Chapter 527: The Master and Disciple Break Their Defenses; Sect Master Shen Congratulates the Dragon Consort on Her Birthday

Banshan Sect, Inner Gate.

Amidst the turbulent sky curtain, a group of Bai Yujing experts, their expressions weary and bodies bearing wounds, emerged one after another.

Among them, two had even fallen into a semi-comatose state, requiring the support of others.

This was undoubtedly the result of having endured a fierce battle.

However, the elders remaining within the sect looked at Yan Chongzhang at the very front with some astonishment.

Under the leadership of the Daozi, the Banshanzhu Sect had dispatched more than half of its experts to exterminate the Diming Youmang clan; though their appearance was not very good, at least everyone had returned alive.

Based on the Banshan Sect elders' understanding of the strength of those Diming Youmang.

To achieve such a great victory, it was clear that several Yu Nanhong Daozi must have contributed significantly.

But... what about the gains?

Wasn't the mission to capture the Diming Youmang Young Master alive? Could it be that the situation was too desperate, and he was accidentally slain?

Upon thinking of this, everyone's hearts immediately sank.

The saying goes, "startle the snake by beating the grass"; as long as the news of the Banshan Sect acting against the Diming Youmang spreads, the nearby demons and monsters will inevitably become more vigilant. To complete the task entrusted by the Liangdaohuang Sect, the Banshan Sect would likely have to pay an even greater price.

Never mind; if they can use this opportunity to establish a connection with this top-tier giant, it wouldn't be too much of a loss.

Just as they were thinking this, everyone suddenly noticed the Grand Elder's face turning iron-green, obviously something was amiss.

"I won't speak ill of you behind your back; come with me. I will accuse you to your face."

Yang Yunheng finally returned to the sect, suppressing his anger, and angrily waved his sleeve, grabbing Yan Chongzhang's arm and rushing forward; this appearance was hardly that of an Xian Sect elder, looking more like a martial artist from the Jianghu.

"..."

Yan Chongzhang helplessly glanced at the old man, did not struggle, and followed the other directly towards the back of the mountain.

"Should we walk?" Bai Wu glanced tentatively to the side.

Even though Wei Yuanzhou was steady, a hint of embarrassment surged in his eyes at this moment; he had never imagined that he and the others, merely coming to Xihong to request aid, would cause a rift between the Banshan Sect elders and the Daozi.

If it weren't for the fact that the request for aid had not yet received a definite response, he would have really wanted to leave immediately.

This matter was simply too absurd.

The two people most devoted to the sect had actually come to a point of falling out in front of outsiders over a strange cultivator they had just met.

If anyone is to blame... then it can only be that Shen Zongzhu is too outstanding.

It remains unknown whether this outstanding quality will earn the recognition of the Banshan Sect Master; if not, then even if Dao Yan is unwilling to break his word, he would likely have little say in the matter of aiding Yu Nanhong.

Upon thinking of this, Wei Yuanzhou looked helplessly towards the back of the mountain.

At the clear spring in the back mountain.

A lean old man dressed in hemp robes sat on the ground, resembling one who had passed into Nirvana, with not a trace of aura overflowing from his body, like a stone of Tianyan Siji.

Behind him, Yang Yunheng chattered incessantly, describing the previous encounter; when he spoke to the point of anger, he could not help but stamp his foot, blowing his beard and glaring: "Sect affairs, how can they be treated so lightly! The Daozi, he, he didn't even discuss it with me!"

The Grand Elder admitted that Shen Xiao was extraordinary, and even he himself appreciated the other quite a bit, but it wasn't to the extent of risking the survival of the entire sect to gamble with that young man.

What exactly does Yan Chongzhang want to do? Since he is so generous, why not simply give up the position of Daozi and let Shen Xiao take it?

"What are you thinking? What is your plan?"

The Banshan Sect Master opened his eyes, as if a stone had suddenly come to life.

He did not turn around, and no joy or anger could be heard in his voice.

Even though the matter involved the Liangdaohuang Sect, this Banshan Sect Master was not panicked; he simply wanted to know what extraordinary thing his personally cultivated disciple had discovered to make such an absurd decision.

To be honest, having seen too many bizarre and mysterious things, he had become somewhat numb; his expectations for the young cultivator from Yu Nanhong were even lower than those of Grand Elder Yang Yunheng.

The reason his mood was so calm was simply due to his trust in his disciple.

"Come, speak!" Yang Yunheng stepped back two paces and stood with arms crossed.

Yan Chongzhang did not argue with the old man, even though the other's attitude was very poor, completely not the tone an elder should use towards a Daozi.

Because he knew deeply how difficult his action was for anyone to understand; any cultivator who cared about the Banshan Sect would feel enraged.

Moreover, what he would do next would be even more absurd, so absurd that everyone would think he had gone mad.

Yan Chongzhang took a deep breath, suddenly stepped back one pace, bent forward, and raised his clasped fists above his head: "I wish... to ask Shen Xiao to succeed Chongzhang and become the Daozi of our Banshan Sect."

"..."

This time, even the Banshan Sect Master fell silent for a long time; he slowly turned his head: "Shen Xiao? You don't even know his name."

Taking in Yan Chongzhang's serious appearance, the old man in hemp robes took a deep breath: "What is the reason?"

"Huff."

Under the gaze of Yang Yunheng, who had completely fallen into a daze, Yan Chongzhang straightened his body again and said self-mockingly: "That mountain is the foundation of our sect, but it belongs to Shen Xiao; I am really worried he will take the Nameless Mountain away..."

A giant of the He Dao realm manifesting as the sect's heaven and earth should be indifferent like the true heaven and earth; even though the Banshan Sect was somewhat different, preferring to call themselves Wu Zhiren and having more popularity, they would still be affected to some extent, rarely experiencing great emotional waves.

However, upon hearing this sentence, the Banshan Sect Master raised his hand, almost unable to resist slapping him across the face.

Good, good, good; went out once, and directly gave away the most precious thing of his own family to someone else!

"Reason?" The old man in hemp robes suppressed his anger and pressed his hand back down.

"He has already cultivated the Shen Yue Fa..." Yan Chongzhang showed a bitter expression.

Upon hearing this, the Banshan Sect Master's fingertips moved slightly, then he raised his eyes to look over; he finally understood why his disciple had displayed such an attitude.

This was the manifestation of being deeply struck, with his Dao heart damaged.

Thinking of this, the Banshan Sect Master's expression finally softened a bit, and a heavy, perfect aura slowly surged from his body, precisely the Shen Yue Fa brought to perfection.

He comforted softly: "So what if he cultivated it? At my realm, this is just an extremely ordinary technique; it proves nothing. Besides, haven't you also cultivated it? He is just a bit faster at entering the door."

This statement was, of course, somewhat insincere, since these details were enough to show the huge gap in talent.

But compared to an outsider, the old man in hemp robes was even more unwilling for his disciple to develop any mental block because of this.

He stood up, forced a faint smile, and reached out to pat Yan Chongzhang's thick shoulders.

"No... not entering the door; his current attainment in Shen Yue Fa is already on the same level as yours." Yan Chongzhang looked up awkwardly and added a slight explanation.

Before his words had finished falling, Yan Daozi suddenly felt the hand on his shoulder slowly stop, then clench tight, letting out a creaking sound.

The Banshan Sect Master stared silently into the distance — that was the direction of Wuming Mountain.

A complicated look welled up in his deep-set eyes, then turned into a trace of sorrow.

If breaking open the first layer of the secret cache in three days could still be explained by some trick that young cultivator surnamed Shen had used, then cultivating Shen Yue Fa to the perfected realm in such a short time...

If this had nothing to do with Wuming Mountain, then he, Zhang, would gnaw the whole mountain down and eat it!

After all these years of companionship, in the end it still couldn't outweigh a single word: fate!

He quickly withdrew his hand, turned around, and resumed his usual calm appearance: "So what if that's the case? What's your rush? Your master asks you — what's your rush? All the composure I've always drilled into you, you've tossed it right out of your mind?"

"The mountain is still here, still within the Banshan Sect."

"It was he who begged us to come look — not us begging him!" At the last word, the Banshan Sect Master's face twitched.

Yan Chongzhang silently watched his master's back and said softly: "Master, I don't think I was rushing."

No sooner had he finished than he saw the hand clasped behind his master's back clench tight once more!

The Banshan Sect Master turned his head and shot him a cold glance: "It's not as if you've never observed a mountain before. After discovering its mysteries within, could you possibly rein in your emotions?"

"When he returns, if you're still in this state and let people look down on the Banshan Sect — so that we fail to keep that young cultivator — don't blame your master for reminding you of the finer points of my palm technique!"

Saying so, the Banshan Sect Master let out a cold laugh: "Heh, what's more, this is still his mountain..."

He sat back down cross-legged, and said calmly yet firmly: "You lot go prepare first. Within a few days at most, he will surely return."

As long as the bait is in hand, where's the worry that the fish won't bite?

This disciple is still too young — still needs tempering.

……

Amidst the vast western waters.

Shen Yi stepped on his sword and flew forward, closed his eyes, and recalled in his mind the map given by the Banshan Sect.

With his terrifying memory, no detail would slip or be missed.

But the more he recalled, the more tightly Shen Yi's brows knit together.

The Banshan Sect was a major power; any demon clan that could catch their eye and be worth recording was at least a great demon clan with a Bai Yujing cultivator holding the fort.

This should have been a good thing.

But the overall situation of the entire western waters exceeded Shen Yi's expectations somewhat.

The Banshan Sect had carefully annotated the intricate relationships behind every demon clan, making the whole map look like a dense, tangled web — upon closer inspection, every one either had the Long Gong behind it, or a Hedaojing great demon sheltering it.

Among them were even some connected to the Xian Sect.

This was fundamentally different from the clear-cut divide between cultivators and demon clans in the southern waters — it was like a stew of everything thrown together.

It was very hard for Shen Yi to tell whether the place he planned to head to was actually dangerous.

This wasn't the southern waters — there was no Hedaojing blessed land for him to take refuge in, no Hedaojing sect masters around to overawe others for him. Once something went wrong, he would almost have no retreat or contingency to speak of.

"My lord, there are aquatic demon auras ahead."

Just then, Yu Lan, who had been quietly following behind Shen Yi, reminded him in a soft voice, then quietly withdrew back into the Wan Yao Dian.

She was a fire-attribute bird demon, and naturally had a sharper perception of aquatic demons.

This southern hall master, unlike Ke Shisan and Wu Jun, had not registered with the Long Gong, so for now she could still accompany him. Moreover, the demon aura on her made it easier for Shen Yi to muddle his own identity.

As if to confirm Yu Lan's words —

In an instant, the distant water surface suddenly rolled up, and a majestic black-backed flood dragon surged out of the water, raising towering waves dozens of zhang high.

It wore a cold, menacing metal contraption like a horse's bit, its wet black scales gleaming brilliantly. Upon its dragon spine stood a tall, slender figure gripping the reins.

Clad in silver-white armor with a long cape, he was a young man with two horns on his head, roughly at the ninth layer of the Return-to-Void realm.

He first sized Shen Yi up and down, his gaze sweeping over the other's black robe and the flying sword with its inky light, and a trace of contempt instinctively flashed in his eyes.

But upon sensing the powerful cultivation that faintly leaked from the black-robed youth, he still loosened his grip on the reins and properly cupped his fist: "Xigong Dragon Grandson, Qi Laojiu, acting on the Xigong's orders, here to welcome fellow daoists who have come to offer birthday congratulations."

"Fellow daoist, this way please."

Having said that, Qi Laojiu casually waved his hand, and the water surface swiftly parted, forming what looked like a long bridge leading toward the deep sea.

"……"

Upon hearing the words "birthday congratulations," Shen Yi's slightly raised hand quietly paused, then dropped back down, and he gave a slight nod of his chin as if nothing had happened.

He seemed to have stumbled into something related to the Long Gong for no reason.

Birthday celebrations — especially for demons... Although it had happened once before after leaving the Nanyang blessed land, Shen Yi actually rather enjoyed them.

Although he wasn't so arrogant as to think he could host a banquet in the Western Long Gong, if he could get to know more of the demons who had come to offer birthday congratulations and return together... it was still better than charging headlong into a demon cave of unknown depth.

At the same time.

Qi Laojiu was also observing the changes in Shen Yi's expression.

As a Xigong Dragon Grandson, those he was tasked to receive were all renowned figures of the western waters. As for this one — judging by his attire, his magical treasure, and compared to his cultivation, everything looked rather shabby.

Either a rogue cultivator of extraordinary talent, or the founding ancestor of some small sect who had used some method to change his appearance.

Looking at the youth's taciturn manner, he also carried a kind of world-unseen arrogance.

Qi Laojiu was qualified to make that assessment.

Because a cultivator who had ascended to Bai Yujing might be an extraordinary existence elsewhere, but before the Western Long Gong, he really didn't amount to much.

Probably heard the news of the Dragon Consort's birthday celebration from somewhere and wanted to come join in — maybe didn't even have an invitation.

"Fellow daoist?" Qi Laojiu called out again.

Shen Yi deliberated for a moment, sensing the three hall masters within the Wan Yao Dian, as well as the Diming Youmang town stone whose strength surpassed that of the Sicheng cultivators, and felt a bit more confidence in his heart.

He finally raised his eyes and said casually: "My thanks for the trouble."

If he didn't dare go here, didn't dare go there, why not just go straight back to the southern waters and be done with it.

"Fellow daoist is too polite."

Qi Laojiu waved his hand again, and a surge of water rose up, landing beneath Shen Yi's feet, gently guiding him toward the water.

Until he had fully entered the waters.

Shen Yi glanced back, saw that Qi Laojiu had not followed, then summoned Yu Lan once more, signaling her to split off and scout ahead—if there really was any situation, she could inform him in advance.

With these preparations made, he finally turned his attention to the area below the waters.

He saw that the bridge of flowing water Qi Laojiu had released seemed to connect to other places as well.

After reaching a fairly deep area.

Shen Yi actually saw many figures traveling in groups, all stepping on river waves, chatting and laughing as they headed in the same direction.

Among them were cultivators, and also demons.

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, not quite used to it, and precisely because of this, his sharp gaze caught a "kindred spirit" among the crowd.

It was a Miss in ordinary dress, striking in appearance, with a notable air about her, bearing no insignia of any identity.

She had clearly come following some sect, her eyes slightly lowered, using this to mask her displeasure.

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze, with no intention of acknowledging her.

Mainly because they weren't that familiar.

They had merely shared a stretch of travel when leaving Yu Nanhong.

He vaguely recalled she seemed to be the Dao Child of Bihai Sect, though as for her actual name, he wasn't too clear.

For Shen Yi, the most important thing right now was only one matter.

That was to figure out exactly whose birthday banquet it was. After all, he had made enemies in West Nanhong. Baohua Xianzi could barely be considered a normal person, but the elder of Lady Baohua Xianzi's sect who had previously communicated with him via jade slip was clearly connected to the West Long Gong. If by any chance some information had been sold to the Long Gong...

Still, there was no need to scare himself—probably wouldn't be that much of a coincidence.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi carefully began listening to the conversations around him.

However, the moment he caught the first sentence, it instinctively made him lift his eyes slightly.

"You say the Dragon Consort is celebrating her birthday—do you think the Dragon Lord will come back?"

"Come back? He'd better not dare."

"I heard that one already found an excuse to go to Yu Nanhong, dodging the limelight."

You have to understand, this was the territory of the West Long Gong. Though the few cultivators had lowered their voices, they clearly weren't afraid of this matter being overheard by others.

Enough to show that the matter of the Qi family's lord being henpecked had long been no secret in West Nanhong.

"..."

Shen Yi moved along with the current, his expression as usual, only a trace of complexity flickering through his eyes.

Not bad. Although it was indeed a bit of a coincidence, at least that dragon demon comparable to the Dao Merging realm wasn't here. As for this Dragon Consort—putting it bluntly—even if she really knew about him slaying that snake demon at Xiao Family Fortress, she'd still owe him thanks.

Jokes aside.

Shen Yi also figured out why that Bihai Sect Dao Child had looked so displeased earlier.

The eldest of the Qi family's dragon sons was currently leading troops to Yu Nanhong to deal with the Seventh Son. As a sect's Dao Child, she still had to waste her time celebrating his wife's birthday—anyone would be unable to stand it.

(End of this chapter)