Ascension Day

Seeing Yuan Weiyang emerge, the old servant in green, Uncle Xiao, also wanted to step outside, but leaving Zhou Qiyun alone in the carriage would have been rather impolite. After Zhou Qiyun waved his hand, he finally stepped out of the Dragon Chariot, relieved.

He stepped outside, only to see that Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang were not on the chariot shafts. His scalp went numb and his mind blanked. 'She's been spirited away already? How will I ever explain this to the old matriarch?'

He hastily leaped onto the roof of the carriage and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He saw Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang sitting on the head of the Big Snake Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi's head was massive. Between his two thick antlers were a pair of enormous, flat scales, like two giant stones. It was already the fourth month, and the weather was gradually growing warmer; yet, sitting there in the wind, they surprisingly felt no chill whatsoever.

The wind was rather strong, tousling the young man's clothes and hair.

Yuan Weiyang reached out to touch the mane on the back of Yuan Qi's head and exclaimed in surprise, "It's so soft! They're really feathers, like the down on a newly hatched chick!"

Xu Ying stepped forward to feel it, clicking his tongue in amazement. Yuan Qi's mane was soft but had the texture of feathers, and it felt wonderful to stroke it from top to bottom.

"Touch me again and I'll bite you!" the Big Snake threatened, his head free even though his body was stuck in the carriage.

Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang paid him no mind and gave his mane a few more strokes. Yuan Qi yelled, "I'm a snake, I don't have a human heart! Touch me again and I'll blast you to death with my poison breath!"

Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang reluctantly stopped. Xu Ying asked, "Lord Qi, when will you be able to take on a human form?"

As Yuan Qi exhaled, mist arose; as he inhaled, a whirlwind formed. He said unhurriedly, "This time, I sensed I was about to attempt Knocking at the Gate. The Power of Transformation in my body was growing, so I came before the Black Iron Profound Gate to perceive the Heaven and Earth Profound Root. I achieved Enlightenment of the Tai image of Qiankun Inversion, and also of the Li and Kan Exchange, thereby establishing my own Profound Root. The Profound Gate thus opened. From the vast and mysterious darkness, I also sensed the call of my ancestral bloodline. I followed nature's course, underwent Transformation, and assumed my present form."

Xu Ying was utterly baffled by this speech, which sounded Profound and Profound. He asked Da Zhong, "Lord Zhong, can he undergo Transformation again?"

Da Zhong replied, "I don't know how many times a Yuan Snake can undergo Transformation. However, most demons only seem to do it once, and he has already transformed twice..."

Yuan Weiyang was deeply impressed. "He has comprehended the true essence of the Dao and awakened the ancient bloodline within him," she said. "Lord Qi is a demon with a potent Spiritual Root. He already possesses a Dao Image."

Xu Ying felt a stir in his heart. 'After Yuan Qi opened his Tailbone Profound Gate, his physique does seem to contain something more ethereal and illusory,' he thought. 'When still, he is like a mountain. When he moves, he carries an inexplicable pressure and majesty. He truly does possess the characteristics of a Dao Image.'

The bloodline of an ancient Yuan Snake was gradually awakening within him. It was hard to say if this was due to Knocking at the Gate, the pagoda tree flowers he had consumed, or simply the result of his metamorphosis.

Da Zhong chimed in, "Ying, look at this stupid snake. His attempt at Knocking at the Gate this time is how a proper Qi Refiner does it! And you call what you did 'Knocking at the Gate'?"

Xu Ying humbly asked, "Lord Zhong, is there a fundamental difference between Lord Qi's Knocking at the Gate and my own?"

"Not really," said Da Zhong. "He just tacked on some flashy, empty epiphanies about the life of a snake."

Yuan Qi gazed into the distance, his eyes profound, his voice deep and resonant. "I have perceived the vastness of the heavens, the weight and breadth of the earth, and the void of life. I have attained Enlightenment... and I'm starving! Is there anything to eat? The pagoda tree flowers all withered a few days ago. I was about to go mad with hunger up there!"

Uncle Xiao approached, his expression solemn. "Lord Qi, why not feast upon the void of life?"

At this, Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang couldn't help but roar with laughter. A faint smile touched Uncle Xiao's lips, but he immediately composed himself, cleared his throat, and said, "Young Miss, a lady should not show her teeth when she laughs."

Yuan Weiyang quickly composed herself and sat up straight. After a moment, she said, "The Xu Demon King once mentioned that he had repeatedly tried Sword Flight but could never grasp the method. In the past few days, I've consulted some of the Ancient Texts in the Zhou Family's collection and discovered that the Sword Control Technique is now lost. The Ancient Texts have a few scattered records about Sword Control, mostly stating that when the Qi Refiners of the Pre-Qin Era performed it, they didn't stand on their swords. Instead, their Sword Qi would transform into a ball of flowing light that enveloped their entire body."

She took out a text she had copied herself. It contained a diagram of a person making a Sword Pointing gesture, their whole body wreathed in Sword Qi that flowed like light from head to toe.

Yuan Weiyang explained, "This kind of Sword Flight is shaped like a flying shuttle—pointed at both ends and bulging in the middle. The person is concealed inside as it tears through the sky."

Xu Ying leaned in for a closer look and praised the idea. "This way, the sword light protects the body, allowing one to break the sound barrier and pass through Thunder Fire unharmed. It's truly far better than standing on a sword to fly."

"Unfortunately, the art of Sword Flight is lost," Yuan Weiyang said. "The Zhou Family's texts don't describe how to perform it, only how our predecessors depicted it. And though my Yuan Family has a vast library, we also have very few records concerning Sword Flight."

She then took out a few more transcribed scrolls, unrolling them one by one. "My Yuan Family has the Divine Consciousness Soaring Method, the Zhou Family has the Body Transformation Skill, and the Guo Family has the Cloud Ladder Heaven-soaring Skill. Of these, the Guo Family's skill is the most profound. A Cloud Ladder to ascend the heavens—with one gentle leap, you can be as fast as a shooting star. My Yuan Family's Divine Consciousness Soaring Method is a skill of Contemplation. By using your Divine Sense for Contemplation, you can create objects in the Void and step on them to walk through the air."

The transcribed scroll contained a simplified version of the Divine Consciousness Soaring Method. Xu Ying read it over once and immediately understood the principle behind it.

The Divine Consciousness Soaring was, in essence, just walking—only, it was walking in the sky.

This Magic Skill worked by first using Contemplation to manifest a foothold in the air—a square brick, for instance. You could then step on it and use Contemplation to create the next brick, allowing you to move forward.