Ascension Day

He lacked the sacred guidance of Lingyan Pavilion and couldn't descend to the Second Divine Capital in his true body.

Xu Ying and the others dodged the massive face, each letting out a sigh of relief. They removed their face coverings and Xu Ying said, "We can't stay here. Let's get back to the Guo Mansion and talk there!"

As they passed the Yuan Mansion, Guo Xiaodie suddenly giggled. "I wonder if Brother Weiyang is bathing or sleeping right now? I'm going to go see!"

She slipped into the Yuan Mansion.

A moment later, Guo Xiaodie emerged from the Yuan Mansion, looking completely distraught. Xu Ying waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't even react.

"She was bathing."

Guo Xiaodie suddenly blurted out, "And she plucked a hair, you know? Just... yanked it right out."

Tears streamed down her grief-stricken face. She buried her head in Xu Ying's shoulder and burst into sobs. "She plucks her hair... so crude! I don't like her anymore!"

Her mind was a chaotic, sorrowful mess. A voice in her head was screaming, 'But none of that matters! Why is Brother Weiyang a girl?'

Xu Ying was oblivious to the war raging in her mind. He just patted her shoulder gently, unsure how to comfort her.

Guo Xiaodie cried for a long time, soaking the shoulder of Xu Ying's robes. At last, having vented all her heartache, she wiped away her tears and snot.

Xu Ying, still not understanding the cause of her sorrow, smiled. "Let's go check on the Solitary Willow Tree."

Guo Xiaodie murmured her assent and silently followed him. 'This young man's arms are so strong,' she suddenly thought, 'and his shoulders are so broad. Crying on them just now... it felt surprisingly reassuring.'

She discretely tugged her tube top down with her index finger, thinking, 'Xu Demon King's charisma is every bit as good as Brother Weiyang's. It's just a shame Brother Weiyang is a girl... Wait a second. Don't tell me Yuan Weiyang has her eyes on the Xu Demon King too? That little hussy!'

They passed the Solitary Willow Tree. Here in the Divine Capital, it looked even more immense, towering into the clouds. But it was suffused with a ghastly, eerie energy that made it unspeakably terrifying.

Willow branches danced in the air, and impaled on the tip of each one was the severed head of a Ghost Soul.

The headless, wandering spirits stood upon the thick branches, as steady as birds. Their headless torsos faced Xu Ying's group, turning to follow them wherever they went.

The heads impaled on the branches, however, didn't look at them. Instead, they faced the tree trunk, each visage twisted into a bizarre smile. They were all whispering, as if sharing secrets with the Solitary Willow Tree.

'They're nourishing a god.'

Hearing the whispers, a realization struck Xu Ying. 'This willow tree is controlling these beheaded ghosts to cultivate. It wants to become a god through Incense and Candlelight!'

The path the willow tree was on was clearly the path to godhood through Incense and Candlelight!

During the recent years of turmoil, countless people had been beheaded and displayed under this very tree. The depth of their resulting resentment was unimaginable!

'It's using the resentment of the headless ghosts for its Cultivation. If it reaches Great Success, I fear it will become something truly evil!'

'Still,' Xu Ying thought, 'with the saints of Lingyan Pavilion keeping watch, it won't be able to stir up too much trouble.'

Guo Yue had been waiting for a long time. Seeing them finally arrive, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried them along. The group hastily departed the Second Divine Capital.

Outside, the storm had ceased. The sky had cleared, revealing a pristine night sky dotted with brilliant stars.

The Guo Family's steward came to arrange lodging for Xu Ying, and the night passed peacefully.

When he woke the next day, Xu Ying skipped breakfast and went straight to the courtyard to cultivate. A Dao Field, nearly an acre in size, materialized in the sky above him, and Dao Seeds rained down like shimmering light.

Xu Ying circulated his Qi and Blood and activated his Taiyi Guiding Skill. The power of the Mud Ball Secret Treasury within him stirred, and the Sea of Chaos began to ripple. An expanse of Chaos Qi materialized behind him, and faintly visible within it, a Grotto Heaven was rooted in the Chaos, drawing in power like a water dragon.

His Jade Pool and Jiang Palace Secret Treasuries were also open, but without the top-tier Nuo Techniques of the Pei and Guo families, he couldn't systematically draw upon their power.

He could only mobilize a small amount of Energy from these two Secret Treasuries. But even so, his Cultivation speed was astonishing. Even when he wasn't in a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land, his progress wasn't the slightest bit slower!

'The Six Secrets of the Human Body are like carrying six Great Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands with you, constantly supplying the Energy a Qi Refiner needs for Cultivation. Could it be... that this is the true Qi Refining Technique?'

Xu Ying was suddenly struck by an epiphany. He felt as if a fog that had long shrouded his vision was finally beginning to dissipate, revealing a clear path that unified Qi Refining and the Nuo Technique!

He cultivated until the sun was high in the sky before stopping. Only then did he notice the Guo Family Ancestor standing nearby. He had no idea how long the old man had been watching.

"What a magnificent Cultivation Technique!"

The Guo Family Ancestor, with his white hair and towering, muscular frame, walked over to Xu Ying. Xu Ying himself was not short, but he looked like a child standing next to the old patriarch.

The Guo Family Ancestor exclaimed in admiration, "Excellent, truly excellent! Elder Xu, how did you manage to unify the powers of the different Secret Treasuries?"

Xu Ying was startled. He laughed and said, "Elder Guo, I'm probably not the Undead from the Ancient Books. You can just call me Xu Ying. Besides, Xiaodie doesn't call me Elder. If you don't mind, you can even call me Xu Demon King."

He was genuinely worried that he was, in all likelihood, a demon.

The Guo Family Ancestor's expression turned solemn. He shook his head and said, "The Rules must not be broken. Elder Xu, you may simply call me Little Guo."

Xu Ying was stunned.

The Guo Family Ancestor asked again how he unified the different Secret Treasuries. Xu Ying held nothing back, explaining that he used the Taiyi Guiding Skill as his foundation, with the Mud Pill, Jade Pool, and Jiang Palace as "nutrients" to "fish" for Secret Power and fuel his Cultivation.

The Guo Family Ancestor was taken aback. "Did Zhou Qiyun also cultivate in this way?" he asked.

Xu Ying shook his head. "He used Qi Refining as the root and stem, and the Secret Treasuries as the fruit. That was his method of Cultivation."

The Guo Family Ancestor sat on the ground and used his finger to sketch the two cultivation paths on a stone. One drawing showed a person with six Grotto Heavens distributed above, below, and on all sides of their body. The other drawing depicted a tree bearing six fruits.

The meaning of the two drawings was immediately clear. The first path used the Six Secrets as Grotto Heavens to fuel a Qi Refiner's Cultivation. The second path used Qi Refining as nourishment, employing Qi Collection and Refining to nurture the Six Secrets and turn them into Dao Fruits.

One path prioritized Qi Refining, the other prioritized the Six Secrets; each had a different focus.

"Of these two paths, which is the correct one?" the Guo Family Ancestor mused.

Xu Ying shared his own conclusion. "In terms of sheer power, the path of turning the Six Secrets into Dao Fruits is stronger. One's Strength, Primordial Qi, Divine Sense, and Flesh Body can all easily be cultivated to the level of an Immortal. The path that prioritizes Qi Refining requires one to cultivate step-by-step, advancing through the Realms one by one. It's not as fast as the Nuo Technique."

The Guo Family Ancestor nodded slowly and sighed. "Elder Bai Mei, Zhou Qiyun, was a Celestial Talent. His Cultivation progressed with incredible speed, did it not? And yet, wasn't he still devoured by another?"

He frowned. "The critical problem is with the second path. These Dao Fruits on the tree... who are they actually being refined for? If you get to the very end and find the Dao Fruit isn't yours, and someone else comes to harvest it, you're doomed!"

A thought flickered in Xu Ying's mind. "Elder Guo," he asked, "back when you first received the legacy and began cultivating the Guo Family's Technique, did you ever feel like something was watching you?"

The Guo Family Ancestor's face turned ashen. "That's right," he murmured. "Back then, by a stroke of fortune, I obtained the legacy of the Jiang Palace Secret Treasury. In my excitement, I began to cultivate the Jiang Palace. The very moment I activated the technique, I felt a pair of eyes lock onto me. In recent years, that sensation has only grown more intense."

He said softly, "I suppose... my Dao Fruit must be ripe. My unknown master is preparing to come and harvest me."

Suddenly, he rallied his spirits and laughed heartily. "But my fate is my own to decide, not heaven's! If even heaven cannot control my destiny, how could another person? I will break through this mortal peril and achieve transcendence! Elder Xu, the first path of Cultivation that you pioneered has given me hope. By following it, I can surely escape the curse of the Nuo Immortals!"

Xu Ying fell silent for a moment before shaking his head. "When I opened the Mud Ball Hidden Scenery Longevity Technique and unconsciously activated the Nuo Technique within it, I also felt someone's gaze lock onto me."

The smile on the Guo Family Ancestor's face froze, and all his bravado vanished. After a long moment, he let out a heavy breath. "You mean to say... that even on the first path, someone can come and steal the fruit?"

Xu Ying nodded slightly.

The Guo Family Ancestor slumped, utterly dejected. "Then... where is there any hope of survival?" he murmured.