Above the Great Dao

Chen Shi also noticed his grandfather's strangeness, he had a foul odor, and like the scholar ghost at the village entrance, he liked the smell of incense.

Moreover, in these days, he hadn't seen his grandfather eat, only saw him secretly eating candles, one after another, like eating radishes!

He even felt that those inexplicably dead chickens and ducks were very likely secretly bitten to death and drained of blood by his grandfather!

But for Chen Shi, no matter what his grandfather had become, he was still his closest kin.

"Black Pot, take him to drink the medicine," Grandfather said indifferently.

Outside the Chen Family's courtyard, a big black dog wagged its tail obediently, bit Chen Shi's sleeve, and pulled him back home.

Behind them, the gigantic human head drifted over.

In the village center, an ancient tree moved without wind, a branch whipped like a lash, and with a smack, it struck the gigantic head and sent it flying.

A harsh medicinal smell wafted over, and after Chen Shi drank a basin of medicine, he sat in the medicinal vat, his belly bloated.

This basin of medicine was his dinner.

Below the medicine vat was a fire. Despite being a dog, the big black dog sitting in front of the fire had a benign and merciful appearance. Seeing the fire dimming, it picked up a piece of firewood and stuffed it into the fire.

The medicine vat bubbled, and Chen Shi, feeling scalded, gritted his teeth and shouted, "Black Pot, stop burning it! Any more and I'll be cooked!"

Black Pot was the name of this big black dog.

As the name implies, whenever he and his grandfather did something wrong, they often let this dog take the blame.

Black Pot was picked up by Grandfather, raised on the leftovers from their home, able to understand human speech, very intelligent, kind-hearted, and upon hearing Chen Shi, added a few more sticks to the fire.

The black dog blinked, seemingly curious to see if it could cook Chen Shi.

Chen Shi shouted about the heat for a while, but gradually stopped.

It seemed he had become accustomed to the temperature.

The young boy comfortably sat in the medicine vat, leaning against its rim, lifted his hand to touch the back of his head, feeling the long scar.

He had little memory of the injury on the back of his head.

He couldn't remember many things: not his parents, not whether he had ever gone to school, not even being someone who had his skull pried open.

When he had woken up in the past, he only felt an unbearable headache, surrounded by darkness, coldness, and from the darkness, strange, thick, ancient voices seemed to come from beyond the heavens, guiding him.

He followed the direction of the voices, walking without knowing how long, until he saw a line of bright light.

When he stepped into the light, the surrounding darkness retreated like a tide, everything gradually brightened.

Once he adapted to the light, he discovered he was sitting in a large medicine vat, the vat bubbling and steaming with a pungent medicinal smell, next to it stood a tall, burly, white-haired old man, with a black dog by his feet, adding wood to the fire.

Seeing him awake, the old man excitedly hugged him.

Later on, Chen Shi learned that this old man was his grandfather, and that he had been unconscious for a long time, his grandfather never abandoning him, using various spiritual medicines to treat his illness and sustain his life.

Chen Shi couldn't remember anything before he was nine, only from the moment he awoke did he have memories, so in strict terms, he was only a two-year-old child.

"So, it was because someone took my Divine Embryo that I became like this."

Chen Shi remembered overhearing the conversation of the woman in purple and others, and secretly thought, "I'm not naturally a cripple, I can also cultivate, I can also become Divine's Chosen One, Heaven's Proud Son! The son of the County Magistrate Li of Water Buffalo County, Li Xiaoding...what injustice!"

A surge of anger rose in his chest; for the past two years, he had always been accompanied by the medicine vat, entering the large medicine vat daily for a duration of cooking. The herbs in the vat were often changed, with various indescribable herbs and even poisonous snakes and scorpions!

Chen Shi only knew his body was ill, but he never knew exactly what illness he had!

Now he finally understood, the hardship he had suffered over these years all originated from this, from this noble Li Xiaoding!

"But…"

Chen Shi was rather puzzled, "My skull has already healed, but why does Grandfather still insist on making me soak in the medicine vat every day?"

At that moment, the air temperature dropped again, even the flames under the medicine vat diminished significantly, originally yellow and clear, now turning greenish.

Grandfather had entered the room.

Chen Shi sneakily glanced and saw Grandfather standing in the corner's shadow, his face unclear, not knowing what he was doing there. But Chen Shi always felt Grandfather was staring at him, sometimes with a gentle gaze, sometimes filled with murderous intent.

This kind of murderous intent, Chen Shi had once seen in a severely injured leopard.

At that time, he was about to approach the leopard to bandage its wounds, but the leopard's look gave him chills, the murderous intent of a wild animal facing the threat of death!

After a while, Grandfather walked out again, the flames grew stronger, and the air temperature gradually rose.

Chen Shi quietly sighed in relief.

The black dog also let out a long sigh, considerately adding a few sticks to the fire, but its movements were somewhat shaky; evidently, the dog also felt the murderous intent from Grandfather.

Both, human and dog, sensed that although Grandfather was still Grandfather, he was no longer the same person as before.

The previous Grandfather had a human touch.

The current Grandfather did not.

The medicine in the vat gradually became clear, and Chen Shi felt a strange flow of qi seeping out from the medicine, burrowing into his skin, like little bugs crawling through his pores, under his skin, into his flesh, reaching his organs, permeating into his bones, an indescribable discomfort.

Though he was immersed in water, he felt as if he was in a raging, burning fire, his whole body, from inside out, continuously scorched by the fierce flames!

Despite being accustomed to this pain, Chen Shi couldn't help but tremble slightly.

When the medicine's potency was exhausted, and the vat turned as clear as water, Chen Shi finally stood up.

He noticed a blue claw mark on the left side of his chest, the fingers spread wide, like an invisible Ghost Hand clutching his heart. After the Water and Fire Refining in the medicine vat, the blue Ghost Hand mark had faded significantly.

Ever since Chen Shi could remember, this blue Ghost Hand mark had been there, and had yet to fade.

The green Ghost Hand Seal was strange, it would fade after a medicinal bath but would become clear again after some time.

Chen Shi changed his clothes and went to the courtyard.

From the next room came his grandfather's voice, "Ah Tang, when will you come back... I know you're busy, but you need to come home, don't you... I'm old, won't live much longer. Xiao Shi is still young, needs someone to take care of him, take him to the city... I know life in the city is tough, but after all, he's your son, whether you acknowledge him or not..."

Chen Shi silently stood in the courtyard, motionless.

His grandfather was also a cultivator. Chen Shi did not know his grandfather's cultivation realm; he only knew that he had never encountered danger when he followed him into the mountains.

At this moment, his grandfather should be in the room, using the Thousand-Mile Communication Talisman to contact Chen Shi's father, Chen Tang.

Chen Shi had never met his father, Chen Tang.

Not even once.

Perhaps he had met him before his Divine Embryo was taken, but since he had awakened, his father had never returned.

He had also never seen his mother.

Not even once.

Chen Shi cast aside all distracting thoughts, silently circulating the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique. The starlight in the sky fell continuously, nourishing his body and aiding the growth of his True Qi.

But soon, the True Qi dispersed, leaving none behind.

He persisted relentlessly, cultivating on his own.

In the late hours, after he finished cultivating, he returned to his room and lay down.

It wasn't long before his grandfather came to Chen Shi's bedside as if in a trance, standing there without moving; his shadow loomed over Chen Shi's face.

His figure leaned forward and then backward, yet remained silent.

That bone-chilling killing intent once again permeated the small room.

Silent.

But oppressive.

After an indeterminable time, the windows of Chen Shi's room suddenly opened on their own without any wind, creaking as they did.

The grandfather straightened his body and flew out of the window.

"Feeling hungry..."

He muttered in his sleep, his figure suddenly leaping up and disappearing from the courtyard.

The Black Pot looked up alertly, glanced around, then put its head back in and continued sleeping.

And in the room, on the bed, Chen Shi also quietly opened his eyes and secretly sighed in relief.

"Grandfather must be sick, not wanting to kill me," he silently said to himself.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his chest. Severe pain made his body curl up like a cooked shrimp; his skin turned red, and veins popped out!

He bit the blanket tightly, his body trembling, the pain preventing him from making a sound or breathing, soon his whole body was covered in beads of sweat the size of soybeans!

Chen Shi's body uncontrollably trembled. Looking down, he saw the green ghost claw making a grabbing motion at his heart, tightening its grip!

Chen Shi's heart tightened; this wasn't the first time this had occurred.

Every few days, he would experience similar severe pain, sometimes fainting from it. In his unconscious state, he even dreamed of many large, majestic, terrifying dark shadows surrounding him, extending their black scaly palms towards him.

Previously, whenever the ghost claw acted up, his grandfather would intervene, pulling him back from the brink of death. But now, his grandfather was not here!

Chen Shi struggled to get up, his feet softened, and he rolled off the bed, pain leaving him without any strength.

He suddenly clenched his teeth, struggled to his feet, performed the Yu Step, his footsteps aligning with the Big Dipper, his thumb and little finger on each hand pinching each other, his right hand inserted into the left, walking the spiritual steps in the small shabby room, muttering the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique.

"From the dawn of the imperial heaven, only the divine are esteemed. Anomalies abound, the True God unseen, only ghosts disturb men! Observing the heavenly path, executing heavenly acts, cultivating Ganglie Righteous Qi, refining the Holy Embryo Dharma Body!"

He stimulated his cultivation technique. The starlight, like fireflies in the night, came through the opened window, landing on his skin surface, seeping into his flesh.

As the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique circulated, he felt the pain gradually lessen until it became bearable.

Chen Shi continued to stimulate the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique, the pain growing more and more bearable, and the ghost hand loosening its grip on his heart.

"What exactly is this ghost claw on my chest? Why do I have this ghost hand on me?"

Long after the intense pain had subsided, Chen Shi still felt fearful, looking out the window at the silver moonlight that speckled the courtyard.

"The Three Light Righteous Qi Technique can suppress the pain. If this technique could draw moonlight and sunlight to refine the Sun and Moon Righteous Qi, perhaps the pain of the ghost claw grip on the heart will no longer occur. It's unfortunate that every time I activate it, I can't draw the sunlight or moonlight."

Suddenly, a thought surged in the young man's mind, bringing many new doubts: "The sun is clearly the only True God's eyes from beyond the heavens, and the moon is its vertical eye. Why then do we speak of the sun rising, the sun setting, and the moon waxing and waning? It's really odd. Could it be, could it be..."

A bold idea suddenly popped into his head: "Could there be other suns and moons? The Three Light Righteous Qi, is it actually drawing from another moonlight and sunlight?"

He peeked out of the window, curiously looking at the outer heaven's moon, bright and full of mystery.

That was the Outer Heaven True God's vertical eye.

"But if there really are such suns and moons, why can't we see them in the sky?"

Chen Shi, filled with curiosity, lay on the bed, his mind brimming with imaginations.

In the sky, the divine eye watched over all beings like the moon.

Above the mountain forests, an inflated human head was struck by a cold light, falling heavily into the mountains.

Soon after, a tall figure arrived nearby, feasting on the flesh.

"Delicious, delicious, even more delicious than humans!"

————Thank you to the generous gold reward from Home-grown Food! Thanks to Alliance A and Exorcising Evil for sponsoring the new book with their silver alliances!

Tomorrow's update time, around 11 am!