Chapter 462

Heavenly Sword Sect, inner gate.

Cui Hao stood outside the light screen, humbly recounting what had happened: "Reporting to Elder Liu, the matter is exactly as such. That day I specifically arranged for disciples to wait outside the sect, and personally witnessed the Nanyang native Shen Yi board the Qingyue treasure ship."

"The Qingyue Sect has made a move?" A familiar voice came from within the light screen — it was precisely the owner of the Dao tablet that had previously been suspended outside the Nanyang Sect.

"It can't really be called making a move. Only Steward Zheng Qian, inner-gate disciple Yan Wencheng, and Elder Liu's daughter, Miss Qianyun."

Cui Hao raised his head and said softly: "Based on this disciple's analysis, it may be that Shen Yi forcefully stepped forward for Ye Wenxuan, but the likelihood of this is not great. After all, Shen Yi has only been out for a few months. Even if he has some private ties with these people, it would absolutely not have reached the point of willingly following him to his death."

"The greater possibility is that although Elder Liu did not appear in person, he gave Liu Qianyun other means of self-protection — a magic treasure, for instance... or even a Dao decree."

After Cui Hao finished speaking.

The light screen fell silent for a long while, then a burst of laughter emerged: "Liu Shiqian doesn't truly believe that the ownership of the Nanyang treasure land is something that boy surnamed Shen can decide, does he? Wanting to take a different approach, using this kind of goodwill-gesture method to vie for the treasure land — truly foolish enough."

"Don't worry, my lord. I have already sent people to stake out near the Chen family residence. As soon as any trace of Elder Liu appears, I will certainly bring the evidence to you at the fastest speed."

Cui Hao respectfully cupped his fists.

The current situation was actually very simple: every cultivator in Bai Yujing wanted the Nanyang treasure land, but they were all waiting for someone else to break the deadlock first.

If Liu Shiqian were to be that first person.

Then the other elders and personal disciples could simply unleash their full hand.

"Well done. It's a waste for you to remain a steward — go." A final word of approval came from within the light screen.

"Many thanks to Elder Liu for your grace."

Cui Hao performed another grand salute, then turned and left the place.

Only after walking far away did a thick smile surge across his face.

Cui Hao was truly almost sick to death of his steward identity. Even after enduring for many years and successfully breaking through to the sixth layer of Return-to-Void, at best he could only become an outer-gate elder — and that was the ceiling.

On the surface, this position also carried the two characters "elder."

In reality, wasn't it just being a menial laborer doing chores for the sect?

Within the entire sect, no matter what title they bore, these menial laborers all existed to gather resources. Only personal disciples were the ones who enjoyed the resources.

If one's talent was insufficient, then one made up for it with connections.

With Elder Liu's words just now.

As long as he handled this matter well, his own affair would also be considered accomplished.

Cui Hao gazed deeply at the surrounding cave dwellings, shook his head with considerable envy, then headed toward the Steward Hall.

He wondered whether the disciples he had sent out had managed to obtain any important information.

Not long after, Cui Hao's expression suddenly changed.

He saw several familiar figures standing outside the Steward Hall, chatting and laughing.

That relaxed and cheerful expression, falling into Cui Hao's eyes, made him instinctively furrow his brow. Then, as if realizing something, a smile likewise surfaced on his face.

Not even a single wound on their bodies, and their auras were still so abundant and perfectly harmonious.

This was borrowing Liu Shiqian's hand, wanting to slap Cui Hao's face.

Since that was the case, then he'd oblige them.

Trading a measly thin face for a brilliant future — that was far too good a bargain.

Thinking of this.

Cui Hao put on a suspicious expression and walked over slowly: "Why are you back? Don't tell me you're treating sect business as child's play and want to go back on your word."

"Go back on my word, your ass."

Zheng Qian let out a cold laugh and casually tossed over the tribute collected from the Chen family: "Count it up. The extra portion is their apology. In the future, for these small matters, please trouble yourselves, this group of old stewards, to move your legs a bit and bully the newcomers less."

"..."

Cui Hao poured his divine sense into the storage pouch and, at the right moment, revealed an expression of shocked uncertainty.

Then he raised his head with an ugly expression: "How did you manage it?"

"Does it have anything to do with you?"

Zheng Qian raised her brow tips, performing arrogance and tyranny to the extreme.

Hearing these words, Cui Hao's heart rejoiced once more.

Since it was a method that couldn't be spoken of, then it was more or less what he had guessed.

"And this — you better keep it safe. Five portions of Red-Eyed Dark Phoenix essence blood. If even one portion is missing, I won't let you off!" Zheng Qian's current venting action was not without cause.

A very simple principle.

If Shen Yi hadn't hidden a whole pile of methods, based purely on the strength they displayed on the surface, although they wouldn't have lost their lives, losing face and backing down would certainly have been unavoidable.

Once they lost face for the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong outside and botched the matter.

After returning, where would there be any future to speak of?

"..."

After a moment of silence, Cui Hao finally let out a cold snort, turned around, and entered the Steeder Hall: "Follow me."

He dutifully recorded it into the register, then took out a jade slip and murmured a few words.

Soon, an outer-gate elder arrived riding a cloud, stepped into the great hall, and with a light flick of his sleeve, placed five exquisite jade vials on the table: "These are all essence blood drawn by Master Xue when he was fifty thousand years old. They've been stored using secret methods, and their medicinal efficacy is abundant."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Cui Hao cupped his fists slightly toward the outer-gate elder, then frowned at the group: "Why aren't you taking the things and leaving? Not seeing you out!"

Seeing him in this state, Zheng Qian was delighted into a beaming smile: "The matter isn't over yet. My Sister Ye's steward jade slip — don't you forget it."

"I don't need you to remind me." Cui Hao turned and went inside.

"..." Ye Wenxuan cupped her fists toward Zheng Qian again: "Many thanks, Senior Zheng."

"No need, no need. I simply wanted to disgust him a bit." Zheng Qian waved her hand, finally venting a mouthful of pent-up spite, then left the Steward Hall with a face full of helplessness, accompanied by Liu Qianyun and Yan Wencheng.

The three walked all the way out of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Yan Wencheng suddenly stopped in his tracks and said softly, "Steward Cui is not the kind of cultivator who wears his joys and angers on his sleeve. Something feels off."

The remaining two halted at the same time, exchanged a glance, and their faces immediately showed alarm and doubt.

Could there be a trap hidden inside?

"……"

In a side hall of the Steward Hall.

Cui Hao lounged lazily against a chair, turning the pages unhurriedly.

He actually didn't like reading.

It was just that many of the Bai Yujing elders had this habit.

So he had followed suit and picked it up.

Before long, two figures rushed hastily into the side hall and raised their hands in salute: "Steward Cui…"

Cui Hao lifted his eyes, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and forced himself to sound calm: "Tell me, what exactly did Elder Liu reward them with."

"Nothing!"

A simultaneous answer rang out in the side hall.

The two disciples' voices were both trembling: "Although we don't know what happened at the Chen family, we truly didn't sense any aura connected to Elder Liu… that's not important. We received news that the Long Gong has already issued a decree, granting that piece of Chen family land to the Long Yudian. The aquatic treasures meant as an exchange have already been delivered outside the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"……"

Cui Hao was still lost in that single word "nothing."

For a moment, he was somewhat dazed.

Hearing these words, his face changed slightly.

This errand had been dispatched from his own hands—how could it have gotten tangled up with the Long Gong? This was going to turn bad!

"Say it all in one breath!"

Cui Hao suddenly pushed himself upright, his usual composure gone.

"Hah… the Long Yudian Master's only daughter is dead… everyone knows the Chen family is a vassal of our Heavenly Sword Sect… now not a single living soul remains at that place, not even a witness left!"

The two disciples wiped away their cold sweat and looked up, only to see Steward Cui collapse back into his chair, drained of all strength.

"You…"

Cui Hao's trembling fingertip reached out, nearly choking on the spot.

The Long Yudian meant nothing to the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Even the entire South Long Gong could do nothing to Yu Nanhong's Seven.

But he, Cui Hao, was nothing more than a steward—suddenly expected to make the sect take on a scapegoat, and lose a piece of land in the bargain. Where would he find such face?

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Cui Hao snatched out his jade slip in a panic and began contacting Elder Liu.

After laying out the matter, he began, with some incoherence, to shove the responsibility back onto Shen Yi and the others.

Yet no matter how he explained it, the jade slip on the other end remained a heart-pounding silence.

Finally, in the breath just before Cui Hao fainted from fright.

Elder Liu's indifferent words drifted out lightly: "Accept the things the aquatic race sent. Also, from now on, do not overstep your bounds. You, a mere steward, contacting me directly is somewhat improper. Penalty: copy the sect rules three thousand times."

Hearing this, Cui Hao's face went ashen.

Just from Elder Liu's words alone, he was probably going to remain a steward's seat for the rest of his life.

But he did not dare show the slightest hint of objection, and could only reply bitterly: "This disciple understands."

"Sigh."

Within a certain light barrier of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Liu Xingshan set down the dao tablet in his hand with an indifferent expression. As one who had ascended to Bai Yujing.

There were very few things in this world that could stir his heart anymore.

But within these few short months, first the Nanyang treasure land had seen the light of day again, then Qingyue Sect's Liu Shiqian had shown goodwill toward that group of natives, until even many Bai Yujing cultivators began to grow interested.

All these matters left him somewhat displeased.

But today's affair left Liu Xingshan, beyond a touch of anger, faintly uneasy.

The background of those little ones from the Qunqingyue Sect could not escape his eyes.

Neither their strength, their boldness, nor even the reason for their actions was enough to support them privately slaying members of the Long Yudian.

The only variable was that young man surnamed Shen.

But at their first meeting, the other party had been nothing more than a native at the late Soul Transformation stage.

Could it be that he had misjudged?

That offhand remark back then about being born with a dragon's bearing—could it actually have been true?

"……"

A glint of ruthless severity rose in Liu Xingshan's eyes.

In an instant, his demeanor shifted from that of a virtuous and respected elder to a wolf starved for far too long.

He could not wait any longer! He had to muddy these waters first!

He grasped the dao tablet once more.

At the same moment, the dao tablets on several Bai Yujing titans all began to flicker.

……

Nanyang Sect, the Patriarch Hall.

Li Xuanqing knelt on a prayer cushion and glanced curiously to the side: "What happened on this trip? Since you came back, there's been a hint of contempt in the way you look at me."

"Nothing, you're imagining it."

Shen Yi shook his head; it wasn't actually contempt.

He was just recalling whether, when he had acted earlier, he had actually spoken along with the whispers in his mind.

If he had…

Shen Yi slowly clenched his five fingers, a trace of sorrow welling up in his eyes.

He truly couldn't connect the gentle wooden man before him with the show-off from the insight in his mind.

He felt he couldn't even look the man in the eye.

"I was young once too."

Li Xuanqing seemed to understand, and gave a self-mocking smile: "Take me as a warning—on the path of cultivation, walk well, walk slowly… and walk quietly."

"Don't worry, I'm not very good at that."

Shen Yi gave a slight nod of his chin; the killing he had done was plentiful, but all of it was in order to survive.

Showing off in front of others—truly, he had no interest in that sort of thing.

"The effects of Slain Hunyuan are somewhat beyond my imagination." Shen Yi sighed, suddenly feeling his own horizons were still too narrow.

"…"

Li Xuanqing froze for a moment, his expression turning slightly odd: "You've already learned it?"

"Borrowing your insight, I barely got started." Shen Yi glanced sideways at him.

Li Xuanqing was silent for a long while. Though he could no longer recall the specifics of Tianyan Sijiu, he vaguely remembered it was a fist-and-palm art that wasn't exactly easy.

He calculated the time in his mind.

Then he looked up at Shen Yi and said sincerely: "You're being modest. You're actually quite skilled at it."

The two chatted idly for a few more lines.

Only, by tacit agreement, they both avoided the topic of Xuanqing's past.

A once so-proud heaven's pride reduced to his present state—the complexity of it could very well kill the conversation.

Until word came from outside Zhidao Sect about Liu Qianyun and the others.

Only then did Shen Yi rise to take his leave, departing the Ancestral Master Hall.

He went outside the sect to retrieve the five portions of Red-Eyed Dark Phoenix essence blood agreed upon earlier, as well as the precious medicines borrowed beforehand, and only then picked a place inside Nanyang Sect that suited his eye.

This was the difference between a sect disciple and a rogue cultivator.

Shen Yi sat cross-legged and opened the panel once more.

This trip to the Chen family—apart from newly harvesting a few demons and monsters of considerable strength—the truly terrifying thing was the demon lifespan.

When he had set out earlier, he had only a hundred and fifteen thousand years.

Those roughly fifty Hunyuan Realm shrimp soldiers and crab generals alone provided nearly two hundred and fifty thousand years; a few Return-to-Void guards, plus that red-skirted Miss, added another three hundred and seventy thousand years.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 729,000 years】

Shen Yi glanced at the jade vial in his hand, opened it slightly to look, and discovered that what was inside was not the essence blood of a great demon at the twelfth layer of Return-to-Void as he had imagined—at most it barely looked like the sixth layer of Return-to-Void.

Though a little disappointed, he could understand.

In this whole Chen family affair, the only Return-to-Void to appear was a sixth-layer aquatic creature, and that was an unexpected circumstance; how could he possibly obtain the most precious essence blood reward?

"Is this enough?"

Shen Yi wasn't entirely sure he could rely on this essence blood to push the Slain Hunyuan Indestructible True Body to completion.

Better to upgrade the palace first.

He briskly began condensing Suppression Stones, then gathered demon origins.

After going out a few times, Shen Yi no longer felt the heartache he once had; he discovered that this place called Yu Nanhong was far richer than the treasure grounds.

So long as one's strength was sufficient, demons and monsters seemed endless.

Going from thrift to luxury was easy.

Another six Suppression Stones appeared within the Sea of Consciousness.

For the candidates, he picked entirely from those few of the Long Yudian.

Though it was called Long Yudian, the ones truly worthy of being called dragon fish were only the red-skirted Miss and that sixth-layer Return-to-Void guard; the other five guards were all sorts of unheard-of fish demons.

He used demon lifespan to reshape the demon souls one by one.

It had to be said, this group of guards following the red-skirted Miss had all been carefully selected—talents were all decent, and they were young.

On average, a single demon soul took only eight or nine demon origins.

The most was that sixth-layer Return-to-Void dragon fish, which cost twelve.

A total of fifty-four.

Shen Yi took out all the demon flesh and blood, watching them transform into a long river that surged into his brow.

Six Suppression Stones took shape in unison.

Among them, the demon body of that little princess of Long Yudian was stuffed into the same Suppression Stone as the sixth-layer Return-to-Void guard.

As for the remaining shrimp soldiers and crab generals, any that shared a race with the guards were also channeled into the Suppression Stones—better than nothing.

"Huu."

Shen Yi steadied his emotions. In truth, with so many experiences of gathering Suppression Stones, the Measuring Pillar Ruler was just going through the motions; he might as well see if there were any fish that slipped through the net with astonishing bloodlines.

He summoned the ruler and carefully moved it over.

Soon he had measured the grades of all six Suppression Stones.

Although Xuanqing had said that each time he upgraded his palace he used only a single second-grade Suppression Stone, completing the feat of three layers of Heavenly Palace, successfully breaking through the watershed and reaching the fourth layer of Return-to-Void—

But that man's words couldn't be relied on.

In Xuanqing's mouth, barely second-grade and close to first-grade were both second-grade, but the gap between them was far too great.

He waited for the results.

The other five suppression stones were roughly as Shen Yi had predicted, all third-rank, leaning toward the upper-middle.

It was instead the Lady Longyu suppression stone that gave Shen Yi a pleasant surprise.

It seemed the red-skirted Miss's bloodline was quite decent — though she only had the strength of the second layer of Return-to-Void, she had helped this suppression stone, after crossing the second-rank line, surge upward another roughly one-third of the distance.

"That's about enough."

Shen Yi closed his eyes and once again set the Palace Ascension Art in motion.

The commotion was identical to before.

The Boundless Demon Emperor Palace swept through the clouds.

The suppression stone peeled away, and another six great pillars materialized out of thin air.

At the same time.

Inside the Patriarch Hall.

Li Xuanqing wasn't entirely sure whether Shen Yi would return, so he didn't immediately enter a meditative state.

He stared blankly at the patriarch statue, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the familiar aura of a sea of blood surged into the great hall, even lending a few traces of blood-fiendish scent beside the patriarch statue whose aura had always been pure and ethereal.

"……"

Li Xuanqing waved his hand to disperse the blood qi.

He then broke off a few twigs from his body, replaced the incense, lit them, and inserted them into the censer to apologize to the patriarch.

After finishing the tasks at hand.

He finally stood up and walked step by step to the long flight of stairs outside the great hall.

Gazing at the two streams of Hongmeng purple qi at the distant horizon.

A sudden complexity surfaced on Li Xuanqing's wooden face.

As though he had seen something he couldn't comprehend.

"Why?"

He murmured to himself.

He had thought that beneath Dao Merging, all the myriad laws of this world had already been thoroughly fathomed by him.

But as he looked at the Boundless Demon Emperor Palace now rising, his heart was inexplicably shrouded in bewilderment.

Until the six great pillars were fully formed!

A new layer of great hall appeared out of thin air, as if shooting straight into the clouds.

Celestial music rose once more, as though immortal birds were strolling amid the clouds.

They had once celebrated for Xuanqing, but now they came for someone else.

The instant he saw the third stream of purple qi emerge from the edge of the heavens.

Li Xuanqing's gaze gradually cleared. He stood with hands at his sides, atop the Nanyang relief carving.

Though his body was a crude wooden one, his silhouette seemed to have suddenly grown much taller.

"Master, I've seen another Xuanqing again."

Li Xuanqing slowly turned and knelt toward the patriarch statue.

In an instant, a faint, thin smile appeared at the corner of his lips: "They've been hungry for a long time — I understand — but this piece of meat, I'd like to save for our own people to eat."

"If he's willing."

"This treasured land of Nanyang, Xuanqing will protect."

As his words fell, he kowtowed heavily to the ground.

The patriarch statue remained like a dead object, giving no response at all.

But Li Xuanqing was not Zhang Laifu.

Here, the words he spoke could stand in for the master's command.

After kowtowing five times.

Li Xuanqing rose once more and called out toward the distance: "Do you want to be the Sect Master of Nanyang?!"

His voice, far more serious than before, swiftly echoed through the entire inner gate of the Nanyang Sect!

On a distant mountain peak.

The figure in ink-black robes slowly opened his eyes, his deep black pupils suffused with purple.

Shen Yi glanced back toward the distance, pondered for a moment, and said lightly: "Is there a more suitable candidate than me?"

Across the vault of heaven.

Li Xuanqing let out a soft laugh, lowered his gaze to look at his wooden body, and sighed with a free and easy air: "Seems like there isn't."

The next moment, he suddenly thrust his palm into his own chest.

The hard wooden body was violently pierced open.

Right at the location of the heart.

A dao token, white as jade, hovered in that very spot.

He had always had the key to come home.

He just hadn't dared to use it, and had no face to use it either.

"Keep it safe."

Li Xuanqing, holding the white jade dao token, reopened the sect's grand formation, then bent down and placed the white jade token where it had been.

He then strode away from the Nanyang Sect.

It was time to remind the Seven Sons of Nanhong that among the Qi Sect, there was still a Nanyang.

(End of chapter)