On the Path to the Great Dao

"So this is the Demon Emperor?"

Immortal Xi, Immortal Ping, and the others couldn't help but burst into laughter. Immortal Ping shouted, "Chen Shi is no more than eighteen years old and hasn't even achieved Dao Unification yet. How could he possibly be the Demon Emperor that even the Celestial Venerable fears? Senior Brother Feng, you've truly lost your mind."

Immortal Xi said, "You've been corrupted! Come back to Despair Slope with us quickly. There's still hope for you!"

Chen Shi looked at these people with confusion. He wasn't unfamiliar with Feng Ruotong. They had met several times, and Chen Shi had always admired Feng Ruotong greatly. But now, Feng Ruotong had bound so many people and brought them to seek an audience with him. It left him somewhat puzzled.

Although the two weren't enemies, their relationship had never been this close either.

Feng Ruotong said, "Does Your Majesty know that the Celestial Venerable murdered Immortal Kou and Zhong Wuwang?"

Chen Shi nodded. "Zhong Wuwang came to see me and told me about it. The Celestial Venerable is the culprit behind the world's calamitous transformation."

The four immortals were stunned, then Immortal Ping shouted, "Full of crap!"

Immortal Xi yelled, "Senior Brother Feng, he's the Demon Emperor, slandering the Celestial Venerable! Don't believe him!"

Chen Shi gave a faint, wry smile. "Relying on you immortals who achieved Dao Unification in the True God Dao Field? Or on me, a mere Spirit Refining Realm cultivator? Immortal Feng, your idea is certainly good, but the moment you reveal that you know the Celestial Venerable's identity, the next moment, you will cease to be immortals."

He shook his head. "For the Celestial Venerable to destroy the small worlds you unified with Dao is child's play. Let me take you to meet someone who can tell you just how dangerous your idea is."

Feng Ruotong was taken aback for a moment, then followed Chen Shi.

The Celestial Way Walker beside him lifted Immortal Xi and the others and quickly caught up.

Before long, they arrived at a residence within the imperial city. Chen Shi knocked on the door. A voice came from inside: "Who is it? One moment."

The door opened, and Feng Ruotong looked at the Daoist who had opened it. He was stunned, then suddenly exclaimed, "Daoist Qingyuan, didn't you already leave this world?"

Qingyuan Daoist saw Feng Ruotong and looked puzzled. "You are?"

"I'm Feng Ruotong!"

Feng Ruotong said joyfully, "Don't you remember me? Ah, I was just a child back then, only a little over ten! I'm fourteen thousand years old now! You even taught me how to cultivate!"

Qingyuan Daoist recalled him, both surprised and delighted. He laughed, "You're that Shang citizen! I remember you. When I was building Tiandao City, you came to work. You almost turned into a ghost clan member! Later, I brought you to Despair Slope. You stayed there all this time?"

Seeing an old acquaintance, especially an elder, Feng Ruotong was ecstatic, feeling like a child again. "It's me, that Shang citizen! After you left, I stayed in Despair Slope and eventually became an immortal there! Daoist Qingyuan, where have you been all these years?"

Qingyuan Daoist sighed. "I was imprisoned by the Celestial Venerable, who forced me to reveal the whereabouts of the four great continents: Western Ox, Eastern Victory, Southern Continent, and Northern Kuru. I knew that if I spoke, I would surely die, so I stubbornly refused to confess. He had no choice but to bind me and throw me beyond the heavens. Later, by sheer luck, I encountered His Majesty the True King and was rescued."

He sighed again, showing a wry, helpless expression. "After I escaped back here, before I could recover much of my cultivation, the world's calamitous transformation occurred, merging the Yin and Yang realms. The Celestial Venerable found me again and captured me. Seeing that I still wouldn't confess, he exiled me overseas. By fortune, I was rescued by His Majesty the True King once more, and so I came here with him to recuperate."

Feng Ruotong was also shocked by his bizarre experiences. How could there be such coincidences in the world? Qingyuan Daoist had been exiled twice by the Celestial Venerable and rescued twice by Chen Shi both times.

The territories beyond the heavens and overseas were vast and boundless, yet they still managed to meet. It was truly strange.

Chen Shi said, "Daoist Qingyuan participated in the construction of Despair Slope back in the day and is very familiar with it. After the Shang King sacrificed himself, did he leave behind ministers to guard Despair Slope?"

Qingyuan Daoist replied, "The Shang King left behind eighteen ministers. Despair Slope was extremely important. Firstly, it allowed monitoring of the world, detecting demonic transformations, calamities, and catastrophes across the land in the shortest time possible and dealing with them promptly. Secondly, it enabled observation of the Shang King's Primordial Spirit status for timely sacrifices, preventing any mishaps."

Immortal Xi, Immortal Ping, and the others frowned.

The function of Despair Slope as described by Qingyuan Daoist was somewhat different from what the Celestial Venerable had taught them.

In the Celestial Venerable's account, Despair Slope also monitored the world, but its primary focus was on watching the people for any actions that might threaten the Celestial True God. If any were found, they were to be eliminated immediately. As for demonic transformations, calamities, and catastrophes across the regions, Despair Slope rarely interfered. Most of the time, they left various disasters for the people to handle themselves. If the people couldn't manage them, after a hundred days, Despair Slope would mobilize the True God's gaze to slay the demons, calamities, and catastrophes.

As for those ancient temples of the Chinese deities, they were to be destroyed upon discovery, without waiting until the next day!

Although they found it somewhat strange, these were the rules of Despair Slope.

Now, it seemed that the rules Qingyuan Daoist described were far more reasonable.

Chen Shi pressed on, "Later, Shang Prince Ziyu built the Bronze Great Wall to besiege Despair Slope. The Shang Prince was killed by the Celestial Venerable. When you entered Despair Slope, did you see these eighteen Shang dynasty ministers?"

Qingyuan Daoist shook his head. "I didn't see them. After I entered Despair Slope, I only saw the Celestial Venerable."

He hesitated for a moment. "I originally thought the Shang Prince planned to eliminate the eighteen ministers and seize Despair Slope. I went there to mediate, unaware that the eighteen Shang ministers were already dead."

Feng Ruotong asked, "How do you know they were dead?"

Qingyuan Daoist said, "When I rescued the Celestial Venerable, I discovered that in the True God Dao Field, the small worlds they had unified with Dao were all shattered. I even saw the corpses of a few of them. I personally buried those Shang ministers, right there in Despair Slope. When I saw those corpses, I realized I had saved the wrong person. I originally planned to retreat without a sound and leave Despair Slope, but the Celestial Venerable saw through me. He told me that he was Xun Jiangmu, that he had killed the Shang ministers who maintained order in the world and slaughtered the Shang king's court. If I tried to escape, he would kill me too."

Feng Ruotong asked, confused, "Xun Jiangmu?"

Qingyuan Daoist said, "He is the culprit who caused the world's calamitous transformation and destroyed the Great Shang era."

Immortal Xi opened his mouth as if to speak but stopped himself.

He still couldn't believe that the Celestial Venerable was the culprit Xun Jiangmu, but a voice inside him told him that what this Qingyuan Daoist was saying was probably true.

Qingyuan Daoist continued, "Back then, he was dressed as a Shang citizen, with shamanic ritual markings on his body. He looked like any Shang citizen. I suppose he used this guise to infiltrate Despair Slope and catch the eighteen Shang ministers off guard, killing them. Those eighteen ministers were extremely powerful, Celestial Way Immortals. Unfortunately, the Celestial Venerable destroyed the small worlds they had unified with Dao, dropping their cultivation levels, and then killing them became easy."

Immortal Ping, bound tightly and face down on the ground, still shouted, "The Celestial Venerable never once said his name! You're lying!"

Qingyuan Daoist said, "I wouldn't know about that. I was coerced by him into building Tiandao City, and when I met Feng Ruotong, I brought him to Despair Slope. When the Celestial Venerable saw Feng Ruotong, he was very pleased and had Feng Ruotong call him the Celestial Venerable. After that, he never used the name Xun Jiangmu again."

Immortal Ping shouted, "I don't believe a word you say!"

Qingyuan Daoist replied, "Whether you believe me or not is none of my concern. Once I recover my cultivation, I will leave this world and roam freely."

Immortal Ping snorted, his eyes darting around. "Chen Shi, you deliberately found this mad Daoist to spin lies and deceive us. We won't fall for your tricks!"

"Stubborn to the core!"

A woman under Feng Ruotong's command bristled with killing intent and shouted, "Immortal Feng, kill them, or they'll leak the information!"

Immortal Ping stuck out his neck stubbornly and shouted, "Do as you please! I will never believe your bullshit!"

Immortal Xi hesitated. "Daoist Ping, I think there might be some truth to what they're saying..."

Immortal Ping turned his head with difficulty and glared at him angrily. "You believe them? Just because of a few words from this stranger, you believe them? They could sell you, and you'd count the money for them! This Chen Shi is the Demon Emperor, an expert at deception!"

Immortal Xi suddenly saw the light. "I shouldn't have listened to rumors and doubted the Celestial Venerable."

"These few senior uncles and aunts, it's best to kill them!" a nearby Celestial Way Walker suggested.

Immortal Xi laughed. "Killing us would only prove that you are controlled by the Demon Emperor and deeply corrupted by demonic nature!"

Immortal Ping shouted, "That's right! Old Dog Feng, if you kill us today, when the Celestial Venerable removes your demonic nature in the future, you'll regret it!"

Feng Ruotong said to Chen Shi, "Your Majesty, why not manifest your Dao Field to silence their clamor?"

Chen Shi focused his mind and manifested the Yin-Yang Dao Field.

Immortal Xi was about to continue shouting, but when he saw this Dao Field, he was suddenly stunned.

Immortal Ping and the other two immortals were still cursing, but Immortal Xi came to his senses. Lying on the ground, he kicked Immortal Ping a few times and shouted, "Look, look at the yin-yang changes in this Dao Field! This is not a demonic Dao Field!"

Immortal Ping and the others stopped their curses and carefully examined Chen Shi's Yin-Yang Dao Field.

After a moment, Immortal Ping's voice trembled. "The Western Ox New Continent... is there hope?"

Immortal Xi wanted to nod, but fearing the immortal sword wrapped around his neck would cut off his head, he suppressed the urge and said, "There is hope!"

The other two immortals suddenly lost their Dao Heart and were moved to tears.

Tears streamed down Immortal Ping's face as he murmured, "When will he achieve Dao Unification?"

Immortal Xi's eyes also reddened. "The day he achieves Dao Unification, the evil aura will completely dissipate."

Feng Ruotong focused his mind and withdrew the Immortal-Binding Rope and immortal swords, then asked, "Is King Chen still the Demon Emperor?"

The four immortals exchanged glances and each shook their heads.

Feng Ruotong sneered coldly. "Am I, Feng Ruotong, still Old Dog Feng?"

Immortal Ping, shamefaced, said, "I was just joking. Please don't take offense, Senior Brother Feng."

Even so, he still found it hard to believe. "Could it really be that the Celestial Venerable is that culprit, Xun Jiangmu?"

Just then, the eunuch Xiao Chengzi came to report. "Outside, three strange-looking Daoists have arrived. The one leading them calls himself Civil Officer Wen. He requests an audience with Immortal Feng."

Hearing this, Feng Ruotong looked at Chen Shi, and Chen Shi happened to look back at him. Their thoughts aligned: "Civil Officer Wen has also come to defect."

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