Ascension Day

Chapter 253: Chapter 120: No, You’re Just in Time

Xu Ying whispered, “Lord Qi, I think there’s something wrong with Xu Fu. Our paths diverge, so we’d be wise to leave. Lord Zhong, can we get away?”

Da Zhong suddenly charged toward Xu Fu, shouting, “There’s only one way to find out! I’ll hold him off, you guys go on ahead!”

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi were both stunned. ‘When did Lord Zhong get so brave?’

They didn’t know that six months had passed since Xu Ying was sealed away again. During that time, Zhu Chanchan had taken to punching Da Zhong for fun, which had long since healed its old injuries.

For the first three months, Da Zhong had siphoned the Qi Blood of Yuan Qi and Zhu Chanchan. For the next three months, it siphoned the Qi Blood of Yuan Qi, Zhu Chanchan, and Xu Ying. While its strength hadn’t returned to its Peak, it had recovered at least ninety percent.

It was Lord Zhong’s first time going into a fight so fully prepared, and it had been spoiling for one for ages. Never mind a mere Xu Fu—it would have charged even if it were facing Celestial Demons and Celestial Gods!

CLANG—

The toll of the Bell reverberated as countless strange patterns and textures emerged on the Bell Wall. Da Zhong’s power surged, and in an instant, the overflowing Energy made the entire hall tremble. The pillars looked as if they were about to melt, the dome began to crumble, and the stone slabs softened.

The hall itself was also an incredible Magical Treasure. The moment Da Zhong’s power erupted, its internal space began to expand rapidly, attempting to contain the Bell’s might to avoid harming itself.

This was a treasured hall forged by an Ascension Stage Qi Refiner. Its entire structure had been tempered a thousand times and branded with all kinds of Divine Runes. It was just a bit inferior to Da Zhong.

The speed at which its internal space expanded couldn’t keep up with the speed at which Da Zhong’s power was unleashed, causing the inner walls to be constantly shattered and dislodged.

And this was the destruction caused while Da Zhong was still holding back its power!

Da Zhong focused its power on its surface. The Bell’s toll went first. As the mouth of the Bell vibrated, layers of sound waves stacked upon each other, compressing space itself into visible, mountainous textures that crushed down on Xu Fu.

The toll followed the spatial fluctuations, moving at extreme speed. The sound led the way, with Da Zhong close behind, its body swelling to a hundred times the size of Fangzhang Immortal Mountain!

As it moved, it carried an unparalleled sense of spatial pressure as it rammed forward.

Even a towering mountain would be snapped in half by its charge!

Its mouth faced downward as it advanced, spinning. The ground cracked from the vibrations. Countless fragments of the great hall were swept up in a violent torrent, burning and forming a crimson stream of magma beneath the Bell, swirling into a circle.

When the Bell’s toll arrived, the skin on Xu Fu’s face rippled like waves from the vibrations, and the great hall behind him instantly shattered to pieces.

Then Da Zhong crashed into him, its power even greater than its toll, looking to smash Xu Fu to smithereens!

Even if it couldn’t shatter him, just knocking him off Fangzhang Immortal Mountain would be a complete victory!

This was because the moment Xu Fu left Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, he would immediately age, his old wounds would reopen, and it would give them a chance to escape.

‘Lord Zhong is a true hero!’

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi praised it silently in their hearts and seized the opportunity to rush out of the hall. The great hall’s doors had already closed, so Xu Ying summoned his Stone Axe and, without a second thought, swung it down!

The great hall was a top-tier Exotic Treasure, but at that moment, it had to resist the Bell’s power and had no spare capacity to deal with him. He smashed the hall doors to smithereens with a few swings of his axe.

CLANG!

A sonorous toll came from behind them. Da Zhong had brazenly crashed into Xu Fu on Fangzhang Immortal Mountain. The Bell rang again and again, and though the shockwave was aimed at Xu Fu, the aftershock still sent Xu Ying and Yuan Qi flying high into the air and out of the great hall.

When Xu Ying and Yuan Qi landed, they were already a hundred zhang away. They saw that all the doors of the great hall had been blown away. A terrifying aftershock surged out, using the hall’s doorways as nozzles, clearing a patch of the sky before them. Where there had once been white clouds, now there was nothing, as if an invisible divine hand had wiped the clouds away.

“Lord Qi, let’s go!” Xu Ying immediately activated his Sword Qi and urged Yuan Qi.

Just then, the tolling of the Bell stopped. Da Zhong’s voice drifted out from the great hall, shy and timid. It stammered, “Lord Ying, wait.”

Xu Ying stopped and looked back, only to see that Da Zhong wasn’t flying out from the hall.

Xu Ying knew this was bad. He steeled himself and returned to the great hall. There, he saw golden light welling up from the ground behind Xu Fu like a spring. Seated within the golden light was an immense Primordial Spirit, which had reached out and grabbed Da Zhong by its cannon.

The Bronze Grand Clock hung from the Primordial Spirit’s hand like a small bell, swaying left and right, unable to unleash any of its power.

Da Zhong stammered, “Lord Ying, you should just surrender. I don’t think Elder Xu is a bad person. I lost to him, and I’m utterly convinced.”

Xu Fu wore a smile, still standing on Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, not having moved a single step.

Xu Ying immediately stopped, turned back to the great hall, and laughed heartily. “Elder Xu Fu intends to restore the glory of Qi Refiners! As a Qi Refiner myself, it is my bounden duty to help. If Elder Xu has any command, you need only ask!”

Yuan Qi declared with righteous indignation, “Elder Xu has the heart of a true hero, unafraid of the Nuo Masters’ tyranny, to restore the Qi Refiners! We of the Demon Race’s Qi Refiners will naturally give our full support! Niu Yuanqi and Xu Ying, Qi Refiners of Wuyang Mountain, wish to do our part for this great cause of restoration, to give our all until our dying day!”

Xu Ying praised him silently, ‘Lord Qi truly comes from a scholarly family. That was well said.’

Yuan Qi could hardly hide his excitement. He thought to himself, ‘After we restore the glory of the Qi Refiners, it will be time for the Demon Race to rise! We’ll take back everything the Human Race stole from us! Ying, you just keep being Xu Fu’s shadow. Sooner or later, I’ll make Xu Fu the shadow of me, Lord Niu Qi!’

Xu Fu’s Primordial Spirit opened its palm and released Da Zhong.

Da Zhong shrank rapidly, hastily transforming into a streak of azure light that flew behind Xu Ying’s head. It spoke quickly, “Ying, this old codger is even fiercer than I expected! That move where he grabbed my forehead was simply stunning. I couldn’t dodge it at all!”