Chapter 588: The Divine Ability First Reveals Its Might

"Did you feel that?"

Huang Wenfa stood outside the blessed land, his expression gradually growing solemn.

As the Banshan Sect Master, he did not, unlike the disciples and grand-disciples below, consider the people of Yu Nanhong to be barbarians, but a measure of pride was still unavoidable.

After all, the remaining three of the Hong had frequent dealings with one another; having seen more, his horizons naturally grew higher as well.

It was not until he met Shen Zongzhu that Huang Wenfa truly changed this notion, but even then it applied only to Shen Yi alone.

Yet having come in person this time, he realized matters were not as he had imagined.

So many great demons had gathered in Yu Nanhong, yet up to this very day they had received no news of any disturbance—as if those great demons, once they had set foot in Yu Nanhong, had all vanished in some eerie fashion.

To be able to temporarily suppress even such a terrifying situation—the depth of the foundation possessed by the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong was likely beyond his own expectations.

Moreover, in such a short span of time, a Heavenly Realm expert had actually fallen, yet on the surface Yu Nanhong remained a picture of calm waters—utterly absurd.

The more Huang Wenfa gazed at the waters before him, the more he felt them to be unfathomably deep.

The only arrangement Shen Zongzhu had made for them was merely to watch this place for any unexpected incidents, to serve simply as an outpost, to prevent any other demons from entering.

Huang Wenfa had originally felt a little uncomfortable about it, thinking he had been slighted. Even if he could not compare with an aberration like Shen Zongzhu, he still had some real strength to his name. He had specifically brought Old Cheng along this time not out of perfunctory duty but out of genuine desire to help—how could he not be entrusted with the matter of fighting demons?

Now, however, he had once again changed his mind.

Wanting to do this "outpost" job well, it seemed, was not all that easy either.

The aura stirring faintly beneath the water just now was rather terrifying.

"I'll go inform Shen Zongzhu."

Cheng Xiaoyuan shifted his gaze away from the waters. Though he had heard many tales about Shen Yi from Sect Master Huang, he had never seen the man with his own eyes.

Honestly speaking, he did not think it would make much difference even if Shen Zongzhu learned of this—most likely he would simply treat it as if nothing had happened.

But none of that was any of his concern.

Faced with such a situation, all he needed to do was carry out the tasks the other had assigned; as for the rest, it had already exceeded the scope of what the Banshan Sect could help with—better to leave the headache to the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong.

Having thought this much, Cheng Xiaoyuan reached out and produced a jade slip, preparing to contact Shen Yi, when he heard a familiar young man's voice ring out from the jade slip one step ahead of him.

"Sorry to trouble the two of you once more."

"..."

Hearing these words, Cheng Xiaoyuan's heart gave a sudden lurch, and he felt a sudden tension.

What did it mean? Faced with what was clearly a great demon of the Heavenly Realm, were they really being asked to throw their lives away doing something else?

That would be going too far.

Not to mention—if Shen Yi truly opened his mouth to ask, given Sect Master Huang's temperament, he most likely would not refuse.

Yet the other end of the jade slip gave him no time to consider, and said crisply: "Please the two of you later activate the Mountain-Suppressing Art and help me keep the heavenly phenomenon contained within the bounds of Yu Nanhong, and prevent it from spreading too far into West Hong."

"Huh?"

Cheng Xiaoyuan was stunned for a moment, somewhat slow to react.

What heavenly phenomenon?

Huang Wenfa had also heard the voice from the jade slip. After a few moments of stunned silence, his expression instantly changed, and he shouted loudly toward the Baohua Sect Master in the distance: "Fellow Daoist! Hurry back into the blessed land, don't get caught in the aftermath!"

These abrupt words left the Baohua Sect Master somewhat bewildered, but she still obeyed instinctively, her figure sweeping toward the blessed land!

"What do you mean?" Cheng Xiaoyuan asked, his gaze uneasy and suspicious.

Huang Wenfa, however, had no intention of explaining. He stared fixedly at the waters beneath him—based on his understanding of Shen Zongzhu, from this single sentence alone, he was likely to have his horizons broadened again today.

As if to verify Sect Master Huang's guess—

In an instant, the azure sea and sky suddenly congealed, as if even the air had turned solid, making one feel an instant sense of suffocation!

It was as though an invisible great hand descended from the heavens, violently tearing open the water's surface. As it raised hundred-zhang waves, it carved a deep ravine through the middle of the several-thousand-li waters. Immediately after, that invisible great hand reached straight down and clenched. Within a few breaths, two furious dragon roars thundered to the heavens!

Ao—

The instant this dragon roar rang out, even the Baohua Sect Master could not help but turn back in horror.

One of those two dragon roars, she knew only too well.

In the days when the South Long Wang had not yet awoken, the master of this voice was the one who truly held dominion over all of Yu Nanhong—whether demon or cultivator, all could only eke out a living beneath its majesty.

How could the dignified Crown Prince of the South Long Gong suddenly appear at the border between Southwest and West Hong?!

What was even more incomprehensible was that someone had, without so much as a single word, so decisively raised a hand against this Crown Prince!

In truth, there was no need for Huang Wenfa to say more; from this familiar technique alone, Cheng Xiaoyuan could roughly guess the identity of the one who had come.

He simply had not expected at all that Shen Zongzhu's strength would be so overwhelmingly powerful—far beyond even Sect Master Huang's most extravagant descriptions.

He had originally thought the other had been over-praising, only to find out now that he had actually been quite modest.

"Blind your damned eyes!"

A Jade-Horned Silver Dragon, its body far larger than others of its kind, soared into the sky, churning the wind and clouds. It stretched out its dragon claw and let out an earth-shaking roar: "Do you know who this sovereign is?"

The other, a Yellow-Fiend Poison Dragon, coiled in the air, its gaze cold and grim as it looked ahead.

A moment later, its voice came hoarse and low, brimming with endless malice: "Sect Master General Nanyang, what great authority you wield."

These familiar methods had left it an extremely deep impression at the banquet back then.

The two dragon eldest sons had indeed recognized the current situation in Yu Nanhong—the defeat was certain—but that did not mean they thought they would perish here. They were merely temporarily avoiding the sharp edge; it had not yet come to the point of fleeing with their tails between their legs.

Otherwise they would not have made no attempt at all to conceal their auras along the way, allowing the two Earthly Realm cultivators of the Banshan Sect to detect their presence.

Never pursue a desperate foe—push a person to the wall, and there will be a price to pay!

Hearing these words, the Baohua Sect Master was once again stunned, beginning to doubt her own ears.

Sect Master General Nanyang...

That terrifying commotion just now—was it the handiwork of that young man?

The next moment, in the clear azure sky, dark clouds suddenly spread, stretching across the heavens, plunging the entire sky swiftly into gloom.

At the far end of those clouds, a tall, slender figure stepped out, standing quietly before the two dragon demons, blocking their path toward West Hong.

"……"

Shen Yi said not a single word, yet he had already made Qi Zhaoyi's eyelid twitch slightly — not out of fear, but from surging frustration and fury.

Think of it — the legitimate eldest son of the West Long Gong. Though he bore no title of Crown Prince, anyone who saw him had to address him as Dragon Lord.

Yet now, on the road back to the palace, he had been intercepted in broad daylight like this. Judging from the other's bearing, the man actually seemed to harbor some intent to slay the two of them on the spot.

The calm gaze the young man cast over was exactly like looking at that piece of trash being forced down and slaughtered at the banquet.

A mere junior, yet so arrogant!

"You came alone — it shouldn't be to fight to the death. What do you want to talk about?" The Crown Prince of the Ke family noticed that there was no sign of Ye Jiu or Ji Jingxi nearby, finally calmed down, slightly raised his head, and looked over seriously.

From what he knew of this General Nanyang Sect Master, the man was absolutely not the reckless type who came to die — he must have full confidence in being able to withdraw.

Therefore, the Crown Prince of the Ke family also withdrew his killing intent.

Given his current situation, he could chat with anyone — even the Sect Master of Yu Nanhong's Qizide Sect.

Yet the next moment, the Crown Prince of the Ke family's expression instantly froze, the chill in his eyes nearly spilling over.

Shen Yi was seen standing with his hands at his sides, his gaze sweeping over the two dragon demons, before he finally said softly: "Who goes first?"

Without waiting for the two stunned dragon eldest sons to respond.

He shook his head slightly: "Forget it. Both of you at once."

His clear voice, paired with that composed expression, for some reason made everyone present feel a thick sense of mockery and derision.

Huang Wenfa opened his mouth, even feeling that Shen Zongzhu had become somewhat unfamiliar.

So this was how the man conducted himself in Nanhong… Back in Xihong, he had thought this young Sect Master was overly hot-blooded. Turns out, that was already the result of deliberate restraint.

"This."

The Baohua Sect Master also forgot about her business of returning to the treasure land, staring blankly at the horizon.

For some reason, she suddenly saw the shadow of another person in this young man — the same overweening arrogance, the same effortless ease.

Only back then, Xuan Qing had faced a group of Hongze's prodigies, while what Shen Zongzhu faced… were Hongze's long-established older generation Heavenly realm powerhouses!

The gap between them was like the difference between cloud and mud.

Even bystanders reacted this way, let alone the two dragon eldest sons facing those words directly.

Qi Zhaoyi's dragon body slowly coiled in the sky, but the front claw quietly reaching out, and the jade horn on his forehead growing increasingly dazzling, both revealed that he had temporarily given up the idea of leaving Nanhong.

At least before leaving, he needed to first dispel the killing intent that was gradually stirring in his heart.

The Crown Prince of the Ke family, meanwhile, carefully scanned the surroundings once more, confirmed it was not a trap, then shifted his gaze back to Shen Yi, and said with a touch of emotion: "Perhaps this is the tradition of General Nanyang Sect."

"You always give the Meng Sect hope, only to personally snuff it out."

As his words fell, the spikes all over this Yellow Sha Poison Dragon suddenly bristled, as if grotesque bones had pierced through flesh. Between its thick dragon arms, dense Sha poison burst forth, and it ferociously slammed toward the figure ahead!

"……"

Watching the terrifying giant shadow attack, Shen Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Time had been too rushed — there hadn't been time to transfer Ke Thirteen over from the General Nanyang treasure land. This place was too close to Xihong, and if he released the recently-fallen Shen Shan Laozu, word might leak and arouse others' suspicion.

Although he had mastered a true divine ability and stepped into the Heavenly realm, after all he was only at the early stage of the Heavenly realm.

With the augmentation of various dharma arts, Shen Yi was indeed confident in fighting two at once, but if he wanted to ensure both dragon demons were buried in Nanhong, it might be somewhat difficult.

Therefore, he had to first make these two dragon eldest sons give up the idea of fleeing at full strength.

Judging by now, the effect was not bad.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi gently exhaled. The next moment, his five fingers suddenly clenched tight, and the sky beneath the thick black clouds twisted along with it.

As his sleeves billowed, his fist shot out like a collapsing mountain!

Boom—

Before this fist, the Sha poison mist between the massive dragon claws violently scattered apart.

The Crown Prince of the Ke family felt the vast force transmitted from beneath his claws, and his face changed drastically. He felt as if the entire world were resisting him. The surging demon power he took pride in had already been pushed to the extreme, yet it still could not press the dragon claw down another inch.

Even… even giving him the illusion of being flipped away.

If Shen Yi possessed such strength, when facing his own younger brother back then, why would he have needed to use those superfluous tactics.

Just as the Crown Prince of the Ke family sensed something was wrong.

Shen Yi, however, shifted his gaze to the other side, then raised his other hand, his five fingers loosely gripping.

Such a subtle movement, yet it made that Jade Horn Silver Dragon struggle violently, and immediately after was forcibly dragged over by an invisible giant hand!

"I said — both of you at once."

Shen Yi's calm voice echoed unceasingly in the ears of the two dragon demons. This undisguised contempt finally dispelled the last trace of doubt in their hearts.

"Kid! Are you not a little too overconfident in your immortal arts!"

Qi Zhaoyi steadied his form, the jade horn atop his head blazed with radiant light, and with irresistible force he tore through the restraint of that invisible giant hand.

Immortal arts, though strong, had not reached such an outrageous degree.

Even in single combat, they might not necessarily be a match for either of them, let alone facing two at the same time.

Even when the realm is the same, the offspring of the Long Gong, washed by countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, combined with their already incomparably tyrannical bloodline, were far superior to others.

"Something's not right…"

Huang Wenfa's face suddenly turned ugly. He indeed had never cultivated the Divine Mountain Suppresses the Blue Sky, but he had some understanding of the three component techniques it was split into.

No matter how you looked at it, this was not a body-tempering related technique.

Shen Zongzhu's move — actively closing the distance with the two demon beasts — seemed domineering, but was absolutely not a wise choice!

"He's provoking these two dragon demons."

Cheng Xiaoyuan saw something: "These two demons suddenly appearing here—most likely they were planning to go to Xihong to bring reinforcements. Shen Zongzhu probably didn't want to let them leave, hence this expedient..."

"But—"

Confusion welled up in Cheng Xiaoyuan's eyes: "After provoking them, what then?"

This move could indeed make the two dragon demons temporarily set aside the thought of leaving; after all, they were both great demons of the mid Heaven realm — who could stand such contempt?

The problem was, if one's strength was insufficient, this would only make them more savage, even rousing their vicious nature, fighting to the death without regard for their lives. When that time came, not only would they fail to keep them here, they would instead throw their lives away for nothing.

"Or is it that reinforcements are about to arrive?" Cheng Xiaoyuan looked down.

Sect Master Baohua's eye twitched as she stared at the silent dao tablet in her hand. Impossible—if the other three Heaven realm powerhouses were coming, they would surely have notified her in advance, so she could make preparations and avoid being caught up in too great a fallout.

After all, given the relationship between Baohua Sect and the Seven Sons of Nanhong, they would not worry about her leaking the secret.

Unless… this matter was entirely Sect Master Shen's own decision, because only this Sect Master of General Nanyang had no idea how to contact Baohua Sect.

"It's over."

Cheng Xiaoyuan noticed the change in Sect Master Baohua's expression — how could he fail to guess her thoughts?

He also saw the two soaring long dragons, equally robust and massive, nearly the two strongest dragon demons of the Southwest and Southeast Hongs apart from the Dragon Kings themselves. Now they had set aside their differences and, working in concert, charged toward that tall, slender figure.

He found it hard to imagine what cultivator could, at such close range, withstand such a terrifying assault!

And at this very moment.

The sky-filling black clouds suddenly scattered and dispersed.

Logically speaking, the sky should have suddenly brightened, but the opposite was true — the entire azure sky above the Venerable Bihai plunged into an even deeper darkness, as if night had fallen.

Behind the shroud of black clouds stood a vast, gloomy manor whose edges could not be seen.

There was the sound of springs, drowning out the wails of lost souls.

There stood a broken bridge, with layer upon layer of phantom shadows within.

At some unknown moment, Shen Yi had already vanished from where he stood, reappearing above this dark manor, seated upright upon a throne high above.

He wore an ink-black robe, his palms resting lightly on either side, his gaze calm as he looked down upon the mortal world.

"……"

The two dragon demons lunged at empty air, then looked up in alarm and uncertainty — and immediately their eyes went wide as they watched that colossal thing crash down upon them!

In an instant, both their minds were plunged into a frenzied roar.

Divine Mountain Suppresses the Blue Heavens was already a rare immortal art in this world.

And above the Blue Heavens, there was still the Grand Supreme Netherworld Manor!

(End of chapter)