On the Avenue.

Chapter 757 Confession
"Everything is under the control of the Great Celestial Venerable."

Chen Shi watched the imperial chariot approaching from within the purple light and silently thought to himself.

The Jade Emperor, the Great Heavenly Venerable, controls everything.

During this campaign to quell the rebellion, the Great Celestial Venerable appeared to do nothing, but everything was under his control.

From the time when Venus came to deliver the imperial decree and brought the imperial axe, to the time when Venus died under the imperial axe.

From the chaos in Tian Shi Yuan to the struggle of Gouchen Emperor between rebellion and non-rebellion.

From Yun Zhongzi's probing to Yun Zhongzi's actual action.

From Chen Shi suppressing the rebellion to the ambush set by the Wu Yue Star Lord.

From the intervention of Qingxu Daode Tianzun, to the action of Gouchen Dadi, and finally to Yun Zhongzi making his decision.

And now, with the arrival of the Great Emperor Ziwei and the departure of Yun Zhongzi, everything is under the control of the Great Celestial Venerable, and all events are proceeding according to his will.

"If Yun Zhongzi does not retreat when the Ziwei Emperor arrives, he will face an attack from the brothers Ziwei and Gouchen, destroying their past friendship. Although Yun Zhongzi is not afraid, Ziwei and Gouchen will completely side with the Heavenly Court. Moreover, Yun Zhongzi also needs to be wary of whether the Great Heavenly Venerable will appear, making victory impossible."

Chen Shixin said, "Therefore, Yun Zhongzi's best choice is to retreat directly instead of confronting Ziwei. First, it preserves some of his relationship with the Ziwei Emperor, and second, it doesn't give the Great Celestial Venerable any opportunity to attack him. This is the best counterattack he can make against the Great Celestial Venerable, but it's just a struggle. In comparison, he has already suffered a complete defeat."

Chen Shi felt a pang of bitterness. Yun Zhongzi had lost completely to the Great Celestial Venerable, but he was still a player. Chen Shi, on the other hand, was a mere pawn.

"But to the Great Celestial Venerable, Yun Zhongzi is also a pawn. I am a pawn, Gouchen is a pawn, Ziwei is a pawn, and all the Great Luo Golden Immortals in my Dao Ruins are, without exception, pawns manipulated by the Great Celestial Venerable."

Chen Shi exhaled a breath of turbid air. Erlang Zhenjun said that the Great Celestial Venerable's cunning was unfathomable, and now he had fully experienced it and deeply admired him.

The chariot of the Ziwei Emperor came to a stop. The full title of this emperor is the Zhongtian Ziwei Beiji Taihuang Emperor. The so-called Zhongtian Beiji refers to the North Star, which is located in the due north, the North Pole. It is also called Zhongtian because it is the center of the starry sky, and all the stars revolve around it.

The Ziwei Emperor alighted from his chariot, named the Seven Fragrance Chariot. Its fragrance was intoxicating and captivating, a treasure he had presented to King Zhou. After the conquest of Shang, he was deified and became the Ziwei Emperor; this chariot accompanied him to the Heavenly Court.

Chen Shi sized up the Ziwei Emperor, the last of the Four Emperors. His face was like a full moon, his appearance was beautiful, he was young and handsome, and his demeanor was refined. Because he had been worshipped for a long time, the purple aura of incense surrounded his body, and his divine power was even stronger than that of Gouchen.

"Why has my elder brother come?" Emperor Gouchen asked, surprised and uncertain.

He had thought it would be the Jade Emperor who would come to his rescue, but to his surprise, it was the Ziwei Emperor who arrived.

The Ziwei Emperor is the master of all stars, in charge of the natural order of change, the order of the underworld, and the order of demons and monsters. For example, the North Pole Exorcism Institute is under his rule, as is Fengdu, which is a division of the powers of the Earth God.

His incense offerings were even more abundant than Gouchen's, therefore his divine power was stronger than Gouchen's. However, Gouchen was an immortal whose cultivation in the immortal path had reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, while he was a pure deity.

The Great Emperor Ziwei said, "The Great Heavenly Venerable sent someone to inform me that you would be in danger. I received the news and rushed here immediately. Fortunately, it's not too late."

Emperor Gouchen remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "So, my brother will not betray the Heavenly Court and join the Celestial Court?"

The Ziwei Emperor laughed and said, "The one who bestowed upon me the title of Ziwei is one of the Three Pure Ones, not the Three Pure Ones Realm, nor the Celestial Court. I don't think as much as you do."

His words were very direct, which completely calmed the Gouchen Emperor down. He smiled and said, "The one who bestowed upon me the title of Gouchen is also one of the Three Pure Ones."

He felt a wave of relief after several days of gloom, as if all the inner turmoil and contradictions had vanished. However, he also felt somewhat sorry for Chen Shi.

After all, he had been asking Chen Shi a lot of questions these days, forcing Chen Shi to persuade him to join the rebellion.

The Ziwei Emperor was gentle and refined, always treating people with kindness and without any airs of a great emperor. He asked Chen Shi, "Could you be Heavenly King Chen?"

Chen Shi stepped forward to pay his respects and said, "Chen Shi greets Your Majesty."

The Ziwei Emperor returned the greeting, and then greeted the Changchun Emperor and others in the Dao Ruins behind Chen Shi. The Changchun Emperor and the others hurriedly returned the greeting, saying, "We are just country bumpkins, greetings to Brother Ziwei!"

The Ziwei Emperor treated people with kindness and gentleness, and did not look down on them because they were crippled by heretics.

After exchanging pleasantries with them, the Ziwei Emperor looked at Chen Shi and smiled, saying, "I've heard that Heavenly King Chen has become a teacher in Penglai West. Since he's a teacher, we're equals, so there's no need for formalities. I've also heard that Heavenly King Chen has been to the North Pole?"

Chen Shi's heart skipped a beat, realizing that he wasn't referring to the North Pole, but to Fengdu.

Back then, Chen Yindu plotted against the Northern Emperor, causing a great commotion. The Celestial Master of the Immortal Court, the Hidden Dragon Ancestor, led Chen Yindu, Chen Shi, and others to Fengdu again, killed the Northern Emperor, and triggered this war between immortals and gods.

When Qianlong killed the Northern Emperor, many of the ghosts and gods of the Six Heavens saw Chen Shi and Chen Yin standing in the doorway. This may be why the Ziwei Emperor asked Chen Shi if he had been to the North Pole.

“I’ve been there,” Chen Shi said.

The Ziwei Emperor was quite surprised, not expecting Chen Shi to be as honest as his name suggested.

Chen Shi said, "When Qianlong, the Right Celestial Master of the Celestial Court, assassinated the Northern Emperor, I was outside the Fengdu Heavenly Palace."

The Purple Emperor's eyes flashed, and he said, "Master Chen must have a reason to kill the Northern Emperor, right?"

"No."

Chen Shi confessed truthfully, saying, "My grandfather and I were coerced by Qianlong and had no choice but to help him perfect the Yuanfu. Later, we also had no choice but to follow him to Fengdu to verify whether his Yuanfu could kill the Northern Emperor."

"Yuanfu?"

Upon hearing this, both the Ziwei Emperor and the Gouchen Emperor felt a slight tremor in their hearts.

They had heard of Yuanfu (元符), but knew little about it. The Ziwei Emperor had collected some Yuanfu from the corpse of the Northern Emperor, but these Yuanfu were very one-sided and difficult to understand.

In this battle against the Celestial Court, the Three Pure Realms, and the Western Paradise, they also discovered that some powerful immortals and Buddhas used primordial symbols to overcome stronger opponents, which greatly shocked them.

"You and your ancestor helped Qianlong perfect the Yuanfu?"

Emperor Gouchen said, "After perfecting the Yuanfu, how could Qianlong let you leave alive?"

Chen Shi smiled and said, "The Yuanfu is only two or three-tenths complete. To reach the state of perfection, it needs more people with great wisdom and expertise in unorthodox methods to complete it. Qianlong still needs my grandfather and me to continue to help him improve the Yuanfu. As long as the Yuanfu is not yet complete, we will not die."

This statement is somewhat untrue. What the Hidden Dragon Ancestor needed was Chen Yindu and Creation Little Five, not Chen Shi. He once tried to use someone else to kill Chen Shi, but he failed.

However, there is no need to explain these things to Gouchen and Ziwei.

The Ziwei Emperor said, "The Northern Emperor was first assassinated by six Taiyi Golden Immortals. These six were not particularly powerful, but they managed to break the Northern Emperor's Daoist magic..."

"My grandfather did it."

Chen Shi readily confessed again, saying, "My grandfather completely destroyed the Northern Emperor's divine arts and magic. He devised this assassination plan to test whether the Yuan Fu could break through the divine arts. After severely injuring the Northern Emperor, Qianlong used my grandfather's method to kill him."

Gouchen and Ziwei exchanged a glance, both unable to hide their shock. After regaining their composure, Ziwei continued, "The Earth Goddess Houtu was ambushed in the Xuanhuang Sea, killing two Great Luo Golden Immortals and forcing back Guang Chengzi and a host of other experts. Her strength is extraordinary..."

"I passed on my godmother's Yuanfu."

Chen Shi interrupted him and continued to confess, "After the Northern Emperor died, I realized that the Celestial Court's next target was my godmother. Therefore, I contacted my godmother immediately, taught her the Yuan Talisman, and replaced her body with divine Dao patterns, which led to this victory."

Emperor Gouchen's eyes lit up, and he asked, "How do you understand the divine way of Houtu, the Earth Goddess?"

It is basic common sense that one cannot impart the corresponding talisman without understanding the divine way of Houtu Huangdiqi.

Chen Shi said, "My godmother once taught me her Xuanhuang Daoist patterns."

Emperor Gouchen hesitated, but Empress Houtu imparted the Xuanhuang Dao Patterns to Chen Shi, essentially passing on her most crucial abilities without reservation. Even with the most trusted person, one might not necessarily pass on the fundamental teachings. Moreover, Chen Shi was merely her adopted son? And this adopted son was only one recognized by her avatar.

But even with this connection, the title of Empress Houtu was still passed down.

Moreover, it was the Xuanhuang Dao patterns passed down by Houtu that saved her life.

However, Gou Chen put himself in others' shoes and felt that he might not have the same magnanimity and spirit as Hou Tu.

At this moment, the Ziwei Emperor laughed and said, "Master Chen, I will pass on the North Pole Dao Pattern to you. Can you pass on the corresponding Yuan Talisman to me?"

Emperor Gouchen was greatly shaken and looked at him in disbelief.

The Great Emperor Ziwei laughed and said, "Immortals have observed our divine bodies and Daoist techniques countless times. Our Daoist techniques and supernatural powers have long been seen and learned by others. Why should we cherish them so much?"

"Brother, that's different!"

Emperor Gouchen argued, "What they observed was merely a superficial, superficial understanding..."

"the same."

The Purple Emperor laughed and said, "Otherwise, why would Fellow Daoist Northern Emperor have died at the hands of the Hidden Dragon?"

Emperor Gouchen remained silent.

For a long time, there has been an unwritten rule in the Heavenly Court that famous disciples among the immortals can spend some money to observe powerful deities up close, ponder the Great Dao represented by these Great Dao deities, and comprehend profound Daoist laws.

If one's status is high enough and one pays enough, one can even observe beings like the Four Emperors.

During this time, the Daoist techniques of the Four Emperors were probably recorded by the Celestial Court, which attempted to decipher them.

Chen Shi said, "As long as I have His Majesty's fundamental Dao patterns, and give me some time, I can transform the Dao patterns into corresponding Yuan symbols."

The Ziwei Emperor smiled and said, "If my divine path also uses primordial symbols to replace Dao patterns, then am I a god or an immortal?"

Chen Shi was slightly taken aback; he hadn't thought about that question before.

The Great Emperor Gouchen beside him was also stunned.

Even Changchun Emperor, Niangpo Yuanjun, and others in the Dao Ruins felt their minds resounding, as if bursts of lightning were exploding in their brains.

The biggest difference between gods and immortals is, of course, the source of their magical power. One relies on the extraordinary power transformed from the incense offerings of the common people to accumulate cultivation, while the other relies on personal cultivation and enlightenment of heaven and earth to improve themselves.

Therefore, the divine path should serve all living beings and receive offerings from the common people, while the immortal path should be detached from the world and transcend worldly affairs.

One of them cultivated to become a god, and the other to become an immortal; one wanted to cultivate merit, and the other wanted to cultivate the Daoist heart.

The paths of gods and immortals are different from each other, becoming two completely different realms.

What if the basic structure that makes up the divine path is the same as the basic structure that makes up the immortal path?

So what's the difference between the path of gods and the path of immortals?

Has the line between gods and immortals suddenly become blurred?

The Great Emperor Ziwei said, "If the Yuanfu is widely promoted, there will be no more God Path and Immortal Path. The God Path and Immortal Path are just two different paths and methods of cultivation, leading to the same goal. Gods and immortals are all of the same kind. At that time, there will be no difference between gods and immortals."

Emperor Gouchen murmured, "If the world is at peace, there's no need for bloodshed. Is there any need for the Celestial Court and the Heavenly Court to fight over who is the rightful heir?"

"No, we will still fight for it."

Chen Shi said decisively, "Yuanfu was created by the Hidden Dragon Ancestor. He created the first Yuanfu. With his intelligence, he could naturally have foreseen that once Yuanfu was created, there would be no difference between gods and immortals. Knowing this, he still insisted on supporting the Immortal Emperor's rebellion, which shows that the power struggle will not change because of Yuanfu."

The Ziwei Emperor nodded slightly and said, "Once the Yuanfu is widely implemented, there will be no difference between gods and immortals. The only difference will be who sits on the throne in the Heavenly Court. That person is not me, so why shouldn't I rebel?"

Emperor Gouchen said, "Even if they rebel, they cannot change the way the world is."

“But I couldn’t sit there before, but I can sit there after the rebellion. Why not?” Zi smiled.

Emperor Gouchen sighed.

The Ziwei Emperor looked at Chen Shi and asked, "I have seven types of Arctic Dao Patterns. If I pass them all on to Master Chen, how long will it take you to transform them into Yuan Fu?"

Without hesitation, Chen Shi said, "I want to see the Arctic Dao pattern first!"

"it is good!"

Emperor Ziwei raised his hand and waved it, and streams of purple energy descended from the sky. Within the purple energy, the dazzling Arctic Dao patterns appeared one by one, representing the divine Dao of Emperor Ziwei, the Dao God!
There are seven types of Dao patterns, each containing extremely rich and profound Dao principles.

These Dao patterns have countless variations, forming a complex and mysterious Daoist system in the Arctic.

Chen Shi examined each of the Dao patterns, judging the profound principles they contained, and after a moment said, "Two months!"

The Great Emperor Ziwei laughed heartily and said, "Very well! I will come in two months to receive your teachings!"

Emperor Gouchen hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Master Chen, how long will it take for my Gouchen Dao Patterns to develop?"

He also revealed the nine Gou Chen Dao patterns. Chen Shi observed them for a moment and said, "It will also take two months!"

Emperor Gouchen laughed and said, "Very well, in that case, let's meet on Jin'ao Island two months from now!"

(End of this chapter)