Day of Ascension

Xu Ying returned to Mount Wu Wan with the Mud-Pill Radiant Vestige Longevity Mantra. He entered the place of ascension and quietly studied the cultivation technique that had led Zhou Qiyun to glory and death.

This cultivation technique required circulating the power of the Mud-Pill Secret Trove to gather qi from the sea of primordial chaos, thereby offering an alternative method for refining qi.

What truly broadened Xu Ying's horizons, however, was the method of refining the Mud Pill's vigor into the physique and soul, allowing both to reach the level of an immortal.

The most glaring flaw the Mud-Pill Palace Master had left in the cultivation technique lay in the soul of an immortal.

Refining the Mud Pill’s vigor into the soul made it incredibly powerful, yet it was all show and no substance.

Moreover, filling the soul with so much vigor was like fattening a plump, white piglet. Wasn't feeding it until it grew nice and fat simply inviting others to eat it?

Xu Ying pondered, Almost all Exorcists’ souls aren’t particularly powerful. They’re fine when facing other Exorcists, but they’re often helpless against the ghost gods of the underworld.

Many powerful Great Exorcists can’t even endure a single strike from the Niu brothers’ whip. Upon discovering this trap, Zhou Qiyun immediately pivoted in another direction to try to temper his soul until it became incredibly powerful.

Xu Ying read through Zhou Qiyun’s notes, which were filled with his cultivation insights, including his understanding of soul tempering.

He had forged a Primordial Spirit only after Xu Ying taught him the method in the Granny Tuo Immortal Book and the Nine Heavens Yang Spirit Mystic Altar Technique. Before that, he had found fragments of Qi cultivation techniques and relied on his own comprehension to temper his soul until it rivaled a Primordial Spirit.

Xu Ying couldn’t help but shake his head. “To reach such a level using half-true, half-false fragments. What a true prodigy.”

In his insights, Zhou Qiyun noted that the fragments he had obtained contained only a few pointers on refining the Primordial Spirit. Many areas were unclear; its description of the Primordial Spirit was vague and misleading.

Clearly, the notes were mere speculations of a Qi Cultivator who had never forged a Primordial Spirit, not a genuine technique for refining one.

Relying solely on such unreliable fragments, Zhou Qiyun had still managed to achieve such success. One couldn’t help but feel deep admiration for him.

The most remarkable part of his insights was how he integrated the Mud-Pill grotto heaven and the Qi Cultivation systems.

Whether it was the method in Granny Tuo Immortal Book or the Nine Heavens Yang Spirit, both were pinnacles of ancient Qi Cultivators’ understanding of their practice. Fusing them was already extraordinarily difficult, let alone integrating a cultivation technique from an entirely different cultivation system.

The approach Zhou Qiyun had taken differed from Xu Ying's expectations. Rather than using exorcism arts as the foundation and Qi cultivation techniques as the supplement, he used Qi cultivation techniques as the foundation and exorcism arts as the supplement.

As an Exorcist Immortal, doing so meant subverting and negating the achievements of his life so far. Accomplishing such a difficult feat required immense wisdom and courage.

Xu Ying continued reading Zhou Qiyun's insights.

“His Majesty unlocked his Crimson-Palace and Jade-Capital Secret Troves. The energies of these two Secret Troves clashed, and he was powerless about it. I had mocked him for walking down the wrong path, but was it truly wrong? That conclusion is incorrect.

“The world believes that the six secrets of the human body conflict with one another, and mixing their practices leads to death. That is because their cultivation techniques lack a main trunk to unify all six secrets, thus the conflict.

“If one can use the ethereal void as the main trunk to unify all realms, the six secrets would be like flowers and fruits on that trunk, free from the chaotic disturbances.”

After reading Zhou Qiyun’s insights, he closed the book and pondered for a long time.

Then, he suddenly called out, “Master Qi, Master Qi!”

Yuanqi was in the place of ascension practicing breathing exercises and the Dragon-Snake Spring Awakening. He hurriedly slithered over. “What’s wrong, Ah Ying?”

Xu Ying said, “Put these books away. They’re all treasures. We cannot afford to lose them.”

Yuanqi opened his mouth wide and swallowed the books.

Everything below his neck was essentially his stomach. The longer his body, the larger his stomach. It could even expand further when necessary. Xu Ying stored anything inconvenient to carry inside Yuanqi's stomach.

Yuanqi had long since refined his stomach and intestines into an artifact for storing precious objects. Back then, his ancestral Great Sun Guiding Method was also hidden within his stomach.

Xu Ying told Yuanqi, “Master Qi, Zhou Qiyun said that Qi cultivation is like a tree, and the six secrets of the human body are its flowers and fruits. Only then would the six secrets not clash with one another. That description is wrong.

“The six secrets are actually six power sources for a Qi Cultivator, each supplying energy to the tree of Qi cultivation. That's the correct way to view them!

Yuanqi didn’t understand the meaning. He stared blankly with wide eyes and asked timidly, “So, what’s the difference?”

Looking straight into his eyes, Xu Ying explained seriously, “The difference is that Zhou Qiyun used qi refinement as nutrients to support the six secrets of the human body, strengthening the power of the Secret Troves, while my method is the opposite.”

Yuanqi understood, though not entirely. Following his logic, he asked, “So, how do we achieve that?”

Xu Ying clapped his hands in admiration and paced back and forth excitedly, saying, “Master Qi is clever!”

“Zhou Qiyun solved the problem of integrating his cultivation techniques with Qi cultivation. Yet, due to him being an Exorcist Immortal, even though he broke free from the limitations of his own perspective and knowledge, it still affected his judgment!

“I will extract the top half of the Mud-Pill Radiant Vestige Longevity Mantra and integrate it into my Grand Unity Guiding Method!”

Being praised for his intelligence only made Yuanqi feel more guilty. He trembled with apprehension. “Ah Ying, how will you integrate it?”

“Does integrating two different cultivation systems sound incredibly complex?” Xu Ying laughed. “We simply treat the vigor drawn from the sea of primordial chaos through the Mud-Pill grotto heaven as the sun essence or primordial qi of heaven and earth that we normally channel during cultivation. That solves the integration problem, doesn’t it? Master Qi, doesn't that make sense?”

Yuanqi’s eyes went wide as he listened. His mind had gone completely blank.

The huge snake extended the tip of his tail and rubbed Xu Ying’s head. He smiled with relief and pride, encouraging him, “Since you’ve found a solution, go ahead and do it boldly, Ah Ying!”

“Mhm!” Xu Ying nodded heavily and went on to try unifying the Mud-Pill Secret Trove.

The Niu brothers witnessed this and were struck with admiration toward Yuanqi. Niu Qian said, “Our teacher possesses wisdom that spans heaven and earth, yet even he seeks Master Qi's guidance whenever he encounters a difficult problem.”

Niu Zhen sighed with emotion. “Master Qi is deeply unfathomable.”

Yuanqi anxiously thought, I was only following Ah Ying’s train of thought and said a few words to keep up appearances. He isn't really going to cultivate this way, is he? What if something goes wrong...

He blinked. Then again, that's Ah Ying's problem. He's so smart that he'll surely figure it out. Right... should I unlock my own Mud-Pill Secret Trove?

His heart pounded wildly. Ever since the massive underground creature had attacked him while he searched for his Mud-Pill Secret Trove, he had never considered unlocking it again.

But now, Xu Ying was on the verge of unifying Secret Troves and Qi cultivation. Yuanqi's thoughts began to stir. We demons also possess the six Secret Troves. Naturally, we can also unify them with Qi cultivation. This is the perfect time to unlock my Mud Pill. It's also the golden opportunity for the revival of the demon race!

Filled with enthusiasm, he immediately channeled his divine sense and entered his ethereal void, moving upward. In mere moments, he arrived at the sea of primordial chaos in his brain and found his chaotic Mud Pill.

Yuanqi was stunned when he saw a great bell floating next to his chaotic Mud Pill, bobbing up and down.

“Despicable bell, when did you get here?” Yuanqi flew into a rage and lunged forward. His divine sense tangled with the great bell in a brawl. “No wonder I've been feeling drained lately. You were behind it! You stole my vital energy!”

“You're slandering me! I only take a mouthful or two each time. Never more than twenty percent!”

“You sucked Ah Ying, and now you’ve come to suck me! You wretched bell, are you planning to carry two grandfathers around with you?”

“That's the pot calling the kettle black. Aren't you carrying a grandfather around, too, clinging to Ah Ying and leeching off him everywhere you go?”

......

Yuanqi threw Dazhong out of his mind, but the snake still wouldn’t let the matter drop. His enormous body coiled around the great bell and repeatedly slammed him into the ground, producing loud clangs.

He had already awakened his primordial bloodline and practiced both the True Cultivation of Ba Snake and the Dragon-Snake Spring Awakening, possessing the Manifestation of the Great Dao. His strength was boundless!

Even Dazhong felt pain from the impact. He no longer endured it and expanded with a whoosh, freeing himself from the snake. He pinned Yuanqi’s head to the ground and smashed it down again and again with heavy thuds.

The Niu brothers hid in a corner of the place of ascension, trembling in fear.

The Niu brothers exchanged a glance, thinking the same thing. Master Qi will get annihilated, won’t he? Why isn’t our teacher stopping them?

Yuanqi’s head was covered in bumps from the hits, and he cried out loud, “Mercy, Master Zhong!”

The bulls sighed in relief and praised in unison, “Master Qi is magnanimous!”

The snake and bell quickly reconciled.

Yuanqi sought guidance from Dazhong on how to unlock his Mud-Pill Secret Trove. Dazhong didn’t hold back and explained, “There are two methods to unlock the Mud Pill. The first method is to ask a master to help you unlock it. It carries a hidden danger because your Mud-Pill grotto heaven can easily fall under another person's control.

“The second is to gather the power of your Dao avatar, transform it into a divine ability, and blast open the Mud Pill yourself to unlock your grotto heaven.”

Then he recounted the process by which Xu Ying unlocked his own Mud Pill. Yuanqi immediately wanted to give it a try, saying, “I’ve mastered the Dao avatar of dragon-snake, and I’m a Manifestation of the Great Dao myself. I can unlock my Mud Pill on my own!”

Dazhong said, “For a rare variant like you who has awakened your primordial bloodline, you don’t need to practice Qi cultivation techniques or exorcism arts at all.

“You just have to keep developing your bloodline power, continuously raise its purity, and harness the strength of your species. That way, you could grow into a peerless primordial divine creature! Why bother working so hard?”

Yuanqi laughed. “How is that any different from drifting through life while waiting to die? Can't I have higher aspirations? Master Zhong, have you ever seen a primordial beast that could fly on swords?”

Dazhong praised, “Originally, I didn’t have many expectations of you either. I didn’t expect you actually to master the Sword Kinesis Mantra. Well, since Ah Ying is busy figuring out how to unify the two cultivation systems and has no time to help you, I’ll stand guard for you and help you unlock your Mud-Pill Secret Trove!

“In the future, you, Niu Yuanqi, will be a towering grandmaster of the demon race!”

Yuanqi’s beastly blood boiled with excitement. He felt an overwhelming urge to twist his tongue into loops and knots and roar to vent his emotions.

He suddenly thought, If I really become a grandmaster of the demon race, go down in history, carry forward the legacy of my predecessors, and usher in a new era for the demon race, future demons will surely raise their thumbs and praise the old ancestor of the Niu demon clan. Wouldn't that just make me angry?

He couldn’t help but hesitate. Should he change his surname before his name went down in history?

At Dazhong's urging, Yuanqi temporarily set the matter aside. The two were astonishingly bold. Without Xu Ying's guidance, they began forcing open Yuanqi's Mud-Pill Secret Trove.

Meanwhile, Xu Ying reviewed the circulation method of the Grand Unity Guiding Method and the cultivation technique of the Mud-Pill Radiant Vestige Longevity Mantra.

He cut out the section on grotto heaven, fused the two cultivation techniques into one, and repeatedly refined the sequence to ensure there were no major errors. Only then did he try to practice the cultivation technique.

As he channeled the Grand Unity Guiding Method now, the heavenly river in his ethereal void immediately surged, washing over the mountains and valleys. Thunderous rumbles echoed faintly within him, and the great sun began to revolve.

Instantly, the spirit qi of heaven and earth from the place of ascension poured in from beyond the heavens, nourishing his body and soul.

Moreover, the longevity qi from his Mud-Pill grotto heaven flowed in and mingled with the spirit qi of heaven and earth, permeating his five viscera and six bowels, hair, skin, bone, and marrow, even his three-part soul and seven-part spirit. All of them were thoroughly nourished.

“So this is the real longevity mantra!”

A surge of emotion welled up within Xu Ying. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he murmured, “If Old Ancestor Zhou had comprehended this, he wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to face his tribulation, nor would the Mud-Pill Palace Master have taken advantage of him.”

As longevity qi continuously tempered his physique and soul, he felt the five elements harmonize, Yin and Yang reach perfect balance, and the principles of life and death become clear. His lifespan steadily increased.

Just then, Dazhong’s panicked cry rang out. “Ah Ying! Ah Ying! Something’s happened to Master Qi!”

Xu Ying quickly stopped. Dazhong’s voice drifted out from Yuanqi’s mind, shouting, “Master Qi tried unlocking his Mud Pill, but the power of his move was insufficient, and his aim was slightly off. His grotto heaven is half-open and is showing signs of collapse. I’m helping him suppress the backlash of the chaotic qi!”

Xu Ying hurriedly tapped the space between his brows. His soul flew out of his body, entered the back of Yuanqi's head, and plunged into his mind.

All he saw was chaos. Waves churned across the sea of primordial chaos while chaotic qi drifted through the sky like clouds. A grotto heaven stretched out like a dragon, repeatedly plunging into the sea of primordial chaos before surging back into the air, unable to stabilize.

It was the grotto heaven Yuanqi had tried to force open!

The scale of this grotto heaven was much smaller than ordinary Mud Pill grotto heavens.

At any moment, the sea of primordial chaos could assimilate it. If that happened and the Mud Pill was destroyed, the best possible outcome would be Yuanqi's mind descending into chaos, leaving him an idiot.

In severe cases, his head could disappear altogether.

Xu Ying composed himself and scanned the surroundings. He saw Dazhong suppressing the disturbances of the grotto heaven, resisting the sea of primordial chaos to prevent it from assimilating the grotto heaven.

Powerful as he was, even Dazhong could not withstand the sea of primordial chaos forever. Before long, even he would be destroyed.

Next to Dazhong was half a chaotic Mud Pill floating on the sea of primordial chaos. Likely, Yuanqi’s divine power was lacking and only opened half of the chaotic Mud Pill, turning it into half a grotto heaven and causing this mess.

Xu Ying shouted, “Yuanqi! Listen to me, gather your divine sense! I’ll help you open the remaining half of the Mud Pill!”

Due to his failure to split open the Mud Pill, Yuanqi’s divine sense had scattered, leaving him in a groggy state, so he didn’t hear Xu Ying clearly. Xu Ying frowned and made a split-second decision. His soul flew out and returned to his physical body.

He channeled all of his primordial qi and shouted, “Rise!”

Yuanqi rose into the air, hoisted up by his immense mystical powers, floating.

Xu Ying unleashed the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing. Dao sounds resonated within him, and the Dao sounds inside Yuanqi echoed in response. Unable to resist, Yuanqi instinctively performed the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing alongside Xu Ying.

He channeled the Dragon-Snake Spring Awakening Cultivation Method, and Yuanqi automatically followed.

Xu Ying pointed his finger toward the snake’s glabella, and Yuanqi’s tail pointed toward his own glabella.

The divine abilities of the man and snake merged, descending from beyond the heavens of the sea of primordial chaos. Dragon and snake struck together, smashing into the half-open, chaotic Mud Pill.

Rumble!

A violent tremor rippled through. A second grotto heaven burst open, like a giant snake thrashing in the sea of primordial chaos, plunging into the sea and stirring up winds and waves.

The grotto heaven quickly resonated with the first, intertwining and fusing into a singular grotto heaven, shaped like a dragon and a snake tangling together, drawing upon longevity qi endlessly from the sea of primordial chaos!

Dazhong stared in astonishment. “That stupid snake turned a disaster into a blessing...”