Chapter 526: Open Three Cities: Vanguard of the North Hall

Boom—

The Glazed Azure Phoenix Stabilizing Stone fell from the sky and crashed heavily into the earth.

The gates of Shanghuang Xiancheng slowly opened, as if preparing to expel this failed Tribulation Crossing relic.

For a normal cultivator, failing a Tribulation Crossing means death and the dissolution of the Dao.

Shen Yi used the Stabilizing Stone to endure the Tribulation, avoiding the risk of annihilation, but paid the price of over six hundred thousand years of demonic lifespan—this deal was certainly not a loss, yet if conditions allowed, he wouldn't have wanted to pay even that demonic lifespan.

Although the Crimson-Eyed Dark Phoenix also carried the word "Phoenix," she was clearly not of the same true lineage as the Glazed Azure Phoenix; at best, they shared a distant relation, barely enough to attempt it.

Shen Yi watched silently over the Stabilizing Stone.

After the demonic soul merged into the Stabilizing Stone, those two phoenix eyes suddenly gained color, then trembled faintly, straining desperately to open.

The eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand jin, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not lift them.

Shen Yi knew how to help her, yet he stood motionless, his expression unchanged.

Some pits are enough to step into once.

After an unknown length of time, he saw a glimmer flash within those phoenix eyes, the pupils now as translucent as glass, as if invisible flames danced within.

When these marvels faded, a deep weariness passed through the phoenix's gaze.

But the Crimson-Eyed Dark Phoenix quickly masked that weariness—she had fought too hard for this chance to let others underestimate her.

"Huh."

Finally, Shen Yi waved his hand, and one by one, demonic essences gathered forth.

Xuanfeng… no, now she should be called Qingfeng—this woman had shown sufficient willpower, controlling a portion of the Stabilizing Stone with a cultivator soul at the Void Return 12th Layer, even without being of the same lineage.

What remained had nothing to do with her own desires; it was merely because her demonic soul was not strong enough.

Since he had decided to use her, Shen Yi no longer held back.

One by one, demonic essences were cleanly and decisively fed to her.

Throughout this process.

The gates of Shanghuang Xiancheng opened and closed slightly, as if uncertain whether to shut or remain open.

Had this Tribulation Crossing participant died or not?

As more than ten demonic essences were poured without restraint into the phoenix's soul, on the interface, a "Precious" character finally appeared before her name.

"Ang!"

A piercing phoenix cry echoed through heaven and earth; the gray-white Stabilizing Stone statue regained luster, yet still looked as wretched as before—all the torment this body had endured now fell entirely upon her.

But compared to her earlier screams,

this phoenix cry carried both anguish and fury.

She had once been brutally beaten to death by Shen Yi, far from dying as cleanly as that Fengye had.

Then, imprisoned within the Heaven Sword Sect, her essence-blood had been drained for a full one hundred thousand years.

Know that essence-blood is the foundation of demonic races; the pain of blood-draining was beyond ordinary endurance, and the feeling of having one's life held in another's palm was truly unbearable.

Yet in the end, rather than fleeing to escape the torment entirely, her mind had fixated on giving the Heaven Sword Sect one final, shocking surprise before escaping.

Though the plan was crude, even without Shen Yi's sudden appearance, her own arrangements ensured Su Hongxiu would suffer no major harm.

But at least, it revealed this woman had a stubborn streak.

"Come on!"

The Glazed Phoenix Demon Stabilizing Stone suddenly rose to its feet, masking its inner fear with a fierce roar—she never wanted to return to that silent, dead stillness.

Thus, she became this even more stubborn form than in life.

The heavenly tribulation would not change because of the Tribulation Crossing participant's emotional fluctuations.

But Shen Yi gradually accelerated the rate at which demonic lifespan flowed into her.

The Qingfeng Stabilizing Stone collapsed again, rolling wildly on the ground; the cruelest afflictions of the world descended upon her—flesh and bone turned to blood, crimson turned to pus, her entire body riddled with horrifying, foul-smelling wounds.

She covered her head with her wings, showing no more resilience than the previous phoenix, yet from the moment she said "Come on," she made not a single sound.

Over two hundred thousand years of demonic lifespan slipped effortlessly through Shen Yi's fingertips.

Until the shattered stones reassembled into Gaoshan, and Wang Yang gradually calmed.

One by one, green feathers reappeared across the Stabilizing Stone's body, even more radiant than before; she slowly withdrew her wings, revealing her slender neck and that slightly delicate head.

The phoenix stared blankly at the ground, her gaze slightly dull, then snapped back to awareness and exhaled deeply.

She turned her head toward the void.

Then she slammed her wings open with a thunderous motion!

【South Hall Master: Qingfeng Yulan】

After leaving the city gates, the towering Qingfeng circled the sky once, yet did not land upon the throne of the Ten Thousand Demons South Hall; instead, she transformed into a streak of light and descended before Shen Yi.

When the light faded, the familiar, delicate beauty in her green-feathered robe bowed deeply: "Yulan bows before my lord… I have not disgraced your trust."

Logically, after passing the Tribulation Crossing and receiving such vast amounts of lifespan, a demon should have shown signs of aging.

But recalling the phoenix's initial act of tugging at her collar, and how she covered her face with her wings even during Tribulation Crossing, Shen Yi understood why she presented herself in this form.

This also confirmed she had fully mastered the Stabilizing Stone.

"…"

Wu Jun glanced at the phoenix, sneered, and turned his gaze away with disdain.

What's the point of all this flashy nonsense? Getting the job done is what matters.

Ke Shisan finally regained some clarity, casting a cool glance at Wu Jun, his eyes filled with dark amusement.

You've got it coming, you bastard.

"Well done." Shen Yi gave a slight nod; the Glazed Phoenix Demon was indeed a great clan capable of standing against the Western Dragon Palace—after expending so much lifespan, the aura emanating from this demonic body was far denser than that of the other two Hall Masters.

Of course, most importantly, the relay succeeded—none of the previous demonic lifespan had been wasted.

At this thought, Shen Yi shifted his gaze, looking toward the surging light of purple and gold, each occupying half, at the Great City of the Supreme Emperor.

They rapidly gathered together.

Finally, they coalesced into a bead resembling glazed glass, round and scarlet, within which surged blood qi, faintly circulating.

Overall, it looked like a ball formed from concentrated essence blood.

The third Dao Weapon.

Shen Yi reached out and summoned it over; the moment it touched his fingertip, a nameless sense of familiarity arose.

It was not familiarity with the bead itself, but with this process.

He raised an eyebrow and, with practiced ease, placed it into his mouth.

In the next instant, scorching heat capable of melting everything erupted within his body; under the shroud of the invisible flames that spread outward, Shen Yi's entire form became hazy, save for his Bai Xi face, where a pair of pitch-black eyes stood out with such clarity.

The third Dao Weapon was actually something akin to a Beast Origin; perhaps "Phoenix Origin" would be more fitting.

Had Shen Yi not already broken the habit of swallowing demon cores whole upon meeting the Crimson-Eyed Profound Phoenix, he would have almost thought this demon phoenix had done it on purpose.

But then again, it made sense; for this Hall Master of the Southern Hall, where could there be a memory more profound than essence blood?

It could be called a coincidence.

Shen Yi clenched his fist, slightly sensing the vast, boundless power of the Heart Flame, as well as the immense boost to his aura provided by the Great City of the Supreme Emperor.

He parted his lips slightly, spat out the Phoenix Origin, and watched it transform into golden and purple light, returning within the Xiancheng.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 470,000 years】

Looking at the remaining demon lifespan, Shen Yi hesitated for a moment.

Regarding the glance thrown by Yan Chongzhang earlier, he could roughly guess its meaning; he likely still did not wish to abandon the secret treasures hidden in Nameless Mountain.

Since the other party had extended the invitation first, Shen Yi naturally could not refuse; at most, he would slightly conceal his identity when going there.

After all, having experienced Shen Yue Fa, he had become increasingly curious about what lay hidden behind that mountain.

But this number of demon lifespan was awkward.

It might be enough, or it might not.

"Forget it, let's save up a bit more."

Shen Yi shook his head and once again condensed a Stabilizing Stone.

In an instant, nearly a hundred corpses of the Diming Youmang suddenly appeared in the air, making the entire scene much eerie and sinister.

Both Banshan Sect and Su Hongxiu had struck without restraint; many low-cultivation Diming Youmang were literally reduced to bones and blood, their blood splashing across the Wang Yang. Yet even the remaining ones constituted an extremely terrifying number.

Among them were fourteen great demons above the Bai Yujing level! Three of them were comparable to the Sicheng realm.

Had there not been a He Dao realm expert to anchor them, the foundation of this demon clan could have barely matched Xian Sects like Tianjian and Lingyun.

"Can it He Dao?"

Even the Glazed Green Phoenix was gone; Shen Yi did not think this Diming Youmang Young Master could survive a calamity more terrifying than the Sickness Calamity, but simply using it as a hired hand should be quite sufficient.

As his divine sense stirred slightly, the corpses of nearly a hundred Diming Youmang rapidly transformed into a river of blood, pouring into the Stabilizing Stone.

Shen Yi once again condensed demon origins; after reshaping the demon soul of the Diming Youmang Young Master, he did not stop but continued to pour origins into it.

Until twenty-eight lifespan units were smashed in, the Diming Youmang Young Master finally rose to the Precious Grade.

Shen Yi then ceased his actions and looked at the Diming Youmang Stabilizing Stone with slight wariness.

After absorbing the flesh and blood of more than half the Diming Youmang clan, even though it remained an inanimate object, it still evoked a sense of awe-inspiring dread!

The demon soul of the Diming Youmang Young Master quickly seeped into it... and then there was no movement.

Seeing this, a hint of delight finally flashed in Shen Yi's eyes.

This Diming Youmang Young Master was already a great demon comparable to the Sicheng realm; moreover, having received an upgrade, it still could not even make the Stabilizing Stone move slightly.

At this thought, he hesitated no longer and poured all the remaining demon lifespan into it.

On the gray-white Stabilizing Stone, points of dim light began to gather.

Immediately following, that pair of terrifying snake pupils trembled slightly; in an instant, whether Shen Yi or the other three Hall Masters, all simultaneously felt a strange palpitation of the heart.

Excluding Wu Jun, the other two, Ke Shisan and Yu Lan, both had their pupils contract slightly.

Clearly, these two demons had seen the world.

"He Dao?" Shen Yi glanced sideways, somewhat uncertain; the He Dao realm experts he had seen were only the Shen Zongzhu of Qizide Sect and the Ke Family Crown Prince who had previously obliterated his Stabilizing Stone in the water domain.

The former mostly appeared as phantoms; even when revealing their true forms, their auras were concealed extremely well.

The latter had indeed acted slightly, but after all, it was observed from such a distance through the Stabilizing Stone, not so vivid.

"Uh." Ke Shisan fell silent for a moment, then respectfully said, "Reporting to my Lord, it is not the He Dao realm... but I cannot judge clearly either. It is stronger than the Sicheng cultivators I have seen, yet I am not certain if it has reached the Wucheng strength, after all, there has never been a precedent in Hongze."

Whenever Sicheng was involved, the term "prodigy" seemed somewhat redundant.

Even after ten thousand years, the entire Hongze had only a few such beings; they were far rarer than He Dao realm giants, each a figure of universal attention, their honored names representing everything.

For them, a He Dao Nanyang Baodi was not the problem at all; the problem was which He Dao Nanyang Baodi suited them better and looked more pleasing to the eye.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yi remained silent for a long time.

The gap between Bai Yujing and the He Dao realm was actually so exaggerated.

Opening each city was like a difference between heaven and earth.

In fact, the most efficient method would be to abandon continuing to open cities, immediately return to Nanyang Sect, and attempt to refine the entire Nanyang Baodi.

Once breaking through to He Dao, one would immediately rank among the first tier of Hongze, directly leaving those so-called Sicheng prodigies far behind.

But why did those people not do this? Could it be they possessed no He Dao Treasure Lands?

Shen Yi had seen little, but his mind was still clear... Besides that, he knew even more clearly what he might have to face; such existences were absolutely not something ordinary He Dao realm cultivators could fight.

Returning to He Dao could only serve as a last resort in desperation.

Shen Yi gathered his thoughts, his gaze once again turning to the Diming Youmang Young Master; regardless, this was already the strongest demon he had personally faced.

"Youchang, I pay my respects to my lord…"

This young lord was clearly still not quite used to such a powerful body; he staggered to his feet, a hint of timidity in his voice.

Shen Yi shifted his gaze away, helpless.

In truth, the Diming Youmang young lord was the most ordinary of demons, but Shen Yi had already seen too many outstanding demon prodigies, so the instinctive comparison left him inevitably a little disappointed.

"My lord, let it enter my North Hall."

Wu Jun stepped forward unhurriedly, casting a provocative glance at Yu Lan, yet the beautiful woman simply stood quietly, not even bothering to spare him a second look.

"Hmm?" Shen Yi turned back in confusion, then gave a slight nod.

To be honest, the Wan Yao Dian, which had taken a million years to forge, really ought to have some other use.

The next moment, Wu Jun transformed into a streak of profound light that shot into the sky, landing upon the throne of the Wan Yao North Hall, and thrust his hand sharply downward.

His realm should be far below that of the Diming Youmang young lord; even with the addition of his formidable demon body, he was most likely no match for it.

But under the blessing of that throne, the Diming Youmang young lord was utterly powerless to resist, swept up as if by a gale, and in an instant fell into the Wan Yao North Hall, transforming into a jet-black great python stone statue.

"This hall appoints you Vanguard General; enter the North Hall, serve my lord with absolute loyalty, unto ten thousand deaths without demur!"

Accompanying Wu Jun's cold voice, demonic qi boiled throughout the entire great hall, and the Youmang stone statue quietly merged into one with the whole great hall.

The great city of Dacheng opened slightly; a wisp of Jin Guang mingled within the purple qi was spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly occupying two-thirds of the space.

Shen Yi watched this scene in silence, his heart suddenly giving a jolt.

Could the grade of his own Dao soldiers… still change?

How could this be any changing of test questions, or swapping of examination halls? This was clearly setting entirely new rules for this very heaven and earth.

"My lord, please give Wu Jun a little time."

Wu Jun rose to his feet, bowed toward the ground below, his voice carrying a thread of cruelty: "Wu Jun will surely return to you a North Hall Vanguard General that satisfies you."

Shen Yi thought of this Xuan Gui's usual style of conduct, and suddenly felt a bit of a headache coming on; he had probably already guessed what the North Hall would look like from now on.

(End of chapter)