Other aristocratic families had originally planned to rush over to aid the Gao family. Unexpectedly, before they even arrived, the entire Gao household had already turned into mushrooms, leaving nothing to save.
Besides the Gao family, there were twelve other families, plus the palace eunuch guarding the town, Sui Xuefu, who could also be considered an expert.
But even if all the great families joined forces, they were still no match for the Golden Body Buddha.
General Xia and Deputy General Jiang led the border troops, intending to encircle and attack the Golden Body Buddha. The border troops handled ordinary cultivators with ease, but against a thing like the Golden Body Buddha, they hadn't even gotten close before they all transford into large and small mushrooms floating in the sky, rging with the others.
General Xia and Deputy General Jiang escaped with their lives, fleeing their mansions with their wives, children, and elderly, hiding everywhere.
Provincial Governor Fei, Inspector Zhang, and other high officials also led their families and retainers in a frantic escape, avoiding the Golden Body Buddha's pursuit.
Behind the Golden Body Buddha's head, the mushrooms in the great circle grew more nurous.
These mushrooms had human forms, with massive physiques. Especially the ones ford from nascent souls, which were enveloped in divine light, appearing exceedingly sacred.
The mushrooms ford from eyes or heads dropping from their bodies were generally smaller.
Regardless of size, they all bore solemn and dignified expressions, like countless enlightened bodhisattvas, arhats, venerables, bhikkhus, and bhikkhunis of all sizes.
The Golden Body Buddha seed just like the Buddha himself.
This scene resembled the blissful paradise described in the Buddhist scriptures, with the Buddha presiding over Mount Lingshan.
Only, all the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, arhats, and others had been replaced by bizarre mushrooms.
The Golden Body Buddha, carrying its blissful paradise, continued wandering through the city, searching for other living beings. Once caught, they were imdiately refined, turning into mushrooms that submitted to it.
Compared to the panic-stricken days in the city, Li Tianqing appeared much more relaxed.
Blackie Pot drove the cart, carrying him and Chen Shi out of the city.
Outside the city stood a forest ford of stone people, stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see, everywhere petrified humans.
When the Demon Domain first erupted, Chen Shi had activated the head of Stone Weir Lady, forming the Ghost God Domain and turning ordinary people into stone figures. Many of these were people who had fled the city at the ti, while others were city outskirts residents.
Li Tianqing calculated the travel distance: from the Demon Domain's center to its edge was fifty li. Near the edge was a blurry zone over a li wide, where the Demon Domain Corridor might appear.
If one fled to there and kept going, they could be pulled into the corridor, only to erge the next mont at the Demon Domain's vault, plumting down.
The Demon Domain's vault was filled everywhere with colorful clouds ford of spores—touching them ant contamination.
Many of the giant mushrooms wandering the city were cultivators who had fled to the Demon Domain's edge but were sent back into the city via the corridor, where they transford.
"Blackie Pot, we can't go any further!"
Li Tianqing called out to Blackie Pot.
"We're forty-five li from Daxing Zen Temple now."
Blackie Pot hesitated but drove another three li before stopping.
They found a village by the Min River. There were no living people left in the village, only so stone figures, along with stone chickens, stone ducks, and other petrified livestock.
The wooden cart entered the village. Li Tianqing cleared out one household, moving the stone figures outside before summoning Red Mountain Lady and Min River Granny.
Min River Granny looked around in surprise.
"This is that child Cao Yunshen's hotown!"
She couldn't help but feel nostalgic.
Back then, when Cao Yunshen was still a little boy, he would often run to the Min River bank outside the village and climb an old willow tree by the shore to peer down.
On the riverbank, people beat gongs and drums, set off firecrackers, lit incense altars, sprinkled wine, and danced blessing dances amid great revelry.
Amid the curling incense smoke, the young Cao Yunshen gazed at the vast river surface and saw a massive black carp silently watching the people on shore from the water.
She was enormous, like a small island hidden in the depths.
But that child was gone now.
Blackie Pot went to cook, Li Tianqing helped tend the fire, and that evening they ate braised fish. Chen Shi, anwhile, wandered out of the village like a man in a dream, still lost in thoughts of talismans and spells.
When he tested the simplest fire and water talismans in Red Mountain Hall, he found the transition from talisman to spell imperfect and prone to losing control.
His spells were simply transforming flat talismans into three-dinsional spells. From plane to solid, there were too many variables, too much to control—losing control was inevitable.
But in battle with others, losing control would be dangerous.
He needed to master these spells proficiently.
He knew repeating practice chanically wouldn't work; what he most needed to train was his mind.
He practiced spells in his mind, refining and perfecting them over and over.
This was not just learning—it was also creation, application!
After a long while, Chen Shi rolled up his pant legs, took off his shoes, and went to the riverbank.
He stepped into the water with both feet, feeling the river's currents.
Suddenly, he leaped up and dove toward the river. His foot landed on a rising wave that surged up just in ti beneath him.
Chen Shi treaded on the wave, which buoyed his form, allowing him to walk and run across the river surface.
He vaulted and tumbled, nimble as a fish or dragon, the water surging with him. But soon he lost control of the flow and plunged into the river with a splash.
Chen Shi swam ashore again and again, pondering deeply before diving back in.
Min River Granny leaned on her staff, taller than herself, standing dazed by the riverbank watching the scene.
Another youth by the river.
Just like Cao Yunshen back then.
"His talent is exceptionally high too, but will he, like Cao Yunshen, be dazzled by the power and wealth of the city?"
She murmured softly.
Her true form leaped from the water basin, silently slipping into the Min River.
As Chen Shi walked on the river surface, he felt the power of water flowing beneath his feet. A massive black carp, island-sized, helped him acclimate to the water and correct errors in his spell.
Whenever he descended, a wave would rise precisely; the water moved like another self, dancing in sync with him.
The disturbance Chen Shi stirred grew larger: waves flowed with his will, eddies swirled around him. He pushed his hands, and the waves followed; he slashed down, and the river parted.
He danced on the river, with fish and dragons dancing alongside.
Chen Shi corrected errors in his spell again and again. Suddenly, it was as if so barrier broke through—he felt the water co alive, breathing in unison with him.
He treaded waves onward; one carried him to shore, its crest two zhang six or seven high, bearing him all the way to the village entrance before dissipating.
This was not Min River Granny's aid—it was Chen Shi casting his own spell to ride water on land!
Chen Shi let out a cheer.
Blackie Pot had finished cooking. Li Tianqing left the village to call Chen Shi for dinner and heard the cheer. He was about to speak when he saw Chen Shi speeding away atop a wave—astonishingly fast!
The wave traveled over land: at tis surging several zhang high, slamming the sky; at tis hugging the ground like a winding river.
Sotis like a flood dragon, climbing trees to carry Chen Shi soaring upward; sotis curling in a loop, letting the youth slide head-down through a ring in the sky.
"So quickly he's comprehended water arts?"
Li Tianqing, well-versed in the Li family collection of various techniques, thought.
"This set of spells resembles the Azure Sea Surging Waves Art!"
But he was certain Chen Shi had never learned—or even seen—the Azure Sea Surging Waves Art!
Because the Azure Sea Surging Waves Art required a foundational cultivation art to cast!
Without the art, knowing only the spell wouldn't allow refinent!
Though not the top-tier spell, held by the Li family, it could never leak out.
For Chen Shi to derive a spell akin to the Azure Sea Surging Waves Art from talismans truly astounded him!
Accompanying a massive wave that split the air, sending Chen Shi several zhang into the sky, the wave suddenly dispersed as if it had never been. Chen Shi plumted from above, robes fluttering.
Just before hitting the ground, firelight blazed—he tread a blazing fireball, whistling past the mont of impact!
Li Tianqing's jaw dropped. He watched Chen Shi's feet afla, darting through the woods nimble as a swallow plunging into the forest, flipping up and down with utmost agility!
Spells from the True Fire Blazing Flas Art!
Li Tianqing's heart shook. The True Fire Blazing Flas Art was a Ma family technique—not the best, but impossible to spread outward!
Only those with rits to the Ma family might be taught it.
And even then, often only parts of the divine abilities, never the whole!
Chen Shi's spells closely resembled those of the True Fire Blazing Flas Art, like siblings from the sa mother.
It was as if Chen Shi had suddenly awakened. After fire spells, he imdiately shifted to wood spells. Li Tianqing instantly saw shadows of the Fei family's Ten Thousand Woods Wither and Bloom Art.
When he cast earth spells, Li Tianqing spotted similarities to the Xu family's Yellow Earth Great Drum Profound Art!
As for tal spells, Chen Shi varied more, especially sword qi of all kinds, formless sword qi coming effortlessly.
In Li Tianqing's eyes, amid Chen Shi's myriad peculiar sword qis, he saw echoes of sword arts collected by the great clans—from the grand sweeping God-Slaying Eighteen Forms to the fine drizzle of the Xiaoxiang Sword Art, all present!
To others, Chen Shi's spells seed chaotic with sword qis of every length, size, thickness, speed—too miscellaneous.
But to Li Tianqing, Chen Shi had grasped the essence of tal spells.
At this level, he no longer fixated on forms but emphasized application.
"The five arts and divine abilities collected by the aristocratic clans—could they have evolved from the fire, water, and other five elents talismans?"
Li Tianqing suddenly thought.
These five talismans were the simplest, the foundation for many others.
Though simple, truly mastering them was no easy feat.
Yet Chen Shi had evidently comprehended from these five talismans the sa insights as the predecessors who created those five arts!
A pang of envy stirred in Li Tianqing's heart.
"Is this Scholar Zhu's true caliber?"
He noticed the envy and chuckled inwardly.
"Why envy him? He needs to self-teach, figuring talisman-spell connections alone. I was born to a great clan—whatever I want to learn, I learn.
"I'm not necessarily inferior!"
Chen Shi cycled through his five spells once, sword qis dissipating. Landing, he flicked his sleeve, attempting the Taotie Devouring Heaven Art. His sleeve mouth gaped like a taotie's maw, swallowing all!
Ahead, a massive tree requiring two n to embrace snapped with a crack, trunk severed. The crown whooshed upward, sucked toward his sleeve!
The ground quaked; the tree stump uprooted, dragging thick soil and roots several zhang long, all flying into his sleeve!
Li Tianqing's jaw dropped!
In his shock, a boom—the crown smashed into Chen Shi, flattening him. Then the stump followed, sitting atop him.
Li Tianqing rushed forward to rescue, digging him out with effort. Checking his breath—still alive—he relaxed.
"Little Ten, stop practicing for now. Blackie Pot's calling us to eat."
Rembering the matter, he said hurriedly.
Chen Shi's face and head were caked in dirt, but his mind clearer, spirits wildly excited. He panted,
"Tianqing, I think the Taotie Devouring Heaven Art can work—it's just too draining on qi and blood. Earlier, when I cast it, my qi and blood couldn't keep up, so I got buried! Once my qi and blood are full, I can cast it!"
Li Tianqing laughed.
"Man's made of iron, rice is steel—a al skipped and panic sets in. Hurry and eat!"
Back in the village, Blackie Pot sat in a chair reading a book, legs crossed. Seeing them return, Chen Shi filthy, it set the book down and barked displeasure.
Chen Shi hurried to fetch water and wash the mud off.
Li Tianqing leaned close to see what the dog was reading.
The book was full of ghostly scribbles that even moved—despite his vast learning, he was baffled.
"Even the dog pup's so diligent, Little Ten's practicing like mad—if I don't step up, I'll end up eating with Red Mountain Lady alone."
He thought darkly.
Nearby, the red-clad little girl held a bowl, squatting alone in the corner to eat.
Min River Granny disliked fish and hadn't joined the table.
They cultivated diligently day and night, days flying by.
Unknowingly, over ten days passed.
This day, as Chen Shi activated the Palace of Heaven to refine his black golden core, he suddenly froze, exclaiming in shock and joy,
"I have a na! Tianqing! Lady! Granny! I rember my na!"
He cheered repeatedly, beside himself with excitent.
Li Tianqing finally recalled Chen Shi's na too, happy for him.
Blackie Pot closed the book, opened its great maw, stuffed the ghostly to inside, and showed a pleased grin.
It had finally learned to control its ability!
That day, a massive boom echoed from Gongzhou City. The Golden Body Buddha thudded down, ceasing pursuit of other survivors.
Beneath it sprouted nearly transparent white mycelium, burrowing into the earth, spreading endlessly underground.
Behind its head, the mushroom wheel stopped spinning. Countless mushroom giants like bodhisattvas, arhats, and venerables sat cross-legged, chanting sutras in deafening chorus.
On the Golden Body Buddha's mushroom head, round holes suddenly gaped like giant chimneys.
"Puff!"
These chimneys spewed grayish-white gas streams, illuminated by the Buddha's golden light into a riot of rainbow colors!
"This Golden Body Mushroom seems to have matured."
Granny Sha observed from afar with Qingyang and the bearded giant, puzzled.
"Hundred days to demon—by rights, it needs a hundred days to evolve into a demon.
Ti's not even half up—how's it matured already?"
The bearded giant fretted,
"What worries
more is, aside from that old beggar forced to act once by us, the other hermits haven't made a move. Don't they fear causing a catastrophe?"
"No! They aren't afraid."
Qingyang said.
"They're waiting for this demon seed to mature into a demon! They want to play with a demon!"
End of chapter.
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