Above the Great Dao

Granny Sha stared blankly at the scene before her; the series of changes had happened so swiftly that it overwhelmed her.

Chen Shi let out a long sigh of relief, took down the Sheep Horn Bronze Lamp he had been carrying on his back, and smiled, "Granny, I've brought back the bronze lamp you lost!"

Suddenly, the little old granny rushed over tremblingly and hugged him tight. Her body shook, her voice choked with sobs, as she clung to him, tears streaming down her face like rain.

"My child, my dear child, Granny won't let you take risks anymore!"

The little old granny cried bitterly, no longer paying any attention to the bronze lamp she had been longing for, which made Chen Shi feel a bit uneasy.

Granny Sha held him as if embracing a dear one, unwilling to let go.

After a long while, Granny Sha finally released him, wiping away the crisscrossing tears on her face. She repeatedly checked Chen Shi for any injuries and, finding him unharmed, finally felt at ease.

"Granny, are you okay?" Chen Shi ventured.

Hearing his voice, Granny Sha couldn't help but think of her own child, and tears fell like rain once again.

"My son Tianyu was just as clever and adorable as him. If he were still alive, he'd probably be married with his own business by now, and I would be holding my grandchild. He'd be about the same age as little Shi."

The little old granny grew emotional upon seeing Chen Shi escape from certain death in the underworld and was reminded of her own son, Xiang Tianyu.

Xiang Tianyu was particularly clever and adorable, with a high aptitude, at that time also in his early teens.

Boys are always mischievous, but also sensible, and Xiang Tianyu was just like that.

When mischievous, she would have liked nothing more than to grab him and give him a good thrashing, but he also had his considerate moments, being especially caring, asking after her well-being, and massaging her shoulders and back.

She loved this son dearly, but at that time, she also harbored her own grand ambitions. She was highly skilled with souls and wanted to advance further. However, for some reason, she struggled to break through and thus conceived a bold idea.

That was to sneak into the underworld in search of a strange stone only found there, the Three-Life Stone.

If she could refine medicine with the Three-Life Stone, consuming it would allow her to awaken memories of her past life, transforming the cultivation of her past life into her current one, thus breaking through to the next realm.

However, not just anyone could go to the underworld. Those who could go were either the Child Boy Essence Soul or the Child Girl's Essence Soul.

The Child Boy Essence Soul, being of Pure Yang, could resist the yin energy of the underworld and prevent soul disintegration.

The Child Girl's Essence Soul, being of Pure Yin, would not suffer too quickly in the underworld.

She did not trust outsiders, given the Three-Life Stone's great value, so she planned to have her own son, Xiang Tianyu, secretly enter the underworld to steal it for her.

To ensure Xiang Tianyu's safety, she made multiple preparations: life-preserving talismans, precious seals, various spells, sacred blood—completely armed, and only then did she allow Xiang Tianyu's spirit to leave his body and enter the underworld.

Xiang Tianyu was an understanding child, undertaking this dangerous task for her without complaints or refusal, and just like that, he entered the underworld.

But Xiang Tianyu couldn't come back.

She waited for seven days, and he never returned.

Seven days are a threshold; a cultivator's soul can survive outside the body for seven days, but after that, the physical body dies and decays.

Her son died.

The mischievous yet sensible little boy died.

His spirit was lost in the underworld, unable to find the way home.

The death of her son was a tremendous blow to her, and because of this, her husband broke with her, becoming strangers. It was also because of this that she spent her life in guilt and regret.

Back then, Chen Yindou, Chen Shi's grandfather, sought her out for help. Initially, she refused, but upon seeing Chen Shi's face, she was reminded of her own son and agreed, risking her life to traverse the realms of life and death to summon Chen Shi's soul.

It was then that she offended a massive figure in the underworld, leaving behind many enemies, and she could no longer set foot in the underworld lest she be besieged.

Granny Sha let out a melancholy sigh and patted Chen Shi's head.

"Granny will not let you do anything dangerous again," she whispered.

Chen Shi lifted the Sheep Horn Bronze Lamp and smiled, "Granny, is this the lamp you were looking for?"

Granny Sha's spirit rekindled, and she nodded, "For this damn lamp, you nearly lost your life. Do you resent Granny?"

Chen Shi shook his head, "Grandpa said that Granny did a lot for me back then and that I should repay your kindness."

Granny Sha's heart warmed, and she felt tears threatening to fall again, and quickly said, "It's getting dark; let's head back home."

The two set off on their way back.

"This lamp is a treasure that only a Ghost King among the underworld emissaries can possess, called the Sheep Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp. It can illuminate and pierce through the realms of life and death, see through the netherworld, and possesses extremely formidable power," Granny Sha spoke of the origins of the Sheep Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp, "Back then, I joined forces with a few old fellows to withstand its power and severely injured the Black Pot Ghost King. The Ghost King fell into the River of Oblivion with the lamp, and I knew it was certain to die, but I never imagined it could survive through the unique properties of the River of Oblivion and live until now."

She couldn't help but feel a sense of fear in hindsight.

If the Black Pot Ghost King still had a fraction of strength left, a wisp of True Qi could have turned Chen Shi to dust.

"I'll keep this lamp safe for you for now; you can take it whenever you're ready," said Granny Sha.

When the two returned to the village, the sky was growing dark, and they saw a large black dog already waiting at the entrance.

Chen Shi hurriedly approached, "Black Pot, did grandpa send you to get me for dinner?"

Black Pot wagged its tail.