Ascension Day

"Circulation Demon Slaying Sword. What excellent Swordsmanship! If County Magistrate Zhou Yang had possessed such a skill that day, he wouldn't have had to die."

Xu Ying voiced his praise, passed by them, and with a light leap, jumped onto the tree. He then scrambled up the trunk, following the Dragon Scale-like patterns of the bark.

A voice from the base of the tree called out, "Big Brother, that's Xu Ying!"

The dozen or so men and women who had been felling the tree below all looked up. The one who had spoken was the same Zhou Clan disciple that Zhou Youyou had saved from Xu Ying.

The man he called Big Brother was in his thirties or forties. He was quite tall, with features that somewhat resembled Zhou Qiyun. His face was fair and beardless, his makeup was exquisite with rouge and powder, and his clothes were rather flamboyant.

This man was none other than the eldest young master of the Zhou Family's Inner Mansion, named Zhou Zhi.

"Let's go. After him!"

Zhou Zhi and the others immediately leaped up and gave chase. Zhou Zhi instructed, "Don't attack yet. If we kill him here, someone might find out, and the Ancestor will hold us responsible. We can go up a bit further. It won't be too late to kill him then."

The dozen or so Zhou Clan disciples said hatefully, "That bastard dares to kill people on our Zhou Family's territory. I don't know why the old Ancestor insists on keeping him alive!"

Zhou Zhi said flatly, "The old Ancestor desires Longevity. His Nuo Technique Cultivation has reached its limit, and it's difficult for him to make any further progress. That's why he's so intent on obtaining the Demon Technique's inheritance, to gain new insights through analogy. Heh heh, the old man clings to his position and refuses to step aside. He wants to live forever, but he doesn't want to be the Emperor. How are we juniors supposed to climb the ladder?"

The Zhou Clan disciples all agreed. "Big Brother, your Cultivation is progressing at a divine speed. When you become the Patriarch in the future, we will follow you without reservation."

They didn't attack right away. Instead, they climbed another two or three thousand zhang before four of the Zhou Family disciples saw an opportunity. They immediately took the Sword Boxes from their backs and set them up in front of themselves.

The Sword Boxes clicked open, and one by one, small Flying Swords flew out. They grew in size as they met the wind and soared upward!

The Sword Box was a Magical Treasure refined by the Zhou Family. Besides masks, Nuo Masters also had various other common treasures. For a Noble Family like the Zhou Clan, it was natural to possess all sorts of treasures.

They had previously used these Flying Swords to fell trees, so using them to kill people was, of course, a simple matter.

They each executed the Zhou Family's Ultimate Skill, the Circulation Demon Slaying Sword. Their Swordsmanship was countless times more refined than Zhou Yang's. They didn't need to plant a Demon Willow to control their Flying Swords; they only needed to form Sword Technique hand seals and focus their minds on directing the swords to unleash the complex and ever-changing Circulation Demon Slaying Sword!

The Flying Swords soared into the air, dancing in a tight formation. They were like massive snowballs rolling up the Big Locust Tree, but after a long while, they neither returned, nor was there any sign of Xu Ying.

The four Zhou Family disciples who had deployed the swords formed hand seals again to recall them. When they saw the Flying Swords that had just left flying back, they each sighed in relief.

Zhou Zhi suddenly felt a sense of alarm and hurriedly shouted, "Be careful!"

Before the words left his mouth, the dozens of small Flying Swords that were returning suddenly accelerated, piercing through the hearts, throats, and foreheads of the Zhou Clan disciples. They moved so fast that even he had no time to intervene!

Even the Zhou Clan disciple who had luckily escaped death in the main hall was pierced through the throat by a sword. Immediately after, several more Flying Swords nailed him to the tree through his chest and forehead. His eyes were wide open, unable to rest in peace.

"This Xu Ying is a Great Sword Master! His Swordsmanship is even more refined than my Zhou Family's Circulation Demon Slaying Sword!"

Zhou Zhi held up two fingers and, with a series of sharp taps, shattered the Flying Swords aimed at him. The impact made his fingers tremble, and he was shocked. 'The hidden Power in these Flying Swords is so strong!'

He looked down and saw that the two fingers he'd used to strike the swords were cut, breaking through his Vajra Indestructible Body.

He looked at the other Zhou Family disciples and saw them all activating their Sword Boxes, sending out their Flying Swords. The swords danced to form silvery spheres of protection around their bodies, but a few sharp CLANGS later, the silver spheres were pierced through. Their own Flying Swords were thrown into disarray and scattered everywhere.

And those Zhou Family disciples were, one by one, pierced through the brow and nailed to the tree!

Of the sixteen, only six remained. Ten Zhou Clan disciples had died in that single wave of sword strikes!

"Such incredible Swordsmanship! But his Cultivation is even more terrifying!"

Zhou Zhi's expression turned cold. He said to the five other surviving Zhou Family disciples, "The information you gave me was wrong! His Cultivation is far deeper than you described!"

Among the five survivors, a few had been in the main hall deciphering the Tuo Yu Immortal Book. They had witnessed Xu Ying's massacre there, but his Cultivation at that time had been much lower than it was now.

For the past few days, Xu Ying had taken advantage of the blooming locust flowers to cultivate diligently day and night. While his progress couldn't exactly be called a thousand miles in a day, it was still a meteoric rise. He had ascended to the First Layer Heaven of the Gate-Opening Stage.

Moreover, he had comprehended the mysteries of the Yuan Yu Eight Sounds. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would practice it, tempering his muscles, bones, and Qi Blood, and performing Inner Cultivation on his Five Viscera. Even his Spiritual Soul had been honed to be as hard as steel. As a result, when he deployed his swords, their power had naturally increased dramatically!

To judge Xu Ying's current combat strength based on his Cultivation from that day was to court a disastrous loss!

Zhou Zhi leaped up with a furious roar. A brilliant light shone behind him, and a Divine Being with the head of a bird, the body of a man, and the feet of a bird suddenly materialized. It was like Xu Ying's Elephant King Divine Body standing behind him, yet it was different.

The Divine Being's wings beat, and Zhou Zhi's body became parallel to the ground. He ran straight up the trunk of the tree.

His sleeves billowed, and suddenly, with a RUSTLE, countless Golden Feathers flew out. They were like zhang-long Flying Sabers, creating a WHOOSHING sound as they tore through the air, flying between the crevices of the bark at extreme speed!

Xu Ying, who had been hiding among the bark's patterns, was immediately forced out by the Golden Feather Flying Sabers. He dodged the long feathers that weaved through the crevices.

The edges of these feathers were incredibly sharp, like blades forged and tempered a thousand times. The barbs were wide, and each one looked like a thin Golden Sword, all joined together to form a feather in the shape of a long saber.

'This is a Dao Image!'

'The image of the Great Dao!'

'The Zhou Family must have a Dao Image Map of a Dapeng, otherwise, it would be impossible to refine even the feathers in such minute detail!'

Just as Xu Ying thought of this, he saw Zhou Zhi rushing toward him. The young man's fists and kicks were like a sudden storm, bombarding him furiously. With his every move, the Tianpeng Divine Man behind him also attacked Xu Ying with wild abandon!

Zhou Zhi's fists and palms transformed into the Feathered Long Sabers of the Tianpeng Divine Man, the light from the blades sharp and overbearing. Zhou Zhi's legs became the bird-like feet of the Tianpeng Divine Man, its talons capable of tearing anything apart!

Xu Ying met the attack head-on with his Ba Snake Eight Forms and Dragon and Snake Six Forms. The impact shook the apparitions of the Ba Snake and the Dragon Snake, scattering their Qi Blood, which dissipated like rising steam.

Xu Ying's own body was rocked by the force. He retreated continuously up the tree, the bark beneath his feet exploding with loud CRACKS as wood splinters flew everywhere.

Zhou Zhi spun his wings, and once again, countless Golden Feather Flying Sabers flew out, forming a golden torrent that slashed at Xu Ying from all directions!

At the same time, the other five Zhou Clan disciples leaped up from below, flying rapidly toward them. However, compared to Xu Ying and Zhou Zhi's speed, they were far inferior and couldn't keep up for the moment.

Caught up in the thrill of battle, Zhou Zhi let out a shrill cry. He spun in mid-air with a WHOOSH, and the Tianpeng Divine Man mirrored the rotation. Its two wings, each over ten zhang long, were like a pair of Divine Sabers. With a CRUNCH, CRUNCH, they hacked into the Big Locust Tree, slicing toward Xu Ying!

Xu Ying was surrounded by the Golden Feather Flying Sabers with nowhere to retreat. He abruptly planted his feet firmly on the tree, his legs sinking deep into the trunk. He focused on the Contemplation of the Yuan Yu Eight Sounds and pushed his palms forward, one after the other, to meet the Tianpeng's twin sabers!

Violent Primordial Qi surged from his palms, transforming into a churning, powerful dragon-snake that roared as it met the Tianpeng's twin sabers. The ferocious Power shattered all the surrounding Golden Feather Flying Sabers, preventing them from getting anywhere near him!

"MANG-GU—"

With the roar of a dragon and the hiss of a python, their techniques collided. Zhou Zhi grunted, and the wings of the Tianpeng Divine Man behind him shattered completely. The Divine Being's body exploded, and a bloody mist erupted from Zhou Zhi as his own skin burst from the force!

He tumbled head over heels, falling down the tree!

Xu Ying was surprised. 'This person is so strong! He took a hit from my Yuan Yu Eight Sounds and didn't even die!'

In the instant his movement paused, the other five Zhou Clan disciples charged up. Just as they were about to activate their Sword Boxes, a delicate laugh suddenly echoed from below. "It's been a long time since I completed my training, but I've finally met my match!"

Xu Ying was stunned. 'Is that a man or a woman… Wait, could it be…'

He was stupefied and blurted out, "A genius! He deciphered the Tuo Yu Immortal Book! Does that mean… his Primordial Yang is completely gone?"