Above the Great Dao

Chapter 1330 623: You Deserve Death a Thousand Times Over (Part 2)

In any case, he must reclaim the Immortal Gourd and replant the Purple Heaven Vine!

Just as he grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd, it suddenly became incredibly heavy. Even though he was at the Golden Immortal Realm, he was involuntarily pressed downward!

With a thud, the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord landed on the ground, holding the bottom of the gourd with both hands, his legs trembling, almost unable to stand steady.

A thunderous roar echoed in his ears as Chen Shi's ninth Fist Seal struck Wu Banshan, sending this Immortal Lord flying backward. Then the tenth Fist Seal blasted forth, the sky resembling a blazing sun exploding, its dazzling light engulfing Wu Banshan!

The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord could barely open his eyes as Sword Qi flew around, whistling as it landed within the Immortal Gourd.

This Sword Qi, refined from Xuanhuang Ancestor Qi, turned exceptionally heavy at Chen Shi's slightest thought, pressing into the Immortal Gourd, causing the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord to groan, Samadhi True Fire spewing from his nostrils, unable to hold onto the Immortal Gourd any longer.

With a thud, the Immortal Gourd fell, pressing the Immortal Mountain of the Eight Immortals Sect several dozen feet into the ground.

Then, the Immortal Gourd soared lightly back to Chen Shi's head, leaving the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's eyes wide with disbelief. He clearly felt the gourd's terrifying weight, yet it flew as if weightless—truly strange.

At this time, the sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed around him. The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord, alarmed, looked around to see that all the Immortal Trues who landed on the Eight Immortals Sect mountain peak had fallen by sword, each losing their lives!

In the sky, Wu Banshan was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a space punctured through, like a pitch-black hole surrounded by web-like cracks, gleaming with scorching light.

The heart of the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord sank.

The Ten Days Fighting is merely a divine power maneuver, and for an Immortal, it can be completed almost instantly.

From the moment Chen Shi executed the Ten Days Fighting, struck out ten Fist Seals, and killed Wu Banshan, it was merely a fleeting moment. During this moment, he also managed to slay dozens of pursuing immortals, including Daoist Qianyi, who chased him to the mountain peak!

"I tried to seize the Purple Heaven Immortal Gourd, only to be thwarted by him." The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord felt bitter inside.

Chen Shi turned around, let out a breath, and said quietly, "Even using half the Heavenly Venerate's power is so formidable."

The Heavenly Venerate's tutelage made him wary.

The power of the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection far surpassed the cultivation techniques of Wu Banshan and other Golden Immortals!

His gaze fell on the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord, whose heart trembled, seeing the sword light flicking from the Sword Nurturing Gourd, quickly saying, "Daoist Chen, I no longer want the Purple Heaven Vine, please show mercy!"

Chen Shi shook his head, "Do you know why I stole your Purple Heaven Immortal Gourd?"

The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord hesitated, confused.

"You crafted the magical treasure Reincarnation Jade Plate, having your disciples collect mortal souls everywhere, casting them into the Reincarnation Jade Plate, transforming them into beastmen, bee men, ant men, making them toil night and day in your Dao Realm."

Chen Shi said, "After they die from exhaustion, they're reincarnated in your Dao Realm as beastmen, bee men, ant men, to continue laboring for you. You've amassed countless wealth, gifting it everywhere, achieving your current stature and status."

The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord asked puzzled, "Did you steal my Immortal Gourd just for those mortal souls? You, too, are an Immortal; you should know there's nothing wrong with what I did. You've misunderstood me!"

Chen Shi frowned, politely saying, "Immortal Lord, I am inherently dense, unable to understand your reasoning."

The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord said sternly, "I have my disciples collect mortal souls, but I don't actively kill these mortals—that would violate heavenly principles. The mortal souls my disciples collect are from those who die naturally, from old age, illness, war, or plague. Honestly speaking, Daoist, I am also a learned Immortal True, knowing the Heavenly Dao and understanding the principles of Heavenly Human Sensing. I wouldn't involve myself in mortal karmic entanglements—that would only lead to my demise during an Opening Tribulation."

Chen Shi stared at him, frowning deeply.

Seeing this, the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord hastily continued, "You think those mortal souls, working for me like cattle, is bullying the weak and deserves a death sentence? You're wrong, Daoist! If I deserve a death sentence, then Emperor Houtu does too!"

He argued passionately, "I make mortals reincarnate as cattle, Emperor Houtu controls reincarnation—haven't mortals become cattle there as well? I work them to death—haven't reincarnated mortals died from exhaustion? I enslave them lifetime after lifetime—haven't these mortals been enslaved after reincarnation?"

His voice grew louder, "Daoist, look into reincarnation, go and see the Mortal World! How many mortals in the reincarnation world under Emperor Houtu aren't working like cattle? How many mortals are high and mighty? Why am I the one you consider guilty of heinous crimes? If you want to rob, go steal Emperor Houtu's Xuanhuang Double Lotus. If you want to kill, then kill Emperor Houtu! You're simply bullying the weak by confronting me!"

Chen Shi found himself momentarily muddled, unsure of whether he should make a move.

Noticing Chen Shi's bewilderment, the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord pressed on, "Moreover, do you think I enslave these mortals to accrue wealth for myself? Wrong! You've been to my Purple Heaven Dao Realm; you should see I am not prosperous. I enslave tens of billions, but have I benefitted? No!"

"I gave all that wealth to those above! Tribute to Heavenly Court deities, tribute to stronger Taiyi Golden Immortals! I live frugally, you see my outward splendor, but I'm like a donkey dung covered in frost, shiny on the outside! I'm just gathering wealth for them!"

"Daoist Chen, you cannot act against me!"

He slowly retreated, eyes fixed firmly on Chen Shi, saying, "If you act against me, you'll be offending those Taiyi Golden Immortals, offending the deities who benefit from my tributes in the Heavenly Court! Cutting off their wealth—do you know the consequences?"

Chen Shi exhaled, met his gaze, and smiled, "Immortal Lord, I've already killed so many immortals, why care about one more?"

The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's expression changed, rising swiftly to transform into Purple Qi and flee.

From behind him, Chen Shi's voice called out, "Weren't you always trying to reclaim the Immortal Gourd? Today, I'll fulfill you!"

The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord's movement suddenly became sluggish, dragged by an invisible force, pulling him along with the surrounding space into the gourd.

After all, he was a Golden Immortal; though his cultivation was not what it used to be, he was not insignificant. Struggling to flee, he was about to escape the gourd's pull when Chen Shi confronted him head-on, again unleashing the Ten Days Fighting Divine Power.

Recalling the scene of Chen Shi's formidable might, killing Immortal Lord Wu, he dared not withstand it, momentarily drawn into the Immortal Gourd.

Chen Shi retracted his stance, sealing the gourd, and activated the Sword Nurturing Gourd. Inside the gourd, the four walls revealed various imprints of the Mixed Yuan Sword Scripture, immediately launching one hundred and eight Xuanhuang Sword Qi, performing various sword moves, colliding and refining each other.

The Purple Heaven Immortal Lord hid and dodged within the Immortal Gourd, avoiding sword qi, but the ingenuity of these sword moves quickly left him covered in wounds.

Among the one hundred and eight sword lights, the Heavenly Net Blood Transformation Divine Sword lay hidden, ghostly and unpredictable, attacking him, causing his Qi-Blood to continually deplete.

Initially, the screams of the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord could be heard within the Sword Nurturing Gourd; eventually, they grew weak, and before long, there was silence, only the crisp clashing of swords and sabers.

Chen Shi pocketed the gourd, recalling the words of the Purple Heaven Immortal Lord, and found himself bewildered.

Numerous cultivators of the Eight Immortals Sect gathered around, witnessing the devastation strewn about, the bodies of Immortals everywhere, with only Chen Shi standing there, still. They dared not make a sound.

After a long while, Chen Shi quietly said, "Lady Houtu controls reincarnation not for personal desire but to adhere to the Reincarnation Great Dao and maintain the orders of Heaven, Earth, Humans, Divine, Ghosts, and Immortals. Daoist Purple Heaven, to you the Human World seems as all suffering, no different from your Purple Heaven. But precisely because the Human World is all suffering must one strive to break free from Reincarnation."

His gaze gradually brightened, "You've become an Immortal, broken free from Reincarnation, yet for personal desire, you block the path of escape from Reincarnation for countless mortals like yourself, turning them into cattle and slave labor. Therefore, you truly deserve to die a thousand deaths!"