On the Path to the Great Dao

"I'm reduced to bare bones, yet still alive?"

Chen Shi’s heart raced. He pried open the skeletal hand gripping the ram-horn bronze lamp and, carrying the massive object, began swimming upward. The lamp, small in the hand of the tall skeleton, was nearly as large as Chen Shi himself and shockingly heavy.

Glancing back, he saw the skeletal figure fully awaken, radiating fury. Its bony legs bent low on the riverbed before it sprang after him with alarming force.

A sickening crack echoed as one of its thigh bones snapped under the strain, sending its trajectory askew and causing it to crash clumsily to one side.

Chen Shi felt a mix of terror and amusement.

The skeletal figure’s body bore countless scars—slashes from sharp blades, dents from blunt impacts, and burns from magical attacks. Its injuries made it fragile; any exertion risked further breakage.

Even so, the creature’s speed in the water far surpassed Chen Shi’s.

Realizing he couldn’t afford to slow down, Chen Shi kicked furiously, aiming for the surface while his thoughts raced.

"The tall skeleton is alive because, like me, it crossed from the mortal realm into the Netherworld, losing its flesh in the process.

"This bronze lamp likely doesn’t belong to Madam Sha but to this creature. Madam Sha coveted it, which means it must be extraordinary. But how did she know it would end up in the River Wangchuan? "It must’ve fallen in with him when he suffered fatal injuries. She waited nine years, assuming he’d succumb to his wounds. Yet he survived, his flesh dissolved into bone, rendering his mortal injuries moot. Unable to leave the river, he slept here instead."

His musings were interrupted by the sight of wooden boats crisscrossing above him, their decks crowded with the tall, skeletal figures.

A chill gripped Chen Shi. "If I surface now, they’ll capture and eat me!"

As he considered retreating, the skeletal figure below closed in on him.

Clutching the bronze lamp tightly with both hands, Chen Shi kicked harder, attempting to escape, but the creature gained ground with every stroke.

Above, a green stone road extended from the mortal realm to the River Wangchuan. At its end, Madam Sha stood resolutely on the altar.

The sight of the boats and their occupants made her heart sink.

"Damn it! My old foes arrived so quickly!"

She realized that if these Yin Wardens blocked the path, Chen Shi wouldn’t make it out alive. Gritting her teeth, she stepped onto the green stone road.

"Born of Heaven’s Will, nurtured by the Emperor’s grace, illuminated by the sun and moon, guided by the mountains and rivers, served by the myriad gods, with Yin and Yang open to me—Wind God escorts me, Celestial Kitchens nourish me, Purple Clouds shelter me, and Divine Medicine heals me!"

The small, seemingly frail woman became a towering figure cloaked in divine light. Around her, the Big Dipper rotated, the sun and moon hung brilliantly, and purple clouds formed a canopy. Her protective aura coalesced into an eight-trigram furnace, inscribed with mystical runes.

This was no simple talisman—it was the full manifestation of the Taishang Eight Trigrams Protective Art.

"Little Ten, follow my drumbeat back!"

Thunder roared as a blinding flash of lightning illuminated the river, piercing its depths.

Underwater, Chen Shi struggled to evade the skeletal figure. Glancing upward, he saw a golden figure bathed in divine radiance battling the grotesque beings aboard the boats.

The drumbeat grew louder, urging him onward.

"Boom!"

A massive eight-trigram symbol emerged, shaking the waters and forcing both Chen Shi and the skeletal figure off balance.

The symbol transformed into a towering mountain, crashing down upon one of the grotesque boatmen, scattering boats and figures alike.

Madam Sha’s voice thundered above the chaos: "Nine years ago, I braved the Netherworld to rescue a child’s soul. I didn’t fear you then, and I fear you even less now!"

Another trigram appeared, sparking thunder and lightning that danced across the river’s surface. Fire from the Li Trigram, black wind from the Xun Trigram, and thick earth from the Kun Trigram clashed with the otherworldly beings, sending waves crashing through the river.

Chen Shi marveled at her power. "She’s incredible! Who would’ve thought a rural old lady could bridge the realms and fight her way into the Netherworld?"

He tried swimming toward the green stone road but was repeatedly swept back by the currents.

Above, the number of grotesque boatmen swelled, their combined strength overwhelming Madam Sha despite her formidable skills.

The stone road connecting the realms cracked and began to crumble, shortening rapidly.

Desperate, Chen Shi spotted the massive bonefish, the Kun, swimming through the water. Seizing the opportunity, he stopped resisting the current and let it carry him toward the creature.

As the Kun approached, Chen Shi clutched the bronze lamp in one arm and grabbed onto the fish’s fin with the other. A powerful force yanked him forward as the fish surged through the water.

His joy was short-lived. Looking back, he saw the skeletal figure latch onto the fish’s tail, climbing toward him.

"Persistent bastard!"

Securing the lamp with its ram-horn handle over his shoulders, Chen Shi scrambled up the fish’s spine. The creature’s slick bones made it a precarious ascent, and the skeletal figure closed in rapidly.

Reaching the fish’s gills, Chen Shi dove inside just as the skeletal figure’s oversized hand lunged for him. The creature’s arm, too large to fit, thrashed wildly at the gill’s opening.

In a moment of inspiration, Chen Shi spotted the fishhook still embedded in the Kun’s throat. Retrieving it, he tied the iron chain to his slender arm bone and swung the hook at the skeletal figure’s arm.

The hook struck one of the deep cracks in the creature’s arm, but the impact sent painful vibrations through Chen Shi’s own skeleton.

The skeletal figure retaliated, reaching further into the gills, its sharp bones dangerously close to Chen Shi.

Just then, a surge of blue light engulfed the river, enveloping Chen Shi, the skeletal figure, and the Kun.

Simultaneously, Madam Sha’s stone road collapsed entirely. Exhausted, she was pulled back to the mortal realm, landing on the altar with a heavy thud as it crumbled beneath her.

Staring at the now-dark river, tears streamed down her face. "I failed again… just like before."

Suddenly, the river erupted. A glowing blue-black fish leapt skyward, expelling a dark shape from its mouth.

The figure unfurled midair—Chen Shi, with the bronze lamp strapped to his back, its eerie light still burning.

He landed firmly on the shore, holding the iron chain and fishhook, while the Kun reared back. With a thunderous splash, it swallowed the skeletal figure pursuing him before vanishing into the depths.