Chapter 810: The Dog, Cornered, Jumps the Wall

Several bodhisattvas couldn’t stop swallowing their saliva.

At this point, begging for mercy sounded absurd.

Even if the True Lord of Grand Void didn’t kill them, the three-immortal sect disciples surrounding them like wolves would never let them leave alive.

Now that the Buddha treasure had been seized, all it would take was for the young man in white to give a single order—these disciples would leap upon them without hesitation, tearing them apart down to bone and cloth.

“My lords…”

The five bodhisattvas exchanged glances, each seeing the same death in the others’ eyes.

With their cultivation base, they could only activate a fraction of the Buddha treasure’s power—but the True Lord of Grand Void had stopped it with raw strength alone, proving his overwhelming might; even if they died trying, they couldn’t harm him.

The next instant, the five no longer hesitated, simultaneously fleeing in five different directions.

How many of them would survive today was left to fate.

“Thief monks, trying to escape?”

The remaining three-immortal sect disciples finally snapped out of their shock.

From that world-shattering staff strike to the Buddha treasure being casually knocked aside against the mountain peak by the sky-curtain giant shadow, the sheer contrast made some wonder if the Buddha treasure was merely an illusion conjured by these monks.

One disciple, enraged and ashamed, flew off and summoned his magic treasure to chase down one of the fleeing bodhisattvas.

At that moment, a companion grabbed his sleeve and gestured with his eyes toward the peak of Tian Ta Mountain.

There, the True Lord of Grand Void still stood in place, silently watching the five escape.

The giant shadow behind him remained utterly still.

In a breath, he gently closed his index and middle fingers and swept them casually across his front—suddenly, everything in his vision grew still, the sky clear as a mirror, so transparent even the wind’s traces could be seen with the naked eye.

Heaven and earth fell silent.

The five bodhisattvas abruptly halted, scanning their surroundings as if facing mortal enemies, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down their foreheads, soaking their eyelids.

Instantly, they activated tribulation power, manifesting towering golden bodies, wrapping themselves tightly within them; three among them, who had cultivated through demonic ancestry, not only revealed their golden forms but also their true demonic bodies.

Majestic golden bodhisattva forms and monstrous demonic bodies suddenly filled the entire sky.

“So they’re demons…”

The confused civilians, who had earlier thought the aurora was heavenly wrath, now finally saw the truth.

Months ago, such terrifying demons appearing would have sent them fleeing in panic—but now, all beings instinctively stood their ground, trembling yet staring fixedly at the white-robed figure atop the peak.

Shen Yi’s closed sword fingers finally descended.

Instantly, ripples stirred in the clear heavens, faint invisible white light flowing—slipping through the air, reaching out in all directions, soon touching the massive golden forms and demonic bodies.

The invincible golden forms, the powerful demonic bodies—upon contact with the white light, they shattered without resistance, their cuts smooth as mirrored surfaces.

The countless white lights converged upward, forming an ancient, simple green blade.

Swish—

The long sword flew back, clanging softly into its sheath at Shen Yi’s waist.

Only now did the shattered golden forms slowly dissolve into golden light, revealing the terrified, decapitated monks within, along with the mountain-sized chunks of demonic corpses, crashing down in a torrent of blood upon Kaiyuan Prefecture.

“Pure Realm! That’s a technique of our Shangqing lineage!”

Many disciples had recognized it and couldn’t help shouting out.

Though the black cloud giant shadow had been beyond expectation, only when Shen Yi used this technique from the three-immortal sect did people feel a sense of shared pride.

Moreover, the True Lord of Grand Void had wielded it so effortlessly—he clearly mastered it to perfection.

Disciples not of the Shangqing lineage stared numbly at the blood rain overhead.

The True Lord of Grand Void’s move was ruthlessly brutal, hardly fitting the Pure Realm’s tranquil, non-action philosophy—but it depended on who it was used against.

After all, the Bodhi Sect had intruded into the Northern Continent and slaughtered people without provocation, long inciting fury among these proud sect immortals, their murderous intent pent up and unspent.

Now that they died so gruesomely, it only brought cheers of delight!

“Thank you, True Lord Shen Yi, for avenging my fellow disciples!”

“Thank you, True Lord Shen Yi!”

The cries of approval spread like a tidal wave.

And this was only the beginning—in no more than a day, the entire Northern Continent would know who had avenged the many disciples and the two caves, Lingxu and Chiyun.

“…“

Four figures stood frozen at the edge of Kaiyuan Prefecture.

Before them were True Person Youyao and Yunmiao; behind them followed the Crane and Deer attendants.

At this moment, the cheers were painfully loud.

Youyao was utterly at a loss.

“Sister Youyao, I heard the news and rushed back to tell you immediately,” Yunmiao explained, voice dry—he knew well who held the key to his resurgence after being ignored by his master.

Thus, despite losing face on Qingguang Mountain last time, he had genuinely searched for the Bodhi Sect’s fugitives.

And just a few days ago, he’d made significant progress.

Who could have imagined… who could have imagined that the monks all the Northern Continent’s disciples had failed to find would come directly to Tian Ta Mountain—and even more absurdly, not only had they failed in their assassination, they hadn’t even lasted until Youyao arrived?

This wasn’t an assassination—it was suicide!

“…“

The Deer attendant stared fixedly at the blurred outline of Tian Ta Mountain—his elder brother had died there, and now, the hope of revenge seemed to fade further.

“Fate has decided.”

The Crane attendant sighed, patting his companion’s shoulder—ostensibly comforting the Deer attendant, but really soothing Youyao.

Many things simply cannot be changed by human will.

And bluntly speaking, these monks suddenly rushed out in such desperation—most likely because Youyao had recently taken this matter seriously, uncovering their tracks and forcing them into a corner, making them fight to the death.

The True Lord Shen Yi’s current glory owes part of its credit to Qingguang Cave.

“Fate…”

Youyao never believed in fate—the Great Calamity chose the Immortal Emperor; who in this world could represent fate better than the Immortal Emperor?

The color drained from her face, leaving it deathly pale.

Her last path had been blocked.

As for her suspicions that the True Lord Shen Yi colluded with the Bodhi Sect—after today, no one would believe her, no matter how loudly she screamed.

“Ha.”

Youyao gave a bitter laugh, shoved Yunmiao aside, and floated listlessly toward Qingguang Mountain, her spirit shattered.

…

Among white clouds, a winding stone path.

The woman in black robes entered the Daoist temple, walked to her master’s door, reached out to push it—only to find the thin wooden door unmoved.

Her pupils trembled slightly—this was a refusal to meet.

Her slightly swaying black robes couldn’t withstand the mountain’s chill, leaving her shivering.

Youyao didn’t turn away—she fell to her knees with a thud before the door.

She knelt there for who knew how long, until the two attendants and Yunmiao returned, and fellow disciples, hearing the news, gathered before the temple.

Finally, a soft sigh came from within.

The wooden door opened slightly.

Youyao rose silently, pulled the door open, and stepped inside.

There, her master sat on a mat, back turned to her, showing no intention to look back.

“Speak,” Qingguangzi’s voice was stiff.

“Master,” Youyao, having thought through much during her long kneel, bit her lip and spoke bluntly: “Do I still have a chance?”

Silence filled the room.

Qingguangzi still didn’t turn, only said softly: “Don’t harbor unrealistic hopes. Just tend to your own domain.”

He refused to see her because he didn’t want to hear more unreasonable demands—he wanted her to settle down, guard her little patch of land.

Don’t dream of the Immortal Emperor’s throne; at least hold onto Qingguang Cave’s current status, so that after the calamity, there’s still incense to be offered—don’t embarrass yourself before the Sect Master.

Besides, there’s nothing to argue about: within the three-immortal sect, excluding the Jade Pure Sect Master, there are two other Sect Masters and five Emperor Lords, each commanding a major faction—seven in total.

Each faction has many Daoist caves beneath them.

Qingguang Cave is merely one among them; not sitting on the throne of heaven and earth is perfectly normal—it’s fate.

“…“

Hearing this, the last glimmer of hope in Youyao’s eyes vanished.

She stared silently at the neatly laid floor tiles, then slowly rose, skipping even a bow, and turned to leave the room.

Youyao understood her master’s meaning.

She had once been a contender for the world—but now she was merely a watchdog; to the sect, she was no more significant than the True Lord Shen Yi was to Lingxuzi.

Don’t cause trouble anymore. Just survive this calamity quietly.

She should even be grateful her master hadn’t taken away her three magic treasures—so when she barked at outsiders as a watchdog, she’d still have some dignity.

Thinking of this, Youyao couldn’t help a self-deprecating smile.

She stepped out of the temple and saw her junior disciples staring at her with strange glances; only after a moment did they remember to bow.

The attendant still bowing at the temple entrance was now only the white crane.

As for the Deer attendant, he stood at a distance, watching her with a complex, gloomy expression.

Youyao knew what the beast was thinking.

If she only held the four prefectures and didn’t vie for the final throne, then her brother’s death was meaningless—she had killed him out of mere temper.

"Tsk."

True Person Yunmiao cleared his throat softly and averted his gaze.

He ought to feel despair now, yet seeing You Yao reduced to the same fate as himself, he strangely felt a flicker of relief.

He was no longer the most disgraced senior disciple of Beizhou.

But Yunmiao showed none of his thoughts—after all, this woman still owed him a sect estate spanning an entire prefecture.

In full view of everyone.

You Yao walked forward with outward calm, yet each step sent a needle-like pain piercing her heart.

In truth, even now, what she possessed still surpassed ninety-nine percent of her fellow disciples; once the storm passed, even if she lost her current status, she would remain the revered Sister You Yao.

Yet nothing in this world was harder to bear than the gap between what one had and what one lost.

Until she returned to the grand hall.

You Yao caught a glimpse of figures hurrying out the door; she reached out and blocked one, coldly asking, “Where are you going?”

“This...” Yuchi had just packed her things and hadn’t expected anyone to return; her aged face flushed with embarrassment.

She had fled from Nanzhou to Beizhou precisely to avoid those destined to face the tribulation; now that Qingguang Cave was clearly entangled in it, even hiding in some remote mountain forest would be safer than staying on the mountain.

But having been an elder ancestor in Nanzhou for many years, she still had some pride left.

Yuchi Ancestor forced a smile, paused thoughtfully, and instead of answering, offered advice: “Senior Sister, this great heavenly tribulation is meant for those blessed with fortune... There are always differences between people. Clinging too tightly to your pride may only harm yourself.”

You Yao heard no mockery in those words.

The old woman truly meant well.

And precisely because of that, the words became the final straw.

The anger You Yao had suppressed for so long erupted in an instant.

“You mean I’m not as good as him?” She glared coldly at the old woman.

"No, no! Sister doesn't mean it that way!" Yuchi Ancestor immediately realized the other's anger had reached its breaking point; further persuasion would only cause her more trouble. She nervously laughed twice and fell silent.

“Stay inside the hall. Don’t go anywhere.”

You Yao suddenly swept her sleeve, flinging Yuchi Ancestor back into the hall, then slammed her palm down—several beams of pure light pinned the old woman in place.

Fire flickered in her pupils: “I want you to open your eyes and see clearly—how vast the gap is between me and your Nanzhou cultivators.”

Since her Master showed no mercy, and her fellow disciples no longer respected her, why should she keep serving Qingguang Cave?

If she couldn’t become an Immortal Emperor, then let this great tribulation pass her by.

Better to seek freedom and ease, and let her heart find true clarity.

“Yunmiao!”

You Yao called out sharply, summoning the person outside the hall. Before he could speak, she flung a token at him: “Take this token, lead the demons, and seize the imperial qi of all four prefectures within seven days. Don’t worry about exhausting the source—how much you take, I want all of it.”

“Once the task is done, all four prefectures are yours.”

“Huh?”

Hearing such good news, Yunmiao’s mind went blank; before joy could rise, fear struck him: “What is Senior Sister planning?”

“What am I planning?”

You Yao sneered and spun around abruptly.

She meant to attain Golden Immortality, like those ancient ones, waiting to feast on imperial qi—this damned tribulation, who cared to join?

But before that, she must first kill that damned worm-demon disciple, to quench the fire in her heart.

This time, let’s see if that immortal old bastard Lingxu can stop her.

(End of Chapter)