The Daoist Wei crouched down, looked at Chen Shi, and smiled, "Child Scholar, are you willing to pledge your allegiance to the True God, uphold the True God's orthodoxy, and never waver in this lifetime?"

Chen Shi shook his head, "Grandfather taught me that wherever the sun and moon shine, it's all China. We honor our ancestors as divine spirits; healers who save lives are venerated as Medicine Gods after their deaths. Those who are skilled in machinery make mechanisms for the benefit of people and are venerated as Heavenly Workers after their deaths. Those who build dikes and dams and develop water resources are venerated as Water Gods. Those who die fighting against invaders are venerated as Military Gods. Those who write scriptures and spread teachings to enlighten the masses are venerated as Teacher Gods. Those who ensure timely winds and rains are venerated as Dragon Gods. Those who hold official positions and manage the livelihood of the people are venerated as City Gods. Why should the people of China worship foreign gods?"

The smile on Daoist Wei's face froze.

His face gradually immersed in darkness, and Chen Shi also awoke from meditation, slowly rising.

He looked around; he was still in the teahouse, with those strange people quietly keeping watch outside.

The memories had rushed over him, making him oblivious and lost in them until he woke up now and remembered reality.

"The Profound Yin Nine Heavens Technique is too odd; cultivating it awakens memories."

His expression stayed unchanged, but inside his mind, there were turbulent waves.

His memories were sealed by grandfather Chen Yindou, although he didn't know why his grandfather had sealed them, there was surely a reason for doing so.

The seal had always been stable, why did it start to unseal now just because he cultivated the Profound Yin Nine Heavens Technique?

Chen Shi glanced at the Grand Ritualist not far away before sitting down again.

"This cultivation technique is peculiar. Scholar Zhu said I might have reached the God Refining Realm in the past, hence, in the Three Corpses Realm, I could break through to an eighteen-zhang Primordial Spirit. Because the boundary of the realm was broken by the old me, it doesn't exist anymore, allowing the Primordial Spirit to grow freely."

"In other words, during the period when I 'died,' I cultivated to the God Refining Realm. Could this cultivation technique be the one I practiced back then?"

His eyes flickered. If it was the technique he practiced back then, even with the cultivation level of God Refining Realm, he might not be able to resist grandfather's seal but could make some crafty moves while grandfather was performing the seal.

After all, this might be the world's first Demon Technique, unseen by anyone, and surely never by grandfather.

"Grandfather may have made some moves using this technique while performing the seal; it's not impossible. If so, I would trigger the seal left by grandfather, gradually releasing the memories sealed within when cultivating this technique."

Chen Shi felt a slight stir in his heart. If this guess was correct, then who could these strange people be?

Why do they possess the Demon Technique he created? And why do they seek him out here to hand it over to him for completion?

There must be a problem here!

"So, should I continue cultivating to unlock more memories?"

Chen Shi hesitated for a moment. Rationality told him he should quit immediately and not touch the remaining memories, but a stirring emotion within urged him to unlock more seals.

Only by unlocking those seals and obtaining those injuries could he be complete!

Chen Shi sat quietly, organizing fragments of the memories just now; childhood memories flowed like water, echoing through his mind.

He was precocious, and after birth, he had memories. He could remember the affectionate gazes of his parents when they came to see him, and the smiles radiating on their faces.

He also remembered the look of joy when he spoke for the first time, shared by Chen Tang and Wu Qingyu, and the wild happiness of the unkempt Chen Yindou upon returning from outside.

He remembered Chen Tang and Chen Yindou quarreling, and stopping immediately upon seeing him nearby, with Chen Yindou picking him up and playfully tickling him with his beard.

He recalled sitting on his grandfather's knee, with his parents standing behind them, and Creation Little Five painting in front of them.

He recalled Chen Tang going out for examinations, with Wu Qingyu tidying his outfit in front of him.

He recalled Creation Little Five taking him to Yellow Earth Slope, pointing at an old willow tree and saying that a scholar ghost was hung there.

…

His childhood thrived under the care of Chen Tang and Wu Qingyu, often wishing for his grandfather to return from outside, bringing him odd toys, hoping for Uncle Little Five to return, bringing him delicious foods.

Chen Shi exhaled a breath of turbid air, making up his mind.

Within the seal, there are more memories of his childhood, both bad and good. Regardless of good or bad, they're his memories; he loves the good ones, and he is sufficiently resilient to face the bad ones.

He once again activated the Profound Yin Nine Heavens Technique.

Darkness descended.

In the humble room, the lamp's light flickered unsteadily.

"Brother Wu Wang, save me."

Chen Shi stood stiff in the light, wanting to move but being unable to.

Daoist Wei smiled as he walked up to him, circling from the front to the back.

Zhong Wuwang followed behind Wei Daoist, his expression complex, mingled with a trace of fear as he looked at him.

"Wuwang, the Innate Dao Embryo is a gift from the True God. It must not fall into the hands of bad people." Wei Daoist's voice came from behind him.

Chen Shi felt a tearing pain at the back of his head as his skull was opened. The warm blood flowed down his neck to his back and chest, feeling cool.

"The Divine Shrine is hidden within the jade pillow. Only by opening the jade pillow can the Divine Embryo be taken out unharmed... Beautiful, so beautiful, a perfect Divine Embryo, like the True God..."

After a moment, Chen Shi fell, his body growing colder and colder.

"Brother Wuwang, save me." He spoke weakly.

Zhong Wuwang looked at his body in horror.

Wei Daoist patted Zhong Wuwang's fair face with his blood-stained hand and smiled, "Be good, worship the Divine Shrine, and I will transplant the Innate Dao Embryo for you... Wuwang, do not let my cultivation of you be in vain!"

Chen Shi's ghost hid under the pea-sized lamp flame, the place utterly dark, watching the scene in terror.

Wei Daoist completed the transplant of the Innate Dao Embryo to the dazed Zhong Wuwang, then walked towards the oil lamp, smiling, "Don't take it to heart, some people are born ignoble. Poof!"

He blew out a breath; the lamp extinguished, the breath turned into a gust, tossing and rolling Chen Shi's ghost into the underworld.

"Father! Mother! Where are you?"

"Please save me!"

"Father, Mother, I'm about to die! Please save me!"

...

In the dim underworld, a small ghost looked around in terror, surrounded by darkness, filled with the lurking snarling and terrifying ghosts.

"Grandfather! Uncle Little Five! Where are you?"

"Who will save me? Who will save me!"

He shouted loudly, but laughter echoed around, it was the laughter of phantoms.

He was scared, terrified, hiding everywhere.

Days later, Chen Shi accepted the reality of his death.

He clung to the body of a newly dead small Yaksha, using this body to resist Hell's call.

"Why...why?!"

A strong malice surged from the depths of his heart, transforming into a demonic nature, permeating his heart.

With the operation of the Profound Yin Nine Heavens Technique, the demonic nature in Chen Shi's heart gradually surged, becoming more and more intense, causing the operation speed of this Demon Technique to accelerate!

Xia Mansion.

Minister of Rites, Xia Canghai, came to the study and informed Xia Xuanming of Chen Shi's entry into Beilai City, saying, "Chen Shi came this time under the pretense of buying shoes, but I fear he harbors ill intentions, provoking my Xia Family. I have ordered not to touch him within Beilai City. Once he leaves Beilai, strike at him mercilessly. I request the Sect Master's instructions."

Xia Xuanming is the sect master of the Xia Family, which is divided into internal and external factions. Xia Canghai is in charge of external matters and acts as a messenger, while Xia Xuanming holds the real power of this ancient family.

Xia Xuanming was writing, just reaching, "What is difficult to calm is matters." in the Posthumous Manifesto.

He put down his pen and said, "Chen Shi is still in the city?"

"Yes, he's still here."

Xia Canghai said, "Master, he now has several people with strange behavior around him, led by an old man who seems like a merchant, and is quite approving and complimentary of Chen Shi."

"People from Red Mountain Hall?" Xia Xuanming asked, tilting his head.

Xia Canghai laughed, "Possibly."

Xia Xuanming stretched out his hands, and a maid hurriedly approached to wipe them for him. Xia Xuanming said, "Chen Shi set up at Red Mountain Hall. In just a few years, Red Mountain Hall spread across the land, offering petty benefits to win over people's hearts, using the pretext of eliminating evil spirits to manipulate public opinion, forming citizen militias, plotting insubordination. But it's just trifling; a bunch of peasants, can they really cause upheaval? My Xia family respects etiquette and has shown restraint in Beilai City. But Red Mountain Hall has disrespected our Xia family, they cannot go unpunished as a warning to others."

Xia Canghai acknowledged, "Then I will discipline these peasants."

The grand sacrificial wine sat outside the teahouse, quietly waiting. Suddenly, he felt the teahouse's demonic nature growing stronger, and was shocked, immediately heading towards the teahouse.

Xia Canghai led a group, coming from afar, sneering, "A bunch of peasants, what impudence!"

The grand sacrificial wine stopped walking.

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