Day of Ascension

Pei Jingting was on edge, constantly scanning his surroundings for any movements. He was now the only survivor from an entourage of nearly three hundred people. Still, he was determined to bring Xu Ying to the Divine Capital alive!

Before long, night fell, and all the directions seemed to meld. The mountains below stretched on endlessly, and he could no longer make out the terrain. He did not dare press on, so he had no choice but to stop and rest.

They did not enter a nearby city or seek shelter in a temple. Instead, they chose a peak at random and settled there.

Xu Ying made no complaints. He personally started a fire to cook, while Yuanqi went hunting. After a while, the giant snake came back, dragging a wild boar as large as a small hill. “Ah Ying, the boars in these mountains are huge!”

Pei Jingting scrutinized their surroundings and said in a deep voice, “This is a mutant species that emerged from the new lands...”

His eyes gleamed as he suddenly unleashed a palm strike. A mountain forest about a dozen li out exploded. His eyelid twitched, and he relaxed, saying, “Just a mosquito flying by.”

Xu Ying finished preparing the meal and smiled. “No need to be so tense, Elder Pei. Sit down and eat first.”

After dinner, Pei Jingtong remained vigilant and stayed awake the whole night. Xu Ying fell asleep as soon as he lay down and slept until dawn.

Before the sun had fully risen, Xu Ying washed up quickly and gathered qi while facing the sun, beginning his morning practice.

Yuanqi came to his side and practiced his breathing technique facing the morning sun. Even Dazhong flew out. It swayed as it gathered its spirits and began cultivating in the sun, expanding and shrinking.

Pei Jingting was astonished at the sight, unaware that this was Xu Ying’s routine. After getting acquainted with Yuanqi and Dazhong, it had become a shared routine.

The morning sunlight formed a Dao field that spanned about three to four mu above Xu Ying’s head. Behind him, the Mud-Pill and Crimson-Palace Secret Troves also appeared. As he breathed, the Dao field and Secret Troves also seemed to breathe in tandem.

He’s unified the Mud-Pill and Crimson-Palace Secret Troves! Pei Jingting was slightly shaken inside.

He couldn’t help but feel a hint of admiration toward Xu Ying. They said he guided the white-browed old ancestor and helped him achieve dual cultivation of Qi and Exorcism. It seems that is indeed the case!

Suddenly, Pei Jingting sensed something. He raised his head and looked into the distance, only to see a donkey on a far hillside, leisurely grazing.

As if sensing his gaze, the donkey raised its head and looked back at Pei Jingting. Then it trotted to the peak and hid behind a taciturn youth.

Pei Jingting took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming, and strode forth toward that youth.

With every step, his aura grew stronger and his mystical power surged.

Seawater surged beneath his feet and spread outward with him at its center. However, that was not real seawater. It was a Dao avatar he had visualized, along with his Radiant Vestige. Though it had no physical form, it was like a true sea, carrying immense power capable of shaking heaven and earth.

“The Zhu clan is like the Zhou clan, merely a newly risen noble clan, and it is still inferior.”

As Pei Jingting’s aura grew increasingly powerful, he said, “Old Ancestor Zhu, you’d best not drag your clan into this. Your newly risen clan can’t bear the cost of provoking our Pei clan.”

The taciturn youth was the Zhu clan’s old ancestor. He said indifferently, “Let’s see.”

Yuanqi hurriedly cried out, “Ah Ying! That old man Pei has been lured away. We can slip away now!”

Xu Ying shook his head. “Keep cultivating.”

Yuanqi was puzzled.

Dazhong explained, “Where would we even go? No matter where we hide, they’ll find us the moment our cultivation triggers another phenomenon.”

Xu Ying chimed in, “They want my help, not the other way around. So why should I let them hunt me down? I might as well take the initiative and seize control of the situation. They're not Zhou Qiyun. What gives them the right to coerce me?” Yuanqi asked, “How do you take control?”

Xu Ying answered, “By making my way to the Divine Capital from here. That’s how I’ll take control.”

Before his voice faded, a white-haired elder approached on a donkey and stopped a short distance away. That elder smiled. “Demon King Xu, how have you been?”

This Zhu clan elder had sought shelter on Mount Wu Wang during Old Ancestor Zhou’s tribulation. Xu Ying and the others had thought he was the taciturn youth’s father, but he turned out to be the son.

Xu Ying nodded slightly. “I’ve been fine, thanks to your blessings.”

The elder extended an invitation, asking, “Could I trouble you to make a trip to the Zhu clan?”

Xu Ying answered seriously, “Please lead the way, Patriarch Zhu.”

Delighted, the elder replied, “I wouldn’t dare accept such a title. My clan’s old ancestor is still alive. I’m not the clan head. Please, mount the donkey, Demon King Xu.”

Dazhong flew into the back of Xu Ying’s head, while Yuanqi shrank and hid under his collar. Xu Ying mounted the donkey, and the white-haired elder led the way.

He smiled. “Please rest assured, Demon King Xu. This donkey may be a little slow-witted, but he’s fast.”

Smoke billowed beneath the donkey’s hooves as he broke into a trot. He accelerated with every stride, crossing mountains and ridges as though they were flat ground.

Puzzled, Yuanqi asked, “Back on Mount Wu Wang, didn’t you say you would kill that donkey and eat him? Why didn’t you?”

The donkey snorted smoke through his nostrils in anger. He suddenly bucked, nearly throwing Xu Ying off his back.

The Zhu clan elder hurriedly lashed the donkey twice to keep him in line.

They traveled more than three hundred li before imperial dragon qi suddenly rose from the mountain forest ahead. A colossal imperial dragon coiled around a towering mountain.

Its green scales resembled weathered bronze, and its enormous head hung over the mountainside, looking exceptionally ferocious. Drool dripped from the corner of its mouth as it stared at the donkey and the Zhu clan elder.

Its head was massive, like a hill. It snorted, unleashing a fierce gale that swept through the mountain forest, sending sand and rocks flying.

The donkey urinated all over the ground in fear. The elder also went pale as he looked up at the azure dragon. With a fierce shout, eight grotto heavens manifested behind him.

Hum! Hum! Hum!

Nine enormous grotto heavens hung above the opposite mountain peak, rotating slowly as though warping space-time itself. The sky twisted around them.

From the perspective of the Zhu clan’s elder, the world beyond that mountain appeared utterly bizarre!

“The holy emperor Li clan is indeed worthy of their reputation!”

The Zhu clan’s elder immediately said to Xu Ying, “Please dismount the donkey, Demon King Xu. I can only escort you this far. Farewell!”

Xu Ying got off the donkey. The elder immediately leaped onto its back. Keeping his eyes fixed on the azure dragon, he rode backward and frantically slapped the donkey's rump as they fled.

As he walked forward, he saw a yellow-robed youth beneath the mountainside where the azure dragon coiled. The youth lay on the lush grass with one leg crossed over the other, idly swinging it.

His hands rested behind his head, and a stalk of foxtail grass hung from his mouth as he stared at the sky.

When Xu Ying approached, the yellow-robed youth rolled up and smiled. “I am Prince Zhao, Li Jie. Some old fossils call me Imperial Uncle Li. I’ve been waiting here for you to escort you into the capital for an imperial audience, Demon King Xu.”

Xu Ying smiled. “Very well. I’ve been looking forward to meeting Emperor Shengshen again ever since we parted on Mount Jiuyi. May I ask what kind of carriage you’ve prepared, Imperial Uncle Li?”

He laughed out loud and waved his hand. “This is the carriage His Majesty instructed me to bring! He said that you must ride this to the capital!”

The azure dragon rattled as it lowered its body. A prisoner's cage sat atop its head, complete with a wooden cangue and iron shackles.

Xu Ying paid no mind to it. He climbed up the dragon’s head, opened the prisoner’s carriage, and stepped in.

Imperial Uncle Li approached and smiled. “Please excuse me.”

With that, he unlocked the heavy wooden stocks and iron shackles, then secured them around Xu Ying’s neck, ankles, and wrists.

“These are treasures specially forged by the imperial prison. They can bind the physical body and the soul, and seal the six secrets of the human body, restricting any transformations.”

Imperial Uncle Li said, “Although His Majesty has ordered me to imprison you and send you to the Divine Capital, I can tell from his intentions that he still values your talent highly. On this journey, I believe His Majesty intends to temper mercy with authority and will not treat you too harshly.”

Xu Ying smiled. “If that is the case, I wouldn’t make things difficult for His Majesty either.”

Imperial Uncle Li frowned slightly. The azure dragon beneath his feet stirred slightly and soared into the air, winding through the sky as it flew toward the Divine Capital.

After traveling over two thousand li, the sun in the sky suddenly tilted, and another sun appeared. Realizing something was amiss, Imperial Uncle Li immediately braced himself for battle.

A carriage burst forth from the second sun, racing toward him. Four magnificent horses, wreathed in flames, pulled it, while the carriage itself appeared to drag a blazing sun behind it.

As the four horses galloped, their hides shed and grew into dragon scales and claws, making them look unusually ferocious. They radiated overwhelming malevolent qi that sent chills down one’s spine.

“Dragon-breeds that have awakened their primordial bloodline? A noble clan with four such breeds can certainly be no ordinary clan!”

Imperial Uncle Li didn’t dare to take this lightly and steered the azure dragon sharply, lunging at the carriage as he shouted, “Who exactly is inside that carriage? Show yourself!”

The azure dragon collided violently with the four dragons, sending shockwaves in all directions. The carriage exploded, and a primordial, godlike giant rose to his feet. He had a shiny golden body, his muscles bulged like a coiled dragon, and he wielded a giant ax, slashing down toward the azure dragon and Imperial Uncle Li!

Imperial Uncle Li met the attack with all his might, but just as he received the blow, a thick staff thrust out from the great sun behind the carriage and struck him right in the chest.

Imperial Uncle Li coughed up a mouthful of blood. Feeling both shock and rage, he roared, “The Zhao brothers!”

The younger Zhao brother beheaded the azure dragon with a single swing. Its severed head, along with the prisoner's cage, plummeted from the sky.

Facing the Zhao brothers alone, Imperial Uncle Li had no chance to rescue the falling cage. He cursed inwardly, Oh no! If Xu Ying falls to his death, I won’t be able to explain myself to His Majesty!

Just then, a white crane with a wingspan of a hundred zhang flew over. Its sharp beak pierced through the prisoner’s carriage and caught it midair.

Standing atop the white crane’s forehead was a charming woman. Facing the wind, she giggled. “Demon King Xu will be visiting my Cui clan as an honored guest. No need for you to trouble yourselves!”

Swish!

An arrow streaked through the air, piercing the white crane's left eye before exiting through the right. The white crane exploded into a mass of vital energy and dissipated. It had merely been a Manifestation of the Great Dao.

As the prisoner’s carriage plummeted, a heavenly ladder appeared. In the distance, a gigantic figure stood atop it, holding up the azure sky with one hand. The prisoner’s carriage landed on the azure sky and white clouds.

“Haha, my dear friends! Little Brother Xu is our Guo clan’s son-in-law. He’s heading to the capital to wed our young miss. No need to trouble yourselves to escort him any further!”

A burly, white-haired elder appeared wearing a black cloth mask. Behind him, the gigantic figure held the prisoner's cage aloft and bounded through the sky with the agility of an ape. Each somersault carried it one hundred li.

All of a sudden, Pei Jingting, covered in blood, appeared out of nowhere and charged straight toward the Guo clan’s burly elder, shouting, “Old Ancestor Guo, leave Demon King Xu behind!”

The Zhu clan’s taciturn youth also rushed over, shouting, “Brother Guo, are you trying to keep him all to yourself?”

Imperial Uncle Li struggled free of the Zhao brothers and charged in. He roared from a distance, “Elder Guo, as a Duke of the state, are you going to defy the imperial decree?”

The white-haired elder was none other than the Guo clan’s old ancestor. He felt a jolt in his heart upon hearing this, and he cursed, “You still recognized me even with my face covered? This will be hard to explain.

He hurled the prisoner’s carriage with all his might and shouted, “Little Brother Xu, the Divine Capital is just ahead. When you enter the city, use my Guo clan’s name for protection!”

Whoosh!

The prisoner’s carriage soared through the sky, passing over rugged mountains, swept through deep valleys flanked by sheer cliffs, and flew past beneath a huge waterfall.

Inside the prisoner’s carriage, Xu Ying saw a majestic ancient city coming into view ahead.

The city resembled an immortal palace or a blessed land. Towering pagodas and wooden pavilions pierced the clouds, while countless grotto heaven phenomena filled the sky alongside majestic gods.

These gods weren’t any inferior to the Underworld Court’s gigantic divine statues. Their dense incense qi weaved through the buildings like mist or ribbons, transforming into rainbows and bridges.

Looking from afar, pedestrians flowed back and forth like shuttles, walking across those rainbows and bridges formed from incense.

The prisoner’s carriage crashed down toward the city. Xu Ying immediately channeled the Grand Unity Guiding Method and summoned his primordial qi.

The wooden stocks and iron shackles specially forged by the imperial prison could seal the six secrets of the human body, the grotto heavens, and the soul, but they couldn’t lock down his ethereal void!

Mustering his strength, Xu Ying shattered the iron shackles and blasted the prisoner’s carriage apart.

As he stepped forward, a cloud ladder appeared beneath his feet. Grasping it, he descended while gradually slowing his fall. He finally landed about a dozen li from the Divine Capital.

Just ten li away lay the magnificent Divine Capital, a place of thriving incense offerings, and the residence of the son of heaven.

As Xu Ying walked toward the Divine Capital, he saw the roadsides littered with the corpses of those who had starved to death. Wrapped in straw mats, they had been abandoned along the riverbank.

In that great river were huge fish-turned-demons. Each had four thick fins growing beneath its belly. One lunged onto the shore, struggled across the ground, bit into a corpse, and dragged it back into the water.

The water churned violently as the fish demons came to fight for food.

Xu Ying couldn’t help but slow his pace as he walked along the post road. He also saw Exorcists by the roadside, acting suspiciously. They took out an enormous vermillion gourd, nearly as tall as half a man, beside the corpses and began chanting.

When they saw Xu Ying approaching, they shut their mouths and straightened their backs, staring at Xu Ying with eerie gazes, yet didn’t say a word.

Once Xu Ying passed by, they began chanting again, activating the gourd.

Xu Ying activated his Third Eye and looked back, only to see a lot of black smoke billowing out of the gourd and entering the corpses by the riverbank, pulling their souls out through their nostrils.

Many of the corpses by the riverbank hadn’t even been dead for seven days. Their ghosts are still standing guard by their corpses. During the day, the ghosts would hide inside their corpses to hide from the sunlight.

To his shock, the black qi pouring from the gourd’s mouth could forcibly drag these ghosts out of their corpses!

The ghosts struggled and writhed as the black qi engulfed them before sucking them into the vermilion gourd one after another.

Xu Ying shouted, “What are you doing?”

The Exorcists hurriedly stopped. One of them frowned. “Friend, this is none of your business. We’re from the Divine Capital office. Don’t poke your nose where it doesn’t belong!”

Xu Ying immediately realized. “You’re gathering souls to refine elixirs for the powerful figures in the Divine Capital?”

The Exorcists exchanged glances. The leading black-robed Exorcist said, “He cannot be left alone! Kill him first!”

Just as they were about to strike, a sword aura flashed. Before any of them could react, they were beheaded.

Xu Ying killed them all with a single strike. The warmth vanished from his face, replaced by a fierce expression. He seized the vermilion gourd and strode toward the Divine Capital with murderous intent.

“I came here with a pure heart, seeking to learn, but the Divine Capital doesn’t seem to be a place of virtue! It has forced me to kill!”