Chapter 462: See You Off
Gong Wanqing, Kou Xianren, and Zhong Wuwang arrived at the True God Dao Field. The Celestial Venerable had been cultivating in the Tianyuan Palace on Juexian Peak within the Dao Field. The three entered Tianyuan Palace, where a temple boy told them, "The Celestial Venerable is not in the palace. Please return."
The three were momentarily taken aback. Gong Wanqing asked, "Where did the Celestial Venerable go?"
"The master did not say."
They left Tianyuan Palace and walked toward the Dao Field's exterior. Kou Xianren asked in puzzlement, "If the Celestial Venerable is not here, where could he have gone?"
Gong Wanqing pondered, "Immortal Feng went to the mortal world to investigate the Demon Capital and the Demon Emperor. Could the Celestial Venerable have left Despair Slope because of the Demon Emperor?"
"That's possible."
Kou Xianren muttered, "If the Celestial Venerable is in the mortal world and sees the True God revived, what state of mind will he be in?"
He growled angrily, "Which bastard infiltrated Despair Slope and revived the True God? Whoever did it must be seized and shown no mercy."
Gong Wanqing gave a half-smile and said, "Maybe it was an inside job by one of our own. Tell me, other than Despair Slope, who understands the three supreme Cosmic Sacrificial Rites of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?"
Kou Xianren felt a chill in his heart. "Palace Immortal, your words pierce the heavens. Whoever revived the True God must be from Despair Slope!"
He fretted, "A Celestial Way Walker could never pull this off. Only a Celestial Way Immortal could. That means the culprit is among us!"
He shuddered and whispered, "Who could that person be?"
Gong Wanqing's face hardened. "Kou Xianren, only you, I, and Wuwang may know of this. The fourth person must not be informed. We will act normal and slowly investigate the other Celestial Way Immortals—don't spook the snake."
Kou Xianren nodded and turned to Zhong Wuwang. "Wuwang, any objections?"
Zhong Wuwang replied, "Wuwang bows in deference to my two senior uncles."
Though he spoke this, images of Yu Changbai, Tianguang Daoist, and Lin Taixu as Celestial Way Walkers surfaced in his mind. He thought, "Whoever revived the True God must have imitated them. But they are not truly themselves. They recently descended to the mortal world following Immortal Feng to search for elites from the Demon Capital. That means they were replaced during that time. Their life-lamps are still lit, which means they are still alive in the mortal realm. Among those Immortals taken by Immortal Feng, Yu Changbai was not among them."
Gong Wanqing smiled. "Wuwang, what are you thinking? Do you have suspects?"
Zhong Wuwang shook his head. "No."
Kou Xianren said, "Wuwang should not join this investigation. After all, the opponent is a Celestial Way Immortal. Just pretend you know nothing."
Zhong Wuwang agreed.
Kou Xianren and Gong Wanqing left.
Zhong Wuwang thought, "These impostors could imitate six uncles perfectly; one of them must have long been hiding in Despair Slope, watching them, learning their flaws, then capturing them in one stroke. The person who observed them daily would be Yu Changbai. Yu Changbai is Zhuang Wujiu's teaching master and hasn't left Despair Slope in recent years. But Zhuang Wujiu often leaves because he is responsible for Heaven's Listeners in the mortal world. That suggests Zhuang Wujiu is also suspicious."
He smiled slightly and turned to leave. "This person's identity hasn't been exposed. He will return to Despair Slope again. He won't dare come back posing as Yu Changbai, so he'll take Zhuang Wujiu's form instead. I'm curious to see what methods he has."
On the far side of the bronze city wall, the Owl Vessel glided downstream along the dark river. Onboard, Chen Shi was inexplicably excited, trailing beside Chen Yindu and talking nonstop, pouring out everything that had happened to him since parting from his grandfather.
He was so animated he wanted to tell his grandfather every single experience from those years.
Within the Chen household, the person closest to him was not his deceased mother Wu Qingyu, nor Chen Tang, nor Creation Little Five, but his grandfather Chen Yindu.
After Chen Shi's death, Chen Yindu had done everything to avenge him and to bring him back, summoning everyone he could from Western Ox New Continent and repeatedly venturing into the underworld to rescue him.
Chen Yindu had exhausted every means to revive him.
Even when gravely wounded and on the brink of death, Chen Yindu had no choice but to walk the path of a Corpse Liberation Immortal. He was not suited to the mortal world, yet he strove to restrain his demonic nature and stayed by Chen Shi's side just to watch him grow up.
When desperate, Chen Yindu begged and entrusted Chen Shi to Granny Sha, Blue Goat, and others so Chen Shi could survive in this world.
Chen Yindu and his companions had returned to their original forms; the true Yu Changbai, Tianguang Daoist, and others were still alive, though Creation Little Five had hidden them somewhere unknown. Chen Yindu, Granny Sha, and the rest had oddly not inquired further.
When they reached the great fissure at the river's bed, Chen Shi conjured the Taiyi Demon-Repelling Shuttle and carried everyone through the rift into the Heavenly Pool Kingdom.
He kept talking without stopping.
After a long while Chen Shi fell silent and, after a pause, said, "Grandpa, I miss you."
Chen Yindu laughed, "You've grown up, taller and stronger."
Granny Sha smiled, "After we met your grandfather, he asked many times about you. He's already heard all about you—more than once."
Chen Shi blushed, but felt mostly moved.
The Taiyi Demon-Repelling Shuttle did not linger in the Heavenly Pool Kingdom; it headed beyond the Ten Thousand Mountains.
When they reached a high ridge, Chen Yindu said with a smile, "Little Ten, I won't return with you to the mortal world. I have chosen the Corpse Liberation Immortal path. If I go back to the mortal realm, I will undergo demonic transformation. The underworld suits me better."
"I forgot!" Chen Shi hurriedly summoned his Primordial Spirit, dove into the small temple, and took out many spiritual medicines, stuffing them into Chen Yindu's hands. "Grandpa, try these! This Ginseng Grass Fruit can extend life by five hundred years! This Black Ginseng can extend life by three hundred years! This Crimson Pearl Fruit can extend life by three hundred and sixty years! This Bodhi Reconstituting Herb can extend life by two hundred and eighty years..."
He then projected his Dao Field and said, "Grandpa, I've mastered Yin-Yang Purgation. It can expel the demonic energy in your body and prevent you from demonic transforming. Also, I improved on the little Taoist's teachings. With what I added, you can cultivate to Tribulation Crossing or even Ascension without trouble! I have the small temple. You can train in the temple and I'll help purge your demonic energy!"
He thought of all sorts of solutions.
Chen Yindu watched him with a smiling face. When Chen Shi finally calmed, Chen Yindu said, "Little Ten, you've grown up. Truly grown up."
Chen Shi, who had no Divine Embryo, had once been a child desperate to cultivate power to protect his frail grandfather. Now he had matured and solved many problems that Chen Yindu himself had failed to solve.
Chen Yindu took the medicines to prolong his life, but since he had chosen the Corpse Liberation path, he walked the edge of demonic corruption—mere life extension couldn't cure that. Returning to the mortal world would still tempt him to demonicize heaven and earth and cause calamity.
However, Chen Shi's Dao Field radiated out and smoothed the demonic energy within him, so calamity would be avoided.
Chen Shi activated Yin-Yang Purgation, continuously purging and refining the demonic energy inside Chen Yindu, and taught him the technique. After some practice, Chen Yindu grasped it. Chen Shi knew, though, that this technique required profound understanding of yin-yang arts. He had taught it to many, but most could not master it; only a few managed to begin using it.
Someone learning it as fast as Chen Yindu was rare.
Chen Shi spread his Dao Field; yin and yang reversed, and in the next instant they appeared beneath Yellow Earth Slope in the mortal world. Scholar Zhu, Jue Yangzi, and Daoist Willow stood watch on the slope.
Chen Yindu looked around. At that moment, the villagers of Huangpo Village were leaving the mountains with their families. At sight of him from afar, they were all startled.
"Chen Yindu, are you faking life?"
Old Lady Wuzhu trembled, tears springing to her eyes. "I must be near my end, that's why I'm seeing ghosts."
Chen Yindu laughed, "Sister Wuzhu, you have many years left."
Other villagers approached, looking at him with awe and offering salutations.
Chen Yindu returned their bows and greeted them as before.
"Old Chen, your grandson has made something of himself."
Grandma Yuzhu said to him, "He topped the exams and is now Top Scholar, a lord! Your son is no good; he was dismissed and is idle at home."
At that moment, Chen Tang's voice came from behind Grandma Yuzhu. "Wrong. I've been promoted. Now I'm the Grand Master of Glorious Salary. My rank is the first grade, and my monthly stipend is seventy-four hu of grain, which equals fifty taels of silver."
Chen Yindu looked back as Chen Tang approached, tall and sharp-eyed, standing before him.
"Father." Chen Tang surprisingly did not call him by his given name.
Chen Yindu smiled, "Little Ten has said many good things about you. He said you were promising and handled the sword well."
Chen Tang glanced at Chen Shi, moved, and kept walking toward Chen Yindu, opening his arms to embrace him. But Chen Yindu stood like a monument, and his imposing presence kept Chen Tang from hugging him. The two flapped their arms awkwardly like fledglings, unsure where to place them.
"You don't know how to hug. Let me."
Chen Yindu embraced him firmly and whispered, "But it's not your fault. When you were little, I rarely held you, so you don't know how to embrace others."
Chen Tang's eyes reddened and tears streamed down uncontrollably.
Creation Little Five sneered at the side.
Wu Qingyu walked over and looked at the father and son with a gentle smile.
Chen Yindu was unusually tender to his son, then quickly released Chen Tang, and bowed to Wu Qingyu, "Thanks to my wise daughter-in-law, this household did not fall apart. I bow to you!"
Wu Qingyu flustered and bowed back. "If Father-in-law had not invited Huo Dog, I would have died long ago! Father-in-law, please don't be so flattering and make me faint!"
Chen Yindu rose and said, "You are smarter than my son. He married you because you accommodated him. Sorry for making you endure so much."
Chen Tang's hand quietly rested on the hilt of the Xuanwei Sword, veins standing on the back of his hand.
Wu Qingyu laughed, "Alas, A-tang is the clever one, not me. I'm silly."
Chen Yindu shook his head, "I know my son best. Little Ten must have inherited more from you than from him."
Wu Qingyu linked arms with Chen Tang and laughed continually.
Chen Tang could not draw his sword, so he gave up.
Chen Shi looked around at the villagers of Yellow Earth Slope, approached Chen Tang, and whispered, "Father, what about Yan Xianzhi?"
Chen Tang said, "He left. He said he's returning to the Western Capital."
Chen Yindu's voice drifted from afar, "Little Ten, come with me to see a few old friends."
Chen Shi cried out, "Grandpa, rest first. Wait a bit. I will go see off an old friend!"
He leaped up and vanished as a streak of light.
In Gongzhou's Taiping County, Yan Xianzhi descended slowly upon auspicious clouds and landed, addressing his concubine holding their son, "Xiang'er, we'll stay at the county post in Taiping. The county magistrate is from my Yan family. When we get there, carriages will take us to the Western Capital."
They arrived at the post station, which was deserted.
Yan Xianzhi frowned slightly and led his concubine toward the county office. The population in Taiping was sparse, barely thirty percent of what it had been, and the residents looked sallow.
"Why did Lord Yan leave in such haste?"
Yan Xianzhi's body trembled slightly. He looked up and smiled, "Ah, it's Top Scholar Chen. What a coincidence to meet you here, Lord Chen."
Chen Shi came forward and shook his head, "Not a coincidence. I'm here specifically to see you off. Lord Yan, wouldn't it be better to stay at Qianyang Mountain and farm? Why rush to the Western Capital's arena of fame and profit?"
Yan Xianzhi chuckled, "After this great calamity, Western Ox New Continent has been left in ruins. I cannot shirk the responsibility of helping to revive fifty prefectures."
He regarded Chen Shi warily and said casually, "Though the Upper Realm is gone, my Thirteen Great Clans remain entrenched and rooted in this continent, immovable. Therefore I must go to the Western Capital to stabilize the world."
Chen Shi walked beside him and shook his head, "Lord Yan, this apocalypse made me realize that without the Thirteen Great Clans, the common people would live better. From today on, I will remove the Thirteen Great Clans' tumors one by one. If you return to Qianyang Mountain to farm, you might live. Go further west, and I fear for your life."
Yan Xianzhi stopped and regarded him coldly. "Chen Shi, are you rebelling?"
Chen Shi answered calmly, "I am the True King. How can rebellion be spoken of? Lord Yan, two roads lie before you: choose life or choose death."