The old man with the cane heard Xu Ying and the others' voices from afar. These youths were laughing and chatting, occasionally punctuated by the sound of a great bell and the hissing laughter of the great snake.
The old man sneered: "However happy you are laughing now, you'll be just as terrified soon. This time we're taking it all for ourselves—we need to end this quickly, before the other old ghosts come running over!"
Xu Ying was the first to enter the door. Guo Xiaodie said something, and as the youth stepped inside, he turned back with a smile: "At this hour, who could stomp on your chest twice? Could it be a ghost?"5
As he was speaking, suddenly the Great Bell materialized behind him, its power surging. With a loud gong, the resonant bell sound stunned everyone senseless!
On the surface of the Great Bell, layer after layer of thick, simple patterns rose into the air and began to rotate. The myriad things carved on its inner wall seemed to come alive at this moment—all things vying to flourish, brimming with vitality, containing immense power!
Xu Ying himself was puzzled, not knowing why the Great Bell had suddenly erupted. He heard a muffled groan and quickly looked over, only to see the old man with the cane—the one who had told them there were ghosts here—stuck flat against the wall of the Demon-Subduing Hall by the bell's force.
Xu Ying hastily called out: "Grandpa Bell, that's the old gentleman with the cane, not an evil spirit!"
The Great Bell immediately halted its surging power and stammered: "I sensed yin energy approaching you rapidly, and smelled a scorched odor of lightning tribulation, so I panicked, fearing you'd be harmed by fierce ghosts. That's why I struck. I never thought I'd hurt our benefactor!"
The old man with the cane had nearly had his soul scattered. Hearing this, he hurriedly said: "I am a ghost, of course I have yin energy. When I underwent my tribulation back then, my Primordial Spirit was struck apart. So even as a ghost, I still carry the scorched smell of lightning tribulation. Why are you boys here again? Quick, pry me down!"
Xu Ying flew up and pried him off the wall.
The old man with the cane saw him approach up close. Malice arose in his heart. Glancing back and seeing the youth turn his head, he thrust his sharp claws into his body, attempting to yank out his soul to devour it first.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he grabbed Xu Ying's skin, he touched Xu Ying's soul—solid, unmovable. The force rebounded, breaking all five of his fingers.
Xu Ying looked back at him with puzzlement, then turned away again to continue talking with Guo Xiaodie.
"That night when Feng Xian'er came looking for you, I slept soundly. When I woke up the next morning, I was wearing some old clothes I didn't recognize, with a shoe print on each side of my chest." Guo Xiaodie spoke of that night with clicks of wonder.
The old man with the cane contorted in pain, hurriedly straightened his broken fingers, his heart filled with alarm: "My body and Primordial Spirit were destroyed by the heavenly tribulation. Though my remaining soul isn't as strong as before, it still retains some of my Primordial Spirit's power. Forget about a little kid—even a Ghost King would die from this claw of mine! How is this kid's soul so tough?"
Xu Ying recalled the shoe prints on Guo Xiaodie's chest—one of them was his own. Feeling a twinge of guilt, he changed the subject and asked with a smile: "Xiaodie, how is your Sword-Flying Art coming along? If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. I guarantee I'll teach you until you've got it!"
Guo Xiaodie acknowledged him.
Yuan Weiyang looked up and said: "It's getting dark, we should hurry. At night, who knows what this place looks like. If we're late, we won't be able to leave!"
Xu Ying agreed and turned to the old man with the cane: "Thank you for looking after us, sir. We'll come again tomorrow!"
The group jumped into the water jar one after another, splashing water before disappearing.
The old man with the cane showed a fierce glint in his eyes. Seeing the snake demon jump in last, with its head already inserted into the jar, his heart rejoiced: "Look at this snake, plump and adorable, with vigorous blood and qi. It'll surely greatly supplement yang energy. I'll start with this big snake!"
He flew forward, his fingernails growing wildly, thrusting toward the Seven-tailed's tail!
At that very moment, the Seven-tailed's tail tip flicked up. Wrapped around the tail tip was a green paper umbrella, which popped open with a *pfft*. Inside the umbrella seemed to hide a sun, its scorching light fiercer than flames.
Under that radiance, the old man with the cane let out a piercing scream. Locked by the green paper umbrella, he was pulled helplessly into it, screaming as he went: "The Green Sun Treasure Umbrella, impervious to all methods, repelling all evil—as the saying goes, its reputation is well-deserved!"
In an instant, his soul was refined to nothingness. Even his indestructible true spirit was sent by the paper umbrella into the Seven-tailed's body, nourishing his true spirit.
"Whoosh!"
The green paper umbrella automatically closed and returned to its original form.
This paper umbrella was what the Seven-tailed used daily to shield from the sun. By curling its tail tip, it could hold the umbrella over its head. Who would have thought it would save its life at this moment?
The Seven-tailed sensed the movement and pulled its head out of the jar. It looked back, puzzled: "It sounded like something happened. That old gentleman sure ran fast! He was guarding here ahead of time for our safety, sent us away, and then left himself."7
"There is true kindness even in the Underworld!" it sighed, and slipped into the water jar.
Xu Ying separated from Yuan Weiyang and Guo Xiaodie and simply moved into Wutong Palace. Anyway, Feng Xian'er had fled, and leaving the place empty was a waste.
When Xu Ying moved into Wutong Palace, the Great Bell and the Seven-tailed naturally followed. The two of them immediately ran off to pick their rooms.
A knock sounded from outside. Xu Ying opened the door and saw it was Guo Xiaodie. The young woman hemmed and hawed for a long while without stating her purpose, then suddenly produced a thin scroll of paper and slapped it into Xu Ying's hand.
Xu Ying was momentarily stunned.
Guo Xiaodie said: "You want to teach me the Sword-Flying Art, so I certainly can't take advantage of you. My Guo family's Red Palace Secret Treasury's Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique cannot be passed to outsiders, but every Guo girl gets one exception: she can pass it to her husband. My husband is surely a man who stands tall between heaven and earth—he wouldn't care for the Guo family's trivial things. So I'll give you my dowry first, that way I won't be breaking the Guo family's rules!"
Xu Ying was taken aback, then laughed: "Xiaodie, you're no less a hero than any man—you're a true great lady."
He accepted the Guo family's Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique, then channeled his sword intent and carefully taught Guo Xiaodie.
Guo Xiaodie was someone who had forced Xu Ying to use the Eight Tones of Primordial Nurturing without being able to defeat her. Her aptitude and comprehension were both exceptional. The Guo family was also a renowned martial family with a foundation in nurturing sword energy, so she learned very quickly.
However, the Sword-Flying Art required not only great comprehension of swordsmanship but also powerful control over spirit sense. The reason Xu Ying had cooperated with Yuan Weiyang to complete the Sword-Flying Art was that Yuan Weiyang's attainment in spirit sense far surpassed his own.
"Xiaodie, when it comes to using spirit sense to control the sword, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Brother Yuan. He and I co-created this Sword-Flying Art, and his skill with spirit sense even exceeds mine," Xu Ying said.
Guo Xiaodie felt a pang of regret upon hearing this: "If I had known earlier, I would have taken my dowry and married into the Yuan family. Why bother being a great lady? Being sweet with Brother Weiyang would have been much better!"
But her nature was bold and easygoing. After a moment she forgot all about it and devoted herself wholeheartedly to sword practice.
On the wutong tree, Xu Ying supervised her practice, worried she might fall. But then he remembered the Guo family's Cloud-Ladder Sky-Step was exquisitely refined—a quick flip and leap would be fast enough to prevent a fatal fall. With that thought, he left.
Xu Ying looked down the mountain and saw that the Cangwu Sect had brought many more warriors, who donned Wuchang masks and jumped one by one into the Azure Lake to descend into the Cangwu Abyss. He thought to himself: "I wonder what kind of method the Emperor practices. Why does he need so much yang energy every day for his cultivation?"
He returned to Wutong Palace and took out the Guo family's Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique. After reading it once, he understood the secrets of the Red Palace.
The Guo family's Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique was about locating the Red Palace. As the central hub of the body's six secret repositories, the Red Palace Secret Treasury governed heart strength. A strong heart meant great power. That was why all the Unfolding Art practitioners of the Guo family—male or female—possessed extraordinary strength.
Finding the Dragon-Seeking Position wasn't actually difficult; as long as you had the cultivation method, you could locate it. The real difficulty lay in how to open the Red Palace Secret Treasury.
Ordinary people, before becoming warriors, didn't know how to refine qi. Their strength was far too weak to open the Red Palace Secret Treasury, so they needed a trustworthy great warrior to help them unlock it.
The fact that noble families could control Unfolding Art practitioners, and that martial sects could survive, came down to two things: they possessed the Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique, and they had great warriors at their disposal.
An ordinary person, no matter how talented, could never open a secret treasury by their own power.
Unless they were a Qi-refinement cultivator.
Xu Ying was exactly such a cultivator.
He had opened the Mud Pill Secret Treasury by his own power, shattered the Chaos Mud Pill, and transformed it into a Grotto-Heaven, from which he fished out physical vitality in the Sea of Chaos.
Opening the Red Palace Secret Treasury this time was just as familiar and easy.
His Red Palace Secret Treasury was located in the left ventricle, hidden within the Heart Peak Immortal Mountain of the Domain of the Ineffable. Xu Ying's spirit sense flew into the Heart Peak Immortal Mountain, thinking: "Within the heart lies an eye called the Heart Eye. The Red Palace Secret Treasury is inside the Heart Eye!"
He sought the Dragon-Seeking Position and arrived within the mountain's body, his spirit sense weaving through the stone until he found a Heart Eye acupoint, like the eye of a flame.
His spirit sense entered it, and before his eyes was a sea of fire. Crimson flames obscured his vision, blocking out all else.
"The Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique says: The Red Palace blazes with the Half-Moon Furnace; the Spirit Platform sits in the Great Mystical Altar! Opening a Half-Moon Furnace Grotto-Heaven within the Heart Eye to strengthen the heart fire is the place to gather the Red Palace Secret Treasury's power!"
Xu Ying channeled his spirit sense, visualizing the Dao image of "All Mountains Respect Mount Jiuyi," and invoked the Dao image's power to strike at the Heart Eye acupoint!
A tremendous boom echoed. The sea of fire in the Heart Eye surged violently. Propelled by Xu Ying's strike, the flames grew fiercer still, collapsing into deeper layers of space!
In an instant, a Grotto-Heaven took shape—like a half-moon hanging over the sea of fire—and the flames blazed even brighter!
This was the so-called Red Palace Blazing Half-Moon Furnace!
With the Red Palace Secret Treasury opened, Xu Ying felt his heart strength surge. Waves of warm energy flowed from the heart acupoint through his entire body, spreading to every limb and bone—an indescribable comfort.
Moments ago he had felt drowsy; now all sleepiness was gone. He immediately rose and stepped outside Wutong Palace, leaped lightly, and soared into midair.
He stepped on the Cloud Ladder, took great strides up the rungs, then suddenly leaped again, landing among the clouds. Another leap carried him hundreds of zhang away—his speed was no less impressive than the Sword-Flying Art!
Xu Ying leaped through the air like a nimble ape, filled with unbounded exhilaration.
After playing for a while, he finally enveloped himself in swirling clouds of sword energy and flew through the window into Wutong Palace.
Though the night was peaceful, a pair of eyes had been watching the sky the entire time, following Xu Ying's movements. Only when he entered Wutong Palace enveloped in sword energy did the gaze finally withdraw.
"Skilled in both warrior arts and qi cultivation, rotating between them without impediment—far more accomplished than Zhou Qiyun."
The Sacred Divine Emperor coughed violently, his face flushing red from the strain. After a long time he finally calmed down and waved his hand: "Chen Gonggong, go invite Xu Ying here. I wish to see him."
The purple-robed eunuch Chen Gonggong's heart skipped a beat: "Invite him?"
"That's right. Invite him," the Sacred Divine Emperor repeated.
Chen Gonggong bowed respectfully and asked: "What if Elder Zhou objects?"
"I am still the Emperor, after all."
The Sacred Divine Emperor coughed once and said mildly, "Besides, he fought with someone and took a bit of an injury. Go on."
Chen Gonggong bowed and turned to leave.
Outside Wutong Palace, Xu Ying was just about to retire when he heard a knock. He rose to look and saw a beautiful woman standing outside, draped in a red robe trimmed with white sable fur, her skin luminous under the moonlight and the palace lamp.
The woman was fragrant, tall, and graceful, her brow and eyes carrying a delicate allure. Her makeup was clearly meticulously applied, her collar framing her slender shoulders, her collarbone shallow enough to hold fine wine. Her bodice was cut just low enough to be alluring without being excessive.
Xu Ying caught a whiff of her fragrance—the scent of a perfectly ripe peach.
She leaned slightly toward him with a smile: "I am Xiaodie's second aunt. I apologize for the late-night visit. Lord Demon King Xu, would you mind letting me come in and sit?"
Xu Ying recognized her. Seeing her lean toward him, he quickly sidestepped, thinking: "That's how Grandpa Bell got me in the first place! Why would I fall for the same trick twice?" The woman was none other than Li Yingzhu. That day, seeing that Xu Ying was impervious to temptation and wouldn't even touch Guo Xiaodie, she had misunderstood the situation.
Tonight, having snuck away from Guo Yue, she visited Wutong Palace at midnight with an ulterior motive—she wanted to use her wiles on him, forcing him to explain the mysteries of the Sword-Flying Art.
Her approach was clever indeed. She had dressed herself up with exquisite care—half concealing, half revealing. Every movement, every smile, every tiny gesture revealed just the right amount, no more and no less, making the heart skip a beat.
This was precisely what practice made perfect. Not something a blunt woman like Guo Xiaodie could ever match.
She was about to employ another tactic to make Xu Ying drop his reserve when she heard Chen Gonggong's voice from behind: "Young Master Xu, this servant is here by imperial command to invite you to the palace. Madam Guo, please excuse us. Forgive the intrusion."
Li Yingzhu blushed crimson, hastily wrapped herself in her long robe, slipped past the eunuch, and leaped into the clouds, vanishing from sight.
Xu Ying praised her: "Second Aunt's movement skills are truly remarkable! I couldn't match that!"
Chen Gonggong, dressed in his purple robe with a dignified air, smiled: "Madam Guo's skills are naturally exceptional, though she does enjoy her little games. Young Master Xu, this way please."
Xu Ying smiled: "The Emperor finally remembered to summon me, but it's not too late. Lead the way, Gonggong."
Chen Gonggong felt a slight tremor in his heart but bowed respectfully.
Xu Ying followed him down the mountain. Before long they arrived at the great hall of the Cangwu Sect. Chen Gonggong bowed and invited him inside, then remained outside.
Inside the great hall, more than ten furnaces blazed with roaring fires, turning the air hot and stifling. These furnaces were refining elixirs, and the most precious ingredient of all was yang energy!
Though Xu Ying had been here before, last time it had only been his consciousness merging with Mount Jiuyi. This was his first time physically stepping inside. Within moments he felt as though all the moisture in his body would be evaporated.
"I too have practiced demonic arts," said the Sacred Divine Emperor.
Xu Ying suddenly caught a scent of incense and offerings. The Sacred Divine Emperor walked out from behind one of the furnaces: "That is, what you call Qi-refinement cultivation. Only mine hasn't been going smoothly."
Xu Ying saw his agitated expression and suddenly had a realization, exclaiming: "Your heart fire is raging and overwhelming your body! You've opened two of the body's six secret repositories! One is your Li family's treasury, and the other is the Guo family's Red Palace Secret Treasury!"
The Sacred Martial Emperor's face was grim, drenched in sweat as if he'd just been pulled from water. His voice was hoarse: "That's right. Our ancestors' Yu Jing Secret Treasury. I married Empress Guo and cultivated the Guo family's Red Palace Secret Treasury. More than that—I am the Great Emperor of the Divine Land, ruler of all the world's faith. Countless commoners chant my name and make offerings. I am the most exalted deity in the Divine Land!"
Xu Ying couldn't help but say: "But you still can't beat Zhou Qiyun."
The Sacred Martial Emperor let out a low growl, his eyes red, staring fixedly at him. After a moment he spoke: "So he went to practice demonic arts—and I went to practice them too! I want to live forever!"