Ascension Day

Pei Jingting was on high alert, constantly watching for any movement. His party had once numbered two or three hundred, but now he was the only one left. But even alone, he had to get Xu Ying to the Divine Capital alive!

Night fell before he knew it. It was difficult to navigate after dark; the vast mountains below were a blur, their geography impossible to discern. He didn’t dare press on, so he had no choice but to stop and rest.

They didn’t go to a nearby city, nor did they seek shelter in a temple. They simply found a random mountaintop to make camp.

Xu Ying had no complaints and personally started a fire to cook. Meanwhile, Yuan Qi ran off to hunt. A moment later, the Big Snake returned, dragging a wild boar the size of a small hill. He exclaimed, "Ying, the boars in these mountains are huge!"

Pei Jingting stared at their surroundings and said in a low voice, "This is a mutated beast that escaped from the New Land..."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he suddenly struck out with his palm. A patch of forest several miles away exploded. The corner of Pei Jingting’s eye twitched, and he relaxed. "Oh, it was just a mosquito flying by."

Xu Ying finished cooking and said with a smile, "Elder Pei, there’s no need to be so tense. Please, sit and eat first."

After the meal, Pei Jingting remained vigilant, his eyes and ears taking in everything, and didn’t sleep a wink all night. Xu Ying, however, fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow and slept soundly until dawn.

Before the sun had risen, Xu Ying quickly washed up, faced the nascent sun, and began his morning routine of Qi Collection.

Yuan Qi also came to his side, breathing in and out as he faced the morning sun. Even Da Zhong wobbled out, its spirit roused, and began its Cultivation, growing and shrinking as it faced the sun.

Pei Jingting watched this scene in surprise. He didn’t know that this was a habit Xu Ying had developed, which had become a shared routine after he met Yuan Qi and Da Zhong.

The morning sunlight formed a Dao Field of three or four acres above Xu Ying’s head. Behind him, the two Secret Treasuries, the Mud Pill and the Jiang Palace, also emerged. As he breathed in and out, the Dao Field and the Secret Treasuries seemed to breathe along with him.

’He’s unified the Mud Pill and Jiang Palace Secret Treasuries!’

Pei Jingting’s heart trembled slightly, and he couldn’t help but feel a sliver of admiration for Xu Ying. ’They say he was the one who guided Elder Bai Mei, allowing him to cultivate both Nuo Qi and his original path. It seems the rumors are true!’

Suddenly, Pei Jingting sensed something and looked up toward the distance.

A donkey appeared on a distant hillside, leisurely grazing on grass.

The donkey seemed to feel his gaze and looked up at him. It quickly trotted to the top of the hill and hid behind a dull-looking youth.

Pei Jingting took a long, deep breath, a sharp light gleaming in his eyes. He strode toward the dull-looking youth.

With each step, his aura grew stronger, and his Magical Power more immense!

Seawater surged beneath his feet, spreading out in all directions with him at the center. But this was not real seawater. It was a Dao Image from his Contemplation, his Hidden Scenery. It had no physical substance, yet like a real ocean, it contained world-shaking power!

’The Zhu Family, like the Zhou Family, is just a newly risen Noble Family. They aren’t even as established as the Zhou Family.’

Pei Jingting’s aura grew ever stronger as he said, "Elder Zhu, you’d best not cause trouble for the Zhu Family. Your fledgling Noble Family cannot afford to provoke the Pei Family."

The dull-looking youth was indeed Elder Zhu. He said flatly, "Try me."

Yuan Qi quickly said, "Ying! Old Pei has been lured away. We can slip away now!"

Xu Ying shook his head. "Continue your Cultivation."

Yuan Qi didn’t understand.

Da Zhong said, "If we run, where could we possibly go? No matter where you hide, as long as your Cultivation triggers an Abnormal Phenomenon, you’ll be found."

Xu Ying said, "They are the ones seeking me, not the other way around. Rather than constantly being hunted, it’s better to take the initiative and seize control. They aren’t Zhou Qiyun. What right do they have to coerce me?"

"How do we seize control?" Yuan Qi asked.

Xu Ying said, "By the time I walk from here to the Divine Capital, I will be in control."

Before his voice had faded, a white-haired old man riding a donkey approached and stopped a short distance away. The white-haired old man smiled. "Xu Demon King, have you been well?"

The old man was the same Elder Zhu who had sought shelter on Wuyang Mountain. Xu Ying and the others had originally thought he was the dull-looking youth’s father, never expecting him to be the son.

Xu Ying nodded lightly and said, "I am well, thank you."

The old man extended an invitation. "Would Xu Demon King do us the honor of visiting the Zhu Family?"

Xu Ying said with a serious expression, "Master Zhu, please lead the way."

The old man said joyfully, "I am not worthy of that title. My Zhu Family’s ancestor is still around, so I am not the one in charge. Xu Demon King, please, mount the donkey!"

Da Zhong flew into the back of Xu Ying’s head. Yuan Qi shrank down and hid under Xu Ying’s collar. Xu Ying mounted the donkey. The white-haired old man led the donkey from the front and said with a laugh, "Rest assured, Xu Demon King. This donkey may be a bit stupid, but it’s very fast."

Smoke rose from the donkey’s hooves as it galloped along, CLIPPITY-CLOP, its speed ever increasing. It crossed mountains and ridges as if they were flat ground.

Yuan Qi asked in confusion, "Back on Wuyang Mountain, didn’t you say you were going to kill and eat this donkey? Why didn’t you?"

The donkey was so angry its nostrils snorted smoke. It bucked, nearly throwing Xu Ying off.

Elder Zhu quickly gave it two sharp cracks of the whip, which finally made the donkey behave.

After traveling for over a hundred miles, True Dragon Qi suddenly rose from the mountain forest ahead. A massive, coiling True Dragon emerged, wrapping itself around an entire mountain.

The True Dragon’s azure Dragon Scales looked like the patina on ancient bronze. Its enormous head was exceptionally ferocious. It hung down from the mountain, drool dripping from the corners of its mouth, as it stared at the donkey and Elder Zhu.

The True Dragon’s head was immense, like a small mountain. It gave a sudden, loud snort. A fierce wind howled, shattering trees in the forest and sending sand and stones flying.

The donkey wet itself on the spot. Elder Zhu’s face was also pale. He looked up, sizing up the azure True Dragon, and suddenly let out a great roar as eight Grotto Heavens materialized behind him.