Day of Ascension

One of the four suns in the Truth-Seeking Supreme Void Grotto Heaven had already set. Two of them were gradually rising to high noon, while the fourth was descending toward the horizon.

Strangely, the suns in this spiritual sanctuary lacked the fierce heat of the sun outside. Their light was gentle; after transforming into primordial qi, it posed no risk of qi deviation from excessive fieriness. They could cultivate with a peace of mind.

Yuanqi couldn’t help but sigh. “A single day in the cave, a thousand years in the world. When Qi Cultivators hide in grotto heaven to cultivate, they may not make a thousand years of progress in a day, but half a year or even a year's progress is possible.”

As Xu Ying cultivated, Yuanqi used the opportunity to practice the Dragon-Snake Spring Awakening Cultivation Method as well. Though it wasn’t a high-tier cultivation method, he could siphon some Dao seeds from Xu Ying, allowing his cultivation to progress at a respectable pace.

As the primordial Yuan snake bloodline within him awakened further, his Dao avatar became increasingly distinct. He swallowed clouds and exhaled mist with every breath, gradually gaining the aura of a primordial Yuan snake, riding toxic mist, and wielding wind and thunder.

Dazhong also practiced his own guiding breathing method. As Dao seeds erupted from Xu Ying's Dao field, he intercepted some for his own use.

A single day of cultivation here could indeed equal half a year or even a full year's practice outside. With the added benefit of intercepting Dao seeds, the experience was even more exhilarating than siphoning Xu Ying’s vital energy!

Guo Xiaodie didn’t know any Qi cultivation techniques and could only watch anxiously. Fortunately, during Yuan Weiyang’s break from cultivation, she explained the cultivation method in Granny Tuo Immortal Book to Guo Xiaodie.

She also helped Guo Xiaodie with qi gathering. She, too, possessed extraordinary comprehension ability and learned it very quickly.

The two sat close together, cultivating while they chatted. Warmth and sweetness filled Guo Xiaodie's heart. She pushed her faint affection for Demon King Xu to the back of her mind and enjoyed the intimacy of the moment.

Unbeknownst to her, Uncle Xiao watched from the side. He worried inwardly yet could not bring himself to reveal that Yuan Weiyang was also a woman.

Before they knew it, another sun had set. The two remaining suns were also setting.

The sky gradually darkened.

Just then, an old man with a walking stick came down from the mountain, chuckling from afar. “You kids, the sun is about to set. Why aren’t you running yet?”

Xu Ying and the others were startled inside. There are others in this grotto heaven?

He stepped forward and bowed. “Elder, why do we have to run when night is falling?”

The old man stopped and tapped his walking stick on the ground. “When the sun sets, the underworld envelops this land. Those Qi Cultivators who died unjustly or in vain during the heavenly tribulations would appear. Their overwhelming resentment turned them into wronged souls and malevolent ghosts.

“I couldn’t bear to watch you lose your lives and came to warn you. Leave at once!”

The group was startled again and quickly looked toward the sun. Another had set, and the final sun rested atop the mountain.

Guo Xiaodie thanked him and asked, “Elder, do you want to leave with us?”

“I am a wandering spirit of this place and can’t leave. I appeared only because a shred of conscience remains within me.”

The elder vanished without a trace as soon as he finished speaking.

The group was utterly shocked and hurried down the mountain. By the time they returned to the Demon Suppression Hall, night had already fallen, and the winds gradually turned cold. They jumped into the vat one after another, returning to the Abyss of Cangwu.

Xu Ying was the last of the group. Just as he jumped in, he saw a bloody light flash before his eyes.

He hurriedly asked, “Master Zhong, Master Qi, did you see a flash of crimson light?”

Dazhong and Yuanqi saw nothing. Touching his forehead, Xu Ying found a bloodstain the size of a mosquito on his hand.

He was flabbergasted; after practicing Inner Vision, he found nothing unusual and dropped the matter.

Meanwhile, the old man with a walking stick suddenly appeared within the Demon Suppression Hall. When he saw that Xu Ying and the others were gone, he stamped his feet and shook his head.

“They slipped away so fast! I didn't even get to enjoy a meal! Never mind. Now that they have tasted the grotto heaven’s benefits, they will surely be back!”

It was already night at the Abyss of Cangwu. Numerous Exorcists wearing impermanence masks descended from Mount Jiuyi and entered the underworld. There, the little ghosts were roaming unchecked, shuttling through graveyards to absorb the yang flame on the shoulders of ghosts who had died recently, harvesting their yang qi.

Other ghosts went to human villages and towns to steal the living's yang qi.

As the underworld invasion continued, the two realms gradually merged. Many human villages and towns were relocated to the new lands. Nearby mass graves became gathering places for little ghosts, who emerged after nightfall.

The little ghosts had no idea that the Ghosts of Impermanence would eventually seize the yang qi they collected. They could barely fill their bellies and remained trapped in a cycle of perpetual hunger.

Many human Exorcists blended themselves among these impermanence ghosts and joined them in exploiting the little ghosts.

As Xu Ying watched the Exorcists enter the underworld, he suddenly wondered something. If these Ghosts of Impermanence exploited the little ghosts, was there someone above in the food chain doing the same to the impermanence ghosts?

Perhaps their superiors controlled them in the same way. After they returned with harvested Yang qi, those superiors might strip them of everything and leave them with only scraps.

Yuanqi had read anecdotal records on the subject.

“According to the Records of Gods and Anomalies, the Ghosts of Impermanence harvest Yang qi as tribute to the emperor of the underworld. There was once a scholar who committed suicide out of shame and indignation after corrupt officials blocked his advancement.

“When his soul entered the underworld, he encountered an underworld emperor whose pomp and ceremony rivaled that of the mortal emperor. He bowed to pay his respects, and that underworld emperor burst out laughing. He claimed to have been an emperor thousands of years ago and remained an emperor even after death.”

Immersed in the story, Xu Ying asked, “Then did that scholar attain his ambition in the underworld and become a high-ranking official?”

“He wanted to ask that underworld emperor for a government post. The emperor told him that he could remain emperor only because all his former civil and military officials had died. When they arrived in the underworld, they supported him and allowed him to continue ruling.

“His old comrades would never die in the underworld. Their children in the mortal realm, however, would eventually die of old age and arrive there as well. The emperor had to make arrangements for them.

“That emperor said that the waiting list for even a minor village official position stretched ten thousand years long! That scholar was overcome with grief and indignation, thinking that a miserable life was still better than a good death. So, he returned to the world of the living.”

Listening intently, Xu Ying, Guo Xiaodie, and Yuan Weiyang gasped in shock. They cried out, “Even the underworld is this competitive?”

“The competition is even fiercer.”

They grabbed onto the fishing line and were pulled out to the Abyss of Cangwu. Ever since following Zhou Qiyun into the underworld, Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, and the others had not enjoyed a single moment of rest. By now, they were utterly exhausted.

Guo Xiaodie arranged rooms for them and let them rest first, while she went to look for the beautiful madam and her husband.

That madam was her mother’s younger sister, Li Yingzhu. She was from the reigning imperial family, the Li clan—also a noble clan. Though she wasn’t a princess, she wasn’t without status in the Li clan.

The handsome young man was a talented son of the Guo clan, and Guo Xiaodie’s fourth uncle, Guo Yue.

The marriage alliance between the Li and Guo clans wasn’t simply the Guo clan marrying their daughter to the emperor as empress. The imperial clan also married their daughter into the Guo clan. That way, their interests became deeply intertwined and difficult to untangle.

Guo Xiaodie took out the Sword Kinesis Mantra that consisted of two hundred something words and handed it to Li Yingzhu, saying, “Aunt, you’re well-read and knowledgeable, and a sword technique genius of the two clans. Help me take a look at this Sword Kinesis Mantra. I really can’t understand it.”

Li Yingzhu glanced at it casually, but her eyes immediately widened. She snatched it over and exclaimed in shock, “Where did you obtain this Sword Kinesis Mantra from?”

Stunned for a moment, Guo Xiaodie answered, “I exchanged it for it with that lecher... Aunt, is there a problem with it?”

“There’s a problem. Of course, there’s a problem, and it’s huge!” Li Yingzhu paced back and forth excitedly. Her soul stirred restlessly, and she felt the urge to fly a hundred thousand li in celebration before returning.

She elaborated, “In the early days of the founding of the empire, the path of martial Exorcists was the trend. Even within the imperial clan, nurturing sword qi was popular. A single mouthful of majestic sword qi could support half of the prosperous Tang dynasty!

“However, not even the three founding heroes could comprehend the Sword Kinesis Technique! They sought out famous mountains and rivers and scoured ancient classics.

“They spent who knew how many years searching before they found a single line of text with barely a dozen characters describing the Sword Kinesis Technique! And those words are the same as the words on this piece of paper!”

Guo Xiaodie was stunned. Only then did she comprehend the worth of the treasure she had acquired at the cost of the Ode to the Azure Skies.

“Later, people stopped nurturing sword qi because they lacked the Sword Kinesis Technique. Without it, sword qi couldn’t reach a higher realm, making it inferior to other exorcism arts.”

Li Yingzhu carefully unfolded the Sword Kinesis Mantra. A fiery light flickered excitedly in her eyes. “If we had this piece of paper, sword qi wouldn’t have fallen into decline. How wonderful, how wonderful...”

Then, she furrowed her brow. The mantra had over two hundred characters, simple and clear, yet she couldn’t understand it.

Guo Xiaodie asked carefully, “Second Aunt, I used the clan’s Ode to the Azure Skies to exchange for it. Is the trade worth it?”

“It’s worth it! It’s an absolute steal! He can’t master the Ode to the Azure Skies even if he obtained it. To him, it's just a pile of scrap paper. If our founding ancestor learned of this trade, he'd crawl out of his coffin and applaud you!”

Li Yingzhu said excitedly, “That lecher who peeked at you bathing gave this to you? I never expected that brat to be such a sly little devil, possessing such a treasure! Why not let him look a little longer? You might get an even greater treasure from him!”

Guo Xiaodie stared in disbelief and hurriedly said, “Second Aunt, what are you saying? How can I let others look at my innocent body? I’d die of shame!”

Li Yingzhu hooked her arm around Guo Xiaodie’s shoulder, extended two fingers, and quietly pulled down her niece’s bodice slightly, grinning.

“Be good, Xiaodie. Seduce him a little, trick him into explaining what the words mean. At worst, take another bath, and stay in water longer this time... Right, you’re still not betrothed yet, are you?”

Guo Xiaodie grew wary and cried out, “Second Aunt, what are you thinking of doing? I have someone I like already!”

“Young Master Yuan, isn’t it?” Li Yingzhu said casually, “Although he’s handsome, smart, and comes from a good family, his clan is declining, after all. The benefits they can bring to our Li and Guo clans are limited, but that lecher is different.

“This Sword Kinesis Mantra alone could secure our clans for another few centuries! Xiaodie, why don’t you make it a done deal[1] first?”

Guo Xiaodie jumped in fright and quickly slipped away from under her arm.

Li Yingzhu chuckled. “How many marriages in noble clans like ours are decided by the people getting married? Even the marriage between your Uncle Yue and me was arranged by the clan elders. We got married after meeting once, and we've lived quite well ever since. Besides, he follows my lead.

“As for that lecher, though his complexion’s a little dark, I see that he has a broad frame. He must possess great physical aptitude. Some wealthy woman in the city likes raising young men like him!”

Guo Xiaodie fled in a panic, shouting, “You’ve gone mad, Second Aunt. I’m going to tell Uncle Yue!”

Guo Yue soon came to the study. The couple contemplated the Sword Kinesis Technique together. After a long while, Guo Yue sighed and rose to his feet.

“I’ll try to persuade Xiaodie.”

Li Yingzhu said, “If it comes to that, we’ll consult the clan elders. We'll have them speak with His Majesty and request an imperial decree for their marriage. She will have no choice but to agree to it.”

Guo Yue nodded lightly. “One more thing. I received news that this lecher, Xu Ying, is originally from Lingling County of Yongzhou Prefecture. Both the mortal realm and the underworld wanted him for killing a god. Also, the underworld emperor and Zhou Qiyun hold him in high regard. They ordered his capture at all costs, causing quite a stir.

“Ever since Zhou Qiyun captured him, they have been practically inseparable. He brings Xu Ying wherever he goes. Rumor has it that Xu Ying can understand demonic arts!”

Li Yingzhu covered her mouth in shock, and her eyes widened. “Is that true?”

“Absolutely. Zhou Qiyun is on the mountain at this very moment. Xu Ying’s every move is under his watch.”

Li Yingzhu composed herself and spoke decisively. “Make sure Xiaodie and him become a done deal as soon as possible! She may not understand our intentions now, but she will in the future and thank us for it. Oh, does His Majesty know?”

Guo Yue smiled. “The information came from His Majesty’s side. I knew it the moment he did.”

The couple exchanged a knowing smile.

Li Yingzhu said, “His Majesty’s paying such close attention to Xu Ying because of that immortal art, right?”

Guo Yue’s smile gradually froze. Li Yingzhu sighed and dropped the matter.

Xu Ying was deep in his sleep in the middle of the night when he suddenly felt a warmth under his blanket. Reaching out, he felt a bare, smooth body that was plump and soft.

The youth immediately jolted awake. He threw back the blanket and saw dark hair spread across the pillow. Guo Xiaodie was lying in his bed, stripped down to less than he was, with no clothes on!

The girl was sound asleep and had no idea of what was happening.

Xu Ying hurriedly cried out, “Master Zhong! Master Zhong! Master Qi! Master Qi!”

Strangely enough, Dazhong and Yuanqi were nowhere to be seen. Dazhong usually hovered above Xu Ying while he slept, never leaving his side to guard his iron rice bowl[2].

But tonight, Dazhong had gone missing, and even Yuanqi had gone who-knows-where to fool around.

Seeing that they weren’t around, Xu Ying looked at the naked girl in his bed. Wicked thoughts immediately came to his mind. He lifted a corner of the blanket to take a peek.

There’s indeed a mole! That means what I saw during yesterday's Dao immersion was real. When my divine sense merged with Mt. Jiuyi, it truly happened. Master Qi, lowering his tail to save me, also happened!

He sat up and put on his clothes. His eyes flickering, he continued pondering, In other words, the great terrors that happened during Dao immersion are also real!

He found an old set of clothes and put them on for Guo Xiaodie. Then, he pushed the window open and tossed the sleeping girl out the window.

“Damned girl. Don't you have your own place to sleep? Why take over my bed like that!”

A pained cry came from outside the window, followed by Guo Xiaodie’s drowsy voice. “Why am I sleeping here?”

Xu Ying thought, That great terror nearly dragged me into the Abyss of Cangwu. So, there really is an ominous entity in the Abyss of Cangwu that stops people from entering Dao immersion, restricts the development of Dao arts and divine abilities, and causes those who enter Dao immersion to face mortal danger! What exactly is in the abyss?

Just then, tapping sounds came from outside the window.

Xu Ying was startled. “Xiaodie still hasn’t left? If she’s still here...”

His heart suddenly raced, his mind wandering. A feeling he never felt before stirred inside him.

Filled with spring thoughts, the youth pushed the window open, only to see that it wasn’t Guo Xiaodie standing outside, but a petite girl in colorful clothes. She stood there daintily, looking at him with a smile, her eyes radiating the beauty and vitality of spring.

“Young Master Xu, do you still remember our promise yesterday? My injuries have healed. Please come with me.”

1. The raw is cook the raw rice into cooked rice, meaning to have premarital sex. Chastity is a big thing in ancient China. It’s basically forcing the marriage. ☜

2. This refers to a secure, permanent job or source of income, and in this case, vital energy. ☜