Ascension Day

Uncle Xiao hesitated for a moment but didn't intervene.

The gift Xu Ying had given was far too valuable; he was practically the Yuan Family's savior. Even if Yuan Weiyang had offered the complete Primordial Dao All Heavens Sensing in return, it would pale in comparison!

Xu Ying accepted the fragmented scroll of the *Primordial Dao All Heavens Sensing* and smiled. "How about this? Let's have a competition and see who can figure out the refining method for the Yellow Court Immortal Elixir first."

Yuan Weiyang's eyes lit up, his competitive spirit piqued. He smiled, "Alright! But, is Xu Demon King interested in a wager?"

Xu Ying, possessing a youthful spirit himself, asked, "What's the wager?"

Yuan Weiyang's eyes flashed. "I have a younger sister; you've met her. If you manage to comprehend the refining method for the Yellow Court Immortal Elixir before I do, I'll betroth Rushi to you."

Behind him, Uncle Xiao stomped his feet in agitation, crying out, "Oh! Oh! Young Master, how could you do that?"

Yuan Qi grew dizzy from the stomping and quickly said, "Easy there, old sir! You're about to stomp my brains out!"

Cold sweat beaded on Uncle Xiao's forehead, his heart racing with anxiety. 'What sort of reasoning is it to marry yourself off after losing a bet? Besides, their families aren't a proper match! The Old Matriarch would certainly never agree!'

A wave of excitement washed over Xu Ying, and he laughed heartily. "Alright! It's a deal! But if I lose, I don't have a sister to marry off to you. How about..."

He glanced at Zhu Chanchan, who was training diligently, and a thought flickered through his mind. 'How about I betroth this girl to Brother Yuan...'

Yuan Weiyang smiled. "If you lose, I don't want your sister. I only ask that you do one thing for me. I haven't thought of what it is yet. I'll tell you when I do."

Xu Ying was overjoyed and grinned. "You're definitely going to lose!"

Yuan Weiyang shook his head. "That remains to be seen. I will give it my all."

"So will I!"

Yuan Weiyang leaped down from Yuan Qi's head, waved goodbye, and turned back toward the Divine Capital. Uncle Xiao followed, sighing all the way.

Yuan Weiyang smiled. "Uncle Xiao, don't tell Mother or the Old Matriarch about this."

Uncle Xiao sighed. "Young Master, the truth will come out eventually..."

He meant that they couldn't keep this from the Old Matriarch for long, but Yuan Weiyang was thinking of something else entirely. "You're right. I'll choose the right moment to tell him what the name Yuan Rushi means: that I was a girl all along!"

Uncle Xiao was left speechless.

Yuan Qi carried Xu Ying and Zhu Chanchan, winding through the mountains and heading toward Song Mountain.

The earth trembled continuously. New mountains and rivers surged up from a great chasm, making Song Mountain seem incredibly distant.

Suddenly, a soul-shaking roar echoed from the forest ahead, rattling the wilderness. Xu Ying looked up to see a behemoth crouching beneath a great waterfall. It was surrounded by countless enormous Exotic Beasts, none smaller than Yuan Qi.

They seemed to be the behemoth's subjects, kneeling and prostrating around it, worshipping it as mortals would a Divine Spirit.

The behemoth was an unknown creature with long forelimbs and short hindlimbs. Black flames billowed around its body but didn't set the forest ablaze; the individual flames floated around it like a decorative pattern.

Its aura was terrifying—the kind that came from an awakened ancient bloodline. Yuan Qi had a similar ferocious aura, but it wasn't nearly as intense, and as a Qi Refiner, he concealed it well.

"This is a juvenile Primordial Giant Beast."

Da Zhong couldn't help but marvel, appearing from behind Xu Ying's head. "This type of creature is a natural king, and also a Divine Spirit of the Primordial Chaos. All beasts worship them, granting them incredible Divine Power."

It clicked its tongue in amazement. "In my master's time, there weren't this many Beast King Gods. Strange. Where did these fellows pop out from?"

The Beast King God roared, and the giant beasts at its side immediately surged in their direction. Their target was Zhu Chanchan, who was emitting an unusual fragrance!

Yuan Qi activated his Ba Snake Cultivator technique. His body instantly stretched to a hundred zhang long. He opened his mouth and clamped down on one giant beast, then with a swing of his body, sent the rest of the charging beasts flying!

As a Qi Refiner of the Demon Race, he was far, far more intelligent than these giant beasts.

The Beast King God flew into a rage and pounced. Yuan Qi's aura wasn't as intense as its, and knowing he was no match, he quickly yelled, "Ying!"

Standing on Yuan Qi's forehead, Xu Ying raised the Stone Axe. An earth-shattering, ferocious power erupted, and a blood-red light filled the air. A streak of light from the axe fell, and the Beast King God's head tumbled to the ground. Its massive body slid forward, only coming to a stop right beneath Yuan Qi.

The Stone Axe was a Magical Treasure forged by the Giant Race in Ancient Times. It had drunk the blood of countless giant beasts, and an unknown number of Beast King Gods had fallen to its blade. Now, having absorbed the blood of this Beast King God, its Fierce Qi grew even stronger!

When the axe was activated, another Beast King God appeared within the Abnormal Phenomenon of a roiling sea of blood, adding to its might!

With this Beast King God dead, the other giant beasts fled in a panic. Like rats from a sinking ship, they scattered without a trace.

Xu Ying put away the vicious weapon. Seeing a majestic Stone City not far away, he immediately said, "Lord Qi, let's camp there tonight. Drag this Beast King God over. We'll be eating this."

Yuan Qi complied, coiling his tail around the Beast King God's corpse and heading toward the Stone City.

They continued onward. The mountains on both sides were steep, with sheer cliffs that looked as if they had been carved by knives and axes. Bizarre rock formations, resembling Ghost Gods, jutted out from the precipices, looking grim and terrifying.

The Stone City lay at the end of the gorge, its walls erect and its streets orderly.

Xu Ying looked up and saw two ancient characters written above the city gate.

Diqiu.

"A strange name," Xu Ying murmured, averting his gaze.

Yuan Qi shrank down and slithered into the city, gliding along the streets. A bun shop's steamer basket was still venting white steam, and the fragrance of wine still wafted from a tavern.

They passed a teahouse, and the tea in the cups was still hot!

On a street corner, a peddler's straw pole, stuck with paper pinwheels, leaned against a wall. The pinwheels were still WHIRRING, but the peddler and the children who would have been chasing after him were nowhere to be seen.

There wasn't a single person in the entire city!

Forget people, there wasn't even a single rat!

The city was terrifyingly silent!

It was as if every living thing in the city had vanished in an instant, and time itself had frozen at that very moment. The food in the city wouldn't rot, the hearthfires wouldn't go out, and the tea wouldn't grow cold.

Xu Ying leaped down from the Big Snake's head and lifted the lid of the bun shop's steamer. The buns inside were steaming hot and soft, carrying the aroma of scallions and meat.

He put the bun back down and frowned slightly. By the side of the street was some braised beef, reddish and mixed with yellow ox tendon.

The wine in the tavern next door was still warm. Its aroma mingled with the scent of the beef, making one's mouth water.

Da Zhong asked in confusion, "What happened to this city? Where did all the people go?"

Yuan Qi set down the Beast King God's corpse and said, "Ying, there's food here. Do we still need to cook?"

Xu Ying shook his head. "It's best if we don't touch the food here."

Suddenly, a distant RUMBLE shook the ground. The other half of the Stone City slowly emerged from the swirling mist, as if a seal on time had just been broken and it was materializing from the Long River of time.

Yet, the city's residents had vanished into thin air.

Zhu Chanchan woke up as well. She looked around curiously and asked in confusion, "Where is this place?"

She had grown taller and now looked about ten years old. She was an adorable, pure-looking girl, but her clothes were a little too short for her.

Zhu Chanchan hurriedly pried open Yuan Qi's mouth and went inside his body. She changed into a set of Guo Xiaodie's clothes, but they were a bit too big and hung loosely on her.

"This place is called Diqiu."

A voice suddenly rang out. Xu Ying looked toward the sound and saw an old man in white robes walking briskly into the Stone City. He had seen this old man before on Wuyang Mountain, in the company of a sorrowful-faced elder.

Xu Ying's heart stirred. 'The white-haired old man I saw dueling the Patriarch of the Cui Family in the Second Divine Capital last night... it's him! What is he doing here?'

The white-haired old man chuckled. "Diqiu vanished during the Great Han's Martial Emperor Period. The entire Stone City disappeared into thin air, becoming a cold case. I never expected to encounter this mysterious city here! Xu Friend, a chance meeting is better than a formal invitation. To think we'd meet again here—you and I must truly be fated."

He thought to himself, 'This kid is like a restless rabbit, always running about. It would be a disaster if he slipped out of my sight. I might as well just join them. That way, he won't be able to get away!'