Chapter 603: Fellow Villagers, Don't Panic

Chu Xiangxiu and the Earth God of Feng'an Commandery stepped forward. Though neither knew exactly how Chen Shi had managed to free them from Heavenly Prison, they both bowed in thanks nonetheless.

Chen Shi helped them up, smiling, "If not for the external Dao and cultivation techniques imparted by Fellow Daoist Chu, how could I have moved the noble figures in the Celestial Court to secure your release? Fellow Daoist Chu need not thank me."

Chu Xiangxiu suddenly understood. So this was why Chen Shi had asked him to teach those techniques and the external Dao - he had intended to use them as leverage to save him all along.

In the distance, several Golden-Armored Warriors were approaching.

Chen Shi poured wine for Chu Xiangxiu, chuckling, "They should be the ones coming to escort you to the great Ni Li World. This cup celebrates your fortune turning from misfortune, your escape from prison."

Chu Xiangxiu reached out and took the cup, his hand trembling slightly. The tall, thin young man's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say. He toasted Chen Shi, then tilted his head back and drained the cup in one go.

Chen Shi poured another cup, smiling, "And don't worry about your master. The position of Earth God of Feng'an Commandery remains vacant. To put your mind at ease, the Celestial Court will surely reappoint him."

Chu Xiangxiu raised the cup once more, saying, "Thank you." Then, he downed it in another single gulp.

Whether it was the harsh liquor burning his throat or something else entirely, tears rolled down both sides of his cheeks as he tilted his head back to drink.

Chen Shi poured yet another cup, saying, "Your journey to the great Ni Li World will surely bring you merit. When you return to the Celestial Court in the future, Fellow Daoist, you will certainly have achieved both fame and success. Today we part, and who knows when we shall meet again. Allow me to use this modest wine to see you off."

Chu Xiangxiu drank another cup, feeling a burning sensation in his chest as he set the cup down. He had never been good with words, and at this moment, he didn't know what to say either. The only words that kept tumbling from his lips were repeated thanks.

The several Golden-Armored Warriors drew near, and one of them spoke, "Chu Xiangxiu, you have been conscripted into service. Follow us immediately to the Heavenly River ferry crossing."

Chu Xiangxiu asked, "And my master?"

That divine envoy replied, "Your master has his own assignment. He was originally the Earth God of Feng'an Commandery, so he will return there to serve as Earth God."

Chen Shi chuckled, "If I may trouble you divine envoys to wait a moment, I have a few more words for Fellow Daoist Chu."

Though the divine envoys were impatient with Chu Xiangxiu, they were perfectly courteous toward Chen Shi. The leading envoy said, "Young Master Chen, speak as you wish. A few moments make no difference."

Chen Shi expressed his thanks, then said, "Fellow Daoist Chu, you once recognized at a single glance that I too hail from the Dark Sea and carry the external Dao. This has puzzled me greatly. I have cultivated since childhood. Though I dare not claim perfect wisdom, I consider myself quite intelligent, yet to this day, I have not detected any external Dao within myself. Might you enlighten me?"

Chu Xiangxiu nodded readily, "The reason I could tell you come from the Dark Sea and carry the external Dao is that I sensed within you an aura similar to my own. When I traveled to the Ni Li World back then, I endured many hardships to find that place, suffered greatly, and finally achieved Dao Unification with heaven and earth. My understanding of the external Dao of the Ni Li World runs far deeper than most, which is why I could perceive it."

Chen Shi sought further instruction, "What sort of aura is this similar aura?"

Chu Xiangxiu pondered for a moment, unsure how to articulate it, then said, "How about this? I will use the Great Dao of Ni Li to manifest my divine abilities and exchange blows with you, attempting to stir the Dark Sea external Dao within your body. What do you think?"

Chen Shi agreed.

He had long witnessed Chu Xiangxiu's fearsome power. With a single technique of Great Dao pollution, he could force even the Gold Immortals of Feng'an Commandery to transform into clay figures!

Even the Golden Body of the Bodhisattva of Great Strength in Feng'an Commandery had fallen victim, its golden body destroyed, reduced to a Clay Bodhisattva.

Even the Evil-Repelling Banner of the Evil-Repelling Court under the Thunder Ministry could barely hold out. Chen Shi and Black Pot working together could only last two days before being turned into clay figures.

Among all the people and things Chen Shi had encountered, none could match Chu Xiangxiu's sinister and bizarre Dao techniques - not even the Celestial Venerable. The only exception was the primordial insect.

During this exchange, neither summoned the power of their Dao Realms, relying purely on their own strength.

Chu Xiangxiu's technique was called the Ni Li Sutra of the World's Passage. He had already taught this technique to Chen Shi in its complete and original form, and the divine abilities that accompanied it, Chu Xiangxiu had also shared without any concealment. Yet even so, when Chu Xiangxiu struck out this time, Chen Shi was still shocked!

The same Ni Li Sutra of the World's Passage, when unleashed from Chu Xiangxiu's hands versus from Chen Shi's hands, could not be compared at all.

The world before Chen Shi's eyes twisted and sank, rising from all directions, curling toward him, drowning him utterly!

He stomped his foot, and the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture erupted. The Yin-Yang Dao Field spread outward, stabilizing the violently churning world, using yin and yang qi to reverse this bizarre Ni Li Dao Field.

The moment their Dao Fields collided, Chen Shi immediately sensed that Chu Xiangxiu's cultivation base was far more profound than his own, and his understanding of the Ni Li external Dao exceeded Chen Shi's grasp of the dual paths of yin and yang.

His Yin-Yang Dao Field not only failed to reverse and assimilate the Ni Li Dao Field, it was actually being invaded instead, gradually absorbed into the Ni Li Dao Field!

The only saving grace was that this assimilation was slow. Complete absorption would take as long as two days.

In terms of Dao Fields, he had already fallen behind.

And had the two been fighting for their lives, they certainly wouldn't have needed two days. In perhaps a single brief moment, victory and defeat, life and death, would have been decided.

"My yin and yang qi have already been cultivated to the point of union, transformation, mutual sustenance, and primordial harmony. Even the master of the Yin Yang Qi Bottle might not surpass me in the dual paths of yin and yang. Does this mean that if the master of the Yin Yang Qi Bottle encountered Chu Xiangxiu, he too would suffer?"

This thought flashed through his mind like lightning, even as his palm turned over and he unleashed the Azure Dragon's Roar to meet Chu Xiangxiu's attack.

"Boom!"

Their palm forces collided, the overwhelming might of their Dao techniques blossoming freely. Chu Xiangxiu's body swayed, drifting backward. As his steps landed, the earth beneath his feet churned and exploded repeatedly, dispersing the terrifying power of Chen Shi's seal.

Chen Shi's sealing technique carried the Dao power of the Eastern Azure Dragon, surpassing Chu Xiangxiu's in raw strength. His hand bones were nearly shattered, his forearm bones almost snapped. Had he not dispersed this force, he would likely have bled from all seven orifices from the shock.

But at the moment their palm forces collided, Chen Shi saw clumps of mud strike his Dao Field, invading it like flowers formed from mud.

These mud-like flowers seemed to sprout countless hair-thin filaments, invisible to the naked eye, penetrating his Yin-Yang Dao Field and eroding the Dao patterns within.

Chen Shi's heart leaped with alarm. This was the first time he had encountered such a bizarre phenomenon.

Soon he saw that within his Dao patterns, thread-thin traces of mud had appeared.

This discovery made his hair stand on end.

Chu Xiangxiu checked his retreat and came at him again. The two exchanged blows at lightning speed, trading dozens of Dao techniques and divine abilities in a short span.

Chu Xiangxiu was shaken until both arms could no longer lift, his ten fingers trembling, blood seeping between his fingers and from his tiger's mouths. His five viscera were also somewhat damaged. He quickly called out, "Enough, enough! Surely you can sense the external Dao within your body now?"

Chen Shi stood there when he suddenly felt warmth at his nostrils. He raised a hand to wipe it away - and found mud on his fingers.

What was flowing from his nose was actually mud!

He realized his vision was also growing blurry. Mud was seeping from his eyes as well!

This was how dangerous it was to trade blows with Chu Xiangxiu. If one couldn't kill him within a short time, one would be invaded by his external Dao, and before long, transformed into a clay figure!

Chen Shi's mind was in turmoil, but he quickly steadied himself, closing his eyes to introspect his Dao Field.

The mud that Chu Xiangxiu had struck into his Dao Field had spread its hair-thin filaments, eroding more than half of Chen Shi's Dao patterns. This was why mud was leaking from his eyes and nose.

But as Chen Shi observed closely, he noticed something strange. Within his Dao Field, the filaments radiating from the mud were not invincible. In certain places, a bizarre power was actually contending fiercely against this external Dao!

Chen Shi was greatly astonished.

Every Dao pattern in his Dao Field had been cultivated through bitter effort, polished day and night, until he had forged his Dao Field to such formidable strength.

He had never known that his Dao Field contained such a strange and extraordinary Dao power!

Where did this Dao power, capable of contending with the Ni Li external Dao, come from?

Just as he had this thought, he saw that strange Dao power also dividing into strands and threads, marching to battle against the Ni Li external Dao. The two sides were like famed generals deploying troops and formations, equally skilled in offense and defense, trading blows back and forth.

This peculiar Dao power within his body was actually gaining the upper hand, gradually refining and dissolving the Ni Li external Dao's power!

This did not necessarily mean that the strange Dao power within him could defeat the Ni Li external Dao outright - after all, this was his home territory, and Chu Xiangxiu had also ceased his attack, giving Chen Shi time to refine away the Ni Li external Dao.

After a moment, Chen Shi opened his eyes. The mud in his vision gradually faded, his pupils slowly returning to clarity.

Chu Xiangxiu was quite delighted, laughing, "You've noticed the Great Dao from the Dark Sea."

Chen Shi still didn't quite understand, murmuring, "I don't even know where this Dao power came from. I don't recall ever cultivating such a method."

He reflected on his life thus far. Aside from the time of his death, when he had cultivated the demonic Dao in the underworld, every other moment had been spent cultivating techniques from the Divine Continent and methods from the Great Shang Era.

His Dao techniques were primarily based on yin and yang qi and the demonic Dao. None of them contained such sinister, uncanny power!

Chu Xiangxiu thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps when you achieved Dao Unification in the Dark Sea, the heaven-earth Great Dao of the Dark Sea invaded your body."

Chen Shi shook his head, "My method of Dao Unification is different from others. I did not unite with the heaven-earth Great Dao; rather, I allowed the heaven-earth Great Dao to unite with me. It should not be possible for a foreign heaven-earth Great Dao to invade me."

Chu Xiangxiu shook his head in turn, "When you achieved Dao Unification, the heaven-earth Great Dao came to unite with you. What if that included Daos that were not within your yin and yang qi? When such Daos came to unite with you, could you truly convert them all into yin-yang Daos?"

Chen Shi's mind trembled violently, and he murmured, "My method of Dao Unification has a flaw. This is how the Dark Sea external Dao invaded me..."

His thoughts immediately turned to when he had used the Celestial True God as his Divine Embryo and achieved Dao Unification with Western Ox New Continent. Had he been invaded by the external Dao back then?

Chu Xiangxiu said, "How can this be called an invasion? When we cultivators achieve Dao Unification, do we not also draw nourishment from the heaven-earth Great Dao? You simply cultivated this external Dao unintentionally - it is not an invasion by the Great Dao. If this counted as invasion, then every immortal would have been invaded."

Chen Shi felt somewhat reassured upon hearing this.

Even as they spoke, that strange Dao power within Chen Shi's Dao Field continued to expel and refine the Ni Li Dao power, gradually restoring his vision to normal.

Chu Xiangxiu took his leave of the Earth God, waved at Chen Shi, and followed the divine envoys toward the West Heaven Expanse.

One of the divine envoys remained behind, escorting the Earth God to the Thunderclap Mystic Province.

Soon, only Chen Shi and Black Pot remained outside the Heavenly Prison.

Chen Shi frowned slightly, introspecting, and found that the cleansing within his Dao Field was already in its final stages. The refining speed was faster than he had anticipated.

"Chu Xiangxiu helped me detect this Dao power, but he never explained how to cultivate this external Dao or how to use it. I'll have to explore it on my own."

Chen Shi sighed. Though he had discovered this Dao power, the pressure on him had not lessened. He still didn't know the nature of this external Dao, or whether having it remain within his body was a good thing or a bad one.

The Earth Immortal Realm viewed external Dao as ferocious beasts and floods - something everyone was duty-bound to eradicate. Only a rare few, such as the Eastern Prince, believed that the external Dao was an opportunity for the immortal path to advance further.

"The Eastern Prince's vision and insight surpass mine a hundredfold! Since he too considers it an opportunity, then I need not trouble myself with needless worries."

Chen Shi brought Black Pot and hurried back to the Celestial Way Residence, taking out the Fulou Village medicinal pills. He thought to himself, "These medicinal pills can help me comprehend the Western Ox New Continent external Dao! Speaking of which, I achieved Dao Unification in Western Ox New Continent and was invaded by the external Dao. Black Pot also achieved Dao Unification in Western Ox New Continent, though in the demonic domain of the underworld. Was he invaded by the external Dao as well?"

He initially intended to examine Black Pot's Dao Field in detail, but quickly dismissed the thought.

"Black Pot already looks like an external Dao himself."

Chen Shi consumed a Fulou Village medicinal pill and felt his wisdom surge explosively. He immediately devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying the Western Ox New Continent external Dao.

However, even with greatly enhanced wisdom, that strange Dao power within his Dao Field remained abstruse and difficult to comprehend. By the time this pill's medicinal power was exhausted, Chen Shi still hadn't found any thread to follow.

He took another pill and continued his contemplation.

By the time he had used up all the Fulou Village medicinal pills, four or five days had passed. Finally, he managed to grasp some small thread of insight from that strange Dao power.

Chen Shi's spirits soared. With a subtle thought, he entered his Dao Ruins Dao Realm.

He hadn't visited in many days, yet the Dao Realm remained peaceful and serene. Chen Shi came to the well and peered inside. The demonic Dao world within the well was still there, and that demonic tree remained as well, seemingly having sprouted a few flower buds.

Chen Shi descended into the world within the well and examined the demonic tree carefully. They were indeed flower buds, though still far from blooming.

He left the demonic world within the well, exited his Dao Realm, and arrived at Fulou Village.

The villagers of Fulou Village all set down their work and turned to look at him in unison.

"He's here again!"

"Didn't he just come by the other day to bully and extort us?"

"The back mountain can accommodate a few more burials!"

...

Chen Shi walked into the village with a smile, nodding to everyone in greeting.

"Quack!" A duck waddled up to him, stopped, and looked up at him with its head tilted.

Chen Shi felt that this duck's gaze was rather unfriendly.

The villagers' gazes were also rather unfriendly.

Chen Shi reached out, grabbed the duck by the neck, hoisted it up, and gave it two sharp slaps across the face.

The duck immediately became much more docile, listlessly laying a duck egg for him. Chen Shi accepted the egg, set the duck down, and looked around with great satisfaction.

Meeting his gaze, the villagers' hearts skipped a beat, and they quickly averted their eyes.

The duck also waddled off dejectedly, tail drooping.

"Fellow villagers, don't panic! I'm not here to collect rent!"

Chen Shi beamed, plucking a bright red peach from a roadside tree. The mischievous boy Bolu stared at the peach, drooling. This was the immortal peach he'd had his eye on for ages, but it had never fully ripened. He'd been waiting for it to ripen before eating, never expecting Chen Shi to beat him to it.

Chen Shi wiped the fuzz off the peach, took a crisp bite, and walked smiling to the Azure Stele.

"Still refining pills?"

Chen Shi munched on his peach and called out with a laugh to the burly man at the furnace, "Are they done yet? I'd like to sample your pills again."