Yu Lingzi was overwheld with a mix of sorrow and joy, struggling to steady his mind.
His master had taught him that excessive joy or sorrow could easily damage one's vital energy and harm one's cultivation. When cultivators encountered similar situations, they must remain calm and detached, not allowing emotions to trouble them.
Yu Lingzi struggled to his feet, channeled his Primordial Spirit, and helped reconnect the bones in the plum blossom deer that had been broken by Black Pot's trampling.
His Primordial Spirit existed within the void; reaching out, it could pass through Elder i's skin, delve deep into flesh and blood, locate the broken bones, reconnect them, all without causing new injuries.
The Daoist sects had many miraculous physicians; for example, the dicine Sage Sun Simiao was a Daoist. Yu Lingzi also carried various spiritual dicines. Using his Primordial Spirit to deliver dicine allowed it to reach deep into the wounds.
Earlier, when Chen Shi treated Yu Lingzi's injuries, he had used his own Nascent Soul to deliver dicine deep into his wounds, promoting absorption.
The broken bone in his throat, after Chen Shi's treatnt, was now also not a major issue.
Before long, all of Elder i's broken bones had been reconnected by him, and dicine had been applied to the injuries of his internal organs. There was no danger to his life, but he would need two to three months of rest to fully recover.
Yu Lingzi's own injuries were also not light; his Primordial Spirit was damaged and would not heal easily.
He sighed, sowhat regretting coming to find Chen Shi.
Suddenly, he rembered sothing, struggled to walk back, and released the spells cast on the Heaven's Listeners who had turned into trees.
The Heaven's Listeners rapidly transford from trees back into human forms, restored to their original state, and flew away, patting their large ears. — Unless absolutely necessary, he did not wish to harm people.
"Were these Heaven's Listeners monitoring , or monitoring Chen Shi?"
Yu Lingzi looked around; the number of Heaven's Listeners in the vicinity was simply too many. There had been Heaven's Listeners monitoring him before, but never this many!
Moreover, after he released the tree-transformation spell on these Heaven's Listeners, the direction they flew off in was clearly towards the Western Capital.
Obviously, Chen Shi was the primary target of the Heaven's Listeners' surveillance!
Yu Lingzi returned to Elder i's side.
Elder i was too big; he couldn't drag him, and he was injured. If he dragged him back to the Western Capital, the face of Tai Hua Qing Palace would be utterly lost.
By then, probably the entire Western Capital would know that Elder i had been severely injured by a dog, with even his antlers broken off.
Yu Lingzi took out a Thousand-li Communication Talisman to contact several of his martial uncles.
Tai Hua Qing Palace was a Daoist holy land; it had its own temple in the Western Capital for handling affairs, facilitating communication with the holy land and exchanging information.
The Thousand-li Communication Talisman burned. Yu Lingzi had just called out "Martial Uncle" when he heard voices coming from not far away.
He hurriedly looked in the direction of the sound and saw several male and female Daoists walking towards them, laughing and joking. These Daoists were all young, appearing to be in their thirties or forties. They lacked any immortal, ethereal deanor; instead, they seed sowhat frivolous and lacking in proper decorum.
"Martial Uncle Liao, Martial Uncle Han, Martial Uncle Yue! Why are you all here?" Yu Lingzi hurriedly patted out the Thousand-li Communication Talisman, asking in confusion.
The female Daoist walking in front was the Martial Uncle Yue he ntioned, her secular na being Yue Hongyin, also called Daoist Hongyin. She walked forward, smiling, "We've been nearby all along."
Yu Lingzi's face darkened like iron, his neck stiff as he said, "Been here all along?"
Yue Hongyin nodded, grinning, "When you ca to find Chen Shi, we followed."
Martial Uncle Liao laughed, "When he was beating you, your Martial Uncle Yue even took out a bag of sunflower seeds. We hadn't finished cracking them before you started stamringly reciting your Jade Words and Jade Speech."
Yu Lingzi's face flushed crimson like pig liver, stamring, "Y-you... why didn't you step in to save ?"
"Jade must be carved to beco a vessel."
Martial Uncle Han walked up to him, patting his head, "These days, following the Young Master, you've been dazzling in front of and behind others, praised by thousands, called the Daoist Son. You've been floating on air, long forgetting your own actual weight."
Yue Hongyin ca before him, patted his shoulder, and smiled, "So we need to give you a good knocking. But after all, we are your martial uncles; we can't personally do the knocking. But if soone else cos to knock you around, it won't damage our fellow disciple bond."
Martial Uncle Liao said, "Moreover, our Tai Hua Qing Palace has so connection with Chen Shi. For him to carve you a bit doesn't count as our Tai Hua Qing Palace losing face."
Yu Lingzi's face grew even redder. These days following the Young Master, he had indeed enjoyed countless praises. No matter what he did, people would praise him in unison, praising his chivalry, praising his formidable skills, praising him for the sake of all living beings under heaven.
Although Yu Lingzi reflected on himself three tis a day, the result of those reflections was always: I am indeed very strong.
He suddenly realized sothing, saying, "Chen Shi has a connection with Tai Hua Qing Palace? What connection?"
Yue Hongyin said, "Chen Yindu once went to Tai Hua Qing Palace, served as a Daoist priest for two years, and had an excellent relationship with one of the palace's patriarchs."
Martial Uncle Han ca before Elder i, a surge of magical power flowing out, lifting Elder i up. He bowed respectfully, "Martial Uncle, please return to the temple to recuperate first."
Elder i, unable to control himself, flew up and headed towards the temple in the Western Capital.
"Yu Lingzi, can you still walk? If you can, co et a senior from our sect."
Yu Lingzi endured his pain and followed the three towards Gaoshan County, thinking to himself, "I wonder which sect senior the three martial uncles are going to et?"
As night fell, they arrived at Gaoshan County, went straight to find the Red Mountain Hall, and announced their nas.
Yu Lingzi was suspicious; he had heard of the na Red Mountain Hall. It had gained so small fa recently in the capital region, being a talisman masters' mutual aid association that went around eliminating evil and vanquishing spirits.
Could there be a master from Tai Hua Qing Palace within Red Mountain Hall?
"Patriarch!"
Yue Hongyin and the other two suddenly bead with smiles, swarming forward all at once, surrounding a blue goat basking in the moonlight in the Red Mountain Hall, shouting, "Patriarch Blue Goat, we disciples have finally found you!"
"When will the Patriarch return to the Blue Goat Palace?"
"With you not in the Blue Goat Palace, its na has been changed to just 'Qing Palace'!"
Yu Lingzi was dumbfounded. Just as he was stunned, Yue Hongyin turned back, beckoning, calling, "Yu Lingzi, co here! Kowtow to Patriarch Blue Goat! Patriarch, please look, this is a disciple of the Blue Goat Palace, your grand-disciple. Aren't you concerned about your disciples and grand-disciples?"
Yu Lingzi stepped forward and kowtowed. Blue Goat looked him over, puzzled, "How did you get injured like this? Who dares to injure a disciple of my Blue Goat Palace?"
Yu Lingzi said, "Chen Shi."
Blue Goat demanded, "What did you do wrong? Otherwise, why would he beat you and not others?"
Yu Lingzi was left speechless, not knowing what to say.
Yue Hongyin and the other two pleaded earnestly, wholeheartedly trying to persuade Blue Goat to return to Tai Hua Qing Palace. Blue Goat made all sorts of excuses, saying, "The palace isn't fun. Even eating grass is regulated. I'm not going back. I'm already dead, turned into an evil spirit. Going back would just an being bullied by you all."
Yue Hongyin and the other two pleaded bitterly, but still couldn't make Blue Goat change his mind. So they found a dilapidated temple outside Gaoshan County to stay in, saying, "Where sincerity reaches, tal and stone can be split. As long as we shalessly keep pleading, the Patriarch will surely change his mind."
Yu Lingzi asked, "Martial Uncle Yue, what's the story with this Patriarch Blue Goat?"
Yue Hongyin sighed and began narrating in detail: "I also heard that back then, after Chen Yindu resigned from his official post, he ca to our Tai Hua Qing Palace to study. His comprehension was extrely high; he quickly learned all the Daoist teachings of our sect. The entire Daoist community thought very highly of him. My master even beca his Dao companion; the two lived together. But Chen Yindu was restless. He felt the Daoist thods of Tai Hua Qing Palace were nothing special, so he stopped being a Daoist priest and left the Qing Palace."
Yu Lingzi exclaid in shock, "Patriarch Qiongyang was Chen Shi's grandfather's Dao companion?"
Patriarch Qiongyang was one of the most formidable existences in Tai Hua Qing Palace, her cultivation profound and unfathomable. Whenever disciples in the sect ntioned this patriarch, they always felt a sense of awe, like looking up at a towering mountain.
Who would have thought that this patriarch had once been Chen Yindu's Dao companion.
Yue Hongyin nodded, "After Chen Yindu left, Patriarch Qiongyang's temper wasn't very good. Originally, no one in Tai Hua Qing Palace dared ntion this matter. Later, because of this, Patriarch Qiongyang broke through the barrier of emotion, and her cultivation actually advanced greatly, becoming one of the strongest existences in the Daoist community in one fell swoop. Then she didn't mind what others said anymore."
Yu Lingzi still couldn't hide his astonishnt: "So, does that an Minister Chen Tang is Patriarch Qiongyang's son? And Chen Shi is Patriarch Qiongyang's grandson?"
Yue Hongyin shook her head, "There were rumors about that before, but Patriarch Qiongyang denied it. Chen Yindu was a philanderer. Which woman gave birth to Chen Tang, no one knows."
Martial Uncle Han, standing to the side, said, "Martial Sister Yue, after all, they are seniors. Don't always talk about seniors' private matters."
Yue Hongyin then returned to the topic, "Chen Yindu abandoned Patriarch Qiongyang and took Patriarch Blue Goat with him. This matter was no small thing. Patriarch Blue Goat was already several thousand years old, originally the descendant of a blue goat brought from the Divine Continent by the three founding patriarchs of our Tai Hua Qing Palace. Although his cultivation wasn't number one in our Daoist sect, many Daoist leaders grew up under his watch; his status was lofty. When Chen Yindu left, he lured him away."
Martial Uncle Liao said gloomily, "Later, we heard Patriarch Blue Goat was committing all sorts of cris in the Western Ox New Continent, causing many incidents. The sect leader, worried about people seeking revenge, changed the na from Blue Goat Palace to just Qing Palace."
At this point, the three each sighed, saying in unison, "Chen Yindu corrupted Patriarch Blue Goat!"
Yue Hongyin said, "Now that Chen Yindu has passed away, the Six Great Evils are leaderless. It's the perfect ti to persuade Patriarch Blue Goat to return and retire in peace."
The other two nodded repeatedly.
Yu Lingzi was lost in thought, sowhat lancholy.
Yue Hongyin asked, "Still thinking about being defeated by Chen Shi?"
Yu Lingzi nodded, sowhat sad, "I didn't even get to execute a single move before he defeated . He didn't even kill . I feel that if I could have executed the Tai Zhen Jade Art, I wouldn't have lost."
Yue Hongyin said, "What's there to be sad about? Think about it: Patriarch Blue Goat is his uncle, aning he is your martial uncle. You were defeated by your martial uncle; what's the big deal? Don't you feel much better now?"
Yu Lingzi thought carefully and indeed felt a bit better, saying, "This ti, I'm helping the Young Master persuade Chen Shi to give up the competition for the top scholar rank, also for the sake of all under heaven. The Young Master is of the Zhu surna, a descendant of the True King. After obtaining the top scholar rank, gathering the montum of the world, he will surely ascend to the throne. The Thirteen Great Clans are also united in purpose. If we can't seize this great opportunity, who knows how many years we'll have to wait. Moreover, our Tai Hua Qing Palace will be ritorious Supporters of the True Dragon this ti. In the future, when the Young Master becos the True King, Tai Hua Qing Palace's position will be even more secure. Martial Uncles, can you help go persuade Chen Shi?"
Yue Hongyin knocked him on the head, laughing, "No matter who becos the True King, our Tai Hua Qing Palace will still be the leader of the Daoist community. Why should you be running around busy with this? Don't worry about that."
Martial Uncle Han said, "There hasn't been a True King for six thousand years. Can the Young Master really sit on that throne? Back then, even the True King couldn't defeat that person. With the Young Master's thods, can he defeat them?"
Yu Lingzi fell silent.
"Focus on your evening ditation."
The four stopped talking and each focused on their cultivation practice.
Chen Shi returned to the Chen residence, still feeling sowhat emotional: "If only Chen Tang were as weak as Yu Lingzi. But then again, I originally thought he was very strong, but it turns out he's about the sa as Xuanxuan."
He thought carefully and still felt their strength was about the sa.
— In his view, anyone who was defeated by him before they could even execute a move was about the sa.
"I wonder how the core disciples of the Thirteen Great Clans compare to Yu Lingzi in strength."
He suddenly began to doubt: were the core disciples of the Thirteen Great Clans really as strong as Chen Tang had said?
After dinner, Black Pot ca forward to clear the dishes, wiped the table dry, then walked out of the room, leaving the father and son alone.
Chen Shi wore a slight smile, looking at Chen Tang: "Chen Tang, I've already figured out how to render your ability to anticipate the enemy useless."
"Hmm?" Chen Tang took two chopsticks from the chopstick holder, gently placed them on the table, indicating he could begin.
Chen Shi stood up, placed the round stool under the table, and suddenly thunderous roars erupted. He didn't use any Daoist techniques or supernatural powers. Using his finger as a sword, he drove his blood and Qi to exert force, thrusting a sword straight at Chen Tang's brow!
His speed was extrely fast. The mont he thrust, his fingertip had already broken the sound barrier. As the thunderous roar erupted, his sword-finger had already arrived at Chen Tang's brow!
Chen Tang's two chopsticks were too late to use. His body seed weightless as it floated backward, as if blown by the wind stirred up by Chen Shi's fingertip, drifting towards the wall behind.
Chen Shi's sword Qi shot from his fingertip!
However fast Chen Tang retreated, his sword Qi was faster.
Chen Tang turned sideways, but the sword Qi had already pierced through the wall, penetrating multiple layers of walls in succession, transforming into a stream of light shooting straight into the sky!
This sword Qi shot out of the Western Capital, reaching a hundred li away!
Chen Shi stepped forward, still using the Thrust Sword Style, his sword-finger thrusting out!
His attack had two layers. The first was the sword-finger itself.
His movent speed was fast, swift as a thunderbolt. The thrust of his sword-finger was absolutely faster than any sharp sword. If one couldn't block or dodge, they would be directly pierced through the body by his sword-finger!
The second layer of attack was the sword Qi of the Thrust Sword Style.
An incredibly simple move, just one word: thrust!
The sword Qi broke through the thunder, indestructible, containing the power to shake the Primordial Spirit and pierce through everything!
Chen Tang cultivated the Mysterious Subtle Sword Scripture from The Ten Books of Cultivation. The words "Mysterious Subtle" in this technique's na indicated that its sword techniques were incredibly exquisite and subtle, reaching profound levels. In terms of complexity, aside from immortal techniques, probably no other sword scripture could surpass it.
Chen Shi's sword technique, however, was the most basic spell within the Heavenly Heart Righteousness Technique created by Chen Yindu: the simplest Thrust Sword Style among the six basic sword styles of the Ziwu Evil-Slaying Sword!
Using the simplest to break the most complex had only one trick.
Speed!
Chen Shi's figure chased after Chen Tang, attacking left and right. Each thrust of his sword-finger was the most perfect application of his physical body, blood and Qi, and Nascent Soul!
His blood and Qi also shot out along with his Thrust Sword Style, as did the Nascent Soul on the small temple's miniature shrine.
Their figures moved like lightning between the three walls of the main hall, flipping and flying. The walls suddenly sprouted nurous tiny holes, becoming riddled with thousands of holes in an instant!
Fortunately, these holes were directed towards the sky. Otherwise, given the toughness of Chen Shi's sword Qi, who knows how much destruction and killing it would have caused!
Too fast!
Chen Tang now experienced the sa sense of helplessness as Yu Lingzi and Saintess Xuan. Chen Shi's attack speed was too fast, fast enough to turn the decayed into the miraculous, making his chopsticks too late to intercept Chen Shi's moves!
A gale raged in the main hall. Chen Tang flew out the door, landing in the courtyard, then turned to look at the main hall.
In the main hall, Chen Shi walked out unhurriedly, smiling slightly, "Chen Tang, you not only got up, but you also walked out of the main hall."
Chen Tang showed a hint of approval, saying, "You can now make a Nascent Soul Transformation realm disciple from a great clan exert their full strength."
His body suddenly floated up, hovering in mid-air, looking down at Chen Shi in the courtyard from above.
Chen Shi looked up, suddenly bent his knees, about to exert force to leap up and attack Chen Tang in the air, when two chopsticks descended from the sky, instantly dividing into two thousand and forty-eight, like two thousand and forty-eight flying swords, engulfing him!
"You think you can win by sheer numbers?!"
Chen Shi roared angrily. Behind his head, the Six Layers of Heaven suddenly manifested, their light illuminating half of the Western Capital's inner city.
Six layers of force fields crashed down, overlapping and accumulating together!
"Chen Tang, let's see how you break my Xiao Lang Force Field!"
As soon as Chen Shi's words fell, the two thousand and forty-eight chopstick shadows rged into a sword shape, stabbing into the Six Layers of Xiao Lang Force Field. The Six Emperor Seals under Chen Shi's feet erupted with light, pushing the Nascent Soul Force Field to its extre, resisting the giant sword!
The chopstick shadows forming the sword shape continuously exploded, but they still advanced unimpeded, breaking through defenses like splitting bamboo, piercing through the six overlapping force fields, arriving before Chen Shi.
The next mont, Chen Shi's front, his entire body, was densely covered with chopstick shadows, leaving no gap to be found.
Chen Shi's consciousness plunged into darkness, and he fell to the ground stiffly.
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