"But why would the tree want to kill him?" Yuan Weiyang was quite puzzled.
If the tree hadn't struck, it probably wouldn't have died.
Its body was enormous, with countless root-tendrils buried deep underground—its subterranean form was likely many times larger than what stood above. To kill such a vast living being was genuinely difficult.
But the moment it struck, Zhou Qiyun would seize the hidden sanctuary of its spiritual consciousness, and that would be the end.
"The Great Scholar Tree was probably seeking a vessel for reincarnation. Zhou Qiyun is the strongest being here, and he was wounded. If he couldn't resist, the tree could possess him. After all, it has only eight thousand years of life remaining."
Xu Ying felt a pang of empathy: "Our human lives span barely a century. Even someone who cultivates as hard as the Zhou Family Ancestor has only a little over three hundred years. Even if the Great Scholar Tree's vitality were severed, it would still have eight thousand years. To sacrifice eight thousand years of life to possess a mortal who lives and dies within a day—that seems hardly worth it."
Yuan Weiyang considered this: "Perhaps when it saw Zhou Qiyun unleash his Place of Latent Transformation and reveal his Divine Continent paradise, it felt that method could grant it permanent survival."
A sudden chill ran through Xu Ying.
Zhou Qiyun must have conceived the scheme to ambush the Great Scholar Tree from that very moment—to borrow its vitality for his own recovery. Every word and action that followed had been a calculated move, luring the tree into the trap.
He hadn't wanted to remain wounded for long, because he still had a second task to accomplish.
The Great Scholar Tree was his divine medicine.
Then had Zhou Qiyun chosen the Great Scholar Tree as the site of his battle with the Master of the Mud Pill Palace precisely because he had already plotted against the tree?
"The Great Scholar Tree might indeed be as Grandpa Bell said—capable of great evil. But using fishing tactics to lure it into error reveals a depth of scheming too deep. This is not the righteous path."
Xu Ying suddenly recalled something Zhou Qiyun had once said: "Facing these undying ones, you truly cannot make a single mistake. Any misstep could mean death."
Mistake meant death.
It was simply that cruel.
"To us, Zhou Qiyun is also one of the undying. We face him the same way—we must never make a mistake, because any misstep could mean death!"
The following day, while cultivating, Xu Ying noticed the Great Scholar Tree's floral fragrance had faded considerably. The rich, soul-penetrating vital essence of heaven and earth had grown thin.
Yet the Pagoda Tree Palace still bloomed profusely. Every branch's flower buds had burst open overnight, as though spending its last drops of life in one final, brilliant display—leaving a different kind of radiance within the Underworld.
"A pity you made one wrong step," Xu Ying murmured inwardly as he watched the scholar flowers drift down like snow.
He returned to the great hall and began deciphering the Scripture of Tuoyu, word by word.
The Great Scholar Tree was dead. The Master of the Mud Pill Palace was dead. The White Bone Emperor had fled. Once Zhou Qiyun's injuries healed, he would set out on his second task. During this window, Xu Ying had to produce the deciphered scripture.
How much to reveal was a matter Xu Ying had to weigh carefully.
Too much, and they would have no value left. Too little, and keeping them would be pointless. The perfect balance between usefulness and uselessness was the key to survival.
Moreover, it had to be the true scripture.
Zhou Qiyun's talent and comprehension were terrifyingly high. Scripture laced with errors would be quickly detected. Having a figure like this suspect your intentions was suicide.
Xu Ying deciphered the scripture and cultivated simultaneously, neither task interfering with the other. He had originally hoped to advance to the second heaven of the Gate-Knocking stage with the help of the scholar flowers in bloom. Now that the Great Scholar Tree was dead, reaching the second heaven might be impossible.
Over the next two days, more Zhou family members gathered at the Pagoda Tree Palace. The disciples and students who had stripped the Water-Entrance Temple had arrived.
In the great hall, several Zhou family disciples looked gleeful, glancing frequently at Xu Ying.
Xu Ying kept his head down, focused on deciphering the scripture, paying them no mind.
Before long, Zhou Qiyun emerged from seclusion and sought out Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang: "You are both exceptionally talented. Have you deciphered any portion of the Scripture of Tuoyu?"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang each presented their deciphered scrolls. Zhou Qiyun placed them side by side, opened both simultaneously, and reading with one eye on each text, he absorbed both at once.
After a long silence, Zhou Qiyun closed both scrolls: "Only this much?"
Yuan Weiyang replied: "Reaching this point is the limit of my ability."
Zhou Qiyun looked at Xu Ying. Xu Ying said awkwardly: "If we could have a bit more time..."
Zhou Qiyun rolled both scrolls up and tucked them into his sleeve: "I will be traveling to the Underworld Court to pay respects to its Emperor. You will accompany me. The Scripture of Tuoyu and the inner treasury texts will be available for your unrestricted study!"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang silently breathed a sigh of relief, knowing their calibration had been just right. They had preserved their lives—for now.
Xu Ying quickly said: "I still need to climb the tree. My friend Yuan Qi is still up there."
Zhou Qiyun waved dismissively: "Go and return quickly. My Zhou family's children have already begun felling the tree. Everything here will be taken away."
Xu Ying hurried out of the Pagoda Tree Palace toward the Great Scholar Tree, where many Zhou family Nuo Shamans were hard at work.
Some were clearing the battlefield—carving the Colossal Being's carcass into many pieces, separating different parts into categories for weapon refining, medicine preparation, and consumption.
Others were diagramming the Dao Images of the Colossal Being and the Great Scholar Tree. Yet more were dismantling the Pagoda Tree Palace itself, disassembling the structure and loading it onto carts, destined for unknown locations.
At the base of the Great Scholar Tree, Xu Ying saw a dozen men and women carrying sword cases on their backs, channeling flying swords to cut into the tree. Their swordwork was remarkably refined—their blades radiated light with every movement, like a great snowball of ceaseless brilliance.
"The Zhou Heaven Demon-Slaying Sword! What fine swordwork. If Magistrate Zhou Yang had possessed such skill, he wouldn't have had to die."
Xu Ying offered a word of praise as he passed them, then lightly leaped upward, landing on the tree trunk and ascending along the dragon-scale bark patterns.
A voice from below called: "Big Brother, that's Xu Ying!"
The dozen or so men and women felling the tree looked up. The speaker was the same Zhou family disciple Zhou Youyou had saved from Xu Ying's grasp.
The one he addressed as Big Brother was a man in his thirties or forties, quite tall, his features bearing some resemblance to Zhou Qiyun's. His face was smooth and beardless, his grooming meticulous—rouge and powder applied with care, his robes ornate and colorful.
This was the eldest young master of the Zhou family's inner household. His name was Zhou Zhi.
"After him!"
Zhou Zhi and the others immediately leaped upward, giving chase. Zhou Zhi said: "Don't strike yet. Killing him here might be discovered, and the Ancestor would blame us. Let him climb higher before we end him."
The Zhou family disciples seethed: "This brat dares to kill in our Zhou family's territory, and the Ancestor still keeps him alive!"
Zhou Zhi replied coolly: "The Ancestor seeks immortality. His Nuo cultivation has reached its ceiling—he can advance no further. So he's desperate to obtain demonic technique inheritance for cross-pollination. Heh. The old man sits on his seat and refuses to yield, wants eternal life, yet doesn't want to be Emperor. How are we younger ones supposed to rise?"
The disciples agreed: "Big Brother's cultivation progresses at a remarkable pace. When you become family head in the future, we will follow willingly."
Rather than attacking immediately, they climbed two to three thousand zhang higher. Four Zhou family disciples saw their chance, unslung the sword cases from their backs, and planted them upright.
The sword cases clicked open. Tiny flying swords shot forth, growing with the wind as they soared upward!
The sword cases were Zhou family artifacts. Nuo Shaman treasures came in many forms beyond masks. A great clan like the Zhou possessed every variety.
They had used these flying swords to fell the tree. Using them to kill was no different.
Each executed their Zhou family's ultimate technique—the Zhou Heaven Demon-Slaying Sword. Their swordwork surpassed Zhou Yang's by unfathomable margins. They didn't need to plant demon willows to control their flying swords. Simply forming sword seals with their fingers and channeling their will was enough to execute the complex and shifting Zhou Heaven Demon-Slaying Sword!
The flying swords filled the air, swirling in formation like great snowballs rolling upward along the Great Scholar Tree. Yet they didn't return for a long time, nor was there any sign of Xu Ying.
The four sword-commanding disciples formed seals to recall their blades. The swords returned, and they breathed sighs of relief.
Zhou Zhi suddenly sensed danger: "Watch out!"
Before the words left his mouth, the returning swords—dozens of them—suddenly accelerated. They pierced through Zhou family disciples' hearts, throats, and foreheads. The speed was such that not even Zhou Zhi could intervene!
Even the disciple who had narrowly escaped death in the great hall took a sword through the throat. Several more pinned his chest and forehead, fixing him to the tree. His eyes remained wide open, dying with his grievance unresolved.
"This Xu Ying—he's a sword master! His technique surpasses our Zhou family's Zhou Heaven Demon-Slaying Sword!"
Zhou Zhi raised two fingers and struck repeatedly, shattering the swords aimed at him. The vibrations left his fingers trembling: "The force hidden in these flying swords is formidable!"
He looked down. His two fingers were cut, his Vajra Indestructible Body breached.
Looking at the other Zhou family disciples, he saw them desperately activating their sword cases, sending flying swords spinning around them in silver spheres of protection. But with a few sharp clinks, the silver spheres were pierced. Swords scattered everywhere.
The Zhou family disciples were pierced through their brows and pinned to the tree!
Sixteen had entered. Only six remained. Ten Zhou disciples had fallen to this single wave of sword assault!
"Excellent swordwork! But his cultivation is even more terrifying!"
Zhou Zhi's expression turned cold. He addressed the five surviving disciples: "Your intelligence was wrong! His cultivation is far deeper than what you reported!"
Among those five, several had been in the great hall deciphering the Scripture of Tuoyu and witnessed Xu Ying's killing there. But Xu Ying's cultivation at that time was far weaker than his current level.
Over these past days, with the scholar flowers in bloom, Xu Ying had cultivated day and night without rest. Though his advancement wasn't the speed of a thousand li per day, he had still made a significant leap—ascending to the first heaven of the Gate-Knocking stage.
Moreover, he had comprehended the mysteries of the Eight Nurturing Notes. Whenever he had a spare moment, he practiced—tempering his bones, blood, and qi, refining his five organs and six viscera. His spirit sense and soul were honed like steel. After the enhancement of his flying swords, their power had grown tremendously.
Measuring today's Xu Ying against the Xu Ying of that day would naturally lead to a devastating miscalculation!
Zhou Zhi leaped up with a thunderous roar. Behind him, brilliant light erupted, and a divine figure materialized—a bird-headed, human-bodied, bird-footed deity standing behind him like Xu Ying's Elephant King Divine Body, but different.
The deity's wings beat. Zhou Zhi's body aligned parallel to the ground, feet pressing against the tree trunk as he charged straight upward.
His sleeves billowed. Suddenly, countless golden feathers shot out—each the length of a zhang-long flying blade, whistling through the air as they sliced between the bark's dragon-scale patterns at tremendous speed!
Xu Ying had been hidden within those bark patterns. The golden feather-blades forced him out, and he dodged as long feathers shot past him between the crevices.
Each feather's edge was razor-sharp, honed to a fine blade, the feather itself broad and flat, each barb a thin golden sword pieced together into a single feather shaped like a long blade.
This was a Dao Image!
The Image of the Great Dao!
"The Zhou family absolutely possesses a Celestial Roc Dao Image Diagram. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly forge feathers with such exquisite detail!"
The instant this thought crossed Xu Ying's mind, Zhou Zhi rushed at him head-on. This young man's fists and legs came like a storm, hammering with frenzy. With every movement, the Celestial Roc deity behind him attacked in concert!
Zhou Zhi's fists and palms became the deity's wing-blades, their edge sharp and domineering. His legs became the deity's bird-feet, its talons capable of tearing anything apart!
Xu Ying met the assault with the Ba Serpent Eight Forms and the Dragon-Serpent Six Forms. Both the Ba Serpent and Dragon-Serpent forms were shaken, their qi and blood scattered like steaming mist.
Xu Ying's body also shook violently. He pressed his feet against the tree, retreating upward. The bark beneath him cracked and shattered, sending splinters flying!
Zhou Zhi's wings spun. Another volley of golden feather-blades launched, forming a golden torrent that descended on Xu Ying from every direction!
Simultaneously, the five remaining Zhou family disciples bounded upward from below, racing toward the scene. Compared to Xu Ying and Zhou Zhi's speed, they were lacking—they couldn't keep up.
Zhou Zhi fought with mounting fervor, shouting a sharp cry. He spun in midair, the Celestial Roc deity spinning with him. Two wings stretching over ten zhang swung like divine blades, chopping into the Great Scholar Tree, slicing toward Xu Ying!
Xu Ying was surrounded by golden feather-blades. There was nowhere to retreat. He planted both feet firmly on the tree, legs driven deep into the trunk, visualized the Eight Nurturing Notes, and thrust both palms forward against the twin Celestial Roc blades!
Violent vital essence churned beneath his palms, transforming into dragon-serpents twisting and surging, howling forward to meet the Roc's twin blades. The savage force shattered every surrounding golden feather-blade—they couldn't even approach!
"Draconic-hissing!"
Dragon roars and serpent cries collided. The two forces met. Zhou Zhi grunted, the Celestial Roc deity behind him shattering completely. The divine figure exploded. Zhou Zhi's entire body burst with blood-mist, his skin cracking from the impact!
He tumbled and rolled, crashing downward through the tree!
Xu Ying was surprised: "This one is strong. To take one strike of the Eight Nurturing Notes and still not die!"
In the instant his momentum paused, the five remaining Zhou family disciples surged upward, ready to deploy their sword cases. Then a bright, feminine laugh rang from below:
"Since achieving my transformation, it's been ages since I've had a worthy opponent!"
Xu Ying froze: "Is this person male or female... Wait, could it be..."
He stood stunned, blurting out: "A genius! He's deciphered the Scripture of Tuoyu! That means... his primal yang is completely gone?"