Above the Great Dao

Chen Shi hesitated for a moment: "Let's hope so. Father, we should be prepared for the downfall of the Thirteen Families first."

Chen Tang gave him a deep look, thinking: "Is my son planning to retrieve the West King Jade Seal hidden in the corner after the Thirteen Families are destroyed and claim kingship?"

He pondered over it for a while; it indeed seemed feasible!

Just then, the sound of the Black Pot came, and Chen Tang wondered: "Has the night fallen earlier again? During the time you were in the Upper Realm, the night had already fallen early once."

Chen Shi looked up at the sky, seeing it gradually turn red, the sun blazing, flames floating in the air, obscuring the West Bull New Continent.

"Has the night fallen early twice recently?" Chen Shi asked.

Chen Tang nodded.

The sky quickly darkened.

Under the bright moonlight, Chen Shi lay beneath the old willow tree on the Yellow Earth Slope, staring dazedly at the bright moon outside the sky, while Black Pot lay beside him.

The night was exceptionally long.

Chen Shi had already slept, and upon waking, it was still night, so he came to the Yellow Earth Slope.

"Zhu Scholar, do you know how the True King Era ended?" Chen Shi suddenly sat up and asked.

Zhu Scholar hung under the crooked-neck willow, his body already straightened, swaying with the wind, saying: "How would I know? I've only been dead for over a thousand years. By the time I died, the True King Era had already been over for five thousand years."

Chen Shi hesitated for a moment and said: "I've seen the true body of the True King. There are golden threads on his neck, sewn by a master craftsman. He didn't die a natural death; someone decapitated him."

Zhu Scholar hung there, motionless, not moving even with the wind, and said nothing.

Chen Shi cautiously probed: "Do you think the True King might have been murdered by the Thirteen Families? The ancestors of the Thirteen Families secretly killed him when he was off guard and then destroyed all history of the True King Era."

Zhu Scholar did not answer.

Chen Shi continued speaking to himself: "I have reasons for such speculation. The True King was sealing immortals, slaughtering everyone about to harmonize and become immortal. The ancestors of the Thirteen Families all served as Cabinet Chief Ministers, so they must have assisted the True King in sealing immortals. Those who didn't comply were killed by them. But the ancestors of the Thirteen Families should have been about to harmonize, too. The True King killed all demi-immortals, and they would be next, so they preemptively struck..."

Zhu Scholar interrupted him: "The True King did not die at their hands."

Chen Shi's gaze flickered, and he said: "Then the True King committed suicide! The True King sealed all immortals in the world, but his cultivation had reached an extremely high level and he had to harmonize and become immortal. Fearing he might endanger people, he killed himself! Before dying, he burned all records of this era's history, leaving future generations unable to uncover the secrets of becoming immortal! In this way, no one becomes immortal, and no one turns into a disaster!"

Zhu Scholar shook his head: "The True King didn't commit suicide either. Don't jump to conclusions!"

Chen Shi excitedly said: "I understand now! The True King must have intended to ascend and become immortal after eradicating other demi-immortals. He wanted to cross the tribulation, ascend, and harmonize! He transformed into an evil spirit, underwent an evil transformation, turned into a disaster, and then was killed! That must be it!"

"Woof! Woof!" Black Pot barked excitedly.

Zhu Scholar could no longer hold back, using both hands to support the noose as he lightly floated to the ground, angrily stating: "It's not like what you think! The family ancestor died because of events similar to what's happening now!"

Seeing Zhu Scholar finally willing to come down from the crooked-neck willow, Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "Teacher, you're finally willing to come down. So what happened back then?"

Zhu Scholar snorted, stretched his arms to become longer than his body, took down the noose hanging from the tree, put it around his neck, and said: "I hanged myself here, so I can't leave easily. Only with this rope around my neck can I move freely. Follow me."

He gracefully rose, flying through the air, with the noose trailing behind his head like a braid.

Chen Shi and Black Pot followed him, watching Zhu Scholar float towards the True King's Tomb.

Chen Shi hurriedly called out: "Master Zhu, wait! I'm going to get the West King Jade Seal!"

"No need." Zhu Scholar's voice echoed.

Chen Shi had no choice but to follow, and soon, the man, ghost, and dog reached the outside of the True King's Tomb.

Outside the True King's Tomb stood stone statues, imposing beyond measure. Once inside, the Ghost God Domain would activate, the stone statues would come to life, transforming into divine beasts, and tear apart intruders.

But strangely enough, when Zhu Scholar entered the Ghost God Domain, these divine beasts, upon seeing him, lowered their heads and prostrated, not harming him.

Chen Shi thought: "Zhu Scholar really is a descendant of the True King. He must have been here before and entered the tomb, which is why he was able to teach my father the cultivation technique."

He followed Zhu Scholar, and the Sheep-Horned Grave Guardian Beast lifted an oil lamp and saluted them. Zhu Scholar said: "Give me the lamp, I don't need you to lead the way."

The Sheep-Horned Grave Guardian Beast acknowledged and handed the lamp to Zhu Scholar.

With the oil lamp in hand, Zhu Scholar, Chen Shi, and Black Pot passed through the Monument Forest to enter the True King's Tomb.

They traveled through long, dark corridors, delving deep into the mausoleum.

Though Chen Shi had entered the True King's Tomb twice, he had never explored its interior and had no idea what was inside.

Zhu Scholar led them to a side chamber. The chamber wasn't large, storing some urns, pots, jars, and other burial objects that didn't seem like particularly valuable magical treasures, probably containers for storing grain.

Zhu Scholar picked up a handful of rice grains from a ceramic jar and said: "Squeeze them."

Chen Shi squeezed the rice grains, frowning slightly.

Zhu Scholar asked: "What did you discover?"

Chen Shi earnestly replied: "These rice grains are hollow."

Scholar Zhu lifted another large jar and said, "Look at the rice inside this one."

Chen Shi stepped forward, grabbed a handful of rice, and it felt very light. He squeezed it, frowned slightly; these grains were also empty, just husks without any kernels inside.

Scholar Zhu's voice carried a trace of fear as he said, "This is an annex for the True King's burial, these vessels should have contained grains like rice and millet, but towards the end of the True King Era, the rice grains were empty."

Chen Shi dropped the rice husk in his hand and reached deeper into the jar; it was just husks all the way down!

He moved to another large jar, grabbed a handful of rice, still just husks!

He opened other jars and pots, inspecting them one by one. These vessels were categorized by grains, yet none contained actual grains!

Among the True King's burial items, there were no true grains, only husks!

"Even the True King...was like this..."

Chen Shi shivered, a chill running through him.

If even the True King was like this, what about ordinary people?

Do ordinary people still have a way to survive?

"What caused this?" Chen Shi asked hoarsely.

"Perhaps at the end of the True King Era, there was no sun." Scholar Zhu's voice came, indifferent.

"No sun?"

Chen Shi shivered again. Without the sun, crops couldn't grow, and even if the rice grew, it wouldn't bear kernels!

And now, the days grow shorter, and nights longer.

Chen Shi swallowed with difficulty and asked, "What do we eat?"

Scholar Zhu was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't know."

Chen Shi pressed him, "How long did it last?"

Scholar Zhu shook his head, "I don't know."

"How many people died?"

"I don't know."

...

Chen Shi's mind was in chaos, and when he came to, he realized he was back on the Yellow Earth Slope, and Scholar Zhu was still hanging from the crooked-neck tree, the noose tied properly somehow.

The Black Pot lay at his feet, sighing deeply, looking worried.

Chen Shi stood and saw the moon still hanging in the sky, while the people of Huangpo Village had already woken up and were cooking.

"What time is it?"

Chen Shi, filled with dread, called out loudly, "Why hasn't the sun risen yet?"

His voice reached Huangpo Village, and only then did the villagers recall, each looking up at the sky, filled with confusion.

Indeed, why hasn't the sun appeared yet?

The moonlight was bright.

The moon seemed as if it would hang in the sky forever, never setting.

"Ah Tang, it's the hour of the snake." Wu Qingyu softly said behind Chen Tang.

Chen Tang looked up at the moon in the sky, speaking in a muffled voice, "I know. The sun hasn't come out yet."

Chen Shi was also staring up at the sky.

In Gangzi Village, Sha Qiutong also gazed at the moon.

In the distance at Qianyang Mountain, the Great Snake Xuan Shan coiled atop the mountain peak, its head looking up at the moon in the sky.

Among the mountains, spirits and like-creatures, each watching the sky, unmoving.

Noon arrived, yet the sun still hadn't appeared.

Various villages gradually grew restless, a feeling of unease spread everywhere.

At midnight, the sun still had not appeared.

The next morning, the moon dimmed, and two red suns appeared in the sky, gradually brightening.

Chen Shi clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"I must go to the Upper Realm again!"