Ascension Day

"HEE HEE HEE!"

A strange laugh came from behind him. "The things in the Abyss can't hold back any longer. The Underworld is invading the Mortal World. Yongzhou is just the first beachhead. Soon, all of the Divine Land, and even the entire Yuan Shou world, will be invaded and assimilated. When that happens, the Mortal World will inevitably clash with the Abyss, and our chance will have arrived!"

The "hee hee" from the darkness soon turned into a booming laugh. Then, with a RUSTLE, a flock of crows burst forth from behind the Yin Court Emperor, flying off into the distance.

These were Cold Crows of the Underworld, capable of traversing the Yin Yang Two Realms.

The Yin Court Emperor watched the Cold Crows depart and muttered, "When the opportunity comes, will I finally be able to stop being a puppet?"

Although his body was dead and he had seemingly given up, it was as if hot blood still flowed through his corpse.

Outside the Underworld Celestial Court, Zhou Qiyun looked up and saw a flock of Cold Crows fly across the sky, adding a touch of desolation and grimness to the Underworld.

'The Yin Court Emperor's words are only half-true. If the Yin Court had truly given up and was letting itself be trampled, then why would it bother trying to capture Xu Ying?'

Zhou Qiyun's eyes flickered as he murmured, 'Yin Court Emperor, you might not be a true Ghost Immortal. If you were a Qi Refiner who achieved Ascension, even as a Ghost Immortal, you would be well-versed in the Qi Refiners' Cultivation System. There would be no need to fight for Xu Ying.'

Xu Ying's greatest value lay in deciphering Qi Refining Skills—what the world knew as Demon Clan Techniques—and restoring the Qi Refiners' Cultivation System.

If the Yin Court Emperor truly had a complete understanding of the Qi Refining Skills and their system, there would be no need to order the Magistrates and City Gods to hunt down Xu Ying.

'The key to my Ascension this time must lie with Xu Ying.'

Zhou Qiyun started walking in the direction the Da Zhong had flown, thinking, 'I hope he can sort out the Qi Refiner Cultivation System so I can merge Qi Refining with the Nuo Technique! Only then will I be confident enough for Crossing Tribulation and Ascending!'

「Underworld, Willow Forest.」

The massive body of a bell lay on the ground, inching forward bit by bit, pushing the willow trees aside until they leaned haphazardly. Behind the Bell was a Big Snake with dragon-like horns. It would occasionally raise its head from the Willow Forest to look around.

The fog grew thicker and thicker. Gradually, Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, and Uncle Xiao were all swallowed by it. Yuan Qi could only follow the Da Zhong, but he couldn't see anyone. He began to panic and called out, "Ying!"

Echoes immediately answered from the Willow Forest: "Ying!" "Ying!" "Ying!"

This was followed by the "hee hee" laughter of the Ghost Dolls. Yuan Qi's scales crawled. He quickly slithered forward a couple of paces to get closer to the Da Zhong. Just then, Xu Ying's reply came from ahead of the Bell, muffled by the fog.

Yuan Qi relaxed slightly.

He looked up at the sky and suddenly exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Ying, look! A sun is rising!"

From within the fog, Xu Ying's muffled voice replied, "It's the middle of the night. Where would a sun come from?"

He jumped up in the fog, his head popping out. He looked up and indeed saw a sun hanging in the Underworld's sky.

But it was clearly nighttime in the Underworld. How could a sun be rising?

Besides, this sun didn't look right at all. A proper sun would radiate boundless heat and light, but this one was stuffed full of joss paper—burnt joss paper, at that.

This joss paper seemed to be for honoring ancestors. At some point, the air had filled with the smell of Incense and Candlelight and burnt paper.

A flock of Cold Crows flew beneath the sun, CAW-CAWING. The commotion from their wings seemed so great that it stirred up a good deal of the joss paper ash within the sun.

Yuan Weiyang also jumped up with all her might, her head emerging from the fog. She said in shock, "There really is a sun? What kind of world is this?"

"Young Master, remain calm. Do you remember what the Mistress instructed? 'Remain composed even if Mount Tai crumbles before you.'"

Uncle Xiao's voice came from the fog. As he spoke, the old man leaped up out of the fog. Seeing the sun, he exclaimed, "This is absurd! A sun like this actually exists!"

"Uncle Xiao, remain calm. Do not let it show on your face," Yuan Weiyang said calmly, her expression composed.

But then, she too could no longer remain calm. A colossal creature within the ashes on the sun's surface had been awakened by the flock of Cold Crows. With a shake of its wings, it sent the joss paper ashes flying, scattering them everywhere across the sky!

Then, the behemoth flapped its wings, flew out of the Underworld sun, and gave chase to the Cold Crows!

It was a giant bird with only a skeleton and feathers remaining. It had three legs and not a shred of flesh on its body. Its head resembled a crow's but was covered in golden feathers. Though it had been dead for who knows how long, it still radiated an overwhelming, Fierce Qi!

As it took flight, it dragged three thick, pitch-black Chains out of the sun, which were shackled to its three legs.

The Three-legged Golden Crow beat its wings, dragging the Underworld sun behind it as it chased the Cold Crows into the distance.

Xu Ying and the others were silent for a long time. Yuan Qi suddenly broke the silence with a lone roar, "Is there no one in charge of the Underworld? A bird just dragged the sun away and no one's doing anything about it? No one's in charge, is that it... Hmph!"

At this moment, the fog began to thin. The elusive Ghost Dolls in the Willow Forest appeared, one by one, their eyes heavy with sleep. They yawned as they walked barefoot up the willow trees.

They gripped the blackened branches with the soles of their feet and hung upside down, their arms crossed over their chests, looking like large, snow-white bats.

All over the Willow Forest, countless snow-white Ghost Dolls emerged from nowhere, climbed the trees, and hung upside down to sleep. In an instant, every willow's branches were laden with dozens of hanging Ghost Dolls, as if the trees had borne fruit.

While Xu Ying and the others were still puzzled, the Willow Forest fell silent. A cold, sinister wind began to blow, and the fog gradually receded in its gusts, soon lowering to their waists.

The surroundings were dim and murky. Suddenly, a white figure drifted over, ethereal and unsteady, its feet not touching the ground.

It was a strange, entirely snow-white figure, over ten feet tall. A long white robe covered it from head to toe. It held a staff wrapped in white cloth strips. Its hair was also white; only the long tongue lolling out of its mouth was scarlet red.

The strange figure drifted through the forest of Ancient Trees. It would stop in front of the Ghost Dolls hanging from the branches and lick their faces with its long tongue.

The bodies of the Ghost Dolls it licked shriveled at a visible rate, their auras weakening.

"Wuchang!" Xu Ying exclaimed in a low voice.

He once possessed an Inconstancy Mask, which he used to disguise himself as a Wuchang and mingle with the Ghost Gods of the Broken Temple World. Yuan Qi had told him that such masks were made by Nuo Masters who cut them from the Underworld Ghost God, Wuchang, and wearing one allowed you to transform into a Wuchang Ghost.

He never expected they would actually encounter a Wuchang Ghost here!

"It's performing Qi Collection!" Yuan Weiyang whispered.

Her reminder made Xu Ying realize it too. A chill went down his spine. This Wuchang Ghost was sucking the Yang Qi from the Ghost Dolls. The Ghost Dolls would capture living beings and Ghost Souls that wandered into this place and feed on their Yang Qi. Then, after the Ghost Dolls fell asleep, this Wuchang Ghost would float over and feed on *their* Yang Qi!

Suddenly, more Wuchang drifted in from the air, all with the same attire: Funeral Poles and red tongues.

They stopped in the Willow Forest, by one willow tree after another. The Ghost Dolls were like fruit on the branches, ripe for them to harvest.

Xu Ying had been about to ignore them and leave when a voice suddenly called out, "Senior Brother, there are people over there!"

"Quiet! Don't talk!"

Xu Ying's Heart Spirit trembled. His eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to look at the Wuchang Ghosts.

'They're human? Celestial Eye, open!'