[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons":3,"chapter-immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-chapter-805":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Immortality Begins with Slaying Demons",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2318693,4533,"Chapter 805: The Rule That Exists Only in Name","immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-chapter-805",805,"\u003Cp>Night was deep, and the flames still burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demonic calamity that could easily turn an entire prefecture into a dead zone had stirred not the slightest ripple in Kaiyuan Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yi strolled slowly among the flickering lights; compared to his arrival, the stench had lessened, the faint sobs by his ears had vanished, and he felt slightly more at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he appeared aloof, he strangely favored this taste of the mortal world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking at this leisurely pace, Shen Yi soon returned to the summit of Tian Ta Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood at the cliff’s edge and lazily stretched his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this was only the first wave of assault, once dawn broke, Beizhou would erupt in chaos, and Kaiyuan Prefecture would become the target of all eyes—but a good start was always welcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, all is resolved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Huang returned silently, dropping four rotting corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt no surprise that its master had returned before it; the man had already dared to crush it outright while still incomplete in his cultivation, and now that he had mastered both the Immortal and the Practitioner paths, the stag demon was lucky to have survived the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yi gave a slight nod and turned his gaze to the interface before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four great demons earlier had offered thirty-four thousand demonic lifespans, and combined with the incense imperial qi he had accumulated, this had propelled his Divine Void Fruit to break past the ninety-second threshold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add to that the eight thousand or so demonic lifespans from this stag demon, and it was enough to complete this path entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current calm was comfortable, but dawn would come inevitably—it was time to prepare for what lay ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yi closed his eyes and turned inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon Subduing, Tiger Taming position was fiercely yang, drawing upon the essence of heaven and earth, solid as a boulder; yet the Divine Void Fruit followed the exact opposite path—so far, it had not even taken a defined shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two should have clashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Shen Yi had quietly discovered a thread of opportunity: using the Divine Void Fruit to conceal the Golden Body’s manifestation. Now, the thick black clouds resembled the night sky before him; as threads of Tai Xu primordial essence flowed into them, they no longer wrapped around the Golden Body but slowly rose and rapidly spread outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond heaven and earth lay the cosmos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black clouds grew deeper and vaster until they engulfed everything within—thus, internally, a world was formed; externally, a river of stars, clear and turbid separated yet mutually supportive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the final thread of primordial essence seeped in, the boundless cosmos finally took shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yi had entered this realm before, yet he still watched intently—and indeed, in a flash, he caught the supreme Dao inscription once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jade Universe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again fleeting, Shen Yi stared at the endless black clouds, and a hollow emptiness suddenly welled in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What followed was an intense yearning for the Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long moments passed before Shen Yi snapped out of his daze; he clenched his fist lightly—given his current situation, nothing could be rushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he reexamined his inner state, he discovered something utterly bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he could distinctly sense both the position and the fruit, the two paths had now become inseparable—even to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Merged into one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yi fell silent for an instant, then his face broke into a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant he could now draw upon both sets of demonic power simultaneously, without fear of others detecting any anomaly—immensely helpful for what he planned next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his eyes and gazed far toward the faint white line on the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the night recede like a tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaiyuan Prefecture remained as calm as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if nothing had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet across the other twenty-eight prefectures of Beizhou, chaos erupted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew Sister Youyao had moved; they had even prepared for her ascension as the top disciple of the Three Immortals Sect today—but nothing occurred this night, not even a ripple stirred in Kaiyuan Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could Sister Youyao have softened her heart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disciples murmured among themselves; even many senior members of the sect were taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not believe the mission had failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, many had casually passed over Kaiyuan Prefecture and found the vast city bore no trace of battle; even the refugees looked calm, utterly unlike those who had endured a demonic calamity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Xian Shiren stood inside the Eastern Pole Emperor Temple, respectfully adding three new incense sticks to his master’s statue, yet his mind was clearly elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the curling blue smoke, his brow slowly furrowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing Youyao as he did, this woman was not one to speak carelessly; on the contrary, she knew exactly what she wanted and would never gamble her reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soft-hearted? What nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone aiming to become an Immortal Emperor would always give her all—no room for error.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Put bluntly, among Beizhou’s cultivators, those who had reached the pinnacle of ninety-nine transformations were not rare—yet why could only these three of us claim four prefectures, while other cultivators of similar strength held only one, and some like Lingxu Cave’s Yunmiao still lacked even a single Dao hall?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of this was won through hard-fought battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If any of us so much as stumbles once, the others will grow restless; as the saying goes, two fists can’t fight four hands—why invite a pack of wolves if you’re not forced to?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the situation is nothing like the other disciples imagine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something’s off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Xian Shiren closed his eyes, recalling the quiet figure seated atop Tian Ta Mountain yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This cultivator from Nanzhou is far more complex than I thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What I once took for recklessness now appears as calm composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man is no friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youyao seeks the top disciple position of the Three Immortals Sect—she is not the only one watching her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, at the border of Kaiyuan Prefecture,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a man in blue robes walked slowly; though his appearance was plain, his presence among the disciples naturally stood out like a crane among chickens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Li Shan, look!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One disciple spotted something, stepped forward, and pointed to a depression dyed crimson with demonic blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this was not soft-heartedness—last night, Kaiyuan Prefecture did indeed endure a demonic calamity; only the demons had barely entered before being cleanly slaughtered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shan cast only a casual glance, then returned his gaze to the distant farmhouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the demonic incident, he seemed far more concerned with something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Li Shan?” The disciple, seeing him lost in thought, gently reminded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shan exhaled slowly and said, “In terms of character, I am inferior to this Tai Xu True Person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why say that, Brother?” The disciples’ confusion deepened into astonishment—this brother was among the sect’s top three prodigies; even if the Tai Xu Dan Huang had truly repelled Sister Youyao’s assault, it hardly warranted such a remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shan gazed at the refugees carrying buckets, laughing as they walked, and said softly, “Across all of Beizhou, every disciple is scheming how to seize imperial qi—even I am no different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether controlling water and grain or sending great demons into the city, all is meant to make them suffer more, so they’ll realize the Emperor’s tyranny and the Sect’s mercy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this man does the opposite,” Li Shan’s smile vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… what does it mean?” The disciples stood frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our greed is obvious. Whether we admit it or not, we feel guilty—because we fear someone else will take our Dao hall, so we instinctively try to gorge ourselves while we still hold it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shan shook his head. “It’s no different from these civilians fighting over water and grain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He can restrain himself because he has absolute confidence—believing no one can take Kaiyuan Prefecture from him. Slow, steady gains—why rush?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the disciples exchanged glances: “Could you be overthinking? After all, Kaiyuan Prefecture was once divided among three people—perhaps he’s doing this simply to avoid openly clashing with the others, using this method to compete for incense qi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Possibly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shan did not insist—he smiled and continued walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But someone bold enough to challenge Youyao would truly care about obscure, nameless figures?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, there was no need to dwell on this now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter is far from settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After today, the name Tai Xu True Person will echo across Beizhou—but whether it lasts is uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, among disciples vying for Dao halls, victory and defeat are normal—but Youyao is different: she cannot afford to lose. Or rather, none of us three can—we simply cannot lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s see how this woman responds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely imagining her expression now, Li Shan found it quite amusing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beizhou, Qingguang Cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the Lingxiu Mountains, a stone staircase vanished into mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman in black robes, wearing a jeweled crown, did not ride clouds—she walked slowly up the stone steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression was calm, betraying no emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when she reached the staircase’s end and looked up at the quiet little shrine did her steps finally hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Youyao’s inner state was far from as tranquil as her outward demeanor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the shrine’s entrance, the Crane Child grabbed the hand of another fair-skinned, red-lipped child, squinting and warning him with his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the child hesitated, then forcefully shook off the Crane Child’s hand, forcing a smile as he stepped forward and whispered, “Sister Youyao has returned… I’d like to ask about my elder brother—where is he now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingguang True Person had two attendants: the Crane and the Deer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy was none other than the Deer Child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, it was clearly disoriented, its bowing motion distracted, eyes fixed tightly on You Yao’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you call me?” You Yao swept a cold gaze over it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master…” Lu Tong stopped mid-sentence, realizing his mistake, and quickly bowed low: “You Yao Immortal Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he was only one step away from becoming a disciple of Qingguang True Person, he was still merely a child—this title of “sister” could be silently accepted as usual, but if challenged, it would surely incur the crime of overstepping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember your place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Yao lightly swept her sleeve, stepped past him, and walked straight into the small pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when her silhouette vanished beyond the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Tong slowly raised his head, his whole body trembling slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Tong quietly approached and gently patted his shoulder; neither spoke, but both understood perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If nothing had happened, why would You Yao have evaded the matter, feigning authority while betraying a hint of guilt? The former senior sister would never have responded this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her avoidance of the question was itself an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who truly governs Kaiyuan Prefecture?” Lu Tong’s eyes burned with hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Tong remained silent for a long while before slowly uttering: “Tai Xu Dan Huang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could hardly imagine that the young man who, once in Nan Zhou, had dared not show his face even when targeted by a single Tianwu, and had relied solely on his master’s protection, had managed to hold Kaiyuan Prefecture against that deer demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And held it so silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, he casually glanced back at the old woman stepping out of the small pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“… ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Chi Ancestor forced a smile, nodded, and greeted the two children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she lowered her head again and quietly walked down the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one noticed the sweat pooling in her palms hidden within her sleeves… her suspicion was correct—there truly was such a thing as a destined one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though You Yao had not yet reported it to her master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Chi Ancestor swallowed hard, recalling Shu Yu True Person and Shen Shan Ancestor, both still unreturned; surely, by now, they were already gone, their souls returned to heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people looked down on Nan Zhou, thinking them unsophisticated, unaware that the fear instilled by the Bodhisattva Who Subdues Dragons and Tigers was no weaker than that inspired by You Yao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tai Xu Dan Huang, who had escaped from this Bodhisattva’s grasp—how could he possibly be easy to deal with?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingguang Cave had angered the destined one; Yu Chi was already considering whether to switch sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And right now, inside the small pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slender figure, back turned to the kneeling woman, said calmly: “Lost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Yao bit her red lip tightly, then after a long while said: “Disciple did not lose… but cannot afford to lose…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evasion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingguang True Person glanced at her coldly: “What do you intend to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He killed Master Shu Yu…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Yao drew a deep breath, but before she could finish, her master interrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have proof?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Yao lifted her head, exhaled slowly, her pupils trembling slightly, and said unwillingly: “No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingguang True Person turned away his gaze; by now, he had guessed his second disciple was gone. This disciple was merely using the matter as an excuse, seeking his permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demon had been slain; the only option left was for them to act themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in Bei Zhou, there was no precedent for cultivators directly fighting over a sect’s territory—so they sought to use private grudges as a pretext to reclaim honor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember how you answered when your Chi Yun Uncle asked you last time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said… he was innocent.” You Yao paused, startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he was innocent, then the Nan Zhou cultivators are innocent too—after all, your brother went there seeking death. But correspondingly, you too can be innocent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingguang True Person’s face grew even colder: “So stop searching for excuses. Your time is short—hurry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord oversees the great tribulation and selects the worthy; under these circumstances, Qingguang Cave’s lineage cannot fall behind. If it is a tribulation, how can there be no death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the storm has already begun, better to make it bigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2330,"2026-06-20T15:00:39.689Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cf3a606c9dcfbf279f5745495386a2c7d97058752255e65585e08597bca8bf3b","immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-chapter-806","immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-chapter-804",840,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-cover.jpg"]