Chapter 470: Are You Panicking? (5K)

"Hah!"

The sudden appearance of the great Green Rhinoceros demon clearly exceeded the expectations of this elite group of water spirits.

Reaching the eighth layer of the Killed Fanxu realm requires consuming vast amounts of heavenly treasures, meaning the territory they occupy must be substantial.

It is rare for a power to emerge from nowhere without anyone knowing of it.

One can see a glimpse of this from the fact that even the Water Moon Alliance, a mighty force spanning the entire Southern Hong, could not hire a single expert at the eighth layer of Killed Fanxu.

Such crucial intelligence, yet they received not the slightest whisper of it.

However, even after one of their hall's experts was instantly slain upon meeting, this group of water demons, after suppressing their shock, showed no sign of retreat.

Instead, their gaze grew even more chilling.

They stared fixedly at the figure in black robes within the great formation.

Moments later, the remaining eleven demons simultaneously dove beneath the churning surface of the water.

They came quickly and left just as fast.

For a moment, a deathly silence fell over the entire area surrounding the floating island.

"Are they retreating?"

The many cultivators of the Water Moon Alliance looked out in confusion, exhaling a breath of lingering fear.

In such a short time, two ships had been destroyed, causing a sense of panic to spread among them.

「……」

Wen Qiujin was carefully examining the injuries of that honored elder, ordering others to send him back to the alliance for treatment with the finest medicinal treasures.

Seeing this, he frowned deeply and shouted toward Shen Yi, "Immortal, quickly recall your spirit puppet!"

He was best at reading people's expressions; the look on those demons' faces before they entered the water did not suggest they were done.

Even the Chen family members did not relax their guard.

They had also roughly guessed the identity of these demons.

The Long Yudian!

It was the water spirit faction whose hall master's only daughter was beheaded by Sect Master Shen while they were at the Chen family estate.

Knowing full well that the Seven Sons of Southern Hong were involved, they still dared to attack with the full might of their clan, clearly prepared for a fight to the death!

Indeed, at the very moment the great Green Rhinoceros demon coldly looked down upon the water's surface.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dozens of thick water pillars shot skyward with overwhelming momentum, nearly capable of overturning the entire floating island.

The great Green Rhinoceros demon stomped its hooves hard, instantly unleashing its formidable cultivation; amidst the treacherous waves, it stood immovable like a mountain of green jade.

Fighting alone against more than a dozen great demons, it showed no sign of falling behind!

This was a double crushing by both realm and bloodline.

However, just then, more than a dozen silver-white chains suddenly shot out from within the water pillars, their ends tipped with cone heads Shen Yi found quite familiar; yet compared to the cones used last time to bind Xiao Yuanlin, these were clearly made of far more precious materials.

Click-clack—

These exquisitely crafted cone treasures slammed violently into the body of the great Green Rhinoceros demon.

Its skin cracked slightly, revealing a stony texture beneath.

"Roar!"

The great Green Rhinoceros demon roared, its massive hand flipping violently to coil all ten-plus chains under its armpit; with a sharp turn and a crisp sound, the chains instantly tightened, dragging the figures within the water pillars out in a stumbling rush.

This scene fell into the eyes of everyone on the floating island below.

It made their hearts pound violently.

Relying solely on its demonic body, what immense power was this!

Yet for the first time, Wen Qiujin's face changed drastically; even with his usual steadiness, he couldn't help but exclaim, "The Mysterious Mechanism Chains of the Long Gong!"

This item does not necessarily represent the Long Gong.

But whoever can produce it must at least be a water spirit faction with good relations with the Long Gong; regardless, they certainly possess the qualification to enter the palace and pay homage to the dragon clan.

The Water Moon Alliance, a faction that relies on both land and water for its livelihood, had somehow found itself confronting such a power.

As the words faded.

From within the surging waves, a colossal figure suddenly shot forth: a giant golden fish with a grotesque bulge on its forehead, resembling a carp yet sporting dragon whiskers.

It crashed heavily into the chest of the great Green Rhinoceros demon.

Under that immense force, the massive, mountain-like body of the great Green Rhinoceros demon was uncontrollably knocked backward.

The old demon of the Lady Longyu instantly transformed into a withered old man, wielding a sky-full of Mysterious Mechanism Chains, furiously stabbing the cones into the Green Rhinoceros.

Crack! Crack!

The Green Rhinoceros's indestructible stone body shattered repeatedly as the Mysterious Mechanism Chains brutally pierced its limbs and abdomen.

They were both at the eighth layer of the Killed Fanxu realm.

Yet this one had managed to hide its presence, revealing no aura even when its subordinate general was crushed to death.

All for the sake of a single strike to defeat the enemy.

The remaining dozen or so water spirits unleashed their respective innate divine abilities, their auras surging once more.

Wielding the Mysterious Mechanism Chains, they slowly dragged the great Green Rhinoceros demon down into the water!

The withered old man's dragon whiskers fluttered as his palm firmly pressed upon the Green Rhinoceros's forehead, suppressing it into the water, while his gaze turned toward Shen Yi on the shore.

His eyes were calm, his voice devoid of emotion: "This is merely a down payment. As long as you remain here for one day, not a single person from the Water Moon Alliance will be allowed to leave... Hah-chi... I know it well; no one will come to save you."

"Immortal! Calm down!"

Wen Qiujin suddenly stepped forward, gripping Shen Yi's wrist tightly.

As a merchant, he saw certain matters more clearly; no matter how precious the spirit puppet, it was not as important as life itself.

Having finished speaking, he looked up at the sky: "I beg you all to do your utmost to help it escape—Wen Qiujin will repay you handsomely!"

As the leader of the Shuiyueshang Alliance.

The "handsome repayment" Wen Qiujin spoke of would surely be so lavish it would make even late-stage Return-to-Heaven cultivators gasp.

Yet the six cultivators in the air hesitated for a moment.

They were hired retainers, paid to protect the Shuiyueshang Alliance… but this certainly did not include opposing the Long Gong.

Put more plainly.

Even the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong must give the Long Gong its due.

Before such a colossal force, what were they—a group of seventh-layer Return-to-Heaven cultivators?

"…"

Wen Qiujin clearly understood the retainers' thoughts; he could only sigh, then changed his tone: "If you're unwilling, then I beg you to block the Immortal of Nan Yang Sect!"

Young cultivators like Shen Yi, though high in realm and rich in foundation, are prone to impulsiveness and pride.

This is the common flaw of Xian Sect prodigies.

His earlier act of stepping out alone reveals Shen Yi's character.

At this moment, we must offer him a way to save face—avoiding any irreversible outcome.

"We obey."

The six late-stage Return-to-Heaven retainers turned their gazes toward the figure below: "Immortal, heed the words of Lord Wen."

"…"

Shen Yi silently watched the Qing Xi being dragged underwater, its head now the only part still visible.

Only now did the old dragon fish's eyes flicker with a barely perceptible urgency.

At the instant he caught that urgency.

Shen Yi finally took a step forward—this opponent truly wanted him to emerge; if there were other tricks, they should have already struck the floating island by now.

This proves that only the Long Yudian has come today.

In an instant, under the gaze of the six retainers, the dark-robed figure vanished from his spot.

As they stared, bewildered, instinctively searching for Shen Yi's whereabouts.

The next moment, every cultivator on the floating island saw a sudden, vast golden sea of fire dominating the sky!

As if a heavenly phoenix screamed, carrying boundless ferocity.

He summoned a blood-sea demon palace over five hundred zhang tall, four stories high, brimming with purple radiance, making the Nine Demons appear like celestial beasts, coldly gazing down upon the world.

The crimson figure on the cushion lightly waved his dust whisk.

Three strands of Hongmeng Chen Ziqi descended upon the mortal realm.

The sky-wide fire sea resembled twilight, gold and purple intertwined, like a fairyland on earth.

The tall, dark-robed figure stepped out from the fire sea.

His eyes glowed with purple-gold light.

With each step, he vanished again from his original spot.

"Hah."

Wen Qiujin's expression changed again—this was not the overwhelming aura of a fourth-layer Return-to-Heaven cultivator.

And that purple qi, stained with twilight, untainted by any impurity, was of heavenly palace origin—a sight he had never witnessed in his life.

The remaining six retainers froze in place.

Blocking this Immortal… seemed even harder than helping the Qing Xi demon break free.

From the moment Shen Yi stepped forward until now, only a few breaths had passed.

The aquatic demons gripping the Xuanji Rope grew suddenly solemn, yet could never pinpoint Shen Yi's true location.

As they strained every ounce of effort to search.

One of the seventh-layer elder demons suddenly felt a chill at his back.

He spun around in haste—and saw a strikingly handsome face mere inches away, those emotionless purple-gold eyes seeming to contain the Dao, favored by heaven and earth, manifested in mortal form.

They could not find the elusive "One."

At the instant he raised his palm, it was as if his demise had been declared.

It seemed only one palm was struck.

Yet the elder aquatic demon felt every one of his vulnerabilities struck simultaneously by a crushing blow.

Puh-puh-puh—

Before the elder demon could release the Xuanji Rope, his armor exploded violently.

Know that even if they removed the identity markings, they refused to replace this armor—proof enough of its rarity; for any other cultivator, merely breaking through this silver armor would take considerable effort.

The elder demon felt his entire body torn apart, blood gushing from his demonic body.

Instinctively, he loosened one hand from the Xuanji Rope, trying to resist, summoning all his strength to strike the dark-robed figure—only to strike empty air as the dark robe slowly dissolved.

Only a faint, mocking laugh remained in the air.

Like a tiger toying with a lamb—playful, yet laced with threefold cruelty.

"…"

Amid that laugh, the elder demon's vigilant eyes suddenly grew confused.

He seemed to see countless figures—all calm, all composed—each raising a palm, filling his entire field of vision.

Where was his life force?!

The elder demon spurred his demonic body with his essence-blood, swelling six chi taller; his immense power made every punch split Wang Yang apart, his torrential demonic aura raging wildly.

Until his inner reserves were utterly drained.

Yet the figures in its eyes showed no sign of diminishing; instead, they grew ever more numerous, those violet-gold eyes carrying a faint pity.

Then, in unison, they turned into an expression of utter ruthlessness.

A Bai Xi palm emerged from behind it, unhurriedly slicing open its throat with the edge of its hand.

As the old demon fell downward, Shen Yi's face behind it was finally revealed.

"Hoo."

Shen Yi lightly rubbed the golden flame at his brow with a flick of his finger.

He felt a touch of helplessness at the laughter of Xuan Qing echoing in his mind.

Though the impact was minor, it was still somewhat annoying.

Yet this expression of his, in the eyes of others, plunged all living beings into silence, save for the hissing sound Wang Yang made beneath the golden flame.

The demon blood on the young man's knuckles accidentally smeared onto the golden flame at his brow.

Adding a touch of ferocity to that immortal aura.

Thus, when he turned to face the second demon, that water-dweller, experienced as it was, suddenly felt its heart race and instinctively dropped the Xuanji Rope in its hand.

Originally, of the twelve great demons, one demon holding the rope was already gone; now two more were lost.

The Qing Xi, which had just submerged, suddenly surged upward several zhang.

"..."

The Long Yudian Master's expression shifted from delight to Tianyan Siji.

It had indeed lured Shen Yi out, but the situation seemed quite different from what was anticipated.

Just as the old dragon fish exerted force again, attempting to forcibly suppress the Qing Xi, that demon at the sixth layer of Killed Fanxu clearly possessed strength vastly different from the water-dweller who had perished earlier.

It could even be said it had no power to resist at all, and was slain right there on the spot.

"Old rascal, are you panicking?"

The Qing Xi grinned fiercely, looked up, took the initiative, and suddenly clamped down on the dragon-bearded elder.

"Fool!" The Long Yudian Master and the Qing Xi possessed similar cultivation and comparable bloodlines.

Previously, relying on the aid of many elite soldiers and the immense utility of the Xuanji Rope, they had managed to suppress the opponent so easily.

Now, all water-dwellers present were deeply shaken, and even the Xuanji Rope was nearly impossible to grip steadily.

It wanted to break free, but for a moment the stalemate held, causing its heart to rage with fury.

It watched helplessly as that figure in black robes, like a god of calamity, swiftly harvested the lives of the water-dwellers.

In an instant, it seemed as though Shen Yi's traces were everywhere under the sky and across the land.

With the support of Xiang Tianyan's Tianyan Sijiu, the many water-dwellers could not truly harm him.

This was the crushing dominance of a prodigy over ordinary cultivators.

It was a fundamental difference in the understanding of techniques.

In the eyes of the two, cultivation was simply something entirely different.

Since they could not harm him... then total annihilation was merely a matter of sooner or later.

And what was even more terrifying was this:

Shen Yi was also different from other prodigies; while those others' Dao arts were terrifyingly powerful, their consumption was also immense, but Shen Yi simply had no desire to employ Dao arts, nor did he care how fast he killed; relying solely on his spiritual body to crush forward, even now, he still appeared to have ample strength remaining.

"Let go of me, old man!"

The Long Yudian Master finally panicked; it could no longer distinguish who was restraining whom.

It revealed its true form once more.

Its massive fish tail smashed down furiously upon the Qing Xi.

Yet, upon seeing the crumbling stones, it stared at the Qing Xi's ferocious and mocking face and suddenly remembered... the opponent was merely a spiritual puppet!

The Qing Xi displayed too many emotions, causing the Long Yudian Master to overlook this fact.

To be risking one's life fighting a puppet, and even trying to frighten the opponent away, was simply absurd to the extreme.

"This..."

The many patrons on the floating island had actually long seen the shift in the situation and already intended to intervene and assist.

But upon witnessing the scene before them, they felt they were entirely superfluous...

One man and one puppet were pressing this group of formidable water-dwellers of unknown origin so hard they could not even lift their heads.

"Gulp."

Zhang Ye and Xiao Yuanlin, having arrived upon hearing the news, stared blankly at the scene before them.

They suddenly recalled Shen Yi's calm demeanor during their last meeting.

No wonder he was so composed... to the opponent, the incident last time was probably just children playing, purely an attempt to earn another profit from Bao Hua Xianzi.

Senior Shen is truly skilled at doing business.

Zhang Ye recalled his own pretense of anger toward that young cultivator earlier and suddenly felt utterly ashamed.

All these years were truly wasted.

Finally, as blood stained Wang Yang, the group of water-dweller demons who had exhausted themselves in their attempt to kill Shen Yi fell one after another into the water, then were casually stored inside the ring.

Until only he remained in the air.

"Roar!"

Freed from the constraints of the Xuanji Rope, the Qing Xi suddenly flipped over, mounted the dragon fish that was churning the sea, and with broken arms, punched again and again upon the bulge on the opponent's forehead.

The myriad phantom figures vanished.

Shen Yi turned back, his expression slightly weary; the violet hue in his eyes dimmed, the golden flame flickered, as if a mere breeze could scatter it.

The consumption of the spiritual body was actually not great; with his experience in slaying demons, every ounce of strength was applied to the most precise point.

But the Hongmeng Chen Ziqi was not infinite.

It also requires time to recover.

Without the support of Chen Ziqi, he is merely a Spirit Body cultivator comparable to the sixth layer of Killed Fanxu; even with Tianyan Sijiu, struggling against an ordinary Water Clan cultivator of the seventh layer of Killed Fanxu is difficult, let alone fighting ten at once.

Fortunately, this time it is still within the controllable range.

Shen Yi stepped forward again, appearing before the old Lady Longyu.

Tianyan Sijiu was unleashed at full power once more.

The Long Yudian Master leaped high, wanting to evade this youth, only to find there was no path to survival ahead.

Its two fish eyes bulged outward.

Scales across its body radiated Jin Guang, making the fish eyes resemble two precious pearls.

The purple-gold hue in its vision quietly dispersed.

It fiercely rammed into the void ahead; before the bulge on its forehead, a Bai Xi and powerful palm suddenly appeared.

"..."

Shen Yi silently gazed at the Lady Longyu ahead.

Beneath those wide sleeves, though others saw nothing unusual, in reality, every bone within the entire arm had been shattered.

It was maintained solely by the life-force power erupted by the Heavenly Phoenix.

Tianyan Sijiu was broken for the first time.

"You dare block again! I order you to block!"

Qing Xi, in a frenzy, used his fists as hammers, fiercely smashing onto the Lady Longyu's bulge: "I am the main one striking you! That is the honor for you, you old bastard! Block! Come on! Block!"

He paid no heed to his palms splitting open, displaying a look of fearlessness in the face of death.

Under those hammer strikes capable of splitting mountains and cracking seas.

The Long Yudian Master's mind was entirely on Shen Yi, leaving no chance to react; instantly, his fish head was hammered open, with scarlet blood splashing alongside white, jade-like fish bones.

"Will you block or not?!"

Qing Xi, his eyes red with killing intent, simply used the single horn on his head to ram continuously.

Until Wang Yang was dyed a dark red, the Lady Longyu's massive body powerlessly sank into the water.

Qing Xi tugged at its scales: "Speak! I order you to speak! Kowtow and thank me for my grace!"

"..."

Shen Yi stood suspended in the air, looking at the Lady Longyu which had already ceased breathing; even the panel prompt had already popped up, so it should be impossible to speak anymore.

Obviously, this Qing Xi was not originally of great age; under the infusion of over twenty Demon and Monster Origins, his mind had become somewhat abnormal.

He was too lazy to speak more, directly storing the Qing Xi Stabilizing Stone into his brow, using the Dao Palace to nurture the other's shattered stone body.

He casually stored the Long Yudian Master's corpse into the ring as well, not sparing the dozen or so Xuanji Cords either.

Having finished all this.

Shen Yi turned and landed back on the floating island.

The bloodiness of his body spread throughout the Shuiyueshang Alliance.

The golden flames faded.

It was still that handsome and calm countenance.

But whoever looked at Shen Yi from the surroundings, their gaze held a few extra degrees of strange fear.

(End of this chapter)