Day of Ascension

In the Land of Heavenly Retribution, countless masses of flesh writhed as they converged toward a single point. Before long, flesh from across the world had gathered there, pulsing violently as it steadily contracted.

Reaching maximum density, the mass suddenly expanded, leaking spheres of light that outlined a faint human silhouette.

He stood up, stepping clear of the flesh.

Radiant, layered halos enveloped his form, lending him an otherworldly aura.

Bizarrely, a duplicate silhouette materialized behind him, adorned with the same divine halos.

A third manifested behind the second, matching their form.

Then, a fourth, fifth, and sixth. Before long, countless copies of him appeared.

From directly in front or behind, only a single figure was visible; viewed from any other angle, the infinite copies stretched like a massive centipede of human forms.

The copies stood behind him, clearly endless, yet occupied no space.

He looked up at the sky, as if searching for traces of Mount Jiulong. A moment later, he turned around to face the ancient temple’s door. Though time had eroded the plaque’s sealing runes, the door stood alone intact.

He raised his hand, and the temple, reduced to dust, suddenly rose from the ground. Swirling sand and flying rocks rapidly reconstructed the temple to its former glory.

He walked through the temple, examining the wall murals.

The sinful mortals he had enslaved painted these murals. Time could easily ruin paper or silk scrolls, but wearing away murals took much longer.

He stopped before one of the murals.

It depicted many beings like himself, a scene of them surrounding and attacking the sinful people, though he wasn’t among them.

His gaze fell on a giant bird in the mural. It had three legs. It was none other than Jin Buyi, who had just confronted him with twin divine sabers.

Back then, Jin Buyi was in his prime, wielding far more terrifying divine power than today.

Searching the artwork further, his eyes settled on the youth riding Jin Buyi’s back.

“Heavenly Dao aura. You’re my hope of returning to the Heavenly Dao!”

His voice resembled a bird’s cry. A powerful divine sense surged out, plunging deep into the void to search the myriad realms for the Taiyi Little Profound Heaven’s spiritual root of heaven and earth: the Yin-Yang Vine!

Jiang Qi had transmitted his voice across the myriad realms, using the name of the Heavenly Dao. Naturally, it had also reached the Land of Heavenly Retribution.

With the path through Jiucailing Ridge severed, the Yin-Yang Vine remained the sole path.

“Here!”

He sensed the Yin-Yang Vine’s aura and resonated with it. With a whoosh, he soared into the air, transforming into a massive mass of flesh that clung to the sky. Writhing along the resonant trail, the flesh burrowed into the neighboring space-time.

Like a giant leech finding a crack in space-time, he quickly squeezed into it and vanished without a trace.

The sky rippled briefly and returned to normal.

The Land of Heavenly Retribution became incomparably desolate, devoid of any signs of life.

***

In the Yuanshou Realm, Daozhou, Mount Jiulong.

The sky shook violently as beams of light descended. A group landed one after another, and as the light faded away, stone figures of varying heights and shapes appeared on Mount Jiulong.

These triangular-headed stone figures wore expressions ranging from fierce or calm to hideous or strikingly handsome.

Their heights varied, but they suddenly grew rapidly, transforming into giants dozens of zhang to a hundred zhang tall. Divine light shot from their eyes, sweeping in all directions.

Their stony necks creaked as they surveyed the surroundings before leaping skyward in unison, zooming across the sky and hovering in tight formation.

The divine light from their eyes swept across Mount Jiulong, but they failed to find their target. Descending outside Carefree Palace, they shrank back into tiny, stumbling figurines.

These miniature statues shuffled awkwardly toward the Carefree Palace.

As if facing a formidable enemy, Xue Ying’an had already led the Mount Jiulong disciples to assemble outside Carefree Palace, their swords summoned and waiting.

The stone figures ignored them and kept looking around. A stone figure sensed an unusual aura and said, “The one beyond the Heavenly Dao’s tribulation was here! Wait, there’s also the aura of an Old God here. One was once suppressed nearby!”

Another stone figure with a fierce appearance said, “Old Gods once wielded the Heavenly Dao, but the war forty-eight thousand years ago decimated Their ranks. Their strength and influence aren’t anywhere near what they used to be.”

Another stone figure with a sinister appearance said, “When they lost power, the strongest group of Old Gods descended into the lower realm, unable to return to the Heavenly Dao World.

“As for the Old Gods in the Heavenly Dao World, we seized Their authority, and They no longer wield the Heavenly Dao. When They tried to fight back, we slaughtered Them and banished Them.

“A discarded Heavenly Dao isn’t even worth as much as a dog. They have already been reduced to the Heretical Dao and can only roll around in the dirt of the secular world. I can smell the rotting stench of the Heretical Dao coming off them. It’s nauseating.”

Finally, the miniature statues arrived before the Carefree Hall, creaking as they turned their necks to stare at Xue Ying’an and the others.

A stone figure stared at the people behind Xue Ying’an. “It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted meat.”

Cold sweat broke out on Xue Ying’an’s forehead. Gripping the eight-facet sword, he felt his palm grow damp.

Although the tallest stone figure was only about his height, the sense of oppression it gave off was overwhelming!

The triangular-headed stone statues sighed, moved with difficulty, and left the Carefree Palace before turning into streams of light and shooting through the air.

Their voices echoed from afar, “It’s a pity that we didn’t descend in our real bodies. Let’s find that person first!”

Xue Ying’an watched them fly away into the distance and sighed in relief. His legs went limp, and he nearly fell over.

He quickly steadied himself, his heart filled with shock and confusion. What exactly are those stone statues? Their auras are too terrifying!

Behind him, the disciples of Mount Jiulong also felt as if a heavy burden was lifted off them.

When those statues descended earlier, their Dao hearts shattered in an instant, and their divine senses fell into chaos. Had Xue Ying’an not stepped up, eight-facet sword in hand, they would have lost their sanity long ago.

“Are they looking for Brother Xu?”

Xue Ying’an gazed toward where the stone statues were flying. It was precisely the direction Xu Ying had gone. He couldn’t help but feel worried.

“Brother Xu, I wish you safe travels ahead.”

Far away, Bei Chenzi and the Divine Land earth god watched the stone figures soar through the sky, and each breathed a sigh of relief.

They thought to themselves, We can finally relax, right?

Standing atop Yuanqi’s head, Xu Ying looked back. “Buyi, stop pecking Master Qi’s tail. You’ll turn him bald.”

Yuanqi had been slowing down continuously. Looking back, Xu Ying realized Jin Buyi was actively eating Yuanqi’s tail, leaving a trail of blood in the giant snake’s wake. Of course he was slowing down.

Jin Buyi lifted his blurry old eyes. ”I thought it was an earthworm. I wondered why another section grew every time I ate one.”

Yuanqi endured the pain. “Master Jin, that’s my tail. You pecked off a section earlier, and I channeled my Mud Pill’s vigor to grow it back.”

Jin Buyi said in a deep voice, “No wonder there’s more to eat. Little brother, you’re really worth befriending!”

Yuanqi’s face lit up with hopeful expectation. “Is it because I’m loyal?”

Jin Buyi replied, “No. Because you regenerate when eaten. Keeping you around guarantees endless meals.”

Yuanqi let out a muffled groan.

Xu Ying was happy to see them getting along well and smiled. “Let’s go to Haojing to find Zhu Chanchan. Master Zhong is severely injured and beaten out of shape. We need to ask her to treat him.”

Below Yuanqi’s neck, the broken bell struggled incessantly, clearly unhappy with falling into Zhu Chanchan’s hands.

Xu Ying chuckled. “Look, Master Zhong is very happy, too.”

Yuanqi said cautiously, “Ah Ying, he isn’t thrilled; he’s worried.”

Xu Ying laughed out loud. “What’s there to worry about? Worried that she would screw us over like she did the emperor of Zhou? She won’t! We walked through life and death together!”

Yuanqi’s heart skipped a beat, not sharing his confidence. “Old Ancestor Chanchan can definitely save Master Zhong, but he’ll return half his size and paper-thin. Worse, Master Zhong’s butt will be branded with countless of her personal imprints!”

The broken bell beneath his neck trembled in fear.

Xu Ying also felt a little worried, but not about this. The youth pondered out loud, “I wonder if the emperor of Zhou has already returned from the Other Shore? If he has, I’m afraid Old Ancestor Chanchan has already reincarnated into her next life. After all, her crimes are enough to get her executed.”

He sighed. “Villains never live long.”

Suddenly, Xu Ying noticed that the surroundings had grown much quieter. He looked back and saw that Jin Buyi was nowhere to be seen. He quickly soared into the air, riding back on sword qi to search for him. After searching for dozens of li, he saw Jin Buyi standing motionless.

This Three-Legged Golden Crow, head covered in white feathers, stood blankly on the spot, unsure what to do.

He finally came to his senses when he spotted Xu Ying and ran over with a smile. “Ah Ying! I looked away for one moment, and you were gone. I was so scared of losing you again that I didn’t dare to move from this spot. I knew you’d come back!”

Xu Ying’s eyes reddened as he smiled. “Rest assured, I’ll definitely come back for you. Master Jin, can you shrink?”

Jin Buyi tried his best to shrink, but he was still fifteen chi tall, clearly too big to perch on Xu Ying’s shoulder.

Xu Ying suggested, “Stand on Master Qi’s horns.”

Jin Buyi flew over and split his three legs open, standing on Yuanqi’s black-and-white horns, while he retracted his middle leg into his feathers.

Xu Ying reminded him, “Master Jin, you can stand on just one horn.”

Realizing his mistake, Jin Buyi shifted to the black horn. The aged Golden Crow shook his feathers, opened his beak, and spewed a burst of Supreme Yang Divine Fire downward. It was a habit of his. He liked to spew a burst of flames first when perching on a Fusang Tree to warm it.

Xu Ying scrambled to treat Yuanqi and finally managed to save the charred snake.

Near death, Yuanqi choked out his absolute refusal to ferry him any further.

Jin Buyi apologized, “I mistook your horn for a tree branch and wanted to spew some flames on it. It was already too late by the time I realized my mistake.”

Fortunately, Yuanqi had also unlocked his Mud-Pill Secret Trove. He hovered briefly before the gates of hell, but was soon saved.

Overwhelmed with guilt, Jin Buyi perched on his horn once more and offered some guidance. “Your black and white horns likely harbor extraordinary talents. In the past, I came across a snake demon who awakened its bloodline. Its black-and-white horns could unleash Yin and Yang qi to slay gods and demons. It was incredibly powerful.”

Surprised and delighted, Yuanqi hurriedly asked, “How do I channel my bloodline power?”

Jin Buyi replied, “Try channeling Yin and Yang qi and pour them into your horns.”

Yuanqi immediately channeled the Yin and Yang qi from his Jade-Capital Secret Trove and poured them into his horns. The black-and-white horns suddenly shot out a dazzling light, slicing off a peak in the distance.

Yuanqi jumped in shock and cried out, “My bloodline is this powerful? Master Jin, is that snake demon you met also very powerful?”

Jin Buyi nodded. Recalling the past, he said, “It tasted pretty good.”

Haojing was still far away. Xu Ying cleared his mind of distractions and looked back on everything he had learned over the past few years, from martial arts to exorcism techniques and sword techniques, then divine abilities. He felt everything he had learned and understood was a mess.

Martial arts simply channeled vital energy. Exorcism techniques triggered his Secret Troves, using their power to shape Radiant Vestige. Sword techniques involved comprehending the sword Dao, and Qi Cultivators’ divine abilities required visualizing Dao avatars.

Inside his ethereal void, all kinds of Radiant Vestige and Dao avatars were everywhere.

His cultivation techniques were also complicated and scattered.

His Grand Unity Guiding Method was no exception. Xu Ying also often practiced the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing, using the Dao sounds to improve himself. As for the six secrets, each Secret Trove required its own cultivation technique. Although he had already discarded the useless parts and retained only the essence, operating the six secrets was still very complex.

The six secrets’ exorcism techniques were different from Qi Cultivators’ divine abilities. For example, the exorcism techniques of the Mud-Pill Secret Trove could control both living and non-living objects, even stripping away others’ lives. Qi Cultivators had no such divine ability.

Now, he had come into contact with another method: Heavenly Dao runes.

Xu Ying sensed that they could be combined to form Heavenly Dao divine abilities, which would also be extremely powerful.

Besides the Heavenly Dao, there are also Heretical Dao arts and creation techniques. There are also immortal Dao runes!

Xu Ying pondered deeply. These Dao art divine abilities were simply too numerous and too complex. Sometimes, they seemed to belong to completely different systems, and others were completely incompatible.

Deep in thought, he forgot to eat or drink for three days straight.

Meanwhile, Yuanqi and Jin Buyi hit it off well and talked non-stop. The two often went to kill an archaic beast that had awakened its bloodline. Jin Buyi spewed flames to roast it and shared it with Yuanqi.

***

At Haojing.

Zhu Chanchan oversaw Haojing’s reconstruction when she suddenly sensed something. She couldn’t help but feel overjoyed inside. “My snakeskin bag is here!”

She wore foot shackles and had her divine abilities sealed. She frantically ran toward the city gates; before she could get far, someone lashed her with a whip and shouted, “Master Craftsman Zhu, you’re tied to a major criminal case, yet you think of running away?”

Zhu Chanchan quickly stopped in her tracks. “I’m not escaping! My cultivation is sealed away with the Heavenly Justice Chains, and I can’t even use any divine abilities. I’m no different from an ordinary mortal. Where could I possibly run off to?”

The man who had lashed her with the whip was Minister Coachman Gongyang Ce. He sneered coldly, “You designed those chains yourself. Don’t pretend you didn’t build in a back door!”

Just then, Jiang Qi approached and said to Gongyang Ce, “An old friend of Master Craftsman Zhu has come to visit her. This old friend is extremely important and must not be disrespected. Master Craftsman Zhu, you’re pardoned for today.”

Overjoyed, Zhu Chanchan broke free from the Heavenly Justice Chains, regained her cultivation, and raced toward the city gates. She laughed. “Ah Ying, is my precious still there?”

Gongyang Ce pointed at the Heavenly Justice Chains on the ground and stammered, “S-see, Grand Preceptor, I was right. This woman dared to embezzle even the materials for the Other Shore Divine Vessel!”

Jiang Qi also found it a huge headache. “But what can you do to her? Chop off her head? Then who will restore Haojing? Moreover, although she’s a little greedy, the Other Shore Divine Vessel still made it over to the Other Shore without any major defects. If another Master Craftsman were to build the ship...”

He shook his head. “Even if they used all the materials, I’m afraid it wouldn’t make it to the Other Shore.”