Chapter 161: Shocked Crowds and Chen Xing's Mercy

Gazing at the bizarre death of Vice Master Wang before them, the members of the Tianshu Sect were struck with utter terror and disbelief.

They were well aware that when the Qi of Desolation existed in bygone years, it could indeed erode a person's lifespan! Yet for beings of the Great Saint realm and above, while the influence certainly existed, it was hardly fatal!

At least at the Great Saint tier, as long as one was not actively engaged in combat, survival remained entirely unproblematic.

The manner of Wang Tianhe's death right before their eyes, though superficially similar to being consumed by the desolation qi, possessed a potency and an acceleration of time's passage countless times greater than the original qi!

One must realize that Wang Tianhe served as the Vice Master of the Tianshu Sect, and his cultivation stood just beneath Sect Master Tianxuanzi and Great Elder Mei Ling, making him a quasi-emperor of the seventh layer!

Mei Ling! She was the elderly woman whom Weiyi addressed as Second Senior Aunt, the grandmother of the Crazy Old Man Lin Feng. Being the junior sister of Sect Master Tianxuanzi and reluctant to assume the mantle of vice master, she had instead taken the lofty position of Great Elder, holding a supremely revered status within the Tianshu Sect.

Witnessing this eerie spectacle, she suddenly cried out in absolute horror: "The Empress is truly alive! This is undoubtedly her doing!"

She was genuinely terrified. The despair inflicted upon her by that sky-covering giant hand in the past was something she would never forget for the rest of her life!

Hearing the female voice from earlier, the surrounding crowd also turned their gazes toward Chen Xing with drastically altered complexions. They had heard that word, "Brother," with crystal clarity.

At that very moment, a graceful figure materialized beside Chen Xing—it was Chen Mi.

Recognizing Chen Mi rather than the enigmatic and legendary Empress, Weiyi felt a slight surge of relief wash over him!

Ever since setting foot within the Desolate Forbidden Land, Weiyi had never laid eyes upon that fabled entity renowned for defying the heavens throughout the ages.

Although Chen Mi was suspected to be a Supreme realm powerhouse, he had crossed paths with her before and thus felt no terror. Instead, he reckoned that Chen Mi would surely be far easier to reason with than that other existence!

Upon her arrival, Chen Mi swept a cold, phoenix-eyed glare across the crowd before curling her lip and speaking to Chen Xing:

"Brother! Why on earth did you bother saving them? A pack of ungrateful wolves, yet with such meager cultivation they dare to covet the treasures here. They truly don't know whether they're living or dying!"

"E... Empress!" Mei Ling stared at Chen Mi with a terrified, aged face, fighting an overwhelming impulse to turn and flee. She was utterly terrified!

Back in the day, their faction had boasted multiple quasi-emperors, alongside Tianxuanzi, a pinnacle quasi-emperor of the ninth layer!

Yet even with everyone joining forces to unleash an Imperial Weapon, they had still failed to withstand a single blow from the Empress. Such despair was beyond imagining!

The rest of the crowd wore expressions of sheer dread, their eyes locked onto Chen Mi in unison.

In truth, none of them actually knew the Empress's true visage. When the Empress had manifested years ago, her face had been obscured by a demonic mask, concealing her appearance entirely from the world.

Seeing this young woman execute Wang Tianhe the moment she appeared and then address Chen Xing as her brother, they naturally and instinctively mistook her for the Empress herself.

Before Weiyi could step forward to explain the situation to his sect members, Chen Mi pouted and remarked, "The Empress you keep talking about is my younger sister. If she were standing here right now, every single one of you would be dead!" As she spoke, her voice gradually turned biting and cold.

The onlookers felt a sudden, piercing chill sweep over them, causing the hair on their bodies to stand completely on end!

Chen Xing let out a sigh, turned to Weiyi, and said, "Explain things to them, and have them come see me later." With that, he prepared to turn and depart.

Seeing that Chen Xing was about to leave, Weiyi hurried forward a step in anxiety and pleaded, "Senior! Then what about my junior sister..."

Chen Xing waved a hand and replied, "She is currently keeping my sister company in secluded cultivation. Once she emerges, I will have her come see you." Having spoken, he and Chen Mi vanished from the spot together.

What Chen Xing left unsaid was that Chu Ningdie's secluded cultivation was not for comprehending the Dao of Samsara! Rather, Chen Xing had sent her a telepathic message instructing her to lift the seals on the Saintess of Tianshu! After all, they couldn't simply hand back a puppet to the poor man!

Upon a modest peak, Chen Xing and his sister sat chatting idly, watching little Chen Chen and Chu Ningxue play happily below.

Since Chu Ningdie was currently occupied with unsealing the Tianshu Saintess and temporarily unable to guide Chu Ningxue in her cultivation, she finally had the leisure to play with little Chen Chen.

"Brother, you are simply too benevolent. You didn't even lift a finger to wipe out that fellow just now! Aren't you being a bit too much of a saintly do-gooder?" Chen Mi said with a trace of indignation, even dragging out a buzzword she had learned back on Earth.

Chen Xing rubbed the bridge of his nose and answered awkwardly, "You know how it is—I've never really enjoyed killing people."

Chen Mi shot him a disdainful look and scoffed, "Right! You don't like killing people, you just like killing Supremes! Tell me, how many Supremes have you slaughtered since coming to this realm?"

Chen Xing fell silent. After a long while, he replied, "That was because they provoked those who shouldn't be provoked and committed deeds that shouldn't be done."

Chen Mi grew quiet, and after quite some time, she murmured, "I know your nature is relatively benevolent; unless someone crosses your bottom line, you rarely make a move."

"Do you think I'm a failing Lord of the Primordial Chaos? I can't even manage the decisive ruthlessness of those Sons of Destiny," Chen Xing chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Chen Mi shook her head, her voice softening. "If you treated human lives as casually as they do, that would truly be the greatest catastrophe for the myriad realms. You have already done wonderfully well, Brother."

"Is that so?" Chen Xing muttered thoughtfully.

Chen Mi nodded with a smile. "Haven't you noticed? In truth, you have been fighting all along! You have constantly been fighting against yourself, all for the sake of protecting our family!" At these words, Chen Mi's voice grew slightly choked with emotion.

She spoke the truth. To safeguard his original conscience, Chen Xing had consistently refused to restore his true primordial form, perpetually searching for a win-win solution. It wasn't that he didn't want to cast aside the identity of the Primordial Dao Lord, but rather that he simply could not shed it!

Chen Xing pulled Chen Mi into a gentle embrace and sighed, "I imagine very few people would believe that all I've ever truly yearned for is that carefree life we shared back on Earth!"

"I will always stay by Brother's side!" Chen Mi vowed with unshakeable resolve.

Before Chen Xing could respond, a soft voice chimed in from nearby: "I will also stay by Brother's side, no matter the time!" Her tone was laden with unquestionable certainty.

The two turned their heads to see Chu Ningdie standing not far away, watching them with a gentle smile.

"You're here!" Chen Xing greeted her with a faint smile.

Chu Ningdie nodded and said softly, "My sister and I will forever remain with Brother, forever and always!"

Chen Xing nodded, then asked with a smiling inquiry, "Are matters finished?"

Chu Ningdie nodded in response, flicking her wrist. A slumbering, peerless beauty materialized, floating gently before her.

Gazing upon the woman's features, Chen Xing couldn't help a silent internal mockery: To think that fellow Weiyi had aged into a withered old man, yet he was paired with such a breathtaking beauty—what a sheer waste of natural creation!

As it turned out, during their travels over the past year or so, Weiyi had once mentioned to Chen Xing that six thousand years ago, the Tianshu Saintess Mo Xiaowu was his beloved lover!

Regrettably, after the Tianshu Sect members entered the Desolate Forbidden Land, Weiyi had assumed she perished alongside the rest. From that day onward, he gave up on himself, no longer caring as his youth withered away into old age.

Imagining the comical scene of a white-haired, weathered Weiyi bringing the youthful and stunning Mo Xiaowu before others to introduce themselves as husband and wife brought a smile Chen Xing struggled to suppress.

"Very well! It's time for us to return as well." With a wave of his hand, Chen Xing scooped up the two little ones playing at the base of the mountain, addressing the two women.

The maidens nodded, and instantly their figures vanished from the modest peak.

Across Beidou, countless major powers initiated their respective preparations. The Grand Gathering of a Myriad Clans was fast approaching, and numerous factions summoned their ancestral foundations to brace for the upcoming assembly at Yaochi Holy Land.

Within a secluded mountain valley, a man and a dog were whispering furtively to each other.

"Listen here, you mangy dog, are you certain the God-Binding Banner will fly right across the skies above Yaochi that day, and that the Wushi Bell will toll?" A wretched-looking Daoist priest questioned the large black dog in a low murmur.

"Rest assured, everything has been arranged. There won't be any mishaps," the black dog proclaimed with absolute confidence.

The wretched Daoist rolled his eyes and scoffed, "When have you ever done a single reliable thing? You always drop the chain precisely when it matters most!"

"Woof! You unprincipled Daoist, Lord Black is going to bite you to death!" Incensed by these words, the black dog lunged forward, snapping viciously at the priest's waist.

"You mangy hound, trying to rob me again!" Scrambling in panic, the Daoist hurriedly protected the spatial pouch at his waist as he tumbled into a scuffle with the black dog.

These two were none other than the Black Emperor and Duan De. Ever since parting ways with Ye Fan and Shi Yi over a dozen years prior due to various circumstances, the two had only recently reunited.

Having heard that the human race and the Taigu race were preparing to hold peace negotiations at Yaochi Holy Land, the pair had resolved to make preparations, plotting to ambush those ancient clans when the day arrived.