Day of Ascension

The Flying Peak was embedded diagonally in the ground, still radiating faint heat.

They were surrounded by deep mountains and ancient forests. Trees lay toppled everywhere. Nearby, a massive waterfall had been blown sideways by the gale unleashed when the Flying Peak landed, but its flow was now gradually returning to its natural course.

Xu Ying looked at Yuan Weiyang. She stood there, gazing at the swaying waterfall in silence. She had endured too many upheavals in a single day. Xu Ying did not know whether she could bear such a blow.

Yuanqi looked up at the sky nervously without a word, worried that Yuan Wuji would catch up. Meanwhile, Zhu Chanchan was frantically dismantling the Flying Peak, pulling out artifacts large and small and arranging them around the area to form a concealment array.

Under Yuan Weiyang’s gaze, the askew waterfall returned to normal after a while. Her state of mind seemed to recover with it.

She said to Xu Ying, “I must return to the capital. Several descendants of my clan are still there. If I don’t return, the Yuan clan will surely suffer the same fate as the Zhou clan, devoured whole by others.”

Xu Ying looked at her. “After you leave, will you be Young Master Weiyang or Yuan Rushi?”

Yuan Weiyang stared at him blankly. Then she loosened her ribbon, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. She stepped forward, rose onto her toes, and lightly pressed her lips to his.

She gathered her hair into a bun, tied it securely with the ribbon, and turned to look at Xu Ying. “After I leave, I will be the head of the Yuan clan. I have to bear the heavy burden of restoring the Yuan clan. For now, I have to set aside romantic feelings.”

She walked away and called out, “Uncle Xiao, let us return to the Divine Capital!”

Uncle Xiao hesitated for a moment. He bowed slightly to Xu Ying and hurried to keep up with her.

Xu Ying called out loudly, “How much bride-price would I need to pay to marry the head of the Yuan clan?”

Yuan Weiyang froze. She turned to look at him, waved a hand, and walked off into the distance.

A faint sadness welled up in Xu Ying’s heart. In the seven or eight years since he had first become aware of the world, he had never felt anything quite like this.

Zhu Chanchan teased, “Even the Ageless Immortal can be troubled by romance?”

Xu Ying composed himself. “I’m just a fourteen-year-old boy. Am I not allowed the worries of an ordinary person?”

Not long ago, he had been a mere snake catcher, living meal to meal and constantly fearing he might die from a snakebite. He had gone through so much in the past half-year that he sometimes felt dazed.

From killing a god in Jiangjiatian Village to the Hell River changing course; from the invasion of the underworld to Zhou Qiyun facing his tribulation; from meeting Yuan Weiyang to the upheaval in the Yuan clan; from Xu Fu to the grand tomb of Mount Li.

Somewhere along the line, he rose from being a snake catcher to the Ageless Immortal. But his memories still belonged to the boy from Jiangjiatian Village. At heart, he had not changed.

Zhu Chanchan said, “We need to lay low for some time. To be honest, I saw Qi Cultivators from the Great Zhou Dynasty in the grand tomb of Mount Li. I suspect that the emperor of Zhou may have returned from the Other Shore.”

She said worriedly, “If he finds out I skimmed materials while forging the Other Shore Divine Vessel, he’ll surely come after me to settle the score.”

She was indeed very worried. After all, there was no telling whether the Other Shore Divine Vessel really made it all the way to the Other Shore. Zhu Chanchan suspected that the vessel could have run into trouble along the way.

A chill ran through Xu Ying. He whispered to Yuanqi, “Master Qi, let’s never ask her to forge anything for us.”

Yuanqi nodded profusely and whispered back, “Ah Ying, help me take a look. Did she secretly leave a mark on me? Lately, I keep suspecting she marked me somewhere I can’t see.”

Zhu Chanchan immediately protested, “Don’t slander me. I never confessed, not even when the warden tortured me!”

At that, Dazhong quickly asked Xu Ying, “Ah Ying, help me check too.”

“I absolutely never tampered with Dazhong!” The girl vowed solemnly, slapping her chest, trembling slightly.

Xu Ying circled Dazhong and Yuanqi, inspecting them carefully, but found nothing. Even so, the two of them still felt uneasy.

Zhu Chanchan smiled. “Naturally, you won’t find any marks. I never left any in the first place!”

Suddenly, her expression shifted slightly. She whispered, “Don’t say a word.”

Xu Ying, Dazhong, and Yuanqi quickly held their breath and focused. Just then, a massive shadow swept across the sky. Whatever it was, the oppressive aura it radiated was immense.

Yuanqi was about to say something when a voice rang out from somewhere, ringing in everyone’s minds. “Ageless Immortal, things have calmed down now. Please release my daughter.”

That voice belonged to Madam Yuan!

Xu Ying, Zhu Chanchan, and Yuanqi widened their eyes, not daring to utter a single word.

Madam Yuan’s voice rang out in their minds again, gentle and warm. “Weiyang, I am here. You can come out now. I won’t make you dress as a man anymore. I won’t force you to act as Young Master Weiyang. I was wrong. You are a girl, and you shouldn’t bear such heavy responsibilities. Come out...”

Madam Yuan’s voice drifted over again, now filled with pleasant surprise. “Grand-Madam, you’re alive! This is wonderful!”

Old Grand-Madam Yuan’s voice also drifted over, sounding somewhat weak. Panting heavily, she said, “I was ambushed by that monster and feigned death to escape. Good, good, you escaped too. Where’s Weiyang? Uncle Xiao, why haven’t you shown yourself yet?”

Xu Ying and the others remained perfectly silent.

After another brief pause, Yuan Weiyang’s voice rang out. “Demon King Xu, we’re safe now. You can come out now.”

Then Xu Ying’s voice echoed in their minds, calling, “Master Qi, I got separated from you all! Where are you?”

Xu Ying and the others exchanged glances, fear gripping their hearts.

On a mountain peak a thousand li away, a figure stood tall amid the roaring wind, his robes snapping violently around him.

His divine sense was immensely powerful. It spread out from the peak in all directions, reaching a thousand li.

He waited patiently for a long time without receiving any reply. At last, he said, “He’s this cautious? I underestimated him... Wait, those persistent ghosts have been drawn here by my divine sense!”

His figure flashed and vanished without a trace.

Bei Chenzi, Fairy Yutang, and the frowning old man arrived at the scene. Behind them came a short, stout earth god who looked both displeased and deeply impatient.

They landed on the peak and scanned the surroundings, but found no sign of Xu Ying, Madam Yuan, or the others. Stamping his foot, the frowning old man said with a troubled expression, “Bei Chen, didn’t I tell you both to keep a close eye on him? How did you lose track of him?”

Bei Chenzi quickly explained, ”After calling for backup, we headed straight toward the grand tomb of Mount Li. To our surprise, Ancestral Dragon was resurrected and led the golden statues of the imperial mausoleum to beat down Xu Fu. Fairy Yutang and I saw an opportunity and went to ambush Xu Fu.”

The bruises on his face had yet to fully fade. Fairy Yutang also bore multiple wounds.

Bei Chenzi said sheepishly, ”Ancestral Dragon had already injured Xu Fu. Logically speaking, we should have had the advantage, but we made a tiny mistake. Instead of capitalizing on the situation, we got ourselves beaten up...”

Fairy Yutang explained, “Xu Fu has a golden book bearing the inscriptions of the Demon-Suppressing Runes. We figured that if we eliminated him and seized it, our problems would be solved. That’s why we took our eyes off Xu Ying, but we didn’t expect him to disappear.”

The frowning old man stamped his foot. “You fools!”

The two looked ashamed.

The earth god said with an air of seniority, “Enough! Did I come here to watch you shift the blame? You normally won’t even offer me a single stick of incense, and now you want me to wipe your asses when something goes wrong!”

The trio smiled apologetically. Bei Chenzi held up an incense stick. “You’re the earth god of the Divine Land. No matter where Xu Ying hides, he cannot escape your perception. Please do us a favor!”

Only after accepting the incense stick from the Great Qi Cultivator in the Ascension Stage did the earth god let the matter drop. “I’ll find Xu Ying for you. Watch over him carefully this time. Send him off to some remote corner where hardly anyone goes, lest he gets taken again!”

The three hurriedly voiced their compliance.

The earth god was just about to perform his ritual when his heart stirred slightly. “Someone’s coming! So fast! They’re hostile!”

Furious, he burst into laughter and bellowed, “I am the earth god of the Divine Land. Who is it that dares to charge at me?”

A deep, commanding voice boomed, “The earth god of the Divine Land? I rule over the Divine Land and wield absolute authority over it. You dare call yourself ‘god’ in front of me?”

The earth god looked up. He saw the Nine Cauldrons transform into the Nine Provinces and descend from the sky.

“Ancestral Dragon!” The earth god’s expression instantly sank. In the distant sky, a figure clad in a shimmering golden cloak strode toward them, his cloak pulled taut and straight by the fierce wind.

“Where have you hidden the Ageless Immortal? Hand him over!”

A long time passed.

Bei Chenzi’s trio fled for tens of thousands of li, carrying the battered earth god. The earth god cried out, “Stop! Stop! We’ll step out of the Divine Land if we go any further. Without my incense offerings outside, I’ll die!”

The three quickly stopped.

The earth god caught his breath and said, “Ancestral Dragon wields the Nine Cauldrons, commands ten golden statues, and holds Tai’e. We’re no match for him. Take me back to the temple first. I’ll report to the higher-ups and request a Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact to kill the Ancestral Dragon and Xu Fu to sweep away all obstacles!”

Overjoyed, the trio quickly carried him to an Earth God Temple.

When they arrived at the Earth God Temple, the earth god struggled to his feet and made his way into the shrine’s ascension site. There, he burned incense with utmost respect and chanted his prayers, reporting everything to his superiors.

A moment later, the earth god emerged from the temple, looking frustrated, his face flushed dark red like the color of a pig’s liver.

Bei Chenzi’s trio hurried over and asked, “What did the superiors say?”

Displeased, the earth god replied, “The higher-ups sent me a reply; it was a yellow ritual paper. They acknowledged the report, said it was being processed through the proper channels, and told us to wait.”

The three exchanged glances.

The frowning old man stamped his foot. “Until when do we have to wait? By the time we get a result, Ancestral Dragon would have torn the temple down!”

***

Xu Ying’s group laid low for several days without incident, taking the opportunity to recover from their injuries. Only then did Zhu Chanchan withdraw her artifacts, restoring the Flying Peak to its true form.

Zhu Chanchan said, “Ah Ying, I’m going to find that Great Zhou Dynasty Qi Cultivator. His sudden appearance gives me a faint sense of unease. I’ll go gather some information first! Master Qi, open your mouth!”

Yuanqi opened his mouth involuntarily. Zhu Chanchan dismantled half of the Flying Peak and stuffed various bronze cauldrons, swords, pillars, and whatnot into his mouth.

When she couldn’t fit any more in, she shoved hard and kicked a few times until they did.

Dusting her hands, Zhu Chanchan said, “I can activate the remaining Flying Peak. No need to worry about me; I’ll definitely find you!”

She activated the remaining half of the Flying Peak and stood atop it. “Ah Ying, hurry up and find the Dragon Tracking Technique for the Gushing-Spring and Jade-Capital Secret Troves, so that when I return, I’ll be able to devo... learn it!”

Whoosh! The Flying Peak soared through the air.

Having been knocked around by Zhu Chanchan over the past few days, Dazhong’s injuries had fully healed. Moreover, after siphoning Xu Ying, Yuanqi, and Zhu Chanchan’s vital energies, his strength had mostly recovered. “Ah Ying, where do we go now?”

Xu Ying pondered for a brief moment, then replied, ”My disciples are still at Mount Wu Wang. Let’s go pick them up so they don’t fall into our enemies’ hands. Then, we’ll go search for the Radiant Vestige lands of sublimation of Exorcist Immortals and find those Exorcist Immortals who have gone into seclusion.”

His eyes flickered. “I intend to do what Zhou Qiyun did in the past. In the three thousand years since the calamity of Heaven-Man Resonance, many Exorcist Immortals must have gone into seclusion, only to be invaded by evil and meet the same fate as Zhou Qiyun and Yuan Wuji.”

He started walking. ”These Exorcist Immortals must have trained in the Gushing Spring or the Jade Capital. Targeting them would be much easier than trying to break into the imperial palace by force.”

Yuanqi and Dazhong hurried to keep pace with him, heading toward Mount Wu Wang.

***

Mount Wu Wang was steeped in a dense demonic aura. Demons, great and small, occupied the surrounding peaks and proclaimed themselves kings. Three ruled the mountain above all others: first, King Niu Zhen; second, King Niu Qian; and third, King Xiong Qianli.

They took in countless disciples, taught them Qi cultivation techniques and exorcism arts, and helped them perform Dragon Tracking and unlock their Secret Troves. The mountain thrummed with activity.

These three mountain kings possessed extraordinary abilities. They were all Great Demons who had cultivated to the Gate-Knocking Stage, drawing Demon Kings from the surrounding areas to join them. Soon, they gathered tens of thousands of demons on the mountain.

Within it also lay a spiritual sanctuary bathed in rosy ascension light, producing many experts among demonkind.

However, their actions disrupted the business of the Underworld Court. They sought to rule the mortal realm by subduing Demon Kings and making them serve as mountain gods.

Now that the three had brought the nearby Demon Kings under their banner, the Underworld Court dispatched local city gods and Ghost Kings to suppress them, leading thousands of ghost gods from the surrounding villages and settlements.

The two sides had been locked in battle on Mount Wu Wang for several days now. Day after day, war drums thundered as the attackers stormed the mountain, yet they remained unable to break through.

When Xu Ying arrived at Mount Wu Wang, he secretly made his way up the mountain to see Niu Qian and Niu Zhen. The Niu brothers and Xiong Qianli hurried forward to pay their respects.

Xu Ying said, “Since your intent is to reign as Demon Kings and carve out a path of survival for the demon race, I won’t stop you. Today, I am going on a long journey away from Mount Wu Wang, and I don’t know when I’ll return. So, I’ll teach you the Eight Sounds of Primordial Nurturing. If fate favors you, your future accomplishments will surely be extraordinary.”

He taught the “Supreme,” “Yin,” “Primordial,” “Nurture,” “One,” “Yang,” “Eternal,” and “True” to the three demons and left swiftly.

The three demons bowed low to the ground. By the time they looked up again, Xu Ying was already gone without a trace. He returned to Yuanqi’s side. “Master Qi, let’s go search for the Radiant Vestige lands of the Exorcist Immortals.”

Yuanqi asked in confusion, “Ah Ying, those Exorcist Immortals hid their Radiant Vestige lands in the world and made them invisible. How are we supposed to find them?”

Standing atop the giant snake’s head, he said unhurriedly, “Simple. With Heaven-Man Resonance. After that trip into the deep abyss, my Heaven-Man Resonance is no weaker than that of the Exorcists and Qi Cultivators from Emperor Wu of the Great Han’s era. If there are any nearby Radiant Vestige lands, they won’t escape me.”

Dazhong said excitedly, “Should we follow Zhou Qiyun’s example and completely strip those Radiant Vestige lands bare?”

Xu Ying shook his head and smiled. “That’s what Tomb Raider Captains do. We’re Mound-Rummaging Generals[1]. We only take what we need and leave the rest behind.”

Far away, Xu Fu stood upon the Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, hovering mid-air. He looked over from afar and murmured, “Ancestral Dragon has already been resurrected. He should have gone to the Divine Capital to look for you by now. And you, Mister Xu, will follow the path I have laid out for you and slowly turn into a second me.”

1. A higher-ranking military title also created by Cao Cao, superior to the Tomb Raider Captains. ☜