Chapter 766: You Must Die Here Today

A thunderous roar erupted—but it was not thunder, but the gradually heavy breathing of Bai Lu.

Those two's almost playful actions made the scar on its face twitch more and more violently.

"Is it fun?"

Bai Lu sensed Nanhuang quietly trying to withdraw from the area, yet it did not turn its head; instead, it stared fixedly at the youth ahead, the corners of its lips curving upward, the cruelty contained within reaching its absolute peak.

"How about a wager?"

"Let's bet on whether I can kill you before it finds the next demon, and then catch up with it."

The words had barely fallen when that flash of yellow silk had already vanished from the spot.

In an instant, Shen Yi's pupils reflected a ferocious face pressing close.

Bai Lu carried overwhelming demonic power, surging like a great wave, crashing into him with a thunderous impact, sweeping this slender figure along and shoving it into that enormous rift in the heavens and earth.

As a great demon of Beizhou, it knew very well what these grey mists were, and harbored no fear of them.

A blood-red demonic force rampaged out, scattering the grey mist with ease, like a sharp ghostly claw, tearing apart that layer of preposterous fog in one stroke.

"You seem to know Beizhou's rules quite well."

Bai Lu charged forward step by step, its palms gripping Shen Yi's arms tightly, shoving him toward that endless void, while staring into the youth's eyes, its voice filled with mockery:

"Too bad you forgot—you're not worthy of enjoying these rules."

The disciples of the Sanxian Sect restraining each other was not because of any talk of righteousness, but because of those Jin Xian standing behind them.

These beings who had leapt beyond the two realms were the reason such rules could exist.

But behind the other party, there was nothing—only an endless expanse of Taixu.

So when other cultivators failed to contest for a dojo, as long as they yielded, they could return safely—but this Taixu Zhenjun could not.

"Today you must die here."

Bai Lu felt that enormous rift behind it close completely, and finally revealed the true nature of a great demon; it tucked away its smile, its five fingers gripping tight, thick demonic qi wrapping around Shen Yi's entire body, cutting off any possibility of him merging into the grey mist.

The next moment, its arms suddenly exerted force!

Unfortunately, no sound of a Dao body being torn apart rang out within the Taixu realm.

Bai Lu's frenzied shoving of the youth also came to an abrupt halt.

Shen Yi's pristine long boots stepped upon the boundless grey mist, and his slender figure stood steadily in place.

"……"

Bai Lu looked down at this young man, feeling a force from its palms that was in no way inferior to its own, and was slightly dazed.

Immediately after, it slowly raised its head, looking toward the space behind the other party.

It saw that in the originally empty Taixu, at some unknown moment, an incomparably vast, majestic dharma body had appeared; the phantom sat cross-legged, the churning grey mist seeming to transform into thick clouds in the heavens, while this Golden Body sat high above the sky.

Dense black clouds transformed into a kasaya, concealing the Jin Guang upon its body, making it look like an evil Buddha.

Four thick arms slowly drew together, using the solemn dharma artifact in their palms, together with the gradually rising dark-golden great wheel behind it, constructing an unbreakable prison-world.

The instant this eerie Golden Body appeared, Bai Lu sensed the aura on Shen Yi rapidly climbing, swiftly ascending from the minor Huang Liuliu Transformation realm to perfection, matching its own.

Only now did it finally realize that these two had not been toying with it, nor trying to anger it, deluding themselves into using the Taixu realm to trap it.

This boy truly possessed the strength to guard a prefecture!

Unfortunately, this strength could not see the light of day.

"You really do have so many secrets on you."

Bai Lu had never expected that what was originally a simple matter of reclaiming a dojo would allow it to stumble upon the root of Beizhou's recent upheaval.

Those Monks of the Puti Sect had grown bold to such an extent—running two lines in parallel, openly and covertly; some stirred up trouble outside, while others secretly infiltrated the Sanxian Sect.

If this news were brought back to Youyao... no, if it could capture this wretch alive and present it to Master Qingguang, not to mention its younger brother's future prospects, even itself would gain the qualification to wash away its demonic name and ascend into the ranks of the immortal houses!

"I spoke wrongly earlier."

"You don't have to die today."

Bai Lu suddenly let out a long laugh with a slight tremor—that was the expression of excitement pushed to the extreme.

In an instant, it released Shen Yi's arms, its entire form suddenly leaping upward, as if a mountain rising from flat ground, in the blink of an eye reaching the same height as that Golden Body dharma image.

This was by no means the appearance of an ordinary demon revealing its true form.

A demon that could match the size of a Bodhisattva's dharma image—until now, Shen Yi had only seen one: Nanhuang, a fleshy Taisui that had transformed into a demon; as for other demons and evils, even if a flood dragon soared into the heavens, in the dharma image's hands it was like a loach—how could Bai Lu's true form possibly be so majestic?

Moreover, the Bai Lu that had previously been brimming with demonic qi, after growing so enormous, still maintained human form, its entire body wreathed in immortal air, even crowned with white clouds, and even the scar on its face no longer seemed so ferocious.

Clearly, although the Sanxian Sect and the Puti Sect were ostensibly friends for ten thousand generations, in private the two sects had long been guarding against each other; this technique passed down to great demons, allowing their avatars to stand as tall as the heavens, was most likely prepared specifically for the Bodhisattvas.

"Although I bear no name as an immortal disciple, thanks to my younger brother, I have long possessed the substance of one."

The entire world shook violently; Bai Lu strode forward at great pace, moving faster and faster, like that giant chasing the sun; even the Taixu realm could not hinder its steps in the slightest.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At last, it arrived before that Golden Body dharma image, then leaped up, its sky-obscuring body pouncing ferociously.

The arms behind the dharma image swung violently; amid a sharp, long cry, the Zhu Que sword raised a pillar of flame soaring to the heavens, slashing straight toward this Bai Lu's neck.

Thud.

Bai Lu seized the dharma image's wrist a step ahead, shoved violently, and that great sword that had been brought down cleanly actually rolled back along with the Jin Chi-colored flames.

It let out a low roar; its left hand again preemptively dug into the dharma image's shoulder, halting the other's motion of summoning the Coiling Dragon Mace, then exerted force madly, pressing this enormous Golden Body directly backward.

Using a demonic body to forcibly suppress a Puti Sect dharma image!

This was the first time since ascending to the Nine-Nine Perfection Fruit Position that Shen Yi had suffered a setback in direct confrontation.

"Soul-Settling Seal!"

As a demon of Beizhou, Bai Lu most likely had never seen a Bodhisattva, yet its movements were clean and decisive—clearly it had long taken the initiative to study them.

Just now it had seemed like a raging beast, but now as it formed hand seals, it gained a few parts of an immortal's bearing.

It temporarily restrained the dharma image, raised its right palm; strands of clear light transformed into dao talismans at its fingertips, then it brought its fingers together like a sword, stabbing straight toward the dharma image's vital point!

Though their cultivation realms were equal, Bai Lu had intended to capture its opponent alive from the very first move, which was enough to reveal its confidence.

The direction where the talisman descended happened to be exactly the lifeblood where the order of the Dharma Body's fundamental source flowed throughout its entire form.

Shen Yi's path of the Fruit Seat was to create a world of his own, and Bai Lu had seen through the weak point of this world at a single glance.

Hiss!

Its sword finger suddenly pierced through the black clouds and went through the Golden Body of the Dharma Body.

Yet a trace of surprise surged onto Bai Lu's face.

This talisman had missed.

Its arm emerged from behind the Dharma Body, yet there was no actual tactile sensation.

"Is this entire cultivation of yours not some sort of illusion?"

Bai Lu had originally thought this person used some Buddhist treasure of the Puti Sect to forge the aura of a Dao Fruit, but the current situation seemed quite different from what it had imagined.

The black cloud kasaya swirling around that Dharma Body was clearly born from the same root as the gray mist of the Great Void Realm; it was a genuine technique of the Sanxian Sect.

"Have you come here just to chat with me?"

Shen Yi stood amidst the void, and the rosy light on his body grew ever more vigorous.

As he channeled the calamity force, the massive Dharma Body slowly propped itself up; under the crashing impact of the Golden River, Bai Lu gradually began to feel the strain.

A hint of shock flashed across its eyes.

It had to be known that it had employed the divine powers of the Xian Sect, yet the opponent had not used any technique so far, relying solely on the Dharma Body itself to reverse the declining situation.

This Fruit Seat was truly somewhat terrifying.

It seemed the Puti Sect had also bled heavily, able to send such a brilliant figure to Beizhou; their ambitions were vast...

However, the more this was the case, the more gratifying the merit I could gain would be.

"Five Emperors emerge together; Shanhe suppresses the demons!"

Under such temptation, Bai Lu finally hesitated no more, disregarding that this was a technique its younger brother had secretly taught it, and that if it were spread, it would bring about how much trouble; it gambled its future to capture this beast.

It suddenly withdrew its suppression on the Dharma Body and clapped its two palms together fiercely.

In an instant, clear light rose everywhere amidst the vast gray mist; the outlines of five mountains of Shanhe appeared faintly, and in a moment, this Tianyan Siji of the Great Void was transformed into that magnificent human paradise.

These five mountains were the incarnations of the Five Emperors' imperial courts in the sky.

At this moment, one mountain rested atop Bai Lu's head, two were shouldered, and each palm supported one; the simultaneous emergence of the five mountains represented the rotation of this world.

As it threw all five mountains out together, the entire Great Void Realm suddenly stopped its turmoil, and even the wandering gray mist stagnated.

"Soul-Fixing Seal!"

Bai Lu plucked out another talisman again and, sneering, looked down at the Dharma Body below: "Avoid me again, will you?"

Just then, Shen Yi, protected by the rosy light, suddenly took a step; he walked out of the light curtain, his pace growing faster and faster until he became a mad rush identical to Bai Lu's earlier one.

His face held no ferocity; only in his slightly pulsing pupils flickered a cold, grim light.

The next moment, a figure that appeared as insignificant as an ant before the two colossal beings leaped into the air; from its sleeve, a green vine like jade shot forth, which it seized in its palm.

The green vine swung and, meeting the wind, exploded in growth, quickly transforming once more into the form of the giant python from before.

It was seen suddenly reaching out and tightly coiling around Bai Lu's neck.

Boom!

Shen Yi wrapped the thin end around his palm and then yanked fiercely, actually causing this great demon to stumble backward several steps.

Bai Lu, holding a talisman in one hand and gripping the vine around its neck with the other, slowly turned its head: "Bishui Qingteng?"

Having recognized this familiar magical artifact, it murmured: "Tsk, Sister Youyao's perception is as sharp as ever; I suppose I haven't wronged you."

Pity; although this object is rare, it still does not count as a true Lingbao.

Bai Lu's view of Shen Yi at this moment was actually much the same as Shen Yi's view of Master Shu Yu earlier.

Without sufficient cultivation to back it up, relying solely on this object, one could by no means reach beyond the realm to fight an enemy.

"Hearing that I will not kill you, you finally dare to come out?"

Bai Lu suddenly laughed, full of mockery; immediately, the large hand gripping the green vine exerted force fiercely, intending to pull Shen Yi directly before it.

However, its palm was completely unable to shake the green vine.

Under its confused gaze, the Dao Fruit aura on the youth suspended far away continued to surge upward.

From Huang Liuliu's transformation, it had been rising violently; the order of the Heavenly Dao's fundamental source had crossed the number ninety, and although it had not yet touched that extreme, it was only a hair's breadth away.

The unbridgeable chasm between the two great transformations finally shortened to a degree that Bishui Qingteng could compensate for.

"..."

Shen Yi swept his gaze over Bai Lu indifferently, then channeled the calamity force without reservation, pouring it all into the vine.

While the opponent was entangled with the Dharma Body, Nan Huang had already skillfully dealt with the remaining great demons; that vast demonic lifespan of over thirty thousand calamities had, in the panel's deduction, long since become part of the Divine Void Dao Fruit.

Now, only this one before us stood between us and perfection.

In an instant, Shen Yi fiercely swung his arm; as if a high mountain were collapsing, Bai Lu, caught off guard, leaned backward and fell into the dense gray mist.

Relying solely on a single Bishui Qingteng could at best restrict it for some time; it was far from enough to take its life.

Yet panic surged in Bai Lu's eyes for the first time; it looked up and saw that the Golden Body Dharma Body had already re-established itself before it; the positions between the two had reversed.

"Five Emperors, Shanhe, protect me!"

Bai Lu stared at the long sword that had quietly risen; a sense of something wrong gradually arose in its heart; compared to that huge temptation, it finally remembered its own life.

The five Xianshan suppressing the Great Void Realm rose again and swiftly rushed toward it.

Just then, on the Golden Body's expressionless face, a crack gradually opened between the eyebrows, and blinding Jin Guang burst forth.

That was its third eye, and also the final transformation of Shen Yi's Bodhisattva Fruit Seat.

If the four magical artifacts plus that golden giant wheel formed a stable world, then when this eye opened, it represented the awakening of the world's consciousness.

Though it was only a third-rank path, it already possessed the rudiments of the Heavenly Dao.

The Golden Body slowly raised four dharma artifacts; a dark-golden colossal wheel rose into the high sky, and as it slowly rotated, golden liquid like sunlight poured down, transforming into a curtain of light that enveloped the surroundings.

The avatars of the five Imperial Mountains were actually blocked outside just like that.

Under the gaze of that third golden eye, Bai Lu felt only scorching heat all over its body, with nowhere to hide; its massive frame began to shrink, returning to its original size, its divine abilities quietly stripped away.

Its eyes filled with terror; it struggled to rise and flee, only to be strangled tight by the green vine around its neck.

Bai Lu whipped its head back to look, only to see the youth standing quietly right behind it, the two of them pressed extremely close, and that Golden Body dharma-phase had already become a phantom overlaid on the other's body.

"This is not the world they govern."

Shen Yi tightened the vine inch by inch, choking Bai Lu until it was somewhat breathless and drained.

He stared into the void and whispered at its ear: "It's mine."

"……"

Bai Lu fell into terror, struggling with all its might.

The four-armed phantom behind Shen Yi descended in unison, driving the numerous dharma artifacts into its chest and belly all at once.

Demonic blood splashed onto that steady-as-a-rock palm.

Bai Lu's whole body twitched slightly, watching helplessly as the other used the vine to snap its cervical vertebrae just like that; the next moment, the tribulation force contained within those four dharma artifacts violently tore apart its internal organs.

"Huu."

Shen Yi breathed out slightly, transforming the vine back into a seed and tucking it into his thumb ring.

The phantoms of the five Xianshan slowly dispersed, and the surroundings returned once more to the deathly grey of Tianyan Siji.

He silently wiped the scalding demonic blood from his palm.

With Nan Xumi not making an appearance, compared to Da Nanzhou, the waters of Beizhou were indeed far deeper, but it didn't seem as hard to provoke as he had imagined.

(End of this chapter)