Chapter 732: My Lord, I Have Come by Your Order

"Reporting to my lord! The demons have been slain!"

"Reporting to my lord! Xishan Prefecture has been thoroughly cleansed!"

In Shen Yi's mind, the voices of numerous Suppressing Stones echoed; third-rank experts were the key to deciding victory, but beyond them, the demon generals who had returned with the Southern Emperor likewise possessed the mighty power to wreak havoc upon the world.

Regrettably, this group of demon generals, who had arrived with fierce momentum, were halted the moment they stepped into the Divine Dynasty's domain by a defense line constructed from countless Suppressing Stones.

Until the very instant of their death, they remained filled with confusion in their eyes.

How could a majestic Divine Dynasty secretly recruit a horde of demons even more vast in number than themselves!

As a stream of notifications surged forth, the Demon Lifespan on the panel began to soar.

The moves made back then had yielded the most abundant harvest tonight.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: Five Thousand Four Hundred Kalpas】

Although several thousand kalpas of Demon Lifespan were not even as much as slaying a single third-rank Demon Venerable, it was nonetheless formed from a mountain range of corpses.

Monk Zhikong waited outside the half-open door; even though he desperately suppressed his mind, he could not help but swallow his dry throat again and again.

Today was the time Lord Shen had mentioned back then.

But the other party merely sat quietly inside the room, eyes slightly closed, as if dozing.

The night grew deeper, and the surroundings became quieter and quieter; Monk Zhikong could only hear his own breathing, surging like waves that drowned his entire body, the thick sense of suffocation making him unable to help but open his mouth wide.

"Hah! Hah!"

Clearly nothing had happened, and Jianyang Prefecture City remained as peaceful and serene as ever.

Yet Monk Zhikong absolutely did not believe Lord Shen was the type to place pressure on his fellow colleagues while remaining carefree and detached himself; since the other party had stayed in Jianyang, it meant something major would definitely happen tonight!

The night was already past its midpoint.

Finally, that notification rang out in Shen Yi's mind.

【Slayed third-rank Heavenly Fire Yang Wu, total lifespan ten thousand kalpas, remaining lifespan eight thousand nine hundred kalpas, absorption complete】

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: Fourteen Thousand Three Hundred Kalpas】

He gently exhaled a breath; indeed, it was exactly as he had guessed.

Under the Southern Emperor's so cautious arrangement, even after sending Suppressing Stones as spies, Shen Yi could only rely on gambling regarding the specific situation.

Now it seemed he had guessed half right.

After the incident at Songfeng Prefecture, the Southern Emperor would most likely not gather his strength to strike in one direction again.

Now it remained to be seen if the other half could be guessed correctly.

Only three Demon Venerables had gone to Songfeng Prefecture, and all were merely in the ordinary realm of Three-Three Transformation.

The true experts, such as the three families returning from the Barbarian Wilderness, had not appeared at all.

Shen Yi imagined himself as the Southern Emperor: where would he place his main force?

When they first returned, they had dispatched a vast number of demons to scout the Divine Dynasty; among them, the nine prefectures in the west must have appeared the most bizarre to the demon race's eyes, with not a single survivor able to escape.

Therefore, Shen Yi chose to remain in Jianyang Prefecture.

He did not open his eyes but directly poured the Demon Lifespan into the Spiritual Power Protecting the Dao True Scripture, beginning to extract golden threads and weave the unfinished transformation.

The Bodhisattva Fruit Seat, which had already reached the number of Five-Seven, now glowed with golden radiance once more.

After these days of visualization.

Shen Yi's movements gradually became proficient; the half-completed Dark Raven began to complete itself, and as for the last palm of the Bodhisattva Dharma Image, a crying Zhu Que suddenly spread its wings.

It was now very close to the threshold of Six-Six Transformation.

Shen Yi's mood, however, inexplicably calmed down; this was a path he had deduced himself, and if he did not even believe in himself, how could he possibly complete the transformation?

As the ninth wisp of golden thread sank into the Dharma Image, the number of Six-Six was complete!

The seated Bodhisattva Fruit Seat suddenly clenched the four palms behind it; under the pouring golden radiance as thick as paste, two ferocious beasts simultaneously underwent transformation.

The Dark Raven transformed into a heavy, ornate bell, while the Zhu Que became a long sword emerging from the flames.

In an instant, Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire were recombined; the four Suppressing Treasures were gripped in the Dharma Image's palms, their auras connected to one another, then growing increasingly harmonious until they suddenly transformed into a ring of light as solid as matter, nearly covering half the Dharma Image's body, hovering behind it, radiating brilliance.

Heaven is round, Earth is square.

The ring of light was Heaven, while the Earth was the Dharma Image's palms holding the primal energy upon its knees.

Thus, Heaven and Earth were formed.

Perfectly crossing the threshold of Six-Six Transformation, exhausting fourteen thousand kalpas of Demon Lifespan, the remaining golden threads clung to it, quickly pushing Shen Yi's cultivation to seventy-one wisp of Heavenly Dao Order Origin!

In the dark night.

Six full moons suddenly appeared in the sky, hanging high like bright lanterns in the firmament.

Their indistinct outlines rose and fell, as if a earth-dragon was overturning mountains, with mountain ranges rising and falling in an orderly manner.

When they drew closer to that Prefecture City.

The six full moons suddenly looked at each other: "Lord You, why are there only three of us? Where is the Southern Emperor?"

As wisps of Bai Guang surged forth from the horizon, three gigantic figures finally revealed themselves.

Two of them were precisely the Demon Venerables previously rescued from the True Gods by the Seven Treasures Bodhisattva and the Formless Bodhisattva; now revealing their true forms, one was a Bai Niu covered in gray-white fur with a lion's mane on its neck, its two curved horns standing like opposing cliffs, wielding a Fangtian Huaji.

The other's true form had lost even its human appearance; it was a massive green python, and merely raising half its body made it appear much taller than the two beside it.

At this moment, these two Demon Venerables with majestic auras were both looking toward the middle.

Among the demons of the world, once cultivation reached a certain level, the ending was nothing but a few types.

Either they threw themselves into the Ruda Sect or the Immortal Court, thereby gaining a noble name to stand in Heaven and Earth, changing their appearance and washing away the name of demon.

Or, being violent by nature and refusing to submit to Fuguan Sect, they eventually violated the Heavenly Laws, were suppressed by the True Gods in a certain place, and ultimately met the fate of death and the destruction of their Dao.

But there remained one more type: those who also violated the Heavenly Laws yet could still find a place to exist in Heaven and Earth; their strength was naturally far greater than the previous types.

Such as these three returning from the Barbarian Wilderness.

The Southern Emperor, who had perfected the Ninety-Nine Transformations, need not be mentioned; the other two great demons who had likewise succeeded in retiring, though not yet reaching that level, had already crossed the Sixty-Six Transformations many years ago.

This Abyssal Sea Ape King, called Lord You, was one of them.

"If the Southern Emperor has arranged it thus, why do you ask more? It makes me suspicious."

The black ape, half a body shorter than the other two, hunched its frame, leaning on a twisted, winding log like an old man leaning on a cane.

It glanced back at the two with indifference, and both demon lords fell silent on their own.

The old ape withdrew its gaze; where no one noticed, a flicker of hatred passed through its eyes.

Where is the Southern Emperor? The Southern Emperor is likely still leisurely cultivating his spirit in the Seven Sacred Marshes.

The Abyssal Sea Ape King is unlike these fools—it was already subdued by the True Gods, and to have salvaged its life at all is already a fortune.

It could have roamed freely in the Wang Yang, yet it returned to use this calamity to seek the path to great enlightenment.

Anyone with a brain knows this.

The Three Sects can never stand idly by as Shenzhou collapses; they will even step forward to play the role of saviors and holy ones.

When that time comes, taking the dog as a sacrifice to raise the banner will be inevitable.

And as the vanguard who breached Da Nanzhou, it will be eternally remembered by the world, hated through countless lifetimes, yearning to peel its flesh, drink its demon blood!

The Southern Emperor intends to sit upon the lotus throne—or become an emperor of a realm.

How could it leave behind such an unwashable stain?

And since it was the weakest among the three, it was forcibly pushed forward.

The old ape naturally resented this, but whenever it thought of that indigo-colored flesh mountain, it lacked the courage to speak out.

"The Bodhisattva sees clearly and understands fully—how could it not see through your petty schemes? Wait. Right and wrong, good and evil, will eventually be settled."

By willingly serving as the vanguard of Pozhou, it will surely earn the Puti Sect's favor; as for those hypocritical villains, they will only swallow their own bitter fruit.

Thinking of this, the old ape turned its gaze toward the distant, faint outline of a city.

A cruel grin suddenly spread across its ugly face.

In an instant, it raised its twisted log high, then slammed it down with a boom.

Amid a tremendous hum, torrential demonic power instantly tore open the earth—a deep, bottomless chasm crackled and cracked forward at breakneck speed, obliterating everything in its path.

The imperial aura rising into the sky had barely begun to coalesce before this staff shattered it outright.

The weathered, ancient city wall, standing for countless years, shook violently, about to be swallowed by the chasm—when, abruptly, the abyss halted just before the wall.

"Indeed, something strange."

In the blink of an eye, the three demon lords stood outside the city.

The old ape slung its log over its shoulder and gazed down into the city.

This terrifying transformation had stunned the people of Songfeng Fucheng—whether ordinary mortals or cultivators with realm, all now stared upward, frozen.

Outside the towering wall stood three figures side by side; the broad wall seemed no more than a small dirt mound they could easily step over.

Because they were so enormous and the sky had not fully brightened, mortal eyes could not discern their full forms.

Only in the thunderous rhythm of their breaths did one feel their heart might burst.

"Heh."

The old ape curled its lips, momentarily forgetting its resentment—its eyes held only the city's imperial aura, ripe for the taking.

Having left Shenzhou too long, it had finally smelled this longed-for flavor.

It licked its fangs, its long arm suddenly lashing out—the massive log on its shoulder shot upward, then came crashing down again!

"..."

In a quiet mansion within Songfeng Fucheng.

Master Zhikong stood rigid, staring at the sky, watching the three towering figures, the log stretched across the heavens like an apocalypse.

He had never lacked courage, but now he could not even make the slightest movement.

The old ape's aura had already crushed the one he had once followed—the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva.

Such a ferocious demon, Da Nanzhou had not seen in many years.

At that moment, he suddenly felt his bonds loosen—he broke free from the demonic pressure, and instinctively turned his head.

A black boot stepped out from the half-open door.

The figure that had sat still for so long finally reappeared before his eyes.

The young man lifted his gaze slightly; his pale, handsome face had lost some of its youthful naivety.

Within his deep, dark eyes, rays of rosy light seemed to dance.

The black boot touched the ground—and Shen Yi vanished from his spot.

The massive log crashed down, bearing unstoppable power.

One strike could tear apart ten thousand li of land—naturally, it could destroy this tiny Songfeng Fucheng.

Yet it never truly landed.

A black robe rippled—the young man appeared beneath the log, casually kicking the staff. The surface of the wood, as if soaked in old oil, suddenly emitted a sharp, screeching hiss.

The entire log exploded, then flew backward.

On the other side, the old ape, caught off guard, staggered several steps back; Bai Niu, seeing the danger, quickly steadied it.

"Chir!"

The old ape flexed its calf, planting one foot on the chasm's edge, forcibly stabilizing itself.

It violently shook off Bai Niu's outstretched hand and glared into the city: "So that's why the Nine Western Prefectures gave us not a single scrap of news—there was someone holding the line."

"Today, at last, I see your true face."

The old ape licked its fangs, staring at that insignificant figure, sneering: "A nobody."

Having suffered a loss at hand, one must recoup it with words.

Bai Niu and the Green Python stared at the back of that ink-black robe, and for some reason, both felt a vague sense of familiarity.

Just then, the young man finally turned his eyes slightly to look over.

The same frost-tipped brow, the identical motion, and that cold, indifferent profile—in an instant, the two Demon Sovereigns' pupils contracted sharply, as if struck by lightning.

"Leave this one to me. After so many years away, this king might as well stretch his limbs a bit."

The Dark Sea Ape King tightened his grip on the half-length of long wood, and the moment he took a step forward, he noticed something off about the two demons beside him.

He frowned slightly. Even after spending years deep in Wang Yang, he shouldn't be so blind as to meet a great figure and not recognize him: "What are you two still hesitating about!"

"Subduing Dragon… Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger Bodhisattva…"

The two Demon Sovereigns' trembling words instantly made the old ape's face change.

He turned his head back, trying to size up that young man anew, but suddenly whipped his head away, his eyes stung by the dazzling golden light.

The rich golden radiance and rosy light spread outward at a speed the naked eye could hardly follow.

Breaking through the last wisp of night.

Above the dim Songfeng Fucheng, a Dharma Aspect that blotted out the sky unfolded its body. Resembling a divine Buddha, it stood between heaven and earth. Upon its perfectly proportioned, flawless form, a vast Jinhe surged and roared at will.

Its two arms hung naturally at its sides, while the four arms behind were raised, each holding respectively a Coiling Dragon Mace, a Bai Hu Pestle, a Dark Crow Bell, and a Zhu Que Sword.

As that dazzling halo of light rose, it illuminated the world like a great sun.

And within that majestic Dharma Aspect, Shen Yi slowly turned to face the three demons, and the towering Dharma Aspect likewise gazed down upon them at the same moment.

Under the gaze of those gilded eyes—

The old ape instinctively gripped his staff with both hands, pulling that broken giant timber in front of him, his breathing growing ragged.

"Bod… Bodhisattva."

After a long silence, he finally asked in confusion, "Venerable One, what is the meaning of this?"

He had imagined countless possibilities, but never once expected that, when he had been ordered to come as vanguard to break Pozhou, the one standing atop the city wall to bar his way would be this renowned Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger Bodhisattva!

(End of chapter)