Ascension Bureau

"It's here, it's here, there's absolutely no mistake. The dragon hides within the sea of clouds, and the purple aura pierces the stars. The earth is transformed within three inches, and the Dao is hidden within this formation—the Ascension Bureau, there can be no mistake."

Watching the sea of clouds swirling beneath the mountain, thick and unmoving, Zhou Huasheng held his compass and compared it carefully. The more he looked at the terrain before him, the more obsessed his eyes became, and he couldn't help but step forward.

Just as he planted his foot, the ground suddenly vanished beneath him. His body slipped violently, and the scene before his eyes began to spin.

"Ah!!"

Seeing the bottomless abyss right before him, Zhou Huasheng instinctively clutched his hair and screamed.

Fortunately, a large hand reached out from behind him at that moment, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him back as if he were a mere chick.

"If you want to die, it's not the time yet!"

Huo Ying patted the shell-shocked Zhou Huasheng, his gaze fixed on the canyon below the mountain in the distance as he fell into deep thought.

Over the years, he had traveled through countless mountain ranges to find this place. He never expected the legendary divine site to be hidden in such an unremarkable gully, which truly surprised him.

He turned around to look at Yang Guanjin and Old Bart, his sparse white hair fluttering in the wind as he walked step by step toward Yang Guanjin.

"Pah! You will meet your retribution!"

Yang Guanjin spat coldly, glaring at Huo Ying with her bright, watery eyes, which looked as if they were about to bleed from the intensity of her rage.

But Huo Ying didn't care. Instead, he scrutinized her cheeks and said earnestly, "You look a lot like her. Keep this; consider it a gift."

As he spoke, Huo Ying actually took off the boots he was wearing and placed them in front of Yang Guanjin.

Looking at the boots stitched together from human skin, she saw that the leather had already split in several places, sewn together with the hide of some unknown beast. Yet, one could faintly see an eye-shaped hole on the surface, as if it were staring right back at her.

Yang Guanjin's breathing suddenly grew rapid. Trembling, she pulled the shoes into her arms and collapsed to her knees. Her irrepressible anger left her unable to cry or scream, only allowing a heart-wrenching, low moan to escape her throat.

But to Huo Ying, such a sound was undoubtedly music to his ears.

"Hehehe..."

He grinned, strolled over to Xu Tong and the others, and opened his large, calloused palm toward Yang Zixuan, revealing a black insect resting in his hand.

Seeing the pitch-black bug, Yang Zixuan's face turned dark. He was about to speak, but Huo Ying didn't seem to give him the chance.

He reached out, gripped Yang Zixuan's chin, and shoved the insect into his mouth.

"What is this... Ugh~~~" As the insect entered his throat, Yang Zixuan's face turned the color of liver. He opened his mouth to retch, only to find he couldn't vomit it out at all.

Beside them, Mad Dog explained with a smug expression, "That's a Gu insect. It acts up every twelve hours. When it does, you'll learn what it means to wish you were dead. Oh, right—once you've swallowed that thing, don't even think about spitting it out. Even if you return, it will remain in your body."

As he spoke, Mad Dog took a bottle from his pocket and pulled out a white pill. "This is the antidote. Only this can kill the Gu insect in your stomach."

After saying that, he popped the pill into his mouth and smacked his lips. "A bit sour, but the taste isn't bad. Like eating a preserved plum."

In truth, there was no need for Mad Dog to explain; Yang Zixuan had already received a notification from the space.

[Warning! An unknown organism has parasitized you. This organism cannot be identified or expelled. Please expel it yourself.]

Seeing Yang Zixuan's pained expression as he struggled to vomit, Huo Ying grinned and turned his satisfied gaze toward Xu Tong.

However, he found that Xu Tong had already opened his mouth, as if waiting for him to feed him. Seeing Huo Ying's strange look, Xu Tong asked curiously, "Um... could you sprinkle some cumin on that?"

Even a ruthless character like Huo Ying was taken aback by Xu Tong. His smile faded, and he tossed the insect into Xu Tong's mouth before standing up and walking away.

"Hmph, you're good at putting on an act. When the time comes, you'll know what true suffering is!"

Mad Dog's mouth twitched. Having failed to see Xu Tong in a pathetic state, he huffed and turned to follow.

After Huo Ying had Xiong Tao and Captain Wang swallow the insects, he had their ropes untied. Not only that, he even arranged a decent feast for them: a roasted wild boar.

This left everyone confused as to what Huo Ying was actually planning.

During this time, Xu Tong saw the mountain tribesmen apply another layer of ointment to Captain Wang, and the severely injured captain slowly began to wake up.

He appeared to have no major issues, but once he woke up, he became incredibly agitated, his entire face turning bright red.

He couldn't stand or sit still, even stripping off his clothes. After learning of his current predicament from Old Bart, he became furious, rushing toward Huo Ying and roaring loudly.

The result was predictable: Huo Ying knocked him unconscious with a single punch. The two were simply not on the same level.

Seeing this, Xu Tong curiously approached one of the Miao tribesmen, pointed at the green ointment in his hand, and took a piece of candy from his Prop Catalog to offer as a trade.

Seeing the candy in Xu Tong's hand, the tribesman was initially alert. It wasn't until Xu Tong gestured to show it was for eating that the man looked curious, carefully taking the candy to examine it.

Only after he tried licking it did he realize in surprise that this sweet thing was actually delicious.

Naturally, he tossed the jar of green ointment to Xu Tong.

In truth, these Miao people were not evil; their simple nature was not that of cold-blooded demons, but their leader was.

After tossing the ointment into his Prop Catalog, Xu Tong received information about it.

[Hundred-Insect Blood-Vitalizing Juice]

Production method unknown. A Miao sedative.

Usage: Apply to wounds to stop bleeding quickly and gain 200% recovery effect for 30 minutes.

(Note: Every medicine has its toxicity; excessive use will lead to symptoms of blood-heat fever.)

Seeing the effects, Xu Tong immediately understood why Captain Wang had become so agitated. Still, the potion was a good item. Xu Tong wanted to trade for more, but none of the other Miao tribesmen were willing to deal with him.

They had noticed that their companion who ate the candy now had a red tongue, and they assumed the candy he offered was poisonous.

In truth, it was merely food coloring from a candy, but no matter how he explained it, the Miao people refused to come anywhere near him again.

After a full meal, the group began their descent down the mountain.

While trekking through the dense forest, Yang Zixuan, who was leading the way, suddenly paused, his gaze fixed suspiciously on the bushes beside him.

He gently parted the foliage to reveal a mummified corpse kneeling in place.

The mummy was draped in a cloak, its hands pressed together as if in sincere worship of something ahead.

Once the group cleared away the rest of the brush, they discovered that there were six such mummies in total, all in the same posture: kneeling on the ground with their hands clasped toward the front.

"These people look like Tibetan lamas."

Xiong Tao examined them closely and said with a strange expression, "Why would these lamas die here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Huasheng impatiently stepped forward to inspect the surroundings of the lamas, his face growing increasingly excited.

"That's right, it must be right. This is the Ascension Bureau. These lamas must have found the place, which is why they were kneeling in worship like this."

"Then why did they die here?"

Mad Dog asked from the side, his face full of suspicion.

This question left Zhou Huasheng speechless for a moment, and he could only offer a vague answer: "Perhaps they had other intentions; who knows?"

However, when they looked in the direction the lamas were bowing toward, their eyes widened. In the forest ahead, a dilapidated stone pagoda stood tall.

"Yes! Yes! It must be it!"

He gestured wildly toward the stone pagoda and said to Huo Ying, "That's it, this must be the place we are looking for."

Huo Ying nodded in satisfaction. He cast a glance around, and the surrounding Miao people immediately raised their bows and arrows, aiming them at Xu Tong and the others.

"You go first!" Huo Ying waved his hand, shoving Yang Guanjin toward Xu Tong and the others while grabbing Old Bart by the throat with his other hand.

"Dad!" Yang Guanjin's expression changed, and she tried to turn back, but an arrow landed at her feet before she could move.

Huo Ying pointed forward. It turned out that the reason he hadn't killed them and had even treated their wounds was not out of kindness, but to use them as pathfinders.

At the same time, a prompt from the space echoed in the ears of Xu Tong and his companions.

[Main Mission 2: Explore the Ascension Bureau]

Mission Objective: Find the secret of the Ascension Bureau.

Mission Hint: What exactly is an immortal? Perhaps you will find your own answer here.

"Hehe, I wish you all success. Oh, don't forget the time; you only have about ten hours. If you don't come back obediently, be careful—the bugs might just chew a big hole in your bellies."

Mad Dog waved at them, offering a "kind" reminder.

"Let's go. At this point, we have no choice." Yang Zixuan's face was dark as he summoned his flying blades and walked to the front to clear the path.

"Pah, that dog bastard!"

Xiong Tao spat a glob of phlegm, but Mad Dog dodged it nimbly.

Huo Ying and his men stood in place for a while, waiting until Xu Tong and the others had moved far ahead before following at a leisurely pace.

Once the group had departed, the empty forest returned to silence.

Click!

Suddenly, a strange sound emanated from one of the mummies. Its head began to shake unnaturally, as if it were coming back to life.

As the rattling grew louder, a red-headed centipede emerged from the mummy's hollow eye socket, its long antennae twitching as it slowly crawled out...

A day of complex emotions. I wanted to say something, but decided against it; I don't want to ride the coattails of this trend. I will only say that some people never truly leave; they will always be in our hearts, watching over us.