Above the Great Dao
Chapter 66 - 42: An Unconventional Arrival

Chapter 66: Chapter 42: An Unconventional Arrival

The Bolao Sword sensed that something was amiss; although it possessed power, without its master to perform Sacrificial Refinement, that power could not be fully deployed.

These paper figures, although made from cut paper, were supported by Jin Hongying’s Mana, and their power was astonishing. Particularly, the paper swords and paper knives were incredibly hard, so much so that not even it could easily pierce them!

More and more paper figures continuously crawled up, leaping into the villa, forming a veritable army.

At this moment, Jin Hongying sat by the lakeside outside Mirror Lake Villa, scissors in hand, cutting out paper figures.

With each cut, a paper figure gently landed on the ground, came to life, and walked toward this direction.

In just a short moment, dozens of paper figures had pushed a battery of cannons into the villa. The cannons were loaded with gunpowder, and the barrels stuffed with explosives. There were also paper figures wielding paper knives and swords, lunging toward King Xiao’s coffin.

The Bolao Sword was about to defend when suddenly, at this moment, all the paper figures burst into flames, turning to ashes in an instant. Even the ashes were whisked away from the villa by a gust of chilling wind!

A deep and aged voice came through: "Jin Hongying, Mirror Lake Villa is no place for you to wreak havoc. Leave at once."

The voice was immensely profound, carrying unimaginable Mana. As it reached Jin Hongying’s ears, her own Mana was shaken as if a meteorite had fallen into a calm lake, with waves surging high!

Blood streamed continuously from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose!

Jin Hongying coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, lying prone on the ground, hands supporting her body, barely able to get up.

She clenched her teeth, tossing the scissors into the air. The scissors transformed into two large serpents, one green and one white, revolving around her, protecting her in the center.

As the green and white snakes protected her, rising into the air, just as they reached mid-flight, their heads suddenly fell off, crashing outside the villa with a thunderous noise.

At the instant the snake heads dropped, a red dress whistled sharply as it tore through the sky.

"Hmm, her cultivation is actually not weak. No wonder she is so arrogant that she does not even take us old folks into consideration."

The voice still carried residual power. Jin Hongying, midair, had already fled more than ten miles. The voice penetrated her mind, her delicate body shook violently, and she fell from the sky, crashing into the mountain forest, tumbling and rolling.

Her delicate skin was cut by thorns; spots of crimson appeared on her pure white skin. Her breath was faint, and her eyes were listless and scattered.

Jin Hongying forcefully circulated her True Qi, suppressing her injuries, and fled in a panic.

Back in Mirror Lake Villa, the Bolao Sword was just recovering from the shock when a large black dog trotted with light steps, running towards the villa, stopping at the entrance, and looking back.

A tall elderly man followed the black dog into the villa and entered.

It was Grandpa Chen Shi who had spoken out just now, scaring Jin Hongying away.

One by one the coffins were opened. King Xiao, dressed in bloodied garments, face pale and bloodless, no longer exuding his former dashing charm, but fortunately, he had awakened.

"Many thanks to Master Chen for the rescue."

King Xiao bowed deeply in thanks, his body swaying, nearly falling.

"Even if I did not call out to save you, other fellow Daoists would have."

Grandpa walked into the villa, looking warily at several of the coffins, and spoke softly, "If they were to awaken, it would be troublesome."

King Xiao changed the subject, saying, "Last night, you were secretly following Little Shi, alongside my carriage, ensuring his safety. You can’t hide that from me."

Grandpa did not deny it.

King Xiao glanced at him, saying, "Little Shi has a strong and impregnable will. If he can obtain the complete Three Light Righteous Qi Technique, even without a Divine Embryo, he can still forge an extraordinary path and achieve not less than you or me. You should personally go to True King’s Tomb and retrieve the complete Three Light Righteous Qi Technique for him. Instead of doing so, you teach him nothing, which confuses me. With your abilities, if you taught him with dedication, his achievements would surely be astonishing!"

Grandpa shook his head, "I cannot teach him."

King Xiao did not understand his meaning.

Grandpa remained silent for a moment before saying, "You have seen the green Ghost Hand on his chest. Behind that Ghost Hand, there must be a terrifying existence."

King Xiao nodded gently; he was present at the time and saved Chen Shi’s soul. He was an eyewitness.

Chen Yindou, for the sake of saving Chen Shi, invited many people, and he was one of them.

Chen Shi was saved, and a green Ghost Hand appeared on his chest. At that time, all of them tried every possible way, but they could not erase that Ghost Hand Seal!

The existence behind this Ghost Hand Seal was incredibly powerful, with a foothold in both the underworld and the living realm, stepping from the underworld into the realm of the living.

They had no choice but to join hands to suppress the Ghost Hand Seal!

"Although the Ghost Hand brings sickness to Little Shi, it has also become a part of his body. As long as Little Shi stays in the living realm, his heart remains here, and so does the Ghost Hand. That is to say, part of the Ghost Hand Master’s body also remains in the living realm."

Grandpa’s expression was grave, "If Little Shi begins cultivation and grows stronger, the Ghost Hand will also become stronger. Once I realized this, I dared not teach him to cultivate."

King Xiao said, "But he still found the cultivation technique from True King’s Tomb on his own and set out on this path. Now that he has already embarked on it, you should guide him wholeheartedly and let him grow. Perhaps he can even deal with that Ghost Hand."

"I have been observing these days and have made an even more terrifying discovery."

Grandpa’s expression grew even more serious, saying, "Because of the green Ghost Hand, Little Shi has been ill for the past two years. These years, I have been seeking medical advice, trying everything to suppress the Ghost Hand. Initially, suppressing the Ghost Hand was easy; as long as he took the medicine, the Ghost Hand’s episodes would be very mild. As he began to cultivate, the frequency of Ghost Hand’s episodes became higher and more terrifying. At first, I thought it was because the Ghost Hand was getting stronger, but during this period, several strange incidents occurred. Last Moon Festival, at the Li Family camp, nine lives were lost at Little Shi’s hands. I originally planned to help him clean up the scene to avoid vengeance, but what I discovered was that the souls of those who died at his hands were missing."

King Xiao puzzled, "What do you mean by no souls?"

"It means that the souls of the people who died at his hands disappeared."

Grandpa’s expression was odd, "After death, the soul should remain in place, or fall into the netherworld, or be led away by messengers of death after ’head seven’ or become solitary ghosts due to deep attachment. Or perhaps taken by a Cultivator and forged into a treasure. But at the Li Family camp, the souls of those nine individuals did not stay in place, were not led away by messengers of death or escape into the netherworld, and there were no other Cultivators at the scene. I was at a loss as to where these souls had gone!"

King Xiao’s expression gradually grew solemn.

In his life, there were few people he admired, and Chen Yindou was one of them.

Chen Yindou couldn’t discern the whereabouts of the souls, which clearly suggested there was something eerie at play.

"The Zhao Family’s Talisman Master later went to the countryside to do evil deeds and two from the Zhao family died at his hands, similarly vanishing at the moment of death. Then there was the case in Huangyang Village yesterday. I’ve been secretly observing, and a total of twenty-one cultivators died by Xiao Shi’s hand."

At this point, grandfather’s expression became even more grave, "Similarly, I have not been able to locate the souls of these people."

Xiao Wangsun felt a chill crawl slowly up from his tailbone, up his spine, and to the back of his head, causing fine goosebumps to prickle the nape of his neck.

"Master Chen, what are you suspecting?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Grandfather didn’t answer, but continued, "Before the battle of Huangyang Village, there was another odd event that baffled me. A wrongly deceased man named San Wang, grateful for Xiao Shi’s kindness, transformed into a ghost to visit him in his dreams to give a warning. After San Wang’s ghost entered Xiao Shi’s dreams, it never came out again."

Grandfather said this while staring intently at Chen Shi’s small coffin.

Xiao Wangsun also looked at Chen Shi’s coffin, as if seeing a ghost.

After a moment, grandfather continued: "When we saved him back then, I was overjoyed. He was the grandchild I cherished the most. But the blue Ghost Hand Seal on his chest made me realize that he wasn’t just my grandchild, he was also a part of that dreadful existence from the underworld. Now that he has begun his cultivation, the blue Ghost Hand Seal has been growing stronger, starting to devour the souls of the cultivators who die by his hands."

Xiao Wangsun suddenly said, "You are afraid of Xiao Shi, aren’t you?"

He stared into grandfather’s eyes, his gaze sharp, and softly said, "Master Chen, you are afraid."

To his surprise, grandfather showed a look of fear and his body trembled slightly.

Xiao Wangsun was taken aback; he knew Chen Yindou could feel fear, but he had never expected him to tremble with it.

Such a degree of fear that caused trembling!

A thought flashed through his mind, and he blurted, "The reason you have been observing Xiao Shi from a distance is not because you worry about his death outside, but because you fear he might lose control!"

Grandfather remained silent, as though tacitly admitting it.

After another moment, grandfather said, "Xiao Wangsun, you have seen calamities of demonic, possessed, and demon levels, but have you ever witnessed disasters of the Disaster Level or Calamity Level?"

Xiao Wangsun shook his head: "I have heard of such disasters but have never seen them."

Grandfather’s voice was deep: "If the Ghost Hand Seal cannot be suppressed, one day in the future, you will surely see a disaster of Disaster Level or Calamity Level befall us through his body."

Xiao Wangsun shivered again.

Although he had never seen disasters of the Disaster or Calamity Levels, he had witnessed a demon-level disaster, which was utterly terrifying.

Grandfather looked at him solemnly, "Xiao Wangsun, I am old now and cannot stay in the world of the living for much longer, hence he needs a godmother who can suppress the Ghost Hand."

"Don’t look at me."

Xiao Wangsun understood what he meant and shook his head, "I am afraid. If I cannot suppress it and a natural disaster erupts, then I will be the sinner. I do not want to be that sinner!"

Grandfather frowned slightly: "Water and Fire Refining Technique, you don’t want it?"

Xiao Wangsun’s body trembled slightly and then shook his head: "Idle to die a knight, no regrets among worldly heroes. I prefer to decay and be remembered after death than to live with infamy. Master Chen, please leave!"

Grandfather flew into a rage: "Coward!"

Xiao Wangsun walked into the coffin: "Say what you will!"

Grandfather left the Mirror Lake Villa in a huff.

Black Pot hurriedly followed, anxiety gnawing at the dog’s mind – it had heard too many secrets today; would the old man silence it?

Luckily, although grandfather was angry, he did not take out his rage on it.

Grandfather stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at some leaves where a helpless ant circled aimlessly, unable to find its way.

"I am just like this ant, not knowing what to do... I must find a powerful enough godmother for Xiao Shi, or else I will have to kill him, and we will go to the underworld together. Perhaps, that might be better... No, I can’t do that!"

He struggled internally, his face gradually distorting.

"Xiao Shi is my grandchild, carrying my bloodline; I cannot kill him, I can’t... No matter the cost, I will ensure he lives a peaceful life! Even if my body is shattered and bones are broken, I must help him survive!"

One brings nothing into this world, and can take nothing out on leaving it.

Yet as long as the bloodline remains, it is immortal.

Inside the Mountain Lord Temple, these past few days Chen Shi had been practicing his cultivation with a focused mind, progressing in both the Five Organs Truth Cultivation Technique and the Bone Refining and Marrow Stripping.

Practicing in the Mountain Lord Temple, with sunlight, moonlight, and starlight, all three lights were available. Coupled with the Beidou Seven Refinements, refining bone, heart, blood, flesh, skin, Qi, and spirit, his body grew increasingly strong, drawing ever closer to achieving the Holy Embryo Body.

One day, he stood on the Tianshu, and as he underwent the tempering of his physical body with the Tianshu Star Talisman, he felt as though each of his organs had acquired an independent life, as if deities inhabited them. Any damage or disease in an organ was clearly transmitted to his mind, lucid and visible to the mental eye.

Moreover, as the Beidou constellation circulated, any damage or disease in his organs and viscera would soon heal!

He could always be in the healthiest state!

This was the essence of the Five Organs Truth.

Chen Shi was pleasantly surprised; with a slight thought, his Qi-Blood circulated, feeling at least two to three times more vigorous. He could even send his Qi-Blood into his hair, which seemed to come alive!

His hair was filled with a strange vitality.

As he stepped down, it felt as if his Qi-Blood filled his bones, continuously increasing his strength; the true bone tempering was completed in this moment!

"I may not have the Divine Embryo, but by cultivating the ’Three Light Righteous Qi Technique’ to achieve the Holy Embryo Body, my physical body will be the Divine Embryo!"