A fief deity requires only two things.
Lord Zheng returned to the Zheng King Temple in Bath Capital once more. Gazing at the golden statue of the Zheng King absorbing extraordinary power, he murmured softly,
One is kingly authority, and the other is divine authority.
Kingly authority was the Western King Jade Seal in his hand. But what of divine authority?
He knew nothing about divine authority.
Yet its power was undoubtedly no less than that of the Western King Jade Seal!
Even more questions flooded his mind.
Hadn't Young Master Xiao stolen the Western King Jade Seal? How had it ended up in Chen Shi's hands after so many twists and turns?
Why had the Zhu family handed the Western King Jade Seal to Chen Shi?
Where had the divine authority for the fief deity come from? Who had granted him this power of enfeoffment? Who even had the qualification to bestow divine authority?
"Young Master, your formidable rival has arrived."
Lord Zheng walked outside, murmuring,
"Now that Rouge Alley is ruined, the Matchmaker Society crippled, Merry Forest leaderless, and Phoenix Cry Pavilion headless, the restraints within Zheng King's Mansion are gone too. This is the perfect moment for me to reorganize power in Bath Capital!"
He stepped out of the Zheng King Temple, his eyes flickering.
"Young Master, you've enjoyed the shelter of Zheng King's Mansion for so many years. Like a true dragon, you've grown ever larger, dominating Zheng King's Mansion. Now it's time to return Zheng King's Mansion to the Zheng family!"
Chen Shi's purge of Young Master's forces in Bath Capital was the best opportunity for Lord Zheng to seize back power!
Chen Shi and Blackie Pot raced ahead at full speed. Blackie Pot activated the Galloping Horse Talismans on its four legs, charging forward like the wind, chasing sun and moon. By the time it thought to look back, where was Chen Shi's shadow?
Its speed was too fast—it had left Chen Shi far behind.
Blackie Pot hesitated, unsure whether to wait for Chen Shi. Then it saw Chen Shi whistling toward it from afar, shouting loudly,
"Blackie Pot, no need to wait for me! Head back to the village first and take Guo Guo and the cart!"
Blackie Pot hesitated no longer. It turned and bolted away, vanishing in moments.
Chen Shi did not head for Hu Village. Instead, he veered away from the coast, charging madly toward the Henggong Mountains.
The Henggong Mountains were riddled with peaks and dense with trees. Once he escaped into the forest, finding him would be exceedingly difficult.
The coast offered little cover, making it easy to be spotted. Revealing his intent to return to Xinduo would also allow ambushes to be set on the road ahead.
Behind him, Young Master's men pursued relentlessly. The Golden Core Realm experts were manageable—even ordinary Golden Core Realm sieges posed no fear to Chen Shi, so long as they weren't a military formation.
But beyond the Golden Core Realm experts, there were many Nascent Soul Realm masters, as well as three Soul Transformation Realm powerhouses!
These people had come specifically to kill him. From afar, they unleashed their nascent souls, nascent infants, and golden cores. Wherever they passed, crimson flames scorched the plains, crushing all mountains, stones, trees,
flowers, and grasses under terrifying force fields!
Even the small river from moments ago had been evaporated!
Chen Shi avoided roads with travelers and villages as much as possible, sticking to open ground. He pushed his speed to the limit, treading clear winds beneath his feet. With each step, his vital energy automatically formed Divine Travel Talismans, Galloping Horse Talismans, and the like. His feet barely touched the ground as he sped onward.
Chen Shi pinched a sword art, drawing rapidly in the air before him even as he ran, forming a Nine Heavens Wind and Thunder Talisman. The radiant talisman was lifted into the sky by a clear wind, hovering high above.
Suddenly, gales rose, and thunder roared from the nine heavens. Bolts of heavenly lightning crashed down with crackling booms.
One of the nascent souls pursuing Chen Shi staggered from the strike, nearly exploding as it expanded wildly outward. But this man was a Soul Transformation Realm cultivator after all, with profound cultivation. He forcibly halted the collapse of his nascent soul.
The nascent soul shrank rapidly, merging back into one, though somewhat blurred.
This Zheng King's Mansion expert hurried forward at once, guarding his nascent soul. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—he was injured.
He wasn't slain by the heavenly lightning. Instead, he soared upward on rising winds, treading azure clouds into the sky. His gaze swept the air, spotting from afar the golden talisman suspended there, its characters as large as斗buckets laid out in rows. He immediately reached out and struck from afar.
Chen Shi's Nine Heavens Wind and Thunder Talisman was only meant to summon winds and thunder—it couldn't withstand a strike from a Soul Transformation Realm expert and shattered instantly.
The Zheng King's Mansion expert breathed a sigh of relief and descended. In that brief moment, four men had their golden cores and nascent infants shattered by the heavenly lightning, perishing on the spot.
Over a dozen other Nascent Soul Realm experts had their nascent infants buffeted by the gales, their faces pale and unsightly, shuddering uncontrollably. Malevolent winds had invaded their bodies, nearly scattering their nascent infants.
Nascent infants were not nascent souls, far less so than yang spirits. Though various Dao arts couldn't directly strike nascent infants, winds and lightning were extremely dangerous to them.
Before even catching Chen Shi, five had already died by his hand. It was utterly discouraging.
Everyone felt a sense of defeat.
The Zheng King's Mansion Soul Transformation Realm expert shouted,
"Watch the skies! If winds or thunder appear, immediately retract your golden cores, nascent infants, and nascent souls!"
The remaining Zheng King's Mansion experts hesitated, then most withdrew their golden cores and nascent infants. Even the Soul Transformation Realm experts dared not be arrogant, drawing their nascent souls back into their divine completions to avoid Chen Shi's thunderous ambushes.
They continued the pursuit, but Chen Shi's figure was nowhere ahead.
The three Soul Transformation Realm experts scanned the area. The forests were silent, with only some strange beasts stirring—no sign of people.
"He plans to use the Henggong Mountains' terrain to shake us off. I'll go block him at Gong Mountain!"
One Soul Transformation Realm expert flew off.
The other two each cast soul-searching spells, trying to locate Chen Shi.
Other Zheng King's Mansion experts unleashed various spells, using every trick in the book—shapeshifting into eagles or hounds, soaring into the air or sniffing the ground—to hunt for Chen Shi's whereabouts.
At that moment, a Nascent Soul Realm expert spotted a flock of wild geese in the sky, led by the head goose toward the mountains. His heart stirred, and he called,
"Shoot down those wild geese!"
Before his words finished, the head goose suddenly accelerated, flapping its wings and fleeing at three to five times the speed of the others!
The crowd was both shocked and furious, hurrying to pursue. Various spells and talisman soldiers shot from afar toward the head goose.
The head goose flew faster and faster. Abruptly, it folded its wings, spinning like an arrow loosed from a bow straight into the forest below!
Whoosh—
The head goose plunged into the woods, followed closely by the crowd's spells and talisman soldiers. The forest shook with upheavals, trees snapping and splintering as sword qi, flames, and talisman soldiers ravaged everything!
The crowd arrived, searching all around, but found no Chen Shi.
Suddenly, someone spotted a panicked herd of deer charging madly and hurriedly said,
"Is there something off with that deer herd?"
Before the crowd could deploy heavenly eye talismans, one demonic deer among them seemed seized by lust, bounding and leaping. In a few steps, it scaled the cliff, leaving the others behind, and dashed to the other side.
The crowd hurried forward with all their might. The three nascent soul experts flew through the air, fastest of all, reaching the cliff top first. Below lay a blue river winding through the Henggong Mountains.
This river was called Lantern Flower River, part of Bath Capital's canal system.
That lust-maddened deer had already leaped and bounded to the Lantern Flower River's edge, plunging headfirst into the water.
They only glimpsed a broad fish tail slapping waves on the surface before the massive fish vanished.
The crowd arrived. The three nascent soul experts looked down from on high. Water-based spells flowed in the river, but upstream and downstream each had traces dissipating.
As for whether Chen Shi had gone upstream or down, it was a gamble.
They were about to freeze the river surface when the river's aquatic creatures were startled by them. Crocodiles clambered from the water onto the jungle-lined banks. Many strange beasts and wild animals burst from the forest, leaping into the river and crossing.
The crowd was dazzled for a moment, unable to tell which was Chen Shi.
"Block him on the road to Xinduo!"
The lead Soul Transformation Realm expert proposed.
The crowd whistled away.
Blackie Pot held a compass, identifying the direction. Hu Fifi sat in the wooden cart with Tutu beside her. Under Blackie Pot's control, the wooden cart headed for Xinduo.
For the first time, Hu Fifi felt utterly useless.
Blackie Pot planned to take Guo Guo back to Xinduo with it. Worried the dog couldn't care for the child properly, she insisted on coming along.
Who knew that along the way, the dog drove the cart, cooked meals, washed and hung clothes—even found inns or post stations at night.
The dog was just short of drawing talismans to exorcise evils and earn money to support the family!
Hu Fifi had nothing to do the entire way, just eating and lounging. By the time they reached Gongzhou territory, the vixen felt deeply ashamed.
Upon reaching the Min River, Blackie Pot stopped to find a boat. Moments later, it returned, leading them to a dock and boarding a painted pleasure boat.
Aboard were a boatman father and daughter. The boatman had skin tanned black, large hands and feet, and spoke little. The boat girl was quite chatty, greeting Blackie Pot warmly as if they were old acquaintances.
There were other passengers too, also heading from Gongzhou to Xinduo.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
The boat girl smiled, cracking melon seeds and handing a handful to Hu Fifi.
She seemed to speak to the air:
"After we parted last time, we returned to Xinduo. But weren't we afraid that stolen soul might escape? So we went to Bath Capital to do business on the canal."
Hu Fifi stared in astonishment, thinking,
"Who is she talking to?"
This scene alerted the boatman too. He stepped forward at once, placing a hand on his daughter's right shoulder.
The boat girl snapped awake, warily scanning around. Her gaze landed on Blackie Pot, inwardly shocked. She secretly prepared herself and sneered,
"In the underworld, we might yield to you, but in the yang world, our father-daughter duo fears you not!"
Moments ago, Blackie Pot had tricked her into thinking she saw Chen Shi, making her talk to thin air.
Blackie Pot sat calmly on the deck, watching them silently.
It had planned to bluff its way to Xinduo, but the boatman's cultivation was profound and unfathomable—he had seen through it.
Seeing Blackie Pot so composed, the boatman and boat girl couldn't gauge its depth and hesitated to act.
Hu Fifi's scalp tingled at the sight, inwardly lamenting,
"Why did I even come along? I can't help at all. Nni
The two sides remained at peace. Hu Fifi hugged Tutu, somewhat relieved.
Suddenly, the boat girl's gaze fell on Guo Guo. Her heart pounded wildly. She tugged her father's sleeve and said tremulously,
"Dad, look—quick, look at 25..."
The boatman looked toward Guo Guo, his mind greatly shaken. He couldn't help choking up,
"Heavens have pity!"
He gripped the bamboo pole tightly. Blackie Pot sensed killing intent and rose, eyeing the father-daughter pair warily.
The boat girl turned into the painted boat and emerged carrying a clear oil lamp half a person's height, shaped like a doll—a big-headed baby seated on a lotus pedestal. The lamp's handle passed through its ears for carrying.
Killing intent surged from the boat girl. She snorted, yin energy billowing outward.
The painted boat paused slightly. In the next moment, the Gongzhou scenery on both banks vanished, replaced by the bleak, misty underworld spanning endless miles.
The Min River beneath their feet was no longer the Min—it was the River of Forgetfulness, icy and piercing.
No sun or moon in the sky, only gloom and horror, ghost fires drifting on the river.
The boat girl and boatman looked up in horror. Before them loomed a massive hound as grand as a mountain range, gazing down. Rolling black smoke and demonic flames emanated from its body.
The painted boat was like a leaf on the River of Forgetfulness, the father-daughter pair ants upon it, overreaching to challenge this behemoth.
An suffocating pressure descended.
The other passengers on the boat, witnessing this, were terrified out of their wits, huddling in corners, screaming hoarsely with dilated pupils.
Hu Fifi had some experience, but even she was scared half to death, trembling as she clutched Guo Guo.
Just what evil spirit was Chen family's dog?
As the thought crossed her mind, the boatman and boat girl's auras dissipated. The surroundings brightened gradually, the painted boat sailing once more on the Min River, shores unchanged.
The boatman set down the bamboo pole, obediently steering. The boat girl explained to the now-normal Blackie Pot,
"We father and daughter were rash just now. Please forgive us, sir."
"Woof!"
"I apologize on my father's behalf!"
"Woof woof!"
Cold sweat beaded on the boat girl's forehead:
"No charge, no charge."
Only then was Blackie Pot satisfied, returning to lie at Hu Fifi's feet.
Hu Fifi gained newfound respect for the dog. At mealtime, she hurriedly cooked and served dishes, washed pots and bowls. Seeing dirty clothes, she laundered them. Along the way, she tended to Blackie Pot and Guo Guo quite comfortably.
Blackie Pot grew a bit lazy too, enjoying this life.
"Right, where did Chen family brother go?" Hu Fifi wondered.
The painted boat followed the Min River out of Gongzhou. Meanwhile, outside Gongzhou city in Duo County, Zhuge Jian whipped his mount toward Guxian Town. Guxian Town was remote. After the Gongzhou demonic upheaval, Tianlao Society's upper echelons suffered heavy casualties, Tianlao crippled, its divine aspect shattered. Tianlao Society had vanished since.
But his recent investigations revealed Tianlao Society now lurked in Guxian Town, attempting to regather divine aspects for Tianlao.
Passing a mountain path, he turned a bend to see a woodcutter by the roadside with two loads of firewood totaling over a hundred jin.
The mountain path was rugged, carved along a cliff—one step outward meant plummeting.
The woodcutter leaned against the cliff wall, puffing his pipe. Seeing Zhuge Jian approach, he tapped his foot to let him pass.
Zhuge Jian nodded slightly in thanks. Then a cry came from the cliff above. Looking up, he saw a herb gatherer dangling from the sheer wall, roped and hanging dozens of feet down to pick a medicinal herb on the cliff.
He had slipped moments ago, nearly falling.
Zhuge Jian withdrew his gaze and continued along the narrow path. Then three men approached from the opposite side, driving an ox ahead with long, sharp horns like twin blades.
Such a narrow path—they might not pass.
"Go back, go back!"
The ox driver waved him off, shouting,
"Find a way around!"
Zhuge Jian glanced back to see the woodcutter shouldering his firewood and walking this way.
The ox pressed forward too, trapping him in between. The ox blocked his view, and behind its rear, the three quietly unleashed divine shrine nascent embryos, golden cores flying from the shrines.
Above Zhuge Jian's head, the herb gatherer spat a small flying sword, inscribed with talismans—a talisman soldier forged a thousand times over!
Behind Zhuge Jian, the woodcutter's eyes flashed, flames flowing in the shrine behind his head. The divine embryo quietly prepared a spell for a thunderous strike.
Bang!
Zhuge Jian drew the three-barreled fire lance from his back. Without even glancing behind, he shouldered it and blasted the woodcutter's head.
He flipped onto the ox's back, dodging the golden core from above. The fire lance erupted with frostfire, snapping the herb gatherer's rope!
The herb gatherer let out a shrill scream, plummeting from the sky into the abyss below!
Zhuge Jian leaped from the ox, using the lance as a hammer to smash one man's head behind the beast. He swung the lance around, its tip piercing another's chest and hoisting him up.
He flipped the fire lance again. With a thunderous boom, the third fleeing ox driver was flung airborne, his golden core shattered by the impact. He flew over ten paces before crashing into the opposite cliff wall.
This cliff was extremely perilous for him—but even more so for others.
Choosing to ambush him here was suicide!
Zhuge Jian halted, cleaning blood from the lance tip. He meticulously wiped cannon residue from the fire lance and reloaded gunpowder.
He took out a small vial of black dog blood and cinnabar, using an exceedingly fine brush to retrace the talismans on the fire lance.
Looks like coming to Guxian Town was right.
"Moo!"
From the cliff above, the ox turned its head and lowed at him.
Zhuge Jian slung the fire lance diagonally over his back, waved at the ox, and headed for Guxian Town.
To check if Guxian Town and Tianlao Society were Young Master's enterprises was simple: blast Great Granny to bits, flip through the ledgers, and it would all be clear!
