Chapter 593: The Hour Has Come

To be honest, Shen Yi didn't have a great impression of this Myriad Tribulations Blood God Grand Art.

Of course, that wasn't to say the art was too demonic and evil — after all, among the demon arts he had once practiced, plenty were cruel in their methods, even the kind that imprisoned demons within one's body to torment them for eternity.

Shen Yi didn't really care about that.

What he cared about more was that this Myriad Tribulations Blood God Grand Art would clearly affect the cultivator's mind.

It was only at the entry level, yet it already made him feel parched and dry-mouthed when acting, with an urge he could barely suppress — the impulse to kill. If he truly reached the consummate realm and became the so-called Blood God, with nothing left in his head but the purest killing intent, wouldn't he just turn into a madman who knew only slaughter?

This left Shen Yi, who was used to keeping calm in combat, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Now, to hand over such an inherently sinister art to a group of demons to deduce and develop — he didn't dare imagine what it would end up becoming.

"Hah."

Shen Yi gathered his thoughts and turned his gaze to the panel.

As the demons' lifespans rapidly drained away, the text in the prompt also shifted at breakneck speed.

The main force in deducing the Myriad Tribulations Blood God Grand Art was naturally Yue Tianji. This eldest legitimate son of the Yue clan had thoroughly read the Daoist classics of the major sects, no less than the true heaven-chosen Dao heirs of the Northern Hong — a pity he was a demon, and his rather stubborn mind had cost him dearly.

Among the remaining demon remnant thoughts, those demons at the Qi Refinement Return-to-Void realm couldn't even offer suggestions — merely glimpsing the true meaning of the Blood God was enough to drive them nearly insane.

The great demons at the Dao Merging realm could barely keep their minds steady, but they too found it very difficult to truly understand the meaning of the killing tribulation.

【The 3,700th year — with your help and that of the various hall masters, Yue Tianji was straining with all his might to deduce the follow-up to the Myriad Tribulations Blood God Grand Art, but human effort has its limits. In his Calamity Qilin body, even achieving entry into the art was difficult. Even with the blessing of such vast stretches of time, progress remained slow, and he could no longer distinguish right from wrong.】

He didn't know how long it had been before a shrill, desperate voice rang out in Shen Yi's mind.

"I beg my lord to activate the array! Let us experience the killing tribulation firsthand!"

Clearly, Yue Tianji was only barely at the Dao Merging level in terms of demon soul, and combined with his already unsound mind, he had nearly broken down during this deduction that spanned over ten thousand years of time.

Without truly stepping into a killing tribulation, relying only on Shen Yi's descriptions, merely observing the true meaning of the Blood God and wild guesses could no longer carry him forward — instead, he was trending toward a state of qi deviation.

"……"

Shen Yi pondered for a moment, and a blood-light so dense it was nearly tangible surged in his eyes.

In an instant, the killing-tribulation illusion array conjured by his visualization swallowed his divine soul whole.

And within the panel, those countless wisps of demon remnant thoughts were shrouded along with him by the killing tribulation!

For a time, Shen Yi's mind was filled with nothing but furious roars.

Even the lowest-tier little demons were almost all creatures with blood on their hands.

But the killing tribulation that Shen Yi could pass through didn't mean they could as well. This hurdle required not only viciousness and ferocity, but more importantly, a steady mind — to temper out the most extreme killing intent. Otherwise, one would only erupt with baleful nature and devolve into a mindless beast.

【The 43,000th year — you stood at the end of the killing-tribulation illusion array, quietly watching that group of demons sink within the killing tribulation. As the master of the killing array, you could clearly see what they were experiencing — the nightmares from the deepest depths of their memories, now cruelly replayed by you again and again.】

Apart from ordinary feuds and killings, among these demons there were also many acts such as patricide, devouring one's own children, and betraying one's kind.

And to pass through this great tribulation, one had to achieve a heart without guilt and a clear, limpid divine soul — only then could the situation be broken.

Under the frantic pouring in of demon lifespans, time was stretched to be counted in hundreds of thousands of years.

Countless demon remnant thoughts began to fall in droves.

Fortunately, this killing tribulation was controlled by Shen Yi.

With a light wave of his hand, he released them from the killing array, returning them to slumber.

But after witnessing countless times the things these demons had once experienced, the crimson in Shen Yi's gaze gradually began to dissipate.

He had only cultivated for a few years — even with the vast experiences within the panel, how could he possibly observe the tribulations of the world while his heart remained unmoved?

【The 137,000th year — you tried countless times to close your eyes, but as the master of the killing tribulation, such an action only made you see more clearly. Every scene was vivid and lifelike; those grotesque faces, hideous and streaming with tears and snot, were seared indelibly into your divine soul.】

【You watched them sink for ten thousand years, finally collapsing in helplessness. The true meaning of the Blood God in your eyes gradually ceased to be pure, your heart growing ever more indifferent — until a wisp of grey mist rose from a certain demon soul.】

"What's going on?"

Shen Yi suddenly sensed something was off. The panel wouldn't reflect every change from the deduction onto his own body, but at this moment, he inexplicably felt a touch of Tianyan Siji.

It was as if he had lost most of his emotions.

He slightly furrowed his brow, spread his palm, and watched a wisp of blood slowly transform into an utterly placid grey — within it was no longer the purest killing intent, only a heart-flustering emptiness of nihility and extinction.

【Immortal. Myriad Tribulations Heartless Dao: Entry】

Observe the suffering of all living beings, and achieve the great Dao of heartlessness.

So long as the demon souls do not perish, suffering endures forever.

With the help of the many demons, this art had finally undergone a change.

That wisp of grey mist wavered unsteadily at his fingertip, reflected in Shen Yi's pupils.

He lifted his head slightly. On a Bai Xi, handsome face, he carried the transcendent air of one who gazed down upon the rolling clouds and seas of the mortal world while feeling no stir in his heart.

The killing array continued, the wails growing ever more shrill, and more and more grey mist began to gather.

The young man, however, only felt it was somewhat noisy.

He slightly closed his eyes and once again accelerated the pouring in of demon lifespans.

……

Yu Nanhong, outside Peach Blossom Villa.

Across the distant waters and lands, a qi mechanism locked dead onto that dark-gold dharma-phase over ten zhang tall.

"Holding your temper this well?"

The South Long Wang stood within Venerable Bihai, not in any rush to go up, but rather at a distance from which he could return to the dragon's lair at any moment.

Even though the probability of being discovered by the Seven Sons of Nanhong could be said to be negligible, and even if they truly fought, it might not necessarily come out at a disadvantage — this old dragon holding down the fort in Nanhong still chose the most prudent method.

This "Merit Immortal's" cultivation was really very low.

Roughly only at the Return-to-Void level.

Keeping an eye on the other party was, for the South Long Wang, the easiest thing in the world. The other party had no way whatsoever to get a message out.

What slightly surprised it was that, after sensing its qi mechanism, this Merit Immortal could still remain so calm — worthy indeed of being one who could hold back his temperament, blaze a new trail, and draw the attention of the Immortal Court in this place called Hongze.

What a pity — born in the Southern Marsh, even if one blazes a new trail, this path is already blocked off.

The Southern Long Wang did not envy the other, for it could roughly guess what final fate this Merit Immortal would ultimately meet.

"This King must also thank the Great Immortal."

What it truly cared about now was how to seize this hard-won opportunity to completely eliminate the nuisance of the Seven Sages of Southern Hong.

Even if he still feared that Princess Ziling's heart remained bound by blood ties to the Eastern Long Gong, this Shen Zongzhu's terrifying talent should be enough to help Hongze Daxian make up his mind.

"Please, Great Immortal... be honest, and do not trouble This King!"

Amidst the chilling words, vast demonic power instantly crashed down upon Lady Qinghua, causing the body of this Golden Body Dharma Image, seated in meditation, to suddenly sink.

Lady Qinghua slowly turned her gaze, glanced at the water domain, and said nothing more.

Seeing this, the Southern Long Wang finally smiled; according to its former nature, it would absolutely never have committed such meaningless rash behavior, but after suffering repeated shocks, beneath its calm exterior, its heart had long since become restless.

Only this feeling, making a future Immortal bow in silence, could slightly alleviate the fury in its heart.

Just then.

The Southern Long Wang looked up toward the sky; after a brief moment of daze, intense joy surged in its eyes.

The "Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals" it had waited for so long had finally arrived at Southern Hong!

It instinctively reached its hand into its sleeve cuff.

The losses suffered by the Southern Long Gong this time were incredibly severe; two Dragon Princes of the Heavenly Realm had been beheaded by others.

But if this could bring about the destruction of the Seven Sages of Southern Hong, ending the threat once and for all, it would not be a loss.

Back then, an Immortal's palm had severed Qin Jiaoyang; now, logically, another palm should strike, letting this new leader of the Southern Yang Sect taste the agony of despair his predecessor once experienced!

Such arrogance deserves an Immortal's punishment!

"..."

After sensing the turmoil in the qi mechanism upon his body.

Lady Qinghua also raised her head; the hand resting casually on her double knees quietly clenched.

The Southern Long Wang did not notice the wisp of killing intent slowly sweeping through the dark-golden eyes of that towering Dharma Image.

Since following its Master, Lady Qinghua had never suffered such humiliation.

This time, it was no different from before.

Southern Yang's precious land, the peak's main hall.

In the slightly dim hall, a tall figure swayed as it stood up; the ink-colored robe on its body moved without wind, revealing a somewhat slender frame.

Amidst the fluttering messy hair, that Bai Xi face had completely turned indifferent, its pupils filled with the gray of Tianyan Siji.

If the original Blood God Great Art made Shen Yi look entirely filled with killing intent and terrifying, now he made people dare not look directly at him; just one glance would make one feel inexplicable despair in the heart, as if sinking into nothingness.

"Huff."

Shen Yi slowly raised his head; behind him, several Hall Lords dared not speak, fear still lingering in their expressions; that endless calamity of slaughter, they had endured for hundreds of thousands of years.

Only An Yi remained relatively normal.

After all, this little tiger demon had never killed anyone before; the slaughter it committed later, after becoming the Stabilizing Stone, was only carried out upon Shen Yi's orders, so there was no karmic tribulation of the heart.

The fatigue on her face was simply due to staying inside the panel for too long.

However, the aura radiating from the current Master made her heart subconsciously feel a bit of fear; compared to before, the other was completely like a different person.

The previous Shen Yi, although equally calm and decisive in killing, allowed An Yi to perceive the turmoil in the Master's heart; he simply disliked showing it on the surface.

But the youth before them now had a heart like a dead sea; it seemed no matter what happened, he simply did not care at all.

Such a cultivation path was truly terrifying, as if moving forward only for the sake of moving forward, without any attachments or concerns.

Even the several Hall Lords most familiar with Shen Yi felt this way, let alone others.

"..."

Shen Yi slowly took a step forward; at the same time, countless gray mists like threads peeled away from his body, leaving a gray figure in place, then quickly dissipated.

His eyes returned to their pitch-black state; after a brief moment of daze, he looked at his own palms with a hint of helplessness.

Alright, this time it truly could not be blamed on the many demons and monsters.

After all, even Long Yuetian had not raised any objections; this Ten Thousand Calamities Ruthless Dao Art was completely created by his own hand.

Previously, he had worried about the Blood God Great Art affecting his mind.

Now there was no need to worry.

Because once this Ten Thousand Calamities Ruthless Dao Art was activated, even if the people he cared about most fell before him one after another, Shen Yi could ensure he remained in extreme calmness.

After all, within that calamity illusion array, he had repeatedly witnessed far more cruel scenes with his own eyes countless times.

Unlike Shen Yue Zhen Qingtian, which required a Treasure Mountain's aid, nor like Tai Shang You Ming Fu, which was nurtured by the combined efforts of all demons in the Western Hall.

The cultivation process of this technique was entirely the manifestation of the rich foundation Shen Yi had accumulated from the moment of his transmigration, through the demons and monsters he personally slew along the way.

【Remaining Lifespan of Demons and Monsters: 4,720,000 years】

【Immortal: Ten Thousand Calamities Ruthless Dao: Perfection】

Shen Yi turned slightly: "You come with me; the rest remain here to guard."

"We humbly obey my Lord's decree!"

Ke Shisan respectfully clasped his hands, then transformed into a streak of light and vanished into Shen Yi's brow.

Seeing the Master finally return to normal, the several Hall Lords also breathed a sigh of relief in unison: "We obey."

It was not that Shen Yi was careless; mainly, it involved the late Heavenly Realm... and the existence of the Southern Long Wang, who was nearly invincible at that realm; the remaining Hall Lords truly could not be of much use.

Let alone An Yi and Yu Lan, even he himself still vividly remembered the sense of powerlessness felt when facing that claw of the Southern Long Wang.

Fortunately, the other had come out.

Shen Yi stepped out of the hall door; his figure instantly appeared at the foot of the mountain.

Previously, Li Qingfeng had waited here; today, it had become Li Xuanqing.

"Sect Master... are you going out?"

One could say that, aside from those who followed Shen Yi out, among the Seven Disciples of Yu Nanhong, no one trusted this young Sect Master more than Li Xuanqing, who had witnessed with his own eyes Shen Yi break through twelve barriers from the late Soul Transformation stage, ascend to Bai Yujing, merge with the Dao in the Nanyang Baodi, and leap into the Heavenly Realm.

But linking it to recent events, after pondering for a long time,

Li Xuanqing could not hold back and came here, opening his mouth to ask this question.

His heart had truly become uneasy to the extreme.

The Sect Master had once hinted to him that he harbored the thought of making an enemy of Hongze Daxian.

But Li Xuanqing did not take it too seriously, because he knew that once the Sect Master truly touched that level, this thought would quickly fade away.

But today is different.

He sensed that the Sect Master seemed about to take the first step in that direction.

Once this step is taken, setting aside whether it can succeed or how slim the chances are, as long as one truly steps down, there is no turning back.

"..."

Shen Yi did not respond, merely nodded, then lightly patted Li Xuanqing's arm: "Rest assured, it will be very fast."

The time has arrived, the opportunity cannot be missed; how could one stop and not move forward?

"Hah!"

Li Xuanqing's breathing suddenly became heavy; he did not quite understand what the Sect Master meant by "very fast."

But he could see that the other party was about to gamble his life.

Their own Sect Master is always in a rush, far different from other cultivators, making everyone who knows him feel as if they are being dragged forward.

"So, is it the Southern Long Wang?!"

Li Xuanqing suddenly looked up, only to find Shen Yi's figure had already vanished within the Nanyang Baodi of Nanyang.

(End of this chapter)