On the Path to the Great Dao

Outside the Demonic Domain, steeds galloped as knights unfurled banners, one after another. Each banner emitted a resounding crack as it was planted into the ground, revealing dragon-shaped patterns fluttering in the air.

The patterns were surrounded by strange inscriptions, a fusion of talismanic and seal script.

Every hundred steps, another banner was erected.

Once all the banners were in place, the knights turned their horses and rode back to a distant encampment.

The encampment, newly built near the provincial highway, housed officials from Xinxiang Province’s Three Divisions: the Ministry of War, the Judicial Commissioner, and the Provincial Commandery, alongside the Governor of Xinxiang Province. They all gazed toward the ominous Demonic Domain.

With a single command, the banners activated. From each banner, golden dragons emerged, claws extended as they clambered upward onto the crimson barrier, anchoring themselves and crawling higher.

In moments, all the golden dragons had ascended and now lay coiled atop the crimson veil.

The banners radiated brilliant golden light, channeling power into the dragons to maintain their forms.

"The Heavenly Dragon Demon-Sealing Array can hold for a hundred days," remarked Zhao Tianbao, the Governor of Xinxiang Province, with a sigh. "After that, the True God will intervene, and the Demonic Domain will be obliterated, ensuring no harm befalls the people outside."

He wept as he continued, "My nephew, Zhao Yanlong, heard about the outbreak of the demonic transformation at Qianyang Mountain. He led four thousand elite soldiers from the Xuanying Commandery, even bringing his own children, to charge into the Demonic Domain and stop the transformation. Foolish boy, such a foolish boy!" Shaking his head repeatedly, his tears fell freely. Yet, with a resolute gaze toward the heavens, he declared, "Truly worthy descendants of the Zhao family, bringing no shame to our ancestors!"

The officials from the Ministry of War, the Judiciary, and the Commandery were deeply moved, wiping away tears of their own.

"The Master of Xuanying Commandery is a paragon of righteousness, an inspiration for us all."

"To face certain death without hesitation—what a noble spirit! This act must be immortalized in history and passed down for future generations, ensuring that the heroism of the Xuanying Commandery is never forgotten!"

Someone sobbed aloud, "The entire Xuanying Commandery has perished for righteousness!"

...

Governor Zhao Tianbao, still wiping away his tears, composed himself and urged the others to grieve no more.

"Yanlong has proven himself a true Zhao, brave in sacrifice and unwavering in his duty. He has brought great honor to our family name. I propose that after a hundred days, we hold a ceremony here to honor Yanlong and the Zhao clan of Xuanying Commandery. What say you?"

"Excellent suggestion, Governor!"

"I agree wholeheartedly. Furthermore, we should petition the Imperial Cabinet, detailing the Zhao family’s sacrifice in resisting the demonic transformation, as a model for all civil and military officials. I am a student of Grand Secretary Yan and will draft the memorial myself. Surely the court will bestow rewards, possibly even titles of nobility!"

Having reached a consensus, the officials departed in high spirits.

Chen Shi gazed into the distance. From deep within the mountains came the roar of thunder, occasionally accompanied by fiery explosions.

Amidst the forest, an enormous porcelain Bodhisattva with eight arms wielded a Vajra Pestle. With a heavy strike upon the ground, an inferno erupted, engulfing the entire mountaintop in demonic flames.

The flames spiraled upward, their terrifying force creating popping sounds as the air rapidly expanded and combusted.

That was the direction of the Kiln Factory.

But who was battling the Evil Bodhisattva?

"The one fighting it has been holding out for three days," Li Tianqing said, his face heavy with concern. "My grandfather and yours are likely there. Both are elderly—can they possibly endure this?"

Chen Shi’s worry grew as he asked, "Do you think the authorities will send help?"

Li Tianqing, inexperienced with such matters, speculated, "Xinxiang Province might send aid. After all, the people within a hundred-mile radius are its citizens. If Xinxiang doesn’t act, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet will certainly hold them accountable."

The two left the village to continue hunting. Passing another village, they saw a convoy on the road—thirty or forty people, with oxen, horses, and carts carrying the elderly and children.

They had attempted to leave the Demonic Domain, but not far beyond the village, all had turned to porcelain.

The pair moved the petrified people to the roadside to prevent damage, hoping that if the demon was defeated, they might return to normal.

Further along, they encountered scattered survivors who had been hiding in the village under the Godmother’s protection. Starving for three days, they had only water to drink and had finally ventured out in search of food.

Common game like rabbits, wild boars, and pheasants had all turned to porcelain, leaving the Xinxing Rats as one of the few viable food sources.

The Xinxing Rats, being exotic beasts, were slower to porcelainize and easier to catch due to their sluggish movements.

However, the starving survivors were equally slow, and whether they could catch the rats remained uncertain.

"If you’re unsure whether you can survive, find a safe place to lie down. If someone kills the demon, you might survive," Chen Shi advised kindly.

His compassion stemmed partly from pragmatism. These were his neighbors and kin, people he often lorded over. If they all perished, who would be left for him to bully once he passed the imperial exams and became an official?

Following Chen Shi’s lead, Li Tianqing also urged the survivors to find safe places to wait.

Returning from their hunt, the pair had a bountiful haul—over a dozen Xinxing Rats, enough to sustain the villagers of Huangpo Village for ten days.

Dragging the rats by their long tails, they headed home. Watching Black Pot bounding ahead, Li Tianqing suddenly grew thoughtful and whispered, "Little Ten, why hasn’t Black Pot been affected when all the wild animals have turned to porcelain—even the Xinxing Rats?"

Chen Shi’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at the dog and murmured, "You suspect something’s off with it too?"

Li Tianqing nodded. "Exotic beasts are affected, so it’s impossible for an ordinary black dog to remain unaffected."

"My grandfather and I have also suspected it," Chen Shi whispered back, "but we can’t catch it doing anything suspicious."

Ahead, Black Pot suddenly slowed, its movements sluggish, resembling the lethargic Xinxing Rats.

"It heard us and is pretending!" Li Tianqing exclaimed, alarmed. "It must be hiding something!"

Black Pot turned, wagging its tail energetically, and approached Li Tianqing, nuzzling his leg affectionately.

The two boys burst into laughter.

At that moment, Chen Shi’s expression turned solemn. "We haven’t seen Grandfather for days."

His unease grew. At his age, his grandfather was vulnerable to mishaps...

Just then, he heard his grandfather’s voice calling, "Little Ten!"

"Grandfather!" Chen Shi cried out, both surprised and overjoyed, as he turned to look.

The moment he turned, an invisible force gripped his neck.

An evil entity—Neck-Snapping Ghost!

This particular entity followed strict rules. So long as one adhered to its rules, even passing brazenly in front of it or slapping it wouldn’t provoke a reaction. But breaking the rules led to gruesome death.

Chen Shi knew he was in danger. His qi and blood surged as he activated his Sacred Embryo Body. His vitality was so strong that even golden core cultivators couldn’t match it.

Concentrating his qi around his neck, it swelled to the size of his head and kept growing, soon outmatching his head in girth.

The Neck-Snapping Ghost struggled to maintain its grip as Chen Shi’s neck expanded beyond its capacity to hold.

Li Tianqing and Black Pot noticed his plight. Li Tianqing unleashed the Six Yin Jade Wheels from his Spirit Embryo, directing them toward the entity behind Chen Shi.

Yet, the ghost was intangible, and the Jade Wheels passed through it as if slicing air.

Desperate, Li Tianqing watched as the ghost exerted its immense strength, stretching Chen Shi’s neck like dough.

"You want my life? Dream on! I have no neck!" Chen Shi roared, channeling every ounce of his qi and blood to further enlarge his neck.

After a futile struggle, the ghost hurled him to the ground and vanished in a gust of icy wind, muttering unintelligible curses as it retreated.

Panting heavily, Chen Shi rubbed his neck, still shaken.

Li Tianqing was equally stunned. The Neck-Snapping Ghost hadn’t succeeded in breaking Chen Shi’s neck!

"I heard my grandfather calling my name!" Li Tianqing suddenly exclaimed.

"Don’t turn around!" Chen Shi warned. "That ghost is playing tricks again! If you look, it’ll snap your neck! It can sense your thoughts and mimic the voices of loved ones in your mind. Let’s go!"

The two boys and Black Pot hastily dragged their haul over a hill, disappearing from the view of Li Jindou.

...

Li Jindou coughed up blood, propping himself up with trembling arms as he struggled to move forward. His voice hoarse, he called out for Li Tianqing a few more times.

"You brat..."

Exhausted, he collapsed into a ditch, gasping for air.

Defeated.

After three days of grueling battle, Granny Sha, Xiao Wangsun, Jin Hongying, and he had failed.

They had surrounded the Evil Bodhisattva, slaying two Kiln Workers, only for the Bodhisattva to consume the final worker, who mended its cracks from within.

Despite their efforts to break the Bodhisattva’s body repeatedly, the repairs rendered their attacks futile.

The Bodhisattva’s eight arms wielded weapons imbued with talismanic spells: the Sun and Moon Pearls, Golden Brick, Soul-Dissipating Bell, Demon-Subjugating Pestle, Banana Fan, Bow, and Arrow. Though made of porcelain, these weapons were devastatingly powerful.

Only Granny Sha’s Ram-Horn Celestial Lamp countered the Soul-Dissipating Bell and Demon-Subjugating Pestle, suppressing the demonic souls and allowing them to endure thus far.

But now, all four were gravely wounded, and their battle line had collapsed.

Granny Sha and Xiao Wangsun had stayed behind to cover their retreat. Li Jindou and Jin Hongying fled, yet Li Jindou found himself alone, watching his grandson and Chen Shi vanish into the distance.

"The Evil Bodhisattva is too fearsome. Even uninjured, I’m no match for it," he muttered, spitting blood as his vision dimmed.

"Where are you, Protector of Qianyang Mountain? If you don’t act soon, everyone in the Demonic Domain will perish..."

At that moment, the sound of hooves echoed. A luxurious carriage drawn by four exotic horses sped toward him.

The carriage halted, and Xiao Wangsun lifted the bead curtain, glancing indifferently at the ditch. "Still alive? If so, climb aboard."

Summoning his last strength, Li Jindou clawed at the grass and dragged himself onto the road, then into the carriage.

As the vehicle moved forward, Li Jindou glanced at Xiao Wangsun, noticing his previously tattered attire had been replaced with a pristine outfit, clearly donned before coming to retrieve him.

"You weren’t injured?" Li Jindou asked bitterly.

"I was," Xiao Wangsun replied calmly, still exuding an air of refinement.

"Then why don’t you look as wretched as I do? Your injuries must be lighter than mine!" Li Jindou retorted, growing more aggrieved.

Unperturbed, Xiao Wangsun covered his mouth with a white handkerchief and coughed lightly. "I was raised with impeccable etiquette. Even in death, I wouldn’t disgrace myself as you have. Now, be silent and focus on recovering. I’ll take you to see Master Chen."