"However, why did the locust tree want to kill him?" Yuan Weiyang was quite puzzled.

If the locust tree didn't make a move, he shouldn't have died.

Its body was very large, with numerous roots buried underground, possibly even larger underground than above ground. It was truly difficult to kill such a majestic life.

But once it made a move, it would be caught by Zhou Qiyun's hiding place for its divine soul consciousness, and thus be killed!

"Da Huai should be looking for a new body for reincarnation. Zhou Qiyun is the strongest here, and he's already injured. If he can't resist it, it can possess Zhou Qiyun. After all, it only has eight thousand years of life left."

Xu Ying felt touched and said, "Our lives are only a hundred years long, and even if we work hard in cultivation like the Zhou family's ancestors, we can only live for a little over three hundred years. Even though Da Huai's vitality is cut off, it still has eight thousand years of life. It's not worth sacrificing eight thousand years of life to possess a human who will die in a few years."

Yuan Weiyang thought for a moment and said, "Most likely, when it saw Zhou Qiyun displaying the Hidden Scenery Transformation, revealing the divine land of Shenzhou, it felt that it could rely on this method to live forever."

Xu Ying suddenly shuddered.

At that time, Zhou Qiyun probably had already planned to secretly attack Da Huai, using Da Huai's vitality to heal himself. Every action and word from him afterwards was all part of his plan, luring Da Huai into the trap.

He didn't want to be injured for too long because he still had a second task to accomplish.

Da Huai was his healing elixir.

So, was Zhou Qiyun's choice to use Da Huai as the location for his battle with the master of the Mud Pill Palace already a plan to secretly attack Da Huai?

"Da Huai may indeed be as Da Zhong said, possibly extremely cunning and evil, but Zhou Qiyun used fishing methods to make it make mistakes. He is too cunning and not on the right path."

When Xu Ying thought of this, he suddenly remembered what Zhou Qiyun had said.

"Facing these old immortals, we really can't make any mistakes. Any slip-up can lead to death."

A mistake meant death!

It was that cruel.

"For us, Zhou Qiyun is also an old immortal. We must treat him the same way, we must not make any mistakes, otherwise any slip-up could be death!"

The next day, Xu Ying could clearly feel that the fragrance of the locust tree's flowers had become much weaker, and the rich and invigorating spiritual energy of the world had also weakened.

But the locust tree's flowers were still blooming vigorously, and the flower buds on each branch bloomed overnight, as if using the last of their lives to bloom, leaving behind a different brilliant color in the underworld.

"Unfortunately, you made a wrong move." Xu Ying looked at the falling locust flowers and silently said in his heart.

He returned to the main hall and began to decipher the Daoist Yuyu's book word by word.

Da Huai was dead, the master of the Mud Pill Palace was dead, the Great Bone Emperor had fled far away, and after Zhou Qiyun's injuries healed, he would go on to accomplish his second task. During this time, Xu Ying had to decipher the Daoist Yuyu's book.

As for how much to decipher, Xu Ying had to decide for himself.

Deciphering too much would make him useless, deciphering too little would also make him useless. It would be best to strike a balance between usefulness and uselessness in order to preserve his life.

And he must give the true scripture.

Zhou Qiyun's talent and comprehension were terrifying. If he gave him a scripture with mistakes, he would easily be suspected of having ulterior motives. To be suspected by such a person is to court death.

While deciphering the scripture, Xu Ying continued to cultivate, without hindering each other. He had originally thought that with the blooming of the locust flowers, he would be able to reach the second level of the First Step of the Qi Refining stage, but now that Da Huai was dead, he was afraid that he would not be able to cultivate to the second level.

In these two days, more and more people from the Zhou family came to the Locust Flower Palace, including the Zhou family's descendants and disciples who had evacuated from the Water Mouth Temple.

In the main hall, several Zhou family descendants had joyful expressions on their faces as they kept looking at Xu Ying.

Xu Ying focused on deciphering the scripture and didn't pay attention.

After a while, Zhou Qiyun came out of seclusion and came to find Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang, asking, "Both of you are talented individuals, have you deciphered the Daoist Yuyu's book?"

Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang each presented the scriptures they had deciphered, and Zhou Qiyun put the two scrolls together and opened them, reading them with his eyes, one on the left and one on the right.

After a long time, Zhou Qiyun closed the two scrolls and said, "Is this all?"

Yuan Weiyang said, "This is the limit of what I have deciphered."

Zhou Qiyun looked at Xu Ying, and Xu Ying hesitated, "If we could have some more time..."

Zhou Qiyun rolled up the two scrolls and put them in his bag, saying, "I will go to the Yin Court to meet the Emperor of the Yin Court. You can follow me, accompanying me. The Daoist Yuyu's book, as well as the internal palace records, are open for you to read!"

Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they had deciphered just enough to temporarily preserve their lives.

Xu Ying quickly said, "I still need to go up the tree once, my friend Yuan Qi is still up there."

Zhou Qiyun waved his hand, "Go quickly and come back quickly. The Zhou family's children have already started cutting down the tree. Everything here must be taken away."

Xu Ying quickly left the Locust Flower Palace and hurried towards the giant locust tree. He saw many Zhou family disciples and practitioners busy at work.

Some were cleaning up the battlefield, cutting the bodies of the giant creatures into many pieces, categorizing them into different parts for refining treasures, medicine, and consumption, each category neatly organized.

Others were drawing the Daoist Yuyu's image, the image of the giant locust. Some were dismantling the Locust Flower Palace, disassembling the palace and loading it onto carts, not knowing where it would be taken.

Xu Ying arrived at the foot of the giant locust tree and saw more than ten men and women carrying sword sheaths on their backs, using flying swords to cut the locust tree. Their swordsmanship was extremely exquisite, and when they wielded their swords, they emitted a brilliant light, like a constantly shining snowball.

"The Zhou Tian Slashing Demon Sword, excellent swordsmanship! If County Magistrate Zhou Yang had this level of swordsmanship back then, he wouldn't have had to die."

Xu Ying praised, passing by them, lightly leaping onto the tree, and rushing upwards along the dragon-scale-like bark patterns.

A voice from below said, "Big brother, he is Xu Ying!"

The ten or so men and women cutting down the tree looked up and spoke. The one who spoke was the Zhou family disciple who was saved by Zhou Youyou from Xu Ying.

The one referred to as big brother was a tall young man in his thirties or forties, quite similar in appearance to Zhou Qiyun, with a fair complexion, delicate makeup, and adorned with rouge and powder. This person was the eldest son of the Zhou family's inner palace, named Zhou Zhi.

"Let's go, follow him!" Zhou Zhi and the others immediately leaped up and chased after Xu Ying. Zhou Zhi said, "Don't attack yet. Killing him here might be discovered and blamed on our ancestors. Let's go a little further up the road before killing him."

Those ten or so Zhou family disciples gritted their teeth and said, "This guy dared to kill someone on our Zhou family's territory. He doesn't know why our ancestors left him behind!"

Zhou Zhi said indifferently, "Our ancestors wanted to live forever. His Nuo technique has reached its limit, and it's difficult to make any further progress. So he wholeheartedly wanted to obtain the demonic technique inheritance and make connections. Hehe, he's holding onto his position and not letting go, still wants to live forever, and doesn't want to become emperor. How can we, the younger generation, climb up?"

The Zhou family disciples all agreed, saying, "Big brother, your cultivation has progressed rapidly, and when you become the head of the family in the future, we will be convinced."

They didn't immediately make a move, but instead climbed two or three thousand zhang higher. Four Zhou family disciples saw an opportunity and immediately took off their sword sheaths, standing in front of them.

The sword sheaths clattered open, and countless small flying swords flew out, growing in the wind, flying up towards Xu Ying!

The sword sheaths were treasures refined by the Zhou family. In addition to masks, the treasures of the Nuo practitioners also included various common treasures. For families like the Zhou family, naturally, they had all kinds of treasures.

They had used these flying swords to cut down the tree before, and now they naturally used them to kill people.

They each displayed the Zhou family's unique skill, the Zhou Tian Slashing Demon Sword, a sword technique that was even more exquisite than Zhou Yang's. They didn't need to plant willow trees to control the flying swords, they only needed to pinch the sword seals with their hands, focusing on manipulating the swords, and they could display the complex and ever-changing Zhou Tian Slashing Demon Sword!

The flying swords soared through the air, swirling like a group of silver snowballs rolling up the giant locust tree, but they didn't return for a long time, nor did they see any trace of Xu Ying.

Those four Zhou family disciples took off their sword sheaths again and saw the dozens of flying swords that had flown away suddenly increase in speed, piercing through the hearts, throats, and foreheads of each Zhou family disciple, too fast for even Zhou Zhi to save them!

Even the Zhou family disciple who had narrowly escaped death in the main hall had a sword through his throat, and then several flying swords pinned him to the tree, his eyes wide open, dead and unblinking.

"This Xu Ying is a master of swordsmanship! His swordsmanship is even more exquisite than our Zhou family's Zhou Tian Slashing Demon Sword!"

Zhou Zhi raised two fingers and tapped them repeatedly, smashing the flying swords that were aimed at him, but he was shaken and his fingers trembled. He was shocked, "The power hidden in these flying swords is so strong!"

He looked down and saw that his two fingers that had struck the swords were cut open, breaking his diamond-like body.

Looking at the other Zhou family disciples, they were all pierced in the forehead, chest, and forehead by the flying swords, nailed to the tree!

Out of the sixteen people, only six were left, and ten Zhou family disciples had died in this wave of sword attacks!

"Excellent swordsmanship! But his cultivation is even more terrifying!"

Zhou Zhi's expression turned cold, and he said to the other five surviving Zhou family disciples, "You gave me the wrong information! His cultivation is even stronger than you said!"

Among the five Zhou family disciples, some had witnessed Xu Ying killing people in the main hall and had seen Xu Ying's cultivation at that time, but at that time Xu Ying's cultivation was much lower than it is now.

In these days, Xu Ying diligently cultivated day and night while the locust flowers were blooming. Although his cultivation didn't progress at an astonishing rate, he still made great strides and reached the first level of the Qi Refining stage.

Moreover, he comprehended the mysteries of Yuan Yu's Eight Sounds and whenever he had the opportunity, he would cultivate, tempering his body, refining his muscles, blood, and internal organs, and sharpening his consciousness and soul. After sacrificing his sword, the power of the flying sword also greatly increased!

Compared to Xu Ying's cultivation at that time, measuring Xu Ying's current combat power, he would naturally suffer a big loss!

Zhou Zhi leaped up, shouted loudly, and a radiant light appeared behind him, suddenly manifesting a divine being with a bird's head and a human body, standing behind him like Xu Ying's Elephant King Divine Body, but different.

The divine being's wings flapped, and Zhou Zhi's body floated parallel to the ground, stepping on the tree trunk, rushing straight up.

His sleeves rolled up, suddenly countless golden feathers flew out, like dozens of long flying knives, making a whooshing sound as they flew through the tree bark patterns, extremely fast!

Xu Ying, who was hiding in the tree bark patterns, was immediately forced out by his golden feather knives, avoiding the long feathers that shuttled through the tree bark patterns.

The edges of these feathers were extremely sharp, like finely crafted blades, with large feather blades that looked like thin golden swords, forming the shape of a long knife.

This is Dao Xiang!

The image of the Great Dao!

"The Zhou family definitely has the image of the Great Peng, otherwise they wouldn't be able to refine the feathers so meticulously!"

Just as Xu Ying was thinking this, Zhou Zhi rushed towards him, his fists and palms like a storm, fiercely attacking, accompanied by his every move, the divine being behind him also madly attacked Xu Ying!

Zhou Zhi's fists and palms transformed into the divine being's winged long knives, and the knife light was sharp and domineering. Zhou Zhi's legs transformed into the divine being's bird feet, and the claws were capable of tearing everything apart!

Xu Ying used the Ba Snake Eight Forms and the Dragon Snake Six Forms to defend, but both the Ba Snake and the Dragon Snake were shaken and their qi and blood were scattered, like mist evaporating.

Xu Ying's body also shook violently, stepping on the big tree, constantly retreating upwards, the bark exploding under his feet, wood fragments flying!

Zhou Zhi's wings rotated, and countless golden feather knives flew out again, forming a golden torrent, slashing down from all directions towards Xu Ying!

At the same time, the other five Zhou family disciples rushed up from below, but compared to Xu Ying and Zhou Zhi's speed, they were much slower and couldn't keep up with the two.

Zhou Zhi killed with great enthusiasm, shouting loudly, rotating in mid-air, and the divine being behind him also rotated, the two wings, each more than ten zhang long, like two divine knives, chopping into the giant locust tree, slashing towards Xu Ying!

Xu Ying was surrounded by golden feather knives, with no way to retreat. He suddenly planted both feet firmly on the tree, his legs deeply inserted into the tree trunk, and he thought of Yuan Yu's Eight Sounds, pushing his palms forward to meet the Heavenly Peng's twin blades!

Raging vital energy surged out from under his palms, transforming into a surging dragon and snake, roaring and surging, rushing to meet the Heavenly Peng's twin blades. The violent force shattered all the golden feather knives around him, making it impossible for them to approach!

"Roar!"

The dragon roared and the python hissed, the two sides collided, and Zhou Zhi let out a muffled groan. The Heavenly Peng's wings behind him shattered, and the divine being's body exploded. Zhou Zhi's body was enveloped in a mist of blood, and his skin burst open from the stimulation!

He tumbled and rolled in mid-air, falling towards the ground!

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Xu Ying was surprised, "This person is so strong, he survived my move of Yuan Yu's Eight Sounds!"

Just as he paused, the other five Zhou family disciples rushed over, about to use their sword sheaths, when suddenly a sweet laugh came from below, "Since I achieved success, it's been a long time since I've met a worthy opponent!"

Xu Ying was stunned, "Is this person a man or a woman... wait a minute, could it be..."

He couldn't help but be dumbfounded, and exclaimed, "What a genius! He has comprehended the Daoist Yuyu's book! In that case, has he exhausted his Yang essence?"