On the top of Jiuyi Mountain, two figures stood, representing the most terrifying presence in the world. One stood below the main hall of the Cangwu Sect, exuding an aura of imperial dominance. The other stood in front of the cliff, appearing calm and ordinary.

"Zhou Qiyun, you have always been the one using and manipulating others. I never expected that today, you would be the one being used and manipulated."

The aura of the Holy Emperor grew stronger, mocking as he spoke. "Xu Ying, with the deciphered scripture in your possession, I will leave you here to have a decisive battle with me. Yet, you willingly let yourself be toyed with by a young boy, betraying the reputation of your White Eyebrow Ancestor!"

Zhou Qiyun remained composed and said, "Your Majesty, since childhood, you have been intelligent and ambitious, aspiring to surpass the Great Saints of both literature and martial arts, and to be revered for eternity. Your methods are extraordinary, and with your intelligence and talent, you had to rely on the Li and Guo families to ascend the throne. However, you also want to suppress the power of the vassals and aristocratic families. Isn't that like searching for a donkey while riding on one? How can you suppress them? How can you?"

The Holy Emperor's eyes twitched, as Zhou Qiyun had struck a nerve.

However, Zhou Qiyun did not take advantage of the situation. He continued, "People say that you are the one who will bring about a revival, but you are just idling around. As for the revival, heh, what does it have to do with you? You have the intention but no means. You think it is us aristocratic families that are hindering your progress, but in reality, it is yourself. Your Majesty, you thought that I was the one stopping you, so you started learning Qi cultivation and alchemy. Unfortunately, your talent was not enough, and you ended up with a mess, neither human nor ghost."

The Holy Emperor burst into laughter, his aura fluctuating.

But Zhou Qiyun still did not make a move. He continued calmly, "You have lofty ambitions and gather followers, while also opening the two secret treasures of Yujing and Jianggong. You want to unlock all nine levels of the treasures and cultivate your Qi. Logically speaking, your cultivation should far surpass mine, but it never does. Why is that? Your life is as fragile as paper, and your wisdom is lacking."

The aura of the Holy Emperor grew restless.

"Your Majesty said that Xu Ying has been toying with me, but ever since he found out that you were on Jiuyi Mountain, he has been plotting against you. He passed on the Guo family's Imperial Sword Technique, revealing the Qi cultivation method, and waited for the right moment to strike."

Zhou Qiyun said, "He needs a powerful expert to deal with me. Your Majesty only needs to go to him and decipher the Qi cultivation technique, and you will have him hooked. But Your Majesty thinks that you have outsmarted him and have him under control."

The Holy Emperor burst into laughter. "Do you think a mere countryside boy would have such scheming? How dare he plot against me?"

"He is a snake catcher, and snake catchers are meticulous. Otherwise, they wouldn't survive."

Zhou Qiyun said, "I am also a snake catcher. I have survived from the time of the Great Saint Emperor until today because I am meticulous as well. Your Majesty, I will now go to the Wutong Palace to take your 'Nine Heavens Sun God Profound Altar'."

He no longer looked at the Holy Emperor and walked towards the Wutong tree on the top of Jiuyi Mountain, neither fast nor slow. He said, "Your Majesty can go to the underworld to chase after Xu Ying. But if I obtain Your Majesty's Nine Heavens Sun God, achieving the harmony of Yin and Yang, my cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds, completing the final step of ascension. At that time, Your Majesty will be in my hands."

The Holy Emperor clenched his fists.

"Without any defenses, it is the best opportunity for Your Majesty to kill me. But if Your Majesty makes a move, you will fall into my trap."

Zhou Qiyun continued walking towards the top of the mountain, calmly saying, "Your Majesty's mind has been shaken by my words. With an unstable mind, if you rashly attack me, you will be defeated even faster. What will Your Majesty choose?"

The expression on the Holy Emperor's face changed constantly. As he saw Zhou Qiyun approaching the mountaintop, he could no longer hold back and pounced on Zhou Qiyun's back!

Suddenly, there was silence on the mountaintop. In an instant, a strange wave quietly erupted, soundless and invisible, but the mountains in the distance exploded, and rocks floated in the air.

Giant stones flew through the sky, seemingly fast but giving the impression of moving slowly, as if they would take a long time to land.

Then, the second wave of energy came, close to the ground, rushing downward like a tide, destroying everything in its path. It uprooted the trees on the mountainside, creating a rolling torrent of trees!

There were many Jinwu Guards at the foot of the mountain, and they were horrified by the scene. They hurriedly fled in all directions, some jumping off the cliff to escape, while others were swept up by the rolling trees, their fate unknown!

When the third wave of energy arrived, all the clouds and mist between the mountains were swept away. The sky between the mountains became unimaginably clear!

The sky was clear, the horizon was blue, deep as an abyss, unfathomable.

After a moment, people heard the collision of divine powers coming from the top of Jiuyi Mountain, a heavy and muffled sound.

One sound, two sounds, three sounds...

Each sound felt like a strike to the heart and soul, causing both the Jinwu Guards and the Guo family experts to vomit on the ground.

Suddenly, a cloud of celebration flew over, tattered and full of holes. Under the cloud, the Holy Emperor's clothes were also somewhat disheveled, and his complexion was not very good. He flew to the main hall of the Cangwu Sect and landed.

"Where is Chen Gonggong?"

"Here, Your Majesty." Chen Gonggong in purple clothes was covered in blood, quickly crawling forward to show his loyalty, his expression filled with shock and doubt.

"Immediately return to the capital!"

"I obey, Your Majesty!"After a while, the imperial carriage set off, surrounded by the Golden Guards and the Guo family's experts. The emperor sat in the carriage, pulling the thick curtains tightly to block any wind. Inside the carriage, the emperor coughed up blood heavily, his breath weak.

On top of Jiuyi Mountain, on a parasol tree, a white-browed young man pushed open the door of the Parasol Palace and found the scroll left by Xu Ying. He sat down quietly.

He quickly skimmed through it and found that it was the complete "Nine Heavens Sun God Mysterious Altar Technique". There were also annotations left by Xu Ying in key places, saying that this was the key to supplementing the deficiencies of the Tuoyu Immortal Book.

Zhou Qiyun carefully read this passage of scripture and indeed found that it could make up for the shortcomings of the Tuoyu Immortal Book.

"Help the White-Browed Patriarch recover his health and successfully overcome the tribulation." Xu Ying wrote on the last page.

"This guy..."

Zhou Qiyun smiled slightly and started reading from the beginning, thinking to himself, "With just this sentence, I'll give him some more time to escape."

He read very carefully this time, comprehending every bit of it. By the time he finished reading this passage, it was already the next day.

"If I go after him now, I probably won't be able to find him, right?"

Zhou Qiyun stood up straight and heard the noise coming from the mountain below. He went to the window of the Parasol Palace, pushed open the window lattice, and looked out. The countless soldiers of the Zhou family had already arrived at the foot of the mountain.

These soldiers were carrying various supplies and treasures, preparing to build a sacrificial altar on the mountaintop.

Here, it would be Zhou Qiyun's place to overcome the tribulation!

"Where would the other snake catcher escape to?" Zhou Qiyun looked at the busy people below the mountain and silently wondered.

"Seventh Lord, Lord Zhong, Yuan wants to introduce his sister to me. Yuan's sister must be beautiful if Yuan himself looks good."

Xu Ying was happy in his heart and said, "This way, I might be able to save some betrothal gifts."

Da Qi Seven revealed his true form, carrying the young man as they traveled among the mountains, heading towards their new destination. He laughed and said, "Guo Xiaodie is also very beautiful. Doesn't she have a two-hundred-pound sister? Even if she is beautiful, can you compete with her? Ah Ying, I think you should be prepared for both possibilities."

Da Zhong floated in the air, circling around Xu Ying, and said, "Yuan Weiyang is fifteen years old, one year older than Ah Ying. His sister is either the same age as Ah Ying or younger. Even if she is pretty, she is still just a yellow-haired girl. Moreover, the Yuan family is a prestigious family, and the betrothal gifts will only be higher."

Xu Ying thought for a moment and said, "What if we don't give any betrothal gifts and just take his sister away?"

"Yuan Weiyang will kill you!"

Xu Ying laughed heartily, standing between the black and white horns of the giant snake, looking at the vast new mountains and rivers, and shouted loudly, "Let's go! Let's find our hometown!"

"Ah Ying, can we really find Xujiaping?"

"We definitely can!"

After practicing the true cultivation of the Ba Snake, Da Qi Seven's physique became larger and his crawling speed among the mountains and rivers was much faster than that of ordinary people running at full speed.

He carried Xu Ying as they searched along the way. Xu Ying occasionally flew into the air on his sword to observe the geography of the mountains and rivers, searching for familiar traces.

In this way, they walked and stopped, not knowing how far they had gone or how many mountains and rivers they had searched, but they still couldn't find the familiar place in Xu Ying's memory.

In the current New Land, the mountains and rivers were completely different from before, and there were many terrifying creatures in the mountains. At night, the underworld invaded, making the world strange and bizarre.

Xu Ying also noticed the presence of the gods of the Yin Court, following them and monitoring their every move.

"Ah Ying, the Yin Court has not given up on capturing you."

Da Zhong worriedly said, "They didn't dare to move when Zhou Qiyun was here. Now that Zhou Qiyun is gone, the Yin Court is probably going to mobilize the City God and the Judge to search for you."

After more than ten days like this, they saw a county town standing in the New Land, which had not been destroyed by the underworld invasion. When they approached, they realized it was Qiyang County, a rare paradise on earth.

The communication between Qiyang County and the outside world had been completely cut off. When the people saw Xu Ying, they were extremely surprised and came out to watch.

Xu Ying ate several large bowls of rice noodles at a roadside stall, sweating profusely from the spiciness, and exclaimed in satisfaction. He had been eating the meals prepared by the Imperial Kitchen on Jiuyi Mountain these days and had long been tired of them. Today, he finally ate the local rice noodles from Yongzhou and felt like he was back in the mortal world.

"Lord Zhong, Seventh Lord, when I was in the air just now, I saw familiar mountains and rivers to the east of Qiyang." Xu Ying paid for the meal and said excitedly, "Let's go and take a look to the east of the county town later."

After leaving Qiyang County, they headed east. Da Zhong and Da Jiang were both puzzled.

"Seventh Lord, your ancestors lived in Yongzhou for three hundred years. Have you ever seen these ancient mountains and rivers to the east of Qiyang?" Da Zhong asked quietly.

Seventh shook his head and said, "Except for the county town, which is Qiyang, the other places here are not Qiyang at all!"

Da Zhong said, "That's strange. Ah Ying said this is what he remembers, but this is the New Land! Is the Xujiaping in Ah Ying's memory really Xujiaping from seven years ago?"

Seventh couldn't help but worry.

But Xu Ying was very excited, pointing to the nearby mountains, rivers, or the great rivers, saying that they were exactly as he remembered.

"What if the Xujiaping in his memory is not the Xujiaping from seven years ago?"

"What if it's the Xujiaping from twenty years ago?"

"Here, here!"Xu Ying exclaimed excitedly, "I remember this place. There is a village ahead, with a small river at the entrance. Our Xu family's village is on the other side!"

He jumped down from Qi's back and walked quickly forward.

Qi immediately transformed into a small snake and jumped onto Xu Ying's shoulder.

Da Zhong also hurriedly followed and burrowed into the back of Xu Ying's head.

Sure enough, there was a small river ahead, as well as a village. The village was not big, simple, and old. The houses were low and there was smoke rising from the cooking fires.

There were actually residents here, cooking and making fires.

They should be residents near Qiyang who were isolated here and cut off from the outside world.

Xu Ying walked quickly to the front and looked across the river. It was desolate over there, with nothing, and no signs of a big fire.

There were a few old men sitting under a tree at the entrance of the village. Xu Ying calmed himself and walked up to them, asking, "Excuse me, sirs. Is there a village called Xujiaping on the other side?"

"Xujiaping?"

The old men shook their heads when they heard the name and said, "There has never been a place called Xujiaping here."

Xu Ying shook his head, feeling a bit dizzy.

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"Yes, our ancestors have lived nearby and have never heard of Xujiaping. Young man, who are you?"

"Who am I?"

Xu Ying's mind buzzed, and various memories flooded his mind. He murmured, "Who am I? That's right, who am I..."

"I've seen you!"

An old man with blurred vision stared at Xu Ying's face repeatedly and finally recognized him. He exclaimed in shock, "I saw you when I was young! You still look the same! Yes, it's you!"

He was so excited that he almost fainted and shouted, "This is unbelievable! I saw you when I was around ten years old, and now I'm seventy-six, but you haven't changed!"