Chapter 627: Lord of Hongze

Lady Qinghua escorted Crown Prince Ziyang out of the hall and closed the doors behind him.

Shen Yi sat cross-legged, his gaze deep and dark.

To be honest, neither of these two paths sounded very reliable to him.

Reporting back to the Immortal Court was impossible; setting aside the matter of the Immortal Seal, Shen Yi truly was not accustomed to leaving his life in the hands of others to decide.

Moreover, he was completely in the dark about the situation within the Immortal Court.

How much power did those uncles and elders of Lingyun Shiren actually hold, and what were their characters? Would that purple-bearded white dragon, which had attached itself to Hongze Daxian, be able to interject in matters like this?

Knowing nothing at all, what difference was there between this and seeking death?

And fleeing to become an Upper Immortal of the Three Teachings.

Shen Yi felt perhaps he had a character flaw; he always felt that Ziyang and the Eastern Long Wang were thinking about these matters too simply.

Of course, speaking of aptitude, the foundation he had built by opening five Xianchengs was indeed top-tier in Hongze, a unique case like a scorpion's droppings.

But apart from foundation, did cultivators not value comprehension?

When the time came, if those immortals casually asked a couple of questions, he would most likely be exposed.

He couldn't possibly have someone present a cultivation method, and while he knew nothing about it, he could take the technique back, practice it once, and master it instantly... that would be truly wonderful; most likely, those immortals, rather than treating this person as an unparalleled genius to be enshrined, would more likely skin him and extract his soul to interrogate him in detail.

"It is difficult."

Shen Yi sighed slightly; under Lingyun Shiren's blockade, Hongze knew absolutely nothing about the outside world.

And the Eastern Long Wang, who possessed broader knowledge, had already been beheaded; even his dragon soul was imprisoned by a treasure and sent straight to the heavens.

Recalling that old man in the green robe, Shen Yi narrowed his eyes slightly.

Though the two were not old acquaintances, this old Long Wang had used his life to prove that he was truly considering a strange young man with his whole heart.

To put it bluntly, the Dragon Seal was already in hand.

With the opponent's strength at the Dao realm, he could have hidden in the background, first seeing what waves this young Shen Zongzhu of General Nanyang could make, observing the situation of the immortals, and making a decision in the end.

Based solely on this intention, Ziyang really did not need to speak; if there were an opportunity, Shen Yi would definitely save that old Long Wang from his predicament.

Besides that, there was also Senior Xuanqing.

The immortal was dead; it seemed the great grudge of General Nanyang Sect's destruction had been avenged, but in reality, by today, anyone could see that the true culprit still roamed free, and would roam freer and freer.

Shen Yi slowly clenched his fist; he rarely promised others anything, but once he promised, he wanted to do his utmost to complete it.

Back then, Xuanqing had dared to go to the other six Liu Sects and knock on their doors for a newcomer, forcing several Shen Zongzhus to appear, solidifying his position as Shen Zongzhu of General Nanyang, and finally willingly offering his life to help Shen Yi's foundation become even more stable.

Then he would absolutely not think of perfunctorily handling the matter just because that purple-bearded white dragon held a lofty status.

"In any case, let us walk out first."

Shen Yi raised his gaze to look at the towering Golden Body of the Prison-Suppressing nearby.

If one feels there is no solution, it might be that one's vision is not broad enough; rather than sitting here and thinking idly, it is better to take the first step.

"Qinghua obeys."

Lady Qinghua naturally knew what her master meant; now her master needed to leave an ear and an eye within the unknown Immortal Court.

She had not been able to help for a very long time; at this moment, she felt no fear, but rather some joy and excitement.

"Go." Shen Yi nodded slightly; that merit-golden light had already pointed the way upward for her.

"Qinghua will surely not fail my master's expectations!" Lady Qinghua nodded vigorously; now that her master was in a predicament, if she could grasp something within the Immortal Court, or climb up a little, she could truly be of use.

After paying her respects, she turned and transformed into Jin Guang, sweeping away to once again embark on that path to the heavens which should have been completed long ago.

"..."

Shen Yi slowly withdrew his gaze; that sour feeling from before had somehow surged up again.

This path was walked far too lightly; tsk, truly worthy of the Prison-Suppressing Golden Body Great Art that he himself had figured out.

Never mind; although one cannot walk the sunny broad road, at least there is still a single-log bridge.

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

【Remaining Lifespan of Demons and Monsters: Forty-seven million six hundred twenty thousand years】

When the Southern Long Gong was destroyed back then, apart from the Yellow Fiend Poison Dragon, its dragon palace dependents were also swept away almost entirely; adding in that group of Western Hong great demons driven to this place, they barely made up twenty million years in total.

Later, during the war with Western Hong, because time did not wait for people, the entire operation was too hasty.

Shen Yi only annihilated the main forces of the Long Gong; as for those dependents, he left them for several Western Hong seniors to resolve, and the demon lifespan harvested was even less than that of Western Hong.

This time, with Lingyun Shiren's order, all the powerful figures of Northern Hong were mobilized.

A decisive battle directly turned Northern Hong into a proper "remote and desolate place."

Counting those harvested previously when they were scattered, which were used to gather the Eastern Long Gong Demon Emperor Seal, this single cleansing of Hongze directly brought Shen Yi a harvest of nearly sixty million years of demon lifespan.

It was indeed cleaned very thoroughly... only it was the north that was cleaned.

"Hah."

Shen Yi closed his eyes and exhaled a cloud of turbid breath.

The Bai Xi Jade Seal slowly floated out, struggling violently in the air.

Beside this jade seal floated three crimson great seals.

Relying on the Bai Xi Jade Seal, the entire land and water of Hongze unfolded completely in Shen Yi's mind.

He slightly extended his palm, and the phantom of the Ten Thousand Demons Northern Hall instantly covered the Northern Long Gong.

A golden turtle great seal began to gather.

Shen Yi's movements still did not stop; the phantom of the Ten Thousand Demons Central Hall directly suppressed toward the immortals' dwelling, and the fifth Calamity-Beast great seal gradually took shape.

In an instant, the last hind hoof of the Bai Xi Jade Seal was occupied by the golden turtle patterns, preventing it from struggling even a fraction more.

At the same time, the fierce Calamity-Beast tightly gripped its head.

With all five seals emerging, the Bai Xi Jade Seal suddenly stopped trembling; spiderweb-like blood vessels appeared within its translucent jade surface, and as time passed, these blood vessels quickly vanished, and the entire seal returned to normal.

"Tsk."

Shen Yi reached out and grasped the jade seal in his palm, immediately feeling the surging power of the Four Floods Immortal flowing through his fingertips; under the suppression of the five Demon Emperor seals, this thing had gone from belonging to the Immortal Court to becoming his private possession.

Who says an immortal must be enfeoffed by the Immortal Court? Why wouldn't one enfeoffed by a Demon Emperor count?

He toyed with it for a moment.

Shen Yi quickly stowed away the Bai Xi Immortal Seal. Based on his observation, the mighty power bestowed by the Immortal Court upon a seventh-rank immortal official was at least an entire major realm higher than a Dao-Unification cultivator; otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible to suppress and kill so effortlessly.

After all, the official seal had been snatched from the Immortal Court's hands, so it certainly couldn't be used without restraint.

But he was about to leave Hongze and head for Shenzhou; he had to carry something life-or-death worthy on his person.

【Remaining Demon Longevity: 25,620,000 years】

With the Bai Xi Jade Seal as his fallback, Shen Yi gained a little confidence, then finally stood up and looked toward the outside of the hall.

The next moment, a skyful of black light streaked across the firmament like meteors, carrying a thick scent of blood as it converged toward the immortal's dwelling!

Swoosh swoosh—

One after another, Suppression Stones rose before Shen Yi, instantly making the entire great hall far more sinister, and filling it with an unbearable stench of blood.

Countless bloodstained storage bags flew out in rapid succession, piling into a small mountain within the hall.

The instant he opened the first bag, Shen Yi seemed to become a different person—utterly focused, as if carving some work of art, cataloguing the corpses in his hands.

If those Suppression Stones were said to be brimming with baleful aura throughout their bodies,

then as their master, Shen Yi's bearing at this moment made even the Suppression Stones feel a faint tremor of dread.

Only Wu Jun watched with eyes full of expectation, staring at the bag that Ke Thirteen had deliberately placed at the very top of the small mountain pile.

"Hm?"

Shen Yi took out the old tortoise that had been torn in two, and paused slightly.

To be honest, if he hadn't just condensed the Jin Gui seal, he would have almost forgotten he still had a North Hall Master.

Bai Yujing… what a strange realm.

The demon longevity began to plummet once more.

In a place invisible to others, demon origin spread straight across the entire great hall like a skyful of stars, then fell like threads of rain.

Numerous demon souls were reshaped and merged into the Suppression Stones.

The empty North Hall and Central Hall were gradually filled with figures shrouded in black qi.

The things nurtured within them suddenly became bursting with vitality!

Two divine abilities surged forth in succession, pushing Shen Yi's realm to an entirely new level!

Five divine abilities gathered—Heavenly realm, Great Perfection.

The harvest from this Northern Flood had already completely exceeded Shen Yi's expectations.

First the Bai Xi Immortal Seal, and then leaping across two thresholds in a row.

Long Yuetian quietly approached and finally presented a palm-sized stone stele.

The Ancestral Stele and the Divine Mountain—Shen Yi now carried two immortal treasures on his person. Though he didn't yet understand their true effects, anything that could be associated with the word "immortal" surely wouldn't be much worse than the Bai Xi Seal.

But before he could show a hint of joy, his brows knit slightly.

His gaze somewhat unfocused, he sat cross-legged on the ground once more.

That green pearl, nearly forgotten by Shen Yi, had suddenly burst with radiance in an instant.

This item had been taken from the Treasure Repository of the General Nanyang Blessed Land, and could be considered the sole relic left behind by the former General Nanyang Sect Master. He had assumed it was merely a small favor for Xuan Qing, never expecting it would undergo another change.

Compared to before in the Treasure Repository, when Shen Yi had been pulled directly into an illusionary realm and personally witnessed the scene of Senior Xuan Qing's departure,

now that his cultivation had leapt forward, he could already see how this illusionary formation was activated.

"What exactly did you leave behind?"

Shen Yi summoned Yin-Yang Life and Death to stabilize his divine soul, and only then did his expression turn solemn as he looked toward the illusionary realm.

He saw the immortal's dwelling transform in an instant into the General Nanyang Blessed Land.

But clearly, looking at the cultivators coming and going, this was unmistakably the General Nanyang Sect of a hundred thousand years ago—at its even more prosperous height.

An old man sat quietly atop the peak of a Gaoshan, leaving Shen Yi only his back.

Though his figure was identical to the old man in the Repository of Dharma, the aura about him was clearly far stronger, and far from being so amiable.

"Hah!"

Shen Yi had only taken one look before his divine soul was drawn in.

Yin-Yang Life and Death showed no reaction, indicating it had not foreseen any danger.

No matter how strong Qin Zongzhu was, he was only at half-step Dao realm—not enough to crush a Demon Emperor weapon to the point of leaving it no chance to react.

Shen Yi did not panic, and opened his eyes once more.

In an instant, he saw the General Nanyang Sect as it appeared in Qin Zhaoyang's eyes.

Weapon merged with earth, body merged with heaven, soul merged with the Dao.

What this green pearl had left behind, apart from the profound techniques of the entire General Nanyang Sect, was also this half-step Dao realm powerhouse's insight into the final step of the Dao-Unification realm.

A Dao-Unification cultivator is the very heaven and earth of a sect.

With the perspective of heaven and earth, one looks upon the shifting seas and mulberry fields, upon the mortal world of red dust.

Unfortunately, Qin Zongzhu did not see it through to the end. He stood too high, saw only half of the mortal world, and never had the chance to look upon the boundless lands beyond the cultivators.

Thus he was unable to take that final step.

"Huu."

Shen Yi immersed himself in that insight, digesting it carefully, then closed his eyes once more.

At this moment, the image of Bai Yun County, Outside Qingzhou, the Great Qian… every stretch of land and water these long boots had once trodden rose in his mind.

As well as the living people upon those lands and waters, and their joys, angers, sorrows, and delights.

One man was born at the summit; one man walked up from the humblest beginnings.

The two streams of thought gradually merged, beginning to complete this stretch of heaven and earth.

"Safe travels."

Qin Jiaoyang said the farewell softly, still not turning back, but Shen Yi could still sense the other's moist face.

Xuan Qing had sunk beyond General Nanyang for a hundred thousand years, while his master lingered within General Nanyang Sect, recalling what this stretch of heaven and earth had once looked like.

Princess Ziling's dream of becoming an immortal ancestor, together with Lingyun Shiren's palm strike, had kept these master and disciple from attaining transcendence to this very day.

Shen Yi withdrew from that body, watching everything before him begin to crumble and shatter, the old man before him slowly turning to green smoke and dissipating.

After a moment, he nodded lightly: "Safe travels."

Elder Xuan Qing helped him step into Dao Merging, and Qin Zongzhu helped him complete Dao Merging.

Creak.

As Shen Yi turned around, the great doors of the immortal's dwelling slowly swung open.

The sunlight was somewhat dazzling.

He swept his gaze over the crowd standing silently outside the hall, committing every one of those faces to memory.

Then he raised his eyes to the sky, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through the clouds, all the way up to the Immortal Court above, landing on the woman behind the desk.

The previous unease in his heart seemed to vanish entirely at this moment.

As the hem of his long robe fluttered, his ink-black long boots stepped calmly through the middle of the crowd.

"……"

Those with profound cultivation all sensed the strangeness about Shen Yi.

Even Ye Jiu was now shaken to the core; Ji Jingxi and the others stood in a daze where they were; Ziyang stared blankly at the young man, noticing how he was different from before.

The Dao Realm... the sole Dao Realm in Hongze today.

The doors of the great hall opened and closed, and Shen Yi had completed the path of Dao Merging.

Even without the presence of immortal power, he was the master of Hongze in name and in truth!

"Huu."

Shen Yi stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing into the distance ahead — that was the path out of Hongze.

He glanced back slightly and smiled: "Anyone want to go out and have a look? Come along."

It wasn't the first time risking his life; why wear a long face? Better to keep things light.

At least up to now, everything he had wanted to protect, he had protected; so he would just keep on winning.

Even Jiang Qiulan, who was closest to Shen Yi, had never seen such a warm, gentle smile on the young man's face.

Let alone anyone else.

They stood in a daze for a long while, and finally came to their senses — Hongze had changed hands.

The seal that had blocked their steps had vanished just like that, without a sound.

From now on, Hongze, like everywhere else, was nothing more than a tiny, insignificant part of Shenzhou — no different at all.

If that was the case, why stop?

(End of this chapter)