Chapter 500: Comparing the Lineup (Part One)

Nanyang Sect, the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

Shen Yi stood amidst the white mist, his mind replaying the moment he had personally slain the Bai Yujing fish demon general.

The panel could directly deduce techniques, but it could not make up for a lack of real combat experience.

Only by personally experiencing enough methods and thinking through how to break them could one truly handle everything with ease.

In the instant that fish demon saw through Tianyan Sijiu and truly stepped onto the path of survival, Shen Yi came to understand one principle: the spiritual arts that allowed him to cross great realms and slay demons at the Killed Fanxu realm were still extraordinarily effective at the Bai Yujing level, but they ultimately had a limit.

No matter how brilliant a move, one still needed a sufficient realm to support it.

The spiritual art, brought to perfection, was flawless in its technique—so flawless that even Elders Chi Yang and Liu Shiqian were left bewildered by it, which showed that even among Bai Yujing elders, not everyone could cultivate such a level of mastery.

But in terms of realm…

When Shen Yi had previously used the Wusheng Palm, what he mainly relied on was still the Divine Phoenix Immortal Sword Body, comparable to the twelfth layer of Killed Fanxu.

With the dual augmentation of the Guixu Immortal Armor and the Hongmeng Chen Ziqi, and on top of that the Azure Dragon Star-Shattering Spear, he had barely qualified to fight that fish demon.

The reason he won was still because the fish demon had already had most of its energy drained by Tianyan Sijiu and the iron token beforehand, leaving it utterly exhausted, and because upon finding the path of survival, it discovered another person standing ahead, causing a massive collapse in its composure.

Killed Fanxu ninth layer was still too low.

If they were at the same Bai Yujing realm, even without counting Dao weapons, relying solely on what he now possessed, there would have been no need for such trouble.

"Hah."

Shen Yi exhaled a breath; there was really no need to be so reluctant to part with these Town Stones.

As long as he could successfully break through to Bai Yujing, Town Stones of a caliber like Wu Jun and the flesh-winged silkworm would no longer be of much use; even if they were useful, gathering them later would be far easier.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 463,000 years】

The demon lifespans provided by these three demons were already considerable, but indeed not quite enough.

For creatures as powerful as these, merely reshaping the demon soul alone required at least over twenty demon origins each.

Shen Yi could not be bothered to pick and choose; he first reshaped the younger water elephant and the fish demon.

He had nearly run out of the demon lifespan needed just to condense the Town Stones.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 2,300 years】

Another two great demons revived within his brow; though weaker than Wu Jun, they were by no means comparable to ordinary first-grade Dao pillars.

That made four supreme-grade Dao pillars; if the three-headed snake demon was also counted, he was only one short.

Shen Yi considered for a moment whether to throw in Ke Thirteen to make up the number, but ultimately abandoned the idea.

Setting aside the fact that he might need to cultivate other spiritual arts in the future, if it caused him to fail to forge the Heavenly Palace because of it, he would regret it to death.

Senior Xuanqing had suffered exactly this great loss back then.

"Think of another way."

Shen Yi stood up, but he was not overly anxious.

Having just clashed with Ke the Fourth—a great demon of the Dragon Son caliber—if the other party fully mobilized his troops to deliberately cause him trouble, it would be more than enough to give anyone a headache.

He might as well take the opportunity of healing to lie low for a while.

Since leaving the Nanyang treasure land, Shen Yi realized he had not properly rested even once.

He looked around, then strode toward the old man and sat down squarely before him.

Shen Yi was very curious whether the "remnant soul" left behind by the other party was truly nothing more than something manifested from numerous techniques, or whether it had left Senior Xuanqing any other legacy.

Thinking of this, he instinctively began to size up the figure before him.

"Xuanqing…"

The words the old man kept repeating faltered for a moment the instant their eyes met.

"You old thief!"

At that mere instant of abnormality, Shen Yi instinctively tried to dart backward!

The somewhat thin Hongmeng Chen Ziqi and Guixu Immortal Armor instantly augmented his body; the dragon spear also quietly fell into his palm, and the dragon's roar instantly exploded through the white mist!

Yet Shen Yi's terrifying physique, capable of slaying a Bai Yujing fish demon, seemed to have fallen into those turbid eyes of the old man.

No matter how he urged Dragon Leaps to Heaven's Gate, no matter how far his body shot, those eyes remained always within reach.

And getting closer and closer, until they completely swallowed Shen Yi.

"…"

"…"

From transmigrating until now, Shen Yi had never experienced such a feeling of helplessness; not to mention coming up with any countermeasures, even his mind was gradually growing foggy.

His entire being felt as if wrapped in mud, slowly sealed off at the ears, nose, mouth, and eyes.

Was this the method of a Dao Merging realm overlord?

Even though the other party had been dead for a full hundred thousand years?!

Until a familiar voice pierced into his eardrums, jolting Shen Yi's muddled mind abruptly awake.

"Xuanqing, you've come?"

"Come in."

Hearing these words, Shen Yi slowly opened his eyes and saw before him the familiar Ancestral Hall; it was nighttime, and the place looked somewhat dim.

His legs, beyond his control, carried him inside; he walked up to the statue of the ancestor, then respectfully performed a salute, and a voice that did not belong to him left his mouth.

"Your disciple is about to leave, and has come to pay his respects to Master."

Shen Yi watched helplessly as his hands rose in a cupped-fist salute, but his heart suddenly steadied.

This was not the possession and rebirth he had imagined.

This body clearly belonged to someone else… and most likely to Xuanqing.

Faced with the methods left behind by a Dao Merging realm cultivator, Shen Yi truly had no way to respond, and could only settle his heart and silently observe.

He saw spiritual light flickering atop the statue of the ancestor.

Suddenly a figure stepped out, reaching toward the top of Shen Yi's head, but halfway there, drew the hand back with a helpless laugh: "You've grown this tall already."

Looking at his face, it was precisely the old man who had been sitting in the Scripture Pavilion.

"Truly planning to leave? Don't want your master anymore, and don't want the Dao-Confirming treasure land either?"

The old man was clearly smiling, yet an inexplicable hint of heartache seeped through.

Shen Yi was forced to open his mouth again, and laughed as well: "The Dao-Confirming treasure land can be left for the other senior brothers. Xuan Qing will find another path on his own. Master is forever master. Once Xuan Qing ascends to the Heavenly Court, I'll still have to invite you up to enjoy the blessings."

"……"

The old man was silent for a long while, then raised his head: "I don't think you're the sort of person trapped by emotions."

"I'm not." Shen Yi shook his head and said lightly: "But no one can refuse to give Xuan Qing face. If he won't give it, I'll go take it myself. I can always take it. Master should know clearly—Xuan Qing has never lost even once."

"Is face more important than your master?" The old man swallowed, then slowly turned around.

"If someone wants to humiliate you, Xuan Qing would do the same—sundering the Heavenly Gate would not be impossible… Perhaps 'face' sounds a bit childish. Let me put it another way: this is the Dao Heart. The Dao Heart must not break."

Shen Yi stepped back two paces, lifted his hem, then unhurriedly knelt on both knees: "Apart from Hongze, Xuan Qing remains a prodigy. You must wait for me to return, to see with your own eyes them bow their heads in submission."

"Are you prepared?" The old man sighed, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Every contingency accounted for." Shen Yi's lips curved slightly upward, revealing a confident smile.

"Then fine." The old man turned around again, his expression turning much calmer: "This time, I won't manage you any longer. Whether you perish and your Dao fades, or become an immortal and found a lineage, it has nothing to do with Nanyang. I am the Shen Zongzhu—I cannot, for one person alone, treat the lives within this treasure land as child's play."

Having said this, he nodded: "Go."

In an instant, Shen Yi's perspective suddenly shifted, as if he had transformed from Xuan Qing into the old man in a single breath.

He quietly watched the proud youth rise from the ground, as the other left behind a parting phrase: "You must pretend you don't know… Don't look, don't listen—just wait for me to come back. You are my master; have a little faith in me. After all, I truly have never lost."

Having said this, Xuan Qing turned and walked toward the outside of the Ancestral Master Hall, his figure swiftly vanishing into the night.

……

Nanyang Sect, Ancestral Master Hall.

"Something big has happened!" Li Qingfeng wished he could slap himself—he realized that at some unknown point, it seemed the only thing he knew how to say was this one line.

"……" Xuan Qing silently turned his head to look, and set down the broom in his hand.

Outside the Ancestral Master Hall, numerous Nanyang stewards had all returned from outside, standing in neat rows outside, every face wearing an expression of deep worry.

"Xuanhai Studio and Yunxiao Pavilion have sent jade slips requesting aid. They've been surrounded by the Dragon Palace's troops. Xuan Yue City has already rushed all forces to support them. The Yan family, upon receiving the news, has also sent clan members. Now we're just waiting for Nanyang Sect to give the word."

Li Qingfeng's hand gripping the jade slip was trembling uncontrollably.

His greatest hope was that before the Seven Sons Assembly, nothing unexpected would happen.

Yet the news received recently had been more shocking than the last.

"They say the ones leading the troops are the Dragon Palace's Fifth Prince and Fourth Young Master, commanding three thousand elites, comparable to eight of Bai Yujing's great generals."

Li Qingfeng had no concept of such a realm at all. He only knew that upon hearing this news, even the strongest Nanyang Sect stewards had nearly fainted.

Such a lineup was nearly equivalent to most of the Qingyue Sect's strength aside from the Shen Zongzhu.

Let alone him, Li Qingfeng—even if Shen Zongzhu personally stepped forward, it probably wouldn't help much.

"Surrounded?"

Xuan Qing merely became slightly solemn in expression, showing no sign of panic.

After a brief moment of thought, he raised his eyes: "Did Ke Shiliang say what it was about?"

Ke Shiliang was precisely the name of that Fifth Prince.

"Said… told us to come for a face-to-face confrontation… All Nanyang Sect and Yan family cultivators above late-stage Killed Fanxu must show up…" Li Qingfeng didn't understand the situation in Yu Nanhong well, and replied haltingly.

"Sigh."

Xuan Qing let out a breath, slowly clenching his five fingers.

Surrounding. Confrontation.

These two actions indicated the other side wasn't here for revenge, but to reason things out.

That was actually more troublesome.

What exactly had Nanyang Sect done that left them in the wrong?

At this thought, Xuan Qing suddenly recalled the great saber from the Dragon Palace that Shen Zongzhu had produced last time.

He turned his head to look toward the direction of the Scripture Pavilion.

Xuan Qing knew better than anyone what was happening there—Shen Zongzhu definitely couldn't come out for the time being.

And this matter had come too suddenly.

Even if he were now willing to seek aid from those former acquaintances for Nanyang's sake, there wouldn't be enough time.

"All stay within the sect, don't leave. Wait for my word."

Xuan Qing took out his Dao tablet, and his figure darted out of the Nanyang treasure land.

Under the gaze of everyone, he headed toward the Qingyue Sect.

Since returning home, aside from the last time he called at the gate, this was his first time leaving Nanyang Sect.

Xuan Qing soon stepped onto the Qingyue relief sculpture, and under the stunned gazes of a group of Qingyue disciples, swiftly descended toward the Qingyue Sect Ancestral Master Hall.

He then strode in with great steps, and stood before the statue of the Ancestral Master.

"……"

Compared to the earlier casualness and dominance when calling at the gate—

Xuan Qing took a deep breath, his knees trembling once as if struggling, then closed his eyes as if resigned to fate.

He stepped forward: "Xuan Qing pays respects to Martial Uncle."

Just then, a wisp of spiritual energy darted out from the Ancestral Master's statue, catching Xuan Qing's body just as he was about to kneel. A gentle voice rang out: "You little fellow who would rather die than lose face and suffer for it—I'm not willing to accept your kneeling… But then again, you've really changed quite a lot."

"……"

Xuan Qing gave a self-mocking smile, and silently lowered his head.

Outside the Ancestral Master Hall.

Elsewhere within Qingyue Sect, Elder Chiyang chased after someone with a helpless look on his face: "No, your wounds haven't healed yet, what's the rush?"

"You don't understand."

Liu Shiqian's face darkened as he summoned the Clear Moon Treasure Ship.

He finally understood what the Dao Child's reminder had been about.

The information Fourth Ke had grasped was probably far more than he had imagined.

Their previous meeting had let the other party realize he carried no Blood Talisman aura on him, and immediately the target could be locked onto Shen Yi and the Yan family.

And judging by this stance, the Dragon Palace was at least ninety percent certain it could identify the person who had slain Thirteenth Ke.

The face-to-face confrontation was simply to get a look at the Blood Talisman.

Now it was the equivalent of two beings at the Dragon Son level simultaneously setting their sights on Nanyang Sect.

Forget Shen Zongzhu—even if it were their own Dao Child here, he probably couldn't help but go seek help from the Sect Master.

"Could it be that we're the ones at a disadvantage?" Chiyang said in astonishment.

When reason is on our side, what is there to fear? As long as we hold the moral high ground, if Fifth Prince dares say so much as one extra word, that would already count as several Sect Masters showing restraint.

"Well, that's not quite it either."

Liu Shiqian stuck to his line: this sort of matter was rather special. Thirteenth Ke had indeed acted improperly, but he had indeed done enough to keep up appearances.

Speaking in theory, it really was hard to say he deserved to die.

"Let's head over and take a look first."

Liu Shiqian furrowed his brow, steered the Clear Moon Treasure Ship, and hurried toward the direction of the Cloud Heaven Pavilion.

By the time the two elders arrived at the spot—

They saw the towering waves churning skyward, the dense ranks of elite demon soldiers between the waves, and a full eight terrifying water demons whose forms blotted out the sky.

Amid the water demons' escort—

Two dragons, several hundred zhang long, one crimson and one yellow, both coiled in midair!

Such heaven-piercing demonic aura made even the two elders, with their cultivation, unable to stop their hearts from trembling.

That imposing, majestic water-cloud pavilion, surrounded by this horde of demons, actually took on a pitifully delicate air.

"……"

Just then, the yellow dragon slowly turned its head, regarded the two with indifference, opened its great maw, and spoke in a voice like a great bell: "This matter has nothing to do with you. This Prince only wishes to see the people of Nanyang Sect and the Yan family. Get lost."

Those who could afford to slight the elders of Bai Yujing could be counted on one hand throughout all of Yu Nanhong.

But Ke Shiliang was certainly one of them.

At this moment, inside the Cloud Heaven Pavilion, the cultivators of Nanyang Sect's four vassal powers had all gathered together.

The instant they saw the two Qingyue Sect elders, joy lit their faces—but upon hearing those words, that joy slowly faded.

Ke Shiliang had the standing to do so, but no need to.

But since the other party had acted this way, it showed today's matter would be hard to settle peacefully.

"Oh, won't even let us look? Fifth Prince wouldn't be feeling guilty, would he?"

A shrill, mocking voice drifted down from the horizon.

The clouds parted, and Bai Wu slowly descended, landing in front of the two elders, and looked toward the two long dragons.

"What of it?"

Before Ke Shiliang could speak, the crimson dragon laughed first: "Qingyue Sect only just distanced itself from this affair, and now you want to wade back in? Have you asked your Master?"

"Ha." Bai Wu chuckled lightly as well: "Fourth Ke, if half the elders in our Sect were injured or killed, I wouldn't be able to laugh. You're the steady one—your temperament far exceeds this Dao Child's imagination. With a disposition like that, I have high hopes for you for the Nangong Long Wang position. Believe in yourself—you can do it."

"……"

Upon hearing "half injured or killed," the crimson dragon's expression instantly darkened; then upon hearing the four words "Nangong Long Wang," it instinctively bared its fangs.

It indifferently turned its head back.

What's the use of sharp tongues? From Bai Wu's earlier words, it was obvious he didn't dare truly involve himself in this matter.

"I just want to watch the show. If you're not happy, come hit me."

Bai Wu pointed at his own face, his smile widening, then promptly led the two elders swaggering toward the Cloud Heaven Pavilion.

In the instant no one else noticed—

He shot the two elders a warning look: "……"

Other people's affairs, Bai Wu could leave alone, but these two old men—he had to bring them back alive.

His stepping forward now was not to help Nanyang out of its predicament, but rather to intimidate the two elders and stop them from acting rashly.

"Dao Child."

Liu Shiqian clenched his teeth and said quietly: "In today's matter, Shiqian cannot heed you."

Having said that, he suddenly strode past a stunned Bai Wu and walked toward the group of Nanyang Sect vassal cultivators.

"……"

Ke Shiliang, who had previously ignored Bai Wu, finally turned his gaze over, his voice radiating a bone-chilling cold: "Qingyue Dao Child, are you certain? I can tell you plainly—this matter involves my worthless son's life. I have no interest in joking around with you."

"This Prince will ask once more—are you certain?"

At the same time, the dense ranks of demon soldiers and the various great generals all turned fierce gazes this way as well.

"I…" Bai Wu opened his mouth with a rather headache-ridden look, at a loss for words.

"Before you speak, think about what you actually are." Fourth Ke reminded him with a sinister snicker.

The members of the Yan family watched the Qingyue Dao Child's troubled expression, all standing in silence. They had a rough idea in their hearts: although Elder Liu's stance was deeply moving, Elder Liu alone could not represent Qingyue Sect.

"What exactly happened?"

The cultivators of the Cloud Heaven Pavilion were bewildered and panicking, wishing they could surround every member of the Yan family.

The four vassal forces had only just returned to Nanyang, hadn't done a single thing, hadn't even met their Zongzhu, and overnight were surrounded by the Water Clan—no one could accept this.

"Wait for the Zongzhu's edict," Yan Xianqing said, glancing apologetically at the others.

Before Shen Zongzhu speaks, he will say nothing at all.

Yet… the Dragon Palace's patience seems nearly spent; had Qingyue Sect not intervened suddenly, the other side might already have sent troops to storm Yunxiao Pavilion.

Now it seems Qingyue Sect's face doesn't hold much weight either.

Yan Xianqing took a deep breath, staring at the Dragon Palace's elite, and began swiftly mobilizing the Qi within his body.

Shen Zongzhu still hasn't appeared… is he planning to abandon these vassals, or does he have another arrangement?

But given his understanding of the current situation among the Seven Sons of Nan Hong, even if Shen Zongzhu wished to act, he likely couldn't arrange anything.

The Qunmeng Sect never regarded the other as the true Zongzhu.

If that's the case, a bloody battle seems unavoidable.

Just as panic spread through the ranks.

From afar, another voice rang out again.

"Then what are you?"

As the words echoed, a tall figure appeared silently in place.

Same white robe with golden thread, its cloud patterns ethereal.

Wei Yuanzhou stood with hands hanging at his sides, looking down upon Ke Laosi.

His appearance—whether among the four vassal forces of Nanyang, the Water Clan of the Dragon Palace, or Ke Shiliang and Ke Laosi—brought a flicker of shock to every face.

And this man's words carried far more conviction than Bai Wu's had.

This… he truly means to intervene.

(End of Chapter)