Chapter 775: Reclaiming the Fire Dragon Car

「……」

At the moment he saw the Nine Radiance Flags fall, the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu felt immense joy and had already prepared to stop the young man from retreating back into the Grand Void Realm.

Though the death of his beloved disciple filled him with resentment, the current stance of the North Zhou made it clear that even these so-called ancient ancestors could not remain detached; under such circumstances, the more important matter became how to bolster one’s chances of survival.

Of course, regardless of the reason, the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu could never let this opportunity slip past the Shenxu Mountain.

“You’ve still got some spirit left, boy.”

“Let the Ancient Ancestor test your true strength!”

Though his tone was dismissive, the moment the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu struck, it became clear he had changed tactics.

Earlier, he had summoned tribulation energy, summoned a hundred birds to sing in unison, and unleashed spiritual winds to rip the Shenxu Mountain from its roots—but before Shen Yi, all those flashy displays vanished.

The Tianwu Dao Fruit is famed for its supreme resilience.

Those celestial birds and divine fowl were merely its followers; the true power lay hidden within the towering, majestic tree.

Now, this colossal tree appeared to slowly topple downward, as if anyone below could easily dodge it—but the hundred birds circling around it formed a grand array, locking down all spiritual currents in the vicinity.

Even the vast clouds of gray mist halted their turmoil beneath the tree.

The Dao Fruits of Tianwu Mountain and Shenxu Mountain have always been incompatible; over these many years, how could the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu not have prepared countermeasures? He simply never imagined he’d use them not on the Shenxu Ancient Ancestor, but on his own traitorous disciple.

The Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu seemed impulsive, but in truth, he was meticulous—otherwise, he never would have detected Shenxu Mountain’s secret.

No matter what despicable method the Grand Void Alchemy Emperor used to kill his master, denying him any chance was always the right move.

His strike was a killing blow!

Yet, just as the colossal tree was about to crush the peak of Shenxu Mountain, it paused for a fleeting instant.

Inside the tree, the old man with white hair and beard still wore a ferocious, murderous expression—but his eyes, bathed in radiant light, flickered slightly.

Having clashed with Shenxu Mountain for so many years, he knew its techniques inside and out; even if the Grand Void Alchemy Emperor had mastered seven or eight tenths of the old demon’s power, he wouldn’t have been surprised.

But what the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu never expected was to see a Bodhisattva under these circumstances.

A colossal Dharma Form, shoulder to shoulder with heaven, flowed with rivers of gold; its powerful arms rose through the air, woven from the vast primordial order of the Dao.

Behind it, a blinding light wheel rose high, like the sun illuminating the earth; the circling celestial birds and divine fowl dissolved into white smoke beneath the radiance.

“You… you monks dare infiltrate my Three Immortal Sect!”

“And you—disciples of the Three Immortal Sect—concealing this and aiding the enemy!”

The Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu’s panicked voice echoed across the sky, and he immediately turned his furious gaze toward the figures on the surrounding peaks.

The peak masters, led by the Thousand Wind Daoist, remained silent.

Given what the Shenxu Ancient Ancestor had done, it was hard for them, as disciples, to continue fighting for him—even if they openly admitted it, they wouldn’t feel guilty.

After all, had it not been for this Shen Ancient Ancestor’s intervention, they would have long since become the master’s medicinal ingredients alongside Golden Thunder Daoist.

At this moment, the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu saw again the face of the young girl; her gaze toward him was unchanged from before—but only now did he perceive an unusual meaning within it.

Ye Lan’s calmness was not feigned composure; it was the exhaustion of watching a fool who refuses to turn back until he smashes into the southern wall, too weary to waste words.

And that fool was himself!

“The Southern Sumeru dares to bully us—do they fear no wrath from our sect?!”

Feeling the overwhelming tribulation energy, the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu had completely lost his will to fight; he had yet to complete the Six-Six Transformations, while the Bodhisattva before him stood just one step away from the Nine-Nine Perfection—the gap in power was as vast as a chasm.

And the only thing that could save him—the Fire Dragon Car—had been sent away by his own hand.

The Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu extended his long branches, frantically reaching toward the two distant streaks of light—but the next instant, his towering tree body reeled backward.

Six arms unfolded, embracing the colossal tree; golden fingertips, sharp as blades, plunged straight into the Tianwu Divine Tree, and fragrant sap gushed forth like blood.

The Tianwu Dao Fruit was unbreakable, but its protective power was no less a match for brute force.

When the two clashed, it came down to pure, unvarnished foundation.

Clearly, the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu had lost by more than a margin.

The indestructible tree body, beneath those six palms, became as fragile as tofu; soon, all six hands sank fully into his form.

Hss—

As Shen Yi unleashed his full strength, the Tianwu Divine Tree was ripped apart.

Feeling the searing pain in his body, the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu finally felt a pang of dread—he had dared to act brazenly before the Southern Sumeru’s Great Freedom Pure World Bodhisattva, certain that due to the relationship between the two sects, no one would dare openly attack him.

But now, things were different—this young man truly meant to kill him!

The white-haired old man suddenly detached from the tree trunk.

But before he could flee, he looked up—and saw four divine artifacts suspended high above; behind them, a golden wheel slowly rotated.

It was clearly a technique similar to his earlier Hundred Birds Array—but its power was incomparably greater.

Under the golden light, the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu felt his entire body burning to ash, and he was once again trapped within the tree.

To the surrounding peak masters watching, this scene was even more shocking.

They saw the colossal Bodhisattva Dharma Form forcibly uprooting the sky-piercing tree; no matter how the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu struggled, it was useless—as the six thick, powerful arms tightened, a piercing shriek echoed across the heavens.

Plosch!

The entire tree was effortlessly torn apart and casually flung in all directions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The tree body crashed into the azure sea, raising ten-thousand-zhang waves, shrouding Shenxu Mountain and hundreds of surrounding peaks in misty vapor.

Radiance and mist intertwined, forming countless rainbows across the sky.

When the rainbows gradually faded, neither the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu nor the Bodhisattva’s Dharma Form remained on Shenxu Mountain—only the young man in black robes atop the peak, and two flickering lights in the sky.

This wasn’t even a battle—it was a one-sided massacre.

Due to the vast gap in cultivation, the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu hadn’t even forced Shen Yi to reveal several of his divine techniques.

“Huh.”

Ye Lan had held her breath throughout, and only now did she exhale slowly.

Only those who had witnessed this firsthand, like the Regional Commanders of Zhennan, would believe the common folk’s words weren’t exaggerated.

「……」

Shen Yi stared at the water’s surface, certain the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu had been utterly crushed by the Buddha light—but the interface remained silent, offering no prompt.

He raised his head, slightly disappointed.

But then again, it made sense—the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu had constantly called the Shenxu Ancient Ancestor an “old demon insect,” openly showing his contempt for his origins; such an arrogant man was unlikely to be of demonic lineage.

This colossal tree body was probably just a manifestation of his Dao Fruit.

As Ye Lan had suspected.

Under these circumstances, Shen Yi truly had no desire to stir up meaningless trouble—but since the man insisted on seeking death, he had no objection to helping him along.

Moreover, this battle wasn’t without gains.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi looked up and waved his hand; two streaks of light shot toward him.

When the light faded, one was nine small flags, the other a blazing red vehicle shaped like a flame, as if pulled by twin dragons.

Through his recent research, Shen Yi had largely understood the Nine Radiance Flags’ function.

Like other flag arrays, their main purpose was to trap and kill; this newly acquired Fire Dragon Car, likewise imposing and brimming with martial energy, was clearly not only a weapon but also an excellent vehicle.

Shen Yi unceremoniously stored both items within his ring.

“Ancient Ancestor.”

Only now did the peak masters dare gather around, bowing respectfully; their gazes at the young man now held not only reverence but also a quiet fear.

The Bodhisattva Dharma Form he had just revealed had changed drastically from the one they’d seen earlier in Jianyang Prefecture.

If the former Shen Ancient Ancestor had merely glimpsed the Third Rank, the current one now bore the unmistakable aura of one standing at its peak.

To undergo such a cataclysmic transformation in so short a time… no wonder Ye Lan had spoken so boldly before.

“The matter of the Ancient Ancestor of Tianwu need not be overly concerning—he sought to reclaim the Nine Radiance Flags, so he certainly won’t reveal his whereabouts to others; no one will notice for now.”

The Thousand Wind Daoist hesitated, then voiced concern: “But the edict from the North Zhou envoy…”

These artifacts weren’t given for free.

They had long sensed the special relationship between Shen Ancient Ancestor and the imperial court.

The White Crane had bestowed six divine artifacts; even with the Ancient Ancestor’s current cultivation, handling the remaining four would be extremely difficult.

Or perhaps, this was a chance to rejoin the Three Immortal Sect?

After all, judging by the White Crane’s expression, he didn’t seem particularly interested in who controlled Shenxu Mountain’s immortal vein—and had accepted the Grand Void Alchemy Emperor as the new sect master.

Even if they withdrew from the great tribulation, simply staying put, no one in the entire Great South Zhou would dare provoke their own great Buddha.

「……」

Ye Lan said nothing, but silently rejected her uncles’ and aunts’ speculations.

As peak masters of an immortal sect, even if Shenxu Mountain was unusual and had just endured the crime of patricide, they still viewed matters through the lens of immortals.

Seeking immortality and the Dao was ultimately about longevity.

Their first instinct upon encountering trouble was always self-preservation.

But Shen Yi was different—she had never seen him regard himself as an immortal.

“To pick up scraps, you must first have scraps to pick up.”

Sure enough, Shen Yi turned slowly, and his words left the peak masters baffled.

Only Ye Lan understood his meaning.

Fighting for human worship was a concern only after the Great South Zhou fell.

But with this Southern Yang General here, this province cannot fall.

Even if… the opponent was the infamous Southern Emperor!

…

Dananzhou, Seven Holy Marshes.

Within the bottomless abyss, blood-threaded waters churned unpredictably, yet avoided one spot—a hall lit brightly with lanterns.

The furnishings were elegant, revealing the hall’s owner had spared no effort.

Yet while the great hall still stood, its former master had become part of the emerald waves and blood threads.

“No word at all.”

A heavy voice echoed through the hall.

A dragon-lizard, its back lined with bony spines, wielding a long spear and clad in heavy armor, hunched upon the long steps at the hall’s entrance.

After a long silence without reply, it turned to look back.

The entire great hall, beneath the indigo figure, resembled a shattered throne.

The Southern Emperor’s eyes were half-closed, his breath rumbling like thunder above the hall.

Even with the utmost caution, the outcome remained unchanged from before.

Could those demonic lords, just rescued from the True Gods by the Bodhi Sect, be imperial spies?

If the imperial court possessed such power, how could it have lost three continents?

But the fact remains: not a single piece of news has returned.

There isn’t that much trickery.

After much thought, it was simply the two sects secretly clashing, and the demon race paying the price.

“They’ve never looked at us with so much as a glance.”

“Not before, and not now.”

“It was my own greed that blinded me—I deserved this great tribulation.”

The Southern Emperor finally opened his eyes, and his thick breath turned into a cold laugh.

“Tribulation...”

The dragon-lizard murmured the word several times, stealing a quiet glance at the Southern Emperor.

All the demon soldiers and generals had been wiped out; even the old monkey was likely dead. Yet this mountain of flesh before him hadn’t suffered so much as a scratch.

Given his cautious nature, few in the world could truly bring him to tribulation.

Yet though he thought this, the dragon-lizard said nothing outright, instead following the other’s words to ask: “Then what do we do now?”

“Leave.”

Without hesitation, not even considering hiding to profit from the chaos.

This supreme force of Dananzhou’s demon race, one who had reached the pinnacle of ninety-nine transformations, calmly uttered that single word.

Utterly unconcerned whether it would cost him face before other great demons.

“Leave?”

The dragon-lizard froze. They had traveled ten thousand miles, arriving with overwhelming force—only to bury countless lives and gain not a single benefit.

Now they were to slink back home like this?

But meeting the Southern Emperor’s cold, indifferent gaze, it shuddered and dared not object.

“...”

The Southern Emperor slowly withdrew his gaze.

Dananzhou today appeared to be a united assault by the two sects against the divine court, a one-sided tide—yet in his eyes, it was utterly chaotic.

He even feared that if he stayed longer, he might witness the Bodhisattva and the Immortal Lords fighting to the death.

If that happened, even with his profound cultivation, he would surely be dragged into the mire.

Thinking of this, the indigo mountain of flesh slowly trembled, and as the hall shook, it rose bit by bit to its full height.

Yet just as the Southern Emperor prepared to leap into the sky—

A small, square box silently fell into the water, hovering before him.

“What is this?”

The dragon-lizard lord noticed the anomaly, puzzled.

Yet it failed to see the Southern Emperor’s face darkening.

Then, under both their gazes—

The square box slowly unfolded, revealing pure white incense ash, upon which rested a palm print.

Merely from the print, one could tell how exquisite this hand was—nothing like something born of the mortal world.

This was a hand capable of purifying the world.

As a hidden current surged past, the ordinary incense ash was swiftly swept away, and the palm print vanished.

Yet the Southern Emperor’s step had already been quietly retracted.

It stared silently at the sky.

After a long while, the mountain of flesh finally let out a long sigh.

“Ah.”

(End of Chapter)