Chapter 737: Reclaiming the Fire Dragon Chariot

"..."

The moment he saw the Nine Luminaries Banner fall, Shenxu Laozu's heart surged with joy; he had already prepared to stop that young man from fleeing back into the Taixu realm.

The death and Dao-annihilation of his beloved disciple was indeed grievous, but seeing Beizhou's stance now, he realized that he and his so-called ancestors could not remain detached. In this situation, the more important matter became how to add a few layers of foundation for survival.

Of course, regardless of the reason, Shenxu Laozu could not let Shenxu Mountain, which had shown a flaw first, go unpunished.

"So you young brat still have some spirit."

"Let this Ancestor test your true strength!"

Though his words were contemptuous, the moment Shenxu Laozu struck, he displayed something different from before.

Previously, he had mobilized calamity force, summoned a hundred birds singing together, and unleashed wild spiritual winds, creating an appearance of uprooting Shenxu Mountain entirely; yet when facing Shen Yi, all those flashy things vanished completely.

The Shenxu Dao Fruit is renowned for its supreme hardness of heaven and earth.

Those immortal birds and divine creatures were merely followers perched upon it; the true methods were all contained within that towering, majestic giant tree.

At this moment, this magnificent giant tree seemed to fall slowly, as if anyone below could easily dodge it, yet the hundred birds dancing around it formed a great formation, locking onto every qi resonance in the surroundings.

Even the mist filling the sky ceased its turmoil beneath this giant tree.

The Dao Fruits of Mount Tianwu and Shenxu Mountain were naturally incompatible; after so many years, how could Shenxu Laozu not have prepared some countermeasures? He simply never expected these measures would not be used against the Shenxu Ancestor, but instead against his rebellious disciple.

Shenxu Laozu appeared rash, but in truth his heart was as fine as hair; otherwise, he would not have discovered the anomalies of Shenxu Mountain.

Regardless of what despicable method Taixu Danhuang used to commit the act of killing his master just now, not giving the opponent any chance was always correct.

His strike was a killing move!

However, this strike that was certain to succeed showed a momentary stagnation just as the giant tree was about to land on the peak of Shenxu Mountain.

Inside the giant tree, the old man with white hair and beard still maintained a ferocious expression full of murderous intent; only in those eyes filled with rosy light did the pupils tremble slightly.

After dealing with Shenxu Mountain for so many years, he knew their methods inside out; even if Taixu Danhuang had learned seventy or eighty percent of the old demon worm's skill, he would not be surprised.

But the one thing Shenxu Laozu never expected was that, under these circumstances, he would see a Bodhisattva.

A massive Dharma image with shoulders level with the sky, its entire body flowing with Jinhe; those solid arms rose across the heavens, woven from the vast primordial order of the Heavenly Dao.

Behind it, a blinding light wheel rose high, as if the proud sun illuminated the earth; the immortal birds and divine creatures dancing around it quickly turned into white smoke and scattered beneath that rosy light.

"You... you monks dare to infiltrate my Sanxian Sect!"

"And you, as disciples of the Sanxian Sect, actually concealed this and failed to report it, acting as wolves' lackeys!"

Shenxu Laozu's slightly panicked voice echoed across the sky; he then looked furiously at the figures on the several peaks surrounding him.

The several peak masters, led by Qianfeng Daoren, remained silent.

Given Shenxu Ancestor's actions, it was truly difficult for them, his disciples, to continue serving him; even if they spoke plainly, they would not feel guilty.

They must remember that if not for this Shen Laozu's intervention back then, they would have long since become their master's medicine alongside Jin Lei Daoren.

At this moment, Shenxu Laozu saw the face of that little girl again; the look in her eyes directed at him was clearly no different from before, but only now did he read a strange meaning from it.

Ye Lan's calmness was not a feigned composure; it was more like the exhaustion of someone seeing a fool who would not turn back until hitting the south wall, simply unwilling to waste more words.

And that fool was himself!

"Nan Xumi is too bullying; do you not fear our sect's wrath?!"

Feeling that mighty calamity force, Shenxu Laozu had completely lost the will to fight; he had not yet completed the Six-Six Transformation, while the Bodhisattva opposite him was only one step away from the Nine-Nine Perfection; the power gap between the two was an insurmountable chasm.

And the only thing that could save him, the Fire Dragon Chariot, he had personally sent away.

Shenxu Laozu extended a long branch, frantically reaching toward the two streaks of light in the distance; yet in the next instant, his towering wooden body suddenly leaned backward.

Six arms unfolded, embracing the giant tree; the fingertips flowing with Jin Guang were like sharp blades, forcibly piercing into this Tianwu Divine Tree, with rich sap gushing out like blood.

The Shenxu Dao Fruit was unyielding, but the power protecting the Dao was also a master of hard-on-hard confrontation.

When the two met, it came down to a contest of solid foundation.

Clearly, Shenxu Laozu lost by more than a single margin.

The invincible giant tree's Dao body, under those six palms, was as fragile as tofu; soon, those hands had completely penetrated his body.

Sss—

With Shen Yi's sudden exertion of force, this Tianwu Divine Tree was forcibly torn apart.

Feeling the intense pain surging through his body, a flutter of fear finally arose in Shenxu Laozu's heart; he had dared to act shamelessly before the hall of the Great Self-Nature Purifying World Bodhisattva of Nan Xumi, certain that relying on the relationship between the two sects, no one would dare openly attack him.

But the situation now seemed different; this young man truly intended to kill him!

The old man with white hair and beard suddenly broke free from the tree body.

But before he could flee in panic, four high-hanging magical treasures came into his view; behind those treasures, a golden light wheel slowly rotated.

This was clearly a method similar to his previous Hundred Birds Great Formation, yet the power within differed by countless times.

Under the illumination of that Jin Guang, Shenxu Laozu felt his entire body being burned into green smoke, and he was once again imprisoned within the giant tree.

To the many peak masters watching from the side, this scene was even more shocking.

They saw that sky-obscuring Bodhisattva Dharma image forcibly uproot the tree supporting the heavens; no matter how Shenxu Laozu struggled, it was useless; as those six thick, solid great arms slowly exerted force, a sharp sound echoed across the sky.

Puchi!

The entire giant tree was easily torn apart between those palms, then casually thrown in all directions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The wooden body crashed into Venerable Bihai, raising waves ten thousand zhang high, shrouding the entire Shenxu Mountain and the hundreds of surrounding peaks in misty water vapor.

Rosy light and water vapor intertwined, creating a sky full of long rainbows.

After the long rainbows gradually dispersed, neither Shenxu Laozu nor the Bodhisattva Dharma image could be found in Shenxu Mountain; only the young man in black robes on the peak remained, along with two leaping lights in the sky.

This could hardly be called a magical duel; it was one-sided slaughter.

Under the huge gap in cultivation, Shenxu Laozu did not even force Shen Yi to reveal a few of his supernatural abilities.

"Hah."

Ye Lan had watched with bated breath from start to finish; only now did she let out a long sigh.

Perhaps only those who personally witnessed this scene, the generals stationed in the south, would not consider the people's talk to be exaggerated words diluted with water.

"..."

Shen Yi stared at the water surface, confirming that Shenxu Laozu had been thoroughly suppressed and killed under the Buddha's light, but the panel still had not risen with a prompt.

He looked up, slightly disappointed.

But thinking about it, it was normal; Shenxu Laozu had called the old demon insect again and again, showing no concealment of his contempt for the roots of Shenxu Laozu, so such a proud person was unlikely to be of demon origin.

This huge wooden body was probably just a manifestation of the Dao Fruit.

Just as Ye Lan had guessed.

In the current situation, Shen Yi indeed did not wish to create meaningless trouble, but since the other party insisted on seeking death, he did not mind sending them on their way.

Moreover, this battle was not without gains.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi raised his eyes to look at the sky, waved his hand casually, and two streams of light flew towards him.

When the light dispersed, one was nine small flags, and the other was a flame-shaped treasure chariot, entirely fire-red, as if pulling a pair of dragons.

Through research over these days, Shen Yi had roughly learned the use of the Nine Luminaries Flags.

Similar to other flag arrays, its main effect was nothing more than the two words "trap and kill"; looking at the newly acquired Fire Dragon Chariot, it was equally imposing, brimming with a spirit of slaughter, but besides being used as an offensive means, it was obviously also a good vehicle for riding.

Shen Yi unceremoniously stored both items into his ring.

"Laozu."

Only at this moment did the many peak masters dare to gather around, and while respectfully paying their respects, the gaze they cast upon the young man before them, besides reverence, quietly added a touch of fear.

The Bodhisattva Dharma manifestation the other party had just revealed was obviously vastly different from the one they had seen earlier in Jianyang Prefecture.

If the Shen Laozu of the past was just beginning to glimpse the third-rank, the current one was vaguely showing signs of standing at the peak of this realm.

Such earth-shaking changes in such a short time... no wonder Ye Lan could speak so firmly before.

"There is no need to worry too much about the matter of Shenxu Laozu; after all, since he wanted to return to seize the Nine Luminaries Flags, he would naturally not reveal his whereabouts to others, and no one would discover it for a while."

Qianfeng Daoist hesitated for a moment and said with some worry, "But the imperial decree transmitted by the envoy from Beizhou..."

These magical treasures were not given for free.

Back then, they had already seen that the relationship between Shen Laozu and the Divine Dynasty was not ordinary.

The Bai He had bestowed a full six magical treasures; even with Laozu's current cultivation, dealing with the remaining four simultaneously would likely be quite difficult.

Or perhaps, take this opportunity to stand back on the side of the Sanxian Sect?

Anyway, judging by the Bai He's expression, it did not seem very interested in who held the Immortal Vein of Shenxu Mountain, and had accepted Taixu Danhuang as the new master of the immortal gate.

Even if they no longer participated in the Great Calamity and just stayed here, no one in all of Da Nanzhou would likely provoke this great Buddha of theirs without cause.

"..."

Ye Lan said nothing, but inexplicably denied in her heart the guesses of these senior uncles and aunts.

As peak masters of an immortal gate, even if the situation of Shenxu Mountain was somewhat special and they had just experienced the great matter of betraying their master and destroying their ancestor, they still ultimately viewed the problem from the identity of immortals.

Seeking immortality and asking the Dao, the purpose is nothing more than longevity.

When encountering matters, the first reaction is always how to avoid disaster and protect oneself.

But Shen Yi was different; she seemed never to have seen the other party regard himself as an immortal.

"To pick up a leak, one must first have a leak to pick up."

Sure enough, Shen Yi slowly turned around, and a single sentence left the many peak masters somewhat confused.

Only Ye Lan understood the other party's meaning.

Contending for the incense of the human world is something that needs to be considered only after Da Nanzhou is broken.

But with this General Nan Yang here, this continent cannot be broken.

Even if... the opponent is that infamous Southern Emperor!

Da Nanzhou, Seven Sages Marsh.

In the bottomless abyss, the water waves mixed with blood threads rose and fell uneasily, except for one place which they bypassed; that was a brightly lit hall.

The furnishings were elegant, showing that the master of the hall had once put in considerable effort.

Only the main hall remained; the former master had already become part of the green waves and blood threads.

"No news at all."

A heavy voice sounded in the hall.

A dragon-lizard with bone spikes on its back held a long spear, wore heavy armor, and sat hunched on the long steps at the hall's entrance.

Having received no response for a long time, it turned its head to look back.

It saw the entire hall, beneath that indigo figure, like a broken throne.

The Southern Emperor's eyes were slightly closed, with only the thunderous sound of his breathing circling above the hall.

Even though he had been extremely careful, the final result was no different from before.

Could those demon lords who had just been rescued by the Puti Sect from under the hands of the True Gods also be spies of the Divine Dynasty?

If the imperial court possessed such ability, how could it have ended up with the three continents falling?

But the fact that no news had been transmitted back was true.

There are not so many mysteries.

After thinking it over, it was nothing more than the two sects fighting secretly, and the demons dying.

"They have never looked at us with a straight eye."

"Whether in the past or now."

"It is because this Emperor was blinded by greed that I should suffer this Great Calamity."

The Southern Emperor finally opened his eyes, and the thick sound of his breathing turned into a cold sneer.

"Suffered a tribulation..."

The Dragon Lizard silently chewed the words over a few times, then stole a glance at the Southern Sovereign.

Now the demon soldiers and demon generals had been cleaned out, and even that old monkey had most likely met with mishap, yet the mountain of flesh before it hadn't so much as a scratch.

Given how cautious the other party was, there truly weren't many people under heaven who could make it suffer a tribulation.

But though it thought this, the Dragon Lizard had no intention of saying so outright. Instead, following the other's words, it asked, "Then what about us now?"

"Leave."

Without the slightest hesitation, not even entertaining the thought of hiding and fishing in troubled waters.

This sovereign of the demon race of Da Nanzhou, this being who had reached the pinnacle of the Ninety-Nine Transformations, actually calmly uttered that single word.

Not caring in the slightest whether doing so would cost it face before the other great demons.

"Leave?"

The Dragon Lizard froze. They had returned from thousands of miles away, bristling with killing intent, and beyond sending a great many lives to their deaths, they hadn't gained the slightest benefit.

And now they were to slink back just like that?

Yet the moment it met the Southern Sovereign's indifferent gaze, it shuddered all over and did not dare to object.

"..."

The Southern Sovereign slowly withdrew its gaze.

The present-day Dananzhou looked like a situation where the two Sects had joined forces to attack the Divine Dynasty—a completely one-sided affair—but in its eyes, it was chaos to the extreme.

It even felt that if it stayed a while longer, it might get the chance to witness with its own eyes the Bodhisattva and the Immortal Sovereign come to blows, even fight to the death.

If things reached that point, then no matter how profound its cultivation, it would likely be dragged into the mire as well.

Thinking of this, the indigo-blue mountain of flesh slowly began to tremble. Along with the shuddering of the great hall, it rose to its feet bit by bit.

However, just at the instant the Southern Sovereign was about to leap into the air—

A small, square-shaped case silently dropped into the water and hovered before it.

"What is this thing?"

The Dragon Lizard Demon Sovereign noticed the anomaly and could not help feeling a bit puzzled.

It hadn't noticed, however, that the Southern Sovereign's expression had gradually darkened.

Then, under the gaze of the two of them—

The square case slowly unfolded. Inside was clean white incense ash, and atop the incense ash was a handprint.

Just from that imprint one could tell how beautiful that hand was—it looked nothing like anything that should exist in the mortal world.

This was a pair of hands that could purify the world.

As a surge of undercurrent swept past, the utterly unremarkable incense ash was quickly scattered, and the handprint naturally vanished along with it.

But the step the Southern Sovereign had taken was quietly retracted.

It stared up at the sky in silence.

No one knew how long passed before this mountain of flesh finally let out a long sigh.

"Sigh."

(End of this chapter)