Chapter 821: Petty People Cause Trouble

“Damn it… damn it!”

Leaving Tian Ta Mountain, Qi Xian Shiren carefully cradled the Emperor’s statue, still seething with anger even after departing from Kaiyuan Prefecture.

He set aside his reservations and personally visited Lingxu Mountain, appealing to emotion and reason from start to finish, giving this rising star every possible courtesy.

Where did this fellow get the audacity to be so arrogant? Even before the Emperor, he refused to show the slightest restraint.

“Your Majesty, rest assured—disciple shall go find Li Shan and teach this arrogant brat a lesson!”

“…”

The clay face remained unchanged, but a flicker of light in its eyes revealed a faint smile; its voice remained gentle: “With your abilities, you cannot teach him a lesson—but if things continue like this, he will surely suffer.”

As the Eastern Pole Emperor, one of the stewards of Heaven and Earth, Shen Yi’s final actions had already revealed the young man’s true heart.

Moving the Emperor’s statue away shows this youth has yet to grasp the nature of the Immortal Emperor—he believes the Sovereign of Heaven and Earth supersedes all, even the great sects behind him.

Put plainly, this boy has rebellious intentions.

The two sects are driving the Great Calamity to replace the Human Emperor with an Immortal Emperor, seeking lasting stability—how could they allow a being so similar to the Human Emperor to occupy that final throne?

“He will return.”

The Eastern Pole Emperor had already studied this man’s life story—he had struggled for years, finally releasing a lifetime of resentment, and a touch of self-importance is only natural.

What the Human Emperor controlled was all of the mortal realm, far surpassing even the Six Emperors’ domain, so much so that even the Sect Masters grew envious.

Now such a colossal entity has fallen.

Even an Emperor must seize this opportunity to claim as much benefit as possible, so that after the Calamity, the rankings may be renegotiated.

Thus, the Eastern Pole Emperor is willing to give this young man—the one most likely to control the Northern Continent—one more chance.

“Disciple respectfully bids farewell to the Emperor.”

Qi Xian Shiren felt the warmth fade from the clay statue and immediately bowed in midair.

When he rose again, his expression shifted rapidly—the Emperor had reached the pinnacle, so he had no need to rush, but how long could he himself afford to wait?

After all, as long as the Eastern Pole Emperor’s mansion secures sufficient incense offerings, who becomes Sovereign of Heaven and Earth matters nothing to him.

Qi Xian did not wish to become the second Yun Miao True Person.

“I must seek out Li Shan and discuss whether any opportunity can be found.”

Just as he prepared to step forward, countless beams of light streaked from the horizon, one swiftly descending to land in Qi Xian’s palm, transforming into a jade slip.

He frowned slightly, puzzled.

This was clearly a joint edict issued by numerous Golden Immortals—by the number, it seemed to encompass every third-rank sect member, a formidable display.

“What’s going on?”

Qi Xian gripped the jade slip, sinking his spiritual sense into it. Moments later, his expression changed slightly, as if shocked by its contents—but soon, a glimmer of delight appeared in his eyes.

Here was the opportunity!

…

Kaiyuan Prefecture, Tian Ta Mountain.

After watching the Emperor’s statue depart, Shen Yi fell silent for a long while, then turned and returned to the Immortal Shrine.

Inside the Ten Thousand Spirits Hall, not even the idle wild demon Nan Huang, nor even the Bai Lu brothers, more familiar with the Immortal Sects, dared stir—they remained trembling, still under the Emperor’s awe.

Though Heaven and Earth revere the Jade Pure Sect Master and the Present Buddha as supreme, beneath them stand two other Sect Masters and the Buddha, then the Five Directional Emperors and the True Buddhas.

It sounds like three tiers, with the Emperors at the bottom.

But forget not: the total number of those who have reached the first-rank is merely seventeen, representing the origin of countless great arts.

Their status has already surpassed the heavens above.

Our master dared to move the statue from its altar… that is true audacity.

Several guardian stones trembled in fear.

Yet Shen Yi was not as calm as he appeared—if he were a true Great Luo Golden Immortal, properly anchored in the Heavenly Dao, he need not fear the Emperor so much; his life would always be secure.

But he lacked precisely that condition.

Still, he must refuse the Emperor’s recruitment—he had no choice but to press forward.

The reason was simple.

Shen Yi had never intended to claim the Immortal Emperor’s throne; he remained in the Calamity because he knew the Human Emperor still held hidden cards, preparing to fight the two sects to the death.

The man’s plan was to wait until the two sects had fully crushed the Four Continents, then turned on each other in bitter infighting, bleeding themselves dry, before striking.

Shen Yi’s goals were few—he merely felt that if the sects must fight among themselves, it need not come at the cost of the Four Continents’ people’s lives; perhaps other ways existed.

That was why he chose to join the obscure Lingxu Cave.

If he had bowed to the Eastern Pole Emperor today, Shen Yi could not imagine how he could continue scheming under the gaze of such a first-rank titan.

If he followed the path the Emperor laid out, wouldn’t all his efforts these past days truly become a bid for the Immortal Emperor’s seat?

To labor desperately to become a loyal hound pulled by the two sects? He might as well just go smash his head against a tofu block.

“Huh.”

Shen Yi sat casually on the altar, stroking the statue beside him.

The current state of the Northern Continent was unfolding almost exactly as he had planned—the people were no better off, but at least they weren’t dying; they had a semblance of dignity.

But this seemed to have reached its limit.

Wearing the guise of a Three Immortals Sect disciple, all his unusual actions could be explained as internal competition—still aimed at securing incense offerings—so the Golden Immortals would find nothing strange.

But if he shed this disguise and drove away the Immortals under the banner of the Divine Dynasty… even if Shen Yi were a true Great Luo Golden Immortal, he would surely be repeatedly scourged by countless Three Immortals Sect cultivators until his calamity energy was spent, sinking into prolonged slumber.

Human strength has its limits.

After slaying You Yao, Shen Yi had been lost for a long time, which was why he sent word to the Divine Dynasty, inquiring about conditions in the other continents.

But even if he knew, what could he do?

Even if he went to the other continents and replicated his actions, how could one man possibly manage so many places?

He was stretched too thin…

Only now did Shen Yi begin to understand, slightly, the Human Emperor’s thoughts—even wielding rare, immense power, one still felt powerless against overwhelming tide, like a mantis trying to stop a cart.

In the past, whenever he faced a problem, he simply slew demons and took their lifespans, raising his cultivation level—there was always a solution.

But since reaching the second-rank, Shen Yi had completely exhausted this path.

The Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal, the Great Liberator Bodhisattva—they stood atop Heaven and Earth. Compared to ordinary Great Luo Immortals, having stepped into that icy mountain, every gesture summoned true Heavenly Dao power.

They were nearly one with the Dao—where was there any room for further ascent?

As for making sacred vows, Shen Yi had no ideas now, nor knew how to fulfill them.

If he wished to strengthen his foundation, it seemed he could only turn to magic treasures.

The Yu Chen Sacred Edict recorded methods to refine magic treasures with calamity energy, but the failure rate was high; the two hundred thousand calamity units he had saved since his Dao-certification were too few to make even a ripple.

Better to keep them—should he face a killing calamity, he might gamble on remaking his body within the Ten Thousand Spirits Hall.

Fortunately, he possessed a five-refined dark-gold Chan staff and a three-refined Wuwei Sword—meager for a Golden Immortal, but at least he had weapons for battle.

“Take it slow.”

Shen Yi had used these words to comfort himself many times—but now, even his own eyes flickered with doubt.

Anyone with sense knew that as time passed, the two sects’ positions would only grow more stable; trying to shift even a fraction then would be the dream of a fool.

At that moment, Shen Yi suddenly lifted his gaze.

Countless beams of light streaked across Tian Ta Mountain, one silently descending and hovering outside the Tai Xu Zhenjun Shrine.

…

Immortal cranes spread their wings, dispersing the mist.

A grand, majestic hall’s shadow appeared, its interior filled with auspicious clouds, each behind which sat a Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal of the Three Immortals Sect.

They sat high above the hall, gazing down as figures rapidly arrived.

Gathering all third-rank disciples—such a grand assembly had not occurred in the Northern Continent for a long time.

As each disciple arrived, solemn-faced, and took their places on either side, the vast Dao Hall fell utterly silent.

“Disciple Li Shan pays homage to all elders.”

“Disciple Qi Xian pays homage to all elders.”

When these two beams of light arrived from left and right, standing at the front of the disciples, the Golden Immortals turned their gazes toward the crimson cloud in the center.

“…”

Chi Yunzi closed his eyes, feigning sleep, silent.

Nearby, Qing Guangzi sat calmly, his eyes holding only mockery.

The other Golden Immortals knew of the recent feud between these two and could only sigh helplessly.

As the saying goes: misfortune seeks the wretched; rope snaps at its weakest point… but this was snapping too frequently.

The disciples had all read the jade slip’s contents; now all eyes turned to the center of the hall, where one man, eyes bloodshot, knelt gasping for breath, beside him lay a corpse, shattered, cracks glowing with golden light.

“Elders, please avenge us!”

“Avenge Master Chu Xi!”

Master Chu Xi was the eldest disciple of Chi Yun Cave, once among the most powerful cultivators in the Northern Continent, second only to Li Shan and You Yao, holding two great prefectures. He volunteered to go to the Eastern Continent to avenge his fallen disciples and now lay lifeless.

The Three Immortals Sect and the Bodhi Sect were evenly matched in size.

The latter controlled three entire continents; the former’s disciples were crammed into the Northern Continent—not because they were weaker than the monks, but because no one wished to leave their comfortable homeland.

Until last time, this barrier was finally broken.

The situation was not terrible.

After brief difficulties adapting, the resentful Three Immortals Sect disciples quickly established themselves on the other continents, and with united effort, soon drove the monks into retreat, seizing many monasteries from the Bodhi Sect.

But the problem lay precisely here.

"Those of the Great Freedom in Mount Sumeru, shameless as they are, have repeatedly slipped in to aid those Bodhisattvas while we were rightfully competing for them."

"Even when caught, they merely offer excuses to evade blame."

"Our disciples' cultivation is too low to gather evidence; we can only swallow this hidden insult." As he spoke, the disciple, a Third-Rank Great Luo Immortal, his voice carried a touch of sorrow: "But who could have imagined they would grow even more unrestrained!"

Master Chu Xi had reached the pinnacle of the Ninety-Nine Transformations; his cultivation and spiritual powers were exceptional, and since his junior brother and sister had been killed, his heart brimmed with murderous intent. Bearing such injustice, his actions inevitably turned brutal.

Yet, throughout, he adhered strictly to the rules, engaging only in open confrontation.

"The Great Freedom Lotus Pearl Bodhisattva of Eastern Sumeru not only intervened to save the losing side after our disciple’s defeat, but also seized the chance to vent his rage—killing Master Chu Xi with a single palm strike!"

"He claimed he was too eager and couldn't hold back his strength."

When the disciple’s words echoed through the air, even the Golden Immortals above the clouds grew cold in expression.

Though we had already seen these Bodhisattvas disregard the rules in the past, we never imagined these bald-headed monks had become so arrogant as to show no restraint whatsoever.

"Do they now treat all three continents as the property of the Bodhi Sect?" one Golden Immortal sneered.

The Three Immortal Sect did not interfere in affairs beyond other continents because the imperial court and great sects were too unequal in power—there was no need to take it seriously; once seized, our followers could slowly compete for dominance.

It did not mean the Three Immortal Sect was content with merely holding the Northern Continent.

"What do you all think?" Lingxu Zi cleared his throat and looked around.

Chi Yun Zi had said nothing from start to finish, yet no one dared ignore him; all knew how intense his murderous intent was. If today we failed to produce a resolution that satisfied him, the Eastern Continent might soon face a Golden Immortal who cared nothing for consequences—someone who would kill purely for vengeance, disrupting the Great Tribulation and angering the Sect Master.

The Golden Immortals exchanged glances, then swept their sleeves to muffle their voices and began whispering among themselves.

Below, however,

countless disciples stared, faces ashen, fixed upon the corpse in the arena.

If we do not retaliate against the Great Freedom Bodhisattva’s bullying of the weak, then after this Great Tribulation, it will have nothing to do with us anymore.

But who should take the lead in raising this matter?

The precedent of Chi Yun Cave lay before us: Master Chu Xi had just died, and our own junior brother was now trapped and slain by demons in our own cultivation grounds; Sister Youyao herself had declared that man innocent.

If I go to the Eastern Continent, all we’ve painstakingly secured in the Northern Continent—

"…"

Qi Xian subtly turned his head and glanced at Li Shan across from him.

Seeing the depth in that man’s eyes, Li Shan paused slightly, then furrowed his brows tightly; both were among the elite among disciples—they understood each other’s meaning instantly.

He merely felt it was utterly disgraceful to exploit the disciples’ current rage to carry out such despicable tactics.

"Hmph."

Qi Xian scornfully withdrew his gaze.

The opportunity he had mentioned earlier had been precisely because he foresaw this moment.

After such humiliation, the sect must retaliate.

And that younger brother of Grand Void Sect, whose fame was surging, controlled five prefectures, and was clearly on the path to becoming the sect’s foremost disciple.

Under these circumstances, if someone were to push him forward—

He would surely refuse. After all, if he left, who would inherit those five prefectures afterward? And since he was in the midst of his ascent, even a slight delay might cost him this chance to rise to the top.

Moreover, Qi Xian had heard this man bore a grudge against the Bodhi Sect. If he dared step forward now, leaving the Northern Continent, he would surely draw the attention of those Great Freedom Bodhisattvas—and his life would be in grave danger.

With all these factors combined, this younger brother of Grand Void Sect would certainly find an excuse to refuse.

Qi Xian never intended to actually send him to the Eastern Continent; he only wanted the refusal. If that man dared voice his refusal while the disciples were inflamed with anger, the reputation he had gained from the Bodhi Sect would be utterly destroyed.

This would achieve the same effect of crushing the young man’s arrogance—and might even permanently trap his future within those five prefectures.

With this thought, Qi Xian quietly stepped forward.

"Elders, I have a proposal."

(End of Chapter)