On the Path to the Great Dao

After a long pause, Jue Yangzi finally composed himself, climbed to his feet, and said apologetically, "My earlier loss of composure made a fool of myself before you all."

His gaze fell upon Little Duan Immortal, and he couldn't help but show surprise, studying her closely before hastily asking, "You've achieved Dao Unification? Why haven't you suffered a demonic transformation from the union?"

Little Duan Immortal replied, "I didn't merge with heaven and earth; rather, I merged with the space within the small temple behind his head. That's why I wasn't corrupted."

Jue Yangzi blinked in confusion, his eyes turning to the small temple behind Chen Shi's head. "Why would merging with the space in his temple prevent corruption?"

Little Duan Immortal said, "His temple belongs to the deities of China, a space free of Demonic Energy, so merging with it avoids corruption. However, merging with the temple's space also has many drawbacks. First, the world available for merging is far too small. Second, when leaving the temple, one cannot stray too far from him, or the external Demonic Energy will erode them. As for the third point..."

She hesitated, not elaborating further.

The third point was that Chen Shi, as the master of the small temple, held control over its space. For instance, he had once directly plucked a corrupted strand of fur from her body. Outside the temple, Chen Shi could never accomplish such a feat, but inside the temple, he seemed to wield absolute authority.

That authority extended not only to corrupted flesh but also to Little Duan Immortal herself.

In other words, if Chen Shi wished, he could do anything he wanted to her within the small temple.

But whether because Chen Shi had never realized this or because he was truly a gentleman, he had never used force against Little Duan Immortal.

Jue Yangzi hesitated for a moment, then turned to look back at his Realm of Emptiness.

His realm was now fractured, its heavens and earth polluted by his Demonic Energy, covered in filth. Only the peak of the mountain where he had ascended remained, shrouded in immortal qi, untouched by contamination.

Jue Yangzi wavered, unsure how to broach the subject.

Scholar Zhu quietly nudged Chen Shi's waist, and Chen Shi caught on, smiling as he said, "Jue Yangzi, if you have nowhere to go, you might stay in my temple for now. There's still an empty hall inside."

Scholar Zhu nodded. "Indeed. Though you've cut your own cultivation down and are no longer an immortal, you're still at the Ascension realm, and your demonic corruption remains severe. Right now, inside your Realm of Emptiness with the immortal qi present, you're not at risk of transformation. But once you leave, you'll likely become a Cataclysm. Even if you don't care about yourself, you should think of the people around you."

Jue Yangzi struggled internally, saying, "Several of my friends died at the hands of the True King. This blood debt is irreconcilable. If I were to ally myself with the True King's descendant, what would my departed friends think in the afterlife?"

Chen Shi chuckled. "I see. Don't worry, I'm not a descendant of the True King. The True King's surname was Zhu; mine is Chen."

Jue Yangzi froze, then suddenly burst into ecstasy. "You overthrew that dog of a True King? The world today doesn't belong to the Zhu family?"

Chen Shi smiled. "The True King is dead. Though I didn't topple him, the world certainly doesn't belong to the Zhu family anymore. But it doesn't belong to the Chen family either. I'm merely temporarily holding the Western King's Jade Seal and the Map of Rivers and Mountains, bearing the empty title of True King."

Jue Yangzi roared with laughter. "Heavens have mercy! That dog True King is truly dead."

He laughed and cried, acting almost deliriously, making Chen Shi hesitate. This man's mind seemed somewhat unstable—taking him in might not be safe.

Jue Yangzi finally calmed down and began gathering his Realm of Emptiness.

The realm had been corrupted by Demonic Energy, leaving only the single mountain peak. Jue Yangzi uprooted that immortal mountain, roots and all, and planted it in front of the third small temple, transforming it into a small hill.

Immortal qi trickled down from the mountain from time to time, nourishing Chen Shi and making him feel refreshed and invigorated.

Jue Yangzi then walked to the stele, looked at the words he had left carved on it, and felt a pang of sorrow. He uprooted this stele as well, placing it before the mountain, before entering the third small temple to settle down.

Chen Shi now had three temples behind his head. The first was occupied by Little Duan Immortal, the second by Scholar Zhu, each with its own master.

Scholar Zhu was moving the fragment of the Upper Realm, transporting it outside.

Seeing this, Jue Yangzi hurried over to help. But when he saw the world outside, he was stunned.

The external world was hung with scattered suns and moons, and the sky was littered with chaotic stars.

There was even a bright moon, seemingly four or five zhang in diameter, hanging low in the sky, its cold, desolate moonlight radiating an eerie Demonic Energy—it was the Celestial True God's vertical eye between his brows!

The Western Ox New Continent had become utterly unrecognizable; Jue Yangzi couldn't even identify it as the Western Ox New Continent!

He helped Scholar Zhu settle the people from the Upper Realm, guiding them out of it, and found a moment to ask, "Fellow Daoist, what happened to the Western Ox New Continent?"

"The True God closed his eyes, and the realms of yin and yang merged."

Scholar Zhu briefly recounted the events, saying, "Now that the Upper Realm has collapsed, even though there are suns and moons hanging in the sky, preventing people from freezing to death, no crops can grow."

Jue Yangzi murmured, "I was refined by an immortal sword for nine thousand years, and I had no idea such changes had occurred in the human world! If that dog True King hadn't killed so many immortals, how could things have come to this?"

He cursed the True King for a while, then asked, "Fellow Daoist, you have no physical body. Why haven't you walked the path of the Ghost Immortal?"

Scholar Zhu said, "I don't know how. Many cultivation techniques from the True King's era have been lost. I never learned how to cultivate as a Ghost Immortal."

Jue Yangzi laughed. "I know this. By the way, I haven't asked for your name."

"My surname is Zhu, and my given name is Youcai. I am a descendant of that dog True King."

"..."

After Jue Yangzi returned to Chen Shi's temple, he still wrote down the Ghost Immortal cultivation method and secretly went to the first temple, asking the Ginseng Grass Doll to deliver the manual to Scholar Zhu.

Upon receiving it, Scholar Zhu examined it. The manual was called the "Yuanhe Lingbao True Scripture," which involved using a spiritual treasure as a physical body, then cultivating to open the Realm of Emptiness and merging with the Dao to become an immortal.

"This technique is suitable, but it requires a magical treasure."

Scholar Zhu mentioned this to Chen Shi, who gifted him the Yin-Yang Sun-Moon Rings, saying with a smile, "Master can use this immortal artifact to cultivate. Though you won't be as powerful as a true immortal, you won't be far behind."

Scholar Zhu accepted the Yin-Yang Sun-Moon Rings and said, "Jue Yangzi gave me this book. I must go thank him."

He arrived at the third small temple, only to find its doors tightly shut. He had to knock and say, "Thank you for the book, Brother Dao. Zhu has come to pay his respects."

"No need!"

Jue Yangzi's voice came from inside, sneering, "I don't want the thanks of a dog True King's descendant!"

Scholar Zhu was caught between laughter and tears. He bowed outside the temple door, while inside, Jue Yangzi jumped down from the shrine and kowtowed heavily at the door, shouting, "If I accept your courtesy, I'll betray my deceased friends!"

Scholar Zhu fumed, "Since you hold such a grudge against the True King, why did you give me the book in the first place?"

Jue Yangzi replied from behind the door, "I found you a decent ghost, so I gave you the book. But you're the True King's descendant. If you thank me, I absolutely cannot accept it!"

Scholar Zhu had no choice but to return to his own temple, muttering to himself, "What a strange man."

Meanwhile, Chen Shi took the opportunity to arrange for the people of Yangu County to relocate to Changyi County, asking Liu Qinghong to protect them. If they absolutely couldn't leave, they would erect a shrine for Liu Qinghong nearby, with a clay statue for worship, to serve as a shelter.

However, since Chen Shi had enshrined Liu Qinghong as the deity of Changyi County, overseeing the people of Yangu County would be overstepping her bounds. This was merely a temporary measure.

Chen Shi bid farewell to Liu Qinghong and continued his journey, searching for the next temple.

"Jue Yangzi, were there many immortals in your era?" On the wooden cart, Chen Shi enjoyed the nourishment of the immortal qi as he asked.

Jue Yangzi said, "Not many. Back then, many had passed the heavenly tribulation and reached the pinnacle of the Ascension realm, only a step away from Dao Unification, so they were called half-immortals. As for actually ascending to immortality, we sensed that ascension might lead to demonic transformation, so we dared not ascend."

Chen Shi inquired, "When did the True King go to Despair Slope?"

"It was after a Calamitous Transformation occurred."

Jue Yangzi said, "According to legend, that calamity started when a prehistoric immortal was unearthed. When the immortal was awakened, the calamity erupted, sweeping across thousands of miles and causing countless deaths. But there were also rumors that it was actually someone who had achieved Dao Unification and became an immortal, triggering the calamity. By the time I heard about it, the calamity had already been eradicated. Whether it was the prehistoric immortal or someone achieving Dao Unification, no one knows. After that calamity, I heard that the True King went to Despair Slope."

He paused for a moment. "That was in the two hundred and thirtieth year of the Chenghua era. After the True King returned from Despair Slope, a few years later, he promoted the New Law to replace the Old Law. Many resisted, swearing to die rather than comply. The True King personally visited the major sacred sites, and the leaders of those sites all announced that they would adopt the New Law. Then came the Immortal Sealing Decree."

His face darkened. The Immortal Sealing Decree had cost too many cultivators their lives.

Jue Yangzi wasn't part of the court, so he didn't know much about what the True King had done during that era. He hadn't lived to see the end of the True King's era, deciding instead to ascend, only to be nailed by a sword light from the celestial realm to the very site of his Dao Unification.

Chen Shi pressed further, "Is there really a celestial realm?"

Jue Yangzi said, "There should be. Before my ascension, I saw another world, like a dream."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi looked up at the sky.

The sky was a deep blue. Beside the massive bright moon, three suns radiated light and heat.

One of those suns suddenly grew an eyelid from nowhere, blinking, its blazing flames rolling and scattering as they were swept aside by the lid.

"How did the True King solve this calamity?"

Just then, Chen Shi sensed a strange tremor behind his head. A fourth small temple was slowly taking shape.

This temple appeared behind the first three, its construction very crude.

Chen Shi's heart stirred. "The deities I revived earlier are growing stronger, and the temples behind my head are increasing. I wonder how far I am from reviving Godmother."

After they left, a few figures drifted into the area. They entered Jue Yangzi's shattered Realm of Emptiness to inspect it, each frowning.

"The Daoist here has already left!"

"He cut his own realm and fell from Dao Unification!"

"What a pity. I thought he was one of us."

"People from Despair Slope are coming!" They concealed themselves, hiding in the shadows to observe.

A moment later, a glassy carriage rolled to a stop. The carriage was driven by a young man in brocade robes with wide sleeves, dressed luxuriously, a smile on his face.

Behind his head hung a halo of light—his Realm of Emptiness, deep and profound.

As soon as the carriage halted, many Heaven's Listeners flew in, recording the changes in the shattered realm.

"Yu Changbai!"

The figures hidden in the shadows recognized the young man's face. One elderly man said, "I saw him back when he was still a disciple of the Celestial Way Walker. Later, I heard he became a Celestial Way Walker himself."

"How strong is he?"

"Very strong. On par with us."

The elderly man continued, "He has accumulated for thousands of years, and so have we. The inheritance of Despair Slope is superior, but they dare not absorb the Demonic Energy of heaven and earth. We dare. So who comes out on top remains to be seen!"

Yu Changbai gazed at the radiant light falling from the sky, his eyes lighting up. "Is there truly a celestial realm?"

He leaped into the air, flying toward where the radiant light descended, moving faster and faster. The celestial realm seemed so close, but no matter how far he flew or how long he traveled, he could never reach it.

Yu Changbai stopped and laughed. "One day, I will enter the celestial realm and taste what it's like to be an immortal! But before that, let's catch a few Calamities to snack on!"

The figures hiding in the shadows all started. "Has he found us?"

The next moment, the space they were hiding in collapsed and crumbled!

Suddenly, Yu Changbai appeared among the four of them, a sinister smile on his face.

"Found you!"

Without a word, the four struck simultaneously, all attacking Yu Changbai at once. But abruptly, the world around them shifted, their positions distorted, turning their coordinated assault into a series of one-on-one duels.

The elderly man faced Yu Changbai's attack head-on without fear, but as soon as their techniques clashed, he sensed that Yu Changbai's cultivation was far deeper than he had anticipated!

"How can his cultivation be so profound?" he thought with alarm.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged thousands of blows. The elderly man found himself on the defensive. He glanced around and saw that the other three were also losing ground!

Yu Changbai was fighting all four of them at once, yet it seemed as if he were facing each one individually, beating them all back.

The elderly man gave it his all to stabilize his position, thinking, "He's dividing his power and attention among the four of us. He can't last long!"

Suddenly, he summoned his own Demonic Energy, allowing his body and Primordial Spirit to undergo a demonic transformation. His strength skyrocketed, and with a fierce struggle, he finally forced Yu Changbai to retreat.

"Cang Songzi, Tu Ying, Yan Shichong, fall back!" the elderly man shouted.

He charged with all his might, finally breaking free from Yu Changbai's pursuit. He turned back but saw no sign of the other three.

The elderly man hesitated, wondering whether to go back and rescue them. His demonic state couldn't last long either, or he risked losing control. If Yu Changbai caught him and he spiraled into madness, it would be extremely troublesome.

Just then, Cang Songzi came running toward him, shouting, "Yu Changbai is formidable! I had to undergo demonic transformation to drive him back."

The elderly man quickly said, "Cang Songzi, let's go rescue the others!"

Before he finished speaking, Tu Ying also arrived, saying, "I'm fine!"

Then Yan Shichong hurried over as well.

The four regrouped, and the elderly man smiled. "I'm glad you're all safe. This Yu Changbai—I underestimated him. He's truly powerful. Let's return to the Divine Capital first!"

The three agreed.

On the way, the elderly man grew increasingly suspicious. He said to Tu Ying and Yan Shichong, "Have you noticed that Cang Songzi has been acting strange lately, like he's not himself? He keeps probing me, asking about the Divine Capital. He's even asked about Chen Yindu and the Divine Emperor!"

Tu Ying laughed. "We've been inseparable all this time. What could be strange about Cang Songzi?"

Yan Shichong chimed in, "You're overthinking it! If Cang Songzi underwent a demonic transformation, who could defeat him? Are you worried Yu Changbai killed him and is impersonating him?"

The elderly man chuckled. "I'm just being overly suspicious."

Shortly after they arrived at the Divine Capital, they parted ways.

Cang Songzi shook off the elderly man and went straight to see Chen Yindu, smiling as he said, "Father, long time no see."

Just then, Tu Ying and Yan Shichong stepped out from behind him.

Tu Ying sneered, "Father, you didn't expect me to still be alive, did you?"

Yan Shichong wore an evil grin. "Father, not only am I alive and well, but you've become a prisoner."

Chen Yindu looked at them, silent for a moment, then said, "You are... Chen Wu?"

"You don't deserve to call us Chen Wu!"

Cang Songzi, Tu Ying, and Yan Shichong fumed in unison. "We are your creations, not your sons! Old thing, you should call us Creation Little Five!"

Chen Yindu sighed. "I've been suppressing you for so long, and I've been regretting it..."

The three hesitated, wavering, before Cang Songzi reluctantly said, "Since you put it that way, I'll forgive you."