Ascension Day

The sorrowful old man hurried down from the Phoenix Tree and headed toward the base of Jiuyi Mountain, his heart pounding with shock and terror. 'Something terrible has happened! Meng Po's Soup has failed!'

Xu Ying had downed ten bowls of Meng Po's Soup in one go, but unlike before, the soup hadn't made him sleep like a baby. He still remembered the Da Zhong!

He should have forgotten all his memories since the age of six, just like all the times before.

He should only remember the great fire at Xu Family's Field and believe he was an orphan who had escaped it.

The seal on his mind was supposed to quickly generate new memories for him, allowing him to start a new life.

But this time, the Meng Po's Soup was no more effective than colored water. It had failed completely!

'I have to report this to my superiors immediately. There can be no delay!'

Just then, the sorrowful old man saw Zhou Qiyun. The youth with the white eyebrows stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching him with an air of indifference.

The sorrowful old man's heart skipped a beat. He slowed his pace, his expression mournful, and said, "We meet again."

Zhou Qiyun, the white-eyebrowed youth, had a cold expression, and his voice was just as chilling. "I chose to undergo my Crossing the Tribulation in Yongzhou for two reasons. First, it's my homeland. Second, it is a New Land. New Lands have fewer entanglements, fewer connections, and consequently, fewer experts."

The sorrowful old man listened quietly, not interrupting.

Zhou Qiyun continued, "By Crossing the Tribulation here, I can do so without distraction, without worrying about some expert appearing out of nowhere to stab me in the back. For the sake of this tribulation, I plundered twenty-six ancient tombs and thirty-four Immortal Mountains, gathering all their treasures. The old geezers from the other Noble Families are already mocking me, calling me a Tomb Raider Captain who specializes in desecrating tombs and digging up graves."

The sorrowful old man said, "To endure such infamy, your ambition must be immense. Ascension has become your obsession."

Zhou Qiyun said, "Anyone who threatens my Ascension will face my wrath. I don't care who they are or what their background is."

The sorrowful old man sighed. "And yet, I have appeared near you twice. The first time, you could tolerate my presence. The second time, you can tolerate me no longer."

A faint smile touched Zhou Qiyun's lips. "You're very clever. But you shouldn't have come so close to me, and you certainly shouldn't have come so close to Xu Ying. He is a crucial part of my plan for Ascension. I need him to decipher and complete the Qi Refiners' Cultivation Technique for me. Anyone who dares to interfere, I will kill!"

Sensing the grave danger, the sorrowful old man retreated step by step. Then, he suddenly leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of green light that shot toward the heavens. 'My retreat just now was flawless,' he thought. 'There was no opening for Zhou Qiyun to attack!'

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the world began to spin. The direction of his flight reversed, and he found himself hurtling back toward Zhou Qiyun!

The sorrowful old man was shocked. 'When I met him on the Wangxiang Platform, he was no match for me! When we met again on Wuyang Mountain, he put immense pressure on me and could already stand against me as an equal! But now, his power seems to have grown even greater!'

As they grew closer, the sorrowful old man's Primordial Spirit materialized behind him, vast and boundless. Channeling all its power, he thrust out a finger!

His True Essence thrummed as he unleashed his full power. 'In such a short time, I refuse to believe you could have integrated a Qi Refiner's Cultivation Technique and forged a new Divine Skill! Take this—my Immortal Slaying Finger!'

His finger attack carried a breathtaking Immortal Light, with Immortal Qi swirling around it. His fingertip trembled, creating a cascade of afterimages, some fast and some slow, that seemed to strike at Zhou Qiyun from different points in space-time.

Zhou Qiyun also thrust out a single finger. The sorrowful old man's pupils constricted in horror. 'The Immortal Slaying Finger? Where did he learn the Immortal Slaying Finger technique? Of course... he's been acting as a Tomb Raider Captain, digging up so many graves. He must have desecrated my master's tomb as well!'

A series of dull thuds echoed as all the phantoms of Immortal Light vanished, leaving only their two fingertips pressed against each other.

With a sharp CRACK, the sorrowful old man's finger snapped. He cried out in pain and turned to flee. 'He has refined all the Activity from the Mud Ball Secret Treasury into his Flesh Body! His physical body is already close to that of an Immortal—it's stronger than mine!'

He leaped into the air, only to see the world turn upside down once more. Again, he was hurtling toward Zhou Qiyun!

'These are the methods of an Immortal!'

Filled with shock and fury, he had no choice but to attack Zhou Qiyun again. They exchanged a single blow, and the sorrowful old man was wounded once more. He tried to retreat again, but the world inverted, flipping him upside down and sending him flying toward Zhou Qiyun for a third time!

They traded another blow, and the sorrowful old man's injuries worsened. He leaped into the air, attempting to flee once more.

This time, the circulation of Zhou Qiyun's Cultivation Technique faltered for an instant, allowing him to escape!

The sorrowful old man spat blood as he tore through the sky, his heart filled with panic. 'Zhou Qiyun's progress is frighteningly fast! Xu Ying must have given him the True Technique instead of trying to deceive him! He has cultivated the Qi Refiner's Cultivation Technique and combined it with the Ninth Heaven of the Mud Ball Secret Treasury. His Cultivation Power is now far beyond mine!'

He fled in a panic, soaring over the mountain ranges of the New Land. Suddenly, on a mountain ahead, he saw two people playing a game of chess: an old man in white and a woman in red. A flicker of joy ignited in the sorrowful old man's heart, and he hastily descended!

The pair were the very ones who had intercepted Little Fengxian. Seeing his injuries, they were both startled and rushed forward to examine him.

The Red-clothed Woman asked urgently, "Who injured you?"

The sorrowful old man coughed up more blood and cried, "Zhou Qiyun!"

The words had barely left his mouth when the other two sensed imminent danger. The white-clothed old man had no time to turn around. His Primordial Spirit leaped forth as he thrust his palm out behind him, just in time to meet Zhou Qiyun's Immortal Slaying Finger.

Though it was just a finger, its power was focused from Zhou Qiyun's entire body. The Primordial Spirit couldn't block it. The finger pierced its palm, struck the old man's physical body in the back, and blasted out through his chest!

The white-clothed old man sprayed a mouthful of blood, staining his white robes crimson.

His power was not so weak that he should have been defeated so easily, but Zhou Qiyun's sneak attack had caught him completely off guard, resulting in a devastating blow!