Free Web NovelChen Shi looked back and saw the single-log boat from earlier following behind them, keeping a steady distance. The underworld officer on the boat carried a lamp but had stopped guiding souls.
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze.
Black Pot continued comparing the Topographic Map with the surrounding mountains and rivers, relentlessly searching for newly grown peaks.
They gradually ventured deeper into Lingzhou.
The Wooden Cart passed by a county town. The city gate and towers had already collapsed, most of the houses in the city were damaged, and there were no living people left—only some ghosts busy at work.
Chen Shi parked the Wooden Cart at a distance, activated a Transformation Talisman, turned into a little yaksha, and entered the city. Many little yakshas were repairing houses inside.
"Gwaa-gwaa?"² Chen Shi asked.
The little yakshas told him there had been an internal conflict here. Someone had burned, killed, and looted in the city, forcing many to flee, and it gradually became an empty city.
Chen Shi inquired, "Have you seen any mountains or temples suddenly popping up from underground around here?"
"There's a temple over there that appeared out of nowhere."
The little yakshas were warm-hearted and pointed him the way. "Follow this direction to the Divine Wood County, and you'll find that King Yue Temple."
Chen Shi noted it down, thanked them, and handed them some incense offering money.
The little yakshas were simple folks. Seeing he had so much money, they gathered together to discuss robbing him.
"Relying on working for our boss, when will we ever earn enough incense money to become gods? Might as well just rob him!"
Having made their plan, they grabbed steel forks, kitchen knives, and dung forks, and charged out of the city shouting. But Chen Shi's cart was too fast; he was already long gone.
The little yakshas trudged back to the city in disappointment, pushing and blaming each other. Suddenly, one little yaksha shouted, "We're all poor, but if we pool our incense money together, won't we not be poor anymore?"
Another little yaksha asked, "How do we pool it?"
"Kill you all, and then we can pool it together!"
They cheered up and started beating each other up again.
Chen Shi glanced back inadvertently and saw that several more single-log boats had appeared behind them, each carrying an underworld officer holding a lamp, steering their boats, following unhurriedly.
He frowned slightly and continued on his way.
After the merger of the yin and yang realms, the geography had expanded ten to several dozen times larger than before. The terrain had become extremely complex, but fortunately, with Granny Sha's Underworld Topographic Map and the Mountains and Rivers Map, they wouldn't get lost. However, if it were anyone else, they would definitely lose their way and not know east from west.
Chen Shi arrived at Divine Wood County. From afar, he could see a giant tree reaching into the sky, shading a hundred li area—an utterly shocking sight.
Divine Wood County was famous for having a sacred tree in the county. That tree was a thousand zhang tall, three hundred arm-spans thick, requiring three hundred people to encircle it once.
But in the underworld, the majesty of this sacred tree surpassed imagination. It was so large it was unbelievable, as if climbing to the top, one could reach up and touch the moon.
Beneath the sacred tree was a vast, endless plain with few undulations.
The only undulations were the roots of the sacred tree, like earth-dragons burrowing into the ground. Sometimes, these roots would tremble, shaking the surrounding ground as if the earth-dragons were turning over.
The land here was fertile, with a village every ten li or so.
Chen Shi traveled on and off, asking the little ghosts he passed along the way as he headed toward the King Yue Temple.
"Little Ten, the one enshrined in this King Yue Temple might be King Yue Wu Mu³."
Scholar Zhu's voice came through. "As for this deity, I have read some surviving unofficial histories."
He began with the story of the four characters⁴ tattooed on King Yue Wu Mu's back, recounting the tale in detail. He spoke of King Yue Wu Mu's life, the Northern Expedition, the great victory at Zhuxian Town, the twelve golden plaques⁵, and the Pavilion of Wind and Waves⁶. He concluded, "His loyalty and martial prowess were unmatched, and so after death, he was enshrined as a god, enjoying eternal incense offerings."
Chen Shi listened for a long time before saying, "If this King Yue were to be revived, he would surely guard a region. But why haven't King Yue Wu Mu's deeds been passed down?"
Scholar Zhu sneered, "What's the point of passing them down? To tell the world about loyalty and martial prowess? The Thirteen Great Clans are unfilial and unfaithful—why would they let King Yue Wu Mu's story survive? Wouldn't that just slap their own faces?"
At that moment, a bone-dragon carriage was traveling across the vast plain. Suddenly, a flash of light flowed, and the four bone-dragons pulling the carriage grew flesh and blood, rapidly sprouting flesh, blood, five viscera, scales, and mane. They let out soaring dragon roars and sped up toward Divine Wood County.
Underworld Marshal Xia Xiude sat in the carriage with a face as dark as water. He lightly waved his hand, and two more teams of underworld officers spread out left and right, forming a pincer movement, heading straight for Chen Shi's location.
Lingzhou was the Xu Family's territory. As a marshal of the Xia Family, barging into Lingzhou to kill someone should have required notifying the Xu Family first. But he had finally gotten word of Chen Shi's whereabouts. If he negotiated with the Xu Family first, Chen Shi would likely escape long before.
So he decided to act first and report later.
Meanwhile, beneath the sacred tree, many Heaven's Listeners flew in, landing on the ground. The Heaven's Listeners compiled all kinds of information and finally sent it through the local Venerated Lord of Heaven's Listeners to the youth, Wuxie.
"Master, found it!"
Wuxie jumped up excitedly, leaped onto a tree, and climbed all the way up. Soon, he was at a height of several thousand zhang and shouted loudly, "Master, we found a temple of an alien god!"
The child-faced elder was standing on a leaf at that moment, watching from afar as Underworld Marshal Xia Xiude led his forces to intercept Chen Shi. He smiled and said, "With the Xia Family intercepting Chen Shi, no one will disturb us while we cleanse the alien god."
His target was also the King Yue Temple!
Chen Shi relied on asking the little ghosts, but he relied on information gathered by the Heaven's Listeners!
Wuxie came to his side and said, "Master, the King Yue Temple isn't far. If we go there now and plant the Demon Seed, it will sprout and assimilate everything into demonic energy. This King Yue's divine power and divinity will also be transformed into demonic power. That way, we can eliminate the problem forever."
Chen Shi arrived at Divine Wood County. From afar, he could see a giant tree reaching into the sky, shading a hundred li area—an utterly breathtaking sight.
The master and disciple floated down and, led by the Heaven's Listeners, headed toward the King Yue Temple.
Chen Shi's expression gradually turned grim. Suddenly, he activated all the talismans on the Wooden Cart. The cart gradually accelerated, the wheels spinning faster and faster, and clouds formed beneath them, lifting the carriage off the ground to fly.
Thunder and wind roared beneath the cart, and the cart's speed surged, hurtling forward!
Behind them, on the endless plain, numerous rivers tore through the air. Many underworld officers, using bamboo poles, drove their boats at breakneck speed!
Below the boats was the River of Forgetting, constantly extending forward.
Suddenly, a Horse-faced Underworld Officer shouted, sacrificing the Children's Heavenly Aperture Lamp on his boat. The lamp's light was brilliant, piercing the underworld, and in a flash, it shone on Chen Shi!
"Got him!" the officer rejoiced.
The Children's Heavenly Aperture Lamp was a magic treasure used by underworld officers. It was specially designed to capture souls. Under its light, a ghost could be trapped without any power to resist. If it shone on a cultivator, their soul would be blasted out of their body and directly captured—a very efficient method.
When the light hit Chen Shi, he felt his primordial spirit shake violently, nearly being knocked out of his body. He quickly steadied his primordial spirit.
"Shua! Shua! Shua!"
On each single-log boat, Ox-Heads, Horse-Faces, yakshas, and other underworld officers of various races all sacrificed their respective Children's Heavenly Aperture Lamps. The lights converged and bombarded Chen Shi.
Chen Shi's primordial spirit shook violently. He couldn't stabilize himself and was blasted out of the Wooden Cart along with his body and soul!
The officers were stunned. Even cultivators in the Body Unification realm, or even the Sever the Three Corpses stage, would have their body and primordial spirit separated when hit by the Children's Heavenly Aperture Lamp's light. Yet, despite being struck by so many lamps simultaneously, Chen Shi's body and primordial spirit remained like a solid lump, with no sign of separation!
The Wooden Cart roared forward, ready to catch Chen Shi. Black Pot snarled in rage, turned around, and charged at the officers.
As it ran, it roared, and its body swelled. In just a few steps, it revealed its true form as a Huo Dog. It raised its front paw and sent an officer and his single-log boat flying with a single slap!
It charged recklessly, knocking over boat after boat, sending officers and their vessels tumbling.
A Horse-faced Underworld Officer slammed into the ground, sliding for hundreds of steps. He reached out, grabbed a bamboo pole, and revealed a hundred-zhang divine body. The bamboo pole transformed into a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, with a hundred-zhang handle and a twenty- or thirty-zhang blade.
The Horse-faced officer charged at Black Pot, wielding the crescent blade with both hands. He lifted, turned, and executed a spinning slash, displaying solid close-combat fundamentals. The final slash sent sword energy through the air, splitting mountains and rocks wherever it passed!
Black Pot dodged repeatedly but failed to fully avoid the final slash. The sword energy struck its chest, and blood gushed out.
It spat out a mouthful of demonic flames, scorching the Horse-faced officer black.
The officer fell backward, turning into charcoal upon landing, splitting into pieces.
By then, the other officers had steadied themselves. They raised their hands, and bamboo poles flew into their grasps, transforming into long spears, double hooks, steel forks, or other divine weapons. They revealed hundred-zhang or several-hundred-zhang bodies, murderous intent radiating from them.
Above their heads, their respective Children's Heavenly Aperture Lamps flew up, locking onto Black Pot, continuously bombarding its primordial spirit, destabilizing it so it couldn't interfere with the officers' thoughts.
Suddenly, Black Pot slowly rose onto its hind legs, towering like a black mountain. Its muscles bulged, and demonic flames formed a chain that coiled around its body.
It reached out, grabbed the crescent blade, which flew into its hand with a whoosh.
All the officers froze.
Could a Huo Dog fight on two legs?
They had never heard of such a thing.
They gripped their divine weapons, let out a shout, and surged forward. Black Pot swung the crescent blade in one hand and the chain in the other, taking on all of them at once.
Divine weapons clashed with a clang. In a short moment, blood splattered everywhere.
The officers' divine weapons repeatedly struck against the crescent blade, but Black Pot's immense strength forced them back. Each officer stealthily shook the blood from their tiger's mouth wounds.
Black Pot was covered in wounds, blood flowing profusely. Most wounds were on its back, deep and gaping.
Though its belly was well-guarded, it also had a wound that nearly pierced its internal organs.
Three charred corpses lay on the ground.
These three corpses had been locked by the demonic flame chain. Even divine power couldn't resist and they were burned to ash.
The remaining seven officers slowly circled Black Pot. Suddenly, with another shout, all seven leaped into the air, attacking from different directions!
Another series of metallic clashes rang out, and the officers were forced back again.
Black Pot nearly fell to its knees. Its right leg had nearly been sliced to the tendon, and many new wounds covered its body.
Two more corpses lay on the ground.
It steadied itself, dropped the crescent blade—now full of nicks and gaps—and circulated its magic power. Two Wu Gou hooks⁷ flew up from the ground.
Black Pot, limping on one leg, gradually lowered its stance, crouching on one leg with the other in a false step. The Wu Gou hooks, one forward and one back, guarded its front. It let out an angry bark.
All those years of reading were not in vain!
The remaining five officers charged again.
At the same time, two more teams of underworld officers rushed in from both sides, heading straight for the Wooden Cart and the blasted Chen Shi.
One officer was the first to act. He flicked his wrist, and a rope at his waist flew out, turning into a giant serpent that fell from the sky, aiming to bite Chen Shi!
But the moment the spell entered Chen Shi's Dao Field, it rapidly dissolved, weakened by the sixty-four hexagrams, and by the time it reached Chen Shi, it had no power left.
Chen Shi steadied himself, ready to resist, but suddenly, more lamp lights shone on him, blasting him away again!
The two teams of officers drew their bamboo poles, transforming them into various divine weapons. They sacrificed their Children's Heavenly Aperture Lamps to fix Chen Shi's primordial spirit in place, steered their boats, and swung their divine weapons at Chen Shi as he flew through the air!
Just then, a thick beam of lamp light swept across the officers. A series of "bang bang bang" sounds rang out as the officers' primordial spirits were blasted out of their bodies. Only their heels remained connected to their bodies, preventing them from killing Chen Shi.
These dozens of officers steadied their primordial spirits and returned to their bodies. Scholar Zhu, hanging from the canopy on the Wooden Cart, had already leaped up, holding the horn-shaped Underworld Lamp, and stood in front of Chen Shi.
The Wooden Cart rushed over, caught the falling Chen Shi, and sped forward, avoiding the officers' encirclement.
"A dead man," one officer said.
"Just our type to counter!"
Scholar Zhu sacrificed the horn-shaped Underworld Lamp and sneered, "The underworld officialdom of the Western Ox New Continent was all established by our Zhu Family. Are you trying to rebel?"
The two teams of officers paid no heed. One team split off to attack him, while the other rushed at Chen Shi!
As soon as they moved, countless sword energies burst forth, covering dozens of li like an ocean of sword energy, blocking their path.
Scholar Zhu declared, "Little Ten, go wake King Yue Wu Mu! I'll deal with them!"
Chen Shi stood on the Wooden Cart, finally steadying his still-shaking primordial spirit.
He looked ahead and saw beams of light shooting into the sky—demonic flowers blooming, demon seeds awakening.
"That child-faced elder is going to destroy the King Yue Temple!" Chen Shi was furious.
The Wooden Cart accelerated, heading straight for the King Yue Temple, determined to rush into the demonic domain before the layers of demonic realms arrived.
Suddenly, a soaring dragon roar came. Chen Shi followed the sound and his pupils contracted. He saw four black dragons pulling a carriage racing toward them, faster than the Wooden Cart!
Inside the carriage sat an ancient-looking elder in a tall hat and wide belt, his body shining with golden light—a deity.
Behind his head floated a Realm of Emptiness, like a mirror-like lake.
Chen Shi gritted his teeth, sacrificed Little Duan, and sent her toward the black dragon carriage. He called out, "Wife, tell your sister to come out!"
Little Duan was thrown out of his small temple and was met with four black dragons charging at her. Her heart panicked. "Sister? Do I really have a sister?"
She had no combat experience and didn't know what to do. Whenever she was sacrificed by Chen Shi before, she would just flail wildly, and a single slap would work wonders. Now, seeing the ferocity of the four black dragons, she hurriedly swung her sleeves to meet them.
The black dragons didn't clash with her. Instead, they shook their bodies from afar. Scales flew off, razor-sharp edges whistling as they spun toward her!
"You're useless. Let me handle this!" Little Duan heard her own mouth utter another self's voice and let out a startled cry.
The Little Duan Immortal took control of her body. She raised a jade-like hand, fingers spread wide. The scales whistled past her, spun around, and flew back, embedding themselves with a "chi chi chi" into the black dragons. The four dragons writhed in pain, rolling over. The black dragon carriage lost control, tumbling end over end.
"In front of me, you think you can sit comfortably?"
The Little Duan Immortal's face darkened as she walked toward the carriage. "I've been very upset lately."
¹ A play on a classical Chinese poem reference about a hound's martial aspirations.
² Imitation of little yaksha sounds.
³ Yue Wu Mu, posthumous title of Yue Fei, a famous Song dynasty general.
⁴ "Jing Zhong Bao Guo" - "Serve the country with utmost loyalty."
⁵ The twelve golden plaques that ordered Yue Fei to retreat, a turning point in his story.
⁶ The pavilion where Yue Fei was executed.
⁷ Wu Gou, a curved sword/hook weapon from classical Chinese history and literature.
