Across from them stood Xu Fu, fingers weaving a mystical sigil while chanting incantations. With a furious shout, he cried, “Seal this mountain, crush the mountain spirits, guided by seven deities, ascending to the Three Purity Heavens. Banish!”
Surprisingly, the moment Xu Fu entered the cauldron, he immediately initiated a sealing technique, locking down the space within.
Although the three had acted in succession, employing different techniques and varying levels of power, all had aimed to bind this space. For Zhang Liusun and Mei Qing, caught in a perilous situation, using seals for self-defense was a natural reaction. But for Xu Fu—despite having the advantage of remaining outside—to jump in himself and immediately seal off the space, cutting off their escape route, was utterly baffling.
At that moment, with a common enemy before them, Zhang and Mei momentarily forgot their earlier suspicions of each other and shared a united resolve against the foe. Yet witnessing Xu Fu’s actions, they could only exchange astonished glances, thinking that nothing in the world could be more absurd than this.
Xu Fu, however, believed he had outsmarted them. After casting his sealing spell to lock the interior of the cauldron, he turned to face the two, confident that in this confined space, they would have no room to maneuver. With his superior cultivation, he felt no fear of any underhanded tricks in a direct confrontation.
Thinking this, he grew even more pleased with himself, believing he had acted decisively and wisely. He pointed at the two and proclaimed arrogantly, “Listen well, you brats! Now that you’ve entered my cauldron, with all directions sealed, no matter how clever or resourceful you may be, you won’t lay a finger on my treasure again! If you still have the courage, come forth and fight! Otherwise, surrender quickly. If you please me enough, I might just spare your wretched lives!”
Upon hearing Xu Fu’s grandiose declaration, Zhang and Mei were first furious, then shocked, then puzzled, until finally they realized the truth: Xu Fu had actually jumped in out of fear that they were plotting against him, rushing in to confront them directly.
At this, Mei Qing could no longer contain himself. He collapsed onto the ground, laughing heartily. Zhang Liusun, who had managed to maintain his composure for a while, could no longer hold back either. Being a pure spirit, his reaction was even more dramatic—he expanded in size, his body vibrating irregularly like an electric current coursing through him, shifting through a dazzling array of colors, creating a striking visual spectacle.
“Hmph! Are you afraid now?” Seeing the two suddenly burst into wild laughter, as if mad, Xu Fu was both baffled and increasingly wary. He hastily reinforced his defenses and cautiously stepped back a few paces before scoffing, “Don’t try to fool me with this madness! Haven’t you heard—deception may work once, but not twice? I won’t fall for it again!”
Upon hearing Xu Fu’s words, the two exchanged a glance, then burst into even louder laughter.
“Fools! What are you scheming? Speak plainly! What’s the point of pretending to be mad and stalling for time?” Seeing that the two wouldn’t stop laughing, Xu Fu grew impatient and shouted furiously.
Mei Qing, still seated on the ground after laughing his fill, chuckled, “An ancient saying goes ‘invite the guest into the vat.’ Now we see someone jumping in willingly—truly, the ancients have no monopoly on such wit!”
Xu Fu furrowed his brows, not understanding. Before he could speak, Zhang Liusun chimed in with a grin, “You really are a fool. The story of ‘inviting the guest into the vat’ comes from the Han dynasty. Our immortal friend here has been secluded here since the Qin dynasty. You’re just casting pearls before swine, speaking to someone who won’t understand.”
Mei Qing paused, then realized—indeed, the story of “inviting the guest into the vat” was from the Western Han, while Xu Fu was from the Qin dynasty. No wonder he looked confused. However, Zhang Liusun’s remark about “seclusion” was clearly a sarcastic jab.
“Quite right, quite right. My mistake,” Mei Qing replied with a nod, feigning humility. “Master here is truly like the ancients who knew not of the Han, let alone the Wei or Jin—truly a man of the Peach Blossom Spring, full of ancient charm and unpredictability. I admire you deeply!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Liusun burst into laughter once more.
Though Xu Fu didn’t understand the literary allusions the two were tossing around, he knew they were mocking him. Enraged, he stepped forward and said, “You call yourself a cultivator, yet you behave so timidly, without dignity? If you insist on acting like this, don’t blame me for not holding back!”
With that, Xu Fu clapped his hands together, thumbs pressing against the joints of his index and middle fingers, preparing to chant a spell.
“Hold on!” Seeing Xu Fu was truly about to attack, Zhang Liusun finally spoke up. As Xu Fu turned with a sneer, Zhang calmly said, “Old Freak Xu, are you really going to fight? Don’t you see the situation? If we fight to the death, who do you think will really come out ahead?”
Xu Fu hesitated slightly, then extended his divine sense to scan the surroundings before frowning, “Don’t try to bluff me, Zhang kid! I don’t believe you still have any tricks left up your sleeve here!”
Zhang Liusun smiled, “No, no. Let me be honest, Old Freak Xu. Among the three of us, you are indeed the strongest. If it comes to a straight fight, I probably wouldn’t stand a chance against you—that much is certain.”
Hearing Zhang suddenly praise him, Xu Fu felt a flicker of suspicion and caution, but couldn’t help a hint of pride showing on his face as he said, “Now you want to flatter me? Don’t you think it’s a bit late?”
Zhang Liusun shook his head. “I called you the strongest because it’s true. But strength alone has never decided the outcome of a battle. We’ve fought before—you know that, don’t you?”
Xu Fu’s face darkened, letting out a mere “Hmph,” without responding.
Zhang Liusun ignored his expression and continued, “Leaving aside whether we might still have a chance in a fight, let’s look at this place itself. Heh heh, Old Freak Xu, aren’t you worried that before the battle is decided, your precious cauldron and bronze figure might be shattered beyond repair?”
Xu Fu burst into laughter. “You still think you can scare me with empty words! I came in here for a reason. If I let you destroy my cauldron right before my eyes, I wouldn’t deserve to call myself a wandering immortal anymore!”
Zhang Liusun snorted coldly. “Old Freak Xu, don’t throw around your title of wandering immortal anymore. You’ve been locked up for over a thousand years—maybe you’ve gone mad. Tell me, even in my current spirit form, have I ever been at a disadvantage against you? And look at my clone here—Old Freak, no offense, but you probably don’t even understand it, let alone have heard of it before!”
“A clone?” Xu Fu was momentarily stunned by Zhang’s words, then began scrutinizing Mei Qing closely.
Mei Qing felt a massive divine pressure descend like a mountain, nearly crushing him. Fortunately, his lightning-sealing technique had already been activated, allowing him to barely resist Xu Fu’s oppressive aura. At that moment, Zhang Liusun snorted again, and the pressure eased, restoring the flow of Mei Qing’s spiritual energy.
Xu Fu closed his eyes briefly, then shook his head. “These tricks of yours, indeed, I’ve never seen before.”
Zhang Liusun snorted again. “Tricks? You’ve been locked away in Jieshi for a thousand years and think the rest of the cultivation world has been asleep like you? All sects have evolved rapidly, developing countless techniques. Take me, for instance—I reached ascension after only a hundred years of cultivation. How does that compare to your own cultivation speed back then? And look at my clone here—forged from your subsidiary cauldron, it has a life of its own. You should be able to tell its actual age. Tell me, how does its cultivation compare?”
Xu Fu glanced at Mei Qing again, then snorted. “Perhaps its cultivation speed is impressive. But even if you two combine forces, do you really think you can match me?”
Zhang Liusun laughed heartily. “Well, maybe not quite. But Old Freak Xu, you can see for yourself that this clone was forged from the subsidiary cauldron. If I sacrifice it and trigger a self-destruction, using the child to attack the mother, we could both be destroyed. Then I could destroy your main cauldron. What do you think—can you afford that?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Fu’s face changed drastically, while Mei Qing grew even more alert.
Xu Fu stepped forward, his aura surging like a mountain, his beard and hair flying as he formed another mystical hand seal and roared, “Cunning brat! I don’t believe you’d really be willing to destroy your own clone when you yourself are in a spirit form!”
Zhang Liusun remained calm and replied indifferently, “Of course I’m reluctant. But if it comes down to a life-or-death situation, what would I still hold back? Besides, even if I destroy this one, I can forge another in just a few years—it’s not that big of a deal. But tell me, can you forge another of your precious cauldrons in just a few years?”
Xu Fu, fingers still locked in his spell, glared fiercely at Zhang Liusun. But Zhang remained unfazed, stretching lazily as he said, “Your mother cauldron is truly a rare treasure in the world. If I hadn’t used the subsidiary cauldron to forge this clone, I wouldn’t have had a way to approach it. From what I can see, Old Freak Xu, your formation of a wandering immortal body probably relied heavily on this cauldron, didn’t it? And since the cauldron is filled with seawater, I’d wager the materials you used to shape your immortal form must have come from here—perhaps even the essence of seawater itself?”
At this, Xu Fu’s expression changed. Zhang Liusun’s guess was dangerously close to the truth. Xu Fu had indeed been sealed beneath the sea by Jieshi, but his cauldron remained with him. He had gathered seawater essence, placed it in the cauldron, and used it to forge his immortal body. That was why most of his techniques were water-based.
Seeing Xu Fu’s expression, Zhang Liusun laughed again. “How’s that, Old Freak Xu? Now you know I’m not bluffing you. If you still don’t believe me, why don’t you summon your old bronze figure and attack together? Let’s see who can subdue whom first—will it be you capturing me, or me destroying your precious cauldron?”
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