Chapter 468: The Immortal of Flowing Clouds Reappears in Nanyang

On a land and water realm extremely far from the Gui Sect.

A white light flickered.

It revealed a wretched figure, his body shattered and bloodied, so damaged that his original appearance was barely recognizable.

He showed every sign of a lamp running out of oil.

Had it not been for the Eight Trigrams Plate at his heart maintaining his life force, he would likely have already breathed his last.

The air in the sky rippled with spiritual pressure.

Someone had used a teleportation technique to pursue him; it was Wei Yuanling, who had been observing from the shadows earlier.

She reached out to catch Li Yu, and upon seeing his wretched state, her Bai Xi face was covered in fury: "I never intended to take his life! Yet he treated you this way; he clearly knew your identity and still chose to deal such a poisonous blow!"

Wei Yuanling could not understand: if he truly wanted to play for real, Li Yu could have hidden among the demon horde and suddenly launched an attack; from the moment he revealed himself to being smashed down from Northern Goose Mountain, there had been at least three opportunities to ambush him.

Whether it was the warning before striking or the subsequent, strictly proper request for instruction, it was as if he had only just omitted saying explicitly that this was a joke.

"You want to play for real, do you? Fine! At worst, after I kill him, I will repay him with my own life!"

It was Wei Yuanling's own playful whim that had turned Li Yu into the form of a pig demon.

Now, this was the outcome.

How could she possibly sit idly by?

As Wei Yuanling's spirit surged, an aura far exceeding Li Yu's began to churn around them, causing the boundless Wang Yang to roar wildly.

A prodigy of the Xian Sect at the Return to Emptiness Eighth Layer was already a formidable existence that inspired fear across this land and water realm.

Even the dragon palace demon soldiers lurking below, when faced with the rage of such a powerful being, could only hide obediently underwater, casting furtive glances outward.

"..."

Just then, Li Yu stretched out his limp arm with all his might, trembling as he spread his five fingers to grasp Wei Yuanling's wrist, his voice weak as he said: "Jiang Shijie, I want to return to the Sect."

Having said this, he fell back into silence.

His eyes, stained red with blood, stared blankly at the sky, seeming somewhat bewildered.

"You..."

Feeling the sticky blood on her wrist, Wei Yuanling remained silent for a long time before exhaling deeply: "This time, I will listen to you."

That young man's strength had far exceeded her expectations.

Only now did Wei Yuanling finally understand why that senior Li Xuanqing had suddenly stepped forward to challenge the six allied sects.

A cultivator who had emerged from the depths of the Abyss.

He actually possessed strength surpassing Li Yu's.

Though it was a pyrrhic victory, the teachings they had heard since childhood, the treasures they had consumed, and the treatment they had received were entirely different concepts.

Especially those three layers of the Tiangong.

Setting aside their stance, even she had to admit that, up to this point, the opponent was truly stronger than her elder brother who had ascended to Bai Yu Jing.

It was hard not to call him terrifying!

Seeing Li Yu's silent demeanor.

Wei Yuanling exhaled lightly, summoned auspicious clouds, and swept away with him in the direction of the Lingyun Sect.

As a direct disciple of an Elder, Li Yu.

Having suffered such heavy injuries, with even the heart-protecting Eight Trigrams Plate damaged, this matter would be difficult to conceal from the Sect.

No one knew how much time had passed.

Wei Yuanling finally swept Li Yu into the light curtain, appearing within the Lingyun Sect's inner court.

She instinctively formed a hand seal for a concealment technique, intending to first take the other party back to her residence to heal.

With her cultivation and methods, she easily obscured the eyes and ears of others.

However, she had only just walked for less than twenty breaths.

Wei Yuanling's expression suddenly changed; her entire body seemed frozen in place. Her eyes rolled, yet she could not even move a finger.

In an instant, the Li Yu she was holding vanished from her hands.

A tall figure quietly appeared ahead, wearing a golden-threaded Lingyun robe, with black hair tied up by a green jade hair crown, looking utterly meticulous.

Only the hair at his temples was white.

With his back to Wei Yuanling, he lowered his gaze to look at the Li Yu in his arms: "Where did you go?"

The man's voice was steady; though he looked at the youth, he was asking the one behind him.

As his words fell, the bindings on Wei Yuanling were finally released. She adjusted her breathing, still shaken, and cast a reverent gaze toward that back: "Reporting to my elder brother... I... previously, an executive told me about the Gui Sect and the Nanyang Sect matters. I felt somewhat uncomfortable in my heart, so I took Yan Shidi Li Yu and left the Sect to send them materials for repairing spirit pupils in a private capacity..."

Speaking to this point, Wei Yuanling clearly paused, seeming hesitant: "Since the Gui Sect no longer falls under our Lingyun Sect's jurisdiction, I wanted to hint that they should form their own school, to give the Nanyang Sect some embarrassment."

Hearing her speak the truth.

That man finally deigned to turn around, casting a casual glance at Wei Yuanling: "Continue."

"Later, that cultivator surnamed Shen stepped forward and intimidated the three families. Seeing he possessed considerable strength, I wanted Yan Shidi Li Yu to disguise himself as a demon and go up to tease him, making him lose face before his vassals... But I truly never thought to harm his life!"

Wei Yuanling suddenly became somewhat emotionally agitated: "I have never seen anyone so ruthless in their attacks! Even though Yan Shidi Li Yu manifested his Dao Palace and called for instruction, he still wanted to kill my junior brother! A cultivator with such a mindset is no different from a demon sect; how can he command the respect of the masses!"

"Noisy."

The man was Wei Yuanling's own elder brother, known as the Immortal of Flowing Clouds, a direct disciple of the Shen Zongzhu, and the one who had ascended to Bai Yu Jing, Wei Yuanzhou.

With a single, faint remark, he silenced Wei Yuanling's aggrieved complaints.

He redirected his gaze to the face of the Li Yu in his arms: "What do you think? Having suffered heavily, do you wish to take revenge?"

"I..."

Li Yu trembled slightly all over, staring at those calm eyes, and remained silent for a long time: "Reporting to Zhu Shixiong Wei, it is Li Yu's fault."

"You rarely leave the Sect, your playful nature is great, and you have suffered heavily; what fault is there?" Wei Yuanzhou still wore that expression of a well without waves.

Amidst those words, Li Yu felt the pain throughout his body lessen considerably.

Shen Yi's words echoed once more in his ears.

He closed his eyes in shame: "Li Yu was toying with other people's lives, toying with the great matter of the sect's sacred land and inheritance. Li Yu deserves to die a thousand deaths."

"..."

A hint of a smile finally appeared on Wei Yuanzhou's lips, but he quickly suppressed it: "Rest well and recover your injuries. I will go explain things to your master and persuade him not to act rashly. Let this matter end here, is that acceptable?"

"I will follow Zhu Shixiong Wei's arrangements entirely." Li Yu nodded.

While the two were conversing, Wei Yuanling was left aside, quite at a loss.

Just then, she heard her elder brother's gentle voice and saw him beckoning to her: "Come here."

"Uh."

Wei Yuanling's face lit up with surprise, and she hurried over.

However, as soon as she reached him, she saw that in her elder brother's hand, which he had not yet lowered, a fierce aura suddenly gathered. Under her staring eyes, he ruthlessly backhanded her!

Slap—

Wei Yuanling was sent flying like a broken sack, her face pale, filled with intense disbelief.

Five thin chains, like dragons, rustled and covered her face, then clanged shut, sealing her brow.

"You are not worthy to use the Dao Palace."

Wei Yuanzhou looked at her indifferently and, before she even hit the ground, flipped his palm and pressed down.

Suddenly, clouds all over the sky gathered.

They formed a nine-story treasure tower that crashed down, sealing Wei Yuanling inside. It then shrank to the size of a palm. The chains on Wei Yuanling's brow spread again, binding her four limbs tightly and suspending her within the tower.

Wei Yuanzhou waved his sleeve again, hurling the white-cloud treasure tower straight toward the back mountain: "Come out only when Shen Zongzhu pardons you. Until then, do not cultivate; it is merely a waste of heavenly treasures and earthly resources."

Hearing the commotion, Li Yu instinctively opened his eyes and stared blankly toward the back mountain.

Then, as if by instinct, he said: "Shen Zongzhu... will never issue a pardon."

Given that person's decisive and ruthless nature, if they met again and he had sufficient strength, Li Yu even felt he would strike to kill once more. How could such a person possibly forgive Jiang Shijie Wei?

"..."

Wei Yuanzhou paid no attention. He simply took out a letter, carefully tracing the characters with his fingertips. After finishing, he placed it in Li Yu's hand: "Trouble you, Yan Shidi Li, to deliver this letter to your master."

The Bai Yujing group was already unsettled in their minds; now they had been given an excuse.

A warning is needed.

With his words finished, Wei Yuanzhou summoned another cloud, sending Li Yu back to the Elders' cave dwelling.

He himself then stepped toward the Ancestral Master Hall.

Inside the quiet hall, only green smoke drifted.

He bowed deeply before the towering statue of the Ancestral Master, lifted his robe, and knelt on the cushion: "I pay respects to my master. Yuanzhou will obtain a pardon from Shen Zongzhu on behalf of my younger sister."

"Is this necessary?"

The Ancestral Master statue slowly opened its eyes: "Even if she had not acted, other elders and direct disciples would have been unable to restrain themselves, and they certainly would not have played around as she did."

Clearly, the Sect Master was not unaware of the thoughts of those below.

It was just that after merging with the Dao, he trusted more in following the will of Heaven.

The Dao follows nature; nature... means non-interference.

Hearing this, Wei Yuanzhou slowly clasped his hands: "Rules are rules. Yuanling broke the rules today. As her elder brother, I could not bear to kill her, which already shows selfishness. If I do not make compensation to the Nanyang Sect, then tomorrow, others may come to seize Yuanzhou's sacred lands."

"If this continues, the Seven Sons will exist in name only."

"Their destruction by the hands of the Water Race Long Gong is merely a matter of time."

Hearing these words,

the Ancestral Master statue fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "You do not want the Nanyang sacred land? Your master may still live for many years."

Hearing this, Wei Yuanzhou likewise smiled, slowly rose, and clasped his hands: "Of course I want it; I simply disdain to take it by such means. This disciple takes his leave."

Outside the Gui Sect, at Northern Goose Mountain.

The originally vast and boundless forest had nearly turned into a scorched wasteland, with cracks like abysses resembling the claws and fangs of a ferocious beast.

The crimson demonic qi and surging golden flames had completely vanished, leaving only a clear and empty sky.

Hundreds of cultivators from subordinate factions were now all gathered beneath the demon lair, whispering incessantly.

The scene just witnessed had clearly given them sufficient shock.

That six-story-high immortal-cloud Dao Palace.

Was obviously from the Lingyun Sect, one of the Seven Sons of Nanyang.

Such strength, wherever it appeared, marked a rising star of genius.

His intervention could fully represent the will of the power behind him.

It also seemed to verify from the side that what Yang Lin had previously said about "Renule Alliance" being angered was true.

But the ruthless intervention of that Nanyang Xian Sect immortal.

Was clearly without holding back any effort.

With a single punch, he nearly killed the cultivator disguised as a pig demon.

And until now... the matter seemed to be over. After the pig demon fled, there was no follow-up, as if something was also being feared.

Is the Nanyang Xian Sect in decline? Would a declining sect dare to act like this?

Thinking this, everyone slowly fell silent and looked fearfully toward that demon lair.

"..."

Shen Yi, bare-chested, under the continuous supply of vitality from the Heavenly Phoenix within his body,

saw his nearly destroyed spiritual body finally regain vitality.

The gift bestowed by Heaven and Earth, when applied to the Spirit Body Technique, is clearly a misguided path; only the pig demon's act of using it to bolster his Dao Arts could most effectively unleash the power of the Primordial Chen Ziqi.

With the single technique of the Heavenly Peng Capturing Buddha Dao Art, Shen Yi finally caught his first glimpse of the true strength of a genuine prodigy.

In fact, if one adds the Chen Ziqi gifted by Senior Li Xuanqing.

It would barely count as a single layer of the Dao Palace.

Then the gap between Shen Yi and that pig demon is merely five layers versus six layers of the Void Return realm, not even reaching the watershed.

Yet it left him heavily injured.

Though the Tiangong is strong, his Dao Arts and accumulation are far too lacking.

For instance, the Bagua Plate the opponent used at the end to escape; Shen Yi had absolutely no countermeasure. Let alone catching up, he couldn't even capture its aura.

What he has relied on until now is nothing more than a common Spirit Body Technique and the Xiang Tianyan Sijiu gifted by Li Xuanqing.

After returning to the Denghui Sect, he must supplement his other aspects.

After adjusting his state, Shen Yi finally turned his gaze toward the thin, small body wrapped in beast skin ahead.

Also a rhinoceros demon, yet before its two elder brothers, it was like an infant, skin and bones, so weak that even breathing was difficult.

Its body surface was not pitch black, but rather tinged with a greenish-gray.

"Tsk."

This familiar scene made Shen Yi inexplicably recall that Golden Sparrow Young Master.

Similarly, its bloodline differed from the rest of its clan.

Both had fled as refugees, needing to find a hiding place within Yu Nanhong.

This was simply too coincidental.

Shen Yi stepped forward slowly, and under the gaze of the greenish-gray rhinoceros demon, he suddenly snapped its neck.

【Slain Void Return Realm Savage Blood Rhinoceros Demon, Total Lifespan 174,000 Years, Remaining Lifespan 90,000 Years, Absorption Complete】

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 938,000 Years】

Excluding the three rhinoceros demons, among the remaining hundred-plus demons, only four were at the Void Return realm, and not more than ten at the Soul Transformation realm; yet that pile of Qi Refining realm little demons constituted the bulk of the demon lifespan.

Accumulating the small to form the large, it eventually gathered into an extremely terrifying number.

Shen Yi sat cross-legged.

He condensed only a single Suppressing Stone.

Just as he had expected, the flesh and blood of these three rhinoceros demons surged into the Suppressing Stone simultaneously, beginning to refine their bloodlines.

The stone skin crumbled and peeled away.

From black to greenish-gray, then the gray gradually faded away, transforming into a rhinoceros demon with skin like green jade.

At the same time, its aura throughout its body began to surge violently!

Shen Yi mobilized the demon lifespan; one by one, the demon origins rapidly merged into the remnant soul, beginning to reshape the rhinoceros demon's soul.

Seven pieces were enough to form it completely.

But it was obvious that such a frail demon soul was utterly incapable of controlling this Green Rhinoceros Statue to awaken it.

Sixteen pieces; a "Precious" character appeared behind the panel affix of the Green Rhinoceros Demon Soul.

Shen Yi sent it into the statue.

Yet he found it was still insufficient.

"What is going on?"

Shen Yi slowly furrowed his brows; these three rhinoceros demons were merely at the sixth layer of the Void Return realm. With their flesh and blood merging, it would likely be difficult even to cross the watershed; how could they possibly require so much demon lifespan?

He slowed the pace, feeding them one by one.

Until the twenty-third piece soaked in.

The Green Rhinoceros Demon Soul finally successfully surged into the Suppressing Stone.

And at the instant the statue, resembling green jade in texture, opened its eyes, an aura so vast it made one gasp spread throughout Shen Yi's Dao Palace between his eyebrows.

"..."

Shen Yi, somewhat unsure, summoned the Measurement Pillar Ruler, then watched with his own eyes as the golden light surged past the Second Grade line, its momentum unyielding, all the way to a position only one-third short of the First Grade line.

According to previous experience.

This should be the position reachable only by a Void Return eighth-layer demon.

The accumulation of bloodlines allowed this Green Rhinoceros Statue not only to cross the watershed of the late Void Return stage but also to climb another layer?!

"Hah."

Shen Yi restrained his mind; although he could not yet gather six Dao Pillars, even if he viewed it merely as a fighter, such a powerful existence, given his current situation, would be hard to find a similar ally for.

Moreover, the Demon Suppressing Stone would never harbor a second heart; if told to die, it would die.

The harvest was not bad.

Shen Yi closed his eyes and briefly tallied his current strength.

Void Return fourth-layer realm; counting the gift from Senior Li Xuanqing, he held four strands of Primordial Chen Ziqi.

The Heavenly Phoenix Indestructible True Body was perfect, possessing strength comparable to the sixth layer of the Void Return realm.

Adding the two together was sufficient to forcibly cross the late-stage watershed, reaching the standard of the seventh layer.

Adding the Xiang Tianyan Sijiu Dao Art, unless he encountered another prodigy, within the Void Return seventh-layer realm, there should be no rivals.

Now he had newly added a great general.

Even if he departed from the Seven Disciples of Yu Nanhong, within this land of water and land, self-preservation would certainly be more than enough.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi took out a new ink-black shirt and changed into it.

Only then did he rise and leave the demon lair.

At the instant the ink-shirted youth stepped out of the demon lair, three Chen family elders all walked over.

First destroy the demon lair, then repel the prodigies of the Lingyun Xian Sect.

Two interventions have already been enough to prove what terrifying methods and strength the other party possesses.

Under Jing Jingsong's leadership.

The cultivators of Qinghai Prefecture stepped forward in unison, sincerely bowing to Shen Yi above.

No more words were needed; they were already the least complicated in thought.

With the Nanyang Xian Sect reappearing in the world, Qinghai Prefecture, this lost wanderer, should naturally return in its wake.

"Select ten cultivators around the mid-stage of Killed Fanxu and temporarily transfer them to the Nanyang Sect to work."

Shen Yi's impression of this old man was not bad.

He vaguely saw the shadow of Chen Qiankun in the other.

It was not that they were fearless of death; they still feared it when appropriate, but when death was truly deserved, they would never retreat.

"If you worry about the safety of Qinghai Prefecture or its weak defenses, you may also send your disciples to the Nanyang treasure land first."

These simple two sentences caused the expressions of the crowd below to change once more.

This was not a decision an ordinary steward could make.

Hearing this tone, this young Immortal's status within the Nanyang Sect must be quite high.

"Jing Jingsong respectfully receives the Immortal's decree!"

Jing Jingsong did not hesitate for a moment; since he had chosen to submit, he would do what a vassal ought to do.

He glanced back and casually named nine people.

Most were at the fifth layer of Killed Fanxu; the remaining few at the fourth layer were also those with the most stable auras.

As for the last one...

Jing Jingsong recalled how he had been casually slapped away by the pig demon earlier; his old face turned red as he clasped his hands and said, "Immortal, Jing Jingsong actually possesses some strength; it's just that he is too strong... Please allow Jing Jingsong to contribute a humble effort to the Nanyang Xian Sect as well."

Before his words had even finished.

Shen Yi casually waved his hand, and ten Nanyang steward robes had already fallen into the hands of the crowd respectively.

Within the Nanyang Sect heritage that Li Qingfeng had painstakingly organized.

These robes were what Shen Yi brought with him most often when going out.

"Ah?"

Seeing this, the selected cultivators from Qinghai Prefecture were all dazed, staring blankly at the silky long robes in their hands, their gazes falling upon the Nanyang pattern, momentarily lost in thought.

They even forgot to ask about the monthly salary.

The group instinctively knelt with a thud: "We thank the Immortal for your favor! We will do our utmost and not betray the Immortal's heavy trust."

Seeing their ridiculous appearance.

The others could not laugh at all; their eyes held only envy and jealousy.

They wished to rush out so Shen Yi would look at them again.

The elders of the Gui Sect were at this moment extremely regretful; they could only timidly raise their eyes, filled with expectation.

"By the way, there are also you."

Shen Yi had just acquired a few more free-running stewards, so his mood was quite good.

In that thick book, there were actually not many matters related to demons and monsters, but if the Nanyang Sect ignored them, other powers seeing this would inevitably feel they had been snubbed.

Someone had to do these things.

"Please, Immortal, issue your order!"

The crowd of the Gui Sect likewise stepped forward to bow.

"No need for courtesy; I am just borrowing a few things from you."

When stepping onto the Gui Sect, seeing the many spiritual puppets, Shen Yi had already formed a thought.

Using these things to travel, while not as good as the Clear Moon Treasure Ship, was far more efficient than personally casting the teleportation technique.

"Uh..."

The crowd of the Gui Sect was stunned for a moment; suddenly they remembered that while they were busy watching the spectacle, they had forgotten that the Immortal had not yet settled accounts with them.

How could they dare hesitate now? They quickly rose on clouds into the sky and led the way ahead: "Immortal, please this way. Whatever you need, the Gui Sect dares not hide anything."

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later.

Above the Gui Sect, nearly twenty gigantic spiritual puppets that blocked the sky and sun appeared.

Unlike other lifelike puppets.

These spiritual puppets used for travel maintained a bronze-like construction, appearing as majestic male lions.

"Build them first; if there aren't enough later, I'll come back to borrow."

Shen Yi lightly nodded his chin, kept only one bronze lion puppet, and stored the rest inside his ring.

He then led the few sent by Qinghai Prefecture and several elders of the Chen family, boarded a spiritual puppet, and vanished into the clouds.

Until their auras completely disappeared.

"Hoo."

The elders of the Gui Sect sighed as if drained of strength, forcibly suppressing the heartache in their eyes, and forcefully patted their chests to adjust their breathing.

Losing some things was fine; as long as their lives remained, it was already an ancestor's blessing.

Given Yang Lin's treasonous remarks earlier, the entire Gui Sect could have been plowed over thirty times back and forth.

Moreover, there was no need to doubt the strength of the Nanyang Sect.

To accomplish this matter, that black-robed Immortal alone was enough.

This price for buying their lives would probably take many more years to repay.

"..."

The Zhao family had never been particularly conspicuous from start to finish.

Yet they had witnessed everything that unfolded today with their own eyes.

They exchanged a quiet glance, then all dutifully shut their mouths.

To be honest... had the Nanyang Sect arrived even a moment later, they truly would have been swayed by Yang Lin's words; by then... the Zhao family could not produce a life-buying price like the Gui Sect.

Thinking of the few factions they usually maintained good relations with, it seemed they harbored similar thoughts.

Many in the Zhao family had already drawn out jade slips, attempting to broadcast this news as quickly as possible before the Nanyang Sect slew them.

They had vanished for one hundred thousand years.

Today, they had returned, and were still as imposing as ever, no different from the rumors.

(End of this chapter)