Chapter 350: Cheng

At this moment, gazing out from the Yujing Feigong, he saw that the original clear and spiritual energy of heaven and earth had subtly acquired a trace of heavy, turbid malevolence, like a festering sore clinging to the bone, firmly attached and difficult to remove.

And if there were cultivators skilled in observing qi and fortune, they could see at a glance that the killing intent in the celestial phenomena was no longer concealed, but blatant and shameless.

It seemed as if it were trying to attract the attention of Yu Yu Yuchen and his group, intending to meet them face-to-face.

"What boldness! I only hope it is not all thunder and no rain."

Yu Yu Shitong chuckled coldly in his heart.

And seeing that beneath the ten-thousand-zhang cloud sky, whether in cities or villages, there was not a single trace of human presence.

He raised an eyebrow, his thoughts turning, and then understood something.

Immediately, he grabbed the talisman tablet, gave it a shake, and the Yu Jing Yujing Feigong changed direction, speeding like lightning and wind toward the place within the borders of the Wei Yong Kingdom where the demonic qi was most dense.

Before long, a massive Xuanluojindian came into view.

The palace body was narrow at the top and bottom, wide in the middle, like a spinning top, its style extremely strange.

It sat majestically upon the void sky, its body gleaming with brilliant light, like dragon scales shining brightly, extremely conspicuous, with a posture as if aiming to pierce the sun.

Even compared to Yu Yu Shitong's "Yu Jing Yujing Feigong," this Xuanluojindian did not lose an iota in momentum!

And on both sides of the Golden Palace, countless colorful boats and flying carriages, demonic heads and puppets, were performing guard duties, gathering together in a vast and mighty procession.

Various energies rose up, churning the clouds in the high sky into a state of restlessness, like a pot of boiling water.

From time to time, a sound like muffled thunder would emerge from within, shaking the air for dozens of li!

"Tao Zhen, old demon, so it is you, you rascal, who has come out? Where did you get such courage! Have you forgotten how you escaped from my grasp last time in the North Sea?"

At this moment, inside the Yu Jing Yujing Feigong, Yu Yu Shitong saw Tao Zhen's figure sitting cross-legged on the couch at a glance, let out a loud laugh, and shouted the question.

"Do not try to gild your own lily! At the time of the North Sea, if it were not for the fact that this old man had first expended much strength against that group of tiger-jiao, how could you have been so lucky to win?

A benefit gained for nothing, and you still dare to boast!"

Tao Zhen on the cloud couch let out a cold sneer.

And Yu Yu Shitong and this Tao Zhen were clearly familiar, having dealt with each other more than once.

Just as they were exchanging words in contention.

Jin Jin Shanxin, standing far away outside the door with a hidden unease in his heart, also frowned and raised his gaze.

Immediately, he was awed by the magnificent dignity of the distant Yu Jing Yujing Feigong and the formidable might of the Daoist sect's troops.

His gaze darkened slightly, and an obscure look of worry inevitably appeared on his face.

"Chen Chen Shidi Jin, there is no need to worry. Our Huzhao troops are formidable; we are not necessarily going to lose to your Yu Yu Yuchen. This battle might just be a great opportunity for you to achieve merit."

Above Jin Jin Shanxin, a Daoist wearing hemp clothes, with a blue cloth wrapped around his head and eyebrows of extraordinary length, swept his gaze over and keenly caught the expression on Jin Jin Shanxin's face.

He chuckled inwardly and spoke words of comfort:

"Did you not see that even Qiao Shimei Gu Yi has come specially this time? Even she wishes to come here to join the fun; what are you, Chen Chen Shidi Jin, overthinking?"

The hemp-clothed Daoist was a disciple of the Huzhao Sect, his status naturally one grade higher than that of someone like Jin Jin Shanxin from a lower courtyard.

By the rules.

Given his status, he should not have needed to speak these words to a mere lower-courtyard disciple.

However, Jin Jin Shanxin's identity was extraordinary; since childhood, he had been taken in by True Person Tao Zhen to be taught.

With his talent, truly entering the Huzhao Sect in the future was merely a matter of being nailed to the board.

Since it was destined they would be fellow disciples.

And since this person had background behind him.

When facing Jin Jin Shanxin, the hemp-clothed Daoist rarely reined in the arrogance in his heart, becoming amiable and pleasant.

"Senior Sister Gu Yi..."

Hearing these words, Jin Jin Shanxin felt a surprise in his heart.

Regarding this Gu Yi, a noble lady of the Huzhao Sect and a famous figure at the New Year's evaluation, Jin Jin Shanxin was naturally not unfamiliar.

Even when his master Tao Zhen gave instructions, Jin Jin Shanxin had specially made many arrangements at his lodging in the palace, expending great effort and thought.

Not to say that this could win Gu Yi's favor.

Not making her feel resentful.

That would already be fortunate...

However, all this effort of Jin Jin Shanxin's had not shown any results.

On the day when Tao Zhen's Xuanluojindian personally arrived at the Yu Yang Kingdom, although there were some Huzhao Sect disciples in the palace, Gu Yi's whereabouts were not seen.

Even on this great occasion of confronting Yu Yu Yuchen's forces today.

Gu Yi also did not appear.

This truly made Jin Jin Shanxin curious in his heart, not knowing what this noble lady of Huzhao was actually planning in her mind.

"Qiao Shimei Gu's status is noble, different from all of us; her actions naturally have their own reasons. Chen Chen Shidi Jin, you should not judge by common logic..."

The hemp-clothed Daoist beside him seemed to see what Jin Jin Shanxin was thinking, shook his head, lowered his voice, and offered a hint.

"Thank you, Xiao Xiao Shixiong, for telling me."

Jin Jin Shanxin put away his thoughts, performed a bow, gave a bitter smile, and said:

"However, achieving merit and making a name for oneself in this campaign is something Xiao Xiao Shixiong jokes about.

Jin is merely at the beginning of forming the Purple Palace Realm; even the cultivation of those Daoist sect members below is superior to mine.

Being able to preserve one's life is already fortunate; how could I dare to dream of more..."

"Chen Chen Shidi is truly too modest. With your status, preserving your life in this battle, what difficulty is that?"

The hemp-clothed Daoist looked at Jin Jin Shanxin with deep meaning and smiled slowly.

And while these two were conversing.

Tao Zhen and Yu Yu Shitong also no longer wasted words.

Seeing only Tao Zhen flip over the high crown atop his head, a wisp of turbid qi drifted up from his fontanel, and in an instant manifested into a perfect, pure moon, a hundred zhang tall.

Within the moon stood a great demon with three heads and six arms, each hand holding a pair of fly-whisks, precious swords, and evil wheels; its face was identical to Tao Zhen's, appearing both void and solid, seeming to exist between being and non-being, making it difficult to fathom.

And at the moment the pure moon dharma aspect appeared,

high above the void sky, a surge of grim demonic intent suddenly flooded forth like an overflowing torrent, rolling violently toward the Yu Yuchen forces!

Yu Yu Shitong snorted coldly; without making any move, a boundless mass of green clouds suddenly floated above the Jade Scenery Yujing Feigong, blocking the sky and obscuring the sun.

It possessed a momentum of infinite spiritual transformation and unfathomable yin and yang!

The green clouds merely drifted in a slow turn, blocking that grim demonic intent.

For a time, between heaven and earth, nothing existed but continuous rumbling sounds rising and falling one after another.

It was as if thunderclaps never ceased, shaking the strong winds until they burst apart and scattering the flowing clouds into fragments, the spectacle extremely terrifying.

Beneath the clouds, dust and smoke also rose in all directions, a gray, hazy expanse!

"Yu Yu Shitong, I understand Zhang Zhang Taichu's intention; he merely wishes to intimidate the small sects of the borderlands while simultaneously tempering the Yu Yuchen disciples and the underlying Dao lineages.

It just so happens that several Upper True Persons of my sect share this same intention, coinciding perfectly with his."

While their dharma aspects resisted and struggled against each other,

Tao Zhen suddenly smiled and said:

"You and I have crossed hands no fewer than three or five times; we both know each other's methods clearly. If we truly began to fight, it would be difficult for us to distinguish victory from defeat within an ordinary three to five days.

Not to mention that if we were to unleash our full capabilities, these disciples and people of the Dao lineages would surely be the first to suffer disaster, dying without whole corpses.

Thinking it over carefully like this, for you and me to personally engage in combat is indeed to fall into an inferior strategy."

"Difficult to distinguish victory from defeat..."

Yu Yu Shitong recalled the "Yangde Fandu Golden Mace" hidden in his sleeve and could not help but laugh silently, a trace of irony in his heart.

Actually, Tao Zhen's guess was not far off; Zhang Zhang Taichu ordering him to personally take the field was indeed intended to intimidate the small borderland sects while simultaneously tempering the numerous disciples and underlying Dao lineages, letting them see some blood.

However, since Yu Yu Shitong had specifically brought the "Yangde Fandu Golden Mace" with him,

then in this battle,

there could only be victory, and no defeat!

While tempering Chen Heng and the others, the goal was also to deliberately gift Chen Heng and them a sum of Dao merit to preserve their lives, facilitating their future cultivation.

"Since the Huzhao Sect also intends to temper those below... then, in your view, how should matters proceed today?"

Yu Yu Shitong smiled inwardly but revealed no emotion on his face, asking only this one question.

"The population of this Wei Yong Kingdom beneath our feet is now empty; among the four kingdoms, this one possesses the widest land. Although much of it is barbarous wilderness difficult to cultivate, it is precisely suitable for the younger generations of both sides to engage in magical combat, allowing us to act freely."

Tao Zhen leisurely drew several green cloth bags from his sleeve and said.

With Yu Yu Shitong's eyesight, he could easily see through the prohibitions on the cloth bags and perceive the people of Wei Yong inside.

Seeing those mortal commoners with their eyes tightly shut, lying unconscious within the bags yet with steady qi mechanisms, it was clear there was no danger to their lives.

Upon seeing this state, the expression between Yu Yu Shitong's eyebrows relaxed slightly, and he suppressed his killing intent.

"The Xue Xuan Gate gathers pure yang, while the Xiantian Mo Zong refines turbid yin; although some foolish creatures may have their minds confused by heavy evil turbid qi, thereafter undergoing a great change in temperament, I am by no means an ordinary person.

As for so-called indiscriminate killing, unless there is profit to be gained, I am too lazy to bother with such maneuvers."

Tao Zhen smiled slightly, casually tossing those several cloth bags toward Yu Yu Shitong, and said dismissively:

"Moreover, I know that Zhang Zhang Taichu of your sect is an upright gentleman who would certainly not bear to see the massacre of civilians; I have merely come here following orders to test the quality of the underlying Dao lineages.

Offending Zhang Zhang Taichu excessively is by no means a wise move."

"It seems you old ghost are not excessively stupid."

Yu Yu Shitong raised his hand and released a strand of green light, retrieving those several cloth bags from across the void.

The two now exchanged a glance across the void; both circulated their Xue Xuan Gong once and tacitly withdrew their respective dharma aspects.

In an instant,

whether the pure moon or the green clouds, all vanished from sight, and heaven and earth returned once more to a state of silence...

"In my opinion, it would be better for you and me to cease hostilities and let the younger generation act; let us use this depopulated Wei Yong Kingdom as the battlefield.

Your side occupies the south, my side sits in the north, using the Shuojiang River of this kingdom as the boundary."

Tao Zhen stroked his long beard and spoke slowly:

"Let us set a term of three months; if after three months the Yu Yuchen disciples have fought across the Shuojiang, achieving success in conquering the north from the south, then it shall count as your victory.

I will personally lead my troops back to Ye Ye Xiyu and return the lands of the four kingdoms to you intact, never to invade again.

But if the Huzhao disciples cross the Shuojiang and successfully conquer the south from the north, then it shall count as my victory."

Speaking to this point,

Tao Zhen paused slightly in his voice.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Jin Jin Shanxin outside the hall before he spoke:

"Yu Yu Shitong, if I am victorious, I have only one condition: the Yu Yang Kingdom must belong to Jin De, and your sect must not raise troops to attack again.

As for the lands of the three kingdoms—Xianyin, Wei Yong, and Bai Sha—I will not infringe upon them in the slightest; they will remain under your Yu Yuchen rule. How about that?"

At these words, Jin Jin Shanxin outside the hall trembled all over, looking incredulously at Tao Zhen, who sat calmly on the cloud couch.

His throat bobbed several times, but ultimately he could not utter a single word; he only kowtowed heavily, bowing his body until he prostrated on the ground.

"Drawing the river as a boundary, one residing in the south and one in the north, allowing the junior disciples to attack each other?"

Yu Yu Shitong pondered briefly; his gaze first swept toward the Huzhao Dao lineage at the Xuanluojindian, noting that their numbers were quite equivalent to the troops he had brought, with little difference.

Then his vision shifted, passing over Wang Sen and Deng Deng Yunji, the two Jin Dan True Persons, and landed upon Chen Heng and He He Lizi.

With only a brief calculation in his mind,

Yu Yu Shitong nodded secretly, thinking:

"As for Junior Brothers Wang Sen and Deng Deng Yunji, they are merely of average aptitude; they rely entirely on the friendship between their masters behind them and Xiao Xiao Shixiong Zhang to come here and share a portion of Dao merit.

However, He He Lizi had already, several years ago, as a Dongxuan cultivator, defied the heavens to slay a Jin Dan.

By now, his Xue Xuan Gong has advanced further; his combat power must surely surpass what it was before!

Yet Chen Heng, during the Four Academies Grand Competition, fought several opponents in succession and still had strength left to subdue He He Lizi.

With his methods, looking across the vast Nine Provinces and Four Seas, within the Dongxuan realm, the only one in this age who could truly stand as his equal is likely just Yin Yin Wuji of the Wenhuang Sect.

And there is also Shen Cheng..."

At this moment, Yu Yu Shitong had already made up his mind, but on the surface he remained impassive, letting no one discern the thoughts in his heart.

"This time, it is your Huzhao that initiated the aggression; if you win, I will merely reclaim the territories under my governance, gaining no advantage whatsoever.

Conversely, if I lose, I must cede Yu Yang Kingdom to you; with such stakes, would I not be at a disadvantage?"

Yu Yu Shitong said.

"A mere Yu Yang, a tiny speck of land, what is there to speak of?

Were it not for my disciple, this old man would hardly bother wasting effort on such a trivial matter!"

Tao Zhen's voice was cold:

"However, since you are so concerned with calculations, this old man will not take advantage of you.

If your Yu Yu Yuchen disciple wins, not only will I withdraw from the four kingdoms, but Danpu and Zhongqu, these two kingdoms under my sect's governance, will also belong to your Yu Yu Yuchen; how about that?

Although they are likewise borderland kingdoms, the scale of Danpu and Zhongqu far exceeds that of Yu Yang and Weiyong, and their spiritual energy is more abundant; calculating carefully, it is actually you who stand to gain."

Once Tao Zhen spoke these words.

Not only did a faint stir arise within the Huzhao Sect.

Even inside the Yu Jing Yujing Feigong, Wang Sen and Deng Deng Yunji, the two Jin Dan True Persons, smiled slightly and raised their eyebrows.

What Tao Zhen said was no falsehood.

Although they were all borderland kingdoms.

The two kingdoms of Danpu and Zhongqu under the Huzhao Sect's governance, whether in terms of scale, population, spiritual energy, or other factors.

Were several times greater than these four kingdoms behind Ziming Mountain, truly far superior!

If this battle could be won.

It would not only bring merit for suppressing demons and quelling chaos, but also add merit for expanding territory; indeed, a handsome profit would be made!

"Since you have rarely been so generous, how could I, Yu, refuse? These two kingdoms, Danpu and Zhongqu, I shall accept!"

Yu Yu Shitong laughed loudly, clapped his hands, and said:

"Then let us swear an oath here: neither you nor I shall intervene personally; we shall leave it to the disciples and Dao lineages below to divide the land along the river.

Let us see, after three months, whether the South defeats the North, or the North defeats the South!"

"How could this old man be a man without honor? Rather, it is you, Yu Yu Shitong, who should not rejoice too soon; after three months, it may well be that Yu Yang falls under the governance of my Huzhao.

At that time, let us see how you will have the face to return to Xiaoming Great Marsh!"

Tao Zhen snorted coldly.

And after the two had signed the legal contract.

Just as Yu Yu Shitong was about to turn back, Tao Zhen suddenly called out to him, smiling inexplicably:

"No rush; before the two sects engage in their magical contest, why don't you and I first watch some entertainment?"

As his words fell, a streak of fleeing light from within the Jindian, as if receiving an order, suddenly flew out and arrived before the formation.

"Are they going to conduct a duel of generals first?"

Chen Heng looked over, and upon seeing the figure of the newcomer, silently thought to himself.

To be continued.