Immortal Ascension Assembly

Ren Qing returned home without lingering outside the temple. Yet in the brief delay, most of the fish roe in the cloth bag had already lost its luster.

"By rights, that green fish showed signs of a living creature transforming into a human, so it could be considered a demon. Why are its eggs so fragile? At most, one or two will probably hatch."

He dumped all the fish roe into the well, then called for the toad acolyte.

"Frog Immortal Lord, guard the fish roe at the bottom of the well. Don't you dare get greedy and eat them."

"Croak, croak."

The toad acolyte hurriedly appeared, nodding and bowing repeatedly before Ren Qing.

Greedy?

It shuddered. With the immortal master's sharp eyes, it would probably die for taking even one extra look. Sigh, how could its current days compare to the comfort it had once enjoyed in the river pond?

Ignoring the toad acolyte's darting little eyes, Ren Qing headed for the storeroom.

Ren Shanshi was sorting lumber in the storeroom. It was clear that his bargain-bin father was in a state of extreme panic; the storeroom, once fairly tidy, had become a complete mess.

"Dad, you barely slept last night. Why not go rest for a while?"

Hearing Ren Qing's concerned words, Ren Shanshi inexplicably felt as though he had found his backbone. "A-Qing, do you think something huge is going to happen in Water Mouth City?"

"What happened?"

"I heard Constable Chen say that the prefectural governor is already on his way..."

He rambled on without end, with the occasional yawn mixed in.

Ren Qing frowned slightly. Could it be that the imperial court in this vast immortal realm was also a cultivation faction?

No. He had to complete the transformation of his immortal body as soon as possible.

With a thought from Ren Qing, Yellow Mud Eye suddenly appeared between his brows. Then, before Ren Shanshi's stunned gaze, dazzlingly colored divine consciousness spread outward.

Ripples spread through the air.

Ren Qing gave his bargain-bin father no chance to speak, sending his divine consciousness into Ren Shanshi's brow.

Ren Shanshi's gaze immediately turned vacant. His mind buzzed as though countless tiny voices were muttering within it, yet he could not make out a single word.

"Dad, I'll be leaving early and coming back late these days. I may not return home for meals, so you don't need to wait for me."

"Oh... oh, okay."

Ren Shanshi shook his head, and the strange phenomenon accompanying the divine consciousness had already subsided.

Ren Qing put away Yellow Mud Eye and noticed that countless cracks had appeared across the surface of the talisman treasure.

In terms of quality, Yellow Mud Eye was already among the finest of talisman treasures. Unfortunately, it was still only a talisman treasure.

Besides cultivation, he also needed to find a way to restore the alchemical and artifact-making traditions of his previous life.

Ren Shanshi rubbed his temples. "What was I about to say? Oh... right, A-Qing, have you eaten? You've been busy lately, so don't forget to eat."

"I won't forget, Dad. I'll help you cook."

Ren Qing frowned slightly. His bargain-bin father's face was pale. Divine consciousness could influence a mortal's mind, but too much was as bad as too little; it could easily damage one's foundation.

He was still counting on Ren Shanshi to carry on the family line. He could not drain the pond to catch the fish.

"Alright."

Ren Shanshi agreed instinctively, tossing that faint sense of unease to the back of his mind.

Father and son busied themselves in the kitchen. The coffin shop usually had little business anyway, especially now that they no longer dared accept the bodies of those beheaded at the market entrance.

It was not until late that night that Ren Qing headed for the residence where he cultivated in seclusion.

The abandoned house remained deserted for ages. Soon, several black rat acolytes gathered around it, while the sparrow acolyte kept watch for Ren Qing from atop the eaves.

Ren Qing stood at the bottom of the well. His divine consciousness flickered faintly, and the surrounding cacophony of insects abruptly fell silent.

"Mouse Divine General, get to work."

The moment the words left his mouth, four black rat acolytes crawled into the dry well. The soil loosened, and before long, the cramped space was completely sealed shut.

"The Immortal Ascension Method requires one to confine oneself inside a coffin. Liberation by Violence must also go from death toward life. It seems that only by being buried deep underground can these Daoist traditions fit together perfectly."

The surroundings sank into an almost stagnant darkness.

Ren Qing did not panic. Yellow Mud Eye between his brows opened a sliver, and he began slowly drawing the Immortal Ascension Talisman onto the damp earthen walls with blood from his fingertips.

The lines twisted and flowed, giving off an eerie, indescribable red glow.

Once the Immortal Ascension Talisman was complete, Ren Qing took out the boning knife and inscribed the Liberation by Violence Talisman over it. By the time the blood had congealed, the boning knife was already coated in a layer of blood grime.

He suspended the boning knife above his head with a thin cord, its blade facing downward.

Cold light flickered faintly.

Once he had finished everything, Ren Qing sat down cross-legged. Blood still dripped continuously from his fingertips.

"He who studies the higher Dao, who yearns for immortals and achieves release from the corpse, shall ultimately return to the immortal path. Divine transformation makes them one; they do not mingle with the motley, and all enter the true Dao."

Ren Qing's murmur echoed at the bottom of the well, producing a subtle resonance with the talismans.

Suddenly.

The bone-stripping knife fell from midair, effortlessly plunging into the top of Ren Qing's head.

Ren Qing lost all life and collapsed limply to the ground, gradually becoming nothing more than a corpse.

Midnight.

The freezing wind howled, and the night watchman's bronze gong echoed through Water Mouth City.

Wish-Fulfillment Abbey's entrance was a complete mess, with only incense ash scattered across the ground. The worshippers who had knelt there so devoutly during the day had long since vanished without a trace. Only the outsiders still waited bitterly.

The carriages remained where they were as well, while the many guards huddled in sheltered spots, silent.

No one knew how much time had passed—perhaps one watch, perhaps two—when, with a creak, Wish-Fulfillment Abbey's vermilion-lacquered gates opened without warning.

Beyond the gates was utter darkness, impossible to see through, yet it seemed to possess some invisible pull.

All the martial world folk opened their eyes as one. Their faces burned with fervor as they rose to their feet. After exchanging glances, they surged into the abbey like a swarm.

The guards watching the carriage could no longer hold themselves back either, their eyes fixed on the open abbey gates.

The middle-aged martial man at their head stroked the saber at his waist. After hesitating for a moment, he approached the carriage and asked, "Miss, should we set out as well? Song Baizhou may be about to ascend to immortality. We might as well use this chance to hitch ourselves to the Immortal Ascension Sect..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yao lifted the curtain. Her sickly face looked even weaker than it had during the day, and the cinnabar mole between her brows had dimmed a little. "Uncle Zhang, there's no need to rush."

"How could the Immortal Ascension Sect's method of becoming immortal be so easily obtained? We don't even know what is happening inside. Charging in rashly will only invite disaster. Let's watch how things unfold first."

Zhang Qilin's face filled with worry. "But, Miss, your health..."

"I can hold on a while longer."

Li Yao clenched the curtain, and before long, the carriage was once again sealed off from the freezing wind outside.

A small oil lamp was lit within. Under its dim yellow glow, one could clearly see that Li Yao was nearly skin and bones, her veins starkly visible.

Spread before Li Yao was a blank Western Regions thangka. Its canvas was rough, and its edges had already become somewhat worn.

She knew that her father had poured nearly half the merchant guild's assets into obtaining this thangka. He had also sent people to escort her here for the Immortal Ascension Sect's ascension gathering. If she failed, then after her death, the carriage would carry her corpse back to Salt Township.

"Hah."

Li Yao picked up a silver knife and, without hesitation, slit open her wrist.

The thangka absorbed the blood like a living creature, its material growing ever closer to human skin.

"The Western Regions' Duoji True-Seeking Thangka can sense immortal aura. By my reckoning, the true immortal behind this ascension gathering should be about to reveal a trace of itself."

She stared at the blood-red color gradually spreading across the thangka, her eyes full of resolve. "As long as I can determine which true immortal is presiding over this, I'll at least have a few more chances..."

The halo of the oil lamp swayed, and patterns began to emerge on the thangka.