Ascension Day

Xu Ying took a sniff. Her fragrance was the sweet scent of a ripe peach.

She leaned slightly toward Xu Ying and said with a winsome smile, "I am Xiaodie's second aunt. Forgive me for visiting so late at night. Xu Demon King, would it be convenient for you to let me inside to sit for a while?"

Xu Ying recognized her. Seeing her about to lean against him, he quickly sidestepped away. 'This is exactly how Lord Zhong trapped me!' he thought. 'I'm not about to fall in the same pit twice.'

That beautiful woman was none other than Li Yingzhu. The other day, when she saw that Xu Ying was completely impervious to persuasion—refusing to even take a single "bite" of Guo Xiaodie, who had been offered up to him—she had gotten the wrong idea.

Tonight, she had come to Wutong Palace behind Guo Yue's back, visiting at midnight with ulterior motives. She intended to get Xu Ying under her thumb, forcing him to explain the secrets of the Sword Control Technique.

Her plan was subtle. She was exquisitely dressed, her outfit designed to be both concealing and revealing. With every movement, every frown and smile, every tiny gesture, she would reveal just a little—no more, no less—enough to make one's heart skip a beat.

This was a skill born from experience, something a crude woman like Guo Xiaodie could never hope to match.

Just as she was about to use another trick to make Xu Ying drop his reserved act, she heard Eunuch Chen's voice from behind. "Young Master Xu," he said, "by order of the Emperor, I am here to invite you into the hall for an audience. Madam Guo, your business will have to wait. Please forgive me."

Li Yingzhu's face flushed red with shame. She hastily pulled her robes tightly around her body, sidled past the eunuch, and with a single leap, jumped into the clouds and vanished from sight.

Xu Ying exclaimed in admiration, "Second Aunt's skills are truly magnificent! I could never pull off a move like that!"

Eunuch Chen, dressed in noble purple robes, smiled. "Madam Guo's skills are indeed profound; she just enjoys toying with people. Young Master Xu, this way, please."

Xu Ying chuckled. "So the Emperor finally remembered me today. Well, it's not too late. Eunuch, please lead the way."

Eunuch Chen's heart skipped a beat. He bowed and gestured for Xu Ying to follow.

Xu Ying followed him down the mountain, and before long, they reached the great hall of the Cangwu Sect. Eunuch Chen bowed and invited him to enter, while he himself remained standing guard outside.

Inside the great hall burned furnaces—not just one, but more than a dozen of them. Their fires blazed hotly, making the hall swelter. These furnaces were being used for alchemy, and the most precious ingredient being refined was Yang Qi!

Xu Ying had been here before, but last time, it was merely his consciousness merged with Jiuyi. This was his first time physically setting foot in this place. In just a short while, he felt as if the moisture in his body was about to be completely steamed away.

"I, too, have cultivated a Demon Technique."

Xu Ying suddenly caught the scent of Incense and Candlelight. He then saw the Holy God Emperor emerge from behind an Alchemy Furnace. "What you would call a Qi Refining Skill," the Emperor said. "But my cultivation of it is not going well."

Seeing the Emperor's agitated and melancholic face, a thought suddenly struck Xu Ying. He exclaimed in shock, "Your Heart Fire is raging out of control, crushing your body! You've opened two of the Six Secrets of the Human Body! One is your Li Family's Secret Treasury, and the other is the Guo Family's Jiang Palace Secret Treasury!"

Emperor Shengwu's face was grim. He was drenched in sweat, as if he'd just been fished out of the water. His voice was hoarse as he said, "You are correct. My ancestral inheritance is the Jade Capital Secret Treasury. I married Empress Guo and then began the cultivation of the Guo Family's Jiang Palace Secret Treasury. And that's not all. I am the Great Emperor of the Divine Land! I unified the beliefs of the realm, and countless citizens chant my name in worship. I am the most venerable Deity in all the Divine Land!"

Xu Ying couldn't resist pointing out, "But you still can't defeat Zhou Qiyun."

Emperor Shengwu let out a low snarl, his eyes bloodshot as he stared daggers at Xu Ying. After a long moment, he finally spoke. "That is why when he pursued the cultivation of a Demon Technique, I did as well! I want Longevity!"