Ascension Day

Xu Ying's heart was stirred. A genius acknowledged by the entire world truly had the right to be proud.

Zhou Qiyun walked through the gates of the Water Gate Temple. It was no longer a place where the world within was separate from the world without. It now looked just like any ordinary temple.

"I broke through to the 8th Floor of the Secret Vault at fifty-seven, but it wasn't until I was one hundred forty-three that I reached the 9th Floor. Everyone said this polymath's talent had run dry. They mocked me, humiliated me. But the reason I delayed my breakthrough was that I had discovered the trap left by the Master of the Mud Mound Palace within the Cultivation Technique." Zhou Qiyun strode toward the Central Hall, a sad expression on his face.

Xu Ying frowned slightly. "A trap? What kind of trap?"

He suddenly recalled his own experience opening the Mud Ball Secret Treasury and had a realization. "Elder Zhou, could it be that the Master of the Mud Mound Palace was the one who helped you open your Mud Ball Secret Treasury?"

Zhou Qiyun reached the Central Hall of the Water Gate Temple. With a gentle flick of his sleeve, space itself began to tremble, and the hall, along with the quaking void around it, parted to either side!

Space vibrated violently amidst a cacophony of roaring thunder. The very fabric of reality was squeezed, erupting with rolling waves of Thunder Fire and unleashing boundless Energy!

Xu Ying's heart pounded in his chest as he watched Zhou Qiyun tear open another world hidden within the Water Gate Temple, revealing the Five Peaks Immortal Mountain and a great temple to their eyes!

"The Zhou Family's ancestor is incredibly powerful!" Yuan Qi exclaimed in awe.

Granny Zhou Yu glared viciously at the Big Snake. Yuan Qi retorted, "Keep staring, and I'll have Ying's oxen whip you!"

Granny Zhou Yu shuddered and glanced timidly at the five Ox Demons standing behind Xu Ying.

Xu Ying looked around. The Broken Temple World was vastly different from his last visit. The giant, floating rocks in the sky had vanished, as had the great masses of flesh that waved vascular tentacles.

However, scarlet flesh now writhed upon the five Immortal Mountains. Thick strands of muscle clung to the mountainsides like blood-red pythons, and they seemed to be growing still.

A chill ran through Xu Ying. 'This Evil Nuo Immortal must have devoured the flesh and blood of countless more people! After being devoured himself, he's trying to plunder others' bodies. He's trying to resurrect himself!'

Clouds formed beneath Zhou Qiyun's feet, lifting everyone into the sky. He, however, strolled leisurely toward the great temple nestled among the Five Peaks Immortal Mountain. "In the stone chamber," he said, "when I kowtowed to the remains of the Master of the Mud Mound Palace, the skeleton suddenly raised its hand and tapped the spot between my brows. That single touch opened my Mud Ball Secret Treasury. It was, indeed, a trap. I realized this when I opened the Fifth Layer. So, I destroyed my Five-layered Cave Heaven and started my Cultivation from scratch. I nearly died from it."

Xu Ying looked away, his expression a mixture of shock and admiration. "Elder Zhou, you are a man of incredible courage, perseverance, and wisdom," he praised. "To open five layers of the Secret Treasury and form five great Grotto Heavens already makes one a phoenix among men, worthy of being appointed a Jiedu Envoy and entrusted with great responsibility. Yet you cast it all aside without a second thought and even managed to cultivate it all back. Your talent is truly astonishing!"

Zhou Qiyun said, "You've also opened the Mud Ball Secret Treasury. Don't tell me that when you kowtowed to that skeleton, it tapped you between the brows and opened it for you?"

Xu Ying shook his head. "Why would I kneel to it? I can open the Mud Ball Secret Treasury on my own. What need have I to beg others?"

His words carried an air of pride.

Zhou Qiyun gave him a surprised look, then continued after a moment, "The trap I spoke of is within the Cultivation Technique itself. Without a corresponding technique, it's difficult to unleash the full power of an opened Secret Treasury. In my fifty-eighth year, as I prepared to break through to the 9th Floor, I suddenly perceived this flaw. The realization made me break out in a cold sweat."

By now, they had arrived before the great temple. Its gates were wide open. A storm raged before the entrance, and the Waterfall had become exceptionally terrifying. The myriad Divine Powers hidden within it were on the very brink of eruption!

Several hundred Deities, each seven to eight zhang tall, also stood before the entrance, seething with killing intent. Incense Smoke Qi swirled around them, and the sound of a multitude's prayers boomed like thunder!

Through the temple's open gates, they could see the White-robed Nuo Immortal seated before the Immortal Hall. His white hair whipped about as swords of Immortal Light circled him. He looked as though he were facing a truly formidable enemy!

The moment Zhou Qiyun had stepped into the Broken Temple World, the Nuo Immortal had sensed this powerful foe. Aware of his visitor's supreme power and hostile intentions, he had long since laid a Heaven and Earth Net before the great temple, quietly awaiting the arrival of Zhou Qiyun's party!

Zhou Qiyun paid the grand display no mind. He gave Xu Ying a slight bow. "Pardon me."

With that, his figure rose gracefully, transforming into a streak of Immortal Light that shot past the erupting Waterfall and through the ranks of hundreds of murderous Divine Spirits!

In the next instant, he appeared inside the great temple, right before the Immortal Hall!

Before the White-robed Nuo Immortal, Chen Mianzhu, could even rise to his feet, Zhou Qiyun's finger tapped him between the brows. Instantly, the skin he wore exploded. His vital essence gushed out, and his body rapidly shriveled, transforming into a deflated human hide that drifted backward!

SPLAT!

The hide slapped against the wall of the Immortal Hall's main chamber, sticking to it!

Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. Da Zhong's voice rang in his mind, 'Ying, this man is terrifyingly strong! With a single finger, he shattered even the Evil Nuo Immortal's lingering resentment, completely obliterating him!'

Just then, Zhou Qiyun seemed to sense something amiss and turned to look back at Xu Ying.

Da Zhong was alarmed. 'He sensed me!'

Xu Ying's own heart tightened, but he forced a smile and walked forward. Just as he reached the front of the great temple, he saw the Hidden Scenery Waterfall, which contained infinite Dao Images, suddenly disintegrate. Then, the heads of the several hundred majestic Deities exploded one after another! POP! POP!

Before Xu Ying had even reached the temple gate, the dust had already settled.

'I only saw his body flash past like lightning, but I didn't see when he struck to shatter everything,' he thought, utterly horrified.

"This Evil Nuo Immortal was a pitiful man."

With his back to Xu Ying, Zhou Qiyun stood in the main chamber of the Immortal Hall. Hands clasped behind him, he tilted his head up to look at the hide pinned to the wall. He waited for Xu Ying to approach before speaking. "I perceived the great flaw hidden within the Nuo Master's Cultivation Technique, but he did not. As a result, while he secluded himself in the Hidden Land, someone took advantage of him and devoured him completely. Heh. His skills were inferior. He got the death he deserved!"

Xu Ying came to a stop behind him and exclaimed, "Are you saying there was a trap in this Nuo Immortal's Nuo Technique that led to him being devoured? But who could have known his Cultivation Technique had a trap?"

As the words left his mouth, it suddenly dawned on him.

'The one who knows about the trap in a Cultivation Technique is, of course, the one who created it!'

Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He suddenly thought of the legacy of the Master of the Mud Mound Palace. 'If someone has their Secret Treasury opened by the Master's skeleton and then practices his Cultivation Technique, isn't that the same as jumping right into a trap and handing your life over to him?'

Zhou Qiyun beckoned with his hand, and the human hide floated down.

He inspected the hide carefully. "Do you know how I escaped the trap in the Mud Pill Palace's legacy?"

Xu Ying was about to shake his head when inspiration struck. "The Demon Technique! No, that's not right. It's a Qi Refining Skill!"

Zhou Qiyun looked up at him in surprise, the corner of his eye twitching. After a moment, he said, "You're so clever it almost makes me want to kill you. I'm not accustomed to meeting people who are smarter than I am."

He paused, then continued along Xu Ying's line of thought. "That's right, a Qi Refining Skill. After I discovered the trap, I agonized over it for a long time but could never find a solution. For eighty-six years, I traveled far and wide, searching for traces of Nuo Immortals. In that time, I found the Hidden Scenery Transformation Land of seventeen different Nuo Immortals."

He let out a long breath, his expression calm. "They all died in their own Lands of Concealment. Every single one of them. Heh. This so-called Ascension into the Little Immortal Realm within one's own body... it's nothing but a joke!"