Ascension Day

In the Underworld, beside the Naihe River, such a sudden scene was rather unnerving.

Xu Ying grew vigilant and slowed his pace. As he passed a willow tree, the man beneath it invited him over, "Young Master Xu, why not come and have a seat?"

Yuan Qi was on high alert. "Ying," he whispered, "this guy is bad news!"

Xu Ying nodded slightly. "Let's take it as it comes. He's clearly set up a welcoming party for us and has been waiting a long time. He won't let us leave so easily."

He walked over, offered a polite "pardon me," and sat down opposite the man. The Ox Demons stood behind him, not on the ground, but floating in swirling vortexes of ghostly wind, their feet never touching down. It was a grim and terrifying sight.

This was the source of Xu Ying's confidence.

Although he didn't know why these Ox Demons were following him, he figured that with them and the Bone Soul-Beating Whip at his disposal, he could handle whatever danger came his way.

The man opposite him was an old man with a perpetually sorrowful expression. It was impossible to tell his age; one could only see wrinkles like knife gashes, carved so deeply into his skin they seemed to reach the bone.

He was so old his eyes had sunk deep into their sockets. Sitting under a Cyan Lamp, they glowed like two embers of red Incense and Candlelight hidden in the darkness of his face.

He also carried a peculiar scent of Incense and Candlelight, but from his appearance, he didn't seem to be a Divine Spirit.

The sorrowful old man poured tea for Xu Ying. Although thirsty, Xu Ying didn't drink. "Old sir," he asked, "do you know me?"

Yuan Qi stared at the teacup and gulped, but there were only two stools and two cups, with none for him.

The sorrowful old man smiled. "I do. I even held you when you were just a little boy."

Xu Ying looked at him in surprise, trying his best to recall his childhood. "How could I not remember you, old sir? My family lived in Xu Family's Field, where everyone is named Xu. My father was the third son, called Xu the Third, and my mother, Luo Yinghua, was from the next village. I'm the second child, I have an older sister... Wait, no!"

His eyes gradually turned crimson as the scene from the Wangxiang Platform flooded his mind. He remembered the little boy who had bumped into his leg, and the couple whose faces he couldn't see clearly.

Yuan Qi and Da Zhong both grew tense. 'Damn it, Ying's having another episode!'

The sorrowful old man gestured for him to drink his tea. "You've had these headaches since you were a child, and they still haven't gone away. You poor thing."

Xu Ying's head felt like it was splitting apart. He picked up his teacup, then set it down again. "Since you held me as a child, old sir," he said with a smile, "you must know a lot of stories about me, don't you?"

Seeing that he hadn't drunk the tea, the old man's sorrowful expression deepened. Suddenly, the sky crackled with lightning and thunder. A great temple flew overhead, and the voice of the White-robed Nuo Immortal boomed out, "You little brat with the Big Snake, where are you hiding? Stop hiding and come out! Come and show me a few more of your sword moves!"

The color drained from Xu Ying and Yuan Qi's faces. Da Zhong let out a DONG. Only the Ox Demons remained perfectly calm, snorting a few times as they floated in the ghostly wind.

Xu Ying immediately moved to get up and leave, but the sorrowful old man said, "You can rest easy. He won't find this place. Judge Ling Youdao of the Yongzhou Ghost Mansion will be passing by shortly, and he will draw him away."

Xu Ying's eyes flickered. He secretly activated his Celestial Eye to observe the old man. "And how should I address you, old sir?" he asked with a smile.

Focusing his Divine Sense, the Celestial Eye between his brows opened wide, its gaze falling upon the sorrowful old man.

Xu Ying's heart trembled. Behind the sorrowful old man sat a Divine Being of boundless immensity. It was enthroned in the Void, radiating with countless rays of iridescent light, impossible to look at directly.

'A Qi Refiner!'

A chill ran through Xu Ying. He quickly deactivated his Celestial Eye and composed his features, staring straight ahead and not daring to show the slightest reaction.

This sorrowful old man, just like the girl in the coffin, was a Qi Refiner!

But hadn't the girl in the coffin said that Qi Refiners had become extinct? Where did this perpetually grieving old man come from?

The sorrowful old man sensed a slight anomaly, as if someone had just glanced at him, but the feeling vanished immediately. Puzzled, he looked around. The only beings nearby were wandering Ghost Gods from ruined temples, and the White-robed Nuo Immortal circling overhead in his great temple, searching for Xu Ying and his companions. There were no other experts present.

'Could there be a master hidden nearby?'

Unable to find who had been spying on him, he raised his guard slightly. "The Nuo Immortal of the Water Gate Temple is named Chen Mianzhu," he said. "He was once the Emperor of the Nanyan Country. He admired the culture of the Divine Land and came here to study. The man's talent was indeed astonishing, and his fortune was profound. After receiving the Nuo Master's inheritance, he opened his Jade Capital Secret Treasury and obtained another mysterious legacy. After returning to his country, his Cultivation Power improved by leaps and bounds. In just a short century, he reached the Nuo Immortal Realm."

Hearing him speak of the White-robed Nuo Immortal's origins, Xu Ying listened intently.

The sorrowful old man continued, "Chen Mianzhu lived to be three hundred and sixty-seven. When he became a Nuo Immortal, he lamented his limited lifespan and began to prepare for his own death. He harnessed the full power of the Nanyan Country, forcing his people to worship Divine Spirits and erect one Divine Statue after another. By the time he reached the end of his life, he had finally created the Water Gate Temple, with one end connected to the Mortal World and the other to the Underworld. He concealed his Hidden Scenery Transformation Land in the Underworld, intending to become an undying Nuo Immortal, coexisting in the worlds of Yin and Yang. He enslaved gods to refine Spirit Pills for him and attend to his every need, allowing him to continue living like an Emperor. So much for the life of an Immortal. Until one day..."

Xu Ying finished his sentence. "Until one day, a sword strike tore open his Hidden Land! A peerless expert entered his Land of Concealment and slew him!"

The sorrowful old man's expression turned strange. "The person who broke into his Hidden Land with a sword didn't kill him. They ate him."

A chill shot up from the base of Xu Ying's spine to the back of his neck. His voice was raspy. "Ate him?"

He unconsciously took a sip of tea to wet his throat.

Yuan Qi and Da Zhong were so engrossed in the story that they didn't notice a thing.

"Eaten clean," the sorrowful old man said. "Only a sheet of skin was left. Even his soul was devoured completely. The being that ate him was very meticulous, as if savoring a fine delicacy of its own cooking. It truly didn't waste a single morsel."

As he spoke, his own throat bobbed as if he were swallowing, as though a Nuo Immortal was some mouth-watering delicacy.

The sorrowful old man lifted the teapot, refilled Xu Ying's cup, and continued, "If he had died an ordinary death, Chen Mianzhu wouldn't harbor such deep resentment. But because he was eaten alive, bite by bite, until only his skin remained, his resentment is boundless. In truth, he's only a remnant of consciousness now."

Xu Ying had a flash of understanding. He took a sip of tea. "No wonder his power seems formidable, yet not quite as strong as it looks."

"He was eaten completely, with only some skin left. How much power could he have?" the sorrowful old man said. "He's all bark and no bite. He can bully a Grand Nuo, but he'll be at a disadvantage against a real expert. Well, the Ghost Mansion's Magistrate has lured him away now."

Just then, Magistrate Ling's cry of alarm echoed from the sky, followed by the White-robed Nuo Immortal's booming laughter. "You, a god of wood and clay with barely any flesh on your bones, you dare come cause trouble on my turf?"

Magistrate Ling's voice carried down, "I am a Magistrate of the Yin Court! What can you possibly do to me? Killing me would be a violation of the Celestial Rules. You can't afford the consequences!"

"The Yin Court? What's that? Some other day, I'll slaughter my way into the Yin Court and become the Yin Court Emperor myself!"

Their voices faded into the distance. Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Many thanks, old sir."

"Please continue on your way, Young Master Xu," the sorrowful old man said.

Xu Ying got up. His vision blurred for a moment, and he shook his head. His mind cleared, and he led Yuan Qi and the Ox Demons into the vast darkness, their figures gradually vanishing.

The sorrowful old man stood there, dumbfounded and speechless for a long moment.

After a moment, the sorrowful old man cried out in disbelief, "Meng Po, you really did water down this tea! This isn't watered-down tea, it's tea-flavored water!"

He was so furious he trembled from head to toe. The legendary Meng Po's Soup, the Enchanting Soup, had only made Xu Ying slightly drowsy for a moment before he became completely clear-headed again, as if he hadn't been bewitched at all.

Meng Po must have gone easy on him!

'This won't do! I must go find Meng Po and demand an explanation!'

The sorrowful old man stood up, cleared the stone table, packed away the tea set, and casually reached for the Cyan Paper Umbrella that had been leaning against the table, only to grasp at empty air.

The sorrowful old man reached out again, but still found nothing. "My umbrella?" he said, enraged. "Which bastard stole my umbrella?"

A chill ran through him. 'Could it have been that expert who secretly glanced at me earlier? He spied on me, then silently stole my paper umbrella... Is he trying to make a statement? A show of force?'

He glanced around warily and called out in a loud voice, "Which friend is playing a joke on this old man? Why not show yourself!"

He waited for a long time, but there was no movement. He began to back away step by step, on high alert, guarding against a potential sneak attack.

With a sudden leap, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the Cyan Nether Sky. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. 'Even a great master like that couldn't find a single flaw in my retreat!'

"We're finally back at Wuyang Mountain!"

Xu Ying and his companions returned to Qinyan Cave on Wuyang Mountain and entered the Mud Pill Palace. Yuan Qi was so overjoyed he started to weep. "I've left the cave twice, and I almost died both times! I'm never going out again!"

Da Zhong flew out from behind Xu Ying's head, carrying a Cyan Paper Umbrella, and asked curiously, "What happened the last time you almost died?"

"I ran into a Snake Catcher. He chased me for three days and three nights."

Yuan Qi eyed the Cyan Paper Umbrella. "Lord Zhong," he asked, puzzled, "what's the deal with this umbrella?"

Da Zhong was immensely pleased with itself. "I saw it leaning against the table leg, looking all nice and pleasant. So, while that old man was distracted, I just casually swiped it. And just as I thought, he didn't even notice."

Yuan Qi curled the tip of his tail around the Cyan Paper Umbrella. With a POP, he opened it and held it over his head. Looking like he had a little mushroom on his head, he said, "It's too small."

The Cyan Paper Umbrella WHOOSHED and expanded, becoming just large enough to cover his big head. Yuan Qi clicked his tongue in amazement. "It's a Magical Treasure!" he exclaimed, and made no move to return it to Da Zhong.

'Ying already has Lord Zhong,' he thought. 'So this umbrella naturally belongs to the second-in-command of Qinyan Cave!'

Xu Ying picked up the Bone Whip and examined it closely. The skull on its tip shook back and forth smugly, letting out a KAKA laugh.

The whip was made to strike souls. Whether living, dead, or even a Divine Spirit, as long as it had a soul, the whip could strike it. Even a City God or a Ghost God from a ruined temple would be flogged until its body contorted and it wept in agony. But the Bone Soul-Beating Whip couldn't harm Xu Ying, which made him very curious.

'Why am I not affected by this whip?'

Puzzled, Xu Ying handed the whip to Yuan Qi. "Hit me with it."

With the whip in his hand, Yuan Qi felt a surge of cowardly courage. "Ying, you're the one who told me to do it!" he shouted. "You can't take it back!"

"Just do it!" Xu Ying urged.

Yuan Qi swung the whip. "With this strike today, I'll have my revenge for you hunting me down!" he yelled. "After this, the slate is clean between us brothers. We'll owe each other nothing!"

CRACK!

The whip struck Xu Ying, but all he felt was a slight tremor in his soul and nothing else.

The Ox Demons had followed Xu Ying into Qinyan Cave. Seeing Yuan Qi strike Xu Ying, they flew into a rage, raising their own whips to lash out at the serpent.

Yuan Qi yelped in panic, "He told me to do it! It wasn't my... AHHH—, it hurts!"

He was struck once and fell to the ground, the pain so excruciating he wanted to die. The Ox Demons immediately surrounded him, whipping him relentlessly. The sound of his agonized screams and the ceaseless CRACK-CRACK-CRACK of the whips filled the cave.

Xu Ying rushed forward to stop the Ox Demons, finally managing to rescue Yuan Qi. The Big Snake had been beaten to within an inch of his life, foaming at the mouth. "Ying," he said weakly, "the debt between us... can never be cleared..."

Xu Ying was confused. "Why did Xiaoqi scream so miserably when he was hit, while I felt nothing?"

Da Zhong was also a little puzzled. "The Soul-Beating Whip specifically targets the soul. Could it be that your soul is unusual? Hold on, I'll knock your soul out and take a look!"

Before Xu Ying could reply, it suddenly let out a massive DONG! Xu Ying was knocked into a stupor. When he opened his eyes, he saw another version of himself standing right in front of him.

"Stop staring," Da Zhong said. "That's your Flesh Body. You're the soul."

"I'm the soul?" Xu Ying exclaimed.

Da Zhong sized him up. "Ying, tell me the truth. How many Ten Thousand Spirits Pills have you eaten?"

It said, heartbroken, "Your soul... it's almost become solid!"

「Wangxiang Platform.」

Yuan Tiangang stroked his beard, watching with a puzzled expression as a short old man walked unhurriedly toward the Naihe Bridge, his hands clasped behind his back. The little old man wore a deep frown, as if troubled by some great worry.

"But where," Yuan Tiangang wondered aloud, "is his Cyan Paper Umbrella?"