Above the Great Dao

Yang Bi huddled up, without taking the ginseng grass fruit. The ride on the ox cart was uncomfortable, always bumpy, even though he was sitting on straw, his bones ached. However, it seemed that only when he felt pain did he realize he was still alive.

The downfall of the Upper Realm had dealt him an enormous blow.

He was intelligent from a young age, although his Divine Embryo was not good, his wisdom and talents far exceeded that of his peers. Even the clansmen with the Purple Jade Divine Fetus had cultivation strength far inferior to his.

He was chosen at the age of twelve and sent to the Upper Realm, where he began, under the guidance of thirteen ancestors, to engage with the colossal plan of the Thirteen Families to counterattack Despair Slope. The ancestors of the Thirteen Families had always been troubled by their own fallen nature, making it difficult to govern, thus needing someone supremely intelligent to wield power on their behalf, integrating the strength of the Thirteen Families in the Yin Yang Two Realms.

The young man took on this heavy responsibility, channeling almost all his energy into it. It was only when viewing the Thirteen Families from the height of the ancestors that he realized the daunting situation he was up against.

Over years of development, the Thirteen Families had turned into a malignant growth attached to the West Bull New Continent, rotten to the core. The underworld was even more corrupt, with the Thirteen Families each operating independently. Moreover, various Ghost Gods within their families had claimed mountains as kings, doing as they pleased.

He did his utmost to consolidate the underworld's forces, only to discover he could barely set this massive, broken ship in motion. Turning it into an invincible battleship was a feat impossible to achieve in a short time.

His goal shifted from eradicating Despair Slope to surviving under its threat. However, when Feng Ruotong, the Heavenly Dao Immortal of Despair Slope, attacked the Upper Realm, he realized even this was a pipe dream.

"It's over..." he groaned on the ox cart.

The migrating villagers were very kind, they did not despise him for being useless, and still took good care of him. There was a girl named Fang'er on the ox cart who would wipe his body at intervals. This girl did not mind the filth, cleaning the pus from his wounds.

When the group stopped to cook meals, the girl would serve him a bowl of rice. Yang Bi's injuries were too severe for him to get up, so she fed him.

"Fang, this person won't live!"

The village elder told her, "Leave him here, we can't save him, it's time to let go."

"He's still alive!"

Fang was stubborn, "As long as there's a breath, there's hope!"

The elder, unable to argue with her, shook his head, "Wasting food. We can't even feed ourselves, yet you're trying to save a dead man."

Fang remained silent, continuing to feed Yang Bi, tears falling as she did.

"You must want to live, to be saved!"

She cried, "If you don't want to live, who can save you?"

Yang Bi remained silent.

The group moved forward, their original village had been disturbed by Ghost Gods, even their godmother had died in battle, so they needed to find a new dwelling place.

Now the world is in chaos, even the county town isn't safe. It's said that the crops in the fields can't grow grain, the powerful in the county are plundering and killing, the county town has long been deserted, occupied by a swarm of murderous bandits.

They could only head towards the remote areas.

Yang Bi survived stubbornly, his wounds began to scab, making Fang very happy as she helped him sit up, leaning on the ox cart, combing his hair.

"Doll up a bit, you're quite good looking." She laughed.

It was then that the group was attacked by a Ghost Monster, which dragged away an old man. In their group, there was only one Scholar, who, though diligently cultivating to the Golden Core Realm, had no way to deal with such a Ghost Monster.

The group was terrified, low sobs echoing everywhere.

Yang Bi's dead heart stirred, attempting to mobilize mana to obliterate the Ghost Monster, but his injuries were too severe, leaving him powerless.

After some hesitation, he consumed the ginseng grass fruit that Chen Shi had gifted him. A cool sweet qi slid down his throat, nourishing his five viscera and six bowels.

These villagers had helped him, and he would repay them. Even if his Dao Heart was shattered, he would not wait until this Ghost Monster had killed most of the villagers before taking action.

He was a prudent man, and as long as he could gather a trace of mana, it would be enough to eliminate the Ghost Monster.

The ghostly creature returned, a Shen, concealed in the mist.

The mist enveloped them rapidly, engulfing everyone in the group. The people clasped hands, afraid to speak, afraid to make any move. The able-bodied men stayed on the outside, protecting the women, children, and elderly in the middle.

The Scholar activated his Golden Core, illuminating the surroundings, though it could only light up a span of a few yards around.

He moved the Golden Core, circling the ox cart with light.

Suddenly, the Golden Core stopped, its light illuminating the giant growling face of the Shen, bristling with fangs.

The people screamed, the Shen grew more excited, lunging at them with its mouth wide open. At that moment, a faint sound of a zither rang out, the Shen froze, and its massive head slowly split along the centerline, collapsing like a fleshy mountain to either side.

The mist gradually dissipated.

The fallen Shen still steamed.

The people were both astonished and delighted, turning to look at the Scholar, who quickly waved his hands, "It wasn't me! I did nothing, and it just fell!"

"How powerful you are, Scholar!"

An elder exclaimed, "The Scholar did nothing, yet slew this Ghost Monster!"

The people cheered, tossing the Scholar high into the air. Fang looked over at Yang Bi against the ox cart and said nothing.

The people divided the Shen meat, and with this Shen, they could survive for a long while. The air filled with laughter and joy, then the sound of hooves approached, and they followed the sound to see a Knight riding a Shen speeding towards them.