Chapter 803: When the Sky Falls, the Tall Ones Hold It Up

Since the rise of the Bodhi Sect, the North Continent has been suppressed for a long time.

In other continents, numerous third-rank cultivators qualified to open meridians and found lineages have fallen one after another—something unimaginable in the past.

Despite prolonged failure to locate those monks, deaths have not ceased; instead, people are being killed by great demons released by their own allies.

Under these circumstances, the atmosphere in the North Continent grew increasingly tense, as everyone feared for their lives and distrusted one another.

Finally, a new rumor completely ignited everyone’s emotions!

Sister Youyao of the Qingguang Cave intends to strike at Kaiyuan Prefecture.

Know that the North Continent is now in a three-way standoff; apart from smaller sects, only three individuals hold the right to claim the Four Prefectures, and they alone control nearly half of the North Continent.

They are: Sister Youyao of the Qingguang Cave under the Master of Qingjing Sect, Brother Lishan of the Xuanwei Cave under the Master of Taiqing Sect, and Master Qixian under the Eastern Ji Emperor.

A delicate balance has long formed among the three.

Yet after many fellow cultivators left the North Continent, Sister Youyao has now moved first, aiming to become the first cultivator to seize Five Prefectures.

Thus, everyone began paying attention to Kaiyuan Prefecture, wondering which fellow cultivator was so unlucky.

Upon investigation, the moment the title “Tai Xu Dan Huang” spread, everyone froze for a moment, then recalled the incident of southern cultivators fleeing here.

This news was even more shocking than the previous one.

A southern cultivator had quietly seized an entire prefecture as his sect base—and even more astonishingly, he had no master and wasn’t even recognized as a disciple of the Three Immortal Sects!

No wonder Sister Youyao was tempted—anyone would find it hard to resist.

They didn’t care who ultimately took Kaiyuan Prefecture; it was already decided. While lamenting they hadn’t spotted this opportunity earlier, they were far more curious about how the other two brothers would react.

Would they just hand over the title of “First Disciple” of the Three Immortal Sects so easily?

Amid the clamor, Yunmiao True Person was utterly astounded.

He had come seeking Sister Youyao hoping to lend a hand in this risk-free matter and claim some of the things she’d previously promised him, even just to taste the imperial aura.

Yet he never expected to witness a spectacle that moved even him.

There, Youyao sat atop a high dais, her pale face beneath a jeweled crown expressionless as she calmly swept her gaze downward.

Beneath her, four great demons all wore heavy armor inscribed with profound Daoist talismans. Though Yunmiao was not skilled in artifact crafting, his cultivation and seniority were undeniable—he could barely comprehend their design, revealing how much effort Youyao had poured into them.

More than that, what truly stirred Yunmiao’s envy was the white deer great demon lounging lazily on the steps before the six-six transformed demons, slowly picking its teeth with its nails.

It bore a scarred face and wore a simple yellow cotton tunic, yet the armored demons dared not utter a sound.

“…“

Yunmiao True Person knew that Master Qingguang had two attendants, a deer and a crane, and had heard the deer attendant had an elder brother in the mortal world—but he never imagined this brother had secretly cultivated to a realm rivaling his own, and had been assigned by Master Qingguang to serve Youyao.

In the North Continent, third-rank great demons were not rare, but those who reached nine-nine transformations without joining the Three Immortal Sects were exceedingly rare.

“What do you want?” Youyao looked over.

“N-nothing… just taking a look.”

Yunmiao True Person forced a smile, feeling disappointed—she had such a formidable force, she had no need for him.

Moreover, beyond these, Youyao still needed great demons to guard her original Four Prefectures, proving her true strength ran deeper still.

In contrast, his own master had never provided such aid; resentment slowly rose within him.

“Go.”

Youyao no longer looked at him, turning her gaze to the white deer great demon: “Be swift.”

She would not micromanage—seizing cities and claiming territory was something the deer had done too many times; it had contributed at least half the effort in conquering these Four Prefectures.

“You still don’t trust my work?”

The white deer stopped picking its teeth and smiled faintly, showing no resentment toward the woman’s tone.

If the stalemate continued, it would be gradually ignored; only by proving its worth could it help its younger brother shed his attendant status and truly join the Qingguang Cave.

No matter how high a demon’s cultivation, it remained a demon—without donning the robes of the Immortal Sects, it could never raise its head before these disciples.

It rose unsteadily, accompanied by the four towering figures, and left the hall.

With the white deer great demon’s movement, the news finally reached its peak of ferment in the North Continent.

“Brother truly has foresight.”

Elsewhere, Huaming unusually stopped bickering with his brother. If Sister Youyao had leaked this news in advance, she would never allow failure—she would spare no effort.

She clearly intended more than just Tian Ta Mountain.

Had they not evacuated in time, their lineage wouldn’t merely have been humiliated—they might have lost their lives, becoming the second Chi Yun Cave with no one to seek justice for them.

“Yet that southern brat didn’t flee—he erected his Tai Xu Zhen Jun shrine throughout the entire Kaiyuan Prefecture.”

“He thinks the Three Immortal Sects won’t kill.”

Hao Ming True Person sneered: “Don’t worry—Youyao is definitely coming for his life. This brat presumes on his master’s favor, believing his worm-demon master’s worthless life can protect him forever.”

Qingguang Cave does owe the Shen Xu lineage, but reclaiming the sect base is normal—it was originally Shu Yu’s land. Even if something goes wrong, it can be explained as not Youyao’s intent, merely the brat’s stubbornness.

“Just watch.”

With that, Hao Ming True Person closed his eyes.

Greed blinds men to their limits—this brat’s ambition has brought him his death.

…

Kaiyuan Prefecture, Tian Ta Mountain.

Even after seizing the entire Kaiyuan Prefecture, Shen Yi still preferred to remain here.

But he hadn’t expected that soon after sending Youyao away, another powerful cultivator of similar realm arrived.

“Are you comfortable staying in the North Continent?”

The newcomer, a middle-aged man with streaks of gray in his hair, gazed casually across Kaiyuan Prefecture, then slowly turned to Shen Yi: “I hear you still have no master. If you’re willing, call me Master Qixian.”

“…“

Shen Yi lifted his gaze slightly—there was no such easy fortune in the world.

“My ancestral master, the Eastern Ji Emperor, is one of the Five Celestial Sovereigns. Though dwelling in the Immortal Court, he belongs to our sect alongside the Three Pure Ones. To join my lineage is no transgression.”

Master Qixian smiled: “What do you say? Consider it.”

Among the three famed prodigies of the North Continent, the other two had sect masters behind them—only he stood beneath an Emperor, making him comparatively weaker.

Thus, he had to be more patient.

“Speak plainly,” Shen Yi turned his gaze away, toward the cliff below.

“Become my junior brother, and I will protect Kaiyuan Prefecture for you. That’s all.”

Master Qixian lightly stroked the rafters of the shrine: “Without a great tree to shield it, this thin wood and flimsy wall will collapse with the first wind.”

“I prefer to guard it myself.”

Shen Yi declined without the slightest hesitation.

Master Qixian was not surprised—any cultivator who could quietly seize a prefecture, even with low cultivation, could not be without talent or ambition.

He raised his index finger: “Serve me, and after the raid, I’ll give you ten percent.”

Even if he now ceased expansion and kept only the Five Prefectures, the other would still receive half of Kaiyuan Prefecture—a great favor.

“Don’t try to bargain with me.”

Master Qixian softly warned: “After all, your life is part of the equation.”

“If you so much as shake your head, I won’t stay another moment.”

With that, he withdrew his hand behind his back, gazing with quiet confidence.

Anyone with sense would know his willingness to come here personally was the last straw for the other’s survival.

“That’s fine. Go.”

Yet Shen Yi’s calm reply left Master Qixian momentarily stunned, his smile vanishing instantly.

He saw the other’s hand slightly extended—the unmistakable gesture of dismissal.

Master Qixian slowly furrowed his brow, fell silent for a long while, then sighed with faint resignation.

All that talk for nothing—he was a fool.

He casually tapped the rafter and sighed: “Then go die.”

Master Qixian did not mourn the young man—he merely regretted letting Youyao benefit.

His figure dissolved as he spoke.

“…“

The peak of Tian Ta Mountain was left with only a solitary figure. As the sun set, the clouds above turned from vivid hues to dull gray, then deepened into thick, suffocating ink-black, like a tide swallowing the entire sky.

Fires began to glow across Kaiyuan Prefecture.

Recent prosperity had given the former refugees more than just food and shelter—they now had the leisure to visit neighbors and chat, slowly regaining their humanity instead of remaining caged livestock.

As the saying goes: when the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up.

At this moment, in the entire Kaiyuan Prefecture, Shen Yi stood with hands at his sides, atop the highest point beneath the pitch-black night.

His deep eyes reflected countless flickering lights.

He inhaled deeply, catching again the familiar scent of demonic energy—this odor caused the points of light in his pupils to converge into a swaying flame, burning with heat to cleanse all corruption.

Shen Yi lowered his gaze to the tablet returned by his ancestor, Shen Xu.

He casually slipped it into his ring.

This was barely the beginning—whether he could hold it or not, he had to try.

“Act.”

At this terse command, fleshy shapes surged swiftly into the night.

…

“I’ve never seen a sect base like this.”

A large demon clad in talismanic armor stepped slowly into Kaiyuan Mansion, glancing forward with slight surprise—but only for an instant. It twisted its neck and stretched its body, preparing to reveal its terrifying true form.

“Playing these petty tricks, fighting for a moment’s incense—what good is it?”

Yet no sooner had the scoff escaped its lips than its pupils shrank sharply, its arms still raised.

A mass of rotting flesh suddenly slammed into the space three feet before it.

“What the hell is that!”

The demon instinctively swung its fist—but before the punch could land, tendrils burst forth from the rotting mass and struck its talismanic armor with crushing force.

Though the scene seemed absurd, the demon could not laugh. The oceanic power surged through its body even through the armor; the runes on its plates flared brightly, dampening the force by nearly ninety percent.

Yet the demon still reeled as if its insides had turned into a churning sea, spitting out a jet of essence-blood.

Worse still, the residual force had not faded—dozens more tendrils erupted simultaneously from the rotting mass.

“Wait—”

Before its cry could finish, the tendrils fell like a storm of rain and wind.

Continuous impacts shattered its talismanic armor piece by piece.

The demon crossed its arms to shield its vital points, its grotesque face now twisted with terror as the overwhelming force tore through its demonic body.

Such terrifying power—it could not identify its foe, and let out a piercing shriek: “By whose order have you come?!”

Nan Huang said nothing. Two tendrils lashed horizontally, cleanly smashing the demon’s skull.

Immediately, it leapt upward, heading for the next location.

With Shen Yi’s guidance, the large demons who had infiltrated Kaiyuan Mansion had nowhere to hide.

BOOM!

It descended from the sky, directly crushing the demon that had just revealed its true form to the ground.

Again, the same scenario unfolded.

Brutally shattering the enemy’s talismanic armor, followed by an inevitable massacre.

Until a heavy hoof slammed down upon it.

Nan Huang rolled away in surprise, transforming midair into a towering, indigo form—once more becoming a sky-obscuring mass of flesh.

“So you are his backing?”

From the shadows, a figure in a yellow short tunic stepped forward, watching the flesh mountain in the sky with keen interest.

The scar on Bai Lu’s face twitched slightly, betraying its excitement.

The greater the opponent’s depth, the greater its own merit.

Though it did not know the identity of this flesh mountain, it guessed it must have come from the south.

Bai Lu extended its palm, slowly clenching its fingers, its eyes brimming with cruelty: “Including you, that should be enough.”

Surely its younger brother would be thrilled upon hearing this news.

As a great demon who had reached the ninety-nine transformations, Nan Huang showed weakness immediately after the first exchange—it was clearly no match for Bai Lu.

Yet it hung in the sky, its face devoid of fear, even smiling: “You’ve got it backward.”

“Hmm?” Bai Lu raised an eyebrow.

“He is my backing,” Nan Huang said, gazing behind it.

Bai Lu turned its gaze coldly in that direction.

There, not far off, a figure in white robes stood still, standing at the center of a vast fissure—as if heaven and earth had split open, pouring forth thick, lingering gray mist that radiated an inescapable aura of death.

Under Bai Lu’s gaze, Shen Yi gently beckoned:

“Come.”

(End of Chapter)