Day of Ascension

“Migrants of the Heavenly Dao?” Xu Ying peered toward the stone city, his curiosity piqued.

Displaced citizens implied that they had migrated. Migrants of the Heavenly Dao meant that the Heavenly Dao had moved them here.

Where did these people migrate from? Why had they been relocated?

Guo Xiaodie’s voice rang out. “The new lands that emerged from the Abyss of Cangwu never showed the slightest trace of human life. The marsh also came from the Abyss of Cangwu, so why are humans living here?”

Xu Ying nodded lightly. The usually-brash girl had a point.

Zhu Hongyi said, “Perhaps it’s because the marsh is more unusual than other new lands. Or perhaps these migrants are different from other people.”

Three thousand years ago, Heaven-Man Resonance swept through the world, sealing heaven and earth and causing the Qi Cultivators to vanish.

The seal had been lifted, but the vanished Qi Cultivators had yet to reappear. The displaced citizens of the Yunmeng Marsh were the first living humans found in the new lands!

As the group hurried forward, villagers near the stone city spotted them and stopped their work, staring at them curiously.

Their clothing was old-fashioned and plain, bearing the ancient style of the Qin and Han eras. Their appearances were no different from ordinary people, except they were slightly taller than average, with broad hands and large feet like Xu Ying’s.

Xu Ying looked over at the villages and saw the skeletal remains of unknown giant beasts lying outside them. Their skeletons were massive. Several children were swinging them like toys as they play-fought.

The children were packed with well-defined muscles. They wielded bones weighing more than a hundred jin as weapons, swinging them so fiercely that the air whistled. The sight made every onlooker’s scalp tingle.

Boom!

A frail-looking child was knocked away by a big bone and flew six to seven zhang in the air before crashing onto the ground a short distance ahead of Xu Ying and the others.

His head hit a big rock hard, shocking Xu Ying and the others. Yet the rock split down the middle with a sharp crack. Blood also streamed from the frail-looking child’s head.

That child performed a kip-up and sprang up to his feet, exposing his eight-pack before sprinting toward his “enemy.”

A woman called out, “Xiao Liang, come back!”

That frail-looking boy named Xiao Liang had no choice but to go to the woman’s side. She checked the wound on his forehead, then brought him to an earthen altar at the center of the village and chanted softly.

A stalk of spirit grass was growing atop the altar. It stood seventeen cun tall, its petals resembling lingzhi, and bore nine leaves.

As the woman chanted, one of the petals trembled slightly. A visible glow flowed toward the frail-looking boy’s wound, and the injury closed at once without leaving a scar.

The villagers called the children back into the village. The adults clutched their children tightly and watched the Guo and Zhu clans’ procession of Exorcists with wary eyes as it passed the village entrance.

“They must think they’re weak, don’t they?” said Yuanqi, terrified.

Dazhong speculated, “Master Qi, do you think they beat that massive beast at the village entrance to death, dragged it here, skinned it, and ate it?”

Yuanqi shuddered. “I think so!”

He couldn’t help but feel that the villagers’ gazes toward him were off.

Xu Ying peered into the village. He saw that their houses were all built from beast bones and were quite spacious inside. Clearly, these giant beasts of Yunmeng Marsh had not died of natural causes.

A fierce bunch of villagers! Li Yingzhu grew wary and secretly instructed the Guo clan’s Exorcists, “Don’t provoke them!”

Zhu Hongyi also grew solemn and quickly ordered the Zhu clan’s Exorcists not to cause trouble.

Xu Ying activated his Third Eye to observe the villagers. He saw that a strange power inside them had pushed their Tailbone Pass open, making them natural-born Gate-Knocking Stage cultivators!

Even the frail-looking boy from earlier was at the Gate-Knocking Stage!

However, what confused Xu Ying was that their ethereal voids remained closed. They showed no signs of cultivation.

If they were Qi Cultivators, their ethereal voids would show signs of cultivation, such as the Five-Qi Origin Convergence in their five viscera, which formed a perfect balance. Yet the displaced citizens of Yunmeng Marsh showed no such signs.

As the Guo and Zhu clans walked toward the stone city, an aged voice suddenly rang out from the black prisoner’s carriage. “Zhu Zhongquan, that enshrined spirit grass is a Crimson Immortal Exotic Plant from the Heavenly Dao World, an immortal plant nurtured with immortal qi!

“These villagers know nothing of cultivation. They only became this powerful by relying on its nourishment!”

He chuckled. “It is a great herb, a treasure for breaking through cultivation realms, a great elixir! If this treasure falls into your hands, the obstacles and bottlenecks of your cultivation will all but vanish!”

Zhu Zhongquan raised his hand. “Halt!”

All of the Zhu clan’s Exorcists stopped in their tracks. Zhu Zhongquan turned to look at the Crimson Immortal Exotic Plant at the center of the village and chuckled softly.

“In other words, if I consume it, I’ll immediately break through to the Transmutation Stage and forge my Golden Core?”

The old immortal in the prisoner’s carriage replied, “More than that! One leaf would be enough for you to forge your Golden Core! But that would be too wasteful. This heavenly treasure can help you break through the Jade-Pillow Heavenly Pass! You can’t ascend to immortality without breaking through that!”

Zhu Zhongquan’s gaze burned fervently. He smiled. “Men! Bring me that Crimson Immortal Exotic Plant!”

Immediately, more than ten Exorcists from the Zhu clan stepped forward and charged toward the village.

Li Yingzhu and the others stopped in their tracks, filled with shock and doubt. They all looked toward the small earthen altar in the center of the village.

Guo Yue whispered, “Is there really an immortal herb in this tiny village?”

Li Yingzhu’s eyes flickered as she said, “Let’s wait and see first. If there really is an immortal herb...”

A wave of excitement washed over her. An immortal herb that could let someone break directly through a cultivation realm was simply too tempting.

Exorcist noble clans faced great difficulties transitioning to Qi cultivation. After all, not everyone was Zhou Qiyun. To them, Qi cultivation techniques were cryptic and profound, and breaking through cultivation realms was difficult. Few could reach the highest realms of Qi cultivation.

If the spirit grass in that tiny village of displaced citizens were truly an immortal herb, even the Guo clan wouldn’t be able to resist seizing it!

The dozen or so Zhu clan Exorcists had barely entered the village when a shadow flashed. One punch per person sent them all flying back out.

When that figure stopped, it turned out to be a young man from the village. He stood at the village entrance with an imposing air and shouted, “How can you just steal others’ treasure for no reason? This immortal plant protects our villag—”

Swish!

A streak of sword light flashed. The young man stood blankly in place, staring at the Exorcist he had just sent flying in confusion. That Exorcist had a ferocious expression and was opening his sword case.

That young villager touched his neck. His hand came away covered in blood. He opened his mouth to speak, but blood gurgled in his throat.

“You fool!” That Exorcist strode forward and kicked the villager in the chest, sending him flying. He sneered coldly, “You clearly had a chance to kill me just now, yet you held back! Idiot!”

That streak of sword qi returned to the sword case.

Carrying the sword case on his back, the Exorcist strode into the village and looked around fiercely. “You bunch of lowly peasants, you’re just a little bigger and stronger, but you dare hit my face! Know that our Zhu clan holds the offices of Bianzhou’s Prefect and other high-ranking regional officials!”

The young villager collapsed to the ground, blood bubbling in his throat, convulsing. He clearly would not survive.

The other villagers rushed out, wailing. Wielding primitive bows and arrows and bone spears, some guarded the young villager’s side while others quickly dragged him to the Crimson Immortal Exotic Plant.

“We’ve wiped out countless tiny villages like yours!” That Exorcist roared with laughter as he channeled the sword qi in his sword case to cut down the villagers blocking his path. However, the villagers here were all surprisingly strong. Brandishing bone spears and bone clubs, they blocked every strike of the sword qi!

Strange patterns even floated on the bone spears and clubs, glowing. They were made from the bones of archaic beasts. Most of these beasts had awakened their bloodline power and bore natural runes on their bones.

Though the villagers were not Qi Cultivators, their vital energy was robust. When they activated the runes, their ordinary-looking bone weapons unleashed inexplicable power!

In an instant, all of the Exorcist’s sword qi shattered. As the Exorcist stood there in a daze, a volley of bone spears rained down and turned him into a hedgehog.

Other exorcists were rushing in when they stopped in their tracks after witnessing the scene. Just then, a Great Exorcist from the Zhu clan charged out and sneered coldly, “Useless fools, get out of my way, all of you!”

That Great Exorcist unleashed the grotto heavens of his Mud-Pill, Crimson-Palace, and Jade-Pool Secret Troves. Channeling his Mud-Pill grotto heaven, he charged forward as roots burst from the ground all around him, binding the villagers!

Flesh and blood sprouted from the bone spears, clubs, swords, and other weapons in their hands, making them impossible to grip.

Even the villagers themselves began to grow strangely. Some grew another face, some grew another heart on their chest, and others grew three to five times their original size, full of flabby flesh!

From the old to the young, his exorcism technique controlled all the villagers!

This Great Exorcist was using none other than the Mud-Pill exorcism techniques by which the Zhou clan had once dominated the world. After the Zhou clan had fallen, many of their closely guarded secrets fell into the hands of other noble clans.

That Great Exorcist laughed coldly. He strode toward the Crimson Immortal Exotic Plant with a burning gaze. “Kill them all! When cutting grass, leave no root behind. Spare no one!”

Behind him, the Zhu clan Exorcists rushed forward, channeling the sword qi from their sword cases to attack the villagers. Sword light flashed as it shot toward a child whose body had deformed.

That child’s mother was right by their side, entangled by roots. Her body had also deformed. She struggled fiercely, sobbing, but it was too late to save her child.

Meanwhile, before the small earthen altar, the Crimson Immortal Exotic Plant was healing the young villager’s wounds. It was indeed extraordinarily miraculous, pulling him back from the brink of death.

He struggled to his feet and was about to charge at the Zhu clan’s Great Exorcist.

The Great Exorcist approached with his hands behind his back. With a strange look in his eyes, he smiled faintly. “It can even heal a slit throat. As expected of an immortal herb. Then, if I cut off your head, can it be reattached?”

With a gentle flick of his hair, a strand sliced across the young villager’s neck like a sword, sending his head flying.

He was a Great Exorcist. Against a country villager with only a strong physique and Gate-Knocking Stage cultivation, killing him was effortless.

The Great Exorcist smiled as he walked toward the Crimson Immortal Exotic Plant. However, that young villager’s head flew back to his neck. Flesh sprouts writhed from the cut surface and reattached to his neck.

The Great Exorcist’s eyes widened as the young villager’s head and body rejoined. He had truly come back to life!

“Who is it?” He suddenly turned around and saw a figure standing between the other Zhu clan Exorcists and the villagers. All the sword qi froze in the air, motionless. Even if the Zhu clan Exorcists strained until their faces flushed red, circulating energy through their sword cases, they could not move the sword qi in the slightest.

“Xu Ying, Demon King Xu!”

That Zhu clan’s Great Exorcist’s eye twitched. He sneered coldly, “Xu Ying, you want to stick your hand in our Zhu clan’s affairs?”

Whoosh!

The streaks of sword qi suspended in midair shot back, swirled around the Zhu clan Exorcists, then returned to their sword cases with a series of clinks.

The Zhu clan Exorcists swayed unsteadily and collapsed to the ground, meeting a violent end.

Xu Ying swept his sleeve, turned around, and faced the Zhu clan’s Great Exorcist as the sword cases behind him clicked shut one by one.

The moment he turned around, the deformed villagers returned to normal. When it came to Mud-Pill exorcism techniques, Xu Ying had received Zhou Qiyun’s true teachings. Compared with his, the Zhu clan Great Exorcist’s Mud-Pill exorcism techniques were as different as heaven and earth.

The Zhu clan Great Exorcist’s eye twitched. He sneered coldly, “Xu Ying, even if you are the Ageless Immortal...”

In the next instant, Xu Ying appeared before him and threw a punch. The Great Exorcist roared as layers of grotto heavens opened behind him. Jade-Pool, Crimson-Palace, and Mud-Pill Secret Troves held different numbers of grotto heavens. The Jade-Pool Secret Trove had the most, with five, while even the Mud-Pill Secret Trove had four!

He also practiced Qi cultivation techniques. His ethereal void appeared behind him. He had reached the Gate-Knocking Stage, and his mystical power was robust.

His Dao art divine ability erupted as he spread his fingers wide. Layers of sealing techniques extended forward and closed in on Xu Ying.

Xu Ying’s punch arrived, blasting through all the seals and breaking his fingers. His fingers twisted backward, then his arm exploded.

Boom!

His fist struck the Great Exorcist’s face. His face and facial features caved into the back of his skull, and his brain was squeezed out and sent flying.

“Master Qi instructed me that it’s better to kill first, then reason with the corpse later.”

Xu Ying pulled his blood-soaked fist from the Great Exorcist’s face, wiped his hand on the corpse, and said calmly, “I wanted to say, do you think I am dead?”

He turned around and looked toward the Zhu clan Exorcists stirring restlessly outside the village. Rage burned in his heart as he spoke to the Great Exorcist’s corpse.

“Are you even worthy of using the Zhou clan’s Mud-Pill exorcism techniques? I’ll teach you what the true techniques of the Mud Pill are really like!”

With a dark expression filled with malice, Zhu Zhongquan waved his hand, signaling the Zhu clan Exorcists to charge. Their Great Exorcists and clan elders hid within the crowd, waiting to deliver a lethal strike to Xu Ying.

The Zhu clan Exorcists at the front suddenly felt their strength drain away. In the blink of an eye, they turned to skin and bones. Their hair whitened, and they collapsed one after another, unable to move.

Simultaneously, the houses in the small village shook with a deafening roar, as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth splitting apart. The stones of those houses fell away, grew flesh and blood, and turned into massive creatures. The archaic beasts had been resurrected by Xu Ying’s Mud Pill exorcism techniques!

The giant beasts charged forward, rushing toward the Zhu clan Exorcists. They turned pale, staring at the charging beasts, at a loss for what to do.

To strip away life and to bestow life was the true technique of the Mud-Pill Radiant Vestige Longevity Mantra!

The Zhu clan’s Great Exorcists and clan elders abandoned their attempts to hide. One after another, they unleashed their grotto heavens to withstand the charge of these giant beasts.

Suddenly, Zhu Zhongquan rushed to the front, dropped to his knees with a thud, and raised his hands high, laughing nervously.

“Brother-in-law, this is a misunderstanding! Stop, everyone, stop! Sister, come quickly and explain this to him. It’s all a misunderstanding!”

Zhu Hongyi braced herself and stepped forward. Just as she was about to speak, the giant beasts retreated into the village and turned back into withered bones, sprawling flat on the ground.

Xu Ying stepped past Zhu Hongyi and walked straight up to the prisoner’s carriage, shrouded in black cloth. He said calmly, “Old Immortal, you’re already imprisoned. You’d better stop talking nonsense and trying to stir up trouble.”

“Hahahaha!”

An aura surged within the prisoner’s carriage, tearing the black cloth to shreds. Inside the carriage, a white-haired elder, stained with blood, abruptly rose to his feet. His hair flew wildly, and his arms and legs pulled at the chains, making them rattle loudly.

With a twisted expression, he said, “Little thing, are you talking to me?”

His aura swelled like an explosion, sweeping up the remnants of clouds in the sky. In the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered, and lightning began to flash.

Crack!

A lightning bolt struck, illuminating the surroundings and blinding everyone for a moment.

Before Xu Ying’s eyes, the prisoner’s carriage, the village, the Zhu clan Exorcists, the Guo clan Exorcists, and the stone city in the distance all vanished. The Yunmeng Marsh was gone, and the world around him disappeared from view.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his limbs. Looking down, he saw massive iron hooks digging into his shoulders and kneecaps, their sharp tips tearing away chunks of flesh and blood.

He broke out in a cold sweat from the pain. He went stiff and couldn’t move.

Connected behind the four iron hooks were chains, rattling as they hoisted him into the air.

Iron rods flew in one after another, clanging loudly to form a prison cage that locked him inside, leaving him hanging in the middle of the cage, spread-eagled.

“You little thing!”

The elder’s face grew increasingly large, and his figure increasingly tall. He raised his hand, taking Xu Ying and the prisoner’s carriage into his grasp.

He towered between heaven and earth, looking incredibly imposing. Showing a look of contempt, he boomed in Xu Ying’s mind. “Young man, you don’t realize the immensity of heaven and earth. You should be punished! I shall erase your soul’s vision as punishment for not recognizing an elder master. Live as a blind man from now on!”

Xu Ying watched as the elder’s fingers reached toward his eyes, then suddenly realized. “You said you’d erase my soul’s vision. In other words, all of this is just an illusion you’ve created to target my soul.”

As the white-haired old immortal’s fingers poked toward Xu Ying’s eyes, he laughed out loud. “You Exorcists only cultivate qi, not the soul. Can you withstand my soul divine ability?”

Crack! Crack!

His fingers struck the eyes of Xu Ying’s soul, yet it was as though he had struck an iron wall. His fingers immediately snapped and exploded, reduced to two wisps of smoke that dissipated.

The illusion before Xu Ying’s eyes dissipated. He was still standing beside the prisoner’s carriage, while the white-haired old immortal was inside it, writhing in pain and screaming miserably.

“Old Immortal, in consideration of your imprisonment, I’ll just break two of your fingers this time.”

Xu Ying squatted beside the prisoner’s carriage and watched as the white-haired elder screamed and writhed in agony. He said softly, “Next time, I’ll twist your head off. Understand?”

He stood up, walked back to Yuanqi’s side under everyone’s watchful eyes, and landed gently on the giant snake’s head.

The youth asked anxiously in a low whisper, “Master Qi, did I use the word ‘imprison’ correctly?”

Yuanqi replied, “You used it correctly this time. Ah Ying, you’ve been studying Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters[1] with me for two years, and you’re getting better and better.”

Xu Ying smiled. “It’s because you teach well, Master Qi.”

1. The oldest Chinese character dictionary, and one of the most important character dictionaries of ancient China. ☜