Chapter 636: Primordial Chaos Split Apart

Uncle Jiao looked at Chen Shi, who seemed somewhat weathered after several years apart, and saw that he had shed his youthful air, becoming more mature and composed.

Jing Mei, Qiao Gu, Jiang Guo, Black Pot, and the others hurried over as well, surrounding him.

“Junior Brother Chen, where have you been all these years?” Senior Sister Jing Mei asked.

“I went to too many places. After leaving western Penglai, I went to the Xia Kingdom. It was spring there, the breeze was gentle and warm, and wherever it blew, all things came to life. I observed the wonders of their growth and realized that the wind carried the yang energy within the light, nourishing all things and awakening their vitality.”

Chen Shi spoke at an unhurried pace. “After that, I went to the Yu Kingdom, where it was midsummer. The summer winds were scorching. I watched all things flower and bear fruit, flourishing with unrestrained passion. Life was pollinated and spread by the wind, bringing forth the next generation.

“After leaving the Yu Kingdom, I came to the Wei Kingdom. It was autumn there, with crisp, clear skies. The wind still held the lingering might of yang energy, but it had also grown much colder with yin energy. I saw all things storing themselves away. Crops poured their lives into their seeds, while fruits and vegetables poured theirs into their fruit. The next generation nurtured by the wolf packs had also begun to grow.

“Then I left the Wei Kingdom and went to the Zhao Kingdom. Winter had arrived there, and the world was blanketed in ice and snow. In the depths of the bitter cold, seeds fell into the dust and hid beneath the snow and ice. People wrapped themselves in thick clothes, while the wolf packs grew less active. Like a bear, I hid in a snow-covered cave, slowing my breathing until I fell asleep. When the ice and snow melted and the earth’s qi began to rise, I, like the seeds buried in the earth, heard the sound of melting snow and felt the yang energy flowing beneath the ground.”

Chen Shi smiled. “I walked out of the cave, like a seed that had lain dormant all winter, sprouting, slowly unfurling and growing. That was how I comprehended the mysteries of Wind Lord’s Irregularity.”

Smiles appeared on everyone’s faces as they listened.

They, too, had experienced something similar back in the day.

Chen Shi continued, “I achieved Dao Unification in Western Ox New Continent. There was no sunrise or sunset there, and the seasons never changed anywhere. I never knew the influence of the seasons on the human world could be so wondrous. This journey brought me many gains. I traveled far and wide, observing the sights of the human world, and came to the Xiang Kingdom. The officials there were corrupt and treated human lives as worthless. The emperor was benighted, and those below followed the example set above. The people lived in destitution, bandits ran rampant, disasters struck year after year, the Starved stretched for a thousand miles, ghost monsters roamed everywhere, and the people yearned for change…”

He spoke at length, but with great restraint, never describing the horrors he had witnessed.

There had been far too many scenes of parents selling their sons and daughters, people exchanging children to eat, and men being strung up and sold as “two-legged sheep” for their meat.

The horrors Chen Shi had witnessed in the Xiang Kingdom made him realize the importance of the human path. The Celestial Way governed the seasons and weather, the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. The earthly path governed planting and harvesting. The human path connected with both, becoming a crucial factor in a nation’s fate.

Only in such an apocalyptic scene could there be the despair of Drifting Azure Flames and endless tribulation ash, the indignation of Heaven Is Dead, Yellow Springs Rise, and the hope of Vast and Boundless, the nation lost in darkness, Clouds Unfurl and Mists Disperse, and the world made clear.

Only then could one take action like Autumn’s Departing Wind and Rain, seeking to bury and freeze this world beneath snow and frost; seek the unfathomable caves after the desert sands were exhausted; and struggle beneath Heaven’s Net Smashing the Sundered Sky, with the red sun like blood.

Only by personally walking through the human world and witnessing the conditions in the various kingdoms, while holding the Dao Heart that immortals were human too, no different from mortals, could one comprehend the true mysteries of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture.

Even with the Celestial Strategy in his possession, without this journey into the mortal world, Chen Shi’s understanding of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture would have remained superficial. He would never have truly grasped its mysteries.

“You’ve understood Master’s Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture,” Uncle Jiao said.

The others nodded one after another.

Chen Shi shook his head. “After comprehending the mysteries of the first eight moves, I went to study the ninth move, Primordial Chaos Split Apart. It was still immensely difficult, and I made little progress.”

Senior Brother Qiao Gu smiled. “You’re already amazing. You’ve comprehended Master’s benevolent heart in the Great Dao. Even if you don’t understand Primordial Chaos Split Apart, you can still go a long way along Dao-Contemplation Cliff. Perhaps you’ll gain further insight after receiving Master’s inheritance there.”

They accompanied Chen Shi to Dao-Contemplation Cliff. Chen Shi steadied himself, then entered the cliff passage for the second time.

The sword marks Master had left on the cliff face once more unleashed their power. Sword qi shot from the rock, forming the first move of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture: Earthly Qi’s Cold Greeting, Heaven’s Inverted Cycle of Life and Death!

Chen Shi summoned his sword. Strands of mysterious yellow sword qi flew out of the gourd one after another.

He seemed to have returned to that morning when he had observed the bamboo. Yang energy flowed beneath the earth, stirring the ash within the bamboo and producing the notes of Huangzhong and Dalu.

His sword intent held that same stirring emotion, bringing the power of benevolence in heaven and earth to its fullest expression.

Uncle Jiao, Qiao Gu, and the others stood outside Dao-Contemplation Cliff, watching with tense expressions.

The last time Chen Shi had attempted the cliff passage, everyone had placed great hopes in him. They had never expected that at the eighth move, Chen Shi would be forced to retreat, leaving all his efforts in vain.

Now, after several years of contemplation, Chen Shi had returned to Dao-Contemplation Cliff. If the sword marks on the cliff forced him back again, it would be a tremendous blow, one that might even leave him unable to recover.

Qiao Gu lowered his voice. “Last time, when he faced this move, one corner of his sleeve was cut off.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Shi had already driven one hundred and eight strands of mysterious yellow sword qi into motion, blocking the one hundred and eight sword techniques coming at him from every direction.

Within Dao-Contemplation Cliff, the crisscrossing sword qi dissipated.

Everyone anxiously watched Chen Shi’s sleeves. They were still as before; not a single piece had been cut away.

They breathed a sigh of relief, only to see Chen Shi continue forward. The sword marks on the cliff face were activated again. Before the sword qi could build up, Chen Shi struck first, meeting Wind Lord’s Irregularity with Wind Lord’s Irregularity.

Within the narrow passage of Dao-Contemplation Cliff, sword qi transformed into biting winds, scorching winds, gentle breezes, fierce gales, warm winds, spring breezes, autumn winds, and countless other currents. The clanging of colliding sword qi rang out without end.

Chen Shi completed the move, and the sword qi vanished at once.

He continued forward. Last time, it was at this move that the red orb on his Purple-Gold Crown had been cut off.

This time, however, the red orb remained in place.

Chen Shi advanced step by step. The sword marks Master had left on the cliff face erupted one after another, demonstrating the moves of the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture.

Drifting Azure Flames. Passed safely!

Heaven Is Dead, Yellow Springs Rise. Passed safely!

Clouds Unfurl and Mists Disperse. Passed safely!

…

At last, Chen Shi reached the sword mark of Heaven’s Net Smashing the Sundered Sky once again. Last time, this move had forced him to retreat from Dao-Contemplation Cliff.

There wasn’t a single wound on Chen Shi, and neither his clothes nor his ornaments were damaged. He simply raised his foot and stepped forward.

On the cliff face, Heaven’s Net Smashing the Sundered Sky was activated.

Sword qi transformed into a rainbow, forming a red sun. The setting sun was like blood, illuminating a scene in which heaven and earth were turned upside down!

The sword light collided, the sword qi clashed, and before long, everything returned to silence.

Chen Shi was still standing there, motionless, while the sword qi that had shot from the cliff face faded away.

Outside Dao-Contemplation Cliff, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Uncle Jiao gave a slight nod. “Sixty-two steps. By reaching this point, he’s gone farther than any other disciple of Golden Turtle Island. The supreme arts he comprehends there will surely be even stronger.”

Everyone was delighted as well.

Golden Turtle Island had long been suppressed by the disciples of the Three Purities. The sect had few disciples, so each additional one was naturally welcome. And if that new disciple was a talent like Chen Shi, all the better.

Just then, Chen Shi took another step forward.

Everyone outside the cliff froze. Senior Sister Jing Mei hurriedly called out, “Junior Brother Chen, don’t go any farther! The next move is the ninth, Primordial Chaos Split Apart! There’s no way you can get through it!”

Chen Shi continued forward with a smile. “I came here because I couldn’t comprehend Primordial Chaos Split Apart. No matter what, I have to witness it for myself!”

When he took his seventieth step, Primordial Chaos Split Apart on the cliff face was finally activated!

In an instant, earth, water, wind, and fire collapsed between the cliffs, surging madly. The various Great Daos in the world became jumbled together, their Dao forces merging into a mass of chaos that swept toward him!

Faced with such a move, Chen Shi couldn’t understand it at all. He forcibly drove the Heaven and Earth Separated he had comprehended to meet it!

Heaven and Earth Separated was the second half of Primordial Chaos Split Apart. Chen Shi had only managed to comprehend it thanks to the mysterious yellow Dao patterns imparted to him by Houtu Huangdiqi. This half of the move revealed the mysteries of mysterious yellow ancestral energy.

Chen Shi had already brought out as much of the move’s power as he could. Yet when it met Primordial Chaos Split Apart, the sword technique on the cliff face changed.

Before him, the chaotic force formed from sword light descended like an endless sky, bearing down on him. As it met his Heaven and Earth Separated, a strange power came from within the chaos. It was the power to open up the primordial chaos, to turn all disorder into order!

Chen Shi’s body shuddered violently. The one hundred and eight strands of sword qi in Heaven and Earth Separated were instantly shattered.

He retreated at top speed, but as he fell back, the sword intent had already passed into his arm and from there into his body!

Chen Shi roared, mobilizing all his magic power. He even drew on all three of his Dao Realms. In an instant, Dao Ruins and the demonic domain in the well appeared in the sky behind his head. Dao force surged forth and rushed toward him.

At the same time, the phantom outline of Western Ox New Continent appeared. The Dark Sea churned around it like black tentacles, trying to invade the Earth Immortal Realm.

Chen Shi mobilized the two Daos of yin and yang and the demonic Dao that he had cultivated, even drawing on the external Dao to resist the sword intent invading his body.

“Crack! Crack! Crack!”

The five fingers on his hand split open along their center lines, the sound of bones and sinews breaking inside his palm. The damage raced along his arm and rapidly spread through his body.

The flesh on his right arm burst apart, as if some strange power had turned him into primordial chaos and was trying to split his arm apart.

This power moved with incredible speed. Even as Chen Shi retreated, it had already invaded his shoulder, reached his neck, and begun spreading through his body!

“Whoosh!”

Chen Shi shot backward out of Dao-Contemplation Cliff like a bolt of lightning.

Uncle Jiao immediately rushed forward, surging with Dao techniques as he pressed his palm against Chen Shi’s back and shouted, “Quick, help bear the power of Primordial Chaos Split Apart!”

Qiao Gu, Jing Mei, Jiang Guo, and Black Pot all sprang into action. Qiao Gu pointed at the back of Chen Shi’s head and shouted, “I’ll protect his brain!”

Jing Mei joined her fingers like a sword and pressed them against Chen Shi’s liver and spleen, protecting them.

Jiang Guo pressed his palm against Chen Shi’s life gate, protecting his dantian.

Black Pot leapt into the air, cutting off the power attacking Chen Shi’s Primordial Spirit.

Everyone’s bodies shuddered. They felt a terrifying power sweep over them, as if it could split anything apart.

Black Pot’s bones crackled. A sword mark appeared along the center line of every bone, while all the muscles in his body were torn apart. Blood poured from him as he fell from the sky.

Qiao Gu, Jing Mei, and Jiang Guo were flung backward and crashed into the mountain forest. The wounds on them were strikingly similar to Black Pot’s.

Jiang Guo was in the True Immortal Realm, while Qiao Gu and Jing Mei had long since reached the peak of the Gold Immortal Realm. Yet all of them had still suffered severe injuries.

Uncle Jiao’s cultivation was the most unfathomable. He had protected Chen Shi’s heart, but his own injuries were just as severe. He fell to the ground and could not get back up.

Chen Shi also hit the ground with a thud. His body was drenched in blood, and a center line had appeared in every muscle, sinew, tendon, and bone.

It was a sword mark capable of splitting apart primordial chaos, a strike that could turn disorder into order, so wondrous it was beyond description.

But it had also gravely wounded him.

His injuries were the worst. If Uncle Jiao and the others hadn’t each intervened to protect vital parts of his body, he would likely have died beneath Primordial Chaos Split Apart.

Everyone coughed up mouthfuls of blood and lay unable to move. Even the slightest movement threatened to split their bodies into pieces.

Uncle Jiao was secretly frantic. “Aside from those out training, all the disciples of Golden Turtle Island are here. Now every one of us, myself included, is gravely injured. If an enemy attacks us at this moment, Golden Turtle Island may be wiped out!”

A short while later, a rustling sound approached. Everyone was too afraid to even move their eyes.

A streak of sword qi had also split their eyes, and the slightest movement would make their eyeballs split apart!

The palm-sized Hu dog came into view, dragging chains thicker than its own body. The little dog looked stern as it glanced left and right.

At that moment, it was the only one on Golden Turtle Island who was still in one piece.

Its magic power flowed out, gently lifting everyone, Black Pot included, and carefully carrying them to the Caivei Palace.

Caivei Palace was where medicines were made on Golden Turtle Island. Uncle Jiao, Qiao Gu, and the others had all refined quite a few immortal pills.

The Hu dog carried them into Caivei Palace and set them on a jade couch. Then the little dog bounced over and took several bottles of immortal pills from the medicinal shelves.

“Good job, little dog!” Qiao Gu cheered inwardly.

The Hu dog opened a jade bottle and tried a few pills itself, crunching them loudly.

Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. They feared the Hu dog would eat all the immortal pills itself. Golden Turtle Island was already dirt poor; the senior and junior brothers often didn’t have a penny to their names. They had finally managed to save up these few bottles of immortal pills, and every one of them was meant to treat injuries.

If the Hu dog ate them all, they would have no choice but to rely on their ability to heal and wait for their wounds to close on their own.

Fortunately, the Hu dog didn’t keep eating. It poured the immortal pills out of the bottles and stuffed them into everyone’s mouths.

They carefully activated the pills, using the Dao force of creation within them to heal their wounds. Their injuries slowly began to improve.

Chen Shi lay there with a smile on his face, then suddenly laughed out loud.

“You’re still laughing!”

Qiao Gu snapped angrily, “The Three Purities couldn’t wipe out Golden Turtle Island, but you nearly did! If you weren’t sure you could handle it, why provoke the ninth move?”

Chen Shi’s laughter gradually faded. “After this brush with death, I comprehended Primordial Chaos Split Apart.”

Everyone was shaken to the core and cried out in unison, “What?”

“I comprehended Primordial Chaos Split Apart. Once I’ve fully understood this move, I’ll pass it on to you…”

Uncle Jiao interrupted him, his voice trembling. “If you can comprehend Primordial Chaos Split Apart, you’ll be able to enter Dao-Contemplation Cliff and reach the Brush-Washing Pool, Master’s place of enlightenment! Then you’ll be able to obtain Master’s true inheritance!”