On the Avenue.

Chapter 724 Ambush on the Hidden Dragon
Chen Shi led Cui Zhenzhen to the nearby Tianhe Ferry, boarded a star raft, and headed west towards Penglai.

Cui Zhenzhen was a bit too lively on the star raft, looking around and even sticking her head out, almost getting her head sliced ​​off by the Xuan Tian Aurora. Fortunately, Chen Shi pulled her back in time.

"This is my first time riding a starship," she said somewhat shyly.

Chen Shi asked, "Then how did you get to the North Sea? The distance from the Heavenly Court to the North Sea is quite long."

Cui Zhenzhen replied matter-of-factly, "We flew here. At that time, many of my fellow disciples also broke away from the Heavenly Army Camp and went around looking for work. However, all the places were already full. Later, we heard that there was money to be made in the North Sea, with mountains of gold and silver everywhere. We could earn enough to become a true immortal in a year, so a dozen of us headed straight for the North Sea. We traveled and stopped, flying for more than ten years, and finally arrived in the North Sea."

The Immortal Realm is extremely vast. For ordinary immortals, flying from the Heavenly Court to the North Sea for more than ten years is already considered fast.

Chen Shi said, "Who told you that there's money to be made in Beihai?"

"The Black Bodyguard of Heaven".

Chen Shi thought it must be these gangsters.

"What about those immortals who went to the North Sea with you?"

"Some died, some left."

Cui Zhenzhen felt a little melancholy. Those immortals who left the Heavenly Army Camp with her had supported each other, and some even fell in love. Unfortunately, those times, like those people, were gone forever.

She swept away the gloom in her heart, lifted her spirits, and cautiously asked, "Master, may I ask why you and Uncle Fan are so concerned about me?"

Although she calls Fan Xiao "Uncle Fan," Fan Xiao doesn't look old at all; on the contrary, he looks very young and can be considered a handsome and extraordinary immortal.

Chen Shi was also exceptionally handsome and had a refined appearance.

The fact that two outstanding young immortals were vying for her affections inevitably filled her with a secret joy.

"My struggle with him for you is partly to repay the kindness of your blood donation, and partly a contest between our paths."

Chen Shi laughed and said, "My conflict with him is actually a conflict between my path and that of the Celestial Court. When I went to the North Sea with him to hunt beasts, fish, and work as a medicine slave, I wanted to see the lives of the lower-level immortals and also to verify whether my path was correct."

"The struggle for you is not about you, but about winning the hearts and minds of the lower-level immortals. If you join the Celestial Court, it means my path has failed, Fan Xiao's Dao heart will be strengthened, and his desire to break my Dao will be even stronger. If you join my Golden Turtle Island, it means the Celestial Court's path has lost the hearts of the people, and Fan Xiao's Dao heart will be greatly damaged. It will be even more difficult for him to break my Dao."

Upon hearing this, Cui Zhenzhen dispelled her doubts, but also felt somewhat disappointed, saying, "Aren't you all vying for me because of my beauty?"

Chen Shi said seriously, "Zhenzhen, you don't have beauty, so don't think nonsense."

Cui Zhenzhen was dejected.

Chen Shi asked, "Then, Zhenzhen, why did you choose me instead of Fan Xiao?"

Cui Zhenzhen complained, "I didn't have time to choose before you took me out of the city. I originally planned to choose Master Fan."

Chen Shi was taken aback and asked, "Why did you choose Fan Xiao instead of me?"

Fearing he would be angry, Cui Zhenzhen carefully chose her words, saying, "When I was a celestial soldier in the Heavenly Court, I heard people mention Jin'ao Island. It had a bad reputation; it was as if all the bad things in the world were done by Jin'ao Island. So I'd rather go to the Celestial Court..."

"I see."

Chen Shi was somewhat disappointed and murmured, "You didn't choose one of us based on which path was correct. So, the conflict between me and Fan Xiao is not over yet."

He took out a stick of incense, lit it, and the incense smoke rose gently, but there was no response for a long time.

Chen Shi silently recited, "Godmother, your son Chen Shi has something important to report."

After a while, the incense smoke gradually formed the image of Houtu Niangniang. She was very happy to see Chen Shi and said with a smile, "Crown Prince, are you on the Star Raft? What brings you here? You are unaware of what has happened in the Earthly Immortal Realm! The Great Emperor of Beiyin has passed away! My true form is currently on my way to the Heavenly Court and has no time to deal with your affairs, so I have transferred your matter to me."

She is the avatar of the Earth Goddess Houtu in the Celestial Realm, and Chen Shishi's godmother.

Chen Shi said, "The killing of the Northern Emperor was done by the Right Celestial Master of the Celestial Court, the Hidden Dragon Ancestor."

Houtu Niangniang exclaimed in surprise, "Who is the Hidden Dragon Ancestor, that he possesses such abilities? How do you know it was him? The Ziwei Emperor said that I am very likely the next target, and the Great Heavenly Venerable has invited me to the Heavenly Court to discuss countermeasures..."

Chen Shi interrupted her: "I was right there when Qianlong killed the Northern Emperor."

Houtu Niangniang was slightly startled and abandoned the idea of ​​leaving immediately, saying, "Are you here?"

Chen Shi said, "My child is right here."

Houtu Niangniang fell silent, presumably communicating with Houtu Huangdiqi. After a moment, she said, "The Ziwei Emperor said that the villains used a peculiar talisman to alter the underlying structure of the immortal path, making immortal techniques extremely powerful. What kind of technique is this?"

"Yuan Fu."

Chen Shi said, "Yuanfu was created by the Hidden Dragon Ancestor and perfected by my grandfather Chen Yin and others. When the Northern Emperor was attacked for the first time, it was my grandfather who observed the weaknesses of the Northern Emperor's Dao and sent six Taiyi Golden Immortals to break his divine path."

The more Houtu Niangniang listened, the more shocked she became, as Chen Yindu was actually involved in this matter.

She was no stranger to Chen Yindu. Back then, they fought against the Heavenly Venerable together. Chen Yindu and the Creator Xiao Wu broke through the Heavenly Venerable's Dao Realm and made great contributions.

Unexpectedly, after all these years, he was able to see through the Northern Emperor's Daoist techniques!
Chen Shi circulated his vital energy, transforming it into nine consecutive Xuanhuang Yuan Talismans, and said in a deep voice, "Godmother, immediately memorize these talismans and pass them on to Empress Houtu, so that she can immediately change her own Daoist practices based on these nine Xuanhuang Yuan Talismans. I'm afraid she will face a fatal disaster on her trip to the Heavenly Court this time!"

While memorizing, Houtu Niangniang also comprehended the Nine Mysterious Yellow Talismans.

Seeing that the incense stick was about to burn out, Chen Shi lit another one.

After a moment, Houtu Niangniang shook her head and said, "I have no idea about the Taoist magic contained in these nine Xuanhuang Yuanfu."

Chen Shi said, "My grandfather deciphered it once using divine Dao patterns, and I passed it on to my godmother."

He used primordial energy to evolve divine Dao patterns. Although there were nine Xuanhuang Yuan Talismans, he used thousands of divine Dao patterns to explain the meaning of the Yuan Talismans!
The profound principles contained within the Yuanfu were astonishing. As Houtu Niangniang memorized them, she transmitted these Dao patterns to Houtu Huangdiqi.

Chen Shi lit another incense stick, and after a long while, Houtu Niangniang passed all nine Xuanhuang Yuan Talismans to Houtu Huangdizhi, saying, "Huangdizhi already knows and asked me to thank the Crown Prince. With these nine talismans, she is confident that she can fight against any being! Xiao Shi, be careful."

Her illusory image gradually faded away.

Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "Qianlong's next target is Houtu Huangdizhi. This person is extremely efficient and may have already gathered experts from the Celestial Court to intercept and kill my godmother. In that case, I'll trip him up first. Zhenzhen, if I am seriously injured later, you must pull me back in time to prevent me from being blasted out of the Starship."

Cui Zhenzhen was startled, but then she saw Chen Shi take a medium-sized altar from somewhere and place it on the star raft.

The altar was ten feet long and wide, divided into three steps, with strange Taoist patterns imprinted on the steps around it.

Chen Shi summoned the sword-nurturing gourd, and a sword aura flew out, piercing his heart. He took the most masculine and domineering blood from his heart, caught it in a jade bowl, and then wrote on the altar with a brush, changing the Dao patterns on the altar into Yuan symbols one by one.

He wielded his brush with lightning speed and fluidity, quickly transforming most of the Dao patterns into Yuan symbols.

Chen Shi then wrote the name of the Hidden Dragon Ancestor on the white curtain opposite him, casually tossed aside the jade bowl and pen, took off his shoes, removed his hairpin, let his hair down, and acted in a dissolute manner as he climbed the steps while performing incantations and chanting.

"Hey!" the boatman piloting the star raft shouted upon seeing this, "No nonsense on the star raft!"

Cui Zhenzhen was extremely nervous. She turned her head and said fiercely, "Just keep your boat running and don't meddle in the government's affairs, or I'll scatter your ashes!"

The boatman was startled and dared not speak.

After Chen Shi finished his ritual, he bowed deeply.

In the Celestial Court, the Hidden Dragon Ancestor had just bid farewell to the Celestial Emperor and stepped out of the Golden Palace when his expression suddenly changed. His blood and qi surged, making his body feel as if it were about to explode, and his primordial spirit also trembled violently, as if he had been hit by a heavy blow!
Chen Shi bowed deeply to the ground.

The jade crown that bound the Hidden Dragon Ancestor's hair burst open with a snap, and he let out a loud dragon roar, involuntarily revealing his true form as a blue dragon.

He was thousands of miles long and enormous, but he was thin and bony, appearing rather slender.

On the rapidly moving star raft, Chen Shi's body trembled violently, blood gushing from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He stomped hard on his feet, nearly crushing the altar, and the star raft shook violently as he stepped on it.

Chen Shi gritted his teeth and bowed down again.

The Thousand-Mile Dragon Ancestor's dragon body seemed to be hit by an invisible giant, and he was thrown high into the air. His dragon scales stood up, and his primordial spirit and physical body were crushed and squeezed by an invisible force, becoming twisted and deformed!

He coughed up blood, and shocking wounds appeared beneath his scales!
He remained calm in the face of danger, gathering all his power and summoning his own Dao Realm while activating his own Dao techniques.

As Chen Shi bowed for the third time, his waist had just bent when he was struck as if by a heavy blow. The altar beneath his feet exploded with a roar, and he was thrown away by an invisible force!
He had already fainted while still in mid-air.

Just as he was about to fly off the star raft, Cui Zhenzhen rushed forward without hesitation, grabbed his hand, and pulled with all her might, finally preventing him from flying off the star raft.

Cui Zhenzhen placed him on the star raft, reached out to check his breath, and was greatly shocked.

"died……"

Chen Shi had already stopped breathing.

Cui Zhenzhen frantically checked her heartbeat, but her heart was shattered, and naturally, there was no heartbeat. His limbs, bones, and internal organs were all shattered; there was absolutely no chance of survival!
Cui Zhenzhen quickly checked Chen Shi's primordial spirit, which was also shattered into pieces!

"It's over, it's over..."

Cui Zhenzhen was completely disoriented. Just then, she saw Chen Shi's corpse move, and pieces of broken bones were piecing themselves back together and reassembling.

Cui Zhenzhen was stunned. She rushed forward and checked Chen Shi's injuries again, only to be horrified to find that his heartbeat had returned at some point!

The heart that was shattered just moments ago is now completely intact!
Cui Zhenzhen didn't understand what had happened, but Chen Shi coming back to life was a good thing nonetheless.

Although Chen Shi was severely injured, with his physical body and primordial spirit almost shattered, he was actually recovering on his own!

After a while, Chen Shi slowly woke up, sat cross-legged, and activated the Immortal Art of Immortality to heal his injuries.

Cui Zhenzhen suppressed her doubts and did not ask any questions.

The Immortal Art of Immortality, having incorporated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, boasted an astonishing recovery speed. Before long, Chen Shi's injuries were almost completely healed.

He took out another altar from somewhere, grabbed a sword aura, pierced his heart, took the heart's blood, picked up a jade bowl and a pen, and used the pen to brand the incantation talisman on the altar.

"Hidden Dragon, when you kill the Northern Emperor, use my grandfather and the others as your first test. The second time, you will strike and deliver the fatal blow."

Chen Shi finished his painting quickly, casually tossed the jade bowl and brush behind him, let his hair down, and, in a carefree manner, stepped onto the new altar.

"Then can you foresee that I will follow your example and worship you twice?"

He came to the center of the altar and performed the ritual again, activating his magical powers.

"The gap between us is too great. The first time, I could only injure you, but the second time, you thought I had been killed by your counterattack and were completely unprepared. This time, I will severely injure you!"

Chen Shi moved swiftly across the altar, his clothes fluttering, as if he were in a frenzy, like a dance performed in worship of an ancient god.

At the height of the ritual, he suddenly stopped and bowed deeply!

At the same time, the powerful figures in the Celestial Court had already been awakened by the commotion of the Hidden Dragon Ancestor and rushed over. The first to arrive was the Celestial Emperor Supreme. He rushed to the Hidden Dragon's side, only to see that the old dragon's body was shrinking continuously and soon returned to the appearance of the Hidden Dragon Ancestor.

"Qianlong, you are injured." The Immortal Emperor was shocked and stepped forward to check his injuries.

"Your Majesty, it's alright."

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor, covered in blood, coughed as he said, “Someone tried to ambush me using incantations from the ancient Shang Dynasty. He bowed to me three times, attempting to curse me to death. However, his cultivation level was far inferior to mine. Although his incantations were exquisite, he still couldn’t harm me. This minor injury will heal with rest.”

The Celestial Emperor asked, "Who is that villain?"

Ancestor Qianlong shook his head and said, "I don't know either. This person should have been killed by the backlash of the curse. The art of the curse originated from the Great Shang Dynasty. I have seen it in some ancient books. I thought that this art had become extinct with the fall of the Great Shang Dynasty. I didn't expect that the curse art would still be passed down."

He was extremely fascinated by the Taoist arts of the world. When he talked about incantations, he would talk endlessly, saying, "The incantations from the Shang Dynasty must still exist. Maybe we can go back to the ancestral court, excavate the tombs of the nobles of the Shang Dynasty, and perhaps find some clues."

The Immortal Emperor interrupted him: "Will your injuries, fellow Daoist, delay this operation?"

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor laughed and said, "It's alright..."

Before he could finish speaking, another invisible force surged through his body, even stronger than the first one!
The Hidden Dragon Ancestor flew backward and crashed hard into a celestial mountain, shattering it into pieces!
Then the second and third attacks came one after another, catching him off guard!

"boom!"

"boom!"

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor's body was gushing with dragon blood, and he involuntarily revealed his true form, transforming into a giant dragon that could travel a thousand miles and crashed between the mountains, barely clinging to life.

The people of the Celestial Court rushed forward. The Hidden Dragon Ancestor had already transformed into human form and tried to get up, but his legs gave way and he knelt on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

On the other side, Chen Shi was once again struck dead by the shockwave, and Cui Zhenzhen risked her life to save him, managing to retrieve his body.

Not long after, Chen Shi's heartbeat returned once again from the brink of death.

Seeing this, Cui Zhenzhen secretly praised, "With such recovery ability and immortality, Chen Tianwang would be a master at hunting beasts, mining, or working as a medicine slave. He would definitely make a lot of money."

When Chen Shi woke up, his injuries were more severe this time, and the recovery time would be longer.

"Now, we can delay Qianlong for a while."

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "My godmother will then be able to fully comprehend the Nine Xuanhuang Talismans and replace her own divine Dao patterns."

(End of this chapter)