Codex of Ascension
"Oh, Uncle Kazuo, your old injury has flared up again. The necromantic toxin is already spreading through your meridians—you need immediate treatment to expel the poison! If it reaches your heart, organs, or bone marrow, not even a Golden Immortal could save you!" Shawn Young took one look at Kazuo Sasaki and instantly understood his condition.
"Ah! My father—his necrotic poison is so fierce, how can we treat it?" Rachel Sasaki exclaimed anxiously.
"Don’t worry, Rachel. I’ve got a way. Give me a moment!" Shawn Young said, quickly sitting cross-legged. He closed his eyes, shifted his consciousness, and after a swirl of white light, he had already entered the Heavenly Sanctuary.
As soon as he entered the Heavenly Sanctuary, he didn’t see the Red Dragon couple. Instead, he spotted a blazing red aura enveloping the churning Icefire Divine River. The aura was dazzling and hypnotic, covering a vast area. From the outside, it was impossible to see what was within or guess what was going on inside.
Just as Shawn Young was feeling puzzled, he heard the Red Dragon’s voice from within the aura: "Master, you’re here! Sorry about this—we’re busy building a defensive barrier and can’t come out to greet you!"
"Uh—building a defensive barrier? What for? Were you attacked? I didn’t sense anything! Is Mai okay?" Shawn Young asked in surprise, most concerned about Mai Kanda’s primordial spirit. After all, Mai was now completely defenseless and had to rely on the Red Dragon couple for protection.
"Oh—Mistress Mai is fine, but we have to be prepared. When you duel with the Infernal Overlord and your spirit leaves your body, the Heavenly Sanctuary loses a major shield. If your body is attacked, we’ll be in real danger—and Mistress Mai’s soul could easily be scattered! For safety, we decided to absorb some of your vital energy to reinforce the barrier," explained the Red Dragon.
"Oh, so that’s what’s going on!" Shawn Young realized, no wonder his vital energy was being depleted so quickly—it was being absorbed by the Red Dragon couple to build the defensive barrier in the Heavenly Sanctuary. Still, it was necessary, so Shawn didn’t object, though he worried about running out of energy and struggling to replenish it.
Sensing Shawn Young’s concern, the Red Dragon reassured him: "Master, you don’t need to worry. Maintaining the barrier does use up a lot of energy, but as long as you keep up your dual cultivation—especially by absorbing plenty of pure yin essence—you’ll break through your limits and have enough vital energy for the Heavenly Sanctuary!"
"Uh—dual cultivation isn’t a problem, but… you want me to absorb pure yin essence from a bunch of virgins? That’s not exactly easy! And how much do I need to break through, anyway?" Shawn Young asked, feeling troubled.
"Oh, that—well, you’ll need the pure yin essence from about seven or eight virgins!" answered the Red Dragon.
"What! Seven or eight virgins? That’s impossible! I’m not that much of a player!" Shawn Young broke out in a sweat. In his calculations, the only virgin he might be able to win over was Su Ruoxue—and even that wasn’t a sure thing.
"Uh—Master, you’re handsome, charming, and full of manly appeal! If you want, there’ll be plenty of virgins willing to dual cultivate with you. I believe in you! You’ve always been my idol! Just thinking about it gets me excited—go for ten or so virgins, then thrust hard and make them scream! Hahaha!" The Red Dragon burst out in a lewd, wild laugh.
"Pah—excited my ass! Thrust your own tail, and get back to work—" A crisp smack was followed by the furious voice of the Thousand-Year Earth Dragon.
"Ow, honey, why’d you hit me on the head again? I’ll turn stupid!" grumbled the Red Dragon, but soon fell silent. His head had just been smacked hard by a giant tail—the jealous Thousand-Year Earth Dragon didn’t like his nonsense and gave him a whack!
"Uh—back to work! I should get to work too—" Shawn Young snapped out of it, shook his head with a wry smile, then shifted his consciousness and plunged into the Icefire Divine River. With a flick of his mind—"whoosh—" a wave rose up, and his will quickly left the Heavenly Sanctuary.
He opened his eyes, feeling a cool sensation in his palm—a spoonful of crystal-clear liquid, radiating a refreshing fragrance that invigorated the spirit. This was the essence of the Icefire Divine River.
"Oh—you’re finally here!" Kazuo Sasaki, waiting nearby, saw Shawn Young’s expression and knew he was saved. After saying this, his long-held consciousness relaxed, his body shuddered, then slumped backward and soon fell into a coma.
"Ah—Father, what’s wrong?" Rachel Sasaki cried out in alarm.
"Rachel, don’t worry. Quickly get Uncle Kazuo onto the bed—I'll begin the ritual right away!" Shawn Young said to the anxious Rachel Sasaki.
"Okay!" Rachel responded, carefully lifting Kazuo Sasaki and laying him flat on the bed.
"Good, let’s begin—" Shawn Young calmed his mind, focused, and began channeling his Supreme Celestial Vitality.
As the energy flowed, the Illusory Sea quickly connected. Shawn Young flipped his palm, sending the essence of the Icefire Divine River into the air—"swish, swish"—the liquid scattered into a mist, splitting into nine streams that covered Kazuo Sasaki’s face. Three streams seeped into his nose, eyes, and ears; the other six flowed down his neck into his limbs and dantian.
(To be continued in the next chapter—click 'Next Page' for more!)
Next, Shawn Young formed a sword-finger seal, chanting an incantation: "Stars shift and constellations turn, the Three Lights shimmer, above the Nine Heavens, below the Nine Earths, I invoke the Nine Dragons Purge—banish all evil, divine officers descend with celestial power, the Nine Origins unite, by law—grant!"
After reciting the Nine Dragons Purge Incantation, Shawn Young pressed his sword-finger to Kazuo Sasaki’s brow. A dazzling white light shot forth, and as Shawn channeled his power, the light slowly entered Kazuo’s Illusory Sea.
Kazuo Sasaki’s pale face began to flush. In the darkness of his Illusory Sea, beams of white light shone through, restoring scattered memories. Bit by bit, everything became clearer, gathering together—the memories quickly returned under the light’s healing, and his eyelids began to twitch. Soon, his body and limbs could move again.
Seeing this, Shawn Young was overjoyed. He knew the Nine Dragons Purge Incantation had worked wonders, so he summoned more power and chanted the Southern Bright Fire Spell: "Natural energies disperse corruption, illuminate the mysterious cave, the mighty spirit of the Eight Directions empowers me, the talisman commands the Nine Heavens—Southern Bright Fire, grant!"
A sphere of white light enveloped Kazuo Sasaki. His body shuddered, and his consciousness, guided by the white light, fully recovered. The haze in his Illusory Sea vanished, and streams of dark, toxic energy rose from his body, dissolving into nothing under the light.
"Ah! That feels amazing—I haven’t felt this good in years!" Kazuo Sasaki finally spoke, slowly opening his eyes. Shawn Young let out a deep breath, elated—he knew he’d succeeded! The necromantic toxin that had plagued Kazuo for years was gone.