Chapter 712: Enemies on All Sides

"This item…"

Yang Mingli shook off the support of the person beside him, his fingertip trembling as it pointed at the ancient tome on the table, and asked in disbelief, "Could this be the great scripture the Puti Sect has come to transmit on this trip?"

The great name of the Spiritual Might Dao-Protecting True Scripture was known even to the imperial court; such a scripture of the Bodhisattva fruit position, even disciples within the sect needed the Buddha's permission before they were qualified to read it.

Such a treasure—how could it simply be taken at will?

It inevitably called to mind the much-discussed matter of transmitting the Dharma this time.

Upon seeing Shen Yi give a slight nod, Yang Mingli froze on the spot, his breathing growing much heavier.

He had considered many possibilities, but never once imagined that the Nanyang General's quiet departure had been to reclaim this great scripture for the imperial court.

There was no need for orders from above, nor any cowardly resistance—his actions put every Zhan Yao Si officer in this hall to shame.

Regarding the earlier fleeting malicious speculation, Yang Mingli's entire face flushed dark red, yet he still could not quite understand: "We heard this scripture was still in the hands of the Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger Great Great Ming Wang, who in the end became entangled with Taixu Danhuang and fled into the Taixu realm—how did you obtain it?"

When these words fell, the rest of the Zhan Yao Si officers, including Lady Lady Feng Xi, all focused intently, staring fixedly at that young, handsome face.

"Picked up a bargain."

Shen Yi replied casually, no unusual expression showing on his face.

He had already thought it through on the way back.

Although many things could not be said openly due to his status, since he had done work for the imperial court, the merit he was owed could not be wasted.

Last time, the matter at Songfeng Prefecture alone was worth twelve thousand Calamity Imperial Qi Golden Pills, and this affair of transmitting the Dharma—tied to the stability of all Dananzhou and even the Divine Dynasty, requiring him to fight against many prodigies and great-stage Arhats—ought to be worth even more Golden Pills.

Shen Yi was in urgent need of cultivation right now; even at the risk of exposure, he had to exchange this true scripture for solid benefits.

"Picked up a bargain…"

General Wushan nodded subconsciously, then suddenly caught himself and shook his head violently.

What kind of joke is this? Are you serious?!

Taixu Danhuang could single-handedly slay eight top-tier great-stage Arhats, and the Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger Great Great Ming Wang had butchered every prodigy present, including the Mount Tianwu Xuanwu.

One could say that although these two had not reached third-rank, before ordinary cultivators their deterrent power was no different from that of third-rank.

When two such peerless prodigies clashed, bystanders would likely feel suffocated just approaching, let alone profiting from it.

You call this picking up a bargain? This is clearly snatching food from the tiger's mouth!

The other titled generals wore much the same expression, looking at Shen Yi with strange faces, unable to speak for a long while.

"What of the Puti Sect's Great Great Ming Wang and the Sanxian Sect's Taixu Danhuang now?" Lady Lady Feng Xi, however, caught the key point.

Hearing this, Shen Yi, who had long prepared his answer, replied: "Heavily wounded and fled; whereabouts unknown."

By all reason, this trip had certainly offended the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva to death, and the old thing from the Divine Void Mountain constantly thought of devouring him—using this chance to simply retire these two identities might not be a bad choice.

But through this affair of transmitting the Dharma, Shen Yi had tasted the sweetness.

Not only could he grasp intelligence from all sides in advance, there would also be many conveniences when acting; unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to completely sever these two paths for now.

As for what to do afterward, that would depend on just how generous the imperial court's reward turned out to be.

Shen Yi knew the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva must be looking for him, but since successfully entering the third rank, he was no longer that little chick the other could squeeze at will.

Even if he could not match the opponent, so long as he remained within the imperial court's sphere, borrowing the vast Imperial Qi, he would at least not be left without even a chance to escape.

Once it came to a stalemate, he would have to let this Bodhisattva understand what it meant that two fists could not overcome four hands.

The three General Who Pacifies the South were not freeloaders.

As he delved deeper into the game, Shen Yi grew increasingly familiar with the rules of this great tribulation; to avoid being a pawn, one had to understand the true meaning of this grand drama.

The common people were not only a constraint on the imperial court, but also constrained the three sects.

Those gods, Buddhas, and immortal lords coveted the human world's Imperial Qi and needed to forcibly create an immortal emperor to save the world—which meant this immortal emperor's background had to be clean and spotless.

If the Sanxian Sect and the Puti Sect were the scourges of the chaotic age, then anyone born from them would find it nearly impossible to seize the faith of the human world.

Therefore, no matter how many Bodhisattvas the sects had, they could not openly slaughter across the lands of Shenzhou—at most they acted in secret; otherwise, the sect's own giants would deal with them before the imperial court even needed to act.

"…"

While Shen Yi was pondering, so many people in the hall were also silent, eyes lowered, repeatedly chewing over the significance of those four words—"heavily wounded and fled."

After a long while, Yang Mingli raised his head with a complicated expression, seriously examining the young man before him.

Whether the Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger Great Great Ming Wang or Taixu Danhuang, both were world-stabilizing figures the three sects had poured all their resources into cultivating; a slight move from them was enough to astonish the world.

Even making the two higher-realm General Who Pacifies the South feel dread.

And yet such two terrifying existences had actually been defeated by a Zhan Yao Si stray… no, not even a stray—because this young man had joined too recently; apart from issuing some Imperial Qi Golden Pills to Nanyang, the imperial court had never properly cultivated him at all.

"Join the imperial court."

Yang Mingli walked slowly to Shen Yi's side and gently patted his shoulder: "I've wronged you."

This young man, had he entered the Sanxian Sect, would have been a great emperor in the making; had he entered the Puti Sect, he would have had the bearing of a Buddha Son—only by joining the imperial court's Zhan Yao Si did he become this obscure, nameless figure.

What virtue or ability did the Divine Dynasty possess, that Nanyang would come of his own accord?

After saying this, Yang Mingli suddenly exhaled as if a great burden had been lifted, walked straight past the crowd, and left the great hall, looking very much like someone setting down a heavy load.

"…"

Shen Yi glanced at his own shoulder and could roughly guess what this Lord Yang was thinking.

To be honest, this old man's words were indeed somewhat annoying, but his rich experience fully qualified him for the position of General Who Pacifies the South.

His successive misjudgments… were almost all due to those secrets of mine that could not be spoken openly.

For instance, the matter of Songfeng Prefecture—by normal thinking, the nine prefectures to the west were indeed the best breakthrough point; who could have known there was a pile of Suppression Stones guarding the place?

The matter of protecting the scripture followed the same logic: unaware of the Suppression Stones' existence, letting the Sanxian Sect and Puti Sect fight it out while prioritizing the twenty-seven prefectures and preventing the demon races from taking advantage was the most prudent choice.

But in this Lord Yang's eyes—

It was as if the experience of a lifetime without error had suddenly failed, and the blow this dealt to a man of high station was beyond words.

And his choice was to never again make decisions on behalf of Dananzhou.

That pat on the shoulder just now already subtly carried the meaning of entrusting a great responsibility.

"He's acting strangely; don't take it to heart."

Lady Lady Feng Xi also came to Shen Yi's side, her demeanor clearly treating him as an equal.

Not to mention others—her own emotions were also complicated.

Yan Lanting had failed to outmaneuver Yang Mingli for all these years, yet this young man accomplished it in a short time.

Even without speaking personally, the General of Nanyang made Yang Mingli feel inferior and consider yielding his position.

"Huh."

Only now did each of the sealed-rank generals slowly raise their heads; when they looked again at Shen Yi's back, their gazes had changed utterly.

They were no longer looking at a formidable colleague—their expressions resembled those of people gazing at a future superior.

Even disregarding strength, merely the achievement of intercepting the transmission of the scripture alone was enough to secure his position as General Who Pacifies the South.

"I will send the true scripture to the imperial court."

"You'll likely have to come with me—Da Nanzhou is in urgent need; we must go quickly and return swiftly."

Lady Lady Feng Xi's words were nearly an outright declaration.

Even if Da Nanzhou lacks sufficient imperial qi to issue enough Golden Pills, it can at most send someone to deliver them.

Only appointing a Grand General Who Pacifies the South requires a personal audience with the Emperor.

"I can depart at any time."

Shen Yi nodded slightly; he too felt a faint curiosity toward the Emperor he had never met.

What had this lord of Shenzhou done to draw the enmity of the Three Teachings and even the Immortal Court?

…

Shenxu Mountain, Dan Peak.

These elder cultivators, each bearing the name of an ancestral master, had not been this lively in many years—their chatter resembled that of children.

When excited, Qian Feng Dao Ren even spat spittle: "I told you all our path was wrong—the Taixu Danhuang's fruit is certainly not among the top ten."

"Underestimated! Completely underestimated!"

"It is we who have shamed this Dao Fruit!"

Had we chosen the correct path, it should have been as during the scripture transmission—dominating peers of the same realm, slaying Great Rank Arhats with a flick of the finger.

Ye Lan sat quietly at the very end.

Honestly, with her current status, she had no right to participate in the peak masters' discussion.

It was only because these peak masters specifically chose Dan Peak for the council, and her senior uncle personally summoned her, that she learned of the massive upheaval occurring beyond.

Yet, the more Ye Lan listened, the more something felt off.

What two prodigies slaying a host of champions?

A Golden Body resisting Dragon and Tiger? Taixu Danhuang?

As for the latter, no explanation needed—Ye Lan had personally witnessed how Shen Yi, in Hongze, used his overwhelming cultivation to forge that terrifying reputation.

As for the former, though the description from her senior uncle differed slightly from her memory of a Golden Body, the only Dragon and Tiger Luo Han she had ever seen carrying actual "Dragon and Tiger" was Shen Yi alone.

"Hss!"

She sat quietly in her chair, appearing even more restrained than before.

Yet inside, a storm raged.

Could it be that only her uncle went out and slew ten?

The moment this thought arose in her mind, Ye Lan froze in place.

She now understood why her senior uncle had summoned her.

Thinking this, Ye Lan instantly adjusted her facial expression.

"..."

Jin Lei Dao Ren appeared to have half-lidded eyes, but his peripheral vision never left Ye Lan's face.

The eyes of a Taiyi Zhenxian were terrifyingly sharp.

Even the slightest change escaped none of his gaze.

At the instant her body trembled slightly, Jin Lei Dao Ren slowly exhaled, finally confirming that Tian Dan was indeed Taixu Danhuang.

Under his very nose, such an ultimate monster had emerged.

If so, Mu Yang and his son would likely never return to Shenxu Mountain.

"Lan'er, come with me."

With this thought, Jin Lei Dao Ren quietly rose.

His rare, gentle address startled the other peak masters; their loud chatter ceased instantly.

"Huh."

Ye Lan took a deep breath, knowing she could not deceive this old devil, and reluctantly stood.

After all, in both cultivation and experience, she was vastly inferior to him.

"Just a chat; don't be tense."

Jin Lei Dao Ren's withered face twitched slightly, even forcing a smile.

Tian Dan... no, Taixu Danhuang joined halfway through, spent too little time at Shenxu Mountain, and felt no real belonging—this time, even seizing the scripture was done without prior notice to the mountain.

And even now, if someone pressed the issue, they could not prove to outsiders that Taixu Danhuang was even a disciple of Shenxu Mountain.

Counting them all, the only person who could possibly stir any attachment in this Danhuang was the young girl before him.

Amid the others' puzzled gazes.

Jin Lei Dao Ren, with effortless grace, glided toward the towering peak rising above the eight surrounding mountains.

Passing through the corridor, entering the alchemical stone cave, the two walked slowly to stand before the vermilion gate.

"Though I do not know what Taixu Danhuang fears, perhaps he still guards against our Shenxu Mountain, but this matter is too grave; this old man must report to my Master, so he may spare some thought and prevent others from harboring ill intent to harm Taixu Danhuang."

Jin Lei Dao Ren turned back and explained softly.

He even omitted the title of junior brother.

Since they must push for Tian Dan, his position as eldest senior brother could be yielded if necessary.

Last time, Master had ordered them to protect Tian Dan's life, but only after this incident did he realize his own insignificance.

Setting aside other matters, how could Puti Sect not be enraged after losing so many top-tier Great Arhats?

If any Bodhisattva harbors ill intent, without Master's intervention, how could they be restrained?

"..."

Ye Lan responded with silence.

After learning this news, a sliver of hope actually arose in her heart.

Even if Shenxu Laozu did not truly care for Shen Yi before, upon learning of such astonishing achievements, he might change his mind and henceforth commit an entire lineage's strength... or even contact the other three Sanxian Sect's Great Luo Immortal Venerables to jointly protect Shen Yi?

"It is not that this Deng Shibo speaks too much, but you must go and explain this to Taixu Danhuang."

After Jin Lei Dao Ren finished speaking softly, he turned around and slowly placed his palm upon the vermilion gate.

As the eldest senior brother of Shenxu Mountain, he was the only one who possessed the method to awaken Master.

As time passed, the qi he infused grew ever more powerful.

Upon the vermilion gate, wisps of gray mist finally began to surge forth.

It was unknown how much time had passed.

A pair of dull eyes, tinged with a hint of irritability, slowly opened within the gray mist.

The moment she saw those eyes, Ye Lan's entire body tensed, and the hand hidden in her sleeve clenched tightly.

To her, this was not a grandmaster, but the enemy who killed her master and exterminated her sect.

But thinking of Shen Yi's perilous situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides...

She bit her lip hard, closed her reddened eyes, and forcibly suppressed the surging murderous intent in her heart.

(End of this chapter)