Chapter 757: My Water Is Deep

Kaiyuan Prefecture.

A Daoist Priest of middle age sat upright, pouring a cup of hot tea for the impulsive junior brother before him: "Speak. Since you have nothing better to do, what do you seek from me?"

"Zhu Shixiong Haoming, do not tell me you do not know the Puti Sect has been causing chaos. The people of the Red Cloud Cave, including Brother Mao Feng, and Jiang Shijie Sister Ling Su of the Spirit Void Cave, have all fallen victim to the Monk's poison."

Huaming was the junior brother newly taken in by the Master, having not yet broken through to the third-rank, so he could not participate in the great calamity, yet he was quite interested in these struggles for incense offerings.

Being outside the calamity, he enjoyed the spectacle and did not mind if the situation worsened.

At this moment, his face was also full of excitement.

"I know, so what?" True Person Haoming responded indifferently. He not only knew of this matter but had also received a decree from the Sect, watching helplessly as many senior brothers and sisters he usually looked up to left Beizhou.

But what did these things have to do with an ordinary person like him?

"Why must Zhu Shixiong pretend to be foolish?"

Huaming stood up dissatisfied, pointing a finger at the side: "Even I can hear it. An Immortal Shrine has been erected next door, called the Taixu Zhenjun Shrine."

"Do not forget, Tashan is the cultivation ground of Jiang Shijie Sister Ling Su. Now that she has met with misfortune, how did this land suddenly have an owner?"

"I have never heard of a cultivation ground being inherited, and furthermore, as far as I know, that so-called Taixu Zhenjun is not a cultivator from our Beizhou."

Huaming finished speaking in one breath like a string of firecrackers, then lifted his teacup to moisten his throat.

"What exactly do you want to say?" True Person Haoming watched this junior brother without showing any emotion.

"What do I want to say?" Huaming bared his teeth helplessly and said, "Such a good opportunity, and Zhu Shixiong will just let it pass?"

Hearing this, True Person Haoming shook his head and refilled the other's teacup: "Have you forgotten that there is still True Person Shu Yu in Kaiyuan Prefecture? Without a word from Qingguang Cave, how could it be my turn to speak?"

The establishment of the Taixu Zhenjun Shrine would inevitably draw the attention of many, but he certainly would not be among them.

"Hehe!"

Hearing these words, Huaming was not only not anxious but laughed out loud: "Zhu Shixiong, you just do not have a mind that turns as fast as mine. Think about it, who is in charge of investigating the Puti Sect matter?"

"Sister Ling Su died at the hands of the Monk. Jiang Shijie Youyao is still investigating this matter. Before the matter is concluded, how could True Person Shu Yu, as Jiang Shijie Youyao's junior brother, have the face to occupy the Tashan left by Sister Ling Su? Is he not afraid of affecting his senior sister's reputation?"

Hearing this, True Person Haoming's action of pouring tea paused slightly.

Youyao's journey this time could not be overstated as helping Sister Ling Su and several other fellow disciples seek revenge; if the matter was successfully concluded, her status within the Sect would surely take a huge leap forward.

This time, what she sought was fame, not profit.

Therefore, before the great vengeance was avenged, how could she tolerate her subordinates from interfering with Sister Ling Su's "legacy"?

No wonder, after so many days of the Taixu Zhenjun establishing the shrine, Zhu Shixiong Shu Yu had shown no reaction at all; it turned out the problem lay here.

"Do not blame this junior brother for not reminding you. This turmoil is not a matter of a single day or night. Our Sect and that Puti Sect are both great Sects of Heaven and Earth; now that a dispute has arisen, we do not know how long they will fight. The elders will not truly demand that Jiang Shijie Youyao handle this matter alone; she only needs to capture two or three Monks and give an explanation for the deaths of several fellow disciples, and that will be enough."

"It might just be a matter of ten days or half a month. You must grasp this opportunity firmly."

Speaking to this point, Huaming laughed again in a joking tone, patting his belly and saying, "Even if Zhu Shixiong looks down on it, this junior brother is still hungry. Rather than giving Tashan to an outsider, it is better for me to taste the flavor of Imperial Qi."

"..."

True Person Haoming glanced over, not expecting that this seemingly unorthodox junior brother also had moments of clear thinking.

He hesitated for a moment: "How do you say we should proceed?"

"I see the common people in Zhu Shixiong's cultivation ground have been living in peace for too long. You might as well seize a sum of Imperial Qi now and let that great demon wander outside again."

Huaming was obviously in high spirits: "Test his depth."

"If he is incompetent, take the opportunity to destroy his Taixu Zhenjun Shrine. An Immortal Shrine is not something that can be rebuilt just like that. Once destroyed, it will make the common people of Tashan completely lose faith in it. We can then enter by taking advantage of the situation, and the matter will be settled."

"Of course, if he is capable, the worst that can happen is we apologize and retrieve the great demon. We would not suffer a loss, and we can plan for the long term."

True Person Haoming listened quietly, then closed his eyes.

Only the hand constantly rubbing the teacup revealed a slight stir of interest.

Roar!

Accompanied by a long howl.

A giant ape covered in white fur suddenly stepped into Kaiyuan Prefecture, as if entering a place without people, and ran wildly without stopping.

The many refugees who had finally managed to catch their breath, under conditions of water and food shortages, had long lost the strength to flee. Apart from instinctive wailing, they all knelt devoutly on the ground, chanting the honorable name of True Person Haoming.

Then they were trampled into minced meat by a single footstep.

Such things had long become the norm in Beizhou.

The refugees who were lucky enough to survive trembled, their eyes wide, watching a companion who had just been discussing with them about doing some small business in the city after the Immortals pacified the demon disaster, turn into a pool of minced meat in an instant.

He trembled for a long time, then suddenly used his last strength to roll over amidst the shaking earth and rumbling mountains, and kowtowed with all his might. His chanting voice had already cracked, yet he still felt it was not loud enough.

The sky is very high; one must speak even louder for the Zhenjun to hear the suffering of the world.

Fortunately, the Bai Yuan soon ran away from this place, leaving behind only piles of corpses on the ground, wailing all over the fields, and the chanting that lingered for a long time without dispersing.

"..."

The Bai Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly. Actually, Tashan was very easy to find; there was no need to identify the direction.

Just look, and the place where people lived most like humans was it.

Having houses to shelter in and water and food to fill the stomach were such normal things, but in the current Beizhou, they had become a kind of spectacle.

The refugees here vaguely glimpsed the outline of the demon. Although they were equally terrified, at least they were full and had the strength to flee. They did not kneel on the spot waiting for death but were gathering towards that highest mountain peak.

On the mountain peak, an Immortal Shrine hastily built was not magnificent or beautiful, even appearing somewhat crude.

It was hard to imagine that such a shrine could protect anything in the hands of a demon as fierce as this.

The Bai Yuan opened its mouth, revealing sharp fangs.

Its gaze also fell upon that Immortal Shrine.

To occupy a cultivation ground in Beizhou, one never relied on erecting shrines and temples, but on the strength and prestige to guarantee that the Immortal Shrine would stand forever. That outsider really thought the matter too simply.

"Roar!"

The Bai Yuan let out another roar. In the next moment, it stomped heavily on the ground, its massive body leaped into the air, and it rushed straight towards that Immortal Shrine.

The rampant demonic force swept like a great wave; before the fist even arrived, the small immortal shrine was already shaking violently.

The refugees, meanwhile, stared blankly at the blood-red sky.

They knew better than anyone what was about to happen, yet were powerless to change anything.

Such was the way of the world these days — their lot was like mud, trampled this way and that, forced to endure it. If by some stroke of luck they survived, they would simply wait for the next immortal to descend.

The next moment, the boundless demonic force vanished without a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

The red clouds of the sky gradually faded.

The towering great demon hung stiffly in midair.

It was already very close to the immortal shrine; with just a little more effort, one punch would have smashed it to pieces.

But between the two, a figure in white robes whiter than snow silently hovered above.

Many people had seen that figure before — after all, what this person most enjoyed doing was wandering among their patch of mud, walking this way and that with no purpose, not even fearing to soil those pristine sleeves.

It was also since this person's appearance that the immortal masters had become more considerate — not only did they build houses for them, but the water and grain gathered in daily life was no longer stretched thin, so the people no longer had to crowd around like livestock scrambling for grains of rice on the ground.

But because this immortal master was too close to the mortal world, living right within the refugees' sight, now that he hung high in the sky, that ethereal, mist-wreathed figure instead seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

"……"

Shen Yi looked calmly at the struggling Bai Yuan ahead, slightly extended his palm, and the force of Grand Void transformed into an invisible great hand that seized the demon's throat.

"Hiss!"

Bai Yuan frantically mobilized its demonic force, hoping to shake off this restraint.

Yet it could never break free.

It finally gave up resisting, but did not beg for mercy — instead, it continued to play the fierce role.

The matter True Person Haoming had assigned was already done. This pool of water was not exactly shallow — at least it was not something a demon sovereign who had just entered the Three-Three Transformation could stir up.

But to say it was very deep, that wasn't quite the case either.

The other party might have extraordinary talent and a steady Dao path, enough to display strength far beyond Three-Three Transformation, but clearly had not truly crossed into the next stage, and was far inferior to True Person Haoming.

In other words, today the other party definitely could not touch him.

Since that was the case, naturally there was nothing to panic about.

Sure enough, immediately following that, two streaks of flowing light swept across the sky — the people had not yet arrived, but apologetic voices came first.

"Fellow Daoist, a misunderstanding!"

Taixu Zhenjun arrived with his junior brother, an expression of helpless smile on his face. He first cupped his hands in a bow toward Shen Yi, then cast a dissatisfied glance at Bai Yuan and admonished: "Brother Dao, my cultivation has reached a bottleneck. This beast was acting on my orders to take a measure of imperial qi. Who would have thought its vicious nature had not been tamed, and for a moment it overstepped the boundary."

"I hope Fellow Daoist can be understanding and let me take this beast back. I will certainly discipline it properly."

"……"

Huaming stood behind his senior brother and secretly rolled his eyes.

Regarding the failure to cleanly take Tashan, he clearly felt some regret in his heart.

This Da Nanzhou cultivator actually had some real tricks.

This time the depths had been tested. Occupying this place would not be difficult — the only worry was that Jiang Shijie Youyao's side was progressing too fast, giving rise to some unforeseen change.

Thinking of this, Huaming felt several parts more irritated. Looking again at the silent young cultivator opposite, he also felt some disgust: "You cultivator — don't press your advantage and refuse to let go. My senior brother has already apologized. Why don't you quickly release this ape demon?"

"Hold your tongue."

True Person Haoming frowned and glanced at him, then once again wore a smile, cupped his hands toward the other party: "Fellow Daoist is magnanimous. Brother Dao also knows propriety. Once I have punished this beast, I will certainly send disciples to deliver compensation as an apology."

Perhaps it was because he had been mediocre for too many years that he acted with more caution.

With True Person Haoming's cultivation and background, he could have gotten by without being so polite to this Da Nanzhou cultivator. Moreover, many things — such as exchanging compensation for the great demon — were Beizhou rules, and need not be applied to this person.

But he did not want more trouble, so he simply handled it according to the usual precedent.

He had already conceded a great deal. If the other party still clung on and refused to let go, that would be far too ill-mannered.

Having said this, True Person Haoming looked again at Bai Yuan and rebuked: "Beast, get back here at once!"

Bai Yuan lowered its head in acknowledgment of fault, then stepped forward as if to sweep toward him. Yet the moment its form stirred, a trace of odd color passed across the great demon's face.

It turned back in confusion and saw that the Bai Shan youth still hovered quietly in place — only the invisible great hand gripping its throat showed not the slightest intention of withdrawing.

"Fellow Daoist?"

True Person Haoming also sensed something amiss, furrowed his brow tightly, and looked toward Shen Yi.

"Your apology."

Shen Yi met his gaze calmly, then suddenly smiled: "How much is it worth?"

Before the words had faded, Bai Yuan suddenly sensed an immense crisis and instinctively let out a wild howl.

The force of Grand Void gripping its throat suddenly contracted, cruelly sinking into its flesh. The next moment, a muffled sound of bones breaking echoed outward.

Not only the neck — even the four limbs were severed clean by the force of Grand Void. The fierce great demon of moments ago was instantly reduced to a pile of broken corpses!

Even unto death, a look of disbelief still lingered on Bai Yuan's face.

True Person Haoming and his junior brother's expressions were similar to the ape demon's — all of them, as if by unspoken agreement, stood frozen on the spot.

The youth's calm voice was so jarring that this True Person, who was known for his good temper, gradually flushed red. He had never expected this boy to be so aggressively overbearing.

"You dare kill our ape demon!" Huaming could no longer contain himself and leapt out, roaring furiously: "You broken-down wretch — who gave you the nerve!"

Shen Yi raised his palm once more.

Just this one slight motion caused Huaming's expression to stall, and he instinctively retreated behind his senior brother.

Even throughout all of Beizhou, no one dared to set the precedent of fellow disciples killing each other, let alone an outsider laying hands on a disciple of an immortal lineage.

But this person's earlier actions had already proven him to be an unreasonable madman. How could Huaming dare gamble his own life on a fit of temper?

"……"

True Person Haoming raised his head and drew in a deep breath.

One must know that he had no senior brothers or sisters behind him to protect him. Back then, in order to subdue this ape demon, he had spent nearly half his fortune.

Now it had died right before his eyes; the heavy losses aside, where could he find another great demon to do his bidding?

His face dark as a storm, he looked ahead and said, "Friend, since you've done the first, don't blame us for doing the fifteenth."

Rules are rules precisely because anyone who breaks them can be made unable to survive in Beizhou by the rest.

Today the other party slew his ape demon; next time, when it comes for Taixu Zhenjun to harvest the imperial qi, naturally some Haoming Zhenjun could likewise descend from the heavens and slaughter that demon for him.

"Just you wait!"

(End of chapter)