Chapter 489: If There Is a Sliver of Hope
All along, the Celestial Venerable’s tolerance for Chen Shi’s revival of the Chinese gods was a ploy to draw out the Empress of Earth, so that he could eliminate her and those many Chinese deities together.
Despair Slope had pulled a stunt like this once before. Only that time the Empress of Earth sensed danger early and immediately had the gods withdraw, vanishing without a trace.
This time, Despair Slope made exhaustive preparations, but they did not anticipate so many events collapsing together, resulting in the Celestial Venerable being attacked from three sides and losing one of his eyes as a consequence.
And the prime culprit behind all of this was Chen Shi.
If not for Chen Shi’s skeletal body undergoing tribulation in the Heavenly Pool Kingdom, if not for Chen Shi taking the Empress of Earth as his godmother, awakening the Chinese gods and summoning a manifestation of the Empress of Earth, would any of this have happened?
The Celestial Venerable triggered the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth, Spring-Returning Art to refine his vertical eye on the brow once more.
The Recreate Heaven-and-Earth, Spring-Returning Art is a method of creation and transformation that can regenerate severed limbs and reattach broken bones; it is profoundly mysterious. Refining a vertical brow-eye is not particularly difficult, but restoring it to its former level would require decades of bitter cultivation—impossible without years of effort.
His vertical brow-eye had once been refined to a degree capable of enveloping an entire great world; now that it was broken, it was truly a pity.
“Chen Shi must be the True King’s contingency.”
He tilted his head to look at the sky above Despair Slope. Back then the True King led civil and military officials to Despair Slope to petition him, asking him to hold a Universal Sacrificial Rite, to revive the Celestial True God.
The Celestial True God probably sensed his end approaching in the nether; he thus transformed his essence into an Innate Dao Embryo and bestowed it on the True King. The True King was the contingency by which the True God extended life in this world.
But the True King was too hasty; he came to seek him before he had fully matured.
The True King believed that, as the master of Despair Slope, the Celestial Venerable would understand his intention. He never imagined the Celestial Venerable had usurped the position. The Celestial Venerable was not a guardian of Despair Slope maintaining worldly order; he was waiting for the Celestial True God’s final death, so he could assimilate this world.
Thus the True King died on Despair Slope.
Yet the True King schemed one last move before dying: he sacrificed his Primordial Spirit to extend the Celestial True God’s life.
Six thousand years later, the True King’s Primordial Spirit, perhaps sensing its power waning, used the same method to send down an Innate Dao Embryo.
He chose Chen Shi.
When the Celestial Venerable received this news, he immediately ordered three Celestial Way Walkers to descend the mountain, determined to seize the Innate Dao Embryo at all costs.
One of those Celestial Way Walkers, Wei Luo, killed Chen Shi, cut out his Innate Dao Embryo, and transplanted it into his disciple Zhong Wuwang. After returning to Despair Slope, the Celestial Venerable did not reproach Wei Luo; he regarded it as finally removing a future threat.
“Who would have thought the Child Prodigy could resurrect? Without an embryo, he still cultivated to his current realm and used the old method to cross the tribulation with a corporeal vessel?”
The Celestial Venerable felt moved. With the old method’s tribulation, once the Primordial Spirit and flesh both reached immortal levels, one could achieve Dao Unification.
He had used demonic energy to lock down every cultivator in the Western Ox New Continent from crossing tribulation and ascending, keeping everyone capped at the Great Completion realm. He never expected a reckless brat to break through so easily.
“Do not underestimate the Child Prodigy… Feng Ruotong, that bastard!”
The Celestial Venerable thought of Feng Ruotong and those seven Celestial Way Walkers and chuckled with fury, nearly crushing the Yin Yang Qi Bottle in his grip.
Above the Heavenly Pool Kingdom, Feng Ruotong, the Grand Sacrificial Officer and the others slowly descended, each arrayed and ready, prepared for the other’s possible sudden attack.
The two sides had fought many times; they were enemies to the death. Their earlier handling of the Fog Moon had been solely to save Chen Shi. Now the Fog Moon was gone, but they remained mortal enemies.
“Brother Yin, since Daoist Chen has crossed the heavenly tribulation, is it not time we sparred?”
Feng Ruotong stepped forward and sneered, “If I kill you, the Demon Emperor will appear!”
The Grand Sacrificial Officer’s expression was strange, but his aura was undiminished. He laughed, “Fellow Daoist Feng, you are no match for me yet, much less the Divine Emperor. If the Divine Emperor takes action, you cannot escape your fate!”
Chen Yindu and the others wore peculiar expressions. Granny Sha could not help but ask, “The Demon Emperor and Divine Emperor they mention, could it be…”
Chen Yindu shook his head slightly; Granny Sha did not continue.
“The Fog Moon is reduced to a mere skin. What exactly is this thing?” Creation Little Five’s voice sounded.
Chen Yindu said, “Put it away first. We’ll study it carefully.”
Creation Little Five opened his mouth wide and swallowed the thing whole.
Now the mist was thinning. The sky gods that had besieged the Heavenly Pool Kingdom had become lifeless objects, their bodies ragged and pulled by chains, falling from Boundless Cliff and still hanging on the cliff face, motionless.
Many clan heads bore wounds, their hearts still racing.
If the mist had not dissipated, they might have died at the hands of those sky gods.
They shed their shamanic ritual markings but did not return to normal bodies; instead they transformed into human forms, each astonished.
They walked toward the royal palace, meeting clan members who were equally bewildered.
Those clan members had also become human in appearance and stood uncertainly.
“Follow me!” Lei Qu shouted.
He paused slightly. The words that fell from his mouth were human speech instead of the gua ji ghost language.
People followed him, heading for the palace.
Overhead, a great sun hung high, burning with divine fire, illuminating the Heavenly Pool; the sunlight was brilliantly radiant.
They had never witnessed such a scene and were momentarily confused.
Chen Yindu watched and sighed inwardly, “Little Ten has not yet achieved Dao Unification, and yet his accomplishments already far surpass my old days.”
Skeletal Chen Shi sheathed his blade and walked toward them.
From the sky, immortal light and immortal qi continued to descend and flow into his body, tempering his Primordial Spirit.
Around him, the Yin Yang two energies coiled in mysterious interplay.
The recent heavenly tribulation, especially that final world-destroying strike, had brought him great benefit, making his Yin Yang two energies stronger than before.
“Grandpa, the Empress is awake.” Skeletal Chen Shi said.
Chen Yindu was shaken, “Your godmother has awakened?”
Skeletal Chen Shi nodded.
Chen Yindu hurriedly summoned everyone and said with urgency, “Little Ten’s godmother has awakened. We must hurry back to Huangpo Village!”
Granny Sha, Creation Little Five and the others were stunned and overjoyed and immediately set off back to the mortal world.
Chen Shi’s stele godmother had always been mysterious. Long ago Chen Yindu discovered the stele’s ancient origins and suspected it could protect Chen Shi. No matter how Chen Shi burned incense, the stele never responded—until it bestowed its blessing on Chen Shi and formed the little temple behind his head.
From that moment on, Chen Shi’s cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.
Chen Shi’s godmother awakening was unquestionably a momentous event!
Skeletal Chen Shi walked straight to Feng Ruotong and the Grand Sacrificial Officer, jaw working as he said, “There is no need for you two to quarrel. Fellow Immortal Feng, I am the Demon Emperor you have been seeking.”
Feng Ruotong froze and exclaimed, “Daoist Chen, you are the Demon Emperor?”
Skeletal Chen Shi nodded, “I am the Demon Emperor. You may confirm with the Grand Sacrificial Officer.”
Feng Ruotong looked at the Grand Sacrificial Officer; the Grand Sacrificial Officer bowed slightly and said in a low voice, “Chen Shi is indeed the Divine Emperor of my Divine Capital.”
Feng Ruotong sneered, “You are the Sacrificial Officer of Great Shang. Will you willingly accept a reckless brat as Demon Emperor? Brother Yin, what are you plotting?”
The Grand Sacrificial Officer smiled, “Divine Emperor Chen can resolve the demonic mutation. It is therefore only right that we hail him as emperor.”
Feng Ruotong’s expression fluctuated. Although he had long harbored suspicion, he still found it hard to accept that Chen Shi was the Demon Emperor.
His mission here had been to force out the Demon Emperor and join the Celestial Venerable to eliminate this rival. But with Chen Shi revealed as the Demon Emperor, he found himself hesitant.
“Chen Shi, you are not the Demon Emperor.”
Feng Ruotong suddenly said, “I did not find the Demon Emperor, nor did I meet Brother Yin in the Heavenly Pool Kingdom.”
The Grand Sacrificial Officer understood, bowed to Skeletal Chen Shi, and led his people away.
Feng Ruotong watched them depart, then turned to Skeletal Chen Shi and, after hesitation, said, “Fellow Daoist Chen, the day you achieve Dao Unification, perhaps Despair Slope will no longer need to exist.”
Chen Shi blinked. “Why do you say that, Immortal Feng?”
“Despair Slope exists because of despair; it must maintain the fractured Celestial Way. Because of despair, it monitors the world, searching for anomalies, striving to gather incense offerings for the True God and prolong the True God’s life as much as possible.”
Feng Ruotong summoned the seven Celestial Way Walkers, “If there is even a sliver of hope, why must Despair Slope persist? Fellow Daoist Chen, I will continue to pursue the Grand Sacrificial Officer and seek Demon Emperor clues. Farewell!”
Skeletal Chen Shi said, “If you meet Zhong Wuwang, you might talk to him.”
Feng Ruotong nodded and left with his followers.
Skeletal Chen Shi turned and faced the approaching clan heads of the ghost races and said solemnly, “Friends, I can now break through and resolve each of your clans’ cultivation methods.”
All the ghost clan heads were now in human form. Hearing this, each grew excited and took out their clans’ cultivation manuals, bringing them before Chen Shi.
These practices were various Great Shang-period cultivation methods corresponding to the state’s different priesthoods and professions, some even rivaling the Blood Lake Sutra in power!
Skeletal Chen Shi sat cross-legged and deciphered them one by one, explaining the intricacies of how each method operated.
In the mortal world, outside Huangpo Village at the foot of Qianyang Mountain.
Chen Yindu and the others arrived at the yellow earth slope and looked up. The slope now presented a new visage: a towering Yellow Springs, lofty and grand; willow trees connected to the azure clouds, their branches hanging down.
The temple was bathed in brilliant divine light. Accompanied by curling incense offerings, the recitations of the gods faintly reached them, supremely holy.
This Yellow Earth Slope now seemed like the foremost sacred site in the mortal realm, inspiring awe.
Chen Yindu, Granny Sha and the others steadied themselves and walked toward this yellow heaven, eventually reaching the Sacred Tree.
“Fellow travelers, stop here.” Daoist Willow intercepted them.
Inside the Empress Temple, Chen Shi had been speaking and laughing with the goddess. Feeling something, he smiled, “Godmother, my grandpa is here.”
On the lotus seat, divine light swirled. Within the glow sat a goddess, radiantly beautiful. She smiled, “Little Willow, please invite them in.”
Only then did Daoist Willow speak, “Fellow Daoist Chen, the Empress of Earth invites you in.”
Creation Little Five passed by him with a strange expression, “Little Willow? No wonder you refused to tell us your real name, Little Willow.”
Daoist Willow’s face flushed.