Ascension Day

Chapter 249: Chapter 118: The Restoration of Qi Refiners

Xu Ying looked at him and saw a fire in his eyes. It was a blazing flame, fueled by an unyielding will!

Xu Fu said, “Crossing the Tribulation and Ascending is merely my personal wish. My true goal is to trace things back to their source and set things right! It is restoration!”

His expression was fervent as he declared in a booming voice, “The restoration of the Qi Refiners!”

Xu Ying, Da Zhong, and Yuan Qi stared at him, stunned.

“Three thousand years ago, a Dong Clan Qi Refiner dismissed the hundred schools of thought to revere only the Nuo Art. He proposed Celestial-Human Communication and ultimately sent the Qi Refiners to their doom!”

Xu Fu’s gaze was scorching. He placed his hands on Xu Ying’s shoulders and said with utmost sincerity, “For three thousand years, the Nuo Technique has been rampant while the Qi Refiners have waned. But what is this Nuo Technique? A three-hundred-year lifespan? They can’t even outlive a Qi Collection Stage demon, can’t even outlive my pet dog! Even dogs live longer than Nuo Masters!”

He shouted, “The Nuo Technique is a mistake! Three thousand years of dust, three thousand years of darkness! Today, the dawn is breaking, and it is time for the Qi Refiners to stage a comeback! Master Xu, you are an Immortal!”

Xu Ying’s mind reeled. ‘I’m an Immortal?’

South of Xiao Xiang, in the Cangwu Abyss. Below Jiuyi Mountain, the Immortal.

Could it be that the girl in the coffin wasn’t talking about someone else, but about me?

Xu Fu’s gaze was fervent. “That’s right! You are the Immortal, the living myth of eternal life! I found traces of you in Ancient Texts and tracked your origins through myths. I know your past. You can definitely help us restore the glory of the Qi Refiners!”

Xu Ying frowned, glancing at the hands on his shoulders. “I don’t think the Qi Refiners’ Cultivation Techniques are all that perfect…”

Xu Fu roared with laughter. “That’s why we need the Immortal’s help—to complete the imperfect Qi Refining Skills!”

He stood upon Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, slung an arm around Xu Ying’s shoulders, and looked out over the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. He proclaimed, “Master Xu, as long as you agree to help, I will share this Immortal Mountain with you! Disciples, what are you waiting for? Come and pay your respects to the Immortal! He will be your Changsheng Immortal Master!”

The white-robed disciples who had followed him here were fired up with passion. They bowed and declared in unison, “Disciple pays respects to the Immortal! We pay respects to Ancestor Xu Ying!”

Yuan Qi and Da Zhong were also shaken by the scene. A rush of excitement surged through Yuan Qi, and he murmured, “Could it be? Is the golden age of Qi Refiners truly about to return to this world?”

Xu Fu laughed heartily and urged Fangzhang Immortal Mountain to fly out of the Grotto Heaven, carrying Xu Ying with it. He said, “We Qi Refiners have been silent for three thousand years. Three thousand years of utter darkness, but today, we finally see the light!”

Xu Ying composed himself and asked, “Brother Xu, how do you plan to achieve the restoration of the Qi Refiners? Their lineage was clearly severed. Staging a comeback would be no different from creating an entirely new Cultivation System!”

“The lineage of the Qi Refiners was never severed!”

A zealous light shone in Xu Fu’s eyes. He smiled and said, “To be honest, back when the hundred schools were dismissed in favor of the Nuo Art, a group of young Qi Refiners escaped the calamity. When the world was purged by the great seal, they survived and preserved the spark! Not long after I returned from overseas, they found me. I’ll take you to meet them!”

Fangzhang Immortal Mountain passed through the great rift in the mountain and flew outside, weaving through the peaks with him aboard.

Soon, Fangzhang Immortal Mountain arrived at the grand hall by the sea. The Immortal Mountain slowly descended. Beams of light fell from the sky, transforming into men and women in archaic-style clothing as they landed.

They wore clothing from the Qin and Han Periods. One woman, dressed in a simple Daoist robe with only a peach-wood hairpin in her hair and no other adornments, greeted Xu Ying with a graceful bearing. “I am Hua Xianchen, and I greet the Immortal.”

Her gaze was fervent, looking at Xu Ying as if he were a Supreme Treasure. Her excitement was plain to see.

A man walked toward Xu Ying. He wore coarse cloth clothes, had large hands and feet, and a burly, imposing physique. He wanted to get closer to Xu Ying but didn’t dare, stopping several yards away. He was overcome with emotion. “I am Dong Meiqing, a Qi Refiner from the Martial Emperor Period. Today, I finally have the honor of seeing the Immortal!”

Xu Ying nodded lightly, feeling a bit lost.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were calling out to someone else, not him.

Another person approached, calling out to Xu Ying from a distance in an almost fawning manner. “This humble junior, Qi Refiner Qi Qingzhou, pays his respects to the Immortal!”

There were others in splendid, luxurious clothes with handsome features, who had already cultivated their Primordial Spirit. They also bowed low to Xu Ying, so moved they were choking back sobs. “The Immortal has reappeared in the mortal world! Our lineage of Qi Refiners can finally see the light!”

There were also trembling old men and women who burst into tears upon seeing Xu Ying. They were so choked up they couldn’t speak, only nodding repeatedly and saying, “Good! Good!”

“The Azure Heaven has eyes! The Immortal has finally descended upon the world! He will lead us out of this dark age and make the study of Qi Refiners a prominent field once more!”

Someone laughed wildly, their voice filled with indignant fury. They roared, “The Nuo Technique is a heresy! They stole our status, stole our lands, brought chaos to the world, and their poison has lingered for millennia! The heretics stole the position that belongs to us! Today, the time has finally come to set things right and settle old scores!”

“Let’s use our Sanmei True Fire to burn the heretics to death!”

A familiar cry rang out. Xu Ying followed the sound and saw Little Fengxian flying over from somewhere. The little girl was shouting excitedly, her face flushed red with excitement. “Use the Sanmei True Fire to burn them to death—”

“That’s right, burn those heretics who practice the Nuo Technique!” more Qi Refiners responded in agreement.

Xu Fu roared with laughter and slung his arm around Xu Ying’s shoulders. “Master Xu,” he said fervently, “do you see? The Qi Refiners are still here. They’ve always been here. They were never exterminated!”