Above the Great Dao

Chen Shi was stunned and hurriedly checked himself, only to feel that the wisp of evil qi he had drawn into his body when communing with the heavens and earth was cut off by some incomprehensible force!

He shouted loudly, leaped up in extreme joy, and ran around the hall.

The White-clothed Fairy watched him with a smile, and when he had tired himself out, she gently patted her legs, signaling for him to lie down on them.

Chen Shi lay down, still very excited.

That evil wisp he had was pulled away!

This girl somehow severed the connection between the heaven and earth's evil qi and him!

He could feel it, that if he continued his cultivation, as his prowess increased, the evil qi would still connect with him.

This was something unavoidable in the Unification Realm's unity of heaven and man!

But for a short while, he didn't need to worry about it anymore.

"I can first cultivate the Blood Lake Scripture! Wait a moment..."

Chen Shi looked at the beautiful young girl plucking at his skull, thinking, "What means did she use to sever the connection between the heaven and earth's evil qi and me? Is she really the female scholar who took the exams with me?"

He suddenly sat up, took a good look at the girl, suddenly parted her hair, tilted her chin with his bony finger, and stared into her eyes.

The White-clothed Fairy blushed, turning her head to avoid his gaze, then glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.

Chen Shi's heart fluttered, feeling the power from Peng Ju the Lower Corpse God, as he was about to further investigate the girl's origins, when suddenly the Minister of Internal Affairs Sang Xixi ran in, laughing: "Your Majesty, there's a girl outside claiming to be seeking an audience, her name is Wen Wuyu."

Seeing the two, she inwardly sighed at how mismatched they seemed.

Even though she had seen the White-clothed woman many times, she still couldn't help marveling at the girl's beauty, feeling she was the prettiest girl she had seen in her life, unlike any mortal being.

"No wonder they say scholars are lustful, Your Majesty could become the top scorer, truly the top among hungry ghosts, even fallen into the underworld, he hasn't forgotten to hide a beauty in the temple," she thought, also curious about Chen Shi's appearance.

She had yet to see Chen Shi's true body.

Chen Shi straightened up and said, "Wen Wuyu truly kept her promise. Invite her in."

Sang Xixi coughed, reminding: "Your Majesty, your clothes."

"Troublesome."

Chen Shi draped on his robe, picked up the crown thrown to the side.

Only then did Sang Xixi invite Wen Wuyu in.

This time, Wen Wuyu was dressed in a light blue long dress embroidered with peacock tail feathers, with black edges, still showcasing her beautiful figure, walking gracefully into the hall.

Her makeup was exquisite, earrings of one long and one short pearl hung by her ears, obviously well-groomed before coming to meet Chen Shi.

However, her gaze fell on the White-clothed Fairy, causing her heart to involuntarily thump hard twice: "What a handsome one!"

The White-clothed Fairy, seeing a stranger had arrived, timidly darted into a small temple behind Chen Shi's head and vanished.

Wen Wuyu gazed at the small temple behind Chen Shi's head, watching as it slowly faded into the Blood Lake Hell, blocking her view.

Wen Wuyu was rather puzzled and laughed: "Young Scholar, what is the temple behind your head? It seems to serve as a divine shrine, yet it's not a shrine."

Chen Shi smiled slightly, inviting her to sit.

Wen Wuyu glanced at his throne, shaking her head: "If I sit on your throne with you, won't I become the Queen? I won't sit. Young Scholar, it's suffocating in this palace of yours, where your civility and military officials hold their early court meetings. I'm not your official; let's go outside for a walk."

Chen Shi stood up, laughing: "Where are those civil and military officials, when has there been an early court meeting? Ever since I became King, I haven't held court even for a single day!"

Wen Wuyu couldn't help but laugh, saying: "The Heavenly Pond Country is governed by tribal representatives, with each tribe's clan leader managing their own affairs, without needing to trouble the king. The king's abilities are limited to taxing the various tribes, having them pay contributions to cultivate his own influence. Another task is to lead them in attacking other countries, seizing their population and land."

Chen Shi walked out of the royal palace with her, leisurely strolling along the streets of the capital.

Many little Yakshas were lining up, as Red Mountain Hall was about to establish a branch in the underworld and commence construction, so the little Yakshas came to seek work.

Chen Shi glanced at Wen Wuyu and asked, "Did you really work in my Yuan Chen Palace for three years?"

"Gotcha!"

Wen Wuyu laughed, "I only worked for a few days, little did I know you were so earnest, giving me most of your money."

She shook her head with a smile, feeling that Chen Shi had a boyish silliness mixed with sharpness.

Chen Shi said, "I gave you money because I was grateful for your guidance. After taking back the paper money, I regretted it. I originally thought you were the one who took my Innate Dao Embryo, hence my resentment towards you. If you want it, I'll return it to you."

Wen Wuyu walked ahead of him, turned back with a bright smile, and said, "What would I want those things for? I'm not a ghost or monster."

Her smile was so sweet, it felt like sunlight piercing through the underworld sky, just shining upon her.

Chen Shi caught up with her, the two of them - a skeleton draped in a great cloak, and a girl as radiant as a yellow flower - attracting much attention from the ghost gods.

Wen Wuyu said, "Chen Shi, we've met many times already. Here is one, Immortal City is another, and then there was once in Xinxiang County."

Chen Shi was slightly moved, saying, "The time in Xinxiang County, I already have no recollection of."

Wen Wuyu said, "I remember. Back then, I came to Xinxiang with my master. I was chosen by him as the most gifted and perceptive disciple among thousands of children. Despair Slope is strict when it comes to this. At that time, I was just over eight, not yet nine, when I heard that an extraordinary genius appeared in Xinxiang County, granted the Innate Dao Embryo by the True God, esteemed as the Child Scholar, first in the Fifty Provinces. I was very curious about this Child Scholar. When I met you, I realized you were also just a little kid with a runny nose, just like me."

She reminisced, "At that time, you were only nine, but already talking like a little adult. Many uncles, aunts, brought all kinds of cultivation techniques and spells to test you, and you would learn them at once. Your techniques were awe-inspiring, you were incredible, and won the admiration of many."

Chen Shi said expressionlessly, "Those who brought many cultivation techniques and spells to test me were interested in my Innate Dao Embryo. They were just testing me before stripping my embryo, just like buyers in a market inspecting the teeth of cattle and sheep before slaughter."

Wen Wuyu was silent for a moment, then said, "But I didn't know they saw you as cattle or sheep for slaughter. At that time, I admired you greatly, always following you around. You always said I was clumsy, and I did feel that. Although I was smarter than other children, compared with you, I seemed clumsy."

Chen Shi's tone turned cold: "Miss Wen, you don't need to say these things, attempting to close the distance between us."

Wen Wuyu shook her head and said, "At that time, I was just over eight years old, I had just passed the Despair Slope's test, becoming a disciple of Despair Slope. I hadn't yet obtained the Divine Embryo, still in Qi Refinement. Three years later, I started Foundation Establishment, then cultivated the Divine Shrine, and obtained the Divine Embryo..."

Chen Shi hesitated for a moment, his tone slightly softened: "I thought you were one of those who took my Divine Embryo at that time."

Wen Wuyu said, "My master took me to witness the power of the Innate Dao Embryo, to understand the vastness of heaven and earth. Our Despair Slope follows the tradition of one master one disciple; a master takes only one disciple. Another two senior uncles, also each took a disciple."

Chen Shi asked, "One is Zhuang Wujiu, who is the other?"

Wen Wuyu replied, "He is Wu Wang, senior brother to our generation of disciples from Despair Slope."

Chen Shi noted down the name.

Wen Wuyu hesitated for a moment, saying, "Senior Brother Wu Wang is the one with the highest talent, comprehension, and aptitude among us, also the one with the greatest cultivation achievement. His cultivation is unfathomable, outstripping me by far."

Chen Shi remained unmoved, saying, "I have been reborn, truly cultivating for no more than two years. I am confident I can catch up with him!"

Wen Wuyu said nothing further, changing the topic with a smile: "Your predecessor Xiang Fu, indeed discovered something interesting and thus died. Do you want to go see?"

Chen Shi, intrigued, laughed: "Last time you said he sought immortality and died at the hands of an immortal; is an immortal real?"

"I came for that reason, tasked with investigating this matter,"

Wen Wuyu's eyes gleamed as she smiled, "In my opinion, more than likely there is truly an immortal. The light on King Xiang Fu's body was an Immortal Technique, containing the power of the Great Dao. Does the Child Scholar wish to join?"

"Alright!" Chen Shi responded with a hearty laugh.