Chapter 709: The Pill Sovereign Emerges, Yet Variables Remain!

The many prodigies had first watched this Subduing Dragon and Tiger Great Ming King withstand so many immortal arts, finally breaking free from the siege with such a valiant bearing, and already found it hard to believe.

One must know that this scoundrel's earlier arrogance and tyranny had long since roused everyone's fury.

Therefore, when they struck, they held nothing back, unleashing their trump-killing moves, leaving the opponent not the slightest chance of survival.

These methods were nothing comparable to those cultivators and wild demons from small sects and minor houses; every one was a treasured piece of the Sanxian Sect, each capable of crushing those of the same realm.

It was precisely because of this that their fame as prodigies was forged.

A fourth-grade cultivator who could withstand such a ferocious assault was truly unheard of in this world.

But the next moment, the sword swung by Tianwu Xuanwu drew everyone's gaze. Were it not for today's situation, they would never have known that beneath seemingly similar reputations, the disparity in their strength could reach such a degree.

The fusion between the cultivator and the Tribulation Sword was so seamless it was as if the tribulation power within that Dao Sword had already become part of his own cultivation.

This sword could well be called the pinnacle of fourth-grade!

Yet this very pinnacle sword strike was crushed to pieces in one grasp by that Subduing Dragon and Tiger Great Ming King!

Things happened too fast, too sudden. From the black flames blanketing the sky to their complete fading, the whole affair lasted no more than a few breaths, yet it felt like that surging Wang Yang, giving one a suffocating sense of being unable to breathe.

Which of this group of prodigies was not a worldly figure? Even when the goat-whiskered man's small seal had been easily shattered by the Subduing Dragon and Tiger Great Ming King earlier, they had merely raised their brows slightly.

But at this moment, everyone stood frozen on the spot.

The scene before them had already completely exceeded the bounds of their understanding.

"Kill!"

It was still Tianwu Xuanwu's thunderous roar that instantly jolted everyone awake.

As the one facing the Ming King head-on, and having just had his technique broken, the shock in his heart was no less than anyone's; he simply had no chance to be stunned.

Because Shen Yi's fist had already come crashing down.

"Qiankun Bell!"

Xuanwu's face was hideous. As the senior disciple-brother of Mount Tianwu, aside from that Yangwu Dao Sword, he naturally had no shortage of protective dharma treasures. Though they were not as perfectly attuned to his will as the Dao Sword, they were at the very least dharma treasures of over two thousand tribulations.

He had simply never imagined that someone could force him to bring out these trinkets.

A bronze bell resembling a hand-rattle flipped up into the air, and in the blink of an eye transformed into a great bell, directly capping Xuanwu. The massive bell-body was unexpectedly agile, drifting as it retreated backward.

At Xuanwu's warning, the rest once again deployed their techniques, and dazzling brilliance instantly filled the entire sky.

Not only the prodigies of the Sanxian Sect.

The eight Great-Grade Arhats no longer hoped to take this lotus-platform palanquin from under the nose of that Subduing Dragon and Tiger Great Ming King.

Clearly, the other's purpose in coming was not to escort the scripture.

Compared to the Sanxian Sect prodigies who only wished to block the lotus-platform palanquin outside the Divine Dynasty, this Ming King was the true scripture-robber!

To steal what one guards is a crime punishable by death!

The only chance now was to borrow the strength of this group of prodigies and slay the Ming King together, only then would there be an opportunity to carry the palanquin into the Divine Dynasty.

As for how to deal with that Tianwu Xuanwu—

This man had already had his heart-and-soul-attuned dharma treasure broken by the Ming King; his strength had plummeted, and he was nothing to fear.

Eight burly figures like mountains simultaneously urged their mounts forward. White elephants and fierce lions charged, shaking the earth as they went. Suanni and running wolves leapt into the air, carrying their Luo Han Golden Bodies to pounce and kill.

They were all Great-Grade Arhats. With every move they made, the Jinhe surged and churned, converging into a sea, as if raising towering waves of a vast ocean, dozens of feet high, reaching the heavens above and connecting to the earth below, slamming heavily toward the Ming King ahead!

Before this golden sea of massive waves, even Shen Yi's thousand-zhang-tall figure seemed somewhat diminutive.

Facing attacks from front and rear—

He stared coldly at the Qiankun Bell flying backward, and the next instant, clenched his five fingers into a fist and struck out fiercely!

In the moment that near-perfect arm fully extended, vigorous tribulation power erupted once more, shattering the dazzling rosy clouds across the sky, and one precious tribulation treasure after another crumbled into dust.

Yet that fist inexplicably appeared before the Qiankun Bell.

"The Grand Void Realm?!"

The many prodigies had thought that what they had witnessed today was already the greatest shock of their lives.

Even when their second strike was easily neutralized by the Subduing Dragon and Tiger Great Ming King, they felt somewhat numb, believing nothing more could stir their hearts.

But when they saw this Luo Han of the Puti Sect suddenly employ a technique of the Sanxian Sect, every single one of them involuntarily widened their eyes.

Boom!

The golden fist peak slammed heavily into that great bronze bell. The thick bell-body didn't even produce a crack before being crushed and deformed like thin sheet metal, utterly overwhelmed.

The howling Jinhe made the Xuanwu within twitch his face, his eyes nearly splitting with rage.

He thrust both palms forward abruptly, attempting to mobilize the tribulation power throughout his body to block that sky-obscuring fist.

Shen Yi's expression was calm as he reached out his palm to grab Xuanwu.

In the eyes of onlookers, it was like opening a cage and then catching the chicken inside.

As for the surging tribulation power, it could only cause some ripples in the Jinhe between his palms.

"The position of Immortal Emperor belongs to me, Tianwu Xuanwu!"

From between the closing fingers, a piercing shriek erupted, then abruptly ceased.

The standard-bearer among the second-generation disciples of the Sanxian Sect had fallen so casually.

"Hah!"

The faces of the many prodigies turned ashen.

Although they had known of the Great Tribulation's ferocity since descending the mountain, each and every one having long staked their lives, unafraid of life-and-death combat—

When someone truly perished, everyone's heart felt as if gripped by that great hand, their whole bodies turning cold.

The way they had imagined entering the tribulation—even in death—was to fight another supreme expert atop a towering Gaoshan, under the gaze of all mortal beings, until utterly exhausted, until one's oil ran dry and lamp went out.

Though defeated, one would still leave a name for ten thousand generations.

Never to be crushed like slaughtering chickens and dogs in a desolate, lonely place like this.

"What are you gawking at? Kill him!"

A Suanni Luo Han took over the position of the Tianwu Dark Crow, his thick Buddhist voice like a great bronze bell, piercing the ears and entering the heart, urging this lot of blockheads not to miss such a fine opportunity.

Once the Great Ming Wang died, the Sanxian Sect followers—who had lost their courage and the Dark Crow—could no longer obstruct the scripture-spreading in the slightest.

And the so-called fine opportunity was precisely that heaven-reaching, earth-spanning Jinhe.

Just as Shen Yi slew the Dark Crow, that terrifying giant wave had already slammed down toward him.

The Puti Sect followers were unlike the Sanxian Sect with their many varied methods; they were purer, and so their combined strike was all the more lethal.

Gathering the tribulation force of eight Great-rank Arhats, this strike even far surpassed the sword the Tianwu Dark Crow had swung earlier.

Under the suppression of the Jinhe that shattered ten thousand dharmas, the other side could not even dream of fleeing into the Grand Void realm.

"..."

Beneath this perilous golden sea, Shen Yi had nowhere to evade, and merely slowly closed his eyes.

The six swaying golden threads within his body swiftly merged into the Subduing-Dragon-Taming-Tiger Great-rank fruit position, and that amber round bead suddenly burst forth with radiance!

These golden threads drew near the wisp left behind by the Thousand-Arm Bodhisattva, lending their support within.

In an instant, the four arms behind the Subduing-Dragon-Taming-Tiger Great Great Ming Wang transformed into four beams of golden light that shot into the sky, condensing once more into existences dozens of times larger than his own form.

Like four heavenly pillars, they forcibly propped up this golden sea!

Tear—

The four arms exerted force at once, the sound of tearing cloth ringing out all around, and he savagely ripped apart the golden sea, turning it into a flurry of golden rain that drifted down upon the mortal world.

Immediately after, the heavenly pillars vanished, the four arms returned to their original state, and each one seized a Suanni and a Benlang Luo Han whose faces were full of horror.

Shen Yi swung his arms savagely, hurling the four Arhats violently back.

The Arhats' massive forms crashed to the ground like falling stars; the White Elephant and Fierce Lion, whose movements could shake the earth, failed to dodge in time and were struck full in the face, sent flying backward.

Before they could rise, the four arms behind Shen Yi had already pounced down once more, pressing them all firmly to the ground!

"Great Ming Wang, do not lead yourself astray!"

"With your Buddha-nature, in no time at all you will surely receive the transmission of the third-rank true scripture and become a great sect's Bodhisattva... You and Jin Chan Luo Han will both, in the future, be existences draped in kasaya, seated upon lotus thrones, and even ascending to the throne of the Heavenly Emperor!"

"Why be so impatient? What is the point?"

When pinned down dead by these four arms, the eight Arhats finally understood that even had they mobilized their tribulation force to resist earlier, it would likely have been utterly useless.

They simply could not comprehend why the other party would destroy his own future.

Others feared being unable to obtain the Bodhisattva fruit position and true scripture, but he was the Subduing-Dragon-Taming-Tiger Great Great Ming Wang—to put it bluntly, he only needed to deliver this true scripture to the imperial capital, and once he returned to the sect, why fear that those true Buddhas would not transmit their dharma to him?

The next moment, the eight Great-rank Arhats all fell silent at once.

As if they had witnessed the most inconceivable thing under heaven.

They saw their own Subduing-Dragon-Taming-Tiger Great Great Ming Wang hovering in the air, looking down with indifference, and the next moment, the other party opened his mouth.

Under the gaze of all, a dazzling Jin Dan slowly emerged from his mouth.

Connecting this with the Shenxu Mountain methods the other party had employed earlier, the answer was already obvious enough.

"Grand Void... Danhuang..."

This was the final thought that rose in the Arhats' hearts, because the next moment, a hollow hole appeared at the brow of each of their Golden Bodies.

The Grand Void Jin Dan, containing over six thousand five hundred tribulation forces, silently pierced through their skulls, and the terrifying tribulation force within instantly suppressed and slew their dharma bodies.

The goateed man felt his hands and feet go stiff.

It had been he who, at Shenxu Mountain, questioned whether the Danhuang dared not enter the tribulation and was thus making excuses to avoid it.

It turned out the Danhuang had long since arrived, and earlier than anyone.

Scripture-protector... Scripture-robber... were actually one and the same person!

Among the second-generation disciples of the three sects, the titles standing at the absolute peak—the other party alone occupied two of them.

The instant the Jin Dan appeared.

Nearly everyone's face went Tianyan Siji; even though they still had many methods unused, they racked their brains and could not fathom how, when a being already virtually invincible—an Luo Han—also possessed the ethereal methods of Shenxu Mountain.

How on earth could one find that single thread of hope for survival.

If it could not be found, one could only await death.

Shen Yi calmly turned back, his six arms struck out together, golden palms reaching out from the Grand Void realm and landing upon the bodies of the many prodigies.

One life after another fell.

These renowned existences, whose perception and vision were both excellent—had it been anyone else, they might have struggled a bit, but they had seen too much; long ago, once they understood the situation, they simply hung their hands and awaited death, with not the slightest hope left in their hearts.

Perhaps even the three sects had not anticipated.

That the disciples they had sent into the tribulation had not even stepped into the mortal world before everything came to an end.

"Huu."

Shen Yi gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Actually, what that group of Arhats said was not without reason.

Although he himself held many identities—imperial court, three sects, and even the Immortal Court and so on—upon careful thought, one would find.

The imperial court was weak, and those third-rank strong ones had their own cultivation paths full of bumps and hollows, having reached this realm only by chance encounters, and their strength was also much lower compared to peers.

For instance, last time when General Yan made his move, aided by the overwhelming imperial qi to suppress, he only fought to a draw with the Thousand-Arm Bodhisattva in the end.

But it was understandable.

After all, those who normally stepped into the third-rank realm were Great Luo Immortal Honored Ones and Bodhisattvas—why would they sell their lives for the imperial court.

Their path, in all likelihood, could not be replicated.

Otherwise, having reached this point, they would not have continued to hold back against him.

Then there was the Immortal Court.

Even if he were willing to abandon his flesh body and take over the Golden Body anew, relying on accumulated merits to successfully obtain the third-rank Immortal Seal, it was ultimately an external object, and using it felt undependable.

As for the remaining Sanxian Sect and Puti Sect—the Shenxu Laozu wanted to devour him, and only the Puti Sect truly intended to cultivate a Subduing-Dragon-Taming-Tiger Great Great Ming Wang to enter the tribulation.

Setting aside his grievances against the Puti Sect, if he played this Great Ming King well, Shen Yi really could leverage the panel to surpass his peers and walk all the way to the end, until...

"The Heavenly Emperor?"

Shen Yi murmured a line. Only at this moment did he finally understand what these people were fighting for.

General Yan had guessed wrong.

The Three Sects had no intention of choosing a new Human Sovereign at all — they wanted the mortal world to never have another Human Sovereign from this point on.

And as a replacement, the Immortal Court, which had always been jointly administered by the Three Sects, was to select a new lord — a true Sovereign of Chen Qiankun.

Only in this way could it explain why the Three Sects' movements over the years had been so bizarre.

They could clearly have taken the Divine Dynasty by direct assault, yet chose instead to fan the flames from behind.

Because the mortal world could crumble, could suffer terrible casualties, but it could not truly reach a point beyond recovery.

What these gods, buddhas, and immortal lords sought, in the final analysis, was still the Sovereign's Qi.

They only wanted to brand the Human Sovereign as a cruel and tyrannical tyrant, shift mortal faith onto a new Immortal Emperor, and then let this Sovereign of Chen Qiankun redistribute the Sovereign's Qi, free from mortal interference.

Sovereign of Chen Qiankun!

Just thinking about that title made Shen Yi's blood run hot, let alone these young prodigies.

But unfortunately, he was no fool.

If they truly meant to choose a Sovereign of Chen Qiankun, what sense would it make to leave shackles on that person?

Who has ever seen an emperor chained up? That wouldn't be called a sovereign — that would be called a watchdog.

It was very easy to see through.

Such a fine thing — why did none of those cultivators above third-rank feel tempted at all, all sending only their disciples to face the tribulation?

They probably saw it clearly: once you truly sat on that seat, you'd never be free again, just a tool the Three Sects used to distribute the Sovereign's Qi — let alone any talk of controlling heaven and earth.

And there was still the risk of losing one's life.

Shen Yi felt that even if he truly devoted himself wholeheartedly to protecting the scripture and obtained the Bodhisattva-fruit Great Scripture, the chain on his body would simply change from being clutched by the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva to being clutched by a buddha... until in the end, it became clutched jointly by a few Sect Lords?

So in the end, fighting with his life on the line was just to trade himself a more powerful master.

If he truly harbored such thoughts, Shen Yi felt he might as well find a block of tofu and bash his head in.

Having thought it through.

He glanced at the radiant, multicolored palanquin beside him. He did not rush to take the true scripture atop the treasure pagoda, but instead suddenly exerted his strength, lifting this great palanquin high above his head all alone.

Then, without concealing his form, he streaked straight toward the Divine Dynasty.

The banks of the Northern Flowing River.

The people who had been waiting a long time had long since, through the Qi-observation technique, seen the earth-shaking aura of combat from that distant place.

Everyone present was stunned.

Even Lady Tiandong had not expected that a clash between second-generation disciples could produce such a magnificent wave of energy.

Which side had won?

Just then, a small dot appeared at the edge of the horizon.

Everyone instinctively channeled the divine radiance in their eyes. Upon clearly seeing the majestic Golden Body, and the great palanquin held high in its hands, they all held their breath.

"That is the Subduing-Dragon-Taming-Tiger Great Ming King?"

"The Puti Sect has won!"

In an instant, the faces of the Sanxian Sect crowd all darkened considerably; only a sparse few figures wore smiles.

"No, it's not over yet."

Lady Tiandong suddenly knit her brows. She saw that Great Ming King turn his head to look back — clearly on guard all over.

So... what was he on guard against?

The next moment, the sky before the Great Ming King rippled like a pebble dropped into a jade-green pool, then quickly smoothed flat again, like an enormous mirror.

The others had not yet reacted, but Hongjing, whose cultivation was on the lower side, suddenly drew a deep breath.

He had seen this kind of technique with his own eyes before, and would never forget it for the rest of his life.

Back then, in the territory of Hongze, it was precisely this "mirror" that devoured the Blue Luan's Hundred-Birds Divine Spear, which could have split the heavens.

"It's Taixu Danhuang!" Gao Ang cried out.

Before his words had faded, the palanquin radiating ten-thousand-zhang of rosy light was bizarrely swallowed into the sky.

"Put it down for this sovereign!"

The Subduing-Dragon-Taming-Tiger Great Ming King suddenly clenched his fist tightly, as if his ferocity had been roused. Without the slightest hesitation, bearing rolling Jinhe, he strode straight into the Great Void!

(End of this chapter)

(End of this chapter)