Chapter 668: Rewarding Merit and Bestowing Honors

"A堂堂一尊 Luo Han, and he actually followed us all the way to Bihai. Tch."

Bai Yuxian quietly retreated two steps, already pondering how to escape.

They were fugitives, true, but they weren't brainless fools either. This Immortal General's identity far exceeded ordinary imagination. Not to mention her two elder brothers weren't here right now—even if they were, they would absolutely never show themselves in a situation like this.

Who knew what other great figures were protecting this Immortal General.

Thinking of this, the five fingers hidden in her sleeve suddenly clenched tight. She whipped them forward sharply, raising several blinding streaks of white light, like a sword spanning the heavens, carrying a sharpness that could rend the sea, slashing toward the mountain-like golden figure!

Bai Yuxian withdrew her palm, didn't even spare another glance, turned her body. One by one, white feathers sprouted from her skin; her graceful figure swelled in an instant, wings unfurled, the shadow cast shrouding Bihai.

Her entire being transformed into a terrifyingly massive avian, wings beating furiously as she fled far into the sky!

As a Taiyi Immortal of demon origin, she now exerted her full power, the might she raised was terrifying indeed. But in the direction she was heading, behind the clouds and mist, the woman standing with arms at her sides showed not the slightest change in expression.

"..."

Ye Lan quietly gazed down at the massive avian demon rushing over, and slowly raised her right palm.

At such close range, Bai Yuxian seemed to sense something amiss; a few traces of alarm suddenly welled up in those enormous eyes.

But before she could flap her wings to change direction, the next instant, a surging golden river pierced through the heavens, the sound of tearing air nearly deafening!

The sharp sword-light was instantly blasted apart by the river, shattering into scattered feather fragments flying about.

Boom—

How could this be any river? It was clearly an arm with perfect muscular definition, a robust limb as if heaven-made. The slender five fingers were like a prison, carrying an aura of despair, instantly gripping the giant avian's body.

"Ahh!!"

At the instant the five fingers closed, Bai Yuxian involuntarily let out a wail of anguish. Before that power of over a hundred tribulations, her demon body was fragile as bamboo strips. Amid crack-crack explosive sounds, her bones had already shattered under the tremendous force.

Light of Jin Guang flowed in the Luo Han's eyes, carrying not the slightest emotion, as he violently dragged this great demon back.

The flawless body stretched out, swinging this Taiyi demon immortal and slamming her heavily onto the sea surface. Emerald waves surged skyward!

Before Bai Yuxian could recover from the grievous wound, when she raised her head again, a foot that blotted out the sky and sun had already stomped down violently.

Puchi!

This majestic giant figure radiated Buddhist light all over, yet its movements were brutal and cruel to the extreme, carrying a hint of savage wildness.

Demon blood splashed beneath his feet, not staining the Golden Body in the slightest, but defiling this stretch of Bihai.

"Huu."

Ye Lan took this scene in, and ripples gradually rose in her heart.

Compared to what she had seen last time outside Crane Mountain, the strength Shen Yi had revealed had now more than doubled.

Just how much more was the other party still hiding?

She quietly withdrew her palm.

"..."

Ye Jing watched helplessly as that Taiyi demon immortal struggled desperately in resistance. But those sharp feathers, keener than immortal swords, rained down slashing at the Luo Han's Golden Body, yet couldn't leave the slightest mark upon it at all.

Every time she struggled to raise her head, she would be thunderously suppressed back down by that foot!

Repeating this over a dozen times, the giant avian no longer had any complete form, broken and shattered, floating on the sea surface, having utterly lost its breath of life.

An Luo Han subduing demons—how clean and decisive it was!

From beginning to end, Shen Yi's right palm had been perfectly steady. Lady Qinghua, in his palm, gradually regained clarity of mind. Amid her pleasant surprise, she suddenly thought of something and called out in panic through her consciousness: "My lord! No!"

Of course she wasn't trying to stop her master from subduing the demon—she had remembered the group of Heavenly Soldiers and Immortal Generals still lingering nearby.

There were bound to be eyes left behind by General Qingluan.

They had originally intended to investigate her background. Now that her master had made a move, wouldn't that be playing right into General Qingluan's wishes?

Given his foundation as a fourth-rank official and a high-ranking member of the Sanxian Sect, if this Immortal General sensed something amiss, the trouble would be enormous!

"Focus on recovering from your wounds."

Shen Yi spread his five fingers and set Lady Qinghua down.

He didn't blame her for her carelessness; this tribulation was simply because he urgently needed demon-lifespan to exchange for the Grand Void Dao Fruit.

Fortunately both were at Bihai—otherwise he would have nearly gotten Lady Qinghua killed because of this Dao Fruit.

The next moment.

The Luo Han's Golden Body slowly dissipated into the world, transforming back into the appearance of a youth draped in a dark robe.

Shen Yi hovered above the sea surface, casually collecting all the corpses floating in the water into his thumb-ring, then raised his eyes to look toward the west.

Lady Qinghua also sensed those familiar auras rapidly approaching, and her expression involuntarily grew much more tense.

"Quickly!"

Youyunshan's angry shout rang out in the air: "General, are you still lucid? Quickly enter the formation, return to the Heavenly Court first!"

After sensing the terrifying aura that had suddenly risen from Bihai, Shi Yong had finally swiftly completed that grand formation. Amid a group of colleagues, he rushed over in frantic haste.

Though worry was written on all their faces, the delight in his eyes was already nearly impossible to conceal.

Sure enough, in the end outsiders had intervened!

What nonsense about cultivating merit through ascetic practice—if not for the aid of a great power, with mere Combined Dao realm cultivation, what资格 would he have to dissolve a killing tribulation capable of drawing a response from heaven and earth?

Such a figure, sent up to the Heavenly Court at great cost by someone, was still so low-key. Day after day he put on the appearance of an honest, dutiful worker, leaving not the slightest flaw to be found, yet behaved so abnormally precisely when it came to Princess Ziling's matter.

Clearly he harbored some scheme, and the greatest possibility was that he was someone specially planted by other members of the Sect to target General Qingluan!

Shi Yong was merely a seventh-rank Immortal General; he couldn't figure out the specific reasons. He only knew that he himself was about to perform a great meritorious deed.

"Hm?"

When Youyunshan saw the scene before him, he and the many Heavenly Soldiers behind him all stared blankly.

What situation was this?

The dense blood-qi pervading the surroundings clearly indicated a battle had just taken place, yet not a single demon could be seen—could they all be dead?

Only Shi Yong seemed to have anticipated this long ago; his eyes swiftly swept over everyone present.

Finally, he stared straight at the young man beside General Qianqing.

Immediately following, he clasped his hands and bowed his head, concealing the greed on his face: "We are heavenly soldiers under General Qianqing of the Immortal Court. Thank you, expert, for subduing the demons. May we ask your name?"

"..."

You Yunshan frowned and looked over.

Shi Yong's actions were not problematic; in matters like this, one must surely ask for clarity, otherwise there would be no way to report and record it upon return.

But, the way he introduced himself was somewhat strange.

The opponent could subdue Bai Yu, an Immortal, so he must be at least a fifth-rank Taiyi Immortal; at such a time, by both reason and propriety, he should have announced General Qingluan's name, so why was he still being evasive?

"I—" Lady Qinghua struggled to stand upright, just about to take over the conversation.

Before her words could leave her lips, a faint voice sounded from the sky.

"This is Shen Yi, the Peak Lord of Dan Peak, under Shenxu Mountain."

Upon hearing these words, everyone looked up at the sky; You Yunshan and the many heavenly soldiers wore expressions of sudden realization, and relief surged in their eyes.

Bihai was originally the cultivation ground of Shenxu Mountain; that Shenxu Laozu was a Daluo Immortal Venerable, whose power was comparable to a third-rank Immortal Official, a legendary Immortal.

Under him were eight peaks, and each Peak Lord was a dragon among men; even if they did not serve in the Immortal Court, they were in no way inferior to their own General Qingluan.

General Qianqing had encountered a life-threatening disaster, yet still managed to run into a Peak Lord of Shenxu Mountain; this luck was truly heaven's favor.

"This."

Shi Yong was stunned for a moment, immediately sensing something was wrong, and hurriedly looked at the young man: "Shen Qianbei..."

"I happened to pass through here, saw demons causing chaos, and acted on a whim; no need for courtesy."

Shen Yi slightly adjusted his sleeves and calmly looked back.

"Thank you, Shen Qianbei." You Yunshan hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed.

Although as heavenly soldiers they need not grovel before such idle Immortals, possessing the dignity of the Heavenly Court themselves, it still depends on the situation; since the person had just saved their lives, being polite did not break any rules.

Shi Yong gritted his teeth, still somewhat unwilling.

How could such a coincidence exist in the world? The three demons of Bai Hong had lurked in Bihai for so many years, yet Shenxu Mountain did not intervene; instead, when us heavenly soldiers and generals acted, we had to be restrained, lest we cause that Shenxu Laozu to misunderstand, thinking the Immortal Court was using this opportunity to probe his mountain gate.

Yet as soon as General Qianqing encountered trouble, a Peak Lord happened to pass by this place.

Why didn't anyone else see a Peak Lord pass by when they encountered trouble?

Thinking of this, he risked causing displeasure to the other party, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked carefully, hoping to detect some anomaly.

However, no matter how he looked, that young man in the black robe bore the appearance of a true prodigy.

At such a young age, he could subdue a famous old demon like Bai Yu, and furthermore could command a branch under a Daluo Immortal Venerable; his cultivation in the hundred arts must surely be quite profound.

To put it harshly, backed by Shenxu Mountain, if the other party were willing to take office in the Immortal Court, his achievements would likely not be lower than those of Deng Shibo Qingluan, and in the future, he might even have the chance to reach the third-rank Immortal register of a high official.

Such a person had absolutely no need to hold a grudge against Deng Shibo Qingluan; even if there was a grudge, it would not require a mere seventh-rank Pi Ma Wen.

The gap was simply too large.

"Thank you... Shen Qianbei..."

Shi Yong's face was extremely ugly, yet he had to bow his head and respectfully bow.

Although the duck that was within reach had flown away, if he continued to纠缠 (entangle), even if General Qianqing was stupid, he would surely notice him, which would instead ruin General Qingluan's affairs.

"Escort your Immortal General back; I have important matters to attend to and will not see you off."

Shen Yi lightly nodded his chin and left the spot directly.

Although one's own strength is most important, sometimes having an extra layer of skin is quite useful.

Just like now.

He did not need to care whether these heavenly soldiers and generals believed him; as long as the logic held up, no matter how suspicious the other party was, they could only hold it in.

As a Peak Lord of Shenxu Mountain, touring his own cultivation ground, this reason was sufficient to brush off that Immortal General Qingluan.

"..."

Lady Qinghua watched the other party leave; she had thought her reverence for her master had already reached its peak.

Whatever her master did was normal.

But when this troubling matter that unsettled her mind was brushed aside by Shen Yi with just two or three light words, Lady Qinghua's eyes could not help but flash with some brilliance.

It is said that only after ascending to the Immortal Court is there that vast Dao, advancing a thousand li in a day, far beyond comparison with the mortal world.

Therefore, everyone wants to ascend to the sky; everyone wants to climb that Heavenly Gate.

Yet with her master's help, using the alias Qianqing, she started as a seventh-rank Immortal Official, and in a short time, leaped to become a sixth-rank Immortal General; in the eyes of her colleagues, this was already a promotion worthy of much discussion.

Although the other party was in the mortal world, he had already quietly reached a position she could never hope to attain.

"General, let us return."

You Yunshan sighed, came to the side of Immortal General Qianqing, wanting to offer a few words of comfort, yet not knowing where to begin.

Was it risky? Naturally, they almost lost their lives.

But the gains were equally huge.

Thinking of this, he looked at the Golden Body and discovered that tender sprout at his waist.

This Immortal General's first descent to the mortal world resulted in obtaining the "concrete evidence" that other colleagues had failed to uncover despite guarding this place for many years; although it involved a large element of luck... a merit is a merit!

Tsk! This promotion speed is probably even faster than that of General Qingluan back in the day!

"Good."

Lady Qinghua secretly glanced at Shi Yong, said nothing more, and led the heavenly soldiers directly toward the Immortal Court.

The heavenly soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and also secretly glanced at Shi Yong.

They indeed did not understand arrays, but they were not without brains.

The great array that previously required "meticulous carving," the moment the aura was stirred up in the distance, even in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, General Shi had immediately set it up; those nimble movements were all seen by everyone.

A look more eager than anyone else, leading them to rush to this place.

Anyone who didn't know would think it was worry over General Ganqing's safety.

But connecting it to what happened before, the more you looked at it, the more it seemed like he was waiting for the general to have an accident, then relying on this grand formation to claim the credit.

The rest of them weren't people with any background, otherwise they wouldn't have ended up here as Heavenly Soldiers staking their lives for merit.

One superior runs into trouble and lets his subordinates escape first; another superior, when a colleague met with mishap, actually harbored petty schemes.

Set side by side, the difference was plain at a glance.

Even the bit of dissatisfaction they had felt before about following General Ganqing being too dangerous vanished in an instant.

……

The Immortal Court, Qingluan Palace.

The man, having removed his armor, sat upright behind the desk, with still no attendants or maidservants to wait on him.

But on the desk there was now an extra cup of tea that had already gone somewhat cold.

During the days since that purple-whiskered white dragon had left, General Qingluan had already learned to brew his own tea.

Apart from earlier having Hongjing help investigate the matter of the Bodhisattva's sermon, and the move of transferring Bimawen under his command, he seemed to have paid no further attention to Princess Ziling's disappearance.

"……"

Shi Yong swallowed, and finished recounting what had happened in the mortal realm.

Noting that General Qingluan's expression showed no great ripple, he glanced casually at the desk, and immediately saw the other casually pick up one document and lay it on top of another reply letter.

Seeing this.

Shi Yong's heart went cold, and he hurriedly looked away.

That reply letter was clearly stamped with General Hongjing's great seal—sure enough, his own general's thoughts were far different from what they appeared on the surface.

"General, my lord, that Ganqing's luck really is too good… he really was just a hair's breadth from losing his life, who'd dare gamble their own life on the Shenxu Mountain." Shi Yong began with an awkward smile—even if he hadn't completed the mission, at least he could cater to the other's tastes.

"Address your superior by name—go outside and take ten lashes."

General Qingluan stared at the sprout on the desk, not even lifting an eyelid.

"This… this humble one accepts the punishment!"

Shi Yong's face fell—he had almost forgotten this martial-uncle's temper.

He cupped his hands helplessly: "Then what about General Ganqing's matter?"

"Committed an error, punish; earned merit, reward."

General Qingluan slowly tucked that sprout away, his voice calm, as if stating the most ordinary thing in the world.

"Sixth rank?" Shi Yong's eyes were nearly red with envy—Ganqing's promotion in such a short span of time was perhaps a path that would take other immortal officials a whole lifetime to walk.

The next instant, his entire face went slack, and in his ears remained only the other's utterly flat tone.

"Vice Fifth Rank."

Shi Yong looked again at martial-uncle Qingluan's calm face, and the envy in his eyes gradually turned to fear.

There's an old saying: too much is as bad as too little…

Although Ganqing had carried out this errand, and by merit it was probably enough, not long ago he had still been a Bimawen!

Don't look at how sixth rank and vice fifth rank were only one grade apart—this was the gap between a Heavenly Immortal and a Taiyi Immortal, a chasm hard to cross.

Even General Qingluan, who had himself been promoted, if he wanted to arrange this, would still have to submit a memorial according to the rules and have the Immortal Court approve it.

What on earth was the other trying to do?

(End of this chapter)