Above the Great Dao

Chapter 1256 588: Neighbors in the Dao Ruins (Part 2)

"Where's the egg?" Chen Shi shouted.

Speaking of which, he just realized that this place was not Huangpo Village.

The duck obediently laid a duck egg, and only then did Chen Shi loosen its neck, let it go, and stuffed the warm egg into his pocket.

The Bailu Child saw this and his eyes lit up.

Chen Shi casually plucked a cucumber from a roadside garden, rubbed off its prickliness, took a crunchy bite, and found it very refreshing.

The cucumber slid down his throat into his stomach, whereupon a rush of Azure Dragon Energy rose imposingly from within, utterly dominant.

"Could this cucumber also be an Immortal Elixir?"

Chen Shi could hardly believe it as he gnawed on the cucumber while channeling two Mysterious Skills, utilizing the Three Great Dao Realms to digest the cucumber's medicinal power.

In the Xinxiang Imperial City, Hu Feifei looked up at the Azure Dragon Energy flying in the sky and murmured, "Another heavenly phenomenon; what's happening to the West Bull New Continent? Auspicious omens every day!"

The Bailu Child led Chen Shi onwards. Seeing a mangy dog by the roadside, the child was provoked and pounced forward, grabbing the dog's neck and lifting it up. With two crisp slaps, the dog received a pair of ear-strikes, as the child shouted, "Didn't you see the great lord of the Dao Ruins coming? Greet the lord!"

That mangy dog quickly nodded and bowed to Chen Shi, saying, "Lord."

"Mm hm," Chen Shi grunted twice vaguely as he continued eating the cucumber, thinking, "This dog can talk, much better than a black pot. Fuluo Village is not simple at all."

The Bailu Child led him to the center of the village, where a small green Pill Furnace was set up. The furnace was not big, only half a person's height. Below was a rounded furnace body; above was a cover, inside which was the Pill Room.

The Pill Furnace was hollow, allowing a view of the bright green flames within.

For some reason, the flames conveyed an extremely dangerous sensation. Chen Shi took one glance and felt a chill in his heart, convinced that if those green flames touched him, they would incinerate him to ashes in an instant!

Beside the Pill Furnace was a burly man tending the flames, controlling the heat to refine Spirit Pills.

Chen Shi's gaze fell on the burly man, unable to discern his cultivation level.

In fact, everyone in this village, even the Bailu Child, the mangy dog that had been slapped twice, and the duck that had been extorted for an egg – Chen Shi could not gauge their depths!

If it came to a real fight, Chen Shi doubted he could even beat that duck!

Beside the burly man stood a green stele, about two feet high, tapering from a wide base to a narrow top, grounded in the village center.

Upon the stele, a line of characters was carved in a dragon-flying-phoenix-dancing style.

"Spirit Treasure's Monument, Forever Guarding This Realm!"

Besides this, the stele bore numerous complex, twisted characters, resembling haphazard worm traces, but upon closer inspection, seemed to contain many remarkable Daoist Skills.

"These are Immortal Dao Patterns!"

Inwardly stirred, Chen Shi had only just begun to delve into Immortal Dao Patterns.

Whenever one achieves Harmonization and Immortality, their previous Daoist Divine Powers undergo dramatic transformations. It's not that old Daoist Divine Powers are unusable, but their base as talismanic knowledge can't bear the immense power of an Immortal.

If an Immortal uses a talisman to perform divine skills and doesn't control their power, the talisman would explode.

To withstand an Immortal's power, only the Dao Patterns suffice.

Chen Shi's grandfather, Chen Yindou, had already begun attempting to create Talisman Dao Patterns from a talisman foundation.

Yet in the Earth Immortal Realm, the Great Dao Texture was already mature, various Immortal Laws concealed Dao Patterns. Immortals would comprehend and embody Daoist Divine Powers from Dao Patterns. These patterns often held the mystique of their creator's skills, albeit not completely.

After entering the Earth Immortal Realm, Chen Shi's cultivation involved Mixed Yuan Dao Scripture and Mixed Yuan Sword Scripture, teeming with Dao Patterns.

The Dao Patterns on this green stele were profound yet opaque, even more intricate than the Mixed Yuan Dao Scriptures and Sword Scriptures. Chen Shi focused on one pattern, and after a moment, his head spun, inundated with a cacophony of Dao sounds, buzzing and vibrating as if to shatter his brain.

Then, deep in his consciousness, the Heavenly Dao Seal flowed like a gentle stream throughout his mind, pacifying the chaos and making the Dao sounds orderly and clear.

Looking again at that Dao Pattern, Chen Shi found it not as strenuous, as the contained Daoist Skills revealed more of their nature.

This Daoist Skill was called Azure Dragon Chant. Though called a chant, it was really a Seal Technique. When executed, it invoked the East Emperor's power drifting in the heavens, empowering this seal to subdue all Outer Dao, sweeping away all before it and annihilating foes!

As Chen Shi gradually unraveled the mysteries of Azure Dragon Chant, he became increasingly engrossed, feeling it was the finest Seal Technique he had ever encountered.

However, as he delved in deeper, the Heavenly Dao Seal struggled to parse the intricacies of the Azure Dragon Chant, the patterns grew increasingly obscure, the lines harder to understand, and the embedded Daoist Skills more profound!

Chen Shi felt dizzy, collapsing with a thud. After a while, his vision cleared gradually.

The faces of Bailu Child, the burly man, the elder, the woman, and the village girl appeared around him. Seeing him awake, they all smiled and said, "The lord has awakened!"

Chen Shi sat up, still groggy, his mind resonant with chaotic Dao sounds making him feel nauseous.

Yet the villagers of Fuluo Village looked upon him with utmost admiration. The elder laughed, "The lord is truly formidable to observe the Green Stele for so long before collapsing. The longest any of us has managed is half the lord's duration."

The others all displayed looks of admiration.

Chen Shi held his forehead and said, "I passed out? I remember I was observing the Dao Patterns on this Green Stele..."

"These Dao Patterns were left by the Lingbao Taoist; anyone in our village needs days of rest after just a few glances."

The woman said, "Our Fuluo Village was commanded by the Lingbao Taoist to guard this Green Stele. He gifted us this furnace to refine elixirs; once we consume the Spirit Pills, we become Immortals, free from calamities and able to live eternally."

Chen Shi sat up, shook his head, still feeling dizzy, composed himself, and asked, "The Lingbao Taoist came to your village, left this Green Stele for you to guard, concerned about your short lifespans, he taught you Alchemy, is that right?"

The villagers nodded.

Chen Shi asked, "When did this happen?"

The elder said, "We don't remember anymore. We used to count, but eventually stopped. We were Shang people. After the fall of Great Shang, we migrated here with the Heavenly Court. I'm Shangdu Gong, the eldest in the village, only a few decades older than the rest."

Chen Shi's eyes widened, finding it hard to believe.

Great Shang was an event from over three hundred thousand years ago!

These Shang people have lived for over three hundred thousand years!

After a moment, he felt slightly better but still unsteady on his feet.

The villagers nodded and bowed, seeing him off. Shangdu Gong smiled, "Be careful, my lord. Would you like the old man to escort you back?"

Chen Shi waved his hand, "No need, I can walk, just a bit unsteady."

He stopped in front of the burly man's Pill Furnace and asked, "Is this elixir finished?"

The burly man hurriedly said, "Yes, it's finished!"

He quickly opened the furnace, revealing dozens of white jade-like Spirit Pills, faintly fragrant yet very subtle.

"These Spirit Pills were passed down from the Lingbao Taoist but the materials are hard to gather."

The burly man grinned, "We planted some herbs outside the village, it takes about ten years to gather enough for one batch. The residue is fed to the village's ducks and dogs, who have lived till now."

"Let me try."

Chen Shi grabbed a handful of Spirit Pills from the furnace and walked out, waving, "No need to escort me, everyone, I can walk."

The villagers respectfully saw him off.

As Chen Shi walked away, looking back at Fuluo Village, he felt a sense of incredulity.

A small village guarding a Green Stele, surviving on Spirit Pills passed down by the Lingbao Taoist, lived for over three hundred thousand years!

"In the village, even the ducks and dogs have unknowingly become Immortals, free from calamity, living till now!"

Gazing at the Spirit Pills in hand, Chen Shi mused that the villagers of Fuluo, consuming these pills for over three hundred thousand years, likely possess cultivation surpassing that of the Heavenly Venerate!

"Yet these villagers are utterly unaware of how powerful they are! Who is this Lingbao Taoist? What's the nature of the Green Stele he left behind? What secrets are hidden in the Dao Ruins?"

Chen Shi retracted his gaze, returning to his Dao Realm, biting into his half-eaten cucumber, silently saying, "Those watching me earlier were not them. But this village is worth visiting often."