Chapter 595: Even the Dragon Cave Will Be Killed

"Hah—"

The Southern Long Wang locked eyes with those gray pupils devoid of any ripple, and his breathing suddenly grew several times heavier.

He could not imagine that these people from Northern Hong had simply abandoned him.

What made the Southern Long Wang feel even more panicked in his heart was that the performance of this Shen Zongzhu from start to finish seemed to prove that, including the reaction of the Merit Immortal, everything was within the other's control!

This was the most terrifying thing, and also the most incomprehensible to him.

Thinking of this, he reacted swiftly, lowering his right palm which was still counting, and feigned composure as he said, "Even without them, relying on just this King alone, do you think I fear you few?"

"However."

The Southern Long Wang shifted his tone, swallowed hard, and tried to keep his voice calm: "This King guards the Dragon Cave by the decree of the Immortals and is unwilling to engage in such meaningless slaughter. Let past matters be settled with a single stroke; from now on, let there be no further entanglements between the Southern Dragon Palace and the Qi Sect. You be your Xian Sect, and I will guard my Dragon Cave; well water does not mix with river water..."

In just a few words, though seemingly still putting on the airs of a Long Wang, he had actually resigned himself to fate; his words, both inside and out, conveyed the meaning of yielding Southern Hong to the jurisdiction of the Seven Sons.

Even Qi Yansheng had to admire this old dragon; no wonder he was an existence capable of surviving to this day amidst various chaotic situations. This cautious personality truly dared not take even the slightest risk.

However, the next moment, under the gaze of Shen Yi's silent eyes, the Southern Long Wang's face began to twitch rapidly, as if no matter what he said, it was completely unable to move the youth before him.

A wave of intense crisis surged from the depths of his heart.

He instinctively raised his palm, attempting to tear through the black robe before him and strike first!

How formidable the physique of a late-stage Heavenly Realm dragon demon was could be glimpsed from the fact that Qi Yansheng's divine arts had been quickly broken earlier.

But before his dragon claw could extend, a knuckle had already fiercely slammed into his face.

In an instant, the boundless green waves began to roll; centered on the place where Shen Yi stood, the heavenly and earthly qi nearby boiled, suddenly endowing this somewhat slender figure with a majestic momentum towering like Gaoshan!

Divine Mountain Suppresses the Blue Sky!

A violent roar sounded again; the power of this punch far surpassed the previous whip-kick, causing the Southern Long Wang, caught off guard, to realize just how terrifying Shen Yi's full-force strike truly was.

His ferocious dragon head instantly deformed; shattered bone fragments pierced through the skin, and the scalding dragon blood made his entire face suddenly turn a bloody red.

Crack! Crack!

The Southern Long Wang's towering figure flew backward like a broken sack, crashing with a boom and shattering an inverted treasure mountain.

Qi Yansheng hurriedly manipulated his divine arts to reassemble that inverted mountain.

After all, the few people in the sky might not have gone too far yet.

"..."

Ye Jiu glanced at Shen Yi with a surprised side-eye; he had never thought that the strength this young Shen Zongzhu had just revealed, which was already enough to shock himself, was not even the other's full power.

But as the Shen Zongzhu of the Sky Sword Sect, he was most skilled in slaughter; how could he miss such a golden opportunity?

Ye Jiu threw the Flowing Light forward and clapped his palms together decisively.

This Flowing Light long sword was his first divine art upon breaking through to the Heavenly Realm, but unlike other cultivators, his remaining two divine arts were all further derived from this Flowing Light long sword.

This meant that while Ye Jiu might have many, many shortcomings, in terms of killing power alone, he far surpassed Qi Yansheng of the same realm by an unknown amount.

The Flowing Light quickly dispersed into five beams, fleeing in all directions.

The next moment, the Flowing Light transformed into a solid sword shape hundreds of zhang long, falling from above at a mysterious angle, firmly locking the shattered and reassembled inverted mountain within it.

"Cut!"

Ye Jiu vigorously waved his sleeve; the instant his words fell, the blue sky and green sea were entirely covered by sharp edges, as if to blind the eyes and ears of all things, while the sharp sword cry continued unceasingly, piercing through the clouds.

Buzz—

The sword-shaped Flowing Light crashed down; before truly touching, it once again relied on the aura of sharp edges to shatter the inverted mountain.

Amidst the flying large chunks of rubble, a terrifying yellow figure finally darted out; the Southern Long Wang's previously towering form, in front of this demon's true body, was no bigger than an ant.

Only the blood-stained dragon head could still identify his original identity.

"Roar!"

The massive yellow evil poison dragon rolled and soared into the air, but no matter what, it could not escape the range of this Flowing Light sword formation; forced into a corner, it madly extended its claws and forcibly grabbed into the sword-shaped Flowing Light.

When flesh met sword light, a crisp metallic crack rang out.

In just an instant, the Southern Long Wang's scales, comparable to defensive magical treasures, shattered one after another; skin tore and flesh split, and blood quickly dyed the surrounding waters a dark red.

"Ye Jiu! You seek death!"

Amidst the roar of the enraged dragon, the Southern Long Wang extended his four claws repeatedly, flicked his tail to knock away another sword light, and then transformed into a blood dragon; especially the gash on his tail was now deep enough to see the bone.

Having paid such a heavy price, he tightly gripped the sword light, his scarlet eyes sweeping over the three of them, before suddenly crushing it!

"Hah."

Although Ye Jiu's expression remained calm, his face turned slightly pale for an instant; obviously, having his divine art broken also affected him greatly.

But he merely waved his hand slightly, and the Flowing Light long sword reassembled, returning to his palm.

A sword that has seen blood only becomes more excited; this could be seen from his gradually quickening breath.

"Do you really think this King fears you?"

The Southern Long Wang's expression grew even more ferocious, as if he too had been stirred into a frenzy by the scent of blood.

A great demon capable of enduring at all times, when it falls into a desperate situation, possesses a terrifying will to survive buried in its heart that ordinary people cannot imagine.

"Too oppressive!"

He let out another dragon roar and actually launched an offensive, with the target being none other than the black-robed youth at the very top.

Now truly letting go of everything to engage in a life-or-death struggle, the demonic energy swirling from this old dragon was so mighty that it caused the entire Southern Hong to tremble!

Facing this dragon demon that occupied his entire field of vision, whose full form still could not be seen, as it recklessly rushed to kill, Shen Yi showed no panic at all; he simply slowly took a step forward.

Immediately following, a vast, dark, and gloomy mansion rapidly manifested behind him.

The sound of springs echoed; the long bridge was severed.

Shen Yi stood deep within this Supreme Nether Mansion, his hair swaying slightly, his pair of indifferent eyes quietly watching as the Southern Long Wang crashed straight in.

He did not, as he had against the Ke Family Crown Prince and Qi Zhaoyi, attempt to suppress the opponent with the aura of Divine Mountain Suppresses the Blue Sky.

All the heavenly and earthly spiritual qi had now gathered within the body beneath the black robe.

Shen Yi merged into the azure sky, and when he reappeared, he was standing atop the Southern Long Wang's head; the colossal size difference made the two dragon horns beside him look like two pillars holding up the heavens!

Yet, no matter how frenzied the old dragon's actions were, his figure did not sway in the slightest.

Under the gaze of Ye Jiu and Qi Yansheng, the youth boldly thrust out both palms, slamming them hard onto the Southern Long Wang's head; in an instant, that terrifying, massive dragon body seemed to fall into stillness.

The next moment, as if bearing the weight of three mountains and five peaks, unable to bear the burden, it plummeted violently downward.

Boom!!!

Under Shen Yi's suppression, the Southern Long Wang fell straight into the Taishang Netherworld Mansion, pinned down tightly within; thick black qi, like beasts smelling blood, swept over wildly, completely swallowing its enormous body.

"Ahhh—"

The Southern Long Wang's piercing shriek echoed across the Bihai, as if suffering some unbearable torment.

Demons and monsters rarely cultivate their divine souls; after all, they are the favorites of heaven and earth. Even without tempering, their divine souls can perfectly control such terrifying demon bodies, their ferocity leaving cultivators only able to sigh in admiration from afar.

But lacking tempering also means they have never tasted hardship.

The Taishang Netherworld Mansion is no kind or benevolent technique; it is aimed at completely devouring demon souls.

"Tsk."

Hearing that piercing sound, Ye Jiu looked at the Netherworld Mansion with a hint of apprehension, but his hand's movements did not slow even a fraction.

Shen Zongzhu's consecutive displays had far exceeded his imagination.

Using a cultivator's body to forcibly suppress a dragon demon, and even pinning it down so tightly it could not move, was unprecedented.

This was probably the best opportunity he had encountered in his life; he absolutely could not miss it.

Ye Jiu raised his palm; the flowing light in his palm flickered uncertainly. Unlike before when it had spread out, it was now becoming even more restrained, no longer transforming into a sword light hundreds of zhang wide, but growing finer and finer until it resembled the shape of a needle.

No discussion was needed; as long as each performed their own capabilities to the best of their ability, that would be the best cooperation for the three of them.

"Sword of All Things."

Ye Jiu closed his eyes and murmured to himself.

This was the strongest killing move he had deduced in his life; from the moment he created this divine technique, it was prepared for the Southern Long Wang, he just never thought there would actually come a day when it could be used.

The flowing light sword moved slowly toward the front.

Wherever it passed, whether heavenly and earthly spiritual qi, or turbid water waves, or even the demon blood oozing from the Southern Long Wang, was quietly swallowed into it.

For every ten zhang it advanced, the aura within the sword doubled.

"Kill!"

Ye Jiu suddenly opened his eyes; accompanied by a loud roar, that slowly advancing long sword abruptly vanished from its spot.

This Heavenly Sword Sect Leader, once the sword in Qin Jiaoyang's hand, was now wielded by Shen Yi; its sharpness remained, its killing intent persisted, perfectly executing Shen Zongzhu's command.

The Southern Long Wang howled within the Taishang Netherworld Mansion and roared before the Purple-Gold Treasure Mountain that Qi Yansheng was smashing down wildly, yet it lost its voice before this sword.

It suddenly raised its head, looking into the void, then its gaze shifted onto Ye Jiu.

"..."

On the Southern Long Wang's hideous face, the fear was real, the pain of unbearable torment was real, but in its gaping, blood-filled maw, that wild madness of a beast fighting for its life was equally real!

Ye Jiu seemed to sense something.

He instinctively turned his head to look back.

He saw that behind Qi Yansheng, at some unknown time, a towering figure formed from yellow mist had pressed tightly against him.

On that blurred face, where the mouth should be, a grotesque gash had split open, as if emitting a silent laugh.

Watching the yellow mist figure's claw instantly extend, reaching for Qi Yansheng's chest.

Ye Jiu's fingertips suddenly trembled slightly.

He almost forgot... the Southern Long Wang's true form is the Yellow Fiend Poison Dragon; it was just that the old dragon's performance earlier had been so wretched that people overlooked its innate divine technique, which had never been used.

This damn loach had actually trained all its body's fiendish poison into a clone.

The Sword of All Things was born to slay the Southern Long Wang.

But Ye Jiu had indeed fallen into a brief trance, not even noticing the change in his own fingertips.

The next moment, that vanished sword light did not strike the Southern Long Wang suppressed by Shen Yi, but swept toward that towering yellow mist figure.

"So this King has always said you fools are incapable of achieving anything."

The long sword passed beside Qi Yansheng, swallowing more than half of that yellow mist figure.

A mocking voice rang in Ye Jiu's ears.

"Saving a fellow disciple? This King could even endure watching his own son die before his eyes; what do you have to win against me?!"

Accompanied by a grating, sinister laugh, after accumulating enough strength, the dragon demon's tail, wider than the Dahe River, swung out horizontally, slamming heavily onto Ye Jiu, smashing this late-stage Heavenly Realm powerhouse, who had lost his Flowing Light divine technique, onto another inverted mountain with a boom.

Boom—

Amidst the crumbling mountain stones, Ye Jiu's sect leader robe became tattered and ragged. For a Heavenly Realm cultivator, broken bones and severed tendons were nothing; what was truly fatal was the demon energy pouring into his body, which was furiously eroding his Dao Infant and five viscera, causing his skin to be covered in a web of scarlet.

Suffering such severe injuries, Ye Jiu made no sound, only staring blankly ahead.

After ten thousand years of sinking into oblivion, his sword had finally rusted.

In the past, with just one order from Qin Jiaoyang, let alone Qi Yansheng, even if Qin Jiaoyang himself faced life-or-death peril, he, Ye, would absolutely not have spared a second glance.

But now, he had begun to have his own thoughts.

For a sword, this was a great sin.

Ye Jiu silently looked at Shen Yi, his voice so hoarse it was nearly unintelligible: "I'm sorry..."

The other party had made so many preparations, created such a perfect opportunity; slaying the Southern Long Wang was practically a sure thing, worthy of the name Shen Zongzhu, even a hundred times better!

The only mistake was trusting a rusted, useless sword.

Qi Yansheng stood frozen in place, not knowing what to say.

"..."

Shen Yi felt the dragon head beneath his palm trembling wildly; the Taishang Netherworld Mansion had already destroyed most of the old dragon's divine intellect, but the ferocity of this demon body still exceeded his expectations.

Being able to suppress it for this long had already been his limit.

Though it was a pity, these two seniors had actually done quite well. Without their help, even if the South Long Wang had left the dragon's lair, he alone could still have run rampant without fear.

"Hah—"

Shen Yi slowly straightened his body and gave the two a slight nod of his chin.

Under the bewildered gazes of Qi Yansheng and Ye Jiu, the young man gently exhaled a breath, his eyes returning to calm. Then, reaching out into the space between himself and Venerable Bihai, he drew out a profound blade inscribed with golden patterns.

"Roar!"

The South Long Wang, already on the verge of madness, finally broke free and charged violently out of the Supreme Nether Hall.

Even though it now had the chance to slay all three of them here, it did not hesitate in the slightest. Driven by an overwhelming will to survive, its only thought was to return to the dragon's lair first!

"Shen Yi—"

Ye Jiu's words came out slurred and unclear; only the urgency in his eyes betrayed his self-reproach and guilt.

He seemed to have guessed what Shen Yi was thinking, yet was completely unable to stop him.

This lord of the Shen Sect clearly intended to face the Long Wang alone!

It was impossible. Without his own restraints, that old mud loach—even if it had to bull its way through while wounded—would surely be able to return to the dragon's lair.

And by then, how would Shen Yi face an old mud loach bolstered by the dragon's lair?!

"Quick… quick, stop him…"

"…"

Qi Yansheng could hardly imagine that he would hear such words from Ye Jiu, the most hot-tempered of them.

Because of his own doing, he had already caused Shen Zongzhu great trouble; he absolutely could not let that trouble continue to grow.

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth hard, abandoned Ye Jiu without a second thought, and charged forward.

Yet the next instant, Qi Yansheng's figure was forced to halt on the spot.

Shen Yi appeared beneath the South Long Wang, still in the posture of an ant facing a mountain, and drove a whip-kick brutally into the dragon demon's belly.

Heaven and earth overturned; the vast sea churned.

The massive form that blotted out the sky, struck by that tremendous force, tumbled thunderously out of the water.

Shen Yi tightened his grip on the blade's hilt, and a thousand-zhang streak of profound-gold edge pierced through water and land alike.

With an utterly unruffled expression, he lifted his gaze, swept his hand, and that profound-gold edge streaked across the long sky—*pssh*—slicing open the South Long Wang's belly!

As blood and entrails sprayed out, the entire canopy of heaven was tinted a vivid red.

Without a moment's pause.

Shen Yi gripped his long blade, burst thunderously out of the water, and gave chase after the fleeing old dragon.

"What… what am I supposed to stop him with?"

Only after the two figures vanished together at the horizon's end did Qi Yansheng turn back in a daze.

Ye Jiu did not reply. After a long silence, he finally closed his eyes with bitterness and murmured, "It was right. We'll never amount to anything—we'll only keep dragging down every lord of the Shen Sect."

"This is already… the second one."

(End of chapter)