Ascension Day

One of the four suns in the Chaotian Cave Heaven had already set. Two others were gradually approaching their zenith, while the last had become a setting sun.

Strangely enough, the suns in this Grotto Heaven Blessed Land lacked the fiery nature of the sun in the outside world. The sunlight was gentle and warm. When it transformed into Primordial Qi, one didn't have to worry about the intense fire properties causing cultivation deviation, so they could cultivate without any reservations.

"A single day in a grotto, a thousand years in the world. Qi Refiners hide in Grotto Heavens to cultivate. While it might not be a thousand years per day, half a year or even a full year per day is still possible," Yuan Qi couldn't help but remark.

While Xu Ying cultivated, Yuan Qi also took the opportunity to practice the Dragon and Snake Awakening Skill. Although the skill wasn't of the highest tier, he could thankfully steal some Dao Seeds while Xu Ying cultivated, so his own progress wasn't slow at all.

His own Dao Image grew increasingly distinct, and more of the ancient Yuan Snake bloodline within him awakened. With every breath, he seemed to swallow clouds and exhale mist, gradually taking on the aura of an ancient Yuan Snake, commanding poisonous fog and wielding wind and lightning.

Da Zhong also activated its own guidance and breathing technique. It took advantage of the eruption of Dao Seeds from Xu Ying's Dao Field, intercepting some for its own use.

'Cultivating here for one day really is as effective as cultivating outside for six months to a year. And intercepting Dao Seeds is even more thrilling than stealing Xu Ying's Qi Blood!'

Guo Xiaodie didn't know any Qi Refining Techniques and was growing anxious. Fortunately, whenever Yuan Weiyang took a break from her own cultivation, she would explain the Tuo Yu Immortal Book to her and help her with Qi Collection. Xiaodie's aptitude was quite remarkable, and she actually got the hang of it very quickly.

The two young women stayed close, practicing Qi Refining and chatting with each other. Guo Xiaodie felt a sweet warmth, casting aside the fledgling feelings she had for the Xu Demon King to simply enjoy the tender moment.

Little did she know, Uncle Xiao was watching from the side, secretly fretting. He couldn't, however, reveal that Yuan Weiyang was also a woman.

Before they knew it, another sun had set, and the remaining two were also sinking toward the horizon.

The sky gradually grew dim.

Just then, an old man leaning on a staff strode down from the mountain. "You children," he called out with a chuckle while still at a distance, "the suns are about to set. Why aren't you running?"

Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, and the others were startled. 'There are other people in this Grotto Heaven?'

Xu Ying stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and asked, "Elder, why must we run when it gets dark?"

The old man stopped and tapped his staff on the ground. "When the suns set, the Underworld will shroud this place," he said. "At that time, the Qi Refiners who died unjustly during their Celestial Tribulations will emerge. Their resentment is overwhelming, and they have become vengeful spirits and Fierce Ghosts. I could not bear to see you lose your lives, so I came to warn you. Leave at once!"

The group was alarmed and hurriedly looked toward the suns. They saw that another one had set, and the last setting sun was now touching the mountaintop.

Guo Xiaodie thanked him. "Elder, are you leaving with us?"

"I am a wandering spirit of this place," the old man replied. "I cannot leave. I only spoke up to help you because I still have a sliver of conscience left."

The moment he finished speaking, the old man vanished without a trace.

Astonished, the group hurriedly rushed down the mountain. When they returned to the Demon Suppression Hall, the sky had grown dark and a cold, sinister wind began to blow. One by one, they leaped into the water vat and returned to the Cangwu Abyss.

Xu Ying was the last to go. Just as he leaped into the vat, a flash of blood-red light suddenly flickered before his eyes. "Lord Zhong, Lord Qi," he asked quickly, "did you see a flash of red light?"

Neither Da Zhong nor Yuan Qi had seen it. Xu Ying touched his forehead and found a bloodstain on his hand, about the size of a crushed mosquito.

'He was baffled. But after inspecting himself internally, he detected nothing unusual and decided to drop the matter.'

Meanwhile, the staff-wielding old man suddenly reappeared in the Demon Suppression Hall. Seeing that Xu Ying and the others were gone, he stomped his foot and shook his head. "They sure run fast! Can't even let an old man like me have a meal in peace!" he cried. "No matter. Now that they've tasted the benefits of the Grotto Heaven, they're sure to come back!"

Night had already fallen in the Cangwu Abyss. Many Nuo Masters, wearing Wuchang Ghost Masks, were descending from Jiuyi Mountain to enter the Underworld. Meanwhile, the Underworld's Ghost Dolls ran rampant, weaving through graveyards to suck the Yang Fire from the shoulders of newly departed Ghost Souls and collect their Yang Qi.

Other Ghost Dolls scurried into human villages and towns to steal Yang Qi from the living.

With the Underworld's invasion, the Yin and Yang Two Realms were gradually merging. Many human villages and towns had been partitioned off into the New Land. These Ghost Dolls often gathered in nearby Chaotic Burial Mounds, emerging to roam about once the sky grew dark.

Little did they know, the Yang Qi they gathered would in turn be harvested by the Wuchang Ghosts. They could only collect enough to barely sate their own hunger, leaving them in a perpetual state of starvation.

Mixed in among the Wuchang Ghosts were quite a few human Nuo Masters, who also exploited the Ghost Dolls.

As Xu Ying watched the Nuo Masters enter the Underworld, a thought suddenly struck him. 'The Wuchang Ghosts exploit the Ghost Dolls and collect all their Yang Qi... but do the Wuchang Ghosts also have someone above them?'

'Is it possible that their masters control them, waiting for them to return with the collected Yang Qi, only to squeeze them dry as well, leaving the Wuchang Ghosts with nothing but scraps?'

Yuan Qi had read some unofficial histories on the subject. "The *Divine Wondrous Record* states that the Wuchang of the Underworld collect Yang Qi as tribute for the Emperor of the Underworld," he said. "There was once a Scholar who, finding his path to advancement blocked by official corruption, took his own life in shame and indignation. His Ghost Soul entered the Underworld and encountered an Emperor of the Underworld whose entourage was as grand as any Emperor's in the Mortal World. The Scholar kowtowed, and the Emperor of the Underworld roared with laughter, proclaiming that he was a certain emperor from several thousand years ago who simply continued his reign in the Underworld after death."

Xu Ying was captivated. "So, did the Scholar get his wish in the Underworld? Did he become a high-ranking official?" he asked.

Yuan Qi replied, "He tried to ask that Emperor of the Underworld for an official post, any post at all. But the Emperor told him, 'The only reason I can be Emperor here in the Underworld is because all my civil and military officials died and came here too. These old comrades of mine arrived in the Underworld and endorsed me as Emperor, allowing me to continue my reign. My old comrades are immortal here, but their children and grandchildren back in the Mortal World will eventually grow old and die. They have to be provided for, don't they?' That Emperor said that even the most minor, village-level positions were already booked for the next ten thousand years! The Scholar was filled with grief and indignation. Deciding that a miserable life was better than a good death, he simply returned to the world of the living."