Chapter 647: Kneel to Me Before You Kneel to the Buddha

Jianyang was a proper major prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Divine Dynasty.

At this moment, being within the city, the overwhelming imperial qi filled the sky, sweeping mightily across everything.

Back then, the dao companions of the Purple Cloud Sect had even been suppressed to the point of needing medicinal pills to recover just to cast a simple qi-seeking art; although the Puti Sect disciples had not fallen to such a state, being able to bring out forty or fifty percent of their full strength was already considered decent.

Only in ordinary times, very few people would pay any mind to this point.

After all, if everyone was suppressed by the imperial qi, then it was as if no one was suppressed at all.

And those existences who could influence the imperial qi were all prominent figures of great standing within the Divine Dynasty, such as the Prefect of Jianyang; ordinary cultivators would not be so hot-headed as to go before them and bring trouble upon themselves.

But what office did this young man before them hold within the Divine Dynasty?

Why had they never heard of him?

Zhiqing's expression was complicated; the long staff pressed down in his hand also loosened its force slightly. Master Zhikong seized this chance, swept him aside with one staff, grabbed the woman on the ground, and hurled her far away.

"..."

Zhiqing merely glanced at her, with no intention of continuing to slay that female cultivator.

Although he coveted the Dragon Tiger Great Scripture, he had never thought to make enemies of imperial court officials within the Divine Dynasty's jurisdiction; he had simply been a bit careless, not having considered this aspect at all before making his move.

After all, court officials served the Human Emperor—how could they be unaware of the relationship between the Divine Dynasty and the Three Teachings? They were not greenhorns who understood nothing; so presumptuously browsing through the scriptures of the Three Teachings would not be worth the cost, and this did not seem like something a court official would do.

"Withdraw now, return to the sect to report to the elders, then come to the Divine Dynasty to apologize and bear the bramble—this matter still has room for maneuver."

Master Zhikong's breathing was low, like a broken drum, his gaze fixed dead on the monk before him.

As a fellow disciple of the Puti Sect, he knew full well how formidable the strength of the two before him was.

Although Shen Xianyou had blocked that staff strike and even caused Zhiming to suffer a small loss, which was already enough to astonish, his cultivation of three tribulations could not be falsified; he had merely relied on his identity as a court official to catch them off guard.

If they truly became entangled in a fight, not only would it be nine deaths out of ten today, but being within a major prefecture, there was no telling how many innocents would be implicated.

If he could use the Divine Dynasty to intimidate the two and make them withdraw, that would be the best course of action.

"Is that so."

Zhiqing turned his head to glance at the Luo Han Golden Body leading the dragon and tiger; a fiery light gradually welled up in his eyes. The next moment, he once again gripped his long staff tightly: "Junior brother, don't blame this senior brother for not leaving you a way out. Drop your staff, wait aside for a moment, you need not act. Once this senior brother has dealt with this court official, the three of us shall share the Dragon Tiger Great Scripture!"

"The dead cannot speak."

"You and I have plenty of time. At worst, we'll temporarily avoid the brunt by returning to the sect; once the Dragon Tiger Fruit Position is attained, who in this world can do anything to us?"

"On the contrary, think carefully—even if today you truly stake your life and let one person escape, letting the news leak... three Puti Sect disciples ambushed and killed a court official within the Divine Dynasty, and one of them was a good person—do you believe that if this gets out?"

Saying this, he looked at Master Zhikong again, his voice filled with a tempting tone: "What do you think? Does this senior brother speak reason?"

"..."

Ye Jing listened to every word with a pounding heart; these two Puti Sect practitioners were already rare powerhouses. If even Master Zhikong stood on the opposing side, then today the likes of them would truly be unable to escape even with wings!

Thinking of this, she instinctively looked to the side.

Before she could see Shen my lord's expression clearly, the other's calm voice had already risen by her ear.

"There is reason."

No one noticed that a cold, fierce, and murderous smile had surfaced on Shen Yi's handsome face.

So what if it's the Puti Sect? It's not as though he hadn't killed them before. Since they had delivered themselves to his doorstep, and on his own territory no less, this was a heaven-sent opportunity.

Kill and take the scripture, temporarily avoid the brunt; once the Dragon Tiger Fruit Position is plucked, Shenzhou is vast—where could he not go!

A prefecture had only one Yao-Slaying Official, and his status was naturally on par with the Prefect.

Although he could not mobilize the imperial qi to ward off enemies.

That unremarkable iron tablet, however, had isolated the suppression descending from the heavens.

Before his words had faded, he had already struck ferociously. The long staff originally contested with Zhiming suddenly thrust downward, slamming straight into the monk's heart, like a great hammer, nearly caving in his ribs!

Boom!

The golden light on the monk's body abruptly scattered, and even the lotus platform within his body trembled violently twice.

"You—"

Zhiming spat out a mouthful of Jin Xue, swung his staff and smashed down. The seemingly unremarkable iron staff came and went without a shadow; before it even touched his body, the surging force that seemed capable of overturning heaven and earth came roaring in like a tidal wave.

"Suppress."

Shen Yi softly uttered one word and stepped forward. He clearly had not dodged, yet precisely at the moment before the staff fell, he brushed past it shoulder to shoulder, standing face to face with Zhiming.

In an instant, the fist peak covered in golden light slammed heavily onto the weakest point of the monk's chest—the heart. Amidst a piercing boom, he was sent flying violently.

"Roar!!"

Zhiming forcibly steadied his stance. Where had he ever suffered such grievance? Bloodshot veins filled his eyes as he let out a low roar.

The gap between each tribulation was difficult to cross; his cultivation was clearly a full three tribulations stronger than his opponent's, and he had even struck first by surprise, yet he had suffered setback after setback.

Boom!

He staggered to a stand, unwilling even to catch his breath, then suddenly stepped forward. His straw sandals tore apart; his bare feet caused the already ravaged great hall to shatter once more. His entire body leaped across the sky, the long staff in his hand crashing down with the force of splitting a mountain!

"Die for me!"

A wrathful practitioner might not be like an immortal capable of causing heaven to collapse and earth to crumble, but with all the mighty power of his body gathered into one staff, its terrifying momentum could still make bystanders turn pale at the sight.

Golden slurry surged like waves, pouring forth from the long staff!

Ye Jing, who at the Jade Dragon Sect had even been confident enough to fight two Taiyi Zhenxian, was merely swept up by the aftershock of the golden slurry, and was sent tumbling away in a sorry state.

Seventh-grade perfection, the practitioner's true art—these could nearly represent the upper limit of this realm.

"Seal."

Shen Yi raised his eyes to watch the staff crashing down overhead, and once again uttered one word.

In Wan Yao Dian, led by the newly gathered Spirit Light Mouse Demon and Bear Demon, aided by the other hall masters, and reinforced by several hundred Town Stones transforming into black mist to empower the hall masters—

Star points appeared out of thin air, sketching out dazzling peach blossoms.

The Greedy Wolf Star Dou Immortal-Slaying Grand Array!

The staff smashed into this peach blossom, as if sinking into a mire; though it was still falling, it had slowed to a pace visible to the naked eye.

Zhiming's face shifted slightly. Where had this court official gotten so many tricks? And though this grand array couldn't be considered top-tier, it required no setup at all — he could actually form an array with a single character.

"Zhiqing! Come help!"

He finally sensed something was off. The target was tough. To take him down quickly, his own strength alone wouldn't be enough.

"Hold on, almost done."

Zhiqing replied calmly.

The instant Shen Xianyou's words left his mouth, Master Zhikong swung his staff out without the slightest hesitation. Shen Xianyou was experienced — if he chose to act, he must have realized there was no other way to resolve today's matter, so it was better to strike first.

But they trained under the same master, their techniques nearly identical — it all came down to raw strength.

The gap in cultivation couldn't be bridged by mere courage or willpower.

Shen Xianyou held the upper hand, but he himself had become a drag…

"Heh."

Zhiqing's long staff came down like a torrential downpour, quickly forcing Master Zhikong to retreat step by step. That court official's strength had somewhat exceeded his expectations — besides the Three Tribulation Lotus Platform, he had actually mastered numerous immortal techniques. If this dragged on, something would go wrong.

"Junior brother… you chose this yourself… farewell!"

Thinking of this, his gaze turned vicious. He seized the chance and smashed his staff down onto Master Zhikong's shoulder. As he forced him to his knees, the tip of the staff, like a spear, pierced through with a sickening crunch, shattering the other's nose bridge, driving straight through, and hurling his entire body into the air.

The long staff swept through the air with fierce momentum, seemingly intent on cleaving Master Zhikong clean in two at the waist.

"…" Master Zhikong flew through the air, the golden light on his body dim, the lotus platform within his body riddled with cracks, his face a mask of blood that had already blinded him. His ragged breathing sounded like a broken gong, and his mind had begun to drift.

Just then, a great net swept in from behind and suddenly wrapped around Zhiqing's body.

"What the hell is this!"

He struggled in his haste, only to find that the more he struggled, the tighter the immortal net bound him.

The vast waters it carried — he didn't know how heavy they were — now fell entirely upon him.

He glanced down at the great net, as if recognizing something, and shouted in alarm: "How dare you! You're one of Qingmei's disciples! A Sanxian Sect follower, daring to steal my Puti Sect's lotus platform dharma?!"

"Still daring to lose focus!" Zhiming's staff was less than three inches from Shen Yi's crown, the golden pulp within it rapidly wearing down that lotus.

And at a moment like this, this kid actually still had the mind to look elsewhere.

"Not even Qingmei can save you today!"

"…"

Before Zhiming's words had finished, he saw Shen Yi look back. Between the slightly raised sleeves, five fingers had already clenched around a palm-sized little mountain.

That thing was clearly an immortal dharma treasure.

Now in this young man's hands, it looked just like a brick.

The next instant, Shen Yi violently swung the Precious Mountain and smashed it heavily into Zhiming's face. A single blow split his flesh, shattered most of his skull, and even exposed his gums.

Zhiming had no time to cry out in pain. He instinctively let go of his staff and turned to flee.

But someone seized him by the neck and slammed him hard onto the ground.

Crack!

Shen Yi, expressionless, raised the Precious Mountain and smashed it brutally down onto that smooth back of the head. Amid the dull sound of shattering, sticky blood of gold and white splattered across his face, lending his Bai Xi features a touch of cruelty.

One! Two! Three!

Driving this Precious Mountain required incomparably vast Qi. Even at the Taiyi Zhenxian perfect realm, it had nearly drained that silver-light Cangmu within his body.

But Shen Yi seemed to know no fatigue, completely forgetting there was still a Zhiqing at full strength nearby.

He simply kept smashing the Precious Mountain down!

Until the Zhiming beneath him began to twitch faintly. He let out a light breath, slowly stood up, looking greatly drained. Clutching that mountain dripping with blood, he walked with slightly unsteady steps toward Zhiqing ahead.

"…"

Whether it was Master Zhikong lying on the ground, or Ye Jing in the distance whose Qi had been broken by the golden pulp, both stared with constricted pupils at that figure in dark robes.

In such a short time, the other had simultaneously revealed the Wanderer's Dao, array formations, the Taiyi Zhenxian perfect realm, and an immortal treasure.

What was even more chilling was that the way Shen Yi used these methods was utterly unorthodox — whatever felt handy, whatever came naturally — making it impossible to tell what school he belonged to.

Ye Jing suddenly recalled Meng-tou's earlier worry.

Worry that this new colleague wouldn't be able to bring himself to strike against disciples of the Three Sects.

She stared blankly at the horribly dead Zhiming on the ground, and suddenly shivered.

"Cough, cough!"

Master Zhikong coughed up clotted blood, struggled to pick up his staff, and tried to rise to help.

He had barely half-stood when Shen Yi, passing by, pushed him back down.

The young man walked past him without looking sideways, leaving only a faint remark: "Rest a while."

Killing one's own sect-mates — once done, word getting out would always damage one's reputation.

"Shen Xianyou… you…" Master Zhikong gasped for breath in great gulps. With his eye for detail, he could naturally see how weak Shen Yi's current state was. Compared to himself, the other was the one who truly should rest a while.

But clearly, Zhiqing wouldn't give him that chance.

From the instant he saw Zhiming slammed to the ground, this monk had said nothing, silently beginning to focus entirely on freeing himself from the great net.

Master Qingmei's dharma treasure was naturally a fine thing.

But that didn't mean, without knowing the activation method at all, simply throwing it out and giving it no Qi enhancement, it could trap a Puti Sect disciple to death.

Even though it carried vast waters within, Zhiqing happened to be a Wanderer who specialized in physical body!

He bent slightly. The clearly flimsy gauze net felt like an immensely heavy shackle, and he panted heavily as he shrugged it off onto the ground.

"Sir official, you don't seem to be doing so well."

Monk Zhiqing was drenched in sweat, yet a smile spread across his face. He grinned, flashing a row of white teeth.

With only the Wanderer's Dao cultivation of the Three Tribulation Lotus Platform, plus mostly depleted Taiyi Zhenxian Qi, wanting to take him down seemed a bit insufficient.

"Good, good — it was meant for me alone to enjoy the Dragon-Tiger Great Scripture."

He stared fixedly at the black-robed youth walking closer, and a sudden surge of savage intent crept into his smile. The staff in his hand swept through the air like Lei Ting, and he hacked viciously across!

Shen Yi neither dodged nor yielded. With equal ferocity, he smashed the Precious Mountain in his hands forward.

That single blow drained the remaining Qi from the withered wood in one stroke.

Radiance burst forth from Precious Peak. With a sharp crack, the staff was smashed clean in two.

Zhiqing seemed to have long since seen that this object was extraordinary. He had already retreated several steps in advance, abandoning the staff to shed force, and now his arms swung like hammers, sweeping across!

Such a crude, shallow technique, bolstered by the Six-Kalpa Lotus Platform, became a genuine killing blow!

Shen Yi flipped himself up, still refusing to give way. A whipping kick slammed brutally down onto the monk's arms, and then his long boot domineeringly stomped toward the man's skull!

Boom!

Zhiqing dropped to his knees on the prayer cushion with a thud, nearly having his head stomped flat, yet his face showed no anger—only delight.

He tilted his head and glanced up, his voice hoarse as he laughed: "Looks like it's really not working anymore."

The force transmitted through his arms was fierce enough, but it was confined to the scope of a Three-Kalpa Practitioner.

As his words fell, Zhiqing slowly exerted force, pushing that long boot upward inch by inch.

"I will extract your soul… torture out the Dragon Tiger Great Scripture… and use it to sacrifice the lives of my two fellow disciples…"

At the thought of the Dragon Tiger Fruit Position soon being within reach, he finally could not help but burst into laughter.

Just then, Zhiqing noticed that Shen Yi's expression remained as calm and indifferent as ever, utterly unmoved.

"I told you."

"I am an official."

Hearing the words ringing in his ears, Zhiqing's face froze slightly.

He of course knew the other was an official—otherwise it would have been impossible for him to withstand Zhiqing with the strength of Three-Kalpa, completely unaffected by the Imperial Qi.

But what was the point of saying this now.

Was he hoping that Zhiqing, out of fear of his identity as a court official, would let him off?

Wait!

Zhiqing's face changed drastically. In his line of sight, Shen Yi smiled as well, his neat, white teeth looking chillingly cold.

The next instant, a vast force no less than that of a complete Taiyi Zhenxian poured down from between his arms!

In a situation where the two were locked in a stalemate, such a sudden burst of power would have an utterly crushing effect.

Wrong! All wrong!

Zhiqing's eyes split with rage. He wanted to roar, but the sudden surge of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy shook his five viscera until they all ruptured.

So this "official"… meant a goddamn immortal official!

Crack—

Zhiqing knelt beneath this Dragon-Tiger Luo Han Golden Body in a posture of utter prostration. Where his head should have been, a long boot now stood in its place, along with a floor covered in blood and shattered bone.

The prayer cushion and the altar are separated by—

The monk seemed to be kneeling before this Golden Body.

Yet between him and the Golden Body, a black robe fluttered slightly—Shen Yi stood with his hands at his sides.

(End of this chapter)