Chapter 537: Coercing the Grand Sacrificial Officer
The Grand Sacrificial Officer frowned deeply, wondering what scheme he was brewing.
In the past, it was Chen Shi who had been coerced by him, forced to complete the demonic technique Profound Yin Nine Heaven Art. But demonizing the entire world was clearly something Chen Shi was unwilling to do. Now, could Chen Shi truly be generous enough to gift Chu Feng Grand Supreme Purple Qi and help him break through?
"Could it be that he has awakened his past memories and demonized himself?"
The Grand Sacrificial Officer felt a chill run down his spine.
During normal times, Chen Shi still had principles. Though he appeared wicked and sinister, he was generally upright. But a demonized Chen Shi would stop at nothing, employing every means available.
He was deeply worried that Chen Shi would use him up, then seize his power and monopolize the Divine Capital.
Chen Shi took out a jade box and gently pushed it in front of the Grand Sacrificial Officer.
"Inside this box is a wisp of Grand Supreme Purple Qi. Refining this purple qi will be enough for Chu Feng to break through to the Refining Void realm. When he cultivates to the Divine Descent realm, Chu Feng can activate the Profound Yin Nine Heaven Art and use the Celestial True God to comprehend the demonic path, thereby polluting the True God."
Chen Shi smiled slightly. "With your cultivation, you are more than capable of helping Chu Feng refine this wisp of Grand Supreme Purple Qi."
The Grand Sacrificial Officer looked at the jade box before him. Jade was commonly used to craft storage treasures, capable of storing spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines, as well as spiritual energy. The box Chen Shi pushed over was merely an ordinary jade box, unable to completely seal off the spiritual energy within, causing faint traces of it to leak out.
Just the thin wisps of leaking spiritual energy gave him the sensation of stepping into a celestial realm.
He had never heard of Grand Supreme Purple Qi, but based solely on the leaking spiritual energy, he could conclude that this spiritual energy was no ordinary matter.
The Grand Sacrificial Officer accepted the jade box and said, "Your Majesty sending spiritual energy surely cannot be without purpose. I wish to know what Your Majesty's objective is?"
Chen Shi said frankly, "I am giving you three days to help Chu Feng refine this wisp of Grand Supreme Purple Qi. You must accomplish this within three days. If you fail, when I return, I will strip you of all your authority."
His gaze was warm and gentle as he smiled. "I mean what I say."
The Grand Sacrificial Officer snorted coldly and said flatly, "Your Majesty, you and I are now no more than a step apart. Your life and death rest entirely in my hands."
Chen Shi smiled faintly. "Is that so?"
His aura exploded, and in an instant, the entire Divine Capital was enveloped within his Realm of Emptiness!
The Grand Sacrificial Officer said impassively, "Since Your Majesty wishes to test this, I shall oblige you."
He raised his hand and pointed toward Chen Shi's brow.
The moment his palm lifted, the scenery around him began to shift rapidly like a revolving lantern. The streets and buildings of the Divine Capital flashed past him. The Grand Sacrificial Officer looked ahead—Chen Shi and Chu Feng in his front hall, in the living room of his residence, remained exactly where they were, but he himself was being pulled away!
He was clearly sitting there, yet he had already arrived outside the city. Mountains flanked him on both sides, painting a picturesque scene as they receded at tremendous speed. In an instant, he had been exiled over a thousand miles away!
The Grand Sacrificial Officer's expression darkened. Channeling his magical power, shamanic ritual markings wove together on his palm, and a Cyan Ghost Hand pierced through space in an instant, hurtling straight toward Chen Shi's heart a thousand miles away!
Back then, it was precisely with this technique that he had pierced through the void, penetrated the Yin and Yang realms, and from his distant position in the Divine Capital, gripped Chen Shi's heart, holding his life and death firmly in his grasp.
Now, he employed the same method—not with the intent to kill Chen Shi, but to make him understand the vastness of heaven and earth. Back then, he could control Chen Shi and prop him up as the Demon Emperor. Now, he could still control Chen Shi!
The Cyan Ghost Hand pierced through a thousand miles of space in an instant, delving deep into the Divine Capital and about to reach the Grand Sacrificial Officer's residence.
Suddenly, the space before the front hall stretched wildly. No matter how fast the Cyan Ghost Hand moved or how much void it pierced through, it remained two zhang away from Chen Shi in the living room.
Chen Shi looked at him across a thousand miles of space and raised his teacup in a distant toast.
The Grand Sacrificial Officer's face changed instantly. He rose from his seat and broke into a sprint, howling as he chased after him.
His Cyan Ghost Hand continued reaching forward, attempting to grasp Chen Shi's heart. Combined with his running speed, he quickly surpassed the rate at which the space around Chen Shi was expanding!
The Grand Sacrificial Officer came howling, a thousand miles of space beneath his feet. In but a brief moment, he had already entered the hall and returned to the front door of his own residence!
He charged into the front hall. Just as his palm was about to pierce through Chen Shi's chest, a purple vine suddenly materialized behind Chen Shi's head, lashing out like a long whip. With a crack, it struck the Grand Sacrificial Officer's palm!
Wherever the power of the Purple Heaven Vine reached, the cyan shamanic ritual markings exploded with popping sounds. The Grand Sacrificial Officer jerked his hand back, his fingers trembling violently, the skin on his palm split open and bleeding from the vine's strike.
This blow from the Purple Heaven Vine appeared unremarkable, but this object was a rare species capable of helping immortals survive the Opening of the Calamity, its power exceedingly formidable. If the Grand Sacrificial Officer hadn't withdrawn his hand in time, even his hand bones might have been shattered!
Chen Shi remained seated in place, a smile on his face. He raised his hand and said, "Grand Sacrificial Officer, please have a seat."
The Grand Sacrificial Officer was about to strike again when he realized he had already returned to the tea table, and the chair that had been a thousand miles away was now back behind him, as if it had never left.
The Grand Sacrificial Officer was silent for a moment, then sat down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat. Rest assured, within three days, I will definitely help Chu Feng refine the Grand Supreme Purple Qi."
Chen Shi smiled. "Much obliged."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a moment before Chen Shi rose to take his leave, courteous and polite. The Grand Sacrificial Officer saw him off attentively, both host and guest thoroughly pleased.
After seeing Chen Shi off, the Grand Sacrificial Officer looked at his right hand, its skin split open and bleeding, his expression darkening as his palm trembled involuntarily.
That strike from the Purple Heaven Vine had caught him completely off guard, severing his shamanic ritual markings. It hurt terribly—so much that he could barely endure it!
"Chen Shi stayed behind to exchange pleasantries with me simply to see me make a fool of myself. But how could I give him that satisfaction?"
The Grand Sacrificial Officer grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, fiercely suppressing the agonizing pain that pierced to the bone. His face twisted slightly. "At least I held out until he left!"
After Chen Shi left the Divine Capital, he suddenly stumbled, his legs going weak. He quickly steadied himself, feeling the muscles in both legs still aching and trembling.
His deliberate provocation of the Grand Sacrificial Officer earlier had been an extremely risky gamble. The Grand Sacrificial Officer's strength was unfathomably deep, far beyond what Chen Shi could match. His oppressive aura was also immensely powerful, pressing down on Chen Shi until he could barely breathe.
Moreover, the shadow of his childhood had always loomed over him, making him recall the excruciating pain of having his heart gripped at odd moments.
But the Grand Sacrificial Officer's sense of oppression came more from those eight years after Chen Shi's death.
During that time, the Grand Sacrificial Officer had constantly threatened him with the lives of his mother and Wu Qingyu.
When facing the Grand Sacrificial Officer, Chen Shi had been continuously overcoming this fear, pushing his Dao techniques to their absolute limits.
"I did it."
Chen Shi steadied his mind, a smile on his face, and whispered, "And what's more, I even landed a hidden blow on him. The Grand Sacrificial Officer is not invincible."
He laughed heartily and drifted away: "Grand Sacrificial Officer, the grudge of the gripping heart—I shall repay it in the future!"
In the Divine Capital, the Grand Sacrificial Officer suppressed his injuries and suddenly noticed that things had grown much quieter outside.
In the past, the Divine Capital had always been noisy. Too many demons lived here, each with untamable demonic natures. Battles broke out from time to time, and sometimes even Calamities struggled to suppress their demonic nature. If an ordinary cultivator were to come to the Divine Capital, they would feel their head stuffed with all kinds of voices—the thoughts of demons, Calamities, and Catastrophes.
But now, the Divine Capital had suddenly fallen silent.
"Chu Feng, go outside and see what has happened." The Grand Sacrificial Officer instructed.
Chu Feng acknowledged and walked out of the residence. After a moment, the youth returned and reported, "Master, many people are missing from the city!"
"Many people missing."
The Grand Sacrificial Officer's heart jolted. He hurried out of the residence and saw that while there were still many demons on the streets of the Divine Capital, the Calamities and Catastrophes had diminished by more than half!
The remaining Calamities and Catastrophes avoided his gaze when they saw him, unwilling to meet his eyes.
The Grand Sacrificial Officer frowned slightly and said to a Daoist, "Daoist Tianyou, where have the other fellow cultivators gone?"
That Daoist had originally been a Celestial Master of the Celestial Master Mansion, exceptionally gifted. He had later comprehended the mysteries of becoming an immortal, but realized that Dao Unification would inevitably lead to demonization. To attain immortality, he had no choice but to demonize himself. Yet he desperately struggled to maintain his sanity, eventually having to exile himself to the underworld.
Only after encountering Chen Shi and the Grand Sacrificial Officer did he regain part of his sanity and settle down in the Divine Capital. As such, he held both Chen Shi and the Grand Sacrificial Officer in the highest esteem.
"Grand Sacrificial Officer, when Your Majesty's Realm of Emptiness enveloped the Divine Capital just now, the demonic energy on our bodies suddenly vanished completely, and we transformed from evil spirits back into humans."
Celestial Master Tianyou said, "They believed that this world does not necessarily have to be demonized, that other possibilities exist, and so they left the city to follow His Majesty."
The Grand Sacrificial Officer's heart sank. Chen Shi's purpose earlier hadn't merely been to clash with him once and show that he was no longer to be trifled with. There was likely another purpose—to tell him that Chen Shi could completely dismantle the Divine Capital and strip him of all his power!
"Daoist Tianyou, why didn't you leave?" the Grand Sacrificial Officer inquired.
Celestial Master Tianyou said respectfully, "This is the Divine Capital, and His Majesty is the Divine Emperor of this city. To follow His Majesty, why would one need to leave the Divine Capital? Besides, the Grand Sacrificial Officer is the backbone of the Divine Capital. As for the demonic energy disappearing completely, that is only temporary. Without eliminating the Celestial True God, the demonic energy will persist forever. And to eliminate the Celestial True God, the only path is to demonize the True God. Those departed fellow cultivators will eventually awaken to this truth and return to the Divine Capital."
The Grand Sacrificial Officer said joyfully, "Daoist, you see things with perfect clarity."
Celestial Master Tianyou hesitated for a moment, then said, "But when will we be able to demonize the Celestial True God? If results cannot be seen in the short term, we risk losing the people's hearts. The other fellow cultivators may also leave the Divine Capital."
The Grand Sacrificial Officer smiled. "At most three days, and the Celestial True God will be demonized! This world will be transformed by the demonized True God, becoming a pure land belonging to our divine race!"
As he said this, his heart shuddered: "Chen Shi stirs up the hearts of the Divine Capital's people—his purpose is likely to force me to help Chu Feng refine the Grand Supreme Purple Qi and demonize the True God within three days!"
He felt a sense of being toyed with in the palm of Chen Shi's hand. It was a feeling of humiliation and frustration he had never experienced when Chen Shi was the one being coerced back then!
That demonized Chen Shi who had been cowed and submissive under his coercion no longer existed. In his place stood a Chen Shi of extraordinary skill and keen intellect!
"Regardless, I cannot lose the hearts of the Divine Capital's people! But come to think of it, what is Chen Shi's purpose in forcing me to demonize the Celestial True God?" He grew increasingly puzzled.
The Grand Sacrificial Officer hurried back to his residence, summoned Chu Feng, and immediately opened the jade box to refine the wisp of Grand Supreme Purple Qi. Outside the residence, Celestial Master Tianyou departed but was quickly stopped by a monk and a Daoist.
Daochengzi transmitted his voice: "Daoist Brother Tianyou, what did you tell the Grand Sacrificial Officer?"
Celestial Master Tianyou said, "I told him that the reason I stayed was because demonizing the True God was the only path. He believed it."
Monk Huikong couldn't help but ask, "Both fellow cultivators, will the Grand Sacrificial Officer discover that he has already been rendered powerless in the Divine Capital?"
Daochengzi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Compared to becoming demons, we would rather become humans again. When His Majesty displayed such ability, it naturally attracted the Calamities and Catastrophes to follow him."
Monk Huikong said, "But those who remained are mostly people who had already pledged allegiance to His Majesty."
Celestial Master Tianyou said, "The Grand Sacrificial Officer still has his followers... Quiet! Song Yi is coming!"
The Confucian scholar Song Yi walked over. He looked at the three of them and suddenly said, "You didn't leave, but you have betrayed the Grand Sacrificial Officer and are waiting for an opportunity to move against him. Am I right? Your deeds are exposed!"
The three were scared half to death and were about to strike him down when the Confucian scholar Song Yi laughed and said, "But if you bring me along, I won't report you!"
The three nearly killed him on the spot but slowly dispersed their divine abilities upon hearing his words. Daochengzi asked, "You are a merchant citizen. Why would you also betray the Grand Sacrificial Officer?"
Song Yi said, "If the Grand Sacrificial Officer's plan succeeds, the merchant citizens will merely become the ghost clan, no different from the ghost clan of today. But if His Majesty succeeds, the ghost clan can become human again. Which weighs heavier, which is right and which is wrong—Song here has his own judgment."
"Very well, count yourself in!"
Shortly after leaving the Divine Capital, Chen Shi suddenly laughed and said, "Gentlemen, why are you following me? You are Calamities and Catastrophes. You cannot return to the mortal world."
Behind him, many strange figures stepped forward—monks, Daoists, Confucian scholars, and some who were clearly freeholders.
The one at the lead was none other than Danchengzi, who had once hidden in the abyss of Chen Shi's Sea of Consciousness. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, when we witnessed Your Majesty's Realm of Emptiness, we were astonished and regarded it as heavenly. We believe Your Majesty's path is the true path, and so we follow you."
These monks, Confucians, and Daoists were mostly seniors from the six sacred grounds, along with old-timers from freeholder organizations rumored to have long since died. They had cultivated to profound realms but began to undergo corruption before Dao Unification, forcing them to hide in the underworld. Back then, they had followed Chen Shi and the Grand Sacrificial Officer to build the Divine Capital precisely because Chen Shi could demonize the Celestial True God, transforming the entire Western Ox New Continent into a world of the demonic path and resolving their corruption.
But now, Chen Shi had revealed another side—the ability to refine demonic miasma and demonic energy, restoring the natural order of heaven and earth. They immediately abandoned the Grand Sacrificial Officer and followed Chen Shi instead.
Chen Shi bowed with a smile and said, "Gentlemen, you are all seniors, the cream of the freeholders. With your assistance, great things are within reach! However, entering the mortal world would trigger calamities. Please remain patient and proceed to the Palace of Virtue to await good news."
The assembled Calamities and Catastrophes returned his bow one after another.
With a slight thought, Chen Shi returned from the underworld to the mortal world.
He rode the wind, and before long arrived outside the Yonghe Hall in the Imperial City. Chen Yindu, Creation Little Five, Wu Qi, Yang Bi, Li Tianqing, and Little Duan Immortal were already waiting before the hall. Zhong Wuwang had also prepared the carriage and stood beside it.
Chen Shi descended at an angle, laughing as he said, "Let's go, to Despair Slope!"