Ascension Day

The colossal stone statues remained seated upon the tree branches, their faces expressionless and utterly still. An ancient will still thundered in the sky above the Celestial God Hall, recounting Xu Ying's many crimes, only stopping after it reached his flogging of an Ox Demon from the Underworld.

A still more ancient will boomed from the sky, "This man's sins run deep. Investigate his past three lives and settle all accounts."

The ancient wills stirred, attempting to access the deeds of Xu Ying's previous three lives.

"His most recent past life: No authority to view."

"His second past life: No authority to view."

"His third past life: No authority to view."

A terrifying silence fell over the Celestial God Hall. The once-expressionless stone statues now each wore a look of surprise. A peculiar atmosphere began to spread among the tens of thousands of Celestial God Stone Statues.

Da Zhong had been ready to erupt at any moment, prepared to risk its life to get Xu Ying out of the Celestial God Hall and fulfill its fraternal duty. But now, it too was stunned frozen.

'Even the Celestial Gods of the Heavenly Dao World, who command the Celestial Dao itself, have no authority to view Xu Ying's past three lives?' It was baffled, unable to process what was happening.

Just then, a profound will descended from the Heavenly Dao World. It was far more powerful than the others, emanating an even more ancient aura as it transformed into rolling thunder that boomed above the Celestial God Hall.

That ancient will delivered its final verdict in the Dao Language, its voice a thunderous roar, "We shall not pursue his past three lives, but judge him only on this one. Find his evils in this current life and inflict Celestial Punishment to uphold the Tian Gang and Celestial Law!"

Immediately, wills resounded through the air above the Celestial God Hall, "The Celestial Rules have no authority to inflict punishment."

"Tian Gang has no authority to inflict punishment."

"The Celestial Law has no authority to inflict punishment."

"The Celestial Principle has no authority to inflict punishment."

"The Celestial Technique has no authority to inflict punishment."

"The Megrez Realm has no authority to inflict punishment."

...

After the series of thunderous reports, the Celestial God Hall once again fell silent.

A terrifying silence.

After a long time, an even more ancient, wizened will resounded in the sky, "Case dismissed."

Above the Celestial God Hall, the words on the Celestial Book vanished. Soon, the entire scroll of sins had faded away, disappearing completely. The Celestial Book and Celestial Brush then flew back into the Heavenly Dao World and vanished without a trace.

It was that same wizened will that spoke again, its voice like rolling thunder, "Escort the gentleman out of the hall."

A beam of Tian Guang shot out from the sky, illuminating the path before Xu Ying and pointing the way.

Xu Ying stumbled forward, his mind a muddled mess, unsure of what had just happened. Da Zhong was just as bewildered. 'The gods of the Celestial God Hall appealed to higher authorities three times, and each Celestial God they summoned was of a higher status than the last. That final Celestial God... I fear it was the leader of the Heavenly Dao World itself!'

'And yet, this leader of the Heavenly Dao World had uttered those two words, "Case dismissed," and just like that, completely erased Xu Ying's past crimes of killing gods and officials!'

'Even the Celestial Gods of the Heavenly Dao World have no authority to view his past three lives, much less inflict Celestial Punishment! Something incredible must have happened to Ying in his past!'

Da Zhong thought for a moment, then asked, "Ying, what do you think of the Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill compared to your Taiyi Guiding Skill?"

Xu Ying snapped out of his shock, wondering why it had suddenly brought up the Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill. "The Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill tempers the Flesh Body, soul, Primordial Qi, Divine Sense, and bloodline in the simplest way possible, even ignoring the concept of Realms," he said. "Cultivation of this technique can improve one's innate talent, making breakthroughs into new Realms a natural process. Although the Taiyi Guiding Skill is incomplete, it's not the least bit inferior to the Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill. I'm cultivating both techniques at the same time now, and the longer I practice, the more I realize how extraordinary the Taiyi Guiding Skill is."

Da Zhong prodded gently, "Ying, do you think the Taiyi Guiding Skill is hidden in your memories, or in your bloodline? Why is it that when your Cultivation reaches a certain level, memories of the Taiyi Guiding Skill just awaken?"

Xu Ying froze. He had never considered that question before.

"Ying, I think you should pay a visit to Xu Family's Field," Da Zhong said.

Xu Ying's face fell. "Xu Family's Field was just a small village near Yongzhou," he said, his voice laced with melancholy. "It was destroyed in a great fire. With the Underworld invasion and the emergence of the New Land, I doubt it can even be found anymore."

"Do you still remember the way to Xu Family's Field?"

"How could I ever forget?"

"Then, once we've shaken off Zhou Qiyun, let's go to Xu Family's Field. We have to find it, no matter what!"

Xu Ying agreed. After a moment of silence, he said, "Lord Zhong, thank you."

Da Zhong was taken aback, then chuckled. "We're friends. What's there to thank me for? You're always quietly using your Qi Blood to help me heal, never once complaining or asking for my thanks. So why are you thanking me?"

Xu Ying chose his words carefully. "Lord Zhong, don't you think the real reason I've been funding you with my Qi Blood is because you've been extorting it from me?"

"Hahaha! That's a good one. Don't tell jokes like that again!"

Outside the Celestial God Hall, Zhou Qiyun, Yuan Weiyang, and the others emerged. The Yin Court lay just ahead, but both Yuan Weiyang and Yuan Qi stopped, refusing to follow Zhou Qiyun any further.

Zhou Qiyun frowned and stopped. "There's no need to wait. He's not coming out. The Celestial God Hall is an Ascension Land, a place where Celestial Gods can descend. They hold the power to judge all good and evil in the world, to deliver rewards and punishments. With thousands of gods gathered, not even an Immortal could save him."

Yuan Qi shook his head. "Ying has always been sharp. He'll definitely get out."

Zhou Qiyun shook his head. 'A trial by thousands of gods... Even I wouldn't be able to survive something like that. How could he possibly escape?'

The group stood outside the Celestial God Hall, waiting in silence.

Zhou Qiyun frowned and was about to drag them away by force when Yuan Weiyang spoke softly, "Elder Zhou, I've heard that for Celestial Gods to descend, someone in the Lower Realm must offer up sacrifices. Only then can they communicate with the Heavenly Dao World and use the offerings to open a bridge to it. Why are the Celestial Gods able to descend here without any sacrifices?"

Zhou Qiyun temporarily abandoned the thought of forcing them away. "That is the unique property of an Ascension Land," he said.

Yuan Qi was surprised; he too had heard of Ascension Lands. Back in Qinyan Cave on Wuyang Mountain, the girl in the coffin had spoken a line that contained the term "Ascension Land" as she faced the Jade Disc in the Mud Pill Palace.

'The Ascension Land the girl in the coffin mentioned must have been Qinyan Cave on Wuyang Mountain.'

'Zhou Qiyun says this place is an Ascension Land. So what exactly *is* an Ascension Land?'

Zhou Qiyun said, "While I was exploring the Hidden Scenery Transformation Lands of Nuo Immortals and the Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands of Ancient Qi Refiners, I came across some interesting texts. They recorded the existence of many Ascension Lands in this world. Some rumors say Ascension Lands are where Qi Refiners undergo their Tribulation Crossing to become Flying Immortals. Others say they are formed from fragments of the Heavenly Dao World. Places like this possess a wondrous power, and the barriers of the world grow thin, making them Holy Lands for Cultivation. That is why the Celestial Gods can descend through the weakened barriers."

Just then, a voice drifted out from the Celestial God Hall. "Elder Zhou, when a Celestial God descends into an Ascension Land, they shouldn't be able to leave it, right?"

The corner of Zhou Qiyun's eye twitched. He raised his head in disbelief, his gaze fixed on the rear exit of the Celestial God Hall. A beam of Tian Guang illuminated the doorway, and a familiar figure emerged, stepping out upon the light.

Zhou Qiyun's mind reeled, and for a moment, he forgot to answer the question.

Xu Ying asked his second question. "Can Ascension Lands degrade over long periods of time?"

He had just been inside the Celestial God Hall when he heard Zhou Qiyun talking about Ascension Lands, which made him think of Qinyan Cave. He was puzzled. 'If Qinyan Cave is an Ascension Land, then why doesn't it show any signs of the world's barriers becoming thin?'

'When we cultivated in Qinyan Cave, we did sense a Mysterious Energy that could stimulate the Mud Ball Secret Treasury, but that energy came from the Master of the Mud Mound Palace, not from the Heavenly Dao World or as a remnant of an Immortal's Ascension!'

'If Ascension Lands are either places where Immortals ascend or fragments of the Heavenly Dao World, then they should all share the same characteristics. But the properties of the Mud Pill Palace in Qinyan Cave are completely different from those of this Celestial God Hall!'

Xu Ying vaguely sensed something was amiss but couldn't put his finger on it. He decided to set the matter aside for the time being.

"How did you get out?" Zhou Qiyun finally composed himself enough to ask.

Xu Ying smiled slightly. "I walked. The Celestial God Hall is impartial and selfless, its judgments fair and clear. After a thorough investigation, they found I had done nothing wrong, so they sent me on my way."

————Just got the official word: *Ascension Day* will be officially launched on May 13th.