On the Avenue.

Chapter 712 A Promise Must Be Broken
The ship was quiet.

Xi Muran remained silent, raised her hand to touch the zither, but then stopped.

Half a year ago, he fought a life-or-death battle with Chen Shi. He used the Great Wilderness Pearl to restrain Chen Shi's Demon Blood Treasure Tree. In that battle, Chen Shi was defeated. If Li Tianwang had not appeared in time, Chen Shi would have been dead without a doubt.

However, he won that battle with difficulty. Chen Shi's Xuanhuang Sword Qi and Hongmeng Split were truly powerful, clashing head-on with him. Although there was a difference in their cultivation levels, the difference in their actual strength was not that great.

At that time, he was at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, having cultivated to the sixth level of the Golden Immortal Dao Realm, while Chen Shi was at the peak of the True Immortal realm, having cultivated to the sixth level of the True Immortal Dao Realm. They were a whole realm apart.

However, Chen Shi managed to close the gap in their cultivation levels by relying on three Dao Integration Lands, the Dark Sea Heavenly Dao, and the Master's inheritance!
Now that Chen Shi has crossed the barrier between realms and entered the Golden Immortal realm, although it seems that he has only improved by one Dao realm, in terms of realm, he is no different from Chen Shi.

Xi Muran suddenly stood up, picked up the Fuxi Qin, and floated up to land on the water outside the ship. He stepped on the back of the large fish that was pulling the ship, and with a flick of his sleeve, the chain connecting the fish to the ship broke instantly.

The giant fish carried him, breaking through the layers of towering waves of the Xuanhuang Sea, and soon disappeared from Chen Shi's sight.

"Alright! Junior Brother Chen, I'll escape for half a day first." His voice came from afar.

Chen Shi stood at the bow of the boat, raised his eyebrows, and suppressed the urge to give chase right then and there.

He raised his hand and cut off a wisp of breeze, the wind stirred up by Xi Muran's flowing robes. The wind carried Xi Muran's scent, faint yet enough for him to find her.

"What harm is there in letting you escape for half a day?"

Chen Shi said in a low voice, "But from now on, we can't be so lenient. If we can kill, we should kill on the spot!"

Xi Muran carried the Fuxi Qin on his back, stood on the fish's back, and looked at the waves surging towards him, weighing the pros and cons.

His retreat without a fight was not out of fear, but rather the best choice after careful consideration.

Chen Shi has cultivated to the Golden Immortal realm, and his cultivation level is bound to be astonishingly improved compared to the peak of the True Immortal realm. His understanding of the Dao has also reached a new height.

During this time, he consulted with his senior brother and thought he could use the Fuxi Qin and the Dragon Battle Wild Melody to defeat Chen Shi's Hunyuan Sword Scripture.

In particular, the Fuxi Qin is a treasure that contains incredible power. It is a treasure passed down from the ancestral court. It is said to be the first qin in the world made by Fuxi. It has established the five notes and twelve tones. Each note and tone carries the power of the Dao of heaven and earth, which can draw upon the Dao of heaven and earth to kill enemies.

The power of the Fuxi Qin is one aspect, and the Dragon Battle Wild Melody is another.

Dragons fight in the wild, their blood turning black and yellow.

The name of the Dragon Battle Wild Melody is taken from this phrase. This zither piece is actually a Daoist music of killing that mobilizes the power of the two energies of Xuanhuang. It was created by the eldest brother, Fan Xiao, and is specifically designed to break through Chen Shi's primordial chaos and separation of Xuanhuang.

Chen Shi's Hunyuan Wuji Daochang (Primordial Chaos Daoist Temple) is also rooted in the two energies of Xuanhuang (Mysterious and Yellow) and evolved into a Hunyuan state. It should also be restrained by this piece of music.

He has a chance of winning.

If the Great Wilderness Pearl were still around, he would have a 50% chance of winning against Chen Shi.

"But my Great Wilderness Pearl was shattered by Li Tianwang with a single palm strike."

Xi Muran remained expressionless as he rode the large fish away. In the distance, a multi-storied ship sailed by, carrying several immortals who had entered the sea. They were all astonished to see him speeding across the sea on a fish and stared at him intently.

With a flick of his sleeve, Xi Muran unleashed a move called "Lili Qingyan," turning all the immortals on the ship, along with the ship itself and the Xuanhuang sea monsters pulling it, into endless ashes, dying a violent death.

"I need to avoid Chen Shi's pursuit and cannot leave any witnesses. Otherwise, if Chen Shi finds me and learns of my movements from you, it will be detrimental to me."

After killing these people, Xi Muran pondered for a moment, took out an incense stick, held it and silently chanted. After a while, the incense smoke curled up and formed the face of his senior brother Fan Xiao, floating in the smoke and smoke, and said, "Junior Brother Xi, what business do you have with me?"

Xi Muran bowed and said, "Senior Brother, Chen Shi has broken through and become a Golden Immortal. His cultivation must be incredibly powerful, surpassing mine. In this battle, my chances of winning are less than 30%. He is arrogant and has granted me half a day to escape. I know I cannot escape his pursuit. I beg Senior Brother for your help!"

Fan Xiao pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "You should try your best to escape and create distance. Don't confront him head-on. Travel for half a day. Once the half day is up, immediately hide in the Dao Realm, cut off his aura, and make him unable to find you."

Xi Muran frowned: "I can't stay in the Dao Realm forever. Once I leave the Dao Realm, I will inevitably return to the Xuanhuang Sea. At that time, I still won't be able to escape his pursuit!"

Fan Xiao said, "Where is your place of Dao Integration? Fly back to the Earthly Immortal Realm from your place of Dao Integration. I will help you conceal the secrets of heaven so that he cannot calculate your location."

Xi Muran's face was pale. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "My place of Dao Integration is called Lanfeng Realm. It is located on the edge of Xuanhuang Sea. With my cultivation level, it would take me decades to fly back to the Earth Immortal Realm."

"Flying for decades?"

Fan Xiao was stunned and asked in confusion, "Is there no direct star gate between the Lanfeng Realm and the Earthly Immortal Realm? Does that mean the Milky Way doesn't flow into the Lanfeng Realm?"

Xi Muran lowered his head and said, "I have a selfish motive. After ascending, I wanted to use my power to erase the information about the Lanfeng Realm..."

Fan Xiao gave him a deep look, shook his head and said, "He brought this on himself."

The Earthly Immortal Realm rules over all the heavens and expands outwards every year, with many worlds emerging from the Dark Sea to become new settlements. These new settlements are the places where immortals and cultivators are most eager to migrate. Whenever a new world is created and freed from the Dark Sea, many immortals and cultivators rush there to compete for territory.

The new world signifies unclaimed holy lands, mineral veins, rare spiritual roots, and various resources, as well as the potential for advancement in cultivation.

However, some new worlds are so barren that no one cares about them. Only mortals and cultivators immigrate there, but becoming an immortal is extremely difficult.

Xi Muran was born in Lanfeng Realm, a place like this. In such a world, it is quite difficult for an immortal to be born. Xi Muran was lucky. While exploring a cave, he discovered a sacred place hidden underground in Lanfeng Realm. It was extremely advanced and produced extraordinary spiritual energy called Haotian Spiritual Energy. Therefore, he successfully merged with the Dao and ascended to immortality.

After Xi Muran ascended to immortality, he was worried that someone would find his Dao realm and that the Haotian Holy Land would be discovered. So he used his authority to destroy all the records of the Lanfeng World in the Earthly Immortal Realm.

Still not satisfied, he severed the star path, causing the Milky Way to stop flowing and prevent it from reaching the Lanfeng Realm. Finally, after he cultivated into a True Immortal, his Dao Realm enveloped the Lanfeng Realm, allowing him to refine and hide it.

In this way, the Lanfeng Realm became his own unique world.

However, the cultivators in this world serve only him, and there is no possibility of him ascending to immortality.

Xi Muran looked ashamed and said, "Senior Brother is right to criticize me."

Fan Xiao said, "Although it was your own doing, there are quite a few people in the Earthly Immortal Realm who have done such things. The law cannot punish everyone, so I cannot only blame you. Where is the nearest world to Lanfeng Realm? How long does it take to get there from Lanfeng Realm?"

Xi Muran said, "The nearest star gate to the Lanfeng Realm is located in Swan Bay of the Milky Way, the Star Sea Realm. At my speed, it would take me seven years to fly from the Lanfeng Realm to the Star Sea Realm."

Fan Xiao said, "Half a day later, you will return to Lanfeng Realm and then travel from Lanfeng Realm to Swan Bay Star Sea Realm. It will take me about two months to travel from Star Sea Realm to Lanfeng Realm, at which point we can meet again. During these two months, I will help you conceal the secrets of heaven so that he cannot calculate your location. The moment we meet, I will no longer conceal the secrets of heaven, revealing your location to lure him here so that I can kill him."

Xi Muran was deeply moved and bowed deeply in gratitude.

As the incense burned out, Fan Xiao's figure vanished.

Xi Muran rode the giant fish forward, secretly calculating the time.

After six hours, he immediately sensed his Dao realm, the void trembled, and the Lanfeng Realm slowly appeared above the Xuanhuang Sea.

Xi Muran took out all the Tianyuan coins he had and handed them to the big fish carrying him, saying, "Brother Fish, thank you for your help along the way."

The Xuanhuang sea monster, which had transformed into a fish-headed, human-bodied fishman, saw so much money and hurriedly said, "Young Master Xi has given too much. I don't need this much money! I'm just a small business owner, and I only accept what I deserve."

Xi Muran shook his head and said, "I left your ship at sea, and I don't know if it can be found. Consider these coins as compensation. Please accept them."

Seeing that he had given too many coins, the fish monster counted out a few and said, "This is enough for the fare. If you can find my ship, I will return the money to you."

Without a word, Xi Muran stuffed all the Tianyuan coins in his hand into his arms: "Just keep them as I told you to."

The fish monster was overjoyed and quickly hugged the Tianyuan coins tightly, fearing they would fall into the Xuanhuang Sea. It was extremely grateful and looked forward to paying off the debt for building the ship, with plenty left over to buy some things for its home.

Xi Muran asked with a smile, "Who else is in your family? Do you have any children?"

Upon hearing this, the fish monster laughed and said, "I have an elderly father and mother at home, and several younger brothers..."

As he spoke, he suddenly recalled the scene of Xi Muran killing someone on the road to cover his tracks, and a chill ran down his spine. He hurriedly tried to return the Tianyuan coins to Xi Muran, saying in a tearful voice, "Young Master Xi, I don't want your money, I just beg you to spare me..." "Pfft!"

A bloody hole appeared on his forehead, revealing light from both sides. His corpse swayed and sank into the Xuanhuang Sea along with these Tianyuan coins.

"I cannot reveal my location."

With a smile, Xi Muran wiped the blood from her fingers and said quietly, "My chances of winning are less than 30%. I can't let Chen Shi figure out my location because of you."

He leaped into the air and plunged into the Dao realm above.

As his figure disappeared into the Lanfeng Realm, the void slowly closed and vanished.

Meanwhile, Fan Xiao also arrived at the nearby Star Gate, boarded a Star Raft, and headed to Swan Bay.

On the Xuanhuang Sea, Chen Shi waited for half a day before returning to his own ship and instructing Yu San'er, "Go to the Star Gate of Denghai Town."

Yu San'er was stunned and asked, "Isn't Your Highness going to hunt down that Young Master Xi?"

Chen Shi shook his head and said, "There's no need to rush."

Yu San'er had no choice but to pull the boat toward Denghai Town, thinking to himself, "This young master Xi is a novice with little experience in the martial world. He was frightened by His Highness, but little did he know that His Highness knew he was no match for him and that's why he scared him. Now that he has disappeared without a trace, His Highness can escape."

He shook his head, thinking to himself, "Your Highness can only use this method once. Once Young Master Xi realizes what's going on, he'll be in danger. So we must get to the nearest star gate as soon as possible and escape from this place."

On the ship, Chen Shi raised his hand and gently grabbed a scroll of Heavenly Secrets. He unfolded the scroll, wrote Xi Muran's name on it, and Xi Muran's life story was revealed on the scroll.

He read through it one by one, and after a while, he closed the Heavenly Secrets Manual, tossed it aside, and the manual disappeared.

"Someone is trying to obscure the secrets of heaven, preventing me from calculating their exact location. However, this person's understanding of the Heavenly Dao is still somewhat shallow, not as profound as mine. The Lanfeng Realm? The nearest star gate to there is in Swan Bay of the Milky Way..."

Chen Shi said in a low voice, "To get to Swan Bay, I'm afraid I'll have to transfer to more than ten star rafts. After arriving at Swan Bay, it will probably take several years to fly to Lanfeng Realm. It's not worth spending six or seven years of my life to kill Xi Muran..."

He frowned slightly, looking somewhat reluctant.

More than ten days later, the ship approached Denghai Town.

Chen Shi went ashore, and the three fish opened their mouths wide and swallowed his ship whole. They then transformed into fish monsters with fish heads and human bodies and followed Chen Shi ashore.

As expected, Chen Shi headed towards the Star Gate, and Yu San'er quickly followed, thinking to himself, "It seems that His Highness is indeed no match for Young Master Xi, and escaped through the Star Gate at the first opportunity. His methods are truly slippery and ruthless; no wonder he can remain carefree even after being listed on the Immortal Execution List for so long."

Chen Shi led him to the ferry, boarded the star raft, and it took more than twenty days to return to Penglai West.

Upon arriving at Penglai West, Chen Shi arranged for Yu San'er to join the Heavenly Army Camp, becoming an outer disciple of Jin'ao Island to learn Taoist magic and supernatural powers. Chen Shi personally taught him, imparting to him the Taoist arts of the Xuanhuang Two Qi.

Yu San'er was a unique creature living in the Xuanhuang Sea. After learning the Xuanhuang Daoist arts, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, progressing at a rapid pace.

Seeing that his cultivation was on the right track, Chen Shi was relieved and said to Fairy Xiao Duan, "I'm here to guard Penglai West. Madam, you should go back to the Celestial Realm and have the Nine Emperors reincarnate. The Earth Goddess of the Celestial Realm is my godmother. When I go to Houde Palace this time, I will mention this matter to my godmother, and she will make proper arrangements."

Xiao Duan said, "I will come back as soon as I have dealt with this matter and will not stay long."

Chen Shi sensed the Celestial Realm, and a dark sea appeared in the sky. The Celestial Realm within the sea became even larger than before, gradually becoming clearer from its previous blurriness.

Chen Shi's cultivation level was much higher than before. Even without taking the Fuluo Village Elixir, he could barely sense the Celestial Realm. However, the Celestial Realm was still quite blurry, and he could not fly into it.

At this moment, another Dao Realm of Chen Shi appeared, which was the Demon Realm in the Well.

Xiao Duan leaped into the Demon Realm and arrived at the Jade Balance Gate. A beam of celestial light shot out from the Jade Balance Gate, enveloping her and carrying her away through the air.

About half a month later, the celestial light flew into the Jade Balance Gate of the Celestial Realm. Fairy Xiao Duan walked out of the gate, first paying her respects to Chen Tang and Wu Qingyu to report that she was safe and sound, before heading to the Underworld to find the Goddess Houtu.

At the same time, Chen Shi arrived at the Dao Ruins and entered Fuluo Village. He smiled at Shang Dugong and said, "Master Dugong, I have come to seek your teachings."

After arranging the reincarnations of the nine emperors of the Great Shang Dynasty and sending their remnant souls to their next lives, Fairy Xiao Duan returned to the mortal realm to visit old friends. Half a month passed in total. Concerned for the safety of Jin'ao Island, she ascended the Jade Balance Gate, preparing to return home.

Another half month passed, and she finally returned to the Demon Realm in the Well. Looking up, she saw that the sky above the Well was none other than Golden Turtle Island.

With a slight stirring in her heart, Fairy Xiao Duan flew out of the well and indeed returned to Golden Turtle Island.

"This round trip will take nearly a month, but it takes much less time than returning from the Earthly Immortal Realm to the Celestial Immortal Realm."

She entered Biyou Palace and saw Chen Shi bathing and changing clothes in the palace. He was wearing only a loose white robe, and his hair was not tied up. His long hair was disheveled, and he was sitting silently burning incense.

"What is my husband doing?" Fairy Xiao Duan asked with great curiosity.

Chen Shi was sitting on an altar that was nearly ten feet long and wide. It looked like an ordinary altar used for performing rituals, but it was covered with various strange Taoist patterns.

Fairy Xiao Duan examined it carefully and felt that it was somewhat familiar, like the Daoist runes of a witch, but it was also different. It should have been deciphered and re-analyzed using the Daoist runes of the immortals.

When she arrived, Chen Shi had just finished his ritual and was bowing deeply on the altar, his hands on the ground.

A white curtain hung opposite him, its breath rustling as it was struck. Then, a splash of blood appeared out of nowhere and splattered onto the curtain, turning the white fabric crimson!

Chen Shi stood up and bowed again, and the blood splattered even more fiercely.

Chen Shi bowed for the third time, and a loud shout came from behind the curtain, followed by the sound of a corpse falling into the sea.

The little fairy was terrified and secretly looked behind the curtain, but there was nothing there.

She turned around and saw Chen Shi stepping down from the altar. She quickly asked, "What is my husband praying for?"

"Oh, I spent the last month or so consulting Master Du about incantations and deducing the principles of incantations. So I became a friend of his."

Chen Shi washed his hands and smiled, "I said I would see him off, and now that I've bowed three times, I haven't broken my promise."

When Fairy Xiao Duan saw that he wouldn't say anything, she didn't ask any further questions.

Meanwhile, Fan Xiao flew all the way to Lanfeng Realm. After traveling for more than two months, he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Xi, I've found you!"

Xi Muran was on her way from Lanfengjie to Swan Bay when she heard the voice. She looked in the direction of the sound and was both surprised and delighted. She could finally relax.

Fan Xiao walked over and said leisurely, "With me here, we no longer need to conceal the secrets of heaven."

Before he could finish speaking, Xi Muran's body suddenly trembled violently, blood flowed from his seven orifices, as if he had been struck by an invisible giant. He opened his mouth and spat out a jet of blood, his life hanging by a thread!

Fan Xiao was startled and hurriedly flew forward. At this moment, the second invisible attack came. Xi Muran's primordial spirit collapsed and shattered, and the blood in his body was drained in an instant!

"Junior Brother Xi!"

Fan Xiao reached out to grab it, trying to block the inexplicable attack for him, but even though Fan Xiao was incredibly powerful and almost a Golden Immortal, he didn't know where this third attack came from.

In an instant, Fan Xiao sealed the space where Xi Muran was located, but the third invisible attack still struck.

Xi Muran cried out, his life force shattered, his soul disintegrated, and his body fell into the sea.

Fan Xiao pulled his body out of the sea, his face ashen.

—Thanks to the three alliance leaders, Hope to Do 5, Rushing Water, and Minzhai, for their generous donations.

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(End of this chapter)