Ascension Day

The *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation* wasn’t a Demon Clan Technique, so Yuan Qi couldn’t understand it at all. He grew so anxious that he started scratching his face with the tip of his tail. He could only try his best to memorize it, but unfortunately, his memory wasn’t very good.

By the time the Immortal finished his lecture on the *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation*, Yuan Qi was still staring blankly.

The white-robed Immortal fell silent after finishing his lecture, quietly waiting for the crowd to comprehend his teachings.

Yuan Qi mustered his courage, raised his tail high, and called out, "Immortal Master, that... that Detailed Explanation thing, I can’t learn it. Do you have any simpler Cultivation Techniques? A Martial Arts Ultimate Skill would be fine too. I don’t have any Immortal Fate, so I’ll just learn something rudimentary."

The white-robed Immortal Master assumed a meditative posture, completely unmoved.

Yuan Qi was determined to seize some Immortal Fate and refused to let the opportunity go. He clamored and fussed, begging for a rudimentary Cultivation Technique, making so much noise that no one around him could enter a state of meditative Cultivation.

The white-robed Immortal finally opened his eyes. "You brazen snake, stop your racket. I’ll give you a scroll for a Martial Arts Technique suitable for a Snake Demon like yourself." With that, he tossed down a scroll. "There is no fate between us. Now, scram."

Yuan Qi hastily picked up the Scriptures and used his tail to flip through a couple of pages. He saw the title was *Ba Snake Cultivator* and quickly said, "Immortal Master, the Ba Snake and I are of the same species but different lineages. They are Ba Snakes, and I am a Yuan Snake. If I learn a Ba Snake technique, I’m afraid my own kind will laugh at me."

The corner of the white-robed Immortal’s mouth twitched in anger. He tossed down another scroll. "This is the *Dragon and Snake Awakening Skill*. Take it and get lost."

Yuan Qi accepted the *Dragon and Snake Awakening Skill*. A single glance told him it was a perfect fit, far superior to his inherited Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist. Overjoyed, he quickly said, "Immortal Master, I love to read! Please give me this *Ba Snake Cultivator* scroll as well."

The white-robed Immortal waved his sleeve dismissively.

Yuan Qi kowtowed to the Immortal incessantly, tears streaming down his face as he choked out, "No one has ever been this good to me! Immortal Master, you are like a second father to me. I must kowtow a few more times, to formally acknowledge you as my master."

The white-robed Immortal secretly clenched his fist, then forced it to relax. "You have a filial heart. Very good. You may go."

Yuan Qi flicked away his tears with the tip of his tail and slithered out of the temple.

The white-robed Immortal breathed a sigh of relief. But suddenly, he saw that Lying Snake slither back in.

Rage burned within the white-robed Immortal. He barely resisted the urge to butcher the snake on the spot, forcing himself to calm down. "What is it now?"

Yuan Qi gave an apologetic smile. "Immortal Master, I just remembered that a good friend of mine is still outside and couldn’t get in. He’s incredibly clever—I’m sure you’ll like him when you meet him. So, I took the liberty of accepting him as your Disciple on your behalf. Could I trouble you for another True Scripture? I’ll give it to him to begin his Cultivation, and that way, he’ll also remember your kindness."

The white-robed Immortal nearly jumped to his feet but restrained himself. He let out a dry laugh. "You brazen snake, you’re quite loyal to your friends. Fine, fine. Today, I will grant you a proper Immortal Fate. Whatever you don’t understand about the *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation*, I will explain to you, point by point. I will make absolutely sure you learn it!"

Yuan Qi was ecstatic. He immediately kowtowed and said, "This Disciple understands nothing at all."

The white-robed Immortal suppressed his rage, intent on teaching Yuan Qi and letting the snake walk to his own doom. "Then I shall teach you from the very beginning!" he said with a smile.

On the Immortal Mountain, Xu Ying insisted on heading to the grand temple. Left with no choice, Da Zhong could only follow.

Suddenly, the sound of a violent collision echoed from up ahead. Xu Ying rushed forward and saw from a distance that a Divine Stone Statue had come to life and was on a killing spree.

The corpses of several Yongzhou Prefecture Officials lay nearby, while a few of their colleagues were locked in a fierce battle with the Divine Stone Statue!

They were Prefecture Officials, after all; their Cultivation Power was formidable, and their mastery of Nuo Techniques was profound. What astonished Xu Ying was that one of the Officials, who carried a large mask on his back, was behaving in the strangest manner.

The mask was bizarre. It depicted a deathly pale face with wide eyes, a long, lolling tongue, and a mouth full of fangs. It bore some resemblance to the Wuchang Ghost, an Underworld Ghost God from popular folklore.

The Official placed the Inconstancy Mask over his face. Immediately, countless fleshy tendrils sprouted from the mask’s edges, burrowing into his skin and merging with his flesh and blood!

His body, controlled by the power surging from the mask, shot up in height. He soon became gaunt and lanky, shooting up to a height of nearly sixteen feet. Though rail-thin, he was filled with an uncanny power!

From his mouth, his tongue now hung down, easily two or three feet long!

Once the Official donned the Inconstancy Mask, a sinister wind began to radiate from him. He no longer seemed human, but rather an Underworld Ghost God—Impermanence itself!

The Nuo Arts he performed became bizarre and unsettling, suffused with a ghastly aura that specifically targeted the soul. His attacks wounded the Divine Stone Statue’s Divine Soul, forcing it to fall back repeatedly.

However, the Divine Stone Statue they fought was exceptionally powerful. It had a third eye on its forehead, stood atop a Profound Turtle, and was clad in Golden Armor. The Magical Power it drew from Incense Smoke Qi was immense—far more profound than that of the Divine Spirit that had been chasing Xu Ying just moments before!

Incense Smoke Qi swirled around its body, filled with the buzzing thoughts of mortals and the chants of tens of thousands of worshipers. This collective faith even manifested as tangible golden characters that merged with the Incense Smoke Qi, transforming into flowing ribbons!

The statue retreated a few steps, then its third eye shot out a beam of Divine Light. ZZZT! The beam nearly sliced the Official transformed by the mask in two at the waist.

The Profound Turtle at its feet was equally ferocious, moving with incredible speed, completely belying the slowness typical of its kind. It carried the Divine Spirit on its back as it charged into the fray, utterly unstoppable!

The Profound Turtle opened its cavernous maw. A single bite from it could shatter Golden Stone, crushing a person and their Magical Treasures to pieces!

Using his Celestial Eye, Xu Ying could see many interruptions and flaws in the Divine Spirit’s Magical Power. The Profound Turtle had similar weaknesses.

’Even if I can see these openings,’ Xu Ying thought, ’I’d be killed before I could even get close enough to make a move.’

The gap in power between him and this Divine Spirit was simply too vast to be overcome by skill alone.