Day of Ascension

The four-armed woman noticed Xu Ying’s exorcism technique invading her Golden Core. It was immediately blocked and forced back, making her pause in surprise.

He doesn’t seem to be as strong as I thought.

Her physical body aged rapidly when she had carelessly faced Xu Ying’s exorcism techniques earlier. Thinking that her enemy’s Dao art divine ability were something she had never seen before, she hadn’t dared linger in battle.

As she reflected on the confrontation, she quickly noticed something amiss.

She raised her palm and circulated her cultivation technique. As the technique took effect, her vigor gradually returned, and her withered skin slowly recovered. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She muttered, “As expected, there’s something amiss!”

When she saw herself rapidly aging, she had assumed that her opponent had mastered a divine ability capable of controlling time. Now, however, it seemed that he had merely used some peculiar divine ability to seize her vigor and force her body to age.

“If I close off all my acupoints to prevent my vital energy from leaking, he would be helpless against me!”

Just as she was about to turn back to clash with Xu Ying again, a voice came from above. “Junior Sister Yue Hongzhu, come up quickly. We’ve discovered traces of an immortal Dao spiritual root!”

The four-armed woman had no choice but to abandon that thought. She rushed up the jade mountain.

“Her name is Yue Hongzhu?” Xu Ying looked up. The four-armed woman quickly vanished from sight.

The jade mountain was covered in greenery. It seemed untouched by the battle to eliminate the fiend and defend the Dao. Yet with so many trees and plants covering the mountain, finding the immortal Dao spiritual root hidden among them would be no easy task.

Xu Ying carefully recalled his clash with Yue Hongzhu earlier and compared the strengths and weaknesses of their divine abilities.

He had used the Reverse Longevity Technique earlier, one of the more profound exorcism techniques from the Mud-Pill Radiant Vestige Longevity Mantra. It allowed its user to plunder an enemy’s physical vitality, forcing their body to age.

Zhou Qiyun had once used this technique to seize eight thousand years of lifespan from the Great Locust Tree by the Hell River.

When Xu Ying had used this technique against Yue Hongzhu, it was very effective at first. However, when she overwhelmed him with her Golden Core, the technique was broken.

The exorcism techniques recorded in the longevity mantra aren’t powerful enough. When two opponents have similar cultivation levels, they can plunder the other’s vitality. But if the opponent is even slightly stronger, they can break the technique.

Xu Ying pondered how to improve the exorcism techniques’ prowess.

I could reduce the exorcism technique’s effective area and concentrate its power on a specific part of the body. For example, I could have used the Reversal Longevity Technique earlier to age her eyes rapidly. Or I could have targeted her heart and aged it until it stopped beating.

The more Xu Ying thought about it, the more excited he became. He immediately began modifying the exorcism techniques recorded in the Longevity Mantra.

I could target her brain as well, aging it until it’s riddled with holes in mere moments!

Xue Ying’an had barely regained his composure when he saw Xu Ying standing motionless. Thinking that Yue Hongzhu’s creation technique had struck Xu Ying, he was about to step forward to help him when Yuanqi quickly stopped him. “Ah Ying often does this. Don’t disturb him, or you’ll suffer.”

Puzzled, Xue Ying’an asked, “Suffer from what?”

Yuanqi explained, “A year ago, I saw him fall into deep contemplation just like this and thought an evil technique had struck him. I wanted to wake him up, but then I was hit by his new divine ability. When I woke up...”

Looking horrified, he said, “Two months had already passed!”

Xue Ying’an jumped in fright, growing increasingly curious. “What exactly happened in those two months?”

Yuanqi’s eyes flickered between light and dark.

This incident happened when Xu Ying, Yuanqi, and Dazhong were exploring the Frost King’s Radiant Vestige land. They had just suppressed the Frost King’s human skin, and Xu Ying fell into deep contemplation after observing the wound on the Frost King’s skin.

When Yuanqi touched Xu Ying, Xu Ying’s divine ability hit him. When he woke up two months later, he noticed that Xu Ying’s medical techniques had become excellent. He could skillfully perform all kinds of exorcism techniques that stitched the human body together.

That was especially true for exorcism techniques that reattached nerves.

Yuanqi couldn’t help but feel suspicious. He asked Dazhong what had happened to him over the past two months, but Dazhong only stammered and refused to answer.

Eventually, unable to endure Yuanqi’s relentless questioning, Dazhong admitted that Ah Ying had struggled to stitch him back together after he shattered into pieces, with every nerve severed.

From then on, Yuanqi knew better than to disturb Xu Ying when he was deep in thought.

At times like these, Xu Ying usually devised new exorcism techniques or mystic arts. If one wasn’t careful around him, they could become the target of an attack no one had ever seen before.

Dying on the spot would at least be simple. The real problem was that one might survive.

Yuanqi reassured Xue Ying’an, “Let’s go up the mountain. He’ll follow.”

The two climbed up the jade mountain. Xue Ying’an glanced back and saw Xu Ying following behind them at the same pace. Only then did he relax.

Yuanqi channeled his Mud Pill Palace’s vigor to heal Xue Ying’an’s injury. “Right, Ying’an, you’re clearly very powerful. How come that woman wounded you?”

Seeing that Yuanqi could also use exorcism techniques, he felt envious. “Yue Hongzhu is a whole cultivation realm above me, has two extra arms, and moves and attacks faster than me. Not to mention, she ambushed me and caught me off guard.”

Xue Ying’an was exceptionally formidable, having been carefully nurtured by Li Xiaoke.

His numerous setbacks in the desert had stemmed from his limited experience in the Jianghu. Yet surviving those repeated setbacks only demonstrated his formidable nature.

Among the younger generation, he was one of the few who could face Xu Ying head-on. When he unleashed his sword techniques, even Xu Ying was forced to avoid clashing with him directly!

However, Yue Hongzhu’s attacks were too fast, so much so that he had no time to summon the red bean immortal root!

If he had activated the immortal root in time, Yue Hongzhu would never have come close to chopping off his head.

Loud laughter suddenly rang out from the top of the jade mountain. Zhu Zhongquan rose to his feet as he activated an immortal Dao spiritual root. “Immortal roots are indeed effective. I’ve finally broken through the Gate-Knocking Stage and forged my Golden Core!”

His laughter shook the mountain. Beside him, the old immortal, bound by hooks and chains that pierced his body, smiled as well. Refining the Golden Core is enough. I can possess him now!

Zhu Zhongquan’s spirits soared. He laughed. “Xu Ying, I can finally defeat you fair and square and use you as a stepping stone to soar to great heights!”

In the blink of an eye, a four-armed humanoid charged up the mountain and attacked Zhu Zhongquan without a word, moving with incredible speed.

Zhu Zhongquan retreated at blinding speed, intending to channel the immortal Dao spiritual root’s power. However, that humanoid was even faster. Before he could react, it struck him countless times in rapid succession.

He coughed blood from the attacks as he tumbled backward. The immortal root in his hand also dropped to the ground.

Overjoyed inside, the four-armed humanoid bent to pick it up, only to find that the immortal root continued struggling against his attempts to refine it.

Coughing up blood, Zhu Zhongquan watched on with resentment. He said hoarsely, “Immortal Master, aren’t you going to step in?”

A chain suddenly shot toward him, wrapped around him with a whoosh, and yanked him back.

The old immortal smiled. “My good disciple, those hooks have pierced my physical body, leaving me unable to mobilize my power. I can only borrow your strength to kill him. Do not resist when I borrow your power.”

Zhu Zhongquan nodded.

The old immortal’s glabella gradually turned bright. A burst of divine light surged out and poured into Zhu Zhongquan.

He instantly felt himself losing control over his body, and his vision gradually turned dark. He couldn’t help but feel horrified. He was about to resist, but it was already too late!

The old immortal’s laughter rang in his ear. “Hahaha, I’ve finally succeeded! This damned brat has finally succeeded in refining himself into the vessel I need! Hahaha, I’ve finally gained a new life!”

Shock and fury filled Zhu Zhongquan. Suddenly, the old immortal’s divine soul tracked him down, intending to wipe him out, forcing him to flee.

He scrambled for somewhere to hide and took refuge inside his fingertip. Surprisingly, the divine soul did not follow. Strangely, it seemed like the old immortal couldn’t locate him there.

Once Zhu Zhongquan regained his composure, despair filled his heart. The cuckoo has taken over the magpie’s nest. What should I do now?

He noticed himself standing up, and the old immortal’s voice came out of his mouth. “The original owner of this body is called Zhu Guang, with the courtesy name Zhongquan. Now that I’ve gained a new life, like the sun at its zenith, I shall add the character for ‘sun’ above ‘guang.’ From now on, I am Zhu Huang!”

Zhu Huang laughed out loud. He watched as the four-armed humanoid, who had refined the immortal Dao spiritual root, charged toward him. Suddenly, Yin and Yang qi shot from his eyes, intertwined, and swept across the humanoid, slicing it in half at the waist!

After killing him, Zhu Huang’s aura surged. He caught the immortal Dao spiritual root as it tried to escape, then manifested his six secrets behind him. Grotto heavens of various sizes spun endlessly in the air.

“So this is how powerful a Qi Cultivator who has integrated the six secrets can be! What a waste that Zhu Zhongquan never learned to wield this power. I, however, can use it to sweep across the world!”

Before Zhu Huang’s voice fell, Zhu Hongyi’s voice suddenly drifted over. “Zhongquan, are you all right?”

Zhu Huang’s gaze swept over, only to see Zhu Hongyi rushing up to the summit. She looked extraordinary, her graceful figure drawing his attention at once. Lust stirred within him involuntarily.

She is Zhu Zhongquan’s older sister. In other words, this body’s sister. But what does that have to do with me? Why don’t I...

Noticing his gaze, Zhu Hongyi felt a chill in her heart. Then, she spotted the old immortal’s corpse on the ground and immediately grew suspicious.

She probed, “Zhongquan, you...”

She suddenly rolled her fingers, plucking her pipa’s strings to attack Zhu Huang’s divine soul!

Zhu Huang’s divine soul had yet to stabilize. Faced with the pipa’s musical attacks, his divine soul jerked violently and was nearly forced out of the body.

Terrified, he didn’t dare to lay a hand on Zhu Hongyi again. He picked up his corpse and leaped off the cliff.

Zhu Hongyi leaped off the cliff and gave chase, only to see many of the Zhu clan’s Exorcists ahead besieging a four-armed humanoid. Among them were many Great Exorcists.

She quickly shouted at the top of her lungs, “Stop Zhu Hongquan!”

Zhu Huang burst out laughing and went on a rampage like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. In mere moments, he slaughtered dozens of Exorcists, including the Great Exorcists, as well as the four-armed humanoid. Not one survived.

Zhu Hongyi was astonished and furious. She played her pipa frantically to attack Zhu Huang’s divine soul, but he merely swayed with the music before charging straight out of her attack range.

Gritting her teeth, Zhu Hongyi gave chase, only to see a trail of corpses marking his path. The Cui clan also fell victim to Zhu Huang. Anyone who stood in his way was instantly slain.

Zhu Zhongquan’s soul was hidden within one of Zhu Huang’s fingers. Witnessing Zhu Huang unleash all kinds of divine abilities with incredible mastery, Zhu Zhongquan was utterly astonished.

So, exorcism techniques can be used like this!

Then, he grew disheartened. The stronger Zhu Huang was, the slimmer his chances of reclaiming his physical body. The fortune teller told me I have the destiny of an emperor. Am I going to die here?

Then Zhu Zhongquan rallied his spirits. The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moon first. His exorcism techniques and divine abilities are too powerful, but I can learn them and raise my strength. He’s so arrogant that sooner or later, he’ll make a mistake. Once his divine soul is injured, that will be my chance to rise again!

Meanwhile, Yue Hongzhu ascended the jade mountain and soon reached the senior brother who had called for her. “Fifth Senior Brother, I met an expert of another race. His divine ability is incredibly bizarre.”

She went on to describe Xu Ying’s exorcism technique, the Reversal Longevity. The fifth senior brother, Xiao Zheng, also had four arms.

He exclaimed in shock, “There are such mystic arts? How strange. If he masters it, wouldn’t he be able to control life and death at will?”

Yue Hongzhu smiled. “His technique is very easy to break. I activated my Golden Core and easily suppressed his technique.”

Xiao Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. “I see. I thought his technique was truly profound, but it seems he hasn’t received its true teachings. Hongzhu, look over there!”

Yue Hongzhu looked where he was pointing and saw a white-robed immortal sitting under a huge tree.

The huge tree towered and stood majestically. Its branches curved like coiled dragons or crouched tigers, covered in yellow leaves.

The immortal beneath it had a sage-like bearing. Fallen leaves surrounded him, and a faint smile rested on his face. He held a fresh flower between his fingers, as though he were about to lift it to his nose and savor its fragrance.

Yet beneath the tree lay corpses strewn everywhere. Their fractures revealed the violent nature of their deaths. Some had been split in two at the waist, others had had their skulls crushed, while still others had been shrunk and flattened alive.

Clearly, many people had come seeking the immortal Dao spiritual root, only to die at the hands of the white-robed immortal. Yet judging from his appearance, the immortal had been dead for a very long time.

He was most likely an immortal who had ascended to this place, only to discover that no path to further ascension existed. Trapped with no way out, he had eventually died in despair.

The flower in his hand was likely the immortal root. He used it to extend his life; even in death, he could bear to let it go.

Yue Hongzhu’s eyes lit up, and her breathing quickened. “Is the flower in his hand a spiritual root?”

Xiao Zheng shook his head. “You’re wrong.”

Her eyes still sparkling, Yue Hongzhu’s gaze fell on the yellow-leafed ancient tree. She smiled. “The real spiritual root is the tree!”

Xiao Zheng shook his head again. “You’re wrong again.”

Yue Hongzhu stood dazed for a moment, confused. “Stop keeping me in suspense, Fifth Senior Brother. Tell me already. What is the immortal root?”

Xiao Zheng walked toward the white-robed immortal and said with a faint smile, “The immortal root is this immortal.”

Taken aback, Yue Hongzhu quickly said, “Senior Brother, that’s an immortal’s corpse. It’d surely be protected with immortal arts! We’ll die if we approach it!”

Xiao Zheng laughed out loud. “This immortal root is skilled at mimicry. This terrifying scene here is just to scare people off. However, it has forgotten one thing.

“Ever since the great evil descended into the world, no one has overcome their tribulation and ascended! If no one can overcome their tribulation, how could an immortal possibly be here?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the expression of the white-robed immortal beneath the yellow tree turned dark. He slowly rose to his feet. Heaven and earth tilted as an indescribable sense of oppression surged forth.

Xiao Zheng said in a deep voice, “Junior Sister, assist me. We mustn’t let it escape! This immortal root has frightened away so many people, so the Origin Dao Essence it contains must be extraordinary!”

With a fierce shout, his frame expanded significantly. He turned into a three-zhang-tall giant in the blink of an eye and reached out toward the white-robed immortal.

Suddenly, the illusion before their eyes vanished. In its place was a green vine wrapped around the yellow-leafed tree. Its branches whipped through the air with a sharp swish and struck Xiao Zheng, shattering one of his arms.

However, Xiao Zheng used the opportunity to grab its vines with his three other arms. The green vine immediately severed itself, leaving only a section less than three chi long. It uprooted itself and ran frantically, so fast it left people staring in shock.

Yet, Yue Hongzhu was prepared. She sprinted over as if flying and reached out to seize the green vine’s roots, picking it off the ground.

The green vine’s roots wrapped around Yue Hongzhu, binding her tightly. Just as it was about to strangle her to death, Xiao Zheng arrived and performed various sealing techniques with his three arms and pressed them gently on the immortal Dao spiritual root.

The green vine’s abilities were sealed, and it went limp.

Xiao Zheng seized the green vine and smiled. “I finally obtained one immortal root.”

But before he could celebrate, a figure came charging up the mountain, laughing loudly. From a distance, the figure reached out and tried to snatch the green vine from Xiao Zheng’s hands.

Shocked and furious, Xiao Zheng sneered coldly, “You foreign Qi Cultivator, how dare you snatch my immortal root! Today, I shall offer your head as a sacrifice to our Yuanding Realm’s Dragon Abyss heavenly god!”

He activated the immortal root, which turned into spiritual light and soared into the air, sweeping toward that newcomer. However, before its might could erupt, that person had bypassed the spiritual light and arrived before Xiao Zheng!

Showing no fear at all, Xiao Zheng’s hands and legs turned into a blur, unleashing exquisite divine abilities to clash with that person head-on.

Xiao Zheng’s three remaining arms broke in succession. The green vine immortal root was snatched from his grasp, and all he could do was watch helplessly as the figure walked away without even looking back.

“You managed to survive four moves from me. Not bad!” That figure laughed out loud. He was none other than Zhu Huang.

Halfway up the mountain, Yuanqi and Xue Ying’an were still struggling to ascend. The two looked around, hoping to find the shattered fragments of the Little Profound Heaven’s immortal Dao spiritual root.

Xue Ying’an said, “The Little Profound Heaven’s spiritual root is the immortal root that connects to the next stop of the Heavenly Path. The great fiend broke it and shattered it into countless pieces.

“Others have already brought some of the fragments to the mortal realm, but this mountain still hides a few of them. After all, this place serves as a relay station for immortals.”

He glanced back and saw Xu Ying still silently keeping pace with them.

Yuanqi asked, “Then, how do we identify the immortal roots?”

Xue Ying’an shook his head. “I don’t know either. Although the immortal roots originate from the same plant, they might take on different forms...”

Suddenly, the music of a pipa came from above. Xue Ying’an and Yuanqi looked up and saw a young man charging toward them, carrying a corpse in his arms.

Zhu Zhongquan! He’s carrying the Zhu clan’s old immortal! Yuanqi recognized the young man and was startled. He quickly dodged to the side, then suddenly recalled something. Oh no, Ah Ying is behind us!

As Zhu Huang came charging, he saw Xu Ying right ahead and laughed out loud. “That good disciple of mine was obsessed with defeating you before he passed away! Today, I shall fulfill his dying wish!”

He arrived with a roar. His mystical power was like the ocean, and his divine sense surged like the tide. His strength, yin and yang qi, physical body’s vigor, and divine soul were all at their peak!

He struck with his palm, unleashing wave after wave of power that splashed like jade and pearls. The attack perfectly embodied the exquisite principles of the Manifestation of the Great Dao.

Xu Ying instinctively raised his palm. All six secrets manifested behind him, followed by the terrifying phenomenon of the myriad peaks of Mount Jiuyi, meeting Zhu Huang’s attack head-on.

Their mystical powers erupted, and both swayed from the impact.

Zhu Huang took a step back, revealing a look of surprise. “How do you have two Gushing-Spring Secret Troves? But what does that matter? My divine ability had been refined through hundreds, if not thousands—”

Just as he said this, his heart suddenly stopped, and his supply of vital energy was immediately cut off!

Zhu Huang was horrified. In that brief moment, his heart had aged and withered.

What divine ability is this? No, it’s an exorcism technique!

He immediately tried to channel the vigor of his Mud Pill Palace to resist it, but his vision suddenly blurred. His eyes had aged as well, and then his brain began swelling violently.

The sound of a pipa drifted over, simultaneously deflecting and striking back, forcing Zhu Huang’s divine soul out of his body. Terrified, Zhu Huang’s divine soul tried to return to his physical body when Zhu Hongyi lunged over, radiating a murderous aura. A string sliced across the air with blinding speed, killing him on the spot and scattering his soul.

Inside Zhu Zhongquan’s physical body, his soul was both astonished and overjoyed. He quickly rushed out from his fingertip and reclaimed his body. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“The fortune teller was right. I am indeed the chosen son of Heaven! Now that I’ve received the true teachings of the old immortal, who could be my match—”

Before he could finish, the exorcism technique Xu Ying had left inside his body suddenly erupted in full force. Zhu Zhongquan’s heart suddenly ruptured, and his brain also swelled to the limit.

Boom!

Zhu Zhongquan’s brain burst open. Blood spilled all over the ground.

Xu Ying came to his senses and let out a long breath. He said delightedly, “I’ve finally perfected the Reversal Longevity Technique!”