Chapter 471: Behind the Wooden Door (4K2, My Brain Exploded Last Night, Big)

"Senior Immortal Shen... are you alright?"

Wen Qiujin, after all, was the leader of the Shuiyueshang Alliance; he quickly adjusted his mood, but the moment he approached Shen Yi, sensing the thick aura of demonic blood on the other, he couldn't help but feel a pang of alarm.

He actually asked a rare question that was utterly pointless.

That group of demons and monsters earlier hardly looked like they had the ability to injure Shen Yi.

Wen Qiujin showed shame on his face: "Qiujin is merely a merchant and cannot help Senior Immortal much; I am truly sorry."

These seemingly apologetic words caused the faces of the surrounding people to change slightly.

In his tone, he was just short of directly expressing dissatisfaction with those few honored guests.

Given the steady nature of Alliance Leader Wen.

This sentence almost plainly stated his intention to settle the score later.

"..."

Several honored guests hovering in the air quietly exchanged glances.

Immediately, they sighed slightly and descended toward the ground below.

There were only two tasks in total: the first, they feared offending the Long Gong and dared not do it; the second, they simply could not accomplish.

They stood silently behind Wen Qiujin, hiding a bit of shame in their eyes, and cast their gaze toward Shen Yi.

The strength displayed earlier by this young disciple of the Immortal Gate had far exceeded the imagination of ordinary cultivators.

Not to mention the Dao Palace illuminated solely by pure purple qi, without any mixed colors; even in legendary tales, few dared to Hu Chui so arrogantly.

Using Hongmeng Chen Ziqi to empower the Spirit Body technique, he was actually able to forcibly cross the watershed of the Late Killed Fanxu realm.

The realm was one thing.

Relying on that profound and eerie technique, the other played a bunch of Killed Fanxu Layer Seven water-dwelling demons and monsters in the palm of his hand.

As the saying goes, the onlooker sees clearly.

Clearly their auras were similar, yet the instant Shen Yi struck, they had already lost any possibility of escaping with their lives.

The foundation of the Immortal Gate truly made this group of honored guests, who relied on the Shuiyueshang Alliance for their livelihood, incredibly envious.

"..."

Wen Qiujin glanced at the few people behind him and did not explode on the spot.

He was merely dissatisfied with their act of disobeying orders during battle, feeling that the heavenly treasures and spiritual herbs he provided monthly were somewhat wasted.

But if one puts oneself in another's shoes.

If he himself were an honored guest, he would probably have made the same choice.

After all, who could have guessed that a young cultivator who appeared to be at Killed Fanxu Layer Four actually possessed a Spirit Puppet at Killed Fanxu Layer Eight, and his own strength was similarly close to that of the puppet.

Relying on just one person and one puppet, he actually annihilated a clearly formidable water-dwelling faction, cutting down its elite forces completely.

Such a battle record was enough to cross the ocean and spread throughout the land and water of Yu Nanhong, establishing a considerable reputation.

Judging by Wen Qiujin's knowledge.

Such methods were probably even deeper in foundation than those of ordinary geniuses.

Even among the famous direct disciples of the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong, it was rare to find anyone in the same realm who could compare to Shen Yi.

Wen Qiujin was not afraid of retaliation from the water-dwellers.

Inferring from the fact that that group of demons and monsters dared not reveal their identities until death, this incident was obviously not permitted by the Long Gong.

"Although Senior Immortal possesses high strength and can slay demons and monsters, one must still be cautious; after all, demons and monsters cannot be completely eradicated, and there is no principle of guarding against thieves for a thousand days..."

Thinking of this, Wen Qiujin whispered a reminder.

Shen Yi looked at him and nodded lightly: "Thank you."

This was reminding him to guard against an insider traitor.

After all, he had just arrived on the island, and within the time it took to have a meal, the water-dwellers had already come knocking.

To say no one transmitted a message behind the scenes would be an impossible thing.

But worrying urgently would be useless.

Shen Yi stepped away from the crowd and walked toward the Shuiyueshang Alliance.

Several elders of the Chen family and the people of Qinghai Prefecture hurriedly followed; compared to others, they knew an even more terrifying thing.

That was before dueling this group of water-dwellers.

Shen Yi had just destroyed a demon lair and, as a side effect, nearly killed a genius at Killed Fanxu Layer Six.

If it were another cultivator, now, let alone recovering from injuries, his aura probably wouldn't even be smoothed out yet, yet Senior Immortal Shen looked as if nothing had happened; where could one find reason in that?

"Hiss."

Watching that ink-robed figure walk back.

The numerous cultivators of the Shuiyueshang Alliance who had gathered earlier all instinctively stepped backward.

They did not have the insight of Wen Qiujin or the honored guests.

They only knew this young cultivator was terrifyingly strong and possessed extreme killing intent; in terms of experience with escorting goods, figures like this were those one needed to avoid in advance upon hearing even a whisper.

Uncle Zhang watched Shen Yi walk toward him with wide eyes, swallowed his saliva, and felt the puzzled gazes cast by the people around.

He instinctively straightened his back, his face flushed with red, and clasped his hands to bow, saying: "This junior cultivator greets Shen Qianbei!"

Good heavens, when had he ever had such face, and inside the Shuiyueshang Alliance too; as long as Shen Qianbei responded to him with a single word, he would have much more confidence in bargaining in the future.

It must be that these eyes were sharp enough; back then, he saw at a glance that Shen Qianbei was far from an ordinary person...

"How much did she give you?" Shen Yi asked casually.

Now that treasures were urgently needed, even the leg of a fly could not be overlooked.

Uncle Zhang was stunned for a moment, quickly realized the other was referring to Lady Baohua Xianzi, and immediately took out his storage bag without hesitation: "To report to Shen Qianbei, it is all here; please keep it safe."

"I have accepted the person."

Shen Yi didn't take the Yan Daizi, nodding: "Take your share, the rest is mine."

They had all risked their lives to scrape together some family savings to aid their cultivation. Although he was a bit of a pauper himself right now, there was no need to look so greedy.

"Look at what you're saying…"

Zhang Ye instinctively began to pull out the pitch he'd used when haggling over the goods, but after clearly seeing Shen Yi's serious expression, he froze for a moment, then, still a bit unused to it, opened his storage bag and carefully separated out eighty percent, packing it separately.

"If you hadn't stepped in, if I'd gone elsewhere to buy land, it would probably be about this price anyway… and you're from the Zhengdexian Sect, incomparably noble, so the places you pick for them would surely be more suitable."

"Don't worry."

Shen Yi didn't refuse this time, accepting the storage treasure: "You've worked hard."

In this stretch of land and water in Yu Nanhong, it would be hard to find a place safer than a Dao-Unification treasure land.

"If you have any business for me in the future, come find me anytime." Zhang Ye rubbed his face hard. It was clearly just the most ordinary of transactions, yet for some reason he was acting out of sorts.

A scene from the Xiao Family Fortress suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The price had been agreed upon in advance, and although it was a bit steep, Shen Qianbei had handled the matter cleanly and crisply. At Lady Baohua Xianzi's most helpless moment, he hadn't asked for any extra reward.

Shen Qianbei might not count as a good person, but he certainly wasn't a bad one.

"…"

Wen Qiujin quietly watched the scene unfolding ahead.

As the helmsman of the Shuiyueshang Alliance, this kind of small transaction was honestly hard to catch his eye.

But at this moment, he quietly turned around and said to the guards behind him: "Prepare the share for Tianjian Sect together with General Nanyang Sect's, and have it sent to me."

"We only just paid…" the guard said, somewhat puzzled. Even if Shen Yi was truly excessively strong, he was still within the scope of late-stage Return-to-Void, not enough to change the rules.

If the other party got into the habit of coming over to freeload whenever they felt like it in the future, what then?

"Go do it."

Wen Qiujin didn't offer much explanation.

He withdrew his gaze.

With Shen Yi's level of ability, how could he possibly have no supporters among the Seven Sons of Nanhong?

One might even say he was the Shen Zongzhu's personal disciple, and a future Dao-Unification realm titan would not be an exaggeration.

He was completely unlike the rice bug he had imagined in his mind—someone who relied on the fame of the Seven Sons of Nanhong and clung to the Shuiyueshang Alliance to suck blood.

From this disciple Shen Yi, one could infer that General Nanyang Sect was a true Xian Sect.

A Xian Sect should be treated with the corresponding courtesy.

A loyal minister does not serve two masters.

Moreover, sending charcoal in the snow is always more useful than adding flowers to brocade.

Wen Qiujin recalled that the General Nanyang Sect group had arrived riding the Gui Sect's Green Lions. After a moment's thought, he ordered someone to fetch a sword-shaped pendant—an unadorned, ancient-styled flying sword radiating black light.

He stepped forward together with the prepared tribute.

"Immortal Shen, this is the tribute the Shuiyueshang Alliance has prepared for General Nanyang Sect. Qiujin was tied up with miscellaneous matters and couldn't get away. I hope Immortal will convey my apology to the Shen Zongzhu on Qiujin's behalf. This Substitute-Step Flying Sword is a small token of my regard—please, Immortal, do not refuse it."

"…"

Shen Yi looked at the storage bag respectfully offered by the other party, then glanced at the flying sword pendant.

He deliberated for a moment.

He gave a slight nod of his chin: "Many thanks. This counts toward next time."

If he truly owed tribute, then when he himself had come, he wouldn't have put on such a show while refusing to mention it at all.

Upon hearing this, Wen Qiujin smiled noncommittally.

As expected, those who do business rarely misjudge people.

And judging from this remark, the other's status within General Nanyang Sect was hardly low.

……

Gone were the female cultivators' piping, singing, and playing.

Only Wen Qiujin, accompanied by several attendants, stood at a distance respectfully seeing off the Green Lion Spirit Puppets as they vanished into the clouds.

After leaving the Shuiyueshang Alliance.

Shen Yi casually activated the pendant, transforming it into a black longsword, and lightly stepped onto it.

Although this item was sword-shaped, it was not a combat magic treasure—it could only serve as a Substitute-Step.

Though its function was singular, it was unknown how many times faster than the Dragon-Leap Heavenly Pin he had comprehended from watching Baohua Xianzi bathe.

With just a slight infusion of Qi, he could leave the Green Lion Spirit Puppets far behind.

"Alliance Leader Wen is really quite generous."

Jing Jingsong clicked his tongue. This flying sword was at the very least a treasure-grade item; with Qinghai Prefecture's foundation, they wouldn't dare dream of such a luxury.

But then again, if one wanted to curry favor with Immortal Shen, ordinary items really wouldn't do.

Shen Yi familiarized himself briefly with the flying sword, then quickly headed to the place Zhang Ye had mentioned. He saw the dense masses of Xiao Family Fortress commoners, all looking utterly exhausted, stretching as far as the eye could see.

He waved his hand slightly, and nearly twenty Green Lion Spirit Puppots hovered in the air.

"You are responsible for bringing them back. Take your time transporting them if you must. If you encounter danger, use a jade slip to tell me."

Since so many deacons had been recruited, wasn't this exactly the time to use them?

Although it was menial work, even a cultivator like Jing Jingsong, who was close to late-stage Return-to-Void, had no objections… After all, when it came to slaying demons and monsters, Immortal Shen had no use for them at all. If they didn't do something, they really wouldn't be worthy of the deacon's robe on their backs.

"Don't worry, not a single one will be missing."

"Mm."

Shen Yi nodded, then once again rode his sword into the clouds.

With the Substitute-Step Flying Sword, the outbound trip had taken a full four or five days, but the return took less than two hours.

He returned to the familiar General Nanyang relief sculpture.

He opened the great formation, as if recalling something, took out a stone Dao token, and sent it into the Ancestral Master Hall: "I have been busy lately; the matter of opening and closing the formation will have to trouble Senior Xuanqing."

Giving it to Nie Jun would have been fine too, but the other's realm was too low, and having just been exposed to numerous techniques, he was in a rush to cultivate.

After thinking it over, it seemed only Xuanqing was relatively free.

As for the safety of the treasure land, if Xuanqing truly had such intentions, he would have already taken out the Shen Zongzhu's Dao token.

"Uh."

Li Xuanqing, sitting on the cushion, accepted the stone Dao token, propped his cheek on one hand, and fell into deep thought.

Opening and closing the formation... that seems to mean being a gatekeeper, right?

Has person Li really fallen to such a state?

"Hoo."

Shen Yi had no time to sympathize with Senior Xuanqing's sense of loss.

He retracted his flying sword pendant, landed before a curtain of light, and then stepped forward into it.

"Pay respects to the Shen Zongzhu."

Many figures rose in unison; among them were many familiar faces, such as Xu Qing'er and Nie Jun. These cultivators who had wasted so many years within the General Nanyang General Nanyang Baodi were now, day and night without rest, absorbing the treasures within the Hidden Dharma Pavilion, daring not to slacken even a fraction.

"Get on with your work."

Shen Yi nodded and headed straight for the spiraling staircase above.

He still had not forgotten.

Up there was still a wooden door that could not be opened.

If his guess was correct, the key should be that Bai Yu Dao token belonging to the Shen Zongzhu.

Arriving at the top floor of the Hidden Dharma Pavilion, he looked at the wooden door before him with slight nervousness, took the Dao token from his ring, and poured his entire aura into it.

He had not noticed it before.

Now, with just a single contact of aura, Shen Yi felt the difference in this Bai Yu Dao token.

If entering the Return to Emptiness realm allowed one to barely activate the stone token, opening the sect's great formation in half an hour, then now, having crossed into the mid-stage of Return to Emptiness, he had already exhausted most of the aura in his Dao Palace.

Yet it was like a drop of water falling into the Dahe, raising not even a single ripple.

Fortunately, opening a door was not a big deal.

As Bai Guang overflowed from the crack in the door.

Shen Yi's entire body was suddenly sucked inside; the moment his vision cleared, the surroundings had turned into a vast expanse of white.

It was like within a sea of clouds, clean without a single speck of impurity.

In the center sat a figure with kind eyebrows and a benevolent face, with white beard and hair, wearing plain green robes.

The old man opened his eyes and said with a smile: "Xuanqing has come. What technique do you wish to learn today?"

"Tsk."

Shen Yi frowned slightly, staring at the old man before him, gradually noticing something was wrong.

Moments later, he tried taking two steps to the side.

The old man, however, continued staring at the door: "Xuanqing has come. What technique do you wish to learn today?"

"..."

Shen Yi slowly clenched his five fingers, feeling that the sanity of everyone in the General Nanyang Sect, from top to bottom, was not quite normal.

He had figured it out; this was merely an illusionary form.

Let alone life force, it didn't even possess consciousness.

Perhaps its only function was that when that former direct disciple came in, he could feel a shred of care and companionship.

"What techniques are there?"

"You, you."

The old man let out a bitter smile and said gently: "Xuanqing, you are greedy and bite off more than you can chew. All the spiritual techniques here require great perseverance to cultivate to perfection. You always learn one and discard another; if you do not reform, your master will kick you out."

Hearing the words "spiritual techniques," Shen Yi raised an eyebrow.

It seemed he had found something extraordinary.

But soon, he heard a proud voice ring in his mind; that was a tiny, insignificant memory carried within the realization of Tianyan Sijiu.

"With my talent, I can master ten thousand techniques, understand Yin and Yang, ascend to the Heavenly Court, and achieve an immortal name beyond compare!"

The old man seemed to have heard this sentence too, or perhaps Xuanqing always answered this way; he did not refute it, only showing a helpless smile: "You! You will suffer a great loss!"

At the same time.

Inside the Ancestral Master Hall, Xuanqing seemed to sense the opening of that door.

He was stunned for a long while, then suddenly trembled all over, stood up, walked toward that towering statue of the Ancestral Master, and pressed his hard face against the other's boots.

"You were right."

Inside the Ancestral Master Hall, only a faint whisper remained, along with the slowly drifting, curling green smoke.

Regrettably, some mistakes can never be undone, and one does not even dare to dwell on them.

Humans and immortals are still too far apart.

(End of this chapter)