Chapter 631: Senior Martial Brother

Having been in the Earth Immortal Realm for so long, this was the first time Chen Shi had witnessed a true deity unleash its actual power, and he could not help but be shaken by the might of a heavenly god.

Around that deity, azure energy of incense offerings formed floating ribbons, and the width of those ribbons was astonishing, not the least bit inferior to the halos around the nearby stars.

He not only possessed divine power formed from incense offerings, but also had the enhancement of star power and Dao power brought by the stars themselves.

"Godmother said there are three kinds of deities in this world. The first is a god born from incense offerings, the second is a Great Dao god, and the third is a Divine Manifestation Star Lord. This deity possesses all three kinds of power at once, so he must be a god enfeoffed after the war to destroy Shang. A deity like this is both a god born from incense and enfeoffed as a Star Lord, and over time he comprehended the Great Dao contained within the Star Lord's nature."

Just as Chen Shi thought of this, he saw floating around the deity's waist a series of divine cities, and within those cities were tens of thousands of evil spirits, each clad in armor, fierce and malevolent, their cultivation remarkably formidable and their divine power vigorous, though far from reaching the level of a Great Dao god.

The strength of these evil spirits was roughly on par with the deities of the Western Ox New Continent. Even if somewhat higher, the difference was limited. They were comparable to cultivators at the Great Ascension Realm or Tribulation Crossing stage.

Among them were leaders and divine generals whose cultivation was more formidable, comparable to Celestial Immortals and even True Immortals.

But what drew Chen Shi's attention most was that these evil spirits' magic treasures were exceedingly peculiar, often carrying an abnormally thick evil qi and containing Dao might!

If treasures like these fell into the mortal world, each one would likely cause demonic transformations, or form Ghost and God Domains!

"These treasures must have been refined from star power."

Chen Shi's gaze fell upon that deity, and he thought, "The evil qi on these magic treasures is far inferior to the evil qi of this heavenly god."

The deity raised a hand and lightly pushed, brushing aside the star blocking his path. His gaze swept over them, and his voice rolled like thunder: "I am Yin Jiao, Marshal Yin, Taisui God of Fleeting Years. Which of you on this star raft is Chen Shi?"

Before anyone else on the boat could answer, Chen Shi had already arrived at the bow, bowed in salute, and called out clearly: "Marshal Yin, I am Chen Shi. Back in the Western Ox New Continent, I once followed the orders of the Empress of Earth to revive Marshal Yin's avatar."

Lord Yin of the Year Star gazed at him, his voice rumbling and shaking the air: "Western Ox New Continent? The Empress of Earth? I do not recall. There are so many worlds in the Three Realms. You wish to draw close to me using some nameless small world? What a fool's dream! Chen Shi, you have committed countless evils, stolen the earthly treasures and spiritual roots of immortals, and slain so many true immortals. Even the disciples of my Peach Blossom Spring grotto-heaven have fallen to your poison hands. Today, by my master's command, I will seize you and bring you to justice!"

Chen Shi's heart sank.

In the mysterious yellow sea of the Earth Immortal Realm, there were countless worlds, and the people of those worlds all had to pay homage to the Taisui. The combined incense-offering divine power accumulated by just one world over more than three hundred thousand years was already comparable to a True Immortal!

Moreover, what Lord Yin had accumulated over more than three hundred thousand years was not merely incense offerings but also Dao power and star power.

If Lord Yin wished to capture him, his only option would be to surrender with his hands bound.

An ancient god like this possessed unfathomable strength, far beyond what a mere immortal like him could contend with!

Jiang Guo came to his side, and a hundred-thousand-li Dao Realm appeared behind his head, attempting to protect Chen Shi. But before Lord Yin, a hundred-thousand-li Dao Realm seemed like a single leaf floating before him, utterly insignificant.

Although Chen Shi knew the deities of the Celestial Court had unfathomable strength, he had never imagined it was this high!

"Daoist Jiang, he has come for me."

Chen Shi grabbed Jiang Guo's arm and said in a low voice, "I am not yet a disciple of Golden Turtle Island. You need not interfere."

Jiang Guo shook his head and said, "You have achieved success in cultivating the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture and have inherited the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. That already makes you a disciple of Golden Turtle Island. When a fellow disciple is in trouble, as your senior martial brother, I cannot stand by and do nothing!"

He energized his sword qi. He was now a True Immortal, his cultivation and strength far beyond what it had been when he first met Chen Shi. But faced with an existence like Lord Yin, he gave the impression of an ant trying to shake a tree, not even on the same level as his opponent.

Lord Yin circulated his dharma power and was about to reach out and seize them. Chen Shi and Jiang Guo were about to risk their lives to resist when suddenly Chen Shi felt the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade hidden in the demonic domain within the well violently shuddering, as though about to fly out of the demonic domain.

This turn of events caught Chen Shi somewhat off guard. Just as the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade was about to go out of control, a voice laughed and said: "Well said! Well said! When a fellow disciple is in trouble, naturally one cannot simply stand by!"

The voice was deafening. Before Lord Yin's palm could fall, it collided with a massive hand with a thunderous boom. The divine power of both erupted, gushing out from between the two enormous palms and pushing all the surrounding stars away!

Lord Yin was startled. He followed the voice and saw that on the star raft where Chen Shi stood, a Daoist had appeared. The man was sixteen chi tall, with a face like gold paper, red hair and a red beard, golden pupils, tall and lean. He held a massive banner in one hand, while his other hand was steadily shrinking as he drew it back.

"The Soul-Slaying Banner! Lord Guchen Star!" Lord Yin hesitated and did not continue his attack.

Chen Shi felt the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade shuddering even more violently and quickly suppressed it, then looked at the Daoist. He found the large banner the Daoist held somewhat familiar and thought: "It's somewhat similar to our Western Ox New Continent's Myriad Soul Banner. Only, the power of this banner is far greater."

In the Western Ox New Continent, to deal with evil spirits, every city had refined Myriad Soul Banners. They were very similar to the large banner in this Daoist's hand, both billowing with rolling black smoke.

"Greetings, both junior martial brothers!" The golden-faced Daoist saluted Chen Shi and Jiang Guo.

The two hurriedly returned the salute. Chen Shi straightened up and felt that the Daoist also carried a thick scent of incense offerings. He should also be a deity, and Chen Shi wondered inwardly: "This senior martial brother from Golden Turtle Island is also a heavenly god."

The golden-faced Daoist saluted Lord Yin and said with a smile: "Your Highness, Lord Guchen Star Yu Hua pays his respects."

Lord Yin looked down at him and said: "Star Lord, you are not on duty at the Guchen Star. Why have you come to wade into these troubled waters?"

Lord Guchen Star said with a smile: "These two are disciples of my Golden Turtle Island. When they are in trouble, I naturally must come. As for Your Highness, you had clearly already leapt out of the fire pit of Peach Blossom Spring grotto-heaven, yet now you wish to jump back in. That is puzzling."

Lord Yin's expression darkened, somewhat displeased: "Yu Hua, you are a subject of Shang. To say such things before me is rather insolent."

Lord Guchen Star grew somewhat angry as well and sneered: "Your Highness has forgotten. Great Shang is long gone. Moreover, it was to protect Great Shang that I suffered a deadly attack back then and had no choice but to become a deity of the Celestial Court! As for Your Highness, you bite the hand that feeds you. You were clearly the Crown Prince of Great Shang, yet you followed the enemy. I find it contemptible."

Lord Yin flew into a rage: "Today you and I are both subjects of the Celestial Court. Why bring up these bygone matters? Yu Hua, Chen Shi injured the disciples of my Peach Blossom Spring grotto-heaven and ruined my master's reputation. Today I absolutely will not let him go! If you block me, do not blame me for being merciless!"

Lord Guchen Star sneered: "When you rebelled against Great Shang back then, did you not say the same?"

The two were locked in confrontation. Lord Guchen Star secretly transmitted his voice: "Both junior martial brothers, I am no match for him. When the fight begins, seize the chance to escape."

Chen Shi and Jiang Guo became solemn. Chen Shi quietly gave Black Pot a look.

Lord Yin laughed in extreme anger and activated his three-headed, six-armed form to attack him, sneering: "Yu Hua, today you ask for humiliation!"

Yu Hua leapt up. The moment he left the star raft, he too transformed into a colossal form like Lord Yin. He shook the Soul-Slaying Banner, unsettling Lord Yin's soul, and then summoned a square sky halberd to contend with him.

The instant the two deities made their move, Black Pot immediately took control of the boatman. The boatman urged the star raft forward at full speed.

The star raft passed between the two towering divine bodies. The two deities were so enormous that their very movements shattered the starry sky and continuously severed the star paths. Under Black Pot's soothing, the boatman performed beyond all previous limits, steering the star raft through the gaps between the two deities' clashing limbs time and again. It was breathtaking.

Especially Lord Yin, with his three heads and six arms. Each arm was enormously thick, and when they swept over, it truly seemed everything would be destroyed. Without the skill to gamble with one's life amid the waves, the ship would have been destroyed and its people dead in a mere instant!

The boatman performed beyond his norm, repeatedly dodging the limbs of the two great deities and steering the star raft up and down to evade their divine abilities, threading between the two gods by the narrowest of margins!

At the same time, at Lord Yin's waist, within one divine city after another, thousands of evil spirits unfurled great banners and leapt like flying creatures, charging at the star raft.

These evil spirits were formidable in strength. They waved formation banners in the starry sky, forming a Blood Evil Great Formation, and immediately a boundless blood sea surged toward them.

Chen Shi's heart stirred slightly. He immediately summoned the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade and thought: "Against a blood evil formation, the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade is perfect!"

Unexpectedly, the moment the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade flew out of the demonic domain within the well, it immediately went out of control and howled away. Chen Shi was startled: "The demonic blade is going to turn on its master!"

He turned to look and saw that the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade was actually heading straight for Yu Hua.

Chen Shi was stunned. Then he saw Yu Hua raise a hand and grasp the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, laughing strangely and shouting: "Many thanks to my junior martial brother for the gift of a blade!"

"Weng!"

Behind him, the Blood Sea Hell suddenly expanded, spinning madly. He swung the blade at Lord Yin, and the power of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade in his hand actually far surpassed its power in Chen Shi's hand, cutting Lord Yin back again and again.

"Could it be that Lord Guchen Star Yu Hua is the true master of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade?"

Chen Shi's thoughts raced, and he thought, "No, if he were the master of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, he would not have thanked me for gifting it. Strange. Why would the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade be closer to him?"

As he was thinking, the star raft had already charged into the Blood Evil Great Formation. Jiang Guo stood at the bow, thrusting out a wooden sword in his hand, and immediately his sword qi surged, carrying a terrifying aura that annihilated all things, sweeping away everything. Even the Blood Evil Great Formation formed by tens of thousands of evil spirits was split open by a single strike of his sword!

Chen Shi was startled by the power of that strike.

Jiang Guo looked refined and cultured, yet unexpectedly his attacks were so fierce and domineering!

"So this is the Golden Turtle Island inheritance? Truly extraordinary."

Chen Shi felt a surge of envy. In his eyes, the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture was already an extraordinary sword-path divine ability, especially the ninth move, Heaven-Splitting Separation, which was even more profound and unfathomable. Even now, he could only comprehend a fragment of it.

But the sword-path divine ability Jiang Guo displayed far surpassed the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture.

Chen Shi had never seen the power of the Heaven-Splitting Separation move, but he guessed that even that move probably could not compare to Jiang Guo's sword-path divine ability.

The sword-path divine ability in Jiang Guo's hands could simply be called a Dao-extinguishing swordsmanship. Wherever the sword light reached, whether immortal path or divine path, all shattered and collapsed. Chen Shi had never seen such domineering divine ability.

Jiang Guo carved a bloody path ahead, but evil spirits kept charging in from both sides. Chen Shi immediately summoned his sword-nurturing gourd while commanding sixty-four strands of sword qi, executing the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture to block one side of the star raft.

Black Pot, meanwhile, summoned the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler and guarded the other side of the star raft, battling the charging evil spirits.

Man and dog exhausted every effort to hold back those evil spirits, but more and more evil spirits surged in, even climbing onto the star raft. Black Pot also grew weary from killing, and one evil spirit after another pounced onto his body.

"Summon!"

Just then, Chen Shi shouted loudly. Black Pot floated into the air, involuntarily revealing its true form, opening its world-devouring maw. One could see past its throat into the demonic flames hell within its belly!

The vicious dog gave a whoosh and swallowed hundreds of evil spirits nearby in one bite, then its body rapidly shrank and landed back on the bow.

At that moment, the boatman steered the star raft out of the Blood Evil Great Formation, or rather, Jiang Guo had driven his wooden sword through and pierced the formation open.

The star raft connected to the Heavenly River star path, its speed increasing. Before the countless evil spirits could catch up, it howled away, leaving those evil spirits far behind.

On the star raft, Chen Shi, Black Pot, and the passengers were still recovering from the shock.

The passengers' bodies were still trembling. They had boarded the same boat as Chen Shi and the others, thinking it would be a peaceful journey, never expecting such heart-stopping peril.

Jiang Guo put away his wooden sword. The peachwood sword shrank back to three inches and hung once more on the jade pendant at his waist.

"The Golden Turtle Island inheritance is truly too powerful. No, what is powerful is Senior Martial Brother Jiang Guo."

Chen Shi felt deep respect for this youth and thought, "His mind is pure, and he is devoted to swordsmanship. That is why he has achieved what he has. The Golden Turtle Island inheritance is excellent, but judging from the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture, their inheritance must be extremely difficult to learn. If Senior Martial Brother Jiang Guo did not possess world-shaking talent, he could never have achieved this."

Thinking of this, he continued to comprehend the Heaven-Splitting Separation move. After a long while, feeling he had gained some understanding, he took out a strand of mysterious yellow sword qi and began practicing on his own.

After practicing this way a hundred or so times, Chen Shi always felt the move was awkward and difficult to bring out its power. So he sat down again and continued studying the mysterious yellow Dao patterns, comprehending the mystery of the mysterious yellow judgment and separation within Heaven-Splitting Separation.

Unknowingly, two or three days passed. The star raft gradually slowed, and the surrounding starry region grew more and more desolate. Then the vessel trembled slightly, and Lord Guchen Star Yu Hua landed back on the star raft, staggering slightly underfoot.

Chen Shi quickly rose and saluted: "Junior latecomer Chen Shi pays respects to Lord Guchen Star!"

Lord Guchen Star was clearly somewhat injured, his breathing a bit unsteady. He smiled and said: "You and I are fellow disciples. What junior latecomer? Junior Martial Brother Chen, I am a fourth-generation disciple of Golden Turtle Island, a student of the One-Qi Immortal Yu Yuan, who is also your master. This Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade is our honored master's treasure. Back then, this blade fell into the mortal world to choose a disciple for our honored master."

Chen Shi spoke honestly: "This blade was suppressed beneath the Erlang True Lord in the ancestral court, then later inadvertently found its way to the Western Ox New Continent and turned on its masters, killing many of them. Was this also our master's arrangement?"

Lord Guchen Star looked slightly embarrassed and said: "For our sect, this is simply how we choose disciples. Those who do not pass the test mostly die. As the saying goes, if one learns the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening. You heard the true dharma in the morning. Dying in the evening would not be a pity."

Chen Shi said, puzzled: "Does that saying not mean: in the morning you learn the road to your enemy's home, you hurry over, and in the evening you finish off your enemy?"

Lord Guchen Star looked at Jiang Guo, and Jiang Guo said: "Junior Martial Brother Chen belongs to the Master's lineage, not the Tongtian lineage."

Lord Guchen Star suddenly understood. He set down the Soul-Slaying Banner, took out the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, and returned it to Chen Shi, saying: "Back then, our honored master gave me this blade to use. Unfortunately, my skills were inferior, and I let this divine blade gather dust. Now that you have taken it back, Junior Martial Brother, I have no face to use it again."

Chen Shi put away the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade and glanced at the Soul-Slaying Banner, saying: "Senior Martial Brother Yu, could this banner be a Myriad Soul Banner?"

"What Myriad Soul Banner? This is the Staff of the Human Emperor!" Lord Guchen Star bristled, his beard and eyes twitching with anger.

Chen Shi was skeptical: "Then why is it billowing with black smoke?"

"Refining the demonic path naturally produces billowing black smoke."

Lord Guchen Star spoke with earnest sincerity: "If something looks golden and radiant, dazzling and gorgeous, it is most likely the demonic path. Only the demonic path deliberately makes itself magnificent and splendid, specifically to deceive people. Only ours, billowing with black smoke, is the righteous path."