Ascension Day

"Xu Ying is worthless!"

Governor Zhou Heng snapped, "Xu Ying can only crack Demon Clan Techniques, that’s all. I’m cultivating an Immortal Technique, which is immeasurably superior. If I’m going to become an Immortal, why would I ever need some Demon Clan Technique?"

"Th-this..."

Zhou Zheng was at a loss. He suddenly thought of all the guards who had followed him. Now, some were dead, others had fled, and he didn’t know how many had survived. And now, the Governor was saying ’Xu Ying is worthless,’ making their deaths utterly in vain. A wave of grief washed over him.

’I’ve failed these brothers!’

At that moment, a few more City Gods strode into the Great Temple. They locked their gazes on Xu Ying from afar, not letting up. The City God of Ningyuan Road saw Magistrate Ling Youdao was also in the crowd. He hurriedly went over and whispered, "Magistrate, Xu Ying is here. Should we...?"

Magistrate Ling sighed, opened his eyes, and said, "Why must you disturb my Immortal Fate? I came into this temple and received an Immortal Technique. I can’t even be bothered with that fatso, Governor Zhou. And now you’re bringing up some Xu Ying to disturb my peaceful Cultivation!"

The other City Gods were also dumbfounded.

Suddenly, Xu Ying smiled. "Immortal Master, could it be that you don’t understand Sword Techniques?"

Yuan Qi said, displeased, "Ying, how could the Immortal Master not understand Sword Techniques? That Sword Qi Abyss outside Water Gate Temple, the one that’s over three miles long, was created by the Immortal Master’s Sword Technique. Isn’t that right, Immortal Master?"

The people Xu Ying had disturbed also glared at him angrily.

Before the Immortal Hall, the White-robed Nuo Immortal simply smiled without a word.

Xu Ying smiled. "The truth is, Immortal Master, you don’t understand Sword Techniques at all. You are a Nuo Immortal. When you sensed your lifespan was at its end, you hid within your own Land of Concealment and secreted that land away in the Underworld. You must have commanded a massive force in your life. Those Divine Statues were enslaved by you to refine the Ten Thousand Spirits Pill because your Divine Soul was wounded and you needed to consume the pill just to sustain it. But one day, a flash of sword light split open your Land of Concealment and struck you down right here. Not only were you killed by that person’s sword, but they also skinned you."

Yuan Qi flew into a rage and shouted, "Xu Xiaoruan, do you have any idea what you’re saying? Offending the Immortal Master is a death sentence! Immortal Master, please don’t hold it against him! He had a serious illness that messed with his head. He doesn’t even know who his own parents are!"

Governor Zhou Heng was so furious his belly quivered. He yelled, "You little brat with the surname Xu! For offending the Immortal Master, I’ll eliminate you even if it means breaking my family’s laws!"

Xu Ying’s gaze remained fixed on the White-robed Nuo Immortal’s face. He smiled. "Right now, you’re just a sheet of human skin. You crave flesh and blood, but you probably can’t use just anyone’s. You need to transform these people, to make their bodies suit your needs. You have to pass on your Cultivation Technique to them, let them cultivate your Evil Skill on their own, and reshape themselves into something suitable for you..."

He frowned, unsure how to describe the act of occupying another’s body.

Da Zhong knew he hadn’t encountered this kind of knowledge before and reminded him, "Possession. The Flesh Body is like a house, and the soul is like its resident. Seizing another’s Flesh Body, expelling, destroying, or devouring the original owner’s soul, and occupying the nest like a cuckoo—that is called possession."

Xu Ying continued, "You use an Evil Skill to make this bunch of poor saps transform themselves into a Flesh Body suitable for you to possess. Am I right?"

As soon as he said this, many people stopped cultivating the *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation* and turned to look at the White-robed Nuo Immortal.

Magistrate Ling frowned. "Xu Ying, do you realize what you’re saying? Offend the Immortal Venerable, and you’ll suffer for eternity in Lun Hui!"

Xu Ying raised a hand and pointed. A streak of Sword Qi shot out like a rainbow across the sky, heading straight for the White-robed Nuo Immortal. He shouted, "Was this the move that killed you?"

The White-robed Nuo Immortal had been calm and composed, but upon seeing this flash of sword light, his expression changed drastically. His skin deflated like a popped balloon, and he let out a terrified scream!

However, Xu Ying’s sword strike was nowhere near strong enough to harm him. Before it even got close, it was shattered by his residual aura.

The sword strike was all form and no substance, but the White-robed Nuo Immortal was already a bundle of nerves. The sight of that familiar sword light made it impossible for him to maintain his transcendent facade.

Below the hall, everyone was stunned.

The White-robed Nuo Immortal was still screaming, his cries bloodcurdling, as if he were being flayed and having his tendons ripped out.

How could a magnificent Immortal lose his composure like this?

But Xu Ying’s eye twitched. He looked up at the sky, which had, at some point, grown dim. The youth patted the still-shocked Yuan Qi and whispered, "Let’s go. Any later and it’ll be too late."

Yuan Qi snapped out of it and immediately followed him. The boy and the snake headed for the temple exit. Still shaken, Yuan Qi said, "Ying, that Immortal Master was really good to me. He was so patient when he was lecturing on the scriptures, much more patient than you. Oh, right, he even gifted me two scrolls of scripture."

"HAHAHAHA!"

A strange laugh came from behind them. The White-robed Nuo Immortal was laughing so hard he was doubling over, but in a bizarre way. His waist seemed to be broken. When he bent forward, his entire body flattened against the ground. When he bent backward, his waist snapped back, and the back of his head touched the floor.

"Night has finally fallen."

The White-robed Nuo Immortal stood up, bathed in Immortal Light, and cackled, "The hunt begins. My divine dynasty has awakened!"

Outside the Broken Temple World, the Naihe River appeared out of thin air. Eerie Ghost Fires dotted its banks.

Although a sun still hung high in the sky of the Broken Temple World, a sudden chill filled the air. In that instant, the entire Great Temple World had entered the Underworld.

On each of the Immortal Mountains, the Divine Statues grew brighter and brighter, and the buzzing sound of chanting grew louder.

In the sky, Ghost Fires, as numerous as stars, swarmed into the Broken Temple World. Each Ghost Fire was a lonely, wandering soul, drawn by the Soul Summoning Ritual Text within the minds of the Divine Statues on the Five Immortal Mountains. They flew toward the statues and the altars!

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi rushed out of the temple. They saw five floating Immortal Mountains, upon which towering figures flickered in and out of existence, unleashing waves of terrifying divine might!

Terrified people fled the Great Temple in a panic, shoving and trampling one another in their desperate escape.

Moments ago, this place had been the Immortal Realm to them. Now, it was hell!

"All of you... will die!"

The voice of the White-robed Nuo Immortal echoed from behind them. "Tonight, you will all become sacrifices for my divine dynasty!"

Someone who had cultivated too deeply in the so-called *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation* stepped through the temple gate, and in that instant, his flesh and blood separated from his body. Only his skeleton ran out of the Great Temple, while his flesh remained inside the gate.

Xu Ying looked back and saw many people leaping, trying to jump out of the Great Temple. The moment they crossed the threshold, their flesh and bone were suddenly torn apart, leaving only a skeleton to charge out.

Seeing this, the others hesitated, their raised feet faltering, not daring to leave the temple.

They had cultivated the *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation*, nailing their Primordial Qi into their flesh like spikes. Their Primordial Qi was identical to the White-robed Nuo Immortal’s, which was equivalent to refining their bodies into the Great Temple itself. To escape, they would have to strip off their own skin and flesh!

Yuan Qi suddenly had a flash of insight and shouted, "Reverse the circulation of the *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation*! That should solve it!"

The White-robed Nuo Immortal was furious. He roared, "You long-worm, you’ve ruined my plans! I’ll make sure you die a miserable death!"

It was as if a lock had suddenly been sprung in Yuan Qi’s mind. He shouted, "I get it! He also refined himself into the Great Temple to keep from dying! He can’t leave the Great Temple!"

The White-robed Nuo Immortal was beside himself with rage. The human skin flew up, fluttering about, and tried to charge out of the temple gate.

However, the Great Temple was his Hidden Land. Just as he reached the gate, the White-robed Nuo Immortal was dragged back by a strange force.

Back then, he had been living peacefully in seclusion within his Hidden Scenery Transformation Land, but an unexpected enemy sought him out and cut him down with a single sword strike.

Because he had died unjustly and was unwilling to accept his fate, he remained within his own skin. He refined the skin and the Hidden Land into one, making the Great Temple his flesh, sinews, bones, and Five Viscera.

He then designed the *Daozhen Xuanji Detailed Explanation* to trick people into entering the temple. As long as they came in and cultivated this technique, they would merge with the Great Temple and become his flesh and blood.

This method had always been foolproof, but he never expected to run into a problem because of a stupid Snake Demon.

Even more unexpectedly, while this Snake Demon was stupid, he could also be clever at times, and had actually figured out the flaw in his Cultivation Technique!

"My family is a scholarly one! I’ve read many books, and they contain all sorts of stories. You think you can fool Lord Niu?" the Big Snake taunted, looking back.

The White-robed Nuo Immortal grew even angrier. ’This damn snake’s surname is actually Niu! To think I’d lose to a demon who doesn’t even know his own species!’