Chapter 391: Original Heart Unchanged 27 |
“The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade is wrong, its power too terrifying. But... how exhilarating! The pinnacle achievement of the Blood Lake Sutra, so exhilarating!”
Chen Shi gripped the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade tightly, feeling the immense dharma power brought by the Blood Sea Hell operating behind his head. Suddenly, a surge of murderous intent erupted within his heart, and he fiercely glared at Gao Xuan and the others, his killing intent blazing. “Shouldn’t we kill a few to celebrate? They’ve already become corrupted, their evil nature stirred. They’re struggling to fight off the evil transformation. If we sacrifice the blade now, can we chop them all down?”
“The Thirteen Great Clans have decayed. By killing them, we can save the world from misery! We can become the great heroes who rescue Western Ox New Continent!”
Chen Shi grew excited. “Killing them is doing good deeds! With our current strength... wait, our?”
His hair stood on end. Why did he think of ‘our’?
“Me and the blade... isn’t that ‘our’?”
A thought suddenly struck Chen Shi’s mind, feeling perfectly natural.
Each of the Thirteen Clans’ ancestral masters felt an endless tide of killing intent surging toward them, filling heaven and earth, condensing into a baleful aura. It was as if they were trapped in a sea of corpses and rivers of blood, utterly chilling.
Chen Shi’s eyes turned bloodshot as he gripped the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. His killing aura grew stronger, and the Blood Sea Hell behind his head expanded ever larger, brimming with a bloodthirsty impulse.
His arm suddenly began to tremble. The blade seemed to possess a consciousness, trying to control him!
He wanted to drop the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, but it felt as if it had grown onto him. He tried to loosen his grip, yet his fingers still clung desperately to the handle.
Chen Shi shook his arm violently, but couldn’t shake off the blade.
A thought suddenly arose in his mind: take this blade and kill everything with legs and movement in sight, feed the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade more blood, and it would grow stronger!
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Kill every moving object in sight, drink their blood, build a vast hell, let the world’s people dwell within it, wash away their sins with blood, save them, and the world would become beautiful!
I will become an immortal through slaughter!
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Kill all through the mortal world, then ascend to the celestial court, slaughter every immortal, build an even greater hell, cleanse the immortals’ sins, and make the immortal realm more beautiful!
Kill!
Behind his head, the Blood Sea Hell frantically drew upon the power of immortal blood from the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, growing ever more formidable. Now, the Blood Sea Hell resembled a magnificent Realm of Emptiness!
“Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles. Start killing from the Upper Realm, one step at a time...”
Just as this thought crossed Chen Shi’s mind, a pure and righteous aura emanated from behind him, flooding into his body.
The Zhang Family ancestral master, Zhang Longhu, had suppressed his own evil transformation and came to stand behind him, accompanied by the sound of loud reading coming from all around him. He channeled that righteous aura to suppress the demonic nature within Chen Shi’s Dao Heart, saying in a deep voice, “This blade is extremely demonic. You know how to use it, but you can easily be controlled by it! Chen Shi, I will teach you the Little Immortal Technique. Cultivate with me and subdue the demonic nature!”
Murderous light flared in Chen Shi’s eyes as he turned and swung the blade, shouting, “Mind your own business! I’ll chop you down first!”
Zhang Longhu hastily dodged, barely suppressing his demonic nature. His expression shifted as he called out loudly, “Gongjin, my Little Immortal Technique can’t suppress him! You’ve studied Buddhism, help me neutralize the demonic nature!”
The Xia Family ancestral master, Xia Gongjin, immediately stepped forward, Buddha Light rippling around him. He cultivated Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, with exceptional Buddhist attainments, as if he were a true Buddha.
As soon as he touched the demonic nature within Chen Shi, his face changed drastically. “This blade’s demonic nature has been fully activated, backlashing on its master! We need one more!”
Yang Ying stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “I’ll help!”
He activated his Daoist righteous energy, using his boundless Dao-seeking heart to suppress Chen Shi’s demonic nature.
The three worked together, and Chen Shi tried to act viciously and kill, but he was suppressed completely, unable to move.
“You three seniors can let go now.”
Chen Shi’s eyes darted around as he said, “The blade’s ferocity has been subdued.”
The three ancestral masters were skeptical. Zhang Longhu asked, “How do you feel now?”
Chen Shi said, “We feel great, with an unprecedented peace of mind.”
Upon hearing this, the three ancestral masters, Xia, Zhang, and Yang, each activated their Primordial Spirits, fully suppressing his demonic nature.
Chen Shi was pinned down, and the Blood Sea Hell behind his head gradually slowed its rotation. He said angrily, “We’ve already subdued the demonic nature. Seniors, why won’t you let go... Wait a moment, it’s me. I’ve subdued the blade’s demonic nature!”
The three ancestral masters pretended not to hear and continued suppressing him on their own.
Seeing that he couldn’t fool them, Chen Shi revealed a fierce expression and shouted, “Today is the death anniversary of you old fogies!”
At that moment, ancestral masters like Gu Tong and Fei Zichong had suppressed their own evil transformations and returned to normal. They immediately came before Chen Shi, sat cross-legged, activated their Primordial Spirits and Realms of Emptiness, and used their boundless dharma power to assist the three ancestral masters Xia, Zhang, and Yang.
“We’ll send your whole family on their way!” Chen Shi yelled.
Zhai Zhongming, Gao Xuan, and the other ancestral masters had also suppressed their evil transformations. They sat in a circle around Chen Shi, all channeling their dharma power together.
Chen Shi’s consciousness gradually became clear, and the Blood Sea Hell behind his head suddenly turned into a ray of blood light, flowing into the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade.
The Blood Lake Hell submerged into the blade, and Chen Shi immediately felt the earlier sensation of wielding boundless power, enslaving all living beings, and massacring them, vanish without a trace.
“Clang!”
The Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade fell from his hand and dropped to the ground.
Zhang Longhu looked kindly and asked, “Top Scholar Chen, how do you feel now?”
Chen Shi thanked him, saying, “Thanks to all the seniors for helping me. I’ve finally escaped the control of the demonic blade.”
Xia Gongjin probed, “There are two people and a dog in front of you. Which one would you kill first?”
Chen Shi smiled. “None. They haven’t offended me, so why should I kill them?”
Everyone exchanged smiles and relaxed.
Li Zishi laughed. “The demonic nature within the immortal artifact is finally suppressed.”
Zhang Longhu immediately picked up the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, feeling some fear of this treasure, not daring to hold it for long. He quickly hurried up to the altar and placed the blade back on it.
The other twelve ancestral masters of the Twelve Clans each burned incense, distributing three sticks to Zhang Longhu. The ancestral masters took turns offering incense, inserting the incense into the censer placed in front of the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade.
The energy of incense offerings drifted toward the blade. The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade vibrated a few times on the stand, as if unwilling, wanting to fly up and strike them down. But the energy of incense offerings swirled around the blade, penetrating the yin and yang energies outside it, preventing the blade from flying up to kill on its own.
Chen Shi looked at the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, feeling his own blood and qi stirring again, as if being drawn by the blade.
“Even though the thirteen ancestral masters have pushed the Blood Sea back into the blade, this blade still has a huge influence on me!”
He suppressed the restlessness of his blood and qi, afraid of being detected by the ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans.
The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade seemed to sense his gaze and tried to fly up from the altar, but the energy of incense offerings entangled the yin and yang energies around it, pulling it back.
This altar didn’t seem to be for refining the blade but rather for suppressing it.
“Thank you for saving us, Top Scholar Chen.”
Zhang Longhu turned and bowed to Chen Shi, saying, “If not for you sacrificing the blade in time, all the preparations of the Upper Realm over thousands of years would have been ruined.”
Chen Shi returned the bow, speaking earnestly, “If not for you three seniors saving me, I would probably have been controlled by this blade and turned into its puppet.”
“This blade isn’t a demonic blade but something used by immortals. It’s just that its killing intent is too heavy, making it difficult for ordinary people to control.”
Xia Gongjin smiled. “That immortal is already dead, sealed as a deity, and this blade remains in the mortal world. It was originally enshrined in the Two Kings Temple on Yulei Mountain in Dujiangyan, Divine Continent of China, suppressed under the feet of the Erlang Shen statue. By the Ming Dynasty, it was already rusty. Later, when Western Ox New Continent was discovered, because of the abundance of evil spirits there, this blade was stolen and brought to the Western Ox New Continent. Since that land was already rife with evil spirits, this blade, having drunk blood, showed its extraordinary nature. No matter what evil spirit, just one slash would kill it instantly.”
Yang Ying added, “This treasure revealed its sharpness and had drunk the blood of many demons and calamities. Although no one understood the method of refining it, its power was simply too strong. If someone was even grazed, they would turn into blood and be absorbed by the blade. This blade changed hands many times, and each owner died under its power. No one had ever truly mastered it. After the True King pacified the world, he feared the blade’s power, so he confiscated it and kept it unused. It was only used during calamitous or catastrophic transformations.”
“Then, Top Scholar Chen, how did you come to know the method of refining this blade?” Yan Weizhong stepped forward and asked.
Chen Shi remained calm and said, “I happened to learn it.”
Yan Weizhong stared intently at his face, as if checking whether he was lying, and pressed further, “Where did you learn it?”
Chen Shi’s expression didn’t change. “From the female immortal of Qixia Taoist Temple.”
“You’re lying!”
Yan Weizhong’s voice became harsh as he stepped forward, shouting, “You handed the method of sacrificing the blade over to the court...”
Xia Gongjin walked over, stepping between them, and said with a smile, “It’s fine if he didn’t. If handed to the court, who would cultivate this method? Whoever did would surely be controlled by this immortal blade.”
Yan Weizhong was silent for a moment, then said, “It’s better for it to be in our hands than in outsiders’. If someone else practices this method, it will surely bring disaster to Western Ox New Continent.”
Zhang Longhu walked over and shook his head. “Brother Yan, don’t always think about us controlling everything good. We can barely protect ourselves. If we also practice the method of sacrificing the blade and have to resist demonic erosion, we’ll only fall faster. Isn’t it better to keep ourselves alive to deal with Despair Slope? The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade isn’t so easy to control.”
He turned to face Chen Shi directly. “What is the name of the sacrificial method you were practicing earlier?”
Chen Shi told the truth. “The Blood Lake Sutra.”
Zhang Longhu thought for a moment and said, “If this technique is cultivated to its pinnacle, it will form a Blood Sea Hell, trapping the souls and Primordial Spirits of those who die under the blade. The more people who die, the heavier the demonic nature, and the harder it will be for you to control the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. Therefore, being controlled by the blade is almost inevitable. This kind of technique cannot be practiced any further.”
Chen Shi agreed, but deep in his heart, there was still a desire, an urgent urge to cultivate the Blood Lake Sutra.
Zhang Longhu and the other ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans turned to look at the shattered world. The Jiang Family ancestral master, Jiang Jingzhi, said, “This world must have secrets. Let’s enter and explore it.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Zhang Longhu waved his hand, and two thousand-foot-tall deities flew over, carefully carrying the altar away.
Chen Shi watched them go, seeing the two deities vanish into the void, disappearing without a trace. He had no idea where the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade had been hidden.
Zhang Longhu and the others strode into the passage, entering the shattered world.
Yan Weizhong turned back and warned Chen Shi and Yang Bi, “This place is dangerous. Don’t come in.”
Chen Shi nodded, and Yan Weizhong also walked into that shattered world.
Chen Shi let out a long sigh of relief, setting down a huge burden.
Facing the thirteen ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans earlier, he had been terrified, afraid that these thirteen peerless powerhouses would suddenly attack and kill him.
Yang Bi’s voice came from behind him. “Among the Thirteen Great Clans, there are no shortage of villains, fraudsters, and wrongdoers. Even among the ancestors, there are many evil people, who deserve to die ten thousand times over to appease the people’s anger. But our ancestral masters of the Thirteen Clans are true grandmasters.”
His words were filled with admiration. “They have achieved the ultimate in their respective fields. In terms of techniques, each of them is a great scholar who embraces all rivers, with extensive and varied knowledge. They have also made breakthroughs, and the scriptures they left behind contain dozens of exquisite profound techniques. Moreover, the techniques they created are enough to establish a school or even a new sacred land.”
He raised his hand, inviting Chen Shi forward.
Chen Shi walked shoulder to shoulder with him, smiling. “Brother Yang holds these thirteen grandmasters in high regard.”
Yang Bi smiled. “In the True King’s era, merit was the sole criterion for appointment. It’s different from today. Now, the Thirteen Great Clans have controlled the government for too long, creating a situation where the Thirteen Clans are the government. The problem has become too deep to reverse. But in the True King’s era, the thirteen ancestral masters fought their way out from a sea of corpses and rivers of blood. They reached the pinnacle of power not by relying on their ancestors’ blessings but through true skill.”
Chen Shi looked up at the distant mountains and the various deities, saying, “I can understand their devotion to the state. But six thousand years is too long.”
“Yes, six thousand years is too long. In six thousand years, the mountains and rivers have changed. Even the realm is decaying, let alone the Thirteen Great Clans.”
Yang Bi also looked at the distant mountains and deities. “But without six thousand years, who would have the power to deal with Despair Slope? The realm may decay, but the original hearts of the thirteen ancestral masters remain unchanged.”
Chen Shi stopped and turned back to look at that shattered world. The ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans were searching within that dangerous world for the secret behind the immortal’s death and evil transformation.
Yang Bi, however, didn’t stop and continued walking forward, saying, “Six thousand years have passed since the True King’s era ended. The Thirteen Great Clans have unified the mortal world and the underworld. Perhaps the power we’ve accumulated isn’t enough, but it should be able to contend with Despair Slope to some extent. The thirteen ancestral masters trusted me to unify the forces of both realms. This heavy responsibility falls on me, and I’m always running around, rarely having time for cultivation.”
His distance from Chen Shi grew larger, and he gradually reached a thousand feet away before slowly stopping.
But his voice still reached Chen Shi’s ears, carrying a note of delight.
“If it weren’t for the duel I promised with Child Prodigy, I would never have settled down to cultivate peacefully. Luckily, I have you.”
He turned around, his face beaming with a sunny smile. “Today, I, Yang, can duel with you, witnessing the glory of the famous Child Prodigy of old. It is enough to delight my life! Child Prodigy, don’t hold back! If you want to leave the Upper Realm alive, you must prove to the thirteen ancestral masters that if we fall, you have the ability to bear this burden!”
Chen Shi turned back to look at that shattered world.
He saw the ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans, who had unknowingly stopped exploring the shattered world, turning back one by one to look this way.
It seemed they also wanted to see whether that Child Prodigy, who had shaken fifty provinces and received the divine blessing of the True God, could, without the Dao Embryo, match the most outstanding successor they had selected over six thousand years.
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze, slowly clenched his fists, and revealed a smile. “Since I began cultivating, I have found no equal among my peers. Yang Bi, I hope you are the first person to make me use my full strength.”