Chapter 523: Sect Master Shen Is Very Protective of His Food

Rustle.

At the top of the ancient tree, after that breathing sound swept past everyone's ears.

The Banshan Sect had originally planned to leave right then, but at Su Hongxiu's reminder, they waited a little longer.

This disciple of the Heavenly Sword spoke correctly.

Even in front of the Glazed Green Phoenix clan, the Banshan Sect is a force that can speak up; there is no reason for the other party to scare everyone off without even showing their face.

Both are forces with a Great Dao Realm giant presiding over them; why fear them to such an extent?

However, after that breathing sound dissipated, there was no movement whatsoever at the tree top in the distant sky; the owner of that breathing sound simply fell silent, as if feeling that this was enough to intimidate the Banshan Sect.

Yan Chongzhang was not willing to cause trouble for his master.

But if he really just left like this, he feared that upon returning to the sect, even his master would slap him twice.

As a disciple, walking abroad, he represents the entire Banshan Sect.

The Glazed Green Phoenix clan is indeed quite powerful; the Banshan Sect lowering its head slightly would not be shameful, but this does not mean the other party can throw the Xian Sect's face directly onto the ground to trample.

Thus, the entire situation became deadlocked like this.

The Banshan Sect did not continue to attack, but also did not leave; this group of Diming Youmang was surrounded in the middle, watched by three figures in the sky, and the Bai Yu sword in the red-robed woman's hand gave them immense pressure.

After the tree top fell into Tianyan Siji for a long time, finally a slightly younger Youmang could not hold back; it had its lifeblood pinched and instinctively wanted to break free from the grip of the Banshan Sect elders.

Boom—

The powerful demon body and the arms of that Banshan Sect elder suddenly collided.

With the violent fluctuation of aura.

The atmosphere around the ancient tree, originally quiet to the extreme, instantly changed!

Whether the python demons or the cultivators, their minds were already tense; under this change, they all warily unleashed their strongest means.

Blood splattered out again; the hissing of the python demons and the roars of the body-refining cultivators mixed together, the brilliance of various Dao weapons and the dark glow of demon qi blended, reflecting upon the sky.

"Yan Chongzhang! How dare you act rashly before Lord Phoenix?!" the Youmang young master could not help but roar.

It never expected that with the Glazed Green Phoenix right here, its clan still paid such a heavy price.

In a short time, those with low cultivation died or were injured in large numbers; those clan elders comparable to Bai Yujing, who originally could fight the Banshan Sect to a standstill, saw the situation collapse instantly the moment those three strange cultivators intervened, falling into a state of running for their lives.

"Which Lord Phoenix? Do I know him?"

Yan Chongzhang had originally been hesitating; hearing this sentence, he finally raised his eyes, raised an eyebrow: "Where is he? Why don't I see him?"

Since the Glazed Green Phoenix is so arrogant, then do not blame the Banshan Sect for not giving face.

Anyway, the other party did not intervene personally; we might as well pretend not to hear it; even if reported to those few great demons comparable to the Great Dao Realm in the Glazed Green Phoenix clan, it would not count as the Banshan Sect deliberately picking a fight.

Thinking of this, Yan Chongzhang nodded slightly to Wei Yuanzhou, then leaped into the air; without relying on teleportation techniques, relying solely on his physical body, amidst a thunderous roar, he shot toward the Youmang young master at a speed barely visible to the naked eye!

Boom boom boom!

And just at this moment, an even more deafening roar exploded in the air, directly attracting everyone's gaze.

It was a giant phoenix with broad wings, sharp talons, and an overall body glowing with dazzling green light.

Accompanied by a sharp phoenix cry, it swept across the sky carrying flowing light.

This green phoenix was obviously in a state of rage; the violent aura overflowing from its body carried a scorching heat capable of making the soul feel as if it were about to melt; that terrifying momentum even made the long robe on Su Hongxiu's body sway for the first time, and the second Xiancheng began to reinforce this Dao weapon to prevent her from being injured.

"..."

Su Hongxiu's expression became a bit more solemn.

Unlike her reaction when she saw the Liangdaohuang Sect last time; after all, although the momentum was great then, she did not see the true form; but this time was different; this green phoenix genuinely gave her a sense of threat.

For demons and monsters, under the same realm, strength can also differ by heaven and earth.

Things like the divine abilities and bloodlines of different demon clans might be even more terrifying than the gaps between various cultivation methods among cultivators.

It is rumored that some demon divine abilities can even rival true immortal arts.

Those demon clans, born as favorites of heaven and earth, as long as they survive to adulthood, naturally crush the lifetime of bitter cultivation of most cultivators, making people incredibly jealous.

This green phoenix might still be far from that level, but at least it is stronger than the Banshan Sect disciple by more than a notch.

Truly, even without counting any background forces.

Just relying on this Glazed Green Phoenix itself, forcibly taking away that Youmang in front of the Banshan Sect and the three of them would be no problem.

Even Su Hongxiu had such thoughts.

Let alone others.

At other times, Yan Chongzhang would very much want to scold loudly: when did the Glazed Green Phoenix clan produce such a fool?

It is true that the Banshan Sect fears such a great demon force; does that mean its Phoenix clan can provoke enemies everywhere? If it really had such strength, it should not be forcibly occupying a region under the pressure of the Long Gong, but rather forcing the Dragon King to move his palace to make room for them.

Unwilling to negotiate properly, insisting on making things reach this state.

But now, this Banshan Sect disciple's eye corner twitched slightly as he stared死死 at the green phoenix in the sky.

Not just him; the expressions of the other Banshan Sect cultivators were much the same.

Just by the young appearance of this Glazed Green Phoenix and the mighty aura fluctuations on its body, one could see how high its status was within the clan.

But no one could recognize its specific identity; its name was not prominent.

This indicates that this young great demon has not truly roamed Xihong; such a strange situation is basically reserved for successors specially cultivated within demon clans; only after they have fully grown will they be released to gain experience; they are truly the apple of the eye.

In short, one cannot afford to offend it.

But right now...

The so-called "sweeping out" of this green phoenix was actually sweeping backward.

To put it more harshly, it was like being kicked out by someone!

Moreover, on its neck, there was a very obvious gap; even with this green phoenix's powerful bloodline, it could not heal it.

Obviously, the mysterious Tianyan Siji just now had a reason.

In an instant, everyone's gaze converged on the place where the green phoenix appeared, the top of the ancient tree in the distant sky.

The next moment, a dark shadow shot out like a bolt!

Robes flapped with a crackling sound, carrying waves of purple qi; as his hair whipped up, it revealed a cold, expressionless face that left everyone frozen in place.

A fitted black armor encased his body, gleaming with obsidian-gold luster, and the terrifying aura emanating from it was surely at least a Hongmeng Heaven Weapon.

"Young Master Shen..."

Yan Chongzhang instinctively glanced down at the armor on his arms; even though he had not yet seen the true power of that black armor, he felt an inexplicable sense that it might rank even higher than his most prized Dao Weapon.

Wei Yuanzhou and the other two also instinctively turned their gazes toward Shen Yi.

Even their own people had never seen Shen Zongzhu's Dao Weapon before.

And the more terrifying part was—

Su Hongxiu lifted her eyes to the sky, where Shen Yi's Xiancheng faintly emerged behind the clouds.

Long Han, Chi Ming.

These signified that Shen Zongzhu had already crossed the Life Tribulation and the Old Age Tribulation... he had not used any concealment technique—he had truly crossed only two tribulations!

Shen Zongzhu had truly slain Liu Xingshan with a single palm strike at the Seven Sons Assembly, wielding only the cultivation of two cities.

And he had even made Su Hongxiu feel immense pressure, making her believe her chances of victory were extremely low.

She could not fathom how deep his reserves must be to achieve such a feat.

Of course, now did not seem the time to ponder such things.

Many Banshan Sect elders had narrowed their pupils—this young Master Shen had dared to strike at the Luli Qingfeng, and throughout it all, he had uttered not a single word, consulted no one, and not even they knew when he had arrived.

Even more unimaginable was that he had actually driven the Qingfeng back!

"Daozi!"

Yang Yunheng suddenly turned and shouted toward Yan Chongzhang, as if giving a warning.

Young Master Shen has just arrived in Xi Hong; the Luli Qingfeng clan isn't even on any nearby maps—he surely doesn't understand the situation.

To act rashly will surely bring great misfortune!

Though he had known Shen Yi only briefly, Yang Yunheng understood perfectly what this young man meant to Banshan Sect—he could not stand by and watch him walk into a trap.

"I..."

Yan Chongzhang clenched his fists and smashed his fist down, shattering the skull of the dying Diming Youmang.

Then he glared at Yang Yunheng.

He knew perfectly well what the man meant—but by what right could he give such a warning?

Young Master Shen is neither a Banshan Sect disciple nor came here with us.

Put plainly, when he chose to act alone, wasn't it precisely to sever ties with us and remain unbound?

Even those few Daozi from Yu Nanhong didn't speak up to dissuade him.

"Act. Assist."

Su Hongxiu spoke simply, and the Bai Yu sword in her hand glowed once more.

Wei Yuanzhou sighed, then looked at Bai Wu; both simultaneously summoned their Dao Weapons.

Even if this act was dishonorable toward Banshan Sect and might bring much trouble, how could they let Shen Zongzhu be bullied by outsiders? Their own sect's master mattered far more.

"It's over."

Yan Chongzhang's heart skipped—he guessed what was coming.

Remember, Young Master Shen didn't come with Banshan Sect, but these Daozi did.

Once they act, it's like mud falling into one's pants—Banshan Sect will never wash it clean.

But he gritted his teeth and shoved the corpse of the Diming Youmang aside: "Watch yourselves! Don't fight to the death—hold them off until I return!"

Since he was already taking this black blame, he might as well join in actively—at least then he could face the Yu Nanhong Seven Sons together, rather than be forcibly dragged into the water by these Daozi, who would then simply walk away after the dust settled, leaving Banshan Sect with a mortal enemy.

As Yan Chongzhang pulled away, the attention of the Yu Nanhong Daozi shifted from this place.

The remaining Banshan Sect cultivators felt their pressure multiply.

In a moment's lapse, two Bai Yujing direct disciples were flung aside by the powerful demon body of a Diming Youmang; even with their Lingti Fa enhancement, their Dao Infants suffered organ displacement and chaotic qi surging through their bodies.

The lopsided situation once again turned into a fierce, desperate battle.

At that moment—

Shen Yi, across a thousand li of sky, cast a cool glance at these few.

He said nothing, but the meaning in his eyes was unmistakable.

With the black armor on, Shen Yi's gaze had grown colder still, sending a chill through those who met it.

"..."

Su Hongxiu slowly lowered her raised Bai Yu sword.

Earlier, Wei Yuanzhou and Bai Wu had pleaded together, yet failed to make him retreat—but now, merely Shen Yi's gaze was enough to make her abandon all defiance.

This was the order of the Nanyang Zongzhu.

"Huh."

She exhaled softly, and could roughly guess Shen Yi's thoughts.

Xi Hong's forces were too fragmented, but he did not wish to create enemies for the Yu Nanhong Seven Sons over some personal whim—so he simply pretended not to know them.

This was indeed the consideration of a sect master.

But the problem was... the current Shen Zongzhu seemed to lack the He Dao realm power befitting a sect master—the risk was far too great!

And that Luli Qingfeng, by Su Hongxiu's sharp intuition, was an extremely dangerous demon beast!

Simply from the aura radiating from Shen Yi and the Qingfeng, she could not imagine how the Qingfeng had suffered a hidden defeat and been blasted out by Shen Zongzhu.

Yan Chongzhang froze—he did not understand these Yu Nanhong cultivators' thoughts.

But at least he could see that Banshan Sect no longer needed to get involved.

Could it be that Shen Xiao's reason for preferring to act alone… is that he frequently gives others such a huge "surprise"?

In the blink of an eye.

Shen Yi finally caught up to the massive azure phoenix; his dark mysterious-black figure stood suspended in midair, and as he raised his palm, the straight black blade with golden runes once again revealed its terrifying edge!

Against the backdrop of the dark armor, his face appeared even more Bai Xi, though tinged with a hint of displeasure.

As for the reason for his displeasure, it was simply that the dead Diming Youmang were too precious to lose.

But due to his limited strength, Shen Yi could not possibly attend to both sides at once, nor could he shamelessly ask the Banshan Sect cultivators to hold them off for him.

After all, for those people, this was a fight for life and death—any slip could mean the end of their Dao and the collapse of their bodies.

Even though he grieved for the demonic lifespans, Shen Yi still couldn't bring himself to ask… and even if he did, they wouldn't listen.

Compared to demonic lifespans, this azure phoenix was far more precious—miss it, and he might never encounter another.

"You treacherous fool! Do you really think your Phoenix Lord fears you?!"

The azure phoenix struggled to suppress the wound on its neck; among demonic beings, strength was determined at least eighty percent by bloodline, not diligent cultivation.

For instance, the Diming Youmang had no particularly mysterious abilities—only their raw, formidable demonic bodies were renowned.

The Liuli Qingfeng lineage, however, was famed for the heart-flame within their bodies—glowing like glazed glass, it could effortlessly melt an opponent's soul without harming their physical form, a technique even the Long Gong deeply feared.

But even beings of the same realm… the Diming Youmang's demonic body was nothing but a joke before the Liuli Qingfeng.

This was the gap between different species!

Such a formidable body could not be harmed by ordinary Dao weapons—at least a Qingluan Immortal Weapon was needed to pierce its feathers.

Even wounded, it could recover at incredible speed.

But the gash carved by that golden-rune black blade had not healed at all—it still tormented it.

Under the agony of intense pain.

The Liuli Qingfeng ceased fleeing; instead, it furiously flapped its wings, forcibly stabilizing its form. As it beat its wings, a faint, scorching heat surged from its silk-smooth feathers, spreading outward like ripples in water, invisible to the naked eye.

In an instant, even the lifeforms near the tree trunk closest to the water turned pale with fear.

The Banshan Sect specialized in spirit-body arts, yet before this spreading heart-flame, they were as if facing a dire enemy, scrambling to avoid it—anyone caught in its wake instantly turned crimson-faced.

Even a high-ranking Bai Yujing cultivator couldn't help but cry out in pain.

Yan Chongzhang crashed down, both palms striking out; his hands glowed like molten gold, sending forth shimmering light, a thick aura forming a barrier that enclosed the surroundings and blocked the heart-flame outside.

As for the Diming Youmang, who were naturally fond of cold, being suddenly struck by this heart-flame caused them all to shriek, slamming their bodies violently against the ancient trees and writhing in agony.

"Are you certain you won't act?"

This time, it was Bai Wu who spoke; under the protection of the jade urn in his palm, the three Yu Nanhong Daozi remained untouched.

But from the increasing frequency of the urn's trembling, it was clear that this Qingyue Daozi was under immense pressure.

Wei Yuanzhou was still hesitating.

Su Hongxiu finally withdrew her gaze; she had no desire to watch further, for her intuition was always accurate—especially in combat.

The azure phoenix had previously seemed inexplicably timid, but now, it was utterly enraged.

The Zongzhu's orders must not be disobeyed… but Shen Yi was certainly not that rigid a person.

Clear the area first—eliminate all possibilities of accidents.

When the enemy issued another decree, Su Hongxiu hoped she could focus entirely on the azure phoenix—truthfully, the pressure was immense…

At that moment, she heard Bai Wu's cry of shock.

"My master's ancestral grandmother!"

Su Hongxiu instinctively turned her head—and saw an unbelievable sight.

Shen Yi had not used any profound technique.

He simply stomped down with brute force; his dark-gleaming mysterious armor boots, slightly pointed, slammed violently onto the azure phoenix's back!

The terrifying heart-flame surged outward—but was blocked by the dark armor.

It looked as if colorless flames were dancing across Shen Yi's body.

Before this dark armor Dao weapon, the azure phoenix's innate ability appeared pathetically weak and useless.

His hair lifted; under the enhancement of Hongmeng Chen Ziqi, his eyes grew brighter, suffused with violet radiance, his entire body's sword-body aura reaching its peak, carrying a faint resemblance to the phoenix's own essence.

But the Divine Phoenix Imperishable Sword Body was merely a self-created demonic spirit-art, and only at the major accomplishment realm—still far from crossing the threshold of Bai Yujing. Even with such abundant Chen Ziqi, it could at best push the spirit-body art to barely two-city realm.

Against those three direct disciples, it was like cutting melons and vegetables.

But facing such a terrifying great demon, it was clearly insufficient.

Any Daozi worth their salt had the discernment to judge these things.

Yet the actual result was:

In the instant Shen Yi's relatively slender body stomped down, the azure phoenix let out a piercing, shrill scream: "Aaang!"

Even when entangled by so many Diming Youmang, it had felt joy—but under this crushing stomp, its vast, sky-blocking body emitted a deep crackling sound, then plummeted straight downward!

This sight stunned everyone as much as a mantis trying to stop a cart, or an ant shaking a mountain.

But Shen Yi's face showed no surprise.

He stood firmly atop the azure phoenix's back, like a mountain, both hands gripping the hilt of the blade, feeling the reinforcement of Long Han Dacheng—though he had never endured the Life Tribulation, he received a denser aura than others.

For beneath the golden, multicolored facade, that great city was in truth his… Wan Yao Dian.

A golden, ancient dragon sat upon the throne within the palace, overlooking the vast expanse of land and water, radiating a cold, detached indifference toward all beings—yet the moment its gaze touched the dark-armored figure, it instantly became reverent.

In an instant.

The golden runes on the straight blade in Shen Yi's palm suddenly came alive, slithering across the blade's surface.

A terrifying black blade-edge extended from the blade's tip, intertwining with the golden light, forming a long, dual-colored aura of black and gold.

He held the dark blade horizontally before his eyes; the black-gold aura pierced through the clouds, as if a dragon's breath echoed through the heavens.

"…"

The Azure Phoenix felt the chill on its back and beat its wings desperately, trying to stop its fall.

But for some reason, though the one standing on its body was clearly a tiny human cultivator, it felt the illusion of bearing the weight of three mountains and five peaks!

The Azure Phoenix's mind had actually been searching for those two missing strange great demons the whole time; the reason it had earlier unleashed such a vast Heart Flame was because of this very intention.

Having found nothing, its pressure grew greater and greater, feeling at any moment that those two demons would emerge from some inexplicable place to ambush it.

It did not believe that those two great demons would be at ease leaving these two young people of the city's cultivation level alone before it; even if the other party was truly treacherous and shameless, the gap in strength was undeniably real.

But what the Glazed Azure Phoenix had never expected was that the true danger actually lay in the place it had been ignoring all along.

And it was a life-and-death crisis!

"Ang!"

It raised its head once more and let out a long cry.

The sky-filling Heart Flame rapidly converged into a palm-sized glazed seal, entirely translucent, with flowing luster between it as if containing an extremely dangerous aura, then it smashed down fiercely toward Shen Yi.

Outside, in the Wan Yao Dian of Chiming Dacheng, an old turtle with an inky golden sheen all over its body opened its eyes; under the contrast of that scar on its face, its entire expression revealed a few shades of crazed ferocity.

Heart Flame attacks the divine soul, not the body.

But it was truly and solidly blocked by a suit of Dark Armor.

The glazed seal and the Dark Armor collided, erupting with terrifying heat waves, and both shattered inch by inch simultaneously.

But beneath the Dark Armor, there was another layer of grayish-white Guixu Immortal Armor.

Beneath that heat wave, Shen Yi's hair swayed slightly disheveled, but in those eyes, there was only the straight long blade before him.

The dual-colored edge of dark and gold had reached its absolute peak.

A low dragon's roar reverberated by his ears.

The timing was perfect—strike!

The Azure Phoenix suddenly widened its eyes; it had even faintly felt the searing pain of its own neck being severed, and could not help but erupt once more into a high long cry: "Ang!"

Only this time, it carried a wail of pleading for help.

It had come here to enjoy itself, worried about being laughed at by its own kind, so where would it bring other elders of the clan?

Moreover, the Azure Phoenix had never imagined that in this land of Xihong, there would actually be someone who dared to make a killing move against it!

"I am of the Glazed Azure Phoenix clan, the young son of the clan leader!"

At such a critical moment, it only had time to announce its identity, not even enough time to utter a single word of threat or plea.

Such a wail on the brink of death would most likely receive no response.

However, just at this moment.

A layer of golden-yellow mist came rolling in from the horizon.

The familiar Jiangshan scroll rapidly unfurled.

Though the blurry figure on the meditation cushion did not appear especially urgent, there was no longer the previous composure and languidness in his voice; instead, it carried a few shades of irrefutable majesty.

"Hold your hand. This Glazed Azure Phoenix, my Liangdaohuang Sect wants it. Give it to me."

Accompanying his words, several figures in the Jiangshan Tu stood up simultaneously, looking out beyond the painting; with a sudden jerk of their palms, several golden light chains actually spanned across heaven and earth, precisely wrapping around Shen Yi's arms.

This scene was clearly beyond everyone's expectations.

Su Hongxiu had originally only been watching in astonishment as Shen Yi slew the phoenix demon, but at the moment the Liangdaohuang Sect made its move, a chilling killing intent suddenly surged in her eyes.

How could the Shen Zongzhu of Yu Nanhong Qizide Sect suffer such a monstrous humiliation!

Yan Chongzhang reacted extremely quickly, looking up; without needing to think, he knew just how complicated the current situation was.

Shen Xiao possessed the strength to suppress a prodigy of the Glazed Azure Phoenix clan, and had even drawn a clear line with them in advance; how proud his temperament was could well be imagined, and the other party indeed had the capital for such pride.

But in Hongze, it was truly difficult to find a human faction larger than the Liangdaohuang Sect.

A young prodigy suddenly encountering oppression from such a great faction... this was bad!

"Even the Liangdaohuang Sect cannot forcibly seize what belongs to another, can they? You are a renowned orthodox sect, surely you must give this fellow Daoist an explanation!" Yan Chongzhang's mind had never worked so fast in his entire life.

One sentence not only blocked the cultivators of the Liangdaohuang Sect, but also gave Shen Yi a way out.

"First sheathe your blade; I will give you compensation satisfactory enough."

The blurry figure on the meditation cushion said lightly.

Hearing this, Yan Chongzhang immediately breathed a sigh of relief; given the status of these people, since they had spoken, they certainly would not be stingy, and it would also prevent Shen Xiao from having worked for nothing.

However, before this breath could even be exhaled.

He sensed the violent fluctuation coming from the Liangdaohuang Sect.

He turned around instinctively.

He saw that while Shen Yi stood on the Azure Phoenix, rendering it completely unable to move, his arms continued the motion of swinging the blade slowly but never stopping.

His expression was focused as he stared at the phoenix demon's neck.

On the arm armor, those several chains had already been stretched to their absolute limit, as if they would completely shatter the next second!

The figure on the meditation cushion—on that blurry face, a few shades of rage actually faintly appeared: "Giving you face... and you won't take it?"

This Liangdaohuang Sect was still only a phantom projection, not the true body arriving in person.

But these chains were genuine Hongmeng Heavenly Soldiers, and were even used in conjunction with Daoist techniques.

Even so, they had failed to stop Shen Yi's action.

He saw the dual-colored edge of dark and gold sweep across the long sky; under the Azure Phoenix's stunned gaze, it sent up a burst of scalding demon blood, and then that neck like a long serpent, together with its head, crashed heavily onto the ground.

Shen Yi calmly sheathed his blade.

He raised his eyes and glanced at the Liangdaohuang Sect, his gaze sweeping over the blurry figure.

He did not say much.

He merely unhurriedly reached out and gripped the chains on his shoulders and arms; with a sudden exertion of his five fingers, under the violent clash of auras, he forcibly tore them off, then casually tossed them to the ground.

Clatter-clatter.

The sound of the chains falling left the blurred figure within the Wuliang Dao Imperial Palace falling silent so abruptly.

"..."

(End of chapter)