Chapter 412

Disciples of Mount Wutong are, to Outside Qingzhou, nearly akin to immortals from legend.

At this moment, this Senior Tong had voluntarily offered to lead the way.

General You Longtao snapped out of his shock and hurriedly led everyone after him.

They passed through several courtyards and arrived outside the Wu Temple's Jia Courtyard.

Without needing Tong Xinchuan to speak, Lin Baiwei immediately spotted several slender figures among the crowd.

Less than ten people total, yet clearly divided into factions.

Jiang Shijie, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, seemed unchanged from before—quietly standing at the very front; behind her side, a woman with both eyes gouged out.

On the other side, under the old woman's lead, a middle-aged man stood with two women behind him.

As for those at the very back, several individuals dressed as temple attendants.

Seeing the solemn expressions of this group, Lin Baiwei suddenly felt a faint tremor in her heart—a bad premonition—and slipped quietly inside, standing in the corner.

"My lord Wu, could you perhaps go ask what's going on?"

The Fifth Ancestor of the Xu family turned anxiously to look.

She had moved her entire family to Daqian, utterly unfamiliar with the land, with only Shen Yi as her sole reliance.

If something happened to him, the Xu family would be thrown into an excruciatingly awkward position.

"No. Master Shen has ordered that no one may set foot inside Jia Courtyard."

Wu Dao'an replied without glancing aside.

"When did your younger brother issue that order?"

Beside him, Zhu Jue hovered in place, asking softly.

In truth, as disciples of the Wu Temple, they too knew nothing—only that the Golden Body manifestation had suddenly appeared and guarded this place.

The reason the atmosphere was so solemn was entirely due to Wu Dao'an's series of orders: sealing the imperial city, activating the great array.

"… "

Wu Dao'an shot Zhu Jue a disgruntled glance but said nothing.

Knowing his younger brother Shen, he knew that whether leaving or returning, the man moved silently; had he not needed incense and devotional energy, no one might even know his whereabouts.

This time, making such a commotion must mean something is wrong.

As a mere Wu Xian, if he didn't invoke Master Shen's name, how could he possibly hold the scene?

Let alone the people of Mount Wutong—who in this world could control them?

"… "

Xu Wanyun scanned the surroundings, sensing the silence, and suddenly felt a pang of reflection.

Daqian, the Xu family, Mount Wutong.

Three forces with no connection whatsoever, yet now coexisting so harmoniously outside this one courtyard.

Even that woman who had lost her eyes—the senior disciple of Mount Wutong, a cultivator who had reached the peak of Soul Transformation—now stood quietly outside the courtyard, behind Jiang's woman.

Honestly, each one more beautiful than the last.

Could they be arranged by beauty?

Thinking of this, Xu Wanyun hesitated, stepped half a pace forward, and, under Xu Qing'er's puzzled gaze, positioned herself slightly ahead of her.

"You two behave."

Xu Hongde frowned and glared at the two girls.

As their father, how could he not know Qing'er's feelings—but… there wasn't a single ordinary person nearby; even as clan head, he couldn't secure anything for his daughter.

"Any news yet?"

Miao Qinghui walked over from afar and subtly signaled to Tong Xinchuan: "I've heard rumors that the Purple Thunder Divine Sword Palace was spotted near the Thousand Demon Caves."

After Senior Nie left the mountain, everyone waited long without word of the return of Senior Lingxi and the other two, so they came to Daqian to search.

When they finally saw the three, they found each one more battered than the last.

The worst off was Qingfeng, who still lay on his bed, unconscious.

"You stay here. I'll go find my senior brother."

Tong Xinchuan nodded and turned to walk outside.

At that moment, a muffled crack echoed—the wooden door shattered, and a figure flew out before all eyes.

He rolled on the ground several times and came to rest at Tong Xinchuan's feet.

"Sss."

In his disbelief,

Nie Jun grinned, glancing at Tong Xinchuan: "What are you staring at?"

Saying that, he rose and brushed the dust off his clothes, shouting toward the room: "That didn't count—you ambushed me. Let's start over."

Before he finished speaking, a dark sword shot out and slapped him across the face with a sharp crack.

"Get lost."

As the words rang out, a black-robed figure stepped across the threshold.

Beneath his disheveled strands, Shen Yi's pale, handsome face glowed with piercing eyes—showing not the slightest sign of injury.

He had never imagined that, out of gratitude for the man's help removing the golden arrow, he had given Nie Jun a treasure pill from General Nanyang Sect to heal him.

Yet this fool had barely opened his eyes and the first thing he did was draw his sword and attack.

"Senior brother."

Miao Qinghui watched the sword mark on Nie Jun's face, her eyelid twitching.

When had these two, whom she regarded as the strongest among the younger generation, grown so familiar?

And why was it Senior Nie who got thrown out?

"Huh."

Upon seeing that familiar face, Jiang Qiulan's calm expression finally cracked; he exhaled slowly, his eyes reddening as he softly sniffled.

"Come in."

Shen Yi scanned the crowd, then turned and walked back into the courtyard.

Those two simple words caused the dozen or so people present to step forward without hesitation.

Watching those imposing figures.

General You Longtao and Chen Qiankun exchanged a glance, inexplicably feeling a sense of familiarity—as if they were seeing their own former selves.

Shen Yi left Outside Qingzhou.

Yet he seemed to be doing the same thing, similarly trusted by all, becoming the final bulwark in everyone's heart.

"Tsk."

Nie Jun idly spun a sword flourish, suppressing his urge to go drink and eat meat, then grumbled and followed inside.

He could hardly imagine a cultivator he'd never met.

Enduring the agony of the Imperial Demon-Arrow, walking up to the Divine Wind Demon Emperor's presence, and picking him up.

And without a single blade drawn, he could roar a single word and drive back the Second Cave's Great Demon Emperor.

He was truly itching for a fight now.

This urge to challenge the opponent surpassed even the lure of fine food.

…

At the shattered doorway, Shen Yi sat down casually on the ground.

Seeing this, the others no longer held back, each choosing a spot they liked—by the flower platform, beneath the locust tree—until the entire courtyard was filled.

Under such a light atmosphere.

Shen Yi softly spoke one sentence, and everyone froze in place.

"The Thousand Demon Caves are going mad. Prepare yourselves."

Hearing this, Wu Dao'an instinctively glanced at the small stool beneath him. Shouldn't such matters be discussed in the Wumiao's grand hall, with the other seated upon the altar while they stood solemnly below, deliberating slowly?

And besides—what madness were the Thousand Demon Caves even having?

They were one of the supreme powers of the world, their status unshakable.

As Wu Dao'an's thoughts swirled, he suddenly noticed the Mount Wutong group rising one by one; finally, Tong Xinchuan asked hesitantly: "How many did they kill?"

Shen Yi paused a moment: "More than twenty, didn't count exactly."

This casual remark struck the Mount Wutong group like lightning.

Miao Qinghui asked dazedly: "Including the Demon Kings?"

Shen Yi shook his head lightly.

The Demon Kings were mostly slain by Lady Qinghua; he had no time to count them.

Their strange words reached the ears of others.

Xu Jia's Fifth Ancestor swallowed hard, staring blankly at Xu Hongde: "..."

Could they possibly mean the Demon Emperors?

The Thousand Demon Caves had only forty to fifty Demon Emperors total—now half dead?

True Person Ling Xi leaned closer to Jiang Qiulan, desperately masking her trembling body.

When they were rescued, Shen Yi had been facing five Great Demon Emperors alone; now he returned in this state, arriving back barely half a day after them.

Didn't that mean... those twenty-plus lives included several Great Demon Emperors?

Everyone said Nie Jun was like a killing god.

His earlier pursuit of the Blood-Transforming Demon Emperor had stirred uproar across the land, known to all.

In comparison, Shen Yi quietly slaughtered half of them—and until now, had he not spoken it aloud, no one had even sensed a thing.

The Thousand Demon Caves weren't just going mad.

They were clearly going to fight to the death!

"Lord Shen, what should we do?"

Tong Xinchuan finally understood the peril ahead.

If everything Shen Yi said was true.

Then the Thousand Demon Caves could no longer guard the cultivator caverns, nor could they possibly remain inside waiting to be destroyed.

The horde of demons would leave the caves and bring ruin upon the people.

It was truly coming.

Shen Yi turned to the Xu family and gave a slight nod: "I beg your assistance—reinforce the Nine Provinces Array further."

"We accept your command!"

Xu Hongde bowed in response.

"Master Zhu, have the Soul Transformation Pills been distributed?" Shen Yi turned to the two from the Wumiao.

"They've been distributed, but they've been in stagnation too long—some have lost their edge. They're still adjusting their mindsets to ensure no pill is wasted," Zhu Jue rose to reply.

"It doesn't matter. Eat first."

Shen Yi said softly: "If there's not enough, there's more."

After harvesting the remaining treasures from the entire Spirit Plant Garden, he couldn't guarantee anything else—but Soul Transformation Pills were plentiful.

Having given all instructions.

Shen Yi finally stood, turning to the Mount Wutong group.

With Nie Jun at their head, all seven were now within the Great Qian Imperial City.

"I will go contact the other senior brothers and sisters."

Tong Xinquan raised his gaze to look.

They had never cared about the others below the mountain before, simply because they understood the situation within General Nanyang Sect more clearly.

No matter what kind of demon or monster it was, the moment the sect's protective formation opened, someone would naturally go handle it.

Their only responsibility was to break through to Return to Emptiness and go to the Thousand Demon Cave to place the Dao token.

But now.

It seemed no other cultivators needed to act; relying solely on them within the sect, they already had the chance to deal with this group of demons.

"Thank you."

Shen Yi nodded his chin.

With his current strength, as long as the Old Dog did not act, he feared almost no demon's ambush.

But Great Qian was different.

There were far too many ordinary people here, and the territory was so vast that even a cultivator who had perfected the Transformation of Spirit Realm was powerless to protect them all.

From the very beginning, it was only for incense and vows of power; until now, Shen Yi finally wanted to reach out and block again, rather than desperately suppressing his own emotions.

But standing behind him were no longer the Liu family father and daughter, but countless Li Min and common people.

It was just blocking one more dog.

Never daring to stop his steps, was it not for a clear and unimpeded state of mind?

"What are you thanking me for?"

Tong Xinquan smiled self-mockingly, raised an eyebrow, and said, "My Lord Golden-Eyed Lion Emperor has protected us more than once."

Hearing this, the one who reacted most strongly was the Wumiao.

Wu Dao'an's mouth hung open, looking over in disbelief: "That Demon Emperor is Yan Shidi Shen?"

The newly promoted Great Demon Emperor who had been the talk of the town these past few days turned out to have come from Great Qian.

Tsk! It really was Yan Shidi Shen; no matter where he went, he was always the most dazzling one; even as a demon, he had to be among the strongest.

After learning that the disciples of Mount Wutong would help guard the lands of the Nine Provinces.

The Wumiao also spared no courtesy, grandly setting up a banquet to see everyone off; as for the location, they directly chose the Great Hall of the Wumiao, so that the dazed and confused Shenxu Laozu could have some sense of participation.

Shen Yi, as usual, did not attend the banquet.

He had more important matters to attend to.

That previous paw strike of the dog had let him clearly see the gap between himself and the true Return to Emptiness Realm.

The opponent dared not come out, not because of any restrictions placed upon him.

According to the information currently at hand, the Old Dog was more wary of the Dao token in Mount Wutong's hands, fearing a trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain.

Placing one's life on the hang-up of a dog.

This was something he could not accept.

A palm-sized purple-golden cauldron hung in the air, slowly rotating; Shen Yi spread both palms, and colorless Li Fire flowed continuously into the alchemy furnace.

Tianhuang Pill.

This prescription was specifically used to cultivate the Tianhuang Indestructible True Body.

Only after the Divine Sparrow Nirvana was perfected could one withstand such fierce medicinal power.

Since it involved a Return to Emptiness Realm pill, the precious herbs used were incredibly rare and of many varieties.

Even though Shen Yi had completely stripped the Fourth Cave clean, he could only barely gather about sixty or seventy percent of what was needed.

Fortunately, Mount Wutong had a rich foundation.

Under the pooling efforts of his fellow disciples, although they could not produce the herbs recorded in the prescription, they managed to substitute them with other precious treasures of similar medicinal properties.

What was finally lacking was the refined blood of a demon beast with compatible affinity.

A fire-attribute bird demon of the Return to Emptiness Realm; let alone other places, even looking across the entire General Nanyang Sect, one absolutely could not find one.

Shen Yi was not picky, however.

Since the precious herbs had all been replaced with other things, he might as well find some Hunyuan Realm demon blood from the Martial Arsenal to use as a substitute for the refined blood.

Regardless of whether the medicinal effects would be compromised.

As long as pills could be produced and the quantity was large enough, Shen Yi dared to eat them; after all, with a body full of pill poison, having more lice didn't make one itch any more.

"Hurry up, how do you refine it?"

Facing the master's question, the Qingqiu Laozu and the Xuanming Demon Emperor both trembled.

The two of them did know a little about alchemy methods.

But with the materials almost half replaced, could what was refined still be the thing recorded in the prescription?

Moreover, considering the master's alchemy skills...

"..."

Tonight, Great Qian was exceptionally lively.

Inside the Wumiao, the sounds of clinking cups and exchanging toasts never ceased; from time to time, the breath of heaven and earth would shoot up to the sky, staining the canopy.

Those were the births of one after another Transformation of Spirit Realm cultivators.

This was a sight Great Qian had never seen before, shocking the people of the Imperial City.

As if celebrating for them, inside the Courtyard A next door in the Wumiao, bursts of violent fire shot straight into the clouds, turning into a sky full of starlight; the dense medicinal power spread out, more intoxicating than fine wine.

Until the medicinal power turned into fire rain and fell.

Nie Jun finally noticed something was wrong; he put down the large wine jar, and the Profound Sword shot out from his sleeve, blocking the various burning medicinal herbs that were falling.

He left the Great Hall and walked slowly into Courtyard A.

Even seeing Shen Yi seated on the ground, his expression calm, a black robe swaying, he looked like a transcendent elder of extraordinary cultivation.

With the other's palm strike.

The cauldron before him erupted in an explosion once more!

Boom!

Amidst such a terrifying scene, Shen Yi's expression remained unchanged as he skillfully placed medicinal herbs into the cauldron again.

In a place Nie Jun could not see.

Shenxu Laozu and the Xuanming Spider Emperor had already trembled and clutched their heads.

This horrifying sight suddenly made Shenxu Laozu recall how the other had cultivated array arts.

The two had a premonition: if their master failed once more, their lives would likely be in danger.

As if Heaven took pity on the two demons.

After an unknown duration, the cauldron spun a few times and finally landed successfully.

As it opened.

A fierce bird cry rang through the sky; torrential flames burst from the cauldron, finally condensing into a round pill covered in fire patterns.

Shen Yi waved his palm to take it down, feeling that searing heat.

It succeeded.

(End of this chapter)