatedly.
Xu Ying's heart lurched, though his expression remained unchanged. He continued, "Therefore, we must decipher the Scripture of Tuoyu as quickly as possible! Decipher it completely, help Elder Zhou achieve the Dao and become immortal. Once he ascends—we'll be free!"
He turned around—and saw Zhou Qiyun standing behind him, having arrived at some point without notice.
Xu Ying asked in surprise, "Elder Zhou—when did you get here?"