The golden warriors continued to surge forward, throwing themselves at the blue birds. Before Xu Ying's eyes, one after another fell—shattered by a beak, devoured in a single gulp.
Yet still more warriors charged, azure swords raised against creatures that loomed like ancient gods—colossal, radiant, unstoppable. And still they fought without fear.
Though they were merely beans, they moved Xu Ying.
He activated the Mud-Pellet Grotto-Heaven, thrusting it into the Sea of Chaos, converting its energy into a flood of vitality.
He had never learned a single Nuo art. Yet he would fight as a Nuo shaman.
He had come to see these beans as people—beings with thoughts, with lives.
He would attempt what he had never attempted before, for their sake.
* * *
The Great Bell, deep in meditation, was startled awake. Within the Mud-Pellet Grotto-Heaven, it sensed the space slowly revolving. A torrent of vitality poured forth—so dense it seeped into the Bell itself.
Of course, the Bell had no physical form and could not use the vitality to heal. Still, the grotto-heaven was small, far smaller than those of ordinary Zhou family shamans—but the quality of the Mud-Pellet vitality it produced was extraordinarily pure.
"Is Ah Ying about to perform a Nuo art?"
The Bell was stunned. "But he's never studied Nuo sorcery. He just opened his Mud-Pellet Repository. Surely he doesn't think that alone makes him a shaman?"
* * *
Xu Ying recalled the physical changes he had felt when shrunk. He sensed the vast vitality within him and tried to use it as though it were his own vital essence—channeling it to every corner of his body.
He circulated the vitality as he would circulate qi. Gradually, the two forces merged—seeping into his organs, filling his muscles, animating his blood. Everything within him began to feel alive, brimming with the potential of all creation.
Then he activated the Elephant-Force Ox-Demon Fist.
His spine bulged upward. His body rose, fingers elongating, folding into hooves. His nose stretched, brow bone cresting, head swelling, ears fanning outward.
Before Yuan Qi's astonished eyes, Xu Ying transformed—into an elephant-headed, human-bodied, elephant-hoofed creature: a miniature Elephant King God, two beans tall.
"Ah Ying has finally revealed his true form..."
Yuan Qi stared, murmuring: "Stone Mountain God was right—he really is a demon!"
* * *
Xu Ying released the transformation, returning to his human form. With that test, he was sixty to seventy percent certain he could execute the Grass-and-Tree Soldier Art.
In his mind, there was no distinction between Nuo art and Qi-Refining technique. There was only the impulse to act—using his vital essence and the Mud-Pellet's vitality, expressing his power naturally and without artifice.
He simply felt he possessed the ability to manifest the Grass-and-Tree Soldier Art—or Sowing Beans to Create Soldiers.
A blue bird stamped down, pinning a golden warrior beneath its foot, beak plunging toward the warrior's skull.
Just before the beak shattered the head, Xu Ying pointed. The bean warrior's body exploded in size—from bean to a two-foot golden armored deity.
The bird's beak struck its chest, but the warrior drove its azure sword through the bird's skull.
Xu Ying stepped forward into the battlefield, channeling his qi and vitality. A gesture here, a touch there—warriors bloomed into two-foot golden deities.
The tide turned.
The golden warriors moved with fluid grace, cutting down the blue birds. Within moments, half the flock was destroyed. The survivors took flight.
More than a dozen warriors raised bows and loosed arrows, shooting down the fleeing birds.
* * *
Yuan Qi gaped. "Ah Ying—is that Nuo sorcery?"
Xu Ying considered. "I don't know if it counts as Nuo sorcery. It simply felt natural."
Yuan Qi stared at him for a long time. "What great being have you been reincarnated from?"
Xu Ying laughed. "Yuan Qi, you've read too many novels. I'm just me—not anyone reborn! I grew up in Xu Family Village. My parents loved me. I remember it all."
Yuan Qi, afraid he'd launch into his usual reverie about his hometown, cut him off: "Wait! Ah Ying, if you can use Sowing Beans on them, can you use it on us too—to break the old woman's Nuo art?"
Xu Ying snapped back to focus. "Breaking her art isn't difficult. The problem is that my cultivation is far weaker than hers. To undo her Nuo art, I must do it bit by bit."
Yuan Qi brightened. "As long as it can be broken!"
* * *
At that moment, an old woman's voice called from above: "What is Young Master Xu planning to break?"
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi's faces changed. A silk kerchief descended, covering them and the remaining warriors.
They materialized inside the basket again. Zhou Yu Po lifted the kerchief, peered in, and chuckled. "Good thing my bean soldiers were here—otherwise I'd never have found Young Master Xu. What a shame they're damaged."
She flicked the surviving warriors out of the basket and walked away without a backward glance.
"You old demon woman! I, the Seventh Master, will fight you!" Yuan Qi lunged, intending to bite her finger and poison her, but she caught him by the throat between two fingers.
Zhou Yu Po's expression turned cold. She was about to squeeze.
Xu Ying spoke calmly: "The Zhou family invited me as a guest to break your family's curse. And now you wish to kill my friend? Aren't you afraid your ancestor will be displeased?"
Zhou Yu Po hesitated, then smiled. "Young Master Xu, the ancestor invited you—not this odd serpent. But for your sake, I won't trouble him further." She released Yuan Qi.
Yuan Qi exhaled in relief.
Xu Ying climbed to the basket's edge and looked out. The bean soldiers still followed Zhou Yu Po, drifting aimlessly.
He waved his hand. A pulse of vitality surged from the Mud-Pellet Repository. The golden warriors took root and sprouted, each becoming a robust bean seedling.
Xu Ying returned to the basket, thinking silently: "They are so small—fragile in this new land. But if they return to what they truly are—beans—they will thrive here. They'll flower, produce new beans, and live on through the generations."
Yuan Qi watched and thought: "Since meeting Ah Ying, I've faced endless danger, and the Great Bell has been wounded again and again. Yet neither of us has left this walking disaster. Perhaps it's because of the human warmth he carries."
Human warmth—many people lacked it.
* * *
Zhou Yu Po sensed the vitality flowing through Xu Ying and was shaken. "Young Master Xu—you've opened the Mud-Pellet Repository?"
Xu Ying lay on his back in the basket, legs crossed. "Even your ancestor请教s me. Should it be so surprising that I opened my own repository?"
Zhou Yu Po snorted and covered the basket with the silk kerchief. She walked briskly, her eyes narrowing: "The ancestor is locked in battle with the creature beneath the earth. The new land is cracking apart. I was injured by the shockwave and must find the others quickly."
Xu Ying asked from the basket: "Granny Rain—why has the Zhou family come here? Shouldn't someone of the ancestor's stature remain in the capital?"
Zhou Yu Po replied: "Young Master Xu, you may not know—the River Nai's course has shifted. The Underworld's invasion has shaken the court. Everyone is watching this new land in Yongzhou. The rest of the world's treasures have long since been claimed by noble families. Only here—in the new land—do unclaimed riches remain!"
Understanding dawned on Xu Ying. Men died for wealth; birds died for food. The Underworld's invasion had created new territory filled with unclaimed treasures. Every power in the realm would be drawn here.
"The Zhou family rose from Yongzhou. With new land appearing here, it falls under our jurisdiction. The ancestor had no choice but to come." Zhou Yu Po continued walking.
* * *
A familiar voice reached them: "Excuse me, madam—how do I get to Wuwang Mountain?"
Xu Ying's heart stirred. "That voice—Yuan Weiyang! And his blue-robed servant Xiao Bo is no doubt a formidable expert!"
He was about to call out when Zhou Yu Po thrust a hand into the basket and seized Yuan Qi's throat. "Go that way."
Xu Ying held his silence, instead focusing on the World-Breaking sword intent. A faint wisp of sword energy leaked from the basket.
Yuan Weiyang said: "Thank you, madam. Xiao Bo, let's go."
Xiao Bo's voice: "Young Master, you may visit that Xu Demon King at Wuwang Mountain—but remember: absolutely do not go fishing in the river!"
Yuan Weiyang's gentle reply: "I only wish to exchange cultivation insights with him. Why would I go fishing?"
Their voices faded. Zhou Yu Po released Yuan Qi's throat and resumed walking.
Before long, she murmured: "Young Master Xu, there's a ruined temple ahead. We'll rest there and wait for the others to find us... 'Water-Entrance Temple'—what a strange name."
She headed toward the temple. Xu Ying's heart clenched. "Trouble. The Zhou family won't kill me, but the white-robed Nuo Immortal certainly will!"
Yuan Weiyang's voice returned: "Madam, ahead lies the Hidden Vision Latent Transformation of a Nuo Immortal. That immortal died violently and harbors a powerful grudge. It would be wise not to proceed."
Zhou Yu Po halted. "Thank you for the warning. You were heading to Wuwang Mountain—why turn back?"
Yuan Weiyang's tone cooled: "My friend is in your basket. Why would I go to Wuwang Mountain?"
* * *
Inside the basket, Xu Ying heard the sound of earth splitting and mountains crumbling—the basket shook violently. Xiao Bo must have attacked Zhou Yu Po.
"Nuo arts of the Yuan family!"
The basket lurched wildly. From within, Xu Ying could not see the battle. Then a gust of wind seized the basket—it flew upward, no longer in anyone's hand.
"Quick, Yuan Qi!"
One human, one serpent leaped from the basket and plummeted.
The basket tumbled through empty air. Zhou Yu Po was nowhere nearby—only distant waves of supernatural force.
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi fell. Yuan Qi shrieked. Xu Ying shouted: "Ants don't die from falls. We're barely bigger than ants—we won't either!"
They hit the ground, punching a small crater.
Xu Ying sprang up and sprinted. They ran without stopping, and only when utterly spent did they rest.
After all that running, they had crossed a single small hill.
* * *
Zhou Yu Po's vengeful voice reached them: "Young Master Xu—why did the Yuan family's expert attack me? Care to explain?"
Xu Ying tensed. He looked up to see Zhou Yu Po approaching, drenched in blood.
She had already been wounded by the ancestor's battle with the creature, injuries that even the Mud-Pellet vitality could not heal. Now Xiao Bo had dealt her a grievous blow. Fury blazed in her eyes.
"Young Master Xu, you may scheme endlessly, but you cannot escape my grasp. My Nuo art is embedded in you—wherever you go, I will find you! Since you refuse the toast, you'll drink the poison!"
Her face turned dark. "The ancestor ordered me to bring you back—but he never said whether you should be alive, dead, or merely whole!"
Xu Ying surged with vital essence, his body growing from bean-sized to two or three inches tall. "Granny Rain—have you considered that perhaps you didn't find me, but rather I led you here?"
Zhou Yu Po sneered, reaching for him. "You think you can break my Nuo art? Dream on! Even if you lured me here, what then?"
A bone-white Soul-Striking Whip materialized behind her, silent and deadly, slashing through the space beneath her feet.
"Close—but you missed!"
Her thought cut short as four more whips struck her body, sending her screaming to the ground.
Xu Ying exhaled. Behind Zhou Yu Po stood five muscular Ox Demons, Soul-Striking Whips in hand, raining blows upon her.
Yuan Qi cheered. "Excellent!"
Xu Ying smiled softly. "Finally—right on time."
After escaping the basket, he had fled directly toward the broken Wuwang Mountain, knowing the five Ox Demons would pursue them relentlessly if they still lived.
Sure enough—when Zhou Yu Po caught up, the Ox Demons followed.
She howled, rolling across the ground. The screams were so piteous that Xu Ying plugged his ears with his fingers. Out of sight, out of pity.
Then he noticed a youth standing nearby—brows white as snow, yet a heroic spirit burning in his gaze.
The youth watched the Ox Demons beating Zhou Yu Po without intervening.
Yuan Qi saw the white-browed youth and felt an instinctive terror—as though facing a natural predator.
Xu Ying studied the young man and recognized something familiar.
The white-browed youth approached. "I did not stop them because she disobeyed my orders. I told her to invite you. Instead, she used humiliation to shrink you—showing no respect to a guest. So the beating is warranted."
He stopped before Xu Ying and said quietly: "My name is Zhou Qiyun. Three hundred years ago, I was a snake catcher—just like you."