Chapter 553: Immortal Art Fragment, Five Halls Gather

【Killed Bai Yujing's Calamity Qilin: Total Lifespan 420,000 Years, Remaining Lifespan 240,000 Years, Absorption Complete】

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 2,490,000 Years】

Amidst the swirling white mist.

Shen Yi sat cross-legged atop the Secret Scripture Pavilion, extracting the corpses of the Yue brothers from his ring.

Though Yue Tiance appeared so helpless in the hands of Sect Leader Ling Yue, in terms of cultivation alone, he was no match for his elder brother.

Under the realm of Union with the Dao, it would be hard to find demons stronger than these two brothers.

Shen Yi condensed a square Fang Zheng talisman, transforming the two corpses into a river of blood that flowed into it, quietly watching the talisman turn into a ferocious beast resembling a Qilin, its scales dense, adorned with cloud-patterned feathers.

If it were multicolored, it might look auspicious, but recalling the black cloud Yue Tiance had become earlier, combined with the talisman's fierce and grim expression, it inexplicably radiated an aura of evil, a feeling that calamity was approaching.

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and began to condense the demon essence, reshaping Yue Tianji's demon soul.

Birth, aging, sickness, death, and suffering; suffering comes even after death.

On the way back, he had asked Senior Li Xuanqing about Yue Tianji... To be honest, Shen Yi did not feel this eldest son of the Yue family suffered much.

In terms of himself, his bloodline was powerful, his comprehension astonishing, and he had never encountered setbacks since childhood, moving smoothly all the way.

In terms of the Yue family, their foundation was deep, their status honored, and to this day they remained a top-tier great clan in Northern Hong.

It sounded somewhat like Zhu Shixiong Zhu Jue of Great Qian back then.

But do not forget, Zhu Shixiong Zhu truly could not break through, so he collapsed and never recovered; this Yue Tianji, however, created difficulties even when none existed. He could have broken through to the Union with the Dao realm without any bottleneck, yet because he could not defeat Li Xuanqing, he blamed his failure on knowing too little... literally driving himself mad.

Suffering unnecessarily.

Shen Yi shook his head; it was normal for someone like himself, with mediocre cultivation talent who relied on time to push forward, to fail to understand the pride in the hearts of such geniuses.

In his view, as long as one could win, whether by crushing the opponent with realm superiority, ambushing secretly, or even bullying an opponent with crippled legs by standing far away and unleashing the Great Star Blood Evil, it didn't matter as long as the task was accomplished.

Never mind, one must try regardless.

If Yue Tianji could not cross this tribulation, then Shen Yi would have to set his sights on the leader of the Haoyue Shuanghu clan, after all, that tiger demon looked rather foolish.

One after another, demon essences were poured in.

Until the thirty-sixth one, Yue Tianji's demon soul finally reached the Precious Grade, yet Shen Yi still did not stop, pouring in nearly twenty more essences.

【Bai Yujing. Calamity Qilin (Spirit): Yue Tianji】

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 1,960,000 Years】

In the next moment, the talisman, which had suddenly opened its eyes after transforming from these two brothers, turned the color of black jade, its dark cloud feathers swaying gently, giving off a strange omen of disaster.

An Yi instinctively frowned, blocking in front of it.

This thing gave her a sense of danger.

"Copy that Immortal Art for me first."

Shen Yi took out a jade slip, not in a hurry to let this talisman undergo the tribulation.

If one could truly obtain a rumored Immortal Art.

Even if the tribulation failed, it would certainly not be a loss.

"Tianji... humbly obey my Lord's... decree..."

Probably having consumed too much demon essence, Yue Tianji's expression looked somewhat dull, and it took a long time to respond.

It extended a claw, took the jade slip, and immediately immersed its soul into it.

Shen Yi watched quietly, only his slightly clenched five fingers revealing a hint of nervousness.

As for Immortal Arts, let alone practicing them, he had not even seen anyone use one.

However, Yue Tianji quickly withdrew his soul and handed the jade slip back.

Shen Yi glanced in confusion: "That's it?"

【Union with the Dao. Ten Thousand Calamities Blood God Great Art Fragment (Immortal): Not Entered】

"Reporting to my Lord, this is what Tianji learned at the Liangdaohuang Sect. The clan paid a heavy price and only obtained the introductory chapter. Only after I master it and condense the Blood God True Intent will the Dao Huang Sect continue to teach the subsequent content. I have been practicing it for tens of thousands of years..."

Yue Tianji lowered his head; obviously, he had not mastered this art, otherwise he would have used it during his desperate gamble earlier.

"..."

Shen Yi put away the jade slip, not expecting this to be connected to the Liangdaohuang Sect.

Condensing True Intent was something he had experienced once in Nameless Mountain, and that was merely a common Union with the Dao technique; even with the trials set by Nameless Mountain to assist, it still consumed hundreds of thousands of years.

Although Yue Tianji could perform various cultivator techniques quite well, he was still a demon, so it was normal for him to fail to learn a technique of this grade.

For someone at the Bai Yujing realm to forcibly practice Union with the Dao methods was inherently a futile effort.

Shen Yi originally thought there was plenty of demon lifespan remaining, but now his confidence was somewhat lacking.

Even the strongest techniques require realm support; just as he thought earlier, rather than relying on an Immortal Art to defeat an enemy across realms, it was much more decisive to crush them directly with realm superiority.

After all, techniques won't run away; it would be more worthwhile to save these demon lifespans for the Union with the Dao requirement.

Moreover, if this drove Yue Tianji even madder, where would he find another genius to cross the tribulation... Going to provoke the Haoyue Shuanghu leader now would be no different from seeking death.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi slowly placed his fingertip on his brow.

In the next moment, five magnificent great cities parted the clouds, illuminating the entire top floor of the Secret Scripture Pavilion like an immortal realm.

The last city was named Yan Kang.

In the rumors Shen Yi had heard, among all cultivators in Hong Ze, only Senior Li Xuanqing had seen this city.

But in the end, he still could not open it.

Crossing a tribulation offers no chance to start over except for oneself; once failed, it means death and the dissolution of the Dao.

So Li Xuanqing did not fail to cross it; he probably never even pushed open the door, whether due to insufficient cultivation to open it or lack of confidence, feeling he had not suffered enough and wanting to undergo more trials.

In short, he should be the first cultivator in Hong Ze to cross the Fifth Tribulation.

"Go."

Shen Yi slightly raised his palm, sending this Calamity Qilin outside the Yan Kang Great City.

In an instant, the city gate opened, and the supreme Dao pillars, once condensed, now finally fulfilled their purpose—within, no purple qi lingered, only blinding golden light flashed!

Under the gaze of the two, Yue Tiance stepped slowly through the gate.

In an instant, Shen Yi's vision underwent a tremendous transformation.

Compared to the previous trials, this one was far more lively.

Majestic mountains vanished into the sea of clouds, yet were utterly occupied by countless figures—uncountable cultivators gathered here, all eyes fixed on the mountain peak, brimming with fervor!

On the peak, towering, terrifying figures sat in the four corners of the sky, among them even some Shen Yi recognized.

The Lord of Tianjian Sect, the Lord of Lingyue Sect…

Before the six, unmistakably sat the old man who had previously sat in the Scripture Hall—yet now his face beamed with a smile, quietly gazing downward.

"Is this… Bei Hong?"

Shen Yi turned his head to other directions, seeing the Wuliang Dao Imperial Palace, and also a younger Yue Tiance, and a little girl among a crowd of elders, her face full of curiosity—clearly resembling the Baohua Xianzi.

The young Baohua Xianzi tugged at the sleeve of a graceful figure—a woman whose gentle smile was breathtakingly beautiful, gently smoothing her hair, her eyes fixed solely on the young cultivator standing casually atop the peak.

"…"

Yue Tiance knelt on the ground, propping himself with his arms, his gaze vacant, unsure why he had returned here again.

Until the agony of his mangled flesh pierced him, a thick, malevolent flame suddenly surged uncontrollably in his mind.

His previously vacant eyes suddenly turned venomous.

He gasped heavily, then abruptly looked up.

Before him stood a tall figure, face like polished jade, clad in a flowing white robe that made him seem a celestial being—his aura ethereal; merely standing there, he naturally became the focus of every gaze.

Behind the young cultivator, along the mountain path lay one corpse after another—some demonic, some cultivators—all grievously wounded.

And the place where Yue Tiance knelt was the very end of this path.

"Li Xuanqing!"

Yue Tiance let out a hoarse roar, trying to rise, to unleash the myriad arts he had learned over the years.

Yet he felt as if the entire sky had pinned him down, forcing him to remain kneeling—even his fingers could not twitch.

He could only watch helplessly as Li Xuanqing stepped forward, intending to pass him by.

"Are you proud now? Have you finally defeated me?"

Yue Tiance let out a bitter, involuntary laugh, his mouth uttering words identical to those spoken a hundred thousand years ago—no sooner had the words left his lips than fear flooded his eyes, as if he had already seen what would come next.

Indeed, the young cultivator paused slightly, then turned back, gazing down at Yue Tiance; on his handsome, celestial face appeared a trace of confusion.

"Who are you?"

Yue Tiance's face instantly flushed crimson, his eyes bulging as if about to burst from their sockets—he wanted to cover his ears, yet could not raise his hands at all.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Li Xuanqing hesitated, then withdrew his gaze, stepping forward slowly and lifting his eyes to scan the surrounding heavens: "Any others?"

Within the Wuliang Dao Imperial Palace, every blurred shadow fell silent.

The Donglong Palace crowd all laughed involuntarily; at the front, the Donglong King grinned widely, stroking his beard, growing more and more satisfied.

The gentle woman lightly covered her lips, her eyes shimmering with light, her fair chin instinctively lifted higher—everyone in Hongze knew this brilliant, dominant young cultivator was her Dao companion.

As for the Seven Sons of Nan Hong, the sect lords exchanged glances, all shaking their heads helplessly, yet unable to hide the smiles at the corners of their mouths.

Only the old man at the front still smiled, yet a flicker of worry surfaced in his eyes.

The Yue family clenched their teeth, unable to bear watching their prodigal son.

And so—

Yue Tiance's face turned ashen, his gaze dimmed; the surrounding bustle and clamor meant nothing to him.

His arms suddenly lost all strength; he collapsed onto the ground, indistinguishable from the many corpses lying along the path.

"Sss…"

Watching Yue Tiance's current state,

Shen Yi fell silent. Could it end here?

Had his hundreds of thousands of demonic lifespans been wasted?

Yet the demonic lifespan on his panel continued to rapidly dwindle.

The scene before him suddenly changed—all previous elements vanished.

Between the mountains, black clouds descended.

Yue Tiance stood before the entrance of an Xian Sect, bowing deeply: "Though I am of demonic lineage, I sincerely seek cultivation. I humbly beg your sect to grant me its teachings."

Outside the sect's formation, countless disciples curiously emerged, whispering incessantly.

Some discussed how he had lost to Li Xuanqing; others wondered why the Yue family's eldest heir had lowered himself, begging for teachings everywhere.

"…"

Yue Tiance's lowered face flushed crimson once more.

His clasped palms tightened further, nearly crushing his finger bones.

But soon, his gaze hardened again.

To break Li Xuanqing's myriad arts, he too must learn—not by seizing useless things through the Yue family's intimidation, but by mastering the secret transmissions of the Gedaxian Sect!

Finally, perhaps out of respect for the Yue family's standing,

A presence drifted from within the Xian Sect, welcoming Yue Tiance inside.

…

As Shen Yi poured demonic lifespan faster, the scenes changed ever more rapidly—until even his vision could no longer keep pace.

Among them, Yue Tiance led Yue family demons to massacre sects in exchange for secret transmissions; when unable to obtain them, he slaughtered indiscriminately and seized them by force.

As he angered more and more factions, the number of ambushes against him gradually increased.

Compared to these dangers, the harder thing was actually how to learn the Ten Thousand Arts using a demon body.

"Absurd."

When he saw Long Yuetian extract all his demonic blood and use a treasure to nurture his spiritual breath.

Shen Yi finally couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

These things before his eyes were Long Yuetian's suffering—Yankang Tribulation had perfectly replicated them, forcing him to relive them once more.

But so far, he had encountered no obstacle whatsoever, charging forward without hindrance.

Honestly, this demon's way of thinking might be strange, but his willpower was decent.

Until the scene before Shen Yi's eyes began repeating for the first time.

Long Yuetian returned to that mountain peak, sent out letters to all directions, and among them, the most important one was sent to Yu Nanhong.

Yet, despite his noble status, not a single person attended the banquet.

The empty Tianji was only graced by a few elders of the Long family, who helplessly patted his shoulder: "Have you had enough? It's over. Your仇仙人 has avenged you. Go home."

Long Yuetian fell silent for a long while, then suddenly stood up and violently shoved away the men before him.

He stared fixedly ahead, where a tall figure stood with hands clasped behind his back.

Long Yuetian unleashed a jade dragon without hesitation; the dragon roared through Li Xuanqing's figure, leaving not the slightest impact—passing straight through as if it were empty air.

"Hu."

Shen Yi exhaled softly.

By this point in time, Li Xuanqing obviously could not be here.

So this was where Long Yuetian's suffering lay.

To place your most desired thing before your eyes, yet make it impossible to obtain—that is called "unattainable desire."

The greatest suffering in the world is having no chance to start over, yet being unable to forget.

Indeed, as Long Yuetian's breathing grew heavier, his gaze toward Li Xuanqing grew more vacant, he chose not to strike again—his entire body suddenly hunched over, collapsing back onto the ground, and the entire scene shattered violently.

Even though Yankang Tribulation had made him retrace every step of his past, he still retained his present consciousness and long since understood he could never reclaim what he had lost.

Even in death, Li Xuanqing died at the hands of an immortal—no shame in that.

The entire scene began repeating.

Long Yuetian knelt on the ground again, then was forced to lift his head once more.

"..."

Shen Yi looked at the sky with faint resignation.

What kind of cruel whim was this heaven and earth indulging in, wasting its own demonic lifespan?

Even if it happened a hundred more times, could Long Yuetian ever break free?

At this thought, Shen Yi suddenly had an idea.

In essence, this whole affair was nothing but a prodigy whose Dao heart was shattered by others, who sought to rebuild it—only to end up destroying himself in the process, creating an inescapable knot.

But shattering someone's Dao heart...

I've got plenty of experience with that.

Shen Yi lifted his gaze and attempted to slowly let his soul seep into Yankang Dacheng.

At that moment, the entire realm reacted violently—winds and clouds churned furiously, trying to expel Shen Yi's soul!

"Tsk."

Shen Yi frowned. He hadn't intended to help Long Yuetian cross the Tribulation—couldn't he even give a warning?

How petty of heaven and earth.

Ssssh—

Above the five Xianchengs, black winds surged abruptly; the once magnificent cities suddenly turned sinister and gloomy.

The plaques bearing the cities' names rippled like flowing water, transforming into characters radiating malevolent aura.

Wan Yao Dian!

The black wind seemed to obscure heaven and earth's perception, causing the winds and clouds to cease instantly.

Within Yankang Dacheng.

Long Yuetian suddenly realized he could move—he froze for an instant, then leapt up, unleashing the Ten Thousand Arts he had spent years cultivating, desperate to shove those words back down Li Xuanqing's throat before he could speak!

This time, the splendid technique no longer passed straight through the phantom—it slammed hard against a solid form.

Long Yuetian stared blankly as the jade dragon shattered, the crimson flames extinguished, and his sword shattered piece by piece.

Yet the youth's dark armor bore not a single mark.

The young man slowly turned around; his Bai Xi, handsome face revealed no emotion as he calmly glanced at Long Yuetian, then brushed nonexistent dust from his arm armor.

He asked, slightly puzzled: "Is this your Ten Thousand Arts?"

"Hah!"

Long Yuetian's throat convulsed; his tongue tasted metallic and sweet. Though the surrounding cultivators were utterly silent, he swore he heard piercing, mocking laughter.

He stepped forward, raised his hand, and gently touched the dark armor on the youth's body.

Closed his eyes, feeling the true, chilling cold.

Long Yuetian grinned, his sharp white teeth stained crimson, voice hoarse and ragged: "Don't die... don't you dare die... wait for me..."

The instant he opened his eyes, everything around him vanished.

Thick Jin Guang coalesced, forming a black cloud that shot out of Yankang Dacheng, carrying potent calamity aura, transforming the entire top floor of the Zangfa Tower into a sinister, terrifying demonic domain!

The fifth Dao weapon has emerged!

Long Yuetian shook his head hard; freed from the suffering's influence, his mind suddenly cleared.

He stepped out of Yankang Dacheng, silently staring at the black-robed youth before him—and suddenly couldn't help but slap himself across the face!

Damn it! I've been tricked!

I thought I finally had hope for revenge, but my eyes were blind. That youth in black armor is none other than the Master; with a single thought, he could crush me to death. Revenge? What the hell of a revenge!

【Middle Hall Master: Calamity Beast Long Yuetian】

【Remaining Lifespan of Demons and Monsters: 1,820,000 years】

Shen Yi gazed at the demons' and monsters' remaining lifespan on the panel with a fairly good mood; his attempt had indeed proven effective. This bitter tribulation had consumed only a little over 100,000 years in total, far less than anticipated.

Amidst the joy, Shen Yi also guessed a certain matter by observing the bitter tribulation, but it would be best not to mention this to Senior Li Xuanqing just yet.

According to normal logic, after experiencing the first four tribulations, one would subconsciously feel that each tribulation is harder to cross than the last.

It is hard to imagine how incredibly difficult something more terrifying than the Death Tribulation could possibly be.

But Shen Yi now suddenly feels that the first four tribulations were the true calamities, while the final one seems merely a routine inspection, checking whether the cultivator still has any obsessions they cannot let go.

For instance, Long Yuetian; it was because he had bitterness in his heart that there were so many hurdles and torments. The things in the illusionary realm were all his past experiences, not things deliberately fabricated by the Great Calamity of Yan Kang.

But if there is no bitterness in the heart at all, does that prove the Dao Heart is inherently clear and transparent, so why would there be so many hurdles to break through?

Shen Yi's feeling was roughly this... no bitterness? If there's no bitterness, then just come on up.

Senior Li Xuanqing felt he lacked a certain experience, missing many hardships, and wanted to make up for it, but very likely, the only thing missing for him to reach the Wucheng cultivation level was simply reaching out to push open that door.

Unfortunately, his timing was poor; after he truly tasted bitterness, the Nanyang Sect was gone, and so was his spirit.

"..."

Shen Yi gathered his spirit, glanced slightly sideways, nodded his chin toward this Middle Hall Master, raised the corners of his lips slightly, and comforted him: "Don't think too much. Come, relax."

"Uh?"

Long Yuetian looked at the barely perceptible smile on the Master's face; for some reason, a chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and his whole body stiffened.

Why does he always have a bad feeling about this?

However, in the next moment, Shen Yi waved slightly and absorbed him into the panel.

Always letting Ke Shisan, the East Hall Master, come alone inevitably lowers efficiency; now that a brainy one has finally arrived under his command, if he doesn't put him to the test, he feels an itch in his hands.

Shen Yi closed his eyes and mobilized his divine soul to sink into the treasure pearl in his sea of consciousness.

This was a special lesson prepared by Qin Zongzhu specifically for Senior Li Xuanqing... which naturally included the Method of Merging with the Dao.

(End of this chapter)