Chapter 463: A Road to Death
Although Taiping County had endured a catastrophe, with only twenty to thirty percent of its inhabitants surviving, there were still quite a number of people. The city was in ruins with much to rebuild, but already vendors and peddlers were hawking their wares in the streets, their shouts drawing people out of their homes.
There was less fear on people's faces now, replaced by more sunlight.
From time to time, people brushed past Chen Shi and Yan Xianzhi, and some even bumped into them without paying attention.
Yan Xianzhi wore a smile. Behind him in the sky, the void split open. His Primordial Spirit sat enthroned in the void like a majestic celestial god, with the sun, moon, and stars revolving and orbiting around it, showcasing its full splendor.
"Young Lord Chen, your father often praised you as a rare genius under heaven, and you truly are. You died and came back to life, and without a Divine Embryo, you still rose from adversity, made a spectacular name for yourself in the Western Capital, slew the Young Master, and repeatedly thwarted the great plans of my Thirteen Great Clans. Yet I have always held great appreciation for you and have never completely destroyed you."
Yan Xianzhi's expression was relaxed, and he chuckled. "Do you think that with the destruction of the Upper Realm and the Nine Halls of the True King, the Thirteen Great Clans have declined? You fail to realize that our Thirteen Great Clans still possess the Ten Kings of Hell and the Eighteen Levels of Hell. The Upper Realm was merely half the strength of the Thirteen Great Clans."
Behind him, his concubine held his son, looking at them with some terror.
She had experienced life and death.
She was the last concubine Yan Xianzhi had taken. She had just entered his household when Chen Shi was heading to the capital for the imperial examinations. When the catastrophe erupted, she was already pregnant. After the Nine Halls of the True King were destroyed, the Western Capital could no longer guard the coastline. Sea monsters surged towards the Western Capital like tidal waves. The city was breached, and the casualties were immense.
Under normal circumstances, the Five Armies, Divine Mechanism, Divine Pivot, and various other great armies of the Western Capital would have fought to the death to protect the city. But when the Yin and Yang realms merged, the armies were scattered, trapped among the mountains, unable to discern directions. The Western Capital was full of high officials and nobles, all of whom fled in a massive exodus during the crisis.
Yan Xianzhi fled with his family, pursued all the way by sea monsters from the ocean and attacked by ghosts and demons from the underworld. The casualties were heavy.
She saw the young and old of the Yan family dying in constant fear and panic. She saw the gloomy face of her master, Yan Xianzhi, when the food ran out. He led the Yan family young men out, and when he returned, his body was stained with blood, yet he wore a smile, and he brought food back with him.
At that time, her master's face was just like it was now, but she felt that behind that smile lurked cruelty.
"Young Lord Chen, I know what you're thinking. It's nothing more than using the opportunity of the Upper Realm's destruction to eradicate the Thirteen Great Clans. There are countless ambitious people in this world; you are just one of them. But the Thirteen Great Clans will return to their rightful place."
Yan Xianzhi ignored the people coming and going in the city, his gaze only fixed on Chen Shi. He laughed, "Despair Slope didn't exterminate the Thirteen Great Clans, so they won't make a move afterwards. When it comes to dealing with the underworld, the Thirteen Great Clans are still the most powerful force in the world today."
He no longer had the submissive and timid demeanor he had shown on Qianyang Mountain. Instead, he seemed to have everything figured out, as if he had returned to his position as Chief Grand Secretary of the Western Capital. He smiled, "Young Lord Chen, as a subject, don't delude yourself into thinking you can stand against the Thirteen Great Clans."
His words were filled with confidence.
When Chen Shi went to the Western Capital for the imperial examinations, he was only at the Spirit Transformation realm. Even with his rapid progress in recent years, he was at best at the Body Unification realm.
At the Body Unification realm, the Primordial Spirit could not exceed eighteen zhang. At the Spirit Refining realm, it was within a hundred zhang. But at the Return to Emptiness realm, the Primordial Spirit could easily reach hundreds of zhang!
The gap between realms was unimaginably vast.
And he was an existence at the Return to Emptiness realm!
"So, it seems you have chosen a road to death."
Chen Shi's voice rang out, and Yan Xianzhi suddenly noticed that the distance between him and his concubine was growing farther and farther apart!
He was still on the street, and people were still coming and going. Yet, every single person on the street was moving away from him!
They were clearly still walking. The old woman not far away was clearly crouching down to ask a vegetable vendor the price of greens. The peddler was clearly shaking his rattle drum to attract children. The clerk at the cloth shop was clearly standing at the shop door, unfurling a bolt of fabric.
He was clearly standing right here, yet all these people were moving away, soon becoming tiny specks, barely visible to the naked eye.
Yet the distance between him and Chen Shi remained as close as before, unchanged.
A trace of terror sprouted in his heart.
He thought back to the scene in the Western Capital, when Creation Little Five had brawled with the ancestral masters of the various great clans. Within Creation Little Five's peculiar domain, the ancestral masters of the great clans had seemed like clumsy old men, ganging up on a young man.
Creation Little Five was an evil spirit who didn't know street fighting. Surrounded by the ancestral masters of the great clans, he was beaten so badly he had to flee.
Yan Xianzhi had seen that terrifying yet ridiculous scene, and later heard his clansmen talk about what had happened, treating it as a joke.
Now, he felt the same thing was happening to him.
He let out a furious roar, striking first. He activated the ultimate technique from the Lingshan Hall Collection, the Midnight-Noon Twelve Swords.
This sword art corresponded to the twelve two-hour periods of the day, containing the principles of yin-yang transformation and the power of the five elements. It could borrow the power of heaven and earth, turning it into a fiercely unmatched swordsmanship!
As he unleashed his sword technique, he began with the first six forms of the Midnight-Noon Twelve Swords. The sword intent was continuous and vast, filling heaven and earth.
At the same time, within the Realm of Emptiness above his head, his three-hundred-zhang Primordial Spirit mobilized the Dao force within the realm, also executing the first six forms of the Midnight-Noon Twelve Swords, merging perfectly with his physical movements.
Yan Xianzhi, with his white hair, at this moment looked like a celestial god wielding a sword to punish the world, majestic and awe-inspiring!
But to the other people on the street, this old man suddenly let out a loud shout and unleashed some messy and disorderly sword qi. The sword qi was slow, slow enough that even a non-cultivator could dodge it.
People on the street stopped to watch. The young man opposite the old man charged forward, nimbly dodging the sword qi, trying to close the distance.
The old man struggled to retreat, trying to keep his distance, and clumsily changed his forms, but he was still caught by the young man, who got in close and kicked him right in the groin.
The old man thudded to his knees, and the young man pressed a finger to his forehead.
At that moment, a loud rumble came from the sky, and a flash of saber light, like a shooting star, pierced through the void.
People looked up, wondering what had happened.
But Yan Xianzhi's eyes dimmed. This finger from Chen Shi had pierced through his brain. The saber qi contained within the finger force had shot through his Realm of Emptiness, and his Primordial Spirit was also pierced by this saber qi!
What Chen Shi had used was the Blood Lake Sutra, a top-tier immortal technique even in the Great Shang period. He hadn't used the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. Instead, he had transformed the Blood Sea Hell into a supreme saber qi, slaying both Yan Xianzhi's physical body and his Primordial Spirit!
Yan Xianzhi knelt on the ground, his life force cut off, motionless.
Chen Shi helped him up, supporting him to the entrance of the county government office. He sat him against the wall, leaning back, and said softly, "Lord Yan, the county office has been empty for a long time. The magistrate of Taiping County did all sorts of evil and was killed by my Red Mountain Hall long ago."
He set down the lifeless Yan Xianzhi, walked over to the concubine, and stopped.
The concubine, holding Yan Xianzhi's young son, was trembling, not daring to look up at him. The little boy was lying in her arms, wanting to look up at Chen Shi, but she tightly covered his eyes.
Chen Shi sized her up. This woman was quite beautiful, a rare beauty. Back then, Yan Xianzhi had already been over seventy, yet he still married her. That spoke volumes about her looks. Even after enduring these four years of turmoil and having a child, she was still attractive.
"He is Yan Xianzhi's youngest son? The only surviving child?" Chen Shi asked.
The concubine nodded, trembling.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person."
Chen Shi said gently, "He is Yan Xianzhi's son, but he is also your son. I won't kill the innocent. The little guy is four years old?"
The concubine's voice trembled. "He's not yet four..."
"Then I have even less reason to kill the two of you."
Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief, very pleased. He laughed, "He hasn't had a chance to enjoy any blessings from Yan Xianzhi, but he's suffered plenty of hardship. The world outside is in chaos now. Don't go back to the Yan family. Without Yan Xianzhi, going back there would only mean suffering. You'd be better off outside. In the next few years, I'll be eradicating the Yan family. If you go back, I might end up killing you too by accident."
He took out some silver and stuffed it into the woman's hand, saying, "Now, the land is sparsely populated, and everything needs rebuilding. Go buy a piece of land, settle down, and raise your child properly. If you meet a good family, you can remarry."
The concubine was stunned. Holding the silver, she was at a loss for what to do.
Chen Shi pushed her hand into her sleeve pocket, saying, "Don't show your wealth, and don't attract unwanted attention."
The concubine mustered her courage and said, "How can a weak woman like me, raising a child, survive in this chaotic world? If you, Young Lord Chen, don't find me repulsive, I am willing to be your mistress..."
Before she could finish, she looked up, but Chen Shi had already vanished without a trace. She was left in a daze.
Chen Shi returned to Huangpo Village. Chen Yindu had already washed the Wooden Cart, applied a new coat of varnish, and made it shine like new. The cart happily circled around him, rubbing against him repeatedly.
Chen Shi gave the cart a kick, and it quickly moved away.
Chen Yindu glanced at him. "All done?"
"Done."
Chen Shi was completely relaxed and laughed. "Just a small matter."
"Killing the Chief Grand Secretary of the imperial cabinet isn't a small matter. But in these chaotic times, killing him is killing him."
Chen Yindu got onto the cart, and Chen Shi climbed up as well. The grandfather and grandson sat inside, facing each other. The Wooden Cart rumbled and clattered, heading into the Qianyang Mountains. Black Pot ran ahead, leading the way.
Creation Little Five and Chen Tang did not get on the cart. The two of them watched as the cart disappeared into the distance.
Chen Tang glanced at Creation Little Five and said flatly, "Didn't expect that, did you? You're an outsider too."
Creation Little Five chuckled, put his hands behind his head, and walked towards the yellow earth slope. His voice drifted back, "Brother Tang, don't try to find validation through me. Father is much closer to me than he is to you."
Chen Tang snorted and took out his wooden box.
Wu Qingyu said softly, "You're about to break through to the Great Ascension Realm. When you do, you'll shock everyone. Why bother arguing with him for now?"
Chen Tang slowly put away the wooden box and nodded. "That's right. He can't break through to the Immortal Realm either, and he can't achieve Dao Unification. So all I need to do is cultivate step by step, and I can catch up to him."
Du Yiran was at the village entrance, haggling with Grandma Yuzhu, trying to buy a piece of her land to build a stone house. Granny Sha, the celestial fox, and Blue Goat each returned to their own homes in the village. Huangpo Village was peaceful and serene.
The direction the Wooden Cart was heading in was exactly the direction of Mirror Lake Villa.
Inside the cart, Chen Shi asked, "Grandpa, you know Yan Xianzhi."
"I do."
Chen Yindu said, "When I fought my way to the Western Capital, he was already the Chief Grand Secretary. Logically, after I slaughtered my way through the Western Capital and caused such a huge commotion, he should have been dismissed from his post. But I didn't expect him to stay in the Chief Grand Secretary's position for so long. He spent his whole life playing politics, thinking the imperial court was nothing but the hearts of men. But that was only in peacetime."
He glanced at Chen Shi. "But when you run into a reckless hothead, political scheming and maneuvering just aren't enough. Getting beaten to death in the street, and no one would even know."
Chen Shi laughed. "Grandpa saw it?"
Chen Yindu nodded. "I was worried something might happen to you. After all, your opponent was an expert at the Return to Emptiness realm, so I kept a thread of my divine sense attached to you. Yan Xianzhi's concubine said she was willing to be your mistress. Why didn't you agree?"
Chen Shi was stunned. "Did that happen?"
Chen Yindu nodded. "It happened."
Chen Shi beat his chest and stamped his feet in regret. "Why didn't you say so earlier, Grandpa?"
Chen Yindu laughed. "You can still go after her now, it's not too late. That woman has the silver you gave her, and she's willing to be your mistress. You've already saved on the betrothal gift."
Chen Shi rolled his eyes and laughed. "If I missed it, I missed it. Anyway, I'm already married, and Little Duan didn't ask me for a betrothal gift either."
Chen Yindu laughed. "It's different. Little Duan is your legal wife; she would be a mistress. By the way, your wife has something on her mind. She keeps looking up, staring at the sky nonstop. When you have the time, go ask her about it and show her more care."
Chen Shi was taken aback. He had been so ecstatic about his grandfather's return that he had neglected Little Duan Immortal and hadn't noticed that she had something on her mind.
"By the way, Grandpa, do you know about the Shang Dynasty? How far are we from the Great Shang?" Chen Shi asked.
Chen Yindu said, "I know a bit. The Shang people left behind many prehistoric relics. The Shang Dynasty is roughly three hundred and forty thousand years ago from now. As for the exact number of years, I'd need to go to the Divine Continent to check carefully."
Chen Shi was startled and murmured, "Little Duan's age is so much older than mine?"
Chen Yindu laughed. "A wife three years older is like holding a gold brick. A wife three thousand years older means you'll ascend to the ranks of immortals. Little Ten, you have hope of becoming an immortal."
Black Pot turned its head and barked twice at Chen Shi.
Chen Shi shot it a resentful glance. Chen Yindu laughed, "But Little Duan's age probably isn't that old."
Chen Shi was confused.
Chen Yindu said, "When the Shang people were defeated and exiled here by the Zhou people, they multiplied on the Western Ox New Continent. Countless generations have passed since then. Your granddaughter-in-law was born around sixteen thousand years ago. Sha Qiutong and I searched many ruins, originally trying to find the truth behind the fall of the True King's Era, thinking the relics were left over from that time. Later, we saw more, found some prehistoric records, and realized the two were different."
Unknowingly, the Wooden Cart had arrived outside Mirror Lake Villa.
The Mirror Lake outside the villa corresponded to the Yin Spring Sea within the Myriad Mountains, a truly magnificent sight.
Chen Shi and Chen Yindu each got off the cart. Chen Yindu walked towards the villa, saying, "The more prehistoric relics we found, the more information we gathered. I made a judgment based on this: about three hundred and forty thousand years ago, the Shang people were exiled. After many twists and turns, they ended up here."
"They brought some powerful immortal artifacts, multiplied here, rebuilt the Black Bird Celestial Court, and established the positions of the Ancestral Gods. About sixteen thousand years ago, a powerful entity attacked this place, trying to assimilate the Western Ox New Continent and turn it into its own nourishment. The Black Bird Celestial Court was destroyed once again."
"About four thousand years after the destruction of the Black Bird Celestial Court, the Three Treasures Eunuch led the Ming Dynasty's navy and accidentally discovered the Western Ox New Continent, ushering in the True King's Era."
Chen Shi's heart trembled. "What about that entity that destroyed the Black Bird Celestial Court?" he blurted out.
"Who knows? Perhaps after sucking the Western Ox New Continent dry, it left this place, leaving behind a mess. Or perhaps it was wounded by the Black Bird Celestial Court's counterattack and is still lurking in the Western Ox New Continent, waiting to completely demonize and devour it."
Chen Yindu walked up to a coffin and gently knocked on it. "Brother Dao, I have come as promised to awaken you."