Day of Ascension

Thunderclouds continued to churn across the sky.

Supporting the white-robed elder, the frowning old man and the red-robed woman turned into light streams and sped off at incredible speed. They were top-tier Qi Cultivators, each with their own fortes. They were aware that others had their sights on them. If they stayed any longer, they couldn’t leave.

Unfortunately, they actually couldn’t leave.

A black coffin flew over and landed in front of them. It had arrived ahead of Qingbi, standing upright in the sky with two chains hanging from it, exuding an air of mystery.

The white-robed elder had suffered the most severe injuries, making him the slowest. Even so, he desperately fled. A moment later, a chill ran through him when a black coffin appeared in his path.

On the other side of the coffin, the red-robed woman arrived in a streak of crimson light. She had barely stopped when the wind whistled around her. She looked up in confusion and saw the frowning old man rushing toward her from another direction.

The three exchanged glances, terrified. They immediately turned around to flee.

The white-robed elder channeled his remaining mystical power and flew over a thousand li away. From afar, he saw a black coffin standing in the air, its two chains hanging motionlessly. Dread washed over him.

He immediately changed direction, but another black coffin appeared in his sight!

He changed direction once more, and yet another black coffin appeared ahead!

No matter where he fled, the black coffin always awaited him.

Looking utterly dejected, the corner of his mouth twitched as he flew toward the black coffin helplessly. “This divine ability... I don’t understand it.”

The frowning old man and the red-robed woman also arrived from opposite directions, their heads lowered, walking silently toward the black coffin.

Soon, the three stood together before it once more. They exchanged glances, but before anyone spoke, Qingbi’s gentle voice drifted over.

“You three, can we talk now?”

His face full of sorrow, the frowning old man said, “To still reach this level in the era of decline for Qi Cultivators, your talent is truly terrifying. May I ask what you wish to discuss?”

Qingbi stepped out from behind the black coffin and said softly, “The Ageless Immortal, the rise of Exorcists, and the mystery of the Qi Cultivators’ disappearance.”

The three exchanged glances. The red-robed woman said solemnly, “Miss, the three of us handled the Ageless Immortal, but we’ve sworn an oath. Breaking it would annihilate our body and soul. There’s not much we can tell you.

“As for the rise of Exorcists and the disappearance of Qi Cultivators, that has nothing to do with us. We only concern ourselves with the Ageless Immortal. We don’t know much about other matters.”

Qingbi had a mild manner and said softly, “I’ll tell you what I know. Listen first, then tell me whatever you can. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

The red-robed woman sighed in relief. “Old men, let’s try it one sentence at a time. If one of us dies from the oath, then the others should stop right there.”

The frowning old man and the white-robed elder assented.

Qingbi said, “The first time I met him was four thousand years ago. Back then, I was just a weak Qi Cultivator who had just entered the sect. I accompanied my master to the Grand Feng Shan Ceremony[1] at Mount Tai. Emperor Ancestral Dragon[2] had unified the Divine Land, and his might shook Yuanshou[3].

“The four seas had submitted to him, and his authority extended throughout the land. He performed the Feng Shan Ceremony to sacrifice to Heaven on Mount Tai, and it was at the foot of the mountain that I met the Ageless Immortal for the first time. He was a young boy.”

The trio silently exchanged glances. The red-robed woman said, “He did go to the Feng Shan Ceremony. He went there because he had been chosen as a virgin boy to set sail with Xu Fu in search of the immortal mountain. He was the only one who returned.

“Emperor Ancestral Dragon brought him to the Feng Shan Ceremony, hoping to offer him as a sacrifice to communicate with Heaven. However, the emperor didn’t understand the profound mysteries within and failed to sacrifice him.”

Qingbi said, “My master told me, ‘Look, that person is an undying ghost wandering the mortal realm.” He said he had seen him in his own youth, and he looked the same. He has wandered the world ever since, yet his memories are completely blank. Why doesn’t he remember anything?”

The white-robed elder chose his words carefully to avoid breaking the oath. “Our purpose in this world is to keep his memory blank.”

Qingbi asked, “And then?”

The frowning old man replied, “We can’t say.”

Qingbi asked, “How long has he been alive?”

The three exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison. “We cannot say.”

“Why did he end up like this?”

“We cannot say.”

“You’re keeping an eye on him. Who exactly are you working for?”

The trio tensed and sealed their lips, refusing to utter another word.

Qingbi didn’t press them further. She waved her hand and allowed them to leave.

Only after they had gone far away did she sigh softly. “Over the next thousand years, I ran into him from time to time. By then, my master was gone. His lifespan had run out, and he died in sorrow.

“He had wanted to overcome his tribulation his whole life, yet he never dared to take that step. Only the Ageless Immortal remained, wandering this world in ignorance. He changed identities time and again, living like an undying ghost.”

Leaning against the black coffin, she murmured to herself, lost in thought, “On the eve of the great upheaval, I saw him again at the foot of Mount Jiuyi. He was still that same youth. He didn’t remember me and looked at me as though I were a stranger, yet he carried so many of my memories.”

After the great upheaval struck, he was suppressed for three thousand years. The moment she emerged from the well, she saw that youth again.

She still remembered that youth, but after three thousand years, he had forgotten about her again.

She smiled in resignation and flew away. She searched the entire world, only to find that the landscape had changed beyond recognition. The places were gone. The people were gone.

Standing inside her old acquaintance’s Mud-Pill Palace Grotto Heaven, she gazed at the jade wall and sensed that he had also arrived with a snake. Only then had she recited, “South of Xiao and Xiang rivers, the Abyss of Cangwu. Beneath Mount Jiuyi, the Ageless Immortal.”

It was a sigh of lamentation, lamenting the changes and vicissitudes that had befallen both the world and the Ageless Immortal.

***

Drifting on the Hell River, the Underworld Court Emperor’s towered ship sailed against the current, making its way toward the underworld. Before long, it docked beside the Bridge of Oblivion.

The Underworld Court Emperor stepped off the boat, and his Primordial Spirit drifted onto the Bridge of Oblivion, joining the queue behind a line of ghosts. Each time a ghost at the front drank its tea, everyone behind stepped forward one place.

After some time, it was finally the Underworld Court Emperor’s turn. He accepted the bowl of tea and was just about to drink it when a sense of alarm struck him.

I nearly fell for it!

The Underworld Court Emperor possessed immense powers, after all. He immediately resisted the temptation of the Meng Po Soup, set down the bowl, and laughed.

“Meng Po, your joke went a little too far!”

The old woman raised her head shakily and chuckled. “Instead of sitting on your imperial throne, Your Majesty came to see me. Could it be that you wish to reincarnate? If so, you must drink a bowl of my tea. Not even the emperor is exempt.”

The Underworld Court Emperor knew that she had always ignored all summons and orders. She did not belong to the Underworld Court but came from another faction.

“Meng Po, I won’t hold you accountable for these things. I came to ask you one thing. That old man with the green umbrella who comes here every so often for your soup: what is his origin?”

Meng Po raised an eyebrow and cast a sidelong glance at him. “Your Majesty, you’re an ant trying to shake a tree by asking about things you shouldn’t know. Telling you would only bring you harm.”

The Underworld Court Emperor grew furious and said coldly, “You’re saying that even I am not qualified to know that?”

Immortal light flared up around him like flames, blazing fiercely. It was like an immortal had descended in person, deeply unfathomable.

The dazed ghosts on the Bridge of Oblivion had never witnessed such a scene. They immediately dropped to their knees, trembling and not daring to move.

The emperor’s aura surged even more as he said coldly, “I possess the body of an immortal, descended into the mortal realm to enjoy its incense and receive their worship for eternity! I rule over the Celestial Court of the Underworld and the divinities of the mortal realm. More than a hundred gods are under my command. Yet, I am unworthy?”

Meng Po said indifferently, “That’s right.”

Ignoring the overwhelming pressure bearing down on her, she continued calmly, “Your Majesty is but a pseudo-immortal, half-dead and half-alive. There’s no need to put on airs before me. Have the person behind you step forward, and I will tell the truth. Please return and ask for instructions, Your Majesty.”

“You!” The emperor grew even more furious and wanted to strike. Yet the old woman before him remained unfathomable, leaving him unwilling to act rashly.

He turned around, flinging his sleeves. Does that old man who fed Xu Ying Meng Po Soup really have such a great background? He’s a Qi Cultivator, but his strength may not even surpass mine. Why is Meng Po so secretive about him, refusing to reveal anything about his origins?

***

On Mount Wu Wang, Xu Ying gazed into the distance. With three hundred sixty heavenly gods doing their best to help, this heavenly tribulation targeting Zhou Qiyun passed without incident. The tribulation cloud in the sky was gradually thinning.

The heavenly tribulation that had captured the world’s attention was finally drawing to a close.

Xu Ying’s heart raced with excitement as he smiled at Dazhong. “Zhou Qiyun will overcome his tribulation and ascend to immortality, becoming the first Exorcist Immortal to do so. Once that happens, everything will be settled. Even if the Mud-Pill Palace Master intervenes, he won’t be able to stop Zhou Qiyun.”

Although Xu Ying and Zhou Qiyun had never been on good terms, and Zhou Qiyun had threatened his life several times, he had never actually acted against him. Xu Ying had also learned much from him.

Undeniably, he harbored hatred toward Zhou Qiyun. Even so, his admiration and respect ran deeper.

The tribulation cloud in the sky shrank rapidly. The final strike was here at long last!

Gazing at the descending bolt of lightning, as thick as Mount Jiuyi’s main peak, Xu Ying was filled with excitement.

He smiled. “Zhou Qiyun mentioned in his last letter that my life would be safe if he ascended successfully. It seems I won’t have to worry now.”

Dazhong sighed with emotion. “This man is truly an ambitious and ruthless figure.”

As their voices faded, the tribulation cloud in the sky dissipated. A beam of rosy ascension light descended from the heavens, bathing Mount Jiuyi in its glow.

The light was holy and pure, its colors dazzling, and it contained profound mysteries beyond comprehension. It enveloped Zhou Qiyun, who stood on the mountain’s peak.

The corner of his lips curled up into a smile. He had finally overcome this tribulation of ascension.

To reach this moment, he had exhausted everything he had accumulated over the past two centuries: all his wealth, countless heavenly treasures, innumerable artifacts left behind by ancient Qi Cultivators, and the flesh and blood of ancient creatures.

The three hundred sixty heavenly gods protected him during this process, and even these lofty incarnations of the Heavenly Dao sustained severe injuries as a result!

Zhou Qiyun was also heavily wounded.

The nine grotto heavens of his Mud-Pill Secret Trove were in tatters, his ethereal void was riddled with holes, and even his Primordial Spirit had nearly shattered from the strikes.

Yet he had won. He had survived and overcome this great tribulation.

At that moment, he desperately wanted someone to confide in. He wanted to speak openly with a friend, to vent the emotions welling inside him and share his exhilaration.

He gazed at the rosy light of ascension that descended from another world beyond the heavens. Xu Ying’s face suddenly came to his mind. He chuckled softly.

“He must be watching me face my tribulation, isn’t he? I don’t know why, but I want to confide in him. Could it be because he’s also a snake catcher?”

Was it because they both came from Lingling County and had experienced similar hardships?

He thought, Perhaps not. It’s likely just my admiration for him. Such an outstanding youth is truly rare. Seeing him reminds me of my past self.

One after another, the heavenly gods seized the opportunity presented by the descending ascension light and soared into the sky, following it back to the Heavenly Dao World.

The Immortal Realm was above the Heavenly Dao World.

For the Immortal Realm and the mortal realm, the Heavenly Dao World was an interlayer between the two.

Zhou Qiyun looked up. The enormous figures of these heavenly gods blocked the rosy light, but he wasn’t worried at all.

With a smile, he thought, My admiration for Xu Ying simply stems from my narcissism.

The heavenly gods completely blocked out the rosy light. Mount Jiuyi and the myriad surrounding mountains fell into darkness.

Just then, a dark shadow entered his sight.

On Mount Wu Wang, Xu Ying gazed toward Mount Jiuyi. Although the rosy light of ascension was obscured by the heavenly gods, plunging Mount Jiuyi into darkness, scattered rays still slipped through the gaps between their colossal frames, illuminating the surrounding peaks.

Amid the darkness, he vaguely saw a gigantic figure flying toward Mount Jiuyi.

Xu Ying’s heart pounded violently. He opened his mouth wide, wanting to shout out in warning, but no sound came out.

It was too far. This place was too far from Mount Jiuyi.

It was simply impossible for his voice to reach that far.

His heart tightened, and he opened his eyes wide, even activating his Third Eye, staring into the darkness that shrouded Mount Jiuyi.

He thought to himself, Zhou Qiyun has no flaws left. He’s already overcome the immortal tribulation. He’s an immortal; he cannot be defeated...

In the distance, Xu Ying caught faint flashes of light on Mount Jiuyi. It looked as though a fierce battle had broken out.

“Master Zhong! Yuanqi!” Xu Ying cried out, “Let’s go to Mount Jiuyi!”

Startled, Dazhong and Yuanqi flew into the back of Xu Ying’s head and hid inside his collar, respectively. The bull demon brothers also wanted to follow, but Xu Ying shook his head.

“You guys guard the Mud-Pill Palace Grotto Heaven and wait for my return!”

The bull demon brothers bowed and voiced their assent.

Sword qi erupted around Xu Ying. It swirled about him as he shot into the sky, instantly breaking the sound barrier with a thunderous boom.

Mount Wu Wang was over a thousand li away from Mount Jiuyi. It was a treacherous journey, with ancient creatures lurking among the mountains and marshes. Only the strong could pass through.

Xu Ying ignored every danger and flew straight through the sky.

Whenever terrifying creatures emerged to block his path, a bell chime rang out. They immediately lowered their heads in submission and dared not move again.

“Ah Ying, heading to Mount Jiuyi right now would be walking straight into a trap.” Dazhong warned, “He’s never given up on killing you. He may even be jealous of you.”

Xu Ying didn’t respond and continued rushing toward Mount Jiuyi.

Though there was friction between him and Zhou Qiyun, he had the vague sense that Zhou Qiyun already regarded him as a friend. Their conversations had become less like rivals testing each other and more like friends confiding in one another.

Xu Ying moved extremely fast, even surpassing the speed of sound. At this pace, it would take him only half an hour to reach Mount Jiuyi.

Half an hour was very short. As long as Zhou Qiyun held out during this time, perhaps Dazhong could save him!

As Xu Ying neared Mount Jiuyi, the last heavenly god’s massive figure returned to the Heavenly Dao World through the rosy light of ascension. It shone down, making the night sky especially beautiful.

Xu Ying landed beneath the parasol tree on Mount Jiuyi with a stumble, his cultivation nearly exhausted.

Beneath the parasol tree, the rosy light of ascension poured down on a white-browed youth.

He sat beneath the tree, facing east.

There, the first rays of the rising sun were already visible.

He turned his head around to look at Xu Ying. A smile spread on his face. “You’ve come to see me off.”

He turned his gaze back to the east and said calmly, “I thought of you in my last moments. I knew you would surely come. Snake catcher, Xu Ying... I lost.”

Calm as ever, he murmured, “I don’t want to die. I really don’t want to die. I can’t bear to let go...”

Standing behind him, Xu Ying saw the back of Zhou Qiyun’s head split open. Light shone out from within.

Only an empty shell remained of his body.

He turned his head around and smiled faintly at Xu Ying, his expression filled with encouragement.

“You have to be more cunning than me to survive.”

As the sun rose, the first ray of light fell on his face.

Smiling, he said, “The mortal realm is truly beautiful. I wish I could live another lifetime.”

The grandmaster who had mastered both Qi cultivation and Exorcism, the first Exorcist to ascend to immortality, collapsed before Xu Ying, leaving behind nothing but a layer of human skin.

At some point, the exhausted descendants of the Zhou clan had climbed the mountain and gathered behind Xu Ying. They stood there in silence, staring blankly at the scene before them.

Boundless grief welled up in their hearts.

One by one, they dropped to their knees and bowed deeply.

Sam’s thoughts: Damn, that was surprisingly emotional. F in the chat.

Also, my theory is that XY himself is the one keeping his memory blank. Eternal life may be a pain for him, so he just keeps living new lives.

1. An official rite offered by the Son of Heaven (kings of Zhou and later emperors of China) to pay homage to heaven and earth. The sacrifices were usually offered at Mount Tai and nearby Mount Liangfu. ☜

2. Literally ”Ancestral Dragon Emperor”, a legendary title often used in Chinese history and xianxia novels to refer to China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. ☜

3. Refers to this planet in this novel. Usually, it refers to an era name (reign title) used by Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty from 122 BC to 117 BC. ☜