Day of Ascension

While Yuan Wuji grieved, he suddenly felt something. Looking up, he saw a strange phenomenon in the sky that stirred his mind. The agonized sorrow vanished from his face, replaced by a sharp glint in his eyes.

“So that’s how it is! So that’s how it is!” He burst out laughing and shouted, ”So the Nine Cauldrons were hidden here! No wonder I couldn’t find them before, no matter how hard I looked!”

His divine sense erupted from his glabella. Cosmic qi rose behind him, along with nine grotto heavens shaped like bottomless earthen jars, as though they meant to devour heaven and earth.

Those nine earthen jars suddenly merged into one, leaving only a single earthen-jar-shaped grotto heaven. Cosmic qi formed its surface, and various complex patterns manifested.

The sky above the grand tomb of Mount Li, which had already been tilting, began to plummet into that earthen jar!

Madam Yuan cried out in alarm, “Ancestor!”

She was filled with shock and doubt. Yuan Wuji’s display of power was too terrifying. Even though he was still using the Primordial Dao Heavenly Domain Resonance, their ancestral technique wasn’t this domineering!

The Primordial Dao Heavenly Domain Resonance required the practitioner to exercise utmost caution to perceive the myriad realms hidden in the void and the Great Dao hidden in the void, thereby raising their comprehension of the Dao.

Meanwhile, the Primordial Dao Heavenly Domain Resonance Yuan Wuji was using seemed intent on devouring the heavenly domain and the void!

Could this be the effect of practicing the Yellow Court Dao Attainment Technique?

Wasn’t this transformation too drastic?

Why did the grand-madam tell me to leave earlier? Madam Yuan couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine. She looked at the back of Yuan Wuji’s head. She had once heard that some Exorcist Immortals would suddenly become empty husks, stripped of flesh and blood, after entering the Radiant Vestige land of sublimation.

If one looked at the back of their head, one would see an impossibly thin ray of light—so thin it seemed to have no width at all—slicing them open to harvest the flesh and blood within.

What if that evil had also devoured their ancestor? Would there be a thin line at the back of his head, too?

Her gaze fell on the back of Yuan Wuji’s head, searching for that thin line. She found nothing glowing there.

Perhaps I was just overthinking things.

Just as she let out a quiet breath of relief, Yuan Wuji sensed her gaze and turned to look at her.

Madam Yuan’s scalp prickled. His shoulders did not move at all. He simply twisted his head all the way around to face her.

His neck was like a sheet of paper rolled into a cylinder. As it turned, the skin puckered into dry, shriveled folds, as though there were nothing beneath it.

The Primordial Dao Heavenly Domain Resonance’s inner mantra came into effect. Madam Yuan’s mind became as calm as ice, unmoved even by the collapse of the world.

She said softly, “Ancestor, please do not grieve any longer.”

”I’m fine.” Yuan Wuji turned his head back around and looked up at the sky. Irritation flared across his face, and he let out a thunderous roar. His ethereal void manifested behind him, along with his Primordial Spirit, looking vast beyond measure.

The earthen-jar-shaped grotto heaven devoured heaven and earth even more terrifyingly!

Witnessing this scene, Madam Yuan thought, No matter what, I have to let Weiyang escape!

Growing incredibly anxious and restless, Yuan Wuji roared, “The Nine Cauldrons forged this grotto heaven. Now that it has warped, outside forces must be invading it. Who dares oppose me? Come out!”

He roared repeatedly, pushing his cultivation to the limit.

Within the ethereal void behind him, the Heavenly River churned violently, breaching the three passes. The Jade Capital manifested, the Divine Bridge glowed faintly with immortal light, and the Twelve-Story Pagoda radiated brilliant light. The Five Sacred Immortal Mountains also erupted with thousands of rays of light that soared into the sky.

Yuan Wuji could clearly sense that, besides the Nine Cauldrons, another terrifying force was pulling against him for control of them.

That force was unfathomable and overwhelmingly powerful, forcing him to stop concealing his true cultivation!

The sky warped further, and the turbulence grew more violent.

He roared thunderously, “Stop hiding, come out!”

The sky split open from east to west. The ceiling of the underground grotto heaven tore apart and peeled back on both sides, revealing a massive eye that blotted out the sky.

Hum!

The pupil shifted, focusing on Yuan Wuji. A cacophony of noise surged forward and flooded his mind.

His white hair fluttering, Yuan Wuji laughed out loud. “You cannot affect my mind! Whatever you are, you overestimate yourself! No one in the mortal realm can stand against me!”

That massive eye suddenly trembled slightly. As if struck by a heavy blow, Yuan Wuji bled from his seven orifices, and his chest caved in, leaving him like a paper doll.

Yet, the earthen jar grew increasingly brighter. Flames blazed around the earthen-jar grotto heaven. They were bolts of lightning-fire born from space itself collapsing into it. The earthen jar seemed intent on swallowing the giant eye of the deep abyss as well.

A violent tremor rippled through heaven and earth. Throughout the grand tomb of Mount Li, the boundless mountain ranges shook violently as the outermost wall of a giant cauldron gradually emerged!

Its outer wall was carved with mountains and rivers. As the carvings lit up, they projected into the grand tomb and formed the majestic geography of one of the Nine Provinces.

Then the projections suddenly vanished, and the massive cauldron emerged in full.

Stunned with amazement, Zhu Chanchan blurted out, “It really is the emperor of Zhou’s Nine Cauldrons! This is the Liangzhou Cauldron!”

As a Master Craftsman to the emperor of Zhou, she was no stranger to the Nine Cauldrons. She had once wanted to pry off a few scraps to forge her own artifacts, but she never found the chance.

Blinding light erupted from that massive cauldron, forming a resplendent rosy light that clashed with Yuan Wuji’s earthen jar grotto heaven, matching its power while holding its ground against the giant eye from the deep abyss up in the sky.

The grand tomb of Mount Li shook continuously and began to collapse.

One after another, the massive mountains and rivers vanished from sight. Just as everyone was frozen in shock and doubt, a second massive cauldron emerged from the place where the geography had disappeared, its walls carved with the magnificent landscape of another province.

More mountains and rivers vanished in the grand tomb.

Next, a third massive cauldron appeared, followed by a fourth, then a fifth...

In the blink of an eye, the miniature version of the Divine Land within the grand tomb of Mount Li vanished without a trace, replaced by nine massive cauldrons. They were arranged exactly like the Nine Provinces, positioned at the nine cardinal points of the tomb, each corresponding directly to one province.

The entire geography of the Divine Land inside the grand tomb of Mount Li was manifested from these Nine Cauldrons. Walking within it, one could not tell it apart from the real thing.

Four thousand years ago, the Qi Cultivators of the Great Qin Empire used the Nine Cauldrons as a blueprint to map out the subterranean mountains and rivers, forging an underground world for the Ancestral Dragon.

They had looked forward to the day when they would awaken him and rule the world once more.

Within those illusory mountains and rivers, the Great Qin Qi Cultivators laid down seals and restrictions to kill intruders. They also diverted a river of mercury, bred an evil god-worm within it, and deployed the Twelve Golden Statues to guard the magnificent imperial mausoleum.

“This is truly exquisite!” Zhu Chanchan exclaimed in wonder, praising, “The First Emperor Ancestral Dragon is truly remarkable! These Nine Cauldrons originally belonged to the emperor of Zhou, and now he is most likely still on the Other Shore... As one of his master craftsmen, I should be the one to inherit them.”

At the same time, the collapsing pieces of Mount Li shot into the sky one after another, drawn into the giant eye of the deep abyss.

Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang’s divine senses resonated with the Nine Cauldrons and merged with them. The giant eye had been on the verge of pulling them in when an immensely powerful force had suddenly surged forth and seized the Nine Cauldrons, struggling against the eye for control.

Surprised and overjoyed, they seized the moment when that immense force clashed with the deep abyss’ giant eye and fled outward.

At the same time, on the cliff walls of the deep abyss, countless humans whose flesh and blood were squirming also scrambled upward. For a time, the deep abyss trembled ceaselessly.

With that force’s aid, Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang rode the Nine Cauldrons out of the deep abyss in one go. Their divine senses returned to their bodies.

As soon as they opened their eyes, they saw the scene of Yuan Wuji channeling his earthen-jar-shaped grotto heavens, merging all nine into one to devour heaven and earth, pulling at the Nine Cauldrons.

The two were filled with shock and doubt.

Madam Yuan turned to look at them. Seeing that they had opened their eyes, she couldn’t help but smile. She said softly, “Weiyang, I’ll leave the Yuan clan in your hands. Uncle Xiao, treat her just as you would treat me from now on.”

Yuan Weiyang grew even more confused. Suddenly, Madam Yuan floated into the air and gently struck the back of Yuan Wuji’s head, shouting, “Goooo!”

Yuan Weiyang cried out in surprise, “Mother!”

The instant the cry left her lips, she saw the back of Yuan Wuji’s head split open along a fine line where Madam Yuan’s palm had struck. A faint glow shone through the crack. With Madam Yuan’s sneak attack succeeding, the Nine Cauldrons were immediately pulled skyward.

Yuan Wuji had no time to worry about anything else. He hurriedly steadied his divine sense and maintained his hold on the Nine Cauldrons.

Yuan Weiyang was stunned.

Xu Ying’s mind raced through countless possibilities in the blink of an eye. He immediately grabbed Yuan Weiyang’s hand and retreated in a hurry, shouting, “Flying Peak!”

His shout seemed out of the blue, but Zhu Chanchan immediately understood and cried out, “Which one?”

Xu Ying pointed at Yuan Wuji and shouted, “Master Zhong!”

Dazhong flew out with a loud whistle. Letting out a hum, a wall of light burst forth from the bell. He said weakly, “Ah Ying, I don’t think I can make it. Don’t count on me!”

Boom!

The Flying Peak hurtled in at an angle and slammed into Yuan Wuji from the side. He barely had time to raise a hand in weak defense before the entire mountain crushed him beneath it.

Terrifying shockwaves rippled out, hitting Xu Ying and the others. Dazhong clanged loudly as he shielded the group and was sent flying from the impact, drifting off into the distance.

The outer layer of the wall of light immediately shattered. Dazhong had yet to recover from his injuries and had now reached his limit.

Xu Ying shouted, “Master Qi, open the umbrella!”

Yuanqi immediately swept up a green paper umbrella with his tail and opened it with a hum. A green sun rose from within the umbrella, shining down to protect them.

The shockwaves rocked the green sun, causing it to burst into fiery light. The light scattered through the air like smoke and dust before gradually fading.

The group swayed unsteadily from the shockwave. As soon as they landed, they saw the Flying Peak being picked up and hurled toward them. It had already reached overhead!

Suddenly, a figure flashed into view. Madam Yuan appeared before them, eight grotto heavens fully unleashed behind her. “Hurry and leave!”

Boom!

Her divine sense surged out to meet the Flying Peak, halting the descending artifact in midair before hurling it back. Then her divine sense swept up Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, and the others, carrying them onto the Flying Peak.

“Goooo!”

She thrust her palm forward and sent the Flying Peak tearing through the air.

By now, Mount Li had completely collapsed. The Flying Peak didn’t come into contact with any obstacles along the way as it flew outward.

Having borne the Flying Peak’s momentum and forced open a path of escape for Yuan Weiyang, Madam Yuan’s eight grotto heavens had developed faint cracks from the impact. Fresh blood rose to her throat.

Looking up, she saw that in the distance, Yuan Wuji’s human skin had already split open and was in tatters. Beams of snow-white light shone through the holes across its surface.

A furious voice roared from within the Exorcist Immortal. “In four thousand years, this is the first time I’ve been injured! You’ve angered me!”

Madam Yuan no longer suppressed her surging emotions. She performed Heaven-Man Resonance freely and lunged toward that terrifying figure.

She moved increasingly faster until she became a streak of light, charging at the figure that had stepped out of Yuan Wuji’s empty husk like a moth flying into flame.

In the sky, an unhinged divine sense flew about wildly. The myriad realms hidden in the void appeared amidst the surging divine sense like stars, large and small, scattered across the celestial canopy.

And behind these heavenly domains of varying sizes, the deep abyss loomed like a giant eye, enveloping everything.

“Ancestor, Grand Madam, I shall avenge you!”

Madam Yuan made one final leap. Her divine sense swept toward the figure that had emerged from the human skin as she shouted fiercely, “Monster, plunge into the deep abyss with me!”

That figure stood firm within the radiance. He curled his five fingers lightly, and the Nine Cauldrons flying toward the deep abyss paused in mid-air.

Behind him, grotto heavens manifested one after another. There was the sea of primordial chaos, Tushita Fire, the Jade Void realm, and the sea of the netherworld. Countless phenomena wove together in a chaotic blur.

“Overestimating yourself.”

With a flick of his finger, Madam Yuan’s divine sense burst open. She coughed up blood and crashed to the ground, her vitality severed.

In her dying moments, she saw the Nine Cauldrons descending from the sky, accompanied by a towering figure in a shimmering golden cloak.

“How dare you lay hands on my Nine Cauldrons. Tai’e!”

The Nine Cauldrons broke free from the deep abyss’ giant eye and came crashing down. A streak of sword qi flew down from the stars, slicing toward the suppressed figure.

Madam Yuan saw that figure, shrouded in light, retreat continuously under the onslaught of the sword light. He trembled continuously as he was cut repeatedly until he was drenched in blood.

Suddenly, that figure within the light rose into the sky and fled into the distance as he sneered coldly, “Ancestral Dragon, you’ve merely gained an advantage through your artifacts. In terms of skill, you’re inferior to me!”

As Madam Yuan slowly closed her eyes, a faint smile spread across her face. “Weiyang must have escaped by now...”

That towering figure approached and looked down at the collapsed woman in puzzlement. He murmured, “She’s clearly so weak. Why did she still fight so desperately? How strange.”

He turned away, his shimmering golden cloak sweeping over the ruins and mountain ranges behind him. The Nine Cauldrons flew up and entered his ethereal void.

Within his ethereal void, the landscape was as picturesque as a painting, much like the Divine Land.

That towering figure grabbed the Tai’e sword as it flew toward him and walked in the direction the Flying Peak had gone.

“My Ageless Immortal, you must still be alive...”

His aura let out a tremor. The earth split open and buried Madam Yuan. As his cloak swept past, the earth closed back together, leaving no trace behind.