Ascension Day

Pei Jing coughed up blood and was sent flying backward, skimming across the surface of the lake.

THUD!

His head slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the lake, embedding itself inside, leaving only his legs twitching occasionally on the outside.

Suddenly, Xu Ying sensed others nearby. He hastily looked over and saw elderly men with ancient, venerable faces approaching from all directions. His heart sank. ’The Pei Clan Elders are here in person,’ he realized. ’Pei Du must have sold me out. There’s no escape.’ At this thought, his savage nature erupted. "Lord Qi! I’m going to start killing!"

He had been holding back until now, refraining from dealing a fatal blow, but at this moment, he could no longer suppress his killing intent.

Hearing this, Yuan Qi trembled all over, every one of his scales bristling. He didn’t know if Xu Ying’s declaration had stirred his ancient bloodline, or if it was awakening on its own!

He, too, felt a savage urge welling up, a desperate desire to unleash his boundless Primordial Qi and slaughter without restraint!

Li Zhaolou and the others made their moves. Li Zhaolou, from the Li Family, cultivated the Li Family’s Jade Capital Secret Treasury. The moment he struck, True Dragon Essence Qi surged, and a True Dragon descended from the sky in all its majesty.

The other two were from the Pei Family, and the skills of these three were in no way inferior to Pei Jing’s—in fact, they were likely superior!

However, the very instant they attacked, the massive body of a hundred-zhang-long Big Snake shattered the True Dragon. Sword Qi swirled around it like a blizzard, shredding their Nuo Art Divine Powers to pieces!

The three retreated repeatedly. One of the Pei Family disciples thrust his hands upward, and with his formidable Primordial Qi, he lifted the entire surface of the lake, forcing Yuan Qi into the water where both his Sword Qi and his massive body would be difficult to manage.

Li Zhaolou, given a moment to breathe, immediately channeled his True Dragon Essence Qi and shouted, "You’re just an Exotic Snake! Do you think you can stand against a True Dragon? Bow before the True Dragon and accept your death!"

A Cyan Dragon descended from the sky, its body massive and in no way smaller than Yuan Qi.

Another Pei Family disciple exclaimed excitedly, "If we capture him, His Majesty can become an immortal Emperor! The dynasty will last forever, and our Pei Family will become an eternal Noble Family!"

Xu Ying struck with a hand seal. The clear sky trembled as tribulation clouds surged and lightning darted within them. In an instant, a cloud several acres wide, imbued with immense power, formed and blasted the Cyan Dragon apart!

The True Dragon’s skin, flesh, muscles, and bones exploded. Li Zhaolou spat out a mouthful of blood as Xu Ying’s seal slammed down on the top of his skull. With a sickening gulping sound, his head was driven down into his chest cavity!

"You want to make me into an Elixir of Immortality!"

Xu Ying saw another’s Divine Power coming for him. He didn’t dodge or evade. Instead, Sword Qi erupted around him, and he rose into the air with Sword Control, charging straight through the man’s attack. "Worry about staying alive first!" he sneered.

An unending series of RIPPING sounds was heard as the man, along with his Divine Power, was shredded to pieces by the Sword Qi surrounding Xu Ying!

The last Pei Family disciple, who had a plump and pampered appearance, did everything in his power, retreating dozens of steps to block Xu Ying’s all-encompassing Sword Qi. Just as he was about to sigh in relief, the hundred-zhang Big Snake’s tail whipped around. The tip lashed against his body, and with an explosive Thunder Sound, he was smashed into a bloody pulp against the wall on the far side of the lake. It was clear he wouldn’t survive.

Yuan Qi’s body rapidly shrank. He coiled once in the air and landed on Xu Ying’s shoulder, nervously staring at the ancient-looking Pei Family elders approaching from all sides.

The Pei Clan Elders all wore solemn expressions, but their flickering gazes betrayed their extreme excitement. Even when Xu Ying killed people right in front of them, they made no move to stop him.

"Longevity Medicine..."

One of the Pei Clan Elders swallowed hard, his eyes locked onto Xu Ying.

Xu Ying took a long, deep breath and said in a low voice, "Lord Zhong, if you get a chance, get Lord Qi out of here. Don’t find some other youth to avenge me. Train Lord Qi, and have him massacre the Pei Mansion for me in the future!"

Da Zhong replied lazily, "The mere Pei Mansion can’t trap me. Forget taking the stinky snake out, what’s the big deal about taking you out too? It just means being injured for a few more months. I can handle it."

It secretly gathered its power, ready to erupt and kill at any moment!

Just then, an authoritative voice rang out. "Stop."

The voice was calm and level, yet it reached every person’s ear as clearly as rolling thunder, shaking their very souls and causing everyone to stop involuntarily.

Xu Ying followed the sound and saw Prime Minister Pei Du approaching, his face as still as water, showing no trace of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.

Xu Ying remained vigilant, not relaxing in the slightest.

Prime Minister Pei Du glanced at the corpse of Prince Li Zhaolou in the mud, the corner of his eye twitching. He then looked at the bodies of the two Pei Family disciples, and finally, his gaze swept over each of the Clan Elders.

He saw the fervor in the eyes of these elders.

"Bring the Second Young Master over here," Pei Du said, his expression as placid as an old well.

Some servants hurried to the other side of the lake, carefully extracted the Second Young Master, Pei Jing, from the wall, and carried him before Pei Du. Countless bones in Pei Jing’s body were broken, and his head and face were covered in blood. Seeing Pei Du, he was overjoyed and choked out, "Patriarch, you must get justice for me! This wild brat attacked me and caused chaos in the Pei Mansion!"

Pei Du drew the Jade Belt from his waist and, using it as a whip, viciously lashed it across his face with a sharp CRACK!

Pei Jing screamed in agony as the blow left him a bloody mess.

CRACK!

Pei Du whipped him again. His arm rose and fell, lashing out viciously again and again. At first, Pei Jing still had the strength to scream, but his cries grew weaker and weaker until he could no longer make a sound.

"Patriarch!"

Pei Jingting hurried over. Seeing the scene, he exclaimed, "Patriarch, stop! If you keep hitting him, you’ll kill him! Good heavens... what in the world happened here?"

Pei Du stopped. Pei Jing was already a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

All around, the Pei Clan Elders showed fear on their faces but said nothing. Pei Jingting stepped forward, and when he saw the body of Prince Li Zhaolou, he shuddered. "What are we going to do?"

Pei Du tossed aside the blood-soaked Jade Belt and said expressionlessly, "This matter requires a resolution. As of today, Pei Jing is no longer a disciple of the Pei Family. None of his actions have anything to do with our family. Pei Jing went mad, murdered Prince Li Zhaolou, and killed two of our own Pei Family disciples. Hand him over to the Ministry of Justice for investigation. I will personally go to the palace to face His Majesty and offer a humble apology."

His eyes, empty and hollow, fell on Pei Jingting’s face. "As for you," he said, "we’ll talk when I get back."

Pei Jingting shuddered and lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Pei Du’s gaze swept over the Pei Clan Elders. "I am still the master of this house!" he said coldly. "Does anyone wish to overstep their authority?"

One of the Pei Clan Elders murmured, "Patriarch, we are old. We don’t have many years left to live..."

Pei Du’s voice was grim. "Our ancestors could die, but you cannot? The founding patriarchs of our Pei Clan were devoured by an ancient evil. Does that mean you must also devour a man?"

That Clan Elder said no more.

Pei Du flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "From this day forward, the Pei Mansion is sealed. No one is to leave! Anyone who dares to exit without permission will be killed on sight!"

As his sleeve swept past, a wisp of light gauze flew out, rising high into the air. It suddenly exploded, transforming into a cyan mist that slowly descended, enveloping the entire Pei Mansion.

Pei Du turned to Xu Ying and said, "Brother Xu, please come with me."

Although he forced himself to appear calm, his steps were unconsciously hurried. Xu Ying followed behind him, having to break into a jog now and then just to keep up.

"The Pei Mansion is not united. I can’t restrain them for long."

Pei Du ordered a carriage prepared and said rapidly, "The temptation of Longevity is too great, and with others fanning the flames, I’m afraid some of those Clan Elders won’t be able to resist making a move against you. When I go to the Imperial Palace to see His Majesty, I will surely be detained there. I won’t die, but I won’t be able to leave. The Pei Family is not safe, and I fear the Yuan Family isn’t safe either. I’m sending you to the Guo Mansion!"

Xu Ying followed him, hurrying into the carriage. The vehicle immediately departed the Pei Mansion, rushing toward the Guo Mansion.

Pei Du said guiltily, "Word of this has spread from the Pei Mansion, and it won’t be long before it reaches the ears of the other Noble Families. In the entire Divine Capital, the only one who can resist the temptation of Longevity is probably that person from the Guo Family. The Guo Mansion will be safer than anywhere else!"

Xu Ying’s gaze met his. "Doesn’t Prime Minister Pei want to make me into a Longevity Medicine?" he asked.

Pei Du replied, "If you are that Undead person, then from ancient times to the present, countless people must have wanted to turn you into an Elixir of Immortality. I’m sure there have also been countless factions more powerful than my Pei Family. Where are they now? I don’t see them. I only see you, sir, sitting before me perfectly fine."

Xu Ying sighed and looked out the window. "I don’t even know who I really am," he said quietly.

His mind couldn’t help but recall that gentle voice: "...Xu Ying. Xu Ying. Remember your surname, and you must not forget your name."