Chapter 559

A petite figure hovered between the azure sky and emerald sea, her jet-black horse-face skirt gently rippling.

A vast river of blood surged into this鎮石, and against the crimson backdrop, her skin grew even paler.

Her thick eyelashes trembled, as if her lids bore a weight of ten thousand jin.

But the instant An Yi fully opened her eyes, her round pupils instantly verticalized, brimming with disdain.

Like a tiger awakening for the first time, patrolling its mountain forest!

The tomb guardian tiger demon from the Bao Yue Grand Tomb, plus those previously seen in the clouds, nearly represented all the strongest of the Haoyue Shuanghu clan, alongside two earth-realm peak fused demons.

Such vast cultivation, such rich bloodline, now all converged upon one body.

Finally, the demonic power hidden within this petite frame shattered beyond imagination, successfully surpassing the upper limit of earth-realm perfection.

"…"

Shen Yi sensed the aura ahead, similar to his own; indeed, these demon clans still followed the same pattern as at Bai Yujing—no restrictions from dao soldiers or heavenly tribulation. For cultivators, the Zhen Wu Bing realm was unique, but for demons, it was an inevitable stage.

Of course, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.

After all, cultivators sought to cross the Five Tribulations because they believed it benefited their Dao path; for demons, it was clearly more advantageous to directly break through to the heavenly realm.

Moreover, the strengths of cultivators were unmatched by demons.

For instance, once fused, one could spontaneously master a divine art—even a beginner earth-realm cultivator like the Wanxiang Pavilion's Zongzhu could wield it with skill.

That art was the method of sacrificing the life force of a sacred land's inhabitants.

Even though most cultivators would never commit such an act of self-sabotaging their sect's foundation, the difference between having it and not having it was immense—it was an open, desperate gambit, and no one dared easily test whether their opponent would dare use it.

Shen Yi was certain he would not use the sacrifice method.

But he could not guarantee that, in the face of true mortal peril, a person could still retain reason—after all, his will to survive was extremely strong; the desire to live was an instinct carved into his bones.

Moreover, as far as known, at least that immortal possessed methods to influence a cultivator's mind, even inducing qi deviation.

Thus, the best solution was to avoid ever being forced into such a choice.

As long as one's strength was sufficient, no one could force one into a life-or-death gamble.

"How do you feel?"

After An Yi had adjusted for a while, Shen Yi called her back.

"A little uncomfortable… but manageable."

An Yi tried clenching her fists; unlike other鎮石 upgrades, there was no震撼 or excitement, for she had never cultivated before and had no idea how terrifying her current power truly was.

Seeing this, Shen Yi withdrew his gaze with deep emotion.

Undeniably, this West Hall Mistress truly conserved her life well—whether reshaping her demon soul, crossing tribulations, or now enhancing herself, she had wasted almost none of her demonic lifespan.

Her demon soul's strength was purely built up by countless soul-renewing treasures.

Lady Yushan had already paid for it in advance.

"Pity, still a little short of breakthrough."

Shen Yi sighed inwardly but did not voice it; An Yi likely still lacked her father's life to become a true heavenly-realm鎮石.

He wondered why she had not come today.

Though regretful, Shen Yi was not overly arrogant; given the Haoyue Shuanghu elder's prior display, if the clan chief—clearly far stronger—arrived, perhaps he could use the same method to enter the heavenly realm.

Then he might only be able to devise an escape plan, and even that might be beyond his reach.

With that thought, Shen Yi returned An Yi to the Wan Yao Dian, summoned part of the black clouds, and sped toward the Banshan Sect.

Though this black cloud was a dao soldier, its function partially mirrored Yue's Huolín divine art—particularly in concealing aura and form.

Do not be misled by how Long Yuetian was instantly snatched back by the Lingyue Zongzhu—that was due to the vast realm gap; recall that during the pursuit of the bear demon, even An Yi, nearing earth-realm peak, failed to detect the Zi Lan Xianzi shrouded in black clouds.

With this artifact, traveling outside becomes far more convenient.

…

West Hong, Banshan Sect.

Behind the main hall.

The Banshan Zongzhu stood with hands clasped, gazing at his disciple and scolded softly: "Foolishness. You two schemed together recklessly—don't you fear bringing trouble upon others?"

Hearing this, Yan Chongzhang rubbed his temples, wanting to defend himself but dared not.

Though this matter had not been discussed with Shen Dao you, the results so far are clearly evident.

At least from the intelligence received, the Liuli Qingfeng clan has, so far, dared not even investigate their enemies cautiously, and their suspicions have been diverted entirely toward the fabricated "mysterious force," with not a single thought toward the Seven Sons of South Hong.

With that, he chuckled: "Besides, with Shen Dao you's methods, does he even need others to bring him trouble…?"

The Banshan Zongzhu raised an eyebrow; somehow, this remark didn't seem wrong.

"Master, what of the Zhen Yue Fa?" Yan Chongzhang changed the subject; Yang Yunheng had served as Grand Elder for so many years, and with him overseeing this matter outside, he felt more at ease.

"Fortune favored me—I've gained new insight." The Banshan Zongzhu smiled.

For the Xian Sect of West Hong, completing a fused-realm divine art—especially one inherited from the same lineage—was already a significant advancement.

Of course, if they could fully unravel the last stone tablet of Wu Ming Mountain, from current indications, it would be at least a fused-spirit art, surely elevating his strength another tier.

For a cultivator who has crossed the Third Tribulation and fused, earth-realm peak is the limit; to grow stronger, one must seek improvement through techniques alone.

"I wonder when Shen Xiao will come again."

The Banshan Zongzhu sighed deeply; judging from the news his disciple brought back, Shen Xiao was a man of reciprocity—but he wondered whether his promise of strong support to the Seven Sons of South Hong would sway him.

"After all, involving the Liangdaohuang Sect, avoiding attention is wise."

At this, Yan Chongzhang closed his eyes, still trembling with residual fear.

For the Liangdaohuang Sect, even without a fused-realm figure appearing, could command half the forces of West Hong to act on its behalf.

In strength, it could even restrain the Northern Long Gong single-handedly—calling it the "foremost of the orthodox" was not an exaggeration.

In status, it was nearly equivalent to the Seven Sons in South Hong, capable of uttering a single word that settled all matters.

For a sect like Banshan, even though separated by great distance, merely killing one of the Liangdaohuang Sect's direct disciples—not even by their own hand—still left them uneasy.

The Master intends to mobilize the entire Sect's strength, seal the mountain gates, and head to Yu Nanhong to support the Seven Sons, which also carries the meaning of avoiding trouble.

"Wait."

Yan Chongzhang suddenly opened his eyes, his face full of shock.

Sensing that familiar aura deliberately released for him, he turned his head to look toward the direction outside the Sect: "He... he has come."

What kind of joke is this? It has only been such a short time; how does Daoist Shen dare to return to the "scene of the crime," not fearing being targeted?

Hearing this, the Banshan Sect Master's face twitched twice; he gritted his teeth and, under the temptation of the secret treasure hidden in the Nameless Mountain, this powerful expert at the late stage of the Earth Realm actually fell into confusion: "Perfect timing, let's finish this quickly! Once this matter is over, I will take you all to Yu Nanhong to find those Dragon Sons and Dragon Grandsons to relax."

Even the Sect Master himself did not realize that he now took for granted that the Nameless Mountain was Shen Yi's private property, as if it were an open treasure vault; as long as the other party arrived, they could take whatever they wanted, with absolutely no need to worry about being unable to retrieve it.

"Disciple understands."

Yan Chongzhang turned and fled toward the outside of the Sect; as usual, just like last time, he took the small path to welcome Shen Yi in and led him all the way to the foot of the Nameless Mountain.

He subconsciously looked left and right twice before re-examining the young man before him.

Not looking was fine, but once he looked, it immediately made Yan Chongzhang stunned for a long time again.

The same black robe attire, still a Bai Xi and handsome face; compared to when they parted previously, the other party looked almost no different, except for the absence of that little girl accompanying him.

But for some reason, Yan Chongzhang sensed a strangeness; Daoist Shen's change was not superficial, but rather seemed to be a qualitative difference.

"Daoist Shen, you... you have broken through?"

"Lucky."

Shen Yi nodded and did not deny it.

The Banshan Sect now clearly has a trend of leaning toward the Seven Sons, and having witnessed him kill Pan Boyang, he counts as half an insider.

The same four words, Yan Chongzhang had just heard from his Master's mouth.

He forced a smile to stop the topic, dared not ask in detail, and could only cup his hands to say: "Congratulations, congratulations."

Judging from the previous two reunions with Daoist Shen, the "luck" in the other party's mouth might be far more terrifying than his Master's.

The Dao Heart is not yet stable; I should save my energy and not seek trouble for myself.

"Daoist Shen... please enjoy."

Yan Chongzhang looked at the small mountain before him; when he spoke these words, his heart felt somewhat sour.

"Thank you."

Shen Yi was not polite; with An Yi watching over in the Wan Yao Dian, with the other party's current strength, it was enough to solve most troubles.

He sat cross-legged and familiarly immersed his soul into this Nameless Mountain.

In the next moment, that magnificent and beautiful treasure mountain revealed its true form again; the suffocating and splitting heavy pressure, now falling upon Shen Yi, was like bathing in warm water, blending with the True Intent of the Divine Mountain within his body, making him feel extremely comfortable.

He took a step forward and entered this mountain at a leisurely pace.

Following the familiar mountain path all the way up, he passed the Divine Mountain Stele, and then crossed the Suppressing Mountain Stele.

Shen Yi was prepared to endure that vast pressure again, but he was shocked to discover that the final stretch of the path up the mountain was actually no different from before.

He walked up toward the top in confusion until he reached the mountain peak.

Compared to the grandeur of the entire mountain, the summit appeared slightly cramped; on the bare cliff edge, there was no third path stele as Shen Yi had imagined.

"..."

Shen Yi frowned slightly; what does this mean, playing dirty?

Because it couldn't stop him, he simply didn't set a question?

He walked slowly to the cliff edge, lowered his eyes to look down; the ten-thousand-zhang precipice was like a man-eating abyss, still leaving one at a loss.

Shen Yi pondered for a moment and looked at the panel.

【Remaining Demons' Lifespan: 1.92 million years】

After the demons broke through to the Dao-Integration stage, their lifespan nearly surged by more than half, leaping from Bai Yujing's average of over 300,000 years to the level of over 500,000 years.

Especially the Deer Demon and the Bat Demon, who had just reached Dao-Integration, were simply the best contributors of Demon Lifespan.

Four Dao-Integration Great Demons, plus over ten Haoyue Shuanghu of Bai Yu Jing, allowed Shen Yi to have a rare full meal.

With so much Demon Lifespan supporting him.

Shen Yi was in no hurry at all; he simply sat cross-legged on the cliff edge and slowly waited it out.

Just then, he inadvertently glanced at the sky above, and immediately his entire body paused slightly, even his pupils shrinking.

The final secret treasure of the Nameless Mountain... is not on the mountain.

Inside the vast sky, covered by dense white clouds, a square large stele stood there.

As the clear breeze parted the clouds and mist, the last two characters on the stele surface, full of an ancient atmosphere, were finally revealed.

Blue Sky!

After a long journey of ascetic practice, only upon reaching the summit of Yu Shan can one part the clouds and see the Blue Sky.

"Hah."

Shen Yi moved his arms slightly; there was still no abnormality; compared to the forced realization before, he found that this time it seemed he needed to take the initiative himself.

No matter, sometimes one must switch things up.

West Hong, Banshan Sect.

The thin old man paced anxiously by the spring: "Ten days! Could something have gone wrong?"

Yan Chongzhang waited silently beside him; he knew what his Master was anxious about, after all, Daoist Shen coming out this time would decide whether what was hidden in the Nameless Mountain was Spiritual Arts or... the legendary Immortal Arts.

But this was too anxious.

He muttered quietly: "Master, when you observed the mountain back then, ten days wasn't even enough for you to immerse your soul."

"How can that be compared?"

The Banshan Sect Master glared at him; what was the relationship between himself and the Nameless Mountain, and what was the relationship between young friend Shen Xiao and the Nameless Mountain?

"I'll speak the truth: if this were truly an immortal technique, with your aptitude, let alone mastering it, merely understanding it would be a success." Yan Chongzhang forced a smile.

"..." The Banshan Sect Master instinctively wanted to retort, but after a moment of contemplation, could only exhale a sigh tinged with emotion: "Then spiritual techniques are better. If we're to face the Southern Long Gong, we need something practical."

"You're being picky."

Yan Chongzhang shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to say something more, he saw his master suddenly lift his head and look toward the sect's outer grounds.

This familiar reaction made a sense of foreboding surge within him.

It was as if verifying Yan Chongzhang's guess.

In the next instant, a uniform, deep sound resonated from outside the sect.

"Liangdaohuang Sect, Sect Master Situ Junrui arrives personally. You have thirty breaths to open your formation and welcome us!"

The moment these words echoed within Banshan Sect.

Yan Chongzhang suddenly felt his mouth and throat dry. With his steady temperament, he couldn't help but curse inwardly: "Are they playing with us?"

Last time, Pan Boyang arrived first, and Daoist Shen followed shortly after.

This time, Daoist Shen has arrived, and the Liangdaohuang Sect came rushing like dogs smelling meat, without a moment's rest.

It even gave Yan Chongzhang the illusion that the two sides had made an appointment.

He hurriedly looked at his master, but for the first time saw such intense solemnity and dread on his face: "Do you know this Sect Master?"

"..."

The Banshan Sect Master slowly clenched both palms, his breathing becoming somewhat急促: "Situ Junrui, among the sixteen Sect Masters of the Liangdaohuang Sect, though his seniority is light, in terms of strength, he has already reached the peak of the Earth Realm. If he performs well, he could even brush the tail of the top ten."

"Peak of the Earth Realm? A prodigy who has merged four weapons with the Dao?"

Yan Chongzhang stood frozen in place. What truly shocked him was not this Sect Master's strength, but...

"A prodigy who has fully matured like this, yet can't even enter the top ten?"

"You understand nothing."

The Banshan Sect Master glanced at this foolish disciple, his eyes slightly envious: "When you are qualified to attend the Immortal Banquet, you will naturally understand."

The reason Northern Hong could stand above the other three Hongs was certainly related to the density of the heaven-and-earth qi and the quantity and quality of heavenly treasures and rare herbs, but if comparing these, Eastern Hong was no weaker than the north.

The most crucial factor was that Northern Hong was the place closest to the Immortals... Compared to this land where Immortals reside, how could the other three Hongs, no matter how prosperous, compare to the immortal pills and fine wines that fall from the Immortals' fingertips?

Moreover, the past incident made Hongze Daxian, who never concerned himself with worldly affairs, feel that within the Hongze territory, someone still dared to harbor second thoughts against him. Thus, the frequency of the banquets increased.

As the two largest forces in Northern Hong, and having contributed significantly to sending Princess Ziling to the heavens, over a hundred thousand years have passed, with several generations of the younger generation replaced. Both the Northern Long Gong and the Liangdaohuang Sect have grown fat and complacent.

The Immortals may not concern themselves with worldly affairs, but it does not mean they are willing to see disasters occur in their subordinate lands, inviting accountability from the Immortal Court.

Letting Northern Hong dominate alone, intimidating the other regions, while the minds of these two major forces are entirely focused on how to please him, Hongze naturally remains calm... at least on the surface, calm is enough.

Didn't you see it forced the Eastern Long Gong to the extent of sending their daughter to Western Hong for marriage? If they hadn't felt the pressure, how would they have resorted to such a desperate measure?

"Thirty breaths are almost up."

Yan Chongzhang nervously swallowed, pulling out a jade slip: "Go quickly and inform the Branch Sect Master to come over. This is a life-or-death matter! Everyone else, return to your caves and stay put. Without the Sect Master's decree, no one is allowed to come out!"

"Go quickly!"

In matters of such importance, he was still quite reliable.

"If you have done nothing wrong, you need not fear ghosts knocking on the door. Come with me to meet him and respond normally."

The Banshan Sect Master adjusted his mood. After all, his sect's disciples truly did not act. As for the one who did, as long as no one speaks, who would know it happened at the foot of a nameless mountain?

No matter how strong the Liangdaohuang Sect is, this is still Western Hong. How could their information be so accurate?

Having said that, the master and disciple straightened their robes, then one after the other leaped out of the sect.

Between the sky-piercing giant pillars.

The Jiangshan map, far more magnificent than last time, nearly encircled the entire Banshan Sect. Under the glow of Jin Guang, even the palm prints atop the giant pillars appeared much dimmer.

Several disciples in magnificent robes stood distributed around, their garments billowing, like celestial soldiers and immortal generals, truly imposing.

"Unaware of Sect Master Situ's personal arrival, this old one failed to welcome you from afar. I hope..."

The Banshan Sect Master washed away the martial aura from his entire body, deliberately acting refined as he clasped his hands. Before his words finished, his face suddenly twitched, and the smile on his lips quickly faded.

He lowered his two arms and silently gazed at the Daohuang Palace within the Jiangshan map.

His hemp robes fluttered slightly, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged, as if hiding several dragons.

Situ Junrui sat as if on the ground, extending two legs, casually seated on a cushion. Beside him, a white-haired old man lay prostrate like a dog.

He reached out, grabbed the old man's hair, and forcibly pulled his head up, revealing a bloodied and flesh-torn face.

"Come, Elder Yang, greet your Sect Master."

Situ Junrui smiled as he looked down from above, taking the figures of the master and disciple entirely into his sight.

Looking down from a height, like a monarch.

(End of this chapter)