Day of Ascension

Scrambling, Young Master Xiang fled dozens of li before he could no longer suppress his injuries and collapsed face-up, gasping for air.

The beautiful woman, Shisanniang, hobbled over moments later, coughing blood.

The two experts exchanged glances, embarrassed.

“I didn’t expect his cultivation to be so unfathomably deep. We slipped up.”

Panting, Young Master Xiang sat up. “Luckily, we ran fast. Otherwise, we would’ve died there.”

Shisanniang sat down. “I couldn’t tell the depth of his cultivation. He merely sat there and jabbed with his finger to heavily injure us. Could he be a Qi Cultivator from the ancient Pre-Qin era deliberately disguising himself as a youth?”

She felt ashamed. Xu Ying beat them half to death without even fully raising his hand. Worse still, they couldn’t even figure out how he had attacked!

Young Master Xiang shook his head. “We searched for years before finally finding an ancient Qi Cultivator on the rocky mountain. Where did this one come from?”

Shisanniang was equally baffled.

***

On the Hell River, the wind had died down, and the moon was bright. Even the usually bustling wandering spirits in the river had gone silent. Aside from Xu Ying, none dared to breathe loudly.

After severely injuring two great experts, Xu Ying’s gaze became deep and distant, as if he had become a great expert himself.

A moment later, the youth finally snapped out of it after nearly getting carried away. He thought, If I grow arrogant, I’ll probably die without even knowing how it happened, just like many veteran snake catchers. They thought they were invincible, got bitten once by mistake, and that’s the end.

Still, the bronze basin was astonishing. It allowed a weak Qi Cultivator like him to masquerade as a peerless expert, forcing Young Master Xiang and Shisanniang to flee in disgrace while spewing blood.

The more Xu Ying thought about it, the more attached he became to the bronze basin.

The youth thought, She handed me this bronze basin, but said nothing about returning it. So, I won’t return it. Perhaps it’s a love token she gave me. For the sake of this basin, even if she’s a female ghost, I shall reluctantly accept.

The maple leaf boat sailed thousands of li east through the night before finally arriving near Mount Wu Wang at dawn. As sunlight spread across the land, Xu Ying suddenly realized something was wrong and immediately grabbed the bronze basin.

The entire Hell River beneath the boat abruptly faded away and vanished without a trace. Having lost its support, the maple leaf boat became a drifting leaf caught in the wind and plunged from the sky.

Though Xu Ying remained unharmed, the basin could not withstand the fall. Its bottom caved in with a dull crack, fractures spidering across its surface as the water inside poured out.

Overcome with grief, Xu Ying quickly raced forward, clutching the basin and crying out loud, “Hu family! Hu family! Lend me a large silver ingot! Even better if it’s gold!”

The fox demons of the Hu family lived in a small town at the foot of Mount Wu Wang. Dawn had only just broken, and many of them were still asleep when Xu Ying burst into town with a bronze basin in hand.

The elder of the Hu family stepped out and asked in a panic, “Demon King Xu, what brings you here in such a hurry?”

The water in the basin was nearly gone. Seeing a gold ring on the elder’s finger, Xu Ying snatched it and tossed it inside the basin without a word.

The water level had already sunk to the bottom. As the gold ring fell into the basin, it let out a sharp clatter.

Xu Ying quickly looked up, only to see the sky split open. A massive golden hoop about three to four li wide descended from the otherworld through the crack.

Rumble!

Violent tremors rippled through the air as the golden hoop pierced the atmosphere, trailing blazing flames as it crashed toward Mount Wu Wang. Demons throughout the mountains cried and screamed as they scattered in all directions.

Having known the terror of poverty since childhood, Xu Ying looked up with anticipation. As the golden hoop fell, it shrank. Moments ago, it had been two to three li wide, yet it soon reduced to barely a hundred zhang.

By the time it reached the mountain, it was only five to six zhang wide.

Clang!

The golden hoop spun as it crashed down, embedding in a cliff face.

Xu Ying ran over and pulled it free. It was now only four chi wide, but still much larger than the gold ring, weighing a thousand jin!

Voice trembling, Xu Ying said, “I don’t have to work a day in my life again...”

He looked at the broken bronze basin. The water had all drained away, and the coffin girl’s divine abilities had vanished along with it.

Xu Ying tossed a rock into the basin. It merely clattered inside. No mountain came crashing down from beyond the sky.

“What a pity. This treasure is countless times better than the legendary Treasure Bowl[1], though it’s a little too fragile.”

Regret flickered through his heart; with such a massive gold hoop, he no longer needed to worry about food, drink, or even bride-price for the rest of his life.

Floating silently behind Xu Ying, the great bell thought, This brat thinks the bronze basin is a treasure, but it’s merely the demoness’ spatial divine ability. Still, those capable of wielding divine abilities at this level are usually immortals. For her to attain such power, she truly is extraordinary. Her escape is like a dragon breaking free from the shallows.

Then, a realization suddenly struck the bell. The demoness had resolved the Plague God’s invasion. Didn’t that mean she wasn’t evil? So, had he not sinned by suppressing the demoness?

He couldn’t help but feel dejected. He murmured inwardly, Am I a bad bell? Are master and I the real villains? No, my master was honorable and upright, wise and mighty. How could he be a villain? Most likely, she only feigned kindness to deceive us!

Xu Ying returned the gold ring to the Hu family’s elder. Carrying the huge golden hoop, he made his way back to Qin Yan Cave, only to see a large snake coiled at the entrance.

The snake’s head was over a zhang wide, with a pair of forked horns growing from it like newly sprouted deer antlers. One horn was black, the other white, both covered in soft fuzz with visible blood vessels beneath the surface.

The snake was over ten zhang long. His scales resembled polished mirrors, reflecting the spring sunlight with a golden-red radiance.

The snake raised his head to a height of three or four zhang. He was shrouded in thick demonic qi, his gaze deep and unfathomable. Staring silently at the rising sun, he inhaled and exhaled, circulating energy according to a cultivation technique. When he inhaled, his huge body swelled. The friction between his scales produced a crisp, metallic clatter.

Countless light particles swarmed toward him from the sunlight, forming a vortex before pouring into the huge snake’s mouth.

One could see a great sun moving within the huge snake. Its radiance shone through the scales, illuminating his internal organs.

In mere moments, the great sun moved from his throat to the tip of his tail. Wherever it passed, his body swelled, expanding to several times the size of the vats farmers used to store water.

When he exhaled, sand and rocks flew. His poisonous breath formed a cloud of smoke. Illuminated by sunlight, the cloud of smoke gained a sunset glow as it rose into the air.

Xu Ying had come across numerous Demon Kings and demon gods, yet none had a presence or demonic qi as overwhelming as this huge snake’s.

Xu Ying approached. “Are you... Yuanqi?”

The huge snake just looked at him with a deep gaze.

Xu Ying asked, “The Yuanqi with the seventh most potent venom in the world?”

The huge snake angrily replied in a childlike voice, sounding no older than three or four, “I was the fifth before my metamorphosis. How did I drop to seventh after? At the very least, I should be in the top three now!”

Xu Ying asked in confusion, “Yuanqi, weren’t you supposed to take human form? Why did you end up like this?”

The huge snake closed his mouth, his expression profound and silent.

Xu Ying just kept staring at him.

Yuanqi had no choice but to eventually explain, “I also thought I would take human form. Metamorphic energy grew within me, a sign of transformation. I didn’t expect it to gather behind my head after I entered seclusion. Then this pair of horns grew out.”

Only then did Xu Ying realize that Yuanqi looked imposing, but only when he stayed quiet. When he spoke, his high-pitched voice made him sound... childish. Xu Ying thought, No wonder he’s keeping quiet.

Yuanqi had made huge progress in his cultivation. During his secluded metamorphosis, he had reached the seventh level in the Elephant-Bull Demon Fist, becoming a Demon King. He had also mastered Inner Vision, refining his divine sense to access his ethereal void, and harmonized his five qi to achieve Five-Qi Origin Convergence.

His gains over the past few days were truly extraordinary.

Xu Ying approached. “Yuanqi, show me how much progress you’ve made these past few days.”

Vital energy surged through him as an elephant king’s divine avatar manifested behind him. The moment Xu Ying threw a punch, wind and thunder roared together.

Over the past few days, he had slain Zhou Yang and whipped the Plague God. His encounters were extraordinary. While this punch contained the essence of the Elephant-Bull Demon Fist, it had become significantly different.

A bull demon’s madness no longer bound his fist intent. Instead, it had gained a touch of sharpness and elegance of the sword Dao.

Yuanqi also channeled his vital energy. An elephant king’s divine avatar also materialized behind him, a little over a zhang tall. Compared to Yuanqi’s enormous frame, however, it looked rather small.

He struck with the tip of his tail, using it as a fist, and met Xu Ying’s.

The tail tip was blunt and heavy, like a scale weight. When it collided with Xu Ying’s punch, its power wasn’t any inferior to Xu Ying’s. In fact, it slightly surpassed it.

Bang!

The collision erupted with explosive force, sending a shockwave surging outward. Xu Ying’s clothes fluttered fiercely, while the mane on Yuanqi’s back whipped wildly, like a row of feathered banners.

Only then did Xu Ying notice the mane on the back of Yuanqi’s head. It resembled feathers, yet also looked like a horse’s mane, soft to the touch.

Xu Ying wondered, Did drinking the dragon’s blood prevent him from taking human form?

He recalled Yuan Tiangang commenting that Yuanqi had created an obstacle for his transformation because he greedily drank a few extra mouthfuls of dragon blood. It now seemed Yuan Tiangang had been referring to this exact situation.

Still using his tail as a fist, Yuanqi struck once more. Xu Ying met the attack with punches and kicks. Their vital energy surged, sending sand and rocks flying outside Qin Yan Cave.

Just then, Yuanqi unleashed the White Elephant’s Trunk Sweep technique. The tip of his tail tore through the air with a thunderous roar. Xu Ying dodged in a hurry, opting not to meet it head-on.

Yuanqi’s tail sweep struck a boulder, instantly shattering it and scattering fragments across the ground.

This was Yuanqi’s strongest move. The tip of his tail had broken through the sound barrier, and the force it carried was overwhelming. Xu Ying did not dare meet it head-on for fear of being injured.

Xu Ying looked at the petite elephant-headed divine avatar behind the huge snake. “Xiao Qi, the Elephant-Bull Demon Fist is no longer suitable for you.”

Yuanqi nodded. He, too, sensed a lack of harmony between him and the Elephant-Bull Demon Fist. The elephant king’s divine avatar, formed from this fist art, simply couldn’t contain all his vital energy. Instead, it limited the release of his power.

Yuanqi asked, “Ah Ying, where’s Dazhong[2]?”

Xu Ying gestured toward the foot of the mountain. “For some reason, he’s brooding over down there. He might be troubled. You go talk to him.”

Yuanqi, now more than ten-zhang long, slowly slithered down the mountain. Thorns and brush were crushed beneath his body, while trees bent aside as he passed. The beasts in the forest fell silent, and the demons prostrated themselves without daring to lift their heads.

He silently slithered past the beasts and demons and arrived by Dazhong’s side, looking down at him. After a long silence, Yuanqi finally asked, “Master Zhong, for what reason are you wallowing in self-pity?”

Dazhong’s divine sense rippled. He replied, “I don’t know whether I’m good or evil. I’m simply overwhelmed by my emotions for a moment... Eh? It’s you! Yuanqi, why did your voice become that of a child’s?”

Ashamed and angry, Yuanqi snapped back, “Ah Ying said you were troubled and asked me to come talk to you, yet you insult me! What exactly is bothering you?”

Dazhong told him about his worries. Since Yuanqi was well-read, he said, “Since you suspect that you’re a villain, why not go ask the female ghost in the coffin? Explain the situation to her, and you’ll naturally understand. Why sit here drowning in self-pity?”

There was no way Dazhong would lower himself to apologize to the coffin girl. He sneered. “I suppressed her under my master’s orders. She is a villain. My master could never be wrong. Moreover, I am currently heavily injured. If I go see her and she kills me on the spot, wouldn’t that be a wrongful death?”

Yuanqi said, “You’re just a coward.”

Dazhong flew into a rage. He pressed down on the huge snake’s head and slammed it into the ground, shouting, “Me? A coward? I’m just injured! Would I be afraid of her if I were fine? Once my injuries heal, I’ll suppress her personally and stuff her back into the ancient well!”

Despite gaining about a dozen bloody lumps on his head, Yuanqi refused to back down. He protested, “Back when you were uninjured, she still beat you so badly you fled in disgrace. Even if you recover and go looking for revenge, you’ll only get beaten even harder!”

Dazhong was beyond furious. “Damned snake, I will send you to the underworld right here by the Hell River!”

“We’re already in the underworld! I don’t need you to send me!”

“Stinking snake, I’ll beat you to death!”

“Mercy, Master Zhong!”

Breathing in and out, Xu Ying practiced the Grand-Unity Guiding Method in front of Qin Yan Cave. He heard the commotion below and looked down, only to see Dazhong and Yuanqi scuffling.

One moment, Dazhong was smashing Yuanqi’s head into the ground. Next, Yuanqi had coiled around Dazhong, trying to crush him. They got along really well.

“The spring sunlight is perfect.” Smiling, Xu Ying felt at peace. Sunlight gathered above his head, gradually forming a half-mu field of light.

The weather was warm and pleasant, and all living things seemed to stretch in relaxation.

Zhou Yihang was approaching Mount Wu Wang. From afar, he caught sight of the towering peaks, his expression dark.

The elder was riddled with injuries and ailments. He had spent the past two days traversing through forty li of the underworld, making his way here from Yilin Monastery. Along the way, he braved countless dangers and encountered many strange phenomena unique to the underworld before finally reaching Mount Wu Wang alive.

“Yang’er. I shall take Xu Ying’s head today and place it on your altar as my first offering to you after you become a god!”

1. A mythical basin from Chinese folklore that generates endless wealth, often used figuratively to mean a gold mine, a source of wealth, or a place rich in natural resources. ☜

2. It means big bell. ☜