Chapter 539: Heading to the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Phenomena

Amidst the misty sea of clouds.

Shen Yi sat cross-legged on a steep cliff, palms resting on his knees, his black robes snapping in the wind.

It was not because he had nothing better to do, but mainly to leave Ke Shisan some time to rest.

Since the beginning of his cultivation, Shen Yi had discovered that as the affixes became rarer, the difficulty of the techniques multiplied exponentially.

Those techniques possessing affixes were exclusive to the geniuses.

Ke Shisan was certainly the type with an extremely sharp mind; otherwise, he would not have been refining his demon body while also self-teaching the Return to Void Spirit Art, the Azure Dragon Shatters the Stars Spear.

But Zhenyue Fa, as a rare technique of the Dao-Integration realm, was nowhere near something one could master simply by pouring in lifespan; likely, before the technique reached perfection, Ke Shisan, already on the verge of collapse, would go mad first.

A temporary rest was also necessary.

Besides, the remaining demon lifespans Shen Yi had left were not many to begin with.

He felt the intent of the mountain range, while casting his gaze downward.

In that cave dwelling where demons and monsters mingled, Yu Lan, her charming face still stained with blood, walked out slowly, behind her trailing a thick, nauseating stench of blood.

【Dao-Integration (Rare). Zhenyue Fa: Minor Success】

【Remaining Demon Lifespans: 1.07 million years】

The great powers marked by Banshan Sect were temporarily beyond his ability to provoke, so Shen Yi simply chose these weaker demon clans with little foundation and no geniuses, thinking the Liangdaohuang Sect would not look down on them and thus they had not fled... mainly because, given their strength, they could hardly escape anywhere anyway.

Although he had not found any valuable demon clans to turn into Zhen Stones, after all, not every demon clan could seize a territory on their own; most were just scattered demons gathering to survive, leaving Shen Yi unable to employ the method of "mobilizing the entire clan's strength."

Fortunately, a considerable amount of lifespan had been saved.

Ke Shisan helped deduce the technique, An Yi guarded his sides, while Yu Lan and Wu Jun took on these menial tasks.

Anyway, none of them were allowed to be idle.

"Continue."

Shen Yi casually pulled Ke Shisan back into the panel.

As the second follow-up technique hidden within that mountain, Zhenyue Fa's power somewhat exceeded his expectations.

Even at the Minor Success stage, its effect surpassed that of the Shenyue Fa brought to perfection.

Of course, the difficulty of cultivation became increasingly terrifying.

Just as Shen Yi was deducing, he noticed that the demon lifespans had not increased for a long time, so he used his divine sense to remind Wu Jun.

"Reporting to my Lord, most have already fled."

Wu Jun replied helplessly; these small-power demons had been surviving on their skills of watching and listening, so news of their sweeping slaughter of demon lives had long spread out.

"Besides our reasons, I learned from those few small demons that Xihong has been unsettled recently, as if a great power has invaded."

"Understood."

Shen Yi pondered for a moment, not taking it too much to heart.

After all, he was not a Xihong cultivator; on the contrary, the more chaotic this land and water became, the more beneficial it was to him, for only in muddy waters could one catch big fish.

He would just need to be slightly more cautious when traveling in the future to avoid being dragged into unnecessary troubles.

The best approach was naturally to find that Ji Sect Master first... at least he needed to know the other's location.

Shen Yi did not want to experience the thrill of being hunted by the Haoyue Shuanghu clan leader again; if not for good luck, having condensed a Dao-Integration realm Zhen Stone, he would have truly almost perished there.

Thinking of this, he accelerated the speed at which he poured in demon lifespans.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the feeling of cultivating Zhenyue Fa and observing the mountain was actually very similar; Shen Yi had already experienced it once and was somewhat accustomed to it, and now with Ke Shisan bearing most of the torment, he strangely felt it was quite easy...

Shen Yi looked down at the mountains beneath his feet, feeling that this boundless, vast mountain range seemed to grow even more microscopic, as if he could grasp it in one hand.

He slightly raised his palm, then pressed down lightly.

Boom—

Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, the entire mountain range suddenly sank downward until it became a negligible floating island.

Though he could not move mountains and shift seas like the Haoyue Shuanghu clan leader, with the support of that Shenyue True Intent, he seemed to have grasped some of the mighty power only attainable at the Dao-Integration realm.

Shen Yi closed his eyes again, the demon lifespans flowing away like water.

Days and nights turned, until Ke Shisan suddenly leaped out of the panel; his steps stumbled, and before he could take three steps, he collapsed face-first onto the ground.

That face, which had barely recovered some clarity, now looked as gray and dim as if it had turned back into a Zhen Stone, completely devoid of life.

Wu Jun, who had just rushed back, was startled and turned to run: "My Lord, I will go find more small demons."

Old Ke was finally played to death by the Master! Would the next one be him?

【Remaining Demon Lifespans: 630,000 years】

【Dao-Integration (Rare). Zhenyue Fa: Perfection】

"..."

Shen Yi glanced at it with a strange look; with a turtle's brain like that, it might not even be as good as himself, so it had no qualification to waste demon lifespans.

He casually stored away all the Hall Masters except An Yi; Ke Shisan would likely need a very long time to recover this time. As for Yu Lan and An Yi, the former had never cultivated any cultivator techniques, so unless she was connected to the Heavenly Sword Sect, she could be of some use, but otherwise, forget it.

As for the latter, this little tiger demon's brain should be quite good, but he was still slacking off, and he also needed to be fed with more basic techniques first.

"Still lacking people."

Shen Yi sighed; now Banshan Sect was definitely temporarily off-limits to return to, and the Liangdaohuang Sect was not stupid; they would surely send people to search there.

It was better to avoid the storm for now.

There was also no news yet of the demon genius needed to cross the Fifth Tribulation.

Shen Yi pondered for a moment, recalling what Wu Jun had reported earlier; since a great power had invaded, Xihong would inevitably gradually descend into chaos.

The great demon clans like the Glazed Green Phoenix and the Haoyue Shuanghu would certainly react... if he could find news and slay a few more, then with two Dao-Integration realm Zhen Stones assisting him, he would be able to handle matters with much greater ease.

First, find a crowded place to gather information.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi stood up, transformed into a purple-white long rainbow, and vanished from the spot.

West Hong, Soaring Cloud Market.

The usually boisterous tavern now seemed somewhat empty; the shopkeeper leaned against the counter, his broad smile carrying a distinct flavor of grievances he dared not voice.

Outside, the crowd surged like a sea, yet inside the shop there was only one table of guests — clearly someone had cleared the place.

The Wushuang Sect Dao Child and the Lingyue Sect Dao Child looked somewhat ill at ease. When leaving the sect, Wei Yuanzhou had urged them to keep a low profile; their current behavior was simply too conspicuous.

However, neither raised an objection.

After all, having been in West Hong for so long and sent out no small number of jade messages, this was the first time they had received such a polite response.

The Myriad Phenomena Pavilion was one of the newly risen cultivator factions. Though its strength was not overwhelming — with only a single Sect Master who had just broken through to Unity Dao holding the fort — it had still managed to rank among the Xian Sects, and was renowned for its keen intelligence.

Even the two Dao Children hadn't expected that the first faction to show willingness to aid Yu Nanhong would be this group, on whom they had previously held little hope.

The reason they called these people "polite" was that not only had they responded, they had also sent their own Dao Child, who happened to be passing through the market, to personally come and greet them.

"A pie falling from the sky — would you believe it?" The Wushuang Sect Dao Child stared at the people opposite, transmitting his voice to his senior brother with a forced smile.

"I wouldn't." The Lingyue Sect Dao Child politely raised his cup, then replied coolly through voice transmission.

Even if what had happened earlier would affect the situation in West Hong, it shouldn't warrant such a swift response, nor such enthusiasm from a Xian Sect of this caliber.

"Then… find an excuse to slip away?" The Wushuang Sect Dao Child lowered his gaze slightly, but was flatly vetoed by his senior brother. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes — after all, this senior brother of his, who hailed from the Lingyue Sect, was perhaps even more cautious than Wei Yuanzhou; this didn't quite fit the man's character.

"We stay."

The Lingyue Sect Dao Child's expression didn't change as he explained via transmission: "We're running short on time. Of course, they definitely won't truly step in to help — after all, these information peddlers don't talk about grand righteousness. But trading some goods for a bit of intel should be no problem."

The reason this plea for aid had been so difficult was precisely that the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong knew far too little about West Hong — like headless flies.

"In that case, let's skip the pleasantries and head straight there."

"Wait a bit longer. Senior Aunt Ji isn't here, and I'm worried something might happen. I've already sent word to Yuanzhou and the others — when the time comes to make any decisions, it'll be more convenient if we're all together."

"How are things on their end?"

"Yuanzhou says… the Banshan Sect has already agreed to fully support the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong, and it's straight from the Sect Master's order."

At these words, the Wushuang Sect Dao Child nearly lost his composure; he could only smile and pat his hem, pretending he had spilled his drink.

The two of them were having such a miserable time here, yet over there things were going so smoothly — it was enough to throw one's mindset out of balance.

The disparity in luck was simply too great.

A Sect Master's order meant… if the situation required it, even the Banshan Sect Master himself would take action personally.

A full alliance between the two sides.

The equivalent of suddenly pulling in the aid of two Unity Dao realm titans for Yu Nanhong!

"…"

Across the table, the soft-featured middle-aged man in grey robes acted as if he hadn't noticed the change in the two men's expressions, continuing his pleasantries and raising his cup with a smile: "I wonder when the two Dao brothers can set out? Lu will need to inform the sect."

"Dao Child Lu, please forgive us — we still need to wait for our senior brother and senior sister; it was arranged beforehand." The Lingyue Sect Dao Child smiled and shook his head.

"No trouble at all. You are strangers in a strange land; traveling together is indeed much safer. Then let's linger in this market a few more days." Not only did Lu Mingchuan show the slightest displeasure, he even offered a few extremely considerate words of reassurance.

Before his words had faded, however, he slightly raised his head and looked outside with some puzzlement.

A tall, slender figure quietly stepped into the tavern, accompanied only by a young girl of delicate features. The girl seemed not to have noticed the shopkeeper's warning look, walked on her own to the table, and then sat down beside the two Yu Nanhong Dao Children.

The corner of Lu Mingchuan's mouth twitched; he didn't rush to lose his temper, but politely inquired: "Are these two Dao brothers' old friends?"

The two Yu Nanhong Dao Children also got a clear look at the newcomer's face. The Wushuang Sect Dao Child's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively tried to rise and bow, but was subtly pressed back down by the Lingyue Sect Dao Child.

"That's right."

To tell the truth, the Lingyue Sect Dao Child was also quite astonished — he had only just sent word to Yuanzhou and the others, yet Shen Zongzhu had already arrived!

But seeing the other's casual demeanor, he guessed the man didn't wish to reveal his identity.

With a Sect Master watching from the side, there was no need to make a big fuss. After all, Shen Zongzhu's strength — anyone who had participated in the Seven Sons Assembly should have a good sense of it.

At the very least, it was no less than Su Hongxiu's, and might even surpass hers.

Combined with his revered status, he could already make most of the decisions on behalf of the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong.

"Wushuang Sect's Dai Jianshu, pays respects to Shen Zongzhu."

"Lingyue Sect's Zhong Xiu, pays respects to Shen Zongzhu."

The two simultaneously transmitted their greetings, and concisely briefed him on the current situation, while also casting curious glances at the young girl behind him.

"Myriad Phenomena Pavilion's Lu Mingchuan — may I ask this Dao brother's honored surname?"

Lu Mingchuan rose and gave a proper cupped-fist salute. He had keenly caught the change in Dai Jianshu's expression upon seeing this person. If his guess was right, this man was also one of the Yu Nanhong Dao Children — and absolutely the one with the highest status among them!

"No need for the honored surname — Shen."

Shen Yi gave a slight nod. Truth be told, he hadn't expected things to be so coincidental.

He had originally just intended to come and gather some information; he hadn't expected to run into acquaintances. His recent gains had been plentiful — he had almost forgotten he still had the identity of Nanyang Sect Master.

Since their goals aligned, this was a convenient chance to travel together.

As for the wariness Zhong Xiu had mentioned… if this Myriad Phenomena Pavilion truly harbored other intentions, beyond simply paying for information, Shen Yi wouldn't mind acquiring it by other means.

"Since Dao Brother Shen has come, what of the others?" Lu Mingchuan looked to the side.

"They may have run into some trouble on the road — let's not wait for them." Seeing that Shen Zongzhu had come alone and made no mention of the other three Dao Children, Dai Jianshu guessed he had likely assigned them other tasks, and promptly rose to his feet.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, a flash of barely perceptible disappointment crossed Lu Mingchuan's eyes, but he immediately concealed it.

Though two fewer had come, at least a big one had arrived.

As a pledge of good faith, it should already be enough.

"Then… shall I see you all off?"

Lu Mingchuan rose with a smile, and the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion cultivators behind him quickly followed.

"Hm? That doesn't sound very auspicious." Dai Jianshu glanced sideways and quipped.

"My apologies, my apologies." Lu Mingchuan lightly gave himself two playful slaps: "Lu is clumsy with words — please don't take offense."

Dai Jianshu smiled and withdrew his gaze, not giving it much thought.

If he had once been quite wary, now it was much better.

This was not arrogance, but because Shen Zongzhu stood beside him; surely anyone who wasn't a fool would understand what it meant to strike at a Zongzhu.

That would be an offense no lesser than a clan-erasing grudge, one that could make the Seven Sons temporarily set aside Yu Nanhong and fully turn their forces toward Xi Hong to seek revenge.

Not to mention a mere Wanxiang Pavilion—given the strength of Yu Nanhong's Seven Sons, across all of Xi Hong, only Xilong Palace could withstand the fury of such a colossal force.

No matter what trouble they encountered, merely revealing their identity would force the other side to carefully consider the consequences.

Wanxiang Pavilion sells information, not services for others' lives.

Such a foolish act—even if they were given ten times their courage, they still wouldn't dare.

(End of Chapter)