Ascension Day

"Vitality..."

Xu Ying stood up. His tone was light, but a heroic spirit surged in his chest. "There is only one path to vitality: find them and send these decaying relics to their deaths!"

The Guo Family Ancestor sighed. "Easier said than done."

Xu Ying's eyes flashed as he asked, "Elder Guo, after you opened the Nine Cave Heavens of your Jiang Palace, did you see the Other Shore?"

The Guo Family Ancestor asked, puzzled, "The Other Shore?"

Xu Ying described what he had seen when he opened his Jade Pool Grotto Heaven. "I suspect that the Jade World the Jade Pool Grotto Heaven points to might be an Other Shore World. The Jade Pool Grotto Heaven is the bridge connecting to it. Because our Grotto Heavens haven't been fully opened, we can't enter that world. We can only steal power from the Other Shore World."

The Guo Family Ancestor said, "You're saying that the Other Shore World corresponding to the Jade Pool Grotto Heaven contains Primordial Qi, and the Other Shore World corresponding to the Red Palace Grotto Heaven contains Heart Power. The Six Secrets of the Human Body actually correspond to the Six Great Other Shores, is that right?"

Xu Ying nodded, looking a bit sheepish. "I've only just become a Nuo Master. I don't understand the intricacies of these things, so I don't know if what I'm saying is right or wrong."

The Guo Family Ancestor paced back and forth, pondering. "If you were just some minor Nuo Master saying this, I'd have given you a good slap across the face for daring to doubt the teachings of our ancestors. But you just so happen to be even older than me, so I have no choice but to consider your words carefully."

He suddenly stopped and said, "When I opened my ninth Grotto Heaven, I saw an Immortal Palace in a sea of fire. There was writing on that Immortal Palace, but I couldn't understand it."

Xu Ying's spirits soared, and he laughed. "If there's an Immortal Palace, then there must be an Other Shore! Perhaps by reaching the Other Shore directly, we can avoid the Master of the Red Palace!"

The Guo Family Ancestor shook his head. "That Immortal Palace in the fire... I only saw it once. I was probably just too excited at the time and saw things..."

Just then, Pei Du's voice rang out with a laugh. "Could I have seen things too? To be honest, I also saw an Immortal Palace when I opened the ninth Grotto Heaven of my Jade Pool. Unlike Brother Guo, I memorized the writing on it."

He walked over quickly, and standing beside Xu Ying and the Guo Family Ancestor, he traced several characters on a stone with his finger.

The script was none other than the long-lost Bird-Worm Seal Script!

The Guo Family Ancestor said, "The Immortal Palace I saw in the fire also had a few similar characters! I just didn't remember a single one!"

When Xu Ying saw these characters, he whispered, "Yu Xu Palace!"

Pei Du looked up in astonishment and exclaimed, "Brother Xu, you can read these characters?"

The Guo Family Ancestor coughed. "Call him Elder Xu! Don't think you can get one over on me."

Xu Ying said, "I recognize these three characters. They mean 'Yu Xu Palace'. I just don't know where I learned them."

Pei Du and the Guo Family Ancestor exchanged a look. The Guo Family Ancestor said in a low voice, "Old Pei, if the Other Shore truly exists, we might really be able to escape the grim fate of Nuo Masters in their later years. Should we give it a try?"

Pei Du asked, "How would we try?"

"We force our way in!"

The Guo Family Ancestor reached out and grasped. The Cyan Dragon Halberd flew into his hand out of thin air. His heroic spirit soared to the clouds. "You open your Grotto Heaven, and I'll force my way in to see if I can reach the Other Shore! I'll help you break through to the Other Shore, then you can help me do the same!"

Pei Du shook his head. "You've always been reckless. I'm worried that instead of breaking through to the Other Shore, you'll just break me. I'll be the one to try this time. You open your Grotto Heaven, and I'll charge in!"

"Alright!"

The Guo Family Ancestor stood his ground and, without reservation, fully opened his Mysterious Domain, revealing the location of the Xinyue Palace. His Qi Blood vibrated, and the Nine Great Crescent Cave Heavens of his Jiang Palace appeared before everyone's eyes.

The Nine Great Cave Heavens plunged into a raging sea of fire. The flames were incredibly fierce, but strangely, though they could see the fire, they felt no heat at all.

Pei Du immediately shot up, transforming into a streak of light. He flew into one of the Yanyue Cave Heavens of the Jiang Palace and followed the raging sea of fire deeper and deeper.

Xu Ying instantly grew tense. He was extremely familiar with the Yanyue Cave Heaven. This Grotto Heaven was actually a Yanyue Furnace, a massive Furnace Cauldron. The deeper one went, the higher the temperature!

The flames in the first layer of the Furnace Cauldron were already Divine Fire. The flames in the subsequent layers grew increasingly powerful. Otherwise, the Yanyue Furnace wouldn't be able to provide the Flesh Body with such immense power!

However, Pei Du was, after all, a Nuo Immortal said to possess Immortal Power. He forced his way through, relying on his boundless Primordial Qi to suppress the fiery Nature of the Yanyue Furnace Grotto Heaven, venturing ever deeper.

He moved with incredible speed, soon passing through the nine Grotto Heavens and arriving at the end of the ninth Yanyue Furnace Grotto Heaven.

Xu Ying activated his Celestial Eye, straining his vision to its limit. He saw Pei Du marshalling his Magical Power and unleashing his Divine Power, blasting away at the end of the Ninth Grotto Heaven. The Guo Family Ancestor's Ninth Grotto Heaven was actually being forced to expand further toward the Other Shore!

Xu Ying couldn't help but get excited. Da Zhong flew out as well, watching the scene with rapt attention.

At first, Pei Du advanced like an unstoppable force, but he soon couldn't withstand the pressure. Blood began to seep from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Seeing this, Xu Ying immediately said, "Lord Zhong, let's go lend him a hand!"

Da Zhong flew up and followed Xu Ying. Xu Ying's figure transformed into a streak of sword light, whistling into the Guo Family Ancestor's Grotto Heaven with the Bell in tow and charging all the way through.

After a long while, he and Da Zhong finally reached Pei Du. The Bell descended, covering them and helping Pei Du resist the increasingly ferocious sea of fire.

With their help, Pei Du could finally go all out and strike deeper into the Ninth Grotto Heaven.

Suddenly, a blindingly bright light struck Da Zhong. The Bell tilted, and a clear crack appeared on the Bell Wall!

Xu Ying poured all of his Qi Blood into Da Zhong to stabilize it, protecting both himself and Pei Du. Da Zhong cried out, "Prime Minister Pei, there's something strange in the fire!"