Day of Ascension

“Xu Fu?” Xu Ying found the name vaguely familiar, but he could not recall where he had heard it before. He accepted the invitation from the young man’s hands.

The wording on the invitation was quite elegant, written in the style of the Qin and Han periods.

“Since we parted four thousand years ago, I have had no chance to see you again and have missed you deeply. Now that I have returned from the immortal island, I hope to meet Lord Xu once more. Respectfully yours, Xu Fu.”

Yuanqi glanced at the contents of the invitation, startled and uncertain. “Xu Fu? The same guy who led three thousand children across the sea in search of the Immortal Isle, seeking the herb of longevity for Emperor Ancestral Dragon?”

Xu Ying asked, “Xiao Qi, is this Xu Fu very famous?”

Yuanqi said, “More than four thousand years ago, he was a renowned Qi Cultivator! He was more than famous. He told Emperor Ancestral Dragon that there were immortal islands overseas, and that immortals who had not yet ascended lived on those islands. The emperor gave him three thousand boys and girls and ordered him to seek the longevity herb.

“He never returned. Some say he found the immortal island, but there was only one herb, so he swallowed it himself. Others say he never found the immortal island and hid because he feared Emperor Ancestral Dragon would execute him. Some even claim he was nothing but a fraud. I’ve read accounts like that in many books!”

The young messenger smiled faintly. “If my master were a fraud, how could he still be alive today? Emperor Ancestral Dragon is gone, yet my master remains in this world. Does that not prove my master found the immortal herbs of longevity?”

Xu Ying set down the invitation and said, “Your master did not say when or where he wanted to meet me. He merely had you bring the invitation, which shows a lack of sincerity. You may return.”

The young man said, “My master said that if Old Ancestor Xu wishes to know his origins, it would be best to make the trip.”

Xu Ying’s heart trembled. His gaze settled on the young man’s face. “What else did your master say?”

The young man smiled. “My master did not say much else. Old Ancestor Xu, he only said that you would certainly find him.”

This was the first time Xu Ying had ever been called Old Ancestor. He burst out laughing. “Very well. Since Xu Fu has invited me so graciously, how could I refuse?”

The young man bowed. “I will guide the way for you.”

Xu Ying asked, “What is your name?”

“My name is Du Fei.”

Xu Ying waved a hand and had Niu Zhen take him down to rest first. “I need to make some preparations. Wait a while.”

Opening the invitation, Xu Ying turned it over several times, examining it curiously. “Master Qi, Xu Fu says he knew me four thousand years ago. Just how old am I?”

Yuanqi glanced at Dazhong, who clanged and said, “That is hard to say. You used to mention Xujiaping Village constantly; at first, we thought there was something wrong with your head.

”Later, we realized the problem wasn’t your sanity, but your memories. Then we discovered you were already over three thousand years old. Before long, we realized you were even older than that.”

The bell sighed. “And now... it seems you’re at least four thousand years old.”

Zhu Chanchan opened her mouth as if to speak. After thinking it over, she held back. It could be more than four thousand years. In my era, there was also a legend about an Ageless Immortal. Could that have been him?

She had been responsible for refining artifacts for the Emperor of Zhou. Most of her life had been spent in seclusion forging treasures, and she rarely ventured into the outside world. She had only heard tales of the Ageless Immortal and had never seen the person behind the legend.

Dazhong said, “Ah Ying, your memories have not fully recovered yet. You can’t even make sense of this lifetime. In my opinion, you should not meet Xu Fu.”

He paused, then continued, “Someone you’ve gone four thousand years without seeing suddenly comes looking for you. Either they’re here to borrow money... or they have something far more sinister in mind.”

Xu Ying shook his head. “He met me four thousand years ago, and he knows my origins. I have to meet him. This may be my only chance to uncover the mystery of my past.”

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Dazhong said to Zhu Chanchan, “Old Ancestor Chanchan, don’t you have an artifact hidden in the Divine Land? I’m afraid this trip may be dangerous. Go retrieve the artifact first.”

Zhu Chanchan’s spirit rose at once, and she smiled. “My artifact is quite formidable. When I forged treasures for the Zhou Emperor, I secretly kept all the leftover fragments from those divine artifacts. Over the years, I gathered enough rare materials to forge a little treasure of my own.”

She flew away and said with a smile, “Before I went to steal the immortal herbs, I sealed that artifact away. It’s just that too much time has passed, so it will still take several days to find it. You can go ahead first. I will find you!”

Dazhong said to Yuanqi, “Did she say she’ll find us? How?”

Yuanqi said, ”How else? Through Ah Ying’s stone axe. She left her own spiritual imprint on it. That’s how we managed to track Ah Ying down in the first place. It’s not as though she could have left an imprint on us.”

Dazhong was deeply worried. “That is exactly what I’m worried about.”

Yuanqi laughed. “Old Ancestor Chanchan would never do something like that!”

Even as he said it, he instinctively inspected himself from head to toe, worried that Zhu Chanchan might really have left some mysterious mark on him without his knowledge.

Xu Ying summoned the brothers Niu Zhen and Niu Qian and instructed them, “Your Uncle Master Niu and I will be going out for a few days. You must guard the gates well and cultivate diligently. When I return, I will inspect your progress.”

His memories had not fully recovered, so Yuanqi, hidden beside his ear, fed him every word.

Once Xu Ying had finished giving his instructions, he called Du Fei over. “Lead the way.”

Du Fei bowed. “Yes, sir. I have prepared a carriage at the foot of the mountain.”

Xu Ying brought Yuanqi and Dazhong down the mountain. At the foot of the mountain stood a square, boxy carriage that looked like a sedan chair. Its frame was constructed from thick dragonwood, assembled entirely with intricate mortise-and-tenon joints. Broad steps extended from each side for boarding.

At each of the carriage’s four corners sat a sword attendant. Each leaned silently against a sword casket, half-kneeling and half-crouching, their gazes fixed straight ahead without the slightest movement.

Xu Ying swept a glance over the sword attendants. Du Fei smiled. “Old Ancestor, they are Qi Cultivators at the Transmutation Stage. Do their cultivation levels meet your expectations?”

Xu Ying’s heart gave a jolt. Transmutation Stage Qi Cultivators? Their cultivation realms are even higher than mine!

Over the past few months, his own cultivation had nearly reached the fourth heaven of the Gate-Knocking Stage. Once he reached the fourth heaven, the next realm would be the Transmutation Stage, where water and fire were tempered together to build the furnace. It was within that realm that one condensed the Golden Core.

He had never expected these four silent sword attendants to be Golden Core experts.

Xu Ying followed Du Fei up the steps and into the carriage, then asked, “Du Fei, what cultivation realm have you reached?”

Du Fei said, “My cultivation is shallow. At present, I am still at the Gate-Knocking Stage, and have only just opened the Central Ridge Pass.”

Xu Ying’s brows lifted. The Gate-Knocking Stage Du Fei mentioned wasn’t the same as Xu Ying’s Gate-Knocking Stage. Xu Ying was at the Gate-Knocking Stage of the Tailbone Pass, while he had already cultivated to the second Gate-Knocking Stage, the Central Ridge Pass. His cultivation realm was much higher than Xu Ying’s.

The interior of the carriage was spacious and well lit. Young maidservants stood quietly to either side, holding incense burners, while attendants moved about efficiently, tending to every comfort.

Xu Ying pushed open the carriage window and looked out. The four sword attendants opened their sword casket, and sword qi flew out from within, gradually circling the entire carriage. Suspended within the swirling sword qi, the luxurious carriage slowly lifted into the sky before shooting forward like a streak of light.

He could tell that the Sword Kinesis Mantra cultivated by the four sword attendants was incomplete. However, by joining forces and forming a sword formation, they were able to compensate for its shortcomings and fully unleash its power.

Du Fei said with a smile, “This is the Sword Kinesis Mantra restored by my master. Is it acceptable, Old Ancestor?”

Xu Ying told the truth. “It’s mediocre.”

Du Fei’s eyes flickered, and he smiled. “Old Ancestor Xu, my master holds you in the highest regard, so you must certainly possess an even better Sword Kinesis Mantra. I’ve learned a few minor techniques myself. Would Old Ancestor be willing to offer some guidance?”

Without waiting for Xu Ying to answer, his shoulders shook. Countless strands of sword qi erupted from his body, crossing and intertwining as they slashed toward Xu Ying.

Xu Ying flicked his fingers in succession. Du Fei’s vision blurred, and he saw a thread of sword qi break through his technique. He hurriedly raised a hand to grab at his throat.

Clink!

His palm closed on empty air. The thread of sword qi had already brushed across his neck. Yet the instant it touched his skin, it shattered into nothingness.

Du Fei lowered his head and saw that a thread of sword qi had also pierced the clothes over his chest. A faint sting came from the center of his heart. That strand of sword qi had likewise reached his body before shattering just short of piercing his skin.

Cold sweat instantly broke out across his forehead. Fortunately, his cultivation is far beneath mine. He couldn’t penetrate my true essence barrier. Otherwise, those two strikes alone would have killed me.

Xu Ying had only made two casual thrusts and had no intention of killing anyone. He had not expected Du Fei to misunderstand and assume Xu Ying’s cultivation was lacking. “Your master is a Qi Cultivator like all of you? He hasn’t cultivated Exorcism Techniques?”

Du Fei reined in his earlier arrogance and bowed. “Master said Exorcists and exorcism techniques are nothing but demonic heresy, a path to death. Why learn such things?”

Xu Ying nodded lightly. Xu Fu isn’t wrong. Exorcists and their techniques are indeed riddled with hidden dangers, traps designed to consume those who practice them. If one cannot escape those traps, ruin is inevitable. But if one can... Then the possibilities are limitless.

The sword qi carriage sped through the air at tremendous speed, leaving only a blur of light and shadow. Xu Ying found himself rather admiring the four sword attendants outside the carriage.

Their mystical power runs deep. They can actually sustain sword qi for this long. Their cultivation should be on par with Master Qi’s.

No sooner had the thought crossed Xu Ying’s mind than another group of attendants emerged from the carriage to relieve the four sword attendants. The first group looked as though an enormous weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Their robes were soaked with sweat, and they were so exhausted they could barely remain standing.

Xu Ying thought, They don’t seem to have as much primordial qi as Master Qi. The attendants’ cultivation realms are much higher than Master Qi’s, but their primordial qi seems lacking.

Within the same realm, the depth and vigor of Yuanqi’s primordial qi were enough to match Xu Ying’s. It was only because Xu Ying had opened the Jade Pool Secret Trove that his reserves had recently surpassed Yuanqi’s.

During the journey, the sword attendants were replaced four more times before the carriage finally reached a vast mountain range. Passing between towering peaks, the carriage ascended to the summit before slowly descending.

One by one, the ringing hum of sword qi faded as each strand returned to its respective sword casket.

Xu Ying stepped down from the carriage and saw that the place was beautiful, with clear mountains and bright waters, facing the sea. Birds nested along the sheer cliffs, and as the carriage arrived, entire flocks burst into flight, diving gracefully before skimming across the ocean’s shimmering surface.

Elsewhere, young men and women moved in groups of four, each controlling sword qi as they roamed alongside the birds, weaving back and forth over the ocean.

The scenery lifted the heart and refreshed the spirit.

“Old Ancestor Xu, this way, please!” Du Fei said, extending a hand.

Xu Ying followed him up a seemingly endless flight of white jade steps. Only after climbing for quite some time did they finally reach the summit, where an imposing main hall stood.

Inside the hall floated a perfectly square boulder. It measured one zhang in length, width, and height, neat and regular in every dimension.

Standing atop the stone was a man dressed in black robes tied with a crimson sash. He looked no older than twenty or thirty, yet possessed the bearing of a Daoist Immortal, ethereal and transcendent.

Only a blood-red scar, shaped like a centipede, running from the corner of one eye, marred that transcendent appearance. Judging by its size, the original wound must have been unimaginably severe.

When the man saw Xu Ying, even though his Dao Heart was as still as an ancient well, it seemed as if a small stone had been tossed into it, stirring ripples across the surface.

The boulder carried the man forward and stopped before Xu Ying. The man bowed in greeting and said with a smile, “Lord Xu, four thousand years have passed since we last met, yet you remain exactly as you were. Time has left no mark upon you.”

Xu Ying returned the courtesy. “You must be Xu Fu? Forgive my poor eyesight. I do not recognize you.”

The man burst into laughter. “The Ageless Immortal never ages, but he always forgets his past. I do not blame you. Lord Xu, back then, you and I followed the Emperor Ancestral Dragon’s command and went to sea together in search of the immortal mountains. Though you have forgotten everything, I remember it all as if it happened yesterday.

”We endured countless hardships along the way. I cannot even remember how many people perished before we finally discovered Fangzhang Immortal Mountain.”

Xu Fu looked down at his feet and smiled. “Does this mountain stir any memories?”

Xu Ying was startled and looked at the square boulder beneath his feet. “Could it be...”

Xu Fu nodded lightly.

Yuanqi hurriedly leaped down from Xu Ying’s shoulder, while Dazhong also flew out from behind Xu Ying’s head and cried in shock, “This is Fangzhang Immortal Mountain?”

Xu Fu smiled. “That’s right. This is Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, one of the three great immortal mountains of legend. The three immortal mountains are said to be fragments of the Immortal Realm that fell into the mortal world. Back then, someone presented the Ageless Immortal to the Emperor Ancestral Dragon, and it was I who strongly stopped the Emperor Ancestral Dragon from eating Lord Xu.

“I had read through all manner of ancient texts and knew full well that a great secret was buried within Lord Xu, one connected to these three immortal mountains. That was why I convinced Emperor Ancestral Dragon to gather the greatest experts of the age and together pry open a tiny portion of the seal suppressing Lord Xu’s memories.”

Xu Ying’s expression stirred with emotion. He clenched his fists and said, “You opened the seal on my memories?”

Xu Fu nodded lightly and smiled. “We did, but only by the tiniest margin. But that was enough! Emperor Ancestral Dragon gave the order for Lord Xu and me to lead three thousand children across the vast seas in search of the immortal mountains.

“Along the way, we slew countless demons and monsters, crossed straits, passed through the underworld, traversed heavenly tribulation zones, and endured a thousand hardships and countless dangers before we finally found Fangzhang Immortal Mountain!”

He smiled faintly and said, “To stand upon the immortal mountain is to belong to the Immortal Realm, ageless, deathless, and beyond destruction.”

Xu Ying’s thoughts churned. From Xu Fu’s words, it was clear the man knew his origins better than anyone.

Yuanqi studied the immortal mountain. “What a pity. This immortal mountain is too small. Only one person can stand on it.”

“Yes,” Xu Fu said with a sigh.

Yuanqi lifted his head. “Then why was Ah Ying the only one to return to the Divine Land, while you were nowhere to be found? And where are the other three thousand boys and girls?”

Xu Fu looked at him with a dim, unfathomable gaze.

Yuanqi stretched out his tail; with a pop, the green paper umbrella opened, shielding his head.

Dazhong, meanwhile, silently moved above Xu Ying’s head.

Xu Fu sighed. “They died on the road to find the immortal mountains. As for Lord Xu, perhaps the seal had been opened too far and alarmed the people behind it. When I wanted to share my joy with Lord Xu, he had already vanished without a trace.”

His expression darkened. “I was trapped on Fangzhang Immortal Mountain and couldn’t find the road back to Yuanshou. I could neither return to the Divine Land nor leave the endless sea.

“By the time I finally found my way home, the Qin and Han dynasties had long since fallen. Two thousand years had passed, and heaven and earth had changed beyond recognition.

“I lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, searching for the mysteries within, trying to uncover why the ancient Qi Cultivators had disappeared, in hopes of meeting Lord Xu again. For two thousand years, I found no answer.”

He looked at Xu Ying, his gaze fervent, and smiled. “I never imagined that after heaven and earth underwent such a drastic change, I would actually hear news of Lord Xu again!”

Yuanqi interrupted, frowning. “You and Ah Ying sailed together in search of the immortal mountain. If that’s true, history should remember both of you. Why do the records mention only you and not Ah Ying?”

Xu Fu’s eyes flickered. “Because someone wanted Lord Xu erased from the world. Every trace of him was removed from the official histories. His past isn’t the only thing that has been erased. Much more has vanished as well. Please, come with me!”