Chapter 623: You Deserve a Thousand Deaths

Western Ox New Continent, Xinxiang Imperial Capital.

Chen Tang and the others looked up at the sky, where a Taiji diagram slowly unfurled. The great Dao's radiant light transformed into a yin-yang fish, slowly rotating and enshrouding the entire Western Ox New Continent.

That was the phenomenon created by True Man Zhang using his own understanding of the Dao to mobilize the heaven-and-earth Dao power of Western Ox New Continent, lending aid to Chen Shi.

"True Man Zhang of Wudang truly has such ability," Hu Feifei murmured.

Chen Tang and the others were both astonished and delighted. They had only heard officials of Great Shun say that this True Man Zhang was very formidable and could certainly deal with the Celestial Venerable. They never expected True Man Zhang to actually possess such strength!

"The Divine Continent truly hides dragons and crouching tigers," Yang Bi said in a low voice.

He was even more puzzled in his heart. He had been to the Divine Continent; at present, the Divine Continent was on the outer periphery of the Dark Sea. Although it was not far from the mysterious yellow sea, it had not left the Dark Sea. Since the immortals of the Divine Continent were so formidable, why had they not relocated the Divine Continent out of the Dark Sea?

Li Tianqing gazed up at the sky and wondered aloud, "Who is the True King contending with? It looks as though he's fighting for his life."

Little Duan Immortal felt worry arise in her heart. "He's in an unfamiliar place in the Earth Immortal Realm. I fear he'll be bullied."

Earth Immortal Realm, Eight Immortals Sect.

The mountains were lush and verdant, with many immortal springs among the peaks. Immortal qi flowed and pooled into streams.

Suddenly, a mountain-protecting formation gave off a thunderous clang, violently shaking and nearly breaking apart.

Many disciples and elders of the Eight Immortals Sect hurried forward, desperately reinforcing it, afraid the formation would shatter.

That mountain-protecting formation was shaped like a bell, and dense cracks appeared on its bell wall. The formation was composed of eighteen immortal artifacts positioned in different directions. The artifacts were like urns, their surfaces branded with various strange Dao patterns. Once activated, the Dao patterns on the urn surfaces emerged into the air. The many Dao patterns combined to form the shape of a great bell, precisely covering the mountain range.

Wu Banshan grunted and flew out from between the cracks in the mountain-protecting formation. Just now, he had exchanged a hard blow with Chen Shi, and the one sent flying backward was not Chen Shi but him. This truly stunned him!

He was at the Golden Immortal Realm and had already cultivated to the tenth level of the Dao Realm, Xuanming Gonghua Heaven.

Chen Shi was merely a Celestial Immortal Realm immortal. How could he possibly have knocked him flying?

He steadied his churning blood and qi, and suddenly his surroundings became incomparably bright. Looking up, he saw Chen Shi charging in to kill, purple qi surging, Dao patterns entangling, manifesting Dao manifestations such as the imperial crown, imperial sword, and Imperial Bell. Before him flew ten great suns, and within those suns, golden crows flapped their wings in rapid flight.

The divine ability of the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection, Ten Suns Assailing the Dipper!

Ten Suns Assailing the Dipper assailed the Northern Dipper, assailed Ziwei!

But this divine ability was a type of seal technique, launched as a fist seal to create the spectacle of great suns invading, striking out pure-yang righteous energy and unleashing the great sun golden crows' fierce and domineering power to the utmost!

It looked like ten suns, but was actually fist seals launched by Chen Shi!

Wu Banshan took five successive great sun impacts in a brief moment, his figure constantly retreating. The sixth great sun he could not withstand, and he was sent flying backward, once again crashing with a thunderous boom into the bell-shaped mountain-protecting formation.

On the mountain, the Eight Immortals Sect disciples and elders were repairing the damaged formation. They never expected that before it was even fixed, Wu Banshan would crash into it again. The mountain-protecting formation instantly split into four pieces.

The more than ten immortal artifacts guarding this mountain peak could not withstand the power of two great experts, and burst apart with pops.

Wu Banshan's figure smashed toward the great hall atop the mountain, but he abruptly twisted his body and landed heavily, his feet driving the mountain top into a sudden subsidence, the mountain body shrinking dozens of zhang into the earth.

Chen Shi arrived close behind, the seventh fist seal smashing over. Wu Banshan raised his hand to block. His body shuddered violently, blood seeping from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

In the air, the immortals pursuing Chen Shi descended one after another. Daoist Qian Yi took the lead, raising his longsword and executing the move Autumn Wind and Fine Rain in Jiangnan. Instantly, sword light became as fine and dense as autumn wind rolling up silken rain, turning the surroundings into the color of ink wash as it assailed Chen Shi!

Chen Shi countered with one move, Dividing the Fields of the Constellations, pushing the desolate vastness of "constellations dividing the wild fields, the empty flow pouring into the great wilderness" to the extreme. A host of stars tore apart the sword rain.

Daoist Qian Yi saw before him what seemed like entering the night sky, countless constellations twinkling. The next moment, he was submerged by the constellations, his flesh body full of holes and his Primordial Spirit riddled!

Chen Shi stepped forward, the eighth great sun blasting out. Wu Banshan took it head-on, coughing blood profusely.

Chen Shi twisted sideways to avoid another immortal's attack. Sword qi flew from the sword-nurturing gourd above his head to meet that immortal. That true immortal used the Fox Flicker and Raccoon Step, moving like a raccoon and body like a fox, leaping, hiding, his body technique ever-changing. The next moment, a strand of sword qi pierced through the center of his brows, his body carried up by the sword qi and impaled on the parapet of a building.

"Thwip, thwip, thwip!"

Other strands of sword qi flew over, stabbing into this true immortal's body.

As the sword qi flew out from within him, it transformed into sixty-four moves of the Wind Lord's Irregularity, attacking all the immortals who had landed on the mountain, submerging the host of immortals in it.

At the same time, Wu Banshan raised his hand to receive the eighth fist seal. Both arms snapped with a crack, the broken arm bones piercing through his skin. He watched helplessly as the ninth fist seal blasted toward him, arriving before his face!

In his eyes, a great sun grew larger and larger, filling his vision.

Meanwhile, above, Purple Heaven Immortal Lord also reached out at this moment to grab at the sword-nurturing gourd. This gourd was an exotic treasure grown from the Purple Heaven Vine, and had already become his obsession.

His Dao Realm was propped up by the Purple Heaven Vine, continuously expanding outward as the vine grew, and he had relied on this treasure to survive several Opening the Calamity events. When the Purple Heaven Vine aged and produced the gourd, he cherished it even more. He never expected that Chen Shi would seize the immortal gourd while he was away!

Having lost the Purple Heaven Vine and the immortal gourd, his cultivation strength had also greatly decreased, his Dao Realm shrinking by thirty percent, and the heaven-and-earth Dao power he could mobilize had diminished considerably.

No matter what, he had to seize back the immortal gourd and replant the Purple Heaven Vine!

Just as he grabbed the sword-nurturing gourd, the gourd suddenly became incomparably heavy. Even though he was at the Golden Immortal Realm, he was pressed down and involuntarily plunged downward!

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord landed with a thud, both hands supporting the bottom of the gourd, legs trembling, barely able to stand firm.

A world-shaking boom reached his ears. Chen Shi's ninth fist seal struck Wu Banshan's body, sending this Immortal Lord flying backward. Then the tenth fist seal blasted out. In the sky, it was as if a blazing sun exploded, dazzling light submerging Wu Banshan!

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord could hardly keep his eyes open. Around him, strands of sword qi flew back, whistling, and fell into the immortal gourd.

This sword qi had been ritual-refined from mysterious yellow ancestral energy. With a slight movement of Chen Shi's mind, it became incomparably heavy, falling into the immortal gourd and pressing Purple Heaven Immortal Lord into a grunt, three-flame true fire spraying from his nostrils. He could no longer hold onto the immortal gourd.

The immortal gourd fell to the ground with a thud, pressing this Eight Immortals Sect fairy mountain dozens of zhang deeper into the earth.

Then the immortal gourd lightly and effortlessly flew up, still returning above Chen Shi's head. Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's eyeballs stared so wide they were perfectly round. He had clearly sensed the gourd was terrifyingly heavy, yet when it flew up it was as light as nothing. Truly bizarre.

At this moment, around him came the sound of one body after another collapsing with thuds. Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's heart lurched and he hurriedly looked. He saw that all the true immortals who had landed on the Eight Immortals Sect mountain had been struck by swords without exception, each one deprived of their life!

And in the air, Wu Banshan was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was blasted-through space, like a pitch-black cave mouth, the surrounding space covered in spiderweb-like cracks glowing with scorching light.

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's heart sank.

Ten Suns Assailing the Dipper was merely one move of divine ability. For an immortal, it took but an instant to unleash this move.

From Chen Shi using Ten Suns Assailing the Dipper, launching ten fist seals, to killing Wu Banshan, was no more than a brief instant. And within this instant, he had also killed Daoist Qian Yi and the dozens of immortals who had pursued him to the mountain!

"He blocked me even when I tried to seize the Purple Heaven Immortal Gourd." Purple Heaven Immortal Lord felt bitterness in his heart.

Chen Shi turned around, exhaled a turbid breath, and said in a low voice, "The power to kill a Celestial Venerable at fifty percent, it's actually this strong."

The Celestial Venerable's master lineage made him apprehensive.

The power of the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection far exceeded the cultivation techniques of Wu Banshan and other Gold Immortals!

His gaze fell on Purple Heaven Immortal Lord. Purple Heaven Immortal Lord felt a chill in his heart. Seeing the sword light flickering in the sword-nurturing gourd, he hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, I don't want the Purple Heaven Vine anymore. Please show mercy!"

Chen Shi shook his head. "Do you know why I stole your Purple Heaven Immortal Gourd?"

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord was slightly stunned, not understanding his meaning.

"You refined the magic treasure Reincarnation Jade Plate and had your disciples search everywhere for the souls of mortals. You cast them into the Reincarnation Jade Plate, turned them into beast-people, bee-people, and ant-people, and made them work ceaselessly day and night in your Dao Realm."

Chen Shi said, "After they die of exhaustion, they reincarnate in your Dao Realm, born again as beast-people, bee-people, and ant-people, continuing to toil like oxen and horses for you. You accumulated countless riches and gave gifts everywhere, until you attained your current status and wealth."

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord asked, puzzled, "You stole my immortal gourd just for the souls of these mortals? You are also an immortal. You should know my actions are not improper. You've misunderstood me!"

Chen Shi frowned and said politely, "Immortal Lord, I was born dull-witted and do not understand your meaning."

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord said solemnly, "I had my disciples collect mortal souls, but I did not personally kill these mortals, as that would harm the harmony of heaven. The mortal souls my disciples collected were all mortals who died naturally, whether from old age, disease, war, or plague. Fellow Daoist, to tell you the truth, I am also an enlightened true immortal who understands the Celestial Way and comprehends the principle of heaven-human resonance. I would not let myself be tainted by karmic cause and effect because of mortals. That would only cause me to perish in Opening the Calamity."

Chen Shi looked at him, brows tightly knit.

Seeing this, Purple Heaven Immortal Lord hurriedly said, "You think those mortal souls toiling like oxen and horses in my Dao Realm is the strong bullying the weak, is deserving of a thousand deaths. Wrong, Fellow Daoist! If I deserve a thousand deaths, then Houtu Huangdiqi also deserves a thousand deaths!"

He spoke with righteous conviction: "I made mortals reincarnate as oxen and horses. Does Houtu Huangdiqi, who controls the cycle of reincarnation, not make mortals reincarnate as oxen and horses? I worked them to death from exhaustion. Are there no reincarnated mortals who die of exhaustion from labor? I enslaved them for generation after generation. Are there no mortals who, after reincarnation, are not enslaved?"

His voice gradually rose: "Fellow Daoist, go look at the cycle of reincarnation, go look at the mortal world! In the reincarnation world that Houtu Huangdiqi controls, how many mortals are not toiling like oxen and horses? How many mortals are high and mighty? By what right do you think me heinously evil? If you want to rob, you should rob Houtu Huangdiqi's mysterious yellow twin lotuses. If you want to kill, you should kill Houtu Huangdiqi! Dealing with me is just the strong bullying the weak!"

Chen Shi was left momentarily confused by his words, unsure whether he should act.

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord saw he was somewhat bewildered and struck while the iron was hot: "Moreover, when I enslave these mortals, is it to create wealth for myself? Wrong! You've been to my Purple Heaven Dao Realm. You should have seen that it is not wealthy there. I enslaved billions of people. Did I gain any benefit? None!"

"I gave these riches to those above! To honor the deities of the Celestial Court, to honor the Tai Yi Golden Immortals stronger than me! My own days were tight too. You see me glamorous, but I'm a donkey dung ball frosted over, glamorous on the outside! I was scooping up wealth for them!"

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you cannot touch me!"

He slowly retreated, yet his gaze stayed fixed on Chen Shi as he said, "If you touch me, you offend those Tai Yi Golden Immortals, you offend the Celestial Court deities who take my benefits! Cut off their source of wealth, and you know the consequences?"

Chen Shi exhaled a turbid breath, met his gaze, and smiled. "Immortal Lord, I've already killed so many immortals. Would I care about one more?"

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's expression changed drastically. He rose into the air, about to transform into a streak of purple qi and flee far away.

Chen Shi's voice came from behind him: "Haven't you always wanted to seize back the immortal gourd? Today I'll grant you that wish!"

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's figure suddenly became sluggish, dragged by an invisible force, and together with the surrounding space he fell toward the gourd.

He was, after all, a Gold Immortal. Though his cultivation was far inferior to before, he was no ordinary being. He struggled outward with all his might, and just as he seemed about to escape the gourd's suction, Chen Shi suddenly appeared before him and another Ten Suns Assailing the Dipper divine ability blasted over.

Having seen Chen Shi unleash his might and blast Immortal Lord Wu to death, he dared not take it head-on, and was instantly drawn into the immortal gourd.

Chen Shi ceased his stance, plugged the gourd stopper, and activated this sword-nurturing gourd. Within the gourd, various imprints of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture appeared on its four walls, immediately activating the one hundred and eight strands of mysterious yellow sword qi to execute various sword moves, colliding with one another to temper themselves.

Purple Heaven Immortal Lord dodged and hid within the immortal gourd, avoiding strand after strand of sword qi, but these sword moves were exquisitely ingenious, and soon left him covered in wounds.

Among those one hundred and eight strands of sword light was also hidden the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, elusive and ghost-like, attacking him and causing his blood and qi to continually drain away.

At first, Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's miserable screams could still be heard from the sword-nurturing gourd. Later, the cries gradually weakened, and before long there was no sound at all, only the crisp ringing of blade and sword colliding.

Chen Shi put away the gourd and, recalling Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's words, fell into a dazed trance.

Many cultivators of the Eight Immortals Sect came nearby. Seeing the mountain covered in disorder, immortal corpses everywhere, and only Chen Shi standing there motionless, they dared not make a sound.

After a long while, Chen Shi said in a low voice, "Her Ladyship controls reincarnation, but not according to her personal desires. She follows the great Dao of reincarnation, maintaining the order of heaven, earth, humans, gods, ghosts, and immortals. Fellow Daoist Purple Heaven, in your eyes the mortal world is all suffering, no different from your Purple Heaven. But it is precisely because the mortal world is all suffering that one must strive and advance, and leap free of the cycle of reincarnation."

His gaze gradually brightened: "You became an immortal, leapt free of the cycle of reincarnation, yet for personal desire, you sealed off the path by which countless billions of mortals like you might leap free of reincarnation, turning them into oxen, horses, and slaves. Therefore, you deserve a thousand deaths!"