Day of Ascension

The elder with the walking stick could hear Xu Ying and the others from afar. Their laughter and conversation drifted through the air, accompanied by the occasional chime of a bell and the hissing laughter of a snake.

The cane elder sneered coldly. “Enjoy laughing while you can. You’ll be screaming soon. Since I’m eating alone this time, I need to end things quickly before the other old ghosts come running.”

Xu Ying was the first to step inside. Guo Xiaodie had said something; as soon as he stepped through the doors, he turned his head back and smiled. “Who could have stepped on your chest in the middle of the night? A ghost, maybe?”

As he spoke, Dazhong appeared behind him. His powers surged, and he unleashed a loud toll. The resonant toll shook everyone, leaving them dazed and disoriented.

On his surface, thick rings of ancient runes rose into the air and spun. The patterns of all creation carved into his inner walls came to life, vying to bloom with boundless vitality. Each rune brimmed with immense power.

Dazhong’s sudden eruption left Xu Ying bewildered. A groan entered his ears. He turned and saw the cane elder who had warned them about the ghosts in this land pinned to the wall of the Demon Suppression Hall by Dazhong's toll.

Xu Ying hurriedly said, “Master Zhong, it’s that old mister with the walking stick. He’s not a bad person!”

Dazhong hurriedly suppressed his surging might and said sheepishly, “I sensed yin qi rapidly approaching and smelled the burnt scent of a lightning tribulation, so I panicked. I thought that my food—I mean, I thought a malevolent ghost was about to harm you. That’s why I struck. I didn’t expect to injure our benefactor!”

The shock nearly scattered the cane elder’s soul. He quickly said, “I am a ghost. Of course, I have Yin qi. When I underwent my tribulation in the past, the lightning shattered my Primordial Spirit. That’s why, even after I became a ghost, I still carry the burnt scent of a lightning tribulation. Why are you youngsters here again? Pull me down quickly!”

Xu Ying rushed forward to pull him down from the wall.

Malice surged within the cane elder. The moment Xu Ying looked away, the elder thrust his sharp claws at him, intending to drag out his soul and devour it first.

To his surprise, he caught hold of Xu Ying’s soul the moment he touched his skin, but it was solid and immovable. The impact snapped all five of his fingers.

Puzzled, Xu Ying glanced back at him before turning to Guo Xiaodie.

“It’s the night Feng Xian’er came to find you. I slept so soundly that I didn’t notice anything. When I woke up the next morning, I found myself wearing god knows whose old clothes, with a shoe print on each side of the chest.” Guo Xiaodie recalled the events of that night and clicked her tongue.

The cane elder’s face twisted in pain. He hurriedly popped his broken fingers back in place, his mind reeling in confusion.

The heavenly tribulation destroyed my physical body and Primordial Spirit, leaving only my soul behind. Though it’s not as strong as it once was, it still retains a trace of my Primordial Spirit’s power. Let alone a brat, even a Ghost King would have fallen to my claw! How is this brat’s soul this tough?

Remembering that one of the footprints on Guo Xiaodie’s chest was his, Xu Ying felt guilty inside and changed the subject with a smile. “How’s your progress with comprehending the Sword Kinesis Mantra, Xiaodie? Ask me if there's anything you don't understand. I'll teach you until you've mastered it.”

Guo Xiaodie softly acknowledged him.

Looking up, Yuan Weiyang said, “It’s getting dark. Let’s get going. Who knows what this place would turn into at night? If we delay, we may not be able to leave!”

Xu Ying voiced his assent and turned back to the cane elder. “Thank you for looking after us, Old Mister. We shall return tomorrow!”

The group jumped into the vat one after another, splashing water and disappearing.

A ferocious gleam flashed through the cane elder's eyes. He noticed the snake demon lagging with his head already inside the vat, and delight welled up within him.

Look at this snake. So adorably plump, overflowing with vital energy. He will surely give my yang qi a huge boost. I shall start with this huge snake!

He lunged forward, his nails growing rapidly, stabbing toward Yuanqi’s tail.

Just then, Yuanqi raised the tip of his tail and coiled it around a green paper umbrella. He popped it open. Within it, there seemed to be a sun, one burning brighter than fire.

Its brilliance made the cane elder shriek miserably. The green paper umbrella locked onto him, and he flew into it uncontrollably.

He screamed, “Green yang Treasure Umbrella, immune to all arts, repels all evils. It truly lives up to its reputation!”

In a flash, he was refined until only a speck of Eternal True Spirit remained. The paper umbrella sent it into Yuanqi, strengthening his true spirit.

Swish!

The green paper umbrella closed on its own, returning to its original state.

Yuanqi usually used the umbrella to shield himself from the sun. Curling the tip of his tail, he could prop it over his head to block the rays. Unexpectedly, it saved his life at that moment.

He sensed the commotion and pulled his head out of the vat again. He looked back and murmured in confusion, “I thought I heard some noise... That old man left so quickly! He actually stood guard here for our safety, and sent us away before leaving himself.”

He sighed emotionally as he plunged into the vat. “True affection exists even in the underworld!”

Xu Ying parted ways with Yuan Weiyang and Guo Xiaodie. He decided to move into Wutong Palace. In any case, Feng Xian’er had run away, leaving the palace empty.

Since Xu Ying moved into Wutong Palace, Dazhong and Yuanqi naturally moved in as well. The two immediately ran off to choose their rooms.

A knock came from outside. Xu Ying opened the door and saw that Guo Xiaodie had come to find him. She fidgeted for a while without stating her reason for the visit. Then, she took out a thin book and slapped it into Xu Ying’s hand.

Xu Ying was stunned for a moment.

Guo Xiaodie said, “Since you’re teaching me the Sword Kinesis Mantra, I can’t just take advantage of you. My clan strictly forbids teaching our Dragon Tracking Technique for the Crimson-Palace Secret Trove to outsiders.

However, every daughter of the clan is allowed one exception: she may teach it to her future husband. My husband will surely be a great man who wouldn’t care for our clan’s techniques anyway, so I’ll present my dowry to you first. That way, I won’t be breaking the clan’s rules!”

Stunned for a moment, Xu Ying smiled. “Xiaodie, you hold your own against men, a true hero among women.”

He accepted the Guo clan’s Dragon Tracking Technique, then unleashed his sword intent and patiently guided her.

She had forced Xu Ying into using the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing; suffice it to say, her aptitude and comprehension ability were outstanding. Moreover, the Guo clan was a lineage of martial Exorcists with a foundation in nurturing sword qi, so she learned very quickly.

However, the Sword Kinesis Mantra required profound sword comprehension and powerful control over one’s divine sense. He had cooperated with Yuan Weiyang to complete the Sword Kinesis Mantra because her insight into the divine sense far surpassed his own.

“Xiaodie, if there is anything you don’t understand about controlling swords with the divine sense, you can go ask Brother Yuan. We created this together, and he's much better than I am in that regard.”

Guo Xiaodie secretly felt regret. If I had known this earlier, I would’ve taken my dowry and married into the Yuan clan. Why was I trying to be a hero among women? Wouldn't it have been better to become a loving couple with Brother Weiyang?

Fortunately, her easygoing nature quickly won out. She soon forgot the matter and devoted herself to practicing the sword.

On the parasol tree, Xu Ying oversaw her practice, worried that she might fall. Later, he remembered the exquisiteness of the Guo clan’s Cloud-Ladder Heavenly Bound. She could move extremely quickly with a flip and a leap and wouldn’t fall to her death. So, he left.

He looked down the mountain and saw that many Exorcists from the Cangwu Sect had come again. They put on impermanence masks and jumped into the emerald lake one by one, diving into the Abyss of Cangwu.

I wonder what kind of cultivation technique the emperor is practicing? Why does he require so much yang qi every day?

He returned to Wutong Palace, took out the Guo clan’s Dragon Tracking Technique, and read it once. He immediately understood the profundities of the Crimson Palace.

This Dragon Tracking Technique pinpointed the location of the Crimson-Palace Secret Trove. It was the central hub of the six secrets of the human body and wielded heart energy. The stronger the heart, the greater one's strength. That was why every Exorcist of the Guo clan, regardless of gender, possessed extraordinary physical power.

Dragon tracking itself wasn’t difficult. As long as one had the technique, they could find it. The difficult part lay in unlocking the Crimson-Palace Secret Trove.

Before becoming an Exorcist, ordinary people knew nothing about qi refining and were weak. It was simply impossible for them to unlock their Crimson-Palace Secret Trove. So, they needed a Great Exorcist they could trust to help them unlock their Secret Trove.

The reason noble clans could control Exorcists and why sects of the martial world could survive was that they possessed a Dragon Tracking Technique and had Great Exorcists at their command.

For an ordinary person, no matter how talented they are, they couldn't unlock their Secret Trove alone.

Unless they were a Qi Cultivator, and Xu Ying was precisely that.

He had relied on his own strength to unlock the Mud-Pill Secret Trove, blast open the Mud-Pill primordial chaos, manifest a grotto heaven, and draw upon the vigor of his physical body from the sea of primordial chaos.

This time, he was far more experienced with unlocking a Secret Trove.

It was located within his left ventricle, hidden within the heart immortal mountain in his ethereal void. Xu Ying’s divine sense flew into that immortal mountain.

An eye is hidden within the heart, known as the heart eye. The Crimson-Palace is located in that heart eye!

Performing the Dragon Tracking Technique, he found his way inside the mountain. His divine sense navigated the mountain interior and finally found the heart-eye acupoint, which looked like an eye of fire.

His divine sense entered it, and a sea of fire lay before him. The crimson flames obscured his vision, and he couldn’t see outside.

“The Dragon Tracking Technique states that the crimson palace burns fiercely in the crescent furnace; the spiritual platform stands in silence as the great mystic altar! Opening a Crescent Furnace Grotto Heaven in the heart eye to strengthen the inner fire is the secret to harnessing the power of this trove!

Xu Ying pushed his divine sense, visualizing the Dao avatar of the myriad mountains worshipping the nine Mount Jiuyi. Channeling its might, he slammed into the heart aperture!

A deafening roar echoed. The sea of fire in his heart aperture churned violently. Following his strike, the fire grew increasingly fierce. Masses of flame collapsed into a deeper space!

In an instant, a grotto heaven took shape. It hung within the sea of fire like a crescent, causing the flames to burn even more intensely.

This was the meaning of the crimson palace blazing fiercely in the crescent furnace.

After unlocking the Crimson-Palace Secret Trove, Xu Ying felt his heart energy surge. Waves of heat poured from his heart aperture and coursed through him, leaving him feeling indescribably comfortable.

Only moments earlier, he had felt drowsy. Now, the fatigue had completely vanished. He immediately got up and stepped outside Wutong Palace. With a light leap, he jumped into the air.

Stepping on a cloud ladder, he strode upward before making another leap into the clouds. With another jump, he traveled hundreds of zhang away, moving so fast that his speed rivaled the Sword Kinesis Technique!

Like a nimble ape, Xu Ying leaped around in the sky, exhilaration filling his heart.

After amusing himself for a while, he wrapped himself in sword qi and flew through the window, entering Wutong Palace.

The night was quiet, yet a pair of eyes had followed his every movement across the sky. Only after Xu Ying disappeared into Wutong Palace, wrapped in sword qi, did they finally look away.

“Proficient in both exorcism technique and qi refining, switching between the two flawlessly. He’s much more skilled than Zhou Qiyun.”

Emperor Shengshen coughed violently, his face flushed, only subsiding after a long while. He waved his hand. “Eunuch Chen, go invite Xu Ying. I want to see him.”

The purple-robed Eunuch Chen’s heart jolted. “Invite him?”

Emperor Shengshen repeated himself, “Yes, invite.”

Eunuch Chen’s expression turned solemn as he bowed and voiced his compliance. “What if Old Ancestor Zhou obstructs me?”

“I am still the emperor, after all.” Emperor Shengshen coughed and said calmly, “Moreover, he fought with others and is injured. Go on.”

Eunuch Chen nodded and turned to leave.

Right in front of Wutong Palace, Xu Ying was just about to go to bed when he heard a knock. He rose to look and saw an elegant, mature woman standing outside. She wore a red robe with white marten fur draped over her shoulders. Beneath the moonlight and the lantern glow spilling from Wutong Palace, her skin looked fair as snow.

She exuded the fragrance of perfectly ripe peaches. Tall and slender, she had captivating eyes and meticulously applied makeup. Her robe's collar framed her graceful shoulders, exposing her collarbone, while the low-cut bodice revealed a tantalizing glimpse of her ample bosom.

Xu Ying took a sniff. The fragrance wafting from her was that of a perfectly ripe peach.

She leaned slightly toward Xu Ying and smiled. “I am Xiaodie’s second aunt. I apologize for the unannounced visit late at night. Would it be convenient for Demon King Xu to let me in for a chat?”

Xu Ying recognized her. Seeing her leaning toward him, he hurriedly shifted aside. Back then, that’s how Master Zhong latched onto me! No way I’m falling for the same trick twice!

This elegant, mature lady was Li Yingzhu. Since Xu Ying had remained unmoved when Guo Xiaodie practically threw herself at him that day, he had misunderstood the situation.

Today, she visited Wutong Palace in the middle of the night behind Guo Yue’s back because she had ulterior motives. She wanted to exploit Xu Ying's weakness and force him to reveal the secrets of the Sword Kinesis Mantra.

She had planned everything carefully. Her makeup was immaculate, and her attire struck the perfect balance between concealment and temptation. Every movement, every smile, and every glance revealed just enough of her charms to stir a man's heart without appearing excessive.

Practice makes perfect. A rash young girl like Guo Xiaodie couldn't compare.

Just as Li Yingzhu prepared to employ more of her charms to tempt Xu Ying, Eunuch Chen’s voice rang out from behind.

“Young Master Xu, I have come on His Majesty’s order to invite you for an audience. Madam Guo, I'm afraid your matter must wait. Please forgive me.”

Li Yingzhu flushed red in embarrassment. She hastily pulled her robes up and brushed past the eunuch, then soared into the clouds with a leap, vanishing without a trace.

Xu Ying praised, “Second Aunt’s skills are superb! I can’t compare to her!”

In his purple robes, Eunuch Chen exuded an air of nobility. He smiled. “Naturally, Madam Guo is extremely skilled. She just likes to play around. This way, please, Young Master Xu.”

Xu Ying smiled. “The emperor finally decided to summon me. Better late than never. Please lead the way, Eunuch Chen.”

Eunuch Chen was slightly shaken inside as he bowed to invite him.

Following him, Xu Ying descended the mountain. Before long, they arrived at the main hall of the Cangwu Sect. Eunuch Chen bowed and invited him inside, while he stood outside waiting.

Fire burned inside furnaces in the hall, with not just one, but over a dozen. The fires burned fiercely, making the interior steaming hot. These furnaces were refining pills, and the most precious ingredient among them was none other than yang qi.

Xu Ying had been here before, though only when his consciousness merged with Mount Jiuyi. It was his first time physically setting foot in this place. Within moments, the scorching heat seemed ready to evaporate every drop of moisture from him.

“I have also practiced demonic cultivation arts.”

Xu Ying caught the scent of incense as he saw Emperor Shengshen approaching from behind a furnace. “It’s what you call Qi cultivation techniques, but my cultivation hasn’t gone smoothly.”

Seeing his manic and depressed face, a thought sparked in Xu Ying’s mind. He cried out in shock, “Your inner fire is burning too fiercely and destroying your body! You’ve unlocked two of the six Secret Troves! One is your Li clan’s Secret Trove, and the other is the Guo clan’s Crimson-Palace Secret Trove!”

Emperor Shengshen’s expression darkened. Sweat drenched his body as though he had just been pulled from the water. He said hoarsely, “That’s right. I inherited the techniques of Jade-Capital Secret Trove from my ancestors, married Empress Guo, and practiced in her clan’s Crimson-Palace Secret Trove techniques.

“More importantly, I am the emperor of the Divine Land. I unite the faith of all under heaven. Countless commoners worship me and make offerings to me. I am the most exalted god in the Divine Land!”

Xu Ying couldn’t help but say, “But you still can’t beat Zhou Qiyun.”

Emperor Shengshen let out a growl, his eyes turned red as he stared at Xu Ying. A moment later, he finally said, “That’s why, when he went to practice demonic arts, I did the same! I want eternal life!”