Chapter 734: Returning to Divine Void Mountain Again

The Dharma image, like golden sand, vanished with the wind along with the rosy light.

The towering silhouette gradually faded into the sky.

Shen Yi did not slip away quietly as usual; instead, he landed on the city wall, slowly turned, and looked toward the city interior.

When the vast expanse of heaven and earth held only this single ink-colored figure, even though it appeared thin and insignificant compared to that Bodhisattva's Dharma image, it still drew everyone's gaze.

Shen Yi simply disliked such occasions; it did not mean he was foolish enough to let the Puti Sect reap the fruits for nothing.

If anyone else had been present today, even the other Southern Pacification Generals, the people of the Divine Dynasty would have believed a Bodhisattva subdued the great demon.

But that did not include Shen Yi, who had already become famous throughout the world since Songfeng Fucheng last time.

Sure enough, after the people in Songfeng Fucheng slightly regained their senses.

Those with extensive knowledge immediately cried out: "General Nanyang!"

Even though most people did not even know which government office this general belonged to or which military formation he commanded, these four simple words were enough to make them go wild.

Outside Songfeng Fucheng, the feat of single-handedly wiping out the demon army had long been turned into a storybook and passed down orally among the common folk.

Seeing that things were about right, Shen Yi then darted into the residence.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, Master Zhikong, who had witnessed the entire magical duel with his own eyes, rushed forward with shining eyes.

From the initial trembling fear to when Lord Shen revealed his Dharma image, causing the Black Sea to roll back, Master Zhikong, as a Puti Sect practitioner, finally personally experienced the legendary divine might of the Bodhisattva.

The light wheel manifesting across heaven and earth had already vaguely taken on the form of a Buddha image.

It made one involuntarily want to worship.

At this moment, his mouth kept opening, yet he could not speak a word.

"I have urgent matters to attend to; I must trouble you, Venerable Master, to stay here for a few more days."

Shen Yi stood with hands at his sides, interrupting the other's daze.

To be honest, surviving today's calamity made even him feel somewhat lucky.

Even though he had tried his best to guess the Southern Emperor's thoughts, if he had guessed wrong even once during the entire process, Dananzhou would have been destroyed in a single day and night.

When he left back then, Shen Yi deliberately displayed arrogance to test this great demon's temperament.

The other party's reaction, however, appeared somewhat humble.

Even if he dared not truly attack the Puti Sect's Venerable Ones, he should at least save face with words, yet the Southern Emperor actually agreed so readily.

One who can endure what ordinary people cannot must have grand plans.

And such a great demon would likely be unwilling to simply become a blade in the Puti Sect's hands.

It had fled far from Shenzhou for so many years, only just managing to make the people of the Divine Dynasty forget its ferocious deeds; how could it now be willing to tarnish its clear name again?

Fortunately, the gamble paid off.

In this way, Shen Yi finally saw a glimmer of hope for victory.

【Slayed third-rank Dark Sea Ape King, total lifespan ten thousand kalpas, remaining lifespan seven thousand two hundred kalpas, absorption complete】

【Slayed third-rank Thick-Maned Bai Niu, total lifespan ten thousand kalpas, remaining lifespan eight thousand eight hundred kalpas, absorption complete】

【Slayed third-rank Rhombus-Flower Yuan Tongtian Python, total lifespan ten thousand kalpas, remaining lifespan eight thousand nine hundred kalpas, absorption complete】

【Remaining demon lifespan: twenty-five thousand one hundred kalpas】

If nothing unexpected happened, these demon lifespans would be enough to push his cultivation to the number ninety-six, merely one step away from the ninety-nine transformations of third-rank perfection.

After completing the sixty-six transformations, the general framework of the Bodhisattva Dharma image had already taken shape; the rest only needed completion.

But the problem lay in the fact that gathering the remaining two thousand lifespans would be very difficult.

Those below third-rank were already few in the Divine Dynasty, almost all coming from the three great demon families, but after this battle, they were nearly wiped out; how hard would it be to find dozens more?

As for those above third-rank, scanning all of Dananzhou, the only ones Shen Yi currently knew of were the Southern Emperor and another great demon family.

Perhaps he could only think of ways from the outside.

But actually, this was not the most urgent matter.

After resolving this demon calamity, the Southern Emperor would inevitably fail to deliver results, and he himself would have to worry greatly about the troublesome affairs of the Sanxian Sect.

"All will follow Lord Shen's arrangements."

Master Zhikong had often heard that whenever a great calamity arose, a peerless figure would be born to meet it.

But he had only regarded it as a beautiful wish.

Only after seeing Lord Shen did he finally understand what the so-called "peerless" truly meant.

Breaking free from worldly understanding, transcending all common logic.

From fighting a seventh-rank practitioner to powerfully slaying three great demon lords, a distant path that ordinary cultivators might never complete in a lifetime, Lord Shen accomplished in a brief moment shorter than a nap.

"It's just..." Master Zhikong raised his head, remembering something else: "In this case, although the people of the Divine Dynasty know the demon-slayer is not the Puti Sect, wouldn't the fact that you are General Nanyang be exposed to the Puti Sect?"

If the Great Self-Reliant Pure Jing Jing Shi Pusa learned that the reason Nanzhou could never be breached originated from within the sect, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"I said, they cannot take any news from here away."

Shen Yi merely smiled faintly, his voice carrying a bit more certainty.

His confidence was not baseless.

After today, Dananzhou would possess seven third-rank stabilizing stones guarding it, plus countless other stabilizing stones; unless the Great Self-Reliant Pure Jing Jing Shi Pusa personally arrived, no one could send news of what happened in the Divine Dynasty to the outside world.

Having said that, he walked straight into the room.

If he could not reach ninety-nine for now, he would first forge an army of stabilizing stones that looked down on the world.

The seven great demon lords, plus himself and the Southern Pacification Generals, with the support of the vast imperial qi, might not surpass the Southern Emperor, but there was hope at least to block him outside the Divine Dynasty.

Unless the Great Self-Reliant Bodhisattva personally intervened.

Otherwise, he would definitely guard this Dananzhou.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi closed his eyes, his mind stirred slightly, and six thousand two hundred demon lifespans rapidly flowed away; flesh and blood poured into the stabilizing stones, and the terrifying figures of four more great demon lords quietly appeared inside the Wan Yao Dian.

"You shall guard Nanzhou well; wait for my return."

"Reporting to my lord, we obey your command!"

A chasm stretching tens of thousands of li had violently torn the earth in two.

When this scene entered the eyes of the few in the sky.

Their pupils all shrank slightly, and even their fingertips began to tremble.

The reason that young man stayed in Jianyang Prefecture was indeed because he had received news in advance.

Even Ye Lan, who was closest to him, could not learn a single shred of it.

Now it seemed the remaining Demon Venerable had truly come to Jianyang Prefecture, while this group of old fools had stood in Songfeng Prefecture watching a play all night.

"I am incompetent!"

Yan Lanting suddenly roared, his eyes already filling with scarlet bloodshot veins.

He had once said "Everything is on me," tricking that boy into joining his ranks, yet when real trouble arose, whether it was the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, the Puti Sect transmitting scriptures, the attack on Songfeng Prefecture, or today's disaster in Jianyang Prefecture, which time was he present?

Which time was it not that boy bearing it all alone?

Yang Mingli's dry lips moved, yet he could not squeeze out a single word.

Lady Lady Feng Xi, watching Ye Lan's silent figure retreat into the distance, bit her pearl teeth hard, then turned to glare at the two: "If Da Nanzhou is breached, every moment you two linger here means burying the lives of an entire city!"

Though she too worried for Nanyang's safety, in this situation, there was no time left for weeping.

The group set off again, following along this glaring chasm.

Until the figures of the few saw Ye Lan's stunned, suspended back.

Yan Lanting cast his gaze forward, only to see this terrifying abyss abruptly stop right before the gates of Jianyang Prefecture City, as if severed by an invisible giant hand.

And in their line of sight, that majestic prefecture city still stood in place, its mottled walls towering and stretching, suffering not the slightest damage!

"This..."

Yang Mingli finally spat out a single character, looking at both sides in disbelief.

"Enter the city first!"

Yan Lanting also froze for an instant, then his figure surged violently again, heading toward that city.

Before the few even landed, their ears were filled with the lively and noisy voices of the common people; almost every sentence had to include the four characters "General Nanyang."

"The city was not breached; it was held."

Lady Lady Feng Xi turned in surprise, looking at those towering walls.

Even though nearly ten days had passed, these common people were still tirelessly discussing the events of that day, constructing a clear scene in their minds.

Three great demons as majestic as mountains and seas suddenly descended outside the prefecture city.

Furthermore, a black Wang Yang swept across the sky.

Just as living beings faced devastation, a youth in black robes quietly stood upon the city wall; ten thousand feet of rosy light tore through the black sea, illuminating the firmament, and that golden phantom of unknown height, holding divine Buddhist artifacts, suppressed them one by one upon the evil demons.

The great demons who had just carried the posture of world-annihilation failed to stir even a ripple before being suppressed and slain one by one.

And the one possessing such divine might was not some divine Buddha Immortal Venerable or disciple of a great sect, but the General appointed by the Human Emperor of the Divine Dynasty to guard Dananzhou, named Nanyang.

"Three Demon Venerables were slain by him single-handedly?"

Lady Lady Feng Xi swallowed lightly; although the words of the common people certainly contained exaggeration, the specific content was absolutely true.

Not only did he block them, but the entire process was relaxed and effortless; otherwise, the city walls would not have remained undamaged.

"..."

Yan Lanting lowered his gaze slightly; he knew that Shen Yi had once slain the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva, and had also learned from Master Zhikong that Shenxu Laozu had likewise perished at the other's hand.

But these two had only completed the Bodhisattva and Immortal Venerable transformations of the Three Three.

The terrifying ape face and black sea mentioned by the common people just now suddenly made him recall the Yu Hai Ape King among the three great demons who had fled to the Barbarian Wilds.

This one had already ascended to the peerless ferocious demon of the Huang Liuliu transformations before fleeing.

"What exactly happened? Why don't we just go ask!"

Yang Mingli's face now glowed brightly, and even the twilight aura all over his body quietly faded away.

He had originally planned to promote Nanyang to contend with that great sect's genius, thinking this boy was a ray of dawn for Dananzhou, but with successive major events occurring, he now suddenly realized: where was this a ray of dawn? It was clearly a blazing sun!

The three hurried toward Shen Zhai.

They saw that Ye Lan had already entered the residence, with Master Zhikong the Monk still standing nearby.

"This humble monk greets several my lords."

Master Zhikong spoke first before the few could say anything: "General Nanyang guessed that several my lords would come, so he sent this humble monk to wait here. Please, my lords, do not worry; although the demon calamity has not yet been completely eliminated, there is already a chance for a turnaround."

"As for General Nanyang, he has some trivial matters to attend to and must make a trip; he will return very soon."

"Please, all of you, rest assured and guard Da Nanzhou."

With just a few simple words, he confirmed the guesses in the hearts of the several Southern-Suppressing Generals.

They were all of the same rank, and these few had served as Southern-Suppressing Generals for many years prior, yet facing Shen Yi's arrangement, which was euphemistic in wording but actually an order, not a single one of the three my lords raised any objection.

Yang Mingli even waved his hand with a smile: "No matter, no matter! We will surely do our hands-on work and wait quietly for General Nanyang's return."

Although the demon calamity remained unresolved and the great Buddha Nan Huang still lurked outside.

At least Dananzhou had survived another tribulation.

As for that Nan Huang, as long as they worked together, they could surely devise a method.

Just then, Lady Lady Feng Xi noticed something strange.

She saw that the little girl with a bloodless face, who had just managed to show a trace of a smile, upon hearing Master Zhikong the Monk's words, not only had her smile quickly fade, but her very breathing stopped.

"Follow me."

Lady Lady Feng Xi suppressed the excitement in her heart, called Ye Lan aside, and set up a sound-blocking prohibition in front of the other: "I know Nanyang is cautious by nature and unwilling to let others participate too much in his affairs, but in this situation, we can no longer have second thoughts; if there is anything that can help him..."

This beautiful woman paused slightly, stared seriously into Ye Lan's eyes, and said word by word: "... then even sacrificing one's life would be fine."

"So, can you tell me what exactly happened? Where did he go?"

"……"

Ye Lan gripped the Demon-Slaying Token in her palm so tightly that her knuckles went white; the gentle imperial aura within it could no longer bring her any sense of security.

"Beizhou… sent people over… the matter of Shenxu Laozu's fall…"

Before the words had even finished, Lady Lady Feng Xi's face had gone deathly pale.

She truly had not imagined that the casual, offhand remark Zhikong the Monk had passed along from Nanyang — something he'd treated as idle chatter — would turn out to be such a world-shattering catastrophe.

"I must return to the sect for a while. I'll leave Dananzhou in the hands of you, my lords."

Ye Lan released the Demon-Slaying Token, no longer hesitating, and turned to streak away toward the outskirts of Songfeng Fucheng.

It had been she who had brought Shen Yi into the Sanxian Sect in the first place; now that something had happened, even if she couldn't be of any help, she had to be present.

……

At the same time.

Shenxu Mountain.

Led by Daoist Qianfeng, the remaining peak lords were all gathered within the hall, yet none of them looked like the master of a peak at all — instead, each and every one of them was like a lowly errand boy, cautiously attending upon several unfamiliar figures within the hall.

Mount Tianwu Laozu, Elder Yu Chi, Shen Shan Laozu…

A full six titans, and with their own Shenxu Laozu added in, they had gathered together nearly every immortal sect within Dananzhou.

"It's been this long already — when exactly is that old sleepyhead of yours going to wake up?"

Mount Tianwu Laozu glanced at the spiritual tea Daoist Qianfeng had respectfully served up, his eyes flicking aside, his face full of impatience.

What's more, right in front of so many fellow cultivators and the other's disciples, he had directly called out Shenxu Laozu's true form — one could say he couldn't even be bothered to spare any face.

The other Laozu, hearing these words, did not chime in agreement, but merely smiled faintly.

"……"

In the past, Daoist Qianfeng would surely have been seething inside, but now, having learned exactly what a greedy thing his own Laozu was, even though his face had been slapped, his smile turned only slightly awkward before he could swiftly compose his expression: "I have already sent word to my Master, but I have not yet received a reply. However, counting the days, it should be soon. I ask my martial uncles and uncles to wait a few more days."

"Who is your martial uncle? This seat has no wish to be that old worm's senior brother — don't go trying to climb onto that relationship."

Mount Tianwu Laozu let out a cold sneer: "If he doesn't come out soon, this seat will take matters into his own hands and tear down his Shenxu Mountain."

Hearing this, not only Daoist Qianfeng, but even the many other peak lords revealed bitter expressions, lowering their heads slightly.

In an instant, Qianfeng froze, as if he had received some message.

He set down the spiritual tea in his hand and said softly: "My lords, my Master has awoken."

(End of this chapter)