Ascension Day

Chapter 259: Chapter 123: The Ancestral Dragon’s 12 Golden Men

Beichenzi and Yu Tang Fairy were overcome with inexplicable fury. They had just seen clearly that the Golden Book Xu Fu displayed contained the exact contents of the Paper Talisman on the altar that sealed Xu Ying!

How could this be?

If this Qi Refiner, who had appeared out of nowhere, deciphered the contents of the Paper Talisman and Xu Ying escaped, all three of them would face the Celestial Dao’s punishment and be doomed Beyond Redemption!

What’s more, before the Celestial Dao even had a chance to punish them, Xu Ying would have already torn them to pieces!

“What’s this scar-faced man’s background?”

Veins throbbed on Beichenzi’s forehead as he whispered, “How did he get his hands on the Demon Suppression Rune? The Demon Suppression Rune has almost never been shown to an outsider!”

Yu Tang Fairy gritted her teeth so hard they audibly ground together. “It’s been half a year, and we’ve only just recovered from our injuries. Now this! Beichen, shouldn’t we probe his background first?”

Beichenzi hesitated for a moment. “Anyone who can produce the Demon Suppression Rune must be an extraordinary figure. We should wait for reinforcements to arrive.”

The corner of his eye twitched; he had become far more cautious.

After all, his lack of caution had earned him a beating from Zhou Qiyun, and another from the Celestial Demon that was hunting Zhu Chanchan. He had even nearly been killed by Xu Ying after a fraction of the boy’s memories were unsealed.

It took a few beatings to make him learn his lesson.

Although Xu Fu was scar-faced, he appeared refined and gentle, not violent like Zhou Qiyun—but it was hard to be sure. Therefore, Beichenzi was content to err on the side of caution.

On Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, Xu Ying glanced at Xu Fu and fell into deep thought.

By heaven’s decree, eternally suppressed; jailed and bound, sealed and confined.

This was the passage revealed in the Golden Book. Xu Fu had only flashed it for an instant, but Xu Ying had already memorized the meaning of the words.

However, while he had memorized the meaning of the words, he couldn’t recall their actual form. Whenever he tried to visualize the structure of the characters, a cloud of Incense Smoke Qi would immediately spill out in his mind, shrouding the memory and making it indistinct.

‘Why would I have given the Demon Suppression Rune to Xu Fu? And how did I know about these runes in the first place?’

Xu Ying left Fangzhang Immortal Mountain and approached Little Fengxian, who was standing on the back of a large Peng Bird. Every so often, she would open her small mouth and spit out a stream of fire.

When she caught sight of Xu Ying, the girl grew tense. She was likely still torn between repaying her debt to him and choosing the path of righteousness.

Xu Ying summoned Yuan Qi and Da Zhong, recounted what he had seen, and asked, “Lord Qi, you are a man of profound knowledge. Do you know what these words mean?”

Yuan Qi said, “The phrase ‘By heaven’s decree’ means that one is acting on orders from heaven, carrying out its will. ‘Eternally suppressed’ indicates that this fiend’s crimes are so heinous that he must be suppressed forever.”

Da Zhong was rather displeased. “How could Ying be a ‘fiend’? Lord Qi, you’re underestimating him.”

Xu Ying coughed. “Lord Zhong, I’m right here.”

Yuan Qi continued, “As for ‘jailed and bound, sealed and confined,’ every single one of those words means some form of imprisonment—to be sealed, jailed, caged, or surrounded. The last words even carry connotations of being penned up like a wild beast or kept in an enclosure. They all just mean ‘trapped.'”

He paused, then added, “I may not understand the bird-and-worm seal script that explains the Great Dao, but when it comes to ordinary writing, Ying can’t hold a candle to me.”

Xu Ying said, “Lord Qi, spare me some dignity.”

Yuan Qi agreed, but then whispered to Little Fengxian, “Not even close.”

Xu Ying pretended not to hear. “Those eleven words… I have to see the Golden Book with my own eyes to understand the principles hidden within them. Only then can I figure out how to break the seal. The problem now is that the Golden Book is on Xu Fu. How are we going to steal it?”

Little Fengxian’s expression turned serious. “I heard that!”

Xu Ying said, “Feng Xian’Er, remember how I saved your life.”

Little Fengxian was once again trapped in her dilemma between repaying her debt and upholding righteousness, unsure if she should expose Xu Ying’s plot.

Yuan Qi said, “His Golden Book is likely hidden in his Mysterious Domain, so it won’t be easy to steal. However, he said he wants to decipher the text on it, which means he’s bound to take it out. As long as we’re fast enough the moment he does, we can snatch it away!”

Da Zhong added, “Whoever steals the Golden Book has to be incredibly fast. They absolutely cannot let Xu Fu catch them. Xu Fu’s abilities are on another level. I think he’s even stronger than Zhou Qiyun was at his Peak!”

It had clashed with Xu Fu before and failed to move him in the slightest. Instead, Xu Fu had grabbed it by its “nose” and rendered it immobile.

The technique was called the Qiankun Hand, and it truly felt as if he held the entire universe in his palm!

Even if it faced Xu Fu again, it wasn’t confident it could escape.

Yuan Qi said, “Da Zhong isn’t fast, and Ying’s and my Cultivation is too low for us to get away. That means the fastest among us, the one with the best chance of escaping Xu Fu’s grasp, is…”

Little Fengxian grew wary. She saw Xu Ying and the Big Snake staring right at her. Even the great bell, which had no eyes, seemed to be fixing a gaze upon her.

“I won’t betray Ancestor Xu Fu…” Little Fengxian stammered.

Yuan Qi coaxed, “Think about how Ying saved your life.”

Little Fengxian’s face was a picture of misery.

Da Zhong said, “We’re all on the same side here. Think about how Ying saved you, and then think about how you’ve been repaying him.”

Xu Ying thought for a moment. He actually couldn’t remember how he had saved her, so he just said, “Think about it again.”

Little Fengxian stomped her foot. “Fine! I’ll help you!”

Xu Ying let out a sigh of relief. He and Yuan Qi exchanged a look, sharing a knowing smile.

However, in the days that followed, Xu Fu never took out the Golden Book, so Little Fengxian never found an opportunity to act.

The Qi Refiners following Xu Fu came to Xu Ying with all sorts of scriptures, seeking his guidance. Xu Ying turned no one away. Whether it was Cultivation Techniques, Divine Powers, Arrays, Alchemy, Seal Techniques, or Finger Techniques, he answered every question and even helped them complete their flawed methods.

While these Qi Refiners benefited immensely, Xu Ying, in turn, accumulated countless secret techniques that the Qi Refiners would never have taught to outsiders. As a result, his Cultivation Power improved by leaps and bounds!