Chapter 554: The True King's Favor

Wu Qi lowered his head to look at the Yin Yang Qi Bottle in his hands. The scene before him felt oddly familiar, but he could confirm that he had absolutely never experienced anything like this before.

"Kill the Celestial Venerable for me, and the favor you owe me will be settled in full." Skeleton Chen Shi said.

Wu Qi rubbed the Yin Yang Qi Bottle and said in a deep voice, "Even if you didn't ask me, I would still kill the Celestial Venerable. Killing the Celestial Venerable doesn't count as repaying my favor to you. Thank you for this bottle. I owe you two favors now."

Skeleton Chen Shi thought for a moment, then said, "Let's just make it one favor. If it's two, I'd feel a bit guilty."

Wu Qi looked at him with confusion, not understanding why he would say such a thing.

"These past few days, I have been searching for the whereabouts of the Shang people. I traveled far and searched long, but never found them. When I arrived here, I originally thought the people living here were just ordinary ghost clan members. I never expected them all to be Shang people."

Wu Qi stood before the royal palace, gazing at the people of the Heavenly Pool Kingdom, his heart filled with emotion as he said, "Under the influence of your Dao Field, they transformed from ghost clan into humans. It made me wonder for a moment whether I had returned to the Great Shang Era. But I discovered that you are not a Shang person, and so I thought, since you are not a Shang person yet you have become the Shang King, I would have to kill you."

Skeleton Chen Shi was startled and looked over at him.

Wu Qi continued, "And you're just a skeleton, not even a human being. I certainly can't let you be the Shang King. I must kill you and choose another Shang King. But before that, I need to select a new Shang King from among the Shang people. So I went into hiding in the Heavenly Pool Kingdom to observe these Shang people."

Skeleton Chen Shi asked, "You've been observing for over ten days now. Who do you think is fit to be the Shang King?"

"You."

Wu Qi sighed and said, "During my time observing, I found that the common people all hold you in the highest esteem. You spread your teachings, passing down the cultivation techniques of Great Shang to them, teaching them spiritual practice. They revere you as they would revere a god. You are the best Shang King. Moreover, you are skilled in the Yin-Yang Dao Field, resisting the invasion of Demonic Energy and protecting them. After much deliberation, no one compares to you. Not even me."

"Perhaps a skeleton Shang King isn't so bad after all."

Wu Qi departed with the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, saying in a deep voice, "I'm going to help. After I die..."

He stopped, turned his head, and asked, "Is there a second Wu Qi that will drop from that vine?"

Skeleton Chen Shi panicked slightly, thinking to himself, "Has he discovered it?"

Wu Qi asked, "Will that Wu Qi not remember my experiences? Will Your Majesty tell him that he owes Your Majesty a favor that needs to be repaid?"

Skeleton Chen Shi burst into laughter. "Wu Qi, you truly deserve to be the number one Great Shaman of Great Shang. You're indeed clever. That Purple Heaven Vine is a supreme treasure. It can bring you back to life twenty or thirty times."

Wu Qi nodded gently and revealed a smile. "Twenty or thirty times, huh. Xun Jiangmu will definitely be frightened out of his wits. If I can't beat him to death, I'll scare him to death!"

He laughed heartily and took his leave.

Skeleton Chen Shi watched him go, deep in thought. The young Chu Feng beside him observed his "expression" and asked cautiously, "Does Your Majesty have something on your mind?"

Skeleton Chen Shi said, "Indeed. Wu Qi's cultivation and strength are far inferior to the Celestial Venerable's. Even with the Yin Yang Qi Bottle in hand, he will surely die on this journey."

Chu Feng was deeply moved and said, "Your Majesty is worried about my master's safety."

Skeleton Chen Shi shook his head. "I'm worried that after he dies, the Yin Yang Qi Bottle will fall into the Celestial Venerable's hands again. With this treasure in hand, the Celestial Venerable is invincible. No one can stand against him."

He glanced at Chu Feng and saw that the boy looked rather dejected. Somewhat displeased, he said, "Wu Qi is your master, but I am also your master. The Profound Yin Nine Heaven Art you cultivate was created by me."

Chu Feng was stunned speechless. Only now did he realize that the skeleton before him was none other than the True King, Chen Shi.

Skeleton Chen Shi paced as he spoke, "I used the Golden Coin That Falls Treasures to ambush the Celestial Venerable once, so I can ambush him a second and third time. Even if the Celestial Venerable kills Wu Qi, I can still activate the Golden Coin That Falls Treasures and snatch back the Yin Yang Qi Bottle. The only problem is that I would have to go myself. But if I leave, there will be no one to guard this place, and the Celestial Venerable will likely strike to annihilate the Great Shang remnants."

If he didn't go, the Yin Yang Qi Bottle would fall into the Celestial Venerable's hands.

The Yin Yang Qi Bottle was important, but the Heavenly Pool Kingdom was equally important.

The people of the Heavenly Pool Kingdom worshiped the Empress of Earth, maintaining the continuous flow of her divine power. Only then could they hold out against the Celestial Venerable's assault.

Skeleton Chen Shi had to remain here to ensure the Heavenly Pool Kingdom would not fall.

Chu Feng mustered his courage and asked, "Master, where is your true body? Why can't your true body go instead?"

Skeleton Chen Shi shook his head. "My true body is still in secluded cultivation, striving for Dao Unification. Without Dao Unification, I have no strength to fight. No matter how powerful the magic treasure or how brilliant the technique, it won't be enough. I am already very close to Dao Unification. Only by achieving it can I have even the slightest chance of victory... Chu Feng, you stay here and guard the Heavenly Pool Kingdom."

"Me?"

Chu Feng was startled.

Skeleton Chen Shi shoved the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade into his hands and said, "The Profound Yin Nine Heaven Art you cultivate is a demonic cultivation technique I created. I will teach you the ninth level technique. Cultivate according to the technique, and when you master this blade, you will not be controlled by it."

He recited the ninth level technique word by word. Chu Feng hurriedly committed it to memory, but in the haste, he didn't remember it all.

Skeleton Chen Shi also tossed him the Blood Lake Sutra and said, "After Wu Qi dies, I will immediately activate the Golden Coin That Falls Treasures to seize the Yin Yang Qi Bottle. At that time, the Celestial Venerable will realize I'm not in the Heavenly Pool Kingdom, and he will immediately activate the flesh in the sky to destroy this nation. You must activate this blade! I left a strand of magical power within it that will sustain three strikes from you, enough to frighten him off."

Chu Feng gripped the sword hilt tightly with nervous hands. "What about after three strikes?"

Skeleton Chen Shi said, "After three strikes, if he still hasn't been frightened off, then you'll have to rely on yourself to swing the blade and fight him to the death."

His figure flashed, and he vanished through the air.

Chu Feng's palms were covered in cold sweat as he nervously watched the sky.

Around the Heavenly Pool Kingdom, there was no flesh in the air. It was very calm, but in the distance, clouds of flesh filled the sky everywhere. Thick tentacles continuously descended from above, like flesh-formed tornadoes, destroying villages along the way and shredding ghost monsters and ghost clan members alike.

"I hope all three of my masters come through this safely."

He steadied himself and diligently studied the ninth level technique.

However, his mind was unsettled. The technique he had memorized moments ago wasn't complete, and now he had forgotten even more of it.

Chu Feng tried hard to recall, but still couldn't remember. He thought to himself, "I might as well practice the Blood Lake Sutra first."

He opened the Blood Lake Sutra, read it carefully, and then began to cultivate.

Skeleton Chen Shi sped through the air like lightning, rushing toward the high mound.

The battle near the Palace of Virtue had already become extremely fierce. The ghost gods of the Yin and Yang realms guarded the Palace of Virtue, fighting against the tentacles attacking from all directions. The Empress of Earth activated the Purple Heaven Vine, blocking most of the attacks. But the power of the Origin Worm was even stronger, suppressing the Purple Heaven Vine and leaving her no chance to attack the Celestial Venerable. She could only focus all her strength on maintaining the Purple Heaven Vine, holding the defensive perimeter.

Even so, one Chinese deity after another continued to fall, their Golden Bodies shattered by the Origin Worm, their divine power dissipating, a trace of their primordial spirit merging back into heaven and earth.

Even so, the Chinese gods still fought to the death without retreating. Lord Guan, the Sage Emperor tried to carve out a bloody path to strike directly at the Celestial Venerable, but just after cutting through a tentacle and breaking out of the encirclement, he was forced back.

The Fire Virtue True Lord charged at the Celestial Venerable, but after only a few steps, a tentacle transformed into a blade sliced him in half at the waist, his divine power scattering.

The Grand Sacrificial Officer had already arrived at the high mound first. From afar, he caught sight of the Celestial Venerable, who was completely absorbed in controlling the Origin Worm to besiege the Palace of Virtue. He immediately transformed into a gust of yin wind and charged straight in, killing his way toward the Celestial Venerable!

He was also of the ghost clan, skilled in underworld spells. His approach was silent and invisible. Just as he was about to close in on the Celestial Venerable, a tentacle suddenly swept toward him out of nowhere, its tip transforming into a long blade, about to cut him in half at the waist!

The Grand Sacrificial Officer had no time to dodge. He immediately activated his shamanic ritual markings to protect his body!

The tentacle-blade swept across his waist, sending him flying back hundreds of li. The Grand Sacrificial Officer looked down and saw that many of the shamanic ritual markings at his waist had been severed, the long blade cutting into his abdomen.

He gritted his teeth, forcefully cut through the tentacle, and charged at the Celestial Venerable once more. But he saw tentacles falling from the sky one after another. Some transformed into spears, striking at him like great masters of spear technique, dancing like great dragons. Others transformed into longswords, their blade light flashing, dueling him head-on like grandmasters of the sword.

Under the Celestial Venerable's control, the Origin Worm's tentacles could transform into various weapons and magic treasures, unleashing inconceivable power, blocking the Grand Sacrificial Officer's advance.

The Grand Sacrificial Officer pressed forward with all his might, his ten-thousand-zhang ghost god form meeting force with force. He stubbornly weathered countless attacks and closed the distance between himself and the Celestial Venerable considerably.

Suddenly, a tentacle transformed into a great axe, swinging down at him like an invisible giant spirit executing a heaven-splitting axe technique. The Grand Sacrificial Officer was about to block it with his physical body when a voice suddenly reached his ears: "You are a descendant of the Sacrificial Officer clan? Is this how you wield the Dao techniques of the Sacrificial Officer clan?"

"CLANG!"

The great axe was shattered by a single palm. The Grand Sacrificial Officer hurriedly looked over and cried out in disbelief, "Grand Guardian!"

Wu Qi tumbled through the air, severing every tentacle he encountered along the way. He killed his way to within ten li of the Celestial Venerable and, from afar, activated the Yin Yang Qi Bottle. The world within the bottle descended!

The Celestial Venerable was caught off guard and was once again covered by the Yin Yang Qi Bottle. He exclaimed in shock, "Wu Qi! You're alive again?"

Both of them were utterly shocked. The Grand Sacrificial Officer had clearly seen Wu Qi killed by the Celestial Venerable, and the Celestial Venerable was even more bewildered. He had already killed Wu Qi several times. Where had this Wu Qi come from?

His mind wavered for a moment, but he quickly steadied himself. Sensing that Wu Qi intended to pull him into the bottle and refine him, he sneered, "Wu Qi, you're out of tricks! I might have feared your Yin Yang Qi Bottle before, but now with the Origin Worm here, you can't do anything to me!"

Countless tentacles surged from the sky, drilling into the bottle's world and surrounding the Celestial Venerable in protection. One tentacle grabbed hold of him and, with a whoosh, yanked him out of the bottle's world!

Wu Qi poured all his magical power into the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, pulling those tentacles toward the bottle. The flesh in the sky was also dragged along, falling into the jade bottle. But he quickly discovered that the Yin Yang Qi Bottle couldn't refine the flesh fast enough. More flesh surged in!

At this rate, even the Yin Yang Qi Bottle would be filled to the brim!

Wu Qi immediately severed the connection to that flesh, preserving the space within the bottle, and charged forward to fight the Celestial Venerable in close combat.

The Grand Sacrificial Officer also rushed in. The two joined forces, charging at the Celestial Venerable.

The Celestial Venerable multitasked, dealing with them while simultaneously controlling the Origin Worm to besiege the Palace of Virtue.

Suddenly, the Grand Sacrificial Officer let out a great cry as a tentacle pierced through his body and lifted him into the sky.

He flailed about desperately, but there was nothing to grab onto. Soon, he vanished into the thick clouds of flesh.

Wu Qi's heart sank, but he fought on fiercely. Yet after only a few exchanges, tentacles of flesh suddenly wrapped around his legs from behind.

The Celestial Venerable struck him in the face with a palm. Wu Qi's brains splattered, and he died on the spot.

The Celestial Venerable snatched the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, shone it at Wu Qi's corpse, and drew the body into the bottle. Activating it, in an instant the corpse was refined into liquid.

The Celestial Venerable glanced sideways at the gods guarding the Palace of Virtue and sneered, "I obtained this without any effort! With this precious bottle in hand, destroying all of you will be easy!"

He activated the Yin Yang Qi Bottle and shouted, "Collect—"

"SWISH!"

A flash of golden light shot past. The Yin Yang Qi Bottle suddenly lost control and tumbled down.

Skeleton Chen Shi rushed in from the side, scooped up the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, stomped his foot, and leaped out of the underworld. Arriving in the mortal world, he sped straight toward the Xinxiang Imperial Capital!

"Wu Qi! Wu Qi! You still owe me a favor!"