Chapter 633: A Mountain Cannot Shelter Two Dogs

True to its name, Golden Turtle Island looked from afar like a gigantic turtle. Its mountains were ancient, its rocks black, and its sheer size immense.

“Golden Turtle Island was originally golden. After it was moved here, it gradually turned black.”

Perhaps because they were about to return home, Jiang Guo was in high spirits and had become much more talkative. He said to Chen Shi, “Legend has it that Golden Turtle Island was originally a golden turtle. Back then, Gonggong and Zhurong, two divine officials under the Heaven Emperor, got into a fight and brought down the sky. So the Goddess Nüwa mended the heavens by cutting off a golden turtle’s four legs to use as pillars to support the sky. With its legs gone, that golden turtle became Golden Turtle Island.”

The story must have been told to him by an elder. Some parts of it seemed like a rather forced attempt to connect the dots.

“Many years later, our lineage settled on Golden Turtle Island. Besides Golden Turtle Island, there were places like Penglai, Nine Dragon Island, and Three Immortal Islands, with Penglai as the foremost among them. But they were all destroyed during the war that overthrew Shang. Penglai was also seized by someone, leaving Golden Turtle Island as the only place where we could still establish ourselves.”

“Later, when the Earth Immortal Realm was opened, our lineage had no standing there. Fortunately, no one wanted this place west of Penglai because it was plagued by demonic calamities, so we got lucky and claimed it.”

Jiang Guo said this with a happy expression.

Chen Shi glanced at him and saw his simple, honest smile. Clearly, he was proud that they had even a small place to call their own.

“No one competes with us for a place to achieve Dao Unification here in western Penglai.”

Jiang Guo’s face glowed with happiness as he said, “Our lineage has never had to worry about finding a place to achieve Dao Unification. There’s just one thing. Sometimes strange things appear in the place where someone achieves Dao Unification, along with remnants of great demons and the like. You have to be on your guard, or you might get possessed.”

As they spoke, they reached the mountain gate of Golden Turtle Island. The gate should have been guarded by divine beasts or Daoists, but beside Golden Turtle Island’s gate, there was only a dog the size of a palm, tethered by a chain thicker than its body.

When the dog saw them, it bared its teeth and barked. Though tiny, its barks rang across the mountains. It looked vicious, and even strained the massive iron chain taut, as though without the chain holding it back, it would pounce and devour them!

Black Pot came up to the dog and bared his teeth at it.

The dog stopped barking and glared at Black Pot with a dark expression.

“Clang!”

Sharp claws sprang from its paws, like blades. It picked at the scraps of meat stuck between its teeth.

Black Pot was greatly surprised. He grabbed the loose skin on the back of the dog’s head, lifted it up, and examined it closely.

“Careful. That’s a Hu.”

Jiang Guo said, “It’s so vicious that they chained it here to guard the mountain gate. Be careful it doesn’t bite you, or stab you a few times. It’s got a black heart!”

The Hu dog was so small that even when it stretched its sharp claws forward to stab Black Pot in the chest, it couldn’t reach him.

Black Pot set it down. The Hu dog immediately turned around and began sawing at the iron chain with its claws. As it sawed, it glared at Black Pot with sinister eyes.

“It holds a grudge. Black Pot, you’d better watch out,” Jiang Guo said.

Black Pot followed him and Chen Shi up the mountain. When they reached the mountainside, Black Pot looked back and saw the Hu dog still sawing at its chain by the mountain gate, staring intently in their direction.

“Senior Brother Qiao!”

They arrived before a palace, and Jiang Guo called out loudly, “Senior Sister Jing! Martial Uncle Jiao!”

He rushed into the palace, while Chen Shi waited outside and looked around. The palace seemed to have been carved from a piece of fine jade. The words “Biyou Palace” were written above its entrance.

Not far outside Biyou Palace was a spiritual plot where spiritual herbs were grown. Chen Shi glanced over it and saw that several dozen kinds of immortal herbs had been planted there, but most looked wilted and half-dead.

“Immortal herbs need to be watered with immortal spiritual energy to grow well. Could there be too little immortal spiritual energy here?”

He saw an immortal well nearby and went over to look inside. The immortal qi rising from it was impure and mixed with other kinds of spiritual energy. Its smell was unpleasant.

Just then, barking came from halfway up the mountain. It was probably the Hu dog.

At the sound, Black Pot quietly slipped away.

The Hu dog at the mountain gate had somehow managed to saw through its chain. The palm-sized dog angrily raced up the mountain.

Soon, barking rang out from the mountainside. The two dogs were fighting.

Chen Shi glanced toward the mountainside without concern and continued looking around. On the other side of Biyou Palace, he saw another spiritual spring cascading down from the sky. It must have been a beautiful place once, but the spring had also been polluted, and the immortal qi it produced was mixed with other kinds of spiritual energy.

A woman’s voice came from behind him. “That spiritual spring is the famous Jade Clarity Dao Spring! The Jade Clarity Dao Spring of western Penglai is renowned. Drink from it, and you can gain insight into profound Dao techniques.”

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Chen Shi turned around and saw Jiang Guo walking over with a graceful woman. She had delicate features and wore a golden-brown silk brocade robe with a diamond pattern. Her hair was styled in a drooping-cloud bun, her long brows were delicately arched, and she wore only a light touch of makeup. At first glance, she was the sort of person who naturally inspired a feeling of goodwill.

However, one of her legs was lame. She leaned on a crutch and walked with a limp.

“You must be Junior Brother Chen Shi?”

The woman sized Chen Shi up and smiled. “I heard you received Martial Uncle Yu Yuan’s inheritance. Martial Uncle Yu Yuan’s cultivation techniques and divine abilities are the strangest of all. To have survived them, you must be quite remarkable! My name is Jing Mei. I’m your senior sister.”

“Senior Sister Jing.”

Chen Shi bowed in greeting. “I wouldn’t dare call myself Martial Uncle Yu Yuan’s disciple. I merely obtained the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade by chance and learned the Blood Lake Sutra, achieving a little success. The Blood Lake Sutra isn’t my main cultivation method.”

Jiang Guo added, “What Junior Brother Chen received were the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture and Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture left behind by Master, and he’s achieved quite a lot with them.”

Jing Mei was surprised. “The Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture and Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture are extremely difficult to cultivate. What have you achieved?”

Chen Shi replied, “I’ve cultivated sixty-four strands of sword qi with the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture, which in turn nourished my Dao Scripture. I’ve now comprehended the Primordial Chaos Yin-Yang Dao Scripture, and I’m still only at the Celestial Immortal Realm.”

Jing Mei furrowed her brows slightly and said quietly, “If you’ve only cultivated sixty-four strands of sword qi, I’m afraid that won’t be enough. Many people have achieved that much with the Sword Scripture, but very few have managed to join Golden Turtle Island…”

Jiang Guo said, “Junior Brother Chen is a disciple of One-Qi Immortal Yu Yuan. He received Martial Uncle Yu Yuan’s inheritance, so he should be a disciple of Golden Turtle Island.”

Jing Mei explained, “Martial Uncle Yu Yuan has already become a deity of the Celestial Court. His inheritance isn’t powerful, and these days he devotes himself entirely to the divine path. If Junior Brother Chen became his disciple, it would only hold him back. So if Junior Brother Chen wants to join Golden Turtle Island, he can only rely on the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture and Dao Scripture. Only then can he receive Golden Turtle Island’s finest inheritance.”

Chen Shi asked, “What is Golden Turtle Island’s finest inheritance?”

Jing Mei answered, “Master’s inheritance.”

Chen Shi’s spirits soared. He was a scholar, and what he was proudest of was neither slaying the Celestial Venerable nor becoming the True King. It was passing the imperial examination and becoming the top scholar through his own ability.

If he could become Master’s disciple, then passing the imperial examination would rank only second!

Jing Mei said, “But you’ve only cultivated sixty-four strands of sword qi. I’m afraid you have no chance of passing the test to receive Master’s inheritance. You’ll have some hope only if you can cultivate a hundred and eight strands of sword qi.”

Then she suddenly smiled. “Martial Uncle Jiao is in seclusion, healing his injuries, and Senior Brothers Qiao and Yan are out on an expedition. Right now, only the Hu dog and I are on the mountain. They won’t be back for a while, so why not take this opportunity? I’ll help you break through and master more strands of sword qi!”

Chen Shi readily agreed. “Please guide me, Senior Sister.”

Leaning on her crutch, Jing Mei limped away and said, “Come with me.”

She led him to an open space. “Show me what you’ve learned from the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture, and I’ll point out where you’re lacking. Let’s try to raise your mastery of the Sword Scripture to eighty-one sword strikes, or even higher, before they return!”

Chen Shi agreed and began demonstrating the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture in the open space.

With his level of cultivation, the techniques of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture could cover a thousand miles. His sword qi swept through the heavens and earth. This open space, however, was only five or six zhang across, a mere speck of land, yet Chen Shi performed such immortal arts right there within it.

The Sword Scripture’s first stance, Earthly Qi’s Cold Greeting, Heaven’s Inverted Cycle of Life and Death!

Under his sword, that tiny patch of land became a complete world. Earthly qi surged forth, the order of heaven and earth was thrown into disarray, and his sword qi was incomparably sharp!

Jing Mei was dumbfounded.

She had wanted to give Chen Shi some pointers, but the changes of heaven and earth contained in his move were more perfect than anything she had learned or understood. She couldn’t find even the slightest flaw!

As Chen Shi’s first move neared its end, the second move, Wind Lord’s Irregularity, was already underway.

Wind Lord’s Irregularity, all things wither and flourish!

Under his sword techniques, even that tiny patch of ground formed a wondrous scene of all things experiencing birth, aging, sickness, and death!

Chen Shi followed with the third move, Drifting Azure Flames, Endless Tribulation Ashes, then transformed it into the fourth move, Clouds Unfurl and Mists Disperse, Vast and Boundless!

Jing Mei opened her mouth several times, but couldn’t say a word.

Standing beside her, Jiang Guo sent her a voice transmission. “Senior Sister Jing, this is why I was determined to recommend him and bring him to Golden Turtle Island. His techniques are just too perfect.”

Jing Mei nodded slightly and whispered, “But he’s mastered too few strands of sword qi. I’m afraid he won’t pass the test.”

She had only just said this when Chen Shi performed the eighth stance, Heaven’s Net Smashing the Sundered Sky, a crimson sun like blood.

Jing Mei perked up, about to offer him a few words of encouragement, when she saw that Chen Shi’s sword technique still hadn’t stopped. He performed the ninth stance, which he had comprehended aboard the ship: Primordial Chaos Split Apart, Heaven and Earth Separated.

Jing Mei was stunned. As Chen Shi thrust out his sword qi, the tip of his sword flickered, forming a scene of chaotic, dusky yellow vastness without order. But the next moment, the dusky yellow separated out of the chaos. Heaven and earth parted, the myriad Dao took form, and all things came into being!

The sword qi in his hand seemed to command the power of the Dao. At the moment heaven and earth separated, it possessed an inconceivable might!

After executing the move, Chen Shi lowered his sword and stood still. Somewhat sheepishly, he said, “Senior Sister Jing, I’ve only comprehended half of this move. I still can’t understand the other half. Please give me your guidance.”

Jing Mei said, “Mm, mm. You performed it very well, but your control of the sword is still lacking. You can only control sixty-four strands of sword qi, right? That’s the problem. So how can you control more strands of sword qi while still performing these moves? That’s the beauty of cultivating the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture. I’ll guide you in cultivating the Dao Scripture.”

Chen Shi was deeply embarrassed. “Senior Brother Jiang Guo also mentioned this problem. He said I have too many things on my mind and keep cultivating this and that, neglecting the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture. That’s why I haven’t been able to control more strands of sword qi. Please guide me, Senior Sister Jing.”

Jing Mei felt ashamed as she thought, “Good thing I changed the subject quickly. In the past, our entrance tests only covered the first eight moves. The ninth, Primordial Chaos Split Apart, was never tested.”

Even now, despite her high level of cultivation, she still hadn’t comprehended the Sword Scripture’s ninth move.

No one on Golden Turtle Island, whether disciple or martial uncle, had ever managed to perform the move Primordial Chaos Split Apart.

To date, the most complete version of Primordial Chaos Split Apart Jing Mei had ever seen was the one Chen Shi had just performed!

She couldn’t guide Chen Shi in the Sword Scripture. In fact, she felt that Chen Shi could guide her in it instead.

But when it came to the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture, she had plenty to say.

The higher one’s cultivation, the faster one cultivated the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture. Jing Mei’s understanding of the Dao Scripture naturally far surpassed Chen Shi’s. After she explained it to him, Chen Shi nodded repeatedly. Things he had never understood before suddenly became clear.

He felt that previously, his cultivation had been unable to help him control more strands of sword qi. But after Jing Mei’s guidance, he felt that in just a few days, he would be able to master more!

“Thank you, Senior Sister Jing!” Chen Shi bowed to Jing Mei in gratitude.

Jing Mei smiled. “Don’t thank me just yet. Get to cultivating first. If Martial Uncle Jiao emerges from seclusion and you still can’t control more strands of sword qi, I’m afraid you still won’t be able to become a disciple of Golden Turtle Island.”

At that, Chen Shi immediately began cultivating the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture while practicing the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture right there, advancing both scriptures side by side.

Suddenly, a series of thunderous booms came from outside the mountain. Jing Mei and Jiang Guo looked toward the sound and saw two enormous dogs revealing their true forms. Like two moving mountains, they were fighting outside Golden Turtle Island, turning heaven and earth upside down!

The two dogs fought more fiercely than immortals battling to the death, each move meant to kill, neither willing to back down.

The Hu dog in particular had been no bigger than a palm earlier, but now that it had revealed its true form, it looked even more savage and vicious than Black Pot. Its fighting ability was formidable.

“A mountain cannot shelter two dogs. Those two are bound to fight until one of them wins,” Jing Mei said. “I’m afraid that black dog will be at a disadvantage. The Hu dog is powerful.”

She had only just said this when Black Pot stood upright. From nowhere, he produced a Black Iron Rod. After ritual-refining it with the Heavenly Cycle Fire Domain, he made it grow enormous and incredibly heavy. He swung it and brought it down on the Hu dog’s head.

The Hu dog had sharp claws that other divine dogs lacked, so it had held the upper hand earlier. But now Black Pot was fighting on two legs. After a few blows, he left the Hu dog dizzy and unable to keep its balance.

It turned and ran, but Black Pot chased it down from behind, swinging the rod in a great circle and beating the Hu dog until it howled in pain.

Before long, Jing Mei and Jiang Guo saw Black Pot return up the mountain, back to his usual size. The Hu dog had also shrunk to the size of a palm. With a bruised and swollen face, it followed behind him with its tail between its legs, fawning on Black Pot and showing none of its earlier sinister manner.

“The Hu dog was completely beaten into submission by that black dog!” Jing Mei exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Shi continued cultivating with complete focus, his mind undisturbed. The Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture slowly advanced, and the number of strands of sword qi he could control at once gradually increased.

One day, a gaunt man came over. From a distance, he called out, “Junior Brother Jiang, Junior Sister Jing, I heard a new junior brother has come to Golden Turtle Island, and that he’s alarmed quite a few of our sect’s elders, who escorted him here. This junior brother has arrived, hasn’t he?”

The newcomer was tall and broad-shouldered, but seemed emaciated. His voice lacked strength, as though he were injured. He was none other than the Senior Brother Qiao Jiang Guo had mentioned, Qiao Gu.

“Senior Brother Qiao, come with me,” Jing Mei said.

A moment later, Qiao Gu stared in astonishment at Chen Shi, who was still practicing without pause. He stammered, “Th-this is the Sword Scripture’s ninth move?”

Just then, another voice rang out. “The ninth move? What ninth move? It’s impossible for anyone to perform the Sword Scripture’s ninth move!”

They turned around and saw a hunched figure leaning on a cane as he approached. He was white-haired, with white brows and beard.

One of his eyes was blind. Its eyeball was milky white, and a golden needle was stuck in its pupil. For some reason, it had not been removed. This was Martial Uncle Jiao, whom Jiang Guo had mentioned, Jiao Jinhua.

A moment later, Martial Uncle Jiao stared at Chen Shi, who was still cultivating, his eyes wide with astonishment. He murmured, “It really is the ninth move… Someone in this world really has mastered the ninth move!”