Ascension Day

"The Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill has a flaw. Because he can't unify the Jiang Palace and Jade Capital Secret Treasuries, his Magical Power won't be able to reach the Nine Heavens when he circulates his energy."

Xu Ying was the one who deciphered the *Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill*, so he was intimately familiar with it. He spoke quickly, "Based on my analysis of his Cultivation Technique, his Fourth Heaven is empty—just a facade. All you have to do is break into the Fourth Heaven and gain a foothold there. That's how you can shatter his technique."

Guo Xiaodie had been urging him to hurry and leave, but she froze when she heard his words. "For real?"

She looked up at the sky, which was thick with thunderclouds. Nine heavens had faintly appeared, formed from nine dense layers of dark clouds. True Dragons seemed to swim through the mists, and a pillar of fire appeared to be hidden within the heavy cloud cover, flashing briefly with each crack of thunder.

The white-haired, white-bearded Guo Family Ancestor was desperately trying to fight his way up, but he was beaten back again and again!

Xu Ying hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm the one who deciphered his Cultivation Technique. If he's smart, he would have definitely trained this way to unify the Jiang Palace and Jade Capital Secret Treasuries. If he were a bit dumber, he likely wouldn't have even reached this stage…"

Guo Xiaodie's face lit up. "The Ancestor always said the Emperor has been brilliant since he was a child!"

She quickly called out, "Fourth Uncle! Fourth Uncle! Your Divine Sense is powerful! Go tell the Ancestor that the Fourth Heaven is a fake! Tell him to plant himself there and strike the Emperor!"

Hearing this, Guo Yue hurried off.

Guo Xiaodie said quickly, "Even if the Ancestor cuts down the Emperor, it's no good. We still have to leave! The Ancestor will be exhausted after that attack! If he were in his prime, he could fight for ten rounds without even catching his breath."

This was the tragedy of a Nuo Immortal: the Flesh Body ages, and Qi Blood wanes. In his youth, the Guo Family Ancestor was the only one who could keep Zhou Qiyun in check, but he could no longer do so in his old age.

Just then, they saw lightning flash and thunder crash across the sky. The Guo Family Ancestor's Cyan Dragon Halberd tore through the layers of the thundercloud Celestial Curtain as he charged into the Fourth Heaven. Planting his feet firmly, he swung the Cyan Dragon Halberd and slashed toward the core!

The pillar of fire collapsed, and a bloody light erupted. That pillar was the "Mysterious Altar" of the Nine Heavens Yang God Mysterious Altar Skill, the very foundation of the Cultivation Technique. If all Nine Heavens had been sound, it would have been impossible to sever.

Even the power of an Immortal would be rendered useless if it reached the core, the Ninth Heaven. But the fatal flaw, unfortunately, was the hollowness of the Fourth Heaven.

A torrential rain of blood poured down from the sky, staining the clouds crimson.

Guo Xiaodie wiped her face and found it covered in blood. She jumped in fright and cried out, "It's over! Did the Ancestor actually kill the Emperor? Xu Demon King, what kind of flaw were you talking about?!"

Xu Ying scratched his head.

Suddenly, the white-haired old man descended from the sky with a THUNDEROUS CRASH. He grabbed Xu Ying by the neck, hoisted him into the air, and roared with uncontrollable fury, "What the hell kind of flaw did you tell me about?"

The old man was none other than the Guo Family Ancestor. He was furious and exasperated. "Using that damn flaw you told me about, I think I might've just killed the Emperor!"

Xu Ying didn't struggle in the slightest. "A flaw in his Cultivation Technique, of course. You shattered his technique."

The Guo Family Ancestor set him down, his expression grim and uncertain. "He tried to block my halberd, but there was no way he could have. I sliced right through half his body. If that old fellow Zhou Qiyun were still alive, he could have been saved, but he's dead. And the Emperor has already killed off most of the Zhou Family…"

With a troubled look, he shook his head and walked away, muttering to himself, 'I've been loyal to the Court my entire life. Am I really going to kill the Emperor in my twilight years and put another on the throne? How would that make me any different from a treacherous minister…?'

He walked off into the distance, still muttering to himself.

Guo Xiaodie hurriedly called out, "Ancestor, you still look as mighty as ever! I bet you could still take on three to five Nuo Immortals! Do we still need to send Xu Demon King away?"

"Of course we do!"

The Guo Family Ancestor snapped, "I'm spent. If I fight one more, you can start preparing my grave! I can't stand the sight of this brat, so get him out of here, now!"

Suddenly, his expression changed, and his voice grew heavy. "I'm afraid it's too late to send him away. Another Nuo Immortal has arrived. The newcomer's aura is so subdued… Heh, it must be that old monster from the Cui Family. That old bastard is so devious. He waited for me to fight three battles before showing up to collect the spoils."

He raised his Cyan Dragon Halberd and stood in the rain, gazing toward the main gate of the Guo Mansion.

Xu Ying quickly said, "Senior, you don't have to throw your life away for me…"

The Guo Family Ancestor suddenly relaxed. He picked up his Cyan Dragon Halberd and started to walk off. "You're right," he said. "I'm going to bed."

Xu Ying and Guo Xiaodie were left dumbfounded.

The Guo Family Ancestor's voice drifted back to them. "Tonight is a matter of life and death. Xiaodie, take him to the other Divine Capital. We'll see who's still alive after tonight is over!"

'Another Divine Capital?' Xu Ying was startled.

'Could there be another Divine Capital in the world besides this one?'

Guo Xiaodie pulled him along, smiling as she explained, "The Ancestor has lived since the era of the Emperor of Ultimate Dao. He helped emperors like the Supreme Daoist Saint, the Civilization and Martial Virtue Great Saint, Ruiwen Xiaowu, and Shenwu Xiaowen pacify the realm's turmoil and keep the dynasty from falling. Even while still alive, the Ancestor was enshrined in the Lingyan Pavilion to receive the Incense and Candlelight offerings of the common people. He's a living god."

Guo Yue and his wife, Li Yingzhu, arrived with a dozen or so Guo Family disciples to meet them. Together, they went to the Guo Mansion's Martial Arts Hall. The couple and the other disciples set up an incense altar and lit sticks of incense and candles.

Guo Xiaodie whispered, "The Divine Capital is called that because the Incense and Candlelight here is so concentrated. The Incense Smoke Qi has formed a world that overlaps our own, a realm unto itself. It's not governed by the Mortal World or the Underworld, so we call it the Second Divine Capital. It's no surprise you've never heard of it. Even many of the Noble Families have no idea there's a Second Divine Capital hidden within the first!"