Xia Tianjie’s heart turned ice-cold.

As the next Sect Leader of the Xia Family, on this tour of the underworld, he naturally had to bring many experts for full protection.

Xia Shichang was the strongest among those he had brought, already a great expert at the Return to Emptiness realm, yet he never expected that a girl would send him beyond the heavens.

The ghost gods of the Xia Family in Fengyang Villa dared not fight any longer, hurriedly scattering in all directions.

Chen Shi did not pursue. These ghost gods fled in different directions, and with his speed, chasing them down would take months, even years.

Black Pot revealed his true form and immediately pounced forward to hunt down the Xia Family ghost gods. The Wooden Cart also creaked and rumbled as it chased after the lower-ranked ghost gods.

Chen Shi grabbed the Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword and gently breathed on this magic treasure. The Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword suddenly transformed into a small silver dragon, swimming through the air before darting off. The next moment, it pierced through the back of a ghost god.

Chen Shi repeated the process, raising the Huagai as well, transforming it into a golden eagle that spread its wings and soared away.

This was the Cold Mountain Freeholder’s Ten Thousand Mile Flying Sword Technique, a method that could maintain a single stream of true energy without dissipating, sending the flying sword thousands of miles to pursue enemies and slay the wicked. It was a specialty of his.

However, Chen Shi had already improved this technique, allowing for multiple transformations.

In the distance, the Huagai suddenly materialized, several acres in size. After suppressing and killing the ghost god beneath it, it once again transformed into a golden eagle, rising with a wing flap to pursue ghost gods even farther away.

This was Chen Shi’s improved Ten Thousand Mile Flying Sword Technique: a single breath of true energy could undergo multiple transformations, always retaining its power.

From afar came one scream after another, causing Xia Tianjie’s heart to sink. When he looked back at Chen Shi, the admiration in his eyes had already vanished.

He was getting to know Chen Shi all over again.

Before, in his eyes, Chen Shi was the world-famous Child Prodigy, who had returned from the dead to stage a comeback, still just as stunningly brilliant.

He had witnessed Chen Shi’s strength in the Upper Realm, recognized his own shortcomings from Chen Shi’s example, and corrected them, achieving greater success.

Chen Shi’s battle with Yang Bi had shown him the duel between geniuses at an even higher level, broadening his horizons and experience tremendously!

He even felt that from their duel, he had already found a path to surpass his ancestors. If he continued cultivating like this, he would surely become an ancestor, surpass his ancestors, and perhaps even have hope of becoming an immortal through the new method!

The shock and insight Chen Shi had brought him were simply too great. Deep in his heart, he had long regarded Chen Shi as a friend, both a teacher and a peer.

But until today, he realized how naive his previous thoughts had been.

They stood on different levels: one was a ruler, the other the ruled. How could they possibly be friends?

It was like a wolf and a sheep. The wolf might think a particular sheep in the flock was special, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t eat the others, did it?

Would that special sheep, seeing the wolf devour its kind, overlook its fellow sheep being eaten just because it had gained the wolf’s friendship?

Realizing this, Xia Tianjie suddenly felt relieved.

Chen Shi walked toward him. “Brother Xia, why have you come here?”

Xia Tianjie’s gaze drifted into the distance, where Black Pot was tearing into a Xia Family ghost god. He withdrew his gaze. “With the merging of the mortal and underworld realms, it’s not safe anywhere. The Xia Family’s outposts in the underworld are inevitably being impacted, so I decided to travel and inspect the various regions.”

Chen Shi stood by his side. “The Thirteen Great Clans should have long prepared for this catastrophe, so the damage shouldn’t be significant, right?”

Although rage was burning in his heart, Xia Tianjie’s expression remained unchanged as he shook his head. “The Thirteen Great Clans began managing the underworld and the netherworld six thousand years ago, gradually replacing the Ten Kings of Hell. To this day, we have replaced all the divine positions in the underworld bureaucracy. This merging of the two realms hasn’t harmed us at all; on the contrary, it has only increased our power.”

Chen Shi humbly asked, “May I ask why?”

Xia Tianjie said, “The Thirteen Great Clans control the imperial court; all government orders come from Wenyuan Pavilion. The will of the Thirteen Great Clans is the will of the court. That’s the mortal world. In the underworld, the Thirteen Great Clans control the netherworld bureaucracy, rule the Eighteen Hells, and have gathered the souls of the dead for over six thousand years to serve us. These souls provide incense offerings for the Ten Kings of Hell and all the underworld officials, great and small, strengthening their power.”

As the designated next Sect Leader of the Xia Family, his insight was profound. “This merging of the two realms might seem to weaken the Thirteen Great Clans’ power in the mortal world, but it has caused countless deaths, which can instead enhance the strength of the Ten Kings of Hell. The Celestial True God closed his eyes, and the sun went out. The Thirteen Great Clans couldn’t prevent this from happening, but we could plan ahead and seize the maximum benefit.”

Chen Shi was silent for a moment. “Brother Xia, countless lives are at stake. Is this a matter of benefit?”

“It is a matter of benefit!”

Xia Tianjie turned to look him in the eye and said in a deep voice, “Chen Shi, even without the livestock of Lord Fengyang’s household, even without the Xia Family’s ghost gods, those mortals would still die. No one can escape! It wasn’t the Thirteen Great Clans who killed them; it was the sun going out and the merging of the two realms that killed them!”

He raised his hand to point at the sky, staring at Chen Shi, his voice thunderous: “This is a Cataclysm! My Xia Family, me, Xia Tianjie, and the ancestors of the Xia Family—none of us can change it!”

With anger, he shouted loudly, “As early as six thousand years ago, my Xia Family’s ancestors realized we could not fight this Cataclysm. We couldn’t make the True God open his eyes! This is a divine punishment inflicted by the True God upon the world, a Catastrophe-level disaster! The True King resisted, so the True King died, and the True King’s Era ended!”

Chen Shi met his gaze but said nothing.

Xia Tianjie seemed to want to vent the fury in his heart, unable to control his voice, raging, “My Xia Family’s ancestors realized this and knew from then on that we could only play the role of grandsons! We could only let the True God inflict divine punishment, let Heaven’s Listeners at Despair Slope monitor and watch our every move! We could only secretly gather strength, gradually devouring the netherworld bureaucracy, slowly building the Upper Realm! From then on, everyone was a pawn, including the ancestors of my Thirteen Great Clans!”

Little Duan Immortal stood not far from them, silently watching Western Ox New Continent under the moonlight, saying nothing, as if moved by his words, lost in thought.

“My Thirteen Great Clans spent over six thousand years, sacrificing countless generations of Sect Leaders and countless clan experts, to build the Upper Realm and rule the underworld, finally reaching the current situation.”

Xia Tianjie exhaled a turbid breath. “In the underworld, there are outposts similar to Fengyang Villa everywhere, scattered like stars, forming a vast web of underworld rule. Mortals, when born, are under the rule of the Thirteen Great Clans; when dead, they are also under the rule of the Thirteen Great Clans. But my Thirteen Great Clans are not acting out of selfishness; we want to break this sky and reveal the true heavens!”

Chen Shi’s heart stirred as he thought of the terrifying celestial phenomena he had witnessed. He shook his head. “Perhaps if you saw the true heavens, you would be even more despairing. Beyond the sky, the pollution is even worse. The True God uses his own yin and yang energies to form the sun and moon, protecting Western Ox New Continent.”

Xia Tianjie looked up at the sky and gave a scornful laugh. “Chen Shi, you weren’t born into a great clan. You don’t understand what it means to have an ideal passed down for over six thousand years, through countless generations, until it reaches me. The pride I feel in that. You don’t have that pride.”

He wouldn’t believe Chen Shi’s words.

The one-sided words of an enemy, compared to the teachings of ancestors and the inheritance of forefathers, were far too insignificant to change his mind.

Chen Shi was silent for a moment. “But the Thirteen Great Clans could have saved more people, rather than letting the monsters you raise go out and eat people.”

Xia Tianjie laughed. “Chen Shi, you still haven’t realized it, have you? In fact, we Thirteen Great Clans and you ordinary people are no longer the same species. Compared to you, we should be called the Thirteen Divine Clans.”

Chen Shi was taken aback. “May I ask for an explanation?”

Xia Tianjie smiled. “Since ancient times, we have held infinite wealth, immeasurable knowledge, control over mines, fertile fields, rivers, waterways, land routes, and all kinds of treasures everywhere. The delicacies we eat are different from the husks and wild greens you eat. The knowledge we learn is different from what you learn. When we go out, we ride dragon horses and treasure carriages; when we walk, we have talismans to clear the dust. We do not intermarry with you; we only marry among the Thirteen Great Clans.

“Among you, the most exceptional geniuses can only become our servants, minor officials under our command. Among you, the most beautiful women can only become our concubines or mistresses outside the home. Their sons are only fit to be our attendants.

“For six thousand years, it has been this way, including your grandfather Chen Yindu and your father Chen Tang. We are born high above, clad in silk and fed with fine food. We are born with the best resources, learning the most superior cultivation techniques, rising swiftly to power and ruling the world.”

He looked at Chen Shi and smiled. “With us being like this, aren’t we the divine clan? Even if we don’t say it, aren’t the common people just ants? Aren’t they just worthless lives? We don’t say it, just to make the oxen and horses feel a little less miserable. But fact is fact! Sacrificing a few oxen and horses for a better tomorrow—it’s worth it!”

Chen Shi humbly asked, “If one day in the future, you overthrow Despair Slope, kill the True God, and everything becomes beautiful, but the common people are already gone, who will you rule over?”

“Wouldn’t that be even better?”

Xia Tianjie laughed. “Western Ox New Continent would become the true divine realm.”

Chen Shi exhaled a turbid breath. “The thought of people like you ruling the world terrifies me. But you say you are truly the divine clan, so why haven’t you produced an Innate Dao Embryo in over six thousand years? Why did the Innate Dao Embryo fall to a country bumpkin like me instead?”

Xia Tianjie looked at him, his smile unwavering. “Can you hold on to it?”

Chen Shi raised an eyebrow.

In the small temple behind his head, Scholar Zhu laughed heartily. “See that? Do you see that, Little Ten? This is the way of the world today! This is why I hanged myself on the yellow earth slope! This world is rotten to the core! You’ve got to refine the Analects within and Mencius without and smash it all to pieces!”

Stone Ji Your Ladyship pretended not to hear. “This one’s a madman,” she thought.

Xia Tianjie smiled. “Chen Shi, do you know why I’ve said so much to you?”

Chen Shi tested the waters. “A man’s words are kind when his end is near?”

Xia Tianjie shook his head and laughed. “You’re too confident, confident to the point of lawlessness. I may not be your match, but while cultivating in the Upper Realm, I benefited from your instruction and patched the flaws in my techniques. Your battle with Yang Bi also allowed me to comprehend something deeper. My Eight Powers Dragon Summoning Art had the weakness of yin energy, didn’t it? Now it doesn’t. And I’ve become stronger. In this technique, I’ve surpassed my ancestors!”

Chen Shi gave a noncommittal “Mm.”

Xia Tianjie smiled. “But I still realize that even having surpassed my ancestors in this technique, I’m still no match for you. You and Yang Bi are too brilliant; I can’t hold a candle to you. But I still have a way to win against you. Aren’t you good at using the Ten Thousand Mile Flying Sword Technique? Coincidentally, I understand this spell too. You just activated two magic treasures to pursue my Xia Family’s ghost gods. With your mind divided three ways, while you were talking to me just now, your energy wasn’t keeping up.”

Chen Shi’s eyes flickered. “You were observing me?”

Xia Tianjie smiled. “I learned this from you and Yang Bi. You can find flaws in others’ techniques in a very short time, and he is good at observing people, summarizing and piecing things together, finding opportunities to win from the slightest clues. I’m not as good as him, nor as good as you. But I do know that when the Ten Thousand Mile Flying Sword Technique is used with a divided mind, the greater the distance, the greater the drain on one’s mental energy.”

He slowly activated the Eight Powers Dragon Summoning Art, his aura growing stronger. His clothes rustled, billowing without wind. “You’re chasing my Xia Family’s ghost gods. Your two treasures are already over a thousand miles away from here. Controlling them simultaneously while contending with Xia Family ghost gods is extremely taxing. This is my chance for victory.”

A series of dragon roars came from within his body, and an azure dragon slithered out from behind him, gradually climbing onto his arm.

The Azure Dragon raised its head, staring at Chen Shi.

Xia Tianjie had originally refined a golden celestial dragon, but now it was an azure dragon, the Eastern Azure Dragon, representing the first spring thunder, the epitome of supreme yang and hardness!

Chen Shi looked at the Azure Dragon. “It seems you’ve comprehended quite a bit and made up for your lost primordial yang energy. Did you find the evil spirit that stole your primordial yang?”

Xia Tianjie smiled faintly. “I found her. I killed her and took back my primordial yang.”

He let out a long cry, his spear tip moved, and dragon energy swirled as he attacked Chen Shi.

He was extremely close to Chen Shi—a distance perfect for unleashing the full power of the Eight Powers Dragon Summoning Art!

He executed the Invincible Mighty Dragon technique. As the move thrust out, it was unprecedentedly perfect, without any flaws!

Xia Tianjie was filled with confidence. At this moment, his spirit, energy, and soul, his Primordial Spirit Dao Field, physical body, and Divine Embryo were tightly integrated. His technique was smooth and unrestrained. The dragon spear shook, and swirling dragon energy grew denser and denser!

Just then, he realized that the distance between him and Chen Shi was growing farther and farther.

Xia Tianjie was stunned. He had been standing right beside Chen Shi, but now he was more than ten miles away!

He struggled to run forward, the dragon spear shaking as he thrust continuously. However, not only did the distance between him and Chen Shi grow, but the dragon spear energy he thrust out also became chaotic, scattered here and there, thin and sparse. His originally flawless technique was now full of holes.

Xia Tianjie watched himself moving away from Chen Shi, his dragon spear energy brushing past Chen Shi harmlessly, and despair filled his heart.

“Heaven-Earth Variation?”

The moment he thought this, a silver dragon flew over, transformed into a beam of sword light, and with a whistling sound, stabbed into his back, pierced through his chest, made a turn, and slashed across his throat. Then it entered through his left temple and exited through his right.

The Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword moved like threading a needle through fabric, continuously piercing through his body with a series of tearing sounds.

Xia Tianjie’s body was riddled with holes, blood spraying everywhere. His knees went weak, and he dropped to the ground with a thud. Coughing up blood, he said, “Is the gap still this big? Is this the Child Prodigy...”

He breathed his last, fell to the ground, and died.