Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Chapter 45 The Battle of Gentlemen
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Li Tianqing followed his gaze and spotted an ancient cedar tree of immense age. Its trunk stood straight, scarred and knotted all over.
Mountain winds swept through, sending the ancient tree's branches rustling. A pale greenish wisp of incense smoke encircled the old tree, sometimes gathering into the form of an old lady, sometimes drifting apart.
This tree that protected Chen Shi was, under the influence of extraordinary power, forming a new divine aspect.
"This vast mountain possesses a spirit of its own. These trees, rocks, and ruins—in the incense offerings of the mountain folk—will birth new godmothers, sheltering generation after generation."
Li Jindou spoke with deep feeling.
"When one godmother grows old and a village falls into decline, a new godmother takes her place. New villages spring up around her, carrying on endlessly, clinging to life with unyielding tenacity."
Grandfather and grandson trailed after Chen Shi, venturing ever deeper into this mysterious range.
Chen Shi knew the paths like the back of his hand and sensed nothing amiss, but Li Jindou was secretly awed.
"The terrain here is so labyrinthine—without a guide, dreaming of finding this place would be impossible!"
The forest ahead thinned out, the undergrowth growing sparse. Brick-and-stone kiln caves came into view.
Li Jindou could barely contain his excitement.
"The kiln works that fired porcelain for the Tomb of the True King—at last! Wait... a Ghost God Domain!"
His expression turned grave as he gazed toward the kiln works ahead. He reached out, halting Chen Shi and Li Tianqing just before they stepped inside.
"This is a Ghost God Domain. We must not enter lightly."
Li Jindou said gravely.
"The Tomb of the True King is no ordinary place—even its kiln works have formed a Ghost God Domain. Stumble into it unwittingly, and escape is impossible!"
Chen Shi's heart jolted. He had led many people here before, and none had detected the kiln's strangeness before tumbling into its Ghost God Domain, transformed into porcelain dolls.
He hadn't expected this plain-looking elder from the Li family to recognize it for what it was!
"Tianqing's grandfather is far stronger than I'd anticipated," he thought to himself.
Li Tianqing shot him a glance and saw his face remained calm. He said nothing.
Li Jindou paced slowly around the kiln works. With each step, the ground sank abruptly, forming a deep pit. After circling once, he had marked out the domain's boundaries.
"I've outlined the extent of this domain. The two of you—stay well clear. Remember that."
He faced the kiln works and drew a long breath. The place filled him with dread; he dared not venture in recklessly.
Steadying himself, Li Jindou said solemnly,
"Tianqing, Chen Shi—you wait here. I'll scout inside the kiln works. If I don't come back out, Tianqing, you head home with Chen Shi."
He paused, then continued.
"Once you're back in the village, set out for Quanzhou at first light tomorrow—no delays. When you get there, say you never solved Seventh Uncle's disappearance case. Say old Jindou let down the Li ancestors and ran off. Remember: ran off, not died!"
He turned back, his face stern.
"If you say I ran, the Li family will look after you out of regard for me—your mother and you won't starve. Say I died in the Ghost God Domain, and you're both done for. Not even your Divine Embryo will save you!"
Li Tianqing went pale.
"Grandfather... Tianqing understands."
"You're a good lad—always sensible, always reliable. Look after your mother. Life's been hard on her."
Li Jindou managed a smile and strode into the kiln works.
At the same instant, a blaze of light erupted from behind his head. A Divine Shrine materialized, with his Divine Embryo seated within—and behind the shrine loomed a towering Primordial Spirit.
No sooner had he entered than his body began to porcellanize at a furious pace, flesh turning to ceramic. At the same time, his Divine Shrine porcellanized, his Divine Embryo right along with it!
Only that towering Primordial Spirit remained utterly still, unchanged.
Li Jindou pressed onward, his body porcellanizing even as it shrank rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the hunched elder had become a porcelain doll no taller than a foot.
He moved through the kiln works, his Primordial Spirit trailing behind, probing the layout.
Chen Shi and Li Tianqing stood outside the kiln works, peering inside intently.
But the many kiln caves blocked their line of sight.
Li Tianqing spoke abruptly.
"Little Ten... it was you who killed my cousin Li Xiaoding, wasn't it?"
Chen Shi had been scanning for Second Miss Zhao and the other porcelain dolls. He froze for a moment, then turned to face him.
Li Tianqing pressed his thin lips together.
"Without invoking a strength talisman, you hefted that Red Barbarian cannon on your shoulder—two or three thousand jin, light as a feather to you. Your strength must be immense. I looked into Seventh Uncle's case. He came to the countryside over my cousin Li Xiaoding's death. That case was handled by a bailiff named Zhuge Jian—sharp as they come. He determined the killer had a robust physique: dashing like lightning within ten zhang, fists and feet heavy enough to crack skulls, a body rivaling a Golden Core cultivator's."
Zhuge Jian had burned the documents recording Chen Shi and Chen Yindu's backgrounds, but the written notes at the crime scene remained. Investigating Li Kefa's disappearance, Li Tianqing had naturally pored over those records.
Chen Shi scratched his head.
"Zhuge Jian kept those details?"
Li Tianqing nodded faintly.
"Zhuge Jian also noted the killer stood no taller than five chi, with a child's build—a talisman master, accompanied by a big black-furred dog."
Chen Shi let out a sigh.
"All those traits fit me to a tee."
Li Tianqing went on.
"You led Grandpa and me here to this kiln works with ill intent. You knew it was a Ghost God Domain all along—your plan was to lure us inside, trap us, and let the domain deal with us. This isn't your first time; you're well-practiced at it."
He didn't wait for Chen Shi to respond.
"I've reviewed the disappearances around Qianyang Mountain over the years—fifteen cases in the last two alone near Huangpo Village, over two hundred people gone. Most of those vanishings tie back to you and your grandfather! Chen Shi, others might call you bloodthirsty, but I know the truth: you're protecting Huangpo Village."
He paused.
"You tied red cloth strips to every spirit tablet along the way and burned incense—you want the villagers safe and unharmed. When these tomb hunters reach the village and realize the Tomb of the True King is nearby, they'll inevitably think of silencing everyone. The villagers have no idea: without you, Huangpo Village would've been wiped out fifteen times over!"
He knew these treasure seekers all too well.
They hailed from great clan families, treating lives like weeds. Razing a village to guard the Tomb's secret? They'd do it without hesitation—and they surely would.
Chen Shi fell silent for a moment, then nodded approvingly.
"Tianqing, you're sharp—sharper than I'd given you credit for. Why call me out now?"
Li Tianqing's face fell.
"I've enjoyed knowing you, but I care about my grandfather. I care about my mother. I need to survive in the Li family! Back at the god-descent ritual, a true god took pity on me and granted the Purple Jade Divine Embryo—not the best, but impressive all the same. Clan members immediately said to dig it out and give it to the clan head's eldest son. I'm a side-branch bastard—what could I do? Grandfather beat the proposer black and blue, then took me into hiding elsewhere for over a year before we went back."
His face paled further.
"This time is our chance to atone with merit. Solve Seventh Uncle's case or find the Tomb of the True King, and we return to the Li family—my mother stops suffering indignities, and I live! Chen Shi, I have to claim this achievement!"
He circulated his technique. A Divine Shrine leaped into view behind his head, his Divine Embryo seated within.
Purple qi radiated from his Divine Embryo, holy purple light swirling around it—a divine majesty that pressed down oppressively.
A true god's descent, bestowing the Divine Embryo.
Divine Embryos came in nine grades. The ninth and lowest was the illusory sort—like Chen Yindu's—faint and transparent, visible straight through, liable to scatter in a stiff breeze.
The eighth, the Profound Embryo (also called Profound Ice Embryo), was semi-transparent—barely an improvement.
Each grade up doubled the quality.
The first and finest was the Purple Jade Divine Embryo—like Xiao Wangsun's.
Li Tianqing's was the same.
Its divine power was two hundred fifty-six times that of a ninth-grade!
In other words, their starting point outstripped Chen Shi's grandfather by two hundred fifty-sixfold!
Wealth has ever stirred hearts—what more a Divine Embryo?
Even within the family, it tempted. As a lowly side-branch bastard, Li Tianqing would've lost his Divine Embryo without Li Jindou—likely his life too!
Chen Shi was baffled.
"If you knew I killed Li Xiaoding, why not tell your grandfather?"
Li Tianqing pressed his lips thin.
"Grandfather's no match for your grandfather. If I told him, he'd try striking you down on the road—and your grandfather, lurking in hiding, would seize the chance to kill him."
Chen Shi glanced around but spotted no sign of his own grandfather. He chuckled inwardly at the old man's excessive caution.
"So you've been holding back until now?"
Li Tianqing's expression grew resolute.
"Grandfather's gone into the kiln works now—life or death unknown. I'm at the end of my rope; I have to make my stand."
He had no path left. Fail to bring Chen Shi back, and he and his mother were as good as dead.
"Chen Shi, I cultivate the Li family's secret art, the Six Yin Jade Wheel Art—unlike the Heavenly Heart Righteous Qi Art other disciples learn. The 'six yin' refer to the Taiyin Spleen Meridian, Taiyin Lung Meridian, Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, Jueyin Liver Meridian, and Jueyin Pericardium Meridian. True qi from these six channels condenses into a wheel."
Li Tianqing activated the jade wheel, his hands forming seals—six distinct kinds.
With each seal's shift, the Purple Jade Divine Embryo in the shrine formed the matching hand seal.
Chen Shi sensed an invisible true qi taking shape around Li Tianqing.
Focusing his gaze, he could only make out Li Tianqing's form gradually blurring—a product of the wheel's rapid spin and vibration churning the air.
"My Six Yin Jade Wheel is invisible to the naked eye. My arms slip right into it for close combat—let an enemy get near, and the wheel slices them open."
Li Tianqing took a step forward. His footwork was the Jade Ring Step: circular paths, twisting and turning with endless variations—like martial forms, but not quite.
Unlike pure martial techniques, every move paired a unique seal with the Jade Ring Step—impossible to predict.
"The Six Yin Jade Wheel works for ranged attacks too. At my Divine Embryo Realm cultivation, everything within sixteen zhang falls in my strike range."
Li Tianqing came to a poised halt, exuding a master's poise despite his youth.
"Outsiders don't grasp the Li family's Six Yin Jade Wheel Art. They charge in and die in one clash. You're my friend—I don't want you dying confused."
Chen Shi circulated the Three Lights Righteous Qi Art. The Big Dipper's seven stars coalesced into talismans, forming orbs of starlight that orbited him leisurely.
He took a sudden step forward. His body slammed the air with a muffled thunderclap roaring in the mind—one stride, and he was before Li Tianqing. Surging qi waves battered forth, billowing Li Tianqing's robes backward, his red sash whipping wildly!
"I've broken through even further since killing Li Xiaoding."
Chen Shi planted his foot on the Tian Shu Star. His form turned ghostly, flickering before and behind, left and right of Li Tianqing—air shattering, sounds deafening.
"I've forged the Saint Embryo Body. I can cover zhang five in an instant—within zhang five, my speed outpaces spells!"
"My fists and feet hold power no spell can match!"
"Watch my footwork—this is the Big Dipper Tian Shu Step!"
Chen Shi's feet landed, starlight bursting in clusters. As star power tempered his body, the steps grew ever more uncanny.
"Beyond this, I master the Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Yao Guang, Kai Yang, Tian Quan, and Yu Heng Steps!"
Chen Shi demonstrated each in turn, then halted abruptly—rooted like a deep abyss or towering peak, his churning blood and qi gradually subsiding.
"Tianqing—after you!"
Outside the kiln works, the two youths lunged forward in unison!