Chapter 561: You're Too Slow

The Celestial Venerable's expression shifted uncertainly. "Where did he learn the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection from?"

He could confirm that he had definitely never passed down this technique. His master would never have taught Chen Shi the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection either.

But Chen Shi was clearly cultivating the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection. How had this technique fallen into his hands?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but he could only arrive at one conclusion: Chen Shi had reverse-engineered the content of the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection from the immortal techniques of Despair Slope.

But that was simply too unbelievable, wasn't it?

Back then, only he and Qingyuan Daoist had been in Despair Slope. At the time, he had planned to recruit some young people to monitor the world on his behalf and manipulate hearts and minds. So he had split the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection into many parts, passing them to Feng Ruotong, Kou Xianren, and others.

These techniques were all fragments of the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection, each only cultivating one aspect. But they could all cultivate up to the Celestial Immortal Realm, enough to achieve Dao Unification.

Moreover, the Celestial Venerable had deliberately not passed down the complete version, hiding many secrets that he never taught.

Even if Chen Shi truly searched the Academy of Inquiry's collection and found these techniques, he couldn't possibly piece together the complete Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection!

But then again, this was perhaps the most likely possibility!

Chen Shi had truly relied on his heaven-defying intellect to deduce the complete Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection from the fragments!

"Impossible. It can't be complete."

The Celestial Venerable thought to himself, "This technique passed down by my master is profound and unfathomable. Even with hand-holding instruction, I struggled to comprehend it. He couldn't possibly deduce the complete technique in such a short time, let alone master the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection!"

He knew well that cultivating this technique was incredibly difficult.

The Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection encompassed everything. His master had built his reputation on it, ultimately achieving accomplishments that others could scarcely reach.

Even if Chen Shi was the Child Prodigy, he couldn't possibly possess such intelligence and talent!

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was also at the Golden Immortal Realm. The Celestial True God was also at the Golden Immortal Realm.

Chen Shi should have just achieved Dao Unification, merely at the Celestial Immortal Realm, barely forging his small world and just touching the edge of the immortal realm. In this battle, Chen Shi's cultivation was negligible, unable to play any role.

The one who could truly contend with him was the Celestial True God.

"In this battle, I have three advantages, and Chen Shi has three disadvantages. Chen Shi's realm is too low. Forcing the Celestial True God with his Celestial Immortal cultivation will inevitably cause slow reactions. That is my first advantage and Chen Shi's first disadvantage."

The Celestial Venerable's gaze flickered as he silently calculated, "Chen Shi uses the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection to oppose me. I have cultivated this technique for twenty thousand years; he has cultivated it for at most a few days. Moreover, my Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection was personally passed down by my master, while his was comprehended from who knows where. That is my second advantage and Chen Shi's second disadvantage. Chen Shi uses the Celestial True God as his Divine Embryo, activating the True God and enveloping the Western Ox New Continent with his Dao Field, dividing his attention and draining his spirit. The Celestial True God is already at the end of his rope, could die at any moment, and cannot sustain the confrontation with me for long. That is my third advantage and Chen Shi's third disadvantage."

He smiled faintly, shot into the sky, and charged at Chen Shi. "Once I kill Chen Shi, I'll destroy the Empress of Earth. Then I'll lure the primordial insect here and assimilate this entire world!"

The Celestial Venerable's aura grew stronger and stronger. From afar, he raised his palm, mobilizing starlight. The Empress of Earth, Zhong Wuwang, and the others immediately sensed that in the distant void, the Ancient Star Sea was being stirred by his power. Their expressions changed slightly.

The Qianyang Mountain Lord looked up at the sky and said, "So it was. When temples to China's gods were discovered, stars would descend from the heavens and destroy them. So this was all the Celestial Venerable's doing!"

Stars of various sizes suddenly appeared in the sky. The largest spanned a thousand li, while the smallest were only dozens of zhang across, forming a river of stars!

This was a divine ability from the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection, the Small Heavenly Cycle Tribulation Formation.

The beauty of this technique lay in forging stars from the starlight of the Ancient Star Sea, corresponding to the Small Heavenly Cycle constellations of the Earth Immortal Realm, forming a Small Heavenly Cycle formation.

The Small Heavenly Cycle constellations of the Earth Immortal Realm numbered three hundred and sixty-five in total. Each constellation contained stars of various sizes, with as many as a hundred or more and as few as five or six. Each star corresponded to an aspect of the Great Dao, with deities dwelling within, formed from Dao manifestations.

The Small Heavenly Cycle Tribulation Formation was the first line of defense protecting the Celestial Court of the Earth Immortal Realm.

However, the Small Heavenly Cycle Tribulation Formation in the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection was not a true tribulation formation. It was manifested from starlight. Even so, its power was far from ordinary.

This divine ability was incredibly powerful, but it was slow to activate.

In the past, the Celestial Venerable and Wu Qi often fought in close combat, never having the chance to use it. Now, it finally came in handy.

Just as he was activating the Small Heavenly Cycle Tribulation Formation, Chen Shi suddenly crouched down, his thighs swelling to massive proportions, and charged forward at a dead sprint, racing straight toward him!

The Celestial Venerable smiled. The Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection was not a close-combat technique. Although it did contain many close-combat methods, they were not considered exceptional in the Earth Immortal Realm. Chen Shi treating the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection as a close-combat technique was clearly a mistake in his cultivation.

"Also, is he using the Celestial True God as a close-combat body? What a waste of heaven's gift... So fast!"

His smile froze on his face.

Chen Shi charged forward, faster than thunder and lightning. The Celestial Venerable had once seen the Thunder God of the Celestial Court traveling from afar, riding countless heavenly horses manifested from thunder, galloping and howling. Thunder rolled through the sky like war drums, shaking the heavens.

Chen Shi alone charging at him carried that same momentum!

What was even more terrifying was that behind him, the Celestial True God was also charging!

However fast Chen Shi's legs moved, the Celestial True God's legs moved just as fast!

"He's throwing his life away!"

The Celestial Venerable urgently surged his divine consciousness, mobilizing the Small Heavenly Cycle starlight. The Small Heavenly Cycle Tribulation Formation was about to take shape!

As long as it condensed into the Small Heavenly Cycle Tribulation Formation and unleashed the Dao manifestation power of the Small Heavenly Cycle constellations, even the Celestial True God would be refined to death!

"Whoosh!"

Chen Shi had already sprinted into the Small Heavenly Cycle Tribulation Formation. Just as the formation was about to close, he formed his right hand into a sword seal and thrust forward with a single sword strike!

Behind him, the Celestial True God likewise gathered all his power, transforming it into sword energy, and thrust forward with sword fingers!

"Boom!"

A colossal sword energy, surging with blazing sword light, pierced through the not-yet-closed tribulation formation. Star after star shattered in the sword light, turning to dust!

The Celestial Venerable clapped his hands together, barely managing to clamp down on the sword light. He looked up and saw the Celestial True God following close behind Chen Shi, smashing the Small Heavenly Cycle Tribulation Formation to pieces!

Chen Shi was too fast. He hadn't given him the chance to prepare the formation, breaking it at the last moment!

The Celestial Venerable was pushed back by the tremendous force, stumbling backward. The Celestial True God truly was an existence that had merged with the Celestial Way, incorporating the entire Western Ox New Continent into his own Dao Realm. This overwhelming force crushed down, surpassing even the Celestial Venerable's own power.

"My master said, hardness cannot endure. Water is softest and overcomes the hard!"

The Celestial Venerable's gaze flickered. As he retreated, he waited for the moment when the Celestial True God's power would shift from peak to decline.

At that moment, Chen Shi lashed out with a flying kick. The Celestial True God simultaneously raised his foot and kicked him square in the groin!

The Celestial Venerable's body convulsed violently. He couldn't help but cry out in agony as he was sent flying through the air by the kick.

Chen Shi spun around, swinging his sword in a chopping motion. The Celestial True God likewise spun, swinging his sword. The sword light carved into the Celestial Venerable's neck, pressing down on it, carrying his body, and with a thunderous boom, slammed him into the underworld!

"Crash! Crash! Crash!"

The Celestial Venerable's enormous body tumbled and rolled, crashing into the Ten Thousand Mountains. His powerful Golden Immortal body shattered mountain after mountain!

His neck had been cut a third of the way through by that sword strike, leaving him shocked and enraged.

Especially the tearing pain from his lower body, which made him even more furious.

This was not an immortal art, nor was it a divine ability!

The Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection contained no record of this kind of attack!

The technique Chen Shi was currently cultivating was indeed the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection, but his attack methods were completely different from the divine abilities and Dao techniques recorded within it!

The Celestial Venerable flipped to his feet, suppressing his injuries, only to see Chen Shi leading the Celestial True God charging into the Ten Thousand Mountains, arriving before him.

Chen Shi turned and swung a groin kick. The Celestial True God turned and swung a groin kick as well. The Celestial Venerable, abandoning any thought of using the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection's divine abilities, hurriedly crossed his arms to block below his belt.

The Celestial True God's thunderous groin kick slammed into his crossed arms, numbing both of them.

After Chen Shi's right leg groin kick came his left leg groin kick, then right, then left, incredibly fast, like fleeting light and passing shadows.

The Celestial True God followed with kick after kick, every single one a groin kick aimed at the lower body.

The Celestial Venerable fought desperately to block, his arms growing weak and numb, the webbing between his thumbs splitting from the impacts.

His eyes blazed with divine light as he prepared to activate the Celestial Way Divine Eye. Suddenly, Chen Shi spun around, swinging both palms forward in a heavy strike. The Celestial True God also spun, swinging both palms in a heavy strike aimed at the Celestial Venerable's ears!

The Celestial Venerable's heart jumped with alarm. He raised his hands to block, but before he could even catch the Celestial True God's arms, those massive palms had already slammed heavily onto both his ears.

Both of the Celestial Venerable's eardrums burst. His ears rang with a deafening buzz, and scorching blood flowed out. He was shaken into a daze, his eye technique shattered.

Chen Shi raised his knee to strike the belly. The Celestial True God's knee had already slammed into the Celestial Venerable's abdomen.

As the Celestial Venerable doubled over, Chen Shi's palms drove downward at an angle. The Celestial True God's hands became blades, stabbing into the Celestial Venerable's waist. Knowing this strike was aimed at his kidneys, the Celestial Venerable hurriedly raised his hands to block. Chen Shi struck with both fists at the temples. The Celestial True God's two massive palms slammed heavily onto the Celestial Venerable's ears once again.

The Celestial Venerable's ears were beaten red and bloody. Suddenly, blood light exploded from the center of his brow. Wu Qi had broken his Fog Moon eye, causing this injury, but fortunately he had managed to close the wound not long ago.

But Chen Shi's strike had split that wound open once more!

The old wound reopened, leaving the Celestial Venerable's mind foggy and dazed. The Celestial True God's knee slammed into his chin, snapping his head back. He staggered backward. The next moment, the Celestial True God formed a half-fist and struck his throat bone, then closed in, driving an elbow into his solar plexus.

The Celestial Venerable spat out a mouthful of blood and tumbled backward.

But before he could even land, the Celestial True God kicked him in the abdomen, then flipped into the air, spun around, and swung his leg down in a chopping motion. With a thunderous crash, his heel smashed into the Celestial Venerable's chest.

"Boom!"

Rocks and debris flew in every direction as dust filled the air.

As the Celestial Venerable staggered to his feet in the dust, Chen Shi came howling in, and the Celestial True God arrived at the same time. Before the Celestial Venerable could even steady himself, the True God's sword fingers stabbed into the hole in his brow!

Sword energy erupted between the Celestial True God's two fingers, flooding the Celestial Venerable's brain. His massive body was launched into the air, arcing through the sky before falling into the distance.

Chen Shi sprinted. The Celestial True God sprinted with him. They crashed through mountains, mountains fell. They trampled rivers, rivers broke. They raced straight for the falling Celestial Venerable!

In the distance, the Empress of Earth, Zhong Wuwang, the Qianyang Mountain Lord, and the others watched with jaws dropped.

They had expected this to be a clash of divine abilities, certain to be spectacular. But they never imagined it would be anything like this.

Chen Shi's fighting had not a trace of immortal elegance. He didn't fight like an immortal at all. Instead, he looked like a common street thug from the mortal world, doing whatever was most effective to cripple or kill his opponent. No rules, no honor, none of the elaborate Dao techniques of divine abilities.

He sought only one thing: speed!

As long as he was faster than the Dao techniques!

As long as his attack speed was fast enough, he could prevent the Celestial Venerable from using the Dao techniques and divine abilities of the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection!

As long as his attack speed was fast enough, it didn't matter whether the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection had weaknesses. Even if it had none, attacking the same spot a thousand times would create one!

"Is this how all god-children fight?" The Empress of Earth blinked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Every immortal she had ever encountered was refined and elegant, with an air of otherworldly grace. Their immortal arts were ethereal and transcendent, brimming with Dao resonance.

Grand, beautiful, exquisitely wondrous. That was the Empress of Earth's assessment of immortal Dao techniques.

But she had never seen anyone fight the way Chen Shi did.

Yet strangely enough, this style of fighting was remarkably effective against the Celestial Venerable.

"Wait, it's not just effective against the Celestial Venerable. It would probably be equally effective against all immortals!"

The Empress of Earth silently mused, "If any immortal faced this style of fighting, the moment Chen Shi got in close, they'd be beaten senseless, or even beaten to death on the spot!"

Not far away, Zhong Wuwang's expression shifted uncertainly, startled by Chen Shi's fighting style.

He had always been comparing himself with Chen Shi, consciously or unconsciously. Chen Shi's Innate Dao Embryo had been transplanted into his body by his master Wei Daoren. Many people said that his achievements today were entirely thanks to the Innate Dao Embryo. He refused to accept that, always wanting to surpass Chen Shi in every way to prove himself.

In recent days, he had noticed that whatever Chen Shi could do, he could also do. Whatever Dao techniques Chen Shi could comprehend, he could also comprehend. From this, he concluded that Chen Shi wasn't that much better than him. In a fair fight, he wouldn't be weaker.

But now it seemed that if it came to a true life-or-death battle, he would probably die just as quickly and cleanly as the Young Master.

"The moment that groin kick landed, the battle would already be over."

He suddenly grew indignant. "How did such a vulgar man become the True King?"

In the Ten Thousand Mountains, two massive figures collided and smashed through the mountain ranges. Chen Shi's assault remained ferocious. The Celestial Venerable was already battered and bruised, barely holding onto life, yet still, he hadn't died.

Suddenly, the Celestial True God's eyes gradually dimmed. Chen Shi's heart jolted. The Celestial True God's power was finally about to run out.

He had adopted this fighting style precisely to conserve the Celestial True God's strength, but he hadn't expected the True God to be this weakened already.

"True God! True King! You have to kill him before your souls scatter!"

Chen Shi shouted, leaping high into the air.

The Celestial True God leaped high as well, but his form was already starting to lose coherence.

His eyes grew dull, slowly closing. He could no longer maintain such a massive body.

The Celestial Venerable had nearly been beaten to death, barely able to stay upright. But he looked up and saw the Celestial True God's condition. A smile crept onto his swollen face.

He had finally worn down this old nemesis.

At that moment, an Innate Dao Embryo radiating dazzling divine light came whistling through the air. With a whoosh, it plunged into the Celestial True God's body.

The smile froze on the Celestial Venerable's face.

"Wuwang is such a good child!"

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the Celestial True God's eyes blazed with fiery light once more. Following Chen Shi's figure, he thrust his sword through the air, piercing the Celestial Venerable's throat!

Chen Shi landed, swinging his sword, his expression calm.

"Celestial Venerable, you're too slow."

Before him, the Celestial True God's mighty frame swept his sword through the air, and a great head flew high.