Chapter 494: Lifeless Palm

For someone like Xuan Qing, even in death, it had to be a free and easy one.

For instance, offering up the last of the Hongmeng Purple Qi that sustained his vitality, to add another brick and tile to the Shen Zongzhu's Boundless Demon Emperor Palace.

Then simply fall and leave no trace behind — that would count as a fine tale.

But now the situation seemed to have changed; he was a little afraid that after he died, the Shen Zongzhu would erect a great monument, inscribing upon it several large characters in flourishing dragon-flying, phoenix-dancing strokes.

Dragon-Slaying Daoist.

In the years that followed, countless disciples passing by this monument would curiously ask about it, and the story of the Dragon-Slaying Daoist would be passed from mouth to mouth...

At the thought of this, Xuan Qing's whole body tensed, his toes curling instinctively.

Outside the Ancestral Master Hall.

Shen Yi cast a casual glance at his retreating back, shook his head, and ambled off into the distance.

Knowing shame is enough — it means there's still something he cares about, and so he can keep forcing himself to live on.

Still, Xuan Qing's actions did genuinely give Shen Yi some surprise.

By all rights, breaking through to the ninth layer of Return-to-Void in such a short time, and filling the Heavenly Palace completely, should count as an extremely impressive showing.

Yet Senior Xuan Qing not only felt no hope of great vengeance from it, but actually planned to put an end to his broken body on the spot.

Which only proved that the other's story — even with his current showing — he still wasn't qualified to hear.

"Tsk."

Shen Yi swept off toward the Scripture Depository.

He couldn't quite figure it out — no matter how famous Xuan Qing had been, in the end he had only been a Dao Child; what kind of existence could Bai Yujing's cultivation have provoked?

Even the four great Dragon Palaces of Hongze shouldn't be so terrible that one doesn't even dare mention them, right?

Anyway, no matter who Senior Xuan Qing had provoked —

He himself had now truly forged a death feud with the South Long Gong.

Shen Yi was long past the little cultivator who had first set out from Nanyang knowing nothing at all.

Su Hongxiu daring to stride so brazenly into the Flesh-Winged Silkworm's palace, and Ke Laoqi's father never showing himself even at the end — the Heavenly Sword Sect must have made a move.

Most likely they had gone to find that South Long Gong prince.

But the matter was confined to the dragon grandson's maternal clan and didn't drag in too many others, which meant that Long Gong prince should still be alive.

It was just unclear whether this old dragon actually knew it was he who had struck the blow.

A fearsome demon like this should have means of divining information... if he truly knew, then that would be troublesome.

Shen Yi closed his eyes.

In the sea of consciousness, upon the sole of Wujun's Suppressing Stone, there suddenly appeared yet another blood talisman.

He let out a soft sigh: "..."

It wasn't that he feared anything — one should have grown used to such things long ago; too many debts stop being a worry, too many mosquito bites stop itching.

What gave Shen Yi a bit of a headache was that as the Long Gong grew more wary and learned more about him, the risk of striking again in the future would skyrocket.

Creak.

Shen Yi stepped into the Scripture Depository, ascended to the top floor, and slowly pushed open that wooden door.

Returning once more to that place ringed by white mist.

"Xuan Qing is here — what technique do you want to learn today?"

The same gentle voice as ever; the white-haired, white-bearded old man sat cross-legged.

Shen Yi waved a hand by way of greeting.

Only then did he offer up Ke Shisan's Suppressing Stone, and from within his thumb-ring took out Ke Laoqi's corpse.

Earlier, during his breakthrough, he had noticed something.

Namely, that these two dragon grandsons could actually not be counted as a single Suppressing Stone.

One was a Purple-Pearl Huang Long, the other a Flesh-Winged Huang Long.

Of course, there was nothing strange about that — after all, with different maternal clans, their bloodlines had indeed changed.

What truly surprised Shen Yi was that although they weren't fully of the same kind, Ke Shisan's Suppressing Stone could actually absorb his seventh brother's flesh and blood as well.

"My Master..."

Ke Shisan could barely contain his excitement — was it finally his turn?

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze. To be honest, judging by Ke Laoqi's performance, he truly didn't want to condense a separate Suppressing Stone just for him to rebuild a demon soul — no strength, no comprehension, and on top of that he wasn't young anymore; a pure waste of demon lifespan.

With a slight shift of his mind —

Ke Laoqi's corpse, its chest caved in, transformed into a sea of blood and surged into Ke Shisan's body.

Unlike before, after roughly sixty percent of the flesh and blood flowed into the Suppressing Stone, the remaining blood plasma simply hung suspended in the air.

Shen Yi paused briefly, then summoned the Flesh-Winged Silkworm's Suppressing Stone and poured the other forty percent into its body.

Not a bit wasted, indeed.

Once the two Suppressing Stones had divided Ke Laoqi up completely —

Shen Yi watched Ke Shisan's aura grow steadily fuller. Since it could grow, then it might be worth considering feeding it some demon origin.

The stronger the demon soul, the longer it could endure during divination.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 2,233,000 years】

"..."

Before Ke Shisan could even come back to himself from the enormous boost to his realm, the thick joy still lingering on his face, he was forcibly force-fed demon origin.

He widened his eyes, as if guessing something: "My Master... I..."

Where in this world is there a free lunch?

Oh no — he's going to do hard time!

The essence of a demon, when you get right down to it, is ten thousand years of mental tempering; the demon's own aptitude and comprehension also affect just how effective those ten thousand years can ultimately be.

Only nineteen demon essences went down.

On the panel, the suffix after Ke Shisan's name had risen all the way up to Spirit-grade.

Even breaking through to Bai Yujing in the future would be more than enough.

Shen Yi glanced sideways, casually stowing it back into the panel, and then the vast demon lifespans were cleanly and decisively poured into Tianyan Sijiu.

【First year, you brought Ke Xuanjian along and began once more attempting to deduce this Spirit Art; the two of you's understanding of Tianyan Sijiu could be called nearly perfect, but to touch the true endpoint, you had no thread of thought at all.】

Within the encircling white mist.

Shen Yi's figure seemed to transform into a seated statue, those clear eyes gradually being overtaken by a darkness like the curtain of night.

To deduce a single Spirit Art to the Perfect realm.

Was never something that could simply be piled up with effort; what it relied on far more was that heaven-bestowed flash of inspiration.

That which is called enlightenment.

But Shen Yi didn't care — no flash of inspiration, then he'd wait slowly, he'd just wait stubbornly!

The drain of demon lifespan grew ever more extravagant, from the initial flick-of-an-instant decades, until it was measured in units of ten thousand years.

Shen Yi had clearly only been sitting for a short while.

Yet the withered weariness between his brows was as if he had been sitting in meditation here for hundreds of thousands of years, the vitality throughout his body growing ever more listless.

Only those eyes grew gradually brighter.

Within pupils like the curtain of dark night, stars seemed to twinkle.

【Three hundred twentieth thousand year, under your diligent urging, Ke Xuanjian seemed to have gone mad, frantically devouring those hard-won wisps of insight one after another, sharing every wisp with you, transforming into a skyful of morning stars.】

【Three hundred ninety thousandth year, the two of you sat dumbly on the spot, then suddenly burst into wild laughter — you had finally filled this vault of heaven; the Great Dao is fifty, Tianyan Sijiu; you used this skyful of stars to veil that one which had escaped; Tianyan Sijiu was finally complete, but it still wasn't enough; you exchanged a glance, and the same extravagant idea surfaced in both your minds.】

【Killed Fanxu (Spirit). Tianyan Sijiu: Complete.】

【Five hundred seventy thousandth year, Ke Xuanjian leapt straight up, facing that terrifying vault of heaven head-on; gripping a dragon spear, he pushed aside star after star, and finally found the one that had escaped; he strained to lunge toward that sole thread of life; in an instant, the purple stars scattered, leaving only that gently swaying ink robe; you slightly turned your gaze back, covered it with your palm, and within Bai Xi's palm lay another sky.】

【Killed Fanxu (Spirit). Wusheng Palm.】

The instant the panel's deduction halted, a sharp light suddenly shot to the heavens from Shen Yi's eyes.

His stiffened body trembled slightly, and he then raised his palm.

The blood talisman still lay in his palm, its patterns clear, seemingly unchanged from before.

But only Shen Yi, who had accompanied Ke Shisan through all these years, knew clearly what that palm truly meant.

Senior Xuanqing was right.

Tianyan Sijiu truly was a very clumsy art; even reaching the Perfect realm was nothing more than exhausting every possibility to produce more variations, using them to confuse one's opponent.

But under the two of them's flash of inspiration.

A sudden awakening.

Since the one that escaped could not be eliminated no matter what.

Rather than constantly adding variations to hide it, why not simply substitute oneself in its place.

Wusheng Palm.

To stand in for heaven, and carry out the way of slaughter.

(End of chapter)