Ascension Day

Xu Ying snorted. He was at a loss for what to do with these two crazed demons. They were actually trying to incite him to rebel against the Human Race, overthrow their rule, and establish a demon kingdom on land!

"You be the Great King, and we’ll both follow you without question!" they clamored.

The cave was thick with foul Demon Qi, so Xu Ying had no choice but to get up and go outside. Outside, it was pitch-black. The heavy rain had stopped, but a light drizzle still drifted through the air, with no telling when the sky might clear.

Xu Ying stared blankly, lost in thought.

Human Race Nuo Masters used Dragon Seeking Positioning to find the Six Secrets of the Human Body, open the Secret Treasuries, and then gather the Secret Power to cultivate a Hidden Scenery.

Qi Refiners, on the other hand, performed Qi Collection and Refining to assault the Human Body’s Profound Gates.

Clearly, these were two completely different Cultivation Systems, with nothing in common at all!

’If Qi Collection and Refining is a Human Race Cultivation Technique, then why doesn’t it have any similarities with the Nuo Masters’ Nuo Technique?’ he wondered, quite puzzled.

The two demons’ whispers drifted from the cave again. "Our Demon Race must have had an ancient civilization before the humans, one that built a glorious empire and even separated the Underworld from the Mortal World! But then those scheming humans defeated us, and our civilization was lost."

"Those despicable humans!"

"But Great Demon King Xu will lead us to restore the glory of the Demon Race!"

"Long live Demon King Xu!"

...

Xu Ying rolled his eyes. These two demons had an even wilder imagination than he did.

He moved his left shoulder. It still hurt a lot, but the sword wound there had already healed considerably.

The Giant Divine Spirit’s Flying Sword had pierced his left hand and chest, and even his left shoulder blade. Originally, his entire left arm had been immobilized. But ever since achieving Five Qi Chaoyuan and refining the Five Qi into Primordial Qi, his regenerative abilities seemed much stronger than before.

In the past, a wound like the one on his left shoulder would have taken him half a year to recover from.

’Still, the regenerative power from the Zhou Family’s Mud Pill Secret Treasury is even more astonishing! No, it’s heaven-defying!’

Xu Ying recalled Zhou Yihang’s terrifying Flesh Body and couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Opening the Mud Pill Secret Treasury granted a mythical level of regeneration—making one undying and indestructible!

Even if he couldn’t cultivate a Flesh Body like Zhou Yihang’s, achieving something like Ding Quan’s abilities would still be extraordinary!

Xu Ying let out a low sigh. Unfortunately, he still didn’t know how to perform Dragon Seeking Positioning to find his own Mud Pill Secret Treasury. Besides, even if he found it, it would be useless without a Grand Nuo to help him open the Secret Treasury.

More importantly... ’Am I human, or a demon?’

Xu Ying looked towards the gradually brightening horizon and muttered to himself, ’I must be human. I must be! My family lives at the Xu Family’s Field. I have a father and mother, and they’re both human. My father’s name is Xu Shaoping, and my mother’s is Miao Yue Mei from Miaotianpu. I even remember the way to the Xu Family’s Field and Miaotianpu...’

Behind him, the Snake Demon Yuan Qi suddenly stopped his boisterous celebrating and stared quizzically at Xu Ying’s back.

The Bear Demon Xiong Qianli asked, "Brother Qi, what’s wrong?"

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi whispered, "Something’s strange. I clearly remember Ying saying his father’s name was Xu An and his mother’s was Tian Ruijun, and that they lived at the Tian Family’s Field. How come he’s now saying his dad is Xu Shaoping and his mom is Miao Yue Mei? And the place they live has changed too..."

Xiong Qianli laughed. "He must have damaged his brain when he passed out earlier! If his mind is muddled, doesn’t that mean we two can be a pair of treacherous, power-grabbing officials?"

The two demons exchanged a glance and began to cheer again, completely carefree.

At last, the rain stopped. The sky cleared and gradually grew brighter. Suddenly, Xu Ying became alert and looked into the distance. With the earlier rain and darkness, he hadn’t been able to see far and had failed to notice the Naihe River just ahead.

This long river of the Underworld surged with powerful currents, rushing from the direction of Stone Mountain and passing between Xiaoshan and Wu Wang Mountain!

The presence of the Naihe River indicated that it was still night.

’But after the Naihe River changed its course, wasn’t it supposed to return to its old channel?’

Puzzled, Xu Ying looked into the distance.

He saw that with the Naihe River’s encroachment, Ghost Fires were now drifting throughout the mountain forest. Farther on, a graveyard had also been affected. It was brightly lit, and skeletons were climbing out of their graves, hanging lanterns and decorations, and setting up a grand, festive banquet.

Other skeletons, dressed in fine silks and satins but with their robes unfastened, danced with bared chests atop the graves to liven up the party.

Suddenly, a deep RUMBLE echoed as the ground began to tremble, and the cave where Xu Ying and his companions were staying started to shake.

Snake Demon Yuan Qi and Xiong Qianli rushed out of the cave. Xu Ying muttered to himself, ’Could the Naihe River be returning to its original channel?’

The man and two demons looked toward the source of the sound, their expressions changing drastically. They saw that the banks of the Naihe River, which had been formless and intangible, were now faintly revealing a solid, physical form!

The banks of the Naihe River grew clearer and more real by the second, invading the Mortal World from some other, unbelievable realm!

Along the riverbanks, mountains and rivers of all sizes materialized out of thin air, pressing against Lingling’s original peaks and causing the earth to tremble violently with tremendous, RUMBLING sounds!

The scene was terrifying. One mountain range after another surged forth from the banks of the Naihe River, forcing the original mountains steadily backward. Even Xiaoshan, the mountain beneath their feet, was trembling violently!

Xiaoshan had originally been only a few miles from Wu Wang Mountain, the location of Qinyan Cave. Now, it had probably been pushed back more than thirty miles!

And in that thirty-mile gap, several mountains and riverbanks from the Underworld had appeared!

"An invasion from the Underworld, and is no one going to do anything about it?" Yuan Qi cried out, overcome with grief and indignation. "The Human Race has so many powerful experts, so many Nuo Masters! Why aren’t they doing anything? Is there no law and order left in this world?"

His voice filled with despair, he cried, "My Qinyan Cave has been pushed away! When will I ever be able to go home?"

Qinyan Cave in Wu Wang Mountain, once only four or five miles away, now required an extra thirty-mile journey. And on top of that, he would have to cross the Naihe River and those mountains from the Underworld!

Xu Ying couldn’t help but feel a chill. ’The mountains of the Mortal World have demons and Mountain Gods,’ he thought. ’Who knows what kind of things are lurking in the mountains of the Underworld?’

’If I tried to force my way through, my chances of survival would be slim, even if I became a full-fledged Demon King!’

Just then, a light appeared at the foot of the mountain. It was the eyes of a Divine Spirit, shining with a faint glow in the darkness, illuminating an area over a hundred feet away.

Xu Ying’s heart sank. ’The rain just stopped and it’s not even dawn, but these Divine Spirits are already searching the mountain!’

"Yuan Qi, it’s time to go!" Xu Ying called out.

The eastern sky was gradually whitening as the sun prepared to rise. A damp mist hung in the air. The Underworld continued its invasion of the Mortal World, and a tremendous roar emanated from the point of collision, where space itself was unstable.

However, as the morning sun rose, the Naihe River began to fade, and everything seemed to return to normal. The only exception was the mountains along the river’s banks; they remained, not having retreated back into the Underworld.

The Naihe River was still slowly receding, and it remained dim among the mountains. A Divine Spirit stood with the fingers of both hands splayed, using its palms to illuminate the area.

Eyes the size of a human fist grew in its palms, shooting out beams of Divine Light that pierced the darkness.

The sound of wind whistled from above. It was the Divine Spirit of Yong’an Town, a being with a human body and avian wings, soaring through the air. Its gaze was like a torch, casting down two pillars of light.

Suddenly, a figure flashed silently past, appearing before the hand-eyed Divine Spirit.

It was a young man, holding the man-sized Da Zhong in one hand as if it weighed nothing.

The hand-eyed Divine Spirit had no eyes on its head—they were only in its palms. But it was still alert, and sensing danger, it immediately aimed the light from both hands toward the newcomer.

But it was too late!

The young man punched with his free hand, his fist accompanied by a low peal of thunder. The blow landed squarely on the Divine Spirit’s chest.

The punch was incredibly heavy. As it sent the hand-eyed Divine Spirit flying backward, the force pierced straight through its body, reducing everything in its path to dust!

The thunder that erupted from the fist even entered the Divine Spirit’s body, causing its Divine Soul to scatter. Before the body even hit the ground, the essence of its Divine Soul had completely disintegrated!

The one who had killed the hand-eyed Divine Spirit with a single punch was none other than Xu Ying. His power was far greater now than it had been during his fight with the Giant Divine Spirit the day before, though his left arm still felt somewhat stiff.

To keep the Copper Bell from dragging on the ground and ringing, he was forced to carry it in his left hand.

Fortunately, he cultivated the Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist and possessed immense strength, so holding up this Bell was no trouble at all.

Without breaking stride, Xu Ying leaped, kicked hard off the trunk of a tree to change direction in mid-air, and shot toward the airborne Yong’an Town Divine Spirit.

The Yong’an Town Divine Spirit was the town’s guardian god, and its wings gave it an aerial advantage. ’If I can’t take it down right away,’ Xu Ying thought, ’I’ll never escape its pursuit, even if I break through this encirclement!’

However, the Yong’an Town Divine Spirit had already noticed the commotion when Xu Ying made his move on the hand-eyed Divine Spirit. It immediately glanced over, and the Divine Light from its eyes fell upon Xu Ying!

Xu Ying was still dozens of feet away in mid-air when his momentum gave out, leaving him unable to pose a threat. The Divine Spirit breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. "You little brat, carrying that giant horn..."

At that very moment, a long, slender form shot through the air. It was a Big Snake, launching itself up from below to land right under Xu Ying’s feet.

Xu Ying used the Big Snake’s back as a foothold, launching himself into the air once more as he threw his punch.

The Yong’an Town Divine Spirit had been nourished by two hundred years of Incense and Candlelight. Although its power was inferior to the Giant Divine Spirit’s, it was still formidable. As it beat its wings to retreat, it transformed its Incense Smoke Qi into a Flying Sword!

With its wings, it was swift and agile, while Xu Ying had no way to exert force in mid-air. As long as it dodged this one attack, it could kill him with ease!

However, as Xu Ying’s punch shot forward, the Abnormal Phenomenon of the Elephant King Divine Body manifested behind him. Radiating Divine Light, it threw a punch in unison with him. The surrounding air was instantly sucked into a vacuum, leaving the Yong’an Town Divine Spirit’s wings with nothing to push against, trapping it in place!

"BOOM!"

A thunderous explosion ripped through the sky. Xu Ying’s fist shattered the Flying Sword made of Incense Smoke Qi. The Magical Power that the Yong’an Town Divine Spirit had cultivated over two hundred years was pierced by that single punch, rendered utterly useless!

Its head exploded, sending countless wood splinters flying in every direction. The headless body continued to beat its wings forcefully for a few more flaps before plummeting from the sky.

Xu Ying rode the headless corpse of the Yong’an Town Divine Spirit as it fell, then heard another Divine Spirit shout in the distance, "Xu Ying is over there!"

Xu Ying leaped into the forest below. He rolled several times on the ground to break his fall before bouncing back to his feet and dashing down the mountain.

Not far away, the Snake Demon Yuan Qi was slithering at top speed, providing support.

Whenever the man and the snake encountered a Divine Spirit trying to block their path, they lunged forward to finish the opponent in the shortest time possible!

Even Yuan Qi had cultivated the Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist to the peak of the Fifth Layer. He was most adept at the White Elephant’s Trunk Swing technique. When he executed it with his tail, the tip could move faster than sound, often allowing him to win in a single strike!

Of course, if he failed to win in a single blow, Yuan Qi would be in grave danger. After all, as a Snake Demon without limbs, he couldn’t perform all the moves of the Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist like Xu Ying could.

Luckily, he and Xu Ying were covering each other. If one of his attacks missed, Xu Ying’s would follow immediately, helping him eliminate their foe.

The sun rose, and the Naihe River vanished completely. Xiong Qianli stood at the entrance to the cave, gazing into the distance. He could see the figures of various Divine Spirits bobbing up and down through the forest, all giving chase in the same direction.

In that same direction, there was a spot where the Sun Essence was behaving strangely. The sunlight there grew incredibly intense, and from a distance, the particles of light in the air could be seen forming two vortexes—one large, one small!

That was precisely where Xu Ying and Yuan Qi were: fighting enemies as they ran, all while performing breathing exercises to purge their bodies of impurities, enhance their Qi and Blood, and accelerate the recovery of their Flesh Bodies!

Xiong Qianli murmured, "Demon King Xu, Brother Qi, may you have a safe journey!"

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi ran for over ten miles, heading deep onto the left bank of where the Naihe River had been and entering the Underworld Mountains.

They had fought for every step of those ten miles, but they had finally shaken off their pursuers.

Both Xu Ying and Yuan Qi had sustained several new wounds, but they stopped practicing the Guiding Skill. Here, even the sunlight felt cold and sinister, offering almost no warmth.

If they activated the Guiding Skill now, all they absorbed was a bone-chilling qi that felt as if it could freeze their very blood. This chaotic energy wouldn’t improve their Cultivation at all; on the contrary, it would cause immense harm to their bodies!

The Underworld Mountains were grim and terrifying. The rock itself was pitch-black, and a thick, black slurry of some unknown fluid trickled down the faces of some cliffs.

Xu Ying walked forward, holding Da Zhong in his right hand. Beneath one of the cliffs, he saw a pile of white bones arranged into a path. Following the path with his eyes, he saw a lone building at its end.

The building’s walls were built of white bone, as were its bricks and roof tiles. It was decorated with banners of human skin and carvings of skulls.

A ghostly wind fluttered the human-skin banners, on which was written a single word: Tavern.