Chapter 422

"Everyone, be quiet."

With a faint reminder, Qingfeng and Tang Yuan, whose minds had clearly been unsettled, instantly fell silent.

It was because those words came from Nie Jun.

Nie, the senior brother who always despised restraint, had in these past ten days acted entirely out of character.

Not only did he remain confined within the courtyard, he summoned a group of fellow disciples and forbade anyone else from leaving.

Even his ever-present wine gourd, Li Qingfeng had not seen for many days; he could only stammer, "Senior brother… this matter's been resolved. I want to return to Mount Wutong."

"…"

Nie Jun sat cross-legged, eyes half-closed, offering no reply.

He was doing the very thing he once hated most.

Yet it was because his heart was in turmoil.

After learning that their master had utterly abandoned this group of disciples, he had somehow become the only one left to care for these junior brothers and sisters.

His former freedom, his unbridled sense of justice and vengeance, had suddenly been bound by invisible chains.

Now, he dared not make any move that might provoke that old dog.

"Sigh."

Tong Xinchuan quietly sighed; judging by her senior brother's reaction, this matter was far from over.

The pressure was even greater than before.

If Shen Yi and the master could reach an understanding, the situation might improve considerably.

But these two seemed naturally incapable of trusting each other—one believed the master was not of the same path and would never entrust what he wished to protect into the master's hands.

The other equally distrusted Shen Yi's ability to act according to her methods; such an independent, disobedient youth would surely never be included in her plans.

"We're fellow disciples; no need to hide anything. What did she tell you?"

Thinking of this, Tong Xinchuan slowly stood up.

Nie Jun finally opened his eyes, glanced at him, and said coolly, "Before I've figured it out, everyone must simply stay quiet here."

As the strongest among their fellow disciples,

he had been pushing hard to break through to Soul Transformation's peak; what he meant by "figuring it out" was breaking through a realm.

Without reaching that level, he could not save anything.

At that moment, everyone turned toward the courtyard gate.

There walked in a familiar figure, unhurried, pausing at the threshold to ask calmly, "I plan to go out. Will you come with me?"

Li Qingfeng leapt up first: "Where to? I'm coming!"

He was about to suffocate.

Tang Yuan dared not speak, but his eyes were filled with eager anticipation.

Nie Jun seemed to have anticipated it; his expression changed slightly.

Sure enough, the next moment he heard the familiar three words.

"Thousand Demon Cavern."

Shen Yi stood with hands hanging at his sides, voice utterly level, as if he were not speaking of the perilous place guarded by a Reversal Void Great Demon, but some unremarkable eatery or tavern.

Tong Xinchuan glanced at her senior brother with a strange expression.

She wondered whether "everyone" he had just mentioned included Shen Yi.

Before the words had fully faded,

Jiang Qiulan had already risen and walked to Shen Yi's side, standing quietly.

Ling Xi paused, then stepped toward the junior sister; though she found Shen Yi utterly reliable, after many events she could not forget his brutality when he fought—she revered and feared him, and needed Jiang Qiulan beside her to balance it.

Nie Jun fell silent: "…"

The next moment, Tong Xinchuan slowly took a step forward.

"Whoa, we're going too."

Qingfeng hesitated, then dragged Tang Yuan over; since so many had already gone, he couldn't just stand by and watch his senior brothers and sisters follow Shen Yi on some reckless adventure without him.

"This…"

Miao Qinghui and Yu Chaoan hesitated, glancing back and forth between Nie Jun and Shen Yi.

"If you want to go, go."

Nie Jun slowly rose, picked up his Xuan Sword, and walked to Shen Yi's side.

He truly wanted to know just how far this man could go under these circumstances.

"…"

Shen Yi scanned the group, puzzled by their solemn expressions—what were they trying to do?

He merely wanted to explore the remaining treasure sites and bring along a few who knew their worth, to help him identify the items.

Since the battle with the old dog was unavoidable, he naturally needed to raise every possible advantage before it began.

As Shen Yi turned and stepped out of the Wumiao,

a large crowd had already gathered behind him.

Xu Qing'er and her aunt, the newly broken-through Soul Transformation cultivators, even the Wumiao's Old Ancestor had stepped eagerly out of the ruined hall.

"You cannot go. Daqian needs you."

Zhu Jue patted Wu Daoan on the shoulder, pointing to the altar inside the hall: "Good boy, now you can sit however you like."

"Hey! Zhu Jue, you bastard!" Wu Daoan opened his mouth, but before he could finish, he watched Zhu Jue float past Shen Yi without looking back.

Within General Nanyang Sect's territory, nearly everyone was curious about the Thousand Demon Cavern—it was a mysterious place they had to risk their lives to barely explore.

Inside lay all manner of heavenly treasures and opportunities capable of lifting countless factions to prominence.

And now, they finally had the chance to investigate, and as cultivators, even knowing the master of the Thousand Demons Cave still lurked within, they could not suppress their restless hearts.

Dozens of figures swept across the sky in perfect unison.

Ye Wenxuan hid behind the clouds, her pale face twitching slightly.

She had been right not to guess wrong.

That bastard kid was counting on her unwillingness to abandon her hope of staying in the General General Nanyang Sect, so he boldly brought so many people to provoke the old dog.

Forcing her to follow.

That Shen, he's even going to provoke Zhang Laifu?!

Does he think he's not dying fast enough?!

She gritted her teeth and still rode the clouds behind them.

……

Deep within the Thousand Demons Cave.

The old dog lay on a mat beneath the ancestral statue, his eyes having not closed for many days.

He needed to sense the Spirit Emperor breaking the seal the instant it happened.

Then strike and kill him.

This bloodline-terrible phoenix demon was not something a mere General General Nanyang Sect disciple could subdue; it must be crushed while still young.

Yet compared to the cultivators outside, the demons and monsters dared not open the sect's great formation either.

In this regard, this genuine General General Nanyang Sect disciple had reached an agreement with a pack of devils.

Just then.

Zhang Laifu suddenly perked up his ears and gazed toward the outer hall.

The next moment, his cloudy eyes suddenly filled with countless blood vessels, his expression twisting into ferocity: "How dare you?!"

Such a chaotic array of qi—from Golden Core to Soul Transformation—even Yin Spirit.

They stepped into the inner precincts of the General General Nanyang Sect with not the slightest concealment!

No offering of tribute, no announcement to the Ancestor—this band of mortal fools treated this sacred immortal land as their own backyard!

"Do you think my claws aren't sharp enough?"

The old dog spun around and stepped out of the hall, the iron chain around his neck clattering loudly behind him.

He smelled that familiar qi.

It was that youth who, after taking one of his claws, had survived only by wearing the General General Nanyang Sect's robe—and yet hadn't fled, but instead brazenly looted the Spirit Plant Garden.

Perhaps his previous strike had stripped the fool of all reverence, and now he had the audacity to return with a large group.

He must die!

Zhang Laifu stepped out of the front hall and took another half-step.

In an instant, his peripheral vision caught the iron chain on the ground.

Where was the Reversal Void of Mount Wutong? Where was the Dao Token? He knew nothing.

Such a massive, showy invasion.

It meant all the demons he had raised were dead—including that phoenix demon, who had also fallen?

Was it a Reversal Void cultivator from Mount Wutong who acted? Or had another Reversal Void appeared in the world?

"Luring the tiger from the mountain, luring the tiger from the mountain."

Zhang Laifu paced back and forth, forcibly suppressing his killing intent.

He was no longer the young spirit dog he once was; years of zero progress had made his body increasingly aged.

He could no longer crush those same-level cultivators so easily.

"Villain!"

Zhang Laifu calmed his breathing—he must not be tricked.

All these years, he had poured in so much effort, gathered countless souls beneath his claws, nurtured countless demons—all to protect the sect's foundations.

To atone for the spirit herbs he had greedily devoured back then.

Yet these lowly mortal fools always came to ruin his plans.

Perhaps that was why the Ancestor still refused to forgive him.

Thinking of this,

Zhang Laifu returned to his mat and whispered: "Disciple vows that when the time is right, I shall personally exterminate these invaders and reclaim our sect's treasures."

Saying this, he closed his eyes once more and began to restore his strength.

……

"What place is this?"

Li Qingfeng stared curiously at the glowing screen before him.

Those with lower cultivation had remained outside the Thousand Demons Cave; logically, he should have stayed outside too—but he had stubbornly followed along anyway.

After asking this, he waited a moment, but no one answered.

Li Qingfeng turned suspiciously—and saw Brother Nie silently staring at the screen, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

He suddenly realized: "Is this the Scripture Vault?"

Nie Jun still said nothing, slowly closing his eyes.

This was the most dangerous and thrilling moment of his life—and once he escaped from here, he would never have another chance like it.

When he stepped into this place again,

Nie Jun suddenly felt his blood boiling once more.

He had finally returned here.

"Hah."

Nie Jun did not take a step; instead, he gazed into the depths of the Thousand Demon Cave.

He did not know how long he waited, but there was still no reaction from that side.

In the past, ten great Demon Emperors resided here; he could have barged straight in, realized the Dao Palace amidst despair, and successfully escaped.

Now, the entire Thousand Demon Cave had turned into an empty void.

Yet he was blocked outside the door by the shackles in his heart.

He kept obsessing over whose choice was right or wrong between his master and Shen Yi, forgetting which path suited him better.

He was a sword cultivator who had verified the Dao through slaughter.

Only after truly walking in did he realize it was not as terrifying as imagined; the old dog from the rumors was indeed formidable, but it too felt fear.

Nie Jun reached his hand toward the light curtain, but halfway there, he slowly lowered it again.

He had originally thought to view the Hidden Scripture Pavilion once more, trying to untie the knot in his heart, but now he found it unnecessary.

In an instant, wind rose and clouds surged within the sky curtain.

The Purple Thunder of the Divine Heaven exploded with a boom!

Long swords hung suspended, chains rolling ceaselessly among them; atop the massive throne, the sharpest long sword revealed its true form.

Soul Transformation Perfection.

Nie Jun's aura surged violently, yet it did not stop.

He spread his palm, and a stone emitting a faint glow suddenly rose into the air!

The stone ascended to the throne, moved toward that long sword, and finally transformed into the faintly glowing jade inlaid on the sword guard.

Almost at the same time.

The Purple Thunder Divine Lei Jiangong seemed to completely separate from heaven and earth, inscribed with Nie Jun's unique aura.

Transforming the void into a physical form.

Within the sky curtain, a massive, visible, and tangible Lei Jiangong appeared!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Li Qingfeng forcefully slapped himself several times, eyes wide as he stared at the sky; the bottleneck that had blocked Zhu Shixiong Nie for so many years, just by wandering around the Thousand Demon Cave, was broken like this?

Had he already become a Great Cultivator of the same realm as his master?!

The Dao Palace in the sky quietly turned into flowing light and drilled into Nie Jun's brow.

He spread his arms and felt for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, his aura had been suppressed to the extreme, and the sharpness on his body had completely vanished.

Nie Jun held the Profound Sword and bowed respectfully toward that light curtain.

As if expressing gratitude for someone's guidance.

He then took out his Dao Token, infused his aura into it; the General Nanyang pattern on the stone token was suddenly covered by flowing light, erupting with an aura that pierced the sky.

This act was also repaying a debt of gratitude.

That old dog's target could finally change from Ye Wenxuan to him, Nie Jun.

"I am ready."

He spoke softly, not knowing whether he was speaking to those inside the light curtain or to the sky.

Inside the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

Shen Yi slightly raised his eyes, watching the arrays protecting the jade slips slowly vanish.

He then looked back at Tong Xin Chuan before him: "It has nothing to do with you; focus on learning."

Having relied on demons to deduce martial arts all the way, he now had the chance to teach others.

"I understand."

Tong Xin Chuan sat on the ground, under the guidance of Shen Yi's divine soul, carefully tracing the "Forbidden" array within the Iron Strokes and Silver Hooks.

Only after personally experiencing it could one understand how vast the gap in array mastery was between the two.

Shen Yi was simply a Grandmaster of Arrays.

Even for a Grand Array of the Void Return level, the other party knew it inside out, even precisely how to draw a certain array rune to achieve the maximum effect.

There was absolutely no need for any aptitude.

The other party used the simplest and most straightforward method, guiding his divine soul to trace it bit by bit.

"..."

Seeing Tong Xin Chuan lost in thought, Shen Yi finally glanced silently toward the outside of the light curtain.

Since parting with Jiang Qiulan, he had not experienced this taste for a long time; he had relied on the lifespans of tens of thousands of years of demons to deduce step by step, while the other person broke through just by resolving a knot in their heart.

Simply incomprehensible.

However... should it be enough?

It was just placing a Dao Token.

The reason he still let Tong Xin Chuan practice Iron Strokes and Silver Hooks was only considering the existence of a Shenxu Laozu of Mount Wutong; if the other party was willing to come, Shen Yi still wanted to try whether he could kill that old dog.

Of course, if she does not come.

Then he can only send one person out first to see if there is truly any assistance.

"How much have you memorized?"

"About seven or eight parts; I will work hard." Tong Xin Chuan opened her eyes shamefacedly.

"..."

Shen Yi fell silent for an instant, then stood up and left the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

And at this moment.

In the sky, Ye Wenxuan stared in the direction the youth had departed, her brows lifting again: "Did you see? He has already taken us, master and disciple, for granted, even too lazy to say another word. A Transformation of Spirit Realm cultivator, truly displaying the demeanor of a Shen Zongzhu."

Nie Jun lowered his gaze without comment.

He did not think so.

Shen Yi was merely lending a hand to them; if it proved useful, that would be best, but he had never intended to force anyone to do something for him.

His true reliance was always himself.

Moreover, up to now, Shen Yi had not even asked about the Dao token.

The so-called position of Shen Zongzhu that his master cherished seemed, in the eyes of that youth, less important than his Great Qian.

"I must go over there," Nie Jun casually made an excuse, then darted toward the direction Shen Yi had left.

"You!"

Ye Wenxuan was stunned again; Shen Yi not coming to seek her was one thing, but even this disciple who had taken so much from her did not so much as invite her.

In the end, it still came down to her, Ye, holding back the old dog.

Very well... since they are both talented disciples of her own sect in the future, she would tolerate these two rebellious disciples for now.

(End of this chapter)