Day of Ascension

A stone statue descended from the sky and landed before Fu Yi.

With a troubled expression, Fu Yi felt as though his mind was crammed with a chaotic mess of information. His chest tightened, and he looked down, not daring to look straight at the stone statue.

Meeting the eyes of a heavenly god was deeply disrespectful. Meeting their gaze also meant risking being crushed by the overwhelming influx of Heavenly Dao information, causing their Dao heart to fall into chaos.

The stone statue wasn’t the true form of Heaven’s Will. It was merely a vessel containing a fraction of its intent, holding little actual power.

In terms of true strength, Fu Yi was above the stone statue. Yet that didn’t make the suffocating pressure of the Heavenly Dao any less overwhelming. He didn’t dare to harbor any thoughts of resistance.

Fu Yi thought, Besides, this particular heavenly god’s reputation isn’t very good. People often say Heaven’s Will toys with people and is unfathomable.

The stone statue’s triangular head shifted slightly, creaking as he turned to look at Fu Yi. “Why did you summon me?”

Fu Yi bowed and explained the situation. “Supreme God, Xu Ying has escaped again. I seek Your judgment on how to proceed.”

The stone statue was very crudely carved, looking like a face drawn by a child. His mouth parted, and he spoke with a chuckle. “The Primordial Beginning Realm has no primordial qi of heaven and earth. Consequently, this realm can’t produce spirit herbs, and its residents can not harvest qi to cultivate.

“The Heavenly Dao has sealed his cultivation, and his Secret Troves can’t be opened. He cannot cultivate, internally or externally. There’s no need to worry.”

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light erupted across the sky. A ring of light descended and fell around him, whirling furiously. The ring showed vivid images of how Xu Ying had been tricked into staying at the Prince of Xiang’s Mansion by them.

The stone statue swiped through the images, causing them to move forward chronologically.

Suddenly, the stone statue pointed his finger. The image froze on the moment Xu Ying emerged from seclusion as a three-legged fiery bird flew toward him.

The statue’s earthworm-like eyebrows twitched. He swiped the images forward, showing the fiery bird flying into Xu Ying’s glabella and vanishing.

He stared at the lightning pattern on Xu Ying’s glabella, and his expression grew solemn. Fu Yi brat, you’ve achieved merit. Something is indeed amiss with Xu Ying. That lightning mark is likely the key to breaking the Demon-Suppressing Runes. Using ordinary Heavenly Dao runes to seal him will not be safe.”

Suddenly, a plump, white silkworm crawled out from his shoulder. The stone statue of Heaven’s Will raised his hand to pluck at the sky. The sky cracked open, revealing the high and distant Heavenly Dao World!

Within that world stood an ancient mulberry tree, with stars circling it.

The stone statue reached out, plucked a mulberry leaf, and fed it to the silkworm. It was overjoyed and munched down the entire leaf with blinding speed.

Its belly now round as a ball, the silkworm spat a stream of silk that wove an image in the air, recreating the scene where the lightning pattern appeared on Xu Ying’s forehead.

The silk illustrated the mark in great detail, even exposing internal structures that Fu Yi had missed.

Looking closely, Fu Yi noticed more details. Within the lightning pattern, clouds and winds surged, tracing out a profound pattern.

He moved closer for a better look. Suddenly, a premonition struck him as his tribulation destiny stirred restlessly. His heavenly tribulation was on the verge of erupting!

Startled, he looked up and saw the winds and clouds in the sky shifting abruptly. Dark clouds rolled in, and lightning churned within!

A simple extra look at the lightning pattern triggered his heavenly tribulation!

The stone statue waved his hand and dispelled the tribulation clouds. As the feeling of impending doom faded, Fu Yi quietly wiped away his cold sweat.

Fu Yi’s superior had chosen him to keep watch on Xu Ying. His superior promised him a talisman to help him evade tribulation. For thousands of years, Fu Yi’s heavenly tribulation had never troubled him.

Yet, just looking at the pattern had triggered his heavenly tribulation. Even his tribulation-evading talisman had lost its effectiveness!

The statue furrowed his brow again. He rolled up the silk fabric and handed it to Fu Yi. “His lightning pattern contains the secret to wielding heavenly tribulation. Hand this silk fabric to Supreme God Heavenly Authority. He will find a way to unravel it.”

Fu Yi voiced his compliance and solemnly put the silk fabric away.

The Supreme God of Heavenly Authority was among the orthodox gods who had descended from the Heavenly Dao World via stone statues in the Heavenly God Hall to linger in the mortal realm.

The stone statue kept swiping through the images and saw Martial Immortal Zhai using martial arts as his Dao to pluck a branch to plant a pear, then return the tree to a branch.

Then the images shifted to Martial Immortal Zhai carrying Xu Ying across tens of thousands of li, shattering the primordial battlefield’s seal with a single punch.

“Huh? There’s actually such a place in the Primordial Beginning Realm!”

The statue was caught off guard. The images soon blurred, distorted by the primordial fiendish qi flowing from the underworld’s invasion.

“I am Heaven’s Will, tasked with recording every event across the myriad realms. Nothing escapes my sight! How could I be ignorant of an ancient battlefield and an underworld invasion?”

He was filled with shock and doubt. Nothing was beyond Heaven’s Will. That was the authority the Heavenly Dao had granted him.

Yet, he knew nothing about this primordial battlefield. Could this battlefield lie beyond the authority granted by the Heavenly Dao?

The statue composed himself and said to Fu Yi, “You go find the Supreme God Heavenly Authority. I’ll go there and take a look!”

Fu Yi voiced his compliance. By the time he looked up, the stone statue had transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the horizon.

Before long, the stone statue of Heaven’s Will entered the primordial battlefield. Even though he was a heavenly god, his heart pounded involuntarily.

Crack.

He stepped on a bone. Bright runes flickered on it. The statue picked up the bone. When he examined the rune closely, his heart shuddered.

“Heavenly Dao rune! Then the owner of this bone must be...”

A cold shiver ran down his spine, and he quickly tossed the bone aside.

He continued onward. The fiendish qi here ran thick, and as the underworld winds stirred, they fused with the haze, breeding countless demonic creatures.

Heaven’s Will paid no heed to these demonic creatures. He was like a blade; his blade qi cut them down before they could get close.

“The underworld is truly outrageous, invading everywhere. Speaking of which, the Underworld Court doesn’t seem to be under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Dao, hiding many ancient, undying fossils.”

The stone statue narrowed his eyes.

To the heavenly gods, the underworld remained a shrouded mystery, one where they had always struggled to exert control.

“The higher-ups seem completely helpless against the underworld, so they simply turned a blind eye. Just what kind of shady business is going on there?”

As he ventured deeper into the underworld, he saw it had already invaded more than half of the ancient battlefield. Up ahead, a patch of pure land stood like a lonely island. It radiated powerful martial Dao essence, suppressing the anomalies in the ancient battlefield and resisting the underworld’s invasion.

The stone statue of Heaven’s Will couldn’t help but laugh. “I was wondering who it was. Just a few fools practicing the martial Dao! They actually gave me a scare!”

Without further hesitation, he released astonishing Heavenly Dao fluctuations and sent them surging toward the pure land of the martial Dao. These crude martial artists have brains no larger than almonds. My divine will will easily drive them to slaughter one another...

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a fist shattered space itself, folding the primordial battlefield layer upon layer until it materialized right in front of his face!

Boom!

The head of Heaven’s Will’s stone statue exploded, and Heaven’s Will instantly dissipated.

The stone statue collapsed, and the stone fragments of the shattered head bounced cautiously, gathering together to reform a head.

The stone statue crawled across the ground, not daring to make a sound. He moved far away from the pure land of martial Dao. These martial artists have trained their brains into muscles; they are so mindlessly dense that Heaven’s Will cannot affect them at all. I’d better wait here for Xu Ying to come out...

***

Meanwhile, Xu Ying was following Martial Immortal Zhai across the Martial Dao Other Shore when the elder suddenly spun around. Eyes blazing with murderous intent, Zhai’s aura erupted as he threw a devastating punch into the void.

This punch shook Xu Ying’s mind; he felt that even at his peak, that single blow would have obliterated him.

“Demons and heretics, waiting for a chance to invade our domain and infect me with their pathetic thoughts.”

Martial Immortal Zhai withdrew his fist and said calmly, “I’d blown his head to pieces.”

Puzzled, Xu Ying looked back. For a second, that sounded like the Heavenly Dao. Is a heavenly god here?

He couldn’t help but chuckle and shook his head. If it were a heavenly god, Martial Immortal Zhai couldn’t have shattered Their head apart. It’s likely an underworld ghost god causing trouble.

They continued on their way. Since this place used to be a primordial battlefield, it was still filled with the killing intent and battle spirit left behind by the fierce slaughter of experts from the primordial era. The sound of saber and sword qi clanging in the air rang out from time to time.

Xu Ying’s Martial Dao Spirit was nearly destroyed when it came into contact with the battle spirit and killing intent. He hurriedly embraced the origin and guarded it with his essence, qi, and mind to defend his grand unity. He channeled his innate true qi to resist the battle spirit and killing intent.

Martial Immortal Zhai looked approvingly and led him onward.

As they ventured deeper into the Martial Dao Other Shore, the suffocating battle spirit and killing intent grew ever more intense, continuously tempering Xu Ying’s essence, qi, and mind.

Suddenly, through his Martial Dao Spirit, Xu Ying caught sight of his own ethereal void, which was clearer and more vivid than ever before!

He caught sight of the Black Iron Pass again. Yet, the mystic gateway was locked fast by the Heavenly Dao, covered in divine runes that barred his entry.

He kept pace with Martial Immortal Zhai as his spirit grew stronger, resisting the harsh surroundings. Soon, they came across a massive stone wall.

A martial Dao fist art was carved into the stone wall, detailing the steps to mobilizing the essence, qi, mind, spirit, blood, and the body. Having never systematically studied the martial Dao, Xu Ying was instantly captivated and froze in his tracks.

Martial Immortal Zhai also stopped and didn’t urge him along. “This fist art was left by the first legend who ever set foot here. It explains his Martial Dao Spirit and is known as the Eight Arts of the Combat God. You can take a look at it.”

Unconsciously, Xu Ying felt as though he saw an indomitable god of war who had cultivated the martial Dao to an impossible peak. The path ahead looked endless, as if it would go on forever.

He had already reached the pinnacle of this world. With no enemies left to face and no rivals to challenge him, he could not take another step.

He refused to simply wither away with age and end his life in misery and regret.

Furious and unyielding, he attacked the sky.

Until one day, the sheer force of his fist smashed through ten thousand mountains, shattering the blue dome of heaven, and opened the long-sealed ancient battlefield.

The people witnessed him soar into that other realm, believing he had attained the Dao through martial arts and ascended into immortality.

But when he arrived in this land, he realized it was merely another mortal realm, not the Immortal Realm.

Fortunately, he found rivals in this new land. The fiendish qi in the primordial battlefield tempered his martial Dao, helping him refine his Martial Dao Golden Core and Martial Dao Golden Body. In the end, he established a pure land of martial Dao in this world.

Xu Ying’s vital energy churned wildly as he unconsciously channeled it according to the Eight Arts of the Combat God on the stone wall, focused his spirit, and practiced each punch and kick.

His blood grew as dense as mercury, and his qi as vast as a rainbow. His strikes grew ever stronger, and a simple punch unleashed a fierce gale, projecting his force dozens of zhang away. A single sweep of his leg created afterimages that split mountains and rocks!

Astonishment crossed Martial Immortal Zhai’s face. He had only meant for Xu Ying to take a look at the wall, not actually learn the Eight Arts of the Combat God.

Yet Xu Ying learned quickly, far exceeding anything he could have anticipated.

A sharp-looking woman landed beside Martial Immortal Zhai. She looked at Xu Ying and cried out in astonishment, “He’s learning the Eight Arts of the Combat God? Martial Immortal, who is he?”

Martial Immortal Zhai replied, “A good sprout I discovered while wandering the mortal realm. His name is Xu Ying.”

The woman watched as Xu Ying’s essence, qi, mind, spirit, blood, and body gradually fused into one, and his Martial Dao Spirit grew increasingly strong. This, in turn, strengthened his vital energy, physique, and spirit. She couldn’t help but feel a mix of astonishment and doubt.

The founder of the Martial Dao Other Shore had created the Eight Arts of the Combat God. It held the strongest Martial Dao Spirit, far surpassing later generations like them.

The moves of the art seemed simple, but they were actually the hardest martial art to learn and master. The Martial Dao Spirit contained within was an unparalleled achievement, unattainable even for other masters at the absolute peak of the martial Dao.

As the saying goes, maintaining what is established is easy, but pioneering a new path is hard. In his era, no one had known whether a path even existed ahead for the martial Dao, or when cultivation would finally reach its end. No one could even rival him.

Relying on his unshakable Dao heart, he smashed through the ancient seal.

His spirit, Dao heart, vital energy, and physique had fused into one!

He had single-handedly established the Martial Dao Other Shore!

Another powerful figure flew in. His essence, qi, and mind were as unyielding as bedrock, unshakable and immovable. But when he saw Xu Ying cultivating the art, his bedrock-like spirit suddenly spun like a millstone.

“Martial Immortal, where did he come from?” That burly figure exclaimed in shock, “His aptitude and comprehension ability aren’t inferior to yours!”

Martial Immortal Zhai smiled faintly. “I picked him up while passing through Great Xia.”

Another person walked over. His vital energy and spirit were incredibly dazzling, like a thousand suns. Yet that was only the oppressive sense of his vital energy.

That person subdued his vital energy and chuckled. “Someone with such outstanding aptitude and comprehension ability is that easy to pick up? I want to go find one too.”

Martial Immortal Zhai chuckled. “Master Yuan, didn’t you pick me up?”

Dao Master Yuan burst out laughing. He had discovered Martial Immortal Zhai and guided him to the Martial Dao Other Shore, where he made continuous breakthroughs.

“In just two hundred years, you’ve reached the level I took a thousand years to achieve.” Proud of this, Dao Master Yuan smiled. “Your aptitude and comprehension ability are far above mine, but this kid you picked up is even better.”

Yet another person walked over and said, “Martial Dao relies on more than just aptitude and comprehension. It also requires a courageous Dao heart... Wait, he still hasn’t broken through to the Thousandth Innate Realm?”

The crowd turned to look at Xu Ying, each furrowing their brows.

They could tell Xu Ying hadn’t truly broken through to the Thousandth Innate Realm. Entering the Martial Dao Other Shore now would be against the rules.

Martial Immortal Zhai also frowned. Along the way lay various martial Dao supreme arts left behind by the experts of the Martial Dao Other Shore. He had hoped the inspiration along the way would help Xu Ying break through the mystic gateway.

Yet Xu Ying still had not broken through.

Puzzled, he wondered, He has comprehended a supreme art as profound as the Eight Arts of the Combat God. Logically speaking, he should be able to break through the mystic gateway. Why is there still no sign of progress?

Once Xu Ying fully mastered the Eight Arts of the Combat God, his movements ceased. His surging vital energy and spirit also gradually settled.

Only then did he notice that people surrounded him. They had kind faces, gentle auras, and elegant demeanors. One glance was enough to tell they were highly educated and refined people.