Day of Ascension

Xu Ying shook his head. “I don’t want to be too different from everyone else. I prefer engaging with everyone.”

The great bell asked, probing, “When you say engage, do you mean get along with people or fight them?”

He felt that Xu Ying’s idea of “engaging with others” might differ from the norm.

Xu Ying said, “I need to unlock my Mud-Pill Secret Trove. Since Qi Cultivators and Exorcists have different cultivation systems, wouldn’t practicing both be complementary rather than contradictory? In that case, I want both.”

The bell was stunned.

Shouldn’t there be a clear distinction between superior and inferior paths? Since when did it make sense to practice both?

Moreover, wouldn’t practicing both trigger backlash?

Xu Ying stepped inside Qin Yan Cave. With a puzzled look on his face, he wondered aloud, “Strange. The underworld’s invasion has significantly altered the surrounding geography. How did Magistrate Zhou find this place?”

Soon after he left, the forest rustled. Numerous tiny figures barely over a chi tall ran across the mountains.

They had slender frames and wore verdant robes, pointed hats, and straw sandals. Agile and alert, they constantly scanned their surroundings while searching the area.

This was the Zhou clan’s exorcism technique—the Verdant Army Technique.

These figures were soldiers transformed from plants and trees. The exorcism technique breathed life into them to scout the way or carry out assassinations.

Great Exorcists of the Zhou clan could even use it to create a massive army and flood the battlefield with overwhelming numbers.

One of the little green figures happened to look up and saw Zhou Yang nailed to the cliff. It let out a startled cry. The other figures immediately swarmed over and chattered in an incomprehensible language. Then, they stacked themselves together and climbed the cliff.

Working together, they pulled out the precious swords impaling Zhou Yang and carried his corpse into the forest.

By evening, the little green figures had crossed mountains and arrived at Yilin Monastery. The monastery used to be close to Mount Wu Wang, but the Hell River incident had reshaped the land, causing mountains and rivers to spring up everywhere. Not only did Mount Wu Wang’s name change, but Yilin Monastery had also moved by forty li.

Most of the land between them had become underworld territory. The roads were dangerous and difficult to traverse.

As the little green figures carried Zhou Yang’s corpse into Yilin Monastery, tears welled up in Zhou Yihang’s eyes. Hands trembling, he reached out to close Zhou Yang’s eyes.

He instructed the nearby officials to shut the doors and windows. “Ward off any wind. Don’t let it disturb the ghost of my son.”

When night fell, the Hell River invaded. Zhou Yang’s ghost stood swaying beside his corpse, its legs still connected to the corpse.

Ordinarily, ghosts were invisible to the naked eye. However, the Hell River’s invasion disrupted reality itself, allowing ghosts to appear at night.

Zhou Yang’s ghost cried out, “Xu Ying killed me! Father, avenge me!”

Tears streaming down his face, Zhou Yihang choked out, “Rest assured, my child. No matter what, I will slay that beast and offer you his head.”

Zhou Yang’s resentment eased slightly. He said, “The cold wind is hurting me.”

Zhou Yihang wiped away his tears and said, “I’ve already ordered men to build your statue and cover it with gold leaf to form a golden body. Once your Seventh Day[1] passes, I’ll have the lowly commoners of Lingling City offer you prayers. In just a few years, you’ll become a god. Then our family can reunite again.”

Zhou Yang wailed and prostrated.

Zhou Yihang closed the door to his room, his expression dark. He looked toward Mount Wu Wang and whispered, “Those without foresight face calamity. Wu Wang signifies calamity and chaos.

“Xu Ying, even if you possess talent that reaches heaven and penetrates the earth, I will take your life to avenge my son! The name Wu Wang foretells that disaster is upon you!”

At the foot of Mount Wu Wang, while Yuanqi was still molting, Xu Ying slipped out of Qin Yan Cave to look at the Hell River.

When the sun set, the Hell River reappeared, surging with great might. The atmosphere turned ghastly, and many creatures emerged from the depths of Mount Wu Wang, flying across the mountains. Some creatures also crawled out of desolate graves and gathered their companions to make merry.

Xu Ying saw a small town at the foot of the mountain, brightly lit. A wealthy household had set up a banquet to host its guests. He thought in confusion, Why didn’t I see this town during the day?

There was no food in Qin Yan Cave. For his meals, he caught fish from the water and picked fruits from the trees. Although they filled his stomach, eating without rice or flour always left him feeling oddly unsatisfied.

Xu Ying approached. The townspeople didn’t carry any ghostly aura. They were very hospitable and invited him to join their banquet. The town was full of handsome men and beautiful women. An elder even volunteered to act as a matchmaker and introduced him to a fair maiden with delicate, charming features.

Blushing, Xu Ying said sheepishly, “I don’t have money to offer as bride price...”

“What need is there for one?”

The elder stroked his black beard and smiled. “Wouldn’t that mean I’m selling my daughter? That would be disgraceful! In our Hu family, we’ve always given dowries when marrying off our daughters. If you are willing, I can give you two shops, a courtyard residence on a busy street in Yongzhou City, and five hundred taels of silver.”

Xu Ying was very tempted. He looked at the Hu family’s daughter and found her captivating. Just as he was about to agree, a woman’s voice rang from outside the town. “You pack of fox spirits! How dare you deceive the ignorant! You really think no one can keep you in check? Get lost!”

The townspeople’s expressions changed drastically. Yellow fur sprouted across their faces as they transformed into fox demons and fled into the houses.

Xu Ying sighed regretfully. If I could get two shops, a courtyard residence, and marry a beautiful fox maiden, what’s the harm in being an ignorant youth?

At the very least, he got a full meal out of them. He bowed toward the fox demons in hiding. “Thank you for your hospitality. I am Xu Ying, Demon King of Mount Wu Wang. Since we’re all neighbors, there is no need to be nervous.”

A fox demon emerged from one of the houses. Standing upright like a human, he bowed and said, “So, you’re Demon King Xu. Please forgive us. We’re merely wild foxes from the mountains. We witnessed your valiant spirit as you killed your enemies, so we felt compelled to seek a marriage alliance with you.”

The youth’s eyes sparkled. “Ignorance is no crime. If you still wish to marry off your daughter, I would welcome it with open arms.”

The old fox demon hemmed and hawed but no longer dared to mention marriage.

Lamenting in secret, Xu Ying exited the town and went in the direction of the woman’s voice. He soon spotted a black coffin standing by the Hell River. Long chains hung from it and stretched into the water.

The coffin girl sat in front of the black coffin with her hands resting on her knees, gazing at the moon.

Following her gaze, Xu Ying saw a full moon hanging above the opposite bank of the Hell River. The tranquil moonlight felt detached from the mortal realm.

Bathed in moonlight, the maiden looked even more beautiful.

Xu Ying’s heart pounded wildly. He silently called for Master Zhong, yet there was no response, as though the bell had died. In the past, the bell had constantly chattered in his ear, urging him to cultivate harder so it could siphon his vital energy while working him like a donkey turning a millstone.

Master Zhong has found inner peace again.

Xu Ying composed himself. He walked up and bowed. “Thank you for speaking up, Miss. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known they were a pack of fox demons.”

The coffin girl looked at him with a warm, gentle gaze. Her voice was just as soft. “You couldn’t see through them because you still haven’t opened your Third Eye. Imbue your eyes with divine light, observe the sun and moon within. Use your intent as a polishing stone, and let the three lights converge at the brow. That is the core principle for the Third Eye.”

Xu Ying said, “Imbue the eyes with divine light refers to divine sense. Observing the sun and moon within refers to the eyes themselves. Polishing stone means making my divine sense as clear as a mirror. The three lights include the light of the sun and moon, but what is the third?”

Surprised, the maiden said, “Your comprehension is excellent. The final light lies within the hollow at the center of your brow. It’s called the Heavenly Light. Focus your divine sense between the sun and moon, hold it firmly at a single point, and use your intent as a polishing stone.

“Then, you can open your Third Eye and see through the transformations of demons and monsters.”

As she explained, Xu Ying followed.

Focusing his mind, he sent his divine sense into the ethereal void. Drifting between the sun and the moon, he rotated his divine sense. Before long, his divine sense was polished, like a clear mirror.

Suddenly, light shone in from beyond the heavens. It was the third light: Heavenly Light!

At the same time, he opened his eyes. The sights reflected from the outside world were projected into the ethereal void. The light entering both eyes fell onto his mirror-like divine sense and merged with the Heavenly Light, producing a sudden transformation.

Xu Ying looked toward the light, and the world before him immediately changed.

He saw a dividing line between the underworld and the mortal realm along the right bank of the Hell River, much like the terminator line where night meets day.

There was a massive fissure where the underworld and the mortal realm overlapped. The space and earth of the two worlds clashed and buckled against each other with terrifying intensity.

Xu Ying and the coffin girl stood right at the edge of that enormous fissure!

It was expanding continuously!

A thunderous roar erupted from the fissure, like the bellow of a monster. Xu Ying looked down and vaguely saw a massive, slimy figure slithering within the fissure, as if an enormous living creature was trapped underground and trying to break free.

Yet whenever he tried to look closer, all he saw were enormous scaly rocks.

He could also clearly see the underworld invading the mortal realm and the ghosts wandering through the Hell River.

Xu Ying’s heart skipped a beat. Mastering the Third Eye and seeing ghosts might not be a good thing.

The ghosts retained the appearances they had before death. Some died so horribly that a single glance was enough to shake one’s soul.

Therefore, those who had mastered their Third Eye rarely opened it. Not only would it attract ghosts, but it could also frighten the user badly enough to destabilize their soul.

Moreover, using the Third Eye placed a tremendous strain on the divine sense. Xu Ying still didn’t know how to cultivate or strengthen his divine sense, so he could not keep his Third Eye open at all times.

While his divine sense still held up, Xu Ying looked toward the coffin girl and was deeply shaken.

She asked, “You saw everything?”

Xu Ying nodded. Behind the coffin girl sat a divine maiden vast as a mountain, overlooking the world from above and radiating an overwhelming divine presence.

The divine being’s appearance was similar to the coffin girl’s. Their eyes and brows were the same, but the divine being radiated blinding divine light.

One could even make out strands of divine light flowing from her like fine hairs, each a little over a chi long. She hovered above the ground atop a cloud of mist, seemingly boundless while occupying no space at all.

Ribbons formed from divine light coiled behind her. They didn’t touch her, but drifted freely in the air.

The coffin girl possessed a sweet, captivating temperament, while the divine being behind her radiated an inviolable holiness.

Xu Ying suppressed the shock in his heart. He asked, “What is that thing behind you?”

She answered, “Primordial Spirit. You too will have one in the future.”

Xu Ying was shocked and delighted. “Me too?”

“You are currently in the Qi-Gathering Stage, harvesting sun essence to nourish your physique, soul, and primordial qi. Once you enter the Gate-Knocking Stage, you will unlock the Tailbone Pass, unlock the Door of Qi Refinement, and access the path to the Heavenly River.

“A step further is the Transmutation Stage, where water and fire are fused to forge the Elixir Cauldron. After that is the second gateway breakthrough. You unlock the Central Ridge Pass and extend your lifespan.”

She continued unhurriedly, “Following that is the Pagoda Stage, where you will have to soar through the twelve levels. Next is the Jasper-Pool Stage, where you undergo a complete transformation and attain your Primordial Spirit.

”At the Divine-Bridge Stage, you cross the divine bridge, break through the third pass, the Jade-Pillow Heavenly Pass, and receive the Mandate of Heaven.”

Xu Ying was enthralled. He asked, “What is next?”

The maiden answered, “Ascension to immortality. But that path has already been severed.”

Still entranced, Xu Ying was startled upon hearing this. “Severed? What happened?”

“A great evil blocked the path and severed the path to immortality.”

A hint of sorrow flashed in the maiden’s eyes. She composed herself, looked at Mount Wu Wang shrouded in the night, and asked, “Do you know what Wu Wang means?”

Without waiting for his answer, she continued, “Wuwang means the unexpected. It refers to an unforeseen encounter. I thought I was the only Qi Cultivator left in the world, yet I met you by chance. We’re the same kind.”

Revealing a smile, she said, “I never expected that, three thousand years later, someone would still walk the path of a Qi Cultivator. It means I am not alone.”

She stood before the black coffin with her sleeves fluttering in the wind. She said, “Three thousand years ago, I set my ship upon the Hell River. Three thousand years later, I came here to board it. My ship has arrived.”

As she spoke, the surface of the Hell River suddenly churned violently, setting off massive waves. A towering ship emerged and leaped high out of the water!

On its deck, hundreds of skeletons wielding sabers, swords, hooks, and tridents were locked in fierce combat. None expected the ancient ship that had drifted through the river for thousands of years to suddenly erupt from the water.

With a wave of her sleeves, the maiden said coldly, “You ghostly thieves, how dare you occupy my treasure ship? Get lost, now!”

As her sleeves swept through the air, the skeletons were thrown upward before crashing into the Hell River.

The maiden drifted upward and landed on the bow gracefully. Standing by the Hell River’s bank, Xu Ying watched as the towering ship surged toward him. The waters of Hell River cascaded from the deck like a waterfall, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The towered ship came to a halt. The maiden leaned out from the bow and smiled. “I’m about to carry out a great task tonight, and I need an assistant. Since we met by chance, it must be fate. Come with me. Rest assured. I’ll send you back at daybreak.”

Xu Ying leaped up and landed on the ship. He smiled. “What is this task?”

“Sending off a god.”

1. This refers to the traditional belief that the soul returns on the seventh day after death. ☜