Day of Ascension

The crowd in the temple hurriedly circulated the Comprehensive Daoist Truth of the Celestial Pivot in its natural order. As they sensed their connection to the temple weakening, they rushed outside.

Behind, the white-robed Exorcist Immortal pursued them.

A woman turned her head back and saw the immortal facing away from her. His back suddenly split apart like a massive mouth.

She shrieked. In the next moment, the immortal swallowed her whole.

The immortal’s skin writhed for a moment. When the mouth opened again, it spat out a white skeleton and lunged toward another person. Light and agile, he drifted like the wind across the temple. Every time he caught someone, his back split open and swallowed them.

Still, quite a few people escaped from the temple. Together with Yuanqi, Xu Ying leaped with all his might onto a huge boulder. Just as Yuanqi was about to jump down to another boulder, Xu Ying stopped him.

“Don’t move!”

He channeled his sword qi and slashed down, splitting the boulder they were on. The boulder could no longer withstand their weight and slowly sank, like a stone falling into water.

The people behind them followed suit. They jumped onto a boulder and split it in two. However, too many people crowded onto a single boulder, causing it to plummet faster and faster.

The people on it screamed and clung to one another in terror.

Lying on the edge of the boulder they were on, Yuanqi looked down. “Falling that fast, they’re probably dead.”

The others grew much more cautious and no longer dared to cut off too much of the boulder at once.

The grand temple shook with a thunderous rumble. As if it had grown countless legs, it rose from the ground and lunged toward those fleeing from it.

The immortal’s voice rang out, laughing. “The anger must have driven me mad. How else could I have forgotten that I could just send the temple to capture you? That sword brat and that shameless snake, where have you gone?”

The temple gates opened wide like a mouth devouring the heavens as the structure pursued the fleeing crowd.

“Fuse with me. Become one with me. I will grant you supreme glory and eternal life!”

Xu Ying looked up and saw people endlessly falling from the sky. They would not hit the ground anytime soon, so their screams rang without end.

Some walked on the void, while others stepped onto clouds. Most, however, couldn’t fly. So, they copied Xu Ying. They jumped onto boulders and used their weight to force them downward.

However, gigantic gods of various forms leaped off the edges of the immortal mountains. Treading across incense clouds, they intercepted and slaughtered the escaping people. At the same time, the flesh-and-blood boulders flailed tentacle-like blood vessels through the air to seize them.

For a time, many people died.

Yuanqi saw the mask on Xu Ying’s back and asked, “Ah Ying, is that an Exorcist’s artifact you’re carrying on your back?”

Surprised and delighted, Xu Ying quickly took off the impermanence mask and smiled. “Xiao Qi, you’re indeed knowledgeable. I got this mask by chance. An official from Yongzhou Prefecture turned into a ghost of impermanence after putting it on. It’s extremely strange.”

Yuanqi replied, “I’ve read about this in books. When Exorcists forge artifacts, they often capture powerful beings, like demon gods or ghost gods, and cut off their faces. Then, they refine the essence of these beings into the mask.

“Once forged, the wearer can use the artifact to transform into that being’s form and gain its abilities. Your mask was probably made from the face of a ghost of impermanence.”

Xu Ying jumped in fright and instinctively wanted to throw the mask away, but he stopped himself on second thought.

The boulder beneath their feet continued descending. Suddenly, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled in the sky. Xu Ying looked up and saw Zhou Heng and Ling Youdao joining forces to besiege the grand temple.

A brilliant light erupted from the back of Zhou Heng’s head, manifesting a sea of primordial chaos. Within it stood an incomparably deep grotto heaven. Spiraling patterns spread along its edges as it extended into the dark void.

Within that grotto heaven lay a second grotto heaven. Clouds churned and spun, forming its outer structure as it stretched even deeper into the sea of chaos.

Within the second grotto heaven was a third. It reached even deeper into the sea of chaos, creating an awe-inspiring sight.

Xu Ying looked intently and saw that behind the head of this fat and massive prefect of Yongzhou, five layers of grotto heavens had manifested!

“Drawing upon the power within the Mud Pill in the sea of primordial chaos! The prefect of Yongzhou is a great expert. He’s already unlocked the fifth level of the Mud-Pill Secret Trove!”

Xu Ying was green with envy. The half-burnt ancient book in Qin Yan Cave’s stone chamber stated that unlocking the Mud-Pill Secret Trove required the assistance of a Great Exorcist.

One had to use an immensely powerful strike to attack the Mud Pill—the egg within the primordial chaos–-and blast open a grotto heaven within it. Only then could one draw upon the vigor of the Mud Pill within that grotto heaven!

Previously, Xu Ying didn’t quite understand how to draw upon the Mud Pill’s vigor. Only when he saw Zhou Heng clashing with the white-robed Exorcist Immortal did he finally understand.

He noted silently, The brain is a sea of chaos that contains boundless energy. The grotto heaven is like a deep well that reaches deep into the chaos. Just as water can be drawn endlessly from a well, the energy within the sea of chaos can likewise be extracted continuously.

Ling Youdao, the controller general of Yongzhou’s underworld office, had joined forces with Zhou Heng. He also possessed astonishing cultivation and strength. With a judge’s pen[1]”>https://www.kungfushop.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/martial-arts-weapon14.jpg[/ref] and a scroll of life and death, he wielded unparalleled divine power as countless golden characters flew out from the scroll and blasted the grand temple.

As the controller general, he enjoyed the incense offerings of the entire Yongzhou Prefecture. His worshippers extended far beyond ordinary mortals. Gods of every mountain, river, village, and town, big or small, had to worship him!

He had been operating in Yongzhou for far too long. Consequently, his incense qi was incomparably dense, far surpassing the stone statue gods of the five immortal mountains.

Yet even with the two great experts joining forces, they found themselves in grave danger before the grand temple.

The temple was the immortal’s land of sublimation. Its buildings, waterfalls, and vegetation were formed from countless Manifestations of the Great Dao. Every landscape within it was itself a divine ability of terrifying power.

Standing behind the temple doors, the immortal waved his hand or pointed his finger, sending terrifying divine abilities bursting forth from the waterfall. He pushed the two great experts back repeatedly, injuring them to the point of coughing blood.

Suddenly, the resulting shockwave of a divine ability descended from the sky. It struck Xu Ying and Yuanqi’s boulder with a clang. A corner of it flew off and drifted into the sky.

They were stunned. The boulder beneath their feet began plummeting at great speed.

They were still several li above ground. At this speed, they would definitely shatter into pieces upon hitting the ground.

Xu Ying quickly leaped off the boulder and yelled, “Yuanqi, wait for me at the temple entrance!”

Yuanqi coiled around the huge boulder with his length, trembling in fear. After plunging for a hundred and ten zhang, the boulder’s descent gradually slowed, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Looking up, he saw lightning flashing and thunder rumbling in the sky, like a raging torrent. The immortal, Zhou Heng, and Ling Youdao’s divine abilities were behind this phenomenon.

Within that chaotic battlefield, he vaguely spotted a tiny figure riding an ancient bronze bell through the lightning. A flood suddenly surged through the sky and swept both the figure and the bell into the distance.

Yuanqi murmured inwardly, Ah Ying is a good man. The heavens will surely look after him.

Xu Ying advanced through the raging storm and flood, riding the bell. Battered by wind and rain, he was like a small boat sailing in a storm. A lightning bolt suddenly struck Dazhong, making him clang.

Countless complicated patterns on his surface materialized, forming a thick wall of light. As it spun and hummed, it deflected the shockwaves of the divine abilities coming from all directions.

Dazhong’s powers erupted, but he also lost his balance from the lightning strike. Bell and rider tumbled together into a nearby immortal mountain, flattening a swathe of forest. Dazhong then bounced back up and fell again, tolling as he went.

His chimes echoed through the valley, startling the statues that had awakened, causing them to raise their heads and search for the source of the sound.

Xu Ying stood up unsteadily, feeling agonizing pain in his limbs and bones. Dazhong was no better off. Smoke rose from the bell, and the patterns covering his surface had fallen into disarray.

The forest shook, and the wind howled. Experts were clashing. Xu Ying advanced stealthily and hid behind a boulder to peek, only to receive a scare.

He saw a ghost-faced god swinging his sword and chopping off the head of a violent ape.

The violent ape’s headless corpse rapidly shrank and reverted into a middle-aged man. Its severed head rolled across the ground and transformed back into a human face, eyes still wide open even in death.

Hiding behind the boulder, Xu Ying’s heart pounded violently. Yongzhou’s judicial adjutant, Zhou Zheng!

Zhou Zheng possessed extraordinary strength, yet such a figure had fallen to this ghost-faced god. The creature’s power was unimaginable.

He suddenly turned his head around, his sharp gaze sweeping in Xu Ying’s direction.

Xu Ying hurriedly retracted his head.

Dazhong warned, “Bad news, Ah Ying. That ghost-faced god is coming this way!”

Heavy footsteps rang out from the other side of the boulder. Evidently, that ghost-faced god had noticed his presence.

Forcibly calming his pounding heart, Xu Ying said, “Master Zhong, a bell is nurtured a thousand days to be used in a single moment! Can you be as mighty as earlier?”

“Nurture my ass!” Dazhong cursed angrily, “If you had actually nurtured me for a thousand days, I could have smashed ten of them to death! The problem is you haven’t fed me nearly enough! This god is far stronger than those city gods. This god is much stronger than the city gods; I’m still no match for Him now!”

Cold sweat broke out on Xu Ying’s forehead. “What about fleeing?”

“You definitely won’t be able to outrun Him!”

......

The ghost-faced god faintly heard voices coming from behind the boulder. With a hideous expression, he moved to the side of the boulder and abruptly poked his head in, revealing his ferocity.

When he saw the “person” hiding behind the boulder, he couldn’t help but be surprised. He roared in dissatisfaction, but his murderous aura gradually faded.

There was no human behind the boulder. Instead, a ghost of an impermanence god, a little over a zhang tall, was hiding there.

That ghost of impermanence was thin as firewood, and his complexion pale. Though a long, crimson tongue hung from his mouth.

The ghost of impermanence was a commonly seen underworld god ghost, so the ghost-faced god was familiar with them. However, this one appeared especially skinny, as if malnourished. Moreover, this also seemed pitifully timid, hiding behind a boulder and trembling in fear.

The ghost-faced god said to the ghost of impermanence, “Hahuhulu! (Take this!)”

Then, he handed a blood-soaked cloth bag to the ghost of impermanence.

He nodded eagerly and accepted it. The ghost-faced god had seized it from Zhou Zheng’s corpse.

Taking the lead, the ghost-faced said without looking back, “Boyehulu! (Follow me!)”

The ghost of impermanence acted obediently and followed him, his steps one high and one low.

Suddenly, the ghost-faced god radiated a murderous aura and lunged forward. The ghost of impermanence quickly peered ahead and saw dozens of disciples from martial sects surrounding and attacking another god. That god had a bull’s head and a human’s body, and was covered in wounds, facing imminent danger.

However, with the ridiculously powerful ghost-faced god stepping in, he quickly slaughtered all of the Exorcists.

Covered in blood, the ghost-faced god beckoned the ghost of impermanence over. He walked over obediently, holding the cloth bag in his hand.

The bull-headed god picked up two Myriad Spirit Pills from the pool of blood carefully and said to the ghost of impermanence, “Sohahulu! (Open it!)”

He quickly did as told. The bull-faced ghost placed the Myriad Spirit Pills into the cloth bag and said to the ghost-faced god, “Poseposehulu! (This brat seems suspicious!)

The ghost-faced god replied, “Hongbodanluhu! (Coward!)”

The bull-headed god chortled with heavy breaths and reached out to tug at the ghost of impermanence’s long tongue.

Xu Ying nearly cried out loud. Obviously, he was that ghost of impermanence.

Behind the boulder earlier, he truly had nowhere left to retreat. An idea struck him, and he took the impermanence mask and put it on.

Xu Ying wore this Exorcist artifact for the first time and didn’t know if he could transform into a ghost of impermanence. Fortunately, he had indeed transformed into a ghost god of the underworld, allowing him to muddle through the situation.

Strangely, after putting on the mask, he could understand the ghost gods’ nonsensical speech despite not having learned any of it before.

However, when the bull-headed ghost tugged at his tongue, he nearly pulled off Xu Ying’s impermanence mask, scaring him so badly that he nearly fled.

Loosening his grip on the tongue, the bull-headed god and the ghost-faced god walked side by side, sandwiching Xu Ying. They headed toward the top of the mountain.

Dazhong’s voice echoed in Xu Ying’s mind worriedly, “Ah Ying, how long can your mask last? What if it has a time limit...”

Xu Ying whispered, “Then I’m dead!”

The two gods turned to look at him in unison, doubt flashing on their faces. Clearly, they heard him.

With a calm expression, Xu Ying said, “Bohaboha, namoboha! (I just died and can speak in human tongue!)”

Suspecting nothing, the two gods continued making their way up.

Trapped between them, Xu Ying stealthily opened the cloth bag and peered in, his heart pounding wildly. Inside it were seven or eight Myriad Spirit Pills. Zhou Zheng had likely collected some of them.

They arrived at another altar. The ghost-faced god opened his mouth and spat out several souls, allowing the statue before it to absorb.

The statue awakened, exchanged a few words, and joined the group.

As they went on their way, the ghost-faced god awoke statues one after another. Now, Xu Ying was with thirteen gods. Aside from the statues they had awakened, gods from other immortal mountains also rushed over to join them.

Xu Ying stood over a zhang tall after transforming into a ghost of impermanence. Standing among five to six zhang tall gods, he seemed especially tiny, like a child among full-grown adults.

Whenever the gods had a Myriad Spirit Pill in hand, they would get Xu Ying to open the cloth bag and place it inside.

Before long, it had fifteen Myriad Spirit Pills!

Xu Ying’s eyes darted about, thinking, With so many Myriad Spirit Pills, if I make a run for it... I’ll surely die a horrible death, right?

The Myriad Spirit Pills were probably offerings for the white-robed Exorcist Immortal. These gods had likely come together to head toward the grand temple to pay homage to the immortal and present the elixirs.

So, this was actually a pilgrimage!

Xu Ying thought, But for me, it’s a walk to my grave!

1. To give you an idea of how this weapon looks like: ☜