Chapter 63: Fearsome Youth
Chen Shi, accompanied by Black Pot, arrived at the mountain where the serpent Xuan Shan coiled. Despite it being the sixth day of the Demonic Transformation, over a thousand villagers remained unpetrified, sheltered under Xuan Shan's protection.
However, survival was becoming increasingly dire. Food was scarce, and even spiritual beasts had either vanished or turned into lifeless porcelain. The forest showed no signs of vitality. Though Xuan Shan required no sustenance, the villagers were mere mortals, and hunger would eventually claim them.
Desperate for food, some had ventured down the mountain, only to become petrified before reaching the base. Broken porcelain figures lay scattered, some standing upright, others shattered where they had fallen. Most of these figures were men who had risked everything to feed their families, but the spreading porcelainization left no hope of success.
“Even Xuan Shan can’t solve the problem of food. If this continues, the people might resort to cannibalism,” Chen Shi thought grimly.
At the foot of Xuan Shan’s head, Chen Shi found his grandfather examining a porcelain figure. Overwhelmed with relief, Chen Shi ran to him and clung tightly.
The old man chuckled, patting Chen Shi’s head. When Chen Shi finally calmed down, he praised, “You’ve done well these days—not only surviving on your own but protecting so many others.”
Grinning, Chen Shi exclaimed, “Grandpa, I’ve learned to suppress the Ghost Hand Mark! I won’t relapse anymore, so you don’t have to worry about me!”
Chen Shi’s fears—his grandfather’s possible death, porcelainization, or worse—vanished in the presence of the smiling elder.
Black Pot, far calmer, rubbed against the old man’s leg, wagging its tail in anticipation of affection. True to form, the elder gave the dog a couple of pats, making it wag even more.
“Grandpa, I’ve thought of a way to survive!” Chen Shi said, brimming with excitement. Chen Yindu raised a brow. “I’ve made an intriguing discovery myself. Who should go first?”
“You go first, Grandpa,” Chen Shi replied.
Chen Yindu crouched beside the porcelain figure, beckoning Chen Shi to join him. The statue was an ordinary villager, indistinguishable from the others. Chen Shi inspected it but found nothing unusual.
“I’ve been observing whether it moves,” Chen Yindu said.
“Moves?” Chen Shi echoed, puzzled.
“Yes, and after several days, I have my answer.”
A faint smile crossed the old man’s pale face. “It moves. Four days ago, I placed this figure here. Since then, its hand has shifted by four hairs’ breadths.”
A hair’s breadth—one ten-thousandth of a unit—was an almost imperceptible distance. Over four days, the figure’s hand had moved by this minuscule amount.
“Do you know what this means?” Chen Yindu’s smile grew. “It’s still alive.”
He straightened, looking out at the porcelainized people, animals, and even plants below. “They’re all alive. The villagers, spiritual beasts, trees, flowers, even the petrified grains—they’ve all become porcelain forms of life.”
His voice trembled with excitement. “Their movements have slowed to the point where it might take a year to take one step, months to blink, or decades for seeds to sprout. But they are alive!”
Chen Shi’s face lit up. “If they’re alive, then killing the Evil Bodhisattva could restore them!”
“Not ‘could,’” Chen Yindu corrected. “It will. This is the True King’s mercy—a slim chance for the people.”
Chen Shi frowned, pondering his grandfather’s words.
Then, it hit him. “The True King’s Tomb isn’t sought by the people—it’s the cultivators who want it! When they triggered the Evil Bodhisattva, it unleashed the Demonic Domain, forcing everyone to become porcelain. Now these cultivators have no choice but to fight it. If the Evil Bodhisattva is defeated within a hundred days, life will return. This is the lifeline!”
The realization excited him, but it came with a sobering condition—failure to act within the time limit would doom them all to permanent petrification.
“But how can we defeat the Evil Bodhisattva? It’s already overwhelmed the strongest masters.”
Chen Yindu snapped him out of his thoughts. “And your survival plan?”
Chen Shi explained, “The Demonic Domain covers only the mortal world, not the underworld. If we can reach the Underworld’s Forgetting River through the Great Kun of the Dejiang, we can escape the domain and return safely through the river’s flow.”
Chen Yindu shook his head. “The Great Kun in Dejiang has likely been petrified or escaped to safer waters. Finding one now is almost impossible.”
Chen Shi grinned. “Dejiang flows constantly. Fish come and go. If we wait upstream or downstream, we might catch a stray Great Kun that enters the domain by mistake. There’s still hope!”
Chen Yindu chuckled. “One Great Kun is enough for the two of us—and Black Pot. We’ll ride it across worlds and escape the domain!”
At that moment, Li Tianqing’s voice called from a nearby carriage, “Xiao Shi, we’re planning a rematch against the Evil Bodhisattva. We need your help deciphering its talismans!”
Chen Shi turned toward the carriage and saw Xiao Wangsun’s emblem emblazoned on it.
“Grandpa, I’ll help them first,” Chen Shi said. He paused at the entrance, adding, “If they can’t kill it in two days, we’ll leave. Everyone else… can fend for themselves.”
Chen Yindu smiled and nodded. “Agreed. Go.”
Chen Shi hopped into the carriage, which sped off toward Qiaowan Town, leaving Black Pot with his grandfather.
As the carriage disappeared, Xuan Shan approached Chen Yindu, gazing into the distance. “Chen Shi has grown into an exceptional young man. He might not need your protection anymore.”
Chen Yindu sighed with pride. “He’s matured greatly, even spotting the Demonic Domain’s loopholes. He’s showing me he can survive on his own.”
Xuan Shan nodded, but its expression darkened. “It’s time to let the villagers be petrified. Keeping them alive like this is only delaying their suffering.”
Chen Yindu closed his eyes, replying firmly, “Petrified or not, someone will save them. I have faith in that.”
At the papermill in Qiaowan Town, Chen Shi and Li Tianqing began recreating the talismans from the Evil Bodhisattva’s body. With Li Tianqing’s remarkable memory and Chen Shi’s expertise, they meticulously compiled and analyzed over four hundred talismans.
The task took a full day, their combined efforts producing a trove of knowledge that filled the papermill with hanging sheets of talismans.
When Xiao Wangsun, Madam Sha, Jin Hongying, and Li Jindou arrived, they were stunned by the sight.
“We’ve categorized the talismans into eight types based on their powers and corresponding weapons,” Li Tianqing explained. “Each has specific weaknesses we can exploit during battle.”
Chen Shi demonstrated using a bamboo stick, pointing to critical points on a diagram of the Evil Bodhisattva. “For example, targeting this Yang Fire Talisman can reduce the power of its Sun Orb attack by 70%.”
The older warriors exchanged looks of disbelief and admiration.
Jin Hongying whispered, “If we’d known this during our first fight, I could’ve handled it alone.”
Xiao Wangsun nodded. “Truly, youth can be fearsome.”
With the new insights, their hope was rekindled.
“Let’s end this Demonic Transformation,” Xiao Wangsun declared.
The group boarded the carriage, ready for the final battle. As they departed, Li Jindou called back to the boys, “Stay safe and wait for our good news!”
Watching them leave, Li Tianqing turned to Chen Shi. “What should we do now?”
Chen Shi’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Do you remember the Zhao family’s camp? If the Evil Bodhisattva is defeated and everyone recovers, they’ll return to the capital unscathed. We can’t let that happen.”
Li Tianqing hesitated. “What are you suggesting?”
Chen Shi grinned. “Ever wonder if the Red Barbarian Cannons rust from disuse?”
Li Tianqing’s eyes lit up. “Blasting the Zhao camp with cannons… isn’t that a bit much?”
“Maybe,” Chen Shi replied, cracking his knuckles, “but let’s see if their Golden Core expert can handle it.”