Chapter 599: Senior Martial Brother from Golden Turtle Island

"Sir, something unusual is happening at Yi'an Immortal City in Feng'an Commandery."

A group of Thunder Ministry divine beings and heavenly soldiers and generals from Feng'an Commandery saw from afar that the Purple Heaven Vine had risen from the ground amidst the pouring rain, its leaves enormous, spanning over a hundred mu in area, blotting out the sky and covering the sun, suppressing the heavenly Dao of Feng'an Commandery. They could not help but be greatly alarmed and hurried to see Long Huang.

"With the purple vine suppressing the Great Dao, even our divine path is being suppressed for the time being!"

A divine being said rapidly, "We noticed that Chao Huang, the guardian of Yi'an, was activating his Dao Realm to borrow power from heaven and earth and the Thunder Ministry, but he was blocked by that purple vine!"

Long Huang was the divine guardian of Feng'an Commandery, responsible for divine duties, managing the deities and the operation of the Celestial Way in Feng'an Commandery, and did not interfere much in mortal affairs. Upon hearing this, he said, "Is that so? Let me take a look!"

He came to the front of the divine palace and looked into the distance toward Feng'an Commandery, saying, "The thunder clouds there are dense, quite dark. I cannot see clearly."

The Thunder Ministry divine beings under his command exchanged glances.

These Thunder Ministry divine beings were experts at summoning clouds and rain. Any one of them, if sent out, could disperse the thunder clouds and stop the thunderous rain. Why did the divine guardian say he couldn't see clearly? If he couldn't see clearly, dispersing the thunder clouds would do the trick.

"Sir, would you like us to disperse the thunder clouds?" A divine being tested the waters.

Long Huang said, "That thunder cloud is extremely fierce. Who knows if there are accomplices of the Clay Bodhisattva case hidden inside? That immortal who cast the spell to summon rain might be hiding in Feng'an Commandery!"

Upon hearing this, all the divine beings felt a chill of fear.

Long Huang said, "Don't be hasty about this matter. Send someone to notify the Divine Lord and Master Ge, and send someone else to gather the heavenly soldiers and generals of our Feng'an Commandery Thunder Ministry. I want to muster troops and review them. Only after we are fully equipped will we go to punish the criminals!"

A divine being said, "Chao Huang, the guardian of Yi'an, might not be able to hold on..."

Long Huang shot him a glance, kicked him, and sneered, "Chao Huang is the guardian of Yi'an, but I am still the divine guardian! Can he control me? If I tell you to go, then go! If you slack off in battle preparations again, I'll behead you first!"

That divine being stammered obediently and dared not say another word.

Soon, the heavenly soldiers and generals of the Feng'an Commandery Thunder Ministry were ready. Long Huang reviewed the formation before the ranks, ordered the flags to be waved, activated the formation, checked its variations, and inspected the thunder crows, thunder horses, thunder chariots, and fire thunder formation.

In this manner, half a day passed. Long Huang glanced over and saw that the thunder clouds shrouding Yi'an Immortal City had dispersed, and the Purple Heaven Vine had also shrunk rapidly, soon vanishing without a trace.

Only then did he lead his troops, riding thunder clouds and riding thunder chariots, hurrying toward Yi'an Immortal City.

Yi'an Immortal City was in complete chaos, with cries and wails everywhere. Chen Shi had killed Chao Huang, Black Pot had slaughtered all the immortals of the Chao family, and those immortals related to the Chao family by blood or marriage had also been killed by the vicious dog.

When Long Huang led his army to Yi'an Immortal City, Chen Shi and Black Pot had already left.

In the immortal hall where the Chao family had been entertaining guests, it was a complete mess. Many young women were hiding in corners, trembling. There were footprints on the low tables, and the delicacies in the bowls and plates had been messily grabbed. It seemed that after killing people, the two ruffians had returned to the scene and gorged themselves at the banquet. Beside them were more than a dozen jade wine vessels, and the jade vessels were already empty.

"Did you see clearly who the criminals were?" Long Huang grabbed a disciple of the Chao family and barked.

"We saw them clearly!"

That Chao family disciple said, "It was the heavenly soldiers from the soldier camps a few days ago, and a black dog, committing murder!"

"Slap! Slap!"

Long Huang slapped him twice across the face and shouted, "Be more specific! Did you see clearly who the criminals were?"

That Chao family disciple, dazed from the beating, said again that it was Chen Shi and Black Pot. He was slapped twice more, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and dared not speak again.

Long Huang cast aside that Chao family disciple and said, "This person knew the facts but refused to report, shielding the criminals. Take him to prison, give him the whip, hang him up and beat him. I don't believe he won't confess!"

Two divine beings stepped forward, seized that Chao family disciple, and locked him up.

"Tie up all those who know the facts and send them to prison for proper treatment!"

Long Huang issued orders, saying, "They are shielding the criminals. Only under torture will they confess!"

The divine beings and heavenly soldiers and generals under his command immediately began making arrests, capturing more than half of the Chao family. Seeing the situation turning bad, the other Chao family members quickly slipped away. They were then treated as fleeing criminals by Long Huang and arrested as well.

After much commotion, Master Ge finally arrived, unhurriedly.

Long Huang hurriedly paid his respects to Master Ge, saying, "Sir, the criminals killed Chao Huang, the guardian of Yi'an. These people knew the facts but refused to report, and have already been arrested by this subordinate. They are about to be sent to prison!"

Master Ge looked at him and saw that this crooked-faced dragon king was full of righteous indignation, and suddenly found him much more pleasant to look at. He said, "Shielding criminals who killed Celestial Court officials is no small crime. Long Huang, you must interrogate them carefully. Do not let any clue slip by."

Long Huang understood the implication: "This minor deity will not disappoint Your Excellency's cultivation!"

Master Ge nodded slightly, noticed that a maidservant was warming wine at her bosom, immediately picked up the wine jug, and casually gave her a squeeze. Soft, smooth, and fragrant. He then left with the wine jug, took a long drink, and laughed, "Good wine! What wonderfully smooth and refreshing wine!"

Chen Shi put away the small temple and the Purple Heaven Vine. Black Pot landed beside him. Taking advantage of the rain, Chen Shi raised his hand to wipe the blood plasma off the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler. Chen Shi dispersed the thunder clouds, parted the dark clouds to reveal the clear sky, and with Black Pot following behind, they headed toward the Heavenly River ferry crossing.

"Only now can this case be considered closed." Chen Shi smiled.

At that moment, a sword light suddenly came flying. Without hesitation, Chen Shi activated his Profound Heaven Sword Qi. The two strands of sword qi split into yin and yang and met that sword light head-on.

"Clang!"

The moment the sword light collided with the Profound Heaven Sword Qi, a monstrous killing intent surged forth. Chen Shi immediately sensed that his Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture techniques had been broken. His heart jolted, and he saw that sword light, which annihilated everything, seep in through every gap, breaking through his Profound Heaven Sword Qi and surging toward him!

Black Pot stepped across to block in front of him. The Heavenly Cycle Fire Domain rose instantly. He activated the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler and met that red sword light.

"Boom!"

That red sword light struck the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler. In an instant, the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler became enormously huge, standing between heaven and earth, hundreds of li thick.

Black Pot's body also became immensely towering, his head touching the sky, his feet planted on the ground, clouds wrapped around his waist. Yet he was knocked backward by the power of this single sword strike, along with the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler!

By this time, Chen Shi had already recalled his two strands of sword qi and was about to activate the eighth stance of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture, Heaven's Net Smashing the Sundered Sky.

Heaven's Net Smashing the Sundered Sky was the strongest technique he currently mastered. The ninth stance, Primordial Chaos Cleaving, he had not yet mastered.

At the same time, his palm flipped, and two Fulou Village medicinal pills appeared in his palm. With a flick of his finger, one pill flew toward Black Pot and was caught by him.

Black Pot's body shrank back to its original size. His other hand gripped the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler, which had also shrunk accordingly, and he was slightly startled. This iron rod was actually a bit rough to the touch.

He looked down and saw that the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler had actually been pierced by that red sword light, leaving a sword mark!

This situation had never been encountered by either Chen Shi or Black Pot.

The Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler was a magic treasure refined by the immortals of the Great Shang during the Great Shang Era of Western Ox New Continent. When the Great Shang Era perished, this treasure had still not been completed. It was not until sixteen thousand years later that the treasure was finally refined.

Since its completion, the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler had rarely met its match. It was not the most powerful immortal artifact in Western Ox New Continent, nor the one with the most profound Dao techniques, but it was absolutely the hardest and heaviest immortal artifact in Western Ox New Continent!

Now, the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler had encountered that red sword light and had been damaged.

"Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture!"

A voice came, "You really are a disciple of Golden Turtle Island! Junior martial brother, Jiang Guo greets you."

Chen Shi was just about to take the Fulou Village medicinal pill when he heard this and immediately stopped. He followed the sound and saw a young man walking over, wearing cloth garments, straw sandals on his feet, and a willow wood hairpin in his hair. It was that Golden Turtle Island youth, Jiang Guo.

This person's clothes looked very old, probably washed many times, with the collar edges and cuffs faded white. On his feet were straw sandals, one with a toe sticking out on one side, and two toes on the other.

The red sword light that had attacked them was a peach wood sword. Because it had been ritual-refined for too long, it had developed a patina and turned blood red.

The peach wood sword was only three inches long. After flying back, it hung from a jade pendant on his waist. The jade pendant was of ordinary quality, not valuable, and the carving was mediocre. It was carved into the shape of a tiger head.

Black Pot stared at his wooden sword, finding it hard to believe. This tiny peach wood sword had actually damaged the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler. It was truly inconceivable.

What shocked Chen Shi was something else entirely: "I'm his junior martial brother? How do I not know about this?"

"Junior martial brother, you used the Purple Heaven Vine to suppress the Dao Realm of Chao Huang, the guardian of Yi'an, preventing him from mobilizing the power of the heaven and earth Great Dao and from borrowing the divine power of the Thunder Ministry deities, and killed him in one strike. Truly fine methods."

Jiang Guo walked over, his eyes flickering, and said, "However, you have violated the heavenly laws by killing a Celestial Court official without authorization. That is a capital offense. You are quite bold!"

Chen Shi said warily, "Is Senior Martial Brother going to report me?"

His mind stirred slightly. The power of the Dao Ruins Dao Realm, the Well Dao Realm, and the heaven and earth Great Dao of Western Ox New Continent were all mobilized by him!

Jiang Guo's cultivation and strength were simply too great, forcing him to be cautious. The power of that single sword strike just now had broken the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture, forcing him to consider using the Fulou Village medicinal pills to enhance his own aptitude and comprehension before he could have any confidence in facing Jiang Guo.

Black Pot also tensed up. As long as Chen Shi gave the order, he would immediately take the medicinal pill and, with his extraordinary intelligence, join forces with Chen Shi to fight Jiang Guo together!

Jiang Guo seemed not to notice their hostility. He smiled slightly and said, "Report you? You and I are fellow disciples of the same sect. Why would I report you? This Celestial Way is complete nonsense, the heavenly laws are full of holes, the heavenly principles and regulations are as good as nonexistent, and the Great Celestial Venerable of the Celestial Court is even more incompetent. Would I report my own blood brother for a bit of reward money from the Celestial Court?"

"Blood brother?"

Chen Shi was even more confused and probed, "Daoist brother Jiang, have you mistaken me for someone else? To be honest, I only recently ascended from the lower realm to the Celestial Court. I have never been to Golden Turtle Island."

Jiang Guo smiled slightly and said, "The Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade that you displayed is one of the supreme arts of my Golden Turtle Island."

Chen Shi suddenly understood and laughed, "Brother Jiang, you are truly mistaken. In the lower realm, I came across the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade by chance, and also obtained the Blood Lake Sutra, comprehending the blade techniques from the blade. I truly am not a disciple of Golden Turtle Island."

"No. You are."

Jiang Guo said seriously, "The Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade is a deity of my Golden Turtle Island, deliberately left in the ancestral land of the Divine Continent, hoping that one day it might find an outstanding successor. You truly are a disciple of my Golden Turtle Island, and a fourth-generation disciple at that. Your seniority is extremely high!"

Chen Shi was somewhat bewildered. The Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade had come from the ancestral land of the Divine Continent to Western Ox New Continent. Were all these also arrangements of Golden Turtle Island?

If the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade was like this, then what about the Yin Yang Qi Bottle?

And could the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace also be a scheme of some powerhouse in the Earth Immortal Realm?

"Zhong Wuwang left Western Ox New Continent a long time ago. He couldn't have been captured by the master of the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, could he? Grandpa and the others should have arrived in the Earth Immortal Realm long ago as well, yet there's been no news of them. Could they have been captured by the master of the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace?"

He felt somewhat uneasy, always feeling there was something fishy about this.

Especially Golden Turtle Island. This Jiang Guo, who came from Golden Turtle Island, called him junior martial brother at every turn, with an enthusiasm that was almost excessive!

Jiang Guo said, "What is Junior Martial Brother's name?"

"Chen Shi."

Jiang Guo broke into a smile and said, "Junior Martial Brother Chen, the Dao techniques of our Golden Turtle Island lineage are profound and unfathomable. The Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture you displayed just now was already quite formidable, but it still cannot compare to that sword technique I used earlier. That sword technique is the inheritance of our Golden Turtle Island."

Chen Shi was indeed deeply impressed by that technique of his and said, "Perhaps only the ninth stance of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture could match your technique. But I do not know the ninth stance."

Jiang Guo laughed, "The Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture is not bad, but even its ninth stance cannot compare to the inheritance of our Golden Turtle Island. I am currently traveling for experience, seeking to comprehend the method to break through and cultivate to become a True Immortal, so I cannot bring you back to Golden Turtle Island for the time being."

He thought carefully and said, "I am not far from the True Immortal Realm. I expect that in a few more months, I will be able to cultivate to become a True Immortal. How about this: I will accompany you to the Celestial Court, and after I break through, we will immediately set off for Golden Turtle Island."

Chen Shi hesitated.

Seeing this, Jiang Guo immediately understood his concern and laughed, "The Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade is merely a low-tier supreme art of Golden Turtle Island. With Junior Martial Brother's intelligence and talent, you will certainly be able to comprehend even better supreme arts!"

Chen Shi was quite tempted and agreed.

Jiang Guo let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thunderclap Mystic Province is very far from the Celestial Court. We must set off immediately. There is no time to waste. When we reach the Celestial Court, we can also go to the Immortal Execution Platform and watch them behead Chu Xiangxiu."

Chen Shi said, "We can take a boat from the Heavenly River ferry crossing and return to the Celestial Court very quickly."

Jiang Guo laughed, "Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand li. Taking a heavenly boat is not as good as walking. If we walk the whole way, passing through other provinces, first, we can appreciate the magnificent scenery of heaven and earth, and second, every province has fairy mountains where visiting immortals can stay temporarily. There we can regulate our breathing and recover our vitality. It doesn't cost any money."

Chen Shi looked him up and down and praised, "Senior Martial Brother is truly noble-minded... Senior Martial Brother, is it that you don't have money to take the boat?"

Jiang Guo was somewhat embarrassed. His slightly impoverished toes curled against the straw sandals, and he mumbled, "It's not that I don't have money. It's just that when traveling for experience, one doesn't need to bring much. Otherwise, how would it be an experience?"

"I am a heavenly soldier, so taking the boat is free. The Celestial Court pays monthly wages, and I have nowhere to spend them. I can pay the boat fare for Senior Martial Brother."

Chen Shi said, "Senior Martial Brother, shall we take the boat together to the Celestial Court?"

"Good!"

Jiang Guo agreed readily.

They arrived at the Heavenly River ferry crossing. The boatman verified the heavenly soldier tokens of Chen Shi and Black Pot and let them board the star raft. When he saw that Jiang Guo also wanted to board the boat, he looked him up and down and stretched out a hand to stop him: "You cannot board this boat!"

Jiang Guo stood beside the star raft, his toes curling into his straw sandals. Chen Shi hurriedly paid the boat fare, and only then did the boatman allow him to board the star raft.

He sat by the edge of the boat, somewhat ill at ease, and mumbled, "Junior Martial Brother, how much is the monthly wage of the heavenly soldier camps? Once I earn some money, I will pay you back."