On the Path to the Great Dao

Inside the minor heaven, at the Ministry of Rites, Chen Shi, Yang Bi, and Zhong Wuwang walked side by side. The most bustling spot in the Ministry was the Library Pavilion, packed with talisman masters studying Dao techniques. Some of these talisman masters had remarkably high cultivation, while others hadn't even formed their Golden Core yet but were already clutching works like the Ten Books of Cultivation.

"Where did Red Mountain Hall get so many experts?" Zhong Wuwang asked, puzzled.

"They were pulled in by my grandfather and my four disciples from the freeholder organizations," Chen Shi explained. "My grandfather is the founding patriarch of both the northern and southern schools of talismans. My four disciples hold extremely high positions in the freeholder organizations, with disciples spread across the land. At a single command, many freeholders came to pledge their allegiance."

Zhong Wuwang said, "You're preparing to wage war against the Twelve Great Clans."

Chen Shi looked at the people studying here and nodded slightly. "Back then, my grandfather Chen Yindu served as an official in the imperial court, rising to Vice Minister of Rites—the absolute ceiling for someone without a background. He compiled the Heavenly Heart Righteousness Technique and the Compendium of Talismans, trying to deliver Dao techniques to the countryside, to the children of poor families, so that everyone could develop their intelligence and talent to the fullest. But it couldn't be done."

Murderous intent flickered across his face. "The Heavenly Heart Righteousness Technique is merely a Foundation Establishment method, only allowing cultivation up to the Miniature Shrine and Divine Embryo realms. Beyond it lie Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and other stages. My grandfather wanted to use his authority as Vice Minister of Rites to spread the follow-up techniques, but he hit a wall in the imperial court—came away with nothing but dust on his face. The Thirteen Great Clans control the government, from the Western Capital court above to the local counties, towns, and villages below. Everywhere with even a shred of power or influence is held by the Thirteen Great Clans' sons. Everywhere with even a drop of profit has been sucked dry by them."

"Resources have been carved up among them. The poor, the powerless, the unconnected—they'll never have a day to rise. Even people themselves are their resources. The common folk become tools for their profit, can be turned into their longevity medicine, bullied and squeezed at will. They'll never let these paupers grasp the power of cultivators. They'll never let these paupers have a chance to resist them. What they want is for themselves and their descendants to rule this land forever."

"My grandfather saw this. He knew he couldn't change this scene, so he resolutely resigned. He wasn't strong enough, and he wasn't ruthless enough—he didn't have the ability to change it. But I do."

Chen Shi glanced at Fang Zhenxiu, who stood beside Zhong Wuwang, and smiled. "I've already tested it once on the Yan family. If I can succeed once, I can succeed twelve times."

Zhong Wuwang said, "The other twelve great clans will inevitably unite and defend against you with all their might. If you attack recklessly, it definitely won't go as smoothly as it did with the Yan family."

"Wuwang, the era of the Thirteen Great Clans is over."

Chen Shi laughed. "The moment your Despair Slope broke through the Upper Realm, their era ended. 'The inner treasury burned to brocade and ashes, the Celestial Streets trampled over ministers' bones.' The Thirteen Great Clans have been feasting on the people's flesh and blood for over six thousand years. It's time they paid the price."

The murderous fury in his words made Yang Bi and Fang Zhenxiu shiver involuntarily, as if mountains of corpses and seas of blood were right before their eyes.

Chen Shi chuckled. "Wuwang, you didn't come all this way just to meddle in these trivial matters, did you?"

Zhong Wuwang was silent for a moment. "Two things. First, I've achieved Dao Unification and become an immortal."

Chen Shi and Yang Bi's minds shook violently. They stared at him in disbelief.

Seeing this, Zhong Wuwang felt quite smug, though his expression remained calm. "After parting with you, I returned to Despair Slope. Amid the gentle breeze and light clouds, I suddenly comprehended the mysteries of the True God Dao Field. So I used my Dao Embryo as my Primordial Spirit and opened up the void. I unified myself with the Dao, refining my own body into a pure land free of demonic corruption."

Yang Bi said, "So, you mainly relied on your Innate Dao Embryo. The Dao field opened by the Innate Dao Embryo has no Demonic Energy, which is why you could unify with the Dao and become an immortal?"

Being put that way, Zhong Wuwang lost some of his confidence. "Even though I used the Innate Dao Embryo to achieve Dao Unification and become an immortal, I am still the first immortal of the new method."

Yang Bi said, "Your technique can't be spread. It has no great use."

He looked at Chen Shi. "The four seniors, Shao Niangniang, Mu Daozi, and the others, have already crossed their tribulation and cultivated immortal Dao Primordial Spirits. But they still need to comprehend yin-yang purgation to avoid being corrupted. When they reach Dao Unification, they'll probably need to understand the Yin-Yang Dao Field to protect themselves. Therefore, although King Chen's technique can be spread, only a handful of people can cultivate it."

Chen Shi smiled faintly. "Achieving Dao Unification and becoming an immortal is something only a few supreme geniuses can accomplish. Don't be too harsh on them, Instructor Yang."

Yang Bi said, "If everyone in the world needs to cultivate the Yin-Yang Dao Field to have any hope of becoming an immortal, then the Dao techniques of the world will never bloom in a hundred flowers. There will be no development."

Chen Shi frowned slightly, thinking of Chen Yindu's Heavenly Heart Righteousness Technique—it was incredibly simple, without any rigid rules, extremely easy to cultivate. That was what had multiplied the number of cultivators in the world a hundredfold.

The Yin-Yang Dao Field might indeed restrict both the number of cultivators and their creativity.

But how could this situation be avoided?

"Only by eliminating the culprit that caused the world's demonic corruption and purifying the Demonic Energy between heaven and earth can this be achieved," he thought silently.

Zhong Wuwang said, "The second thing: the Celestial Venerable is indeed the culprit behind the demonic corruption. After I became an immortal, he couldn't restrain himself and made a move against me. He killed me."

He thought of Kou Xianren, his expression dark.

There weren't many people in this world who were kind to him. Besides his master Wei Luo, it was Kou Xianren.

Unfortunately, Wei Luo died at Chen Shi's hands, and Kou Xianren died at the Celestial Venerable's hands.

Chen Shi's eyes flickered. "When Yang Bi and I were on the Great Shang Celestial Court, we guessed correctly. It was him all along. He occupied the nest of the magpie, murdered all the Shang dynasty ministers in Despair Slope who maintained the True God's operation, took over the place, recruited cultivators who didn't know the truth, formed the Celestial Way Immortals and Celestial Way Walkers, and monitored the world."

He sneered. "Everyone in Despair Slope is his pawn, all of them tools for his use. He died and came back to life—on one hand, waiting for the True God to decline; on the other, guarding against the birth of a force similar to Wu Qi and the Great Shang Celestial Court on this land, which might kill him again! Over these years, Despair Slope has abetted evil and done a great job."

Zhong Wuwang said, "The Celestial Way Walkers and Immortals of Despair Slope didn't know his true face either. He was Despair Slope's Celestial Venerable, its leader. Who would have thought the leader was the enemy?"

Chen Shi thought about it. The situation with Despair Slope did have a sense of absurdity about it.

Despair Slope, which called itself righteous and claimed to maintain the world's normal operation, had never imagined it was founded by the culprit who destroyed this world.

Zhong Wuwang continued, "Before this, the Celestial Venerable used Despair Slope's hand to eliminate the True King, to eliminate the Upper Realm. Now, he's set his sights on the Demon Capital. The next targets are the Empress of Earth and you. Anyone he feels even slightly threatened by, he will eliminate."

Chen Shi felt immense pressure.

Yang Bi said, "The Celestial Venerable eliminated the Upper Realm because it reminded him too much of the Great Shang Celestial Court. He wants to eliminate the Demon Emperor because he resembles Wu Qi, who gathered all power into one body. He wants to eliminate the Empress of Earth because..."

He frowned slightly. Logically, the Empress of Earth was just a split—she shouldn't threaten him.

Why did he insist on eliminating her?

"It's because Her Ladyship comes from the Earth Immortal Realm," Chen Shi suddenly said.

Zhong Wuwang's heart stirred. "Why must she be eliminated just because she's from the Earth Immortal Realm?"

Chen Shi racked his brains but couldn't figure it out either.

Yang Bi was also stumped.

Zhong Wuwang said, "Besides that, there's one more thing: the Feng Immortal, Feng Ruotong. Before Kou Xianren died, he told me that Feng Ruotong was his master, who came to Despair Slope many years before him. He might have been a minister of the Great Shang. We were also following Feng Ruotong's trail when we fell into the Celestial Venerable's trap."

Chen Shi recalled his encounter with Feng Ruotong. That Celestial Way Immortal was upright and magnanimous, open and aboveboard—he had left a deep impression on him.

Could Feng Ruotong be one of the Celestial Venerable's confidants?

"Another thing: the Celestial Venerable has already ordered the Celestial Way Freeholders and Celestial Way Walkers to forge Heavenly Soldiers," Zhong Wuwang said.

Chen Shi was puzzled. "Heavenly Soldiers?"

Zhong Wuwang nodded. "It's said that Heavenly Soldiers are creations forged by the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace. Their combat power is extremely strong, almost on par with Celestial Way Immortals. They don't fear death, don't know fatigue, feel no pain, and are incredibly hard to kill."

Chen Shi blurted out, "Creation Little Five!"

Zhong Wuwang said, "I've heard that Heavenly Soldiers are the strongest creation realized by Celestial Way Immortal Gong Wanqing. I've also heard that your grandfather once stayed in Despair Slope for a time and was a Celestial Way Walker. His master was Gong Wanqing."

Chen Shi suddenly thought of the graffiti he had seen on the Bronze Great Wall—a portrait of Creation Little Five, his grandfather, and another woman. In that portrait, Creation Little Five had shrunk down and turned into a big-headed cloth doll tied to his grandfather's waist.

"Did Gong Wanqing create the Heavenly Soldiers by studying Creation Little Five? Or did she receive guidance from my grandfather?"

He guessed inwardly, "Could the Heavenly Soldiers be versions of Creation Little Five? Stronger, more terrifying versions of Creation Little Five!"

He thought of Fifth Uncle Little Five's terror and couldn't help shuddering.

The current Creation Little Five, with Chen Yindu around, hadn't continued his evil deeds, but his combat power was stronger than before.

Imagine how formidable a perfect-state Creation Little Five would be!

Zhong Wuwang said, "The Celestial Venerable has already ordered Despair Slope to forge one furnace of Heavenly Soldiers. One furnace produces five hundred Heavenly Soldiers. Even if the success rate is only ten percent, that's still fifty immortals."

Chen Shi's expression turned grave. The worst-case estimate was a ten percent success rate. But what if it was fifty percent? Seventy percent? Eighty percent?

"Once Gong Wanqing finishes forging the Heavenly Soldiers, the Celestial Venerable won't need you Celestial Way Immortals or Celestial Way Walkers anymore," Yang Bi said.

Zhong Wuwang shuddered and nodded silently. "Forging Heavenly Soldiers takes a hundred days to open the furnace. So far, eleven days have passed."

Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. "Er Niu, I want to enter Despair Slope. Prepare yourself! And..."

He hesitated for a moment. "My grandfather is also going into Despair Slope. Do you have a way to bring us both in?"

Zhong Wuwang's heart tightened. He knew why Chen Shi insisted on bringing Chen Yindu along. "I'll find a way. Give me some time."

Chen Shi nodded slightly. "Do you remember that village of Shang commoners where you were ambushed? I want to go take a look."

Zhong Wuwang said, "I'll draw a topographic map. That place is extremely dangerous, filled with terrifying demonic beasts comparable to the Huo Dog."

Chen Shi's expression turned serious. After Zhong Wuwang finished drawing the topographic map, he immediately returned to Huangpo Village and found Black Pot.

"Brother Pot," Chen Shi said, hooking an arm around Black Pot's dog head and grinning. "Is our mother around? I want to discuss something with her."