The Xia Family, one of the Thirteen Families, has its ancestral home in Beilai City. Even though the Sun has been extinguished for four years now and chaos reigns outside, everything in Beilai City remains orderly.

The destruction of the Upper Realm seemed not to have significantly affected this family. The Xia Family collected countless provisions before and after the catastrophe, ensuring a life of abundance and prosperity. The nearby residents also benefited from the Xia Family's generosity and did not become displaced.

Beilai City's commerce remains thriving, with bustling markets, taverns, and inns, and the school continues to operate normally.

Chen Shi walked barefoot through these places, thinking to himself, "On their doorstep, a grand family must maintain some dignity, unlike the disgraceful sights elsewhere."

He passed through Sheep Street, witnessing some cultivators leading ghost monsters like Shen to sell, locked with iron chains. Beside them were some male and female slaves, bound hand and foot with cow hide, placed next to Shen.

Shen looked around, glanced around unnoticed, and extended its long tongue to coil around the nearby female slave, intending to feast on her.

The cultivator hurriedly rushed over, placing an immobilization charm on its forehead.

Catching ghost monsters has become quite a profitable business. Captured ghost monsters can be sold for a lot of money, especially Shen, as their flesh nourishes the soul. The flesh of this type of ghost monster can also serve as a good remedy for illnesses, as many people now afflicted by yin energy and weakened yang energy suffer from ailments. Consuming Shen's flesh can boost yang energy.

So, many cultivators go hunting for Shen in groups, making a living from it.

—As for the buying and selling of male and female slaves, it is also commonplace. Many slaves were kidnapped from elsewhere, while others, unable to survive, sold themselves just to leave a bowl of food for their families.

Chen Shi absorbed the various aspects of city life at a glance, deeply moved in his heart.

He stopped at a stall to buy a pair of cloth shoes, trying them on and finding they fit well. Just as he was about to pay and leave, a voice chuckled, "Chen Zhaoyuan, it's been five or six years since we parted in the Western Capital, and your demeanor is more impressive than ever."

Chen Shi turned toward the voice and saw Xia Canghai, the Minister of Rites, approaching with some Xia Family experts who cleared others from the street.

"Ah, it's Mr. Minister."

Chen Shi greeted him, saying, "Mr. Xia, when did you return to Beilai from the Western Capital?"

"It's been a while."

Xia Canghai reached his side and sighed, "The year the Sun extinguished, the Western Capital underwent great upheaval. Without the True King Nine Palaces to suppress it, the Western Capital was overrun by ghosts and spirits, causing heavy casualties. I was also like a fallen noble, escaping for over a year with my family in fear and unease until we found ourselves in Beilai. Many family members perished during the long migration."

He looked somber, deeply affected: "In the face of catastrophe, whether you're from the Thirteen Families or a Minister of Rites, you're no different from commoners."

Chen Shi's heart stirred slightly: "When the Upper Realm collapsed, you left the Western Capital. What about the citizens of the Western Capital?"

"Each to their fate."

"Each to their fate?"

Chen Shi said with a half-smile, "Mr. Xia, you are the Minister of Rites, and in times of crisis, you tell me 'each to their fate'? Do you honor the official attire you wear?"

Xia Canghai's face sank: "In times of crisis, what was Mr. Chen doing?"

"Saving lives!"

Xia Canghai ridiculed, "Then how many did Mr. Chen save?"

Chen Shi shook his head and said, "Not many. Of the fifty provinces' citizens, one or two out of ten were saved because of me."

Xia Canghai laughed heartily, repeatedly shaking his head, "Mr. Chen really knows how to joke!"

His expression darkened, changing the topic: "When you entered the city, someone recognized you and informed me. Mr. Chen, we had a family member named Xia Tianjie who died in Gongzhou. Are you aware of this?"

"I killed him."

Chen Shi straightforwardly admitted, "I went to flatten Fengyang Manor and killed hundreds of your Xia Family's ghost gods. Xia Tianjie attacked me and died at my hands."

Xia Canghai's eye twitched. In the sky, Cangyun was suddenly pressed by an invisible force, spreading outward, revealing a Void Great Realm hundreds of miles across. Within it sat a Primordial Spirit hundreds of feet tall, akin to a Heavenly God, overlooking everything.

In Beilai City, the cultivators suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of oppression, looking up in awe at this Primordial Spirit, intimidated by its immense power, unable to breathe.

Chen Shi, accustomed to the Primordial Spirit of Returning Void Realm experts, was unfazed, but for the other cultivators and the common people, the Primordial Spirit of Returning Void Realm was just too powerful, too terrifying!

"Fengyang Jun died at my hands, and Yin Commander Xia Xiude also perished because of me."

Chen Shi confessed frankly, "The Xia Family's ghost gods committed evil locally, so I executed them."

Xia Canghai's presence grew ever heavier, his face grim: "Do you know that Xia Tianjie was the next Sect Master of our Xia Family?"

Chen Shi responded nonchalantly, "Fengyang Jun committed evil, so I killed him. Xia Tianjie tried to kill me, and I killed him too. Mr. Xia, if you're seeking revenge for him, you'll die as well. We serve in the same court, and you wouldn't want today to be your death anniversary, would you?"

Black Pot looked around uneasily, noticing numerous powerful Xia Family cultivators approaching from the street, some standing on rooftops, others in mid-air, with many more bringing heavy magical treasures to seal off Sheep Street completely from all directions.

Xia Canghai said coldly, "Chen Shi, be honest, what are you doing in Beilai City?"

"Buying shoes."

Chen Shi's mother toe hidden in the new shoes wiggled upward, rubbing the shoe surface as he chuckled, "My shoes were worn out, so I came to buy a new pair."

Xia Canghai eyed the cloth shoes on his feet, sneering, "Chen Shi, you'd better really be here to buy shoes!"

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