Xu Ying had a feeling of being watched. He looked around but there were too many stone statues here, most of them were similar, and he didn't know who was watching him.

At this moment, there was another sound of stones moving.

Xu Ying looked in the direction of the sound, but couldn't tell which stone statue it came from.

"Da Zhong, does the plague god hold grudges?" he asked softly.

"He does!" Da Zhong remembered when Xu Ying whipped the plague god and whispered, "Do you remember that after you hit him, he immediately poked your forehead? He not only holds grudges, but also remembers it very clearly!"

Xu Ying felt itchy on his back and said, "Can I use my heavenly eyes to see my back? I'm afraid the plague god's tentacles have already reached my heart."

Da Zhong quickly said, "No! Have you forgotten what just happened? If you use your heavenly eyes, the gods will notice you, and the will of the gods will fill your head! Your fate will be the same as the bones under the cliff!"

They walked on a narrow path in the mountains, with cliffs and steep cliffs below. Countless bones that didn't know they were dead were not only climbing up, but also fighting over treasures. Under the cliff, various treasures piled up like mountains, tempting people's endless desires.

They were people influenced by the will of the gods, dead but unaware, always living in confusion.

Yuan Qi felt itchy on his back and scratched it with his tail.

Seeing this, Xu Ying felt a chill and felt even itchier on his back.

There was another sound of stones moving, heavy and piercing. Xu Ying looked up and saw a huge stone statue with a head like an owl, turning its head like it was looking down at him from above!

The stone statue had a triangular head, sharp on top, and a strange expression.

"Is that the stone statue of the plague god?"

Just as Xu Ying thought of this, the sound of stones moving suddenly increased. The stone statues slowly turned their heads, and their strange eyes looked at him.

The stone statues were towering and silent.

Faced with such a strange situation, Zhou Qiyun couldn't help but feel nervous. He looked up and said loudly, "I am imitating the Great Saint Emperor of the Ultimate Dao, visiting the Yin Court and passing through the treasure land. I hope the gods will understand!"

In the sky, ancient wills rolled in the air. With a slight movement, it sounded like thunder, rumbling.

Those were the whispers of the gods.

Their words were ancient, different from human language and ghost language. They were obscure and grand, with simple syllables but deep meanings.

Although Xu Ying, Zhou Qiyun, and others didn't understand the language of the gods, they could feel the vastness of their thoughts through the thunderous will.

The gods whispered, saying that there was a blasphemer among them. Those who blasphemed the gods and violated the heavenly laws would be judged by the heavens and punished by the heavenly laws.

Zhou Qiyun looked suspicious and turned to Xu Ying.

Xu Ying's heart sank and he whispered, "Da Zhong, can you stop the plague god?"

Although Da Zhong knew the situation was serious, he said in a deep voice, "Although I can't beat the plague god now, I can still hold him off for a while! It's a pity that Da Huai is dead. If you stay there and cultivate for a while longer, let me absorb more of your blood and qi, I can hold him off for a bit longer."

Zhou Qiyun looked up at the sky and said loudly, "Gods, can you make an exception?"

In the sky above the temple, ancient wills were in turmoil. That was the divine might, speaking of the divine laws that did not allow personal feelings. Anyone who violated the heavenly laws had no chance to be corrupt, only to accept heavenly punishment.

Zhou Qiyun turned around and said, "Xu Ying, I have done everything I can. Forgive me for my inability. Yuan Weiyang, let's go."

Yuan Weiyang hesitated, and the old servant, Xiao Bo, gently shook his head and whispered, "Young master, think about the Yuan family."

Yuan Weiyang fell silent and followed Xiao Bo.

Xu Ying shouted, "Yuan brother, take care of Yuan Qi for me! Yuan Qi, you go with them."

Yuan Qi hesitated for a moment, and Xu Ying whispered, "Stay here, I can't take care of you. It will only distract me. Zhou Qiyun and your old friend, Lao Niu, won't treat you badly if you follow them."

Yuan Qi swam forward and said, "Ah Ying, I'll wait for you outside!"

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They quickly flew away, leaving Xu Ying alone on the long mountain path, with cliffs on both sides and a bottomless abyss below.

Suddenly, the sky in the temple turned dark, leaving only a beam of light shining down on Xu Ying. Xu Ying couldn't see the surroundings, he could only look up and see the faintly hidden giant stone statues in the darkness.

The sound of stones moving continued, and the divine might became heavier and heavier. One by one, the towering stone statues turned their attention to Xu Ying. The ancient wills continued to roll in the sky above the temple, judging Xu Ying's sins.

Xu Ying looked up and saw the light shining in the sky gradually forming into a scroll, with a pen writing on it without anyone's control, recording his sins.

"On the first day of the third month, reported by the Yin Court, the criminal Xu killed a god in Jiangjia Field in Lingling, he shall be punished;"

"On the second day of the third month, reported by the government, the criminal Xu killed a person in Shishan in Lingling, he shall be punished;"

"On the third day of the third month, reported by the Yin Court, the criminal Xu killed a god in Jianshan Village in Lingling, he shall be punished;"

"On the fourth day of the third month, reported by the Yin Court, the criminal Xu killed twelve gods in Xiaoshan in Lingling, he shall be punished;"

"On the fourth day of the third month, reported by the government, the criminal Xu killed four people in Xiaoshan in Lingling, he shall be punished;"

...

Xu Ying looked up and shouted, "No need to read anymore! I did all of those things, and I have no regrets! You gods who control the heavenly path, you only want to punish me because I whipped and burned the plague god. What does it have to do with what I did before? I, Xu Ying, am already a dead man. If you want to kill me, just come, there's no need to pretend!"

The towering stone statues remained expressionless, sitting on the branches, motionless. The ancient wills continued to roll in the sky above the temple, recounting Xu Ying's crimes, stopping only after mentioning his whipping of the underworld's Bull Demon.

In the sky, an even more ancient will thundered, "This child has committed grave sins. Check his three lifetimes of records and settle them together."

One by one, the ancient wills trembled, investigating Xu Ying's actions in his previous three lifetimes.

"The previous life, no authority to view."

"The life before the previous life, no authority to view."

"The third life, no authority to view."

The temple fell into silence, terrifying silence.

After a long time, a more ancient will in the sky rolled, "Close the case."

In the sky above the temple, the words on the scroll quickly disappeared, and the entire scroll of sins disappeared. The heavenly book and heavenly pen flew into the heavenly world, disappearing without a trace.

It was the voice of the ancient will that spoke, thundering, "Escort the young master out of the temple."

A beam of light from the sky struck, illuminating the path ahead of Xu Ying, indicating the direction.

Xu Ying walked forward with one foot higher than the other, his mind in a daze, not knowing what had happened. Da Zhong was also in a daze, the gods in the temple had consulted three times, and the gods they consulted became higher and higher in status. The last god they consulted was probably the leader of the heavenly world!

However, this leader of the heavenly world actually said "close the case," directly dismissing the case of Xu Ying killing gods and officials!

"Even the gods of the heavenly world have no authority to view his previous three lifetimes, let alone impose heavenly punishment. Something must have happened to Xu Ying!"

Da Zhong thought for a moment and asked, "Ah Ying, do you think the Taiyin Yuanyu Gong is better than your Taiyi Daoyin Gong?"

Xu Ying snapped out of his shock and hadn't thought about this question before.

"Ah Ying, I think you should go to Xujiaping." Da Zhong said.

Xu Ying's face darkened and he sighed, "Xujiaping is just a small town near Yongzhou. It was destroyed by a big fire. With the invasion of the underworld and the emergence of new lands, Xujiaping is probably gone."

"Do you still remember the way to Xujiaping?"

"How could I forget?"

"Then, after getting rid of Zhou Qiyun, let's go to Xujiaping. We must find this place no matter what!"

Xu Ying agreed and fell silent for a moment before saying, "Da Zhong, thank you."

Da Zhong was stunned and smiled, "We are friends, there's no need to thank me. You have always silently supported me with your blood and qi, never complaining or asking for thanks. Why should you thank me?"

Xu Ying pondered his words and said, "Da Zhong, don't you think that my support with blood and qi is actually a result of you taking advantage of me?"

"Hahaha, that joke is really funny. Don't make this kind of joke next time!"

Outside the temple, Zhou Qiyun, Yuan Weiyang, and others walked out of the temple, but Yuan Weiyang and Yuan Qi stopped, not following Zhou Qiyun further.

Zhou Qiyun frowned and stopped, saying, "No need to wait, he can't come out. The temple is a place of ascension, where the gods can descend along the path of ascension. They have the ability to judge good and evil in the world. Even immortals can't save him."

Yuan Qi shook his head and said, "Ah Ying is very clever. He will definitely be able to escape."

Zhou Qiyun shook his head. Even he couldn't survive in such a situation of divine judgment, how could he escape?

The group stood outside the temple, waiting silently, without saying a word.

Zhou Qiyun frowned and was about to forcibly take them away when Yuan Weiyang whispered, "Zhou Laozu, I heard that when the gods descend, they need someone from the mortal realm to offer sacrifices in order to communicate with the heavenly world and open a bridge connecting the heavenly world. Why can the gods descend here without anyone offering sacrifices?"

Zhou Qiyun temporarily put aside his thoughts of forcibly taking them away and said, "That's the wonder of the ascension ground."

Yuan Qi was a little surprised. He had also heard of the ascension ground. In the Qin Yan Cave of Wuwang Mountain, in the verse recited by the girl in the coffin when facing the Mud Pill Palace's Jade Disc, there was a mention of the ascension ground.

The ascension ground mentioned by the girl in the coffin should refer to the Qin Yan Cave in Wuwang Mountain.

Zhou Qiyun said that this was the ascension ground, so what exactly was the ascension ground?

Zhou Qiyun said, "I have explored the hidden realm of the Nuo Immortal's Hidden Scene Transformation and the ancient Qi Refiner's cave heaven and blessed land. I have encountered some interesting ancient texts that record the existence of many ascension grounds in this world. There are rumors that the ascension ground is the place where Qi Refiners ascend to immortality, or it is formed from fragments of the heavenly world. These places have mysterious powers, and the barriers of the world become thin, making them sacred places for cultivation. Therefore, the gods can descend through the weak barriers."

At this moment, a voice came from the temple, asking, "Zhou Laozu, shouldn't the gods be unable to leave the ascension ground once they descend?"

Zhou Qiyun's eyes twitched, unable to believe what he saw. He looked up at the exit of the back hall of the temple, where a familiar figure walked out on the beam of light.

Zhou Qiyun's mind was in turmoil, and for a moment, he forgot to answer the question.

Xu Ying asked his second question, "Will the ascension ground deteriorate over time?"

When he heard Zhou Qiyun talking about the ascension ground in the temple just now, he also thought of the Qin Yan Cave. He was a little confused. If the Qin Yan Cave was the ascension ground, why didn't it show the phenomenon of the world's barriers becoming thin?

When they cultivated in the Qin Yan Cave, although they could perceive a mysterious energy that could stimulate the Mud Pill Palace, the mysterious energy came from the owner of the Mud Pill Palace, not from the heavenly world or the remnants of immortals' ascension!

"If the ascension ground is the place where immortals ascend or the fragments of the heavenly world, then the characteristics of all ascension grounds should be the same. But the characteristics of the Mud Pill Palace in the Qin Yan Cave are completely different from the characteristics of the temple!"

Xu Ying vaguely felt that something was wrong, but couldn't figure it out, so he had to put this matter aside for now.

"How did you come out?" Zhou Qiyun finally calmed down and asked.

Xu Ying smiled slightly, "I walked out. The temple of the gods is fair and just. After investigating, they found that I did no evil, so they let me walk out."

- The end -