Chapter 479: If I Rot
Zhong Wuwang was unfazed. Although Yang Bi's words were unpleasant, they could not disturb his Dao Heart. He said with a smile, "I never obtained the Innate Dao Embryo in the first place. This Innate Dao Embryo was cut from Brother Chen's Dao Embryo by my master and transplanted into me."
Chen Shi took out the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade and placed it on the table.
Zhong Wuwang smiled. "Chen Shi, your foundation is unstable. The Blood Sea Hell relies entirely on the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. I will eventually find a way to break your triple Dao Field."
Yang Bi raised his cup. "Drink some tea."
Zhong Wuwang was about to take a sip of tea when he suddenly caught sight of Chen Shi's gaze. He immediately activated the Celestial Immortal Finger, using two fingers to guard his throat, wary of being slit across the neck by Chen Shi's blade while drinking.
This was something Chen Shi was definitely capable of.
However, Chen Shi and Yang Bi's eyes were shining brightly, staring intently at those two fingers, desperately memorizing the shamanic ritual markings.
Zhong Wuwang shuddered at the sight and hastily put down his teacup.
The Celestial Immortal Finger was his trump card. If those two learned it, they would likely come up with a way to counter him before long.
"In that case, the next sacrifice Despair Slope wants to offer is you, Er Niu?" Chen Shi suddenly spoke.
Zhong Wuwang's expression shifted slightly. Chen Shi immediately drew his blade and swung it. In the blink of an eye, the blade was already at Zhong Wuwang's neck.
"Clang!"
Zhong Wuwang's two fingers blocked the blade just before his throat.
Chen Shi and Yang Bi immediately stared at his two fingers, continuing to memorize the shamanic ritual markings.
Zhong Wuwang's expression shifted between shades of gloom and fury. He let out a bitter laugh. "You two are going too far!"
Yang Bi said with a serious face, "So, you are the next sacrifice. That's why you want to find outside help to deal with Despair Slope."
Zhong Wuwang was on high alert, guarding against a surprise attack from Chen Shi should his Dao Heart waver. He said in a deep voice, "That's right. I want to find a powerful ally, but not to deal with Despair Slope—to deal with the Celestial Venerable!"
Chen Shi's heart stirred. "Why target the Celestial Venerable?"
Zhong Wuwang said, "It was the Celestial Venerable who sacrificed the True King's Primordial Spirit and Dao Embryo to extend the life of the Celestial True God. The Celestial Venerable is stubborn and self-willed. He will definitely sacrifice me when the next sun extinguishes. I don't want to die, so I have to deal with the Celestial Venerable."
He was completely frank, hiding nothing, displaying his sincerity.
A smile appeared on Chen Shi's face. "Er Niu, I finally know how to kill you now. I'll just tell the Celestial Venerable everything you said!"
Zhong Wuwang's expression changed instantly. Chen Shi swung his blade. Zhong Wuwang activated the Celestial Immortal Finger, blocking the strike.
Chen Shi and Yang Bi hurriedly committed the Celestial Immortal Finger's shamanic ritual markings to memory.
Zhong Wuwang clenched his fist tightly, but a deep sense of helplessness washed over him.
He got along very well with the other disciples of Despair Slope. They all admired him greatly, and wherever he went, he was the center of attention. Even the Celestial Way Walkers held him in high regard, believing he would surely become a Celestial Way Immortal, and might even one day stand alongside the Celestial Venerable.
He often descended the mountain as well, encountering all sorts of people.
But he had never met anyone as shameless as Chen Shi and Yang Bi!
"I do need a powerful ally. There are not many people in this world worthy of my notice. Chen Shi, you are one of them."
Zhong Wuwang then looked at Yang Bi and said, "You are another. I hope both of you can help me deal with the Celestial Venerable."
Chen Shi frowned slightly. He intended to deal with Despair Slope anyway, so going up against the Celestial Venerable was inevitable.
"What's wrong with the Celestial Venerable?" he asked.
Zhong Wuwang hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Celestial Venerable is a bit strange. Our Despair Slope has always prided itself on serving the True God. Among us, only the Celestial Venerable can communicate with the True God and convey divine decrees. The sacrifice of the True King by Despair Slope was an order from the Celestial Venerable, delivered as the True God's will. Likewise, the purge of foreign gods was also an order from the Celestial Venerable, presented as the True God's will."
He looked at Chen Shi and continued, "You revived a foreign god, and Despair Slope has been watching. In the past, whenever a temple to a foreign god appeared, Despair Slope would destroy it. That, too, was said to be the True God's will. But this time, with the Yin and Yang realms merging, the Celestial Venerable said the True God wanted to catch them all in one net, so he held back from making a move against you."
Chen Shi's heart stirred. "You mean the True God was in a state similar to death back then, so the decrees the Celestial Venerable conveyed were not the True God's will at all, but his own."
Zhong Wuwang said, "I once tried to communicate with the True God. I could not receive any of his decrees. It was the same for everyone else in Despair Slope."
Yang Bi said, "So, whatever the Celestial Venerable says can be passed off as the True God's will!"
Zhong Wuwang nodded. "If what Chen Shi said is true—that the True God, on his deathbed, left behind the Innate Dao Embryo to find a successor to take his place—then the True God had a broad and benevolent mind, thinking of all living beings. He would not have driven away the foreign gods."
"Driving away the foreign gods was actually the Celestial Venerable's doing," Chen Shi said.
Zhong Wuwang let out a sigh. "Despair Slope is my other home. I don't want to see it become the Celestial Venerable's tool either. The Celestial Venerable wants to deal with the Empress of Earth, and he also wants to deal with the Divine Capital. Chen Shi, Yang Bi, we have to join forces."
Chen Shi said coldly, "You want me and Yang Bi to help you? Er Niu, have you weighed your worth? Do you think you have the qualifications to form an alliance?"
He leaned back in his chair and said casually, "I am the True King of the Celestial Court, commanding the Celestial Court with countless experts, many of whom are half-immortal masters. I am the Ruler of the Heavenly Pool Kingdom, with countless ghost gods under my command. I am also the Demon Emperor of the Divine Capital, with calamities and catastrophes spreading at my feet. With a wave of my hand, demon gods fill the mountains and fields. I am a Meritorious Supporter of the Righteous Official in the underworld, and I can command the ghosts and gods of the Eighteen Hells. Er Niu, what do you have to offer in cooperation?"
Zhong Wuwang's expression remained unchanged. "The Innate Dao Embryo."
Chen Shi shook his head. "It was originally mine. I can kill you and take it back."
Zhong Wuwang frowned slightly. "I will become the first immortal through the new method, paving a path of Dao Unification for those who come after."
Chen Shi shook his head again. "You have the Dao Embryo; others do not. They cannot follow your path."
Zhong Wuwang pondered for a moment. "Despair Slope and you will inevitably clash. When the Celestial Venerable decides to make a move, I can inform you in advance to prepare. I can also tell you about the Celestial Venerable's plans."
Chen Shi's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "That's good. But it's still not enough."
Zhong Wuwang met his gaze. "Then what does Brother Chen want?"
Chen Shi said, "I want to go to Despair Slope."
Zhong Wuwang's heart trembled. He hesitated for a long time before saying, "You must change your appearance before I can take you in. Also, once you arrive at Despair Slope, you must follow my orders and not act on your own."
Chen Shi nodded slowly. "Alright."
Zhong Wuwang let out a breath and smiled. "Then it's settled. Chen Shi, Yang Bi, wait for my news. When I have everything arranged, I will take you to Despair Slope."
He called for Fang Zhenxiu, took the little boy's hand, and left.
"Fang Zhenxiu, is that you, Fang Zhenxiu?" Chen Shi called out.
Fang Zhenxiu was about to turn around when Zhong Wuwang's large hand covered the back of his head, preventing him from turning.
Chen Shi smiled. "So he really isn't from the Yan family. I was just being overly suspicious."
Zhong Wuwang led Fang Zhenxiu far away, then let out a quiet sigh of relief. He patted the boy's head and said, "If I hadn't stopped you, you would be dead by now."
Fang Zhenxiu quickly said, "Thank you, Master, for saving me!"
Zhong Wuwang smiled. "I had originally planned to test more young boys, but you are clever and quick-witted, which suits my taste. Very well, I won't go looking for more children. I'll just take you as my disciple."
Fang Zhenxiu knelt before him and kowtowed repeatedly.
"A five-year-old child with your ability to adapt on the spot is rare indeed."
Zhong Wuwang helped him up. "Your master still needs to go find some remnants. I can't return to Despair Slope just yet, so you'll have to follow me around for a while."
He thought about the power of the Celestial Immortal Finger, and his heart burned with eagerness.
Shamanic ritual markings capable of countering the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade were extremely rare in the world!
If he could learn all the shamanic ritual markings, wouldn't he be invincible?
At the Yang family estate, Yang Bi said, "If the True King hadn't arrived in time, I would probably be a corpse by now."
Chen Shi smiled. "Zhong Wuwang needs our cooperation. He won't kill you."
Yang Bi shook his head. "Hard to say. He felt I posed a great threat to him, so he wanted me dead. True King, how much of the shamanic ritual markings did you memorize?"
Chen Shi said, "About thirty to forty percent."
Yang Bi grinned. "I memorized about the same. Let's each write down the shamanic ritual markings we've memorized and compare them. We should be able to reconstruct about fifty percent! Even fifty percent will give us formidable power."
Chen Shi smiled. "No rush. Let's write them down on the road and compare them later?"
Yang Bi's heart stirred. "You mean Zhong Wuwang will go looking for more bones?"
Chen Shi took out a silver ingot and handed it to Xiao Fang. "Sister, use this to fix up the house. I'll borrow Yang Bi for a few days."
Xiao Fang smiled. "The True King must return a whole and intact man to us."
"Sister, rest assured. He won't be missing any arms or legs," Chen Shi said with a smile.
Yang Bi walked shoulder to shoulder with him. The two left Tianyu County. Chen Shi laughed. "The reason Zhong Wuwang left in such a hurry is that he's searching for more bones. If we just follow him, we can find that treasure trove. When we get there, it's hard to say who will end up with the spoils. By the way, Tianqing said you wanted to join the Celestial Court's Ministry of Rites. I've approved it. The Celestial Court's Ministry of Rites needs capable fighters like you, Tianqing, and Yu Lingzi."
Yang Bi blinked and probed, "Shouldn't the Ministry of War be the one to handle fighting? Does the Ministry of Rites need to fight people too?"
"Have you not heard of 'first courtesy, then force'?"
Chen Shi said with a serious face, "When encountering an enemy, first send the Ministry of Rites to fight. After the Ministry of Rites has fought, then send the Ministry of War."
Yang Bi burst out laughing. "If you weren't so brilliantly talented, I'd suspect you bought your title as top scholar!"
Seeing that Yang Bi was still limping, Chen Shi asked, "How were you injured? Why hasn't it healed yet?"
Yang Bi was quite open-minded. He laughed. "It was the divine ability of the immortal who destroyed the Upper Realm that injured my leg. A peach blossom petal is embedded in my leg. No medicine can cure it. I have to wait until my cultivation reaches the immortal realm and refine it away before it will heal."
Chen Shi said, "I have four disciples who are quite powerful. Perhaps they can help you refine it."
Yang Bi shook his head. "No need. Keeping this wound helps me remember more deeply."
What he wanted to remember was not the Feng Immortal's divine ability, but the scene of the Upper Realm's destruction.
He would eventually seek out Feng Ruotong and fight him again.
Chen Shi said, "Yang Bi, I am going to go to war against the Thirteen Great Clans and eliminate them one by one. What do you think about that?"
Yang Bi looked at him. "You want to do something great. You want to become the True King, to drive away evil spirits, to free the world from Despair Slope's control, and to restore the true starry sky and sun and moon. But how can you guarantee that after you eliminate the Thirteen Great Clans, the True King's court you establish won't give rise to a new Thirteen Great Clans?"
Chen Shi shook his head. "I can't guarantee it. But when we rot, there should be a second Chen Shi and Yang Bi who will overthrow the rotten version of us."
Yang Bi thought for a long time, then nodded slowly. "I'll help you. But kill fewer people."
Chen Shi smiled. "I'll listen to you."