Ascension Day

How could Xu Ying possibly go down? He frantically blinked at Yuan Qi, signaling for him to leave at once. "I’m not learning this! Are you leaving or not? It’s getting dark. The Underworld is all around us, full of Ghost Gods. Be careful, or you won’t make it home!"

But Yuan Qi was just getting excited. "I was listening just now and I’m starting to understand some things," he said. "I’m going to stay here and learn. If you’re afraid of ghosts, you can head back first. I’ll stay here with the Immortal Master for a few more days."

Xu Ying ground his teeth in frustration. Suddenly, Yuan Weiyang, who was beside him, looked puzzled and muttered, "Dark... the Underworld? Wait a minute, something’s wrong here!"

Xu Ying looked at him and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Yuan Weiyang frowned slightly. "Did you notice those stone statues on the Immortal Mountains? Uncle Xiao and I didn’t rush here for the lecture. We went to inspect those mountains first and found many giant stone statues carved in the likeness of various Divine Spirits."

Xu Ying whispered, "Did you find the Soul Summoning Ritual Text?"

Yuan Weiyang’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked up at him. The cyan-robed old servant, Uncle Xiao, also stared at Xu Ying in astonishment. ’Could he really be a disciple secretly groomed by a great Noble Family?’ he thought. ’Otherwise, how would he know about something as esoteric as the Soul Summoning Ritual Text?’

The Soul Summoning Ritual Text was a strange form of talismanic writing discovered by certain Noble Families while excavating the tombs and Grotto Heavens of Ancient Qi Refiners. The script was obscure and difficult to comprehend, yet it held profound mysteries.

The Noble Families that obtained this script naturally treasured it and refused to share it lightly. Thus, the Soul Summoning Ritual Text remained a secret to the wider world. Even within the great Noble Families themselves, few people were aware of its existence.

Judging by his clothes, Xu Ying was just a boy from the countryside. But his knowledge of the Soul Summoning Ritual Text suggested he had to be a core disciple of a great Noble Family!

Yuan Weiyang said, "Yes, the Soul Summoning Ritual Text. I couldn’t figure out before why an Immortal Realm would need it. But when you mentioned the Underworld, it all suddenly clicked..."

In a flash of inspiration, Xu Ying cried out, "I understand now, too! So that’s what’s going on!"

The cyan-robed old servant, Uncle Xiao, looked on blankly. ’What did those two just figure out?’ he wondered.

Da Zhong was also completely baffled, with no idea what the two of them were talking about.

Xu Ying spoke rapidly, "After the sun sets, the Broken Temple World falls completely within the bounds of the Underworld! This place becomes the Underworld, and it’s crawling with Ghost Souls!"

Yuan Weiyang nodded. "The Soul Summoning Ritual Text inside the heads of the Divine Statues is actually used to summon wandering souls from the Underworld and refine them into the Ten Thousand Spirits Pill."

Xu Ying added, "The Divine Statues are servants of the White-robed Nuo Immortal. They are responsible for summoning Ghost Souls from the Underworld to refine the Ten Thousand Spirits Pill for him."

Yuan Weiyang continued, "The White-robed Nuo Immortal placed his Hidden Scenic Immortal Realm in the Underworld, with its entrance—the Water Gate Temple—in the Mortal World. When the Underworld encroaches upon the Mortal World, the two realms collide, and the resulting shockwave forces this Hidden Scenic Immortal Realm to manifest. That’s how the Broken Temple World came to be."

Xu Ying chimed in, "And because the Broken Temple World is always hidden in the Underworld, which is full of Ghost Souls, the Divine Statues don’t need Divine Souls to possess them—they can remain empty. So, when the Great Temple World returns to the Underworld, all the Divine Statues will awaken and become powerful Divine Spirits!"

As he spoke this deduction aloud, he suddenly froze, and beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Yuan Weiyang picked up where he left off, continuing the deduction. "In other words, when the sun sets in the outside world, the Naihe River will reappear, the Underworld will invade, the Great Temple World will return to the Underworld... and all the Divine Statues will awaken!"

He paused. "And they’re about to start a massacre!"

The two looked at each other, and both felt as if they had found a kindred spirit.

Da Zhong and Uncle Xiao, however, were utterly stunned. Trading sentences back and forth, the two youths had painted an incredibly terrifying picture. Imagine it: five Immortal Mountains, hundreds of giant Divine Statues awakening and beginning a slaughter. What a horrifying scene that would be!

Xu Ying jerked his head up. The sun was setting in the west, about to dip below the mountains.

Yuan Weiyang got to his feet and said to the cyan-robed Uncle Xiao, "Uncle Xiao, this place is about to become extremely dangerous. Let’s go."

Uncle Xiao nodded.

Yuan Weiyang looked at Xu Ying. "Aren’t you leaving?"

"My friend is here. How could I possibly leave?"

Xu Ying suddenly leaped from the roof of the Immortal Hall down into the temple, laughing heartily. "I’ve come to learn from the Immortal Master as well!"

Yuan Weiyang froze, muttering, "Jumping down there is suicide. A sensible person wouldn’t knowingly walk to their death... We had such a great discussion. I thought you were sensible like me, but I guess you’re not."

He shook his head and followed after Uncle Xiao, but Xu Ying’s actions lingered in his mind like an unsolvable riddle. He desperately wanted to drag Xu Ying out of the temple and demand an explanation.

But his rational mind told him that the best course of action was to get out of here—the faster, the better.

Xu Ying landed beside Yuan Qi and smiled. "The Immortal Master’s Immortal Techniques are truly profound and mysterious. I wonder, does the Immortal Master also know any Sword Techniques? This disciple is a student of the sword."

The White-robed Nuo Immortal sat upright before the Immortal Hall, silent. Wisps of Immortal Light swirled around him, rotating like a wheel of swords.

Just then, a voice echoed from the temple entrance, sneering, "Fugitive Xu Ying, even if you flee into the Great Temple, you cannot escape the long arm of the law!"

Xu Ying turned to look and saw Zhou Zheng, Yongzhou’s Military Legal Advisor, striding into the temple. His clothes were tattered and he was in a sorry state, but he still seemed to be in good health.

Zhou Zheng strode before a pot-bellied man, dropped to one knee, and announced, "Governor, I have fulfilled my duty and driven Xu Ying into the Great Temple!"

The fat man was as wide as three or four ordinary men and sat like a mountain of flesh. He was none other than Zhou Heng, the Governor of Yongzhou, who was currently engrossed in cultivating the *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation*. Annoyed by the interruption, he snapped, "Zhou Zheng, what’s all the racket? Don’t disturb my Ascension to Immortality!"

Zhou Zheng was taken aback. "Governor, I’ve forced Xu Ying into the temple."