Bai Laoqi fell silent.
"Father has always been too biased. He was like that from the very beginning."
Bai Laowu said in a heavy voice, "Aside from Second Brother, the aptitudes of the rest of us brothers were all about the same, yet Father insisted that his character was better and made him family head. The best resources were always in the family head's hands. And the result? After all these years, what accomplishments has Eldest Brother achieved in martial arts? I, for one, can't see the slightest hope of him condensing a Golden Body!"
"Ah..."
Bai Laoqi let out a sigh. "We're all family. Don't dwell too much on these personal gains and losses."
"Exactly. You don't dwell on them, which is why the place at Qingxu Sect won't fall to you."
Bai Laowu paused, then added, "And there's something you may not know yet—Father... doesn't have much longer."
After parting from Bai Linxun, Chen Sanshi returned to his own cave dwelling.
His daily routine also returned to its original state.
On one hand, he continuously gathered intelligence. On the other, he remained in seclusion and cultivated diligently.
Basically, out of the 12 double-hours in a day, he would spend 1 to 2 double-hours controlling a puppet to handle Great Han's state affairs, and 2 double-hours cultivating his various arts.
Every month, he would also specifically set aside a few days to refine pills.
In the blink of an eye, more than 2 years passed.
Guihe Pill was a pill from the ancient pill formulas specifically meant for cultivators in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
Relying on it, Chen Sanshi's immortal cultivation kept advancing by leaps and bounds.
[Technique: Swallowing Fire Art · Foundation Establishment Early Stage]
[Progress: 395/500]
At this rate, breaking through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment before the final period arrived was basically a certainty.
For immortals, 2 years was no more than going into seclusion a few times—a fleeting instant.
Over these 2 years, the situation in Northern Yang Dao had not changed much.
Aside from Shengyun Sect, the people from the other sects gradually dispersed, seemingly because manpower was needed elsewhere, which signaled that the previous matter had been let go without conclusion.
The demonic cultivators were still continuing to seize living people for cultivation, and the scope was growing wider and wider. By this recent period, it was no longer limited to mortals.
Even among the various cultivation families of Northern Yang Dao, and even Shengyun Sect's disciples, people were often meeting with disaster, throwing everyone into panic.
"Huff..."
After another day of cultivation ended, Chen Sanshi opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid qi. With a thought, he linked up with his natal puppet far away in Tianyong City and began remotely handling state affairs.
Almost every day, there would be an entire table piled full of memorials. Even using a puppet, it still consumed a great deal of mental energy.
Especially after annexing Southern Xu, the territory had expanded, and naturally the people and affairs that needed managing increased as well. Moreover, the matters in Eastern Qing were nearly dealt with too. Before long, that land would also be incorporated into Great Han's territory.
Fortunately, Xu Wencai was still around. Otherwise, there were many things he truly would not have been able to manage at all.
Speaking of which,
that brat Chen Duhe had finally managed to correct his temperament somewhat, yet it seemed he had corrected it a bit too far. He no longer vied to be Crown Prince, and was instead more obsessed with practicing martial arts, with little interest in state affairs.
Basically, Xu Wencai had to drag him over by force before he would reluctantly give up training time and learn to handle some matters.
It was now the 7th month of the 14th year of Tianwu.
At this same time last year, several major cases had occurred in Southern Xu, and it was Chen Duhe who went to handle them. He had dealt with the matters fairly well, though his killing intent was still rather heavy. Wherever he went, blood flowed like rivers among those implicated in the cases.
Some of those people perhaps did not deserve death, but so long as it did not implicate the completely innocent, there was no real way to blame him. After all, it had indeed produced a deterrent effect.
"Yunmei..."
Controlling the puppet, Chen Sanshi looked toward a little girl in a padded jacket inside the Boundless Hall, wobbling as she walked, a flower glowing with 7-colored spiritual light clutched in her little hand.
That spiritual plant had been grown in Flower Medicine Palace.
The Earth Spirit Purple Vine was growing at a shocking speed. In just 2 short years, it had already transformed more than a dozen mu of spiritual fields, and that number was still continuously expanding.
Hearing someone call her, the little girl tilted her head and looked toward the puppet. At just over 2 years old, her speech was still not entirely clear.
But under the guidance of her imperial mother and empress mother, she knew that the wooden figure behind the desk was her father, and she called out in a babyish voice, "Daddy."
"Heh heh."
Chen Sanshi smiled. "Good girl. I hear you're quite a mischievous one too. Even your imperial elder brother is afraid of you now."
"Yunmei!"
Sun Li, dressed in a long gown, entered the hall and picked up the little girl. "Didn't Mother tell you not to come to Boundless Hall and disturb your father when there's no reason?"
"It's fine."
Chen Sanshi said softly, "Senior Sister, you've worked hard these 2 years taking care of Yunmei."
"I haven't worked hard."
Sun Li said, "It's just that you haven't come back for more than 2 years, Junior Brother. Yunxi and Lan jie'er have all been missing you very much. If you have time, you should still come back for a visit."
"I'll do my best."
He could only say as much.
A round trip between the two sides would take at least more than half a month. With even a slight delay, dozens of days would pass.
In the current situation, he truly did not have that kind of time.
If it were simply a matter of accompanying his family, Chen Sanshi would be willing even if it meant neglecting some of his cultivation time. But right now, the massive mountain that was Daze Main Peak was still pressing down before him.
If he had no way to resolve it, then everything before his eyes would be nothing more than flowers reflected on water and the moon mirrored in a glass—illusory and impossible to keep.
[Spell: Ten Thousand Swords Descend · Limit Break Stage 3]
[Progress: 590/2000]
[Art: Talisman Drawing (Second Tier)]
[Progress: 255/1000]
[Divine Ability: Arrow Dao (First Tier)]
[Progress: 1525/2000]
[Art: Heavenly Derivation Ten Thousand Soldiers Art (First Layer)]
[Progress: 488/500]
After cutting off his connection with the Boundless Hall, Chen Sanshi continued throwing himself into increasing his strength. His puppet art was on the verge of breaking through to the second tier.
Just as he was about to push through in one burst of effort, a sudden commotion came from outside the cave dwelling.
"Your Majesty, something has happened."
The voice of Dongfang Jingxing, who was guarding the dharma, sounded from outside the door.
"With a wave of his hand, Chen Sanshi opened the door to the cave dwelling. "Speak."
"At the back mountain," Dongfang Jingxing said. "Just now. We still don't know what happened."
Chen Sanshi immediately rose into the air.
He saw that within Dusk Valley, nearly everyone was gathering in panic toward the direction of the back mountain.
The back mountain...
If he remembered correctly, that was where Bai family's old ancestor's cave dwelling was located.
"Come with me and have a look."
As Chen Sanshi spoke, he took the lead and flew toward the back mountain.
During the process, he was not stopped. In the end, he saw that the crowd had indeed gathered outside Bai family's old ancestor's cave dwelling.
"Bai Ange, stop shouting here! Your grandfather is in seclusion. What chaos could there possibly be?!"
He saw Bai Linxun seize a young man with a strange expression and stride into the cave dwelling.
Bai Laosi, meanwhile, sternly shouted at the people who had rushed over after hearing the noise, "What are all of you still doing here? If you disturb the old ancestor's seclusion, can you bear that responsibility?!"
The Bai family clansmen looked at one another, not knowing what had happened, but they could only obey and gradually disperse.
Before long, only the stewards of the various Bai family branches remained at the scene.
"Brother Xiao, don't go."
Bai Linxun called out to him, his tone dazed as he said, "Come in with us."
"Alright."
Chen Sanshi nodded.
He followed them into the cave dwelling's cultivation chamber, and then he saw a dried corpse.
Bai Xifeng's corpse!
The shriveled corpse looked as though it had been pieced together from dead branches. The wrinkled skin clung tightly to the body, outlining the shape of the bones. Only through the face, whose eyes had not closed in death, could one barely identify this person as Bai family's old ancestor, Bai Xifeng.
The stark contrast was with the 10,000-year Spirit-Shaking Willow clutched tightly in his hand, still brimming with life.
Such a miserable state of death looked as though all the blood in his body had been drained away in a single instant.
"Father! Father!!!!"
Bai Laowu dropped to his knees and threw himself beside the corpse, wailing in grief.
The others also knelt on the ground, their expressions sorrowful. The cultivation chamber was filled with mourning.
"This..."
Chen Sanshi asked directly, "Who did this?"
"Who else could it be? Naturally those rampant demonic cultivators from recent times!"
Bai Laosi's eyes were bloodshot. "I've seen cultivators from other places who died miserably, and they looked exactly the same as Father. If they didn't do it, then who did?!"
"If the Seven Kill Sect and the Demon-Suppression Bureau are colluding," Bai Laosan said, "then there is a very high chance this matter was deliberately done by the Demon-Suppression Bureau. They're trying..."
"To make a move on our Dusk Valley, Eldest Brother!"
"They've gone too far."
Bai Liangbi lifted his head and closed his eyes. His clenched fists trembled from exerting too much force.
"Eldest Brother," Bai Linxun said darkly, "with Father murdered, there is now only you left in the clan at the late stage of True Force. I'm afraid that won't be enough to suppress those wolves with wild ambitions. What should we do next?"
"Seal off the news. Under no circumstances can more people learn that Father has passed away. As for today's disturbance, later we'll say that he was preparing to break through into the pseudo-Golden Body realm."
Bai Liangbi instructed, "Then send some more divine wood spirit liquid to the people of Shengyun Sect to draw closer to them. Let it serve as a warning not to push us too far. Otherwise, we'll perish together."
"I understand."
Bai Linxun nodded.
No matter who had killed him, the news of Bai Xifeng's death could not be leaked.
And that was precisely why Bai Ange, who had come to seek guidance in martial arts, had been stopped in time after discovering the situation, so that he could not spread the truth.
"Brother Xiao," Bai Liangbi added, "to be frank with you, the reason we're not hiding this from you is that they may very well continue making moves against us in secret in the near future."
"As of now, within Dusk Valley, only your strength surpasses mine by a margin. If anything else happens, I hope you will lend us your aid."
"If it is within my power, I will certainly do my utmost."
Chen Sanshi calmly agreed, though he took an extra look at the other man's meridians.
Within Bai Liangbi's body, the blood-fiend aura had surged wildly, to the point that it had almost completely overwhelmed his original profound force.
"Many thanks, Daoist Friend Xiao."
Bai Liangbi cupped his fists.
"Eldest Brother!"
Bai Laowu suddenly shouted, "Haven't you had enough yet? Father's death was only a warning. If we keep resisting stubbornly, our Bai family will truly be finished. Take my advice and cooperate with the Demon-Suppression Bureau. Hand the thing over to them, and whatever happens afterward, let them bear the consequences."
"Laowu!"
Even Bai Linxun, who was usually mild-tempered, could not help but grow angry. He rebuked him, "We already told you it isn't that simple. Why won't you listen? Father has only just passed away, and you already want to hand over the Bai family's life's work for nothing? How could you face our ancestors?"
"And if the Bai family dies to the last person, that would be worthy of our ancestors?!"
Bai Laowu retorted with righteous indignation, "I truly do not understand why things have to be pushed to this point!"
"Wait, Laowu!"
Bai Laosi scrutinized him, then suddenly recalled something. "Were you near the back mountain last night? Does Father's death have anything to do with you?!"
"What are you saying? Laosi, don't you dare slander me!"
Bai Laowu glared with eyes wide open. "How could I possibly help outsiders murder Father?!"
"You think we haven't known all these years about your dissatisfaction toward Eldest Brother and Second Brother?!"
Bai Laosi cursed, "Isn't it because you wanted to be family head back then and failed, so you've held a grudge ever since? And with what happened last time over the quota for Qingxu Sect, you must be full of resentment!"
"That's true enough."
Bai Laosan chimed in, "Laowu, you admitted with your own mouth last time that you had been in contact with that group!"
"Stop talking nonsense here!"
The Bai brothers suddenly began arguing fiercely.
It was clear that while they appeared harmonious on the surface, they had long harbored quite a few conflicts beneath it all. Bai Xifeng's death was merely the fuse.
As family head, Bai Liangbi did not stop them. He merely moved to a secluded corner. "Brother Xiao, I still have some pills I need your help refining."
"Fierce Flood Dragon Nourishing Foul Pill?"
Chen Sanshi asked.
"Exactly."
Bai Liangbi admitted, "For the coming period of time, there will be a large batch of pills needing Daoist Friend's help to refine. I hope you can set aside time in advance."
"No problem. I also need to refine pills myself."
Chen Sanshi looked at the dried corpse, then at the family head before him. For some reason, he felt faintly uncomfortable inside, but he quickly dismissed the thought, deciding perhaps he was overthinking it.
After taking his leave, he returned to his cave dwelling.
The quarrel among the Bai brothers also reached a conclusion not long afterward.
Bai Laosi secretly ran to Bai Laowu's cave dwelling and found several letters that had not been destroyed. He discovered that Bai Laowu had not merely been threatened. He had been taking the initiative to contact them all along in exchange for benefits.
The Bai brothers were enraged and directly imprisoned him in the ancestral hall.
In the blink of an eye, another half year passed.
Chen Sanshi's martial realm had finally reached the threshold of breakthrough.
The 24 True Ones of the 8 Mirror god in the 3 divisions formed the core tempering of the True Force Realm.
At this point, he had opened 23 of the 24 mirror god, leaving only the final one.
After comprehending the Extreme Dao Divine Ability within the Nine Nether Forbidden Land, when Chen Sanshi practiced martial arts, outsiders were completely unable to see through him. All they could see was a silver dragon coiling around his body, while everything in the surrounding area became blazing hot, as if one had been cast into a mountain of flames.
He could clearly feel that the 23 mirror god within his body shone like stars, constantly sparkling and echoing one another from afar. Only one corner remained dim and obscure.
As he practiced the Extreme Dao Divine Ability again and again, the final spirit shrine within Chen Sanshi's body finally began to emit three-colored auspicious radiance.
With the aid of the ancient pill formula Thousand-Origin True Martial Pill, the time needed to break through the bottleneck was greatly reduced. In only half a month, Chen Sanshi had already groped his way to the key.
The blue, yellow, and white three-colored auspicious radiance flowed and merged, until at last they became one!
The Right Yin Spirit, named Bao Biaoming, courtesy name Daosheng, was 2.3 cun tall and dressed in blue, yellow, and white robes.