Ascension Day

Having been caught off guard once, the wound on Xu Ying’s shoulder had burst open. He knew the situation was dire. He kept his eyes fixed on the two men as he slowly backed away.

He retreated into the apothecary shop.

The shop assistant had already finished packing the herbs into a large burlap sack. He and the shopkeeper were standing outside, watching the commotion. When they saw Xu Ying coming, they quickly hurried back inside.

Xu Ying snatched the sack, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and continued to back away carefully, afraid that Da Zhong would demolish the shop the instant he turned around.

Once he was out of the shop, he finally turned and ran toward the town’s exit.

CLANG! CLANG! Da Zhong trailed behind him, puffing out smoke. The noise sounded like a whole procession was hot on his heels, joyfully beating gongs and drums.

Zhou Yihang and Xue Lingfu each focused on suppressing their injuries. They did not give chase, letting Xu Ying go.

"You can’t walk by the river all the time without getting your shoes wet."

Zhou Yihang exerted all his strength, mobilizing the Activity of his Mud Ball Secret Treasury to repair the damage to his Flesh Body. He gave a bitter smile. "This time, it wasn’t just getting my shoes wet. That young man Xu Ying nearly dragged me underwater and drowned me."

City God Xue’s expression was grim. Half of his Golden Body was crackling, and every so often, a small, glittering golden fragment would burst off, turning into solid gold the moment it hit the ground.

The Earth God ran out from somewhere, knelt at City God Xue’s feet, and began offering incense and kowtowing, murmuring incantations.

City God Xue’s dissipating Incense Smoke Qi gradually began to re-coalesce. The flakes of gold on the ground hopped about as if they had grown legs, leaping back onto his body.

"Xu Ying caught us unprepared and injured us with his protective Magical Treasure. As long as we’re prepared for it, dealing with that big, broken Bell of his won’t be difficult."

City God Xue said coolly, "However, I’m afraid Master Zhou won’t be able to capture Xu Ying himself, because Master Zhou will soon be on his way to the Yellow Springs."

The moment he finished speaking, Demon Qi billowed at the entrance of the town, and a Demon God strode into Huangtianpu Town.

City God Xue said, "I have my Earth Gods, who can travel underground to rally forces from every mountain and lake. They can also monitor Xu Ying’s movements. With your injuries, Master Zhou, I doubt you have the strength to resist the Demon Gods under my command, do you?"

Zhou Yihang sighed and chuckled. "You can call for reinforcements, but you think I cannot? City God Xue, you must be unaware of my Zhou Family Nuo Art, ’All Grass and Trees Are Soldiers.’ It is a simple matter for me to summon some of our younger generation to provide support."

At the other end of Huangtianpu Town, Officials from various departments of Lingling County, such as the Merit Director, the Clerk of the Grain Department, and the Household Department, began to arrive one after another.

Divine Spirits from the surrounding villages and towns, as well as various Demon Gods, also rushed to Huangtianpu Town. Seeing the injured City God, they were all shocked. They hurriedly prostrated themselves, offered incense, and asked after his well-being.

On the other side, dozens of officials also arrived, including the Judicial Assistant and other assistants from the Merit, Grain, Household, Military, and Judicial departments, as well as the Prison Warden. Although they were fewer in number than the divine beings, they were all Nuo Masters in the service of the Zhou Family, and their abilities far surpassed those of ordinary Grass Gods.

The two sides formed ranks and faced off, their killing intent palpable.

It was a well-known fact that ever since the passing of Emperor Zhide Da Sheng Ming Xiao, divine authority and Imperial Authority had been at odds.

This was even more so in Yongzhou.

While other places could maintain a semblance of harmony on the surface, this was not the case in Yongzhou. Especially in Lingling, a place far beyond the Emperor’s reach, even Imperial Authority struggled to extend to the county level, to say nothing of divine authority.

Here, the Zhou Family were the local emperors, ruling their own territory and vying for power against the divine authority of the Yin Court. The two sides had long been as incompatible as fire and water.

Zhou Yihang, having regained his former appearance as a refined old man, managed to walk to the front of his formation. He smiled. "City God, this whole affair was just a misunderstanding from the start, wouldn’t you agree?"

After receiving the Incense and Candlelight from the Village and Town Gods, City God Xue Lingfu had also managed to suppress his injuries. He stepped forward from his group and said with a solemn expression, "This matter was, indeed, a misunderstanding."

Zhou Yihang smiled. "Since it’s a misunderstanding, and the fugitive Xu Ying is in frantic flight, it would be unwise for our two sides to fight amongst ourselves. If that Xu Ying manages to escape Lingling, wouldn’t we become a laughingstock?"

A look of shame crossed City God Xue Lingfu’s face. He said, "Master Zhou is right. The fugitive Xu Ying is incredibly dangerous. He has violated the Celestial Rules and must be brought to justice without delay. We should set aside the misunderstanding between our two sides for now and settle it in the future."

Zhou Yihang said solemnly, "That was precisely my intention."

The two men each gave orders, sending their respective officials and the various gods of the villages, towns, mountains, and rivers to track down and capture Xu Ying. Meanwhile, they both remained behind their forces to nurse their injuries.

City God Xue had an Earth God offer incense and then instructed him, "This matter with Xu Ying is of grave importance. Go and request the Divine Dragon of the Ningyuan Confucius Temple to come and lend its aid."

Zhou Yihang also secretly sent someone to fetch County Magistrate Zhou Yang. When Zhou Yang arrived in Huangtianpu Town and saw Zhou Yihang’s injured state, he was stunned.

"Yang’Er, Xu Ying is on the run. Have the officials with lower Cultivation pull back; they are no match for the fugitive. You will personally lead a group of our best men to capture him. I will remain behind to support you and keep an eye on Xue Lingfu."

Zhou Yihang continued his instructions, "Also, report this matter concerning Xu Ying to the Governor. Ask him to mobilize the Zhou Family’s top experts to help surround and capture him."

County Magistrate Zhou Yang was startled. "The boy is just a commoner from the countryside. Is it really necessary to trouble the Governor over him?"

The Governor of Yongzhou was named Zhou Heng. He was appointed by the Court, held military authority, and had countless experts under his command. Although Zhou Yang was also a member of the Zhou Family, he was not part of its inner circle of power.

Only a small handful of people could enter the power center of this Noble Family, and Governor Zhou Heng was one of them.

Zhou Yang was confused. ’Telling Governor Zhou Heng about this would be handing all the credit over to him. Why shouldn’t I take this achievement for myself?’

Zhou Yihang said, "The fugitive, Xu Ying, has already cultivated his Demon Technique to the level of a Demon King. Even among actual demons, few ever reach such a level. Our Zhou Family absolutely cannot tolerate him falling into the hands of the Yin Court!"

Zhou Yang hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to ask, "Father, the Old Ancestor’s Cultivation is world-shaking. He has already fully unlocked the power of the Secret Treasury. In the world today, whether they be Ghost Gods or anyone else, it’s hard to find anyone who can surpass him. Why would he still be so interested in a Demon Technique?"