Chapter 644: The Farmhands Step In

Shang Dugong and the others wore worried expressions as they gathered to discuss the situation. The burly pill-refining man, Tang Feng, said, “What do we do now? We’ve never fought anyone. Just how vicious is Landlord Chen? He couldn’t beat them and came to us for help. If we go out and fight for him, he’ll see how weak we are beneath our tough talk, then raise our rent when he gets back.”

The child Bai Lu said, “We have fought before. Aren’t there lots of heavenly soldiers, generals, and gods buried behind the mountain?”

“Is that the same thing?”

The village girl Qu Lihua said, “Those people were so weak! This time, we’re up against someone even Landlord Chen can’t handle!”

The mangy dog trembled and barked, “Woof!”

“The dog’s right. We’ll just take it one step at a time,” Shang Dugong sighed. “If the enemy’s too strong, and we can’t beat them, we’ll come back as quickly as we can.”

Bai Lu’s father was an honest, simple farmer. “Even if we can’t beat the enemy, surely we can beat the landlord. We might as well kill him and bury him behind the mountain. Then we won’t have all these problems.”

Everyone hesitated.

Bai Lu’s father said, “What are you hesitating for? We’re just farmers. How are we supposed to fight the landlord’s enemies? What if we get beaten to death in this fight?”

His words struck a chord, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Bai Lu’s father said, “If you ask me, we should sneak up behind the landlord with a manure fork and give him a good stab. If he dies, then so be it!”

“Brilliant plan!”

A murderous glint entered Shang Dugong’s eyes. He looked around for Chen Shi, but couldn’t find him, so he asked, “Where’s the landlord?”

The burly pill-refining man, Tang Feng, said, “He seems to have gone out.”

Chen Shi left Fulong Village and headed southeast, arriving at the green mountain where Changchun Emperor resided. The mountain was full of immortal herbs, most of which had taken human form as fairy maidens. They were all very beautiful, but ill-tempered, and would take a bite out of someone at the slightest provocation.

A beautiful fairy maiden descended from the clouds, her long sleeves and ribbons fluttering. She cast him a seductive glance and swayed toward him. As soon as she reached Chen Shi’s side, she took his hand and led him into the grass.

Chen Shi firmly refused and pulled his hand free.

Behind the grass, the fairy maiden’s true form, an immortal plant, opened its enormous maw, drooling as it lamented the loss of the meat that had nearly reached its mouth.

Unbeknownst to himself, Chen Shi ventured deeper into the mountain, trying to find Changchun Emperor’s residence. But the mountain paths were complicated, and he forgot which way to go. By the time he wanted to turn back, he could no longer find the path he had taken.

Just then, the sound of a zither drifted over, ethereal and exquisite.

Chen Shi’s heart stirred. Following the music, he found himself before a palace deep in the mountains. Two immortal boys had been waiting there for some time. When they saw Chen Shi, they bowed and said, “Master Chen, the two of us have been waiting here for quite a while by the Emperor’s command. Please follow us.”

Chen Shi followed the two immortal boys into the palace. They crossed covered walkways and winding corridors, then arrived before a pond with ornamental rocks. They went around it and reached a pavilion with a plaque bearing the words “Bright Mist Pavilion.”

A handsome man with a pale complexion emerged from Bright Mist Pavilion and greeted him. “Changchun greets you, fellow Daoist.”

Chen Shi hurriedly returned the greeting. “Chen Shi greets you, fellow Daoist. I came unannounced and disturbed your rest. I feel truly ashamed.”

The handsome man was none other than Changchun Emperor. Though he seemed somewhat ill, he carried himself with effortless grace and gave the impression of a gentleman as pure as jade. Smiling, he said, “I’ve been ill for a long time. I can neither live nor die, only endure it. There’s no question of resting. What brings you here, Fellow Daoist Chen?”

Chen Shi hesitated, then summoned his courage. “I’m being presumptuous, but I have no choice but to ask for your help. My sect is surrounded by enemies who intend to wipe it out, so I’d like to ask the Emperor to lend us your aid.”

Changchun Emperor asked in surprise, “Who has surrounded your sect?”

“Experts from the Cloud Sky Grotto lineage.”

“The Cloud Sky Grotto? So they’re from Great Immortal Chijing’s lineage.”

Changchun Emperor turned to the two immortal boys. “This is no great matter. You two can go. If Great Immortal Chijing shows up, I can step in then.”

The two immortal boys bowed. “We will obey your command.”

Changchun Emperor smiled. “Fellow Daoist Chen, my old illness makes it inconvenient for me to move around, so I won’t see you out. Should you find yourself in danger, Changchun will come to your aid.”

Chen Shi bowed in thanks. Changchun Emperor hurriedly helped him back up, smiling. “It’s a small matter. There’s no need to mention it.”

Chen Shi took his leave. The two immortal boys hurried after him. One asked, “Young Master Chen, where are we going now?”

“I’m going to find Lady Niangpo and ask for her help.”

The two immortal boys exchanged a glance. The blue-robed immortal boy said, “The Cloud Sky Grotto may be formidable, but as long as Great Immortal Chijing doesn’t show up, our Changchun Palace will be more than enough.”

Chen Shi smiled. “It’s always better to be prepared. What are your names?”

The white-robed immortal boy said, “My name is Youyu. He is my junior fellow apprentice, Taotang.”

The three arrived at the place where Lady Niangpo lived. There they saw Ding Sisi, dressed in red, already waiting for them. She said, “The Lady already knows why Young Master has come. She said I’ll be the one to step in this time. If I can’t hold them off, she’ll show herself and help.”

Chen Shi thanked her. “I regret that I cannot pay my respects to the Lady in person.”

Ding Sisi smiled. “My mother is injured and ill, so she can’t receive guests. Once she’s feeling better, she’ll meet you.”

She smiled with pursed lips. “My mother also said that she has no choice but to help Young Master Chen. Who knows, the place we live might one day become part of your Dao Realm!”

Chen Shi blushed. “Miss Sisi, you’re teasing me. The Celestial Court granted me this place as my fief, and I had no idea that so many senior experts were living in seclusion here. By the time I found out, I had already planted my Dao Realm. If I achieve anything in the future, I certainly won’t presume to act recklessly. All of you seniors may continue living here.”

Ding Sisi said, “The Celestial Court gave this place to you, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Since we’re residents, we should lend you a hand.”

Chen Shi laughed. “You’re joking, Sisi. It’s all of you seniors who have been looking after me.”

The four returned to Fulong Village. When the villagers saw Youyu and Taotang, the two boys, they were startled. Then, when they saw Ding Sisi, they quietly put away their weapons, such as axes, kitchen knives, and rolling pins.

Chen Shi said, “I’ll have to rely on all of you this time. Chen Shi thanks you in advance!”

He bowed deeply to everyone.

The villagers hurriedly returned the bow.

Outside Golden Turtle Island, black iron immortal cities arrived from every direction, surrounding the island until not even a drop of water could get through.

These immortal cities had originally been built to guard against Golden Turtle Island. As the saying went, “Raise soldiers for a thousand days to use them for one.” The immortal soldiers and generals had been drawing their salaries for thousands of years. Golden Turtle Island had never done anything wicked, and aside from its harsh environment, the place had been quite peaceful.

Now that Golden Turtle Island had done evil, these immortal soldiers and generals were excited too. They felt this was their chance to distinguish themselves and make a name for themselves.

Qiao Gu regained his cultivation before Jiao the Cripple did, suppressing the external Dao within his body. Seeing the scene outside Golden Turtle Island, he couldn’t help but frown.

Senior Sister Jing Mei came to his side and said in a low voice, “Junior Brother Jiang and Junior Brother Chen have both entered Dao-Contemplation Cliff. Even if Great Immortal Chijing arrives, he won’t be able to force his way in.”

Qiao Gu breathed a sigh of relief. “I wonder if the Celestial Court knows about what happened on Golden Turtle Island. Even if they do, I’m afraid they won’t make it in time to save us.”

Senior Sister Jing Mei said, “They’re gods, and their actions must stay within the bounds of their divine duties. They can’t go against those duties. If they come to help us, they’ll surely be punished. They might even end up on the God Execution Platform.”

Qiao Gu fell silent.

Senior Sister Jing Mei said, “Fortunately, there are other senior and junior fellow disciples outside. They can stay alive.”

At that moment, immortal light shimmered above a city opposite them. A column of light descended from the heavens and landed in the city. Then many beautifully dressed young women carrying flower baskets descended around the column, scattering flower petals in every direction.

Within the column of light, a figure slowly descended. He was a graceful young man.

“Who’s that, making such a show of himself?” Senior Sister Jing Mei asked in surprise.

Qiao Gu’s expression darkened. He said quietly, “That’s Yong Guike of the Cloud Sky Grotto.”

Senior Sister Jing Mei’s heart jolted, and she said nothing. Qiao Gu’s persistent coughing was due to the Dao injury Yong Guike had inflicted on him.

Qiao Gu had once been a celebrated genius. Even though he had placed his Dao Unification Ground in such a dangerous place as western Penglai, his cultivation had still advanced by leaps and bounds. He had soon become a True Immortal, then a Gold Immortal.

After becoming a Gold Immortal, he advanced by one Dao Realm every hundred years. In six hundred years, he had crossed six Dao Realms in succession, drawing close to the Tai Yi Golden Immortal realm.

It was during a journey he undertook just before breaking through that he encountered Yong Guike of the Cloud Sky Grotto.

The Master’s lineage and the Three Purities lineage were enemies. The two men had clashed after a few words, and because Qiao Gu had to reserve some of his cultivation to suppress the external Dao within his Dao Realm, he was no match for Yong Guike and was gravely wounded by him.

Qiao Gu’s Dao injury was extremely serious. He had to use sixty or seventy percent of his cultivation every day to suppress it. His cultivation had originally been extremely high, and he had been on the verge of breaking through in one push to become a Tai Yi Golden Immortal. Yet the Dao injury Yong Guike inflicted on him left his cultivation stalled. For ten thousand years, he had made no progress.

Yong Guike’s cultivation had been about the same as Qiao Gu’s back then. But over the years, he had continued to improve and had become the most dazzling young powerhouse in the Cloud Sky Grotto.

Qiao Gu’s face remained expressionless, but the Dao injury inside him was burning with pain once more, as if reminding him of this grudge.

Yong Guike seemed to sense him too and looked in his direction.

Their gazes met, and Yong Guike descended into the immortal city.

Immortal light also streamed down over the other immortal cities. Fairy maidens scattered flowers to welcome one Tai Yi Golden Immortal after another.

In the Great Shang Era, Tai Yi Golden Immortals had been nearly synonymous with the strongest cultivators. Times had changed, and there were now a hundred times more of them than before. Even so, Tai Yi Golden Immortals remained incomparably powerful. They could rival the mighty Dao Gods of the Celestial Court and contend with the great demons that ran rampant in the present age!

“The Cloud Sky Grotto has only five Tai Yi Golden Immortals, but sixteen have arrived!”

Qiao Gu sucked in a breath. That meant at least eleven of them had come from other grotto-heavens!

After hundreds of thousands of years of development, the Three Purities lineage had branched out extensively, spawning numerous sects and producing no shortage of experts. This time, the Cloud Sky Grotto had surely invited Tai Yi Golden Immortals from other branches to help. They were determined to seize Golden Turtle Island!

In one of the immortal cities, Yong Guike stood respectfully with his hands folded before him, welcoming each Tai Yi Golden Immortal as they arrived.

“Senior Uncle Jun, Senior Uncle Chun, Junior Uncle Liu...”

His seniority was lower, so he exchanged pleasantries with each of them in turn. Senior Uncle Jun chuckled. “Fellow Daoist Yong, you’re already a Tai Yi Golden Immortal, on the same level as us. Why are you being so humble? With your cultivation where it is, you’re our fellow daoist.”

Yong Guike bowed slightly. “Senior Uncle, a teacher is a father for life. My master addresses you as fellow daoists, but if I did the same, wouldn’t that throw our seniority into disorder?”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Senior Uncle Chun said, “Just imagining Second Brother Fu having to call his own disciple a fellow daoist makes me so happy that three flowers have appeared above my head.”

He laughed heartily, and sure enough, clouds billowed above his head, revealing three lotus flowers.

These flowers were no ordinary blooms. They were flowers of the Great Dao, the essence of a Tai Yi Golden Immortal’s Dao techniques. Only those who had cultivated to the sixteenth Dao Realm could hope to make their Dao flowers bloom.

Senior Uncle Chun had actually managed to make one of his three flowers bloom. It was truly enviable.

Seeing this, another Daoist laughed aloud. “Seeing Daoist Brother Chun’s three flowers blooming atop his head, I suddenly feel spring in the air. My own Dao flower has bloomed too!”

With that, he slapped the top of his head. Sure enough, three flowers appeared, and one of them bloomed.

Everyone praised him. Several other Daoists revealed the three flowers atop their heads too, with one or even two of the flowers in bloom.

When all three flowers atop one’s head bloomed, one had reached the pinnacle of the Tai Yi Golden Immortal realm and gained the potential to prove the Great Luo Golden Immortal Dao.

The most powerful among them was the man they called “Second Brother Fu,” Yong Guike’s master, Fu Gucheng.

When Fu Gucheng had first joined the sect to study, he had long been ranked second in the sect in terms of strength, earning him the nickname Second Brother Fu. Later, the senior brother who had kept him in second place for ten thousand years died at the hands of a great demon during an expedition. Only then did Fu Gucheng become the sect’s strongest. Even so, the nickname Second Brother Fu had stuck.

His cultivation had already reached the eighteenth Dao Realm, the Great Peace Imperial Cliff Heaven Dao Realm. Since he had only just entered that realm, his third Dao flower had yet to bloom.

“Will our master appear this time?” Senior Uncle Chun suddenly asked.

Fu Gucheng shook his head. “The Tongtian lineage is nothing like it was back then. These days, it’s no more than a few nobodies. There’s no need to disturb our master over this. Junior Brother Kuang.”

Daoist Kuang was also a Tai Yi Golden Immortal. Jiao the Cripple had broken his legs and neck, and his injuries had yet to heal. He was lying across the back of a sika deer, his head tilted to one side. “Yes, Senior Brother?”

Fu Gucheng said, “You said that Jiao Huang, Fellow Daoist Jiao, has unfathomable cultivation and has long since become a Tai Yi Golden Immortal. How many golden flowers has he bloomed?”

Daoist Kuang thought for a moment. “I never saw him summon any golden flowers.”

“Never summoned any golden flowers? Then he may have only just entered the sixteenth Dao Realm. He’s no cause for concern.”

He climbed to the top of the immortal city’s watchtower and looked down over Golden Turtle Island, taking in the entire island at a glance. He smiled. “This mountain-protecting formation has a few redeeming qualities.”

Yong Guike said, “Master, look at that clear spring!”

Fu Gucheng had already noticed the Jade Clarity Dao Spring without needing to be reminded. His heart burned with excitement, and he smiled. “Fellow disciples, today we’ll break through their mountain-protecting formation!”

Everyone agreed in unison. They each activated their Dao Realms and summoned the three flowers atop their heads. Just as they were about to attack, a cacophony of quacking broke out. It sounded like a Demonic Sound, stabbing at their brains like a steel needle.

Their auras wavered slightly. They focused their eyes and saw a handsome young man walking toward Biyou Palace, followed by a duck and a mangy dog.

The duck walked in front. As if sensing the crowd’s aura, it turned to look at them, then abruptly puffed itself up, quacking and flapping its wings with all its might.

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief. With a hum, dazzling Dao light burst from the duck’s head. When the light faded, they saw three lotus buds growing from the clouds above the head of the old Muscovy duck.

One of the lotus flowers swayed slightly. Amid a burst of Dao light, it slowly began to bloom.

Fu Gucheng and the others gaped. This duck had actually cultivated the three flowers atop its head, and had even managed to make one of its Dao flowers bloom!

Senior Uncle Chun said in disbelief, “A duck on Golden Turtle Island has actually achieved this...”

The mangy dog shook itself too. Brilliant light shone above its head, where three flowers appeared, and one of its Dao flowers bloomed as well!

Fu Gucheng and the others were even more shocked. The duck was just an ordinary Muscovy duck, and the mangy dog was an old, hairless mutt. Neither had any special bloodline.

And yet their cultivation realms were so high that Fu Gucheng and the others were left dazed. They couldn’t help feeling that all the years they had spent cultivating had gone to the dogs.

Then they saw an elderly man leaning on a cane, a burly man, a child with hair tied in two topknots, as well as a village girl, a farmer, and several women following Chen Shi.

Brilliant Dao light shone above these country folk’s heads. Each had three flowers, with one or two in bloom. Even the elderly man had all three golden flowers in full bloom!

The muscles around Fu Gucheng’s eyes twitched uncontrollably, and his heart was thrown into turmoil.

Golden Turtle Island had been hiding so many experts! It looked like the duck and the dog were the weakest of them all!