Chapter 763: Holding the Keys to Kaiyuan Prefecture

At the summit of Sky Tashan, the so-called Immortal Shrine is, by any measure across the entire Beizhou, one of the most dilapidated structures.

It lacks any artifact to stabilize it, nor has any effort been made to arrange heavenly treasures and earthly gems to make this place shine.

At a glance, the impression it gives is one of haste and urgency.

This indeed matches what Yun Miao said; upon hearing of Ling Su's demise, this person made no attempt to conceal his greedy heart, eager to seize Sky Tashan.

Sister Youyao True Person stepped lightly forward, walking toward the high cliff behind the Immortal Shrine.

She cast her gaze upon the silhouette sitting quietly at the cliff's edge and easily saw through the method the other used to conceal their appearance.

The youth's face was handsome and tranquil, giving a feeling of cloud-like lightness and wind-like ease, uncontentious with the mundane world.

But just like the disguise on that face, Sister Youyao found it hard to believe in such a feeling; given the things this person had done, it was destined that he must be someone of immense ambition.

Even though this Taixu Danhuang had only revealed an aura of just entering the third-rank, compared to Hao Ming True Person, if Master Shu Yu had truly met with misfortune, Sister Youyao was more inclined to believe the cause lay here.

"..."

She quietly pressed her lips together, not using words to probe as she had before.

Her sleeves rolled up slightly; a clear light swept from her pale green fingertips, transforming in mid-air into thousands upon thousands of fine threads that directly enveloped Shen Yi's entire form.

A cage of clear light formed; each thread of clear light slowly contracted, and if it touched flesh, the result would be being torn to pieces.

"Come out and meet me."

Sister Youyao's form shifted slightly, and she stood with hands hanging by her sides behind the youth.

Shen Yi, showing no reaction, fell into this trapping and killing array; his brows knitted tightly, he glanced back at the woman, then looked at the clear light gradually closing in around him, his eyelids twitching slightly.

This clear light sword array sealed heaven and earth; relying solely on the effect of the Master Master Shenxu Dao Fruit, one could not simply escape.

To break the array, one must first collide with it using actual calamity force, until a path to life is torn open.

Observing the aura of this sword array, to achieve this, cultivation at the level of just entering the third-rank, or even the Three-Three Transformations, would be far from sufficient.

"..."

Shen Yi seemed somewhat hesitant; he likewise did not speak to question, but simply slowly closed his eyes.

Sister Youyao True Person watched the scene before her in silence; her face revealed neither joy nor anger, nor did she show any intention to stop because of the other's silence.

The clear light drew closer and closer until it touched Shen Yi's cheek; his clean skin quietly cracked, leaving a barely perceptible trace of blood.

Finally, he let out a soft sigh: "Sigh."

In an instant, a wisp of dense cloud, nearly black as ink, surged out, completely wrapping Shen Yi's body.

By the time the clouds dispersed, no figure remained within the clear light sword array.

Shen Yi stood outside the array, wiping the blood trace from his face with his thumb, staring calmly at the woman in the black skirt, as if waiting for an explanation.

"You indeed concealed your cultivation."

Sister Youyao True Person flicked her fingers to recall the clear lights; the insect demon disciple Yun Miao spoke of as having just entered the third-rank clearly possessed the strength of the Six-Six Transformations.

What left her somewhat puzzled was that, having had her secrets casually exposed by her, this young man showed not the slightest panic, which differed somewhat from her expectations.

"Do you not wish to explain anything?"

"I came fleeing for my life; traveling the other three continents, all are territories of the Puti Sect. Concealing one's tracks and hiding one's cultivation is only natural; who do I need to explain myself to?"

After Shen Yi spoke slowly, he closed his mouth, still looking at the woman with that same gaze.

His meaning was very clear.

Sister Youyao's expression darkened slightly; the other had finished explaining, and now it was her turn.

"Master Shu Yu met with misfortune, his dojo was divided among others; you are at Sky Tashan, closest to his dojo, and have even taken over his incense offerings. Now you hide your cultivation. If I come seeking you, is there a problem?"

"No problem."

After hearing this explanation, Shen Yi lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then nodded, looking back again: "So, who is Master Shu Yu?"

"..."

Sister Youyao paused; her already slightly darkened expression grew even more unpleasant.

Indeed, by common sense, since the other had no support in Beizhou and had been abandoned by Yun Miao and others, no one would indeed inform this person about matters in the surrounding area.

But she did not believe that someone capable of escaping the Puti Sect, and who, after arriving in Beizhou, could maintain his composure even when mocked as an insect demon disciple without revealing his strength, would not actively inquire about matters involving his very life.

This was playing word games with her.

Patience gradually vanished from her eyes: "Master Shu Yu is the second disciple under Master Qingguang of Qingguang Cave, the master of the dojo in Songfeng Fucheng. Is there any other question?"

"Who are you?"

"Sister Youyao."

Sister Youyao was never someone easily affected by others' emotions; otherwise, she could not have held her current position amidst the Great Calamity.

The same held true now.

As this young man deliberately played the fool, she became even more convinced that Master Shu Yu's misfortune was inextricably linked to this Taixu Danhuang, and a hint of coldness finally entered her voice.

Fortunately, Shen Yi did not continue to ask who Sister Youyao was, but instead turned his head to look down the mountain: "These refugees have come not only to Sky Tashan; the True Person next door also has cultivation higher than mine. Why are you so certain, believing the problem lies with me?"

"Because before Master Shu Yu disappeared, he was coming to find you..."

Before Sister Youyao finished speaking, she saw the youth in front of her suddenly turn his head.

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow: "What did he come to find me for?"

Facing this question, Sister Youyao True Person suddenly paused; she could certainly make up any excuse, but just as she had thought before, playing such word games held no meaning.

Everyone clearly understood that when a Beizhou cultivator chose to seek out this Taixu Danhuang in private, what their true intentions were.

"I have been waiting for the audience of Hongze Daxian."

Shen Yi said calmly: "Did this Daoist friend Master Shu Yu come to deliver a heavenly decree by order of his master?"

Until this moment, Sister Youyao had completely lost the composure she had shown before Hao Ming and others; she suddenly realized that the entire topic was being led by the other.

Now, Qingguang Cave owed the entire Master Master Shenxu Mountain.

Under these circumstances, not only did the master fail to grant an audience to the other, but she, the eldest senior sister, had even indulged her junior disciples in coming to take his life and seize his dojo.

If this matter were to get out, it would not merely be a question of tarnishing one's reputation a little; her own master would become the subject of gossip within the entire Sanxian Sect for many years.

And if she, Sister Youyao, were to forcibly attack him without any evidence, she could forget about ever holding the position of the eldest disciple among the young generation of Beizhou.

This could no longer be described simply by the four words "pushing people too far."

"Are you so confident that the things you did left not a single trace?"

Coldness swam in Sister Youyao's eyes; she could now confirm that Master Shu Yu had died at the hands of the person standing before her.

"I do not understand what you mean, Daoist," Shen Yi shook his head.

"It does not matter." Sister Youyao was unwilling to waste any more words and slowly turned around: "Live out your remaining days in peace."

In this territory of Beizhou, she wanted to investigate a person... no, actually, she did not even need to find any evidence; with her current prestige within the Sect, arranging some "charges" for an outsider was nothing less than effortless.

Even if Master Qingguang felt guilty toward this person, he would have no choice but to sacrifice his own kin for the greater good when the time came.

"By the way."

Sister Youyao turned back and said seriously: "I claim the Kaiyuan Prefecture."

The calm tone of her voice made this statement sound less like a declaration of war and more like a notification.

Even if I tell you in advance, you can only endure it obediently.

Before her words had fully faded, her entire form had already transformed into a beam of clear light and vanished.

"..."

Shen Yi stood with his hands hanging by his sides in the original spot; after a long while, once he was certain that the woman had truly left, he finally returned to sit by the cliff edge.

"Tsk, she actually believed it. The outstanding talents of the young generation in Beizhou seem to be nothing special after all." Nan Huang reappeared, looking slightly apprehensively in the direction Sister Youyao had departed, yet his mouth refused to yield.

The aura she had displayed when she moved just now made this great demon, who had reached the extreme of the Ninety-Nine Transformations, feel the thought that she was an opponent he could not possibly defeat.

The gap between the true disciples of the Immortal Gates and a mundane great demon like itself could not be ignored.

Having said that, the look in Nan Huang's eyes toward Shen Yi held a few more degrees of awe; such an outstanding talent of the Immortal Gates was, after all, led around by the nose by its master.

"Hah."

Shen Yi sat cross-legged, gazing at the distant sky, with no trace of pride on his face.

There was nothing to be proud of; after all, this was a choice made out of desperation.

Given the situation he currently found himself in, plus the things he had to do afterwards, completely clearing his name was an impossible task.

If exposure was inevitable no matter what, then it was better to deliberately reveal a smaller flaw.

Only an outsider cultivator with extreme ambition, dark thoughts, and who had deliberately concealed his cultivation level could, under prepared circumstances, possibly counter-kill True Person Shu Yu, the direct disciple of Qingguang Cave, through conspiracy and trickery.

If Sister Youyao believed this point, she would not delve deeper into the direction of the Puti Sect.

This was also why Shen Yi was in such a rush to break through to the Six-Six Transformations; without this cultivation foundation as a base, no matter how well he acted, relying solely on his visible strength, there was absolutely no possibility of engaging in combat with Shu Yu.

"Such a deep foundation."

Shen Yi sighed lightly; although he did not feel like Nan Huang, believing Sister Youyao herself to be an unbeatable existence, just from that brief contact earlier, he had sensed at least three dangerous auras emanating from that woman.

Truly worthy of being the eldest disciple of the Immortal Lineage; she could carry several Lingbao treasures on her person alone.

In contrast, he only had the Star Mirror he had taken from Brother Mao Feng, and moreover, that object was not meant for direct confrontation.

This was the price one must pay for being a fence-sitter.

One could not infiltrate the true high ranks on either side.

If he had followed the path of the Puti Sect under normal circumstances, Shen Yi would most likely already have deeply earned the trust of a certain Great Self-Abiding Bodhisattva; given his experiences, he might even have become a direct disciple of the True Buddha himself, just like Jin Chan; combined with the cultivation of the Ninety-Nine Transformations, the Buddhist treasures in his hand would certainly not be fewer than Sister Youyao's.

Unfortunately, saying these things now was meaningless; he could only proceed slowly.

As for that sentence left behind by the opponent when she departed... Shen Yi lowered his eyes slightly and smiled.

Someone else might have been intimidated by it.

Sister Youyao first displayed her killing intent, then gave a warning; anyone with slightly less courage hearing this would most likely abandon the Kaiyuan Prefecture first to avoid a public dispute, and make other plans only after ensuring their own safety.

But Shen Yi knew clearly in his heart that if he really withdrew, that would be a dead end.

After all, losing the dojo would make it very difficult to achieve any merit to attract the attention of the Jin Xian and fellow disciples within the Sanxian Sect.

Losing one's presence was the most fatal thing for Shen Yi at present; after all, only someone remembered by the Sanxian Sect would cause Qingguang Cave to feel the need to show guilt; an existence gradually being marginalized, without the protection of a sect, would die one day and no one would know.

Moreover, Shen Yi also needed an opportunity.

An outsider wanting to establish a foothold must create enough fame, but actively provoking others would stir up dissatisfaction among the cultivators of Beizhou, making it easy to be jointly excluded.

It must be forced... and the enemy must also have a sufficiently fearsome reputation, preferably one that had already aroused dissatisfaction among fellow disciples.

Sister Youyao's four prefectures could not have been talked back through mere words; along this road of struggle, she must have offended quite a few people.

"If you want the Kaiyuan Prefecture, then come and take it."

Shen Yi exhaled a breath and slowly closed his eyes.

At the same time.

On the other side of the Kaiyuan Prefecture.

True Person Haoming's face had become extremely grim; he hovered in the air, motionless for a long time.

Jiang Shijie Sister Youyao had indeed made her move, yet in the end, she let that brat go so easily.

Besides failing to vent his own anger, this also indicated that the matter concerning True Person Shu Yu was still not over.

"Return to the sect first."

After an unknown amount of time, a thick sense of desolation gradually surged onto True Person Haoming's face.

He knew it; there was no such thing as a free meal in this world.

Qingguang Cave now not only had to reclaim the incense originally belonging to True Person Shu Yu, but now they would also conveniently seize the share belonging to the others.

Truly domineering...

"Return to the sect?!"

Huaming looked on in disbelief: "On what grounds? The incident with Zhu Shixiong Shu Yu was not done by us! We were just stationed here..."

He could hardly imagine that this very dojo had just welcomed boundless wealth, yet his senior brother was willing to simply hand it over.

Yet the response he received was another slap.

"You have already caused the death of Bai Yuan; now do you intend to cause my death as well?" True Person Haoming's face grew cold, and he ground out a low rebuke through clenched teeth.

"But if we leave, will this vast Kaiyuan Prefecture not fall entirely to those Nananzhou barbarians?" Hua Ming covered his face and shouted in agitation.

"Heh, rest assured, he will run far faster than I."

True Person Haoming suddenly waved his sleeve; after all, a dispute over the dojo had just occurred within the sect, resulting in a death, and the one who acted had received no punishment whatsoever, thus setting a precedent.

If that Taixu Danhuang could be as unyielding as when facing me, truly refusing to leave, that would be a good thing, allowing him to accompany my Bai Yuan in death.

Having thought thus, True Person Haoming lingered no longer, but shot straight upward; a series of magical edicts flew from his sleeve, landing in the hands of the dojo disciples, ordering them to return to the mountain immediately.

Seeing this, even though Hua Ming was reluctant, he could only follow his senior brother angrily toward their own immortal sect.

They failed to notice.

Just after the two of them departed, not long after, a group of cultivators wearing the robes of the Lingxu Cave disciples, holding statues of Taixu Zhenjun and looking full of concern, stepped into their dojo.

"Is this truly alright?"

"Even if True Person Haoming has the best temper, encountering this matter would surely make him furious."

This group of cultivators stepped inside cautiously, yet two hours later, the expressions on their faces all turned to shock.

This entire path was completely unobstructed.

What the devil? Within the vast Kaiyuan Prefecture, it seemed only the Lingxu lineage remained!

(End of this chapter)