Nanling Town.
Several years ago, the Great Han court had already stationed heavy forces here.
After the imperial decree to attack Heavenly Water Isle was issued, the generals of every division also rushed over from the capital, awaiting orders at all times, fully armed and ready to depart.
Only after arranging matters concerning Heavenly Water Isle did Chen Sanshi return there for one final session of seclusion, then await the arrival of the final moment.
Heavenly Water Isle.
Northern Yang Dao.
Crack—
A captain from Tianyong City lay in ambush within a mountain valley and once again successfully attacked 2 disciples of the Shengyun Sect, then swiftly retreated and vanished without a trace.
At the same time, hidden in the shadows at the scene, 2 figures silently witnessed the entire process.
"Senior Brother Peng, are we really just going to watch?"
Wang Jun watched the blood of his fellow disciples spill across the ground and could not help feeling somewhat unwilling.
"There is a saying among mortals: if you cannot bear to part with the bait, you cannot catch the wolf."
Peng Rui said calmly, "These people are crafty to the extreme. If there is no chance for them to succeed in an ambush, they will never reveal themselves. And if they do not reveal themselves, how are we supposed to find their hiding place?"
Wang Jun could not refute him.
"Chase!"
Peng Rui crushed several talismans, and his whole body directly transformed into a hawk, trailing far behind the captain from Tianyong City.
Wang Jun followed closely behind by using an escape art.
The two pursued him for more than half a day, until they reached halfway up a barren mountain, where they saw with their own eyes that amid the dense forest stood a dilapidated Mountain God Temple.
People were coming and going around the temple. It was plainly the secret base of the "demonic cultivators."
"Good! So they were hiding here!"
Peng Rui achieved his goal and could not help feeling delighted. "Come, let us go back and inform the elder so he can dispatch men and choose a day to avenge Junior Brother Zhang."
With that, the two left, one after the other.
Inside the Mountain God Temple:
"They should have already left."
Su Can said, "Just as Master predicted, they took the bait."
Thud—
Zhou Weizhen tossed away the head of a Shengyun Sect disciple in his hand and said somewhat absentmindedly, "Aren't these people all from orthodox famous sects? Are we really going to wipe them all out?"
"Brother Zhou, have you gone muddle-headed?"
Yu Ji said, "What orthodox famous sects? They are enemies of our Great Han, and their desire to destroy us has never died! If we do not wipe out the bandit sects of Heavenly Water Isle, they will threaten the Eastern Divine Continent in the future."
Zhou Weizhen did not argue, but the look in his eyes was complicated, and he remained silent for a long time.
Dusk Valley.
Cave dwelling.
The Spirit-Gathering Formation was operating beyond its limits, raising the density of spiritual energy in the surrounding heaven and earth by an entire level.
Chen Sanshi sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, greedily drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. After repeated refinement through the circulation of the meridians, it was stored within his dantian.
Looking inward at himself—
Inside the dantian was an immense sea. Strands of mana continuously transformed into rainfall and fell into it, increasing the height of the sea of mana.
Until, at a certain moment, the rain became more and more violent, as though the Milky Way itself were pouring down from the Ninth Heaven into the vast sea below.
[Technique: Swallowing Fire Art · Foundation Establishment Middle Stage]
[Progress: 0/1000]
[Effect: Fire Veins]
[Fire Veins: Possessing multiple flames, one may wield them at will, using them in place of fire veins, continuous and unending.]
Put simply, from this point on, when refining pills, there was no longer any need to rely on fire veins. The spiritual fire he himself cast was equivalent to fire veins, allowing him to refine pills anytime and anywhere.
The greatest use, however, lay in [continuous and unending], which could greatly reduce mana consumption and make him far more enduring in battle.
As things stood now—
Chen Sanshi's martial path was at the late stage of True Force, while his immortal path was at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Combined together, even against a cultivator at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, he would not be at any disadvantage.
If not for Shouzhongzi's existence, he could already run rampant across Northern Yang Dao.
Rumble—
A loud noise came from outside the cave dwelling.
Chen Sanshi flicked his sleeve and opened the window, only to see that the sound had indeed come from the direction of the Great Marsh main peak.
The golden light of the Demon-Smiting Grand Formation had become even more dazzling, almost blotting out the sun within it. Even from a great distance, one could still feel the terrifying might it contained.
There was no time left!
The loosening of the heaven-and-earth seal's restriction would not happen on a perfectly fixed schedule. In other words, within these next 2 months, it could waver at any moment.
The decisive opportunity had arrived.
Chen Sanshi let out a breath of turbid air and formally ended this round of seclusion.
"Little Zhuzi!"
"Your servant is here!"
Dongfang Jingxing answered and entered. "Reporting to Your Majesty, everything has already been prepared. It is expected that within the next few days, the people of the Shengyun Sect will take the bait.
"We have arranged things in the Mountain God Temple for dozens of days now. When the time comes, the Shengyun Sect will have no choice but to send several times as many disciples to surround it.
"With so many disciples trapped, this servant refuses to believe that Shouzhongzi can simply ignore it!"
"Good."
Chen Sanshi paused, and his expression grew several degrees more serious. "Little Zhuzi, do the brothers from Tianyong City know what this means?"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty!"
Dongfang Jingxing said resolutely, "Even if this servant dies, I will still buy a little more time for Your Majesty and the main army!"
"No."
Chen Sanshi shook his head slightly. "After the matter is done, you are to retreat immediately and scatter in all directions. If even 1 can survive, then let that 1 survive.
"If Shouzhongzi really goes to the Mountain God Temple and discovers that he has been fooled, would he simply let the matter drop?
"No. Before rushing back to Daze Market, he will most likely casually wipe out the captains of Tianyong City."
That was right. In this game, the captains of Tianyong City were expendable pieces!
War was cruel. The saying that one general's glory is built upon 10,000 bones was never merely a sigh of lamentation, but an unchangeable fact. Just as before—without the sacrifice of Lieutenant General Yu Song, how could there have been the victory of striking straight into Meishan?
"Little Zhuzi."
Chen Sanshi said in a deep voice, "Go transfer the brothers Yu Ji and Yu Lie away. They need not remain at the Mountain God Temple."
As for the others, such as Senior Brother Wang Zhi and the rest, even if they knew with certainty that death awaited them, they would absolutely never retreat.
More people were going to die again!
The old hatred remained unavenged, and new hatred had already been forged!
When Chen Sanshi issued this decision, he no longer hesitated much, because he knew he had to do it. He had to shoulder the responsibility of guarding the continent.
The current him had already achieved the state of "loving soldiers like sons, using soldiers like clay." He was becoming more and more like a qualified commander, a qualified... emperor!
"It is I—"
Chen Sanshi looked at the sky washed in golden light, slowly closed his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly. "—who am incompetent."
"Your Majesty, why say such a thing?"
Dongfang Jingxing hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is only 40 years old. To immortal cultivators with long lifespans, you are still an exceedingly young junior. Yet Your Majesty is already capable of protecting the peace of an entire land right before their eyes. How can you belittle yourself like this?"
"This is not the merit of me alone."
Chen Sanshi said no more. "Enough. Go quickly."
"Your servant obeys!"
Dongfang Jingxing left at once.
Rumble—
At the same time, another powerful anomaly appeared.
Only this time, it did not come from Daze Market, but from within Dusk Valley.
It was Bai Liangbi!
Chen Sanshi looked toward the cave dwelling of the Bai family patriarch and understood that his breakthrough and emergence from seclusion would happen before dusk today.
"Brother Xiao!"
A familiar voice rang by his ear as Shangguan Siheng rushed over, his tone urgent. "I found it I found it!"
"What did you find?"
Chen Sanshi calmed him. "There is no need to panic, Fellow Daoist Shangguan. Speak slowly."
"The demonic art, the dragon blood..."
Shangguan Siheng seemed to have made a major discovery, to the point that his words became somewhat incoherent. "To be precise, I did not discover it myself!
"It was a Golden Core senior within the Zhuxian Sect who sent word to me across 10,000 miles. He told me that the dragon blood of the Mother-Child Blood Fiend Flood Dragon can be used to refine a dragon puppet!"
"Dragon puppet?"
Chen Sanshi had never seen any related record.
"Do you still remember the habits of the mother-child flood dragon? No matter how high the child flood dragon's realm is, it will still be controlled by the mother flood dragon! Even if the mother flood dragon orders it to die, the child flood dragon will not hesitate in the slightest!"
Shangguan Siheng explained, "Based on this characteristic, someone from the demonic sect created a method for refining dragon puppets.
"One only needs to fuse the blood of the child flood dragon into a person's body, then have that person cultivate demonic arts. Once they reach a certain realm, the person who fused the mother flood dragon's blood can use the bloodline resonance to completely control them, turning them into a puppet with no consciousness at all!
"Combined with the characteristics of the Blood Refining Grand Art, Brother Xiao, you should also be able to guess what their scheme over these years was for, right?!"
"So that is it."
Chen Sanshi had finally pieced it together.
That way, the people from the Demon-Suppression Bureau could make Bai Liangbi voluntarily hand over the Living Earth, then conduct a blood sacrifice and massacre all of Northern Yang Dao, raising the dragon puppet's realm to an even higher level!
When that time came, not only would Shouzhongzi die—even the border of Heavenly Water Isle might suffer a major disaster.
What a meticulous scheme they had plotted!
"Brother Xiao!"
Shangguan Siheng said solemnly, "What should we do next?"
"It is probably already too late, but we should still go take a look first."
As he spoke, Chen Sanshi took the lead and flew toward the patriarch's cave dwelling.
The anomaly of breaking through to the Golden Body Realm was still continuing inside the cave dwelling. Even standing outside the stone gate, one would still be affected by the vast True Force spilling out.
Thick Earth Art!
While summoning a shield to block the force, Chen Sanshi also began destroying the stone gate.
Fortunately, the protective formation of the cave dwelling was only Tier 2. With his and Shangguan Siheng's combined efforts, they broke it open in the shortest time possible.
Bang!
Chen Sanshi smashed the stone gate open with a single punch and charged into the cave dwelling.
Inside the cultivation chamber, Bai Liangbi was floating in midair with both arms spread wide, his meridians rampaging as he underwent the final stage of breakthrough.
Before him, the surface of the Golden Essence Clay Embryo's body was shrouded in countless golden threads, connecting it to the cultivator.
Golden light erupted from Bai Liangbi's body like a vortex, dragging the desperately struggling Golden Essence Clay Embryo bit by bit into his body to be devoured.
A cultivator at the critical point of breakthrough was basically without any combat ability at all.
Because once interrupted, not only could he fall into cultivation deviation, he might even die on the spot, body and soul extinguished.
"Patriarch Bai!"
Chen Sanshi spoke directly. "We have already discovered the problem with the demonic art."
He explained the matter to him from beginning to end.
"No!"
Bai Liangbi suddenly opened his eyes. "I cannot stop!"
"It seems Patriarch Bai is still unwilling to believe it."
Chen Sanshi shook his head lightly.
At this point, he had already done all that righteousness required.
As for how the man chose—whether or not he was willing to become a puppet of demonic cultivation—that would now depend on his own decision.
"I know what you're saying is true!"
Yet unexpectedly, Bai Liangbi did not doubt the truth of the dragon puppet.
His features twisted together in pain, as if he were enduring tremendous suffering, yet he still had no choice but to continue refining the Golden Essence Clay Embryo before him.
"Oh?"
Shangguan Siheng noticed the clue. "Could it be that the bloodline resonance has already begun, and they are trying to control you right now?"
"It feels as if another soul has appeared inside my body!"
Bai Liangbi said painfully. "It is devouring me. It wants to seize this body!"
As the few of them spoke, the disturbance from the destruction of the cave dwelling attracted Bai Linxun, the Bai family's second brother, who had also been standing guard nearby.
"Big Brother?!"
Before his eyes, he watched as scales slowly crept across Bai Liangbi's body, turning him bit by bit into a monster that was neither fully human nor beast. "Big Brother—the one who killed Father was you?!"
"It was me!"
Veins bulged on Bai Liangbi's forehead. "Father arranged it! There's no time to explain now. Second Brother, immediately hand the Living Earth over to the Shengyun Sect, then take the clansmen and flee. Leave Northern Yang Dao!"
"Hand it over to the Shengyun Sect? Big Brother, are you planning to blow this matter wide open?"
Bai Linxun did not doubt his elder brother. He only frowned and said, "Has it really come to this point already?"
"We have no other choice!"
Bai Liangbi roared with bloodshot eyes. "Since they insist on forcing me, then we all die together!"
The dragon blood flowing within his body could sense that the existence suppressing him was rapidly approaching this place.
Buzz!!!
Amid that roar, the Golden Essence Clay Embryo could no longer hold on and was refined into Bai Liangbi's body. Waves of terrifying and violent baleful qi burst forth, while dazzling blood-red light spread across the heavens!
"Retreat!"
Chen Sanshi reacted swiftly and shot backward more than 300 meters in an instant.
Only after the time it took to drink half a cup of tea did all the anomalies finally fade away.
Within the boundless dust, the scales covering Bai Liangbi's body, together with his entire physique, had become dazzling with golden light, like a temple statue forged entirely from gold!
Golden Body Realm!
"They're coming!"
Bai Liangbi's aura had become stronger than ever before, yet his savage face was full of fear, mixed with unwillingness and fury.
Perhaps because of his extreme anger, or perhaps because of the abnormality within his bloodline, he gasped for breath in great gulps. "Second Brother, do as I said!"
As he spoke, he made as if to leave.
"Big Brother?!"
Bai Linxun asked, "Where are you going?"
"Big Brother can feel it—I'm about to stop being myself!"
Bai Liangbi trembled all over, then his body became filled with murderous intent. "Before that happens, I'm going to kill those bastards from the Zhu family and the Qian family!"
Since death was coming anyway, why not drag a few others down with him?!
"Patriarch Bai, wait!
"Rather than dying in fury, I still have an arrangement that might preserve the Bai family. It would kill 2 birds with 1 stone!"
Chen Sanshi suddenly spoke up.
"What? Brother Xiao, speak quickly!"
Bai Liangbi frantically pounded his own head, trying to use the pain to keep himself conscious.
"At this point, then, let us be honest with one another."
With a sweep of his sleeve, Chen Sanshi revealed a white robe.
Under the shocked and suspicious gazes of the others, he said in a deep voice, "Xiao Feng is my alias. You should know my real name.
"I am Chen Sanshi.
"The people of Heavenly Water Isle prefer to call me Chen Lei."