Chapter 627: What Matters of the Six Dynasties, Only Become Private Plans of Factions

"These people spent their entire lives cultivating, striving single-mindedly for ascension. What exactly were they seeking?"

Chen Shi looked at the corpses of the maidservants and the green qilin, and for a moment felt lost.

The maidservants who died at Xi Muran's hands might have been lofty fairy maidens in the mortal realm before their ascension, geniuses their sects were proud of, renowned figures known far and wide. But in the eyes of a noble young master of the Immortal Court like Xi Muran, they were merely playthings to be used, insects to be executed at will.

When there was nothing to do, they were Xi Muran's playthings. When there was trouble, they became corpses to keep his secrets.

This sense of disparity made Chen Shi deeply uncomfortable.

"All that painstaking cultivation, and for what? You were heaven's chosen geniuses."

Chen Shi thought to himself, "In the Celestial Court, ascended immortals are nothing more than soldiers in the heavenly soldier camps that can be erased at will. In the Immortal Court, ascended immortals are no more than ants that can be casually crushed. It's like when I passed the xiucai examination, in the eyes of the villagers, I was a Xiucai Master. But in the Western Capital, a xiucai amounts to a fart."

For the first time, he felt the Earth Immortal Realm was so hypocritical and absurd.

"The so-called conflict between immortals and gods is nothing but a power game among the higher-ups. It has nothing to do with us lowly ascended immortals who went through untold hardships to cross the tribulation and ascend! This is not our battle. No matter which side wins, our status as ascenders will not change in the slightest!"

A nameless grief and indignation rose in his heart. "What matters of the six dynasties, only become private plans of factions. This was never changed on the Divine Continent, never changed on the Western Ox New Continent, and even more so here in the Earth Immortal Realm! This world!"

Another wave of helplessness welled up in his heart. He was merely a minor immortal who had just ascended, with no power and no influence, forced to live in the Celestial Court dependent on others' whims.

He could not change any of it.

"When it comes down to it, Grandpa and I are just talisman masters who deal with evil spirits. This is the Earth Immortal Realm. There are no evil spirits here. Grandpa and I don't belong in this place. Best we return earlier."

Xi Muran surveyed the corpses of the maidservants and frowned slightly, "One is missing. Little Hongxiu isn't here. That woman has always been clever. She likely knew that if I lost, I would deal with them, so she left in advance... Junior brother, I still have matters to attend to. I'll take my leave first."

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He raised his hand and tossed over a token. "Since you are a disciple the Master took in the mortal realm, then this item is yours as well. This token is the keepsake of our sect. You hold onto it for now."

Chen Shi caught the token and looked down. The token was forged from dark gold. One side was carved with a strange Dao Realm, with a command banner at the center, surrounded by what should be Dao manifestations, but they were too tiny to make out clearly.

The back bore three characters: Supreme Dao.

Chen Shi turned it over and examined it several times, thinking, "So I'm now considered part of the Immortal Court. The Immortal Court opposes the Celestial Court, and I'm also part of the Celestial Court... Let them be. This time when I return to the Celestial Court, once I find Grandpa and the others, we'll go back to Western Ox New Continent. I'll honestly be my True King, Grandpa will be the Emperor Father, and the two of us will fleece the people of the new continent. Isn't that a fine life?"

He glanced at the corpses of the maidservant and green qilin, hesitated a moment, and decided to bury the maidservant first.

As for the green qilin, he wondered if it tasted good.

Just as he was thinking this, several black-clad immortals arrived. Seeing the Supreme Dao Token in his hand, they all bowed and saluted him in unison, "Young Master! We have been ordered to come and handle the aftermath."

Chen Shi was stunned. These few people wore black clothes, black shoes, black belts, black sashes, and their faces were shrouded under black headcloths. They were immortals handling the aftermath!

Chen Shi had encountered these immortals handling the aftermath in the Demon Suppression Well, and afterward had never seen them again. He never expected to encounter them again here.

However, the immortals handling the aftermath all dressed identically, their faces invisible. He could not tell whether they were the same ones from the Demon Suppression Well.

"Just do your aftermath work."

Chen Shi could not help but ask, "Why did you come here to handle the aftermath? Who notified you?"

Although the immortals handling the aftermath were surprised, the Supreme Dao Token in Chen Shi's hand was genuine, leaving no room for them to question.

One of the immortals handling the aftermath said, "Didn't the Young Master notify us? There are immortals handling the aftermath everywhere. The Young Master can burn an Aftermath Talisman, and an immortal handling the aftermath will arrive shortly."

Chen Shi asked, "How do you draw an Aftermath Talisman?"

The immortals handling the aftermath were even more surprised. The leading one said, "Young Master, may I take a look at the token?"

Chen Shi handed the Supreme Dao Token to him. The immortal examined it carefully. It was indeed the Supreme Dao Token, so he said, "This subordinate has an Aftermath Talisman here. The Young Master will understand at a glance."

He took out an Aftermath Talisman and handed it to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi took the talisman and examined it closely. He saw that its form differed from both traditional talismans and talismanic seal forms. It was written with immortal Dao patterns, whereas traditional talismans and talismanic seals were based on the forms and language of gods.

"The immortal path is cutting itself off from the divine path, fundamentally eradicating the divine path's influence on the immortal path!"

Chen Shi's heart stirred slightly. The immortal path had risen from the shamanic ritual markings of the Great Shang period, and the source of shamanic ritual markings was the divine path!

Talismans and talismanic seals were all methods used to describe gods. And talismans and talismanic seals were precisely the foundation of spiritual practice!

Now that the immortal path had developed, if the divine path were abandoned from the foundation, then immortals would no longer need gods.

At that point, the gods could be completely eradicated!

"Grandpa is doing exactly this. Before his ascension, he was researching how to reconstruct the immortal path through talismanic seals."

Chen Shi frowned slightly. Chen Yindu's ideas coincided exactly with the thinking of the Immortal Court's upper echelons!

If the Immortal Court discovered Chen Yindu, they would certainly not let such a talent go.

At that point, escape would probably be impossible.

"This time I've made such a huge commotion. Grandpa should go to the Celestial Court to find me, right? After reuniting with Grandpa, we'll leave the Earth Immortal Realm immediately and go home to fleece our fellow countrymen!"

He put away the Aftermath Talisman and left directly.

Those immortals handling the aftermath cleaned up the corpses of the maidservant and green qilin, erasing all traces.

Chen Shi found the nearest Heavenly River ferry crossing and, via the star gate, took a star raft back to the Celestial Court.

Once the star raft docked securely, he jumped down. The divine general guarding the star gate saw him and said in a voice like a great bell, "Chen, heavenly soldier, I heard your case has broken. You're the bandit ranked second on the Immortal Slaying List, who killed many people in the mysterious yellow sea. Many immortals have come to the Celestial Court to file complaints. You still dare to come back? Return today, and tomorrow you go to the Immortal Execution Platform!"

Chen Shi argued, "The bandit ranked second on the Immortal Slaying List, that's not me. He has no face. Fellow daoist, don't sling false accusations."

"Sling false accusations?"

The divine general sneered, "The aggrieved parties have filed their complaints with the Great Celestial Venerable! Moreover, on the Immortal Slaying List, your original portrait has been removed and replaced with a new one, exactly like you!"

Chen Shi's face flushed red. He said, "Could it not be possible that two people simply look alike? The vast world contains infinite possibilities. Perhaps two immortals who look identical exist."

"You killed aggrieved parties in the mysterious yellow sea. Someone captured it clearly with a light-retention mirror."

Chen Shi then spoke in classical scholarly fashion, going on about karma and fate, identical flowers, and other difficult-to-understand nonsense.

Before he could leave, another star raft sailed in. The star raft was covered with heavenly soldiers and heavenly generals with severed limbs and missing body parts. These immortals were dispirited, looking like walking corpses.

Many soldiers of the heavenly soldier camps helped them off the star raft and sent them to Celestial Way Residence.

Chen Shi estimated that these dozen or so star rafts had brought nearly a thousand heavenly soldiers and generals.

"How did so many people get injured?" he asked the divine general guarding the star gate.

The divine general said, "They are wounded soldiers returning from the Dark Sea. They followed King Li on the expedition to the great Ni Li World. They were wounded and could not be healed at the front lines, so they could only be sent back."

Chen Shi gazed at these heavenly soldiers and generals. Just then, several more star rafts sailed in, also carrying heavenly soldiers and generals, each disabled and unable to fight again.

"The fighting in the great Ni Li World has been intense lately. King Li is urging for reinforcements."

The divine general said, "Later, tens of thousands more heavenly soldiers were sent. But from the looks of it, most were probably lost in the great Ni Li World, with a small half sent back gravely wounded."

Chen Shi asked, "After they're sent back to the Celestial Court, what happens to these wounded soldiers?"

"Treatment first, of course. As long as they don't die. Once their wounds heal, they're given a sum of money and medicinal pills and spirit liquids, and then they can leave. What else can be done?"

The divine general said, "Chen, heavenly soldier, aren't you going to flee? If you go back to the heavenly soldier camps, I fear they really will execute you!"

Chen Shi thanked him for the reminder, then followed these wounded soldiers back to Celestial Way Residence. He saw that Celestial Way Residence was also filled with many wounded, and imperial physicians from the Celestial Court were bustling about, treating them.

He also saw that the healed wounded soldiers often had deer legs, horse legs, or ape arms. They must have been given those using creation techniques, grafting animal limbs onto the wounded soldiers' bodies.

They were learning how to adapt to their new limbs. Some could already walk as if flying.

Chen Shi's heart stirred. "Wu Qi's Immortal Art of Immortality might be able to heal these people."

The Immortal Art of Immortality had been deciphered by the Xinxiang court, decoded from shamanic ritual markings into talismans. After Chen Shi ascended, he converted this technique into Dao patterns and integrated it into his own system of cultivation techniques.

Although the Immortal Art of Immortality was inferior to techniques like the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection, after Chen Shi converted it into an immortal technique, it was no small matter. It could fully rival Gold Immortal-level techniques. There was absolutely no problem in letting someone cultivate to become a Gold Immortal.

Chen Shi went to the residence next door, found Zhong Lin, and said, "Can you gather all the wounded soldiers? I want to teach them the Immortal Art of Immortality. As long as they cultivate diligently, they can regrow severed limbs."

Zhong Lin was startled upon hearing this and said, "Such a technique is at minimum a Gold Immortal-level technique, treasured by immortals. You're willing to bring it out?"

Chen Shi shook his head, "A mere technique, hardly worth mentioning. Can you gather all the wounded soldiers?"

Zhong Lin said, "How hard can that be? I'll gather the soldiers of the Fire Battalion to go around telling the wounded soldiers one by one, explaining the benefits. They'll come on their own."

He left excitedly. Chen Shi returned to his own Celestial Way Residence and summoned Black Pot. After a brief rest, he wanted to go out and ask whether Chen Yindu had come looking for him. He had just stepped outside when he saw Bai Fangfang, Xiao Dulu, and others arriving outside Celestial Way Residence with a great many wounded soldiers.

Chen Shi looked into the distance and saw even more wounded soldiers hurrying this way, their expressions deeply excited.

They gathered in increasing numbers, blocking the roads so tightly that not even water could pass. Chen Shi retreated into Celestial Way Residence and invited them in, but soon the courtyard was packed with people. Some had only one leg left, and with no place to sit, could only lean on crutches against the pillars.

Others had been cut in half at the waist and crawled in with their hands propping up their bodies. They were too short, though, and craned their necks to look around but could not see Chen Shi, fidgeting anxiously for nothing.

There were also many wounded soldiers in the sky. Though their injuries were severe, they dragged their gravely wounded bodies to activate their cultivation and float in the air, fearing they would miss this stroke of fortune.

Inside and outside Celestial Way Residence, there were fully two to three thousand people, and more wounded soldiers were continuously rushing over.

Chen Shi looked at these maimed heavenly soldiers, meeting their pairs of eager, hopeful gazes. His mind went hazy, and for a moment his throat felt hoarse.

Just then, he heard a rumbling crash. He quickly looked toward the sound. It was Black Pot standing upright on his hind legs, pushing down the wall of Zhong Lin's Celestial Way Residence, connecting the two residences to make room for more people to come in and listen to the lecture.

"Black Immortal, I'll help you!"

Bai Fangfang hurried over and, together with Black Pot, demolished Zhong Lin's Celestial Way Residence and the one next door into flat ground. When Xiao Dulu, Dai Qingxi, and the others saw this, they demolished four or five other nearby Celestial Way Residences as well, so the wounded soldiers could sit without expending cultivation effort.

More and more wounded soldiers arrived, gradually filling these Celestial Way Residences.

When Chen Shi saw the numbers were no longer increasing, he coughed once, cleared his throat, and said in a loud voice, "Everyone, this technique of mine is called the Immortal Art of Immortality. It is the source of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art and the Indestructible Golden Body, only less exquisite. Today I will teach it to all of you."

An uproar rose among the wounded soldiers. They whispered to one another, discussing animatedly.

Many had heard of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art and the Indestructible Golden Body. Their fame was widespread. They could regenerate severed limbs, regrow a severed head. There were even rumors that so long as a single drop of blood remained, one could regenerate and return to peak form!

Such mysterious arts these heavenly soldiers and generals had at most heard by name. Never mind seeing them, they did not even have the qualification to be killed by them!

The techniques they cultivated often came from the lower realms or from their own comprehension, at best Celestial Immortal Realm techniques. To advance further and cultivate to become a True Immortal, one either had to have absurdly high talent to comprehend it oneself, or one could only take a master and attach oneself to another power to gain importance.

As for cultivating to become a Gold Immortal, without heaven-defying fortune, it was even more out of the question.

Chen Shi's mind stirred slightly. His Dao Field spread out, enveloping all wounded soldiers within it. He spoke unhurriedly, explaining the mysteries of the Immortal Art of Immortality.

This technique, having been deciphered by the Xinxiang court, had a talisman form, and the difficulty of understanding it was not as terrifying as that of Dao patterns. Thus these heavenly soldiers and generals could also understand it.

Sitting within Chen Shi's Dao Field, the talismans of the Immortal Art of Immortality automatically appeared before them, revealing the mysteries of this technique to them, fascinating and absorbing.

Chen Shi went from shallow to deep, slowly progressing from talismans to Dao patterns, transmitting the higher-level cultivation methods of this technique to everyone.

However, even though the Immortal Art of Immortality had been made simple, each person's comprehension varied. Not everyone could grasp it. Chen Shi patiently explained bit by bit. Without realizing it, he sat there for six or seven days.

Only when everyone had basically understood the operation of this immortal technique did Chen Shi withdraw his Dao Field and say with a smile, "So long as you gentlemen cultivate diligently, growing back limbs in the future will not be difficult. If you cultivate it to Great Completion, even if only a single bone remains, you can be restored to life."

The many wounded soldiers were moved to tears of gratitude. One wounded soldier knelt down and said in a choked voice, "Fellow daoist, you are truly our second parents!"

The crowd bowed and kowtowed to him one after another. Chen Shi hurriedly said, "Everyone, please rise! Please rise!"

He had barely managed to see off these wounded soldiers when he saw even more heavenly soldiers and generals arriving outside. Among them were many Regional Commanders of the heavenly soldier camps, and even several who were Commanders and Grand Commanders of the heavenly soldier camps. A dark mass of them, even more numerous than the wounded soldiers!

Chen Shi looked at them, puzzled. "Gentlemen, what is this..."

The Grand Commander of the Chou-Character Guard let out a great laugh, bowed at the waist, and said, "We heard that you, fellow daoist, were explaining the Immortal Art of Immortality, saving wounded soldiers from dire straits. Therefore we took the liberty of coming to seek your guidance, fellow daoist."

He straightened up, his manner utterly sincere. "As soldiers of the heavenly soldier camps, we never know when we'll be sent to the battlefield to kill the enemy, and injury or disability is unavoidable. We are not disabled today, but may not be so in the future. We implore you, fellow daoist, to teach us the mysterious art!"

Outside the gate, tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers and generals bowed in unison and said as one voice, "We implore you, fellow daoist, to teach us the mysterious art!"

Chen Shi broke into a smile and said in a clear voice, "A mere immortal technique. I, Chen, would not be so stingy. Please rise, gentlemen."

He sat down once more and taught these heavenly soldiers and generals the Immortal Art of Immortality.

Outside Celestial Way Residence, Wu Guanyun stood bowed in attendance, faithfully reporting to Young Master Xi, Xi Muran, about Chen Shi teaching the Immortal Art of Immortality.

Xi Muran was slightly taken aback, then praised, "My junior brother truly has clever schemes. With a single Gold Immortal-level technique, he has won the hearts of two hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals. He has drawn so many immortals to him. Does he intend to rebel?"

His tone shifted. "However, by so blatantly buying people's hearts, can King Li tolerate him?"