Day of Ascension

Xu Ying and Dazhong shuddered. “Who could he be if Yuan Wuji isn’t Yuan Wuji?”

Xu Ying smiled. “This is just wild speculation on our part. We can’t treat it as the truth. Perhaps Yuan Wuji is an unrivaled prodigy who achieved great enlightenment after obtaining the Yellow Court Dao Attainment Technique and progressed to the level of an immortal...”

As he spoke, his confidence waned.

To think Yuan Wuji could reach Xu Fu’s level in only six months was to underestimate Xu Fu.

Standing atop the immortal mountain, Xu Fu was a true immortal who had transcended mortal limits. He could effortlessly crush those Exorcist Immortals, yet Yuan Wuji could match him. Something was clearly wrong.

A violent tremor suddenly erupted from Mount Li. Yuan Wuji hurriedly ordered the two dragon sparrows to descend into the mountains below and hide.

Xu Ying looked toward Mount Li. In the distance, ten golden statues rose into the sky, radiating earth-shattering might. Ten pillars of light pierced the clouds, warping the heavens, and the clouds themselves twisted into a bizarre vortex.

Xu Ying swallowed hard. If the golden statues had awakened this much power while still inside the grand tomb, he could never have destroyed their shrine and ethereal void.

Now they were simply too terrifying!

Floating between the ten golden statues, the Ancestral Dragon’s voice boomed like thunder and shook heaven and earth.

“Xu Fuuuu!”

“How dare you! You actually tried to control me! I wield imperial authority and speak the Mandate of Heaven. Who do you think you are?”

Rumble!

Following the violent tremors, Xu Ying looked up and saw a royal seal descend from the sky, wrapped in blazing flames as it hurtled down toward Xu Fu and the Fangzhang Immortal Mountain!

Yuanqi cried out in shock, “The Imperial Jade Seal[1]!”

Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang quickly turned to look at him, their faces filled with confusion.

Yuanqi explained, “That is the Imperial Jade Seal from the Qin Dynasty. Rumor has it that it is an exotic treasure refined by the Ancestral Dragon. It contains the Heavenly Dao bestowed by Heaven itself after the Feng Shan Ceremony at Mount Tai.

“The books state that this treasure vanished from the mortal realm long ago. Some rumors claim that Ancestral Dragon took it with him. Others say it was lost in a dry well during the chaos more than two thousand years ago.”

The Fangzhang Immortal Mountain seemed insignificantly small in front of the Imperial Jade Seal. As for Xu Fu, he was so tiny that he was immeasurable!

Yet that tiny figure and small immortal mountain erupted with astonishingly violent power.

Xu Fu raised his hand, and blinding immortal light erupted from his palm. The Fangzhang Immortal Mountain also shone with brilliant light.

The Imperial Jade Seal came to an abrupt stop!

Then violent shockwaves erupted in all directions and quickly reached Xu Ying’s group. A roaring hurricane swept across the mountain ranges, hurling rocks through the air as countless trees were felled, some torn up by the roots.

As soon as this terrifying shockwave passed, ten fierce clashes rang out. The ten golden statues surrounded and attacked the Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, each exchanging a blow with Xu Fu.

The ten brief clashes set off ten storms of divine abilities, forcing Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, Zhu Chanchan, and the others to lower their heads. None of them could follow the battle.

Then they heard Ancestral Dragon’s voice recede into the distance as he sneered, “Xu Fu, don’t think you can escape! And hand over the Ageless Immortal!”

It appeared that Xu Fu had fled, while Ancestral Dragon led the ten golden statues to pursue him.

Xu Ying’s heart pounded wildly. “Ancestral Dragon is too strong! Wait, why does he want me?”

Suddenly, he sensed something and turned to look, only to see Yuan Wuji looking at him with a vague smile. A chill ran down his spine.

Once Ancestral Dragon and Xu Fu had gone far away, Yuan Wuji stood up and smiled. “Now’s the time for us to truly explore the grand tomb of Mount Li. Come, let us return.”

The dragon-sparrows flapped their wings and took flight with difficulty, pulling the carriage and the fat snake inside. They turned around and flew toward Mount Li.

Yuan Wuji smiled. “Now, no one will compete with us for the treasures. According to some ancient texts, other than the Imperial Jade Seal and the Twelve Golden Statues, there should be another treasure inside the grand tomb of Mount Li.”

His eyes flickered, but he didn’t say what it was.

When they returned to Mount Li, the group stepped off and followed Yuan Wuji back into the grotto heaven within the mountain.

The grand tomb looked completely different now, having just been torn through by a devastating battle. In the sky, there used to be mountains refined from the pre-Qin Qi Cultivators’ Five Sacred Immortal Mountains; now, they were shattered. Numerous seals and restrictions in the sky were also destroyed.

The mercury river was boiling, sending poisonous vapor rising. The mountain forests were burning. From time to time, divine abilities exploded, setting off shockwaves that destroyed everything in the surroundings.

Blinding flashes shone through the forests and across the sky at intervals. It was impossible to tell whether they came from divine abilities or exotic treasures.

Looking up, Xu Ying saw corpses floating in the sky, likely fallen Exorcists. They were likely fallen Exorcists, suspended motionless by some unknown force.

Yuan Wuji cleared a path ahead while the others followed behind without incident.

When Zhu Chanchan recovered some of her cultivation, she struck Dazhong, healing the damage on his surface. Previously, he had clashed head-on with a golden statue and was left dented, greatly diminishing his strength. Later, Xu Ying had smashed the ethereal void of the golden statue with him, riddling the bell with holes.

Now, he had barely recovered.

Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang were discussing Dao arts when the topic of heavenly domain resonance came up. As they talked about how Xu Ying resonated with the heavenly domains, his mind grew groggy, and images flashed before his eyes.

He saw Diqiu City again. In that deserted city that had appeared so abruptly, all the food remained exactly as it had been the instant before the city vanished, yet there was no sign of life anywhere.

He remembered his conversation with Bei Chenzi, he remembered Heaven-Man Resonance, he remembered the Towering Wasteland, and he also remembered a girl named Feng Xue’er during the era of Heaven-Man Resonance.

They had promised to spend their lives together and to remain by each other’s side even in the next lifetime.

Those memories surged into Xu Ying’s mind like a rising tide. He could only stare blankly as tears streamed down his cheeks.

As his vision blurred, Yuan Weiyang’s appearance gradually overlapped with Feng Xue’er’s.

That person’s voice, face, and smile appeared before his eyes.

Yuan Weiyang had been telling him about the profundities of heavenly domain resonance when she suddenly noticed Xu Ying crying, his eyes brimming with tears.

Panicking, she quickly waved her hand in front of Xu Ying.

Xu Ying raised his hand and grabbed her wrist. He said in a low voice, choking, “Is it you...? When you left, I looked for you so desperately.”

Startled, Yuan Weiyang silently pulled her hand back. She said softly, “Demon King Xu, your memories got mixed up again. You’ve mistaken me for my sister, Yuan Rushi.”

Xu Ying snapped back to his senses and closed his eyes to clear his hot tears. After settling his emotions, he smiled. “I lost my composure. Just now, I suddenly remembered some things and forgot myself. I remember now, Brother Yuan. You’re not a girl.”

Yuan Weiyang gradually came back into focus, no longer overlapping with Feng Xue’er. She couldn’t help but feel that Xu Ying had become different, like he had matured a little.

Dazhong also sensed Xu Ying’s changes and asked, “Ah Ying, did your memories as a snake catcher return?”

Xu Ying nodded. “I can recall most of my experiences now.”

Dazhong flew into Yuanqi’s mouth and let out a crisp toll.

Sitting inside Yuanqi’s mouth, Zhu Chanchan understood his meaning and followed him into Yuanqi’s stomach.

“Speak your mind, Master Zhong.”

Zhu Chanchan dodged a massive artifact fragment—likely one level of the Twelve-Story Pagoda—and followed Dazhong. “I’ve reforged Yuanqi’s stomach until it’s indestructible. No divine sense can hope to penetrate it.”

Surprisingly, there was a waterside pavilion ahead. The two stepped inside and gazed out the window at half of a Jasper Pool.

Dazhong said solemnly, “Ah Ying said that his memories as a snake catcher have returned, but I don’t know how much he actually remembers. Do you still remember what happened before he was sealed?”

Zhu Chanchan shuddered as she recalled the scene of Xu Ying slaying the heavenly demon and clashing with Bei Chenzi’s trio. “You mean, Ah Ying has already become Master Ying?”

Dazhong bobbed up and down, as if nodding. “I think he’s in his Master Ying state right now! Half a year ago, he was only in the third heaven of the Gate-Knocking Stage when he was in that state, yet he was already capable of causing such destruction. Now that he’s in the fourth heaven, who can possibly withstand him?”

Zhu Chanchan thought for a moment before shaking her head. “You’re forgetting one thing. Master Ying could wreak such havoc back then only because the talisman paper’s incense was cut off!

“Even if he’s recovered memories of that time, Bei Chenzi’s group still has the talisman paper and incense! Moreover, he’s under an additional talisman seal compared to before!”

Dazhong immediately understood. He smiled. “I was overthinking.”

Zhu Chanchan was slightly taken aback. “Master Zhong, shouldn’t you be happy if Ah Ying becomes Master Ying? Why are you worried instead?”

Dazhong hesitated for a moment and said, “I’m worried that in his state as Master Ying, Ah Ying won’t be the Ah Ying we know.”

Zhu Chanchan paused slightly.

Dazhong and Zhu Chanchan stepped outside and saw Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang engaged in a spirited discussion, showing no signs of abnormality. Only then did they relax.

Yuan Weiyang taught Xu Ying the revised Primordial Dao Heavenly Domain Resonance, which now included the method to refine immortal herbs for the divine sense. While practicing the technique, he sought a better method of refinement and made many amendments to the foundation.

Ahead, Yuan Wuji cleared the way. Madam Yuan and Old Grand-Madam Yuan followed closely behind him, while Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang trailed behind them. Before long, their conversation turned to Heaven-Man Resonance and the Towering Wasteland from three thousand years ago.

Xu Ying pondered aloud, “I suspect the Yuan clan’s dwindling lineage is related to the Towering Wasteland. Do you still remember Zhou Qiyun once said that attaining enlightenment in the Dao carries great danger?”

Yuan Weiyang replied, “I’ve attained enlightenment before as well, and nearly fell into the deep abyss.”

“Your clan’s cultivation technique requires one to be extremely rational and cast aside all distracting thoughts. I think it’s to resist the Towering Wasteland and prevent one from falling into it.”

The Yuan clan’s descendants were all extremely intelligent. Combined with the Primordial Dao Heavenly Domain Resonance, they had an even higher chance of being devoured by the Towering Wasteland when they comprehended the Dao!

Xu Ying speculated, “I think the reason why the Primordial Dao Heavenly Domain Resonance has such powerful perception is likely because it’s related to the Heaven-Man Resonance during Emperor Wu’s era. Perhaps this exorcism art originates from that period.”

Yuan Weiyang stirred slightly inside. “After observing your Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing, I attained enlightenment in the human body’s acupoints. By visualizing the myriad gods of the heavens within my acupoints, I developed my own half-qi, half-exorcism system.”

Smiling faintly, she said calmly, “And now, when I perform heavenly domain resonance, gods stand guard through the myriad heavens, firmly locking down my physical body and soul, so I no longer face any danger of falling into the Towering Wasteland.”

Xu Ying was filled with deep admiration.

Yuan Weiyang hadn’t actually learned the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing from Xu Ying. She had simply observed him practicing the technique. She memorized the images projected from his acupoints, gained her own unique insight, and developed a new cultivation technique different from exorcism arts or Qi cultivation techniques!

She was a true grandmaster!

Her words helped Xu Ying immediately understand the profound mysteries of the improved cultivation technique. He contemplated for a moment, then channeled the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing and used his divine sense to perform Inner Vision on each of his acupoints.

As he observed inward, following the vibrations of every Dao sound, each of his acupoints grew increasingly clear. Some of the acupoints were structured like ancestral halls, some were like lotus blossoms, and some like altars. Others naturally formed palace complexes, immortal mountains, and lakes. A few even took the shape of gods.

Xu Ying was stunned for a moment, then suddenly praised, “Brother Yuan, you’re truly talented! I’ve never thought about this deeply before, but I just had a sudden realization. If we perform Inner Vision along with the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing to visualize every acupoint, we can achieve heavenly domain resonance!

He laughed out loud. “Each acupoint corresponds to one of the myriad heavens. Borrowing the power of heavenly domain resonance, we can achieve the communion of heaven and man and explore the Towering Wasteland!

Yuan Weiyang’s eyes lit up, and she smiled. “That’s exactly my intention.”

Full of excitement, Xu Ying put his thoughts into action immediately. He channeled the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing and performed various strange movements on Yuanqi’s head. He used the opportunity to visualize his acupoints while simultaneously perceiving the myriad heavens in the void, connecting the two.

He wasn’t learning Yuan Weiyang’s cultivation technique. She had forged her own path to become a grandmaster; others couldn’t imitate it.

To learn her cultivation technique, one would need to comb through countless manuals and search for the Dao avatars of the myriad heavens’ gods. Visualizing even one Dao avatar and training it to the highest level would take an immense amount of time. Filling every acupoint in the body would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Xu Ying merely linked the acupoints throughout his body to the myriad heavens and continuously deepened their resonance, ensuring that his physical body remained connected to the myriad heavens.

He could not connect his divine soul to the myriad heavens. Only Yuan Weiyang could do that.

He connected his acupoints to the myriad heavens, stabilized them with his divine sense, then turned to look at Yuan Weiyang and nodded.

Yuan Weiyang hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure you want to resonate with the Towering Wasteland on the grand tomb of Mount Li? It is a massive tomb, after all. Ancestral Dragon has resurrected, but there’s no telling what else is buried here. We might resonate with something bad.”

Xu Ying replied, “I think this is indeed a reckless act.”

The two exchanged a glance, and a perfect mutual understanding suddenly struck them. They each channeled their cultivation techniques and entered the state of Heaven-Man Resonance!

Meanwhile, Yuan Wuji was nervously combing the area, breaking the remaining seals and restrictions, with Madam Yuan and Old Grand-Madam Yuan assisting from the side.

Yuanqi drifted along in a daze, while Dazhong focused on siphoning Yuanqi’s vital energy to heal his injuries. As for Zhu Chanchan, she kept looking around to see if she could scavenge more artifacts.

Moreover, her Flying Peak was located nearby, so this ancient maiden felt anxious.

No one realized that the sky of the grand tomb of Mount Li was gradually tilting, as if it were about to plunge toward an unknown location!

1. The legendary Chinese jade seal carved from the famous He Shi Bi jade on the orders of Qin Shi Huang. It symbolized the ultimate Mandate of Heaven. ☜