On the Path to the Great Dao Chapter 233: Breaking the Formation

The Grand Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite is one of the three Great Cosmic Sacrificial Rites of the Daoist schools.

The nine altars and three rites are divided into: the upper three altars' Golden Register Universal Heaven Sacrificial Rite, the middle three altars' Jade Register Cosmic Heaven Sacrificial Rite, and the lower three altars' Yellow Register Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite.

However, because the Western Ox New Continent has been cut off from the Divine Continent for so long, these three Great Cosmic Sacrificial Rites have been lost.

While researching talismans, Chen Shi's grandfather, Chen Yindu, searched for the lost mysteries of the various deities of China, but after a long ti with no results, he joined forces with like-minded freeholders to establish the Celestial Court, seeking those lost deities.

They protected the deities, attempting to re-establish the orthodox Daoist tradition of China on the Western Ox New Continent and restore the three Great Cosmic Sacrificial Rites.

He achieved so success, managing to reconstruct the simplest of them, the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite, transforming it into a grand talismanic seal formation, which he used to suppress the rampaging creation, Little Five, for ten long years.

Chen Yindu could construct the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite in an instant, but Chen Shi could only painstakingly draw the talismans on the Huagai, requiring two full days to draw all one thousand two hundred talismanic seals of the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite.

Fortunately, this ti he was using the Judge's Dragon-Whisk Brush to draw them. Even with ordinary black dog blood, the drawn talismanic seals possessed extraordinary power.

Now, the Huagai unfurled, the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite manifested, and the Huagai rose upwards, quickly expanding to cover an area of about one mu, hanging in the air over ten zhang high.

That Huagai resembled a Luo Heaven, divided according to celestial imagery into five major regions: east, west, south, north, and center. The Eastern Heaven Green Emperor, the Western Heaven Golden Emperor, the Southern Heaven Fla Emperor, and the Northern Heaven Dark Emperor each had their own celestial palaces, leading various ministries of deities.

They respectively oversaw ministries like the Dipper Ministry, Thunder Ministry, Fire Ministry, Plague Ministry, Jupiter Ministry, Smallpox Ministry, Water Ministry, and Wealth Ministry—deities in charge of warfare, slaughter, wealth, and plagues.

And above the Central Heaven, the deities and celestial palaces were the most magnificent and grand.

Above the Central Heaven, at the top were the Venerable Celestial Lord of Primordial Comncent of the Void and Nature, the Great Dao Lord of the Boundless, Lord Laozi, the Exalted Jade Emperor, the multitudes of great sages from the ten directions who had attained the Dao, the suprely true sovereigns and elders, the thirty-two Heavenly Thearch Lords, the Jade Void High God, and the Jade Thearch Great Emperor.

Below were the Eastern Flowery and Southern Pole, the Western Numinous and Northern True, the Lord of the Way of the Precious Lingbao and Illustrious Sovereign of the Purple Subtlety Upper Palace and Seven-Jeweled Jasper Terrace of the Mystic tropolis and Jade Capital's Golden Gates, the thirty-six honored scriptures, the Great Master of the Mystic Center, the High Ministers and High Chancellors, the High Protectors and High Transmitters, the twenty-four Perfected Persons of the Great Peace's Lower Teachings, the Sovereign Lord of the Western City, the Perfected Taiyi, and other such deities.

One thousand two hundred deity phantoms appeared beneath the Luo Heaven, within the Huagai.

As this Huagai unfurled, everything beneath it—the ghosts, imps, yin corpses in coffins arranged by the candle lighter, the burial ground's spells, including the various treasures imbued with yin energy and evil qi he had painstakingly collected—instantly turned to dust!

The next mont, rolling thunder and fire surged from beneath the umbrella. The candle lighter's expression changed drastically, and he shot into the air, attempting to escape.

Unexpectedly, the mont he leaped up, he was entangled by fire dragons, fire crows, and tongues of fla.

Within the flas, the candle lighter shouted, "Chen Shi, you've already taken the bait, fallen into the Heaven-Encompassing Net laid by my Mountain-Moving Clan and Hundred Refinents Hall! You can't escape!"

Before his words finished, his physical body was burned to charcoal.

From the charcoal, his Nascent Soul flew out from his fontanel, stepped into the void, and was about to flee.

As long as his Nascent Soul escaped, he still had a chance to survive.

If the Nascent Soul escaped, found a child with an unstable soul, killed its soul, and seized its body, as long as he didn't lose his mories within a hundred days, he had the possibility of living another life!

"Crack!"

A bolt of thunder struck down from beneath the umbrella, and his Nascent Soul instantly turned to ash.

Chen Shi raised his hand, and the Huagai grew smaller and smaller, falling into his palm.

The celestial palace scenery that had covered an area of one mu just monts ago, along with the phantom images of the true deities from the five celestial palaces, were all drawn back into the umbrella.

As the Luo umbrella closed, the one thousand two hundred true deities also reverted into individual talismans.

Chen Shi grabbed the Huagai, feeling quite pleased. "This talisman-weapon is truly good. A pity I couldn't test its upper limit."

After obtaining the Judge's Dragon-Whisk Brush, he wasn't greedy to keep this treasure; he still intended to give it to the Wuwang Prefect. But he wasn't leaving empty-handed; he could still borrow the Dragon-Whisk Brush to draw talismans and write incantations for himself, refining so talisman-weapons.

More crucially, the Dragon-Whisk Brush was a treasure of the underworld judge, containing imnse power. Using this brush to draw talismans was no less effective than using Black Pot's blood!

"After I return, I must definitely use the Dragon-Whisk Brush, dipped in Black Pot's blood, to draw them all again!" Chen Shi thought.

Using both thods together would surely make the power even stronger!

"Hmm?"

Chen Shi looked up, surveying his surroundings. He saw that even after the burial ground disappeared, it still wasn't bright, as if shrouded in a layer of gloom.

All around him appeared miniature shrines. The divine light emanating from them was like flickering candle flas, scattered like stars across the sky, blocking his path.

And in the air, talismans had sohow begun floating, hanging down from the sky, each character as large as a dipper, with electric arcs connecting the talismans, crackling incessantly.

His Luo umbrella could cover a space of about one mu, but the Heaven-Encompassing Net laid by the Mountain-Moving Clan and Hundred Refinents Hall covered a space of hundreds, even thousands of mu.

Chen Shi had seen this thod before.

When the Mountain-Moving Clan and Hundred Refinents Hall trapped the Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword, they used this very thod.

Even a magic treasure like the Swimming Dragon Sword couldn't escape!

"So it seems, that candle lighter's burial ground just now was rely the gateway to lure into the Heaven-Encompassing Net. The mont I stepped into the burial ground, I fell into the net." Chen Shi observed his surroundings.

The light from these miniature shrines was arranged in an orderly yet staggered pattern, clearly laid out, likely corresponding to so formation.

It's just that Chen Shi had no knowledge of formations and couldn't tell what kind of formation it was.

However, the scale of this formation was likely no smaller than the one used to trap the Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword!

To kill him, the Mountain-Moving Clan and Hundred Refinents Hall had invested heavily!

Outside Carriage Capital city, Governor Gao Chang's Primordial Spirit sat cross-legged in the air, atop white clouds, gazing at the scene a hundred li away.

"The Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite... remarkable."

Seeing Chen Shi raise the Huagai, transforming it into a Luo Heaven, his expression changed drastically. The Gao Family naturally had records about the legends of the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite, but the rite had long been lost. The Gao Family's records were also incomplete fragnts, not even one-tenth of the whole!

The various deities of the Divine Continent had long beco re legends, so it was fundantally impossible to reconstruct the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite!

But soone had reconstructed it nonetheless!

One could imagine the shock in his heart.

"However, the Mountain-Moving Clan and Hundred Refinents Hall's Heaven-Encompassing Net grand formation is also extrely formidable!"

He murmured to himself, "After Chen Yindu's death, besides passing the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite to Chen Shi, I wonder if he passed it to anyone else? I hope this divine ability won't beco a lost art."

On the deer-drawn carriage, Baili Mu's expression was not good.

After the Mountain-Moving Clan suffered heavy losses in the previous Nightmare Wood incident, they lost one hundred and sixty Golden Core realm disciples and eight Incense Masters at the Nascent Soul realm.

This ti, to retrieve the Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword, he had brought seventeen Nascent Soul realm Incense Masters and eight hundred twenty-seven Golden Core realm disciples. He hadn't expected to lose nearly half the Incense Masters!

But fortunately, the clan's overall strength remained. Chen Shi had delayed in Carriage Capital for two days, giving him ti to summon the disciples searching for Chen Shi's whereabouts nearby to quickly return to Carriage Capital and calmly complete the arrangents.

When Chen Shi left the city, six hundred eighty-seven Golden Core realm disciples and nine Nascent Soul realm Incense Masters of the Mountain-Moving Clan had already laid the Heaven-Encompassing Net on the only road ahead leading to Great South Lake, waiting for him to take the bait!

In addition, there were seven Nascent Soul realm and four hundred sixty-one Golden Core realm mbers of the Hundred Refinents Hall, also distributed along the road ahead.

The candle lighter who just lured Chen Shi into the trap was the Mountain-Moving Clan's ninth Incense Master. Unfortunately, Chen Shi indeed took the bait, but the candle lighter also lost his life because of it!

"But at least Chen Shi took the bait."

Baili Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Once Chen Shi entered the Heaven-Encompassing Net, he could ascend to the azure heavens or descend to the yellow springs—there was no escape!

Saintess Xuan's gaze fell on the Huagai Chen Shi was leaning on. Her expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly said, "Sect Leader Baili, order your people to withdraw imdiately!"

Baili Mu smiled. "Why is the Saintess so flustered? This beast has already stepped into my Mountain-Moving Clan's Heaven-Encompassing Net. He has no path to heaven, no door to earth. In a mont, he will be made to surrender his head!"

"That Huagai in his hand is imprinted with the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite!"

Saintess Xuan said urgently, "The Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite is extrely powerful. It's the Five Lakes Wanderer's signature, renowned technique, capable of shaking gods and demons! The Five Lakes Wanderer's cultivation realm wasn't high, but relying on this spell and divine ability, he could hold his own against Great Ascension realm experts! My master once called this spell one of the most powerful spells under heaven! Sect Leader Baili, your people facing this spell will likely suffer heavy casualties!"

Hearing this, Baili Mu was slightly taken aback, frowning. "Chen Shi... knows the Five Lakes Wanderer's spell?"

The Five Lakes Wanderer always kept a low profile; not many knew he was Chen Yindu.

Saintess Xuan said rapidly, "The Five Lakes Wanderer is Chen Yindu, Chen Shi's grandfather!"

Baili Mu said doubtfully, "Is there a great clan in this world with the surna Chen?"

Saintess Xuan said angrily, "Chen Yindu had extrely poor aptitude, starting from nothing. He never managed to cultivate to the Great Ascension realm in his lifeti... Hurry up and order your people to withdraw!"

Baili Mu shook his head. "Saintess, it's too late to withdraw them now. My Mountain-Moving Clan's formation is already complete; no one can stop it. Rest assured, the Mountain-Moving Clan has plenty of manpower. If we can eliminate a major threat for the Young Master, even sacrificing so people is worth it!"

Saintess Xuan hesitated for a mont and didn't advise further.

In Elder Miaoyin's words, the power of the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite was indeed terrifying and unpredictable, sothing even Miaoyin marveled at.

But Chen Shi had clearly used ordinary black dog blood and cinnabar, taking two full days to draw the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite. Such a talisman-weapon could be used at most once or twice, for no more than half a quarter-hour, before the talismans lost their efficacy and power.

Only by repeatedly depicting it day after day could the power of the talisman-weapon last long in the world, not be destroyed after one or two uses.

Moreover, for this encirclent of Chen Shi, the Mountain-Moving Clan and Hundred Refinents Hall had mobilized nine experts at the Spirit Transformation realm!

These nine had cultivated their Primordial Spirits. Even if Chen Shi activated the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite, these nine killing him would be as easy as turning over a hand!

"Chen Shi is actually proficient in the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite. Perhaps we should spare his life, not kill him outright."

Saintess Xuan thought, "We should make him pass the Luo Heaven Sacrificial Rite to the Young Master. This spell and divine ability would surely shine with dazzling brilliance in the Young Master's hands!"

Just as she thought this, the Heaven-Encompassing Net grand formation activated.

Chen Shi was inside the formation. He saw the earth ahead bulge upwards, forming a hill. Below, dozens of Golden Core realm cultivators raised their Golden Cores, palms pushing upwards. The hill lifted off, using the mountain as a seal, smashing down towards him!

Within the grand formation, heaven and earth lent their strength together. Even Golden Core realm disciples could combine their power to unleash astonishing force!

The Huagai in Chen Shi's hand flew up again, transforming into a Luo Heaven covering about one mu, descending. Suddenly, he exerted force through his feet and charged forward!

Gathering strength!

Striding out!

His speed was unbelievably fast. With his first step forward, the hill was left behind him, crashing to the ground and missing entirely.

With his second stride, he had already dashed into the midst of those dozens of Golden Core realm cultivators.

Above him, beneath the Luo Heaven great umbrella, the phantom images of the Thunder Ministry deities each brandished their ritual implents. Lightning coiled around them, and the raised Golden Cores exploded one after another!

Chen Shi leaped into the air, his body sorsaulting, evading the incoming talisman-weapons. The Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword flew out from the small temple behind his head, slicing through these talisman-weapons!

He landed, the muscles in his thighs tensing, exerting force, and charged straight towards the place where furnace flas shot into the sky.

That was the location of the Hundred Refinents Hall's magic treasure, the Mysterious chanism Hundred Transformations Furnace.

At this mont, over a hundred disciples of the Hundred Refinents Hall surrounded this treasure, activating it. They saw the furnace flas illuminate the sky. Within the flas, sabers, spears, swords, and halberds whistled as they flew out, each over a zhang long, changing direction in mid-air as they rushed towards Chen Shi!

Chen Shi activated the Swimming Dragon Sword to block the assaults of those treasures. A flying sword ca close but was suddenly lted by a tongue of fla from beneath the Luo Heaven great umbrella, turning into molten copper and iron that fell, its power completely lost!

Three Nascent Soul realm experts and one Spirit Transformation realm expert charged into the area covered by the Luo Heaven great umbrella, attacking Chen Shi.

Before the four, it seed as if they had entered a vast ocean of thunder. They were like small boats in a thunderous sea, drifting through a heart-stopping ordeal.

"Don't manifest your Nascent Souls or Primordial Spirits!" the Spirit Transformation realm expert shouted.

He was an Incense Master of the Hundred Refinents Hall, nad Murong Yi. He cultivated the Warrior Dharma Body Art. Activating his technique, his physical body swelled up section by section, instantly transforming into a Yellow Turban Warrior about two zhang tall. His Primordial Spirit empowered his body, granting imnse strength. He waded through the thunderous sea, charging towards Chen Shi!

His physical body was indeed formidable. Even thunderbolts striking him couldn't kill him.

Murong Yi charged forward, only to see a cold light like a swimming dragon, hissing as it moved unpredictably beneath the Luo Heaven great umbrella, piercing through the foreheads and heart cavities of the other three.

That cold light killed three Nascent Soul realm experts in a row, heading straight for him. Murong Yi raised his hand to grab the cold light, but it suddenly vanished.

He grabbed empty air. The next mont, the cold light appeared, stabbing into his heart cavity!

Murong Yi felt a sharp pain in his chest. Fortunately, the Yellow Turban Warrior's dharma body was tough. This cold light only penetrated two inches before being clamped by his muscles.

The cold light stopped. It was a sword as clear as water—precisely the Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword that Chen Shi had taken.

Murong Yi felt a surge of joy and reached to grab the hilt, thinking, "Obtained without the slightest effort!"

Just as his hand was about to grasp the hilt, a ray of moonlight shone on the Swimming Dragon Sword, and the sword vanished.

Murong Yi grabbed empty air again. Imdiately, a sharp pain shot through his throat—the suddenly reappearing Swimming Dragon Sword had pierced it!

Murong Yi reached out to grab it. Under the moonlight, the Swimming Dragon Sword vanished again, once more stabbing into his heart cavity. This ti, it struck the sa spot as before, penetrating over three inches deep!

Murong Yi's heart pounded violently. He raised his hand to grab, but again caught nothing.

That Swimming Dragon Sword shuttled between the yin and yang realms. When he grabbed at it, it entered the underworld; flying from the underworld into the mortal realm, it stabbed another fatal spot on his body!

Murong Yi was struck repeatedly. Seeing he was about to be stabbed to death, fear arose in his heart. He imdiately turned to flee, shouting, "Don't get close to the Luo umbrella!"

"Crack!"

A bolt of thunder struck down, hitting his forehead, making him stagger. Murong Yi felt his whole body go numb. Knowing things were bad, his heart cavity was already pierced through by the Swimming Dragon Sword.

The Swimming Dragon Sword vanished, appeared at his throat, slashed across his neck, then vanished again. The next ti it appeared, it was already at his brow, piercing through his brain!

Murong Yi's eyes widened. He had encountered terrifying things before, but never anything this horrifying.

His qi and blood collapsed, his strength instantly drained, and he fell downwards. Before he even breathed his last, he watched helplessly as everyone who charged into the one-mu area around Chen Shi suddenly died, one after another, killed by a swimming dragon shuttling between the yin and yang realms!

He was, after all, a Spirit Transformation realm expert. His physical body died, but his Primordial Spirit remained. As long as he fell outside the coverage of the Luo Heaven great umbrella, he could still survive using spiritual dicines like Continuity Paste.

At that mont, Chen Shi leaped backwards. In his hand appeared a large brush, which swayed in the wind, transforming into sothing about one zhang and seven or eight chi long, like a large spear.

The long brush hissed through the air, its tip pointing at Murong Yi's brow. With a flick, it hooked his Primordial Spirit out from his body!

Beneath the Luo umbrella, thunderlight fell like rain, striking his Primordial Spirit.

Murong Yi turned to dust and vanished!

Chen Shi charged forward. The long brush was like a spear. With a cry of "Grow!", it extended straight for several dozen zhang, tipping over the Mysterious chanism Hundred Transformations Furnace. The treasures flying out from the furnace slashed in all directions, hacking the surrounding Hundred Refinents Hall disciples into pieces, limbs and severed body parts flying everywhere.

Chen Shi retracted the large spear, rushed forward, and kicked out with his foot. With a loud "Clang!", he kicked the Mysterious chanism Hundred Transformations Furnace flying!

The Mysterious chanism Hundred Transformations Furnace spun as it flew upwards, flas roaring. Treasures flew out in all directions. With a thunderous boom, this massive magic treasure smashed a large hole in the formation laid by the Mountain-Moving Clan and Hundred Refinents Hall.

Chen Shi leaped out through the hole. Outside, the sky was clear and sunny, dazzling sunlight pouring down.

Chen Shi raised his hand and caught the falling Luo Heaven great umbrella. The umbrella grew smaller and smaller, its folds gathering as it closed up.

Chen Shi leaned on the umbrella, glanced back at a Mountain-Moving Clan disciple charging towards him, smiled slightly, swung the large brush in his hand, drew a Nightmare Wood Talisman on him, and kicked him back into the Heaven-Encompassing Net grand formation.

He grabbed the Mysterious chanism Hundred Transformations Furnace and blocked the hole in the formation.

Chen Shi turned and walked towards Great South Lake.

Behind him, from within the Heaven-Encompassing Net grand formation, ca one shrill scream after another. Nightmare Wood's long tendrils danced, its branches shooting out, carrying people flailing their limbs as they moved rapidly.

Chaos reigned within the grand formation. Mountain-Moving Clan disciples trying to charge out of the Heaven-Encompassing Net were either struck down by talismans, burned to death by the flas of the Mysterious chanism Hundred Transformations Furnace, or hacked apart by the weapons bursting from within the flas.

This Heaven-Encompassing Net grand formation had clearly turned into a slaughterhouse.

By the ti Baili Mu arrived at the scene in his deer-drawn carriage, the Heaven-Encompassing Net grand formation had already collapsed. Only five Spirit Transformation realm experts remained, doing their utmost to resist the siege of a giant Nightmare Wood!

The Nightmare Wood was like a demon king from a nightmare, its root tendrils dancing like black smoke, its branches hung with the bodies of disciples from the Mountain-Moving Clan and Hundred Refinents Hall.

Baili Mu's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and he clenched his fists.

"Sect Leader Baili, you've finally arrived."

On the branches of the Nightmare Wood, the corpses one after another raised their heads. Their eyes, devoid of pupils, stared straight at him, each revealing a smile.

They spoke in unison.

"Chen Shi of Qianyang Mountain, awaits Your Excellency within Great South Lake. We await your honorable arrival!"