Ascension Day

Yuan Qi's Mud Ball Secret Treasury was different from everyone else's, including Xu Ying's.

Most people's Mud Ball Secret Treasuries were opened by a Grand Nuo, leaving their First Layer Cave Heaven outside their own control. Xu Ying, however, had blazed a new trail. As a Qi Refiner, he had used Sword Qi to open his own First Layer Cave Heaven—an act befitting a Grandmaster.

But this was Yuan Qi's first time opening a Grotto Heaven, and the attempt had gone awry, forming his first one. Xu Ying had then channeled both Yuan Qi's and his own power to help him open a second.

These two Grotto Heavens, one resembling a dragon and the other a snake, intertwined and produced a wondrous effect. Their speed at fishing Longevity Qi from the Sea of Chaos was even faster than Xu Ying's!

One could say that Yuan Qi's foundation was now incomparably solid, second to none in the world!

The only drawback was that his Mud Ball Cave Heaven still contained remnants of Xu Ying's power.

Seeing that Yuan Qi's life was not in danger, Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. Da Zhong vibrated, helping Yuan Qi stabilize his scattered Divine Sense. When Yuan Qi awoke, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

But when he realized he hadn't died and had even benefited from the disaster, an epiphany struck him. 'I must be the son of destiny, the chosen snake! A fortunate snake is blessed by the heavens. But... what was I chosen to do?'

He never could figure out the reason.

Xu Ying resumed his cultivation and soon entered a state of deep meditative trance. Forgoing food, drink, and sleep, he remained this way for many days.

Before he knew it, he had already ascended to the Second Heaven of the Gate-Opening Stage. Looking up, he saw the Celestial River Water colliding with a sea of fire. The two elements attacked each other with extreme ferocity, forming a ceiling over the sky of the Third Heaven.

Xu Ying tried to fly upward toward the Third Heaven, but he was suddenly struck by violent winds. Assaulted by both fire and water, he was blown back down. Xu Ying couldn't help but shiver violently, feeling one side of his body burning hot and the other freezing cold.

He worked to regulate his internal state and managed to recover slightly, though his face remained pale.

'On the path of cultivation, you truly cannot afford to be greedy or advance rashly, not even by a single step,' he mused.

The internal backlash from the violent winds snapped Xu Ying out of his meditative state. 'Lord Zhong isn't here,' he thought. 'Otherwise, I'd ask it whether one needs to consume a Great Medicine to break through from the First Heaven to the Second Heaven.'

But now that he had already broken through, the question wasn't so important anymore.

'I'll be sure to ask before my next breakthrough.'

Xu Ying looked around and saw that the Ascension Land was empty. Not only were Yuan Qi and Da Zhong gone, but even the brothers Niu Zhen and Niu Qian hadn't remained to cultivate.

Xu Ying walked out of the Ascension Land and suddenly heard the clash of Divine Powers and Nuo Arts. Looking up, he saw Niu Zhen locked in battle.

Niu Zhen and Niu Qian had just broken through the Profound Gate, advancing from the Qi Collection Stage to the Gate-Opening Stage. Xu Ying had also taught them the Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill, passing on the Yuan Yu Eight Sounds without holding anything back.

The two brothers truly lived up to his expectations, quickly learning the Taiyin Yuan Yu Skill with considerable proficiency. Coupled with the fact that the Ascension Land was a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land with exceptionally abundant Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, their cultivation advanced at a divine pace.

Xu Ying had helped them purge the Incense Smoke Qi and relinquish their divine status, so they were no longer Divine Spirits of the Underworld. This had caused their cultivation power to fall for a time. But after these recent days of cultivation, their strength had already returned to its peak—and perhaps even surpassed it!

As they cultivated alongside Xu Ying, their souls had also grown stronger by the day, allowing them to wield even a Netherworld Treasure like the Bone Soul-Beating Whip.

However, the Nuo Master fighting Niu Zhen was exceptionally skilled. The man was young, only in his twenties, yet two Grotto Heavens floated behind him.

Those two Grotto Heavens were quite peculiar, suspended within a Glazed Realm from which they drew power.

Xu Ying let out a soft sound of surprise, wondering what kind of Secret Treasury that could be.

The young Nuo Master's Primordial Qi was exceptionally potent. With every gesture, his Primordial Qi surged like a vast ocean. When he moved his palm, the Abnormal Phenomenon of roiling seawater manifested around it!

Despite Niu Zhen's immense combat prowess and belligerent nature, he couldn't even land a blow with his Bone Soul-Beating Whip. The moment the whip so much as touched the young Nuo Master's Primordial Qi, it was violently repelled as if it had been shocked!

Xu Ying had long since realized the weakness in the Ox Demons' combat style: the Bone Soul-Beating Whip could only strike the soul, not the Flesh Body. If they faced an enemy whose cultivation was too high, their weapon simply couldn't reach its target.

Even against an opponent with a lower cultivation, one could adopt a strategy of trading blows. Sure, you might wound my soul, but I can also kill you with a single Divine Power.

The Ox Demons ran rampant in the Underworld, relying solely on the fact that Nuo Masters did not cultivate their souls. But as long as one saw through this weakness, victory was possible.

'It's just that this young man's Primordial Qi is incredibly dense,' Xu Ying thought, shocked and uncertain. 'For someone with a two-Grotto Heaven cultivation to be able to suppress Niu Zhen is truly extraordinary!'

Although Niu Zhen had yet to master all Eight Sounds of the Taiyin Yuan Yu, his Primordial Qi was already extremely potent, and he was at the Gate-Opening Stage. An ordinary Nuo Master who had opened two Grotto Heavens should be no match for him.

However, Xu Ying also saw a crowd of people lying scattered on the ground. They were all likely Nuo Masters who had been defeated by Niu Zhen.

These Nuo Masters lacked the Zhou Family's Undying Body, so after being injured, it would be very difficult for them to recover quickly.

Xu Ying's gaze traveled past them, and what he saw further behind made his heart jolt. Two to three hundred Nuo Masters had come from Wuyang Mountain. They were all dressed in fine attire and were accompanied by various Divine Beasts, which appeared to be Demon Kings who had attained divinity through Incense and Candlelight, only to be captured and used as mounts.

He also noticed a few Nuo Masters behind whom a sky of glazed glass would occasionally appear, with five or six Grotto Heavens plunged into it. They had to be Grand Nuos.