Chapter 587: Breaking Through to the Heavenly Realm, the True Divine Ability

The Divine Mountain Suppresses the Blue Sky, brought to perfection, had been refined by Shen Yi into quite a few variations.

For instance, using this stretch of blue sky to conceal one's form was far more effective than any other breath-suppression method.

He no longer needed to do as he had before — when condensing a Suppression Stone, he first had to find a secluded, uninhabited place.

"Hah."

Hidden within the blue sky, Shen Yi adjusted his breathing. It had been a long time since he had looked forward so eagerly to the birth of a Suppression Stone.

Setting aside whether it could help the thing being nurtured within the Wan Yao West Palace advance further.

This Shen Shan Laozu himself was a great demon at mid Heavenly Realm, who had nearly forced out every last one of Shen Yi's tricks. Only by exhausting both his most relied-upon Divine Mountain Suppresses the Blue Sky and the Demon Emperor Weapon was he finally able to take the opponent down.

Shen Yi was actually more accustomed to close-quarters combat, but this time he had kept his distance from start to finish, never truly engaging Shen Shan Laozu at close range, because he had no confidence in gaining an advantage against the Laozu's terrifying demon body.

Such a fierce warrior even surpassed the strongest Hall Master, Ke Shisan!

Thinking of this, Shen Yi no longer hesitated. He transformed the still-warm corpse into a sea of blood and poured it into the Suppression Stone. At the same time, his divine sense stirred slightly, and one after another, shimmering demon-origin essences emerged.

A full forty-seven essences were needed before this great demon's soul could be reshaped whole and thoroughly subdued.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 5,380,000 years】

Looking at this remaining demon lifespan, Shen Yi no longer felt the solid sense of security he had before. Though the demon lifespan seemed abundantly rich, in reality, without causing too great a stir and avoiding drawing the attention of the North Flood, it was very difficult for him to push this number up another tier.

After all, even a great demon of the West Flood had died right here.

If he wished to continue accumulating lifespan, then slaughtering the Long Gong was unavoidable.

But the South Long Wang had the protection of the Dragon Lair. Once the fight bogged down and he couldn't cut through the tangle with a swift blade, the other side would surely find a way to send word to the Hongze Immortal, which would instead cause this immortal to notice his strangeness ahead of time.

At this rate, it seemed to have become a deadlock…

If there were no way to fill the vacancy of the great seal within the Wan Yao Dian and take control of the entire South Flood's power of heaven and earth.

Shen Yi truly could not imagine what he would use to fight that Bai Xi stationed at Hongze, let alone the immortal behind this dharma treasure.

"Enough, take it one step at a time."

He lowered his eyes, restraining himself from looking up to peek at that enormous Bai Xi behind the sky curtain.

Even if he mastered the South Flood, it would only be a quarter. His strength was still far from sufficient to meet the gaze of this Bai Xi dharma treasure.

Across from Shen Yi, Shen Shan Laozu slowly opened his eyes.

This terrifying demon, who had once survived a tribulation of slaughter, had finally become a member of the Wan Yao West Palace.

"Hanshan… pays respects to my lord!"

As the words fell, it transformed into a streak of flowing light and surged into the West Palace, like a left-and-right guardian taking its place behind and to the side of the enormous throne. Its form was then slowly swallowed by the thick black fog.

At the same time, within the General Nanyang treasured land.

Of the three Tianyan Siji stone statues Shen Yi had placed within the great hall at the mountain peak, the smallest one suddenly opened its eyes, a trace of pain surfacing within its slit pupils.

"Mr. —"

An Yi's voice rarely carried a faint tremor. For the little tiger demon who had endured a full hundred thousand years of torment within the Baoyue Great Tomb — to the point of seeking death — to show such an expression was enough to show what terrible agony she was suffering!

Over a dozen Combined Dao Realm great demon Suppression Stones, scattered across various parts of the South Flood, nearly simultaneously formed a tight connection with the West Palace.

The black fog condensed into their shapes, lined up lifelessly beneath the throne, the mist on their bodies spreading toward the throne until it merged into a tiger-headed, human-bodied phantom.

Only now did the Wan Yao West Palace finally reveal its thick, murderous aura!

"…"

Shen Yi closed his eyes and looked inward, gradually coming to understand the true meaning of the Wan Yao Dian.

These West Palace demons were An Yi's supplement, filling out her bloodline so that the nurtured thing could truly evolve.

And she, in turn, was his supplement.

The entire Wan Yao Dian was one enormous pill furnace. Whether Hall Master or Suppression Stone, all were merely great medicines — their purpose for existing was to be digested by him in the end.

Now that the precious pill was complete, it was time to open the furnace.

Within the great hall at the mountain peak of the General Nanyang treasured land.

An Yi's body had already begun to convulse violently. Tufts of fur began to grow, and many tiger-demon marks appeared across her entire face.

She staggered to her feet, but before she could take two steps, she thudded to her knees on the ground.

"Roar!"

An Yi let out a piercing howl edged with a sobbing tone, causing Ke Shisan and Yu Lan beside her to open their eyes with some reluctance.

Though they were all fallen demons, they had been colleagues for so long that there were still some feelings between them.

"Keep it down, don't let them hear."

That familiar, calm voice echoed in An Yi's ear. She endured the agony and raised her head to look, only to see a tall, slender figure conjured from black fog standing at ease before her.

Though the form was too blurred to make out a face, she still recognized him at a glance. With a touch of bewilderment, she whispered like a mosquito: "Mr. … you… have you come to keep your promise?"

The death she had once been granted had been saved for here, it turned out.

"You're overthinking it."

Shen Yi glanced at her, bent down to pick up her hand, casually slipped a gold bracelet onto her wrist, and said lightly: "Bear with it, it'll be over soon."

This was the truth.

What he needed was the divine ability nurtured within the West Palace, not actually eating this group of demon Suppression Stones alive.

Of course, if An Yi couldn't endure and her divine soul shattered, then it really would be "saving the small over the great."

"…"

An Yi stared blankly at the gold bracelet on her wrist. She remembered that last time Mr. had still intended to give this bracelet to that extremely beautiful Miss, never expecting that in the end it was given to her.

She bit her lip, and suddenly felt that the pain didn't seem entirely unbearable. She said softly: "Thank you, my lord, for your gift."

"You're welcome."

Shen Yi straightened up again, looked at the little tiger demon kneeling before him, and his gaze fell upon her forehead.

There, a two-colored light of mystic and white was slowly emerging.

Not knowing how long had passed, that light finally broke away from An Yi's body, hovering in the air, transforming into a round orb the size of a pigeon egg.

"Hoo."

Shen Yi drew a deep breath and gently reached out his palm to touch it.

In an instant, a vast aura poured into the body formed from his gathered black mist, merging into his divine soul.

Shen Yi closed his eyes, digesting this mystic white orb of light.

After a moment, he murmured to himself: "Supreme Dark Underworld Hall."

Observe life and death, command yin and yang, comprehend reincarnation.

The Yellow Springs is hard to cross, the Bridge of Helplessness severed.

Open the great Dark Underworld Hall, take seat and guard the Nine Abysses!

Ordinary divine abilities are all derived from Daoist methods, but this move, the Supreme Dark Underworld Hall, was clearly evolved from that Yin-Yang Pendant.

The effect was also extremely similar—both were techniques related to the divine soul.

The specific usage would probably still require careful deliberation.

In an instant, the tall figure conjured from the black mist swiftly dissipated within the General Nanyang treasured land.

An Yi quietly climbed up from the ground, rubbed her golden bracelet, returned to her previous position, and once again transformed into a town-stone.

"What are you looking at?" Ke Shisan glanced at Yu Lan and discovered that this South Hall Master had a faint hint of envy hidden in her eyes.

"You don't think you'd get the same treatment, do you?" He found it rather amusing and could not help but toss out a mocking remark.

"Why wouldn't I? My lord is the most fair." Yu Lan glared back somewhat indignantly.

"Fair is fair, but this little fellow has never killed anyone—have you?" Ke Shisan had followed Shen Yi for so long, of course he understood why An Yi could enjoy such preferential treatment.

"You—" Yu Lan was choked by the retort, rolled her eyes, too lazy to argue with him, and decisively closed her eyes to transform into a town-stone.

Just as the two Hall Masters were bickering.

Shen Yi, who was within the Clear Sky, opened his eyes.

He maintained his cross-legged seated posture, and behind him, a ghastly and majestic Dark Underworld Hall slowly revealed itself, as if carrying a soul-snatching power that made one dare not look directly at it.

The divine ability was complete!

Shen Yi carefully sensed the changes in the aura on his body, and after a moment, confirmed that he had stepped into the true Heavenly Realm tier.

Although with the help of the Divine Mountain Town Clear Sky, he had already experienced in advance the strength the Heavenly Realm should possess, he still could not quite contain the joy in his heart at this moment.

His previous speculation had been personally verified.

As long as this path was passable, he could keep walking down it.

Shen Yi retracted his divine ability and was about to remove the Clear Sky's concealment to head over to Xuanyue City, when his gaze fell upon the waters.

Roar!

Only to hear a dragon's cry, its killing intent fully exposed, surge up from below, sweeping toward the entire Yu Nanhong.

"This..."

Deng Xiangjun, who was holding his Dao tablet and waiting near Xuanyue City, also heard this dragon's cry.

Upon sensing the formidable demonic power contained within, the shock and pleasant surprise in his heart quickly faded, and the man as a whole calmed down considerably.

He had nearly been dizzied by Shen Zongzhu's terrifying advancement, forgetting the existence of that old dragon.

Slaying Shenxu Laozu could indeed resolve Yu Nanhong's current crisis, but in reality it could not wound the very bones of the South Long Gong—it would only return the situation to its original shape.

With Shen Zongzhu's presence, the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong would surely prevail, but not yet.

After experiencing the last banquet, Ye Jiu had already proven himself—without the influence of the Dragon's Lair, he possessed the strength to single-handedly contend against the South Long Wang.

But being able to contend did not mean being able to slay this old dragon; to accomplish the latter, Ye Jiu alone was far from enough.

Now the South Long Wang had clearly already fallen into complete rage, and might commit some impulsive act.

If they wished to formulate a response to minimize losses, they would still need to return to the sect and discuss it properly.

"Shen Zongzhu, shall we head back and sit down with them to talk it over?"

Just as the dragon's cry had faded, Deng Xiangjun saw Shen Yi's figure and noticed that the other man wore the same contemplative expression. Seeing this, he felt not the slightest worry, but rather a slight joy in his heart.

This showed that Shen Zongzhu was still quite rational, and had not become arrogant and complacent because of his leap in strength.

The Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong already had one Ye Jiu—sharp-edged, reckless, acting almost without considering consequences. Compared to having a second similar existence, what they needed more was a calm and composed leader who could grasp this Heavenly Sword and lead the Seven Sons steadily forward—the master of the Qi Sect.

Like Senior Brother Qin back then.

"..."

Hearing this, Shen Yi fell silent for a moment, set aside his thoughts, and nodded in agreement.

That dragon's cry served as a reminder to him: it was time to seriously consider how to lure this old dragon out and slaughter it.

For matters like this, the Meng Sect elders presumably had more experience—indeed, they needed to discuss it properly.

Unfortunately, not yet.

From what he had seen of the South Long Wang at the last banquet—even under those circumstances, the other party had not been so enraged. For it to now let out a long cry could only indicate one thing: he had guessed correctly.

With a slight shift of his mind, the dozen-plus town-stones of Harmonization-realm great demons distributed across Yu Nanhong all sprang into action, striving to search for the aura beneath the water.

Soon, that old ape transmitted back a message.

"Reporting to my lord, I've found it."

Hearing this, Shen Yi no longer hesitated, and directly bid farewell to the Wushuang Sect Master beside him: "Senior Deng, go on ahead. Shen Yi still has some matters to attend to—I'll be back shortly."

If he truly let that eldest son of the Qi family return to the West Flood, where would he find another lone mid-Heavenly-Realm dragon demon?

"Huh?"

Before Deng Xiangjun could react, he could only watch helplessly as the figure in the ink-colored robe vanished from sight.

Just a few breaths ago he had been praising the other's composure in his heart, yet now he could only dazedly raise his Dao tablet and mutter with a bitter face: "At least take this thing with you..."

Deng Xiangjun truly could not figure it out—even Shenxu Laozu had fallen here—so which foolhardy creature would dare to provoke their own Shen Zongzhu at a time like this?

……

Within the waters of Yu Nanhong, two figures shot up swiftly, hurrying westward toward Xi Nanhong.

"Brother Ke, we had many misunderstandings before. I'm a plain-spoken man—don't take it to heart."

Qi Zhaoyi let out a sigh, suddenly breaking the silence.

"If you want to laugh, just laugh—don't hold it in." The Crown Prince of the Ke clan cast him a mocking sidelong glance. Now that he had offended both his father-king and the Seventh Son at once, there was no longer any place for him in Yu Nanhong; he had to find a new destination immediately.

As for Qi Zhaoyi, although he had lost many demon soldiers and some face, he had gained a mid-Heavenly Realm helper—one with no turning back. How could he not be pleased?!

"Since you've laid it out so plainly, I'll speak straight."

Having his thoughts seen through, Qi Zhaoyi was not angry: "Your South Long Gong's foundation is too weak—it's because your father's courage is too small. This godforsaken backwater of Yu Nanhong, what's there worth fighting over?"

He sneered coldly: "Now that my father-king has awakened, that woman from the east will surely have to rein herself in considerably. As long as you're willing to help me, once I ascend to the Crown Prince's seat and enter the Dragon Lair in the future, you'll be half a Long Wang of Xi Nanhong. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!"

"Whatever you want, I'll give it…"

The Crown Prince of the Ke clan glanced over with deep meaning: "Even if what I want is Zi Xian?"

At those words, Qi Zhaoyi was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth and grinned ferociously: "Of course… not just her—even the grievances you suffered in Yu Nanhong, this seat will avenge for you all at once!"

"That fellow surnamed Shen only counts for something in your Yu Nanhong. Once he steps out of this backwater, what is he? Dare he come out and take a look?!"

"The premise is, you truly serve me with all your heart, fighting to the death." Qi Zhaoyi looked over seriously.

"……"

The Crown Prince of the Ke clan was silent for a moment, then smiled casually: "Just a joke—don't take it to heart."

This eldest son of the Qi clan—no real ability, yet his ambitions are quite something.

But only such a person would have to rely on him. After all, anyone in the West Long Gong with eyes in their head—who would willingly follow such a waste?

He certainly didn't believe Qi Zhaoyi could help him get revenge, but using Xi Nanhong as a temporary stepping stone to roost, preparing for a future foothold in Bei Nanhong, was a decent choice.

As for now, let's just get to Xi Nanhong first.

The Crown Prince of the Ke clan raised his eyes and looked ahead; the outline of the Treasure Flower Sect was already faintly visible. Once past this place, he could truly set down the resentment in his heart.

How vast are heaven and earth—he had only lost once, that's all. There were plenty more chances to turn things around!

You surnamed Shen—just wait for this king!

(End of chapter)