Chapter 798: Three Immortals Sect: Shen Yi Has Come to Collect You

"I'll go!"

A cultivator who could not stand the arrogant look of that black and thin Monk shouted loudly and leaped straight up into the clouds.

Compared to the disciple of the Jin Guang Cave before, this tall and strong cultivator's realm was obviously much deeper; though not counted among the first tier of Beizhou, he was a backbone who had reached the Huang Liuliu transformation.

Moreover, he had obviously learned to be smart; this time, he did not even mention his cultivation or his sect name.

Just as he ascended into the clouds and mist, he quickly took out various magical artifacts, prepared for both offense and defense, then fixed his gaze on the opponent with a solemn expression, ready to wait for an opening to act.

But when he discovered that the Monk was still walking towards him step by step just as before, his heart inexplicably panicked.

The opponent was clearly full of flaws, yet he felt a sense of not knowing how to strike.

"Ziwei Divine Palace, suppress for me!"

A few traces of anger swept across the tall and strong cultivator's face; he waved his sleeve to summon a towering phantom of a palace, covered in purple mist, which crashed down with a mighty momentum, intending to imprison that black and thin figure entirely within it.

This was the most common method Xian Sects used to deal with walkers, and no one could find fault with it.

However, the next moment, the Monk from Tianshan moved his arms slightly, bent his body, and with a deafening boom, he actually used those slender shoulders to forcibly shoulder the entire Ziwei Divine Palace.

Boom!

The Monk took a step, and yellow clouds beneath him rolled and spread out.

Shouldering the mountain-like great hall, he gradually changed from a slow walk at the very beginning to a brisk stride, and even the Ziwei Divine Palace itself began to collapse under the violent undulations.

The tall and strong cultivator saw this terrifying scene in his pupils; with a racing heart, he waved his hands continuously while summoning three defensive artifacts to block in front of him.

On the withered face of the Monk, which bore no expression, the corners of his mouth curled up with a barely perceptible savagery.

He suddenly stopped, and all turbulence ceased.

As his arms swelled, he hurled the remains of that great hall away with a mighty force; it instantly tore through the light curtain, smashed the bronze bell, and finally landed on that ant-like figure, knocking him flying for more than ten thousand zhang.

Many disciples of the Sanxian Sect hurriedly stood up to dodge the remains of the Divine Palace, looking utterly wretched at that moment, like birds startled by the sound of a bowstring.

"Again." The black and thin Monk casually clapped his hands; he showed no trace of pride, but instead glanced lightly towards the front.

"..."

The gazes of the seventy-two caves of Jin Xian all converged on this place.

The eldest disciples of each branch also stared at the Monk with gloomy expressions, but after a long time, not a single person stood up.

Li Shan had just wanted to move when he was kicked back by a sharp gaze.

He furrowed his brows tightly and looked at his master.

Xuan Weizi shook his head; even though he admired Shen Yi so much and even thought it would be a good thing for the other to become the Xian Emperor, how could he completely abandon his own disciples when it involved a great calamity? He must strive for some hope no matter what.

Li Shan's opponent should be those geniuses of the Puti Sect.

Acting early would only allow others to figure out their true strength.

"This..." Facing the Monk's provocation, the other disciples of the Sanxian Sect instinctively looked to the rear, only to see that the senior brothers and sisters who had once led them to great victories all the way across the Dongzhou were now unwilling to take action even one of them.

This was a debate between two sects that could not be paused; that meant they would be forced to go up according to the seating order.

When eating and drinking well, the Immortals were excited and agitated.

But now, looking at the miserable state of the two disciples just now, although it would not lead to the loss of their Dao or their death, once they recovered from their injuries, they would definitely have nothing to do with incense offerings.

The greed in the hearts of the Immortals gradually faded, turning into a bit of cowardice.

On the four towering peaks.

The Joyful True Buddha held a faint smile, quietly looking down at the scene below.

Just as he had thought before, the offensive driven by greed was simply not worth mentioning.

Were the direct disciples of the Sanxian Sect aware that they were no match for the disciple of Tianshan? Not necessarily; they just dared not gamble. This competition determined their future after the calamity, involved too much, and allowed for no mistakes.

They all wanted to let others go first to probe.

In contrast, the disciples of the Puti Sect had suffered many deaths and injuries just now and were forced to a point where they could not retreat; although they also coveted the incense offerings, a thought of revenge and venting their grievances was hidden in their hearts.

"Senior brother, please instruct."

The disciple of the Xian Sect, forced to take the field, had just stepped onto the yellow clouds when his voice obviously softened considerably.

His cultivation was not even as good as the tall and strong cultivator from before.

With strength already inferior and having lost his momentum, his fate was already sealed.

Relying only on a formation to flee in a wretched manner for a moment, this cultivator was grabbed by the back of the neck by the Monk from Tianshan; under such a huge disparity, the Monk still slapped his palm onto the cultivator's chest, shattering more than half of the other's Dao fruit.

"Senior brother, spare my life—"

Accompanied by a wail, that disciple of the Xian Sect rolled out of the yellow clouds while flying backwards.

This fierce scene instantly stimulated both sides watching the battle.

The disciples of the Xian Sect turned deathly pale, while the monks all had excitement surging in their eyes.

The disciples who went up next performed worse and worse one after another, all ending in serious injury, until it was Hao Ming True Person's turn.

From his sect gate not being prominent, yet being able to occupy nearly half of the Kaiyuan Prefecture across Tashan, one could see a glimpse of his power.

Hao Ming True Person was already one of the cultivators with the deepest foundation in the Sanxian Sect, excluding those direct eldest disciples.

But at this moment, he looked extremely guilty, taking a step and looking back three times; by the time he stepped onto the clouds, his face was ashen.

"I... I admit defeat."

After hesitating repeatedly for a long time, as if bearing immense psychological pressure, Hao Ming True Person raised his head; one sentence caused all seventy-two caves of Jin Xian to change color.

Fearing the fight before it began and admitting defeat without throwing a single strike; this was far more than just losing face, it was clearly handing the dignity of the Sanxian Sect to that Monk to trample on at will.

However, what was even more shocking was yet to come.

It was seen that Hao Ming True Person was halfway through his words, just preparing to bow to the four top-tier giants; as he just raised his arms, a gust of wind rushed to his front.

His face changed instantly as he stared straight ahead at that withered face that suddenly approached; the next moment, the fist of the Monk from Tianshan, wrapped with Jinhe, had brutally pierced through his Dao body.

Hao Ming True Person flew out like a broken sack of hemp, crashing into the crowd.

The entire arena erupted in uproar.

The Xian Sect disciples admitting defeat was certainly hateful, but these monks had actually reached the point of not even giving them that chance.

"Apologies, I was too nervous earlier and didn't hear clearly."

The thin, dark-skinned monk withdrew his fist and offered a light apology.

True Person Haoming twitched slightly, his whole body wracked with tearing pain, and added to that the strange gazes thrown his way by his fellow disciples—the gathered immals all avoided him as if he were some filthy thing that must not be approached.

He could only curl his body up tightly, wishing he could dig a hole and hide himself inside.

Just then, a Bai Xi palm slightly shielded his face, blocking those needle-like gazes for him, while spiritual light rose in the palm, helping him dissolve the Jinhe within his body.

"……"

True Person Haoming stared blankly through the gaps between the fingers, only to realize he had happened to fall right beside Taixu Zhenjun.

And the other party sat quietly cross-legged, the only fellow sect cultivator present who did not avoid him.

One must remember that he had once offended this Zhenjun and had even wanted to command demons and monsters to destroy the immortal shrine on Tashan.

Thinking of this, True Person Haoming suddenly felt a surge of sorrow, his voice full of self-reproach: "Zhu Shixiong... it was I who faltered... I couldn't defeat him, I couldn't bear to part with the incense offerings accumulated in Beizhou..."

What answered him was not a scold, but a clear, calm voice.

"No need to blame yourself."

Shen Yi stared straight ahead and said lightly: "It has nothing to do with you."

Such a simple sentence, yet it moved the rest of the disciples deeply. These monks from Tianshan were clearly not opponents they could overcome, yet the other senior brothers and sisters, wanting to learn more of these monks' depth, had not hesitated to send their own people to their deaths at the cost of shattered Dao fruits and ruined futures.

It was such a simple matter, yet no one in the field dared speak of it.

Because this was also the intention of the Jin Xian elders.

Now it had actually come out so casually from the mouth of their own chief disciple—this would greatly affect how the other elders viewed him.

"……"

Many of the principal disciples' expressions shifted slightly, a few hints of displeasure showing on their faces.

It was clearly a stratagem set up for the great sect to ultimately seize the position of Immortal Emperor, putting the greater good first—how could it become so unsightly coming from Zhu Shixiong Taixu's mouth.

When all was said and done, weren't you, Taixu Zhenjun, also standing there watching coldly from the sidelines? What right do you have to criticize?

Unlike the others, a few hints of shame flashed across Li Shan's face, and once again he looked toward his master.

This time, Xuan Weizi hesitated slightly.

Although his own disciple was the trump card second only to Taixu within the sect, if this continued, the entire Sanxian Sect's momentum would be completely beaten out of them.

He could almost see it—situations like Haoming's would soon be everywhere.

Letting Li Shan step forward to regain some face was still better than sending Taixu out directly for the monks to observe.

"Sigh."

Xuan Weizi nodded helplessly.

Having received his master's permission, Li Shan finally clenched his five fingers, his gaze coldly sinister as he looked toward that monk.

But at that very same moment.

Shen Yi casually withdrew the palm covering Haoming's head, then dusted off his hem, stood up, and with just one step, his figure merged into Taixu.

"Zhu Shixiong!"

True Person Haoming had not yet recovered from his gratitude toward the other for helping him out of his predicament, when immediately after he witnessed this scene.

The Jinhe within his body had already mostly dissolved; he flipped himself up and reached out to grab Zhu Shixiong Taixu, but the void before his eyes twisted slightly, and that figure in dark robes had already come to stand suspended above the yellow clouds!

"It's over!"

True Person Haoming's heart thudded—he didn't need to look back to feel the gazes of the seventy-two cave Jin Xian wanting to slaughter him.

The concerns of the many principal disciples might have their selfish motives, but they were certainly also the truth.

But the one who should have had these concerns most was actually Zhu Shixiong Taixu.

Because the other's recent actions had long since become a thorn in the Puti Sect's side, and they wished they could grind him to dust; the Bodhisattvas filling the sky had long fixed their deadly gaze upon him.

"Damned fool!"

Lingxuzi nearly fainted from rage.

Shen Yi was a heaven-bestowed opportunity for Lingxu Cave, and had already carved out the front end of that bright, clear Dao path for him—as long as nothing went wrong, with the help of the Emperor Lord, his seat among the twelve Jin Xian was already more than half secured.

Yet this boy's heart was full of wanting to destroy this bright, glorious great path.

Those principal disciples hadn't even moved, and Li Shan hadn't stepped forward either—where was it your turn, Shen Yi, to step out!

"I..."

How could Li Shan have imagined that just one extra glance would have caused such a mess; he turned his head blankly toward his master, only to see that Xuan Weizi too was unusually livid.

The other principal disciples fell into astonishment one after another as well.

He... he actually went up?

Amid the sky-full of yellow clouds, even the disciples of the two other sects who had been in the middle of their magical contests couldn't help but stop the movements of their hands and look toward that figure at the top of the heavens.

The many Bodhisattvas showed even greater wild joy on their faces.

Chief among them was Monk Miaoyin—he simply couldn't dare dream it: the contest had only just begun, yet it had already drawn out this mortal enemy. How could such an impetuous young whelp have become the chief disciple of the Sanxian Sect?

"……"

Emperor Lord Dongji's expression darkened slightly. He had indeed wanted to use this situation to pressure Shen Yi, intending to force the other to submit to the Dongji Emperor Lord's mansion, but he had never intended to prevent him from becoming Immortal Emperor.

If he couldn't become Immortal Emperor, then he would be useless to him—who would do such a foolish thing.

Having thought this, Emperor Lord Dongji opened his mouth, wanting—even at the cost of some loss of face—to forcibly send this Taixu Zhenjun back.

But before he could, that young man's voice had already spread across the clouds.

"Sanxian Sect, Lingxu branch, Shen Yi."

The Dao Lord in dark robes with a golden hairpin had his sleeves fluttering, his gaze still and deep, looking down from above at the monks below, his voice clear and cold: "I ask for your instruction."

"Mother..."

Shi Mu stood behind Lady Empress Hou Tu, and upon hearing this, her expression also shifted slightly.

Although the Mansion of Emperor Empress Hou Tu does not concern itself with the Great Calamity, nor does it need to support numerous disciples and their descendants, nor crave that bit of incense, it still belongs to the Sanxian Sect and does not wish for those monks to snatch the first prize.

"I still cannot see clearly."

Lady Empress Hou Tu sighed lightly, but her focus was obviously different from everyone else's.

She simply could not understand why a young man who could stand so openly before Emperor Dongji would, when facing that junior of Elder Chi Yun, inexplicably reveal a trace of guilt.

If her previous conjecture was correct, this Taixu Zhenjun was implying that the Emperor was wrong, and that the Great Calamity itself was the error.

Then why did the other party strive so hard to participate, subtly appearing as if he were risking his life for the Xian Sect, expecting the Great Calamity to continue advancing more than anyone else?

If it were for the position of Immortal Emperor, why make such a show?

Had he observed cautiously like the other disciples, he would have had at least nearly half a chance of success; as for now, it was probably less than thirty percent.

This person's complexity and contradictions gathered into one, causing even the heart of Lady Empress Hou Tu, an Emperor, to generate a slight confusion.

Regardless of what the others were thinking.

The black and thin monk from Tianshan stood with hands hanging by his sides below that Daoist Lord, licking his dry lips.

Shen Yi... a cultivator who had reached the third-rank realm rarely continued to use his secular name; most adopted the Daoist title bestowed by the Immortal Gate, and after breaking through to the second rank, they were even granted a name by the Heavenly Dao.

But whether it was Taixu Zhenjun or Shen Yi, it was merely a title, unable to numb oneself.

"This monk knows you, the eldest disciple of the Sanxian Sect."

The black and thin monk showed humility for the first time; he pressed his palms together and bowed to Shen Yi, even admitting that the other should be above his head, without any intention of summoning a lotus throne to contend for height.

He could not defeat this Daoist Lord.

But he could fully explore the true strength of this eldest disciple on behalf of his fellow disciples.

The instant the monk lowered his palms, a towering Golden Body, so vast that one could not see its end, holding a demon-subduing staff in each hand, stood silently behind him.

Before either side had struck, he had already summoned the Dharma-Form that many disciples had previously failed to force out.

As expected, this nameless disciple of the Puti Sect was indeed an eldest disciple of a mountain who had reached the verge of the Ninety-Nine Transformations.

He calmly put on a brand-new set of monk robes, took out a string of Buddhist beads to hang around his neck, then slipped eight silver rings onto each wrist, and only then looked up: "Please, Zhu Shixiong Taixu, grant me instruction."

And facing this series of actions by the monk, Shen Yi in the sky merely watched calmly; until now, he still held his hands empty, having not yet drawn that famous sword, Wuwei.

(End of this chapter)