Ascension Day

On Jiuyi Mountain, two of the most terrifying figures in the world stood tall. One stood before the main hall of the Cangwu Sect, exuding the tyrannical majesty of an emperor. The other stood before a cliff, plain and unassuming.

"Zhou Qiyun, it has always been you who uses and schemes against others. I never imagined that today, you would be the one being used and schemed against."

The Holy God Emperor's aura grew increasingly powerful as he sneered, "Xu Ying used a single roll of deciphered Scriptures to trap you here, forcing you into a decisive battle with me. And yet, you accept it willingly, letting a mere brat run circles around you. You disgrace the renowned name of Elder Bai Mei!"

Zhou Qiyun's expression was composed. "Your Majesty has been clever since childhood, with aspirations to ascend to the highest heavens. You vowed to surpass the Wenwu Great Saint and the Supreme Daoist Saint, to have your name immortalized in history and be revered for all eternity. Your methods are extraordinary, and you possess great intelligence. To ascend the throne, you had no choice but to rely on the two great Noble Families, the Li and the Guo. Yet now you want to weaken your vassals, to reduce the power of the Noble Families. Isn't that like riding a donkey to find a donkey? How could you ever possibly weaken them?"

The Holy God Emperor's eye twitched. Zhou Qiyun's words had struck a nerve.

Yet, Zhou Qiyun did not seize the opportunity to strike. Instead, he continued, "People say you are the lord of a great revival, but you have merely refrained from causing trouble. As for a great revival, heheh, what does that have to do with you? You have the ambition but no way to realize it, the intention but not the ability. You think it is we, the Noble Families, who have shackled your feet, but in truth, you are the one holding yourself back. Your Majesty, you thought I was obstructing you, so you went to study Qi Refining and Alchemy. But you simply lack the talent. Your practice was a complete mess, turning you into something neither human nor ghost."

The Holy God Emperor roared with laughter, his aura fluctuating.

But Zhou Qiyun still did not attack, remaining calm and composed. "Your ambition is higher than the heavens. You gathered vast amounts of Incense and Candlelight while also opening the Jade Capital and Jiang Palace Secret Treasuries. You deluded yourself into thinking you could open them both to the Ninth Heaven and then continue your Cultivation in Qi Refining. Logically, your Cultivation Power should far surpass mine, yet it never has. What is the reason for this? Your fate is thinner than paper, and your wisdom is insufficient."

The Holy God Emperor's aura destabilized.

"Your Majesty claims Xu Ying ran circles around me, but from the moment he knew you were on Jiuyi Mountain, he set his sights on you. He passed the Guo Family's Sword Control Technique, revealed a Qi Refining Technique, and acted with flamboyant arrogance. Every action was bait cast for Your Majesty, just to see when you would bite."

Zhou Qiyun said, "He needed a great expert to deal with me. The moment Your Majesty sought him out to decipher the Qi Refining Skill, you took his hook. Yet Your Majesty believed your own plan had succeeded, that you had him under your thumb."

The Holy God Emperor roared with laughter. "You think a mere country bumpkin would possess such cunning? He would dare to plot against me?"

"He is a Snake Catcher. All Snake Catchers are meticulous, or they don't survive."

Zhou Qiyun said, "I, too, am a Snake Catcher. I have lived from the time of the Emperor of Ultimate Dao until today because I am also meticulous enough. Your Majesty, I will now go to Wutong Palace and take your *Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill*."

He no longer looked at the Holy God Emperor and began walking toward the Phoenix Tree on the summit of Jiuyi Mountain. He spoke at an unhurried pace, "Your Majesty can proceed to the Underworld and hunt down Xu Ying. But if I obtain Your Majesty's Nine Heavens Yang God power and harmonize my Yin and Yang, my Cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds, completing the final step of my Ascension. At that point, in my eyes, Your Majesty will be as if in the palm of my hand."

The Holy God Emperor clenched his fists.

"Your Majesty could also strike at me. Right now, my back is wide open, completely unguarded. It is the perfect opportunity for you to kill me. But the moment you attack, you will fall into my trap."

Zhou Qiyun continued walking up the mountain. "Your Majesty's Heart Spirit has been shaken by my words," he said faintly. "With an unstable Heart Spirit, a rash attack against me will only lead to a faster defeat. Your Majesty, what is your choice?"

The Holy God Emperor's expression was grim and uncertain. Seeing Zhou Qiyun about to reach the summit, he could no longer hold back and lunged at Zhou Qiyun's back!

The summit was suddenly silent for a moment. Then, in an instant, a strange, silent, and traceless ripple erupted. In the distance, however, a mountaintop exploded, sending rubble floating into the air.

Massive rocks flew chaotically through the sky. They were clearly moving fast, yet they gave the impression of moving very slowly, as if they would drift languidly for a long time before finally falling to the ground.

Then a second ripple spread out, hugging the ground and surging downward like a tide. With irresistible force, it uprooted the trees on the mountainside, transforming them into a rolling torrent of timber!

Below the mountain, numerous Jinwu Guards were horrified by the sight and scrambled to flee. Some leaped from cliffs and narrowly escaped with their lives, while others were swept up by the countless rolling trees, swallowed by the torrent, their fates unknown!

When the third ripple arrived, all the clouds and mist between the mountains were swept away. The sky between the peaks became unimaginably clear!

The clear sky was transparent, the horizon a deep azure, as profound and unfathomable as the Celestial Abyss.

Only after a moment did people hear the incredibly dull thuds of Divine Powers clashing from the summit of Jiuyi Mountain.

One thud, two, three...

Each sound was like a blow to the chest, a strike upon the soul, shaking both the Jinwu Guards and the Guo Family experts so violently that they all collapsed to the ground, retching.

Suddenly, a Qingyun flew over. It was battered and riddled with holes. Beneath the Qingyun, the Holy God Emperor's robes were also in disarray, and his complexion was not good. He flew down and landed in the main hall of the Cangwu Sect.

"Where is Eunuch Chen?"

"I am here!" Eunuch Chen, dressed in purple and covered in blood, scrambled toward the Cangwu Sect, his face a mask of alarm and confusion.

"Prepare the imperial carriage immediately! We return to the capital!"

"As you command!"

A moment later, the imperial carriage set off, escorted by a retinue of Jinwu Guards and Guo Family experts. The thick curtains of the Emperor's palanquin were drawn shut, sealing it completely from view. Inside, the Holy God Emperor coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his aura utterly depleted.

On the summit of Jiuyi Mountain, atop the Phoenix Tree, a white-browed youth pushed open the gates of Wutong Palace. He found the scroll of Scriptures left by Xu Ying and sat down quietly.

He gave it a quick look. It was indeed the complete *Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill*. In the crucial sections, there were even annotations left by Xu Ying in red ink, stating that this was the key to compensating for the deficiencies in the *Tuo Yu Immortal Book*.

Zhou Qiyun read this passage of scripture carefully. It could indeed mend the flaws of the *Tuo Yu Immortal Book*.

"May Elder Bai Mei enjoy good health and succeed in Crossing the Tribulation." Xu Ying had written on the final page.

"That rascal..."

A smile touched Zhou Qiyun's lips. He began to read from the beginning. 'For that sentence alone,' he thought, 'I'll grant him a little more time to run for his life.'

This time, he read with extreme care, comprehending it bit by bit. By the time he finished the scripture, it was already the next day.

"If I go after him now, I probably won't be able to find him, will I?"

Zhou Qiyun straightened up. A commotion was rising from the base of the mountain. He walked to a window in Wutong Palace, pushed open the lattice, and looked out. Thousands of Nuo Masters from the Zhou Family had arrived at the foot of the mountain.

These Nuo Masters were transporting all sorts of materials and treasures, preparing to build a divine altar on the summit for a heavenly sacrifice.

This place would become the site of his, Zhou Qiyun's, Tribulation Crossing!

'Where could the other Snake Catcher have fled to?' Zhou Qiyun wondered silently as he watched the bustling crowd below.

"Lord Qi, Lord Zhong, Brother Yuan wants to introduce me to his younger sister. Brother Yuan is good-looking, so his sister can't be bad."

Xu Ying was quite happy. He added, "Maybe I can even save on the betrothal gift."

The Big Snake Yuan Qi revealed his true form, carrying the young man as they soared through the mountains toward their new destination. He laughed and said, "Guo Xiaodie is very pretty too, but doesn't she have a sister who weighs over two hundred pounds? If she were really a beauty, would it be your turn? Ying, I think you'd better brace yourself."

Da Zhong floated in the air, circling around Xu Ying. "Yuan Weiyang is fifteen, one year older than Ying. His sister is either the same age as Ying or younger. Just a young girl. Even if she's pretty, she's still just a young girl. Besides, the Yuan Family is a Noble Family. The betrothal gift will only be higher."

"What if I don't give a betrothal gift and just run away with his sister?" Xu Ying mused.

"Yuan Weiyang would kill you!"

Xu Ying roared with laughter. Standing between the Big Snake's black and white horns, he looked out at the vast, boundless mountains and rivers of the New Land and shouted, "Let's go! We're going to find our home!"

"Ying, can we really find Xu Family's Field?"

"Definitely!"

After practicing the way of the Ba Snake Cultivator, Yuan Qi's Physique had grown larger and larger, and his speed slithering through the mountains was now much faster than an ordinary Nuo Master running at full tilt.

He carried Xu Ying as they searched, and from time to time, Xu Ying would use Sword Control to fly into the air, surveying the landscape and searching for familiar landmarks.

They continued on like this, stopping and starting, traveling an unknown distance and searching countless mountains and rivers, but they still couldn't find the familiar place from his memories.

The New Land's landscape was now vastly different from before, and terrifying creatures often appeared in the mountains. At night, the Underworld would invade, turning the Mortal World into a bizarre and grotesque place.

Xu Ying also sensed the presence of Divine Spirits from the Yin Court, who were tailing them and monitoring his movements.

"Ying, the Yin Court hasn't given up on capturing you."

Da Zhong said worriedly, "When Zhou Qiyun was around, They didn't dare touch you. Now that he's gone, I'm afraid the Yin Court will mobilize the City Gods and Judges to hunt you down again."

After more than ten days, they saw a county town standing intact in the middle of the New Land, miraculously undamaged by the Underworld's invasion. As they drew closer, they learned it was Qiyang County Town, a rare paradise left in the Mortal World.

Qiyang County Town was completely cut off from the outside world. The people were astonished to see Xu Ying and flocked out to get a look.

Xu Ying devoured several large bowls of rice noodles at a roadside stall, the spice making his forehead drip with sweat as he exclaimed in satisfaction. For the past few days on Jiuyi Mountain, he had been eating meals from the Imperial Kitchen and had long since grown tired of them. Today, eating the local rice noodles of Yongzhou again, he felt as if he had returned to the Mortal World.

"Lord Zhong, Lord Qi, just now from the air, I saw some familiar mountains east of Qiyang." Xu Ying paid for his meal and said excitedly, "Let's go check out the east side of the county town later."

Leaving Qiyang County Town, they headed east. Da Zhong and Yuan Qi saw many towering mountains and surging rivers, and a seed of doubt grew in their hearts.

"Lord Qi, your ancestors lived in Yongzhou for three hundred years. You've never seen such ancient mountains east of Qiyang, have you?" Da Zhong asked quietly.

Yuan Qi shook his head. "Apart from the county town itself being Qiyang, the rest of this place isn't Qiyang at all!"

Da Zhong said, "That's strange then. Ying says this place looks just like what he remembers, but this is the New Land! Is the Xu Family's Field in Ying's memory really the Xu Family's Field?"

Yuan Qi couldn't help but feel a little worried too.

But Xu Ying was very excited, constantly pointing at the nearby mountains and great rivers, saying that this was exactly how he remembered it.

"What if the Xu Family's Field in his memory isn't the Xu Family's Field from seven years ago?"

Da Zhong whispered, "What if it's the Xu Family's Field from three thousand years ago?"

"Here! Right here!"

Xu Ying said excitedly, "I remember this place! There's a village just ahead, with a small river at its entrance. Our Xu Family's Field is on the other side!"

He leaped off Yuan Qi's head and strode forward quickly.

Yuan Qi quickly transformed into a small snake and leaped onto Xu Ying's shoulder. Da Zhong hurried to catch up, slipping into the back of Xu Ying's head.

Sure enough, there was a small river ahead, and a village. The village was not large; it was simple and old, with low-lying houses from which cooking smoke curled upwards.

There were actually residents here, lighting fires and cooking meals.

They were likely residents from near Qiyang who had been trapped here by the New Land, cut off from the outside world.

Xu Ying walked quickly to the riverbank and looked across. The other side was desolate. There was nothing there, not even any trace of a great fire.

A few old men were sitting under a tree at the village entrance, enjoying the shade. Xu Ying composed himself, walked over, and asked, "Honored elders, may I ask if there was ever a village on the other side called Xu Family's Field?"

"Xu Family's Field?"

Hearing this, the old men all shook their heads. "There has never been a place called Xu Family's Field around here."

Xu Ying shook his head, feeling a little dizzy.

'This place doesn't exist?'

"That's right. Our ancestors have lived nearby for generations, and we've never heard of a Xu Family's Field. Young man, who are you?"

"Who am I?"

Xu Ying's mind roared as all sorts of memories rushed in. He muttered, "Who am I? That's right, who am I really..."

"I've seen you!"

One of the old men, his eyes dim with age, stared repeatedly at Xu Ying's face. He finally got a clear look and exclaimed in shock, "I saw you when I was a little boy! You still look exactly the same! That's right, it was you!"

He was so agitated he nearly fainted, shouting, "I've seen a ghost, I've seen a ghost! I saw you when I was about ten, and now I'm seventy-six, but you haven't changed a bit!"