Ascension Day

The old servant Zhou Buyi's body was trembling again. He shuddered, wanting to raise his hand to get rid of Xu Ying, yet he dared not lift it.

Others might not know Xu Ying's origins, but he did.

He knew that Xu Ying had been personally brought here by the Zhou Family's own ancestor, Zhou Qiyun!

This fact alone was enough to keep him from acting rashly!

'I only intended for Young Master Fan to teach this country bumpkin a lesson. Who was he to disrespect his elders and humiliate me for being useless? But how did he dare to kill Young Master Fan?'

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. As the General Manager of the Inner Mansion, he had weathered many storms over the years. The Noble Families of the Divine Land were full of sordid affairs. What kind of scene had he, Zhou Buyi, not witnessed?

When a nameless junior like Xu Ying entered the Zhou Family, acting arrogant on account of his talent and offending the Inner Mansion's General Manager, it would normally take just a bit of petty meddling to make his life a living hell until he knelt and begged for mercy.

But he had truly never seen someone like Xu Ying who played for keeps from the very beginning, even going so far as to kill one of the masters.

Xu Ying noticed his expression and sounded somewhat disappointed. "You lied to me. You said the Zhou Family's healing arts were the best in the world, but you can't save him. Had I known, I wouldn't have struck so hard."

Yuan Qi asked uncertainly, "Really?"

"Of course not."

Xu Ying shook his head. "He was trying to avenge a scoundrel official like Zhou Yang. Death was too good for him. Why would I hold back? I only said that to be diplomatic and give him an out so he wouldn't lose too much face."

Yuan Qi said admiringly, "Ying, I never thought you were so considerate. I misjudged you."

"Bastard! Do you think there's no one left in the Zhou Family?"

Finally, someone snapped out of their shock and fury. A figure suddenly charged forward, radiating killing intent. Within a few steps, he had grown to a height of fifteen feet, his skin gleaming with golden light, like a Buddha's Golden Body!

Behind the head of this Buddha-like figure, a Sea of Chaos churned, and two Grotto Heavens radiated brilliant light, empowering his Flesh Body!

"Today, I will avenge the disciples of the Zhou Family who died by your hand!"

The man's Palm Seal was immense. He struck out, his palm generating a Thunder Sound, as if a Buddha from the legendary Great Leiyin Temple were performing a demon-subduing art. Beneath his palm lay the nameless fury of Lord Buddha!

Xu Ying took a step back and inquired, "Are we sparring, or is this for revenge?"

"Revenge!"

The man's voice had barely faded when Xu Ying struck out with his palm. A cloud of dust and mist rose behind him, and a giant, horned serpent burst forth from it. As their palms collided, the Ba Snake met the Buddha-like figure's massive hand.

The Zhou Family man let out a muffled grunt, feeling a monstrous force slam into him. With a loud CRACK, his arm bone shattered!

His body was sent flying backward by the Ba Snake. He stopped abruptly in mid-air, where the serpent seized him in its jaws and devoured him!

The Abnormal Phenomenon of the Ba Snake, formed from Xu Ying's Qi Blood, dispersed. In its place, it was Xu Ying himself, his fingers splayed as he gripped the man's throat, holding him suspended in mid-air.

"How dare you hurt him?"

Enraged, the Zhou Family disciples shouted. Two of them shot out from the sides. But before they could even get close, they saw Xu Ying twist his hand. The Ba Snake Abnormal Phenomenon reappeared, coiling around the captured Zhou Family man and suddenly constricting with immense force!

"CRACK!"

Every bone in the man's body shattered, even his neck was snapped. More terrifying still, Xu Ying's attack had severed the flow of Activity from his Mud Ball Secret Treasury. After he hit the ground, he could only heal the injuries on his head. Everything below his neck felt as if it had been amputated, completely numb.

Overwhelming terror surged through the man's heart, and he opened his mouth to scream.

Meanwhile, the other two Zhou Family disciples had, from the moment they charged, directly opened their Mud Ball Secret Treasury and fully unleashed their Grotto Heavens, pushing their Cultivation to its absolute limit!

Each of these two had mastered one of the Hidden Scenery arts from the Zhou Family's Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Hidden Scenery Technique, having already cultivated to the stage of Integration of Scene and Body, and Body and Soul Unity.

The so-called Integration of Scene and Body refers to the fusion of the Hidden Scenery with one's Flesh Body. The Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Hidden Scenery Technique primarily involves the forms of Divine Demons, Buddhas, Divine Beasts, and even Celestial Gods. With Integration of Scene and Body, one can transform their own Flesh Body into the form of a Divine Demon.

Body and Soul Unity is more difficult still. The soul and Flesh Body become tightly integrated, changing in accordance with the Hidden Scenery's transformation. With this Three-in-One state, one's Cultivation Power naturally skyrockets!

One of the two took the form of a Three-legged Divine Being, wielding a blade of raging flame. The other became a Three-eyed God-man, shooting Divine Light from his third eye. They seized the moment while Xu Ying was executing his Ba Snake Cultivator technique, attacking him from the left and right!

Xu Ying leaped into the air. "Are we sparring, or is this for revenge?"

"Revenge!"

In mid-air, Xu Ying twisted like a Ba Snake. As his limbs moved, a dragon flew out from beneath his robes and a great python tumbled forth, crashing against the techniques of the two attackers!

They were all practitioners of the Martial Dao and had not yet cultivated to the stage of Divine Power. It appeared to be a clash of Abnormal Phenomena, but in reality, it was a collision of Martial Dao techniques.

The two men instantly felt their opponent's power crush them with the force of a landslide, an impossibly deep and vast strength. They were both shocked. 'Has he opened three Grotto Heavens? No, he's a Demon Cultivator... could his Demon Technique have broken through the Qi Collection Stage?'

To them, Xu Ying was wielding Supreme Demon Power, far exceeding the limits of any Demon King or even Demon Gods!

The two men unleashed their full power. With a great roar, they put everything they had into blocking the attack of the dragon and snake. The draconic forms shattered. On their Flesh Bodies, their bulging muscles burst open with a series of pops. Before the blood could even flow, it was vaporized into a crimson mist by the rampaging Pure Yang Yuan Qi!

The two exchanged a look and gritted their teeth. "As long as you don't kill a member of the Zhou Family, we aren't afraid of any injury, no matter how severe!"

The mist of blood pouring from their bodies suddenly condensed, forming a short, crimson sword. Shockingly, it was Xu Ying's Sword Qi, fused with their blood mist! With a sharp SHINK, the Blood Sword pierced through one of the men's temples!

The Blood Sword changed direction and shot toward the second man. Just as it was about to run him through, a white-haired youth suddenly strode forward, blocking the attack. He raised his hand to meet Xu Ying's Sword Qi head-on!

His palm instantly took on the quality of Golden Stone, suffused with a brilliant golden luster. The moment it collided with Xu Ying's Sword Qi, it abruptly grew thick and massive. He flicked his fingers repeatedly, each strike incredibly heavy. With a series of loud CLANGS, he knocked the Sword Qi aside!