Chapter 791: Victory or Death!

A terrifying pressure, born of its immense size, surged toward them.

Ling Su, whose lips had just moments ago curled in mocking amusement, now stood before this towering, sky-obscuring manifestation, herself as tiny as an ant.

Amid her disheveled strands of hair, her entire face was frozen in stunned silence, her eyes vacant as she gazed upward at the vast golden wheel.

The chasm-like gap in cultivation realms made her feel her soul tremble merely from being watched by those golden eyes.

If a third-rank realm were an insurmountable mountain,

then Ling Su had just stepped onto the path at its base, while the bodhisattva before her had long since stood atop its peak.

Only now did the exaggerated descriptions of the Subduing-Dragon-and-Tiger Bodhisattva finally take concrete form in her mind.

“How could this be…” Ling Su felt her throat dry, her body trembling uncontrollably as surging tribulation energy battered her, shattering all her preconceptions of southern continent cultivators.

“Didn’t you say he was a disciple of the Divine Void lineage?”

Yue Xing True Person adjusted her breathing, finally easing the suffocating sensation, then coldly swept her gaze toward Ling Su.

Mao Feng offered no defense for Ling Su, instead glaring at her with equal anger.

He had indeed intended to befriend this woman, but not to the point of dragging fellow sect members into mortal peril.

Moreover, Mao Feng had been cautious enough: to deal with a cultivator just entering the third rank, he had not only summoned companions to flank him, but also specifically acquired a magic treasure to counter the opponent.

Who could have guessed not a single piece of intelligence was correct?

“I… I didn’t know!”

Ling Su shook her head violently, her voice cracking with tears, retreating shakily behind the others—she had lost all courage to fight.

With her cultivation level, she was utterly incapable of participating in such a battle.

Seeing this, Yue Xing True Person sneered, but no longer targeted the woman; the urgent matter now was how to survive the challenge ahead.

With their experience, a single glance revealed the young man had reached the pinnacle of the ninety-nine transformations—his cultivation base was one tier above theirs.

“No use talking. Do your best.”

“He’s a Bodhisattva of the Bodhi Sect, attempting to infiltrate the northern continent. Any elder of our sect who learns of this will not spare his life. We don’t need to defeat him—just hold him to a stalemate, enough for us to retreat from here.”

Though the realm gap was terrifying—like the southern empire’s several Garrison Commanders, even armed with Demon-Slaying Edicts, still powerless before the Southern Emperor—

under the backing of a great sect, such gaps were not insurmountable.

Just as Shen Yi had previously used a magic treasure granted by the Three Immortals Sect to slay the Southern Emperor, these men, as northern continent disciples, would have even more tools at their disposal.

Thus, Shen Yi never expected merely revealing his manifestation would fully intimidate them.

But this woman’s ability to calm her mind and think clearly in such a short time still surprised him slightly—apparently, the northern continent did have reasonable people.

“After this is settled, keep your distance from the Lingxu Cave lot.”

Mu Song True Person scowled and coldly rebuked Mao Feng.

A Bodhisattva bold enough to infiltrate the northern continent alone would hardly lack real ability—even if we only seek a stalemate, we’ll likely lose much of our reserves today.

“… ”

Mao Feng’s face flushed and paled alternately; since he had started this, he had no right to retort.

Ling Su heard this too. She shrank back, a flicker of venom crossing her eyes, but quickly masked it—she still needed these people to survive.

These cultivators from Chi Yun Cave had all reached stable realms and descended into tribulation; each carried at least a few protective magic treasures bestowed by their sect. Dealing with a third-rank full cultivator monk should be manageable.

As long as they survived today, the southern continent rogue would either flee the northern continent or be slain by our sect’s elders—Tiantashan would return to our hands, and we’d have no further need for these people. No need for further words; we could just tear off the mask and skip even the formal courtesies we owed them.

“Your realm is indeed profound, but have you ever experienced northern continent methods?”

Mu Song True Person shouted loudly, cutting short further words; from the moment the opponent revealed his manifestation, today’s battle was destined to be to the death.

He skipped all probing, striking with full force immediately.

“Yi Mu Que, go!”

With a cryptic incantation, an exquisitely crafted wooden bird emerged from his sleeve. As it flapped its wings, its palm-sized body suddenly swelled—though not as grand as the manifestation, it was nearly comparable.

More astonishingly, despite its massive growth, its intricate detail remained untouched; instead, its fine dao patterns became clearly visible. Its cry brimmed with ferocious malevolence, appearing lifelike—as if a great demon had awakened.

Such advanced puppetry was enough to open the eyes of southern continent cultivators far from the Three Immortals Sect.

After launching the wooden bird to entangle the Bodhisattva’s manifestation, Mu Song True Person did not relax. He smoothly took several warm jade stones from Yue Xing’s hands and helped her quickly establish the binding array.

Their coordination was flawless, requiring no communication—they had clearly planned this response in advance.

Once the binding array was complete, at least they could safely withdraw. Whether they could then slay this Bodhisattva and claim credit at the sect would depend on his true ability.

Yet at that moment—

As the Yi Mu Que lunged forward, the manifestation slowly raised one arm behind it. The blade spanning the heavens suddenly blazed with crimson-gold heavenly flames, and a piercing phoenix cry instantly drowned out the bird’s shriek.

The blade slashed straight down. In the crystal-studded eyes of the puppet bird, a human-like terror surged.

Crack. Clean and swift, like an axe splitting firewood.

The once-ferocious Yi Mu Que split apart effortlessly, then swallowed whole by the crimson-gold flames.

“… ”

Mu Song True Person stared blankly at the sky. He had prepared for the loss of this rare magic treasure—but never imagined it would be shattered like rotten firewood, utterly useless.

The next instant, fear flared in his eyes.

“Stop setting the array!”

Yue Xing True Person snapped sharply, instantly discarding the warm jade stones and swiftly pulling a gauze veil from her storage treasure, wrapping herself in it.

Indeed, the manifestation had already shaken its treasure bell.

The next moment, a soul-shaking chime surged forth, transforming into a vast, sky-covering wave that crashed toward them.

The thin gauze on Yue Xing’s body shimmered with spiritual light, barely holding her form like a straw hut in a storm. Mao Feng reacted slightly slower, too late to retrieve a treasure—he could only resist with tribulation power, stumbling backward in disarray.

Ling Su, who had been hiding behind him since the start, now used his body as cover.

As for Mu Song True Person, still stunned and clutching several warm jade stones, he was instantly submerged by the wave. The seemingly ordinary water was chillingly icy, slowly drowning even his spiritual sense.

“Don’t rescue him! Run!”

Yue Xing True Person’s face was filled with fury. At this point, she clearly saw how much trouble Mao Feng had brought them.

This Bodhisattva, perfected in transformation, was among the strongest even among northern continent peers of the same realm!

Mao Feng barely extricated himself from the wave, frantically slapping his storage treasure, grabbing whatever he could without looking, and hurling it all at the opponent.

Four or five items—each as potent as the Fire Dragon Cart.

After discarding the treasures, he turned to flee—but froze in place the moment he looked back.

Behind him, once empty, now loomed a towering, sky-to-earth wall of indigo flesh, like an endless mountain range, silently stretching across his entire field of vision.

“… ”

The Southern Emperor stared down at the tiny creatures below, suddenly feeling his defeat was unjust.

If the master had been these cultivators, not even nine Radiant Flags or Fire Dragon Carts would have mattered. Even if they’d been given three or five more similar treasures, he’d still be the same sovereign lord of the mortal realm today.

It sighed, then swiftly raised its palm—five fingers like celestial pillars engulfed Mao Feng whole.

“Aaaah!!”

Ling Su stared fixedly at the flesh wall, breathing ragged, chest heaving, then burst into a shrill, piercing scream.

“Every time you call me a bug demon.”

The old man in a silken robe stepped from the void, grabbed her hair, yanked her to the ground, and slapped her face hard: “You’re a worthless waste—what makes you better than your ancestor? Let me tell you, I’ve tolerated you long enough!”

Ling Su’s mind reeled under the storm of slaps; tears hadn’t even rolled down before her eyes were stained with blood.

She instinctively curled up, trembling on the ground, not even noticing the old man’s cultivation was lower than hers.

“Build temples and shrines? Pfft!”

The Divine Void Ancestor spat. He had attained enlightenment on his own, founded a lineage in the southern continent—how could such trash dare look down on him?

“Huh.”

Listening to the incessant wailing beside him, Yue Xing True Person hovered motionless in midair, her gaze fixed ahead.

The towering manifestation remained unmoved, still coldly gazing down at them; the golden wheel behind it radiated blinding light.

The treasures Mao Feng had thrown—all now hung frozen in the air, illuminated by the golden radiance.

Not one could even approach the opponent, let alone harm him—mere toys.

Seeing this hopeless scene, Yue Xing True Person’s face unconsciously twisted with bitterness.

She had reacted quickly enough to suffer no injury—only the spiritual light on her gauze had dimmed slightly, and she still gripped tightly the immortal sword prepared for counterattack.

But after a moment, she silently glanced at the three captured ones, then slowly loosened her fingers. The long sword clattered to the ground.

“We yield.”

Yue Xing True Person exhaled deeply, then looked again at the white-robed young man who had stood motionless since the beginning.

He hadn’t even used his true strength—and already they were cornered.

Fighting further would only bring humiliation.

But since he captured them without killing, there must be another reason.

Ling Su also snapped out of her daze, her face numb. She trembled as she rolled over, too afraid to meet the young man’s gaze, only sobbing as she repeatedly banged her head on the ground, mechanical and lifeless.

Whatever they demanded, as long as they lived.

Only now, experiencing it firsthand, did she realize: escaping death from such a Bodhisattva was truly something to be proud of.

He He Tong hadn’t exaggerated—he’d even understated it.

“… ”

Shen Yi glanced at Yue Xing True Person ahead and shook his head: “There is no victory or defeat here.”

As he spoke, he swept his sleeve.

The Golden Body manifestation calmly pressed its palm, and several golden rivers surged forth, violently engulfing their bodies.

When the golden rivers receded, the manifestation in the sky gradually faded and vanished.

Several corpses tumbled from the Golden River, their faces filled with utter despair, bodies cracked all over, still lingering with thick golden light.

Anyone with even a hint of cultivation could immediately tell they had been killed using the Bodhi Sect's methods.

「……」

Shen Yi casually swept up several magical artifacts falling from the sky and tossed them carelessly to Shen Xu Laozu, instructing him to store them within the Grand Void Realm.

He wasn’t sure how great a stir these deaths would stir in the Northern Continent, but any change was good for him.

「Later, find a distant place and dump these corpses. Try to delay their discovery, but no need to hide them too well.」

「Yes, Master!」

Shen Xu Laozu bowed deeply, almost able to imagine the fury that would erupt among the Three Immortal Sect’s members—accustomed to comfort for so long—when they discovered their disciples slain by a Buddha of the Buddhist Sect.

「So… so that’s how it was…」

Bai Long Chen Yi had watched the entire affair in a dazed, expressionless silence.

Only now, as the matter ended, did he finally grasp why the Southern Continent had held out: with such a Regional Commander of the South stirring chaos, those two self-important great sects would likely tear each other’s brains out.

…

Among the hills and wilds, a disciple of the Spirit Void Cave gently caressed the jade mirror in his hands.

This might be the closest he had ever come to a spiritual treasure in his life.

After all, even his master had no right to touch such a treasure, let alone him.

Too bad, he could only gaze at it for a little longer.

Thinking of this, the Spirit Void Cave disciple sighed reluctantly, calculating the time—it should be ending inside soon.

As if to confirm his thought,

the next moment, a faint, ethereal figure slowly appeared before him.

Shen Yi slightly bent forward and reached out to grasp the jade mirror.

「……」

The Spirit Void Cave disciple’s face shifted from confusion to terror; he instinctively wanted to cry out—but could only watch helplessly as the young man pulled the mirror from his grasp, his vision growing hazy.

Thud. The cultivator whose soul had been shattered collapsed to the ground, immediately swallowed by the Grand Void Realm.

Shen Yi carefully examined the mirror in his hand.

Compared to the earlier magical artifacts, which were as useless as chicken ribs, this mirror capable of forming its own world was precisely what he most urgently needed.

With this object, his future actions would be far more convenient.

(End of Chapter)