Above the Great Dao

"Mr. Chen, are you alright?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm fine... cough cough!"

Chen Shi's weak voice came through, "Might have broken a few bones..."

The retainer surnamed Yang felt his heart pound violently, a chill running through him: "Who ambushed us? Strange, did the ancestors not detect someone infiltrating the Upper Realm? Could it be Despair Slope?"

He was uneasy and more vigilant, constantly scanning his surroundings.

Meanwhile, inside the great palanquin, Chen Shi struggled to extract himself from the upper corner of the wall, landing with a thud on the ground.

The White-clothed Fairy moved her steps, both guilty and shy, stepping forward to check if he was dead.

She shook Chen Shi's arm, pleading for him not to be angry, then leaned her face closer, puckering her lips to indicate he could kiss them, this time she wouldn't resist.

Chen Shi coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and tried to scoot away from her.

Now he understood why, back then, when he summoned the White-clothed Fairy to meet the full strike of the Innocent Taoist's transformation, the Innocent Taoist was knocked backward.

If a light push from this girl was so heavy, if she exerted full strength, with a crack, he might just be shattered and evaporate.

"Don't move me first!"

Seeing the girl trying to get closer again, Chen Shi hurriedly said, "Let me fix the broken bones first, I fear your heavy hand might break a few more."

The White-clothed Fairy squatted nearby, feeling aggrieved, watching him summon his Primordial Spirit, reaching inside himself to reset the broken bones.

Chen Shi used his Primordial Spirit to refine away the internal blood clots, suppress the injuries, then went to the small temple to pick a few Spiritual Medicines to ingest, promoting the healing of his wounds, his life no longer in danger, he finally exhaled a breath of relief, thinking: "Just arrived in the Upper Realm, and I've already been seriously injured, how can I possibly fulfill the duel with Yang Bi now?"

At this time, the Azure Cloud Palanquin gradually slowed down, arriving at a floating mountain range amidst a sea of clouds.

These mountains were like Immortal Mountains, floating in the sea of clouds, surrounded by rosy clouds, exuding an extraordinary aura.

The palanquin threaded through the mountains, heading towards a palace on one of the Immortal Mountains, and finally stopped on the platform in front of that palace.

The retainer surnamed Yang opened the door, bowing, "Mr. Chen, please."

Chen Shi, pale-faced, slowly got off the palanquin with the support of the White-clothed Fairy.

The retainer surnamed Yang was taken aback, not expecting him to be so severely injured, feeling quite guilty: "It's my fault for not adequately protecting the Upper Realm, leading to his ambush and injury."

That palace was precisely Yang Bi's retreat, and at that moment, Yang Bi and a pair of young men and women were already waiting at the entrance.

The young woman curiously asked, "Brother Yang, why do you value this Chen Shi so much? Hasn't he become so powerful even after having his Innate Dao Embryo severed, to the point that you regard him this highly?"

She was Li Qianyun from the Li Family, sent to the Upper Realm by the family head after her defeat to Li Tianqing.

After arriving, she observed the various gods of the Li Family, was instructed by the ancestors, and her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

This time, she came to observe the battle upon hearing of Chen Shi's duel with Yang Bi.

Yang Bi didn't answer, the other young man smiled slightly, saying: "If Chen Shi were mediocre after having his Innate Dao Embryo severed, he wouldn't have cut down the young lord in the Western Capital, nor nearly annihilated the Thirteen Families, claiming the title of top scorer."

He was Zhang You, the current second-place scholar.

Yet many experts from the Thirteen Families participated in the Imperial Examination, aside from him, the others' fates were unknown.

Zhang You was the only survivor of the Thirteen Families from that examination.

Likewise, he was also a candidate for the Zhang family head's successor, sent to the Upper Realm for training.

He had past acquaintance with Chen Shi and awaited him here upon learning of Chen Shi's arrival.

"Child Scholar was already famous nationwide twelve years ago, surprisingly, after having his Innate Dao Embryo severed, he not only survived but rose again."

Zhang You said, "Just for this, he is undoubtedly a top expert among the younger generation. If it were me, I might've already died, and even if saved, I'd be a cripple."

Li Qianyun pondered carefully, thinking if it were her having her Divine Embryo severed, even if she didn't die, she'd probably be no different from a cripple, and laughed: "Child Scholar, truly admirable."

Yang Bi looked at the speeding Azure Cloud Chariot, and said solemnly: "The Outer Heaven True God bestowed the Innate Dao Embryo because of his formidable talent. Even without the Dao Embryo, he remains a terrifying opponent. He has arrived, you two, let's go and greet the Scholar."

The chariot descended, Yang Bi quickly approached, followed by Li Qianyun and Zhang You.

Upon seeing Chen Shi's appearance, the three were taken aback.

Zhang You hurried forward, asking: "Chen, the top scorer, are you injured? Who did this to you?"

His gaze fell on the white-clothed fairy, his heart raced: "How can there be such a beautiful girl in the world?"

Li Qianyun saw the white-clothed fairy, and felt her beauty was unparalleled, giving rise to a desire for closeness.

Only Yang Bi, upon seeing this woman, had a drastic change in his face, clearly recognizing her as he thought: "No wonder Mr. Chen did not come along! Though Mr. Chen's strength is among the best, he pales in comparison to this prehistoric Evil Spirit. Nonetheless, she was heavily wounded by the True King Nine Palaces, barely survived, her remaining strength should be limited, right?"

Chen Shi, slightly embarrassed, said: "I accidentally got injured, a few days of rest should heal me. Why is Brother Zhang here?"

Zhang You, no longer looking at the white-clothed fairy, composed himself and smiled: "I failed to achieve the top scorer status, ordered by the Sect Master to cultivate here in preparation for future uncertainties."

Li Qianyun stepped forward, gracefully making a formal greeting, saying: "Li Qianyun, daughter of the Li Family of Quanzhou, greets Mr. Chen."

Chen Shi, pale-faced with unsteady breath, smiled: "If Miss Qianyun doesn't mind, please call me Chen, the top scorer. Being addressed as Mr. reminds me of an old acquaintance."

Li Qianyun curiously asked: "An old acquaintance?"

"It's someone who was slain by me. He was also called Mr."

Chen Shi, with good intentions, smiled and said, "Does Qianyun recognize Tianqing? We are friends who share everything."

Upon hearing this, Li Qianyun's expression changed, stammering and not speaking further.

The Yang entourage hurriedly approached Yang Bi, whispering a few words.

Yang Bi felt a slight tremor in his heart, gently shook his head, thinking: "Our Thirteen Families have been plotting since the True King Era, constructing the Upper Realm, with deep intentions. If Despair Slope discovered the Upper Realm, they would have intervened long ago. But if it wasn't Despair Slope attacking Chen Shi, then who? Could it be ancestors from other Families?"

He felt a bit uneasy.

Many within the Thirteen Families disliked Chen Shi's actions; even the transformed Heavenly Gods, some of them similarly had disdain for Chen Shi, and some wished Yang Bi wouldn't lose to Chen Shi, potentially intervening during Chen Shi's journey.

"However, it seems Chen Shi doesn't wish to pursue this matter. Wait, this Azure Cloud Chariot seems to have been struck from within, forming this humanoid protrusion, indicating the attack came from inside..."

He looked suspiciously at Chen Shi, then at the fairy, thinking, "Could Chen, the top scorer, have been injured by the prehistoric Evil Spirit? He's in the Unification Realm, where the Three Corpse Gods are strongest, especially his Lower Corpse God, Peng Jue, which is particularly formidable."

Know yourself and know your enemy, a hundred battles without defeat.

Before confronting Chen Shi, Yang Bi visited Immortal City, observed outside Chen Shi's Yuan Chen Palace.

Each night, Chen Shi's Three Corpse Gods would fly from Yuan Chen Palace to the underworld to complain to King Yan.

This allowed observation of Chen Shi's Three Corpse Gods, knowing someone's weaknesses based on them.

"Could it be the Lower Corpse God acting out, attempting to violate the prehistoric Evil Spirit?"

Yang Bi thought, "This indeed is a major weakness. Before he cuts the Three Corpses, it can be exploited. Speaking of which, his Peng Jue is indeed terrifyingly strong!"

He recalled the scene of Chen Shi's Peng Jue flying out from Yuan Chen Palace, terrifying and chilling, akin to a Demon God descending, causing a shiver.

"Chen Shi's physical body was refined by Chen Yindou into a Corpse Resolving Immortal, making his physical strength far superior, leading to this level of Three Corpse Gods." He thought secretly.

At this moment, the white-clothed fairy seemed to notice something, suddenly turned toward the depths of the Upper Realm, her gaze sharpened.

Chen Shi, surprised, softly asked: "What are you looking at?"

The white-clothed fairy stammered, hesitantly speaking for half a day, before barely managing to articulate human speech: "Same, same, same...kind, kind, kind!"

"Same kind?" Chen Shi was astonished, following her gaze.

Does she have kin within the Upper Realm?