Ascension Day

But in Xu Ying's opinion, the meaning Tuo Yu sought to convey did not go beyond the eight characters that formed the basis of the Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill.

'Besides, Senior Tuo Yu's understanding seems a bit off. She grasped the essence of the characters Tai, Yin, Yuan, and Yu, but her comprehension of Yi, Yang, Yong, and Zhen is lacking. This might be why cultivating the Tuo Yu Immortal Book turns one into a woman.'

He stood before the thirteen erudite, white-haired Zhou Clan Elders, practicing the Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill again and again. His bizarre postures drew the gazes of the many young geniuses of the Zhou Family.

"Who is that man?" a white-haired youth from the Zhou Family asked the old servant, Zhou Buyi.

Zhou Buyi quickly bowed and said with a smile, "Young Master Youyou, this is a young genius from the countryside. Young Master Youyou, do you remember the Xu Ying who caused such a storm a while back?"

The white-haired youth, Zhou Youyou, said in surprise, "You mean that suspect who cultivates the Demon Technique? I heard many people died trying to capture him."

Zhou Buyi nodded and smiled. "He wasn't impressed by the Tuo Yu Immortal Book. He wants to decipher the Jade Scroll instead."

Zhou Youyou shook his head. "Ridiculous. Country folk are so ignorant, praising a con man to the heavens."

Suddenly, a voice boomed from outside, "Which one of you is Xu Ying?"

The voice was so resonant it made everyone's eardrums buzz inside the grand hall. Xu Ying turned to look outside and saw several young men and women striding in like a whirlwind.

The man in the lead wore white and red robes. He was a tempest of impatience. The moment he entered the hall, he shouted, "I heard the Patriarch captured the fugitive Xu Ying and brought him here to decipher the Immortal Book. Which one is Xu Ying? Step forward, now!"

Xu Ying stepped forward and said, "I am Xu Ying."

The man in white and red looked him up and down, then sneered, "So you're the one who killed Second Brother Zhou and Uncle Zhou Yihang?"

The old servant, Zhou Buyi, stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Young Master Fan, Young Master Xu was invited by the Patriarch to decipher the Celestial Book. Please don't cause any trouble."

This man was Zhou Fan of the Zhou Family's Inner Mansion. He sneered, "Uncle Yi, do you have any idea how many of our Zhou Family he's killed? The Nuo Masters of Lingling County Town were completely wiped out! Second Brother Zhou Yang and Uncle Yihang both died at his hands! The elites of Yongzhou Prefecture suffered massive casualties—how many people died because of him? Even Zhou Zheng is dead!"

Zhou Buyi said, "My apologies, Young Master Fan, but the Patriarch ordered me to look after Young Master Xu. I cannot let you kill him to vent your anger."

Zhou Fan laughed in fury. "I never said I was going to kill him, just teach him a lesson! Uncle Yi, you won't even allow that?"

The old servant Zhou Buyi turned to Xu Ying and sighed. "Young Master Xu, you see how it is. It's not that I don't wish to protect you, but their collective anger is difficult to quell. Just endure a small loss and let them vent. With me here, your life is not in danger. At most, you'll suffer some minor injuries."

A smile appeared on his wrinkled face. "Fortunately, if there's one thing our Zhou Family excels at, it's healing. We're the best in the world. As long as you're not dead, we can save you."

Zhou Fan strode toward Xu Ying. Before he even reached him, he raised his right hand and swung it viciously at Xu Ying's face, roaring, "A slap for my Second Brother Yang! That's not asking too much, is it?"

Xu Ying shrugged and raised his hand. In an instant, his palm swelled with blood until it was as large as a fan. His own slap shot out with a thunderclap, striking second but landing first, and smacked hard across Zhou Fan's face!

"CRACK!"

The sound wave exploded as blood splattered. The force of the slap twisted Zhou Fan's head more than halfway around.

For a moment, he could see his own butt. The next, his body was sent spinning and whistling through the air, tumbling head over heels until he slammed into a pillar some forty feet away with a BANG, then crumpled to the floor.

But Zhou Fan was impressive in his own right. He leaped back to his feet, still brimming with vigor.

The moment he sprang up, a bright Sword Aura appeared, pointed directly at the spot between his eyebrows, pinning him against the pillar.

In the grand hall, the other young members of the Zhou Family surged forward, shouting one after another, "How audacious!" "You bastard!" "Lower your sword!"

Forty feet away, on the other end of the Sword Aura, Xu Ying stood and said coolly, "Strength is what determines what's 'too much.' In my presence, do you have that kind of strength?"

He scanned the crowd, taking in the expressions on the faces of the Zhou Family members. His own expression was mild as he said, "I never used to understand. Master Zhou Yang was already the County Magistrate, the highest official in our region. He had everything he could ever want: over a dozen beautiful wives, thousands of acres of fertile land, endless gold and silver, and inexhaustible delicacies. He went out in a sedan chair carried by eight men and came home to beautiful concubines. As for us, the ones who farm the land and sell vegetables, we had nothing. Many men couldn't afford a wife, leaving them without heirs. Many couldn't build a proper house, sleeping instead in mud hovels and thatched sheds. Our families were practically destitute, living hand-to-mouth. So why was Master Zhou still so greedy? Why did he still need to extort us poor wretches? We were starving, so why did he insist on confiscating the last of our grain?"

He smiled faintly. "Seeing all of you, I finally understand. It turns out he had to feed all of you. You're all dressed in silks and feast on delicacies, living without a care in the world. You ride out on spirited horses in fine clothes, surrounded by countless servants who treat you like royalty. It's because behind you stand County Magistrates like Zhou, providing for you as if you were gods!"

Yuan Qi slapped his tail on the ground in approval. "'Large rats, large rats, do not eat my millet!' That line was written for you fat rats! Am I right, Ying?"

Xu Ying clapped his hands in praise. "The Niu Family is truly a line of scholars. That was a very learned quote."

Yuan Qi roared with laughter. "You finally admit that I'm more learned than you are!"

The faces of the Zhou Family members turned livid.

The old servant, Zhou Buyi, trembled with rage, pointing at Xu Ying as he cursed, "Lies! These are all vicious rumors meant to slander my Zhou Family! If you dare say such things today, I can't even imagine what you'll do tomorrow!"

Yuan Qi said in surprise, "You're a servant of the Zhou Family, so why do you speak like you're their master? We experienced these things ourselves, yet in your mouth, they become rumors. What, are you speaking with the authority of a Celestial Decree, making your words reality?"

The old servant Zhou Buyi's hands began to tremble as well. He snarled, "You insignificant Snake Demon, how dare you speak such nonsense! My Zhou Family only carries out the Emperor's commands and enacts His Majesty's grace! To question the Zhou Family is to question the Emperor and his commands! This is treason!"

Yuan Qi retorted angrily, "You're allowed to act like local emperors, but I'm not allowed to rebel?"

Xu Ying coughed, interrupting them. He tapped Zhou Fan's face with the Sword Aura, making light slapping sounds. "I'll let you go this time, but don't let it happen again. If you want to spar, you're welcome anytime. But if you want to avenge Zhou Yang and his father, then we'll play by the rules of a blood feud."

He dispersed the Sword Aura, his gaze turning cold and severe. "But you all had better remember this: my feud with Zhou Yang and his father is a blood debt. If you want to avenge them, come prepared to pay with your lives!"

Zhou Fan stared at the tip of the sword. The moment the Sword Aura vanished, he let out a fierce roar as a series of explosive POPS echoed from within his body. The muscles in his right arm grew wildly, and as he raised and lowered it, a fleshy wing forty to fifty feet long formed!

The muscles on the fleshy wing were as chiseled and defined as rock, filled with an unimaginable explosive power!

As he swung his arm, reddish-gold feathers burst out from within the wing, growing at a frenzied pace until they covered its entire surface in an instant!

Those Golden Feathers were incomparably sharp, as if a master craftsman had forged and polished them one by one from the finest steel—exquisite and full of feather-like detail!

This was a Nuo Technique born from comprehending a Dao Image!

Zhou Fan raised his arm, then swung it down. In that single instant, his arm had finished its transformation, becoming a Meat-Winged Golden Feather Saber several dozen feet long!

The moment his arm fell, the Meat-Winged Golden Feather Saber was already descending on Xu Ying's head. Zhou Fan roared, "This is for my Second Brother Yang! What can you possibly do? This is the Zhou Family's territory!"

From over Xu Ying's shoulder, a snow-bright line of Sword Qi shot out to meet the tip of the Meat-Winged Golden Feather Saber. It sliced straight forward with unstoppable force, a brilliant flash of sword light that traveled from the saber's tip to the space between Zhou Fan's eyebrows in the blink of an eye. With a sharp ZING, it passed through his body and struck the pillar behind him.

The Bronze Pillar was carved with dragons and phoenixes, looking ancient and rustic, and it glowed with a faint cyan luster.

Now, a thin, red line of blood appeared on the pillar.

Xu Ying was a little surprised. 'My Breaking Realm Sword didn't even leave a mark on this Bronze Pillar. It seems Huaihua Palace truly is a Treasure Land.'

"The Zhou Family's healing is the best in the world. Can he still be saved?" Xu Ying tilted his head and asked the old servant, Zhou Buyi.

Before the Bronze Pillar, a line of blood ran down from the center of Zhou Fan's forehead. The Breaking Realm Sword had just split his brain in two, cleaving his Mud Pill Secret Treasury with a single strike.

————————For the Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill, Zhai Zhu wrote three postures, which came from the Five Animals Qigong, the Mawangdui Guide Map, and the Washing Marrow Skill, respectively. It's May 1st, I wish everyone good health!

On May 1st, *Ascension Day* has reached 200,000 characters, but it can't be put on the paid shelves yet. The good news is that you can now vote with monthly tickets. Qidian is running a double monthly ticket event right now, so one vote counts as two. During the new book period, the monthly ticket ranking is crucial and will affect the future success of *Ascension Day*. I'm begging you for your support!