Chen Shi grasped the handle of the Divine Face Axe but felt no joy in slaying the enemy; instead, he only felt the axe in his hand was bone-chillingly cold.

The fake Jieyu symbolized possessing the king's sovereign authority in the locality, with the power to execute generals.

Holding the axe, he represented the Great Heavenly Venerate, executing Taibai Star Lord, wielding the authority of the fake Jieyu; truly, he was imposing. Even though Taibai Star Lord was the son of the White Emperor and a Daluo Golden Immortal, he was still killed with one axe.

However, the main force behind killing Taibai Star Lord was not Chen Shi.

It was the Great Heavenly Venerate using Chen Shi's hand to slay Taibai Star Lord!

Chen Shi did not have the cultivation to wield the Divine Face Axe, nor the power to kill Taibai Star Lord.

He did not exercise his authority.

The one who exercised authority was still the Great Heavenly Venerate.

It seems the Great Heavenly Venerate always suspected Taibai Star Lord, which is why he stripped him of his Martial God's real power, appointed him a闲散 civil servant, and kept him close to monitor his every move.

This time, sending Taibai Star Lord to Golden Turtle Island was likely another test by the Great Heavenly Venerate. Knowing Taibai Star Lord's grudges with the Master Lineage, the Great Heavenly Venerate would have expected that he would seize the opportunity to trip up Chen Shi and create trouble.

"The Great Heavenly Venerate knows that I won't be able to resist striking a lethal blow at Taibai Star Lord. This would allow him to observe whether Taibai Star Lord is an Immortal and decide whether to deal with him."

Chen Shi's heart was icy cold.

This time, the Great Heavenly Venerate's slaying of Taibai Star Lord was a demonstration of power and a warning.

The Great Heavenly Venerate knew everything about Chen Shi, the strength and weakness of Golden Turtle Island, the prowess of Little Dun, and the power of the Demon Blood Treasure Tree hidden in the Well Demon Realm; he knew it all clearly.

He even knew that Little Dun was of the Great Shang Royal Family!

Only with accurate mastery of Chen Shi's lineage strength would the Great Heavenly Venerate make a move at this critical moment, using the power of the axe to instantly kill Taibai Star Lord!

"I wonder how many of the Great Heavenly Venerate's people are on this Golden Turtle Island?" Chen Shi mused silently.

"Many." He added in his mind.

The eyes of the Divine Face Axe spun, secretly watching him with an amused look.

Chen Shi's face was calm as water; he gently shook his head towards the approaching Little Dun Fairy, signaling her not to speak much.

Little Dun Fairy saw the Divine Face Axe in his hand and was startled, even more so upon seeing Taibai Star Lord's corpse; she did not speak much and silently followed beside him.

The two of them retraced their steps.

When they reached Jian Province, they heard a hoarse voice from below, calling out from afar: "Chen — Heavenly — King — Spare — me——"

Chen Shi stopped and looked down, only to see the mountains below covered in rust, and the landscape stained with rust; even the grass, wood, and stones were full of red rust, and the leopards and roe deer in the mountains were also rust-stained and moved sluggishly.

There were trails left by something heavy dragging along the ground, ending at a fallen Divine being by the mountain stream, half his body soaked in the water, precisely King Li.

The mountain stream had been corroded by rust, turning murky, the riverbed littered with rusty debris, and on calmer waters floated an oily film. A rusty tiger nearby hobbled to the mountain stream, crouched and began to drink.

Chen Shi descended on a cloud to the mountain stream, startling the rusty tiger away.

The rusty Divine person's mind was scattered, persistently struggling, crying out, "Spare my life!"

Each word he spoke was drawn out as if time flowed very slowly around him.

Chen Shi activated the Mixed Yuan Dojo, and soon enough, the Outer Dao within him was refined away.

The rust on the surrounding mountains, grass, insects, and fish also vanished, restored to their original state.

King Li recovered rapidly, hurriedly thanked him, speaking much faster, "The Heavenly King poisoned me in the Dao Spring, trapping me completely, yet spared my life multiple times; I am utterly convinced and won't dare contend with you for the Great Marshal of arms and horses anymore."

Chen Shi, his expression unchanged, silently flew towards Golden Turtle Island.

King Li hesitated for a moment, glanced at Little Dun Fairy beside him, and quickly followed Chen Shi. He was somewhat intimidated by Little Dun Fairy, not daring to stray, fearing that not keeping up with Chen Shi could mean losing his life to Little Dun.

Little Dun Fairy followed behind Chen Shi, worried that he might suddenly lash out against Chen Shi, so she kept her eyes on him.

King Li felt increasingly uncomfortable being watched by her, as if he was wearing a garment covered in thorns.

"My husband did not poison, King Li, do not falsely accuse an innocent person."

Little Dun Fairy began to explain seriously, "The Outer Dao is not poison. The Outer Dao is the Heaven and Earth Great Dao outside of the Immortal Dao. What my husband planted in the Dao Spring was also rust Dao, a form of Outer Dao."

King Li coughed, only to feel a rusty taste lingering in his throat, and upon coughing, he could spew out much rust, cautiously saying, "I… understand, no need for explanation from the Heavenly King's Wife. The Spiritual Power of the Yuqing Dao Spring seeped into my Physical Body and Primordial Spirit and Great Dao; the Heavenly King used Yuqing Dao Spring to send the Outer Dao to these places, disabling me in one fell swoop. Although the Outer Dao is not poison, it's more potent than poison."

Little Dun Fairy patiently continued, "That gourd containing Yuqing Dao Spring was truly not aimed at you, but Taibai Star Lord. He is the son of the White Emperor, skilled in Golden Energy, so using rust Dao could disable his cultivation in one blow. As to why you ended up drinking the Dao Spring, that was beyond my husband's expectations."

King Li realized and silently cursed Taibai Star Lord's insidiousness.

Little Dun Fairy wondered, "Why did Taibai Star Lord not fall into the trap, and instead, you drank the Yuqing Dao Spring?"

King Li's face reddened slightly, and he coughed dryly.

Seeing this, Little Dun did not ask further.

Upon returning to Golden Turtle Island, Chen Shi enshrined the Divine Face Axe with utmost reverence, lighting incense for the Divine Face Axe. Only after the Incense Fire Qi was inhaled by the axe through its nostrils did Chen Shi respectfully step back.