Ascension Day

The strange, long whip pulled at the Big Copper Bell as they flew vibrating through the Great Hall, slithering like a dragon.

More strips of White Silk flew in from the Naihe River, SWISHING into the well!

Seeing this, a thought struck Xu Ying. ’Perhaps the Naihe River didn’t change its course by accident.’

This scene before him looked more as if someone had deliberately diverted the Naihe River to suppress the Deserted Temple’s Big Copper Bell and rescue the Well Coffin!

’Someone was willing to cause mass death just to rescue the Well Coffin! Just who is buried in that coffin in the well?’ Xu Ying wondered.

The Copper Bell seemed to have been provoked. It suddenly CLANGED, shattering the long whip, and flew out of the ruined temple.

Outside the temple, the roar of the river and the ringing of the bell merged into a cacophony.

Xu Ying looked up and saw shadowy figures flickering on the bell-shaped wall of light. Suddenly, the head of a grotesque, humanoid figure exploded, pulverized by the Big Copper Bell’s vibrations!

As another grotesque figure swayed, all of its flesh suddenly melted away. A moment later, even the shadow of its skeleton on the bell-shaped wall of light disintegrated into dust!

Xu Ying watched, his heart pounding in terror. Those figures felt immensely powerful, as unfathomable as Mount Sumeru or the abyss of the Netherworld!

Yet, under the Big Copper Bell’s assault, they died with such finality—more decisively than crushing ants!

The surging Naihe River Water poured in from all directions, the flood already reaching the Great Hall. With no time to waste, Xu Ying grabbed the Snake Demon Yuan Qi and leaped up through a hole in the roof, landing on top of it.

He looked down into the backyard and saw the Stone Mountain God Huang Siping standing on one leg atop his Hundred-Refined Horse-Cutting Saber, which was plunged into the ground. The Naihe River Water was already lapping at his feet.

Blood streamed from Huang Siping’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. A look of despair crossed the face of this Demon God.

A moment ago, he and Wei Chu had reacted too slowly. They were struck by the roar from the well and sustained heavy injuries. By the time they came to their senses, the Naihe River Water had already flooded the Deserted Temple’s backyard, cutting off their escape to the Great Hall.

Now, the Naihe River Water was still rising!

As the river water washed over the sole of his foot, all the flesh on Huang Siping’s left foot vanished, leaving only bleached bone!

The Naihe River Water gnawed its way up his left leg. Before long, his entire leg would be reduced to a skeleton!

And it likely wouldn’t take much longer for the Naihe River to swallow him whole!

Perched on a dead old willow tree in the backyard, Prison Chief Wei Chu was not faring any better. The willow was rotten, leaving only its trunk, so he, like Huang Siping, had to stand on one leg, painfully sacrificing the other to save his own life.

However, the willow tree teetered precariously under the onslaught of the Naihe River Water, threatening to be uprooted at any moment. When that happened, he would die without a trace!

What was more terrifying was that he wasn’t as tall as Huang Siping. Even if the willow tree held, he would still die before the Stone Mountain God!

Xu Ying’s gaze fell on the deep well. He saw strips of White Silk coiled around Chains, pulling them outward. From within the well, a Black Coffin was slowly rising, having already reached the opening.

’So they succeeded after all!’ Xu Ying thought.

The Big Copper Bell had been lured away, and the Black Coffin had reached the well’s opening!

Just then, a ray of sunlight broke through, falling upon the young man’s face.

Xu Ying looked up. The sun was rising in the east, illuminating his face and, gradually, his entire body.

The deluge of Naihe River Water grew fainter, and the turbulent river itself began to fade. The tolling of the bell receded into the distance. Just like that, as the sun rose, this long river from the Underworld vanished without a trace!

Xu Ying looked farther afield. The distant stretches of the Naihe River were also fading away, leaving only a scoured ’riverbed’ winding through the mountains.

Within the riverbed, there wasn’t a shred of Vitality. Withered and decaying trees were everywhere, looking as if they had been burned.

On a nearby bank, piles of white bones had been washed ashore.

’What happened to the Big Copper Bell? And those towering giants?’

The young man looked around. Not only was the Naihe River gone, but the Big Copper Bell had also vanished. Even the Celestial God-like figures who had been battling the bell around the Deserted Temple had disappeared completely!

The backyard of the Deserted Temple was completely dry, without a single drop of water. Even the bonfire no longer emanated a green light, having returned to a normal flame.

Xu Ying composed himself and looked toward the backyard. The pavilion above the deep well had collapsed, and the well itself was calm, with no sound coming from it.

A young woman in white sat at the edge of the well, her back to him, slowly combing her flowing hair.

The young woman turned her head, her gaze meeting Xu Ying’s. She offered a captivating smile that made Xu Ying feel as if time and sunlight had never been so beautiful.

As the sunlight reached the backyard of the Deserted Temple, the young woman vanished, leaving only a coffin standing by the well.

Beside the coffin lay several black iron Chains.

Suddenly, the coffin flew into the air, broke free from the Chains, and tore through the sky, vanishing from sight!

’So, the being suppressed in the well managed to escape after all.’

Xu Ying recalled the young woman’s face. ’She was quite pretty, though,’ he thought. ’My godfather and grandfather would definitely approve of a daughter-in-law like her. It’s a shame she’s a ghost.’

Suddenly, with a THUD, Prison Chief Wei Chu toppled from the dead tree, hit the ground, and passed out.

His entire right leg was now nothing but stark white bone, without a single shred of flesh!

On the other side, the Stone Mountain God Huang Siping leaped down from his Hundred-Refined Horse-Cutting Saber. He staggered, his face grim. The calf of his left leg was also stripped of all flesh, leaving only bone!

He was ferocious by nature, even to himself, and endured the agony without making a sound.

Huang Siping looked up at Xu Ying, who was still on the roof of the Great Hall.

Facing east, Xu Ying activated his Guiding Skill. In the morning sunlight, motes of light became visible in the air, forming a small storm that he drew into his body with each breath!

Bursts of Thunder Sound rumbled from within the young man’s body, as his Qi Blood formed a great sun. This dual-pronged approach tempered his physique, refining and expelling the impurities left from the injuries he had sustained the previous night.

Now that the crisis of the diverted Naihe River was resolved, the danger Xu Ying faced was no longer the river itself, but the hunt from the God Lords and Officials!

Huang Siping took a long, deep breath, also regulating his own qi and activating the Guiding Skill he cultivated to absorb the Sun Essence Qi.

His injuries were far more severe than Xu Ying’s; in addition to internal damage, he had lost his left leg. But he was, after all, a Demon King. His Qi Blood Cultivation was still intact. As long as he could suppress his injuries, he could strike like lightning and eliminate Xu Ying!

Now, both man and god were silently regulating their breathing, each trying to suppress their injuries and recover most of their strength before the other, hoping to seize the initiative by striking first!

"Xu Ying, you could have left already."

Huang Siping said coolly, still regulating his breathing, "You’re clever. You dodged the roar from the well, so your injuries are minor. I’ve lost a leg. If you had fled, I couldn’t have caught you. You didn’t have to stay."

Xu Ying faced east, activating his Taiyi Guiding Skill. The storm of light particles in the air grew increasingly intense.

Facing the rising sun, the young man’s posture was like a mountain on the edge of an abyss, exuding a majestic aura. "My friend is unconscious," he said. "How could I possibly just abandon him?"

A glint appeared in Huang Siping’s eyes as he tightened his grip on his Horse-Cutting Saber. "Friend? You call a Snake Demon your friend? Have you forgotten that you’re a Snake Catcher! You and snake demons are mortal enemies! Exotic Snakes have killed your kind, and you have killed them in turn!"

"But that doesn’t prevent us from being friends!"

Xu Ying suddenly let out a long cry, stomped his foot, and with a resounding BOOM, dropped through the roof into the Great Hall.

The rear of the hall exploded outward!

Qi Blood surged through Xu Ying’s entire body. It condensed behind him, materializing into the form of the Elephant God Evil Body. With a slam of his shoulder, he toppled one of the Copper Pillars in the rear hall.

Xu Ying hoisted the Copper Pillar by its middle and, swinging the massive column, swept it toward the Stone Mountain God Huang Siping!

He had to end this fight quickly. He needed to eliminate Huang Siping and escape with the unconscious Snake Demon before the other God Lords and Officials arrived!