Ascension Day

Xu Ying was surprised.

Zhou Zhi laughed. "Surprising, isn’t it? No one else expected it. Not even the old ancestor himself thought I could steal the deciphered content of the Tuo Yu Immortal Book from him! I cultivated diligently, and within a few years, I grasped the mysteries of Taiyin Yuan Yu, Celestial Human Transformation, and the nurturing of all things."

Xu Ying’s expression was odd. He said, "You mean you didn’t comprehend it yourself, but stole it from Zhou Qiyun?"

Zhou Zhi cackled. "Comprehending the Tuo Yu Immortal Book drains your mind and wisdom, consumes time, and requires consulting countless ancient texts. A smart person leaves that kind of work to others, saving their own time for more important things. Even the old ancestor didn’t bother comprehending it himself, so why should I make the extra effort?"

Xu Ying asked, "How long has it been since you last shaved?"

Zhou Zhi’s face was clean-shaven and smooth as a youth’s. He laughed smugly. "I used to have a thick beard, but after cultivating the Tuo Yu Immortal Book, not only did my beard disappear, but my skin has gotten much better too."

Xu Ying probed, "Besides your beard, have there been any... other changes?"

Zhou Zhi’s expression shifted slightly. His voice, now somewhat feminine, turned shrill. "What have you heard? Who’s been spreading rumors behind my back?"

Just then, the five Zhou Clan disciples arrived. Seeing that the two weren’t fighting but were instead chatting, they were all a bit surprised.

Xu Ying coaxed him, "Don’t you think it’s possible Zhou Qiyun intentionally left the Tuo Yu Immortal Book there for you to take? To be honest, Zhou Qiyun’s mind is far too meticulous. I don’t believe you’d ever have a chance to steal anything from him."

Zhou Zhi’s face changed again. He cackled in a high-pitched voice, "He let me steal it? What good would it do him for me to obtain the Tuo Yu Immortal Book?"

Xu Ying sighed. "He didn’t know if the Tuo Yu Immortal Book was real or fake. He didn’t know if there were any hidden dangers in cultivating the deciphered Immortal Book, or if it was compatible with the Nuo Master Cultivation System. So, he needed a test subject. By taking the initiative to steal the book, didn’t you become his test subject?"

The corner of Zhou Zhi’s eye twitched. He snarled, "You’re lying!"

Xu Ying said, "He also needed to observe you, to see what changes occurred after you started cultivating the Tuo Yu Immortal Book. He probably knows more about the changes to your body than you do."

Zhou Zhi’s expression flickered uncertainly.

Xu Ying mused, ’What I want to know now is, since he already had a deciphered version of the Immortal Book, why did he have me and Yuan Weiyang decipher it as well?’

At that, realization dawned on him.

’Zhou Qiyun sought out others to decipher the Immortal Book because he wanted to verify it multiple times and check for any remaining flaws.’

’After all, for him, it was just a matter of capturing a couple of juniors.’

Xu Ying said, "After you started turning into a woman, the Zhou Family’s ancestor must have guessed that the Tuo Yu Immortal Book is a Cultivation Technique only women can practice. And with Yuan Weiyang and I each deciphering a copy, he could be certain of it."

"A woman?" The five Zhou Clan disciples were both stunned and amused. One of them called out, "Big Brother, is what he’s saying true? Are you really turning into a woman?"

Another couldn’t help but laugh. "Should we call you Eldest Brother or Eldest Sister from now on...?"

Zhou Zhi suddenly raised his hand. With a sickening SLICE, the man was cut in two by the long blade of flesh and wings that had formed from his right arm!

The others were horrified. They quickly shouted, "Big Brother, we’re family! He was just joking, how could you strike a fatal blow? If the old ancestor finds out you did this..."

"The old ancestor won’t find out!"

A vicious light flared in Zhou Zhi’s eyes. His wing-blade flipped over, and its Golden Feathers flew out, transforming into a torrent of Golden Feather Flying Sabers that engulfed the remaining men!

A moment later, the four men fell, becoming four corpses.

Xu Ying merely watched from the side without interfering. Only when Zhou Zhi had finished slaughtering the five Zhou Clan disciples and turned a vicious gaze on him did he speak. "You weren’t thorough enough. The Zhou Family will still trace this back to you."

Zhou Zhi froze, not understanding his meaning.

Xu Ying said, "The Zhou Family has the art of Casting the Golden Body, and they also have a Magic Skill for Soul Summoning and Questioning. The souls of these five are still here. They only need to question their souls to know they died at your hands."

Zhou Zhi looked at the five corpses, his brow furrowing slightly.

Xu Ying said, "I have cultivated the Celestial Eye and can see the souls of men. After a person dies, their soul doesn’t immediately leave the body and fly to the Underworld. Instead, it remains tethered to the corpse’s feet. Right now, the souls of these five are standing by their feet, staring at you with venom."

Zhou Zhi sneered and slapped the back of his head. A Bone Banner flew out from behind him, likely a Magical Treasure used by the Netherworld Ghost Soldiers under Emperor Bai Gu.

Zhou Zhi shook the Bone Banner, and from it flew out bony Chains that latched onto the five vengeful souls, dragging them into the banner.

Although he couldn’t see where the five souls were, this Netherworld Treasure specialized in subduing souls. Capturing the five of them was a simple task.

Zhou Zhi put away the Bone Banner and cackled. "Now, the only one left who knows my secret is you."

Xu Ying smiled faintly. "Not quite. Lord Zhong, Yuan Qi, come on out."

A chill ran down Zhou Zhi’s spine as a massive shadow rose up behind him, enveloping him completely. He whipped around and looked up to see a colossal, mountain-sized head held high, the feathered mane behind it fluttering like a banner.

It was a Big Snake.

An impossibly large Big Snake.

Its scales were like Bright Mirrors, reflecting the colors of the world. Sunlight falling upon them refracted into rainbows.

On its head grew tender, antler-like horns, one black and one white, which forked and grew backward, pointing toward the sky behind its head.

Its body was coiled around the incredibly thick branches of the Big Locust Tree, weighing them down.

It hung upside down, lifting its mountain-sized head to look quizzically at the "little thing" that was Zhou Zhi.

It was Yuan Qi.

This time, during his Transformation, he had not turned into a human. Instead, he had grown even larger.

His body even exuded an aura from a distant, primordial era, as if an ancient power within his bloodline had been awakened, creating a suffocating sense of pressure.

And from behind its head, a large, man-sized bell covered in patches of green rust floated over. "Ying," it said, "the Big Locust Tree is dead."

Xu Ying said, "Zhou Qiyun killed it, borrowing its eight thousand years of life to heal his own injuries. We should go. The Zhou Family is preparing to cut down the tree and take the Big Locust Tree away."

Da Zhong said, "A pity. A life of such unknown antiquity, yet it still couldn’t overcome the trial of Ascension to Immortality. In the end, it met its fated calamity at the hands of Zhou Qiyun."

Zhou Zhi surged with all his Cultivation. A Sea of Chaos appeared behind his head, and the light of three Grotto Heavens erupted as he snarled, "I have opened three Grotto Heavens, practiced the Tuo Yu Immortal Book, and reached the second Realm of Qi Refiners—"

CLANG!

Da Zhong vibrated. With one toll of the bell, Zhou Zhi’s soul was blasted out of his body.

Xu Ying thrust his left hand forward in a Sword Pointing gesture. A stream of Sword Qi pierced the center of Zhou Zhi’s brow, puncturing his brain. It continued on, piercing through the Sea of Chaos and the three Grotto Heavens behind his head, draining the Activity from his Secret Treasury!

From the sky, Yuan Qi’s enormous tail descended, viciously smashing down upon Zhou Zhi’s body and crushing his Flesh Body into pulp!

Xu Ying turned and walked toward the edge of the treetop. "Lord Zhong, Yuan Qi, let’s go!"

Yuan Qi slid down from the branches. Da Zhong flew to Xu Ying’s side. Suddenly, Xu Ying casually waved his hand, slapping it against the Bell Wall.

The blow knocked Da Zhong so its mouth faced Zhou Zhi’s soul. It let out a loud DONG. Zhou Zhi’s soul, still in a daze, was struck by the sound wave and instantly scattered to the winds.

"You were pathetic enough already, but I can’t let Zhou Qiyun learn any of my secrets from your soul."

Without looking back, Xu Ying leaped from the Big Locust Tree and bounded away. Behind him, the giant snake slithered down, clinging to the Big Locust Tree as it followed him.

----Many thanks to Emperor Yi, the Yu Xu Alliance Leader, for the generous donation!!