Chapter 652: Does the Puti Sect Protect You? (Normal Update Today, Tomorrow)

"Luo Han! The crimes I committed years ago have already been punished!"

After clearly seeing the appearance of this Golden Body Luo Han, the Lion-Tiger Beast, with its head pinned down, no longer had the courage to struggle and could only scream out a mournful wail.

"This small demon has diligently atoned in the Immortal Court, never daring the slightest defiance; I beg the Luo Han to see clearly!"

When an Luo Han of the Puti Sect acts, it must be by the command of some Bodhisattva.

Then it cannot be targeting Princess Ziling.

This female dragon is not worthy of a Bodhisattva's attention.

The Lion-Tiger Beast could not understand; it had been expelled from the sect and sent to the Immortal Court to serve as a mount beneath someone's crotch, yet why did the sect still refuse to let it go?

Having once attained a fruit position, even if stripped away, a demon body that has undergone the cleansing of that fruit position is absolutely beyond the comparison of ordinary Golden Lotus Walkers.

But beneath that palm radiating golden light, the Lion-Tiger Beast's head gradually deformed, to the point where its eyeballs were forcibly squeezed out by immense force; between the shattered skull, thick blood soon covered its entire face.

"This small demon knows its error!"

Amidst the Lion-Tiger Beast's heart-shattering pleas for mercy, Princess Ziling likewise ceased her futile struggles, forcibly suppressing that flutter of alarm in her heart to calm herself.

The path to soaring in her life had never relied on strength.

But on having a mind clear enough.

"I know why you hate me, but... listen to me... calm down first!"

"He and I are mounts under the command of Immortal Generals Hongjing and Qingluan; we did not descend to the mortal world privately, but received an Immortal Order to come here on business. After the Bodhisattva's sermon concludes, we must proceed to Hongze. This is not me fanning the flames in between; General Hongjing originally wanted to know about Lingyun Shiren's situation!"

Under such life-or-death circumstances, Princess Ziling's voice was even more fluent.

Even Ye Lan could not help but raise an eyebrow.

No wonder she could bear the heavy responsibility of representing the Immortal Generals to attend the ceremony; this purple-bearded white dragon does have some merit.

"To save Hongze, I cannot die. If you kill me today, the Immortal Generals will send someone else to Hongze."

"Lingyun Shiren is already dead, correct?"

"Only I can help you conceal this matter! You have no other choice!"

"I help you kill it, and we are on the same boat; if the matter is exposed, I have absolutely no path to survival either. Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know... I know."

Princess Ziling spoke softly, fearing to anger this Luo Han, gazing sincerely into the other's eyes.

However, this sentence caused the Lion-Tiger Beast on the ground to shudder all over; its mountain-sized body trembled violently, and it lifted its eyes from between the fingers in disbelief, roaring, "Wretch! You seek death!"

He had stepped forward to save this female dragon's life, but now this evil beast wanted to use its own head to offer a pledge of loyalty?!

Facing such abuse, Princess Ziling acted as if she heard nothing; such a stupid and cowardly thing was wasting food even if it lived.

She forced a smile and looked at Ye Lan: "Ancestor Ye Lan, I do not know why the Taiyi Immortal of the Sanxian Sect and the Luo Han of the Puti Sect can be senior and junior brothers, nor dare I ask, but just now when I saw the Bodhisattva preaching, your expression changed, showing great displeasure; I suppose you have a good relationship with the imperial court..."

"The Bodhisattva preaches, the Divine Dynasty dislikes it, yet the Immortal Court sent people to attend the ceremony without blocking them; there must be deep meaning in this. If Ziling is fortunate enough to keep her life today, I will certainly do my utmost to investigate for you."

"But if Ziling dies today, you know, even your grand-ancestor, who is honored as a Great Luo Immortal Venerable, cannot be greater than the laws of the Immortal Court."

"Persuade your junior brother... we cultivators must prioritize the greater good..."

"..."

Hearing this, Ye Lan fell silent; when he looked at this female dragon again, a measure of wariness had surged in his eyes.

Almost every word of Princess Ziling considered them, and all struck right at the heart.

Such a sensible mount must hold an extraordinary status in the heart of Immortal General Qingluan.

"Killing me certainly relieves anger! But before that, think of your Hongze! Think of those living beings in your Harmony Dao Sacred Land who revere you as they revere Heaven and Earth; did they ever know they had become rebels?"

Princess Ziling looked lastly at the two Shen Zongzhus of Hongze, then turned her gaze toward the Wooden Man and Zi Yang, tears already welling in her eyes, crying out mournfully: "Xuanqing! Brother!"

She had no grudge against this Dragon-Tiger Luo Han; the other had inherited the Nanyang legacy and come to speak up for this group.

The one who tied the bell must untie it; the true person to solve the problem must be these two!

Facing Princess Ziling's cries, Zi Yang and Xuanqing silently faced each other.

This woman spoke very correctly; to resolve the matter of Hongze slaying an Immortal, someone must provide cover in the heavens.

But...

The five people of Hongze had faces of utter silence; even Ji Jingxi's eyes held not a single ripple.

They could not trust her.

Having already been a stupid pig once, how could they be one a second time?

Xuanqing looked up at that towering Golden Body Dharma Image; regarding Princess Ziling's current appearance, he felt not the slightest pity in his heart. This woman's shift from arrogance to humility was entirely due to Shen Zongzhu's strength that horizontally suppressed all beings.

They now trusted only one person: Shen Yi.

Whatever decision the other made, the entire Hongze had not the slightest objection.

"You—" A trace of fear finally surged in Princess Ziling's eyes.

"..."

Shen Yi slowly withdrew his gaze; in fact, from beginning to end, he had not heard Princess Ziling's words.

The reason he had not acted was simply to untie a knot in the hearts of the Hongze people.

Now it seemed the knot was untied.

Crack!

In an instant, a dull sound rapidly spread.

The Lion-Tiger Beast's head exploded, staining that brilliant gilded-gold palm red.

This muffled sound exploded in Princess Ziling's heart like thunder; she looked back at Shen Yi in disbelief... the pledge of loyalty was gone.

In the next moment, she struggled again as if possessed, screaming like a shrew:

"You cannot kill me... I am the most beloved one of Immortal General Qingluan! You fool, you will cause everyone's death!"

"What you say makes a lot of sense."

Shen Yi examined the purple-bearded white dragon in his hand; before his words finished, his five fingers suddenly clenched, sinking into Princess Ziling's flesh and skin, snapping her bones and tendons.

Roar!

Amid that heaven-shattering scream, Shen Yi's voice was so calm and even, yet it easily drowned it out.

"But I don't reason with the dead."

His perfectly sculpted, muscular arms stretched out, spanning the sky. The massive Purple-Whiskered White Dragon, like a loach, was hurled violently into the ground by him!

Splurt—

The earth quaked, the ground split open, as if a long abyss had been added.

The Purple-Whiskered White Dragon, its skin torn and flesh mangled, lay sprawled within. Its entire skull had caved in, its dragon horns snapped, blood foam in its mouth, making gurgling sounds. Its eyes were wide and round, staring at the dim sky—it was already dead.

The people of Hongze stared blankly.

No one knew how long passed before someone finally let out a long breath, as if a great stone had been lifted.

She had once emerged from Hongze, yet became a sharp blade hanging over the heads of all Hongze people.

Her going back on her word back then led to the fall of Nanyang, stirred up a hundred-thousand-year killing calamity, and even secretly directed Lingyun Shiren to take its place seriously patricide, all to cover up that tiny stain—that she had abandoned her Dao companion and ascended alone—which the Immortal Generals wouldn't care about at all.

Such a woman who valued her purity, in the end lay in the abyss in such a filthy state.

This blade… had finally broken.

Everything she had taken pride in, before Shen Zongzhu, was so fragile that a single palm could destroy it!

"Hoo."

On the lotus platform, the Dragon-Tiger fruit position rotated slightly.

Shen Yi, returned to his normal appearance, stood with his hands at his sides above the long abyss, quietly looking down at the dragon corpse below.

The matters of Hongze, he would handle himself—why would he need to borrow an eyesore of a dirty hand.

He slightly extended his palm.

A delicate gourd floated up from the bottom of the abyss.

As the lid was opened, a faint dragon soul frantically rushed out from within, shooting straight toward the sky.

Shen Yi could shape a suppression stone, and with a mere ten-thousand-year demon lifespan, draw this dragon soul into it.

But he did not do so. Instead, he took out a white dragon head with closed eyes from his thumb ring, then reached out to draw the dragon soul in the sky back, pouring it into the head.

Though an Luo Han was powerful, Shen Yi had the realm but no corresponding methods—he did not know any technique to reshape a body.

Relying on immortal methods of the Taiyi Zhenxian realm was even more impossible.

But temporarily storing the dragon soul here, waiting to reshape its body in the future, he could still do.

On the white dragon's head, the withered skin and flesh began to twitch violently, as if it had had an unforgettable nightmare, still immersed in that agony.

Shen Yi pressed down with all ten fingers on this head, gently prying open its eyelids for it.

"Ho! Ho!" The East Long Wang stared fixedly at those clear black eyes.

On the youth's Bai Xi face, his expression was calm, his voice seeming to possess some power to soothe the heart: "It's alright now."

The East Long Wang gradually stopped trembling. He clearly recognized the young man before him, his mind still somewhat dazed: "Hongze, how is Hongze, the East Dragon Palace…"

"Hongze is fine, they're fine too."

At least for now, they were fine.

Shen Yi smiled. This senior who had once planned to swap a clear sky for Hongze, so kind-hearted as to be somewhat foolish, could now be considered able to see everything he had once wished to see.

"Dad!"

Ziyang and Senior Zi Xian could no longer hold back and rushed up, tightly embracing this head.

Shen Yi took the opportunity to withdraw, leaving the time to them.

He waved his hand to draw the Lion-Tiger Beast and that dragon corpse entirely into his thumb ring, then turned and walked into the crowd.

"Thank you."

Xuanqing gazed at Shen Yi.

The once culprit behind the fall of Nanyang, now only she herself remained alive.

"It's about time you came out. He's been watching you all along."

Shen Yi patted Senior Xuanqing's shoulder, not giving the other party much chance for sentimentality.

As for the "he" in his words, it naturally referred to Qin Zongzhu.

Having said that, Shen Yi stepped past Xuanqing and slowly came to Ye Lan's side.

"…"

Ye Lan looked at the young man before her, silent for a long while, and finally sighed: "Just how much are you still hiding."

According to Meng Xiuwen, this kid was someone Min Zhiyan felt something was off about, and wanted to send into the Zhan Yao Si to let the imperial court help keep an eye on him.

Looking at it now, it was more than just something being off—the problem was simply too great.

Having entered the fifth rank was equivalent to glimpsing the true meaning of heaven and earth, and even being qualified to walk out a path belonging to oneself.

A cultivation method of this level, no matter which great sect, could not be casually taught.

To put it bluntly, the Master Master Qibao Bodhisattva, at the cost of falling out with the imperial court, only got as far as the sixth rank, didn't she.

Ye Lan simply did not believe Shen Yi was a disciple of the Puti Sect.

Because she had never heard of any Venerable whose Luo Han had also cultivated immortal law.

Of course, she was merely sighing in exclamation and had no real intention of getting to the bottom of it.

The Zhan Yao Si indeed needed to firmly grasp information on its subordinates, but there were exceptions. For instance, in matters like killing an immortal—as long as you dared to do it, then you were the Zhan Yao Si's most trustworthy subordinate.

After all, for demons and monsters being hunted by the Immortal Court, apart from the Divine Dynasty, where else would take them in.

But being trustworthy was one thing, and being able to solve trouble was another.

"Come with me."

Ye Lan led Shen Yi away from the crowd, casually forming a soundproofing art seal.

She had no idea what these people had been up to, nor had she ever heard of a place called Hongze, but from the threatening words of that purple-maned white dragon, she could understand why Shen Yi had chosen to strike without mercy.

But killing those two mounts still required some kind of explanation.

"What are you planning?"

Hearing this, Shen Yi glanced slightly toward the sky: "Bodhisattva preaches the Dharma, the imperial court makes its move…"

The earlier upheaval in heaven and earth had already been the best cover for diverting attention.

Even if the immortal generals discovered their mounts were missing and truly wished to investigate carefully, they ought to first look into the few people hidden behind the imperial aura.

Those simple eight words made Ye Lan's heart skip a beat. She looked over with a strange expression: "So you'd already figured out how to sling this dirty water onto the imperial court?"

She had assumed the other party was young and impetuous — turns out he'd thought it through before making his move!

"What kind of talk is that." Shen Yi glanced sideways, raising a brow: "I was originally a man dispatched by the imperial court."

"You…"

Ye Lan's breathing quickened slightly. Suddenly, beneath that young man's calm exterior, she caught a whiff of something shameless: "The imperial court has no mind to take this black pot on your behalf. At best, you can only borrow this chaotic situation to buy some time."

No memorial submitted, no petition filed — did the deed and still wanted to walk away clean.

Anyone who knows would say you're Zhan Yao Si's; those who don't would think Zhan Yao Si was yours.

Let alone a temporary acting Demon-Slaying Officer — even she, a titled General, wouldn't dare be so brazen.

"Take it one step at a time."

Shen Yi turned around. What he lacked most was time. Princess Ziling had to die; being able to buy some delay was already a pretty good outcome.

Hearing this, Ye Lan gazed at the young man's profile, watching that expression of someone long accustomed to such things, and suddenly didn't know what to say.

This was simply a strange person.

Clearly possessing the strength others envied, yet he kept utterly silent, as if he cared nothing at all for empty fame.

Say he feared trouble and liked to get rich quietly, perhaps.

Killing members of the Immortal Court, joining Zhan Yao Si, still keeping in his heart that whole band of fellow townsmen who were of no use to him — none of it seemed like the doing of a hermit.

And every single one of these matters, once exposed, would be enough to get him killed a hundred times over.

"Will Puti Sect protect you?" Ye Lan slowly closed her eyes.

"Ahem."

Shen Yi gave a light cough. Whether they'd protect him or not, he didn't know — but they probably wanted to kill him.

Three lives of Puti Sect practitioners, plus secretly learning the Dragon-Tiger Great Scripture.

And that was only because the Seven-Treasure Bodhisattva had been forced back today. If he had broken through right under the Bodhisattva's nose, the other party's greatest desire would have been to strike first and seize his fruit position.

Ye Lan received no answer. She opened her eyes and looked at Shen Yi seriously:

"Then let me protect you?"

(End of chapter)