On the Path to the Great Dao

As the Celestial Venerable's mind shook with shock, Wu Qi had already transformed into a towering giant of ten thousand zhang, one hand lifting the Yin Yang Qi Bottle. The precious bottle descended from the heavens, its mouth spanning a hundred mu in size, casting down a swath of radiant light. Sun and moon formed the sky, mountains and rivers formed the earth, and it crashed down with overwhelming force.

The Celestial Venerable instantly felt as if an entire world were pressing down upon him, forcing his body to sink continuously, smashing him from the sky straight into the ground!

Wu Qi had seized the moment of his distraction, raising the Yin Yang Qi Bottle overhead and overturning it. With a raise of his hand, mountains and rivers rose together, sun and moon soared, and boundless radiant light swept the Celestial Venerable toward the mouth of the bottle!

The Celestial Venerable lost his footing and fell into the world within the bottle. As the Yin Yang Qi Bottle drew the world within it back, he found himself involuntarily flying toward the jade bottle.

The Celestial Venerable remained calm in the face of danger. He immediately flew toward the heavens beyond, attempting to escape this world. As long as he could fly out before this world returned to the bottle, he had a chance at survival!

He had been alarmed by the Celestial True God's demonic transformation and had come out to investigate the cause.

His eyes were extraordinarily powerful, known as the Celestial Way Divine Eye, capable of seeing through all transformation arts. Now his pair of eyes swept across the scene, instantly taking in the transformations of Chen Shi, Chen Yindu, Little Duan Immortal, and the others. The bearded youth that Wu Qi had transformed into naturally could not escape his gaze either.

At first, when he saw Chen Shi and the others, his heart swelled with joy. He felt they had delivered themselves to his doorstep, saving him the time of hunting down these thorns in his side. But when he saw Wu Qi, he was genuinely taken aback.

Wu Qi was dead—he had killed him with his own hands!

But this Wu Qi before him now—who was he?

He had clearly ground his bones to dust and scattered his ashes. Where had another Wu Qi come from?

It was this brief tremor of shock that allowed Wu Qi to seize his opening.

His figure was incredibly swift. In an instant, he crossed countless mountains and rivers, racing tens of thousands of li, while simultaneously using his immense magical power to suppress this world of mountains and rivers, slowing Wu Qi's ability to retract it.

Wu Qi sensed his attempt to flee and roared. His body was enveloped in intricate shamanic ritual markings as he pushed the Immortal Art of Immortality to its limit. The flow of the world within the bottle quickened somewhat, but the Celestial Venerable's magical power was simply too vast. He suppressed the world within the bottle, making it impossible for Wu Qi to retract it in a short time.

"Trying to flee? I'll refine you to death first!"

He activated the power of the jade bottle, and the world within it transformed into a sea of fire. The Celestial Venerable flew through the flames, his heart sinking heavily.

He had experienced the might of the Yin Yang Qi Bottle before.

When the True King had set foot on Despair Slope for the second time, the most powerful treasure among the artifacts he brought was the Yin Yang Qi Bottle. The True King had come with hostile intentions, planning to force him to surrender control of the Celestial True God and rekindle the True God's eyes to save the world.

However, the True King's power was far too inferior to his own. Before he could even make a move, the Celestial Venerable had executed him. The Yin Yang Qi Bottle thus fell into Despair Slope's possession.

Back then, he had already recognized this treasure as an immortal artifact forged by a Tai Yi Golden Immortal, extremely formidable.

Later, when Feng Ruotong used this treasure against him, nearly melting his legs, he became even more aware of its power.

Wu Qi's strength surpassed Feng Ruotong's. Feng Ruotong was merely a false Gold Immortal—his Dao Unification realm was only one-eighteenth the size of the True God Dao Field, with meager cultivation, nowhere near Wu Qi's level. Wu Qi wielding the Yin Yang Qi Bottle absolutely had the power to kill him!

He struggled to fly outward. Even the layers of sea of fire could not block his path. But strangely enough, even though the world within the bottle was the Dao Realm of a Tai Yi Golden Immortal, he should have escaped by now at his speed. Yet the sea of fire before him stretched on without end!

Divine light shot from his eyes—the so-called Celestial Way Divine Eye. He instantly saw through the layers of flames, revealing that at the edges of this world, yin and yang energies intertwined, constantly generating new heaven and earth.

However fast he flew, the yin and yang energies evolved new heaven and earth just as quickly!

"Trying to scheme against me? Dream on!"

The Celestial Venerable activated the Compendium of Desolate Enlightenment. Wind and thunder converged, flesh sprouted beneath his armpits, and in an instant, wind and thunder Dao patterns gathered together, forming feather after feather. The feathers took shape as wings!

He spread his wings, his body transforming, and in the span of a few breaths, he went from a normal person to a giant of ten thousand zhang.

His wind-thunder twin wings grew along with him.

"Crack!"

He beat his wings, and wind and thunder roared in unison. His body practically crushed everything around him as he hurtled forward!

Wu Qi's expression turned grim. He activated the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, marshaling all his magical power to push the imprint of yin and yang giving birth to all things that Chen Shi had laid down to its absolute limit!

The Celestial Venerable raced through the flames. Countless mountain peaks came rushing at him and flashed past in an instant. Even the vast ocean surface was gone in the blink of an eye. His speed was pushed to the extreme. His wind-thunder wings had already gone soft from being refined by the yin and yang energies, on the verge of melting. Suddenly, before his eyes appeared the magnificent spectacle of yin and yang giving birth to all things.

The Celestial Venerable gritted his teeth and beat his wings to fly onward. Wind and thunder erupted behind him, and then the pair of wings dissolved and disintegrated in the flames!

"BOOM!"

The Celestial Venerable's body burst through the coverage of the Yin Yang Qi Bottle. His enormous frame tumbled and rolled before crashing into a fairy mountain, shattering it into pieces!

Wu Qi flew over. With a whoosh, the world was drawn back into the bottle. He then raised the Yin Yang Qi Bottle once more, and radiant light surged from within, descending upon the Celestial Venerable.

The Celestial Venerable's expression changed drastically. He was about to summon the Celestial True God, but the Celestial True God had already been demonically transformed by Chu Feng and was no longer under his control.

He dodged aside, but stumbled, his legs having gone soft from the burns.

The Yin Yang Qi Bottle truly lived up to its reputation as a Tai Yi Golden Immortal's treasure. Even the Compendium of Desolate Enlightenment could not withstand it!

"There's still the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace!"

As the radiant light of the Yin Yang Qi Bottle swept toward him, the thought had just crossed his mind when he caught sight of Little Duan Immortal trying to stuff the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace into a small temple, but it wouldn't fit.

Beside her stood seven Celestial Way Immortals, who were simultaneously trying to compress the furnace smaller while staring over in shock.

In the blink of an eye—from the moment he had exposed Little Duan Immortal's identity, to Wu Qi striking ferociously and suppressing him with the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, to his escape from its suppression—only two or three breaths had passed.

Those Celestial Way Immortals were still puzzling over why the Celestial Venerable had called Gong Wanqing an abomination, still shocked by Wu Qi's attack, and had yet to stop Little Duan Immortal.

"These bastards!"

The Celestial Venerable dodged the Yin Yang Qi Bottle's radiant light again, putting distance between them. With no time to snatch the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace, he sneered, "Wu Qi, you've been lurking in Despair Slope for days, waiting for this very moment when the True God would be polluted, isn't that right? Wu Qi, you disappoint me greatly. The Celestial True God nurtures heaven and earth, raises all living beings, and is also the king of Great Shang. To deal with me, you actually had the heart to demonically transform him. It seems you truly have fallen to the demonic path!"

Wu Qi stopped his pursuit, suspending the jade bottle in the air with its mouth facing downward. His expression was indifferent: "As long as I can eliminate you, I am willing to try any method."

His aura surged, and behind him, a Dao Realm slowly manifested.

It was a wondrous immortal realm, with a Yue Heng Gate standing at its center, known as the Realm of Fortune and Virtue.

This was the Dao Realm of Xu Wu Yue Heng Heaven, an achievement of Gold Immortal cultivation.

Having cultivated to Gold Immortal, the grade of his Dao Realm had reached the seventh heaven among the Thirty-three Heavens—Xu Wu Yue Heng Heaven.

The Celestial Venerable's expression shifted slightly. He said, "You lurked into my Despair Slope without being detected. Someone in Despair Slope must have guided you. The one who guided you must be brilliant beyond measure, able to comprehend the mysteries of the Celestial Way Divine Eye in order to blind it."

He turned his head, sweeping his gaze toward Zhong Wuwang, and said with a half-smile, "Wuwang, oh Wuwang. What a good child you are. I thought you had truly gone mad!"

In the distance, Chen Shi and Zhong Wuwang were racing toward the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace.

Zhong Wuwang heard the Celestial Venerable's voice and couldn't help but shiver several times. His expression shifted between emotions, and he suddenly said, "Chen Shi, I'll go rescue the princess. You go observe the Celestial Venerable's weaknesses!"

Chen Shi was about to turn and leave when he suddenly saw a Divine Embryo fly out from behind Zhong Wuwang's head, coming toward him.

Zhong Wuwang said, "You... you're a bit smarter than me, so the Innate Dao Embryo might work a bit better in your hands than mine. But remember, the Innate Dao Embryo is only lent to you. After this battle is over, you return it to me!"

The Divine Embryo radiated dazzling light, resembling a miniature Celestial True God, containing immense power. It resonated with Chen Shi, making him feel the wound at the back of his head throb with pain again.

This Divine Embryo was the Innate Dao Embryo!

"The Innate Dao Embryo was originally mine to begin with!" Chen Shi said angrily.

Even so, he raised the small temple behind his head. The Innate Dao Embryo flew over, landed in the temple, and took its seat upon the miniature shrine.

Zhong Wuwang charged toward the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace, his voice carrying back: "The Innate Dao Embryo was snatched by my master and given to me. At this critical moment, I'm lending it to you. You should be grateful to me, not try to claim my property as your own!"

He met the seven immortals surrounding Little Duan Immortal, blocking one Celestial Way Immortal, and shouted, "Fellow daoists, hear me out! The Celestial Venerable is not the Celestial Venerable—he is the culprit who has plunged the world into demonic corruption!"

The seven immortals were both shocked and furious. One female immortal angrily rebuked, "Wuwang, you've been blinded by Demonic Energy! How dare you speak such treasonous words! Without the Celestial Venerable's teachings, who among us at Despair Slope would be where we are today?"

Another immortal roared, "Anyone could be an evil spirit, but never the Celestial Venerable! Zhong Wuwang, if you dare block us again, don't blame us for being merciless!"

Zhong Wuwang joined forces with Little Duan Immortal, struggling to resist, but after only a brief stand, they were suppressed by the seven immortals.

The two circled around the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace, fighting a desperate and grueling battle against the seven immortals.

Suddenly, Little Duan Immortal threw open the furnace lid with all her might and leaped inside.

Seeing this, Zhong Wuwang jumped in after her.

The seven immortals each charged into the furnace. The group passed through the sea of fire and entered the furnace world, where they clashed in the skies above. In the span of a few breaths, they had crossed ten thousand li of open sky.

"Fifth Uncle!" Little Duan Immortal cried out, unable to hold on any longer.

Within the furnace world, countless Creation Little Fives all raised their heads.

Outside the furnace, Chen Shi flew up and landed on a mountaintop. He swept his gaze around and saw his grandfather Chen Yindu on the neighboring peak, preparing to watch the battle.

He calmed his mind and fixed his gaze on the Celestial Venerable.

"Seven possible weaknesses. If the Celestial Venerable reveals even a single one, there's hope for victory. Wu Qi, don't let me down..."

He activated the Innate Dao Embryo, and in that moment, he felt as if his brain had been expanded countless times over, his thinking more agile than ever!

Countless threads of thought surged into his mind—a tangled web of memories from childhood long forgotten, problems he had once been stumped by while studying immortal techniques, a fleeting thought that had drifted past during a recent enlightenment, some divine ability technique, and all sorts of other fragments.

But the next moment, forgotten memories resurfaced, problems were solved as easily as snapping a finger, insights hidden within passing thoughts were awakened once more, and divine ability techniques were completed!

By the time he had worked through all these thoughts, Chen Shi felt his mind clear as jade, perfectly transparent!

"The Innate Dao Embryo is terrifyingly powerful!" he thought to himself, his confidence soaring.

Meanwhile, Yang Bi and Li Tianqing had also arrived at the Jade Qiong Pavilion in the Celestial Way Academy. They sat down cross-legged on the rooftop, gazing at the Celestial Venerable and Wu Qi.

Their hearts surged with emotion, then gradually calmed.

This battle was the most crucial one yet. Whether they could find the Celestial Venerable's weakness all came down to this moment!

"Wu Qi's cultivation is inferior to the Celestial Venerable's, but with the Yin Yang Qi Bottle giving him the advantage and wounding the Celestial Venerable, this battle will surely force out his weakness!"

Wu Qi pushed the Immortal Art of Immortality to its absolute limit. Shamanic ritual markings flowed across his skin, slowly lifting off his body and assembling into various magnificent patterns in the air.

Above his head, radiant light from the bottle flickered in and out.

Behind the Celestial Venerable's head, Daoist light suddenly burst forth—a vast misty haze, yet it could not conceal the divine light within. Amid the mist, a vermilion portal emerged. Thirty-two immortal attendants clad in green robes adorned with brocade, holding golden banners in one hand and Dao scriptures in the other, stood atop the clouds.

The clouds swirled, spanning hundreds of thousands of li, forming a taiji pattern.

The eighth Dao Realm among the Thirty-three Heavens—the Taiji Meng Yi Heaven.

Though he and Wu Qi stood at the same cultivation realm, he was a full Dao Realm higher.

A single Dao Realm's difference was the difference between heaven and earth.

That was the primary reason he could defeat Wu Qi so easily.

Wu Qi showed no fear at all. Suddenly, he shrank his body back to normal size and charged straight at the Celestial Venerable.

What he unleashed was a divine ability inherited from the Great Shang Era. The ability shifted with every change in the shamanic ritual markings on his skin. Each time the markings on his skin changed form, the power of the Great Way manifested as sun and moon, stars, mountains and rivers, waterways and fire, wind and thunder, divine beasts, magic treasures—all manner of forms flying out to smash toward the Celestial Venerable.

He had been the Grand Shaman of the Great Shang court, in charge of all shamanic ritual marking inheritances. The techniques of every race in Great Shang were at his fingertips!

As he unleashed his techniques, the Yin Yang Qi Bottle above his head shifted its orientation accordingly, tracking his movements. The mouth of the bottle always faced the Celestial Venerable, its radiant light pouring forth.

Seeing this, the Celestial Venerable dared not be overconfident. He immediately reverted to normal size as well. A body too large risked being caught by that radiant light and suffering another heavy loss!

He was already wounded, and facing Wu Qi's reckless, life-risking fighting style, he found himself struggling.

In the distance, Chen Shi, Yang Bi, and the others' spirits soared: "The first possible weakness is coming!"

The Yin Yang Qi Bottle's radiant light suddenly veered, sweeping into the Celestial Venerable's Dao Realm—into the Taiji Meng Yi Heaven!

This strike targeted the Dao light permeating the Taiji Meng Yi Heaven.

If the Celestial Venerable's enlightenment was insufficient, he would surely be unable to comprehend the mysteries of the Dao light.

The strike landed. Within the Taiji Meng Yi Heaven, the Dao light was shattered and destroyed. At the same moment, Wu Qi sensed that the Celestial Venerable's qi and blood were flowing poorly. He closed in, forming a sword with his fingers, and thrust it into the Celestial Venerable's heart.

The Celestial Venerable's heart pounded violently, as if countless bolts of thunder were hidden within it, blasting outward and blocking the sword strike. At the same time, within his Dao Realm, the Dao light restored itself to full.

Chen Shi frowned slightly and shook his head.

This weakness was not a weakness at all.

"Six more to go," he murmured.

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