Yang Bi had gathered a great deal of information about Chen Shi, and there were many records of Chen Shi supposedly using his Divine Embryo.
One record claimed Chen Shi's Divine Embryo was a stone-headed woman named Shiji.
Another record claimed his Divine Embryo was the great snake Xuan Shan. Others claimed to have seen his Divine Embryo as a black dog.
In other records, Chen Shi's Divine Embryo was bizarre and varied, taking the form of various evil spirits, and even the village Godmother.
His Divine Embryo was not fixed, but if one were to count the Divine Embryo, Chen Shi's strength was likely still far greater than his own.
Yang Bi even suspected that Chen Shi could possess three Divine Embryos simultaneously.
This time, when he faced Chen Shi in battle, he had imposed restrictive conditions, only allowing Chen Shi to bring one person to the Upper Realm, precisely to limit Chen Shi's power. He just hadn't expected Chen Shi to only bring the female immortal from Qixia Taoist Temple, leaving everyone else behind.
During their confrontation, Chen Shi simply didn't use any Divine Embryo at all.
Not using his Divine Embryo and still fighting him to a draw made him feel a bit disheartened.
"Perhaps Chen Shi is right. For us cultivators, all great power should be attributed to oneself."
Yang Bi turned back to look at the Upper Realm. Those majestic, towering deities stood among the mountains, supporting this world. The Thirteen Great Clans had been preparing for too long to fight Despair Slope and overthrow the True God, but the strength of the Thirteen Great Clans was too scattered. Without a flexible mind to command them, the Thirteen Great Clans were just a heap of loose sand.
But commanding this immense power required his divided attention.
If he weren't distracted, his cultivation would likely be close to that of the ancestral masters.
"But Chen Shi, there's one thing you haven't considered. The Great Ascension Realm is the pinnacle realm for every cultivator."
He murmured softly, "No one can take that step, to achieve Dao Unification and become an immortal. Even if I cultivate with all my heart and soul, I would only give the Thirteen Great Clans one more Great Ascension Realm expert. It wouldn't change a thing."
In Huangpo Village, Chen Tang had been constantly looking back over his shoulder.
At this moment, he saw those celestial gods withdraw their gazes. This sight made his heart skip a beat: "The battle is over! Who won and who lost?"
If Chen Shi won, would the Upper Realm allow him to remain a threat?
If he lost, would Chen Shi die under his opponent's spells and divine abilities?
He was torn between hope and fear. Just then, one by one, the celestial gods vanished from his field of vision.
Chen Tang froze. When he looked back again, those celestial gods were still nowhere to be seen.
His heart sank. He could no longer see the Upper Realm!
It must be that the powerful beings within the Upper Realm had closed the Upper Realm off from him.
"Little Ten, are you alive or dead?" he wondered silently.
For the next ten-plus days, he still acted as usual, occasionally looking back. Even though he could no longer see the Upper Realm, he maintained this posture. He did this not out of habit or self-comfort, but because he didn't want Wu Qingyu to notice any abnormalities.
But he knew his wife was intelligent. She would surely see through him and become suspicious. For now, he only hoped to delay things one day at a time.
On the fourteenth day, three Dragon-Steeds pulled a Cloud-Green Grand Chariot as it arrived and landed outside Huangpo Village.
Wu Qingyu walked past Chen Tang and said softly, "Husband, you don't have to pretend anymore."
Chen Tang was momentarily stunned, then quickly caught up with her, thinking, "Was I that obvious?"
The couple walked forward and saw Chen Shi stepping down from the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot. When he saw them, he broke into a smile.
Chen Tang and Wu Qingyu both let out a sigh of relief.
Chen Tang maintained a calm expression and asked, "How did the battle go?"
Chen Shi said, "Yang Bi is a dragon among men. At the same cultivation level, he has skill and strength not inferior to mine. It was very impressive."
Chen Tang nodded. "So you must not underestimate the heroes of the world."
Chen Shi smiled. "I've only met one so far. The rest are mediocre, nothing more."
Chen Tang was quite exasperated. "Now you've met one Yang Bi. In the future, you might meet a second Yang Bi, a third Yang Bi."
Chen Shi was unconcerned. "I'll deal with it when I meet them. Until then, they're all mediocre, nothing more."
Chen Tang really wanted to draw the Xuanwei Sword and teach this insolent son a lesson about the vastness of heaven and earth, but he figured that even if he drew the Xuanwei Sword, at the same cultivation level, he still wouldn't be a match for this insolent son. So he just thought about it.
"How was the Upper Realm?" he asked further.
Chen Shi said, "Every celestial god in the Upper Realm has strength not inferior to the great snake Xuan Shan. Some of the stronger ones are comparable to the Qianyang Mountain Lord, their divine power like an ocean, unfathomably deep. The ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans possess the abilities of immortals, their Dao unified with heaven and earth, their power limitless."
He paused, then said firmly, "But the Upper Realm has a huge fatal flaw. If they encounter Despair Slope, they will surely be defeated. Six thousand years of preparation will be destroyed by the enemy. No second thought about it."
Chen Tang's heart trembled slightly. "Is it really that bad?"
Chen Shi said, "The only thing we can hope for now is that the Upper Realm has some hidden forces."
His eyes flickered. "I suspect that among the ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans, besides the thirteen founding ancestors, there might also be second and third patriarchs who are still alive. For example, the Li Family's ultimate techniques are divided into two major volumes: the first volume is the Yi'an Hall Collection, and the second volume is the Southern City Sect Yi Collection. The Yi'an Hall Collection is the cultivation technique practiced by the sect leader's lineage, while the Southern City Sect Yi Collection is the technique practiced by other disciples. The Southern City Sect Yi Collection was created by the Li Family's second patriarch. It encompasses everything and is not much inferior to the first patriarch's techniques. But when I went to the Upper Realm this time, I didn't see the Li Family's second patriarch."
Chen Tang's eyes lit up. "If every major clan has second and third patriarchs still alive, then there would be dozens of immortal-level beings! Add to that the ghosts and gods of the Great Ascension Realm in the Underworld and the Upper Realm, and a battle against Despair Slope wouldn't be impossible! Little Ten, you might be overthinking this. Their understanding of Despair Slope is certainly far deeper than yours."
Chen Shi hesitated for a moment. "I hope so. Father, we should still prepare for the destruction of the Thirteen Great Clans."
Chen Tang gave him a deep look, thinking, "My son plans to take out the Western King's Jade Seal, which he threw into the corner of the Wooden Cart, and ascend the throne after the Thirteen Great Clans fall?"
He did the math. It actually seemed feasible!
Just then, Black Pot's barking came from nearby. Chen Tang said with confusion, "Has night fallen early again? During the time you were at the Upper Realm, night has already fallen early once."
Chen Shi looked up at the sky. The sky was gradually turning red. The sun was spewing fire, flames floating in the air, obscuring the Western Ox New Continent.
"Has night fallen early twice recently?" Chen Shi asked.
Chen Tang nodded.
It quickly grew dark.
The moonlight was bright. Chen Shi lay under the old willow tree on the yellow earth slope, staring blankly at the bright moon outside the sky. Black Pot lay by his side.
This night was exceptionally long.
Chen Shi had already slept for a while. When he woke up, it was still dark, so he came to the yellow earth slope.
"Scholar Zhu, do you know how the True King's Era ended?" Chen Shi suddenly sat up and asked.
Scholar Zhu was hanging from the crooked willow tree. His body was straight, swaying in the wind. "How would I know? I've only been dead for a thousand years. By the time I died, the True King's Era had already been over for five thousand years."
Chen Shi hesitated for a moment. "I have seen the True King's true body. There was a golden thread on his neck, left by skilled craftsmen who sewed his head back onto his corpse. He didn't die naturally. His head was cut off."
Scholar Zhu hung motionless from the tree. Even the wind couldn't move him, and he said nothing.
Chen Shi probed cautiously, "Do you think the True King was murdered by the Thirteen Great Clans? The ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans took advantage of his unpreparedness, quietly killed him, and then destroyed all historical records about the True King's Era."
Scholar Zhu did not answer.
Chen Shi continued, almost to himself, "My guess isn't without reason. The True King sealed immortals, killing everyone in the world who was about to achieve Dao Unification and become an immortal. The ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans had all served as Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet. They must have assisted the True King in sealing the immortals. Those who didn't obey were killed. But the ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans were also about to achieve Dao Unification themselves. The True King killed all the half-immortals in the world. The next ones he would deal with were them. So they struck first."
Scholar Zhu interrupted him. "The True King did not die by their hands."
Chen Shi's eyes flickered. "Then, the True King committed suicide! The True King sealed all the immortals in the world, but his own cultivation had also reached an extremely high level. He had no choice but to achieve Dao Unification and become an immortal. Afraid of harming the people of the world, he took his own life! Before killing himself, he burned all the historical records of that era, so that later generations could not find the secret to becoming immortals! This way, no one could become an immortal, and no one would turn into a calamity!"
Scholar Zhu shook his head. "The True King did not commit suicide either. Stop guessing!"
Chen Shi said excitedly, "I've got it! The True King must have eliminated all the other half-immortals and was about to ascend to immortality himself. He was going to cross the tribulation, ascend, and achieve Dao Unification! He turned into an evil spirit, suffered a calamitous transformation, became a catastrophe, and was then killed by someone! It must be!"
"Woof! Woof!" Black Pot barked excitedly.
Scholar Zhu couldn't hold back any longer. He pushed the hanging rope open with both hands, landed lightly on the ground, and said angrily, "It's not what you two think! My founding ancestor's death was because something similar to what's happening now happened back then!"
Chen Shi saw that he was finally willing to come down from the crooked willow tree. He breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Teacher, you're finally willing to come down. So, what happened back then?"
Scholar Zhu snorted. His arms grew longer than his body as he untied the hanging rope from the tree and looped it around his own neck. "I hanged myself here. It's not easy for me to leave. Only with this rope around my neck can I move around freely. Come with me."
He floated up, flying through the air, the hanging rope trailing behind his head like a braid.
Chen Shi and Black Pot followed him. They saw Scholar Zhu drifting along, heading toward the True King's Tomb.
Chen Shi quickly said, "Teacher Zhu, wait! I'll go get the Western King's Jade Seal!"
"No need," Scholar Zhu's voice came back.
Chen Shi had no choice but to follow him. The man, the ghost, and the dog soon arrived outside the True King's Tomb.
The Stone Statue Deities outside the True King's Tomb stood tall, majestic and imposing. As soon as one stepped inside, the Ghost and God Domain would activate, and the Stone Statue Deities would reanimate, transforming into divine beasts that would tear intruders apart.
But strangely enough, when Scholar Zhu walked into the Ghost and God Domain, these divine beasts saw him and all lowered their heads and prostrated themselves, not harming him.
Chen Shi thought, "Scholar Zhu really is a descendant of the True King. He must have come here back then and even entered the tomb, which is why he could teach my father cultivation techniques."
He followed Scholar Zhu. The horned, human-bodied Tomb Guardian Beast raised an oil lamp and bowed to them. Scholar Zhu said, "Give me the lamp. You don't need to guide me."
The horned, human-bodied Tomb Guardian Beast acknowledged the order and handed the oil lamp to Scholar Zhu.
Scholar Zhu carried the oil lamp. Chen Shi and Black Pot followed him through the forest of stone tablets and entered the True King's Tomb.
They walked through the long, dark passageway, deep into the mausoleum.
Although Chen Shi had entered the True King's Tomb twice, he had never explored the interior of the mausoleum and didn't know what was inside.
Scholar Zhu led them to a side chamber. The side chamber wasn't large. Inside were stored some funerary objects like urns, jars, vats, and grain bins. They didn't look like extraordinary magical treasures, just vessels for storing grain.
Scholar Zhu grabbed a handful of rice from a pottery vat and said, "Come, feel this."
Chen Shi pinched these grains of rice and frowned slightly.
Scholar Zhu said, "What did you find?"
Chen Shi answered honestly, "These grains of rice are empty."
Scholar Zhu lifted the lid of another large vat. "Look at the rice in here."
Chen Shi walked over and grabbed a handful of rice. It felt very light in his hand. He pinched it and frowned slightly. These grains of rice were also empty, just a shell with no grain inside.
Scholar Zhu's voice carried a trace of fear. "This is the side chamber for the True King's burial objects. These vessels were supposed to contain the five grains like rice, millet, and sorghum. But at the end of the True King's Era, the grains had no kernels inside them."
Chen Shi put down the rice husks in his hand and reached deeper into the vat. The rice inside was all husks too!
He went to another large vat and grabbed a handful of rice. Still husks!
He opened the other urns, jars, vats, and grain bins, examining them one by one. These vessels were classified by the five grains, but what they contained wasn't the five grains!
Among the True King's burial objects, there were no actual five grains. They were all just husks!
"If even the True King was like this..."
Chen Shi's hair stood on end, and he shivered several times.
If even the True King was like this, what about the common people?
Did the common people even have a way to survive?
"What caused it?" Chen Shi asked, his voice hoarse.
"Perhaps at the end of the True King's Era, there was no sun," Scholar Zhu's indifferent voice came.
"No sun?"
Chen Shi shivered several more times. Without the sun, crops couldn't grow. Even if rice grew, it couldn't produce kernels!
And now, the days were getting shorter, and the nights were getting longer.
Chen Shi's Adam's apple moved with difficulty as he swallowed. "What did people eat?"
Scholar Zhu was silent for a moment. "I don't know."
Chen Shi pressed further. "How long did it last?"
Scholar Zhu shook his head. "I don't know."
"How many people died?"
"I don't know."
...
Chen Shi's mind was in chaos. When he came to his senses, he was startled to find himself back on the yellow earth slope, and Scholar Zhu was still hanging from the crooked willow tree, the hanging rope somehow tied securely again.
Black Pot was lying at his feet, sighing long and hard, his brow furrowed with worry.
Chen Shi stood up and saw that the moon was still hanging in the sky, while the people of Huangpo Village had all gotten up and were cooking breakfast.
"What time is it?"
Chen Shi's heart was filled with panic. He shouted, "Why hasn't the sun come out yet?"
His voice reached Huangpo Village. The villagers of Huangpo Village were reminded by this and looked up at the sky, each filled with confusion.
Yes, why hadn't the sun come out yet?
The moonlight was bright.
It seemed as if the moon would hang in the sky forever, never to set.
"Ah Tang, it's the hour of the Snake," Wu Qingyu said softly behind Chen Tang.
Chen Tang looked up at the moon in the sky, his voice heavy. "I know. The sun still hasn't come out."
Chen Shi was also looking up at the sky.
In Gangzi Village, Sha Qiutong also looked up, gazing at that moon.
In the distant Qianyang Mountain, the great snake Xuan Shan coiled around a mountain peak, its huge head staring at the moon in the sky.
Among the mountains, spirits and manifestations, each gazed at the sky, motionless.
The hour of the Noon arrived, but the sun still hadn't appeared.
The various villages gradually became restless. A sense of unease spread everywhere.
At midnight, the hour of the Zi, the sun still hadn't appeared.
The next morning, the moon dimmed, and two red suns appeared in the sky, slowly brightening.
Chen Shi clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.
"I have to go to the Upper Realm one more time!"
