Day of Ascension

Bei Chenzi and the earth god felt restless and anxious. Ancestral Dragon had pursued them for over two years, ensuring that they couldn’t eat or rest in peace and had to hide from place to place.

Two years ago, Ancestral Dragon even found the Divine Land Earth God Temple, where the earth god had been hiding.

In that battle, the earth god finally understood why Ancestral Dragon had claimed that he would trample the Divine Land beneath his feet.

Ancestral Dragon truly crushed the Divine Land Earth God Temple, cutting off his source of incense offerings!

The four fought desperately and finally escaped, but they also lost track of Xu Ying in the process. They had no choice but to split up. Fairy Yutang and the frowning old man went one way, while Bei Chenzi and the Divine Land’s earth god went another.

They searched everywhere for traces of Xu Ying. They occasionally received news of him, but whenever they rushed to the reported location, they were always one step too late.

Not long ago, they had received news of Xu Ying’s appearance in the Yunmeng Marsh, so they hurried here. Yet once again, they arrived too late. Xu Ying had already soared into the sky on the Stone City, heading toward the Heavenly Path.

Not even Bei Chenzi and the others could lightly enter a forbidden ground like the Heavenly Path. They first had to obtain approval from their superiors before they could enter.

However, by the time they received approval, a couple of years would have passed. The earth god’s request for a Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact to suppress the Ancestral Dragon was a perfect example. Even now, their superiors still hadn’t approved it.

All they could do was pray that nothing had happened to Xu Ying. Unfortunately, it seemed that something truly had gone wrong on the Heavenly Path.

When the Stone City returned, Xu Ying was nowhere to be seen.

Not long afterward, one of the sixteen-character seals of the Demon-Suppressing Rune mysteriously dimmed. Then, a corner of the seal cracked open!

This was no trivial matter. They were scared out of their wits. Fortunately, this phenomenon didn’t last long; before long, that dimmed rune returned to normal.

They were terrified; luckily, nothing happened. However, over the next two days, two of the runes repeatedly flickered between light and darkness. That meant only one thing: huge trouble!

Bei Chenzi said to the Divine Land earth god, “This is serious. We absolutely cannot ignore it! The first time, a rune dimmed. It was as if someone had come from outside to break a prisoner out of prison, pried open a gap in the prison, and then, for some unknown reason, stopped halfway through.

“The prison breaker not only shoved the prisoner back inside but even repaired the breach.”

The Divine Land earth god listened in bewilderment. “What about now?”

Bei Chenzi replied, “The situation is different now. It seems the prisoner has figured out the lock’s structure and is trying different keys to open it! That’s truly dangerous!”

Once Bei Chenzi put it that way, the Divine Land’s earth god immediately understood. His expression turned grave. “In other words, if he happens to find the right key, he’ll open the door, walk out, and never lock himself inside again?”

Bei Chenzi nodded. “We must report this to the higher-ups and make sure they understand the consequences! If they change some of the Demon-Suppressing Runes, we can ensure thousands of years of peace.”

The Divine Land earth god looked troubled. “Ancestral Dragon has destroyed my temple, so I can’t contact the higher-ups. We must find the Earth God Temple on other continents and report through them.”

Bei Chenzi frowned. If that was the only solution, the process would become considerably more complicated.

Just going through the due process would likely kill them!

The Divine Land earth god said, “There’s another way. We go to the Heavenly God Hall, meet those heavenly gods directly, and alert the higher-ups of the hall! The hall has wanted to intervene in the mortal realm for a long time. They’d definitely be glad to get involved!”

Bei Chenzi replied, “Fairy Yutang already went to the hall last time. They have no authority to deal with Xu Ying.”

The Divine Land earth god smiled. “That’s because you’re not important enough. I am the earth god of the Divine Land, enjoying incense throughout the world. If I speak with Them, I can definitely make Them act!”

Bei Chenzi exhaled in relief. “Then please go and return quickly, Daoist Brother! Remember, beware of Ancestral Dragon!”

The Divine Land earth god felt a sudden chill and burrowed into the ground, vanishing from sight.

Bei Chenzi gazed out at the vast, great marsh. The Yunmeng Marsh stretched endlessly like a sea of smoke, its boundaries impossible to see. In the distance, even larger marshes kept emerging from the Abyss of Cangwu, teeming with lush, fertile aquatic vegetation and crawling with enormous beasts.

“This time, we have to get the heavenly gods of the Heavenly God Hall to provide us with new Demon-Suppressing Runes. We absolutely cannot continue using the old ones, or there’ll be chaos!”

He gazed into the distance, his heart filled with worries.

Far away, within Bei Chenzi’s field of vision, a Golden Crow flew low over the water, trailing flames behind it like a scorching sun. It was an aged Three-Legged Golden Crow, radiating the absolute, domineering aura of an archaic ferocious beast, suppressing all other beasts nearby.

Even Bei Chenzi couldn’t help but feel somewhat terrified and dared not provoke it. Where did this Golden Crow come from? It’s so ancient; it must have lived for twenty or thirty thousand years.

The crow flapped his wings and skimmed low over the water. His terrifying heat evaporated the marsh’s waters, filling the air with a dense layer of white mist. He suddenly reached out with his claw and grabbed a huge crocodile over a hundred zhang long from the marsh.

The crocodile had been lurking beneath the water, ambushing and devouring giant beasts along the shore. It had lived for more than two thousand years and undergone several transformations. It had even grown a dragon’s horns and tail, making it resemble an evil flood dragon.

Caught in the Golden Crow’s grasp, the enormous crocodile struggled violently, twisting its body in midair as it desperately tried to turn around and bite its captor.

The Golden Crow naturally had no intention of allowing that. It opened its beak and spewed a mass of fiery light, burning the crocodile from head to tail. By the time it reached the Fusang Tree, the enormous crocodile had been thoroughly cooked.

The ancient crow feasted on the huge crocodile on the tree, then tossed the leftover flesh to the people of Fish Belly who worshipped it.

After eating its fill, the crow glanced at Xu Ying, who was still in deep thought, trying to decipher the “imprison” character Dao rune. “Young man, such runes are called immortal Dao runes. They record the immortal Dao and are not easily deciphered.”

Xu Ying came back to his senses and said respectfully to the Golden Crow, “Senior, since you recognize this as an immortal Dao rune, you must have encountered such runes before. Could you tell me how to decipher it?”

The crow stretched his long neck out from the tree to Xu Ying. He widened his eyes to scrutinize Xu Ying with his blurry vision. A moment later, he sucked a strip of crocodile flesh into his belly with difficulty. “I’m too ancient and have forgotten many things. I recognize that this is a rune and that I’ve seen you before, but I don’t remember.”

He slowly reared his head. His voice rippled across the vast, boundless water. “My memory is declining. I cannot remember the origin of my wounds, or why I am here. In about three thousand more years, I’ll die of old age.”

The crow flapped his wings, stirring up gusts of fierce, dry wind. “Perhaps the memories from when I was younger have vanished, or perhaps they are still hidden in a corner of my consciousness. Young man, if you’re brave enough, enter my memories and find them. You might just find the immortal Dao runes I’ve seen before.”

Xu Ying’s spirit soared. He praised, “Senior, you truly possess boundless divine capabilities! Master Zhong, follow me into his memories to find the runes!”

Dazhong said warily, “Ah Ying, this bird is going senile. His memories are constantly deteriorating. If we enter his memories and happen to encounter a memory being erased, I’m afraid we’ll be erased along with it. We might even become trapped within the labyrinth of its memories!”

Xu Ying hesitated for a moment. He glanced back at Yuanqi. “We have to rescue Master Qi. Master Zhong, you caused this trouble. You can’t shirk responsibility. Follow me into Senior Golden Crow’s memories and guard me!”

Dazhong had no choice but to agree.

Xu Ying roused his spirits, then looked up at the aged Golden Crow. “Senior, my friend Yuanqi is beneath the tree. He’s sealed. I must ask you to look after him for a while and not eat him.”

Decrepit with extreme age, the Golden Crow’s eyesight was bad. It looked down. “Which one is your friend Yuanqi?”

Xu Ying guided the crow’s head toward the sealed Yuanqi.

The Golden Crow’s vision was blurred from old age. It scrutinized several times and smiled. “So, it’s a loach. Very well. I’ll help you keep an eye on him and not let anyone harm him in the slightest.”

Dazhong said, “Your memory is very good. Do you want to write it down? I’m afraid you’ll forget.”

The Golden Crow roared furiously to assert its authority, its voice shaking Dazhong and making him hum. “I only forgot what happened in my younger days. I won’t forget what happened recently! You damned bell, stop nagging!”

Aware that he couldn’t defeat the crow, Dazhong complied meekly.

Xu Ying called out, “Senior, please bring us into your memories.”

Supreme Yang Divine Fire blazed around the Golden Crow. A tongue of flame swept out, wrapping around Xu Ying and Dazhong, and swept them away.

Xu Ying instantly felt as though he were in a sea of fire, pushed forward by an immense force. Divine fire raged wildly all around. Within the divine fire, numerous figures kept flashing past, moving backward.

Those figures stood amid vastly different landscapes. Some scenes were utterly unfamiliar, while others stretched beneath endless starry skies.

He even saw suns flying past his eyes and saw battlefields filled with gods and demons. They looked like gods of war, their figures shredded. Each took different stances, fighting fiercely with terrifying expressions.

All kinds of sounds reached his ears: battle cries, the clash of weapons, the chanting of countless people, laughter, wailing, enormous waves crashing into the sky, the resonant sound of the Dao, and countless other noises.

These sounds came and went at breakneck speed.

Suddenly, the aged Golden Crow’s voice rang out. “I will send you to the deepest corners of my memories. That should be the memories from when I was just born. Start your search from there, and you shouldn’t miss the immortal Dao runes.”

The crow’s voice grew increasingly distant. “You seem very familiar. I might have met you at some point. You might be one of my worshippers when I accepted the people’s worship...”

Countless images flashed before Xu Ying’s eyes. The crow’s voice gradually faded into the distance and could no longer be heard. Suddenly, the crow’s strange powers pushed him to the beginning of his memories.

The beginning of the crow’s memories was a warm, round egg. He stretched himself, desperately using his beak and claws to tear through the shell and emerge.

When he cracked open the eggshell from the inside, bright light from outside entered his eyes. From that instant on, he had his own memories and was truly born.

A miraculous life was born!

An excited voice rang out joyfully. “Mother, Mother! The egg I’ve been keeping warm has actually hatched!”

Xu Ying felt a wave of suspicion in his heart upon hearing this voice. Dazhong also clanged softly, mumbling, “Strange, that voice sounds so familiar...”

The young Golden Crow’s eyes were still half-closed, trying his best to open them. Then, Xu Ying saw his own face enter the Golden Crow’s sight.

“Mother, come quick!”

Xu Ying saw his excited face fill the young crow’s vision, making the young crow feel a sense of warmth and familiarity.

“Mother, I finally have my own spirit beast!” Xu Ying watched and jumped up and down with excitement, unable to stay still for a single moment.

The Xu Ying of that time was about the same age as he was now, though his face still retained a trace of childish innocence. His complexion was flushed crimson from the sun, and a necklace of beast teeth hung around his neck. He had large hands and feet and went barefoot.

He wore only leopard-patterned shorts. They had likely been stripped directly from a leopard, with the hind legs cut off and the remaining hide worn as clothing.

A leopard’s tail still dangled from the back of his shorts. The crow gradually learned to fly and liked to perch on the young Ah Ying’s shoulder.

He also saw the mother whom young Ah Ying had spoken of. She was a sturdy barbarian woman, tall and heavyset, brimming with strength.

The young Ah Ying smiled. “I’ll give you a name. From now on, you’re called Jin Buyi, meaning never forsaken!”

As the young Xu Ying’s spirit beast, the Golden Crow followed Xu Ying to hunt. Most youths from the tribe had their own spirit beasts. These spirit beasts were massive and incredibly ferocious. Only Jin Buyi was tiny.

However, the tiny crow was unusually ferocious. He breathed fire from his beak, and even the mature exotic beasts feared him somewhat.

Jin Buyi loved his master, who had his own troubles. Whenever he went bathing in the river, he would always pull on a strand of his hair and grumble in frustration, “Another strand grew! Damned hair!”

Whenever that happened, the Golden Crow would spit out a burst of flame and burn the offending strand to ashes.

As the years passed, Jin Buyi grew up and exuded the aura of a primeval beast, suppressing all the spirit beasts within hundreds of li and looking incredibly majestic.

However, his master Ah Ying never grew up. He gradually became a freak in the villagers’ eyes.

One day, Ah Ying vanished. Jin Buyi panicked and searched everywhere. Flapping his wings, he soared through the Yunmeng Marsh and encountered other primeval beasts as powerful as him. He even came across some that were stronger than him.

With great difficulty, Jin Buyi searched through the entire Yunmeng Marsh, but he still couldn’t find his master.

He gradually grew up and gained greater power. Whenever he took flight, he could transform into a streak of fiery light and travel at astonishing speed. Even so, it took him more than ten years to find his master again.

The young Ah Ying lived in a small fishing village by the South China Sea. He was still called Xu Ying, but his backstory was different.

He no longer remembered his previous parents, nor did he remember ever having a spirit beast named Jin Buyi. One night, the fiery light radiating from Jin Buyi illuminated the fishing village, drawing the young man outside.

A strange bird cried out in the sky, “Jin Buyi! Jin Buyi! Never forsaken! Never forsaken!”

The strange bird swooped down and carried off the young Ah Ying.

Just then, a powerful human cultivator caught up and wounded Jin Buyi, forcing him to give up on the youth and flap his wings to flee.

Another hundred years passed. Jin Buyi grew much bigger and more powerful.

He found the boy named Xu Ying once more. He was in Zhaoge City[1] and was the son of a rich merchant.

He flew to the Kunlun Mountains, killed the god there, seized the immortal herb that could connect heaven, earth, gods, and ghosts, and flew back to Zhaoge City, injured.

He shrank his size, perched on the youth’s shoulder, and presented the immortal herb to the youth.

Then, the crow flapped his wings and took flight, circling in the sky above Zhaoge City and crying out, “Jin Buyi! Never forsaken, Jin Buyi!”

1. In modern Qi County, Hebi, Henan province ☜