Ascension Day

Yuan Qi whispered, "He clearly has the power to destroy all this flesh and blood directly. Why didn’t he just do it from the start?"

The white-robed disciple closest to him said, "This is a test of our Cultivation. If the Master had to handle everything, how could we ever grow?"

The other disciples nodded in agreement.

Yuan Qi was about to say more, but a sudden toll of a bell left him dazed and confused, making him forget what he was going to say. ’Why did Lord Zhong ring at me?’ Yuan Qi thought to himself.

Fangzhang Immortal Mountain flew into the deepest part of the chasm. Ahead, a massive Blood Lake appeared. The lake stood before them, and thick, fleshy tentacles emerged from it!

Just moments ago, Xu Fu had acted, wiping away the flesh on the mountain walls, but now, new flesh was already growing out of the Blood Lake.

The blood in the lake was foul-smelling, bubbling with a GURGLE GURGLE sound. This place was definitely not a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land!

As Fangzhang Immortal Mountain drew closer to the Blood Lake, Xu Ying and the others on the mountain immediately felt a malevolent aura wash over them. The Sword Boxes of the surrounding disciples began to vibrate with a JINGLE JINGLE sound. Suddenly, flashes of sword light shot out, striking down invisible streams of evil energy.

Whenever the malevolent aura was struck, a flash of red light would appear in the air, and droplets of blood would fly out.

Yuan Qi shivered and muttered, "This place is too creepy. Is it really a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land?"

"It is, without a doubt."

Xu Fu raised his palm, and the Blood Lake parted. Fangzhang Immortal Mountain carried them into the lake, while the white-robed disciples flew around them on their Sword Qi, cautiously guarding them.

"The Cultivation of these disciples is far inferior to Xu Fu’s. Why does he still need their protection?"

Xu Ying couldn’t help but wonder. Then, a realization struck him. ’That’s right,’ he thought, ’this is a bad habit he picked up from when he led the three thousand Child Maidens and Boys out to sea. Too many people died on that voyage; only he and I survived. He stayed in the very center of the formation, constantly protected by others. That’s how he made it out alive.’

These disciples, just like the Child Maidens and Boys back then, were expendable.

After passing through the Blood Lake, they finally arrived at Huo Tong Cave Heaven.

This Grotto Heaven was the first among the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens, and it was unimaginably vast!

The distance from the center of the Grotto Heaven to its edge was Qianli, and its circumference was about six thousand li!

However, Huo Tong Cave Heaven had already fallen into decay. The ground was covered in that strange flesh and blood, which had enveloped the mountain peaks and devoured the giant beasts that lived here, leaving only their skeletons behind.

The flesh had even climbed into the sky, obscuring the heavens of this Grotto Heaven.

But the most eye-catching sight was the four columns of Ascension Radiance left in the center of the Grotto Heaven!

The four columns of radiance descended from the sky, intertwining with one another, full of the temptation of Ascension.

Xu Fu said with emotion, "It is these four columns of Ascension Radiance that have caused countless Qi Refiners to flock to this Grotto Heaven, rushing here to cross their tribulations."

Suddenly, the earth shook violently, and countless fleshy appendages danced and reached for them!

Xu Fu’s expression was calm. His Primordial Spirit appeared behind him, opened its mouth, and spewed forth Sanmei True Fire, instantly setting the land and sky ablaze!

The Sanmei True Fire was incredibly fierce. The True Fire quickly spread like a wildfire, burning all the flesh to ash.

Fangzhang Immortal Mountain carried Xu Ying, Xu Fu, and the others upward, rising higher and higher until they were within the four columns of Ascension Radiance. Xu Ying looked down and immediately saw Thunder Tribulation circles of all sizes!

On the ground, one basin after another came into view, some large, some small. The smallest Thunder Tribulation circle was only a few dozen li across, while the largest one was just over ten li from the edge of this Grotto Heaven!

The sheer scale of the Celestial Tribulations was enough to make one’s scalp tingle!

"The flesh and blood here is formed from the Flesh Bodies of Ascension Stage Qi Refiners who died in this place. Their bodies absorbed the malevolent will born from their failure to achieve Ascension, and their corpses transformed."

Xu Fu stood beside Xu Ying and said, "Faced with Celestial Tribulations of ever-increasing power, they fell into despair. Despair bred resentment and rage. Their corpses transformed, gathering all that evil, and are now trying to break out of this Grotto Heaven Blessed Land to pollute the mortal world. If we hadn’t come here, in a few more years, this evil would have invaded the world of the living to devour people!"

The disciples all said in unison, "Master is merciful!"

Xu Fu said, "Ancestor Xu Ying, can you tell where the largest Celestial Tribulation occurred?"

Xu Ying replied, "Isn’t the largest Celestial Tribulation the one just over ten li from the edge of the Grotto Heaven... wait a minute!"

His Heart Spirit was greatly shaken as he looked toward the horizon. At the edge of this Huo Tong Cave Heaven, there was another Thunder Tribulation Line, like a ring of black smoke that encircled the entire Grotto Heaven!

A Thunder Tribulation spanning more than Qianli!

With a thought from Xu Fu, Fangzhang Immortal Mountain shot toward the border of Huo Tong Cave Heaven. Before long, it reached the edge of the Grotto Heaven, and Fangzhang Immortal Mountain flew along the Thunder Tribulation Line.

Xu Ying smelled the scorched scent of a lightning strike in the air. What shocked him even more was that there wasn’t just one Thunder Tribulation Line, but forty or fifty of them lined up together!

Each line circled the entire circumference of Huo Tong Cave Heaven!

This meant that forty or fifty powerful Qi Refiners had undergone their tribulation here, triggering a Super Celestial Tribulation of the same scale, one that covered the surrounding six thousand li!

"The Almanac of Alchemists, written by a Pre-Qin Qi Refiner, records that the Super Celestial Tribulation has existed since ancient times. It seals the Profound Gate of heaven and earth, cuts off the path of the Flying Immortal, and is impossible for anyone to cross."

Xu Fu took out a Bamboo Scroll and gently unrolled it. It was indeed the Almanac of Alchemists, written by a Pre-Qin Qi Refiner. He flipped through the scroll, the bamboo strips rustling with a CLATTER. "It says here," he began, "that Ascension Lands are close to the Immortal Realm, so the Thunder Tribulations there are the weakest. That is why Qi Refiners search for an Ascension Land to cross their tribulations. They categorized all the Ascension Lands in the world, classifying them into the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens and the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands."

With a gentle wave of his hand, the Bamboo Scroll of the Almanac of Alchemists spread out in the air. The individual strips grew larger, and the characters written on them became visible.

His Divine Sense surged, and one by one, the characters were projected into the air, creating images of the various scenes within the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.

These Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands were all Ascension Lands where Immortals had once ascended, leaving behind Ascension Radiance.

Xu Fu said, "According to the Almanac of Alchemists, after the Super Celestial Tribulation appeared, the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands became completely ineffective. No Ascension Stage Qi Refiner who attempted to cross their tribulation in a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land could succeed. The last Qi Refiner recorded to have crossed his tribulation here was named Gao Yue."

He studied the Thunder Tribulation Lines and said, "One of these lines should be his. According to the book, he died during the era of Emperor Zhou. He was the Grand Protector then, a position similar to today’s Prime Minister."

Xu Ying listened quietly, saying nothing.

Xu Fu continued, "During the Ancestral Dragon Era, Witchcraft and Nuo Art had already spread and were quite prevalent. Some Qi Refiners intended to replace Qi Refining with Witchcraft and Nuo Art. The Ancestral Dragon was furious. He had all the Witchcraft and Nuo Art in the world collected, and then burned them all—the people and the books."

Yuan Qi whispered, "Burning the books and burying the Nuo practitioners."

Xu Fu said, "All the books in the world were gathered in Xianyang. I was fortunate enough to see these collections and learn some secrets. The truth is, since the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, not a single Immortal has appeared in the world for several thousand years."

He sighed. "Back then, a Super Celestial Tribulation would appear every so often, blanketing the Divine Land. Yuan Shou was shaken, and Divine Demons were terrified. One after another, the greatest masters among the Qi Refiners perished under the might of the Super Celestial Tribulation. For several thousand years, the Super Celestial Tribulation buried generation after generation of geniuses. By the time of the Ancestral Dragon Era, the Qi Refiners were already in decline."

Da Zhong suddenly said, "By my master’s time, many Qi Refining Techniques had already been lost. Even the Sword Control Technique was incomplete."

Xu Fu sighed. "At that time, all those who practiced the most supreme Qi Refining Techniques had already perished in the Super Celestial Tribulation. Which of the remaining Qi Refiners wasn’t living in constant fear, trying every possible way to avoid the Celestial Tribulation? After Xu Master and I crossed the sea, we obtained Fangzhang Immortal Mountain and endured countless hardships to return. The very reason I was able to find the Yuan Shou Continent and return to the Divine Land was because I used the Super Celestial Tribulations to navigate."

His face grew grim. "Four thousand years ago, a Super Celestial Tribulation would erupt every so often, about every three or four years. Three thousand years ago, a Super Celestial Tribulation would erupt every forty or fifty years. Two thousand years ago, when I returned here, the last Super Celestial Tribulation erupted, eight hundred years after the previous one. I knew then that from the time of the Ancestral Dragon to the present, the last Qi Refiner of the Yuan Shou era had passed away."

An era had ended.

The Ancestral Dragon’s burning of books and burying of Nuo practitioners could not stop the decline of the Qi Refiners.

Xu Fu’s expression was somber, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed. "For the next two thousand years, I never again sensed a single Super Celestial Tribulation. Until recently."

Zhou Qiyun’s Crossing the Tribulation.

It triggered a Super Celestial Tribulation!

The fire in Xu Fu’s eyes ignited once more as he looked at Xu Ying and said, "This Celestial Tribulation has rekindled my hope for Ascension!"

--- Zhai Zhu is working on a beauty-themed Children’s Day bonus Chapter. Everyone, please keep an eye out for it, it will be posted in a bit!!! Hmm, making a version that won’t pass the censors.