All this time, Lord Wuwang had been fixated on how to rush from the underworld to retrieve the pen tip, but the journey was far too perilous, crawling with ghosts and gods. The ghostly minions he dispatched often perished en route.
These minions weren't particularly strong; even if they reached the pen tip's location, they couldn't get close.
In Wuwang City, he was the only true expert, but he himself couldn't stray too far from the city.
He had once enlisted experts from the mortal world to search for the pen tip, but they more often than not met grim fates. Even those who survived and returned had been too distant from the target and were forced to turn back.
Moreover, the returning experts, eroded too severely by the underworld's yin energy, rarely lived more than a few years before succumbing.
This time, he had asked Chen Shi to step in, figuring that with a corpse-dissolved immortal's body, Chen Shi should be immune to yin energy corrosion. As long as he stayed sharp, and with a horde of Wuwang City's ghosts providing cover, he ought to locate the pen tip.
He never expected Chen Shi to propose traveling from the mortal world!
That eliminated the dangers of the road, greatly boosting survival odds.
"Only two problems remain."
Lord Wuwang said,
"First, how do the mortal world's geographies align with the underworld's? I've traveled too little to map them out."
Chen Shi smiled.
"This is a puzzle for you, but no issue for Granny Sha.
After obtaining the Sheep Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp, she scoured the underworld with it, dividing it into nine regions. She should be able to pinpoint the Judge's Dragon Whisker Pen's mortal location using its underworld position."
"The other issue: how do you enter the underworld?"
Lord Wuwang replied,
"From Wuwang City, you can go straight there, even with a physical body.
With a body, your strength surges, and your odds of survival skyrocket. Other places won't let a body descend."
Chen Shi smiled.
"Granny Sha can handle that too.
Lord, leave the details to me. Just await my word."
Lord Wuwang gave him a deep look and smiled.
"Since the True King is so confident, I'll wait here for your triumphant return."
He placed the long spear in Chen Shi's hands.
"Take this spear, True King.
It's one with the pen tip, immensely powerful, and will safeguard you.
Should you encounter the Dragon Whisker Pen, this should subdue it."
Chen Shi stood, gripping the spear shaft.
The shaft was bamboo, steeped in a netherworld judge's blood and qi, then refined by Lord Wuwang for years, now gleaming like jade throughout.
The spear measured fourteen feet, hefty in one hand.
He gripped the butt end, raising it level with one hand.
Spear tip, shaft, and butt aligned straight.
He held it two-handed, concealing the butt, shook his waist to flex the shaft like a writhing dragon, spinning the tip with resilient vigor.
"Good spear."
Chen Shi praised, inspecting closely. He saw natural underworld ghost script etched on it; staring made the talisman-like characters twist and warp.
Avert your gaze, and they stilled.
Beyond the ghost script, yang world talismans were imprinted—likely Lord Wuwang's work.
Chen Shi examined them; these yang talismans weren't top-tier, merely average, and the talisman mastery mediocre.
Lord Wuwang's humble origins and status meant no access to elite talismans. Later, by chance, he became lord, secluded ever since, unable to seek more arts and talismans outside.
What he acquired were usually brought by yang world cultivators arriving in Wuwang City.
Though the spear's talisman mastery was modest, its power was terrifying!
Lord Wuwang's cultivation was profoundly thick; even simple talismans felt transmuted from decay to miracle.
His technique wasn't elite lineage, yet over a millennium, with a basic method, he'd forged unfathomable depths—truly wondrous fortune.
"I've named this spear Wuwang,"
Lord Wuwang said.
"It discerns good from evil, decrees life and death."
Chen Shi always wielded weapons as-is, but Wuwang Spear was too long, unwieldy.
"This spear's too big.
Does the lord have a short sword or dagger?"
Lord Wuwang smiled.
"It's not too big.
Place the Wuwang Spear on this altar, True King, light incense and pay respects—then you'll understand."
Chen Shi complied, setting the spear on the altar, lighting incense and inserting it in the small tripod ahead.
Incense smoke wafted into the spear, as if it breathed, absorbing it.
Chen Shi gradually sensed his mind linking to the spear,
the bond sharpening, intensifying with the incense's burn.
Lord Wuwang said,
"Now grip it, True King, and will it in your heart."
Chen Shi grasped the Wuwang Spear, thinking: smaller.
The spear shrank accordingly.
Chen Shi pictured a flying sword's bamboo rod; the spear became one to two feet long, orbiting his body.
Chen Shi snatched the Wuwang mid-flight; it stretched to fourteen or fifteen feet.
He dashed spear in hand, tip angled groundward, bursting from the pavilion, leaping midair, and shouting:
"Grow!"
The Wuwang Spear whistled, expanding violently, slipping his grasp, tip spearing earth—now a yard thick, over thirty feet long!
But though Chen Shi willed it larger, it held firm; over thirty feet was this treasure's limit.
Chen Shi stood atop the spear, gazing down at Wuwang City below, heart soaring free.
A thought shrank it gradually to one foot.
Chen Shi landed, seizing the spear.
Lord Wuwang approached, smiling.
"True sacrifice requires incense; without it, it's not sacrifice.
Repeated blood-qi and talisman quenching is tempering, distinct from sacrifice.
With prolonged incense sacrifice, treasures gain spirit, shifting at will—then they're true treasures.
Take this spear, True King; three sticks morning, three evening—don't neglect it."
Chen Shi smiled.
"This journey ties to our lives—how could I slight it?"
He rose to bid farewell.
Lord Wuwang saw him out warmly. Exiting the manor, Chen Shi saw Guoguo asleep atop Blackie Pot.
Chen Shi scooped her up, placing her in the wooden cart.
Back in Huangpo Village, dawn hadn't broken.
Guoguo, exhausted from a night of play, slept through.
Chen Shi tucked her in bed. Hu Feifei still slept, groggy under covers. Seeing him enter with Guoguo, she stirred but didn't rise—instead lifting the quilt.
Chen Shi placed Guoguo inside; Hu Feifei tucked her in, sitting up from the covers, whispering:
"I waited last night but slept from exhaustion.
Eaten yet? I'll make food if not."
Chen Shi said:
"Dawn's ways off—sleep more, discuss at light."
Hu Feifei burrowed back, head peeking, giggling:
"Night's still deep—don't you want to do something with me?"
Chen Shi pondered.
"I'll cultivate."
He left the house. Hu Feifei peeked through window slats: Chen Shi indeed practiced the Eight Extremes Golden Palace Divine Chapter in the yard. She thought:
"I'm a fox spirit, he's a scholar—can't we develop something? Books say so... clearly books lie..."
She yawned, lying back.
At dawn, Hu Feifei heard Chen Shi's thrilled cry from the yard:
"Tianqing wrote!"
Hu Feifei rose, bleary-eyed, opening the door. Chen Shi clutched a letter, beaming:
"Feifei, Tianqing wrote!"
Hu Feifei rubbed her eyes.
"Which fox spirit's Tianqing?"
"Li Tianqing, my friend—you've met!
Chen Shi shook the letter, laughing.
"He verified our guess!"
Hu Feifei read: Li Tianqing greeted Chen Shi, described finding an ancient temple, sealing all doors, windows, walls airtight, stocking life-saving herbs, medicines, water, food—then shattering his golden core.
He nearly died, recovering after a month.
"This guy's shattering his golden core?"
Hu Feifei gasped—that ruthless?
Chen Shi paced excitedly.
"Keep reading!"
Hu Feifei continued: Li Tianqing recounted restarting cultivation in the temple. Initially uneventful, on the tenth day, a sunbeam pierced down.
After a month's secluded practice, he'd reformed his golden core, lifespan now two centuries—likely growing with cultivation.
Chen Shi beamed wildly.
"Now confirmed: not the technique, not the divine embryo—it's sunlight and moonlight!
He gazed skyward: twin suns bathed the earth, True Gods' eyes from beyond, sunlight radiant, brimming infinite heat.
"Sun and moon light elevate realms, not lifespan!
Chen Shi smacked fist to palm, laughing.
"Tianqing's feat rivals founding an empire, benefits eternity! Worthy bosom friend!
Hu Feifei saw his shining eyes, thinking:
"Is this men's ambition?
She didn't grasp such aspirations.
Yet a man's steadfast zeal held magnetic charm.
Chen Shi dashed to grind ink, penning reply to Li Tianqing—dissatisfied, crumpling and discarding, rewriting repeatedly.
Ten-plus drafts later, satisfied, he had Hu Feifei read.
She did: effusive praise for Li Tianqing's bold act, words surging with passion. She smiled:
"Well-written."
Chen Shi bolted out.
"To the provincial city for posting!"
Hu Feifei called:
"Back! Breakfast first!"
Chen Shi halted, wolfing food impatiently, then rushed off.
Hu Feifei shook her head.
Afternoon, Chen Shi returned post-letter, still buzzing, gushing to Hu Feifei about Li Tianqing's courage, monumental achievement in shattering and recultivating.
Next nightfall, Godmother Sangyu alerted Chen Shi:
"A little ghost seeks you outside."
Chen Shi said:
"Let him in."
Godmother Sangyu admitted the imp. Reaching Chen home, Chen Shi expected a village kid; sure enough, a green-skinned, fanged ghost boy—Lord Wuwang's tea lad—with a lantern ghost for light.
The imp said:
"My master sends me: when do you depart?"
Chen Shi, in high spirits, laughed:
"Tell the lord I'm true to word—off in days."
Imp and lantern ghost left.
Chen Shi cultivated on, incensing Wuwang Spear morning and night.
Two or three days later, imp and lantern ghost returned to Huangpo Village. Godmother Sangyu let them in; imp sought Chen Shi:
"Master asks: when depart?"
Chen Shi said:
"Two more days.
Tell the lord I haven't absconded with his spear— just not ready yet."
Imp returned.
Chen Shi incensed two more days, wielding Wuwang Spear fluidly, as one.
That dusk, cultivating Eight Extremes Golden Palace Divine Chapter, his dantian blazed—
vast fire, golden core suspended immobile, steady as blood-qi in samadhi.
Ears deaf, eyes colorless, mind blank, senses lost—plunged in dead silence.
Fire-sea as field, core as seed; amid utter stillness, sole lifeline hid within the core.
Pivotal moment.
Two days passed; imp and lantern ghost arrived, nearing Chen home—but void-fire blanketed, barring approach.
Ordinary eyes blind to it, but ghosts and gods saw, blocking path.
Imp peered from fire-sea edge: endless blaze, millions of miles, formless void—uncrossable.
Long wait; fire-sea contracted, shrinking to yards wide. Vaguely, an adult silhouette kneeled mid-void, fire-sea in his belly.
Suddenly, yellow sprout grew in fire, gold-glowing; burst two leaves like arms, unfurling upward, head lifting.
Sprout rooted like legs, humanizing, devouring fire-sea like rainbow nectar.
Abruptly, yellow sprout vaulted from fire-sea, nascent soul bean-sized, soaring to ninth heavens!
Imp looked up: soul form complete, faintly Chen Shi's face.
This scene echoed华夏神洲 sage Bai Yuchan's words.
Ninth-turn golden core, called Nine Returns.
Like dung beetle dead, fecal ball splits, cicada flies—form and spirit wondrous.
(From Bai Yuchan's *Haiqiong Daoxuan Collection*)
Suddenly, imp's visions faded; adult silhouette sharpened, organs emerged, then bones and meridians cleared, skin and garb last.
Visions gone, only Chen Shi sat in the yard.
Imp recovered, approached with lantern ghost, bowing:
"Master asks: when depart?"
Chen Shi rose, smiling:
"Now Nascent Soul achieved, odds better.
Tell the lord: depart at dawn!"
Chapter End.
