“Please may the Heavenly Venerable show mercy!”
Li Lingsu dropped to his knees and cried out urgently.
Compared with Li Miaozhen’s unbending resolve, the Holy Son’s greatest gain from his three years wandering the jianghu had been learning when to bend and when to stand firm, and how to handle every side with polished ease.
“It isn’t easy for the Heaven Sect to raise a Holy Maiden. How could her life and death be decided so rashly? Junior Sister is stubborn by nature and always drives herself into a corner. Please, Heavenly Venerable, give me one day. I promise I’ll persuade her.”
After Li Lingsu finished speaking, he saw that the Heavenly Venerable remained silent. He hurriedly prostrated himself fully, his forehead pressed against the floor, and said:
“I beg the Heavenly Venerable to grant this.”
He had truly done everything he could for this junior sister of his.
Bingyi Yuanjun glanced at Li Lingsu and said coolly:
“What the Holy Son says is true.
“The Holy Maiden is my disciple. That she’s come to this point is my responsibility. Please, Heavenly Venerable, give me one day to guide her. If that wicked disciple still refuses to repent, I’ll personally take up the thunder whip and lash her soul apart, to uphold the sect’s rules.”
Silence fell through the hall. None of the elders pleaded for mercy, nor did they kick her while she was down. Their expressions remained indifferent.
Only after a long while did the Heavenly Venerable’s voice echo through the hall:
“Granted!”
Phew. Li Lingsu let out a sigh of relief and said in delight:
“Thank you, Heavenly Venerable…”
Once he got back, he’d find a chance to steal out the Earth Book fragment and send Xu Qi’an a message asking for help.
In truth, even if Li Miaozhen hadn’t stubbornly resisted, the Holy Son would still have found some excuse to put things off and delay the erasure of her memories, then secretly send word to the members of the Heaven and Earth Society for help.
…
Night fell, and a grand bonfire was lit in the square of the Strength Gu Tribe.
Above the blaze, prey rich with dripping fat roasted until its skin turned crisp. This was the shaman clans’ celebratory feast for Silver Gong Xu.
All the notable figures of the shaman clans had come. They sat according to their respective tribes, with fine wine, delicacies, and roasted meat laid out on the tables before them.
The women of the Desire Gu Tribe sang and danced by the bonfire, swaying their lovely bodies to enliven the feast.
The men of the various tribes let their eyes linger like iron drawn to a magnet on the Desire Gu Tribe women’s waists, perky bottoms, and breasts.
Only the men of the Strength Gu Tribe chose food over beauty without the slightest hesitation.
Xu Qi’an sat beside the table, with the Heart Gu Tribe chief Chunyan on one side and the Desire Gu Tribe chief Luanyu on the other.
Both were exceptional beauties among the shaman clans, each with her own distinctive charm, and both had been tasked with drinking with Silver Gong Xu.
Chunyan was rational and composed, relatively restrained. Though she smiled and chatted warmly with Xu Qi’an, she made no physical contact.
Luanyu, on the other hand, acted like a seductive fox spirit. Half her soft body leaned against Silver Gong Xu, her full and supple breasts rubbing again and again against his arm.
“Silver Gong Xu, I heard women of the Central Plains drink cross-cupped wine with the man they fancy. I’ve admired you for so long, so won’t you drink a cup with me?”
“Oh my, Silver Gong Xu, I accidentally spilled wine on my chest. Help me wipe it off.”
“Silver Gong Xu, I really can’t hold my drink. Will you walk me back to my tribe to rest?”
The enchanting beauty used every trick she had, trying to lure the strongest expert in the Central Plains into her bed. But Silver Gong Xu was an upright gentleman, unmoved even with beauty in his arms. Faced with the Desire Gu Tribe’s greatest beauty and all her seduction, he remained completely indifferent.
The shaman clans could only admire him all the more, thinking that he truly deserved his status as a peerless expert who had reached first rank. Such temperament and self-control were far beyond ordinary men.
Amid the clinking of cups, one member of the shaman clans said loudly:
“This time, it’s all thanks to Silver Gong Xu for dealing with the lingering danger in the Abyss. Our shaman clans won’t have to worry about beyond-mortal Gu beasts being born ever again.”
“What does a beyond-mortal Gu beast matter? Even if one was born, our Silver Gong Xu would’ve cut it down with one sabre strike.”
Someone immediately raised his voice in agreement.
Others looked deeply relieved and sighed:
“That’s why allying with the Great Feng in the first place, and with Silver Gong Xu, was such a wise choice. If we’d really allied with Yunzhou, the shaman clans would be facing catastrophe now.”
Thinking back on it now, the members of the shaman clans felt both relieved and exhilarated. Their choice back then had been absolutely right.
The chiefs had once leaned towards allying with Yunzhou, and had even fought Silver Gong Xu over it. Wasn’t that just overestimating themselves?
Luckily, Silver Gong Xu had defeated them. Otherwise, if they’d really joined Yunzhou, never mind the Central Plains court’s reckoning afterwards, the issue of the Abyss alone would have left the shaman clans in utter turmoil.
But now, not only had they won the war and secured the grain, money, and supplies promised by the Great Feng, they had also gained a first-rank martial artist as an ally, someone who had effortlessly resolved the hidden danger of the Abyss.
The shaman clans had profited immensely.
Among the seven great tribes, the Desire Gu, Corpse Gu, and Poison Gu Tribes had always been the most hostile towards the Great Feng. But now, listening to the other four tribes lavish praise and admiration on Silver Gong Xu, they felt no resentment or displeasure at all.
Just today, they’d been scrambling to pack up and prepare to flee north. The fear and worry in their hearts had been entirely real. They had truly felt the looming crisis.
Even though the whole affair had turned out to be a misunderstanding, the shadow of a beyond-mortal Gu beast being born had genuinely hung over them. By resolving this problem, Silver Gong Xu had removed the threat hanging over their heads.
Everyone had now experienced the benefits of having a first-rank martial artist as an ally.
And according to the chiefs, the tribes’ children could go to the Central Plains to study. That was an enormous temptation. What family with children wouldn’t be delighted?
Xu Qi’an ate great mouthfuls of meat and drank deep, only hoping the feast would end sooner. Then suddenly he heard a familiar, shrill “waah-waah” crying.
Turning towards the sound, he saw Xu Lingyin.
She stood beside a large wooden box caked in mud, head tipped back, mouth wide open, bawling at the top of her lungs, tears falling by the pound.
Beside her stood Lina and the others from the Strength Gu Tribe, all covering their noses.
Xu Qi’an frowned, got up from his seat, and strode over.
“What’s wrong?”
As he spoke, he caught the foul stench coming from inside the wooden box.
“Big bwo…”
Little Pea threw herself at Xu Qi’an’s leg, grief welling up in her, and cried even more miserably.
Lina pursed her lips and explained:
“She found out there was a drought in the Central Plains and that money and grain were in short supply, so she secretly hid loads of meat to take home for you. She thought that way the Yunzhou rebels wouldn’t beat you.”
As she spoke, she pointed at the wooden box and sighed.
“I didn’t expect her to have hidden a whole box of meat, and buried it in the ground too. No wonder Lingyin’s been going hungry these past few days. She got so hungry at night that she even bit my arm.”
Unfortunately, the climate of the Southern Marches was hot, and meat simply couldn’t be preserved. It had long since rotted.
Xu Qi’an opened the box and took a look. Inside were cooked pieces of roasted meat and raw meat, all of it already spoiled, giving off waves of foul odour.
No wonder she’s crying so hard. Her heart must ache enough to bleed… Xu Qi’an lowered his head and looked at Xu Lingyin, whose little chubby face was smeared with tears and snot, his gaze softening.
…
Once the meat and wine had all been consumed, the celebration feast finally came to an end, and host and guests parted in high spirits.
The most excited and elated person was Youshi, chief of the Corpse Gu Tribe. As the gathering broke up, Xu Qi’an fulfilled his promise and took out the remains of the ancient corpse from the underground palace and gifted them to him.
As a result, in Chief Youshi’s eyes, Silver Gong Xu became a blood brother born of different parents, while his fellow tribesmen of the Corpse Gu Tribe became thieves trying to steal the one he loved.
When Youshi left carrying the coffin on his back, he practically floated as he walked.
The Corpse Gu Tribe members were both envious and jealous.
The most disappointed was Luanyu of the Desire Gu Tribe. She had done everything she could tonight, acting coquettish, pouting sweetly, and seducing him openly, but Silver Gong Xu hadn’t reacted at all. He looked entirely unwilling to fulfil his promise.
Luanyu was anxious, but how could she dare reproach him?
She was only a weak woman. Even if she’d been wronged, all she could do was endure it. Silver Gong Xu clearly didn’t fancy her. Was she supposed to cry and make a scene on the spot, forcing him into embarrassment?
Luanyu was a seductive woman who knew how to entice men. She’d never do anything so tasteless.
“Chief, Silver Gong Xu doesn’t seem willing to keep his promise.”
On the way back to the tribe, a young woman muttered, “How can the dignified Silver Gong Xu go back on his word? Chief, you so clearly like him.”
Another young woman couldn’t help laughing when she heard that.
“As if Chief likes him. Chief just wants to try his body.”
Luanyu shot her a glare and said:
“Silver Gong Xu is one of the very strongest men in all Jiuzhou, a young hero. Heroes love beauties, and beauties love heroes. Of course I like him.”
She spoke with a hint of melancholy:
“It’s just that Silver Gong Xu doesn’t fancy me.”
What was hateful was that she couldn’t seduce him even with the powers of the Desire Gu, because like her, he also possessed beyond-mortal Gu arts.
The women of the Desire Gu Tribe all felt sorry for their chief.
She was the most beautiful woman in the tribe, with long, shapely legs, rounded and bouncing hips, a slender water-snake waist with lovely curves, a bosom laden with several pounds of charm, and a delicate, alluring face.
Even they, as women, felt moved when they looked at her. To hold that enticing body in one’s arms while sleeping would surely be pure delight. If tribe rules hadn’t forbidden it, there would have been no shortage of women in the tribe willing to become the chief’s concubines.
Before long, the Desire Gu Tribe returned to their settlement. Houses built from a mixture of brick and timber stood row upon row. Compared with the Strength Gu Tribe, the Desire Gu Tribe’s settlement looked much more like a small town of the Central Plains, with buildings, roads, and other basic infrastructure far superior.
By now the night was deep. Apart from the occasional lit window, most of the tribe had consciously entered their cultivation state. Various sounds drifted out from the windows, blending together into a decadent melody.
Luanyu’s spirits lifted. The Desire Gu within her automatically drew in the surrounding power of lust and desire, nourishing her body.
The men and women returning to the tribe had long been used to it. They quickened their pace slightly, wanting to hurry home and cultivate with their wives or husbands, ascending together to the peaks of passion.
The chief’s residence lay at the centre of the settlement, a grand mansion occupying a vast area.
Luanyu entered the residence and walked towards her chambers. Upon reaching the outer room, she instructed:
“Prepare hot water. I want to bathe.”
Having said that, she passed through the outer room and pushed open the bedroom door.
With a creak, the door swung open. Luanyu’s beautiful eyes widened at once. She stood rooted at the threshold, stunned, her face full of disbelief.
In the orange candlelight, beside the round table, a tall and handsome man sat holding a cup of wine, smiling as he said:
“You’re lucky tonight!”
…
The next day.
In the Southern Marches, the Hundred Thousand Mountains rolled on without end, range upon range spreading across the land. Lush, flourishing primeval forests stretched as far as the eye could see.
Now and then, a few patches of terraced fields could be seen, reclaimed by people from the Western Regions over the past five hundred years.
As the ancestral land of the Yao race, the Hundred Thousand Mountains had almost no flatlands, and lacked farmland suitable for cultivation, so it wasn’t fit for human habitation.
Luanyu really does taste good… Xu Qi’an savoured the memory of last night’s wild passion. The seductive sway of Luanyu’s water-snake waist had outmatched even the Oiran of the Jiaofangsi.
Round, full, firm, and wonderfully springy, yet still soft and fleshy, her bottom had felt marvellous in the hands too.
Five-star review!
As thoughts tumbled through his mind, he saw the main peak of Wanyao Mountain, not especially towering, but grand and stretching in unbroken ridges.
At the summit was a dense cluster of buildings.
Xu Qi’an plunged straight down. Amid a piercing sonic boom, he dropped towards Nanfa Temple, yet when he landed, he was as light as a feather, without damaging the flagstones beneath his feet.
A short while later, in the former Buddha Hall that had been rebuilt into the Palace of the Wanyao Empress, the silver-haired Yao enchantress, beautiful as a celestial maiden, reclined sideways on the Yao Empress’s throne. Her long, fair legs were crossed, her fox tail slowly swaying as she said with a smile:
“Congratulations to Silver Gong Xu on advancing to first rank. Half-step Martial God should be within reach before long.”
Xu Qi’an lifted his teacup, took a sip of flower tea from the Southern Marches, and said bluntly:
“I want to see Master Shenshu!”
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox gave a slight shake of her head.
“He’s trying to fuse the remnant souls within him, and has been asleep for many days.”
What terrible timing. Xu Qi’an frowned.
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox narrowed her eyes into crescents, holding one of her fox tails in hand and lightly swishing it as she said softly:
“You want to ask how to advance to half-step Martial God?”
“How to advance quickly,” Xu Qi’an corrected.
With the National Teacher and the Flower God, plus his own talent, it wasn’t impossible that he might reach half-step Martial God eventually, but the timescale would be impossible to control.
Besides, with fortune added to his body, his lifespan was limited. If he advanced to half-step Martial God in seventy or eighty years, it would be meaningless.
By then, both his feet would already be in the coffin, he just wouldn’t have lain down yet.
“I already asked on your behalf.”
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox seemed to have known long ago he would come, and smiled. “Shenshu’s memories haven’t fully recovered, so he’s not too sure himself, but after my father and I discussed it, we did come up with some results. Listen and see, then weigh it up for yourself.”
A reliable ally… Xu Qi’an nodded.
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox spoke in a soft, magnetic voice, smiling as she said:
“Let’s put aside the relationship between the Buddha and the Asura King for now. Do you still remember Arhat Du’e’s impression of Shenshu?”
An exceptionally gifted Warrior Monk, who after stepping into beyond-mortal had cultivated the Zen Master system as well, then left Buddhism and vanished without trace, only to return later already as a half-step Martial God… Xu Qi’an recalled Arhat Du’e’s words and nodded.
“I remember.”
“One thing can be confirmed. When Shenshu first came into being, apart from this fleshly body of the Asura King, he had nothing. So in just a mere one or two hundred years, he cultivated a half-step Martial God body. Where do you think the reason lies?”
Without waiting for Xu Qi’an to answer, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox continued:
“First, the Buddha, with beyond rank status, started cultivating the martial path, so naturally his progress would leap forward by bounds. Bottlenecks would barely exist for him.
“Second, the Asura King himself had been first rank, perhaps even mid first rank. Only an existence of that level would be worthy of the Buddha personally making a move to suppress.”
Xu Qi’an’s eyes lit up as he grasped the key point. After a moment’s thought, he said:
“You mean Shenshu was able to achieve half-step Martial God because the Buddha first recultivated the martial path, reached an extremely high rank, then refined and absorbed the Asura King’s power? If I can also refine the power of a martial artist of the same level, then I’d have a great chance of advancing to half-step Martial God?”
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox smiled sweetly.
“Smart!
“The details might differ somewhat, but the general direction shouldn’t be wrong.”
After a pause, she rubbed her legs together and said helplessly:
“Unfortunately, in the world today, there’s only one first-rank martial artist, you.”
But Xu Qi’an wasn’t discouraged. Stroking his chin, he said:
“There may be no martial artist, but what about descendants of gods and demons? If I refine the spiritual essence of a descendant of gods and demons, could I advance to half-step Martial God?”
As he spoke, the first one he thought of was the Flower God. The Flower God was an orthodox god-demon after all.
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, who had long known of Mu Nanzhi’s existence, shook her head.
“The spiritual essence of gods and demons differs. Every god or demon has a different essence. The essence of the Undying Tree lies in vigorous vitality. What you need to find is a descendant of gods and demons that matches a martial artist, and its rank can’t be too far off either.
“Then think of a way to devour it clean and take its power for yourself.
“But as for how to seize it, I don’t know. Shenshu can’t be used as a reference, because the Buddha borrowed his shell. In your case, I can’t give any advice.”
How to seize it aside, a descendant of gods and demons compatible with a martial artist, with a similar status… Xu Qi’an let his gaze linger for a moment over the silver-haired Yao enchantress’s hot and alluring body.
The Nine-Tailed Fox’s eyes turned silky with charm as she said coquettishly:
“You dead man, you really do want to sleep with me.
“Oh, that’s right, I heard you’re getting married. As an ally, we will send you two bed-warming concubines. Yeji is already your woman, so she doesn’t count.
“We will send Qingji and Xueji to the capital on the day of your wedding.”
Xu Qi’an’s expression turned stern.
“No need!
“Mm, I’m not saying I don’t want the two concubines. What I mean is, don’t send them on the wedding day. I think it’s quite nice for them to stay in the Southern Marches. If I’ve time, I’ll come and visit often.”
After saying that, he took a sip of tea and steered the conversation away.
“Where’s Yeji?”
After the tribulation-crossing battle had ended, Fuxiang was no longer in the Central Plains. She had left him a letter saying Her Highness had summoned her and she had to return to the Southern Marches to handle matters.
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox blinked and said with a smile:
“Yeji gets very jealous. If she knew we wanted to give your other sisters to you, she’d definitely make trouble, so I sent her off to some remote corner.”
If you don’t want to say, whatever… Xu Qi’an never let women lead him by the nose, and instead said:
“Aside from the matter of half-step Martial God, I came to the Southern Marches this time to inform you as well. Prepare yourself. Let’s attack Ananda.”
The silver-haired Yao enchantress was visibly taken aback. She changed from her lazy reclining posture to a proper seated one, and stared at Xu Qi’an with blazing eyes.
“Are you confident?
“Once you leave the Central Plains, you can’t draw on the power of all living beings. Ananda has three first-rank experts stationed there. Besides, that Beyond-rank is most likely sleeping in the depths of Ananda. Even if you’re now a first-rank martial artist, your strength still isn’t enough.”
Xu Qi’an said:
“I’ve raised the Sevenfold Gu to the beyond-mortal realm. Even without the power of all living beings, among first-rank, no one is my match.”
The Sevenfold Gu has advanced to beyond-mortal, and seven beyond-mortal gu arts are merged into one… The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox gently let out a breath, bit her lip, and sighed.
“I nearly failed to suppress my jealousy just now.”
She put away her seductive manner and said seriously:
“Shenshu is fusing his remnant souls. Once he succeeds, his battle strength will rise, but the power of Beyond-rank is impossible to estimate. If you want to attack Ananda, then you must be prepared for the possibility of beyond-mortal deaths.
“We aren’t afraid of death, but do the beyond-mortals of the Great Feng have that same resolve?”
The beyond-mortals of the Great Feng might not fear death, but whether they were willing to die for the Wanyao Kingdom was another matter.
Xu Qi’an slipped into discussion mode, his tone calm as he said:
“Have you heard that the great calamity is approaching?”
The silver-haired Yao enchantress gripped her fox tail tightly. Her fox-charming face had become unusually serious, and at this moment, she really did carry something of a cold and glamorous empress’s bearing.
“The great calamity is approaching?”
Xu Qi’an then informed the Empress of the Wanyao Kingdom about how the Beyond-ranks were rivals to one another.
“The Gu God and the Warlock God are about to emerge, and no one knows when Desolation will return to Jiuzhou. These are all formidable enemies. The one in the depths of Ananda may not be willing to fight us to the bitter end over Shenshu’s head.
“If we unite all the beyond-mortal battle strength of the Great Feng and the Wanyao Kingdom, then fighting the enemy’s first ranks to the death is no problem. If He doesn’t want to become a lone commander when the great calamity descends, then He will definitely choose compromise.
“Of course, we also have to prepare means of preserving our lives. If the Beyond-rank refuses compromise, then we’ll retreat.”
He was now a player of the board, not a piece upon it, someone capable of influencing the changes in Jiuzhou’s overall situation.
Before the Beyond-ranks broke free of their seals, he had to make as many arrangements as possible and strengthen his own side’s foundations.
Shenshu, as a half-step Martial God, was the first piece he needed to complete.
After listening, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox’s breathing grew slightly hurried. She pressed her lips together, then said word by word:
“It’s worth trying!”
At last, the time had come. She had waited bitterly for five hundred years. Her long-cherished wish of five hundred years was finally close at hand.
After discussing the details and drawing up a preliminary plan, Xu Qi’an took his leave.
“Oh, right, what does Xueji look like? Bring her over and let me have a look?”
As he reached the doorway, Xu Qi’an turned back and asked, rubbing his hands in his heart.
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox laughed, her tone teasing.
“You’ve seen her before.”
I’ve seen her before… Xu Qi’an searched through his memories, then nodded with an “oh” and rose into the wind.
…
He had only just left the territory of the Hundred Thousand Mountains when he felt a familiar lurch in his heart.
He immediately slowed his flight and took out the Earth Book fragment to check the message.
【SEVEN: Help, help! Those old things from the Heaven Sect are going to beat Li Miaozhen to death.】
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