Chapter 544: Seizing the Wanxiang Nanyang Baodi, Glimpsing the Secrets of West Hong

The Demon Race is indeed a race favored by Heaven and Earth.

Compared to cultivators, who require various arts and treasures to bolster them from the Qi Refining realm, and must use precious materials to condense their Dao Pillars before surviving heavenly tribulations that could end their lives and sever their Dao at any moment,

the realm reached after such immense toil, requiring the discovery of a Dao-conforming treasure land, is, for the Demon Race, achieved naturally if their bloodline is strong enough, they have sufficient food and drink, and they are granted vast time.

At least among the Demons Shen Yi has encountered, excluding those small demons living from hand to mouth, only a handful, such as the Spider Emperor and Ke Shisan, possessed any strength and were willing to learn techniques.

In this situation, An Yi, who had never learned anything, relying solely on instinctive smashing, caused the body of the Wanxiang Pavilion Sect Master to shatter and scatter.

However, the Dao-Integration realm is called a "Small World" because its practitioners have truly transcended the category of mortals.

The shattered body of the Wanxiang Pavilion Sect Master turned into wisps of green smoke, merging into the azure sky, where the ethereal clouds seemed to form a face of boundless expanse.

He stared with wide eyes, his resentment piercing the heavens, looking down from above, then opened his mouth.

As if he intended to swallow this entire world.

Inside the Wanxiang Nanyang Baodi, in places unseen by the crowd, far from the mundane world of the Immortal Sect, whether famous cultivators, imperial relatives, or commoners on the streets, all now witnessed the changes in the sky.

The crimson sky, with clouds gathering, resembled a greedy tongue.

The sun and moon served as eyes, emitting terrifying light.

A slight exhale transformed into a wild wind sweeping across the vast earth!

"Heaven and Earth have gone mad."

"Vitality is exhausted."

An elderly cultivator, hanging by a thread, sat cross-legged in his cave dwelling, as if he had seen the end, ceased struggling, slowly lowered his palms, and assumed the posture of sitting in meditation until death.

If Heaven wishes to destroy a person, there is no escape.

Across the earth, countless figures lay prostrate; regardless of status, even peddlers and laborers abandoned their belongings, their wailing like resentful ghosts lamenting, echoing through heaven and earth.

Just then, a sharp claw seemed to slash across the sky, violently tearing apart the crimson heavens!

Roar—

A faint dragon's roar resonated across the four seas and nine provinces.

Causing the sweeping wild wind to suddenly halt... but only for an instant, before it surged again with even more terrifying momentum!

Wanxiang Pavilion Inner Sect.

Ke Shisan's massive dragon body, glowing with Jin Guang, darted into the clear blue sky, frantically trying to smash the giant face in the heavens, yet before that face, his dragon body, hundreds of zhang long, was no different from a loach.

It was destroyed no faster than that face could reassemble.

"Even if I die, I will make you demons pay the price!"

The Wanxiang Pavilion Sect Master let out a furious roar, his eyes once again fixing on that tall figure.

He appeared mad, yet his mind was clearer than ever.

Escaping today is impossible; if he seeks revenge, perhaps that young cultivator is the only target he might successfully strike.

Amidst the raging winds swirling around, the young man's ink-black robe suddenly billowed, his disheveled hair lifted, revealing that pale face, cold to the extreme: "..."

"Evil demons have come to our door, pushing us too far! By my command, slay this beast!" With the old man's roar, swords of Qi hung suspended in the air, standing silently.

Compared to their previous formless state, the flowing Qi now carried traces of crimson, the killing intent so thick it suffocated.

"..."

An Yi glanced back at Shen Yi; upon catching the discomfort he struggled to hide beneath his indifferent expression, she withdrew her gaze and looked back at the sky.

In the next moment, the pupils in those moist eyes suddenly turned vertical.

The little one clenched both fists tightly, opened her mouth toward the sky, and instantly, an indescribable, terrifying roar transformed into boundless sound waves, surging with magnificent momentum toward that edgeless giant face!

"Roar—"

The Qi swords were annihilated one after another; fear surged onto the old man's face, distorting his features, yet no matter how he dodged, he could not stop the giant face occupying the sky from melting away at visible speed.

Outside the Inner Sect, in the mundane world.

Almost everyone heard the command "Slay this beast"; that was the will of Heaven and Earth.

The old Daoist, sitting in the posture of death, felt his heart twitch; fortunately, this broken body was still offered to slay demons, so at least his death was not without value.

However, after a long while, he could still perceive his own body.

The old Daoist opened his eyes in a daze, then saw the crimson sky dissipate, the wild winds cease, and heaven and earth become clear again, as if everything before had been an illusion.

Within the cities, the commoners prostrate on the ground remained stunned for a long time; finally, the brave ones slowly raised their heads, their tear-streaked faces twitching violently for a long while before erupting into a hoarse cry!

"The demons are eliminated!"

In the clear heaven and earth, the small figure slowly unclenched her tightly held fists.

She tried to turn back, but her whole body stumbled, nearly falling.

Fortunately, a long, strong hand had already supported her shoulder.

An Yi turned her pale face and saw Shen Yi withdraw his hand and straighten his body: "You worked hard."

"..."

The little one pressed her lips together and lowered her head.

She was not quite sure why Shen Yi, in a situation of certain victory, suddenly became so irritable... even though his expression barely changed, An Yi still sensed the turmoil in his emotions.

But regardless, it was likely not blaming her for acting too slowly; there was probably another reason, such as the thing that old man wanted to swallow.

The golden azure dragon quickly descended to the ground, casting a wary glance at this West Hall Master.

Ke Shisan felt it was better for him to remain low-profile for a while longer.

"Reporting to my Lord, should the Outer Sect be cleansed?"

Although the Wanxiang Pavilion Sect Master had already "cleansed" it himself, the interruption by the two suppression stones meant that even within the scope of Wanxiang Pavilion, only a very small portion had been swallowed.

Whether it was an illusion or not, through the observation just now, Shen Yi felt that this heaven and earth did not fully belong to that old man before; there was a sense of incompatibility.

Just like the matter of the former Nanyang Sect Master he had heard of before; the opponent was then located in Beihong, yet from such a vast distance, he had completely sacrificed everyone in the Nanyang Sect's Inner Sect.

Look again at this Master of the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion; even in his own home, performing a sacrifice is so unfamiliar and difficult.

"..."

Although he learned nothing, it allowed Shen Yi to verify his own thoughts.

A Dao-Integration cultivator who only knows one life-risking move seems to have no other Dao-Integration divine abilities besides sacrificing his own people; even if he succeeds, it is of no use.

To put it harshly, even he himself has grasped part of the True Meaning of the Divine Mountain, making him more like a Dao-Integration realm cultivator than this old man.

Rushing to integrate a treasure land, besides being able to bully Bai Yujing, what meaning does it have? Can it fight the Long Gong or stand against that Immortal?

"Go rest first."

Shen Yi felt that professional matters must be handled by professional people.

With a slight movement of his divine sense, Wu Jun, who had been so jealous his eyes turned red, was finally released; the little tiger demon was one thing, after all, this Western Hall Master had joined as a Dao-Integration cultivator.

On what grounds does Ke Shisan deserve it?!

The two of us followed the Master; when I was comparable to Bai Yu Jing, this Dragon Grandson was still stuck in the ninth layer of Return to Emptiness.

"Your Master rest assured! Wu Jun will definitely handle it perfectly for you!"

Compared to Ke Shisan, this old turtle had long seen through his master's intentions; what the other wanted besides killing to silence witnesses were the many intelligence reports collected within the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion, as well as the Dao-Integration treasure land itself.

As for the loyalty of those Myriad Phenomena Pavilion disciples, it was not important at all; it was enough just to make them sufficiently fearful so they would not cause trouble.

"Go."

Shen Yi lightly nodded his chin; now he had finally established a foothold in West Hong.

With the existence of the Sect-Protecting Great Formation, only then would there be a place to hide if trouble arose in the future.

Of course, before the matter is completely resolved, this treasure land cannot be linked to the Seven Sages of South Hong; it is quite good to temporarily take over in the name of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace.

As for who this treasure land should be given to.

Shen Yi definitely could not use it himself; just based on the sacrifice scene he witnessed with his own eyes just now, he could not accept handing over the Nanyang treasure land to another's hands.

For integrating the Myriad Phenomena treasure land, the best candidate is naturally Senior Li Xuanqing.

But Li Xuanqing's current state... who knows if he still counts as a proper cultivator.

If Li Xuanqing cannot do it.

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, remembering Elder Liu Shiqian of the Qingyue Sect; while the other followed the rules, he was not as rigid as others claimed, and back then he risked offending Bai Wu just to help the Nanyang Sect, making him equally an excellent candidate.

"Organize all the intelligence."

Regarding these trivial matters, Shen Yi was quite satisfied with Wu Jun, saving a lot of words.

What he lacked most urgently now were demon geniuses capable of crossing the Five Cities; besides that, he needed to improve the strength of the four Hall Masters as much as possible, and grasp the intentions of the many forces in West Hong regarding the Seven Sects.

For himself, it was also necessary to learn more about the movements of the Glazed Green Phoenix and the Haoyue Shuanghu clan, plus exactly how many cultivators the Liangdaohuang Sect of North Hong had arranged in West Hong, to avoid being caught halfway.

Once the storm passes, he can go to the Banshan Sect to retrieve the final volume of the technique from that Treasure Mountain.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi finally turned and walked toward the main hall he had visited earlier.

The formations carefully prepared by the elders of the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion suddenly took effect; the instant he stepped into the hall, dense shadows of ferocious beasts rose up!

However, Shen Yi's steps did not pause even slightly; the moment he walked through calmly, those vicious shadows were smashed apart by the Shen Yue Fa technique with a boom, raising not even a ripple.

West Hong, Tengyun Market.

Inside the overcrowded tavern, the private room on the second floor was unusually quiet.

Dai Jianshu and Zhong Xiu sat on one side of the table, while on the other side were three Dao Disciples who had just rushed over from the Banshan Sect.

"You say the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion colluded with the West Long Gong and wanted to ambush you?" Wei Yuanzhou frowned between his brows; even with his rich experience, he found himself unable to comment on this matter for the moment.

"There must be a reason." Zhong Xiu glanced sideways and said softly, "That Dao Disciple Lu said... we seem to have offended many people; do you have any news?"

Everyone in the room looked together at the only Miss.

"..." Su Hongxiu fell silent, raised her eyes, and slowly clenched her palm.

"Sorry, I'm used to it." Wei Yuanzhou helplessly shook his head: "Hongxiu has always been with us; it has nothing to do with her."

"Did you lose control of your mouth again?" Dai Jianshu turned his gaze toward Bai Wu.

"Heh." Bai Wu tugged at the corner of his mouth, turned his head as if seeing a Bai Chi, but unusually did not argue back with the other party.

He stared at the cup on the table, his thoughts somewhat wavering.

If we really have to say who we offended, then the Glazed Green Phoenix and the Liangdaohuang Sect should barely count, but Shen Zongzhu attracted all that resentment, so it should not be linked to the Seven Sages of South Hong.

Moreover, although the Green Phoenix clan is strong, they have not yet reached the level of being able to influence the situation.

As for the Liangdaohuang Sect, it was merely a verbal clash, shattering the Dao Palace shadow of one of their disciples; in the context of relations between two sects, this does not count as a major matter at all.

Hiss, staying in the Banshan Sect for so long, I really know nothing about outside news.

"So why didn't you wait for us, and also... since the West Long Gong made the move, how did you escape?" Su Hongxiu stood up.

"Because." Zhong Xiu seemed to remember something again, his face twitching slightly twice: "Shen Zongzhu."

Hearing this name, the three of Su Hongxiu were not too surprised; instead, they all revealed a "as expected" expression in unison.

"It seems you have also experienced it?" Seeing this, Dai Jianshu could not help but let out a bitter smile.

He remembered that not long ago, the elders and direct disciples within the Seven Sects were still coveting Shen Yi's Dao-Integration treasure land, calling him "that kid" again and again.

In the snap of a finger, "that kid" had already become a towering Gaoshan capable of shattering their minds and spirits.

"So where is he now?"

A warm voice sounded in the room.

The five Dao Disciples stood up simultaneously to bow: "Junior Uncle Shi!"

As the words fell, a figure in a white long robe slowly emerged; Ji Jingxi first scanned everyone, and only after confirming none of them were injured did she breathe a sigh of relief in her heart.

Recalling the words she had heard earlier, she quietly shook her head, feeling some emotion; that young Nanyang Sect Master, though rarely making promises, was truly unexpectedly reliable every single time.

If the other party had not happened to be in the Tengyun Market, this would have truly caused a major trouble.

It's just that... even though Ke Laoqi was kept behind at Lady Yushan by Zi Xian, those aquatic elite generals are no easy opponents either, and since it involves the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong, they certainly won't be careless — who knows, they might have even brought some dharma treasures.

Could it be that Shen Yi has improved again, grown to the point of being able to handle a situation like this?

"Shen Zongzhu seems to have other matters to attend to, so he had us come back first, but... you don't need to worry, he wasn't injured when he left... it's really hard for me to describe the scene at the time..."

Dai Jianshu forced a bitter smile, over and over.

"Understood."

The worry in Ji Jingxi's eyes finally faded a little, and a cold glint immediately rose in her gaze: "I'll notify the sect to prepare as quickly as possible."

No matter how much one fears immortals, if even something like this isn't dealt with — letting the Tianyan Siji continue to run free and setting a precedent — then what the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong will face in the future will be endless trouble.

"Ji-shishu, West Long Gong?" Su Hongxiu walked over slowly.

"The matter is somewhat complicated. We may still have some time — do our best." Ji Jingxi had become tranquil again; she herself didn't quite know how to describe to these juniors what she had experienced at Lady Yushan.

"How did things go with the Banshan Sect?"

"You may not believe it when I tell you, shishu, but the current Banshan Sect even seems inclined to proactively become a vassal of our Meng Sect... when we left, that sect master not only came out in person, he even tried to keep us."

Wei Yuanzhou's expression turned strange.

Taking in his look, Ji Jingxi pondered for a moment, then said with a complicated expression: "Is it still because of Shen Zongzhu?"

"This matter, once you start talking about it, it's a long story..." Wei Yuanzhou gave a soft hum. Only by stepping outside Yu Nanhong can one understand that even among prodigies, there are differences.

And Shen Zongzhu is undoubtedly the most dazzling among them!

In a certain great hall of the West Hong Long Gong.

Qi Qiye leaned against his throne with a deathly pale expression, a pair of empty eyes staring blankly ahead.

The elites he had sent out were still missing to this day, and the Nine Dragon White Jade Cover had also vanished without a trace.

No matter how they searched, they couldn't find the slightest clue.

Because it involved his eldest brother, he didn't even dare tell the rest of his brothers this news, fearing they had already been won over by his sister-in-law — he could only vent his anger alone in the hall!

"Send word to the Tianyan Siji! Send it again!"

Ke Laoqi suddenly kicked the jade table before him, sending it flying.

The few demon generals below trembled all over, their voices shaking: "Reporting to Master, we've already sent word three times, and there's still no response."

"Good... good... very good!"

"Using fake news to trap and harm this king's elite soldiers and fierce generals, and now they want to muddle through by playing dead — what do they take this king for? A harmless, stupid pig?"

Ke Laoqi laughed until he was out of breath, his mighty chest heaving rapidly, his features growing ever more savage.

"Playing dead, are you? If you won't give this king a reasonable explanation, then just die for real!"

"Muster the troops! This king wants to see just how long these lowly wretches plan to hide."

As his words fell, Ke Laoqi suddenly revealed his dragon form, his massive silver dragon body coiling as it swept out of the great hall. Behind him, one figure after another followed close behind — all his most trusted personal guards.

The group burst through the water's surface, soaring into the sky, and charged murderously toward the Tianyan Siji!

At the same time, inside the Tianyan Siji's treasured ground.

Shen Yi sat in the main hall, quietly flipping through the scrolls in his hand — all of them were rare intelligence the Tianyan Siji had painstakingly gathered.

Under Wu Jun's selection, they still seemed somewhat bloated and jumbled, but at least they could help Shen Yi sort out the current situation.

For instance, that eldest son of the Qi family had actually been secretly colluding with so many forces behind the scenes — among them no shortage of demons from North Hong, and even the existence of a Xian Sect.

Besides contacting other forces, this great dragon son had also newly propped up several once-downtrodden demon clans.

One had to admit, the Tianyan Siji really did have talented people — with the strength of a Moliuxian Sect, they were actually able to reach into these matters.

"Huu."

Shen Yi looked at the things recorded above and suddenly felt his thoughts had become much clearer.

These demon forces — powerful in strength, yet restrained by other reasons from being too loud about it — were practically raised specifically for him.

"My Lord, these things were searched out from their treasury, all of them are here — absolute treasures."

Wu Jun presented several wide robes interwoven with dark gold: "Wu Jun has tried them. Our Zhen Stone can already fully conceal our aura, and adding this on top can block others' prying — even the West Hall Master can't see through it."

With the master's current strength, it was already hard for any rare treasure to catch his eye, especially one from a force like the Tianyan Siji.

But this thing would definitely satisfy the master... Wu Jun was very clear on what the master wanted to do next.

Shen Yi raised his eyes, then summoned all the hall masters out: "Try them on."

The seemingly wide dark-gold robes would automatically expand when draped over Ke Shisan, but when draped over An Yi, they would shrink to a fitting length.

If the hood was pulled up, without going through the panel, even Shen Yi would have a hard time recognizing the four people before him.

Four figures of varying heights and builds stood quietly in the hall, their splendid robes swaying slightly — for a moment, the scene looked rather eerie.

Just then, a question like the tolling of a great bell swiftly reverberated into the treasured ground.

"You lowly servants of the Tianyan Siji — return this king's twenty-seven fierce generals, and the Nine Dragon White Jade Cover!"

Shen Yi slightly furrowed his brow and raised his eyes to look outside.

Although he didn't know much about West Hong, just from hearing those words, the other party's identity was already obvious.

This was his first time encountering a dragon son of West Hong.

Truly... somewhat exciting.

"Can we kill him?"

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and looked toward An Yi and Ke Shisan.

"My Lord... how about we give it a try?" Ke Shisan struggled to suppress his quickening breath. If he could cut down this great demon of the Dao Merging realm, he didn't dare imagine what level he could rise to.

Shen Yi gave no reply, and continued looking at An Yi, whose face was still pale.

"Reporting... to... you..."

For some reason, An Yi didn't seem quite so checked-out anymore, but she was still far from being as considerate as the other hall masters.

She closed her eyes and carefully sensed for a long while, then slowly shook her head: "That dragon outside may not compare to An Tingfeng, but it's still very strong. If I add this dragon, I have some chance of winning, but I definitely can't keep it here."

"Understood."

Shen Yi instantly suppressed his excitement and looked back at the Juan Sect scroll in his hand.

He was greedy, but not stupid.

To act without certainty would only be to beat the grass and startle the snake, inviting unnecessary trouble.

The two stone guardians who had barely stepped into the Dao Merging realm would certainly not count as weak in West Hong, but they absolutely did not have the capital to do as they pleased.

Especially when facing the largest faction in West Hong — no exceptions.

Thinking this through, Shen Yi said lightly: "Send it away."

(End of chapter)