Above the Great Dao-Chapter 1490 - 692: Journey to the Ancestral Court (Part 2)

Jiao Quezi inquired, "Why not completely refine the Outer Dao here?"

Chen Shi replied, "As long as the Outer Dao is well-controlled, it can be beneficial and harmless. Leaving some Outer Dao surrounding their Dao Realm might help avoid the Opening Tribulation."

He went to the Underground Green Palace again; this time he entered the Green Palace to examine the Heavenly Dao Laws on the walls and compare them with Fuluo Village's Green Stele. From these imprints, Chen Shi gained further insights, becoming somewhat lost in thought.

The Green Stele of Fuluo Village restrains the Dark Sea Heavenly Dao, but because the Dark Sea Heavenly Dao contained within the Dao Ruins is incomplete, the Green Stele has not completely deciphered the Dark Sea Heavenly Dao. From these confirmations, Chen Shi gained much.

Chen Shi pondered over the Heavenly Dao Laws of the Green Palace again but did not find the Curse Dao. He thought, "The Huaxia Ancestral Court also has an Outer Dao. Shangdu Gong called it the Curse Dao; these witches once used the Curse Dao to kill many Immortals. The Curse Dao isn't within the Immortal Dao; perhaps I can let Little Dun order them to hand over the Curse Dao. Strange, why is there no Curse Dao here..."

He walked out of the Underground Green Palace, still puzzled.

"Could it be that the Dark Sea Cultivators at that time hadn't discovered China, so there is no record of the Curse Dao in the Green Palace?"

This history is too ancient to trace back, so Chen Shi quickly moved on from the thought.

On this expedition, he mobilized twenty guards from four places, totaling twenty thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, and drew on all sorts of relievements: various spiritual elixirs, Immortal Artifacts, Array Maps, Tower Ships, and War Chariots, all allocated by the Heavenly Court, with everything accounted for.

Chen Shi changed into a set of armor, resplendent in gold, looking both high-spirited and valiant.

Little Dun was also in armor, exuding the heroic spirit of a female general, causing Chen Shi's heart to skip a beat.

"This set is good; next time I'll use this armor and won't take it off."

The army set out, with Tower Ships carrying twenty thousand soldiers towards the nearest Star Gate.

Upon reaching the Star Gate, they stowed away the Tower Ships to ride the Star Shuttle, traversing multiple times for over ten days before finally arriving at Han Valley Pass.

Outside Han Valley Pass lies the Star Gate; Chen Shi gazed at this formidable pass and saw that it was majestic with black iron walls, glistening like a barrier stretching an endless distance, blocking the waters of the Dark Sea and the demons.

Above Han Valley Pass, the stars shone brilliantly, their light illuminating the pass. Starlight fell like rain.

Amidst the layers of starlight, there seemed to be a vast world, resembling a Holy Land or a Dao Realm.

Chen Shi was entranced by the view. Beside him, the Heavenly Mechanism Scholar Zhong Lin said, "Heavenly King, Han Valley Pass is an important stronghold of the Immortals, guarded by the Daluo Golden Immortal True Master Wen Shi of the Taiqing Lineage, commanding a hundred thousand Immortal Soldiers and Generals. Wen Shi is extraordinary; when Laozi left the pass, Wen Shi was the one guarding here. The 'Dao of Virtue' written by Laozi was propagated through him."

Chen Shi, having studied the 'Dao of Virtue' under Scholar Zhu and benefited greatly from it, couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness to True Master Wen Shi upon hearing this. He said, "Do you mean to say that the hundred thousand Immortals and True Master Wen Shi are hidden within these stars?"

Zhong Lin replied, "True Master Wen Shi has long achieved Daluo. Although he is ordered to guard this pass, he might not actually be inside. Moreover, the Heavenly Court and Immortals don't get along, so we should not associate too closely with him."

Chen Shi led the army nearer. Inside Han Valley Pass, some garrison soldiers came flying to inquire their intentions from afar.

An Immortal General flew out and said, "The General of the World, under the Great Heavenly Venerate's command, is heading to the Huaxia Divine Continent to quell the demon chaos! Please convey this."

The garrison soldiers quickly departed upon hearing this.

After a moment, a Taiyi Golden Immortal emerged to verify the Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerate's decree and Chen Shi's Commander's Seal and seal, before allowing passage with a smile, "Heavenly King Chen, please don't mind. Things haven't been peaceful lately, with chaos erupting everywhere, so we must be cautious. I am Wen Shi's disciple, Wu Zhenzi, known as Daoist Wu."

Chen Shi asked, "Things haven't been peaceful?"

"Indeed, they haven't," Daoist Wu laughed, "Bandits have been causing trouble, even imitating the Court officials. I heard that ne'er-do-wells on the Immortal Slaying List were impersonating Heavenly King of the Heavenly Court, swaggering everywhere. By the way, why did King Li step down?"

Chen Shi glanced at him, knowing that Daoist Wu was alluding to his own past when he topped the Immortal Slaying List, which could be seen as slander, though it might not be. Lazily, he replied, "King Li? He took the Court's salary but mixed with the Western Heaven, showing disloyalty to the Great Heavenly Venerate, so he was dismissed. Whose salary does Daoist Wu take?"

"Naturally, the Heavenly Court's salary. This way, Heavenly King," Daoist Wu replied with a smile.

Chen Shi led the army through the pass and said, "Taking the Heavenly Court's salary requires loyalty to the Court. I've heard some people take the Heavenly Court's salary yet flirt with the Immortal Court."

Daoist Wu kept a smile on his face, though it was slightly stiff.

Chen Shi did not continue the conversation, knowing he himself was not entirely clean, still holding the title of an Immortal Emperor's disciple while parading around. He asked, "Is True Master Wen Shi available?"

Daoist Wu responded, "My master has been in retreat for years, rarely emerging."

Chen Shi felt a sense of regret.

Daoist Wu led them to a portal, where a Star Gate, crafted with the core of stars, stood with five entrances, each shimmering with starlight.

"The Ancestral Court hasn't seen an Immortal ascension in a long time," Daoist Wu remarked. "The Ancestral Court's Dao flourished in the past, but since the Teacher's Dao became respected, fewer have ascended. It's probably that the Teacher's magic skills don't match those of the Three Pure Ones."

Chen Shi gave him a glance and said, "I belong to the Teacher's lineage."

Daoist Wu quickly replied, "I spoke hastily. Please pardon me, Heavenly King. Oh, I'm from the Taiqing Lineage."

Chen Shi chuckled, "So that's it. In our Teacher's lineage, we are straightforward people who hold no grudges. Rest assured, Daoist Wu, I will certainly speak well of you before Your Majesty when I return to the Heavenly Court." With this, he wore a sullen expression.

Daoist Wu was apprehensive, not daring to provoke him further.

The Immortal Soldiers and Generals stationed at the Star Gate, numbering three thousand, sat within the void and in unison raised their Talismanic Flags. As they waved the flags, starlight from the heavens shone down with a hum, illuminating the Star Gate.

The Star Gate gradually lit up as ancient Dao Patterns intertwined. As the Dao Patterns transformed, the Star Gate's destination continually shifted.

"This knowledge is profoundly intricate," praised Chen Shi.

Once the Dao Patterns on the Star Gate ceased to change, the stars within the portal gradually faded, revealing another space-time.

It was the other half of Han Valley Pass!

Chen Shi ordered the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to enter in succession, stepping into the Star Gate and arriving at the other Han Valley Pass.

Chen Shi was about to proceed into the Star Gate when he suddenly remembered something and said, "Daoist Wu, did someone recently pass by here with two dogs? That person should be the Great Heavenly Venerate's nephew."

"Is the Heavenly King possibly referring to True Monarch Xiansheng? He did come by, but without two dogs. Accompanying him were two Taoists, one with a scruffy beard and the other quite young, a mere Daoist boy."

Chen Shi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, "Those two Taoists are most likely the Dog Taoists Zhong Lin mentioned. However, which one could be the Black Pot?"

He entered the Star Gate with Little Dun, reminded of True Master Zhang, thinking, "When True Master Zhang returns to the Huaxia Divine Continent, he will surely be surprised that I arrived here before him."

At the other Han Valley Pass, Chen Shi was about to present the Commander's Seal and the Jade Emperor's decree, but no Immortal General came to inquire.

Suddenly, clamorous sounds erupted outside the pass, prompting Chen Shi to fly out quickly. He saw many Heavenly Soldiers and Generals standing on the city walls, looking out, and some had flown out to stand in mid-air, staring dazedly into the distance.

Looking ahead, Chen Shi saw a vast expanse of white, with the ground covered in white bones.

As the wind blew, several skulls clattered, rolling with the gust only to be stopped by ribs or arm bones, colliding and unable to roll further.

Chen Shi sensed the strong presence of Demon Qi and Outer Dao somewhere in the world, his heart skipping a beat. The Outer Dao of the Huaxia Divine Continent should have been the Curse Dao, not the Demon Path; what is the presence of Outer Dao and Demon Qi doing here?

He looked further into the distance, where thousands of miles away, the ground was covered with dry bones. In the remote vicinity stood a half-rotten flag.

It was the Black Dragon Flag, with the words "Great Shun" embroidered on its other side.

The fierce wind swirled, picking up the countless bones, piling them into hills of dry bones.