After that Daoist left, the two Daoist boys exchanged a glance and discussed in low voices: "Master said that when he makes a move against Mr. Chen, we are to offer up this Golden Talisman and activate the Green Stele to help him win. It’s just that we have also cultivated Mr. Chen’s Primordial Talismans—Mr. Chen is our Patriarch and has shown us great kindness. Wouldn’t doing this be an act of ingratitude?"

The other Daoist boy hesitated and said, "But Master has also shown us kindness. He imparted Daoist Skills to us so that we can gain a foothold in the Upper Pure Realm. If we don’t activate the Green Stele, wouldn’t that be letting Master down?"

The two were caught between a rock and a hard place. After a moment, the slightly older Daoist boy said, "How about this: we wait until Master and Mr. Chen have fought for a while, and then we offer up the Golden Talisman to activate the Green Stele."

The other Daoist boy’s eyes lit up; he clapped and praised, "That’s a good idea! Master is the heir of the Teaching Venerable’s lineage; his Cultivation and strength are no weaker than Mr. Chen’s, and he also carries the Teaching Venerable’s Magical Treasure, so he already holds an advantage. Even if he defeats Mr. Chen, it would be taking advantage of Mr. Chen’s injuries—a victory without honor. If we hold off on activating the Golden Talisman to help him, that can be considered giving Master a fair fight."

The older Daoist boy laughed and said, "Speaking of it, Master is still the one getting the better bargain. But what we are doing can also be counted as repaying Mr. Chen’s kindness in transmitting the Dao."

The two had just reached this point in their discussion when suddenly they heard a voice say, "For Emperor Wan Shou to have you two Wo Long and Phoenix Chick, truly his ancestors must have accumulated virtue. What a pity—you have planned things quite well, yet you can’t even beat the ducks in that village down below."

The two Daoist boys were startled and hurriedly looked over, only to see a Daoist with triangular eyes, a Treasure Sword slanting across his back, standing behind them without them knowing when he had arrived. This Daoist was filled with Righteous Qi; two streaks of mustache hung at the corners of his mouth, and a tuft of beard on his chin. He looked to be around fifty, dignified in bearing, clear-eyed and scholarly.

Judging from his Daoist robe and attire, he should be a Daoist of the Taiqing Realm.

—The Three Pure Ones Realm is an outsider’s collective name for the Yuqing Realm, Upper Pure Realm, and Taiqing Realm, but in fact they are three great sects: the Yuqing Chan Sect, Upper Pure Taoism, and Taiqhing Human Sect, each dwelling within a different Dao Realm and seldom interacting in ordinary times.

To distinguish people of the three sects, one can look at their clothing and attire; the three sects’ clothing and attire are each different.

The older Daoist boy hurriedly said, "May I ask if you are an uncle-master from the Taiqing Realm? Please forgive this junior for his poor eyesight and not daring to recognize you."

That cultured Daoist smiled and said, "No need for excessive courtesy. I am the Human Sect’s Subtle Taoist Monarch, the Emperor Zhao Ji. I usually keep to seclusion and rarely appear in public; it is only natural that you do not recognize me. Emperor Wan Shou may have discerned that the key to restraining Mr. Chen lies in suppressing the Dao Ruins, suppressing his Dao Realm so that he has nowhere to draw strength from. However, Mr. Chen has Three Great Dao Realms—he is only suppressing one of them. Another Dao Realm lies within the Dao Ruins themselves, and that is what he has overlooked!"

He drifted away like a wisp of cloud, his target clearly that Demon Well within the Dao Ruins!

Chen Shi’s second Dao Realm, the Well Demon Realm—very few know its exact location. Only the giants of the Heavenly Court had witnessed the scene back then when Chen Shi refined that Abnormal Point of the Great Dao.

Yet this Subtle Taoist Monarch is actually able to know the precise location of this Demon Well—clearly some giant within the Heavenly Court has informed the Taiqing Realm of this matter!

Subtle Taoist Monarch Zhao Ji came to the Demon Well and looked down into it, only to see Demon Qi surging ominously, Outer Dao hidden within. At the wellhead there was a Sealing that prevented the Demon Qi and Outer Dao from seeping out; yet merely approaching this well would cause a person to feel inexplicably irritable and disturbed, as though the four limbs and hundred bones, even flesh and skin, had gained life and consciousness and wished to grow of their own accord.

Even the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, the large intestine, small intestine, and appendix were rejoicing and cheering, wanting to grow heads and limbs of their own.

"Terrifying—this truly is a Demon Realm. No wonder it is an Abnormal Point of the Great Dao."

The Subtle Taoist Monarch smiled and said, "If I had not studied the Primordial Talismans, I truly would not dare to go in."

He leapt into the well, entering the Demon Domain.

That Demon Domain was incomparably vast; its space was in no way smaller than the Dao Ruins, and was in fact many times larger!

The Subtle Taoist Monarch felt both reverence and fear, and praised, "As expected of one who has refined an Abnormal Point of the Great Dao. This kind of Dao Realm is even more immense than my Great Song Dao Realm."

He looked around. Where the Demon Blood Treasure Tree had originally stood in the Demon Domain was now utterly empty; it seemed that the Demon Blood Treasure Tree had already been taken away by Chen Shi.

Aside from the Demon Blood Treasure Tree, there were also one after another of grand Great Dao Phenomena, manifesting as mountains and rivers, insects that fly, beasts that run, the Sun, Moon and Stars, palaces and pavilions, as well as beautiful women and fair maidens, and even some Daoists residing within Immortal Palaces.

These Great Dao Phenomena were richer than the Dao Images in the Dao Realms of any other Taiyi Golden Immortal—several times richer, in fact!

"This is the reason why, even though Mr. Chen’s Cultivation is inferior to theirs, he can still match them."

Subtle Taoist Monarch Zhao Ji let out a breath of relief and said softly, "Fortunately I found my way here. Emperor Wan Shou is, after all, still too young. He only knows to have the Daoist boys activate the Green Stele to suppress the Dao Ruins. Rather than merely suppressing Mr. Chen’s Dao Realm, it would be better to simply destroy it!"

He took a deep breath and was just about to strike and destroy the Well Demon Realm when suddenly the sky shook violently. A mysterious power pierced through the Demon Domain, opening a rift between Heaven and Earth!

One after another, the Great Dao Phenomena soared into the air, flying toward that rift!

The Subtle Taoist Monarch hurriedly looked and saw that on the other side of the rift there stood a Demon Blood Treasure Tree, towering and magnificent. Strands of rosy clouds, like its branches, circled the Treasure Tree in flight, incomparably mysterious.

And beneath the Demon Blood Treasure Tree sat a youth in perilous meditation, face deathly pale. As he opened his mouth and inhaled, those Great Dao Phenomena flew toward his mouth one after another, disintegrating as they flew, turning into countless bright particles of light that gathered into streams and poured into the youth’s mouth.

"Mr. Chen!"

The Subtle Taoist Monarch was startled in his heart. "He suffered grievous injuries while breaking out! Those several dozen Taiyi Golden Immortals joining forces still left him heavily wounded. Now he has no time to heal; the many Great Dao imprints within his body have most likely already been shattered."