Chapter 808: Achieving Great Deeds, Not Bound by Minor Details

He received the great dharma and acquired a spiritual treasure.

Shen Yi rose and left the Daoist temple.

Both of them implicitly avoided rigid teacher-disciple rituals; as long as appearances were maintained, it was sufficient.

For an immortal with infinite lifespan, time holds no meaning unless confronted by a great calamity.

Even if Lingxu Zi truly looked down on Yunmiao, and wished to choose another disciple to inherit his lineage, he would rather find a young child and cultivate them from the Qi Refining stage than attempt to soften a Great Luo Immortal with so-called teacher-disciple bonds.

Thus, Shen Yi had no need to feign filial piety—merely fulfilling his role in the tribulation was sufficient.

“…”

He glanced at the Wuwei Sword at his waist; in truth, this suited his heart perfectly.

After all, even if one’s master, when the day comes that no sect identity needs concealing, one still must cut if necessary.

After arriving in Beizhou and witnessing these changes firsthand, Shen Yi had long since realized he could never be aligned with these great sects.

No, they were celestial immortals, not even human.

Mortals all seek immortality and the Dao, yearning for eternal life, yet it is as hard as climbing to heaven.

But when he finally stood before this threshold, Shen Yi suddenly realized that being human was harder than becoming an immortal—and yet he still wished to try his best.

Shen Yi casually tucked the Wuwei Sword into his ring, then stepped into the Grand Void Realm.

His former dream of white robes like snow, sword in hand, horse at heel, stemmed from being called “Demon Lord Shen” wherever he went—he cherished that indelible knightly spirit, not these pretentious outward shells.

He returned to Tian Ta Mountain.

All disciples assigned to relief efforts paused their tasks and stared at the figure before them.

Clearly, the scene of their ancestral master personally arriving in Kaiyuan Prefecture to punish Master Youyao had left these Lingxu Cave disciples utterly stunned.

If before, they obeyed his edicts out of fear of the Grand Void True Person, now their expressions had turned to reverence.

This True Person was now truly their senior uncle.

Thus, his actions naturally represented the entire Lingxu Cave… Previously, even this small patch of Daoist ground on Tian Ta Mountain had required alms from other elders in the sect; now, their own lineage possessed the strength to rival Qingguang Cave!

“We pay homage to Grand Void Senior Uncle!”

“…”

Shen Yi nodded slightly and sat upon the mountain peak.

He closed his eyes, and in his mind appeared two Dao scriptures.

One was the method paired with the Wuwei Sword, passed down from the Shangqing Sect Master’s lineage, called Qingxin Realm; mastering it would fully complete his final missing technique.

But Shen Yi’s thoughts were fixed entirely on the other scripture.

【Second-Rank: Yucheng Treasure Proclamation: Unentered】

This was the final key to the path of immortality.

Under the influx of demonic longevity, Shen Yi gradually clenched it in his grasp.

The Dao numbers fifty, yet one escapes.

This escaped one gave rise to all methods in the world; some great beings traced its roots and glimpsed a corner of this iceberg.

Whether the Three Pure Ones and Five Emperors, or the Nine True Buddhas, all the great dharma they deduced aimed to observe this iceberg from different angles.

Then find a way to send themselves inside.

Shen Yi raised his head and saw countless threads quietly emerging in the empty sky; moments later, two faint threads flickered—dim light representing the path he had walked, stretching endlessly toward the invisible horizon.

Simultaneously, his Dao Fruit and Position trembled violently within him, as if yearning to burst free.

Even though formed from tribulation energy, these two were still lifeless objects.

What stirred was not them… but himself.

Shen Yi bit his lip hard, expressionless, until blood welled, finally suppressing the subtle tremors coursing through his body.

This was the terrifying allure of the Dao!

The light from these two paths was impossibly distant; any misstep during the process of entering would destroy his Dao Fruit utterly.

To avoid risk, he must first prepare sufficient tribulation energy.

His Dao Fruit and Position were already fused as one, inseparable; to send them in, he needed double the amount—two hundred thousand tribulations!

“Huh.”

Shen Yi drew the Wuwei Sword and tapped its blade with his finger; if only he could extract the tribulation energy within it.

Alas, it was only a fantasy.

He sighed; now was not the time to gamble his life—if he failed to attain enlightenment, he’d truly have to hide in some remote mountain forest, as the Emperor had said.

Even if fortune favored him and he survived to regain his cultivation, when he emerged again, the world would have changed beyond recognition.

Shen Yi firmly turned his thoughts to Qingxin Realm and the Wuwei Sword.

As long as he held Kaiyuan Prefecture, demonic longevity and tribulation energy would eventually accumulate.

“Tsk.”

The Southern Emperor and Shenxu Ancestor exchanged a glance within the Ten Thousand Demons Hall, yet neither dared speak a word of warning.

Even under such dire circumstances—being hunted by the Pure World Bodhisattva and having glimpsed a fragment of the Dao—any other cultivator would have already acted: perhaps ordered their followers to leave the Ten Thousand Demons Hall and stir up chaos in Kaiyuan Prefecture.

This entire prefecture had rested long enough; a little harshness could easily squeeze out thirty or fifty thousand tribulations.

Afterward, they could soothe their Dao heart with excuses of sacrificing minor ethics for greater righteousness.

But their master had never even considered such a thing.

…

Qingguang Mountain.

Dozens of disciples stood in line before the temple gate, eyes downcast, not daring to breathe loudly.

Even the boldest among them dared only sneak glances with the corners of their eyes toward the temple interior; though high walls blocked all view, everyone could imagine the fury boiling within their Master.

Within just two days.

Their revered senior sister, the pride of the entire Qingguang Cave lineage, had first planned to strike at an obscure cultivator from Nanzhou, using this nearly opportunistic tactic to seize the position of First Disciple of the Three Immortal Teachings.

And yet she had failed.

This alone was humiliating enough; fortunately, her past reputation held her up, and for now, fellow disciples in Beizhou still speculated—had she simply withdrawn, the damage might have been minimized.

But under these circumstances, she had dared to directly attack the Grand Void True Person, irrevocably confirming her defeat in the struggle for the Dao field.

Had she succeeded, it would have been fine.

Victory and defeat are determined by outcome.

That Nanzhou cultivator had no backing; a dead man cannot speak. After some time, no one would care about such a trivial matter—perhaps only whispered mockery behind his back, with no impact on the grand scheme.

But Master Youyao failed again… and publicly, under the eyes of all, punished by Senior Uncle Lingxu, branded as heartless and cruel toward fellow disciples.

That old bastard had unexpectedly shown such stubbornness—it was strange!

But no matter what excuse she made, Master Youyao’s blunders had pushed this matter beyond redemption.

No one knew what to say.

“How could such a decisive and sharp-witted senior sister end up like this?”

“Sigh…”

Several disciples lowered their heads further.

Jade Pool Ancestor stood silently at the rear; for reasons unknown, this shocking news, when heard by her, felt strangely unsurprising—even natural.

The Grand Void Alchemist, a cultivator famed alongside the Bodhisattvas Who Subdue Dragon and Tiger, had stirred up storms in Nanzhou—how could he be bullied in Beizhou?

Outside the temple, disciples’ thoughts varied.

Deep within the temple’s innermost hall.

Youyao knelt dazedly, eyes vacant, neglecting even to suppress her internal injuries, as if her soul had fled.

“Stand up.” Qingguang Zi stared at the Three Pure Ones statue, voice low.

“...” Youyao lifted her head blankly, her precious crown slightly askew, her neatly combed black hair now disheveled.

“I told you to stand up!”

Qingguang Zi suddenly turned and delivered a heavy, swift slap across Youyao’s face.

Youyao toppled sideways, clutching her cheek, watching the fury surging in her Master’s eyes, trembling uncontrollably—finally rising, fumbling with her clenched fists.

“I bestowed upon you a spiritual treasure, sent the Deer Demon to follow you, and orchestrated many plans—was this for you to end up looking like this, neither human nor ghost?”

Qingguang Zi quickly suppressed his emotion, coldly scanning her.

Youyao slowly came to, bloodshot eyes blazing as she cried out in despair: “Master, that old Lingxu scoundrel humiliated me!”

“Silence.” Qingguang Zi frowned sharply.

Any disciple with ambition, no matter their private thoughts, would never utter such words.

In the Three Immortal Teachings, disrespect toward elders was the gravest taboo; if this spread, its consequences might be worse than losing Kaiyuan Prefecture.

This proved Youyao had utterly lost her will to compete, and now embraced self-destruction.

Thinking of this, Qingguang Zi’s stern expression softened slightly.

His eldest disciple’s path had been too smooth: from childhood, she had always outpaced her peers, and even after entering the tribulation, she swiftly became one of the most renowned.

Overvaluing failure drives one to give everything in every endeavor—but also makes one prone to utter collapse.

“Your senior uncle’s affairs are my concern.”

Qingguang Zi said coolly: “As for you, your focus now must be this great tribulation.”

He knew perfectly well what Lingxu Zi was scheming—otherwise he wouldn’t have warned Youyao to hurry before her departure.

That old rascal had nothing to lose; Lingxu Cave’s performance in the tribulation was already this bad—how much worse could it get?

He’d take any stray boy off the road, let him do as he pleased—even gaining a little was profit.

But Qingguang Cave was different; You Yao had already stabilized the situation, so it was natural for her to be flustered upon suddenly encountering this barefoot stranger.

“Don’t forget, no matter how you spin it, he’s only held onto Kaiyuan Prefecture.”

“But you still control four prefectures under your command.”

At these words, You Yao froze, her face tinged with bitterness: “But my reputation is ruined—I’ll never lay claim to that position now.”

“Hold tight to your four prefectures. Reputation can be regained. Don’t forget—you’re still in charge of investigating the Puti Sect’s rebellion.”

“Stop worrying about that boy,” Qingguang Zi slowly turned away. “When you become Immortal Emperor, no matter how many domains he seizes, he’ll still kneel before you. What you truly need to watch are Li Shan and Qixian.”

You Yao was jolted awake by her master’s words.

That’s right! Those monks slaughtered people in Beizhou—this anger still smolders in the hearts of many fellow disciples, and they desperately need an outlet.

Whoever resolves this matter is truly the one who can speak for the sect. As for gains and losses in these domains, they’re trivial.

“Master, I suspect the Tai Xu True Lord is colluding with the Puti Sect!”

You Yao gradually recalled earlier events—she had first suspected Shen Yi, but those monks suddenly reappeared and killed several Sanxian Sect disciples, diverting her attention.

Now that she thought about it, without the backing of Sanxian Sect’s resources, how could that thief, relying solely on a bug demon, possibly reach the pinnacle of ninety-nine transformations?

Remember, Nanzhou is Xumishan’s territory.

This time, Qingguang True Person didn’t ask her for evidence. Instead, he glanced back slightly and said with deep implication: “If you uncover this matter, whether there’s collusion or not—you’ll know best. No need to explain it to me.”

“...”

You Yao fell silent for a moment, then her eyes lit up.

She exhaled slowly, adjusted her precious crown, straightened her attire, then bowed deeply to her master before turning and walking out of the observatory.

“Senior Sister.”

The disciples watched their senior sister emerge and immediately lined up to bow in unison.

At that moment, a hurried figure dashed up from below the long staircase.

“Senior Sister You Yao!”

Yunmiao True Person’s address of “Senior Sister” had grown increasingly natural—but his mind was agitated, so much so that he failed to notice the tense atmosphere. He barely landed before blurting out: “That domain must not...”

Before he could finish, You Yao seized his collar without expression, her gaze cold as she spoke: “Listen carefully. I only granted you a domain on the condition that you follow my orders. What to do, how to do it—I decide.”

“Now, you need only assist me in uncovering the Puti Sect’s traitors. Don’t bring up irrelevant matters.”

With that, You Yao shoved him aside and strode down the mountain.

Yunmiao stood frozen, feeling the strange stares from the disciples behind him—his face flushed crimson.

Though he knew his foundation still lagged far behind You Yao’s, this woman should at least grant him some dignity. To speak to him like a menial servant in front of everyone—how could she possibly disregard him, the senior disciple of Lingxu Cave?

Yet as he thought of this, Yunmiao True Person fell silent again.

Senior disciple of Lingxu Cave... Given how his master returned from outside and refused to even speak a word to him, if things continued like this, he didn’t know how many more days he’d even hold that title.

As the saying goes: to repel external foes, first secure internal stability.

To accomplish great things, one must know what matters most.

Yunmiao True Person clenched his teeth hard, gazing eastward—his eyes slowly filled with murderous intent.

If not for that bug-demon disciple, how could he have endured such humiliation!

(End of Chapter)