Ascension Day

The incoming Sword Qi clashed against his Protective Sword Qi with a series of sharp TINGS, shattering it until he could no longer fly.

Yuan Qi plummeted from the sky, but his heart was filled with joy. 'I did it! I mastered it!'

He had a sudden realization. 'Could it be Ying, ambushing me with Sword Qi? To think he'd come up with such a method, forcing me to break through in a moment of crisis...'

Before he hit the ground, he saw a dozen more beams of sword light flying toward him. The Sword Qi that had just shattered dissipated into wisps of green smoke, carrying the scent of Incense and Candlelight!

Yuan Qi's heart lurched. 'It's not Ying! It's a Divine Spirit from the Yin Court!'

He abruptly revealed his true form, transforming in mid-air into a giant serpent over twenty zhang long. He then channeled the Ba Snake Cultivator, instantly swelling into a colossal beast a hundred zhang in length. His Qi and Blood were so vigorous he resembled a mountain forest ablaze, and his aura shot into the clouds!

His thick tail whipped toward the sky, latching onto a cliff face with a loud CRACK. Hanging upside down, he raised his head and channeled the Dragon and Snake Awakening Skill. His Qi and Blood surged, forming the Dragon and Snake Dual Dao Image behind him!

The Dragon and Snake Dual Dao Image was even more massive than Yuan Qi's own physique. The dragon and snake coiled around the sheer cliff of Wuyang Mountain, encircling it completely. Shrouded in clouds and mist, the sight was utterly astonishing.

The Flying Swords struck Yuan Qi's body with a series of TINGS, but they merely dissipated into trails of Incense Smoke Qi, unable to even pierce his scales.

Niu Zhen and Niu Qian, who had rushed out at the commotion, looked up and saw Yuan Qi's true form. They were both stunned into silence, their hearts filled with an inexplicable fear.

This was the true form of Yuan Qi, who had awakened his Ancient Bloodline and received a direct empowerment from Zhou Qiyun!

He had already forged the Ba Snake Cultivator and the Dragon and Snake Awakening Skill into one. When he channeled this new technique, its power far surpassed what even Xu Ying could achieve if he were to perform the two original skills himself.

His immense Qi and Blood was even more terrifying, so powerful that it was now on par with Xu Ying's!

A cry of approval came from the foot of the mountain. An authoritative voice called out in praise, "I had thought you merely an ordinary Demon King. I never expected you to be this powerful. I underestimated you."

Yuan Qi looked toward the sound and saw a tall man dressed as a Scholar emerge from the forest. Following him were the City Gods from all the counties in Yongzhou, each shrouded in swirling incense smoke, their auras deep and powerful.

The one who had just ambushed him was none other than the Lingling City God, Xue Ling Mansion.

Xue Ling Mansion stepped forward and announced, "This is Magistrate Ling of Yongzhou Prefecture! By order of the Emperor of the Yin Court, he is here to escort Xu Ying to the Underworld to answer for his crimes!"

Yuan Qi's heart sank. 'Magistrate Ling? This is bad!'

In the Yin Court, the rank of Magistrate was even higher than that of a Ghost King. They were powerful regional lords.

Magistrate Ling was a figure who could rival the Governor of Yongzhou, Zhou Heng. Zhou Heng had received the Zhou Family's true legacy, opening a Fivefold Mire Grotto Heaven. And though he was frighteningly fat, his skills were such that he had managed to escape an attack by the Ghost Nuo Immortal with his life.

Magistrate Ling's arrival definitely meant he came with ill intent.

Just as Yuan Qi was thinking this, a voice suddenly boomed with laughter. "Magistrate Ling, fancy meeting you here! I give you my regards."

Yuan Qi jumped in fright. That was the voice of Inspector Zhou Heng!

'If Zhou Heng found this place, does that mean Elder Zhou has found it as well?' he wondered.

The pot-bellied Inspector Zhou Heng descended from the sky, held aloft by a large, fat bird. He was panting as he said, "I have come on the order of my family's Elder to deliver a letter to Xu Ying. Magistrate Ling, as for the Yin Court Emperor's business, I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

Magistrate Ling glanced at Zhou Heng and sneered before turning to lead his retinue away.

City God Xue Ling Mansion hurriedly said, "Magistrate, we outnumber them! If we all attack together, we can just finish him off!"

Magistrate Ling shook his head. "I'm not afraid of a mere Zhou Heng. However, the Yin Court is very wary of Elder Zhou and doesn't wish to offend him. I had thought Elder Zhou was unaware of Xu Ying's presence here, so I came to seize the opportunity. I never imagined he would actually track Xu Ying down!"

On Wuyang Mountain, Xu Ying took Zhou Qiyun's letter from Zhou Heng and unfolded it. It started with the formal greeting, "To see my writing is to see my face," followed by a series of polite inquiries.

In the letter, Zhou Qiyun explained that he had encountered some difficulties while studying the Nine Heavens Yang God technique and had thus sent Zhou Heng to extend his greetings and hopefully receive some clarification.

Xu Ying lowered the letter. "Lord Zhou, when did your Elder find out I was hiding here?"

"He's known for over ten days now," replied Inspector Zhou Heng.

A chill went through Xu Ying, but he smiled. "Then why hasn't Elder Zhou come to capture me?"

Zhou Heng chuckled. "I asked the Elder the same thing. He said, 'What's the difference between you being here and being by my side?' He is busy setting up an altar to worship the heavens and prepare for his Ascension, so he has no time to come personally."

Xu Ying laughed heartily at his words, though he remained secretly on guard. "Elder Zhou honors me. I'll write a reply for you to take back."

He took up a brush and wrote a letter, answering Zhou Qiyun's questions.

After some thought, Xu Ying retrieved the teacup left behind by the Master of the Mud Mound Palace. He poured a cup of tea and said, "Lord Zhou, take this for your Elder to see. And remember, the tea in this cup must not be poured out."

Zhou Heng took the teacup and hurried back to Jiuyi Mountain with the letter. Upon seeing Zhou Qiyun, he presented the letter. Zhou Qiyun unfolded it, read it carefully, and asked, "What did Xu Ying say?"

"Xu Ying said that the Elder honors him."

Zhou Heng presented the teacup with a smile. "He also had me bring this cup of tea back for the Elder to see."

Zhou Qiyun gestured for him to set it aside and continued to study the letter's contents. He became completely absorbed and, before he knew it, three days had passed. When he finally looked up, he found that a maid had already taken the teacup from the table and poured out the tea.

Zhou Qiyun remembered the tea but, not finding the cup, he didn't give it a second thought.

"Heng'er, make another trip to Wuyang Mountain."

Zhou Qiyun wrote another letter and handed it to Zhou Heng. "When you meet Xu Ying," he said, "be sure to be courteous and show him some respect."

Zhou Heng bowed in acknowledgement and departed with the letter.

When he arrived at Wuyang Mountain, he found Xu Ying teaching two Ox Demons how to purify themselves of Incense Smoke Qi.

Zhou Heng waited for a short while. Only after Xu Ying had finished his lesson did he step forward and present Zhou Qiyun's letter.

Xu Ying accepted the letter and asked, puzzled, "Don't you have official duties to attend to, Lord Zhou?"

Zhou Heng laughed. "With the emergence of the New Land, Yongzhou Prefecture is long gone. The counties are all scattered and divided. I, the Governor of Yongzhou, am just a figurehead now. There are no official duties left to handle!"

Xu Ying smiled. "Then the people of Yongzhou can finally have a few days of peace."

Zhou Heng flushed with shame and anger, but he remembered Zhou Qiyun's orders and didn't dare to lash out.

Xu Ying unfolded the letter and read it carefully. Zhou Qiyun had once again written about a few points of confusion. This time, he was experiencing some adverse reactions while trying to merge the Nine Heavens Yang God with the Tuo Yu Immortal Book, and he was asking Xu Ying for a solution.

As Xu Ying picked up his brush to reply, he asked, "Lord Zhou, what was your Elder's reaction to the teacup? Did he have any message for you to relay?"

Zhou Heng paused, slightly taken aback, and shook his head. "No, he didn't."

Xu Ying mulled it over. 'Am I just overthinking this?' He decided to put the matter out of his mind.

Through their correspondence, Xu Ying could sense the progress of Zhou Qiyun's cultivation from the questions he asked. Zhou Qiyun was merging the two techniques with incredible speed, and his cultivation was advancing just as rapidly. In just two short months, he had reached the Jasper Pool Realm.

Gradually, Zhou Qiyun's letters became less frequent, and the intervals between them grew longer.

The questions he asked also became progressively more difficult, to the point where even Xu Ying struggled to answer them.

On his next visit to Wuyang Mountain, Zhou Heng delivered another of Zhou Qiyun's letters. "The Elder has constructed his Divine Bridge," he told Xu Ying. "The altar has also been completed."

Xu Ying's heart trembled. He asked, "When does your Elder plan to kill me?"

Zhou Heng shook his head. "The Elder didn't say. He only told me to bring you this letter."

Xu Ying unfolded the letter. It began with the same familiar greeting, "To see my writing is to see my face," followed by the usual pleasantries. This time, however, Zhou Qiyun didn't ask any questions about cultivation methods. Instead, he detailed his plan for Crossing the Tribulation.

He had excavated ancient tombs and discovered numerous texts collected by Ancient Qi Refiners, which included records concerning the Celestial Tribulation.

"The Celestial Tribulation arises from the heart of man. It resonates between heaven and the individual, forming a Celestial Dao Divine Artifact that dispenses calamities. Celestial Gods wield this Divine Artifact. Whenever a Qi Refiner attempts to Cross the Tribulation, the tribulation's might originates from this Celestial Dao Divine Artifact. Therefore, to Cross the Tribulation, one must first make an offering to the heavens."

Zhou Qiyun wrote, "I have spent over a hundred years of my life scouring the world for countless treasures. I am preparing to offer these treasures as a sacrifice to the Celestial Gods to weaken the might of the Celestial Tribulation and aid my Ascension! Xu Master, if I succeed in my Ascension, your life will be spared. If I fail, I will have Zhou Heng bring you another letter."

Here, the letter came to an abrupt end.

Xu Ying clutched the letter, silent for a long moment. 'If he fails,' he thought, 'and Zhou Heng returns, it will be to carry out his final order: to kill me.'