Chapter 537: What Was Before Was Not Enmity; This Is True Enmity (No

From afar, one cannot gauge the mountain's height; only by climbing that rugged path does one realize every step is arduous.

With last time's experience and the foundation of the Divine Mountain's True Meaning within him.

Shen Yi's speed in pouring in the lifespan of demons and monsters grew faster and faster, while his rest periods grew shorter and shorter.

If the first climb felt like an overwhelming oppression, as if sinking deep into a swamp.

Then this time, his experience of climbing the mountain was that this endless swamp had gathered into a great mountain, which then shrank smaller and smaller until it was only palm-sized, before finally slamming down heavily upon the climber's back.

Pressing down with a sensation that made one feel as if their soul were scattering.

And in An Yi's eyes.

Shen Yi sat cross-legged outside the low mountain, his very shoulders trembling uncontrollably; his ink-black robe was long soaked through, sticking damply to his skin.

No matter how she wiped, she could not wipe away the exhaustion from between his brows.

Until a streak of light swept across the horizon.

As soon as Yan Chongzhang descended to the nameless mountain, he saw Elder Yang with a dazed expression.

The other's look made him inexplicably recall himself when Shen Xiao observed the mountain last time.

This bold thought made Yan Chongzhang momentarily set aside the matter of Pan Boyang, impatiently searching for Shen Yi's figure.

Upon seeing that familiar back.

Fear surged in Yan Chongzhang's eyes: "..."

He knew the nameless mountain's favor for Shen Xiao, and had been struggling to digest the three-day affair from last time, barely convincing himself, and now this happened again.

How long had it been? An afternoon?

Judging by the changes in the other's appearance, it was clear he had gained quite a lot again.

What, did the nameless mountain fear he would tire his body and never come again, so it directly forged a ladder for him?

"Look on the bright side... at least he personally observed it, rather than this mountain going to find him."

Yang Yunheng patted his own Daoist Disciple's shoulder, offering comfort: "By the way, has that person been sent away?"

"Hah."

Yan Chongzhang rubbed his temples hard, forcing his gaze away from Shen Yi, otherwise he truly feared he would rush up and strangle the other.

"Who is this?" he asked, looking at the young girl beside him.

"A little one brought by Daoist Shen, quite well-behaved, though her temperament is like his, slightly cold."

Yang Yunheng smiled, then saw the worry in Yan Chongzhang's eyes: "What's wrong? That surnamed Pan surely wouldn't dare act wildly on our territory."

"Enough, keep your own mouth tight." Yan Chongzhang did not hide anything, directly telling the other about the earlier hall incident: "Fortunately, Shen Xiao has given me another surprise; you go handle things first, and once the young friend finishes observing the mountain, I will be responsible for seeing him off."

"..."

Yang Yunheng took a deep breath; where could he have thought a true disciple of the mighty Liangdaohuang Sect would speak such shameless words, forcibly splashing dirty water onto the Banshan Sect.

However, the name Xue Yan resounded across Hongze; it was best not to offend if one could avoid it.

"I am going." The old man nodded slightly, then vanished as a streak of light into the horizon.

Yan Chongzhang withdrew his gaze, but suddenly noticed Shen Yi's trembling back had stopped.

In an instant, those pitch-black eyes slowly opened, and within the deep pupils was reflected a towering stone tablet, upon which only the two clumsy-stroked characters "Suppressing the Mountain" appeared.

【Unite with the Dao (Precious). Suppressing Mountain Method: Not Yet Entered】

【Remaining Lifespan of Demons and Monsters: Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand Years】

"It's... already over?"

Yan Chongzhang stood stunned; he had climbed for so many years, yet had not fully seen the Suppressing Mountain Method, which he had only cultivated to the entry stage, yet it had earned him a great reputation in West Hong, and now it was so easily taken into Shen Xiao's mind.

Now, even without the matter of Pan Boyang, he could not suppress the thought of sending Shen Yi away from the Banshan Sect.

It was simply too damn infuriating!

Why was this mountain so harsh on this group of cultivators of his own?

Yan Chongzhang took several deep breaths, walked up quickly, and produced a treasure pill already prepared to nourish the soul: "Shen Xiao, quickly take this, do not damage your foundation."

"Thank you, Daoist Yan."

Shen Yi habitually adjusted his state of mind, striving to keep his expression calm, and voiced a hoarse thanks.

Just then, An Yi reached out and took the treasure pill, walked a few small steps to Shen Yi's front, silently extended her palm, wiped away the sweat stains for him again with her sleeve, and then placed the pill into the other's hand.

Although she did not know what Shen Yi had just experienced.

But in that gloomy great tomb, at her most painful and helpless moment, she had hoped someone would stroke her head like this.

Therefore, she subconsciously did just that.

"..."

Shen Yi glanced at this little girl, suddenly realizing that with a Unite with the Dao realm Suppressing Stone protecting him nearby, he seemed to have gained a bit of backing.

He closed his eyes again, and when he opened them, within those forcibly calmed eyes finally flowed many emotions resembling irritation and resistance.

Who would like to endure the pain of their spine being crushed to climb some wretched mountain path, and climb it for nearly four hundred thousand years?

He now wished to kick and shatter this nameless mountain!

Shen Yi swallowed the soul-nourishing treasure pill in great gulps, looking somewhat petulant; Yan Chongzhang watched with a blank face, having never seen Shen Xiao display such an expression before.

What's wrong? Did he and the nameless mountain couple have a quarrel?

Then did I... have a chance?

Yan Chongzhang shook his head, cast aside this strange thought, and said somewhat tactfully: "I am truly entangled by some matters and cannot accompany the young friend for long; if Shen Xiao has no other business, I will send you off first, and when there is an opportunity we will gather properly again, and then we shall not part until we are drunk."

"Good."

Shen Yi nodded.

Actually, he had overheard the two's conversation earlier and roughly guessed what the matter was.

Though he followed the principle of cutting off the grass by the roots, Shen Yi also knew propriety; killing a disciple of the Liangdaohuang Sect within the Banshan Sect would bring how much trouble to these cultivators.

He simply hadn't expected Pan Boyang to be so eager.

Never mind; there will be plenty of chances later.

"This way, please."

Yan Chongzhang let out a sigh of relief and, as usual, took a small path, leading the other party away from the sect.

Shen Yi rose and followed, while An Yi continued to stare at the heels of his long boots, not leaving his side for a single step.

Under Yan Chongzhang's lead, the three quickly left Banshan Sect.

"Young friend Shen, this time we were somewhat negligent. Come again next time you have the chance; please do not be so polite."

Yan Chongzhang escorted Shen Yi a great distance, ensuring no cultivators from Liangdaohuang Sect were lying in wait nearby, which was enough for the other party to leave safely.

Only then did he helplessly clasp his hands in farewell.

The things my master taught me back then were of no use at all today.

"Wait a moment."

Shen Yi held a jade slip in his hand and did not rush to leave.

"What else does the young friend need? Speak freely." With matters having reached this point, Yan Chongzhang was too lazy to resort to his master's methods; he disliked that feeling of mutual scheming, and judging by Young Shen's demeanor, he probably wouldn't fall for it anyway.

Shen Yi was about to raise his palm when he turned his head slightly to look back.

Yan Chongzhang also sensed something; his expression changed abruptly, and he suddenly turned around.

At the end of the sky, a magnificent scroll of mountains and rivers rapidly extended, instantly adding a bustling market atmosphere to the blue sea and sky.

A figure from beyond the painting swept over high mountains and the Yellow River, weaving through streets and alleys; this vast distance was as close as a footstep beneath his feet.

Until he stood completely above the two.

Pan Boyang leisurely crumpled and discarded his handkerchief, then clapped his hands lightly. Lowering his gaze to overlook the two figures below, he said with a hint of amusement, "Truly the Daozi of Banshan Sect; you really can keep your composure. The person I seek is right within your Banshan Sect, yet you can still act as if nothing is wrong."

"If I hadn't thought to leave a trace of my qi on you, I might have been fooled by you today."

"May I ask, does my statement now count as idle talk?"

A curve rose on Pan Boyang's lips, but his eyes were infinitely cold: "Banshan Sect agreed to my sect's request, yet went back on its word, colluded with evil cultivators, and ruined my senior brother Xue's great matter. You had best carefully consider how to appease my anger."

It was clear that this gentleman was not doing something like this for the first time; with just a few words, he had firmly pinned the blame on Banshan Sect.

"As for you, you have it much easier."

Pan Boyang turned his gaze to the other figure in black robes, slowly ceasing his smile: "You only need to be at ease and accept death."

Under this person's few words,

Yan Chongzhang's breathing grew increasingly heavy. He never expected the methods of North Hong to be so profound that he hadn't sensed them at all.

Now that the matter was exposed, he could almost foresee how much trouble Banshan Sect would face. If Pan Boyang's words were true and the capture of the demon prodigy was indeed related to Xue Yan, this incident could even implicate his master, a giant of the Dao-Integration realm.

Caught red-handed.

Even with Yan Chongzhang's rich experience, he didn't know what to do.

He couldn't possibly... kill this official?

Although the thought was tempting, and since they were on Banshan Sect's territory, if he truly wanted to act, Pan Boyang would be facing certain death.

But since the other party dared to walk over so boldly, it already indicated that this course of action was impossible.

A direct disciple of Liangdaohuang Sect making a grand public appearance; his whereabouts were known to all. If he perished in West Hong, it would be impossible to hide.

And Liangdaohuang Sect, to ensure their deterrent power, would absolutely not let the matter go lightly.

Under such circumstances, perhaps being forced to hide in a corner like the Seven Sages of South Hong would already be the best outcome for Banshan Sect.

"What, seeing my true form, you no longer dare to be as arrogant as before?"

Pan Boyang stared at Shen Yi and, seeing the other's silence, suddenly found it quite interesting.

"..."

Shen Yi glanced at the jade slip in his hand; the restlessness in his brows and eyes intensified a bit more. He said softly, "Close your eyes."

Both Pan Boyang and Yan Chongzhang were stunned for a moment.

A moment later, Yan Chongzhang realized this sentence was directed at him.

Close... close your eyes?

For a Bai Yu Jing cultivator possessing a divine soul, this action was no different than covering one's ears to steal a bell.

But it represented Young Shen's attitude.

First, to disassociate this matter from Banshan Sect. As for what relationship to disassociate...

Yan Chongzhang suddenly turned around, staring in shock at the youth beside him, and hurriedly said, "Young Shen! Do not act rashly! Allow me to discuss this with him once more."

Killing a direct disciple of Liangdaohuang Sect was absolutely not something to joke about; moreover, since the other party had descended in his true form, his strength was not comparable to last time.

"Close them."

Shen Yi was too lazy to say more; he slightly waved his palm and delivered a Tianyan Sijiu to Yan Chongzhang.

In the instant this Banshan Sect Daozi fell into a daze,

he finally raised his eyes, casually sweeping over the familiar yet strange figure in the sky. A hint of danger inexplicably entered his calm voice: "I seem to have told you that I do not like people standing above me and speaking to me."

Hearing these familiar words and seeing the same casual expression on Shen Yi's face,

Pan Boyang's expression finally turned grotesque, losing the calmness he had shown when conversing with Yan Chongzhang earlier.

Once bitten by a snake, one fears the well-rope for ten years.

Even though he had come in his true form this time, he subconsciously did not summon that chain divine soldier.

He only said in a low voice, his face full of ferocity: "So what?"

Shen Yi held the jade slip in one hand and, slightly unaccustomed, pressed down lightly with his left hand to respond to the other.

The perfected Shen Yue Fa erupted violently.

Before Pan Boyang could react, his entire body was like a bird with broken wings, plummeting suddenly from the sky and crashing heavily into the waters below!

He had never expected the opponent to possess such bizarre means.

For a moment, he struggled wildly in the deep water, like a white fish with its lips hooked; barely managing to thrust out a palm as if clutching the last straw for salvation, his five fingers suddenly clenched tight.

From the Jiangshan map in the sky, a jade ruler covered in crimson thunder slowly emerged.

For a moment, wild thunder danced, changing the color of the sky canopy.

Dao Soldier Record, Entry Thirty-Nine: Tianyuan Huanlei Chi.

Unlike last time, this time it finally appeared in the world in its full might.

Sweeping into the water like a crimson long dragon, it raised surging waves, as if splitting the entire body of water apart.

"Now it is my turn!"

Pan Boyang finally gripped it in his palm, his heart steadied; roaring, he smashed through some of the invisible mountains upon his body, then suddenly darted toward the water's surface!

Just as he finally left the water, he failed to return to the Jiangshan map as he had imagined.

A long boot lightly stepped onto his shoulder; the figure clad in a black shirt seemed incredibly slender, yet beneath his feet, Pan Boyang felt pressure far more terrifying than before.

Half his body sank into the water; no matter how he struggled, he could not move even an inch further.

He looked up in horror, meeting Shen Yi's cold, descending gaze; on that handsome face, there was a distinct lack of interest, even too lazy to look directly at him.

"Go."

Shen Yi took out another jade slip and casually tossed it to An Yi.

Under Pan Boyang's uncertain and suspicious gaze, that little girl with not a trace of aura on her body vanished from the spot in a single step.

It was that instantaneous fluctuation of aura that made his entire face contort, causing him to deeply doubt his own perception.

How is this possible?!

"Get out of my way!"

In terror, Pan Boyang roared and slammed the Tianyuan Huanlei Chi in his hand fiercely at the figure upon his body!

But his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a straight, black-gold patterned blade appearing in Shen Yi's empty left hand at some unknown moment.

The blade edge swept casually.

Black and gold colors cut into the crimson thunder, touching the translucent jade ruler covered in blood vessels.

Crack—

There was almost no chance for reversal; just as genuine wrought iron struck a piece of emerald jade, the jade ruler did not last even a single breath before shattering completely into a sky full of jade fragments.

The long blade brutally pierced through Pan Boyang's weak neck.

Splat!

A fresh head flew into the air like that!

"..."

Shen Yi slightly felt the warm bloodstain on his fingertips, his expression unchanged, and casually sheathed the long blade.

Just then, the Jiangshan map in the sky suddenly rolled down, snatching that head which refused to close its eyes right before his face.

Shen Yi turned his head to look.

He saw a Daoist Priest inside the Jiangshan map, without hesitation, twist off his own head, then leap high, catching Pan Boyang's severed head with his neck.

In the next moment, Pan Boyang unexpectedly came back to life on the old Daoist's body, his face full of panic as he began to flee wildly through the streets and alleys.

At the same time, the entire Jiangshan map rapidly rolled toward the Wuliang Dao Imperial Palace.

"Tsk."

Shen Yi frowned slightly; he finally understood why these cultivators from Northern Hong could be so arrogant.

Apart from the Dao Soldiers, even if these means were not immortal arts, they were enough to be shocking.

He withdrew his gaze and lightly flicked his fingertips at his waist.

Hanging there was an exquisite jade pendant, displaying black and white colors, interlaced like a yin-yang fish.

At the moment the jade pendant swayed.

A tiger's roar transformed into an invisible wave that penetrated the entire Jiangshan map.

This scroll, formed by the gathering of heaven and earth's aura, the moment it was touched by the tiger's roar, became like a true painting, swallowed by flames, and melted away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The old Daoist wailed and knelt to the ground, instantly swallowed.

That head fell down again.

Held in that slender palm, Pan Boyang's voice added a few notes of hoarse crying: "I surrender! I surrender! Daoist Brother, spare my life!"

However, in his vision blurred by blood and tears, the expression on Shen Yi's Bai Xi face was not much different from last time.

Equally calm and decisive.

As the five fingers suddenly clenched tight!

This fragile head exploded with a boom.

The scene fell silent once more.

Shen Yi washed his hands with aura, put away Pan Boyang's corpse, and only then withdrew the Tianyan Sijiu previously placed upon Yan Chongzhang.

An Yi had returned to his side at some unknown moment, handing over the jade slip in her hand.

Shen Yi walked to the side of the stunned Yan Daozi, placed two jade slips into the other's hands, and said softly: "Thank you for your hard work, Daozi. Shen Mou still has matters to attend to; I take my leave."

As the words fell, he had no intention of explaining further; turning around, he directly transformed into a purple-white long rainbow and fled far away.

"Gulp."

Yan Chongzhang barely returned to his senses from the thoughts of deciphering Tianyan Sijiu, standing dazedly in place, until his peripheral vision swept over the still dark-red water surface; as if realizing something, he looked up at the sky in horror.

He saw only a clear blue sky; where was the shadow of the Wuliang Dao Imperial Palace?

"Shen Xiao..."

Yan Chongzhang suddenly felt his heart beating faster and faster, to the point of being somewhat distracted.

He instinctively raised the jade slip in his hand, nervously immersing his soul into it; once he saw its contents, his gaze grew even more vacant.

In the first jade slip lay the very thing he had longed for: a complete record of the Suppressing Mountain Art!

As for the second jade slip, the shock its contents brought him was no less than that of the first.

It was a simple scene.

A golden-patterned black blade easily shattered the Tianyuan Huanlei Chi, as effortlessly as smashing a block of tofu, then cleanly beheaded Pan Boyang.

The contents of this jade slip did not record the face of the one who struck, yet they were enough to prove many things.

For instance, such a powerful Dao soldier certainly had nothing to do with the Banshan Sect.

Add to that the great distance, Pan Boyang's complete inability to resist, and the Banshan Sect's inability to offer aid in time; they could only manage to record some information about the culprit...

Although there were still many gaps.

But in an instant, this might already be the utmost Shen Xiao... Shen Daoist Brother could achieve.

Yan Chongzhang held the two jade slips, still standing in place, momentarily unable to speak.

He found it hard to imagine what kind of terrifying power could cultivate a genius like Shen Daoist Brother, yet also a cultivator so meticulous in thought.

The other party appeared cold and struck ruthlessly, yet was more worthy of friendship than anyone Yan Chongzhang had ever met.

This Dao Son of the Banshan Sect stared blankly toward the sky.

The last action he took last time might have been even more correct than his master imagined.

(End of this chapter)