Chen Shi and Yu Lingzi felt as if all the hair on their bodies was growing wildly, their skin crawling with irritation. They quickly turned their heads to see a bloody Daoist crawling out of the courtyard on all fours, following Uncle Wen toward Blue Goat Palace.

"Uncle Master Zhuo." Yu Lingzi's heart skipped a beat.

He wasn't a disciple of the sect master himself but had come from under the tutelage of Daoist Yan. Because of his exceptional talent, he was called the Daoist Son. Daoist Yan's status wasn't particularly high, nor was his cultivation especially profound—he had been stuck in the Return to Emptiness realm for years. Yu Lingzi had countless uncles and aunts, no less than eighty if not a hundred.

This Uncle Master Zhuo was already quite old, seventy-two years of age, and he had actually shed his human skin, crawling on the ground!

Behind Uncle Master Zhuo, over a dozen more Daoists crawled out, also bloody and naked, without clothes or skin!

Chen Shi glanced into that courtyard and saw over a dozen Daoists standing there, nothing but their skin and clothes remaining.

Yu Lingzi's voice trembled: "Uncle Master, I think my scalp feels a bit itchy. Could you take a look for me...?"

His face was ashen, and his legs were shaking.

The Daoists in this courtyard were mostly his uncles and aunts, along with a few senior and junior brothers. He hadn't expected them all to have fallen victim.

This sight made his entire body itch, his scalp tighten, and the back of his head ache, as if a searing red line ran from the back of his skull down through his nape, along his spine, all the way to his tailbone.

He felt as if he might split open at any moment.

Chen Shi approached him and said, "Bend your head."

Yu Lingzi lowered his head and said, "The moment I bow my head, I feel like my nape is about to crack open."

Chen Shi looked and saw a red line on Yu Lingzi's nape, extending from the back of his head and running down the center of his back. When he touched it, it was scorching hot, almost burning his fingers.

Chen Shi touched it with his fingertip and felt as if there was a gap between the red lines.

Yu Lingzi was already showing signs of shedding his skin.

Chen Shi's expression didn't change, and his voice was steady as he said, "There's nothing unusual. Just relax and don't let your imagination run wild."

Yu Lingzi let out a breath of relief, straightened his neck, and laughed, "I was just scared by my uncles and aunts. Every one of them far surpasses me in cultivation and strength, and yet they still fell victim. I was worried I might be next. Looks like I'm blessed by heaven..."

He saw Chen Shi summoning his Primordial Spirit and examining the back of his own neck, and his heart filled with doubt. "Uncle Master, what are you doing? Uncle Master? Are you sure I'm really fine? Don't scare me!"

"It's fine, it's fine."

Chen Shi consoled him while continuing to check his own nape. Finding no red line and no cracks or gaps when touched, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, put away his Primordial Spirit, and laughed, "Yu Lingzi, I'll teach you a method called Yin-Yang Purgation. Cultivate with me."

"Uncle Master, are you sure I'm fine?"

Yu Lingzi's voice trembled as he reached back to touch his own nape. "I feel like I'm about to split open!"

Chen Shi imparted the entire cultivation method of Yin-Yang Purgation to him. However, Yin-Yang Purgation required first visualizing the sun and moon, specifically the sun and moon of the ancestral land, the Divine Continent. Yu Lingzi had never seen them, so he couldn't easily master this technique.

Chen Shi settled for the next best option and said, "I'll spread my Primordial Spirit Dao Field. Stay inside my field and don't wander out... It's fine, really fine. What you're touching is just an illusion—probably a hair on your nape, not a crack."

In his Primordial Spirit Dao Field, the sun and moon appeared, rotating in turn, purging endlessly.

This sun-moon purgation was created by Daoist Tianzhen, and it had protected Chen Shi all the way to the Ascension realm. Though not a supreme technique, it was extremely effective at refining demonic energy. Even just standing in his Dao field, Yu Lingzi quickly suppressed the evil within himself.

The two followed these cracked-open Daoists forward. They saw that these Daoists were like golden cicadas waiting to shed their shells, crawling on the ground, heading toward Blue Goat Palace.

Chen Shi had seen how golden cicadas shed their skins. The cicadas lay dormant underground, living off the sap of tree roots. At the turn of spring and summer, they would break through the soil in the evening and night, climb up trees to high places, and then remain motionless, struggling to push open the shells on their bodies.

Their shells would crack along a line on their backs, from the head down the center of the back. The cicada's body would vibrate and struggle within the shell. Once the upper body broke free, they would pause, letting their tender bodies gradually grow stronger, until finally crawling out completely and flying off with a flutter of wings.

This was shedding and eclosion!

"The Golden Cicada Shedding Immortal Diagram records exactly this kind of shedding and eclosion."

Chen Shi's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself, "These Daoists must have been influenced by Sect Master Jinghong. In the process of cultivating into a Ghost Immortal, Jinghong must have begun to undergo an evil transformation."

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly saw that the number of Daoists crawling ahead was increasing—from over a dozen to seventy or eighty!

Everyone was crawling forward on all fours!

They were naked, and as they crawled, their originally bloody, mangled bodies gradually grew new skin!

These powerful Daoists seemed oblivious to it all, crawling forward on their own as if Blue Goat Palace was a towering tree. Climbing it would allow them to shed their shells and ascend, becoming immortals!

Chen Shi followed them forward, his shock growing.

Yu Lingzi was even more stunned. Among the Daoists crawling on the ground were many of his uncles and aunts, some of whom had even reached the Refining Spirit Realm or the Return to Emptiness realm. And yet, they too were enchanted, crawling forward on their own!

"Master!"

Yu Lingzi spotted an old Daoist and shuddered.

That old Daoist was named Yan Changtian, of the same generation as Chang Ying Daoist. He had an extremely high level of cultivation and was Yu Lingzi's master. At thirty-eight, he had reached the Return to Emptiness realm, which made him a genius. Unfortunately, he couldn't break through to the Great Ascension realm by the age of forty-eight, so he had to focus on the century-long sprint to the Great Ascension.

He was now at the peak of the Return to Emptiness realm, but because he hadn't reached it within a hundred years, he was stuck at this stage with no way to advance further. Even so, his cultivation was so profound that he was undoubtedly one of the top figures in the Return to Emptiness realm.

Some even said that if not for the century-long Great Ascension restriction, Yan Changtian would have broken through long ago.

But now, Yan Changtian was also crawling on all fours!

Just then, the people ahead suddenly stopped moving. The Daoists crawling behind them gradually slowed down as well. They crawled onto the square in front of Blue Goat Palace and then froze in place.

Above, the bright moon hung high.

In front of Blue Goat Palace, lanterns and decorations were hung.

From other mountain paths, crawling sounds also came—it was Daoists from other halls, also crawling on all fours.

Soon, the square was filled with these crawling Daoists. Some climbed up trees, some onto the walls of the palace, and even onto the high altar.

It was hard to imagine how they managed to climb the smooth walls and hang there.

A rustling sound came from within their bodies, followed by faint cracking sounds.

They were like a group of cicadas waiting to mature, undergoing a collective shedding and eclosion here!

Chen Shi and Yu Lingzi were terrified. Suddenly, Yu Lingzi shouted loudly, "Master! Uncle Guan! What's wrong with you? Wake up! Wake up!"

The Daoists paid no attention.

Suddenly, with a sharp crack, the leading Daoist's muscles vibrated rapidly, then his back bulged. His skull and face separated from his scalp and skin, slowly pulling his head out of the shell.

The other Daoists did the same, pulling their skulls and skinless faces out of their shells.

Their muscles vibrated, making a sound like water flowing, as if someone was laughing in the dark.

Laughing at these Daoists who cultivated orthodox methods, gathering the righteous energy of heaven and earth, yet had no resistance against the evil transformation!

Just then, Black Pot poked his head out from the underworld. Seeing this scene, he was about to pull back, but Yu Lingzi's voice trembled, "Uncle Pot sure has it easy. This place is way too terrifying..."

"Whoosh—"

Black Pot rode a gust of dark wind and pulled Chen Shi and Yu Lingzi down into the underworld.

In the underworld of Tai Hua Mountain, twenty-eight peaks hung upside down in the sky, magnificent as a fairyland.

This place was indeed a holy land, extraordinary even in the underworld. But the sky was dark and gloomy, exuding a thick, demonic energy.

Chen Shi and Yu Lingzi looked up and saw countless Primordial Spirits climbing across the canopy of the sky, their limbs digging deep into it like large and small golden cicadas.

These Primordial Spirits ranged from several hundred feet tall to just over a zhang and six, and they all belonged to the Daoists of Tai Hua Qing Palace!

A rustling sound came from the sky—it was the sound of these Primordial Spirits vibrating madly!

One by one, powerful Primordial Spirits split open at the back, and new Primordial Spirits emerged from the old ones, their heads poking out!

This sight made Chen Shi and Yu Lingzi feel as if their bones had turned to jelly. Yu Lingzi's voice trembled, "Uncle Pot, if you please, send us back to the mortal world..."

This scene was even more terrifying than the one in the mortal world. It was gods and demons shedding their skin!

Chen Shi looked into the distance. On those upside-down mountains, there were already many shed Primordial Spirit shells!

"Those shed Primordial Spirit shells are much larger than these Primordial Spirits," Chen Shi noticed, momentarily stunned.

Black Pot sent them back to the mortal world.

Chen Shi carefully threaded through the square, examining these Daoists who were undergoing their transformation. Yu Lingzi quickly followed him, trembling, afraid to touch any of them and risk being infected.

"Indeed, after transforming, these Daoists have become smaller and much older!"

Chen Shi observed closely, his heart stirring. "This evil transformation is completely different from the demonic transformations I've encountered before. Its range isn't large, but its threat is immense—even Return to Emptiness realm cultivators can fall victim! If they keep transforming like this, it won't take many cycles before they exhaust everything and die!"

Just then, the transformed Daoists began crawling into Blue Goat Palace again.

Chen Shi and Yu Lingzi hesitated for a moment, then followed the crowd forward. They saw that after crawling for a short while and just entering the palace, the Daoists stopped and began another transformation.

This transformation happened much faster than before!

After they completed it, everyone had aged significantly. They continued crawling forward, some onto the walls, some onto the beams, some onto the palace roof, and then they transformed again.

"The frequency of their transformations is increasing, which means we're getting closer to the source of contamination! Sect Master Jinghong must be inside Blue Goat Palace!"

Chen Shi gritted his teeth and entered Blue Goat Palace, thinking to himself, "No matter what, I have to save Uncle Blue Goat!"

Yu Lingzi didn't want to go, but since he hadn't learned Yin-Yang Purgation yet, and Chen Shi was moving forward, he had no choice but to follow.

Along the way, they saw many Daoists who had entered the palace ahead of them, leaving behind numerous shed skins. Some had already reduced themselves to the size of infants.

A familiar figure caught their eyes, and Yu Lingzi was deeply moved: "Sect Master Chang Ying!"

Chang Ying Daoist turned around and, upon seeing them, showed a look of surprise.

Beside him were four old Daoists, already terrifyingly old, their faces covered in deep wrinkles. Not only was their hair completely white, but even their eyebrows and nose hairs were white.

Yu Lingzi was thrilled: "Uncle Master, these four are the Four Elders of Tai Hua! They're figures on the level of the Patriarch! They're usually as elusive as gods and dragons, never showing themselves. I can't believe I get to see them tonight!"

The Four Elders of Tai Hua showed no expression. Chang Ying Daoist frowned slightly and said, "Why aren't the two of you affected?"

Chen Shi replied, "This junior was taught by Daoist Tianzhen and cultivated the Yin-Yang Purgation method, which allows me to refine demonic energy. That's why I'm unaffected."

Chang Ying Daoist said, "An evil transformation has occurred here for some unknown reason, and it's extremely dangerous. That's why I awakened the Four Elders to subdue the evil entity behind it! Withdraw, so you won't be caught in the crossfire."

He and the Four Elders of Tai Hua continued forward. Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice from the hall ahead: "I'm overjoyed that Patriarch Blue Goat has returned. I was heartbroken when the Patriarch left Tai Hua Mountain back then. In my anger, I changed the name of Tai Hua Qingyang Palace to Tai Hua Qing Palace. Now that the Patriarch has returned, let's change the name back."

Yu Lingzi's body trembled. He looked at Chen Shi and whispered, "That's Sect Master Jinghong's voice!"

Chang Ying Daoist's body shook. He took a deep breath and walked toward this hall.

Sect Master Jinghong was his master!

In previous years, Sect Master Jinghong had passed away in depression, but before he died, he instructed Chang Ying to find Patriarch Blue Goat!

They heard Blue Goat's voice: "Jinghong, what kind of evil technique are you actually cultivating?"

"Evil technique? Hehehe, Patriarch, how could the Golden Cicada Shedding Immortal Diagram be an evil technique?"

Jinghong's voice came, "This technique is a proper, orthodox Daoist method. Didn't the Patriarch dig up many Patriarchs' graves with that scoundrel Chen Yindu and see many empty coffins? They cultivated the Immortal Diagram, transforming into Ghost Immortals. The method I'm cultivating is the same. This is an immortal technique!"

Blue Goat said, "An immortal technique? And it turned you into this ghastly thing? Jinghong, you've taken the wrong path!"

Chang Ying Daoist shouted, "Master! If you don't stop now, Tai Hua Qing Palace will be destroyed by your hands!"

He was emotional and quickened his pace.

But the Four Elders of Tai Hua beside him suddenly stopped, frozen in place. Their bodies began to tremble as they struggled desperately against the demonic energy.

"It's Chang Ying, huh."

Sect Master Jinghong's laughter came, "Your four uncles are here too? Patriarch Blue Goat, our whole sect's ascension is just around the corner. Let me show them the wonders of ascension first."

The Four Elders of Tai Hua were filled with terror. Above each of their heads, their Realms of Emptiness had already manifested. Their Primordial Spirits sat within these realms, doing everything possible to resist the evil transformation. Cold sweat covered their foreheads.

"Third senior brother!"

One of the old Daoists suddenly showed a look of joy and cried out, "I suddenly feel the mysteries of creation, the wonderful state of transformation and eclosion!"

He stood still, his muscles vibrating violently, and a cracking sound came from within his body. A line split open from the back of his head, and his back cracked open as well. The muscles on his back arched, and in an instant, a bloody skull was pulled out from his head. He laughed, "I'm about to ascend!"

"Hahaha!"

The other three Daoists suddenly had twisted expressions. With smiles on their faces, their eyes rapidly turned white, and they shouted, "We see the wonders of the flying immortals too! Sect Master Chang Ying, quickly drop your resistance and ascend with us!"