Chen Shi erupted with all his strength, rushing toward Li Tianqing. Only now did Li Tianqing realize that Chen Shi's claim of fighting faster than spells within a pace and a half was no empty boast!
Chen Shi's speed was indeed faster than his spells. In the span of a single step, he arrived right before him, his body kicking up gale-force winds with an aura that rushed forth like a primordial beast, suppressing people so they could not breathe!
Faster still was Chen Shi's hand.
A single punch blasted out, carrying a dull peal of thunder that boomed straight into the brain. The fist wind exerted such pressure that the skin of his face was blown into wrinkles, making him even feel a lack of blood in his brain.
Cultivators fear the sound of thunder above all else, simply because heavenly tribulations take the form of thunder, and thunderous sounds can shatter souls.
Even those who have forged a golden core, nascent soul, or primordial spirit must act with caution when facing the sound of thunder transmitted down from the nine heavens. Great lineages like the Li family adhered to such rules: during thunderstorms, one must absolutely never refine a golden core, take a nascent soul out of the body, or send a primordial spirit out of the body.
Years ago, a member of the Li family had sent their primordial spirit out of the body during a thunderstorm and ended up being struck and killed by thunder, the primordial spirit turning to dust amidst the vibrations of the thunderous sound.
Every year on the Western Ox Continent, quite a few people suddenly encounter rolling thunder in the sky while refining their golden cores—meaning that beneath a completely clear sky, the sound of thunder continuously rolls from one side of the sky and slides toward the other.
Faced with this kind of freakish thunder, cultivators could only consider themselves unlucky, their golden cores shattering amidst the rolling thunder as they gave up the ghost.
The thunderous sound blasted out by Chen Shi's fist naturally fell far short of that level of heavenly thunder, but the sound dealt a heavy shock to Li Tianqing's spiritual will. Had he been a Divine Embryo Realm cultivator with weak spirit and unstable will, merely hearing the thunderous sound would have caused him to lose the courage to resist, let alone counterattack.
Li Tianqing could counterattack.
His shrine divine embryo had already been prepared back when he demonstrated the Six Yin Jade Wheel, omitting the step of urging the shrine divine embryo. Moreover, the most exquisite aspect of the Li family's Six Yin Jade Wheel was that it was a cultivation technique combining offense and defense; the jade wheels transformed from true qi could orbit his limbs, forming a defensive posture.
Should an enemy attack and crash into the jade wheels, they would be sliced open by the razor-sharp jade wheels!
The most crucial part was that the jade wheels were formless and almost invisible to the naked eye, making them impossible to guard against.
One jade wheel had already been activated on his shoulder. Circulating the Taiyin Spleen Meridian true qi, he met Chen Shi's fist with the Taiyin Earth Seal in his left hand!
Simultaneously, circulating the Taiyin Lung Meridian true qi, he slashed at Chen Shi's neck with the Taiyin Metal Seal in his right hand.
Those two wheels formed by true qi—one looped around his arm while the other flew out through the air, exquisite to such a degree that Chen Shi had never seen the likes of it before.
However, right at the moment when his two jade wheels burst forth, Chen Shi suddenly seemed to see the incoming trajectory and movement of these two jade wheels.
The jade wheels were composed of true qi and indistinguishable to the naked eye. Even if Chen Shi opened his eyes wide, it was difficult to discern the path of the sword qi, but he did not look. Solely by relying on his bodily sensing, he could detect two foreign objects approaching him.
Even where the two jade wheels came from, along with their speed, were clearly reflected in his mind.
This sensing was extremely wondrous, resembling the reaction produced when the true qi forming the jade wheels compressed the air and caused a slight ripple in his fine body hairs, yet also resembling the reaction produced when his spirit radiated outward and touched the intrusion of external true qi.
Profound beyond profundity.
When he cultivated his true blood, the slight ripple of every single body hair could be reflected in his mind. Now that he had cultivated the Saint Embryo Body, this sensing grew even stronger, capable of being perceived even when detached from the surface of his body, as close as two or three chi away!
Yet Chen Shi had no time to ponder these things. His body was faster than his brain, and the moment he sensed the movement of the jade wheels, he instantly altered his moves. The fist he had thrown toward Li Tianqing's face instantly shifted into a palm, slamming heavily downward!
The instant his palm heel touched the cutting edge of the jade wheel, his physique flipped upward. Stepping out with his right foot as though treading on the sky, upside down, he evaded the other jade wheel that came slashing horizontally across his waist.
Beneath the sole of his foot, the Tian Quan Star Talisman burst open, starlight flooding his entire body.
Failing to hit with a single strike, that jade wheel spun rapidly, returning once more to move along with Li Tianqing's arm as it slashed toward Chen Shi in the air at extreme speed.
Simultaneously, Chen Shi's palm collided with the cutting edge of the jade wheel, emitting the clang of metal. That formless jade wheel burst apart, proving unable to withstand Chen Shi's strength.
Chen Shi had originally intended to smash this jade wheel and, taking advantage of being upside down, plant his other palm onto the top of Li Tianqing's head to take his life with a single strike.
Unexpectedly, Li Tianqing reacted far too quickly. If he were to strike with this palm, he himself would be sliced in two at the waist!
Before his brain could even think of a countermeasure, Chen Shi's body had already made its reaction. Leveraging the force of shattering that jade wheel, he flipped backward and landed a pace and a half away.
The moment he landed, he immediately sensed five jade wheels composed of true qi flying toward him from the front and back. The speeds of these five jade wheels varied, now front, now back, now left, now right—some swift, some sluggish, exhibiting marvelous abnormality.
Following that, the jade wheel that had missed also flew back of its own accord. There were a total of six jade wheels.
Treading the Jade Ring Steps, Li Tianqing charged forward at high speed. His hands and feet moved in unison, his footwork peculiar, and the six seal arts in his hands shifted simultaneously at extreme speed!
He was like someone treading upon circles of all sizes, one ring tangent to the next, granting him wondrous and unpredictable footwork. Controlling six jade wheels simultaneously, meanwhile, rendered his attacks dangerously peerless!
Treading the Big Dipper Seven Stars, Tian Xuan Steps, Tian Ji Steps, Yu Heng Step, and various other footwork techniques that constantly switched, Chen Shi's movement technique was like a ghost, coming and going as fast as lightning to evade the incoming jade wheels.
Every time his foot fell, a starlight talisman would burst open, starlight wrapping around his body to temper his entire being, keeping him at his peak state at all times!
The ground was slashed across by sharp weapons from time to time, hissing sharply, while mountain rocks frequently split apart soundlessly with perfectly smooth cutting faces!
The formidable nature of spells could be seen in this single glimpse.
Yet even with the exquisite nature of the Six Yin Jade Wheel, it still failed to harm Chen Shi in the slightest.
In just this brief moment of effort, Chen Shi was forced back over sixteen zhang!
At a distance of sixteen zhang, the Six Yin Jade Wheels came and went like the wind, sweeping away all before them. Any trees and mountain rocks encountered along the way by the jade wheels either burst into pieces or were sliced cleanly in two!
Chen Shi's footwork shifted unpredictably as he charged forward at extreme speed, only to see Li Tianqing's figure suddenly blur. This was precisely the phenomenon formed by the Six Yin Jade Wheels wrapping around his body while vibrating at high speed.
Chen Shi attacked Li Tianqing, yet for a moment he could not breach the defense of the jade wheels. If he were the least bit careless, his hands and feet would be severed by the jade wheels, making him feel restricted and unable to fully unleash his abilities.
Suddenly, he sensed three jade wheels hurtling straight for his upper, middle, and lower routes. Dodging them at rapid speed, he heard three thudding sounds as a water vat-sized ancient tree behind him took all three jade wheels in succession, nearly being split horizontally into four sections.
The Six Yin Jade Wheel was the most exquisite spell he had ever witnessed, but in terms of sheer might, it was vastly inferior to the Zi Wu Zhan Xie Sword.
Had it been the Zi Wu Zhan Xie Sword, a single strand of sword qi would have sliced this ancient tree right across the waist, requiring no need for three.
Sweeping out with one leg, the ancient tree crashed down with a booming sound. Picking up this very tree, Chen Shi charged straight toward Li Tianqing!
The tree weighing over a thousand catties felt like nothing in his hands, its charging speed showing no weakness compared to before!
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
Formless jade rings fluttered up and down amidst flying wood splinters. As Chen Shi hurled the tree canopy, in an instant the ancient tree was pulverized into fragments by the six jade wheels, with a sky full of wood splinters, branches, and leaves dancing through the air.
Yet amidst that sky full of wood splinters, Chen Shi caught sight of the trajectories of the six jade wheels.
Just a moment ago he could only rely on sensing to see them. Sensing was profound beyond profundity, but after all, it was not eyes; it lacked the true and authentic reality of what eyes could see.
Eyes could react far faster.
The moment he clearly saw the trajectories of the six jade wheels, explosive force erupted from beneath his feet as he sprinted toward Li Tianqing at high speed!
His movement technique was multifaceted. Executing a few leaps and bounds to evade the incoming jade wheels, he threw a punch. Fist wind surged, and when his fist collided with those wood splinters in the air, the fragments immediately whistled through the wind, shooting toward Li Tianqing like arrows.
Li Tianqing had already run out of time to dodge. His body, face, hands, and legs were grazed and pierced by the volley of flying wood splinters.
These wood splinters were not dangerous and could not claim his life; the truly dangerous thing was the fist thrown by Chen Shi!
Should this punch land, it was bound to smash his skull to pieces!
Just as Chen Shi's fist was about to strike his face, he suddenly saw Li Tianqing's figure turn blurry—the very harbinger of the Six Yin Jade Wheels revolving and flying around his body!
Simultaneously, Chen Shi sensed a foreign object rapidly approaching from his left side.
Without a second thought, he stepped out with his right foot. The moment he took this step, he caught sight of the footprints left behind by Li Jindou on the ground.
Li Jindou had marked out the Ghost and God Domain, leaving behind some footprints. The outer side of the footprints was the safe zone, while the inner side was the Ghost and God Domain.
He is so clever!
Chen Shi instantly understood Li Tianqing's intention. As long as he forced him into the Ghost and God Domain, this battle would be won by Li Tianqing without a doubt.
In Li Tianqing's understanding, entering the Ghost and God Domain meant certain death.
Therefore, as long as he forced Chen Shi into the Ghost and God Domain, Chen Shi would die.
He did not know that this patch of the Ghost and God Domain had already been wandered through by Chen Shi countless times, making him more familiar with it than his own home; the Ghost and God Domain could not possibly claim Chen Shi's life.
However, should Chen Shi be transformed into a porcelain doll standing less than a foot tall with his strength wiped out, Li Tianqing could still easily kill him.
Before that could happen, however, Chen Shi's fist was fully capable of smashing his skull to pieces!
Chen Shi's punch, having already arrived right before his face, suddenly halted, its power unreleased.
Simultaneously, a hand seized his left hand, pulling back Chen Shi who was on the verge of tumbling into the Ghost and God Domain.
The Six Yin Jade Wheels came to a halt, stopping right at Chen Shi's waist.
Chen Shi steadied his footing and withdrew his fist.
Li Tianqing likewise dismissed the jade wheels.
After a moment, the two of them sat down on the ground, Chen Shi propping himself up from behind with both hands while Li Tianqing tossed grass stems with an air of utter boredom.
"I can't bring myself to kill a friend I just met."
"Me neither. I don't have any friends, and right now you're the only one."
"I don't have friends either."
The two of them exchanged a smile.
"I killed Li Xiaoding because someone carved out my divine embryo. Hearing that Li Xiaoding had attained the rank of a scholar by transplanting someone else's divine embryo, I assumed it was mine."
Chen Shi explained the cause and effect of his killing Li Xiaoding, saying, "Only later did I realize I had killed the wrong person."
"That cousin of mine is a rotten scoundrel who committed monstrous sins in Shuinui County. Killing him was just getting rid of him. Inside the county yamen, the documentation of his crimes is piled this high, yet it was all suppressed and left unprocessed. The official documents were written by Zhuge Jian. Failing to bring my cousin to justice, I imagine he harbored quite a bit of resentment himself."
Empathizing with Chen Shi's plight—given that he himself had almost been stripped of his divine embryo by his own clansmen—Li Tianqing said, "The case of Li Xiaoding was your doing, so the case of my seventh uncle Li Kefu must have been the work of your grandpa. But rest assured, I won't speak of it. I won't betray a friend for the sake of a rotten scoundrel."
Reviving his spirits, Chen Shi smiled and said, "If there's time tomorrow, I'll take you to catch macaques. Macaques are so interesting. Even though this alien beast has the word 'horse' in its name, it's not a horse at all, but rather an alien beast that looks like a cross between a horse and a large monkey. They live in the trees and leap about like flying creatures. When we spot a macaque, we must keep our composure, quietly approach the tree trunk, and then urge a streak of sword qi to sever the branch where the macaque is located. As the macaque tumbles down, dazed and confused, we take the opportunity to slip a rope loop over it and tie it up, and our task is successfully accomplished."
Blinking his eyes, Li Tianqing asked, "And after catching the macaque?"
"After that, we haul it to the market to sell for money. Once captured, macaques are very obedient. During the busy farming season, villagers from ten miles and eight townships will buy macaques. As long as you give this kind of alien beast a little training, it can help the villagers harvest crops, requiring only enough rations to keep it from starving to death."
Chen Shi said, "A properly tamed macaque will even go looking for food on its own, returning to work for the villagers once it has eaten its fill. Even outside the busy farming season, you can have macaques do some heavy labor. Macaques eat little and work much, so they're very popular at the market."
Li Tianqing's eyes shone brightly with high anticipation.
Chen Shi smiled and said, "I used to go catch macaques, planning to sell them for money to exchange for some tuition so I could study at the private school. Only I don't know the Zi Wu Zhan Xie Sword, and those macaques leap very far in the trees, jumping from one tree to another and vanishing in the blink of an eye. But your Six Yin Jade Wheel is truly extraordinary; if we join forces, we'll definitely catch plenty of macaques!"
Li Tianqing nodded repeatedly.
After exchanging blows, their friendship instead grew all the deeper.
Suddenly, divine light blazed brilliantly, radiating out from inside the kiln workshop.
The porcelain doll that Li Tianqing—wait, Li Jindou had transformed into rushed out of the kiln workshop looking rather disheveled, pursued closely behind by three kiln workers over a zhang in height.
While running wildly, the porcelain doll was shouting something to Chen Shi and Li Tianqing outside, but his voice sounded just like bird chirping, a chaotic chatter that was impossible to understand.
Charging out of the kiln workshop and barely hitting the ground, the primordial spirit of Li Jindou mobilized towering magical power, enveloping the porcelain doll. Under the illumination of the primordial spirit's divine light, his porcelain-transformed body continuously restored itself, and even the shrine divine embryo slowly receded from its porcelain state.
Seeing this, Chen Shi felt immense admiration.
For Li Jindou to survive fighting the kiln workers after turning into a porcelain doll showed that his abilities were extraordinary.
"His Reverence's cultivation is too mighty, actually managing to recover from the porcelain-transformed state. Truly admirable," Chen Shi praised in his heart.
"Not good!"
Li Jindou let out a startled cry. The parts of his body that had just reverted from porcelain were unexpectedly undergoing porcelain transformation all over again!
Cold sweat instantly covered the forehead of the porcelain doll he had become as he yelled, "This Ghost and God Domain is too terrifying! I'm injured, and relying solely on my primordial spirit is not enough to counter the domain's alienation! Tianqing, Chen Shi, quickly send me back to the village!"
Yet neither of them understood a word of what he said.
--Launching tonight at midnight!
Before you continue