Chapter 658: A Promise Worth Its Weight in Gold

Cold sweat broke out on King Li’s forehead, and the exquisite golden pagoda suddenly felt like a hot potato.

He had never imagined that Ziwei Emperor had spoken up for Chen Shi simply because, when Chen Shi had suggested investigating King Li earlier, Ziwei Emperor had said a good word on King Li’s behalf.

Chen Shi cast Ziwei Emperor a grateful glance.

Ziwei Emperor’s expression was solemn. He did not look at Chen Shi.

Ziwei Emperor’s rule in dealing with people was simple: either help neither side, or give both sides a hand. He had to keep the scales balanced and show no favoritism.

Since he had spoken up for King Li earlier, speaking up for Chen Shi now simply evened things out.

Empress of Earth glanced around and said, “Did none of the other fellow daoists speak up for King Li? It seems they also think there’s something wrong with him and that he should be investigated.”

The other Celestial Court heavyweights’ silence rang out like thunder.

The veins on King Li’s forehead bulged. The reason Great Southern Pole Longevity Emperor and the others had not pleaded on his behalf was simply that he had few ties of interest or personal connections with them. After all, he was the Celestial Court’s foremost commander of troops, a subordinate of the Jade Emperor, the Great Celestial Venerable. It was unwise for him to get too close to the other Celestial Venerables and emperors.

Now, that very fact had become ammunition with which to attack him.

Still, it was possible the Celestial Court’s heavyweights had lost face because Chen Shi had summoned their avatars and gotten them killed, and now wanted to make things difficult for him, the culprit.

Most of them probably believed that he, King Li, had set up the Star-Gathering Platform to summon their avatars.

“Your Majesty, this exquisite golden pagoda of mine was a gift from Ancient Buddha Burning Lamp. I use it to suppress my son.”

King Li hurriedly protested, “Everyone, mortal and divine alike, knows this! All these years, I’ve survived my son’s hands only thanks to this treasure. I am not colluding with Western Heaven!”

Doumu Yuanjun said, “The Immortal Court remains shrouded in mystery. There may well be powerful figures from Western Heaven within it, hoping to topple the Celestial Court and claim a share of the spoils. King Li does need to avoid suspicion.”

King Li snapped, “Yuanjun, you’re saying this only because Chen Shi is a disciple of Golden Turtle Island. You’re deliberately trying to frame me!”

Thunderclap Puhua Venerable advised him, “Heavenly King, don’t lose your temper. We all know you’re innocent, but it’s inevitable that there are powerful figures from Western Heaven in the Immortal Court. You’re holding a magic treasure from Ancient Buddha Burning Lamp, so it’s hard to avoid suspicion. If we don’t suspect you, do you think no one else in the Celestial Court will? Her Ladyship is right. We’re only investigating your ties to Western Heaven. If you’re innocent, would we really wrong you?”

“That’s right. The innocent have nothing to fear.”

Doumu Yuanjun said, “You’re afraid to let us investigate. Does that mean there really is something wrong with you, that you’re truly disloyal to the Great Celestial Venerable?”

King Li’s face reddened, and he stammered, unable to get a word out.

“Enough, enough.”

The Jade Emperor, the Great Celestial Venerable, remained expressionless, showing neither pleasure nor anger. “Minister Li is on close terms with Western Heaven. Even if Western Heaven has not participated in the conflict between the Celestial Court and the Immortal Court, it will still sit back and watch them fight. Minister Li does need to examine his own conduct and reflect. Furthermore, Minister Li also deserves credit for pacifying the great Ni Li World and giving my people another world in which to live. His merit is immeasurable, and he should be rewarded for his service.”

King Li breathed a sigh of relief.

The Jade Emperor, the Great Celestial Venerable, glanced at Chen Shi and the others. “As for these Celestial Way Divine Beings, they too deserve credit for pacifying the great Ni Li World and should be rewarded. From now on, you will serve under Minister Li. He will naturally look after you.”

Everyone was reasonably satisfied with this arrangement, so no one spoke up.

The Jade Emperor, the Great Celestial Venerable, looked at the enormous Sacred Tree and continued, “This tree is no ordinary thing. Minister Li, escort it with the utmost care. If anything happens to it, you will answer for it!”

King Li straightened and bowed. “Understood.”

The Jade Emperor, the Great Celestial Venerable, suddenly transformed into an endless sea of starlight and surged into the clouds, vanishing.

Chen Shi came over to Doumu Yuanjun and was about to bow and thank her when her expression abruptly changed. She swept her sleeve and said, “Grand-uncle Master? Don’t call me Grand-uncle Master. Who’s your Grand-uncle Master? I’m a deity. I severed my ties with the Tongtian lineage long ago!”

Chen Shi blinked. He had not said a word. He did not know why Doumu Yuanjun had suddenly lost her temper.

Doumu Yuanjun watched him sternly and snorted. Then she looked around at everyone. “Everyone, take note. I uphold the law impartially, without the slightest selfish motive. Even if someone from my sect comes before me, I will refuse to acknowledge them! If this boy breaks the rules in the future, punish him as he deserves, or kill him if necessary. No one needs to spare me the embarrassment!”

As she finished speaking, she swept her sleeve. Her body burst into starlight with a mighty crash and vanished.

Thunderclap Puhua Venerable chuckled. “My master’s attainments in the divine path are profound. She has reached the point of having severed her attachments and long since let go of her ties to our sect. As her martial nephew, I haven’t cultivated to that point and can’t help being bound by convention.”

He bowed sincerely to the emperors and Celestial Venerables around him. “The immortal path slaughtered my sect, leaving us with few descendants. I hope you fellow daoists will look after them so our lineage won’t die out. I would be deeply grateful!”

The emperors, Celestial Venerables, and True Lords all returned his salute. “Venerable, you’re too kind.”

Thunderclap Puhua Venerable said to Chen Shi, “Little Martial Nephew, I have official business to attend to, so I must return to the Thunder Ministry. If you need anything, you can come find me there. Or you may light a stick of incense and recite, ‘Thunderclap Puhua Venerable.’ I will sense it.”

Chen Shi acknowledged him.

Thunderclap Puhua Venerable then said to King Li, “Please look after the descendants of our sect, Heavenly King.”

King Li replied courteously, “Venerable, rest assured. I’ll take good care of them.”

Thunderclap Puhua Venerable transformed into a flash of lightning and departed.

Empress of Earth stepped forward and instructed Chen Shi, “If anyone bullies you, don’t say you’re the Crown Prince of Virtuous Virtue Heavenly Palace, or you’ll damage my reputation. My heart is as vast as the mysterious yellow sea. I’m no one to bend the law for personal reasons.”

Chen Shi hurriedly thanked his godmother.

“I told you not to call me Godmother in front of outsiders!” Empress of Earth said crossly. Then she vanished as well.

Seeing this, the other emperors and Celestial Venerables departed one after another.

Ziwei Emperor was the last to leave. Smiling, he said, “Little Fellow Daoist Chen, if you have time in the future, why not come visit the Ziwei Heavenly Palace of the Northern Dipper?”

Chen Shi readily replied, “Your Majesty, if you don’t think this humble official is too uncouth, I’ll certainly take the liberty of paying you a visit.”

Ziwei Emperor also transformed into starlight and vanished.

Soon, the twenty-eight Celestial Court heavyweights had all disappeared. Only King Li, Chen Shi, Niu Jingjing, and the others remained.

King Li’s gaze fell on Chen Shi, and a headache came over him. He thought, “This fellow is an ancestor. I can’t beat him, scold him, or kill him. And he has the imprint of the Celestial Strategy on him. What am I supposed to do?”

His gaze shifted. “The Great Celestial Venerable told me to look after them. He must be telling me to use my own judgment. If I can turn them into Celestial Way Divine Beings, then I should act. If not, I’ll look for an opportunity. But Doumu Yuanjun, Puhua Celestial Venerable, and the others threatened me before they left, telling me to think carefully. This is a tough one…”

When orders came down from above, those below had no choice but to carry them out.

Even if it meant taking the blame for something they couldn’t bear, they still had to do it!

Even as a deity, he couldn’t do as he pleased. King Li sighed inwardly.

Chen Shi interrupted his reverie and asked, “Heavenly King, how do you plan to transport such an enormous earthly treasure and spiritual root? If it’s taken to the Celestial Court, it will attract attention and soon cause a sensation throughout the Earth Immortal Realm. Before long, everyone will know about it.”

King Li looked toward the Sacred Tree. “I have the exquisite golden pagoda. It contains the myriad heavens and can store this treasure.”

Chen Shi reminded him, “This treasure still belongs to Ancient Buddha Burning Lamp. If you put the Sacred Tree inside it, the Ancient Buddha will certainly find out. If someone takes it from you, the charge of colluding with the enemy will be proven, and you’ll have to make a trip to the God Execution Platform.”

King Li hesitated. Though he and Ancient Buddha Burning Lamp were close, faced with such a temptation, the Ancient Buddha might not be able to resist.

What was more, even if the Ancient Buddha didn’t act himself, he could tell someone else about it and let them make a move.

But other than the exquisite golden pagoda, King Li had no other magic treasure capable of holding such a colossal object.

His gaze fell on Chu Xiangxiu. “Commander Chu, can you turn the great Ni Li World into your Dao Realm and summon it here in the Celestial Court? Then we could take the treasure out there and be safe.”

Chu Xiangxiu shook his head. “My Dao Realm occupies only one-thousandth of the great Ni Li World. It’s nowhere near enough to bring out the Ni Li Sacred Tree. Besides, the great Ni Li World is in the Dark Sea, and sensing it would be extremely difficult.”

On this return to the great Ni Li World, he had become a True Immortal here, greatly increasing his cultivation. His Dao Realm had expanded several times over, but this was, after all, a major world. His True Immortal Dao Realm could not encompass the entire Ni Li World.

He had also tried before. In the Earth Immortal Realm, it was almost impossible to sense the great Ni Li World clearly.

King Li frowned. “The crown of the Ni Li Sacred Tree isn’t very large. Its roots are the real problem. They cover the entire great Ni Li World and are unimaginably vast. But the roots are flexible and can be gathered together, so they won’t take up quite as much space. The trouble is, if we can’t sense the great Ni Li World from the Celestial Court…”

He commanded a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, among whom were many True Immortals and Gold Immortals. They could certainly gather up the roots of the Ni Li Sacred Tree and put them into the Dao Realms of True Immortals and Gold Immortals.

But those immortals’ Dao Realms lay among the countless worlds of the mysterious yellow sea. The arrival of a giant like the Ni Li Sacred Tree would cause a huge commotion and inevitably alarm the Great Luo Gold Immortals.

So the Ni Li Sacred Tree being stolen was all but inevitable.

“If this won’t work and that won’t work, how am I supposed to get the Ni Li Sacred Tree safely to the Celestial Court?”

King Li suddenly remembered something. His eyes lit up as he looked at Chen Shi with a pleasant expression. “Fellow Daoist Chen, you achieved Dao Unification in the Dao Ruins, didn’t you?”

Chen Shi nodded.

King Li smiled again. “And you’re a True Immortal now?”

Chen Shi nodded once more.

King Li spoke with heartfelt sincerity. “I humbly ask you to lend me a hand and help me send the Ni Li Sacred Tree into the Dao Ruins! I would be immensely grateful!”

The Dao Ruins were perilous and rarely visited. No one would notice the Ni Li Sacred Tree entering the Dao Ruins. Even if anyone did, they would only be the old monsters living in seclusion there.

They had been tormented by the external Dao and might not be interested in the Ni Li Sacred Tree.

Moreover, Chen Shi could send the Ni Li Sacred Tree into the Dao Ruins, and he could send King Li there as well. Once inside the Dao Ruins, King Li could immediately take the Ni Li Sacred Tree and head for the Celestial Court!

The journey from the Dao Ruins to the Celestial Court was not far. With his speed, he could make it in half a day!

This was the fastest route.

Chen Shi hesitated. “I’ve never summoned my Dao Realm from the Dark Sea before, so I don’t know whether I can sense the Dao Ruins from here.”

King Li was slightly taken aback. “You’re not going to refuse me or demand some other condition?”

Chen Shi smiled. “The Heavenly King and I have no enmity. Besides, you’ve treated me quite well before. It’s a small favor. What’s the big deal?”

King Li fell silent for a moment. “Thank you. If you can’t sense the Dao Ruins, then I’ll transport the Ni Li Sacred Tree out of the Dark Sea. I’ll trouble you again then, Fellow Daoist Chen.”

Chen Shi immediately tried to sense the Dao Ruins and his Dao Realm.

His connection to the Dao Ruins was weak in the Dark Sea. He tried summoning his Dao Realm over, but found it unbearably heavy, as if separated from him by thick layers of barriers. He couldn’t call it over.

Even after taking one of Fulong Village’s medicinal pills, he still couldn’t summon it!

He tried again and again, but still couldn’t do it. It was as if some resistance from the Great Dao was preventing him from bringing the Dao Ruins here.

“Western Ox New Continent lies at the edge of the Dark Sea, so I can still sense it from the Celestial Court. But the great Ni Li World lies deep within the Dark Sea. Calling the Celestial Court’s Dao Realm here would probably require a much stronger connection. But the most important thing is the resistance from the Great Dao.”

Chen Shi told him honestly. King Li said decisively, “I’ll immediately mobilize the heavenly soldiers and generals to bundle up the roots of the Ni Li Sacred Tree! Fellow Daoist Chen, give me a few days. Once we’ve bundled up this tree, we’ll leave the Dark Sea together by ship! As soon as we’re out of the Dark Sea, summon the Dao Ruins and your Dao Realm!”

He hurried away. Before long, a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals flew into the sky, gathering the roots of the Ni Li Sacred Tree one by one and binding them together.

Chen Shi looked up at the spectacular sight and exclaimed, “I often can’t help but marvel at how small an individual’s strength is. The Celestial Court is truly enormous, commanding such astonishing resources.”

These immortals were the resources commanded by the Celestial Court.

Chen Shi changed the subject. “Then why are the five of you still not running?”

Niu Jingjing, Longyuan Ling, Xiahou Feng, and the others were taken aback. Xiahou Feng said, “Fellow Daoist Chen, do you mean we should flee the great Ni Li World right now?”

Chen Shi replied, “If you stay, King Li will definitely kill you. If you leave now, you might still escape his grasp.”

The five of them stiffened and exchanged glances, understanding one another without a word.

Just as they were about to leave, Niu Jingjing asked, “Fellow Daoist Chen, aren’t you leaving?”

Chen Shi smiled. “King Li has a use for me right now, so he won’t kill me. If I leave with you, he’ll pursue you himself. If you leave while I stay, he’ll be wary of me escaping, so he won’t dare chase you in person. He’ll send soldiers after you instead. He doesn’t have many experts under his command, so this is your best chance to survive.”

The five bowed together. “Fellow Daoist Chen, we’re deeply grateful for your great kindness! If we ever achieve anything, we’ll repay you even if it takes us binding grass and carrying a ring in our mouths!”

They rose and hurried away.

Chu Xiangxiu watched them go. “Those five will surely have a hard time surviving. Even if they escape the great Ni Li World, they’ll find it difficult to escape the Dark Sea without anyone to guide them.”

Chen Shi said, “They cultivated immortality through years of hardship, not to serve the Celestial Court or fight to the death for the Immortal Court. They’re only trapped by the world they live in, helpless and with no choice. Now, they can take control of their own fates!”

Chu Xiangxiu said, “You’re too idealistic. As immortals, they can either join the Celestial Court, become part of the Immortal Court, or be exploited by them. They don’t have any other choices.”

Chen Shi smiled. “I want neither the Immortal Court nor the Celestial Court! I think ascended immortals should have a third choice.”

Chu Xiangxiu was deeply shaken. “You want to establish a new Celestial Court?”

Chen Shi did not answer.

Not long after, King Li came to see them, ready to board a ship with Chen Shi and leave the Dark Sea.

Chen Shi followed King Li to the tower ship. As he stepped aboard, he happened to catch sight of Niu Jingjing, Longyuan Ling, and the others. The five of them were receiving incense offerings.

Beside them were the other twenty-seven Celestial Way Divine Beings, also receiving incense offerings.

Chen Shi’s expression darkened.

Niu Jingjing and the others still hadn’t managed to escape the great Ni Li World.

They had still died.

Of the thirty-three immortals who had received the Celestial Way imprint, he was the only one left alive.

Niu Jingjing and the others looked over. Their eyes were vacant. They no longer had physical bodies, and the deities were using incense offerings to give them Golden Bodies.

It was as if they had become people without feelings.

If Empress of Earth and the others had not supported him, he too would already be dead.

“Brother Chu, if that day comes, will you come help me?” Chen Shi suddenly asked.

Chu Xiangxiu was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood what he meant. Without hesitation, he said, “You saved my life. All you need to do is ask, and I’ll risk my life for you!”

“Good!” Chen Shi said firmly.

I don’t want this Celestial Court, and I don’t want this Immortal Court either.

He silently thought to himself, I want to change this world and find another way to live!