On the Path to the Great Dao

Xia Canghai walked up to these people, sweeping his gaze across the crowd from the Divine Capital. Having served as Minister of Rites for decades, his official authority was immense. He cleared his throat and sneered, "Troublesome commoners."

At that moment, his heart suddenly jolted. Something felt off.

These people ranged from young to old. There were monks, Daoists, and some dressed as Confucian scholars. Each and every one possessed extraordinary bearing. Among them, several great monks appeared to be incredibly formidable beings with profound Buddhist Dharma cultivation. Yet their Buddha Light was tainted with Demonic Energy.

What shocked him even more was that a few cultivators wore ancient robes, exuding an archaic aura that felt even older than the ancestral masters of the Xia family.

Xia Canghai thought to himself: "These people don't resemble talisman masters from Red Mountain Hall at all. Those talisman masters are all bitter wretches who look at everyone like they owe them three hundred strings of cash. But these people... look at everyone like they're already dead..."

A Xia family cultivator stepped forward boldly and shouted, "Troublesome commoners! You see the Minister of Rites and still don't kneel to pay your respects?"

Xia Canghai backhanded the man, sending him reeling. His head spun, and half his face swelled up.

That slap not only left the man utterly baffled, but the entire Xia family was stunned speechless. Even the Grand Sacrificial Officer hadn't anticipated this turn of events.

The Calamities and Catastrophes of the Divine Capital watched them curiously, finding the scene quite amusing.

Xia Canghai fumed angrily, "What are you shouting for? Can't you see Top Scholar Chen is drinking tea? You worthless mud-legged bastard with the audacity of a dog, insulting even Master Pot!"

He kicked the man in the backside, sending him flying several zhang, then turned around, his face filled with anxiety as he looked at Chen Shi.

"Top Scholar Chen is still resting? Ah, ah, then we won't disturb you. Farewell, farewell."

Xia Canghai turned and glared at the Xia family crowd, bellowing, "What are you standing around for? Get back home! Disturb Top Scholar Chen's rest, and I'll have your miserable lives! Master Pot, I wasn't referring to you, no need to get up. I take my leave!"

He led the Xia family crowd and hurried away.

A great monk was about to call out to Xia Canghai, but the Grand Sacrificial Officer raised his hand to stop him, shaking his head gently. "People from Despair Slope have arrived."

The Calamities and Catastrophes of the Divine Capital trembled inwardly, their faces filled with murderous intent as they followed his gaze in unison.

Feng Ruotong entered the city, walking along Sheep Street. Though surrounded by the bustling market, when he walked, it was as if he were strolling through a hazy celestial realm. The vendors, the passing crowds, the livestock, the slaves, the filthy streets around him all became like floating dust. Only he remained dazzling and radiant.

Feng Ruotong had crane-white hair and a childlike complexion—an old man's form with a youth's appearance.

But the Divine Capital crowd treated him like an approaching natural disaster.

Feng Ruotong had crushed the Upper Realm, slaying nearly two thousand Celestial Gods who had long enjoyed incense offerings. He had fought against the ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans and the Nine Halls of the True King along with other immortal artifacts—all without a scratch!

After that battle, the Upper Realm had shattered and collapsed. The Thirteen Great Clans' six-thousand-year scheming had turned to dust, placing immense pressure on the Divine Capital!

Feng Ruotong ignored the crowd, walking straight ahead.

As he drew closer, the pressure on everyone intensified. Someone groaned, their face twisting, their skin seemingly writhing with flesh beneath, barely restraining themselves from revealing their evil spirit true form.

The Grand Sacrificial Officer raised his hand gently. A table and two chairs flew over and landed before him. He raised his hand and said, "Daoist Feng, long time no see. Your demeanor is more splendid than ever. Please, sit."

Feng Ruotong's gaze fell on Chen Shi inside the teahouse. He raised an eyebrow, walked over, and sat down directly, saying, "Brother Yin, since this is a teahouse, how can there be no tea? This is not the way to treat guests."

"My mistake."

The Grand Sacrificial Officer smiled faintly, then swept his gaze across the Divine Capital crowd, frowning slightly.

Feng Ruotong's presence here radiated the full power of an immortal. Though the Divine Capital had many experts, most had not reached Dao Unification. Even those who had possessed Dao Hearts fragile as piled eggs, unable to calmly pour tea under Feng Ruotong's oppressive aura. They would inevitably be forced to reveal their true forms under his immortal presence!

But if they couldn't choose someone capable of brewing and pouring tea, that would also be a great loss of face, allowing Feng Ruotong to gain a psychological edge over him.

Just as the Grand Sacrificial Officer was hesitating, a sigh came from the teahouse. The dog from Chen Shi's household shook its head, picked up a teapot, and walked out of the teahouse, coming to their table.

The dog set up a small charcoal stove, lit the coals, and began to brew tea for them—warming the cups, measuring the leaves, rinsing them, steeping, and pouring the tea liquor—all performed with consummate skill, like a true tea master.

"Embarrassing."

The Grand Sacrificial Officer breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as he faced Feng Ruotong, saying, "Daoist Feng, you rarely leave Despair Slope. Today you must truly savor this mortal tea. See if it carries the flavor of humanity."

Feng Ruotong said leisurely, "Mortal tea has the flavor of humanity, but Brother Yin lacks any human flavor. You're not even as good as the tea pourer."

His gaze fell on Black Pot and he laughed, "The scent of humanity on it is thicker than yours. Brother Yin, you are no longer human."

The Grand Sacrificial Officer was unfazed and replied, "Those despairing guests in Despair Slope, hiding away in that place—even if they are still human, they are ultimately just a bunch of cowards clinging to life. Fearing the changes in the mortal world, they bend their knees to serve others, dragging out a miserable existence."

Feng Ruotong likewise paid his words no heed. Glancing at Chen Shi in the teahouse, he laughed, "The Divine Capital mobilizes en masse for the sake of the Child Prodigy? Without the Innate Dao Embryo, is the Child Prodigy still the Child Prodigy?"

The Grand Sacrificial Officer said coolly, "The reason the Child Prodigy is the Child Prodigy is not because of the Innate Dao Embryo, but because he was exceptional enough to attract the Celestial True God to bestow the embryo. The Innate Dao Embryo is merely icing on the cake. Despair Slope abandoned the Child Prodigy and killed him for the embryo—that is undoubtedly the mistake of keeping the box but returning the pearls."

Feng Ruotong shook his head, saying, "You simply don't understand how important the Innate Dao Embryo is. That's why you speak such words."

The Grand Sacrificial Officer raised his tea cup, bringing it to his lips, and laughed, "The Innate Dao Embryo is nothing more than the self-rescue of the True God. Everyone knows that. Only Despair Slope treats it as some kind of secret, inviting ridicule."

Feng Ruotong's hand holding the tea cup trembled slightly. The Grand Sacrificial Officer's other hand took the opportunity to rest on the table, fingertips aimed at his throat, seizing a critical advantage.

If the two were to attack, the Grand Sacrificial Officer could use this split-second advantage to send his finger force piercing through Feng Ruotong's chest, drilling straight through his heart!

Feng Ruotong regained his composure, sipped his tea lightly, and laughed, "The Divine Capital was always a scattered mess. The remnants of Great Shang collude with the rebels of the Ming Dynasty, united in name only. You attempted to fully demonize yourselves, to become demon immortals. But because righteous energy still exists between heaven and earth, you can't completely transform into demons. Neither advancing nor retreating."

The Grand Sacrificial Officer smiled faintly and did not answer.

Seeing that his words had not shaken the man's Dao Heart, Feng Ruotong's mind flashed through a lightning-fast thought. His gaze landed on Chen Shi in the teahouse, and he laughed, "So that's it. I was wondering why the Divine Capital stopped hiding in the shadows. So you've found the Child Prodigy. You want to use the Child Prodigy's hands to create a new cultivation method, allowing you all to achieve Dao Unification!"

His eyes flickered as he sensed the increasingly powerful demonic energy radiating from Chen Shi. "You're using the Child Prodigy to create a path to Dao Unification for you... Wrong, all wrong. The nobles of Great Shang were so arrogant—especially an old relic like you, who regards bloodline as orthodox and looks down on all other bloodlines. Would you ever share power with others? Once the Child Prodigy creates the path to Dao Unification, you'll inevitably cross the bridge and burn it!"

He swept his gaze around and laughed heartily, "The Divine Capital is still a scattered mess after all!"

As these words landed, the Grand Sacrificial Officer's white hair stirred slightly. Feng Ruotong's left hand had already formed an immortal seal, sword aura surging, trapped between two fingers.

The Grand Sacrificial Officer's gaze fell on his fingertip, his expression grave.

Feng Ruotong had also seized a flaw in his mental composure. If the Grand Sacrificial Officer's focus wavered again, Feng Ruotong's sword finger would slice across his throat in an instant, severing his head from his body!

Black Pot let out a deep, long sigh. It started to get up to leave, but found both auras growing stronger, suppressing it so that it couldn't move at all.

Around the teahouse, the many freeholders of the True King's Era showed suspicious expressions, their gazes all falling on the Grand Sacrificial Officer.

The Grand Sacrificial Officer's pressure increased sharply.

At the Xia Manor.

Xia Canghai sped back into the mansion and hurriedly went to see Xia Xuanming.

"Patriarch, the people around Chen Shi are all experts. They're not from Red Mountain Hall!"

Xia Xuanming was surprised. "Experts? How high?"

Xia Canghai shook his head. "I don't know."

Xia Xuanming thought briefly, then said, "Awaken the Second Ancestors. Come with me to take a look. This Beilai City is the Xia family's Beilai City. It's not Chen Shi's Beilai City!"

The Second Ancestors he referred to were the former Patriarch Xia Yihang and Ancestor Xia Min.

Originally, the Xia family also had the Great Ancestor and the Great Ancestor Lord, but they were too old. After the sun went out and Yin energy invaded, they became weak and sickly. Later, news of the Upper Realm's fall reached them, and the two elders were terrified and anxious. Soon after, they passed away one after another.

Not long after, former Patriarch Xia Yihang and Ancestor Xia Min each emerged from seclusion. Together with Xia Xuanming, they left the Xia Manor and headed toward the teahouse on Sheep Street.

Sheep Street mainly traded in livestock, along with some miscellaneous goods. It stank of filth and grime. Beings like them would never deign to step foot in such a disgusting place. But today, three generations of Xia family patriarchs descended upon this spot.

Xia Xuanming had an imposing bearing, while Xia Yihang and Xia Min had silver-white hair, wore wide-sleeved robes, and walked as if floating on air, their sleeves billowing like immortals.

Xia Canghai followed behind them, thinking, "Three generations of Xia patriarchs, all at the Great Ascension Realm, with perfect cultivation. Even if the people Chen Shi brought are the Six Great Villains like Chen Yindu, they'll be completely suppressed by three generations of patriarchs!"

When they arrived at the teahouse, they saw a crowd nervously watching two old men drinking tea in front of the establishment.

The two old men also seemed tense, sweat beading on their foreheads.

Beside them sat a dog.

The dog was pitch black, with its mouth clamped shut and a grave expression. Sweat covered its nose, but it dared not open its mouth to pant. It was clearly Chen Shi's dog.

Three generations of Xia patriarchs stepped forward, their auras growing stronger as they pressed toward the crowd in front of the teahouse.

Just then, a monk, a Daoist, and a Confucian scholar stepped out from the crowd watching the tea drinking. They walked toward Xia Xuanming and the other two.

Behind each of their heads, a halo of light rose, clearly having refined their Realm of Emptiness down to fingertip size.

Before the two sides even drew close, Xia Xuanming's body shuddered violently, as if encountering immense resistance. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward regardless. Former Patriarch Xia Yihang and Ancestor Xia Min's sleeves fluttered as if they, too, were straining greatly.

The six approached each other. When they were still about one zhang and six or seven chi apart, Xia Xuanming suddenly spat blood and flew backward. With banging sounds, he smashed through building after building, then crashed through the walls of Beilai City itself, disappearing into the unknown distance.

Xia Canghai was horrified. Suddenly he saw former Patriarch Xia Yihang and Ancestor Xia Min each shudder violently. Blood trickled from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths as they stood unsteadily on the spot.

The monk, Daoist, and Confucian scholar each took another step forward. The two Xia ancestors' bones cracked and popped all over their bodies, as if they might be crushed by the pressure!

Xia Canghai's heart pounded wildly. Then he heard the old man drinking tea speak up: "Don't kill them. Top Scholar Chen said we don't need to interfere."

The monk, Daoist, and Confucian scholar each took a step back. The two Xia ancestors went limp, barely managing not to collapse to the ground.

The Grand Sacrificial Officer revealed a smile, staring at Feng Ruotong across from him, and asked, "Immortal Feng, how many people did you bring?"

Feng Ruotong was also staring intently at him, smiling as he replied, "I am open and aboveboard. Though quite a few Celestial Way Walkers have come out searching for your whereabouts, I came alone."

The Grand Sacrificial Officer said, "That's strange then. Several pairs of eyes are watching us."

Feng Ruotong felt a stir in his heart and said, "I've sensed it too."

On Yanyan Peak outside Beilai City, Creation Little Five suddenly spoke up: "The Grand Sacrificial Officer and Feng Ruotong have sensed my gaze."

Chen Yindu's voice came from behind him: "They're restraining each other. Without external force, it's hard to separate them. We won't be that external force. Let's go. Capture more Celestial Way Walkers and infiltrate Despair Slope!"

The group hurried after him, quickly vanishing without a trace.