Chapter 388
Chapter 388
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 389
Chapter Title: A Gentleman Like Jade
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“My father was beaten by his father, and my grandfather was beaten by his grandfather.”
Yan Shaoxuan suddenly felt her Dao heart broaden considerably, laughing heartily. “In that case, getting beaten by him once isn’t such a big deal.”
Her father was Yan Hanqing, who had gone to the capital with Chen Tang that year for the metropolitan exam and palace examination, only to be forced into a draw by Chen Tang.
He had held a grudge about it for the rest of his life.
Her grandfather was named Yan Chenfu, the former family head, now retired from the world. The grudge between him and Chen Yindu apparently stemmed from the time Chen Yindu abducted Yan Chenfu’s younger sister. Yan Chenfu flew into a rage and chased after Chen Yindu, only to be beaten badly. Fortunately, his sister feared he’d be beaten to death and returned to him, sparing her from becoming Chen Shi’s grandmother.
Everyone had heard bits and pieces of the tales about how two generations of the Yan family had been “bullied” by Chen Yindu and Chen Tang, and hearing this eased their minds a little.
If she alone had been beaten, it would have been the greatest humiliation, but since their fathers and grandfathers had been beaten too, it wasn’t so bad.
Moreover, she wasn’t the only one among their generation to get beaten.
“Top Scholar Chen was formidable to begin with, but is this Li Tianqing really that impressive?”
Cui Xingcai said, “I don’t buy it. Once I recover, I’m going down to the lower world to have a go at him.”
Xu She nodded lightly. “I’d like to cross paths with this Li Tianqing too, and see if he’s truly as formidable as the rumors say!”
Ma Zhe said, “Count me in!”
“And me!”
“And me.”
They were all fired up. Li Qianyun hesitated a moment before saying, “I’d like to see him again too.”
United in their shared enmity, far away in the Minor Chiliocosm where he was lecturing to the talisman masters, Li Tianqing suddenly felt a stir in his heart, sensing that he had somehow entangled himself in a web of karma.
He had no idea he had already shaken the upper world, with the future heads of the thirteen great families viewing him as their lifelong archenemy.
“Why do I suddenly feel like I’ve been struck by unprovoked disaster?” he thought to himself.
But it was a trivial matter, and he paid it no mind.
Upper World, Yuxiao Heaven.
This place was even more exalted than other parts of the upper world. The mountains were piled from fine jade, and the sky was as translucent as jade itself.
Spiritual herbs and immortal grasses grew everywhere. The area felt close to the immortal realm, with immortal qi drifting lazily through the air, occasionally sprinkling down from the skies into the valleys.
The thirteen ancestors of the thirteen great families each presided over the void, withdrawing their gazes. Chen Shi’s matches against the heirs of the great families naturally hadn’t escaped their divine sight.
Their auras were ethereal, unlike mortals—more like ascended immortals. Yet thick, fleshy tentacles rooted them to the void behind their backs, where demonic qi and immortal qi blended in eerie harmony.
“The Scholar Child who once obtained the innate Dao embryo cannot be underestimated, whether he has it or not.”
“Using others’ methods and surpassing them at it—that’s truly remarkable. If I were the True God, I’d grant him the innate Dao embryo too. Even after it was taken from him, I’d grant it a second time!”
“He does stir a sense of pity for talent. Defeating twelve opponents with twelve different techniques, each targeting their weaknesses—if trained further in that, he might grow even stronger. He’s truly a rival for Yang Bi.”
“Indeed. It also stirs the urge to kill. After all, the Western King’s Jade Seal and the Tomb of the True King are both in his hands…”
The thirteen ancestors fell silent.
None of them wanted another True King to emerge.
Suddenly, one ancestor said, “A tree standing taller than the forest will be felled. The question is, who will fell him? The upper world? Despair Slope? Or some other force?”
At that moment, Yang Bi knelt on the ground and said solemnly, “This disciple begs the ancestors not to act against Chen Shi.”
The thirteen ancestors turned variously, their gazes falling on him.
“You have the upper world at your back, our guidance, all manner of immortal arts taught to you, and your own exceptional talent—that’s what lets you stand against him.”
One ancestor said, “He lacks all that, like a wild beast that’s tempered itself to unnatural strength. If he had resources like yours…”
Yang Bi said, “This disciple begs the ancestors not to touch him until Despair Slope is eradicated.”
The thirteen ancestors understood his implication. One waved a hand. “Yang Shaohu, though we favor you, this isn’t for you to decide. Go cultivate properly. We will make the call.”
Yang Bi rose and withdrew.
The other twelve ancestors frowned slightly.
“Yang Shaohu lacks faith in us, thinking of defeat before victory. He plans to leave Chen Shi as a spark—if we fail in the future, Chen Shi might be the hope of West Ox New Continent—No! My demonic qi is surging; I can’t hold it back!”
The speaking ancestor’s body shuddered violently. The thick fleshy tendrils behind him tensed abruptly, dragging his body toward the void!
The other twelve ancestors channeled their immortal arts in unison. Immortal light blazed forth, illuminating the void and suppressing his demonic transformation.
In the void, countless flesh writhed and roiled, gradually forming the likeness of that ancestor—but far more vicious, glaring at them wolfishly, trying to drag the ancestor into the void while descending itself!
Their immortal arts erupted, shattering the transforming flesh. They refined it relentlessly with immortal light, finally suppressing this wave of corruption.
That ancestor was the Gao family’s progenitor, Gao Xuan, who appeared as a youth. Now pale-faced, he gasped raggedly, his voice hoarse. “The old path… it’s no good. It really won’t work!”
He sounded like a wounded, dying wolf, laced with despair.
“Brother Gao Xuan, steady yourself. If your Dao heart shatters, you’ll end up like the True King.”
After a moment, Gao Xuan stabilized his Dao heart and said to the others, “I’m fine now, don’t worry. What’s the deal with the female immortal from Qixia Temple? Why hasn’t she continued corrupting?”
The other ancestors fell silent.
Gao Xuan’s eyes flickered. “Either something’s wrong with her, or something’s wrong with Chen Shi.”
In Bailang Palace, the white-clothed female immortal awoke to find herself lying in bed, covered by quilts. She quietly lifted the covers and slipped out, but as soon as she stepped through the door, a dozen men and women in the palace turned to stare at her in unison.
Startled, the white-clothed female immortal hurried into Chen Shi’s small shrine and sat on the divine shrine, her heart pounding wildly.
Yan Shao spoke bluntly and laughed. “Who’d have thought Top Scholar Chen was hiding a beauty in his golden house—hold on!”
Her expression changed abruptly as she recalled how Court Grand Secretary Yan Xianzhi had once warned the Yan family that Chen Shi was accompanied by a white-clothed woman, a female immortal from Qixia Temple—a prehistoric great evil!
“Could it be her?”
Her heart jolted. Though called an immortal, this woman was a remnant from prehistoric times, tainted with demonic qi. If such an evil immortal emerged into the present world, it could trigger a calamity-level or catastrophe-level upheaval!
Even after being gravely wounded by the True King’s Nine Palaces, she likely still possessed calamity-level power!
“Top Scholar Chen, I’m injured and need to recover!”
Yan Shao made a snap decision, laughing shakily. “I won’t disturb you! Farewell.”
Without waiting for Chen Shi’s reply, she shot into the sky as a streak of firelight and fled. But her injuries were severe; the firelight plummeted from the air, crashing into a valley with a boom.
Chen Shi felt a twinge of guilt. “Did I go too hard on this girl? Rather than let her suffer, better to do a good deed to the end and send her on her way—”
Another streak of firelight rose from the valley. Yan Shaoxuan wobbled unsteadily, struggling to fly off into the distance.
“Top Scholar Chen, I suddenly remembered I have urgent business! Farewell!”
“Top Scholar Chen, I’ll take my leave first!”
“Hahaha, I was refining pills earlier— if I don’t check the furnace soon, it might explode!”
Gao Shaokun, Xu She, and the others all took to the air one after another, departing Bailang Palace. Some were badly injured too;
some plummeted from the sky, others crashed into mountains they couldn’t dodge.
Chen Shi watched them go. Only Zhang You remained in Bailang Palace, in no rush to leave.
Chen Shi smiled and asked, “Why aren’t you going?”
Zhang You smiled back. “If there were danger, it would have erupted back in Western Capital.”
Chen Shi’s heart skipped. He whispered, “Qixia Temple?”
Zhang You nodded lightly.
Chen Shi let out a breath, a huge weight lifting from his heart.
Zhang You asked curiously, “You’re not afraid?”
Chen Shi laughed. “If there were danger, it would have erupted back in Western Capital.”
The two men looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Chen Shi gazed at the majestic rivers and mountains of the upper world, his mind at ease as he said leisurely, “Brother Zhang, I have a question I don’t understand—please enlighten me. The thirteen great families possess such a splendid land. Why cling to West Ox New Continent? Why not relocate here and become part of the upper world, instead of struggling down there?”
Zhang You pondered for a moment. “Cultivate the self, regulate the family, govern the state, pacify the world—this is the aspiration of every true man—”
Chen Shi cut him off. “Tell me the truth.”
Zhang You had no choice but to stop. “The upper world can’t sustain life.”
Chen Shi was slightly taken aback, not grasping the meaning.
“Though the upper world has sun and moon, they don’t make crops grow, and the corruption is severe.”
Zhang You explained, “The spiritual herbs planted here are nourished by immortal qi. Without it, they’d die without fail. But immortal qi is scarce—not enough to support many people.”
Chen Shi asked, “What’s lacking in the upper world that prevents crops from growing?”
Zhang You shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Chen Shi looked around at the towering deities, their divine light pure and holy, showing no sign of corruption.
Zhang You said, “Today, I saw you fight—borrowing Li Tianqing’s name to forcibly restrain your killing intent, wounding but not killing. Must have been hard to hold back, right?”
Chen Shi glanced at him but said nothing.
“Your prejudice against our thirteen great families runs deep!”
Zhang You turned to face him squarely, utterly sincere. “Brother Chen, not all of the thirteen great families are the spoiled playboys or rice-bag wastrels you imagine. You’ve been to Western Capital and seen the thirteen cabinet ministers—how do they govern? Without them, the realm would have fallen into chaos long ago! Without them holding the reins of power, who knows how many would have proclaimed themselves kings and hegemons!”
He raised his arm, pointing at the deities standing between heaven and earth. “The purpose of our thirteen great families’ ancestors in opening the upper world was never to lord over others. It was to gather strength, eradicate Despair Slope, and drive out the True Gods—
bringing back the true sky to the mortal world! From the era of the True King, our thirteen families have endured in hiding, generation after generation, all fighting for that goal!”
Chen Shi looked at those vast, towering deities. “Every generation, the thirteen great families produce many Returning Void Realm and Great Vehicle Realm experts, but the upper world’s deities are mainly the family heads. The other Returning Void and Great Vehicle experts go to the underworld upon death, not the upper world. That’s how you control the underworld.”
Zhang You said, “It took our thirteen families six thousand years to seize the underworld one by one. But controlling the underworld isn’t for our thirteen families’ sake—it’s to better gather strength against Despair Slope and the True Gods from beyond the heavens. The heartfelt resolve of our ancestors has never wavered!”
Chen Shi said leisurely, “Yet what I see is your thirteen great families monopolizing all resources, leaving the poor without a place to stand, lowly scholars without paths to rise, talents wasting away unused. Brother Zhang, do you see it?”
Zhang You hesitated, then nodded lightly. “I see it too.”
Chen Shi pressed on. “From the scholar exams to the imperial examinations, the juren tests, and the top scholar contests—they’re all controlled by the great families. Commoners without connections can only pick your scraps. Even if they grind through to juren, they wait ten years or a lifetime for a minor post. Examine to jinshi, and they’re still just ninth-rank or unraked sesame officials. Without attaching to you, they get nothing. Brother Zhang, do you see it?”
Zhang You fell silent for a moment, then said bitterly, “I see it.”
Chen Shi said, “Have you been to the countryside? Seen the withered state of the common folk? Seen evils rampaging, plaguing villages and towns? The great families control the court and wealth, treating the masses as ants, as bloodfood, as longevity elixirs. To me, you are the greatest evils. If I hadn’t borrowed Li Tianqing’s name, I couldn’t have held back my killing urge.”
Zhang You exhaled heavily. “You saw it yourself—Li Qianyun, Xia Tianjie, Ma Zhe—they bore you no malice. They even admire you, idolize you! They believe that even without the innate Dao embryo,
you’ll become one of the realm’s dragons and phoenixes! They’re the future heads of the thirteen great families—these fine people, do they all deserve extermination?”
He stared straight at Chen Shi.
Chen Shi looked away, avoiding his gaze. “The world has given your thirteen great families six thousand years. You’ve never changed it—instead, you’ve merged with it, binding ever tighter. Gradually twisting into the evils looming over the people’s heads. If you can’t do it, step aside. Let those capable take over. Don’t block them, slaughter them.”
He paused. “Six thousand years ago, your ideals were noble. But now, you’re the obstacle. Besides, I haven’t exterminated anyone—I held back just now, didn’t I?”
Zhang You looked into the distance and sighed. “You held back in Li Tianqing’s name. In Chen Shi’s name, you’d have killed us all. Yang Bi was wrong to invite you. He should know he can never change you. If I were Yang Bi, I’d summon the mightiest forces at once to execute you!”
Chen Shi laughed. “That’s why you’re not Yang Bi. Yang Bi sees farther than you.”
Zhang You nodded lightly. “He does see farther. His strength is unfathomable. Without a divine embryo, you might not be his match.”
Chen Shi said, “With heaven’s omens and earth’s portents as my likeness, I am myself—what need have I for a divine embryo?”
He paused. “Li Tianqing can defect from the Li family. Why not defect from the Zhang family, Brother Zhang?”
Zhang You shook his head. “These methods are passed down from the ancestors, this body granted by my parents, this soul is the Zhang family’s soul. Even if I shatter to pieces, death is all.”
Chen Shi gazed into the distance. “If the chance comes, I’ll send you on your way myself.”
Zhang You stepped to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder. “I haven’t made a move yet—how dare you claim certain victory?”