Chapter 639: The Honest Man Who Got Promoted

「……」

Shen Yi glanced at Meng Xiuwen's sheepish grin, then down at the bloody severed head beneath his feet.

He roughly understood why the man wore such a flustered expression.

The Zhan Yao Si was ultimately different from the Zhen Mo Si; the latter operated under direct orders from the Wumiao, genuinely governing the Nine Provinces, where within the Daqian realm, the Wumiao was absolute.

But in Shenzhou, the imperial court's control was clearly checked by the Immortal Court.

Thus, the Zhan Yao Si had many constraints in its operations; shadowy forces always needed to weigh risks and avoid drawing the Immortal Court's attention.

This situation before them certainly hadn't escalated to the point of needing to permanently enrage a Taiyi Immortal to resolve.

"I didn't do it on purpose, damn it."

Meng Xiuwen gritted his teeth, cursing: "I planned to just take that damn net and leave—who knew this kid, yelling about how arrogant it was, came charging at me like he was insane… He was a cultivator comparable to a sixth-rank, how could he be this stupid?"

Ye Jing suddenly interrupted his complaints: "This side is about the same."

"Huh?"

Only then did Meng Xiuwen snap back to awareness, noticing the chaos around him, then looked up at the sky.

The night sky remained murky, yet now bore a new layer of disorder—this was a sign of heaven and earth without a master.

"Did you kill Master Yulong?"

He widened his eyes, staring at the girl in the green dress.

"And his spiritual beast, also a seventh-rank realm," Ye Jing stared at the severed head on the ground.

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Meng Xiuwen fell silent for a moment, then clucked in amazement: "Didn't expect it—you've gotten even stronger."

"I didn't do it," Ye Jing shook her head, stepping back half a pace to reveal Shen Yi.

"……"

This subtle motion froze Meng Xiuwen in place—he knew Ye Jing; this girl never boasted falsely, nor did she ever shift blame.

If either of these two deaths had even the slightest connection to her, she would never say such a thing.

Looking at Shen Yi's calm demeanor, Meng Xiuwen dug his fingers harder into his hair—what the hell had the Land God sent him?!

The same doubt as before, yet now carrying entirely opposite implications.

Previously, he'd thought this man had some petty cleverness but was unmanageable and weak, unlikely to be of any use.

Now he was stunned: how could such a young prodigy have sunk to seeking work from a Land God?

"Let me see."

Meng Xiuwen extended his hand toward the two.

Ye Jing pulled out Master Yulong's corpse, then stared blankly at Shen Yi.

"……"

Under their gazes, Shen Yi remained silent for a long while, reluctantly producing the bear demon's corpse—before swiftly retracting it into his ring before either could clearly see.

Surrendering it was out of the question.

Now that he'd come to Shenzhou with Zi Yang, he was utterly isolated; each demon corpse represented additional leverage and further insight into Shenzhou's many factions.

"Sss."

Meng Xiuwen's eyesight was razor-sharp; even in that instant, he deduced from the bear demon's wounds exactly what brutal method had killed it.

"Xingzhe Dao?"

"He knows immortal arts too," Ye Jing knew what Meng Tou was worrying about, and with one sentence, dispelled his suspicion.

"The Land God said you're a hermit immortal."

Meng Xiuwen turned his head, scrutinizing the young man from head to toe: "So… this is what a hermit immortal is like?"

Other hermit immortals, having hit a dead end, learned fringe arts as backup.

This one of ours… means he's merged two teachings?

"What now?" Shen Yi didn't want to waste time on this, kicking idly at the severed head.

He hadn't expected this gesture to make Meng Xiuwen's eyelid twitch again.

Before, he'd worried this youth might be too hesitant facing the Three Teachings; now, with this gesture, he feared the youth was too reckless.

This wasn't about respecting or fearing the Three Teachings—it was about not respecting them at all!

"What now…"

Meng Xiuwen slowly withdrew his gaze; since everyone had acted roughly the same, it didn't matter: "Report it, let them come handle it—after all, this ain't the first time I've messed up, just send word."

As he spoke, his brazen, unrepentant demeanor bore not a trace of a Zhan Yao official.

"Withdraw!"

Picking up the head and corpse, Meng Xiuwen waved his hand and led the two straight out of the Yulong Sect.

……

More than ten days later, the Jianyang Prefecture Land Temple.

Two red-faced old boy attendants stood respectfully, serving tea and water to the two seated by the low table.

"Has my younger sister caused you any trouble, Elder?"

To the right of the low table sat a girl with waist-length black hair, her face lovely, dressed in plain white male-hermit attire, clean and sharp, adding a touch of martial grace.

"You worry too much, Miss Ye Jing possesses formidable skills and has resolved many troubles for Jianyang Prefecture; truthfully, it's the old man who has troubled her."

Min Zhiyan bowed slightly, showing not the slightest air of an immortal official before this woman.

Though she was Ye Jing's elder sister, the two women were nearly the same age, yet their cultivation levels were worlds apart.

Had Ye Lan not joined the Zhan Yao Si, her strength alone would have qualified her for selection as a fifth-rank Immortal Court official.

"But Miss Ye, has this matter you came to Jianyang Prefecture for proven difficult?"

As Land God, Min Zhiyan knew perfectly well what the Zhan Yao contingent had done at the Yulong Sect.

"It's not that troublesome," Ye Lan rubbed his wrist and said softly. "Master Qingmei harvested the Taiyi Dao Fruit, but dislikes constraints and never joined the Immortal Court as an official—she's merely a free-roaming cultivator. Handle it cleanly, keep your lips sealed, and there won't be any major issues."

"What about Meng Xiuwen?" Min Zhiyan let out a bitter laugh.

Who doesn't know this Head Meng? In terms of strength, he's the top among all the Great Prefecture Demon-Slaying Officials. For all these years, he never got promoted—not only because his origins aren't clean, but also because his impulsive temper is a major reason.

"Temporarily remove him from his post as Demon-Slaying Official. Let him cultivate his temperament properly."

Ye Lan slowly stood up. "Is Jing'er still the only Demon-Slaying Hunter in Jianyang Prefecture?"

Hearing this, Min Zhiyan's bitter laugh deepened. "Not quite—recently, a new one has been added. His name is Shen Yi…"

He'd originally wanted someone to rein in this born calamity-star, but only a few days passed before Meng Xiuwen was directly dismissed. Could this not be a calamity-star, but a broom-star?

"Understood. I have matters to attend to. I'll visit you again next time."

Ye Lan gave a slight nod and turned to walk toward the forest's edge.

"Master Ye, wait a moment—let this old man speak one more thing," Min Zhiyan rose to see him off and called out: "Did you come here this time because you heard the Puti Sect's high master is giving a Dharma lecture?"

"…"

Ye Lan slowed his steps, sighed lightly, and gave an affirmative reply.

"I have a few close friends. According to them, this high master has issued widespread Buddhist invitations, and the Dharma he teaches is the Lotus Platform Method. This is extremely rare—even the Immortal Court will send representatives to observe. My advice… the Demon-Slaying Office should merely keep watch. Don't get too involved."

Min Zhiyan stood where he was, his expression tinged with reflection.

Logically, a great sect willing to transmit Dharma to the world should be a good thing.

But one must also consider what kind of Dharma they're transmitting.

The Lotus Platform Method is fine for crossing the bodily calamity—but if it's for crossing the heart calamity, it requires swallowing and occupying the Heavenly Imperial Qi.

In Min Zhiyan's judgment, if this spreads widely, it may not be a good omen at all.

"Thank you for the warning."

Ye Lan bowed in gratitude, then dissolved into a stream of clouds and vanished from sight.

…

Jianyang Prefecture Inn.

Shen Yi flipped through the jade slip in his hand. It wasn't so much a cultivation technique as it was the high master Yu Long's personal notes taken while listening to the Dharma.

It was tedious, obscure, and exhausting—pages upon pages that made one's eyes ache.

After a long while, he rubbed his temples and finally finished reading all the annotations.

【7th Rank. Yu Long Transforms into Azure Wood: Not Yet Entered】

Bad news: this is a heretical, outside-path method, far less efficient than the Sanjiaozheng Sect.

While both methods involve undergoing trials to perceive the Dao, this heretical method forces one down many detours, wasting countless years.

But the good news is—it can directly lead to the 7th Rank's peak realm… perhaps. After all, even Yu Long, its creator, never personally cultivated it.

Shen Yi had no master and no innate talent. Even if he went to hear Master Qingmei teach the Dharma firsthand, he'd likely still fail to grasp anything better.

As long as it works, it's enough.

Moreover, in his understanding, as long as the path leads through, the end goal is always harvesting the Dao Fruit—different paths, same destination.

【Remaining Demon-Monster Lifespan: One Hundred and Eighty-Five Jie】

The eight jie of lifespan lost have now become the Black Bear Town Stone, quietly standing in the Wan Yao Dian.

Shen Yi closed his eyes. Instantly, all the demon-monster lifespan poured into this heretical, outside-path method.

【First Jie: You attained the True Form of Yu Long, soaring through the Nine Heavens, when suddenly you heard the Great Dao. You descended among jagged, strange rocks and began perceiving Heaven and Earth. To better comprehend its profundity, you coiled there, enduring the ebb and flow of oceans and fields, gradually transforming into the shape of Azure Wood.】

Having personally experienced the Lotus Platform Method, Shen Yi immediately sensed the difference as he began cultivation.

Practitioners enter the world with their physical bodies and directly perceive Heaven and Earth—why would they need to transform themselves into other forms first, as Yu Long did, thereby slowing progress?

But without true Dharma to protect them, a cultivator without sect backing has no qualification to even glimpse the true face of Heaven and Earth.

Indeed, the demon-monster lifespan drained rapidly, yet the Azure Wood grew extremely slowly—its new sprouts extending at a pace imperceptible to the naked eye.

Dead wood sprouted new branches, over and over again.

By the time it reached the level of a third-jie Lotus Platform, it had already consumed nine jie of Shen Yi's lifespan.

Though it's only three times the cost, for a cultivator, this means constantly seeking opportunities to extend life—or repeatedly reincarnating and restarting cultivation. The risks multiply endlessly; one misstep leads to Dao's collapse and bodily destruction.

Heretical, outside-path methods ultimately cannot stand on the main stage.

What appears to be a viable path is, in truth, one that even if Yu Long had ten more lives, he could never complete… unless his lifespan was truly boundless.

【Remaining Demon-Monster Lifespan: One Hundred and Sixty-Seven Jie】

【7th Rank. Yu Long Transforms into Azure Wood: Perfected】

The Azure Wood had sprouted its sixth new branch. Its trunk had grown immensely tall, standing firmly within Shen Yi's body. Unlike the Lotus Platform, it was not intimately tied to his physical form.

Instead, it resembled an inexhaustible spiritual spring, freely radiating the essence of Heaven and Earth.

The distinction between practitioners and immortals was finally clear.

Shen Yi felt the vast, overwhelming energy—as if an ocean of Wang Yang surrounded him, filling him with a weightless, transcendent sensation, as if one step could carry him to heaven.

Though it consumed a full eighteen jie of lifespan to achieve the effect of only six jie, it had indeed helped him reach the Taiyi Zhenxian peak realm.

"Still lacking a bit."

Shen Yi compared this magic power to the Bai Xi Seal. His realm had indeed reached the 7th Rank's limit—but his actual power still fell short, likely due to the method's inherent inferiority.

At that moment, a commotion outside the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Dismissed? So what! Who cares!"

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, drew the ocean of magic power back into the Azure Wood, then opened the door.

If his guess was right, the Demon-Slaying Office had come to deal with the aftermath of last time.

He was also eager to see how the Divine Dynasty truly felt—if their stance was too harsh, he'd have to reluctantly abandon the role of Demon-Slaying Hunter, even though he'd just tasted its sweetness.

Before him stood Meng Xiuwen, arms crossed, leaning against the railing, his face full of indignation: "But I must say this upfront—if you punish me, don't punish my two subordinates."

The woman dressed in a white-robed knight-errant style stood quietly before him and said concisely, "From now on, you answer to her."

"Huh?"

Meng Xiuwen straightened up abruptly and looked to the side in disbelief: "Who did you say? Her?"

The woman in white paid him no heed. With a casual wave of her hand, a delicate iron token flew out from Meng Xiuwen's embrace and landed in her palm.

She then turned around and handed the iron token to Ye Jing, who stood beside her with a blank look: "Keep him in line, and don't let him cause any more trouble."

Ye Lan had no intention of explaining further. No one knew better than she how obedient her own younger sister was.

"Uh."

Ye Jing blinked, was silent for a long while, then—under Ye Lan's slightly surprised gaze—took two steps back and said: "I can't keep Meng in line."

"Hm?" Ye Lan frowned slightly, only to hear her sister continue: "But he can."

Hearing this, she instinctively followed Ye Jing's gaze and looked to the side, and immediately saw the young man leaning against the doorframe watching the show as if he were a bystander.

Precisely because she understood her sister, Ye Lan rarely questioned her words.

Besides, this young man did indeed look far more steady than Meng Xiuwen.

She hesitated for a moment, then held the iron token out toward that young man: "He acts too rashly and recklessly—he's not suited to be a Demon-Slaying Officer. You will temporarily take his position. Keep a close eye on him. If he refuses to submit to discipline, you may use this item to send word directly to me. Can you do it?"

"……"

Shen Yi lifted his gaze slightly.

It seemed the other party had only placed restrictions on Meng Xiuwen, and had not made any demands of him.

Thinking of this, he reached out and took the iron token.

Seeing this, Ye Lan turned and shot Meng Xiuwen a glance: "Behave yourself."

The man in white who had been wearing a look of defiance just moments ago now stood in place with an odd expression in his eyes, saying nothing.

Once the words fell, Ye Lan's figure had already vanished from the inn.

"Ahem."

Meng Xiuwen slowly turned back around. Had this woman gotten something mixed up? On this outing, three lives had been lost in total, and two of them had been taken by the very "good guy" in her eyes.

(End of chapter)