On the Path to the Great Dao

Everyone hurriedly looked over, and sure enough, they saw two legs in the boat girl's fishing net, two legs still desperately trying to walk!

They were Marshal Xi's legs!

The legs Marshal Xi had severed with A Zhuo's fishing line, while rushing over here, had been cast into the net by this boat girl as a catch.

"Boat girl, bring the legs over here!" Chief Clerk Tang Baling suppressed his injuries and shouted loudly.

The painted pleasure boat drifted towards them, the boat girl smiling brightly.

Saintess Xuan suddenly felt something was off. "Chen Shi seems to be the provincial graduate of Xinxiang and Gongzhou. Earlier, that woman said, 'You offended the provincial graduate and still think you can leave?' Could she mean they offended Chen Shi?"

Marshal Xi also sensed something wrong. "My legs, even though severed, aren't something an ordinary boat girl could just cast into her net. This boat girl is suspicious!"

Sacrificial Officer Dou Qi, Chief Clerk Tang Baling, Merit Officer Fang Tan, and Wei Xize each grew solemn, suppressing their injuries as they stepped forward to shield Marshal Xi, vigilantly watching the painted boat.

On the boat, the boat girl chuckled softly. "My father and I finally managed to find Provincial Graduate Chen and the righteous official. Why would you cut off our future... Cut off our future, and you might as well forget about living!"

Just as everyone was horrified, they looked up and saw that the painted boat and boat girl were gone. In their place stood a horse-faced Yin Spirit reaching to the heavens, towering over the sea of the Southern Abyss, holding a Children's Heavenly Aperture Lamp!

"Cut off our future, and I'll take your lives!"

She raised her hand. The sea of the Southern Abyss inverted, and above the Dark Sea, ghosts and deities stood in ranks, all reaching out together. The Dark Sea transformed, morphing into a colossal Yin Spirit hand that pressed down upon the group!

"She's one of Chen Shi's people!"

Everyone was horrified, staring in despair at the sky-obscuring, sea-rage palm imprint.

"Get out of the way!"

Marshal Xi activated his Primordial Spirit within the Realm of Emptiness, mobilizing the power of the Realm of Emptiness, and raised his hand to meet the monstrous ghostly force!

"Boom!"

A terrifying shockwave erupted. Everyone groaned, seeing the surrounding mountains and rivers shatter and the underworld scene disintegrate. The scenery around them abruptly changed as sunlight once again poured down. Only then did they realize they had returned to the mortal world.

The horse-faced Yin Spirit from moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

Marshal Xi's robes fluttered violently as he coughed up great mouthfuls of blood. Blood gushed like a fountain from the stumps of his legs. He rasped, "My strike didn't kill her. She's just temporarily out of breath. We must leave quickly!"

Dou Qi hurriedly hoisted him onto his back, and the group fled across the waves.

They ran over a hundred li, heading straight for the shore.

A gust of yin wind swept across the lake surface. The painted boat appeared on the water amidst the yin wind. The boat girl stepped forward, her expression fierce and vicious. Behind her, the phantom of the horse-faced Yin Spirit still manifested, standing on the lake surface, about a hundred zhang tall, searching everywhere for their whereabouts.

However, by this time, Dou Qi and the others had already escorted Marshal Xi ashore, arriving at the southern shore of Great South Lake. Not far away was Xuan Yan County town.

Standing here, they could see a massive floating rock suspended in the air, like a floating giant island, chained with iron chains to prevent it from flying away.

One iron chain connected to the ground, right beside them.

Beside that chain, a pure black dog without a single stray hair was putting on clothes by a cart, pulling a vest over itself.

A wooden cart was also parked nearby. Beside the cart stood an old woman holding a basket, smiling as she watched them.

Dou Qi and the others paid them no mind, urgently rummaging for spiritual herbs to stop the bleeding and treat Marshal Xi.

Marshal Xi was already severely wounded. At first, he could suppress it, and the stumps of his legs weren't bleeding. But after clashing with that boat girl, his injuries erupted, and he could no longer suppress the blood vessels at his leg stumps!

His situation was extremely perilous. He was already very old, and his physical body was far from what it used to be. If this severe injury wasn't treated promptly, he might die before his natural lifespan ended.

As they were busy, the old woman holding the basket laughed. "Black Pot, they say when you hit the master, you have to watch out for the dog. As the dog, your master got bullied, and you didn't even bark twice."

The dog called Black Pot was putting on pants, standing up like a human.

Dou Qi and the others instantly felt something was wrong. This dog was so bizarre, yet they hadn't found it strange at all. That was truly bizarre!

"Woof woof!" the black dog barked.

Everyone grew solemn, looking at the black dog and the old woman.

The basket-holding old woman reached into her basket, smiling. "Chen Yindu is so troublesome, leaving his grandson in this world. If both grandfather and grandson had died together and gone to the underworld to enjoy themselves, this old woman wouldn't have to work so hard."

Marshal Xi caught his breath, his expression dark and cold. He sneered, "Who are you?"

"Celestial Court, Spirit Medium, called Granny Sha."

Granny Sha pulled a horn-shaped Underworld Lamp from her basket. The basket was tiny, yet the horn-shaped Underworld Lamp was half a person tall. Yet, it was hidden within the small basket. She smiled, "What Old Man Chen entrusted me to do is very difficult, but protecting his grandson's safety, this old woman still does her utmost. Besides, the money Little Ten gave is far, far more than what Old Man Chen gave."

Her face beamed with joy. Suddenly, she stamped her foot. A bluestone path spread out from beneath her feet, the bluestone slabs clattering forward, extending right to the feet of the group!

Behind her, the Imperial Maiden Primordial Spirit manifested, standing between the realms of yin and yang, stealing the power of the underworld's ghosts and deities. Instantly, yin energy surged, empowering her!

"Since you're here, just stay in the underworld!"

She shouted sharply, raised the horn-shaped Underworld Lamp, and with a hum, shone it forward. Dou Qi, Tang Baling, Fang Tan, and Wei Xize shuddered violently as their Primordial Spirits were blasted out a hundred li.

Granny Sha took a step back. Her body merged with the Imperial Maiden Primordial Spirit, and her physical form swelled section by section. In an instant, she grew younger, appearing to be in her twenties, as she charged at Marshal Xi with the lamp!

Around the Imperial Maiden, massive trigram seals rotated. Heaven, earth, wind, thunder, mountain, marsh, wind, and fire formed a miniature world, like the void realm within an Eight-Trigram furnace, opposing Marshal Xi's Realm of Emptiness.

Marshal Xi's face was pale, but he was extremely calm.

Although this old woman's soul arts were extremely refined, her realm wasn't that high. At most, she had severed the Three Corpses and eliminated the Yin Spirit, reaching the peak of the Refining Spirit realm at best. Her cultivation was far inferior to his.

Even if he was severely wounded, even if he had lost both legs, he could still easily subdue this little old woman!

At that moment, a dark giant dog as large as a mountain appeared on the bluestone path, surrounded by blazing demonic fire and billowing thick smoke, charging forward.

The Imperial Maiden leaped up, landing on the dog's head, and killed her way to the front!

Marshal Xi immediately felt pressure. He couldn't afford to hold back any longer. The Primordial Spirit hidden within his Realm of Emptiness descended, overlapping with his physical body!

As his Primordial Spirit fused with his physical body, flesh and blood rapidly regenerated at the stumps of his legs, bones swiftly grew, actually regenerating the severed limbs, about to regrow his legs!

But simultaneously, his body was continuously cracked open by the terrifying power contained within the Realm of Emptiness. His skin resembled sun-dried earth, developing cracks, then curling and peeling upwards!

His physical body hadn't been refined to this level yet; it couldn't merge with the Realm of Emptiness. But facing Granny Sha and that black giant dog, he had no choice but to risk his life and forcibly merge.

Because if he didn't merge, he might die!

Not only would he die, but everyone behind him would likely die too!

He roared in fury and actually stood up. His physical body reached its limit at this moment!

He glimpsed the Great Ascension.

A cultivator's Great Ascension Realm was like this!

The physical body merged with the Realm of Emptiness, fused with the Primordial Spirit. Every aspect was perfected to the extreme, supremely immortal!

Only one step away from an immortal, from eternal life!

This was the realm cultivators dreamed of, the realm of their fantasies!

But he also realized he wasn't yet sufficient to stand firmly in this realm.

Although he was already a master of the Return to Emptiness realm, standing in this realm still carried the peril of his physical body shattering.

The Imperial Maiden, wielding the miniature world within the trigrams and the imposing might of the black giant dog demon god, charged at him.

Marshal Xi roared violently, raising his hand to forcefully meet their supreme strike.

The bluestone path shattered with a boom. The trigram world broke apart. The Imperial Maiden was beaten back into an old woman. The giant dog was blasted out of the underworld, turning back into a black dog.

Marshal Xi stood in place, majestic and awe-inspiring. Dou Qi and the others each retrieved their Primordial Spirits, standing pale-faced by his side.

Marshal Xi led them in retreat, then suddenly soared into the air and fled far away, not engaging further with that little old woman and the black dog.

Granny Sha and Black Pot didn't give chase either, steadying their turbulent energy.

They were no match for Marshal Xi in the mortal world. They could only contend with him in the underworld. But Granny Sha had committed too many crimes in the underworld and couldn't stay long, otherwise she would inevitably be hunted down.

Marshal Xi led Dou Qi and the others through the air, traveling over a thousand li. Suddenly, ahead in the sky, a rainbow light rose from the ground. A bearded man lay in a cloud with his beautiful wives and concubines, amidst pools of wine and forests of meat, enjoying himself immensely.

Seeing them approach, the bearded man slowly rose, his chest bare, and waved for his beautiful concubines to retreat. He smiled, "Celestial Court, Celestial Fox, greets Marshal Xi."

Marshal Xi knew something was wrong. Ignoring everything, he charged straight forward.

The bearded man manifested the Primordial Spirit of a nine-tailed celestial fox behind him. The nine tails stood erect like nine layers of blue sky. He raised his hand and exchanged a palm strike with Marshal Xi. The big man's body swayed slightly. He said in surprise, "No wonder you dared to provoke Little Ten and A Zhuo. You're injured and can still receive my palm. I won't bully you. Go."

Marshal Xi said nothing, turning to leave.

Before he had traveled a few hundred li, suddenly, a patch of green cloud appeared ahead. The green cloud transformed into a strange creature with a goat's head and a human body, its muscles bulging. It pulled the goat horns from its head like two sharp knives and, without a word, charged at him like a whirlwind.

Marshal Xi had been maintaining the Realm of Emptiness and his Primordial Spirit within his body. He engaged in a contest of brute force with the blue goat creature. In the briefest instant, their figures crossed and clashed dozens of times, each strike aimed to kill, each move drawing blood.

Earlier, Marshal Xi's battles with the boat girl, Granny Sha, and Black Pot were great wars against underworld deities. His fight with the bearded man was a Primordial Spirit duel.

But his battle with this blue goat creature was like a decisive battle between heavenly gods of the mortal world, displaying immense masculine power!

The blue goat creature's steps faltered slightly. It sheathed its twin knives, inserting them back into its forehead. It smiled, "Celestial Court, Blue Goat, I've learned much. In life, you were no match for me. What a pity... I was essentially done in by Old Man Chen..."

He sighed, then transformed into a blue goat, flicked its short little tail, and a blue light shot down into the mountains below.

Marshal Xi's expression was solemn. He didn't pursue the blue goat either, silently leading Dou Qi, Saintess Xuan, and the others through the air.

His speed grew faster and faster, his aura stronger and stronger, maintained at its peak, radiating an aura that suppressed everything.

Marshal Xi led the five of them for several thousand li, arriving at his dwelling place, the True Dragon Cave Mansion of Soaring Peak Ridge, and descended.

He set the five down. The disciples guarding the mountain hurried over, kowtowing. "Master, what brings you home?"

Marshal Xi waved his hand, signaling him not to speak yet. He fetched a meditation cushion and sat down, summoning all his disciples before him. He instructed, "The Five Dragon Cave Mansion will henceforth be passed to my eldest disciple, Zong Xuan. Zong Xuan is benevolent and generous, has followed me the longest, and has profound cultivation. He is suitable to inherit the Five Dragon Cave Mansion."

Everyone listened, each feeling shocked and uncertain.

Zong Xuan kowtowed, choking with sobs. "Master, why do you speak such ominous words?"

Marshal Xi's face was expressionless. "In the cliff wall of the back mountain, I've hidden a stone casket. Inside is a scripture I compiled from all my lifelong learning and insights, called the Soaring Peak True Method. Soaring Peak is my name. After I pass away, go retrieve the True Method. Study it diligently and pass it on to your junior brothers and sisters. Do not be selfish."

Zong Xuan wept bitterly, kneeling and acknowledging the order.

The other disciples all knelt and kowtowed, tears falling like rain.

Dou Qi and the others also felt immense sorrow, standing there at a loss.

Marshal Xi sighed. "Sacrificial Officer Dou, Chief Clerk Tang, Saintess Xuan, I must trouble you to return and tell the Young Master that this old man can no longer assist the Young Master in ascending to the great throne!"

Tears streamed down his face. A series of crackling sounds erupted from within his body, as if something had exploded. Instantly, blood gushed like a fountain from beneath him.

"I wanted... to die with some dignity..."

Marshal Xi struggled to show a faint smile on his face, his voice hoarse. "But... I can't hold on... In this life, to have stood in the Great Ascension Realm for a moment, to have seen a more magnificent vista... is enough..."

"Boom!"

His physical body exploded, flesh and blood scattering everywhere!

On the meditation cushion, nothing remained, only a pool of blood.

He had already been severely wounded by A Zhuo and lost both legs. Along the way, he encountered the boat girl, the spirit medium, the black dog, the celestial fox, and the blue goat. He was already at the end of his rope, only able to force himself to maintain the state of the Great Ascension Realm.

Maintaining the Great Ascension Realm indeed granted immense enhancement, but it also exhausted his life force.

Now, with his oil depleted and lamp extinguished, he naturally met an unnatural death!

Dou Qi and the others were heartbroken and grief-stricken. They knelt and kowtowed towards the meditation cushion, choking back sobs. "Brother, travel well—"

Saintess Xuan stood there, not kneeling, but silently reciting the rebirth mantra.

The second most powerful expert of the Fu Zheng Pavilion, Xi Lingjue, Marshal Xi, had been exhausted to death, forced to death, by a few men, women, and a dog from the Celestial Court.

Perhaps if he hadn't been saving them, Marshal Xi wouldn't have died.

With his strength, he definitely could have escaped.

What a pity...

After a long time, Saintess Xuan walked out of the Five Dragon Cave Mansion, looking at the magnificent mountains and rivers below.

She looked up at the lofty blue sky. In the distance, where the mountains met the sky, a vast green mist blurred the boundary between mountain and sky.

"Could the Celestial Court be Chen Shi's Fu Zheng Pavilion?"

She thought silently to herself. "The Fu Zheng Pavilion is the foundation the Young Master uses to contend for the world. Could the Celestial Court be the foundation Chen Shi uses to contend for the world? But... the Young Master appears to have the surname Ren, but in reality, his surname is Zhu. Chen Shi... his surname is only Chen. Without proper name and legitimacy, even with the help of these experts, he cannot contend with the Young Master..."

She gazed into the distance, where lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, clouds gathered, and a storm was brewing, full of unpredictable changes.

Before her eyes, Chen Shi's face appeared, overlapping with the image of the Young Master.

"Leaving home to become a monastic was originally to cut off worldly ties, free from mortal disturbances. Yet my master sent me down the mountain to sever my emotional bond with the Young Master. But Master, you didn't tell me... if one emotional bond is severed, but another affection arises... what should be done?"

A moment later, the thunderstorm arrived as scheduled.

The distant green mountains swayed in the wind and rain.

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