Ascension Day

Xu Ying understood his meaning. The reason Huaihua Palace was unoccupied was because it already had a master. Others were wary of this master, and so they didn't dare try to seize it.

And the master of Huaihua Palace was none other than this very Emperor Bai Gu, who had mobilized such a great force!

The Master of the Mud Pill Palace had held off on coming to "savor" Zhou Qiyun precisely because he was waiting for the master of Huaihua Palace to arrive and call him to account!

The Master of the Mud Pill Palace was in the shadows while the master of Huaihua Palace was out in the open. If Zhou Qiyun had to fight them both at once, his chances of survival were slim.

Zhou Qiyun said, "When facing these old undying monsters, you can't afford to make a single mistake. Any misstep could be fatal."

The mistake he was referring to was Huaihua Palace.

The palace was magnificent, but the Zhou Family should never have occupied it without first determining its history. It was only because the Zhou Family had grown accustomed to their own arrogance that such an oversight occurred.

"From the writing on the plaque above the gates of Huaihua Palace, he must be an Ancient Qi Refiner, perhaps even more ancient than Lord Zhong's master."

Xu Ying gazed at Emperor Bai Gu and thought, 'So who is he? If Yuan Qi were here, he'd surely be able to recognize which emperor of the Mortal World he once was.'

A pure light surged behind Zhou Qiyun, rising like a tide. He said coolly, "But this also allows the Master of the Mud Pill Palace to attack without restraint, giving me the opportunity to kill him and eliminate the threat for good."

Hearing this, Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. 'He's confident he can fight two beings on par with Nuo Immortals at the same time?'

The sky churned with wind and clouds, shot through with crackling lightning. Boundless dark clouds enveloped Huaihua Palace, pressing down heavily. Suddenly, amid a flash of lightning and a roar of thunder, a giant, jet-black hand emerged from the clouds. Karmic Fire blazed beneath it as it descended upon Huaihua Palace!

The black hand met the pure light behind Zhou Qiyun and stopped abruptly. The Thunder Fire formed a thin membrane of light that swept out in all directions like a razor's edge.

Xu Ying immediately felt a slight tremor in space. Then he saw a gash appear on the Big Locust Tree, cutting deep into its trunk.

Not far away, a mountaintop silently lifted into the air, as if sliced clean off by an invisible blade. The peak flew for several miles before beginning to fall, only to be struck by the aftershock and suddenly explode.

The scene unfolded in eerie silence. Only a moment later did the dull, massive boom reach their ears.

Xu Ying hurriedly channeled his Divine Sense and activated his Celestial Eye, only then seeing the scene in the sky clearly.

He saw another Zhou Qiyun behind the first, seated within an Infinite Space. It appeared small, but was in fact boundlessly vast. His entire form emanated an azure light.

That tide-like, ever-rising pure light was emanating from the body of this second Zhou Qiyun!

'Primordial Spirit?'

Xu Ying was instantly reminded of the Primordial Spirit of the girl in the coffin, but he quickly realized something was not right.

The Primordial Spirit of the girl in the coffin was powerful, almost tangible, yet it was invisible to the naked eye. Even the light it gave off was a faint, subtle shimmer.

Zhou Qiyun's "Primordial Spirit," on the other hand, while much larger, seemed somewhat insubstantial. And its light was visible to the naked eye, not a faint shimmer at all.

Xu Ying looked closer and discovered a ball of fire atop the head of Zhou Qiyun's "Primordial Spirit." It was the Yang Fire of the soul.

'A soul should have three flames of Yang Fire: one on each shoulder and one on the crown of the head. How does Zhou Qiyun only have one... It's Sanmei True Fire!' Xu Ying suddenly realized, finding it hard to believe.

Zhou Qiyun had actually merged the three Yang Fires of his soul to refine Sanmei True Fire. His natural talent was terrifyingly high!

'He doesn't know the Cultivation Techniques of Qi Refiners. He must have plundered the tombs of Qi Refiners and Nuo Immortals to obtain some fragmented legacies. To think he could refine Sanmei True Fire and cultivate his soul to such a powerful state with only fragmented teachings!'

For a Nuo Master, Sanmei True Fire was an Ancient Forbidden Skill, lost for ages, its Refining Technique a complete mystery. Yet Zhou Qiyun had managed to recreate it. Such a man of great courage and wisdom was truly admirable.

Xu Ying looked toward Emperor Bai Gu and saw that he, too, had a Primordial Spirit, hidden in the dark space behind his body. That Primordial Spirit was shrouded in black energy, tattered and ruined. The black energy seeped out from rotting holes in its form.

The black hand that had blotted out the sky was the manifestation of Emperor Bai Gu's Primordial Spirit. Otherwise, one would never have even seen him make a move!

And the one blocking his Primordial Spirit's hand was Zhou Qiyun's soul.

One was a soul, the other a Primordial Spirit. They clashed in an invisible confrontation. The aftershocks of their Divine Powers erupted between their two hands, creating an unseen impact that sliced a gash into the locust tree's trunk and sheared off a distant mountaintop.

Without using the Celestial Eye, it was impossible to see the truth of the battle!

Suddenly, the Zhou Qiyun standing beside Xu Ying shot into the sky. An instant later, he was hovering in the air before the Parasol.

His robes fluttered in the wind. Though his figure was small, he seemed incomparably vast. The army of Netherworld Ghost Soldiers numbered in the tens of thousands, riding all manner of Exotic Beast Remains and occupying an area for miles. But before him, this army of Netherworld Ghost Soldiers seemed like nothing more than a swarm of tiny ants!

His aura erupted with extreme intensity. Wherever the pure light shone, the disciplined Netherworld Ghost Soldiers, who moved with perfect unity, suddenly fell into disarray. The skeletal Ghost Soldiers raised their hands one by one, staring at their own palms in disbelief.

On their hands, the parts that touched the pure light were rapidly growing flesh and skin. Their very bones were regaining their Activity, and the new flesh crept up their arms, quickly reaching their shoulders.

Inside their chests, hearts began to beat and grow.

Their Five Viscera gradually formed, and the withered corpses slowly regained their Physical Activity.

The killing intent of the tens of thousands of Netherworld Ghost Soldiers vanished in an instant. They all stared blankly at their own reviving bodies.

Zhou Qiyun strode toward the Parasol. Emperor Bai Gu, his figure shrouded in the Parasol's shadow, also raised a hand. He watched as flesh sprouted on his palm, the Ghost Fire in his eye sockets flickering.

"So this is Nuo Art?"

An ancient voice rang out. Emperor Bai Gu examined his own hand over and over, his voice drifting from the shadows. "This strange Magic did not exist in my time. I can feel the immense power I possessed when I was still in the Mortal World..."

He suddenly clenched his fist, and the flesh on his hand exploded, reverting to bare bone.

"A pity. This resurrection is merely an illusion!"

Emperor Bai Gu slowly rose to his feet, his voice rumbling like Thunder Sound. "You tried to control me with a body of flesh and blood, yet you allowed me to sense your own age from the very flesh you created. You command Vitality, yet you fade as quickly as a mayfly. A lifespan of only three hundred years... even shorter than us Qi Refiners who never mastered Vitality. You... have made a mistake in your cultivation, haven't you?"

Zhou Qiyun's expression changed. Seizing the moment his Heart Spirit wavered, Emperor Bai Gu suddenly thrust out a finger. Wherever the bone digit passed, space twisted and contorted!

At the same time, his Primordial Spirit behind him made a deep, ritualistic bow toward a floating scimitar. The blade howled as it slashed through the air, aimed directly at the soul behind Zhou Qiyun!

Xu Ying's eye twitched. 'Emperor Bai Gu is right! Zhou Qiyun has clearly opened all the Grotto Heavens of the Mud Ball Secret Treasury and mastered limitless Physical Activity and Vitality. So how can he still be aging? How can he only have a lifespan of just over three hundred years? It's obvious he never escaped the trap set by the Master of the Mud Pill Palace!'

In a battle between masters, a disturbed mind is the greatest vulnerability.

Emperor Bai Gu had struck at the flaw deep in Zhou Qiyun's heart, causing his aura to falter and his mind to become unstable. An opening was exposed!

Just then, the ground near Huaihua Palace suddenly exploded. A behemoth burst forth with a thunderous roar, hurtling straight for Zhou Qiyun in the sky!

"The Master of the Mud Pill Palace!" Xu Ying cried out.

In the darkness of night, the behemoth's body glinted with scales. Its ferocious aura billowed to the heavens. It was impossible to tell if it was a dragon or a serpent.

Atop the great beast's head sat a skeleton. The human bones were arranged in a lotus position, looking remarkably small.

"Teacher, you've finally deigned to show yourself!"

Zhou Qiyun suddenly burst into laughter. He, too, pointed a finger, meeting Emperor Bai Gu's soul-shattering strike. The instant their fingers touched, the joints of Emperor Bai Gu's finger exploded, one after another!

Meanwhile, the scimitar offered up by Emperor Bai Gu's Primordial Spirit howled as it descended, striking the neck of Zhou Qiyun's soul and cleaving it in two!

"I have already cultivated the Mud Ball Secret Treasury to its Extreme Realm! My soul is immortal and indestructible!"

Zhou Qiyun turned to face the behemoth and smiled. "Teacher, this is something you never imagined when you passed your techniques to me, is it? Today, I will let you witness the Ultimate Realm that even you could not grasp, and I will send you on your way!"