Ascension Day

Pei Du refused to retreat, braving the sea of fire and another approaching beam of light as he charged forward with all his might.

'What is he trying to do?' Xu Ying's heart leaped into his throat. He activated his Celestial Eye to get a better look, and the sight made his blood run cold.

Within the sea of fire, he saw an Immortal Hall looming in and out of view. In front of the hall stood numerous figures, some sitting and some standing. They were all bathing in the Immortal Fire, utterly motionless!

Pei Du extended a hand, reaching beyond the protection of Da Zhong to grab at something in the sea of fire.

The moment his arm left the bell's protection, it burst into flames. It was quickly charred black, and even his immense Primordial Qi was powerless to suppress the blaze!

Pei Du retracted his hand, apparently having caught something, and clutched it tightly to his chest. He opened his mouth to shout something to Xu Ying. Suddenly, Da Zhong was struck by another beam of light. It flew out of control, careening toward the exit of the Grotto Heaven.

Xu Ying grabbed Pei Du and pulled him back under the bell. The raging Immortal Fire flowed like a river beneath them. With their bodies hidden under the bell, Pei Du still held onto the object in a death grip, refusing to let go!

Da Zhong was struck by one beam of light after another, CLANGING loudly. It staggered and ricocheted throughout the Guo Family Ancestor's Grotto Heaven before finally managing to escape.

Da Zhong crashed to the ground, and Xu Ying and Pei Du tumbled out from within.

Da Zhong was glowing red-hot from the heat. Its voice was faint as it cried out, "Ying! Old Pei! You won't be able to settle this with me for anything less than sixty percent of your Qi Blood!"

With a CRACK, Pei Du's flame-scorched arm turned to charcoal and fell to the ground. But the Prime Minister was overjoyed, laughing as he said, "Never mind sixty percent of your Qi Blood, I'll give you seventy or even eighty percent!"

The Guo Family Ancestor was startled. He hurried forward and said, "Old Pei, you…"

Pei Du roared with laughter. Staggering to his feet, he exclaimed, overcome with excitement, "There are Immortals in the fire! I caught an Immortal!"

He was holding a little girl in his arms, one who looked to be only eight or nine years old. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she wasn't breathing at all.

Her heart wasn't beating, either, but her complexion was rosy. She was like a living corpse.

A wisp of Immortal Fire still burned beneath her nose, unextinguished. It drifted in and out of her nostrils.

Xu Ying stepped forward. "There were many people like this in front of the Immortal Hall in the sea of fire. Are they really Immortals?"

Pei Du and the Guo Family Ancestor were beside themselves with excitement as they gathered around the little girl. The girl had jade bone and ice flesh, as if carved from jade, without a single flaw.

"A real Immortal!" the two of them exclaimed in amazement.

Suddenly, the Immortal Fire beneath the girl's nose darted into her nostrils and vanished. Then, her chest began to rise and fall—she had started breathing again! Not only that, but she gradually developed a pulse, as if she had been resurrected from death!

She sat up abruptly, turning her head to look around with a confused expression, and began to speak.

It was a peculiar language. Pei Du and the Guo Family Ancestor were utterly baffled, and Da Zhong was just as lost. But something stirred within Xu Ying, and he opened his mouth to speak a string of obscure, difficult-to-understand words.

The little girl's expression turned solemn. Suddenly, her figure tore through the air and vanished without a trace!

Pei Du and the Guo Family Ancestor stood frozen in place. They hadn't even had time to try and stop her before she vanished completely!

"Ying, what did that girl say just now?" Da Zhong asked hurriedly.

Pei Du and the Guo Family Ancestor snapped out of their stupor and quickly turned to Xu Ying. It was after Xu Ying spoke with the Child Immortal that she had fled.

Xu Ying said cautiously, "She was asking if this was the Immortal Realm, and if she had already achieved Ascension. I told her that this is still the Mortal World."

"And then?" the Guo Family Ancestor asked urgently.

"That's it."

Pei Du and the Guo Family Ancestor stood dumbfounded for a moment. Suddenly, realization dawned. Pei Du immediately strode outside, saying, "I'm going to mobilize my clan's disciples to search for the Child Immortal! Brother Guo, don't forget to notify me if you hear anything!"

The Guo Family Ancestor also hurried out, but he suddenly stopped, pulled a book from his robes, and tossed it to Xu Ying.

Xu Ying raised his hand and caught it. The Guo Family Ancestor walked away, his voice drifting back to them. "Years ago, I stumbled into an Immortal Cave Mansion and was taught the Jianggong Yue Moon Furnace Tripod Skill. Cultivating this technique allows you to sense those eyes."

Xu Ying hurriedly looked down at the scriptures. Sure enough, the title read, *Jianggong Yue Moon Furnace Tripod Skill*!

"Later, when I became aware of the fate that befell the Nuo Immortals in their later years, I never passed this technique on to anyone else—not even my own son. After you have read it, you must destroy it, whether you decide to cultivate it or not."

The Guo Family Ancestor's voice drifted in from outside, calm and resolute. "I will fight on to the very end! Even if it means my body and soul are annihilated, I will never admit defeat! I will seize even the faintest glimmer of hope for victory! But to do that, I must be free of worries for the future."

His worry for the future was that there would be no one to succeed him, no one to rise up and resist as he had!

He needed someone to take up the *Jianggong Yue Moon Furnace Tripod Skill* and continue the fight, just as he had!

However, he would not force Xu Ying to practice this Cultivation Technique.

Like Zhou Qiyun, he had his own pride.

Xu Ying put the scriptures away.

Da Zhong wobbled into the air, spun around once to inspect its new wounds, and asked, "Ying, doesn't Elder Guo have the confidence to deal with the Master of Red Palace?"

A glint appeared in Xu Ying's eyes as he said, "The Master of Red Palace is an existence as powerful as the Master of the Mud Mound Palace, and his patience is just as great. Elder Guo's heart isn't old, and his confidence remains, but his body is gradually aging."

Da Zhong said, "Old Pei left in such a hurry. It's like he forgot he still owes me seventy percent of his Qi Blood. Ying, when are you going to give me your sixty percent?"

Xu Ying replied, "Lord Zhong, help yourself."

Da Zhong was overjoyed and, with some difficulty, flew into the back of his head.