Ascension Day

Among them, those who practiced Nuo Art activated a Cyan Vine, which grew at incredible speed, connecting one floating boulder after another.

The sky was littered with massive rocks from the collision of Immortal Mountains, scattered between the peaks like a long, fluttering ribbon. Connecting them with the Cyan Vine was all it took to form a bridge, allowing for swift passage.

The guards’ speed increased dramatically, and they closed in on him with haste.

Just then, Xu Ying noticed that in addition to the guards, another group was also pursuing him, though they were approaching from a different direction.

"They’re Divine Spirits!"

Xu Ying saw their tall figures and the ribbons formed by Incense Smoke Qi and instantly knew their origins. However, he had never seen these specific Divine Spirits before. Judging by their attire alone, there were at least four City Gods among them!

Da Zhong asked doubtfully, "Ying, something’s not right. You’re just a minor Qi Refiner. To these people, you’re just an ordinary person cultivating a Demon Technique. Why do they consider you so important? Where did you get your Taiyi Guiding Skill?"

Xu Ying sprinted forward, leaped toward another giant rock, and said, "I don’t remember when I learned the Guiding Skill. I just know that the Cultivation Technique has been in my mind for as long as I can remember."

Da Zhong said, "Try to remember. What day did you first recall this technique? What happened on that day?"

Xu Ying tried hard to recall, and images of his childhood in Xu Family’s Field surfaced in his mind: his father and mother, his playmates, the uncles and aunts on the streets of Xu Family’s Field. Their faces and voices were vivid and clear.

"I remember my dad was called Xu Zhigang and my mom was Liu San Niang. We even had a dog and four ducks..."

A happy smile spread across Xu Ying’s face as he recalled his childhood.

Suddenly, the street he had seen on the Wangxiang Platform surfaced in his mind—the young private tutor and the gentle woman. Although the faces of those two were a complete blank in his memory, they definitely didn’t look like Xu Zhigang and Liu San Niang.

His mind became a fog of confusion.

’Are they my parents? No, that’s not right! That’s not what my parents look like in my memory!’

Xu Ying said, "I remember I lived in Xu Family’s Field, my dad was Xu Zheng, my mom was Yue Rou, and I had a happy childhood..."

His head felt like it was about to split open. He suddenly raised a hand and struck his head hard, letting out a stifled roar as his eyes turned bloodshot.

Yuan Qi gritted his teeth and pushed forward with all his might, coiling his body and leaping from one floating rock to the next.

Yuan Qi landed, his body sliding for a distance. He immediately slithered forward, gathering strength for another leap. Just then, he sensed something strange. ’Why hasn’t Ying caught up?’

He hastily turned back, only to see Xu Ying clutching his head with both hands the moment he leaped, and then plummet from the air.

"Ying!"

Yuan Qi scrambled to the edge of the boulder and looked down, only to see Xu Ying falling rapidly, still punching himself in the head as he fell.

Just then, Da Zhong suddenly flew out from behind his head and caught him.

Yuan Qi breathed a sigh of relief. However, Xu Ying’s downward momentum was so great that it dragged Da Zhong down with him.

Yuan Qi’s heart leaped into his throat. He heard a series of chimes as Da Zhong, straining with all its might, finally managed to halt their descent. Only then could he relax.

’What happened to Ying? Why did he suddenly lose his footing?’ Yuan Qi was bewildered and alarmed.

Seeing that Da Zhong was carrying Xu Ying and that his life was likely not in danger, he quickly slithered towards the great temple. ’When Ying wakes up,’ he thought, ’he’ll definitely head for the great temple. There are Immortals there to protect us. I’ll go there first and wait for him!’

Atop Da Zhong, Xu Ying slowly regained consciousness. He nearly fell off the bell and hastily clung to it, asking in surprise, "How did I get here?"

He had no memory of what had just occurred.

Da Zhong sensed Xu Ying’s unusual condition and wondered to itself, ’Ying’s mind... it’s not like a normal person’s. Something extraordinary must have happened to him!’

"Lord Zhong, stop shaking," Xu Ying said, a little terrified as he rode on the bell.

Da Zhong retorted angrily, "You brat, you’re dead heavy! It’s a real struggle carrying you, you know? Why don’t you try carrying me for a change!"

Xu Ying snorted. "It’s not like I haven’t. When you were injured and unconscious, I was the one carrying you. I didn’t even let go when I was fighting."

Da Zhong shook violently. "You were clearly using me to smash people!"

Xu Ying nearly fell off and quickly held on tighter.

Da Zhong flew on with some effort. After a moment, Xu Ying cautiously stood up, planting his feet on the bell’s cannon. His legs were still trembling, but he stood tall against the wind.

"What are you doing?" Da Zhong asked, puzzled.

Xu Ying stood on the bell’s cannon as Da Zhong flew through the air. The young man cut a rather dashing figure, though his hands were still shaking slightly.

"Riding the Bell isn’t very elegant. I want to see if I can fly while standing up. It feels cooler this way."

Xu Ying added in a low voice, "I’ve been trying to see if I can fly on a sword recently, but I’m worried about being scared of heights, so I’m practicing on you first."

Da Zhong said, "And here I thought you needed to relieve yourself. If you do, give me a heads-up. Don’t pee into the wind."

Just then, Xu Ying saw Divine Dragons flying toward them. They were four Stone Dragons. As they lifted their feet, clouds of qi billowed up from beneath them, holding their stone bodies aloft.

The four Stone Dragons rode on cyan clouds as they chased after Da Zhong.

Xu Ying frowned. With less than half of his Primordial Qi Cultivation remaining, he would be powerless to fend off an attack from four Stone Dragons while riding on Da Zhong.

"Lord Zhong, down to that Immortal Mountain below!" Xu Ying said urgently.

A majestic Immortal Mountain moved beneath them, and Da Zhong quickly descended toward it. Looking down from above, Xu Ying saw many ancient altars hidden in the dense forest of the Immortal Mountain. Towering Divine Statues stood beside the altars, like their guardians.

’Strange. If this is the Immortal Realm, why are there Divine Statues and altars?’

Xu Ying was puzzled. There were no Mortals in the Immortal Realm to offer worship, so it was impossible to gather Incense Smoke Qi. How could Divine Spirits possibly come into being?

’Could it be that Immortals worship gods?’

「Underworld. Naihe River. Wangxiang Platform.」

Yuan Tiangang was sitting in front of his thatched hut, practicing breathing exercises, when he saw a person walking along the path on Wangxiang Platform, holding a Cyan Paper Umbrella.

’This person has appeared again.’ Yuan Tiangang’s sharp eyes blinked.

Ever since he had arrived and settled here, he had seen that Cyan Paper Umbrella dozens of times. Every so often, the person carrying it would pass by.

Yuan Tiangang watched him walk away. The person with the Cyan Paper Umbrella arrived at the Naihe Bridge and got in line to wait for Meng Po’s Soup.

’A strange person.’ Yuan Tiangang averted his gaze.

The person waited in line for a long time before it was finally their turn.

Meng Po was about to pour the tea when she saw this person, and her hand couldn’t help but tremble.

A calm voice came from beneath the Cyan Paper Umbrella: "Granny, a bowl of tea. Make it a strong one."

As Meng Po poured the tea, she couldn’t help but ask, "Emissary, you’ve been coming for tea rather frequently of late."

The voice from under the Cyan Paper Umbrella sounded a little displeased. He took the tea and said, "Isn’t it because your tea isn’t strong enough? It can never completely seal that person’s memories. Someone from above said you’ve been watering down the soup."

——I’m recommending a book: *Three Kingdoms: Emperor Xian of Han Begs Me to Take the Throne*, by He Langkuan. (Does the name sound familiar? That’s right, he’s a fan I’ve recommended before. He says he won’t "go eunuch" this time. I took a look, and he’s got no root left. He’s probably been cut so many times before that the root’s all gone.)