On the Path to the Great Dao

These past few days, Chen Shi had been quite concerned about Old Lady Wuzhu, constantly asking if the elderly woman's health was good, how much she could eat per meal, whether she was ill, and so on.

Old Lady Wuzhu's impression of the village bully had improved considerably. She praised Scholar Lord to everyone she met, saying he was sensible—even if Scholar Lord snuck into the melon field to steal melons, she'd turn a blind eye.

Chen Shi felt a bit embarrassed and gave up on the idea of burning Old Lady Wuzhu as an offering to Grandpa.

During this time, he hadn't gone out to sell talismans. Instead, he settled down to pore over the *Talisman Creation Treasure Mirror*.

He moved his desk to the willow tree under the yellow earth hill outside the village, ground his ink, and while pondering the talismans recorded in the Treasure Mirror, he copied them out.

Blackie Pot ran around the desk. Whenever a talisman monster crawled out from the paper Chen Shi drew and started wreaking havoc everywhere, the dog would pounce and bite it to death.

Chen Shi was only practicing how to draw talisman monsters and wasn't using his full power, so the ones he created weren't very strong. But as he grew more proficient, one after another talisman monster crawled out from the paper, their bodies getting larger, their forms more ferocious and vicious, their strength steadily increasing.

Yet none of these talisman monsters managed to escape—they were all bitten to death by Blackie Pot.

Chen Shi wasn't surprised by Blackie Pot's performance. To him, Blackie Pot's feats seemed entirely natural.

The greatest feature of the *Treasure Mirror of Talisman Creation* lay in creation—bringing living things into being was its ultimate goal. Chen Shi had originally learned a bit of creation techniques from the Wire-Pulling Worm, but he hadn't mastered how to control talisman monsters.

The Treasure Mirror also recorded various methods for controlling creations, as well as ways to handle out-of-control ones.

As he studied and verified them, he found that talisman monsters beyond fifth grade required special materials to draw, and controlling them became increasingly taxing.

Further on, Chen Shi saw that first-grade talisman monsters were no longer called talisman monsters, but talisman gods.

There were three or four kinds of second- and third-grade talisman monsters, but only one kind of first-grade talisman god, named Heavenly Mechanism. It took the form of an eight-armed divine demon, with a handsome and striking appearance, a towering physique, wielding eight profound creation weapons—excelling in both long-range and close combat.

When the creation emerged, its power could even condense to form a Ghost God Domain, enveloping dozens of li, its might approaching that of true gods and demons!

But controlling Heavenly Mechanism was even more difficult, and there was even a risk of the talisman master being controlled by it instead!

This was because the moonlight contained a mysterious power that polluted creations. Over time, they would turn into evil essences.

Grandpa had written in the book, "Thus, creations cannot endure long—prolonged existence breeds evil."

Chen Shi looked up at the sky. The sun and moon shone together overhead, the moon still a crescent.

But the crescent seemed a bit rounder than before.

The moon appearing in daytime was gradually growing larger, and the moonlight during the day was increasing.

"What power is hidden in the moonlight? Why can it make even one's own creations go out of control and turn evil?"

Chen Shi was greatly intrigued, wishing he could fly up to the heavens and study it thoroughly.

He continued flipping through, but after the first-grade talisman monsters, there were no more. However, he noticed traces of torn paper in the seams.

"Grandpa tore out a page!"

He was greatly shocked. What had been recorded on that torn-out page? Could there be creations even higher than the first-grade talisman god Heavenly Mechanism? Unfortunately, Grandpa had ripped it out, leaving him no way to know what creation was described there.

The following pages recorded scattered trivial matters—some were doodles Grandpa sketched during his research, others fragmentary insights, unsystematic and offering no clue to his thoughts at the time.

Chen Shi flipped to the second-to-last page, where the recorded events were somewhat different.

"Jiajing 6602 Summer: Creation Little Five went out of control.

Brought two Heavenly Mechanisms to slay Little Five. Discovered over three hundred corpses in underground lair.

Jiajing 6612 Summer: Creation Little Five went out of control.

Brought four Heavenly Mechanisms to slay Little Five. Discovered thirteen dried corpses under Great游 Lake."

"Jiajing 6622 Summer: Creation Little Five went out of control.

Brought twelve Heavenly Mechanisms to slay Little Five. Discovered hundreds of expert corpses on Golden Mountain, floating in midair, refusing to fall."

Chen Shi read on, his heart pounding in terror.

Creation Little Five—could it be the talisman god recorded on the page Grandpa tore out?

A creation surpassing the talisman god Heavenly Mechanism!

But there were some oddities in Grandpa's records.

Grandpa had slain Little Five three times. Logically, after the first kill, there shouldn't have been a second.

If Grandpa had realized Creation Little Five was too dangerous, he certainly wouldn't create another one.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have torn out that page on Creation Little Five.

So where did the later Creation Little Fives come from?

Could Creation Little Five have the power to resurrect?

Chen Shi pondered deeply. An even stranger point was that Creation Little Five lost control every time in summer, precisely once every ten years!

Even more terrifying, each resurrection seemed stronger than the last.

The first time Grandpa killed Little Five, he brought two talisman god Heavenly Mechanisms to do it.

The second time, four; the third, twelve!

This showed that with each resurrection, Creation Little Five's strength increased!

Chen Shi steadied his mind and turned to the next page.

This was the very last page, with only one line: "Jiajing 663 Summer: Creation Little Five went out of control.

Brought thirty-two Heavenly Mechanisms to suppress Creation Little Five at Qianyang Mountain."

Chen Shi read it over and over several times, closed the Treasure Mirror, and steadied his mind.

Thirty-two talisman god Heavenly Mechanisms to suppress it at Qianyang Mountain.

Chen Shi could scarcely imagine how terrifying Creation Little Five's power must be!

"Five days ago was the Start of Summer."

He murmured.

It was now summer.

The fiery power of the two suns in the sky seemed fiercer than before.

By the timeline, ten years ago, Grandpa hadn't slain Creation Little Five but chosen to suppress it in Qianyang Mountain.

This way, Little Five wouldn't resurrect and grow stronger.

Chen Shi murmured, "If Creation Little Five's strength hasn't increased, then it can't break through Grandpa's suppression.

That would mean we can rest easy!"

He let out a breath, smiling.

"Grandpa has always been reliable; he must have made it foolproof."

He recalled Grandpa's various actions, and unease crept into his heart again—because the Grandpa in his memories didn't seem all that reliable! "Where exactly did Grandpa suppress Creation Little Five?

Qianyang Mountain is enormous. After suppressing Little Five, worried it might escape, the seal point must be somewhere remote and unvisited, perhaps even extremely perilous.

That way, no external forces could damage it, and Creation Little Five couldn't escape."

Chen Shi had just thought this when Ding Ding cheered and, clutching her blue-green cloth bag, hurried with small steps toward a tall, elegant woman.

"Madam!"

She called out crisply.

The woman was like a lady stepping out of a painting, extraordinary in grace, with an unforgettable scholarly poise, her eyes bright and gentle—it was precisely Madam Hua Li.

Ding Ding rushed up to her and hastily paid respects. "Madam, has your injury healed? Wonderful news! This servant couldn't come greet you—please punish me!"

"Get up."

Madam Hua Li took her hand, pulling her up with a smile. "Having you guard outside Mirror Lake Manor, you'd starve to death.

You're so obedient and sensible—how could I bear to punish you?"

Casually, she pulled back Ding Ding's sleeve and glanced, seeing the girl's Word-Keeping Sand still there. She paused slightly.

"He's quite different from his grandpa."

She thought to herself.

Chen Shi set down his book, packed up the desk, and prepared to go welcome her, but Madam Hua Li was already heading up the yellow earth hill with Ding Ding.

Chen Shi's heart jolted. The yellow earth hill was no ordinary place. Ordinary folk could climb it without issue, but once one's cultivation reached Golden Core condensation, attempting the slope made the yellow earth feel like the sky itself—impossible to ascend!

The higher the cultivation, the more terrifying the phenomenon!

Ding Ding previously hadn't been able to climb this hill; he'd had to hold her hand to bring her up.

Yet Madam Hua Li strode up with Ding Ding as if on level ground, startling Chen Shi again.

Gradually, Madam Hua Li seemed to feel the pressure too, her steps slowing. If alone, she could reach the hilltop, but with Ding Ding, it was taxing.

"This is bad—I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself in front of the junior."

She inwardly groaned, unwilling to tell Ding Ding to go down, so she pressed on stubbornly.

"A sensible maid would see her mistress's plight at this point and withdraw on her own.

But Ding Ding treats me like a close sister and can't tell something's wrong."

Just then, the rumble of carriages and horses approached.

Madam Hua Li secretly sighed in relief and stopped to watch. Chen Shi, walking this way, also slowed and looked down the slope.

He saw a procession on the post road below the yellow earth hill—twenty or thirty people in black. The Embroidered Uniform Guards at the front and rear perimeters each activated their Divine Shrines' Divine Embryos, raising Golden Cores that shone like little suns.

In the inner perimeter were steady middle-aged men and women, each with Nascent Souls seated before Divine Embryos in their brain-rear Divine Shrines, on utmost alert.

They carried a sharp killing aura; from afar, beasts and birds in the mountains and woods were startled by it, fleeing in all directions, birds taking flight.

At the center was a touring carriage, topped with a canopy for shade but no shelter from wind or rain.

Pearl curtains hung from the canopy, barely blocking outside views. Through them, one could see two elders in red and green seated inside—ancient in appearance, gaunt, identical in form save for their clothing, no other differences apparent.

"Two lords, there are people on the hill."

One middle-aged man leaned in and whispered to the canopy.

Two gazes sharp as blades swept toward Chen Shi, Madam Hua Li, and the others. Where their eyes passed, wild grasses on the slope silently snapped—as if four sweeping longswords had passed, their mere gazes seeming able to bisect a person at the waist!

But when these four gazes reached Chen Shi, Madam Hua Li, and the rest, they turned gentle as spring breeze and drizzle, causing no harm.

Madam Hua Li smiled faintly. "So it's the Xia Family Twin Elders.

Daring to act so brazenly on Qianyang Mountain—aren't you afraid of being buried here?"

"Insolent!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guards roared in fury, spurring their horses toward the slope. Suddenly, thuds rang out as they tumbled from their mounts, kneeling on the ground, unable to move a muscle.

Only their warhorses galloped up the slope, neighing wildly.

The remaining Xia family Nascent Soul experts hesitated, leaving eight to guard the carriage while the others summoned their Nascent Souls. But as they flew to the yellow earth hill, the Nascent Souls lost control and plummeted, their owners kneeling immobile.

Madam Hua Li smiled faintly, gazing teasingly at the Xia Family Twin Elders in the carriage.

The red and green elders dismounted together and strode toward the slope. The red elder said flatly, "So it's Madam Hua Li.

Mere parlor tricks."

The two climbed the slope; those kneeling at the edge sighed in relief, scrambling up and retreating from the hill.

The Nascent Soul experts hastily recalled their souls.

The red and green elders advanced up the slope together. But after a few steps, their expressions shifted slightly, their steps no longer effortless.

Aura flared around them as they pressed on, soon catching up to Madam Hua Li.

Madam Hua Li's competitive spirit ignited. "Without Ding Ding, I could spar with the Xia Family Twin Elders and see how my cultivation stacks against an old monster from a great clan."

Chen Shi paid respects to Madam Hua Li and smiled. "Madam, please sit under the tree."

Naturally, he took Ding Ding's hand. Madam Hua Li felt the pressure lift instantly and thought, "Chen Shi is far more sensible and observant than my girl."

She followed Chen Shi straight ahead.

The higher they went, nearing the willow tree, the greater the pressure.

By the end, Madam Hua Li struggled to lift her feet, her body faintly trembling. Unable to help it, she summoned her Nascent Soul to resist the terrifying pressure.

The Xia Family red and green elders' competitive spirits flared too; following behind her, they felt the yellow sky pressing down, their old bones creaking as if about to shatter—yet they gritted their teeth and advanced.

Chen Shi and Ding Ding had reached the willow tree, watching this beautiful woman and two lanky elders stubbornly climbing, neither willing to yield.

Ding Ding was astonished, finding their grave expressions amusing.

She'd been led up by Chen Shi and didn't know the horror of the pressure behind.

But in the eyes of Madam Hua Li and the twin elders, they were shouldering the yellow sky itself!

Sweat beaded on Madam Hua Li's forehead as she clenched her teeth, arduously reaching just before the willow tree—three steps from the shade, but her feet refused to move.

Chen Shi handed over three incense sticks. "Senior, pay respects to my godmother."

Madam Hua Li took them, bowed deeply, and the pressure vanished. She sighed in relief.

She inserted the incense before the stone stele, then turned to see the red and green elders supporting each other as they approached. Smiling, she said, "Two seniors, allow me to play a tune to liven things up."

Ding Ding obediently offered the pipa. Madam Hua Li took it, and as the music rose, the two elders shuddered violently, blood trickling from their mouths. Without a word, they whirled and fled!

Thud! Thud!

The red and green elders rushed into the carriage, sitting under the canopy, where shimmering lights flowed, blocking the intangible sound waves.

"Go!"

The elders barked. The group hurriedly escorted the carriage, speeding into Qianyang Mountain.

Madam Hua Li exhaled, glancing at the three incense sticks before the stele—still burning, smoke drifting to it. Clearly, the stele's godmother had accepted her offering. Much relieved, she smiled. "Many thanks for Little Ten's aid.

Without you, I'd have stumbled badly this time."

Ding Ding was puzzled, thinking, "Young Master Chen aided Madam? How did I miss it? He did nothing but hold my hand up the hill."

Chen Shi invited Madam Hua Li to sit by the desk and took his own seat.

Madam Hua Li flipped through his drawn talismans and praised, "Your talent for talismans matches your grandpa's."

At that moment, her gaze sharpened, falling on Blackie Pot bounding up the slope.

The dog seemed utterly unaffected by any pressure, charging straight up and wagging its tail fawningly at her, grinning as it reached the desk. Its great tail swished mightily, blowing the ground's weeds every which way.

Madam Hua Li tilted her head and whispered to Chen Shi, "Little Ten, have you noticed anything off about your family dog?"

"No issue at all!"

Chen Shi and Ding Ding said in unison.

Blackie Pot looked at Madam Hua Li resentfully. She thought, "Am I overthinking it?"

Chen Shi asked, "Does Madam Hua know of Creation Little Five?" Madam Hua Li's expression changed abruptly. She shot to her feet, snatched the pipa without a word.

Tense, she demanded, "It's out? Where is it?"

Chen Shi hurriedly said, "Madam Hua, Grandpa suppressed Creation Little Five—right in Qianyang Mountain. It hasn't escaped."

"Qianyang Mountain is polluted—we can't stay!" Madam Hua Li declared firmly. "Little Ten, pack up! Listen to me—move house immediately, far from here! Qianyang Mountain... is finished!"