Chapter 618: Taking Command of West Hong

The bloodstained peach blossoms spread outward from the dragon's body, once again shrouding this stretch of heaven and earth.

The deepest part of West Hong, beyond the pitch-black abyss.

Shen Yi, gasping for breath, climbed to his feet from the ground; the grey haze faded from his eyes, and he gently rubbed the gaping hole pierced through his chest.

The expenditure of immortal arts was truly immense. General Nanyang itself could hardly be considered a superior treasure-land, its foundations thin. Moreover, he had simultaneously employed two great immortal arts and two divine abilities, only barely gaining the strength to fight the West Long Wang to the death head-on.

To speak plainly, just a few hours of combat had already pushed Shen Yi into a state of utter exhaustion.

This move was still far too reckless.

Fortunately… he had won.

"Hah."

Shen Yi straightened his body, standing with hands at his sides at the edge of this pitch-black abyss.

An unprecedented sense of relaxation instantly swept through his entire body, drawing a curve at the corner of his lips that came from the heart.

Even with the combined strength of West Hong and South Hong, they were still far from surpassing the remaining East Hong and North Hong of the immortal.

But at least he and Hongze Daxian now stood on the same level of existence, no longer ants that could be slain with a single glance from the other.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi turned his gaze to the panel.

【Remaining Demon Longevity: 16,370,000 years】

Since coming to West Hong, the only consumption of demon longevity had been the several hundred thousand years spent completing the Greedy Wolf Star Chart Immortal Array; the rest had all been accumulated here.

This number clearly fell short of Shen Yi's expectations.

There was still a considerable gap before condensing two Demon Emperor Seals.

The main reason was that this nest of Jade-Horned Silver Dragons had already been killed off by him for the most part; the remaining ones totaled only a dozen or so, so getting two million-plus years from them would already be good.

The true bulk of the demon longevity should have come from those vassal forces of the West Long Gong. Yet after tonight, they had either gone out to report and died at the hands of several South Hong predecessors, or scattered in all directions, hiding within the vast waters.

Enough, there is gain and loss in everything.

Shen Yi was, after all, only one person, not a true immortal god; he could not achieve absolute certainty, only do his utmost.

Demon longevity could be gathered slowly; if it really wouldn't work, he could just search through the waters region by region. But if he didn't grasp the West Hong immortal power in advance, the one who might die could very well be himself.

"Begin."

He had to move quickly—don't forget the East Hong brother and sister pair were still waiting outside. Although it was a cooperative relationship, Shen Yi was unwilling to expose such an earth-shattering matter.

He gave a reminder to Ke Thirteen, who had long been unable to hold back, then waved his hand to condense a Town Stone, while simultaneously beginning to reshape Qi Zhaowen's demon soul.

To suppress a dragon's lair, this Second Prince of the West Long Gong could only be said to be barely sufficient. Any lower and the bloodline concentration would be insufficient; any higher, such as the West Long Wang himself… and Shen Yi would be reluctant to part with it.

After all, he was still counting on using these dragon corpses to help Ke Thirteen step into the Dao realm.

"Zhaowen pays respects to my lord!"

Soon, Qi Zhaowen, who had been crushed to death on the long stairway, was kneeling before Shen Yi.

He was then grabbed by the other's outstretched hand and tossed straight into the dragon's lair.

"…"

Qi Zhaowen fell dazed into the rich silver-white radiance. He had never imagined that in the end he would still possess a dragon's lair—only in a bizarre way he had never even dreamed of.

Within his line of sight, a tall, imposing figure draped in a dark-gold dharma robe appeared beside his master.

That gilded dragon-demon gazed down with indifference, a strange hint of ill will in its expression.

"Wan Yao Dian, East Hall Master?"

It was it! Regarding this formidable existence that could exert tremendous pressure on his father king, Qi Zhaowen naturally knew it well.

In an instant, he suddenly understood something, and his eyes widened in horror.

West Hong had never had many mysteriously emerging mortal enemies; from beginning to end, it was simply because they had offended one person.

Looking at Ke Thirteen's respectful and humble appearance.

Qi Zhaowen pressed his hand hard against his chest.

His current master, the so-called renegade disciple of the Liangdaohuang Sect, the Shen Zongzhu of General Nanyang, was in truth also the master of Wan Yao Dian!

"Enough, stop staring."

After confirming that this dragon prince could barely keep the dragon's lair's upheavals under control, Shen Yi turned cleanly around and looked toward the already-collapsed great hall.

Vast longevity surged rapidly into the West Hall of Wan Yao.

An Yi sat upon the throne; her palms suddenly clenched the armrests, and below, the black-mist-wreathed host of demons knelt in unison.

In an instant, the grand phantom of Wan Yao Dian thundered down to suppress this place!

Demon longevity drained away madly, filling every gap, striving for perfect coverage.

But this amount, before the demon longevity required to condense the Demon Emperor Seal, was a mere trifle.

A great seal like blood-dyed red jade gradually took shape before An Yi.

As it fully formed, a Bai Hu coiled atop the seal.

Following the South Hall's Azure Dragon Seal, the West Hall's Frost Tiger Seal was complete!

At the same time, beyond that vast, boundless water-land in Shen Yi's mind, another equally vast, brand-new water-land connected to it.

The immortal power of both Hongs returned entirely to his body.

Shen Yi closed his eyes, standing quietly in place, allowing not the slightest trace of aura to escape.

But Ke Thirteen, watching his master's back, could clearly sense the change in the other's bearing—a kind of… despair-inducing pressure!

Even though it was already a great-demon Town Stone at the peak of the Heavenly realm, facing this wounded, weakened figure, it still felt unable to look directly at him, even instinctively wanting to kneel.

A mayfly beholding the vast heavens!

Shen Yi opened his eyes, looked at Ke Thirteen prostrate on the ground before him, and laid his hand on the other's forehead.

The next moment, all the surrounding blood-mist was stripped from the murky waters by an invisible force and poured entirely into this East Hall Master's body—including that aged old dragon, the West Long Wang.

This time, Shen Yi did not hold out too much expectation.

After experiencing the effect of the Tanlang Star Map and personally fighting the West Long Wang, his understanding of the gap between the Heaven Realm and the Dao Realm had become increasingly clear.

Setting other things aside, how many years had the West Long Wang cultivated at the peak of the Heaven Realm? How much foundation had the Dragon Cave gathered from the entire West Hong? Even with both combined, they still failed to fully cross into that realm.

Could Ke Shisan possibly compare to the Dragon Cave?

Being able to elevate to the half-step Dao Realm this time was already a good harvest; the remaining deficiencies must be sought in the East and the North.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 4.92 million years】

As the demon lifespan stopped changing, Shen Yi withdrew his hand. The result was much as he had expected; at this moment, Ke Shisan could probably reach the same level as Qi Shengtao under the Dragon Cave's support.

This Eastern Hall Master felt the massive change within his body, yet strangely showed no fluctuation in expression, remaining in that humble guise.

Only after seeing a true Immortal could one understand how ridiculous the things one took pride in were in the face of such an opponent.

Tonight, the West Hong was unusually quiet.

Whether it was the various Great Immortal Sects or the myriad demon clans, all sensed the faint solemn killing intent in the air, along with that faint scent of blood.

Above the entire West Hong water domain, only three figures hovered.

The moonlight gradually dispersed, the sword light returned to its sheath, and the blood-stained purple-gold treasure mountain fell into the man's palm.

Tianyan Siji, with only dark red waves surging in waves.

As the Tanlang Star Array of the Immortal-Slaying Great Formation dispersed, not only did the water domain turn, but even the night sky became a dark, heavy red, as if dyed with blood.

Three figures, separated by tens of thousands of miles, looked in the same direction almost simultaneously.

"It feels like a dream."

Qi Yansheng rubbed his face, murmuring in a sleep-talking whisper.

He found it hard to describe his current mood.

Since Senior Brother Qin fell, he had lost his spirit, quietly staying in the most remote corner of Nanhong for a full hundred thousand years; he didn't even know what he was doing.

Like a dream of yellow millet, and now it was time to wake up.

The heavens and earth were still that same heaven and earth, but under the leadership of that young man, looking at them now, they seemed much more real.

"..."

Ye Jiu remained silent, merely gazing at the flowing light long sword in his hand.

He actually hoped he was currently in the Long Gong, but as a sword, he must first do what he ought to do.

Just like his own Shen Zongzhu, never letting anyone down.

Can a rusted sword live out another life?

"Return to the West Long Gong."

Ji Jingxi took out the Dao Token without a single word of nonsense; she only wanted to know how Shen Yi was now.

And the brother and sister of the East Long Gong, located above the Dragon Cave, also had the same question echoing in their minds.

Until the Great Formation dispersed, the Ziyang Crown Prince stopped his sister and instantly stepped downward.

Even with his keen eyesight, having guessed Shen Yi's thoughts seven or eight parts through, he still needed to verify with his own eyes before he could truly set his heart at ease.

It was too terrifying.

The Ziyang Crown Prince had never seen such a cultivator.

Shen Yi seemed to have rashly stormed into the main hall of the West Long Gong, but in reality, he had planned everything in his heart.

The most important among them was the control over Qi Shengtao's psychology.

From provoking this old dragon, to intimidating the opponent, to making Qi Shengtao, in a state of blurred consciousness, regain his fighting will and turn into a beast that only knew slaughter...

What made the Ziyang Crown Prince feel a racing heart was that including the old dragon Qi Lao Wu, the group of dragon sons and dragon grandchildren: when they should die, and how they should die, were all arranged clearly by Shen Yi, like a grand play designed long ago.

The fall of every dragon lineage pushed Qi Shengtao a little deeper into the abyss of downfall.

Such a meticulous person could still pretend to be rash and fierce to deceive others' eyes and ears.

If Shen Yi used similar methods on himself.

The Ziyang Crown Prince even felt that, even without the support of the Tanlang Star Map, he himself on that day would also not have been able to leave the Banshan Sect.

"You..."

He stopped his steps, staring blankly forward.

He saw that in the ruins, the youth wore a tattered black shirt; the golden patterns on his body had faded away at some point, leaving only faint brand marks and a shocking, terrifying gash.

Shen Yi casually raised his palm; lying in his palm was a great seal radiating dragon qi.

The Dragon Seal floated up slowly and fell into the hands of the Ziyang Crown Prince, while at the same time, the opponent's exhausted and weak voice sounded in his ear.

"Now I need more time."

Shen Yi lowered his arm, his figure somewhat unsteady; it could be seen that if he wanted to kill this ruthless man who could not be controlled, now was probably the best opportunity.

"..."

The Ziyang Crown Prince was silent for an instant, turned to look at his stunned sister, and suddenly let out a bitter smile: "Stop testing. I don't believe someone like you would entrust your life to me to decide. If you were truly this weak, before this Great Formation dispersed, you would have left long ago."

Hearing this, Shen Yi acted as if he had not heard.

With two Dragon Seals already in hand, for the East Long Gong, their plan was complete, so there was no reason to help him anymore.

After all, he had offended too many people, and the slaughter was too heavy, reaching a point of irreconcilability; the East Long Gong only wanted to exchange an Immortal to govern Hongze, and had not thought of plunging Hongze into a calamity of slaughter where living beings were wiped out.

Shen Yi indeed also wanted to hold a few more chips in his hand, but this East Long Gong Crown Prince's mind was indeed quite clear.

"I will agree to your requests, but I want you to meet my father, the King. For things I cannot agree to, he can also make the decision."

The Ziyang Crown Prince exhaled; he now felt he completely could not understand the Shen Yi before him, and even felt a thread of fear. In this situation, he was no longer worthy of making any deal with the other party.

The words fell.

Shen Yi pondered for an instant and nodded: "Good."

Just right; he also wanted to talk with that Long Wang who had protected the Nanhong Qi Sect for many years, to understand how much confidence the other party's thoughts truly held, which would make it convenient for him to make a decision later.

Hongze only had three Dao Realm experts; if even one could be swayed to his side, acting would be far easier.

"As for now, you really should rest for a bit."

Crown Prince Ziyang shook his head, tucked the great seal into his robes, and bowed solemnly to Shen Yi: "Perhaps you think our Purple-Bearded White Dragon clan is sick in the head, and I truly don't know what you've been through, but I want to say—if killing is necessary, then kill. Just keep your heart steady, and don't fall into the demon path."

"After all…"

At this point, Ziyang suddenly broke into a smile: "In the end, you will go out, go to Shenzhou, stand beneath the radiant Immortal Court's gaze, ascend to immortality and become an ancestor, receive incense and offerings, and pass down a lineage that endures for ten thousand generations."

"Of course, it's still too early to talk about all that—after all, he's still up there watching."

Ziyang pointed at the empty sky above; clearly he knew of Bai Xi's existence.

Having said that, the Crown Prince suddenly pulled his younger sister over from beside him: "Let's talk about something closer to home—have you considered finding a Dao companion? My little sister here…"

Getting this Shen Zongzhu under his thumb sounded absurd on paper, but while the other hadn't yet ascended to immortality, leaving a lineage in Shenzhou and forging ties early was still a fine move.

If he didn't seize the chance now, the next time they met, he'd probably only be fit to serve as someone's mount.

With two dragon seals in hand, Ziyang's mindset had clearly shifted.

"I'm already married!" Zi Xian suddenly panicked and shoved her brother away.

"Tch, hasn't he already been slaughtered? Slaughtered by my Brother Shen, no less. How's that for a coincidence—it's none other than he who killed your husband. Isn't that a kind of fate?"

Ziyang refused to let this chance slip; with Ji Jingxi conveniently absent, as long as Shen Yi nodded, today he would help his sister cut that attachment clean.

"…"

Shen Yi speechlessly shot a glance at this suddenly addle-brained Crown Prince of the Eastern Long Gong.

He turned and walked outside.

"Hey! Let's talk it over! If you think my sister's a bit long in the tooth, I still have a niece, called Zi Lan—she's got a bit of a name for herself here in Hongze. Think it over?"

Crown Prince Ziyang hurriedly let go of Zi Xian and tried to chase after him.

The next moment, he saw moonlight descend, coalescing into a cool, aloof figure. She first glanced silently at Ziyang, cutting off his words, then reached out to support Shen Yi. Frowning, she raised her palm, gathering lunar radiance and pressing it toward the wound on his chest.

"My cultivation is low, so the effect may not be great—bear with me a moment longer."

Hearing that gentle voice, the shock in Zi Xian's heart was finally replaced by dejection; Jingxi had even glanced at her brother without once looking at her.

"Hiss—"

Ziyang cast a thoughtful glance at Zi Xian, then looked toward the two figures in the distance.

Truly worthy of Brother Shen—always managing to do what he himself couldn't. So this was another way to sever his sister's attachment.

(End of chapter)