Chapter 514: Fusang Beyond the Seas
"Your Ladyship's concerns are well-founded."
Chen Shi pondered for a moment, then said, "But rooting out Despair Slope is not something that can be accomplished in a single day. The urgent priority remains pacifying the realm and re-gathering the incense offerings. Pacifying the realm is relatively easy—that's exactly what I'm doing now. Cutting down the Thirteen Great Clans and eliminating those lesser clans as well gives us hope of re-gathering the incense offerings for Godmother. But to truly re-gather them, Your Ladyship needs to do something that wins the people's hearts before we can promote and spread it."
The Empress of Earth looked intrigued by his words.
Chen Shi pressed his advantage. "The Celestial Venerable is indeed a threat, and Despair Slope will definitely move against the gods of China. Even if Your Ladyship sets up a ban against demonic beasts, Despair Slope won't show you any mercy. But if we don't do this, will they stop coming for us? No, they won't. If we act, we can win the people's loyalty, re-gather incense offerings, and increase our strength. If we don't, we gain nothing. Your Ladyship, please think it over carefully."
The Empress of Earth considered for a moment, then laughed. "Your Majesty speaks wisely. In that case, I will follow Your Majesty's advice."
Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. "If Your Ladyship sets up this ban, your merit will be boundless. From now on, the people will turn their hearts to you, and your incense offerings will flow endlessly."
"Stop flattering me."
The Empress of Earth was clearly pleased, but she smiled and said, "My divine duty is to govern the earth spirits above the land, oversee the movement of spirits in the underworld, maintain the order of the Six Paths, and control the cycle of life and death. Agreeing to set up a ban over the land of the Western Ox New Continent is already a violation of my divine responsibility."
Different deities had different responsibilities—Chen Shi understood this well.
For instance, the Martial God of Wealth and the Civil God of Wealth were both wealth gods, but they were responsible for different aspects. Merchants often worshipped the Civil God of Wealth, while escort agents worshipped the Martial God of Wealth.
Another example was Yama. As a yin spirit, Yama was responsible for judging the good and evil of souls that fell into hell after death, rewarding the good and punishing the evil. He had no divine duty to intervene in the affairs of the mortal world.
The Empress of Earth setting up a ban along the coastline of the Western Ox New Continent to block the invasion of sea monsters did indeed exceed her divine responsibility.
However, if the Empress of Earth didn't accomplish some great feats, it would indeed be difficult for her to quickly gather incense offerings. Surpassing the Celestial True God was no easy task.
The Celestial True God's eyes had transformed into two suns, and his brow eye had become the moon, shining on the land day and night, providing light and heat, sustaining the growth of all things in heaven and earth. Countless people depended on him for survival—he naturally possessed far more incense offerings.
The Empress of Earth rose from her lotus throne and said, "Your Majesty, go outside the temple and pick a willow leaf."
Chen Shi watched her descend from the lotus throne and walk toward the back hall.
He went outside the temple and said to Daoist Willow, "Your Ladyship sent me to borrow a willow leaf."
Daoist Willow plucked a willow leaf and asked, "Is Your Majesty going to sea with Your Ladyship?"
Chen Shi was puzzled and laughed. "What makes you say that?"
Daoist Willow chuckled. "Just a wild guess."
Chen Shi returned to the temple with the willow leaf. After a moment, the Empress of Earth emerged from the back hall in a different outfit, and he couldn't help but be struck by the sight.
Previously, Her Ladyship had been dressed in extremely ornate and luxurious attire, but it was incredibly cumbersome—layers upon layers of robes, a flowing cape, and a crown with tassels. Now, she had changed into something far simpler: a bright yellow long dress with wide sleeves and wide robes, with a light green underskirt embroidered with dragons and phoenixes.
The crown with its tassels was gone, and her hair had been re-done. She had simply tied it up into three or four buns, using four phoenix hairpins to form the shape of a phoenix crown—very elegant.
Her face possessed a breathtaking, nation-toppling beauty, and behind her head, a yellow light formed an infinite halo. She laughed and said, "Your Majesty, I am only a single avatar here, with limited divine power. To seal off the coastline of the Western Ox New Continent, I cannot rely on my own power alone—I'll need a treasure's assistance. I know of a treasure called the Celestial Silkworm, which is excellent at spinning silk. The length of silk spun by a single Celestial Silkworm is enough to wrap around a world like the Western Ox New Continent. Our journey is to find this creature. Did you bring the willow leaf?"
Chen Shi presented the willow leaf, thinking to himself, "Is this Celestial Silkworm really that formidable?"
The Empress of Earth could casually refine magical treasures that were often incredibly powerful. For example, the Staff of the Human Emperor she gave to Granny Sha had nearly wiped out the Xu Family outright.
The fact that she hadn't refined it herself but was instead going to find the Celestial Silkworm showed that the Celestial Silkworm's silk was no ordinary thing.
The Empress of Earth stepped onto the lotus platform and turned back with a smile. "Your Majesty, please come as well. I'll need your help with this Celestial Silkworm."
Chen Shi acknowledged and stepped onto the platform.
Behind the lotus platform was the sea of Xuanhuang—the Profound Yellow Sea formed by the divine power of the gods—with countless floating worlds drifting within it. The Empress of Earth bent down and placed the willow leaf on the sea's surface. Suddenly, the willow leaf grew longer and wider, transforming into a small skiff.
Chen Shi boarded the boat first, then reached out and took Her Ladyship's hand, guiding her onto the vessel.
The Empress of Earth lightly brushed her sleeve, and the willow-leaf skiff began to sail across this sea of Xuanhuang, drifting toward other worlds.
Chen Shi looked around, a hint of surprise in his heart. "This sea of Xuanhuang is only formed by divine power—it's not a real ocean, just a strange phenomenon within the Empress Temple. Is Her Ladyship just playing around by sailing a boat inside the temple?"
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a massive black wave crashed down toward the little boat.
After the wave passed, the surroundings suddenly became pitch black. The sound of the waves was like thousands of wild bulls roaring, and the waves grew higher and higher.
Chen Shi was startled. They had truly arrived at the Sea of Darkness!
Right now, the willow-leaf skiff was sailing across the waves of the Sea of Darkness!
Giant beasts rolled and churned within the sea, stirring up storms. Chen Shi saw a colossal eye emerge from the depths, staring at them—and their little boat was directly above that eye!
The Empress of Earth laughed. "Your Majesty, I need to focus on steering the course. If any danger arises along the way, please handle it."
Before Chen Shi could even react, the giant eye in the sea sank back down. The next moment, an impossibly vast mouth—like an abyss in the ocean—opened wide, attempting to swallow everything, including the little boat and thousands of acres of seawater!
Chen Shi spread his five fingers and pressed down toward the sea. Instantly, the Spirit Banner Ten Extremities Array activated.
This immortal art was incredibly complex. Even with two hundred and fifty-six cultivators working in perfect coordination and training for years, it still required a certain amount of time to cast. But for him now, it was effortless—he could deploy it at will.
"Boom!"
The annihilation energy blasted downward into the sea. A dazzling light suddenly exploded beneath the waves, like an enormous, massive sword piercing hundreds of miles into the seabed!
The colossal creature in the sea had its head pierced through by the Ten Extremities Array, leaving a gaping hole dozens of acres in diameter that went straight through its body. The corpse slowly sank into the depths.
But Chen Shi's heart jolted. Taking advantage of the light from the Ten Extremities Array, he saw that this sea was unfathomably deep. The cold light of the formation reached three hundred miles down, yet it still hadn't touched the bottom!
Just how deep was the Sea of Darkness?
What's more, by the light, he could see massive buildings floating in the sea, connected by chains.
Countless sea monsters clung to those ancient structures.
The strangeness of the sea far exceeded his imagination.
The willow-leaf skiff sailed onward. More monsters attacked, and Chen Shi alternated between driving his swordsmanship, summoning thunder, weaving sun and moon, and unleashing demonic techniques—either driving back or killing the creatures that came for them.
The little boat sailed through the sea, gradually picking up speed. Thunder and wind roared around them. A torrential downpour began, with raindrops slamming into them like sharp swords—a testament to the boat's incredible velocity.
At this speed, the sea monsters couldn't even see them clearly before the skiff had already flashed past.
Chen Shi relaxed and activated his Dao Field, conjuring a small pocket of space to block the rain.
Just then, he suddenly spotted something outside the Dao Field. Amidst the surging waves, a wooden boat was drifting on the sea.
On that wooden boat was a Daoist, tied to the mast with black iron chains, bound so tightly it was impossible to break free.
Massive waves crashed against the Daoist's face and body, drenching him in rain and seawater.
The Daoist and his wooden boat bobbed up and down in the waves, on the verge of destruction at any moment. Yet he stubbornly used his magic power to drive the boat's anchor, fighting off the sea monsters.
"That Daoist!"
Chen Shi caught only a fleeting glimpse before the willow-leaf skiff left the wooden boat far behind.
He looked back, his heart filled with uncertainty. "That Daoist... he's the same one we encountered when we went beyond the heavens right before the cataclysm!"
Back then, Chen Shi and the others had driven the modified Shuji straight into the outer heavens. But because the demonic energy beyond the heavens was over ten times more concentrated, they had to return to the mortal world—and that was when they encountered this Daoist.
He, too, had been bound by iron chains to a wooden boat, on the verge of demonic transformation, with flesh and blood writhing wildly across his body. Chen Shi had activated his yin-yang purgation to restore his sanity, and he had taken the opportunity to crash into the mortal world alongside the Shuji.
Later, Chen Shi had no further news of this Daoist.
Now, meeting him again, the man was still bound tightly to his boat. But this time, instead of being exiled beyond the heavens, he was being exiled to the outer seas!
"I wonder what crime he committed—or who he offended—to be treated like this."
Chen Shi shook his head. Her Ladyship's boat was too fast, so he had no time to ask the Daoist what he had done wrong.
"With Her Ladyship's boat going this fast, I wonder if we'll run into the Ming treasure ship?"
A flicker of hope arose in Chen Shi's heart. The obsession of the previous True King had driven the last Ming treasure ship, carrying the corpses of the entire court, into the Sea of Darkness in search of the Divine Continent of China. That had been eight years ago, and there had been no news since.
"I wonder if the True King has found the Divine Continent of China yet," Chen Shi thought to himself.
He both hoped the True King would find their homeland and feared he might bring the demonic energy of the Western Ox New Continent back to China—a very conflicted feeling.
Suddenly, the sea surface grew bright, and the color of the water changed. Before, the water had been black, dark and heavy, as if it absorbed all light, with a deep, heavy demonic miasma within.
Now, the demonic miasma in the water vanished, replaced by pure, righteous energy of heaven and earth. Strands of Xuanhuang—profound yellow—energy rose from the sea's surface, curling upward like delicate silk threads.
This sea surface instantly dispelled Chen Shi's earlier gloom. He looked around in astonishment.
"The Western Ox New Continent is located on the border of the Xuanhuang Sea."
The Empress of Earth said, "A place where even birds—well, immortals—wouldn't want to go. Only your Ming Dynasty treated it like a precious treasure. Now, we've entered the Xuanhuang Sea proper."
Chen Shi looked at the Xuanhuang Sea ahead, then glanced back at the Sea of Darkness behind them. He asked, "Godmother, is the Xuanhuang Sea your Dao Field?"
"More or less."
The Empress of Earth replied, "Anywhere people stand is part of my Dao Field. All the heavens and countless worlds of the Earth Immortal Realm can be considered my Dao Field."
Chen Shi was puzzled. "If that's the case, why is this stretch of sea still the Sea of Darkness? If Your Ladyship's Dao Field has been corrupted, don't you want to reclaim it?"
The Empress of Earth laughed. "Your Majesty misunderstands. The Xuanhuang Sea is my Dao Field, but the Sea of Darkness is not necessarily so. My Dao Field extends outward following the footsteps of human cultivators. If humans enter the Sea of Darkness, find a new world, settle there, and offer me incense, then I can establish a Dao Field there and dispel the darkness. But these Dao Fields are often short-lived, soon destroyed by various causes. The worlds in the Sea of Darkness are not the main worlds—they're just scraps."
She shook her head.
She was still too kind-hearted, unable to bear abandoning these Ming subjects who had once believed in her. Any other deity would have abandoned the Western Ox New Continent long ago.
The willow-leaf skiff continued onward. After sailing for who knows how long, a colossal tree came into view in the distance.
That giant tree stood tall in the middle of the ocean, its height immeasurable, its leaves vast—each one covering a hundred acres.
"This tree is called Fusang. It's also a type of mulberry tree. The Celestial Silkworm lives on it."
The Empress of Earth drove the willow-leaf skiff toward the giant tree. But when they were about a hundred miles away from it, she stopped and laughed. "I can't get too close, or I'll be discovered and lose face. Your Majesty will have to go find the Celestial Silkworm yourself."
Chen Shi looked at the Fusang tree and asked, "Does this tree have an owner?"
Her Ladyship laughed. "What owner? It's wild. A Golden Crow was shot down, and its corpse fell into the sea. A Fusang seed sprouted from its belly and grew into this wild tree. It has no owner—you can rest assured."
Chen Shi probed further. "There really is a Celestial Silkworm up there?"
Her Ladyship nodded with a smile. "I know every treasure in the Xuanhuang Sea like the back of my hand. There's definitely a Celestial Silkworm here."
Chen Shi tested once more. "The Celestial Silkworm isn't dangerous?"
"Very gentle."
Her Ladyship couldn't help but laugh. "Is the mighty True King of the Western Ox New Continent actually afraid?"
Chen Shi chuckled. "I don't dare act recklessly in unfamiliar places. Your Ladyship, wait here. I'll be back soon."
Her Ladyship said, "Do you know how to find the Celestial Silkworm?"
Chen Shi leaped up from the little boat and laughed. "Find the mulberry leaves that have been nibbled on, and you'll find it!"
Her Ladyship watched him fly toward the Fusang tree and praised, "Truly clever."
As Chen Shi approached the Fusang tree, he suddenly felt that the tree was saturated with pure yang energy, incredibly intense, burning like the sun itself—truly mysterious.
"There's actually a treasure tree like this in the world?"
He soared upward, searching for mulberry leaves that had been eaten by the Celestial Silkworm. But he searched for a long time and found nothing.
"Her Ladyship said there's a Celestial Silkworm here—she wouldn't lie to me!"
He continued flying higher and higher, examining countless mulberry leaves. Suddenly, he spotted some fresh branches ahead with a few tender green leaves. One of them had bite marks.
Chen Shi's heart leaped with joy. He flew over to it. When he reached that leaf, he saw that there was actually a thatched hut on it. In front of the hut, a few pieces of laundry were hanging to dry, along with pots, pans, and other household items.
He looked around but didn't find the Celestial Silkworm. He thought to himself, "Judging by the bite marks, this Celestial Silkworm must be pretty big! Could it have gotten bored and moved to another leaf?"
Just as he was about to leave, a little girl walked out of the thatched hut. She was only seven or eight years old, but her hair had already turned completely white, tied into two ponytails that hung down to her bottom.
She wore a white dress, and even her eyebrows were white. Around her neck was a collar, and attached to the collar was a silver chain as thick as a little finger.
When she saw Chen Shi, she looked quite surprised, as if curious about how he had gotten here.
"Greetings, young miss," Chen Shi said, bowing.
The little girl quickly returned the gesture. "Greetings, big brother."
Chen Shi noticed that the other end of the chain around the girl's neck extended into the thatched hut. Curious, he asked, "I've come from afar to find the Celestial Silkworm. Young miss, do you know where the Celestial Silkworm has gone?"
The little girl smiled. "I am the Celestial Silkworm. What does big brother want with me?"
Chen Shi was stunned. Suddenly, he stepped forward, went behind her, and gave the chain a hard yank—it didn't budge.
The little girl laughed. "I've been chained here. I've been pulling for years and still can't break it..."
"Crack!"
Chen Shi summoned a sword light and sliced the entire mulberry leaf off the branch. He held the leaf in both hands—little girl, thatched hut, and all—and flew away with a roar.
The little girl stood on the mulberry leaf, looking confused. She suddenly turned around and saw that they were getting farther and farther from the Fusang tree.
"Oh no!"
She quickly crawled to the edge of the mulberry leaf and shouted down to Chen Shi, "When my master finds out you stole me away, he'll kill you!"