Chapter 639: Grudges Between Masters and Disciples

Foreign spiritual energy? Penglai West was filled everywhere with foreign spiritual energy. To ordinary immortals, it was immortal-path pollution, but to Chen Shi, it felt like a fish returning to water.

Chen Shi walked inside the skeleton of a gigantic beast. It was incomparably enormous. Its fur and flesh had rotted away, leaving only the bones, whose surfaces were etched with patterns of the external Dao.

Chen Shi examined them closely. The patterns of the external Dao were still clear, with only a few breaks around the joints.

Walking inside the beast’s skeleton, he looked up and saw that the patterns of the external Dao were densest around its belly.

He could imagine that when this beast from the external Dao faced an enemy, the markings etched across its bones would light up layer upon layer, turning its sinews and bones into something as formidable as an immortal artifact and delivering a fatal blow to its foe.

Its belly was the most terrifying part. If it swallowed countless immortals in one gulp, the moment they were drawn into its stomach, they would discover countless patterns of the external Dao lighting up and refining them!

Countless people would be reduced to ashes inside its belly!

Chen Shi had never seen such a powerful beast.

“Looks like swallowing a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals in one gulp really is possible. Black Pot seems to be following the same path.”

Chen Shi suddenly thought of how Black Pot had been born in the demonic domain of Western Ox New Continent. Although the demonic domain of Western Ox New Continent had been created by the Celestial Venerable, Black Pot still counted as half a demon.

“Perhaps Black Pot could become this powerful too. I’ll take these bones back and let Black Pot study them. They can also serve as a chew toy.”

Chen Shi walked out of the beast’s skeleton and casually tossed it into the Dao Ruins.

In Fulong Village in the Dao Ruins, the villagers all looked up. They saw the sky suddenly split open, and a colossal object fall from above.

“What’s the landlord tossing into his own home now? He’s thrown in quite a few things these past few days.”

Village Chief Shang Dugong wondered aloud, “Looks like the bones of some monster. Could you stop picking up every last thing and bringing it home?”

He muttered, “The Dao Ruins already keep producing great Dao anomalies. And now you’re bringing more trouble into the house…”

Chen Shi dusted off his hands and sighed. “No wonder Senior Brother Jiang Guo and Uncle Jiao always say it’s not that Golden Turtle Island is poor, it’s that it has no money. Turns out Golden Turtle Island really isn’t poor. There are just so many treasures around here.”

The reason Golden Turtle Island had no money was mainly that all these treasures had been polluted by the external Dao. Even if they took them elsewhere, they couldn’t exchange them for money. Instead, people would try to beat and kill them.

But pollution from the external Dao was nothing much to Chen Shi.

He really had tossed quite a few things into the Dao Realm within the Dao Ruins over the past few days. Whenever he spotted something good, he threw it in.

“Dao Realms often have immortal palaces and immortal halls, with their owners living inside, surrounded by beautiful wives and concubines. But my Dao Realm is completely empty.”

Chen Shi thought, “It’s time to bring Little Duan over and build a palace of our own.”

Following the aura of the great Dao pollution, he came to a mine. There must once have been a mining operation here. Five-colored radiance still poured from the mine tunnels, fanning out like a peacock’s tail. It was dazzling.

Chen Shi sensed, however, that this five-colored radiance had likely been formed from the energy of the Five Elements, but it had also been tainted by the external Dao, making it both alluring and dangerous.

If an ordinary immortal were touched by it, they would likely fall victim to the Five Elements. The consequences would be unthinkable.

“Touched by yellow light, the body becomes so heavy you can’t fly, and your steps grow unsteady. Touched by golden light, your skin cracks and your Primordial Spirit becomes fragile. Touched by green light, your flesh grows uncontrollably and becomes difficult to control. Touched by red light, you fly into a rage and lose control of yourself. Touched by dark light, all your cultivation, no matter how profound, goes to waste. This vein is truly sinister.”

Chen Shi came to the mine entrance and thought, “The five-colored light must be coming from immortal metal polluted inside the mine. It’s so intense that the immortal metal must be extremely valuable, a precious material for refining artifacts!”

The great Dao pollution here was exceptionally strong, and its source was the five-colored light in the mine.

“Could this place be the source of the disaster in western Penglai?”

Just as Chen Shi was about to pass through the five-colored light, he felt a stir in his heart and looked toward a nearby mountain. A demonic bird was crouched there, as large as a mountain and shaped like a peacock. Its entire body was pitch-black, and it was feeding on the five-colored light bursting from the mine. With each breath, it inhaled a great deal of the radiance.

“A polluted monster!”

Chen Shi’s heart stirred. Like Black Pot, this black peacock was probably a beast that had adapted to a new environment amid a sudden change in its surroundings. It had gradually grown accustomed to this place after living in western Penglai for years.

He walked forward and arrived at the mine entrance.

The black peacock glanced at him and paid him no mind.

Over the years, it had seen far too many unlucky fools. They thought the place held a rare treasure and charged into the mine, only to be swept by the Five Elements’ radiance. All their cultivation would vanish, and they would die. This young man was just another unlucky fool.

Chen Shi activated his Primordial Chaos Innate Dao Field and touched the five-colored radiance. The light immediately tried to pollute his Dao Field, but the next instant, his innate Dao Field assimilated it.

Chen Shi tested it and found there was no danger. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, step into the five-colored light, and enter the mine.

Inside the mine, the five-colored light shone even more brightly. Chen Shi followed it deeper in. On both sides of the tunnel lay quite a few corpses. Some stood leaning against the walls, while others sat on the ground. They had been dead for a long time, but their bodies had not rotted and remained lifelike.

Chen Shi looked them over. They were probably immortals who had worked as miners. This place must once have been a famous immortal mountain mine in western Penglai, producing precious immortal metal and attracting these immortals.

But shackles still dragged from their feet, and immortal-path imprints shimmered on them.

“They were mine slaves!”

Chen Shi’s heart stirred. These immortals had been captured and enslaved to mine.

“When the calamity struck, the mine slaves were trying to escape. They just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. They died in the mine before they could get out.”

Chen Shi looked back toward the entrance. The mine slave nearest the exit had been only two or three steps away from escaping, but he had run out of strength and couldn’t manage those final steps.

Some of the others had died because their bodies became too heavy. Others died when metal energy erupted. One corpse had sprouted countless branch-like tendrils resembling plant roots, which took root in the mine and crawled everywhere.

“Western Penglai was once the most famous sacred ground of the immortal path, yet they enslaved so many immortals to work for them.”

Chen Shi shook his head and continued onward. The tunnel opened up ahead, growing much more spacious, and he finally found the source of the five-colored light.

The mine slaves had hollowed out the center of the mountain, revealing a gigantic skull. It had not been completely unearthed, and most of it was still buried in the mountain. Judging from its shape, it belonged to a humanoid creature.

The five-colored stone was embedded in the skull’s brow, about a zhang across, like an eye shimmering with five-colored light.

The mine slaves must have discovered this five-colored stone back then, triggering the anomaly that killed every mine slave in the tunnel and gave rise to the great Dao pollution.

“But this skull should belong to a great demon. It shouldn’t be enough to create such terrifying great Dao pollution.”

Chen Shi’s heart stirred. The great Dao pollution created by the five-colored stone wasn’t very strong. There had to be something else here.

He flew up to the skull, raised a hand, and grasped at the air. The five-colored stone quivered and came loose from the skull.

“This treasure should be useful for something.”

Chen Shi casually tossed the five-colored stone into the Dao Ruins.

The villagers of Fulong Village were still looking up. From afar, they saw the five-colored stone fall from the sky and plunge into the Dao Ruins.

“Has the landlord’s home been polluted?”

The burly pill-refiner Tang Feng said, “It’s glowing in all sorts of colors. Just looking at it feels wrong.”

The other villagers all nodded. Chen Shi had been tossing more and more things into the place these past few days, and the pollution was gradually worsening, making them rather worried.

If they hadn’t needed to protect the cyan stele, they would have moved away long ago.

Chen Shi looked around the mine and found quite a few excellent pieces of immortal metal. But they had also been polluted, so he left them behind and headed straight for the entrance.

He reached the entrance and was about to leave when a deep voice suddenly called from behind him, “Fellow Daoist, please wait!”

Chen Shi stopped and looked back. The one who had spoken was the black peacock that had been feeding on the five-colored light.

The black peacock stood up. Its body was enormous, and when it shook its wings, a gale sprang up all around. As it walked down the mountain, its body changed from a peacock into a human form, becoming an old Daoist in black robes. He looked at Chen Shi in surprise, then reached him in the blink of an eye and bowed. “Fellow Daoist, my respects.”

“My respects,” Chen Shi replied with a bow.

The old Daoist in black robes said politely, “Fellow Daoist entered Five Radiance Cave just now and emerged unharmed. I’m impressed. My own Dao techniques are far inferior to yours. But the moment you entered the cave, its five-colored radiance disappeared. Could it be that you took the five-colored stone from inside?”

Chen Shi did not hide it. He nodded. “I did take the five-colored stone.”

The old Daoist in black became even more courteous and smiled. “To be frank, Five Radiance Cave belongs to my family, and the five-colored stone is our family’s property as well. My ancestors and descendants have all relied on this cave and stone in their cultivation. You are an extraordinary man, capable of coming and going unharmed. Since you’ve taken the five-colored stone, I hope you’ll return it to its rightful owner. You will certainly be rewarded!”

Chen Shi asked in puzzlement, “Are you a disciple of Golden Turtle Island?”

The old Daoist in black shook his head and smiled faintly. “I am a disciple of Cloud Sky Grotto, of the Jade Purity lineage among the Three Purities. My surname is Kong, and my given name is Daoquan. Though I am a nonhuman cultivator, I have still attained the Dao. Five Radiance Cave is my Kong family’s property. My ancestors mined immortal ore here. You must have seen plenty of corpses when you entered the tunnel just now. Those were mine slaves hired by my family.”

Thinking of the miserable state of those mine slaves, Chen Shi felt displeased. He shook his head. “This is Golden Turtle Island territory, not Cloud Sky Grotto territory. Forgive me, but I can’t hand it over to you.”

The old Daoist in black sneered. “Western Penglai was originally sacred ground of the Jade Purity lineage. Then a calamity occurred, and my Jade Purity lineage left. Only then did Golden Turtle Island come here. What kind of landlord does Golden Turtle Island think it is? Fellow Daoist, if you return the five-colored stone to me, Cloud Sky Grotto will certainly reward you handsomely!”

Chen Shi shook his head. “I’m a disciple of Golden Turtle Island, and western Penglai is Golden Turtle Island territory. Fellow Daoist, I can’t give you the five-colored stone.”

“You’re a disciple of Golden Turtle Island?”

The old Daoist in black, Kong Daoquan, looked him over, then suddenly laughed in surprise. “You’re Chen Shi? I’ve heard your name. A couple of years ago, I heard that Golden Turtle Island had taken in a new disciple named Chen Shi. To escort him to Golden Turtle Island, the deities of Golden Turtle Island’s lineage in the Celestial Court abused public office for private ends and protected him all the way! So it was you!”

He laughed heartily. “If you had come from some other background, I’d have spoken nicely and persuaded you to hand over the five-colored stone. But you’re a disciple of Golden Turtle Island, so there’s no need to be polite! You just joined the sect. Your senior brothers and sisters, and Uncle Jiao the cripple, haven’t taught you yet, have they? When Golden Turtle Island disciples travel abroad and meet disciples of the Three Purities lineage, how are they supposed to speak?”

Chen Shi furrowed his brow slightly and asked, “They haven’t taught me. May I ask how I should speak when I meet you?”

Kong Daoquan laughed. “Looks like they really haven’t taught you. Back then, you were the defeated side. It was only thanks to our mercy that we didn’t wipe you out completely. You should have stayed quietly in the ancestral court. Why come out? Since you’ve come out, if you dare speak disrespectfully to the Three Purities lineage, don’t blame us for teaching you a lesson.”

Chen Shi asked, “What kind of lesson?”

Kong Daoquan said, “Haven’t you noticed that most of the people on Golden Turtle Island are disabled? Back then, your Eldest Senior Brother Yan Nanbei encountered the Three Purities lineage. He was arrogant and unyielding, so we blinded one of his eyes to teach him that he was blind to reason. Your Second Senior Brother Bai Yunjian had the same problem, so later we crippled him. He’s still paralyzed to this day. Your Uncle Jiao couldn’t stomach it and came to demand an explanation. Then he walked away with one lame leg.”

Chen Shi raised his eyebrows.

Kong Daoquan continued, “There’s also someone called Qiao Gu on your Golden Turtle Island, isn’t there? He often coughs because a senior brother of the Three Purities lineage injured his lungs, leaving him deficient in one of the Five Elements. And then there’s Jing Mei. She was quite bold in front of the Three Purities lineage, so we crippled one of her legs too. I hear you took in a disciple called Jiang Guo a few years ago. He hasn’t run into us yet, or I’m afraid he’d have ended up like his senior brothers and sisters.”

He changed the subject, looking half amused and half mocking. “Chen Shi, you’re a disciple of Golden Turtle Island too. Hand over the five-colored stone, and I’ll go easy on you.”

Chen Shi said, “Fellow Daoist Kong, Golden Turtle Island may be small, but it won’t let people bully it as they please. Since the Jade Purity lineage abandoned western Penglai, my Golden Turtle Island took it over, so it belongs to us. And as for the five-colored stone, you only dare absorb and refine a little of the five-colored light from outside the cave. You don’t even dare enter the mine. If I gave you the stone, would you dare take it?”

Kong Daoquan’s expression shifted, darkening and brightening by turns.

Chen Shi glanced at him and turned to leave.

The moment he had taken a step, a burst of five-colored divine light suddenly erupted behind him and swept toward him.

Without hesitation, Chen Shi activated his Dao Ruins Dao Realm. The five-colored stone immediately dropped from the sky. The zhang-tall, strange-eye-shaped gem blazed with light, and the external Dao surged forth, blocking the five-colored divine light Kong Daoquan had refined!

Chen Shi turned around and offered up his sword. The sword-nurturing gourd had already flown out of the demonic domain in the well. Taking advantage of the instant Kong Daoquan was resisting the five-colored stone, he unleashed the ninth form of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture.

Primordial Chaos Split Apart!

He unleashed one hundred and eight swords in a single breath. One hundred and eight strikes of Primordial Chaos Split Apart attacked Kong Daoquan from every direction, severing every path to survival and leaving him nowhere to go!

Kong Daoquan let out a furious roar. His incomparably vast magical power erupted, forcibly resisting the invasion of the external Dao from the five-colored stone. Countless black feathers billowed outward to meet Chen Shi’s Primordial Chaos Split Apart!

Though he was in the True Immortal Realm, his magical power was truly vast and boundless, far surpassing that of any True Immortal Chen Shi had encountered before!

The terrifying surge of magical power even shook Chen Shi, making his breath unsteady and preventing him from fully unleashing the power of Primordial Chaos Split Apart!

The inheritance of the Three Purities lineage was indeed unfathomably profound!

Kong Daoquan changed from a man into a black peacock and, relying on his incomparably profound cultivation, forcibly resisted all one hundred and eight strikes of Primordial Chaos Split Apart. He beat his wings and soared skyward. Black feathers fell all around him, one after another, cut down by Primordial Chaos Split Apart, leaving him nearly as bare as a plucked black chicken.

He was covered in blood. He had never expected that one moment of misjudgment would leave him so badly injured.

At the same time, Chen Shi shot into the sky, raised both hands, and swung his blade. The Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade flew out from beneath the Demonic Blood Treasure Tree and came slashing down!

The ninth form of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, The Heavenly Pillar Crumbles, The Earth's Axis Splits!

Kong Daoquan threw everything he had into meeting the move. He immediately cried out in pain as blood sprayed across the sky and one of his legs was severed!

Chen Shi’s breath shook violently, and Kong Daoquan’s force sent him tumbling from the sky. He looked up and saw Kong Daoquan beating his wings as he fled through the air!

“My blade is poisoned!” Chen Shi shouted in warning.