Ascension Day

Although the Mud Ball Secret Treasury could grant him an Undying Body, it wasn’t a truly absolute one!

The internal injuries from the roar in the well wouldn’t heal so quickly!

"Back then, it’s true I was no match for you. But now..." Wei Chu strode toward Xu Ying and sneered, "I can kill you with ease!"

Xu Ying stood perfectly still and said, "Master Wei seems to have forgotten my good brother, Yuan Qi. He’s hiding on the roof of the Great Hall right now, just waiting for you to make a move. The moment you do, he’ll deliver a fatal blow."

Wei Chu’s face fell as he remembered the state of Judicial Assistant Ding Quan’s neck.

Xu Ying’s expression grew grim. "Judicial Assistant Ding Quan... Master Wei, you should be familiar with him, no? My good brother Yuan Qi’s venom is the second most potent in the world, and he bit Master Ding. Even if you manage to rescue Ding Quan, he’ll still die. His fate is sealed! Not even the Mud Ball Secret Treasury can save him!"

Suddenly, Ding Quan’s laughter rang out from outside the temple. "Didn’t that Snake Demon say his venom was the fifth most potent in the world last time? How is it that coming from the mouth of a wily peasant like you, it’s suddenly become the second?"

Xu Ying’s expression flickered. Ding Quan stepped through the temple gates. His neck was pitch-black and his complexion was ghastly; clearly, the snake venom had yet to be fully neutralized.

Wei Chu burst into laughter, taunting, "Wily peasant, what lies can you possibly spin now?"

Ding Quan walked to Wei Chu’s side, cupped his hands, and performed a deep bow. "Thank you, Brother Wei, for helping me purge the poison. If not for your help, I would already be a ghost in the Yellow Springs."

Wei Chu waved his hand dismissively and smiled. "We’re colleagues. Saving you was nothing, don’t mention it."

Ding Quan’s expression turned serious. "It may have been nothing to you, Brother Wei, but you saved my life. I was raised on the teachings of the sages. I understand honor and integrity. I will never forget your kindness for as long as I live!"

Xu Ying quickly composed himself, his expression returning to normal. He began to chant in a low voice, "The Celestial Soul gives birth to the white tiger, the earthly soul produces the Cyan Dragon. Wield the treasure within the Mud Pill, move the essence to the upper palace. One who masters this art, will look like a child for ten thousand years."

As the words reached their ears, the faces of Wei Chu and Ding Quan changed drastically.

Ding Quan’s body trembled.

Wei Chu took a step forward and bellowed, "What did you just say? Where did you get the Mud Pill Hidden Scene Qi Refining Method? That is clearly the Zhou Family’s most guarded..."

He had barely spoken when countless roots suddenly writhed beneath his feet, burrowing into the flesh of his legs like tiny spiritual snakes!

The flesh of his right leg was still regenerating, giving the roots the opening they needed. In a flash, innumerable tendrils pierced his blood vessels and invaded his heart!

Wei Chu froze, turning his head to look at the man beside him in disbelief.

Ding Quan looked at him, his eyes welling with tears. He choked out, "Brother Wei, he forced my hand! Don’t blame me! The moment he spoke the name of the Mud Pill Hidden Scene Qi Refining Method, I had no choice but to kill you. I don’t want the Zhou Family to execute my entire clan! I have a wife, and three concubines to support... I’m a pitiful man, you know that..."

Wei Chu’s face turned crimson as blood welled up in his mouth. He struggled to force out his final words: "I saved your life..."

Tears streamed down Ding Quan’s face as he wailed, "I know! And I will be sure to live well, so I won’t waste the life you saved. So please, rest in peace. Once you’re dead, no one will ever know my secret!"

Wei Chu’s skin and clothes burst apart, and blood flowed everywhere.

His flesh had shockingly transformed into innumerable roots; even his brain was just a tangled mass of tendrils!

’I can’t let the Zhou Family know I made a copy of the Mud Pill Hidden Scene Qi Refining Method! And I absolutely can’t let them know I lost the manuscript!’

Ding Quan’s expression gradually turned vicious. He spoke to the humanoid mass of roots, "If you must blame someone, blame Xu Ying! Blame that wily peasant for running his mouth! Xu Ying killed you, not me! Brother Wei, I’ll send that peasant to join you right now and avenge you!"

He placed his palm on the roots sprouting from Wei Chu’s Flesh Body. His Nuo Art flared, and the roots shot upward at a tremendous speed, quickly growing into a massive willow tree!

The willow’s roots coiled, and where they met the trunk, a face began to form. It bore a slight resemblance to Wei Chu, its expression still frozen in shock.

The willow’s canopy grew ever larger, gradually engulfing the ruined temple. Thousands of willow branches hung down, swaying in the breeze.

Ding Quan stood beneath the willow tree and glared up at Xu Ying, his eyes filled with malice. "Wily peasant Xu Ying, you killed my savior! Today, this official shall avenge Lord Wei!"

Xu Ying remained silent. Suddenly, a wheezing laugh echoed from the Great Hall. Yuan Qi had awoken. He poked his head out from under the eaves and chuckled, "You’re really one of a kind. Killing your own savior and then pinning the blame on someone else. You bragged about all your studies as a child? Looks to me like you read all those books with your ass!"

Ding Quan’s face darkened. With a SWISH, willow branches shot toward Yuan Qi. He sneered, "You monster, what would you know? Brother Wei was my savior. The one who killed him was Xu Ying, and his accomplice was you, this Exotic Snake! I am avenging my savior by executing you two villains! My righteousness soars to the heavens!"

Yuan Qi’s body shot into motion. Treating his thirty-foot-long frame as limbs, his body bent and coiled as he unleashed the Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist. His Qi and Blood surged, repelling the willow branches that closed in on him!

He weaved and dodged, unleashing a variety of fist techniques. The trumpeting of an elephant echoed from within his body as he sneered, "Ding! People call me a venomous snake, a monster. But I think you’re the real venomous snake, the real monster! You don’t have a shred of humanity left in you!"

Enraged, Ding Quan attacked with true killing intent. Yuan Qi was struck again and again, his situation growing perilous.

Xu Ying walked out of the Great Hall and said in earnest, "Ding Quan, I was just carefully studying the Nuo Technique and Nuo Arts within the Mud Pill Hidden Scene Qi Refining Method. I’ve discovered that its Nuo Arts are riddled with flaws."