Ascension Day

Xu Ying thought for a moment and said, "You've jumbled too many things together in your Cultivation Technique: the two great Secret Treasuries of a Nuo Master, the Incense Fire God of the Yin Court, and the lost Qi Refining Skill. You can't unify them, so you've run into problems. Especially with the Qi Refining Skill. You don't understand it, but you forced yourself to cultivate it anyway. When issues arose, you were too proud to admit it, so the situation just got worse and worse. Am I right?"

Emperor Shengwu's majesty radiated from him, his domineering aura turning somber. He stared at Xu Ying without saying a word.

Xu Ying's expression remained calm. "Your Majesty, if looks could kill, yours certainly would. Staring at me like that is quite terrifying."

Emperor Shengwu could no longer restrain himself. Divine Light shot from his eyes.

With two sharp hisses, two beams of Divine Light shot from his eyes, streaking past the top of Xu Ying's head. They sliced a Bronze Pillar as thick as a water bucket into three sections!

A large section of the hall's ceiling was blown away, and the edges of the cuts glowed fiery red, perfectly smooth.

Xu Ying stood his ground, not moving a muscle, showing no sign of fear. "Your Majesty, since you've come to Yongzhou, have you seen the state of its people?"

Emperor Shengwu saw him change the subject and assumed Xu Ying was offering him an honorable way out. He seized the opportunity, and his expression softened. "Yongzhou has suffered a disaster, and I am deeply pained by it. I have already ordered the Governor of Yongzhou, Zhou Heng, to provide relief to the victims and save the people from their suffering."

A look of disappointment crossed Xu Ying's face. "Even before the Underworld invaded, the people of Yongzhou were oppressed by Officials. In our Jiang Family Field Village alone, there were those who sold their sons and daughters, those who hanged themselves in their homes, those who starved or were worked to death on the roadside, and those who were thrown into jail and beaten to death inside. My adoptive father and grandfather went to catch snakes and were killed by an Exotic Snake."

Emperor Shengwu frowned.

In the past, when he frowned, his officials would read his expression and know to fall silent, careful not to make him lose face.

Xu Ying continued, heedless, "When I entered the hall just now, I smelled the fragrance of medicinal herbs, including the unique scent of a wax-preserved Exotic Snake. Only today did I learn that the Exotic Snakes we Snake Catchers risk our lives to capture are presented to Your Majesty for Alchemy. I imagine that because you opened the Jade Capital and Jiang Palace Secret Treasuries, the conflicting energies in your body have caused spasms in your limbs, requiring treatment with Exotic Snakes. Heh... so it turns out my grandfather and adoptive father died at Your Majesty's hands."

Emperor Shengwu said unhurriedly, "The people's livelihood in Yongzhou is that rotten? I was not aware. The Governor of Yongzhou, Zhou Heng, is a disciple of the Zhou Family. He has done a poor job, but I cannot control the Zhou Family, nor can I get rid of Zhou Qiyun. What am I to do?"

Xu Ying ignored him. "Your Majesty, Yongzhou has suffered a disaster, and New Lands have emerged, isolating many villages within the great mountains. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. They are trapped in the New Lands and are being attacked by Ghost Souls from the Underworld, but because the roads are treacherous, the Officials can't go to collect taxes. It might be that their lives have actually improved."

The Holy God Emperor fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "This is the great flaw of a world ruled by Noble Families. My imperial decrees can't even reach the county towns! I order disaster relief, I order tax exemptions, I order an end to corvée labor, but by the time the orders get down to the local level, they are completely distorted. I have my own troubles, you see!"

Xu Ying stared at him. After a moment, he said, "If you're not capable, then step down. Let someone who is take your place. What's the point of occupying a latrine if you're not going to take a shit?"

The Holy God Emperor's face became impassive. The Qingyun above his head suddenly turned somber, and thunder CRACKLED as lightning flashed wildly within it.

He was utterly enraged.

Seeing this, Xu Ying gave a carefree laugh and said, "This humble commoner can sympathize with Your Majesty. After all, the top is still sound; it hasn't rotted yet. It's only what's underneath that's rotten—the roots are rotten. Now, what seems to be the problem with Your Majesty's Cultivation Technique?"

The Holy God Emperor snorted and said coolly, "Even if Zhou Qiyun holds you in high regard, within this great hall, within ten paces, if I chose to take your head, not even ten Zhou Qiyuns could save you!"

Xu Ying lowered his head. "Your Majesty, I am but a commoner, and you are the Holy Emperor. Why resort to the crude anger of a common man?"

The Holy God Emperor suppressed his surging Qi Blood and exhaled sharply. "You were born in Yongzhou, and life there is hard. It is normal for you to hold some resentment. I will not hold it against you. Zhou Qiyun is known for his magnanimity, and so am I."

He took out a Golden Book. Golden Books were a medium used by Ancient Qi Refiners to record their Cultivation Techniques. Its pages of gold paper were as thin as a cicada's wings. He activated it with his Divine Sense, and as he did, it rose to hover in the air. Text and diagrams were projected from the gold paper.

These diagrams often contained Dao Images of the Great Dao, which the Ancient Qi Refiners had painstakingly recorded. Comprehending these Dao Images could aid one's Cultivation.

The Cultivation Technique in the Holy God Emperor's Golden Book was called the Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill. It contained not only the technique itself but also the art of Alchemy for refining the Yang God Nine Revolutions Profound Pill.

It also included the Golden Crow Dao Image and the Nine Heavens Dao Image, both of which were exceedingly profound.

Xu Ying gave it a quick look and swiftly comprehended the text. The Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill followed a path of Pure Yang, refining one's energy into Pure Yang Yuan Qi and one's soul into a Pure Yang Soul. Finally, the profound pill would undergo nine revolutions. Each revolution was equivalent to ascending a Heaven, and after nine revolutions, one would have forged a Pure Yang Primordial Spirit.

"The Nine Heavens Yang God... there are no major flaws in the Cultivation Technique itself. One just has to follow the steps to cultivate it."

Xu Ying mused, 'So where did the Holy God Emperor misunderstand it? What led him to use the Yang Qi of Human-Stealing Ghosts for his Cultivation? Could he have mistaken Pure Yang for regular Yang Qi?'

Xu Ying was no longer the ignorant youth he once was. He now had a general understanding of the Nuo Technique and Nuo Art, and he knew that the concept of Pure Yang did not exist within them.

If the Holy God Emperor had indeed mistaken Pure Yang for Yang Qi, it would certainly explain the ridiculous situation of him trying to cultivate using Yang Qi.

Moreover, he had also opened his Jiang Palace Secret Treasury, causing his Heart Fire to burn intensely. Consuming large quantities of Spirit Pills refined from Yang Qi on top of that would, over time, inevitably make him irritable and manic.

And this was just the deviation in his understanding of Pure Yang. There were likely many other errors as well. When all these mistakes accumulated, they would become a major, life-threatening problem.