Chapter 780: Ascending to Second-Rank, the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons Awaits Again

Within the endless great mountains beyond Half-Falling Cliff.

Shen Yi found a secluded spot, then sat down on the ground.

Hongze Daxian's sudden appearance was naturally an unexpected matter, but he would not feel any guilt because of it.

From the very instant this great tribulation began, Shen Yi and these great sects stood on diametrically opposed sides.

The Elder Chi Yun Cave might appear to have been bullied by Master Qingguang's mountain, but in truth, before the eyes of the Divine Dynasty's common folk, the two were no different—both were man-devouring monsters.

Even if he could do it over, Shen Yi still would not have shown mercy to Brother Mao Feng and the others.

Don't forget, when Sister Ling Su wanted to seize the Imperial Qi, she borrowed demonic beasts from those Elder Chi Yun Cave disciples.

"Huu."

Shen Yi let out a long breath, suppressing the lingering fear in his heart—this was probably the closest he had come to death since leaving Da Nanzhou.

But he had endured through it after all.

This also meant he was only one final step away from completely preserving his life.

He only needed to step over, and it would be the great realm of freedom, undying and indestructible!

Earlier, relying on those Bodhisattvas, Shen Yi had already accumulated a total of over fifty thousand tribulations' worth of demonic lifespan and Imperial Qi. Later, in Sister Youyao's dojo, he slew seven more third-rank great demons, and adding the earlier Deer Lad, that number reached a terrifying one hundred and twenty thousand tribulations.

As for the eighty thousand tribulations still lacking…

Shen Yi raised his eyes to look skyward; the boundless Imperial Qi was streaming ceaselessly from those four prefectures toward him.

The statues he had set up back then were devouring incense day and night without rest.

Those seven demons had not truly harmed a single person; relying solely on overwhelming demonic power to frighten the common folk was naturally far less effective, but the boundless black clouds Shen Yi had deliberately released at the time, working together with the Lingxu Cave disciples below, could just barely make up some of the shortfall.

The main reason was that the territory was simply too vast—counting Kaiyuan Prefecture, a full five prefectures, equivalent to one-sixth of Beizhou, all devoted to sustaining a single person.

Were it not for this great tribulation, in days past, which immortal would dare dream of such a fine thing.

Shen Yi closed his eyes, and golden pills spread out within his thumb ring until they filled his entire field of vision.

He used his divine soul to quickly take stock.

Adding demonic lifespan and Imperial Qi together, he had finally gathered a full two hundred thousand tribulations.

The golden pills were still continuing to condense, but Shen Yi had already opened his eyes. He clenched his palm tightly, and in the manner recorded in the Jade Chen Treasure Pronouncement, once more raised his head to look skyward.

That heart-stirring, terrifying "Bingshan" once again revealed one of its corners.

The patterns spread across the entire firmament, representing the Dao paths of this world, slowly revealing themselves before Shen Yi. Among them, the two strands glowing with faint light were his own heaven-climbing long staircase!

A foundation of two hundred thousand tribulations, exchanged for this one chance to ascend to heaven.

If he failed, gathering it all again—no one knew how much time it would take.

Even though Shen Yi had risen step by step from the humblest beginnings, and his temperament was fairly steady, truly standing before this heavenly gate, he still could not help feeling a touch of nervousness.

He adjusted his breathing and carefully summoned forth his Dao Fruit and Fruit Position within his body.

In a place only Shen Yi could see, that Golden Body Dharma Aspect shrouded in black clouds likewise opened its eyes, then violently rose into the air, following those two faintly glowing strands of pattern, and finally took the first step toward the Heavenly Dao!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each step of the Golden Body Dharma Aspect was like a heavy hammer striking Shen Yi's brow, leaving his mind buzzing.

Yet he still kept his eyes wide open, straining his gaze to stare at the endpoint connected by those sky-spanning threads.

Whether the Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger Fruit Position, or the Divine Void Dao Fruit—take either one alone, and it possessed the mighty power to overturn rivers and seas, to destroy heaven and earth.

Yet now, with the two combined, climbing those Heavenly Dao patterns was like a mortal walking a thin rope between high cliffs—every step fraught with peril, as if at any moment he might fall and be smashed to pieces.

Gurgle—

The sound of water suddenly rang in Shen Yi's ears. He had assumed it was some change encountered by the black-cloud Golden Body, but the next moment, a searing pain across his skin caused his entire face to twitch.

He looked down and saw that his body had at some unknown moment been wrapped in black water, his Bai Xi skin rapidly dissolving within the current.

Water dissolved flesh and blood!

At this moment, all of Shen Yi's cultivation had been sent forth, and he could only watch helplessly as his body became a skeleton, one where even the beating internal organs could be seen.

But his Dao path was, however, more stable than he had imagined. Though likewise entangled by the vicious water, this black water went straight into the black clouds, not even managing to touch the Golden Body itself.

The water disaster had just passed when the wind suddenly rose!

Within the whistling gale, Shen Yi watched his jade-tempered bones, bit by bit scattering like quicksand in that invisible wind and wave.

Wind eroded his bones.

When the bones had all scattered and the five viscera and six bowels fell to the ground, invisible flames sprang up, burning everything on the ground to ash.

Within this final fire disaster—

A lifetime of bitter cultivation, all turned to nothing.

"…"

When Shen Yi opened his eyes again from his daze, he was already standing at the very top of the sky-spanning patterns. Looking up, he found himself standing inside this "Bingshan."

What met his gaze were Dao Fruits and Fruit Positions, each representing the various great powers who had once stepped foot here.

Now, it seemed, it was his turn to set them down.

The instant this thought flashed through, Shen Yi suddenly drifted out from his body. He looked down and saw that the original Golden Body and black clouds had transformed into two-colored flowing light, still inseparably intertwined.

After a long while, the Jin Guang was the first to change.

A true Bai Yu palm emerged from within, followed by a head and shoulders, and the remaining five arms.

He was taller than an ordinary person, his shoulders broader, with long flowing ribbons wound around his arms—clearly of Bai Yu texture, yet able to flutter and sway like silk ribbons.

His entire body's muscles were strong and perfect, a true work of heaven and earth's craftsmanship, without the slightest flaw.

Until at last that Bai Yu moon disc rose, suspended behind him.

This jade figure of lustrous warmth finally walked out completely from the Jin Guang; even his eyes were like jade pills, without even a pupil, his whole being radiating an inhumanly noble aura.

Shen Yi held his breath.

The Dao patterns that had flashed and vanished in an instant back then appeared once more in his vision. Back then he had only seen the two characters "Immovable," but now their full form was finally revealed.

The Immovable Honored King…

The Great Freedom Immovable Honored King Bodhisattva!

This Bai Yu construct was the vessel through which he walked the world; the instant this body appeared, it meant he had leapt free of the two realms and from this moment stepped into the undying, indestructible Great Freedom realm.

"The problem is—"

Amid his pleasant surprise, Shen Yi suddenly faltered.

Walking the world in this form—setting aside whether it even looked human—how was he supposed to keep mingling within the Sanxian Sect from now on?

The moment this thought arose, there was movement within the remaining black light as well.

Likewise an arm reached out first, followed by wide sleeves swaying; a suit of resplendent dark robes entered Shen Yi's field of vision, and on a strikingly handsome face—carved almost from the same mold—a straight nose, thin lips, and a cold, piercing gaze.

A golden hairpin bound his hair, a jade belt hung at his waist.

Once he stood with hands at his sides within this primordial chaos, dao patterns likewise surged forth.

Jade Void Cosmos…

Hunyuan Daluo Jade Void Cosmos Golden Immortal.

The two figures stood ramrod-straight with their backs to each other; the jade figure bathed in golden light, while the Daoist hid in the shadowed side—one body, two aspects, impossible to separate.

"Tch!"

Shen Yi gazed for a long while before finally tearing his eyes away and looking toward the remaining dao fruits and fruit positions around him.

Given his keen perception, he naturally sensed that these items each contained differing amounts of tribulation power, and this tribulation power was the very foundation used to reshape a vessel.

Even the least among them far exceeded the two hundred thousand tribulation power units he held in his hands.

If only he could think of a way to help these people extract them…

Just as Shen Yi was mulling it over carefully, he suddenly sensed something amiss—how could he still be shrouded in shadow while standing within the primordial chaos?

He looked up, puzzled.

What met his gaze was five black cities, all too familiar, thundering down to suppress him.

Wan Yao Dian…

"No! I've already become an immortal! Cut it out!"

Shen Yi was dumbfounded, unable to fathom why something that once could only tussle with a single Bai Xi seal had managed to follow him into the Heavenly Dao's primordial chaos.

He instinctively reached out to block it, yet in an instant could only watch helplessly as those five cities suppressed his dao fruit and fruit position, and he plunged straight back into the mortal world.

An unknown length of time passed.

Within the Lingxu mountain range, a Dao Lord clad in resplendent dark robes flipped himself upright, his gaze unfocused as he stared into the void ahead.

Not a trace of coldness remained on that handsome face—only a thick, bitter grief.

Shen Yi wished he could punch the pitch-black great hall before him to smithereens.

The five cities once used to suppress Wan Yao had now even swallowed up the Jin Xuan radiance formed from his dao fruit and fruit position.

Entrusting one's entire cultivation to the Heavenly Dao was the price of exchanging it for undying indestructibility.

Because even the leaders of both sides lacked the ability to break open the Heavenly Dao and harm the cultivator's origin within.

What kind of situation was this now?

"You stuffed me inside? What do you think you are? The Heavenly Dao?!"

Shen Yi panted in great gulps; the undying indestructibility he had yearned for had now become this wretched state.

Setting aside whether anyone else had the means to break open Wan Yao Dian.

He didn't even know whether, if this vessel of his were destroyed, he could reshape it again with tribulation power.

"Fine, stuffing me in—but why only me?"

No matter how long Shen Yi tried, he still couldn't accept this reality. He swung his fist hard; those dao fruits beside him carried so much tribulation power that bringing even a few more down would have been more than enough for his needs.

Shenxu Laozu and the likes of Nanhuang had already prepared to congratulate their master on ascending to the Heavenly Dao and achieving the second-grade Great Freedom realm.

Seeing the situation now, they all fell silent, not even daring to draw a full breath.

Fortunately, Shen Yi only sat dazed on the ground for a while before quickly rising to his feet with a dark expression, swaying unsteadily as he walked forward.

"My lord, are we leaving Beizhou?"

Shenxu Laozu mustered his courage to ask, since all of his master's previous plans had been aimed at breaking through to second grade—no matter how difficult, as long as he endured until the breakthrough, things would get better.

Only by wielding the divine ability of undying indestructibility could he continue stirring up trouble right under the noses of those gods, buddhas, immortals, and honored ones.

Now that this sudden change had occurred, it was as though there was no safety net left at all; staying any longer, as his status rose, he would inevitably come into contact with those sect leaders and emperor lords, and one day something would go wrong.

"Return to Huishan. Lock ourselves in."

Without looking back, Shen Yi's voice still carried a note of grievance, yet without a shred of hesitation, as he stormed off resentfully toward Banluo Cliff.

……

Beizhou, Xuanwei Grotto.

As the chief disciple of Xuanwei Grotto, Li Shan's performance in recent years had been commendable; he already faintly showed the bearing of someone who would Zichengyi Sect, and was the one with the most promise among the original three.

For that reason, he rarely asked his master for help anymore.

After all, to become the common lord of heaven and earth, how could he still cut the figure of a babe in swaddling clothes?

Today was a rare occasion on which he had returned to catch up with Xuan Weizi.

"Master, what is it?"

He noticed the old man's momentary daze.

"It's nothing."

Xuan Weizi knit his brow tightly; he had clearly sensed a cultivator of the same realm appear beside him, yet strangely emanating the flavor of two lineages—bearing both the Puti Sect's Immovable-as-Mountain intent and the Sanxian Sect's carefree, ethereal air.

His earlier abstraction had been an attempt to return to the Heavenly Dao to take a closer look.

Yet puzzlingly, the surroundings were still those familiar faces; not a single new cultivator had set foot into that primordial chaos.

"Never mind, perhaps I sensed it wrong."

Xuan Weizi carefully scanned the area several more times before finally withdrawing his gaze and looking at this disciple of his: "Let's talk about your situation instead. How do you feel now?"

Hearing this, Li Shan gave a wry smile: "I won't hide it from Master, the pressure is still quite considerable."

That battle at Tashan by Taixu Zhenjun, where he slew three cultivators of the same realm including Sister Youyao, can truly be said to have cemented his position as the strongest of the younger generation of the Sanxian Sect.

Myself and Qi Xian have lingered at the third-rank for many years, long since reaching our limits. No matter how hard we try, to surpass Yan Shidi Taixu in magical arts—unless Master is willing to bestow a more powerful spiritual treasure…

Setting aside whether Xuanwei Cave even has such a treasure stored away, even if it did, relying solely on my own cultivation, I might not be able to bring it into play. And taking a step back, even if I won against him with such a thing, what meaning would that have? When the fight reaches its end, what matters isn't who's more capable, but which immortal lineage has the deeper foundation—saying it out loud would only invite ridicule.

"The choice is for an Immortal Emperor, not a Divine General. Being able to fight isn't necessarily the most important thing." Xuan Weizi said with a light chuckle. For a disciple to have reached such a stage was already no small feat; what remained depended more on fortune.

"This disciple understands." Saying this much, Li Shan sighed and shook his head, then said softly: "But Master doesn't know…"

Under the interference of Uncle-Master Elder Chi Yun, Yan Shidi Taixu only perfunctorily served a period of closed-door confinement. Though he himself did not appear, the disciples of Lingxu Cave never rested for a single day.

Several months ago, Lingxu Cave had already taken over those four prefectures as a matter of course.

First there was the slaying of Bodhisattva to vent the sect disciples' grievances, then the fierce reputation from slaying Sister Youyao and the others. The remaining cultivators of Beizhou had no intention of intervening at all, and tacitly acknowledged these places as Taixu Zhenjun's domain.

"But the problem lies in the fact that they've brought that same set of practices from Kaiyuan Prefecture into these four prefectures." Li Shan sighed.

"Which set?" Xuan Weizi asked with keen interest.

"It's about letting the people of the Divine Dynasty return to the days of old… The matters themselves are trivial, but he is after all different from before now—no longer confined to that remote place of Kaiyuan Prefecture. Holding two-tenths of Beizhou's land, his influence is considerable."

"The people of the other great prefectures have long since learned of the changes in these places, their hearts all anxiously attached to that Taixu Zhenjun temple. Many have already risked their lives, migrating over under cover of night. Quite a few junior brothers have come to complain to me about this."

"…"

Xuan Weizi listened quietly and found it rather interesting: "Affecting these juniors' extraction of imperial qi—no wonder they resent him… What do you plan to do?"

On the surface this method seems very effective, but in reality, in the end, others can only be forced to follow suit, which amounts to nothing having changed—except that the imperial qi everyone obtains has all diminished.

"This disciple thinks differently from the others."

Li Shan, however, shook his head: "When I went to Kaiyuan Prefecture to travel in the past, I already had similar thoughts. Now the great tribulation is this: the Human Emperor is without virtue, desiring to go against heaven, to overthrow the Immortal Court, no longer recognizing the Immortal Court's co-rule of the mortal world with the Divine Dynasty, wanting to be a solitary ruler who acts with absolute authority."

"But now the overall situation is already set."

"Why must we act like guilty thieves, as though we want to devour all the imperial qi in one go? The incense of ten thousand ages—why rush it in a single moment? I suspect that Yan Shidi Taixu is not, as fellow disciples think, trying to compete for incense through such means. He simply has sufficient confidence, unafraid of others taking anything from his hands."

"On a grander scale, once one becomes the common lord of heaven and earth, what need is there to distinguish between you and me?"

Li Shan bowed respectfully toward his master: "This is the bearing of an Immortal Emperor. As a disciple, I should emulate it."

(End of this chapter)