Day of Ascension

Yuan Wuji was surprisingly powerful. Since Yuan Wuji had once lost to Zhou Qiyun, Xu Ying had assumed he was merely an ordinary Exorcist Immortal. The strength he displayed now shattered that impression.

The way Yuan Wuji unraveled the seal was dazzling. His divine abilities shifted endlessly, each transformation flowing seamlessly into the next, pushing the art of change to its limit.

Xu Ying had never seen anyone wielding exorcism techniques and divine abilities with such mastery. No wonder Zhou Qiyun said that every member of the Yuan clan is exceptionally intelligent. As their old ancestor, Yuan Wuji is the same.

Suddenly, divine light erupted. A colossal golden statue rose above the mountain range, climbing steadily into the sky. Even from far away, the low hum of thousands of people praying could be heard, disorienting people’s minds!

The Qi Cultivators with low cultivation bases around Xu Ying could no longer hold on. One by one, they grew dizzy and fell into the mercury river.

Surprisingly, they did not sink into the river but floated on the surface, surviving the mishap.

But in the next moment, some creature inside the mercury river extended incredibly slender tendrils and burrowed into their skin. The areas that came into contact immediately spurted blood!

“There’s something in the river!”

The other Qi Cultivators screamed in alarm and rushed to help. Elder Withered Bamboo grabbed someone and pulled them up, only to see that their flesh had torn open. There were more than a hundred of those silver tendrils, and they had already burrowed into his skin and flesh, clinging to his bones!

Elder Withered Bamboo yanked hard and nearly tore apart half of that Qi Cultivator!

Startled, he didn’t dare to use any more force. Just as he was at a loss for what to do, he saw that the silver tendrils had already burrowed throughout the Qi Cultivator.

That Qi Cultivator’s eyes turned the color of mercury. Mercury gushed from their seven orifices, splashing onto Elder Withered Bamboo’s hand!

He felt a sharp pain in his palm and hurriedly pulled back, only to tear a large chunk of skin from his hand!

Silver tendrils writhed within the mercury. The moment they touched his palm, they burrowed into his skin. Even a Great Qi Cultivator in the Ascension Stage like him couldn’t withstand them!

Enduring the pain, he looked around and saw that the Qi Cultivators who had also tried to rescue others were now holding people with mercury gushing from their seven orifices.

Terrified to his core, he shouted, “Don’t touch the mercury!”

Alas, it was already too late. As the gushing mercury landed on the rescuers, incredibly slender silver tendrils immediately burrowed into their skin, penetrated their flesh, and coiled around their bones!

Those bone-clinging tendrils grew at an extremely rapid rate. In the blink of an eye, they were completely wrapped around those people’s bones, and mercury began gushing from their seven orifices!

“Avoid them!” Elder Withered Bamboo shouted, waving his hand frantically. “Get away from them! Don’t get close!”

Already terrified, the other Qi Cultivators immediately backed away from those contaminated by the mercury.

Everyone looked over and saw the Qi Cultivators standing blankly on the mercury river without sinking. Mercury continued gushing from their seven orifices.

Out of nowhere, countless silver tendrils burst forth from their seven orifices and danced across the sky.

Those contaminated Qi Cultivators lunged at them. Everyone screamed and scattered as chaos broke out. People kept getting caught or fell into the water, and some were even forced onto the riverbank!

Those who were caught immediately became stuck to their captors upon the slightest contact.

That person who was stuck screamed in terror and struggled to break free. However, they exerted too much strength and tore their own bones from their bodies!

As for those who fell into the river, the moment any part of them touched the river, they were immediately invaded. Before long, mercury gushed from their faces, and they rose to their feet and lunged at others!

Those who fled blindly onto the riverbank fared no better. Some were burned to ash by flashes of fire, while others were split in half by flashes of blade light, dying in all manner of ways.

Xu Ying was standing on Xiao Fengxian’s phoenix feather boat. Although she was powerless against Xu Ying, she was ruthless toward other Qi Cultivators.

Before the contaminated Qi Cultivators could come near her boat, a flash of fire lit them up and turned them into ash.

Those who tried to escape onto her boat were likewise burned to death by a flash of fiery light. Xu Ying had been worried that they would contaminate her or that too many people aboard would sink her tiny boat.

Yuanqi was shocked by her ferocity. Recalling what he’d said to her before, his heart raced with anxiety. She won’t hold a grudge... right? She won’t kill Ah Ying, but she’d definitely eliminate me if I said something wrong! Perhaps I should be more open-minded like Master Zhong...

Meanwhile, Xu Ying was thinking about something else entirely. While Xu Fu is too busy with all this chaos, should we try to slip away without anyone noticing?

A contaminated Qi Cultivator charged toward Xu Fu. In the next moment, Xu Fu grabbed their neck, only for the mercury gurgling in their seven orifices to flow out and contaminate Xu Fu’s arm!

The countless silver tendrils that emerged from the mercury immediately tried to burrow into Xu Fu’s arm, yet they couldn’t pierce his skin.

Xu Ying’s eyes lit up. He watched as Xu Fu gently turned his palm in a circle, seized the silver tendrils, and yanked them with force.

He said indifferently, “Can you pierce an immortal’s physique?”

Rumble!

Deep within Mount Li’s grand tomb, the mercury river winding through the mountains shook violently under his pull. The contaminated Qi Cultivators staggered and sank into the mercury, leaving only their torsos above the surface.

Not only that, cries of alarm echoed out from far away. The Exorcists corrupted by the bizarre creatures in the mercury river clashed fiercely with those who had remained uncontaminated. They half-sank into the river from the pull, causing the other Exorcists to cry out.

Xu Fu said, maintaining his indifferent tone, “Can you withstand the power of an immortal?”

He pulled hard again, causing huge waves to surge as he dragged out a massive worm that was dozens of zhang wide and tens of thousands of li long from the river!

As the massive worm broke out of the river, countless silver tendrils whipped about, tearing through the air with loud whistling sounds.

The worm resembled an earthworm, with no eyes, mouth, ears, or nose. It didn’t have digestive organs either. It thrashed about in the air and contracted violently.

In the blink of an eye, it turned into a silvery-white, fleshy worm, curled into a ball. It was like a mountain of flesh covered in countless thin tendrils, with wrinkles and folds across its skin.

The worm was incredibly strong. Even though Xu Fu dragged it out of the mercury river, it wasn’t afraid at all. Instead, it radiated the terrifying aura of a ferocious beast!

It was an ancient, ferocious creature whose bloodline had fully awakened. It was even wrapped in incense qi. In ancient times, the barbarians must have worshipped it as a god!

When the First Emperor had captured this evil god, he placed it inside Mount Li’s grand tomb to serve as the guardian of his tomb!

The worm’s countless silver tendrils flailed, blotting out the sky. Denser than a swarm of bees, they lunged toward Xu Fu!

With a calm expression, Xu Fu said indifferently, “Can you withstand immortal fire?”

Suddenly, a flame danced upon his fingertips. It was a strange flame, with crystalline sparks seemingly flickering within it. It gave off no overwhelming power. All one could sense was a faint warmth.

Yet the instant it touched the silver tendrils, the flame ignited them and spread across the evil god worm’s entire body in the blink of an eye. Neither the worm’s powerful physique nor its unmatched incense qi could withstand it!

The evil god worm repeatedly burst open as mercury poured out. In mere moments, the flames had burned through it.

Boom!

The evil god worm plummeted into the mercury river. Even as it sank to the bottom, the flames continued burning. Muffled explosions erupted continuously in the river.

After a long while, the explosions stopped.

With a beckoning gesture, a flame spark flew out from the mercury river back into Xu Fu’s hand. It was that spark of immortal fire from before. It entered Xu Fu through his fingertips and vanished from sight.

Xu Ying whispered, “Master Zhong, do you think that spark of immortal fire is an exotic treasure he acquired, or something he had refined himself?”

If Xu Fu had acquired it, so be it. It would only mean that his luck was better than others’. But if he had refined it himself, that would be a huge deal. It would mean Xu Fu’s strength had reached the level of an immortal!

Dazhong replied, “He’s not an immortal; how could he refine an immortal fire? He must have acquired it. The power of this immortal fire is much greater than your Pure Yang Spirit Flame. I might not melt from the Pure Yang Spirit Flame, but that immortal fire would burn me to death in an instant!”

Yuanqi whispered, “But he also possesses the physique and strength of an immortal. Could he have acquired those, too?”

Dazhong had no answer.

Xu Fu’s voice drifted over calmly, “The river is safe now. Let’s reorganize and continue forward.”

The Qi Cultivators regrouped.

Xu Fu drifted over on the immortal mountain. His gaze fell on Xu Ying, and he said softly, “Mister Xu, having witnessed my immortal physique, strength, and fire, who do you think is stronger? Me, or Zhou Qiyun?”

Xu Ying bowed slightly and replied, “Zhou Qiyun is inferior to you, Lord Xu.”

Xu Fu burst out laughing, filled with pride. “To receive Mister Xu’s praise is better than a thousand words from the rest of the world.”

Xu Ying added, “However, Zhou Qiyun overcame his tribulation, while Lord Xu has yet to face yours. So there’s still no public consensus on who is truly stronger.”

Xu Fu replied, “I don’t care about public consensus; I only care about what you think.”

With that, the Fangzhang Immortal Mountain drifted forward.

Beneath Xu Ying’s feet, the phoenix feather boat followed.

Looking ahead, he saw the battle between Yuan Wuji and the golden statue moving toward the First Emperor’s suspended coffin. One was a top Exorcist Immortal, and the other was an exotic treasure the emperor had forged by gathering the world’s artifacts to anchor the empire’s destiny. Their clash plunged heaven and earth into darkness.

Astonished, Xu Ying thought, Yuan Wuji doesn’t seem to be as incompetent as Zhou Qiyun made him out to be. He seems to know Qi cultivation techniques and isn’t any weaker than Zhou Qiyun himself. Could it be that Sister Weiyang helped him decipher Qi cultivation techniques?

The power Yuan Wuji displayed was shocking. It was clearly the product of fusing Qi cultivation and the Primordial Dao Heavenly Domain Resonance, and the fusion was perfect!

Such talent was extraordinary!

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to resist the imperial mausoleum’s golden statue.

Suddenly, another terrifying aura surged, warping the sky. The immortal mountains slowly shifted, scattering outward. Another golden statue of the imperial mausoleum awakened, radiating an immense presence.

Then came a third golden statue, followed by a fourth!

Simultaneously, various grotto heaven phenomena manifested from the other side of the mountain. They slowly rose, piercing through various Other Shores, drawing power from them.

The Exorcist Immortals of the major noble clans had personally stepped in to confront the golden statues of the imperial mausoleum.

This scene was a confrontation between the strongest artifacts of the ancient era and the strongest Exorcist Immortals of the present world.

Xu Ying looked into the distance and saw that the Exorcist Immortals were far stronger than when he had first met them. His heart stirred.

Could they also have practiced Qi cultivation techniques like Zhou Qiyun? Who taught them?

Little did he know how much he had shaken the entire Divine Capital after his departure.

Xu Ying practiced dual cultivation of Qi and Exorcism, and with a single stone ax, he had hacked his way into the Shi residence and destroyed the compound. Moreover, he burned their old ancestor, Shi Mole, to death under a bell, and slew the fleeing Shi Jingtang with a flying sword from a hundred li away.

This single battle had terrorized the various major noble clans! From then on, dual cultivating Qi and Exorcism became the trend!

Xu Ying had never expected such a thing.

Yet, dual cultivation of Qi and Exorcism was easier said than done. Meanwhile, another major event had taken place in the Divine Capital. Old Ancestor Guo, Pei Du, and the Cui clan’s patriarch joined hands. They forced their way into an Other Shore located in the deepest area of the grotto heaven and kidnapped an “immortal” within!

Though the three clans kept it a secret, they had already been thoroughly infiltrated by the other noble clans. There was no way they could keep it under wraps.

Consequently, the various noble clans secretly rescued even more “immortals.” The plight of these “immortals” was terrible. Their cultivation had been refined away by immortal fire or immortal light, and their Primordial Spirits were reduced to ordinary souls, barely clinging to their lives. How could they resist the various noble clans?

The noble clans used threats, bribery, torture, or soul-searching techniques to extract complete Qi cultivation techniques from these “immortals.”

From then on, the cultivation and strength of the descendants and old ancestors of the various noble clans improved by leaps and bounds.

Yet, compared to them, Yuan Wuji was far more formidable. He faced a golden statue by himself, engaging it in a back-and-forth battle.

Gazing into the distance, Xu Ying was slightly shaken inside. There’s someone over there without grotto heavens who can hold off a golden statue. He must be a Qi Cultivator! Could he be that Qi Cultivator from the Great Zhou dynasty who killed with a suspended sword?

Looking around, Xu Ying realized that ten golden statues of the imperial mausoleum had awakened in this short span of time and charged toward the intruders. An Exorcist Immortal was holding off each of the ten golden statues.

Xu Ying thought, What about the other two golden statues?

Just then, waves of soul-stirring fluctuations came from behind, growing in intensity. Xu Ying quickly turned to look and saw an altar floating toward them on the mercury river. The golden statue on it was awakening!

Without turning his head, Xu Fu said, “Elder Withered Bamboo, Dong Meiqing, I’ll leave this golden statue to you two.”

The two exchanged a glance and stopped in their tracks. Elder Withered Bamboo chuckled.

“Old Dong, I’m afraid I won’t live to see the resurgence of Qi Cultivators. Keep an eye out for me.”

Dong Meiqing’s gaze fell on the floating golden statue. He smiled. “I’m older than you. It’s hard to say which of us will die first!”

Elder Withered Bamboo’s tiny frame leaped lightly into the air and planted his deer-headed staff on the surface of the mercury river. Standing atop it, the tiny old man laughed heartily.

“Fortunately, the Ageless Immortal is here. Even if we die, it’ll be worth it! Qi Cultivators will surely rise again!”

Dong Meiqing unleashed his aura, swelling with heroic spirit. He laughed. “Qi Cultivators will surely rise again!”

Xu Ying felt a tingle on his scalp as he felt inexplicably moved inside. He turned to look at them, his eyes full of confusion.

“Now, do you understand?” Xu Fu said softly, looking ahead. “You think the heritage of Qi Cultivators isn’t important at all, but in their hearts, the heritage weighs heavier than their lives. A Qi Cultivator will die for the heritage and willingly brave through water and fire for it.”