Ascension Day

However, the Cultivation Techniques they obtained could only be cultivated to the Qi Collection Stage. There were no follow-up techniques!

The Taiyi Guiding Skill Xu Ying was currently practicing was the same. Although he could continue to improve his Qi Blood Cultivation, he could clearly feel that the path continued onward. It was just that the road was suddenly cut off, leaving only a vast expanse of Chaos, with nowhere to set his foot.

"Why do all Cultivation Techniques just stop at the Qi Collection Stage?" Xu Ying frowned, muttering to himself.

The Snake Demon was filled with righteous indignation. It said furiously, "I think someone is targeting my Demon Race! They’ve destroyed all of our Cultivation Techniques, leaving only the parts for the Qi Collection Stage! This must be a conspiracy by those wretched humans!"

Xu Ying shook his head. "If they had the power to destroy the later parts of the techniques, why not just destroy them completely? There must be something else going on."

He began leafing through the Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist when his expression suddenly shifted.

This Fist Technique was one of the Martial Arts Techniques. The Cultivator didn’t have to be a Cow Demon or an Elephant Demon; any race could practice it. Of course, if the Snake Demon wanted to learn it, it would first have to transform into a human to gain limbs for the practice.

The Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist had a unique method for mobilizing Qi Blood. It caused the circulation speed of Qi Blood to multiply, and the power that erupted in an instant was like that of a colossal elephant. That’s why it was called Divine Elephant Power!

The words "Ox Demon" were because when one used this Fist Technique, the speed of their Qi Blood circulation became so fast that it was difficult to remain rational. They would fall into a frenzied state, hence the name Ox Demon.

Moreover, this Martial Arts Boxing Technique would cause the user’s body to swell in an instant, making them several inches, or even a foot, taller than usual!

Their hands and feet would also become larger than normal!

Xu Ying’s interest was piqued. In the past, he had relied on brute force to subdue the Snake Demon and other creatures; he was not skilled in boxing. With the Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist, his power would skyrocket!

Just then, a villager’s voice called from outside, "Ying, it’s time to come worship the god!"

Xu Ying tucked the Scriptures into his robes, gave the back of the Snake Demon’s neck a light squeeze, and said, "When I get back from worshipping, if you’re still here, I’ll turn you into jerky to fulfill my commission. And another thing—don’t harm anyone."

The Snake Demon felt its neck bone snap back into place, and was filled with a mixture of shock and joy.

Xu Ying walked out of the courtyard and went to the ancestral hall in Jiang Family Field. He saw that the villagers looked sallow and sickly, their clothes ragged and torn, yet the hall itself was magnificent and exquisitely built.

From every household in Jiang Family Field, men and women emerged. The wealthy landowners carried cooked chickens and ducks and held thick incense and candles. The poor farmers had to offer fruit and white rice, holding three sticks of incense as they walked one by one toward the ancestral hall.

Those who were truly destitute, like Xu Ying, came empty-handed.

Xu Ying followed the villagers into the ancestral hall. Smoke from the incense curled upwards like rising mist. Behind the Incense Burner stood a sixteen-foot-tall wooden Divine Statue. It was painted bright red, wore a green robe, and had a green face with long fangs.

Amidst the fragrant smoke and flickering flames, the wisps of smoke drifted up and into the wooden Divine Statue’s nostrils.

The wooden Divine Statue’s chest suddenly swelled as it took a long, deep breath, sucking all the villagers’ Incense Smoke Qi into its abdomen.

The wooden Divine Statue gradually transformed into flesh and blood. It abruptly stood up from its Shen Kan, snatched the chickens, ducks, and fruit the villagers had offered, and began to devour them. In its glee, it even grabbed the incense sticks and candles, stuffing them into its mouth and chewing loudly.

Today was the first day of the lunar month, a day for worshipping the gods. Near Jiang Family Field, in the ancestral halls of villages like Xu Family Well, Yangzitang, Shuangji Bridge, and Shagou Bay, the Incense and Candlelight burned so intensely the smoke resembled clouds.

One by one, the Divine Statues—whether carved from wood, sculpted from clay, or cast in bronze or iron—awakened within the smoke of the Incense and Candlelight. They transformed into beings of flesh and blood to enjoy the Incense and Candlelight and delicacies the people offered.

In the Mountain God Temples and Dragon King Temples scattered across the great mountains and rivers near Lingling, misty clouds of energy also swirled. Even in the city, at the City God Temple, the City God himself awoke to enjoy the offerings.

This wasn’t limited to Lingling. Throughout all of Yongzhou, all of Xiangnan, and even across the entire Divine Land, the smoke of Incense and Candlelight curled into the air. The Divine Statues guarding every village, town, city, and prefecture awakened to enjoy the sacrifices of the common people. It was the very picture of a prosperous era.

However, ever since Emperor Taizhao, the Great Sage and Filial Emperor, grew incompetent and the world fell into chaos, that prosperous age had been ruined. Warlords carved up the land, Imperial Authority ceased to exist, and the divine grandeur across the Divine Land was no longer what it once was, gradually showing signs of decay.

"Xu Ying! Jiang Shu! Jiang Lu! You miserable paupers came empty-handed! You didn’t even offer me a single stick of incense or a candle!"

Inside the Jiang Family Field ancestral hall, the Divine Spirit flew into a rage, slamming its fist on a table. "I only eat two of your meals a month, and the food you offer isn’t even enough to fill my stomach! People of Jiang Family Field, do you still want favorable winds and timely rains? Do you still want to live in prosperity? How dare you anger a Divine Spirit! Aren’t you afraid I’ll bring disaster upon you?"

————Zhai Zhu’s new book, *Ascension Day*, has been officially released! One Chapter will be updated daily around noon (12:00) and another in the evening (around 20:00)! The second Chapter will be released tonight at 20:00 sharp!

Also, Qidian has changed its rules! You can now use your monthly passes on new books, so why not give it a try? Please vote with your monthly passes!~