Chapter 607: The Heavenly Pillar Crumbles

The Empress of Earth had far too many avatars. She had avatars in various temples, avatars in various worlds, and avatars in the underworlds of countless realms, too numerous to count.

Her billions of avatars constantly transmitted information back to her Sea of Consciousness. The information sent by the Empress of Earth on the Western Ox New Continent could hardly be called more than a drop in the ocean.

Many matters that the Empress of Earth considered extremely important were not important to the Sovereign of Earth at all, and many people who were important to the Empress of Earth were also not important to the Sovereign of Earth.

The Empress of Earth had gone to great lengths to make Chen Shi catch the Sovereign of Earth's attention. She first had Chen Shi help balance the accounts, then gave him the task of executing Yin Fenglou.

When Chen Shi slew Yin Fenglou and found himself in mortal danger, being thrown into the Heavenly Prison.

At that point, the Sovereign of Earth would have greatly appreciated Chen Shi's deeds and sent someone to rescue him. Chen Shi would then have been able to enter the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace, become a disciple of the Sovereign of Earth, and establish himself in the Earth Immortal Realm.

The Empress of Earth only wanted this godson of hers to find shelter in the Earth Immortal Realm as soon as possible. She never expected that the Sovereign of Earth and Chen Shi would still miss each other, as it was the Eastern Prince who first sent someone to release Chen Shi from the Heavenly Prison.

Her feelings for Chen Shi were genuine, but when placed before the Sovereign of Earth, they were diluted by the thoughts of billions of avatars.

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Godmother, you may not know this. I had just arrived when I became a heavenly soldier in the soldier camps. After a series of events, I now neither know where I am nor where you are. These past days I have also been troubled by worldly affairs and have been unable to get away."

The Empress of Earth gave him earnest instructions: "Once you return to the Earth Immortal Realm, you must find time to visit the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace."

Chen Shi acknowledged this and asked, "How did Wu Qi become such a little thing?"

The Empress of Earth sighed, "It's still from malnutrition. There wasn't enough dew from pills, which caused him not to grow fully. Now he can only grow on his own."

Chen Shi told her about how he had refined three Dao Realms, and also shared amusing stories about the Dao Ruins and the Great Dao pollution incident. He told them with such charm that the Empress of Earth laughed without pause.

Chen Shi then spoke of cultivating the external Dao and said, "Godmother, the origins of this external Dao are extremely strange. I didn't sense any external Dao in the Western Ox New Continent, but somehow, an external Dao appeared within my body. This external Dao came from nowhere, is extremely powerful, and can pollute the immortal path."

The Empress of Earth also knew little about the external Dao and said, "The Sovereign of Earth knows far more than I do. Perhaps she knows the origins of your external Dao. Your Majesty must not forget to visit the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace."

She reminded him repeatedly.

After taking his leave of his godmother, Chen Shi finally headed to the Heavenly Pool Kingdom.

The current ruler of the Heavenly Pool Kingdom was Chu Feng. Chu Feng was barely considered his disciple, and also barely considered a disciple of the Grand Sacrificial Officer and Wu Qi. Having received the inheritances of the Grand Sacrificial Officer and Wu Qi, he was more suited to be ruler of the Heavenly Pool Kingdom than Chen Shi.

Chen Shi had therefore passed the throne to him, keeping only the title of True King for himself.

Chu Feng had grown into a fine young man, dignified and imposing in appearance. When he saw Chen Shi arrive, he was both surprised and delighted and hurriedly paid his respects.

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Chu Feng, your teacher has come to take the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade and perfect its sword techniques."

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng became alert and said, "Teacher wants to take away our divine blade?"

"Our?"

Chen Shi wore a smile and raised an eyebrow. He was all too familiar with this situation. Back then, he too had been controlled by the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, saying 'we' for everything he spoke of.

Chu Feng laughed and said, "Teacher wants to tear us apart, how cruel-hearted. But we won't just let you separate us."

He muttered to himself, as if speaking to someone invisible: "Teacher is old, he's jealous of us. The old fool is outdated, it's time for him to pass. Once we absorb him, there will be no one in this world who can restrict us!"

He spoke furtively, lowering his voice, "One strike, just give him one strike... No, he is our master... There's no sentiment to speak of. Even if he were our own flesh and blood, for the sake of the Great Dao, he could be slain..."

Chen Shi laughed, "Chu Feng, you never learned the Profound Yin Nine Heaven Art I taught you. If you had mastered it, how could the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade have controlled you?"

Chu Feng let out a great shout, raised the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, and chopped down at Chen Shi. Chen Shi's mind stirred slightly, and the demonic Dao Field spread out. A demonic nature even more powerful than that of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade came crashing over, suppressing the blade's demonic nature!

Chu Feng was struck by that demonic nature, and his vision immediately turned blood red. In a boundless Blood Sea Hell, an incomparably vast giant looked down upon him, while he became utterly tiny!

All around him were mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Countless dead stood upon the sea, staring at him as if he were an ant!

This was Chen Shi's vast blood sea, and compared to his, they were as different as heaven and earth.

They both cultivated the Blood Lake Sutra, but Chen Shi's Blood Lake Sutra had been cultivated by slaying countless experts, while Chu Feng's Blood Lake Sutra was all show with no substance, never having experienced the slaughter of the Western Ox New Continent.

Before this terrifying pressure, his Dao Heart wavered and his legs trembled.

Chen Shi retracted the demonic Dao Field, and only then did Chu Feng regain his clarity of mind. He raised his hand to look, and the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade in his grasp had vanished without a trace.

Chen Shi held the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, curled his finger, and lightly flicked the blade. He smiled and said, "The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade is dishonest, relying on its demonic nature to toy with people's hearts. Chu Feng, only by cultivating the ninth level of my Profound Yin Nine Heaven Art will you be able to master this blade. Since you haven't mastered it, I'll keep this blade in my care for a few years!"

He tossed down a scroll of the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture and the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture, saying, "Cultivate these first. This is the key to your teacher's sect. Only after you've made some achievements can you become a disciple of Golden Turtle Island."

Without the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade in hand, Chu Feng felt an emptiness, but also as if a great weight had been lifted. Recalling his actions over the past few years, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Fortunately, the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade knew how formidable Chen Shi was. Although it had demonized Chu Feng, it dared not commit evil and hadn't caused any major disasters.

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With the blade in hand, Chen Shi immediately suppressed its demonic nature. Though the blade's demonic nature was powerful, compared to him, it still fell far short.

The moment he gripped the blade, Chen Shi felt its sword aura and intent filling his chest like strong liquor, brewing within him, growing ever more mellow.

He soared into the air with the long blade and danced with it freely, using the sky as his ground, executing the most basic sword forms of the blade technique.

Chop, cut, lift, hack. Thrust, block, push, stab. Slide, stir, snap, dot. Every move and every stance was executed with perfect clarity, his steps fierce yet agile, like a grand master of martial combat.

Suddenly, his sword technique changed, and he executed the Seven Forms of Tianluo.

Spark, Tidal Wave, Radiant Transformation, Tsunami, Sea of Flowers, Sun Illuminates a Thousand Rivers, Single Spiral of Dark Green Brows. Each form was more powerful than the last, each more profound in meaning!

By the time he executed Single Spiral of Dark Green Brows, his sword technique had become flawless and natural. The blade's light was like the moon, and its momentum like a woman's dark-green brow-like strands of hair, lingering and delicate. From domineering to delicate, the sword technique was displayed to the fullest, yet still left one wanting more.

Chen Shi let out a long cry and refined the first Dao principle into the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. At the point where the sword technique had reached its limit, it suddenly transformed once more.

What came before was the delicate tenderness of Single Spiral of Dark Green Brows. Now the blade's light became Gonggong, his brows shattered in defeat, charging headfirst into Buzhou Mountain, the heavenly pillar collapsing, the earth's cords snapping, the sun and moon dimming, and the crow and rabbit both lost!

With a single swing of his blade, cracks filled the sky, like a glassy glaze mirror shattered to the extreme!

Chen Shi freely unleashed his blade's light, executing the eighth form again and again, gradually perfecting it.

The blade techniques hidden within the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade originally only had seven forms. Even the blade's original owner had never created an eighth form, yet now the eighth form was being created from Chen Shi's hand.

The brilliance of this form lay in its opening, which was like Gonggong charging into Buzhou Mountain, carrying a momentum of unstoppable determination that words could no longer describe. It was as if the cataclysm that had once toppled the heavens was being reenacted.

After a long while, Chen Shi sheathed his blade, and the cracks in the sky vanished.

"This form shall be called, The Heavenly Pillar Crumbles!"

Chen Shi departed with the blade, returning to the mortal world, back to Qianyang Mountain.

He rarely had the chance to return, and hadn't yet had time to visit his hometown elders.

Qianyang Mountain was originally a sacred ground. With the mulberry tree at its head, it was planted with hundreds of varieties of earthly treasures and spiritual roots, truly a land of splendor and treasure, blessed with outstanding people.

Chen Shi visited old friends such as the Qianyang Mountain Lord and the great snake Xuan Shan, then returned to Huangpo Village to see the villagers.

The village elders were overjoyed to see him, murmuring that Little Ten had returned. Though Chen Shi was already the True King and an immortal outside, in this small mountain village, he was still the village's Little Ten.

But a few unfamiliar faces had appeared in the village, children, likely born after the village's young people had married. They were somewhat timid around him.

Chen Shi brought some fish and meat for the villagers and distributed it to every household, but he didn't see Old Lady Wuzhu.

"Wuzhu? She's gone," said Grandma Yuzhu.

Chen Shi was stunned, "Gone? Gone where?"

"Where else could she go? She died. Not long after you left, one day she perked up and said her man had come to her in a dream the night before, saying he missed her. Her man was called Jiang Tong, and he'd been dead for quite a few years."

Grandma Yuzhu rambled on. She too was getting old. "That day, Wuzhu took out the burial clothes she'd prepared long ago, put them on, tidied herself up, and made herself very presentable. She passed away that very night. She must have gone to find Jiang Tong."

Chen Shi fell silent, a sadness welling up in his heart.

Even after leaving Huangpo Village, his mood was slow to recover. He decided to go to the Immortal Capital in the underworld and find his grandfather's Primordial Palace.

He remembered that Jiang Tong's Primordial Palace was nearby.

Chen Shi searched for a moment and indeed found Jiang Tong's Primordial Palace. Just as he was about to walk over, he saw that the little old man who had once visited him, Jiang Tong, was now sitting at the threshold of his Primordial Palace, and beside him sat an old woman, Old Lady Wuzhu.

The two leaned against each other, holding hands, gazing out at the bustling and lively Immortal Capital.

That bustling noise seemed to have nothing to do with them. They were tranquil and happy.

Chen Shi froze, and the sadness in his heart gradually dispersed. He didn't disturb them and quietly departed.

Returning to the mortal world, his heart gradually brightened. He chatted with Hu Feifei for a while, learning about the court affairs and daily life of the people in the Western Ox New Continent, then quietly left and returned to the Celestial Court.

Returning to the Celestial Court was much easier.

The Western Ox New Continent was his Dao Realm. Returning to the Western Ox New Continent meant returning to his Dao Realm. To leave, he just needed to retrace his steps to return to the Celestial Court.

The Western Ox New Continent was in the Dark Sea, and the Celestial Court was in the Earth Immortal Realm. The distance between the two was clearly immense, yet at this moment, space seemed to blur, which was very strange.

Chen Shi always felt that there must be a remarkable immortal path hidden within this, but he simply couldn't figure out the principle for the time being.

Returning to the Western Ox New Continent this time had given him much to reflect on. Especially the death of Old Lady Wuzhu, which had touched his heart deeply.

"After returning to the Celestial Court this time, there are many things to do, but the most important task is to go to the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace in the mysterious yellow sea to visit the Sovereign of Earth."

Chen Shi thought to himself, "The other task is to go to Golden Turtle Island with Senior Martial Brother Jiang and formally become a disciple of Master's lineage!"

As he thought this, he had already stepped out of the Western Ox New Continent. His foot landed, and he returned to his Celestial Way Residence.

Before his other foot could even touch the ground, he heard a pitiful voice call out, "Fellow Daoist Chen!"

Chen Shi followed the sound and saw that a small dao attendant had somehow appeared in his Celestial Way Residence. It was the same attendant who had rescued him from the Heavenly Prison that day, and the two had later met once at the Eastern Prince's palace.

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Senior Martial Brother, how did you come to be here?"

He also noticed Zhong Lin standing off to the side and was slightly taken aback.

The dao attendant hastily said, "I wouldn't dare call myself senior martial brother. If Fellow Daoist Chen doesn't mind, just call me Jingshu."

Dao Attendant Jingshu paused, then said, "I have come on the orders of the Righteous Official to see you. The Righteous Official asked me to deliver a few words."

He cleared his throat, his expression turning stern, and his voice deepened, imitating the Eastern Prince's tone. "Chen Shi, since you cultivate the external Dao, find an uninhabited place to practice. If you cultivate in the Celestial Court, do you think I can match the Jade Emperor, or do you think I can match the Four Sovereigns?"

The corner of Chen Shi's mouth twitched.

Zhong Lin was dumbfounded.

Dao Attendant Jingshu continued, "Being your patron is difficult beyond measure. I suspect that if I continue to be your patron, I'll be scared to death sooner or later. Keep a low profile, and I might live a few more years. Tell him to behave himself!"

That last sentence was said with some exasperation. It was presumably an instruction meant for the dao attendant, and the attendant had imitated it as well.

Chen Shi humbly acknowledged, saying, "Senior Martial Brother Jingshu, rest assured. I will be careful in my words and actions, and I will certainly not bring trouble upon the Eastern Prince."

Dao Attendant Jingshu said, "The Righteous Official isn't afraid of you causing trouble. Any ordinary disaster, no matter how great, feel free to stir it up. The Righteous Official can handle it and keep you safe. But causing Great Dao pollution in the Celestial Court and dragging the Dark Sea over here, I'd say you're like the Southern Extreme Emperor hanging himself, you don't want to live long!"

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Chen Shi sought clarification, "Were those words also said by the Righteous Official?"

Dao Attendant Jingshu shook his head and said with embarrassment, "Those words were my own nonsense. Please don't take offense, Fellow Daoist Chen."