Chen Shi was carrying a book box on his back and a long red cannon on his shoulder. Behind him, Li Tianqing quickly followed, carrying a big basket filled with black iron cannonballs, each the size of a human head.
In front, Chen Shi's book box also held three or four black iron cannonballs. Each of these cannonballs weighed over twenty pounds, packed with black gunpowder and painted with a powerful Five Thunder Talisman. The power was extremely strong and fierce!
Both the black gunpowder and the Five Thunder Talisman were very unstable, and a small mistake could cause an explosion. If one of them exploded, the others would surely follow, and not just Chen Shi and Li Tianqing, who were at the Divine Fetus Stage, but even a more advanced cultivator would be blown to dust.
Despite this, Chen Shi and Li Tianqing walked lightly, chatting and laughing as if they had no worries. They were so calm because Chen Shi had placed a Calming Talisman on the cannonballs, making them less dangerous. Although Li Tianqing doubted the talisman's ability to calm the cannonballs, he felt strangely at ease.
From the distant mountains came a series of heart-stopping tremors. The two climbed to a mountaintop and saw flashes of bright light, likely the result of powerful spells, reflecting off the shiny leaves of the porcelain-like trees, creating a colorful display.
"Once we finish this job, I'm heading back home," Li Tianqing said, putting down his basket. "Little Shi, before I leave, I'll give you some books I brought with me: 'The Book of Poetry,' 'The Book of Documents,' 'The Rites of Zhou,' 'The Doctrine of the Mean,' and 'The Great Learning.' They're all from Master Confucius."
Chen Shi set down the red cannon and his book box, pulling out a black iron cannonball. "Do they test on these in the county exams?" he asked.
"They do," Li Tianqing replied, licking his finger and holding it up to estimate the wind direction and speed. "I took the scholar's exam last year, and they tested on these. If you pass the scholar's exam this spring, we might be able to take the provincial exam together in August. The provincial exam is only once every three years. If you don't pass, you'll have to wait another three years."
Chen Shi wrapped the gunpowder in an old cloth, stuffed it into the long cannon barrel, and used a stick to pack it tightly. "But the provincial exam is different. You should take it in Spring City, and I'll take it in New Township. It's a shame we can't take it together."
Li Tianqing attached a fuse to the cannon. "It's a pity. But if we pass the provincial exam, we can take the imperial exam. Everyone has to go to the Western Capital for that."
Chen Shi, excited, said, "Let's see who can become the top scholar then!"
He was confident, with Scholar Zhu's guidance, he was sure to make a name for himself!
He placed the cannonball in the barrel and took out two Yellow Turban Warrior Talismans. As the talismans burned, two golden-armored figures slowly appeared, becoming clearer.
Li Tianqing praised, "Amazing! The talismans drawn with Heiguo's blood are several times more powerful than others!"
Chen Shi positioned the two golden-armored figures, placing the cannon on their shoulders and having them hold it steady.
Li Tianqing took out a notebook, jotting down some calculations. Chen Shi peeked over to see strange patterns and numbers.
"I learned some calculations from the foreigners," Li Tianqing explained while working. "They are called 'red-haired ghosts' because of their red hair and green eyes. Their ancestors came from Europe with the Three Treasures Eunuch's fleet to the Western New Bull Continent. The red cannon was made by them. My teacher, Mr. Li Gen, is a math teacher hired by the Li family. He taught me that when firing a cannon, you need to calculate the amount of gunpowder, the weight of the cannonball, the wind direction, the distance to the target, and adjust the angle of the cannon."
"That complicated?" Chen Shi thought firing a cannon was just about loading gunpowder and lighting it, not realizing it required calculations.
Luckily, Li Tianqing understood these things and quickly finished the calculations.
Li Tianqing used a compass and ruler to measure and compare with the data on the paper. "If you pass the provincial exam but not the imperial exam, you can try for the Divine Mechanism Battalion. They require math skills, and their cannon shots never miss. If this shot hits, I'll join the Divine Mechanism Battalion after passing the exam! They pay well, and many have died recently, so it should be easy to get in!"
Chen Shi adjusted the cannon's position and the figures' stance as directed, shaking his head. "Little Jin won't like you. Little Jin likes men like me."
Li Tianqing snorted, muttering, "I think Little Jin looks at me differently."
Chen Shi lit a fire starter, smiling, "You're imagining things. I think Little Jin's eyes light up when looking at me..."
Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a dark beam shot from the mountains, forming a black curtain that covered the sky.
Everything became pitch black, and only the faint glow from the golden-armored figures was visible.
The two were puzzled and felt a violent rage rising within, their minds filled with chaos.
They hadn't learned to control their minds yet, so they didn't realize how dangerous this state was. If consumed by inner demons, one would act on instinct alone, becoming mindless!
The Evil Bodhisattva's influence on the demon domain turned everything into porcelain.
Chen Yin's domain, however, absorbed everything by turning it demonic first!
"Tianqing, something's wrong," Chen Shi said, just as the sky cleared, sunlight breaking through. The black curtain vanished, along with the Evil Bodhisattva's domain!
Their chaotic state disappeared as well.
Li Tianqing, surprised, looked up. "What happened? The demon domain suddenly collapsed. Could it be... Grandpa and the others succeeded?"
He was overjoyed, laughing, "Little Shi, our plan worked! They succeeded! They killed the Evil Bodhisattva!"
Chen Shi looked around, seeing the wind rustling the leaves, which clinked like porcelain but also made a rustling sound.
Some leaves were returning to their normal state!
With the demon domain's collapse, the trees began to recover!
Chen Shi was both shocked and delighted, crouching to examine the grass, which was also coming back to life.
Li Tianqing said, "Little Shi! The Zhao family camp is preparing to leave!"
Chen Shi quickly stood, looking toward the Zhao family camp. He saw the Imperial Guards escorting the Zhao family members and a few porcelain dolls out of the mountains, moving quickly with the Armored Horse Talisman.
Even more surprising, the porcelain dolls were gradually turning back into living people!
Chen Shi was about to light the cannon when he saw the group disappear behind a mountain ridge.
Heavenly Yang Mountain had many ridges and changing terrain, making it difficult to fire the cannon without calculations.
"We can't let them leave alive!" Chen Shi, filled with killing intent, slung his book box over his shoulder. "Forget the cannon, let's use the black iron cannonballs to blow them up! The Zhao family caused the Evil Bodhisattva to appear, killing so many people. They must pay!"
He immediately headed down the mountain to chase the Zhao family members and Imperial Guards.
Li Tianqing hesitated, activating the Armored Horse Talisman on his legs, and quickly followed with the black iron cannonballs. "Little Shi, the creatures turned into porcelain by the Evil Bodhisattva are starting to recover. Without the Evil Bodhisattva's influence, the Zhao family's experts might also recover. If they do, we won't stand a chance."
Not just stand a chance, if the likes of Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanchu from the Transformation Stage recover, even Zhao Yanliang at the Golden Core Stage would be enough to wipe them out.
Chen Shi hesitated, "If they recover, we won't pursue them."
The two moved faster than the Zhao family members and Imperial Guards, quickly catching up after four or five miles.
The Zhao family members and Imperial Guards, exhausted and nearly resorting to cannibalism due to the Evil Spirit's torment, were still vigilant and soon noticed the two chasing them.
"It's the murderer who killed the eldest young master!" someone recognized Chen Shi, shouting.
Immediately, dozens slowed down. Zhao Yanlong, slowly regaining his human form, was both surprised and delighted, tears in his eyes as he laughed, "Ziyu, is it your spirit in heaven that brought this murderer to me? Good! You're truly my good son!"
As they spoke, the two sides were about twenty yards apart, within the range of the Midnight Demon-Slaying Sword. Chen Shi grabbed a black iron cannonball, channeling his energy, and threw it with great force!
"Ah!" His strength was immense, and the cannonball flew swiftly, heading straight for someone's head.
The Imperial Guards were ready with spells, and someone quickly used the Midnight Demon-Slaying Sword to intercept the cannonball.
Boom!
Suddenly, it was like thunder igniting fire, and a fiery explosion formed a massive fireball over two yards wide above their heads!
Four or five Imperial Guards and Zhao family members were instantly obliterated in the explosion. The fireball expanded, consuming an area of about an acre, with Zhao family members and over ten Imperial Guards being blown into the air, limbs flying everywhere, leaving hardly a complete body!
Even more terrifying was the intense heat, charring the flying limbs black in an instant!
The others' eardrums rang, unable to hear anything else, feeling as if thunder was rolling in their minds, making the world seem to shake.
The thunderous sound shook their spirits, making them feel the ground tremble.
They shook their heads, trying to rid their ears of the noise, but the ringing persisted.
Zhao Yanlong was also blown away by the shockwave, not yet fully human. Upon landing, he heard a crack from his legs, alarming him. He quickly called to a nearby Zhao family member, "Pick me up!"
"What?" the Zhao family member shouted, ears ringing.
"Pick me up!"
This time, the Zhao family member heard, quickly lifting him and fleeing.
The other Zhao family members followed, fearing they'd be killed by the cannonballs if they lagged behind.
Chen Shi and Li Tianqing pursued from behind. Chen Shi grabbed another cannonball, throwing it with force!
The cannonball whistled toward the group, about to fall when a round golden core rose, stopping the cannonball mid-air.
Chen Shi shouted angrily, running forward and throwing another cannonball, which collided with the suspended one.
Boom!
Both cannonballs exploded simultaneously, and the golden core in the air was reduced to dust in the terrifying blast!
Among those fleeing below, Zhao Yanliang suddenly coughed up blood, weakened.
The golden core in the air was his.
Though a late-stage Golden Core expert, far beyond Zhao Ziyu, he couldn't withstand the firepower. Two cannonballs shattered his core, leaving nothing!
Zhao Yanliang, his energy failing, tried to call for help, but the Zhao family members and Imperial Guards around him were all fleeing, ignoring him.
Struggling to stabilize his energy, he heard rapid footsteps ahead. Looking up, he saw a young man with a book box rushing toward him.
"It's that murderer..." He raised his hand, trying to gather magic and cast a spell. Though his core was gone, he still had his foundation and could fight.
But as he lifted his hand, Chen Shi was already upon him, grabbing his hand and breaking his wrist with a crack.
Zhao Yanliang trembled in pain, crying out as Chen Shi passed him, striking the back of his head with a palm.
When Li Tianqing caught up, he saw the Golden Core expert's brains splattered on the ground—
These past days of intense action had left him exhausted, and he felt like his mind had gone blank. After all, he was getting older. There wouldn't be a third update tonight; he'd return to two chapters a day, each around seven to eight thousand words.