Zhong Wuwang sat on the wooden boat, which grew faster and faster under Luo Wushang's control.
His face was pale green, as if he were freezing, and he trembled incessantly. Over a dozen wounds covered his body, all bleeding.
Behind him, enormous fleshy wings had sprouted, as if they had a mind of their own. Flesh and blood sluggishly squirmed atop them, and suddenly, heads began to grow from the wings, opening their mouths to let out silent screams that seemed filled with agony.
The heads retracted back into the fleshy wings, and then tentacles of flesh and blood grew out from them. At the tips of these tentacles were eyeballs larger than fists, rolling around and looking in every direction.
Luo Wushang's heart leaped at the sight.
The ever-composed senior disciple of Despair Slope had never been this pathetic before.
Zhong Wuwang had always stood lofty and aloof at Despair Slope, as pure and elevated as the bright moon in the sky. The most Luo Wushang and the others ever heard was that Zhong Wuwang had comprehended some immortal art and passed it on to a certain senior uncle, or that Zhong Wuwang casually pointed something out to someone, and they broke through their cultivation realm.
But now, Zhong Wuwang had lost that composed demeanor.
Zhong Wuwang clenched his teeth, doing everything in his power to suppress the evil transformation and the influence of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Junior sister, go back. I will go and help Master!"
Luo Wushang smiled. "Senior brother, with injuries this severe, what can you do if you go back? It's better to return to Despair Slope and recover properly."
Zhong Wuwang struggled to stand. "Chen Shi has an extremely sinister demonic blade on him. If you touch it even slightly, not even an immortal can save you..."
Luo Wushang quickly helped steady him, smiling. "Senior brother, you know Master's strength is unfathomable. There's no need to worry. Even though Master isn't an immortal, he's not far behind. As for your injuries, if they aren't treated soon, they might leave lasting problems."
Zhong Wuwang frowned. His Innate Dao Embryo was struggling to simultaneously suppress the immortal contamination and the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade.
Even if he went back, he wouldn't be able to help.
Besides, his master Wei Daoren had an ancient origin and unfathomable cultivation. As long as he wasn't struck by the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, there was no way he could lose to Chen Shi.
"Master has seen much of the world. He should recognize that demonic blade," Zhong Wuwang thought to himself. "As long as he recognizes it, he won't lose."
Wei Daoren stood at the foot of the mountain, composed and unhurried, quietly waiting for Chen Shi.
Chen Shi flew in on a streak of bloody light, following the intense pain at the back of his head, constantly adjusting his direction.
Suddenly, a sea of fire hung upside down, suspended in the air, blocking his path.
Without hesitation, Chen Shi brought his blade down, splitting the sea of fire apart.
"The Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade?"
Wei Daoren's expression shifted to surprise as his gaze fell on the precious blade in Chen Shi's hand.
The blade had a rather ancient air about it. It was a bit over four feet long, with a straight spine and a straight edge that slanted at the tip, also perfectly straight. It could be used for chopping or thrusting like a sword.
Yin and Yang energies swirled around the blade, sometimes forming a tiny bright moon and sun the size of a fingertip, and sometimes reverting back to Yin and Yang energies.
Blood surged behind Chen Shi's head, and the blade's light rose again as he chopped at Wei Daoren.
Seeing this, Wei Daoren didn't dodge or evade. He laughed. "Top Scholar Chen, you're being controlled by this blade. Let me give you a hand!"
Wei Daoren activated the Exalted Jade Emperor Heart Seal Scripture. Boundless immortal light manifested behind him, and within that light, the Jade Emperor sat in the Hall of Empyrean. Suddenly, grand celestial music rang out, and all the gods chanted divine language.
Chen Shi's demonic nature rapidly receded as he regained his sanity. He immediately withdrew the blade. The blade light came to a stop just above Wei Daoren's head.
Chen Shi frowned. The pain at the back of his head had suddenly vanished, and his connection to the Innate Dao Embryo was gone.
His heart sank. That meant Zhong Wuwang had already flown out of his sensing range.
"Who are you, sir? Why are you blocking my path?" Chen Shi asked.
Seeing that his gaze had cleared, Wei Daoren smiled. "My surname is Wei, given name Luo, of Despair Slope. The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade is an ill-omened object. I saw that you were being controlled by it and couldn't bear to see you fall into the demonic path, so I stepped in to help. This blade was forged by immortals during the Great Shang period and later passed through many hands to reach the Western Ox New Continent. Every one of its past masters died horribly because of it."
He spoke as if counting family treasures. "This blade carries an extremely heavy demonic nature. The more its wielder kills, the stronger the demonic blade becomes. Eventually, it will turn on its master, killing them too and devouring their Primordial Spirit."
In Chen Shi's hand, the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade hummed and vibrated. Waves of demonic nature surged toward Chen Shi, trying to control him again, to make him chop down Wei Daoren.
Chen Shi also realized he had just been controlled by the demonic blade, losing himself once more.
Although he wanted to kill Zhong Wuwang, being controlled by the demonic blade was definitely not a good thing.
However, this Wei Daoren in front of him was from Despair Slope. Even though he had helped suppress the blade's demonic nature, Chen Shi remained vigilant and still held onto the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade.
"This blade's first master in the Western Ox New Continent was a man named Xiang Fei, a Taoist from the Erlang Temple in the Divine Continent. He stole the blade and came to the Western Ox New Continent. Relying on this blade, Xiang Fei killed quite a few calamities, rose to fame, and grew increasingly powerful."
Wei Daoren narrated unhurriedly, "One day, Xiang Fei suddenly went mad. He offered the blade to kill people, leaving rivers of blood wherever he passed. The court sent experts carrying immortal artifacts to try to kill him, but when they caught up, they found Xiang Fei already dead, his head gone. His corpse was drained of all Qi and blood, as if it had been sucked dry. At the time, the court believed Xiang Fei had died from the blade's backlash. They deemed the blade evil and ill-omened, so they sealed it away and stored it in Wuying Hall."
Chen Shi examined the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade in his hand. He too could sense that this immortal artifact carried an extremely heavy demonic nature, and it had rebelled against him multiple times.
Especially this time, after he had comprehended the Yin-Yang Variation and refined the blade's Yin and Yang energies, he hadn't expected to still be controlled by its demonic nature.
Logically, after refining the Yin and Yang energies, he should have been able to fully master the blade.
But ironically, as the blade's power increased, it could still turn around and control him!
Wei Daoren continued, "The blade's second appearance was when the True King moved the capital from Fei County to Xinxiang. At that time, Wuying Hall was also relocated. But the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade was taken out again. Its master then was the Five Armies Commander, Lou Jifeng. After getting the blade, Lou Jifeng kept it hidden, afraid to show it to anyone.
"Later, a great upheaval occurred in Xinxiang. Someone dug up several evil immortals from underground. The moment they revived, a catastrophe erupted, sweeping through Xinxiang and causing countless deaths. That catastrophe was terrifying. It forced the True King to move the capital once again, this time to Yudu.
"The person who quelled that catastrophe was Lou Jifeng. He activated the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade and killed those evil immortals one after another. But then he could no longer control the blade and cut his own throat."
Chen Shi's heart pounded. The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade in his hand felt extremely troublesome.
Wei Daoren said, "The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade was sent to the Great Bao Guo Temple, where they tried to use Buddhist teachings to suppress its demonic nature. It was sealed there for several hundred years. Then, one night, all the eminent monks in the Arhat Hall of the Great Bao Guo Temple died horribly. I heard that the one who wielded the blade was a young monk who had been bullied in the Arhat Hall, so he took the blade and killed all the experts there. The young monk escaped with the blade. Later, it changed hands several times and disappeared from the underworld. I've looked into it. Everyone who obtained it died a violent death."
Chen Shi asked, "How do you know all this in such detail, sir?"
Wei Daoren smiled. "How old do you think I look?"
Chen Shi studied him. Wei Daoren's black robes fluttered in the wind, and he cut a handsome, scholarly figure. He looked to be in his twenties.
"Back then, when the True King first entered Despair Slope, I followed behind him."
Wei Daoren smiled. "I was twelve years old then. Now, over eleven thousand four hundred years have passed."
Chen Shi's mind reeled. This Wei Daoren was over eleven thousand years old?
Other than the ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans, there was actually someone who had survived from the True King's Era to the present day!
"His cultivation must be extremely strong. With ten thousand years of accumulation, it's no small matter. He's probably not much weaker than the ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans," Chen Shi thought. "That means he also follows the old path. Why hasn't he become corrupted?"
Wei Daoren said, "I was one of the True King's close attendants. That's why I know all these things like the back of my hand..."
Chen Shi interrupted him. "So, you're a eunuch?"
Wei Daoren frowned slightly.
Chen Shi probed, "When the True King went to Despair Slope, if he was bringing attendants, he would have brought people who could take care of his daily needs. So, the people he brought should have been eunuchs. I heard from Director Feng of the Eastern Depot..."
He mimicked Director Feng's tone, his voice going sharp and shrill. "We eunuchs have to have that thing cut off. But your voice isn't shrill at all. Are you faking a deep voice..."
Suddenly, Chen Shi felt the demonic Qi in the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade surge. His heart clenched, and he stopped talking.
Wei Daoren's expression darkened slightly. He loosened the Heart Seal Scripture a little, letting Chen Shi know not to get too cocky, before continuing, "I cultivated the techniques of Despair Slope and comprehended the mystery of transforming into a Celestial Being. I haven't been a eunuch for a long time. Chen Shi, the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade is indeed an extraordinary divine weapon, but it kills its masters. I can teach you the Exalted Jade Emperor Heart Seal Scripture of Despair Slope to help you suppress its demonic nature. But there is one condition."
Chen Shi raised an eyebrow. "Name it."
Wei Daoren perked up. "Come back with me to Despair Slope and become a disciple of Despair Slope."
"Fine!" Chen Shi agreed without hesitation.
Wei Daoren was taken aback. "Are you sure you want to become a disciple of Despair Slope?"
Chen Shi nodded. "I'm sure! But after I become a disciple of Despair Slope, the feud between me and Zhong Wuwang must also be settled."
Wei Daoren smiled. "I won't interfere with any of your feuds with Zhong Wuwang. If you want to fight, fight. If you want to kill, kill. If you can kill him and take back the Innate Dao Embryo, that's up to you."
Now it was Chen Shi's turn to be stunned. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill Zhong Wuwang?"
Wei Daoren smiled. "What Despair Slope wants is the Innate Dao Embryo. It doesn't really matter who has it."
Chen Shi was silent for a moment. "If it doesn't matter, then why did Despair Slope take my Innate Dao Embryo back then?"
Wei Daoren looked at him seriously. After a long moment, he smiled. "Do you really not remember what happened back then?"
Chen Shi shook his head.
Wei Daoren sighed. "Back then, the person from Despair Slope who went to Xinxiang had a similar idea. He planned to bring you to Despair Slope and nurture you. He tested you and was very pleased with you. The only problem came when he demanded that you swear absolute loyalty to the True God. You refused."
Chen Shi asked, "What did I say?"
"You said, 'Where the sun and moon shine, that is China. As one of China's bloodline, how could I kneel to an alien god? What alien god is worthy of my kneeling?'"
Wei Daoren continued, "You also said you wanted to be like your grandfather, to find the secrets of the fallen gods and dig out the true culprit behind it all. You frightened that envoy from Despair Slope. He felt that the Innate Dao Embryo, bestowed by the True God, should not appear on someone like you, a blasphemer."
He broke into a smile. "But now, you're much better than you were back then."
Chen Shi was silent for a moment. "Wei Daoren, you were once a eunuch by the True King's side, so you know many secrets. But how do you know so much detail about my divine embryo being cut out?"
Wei Daoren frowned slightly, sensing the demonic nature growing stronger within Chen Shi.
He suddenly realized that he had been wrong.
Horribly wrong!
Even if Chen Shi had died once, even if he had lost his memories, he was probably exactly the same stubborn boy with the same temper as that Child Prodigy back then!
He simply could not be persuaded. He could not be disciplined. And he certainly could not be molded into what Wei Daoren wanted!
Chen Shi's anger burned. The demonic nature within him grew scorching hot, surging violently, breaking through the suppression of the Heart Seal Scripture and connecting with the demonic nature of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade.
"So, it was you who cracked open my skull and took the Innate Dao Embryo?"
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