Chapter 675: The Last Chance

The magnificent hall resembled an imperial palace.

The lights blazed, gold and jade gleaming.

Had it not stood amidst the mountains, no one would have guessed this was a demon lair.

"Buddha!"

At this moment, in the center of the hall, a figure with a tiger's back and bear's waist, massive in stature and draped in a bright yellow robe, knelt on the ground, performing a great kowtow toward the one above.

Above, a lean middle-aged man sat, his plain robes clashing with the hall; on his rough hands he twirled a string of prayer beads, his pale eyes gazing calmly at the burly man below: "You stole my sect's sacred scripture."

"I found it! I, a junior, found it!" the burly man hurriedly raised his head, clasping his fists repeatedly.

"Did you read it?" the middle-aged monk said no more, continuing to ask.

Hearing this, the burly man's face stiffened slightly; instantly guilt seized him, and after a long, hesitant pause he whispered, "I read it."

"How much did you learn?"

"Replying to Buddha, fifty percent." The burly man lowered his head again, daring not to look at the other.

"Why did you learn so quickly?" The monk's expression revealed neither joy nor anger.

"It was all because my descendants were diligent, finding much of that mortal imperial qi for me..."

At this point, the burly man's face turned ashen; as a great demon of a region, he certainly could not have found the Fruit Seat Great Scripture by chance.

Knowing full well that the abandoned disciple was a member of the Puti Sect, yet possessing such a heavy treasure with only seventh-grade cultivation, he still could not resist the greed in his heart and sought an opportunity to strike.

Originally, he had planned to exhaust all his strength to plunder that imperial qi, seize the Fruit Seat early, attain the Luo Han's honored position, and from then on roam the vast heavens, going wherever he pleased.

Otherwise, he would not have risked venturing so deeply into the Divine Dynasty's domain; it was simply risking his life for a chance at opportunity.

Yet the Puti Sect had actually come seeking him so quickly.

Now caught red-handed, trying to bluff his way out with mere words was nothing but a fool's dream.

Just then, the words that sounded in his ear caused this old dragon to suddenly widen his eyes.

"If you found it, then it is fate."

"Since you have fate with my sect and are diligent, then you have seized this fate; if your cultivation succeeds in the future, you must come to the sect to pay homage."

The lean monk stopped twirling his prayer beads and gazed silently at this dragon demon.

"Buddha! I, a junior, shall certainly pay homage; I would die ten thousand times before forgetting!"

The old dragon nearly lost control and revealed his true form, kowtowing with a thump-thump.

He had thought his life was forfeit, never expecting to have latched onto the thickest tree in this world.

This was reminding him that after mastering the Fruit Seat Great Scripture, he must not forget his identity.

As for what that identity was...

Naturally, a member of the Puti Sect!

"The world is full of calamities; you must be extremely cautious and careful, lest calamity entangle you. Walk more, look more, and avoid being trapped in one place."

Every word from the monk carried a hidden flavor.

Cold sweat beaded on the old dragon's forehead; this was clearly telling him that they had already been spotted by the Divine Dynasty.

It meant: grab a few more things quickly and run.

"Thank you, Buddha, for the reminder."

"..." The monk waved his hand, cutting off the other's thanks, as if he did not understand at all, then glanced to both sides again: "You come from humble origins and do not know the rules; the temple you built is all show, lacking a bit of sincerity. Look, how empty."

The old dragon was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized, responding repeatedly: "Indeed! Indeed! I almost forgot to offer worship to the sect's elders; this disciple deserves death ten thousand times over; please forgive me, Buddha."

"From now on, wherever you go, you must place Buddha at the very top, so that those ignorant people may also receive Buddha's grace."

"..."

The monk's expression remained calm; finally, he rose and walked slowly toward the hall's exit.

The old dragon also hurriedly rose, respectfully accompanying him to the side to see him off, escorting him all the way outside the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, another monk had been waiting there for a long time.

"Elder Hui Zhen, did it go smoothly?"

Monk Zhikong looked at the distant Gaoshan, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The demon qi still surged to the sky, not weakened in the slightest.

After seeing Elder Hui Zhen casually hand over that Fruit Seat Great Scripture, the confusion on his face grew even deeper.

"It was also fate; I spared its life to demonstrate our Buddha's compassion." Monk Hui Zhen gave a simple explanation and then stepped forward.

"Compassion?!"

Monk Zhikong froze for an instant, incredulous: "Its army of demon soldiers and generals, in their plundering of imperial qi, spared no means, killing countless innocent lives; moreover, judging by their skilled methods, Xishan Prefecture was certainly not the first place they ravaged. It..."

"That is a matter for the Divine Dynasty to handle; we, those beyond the world, how could we interfere."

Monk Hui Zhen turned his gaze, slightly raising his tone: "You accompany me to train in the human world by the Bodhisattva's command; speak little and watch much, only then can you learn how to avoid calamity."

Of course, he knew what methods that dragon had used; compared to their former begging and doing good, they were far faster, even making him somewhat envious.

With his status, of course, it was not suitable to use demonic and evil methods.

But returning to begging and doing good as before was no longer necessary.

Moreover, this was the sect's intention all along.

"..."

Monk Zhikong clenched his fist tightly; though unwilling to yield, he had no recourse, and only after a moment sighed: "Then I shall return to the county town to warn the Divine Dynasty, so that our handling of affairs does not give that evil beast a chance to escape."

"Come with me first; there is still something to do. After finishing that, you may go."

Monk Hui Zhen did not argue, simply calling the other to a halt and leading Monk Zhikong in the opposite direction.

This dull junior possessed not a shred of Buddha-nature; he would likely stop here for the rest of his life.

"My lord, we have arrived."

Jiang Mei slowly halted her steps.

In fact, she did not need to remind him; Shen Yi, using only his naked eyes, had already seen the demonic qi ravaging this mountain range.

If not for the ape demon of the Elder Yu Chi Immortal Gate causing severe damage to both the Zhan Yao Si and the imperial court, such a situation would be truly difficult to occur within the jurisdiction of the Divine Dynasty.

With evil demons already running rampant like this, even the newly arrived Zhao brothers, standing at the foot of this mountain, could not utter a single word of "wait."

"My lord, now..."

As Jiang Mei spoke, she turned her head to look toward the horizon.

Even setting aside the Puti Sect, simply clearing such a vast expanse of demons and monsters, how to maintain stability in the surrounding counties, avoid causing panic among the people, or prevent the spread of demonic calamity, was a matter of great intricacy.

However, before her words had finished, the three of them saw Shen Yi take a single, light step forward.

In the next moment, formless heart-flames spread out from beneath his boots.

As Shen Yi walked slowly up the mountain path, those flames surged violently against the wind, as if in an instant transforming from a rushing stream into the Wang Yangdahai, surging into this vast, boundless mountain range with an unstoppable momentum.

The grass and trees swayed, yet were not affected in the slightest.

But within this pitch-black night curtain, a continuous series of heart-rending wails suddenly rang out!

"Roar!"

Such a domineering technique, bolstered by profound cultivation, made the howls in the mountains even more piercing, causing the eyelids of Jiang Mei and the other two to twitch uncontrollably.

By the time the entire mountain range was enveloped by the heart-flames.

When the group looked again at Shen Yi's back, it carried a hint of palpitation.

The ruthless manner in which this Nanyang General struck did not seem to match his appearance.

But Jiang Mei's expression was somewhat complex.

With such a huge commotion, if it disturbed that Demon King, it would be fine; at worst, they could just pursue him. But if it disturbed that group of dead monks from the Puti Sect, there would likely be unnecessary conflicts again.

I just hope I am overthinking it.

A higher official crushes a lower one to death; since this Nanyang General has already taken action, Jiang Mei could only comfort herself with this thought in her heart.

"..."

Since leaving Hongze, Shen Yi had not been able to unleash his hands and feet like this for a long time.

Although the lifespans of ordinary demons were not long, the sheer number was gratifying; panel notifications leaped up wildly, almost without stopping.

Of course, he was not indiscriminately setting fire to all living beings as these demon hunters might have thought.

This heart-flame was his innate divine ability; Shen Yi's control over this path was meticulous. Not to mention accidental killing, as long as it was not an evil demon, even if one lay inside bathing, not a single hair would be singed.

In less than half an hour, a roar distinct from the wails finally rang out from the mountain peak.

"You seek death!"

Hearing these words, Jiang Mei's expression immediately became solemn, and the Zhao brothers also formed the hand seals.

Although the Zhan Yao Si had already investigated the background of this demon, when going out to handle matters, there were too many accidents; caution was the best policy.

In an instant, a dragon-like shadow rose into the sky.

Just as the three were about to cooperate with the General to surround and block the opponent, they saw that the humanoid figure within the shadow had no intention of fleeing at all; instead, it charged straight toward the cliff where they stood.

This scene entering their eyes caused even the most experienced Jiang Mei to pause for a moment.

This is the territory of the Divine Dynasty; where exactly does this evil beast get its audacity?

In a single breath, the three received the answer.

They saw a burly man clad in a bright yellow robe tread upon the air, and what rippled through his entire body was not demonic qi, but Jin Guang flowing freely like a long river.

The heart-flames covering the mountains could not approach it by even a fraction.

Jin Guang breaks ten thousand techniques!

Moreover, judging by the density of this Jin Guang, it was far from the level of an ordinary practitioner; he had clearly mobilized the karmic power of a Fruit Position!

An Luo Han?!

The three were not very familiar with the major scriptures of the Puti Sect, but based solely on this scene, a warning bell suddenly rang in their hearts, and for a moment they stood as if facing a great enemy.

"I knew it! This is the work of those thief monks!"

"Do not let him get close!"

In such an emergency, Jiang Mei instinctively chose to trust her own judgment.

The Puti Sect's close-combat capabilities were in a league of their own in the world; even a Qi Condensation cultivator with higher cultivation could easily fall if they were not careful.

"Where did this thief come from, daring to destroy the temple of your Buddha?"

On an ordinary day, within the domain of the Divine Dynasty, the Old Dragon would naturally not be so tough, but the situation was different now; having just entered the Ruleda Sect, he was no longer the wild demon of the past.

More importantly, these descendants were his tools for collecting the imperial qi of the human world; now, in an instant, more than half were destroyed. Without their help, how could he establish himself within the sect!

Regardless of whether the opponent was someone from the Divine Dynasty or an Immortal Gate cultivator meddling in other people's business.

First, reveal his name to intimidate them, buying some time for his descendants to escape.

"Die!"

The Old Dragon's yellow robe flared in anger; the arm wrapped in dense Jin Guang fiercely clenched into a fist, as if two mountain peaks were hammering down heavily!

After cultivating half of the Fruit Position Great Scripture, its strength was far beyond what it was before.

In the face of that surging Jin Guang, heterodox and wild techniques could not function at all; even the true techniques of the Three Teachings would be suppressed to a considerable extent.

Its original intention was to force this person to retreat, but it did not expect the youth below to have no intention of avoiding it at all.

"Hiss!"

Jiang Mei was about to speak out, but immediately afterwards her eyes widened.

They saw that pair of fists and palms, carrying the Jinhe, crashed heavily into Shen Yi's body, yet it was as if they struck empty air.

"..."

Shen Yi calmly gazed at the flabbergasted, fleshy face before him, casually pinching his fingers to pluck a wisp of Heaven and Earth's spiritual energy onto his fingertip.

Then, he simply thrust his finger straight into the old flood dragon's heart.

Under the blessing of the Fruit-Seat Great Sutra, and given that it was originally of the demon race, how terrifying was the old flood dragon's flesh body, bathed in golden light, yet that clean white hand sank into its chest without meeting the slightest resistance.

It was not even injured; there was not a single break in its skin!

As if that hand had originally grown within its heart.

Shen Yi lightly released the wisp of Heaven and Earth's spiritual energy from his fingertips, letting it explode violently within the old flood dragon's body!

Thunder suddenly roared in the ears of the three Demon-Slayers; looking closely, they realized the booming sound was exploding from within the yellow-robed giant's body.

Puchi—

Immediately followed by a continuous series of tearing sounds.

The giant's eyes bulged in rage, his golden light shattered, revealing a row of terrifying gashes.

He slowly raised his fists and palms, wanting to strike again, but he had not a shred of strength left; with a thud, he knelt before the youth.

Before the Grand Void Dao Fruit, which ranked in the top ten, this flood dragon that had only just touched the Fruit-Seat Great Sutra still did not know where it had lost by this moment.

It struggled to swallow the blood in its throat, falling weakly to the ground.

Just one move...

Shen Yi, expressionless, bent down, opened his five fingers, and pressed down toward the giant's occiput.

"Indeed, those who can obtain a title—" The two brothers who had just arrived could not help but swallow hard; for ordinary cultivators, the difficult matters were, in front of this group of ruthless people, hardly more difficult than eating and drinking.

Jiang Mei exhaled lightly, a few shades of shame rising on her charming face.

She had still relied too much on her seniority.

She should not have forgotten that among those personally promoted by the three Southern Pacification Generals, which one was simple?

However, the sound of the giant's head exploding did not ring out for a long time.

Shen Yi maintained his bent posture; his hand was only three inches from the demon's head, and spanning those three inches lay a long staff.

"Benefactor, before you act, may this monk ask for the reason."

Master Hui Zhen held one hand vertically before his chest, a gentle smile on his face.

He did not introduce his identity.

For the hand that had just penetrated the old flood dragon's body could not penetrate this iron staff.

Although the Grand Void Dao Fruit had not yet formed, making him unworthy of the Great One Immortal realm, this also showed that his cultivation was at least in the Fifth Rank, and the Fruit-Seat he cultivated also ranked quite high.

"The Divine Dynasty slays demons; idlers, withdraw."

Shen Yi did not raise his head; his pair of pitch-black eyes gazed at the head beneath his palm.

"Elder Master! Do not!"

Behind Master Hui Zhen, Master Zhikong had obviously recognized Shen Yi, but hindered by many matters, dared not acknowledge him, and could only urge anxiously: "This person is a genuine court official!"

"My lord, may this monk speak a word."

Master Hui Zhen's smile did not change; he said gently: "This official stole our sect's precious scripture and must be taken back to our sect for punishment. I hope my lord will raise your hand in mercy, allowing this monk to take him away; this would also count as our sect contributing a force to the Divine Dynasty."

Hearing this.

Shen Yi fell silent for an instant, then slowly clenched his five fingers around that staff.

He first glanced at Master Zhikong, then shifted his gaze to Master Hui Zhen; his eyes remained clear, and his voice was extremely calm.

"I will give you one last chance."

(End of this chapter)