Chapter 457: Small Heavenly Cycle Dharma Realm
A storm of thoughts raged through Chen Shi's mind, countless notions flashing through him in an instant.
The Empress of Earth was undoubtedly a remarkable deity. The rise and fall of ten thousand continents in the Earth Immortal Realm all fell under her divine power, and there were even traces of her in the thousand realms beyond the heavens beyond heavens. For such a powerful existence to send an avatar to the Western Ox New Continent—who would dare to stop her?
Yet someone dared.
The circular axe that had swung out from the darkness, severing the bridge of light, had struck at the Empress of Earth's avatar and cut off her path. It was clearly acting with reckless confidence!
Who would have such audacity?
What terrified him even more was—why would the one who struck risk offending the Empress of Earth just to stop her avatar from descending to the Western Ox New Continent?
What secrets did the Western Ox New Continent hold?
Chen Shi was still deep in thought when, from behind the portal, the massive circular axe spun and struck again, severing another segment of the bridge!
That segment of the bridge had been constructed by the divine power of the Chinese gods to guide the Empress of Earth's avatar. It had been broken once before, and the Empress of Earth's avatar had connected it with her long sleeves. But now it was severed again, leaving her without a foothold or destination, unable to find the Western Ox New Continent!
Without a second thought, Chen Shi summoned the Western King's Jade Seal and hurled it into the portal!
He activated the Western King's Jade Seal, mobilizing the divine power of all gods across the fifty provinces of the Western Ox New Continent. Almost simultaneously, the Qianyang Mountain Lord in Xinxiang, the Sage Emperor Lord Guan in Qingzhou, Mazu in Gongzhou, Wang Lingguan in Binhai, Patriarch Peng in Beimeng, Lord Yue in Lingzhou, and countless other gods summoned the divine power of gods and spirits from every prefecture and county, turning it into a torrent of extraordinary power converging from all directions!
Suddenly, that torrent, accompanied by the resounding chants of all the gods, descended from the heavens and poured into the Western King's Jade Seal!
The Western King's Jade Seal emitted a wave of power stronger than even ordinary immortal artifacts as it flew toward the portal.
The surging divine power pouring from the jade seal reconnected the divine bridge, making it much clearer as it rapidly extended to the feet of the Empress of Earth's avatar.
The Empress of Earth paused for a moment, then followed this bridge as she walked toward the portal.
The circular axe struck again, but before it could land, the Empress's fluttering sash slapped against the axe head.
The great axe was sent spinning away with a roar, rolling like a wheel into the darkness. It tumbled through the shadows, sparks flying, moving rapidly before suddenly striking once more.
The circular axe split into two, then two into four, endlessly dividing. In an instant, the darkness was filled with spinning circular axes rolling like wheels, their cold gleam flashing as they struck at the Empress of Earth's avatar from all directions!
At the same time, many circular axes hacked at the divine bridge!
The Empress of Earth's sash danced through the air, blocking and deflecting the axes surging in from every direction. Suddenly, two more sashes shot out from amidst the axe-light, whipping around the divine bridge with a hissing spin. Like two immeasurably long giant pythons, they swept away the axes targeting the bridge.
One circular axe wheeled straight toward the Western King's Jade Seal. Just as it was about to reach the seal, a sash flew in, wrapping around the axe handle and yanking it back.
Chen Shi let out a small sigh of relief at the sight.
With the Western King's Jade Seal connecting the divine bridge, and the Empress of Earth now on guard, it should be enough to allow her avatar to descend.
"Top Scholar Chen, it's time to come out," Scholar Willow's voice called from outside.
Chen Shi hesitated for a moment, then took out an incense burner. He retrieved three arm-thick incense sticks, placed them in the burner, and bowed toward the lotus pedestal. Silently, he prayed, "Your Ladyship, your adopted son can only do this much."
The incense was as tall as a person; it would burn for several days without issue.
The energy of incense offerings curled upward, drifting into the lotus pedestal and flowing through the portal toward the unknown darkness.
Chen Shi turned and walked out of the temple.
He walked across the sea of primordial qi, gazing at the phantom shadows of the myriad great continents around him, and thought silently, "Is the Earth Immortal Realm floating on primordial qi? If so, then the sea of primordial qi is the Sea of Darkness. But why did the sea of primordial qi become the Sea of Darkness?"
He had even more questions.
Why were there so many demonic beasts in that sea?
Why had this vast ocean severed communication between the continents?
Why was the Western Ox New Continent so special, with demonic energy polluting heaven and earth and evil spirits devouring the sun and moon?
But these questions would have to wait until the Empress of Earth's avatar descended for answers.
Before he knew it, he had walked out of the Empress of Earth Temple and arrived beneath the Old Willow Tree. He told Scholar Willow, Little Duan Immortal, and the others about what he had seen inside the temple. "My cultivation is too shallow; I'm afraid I couldn't help much. I could only raise the Western King's Jade Seal and borrow the power of all the gods to keep the divine bridge intact."
Scholar Willow's expression grew stern. "I'll go take a look!"
He hurried into the Empress of Earth Temple. After a moment, he rushed back out and said, "The Western King's Jade Seal is unparalleled in power, gathering the strength of the entire Western Ox New Continent's state foundation. If even the jade seal can't hold, then I'm useless too. Thank you for your help, Top Scholar Chen!"
Chen Shi asked, "How many days until Your Ladyship descends?"
Scholar Willow replied, "The temple is not yet fixed, so she cannot descend. Only when the temple is stable can Your Ladyship sit on the shrine. The temple's form is already visible now, and things will accelerate from here. However, at present, only six hundred and forty-one Chinese gods have revived—merely thirty percent of our full strength. If we were all revived, the temple would stabilize in just four or five days."
Chen Shi frowned. He had done his best to search for temples everywhere and revive the gods of every region, yet he had only managed to revive thirty percent.
Scholar Willow continued, "The other gods had their doctrines completely destroyed by Despair Slope and cannot return. Their avatars descended to the Western Ox New Continent, but their true bodies never arrived. With their doctrines annihilated here, they cannot return."
Chen Tang asked, "What happened when the gods' doctrines were destroyed back then?"
Scholar Willow said, "Despair Slope, in order to uphold the orthodoxy of the Celestial True God, sought to destroy the doctrines of all gods across the land, cleanse every temple, kill the Golden Bodies of all deities, smash their statues, and fell the mountains and destroy the temples. That was precisely when the True King's Era had just ended. The Western Ox New Continent fell into over forty years of darkness. The gods had also protected the people for over forty years, leaving them severely weakened. They had no strength to resist, and many were killed or injured. When Your Ladyship saw that the situation was hopeless, she ordered the surviving gods to go into slumber and await the future."
Chen Tang was silent for a moment, then asked, "What did Despair Slope do during those forty-plus years?"
Scholar Willow shook his head. "We were doing everything we could to protect the people. We never saw what Despair Slope was up to."
Chen Tang was deeply disappointed. "Despair Slope always claims to be maintaining order in the world, but they're just another great clan squatting in the mortal realm."
Scholar Willow invited Scholar Zhu down, saying, "Our bond is exhausted. Find yourself another tree."
Scholar Zhu hung himself from the tree and refused to come down no matter what. "A good bird chooses its tree to perch on. Willows are naturally good at attracting ghosts. I wouldn't sleep well on another tree. I've been sleeping here for over a thousand years. Don't even think about making me give up my home!"
Scholar Willow tried to persuade him repeatedly, but Scholar Zhu only tied his hanging rope even tighter.
Scholar Willow had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he cut off a branch of the willow and offered it to him. "Scholar, we're even now!"
Scholar Zhu stubbornly tried to hang himself on the tree again. Scholar Willow laughed and said, "Scholar, don't be so shameless. This willow branch of mine is no ordinary thing—it holds tens of thousands of years of my Dao cultivation. If I refine it for you, it won't be inferior to those immortal treasures. You've gotten a good deal from me. If you still refuse to let this go, don't blame me for getting rough."
Only then did Scholar Zhu relent.
Scholar Willow channeled his own magical power and refined the willow branch over and over before handing it to him. "This thing can be large or small, long or short, thick or thin. It can transform into an azure dragon to soar through the heavens and dive into the earth, or it can become a rainbow bridge stretching thousands of miles. It can also bind enemies or protect the body—a thousand transformations. Take it. When you have nothing to do, you can also raise it and hang your rope on it."
Scholar Zhu was overjoyed and immediately bowed in thanks.
Scholar Willow smiled. "You hanged yourself on me and kept me company for over a thousand years. Watching you tirelessly corrupt people was a form of entertainment for me. Now that our bond is over, I can't keep you living here. If you have time, come visit me often, and we'll be Dao companions."
Scholar Zhu hesitated. "I merged with the Dao in Top Scholar Chen's small temple. I can't stray too far from it, or I'll fall to demonic corruption."
Scholar Willow said, "Is that so? How is it, then, that the Celestial Way Immortals of Despair Slope can leave Despair Slope?"
Scholar Zhu, Jue Yangzi, and Little Duan Immortal were all stunned.
Yes—the Celestial Way Immortals of Despair Slope had merged with the Dao field of the True God. In essence, it was no different from their merging with the small temple. So why could those Celestial Way Immortals leave Despair Slope while they couldn't leave the small temple?
Scholar Willow studied Scholar Zhu thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "As long as you don't merge with the Dao of the external heavens and earth, there's no possibility of demonic corruption. The reason you become corrupted when you leave the small temple is that you don't understand the technique of stabilization and containment. You unconsciously merge with the Dao of the external world and are invaded by demonic energy. My cultivation is shallow, but I have some knowledge of this path. I'll teach you a stabilization and containment technique."
He plucked a few willow leaves, and many tiny characters appeared on them. He gave the leaves to everyone. "This technique is called the Small Heavenly Cycle Dharma Realm. After cultivating it, you can stabilize your own merged Dao realm."
Scholar Zhu, Jue Yangzi, and Little Duan Immortal each received a willow leaf and examined it closely. The practice method of the Small Heavenly Cycle Dharma Realm was clearly visible in their minds.
Chen Shi's heart sank. He secretly glanced at Little Duan Immortal, whose face was as calm as an ancient well, showing neither joy nor sorrow.
Little Duan had originally been severely injured and lost her memory, which was why she stayed by his side. They had developed feelings for each other and become husband and wife. Their wedding chamber had only been half-consummated when Little Duan Immortal woke up. But because she had merged with the Dao of the small temple, she couldn't leave and was forced to stay by Chen Shi's side.
During these days together, thanks to Little Duan, Little Duan Immortal's fondness for Chen Shi had grown day by day. They were getting closer and closer, their feelings deepening. But the Small Heavenly Cycle Dharma Realm now gave Little Duan Immortal no reason to stay in Chen Shi's small temple.
"Will she choose to leave or stay?" Chen Shi wondered.
Little Duan Immortal secretly glanced at him, but their eyes met. They looked at each other for a moment before quickly looking away.
Scholar Willow's voice rang out. "I have my selfish motives for gifting you the Small Heavenly Cycle Dharma Realm. I hope that after you master this technique, you will come to the Empress of Earth Temple and help me. I'm afraid Despair Slope will come to destroy the temple before Your Ladyship descends. With your help, we might have some chance of victory."
Jue Yangzi bowed. "How dare we refuse?"
They took their leave of Scholar Willow and returned to the Mountain Lord Temple.
Scholar Zhu and Jue Yangzi each began cultivating the Small Heavenly Cycle Dharma Realm. Little Duan Immortal, however, did not go into seclusion. Instead, she helped with the farming work on the mountain. These past few days, the mountain had been planting rice seedlings, and there was plenty of work to be done.
Chen Tang moved several suns around, adjusting their positions with considerable effort. Chen Shi went to help, wanting to show his father the terrifying magical power of the Spirit Refining Realm.
Seeing Chen Shi manifest a hundred-zhang Primordial Spirit, merging it with his physical body to withstand the blazing fire of the sun and push it without being burned by the divine solar flames, Chen Tang thought to himself, "This unfilial son's cultivation is progressing very quickly. He said I won't be able to beat him soon—he wasn't just boasting. Hmm, when I want to hit him, I'll need to open that box first..."
These suns had fallen from the Upper Realm after its collapse. While they couldn't sustain crop growth on their own, they could raise the temperature.
By moving the different suns into position, they could simulate the changing of the four seasons on the mountain, which actually made the crops grow faster. This was the experience the people of Xinxiang had gained over the past four years.
Father and son finished adjusting the suns and stopped their work.
Chen Tang handed him a towel to wipe his sweat. "Little Ten, are you feeling uncertain about gain and loss?"
Chen Shi was momentarily stunned. He wiped the sweat from his face and laughed. "What gain and loss? Nothing of the sort. A real man doesn't worry about having a wife. If she runs away, I'll just marry Sister Feifei. When we're in the wedding chamber, I'll have her transform into Little Duan's likeness."
Chen Tang said, "I was asking whether Your Ladyship's failure to descend has left you feeling uncertain about gain and loss."
Chen Shi's face darkened as he barely suppressed the urge to summon the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade and hack the Emperor Father to pieces.
Chen Tang continued casually, "Since you brought it up, let me ask—how do you plan to handle this matter?"
Chen Shi said, "I'll let nature take its course."
Chen Tang said, "I met your mother when we were both taking the provincial exam in Xinxiang Province. She was beautiful and talented, the top among the Xiucai. Many aristocratic young men swarmed around her. I was rather dull and not good with words. I didn't have a chance at first."
Chen Shi listened quietly.
"But I created plenty of chances. I prepared some difficult cultivation questions, pretended I didn't understand, and went to ask for her advice. After a few times, we got familiar. Later, I covered my face and beat up every single one of her suitors, one by one. No one dared to approach her after that, and we grew closer and closer."
Chen Tang said, "She gradually discovered many of my good qualities and grew fonder of me."
Chen Shi frowned. "Dad, don't you think it's because you hid your true nature too well that Mom never saw how sinister you are?"
Chen Tang's face darkened. He immediately pulled out the wooden box.
Several Talisman God dolls poked their heads out from the opened box. One of them, especially excited, shook its four arms at Chen Shi. "Young Master Little Ten, it's me! Tianji, whose butt was eaten by Little Five!"
Chen Shi said cautiously, "If it weren't for your sinister nature, where would I be? Dad, why don't you put the Talisman Gods away first?"
Chen Tang snorted and closed the box. "What I mean is, happiness is something you fight for yourself. If you don't fight, you won't get it."
Chen Shi thought it over carefully and broke into a smile. "Thank you, Chen Tang. I know what I need to do."
Chen Tang's anger surged, and he opened the box without a second thought. Chen Shi bolted, vanishing in a flash.
Chen Tang could only put the box away, thinking to himself, "This unfilial son's speed is also a problem. When I want to beat him, I'll need to trap him with a formation first, then suppress him with the domains of thirty-seven Tianjis."
Little Duan Immortal finished her farm work and went to wash her feet by the stream. Aunt Caixia, sitting nearby, glanced at her feet and laughed. "A city girl, aren't you? Your feet are so fair and clean."
Chen Shi walked over and called out from a distance, "Wife, let me wash them for you!"
The women nearby burst into quiet laughter.
Little Duan Immortal gave a faint, unreadable smile. "Alright. As long as you have the guts, Husband."
Chen Shi ignored the other women by the stream, walked straight to her side, sat down on a rock, and picked up her foot. He laughed. "What's there to be afraid of?"