Ascension Day

These Divine Spirits were merely Ghost Souls that had been sucked into the bodies of Divine Statues, turning them into muddle-headed gods. They only knew how to obey a few of the White-robed Nuo Immortal’s simple commands, such as killing intruders and refining Ten Thousand Spirits Pills.

They couldn’t tell if Xu Ying was one of their own, but the worldly and experienced White-robed Nuo Immortal would surely know that this Wuchang Ghost was not one of his Stone Statue Divine Spirits.

Moreover, he had seen Xu Ying before and must have noticed the Inconstancy Mask on his back. When they met, Xu Ying would be walking right into a trap, doomed to die a miserable death.

However, with so many Divine Spirits—all taller, stronger, and bulkier than him—circling around, Xu Ying had no chance to slip away.

Xu Ying cursed his luck. He stealthily pulled a Ten Thousand Spirits Pill from his cloth sack and popped it into his mouth, thinking, ’If I die, you’re not getting away either! We’ll all be finished. I’ll just eat all these Ten Thousand Spirits Pills. Let’s see how you answer to the Ghost Nuo Immortal then!’

He acted furtively, constantly looking around. Whenever the Divine Spirits weren’t paying attention, he’d gulp down a Ten Thousand Spirits Pill, then secretly stuff a few stones into his sack to replace it.

The Divine Spirits rampaged forward, cutting down any god or human in their path. Xu Ying tagged along, basking in their fearsome reputation. Gods trembled and mortals fled at their approach.

’This is pretty awesome!’ Xu Ying thought, exhilarated.

The White-robed Nuo Immortal was controlling the great temple, hunting down the experts who had entered the Broken Temple World to devour their flesh and blood. Right now, he was in hot pursuit of the Governor of Yongzhou, Zhou Heng, fully intent on consuming him.

As for Magistrate Ling, he had been deified after death and lacked a physical Flesh Body, which ironically allowed him to escape this particular disaster.

Although Zhou Heng was corpulent, he was still the Zhou Family’s Jiedu Envoy, responsible for guarding an entire province. His abilities were formidable. Though he was outmatched, he desperately fled for his life, employing the ever-changing forms of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Hidden Scenery Technique.

The White-robed Nuo Immortal gave chase, heading straight for the entrance of the Water Gate Temple.

The burly Divine Spirits around Xu Ying also leaped into the air, jumping off the Immortal Mountain. Riding on Fragrant Clouds, they rushed toward the Water Gate Temple’s entrance, planning to block it and prevent anyone from escaping.

As they flew away, Xu Ying was left standing alone on the spot.

The young man was so overjoyed he could have wept. But suddenly, two Divine Spirits descended from the sky, one grabbing his left arm and the other his right. Xu Ying felt a sensation of soaring through the clouds as the two spirits carried him off toward the great temple.

"Ying, after you die, it wouldn’t be disloyal of me to find another boy to steal Qi Blood from, would it?"

Da Zhong asked cautiously, adding as an afterthought, "Don’t worry, I won’t forget you. I’ll even have the new boy erect a memorial for you so people can pay their respects. Of course, your soul will probably be gone by then. The Ghost Nuo Immortal is sure to tear you limb from limb and scatter your very soul to the winds."

Xu Ying grunted, ignoring the bell. ’This is strange,’ he thought. ’I’ve eaten so many Ten Thousand Spirits Pills, yet I don’t feel anything odd. Could it really be like Lord Zhong said? Is this Ghost Nuo Immortal just an incompetent fraud who messed up the recipe?’

Before long, it was clear the two Divine Spirits couldn’t catch up to the great temple. The temple, with the White-robed Nuo Immortal aboard, was still rampaging about, trying to devour Governor Zhou Heng. A giant, plump bird appeared behind the fat Governor. It was chubby and round, and with a flap of its wings, it took flight at a speed so incredible that even the great temple couldn’t catch it.

"Strange. The Ghost Nuo Immortal doesn’t seem to possess the combat prowess of an Immortal."

Da Zhong muttered, "That can’t be right. Logically speaking, a Ghost Nuo Immortal with a Hidden Scenery, even if it’s nothing more than a human skin, should be able to annihilate that fat Governor effortlessly. But this Ghost Nuo Immortal has been chasing him for so long and still hasn’t caught him. That doesn’t befit the title of ’Nuo Immortal’."

Seizing the opportunity as the two Divine Spirits paused, Xu Ying immediately began to sneak toward the entrance of the Water Gate Temple. "The Ghost Nuo Immortal is only a sack of skin," he whispered. "How much power could it possibly have?"

Da Zhong said, "The highest Realm of Nuo arts should be about the same as the highest Realm of a Qi Refiner. How else could they have replaced Qi Refiners? If this were a Qi Refiner at their peak, forget a skin—a single strand of hair would be enough to kill that fat Governor. This Ghost Nuo Immortal, from what I can see, probably doesn’t even have one percent of its power from its prime!"

Xu Ying snuck to the temple entrance, his heart leaping with joy. He hurried toward the exit, saying, "Let’s not worry about him. As soon as we’re through this gate, we’re free! I never want to see this broken temple ever again!"

At the temple entrance, numerous Divine Spirits stood guard, radiating killing intent. Anyone who had managed to escape this far had been captured alive by them.

Xu Ying sauntered over to the Divine Spirits, put his hands on his hips, and stood among them. ’I’ll just wait until I’ve blended in a bit,’ he planned, ’then I’ll quietly shuffle my way out. I’ll be able to leave the Water Gate Temple without a soul noticing.’

A few of the tall Stone Statue Divine Spirits dotingly patted his head, and another even gave his tongue a playful tug.

The Ox-Headed Divine Spirit, however, was a little too strong. With a sudden POP, it pulled the tongue clean off the seemingly docile Wuchang Ghost.

The Ox-Headed Divine Spirit stared blankly. It saw that still attached to the tongue was the skin of the Wuchang Ghost’s face.

The Ox-Headed Divine Spirit cried out in alarm, thinking it had accidentally killed its little buddy. But then it saw the "little buddy" rapidly shrink, turn on his heel, and bolt out of the Water Gate Temple.

The Ox-Headed Divine Spirit was puzzled for a moment, but then realization dawned. It let out a furious roar: "HE’S AN IMPOSTOR!"

Yuan Qi was waiting outside the temple gate, not daring to get too close. Suddenly, he saw a figure burst out from the gate in the distance, and he was both shocked and overjoyed. "Brother Ying! Fortune really does favor the—YIKES!"

Behind Xu Ying, sixteen or seventeen Divine Spirits were roaring in hot pursuit, their killing intent boiling over.

Yuan Qi had planned on helping him, but at this sight, he immediately turned tail and fled. ’What did Brother Ying do now?’ he wondered. ’Why are so many Divine Spirits trying to kill him?’

Xu Ying sprinted for his life. The host of Divine Spirits behind him gathered their Incense Smoke Qi, forging it into dozens of Flying Swords, each several yards long. In an instant, it was as if a storm of blades was raining down from the sky!