Chapter 830: The Situation Changes Again

Dongzhou, Heshui Slope.

This was merely a minor Daoist site under the control of Sumeru Mountain, guarded by a Bodhisattva of the Sixth Transformation named He Ming.

At this moment, the old monk, clad in yellow robes and wearing a massive string of Buddhist beads across his chest, was stumbling backward toward the temple’s rear, escorted by several Luo Han.

Across from Heshui Slope, a female disciple of the Three Immortals Sect, her body caked in blood, gritted her teeth, eyes filled with hatred, and chased after them atop a jade ruyi scepter.

“Hah!”

He Ming Bodhisattva turned back in panic; what he feared was not this defeated opponent, but the several figures calmly following behind her.

After the Three Immortals Sect secretly dispatched disciples to infiltrate Dongzhou last time, our counterattacks had just begun to show signs of driving them out—yet we had not even caught our breath when they repeated their tactics, and this time their assault was far more ferocious and on a far greater scale than before!

This is too much…

“Bald monk, where are you running?!” The female disciple arrived above the temple in an instant, slammed her right foot down, and the jade ruyi swelled violently, hurtling toward the mountainside.

“Tch!”

Seeing retreat impossible, He Ming Bodhisattva desperately tore the beads from his neck and hurled them, colliding heavily with the ruyi and sending it flying back.

“Hmph.”

A cold laugh echoed through the heavens; the several figures behind the woman stepped forward, their leader catching the ruyi and gazing coldly down at the monk: “You dare fight back? How bold of you.”

“Senior Brother Hao Ming, it was he who led a horde of bald monks to overwhelm me with numbers and seize my Daoist site—if not for the magical artifact bestowed by my master, I would already be dead in their hands.”

The female disciple took back the ruyi her senior brother had thrown to her, recalling the humiliation and injustice she had endured, her voice thickening with grievance.

“Nonsense—”

He Ming Bodhisattva, seeing her pitiful expression, flew into a rage: “Your Three Immortals Sect disciples came to Dongzhou without so much as a warning, seizing Daoist sites outright—and that’s bad enough—but you struck with such brutality, injuring over a dozen of my Puti Sect brethren in just a few days, and now you dare play the victim!”

If not for the Three Immortals Sect’s outrageous violation of rules, the Great Freedom Bodhisattvas in the mountains would never have intervened in mortal affairs.

Hearing this, the disciples from Beizhou who had arrived in the heavens all simultaneously darkened in expression.

“The villain… plays the victim?”

Even the sly-minded True Person Hao Ming couldn’t help letting out a bitter laugh.

One ought to ask properly: who was the villain—the late Mao Feng of Chi Yun Cave, or Ling Su of Ling Xu Cave?

Those monks’ heads still hang on Tian Ta Mountain—witnesses and evidence abound—and they still dare deny it.

After all these years of cultivation, their cultivation base has barely improved, but their skin has grown thicker than ever.

“Senior Brother Hao Ming, no need to waste words with him.”

The female disciple gripped the ruyi tightly again and snapped: “When they attacked me as a group, they never spoke a word of justice!”

As she spoke, all the disciples drew forth their magic treasures.

Amid the surging turbulence of tribulation energy, the several Luo Han before the temple turned pale; He Ming Bodhisattva, who had still wished to argue, trembled slightly, his chest heaving for a moment, then swallowed his rage and gritted his teeth.

A true man doesn’t fight when outnumbered—the Three Immortals Sect has pooled the strength of their entire sect to bully a single Dong Sumeru; the elders from the other two Sumeru Mountains will never stand idly by.

Thinking of this, he ordered his monks to lay down their weapons and said hoarsely: “I yield. This Daoist site is yours.”

At these words, all the novice monks and Luo Han wore expressions of despair; beneath the Buddha’s gaze, their entire order was bowing to these immortals—what a disgrace.

“That’s more like it.”

The Three Immortals Sect disciples sneered: “When you return to Dong Sumeru, tell your elders that if they want more incense offerings, they should teach you proper skills—relying on such dirty tricks will only invite heavenly retribution!”

The female disciple pressed her lips together; though still unsatisfied, since the enemy had surrendered, she could not press further.

“….”

He Ming Bodhisattva glared bitterly at these immortals, then angrily swept his sleeve: “Let’s go!”

At that moment, True Person Hao Ming’s eyes flickered; he glanced subtly at his fellow disciples beside him.

They had just arrived in Dongzhou and were unfamiliar with the land; their sect elders had given no specific orders—in such circumstances, disciples naturally followed the lead of respected peers.

Master Qi Xian had vanished without a trace; Senior Brother Li Shan had also gone silent.

But one peer disciple, upon arriving in Dongzhou, had already set an example through action.

The swordlight soaring over Nanping Prefecture, the lingering stench of blood—both spoke volumes about the Three Immortals Sect’s stance.

True Lord Tai Xu, as the sect’s foremost disciple, must have received instructions from the elders; now is no time to hesitate—if we don’t follow him now, we’ll get nothing but scraps after the tribulation.

Thinking of this, True Person Hao Ming subtly clenched his fist.

In an instant, thick vines erupted from the ground, twisting together into an unbreakable wall of wood, blocking the monks’ path.

“Huh?!”

Seeing the turn of events, He Ming Bodhisattva immediately summoned his majestic Golden Body manifestation, bathed in golden light, eyes blazing as he glared back: “What do you mean? This is a dispute over incense offerings—don’t break the rules!”

“Rules?”

True Person Hao Ming gazed coldly, a cruel smile curling his lips: “Now you remember the rules? Go argue with Senior Brother Chu Xi down below.”

Though startled, the other disciples quickly understood—following their senior brother was always the right choice.

In an instant, beneath He Ming Bodhisattva’s disbelief, seven or eight magic treasures blazed with blinding light and slammed into him without mercy!

“You—”

His agonized cry cut off abruptly; two fists cannot fight six hands, let alone six against one.

His mighty Golden Body was soon torn to shreds; not a single novice monk or Luo Han was left alive.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Hao Ming!”

Gazing at the corpses littering the ground, the female disciple bowed respectfully to True Person Hao Ming.

“Don’t thank me,” Hao Ming said modestly. “Thank Senior Brother Tai Xu—he is our sect’s foremost disciple, and it was he who led this campaign to Dongzhou.”

He had previously offended the man; now that he saw the situation clearly, he rushed to curry favor.

The other disciples, though recognizing Hao Ming’s fawning demeanor, felt no mockery toward him—after all, it was true: without Senior Brother Tai Xu stepping forward to break the stalemate, the elders might have argued for months longer, and this sister might never have survived until now.

“I see.”

The female disciple paused; she had no memory of this Senior Brother Tai Xu, and would thank him only when they met.

She turned her gaze away, her mood noticeably improved, and smiled: “Brothers, you’ve avenged me—please take this Daoist site.”

“Not yet.”

True Person Hao Ming looked back toward the distant, filthy, stinking pile of refugees and waved gently.

As the first “neighbor” of Senior Brother Tai Xu, he understood better than anyone the power of that man’s methods.

“Build houses, distribute food and water—let them regain some semblance of humanity first.”

“Huh?” Compared to the female disciple’s confusion, the other disciples instantly understood, their faces breaking into wicked grins.

This method might have stirred resentment in Beizhou, but here in Dongzhou, it would make those monks feel the sting of having their incense offerings quietly stolen.

…

The Three Immortals Sect differed from the Puti Sect.

While Sumeru Mountain controlled three continents, similarly sized immortal sects all remained in Beizhou, hoping to be closer to their sect masters—making it far too crowded.

Now, with all immortals pouring out, a single Dong Sumeru was no match for the Three Immortals Sect.

After the disciples arrived and connected with their oppressed brethren, they launched a lightning-fast counterattack.

He Ming was not the only one with sense.

The grand battle in Nanping Prefecture became the model everyone rushed to imitate.

Already filled with resentment, the immortals now had a leader and feared no reprimand from elders—so each struck harder than the last, killing whenever possible, and if not killing, then crippling.

Soon, seventeen of Dongzhou’s twenty-six prefectures fell into the hands of the Three Immortals Sect.

These newly acquired Daoist sites left the cultivators bloated with gains; only now did they realize how vast the world was. Had Dongzhou not still been unresolved, they had already begun eyeing the remaining two continents.

What miserable lives they had lived before!

One by one, houses rose rapidly, forming villages and small towns; under the full force of the immortals, the ruined prefectural cities began to take shape again.

When the news spread like mountain winds across Dongzhou…

The Puti Sect had been forced to station warrior monks along the borders of major prefectures—not to defend against the Three Immortals Sect, but to block the wandering incense offerings.

Finally, temples that had long relied on demons to harvest imperial qi opened their granaries without restriction, drawing crowds of refugees to fill the white jade steps, their filthy black footprints trampling every inch of the gilded halls.

Meanwhile, in Nanping Prefecture…

In the newly built hall, beside the Three Pure Ones, a new statue of True Lord Tai Xu had been added.

“Senior Brother, I’ve heard those bald monks are rushing toward Yongxin Prefecture… that’s Master Miaoyin’s Daoist site. You’re currently in the spotlight—be careful.”

Xiang Ming walked beside Shen Yi, concerned: “Master Miaoyin may not be the strongest among Dong Sumeru’s younger generation, but his master is certainly the most protective.”

A single Dong Sumeru could never produce three prodigies like those in Beizhou to firmly control the situation.

Its factions were chaotic, and cliquishness far surpassed that of the Three Immortals Sect.

Under such conditions, strength meant less than powerful patrons; that Great Freedom Lotus Pearl Bodhisattva, who could even abandon his dignity, had amassed tremendous prestige for his disciple.

“Originally, because of Senior Brother Chu Xi’s incident, Dong Sumeru likely intended to have him lie low for a while—but now this monk is gathering his disciples again, probably hoping to reemerge using your momentum.”

The Three Immortals Sect is pressing hard; given Dong Sumeru’s nature, even if the elder Great Freedom monks don’t personally intervene, they will never allow us to grow unchecked—they must hold onto these last Daoist sites until reinforcements arrive from the other two Sumeru Mountains.

Under these circumstances, someone urgently needed to step forward and temporarily curb the Three Immortals Sect’s momentum.

Nothing could be more effective than defeating True Lord Tai Xu.

“Understood.”

Shen Yi nodded slightly and walked slowly through the prefectural city.

He looked down at the newly laid blue stone path; though far from its former imperial glory, it was gradually improving.

After making his great vow, Shen Yi had entered the top tier of second-rank cultivators; though his magic treasures may still be lacking, in terms of realm alone, he was only one step away from the likes of True Buddha Emperor—completing his vow.

Of course, this rapidly gained power came at a heavy cost.

Each day, his tribulation energy diminished slightly; though the loss seemed small, over time it would accumulate until it vanished entirely—and when that day came, even the sect masters could not save him.

Clearly, the Ten Thousand Demon Palace, like before, could only obscure observation—it could not block heaven’s punishment for unfulfilled vows.

But Shen Yi felt no discomfort; on the contrary, his heart felt somewhat lighter.

He had already accomplished most of what he intended to do with this power—far more smoothly than he had expected.

The common people now looked like people again, while the younger generations of the two sects suffered heavy casualties.

In a little while, the scenario the Emperor desired would arrive years ahead of schedule.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi turned his head toward the direction of the imperial city.

The only thing he now wanted to know was whether the man’s covert preparations had truly shifted the balance of this world and carved out a bright path for the mortals of this mortal realm.

If it was all thunder without rain, he would truly be furious enough to die.

At that moment, Shen Yi’s gaze slowly settled on a figure—a woman with disheveled hair and dressed in plain white robes.

Of course, the plain robes were not unusual; this was Niping Fucheng, and most of the original refugees had already changed clothes—coarse in quality, but at least clean.

What truly made Shen Yi pause was the familiar scent emanating from her.

“Immortal Lord…”

The woman saw the Daoist of the Grand Void approaching but made no move to avoid him.

She lifted her head slightly; even in her haggard state, her former beauty could not be hidden.

After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled out a sweet peach pastry and extended it toward him: “Thank you, Grand Void Immortal Lord.”

“...”

Shen Yi took the peach pastry casually, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Gu Li silently watched him depart.

She herself did not know why she had risked so much, going out of her way to Niping Fucheng just to glimpse the Grand Void True Person.

As a Grand General of the Divine Dynasty, Gu Li had seen countless cultivators, yet she had rarely encountered such a young man.

Though their positions differed, and regardless of his intentions,

at the very least… the entire Northern and Eastern Zones had undergone a revolutionary transformation because of him.

Her words of thanks moments ago had been sincere.

Moments later, Gu Li turned and left the Eastern Zone, heading toward the imperial city—it was time to inform His Majesty of this good news.

And on the other side,

Shen Yi strode quickly to a secluded spot and stepped into the Grand Void.

His brow furrowed slightly, his eyes brimming with icy chill.

The concealed aura the woman had deliberately masked might have escaped others, but he knew it all too well.

It was the imperial incense aura—the very essence the celestial deities had fought over endlessly.

What had happened in the imperial city that they no longer used jade slips or went through Ye Lan’s hands, but resorted to this method to deliver messages?

He rubbed his fingers together forcefully, crushing the peach pastry effortlessly.

Yet after searching long and hard, his hands were filled with crumbs, yet he found nothing within them.

Shen Yi lifted his head, his face twisted in confusion: “?”

(End of Chapter)