On the Path to the Great Dao

The crowd on the ship was utterly unaware that this vessel was racing straight for the Tomb of the True King.

Inside the treasure ship, outside the Shiji Empress Temple, a hearty laugh rang out.

"Uncle Wen, old brother, don't scare Filial Zheng. Be careful you don't frighten him to death for real! Filial Zheng may be heartless, but he's still a son-in-law of my Xia family, after all."

This was the voice of the Red Elder.

Li Xiaozheng's heart clenched.

"The Red and Green Elders and Lord Xia Zheng have returned too! Have they recognized me?"

Just then, a cold scoff drifted in from outside.

"Red and Green Elders, you may treat him as a son-in-law, but he might not acknowledge your Xia family as kin!"

Li Xiaozheng's heart jolted faintly.

"The Ma family—Ma Guangnong! That old schemer is stirring trouble between me and the Xia family!" Another booming voice followed, thick with anger.

"Nephew Filial Zheng, you played us all, putting the Yan family in an awkward spot.

We thought our son-in-law had perished on the ship, so we risked our lives to rescue him. Who knew he'd faked his death and used us as cannon fodder first?

You've chilled the hearts of your allies!"

This was Yan Jishi of the Yan family, leaving Li Xiaozheng groaning inwardly.

Yan Jishi wielded significant influence in his family and was close to the clan head. His tone made it clear he was deeply displeased with Li Xiaozheng.

At that moment, a woman's voice rose with a sigh.

"The Li family dreaming of hogging the entire treasure ship? Far too arrogant. We Fei family endured endless hardships rushing to Qianyang Mountain for the rescue, losing over a dozen disciples in the process—only to serve as the Li family's scouts.

Chilling, truly."

Cold sweat beaded on Li Xiaozheng's forehead. The speaker was Fei Qiqi of the Fei family, infamous for her venomous tongue.

Before, they'd pinned the blame solely on him. But now Fei Qiqi had escalated it, accusing the entire Li family of villainy—splashing filth on them to make them the common enemy.

West Ox New Continent's thirteen great families dominated its fifty provinces, their roots deep and control absolute. Nominally part of Great Ming, the continent was theirs in truth.

Beyond them stood lesser houses aplenty, yet none could challenge the thirteen giants.

For all their vast power and tangled alliances of profit, the great families would gleefully pile on if a chance arose to shrink their number to twelve.

Fei Qiqi clearly saw Li Xiaozheng's blunder as that very opening!

Suddenly, another voice chimed in with a laugh.

"Sister Qiqi, you're too kind. Filial Zheng is my little brother—he'd never dream of exploiting anyone.

When the Li family learned he'd been trapped on the stone ship, we burned with worry and sent me to save him.

Thank goodness Filial Ti fulfilled his duty and got him out. I simply forgot to notify the rest.

Forgive us, please."

Li Xiaozheng let out a breath. His speaker was third brother Li Xiaoti—the Li family had dispatched its own elites to probe this Great Ming treasure ship.

"Filial Zheng, why not come out and greet your uncles, aunts, and elders?"

Li Xiaoti's voice carried over.

Li Xiaozheng stepped to the temple doors and bowed deeply.

"Filial Zheng was reckless, trapped aboard the stone ship, and burdened all you uncles, aunts, and elders with risking your lives for my rescue. I am mortified.

Here, Filial Zheng makes amends!"

With that, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed to the crowd.

Li Xiaoti approached with a smile, murmuring low.

"Filial Zheng, no more clever schemes on your own.

You're sharp, but do you think the other families are fools to trifle with?"

Li Xiaozheng rose and bowed again.

"My thanks, third brother.

Without you, I'd be finished this time."

Li Xiaoti replied.

"This Great Ming treasure ship? The Li family can't claim it—we'll have to split it with the other clans.

Your stunt cost us dearly. Back home, that governorship of yours hangs by a thread."

Li Xiaozheng bowed his head in agreement, gloom settling in.

This fiasco would surely relegate him to the cold palace.

Li Xiaoti eyed Chen Shi, Li Tianqing, and the black dog in astonishment, whispering.

"Who are these two?"

Li Xiaozheng hid nothing.

"That's Tianqing—one of ours from the Li family.

The other is the grandson of the West Capital Butcher. That's his dog beside him."

Li Xiaoti went rigid inside.

"The top child prodigy of the fifty provinces?"

Li Xiaozheng nodded faintly.

"So it's true—death can truly be overturned."

Li Xiaoti's stare at Chen Shi burned hot, appraising him like flawless art.

Chen Shi gripped his vermilion brush amid the host of talismans, tip dancing as he dotted, erased, hooked, and pressed the airborne scripts—like a calligraphy grandmaster at work.

Each script he touched dimmed in turn, some drifting groundward, others sinking into walls, still others dissolving into the heavens, gone from sight.

"Such formidable talisman mastery!"

Li Xiaoti stared, rapt, murmuring.

"Worthy of the Child Prodigy. Even stripped of his matchless divine embryo, his genius endures.

Talisman craft like his? At most five in all West Ox New Continent match it! Filial Zheng, you did well luring him here to break the seal—that's to your credit."

Li Xiaozheng eased a bit.

"Third brother, I claim no credit.

Any goes to you."

He paused.

"Five talisman masters may rival Chen Shi's skill, but only he can unravel the West Capital Butcher's array."

Li Xiaoti nodded. He saw Chen Shi dismantling the grand talisman array—the deadliest safeguard of the Great Ming treasure ship. Fail to breach it, and Shiji's head stayed, Ghost God Domain unbroken.

Li Tianqing watched Chen Shi's brushstrokes in surprise, glancing at his profile but holding his tongue.

Exceptionally keen, he saw beyond: others perceived array-breaking—and Chen Shi mimicked it well, each touched script falling dormant.

Yet Li Tianqing saw repairs. Amid the scripts' glows, Chen Shi's brush worked; glows receded, vermilion flowing back to mend the flaws!

"Why do this, Little Ten?"

He stayed silent, shadowing Chen Shi, anxiety churning within.

"So many thirteen-family elites here—tough to fool. If one spots Little Ten's sleight, disaster!"

Thirteen-family powerhouses streamed in, over a dozen God Descent and Void Refining Realm titans entering the Shiji Empress Temple.

A mere thread of any's aura could pulverize him and Chen Shi.

Li Tianqing's face stayed neutral, betraying nothing as Chen Shi mended more scripts.

The powerhouses gathered before the hall, trading greetings amid jabs at Li Xiaozheng, laughter echoing from without.

Rivals once, the families now sheathed blades over Li Xiaozheng's ploy, uniting their cultivation against Shiji's petrifying curse.

Chen Shi felt his own stone creep slow sharply, relief stirring.

"Is Grandpa's array here truly sealing Creation Little Five?"

Eyes flashing, he patched scripts while scanning about.

"If so, Symbol God Heavenly Mechanism talismans should remain.

The Creation Treasure Mirror records: at Qianyang Mountain, Grandpa deployed thirty-two to bind Creation Little Five.

Such mechanisms linger at any seal!"

Search as he might, no Symbol God Heavenly Mechanism scripts appeared.

First-grade creation talismans—Chen Shi lacked stuff to craft them, but he'd know one on sight.

Many thirteen-family folk visited the temple first-time, gawking and buzzing with awe.

Odd temple: ship-borne, incense-fed for millennia unyielding, enshrining a lone busted stone head.

Worldly as they were, none had witnessed the like.

Jiang family Angler Jiang Pingyun fixed on Chen Shi, face shifting—he knew him. Gaze strange, he praised.

"Superb talisman work—Child Prodigy indeed.

Nephew Filial Zheng scoring the Child Prodigy? Not wholly futile."

"Child Prodigy" rippled faces taut, eyes locking on Chen Shi.

Top of fifty provinces!

Peerless innate dao embryo!

Dead ten years past, reborn two.

Such tales commanded notice.

Nephew Filial Zheng fetching him to crack the seal—rumors real?

Fei Qiqi chuckled.

"West Capital Butcher truly gone, or he'd never let his grandson coerce-seal his own work?"

Her barb worthy of the name—many minds twisted, gazes on Chen Shi fevered.

"He holds Water-Fire Tempering secrets..."

One whispered.

Li Xiaozheng coughed lightly.

"Seniors all, best not disturb the Child Prodigy at his seal-breaking."

Crowd got it, dropping Chen Shi to dissect the giant stone beauty head instead.

"Ship's enshrined Shiji Head—the true Empress Shiji?"

One queried.

"Back during the migration to West Ox New Continent, did the True King ferry her head from God Continent?"

Ancient Xia Zhenggong knew buried lore.

"I've heard tell.

Empress Shiji: evil god smashed mid-Shang-Zhou wars, limbs strewn wide.

Pioneers reached newborn West Ox New Continent; inexplicably, her head boarded ship—fouler than haunts or spirits,

sparking turmoil grand.

True King quelled it, then trace lost.

Who'd think he'd stash her here."

Gu family elder Gu Haozhi, Void Refining Realm, tugged his beard.

"Pray tell, Lord Zheng: brought aboard by hand, or snuck self onto the treasure ship?"

Startlement rippled.

Yan Jishi eyed the Shiji Head grimly.

"Borne by plotter? Fine—lever to wield god-head 'gainst haunts.

Self-boarded, veiled? Then her aim in West Ox New Continent..."

He trailed off.

Xu Changsheng's nascent soul intoned.

"Re-found dao line, remake true form!"

Silence fell.

Taboo talk—sky-listeners might spy.

Chen Shi, Li Tianqing, and Black Pot plunged array-deep, two steps shy of Shiji's Head.

Composed Chen Shi's heart thundered still.

He calmed it, pulse stubborn-fast.

Yang elder Yang Shuo frowned puzzled.

"Child Prodigy, your array work feels wrong.

This old one's eyes say your strokes aren't—"

Face twisting mid-phrase, he lunged array-ward unsaid.

"You dare mock us!"

Words unfinished, Chen Shi's brush-hand quivered, tip slashing low-to-high. Dormant scripts surged up—thousands agleam vermilion in gold, peril incarnate.

Yang Shuo froze amid rising scripts, features warping!

Hall hushed abrupt.

Next breath, eldritch tones swelled: ancient gods' mutterings, talisman-trapped primordial divines, thronged masses chanting names. God-faces bloomed, field of arch-descent!

That instant, glory burst hall-wide!

Luminance immolated Yang Shuo—Yang God Descent titan—like god-quelled fiend ashed!

Chen Shi's grandpa's array, brush-roused to full fury, vaporized a God Descent foe!

Simultaneous, Chen Shi yanked Li Tianqing along, Black Pot hauled, bolting front. Nape-miniature temple flared, beaming the forward divine shrine's Shiji Head!

"Shua—"

Doors blazed, stone-skull winked void.

Chen Shi's side sprouted big-head chubby doll in twin-carp red bellyband, blinking confused 'round.

Chen Shi's mini-temple gained stone beauty head on shrine.

Eyes snapped open, it spoke.

"Who disturbs my peace? Hold—this temple..."

Shiji Head blanched.

"Messenger aloft, what orders?"

Chen Shi snagged doll-bellyband, flung atop Black Pot, barked.

"Can you bust us free?"

"Easy!"

Shiji Head urged.

"Messenger, bodiless I—let me mount one!"

Chen Shi unansered, sight swam: he atop mini-shrine.

He vaulted down, outward-peering: "self" chanted unknow tongue. Shiji Empress Temple roof rent asunder; colossal gold-armor gods craned heads, smiting wild—the thirteen-family elites routed screaming!

Gold-glorious hand scooped: Li Tianqing, Black Pot, Chen Shi-"self."

It vaulted aboard.

Gold-armor pulled palm, skies knit—just shy escape, Shiji called.

"Messenger, six millennia mana spent—nap now!"

Chen Shi snapped back embodied; gold-armors crumbled, sky-rent sealed.

"Tianqing, Black Pot—talismans!"

Chen Shi yelled. Leg-Galloping Horse and Divine Travel talismans ignited dual. Li Tianqing fired his leg-scripts too. Gold cores stirred, wind-treading feet skimmed air, hurtling downward path in gale.

Whoosh! Dog-back doll freight rocketed lightning-fast away.

Eyes bulging, pair chased full-tilt—yet dog outdistanced remorseless.