Chapter 489: Supreme Foundation Stone, The Past of the Profound Phoenix

Ke Laoqi stood atop the collapsing mountain peak, staring tightly at the Dao Palace in the sky.

The new layer of the great hall finally took complete shape, the sea of blood surging upward, shooting straight into the clouds.

Return to Emptiness, eighth layer!

After confirming there were only these three great demons, the master never thought of fleeing again.

It turned its gaze toward the foot of the mountain.

The head of the Turtle Clan's Third Uncle flew horizontally, the headless body swaying as it knelt, and with blood splashing, finally crashed down beneath that fluttering robe of dark ink.

Wu Jun landed with a boom, stabilized his stance, and casually picked up the long blade on the ground.

First, he bowed respectfully to that youth, then cast a cold gaze toward the two remaining figures in the sky, and reached out to brush the gravel from his chest.

It indeed lacked much experience, having been toyed with between the palms of three opponents.

But if it were a one-on-one fight, these three old Wang Bas were none of them worth looking at.

"Gulp."

Even as a general of the Turtle Army, these two aged Golden-Winged Turtle Demons could not help but feel their hearts drumming at this moment.

According to common sense, a demon comparable to the twelfth layer of Return to Emptiness should be able to obliterate a mere eighth-layer cultivator with a snap of the fingers.

Only true geniuses, like the existence of Su Yushang, possessing a Dao Palace of extremely high quality and mastering spiritual arts of profound attainment, had the possibility of crossing realms to slay them.

Even the most ordinary gift of spiritual breath possessed the power to cause the effects of techniques to explode.

If it were the more rare Green Phoenix Immortal Qi, or even the Hongmeng Chen Ziqi, a single strand would be enough to crush ordinary cultivators of the same realm, making people feel despair.

Yet the Dao Palace before them, ravaged by demonic energy, had only eight layers, having received a total of only seven gifts from heaven and earth.

That Hongmeng Chen Ziqi, which ordinary people would not dare to even imagine... it had seven strands.

And the density of each strand far exceeded the Heavenly Palaces of other cultivators.

This made the two veteran generals completely unable to estimate the opponent's specific strength, because they had never seen such a scene.

The so-called watershed of realms was like a joke before this youth.

"..."

The two great demons exchanged a glance, both seeing the intention to retreat in the other's eyes.

In an instant, the sky filled with golden patterns transformed into a net of heaven and earth, pressing down toward the ground.

The two demons withdrew in different directions without hesitation.

One of them even summoned a conch shell and began to send a message to Ke Laoqi: "Seventh Dragon Grandson! The situation has changed!"

Who could have known that while all the Turtle Army's thoughts were fixed on the Dao Son of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

An existence with such terrifying talent, completely unmatched by the Dao Son, would quietly appear in the Dragon Grandson Hall.

Just as if they had planned it in advance.

Causing the foundation of the Seventh Dragon Grandson to be destroyed in an instant by more than half.

However, the words of that old Wang Ba failed to reach the Dragon Grandson's ears.

The sky-covering golden net ruthlessly enveloped the figure in the dark ink robe on the ground, quickly tightening, with dense golden threads seeming ready to slice it to pieces completely.

The youth's figure, neither avoiding nor yielding, quietly vanished from the spot.

A fake...

The old Wang Ba's eyes widened; how could it have thought that beneath such a majestic entrance, that brat was still playing dirty tricks.

Where was the conduct of a true genius?

The conch shell in its hand cracked and scattered into dust, revealing a sharp silver-white claw behind it, its fingertips glowing with a chilling light, pointing straight at its face.

"Deceitful scoundrel! How dare you ambush this general!"

The old Wang Ba gathered all its demonic power, arms spread in a mountain-splitting posture, and fiercely smashed toward that arm covered in silver-white armor!

In the instant the figure in front was instantly blasted apart.

There was no joy on its face; instead, it sank into deep terror.

Instinctively wanting to turn back.

But its skull was filled with the booming roar of a dragon: "Roar!"

Accompanied by the wild roar, a sharp dragon spear attacked from behind; the old Wang Ba, still maintaining the motion of pushing its palm, had its huge head explode like a watermelon.

Crack.

The instant the dull sound spread across the sky.

The other Golden-Winged Turtle Demon had already stopped fleeing, staring blankly at the violent death of its old brother.

In its eyes.

The opponent was exactly the same as the Third Brother just now; both had suddenly given up resistance, allowing Shen Zongzhu to walk to their side and smash their heads with a spear.

They were both experienced veteran generals; what scenes had they not seen, where would such an ugly scene occur?

It must be the effect of some profound technique.

And the performance of Shen Zongzhu when thrusting the spear was clearly the signature skill of the Thirteenth Dragon Grandson, the Green Dragon Star-Shattering Spear.

This person seemed to have learned nothing else; every move was a spiritual art, and at least at the major accomplishment realm.

How is one supposed to fight this?

Finally, this old Wang Ba simply could not figure it out, so it stopped in mid-air, stunned.

"Hmm?"

Shen Yi glanced sideways with a hint of confusion.

He did not recall using Xiang Tianyan Sijiu on this remaining turtle demon.

When a spiritual art reaches the major accomplishment, the effect exploding is one thing, but the consumption is equally terrifying.

Especially using three at the same time.

With a foundation at the eighth layer of Returning Void, he simply couldn't sustain fighting many at once, or even a prolonged engagement.

"Enough."

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze, too lazy to think further.

Behind that old Wang Ba, Wu Jun had already summoned the golden patterns, binding it tightly, then gripped the blade with both hands and brought it down in a brutal overhead slash: "Sixth Uncle, die for me!"

That greatsword was clearly no ordinary weapon.

Moreover, Wu Jun's strength was already far above these old Wang Ba, and with all his demonic power poured into the blade, the old Wang Ba's formidable demonic body couldn't even last a single breath.

Puchi!

Another head leapt high into the air.

【Slain Returning Void realm Golden-Pattern Tortoise Demon, total lifespan 246,000 years, remaining lifespan 17,000 years, absorption complete】

The bloodline of the Golden-Pattern Tortoise clan was clearly nothing top-tier among demons.

Not to mention compared to the Dragon Grandson—at best it was on the level of Dragon Fish Hall, where a great demon comparable to Bai Yujing could emerge, most likely because it had latched onto the Seven Dragon Grandson and received more rewards from the Dragon Palace.

Purely relying on the advantage of long lifespan to brute-force cultivation.

Shen Yi didn't mind it being little.

After all, he'd already earned plenty this time.

Besides, these old Wang Ba had other uses.

"Huu."

Shen Yi collected the three corpses, brought along the two Town Stones, and left the area first.

He found a secluded spot.

Only then did he summon the Measuring Pillar Ruler again, then called Wu Jun to sit beside him: "Come here."

Taking in this scene, Ke Shisan seemed to guess what was happening, so jealous his teeth were nearly ground to dust.

Three Returning Void twelfth-layer Golden-Pattern Tortoise demons—just how far could they elevate this little bald-head's bloodline?

Sure enough.

Shen Yi directly transformed one old Wang Ba's corpse into a sea of blood and poured it entirely into Wu Jun's body.

The golden light on the Measuring Pillar Ruler crept upward another stretch.

It looked like only a sliver away from the ruler's completion, but the feeling it gave was as if it were harder than everything added together before.

Wu Jun sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, the aura on his body growing ever more profound.

Shen Yi poured in another corpse.

The golden light rose again.

This time it had already faintly overlapped with the very top of the entire Measuring Pillar Ruler.

The aura on Wu Jun's body suddenly vanished, as if he had turned back into a stone statue, his color also slowly fading.

"Eh! It's dead!" Ke Shisan said excitedly.

"..."

Shen Yi glanced at it, and the slight tension in his heart eased along with it.

He cleanly and decisively poured in the last corpse as well.

In an instant, the Measuring Pillar Ruler trembled violently—then shattered!

Shen Yi watched the spiritual light scatter dot by dot from his palm, then looked back at Wu Jun and found that the other had completely transformed into a blue-white Town Stone.

【Remaining demon lifespan: 1,450,070 years. Can be refined】

Previously, ascending the palace had condensed six Town Stones, costing 720,000 years.

He closed his eyes, and demon origins were gathered one by one, falling into the demon soul within the Town Stone.

Ten... twenty... thirty-three...

On the panel, behind Wu Jun's demon soul a "Rare" character gradually appeared, and as over thirty origins poured in, that "Rare" character quietly transformed into a "Spirit" character.

Shen Yi decisively stopped.

Looking ahead again, he saw the Golden-Pattern Tortoise Demon Town Stone radiate brilliance anew, resplendent flowing gold wandering along its limbs and body like a little brook, as if a divine brush had come to color it.

Until it was completely painted over.

Wu Jun opened his eyes again, golden patterns like a chessboard in those eyes, pupils like pieces placed.

A vast, sweeping aura instantly engulfed heaven and earth.

That belonged to an entirely new realm.

"Thank my lord for the gift!"

Wu Jun rose to his knees and kowtowed heavily three times.

It had lived so long and only reached Returning Void tenth layer, but in less than half a month following its master, it already possessed the power it had once only dreamed of.

A great demon comparable to Bai Yujing—even counting through all of Yu Nanhong, how many could there be?

"Not bad."

Shen Yi gave a slight nod of his chin, confirming the thought in his heart.

Ever since learning that even Senior Xuan Qing hadn't managed to gather all the Heavenly Palaces, he'd harbored a doubt: a prodigy who could condense a second-grade Dao Pillar at Returning Void second layer—could it really be that at Returning Void ninth layer he still couldn't visualize a first-grade Dao Pillar?

How could that be possible.

Added to that, as a former Nanyang Dao Child, he must have practiced the Six-Pillar Palace Ascension method.

This could only mean that even six first-grade Dao Pillars couldn't support the Tiangong after Returning Void completion.

Above first-grade, there must surely be better Dao Pillars.

Now, Wu Jun's transformation confirmed Shen Yi's guess.

He gathered his thoughts, lowered his gaze, and stared at the feather remaining on the ground—its root crimson, its tip profound black.

It looked unfamiliar, but the scent upon it was familiar and enticing.

Shen Yi reached out and picked it up, gently rubbing it twice between his fingers, and discovered that this thing was actually used for maintaining a spiritual connection.

That Dark Phoenix actually came out?

Last time they met, constrained by the other's overwhelming strength and the fact that it was a demon beast kept by the Meng Sect, Shen Yi could only suppress his thoughts.

Now the situation seemed a little different.

A Dark Phoenix of the Xian Sect actually had some connection with the turtle troops under Ke Laoqi.

Shen Yi pressed his lips together, suddenly feeling a bit hungry.

His own True Body of the Undying Celestial Phoenix had not been improved in a long time; without the augmentation of Primordial Violet Qi, it would long since have been of little use. If he could invite a true Dark Phoenix to assist, perhaps he could push the derivation further along.

"Let's keep watching."

Shen Yi stood up, and thinking of Ke Laoqi's strange movements within the Dragon Grandson Hall, he always felt this matter was somewhat complicated.

Better to observe a while longer first.

Compared to the Dark Phoenix, he was now more interested in the so-called Bai Yujing.

Shen Yi took out the Dragon Spear once more and looked toward Wu Jun before him: "Come, give it a try."

Having a great demon of Bai Yu Jing who was completely obedient to him as a sparring partner — such an opportunity was rare.

"Wu Jun humbly obeys my lord's decree!"

Wu Jun did not dawdle; he rose straight to his feet and seriously settled into a stance.

In an instant, the crimson Dao Palace appeared once more.

The Primordial Violet Qi gathered entirely upon that figure in dark robes, and purple-gold flames surged!

Shen Yi held nothing back, and Tianyan Sijiu was the first to unfold.

"Hiss."

Wu Jun instinctively looked toward a certain spot, then seemed to realize something and subconsciously shifted his gaze away from there, a few traces of confusion surfacing in his eyes.

The next instant, a roaring dragon's cry erupted from that very spot.

The razor-sharp Dragon Spear burst straight out.

Yet a pattern like flowing gold, no larger than a palm, appeared out of thin air at the spear tip.

The long spear that had come charging in simply froze in midair.

As though it had plunged into mud.

"……"

Shen Yi, gripping the long spear, silently raised an eyebrow.

Wu Jun took in his master's expression; the golden pattern suddenly shattered apart, and the spear tip slammed violently into his chest, sending him stumbling back several steps before he barely steadied himself.

"Master, splendid spearwork!"

Shen Yi drew a deep breath, cast him a casual glance, smoothly withdrew the Dragon Spear, and could not be bothered to say more.

If you're going to fight, then fight properly — what is the meaning of going easy?

Sure enough, even with his spiritual arts at Great Completion and the dense augmentation of Primordial Violet Qi, the gap between the eighth layer of Killed Fanxu and Bai Yu Jing remained a terrifying chasm.

Ke Shisan said nothing, carefully observing the expression on Wu Jun's face.

He suddenly realized there was still much he had to learn — for instance, that thick skin.

……

Every Xian Sect had its vassals to provide for it; the Xian Sect was no exception.

Only among the many vassal powers, the Sword-Protecting Pavilion was considered a rather special one.

They did not need to offer any tribute, nor did they have to handle affairs for the Xian Sect.

The only thing they had to do.

Was to protect that Samsara Sword Tree.

Of course, rather than saying they protected the tree, it was more accurate to say the tree protected them — after all, even a grand figure of the Combined Dao realm would have to expend considerable effort to destroy this heaven-sprung treasure tree.

The Samsara Sword Art was passed down generation after generation.

Only one inheritor per generation, because this sword tree bore only a single fruit each time.

Its effect was also very singular.

It was to help each generation's Dao Child of the Xian Sect speed through their weakest period.

Therefore, not many people were willing to come and seize it.

After all, even if one seized it, it would be useless to oneself and would not affect the Dao Child in any way; at most, the other party would simply not leave the sect for the time being. Slow was slow, but they could normally get through it all the same.

On the contrary, the price of angering the Xian Sect — few within Yu Nanhong could bear it.

Outside the Sword-Protecting Pavilion.

Under the cupped-hand farewells of many disciples, two figures swiftly departed into the distance.

"How is it? Feeling alright?"

It was not Su Yushang's first time coming to fetch the Samsara Sword Fruit, so she felt no particular pressure.

She turned her head with a beaming smile.

"Mm, a very wondrous feeling."

The dignified, richly adorned lady returned a light laugh, pulled at her thin gauze, drew it slightly tighter around her full figure, and looked around with some curiosity, sighing as she did so: "It's really been so many years… so many years since I've left Yu Nanhong."

As she said this, a trace of loneliness flickered through her eyes.

Su Yushang saw it and sighed as well: "I've heard what they did to you over these years — I'm truly sorry… Don't worry, it won't happen again. I'll do my best to make up for the grievances you've suffered all these years."

She had been famed for her looks since childhood, and those people often compared her with her elder sister.

Therefore Su Yushang did not much enjoy chatting with others; her elder sister was also wholly devoted to cultivation and had no time to idle with her. Only Blood Master had been by her side since she was young.

Watching her cultivate, listening to her pour out her grievances.

As if taking the place of her deceased parents.

"Forget it, let's not talk about unhappy things. Where did you come from back then? From outside Yu Nanhong?"

Su Yuchang noticed the strange look on her blood-master's face and steered the topic away: "Wait until my cultivation is higher, then I'll take you home to see it, and ask Older Sister whether she can let you leave."

"…"

Xuan Feng fell silent for a moment.

Clearly unwilling to discuss the topic.

She was nothing more than a simple-minded Xuan Feng who had secretly taken her unhatched younger brother and left the clan. Upon arriving at Yu Nanhong's waters and lands, she ate a few cultivators and spread a bit of a name for herself.

Then it happened that the phoenix egg suffered an accident and required a great number of living beings to make up for it.

She had just set up a great array and thrown those living beings in when she was spotted by the deacons of Heavenly Sword Sect and Nanyang Sect. After handling the matter, they casually subdued the siblings and brought them back to the sect.

It was said that those two deacons had exchanged that merit for quite a few cultivation resources.

As the price for those two deacons going further and further down the path of cultivation.

Tens of thousands of years of her essence blood had been drawn out, and to this day she still hasn't managed to break through to Bai Yujing. Heh.

Separated from her brother, it wasn't until the last trip to the Nanyang relief sculpture that she sensed even a sliver of his aura on that so-called "Shen Zongzhu."

The younger brother she had never met had most likely already ended up in the bellies of those Nanyang natives.

Xuan Feng truly wanted to know how Su Yuchang planned to make up for all of this.

"Forget going home. Xuan Feng has never thought of it that way. After living in Heavenly Sword Sect for so many years, that place, for me, is already a somewhat strange home I can no longer leave."

Xuan Feng let out a self-mocking laugh.

Then she raised her beautiful eyes: "But I would like to go see Cuiyun Reef. I've heard the disciples in the sect mention it many times, but I've never had the chance… I'm just afraid it would delay important matters."

At these words.

Su Yuchang's face showed difficulty. Although it wasn't far, Older Sister's matters were still more important.

She shook her head: "Next time. I'll bring you out again as soon as I can, I promise."

"I was just saying it offhandedly, don't make things hard on yourself. You're still a sinner right now, take care of yourself first, I'm not in a hurry." Xuan Feng cracked a joke and playfully poked Su Yuchang's forehead.

"…"

Su Yuchang felt the cool touch on her forehead.

She slowly closed her eyes.

What the other said was true. Based on what she had done in Yuecheng earlier, once Older Sister swallowed the sword fruit and went into closed-door cultivation, those elders would no longer indulge her, let alone bringing Xuan Feng out of the sect.

"How about this."

She opened her eyes, a sly look on her delicate face: "We'll sneak off, tell no one."

Saying so, Su Yuchang extended her little finger: "Not even my sister can be told."

Xuan Feng was stunned for a moment, clearly a little tempted.

Then she lowered her head uneasily: "It won't cause trouble, will it?"

"What's there to fear? If we move quickly, the round trip is no more than three shichen." Su Yuchang hooked her little finger around the other's with a crisp laugh: "Let's go!"

(End of chapter)