On the Avenue.

Chapter 697 Demon Seed
"Are they also here to find the Nine Emperors of the Great Shang Dynasty?"

Chen Shi looked over, and suddenly the young man's gaze swept over him, sharp as ever. When their eyes met, Chen Shi felt the world around him change drastically, and countless inner demons materialized and stood around him!

He was surrounded by demons who could take his life at any moment!

"More demonic than mine?"

Chen Shi's inner demons were in turmoil, so he immediately activated the Primordial Chaos Innate Skill, merging his Daoist heart into a unified whole. The inner demons vanished instantly, and his mind returned to clarity.

Since he mastered the Profound Yin Nine Heavens Technique, his mastery of demonic arts has grown increasingly profound. Among all the people he has encountered, there are almost none with a stronger demonic nature than him.

This young man is the first to surpass him in the art of demonic cultivation.

However, he balanced the demonic path with the Primordial Chaos Innate Skill, so the demonic path was merely a great path he mastered and would not affect his mind. This young man, on the other hand, revealed his demonic nature and appeared extremely domineering.

"This man has a righteous way of dying," Chen Shi thought to himself.

Xiao Duan stood next to Chen Shi and their eyes met. However, the young man did not target her intentionally; their gazes only met out of the corner of his eye.

Even a glimpse of her stirred up inner demons within her, but the next moment a raging fire ignited in her sea of ​​consciousness, instantly purifying the inner demons completely, leaving only the Xuan Bird soaring above her sea of ​​consciousness, making it crystal clear.

The bloodline power of the Shang royal family was truly too strong. The tempering by the Xuan Bird made her Dao heart clear as day at all times, without a trace of dust.

The young man was also quite surprised, and looked over again, seemingly shocked that the two of them were able to break free from their inner demons.

Several demonic immortals beside him noticed this scene, and one of them asked, "Master, what is it?"

The young man said, "Those two are quite extraordinary. They escaped from my Demonic Art. Especially the young man, whose mastery of demonic arts is very high. Although he is a true immortal, his cultivation is extraordinary."

The demonic immortals were all extremely surprised and looked at Chen Shi, asking in confusion, "Besides us, there are actually people who cultivate the demonic path?"

One of the elders said, "Could it be a reincarnated demonic master?"

The young man said, "Very likely."

He was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Fellow Daoist Wencheng said that all the demonic masters in this world are under his command, so how come there is still one demonic master?"

The old man said, "I'll go and capture him. We'll need some supplies to scout ahead before entering the Great Xia's garrison area!"

The young man shook his head and said, "Ning Gongfu, let's not cause any unnecessary trouble. We only have one goal on this trip: the Nine Emperors of the Great Shang Dynasty. I sense that this ominous place, coupled with the wrath of annihilation, has refined the Nine Emperors of the Great Shang Dynasty into something akin to demon emperors!"

He smiled slightly: "The Nine Emperors have no physical bodies, they are like rootless duckweed, just what I need. By devouring them and combining the cultivation of the Nine Demon Emperors, this ancestral land of China will be within my grasp. What Heavenly Court lineage, what origin of the immortals, what Three Pure Ones and Four Emperors, none of them are my match!"

The many demonic masters who followed him were filled with excitement.

This master is named Kundulun, and he was brought to the ancestral court by Ning Gongfu from the Earthly Immortal Realm. When Xi Muran handed him over to Ning Gongfu, Kundulun was still a naive young man with low cultivation and had not yet become an immortal.

He cultivated the demonic path, somewhat similar to Ning Gongfu. Ning Gongfu was also an immortal who ascended from the ancestral court. When he was questioned at Hangu Pass in the Earthly Immortal Realm, he claimed that Kundulun was his disciple and managed to get through the checkpoint.

Wencheng Immortal met them at the ancestral Hangu Pass, but the three were questioned again. Wencheng Immortal broke the seal on Kundulun, which absorbed the demonic energy between heaven and earth, causing external pollution and demonic erosion, resulting in countless deaths and injuries at the ancestral Hangu Pass in an instant!
After this battle, Kundulun absorbed the cultivation of the immortals at Hangu Pass, and his own cultivation level soared, instantly becoming a Golden Immortal!
Ning Gongfu was shocked to learn that the little cultivator he had brought to the ancestral court was actually a demonic seed born from the infamous Great Dao Anomaly Point!

The Immortal Wencheng had been plotting this for eight hundred years, all to incite resentment among the people of the ancestral court and to breed demonic energy in the world, making it easier to cultivate Kundulun. The demonic transformation at Hangu Pass was merely a small test.

The immortal Wencheng led them to Jiandu, where they met Tiancong Khan. Tiancong Khan then appointed Kundulun as his master and launched a military campaign against the Shun dynasty.

Kundulun led the demon army that had established the capital, and was invincible. They quickly broke through Shanhaiguan Pass, advanced into the Central Plains, and slaughtered people all the way, making the demonic energy between heaven and earth even stronger.

His cultivation level had reached the edge of Taiyi Golden Immortal.

When they reached Shandong, they encountered the army of Li Yan and Liu Zongmin, famous generals of the Great Shun Dynasty. Li and Liu set up the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation and the Ten Thousand Mile Yellow Sand Formation, and also invited the gods to help them fight. The attack of the Jiandu Demon Army was blocked.

Kundulun personally took action and faced off against Xiaotian Daoren from Erlang Zhenjun's family. Xiaotian Daoren was extremely powerful, and they fought for three hundred rounds without a clear victor. Suddenly, Xiaotian Daoren summoned a black dog, which bit Kundulun, causing Kundulun to be defeated and retreat.

Kundulun knew he was no match for Xiaotian Daoren, and Wencheng Xianren was nowhere to be found, so he led these demon immortals to sneak into Dezhou and arrive at Baishi Ancient City to search for the Nine Emperors of the Great Shang Dynasty.

"My lord, I have sensed the location of the Nine Emperors!"

Xiao Duan exclaimed happily, "My ancestor responded to my feelings, but it was very faint!"

Chen Shi also noticed that the ancient city of Baishi was becoming somewhat hot, the fire-type Dao power floating in the air was becoming more active, and at the same time, the demonic energy and resentment were gradually becoming stronger.

Even more terrifying was the fierce aura that came from nowhere, which stimulated Chen Shi's skin pores to contract and made his hair stand on end. Without thinking, he raised his cultivation to its peak!
He felt as if he were being targeted by countless gods and demons, their murderous aura invading his sea of ​​consciousness. Even his Primordial Dao Heart could not withstand it, and he was stimulated to unleash his murderous intent!
For a long time, Chen Shi had suppressed his wild nature and become like a good person. After all, he had become the true king of Xiniu New Continent and could no longer act as freely as before.

However, this overwhelming killing intent awakened him!

The menacing aura of the Great Xia garrison!

Just then, the ancient city of Baishi suddenly sank downwards, and the city trembled violently, but it did not fall into the soil, rocks, or lava.

Chen Shi and Xiao Duan looked around and saw that the ancient city was surrounded by surging flames that scorched the void!
The ancient city of Baishi is like falling into a sea of ​​fire, and you are rushing through it at high speed.

"Madam, did you do this?" Chen Shi asked.

Fairy Xiao Duan shook her head. She was still searching for the entrance to the Nine Emperors' Suppression Ground when this unexpected turn of events occurred.

Chen Shi looked at Kundulun and the others, only to see that they were also looking around in confusion, clearly not the work of them.

"If it wasn't their doing, could it be that the Nine Emperors sensed Xiao Duan's bloodline power and summoned us there?" he pondered.

Kundulun and the others frowned. Although they sensed the malevolent aura emanating from the Nine Emperors of the Great Shang Dynasty, the sudden turn of events was beyond their control and took them by surprise.

The ancient city of Baishi was flying through the raging fire at an extremely fast speed. At this speed, it would probably be able to fly out of the ancestral home in no time!
Everyone was filled with doubt and surprise: "Where did the Three Pure Ones suppress the nine emperors of the Great Shang Dynasty?"

Fairy Xiao Duan unfolded the map of the ancestral court and whispered, "The ancient city of White Stone has already flown out of the ancestral court."

Chen Shi looked at the flames outside and frowned, saying, "Where did these flames come from? The ancestral court doesn't have such large flames."

"It is the sacred flame of my Great Shang bloodline."

Xiao Duan closed the map, looked outside, his gaze dim. "Outside is not a sea of ​​fire, but a sea of ​​blood. A sea of ​​blood composed of the blood of the Shang royal family, floating in the void."

She felt a pang of sadness; of the Shang Dynasty royal family, only she remained alive.

Chen Shi pulled her into his arms, and Xiao Duan leaned gently against his shoulder, feeling a little better. "If I have more children with my husband, my offspring will still be royalty," she thought to herself.

Just then, the ancient city of Baishi suddenly came to a stop.

Xiao Duan said, "We've arrived overseas. At the speed of Baishi Ancient City, we're currently 80 billion miles away from the ancestral temple."

Chen Shi looked out of the city, his heart trembling slightly. He murmured, "Are we in the Dark Sea right now? Or somewhere else?"

Amidst the flames surrounding the ancient city, a colossal skeleton came into view. The skeleton was half-human and half-beast, with a bizarre appearance, resembling a human with a tail.

Holding an axe, it stands amidst the flames, and remains standing to this day.

Even though it was just a skeleton, it still exuded a terrifying aura that made it hard to breathe!

A ferocious weapon from the Great Xia Dynasty!
Chen Shi shifted his gaze and saw the towering ruins, stretching endlessly in the flames.

The ancient city of White Stone rests on a stone altar surrounded by these giant buildings.

Chen Shi looked further into the distance and saw the skeletons of the Great Xia's fierce soldiers. They were enormous, wielding huge weapons and exuding a deep and ferocious aura.

In the flames, they stood in neat, orderly, and menacing ranks, like a team waiting to go to battle.

“There are Dao patterns on their bones!” Fairy Xiao Duan discovered.

Chen Shi looked and indeed saw that the bones of these fierce soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty were covered with sacrificial and Taoist markings, which were vermilion in color. They were probably branded with something like animal blood or cinnabar to enhance their own abilities.

The shamanistic ritual patterns were quite simple, and the underlying principles were very basic. Chen Shi could understand the general meaning after just one glance.

"Why is it that such simple Dao patterns contain power no less than that of later generations?"

Upon realizing this, Chen Shi understood that the reason why the shamanic ritual runes of the Great Xia era were so powerful was precisely because they were simple.

It only summarizes the most obvious phenomena of the Dao: metal, wood, water, fire, earth; thunder, rain, water, fire, and volcano; up, down, the four directions, yin and yang, and so on. Using the simplest Dao patterns to describe these phenomena is actually closest to the essence of the Dao.

"The Dao patterns of the Immortal Path today are too complex to be explained by a single Dao pattern. The more Dao patterns are compiled, the more difficult it is to understand the essence of the Great Dao. It is also a great challenge for future generations to learn."

Chen Shi pondered, "There are probably millions of Dao patterns in the Immortal Path now. Faced with the same natural phenomenon, different immortals even comprehend different Dao patterns, making the Immortal Path even more complex. In this world, even the Three Pure Ones cannot master all the Dao patterns of the Immortal Path! Nowadays, some immortals are seeking breakthroughs in their Dao techniques by searching for them in the Dao patterns of the Great Shang Dynasty's shamanic rituals, but I think they should be searching for them in the Dao patterns of the Great Xia Dynasty's shamanic rituals."

He had the idea of ​​moving the remains of these Xia Dynasty's fierce soldiers away for research.

For him, the Dao patterns imprinted on these skeletons were the greatest gain from this trip.

At this moment, Kundulun's voice came: "The Great Xia imprinted the Daoist patterns of shamanism on their bones in order to make their physical bodies eternal. But they could not withstand the erosion of time, and in old age, they still died. The Great Shang was much smarter, imprinting the Daoist patterns of shamanism on their bloodline, so that the Daoist patterns of shamanism could be passed down with their bloodline. Therefore, the Great Shang became stronger and stronger, and had the means to overthrow the Great Xia."

"This person has exceptional vision."

Chen Shi nodded secretly, "The reason why the Great Shang Dynasty defeated the Great Xia Dynasty must be because of this method. Bloodline inheritance can quickly produce many experts in a clan. However, the drawbacks of bloodline inheritance are also great. It can be said that like begets like, and like rats' sons know how to dig holes, there will never be any change."

Xiao Duan walked out of the city and said, "I sensed the aura of the Nine Emperors! This way!"

Chen Shi immediately followed her, and the two left the city and came into the midst of the raging flames.

The two leaped into the air, weaving through the flames and passing between the ferocious soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Kundulun and the others set off from the other end of the ancient city of Baishi, also heading in the same direction.

Suddenly, one of the Great Xia's fierce soldiers seemed to sense their presence, awoke from its death, and the huge skeleton swung its axe down at Chen Shi and Xiao Duan!
Chen Shi's Wuji Dojo had just been set up when it was sliced ​​open by this huge axe, and it rushed straight towards the two of them with unstoppable force!

Chen Shi raised his hand and sword energy burst forth, unleashing the final move of the Hunyuan Sword Scripture, Hongmeng Split!

"when!"

The axe carried immense power, causing the streams of Xuanhuang sword energy to collide and merge, transforming into a giant sword that retreated several miles before finally stopping!
Chen Shi was startled and looked at the sword energy, only to see that the Xuanhuang sword energy had almost been split in two.

Fortunately, this magical artifact was crafted from pure Xuanhuang ancestral energy, possessing form but no substance. With a slight thought, it returned to its original state. However, the power of this ferocious weapon of the Great Xia Dynasty truly gave him a great fright.

The fierce soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty had already raised their axes and halberds, and were about to strike again.

Just as Xiao Duan was about to lend a hand, Chen Shi leaped into the air and said in a deep voice, "Go ahead! Find the Nine Emperors first! I'll protect you!"

His figure soared, unleashing the Xuanhuang sword energy, the sword light flashing as he once again met the descending axe.

This time, he still used the Hunyuan Sword Scripture, but the sword technique no longer contained the Dao patterns of the Immortal Dao, but the Dao patterns of the Dark Sea and Sky Dao that he had comprehended from the Azure Palace.

The once upright swordsmanship suddenly became strange and bizarre. Various unorthodox methods were now being used as techniques by him in the nine chapters of the Sword Manual.

The moment the axe of the Great Xia weapon touched Chen Shi's Xuanhuang sword energy, the external path in Chen Shi's sword technique invaded. The Great Xia weapon immediately "saw" flesh growing wildly on the surface of its bones, and in a short moment, it seemed as if its physical body had returned.

Before it could even rejoice, it saw its own body resemble a giant tree, with countless fleshy roots extending from its feet and plunging into the earth.

It struggled fiercely, and just as it managed to pull out one leg, flesh and blood began to grow from all over its body, like roots, burrowing into the earth and trapping it firmly.

Amidst the sea of ​​fire, countless ferocious soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty came back to life, brandishing various weapons and hurling them at Fairy Xiao Duan.

Chains, copper hammers, hooks and forks, halberds, swords, shields and spears—you name it!
Chen Shi kept moving, swiftly weaving through the massive weapons, his Xuanhuang sword energy flashing as he met the attacks of the Great Xia's fierce soldiers head-on, amidst the sea of ​​fire with resounding clangs.

Those fierce soldiers of the Great Xia were far stronger than him, but they were also helpless against the heretics and were quickly trapped by him one by one.

Chen Shi's arms were sore and numb from the shock, and he was exhausted from dealing with it. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Kundulun and his group rushing in the direction Xiao Duan had gone, with many demonic immortals covering Kundulun alone.

The two sides are about to make contact.

Despite his busy schedule, Ning Gongfu bowed and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoists."

Chen Shi hurriedly returned the greeting: "Zhong Wuwang greets Fellow Daoist Ning."

Fairy Xiao Duan returned the greeting, saying, "Wen Wuyu greets Fellow Daoist Ning."

(End of this chapter)