An Alternative Descent

The Bailao Sword felt a sense of unease. Although it possessed power, without a master to refine it, its full might could not be unleashed.

These paper figures, though cut from paper, were supported by Jin Hongying's magical power, making them astonishingly potent. Especially the paper swords and sabers, which were incredibly sharp; even the sword itself couldn't easily pierce them!

More paper figures continuously climbed up and leaped into the villa, forming a veritable army.

At this moment, Jin Hongying sat by Mirror Lake outside the villa, a pair of scissors in hand, cutting paper.

Each time she cut out a paper figure, it would land softly, come to life, stand up, and walk towards them.

In a short while, dozens of paper figures pushed artillery platforms into the villa. They loaded gunpowder into the cannons and bombs into the barrels. Other paper figures, wielding paper sabers and swords, charged towards Prince Xiao's coffin.

Just as the Bailao Sword was about to defend, all the paper figures suddenly burst into flames at that instant, turning to ash in a flash. Even the ashes were blown out of the villa by a gust of eerie wind!

A deep, ancient voice boomed, "Jin Hongying, Mirror Lake Villa is not a place for you to act recklessly. Leave quickly."

The voice was incredibly resonant, carrying unimaginable magical power. It entered Jin Hongying's ears, causing her own magical power to churn like a calm lake struck by a meteor, creating violent ripples!

Blood streamed from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth!

Jin Hongying coughed up large amounts of blood, collapsing onto the ground. She propped herself up with her hands, barely able to stand!

Gritting her teeth, she tossed the scissors in her hand into the air. The scissors transformed into two large snakes, one green and one white, coiling and spinning around her, protecting her in the center.

The green and white snakes protected her as she ascended into the air. Just as she reached mid-air, the heads of the two snakes suddenly fell, crashing outside the villa with a thunderous roar.

The instant the snakes' heads fell, a figure in red clothing fluttered and shot through the air.

"Oh? Your cultivation is actually not weak. No wonder you're so arrogant, looking down on old folks like us."

The voice, still carrying its residual power, reached Jin Hongying, who was in mid-air. She had already fled over ten miles, but the voice entered her mind, causing her delicate body to tremble violently. She fell from the sky, crashing into the forest, tumbling and rolling.

Her tender skin was torn by thorns, speckling her fair skin with crimson. Her breath was faint, and her eyes were unfocused.

Jin Hongying forcibly circulated her true qi, suppressing her injuries, and fled in a panic.

Inside Mirror Lake Villa, the Bailao Sword was still recovering from the shock. It saw a large black dog trotting briskly towards the villa. It stopped at the entrance, looked back, and waited.

A tall, elderly man followed the black dog to the villa and walked inside.

It was Grandpa Chen Shi's voice that had just spoken, scaring Jin Hongying away.

Layer after layer of coffins were opened. Prince Xiao, clad in blood-soaked clothes, had a pale, bloodless face. He was no longer the dashing figure he once was, but thankfully, he had awakened.

"Thank you for your rescue, Master Chen."

Prince Xiao bowed gratefully, his body swaying precariously.

"Even if I hadn't spoken up, other fellow cultivators would have intervened to save you."

Grandpa walked into the villa, glancing warily at several of the coffins within. He said softly, "If they were to awaken, it would be troublesome."

Prince Xiao changed the subject. "Last night, you were secretly following Little Ten and my carriage, protecting him. You couldn't hide it from me."

Grandpa did not deny it.

Prince Xiao glanced at him. "Little Ten's will is tenacious and unbreakable. If he could obtain the complete Three Lights Righteous Qi Art, even without a Divine Embryo, he could forge an extraordinary path. His achievements would be no less than yours or mine. You should have gone to the True King's Tomb yourself to retrieve the complete Three Lights Righteous Qi Art for him. Instead, you did nothing and taught him nothing, which confuses me. With your abilities, if you had dedicated yourself to teaching him, he would undoubtedly achieve astonishing results!"

Grandpa shook his head. "I cannot teach him."

Prince Xiao did not understand his meaning.

Grandpa remained silent for a moment. "You've seen the green ghost hand on his chest. Behind this ghost hand, there must be a terrifying existence."

Prince Xiao nodded slightly. He had been present when Chen Shi's soul was rescued; he was a witness.

Chen Yindu had invited many people to save Chen Shi, and he was one of them.

After Chen Shi was rescued, a green ghost hand appeared on his chest. At that time, all of them, despite exhausting every possible method, could not erase this ghost hand imprint!

The being behind this ghost hand imprint was immensely powerful, straddling both the Yin and Yang realms, intending to cross from the underworld into the mortal realm.

They had no choice but to join forces to suppress the ghost hand imprint!

"Although the ghost hand brings pain to Little Ten, it has also become a part of Little Ten's body. Little Ten remains in the mortal realm, his heart is in the mortal realm, and so is the ghost hand. This means a part of the ghost hand's owner's body also remains in the mortal realm."

Grandpa's expression was grave. "If Little Ten cultivates and becomes stronger, the ghost hand will also grow stronger. Once I realized this, I dared not teach him cultivation."

Prince Xiao said, "But he still found the cultivation method from the True King's Tomb and embarked on this path himself. Since he has already started on this path, you should teach him diligently and help him grow. Perhaps he can deal with that ghost hand."

"I've been observing him these past few days, and I've made an even more terrifying discovery."

Grandpa's expression grew increasingly solemn. "Because of the green ghost hand, Little Ten has been suffering from illness for the past two years. I've sought medical advice and tried every possible method to suppress the ghost hand. Initially, suppressing the ghost hand was simple; as long as he took his medicine, the ghost hand's attacks were mild. As he began to cultivate, the frequency and terror of the ghost hand's attacks increased. At first, I thought it was because the ghost hand had grown stronger, but several strange things happened during this period. During the last Moon Festival at the Li Family Camp, nine people died at Little Ten's hands. I originally intended to help him clean up the scene to avoid retaliation, but I discovered that the people who died by his hand had no souls."

Prince Xiao looked confused. "What do you mean, no souls?"

"It means that the souls of the people who died by his hand have vanished."

Grandpa's expression was peculiar. "After a person dies, their soul remains at the scene, or falls into the underworld, or is escorted by underworld officials after seven days, or becomes a wandering ghost due to deep obsession. Or it could be collected by cultivators and refined into treasures. But the souls of the nine people at the Li Family Camp did not remain at the scene, nor were they escorted by underworld officials or enter the underworld. There were no other cultivators present either. For a time, I had no idea where these souls went!"

Prince Xiao's expression gradually became solemn.

He rarely admired anyone in his life, but Chen Yindu was one of them.

If Chen Yindu couldn't discern the whereabouts of the souls, it meant there was definitely something strange going on!

"Later, when the Zhao Family's Talisman Masters went down to the countryside to commit evil, two members of the Zhao Family died by his hand. Similarly, at the moment of their death, their souls disappeared. Then came yesterday's case in Huangyang Village. I had been observing from afar, and a total of twenty-one cultivators died at Little Ten's hands."

Grandpa's expression grew increasingly grave as he spoke. "Likewise, I could not find the souls of these people."

Prince Xiao felt a chill crawl up from his tailbone, along his spine, and all the way to the back of his head, raising a fine rash of goosebumps on his neck.

"Master Chen, what are you suspecting?" he rasped.

Grandpa didn't answer. He continued, "Before the battle in Huangyang Village, there was another strange incident that I couldn't understand. A person named Sanwang, who died unjustly, felt indebted to Little Ten. So, he transformed into a ghost and appeared in Little Ten's dream to warn him. After Sanwang's ghost entered Little Ten's dreamscape, it never came out."

Grandpa looked straight at Chen Shi's small coffin as he spoke.

Prince Xiao also looked at Chen Shi's coffin, as if seeing a ghost.

After a moment, Grandpa continued, "When we saved him back then, I was overjoyed. He was my most beloved grandson. But the green ghost hand on his chest made me realize that he wasn't just my grandson; he was also a part of that terrifying entity from the Underworld. Now that he's started cultivating, the green ghost hand has grown stronger, beginning to devour the souls of the cultivators he's killed."

Prince Xiao suddenly said, "You're afraid of Little Ten, aren't you?"

He stared into Grandpa's eyes, his gaze sharp, and whispered, "Master Chen, you're afraid."

Grandpa actually showed fear, his body trembling slightly.

Prince Xiao was stunned. He knew Chen Yin would be afraid, but he never expected him to tremble with fear.

He was trembling with fear!

A thought flashed through his mind, and he blurted out, "The reason you've been observing Little Ten from afar isn't because you're worried he'll die outside, but because you're worried he'll lose control!"

Grandpa remained silent, as if tacitly admitting it.

After a moment, Grandpa said, "Prince Xiao, you've witnessed disasters of the Evil, Malevolent Spirit, and Demon levels. Have you ever seen disasters of the Calamity and Disaster levels?"

Prince Xiao shook his head. "I've only heard of such disasters, but I've never seen them."

Grandpa's voice was low. "If the ghost hand can't be suppressed, one day in the future, you will definitely witness a Calamity-level disaster descending through his body."

Prince Xiao shivered again.

Although he hadn't seen Calamity or Disaster-level disasters, he had seen a Demon-level disaster, which was terrifyingly horrific.

Grandpa looked at him and said with utmost seriousness, "Prince Xiao, I'm old now and can't stay in the mortal world for long. Therefore, he needs a Godmother who can suppress the ghost hand."

"Don't look for me."

Prince Xiao understood what he meant and shook his head. "I'm filled with fear. If I can't suppress it and a heavenly disaster erupts, I'll be a sinner. I don't want to be that sinner!"

Grandpa frowned slightly. "The Water-Fire Tempering Art, don't you want it?"

Prince Xiao's body trembled slightly, then he shook his head. "Even if my bones turn to dust, my spirit will remain fragrant, and I won't be ashamed of the heroes of this world. I'm willing to decay and leave a good name after death, rather than live in this world burdened by infamy. Master Chen, please leave!"

Grandpa roared in anger, "Coward!"

Prince Xiao walked into the coffin. "Say whatever you want!"

Grandpa left the villa in anger.

Black Dog quickly followed. The dog was uneasy in its heart. It had heard too many secrets today; would the old man silence it?

Fortunately, despite his anger, Grandpa didn't take it out on the dog.

Grandpa stopped and stared blankly at a fallen leaf. An ant on the leaf was frantically circling, unable to find its way.

"I'm like this ant, I don't know what to do... I must find a powerful enough Godmother for Little Ten, otherwise, I'll have to kill him, and we'll go to the Underworld together. Perhaps, that would be for the best... No, I can't do that!"

He struggled internally, his expression gradually twisting.

"Little Ten is my grandson. My blood flows through him. I can't kill him, I can't... No matter the cost, I will ensure he lives safely! Even if I'm utterly destroyed, I will make him live!"

You can't bring it with you when you're born, and you can't take it with you when you die.

But as long as bloodline remains, it is eternal life.

In the Mountain Lord Temple, Chen Shi had been diligently cultivating these past few days, his mind focused, making progress in the Five Viscera Complete Truth and Bone Tempering Marrow Washing techniques.

Cultivating in the Mountain Lord Temple, with sunlight, moonlight, and starlight—the three lights—all present, combined with the Seven Refinements of the Big Dipper, he tempered his bones, heart, blood, flesh, skin, qi, and spirit. His body grew stronger and stronger, bringing him closer to the Saint Embryo body.

On this day, as he stepped on Tian Shu, accompanied by the tempering of his physical body by the Tian Shu star talisman, he felt as if each of his internal organs had gained an independent life, as if spirits resided within them. Any damage or illness in any organ was clearly reflected in his mind, distinct and vivid!

Furthermore, with the rotation of the Big Dipper Seven Stars, any damage or illness in his five viscera and six bowels would heal in no time!

He could remain in the healthiest state at all times!

This was the Five Viscera Complete Truth.

Chen Shi was both surprised and delighted. With a slight shift of his mind, his blood essence circulated, and he felt his blood essence had become two to three times more abundant. He could even circulate his blood essence into his hair, making it seem as if his hair had come alive!

His hair was filled with an eerie vitality.

As he took steps, his blood essence seemed to fill his bones, and his strength continuously increased. The tempering of his true bones was also completed at this moment!

"I don't have a Divine Embryo, but by forging the Saint Embryo body described in the Three Lights Righteous Qi Art, my physical body is my Divine Embryo!"