Chapter 108 - 104: You’re Not Thinking of Going Down the Mountain, Are You?

Chapter 108: Chapter 104: You’re Not Thinking of Going Down the Mountain, Are You?

WHOOSH.

Chen Sha felt the formidable True Qi surging through his body, extending to his skin, eyes, nose, tongue, stomach, and throat.

In each of these areas resided a divine light. There were six rays in total, varying in color and size. They sat upright like tiny figures, standing guard and bowing in worship toward him!

He had already subdued the six Divine Spirits within his body.

He thought, "Three months ago, I was already able to gain the upper hand in my duel against the Ancient Transformation Dragon, who was ranked ninth in the world at the time. Even though I had the help of dozens of combat experiences provided by the Cosmic Light Fragments, I wouldn’t necessarily have lost to him in a death match."

In other words, more than three months ago, his strength was already equivalent to the ninth-best Innate Expert in the world.

"Now that my Power has advanced again, I wonder where I rank among the top experts in the world?" Chen Sha pondered internally.

The top ten Innate Experts in the world were all formidable figures in the First-Grade Great Innate Realm. Each of them possessed their own unique strengths; otherwise, they would not have been able to rise above the common masses and stand at the ultimate summit. These ten individuals undoubtedly had their own powerful methods.

Take his mother, Yun Shouxuan, for example.

Her Celestial Demon Aura could draw upon the natural auras of heaven and earth to revolve around her. Once unleashed, it would form a special domain around her body, causing all air currents to become viscous and sluggish. At the time, when Chen Sha was preparing to stop Yun Shouxuan from forcefully opening his father’s tomb, he actually had little confidence in defeating his mother, who ranked sixth in the world.

Just by exchanging a brief blow, he could feel that although his mother’s Power was not as absurd as his own accumulated hundred-plus years of Cultivation...

He noted, "In the First-Grade Great Innate Realm, it’s not just about the depth of one’s Qi Power. One’s Realm is equally important."

The so-called Realm within the First-Grade Great Innate tier referred to one’s comprehension and control of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism and the natural environment. For Martial Arts practitioners, Cultivation typically followed once the appropriate Realm was reached. For someone like the Ancient Transformation Dragon, who forcefully boosted his Cultivation using the Qi Stealing Technique, his Realm simply could not grow fast enough to match it.

Chen Sha originally faced this same problem. However, the Great Yellow Court perfectly resolved it. Every time the Great Yellow Court achieved fusion with a First-Grade Martial Scripture, and he used his True Qi to push the Cultivation of that manual to its peak, it was equivalent to integrating the Martial Arts philosophies of a hundred schools into himself. Because of this, even if his Cultivation rose rapidly, his Realm also elevated accordingly due to the awakening of these Divine Spirits within the Great Yellow Court.

In simple terms, the Twenty-four Gods of the Great Yellow Court represented Chen Sha’s Realm level. For every additional god he cultivated, his comprehension of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism deepened. Meanwhile, the Innate Power within his body represented his Cultivation.

He thought, "Regardless, with my current Realm and Cultivation, stepping firmly into the world’s top ten is not an issue. In the same Realm across this Divine Land, those with the certainty to suppress or kill me can probably be counted on one hand."

Thinking from another perspective, Chen Sha muttered to himself, "I might be able to start trying to clear most of the temples behind the Southern Heavenly Gate one by one now. Even for someone like Zhang Daoxuan, who eventually stepped into the Broken Vajra Realm, the first level is merely the Great Innate Realm. That means, as long as I expend some time, I can clear the first levels of those Great Innates one after another!"

With this thought, he immediately decided to give it a try. Sister Taie, who wrote the "Two Thousand Words on the Broken Great Vajra," was one option. Zhang Daoxuan’s second Chapter, "Three Religions’ Joint Ascension Chart," was another option.

With a flash of thought, Chen Sha arrived in front of Zhang Daoxuan’s temple behind the Southern Heavenly Gate.

"Do you wish to enter the second Chapter, ’Three Religions’ Joint Ascension Chart’?"

"Enter!"

His Heart Spirit was instantly swept into the Cosmic Light Fragments.

The sky was high, and the clouds were sparse. This place was a palace.

The moment he stepped inside, several figures appeared before him. With just a sweeping glance across the palace, Chen Sha’s heart began to pound with alarm. He saw a total of ten entities present in the hall. There were men and women, both old and young. There were monks, Daoists, and an elderly Confucian scholar.

The old Daoist in the yellow robe, Zhang Daoxuan, was one of them. Among them was also a middle-aged Daoist wearing a five-colored Daoist Robe. He possessed a handsome demeanor and surprisingly bore a thirty percent resemblance to Chen Sha.

When Chen Sha appeared out of thin air, someone barked, "Hmm? Who dares to intrude upon this Three Religions Holy Land?!"

Instantly, all ten powerful entities fixed their gazes upon Chen Sha. Their scrutiny intensified upon seeing his face. The transformation in appearance and aura brought about by cultivating the Celestial Demon Strategy was impossible to hide.

A White-Browed Elder Monk shouted explosively, "A demon of the Demon Path actually wants to participate in the Ascension? There is no place for your kind here!"

At the exact moment the White-Browed Elder Monk shouted, Chen Sha felt all ten people in the hall glaring at him with hostility. Simultaneously, a few lines of text from the Southern Heavenly Gate rapidly flashed through his mind:

"The Sect Leader has successfully arrived at the second Chapter, ’Three Religions’ Joint Ascension Chart’...

"There are a total of ten Upper Innate experts in this scenario. Three are from the Hidden Cultivation Lineage: Zhang Daoxuan, Chen Fuyao, and Qii Taizhen. Three are from the Confucian Lineage: Zheng Qiongjing, Zhou Bairu, and Jia Yi. Four are from the Buddhist Lineage: Lantuo Divine Monk, Wujie Divine Monk, Nun Chunyin, and Monk Guangxiao.

"If the Sect Leader defeats these ten key figures in this scenario, he will clear the level and unlock Zhang Daoxuan’s final Chapter, ’Broken Xuandang Mountain’."

Chen Sha stared at these lines of text, the corners of his eyes twitching madly. His gaze lingered on those few words that were as bright red as blood: "Ten Upper Innate experts..."

That meant he had to fight ten First-Grade Great Innate experts all at once.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

BOOM!

Instantly, an invisible, tremendous force surged from the ten individuals, feeling as if the entire sky had suddenly collapsed and smashed into Chen Sha’s chest.

PFFT!

In a split second, Chen Sha took the combined attack of the ten Great Innates in the hall head-on.

He opened his eyes in the Sect Leader’s room, wearing an expression as if he had just sustained internal injuries from holding his breath.

He thought, "So this is the Three Religions’ Joint Ascension Chart? They probably gathered every single Innate Expert of that world into that palace!"

It was an absolutely surreal lineup! Chen Sha couldn’t help but rub his forehead. The faint sense of accomplishment brought by his recent breakthrough in Power instantly vanished like a popped bubble under the combined strike of those ten Great Innates. He had just entered and had barely spoken a word before being brutally beaten out.

He thought, "With such a surreal lineup, I’ll probably have to wait until my Twenty-four Gods all reach Great Success. Only then... might there be a sliver of a chance to clear it."

Chen Sha shook his head and sighed. He had initially thought the Three Religions’ Joint Ascension Chart would merely be a few sects gathering to discuss matters. He never in his wildest dreams imagined it would be a scene like that.

"Forget it. I should go out for a walk."

He had originally planned to check out Sister Taie’s Chapter, but this heavy blow to his confidence changed his mind. Having been in secluded Cultivation for over three months, he decided it was best to step outside for some fresh air.

The moment Chen Sha ended his seclusion, the many Elders and Song Yu received the news immediately.

"Sect Leader, you’re finally out of seclusion!" Song Yu let out a massive sigh of relief. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but notice that Chen Sha’s face and aura had become exceptionally handsome, with a striking, fair complexion. "Chen Sha, you..."

Almost at the same time, Lin Qingqing, who had also arrived at the hall, said in surprise, "Master, you’ve become even better looking!"

Chen Sha stood in the hall. Although his loose, dark black Daoist Robe remained unchanged, his skin and facial features had become incredibly refined. The stark contrast between his black robe and fair skin radiated an intimidating charm from his entire being.

The group of Elders all stared at him, completely entranced.

Chen Sha shook his head. This was the uncontrollable aspect of the Celestial Demon Strategy. Anyone who cultivated it would inevitably undergo changes in their physical appearance, magnifying their image and charm regardless of gender. These were purely cosmetic alterations. Unless he wore a human skin mask as a Disguise, there was no way to conceal his striking looks and aura.

He didn’t respond to Lin Qingqing’s remark. Instead, he looked at Song Yu and asked, "You just said I’m finally out of seclusion, and judging by your expression... did something happen while I was away?"

Brought back to their senses by Chen Sha’s words, the crowd refocused. Song Yu hurriedly replied, "During the few months you were in seclusion, Miaolian went down the mountain to look for Liting. While down there, she heard a piece of news regarding Long Zaitian, the Demon Saint ranked fifth in the world..."

As he spoke, he also brought up the fact that Yun Shouxuan had been injured by Long Zaitian.

"Long Zaitian injured my mother?" Chen Sha frowned. "When did this happen?"

Song Yu quickly answered, "Just seven days after she went down the mountain. It’s said that the two of them engaged in a fierce battle at Caiyun Manor, a branch of the Celestial Demon Sect in Mengzhou. After the fight, someone saw her returning to the Celestial Demon Sect with an injured arm. To this day, no one knows why they fought."

Chen Sha’s expression darkened. He muttered to himself, "It was probably over the Preaching Demon Gall."

"The Preaching Demon Gall?" Song Yu asked in astonishment. "The Sacred Object of the Demon Sect? Rumor has it that it can help someone..."

Chen Sha interrupted him, saying, "Let’s set that aside for now. First, draft a letter to the Celestial Demon Palace. I want to inquire about the severity of her injuries." He paused for a moment before adding, "No, never mind the letter. I..."

Chen Sha fell deep into thought. She was his last living relative in this world. Not long after they had finally met, she had been injured. If he hadn’t seen her before, he might have been able to remain indifferent. But now that he had acknowledged her as his mother... since she had been hurt, how could a son not go visit her, or even seek justice on her behalf?

Song Yu and the others noticed that their Sect Leader was clearly highly concerned about his mother’s injury. They all fell silent. In truth, what they were most worried about was Demon Saint Long Zaitian’s ambition to unify the Demon Path.

Since ancient times, the righteous and the demonic could not coexist, and the factions of the Martial Arts world were clearly divided into black and white. The Dao Yi Sect was already publicly recognized as the number one sect of the Righteous Path. If Demon Saint Long Zaitian truly unified the Demon Sect, Dao Yi Mountain would be the first sect to bear a terrifying amount of pressure.

Watching Chen Sha’s reaction, Song Yu probed tentatively, "Sect Leader, you aren’t planning to go down the mountain, are you?"

Chen Sha clasped his hands behind his back in silent contemplation before replying, "Give me a day to think about it."

Knowing better than to press the issue, everyone tactfully stopped asking questions. After all, the injured person was the Sect Leader’s mother.

Once the crowd dispersed from the Sect Leader’s Hall, Chen Sha was left alone to gaze at the moonlight. With his head bowed in thought and his hands clasped behind his back, he paced around. Before he knew it, he had wandered to the back mountain, stopping before his father Chen Canxuan’s tomb...

The next day, the morning light broke bright and clear.

The many Elders were all waiting for Chen Sha’s finalized decision. In fact, most of them were in favor of it, because as long as Chen Sha went down the mountain, he could revitalize the prestige of the Dao Yi Sect.

Unexpectedly, they received another piece of bad news first.

A letter from the Zhao Country Capital was delivered up the mountain gates. The writer was Yuu Miaolian:

"Liting was framed and has been locked away in Zhao Country’s Celestial Prison. I am currently trying to figure out a way to rescue him. Please send people from the sect to help!!"

Upon reading this letter, the minds of Song Yu and the Elders buzzed uncontrollably. Zhang Liting had gone down the mountain to the Zhao Country to help the Government Office hunt down wanted Martial Arts fugitives, aiming to earn bounties to subsidize the sect’s needs. To think that he would actually end up imprisoned in the Celestial Prison by the very same Zhao Country’s Government Office!

"This is truly a disaster. Hurry and find the Sect Leader to discuss a countermeasure!"