Ascension Day

'My admiration for Xu Ying stems from nothing more than my own narcissism,' he thought with a smile.

The bodies of the Celestial Gods completely blotted out the radiance, plunging Jiuyi Mountain and the vast surrounding mountain range into total darkness.

Just then, a shadow fell across his vision.

On Wuyang Mountain, Xu Ying gazed toward Jiuyi. Although the bodies of the Celestial Gods blocked the Ascension Radiance, plunging Jiuyi Mountain into darkness, a few stray beams still managed to pierce through the gaps between their colossal forms, scattering across the vast mountain range.

Faintly, he saw a colossal figure flying through the darkness toward Jiuyi Mountain.

Xu Ying's heart hammered in his chest. He opened his mouth, wanting to shout a warning, but no sound came out.

It was too far. He was too far from Jiuyi Mountain.

His voice could never reach that far.

His heart clenched. He widened his eyes, even activating his Celestial Eye to stare intently at the darkness shrouding Jiuyi Mountain. 'Zhou Qiyun has no more flaws,' he thought silently. 'He's passed the Celestial Tribulation. He's an Immortal. He can't lose...'

Vaguely, he seemed to see faint, intermittent flashes of light from Jiuyi Mountain, as if someone was engaged in a deadly struggle.

"Lord Zhong! Yuan Qi!"

Xu Ying shouted, "We're going to Jiuyi!"

Startled, Da Zhong flew into the back of Xu Ying's head while Yuan Qi hid himself in Xu Ying's collar. Niu Zhen and Niu Qian wanted to follow, but Xu Ying shook his head. "You two guard the Mud Pill Palace Grotto Heaven and wait for my return!"

The two brothers bowed in acknowledgement.

Sword Qi erupted from Xu Ying, swirling around him. In an instant, he shot through the air, leaving a crack of thunder in his wake.

Wuyang Mountain was over a Qianli from Jiuyi Mountain. The journey was perilous, with ancient creatures lurking in the great mountains and marshes, a path that only the strongest could traverse.

However, Xu Ying paid no heed, flying directly over them.

Whenever a terrifying creature from the mountains or great marshes stirred up trouble and tried to intercept him, the toll of a bell would ring out, and all would naturally fall silent and submit.

"Ying, by going to Jiuyi now, you're walking right into a trap."

Da Zhong warned, "He has never completely let go of his killing intent toward you. He's even a little jealous."

Xu Ying remained silent, continuing his charge toward Jiuyi.

Although he and Zhou Qiyun had their disagreements, he had the faint feeling that the man considered him a friend. Their conversations had felt more like a friend confiding in another.

He was incredibly fast, moving beyond the speed of sound. At this rate, he could reach Jiuyi in just two quarters of an hour.

Two quarters of an hour was a short time. As long as Zhou Qiyun could hold on for that long, Da Zhong might be able to save his life!

As Xu Ying neared Jiuyi Mountain, the colossal body of the last Celestial God in the sky receded from the Ascension Radiance back into the Heavenly Dao World. The radiance shone down, making the night exceptionally beautiful.

Xu Ying stumbled and landed beneath the Phoenix Tree on Jiuyi Mountain, his cultivation nearly exhausted.

Beneath the Phoenix Tree, the Ascension Radiance bathed a white-browed young man.

The white-browed young man sat under the Phoenix Tree, facing east.

In the east, the light of the rising sun had appeared.

He turned his head to look at Xu Ying, a smile touching his lips. "You came to see me off."

He turned back to the east and said calmly, "In my final moments, I thought of you. I knew you would come. Xu Ying, the Snake Catcher. I lost."

His voice remained just as calm as he whispered, "I don't want to die. I really don't want to die. I can't bear to leave..."

Xu Ying stood behind him and saw that the back of his head was split open, with light shining out from within his body.

His Flesh Body was nothing but an empty shell.

He turned his head and smiled at Xu Ying, a smile filled with encouragement. "You have to be more cunning than I was to survive."

The sun rose, and the first ray of sunlight fell upon his face.

"The Mortal World is truly beautiful. How I wish I could live another life," he said with a smile.

And so this Grandmaster, a fellow practitioner of Nuo Qi who had achieved Great Success by combining two great paths, the first Nuo to attempt Ascension, collapsed before Xu Ying's eyes, turning into nothing but a sheet of human skin.

Behind Xu Ying, exhausted disciples of the Zhou Family had made their way up the mountain at some point, and they stared blankly at the scene.

Boundless grief surged through their hearts.

They knelt in silence, prostrating themselves deeply on the ground.