Chapter 384: Assault |
The Cloud-Green Grand Chariot sailed past the calf of this deity, and Chen Shi observed closely. The talisman script markings on its leg were intricately carved, not painted on, but rather seemed to have grown along with its body.
His heart stirred slightly: "The Thirteen Great Clans have unique methods when it comes to deity cultivation."
He understood the folk traditions of Xinxiang the most. Although the Godmothers of each village were also Divine Manifestations, they were condensed from extraordinary power and continuously absorbed the energy of incense offerings to strengthen themselves. But the Thirteen Great Clans were clearly different. They combined talismans, using extraordinary power as spiritual energy, carving out a unique path of deity cultivation.
The Cloud-Green Grand Chariot pressed forward, and he saw even more powerful deities.
These were beings like heavenly gods, standing in the Upper Realm. Their single thoughts could already influence the weather across thousands of miles around them.
One of those deities swept its gaze over, and a single thought stirred the wind and clouds. Mists surged across thousands of miles, enveloping the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot in fog, making it impossible to distinguish direction.
"Trying to intimidate me?" Chen Shi took it in stride.
Another deity raised its hand, and a single thought brought thunder and rain. For thousands of miles, lightning flashed like golden serpents, and rain poured down in sheets.
The Cloud-Green Grand Chariot passed through this thunder-rain territory, and then a thousand-zhang tall heavenly god slowly stood up. A single thought conjured a sea of fire, engulfing the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot in overwhelming flames. Truly boundless in power.
However, these ancestors of the Thirteen Great Clans were merely showing Chen Shi their unmatched strength, with no malicious intent. Otherwise, even a magic treasure like the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot would not be able to protect him.
The Cloud-Green Grand Chariot raced on. The territory of the Upper Realm was so vast that it far surpassed the fifty provinces of the Western Ox New Continent—boundless, with no end in sight.
The Realm of Emptiness of a Great Ascension Realm existence was opened within the void, often spanning thousands of miles. Since the end of the True King's Era, nearly two thousand sect leaders of the Thirteen Great Clans had personally participated in the Upper Realm plan before their deaths, using their Realms of Emptiness to forge this miraculous world.
Even though Chen Shi's impression of the Thirteen Great Clans was not good, the existence of the Upper Realm still left him deeply awestruck, a breathtaking marvel.
The white-clad fairy, who had been sleeping, also woke up. She squeezed beside him, pressing herself against the window lattice to look outside, watching with great interest.
Chen Shi turned and saw her face close to his. Her fair skin was smooth and tender, seemingly delicate enough to break with a light touch. Her lips were a vibrant red, looking soft and sweet. A few strands of hair had strayed from beside her ear to the corner of her eye, dangling between her big, dark eyes, probably swaying slightly from his breath.
The strands of hair brushed against her long eyelashes. The girl rubbed her eyes, turned her head, and saw him staring at her. She quickly turned away again.
Chen Shi's mind was galloping wildly. He really wanted to wrap his arm around this girl's waist and feel the sensation, but then he grew alert: "It's probably my Peng Qiao working his magic in the Primordial Palace, messing with my mind. I can't wait any longer. After I take down Yang Bi, I'll go and sever it!"
Suddenly, his nose itched, and he couldn't help but sneeze.
The white-clad fairy giggled, triumphantly twirling a strand of hair around her finger. She had secretly used her own hair to tickle Chen Shi's nostrils.
Chen Shi plucked a strand of hair from his own temple, twirled it around his finger, and said with a smile, "You tickled my nose, so I'm going to tickle yours too!"
The white-clad fairy let out a startled cry and quickly shrank back to dodge.
Chen Shi lunged forward, but the girl was nimble, moving as lightly as a cat, evading his pounce.
When Chen Shi missed on his first lunge, he opened his arms and pounced again. Her white robes fluttered, but he still came up empty-handed.
However, although the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot had a vast interior when activated, it was now suppressed by the divine might of the Upper Realm, and the space had returned to normal. The white-clad fairy didn't manage to dodge many times before he cornered her against the wall.
She laughed until her body went weak, slumping down against the wall.
Chen Shi smiled and brought the hair toward her nose to tickle her. As he drew closer, the beauty looked utterly pitiful, indescribably captivating. Her eyes, whether from laughter or fear, had welled up with tears, and she shook her head, pleading with him not to do it.
Chen Shi's heart pounded like a startled deer. He felt that today's Peng Qiao was exceptionally diligent, and he couldn't resist. The girl's lips had become unusually alluring. He was about to press down on her and kiss those red lips.
The white-clad fairy was startled and quickly pushed him away with both hands.
Chen Shi felt as though he had been hit in the chest by the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler. The world spun around him, and he flew backward, crashing with a deafening rumble onto the opposite wall, where he hung just above the ground.
The Yang attendant was driving the three Dragon-Steeds, galloping through the clouds, showing Chen Shi the power of the Upper Realm. Suddenly, the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot let out a deafening roar. The entire treasure chariot was struck by an unknown force, flipping over and flying off to one side!
The three Dragon-Steeds roared in fury, each unleashing their full power, transforming into hundred-zhang long behemoths in a desperate attempt to hold onto the chariot. But they were dragged along by it, plummeting diagonally downward!
The Yang attendant was also thrown off, battered and dazed, completely unaware of what had happened.
He quickly struggled to his feet and chased after the chariot. He saw the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot tumbling through the air, dragging the three Dragon-Steeds, heading straight for a mountain peak.
The three Dragon-Steeds roared, their hooves treading on fiery clouds, their claws digging into the void, using all their strength to counteract the collision force. Even so, they were dragged for over ten miles.
Just as it seemed they would crash into the mountain peak, the three Dragon-Steeds finally stabilized, narrowly avoiding the summit, and dragged the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot past the side of the mountain.
The Yang attendant caught up to the chariot and jumped onto the driver's seat. Alarmed and bewildered, he looked back and saw that the upper left corner of the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot had been smashed into a human-shaped dent, which looked like a back.
"Top Scholar Chen, are you all right?" he asked cautiously.
"I'm fine... *cough cough cough*!"
Chen Shi's voice came, sounding a bit weak, "Might have broken a few bones..."
The Yang attendant's heart pounded violently a few times. A chill ran down his spine: "Who attacked us? Strange, didn't our ancestors detect that someone had already infiltrated the Upper Realm? Could it be Despair Slope?"
Nervous and uneasy, he became more alert, constantly scanning his surroundings.
Inside the chariot, Chen Shi struggled to extricate himself from the upper corner of the wall and landed on the ground with a thud.
The white-clad fairy shuffled her feet, both guilty and shy, as she approached to check if he was dead.
She shook his arm, pleading with him not to be angry. Then she pressed her cheek close and pouted her lips, indicating that he could kiss her lips, and this time she absolutely wouldn't resist.
Chen Shi coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He laboriously shifted his butt, trying to get as far away from her as possible.
He now understood why, back when he had raised the white-clad fairy to meet the full-force strike of the aberrant Daoist Tianzhen, the Daoist had flown backward.
This girl's gentle push was already so heavy. If she used her full strength, with a crack, he would probably be shattered and vaporized.
"Don't move me yet!"
Chen Shi saw the girl trying to approach again and quickly said, "Let me set my broken bones first. I'm afraid if you use too much force, you'll break a few more."
The white-clad fairy squatted down aggrievedly beside him, watching as he activated his Primordial Spirit, reaching his hand into his body to set the broken bones.
Chen Shi used his Primordial Spirit to purge the blood stasis from his body, suppressing the injury. He then went to the small temple to pick a few medicinal herbs and took them, hastening the healing of his wounds. With his life no longer in danger, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, "I've only just arrived at the Upper Realm, and I'm already seriously injured. How am I supposed to fulfill my promise to fight Yang Bi?"
Just then, the Cloud-Green Grand Chariot gradually slowed down, arriving before a range of mountains floating in a sea of clouds.
These mountains were like immortal peaks, floating in the sea of clouds, wreathed in radiant light, showcasing their extraordinary nature.
The chariot passed between the mountains, heading toward the palace halls on one of the immortal mountains, and finally stopped at the platform in front of those halls.
The Yang attendant opened the door and bowed, saying, "Top Scholar Chen, please."
Chen Shi's face was pale. With the support of the white-clad fairy, he slowly and laboriously descended from the chariot.
The Yang attendant was stunned. He hadn't expected Chen Shi to be so badly injured and felt quite guilty inside: "It was the lack of adequate protection in our Upper Realm that caused him to be attacked and injured."
The palace hall was exactly where Yang Bi had been in seclusion. At that moment, Yang Bi was already waiting at the door with a young man and a young woman.
The woman asked curiously, "Brother Yang, why do you think so highly of this Chen Shi? He had his Innate Dao Embryo cut away. Is he still that powerful, to warrant such serious attention from you?"
She was Li Qianyun from the Li Family. A few days ago, because she had lost to Li Tianqing, the Li Family sect leader had sent her to the Upper Realm.
After arriving here, she studied the deities of the Li Family and received guidance from the ancestors, making rapid progress in her cultivation.
Hearing about the battle between Chen Shi and Yang Bi, she had come to watch.
Yang Bi didn't answer. The other young man smiled faintly and said, "If Chen Shi had become useless after having his Innate Dao Embryo cut away, he wouldn't have killed Young Master in the Western Capital, and the Thirteen Great Clans wouldn't have been nearly wiped out, with him taking the top scholar title."
He was Zhang You, the current second-place graduate.
But many experts from the Thirteen Great Clans had participated in the provincial and palace examinations. Aside from him, the fates of the others were unknown.
Zhang You was the only descendant of the Thirteen Great Clans to survive that imperial examination.
He was also a candidate for the next sect leader of the Zhang Family and had been sent to the Upper Realm for cultivation.
He had a history with Chen Shi, and upon hearing that Chen Shi was coming to fulfill his promise, he waited here.
"The Child Prodigy had already shaken the world twelve years ago. After having his Innate Dao Embryo cut away, not only did he not die, but he made a comeback."
Zhang You said, "Based on this alone, he deserves to be called an unmatched expert among the younger generation. If it were me, I would have died long ago. Even if I were saved, I would be a cripple."
Li Qianyun thought it over carefully. If it were her who had her Divine Embryo cut away, even if she didn't die, she would likely be no different from a cripple. She laughed and said, "The Child Prodigy is truly admirable."
Yang Bi looked at the approaching Cloud-Green Grand Chariot and said in a deep voice, "The Celestial True God bestowed the Innate Dao Embryo precisely because of his heaven-defying talent. Even without the Dao Embryo, he is still an extremely formidable opponent. He's here. You two, come with me to welcome the Child Prodigy!"
The chariot landed, and Yang Bi strode over quickly, with Li Qianyun and Zhang You following.
When they saw Chen Shi's condition, the three of them were startled.
Zhang You hurried forward and asked, "Top Scholar Chen, you're injured? Who did this to you?"
His gaze fell on the white-clad fairy, and his heart pounded violently: "How can there be such a beautiful girl in the world?"
Li Qianyun saw the white-clad fairy and felt that the other woman was stunningly beautiful, making people want to get close to her.
Only Yang Bi, upon seeing the woman, changed expression drastically. It was clear he recognized her identity, and he thought to himself: "No wonder Vice Minister Chen didn't come along! Although Vice Minister Chen's strength is among the best, compared to this prehistoric evil spirit, he still falls far short! But after being severely injured by the Nine Halls of the True King and barely surviving, she probably doesn't have much strength left, right?"
Chen Shi looked embarrassed and said, "I had a little accident and got hurt. A few days of rest and I'll be fine. Brother Zhang, why are you here too?"
Zhang You stopped looking at the white-clad fairy, steadied himself, and said with a smile, "I didn't manage to get the top scholar position, so the sect leader ordered me to cultivate here, to prepare for future unforeseen events."
Li Qianyun stepped forward and gracefully greeted him, saying, "Qianyun, daughter of the Quanzhou Li Family, greets Young Master Chen."
Chen Shi's face was pale, his aura unstable, and he said with a smile, "Miss Qianyun, if you don't mind, just call me Top Scholar Chen. Calling me 'Young Master' always reminds me of an old acquaintance."
Li Qianyun asked curiously, "An old acquaintance?"
"Someone I beat to death. He was also called 'Young Master.'"
Chen Shi said with a benevolent smile, "Qianyun, do you know Tianqing? He and I are close friends who share everything."
Hearing this, Li Qianyun's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She stammered and fell silent.
The Yang attendant hurried forward, came to Yang Bi's side, and whispered a few words.
Yang Bi's heart trembled slightly. He gently shook his head and thought to himself: "Our Thirteen Great Clans started planning during the True King's Era, building the Upper Realm with far-reaching schemes. If Despair Slope had discovered the Upper Realm, they would have intervened long ago. But if it wasn't someone from Despair Slope who attacked Chen Shi, who could it have been? Could it be the ancestors of some other clan?"
He felt a bit uneasy.
Many members of the Thirteen Great Clans disapproved of Chen Shi's actions. Even among the ancestors who had become heavenly gods, it was inevitable that some shared that sentiment. There were also those who didn't want Yang Bi to lose to Chen Shi and might have attacked him on the way.
"But it seems Chen Shi doesn't intend to pursue the matter. Wait a moment... this Cloud-Green Grand Chariot seems to have been hit from the inside, forming this human-shaped protrusion, which means the attack came from within..."
He looked suspiciously at Chen Shi, then at the white-clad fairy, and thought to himself: "Could the Top Scholar have been injured by the prehistoric evil spirit? He's in the Body Unification realm, which is when the Three Corpses Gods are at their strongest, especially his Lower Corpses God, Peng Qiao, who is the most formidable."
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Before facing Chen Shi in battle, Yang Bi had gone to the Immortal Capital and monitored outside Chen Shi's Primordial Palace.
Every night, Chen Shi's Three Corpses Gods would fly out of the Primordial Palace and go to the underworld to report to the King of Hell.
At that time, he could observe Chen Shi's Three Corpses Gods, and based on them, deduce a person's weaknesses.
"Could it be that his Lower Corpses God acted up, and he tried to assault the prehistoric evil spirit?"
Yang Bi thought to himself, "That's a big weakness. It can be exploited before he severs the Three Corpses. But speaking of which, his Peng Qiao is terrifyingly powerful!"
He recalled the sight of Chen Shi's Peng Qiao flying out of the Primordial Palace—horrific and grim, like a demon god descending upon the world—and couldn't help but shiver.
"Chen Shi's body was refined into a Corpse Liberation Immortal by Chen Yindu, which made his physical body far stronger than others, resulting in this level of Three Corpses Gods," he mused inwardly.
Just then, the white-clad fairy seemed to sense something. She suddenly turned her head and looked deep into the Upper Realm, her gaze turning sharp.
Chen Shi was surprised and whispered, "What are you looking at?"
The white-clad fairy stuttered and stammered for a while before finally managing to say something vaguely human: "Sa... sa... sa... same... same... type!"
"Same type?" Chen Shi was stunned. He followed her gaze.
In this Upper Realm, were there beings of the same type as her?