Ascension Day

'The Emperor is far less cautious than Zhou Qiyun, too greedy for quick success and overly ambitious. If he continues his Cultivation like this, he'll die a violent death within a few years. True Fire will rise from his Heart Chamber and begin to burn, incinerating him completely, leaving behind only his skin, clothes, and hair.'

Xu Ying perceived the crux of the problem and said to the Holy God Emperor, "Your Majesty, since you opened two Secret Treasuries, have you felt their powers conflicting with each other?"

The Holy God Emperor said, "When I circulate my Cultivation Technique, I've noticed that the powers from the two great Secret Treasuries often invade my body. Although my Cultivation is getting higher and higher, my body is getting weaker and weaker the more I practice."

Xu Ying nodded lightly.

On one hand, the Holy God Emperor had misunderstood the *Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill*. On the other, this Cultivation Technique was incapable of unifying the Jiang Palace and the Jade Capital, causing the powers of the Jiang Palace, the Jade Capital, and his own Magical Power to clash.

Furthermore, his absorption of the Mortal World's Incense and Candlelight added the Power of Incense and Candlelight into the mix, making it even more difficult to harmonize everything.

The Holy God Emperor was indeed powerful, powerful enough to rival Zhou Qiyun. But the hidden dangers within his body were far greater than Zhou Qiyun's.

"I can decipher the Nine Heavens Yang God for Your Majesty, allowing you to cultivate without the risk of qi deviation or becoming manic. I can also help Your Majesty rebalance the various conflicting powers and resolve your worries."

Xu Ying raised his head, looked the Holy God Emperor directly in the eye, and said, "But I need Your Majesty to do one thing for me."

The Holy God Emperor's expression flickered. He asked, "Is it to govern the world, reform the administration, pacify the populace, and let the common people live and work in peace?"

Xu Ying shook his head. "If Your Majesty had such ability, you would have already accomplished it during your years on the throne. Why would you need a reminder from this humble commoner? This humble commoner only needs Your Majesty to do something within your power."

The Holy God Emperor burst out laughing and declared, "If I can master the Qi Refining Technique, achieve Longevity, and live as long as the world itself, then reforming the World Gates, suppressing the vassal states, and managing the people's welfare would be as easy as lifting a finger! Aiqing, do not underestimate me! I could not do it before, but once I have Longevity, I will be able to!"

Xu Ying's heart stirred. He looked at the Emperor and thought silently, 'Will the Holy God Emperor really be a good emperor?'

Although he thought this, he still stated his wish. "This humble commoner hopes that Your Majesty can help me and Yuan Weiyang escape from Zhou Qiyun and flee to safety."

The Holy God Emperor smiled slightly. "I grant your request."

Xu Ying bowed. "This humble commoner also hopes to receive the Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique from the Jade Capital Secret Treasury."

The Holy God Emperor's eye twitched, but his face was all smiles. "Although this request goes against the Ancestral Technique, I will make an exception and grant it to you!"

Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "If Your Majesty can wait a few days, this humble commoner will be able to decipher the Nine Heavens Yang God."

The Holy God Emperor's gaze was gentle as he stared at Xu Ying's face. "Xu Aiqing, I hope you will not betray my sincere heart. Not only do I grant you these things, but in the future, when I have achieved Longevity, I will also grant you the authority to govern the world! At that time, you will be one of my Dragon Meritorious Servants, second only to one, and above all others!"

Xu Ying put away the *Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill*. He was somewhat moved by the Emperor's speech and said, "This humble commoner has no intention of becoming an official, so I'm afraid I cannot accept. I will take my leave. Oh, right!"

Just as he was about to walk out of the great hall, he suddenly remembered something. He turned back and said with a smile, "At the beginning of the year, Your Majesty summoned Lord Liu, Liu Zongyuan of Yongzhou, to the Capital. Has Lord Liu been given an important position by Your Majesty now?"

The Holy God Emperor shook his head. "I thought he was a talent capable of supporting the state, so I summoned him to the Imperial Palace for a heart-to-heart talk. But all he did was spout empty theories, going on about political reform. I have no fondness for such boastful types, so I sent him to Liuzhou to be an official. Does Xu Aiqing know him? If Xu Aiqing asks, I can transfer him back."

Xu Ying smiled and shook his head. "He is an official. How could a humble commoner like me know him? We've only met a few times."

He turned and left.

The Holy God Emperor said with a smile, "I will have Eunuch Chen see you out. Eunuch Chen, escort Xu Aiqing."

"This servant obeys."

Eunuch Chen came to Xu Ying's side, bowed, and said with a smile, "This way, Lord Xu."

Xu Ying shook his head. "Eunuch, you don't have to call me 'Lord'. I'm just a kid, only fourteen and a half. I don't understand anything."

As they walked outside, Xu Ying saw some fruit trees planted outside the hall. They were already bearing fruit that gave off a sweet fragrance, but in the night, he couldn't make out what kind of trees they were.

"Eunuch, what kind of fruit is growing here?" Xu Ying asked, staring at one of the fruit trees.

"Spring peaches. It's just the season for them to ripen, and they're very sweet. Would Lord Xu like to try one?"

Xu Ying reached out and picked a spring peach. He held it under his nose and sniffed. The sweet fragrance suddenly reminded him of the scent of a beautiful woman, making him feel a bit restless and agitated.

He broke open the spring peach, glanced at it, and lost all interest. Tossing it aside, he said, "It's rotten to the core."

Eunuch Chen hurriedly picked another one, rubbed the fuzz off on his sleeve, and offered it to Xu Ying obsequiously. "Lord Xu, try this one!"

Xu Ying shook his head. "I've lost interest. By the way, Eunuch Chen, do not speak of His Majesty cultivating a Demon Skill to anyone."

Eunuch Chen was so frightened his hand trembled, and he almost dropped the peach.

Xu Ying walked towards the Phoenix Tree on the mountain, murmuring to himself, "Right now, His Majesty absorbs people's Yang Qi for his Cultivation. In the future, when his Demon Skill is a little more developed, he will start eating people for his Cultivation. At that time, the entire Imperial Palace..."

He shook his head. "I don't know how many people he'll end up eating."

Eunuch Chen shivered and hurried to catch up, whispering, "Lord Xu, when will His Majesty's Demon Skill be developed?"

Xu Ying shook his head. "I don't know. By helping His Majesty decipher it this time, I can only delay it for a while at most."

He didn't want to say more. He returned to Wutong Palace and fell onto the bed without taking off his clothes, but he couldn't sleep. After a moment, the young man rolled over on Feng Xian'Er's bed and muttered, "Rotten to the core. Beyond saving."

The next day, Xu Ying didn't wake until the sun was high in the sky. He washed up, planning to go to the Guo Family to mooch a meal. Yuan Qi had already gotten up for his morning practice, and Da Zhong wasn't there either.

Just as Xu Ying walked out of the palace, he saw Guo Xiaodie standing in front of it, her face alight with excitement. The girl was black and blue from falls, without a patch of unbruised skin on her entire body. She had clearly been practicing all night!

"I did it!" She grabbed Xu Ying's arm and shook it excitedly.

Xu Ying asked, puzzled, "You're so banged up. Didn't you use Cloud Ladder Celestial Soaring?"

The girl was incredibly excited. She wiped the blood from her nose and cheered, "If you don't have the courage to fall, you'll never master the Sword Control Technique! I finally did it!"

Shouting and cheering, she rushed off into the distance.

Xu Ying seemed to have an epiphany. He looked up and saw Yuan Qi and Da Zhong sunbathing on a branch of the Phoenix Tree. He thought, 'Lord Qi can never seem to learn the Sword Control Technique. Maybe if I push him off, he'll get it.'

He mused, 'A Big Snake practicing Sword Flight... how majestic would that be?'

Yuan Qi was talking to Da Zhong. "What should we cultivate now? The Cultivation here is too slow. We should go to the Chaotian Cave Heaven to practice. Once Ying opens his three-acre Dao Field, the Dao Seeds will come flocking in. Our Cultivation speed will be as fast as we want. You have a chance to gnaw on them but you don't? Lord Zhong, you've gone senile..."

He had just gotten to this point when he was suddenly kicked off the tree, letting out a long, miserable scream.

Da Zhong jumped in fright and looked over hastily. Xu Ying was just pulling his foot back, looking down from the tree.

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground came from below the tree.

"Xiaodie's method is no good. Lord Qi didn't learn it."

Xu Ying shook his head, glanced sideways at Da Zhong, and said, "It was suicide. Right, Lord Zhong?"

Da Zhong quickly replied, "An attempted suicide! I saw it clearly. He slipped and fell!"

Xu Ying nodded lightly and drifted away.

「Chaotian Cave Heaven.」

Xu Ying sat on Yuan Qi's head and continued to practice the Taiyi Guiding Skill, while Yuan Qi continued to steal Dao Seeds. After a long time, Xu Ying suddenly said, "Brother Yuan, yesterday His Majesty sought me out and asked me to help him decipher a Cultivation Technique."

Yuan Weiyang's body trembled slightly. She said, "You're dead for sure. His Majesty has no tolerance for others! The moment you hand over the Cultivation Technique, you'll be a dead man!"

Xu Ying's eyes flickered. "Between Zhou Qiyun and His Majesty, who is stronger?"

Yuan Weiyang shook her head. "In the past, Elder Zhou was stronger. But His Majesty is in his prime, and his Cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years. He also has the common people as his backing, with their Incense and Candlelight forming a Qingyun. It's hard to say who is stronger now."

She paused, then continued, "That day, you locked Elder Zhou, the Holy God Emperor, and the Celestial Demon in the Demon Suppression Hall. Both Elder Zhou and the Holy God Emperor were injured. The injuries on these two great masters might not have been inflicted by the Celestial Demon. But as for who is stronger and who is weaker, that is not for us to know."

Xu Ying's expression was calm as he said, "We'll know soon enough."