On the Path to the Great Dao

"Beheading is quick?"

Upon hearing this, the Xu family was filled with indignation and fury. Someone immediately rushed forward, wanting to kill Little Dingxiang on the spot to vent their anger, shouting, "Traitorous rebel! I'll behead you first!"

Little Dingxiang was terrified, gripping the Staff of the Human Emperor tightly. Her heart pounded wildly, reminding her of the time when the Taiping Sect had forced her to sneak into the underworld to harvest Soul-Returning Lotuses. There were ghost gods dozing in the sky back then, and she had to be extremely careful not to make a single sound, or else the awakened ghost gods would eat her!

That experience was her eternal nightmare.

The Xu family experts surrounding her now were just like those underworld ghost gods, ready to kill her at any moment.

Fortunately, Xu Yinglong raised his hand to stop the many Xu family experts who were charging forward. He said calmly, "The rebel Chen Shi sent a little girl to deliver a declaration of war, just to provoke us into killing her. But our Xu family has some restraint. In Lingzhou City, we will not harm a single hair of the messenger! Someone, see her out!"

Two Xu family elders stepped forward, both with angry expressions, and raised their hands, saying, "Girl, please!"

Little Dingxiang obediently walked between them, heading out of the city.

In Lingzhou City, Xu Yinglong activated his Primordial Spirit, looking down from above toward the city outskirts. There, he saw a gate formed of light and shadow. It wasn't large, only big enough for two or three people to pass through side by side. A talisman master, around fifteen or sixteen years old, was guarding the gate.

As he was thinking, four oddly shaped figures walked out of the gate. An old man, a young man, a beauty, and a Daoist.

Xu Yinglong suddenly saw one of them, a young scholar, and his expression immediately turned tense. He quickly ordered the elders beside him: "Wake up the four ancestral masters immediately!"

That scholar was Long You the Freeholder, a supreme expert from the freeholder organization.

Xu Yinglong had admired the Xu family's Cold Mountain Freeholder in his early years. He once followed in the footsteps of that senior, mingling with the freeholder organization. During a Wanderer Gathering, he had encountered Long You the Freeholder, which was how he recognized him.

Long You the Freeholder was a man of profound knowledge. Cold Mountain had taken him to listen to a lecture, and after it ended, he still had many questions. Cold Mountain then brought him to see Long You the Freeholder, showing great respect for this legendary figure.

That experience had benefited Xu Yinglong immensely, laying the foundation for him to become sect leader. His cultivation grew smoother and smoother. Later, he returned to the Xu family, inherited the position of sect leader, and severed ties with the freeholder organization.

He had originally thought Long You the Freeholder would have died long ago. He never expected to see this senior expert again, here and now.

The four ancestral masters of the Xu family were the former sect leader Xu Feilong, grandfather Xu Xiaoshu, great-grandfather Xu Henshui, and Great Ancestor Lord Xu Lu. The four were extremely old, but knowing that Xu Yinglong had awakened them for a reason, they rushed over immediately.

When they saw Long You the Freeholder, the four old men's hearts shook violently, and their expressions turned grim.

Xu Yinglong said, "Four ancestral masters, Long You the Freeholder is extremely powerful, no weaker than any of you. I am not his match..."

Xu Henshui shook his head and said, "We are not his match either."

Xu Xiaoshu said, "Long You the Freeholder has already achieved a half-immortal body. He should have crossed the heavenly tribulation and stepped into the Tribulation Crossing realm or the Ascension realm. His Primordial Spirit is already an immortal Dao spirit. In ancient times, this was what the old method called a half-immortal!"

Xu Henshui said, "And there are four of them on the other side."

His gaze swept over Mu Daozi, Shao Niangniang, and Pei the Freeholder. "The four strongest Great Completion realm cultivators in the freeholder organization. I didn't expect they would all have made it this far, breaking through the Great Completion realm! Their original cultivation was already no weaker than ours, even stronger. Now they are one or two realms ahead of us."

Xu Yinglong's expression changed drastically. His Primordial Spirit suddenly descended, arriving in the underworld.

The Xu family's King of Hell had already led Bizhen Palace and the countless ghost gods of hell to attack Chen Shi. Now, only four layers of hell remained in the underworld.

Xu Yinglong's vast Primordial Spirit descended from the sky, arriving above Dismemberment Hell. He said loudly, "Ancestor Xu Shan! Ancestor Dangyang! Ancestor Jieyuan! Ancestor Xu Zhen! The Xu family in the mortal world is in danger, facing four half-immortals. I beg the four ancestors to come to our rescue!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the four judges each mobilized their divine power, raising the four hells—Dismemberment, Volcano, Millstone, and Saw—and merging them with the greater realm. Ancestor Xu Shan chuckled, "Even half-immortals will meet their end facing us. Their magical power is far inferior to ours!"

"Xu Yinglong, you return to the mortal world!"

Ancestor Dangyang called out, "Watch me perform a transformation and pull Lingzhou into the underworld!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yinglong quickly returned to the mortal world. Suddenly, the heaven and earth shook violently. The mountains and rivers around Lingzhou changed drastically. A chilling yin wind blew, and Lingzhou actually appeared in the underworld!

The four judges, thousands of feet tall, stood behind Lingzhou City. Their gazes swept over Lingzhou City, landed on Long You, Shao Niangniang, and the other four freeholders, and then fell on the small gate behind them. They each revealed smiles.

From the hells behind the four judges' heads, thousands upon thousands of ghost gods flew out like locusts, each standing on a patch of yin cloud. Suddenly, a yin wind howled, and bleak clouds covered the sky for a thousand li. Ghost gods of all sizes, from a thousand feet to a few feet, looked down from above, overlooking Lingzhou.

The four hells held over three hundred thousand ghost gods!

Long You the Freeholder looked up at the sky and saw the ghost gods blotting out the sun. He clicked his tongue in admiration. "The Thirteen Great Clans have accumulated quite a bit over the years. If Despair Slope hadn't broken the Upper Realm, this battle would have been a real headache."

At that moment, Little Dingxiang was escorted out of Lingzhou City by two Xu family elders. She said, "Two elders, please stay. I can walk the rest of the way myself..."

One elder said expressionlessly, "Do you think you can still leave?"

The other elder's face was as cold as the Stone Statue Deities in front of a tomb. He said coldly, "You insulted the Xu family, girl. You can be reincarnated here. Next life, watch your mouth!"

He roared, and a hundred-foot Primordial Spirit appeared behind him. He took a step forward, and a giant hand descended from the sky, slapping down toward Little Dingxiang!

A fierce wind howled, and a vast murderous intent enveloped Little Dingxiang, terrifying the young girl. She let out a scream and, without thinking, fiercely swung the Staff of the Human Emperor in her hand.

Suddenly, a thunderous crack echoed through the sky. It seemed to come from the depths of people's souls, as if it could tear apart the Three Souls and Seven Spirits!

In the sky above Lingzhou, ten thousand rays of golden light appeared. The three hundred thousand ghost gods suddenly found themselves involuntarily lifted into the air, swept up by the golden light, and sucked into the Staff of the Human Emperor with a whoosh!

At the same time, inside Lingzhou City, Xu family disciples with weaker cultivation could not bind their souls or Primordial Spirits to their bodies. They were caught by the countless golden lights sweeping through Lingzhou City and flew uncontrollably toward the Staff of the Human Emperor!

For a moment, inside and outside Lingzhou City, the sky was filled with ghosts, souls, and Primordial Spirits. Their hands clawed aimlessly, and their feet kicked helplessly, trying to grab something to save themselves from being devoured!

As for the stronger experts, their souls stirred restlessly, their bodies being dragged along by their souls and Primordial Spirits as they flew toward the Staff of the Human Emperor!

They had physical bodies and each struggled to stabilize themselves.

"Whoosh!"

Countless golden lights were suddenly absorbed into the banner. Little Dingxiang, still in shock, leaned on the large banner and looked in terror at the two elders.

The two Xu family elders stared with wide eyes, then their bodies slowly fell.

"Thud!" "Thud!"

The two bodies hit the ground.

They were the closest to the Staff of the Human Emperor. When the banner's power erupted, it affected them the most. Even though they were great experts at the Spirit Refining realm, they could not withstand the might of the Staff of the Human Emperor's swing. Their Primordial Spirits were directly collected, and their lives were taken!

Little Dingxiang was startled. At that moment, sounds of falling came from the city. She looked in panic and saw experts whose cultivation and strength far surpassed her own, their faces flushed red as they fell to the ground, struggling to stand steady.

Sounds of thudding came from all around. Little Dingxiang stared wide-eyed as tens of thousands of Xu family disciples in Lingzhou City—men, women, old, and young—all fell dead, their bodies slowly collapsing.

And the bleak clouds that had covered the sky for a thousand li suddenly dispersed. Only the four judges and a handful of powerful ghost gods remained.

They stood there, panicked and at a loss, not knowing how to handle this sudden situation.

Suddenly, Xu Yinglong let out a furious roar. He activated the Xu family's immortal artifact, the Sun-Moon Twin Pearls.

Two pearls, one large and one small, rose from the city. They traced two bright arcs through the sky and instantly arrived outside the city!

These Sun-Moon Pearls were one pure yang and one pure yin. They were immortal artifacts from the Divine Continent. After falling into the Xu family's hands, they produced many experts in the Dao of yin and yang. The last time Chen Shi had comprehended yin and yang, he came to the Xu family and received 'guidance' from many Xu family cultivators of yin and yang.

This immortal artifact was one entity. Its power was greatest when yin and yang combined, possessing the might of an entire realm. The sun and moon were about to intersect, yin and yang were about to merge, and the power of the immortal Dao erupted from the two pearls!

Little Dingxiang looked at this scene in terror. She wanted to swing the Staff of the Human Emperor again, but it was too late!

Just then, a tall cyan figure blocked her way, laughing heartily. "First courtesy, then force! The Ministry of Rites has had its turn. Now it's my Ministry of War's turn!"

Patriarch Blue Goat's body swelled. The two rings of purple and green qi inside him howled out, rapidly expanding. They circled each other around his body, stirring and colliding with the Sun-Moon Pearls!

The power of the Purple-Green Double Qi Rings and the Sun-Moon Pearls, two immortal artifacts, erupted. The walls of Lingzhou City evaporated. Countless buildings were destroyed. The ground rippled like a disturbed pond!

Patriarch Blue Goat grunted, sent flying by the terrifying force, and landed far away.

Xu Yinglong was also staggered backward by the impact. The Sun-Moon Pearls flew back to his side.

He steadied himself, then immediately soared into the air, activating the Sun-Moon Pearls to smash them down at Little Dingxiang again.

Patriarch Blue Goat laughed heartily, his laughter drawing closer. He took off his own horns and used them as blades as he charged at Xu Yinglong, while simultaneously driving the Purple-Green Double Qi Rings to spin toward him.

Xu Yinglong immediately recalled the Sun-Moon Pearls to meet the Purple-Green Double Qi Rings. The two clashed with a deafening boom, their figures appearing hundreds of li away. The purple and green qi spun, cleanly slicing through an underworld mountain peak. The sun and moon hung in the sky, melting the mountaintop into liquid.

Patriarch Blue Goat and Xu Yinglong darted through the mountains, coming and going like lightning.

Long You the Freeholder, Shao Niangniang, and the others rose into the air to meet the four judges. At the same time, Xu Feilong, Xu Xiaoshu, and the other four ancestral masters charged out of the city. The former sect leader Xu Feilong had just reached the city outskirts when he saw a group of strange figures, both old and young.

These strange figures had various bizarre patterns on their bodies. These were the shamanic ritual markings from the Great Shang dynasty.

They walked toward Lingzhou City, activating their mystical arts as they moved. The shamanic ritual markings on their bodies seemed to come alive. Their bodies also changed rapidly, transforming from human forms to divine forms, like gods descending to earth!

"The ghost clan experts from Heavenly Pool Kingdom!"

Xu Feilong was alarmed. The ghost clan experts were charging fiercely. There were as many as sixteen or seventeen of them at the Great Ascension realm!

"Take the clansmen and leave!" Xu Xiaoshu shouted.

The four old men each split up, each leading a group of clansmen as they charged in different directions.

The ghost clan experts also rose into the air, intercepting and blocking them. They stopped the four old men one by one. The remaining Xu clansmen immediately fled in all directions.

At that moment, on the wilderness outside the city, Celestial Court gates appeared one after another. Talisman masters from Red Mountain Hall streamed out of the gates. Each had a ball of flame floating in front of them—Thousand-li Communication Talismans.

"Cheng Qi, Tian Yue'e, head to the hour of Zi direction. Madam Hua Li, Tianyang Child, head to the hour of Chou direction. Ren Hang, Yuan Shan, head to the hour of You direction."

Inside the minor heaven, Yang Bi sat on a high platform, having a panoramic view of Lingzhou for a thousand li. Commands came from his mouth one after another, doing everything possible to wipe out the Xu family's cultivators.

When Little Dingxiang unfurled the Staff of the Human Emperor, his deployment had already begun.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Capital of Xinxiang, inside the imperial city, Chen Shi had already ascended the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. He was receiving the worship of the civil and military officials. The coronation ceremony was halfway through. It was now time for him, as the True King of the Western Ox New Continent, to lead the civil and military officials to the Altar of Heaven, to offer sacrifices to heaven, earth, gods, and spirits, and to confirm his legitimacy.

Surrounded by his courtiers, he walked toward the Altar of Heaven. The melodious sounds of bells and chime stones echoed through the air, one slow, one fast.

"In the Jiajing year 6648, the tenth month, the third day, the Successor King Chen Shi proclaims to heaven and earth:"

At the Altar of Heaven, Chen Shi held incense, bowing to heaven and earth. His voice echoed over Xinxiang.

"Former kings blazed trails through thorns and brambles, opening a path to survival. They built cities with blood and bone, illuminated the world with soul-fire, slayed evil spirits, repelled the Black Sea, led the heroes, and strained to prevent the heavens from collapsing. But treacherous villains took power, Despair Slope fell, and the gods beyond the heavens vanished. Now, I, your subject Chen Shi, ascend the throne, carrying forward the former king's will..."

Quanzhou, the Li family.

Sect Leader Li Xiaozai saw that the Ministry of Rites had sent Li Tianqing. A smile appeared on his face. He accepted the declaration of war and issued orders: "Someone! Immediately contact the other great clans and ask for reinforcements!"

"Pass my orders! Request the Li family gods in the underworld to aid in battle!"

"All Li family disciples, hear my command! Prepare for war!"

After conveying his orders, he said to Li Tianqing, "Minister of Rites, war is about to break out. Please leave the battlefield."

Li Tianqing walked out of the city, turning back to look at the ancestral land of the Li family.

In the underworld beneath Quanzhou City, Chen Shi's skeletal body walked forward, dragging the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. Behind him were the countless armies of the Heavenly Pool Ghost Kingdom. The Fu Bird tribe spread their wings and took flight, all activating the Blood Lake Sutra.

At the same time, in the mortal world, Scholar Zhu activated the Yin-Yang Sun-Moon Rings, leading thousands of Red Mountain Hall talisman masters.

Little Duan Immortal walked ahead, meeting Li Xiaozai.

"The mountains and rivers are vast and boundless, mottled with the people's wounds; the sun and moon are dim, the spirit wounded, and righteousness is not upheld."

At the Altar of Heaven in the Imperial Capital of Xinxiang, Chen Shi's voice continued to echo.

"I, your subject, do not wear the crown and crown, fearing to bear the blood and tears of the myriad people; I do not step on the golden steps, fearing to betray the former king's teachings.

"I, your subject, having ascended the throne, wherever my sword points, evil spirits shall all be slain; wherever my banner goes, the myriad people shall be of one heart. If the darkness comes again, I am willing to use this body as a torch; if calamities descend once more, I am willing to use this soul as a barrier!"

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