Day of Ascension

“You snake-catcher boy, how dare you act so recklessly in the Pei residence? Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

Enraged, Pei Jing flew out of the muddy water with a thunderous roar. Primordial qi surged behind him as four grotto heavens manifested, twisting the sky. His primordial qi was so overwhelming that it even surpassed Xu Ying’s!

“Wait, Pei Jing!” The other three young masters also leaped out of the water and surrounded Xu Ying.

The young master in purple robes shook the muddy water off himself with a burst of primordial qi. “We cannot beat him to death. He is very valuable. Don’t forget, we came here to retrieve the elixir of eternal life.”

Another young master in red agreed. “That’s right. There will be no elixir of eternal life if we kill him.”

Xu Ying raised his eyebrow. An inexplicable surge of fury welled up from the depths of his heart.

Elixir of eternal life?

What did these people take him for? A spirit elixir that granted eternal life to whoever consumed it?

Dazhong said, “Ah Ying, asking you to perform with a snake was just a ruse. They wanted to force you to make the first move so they'd have an excuse to attack and refine you into an elixir of eternal life!

“So, who was it that spread the rumor that you're an undying person? Could it have been that old rascal Pei Du? He says one thing to your face and does another behind your back!”

Xu Ying felt a chill in his heart. If it really was Pei Du, then the situation was far more troublesome than he had imagined.

This was the Pei residence. If Pei Du decided to keep him here, he might even mobilize the Pei clan's ancestors, the Exorcist Immortals who remained as nothing more than a layer of skin.

With this kind of power and heritage, even if Dazhong were in peak condition, he would have a hard time bringing Xu Ying out alive!

Was Pei Du really two-faced? Did he pretend to help Xu Ying keep his secret while spreading the news? If so, his goal could be to trap Xu Ying inside the residence and refine him into a great elixir of eternal life.

With Xu Ying as the elixir of eternal life, he could control the other noble clans and force them to obey his commands!

Dazhong said righteously, “Rest assured, Ah Ying. I will avenge you! Once I break out of here, I will seek out a smart youth. I will become his tag-along grandpa mentor, nurture him into a great expert, and storm the Pei residence. You can rest in peace in the underworld!”

Xu Ying groaned and murmured under his breath, “Judging by Pei Du’s demeanor, he is a man of exceptional caliber. He doesn't seem like someone who would stoop to such petty tactics.”

Yuanqi shrank back down and landed on Xu Ying’s shoulder, saying, “You can know a person's face, but not their heart! Oh, Ah Ying, does eating your flesh really grant eternal life? The next time you trim your nails, don’t throw the clippings away. I’ll boil them down into a meat jelly to try. Oh, would your hair work too?”

Dazhong said in disdain, “Look how pathetic you are! Ah Ying has unlocked his Mud-Pill Secret Trove and activated his vigor. Just ask him to cut off a piece of flesh for you. It'll grow back anyway.”

Yuanqi’s eyes lit up, and he said happily, “Oh, I'd be so embarrassed to ask.”

Judging by the eager look on his face, he didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest, though. The moment Xu Ying nodded, Yuanqi would bite into him without hesitation just to find out what he tasted like.

The young master in purple looked at Xu Ying and said calmly, “I’m surnamed Li. I come from the palace.”

Xu Ying couldn’t help but feel solemn admiration. “You’re a eunuch? Could it be that Eunuch Chen performed your castration? Does it hurt?”

The young master in purple grew furious. Next to him, the chubby young master sneered, “You ignorant fool, this is Prince Li Zhaolou from the Imperial Palace! Why hasn’t a commoner like you knelt?”

Xu Ying shook his head. “Your salaries and stipends come from the people’s blood and sweat. Heaven may be easily deceived, but the common people cannot be oppressed! I may be nothing more than a peasant, but I wouldn't kneel even before your father, much less you.”

Yuanqi immediately corrected him. “Ah Ying, the real saying is ‘The common people may be easily oppressed, but Heaven cannot be deceived.’ But you’re right, these people deceive Heaven and oppress the people, yet Heaven doesn’t punish them. The officials just force the people to rebel!

“Come to think of it, Heaven really is easy to deceive, but the common people are hard to oppress. Push them too far, and they'll rise up and kill them all!”

The young masters roared in anger, “You rebels!”

Stepping forward, Pei Jing sneered coldly, "The heavens unleashing calamity? How much do you, lowly commoners, offer the heavens in sacrifice each year? Is it even a tenth of what our noble clans sacrifice? Even the heavens eat our food, take our gifts, and use our wealth. How would they dare to unleash calamity upon us?”

He reached for Xu Ying, unable to hide his excitement. “Granduncle sent me to the Archive Grotto to find records on the undying person, so I left a mindful eye. As expected, you are the undying person!

“The clan elders will be overjoyed if I capture you and refine you into an elixir! If we present you to the emperor, the Pei clan will earn unparalleled merit!”

Darkness swallowed the surroundings. Stars shimmered across the black void, and countless stars drifted across the heavens in response to the movement of his palm.

Ode of the Azure Skies, fourth technique, Stars Opening the Azure Skies!

Wrapped in darkness, Pei Jing knew daylight lay only a few mu away, yet he couldn't see a thing.

His heart jolted in shock. The Guo clan’s exorcism technique!

Xu Ying’s palm force struck. Pei Jing pushed his cultivation to the limit to meet the attack. He sneered, “In terms of cultivation, no one can match the Pei clan!"

The moment their palm forces collided, the primordial qi within Xu Ying suddenly flowed in reverse. Night turned to day in a flash. The azure sky inverted like a boundless mirror, stretching into infinite depths as it effortlessly neutralized Pei Jing's seemingly invincible mystical power.

Ode of the Azure Skies, third technique, Bright Mirror Form!

The true essence of this technique lay in making the physical body as vast as the heavens, capable of absorbing everything. It could dissolve even the mightiest attacks.

Pei Jing felt his boundless mystical power strike empty air, as if he had punched himself. His chest shook tremendously, and his vital energy churned.

Xu Ying’s Bright Mirror Form transformed into the fifth technique, Nine Heavens Circular Expansion. Beneath his feet, a lush green field expanded in all directions, while a deep blue sky stretched overhead, like a dome.

His right hand shifted between palm and backhand nine times, unleashing nine hand seals in succession. Every single palm strike slammed into Pei Jing’s chest. Exploiting Pei Jing’s initial mistake, Xu Ying delivered nine heavy blows, causing his ribs to cave in and pierce through his internal organs!

Pei Jing coughed up blood and flew backward, skimming across the lake's surface.

Boom!

His head slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the lake and lodged deep inside it. Only his legs remained outside, twitching from time to time.

Suddenly, Xu Ying sensed others nearby. He quickly looked around and saw elders with ancient features approaching from every direction. His heart skipped a beat. The Pei clan elders had moved personally. Pei Du had likely betrayed him; there was no escaping this disaster. A wild, savage fury erupted within him.

“Master Qi! I’m going to kill!”

Until now, he had deliberately avoided dealing fatal blows. He no longer had any reason to restrain his killing intent.

Yuan Qi shuddered at his words. His scales flared outward. Whether Xu Ying's surging power had stimulated his archaic bloodline or it had begun awakening on its own, Yuanqi couldn't tell.

A savage bloodlust also welled up within him. He longed to unleash his vast primordial qi and slaughter everything in sight.

Li Zhaolou and the others attacked. Being from the Li clan, he practiced in the clan’s Jade-Capital Secret Trove. The moment he struck, his imperial dragon primordial qi surged. A true dragon descended from the sky, radiating a peerless majesty.

The other two were from the Pei clan, and the three of them had skills above Pei Jing's!

However, the instant they attacked, a hundred-zhang giant snake’s massive body shattered the imperial dragon. Sword qi swirled around him like snowflakes, shredding their exorcism techniques and divine abilities!

The three retreated repeatedly. One of the Pei clan members raised both hands, lifting the entire lake into the air with his robust primordial qi, submerging Yuanqi. Once submerged, both the sword qi and Yuanqi's massive form became severely restricted.

Gaining a brief respite, Li Zhaolou immediately channeled his imperial dragon primordial qi, shouting, “You’re just a mutated snake! Do you think you can rival an imperial dragon? Submit and accept your execution before an imperial dragon!"

An azure imperial dragon descended from the sky. Its massive frame was no smaller than Yuanqi's.

The other Pei clan member said excitedly, “If we capture him, His Majesty can become an immortal emperor, and his empire shall stand for eternity. Our Pei clan will also become a noble clan of eternal life!”

Xu Ying struck with a seal. The clear sky shook. Tribulation clouds surged as lightning darted wildly through them. In an instant, a massive cloud spanning several mu formed, containing immense power, and blasted the azure dragon to pieces!

The imperial dragon’s skin, flesh, muscles, and bones exploded one after another. Li Zhaolou coughed up mouthfuls of blood as Xu Ying slammed a seal onto the crown of his head. With a crushing sound, his head was driven straight into his chest!

“Using me as an elixir of eternal life!”

Seeing another person attacking with a divine ability, Xu Ying didn’t dodge or evade. Sword qi swirled around him as he rose into the air, charging straight into the divine ability. He sneered coldly, “Let’s see if you can survive this!”

A sharp, ripping sound echoed through the air as Xu Ying shredded that person into pieces with his divine ability!

The last Pei clan member, the plump young master, pushed himself to the limit. Staggering back dozens of paces, he barely managed to defend against the sword qi around Xu Ying.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the hundred-zhang snake whipped his tail forward and struck him with his tip, turning his flesh and blood into an unrecognizable blur as a thunderous roar erupted. He was plastered against the wall on the other side of the lake, clearly beyond saving.

Yuanqi rapidly shrank. He swirled around once and landed on Xu Ying’s shoulder, anxiously staring at the aged elders of the Pei clan approaching from all directions.

These Pei clan elders looked solemn, but their gazes flickered with excitement. Even if Xu Ying killed right in front of them, none of them made a move to stop him.

“Great elixir of eternal life...”

A Pei clan elder’s throat rolled as he stared intently at Xu Ying.

Xu Ying took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Master Zhong, if the opportunity arises, bring Master Qi out of here. Don’t look for other youths to avenge me. Nurture Master Qi, and wipe out the Pei residence for me in the future!”

Dazhong said lazily, “A mere Pei residence cannot trap me. Let alone bringing this stinking snake out, what’s to stop me from taking you along, too? It just means a few more months of recuperating. I can handle it.”

He silently gathered his power, ready to burst out and kill at any moment.

Just then, an authoritative voice rang out.

“Stop.”

The voice was calm, yet it clearly entered everyone’s ears. Like rumbling thunder, it shook their souls, making everyone stop in their tracks involuntarily.

Xu Ying looked in the direction of the voice and saw Pei Du approaching. His expression remained as still as water, devoid of emotion. Xu Ying stayed vigilant, not letting his guard down in the slightest.

Pei Du looked toward Prince Li Zhaolou’s corpse in the mud. The corner of his eye twitched. He then looked at the bodies of the two Pei clansmen before sweeping his gaze across the assembled clan elders.

He saw fervor in the clan elders’ eyes.

Showing zero emotions, Pei Du ordered, “Carry the second young master here.”

Servants rushed to the opposite side of the lake, carefully pulled Pei Jing out from the wall, and carried him to Pei Du. Countless bones were broken. His head was covered in blood. Seeing Pei Du, he grew overjoyed.

Choking, he said, “Patriarch, you must uphold justice for me! This savage brat attacked us and wreaked havoc in the Pei residence!”

Pei Du drew out the jade belt at his waist. Using it as a whip, he lashed it violently across Pei Jing’s face with a loud smack.

Pei Jing screamed miserably as his flesh and blood were turned into a mangled mess from the hit.

Smack!

Pei Du whipped down once more. His arm rose and fell without pause as blow after blow rained down on Pei Jing. At first, Pei Jing still had the strength to scream. His cries gradually weakened until they fell silent.

“Patriarch!” Pei Jingting hurried over. He pleaded anxiously, “Stop hitting him, Patriarch! You’re going to kill him! Ah, ah! What exactly happened here?”

Pei Du stopped. Pei Jing had already been beaten to a bloody pulp.

Around them, the Pei clan elders wore fearful looks, but said nothing. Pei Jingting stepped forward, saw Prince Li Zhaolou’s corpse, and shuddered.

He asked, “What do we do about this?”

Pei Du dropped the bloodied jade belt and said expressionlessly, “This matter requires an explanation. From today on, Pei Jing is no longer a member of our Pei clan. Anything he does has nothing to do with us.

“Pei Jing lost his mind and murdered Prince Li Zhaolou, along with two of our clansmen. Hand him over to the Court of Judicial Review for investigation. I will personally enter the palace to face the emperor and beg for punishment.”

His hollow gaze fell on Pei Jingting. “As for your matter, we’ll talk after I return.”

Pei Jingting shuddered and lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Pei Du’s gaze swept over the Pei clan elders, and he said coldly, “I am still the master of this house! Who dares to overstep their bounds?”

An elder croaked, “Patriarch, we’re old and don’t have many years left...”

Pei Du said grimly, “Our ancestors could die, but not you? Ancient evils devoured our ancestors, so you’re going to devour others now?”

That elder said no more.

Flinging his sleeve, Pei Du said coldly, “From today onward, the Pei residence will close its gates, and no one is allowed to go out! Anyone who tries to step outside without permission will be executed without mercy!”

As his sleeve swept through the air, a wisp of light gauze flew out. It shot into the sky and exploded, transforming into a green mist that slowly drifted down, enveloping the entire Pei residence.

Pei Du turned to Xu Ying. “Please come with me, Brother Xu.”

Although he forced himself to remain calm, his pace was still hurried. Xu Ying had to jog from time to time to keep up.

“The Pei clan is not united. I can’t keep them in line for long.”

Pei Du ordered a carriage to be prepared and said rapidly, “The temptation of longevity is too great, and with someone fanning the flames, it’s only a matter of time before one of these clan elders loses control and makes a move on you.

“When I enter the palace to face His Majesty, I will inevitably be confined there. Although I won't be sentenced to death, I won't be able to leave the palace. The Pei residence isn't safe, and I'm afraid the Yuan residence isn't either. I'll send you to the Guo residence.”

Xu Ying followed him and hurriedly got on the carriage. It immediately drove out of the Pei residence and raced toward the Guo residence.

Pei Du said guiltily, “This matter leaked from the Pei residence. It wouldn’t be long before it reaches the ears of the other noble cleans. In the entire Divine Capital, I’m afraid the only one who can resist the temptation of eternal life is that person from the Guo clan. The Guo residence is safer than anywhere else!”

Xu Ying met his gaze and asked, "Chancellor Pei, don't you want to turn me into a great elixir of eternal life?"

Pei Du replied, “If you are that undying person, countless people have tried to turn you into an elixir of eternal life throughout the ages. I’m afraid innumerable forces far more powerful than our Pei clan have also tried, and where are they now? I don’t see them. I only see you standing before me in one piece.”

Xu Ying sighed, looked outside the window, and murmured, “I don’t know who exactly I am.”

In his mind, he couldn’t help but recall that gentle voice again. “...Xu Ying, Xu Ying. Remember your surname. You must not forget your name.”