Chapter 783: A Villain at Work

"Outrageous… outrageous!"

After leaving Tashan, Qixian Shangren carefully cradled the statue of the Sovereign. Even though he had already departed from Kaiyuan Prefecture, his belly was still full of indignation.

He set aside his own grudge and went to Lingxu Mountain to pay a visit in person, moving the other party with emotion and reasoning with logic from start to finish — one could say he gave this rising star more than enough face.

Where did the fellow get the nerve to be so arrogant, refusing to rein himself in even before the Sovereign.

"Please rest assured, Sovereign. This disciple shall go seek out Li Shan at once and make sure to teach this presumptuous whelp a lesson!"

"…"

The clay visage remained unchanged; only a glimmer in its eyes betrayed a hint of mirth. The voice was still warm and mellow: "With your abilities, you cannot teach him a lesson, but if things continue like this, he is bound to suffer for it."

As one of the sovereigns who hold dominion over heaven and earth, Dongji Sovereign had, from Shen Yi's final act, already glimpsed something of the young man's true heart.

Moving the Sovereign's statue aside showed that this young man had not yet grasped the true nature of the Immortal Emperor — he believed the lord of all beneath heaven stood above everything, to the point that he could disregard the great sect behind him.

To put it plainly, this lad harbored a rebellious heart.

The two sects had pushed the great tribulation forward and chosen an Immortal Emperor to replace the Human Sovereign precisely to ensure stability and longevity — how could they ever allow a being akin to the Human Sovereign to take that final seat?

"He will come back."

Dongji Sovereign had already looked into this man's life. The fellow had endured hardship for so long, and the grievances he had bottled up had finally found release — a touch of self-importance was only natural.

What the Human Sovereign had controlled was the entire mortal realm, far surpassing the level of the Six Imperials, to the point that even the Sect Lords felt a twinge of envy.

Now such a colossal being had fallen.

Even a Sovereign had to seize this chance and claim as much benefit as possible, waiting until after the tribulation to renegotiate the pecking order.

For this reason, Dongji Sovereign was willing to give this young man — the one with the best hope of taking control of Beizhou — another chance.

"This disciple respectfully sees the Sovereign off."

Qixian Shangren felt the warmth fade from the clay statue and hurriedly bowed in midair.

After rising to his feet again, his expression shifted rapidly. The Sovereign had already reached the absolute pinnacle, so of course he need not rush — but how much longer could he himself delay?

After all, as long as one could secure enough incense offerings for the Dongji Sovereign's estate, whoever became the lord of all beneath heaven was a matter of indifference to this Sovereign.

Qixian had no wish to become the second Master Yun Miao True Person.

"I still need to go find Li Shan and discuss this, to see if we can come up with some opportunity."

Just as he was about to step forward, countless streaks of flowing light swept in from the horizon. One of them plunged swiftly down and landed in Qixian's palm, transforming into a jade slip.

He frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.

This was clearly a joint remonstrance issued by numerous Jin Xian. Judging by the number, it looked to encompass every third-rank disciple — a truly alarming display.

"What is going on?"

Qixian tightened his grip on the jade slip and sank his divine soul into it. A moment later, his expression shifted slightly, as though startled by its contents. But soon, a look of delight surfaced in the middle-aged man's eyes.

Wasn't this the opportunity arriving right on cue!

……

Kaiyuan Prefecture, Tashan.

Shen Yi watched the Sovereign's statue depart, fell silent for a long while, then turned and walked back into the Immortal Shrine.

Inside Wan Yao Dian, not to mention idle wild demons like Nan Huang, even the Bai Lu brothers — who were far more familiar with the Immortal Gates — were now trembling with fear, still immersed in the Sovereign's might.

Although heaven and earth held the Yuqing Sect Lord and the present-world Buddha as supreme, beneath them were the other two Sect Lords and the Buddha, and only after them came the Five Directional Sovereigns and the various True Buddhas.

It sounded like three tiers, with the Sovereigns ranked at the bottom.

But do not forget — those who had reached first-rank in all the world numbered only these seventeen souls, representing the source of ten thousand great Daos.

Their status already surpassed the very firmament above their heads.

Their own master had actually dared to move the Sovereign's statue down from the altar… now that was true brazenness.

The several Guardian Stones trembled in fear.

Yet Shen Yi was not as composed as he appeared. If he were a proper Da Luo Jinxian who had entrusted his cultivation to the Heavenly Dao, he naturally would not need to fear the Sovereign so — his life would be safe no matter what.

Unfortunately, he did not have that qualification.

But no matter what, he had to refuse the Sovereign's recruitment; he could only brace himself and see it through.

The reason was simple enough.

Shen Yi had never once thought of taking the Immortal Emperor's seat. The reason he remained within the tribulation was that he knew the Human Sovereign still had hidden tricks up his sleeve, and wished to fight the two sects to the death.

That man's idea was to wait until the two sects had thoroughly suppressed Sizhou and begun tearing each other apart over uneven distribution until casualties were devastating — then strike.

What Shen Yi wanted to do was actually not much. He simply felt that if one wanted the great sects to fight among themselves, it did not necessarily have to come at the cost of the lives of Sizhou's common folk — perhaps there was another way.

Precisely for this reason, he had chosen to join the obscure Lingxu Grotto.

If today he had bowed to Dongji Sovereign, Shen Yi simply could not imagine how he would continue to muddle through under the nose of a first-rank colossus like that.

If he had to walk the path the other laid out for him, would all the bitter effort of recent days truly have become nothing but a struggle for the Immortal Emperor's seat?

To exhaust himself vying to be a loyal hound on a leash held by the two sects — he might as well find a block of tofu and dash his brains out.

"Hah."

Shen Yi casually sat down on the altar and ran his hand over the statue beside him.

The current situation in Beizhou was proceeding almost exactly as he had planned. The common folk were hardly well off, but at least they would not be ground to death — they retained a shred of human dignity.

But this seemed to have reached its limit.

Cloaked in the skin of a Sanxian Sect disciple, all his abnormal actions could be explained as cutthroat competition—the goal was still to vie for incense offerings, and the Jin Xian would not find it strange.

But if he truly shed that skin and, under the banner of the Divine Dynasty, drove out the Immortal families... even if Shen Yi were a genuine Da Luo Jinxian, he would likely be repeatedly whipped after death by the Sanxian Sect's cultivators until his tribulation force was spent, plunging him into a long slumber.

Human effort has its limits.

After slaying Mei Jiyao, Shen Yi had been lost for a long while — which was why he had sent a letter to the Divine Dynasty, inquiring about the situation in the other continents.

But even if he knew, what then?

Even if he went to the other continents and replicated his current actions, he was only one person — how could he possibly manage so many places?

Too many fronts to cover…

Only now did Shen Yi begin to understand, even with the rarest power in the world, one still felt powerless against this tide—like a mantis trying to stop a cart.

In the past, no matter the problem, as long as he slew demons and seized lifespan to raise his cultivation realm, there was always a solution.

But since ascending to second-rank, Shen Yi had completely reached the end of this path.

Slain Hunyuan Jin Xian, Great Liberation Bodhisattva—these were already at the pinnacle of heaven and earth; compared to ordinary Great Lo Immortals, having stepped into that ice mountain, every gesture summoned true Dao power.

They were nearly one with the Dao—where was there any room left for improvement?

As for taking a Xian vow, Shen Yi now had no idea, nor did he know how to fulfill it.

If he wished to strengthen his foundation, it seemed he could only turn to spirit treasures.

The Yu Chen Treasure Proclamation also recorded methods to temper spirit treasures with calamity force, but the failure rate was high; the two hundred thousand calamities Shen Yi had saved from his path to enlightenment were barely enough to make a ripple.

Better to keep them—should he face a killing calamity, he could gamble on reshaping his body in Wan Yao Dian.

Fortunately, he possessed a five-quenched dark-golden meditation staff and a three-quenched Wuwei Sword; for a Jin Xian, it was poor indeed, but at least he had tools for battle.

"Take it slowly."

Shen Yi had used these words to comfort himself many times, but this time, even his own eyes shimmered with doubt.

Anyone with sense knew that as time passed, the two sects' positions would only grow more entrenched; trying to shift even a fraction then would be the dream of a fool.

At that moment, Shen Yi suddenly lifted his gaze.

He saw countless streaks of light racing across Tian Ta Mountain, one of which silently descended and hovered outside the Taixu Zhenjun Shrine.

…

Immortal cranes spread their wings, dispersing the thin mist.

A grand, majestic hall's phantom appeared, its interior gathering clusters of auspicious clouds; seated behind each cloud were the Slain Hunyuan Jin Xian of the Sanxian Sect.

They sat high above the hall, gazing down at the figures rapidly arriving around them.

Summoning all third-rank disciples—Beizhou had not seen such a commotion in a long time.

As each disciple arrived with solemn expression, automatically lining both sides, the vast Dao Hall held not a single sound.

"Disciple Li Shan pays homage to all elders."

"Disciple Qi Xian pays homage to all elders."

When these two streaks of light arrived from left and right, standing at the front of the disciples, the Jin Xian all turned their gazes toward the crimson cloud in the center.

…

Chi Yunzi closed his eyes, feigning sleep, silent.

Near him, Master Qingguang sat calmly, only his eyes holding a hint of mockery.

The other Jin Xian knew of the recent feud between these two, and could only sigh helplessly.

As the saying goes: misfortune targets the unfortunate; rope snaps at its weakest point… but this snapping was happening far too often.

The disciples all knew the gist from their jade slips; now they all stared at the center of the hall—a man with bloodshot eyes, kneeling and gasping for breath, beside him lay a corpse, shattered throughout, cracks glowing with Jin Guang.

"Elders, please uphold justice for us!"

"Avenge Master Chu Xi!"

Master Chu Xi was the eldest disciple of Chi Yun Cave, once among the top cultivators in Beizhou, second only to Li Shan and Sister Youyao; he held two great prefectures. To avenge his fallen junior disciples, he volunteered to go to Dongzhou—but now he was lifeless.

The Sanxian Sect and the Puti Sect were evenly matched in scale.

The latter controlled all three continents; the former's disciples were crammed into Beizhou—not because they were weaker than those monks, but because no one wished to leave their comfortable homeland.

Until last time, this barrier was finally broken.

The situation wasn't terrible.

After brief acclimatization, the resentful Sanxian disciples quickly secured footholds on the other continents; united, they soon drove the monks back, seizing many Dao halls from the Puti Sect.

But the problem lay precisely here.

"Those Great Liberation beings in Xumi Mountain have no shame—they repeatedly interfere secretly to aid those Bodhisattvas while we are competing."

"Even when caught, they merely offer excuses."

"Our disciples' cultivation is too low to gather evidence—we could only swallow this hidden insult." Here, the third-rank Great Lo Immortal disciple's voice grew thick with grief: "But who could have imagined they'd grow even bolder?"

Master Chu Xi had reached the pinnacle of the Nine-Nine Transformations; his cultivation and spiritual powers were exceptional. Having lost his junior disciples, he carried murderous intent—and after such humiliation, his actions inevitably turned ruthless.

But no matter what, he had always followed the rules, engaging only in open conflict.

"The Great Liberation Lotus Pearl Bodhisattva of Dong Xumi not only intervened to save the opponent after our disciple lost, but also seized the chance to vent his rage—killing Master Chu Xi with a single palm strike!"

"Claiming he was too eager, couldn't hold back his force."

When the disciple finished speaking, even the Jin Xian above the clouds grew cold.

Though they had seen the Bodhisattvas' disregard for rules last time, they never imagined these bald ones had become so brazen as to show no concealment.

"Do they treat all three continents as the Puti Sect's property?" one Jin Xian sneered.

The Sanxian Sect had ignored affairs on other continents because the Divine Court and Great Sects were too unequal in power—no need to take it seriously; once seized, their followers could compete slowly.

It did not mean the Sanxian Sect was content with Beizhou alone.

"What do you all think?" Ling Ling Xu Zi cleared his throat and looked around.

Chi Yunzi had said nothing from start to finish, but no one dared ignore him; all knew how fierce his killing intent was today—if they didn't produce a resolution to satisfy him, Dongzhou would face a Jin Xian who cared nothing for consequences, one who would kill until his rage was spent, disrupting the great calamity and angering the Sect Master.

The Jin Xian exchanged glances, then swept their sleeves to muffle their voices, beginning to murmur among themselves.

And below.

The disciples all wore ashen faces, staring numbly at the corpse in the center.

If the Great Liberation Bodhisattva struck with overwhelming force and they did not retaliate, then after this great calamity, it would have nothing to do with them anymore.

But who would take the lead in raising this matter?

The precedent of Chi Yun Cave lay before them—Master Chu Xi had just died, and their own junior was already trapped and slain by demons in their Dao hall; Sister Youyao herself had declared that man innocent.

If I were to go to the Eastern Continent, then everything I have so laboriously secured in Beizhou...

"..."

Qi Xian quietly turned his head, looking at Li Shan opposite him.

Seeing the deep meaning in that person's eyes, Li Shan was slightly stunned, then immediately furrowed his brows tightly; both were existences capable of standing out among numerous disciples, so how could they fail to understand the other's intent?

He simply felt that borrowing the sect followers' current anger to carry out such despicable means was somewhat too shameless.

"Tsk."

Qi Xian mockingly withdrew his gaze.

The opportunity he had mentioned earlier was precisely because he had foreseen this scene in advance.

Having suffered such humiliation, the sect would inevitably retaliate.

And that Tai Xu junior brother is currently at the height of his fame, possessing the five prefectures, and subtly showing a trend toward becoming the first disciple of the Sanxian Sect.

Under such circumstances, if someone were to push him forward...

This person would surely be unwilling to go; after all, once he leaves, who will control the five prefectures thereafter becomes uncertain, and moreover, as he is in a phase of advancement, any slight delay would cause him to miss this chance to leap to the heavens in one step.

Furthermore, Qi Xian had also heard that this person holds a grudge against the Puti Sect; now, daring to be the first to speak up and leaving Beizhou would inevitably cause those Great Self-Buddhas to fixate on him, putting his life in grave danger.

With all these reasons combined, this Tai Xu junior brother would certainly find an excuse to refuse.

Qi Xian had never truly intended to send the other to the Eastern Continent; what he wanted was for the other to refuse. As long as that person dared to make such an offer while the disciples were in a state of furious agitation, the Great Ming Wang gained previously from the Puti Sect would also be completely lost.

This would equally achieve the effect of suppressing the young man's spirit, and might even permanently seal his future within these five prefectures!

Upon thinking of this, Qi Xian quietly took a step forward.

"Venerable seniors, this disciple has a proposal."

(End of this chapter)