Ascension Day

If the young man met with any misfortune, they would intervene to rescue him.

Suddenly, the young man stamped his foot. The surrounding sea tides surged, and as he executed his technique, massive waves blotted out the sky and engulfed Niu Zhen!

Xu Ying praised him inwardly, ’This Divine Power isn’t bad!’

The young man had unleashed his Divine Power. Surging seawater submerged Niu Zhen, and no matter how he struggled, he could not escape the ocean.

The young man’s Palm Power held the surging force of the great sea. He struck Niu Zhen again and again, battering the Cow Demon until blood streamed from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

Yuan Qi’s voice rang out from a short distance away. "Stop! We admit defeat in this battle!"

But the young man showed no sign of stopping; his Divine Power only grew fiercer.

Suddenly, an incomparably violent aura erupted. Yuan Qi’s body shot forward, revealing his true form of over two hundred feet long. With his aura fully unleashed, he roared, "We’ve already surrendered! Why do you insist on slaughtering us?"

The young man smiled faintly and continued to channel his Palm Power, intending to sweep Yuan Qi into his Divine Power as well and defeat both the Cow Demon and the Snake Demon in one fell swoop!

His family had mobilized a large force to come to Wuyang Mountain. They never expected to be utterly humiliated by a pair of demons who injured dozens of their Nuo Masters before they even met their primary target.

He was acting now to reclaim some of that lost face for his family!

BOOM!

Yuan Qi’s aura blossomed with near-explosive force, roiling the young man’s boundless ocean and making it seem as if it were about to boil!

The young man was shocked and uncertain. He felt his opponent’s Qi Blood surge wildly, dozens of times greater than his own. With a heavy sweep of its tail, the entire surface of the sea formed by his Divine Power was shattered!

With his Divine Power broken, the young man coughed up blood. Seeing the Snake Demon’s massive, wall-like body bearing down on him, he fell into despair.

At that very moment, a dozen or so Nuo Masters from behind rushed forward. Opening their Grotto Heavens, they shouted in unison, "Demon snake, how dare you harm the Seventh Young Master of our Pei Family?"

These Nuo Masters were men and women, old and young, with varying levels of skill. However, most of them had opened two or three Grotto Heavens, and their Cultivation Power was quite impressive.

Their Grotto Heavens were also rooted in a peculiar world that resembled Jade Glaze. Their Primordial Qi Cultivation was also frighteningly profound, far deeper than that of the Noble Family Descendants from the Zhou and Guo Families that Xu Ying had previously encountered.

"Trying to gang up on me? Have you no shame!"

Yuan Qi was furious. Sword Qi suddenly flickered around his body. In an instant, countless strands of Sword Qi coiled around him, their sharp edges slicing through the surroundings and shredding the Nuo Arts and Divine Powers of the dozen or so Nuo Masters!

Yuan Qi roared and instantly transformed into a giant snake a thousand feet long. His head and tail took to the air as his body slithered through it. His entire form was covered in Sword Qi, each sliver as large as a mat, resembling Dragon Scales. SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! They radiated brilliant light, spinning as his body coiled and instantly inflicting heavy injuries on the dozen-plus Nuo Masters!

In a single moment, these masters were all defeated. Despair filled their hearts. ’How is this snake so fierce?’

Yuan Qi’s ferocious might was on full display. Just as he was about to kill all of the Nuo Masters, a middle-aged man with a smile suddenly appeared before him, seemingly sliding into place. The man chuckled. "Young Master Xu’s Big Snake is truly impressive, a student of a renowned school indeed. Try my ’Spring Tide to the Sea’s Horizon’!"

Four Grotto Heavens appeared behind him. Without another word, his Divine Power erupted. A line like the Chunjiang River appeared, and a furious tide split the air as it rushed toward the horizon!

When this attack was unleashed, even Yuan Qi, who was using his Ba Snake Cultivator technique and had transformed into a thousand-foot-long Big Snake, was swept up by the majestic spring tide, tumbling uncontrollably within it!

Countless forces squeezed him from all directions. It was the tidal force of the Spring Tide, seeking to crush him to dust and knead him into a ball!

Such a Dao Image could be called the might of heaven and earth itself!

The middle-aged man thought, ’The Seventh Young Master failed to establish our might by killing that brutish ox. Fine, I’ll start the slaughter today. I’ll kill this snake to make a statement. Otherwise, that wild brat surnamed Xu will think our Pei Family is easy to bully.’

Just as he was about to deliver the killing blow, a figure suddenly appeared between him and Yuan Qi. It was a broad-framed youth with slightly dark skin, raising a hand to meet his "Spring Tide to the Sea’s Horizon" Divine Power.

As the youth raised his palm, two Grotto Heavens unexpectedly appeared behind him, one above and one below. One plunged into the Sea of Chaos, drawing upon its power, while the other hung high within a sea of fire, shaped like a crescent moon.

The broad-framed youth struck out with his palm. The middle-aged man’s breath caught in his throat. Before his eyes, a strange, solitary peak stood tall, with eight other peaks rotating around it, guarded by a hundred thousand great mountains. It carried the momentum of a collapsing heaven and a tilting earth!

The moment their Divine Powers collided, the middle-aged man felt his own power completely suppressed. His Divine Power was broken.

The instant their palms met, his opponent’s Palm Power came crushing down like mountains toppling and seas overturning. It was the Pure Yang Power—righteous, centered, and peaceful, yet incomparably tyrannical, directly pulverizing his Primordial Qi!

He watched as the five fingers and fourteen knuckles of his right hand exploded one after another, the bones turning to dust!

Next, the five metacarpal bones in the back of his hand also exploded. A terrifying power surged up his right arm, twisting the muscles like rope and shattering the bones wherever it passed. A series of sharp CRACKS echoed up from his shoulder bones and spread throughout his body!

His body trembled violently as nearly every bone in his body broke at the same time!

"Insolence! How dare you injure a member of the Pei Family!"

The Pei Family’s Grand Nuo, who had been hiding in the crowd, could finally hold back no longer. They leaped out like flying fish, opened all their Grotto Heavens, and lunged toward Xu Ying!

A great bell suddenly appeared. A wall of light swirled around it, transforming into an even larger bell that descended and trapped them underneath.

The wall of light spun madly. No matter how exquisite or powerful the Grand Nuo’s Divine Powers were, they were all shattered with the ease of smashing dead wood!

With a single toll of the bell, all the Grand Nuo the Pei Family had brought with them spat up blood and were sent flying in all directions!

The Great Bell Light Wall suddenly retracted, returning to its simple, ancient form. It floated above Xu Ying’s head, rotating slowly.

Before Xu Ying, the middle-aged man’s legs made two CRACKING sounds as the bones broke. He knelt on the ground, enduring the agonizing pain of his shattered skeleton as he stared in terror at the youth before him.

He couldn’t believe it. His voice was hoarse, and a bloody mist sprayed from his mouth as he rasped, "Pure Yang Primordial Qi! You’ve cultivated Pure Yang Primordial Qi!"

Xu Ying’s expression was gentle, his gaze warm. "You’re quite good yourself," he said. "I noticed your Primordial Qi is very pure. You must have practiced Cultivation of Pure Yang Yuan Qi. Your Primordial Qi is purer than that of the other Noble Family Descendants."

The middle-aged man’s eyes were filled with terror. He had practiced Cultivation under the Pei Clan Elders and learned some of the clan’s secrets, one of which was that the Pei Clan Elders and ancestors were researching the Cultivation Techniques of the Ancient Demon Race. Later, he learned that the so-called Demon Clan Technique was actually the Cultivation Technique of the Ancient Qi Refiners!

He had been fortunate enough to cultivate some of its Pure Yang Yuan Qi and had considered his Mastery of Primordial Qi to be far beyond his peers. He never imagined that a brief clash with Xu Ying would result in his utter defeat!

Xu Ying smiled and suggested, "I have met my match in you. How about we call our battle today a draw? We can each take a step back and not harm our relationship. Besides, I was injured too."

The middle-aged man let out a muffled groan, his body slumped to the side, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

With his bones completely shattered and his Five Viscera damaged, it was truly a feat that he had managed to stay conscious for so long.

Xu Ying, having said what he thought were appropriate pleasantries, looked back at Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi showed an encouraging expression and praised, "Ying, you’re becoming more and more like a humble gentleman. Your response allowed the other party to save face while you maintained your own composure. Everyone’s happy, everyone keeps their dignity."

Xu Ying said happily, "I’ve been hanging around with Brother Yuan for so long and have been influenced by you. Naturally, I’ve learned a lot."

Just then, a deep, resonant voice rang out, chuckling. "The Xu Demon King of Lingling is indeed a man of extraordinary talents. Xu Demon King, we of the Capital City Pei Family have come to invite the Xu Demon King to the Capital!"

Xu Ying followed the sound and saw a vigorous, gray-robed old man walking out from the crowd. His hair and beard were graying, and his aura was as deep as an abyss, completely unfathomable.

The very moment Xu Ying’s gaze fell upon him, nine Grotto Heavens materialized behind the gray-robed old man, then vanished in a flash.

"This old one is Pei Jingting. I invite Young Master Xu to the Capital," the old man said with a smile.

Yuan Qi’s heart went cold. He shrank his body and slipped quietly behind Xu Ying. "The Pei Family is a Noble Family of the Nuo Technique," he whispered. "In the past two thousand years, they have produced thirty-one Grand Generals, seventeen Prime Ministers, and thirty-eight Ministers. They are one of the most ancient Noble Families of the Nuo Technique."