Chapter 626: Spit It Out For Me

The thirty-three million years of demonic lifespans transformed into the phantom of Wan Yao Dian, suppressing three Dragon Palaces, and converged into three Demon Emperor Seals.

Earlier, it had looked like a duel between Shen Yi and Lingyun Shiren.

In truth, it was the three Demon Emperor Seals launching a suppression against the Bai Xi Immortal Seal.

Clearly, the Bai Xi, now left with only the Northern Flood's immortal power, had lost the ability to resist, but to fully absorb it for one's own use was, at present, still somewhat forced.

But Shen Yi was in no hurry.

The clamor of the Western Flood was gradually smothered by the peach blossom; that enormous peach blossom grew ever more lusciously dewy, red as though about to bleed.

Beneath its cover, the whole firmament grew increasingly demonic and unholy; that glaring crimson mist spread, making one momentarily forget the Immortal Court above the sky.

The cultivators of the other three Floods, who had earlier been sunk in despair beneath the Bai Xi's giant hooves, next had to witness this banquet of slaughter with their own eyes.

Such a horrifying scene had never appeared even in the Killing Tribulation of a hundred thousand years ago.

But even the Purple-Maned White Dragons who had finally rushed over, though their hearts and spirits trembled violently, none of them raised the slightest objection.

An immortal had been captured, just like that.

And the cultivators wielding blades before him, at the instant he fell, their lives no longer belonged to themselves—they had become grasshoppers on the same rope.

If this matter were to be learned by the Immortal Court, then the remaining living beings of the entire Hongze would likely all have the fortune of witnessing just how terrifying the methods of the celestial soldiers and generals were in suppressing demons and evils.

Every single person from the Northern Flood who took part in this matter… absolutely must not leave this place alive.

Before countless Path-Unifying great demons acting as suppression stones, and with the Greedy Wolf Star Chart in play, this slaughter began wrapping up at extreme speed.

And those cultivators familiar with Shen Yi withdrew their gazes and gave chase toward the Northern Flood.

"Not one left"—four simple words, yet the killing intent contained within made one's blood run cold; but what made one's heart pound even more was that, having committed such slaughter alongside so many great demons and even captured the local immortal-official parents…

If mishandled, the title of Lord of Wan Yao Dian would very likely find itself on the Immortal Court's Demon-Slaying Platform registry.

"Hah! Hah!"

The belated Ziyang had reverted to his true form, soaring to the very front of the crowd.

He breathed anxiously, not daring to slacken for a single moment.

The fall of his father king was, in large part, because the king could not bear to watch a heaven-gifted prodigy—one whose talent and disposition were both outstanding—become, because of that bastard Lingyun Shiren, a demonic heretic in the eyes of the Immortal Court.

But now, it was precisely because his father king had been suppressed and slain that Shen Yi was walking further and further down this very path!

……

The Northern Flood, the immortal's residence.

Led by Ziyang, followed by Ye, Ji Jingxi, and others, together with those cultivators of the Nanhongqi Sect who were acquainted with Shen Yi, they all rushed over without a moment's rest.

But the instant they landed, they all froze in place.

They saw that the once unassailable great hall of the immortal was now utterly deserted, with only three figures within.

A ten-zhang-tall Prison-Suppressing Golden Body was bound tightly to a coiled-dragon pillar, its entire body covered in cracks, its chest pierced open by a dark-red wooden wedge, even half its face missing—a sight too wretched to look upon.

But what truly shocked them was the faint golden radiance drifting off around that Golden Body dharma-phase.

"Merit power?!"

Qi Yansheng's eyes went wide as he murmured.

They had seen this golden radiance once before—rising from the Southern Flood, spanning all of Hongze, stretching straight toward the Immortal Court.

Everyone had been guessing the true identity of that Merit Immortal and where he had gone, but none had dared imagine that this Merit Immortal had actually been detained within the immortal's great hall, tortured into such a state.

This was no cultivator who had ascended through realm alone, but a revered senior who had personally dissolved the lingering grievances of the Killing Tribulation for the lands and waters of Hongze, a great benefactor to all living beings here.

Is Lingyun Shiren… even still human?

Compared with these cultivators of profound cultivation, the ones whose expressions changed most were, unexpectedly, the people of Nanyang Sect aboard the treasure ship.

Especially Li Qingfeng, Jiang Qiulan, and the others—the instant they saw this Golden Body, their pupils trembled faintly.

This one had once shielded Daqian, swept clean Thousand Demon Cave, saved countless living beings within treasure lands, and only after Shen Yi opened the sect's treasure lands did he finally vanish from sight.

To meet again now, and in such a state.

"You recognize this Merit Immortal senior?"

Ziyang keenly sensed something amiss; he stared at the ink-robed youth at the hall's entrance, then turned his gaze back toward the treasure ship.

Before the cultivators of Nanyang Sect could respond,

a voice, weak yet carrying a touch of grievance, rang in everyone's ears.

"Master—"

Their expressions froze instantly; in a daze, they turned their gazes toward the coiled-dragon pillar.

They saw the towering Prison-Suppressing Golden Body struggle to lift its head; in its line of sight remained only that slender figure—the body it had been stubbornly holding up finally, at the sight of Shen Yi, wilted and slumped against the pillar.

"……"

Shen Yi gave a slight nod of his chin, his fair face revealing neither joy nor anger.

He walked slowly forward, then casually tossed Lingyun Shiren, who looked like a dead dog, at the Golden Body's feet.

Bang!

Lingyun Shiren rolled several times in a sorry heap, raised his trembling head with effort, and saw the majestic Golden Body slowly lower its gaze; the molten-gold eyes cast down a look that, just like that, indifferently enveloped his body.

On the Golden Body's remaining half-face, that bone-chilling smile surfaced once more: "We meet again?"

"You… you…" Lingyun Shiren shook like a sieve full of chaff; he glanced at the Golden Body, then at Shen Yi beside him, and finally realized something.

No wonder, when he had left earlier, this Merit Immortal had spoken those words.

Thinking of this, Lingyun Shiren, with his blood-and-flesh-blurred mouth, uttered indistinct words while cupping his fist and swaying: "I did not know the two of you, Immortal Friends, were old acquaintances—I was blind as a dog, please be magnanimous, Shen Xianyou!"

Hearing this, Lady Qinghua showed not the slightest ripple of expression, merely shaking her head gently: "Wrong, not old acquaintances—he is my master."

Those piercing two words rang out once more, and everyone outside the hall heard them clearly, no longer doubting that they had misheard earlier.

A Merit Immortal—just like that, brimming with pride and peace of heart, called out the title "Master" to Shen Yi.

Ji Jingxi and the others' eyelids twitched; they were already so shaken they could not speak. Ziyang and his sister, who knew more of the outside world, now wore strange expressions, their eyes filled with an incomprehensible complexity, even the tips of their fingers trembling faintly.

The horror of this matter even exceeded Shen Yi's act of laying hands on an immortal.

After all, as everyone knew, immortals only took orders from the Immortal Court.

And the Immortal Court was jointly governed by the Three Teachings, not like the imperial court with a Human Sovereign as its master, so immortals were masterless, and could not possibly have a master.

The same emotion surfaced on Lingyun Shiren's face as well, but he had no chance to think it through carefully.

Crack—

The next instant, a long boot stomped violently onto the back of his head, crushing his skull dead into the floor tiles.

An immortal official who had been invested by the Heavenly Court just kowtowed grandly to the Golden Body dharma image like that!

That stomp landed not only on Lingyun Shiren's head, but also on the hearts of everyone outside the hall, plunging their expressions into utter stupefaction, cleanly crushing the last trace of reverence they held for immortals.

"Hah."

Shen Yi exhaled softly, half-crouched, and hauled Lingyun Shiren back up.

Then he lightly flicked his sleeve, loosening the ropes on Lady Qinghua.

He was shallow in experience, and did not know how to use these immortal treasures.

Shen Yi forcibly pulled out that wooden wedge, watched it return to normal size and fall into his palm, and weighed it twice.

In an instant, he slammed Lingyun Shiren against the coiled-dragon pillar like a broken sack, and drove the wooden wedge in his hand brutally toward the other's chest.

Puchi!

As blood sprayed, Lingyun Shiren's eyes nearly split from their sockets; the instant his wail escaped his throat, his neck was already seized viciously by five slender fingers.

The veins on his neck bulged, and he was nearly suffocated.

Only now did Lingyun Shiren finally understand why the other had used a treasure to protect his divine soul—under Bai Hu's protection, his mind remained crystal clear, he couldn't even faint if he wanted to, and his perception of pain had been amplified dozens of times over!

Shen Yi leaned close to the other's ear, his expression still calm, and whispered gently: "Spit it out."

Lingyun Shiren of course knew the other was referring to the merit power he had seized.

But he still shook his head trembling: "Let's... negotiate..."

That merit power was probably his only guarantee of survival now—once he handed it over—

"Ahhhh!!!"

In an instant, a shrill, broken-voiced scream pierced the heavens.

Shen Yi casually gripped Lingyun Shiren's wrist, and crimson demon power, like floodwaters bursting a sluice, poured madly into his limbs and bones—a mere late Earth Realm cultivation, how could it possibly withstand such a vast aura.

In but an instant, beneath this immortal's seemingly intact exterior, the flesh and bones inside had already been crushed into a pulp.

Shen Yi withdrew his demon power and employed the Kong Que red light, a technique he hadn't used in a long time; though crude, it merely repaired the flesh without addressing the injuries, and that was enough.

"Spit it out."

Before Lingyun Shiren could recover from the warm sensation, the same whisper sounded in his ear again, immediately followed by an identical tearing sensation sweeping through his whole body once more.

"I know my wrongs! Immortal lord! I know my wrongs!"

He squeezed his eyes shut, tears and snot streaming down his face, but under the protection of yin and yang's cycle of life and death, he remained conscious, and could only weep heart-wrenchingly like a child: "I beg you! Give me one more chance!"

The exact same scene began to repeat itself over and over within the immortal's great hall.

No one knew how long passed.

Until the wails gradually grew faint.

The onlookers' expressions shifted from terror to numbness: "..."

Xuan Qing stood quietly outside the hall; in his mind, his master's agonized howls mingled with Lingyun Shiren's sobbing pleas.

He suddenly laughed, and from those wooden eyes, tears actually seeped out as well.

That promise from back then, which he had never truly taken to heart, had actually appeared before his eyes in such a short time.

Shen Zongzhu had not only brought him to North Hong, but also let him witness the scene he had yearned for in his heart for a hundred thousand years.

Finally, a faint golden radiance seeped out from Lingyun Shiren's body and poured into the Golden Body dharma image; he stared at the youth before him, his eyes now holding no resentment whatsoever, only the purest terror: "It's gone... really gone..."

Shen Yi acted as if he hadn't heard, and repeated the same method dozens more times.

Once certain he could squeeze out no more merit power, he slowly withdrew his palm, pulled out the wooden wedge, and—before Lingyun Shiren's wide-staring eyes—violently drove the wedge through the other's skull.

Blood streamed down along the wooden wedge, staining the floor tiles red.

Shen Yi expressionlessly wiped his palm clean on the flowing-cloud Bai Shan, left behind a wisp of milky-white flame, and let it swallow the corpse whole.

In but a single breath, this Hongze Daxian had utterly vanished from the world.

"..."

As Shen Yi turned around, the crowd looked at that handsome face, no different from before, yet could no longer detect a trace of restraint.

Though he merely wore a plain, clean ink-colored robe, not as splendid as a Sect Master's ceremonial vestments, it could not change the fact that this youth was the master of many great demons, and even of immortals.

They had actually anticipated that they would witness the slaying of an immortal.

But they truly hadn't imagined that the scene would be so bloody and brutal—so-called immortals, in Shen Yi's hands, weren't even worth as much as pigs or dogs.

This enormous sense of disparity, even after another hundred thousand years, would probably remain deeply etched in their minds.

Only the cultivators of Nanyang Sect slowly revealed a faint smile.

They knew Shen Yi well enough.

Whether the other was Shen my lord, or Shen the Temple Attendant, or Shen Zongzhu, when it came to slaying demons and vanquishing evils, he usually only cared about the result, never the process.

Clean and decisive, never dragging his feet.

But now, the other was clearly emotional... having emotions was good; it meant that even though he now stood at the pinnacle of Hongze, he was still that same Shen Yi, unchanged.

"Heh."

Ziyang watched the empty coiled-dragon pillar with a complicated expression.

Beyond the exhilaration of a great vengeance finally achieved, that thick, lingering regret simply could not be dispelled no matter what.

He stepped into the great hall, turned and cupped his hands in salute to the crowd, then closed the hall doors.

The great hall grew dim once more, leaving only three figures within.

Ziyang first bowed to the Golden Body Dharma Image: "This junior pays respects to the Merit Immortal."

He then approached Shen Yi's expression, scrutinizing the young man before him once again.

Immediately after, he took a deep breath: "Shen Zongzhu, what do you plan to do now?"

"..."

Hearing this, Shen Yi swept his gaze across the surrounding hall, remained silent for a long time, took the Bai Xi Jade Seal from his sleeve, stared at the shadow figures still fighting within it, and shook his head: "I don't know."

Some think they are reincarnated immortals; others think they are lords of demons and evil.

But only Shen Yi knew clearly in his heart that just a few years ago he was an ordinary constable; though he had gained some experience along the way, he remained incredibly shallow.

Emerging from the Nanyang Baodi and successfully slaying an immortal had already left him exhausted.

How could he possibly be as scheming and in full control of the situation as others imagine?

"I have thought of two paths for you; you may consider them."

Ziyang seemed to have expected this; only when he saw how Shen Yi dealt with Lingyun Shiren did he finally realize that beneath this youthful exterior lay no ancient soul, that the other was truly just a young man full of blood and vigor, merely more capable of endurance than others.

"The first path... report the truth to the Immortal Court and await judgment."

Ziyang gritted his teeth, a hint of expectation welling in his eyes; this was likely the only path that would allow Shen Yi to continue walking openly between heaven and earth: "Lingyun Shiren failed in his governance and was already guilty; moreover, he attacked the Merit Immortal. Killing him, in terms of reason, leaves you without fault."

"The Immortal Court is not unreasonable; they will surely... punish you lightly."

"Once your killing sins are cleansed, with your talent and character, the Three Sects will surely value you, and your future will be limitless from then on."

At this point, Crown Prince Ziyang had already become somewhat agitated.

However, after listening seriously, Shen Yi looked at the Immortal Seal in his hand, at the three demon shadow figures within it, slowly turned around, and said with a touch of emotion: "What about the second?"

Compared to the Wan Yao Dian stealing the Bai Xi Great Seal, things like slaying an immortal or cutting down the people of Northern Hong were truly just trivial nonsense.

The first path is not impossible to take.

But he truly could not think of what excuse to use to deceive the Immortal Court when they inspected the Immortal Seal.

If the matter were exposed, let alone his own life.

Anyone connected to him would not be able to escape, not a single one.

Sigh.

It is strange; he had never had evil intentions, yet why did he seem to be drifting further and further from becoming an immortal or an ancestor?

Hearing Shen Yi's words, the agitation in Ziyang's eyes slowly faded; after pondering for a long time, he suddenly gritted his teeth and lowered his voice: "Please ask this Merit Immortal to ascend to investigate the situation, while you head to the Divine Dynasty to first avoid the Immortal Court's notice, infiltrate the Three Sects in advance, and before the incident breaks, rise to become a Three Sect Immortal capable of suppressing this matter!"

Hearing this, Shen Yi turned back with some surprise.

It must be known that Ziyang's father died under similar tactics; it was precisely because the jade seal was suppressed from above that Lingyun Shiren had the opportunity.

"What are the Three Sects?"

Crown Prince Ziyang let out a long breath, a look of longing appearing on his face: "The Zhengshen Sect, the Sanxian Sect, and the Puti Sect; the three jointly created the Immortal Court to govern heaven and earth, which is known as the joint rule of the Three Sects."

"If you can be taken as a disciple by a great power among them, you can bypass the normal path and obtain a position in the Immortal Court directly; at that time, with the care of your master, this matter will naturally be resolved."

"But it must be fast!"

Ziyang panted heavily: "You do not know how Lingyun Shiren usually dealt with the Immortal Court; although he had no parents, he did have a few uncles..."

If he had not roughly understood how terrifying Shen Yi's leap had been since emerging from the Nanyang Nanyang Baodi.

Ziyang would never have proposed the second path.

But if it truly succeeded.

His lips trembled slightly; he suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily several times toward the figure in the black robe: "I wish to leave Hongze with Shen Zongzhu to save my father's soul. With just one word from you, Ziyang, the entire Eastern Long Gong, and the old friends my father once had in Shenzhou, can all become your allies."

"I only ask that after Shen Zongzhu joins the Three Sects, if... if Ziyang cannot save my father... I hope you can speak a few kind words to relieve him of that eternal suffering."

Before the words had even finished, this Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was already sobbing uncontrollably.

(End of this chapter)