Chapter 789: Who Will Play Along With You?

Outside Tian Ta Mountain, a figure idly loitered.

Though everyone here had nothing to do, few could wander aimlessly and squander their strength as freely as he did.

Moreover, his plain white robe stood out sharply among the grimy, dusty refugees around him.

This was an immortal—the immortal who slew that demon dragon!

Wherever the young man walked, the common folk bowed in unison; even if they didn’t know what he was doing, each time he passed, they bowed again, never finding it tedious, never uttering a word of complaint.

“…”

Shen Yi walked slowly, suddenly recalling when he first arrived in Shenzhou, in that prefectural city, where he had seen a cultivator collide with a child—the child unafraid, the cultivator unannoyed, both merely smiling before the cultivator strode away.

This was perhaps when the people of the Divine Dynasty felt the most confidence.

It also gave Shen Yi a favorable impression of the Divine Dynasty.

In just a short while, everything had reverted to the state of Hongze—even worse than Hongze.

Perhaps this was precisely the scene the immortals desired: seated high above the clouds, tending to the mortal world—how delightful.

Shen Yi shook his head lightly and quickened his pace toward a quiet spot.

He was truly just strolling, but not without purpose.

As an outsider from Nanzhou, his roots in Beizhou were far too shallow—before truly joining Lingxu Cave, he was virtually without foundation.

He would be bound hand and foot in any endeavor.

Take the Bai Long from just a few days ago—even if he was barely clinging to life, remember, Shen Yi’s current title is Tai Xu Dan Huang; crafting an elixir to revive Bai Long was no great feat.

He genuinely wished to save the fellow immortal.

But he could not save him.

If he acted, Shen Yi would be immediately ostracized by all of Beizhou, left with no place to stand, for he was not yet truly recognized as a member of the Three Immortal Teachings; this act could not be dismissed as internal strife, but as a lone cultivator challenging the entire Three Immortal Teachings’ authority.

So he could only grant Bai Long a swift death, sparing him the humiliation.

Outsiders seeking to establish themselves in Beizhou must not act first—they must wait for change.

Every step Shen Yi took around Tian Ta Mountain struck a vulnerable heart, hastening that change.

He turned the corner and stepped directly into Tai Xu.

“Chen Yi pays homage to my lord.”

The Bai Long descended from the stone disc, posture and expression utterly reverent, yet his eyes held a trace of complexity.

He did not know what method his master had used to restore him to life, only that he had never betrayed the court even in death—and yet now he had become a pet beneath an immortal’s feet.

“What are you staring at?”

The Shen Xu Patriarch, returned from delivering the message, took human form and struck the Bai Long sharply on the head: “This man is not only your master—he is also your Xianbu’s Zhen Nan General!”

Hearing this, Chen Yi froze, then his face lit up with ecstatic joy.

He had long heard that Nanzhou was the only one of the Divine Dynasty’s four continents not yet fallen.

“Has the lord come here because Nanzhou is sending reinforcements?”

“There are no reinforcements.”

Though harsh, Shen Yi refused to deceive him.

He did not boast, but he never underestimated himself; whether by merit or strength, Nan Yang was unquestionably a formidable general.

Any ruler still hoping to reclaim lost territory would spare no effort to retain such a blade.

But the fact that the Emperor let Shen Yi go revealed that the Divine Dynasty had long lost the will and strength to resist—like fish on a chopping block, left to be butchered by the great sects.

“…”

Chen Yi fell silent, the joy in his eyes vanishing swiftly; even with prior suspicion, hearing the truth shattered his last lingering hope.

Shen Yi sat cross-legged, letting the other grieve in silence.

Though he waited for change, he needed sufficient strength to seize the opportunity.

In Beizhou, the Bodhisattva position—perfected to the extreme of ninety-nine transformations—was his secret lifeline; to raise his standing within the sect, he needed the Shen Xu Dao Fruit displayed openly.

【Remaining demonic lifespan: 8,300 kalpas】

The dragon-lizard he slew when leaving Nanzhou, plus the demonic lifespan of this white dragon, were all the reserves he now possessed.

He closed his eyes and began to seize the primordial source of heavenly order.

…

“Master, that man spends every day mingling with the refugees, wandering everywhere—as if this place were his own sacred ground!”

The cultivator in charge of relief hurried over, face flushed with indignation.

After the Ling Su Zhenjun shrine is established, the grand altar beside your statue will have room for several child statues.

Now that someone dares disrupt this, how could they not be frantic?

“…”

Ling Su sat atop the peak of Tian Ta Mountain; she needed no report—she merely lifted her eyelids and saw that damned figure, clinging like a parasite she could not shake off.

She scowled and waved her sleeve, dismissing the disciple.

Clearly, her previous warning had not reached the insect-demon disciple’s ears.

Relying on some elder’s lingering guilt, he dares act so recklessly—his face screams “seeking death!”

“Brother Mao Feng, can you hurry?”

Ling Su pulled out a jade slip and urged impatiently.

If this continued, she feared she might lose control and strike the boy down with a single palm.

“Sister, rest easy—it has been on the road for some time; by now, it should be arriving,” came a calm male voice from the jade slip.

Hearing this, Ling Su pressed her lips together, forcing herself to calm down.

She glanced at the refugees bowing to Shen Yi below, a flicker of irritation rising in her eyes—these fools worshipped anything; they must all die, then her unease would vanish.

At that moment, Ling Su sensed a sudden fluctuation in qi.

Overjoyed, she turned instinctively—finally!

“Little sister thanks you, Elder Brother!”

Ling Su gripped the jade slip tightly, no longer caring if haste compromised the effect; as long as enough died, the refugees would remember.

As her words ended, a deafening roar surged forth, nearly visible as a wave of sound.

Before the figure appeared, his voice arrived.

The refugees on the ground froze like thunderstruck statues; soon, the roar awakened their deepest terror.

On the day the city fell, it had been just like this—then came endless slaughter.

Instantly, screams and wails erupted like a tidal wave, spreading rapidly.

Two cultivators distributing grain—clearly pre-instructed—immediately formed hand seals and summoned their magic treasures into the sky: “Silence! Do not cause chaos!”

As their treasures blazed with light, the crowd slowly regained composure, watching in horror as the two immortal masters shot off into the distance.

Yet in an instant, those two streaks of light were violently flung back, crashing into a small peak with a thunderous boom—motionless.

The magic treasures in the sky shattered into dust.

“…”

The refugees’ pupils dilated, too terrified even to scream.

Before all eyes.

A towering figure slowly approached from afar, golden fur gleaming like molten metal, clad in exquisite armor, as if a divine general had descended.

He carried a long spear slung over his shoulder; each step shook the earth.

In Nanzhou, demons attacked by ambush and division; even the Southern Emperor needed elaborate planning, finally infiltrating Songfeng Prefecture in disguise.

In Beizhou, with the Three Immortal Teachings stationed here, their strength far surpassed that of Nan Xumí.

This tiger demon strode forward with utter arrogance, treating all immortals as if they were nothing—his overwhelming presence, his deliberate advance—this routine had clearly been rehearsed countless times.

Clearly a seasoned performer.

“Huh…”

Watching the tiger demon’s majestic demeanor, Ling Su finally smiled, her heart easing slightly—thankfully, someone reliable still existed, not disappointing her.

She stood still, showing no intention to intervene.

To make great demons serve the sect sincerely, one could not rely solely on force; each order must be accompanied by a promised reward.

Ling Su had already calculated: since relief had lasted only months, at least half the refugees must die for this to have a meaningful impact.

She prepared to savor the spectacle, when her peripheral vision caught the white-robed figure.

Amidst the huddled, wailing refugees, Shen Yi stood with arms at his sides—strikingly visible.

The next moment, Ling Su’s eyelid twitched; she watched in fury as he stepped into the air: “How dare he compete? He doesn’t know his own death!”

She had never seen such a brazen, shameless wretch.

She had dispatched disciples, leveraged connections, labored tirelessly to create this scene—and now this villain dared seize it all, greedy and repulsive!

In an instant, Ling Su paused.

No—great drama must have rising tension; if no one fell before this tiger demon, how could her Ling Su Zhenjun’s greatness be revealed?

Originally, she had summoned a third-grade demon merely to frighten the insect-demon disciple—but now, an unexpected bonus.

Thinking this, she sneered: “I owe you thanks this time.”

The tiger demon would never dare kill a disciple of the immortal sect—but if he could wound him, it would serve as her revenge.

“You—”

The tiger demon, seeing the young man suddenly blocking his path, was clearly stunned.

The aura radiating from this man had clearly entered the Great Luo realm—though newly formed, it was a true immortal, not comparable to the two petty disciples who had played along with him.

Before coming, you never said there’d be something like this?

It instinctively looked toward the peak of Tian Ta Mountain, only to see the woman, her face cold, give a slight nod in its direction.

“So that’s how it is.”

The tiger demon now had a clear idea—it had served the Three Immortals Sect before, and long ago understood the infighting among these immortals.

Master Mao Feng sent it here to assist Spirit-Su True Person, meaning this boy lacks both strength and backing compared to Spirit-Su; who to obey, the tiger demon knew perfectly well.

Boy, it’s your own bad luck!

This performance today isn’t for you.

The tiger demon sneered, leaping forward, channeling all its demonic power into its long spear, roaring as it swung horizontally—not to kill, but to strike and repel cleanly.

The old hand knew exactly how much force to use.

Yet that perfectly aimed spear strike missed, right before its eyes.

Shen Yi’s form vanished into Grand Void, and when he reappeared, he stood behind the tiger demon.

A massive fissure split open above their heads, like a gaping abyss, filled with hazy gray mist.

The Grand Void lineage isn’t skilled in direct combat; forcibly dragging an opponent into Grand Void requires far superior cultivation.

Logically, based on Shen Yi’s displayed strength, he wasn’t just far from surpassing the tiger demon—he was vastly inferior.

“Roar!”

The tiger demon’s expression shifted slightly, sensing a chill.

Its perception was flawless—this man couldn’t possibly have crossed the Threefold Transformation. Yet facing the hazy Grand Void above, it felt an inexplicable sense of inescapability.

“Don’t break the rules,” it growled in warning.

In the past, whether disciples of great sects or demons like itself, all actions were performed before the eyes of mortals—what is this, dragging me into some strange place?

Even though it had come on orders, the tiger demon still felt a flicker of unease.

But the youth behind it ignored its warning. Alone, his Grand Void Dao Fruit couldn’t achieve this—but who knew he had a six-wing silkworm beside him? Both shared the same lineage; a little concealment was easy to hide from others.

When the fissure suddenly descended, swallowing both figures, the tiger demon felt a hand on its neck—and finally panicked.

This isn’t right! This boy isn’t acting!

The next instant, both vanished from their spot.

“...”

Compared to the stunned refugees, Spirit-Su, as a Great Luo Immortal Sovereign, had witnessed the entire scene from start to finish, yet her confusion was no less than theirs.

She understood nothing.

With only a dozen threads of primordial order qi, that man couldn’t withstand even one blow from the tiger demon.

Why did the tiger demon follow that Nan Zhou cultivator into the Grand Void realm?

Was it worried that injuring him openly would cause bad repercussions, so it went through this unnecessary step?

For some reason, Spirit-Su, once so confident, now showed growing agitation as she stared at the empty sky.

Fortunately, she didn’t wait long.

Soon, the sky split open again, and a massive tiger head burst forth, making Spirit-Su sigh in relief—then her hand froze.

Because only the tiger’s head emerged.

Plop. Plop.

Countless chunks of flesh tumbled from the fissure, quickly piling the ground.

Shen Yi stepped slowly out of Grand Void. His face was pale, as if drained, yet his expression was calm, his white robe unstained, not a single wound on his body.

“...”

Spirit-Su stood motionless, eyes wide, face expressionless.

She had only ever seen such cross-realm killing among the most exceptional senior disciples of her sect.

Only when a tidal wave of shocked cries filled the sky did she snap back to reality. She stared intently at the refugees below, watching them bow and worship the Grand Void Dan Emperor—and suddenly felt a deep dread.

He’d only been here a short time, and already he was about to wrest Tian Ta Mountain from her hands!

Spirit-Su hastily pulled out a jade slip, only to find her entire hand trembling: “Senior Brother Mao Feng, something’s happened.”

“What is it?” came the man’s curious voice from the jade slip.

“The great demon you sent... is dead.” Spirit-Su swallowed hard.

Silence stretched across the jade slip, then a voice, tightly suppressed yet unmistakably furious, erupted: “What exactly happened? That demon has followed me for years! Didn’t I tell you to be careful with your actions?!”

“It wasn’t me... it was that Nan Zhou cultivator... I...”

Spirit-Su bit her red lips, feeling both wronged and heartbroken. Her sect didn’t stand by her—but now even her one advantage, her cultivation, had been surpassed by that worm-demon disciple.

Recalling what He Tong had once said, she finally understood one thing: alone, she could never hold her sect’s ground against him.

And the longer he stayed in Bei Zhou, the more he touched the Three Immortals Sect’s mysteries, her chances grew ever slimmer.

Thinking of this, Spirit-Su finally roared:

“I’ll kill him!”

“Senior Brother, help me!”

(End of Chapter)