Ascension Day

The chess piece was as massive as a mountain. The intense friction between the piece, the fingers holding it, and the atmosphere set it ablaze in roaring flames. It descended directly, brushing past her before it landed with a sharp CRACK. The impact on the giant, cyan chessboard sent sparks of Celestial Fire flying everywhere.

Little Fengxian beat her wings, evading the piece, only to see another hand, as white as jade, reach down from beyond the heavens. It held a black piece between two fingers, about to place it on the glowing cyan board!

Little Fengxian pushed her speed to its absolute limit, darting left and right to avoid the jade hand and the black piece. But then another slender, elegant hand descended, holding a white piece!

Like an ant on a chessboard, she scurried and hid, doing everything in her power to evade the crushing force of one mountain-sized piece after another.

But the pieces fell faster and faster, and the board filled with more and more of them. Each one was as big as a mountain, making her escape increasingly difficult.

She could only do her utmost to weave through the gaps between the mountain-like pieces, desperately avoiding the repeated lethal strikes from above!

Just as Little Fengxian was sinking into despair, a voice suddenly laughed and said, "This match is over."

The cyan light and the chess game instantly vanished like smoke. Before her heart had even settled, Little Fengxian looked down toward the voice. On a mountain peak ahead, she saw an old man and a woman playing a game. The board they were using was none other than the cyan Jade Plate!

Little Fengxian flew to the mountain peak. While still a good distance from the pair, she landed, transformed into a little girl in colorful clothes, and bowed low. "I beg for my life!"

The white-robed old man didn't even look up. He waved his hand and said, "Go on. Don't meddle in other people's affairs next time."

As if granted a great pardon, Little Fengxian hastily retreated a few steps, then turned and leaped into the air, transforming back into a Phoenix and fleeing into the distance.

The Red-clothed Woman playing against the old man had a round face with a red mole between her eyebrows. She smiled. "That old gentleman must have gone off to serve tea again, hasn't he?"

The white-robed old man sighed. "He has. It's quite pitiful, really, running around every day serving tea. I heard he prepared ten large bowls of Meng Po's Soup this time. Even Meng Po finds his constant trips tiresome and says all sorts of bad things about him behind his back."

The woman with the red mole couldn't help but chuckle. "Ten bowls of Meng Po's Soup? Is he trying to water a cow?"

The white-robed old man laughed heartily. "HAHAHA! Force down ten bowls of that tea, and even an Immortal would collapse. Then we can finally rest easy."

The Red-clothed Woman sighed. "I certainly hope so. Otherwise, being on edge like this day after day is enough to make one sick with worry."

「Jiuyi Mountain.」

Xu Ying stood before the lattice window of Wutong Palace, gazing outside. His Heart Spirit surged with emotion, and it was a long time before he could calm himself.

'Once Elder Zhou's matter is settled, I'll go to Xu Family's Field!'

he thought silently. 'Only by finding that place can I solve the mystery of my origins!'

He could recall the path to Xu Family's Field from his memories.

Suddenly, a KNOCK KNOCK came from outside Wutong Palace.

Xu Ying passed through the many palace chambers to the main gate. When he opened it, he caught the scent of Incense and Candlelight. A sorrowful-faced old man was standing on a tree branch outside, looking at him with a woeful expression.

Xu Ying did not seem surprised. He smiled. "Sir, we meet again."

The sorrowful-faced old man sighed. "We could have met on Wuyang Mountain, but we unfortunately missed each other. Thankfully, I have met you again, Young Master Xu."

A glint appeared in Xu Ying's eyes. "Sir, you haven't come here to invite me for tea again, have you?"

The sorrowful-faced old man replied, "Young Master Xu is exceptionally intelligent. You guessed it at once. I have brought some fine tea this time for you to sample."

Xu Ying gave a wry smile. "And what if I refuse?"

The sorrowful-faced old man sighed. "Then, I'm afraid I'll have to force you to drink the tea. Men!"

The sky trembled violently as beams of golden light pierced the clouds, illuminating the heavens above Jiuyi Mountain. One after another, Golden Armored Giants appeared, standing upon the clouds and bowing as they peered down.

Seeing this, Xu Ying stepped aside and invited him in. "I cannot resist you, so I might as well not try. Sir, bring out your tea. I will drink it."

He calculated silently. 'If Da Zhong were here, I could use my Mysterious Domain's Pure Yang Anomalous Fire and probably put up a fight against this old man. As long as I cause a big enough commotion, Zhou Qiyun is sure to appear!'

'With Zhou Qiyun around, this sorrowful-faced old man won't be able to cause much trouble!'

'Little Fengxian caused such a huge disturbance just now,' Xu Ying thought. 'It shouldn't be hard for Lord Zhong to find this place.'

The sorrowful-faced old man laid out a tea set. A ball of fire materialized in his palm, which he used to boil a pot of water and rinse the teaware. Only then did he pour a cup for Xu Ying. The tea was crystal clear, and the mere sight of it seemed to quench one's thirst.

When Xu Ying saw the flame used to boil the water, his heart jolted, and he immediately dismissed the idea of summoning his Pure Yang Anomalous Fire. The flame the sorrowful-faced old man was using to boil the water *was* Pure Yang Anomalous Fire!

Clearly, using Pure Yang Anomalous Fire against him would be completely useless!

'There was such a huge commotion here just now. Zhou Qiyun should be on his way to check it out!' he thought.

"Drink your tea, Young Master," the sorrowful-faced old man said, raising a hand and using a slender piece of green bamboo to slide the cup over.

Xu Ying picked up the cup and smiled. "The last time you treated me to tea, sir, it didn't seem to have much of an effect. This tea looks no different from the last batch. Aren't you worried it will fail again?"

The sorrowful-faced old man's heart skipped a beat. He had long harbored this same suspicion, worried that the Meng Po's Soup had lost its effect.

"Please drink while it's hot, Young Master Xu," he said, his expression unchanging.

Xu Ying's expression was conflicted as he held the teacup, hesitating to move. The sorrowful-faced old man said, "Are you perhaps waiting for Zhou Qiyun, Young Master Xu? His injuries have not yet healed; he wouldn't dare show his face before me. There is another expert on this mountain, the Holy God Emperor Zhang Wu, but he is also injured. The body of the Emperor does not walk into peril. Would he dare come here so carelessly?"

Xu Ying stared at the teacup, his heart pounding in turmoil. He suddenly gritted his teeth, tilted his head back, and drained it in one gulp.

As Xu Ying set the cup down, the sorrowful-faced old man's brow relaxed slightly. He picked up the pot to pour another cup. "I brought several Golden Armor Warriors with me. If you had refused to drink, they would have held you down, pried open your mouth, and forced it down your throat. But since you were so cooperative, you've saved me the trouble."

Xu Ying burst out laughing. "It's just a few sips of tea! No need for you to get your own hands dirty, sir. As it happens, I was feeling a bit thirsty anyway."

He snatched the teapot, removed the lid, and tilted his head back to drink greedily.

Seeing this, the sorrowful expression on the old man's face vanished completely, replaced by a look of delight.

Xu Ying drained the entire pot of tea and grinned. "Last time you treated me to tea, sir, you told me an interesting story about Chen Mianzhu, the Emperor of Nanyan Country, who transformed into the White-robed Nuo Immortal and was eaten completely. Why no story this time?"

The sorrowful-faced old man was beaming, the wrinkles on his face seeming to smooth out. "In that case, while we wait for the medicine to take effect, I'll tell you another amusing story."

He said with a sly grin, "This Grotto Heaven Blessed Land is called Chaotian Cave Heaven. During the Ancient Times, some Qi Refiners would come here for Qi Collection and Cultivation, believing it to be a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. There are even traces left by an Immortal who ascended here, so everyone believed this place was a gateway to Ascension. They all wanted to follow the traces of that Immortal's Ascension, hoping to borrow the power of a Celestial Tribulation to open a path to the Immortal Realm. HAHA!"

He opened his mouth in an exaggerated gape and spread the fingers of both hands, each one long and thin. He cackled, "They all died, did you know that?"

He laughed until tears streamed down his cheeks. He extended a slender finger to wipe them away. "Hehe," he chuckled darkly, "All of them died. Not a single one survived. Later, someone who had cultivated Immortal Eyes came along. His sight was venomously sharp. He took one look at that Ascension Radiance and said it wasn't Ascension Radiance at all. It was just the first unlucky bastard who tried Crossing the Tribulation here and got blown to smithereens. That radiance... it's formed from his corpse and Primordial Spirit Fragments."

His face returned to a placid state, a calm that was almost frightening. "Tell me, Young Master, isn't that just hilarious?"

Xu Ying had already collapsed onto the tea table. He was sound asleep, snoring softly like a baby.

"Hilarious, isn't it?"

With a profound look in his eyes, the sorrowful-faced old man packed up the tea set, rose, and walked out of Wutong Palace, closing the doors behind him.

Just then, Da Zhong came flying toward the palace. When the sorrowful-faced old man saw the Bell, he raised his sleeve to hide his face.

Da Zhong burst into Wutong Palace through a window set in the great tree, clanging and banging as it went. "Ying! Ying, are you alright?" it cried out.

The sorrowful-faced old man broke into a smile. Just as he was about to leap down from the Phoenix Tree, he heard Xu Ying yawn as he woke up. "You're... Lord Zhong? Why did I fall asleep?"

The corner of the sorrowful-faced old man's eye twitched. The smile on his face froze, then slowly morphed back into his familiar, woeful expression.

'This is a disaster,' he thought silently.