Ascension Day

Guo Xiaodie asked, "Xu Demon King, what kind of tea did that melancholy old man give you?"

Xu Ying hesitated for a moment before saying, "I once saw Meng Po's Soup on the Naihe Bridge. The color was similar to the tea he gave me."

Everyone jumped in alarm. Uncle Xiao exclaimed, "You drank Meng Po's Soup? That's terrible! You'd forget your past and present lives entirely! You probably didn't drink Meng Po's Soup!"

Xu Ying agreed. "After I drank the old man's tea, I felt it go straight to my head. It was very potent. The more I drank, the stronger the aftereffect, giving me a splitting headache. But it tasted great—a sweet aftertaste, soothing on the throat, and it made my mouth water."

Da Zhong suddenly said, "Ying, if that pot of tea you drank really was Meng Po's Soup, then the issue with your soul can't be explained away by a dozen or so Ten Thousand Spirits Pills."

Xu Ying didn't understand what it meant.

Da Zhong explained, "As powerful as Ten Thousand Spirits Pills are for replenishing the soul, they can't counteract Meng Po's Soup. The fact that you could drink it and retain your memories is definitely not because of the pills."

Guo Xiaodie laughed. "So what Xu Demon King drank was definitely not Meng Po's Soup! I love tasting tea. Next time someone invites you, bring me along. I'll freeload a cup and have a taste."

Xu Ying readily agreed.

While cultivating, the group continued to admire the scenery of the Grotto Heaven. Yuan Qi carried them onto the back of an Ancient Giant Beast, weaving between the mountain peaks on its back.

Although Yuan Qi was massive, he was insignificant compared to the Ancient Giant Beast. The creature couldn't even be bothered to notice them.

Yuan Qi slithered to the top of the Ancient Giant Beast's head. There were mountains on its head, along with a few ancient, half-collapsed houses. Fortunately, a pavilion was still standing.

They cleaned it up a bit and sat down in the pavilion.

The houses here must have been built by Ancient Qi Refiners thousands of years ago. Now, after several millennia, those ancients had become figures of myth and legend, their traces vanished into the long river of time.

Unexpectedly, the giant beasts remained. They were the true masters of this Grotto Heaven, still roaming the Taixu Cave Heaven.

Guo Xiaodie took out a tea set and began to brew tea, smiling. "Try this tribute tea I brought from the palace. It might not be any worse than Meng Po's Soup."

Everyone took their seats. Even Yuan Qi shrank himself down into a small Exotic Snake, coiling up on a stone stool to wait for tea.

While waiting for the tea, Xu Ying recounted the events of that night, though he omitted the part about Guo Xiaodie crawling into his bed. He also left out the matter of Feng Xian'er having met him three thousand years ago.

"Little Fengxian said she saw a strange transformation in the world; heaven and earth twisted and spun, and then she fell into darkness and lost consciousness. When she woke up again, it was today, three thousand years later."

Xu Ying continued, "This whole thing feels strange to me. Who sealed the world three thousand years ago? Who had that kind of power? Also, there was the Naihe River invasion, followed by the Underworld invasion, and a lot of New Land suddenly appeared on both banks of the Naihe. Could this New Land be the world that was sealed back then?"

As he said this, Yuan Weiyang also realized something strange. "Xu Demon King, I've been thinking about this over and over. Could it be that the Heaven and Earth Great Seal Feng Xian'er mentioned is what caused the extinction of the Qi Refiners?"

Her words were a wake-up call. Previously, Xu Ying, Da Zhong, and Yuan Qi had all overlooked this point.

The decline of the Qi Refiners happened in an even more ancient era, but their extinction was most likely related to that Heaven and Earth Great Seal!

"My master vanished after that Great Seal. For the next three thousand years, I never sensed his presence again."

Da Zhong said excitedly, "In that case, my master might have been sealed away too! We'll definitely meet again! Ying, when that time comes, I'll show you what a true genius is!"

Xu Ying laughed heartily and offered a compliment, "Lord Zhong's master must be incredibly powerful. I'm no match for him."

Da Zhong, however, felt a little insecure. 'My master's talent might actually be a tiny bit worse than his,' it thought. 'But not by much. Just a tiny, tiny bit.'

Guo Xiaodie poured tea for them and smiled. "If all the Qi Refiners from three thousand years ago were sealed away, then with the emergence of the New Land, doesn't that mean all those Ancient Qi Refiners are about to return?"

Her words stunned everyone.

Xu Ying stood up, holding his teacup, and gazed out at the vast expanse of the Taixu Cave Heaven. "The Qi Refiners from three thousand years ago... are they really still alive?" he murmured.

If the Ancient Qi Refiners were also sealed away along with that world, would the current world order change when they return?

What would happen to the lofty Noble Families of today, the Imperial Authority that rules the world, and the divine authority that governs the Underworld?

Da Zhong emitted a melodious chime and said leisurely, "If the Qi Refiners from three thousand years ago were sealed along with that world, it would explain the mystery of their disappearance. They were the masters of that era. What will happen when the new masters meet the returning old ones?"

Yuan Weiyang held her teacup with both hands, taking a small sip. Her expression was calm as she said, "What's more terrifying is, who sealed the ancient world, and who is releasing it now?"

Guo Xiaodie tugged at her bodice, fanning away her inner heat. She drained her teacup in one gulp, but finding it unsatisfying, she grabbed the teapot and drank straight from the spout.

She wiped her lips, hitched up her skirt, and slammed one foot on the tea table, shouting, "There's definitely a huge conspiracy behind all this!"

As for what kind of conspiracy, she couldn't say.

Yuan Qi nodded repeatedly, sipping his tea with demure composure. In a refined voice, he said, "The one stirring up trouble behind the scenes is the most frightening. I suspect all of this is..."

He paused, then whispered, "A conspiracy by you humans against the Ancient Qi Refiners of my Demon Race! While sealing the Qi Refiners, they destroyed the history of my Demon Race, turning us into pathetic creatures who can only cultivate to the Qi Collection Stage, to be enslaved and discriminated against by others. It wasn't until Xu Demon King appeared out of nowhere, broke through the Qi Collection stage, and bravely attempted to Knock at the Gate, that he led my Demon Race on the path to resisting human tyranny..."

He suddenly stopped talking, noticing that Guo Xiaodie, Yuan Weiyang, Uncle Xiao, and Xu Ying were all staring at him with strange expressions.

Yuan Qi cleared his throat and continued to sip his tea nonchalantly, muttering under his breath, "Sooner or later, the truth will come to light."

The group looked over at him again, their expressions still strange.

Yuan Qi coughed again, sat up straight, and stared at his own nose as if in deep meditation, whispering to himself, "Justice is never late, it's just absent. Sooner or later..."

The others ignored the Snake Demon's ramblings. They continued to drink tea and cultivate, chatting and laughing in a leisurely manner.

Guo Xiaodie had never practiced Qi Refining before, but now that she was cultivating the Tuo Yu Immortal Book, her cultivation was advancing by leaps and bounds.

Meanwhile, Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang were researching whether they could help Yuan Qi open his Mud Ball Secret Treasury. The two of them were arguing heatedly over whether a person could only open one Secret Treasury.

As for Yuan Qi, he was being studied while simultaneously trying to steal Xu Ying's Dao Seed.

Da Zhong and Uncle Xiao were both slacking off. One hung in Xu Ying's Dao Field, waiting for a Dao Seed to fall on it before stealing it, while the other just kept drinking tea and admiring the sunset.

Before they knew it, evening had arrived. Two suns still hung over the West Mountain as they finally made their way toward the other half of Jiuyi Mountain's cliffs.

Xu Ying suddenly remembered the staff-wielding old man who had warned them to be careful after dark. He smiled. "Remember that kind old gentleman? He even reminded us to watch out for the Fierce Ghost Qi Refiners here at night!"

The others remembered and exclaimed one after another, "Such a good man!"

Yuan Qi said, "We've faced so many dangers, and we were afraid of ghosts, but the ghosts have never harmed us. It's the hearts of men that are truly wicked."

Da Zhong laughed. "Did you forget about having your Yang Qi drained and two of your Ghost Fires extinguished by the Ghost Dolls?"

Xu Ying asked, "Lord Zhong, how much of your injury has healed?"

"Ten percent!" Da Zhong said happily.

At that moment, inside the Demon Suppression Hall, the staff-wielding old man was sitting on the Shen Kan. His staff lay beside him as he stared at the water vat, his eyes glinting. He chuckled. "Those little rascals are back, just as I expected."

He stood up, his gaze turning vicious. "Today, I'll be eating alone!"