An Alternative Descent

The Bailao Sword merely felt that something was amiss; although it possessed great power, it lacked a master to refine and sacrifice to it, so its might could not be fully unleashed.

Though these paper figures were mere cutouts, they were sustained by Jin Hongying's vital magic and their power was astonishing, especially the paper swords and paper blades, which were incomparably tough—even the sword itself could not easily pierce them!

More paper figures climbed up in an endless stream, leaping into the villa until they formed an imposing army.

Jin Hongying was currently seated beside Mirror Lake outside the villa, holding a pair of scissors and cutting paper.

With every paper figure she clipped out, it fluttered down lightly to the ground, came to life, and stood up to march toward this side.

In just a brief moment, dozens of paper figures were pushing artillery into the villa, loading the firearms with gunpowder and stuffing the cannon barrels with explosives, while other paper figures wielding paper blades and swords lunged toward Prince Xiao's coffin.

The Bailao Sword was just about to resist when all the paper figures suddenly ignited at that very moment, turning to ash in an instant, and even the ashes were swept out of the villa by a gust of gloomy wind!

A heavy, aged voice arrived: "Jin Hongying, Mirror Lake Villa is not a place where you can run wild. Leave at once."

That voice was exceedingly deep, carrying an unimaginable amount of magical power as it entered Jin Hongying's ears, shaking her vital energy until she felt like a calm lake struck by a meteorite, violent ripples instantly surging up!

Blood flowed continuously from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose!

Coughing up blood in mouthfuls, Jin Hongying slumped onto the ground, propping herself up with her hands, scarcely able to rise!

She clenched her teeth and tossed the scissors in her hand into the air. The scissors transformed into two giant serpents, one cyan and one white, revolving in a tight circle around her to shield her at the center.

The cyan and white serpents guarded her as she soared into the sky. Just as they flew halfway up, the heads of both serpents suddenly dropped off, slamming into the ground outside the estate with a thunderous crash.

The very instant the two serpent heads fell, a suit of red clothing fluttered noisily and tore through the air, fleeing.

"Hmph, your cultivation is actually not weak. No wonder you are proud and aloof, holding even us old fellows in contempt."

The voice carried a lingering shockwave. While Jin Hongying was still midair, having already fled more than ten miles away, the voice entered her mind and caused her delicate body to tremble violently. She plummeted from the sky, crashing into the mountain forest and rolling over and over.

Her tender skin was slashed open by thorns, leaving little spots of scarlet across her snowy white flesh. Her breath was as faint as gossamer, her gaze out of focus.

Forcing her true Qi to surge, Jin Hongying suppressed her injuries and fled in a panic.

Inside Mirror Lake Villa, the Bailao Sword's fright had just settled when it saw a large black dog treading with light footsteps as it trotted toward the villa. Reaching the villa gates, it paused and looked back.

An elderly man of towering stature followed this black dog into the villa and walked inside.

It was precisely Grandpa Chen who had spoken just moments ago, startling Jin Hongying away.

Layer by layer, the coffins were opened. Prince Xiao wore a blood-stained garment, his face pale and devoid of color, lacking his former dashing and romantic air, but fortunately, he had already awakened.

"Many thanks to Master Chen for the rescue."

Prince Xiao bowed in gratitude, his body swaying unsteadily.

"Even if I hadn't raised my voice to save you, the other Daoist friends would have gotten up to rescue you."

Grandpa walked into the villa, casting a wary glance toward several of the coffins as he said in a low voice, "If they get up, it will be troublesome."

Prince Xiao changed the subject, saying, "Last night, you were secretly following Little Eleven all along, following my carriage to protect his safety. You couldn't keep it from me."

Grandpa did not deny it.

Prince Xiao glanced at him and said, "Little Eleven's will is tenacious and unbreakable. If he could obtain the complete Three Lights Righteous Qi Art, even without a Divine Embryo, he could carve out an extraordinary path, and his achievements would not be inferior to yours or mine. You should have gone to the True King's Tomb yourself to fetch the complete Three Lights Righteous Qi Art for him. Not only did you fail to do so, but you taught him nothing at all, which puzzles me. With your abilities, if you taught him with all your heart, his accomplishments would surely be astonishing!"

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

Prince Xiao did not understand his meaning.

After a moment of silence, Grandpa said, "You have seen that Azure Ghost Hand on his chest. Behind this ghost hand, there must be a terrifying existence."

Prince Xiao nodded softly. Back then, when Chen Shi's soul was rescued, he was at the scene and was an eyewitness.

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

When Chen Shi was saved and brought back, an Azure Ghost Hand had additionally appeared on his chest. At that time, all of them had exhausted every possible method, yet they were unable to erase this ghost hand seal!

The existence behind this ghost hand seal was immensely powerful, stepping across the Yin and Yang Worlds as it attempted to cross from the Underworld into the Yang World.

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

"Although the ghost hand brings Little Eleven pain and illness, at the same time, the ghost hand has also become a part of Little Eleven's body. Little Eleven remains in the Yang World, his heart is in the Yang World, and the ghost hand is also in the Yang World. That is to say, a part of the ghost hand master's body also remains in the Yang World."

Grandpa's expression was solemn. "If Little Eleven practices cultivation and grows powerful, the ghost hand will also grow stronger. Realizing this, I dared not teach him cultivation."

Prince Xiao said, "Yet he still found the cultivation manual of the True King's Tomb and embarked upon this path on his own. Since he has already set out on this path, you ought to instruct him wholeheartedly and let him grow; perhaps he could deal with that ghost hand."

"I have been observing these past few days as well, but I have made an even more terrifying discovery."

Grandpa's expression grew increasingly grave as he spoke. "Because of the Azure Ghost Hand, Little Eleven has been falling ill for the past two years. These past few years, I have sought out doctors and medicine, trying every possible method just to suppress the ghost hand. At first, suppressing the ghost hand was very simple; as long as he took his medicine, the ghost hand's flare-ups were very mild. As he began practicing cultivation, the frequency of the ghost hand's flare-ups grew higher and higher, and they became more and more terrifying. At first, I thought it was caused by the ghost hand growing stronger, but during this period, a few strange things happened. During the last Moon Festival at the Li Family Camp, nine people lost their lives at Little Eleven's hands. I originally intended to help him clean up the scene so as to avoid anyone coming seeking revenge, but unexpectedly, I discovered that the people who died at his hands had no souls."

Prince Xiao did not understand. "What do you mean by no souls?"

"It means that for the people who died at his hands, their souls vanished."

Grandpa's expression was peculiar as he said, "After a person dies, their soul will remain in place, or plunge into the netherworld, or be escorted away by an underworld messenger after the seventh day following death, or turn into a lonely wandering ghost due to having too much lingering obsession. Or perhaps they are collected by cultivators and refined into magical treasures. But the nine people at the Li Family Camp—their souls did not remain in place, nor were they escorted by underworld messengers or slipped away into the underworld, and there were no other cultivators at the scene. For a moment, I actually had no idea where those souls had gone!"

Prince Xiao's expression gradually grew grave.

In this lifetime, he rarely admired others, but Chen Yindu was one of them.

If Chen Yindu could not make out the destination of the souls, then it meant there was definitely something strange going on inside this!

"Later, when a Zhao Family rune-master went to the countryside to commit atrocities, two members of the Zhao Family died at his hands, and their souls went missing at the very instant of death. Then came yesterday's incident at Huangyang Village. I had been observing in secret all along, and twenty-one cultivators in total died at Little Eleven's hands."

When Grandpa reached this point, his expression became even more solemn. "Likewise, I did not find the souls of these people."

Prince Xiao felt a chill slowly crawl upward from his tailbone, climbing along his spine all the way to the back of his head, causing tiny goosebumps to sprout across the back of his neck.

"Master Chen, what are you suspecting?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Grandpa did not answer, continuing, "Before the battle at Huangyang Village, there was another strange matter that puzzled me. There was a wrongfully dead person named Sanwang who, feeling grateful for Little Eleven's kindness, transformed into a ghost and entrusted a dream to Little Eleven overnight to warn him. After Sanwang's ghost entered Little Eleven's dream, it never came out again."

When Grandpa reached this point, he stared fixedly at Chen Shi's little coffin.

Prince Xiao also looked at Chen Shi's coffin, as if gazing upon a ghost or demon.

After a moment, Grandpa continued, "Back then, after we rescued him and brought him back, I was incomparably joyous. He is my most cherished grandson. But the Azure Ghost Hand on his chest made me realize that he is not only my grandson, but at the same time he is also a part of that terrifying existence in the Underworld. Now he has begun to cultivate, and the Azure Ghost Hand is also gradually growing stronger, beginning to devour the souls of the cultivators who die at his hands."

Prince Xiao suddenly said, "You are afraid of Little Eleven, aren't you?"

Staring into Grandpa's eyes with a sharp gaze, he said softly, "Master Chen, you are afraid."

Grandpa actually revealed a look of terror, his body trembling slightly as well.

Prince Xiao was taken aback; he knew Chen Yindu was capable of fear, but to be frightened to the point of trembling was something he had never anticipated.

To be actually terrified to the point of trembling!

A thought flashed through his mind, and he blurted out, "The reason you have always observed Little Eleven from afar is not because you were worried he would die out there, but because you were worried he would lose control!"

Grandpa remained mute, seemingly offering a tacit admission.

After a moment, Grandpa said, "Prince Xiao, you have witnessed disasters of the evil, Sui, and demonic levels—have you ever seen disasters of the calamitous and baleful tiers?"

Prince Xiao shook his head. "I have only heard rumors that such disasters exist, but I have never seen them."

Grandpa's voice was low. "Supposing the ghost hand cannot be suppressed, on a certain day in the future, you will surely see a disaster of the calamity-and-bane tier descend through his body."

Prince Xiao shivered once more.

Although he had never witnessed calamities of the disastrous or baleful tiers, he had seen demonic-level disasters, and they could truly be described as terrifyingly monstrous.

Looking at him, Grandpa said with utmost solemnity, "Prince Xiao, I am already old and cannot linger long in the Yang World; therefore, he needs a godmother capable of suppressing the ghost hand."

"Don't look for me."

Prince Xiao understood his meaning and shook his head. "There is fear in my heart. Should I fail to suppress it and a heavenly calamity erupts, I will be the sinner. I do not wish to become that sinner!"

Grandpa furrowed his brow slightly. "The Water-Fire Tempering Art—do you not want it?"

Prince Xiao's body trembled slightly, but he immediately shook his head. "Even if I die, my chivalrous bones will remain fragrant; I shall not be ashamed to be a hero among men. I would rather rot away and leave a good name after death than live in this world bearing a foul reputation. Master Chen, please return!"

Grandpa flew into a rage. "Coward!"

Prince Xiao walked into his coffin. "Think what you will!"

With lingering fury, Grandpa walked out of the villa.

Black Pot hurriedly followed. Gouzi felt deeply unsettled inside; today it had heard far too many deep secrets—would it be silenced by the old master to tie up loose ends?

Fortunately, although Grandpa was angered, he did not vent his wrath upon it.

Grandpa stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at a leaf upon which a helpless ant was running in circles, unable to find its path.

"I am just like this ant, not knowing what I ought to do... I must find a godmother who is powerful enough for Little Eleven, otherwise I can only kill him, and the two grandfather and grandson will go to the Underworld together. Perhaps this would be for the best... No, I cannot do this!"

He struggled internally, his expression gradually twisting.

"Little Eleven is my grandson, and my blood flows through his veins. I cannot kill him, I cannot kill him... No matter what price I must pay, I will make him live in peace and safety! Even if I am smashed to pieces, I must keep him alive!"

Nothing is brought into life, and nothing is taken away in death.

Yet as long as one's bloodline endures, it is immortality.

Inside the Mountain Lord Temple, Chen Shi had been wholeheartedly focused on his cultivation over the past few days, free from distracting thoughts as he advanced deeper into the Five Viscera Complete Truth and the tempering of his bones and cleansing of his marrow.

Cultivating inside the Mountain Lord Temple, with sunlight, moonlight, and starlight—the Three Lights were fully present—coupled with the Seven Refinements of the Big Dipper to temper his bones, heart, blood, flesh, skin, Qi, and spirit, his body grew stronger by the day, bringing him ever closer to the Saint Embryo Body.

On this day, as he stepped upon Tianshu and his physical body was tempered alongside the Tianshu star rune, he suddenly felt as though every single viscera and organ possessed an independent life, as if divine spirits dwelt within them. Any damage or pathological change to even a single organ was reflected with absolute clarity in his mind—distinct, vivid, and plain to see!

Moreover, with the circulation of the Big Dipper Seven Stars, any injuries or pathological changes in his five viscera and six bowels would heal before long!

He could remain in his healthiest state at every single moment!

This was the Five Viscera Complete Truth.

Chen Shi was both startled and overjoyed. With a slight shift of his mind and the circulation of his vital blood, he felt his Qi and blood surge with two or three times more vigor than before, to the point that he could channel his vital blood even into the strands of his hair, as though his hair had also come to life!

His strands of hair were brimming with eerie vitality.

As his footsteps fell, his vital blood seemed to flood his bones, his strength continuously rising, and the tempering of his true bones was also completed at this moment.

"I have no Divine Embryo, but having forged the Saint Embryo Body spoken of in the Three Lights Righteous Qi Art, my physical flesh is my Divine Embryo!"