On the Path to the Great Dao

Chen Tang's face darkened as he stared at Creation Little Five, as if looking at a mortal enemy.

"Haven't you opened the wooden box yet?"

Creation Little Five pretended to be helpful. "Do you need your big brother to lend a hand?"

"No need." Chen Tang's tone was stiff as he cut him off and continued working on the box.

Creation Little Five feigned goodwill, offering guidance on the side. "First do it like this, then like this, and then like this... Wrong, wrong! You have to do it like this first, then like this..."

Chen Tang casually tossed the box aside, furious. "Chen Wu, are you done or not?"

Creation Little Five's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he smiled. "Is that how you talk to me? I am your elder brother, after all. Fine, if I kill you, the Chen family won't have to suffer the embarrassment anymore."

He counted on his fingers as if reciting a treasured list. "My father Chen Yindu, me Chen Wu, my son Chen Shi—a family of three, just perfect."

Chen Tang was speechless with rage.

Creation Little Five grew more pleased the more he thought about it. "This idea is great—only the smart ones get to stay!"

Just as he was about to make his move, he suddenly heard a *click*. Chen Tang had opened another box—an identical one. Inside the box were thirty-seven cloth dolls.

A fuzzy cloth doll poked its head out of the box, twitching its nose as it sniffed. Suddenly it shouted, "Creation Little Five! The Creation Little Five who ate my two legs! I can smell him!"

It crawled out of the box and glared viciously at Creation Little Five.

The other cloth dolls also crawled out one by one, surrounding him, united in hostility as they stared at Creation Little Five.

Creation Little Five broke into a smile, abandoning any thought of attacking. "Chen Tang, everyone says I'm the bad one, but I think you're the worst of the four people surnamed Chen in our family."

Chen Tang had deliberately not opened the box all this time, likely just to lull Yu Changbai into complacency and underestimation. At the moment when Yu Changbai was most relaxed or least prepared, Chen Tang would suddenly bring out another box, open it, and directly use the thirty-seven Ghost and God Domains of the Talisman God Tianji to suppress Yu Changbai, then take his life with a single sword strike.

This was Chen Tang's optimal battle strategy.

Feigning weakness to the enemy, attacking when they're unprepared, catching them off guard.

In Creation Little Five's eyes, while this strategy was effective, it lacked any aesthetic beauty—far inferior to his own methods.

He had spent months finding a flaw in Yu Changbai's cultivation techniques, used a single silver needle to lock his Realm of Emptiness, pierced through the back of his head, and resolved this great expert with the most effortless means—no desperate struggle, no wasted energy. That was true artistry.

Chen Tang snorted. "You've been gone so long without any news. Chen Shi has been missing you terribly."

Creation Little Five was silent for a moment, then broke into a grin. "Chen Tang, you really are the worse one. You're trying to use family bonds to trap me. I won't fall for it. But my son and I are definitely closer."

Chen Tang clenched his fists, glaring at him fiercely. If he weren't no match for him, he really wanted to give Creation Little Five a solid beating.

His lifelong dream was to defeat Creation Little Five—even just making Creation Little Five suffer a setback once, to make Little Five admit he wasn't as good, would fill him with joy and satisfaction. Yet every time he encountered Creation Little Five, he always ended up the loser. When it came to talking, he couldn't win; when it came to fighting, he couldn't win either.

Chen Tang relaxed his fists and looked toward the stele and Old Willow Tree on the high ground. "Now that the Empress of Earth is in the process of reviving, Despair Slope will definitely come looking again. The Empress of Earth might meet with disaster."

Creation Little Five studied Yu Changbai, who was frozen stiff, and said, "I can stall for some time. The ones responsible for Heaven's Listeners are some juniors. Originally, Zhuang Wujiu was in charge of the mortal world, and Wen Wuyu was in charge of the underworld. Now that the two realms have merged, Heaven's Listeners has been divided into one hundred and four major zones, coordinated by Zhong Wuwang."

Chen Tang frowned. "Zhong Wuwang?"

"The one who had the Innate Dao Embryo transplanted into him. He's very powerful—has the strength of an immortal."

Creation Little Five continued, "I once approached him but never had a chance to strike. I searched for a long time and only found one flaw in a short while—his ear, where he wears an earring. That earring is a celestial artifact, which he wears to protect himself in critical moments. But since there's a heavy object pressing on his ear, his movements are slightly restricted, which subtly affects his daily actions to some extent. So this is a crucial weakness of his."

He sighed. "But when I met him last time, I found he no longer had that flaw. Someone had ripped his earring off, tearing his earlobe along with it."

He felt resentful. What a good flaw it was—too bad he wasn't the one who struck.

Chen Tang asked, "What method will you use to buy time?"

"Turn around and don't look," Creation Little Five said.

Chen Tang turned his back.

Strange sounds came from behind him—like the cracking of chest bones during chest expansions, or the gulping of food sliding down a wet throat.

After a moment, Creation Little Five said, "You can turn around now."

Chen Tang turned to see Celestial Way Walker Yu Changbai standing there, but Creation Little Five had vanished without a trace.

Yu Changbai's mouth produced Creation Little Five's voice. "This time, Zhong Wuwang is in seclusion, attempting to break through and unify the Dao to become an immortal. When Heaven's Listeners found information about the Empress of Earth, they passed it to Zhuang Wujiu, who passed it to Yu Changbai. That's why Yu Changbai and I came here together to investigate. I can suppress the information from Heaven's Listeners—it won't reach the ears of the other Celestial Way Walkers or Celestial Way Immortals."

Chen Tang frowned slightly. "If Zhong Wuwang comes out of seclusion, he might see through your disguise."

Yu Changbai's vocal cords were subtly shifting, becoming more and more like Yu Changbai's, as he laughed. "He may have the Innate Dao Embryo, but in terms of real strength, he's no match for me. Even if he comes out of seclusion, I'll perform flawlessly—he won't notice a thing."

He had operated under Zhuang Wujiu's identity within Despair Slope for nearly three years without being discovered—his mimicry skills were evident.

Chen Tang looked around. "Where's Yu Changbai?"

Yu Changbai licked his lips. "You wouldn't want to know where he went."

Chen Tang didn't press the matter. "What have you discovered in Despair Slope these past few years?"

Yu Changbai shook his head. "Zhuang Wujiu is just a disciple of a Celestial Way Walker—what he can see is far too limited. All I know is that there are immortals in Despair Slope. They have unified the Dao, so they don't have to worry about being polluted by the world's demonic energy. I also know there's someone above them—they revere him as the Celestial Venerable. The Celestial Venerable is the supreme leader of Despair Slope, with absolute authority. There are rumors that the Celestial Venerable can face the True God directly and convey the divine will."

Chen Tang hesitated for a moment, then said hoarsely, "Is my mother really in Despair Slope?"

Yu Changbai also hesitated. "I don't know who your mother is."

Chen Tang was stunned.

"After my father came out of Despair Slope, it was some time later that someone sent you to Huangpo Village."

Yu Changbai said, "If we count back ten months, my father probably wasn't in Despair Slope at that time—he was walking the mortal world as a Celestial Way Walker. So your mother might not necessarily be a woman from Despair Slope—she could be some woman from the outside. Yu Changbai said that just to mess with your mind—he probably doesn't know which woman is your mother either."

Chen Tang's expression wavered between a smile and a cry as he shook his head. "That old bastard Chen Yindu—how many absurd things has he done?"

Yu Changbai's face turned unpleasant as he said coldly, "Chen Tang, show some respect to my father. He is your biological father, after all!"

Chen Tang snorted, feeling that the statement was somewhat off.

"I'm going back to Despair Slope now."

Yu Changbai had a hint of dismissal in his tone. "Are you still staying in my carriage, or do you plan to be my snack?"

Chen Tang picked up the box, thought for a moment, then said, "Take care of yourself. Be wary of Zhong Wuwang."

Yu Changbai glanced at him and suddenly laughed. "Are you worried about me?"

"No!" Chen Tang denied firmly.

Yu Changbai chuckled. "You are worried about me. When you deny something so vehemently, you're usually lying. Don't try to fool me—don't forget, I watched you grow up. I know what you're up to even before you do it."

The veins on Chen Tang's forehead bulged as he clenched his fists.

Yu Changbai laughed. "Got a temper? Hold it in. You can't beat me—I just can't be bothered to fight. Once your cultivation is fully developed, maybe you'll have a chance. Now get out of the carriage, or I'll kill you!"

Chen Tang got out reluctantly, watching helplessly as he drove the glassy carriage away with a roar.

After a moment, Chen Tang arrived at the foot of the high ground, bowed from afar toward the stele, then respectfully offered a stick of incense. He noticed that the radiant light on the high ground was even stronger than before, and the chanting of the gods was also growing deeper.

"Is the Empress of Earth's revival accelerating? Could it be because Little Ten is awakening deities all over the land?"

It had been over two years since Chen Shi left, and he couldn't help but miss him.

"I wonder where Little Ten is now, and if he's doing well?"

He turned and walked toward the Qianyang Mountain Lord Temple, silently thinking, "The Empress of Earth is the Earth Mother Ladyship. After her revival, she should be able to protect herself. But what the common people need now is not a deity who can defend herself against Despair Slope—but a Godmother who can shelter them. At that time, if Despair Slope strikes against the gods again, what can be done?"

For a moment, he couldn't think of any solution.

According to what Yu Changbai said, back then the gods fell because Despair Slope made its move. The Empress of Earth, seeing the situation was hopeless, had the gods go dormant and vanish without a trace.

If they weren't a match for Despair Slope back then, would they be a match for them now after reviving?

"Despair Slope... what kind of place is it? And how can we deal with them?" he murmured softly.

Since Chen Shi had refined the Three Corpses Gods, his cultivation had grown deeper day by day, and his Primordial Spirit had also broken through the eighteen-zhang limit, gradually increasing.

In the Body Unification realm, an eighteen-zhang Primordial Spirit was the limit. In the Three Corpses realm, because one had to sever the Three Corpses, the Primordial Spirit wouldn't increase and would remain at eighteen zhang, gradually transforming into a pure yang Primordial Spirit.

After cultivating a pure yang Primordial Spirit and a pure yang physical body, one could attempt to break through to the next realm—the Spirit Refining realm.

Chen Shi noticed his Primordial Spirit growing taller and taller and felt somewhat confused. He didn't know if he was still in the Three Corpses realm or if he had already broken through to the Spirit Refining realm.

He couldn't feel any barrier between the two realms.

In the past, when breaking through each realm, he could always feel the barrier's existence. Only by breaking through that barrier could he advance. But this time, it was extremely strange.

"This situation is most likely because you've already broken through and cultivated to the Spirit Refining realm, so you can't feel the barrier anymore."

Scholar Zhu guessed, "The various realms before were mostly related to the physical body. The Three Corpses Gods are formed from the yin energy of the body; Body Unification also requires a physical body; Spirit Transformation, Nascent Soul, and Golden Core all need to enter and exit the physical body—they are all manifestations of the body's qi and blood. Divine Embryo, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Refining are also all related to the physical body. Only the Spirit Refining realm has nothing to do with the body at all—it's entirely about cultivating the Primordial Spirit."

Chen Shi was puzzled. "Teacher, do you mean..."

"You once broke through to the Spirit Refining realm after you died!"

Scholar Zhu said solemnly, "The memories sealed by your grandfather must be related to this."