Chapter 561

Boom—

Outside Banshan Sect, Yan Chongzhang helped his master to his feet, voice trembling: "Master, what's going on?"

Earlier, Situ Junrui had stood motionless, his head severed by Shen Daozhi's blade—this alone was utterly bizarre.

Yet before he could process the shock, he saw the magnificent Jiangshan Map swallow Shen Daozhi whole.

The realm gap had become so vast that Yan Chongzhang could no longer tell who held the upper hand.

"The Dao methods passed down through Liangdaohuang Sect are strangely elusive."

The Banshan Shen Zongzhu quickly raised his right arm, only to see that the wrist, which should have been crushed when his blade was taken, now bore not a single scar.

Yan Chongzhang also noticed this detail: "Those illusions earlier—did they imprison your soul?"

"If it were merely a soul-sealing technique, how could it break through the sect's protective array?"

The Banshan Shen Zongzhu looked exhausted; the Liangdaohuang Palace truly lived up to its reputation—over hundreds of thousands of years, countless prodigies had built upon its foundation to develop countless methods.

Illusion and reality intertwined, unpredictable, impossible to guard against.

"Beyond their deep realm, the Liangdaohuang Palace also gave them overwhelming initiative—by the time you realize what technique they're using, you've already suffered grave losses… If you fought inside that palace, they'd be like fish in water."

"Then what do we do now?" Yan Chongzhang suddenly panicked—every word made it sound as if Situ Junrui had deliberately set a trap, just to lure Shen Daozhi in.

"Tear it open and see."

The Banshan Shen Zongzhu clenched his fist again; the plain blade fell into his hand. He fixed his gaze on the golden-glowing Jiangshan Map in the sky.

The next instant, the old man leapt upward.

As he raised his long blade, an invisible force surged, causing the nearby Bihai to instantly reverse and surge upward like a colossal waterfall; nearby mountains collapsed instantly, mountains of earth and stone hung suspended, blotting out the sky, then shattered with a roar.

Even the residual power carried such might, yet the plain blade, now fully charged with the old man's aura, remained utterly unremarkable in appearance.

But his wrist trembled as he held the blade—as if he were lifting not just a sword, but the entire Banshan Sect, and thus struggled under the weight.

Before this blade, the vast Jiangshan Map suddenly trembled.

"..."

The Banshan Shen Zongzhu's expression changed slightly; Situ Junrui's attention was no longer on him—he truly had strong confidence he could cleave a massive gap into this Jiangshan Map.

But the map's reaction now had nothing to do with him—it was changing from within.

The next instant, the old man seemed to sense something; his pupils shrank sharply, and he froze mid-movement.

In his eyes reflected a streak of red.

In an instant, vast blood-red clouds spread, carrying rolling, horrifying demonic aura, swiftly engulfing the entire Jiangshan Map and corrupting its golden, ten-thousand-li landscape.

Boom!

Under the force of this overwhelming demonic aura, the Banshan Shen Zongzhu was flung backward, crashing helplessly back outside the sect; his mighty blade technique vanished entirely.

"Master!"

Yan Chongzhang rushed forward, but the Banshan Shen Zongzhu stared fixedly upward, one palm halting his disciple's approach, warning sharply: "Don't come closer!"

Now, not even Yan Chongzhang—but even he, a fellow HeDao cultivator—could make sense of the situation.

After all… how could two cultivators' battle produce this overwhelming demonic aura?

Against the crimson Jiangshan Map, even the entire sky had turned a faint red, making one feel that any moment a monstrous demon would emerge, flooding through the tear in the Banshan Sect and devouring every living thing within.

The next instant, the curled Jiangshan Map slowly unfurled.

Revealing within it a Dao Huang Palace likewise shrouded in demonic clouds.

The master and disciple saw no legendary demonic beast—before the grand hall stood only a figure in dark robes, hands hanging at his sides, while Situ Junrui had vanished.

The outcome was clear.

Shen Yi casually swept his sleeve, sending the unconscious Yang Yunheng back into the Banshan Sect.

Then he stepped out of the hall; the entire Jiangshan Map rolled up and vanished into the sky, but as it did, it swept along the several anxious Dao Huang Sect disciples waiting nearby, leaving only faint, barely audible cries of anguish.

"Hah."

The Banshan Shen Zongzhu watched the young man descend from the sky, his beard trembling: "Y-you, h-he he he..."

If he hadn't misseen it, the Jiangshan Map had just now seemed controlled by Shen Xiao—you couldn't understand Bei Hong's methods, but now even Yu Nanhong's were becoming just as strange.

Seizing another's Dao Palace! What kind of demonic… unfathomably profound technique was this?!

Shen Yi glanced at the ruined towering mountain, then at the dimmed palm imprint, paused, and softly said: "I'm sorry."

He hadn't expected that after deliberately leaving behind a jade slip, Dao Huang Sect would ignore the true culprit, ignore all evidence, and simply sweep the sizable Banshan Sect into the blame—even to the point of launching a massacre.

To be honest, Banshan Sect had done nothing in this matter.

Looking back, all that happened was when Pan Baiyang tried to seize the Luli Qingfeng, Yan Daozi had merely spoken a word of caution—that was all. Even when he killed Pan Baiyang, he had used Tian Yan Si Jiu to immobilize the Daozi on the spot, not even letting him see a thing.

As for harboring him:

Don't forget—Banshan Sect isn't a vassal of Dao Huang Sect; there's no subordinate relationship between them. Why should they report to them?

Dao Huang Sect's swift, decisive actions gave Shen Yi a new understanding of Bei Hong.

"What are you apologizing for..."

The Banshan Shen Zongzhu was half-amused, half-frustrated; he sighed deeply: "If not for Shen Xiao's intervention, Banshan Sect would already be wiped out today."

The old man didn't feel Shen Yi owed them anything; had he been heartless, he wouldn't have left a jade slip to clear their name—he'd have dumped all the blame onto Banshan Sect outright, as others often do.

After all, even they didn't know Shen Xiao's true identity—only that he had come with the Yu Nanhong Daozi.

If Shen Xiao had simply dumped the blame, extricating himself from this affair would have been effortless.

"Sss!"

Hearing his master's words, Yan Chongzhang suddenly snapped out of his daze, turned to Shen Yi, and his face filled with dread.

Don't forget—when this man first arrived in Xi Hong, he fought Luli Qingfeng, then Pan Baiyang as well; now look at Situ Junrui's fate—similar outcome.

From Bai Yujing to HeDao Completion, does he really defeat everyone in just a few moves?!

The Banshan Shen Zongzhu saw his disciple's thoughts, gently pushed him back—this was not the time to dwell on such matters.

The old man asked nervously, glancing at Shen Yi: "Situ Junrui... is he already dead?"

If the other party had perished here, then Hongze had no power, no rules that could stop the Liangdaohuang Sect from marching into West Hong in force to avenge their branch sect master.

"Not yet."

Shen Yi shook his head. He had originally planned to kill him — otherwise he wouldn't have slashed off the man's head with a single blade — but in the hall just now, he had discovered something rather interesting.

When he had undergone Soul Transformation back then, he had taken a damaged copy of the Liangdao Imperial Palace from the Scripture Pavilion and forcibly condensed it, only to find that apart from the Palace itself, everything around it was empty, as if a great many things were missing.

Only now did he understand that the missing part was precisely the Jiangshan Map.

Earlier, inside the great hall, Shen Yi had listened to the chanting of tens of thousands of years. Though it was unbearably irritating, it had also given him a sudden, deeper understanding of the Jiangshan Map.

The act of transforming the meditation cushion into a throne was, in fact, somewhat akin to a cuckoo seizing the magpie's nest.

Using his own Demon Emperor Palace, he had forcibly replaced Situ Junrui's Imperial Palace, then suppressed it within the Demon Emperor Palace, thereby gaining control over the entire Jiangshan Map...

"No wonder."

The Banshan Sect master gave a string of bitter smiles. He had actually already roughly guessed as much from the earlier changes in the Jiangshan Map, and now his feelings were too tangled to put into words — he didn't know whether to be glad or angry.

By his own inclinations, of course he would have loved to tear Situ Junrui apart with his bare hands; after all, he had never in his life lost so much face, and had nearly had his entire sect wiped out.

But as sect master, he naturally also hoped to have more time for his sect to maneuver and find a path to survival.

In any case.

The old man drew a deep breath, clasped his fists tightly, and was about to bow to the young man: "Shen..."

Shen Yi reached out to stop his motion, cutting off his words as well, and pressed a new jade slip into the old man's hand, tilting his chin slightly: "General Nanyang, Shen Yi."

Those four simple words made the Banshan Sect master freeze for a moment, until Yan Chongzhang chewed on them a few times and looked up in astonishment: "Daoist friend Shen, you are from the General Nanyang Sect — that General Nanyang Sect, the foremost of the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong?"

Before the words had even faded, the Banshan Sect master had already landed a vicious slap on the back of his head: "Still calling him Daoist friend! Still calling him Daoist friend!"

Anyone who could suppress Situ Junrui was, of course, a Unity Dao cultivator — how could a single blessed land possibly contain a second Unity Dao cultivator?

Having said this, the old man withdrew his gaze, somewhat unsettled: "So it is the Shen Zongzhu of General Nanyang himself who has come."

He had even guessed at everything outside Hongze, and never imagined that the true answer had been right in front of him all along.

That stretch of Yu Nanhong... how had it nurtured such a terrifyingly talented young genius? Could it be that while they appeared to be sealed off in Yu Nanhong on the surface, they were actually still secretly in contact with the Immortals and East Hong?

And the title of Shen Zongzhu of General Nanyang — it had been many years since that title had appeared in Hongze. The cultivator bearing the title had changed, but the strength remained as formidable as ever, worthy of the name of the foremost of the Seven Sons!

"Wait..."

The Banshan Sect master suddenly realized, and looked at the black-robed youth in disbelief.

The other party had suddenly revealed his identity — could it be that he meant to shelter the Banshan Sect?

Could it be that from now on, the Banshan Sect could also fly the banner of the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong?

In the past, the Banshan Sect master would not have found this matter anything to rejoice over.

The Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong were undeniably powerful — even after suffering Immortal Punishment, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse.

Even looking at it from a hundred thousand years later, they had merely fallen from the level of the Liangdaohuang Sect to the level of the West Long Gong. It might look rather shabby, but don't forget... the West Long Gong was also a hegemon ruling over an entire Hong, and was not yet at a stage the Banshan Sect could afford to look down on.

The problem was.

The Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong were tucked away in a remote corner, and didn't dare come out; whatever happened outside, they couldn't help with — and they were also terribly poor... Following them would bring not the slightest benefit, while needlessly attracting a heap of trouble.

But now the situation was entirely different.

The Banshan Sect's circumstances were already as bad as they could possibly be, like a walking jinx. At a time like this, being able to latch onto the great tree of the Seven Sons was a blessing within the misfortune!

"The final spiritual art is also recorded within."

Shen Yi did not say more. His thinking was simple: since they had all offended the Liangdaohuang Sect, having one more ally was certainly not a bad thing.

Besides, he was the one who had done the deed, yet the whole black pot had been dumped on the Banshan Sect. Unless he intended to silence them by killing them all, acting in this way meant he couldn't really blame them if they later sold him out.

"I need a quiet place to cultivate in seclusion. I may trouble you for a few more days."

The final art within Wuming Mountain was merely a Unity Dao spiritual art. Though equally rare and precious, compared to his earlier expectations, it still left Shen Yi somewhat disappointed.

At this level, it was somewhat unworthy of the resplendent Gaoshan he had seen.

"Shen Zongzhu is too polite — what is there to trouble about?"

The Banshan Sect master shook his head and sighed: "To speak plainly, just treat this place as a branch of General Nanyang Sect. After all, the lives of all of us now hang entirely upon the Seven Sons..."

"Chongzhang, escort Shen Zongzhu to rest. I need to repair the sect-protecting formation." The old man raised his palm slightly.

"This disciple understands."

Yan Chongzhang bowed respectfully with cupped fists, then led the way: "Shen Zongzhu, please."

In the short span of days, the way he addressed Shen Yi had changed three times.

For some reason, after learning of the other's identity, Yan Chongzhang's Dao heart had suddenly become far more stable. The address "Shen Zongzhu" was now spoken with complete sincerity, and he no longer had any thought of comparing himself to Shen Yi.

What was there even to compare? A Dao Son being inferior to a Shen Zongzhu was perfectly reasonable — and besides, the other was the Shen Zongzhu of General Nanyang!

The legendary Shen Zongzhu of General Nanyang, who had crossed blades with an Immortal — could that be a position just anyone could hold?

Inside a secluded cave dwelling.

Yan Chongzhang bowed with meticulous propriety and took his leave.

Only Shen Yi remained, sitting cross-legged.

【Remaining Demon-Subduing Lifespan: 1,070,000 years】

【Unity Dao (Spiritual). Blue Heaven Art: Complete】

Of the more than eight hundred thousand years of lifespan consumed, the greater part had been wasted on the process of acquiring the art. When it came to actually cultivating it, with Long Yuetian's assistance, the entire process had gone so smoothly that even Shen Yi was somewhat surprised.

If the two of them hadn't had slightly different trains of thought, leading to frequent mismatches, the time spent cultivating might have been reduced several times over.

But what puzzled Shen Yi the most was —

The final art within Wuming Mountain had absolutely nothing to do with the True Intent of the Divine Mountain, as if it were disconnected from the previous two arts.

Transforming into the blue heavens, making all sentient beings prisoners.

Shen Yi had previously used this Blue Sky Art to shatter Situ Junrui's Jiangshan Map.

True to its name as a Spirit Art, the effect was indeed excellent.

Yet Shen Yi still felt it was somewhat insufficient.

He slightly closed his eyes, gazing calmly at Yue Tianji within the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons: "Have you had any thoughts?"

Previously, at the foot of the Nameless Mountain, Yan Chongzhang had interrupted his train of thought, but this actually had no impact on the entire deduction process, after all, the main force of the deduction was himself, the Hall Master of the Central Hall.

"I have a little."

Yue Tianji was different from Ke Shisan; this Hall Master of the Central Hall possessed a madness that the other Hall Masters lacked, being extremely obsessed with the Ten Thousand Arts.

But at this moment, his eyes were still filled with exhaustion.

He did not know if it was because the deduction time was too long, or because he felt explaining his thoughts to his Master was too arduous.

"Reporting to my Lord, the Divine Mountain, the Suppressing Mountain, and the Blue Sky Arts progress in sequence; if they can be cultivated as a single art, perhaps there will be new progress."

"Only by using the Blue Sky to suppress the Divine Mountain can it truly be called an Immortal Art."

Hearing this, Shen Yi nodded thoughtfully and asked curiously, "Why not use the Divine Mountain to suppress the Blue Sky?"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Yue Tianji's expression instantly turned bitter and depressed.

Here it goes again! Here it goes again!

In the previous deduction, his Master had, with such a peculiar train of thought, tried to torture him into a madman.

He let out a long sigh, forcing a smile and said, "Reporting to my Lord, how can the desolate Blue Sky be suppressed by a single mountain range? Moreover... when have you ever seen a common Harmony Dao Art capable of suppressing a Spirit Art?"

(End of this chapter)