Chapter 465: The Venerable Lingyun and the Revival of Nanyang

Chapter 465: The Venerable Lingyun and the Revival of Nanyang

In a distant land, far from the Azure Sect, a faint light flickered, revealing a pitiful figure. His body was battered and bloodied beyond recognition, his life force dwindling like a candle flame in the wind. He resembled a flickering oil lamp on the verge of being extinguished; only the Eight Trigrams Plate above his heart seemed to sustain his vital energy. If not for that, he would surely have succumbed to his injuries.

The air stirred as someone used a spatial movement technique to pursue them. It was Wei Yuanling, who had been observing from the shadows earlier. She reached out and took Li Yu into her arms, her fair face contorting with rage as she saw his pitiful state. "I never intended to take his life! Yet he treated you like this, fully aware of your identity, and still chose to be so ruthless!"

Wei Yuanling couldn't understand why Li Yu, if he wanted to fight seriously, hadn't hidden among the demons and launched a surprise attack. He had at least three opportunities to strike unseen, from the moment he revealed himself to when he was knocked down from Beiyan Mountain. Whether it was his warning before acting or his respectful request for guidance afterward, he might as well have said it was all a joke.

"If he wants to play for real, then so be it! Worst-case scenario, I'll compensate him with another life after I kill him!"

It was Wei Yuanling's playful idea to transform Li Yu into a pig demon. Now that he was in such a dire state, how could she just stand by and do nothing?

As Wei Yuanling's emotions stirred, a presence far surpassing Li Yu's surged in the surrounding area, causing the boundless ocean to roar.

A proud genius of the Immortal Sect, having reached the eighth layer of the Void Shattering realm, was a formidable presence in this land and sea. Even the Dragon Palace demon soldiers lurking below dared not make a move, quietly observing from their underwater hideout.

"...'

At that moment, Li Yu mustered his strength, extending his soft, limp arm and tremblingly opening his palm to grasp Wei Yuanling's wrist. In a feeble voice, he said, "Senior sister, I want to return to the sect."

After speaking, he fell silent once more.

His eyes, reddened by blood, stared blankly into the sky, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"You..."

Wei Yuanling, feeling the sticky blood on her wrist, remained silent for a long time before finally exhaling. "Alright, I'll take you back."

The young man's strength had far exceeded her expectations.

Only now did Wei Yuanling understand why that senior, Xuan Qing, had suddenly stepped forward and called for the six major allied sects.

A cultivator who emerged from the hidden abyss had surpassed Li Yu in strength.

Though it was a bitter victory, the two had completely different backgrounds in terms of the teachings they received, the treasures they consumed, and the treatment they were afforded.

Especially when it came to the three-layered celestial palace.

Setting aside their positions, even Wei Yuanling had to admit that, up to this point, the young man was indeed stronger than her brother who had ascended to the White Jade Capital.

It was hard not to call him terrifying!

Seeing Li Yu's silent demeanor, Wei Yuanling let out a soft breath and summoned the auspicious clouds, carrying him toward the Lingyun Sect.

As Li Yu was a personally transmitted disciple of the elder, his severe injuries, including the damage to his heart-protecting eight-trigram plate, could no longer be concealed from the sect.

After an unknown amount of time, Wei Yuanling finally brought Li Yu through the light barrier and into the inner gates of the Lingyun Sect.

Unconsciously, she performed a concealment technique, intending to bring him back to her residence to heal his wounds.

With her cultivation and means, it was easy to block others' senses.

However, after walking for less than twenty breaths, Wei Yuanling's expression changed drastically, and her body seemed to freeze in place. She couldn't even move her fingers, and Li Yu disappeared from her arms.

A tall and slender figure appeared before them, clad in a golden-threaded Lingyun robe. His black hair was neatly tied with a green jade headband, giving him a meticulous appearance. Only his temples had strands of white hair.

The man turned his back to Wei Yuanling, his eyes fixed on Li Yu in his arms. "Where have you been?"

The man's voice was steady, and though he appeared youthful, he was addressing the person behind him.

As his words fell, the restraint on Wei Yuanling was finally lifted. She adjusted her breathing with lingering fear and cast a respectful glance at the figure before her. "I... I was told by an executive about the Gui Sect and the Nanyang Sect earlier, and I felt uneasy. So I took Junior Brother Li with me and left the sect. In the name of a private matter, we delivered materials for repairing spirit puppets to them..."

Wei Yuanling paused here, hesitating slightly. "Since the Gui Sect is no longer under our jurisdiction, I wanted to hint that they should form their own faction and cause some trouble for the Nanyang Sect."

Hearing her speak the truth, the man finally turned around, glancing at Wei Yuanling nonchalantly. "Continue."

"Then that cultivator with the surname Shen appeared and intimidated the three families. I thought he was quite powerful, so I asked Junior Brother Li to pretend to be a demon and provoke him, making him lose face in front of his vassals... But I never intended to harm him!"

Wei Yuanling's emotions surged. "I've never seen someone as ruthless as him! Even after Junior Brother Li summoned his Dao Palace and asked for guidance, he still wanted to kill him! How can a cultivator with such a heart be any different from someone from the Demon Sect? How can he lead others?"

"Noisy."

The man was none other than Wei Yuanling's elder brother, Wei Yuanzhou, known as the Venerable Lingyun. He was a personal disciple of the sect master who had ascended to the White Jade Capital.

His calm and nonchalant remark instantly silenced Wei Yuanling's aggrieved voice.

The man turned his gaze back to Li Yu's face, cradled in his arms. "What do you think? Do you want to take revenge for these severe injuries?"

"You rarely leave the sect, and your playful heart is quite large. Plus, you were seriously injured. How could it be your fault?" Wei Yuanzhou's expression remained as calm as still water.

With those words, Li Yu felt his pain ease somewhat.

Shen Yi's words echoed in his ears.

He closed his eyes in shame and said, "I was playing with other people's lives and toying with the major affairs of the sect's treasured land. I deserve to die ten thousand times over."

"... "

A hint of a smile finally appeared on Wei Yuanzhou's lips, but it quickly faded. "You take good care of your injuries. I'll talk to your master and advise him not to be impulsive. Let's leave this matter at that, alright?"

"I'll do as Brother Wei says," Li Yu nodded.

As the two conversed, Wei Yuanling was left standing awkwardly to the side.

Just then, she heard her brother's gentle voice calling out to her and motioning for her to come over.

"Eh?"

Wei Yuanling's face lit up with joy, and she quickly walked over.

However, just as she reached him, she saw her brother's hand, which he had not yet lowered, suddenly gather a sharp aura. In full view, he slapped her!

Pa!

Wei Yuanling's body flew backward like a broken sack, her face deathly pale, and her eyes filled with disbelief.

Five thin chains, like dragon-like snakes, covered her face, and then with a clang, they locked onto her glabella.

"You also dare to use the Dao Palace."

Wei Yuanzhou looked at her indifferently. Before she could even land, he pressed his palm down.

Countless clouds in the sky suddenly gathered.

They transformed into a nine-story pagoda, trapping Wei Yuanling inside. Then it shrank to the size of a palm, and the chains on Wei Yuanling's glabella spread again, binding her limbs tightly and hanging her inside the tower.

Wei Yuanzhou waved his sleeve again, throwing the cloud pagoda towards the back mountain. "You can come out when Shen Zongzhi pardons you. Until then, don't bother cultivating. It's just a waste of heaven's resources."

Hearing the commotion, Li Yu opened his eyes instinctively and stared blankly at the back mountain.

Then, unconsciously, he said, "Shen Zongzhi... won't issue a pardon."

With his decisive and ruthless character, if they met again and Li Yu had sufficient strength, he felt that Shen would try to kill him again. How could someone like that forgive Wei Yuanling?

"... "

Wei Yuanzhou paid no heed and instead took out a letter, carefully writing it with his fingertip. After finishing, he handed it to Li Yu. "Please trouble Brother Li to deliver this letter to your master."

This group from White Jade Jing was already wavering in their hearts, and now they had given them an excuse.

They needed to be taught a lesson.

After speaking, Wei Yuanzhou summoned a cloud and sent Li Yu back to the Elder's cave abode.

He then strode towards the Ancestor's Hall.

In the quiet hall, only the smoke curled.

He bowed to the tall statue of the ancestor and knelt on the meditation mat. "Greetings, Master. Yuanzhou will ask Shen Zongzhu for a pardon on my sister's behalf."

"Is that necessary?"

The ancestor statue slowly opened its eyes. "Even if she hadn't made a move, the other elders and personally transmitted disciples would still have lost their patience and definitely wouldn't have played around like this."

Obviously, the sect master was well aware of the thoughts of the people below him.

But after attaining unity with the Dao, he believed even more in following the will of heaven.

The Dao is natural, and nature... means non-interference.

Hearing this, Wei Yuanzhou slowly cupped his hands together. "Rules are rules. Yuanling broke the rules today, and as her brother, I can't bear to kill her, which is already a bias. If we don't compensate the Nanyang Sect, then tomorrow, others can come and take Yuanzhou's treasured land."

"In that case, the 'Seven Sons' will exist in name only."

"To fall to the hands of the Dragon Palace of the aquatic clan is only a matter of time."

Hearing these words,

The ancestor statue fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "You don't want the Nanyang treasure land? Your master may still have many years to live."

Hearing this, Wei Yuanzhou also smiled and slowly got up, cupping his hands together. "Of course, I want it, but I don't want to take it by such means. Disciple takes his leave."

...

Outside the Puppet Sect, Beiyan Mountain.

The originally vast and boundless mountain forest had almost turned into scorched earth, with deep cracks and abysses like the claws of a fierce beast.

The crimson demon qi and surging golden flames had completely disappeared, leaving only the clear and empty sky.

Several hundred cultivators from subordinate forces were gathered below the demon cave, whispering nonstop.

The previous scene had obviously shocked them deeply.

That six-story-high immortal cloud Dao Palace.

It was obviously from one of the 'Seven Sons of Nanhong', the Lingyun Sect.

Such strength would be famous wherever it went.

His actions could completely represent the will of the power behind him.

It also seemed to be indirectly confirming that what Yang Lin had said before about "enraging the allied sect" was true.

But that ruthless move by the Nanyang Sect's upper immortal.

It was obviously done without holding back.

With just one punch, the cultivator disguised as a pig demon was almost killed.

And until this moment... it seemed like the matter had ended. After the pig demon fled, there was no further action, as if they were also afraid of something.

"..."

Shen Yi bared his upper body, his body's vitality restored by the endless life force supplied by the Heavenly Phoenix within him.

His nearly destroyed physical body finally regained its vigor.

Using the gift bestowed by the heavens on his physical body was evidently a deviation from the right path. Instead, the pig demon's method of empowering his Dao techniques was the most effective way to utilize the Primordial Purple Qi.

With the Heavenly Peng Capturing Buddha technique, Shen Yi finally caught a glimpse of the true might of a peerless genius.

In fact, if he added in the Purple Qi gifted by Xuan Qing, he could barely be considered to have a one-story Dao Palace.

The gap between Shen Yi and the pig demon was merely a matter of being at the fifth and sixth layers of the Returning Void realm, not even reaching the watershed.

Yet, it had left him severely injured.

Although the Heavenly Palace was strong, his techniques and accumulation fell far short.

For example, the Eight Trigrams Plate that the opponent had used to escape—Shen Yi had absolutely no countermeasures against it. Forget about catching up; he couldn't even detect its aura.

All he had relied on so far was an ordinary physical body technique and the Heavenly Evolution Forty-Nine technique gifted by Xuan Qing.

After returning to the sect, he would need to make up for his deficiencies in other areas.

Shen Yi adjusted his state and finally turned his gaze towards the small, frail figure wrapped in beast hide in front of him.

Like the rhinoceros demon, this one was like an infant in front of its two brothers, its skin and bones visible, its weakness making it difficult to even breathe.

Its body was not pitch-black but a bluish-gray color.

"Tsk."

This familiar scene reminded Shen Yi of the Golden Sparrow Young Master for some reason.

Both had bloodlines that differed from their fellow clansmen.

They had also fled to Nan Hong in search of a place to hide.

This was too much of a coincidence.

Shen Yi took a slow step forward. Under the gaze of the bluish-gray rhinoceros, he suddenly snapped its neck.

[Killing a Rhinoceros Demon at the Returning Void realm, total lifespan of 174,000 years, remaining lifespan of 90,000 years, absorption complete]



[Remaining lifespan of demon: 938,000 years]



Excluding the three rhinoceros demons, among the remaining hundreds of demons, there were only four at the Returning Void realm, and not more than ten at the Transformation God realm. However, the small pile of Qi Refining demons accounted for the bulk of the demons' lifespan.

The accumulation of small amounts added up to a terrifyingly large number.

Shen Yi sat cross-legged.

He only summoned a suppression stone.

As he had expected, the blood and flesh of the three rhinoceros demons flowed into the suppression stone, beginning the process of refining their bloodlines.

The stone's surface peeled off in chunks.

From black, it turned to bluish-gray, then gradually faded to gray, transforming into a rhinoceros statue with a body like green jade.

At the same time, its aura began to surge! Shen Yi channeled the demons' lifespan, and one by one, the demon essences quickly fused into the remnant soul, beginning the process of reshaping the rhinoceros demon's soul.

With the seventeenth demon essence, the word "precious" appeared behind the description of the rhinoceros demon's soul.

Shen Yi sent it into the statue.

But surprisingly, it still wasn't enough.

"What's going on?"

Shen Yi frowned, puzzled. These three rhinoceros demons were only at the sixth layer of the Returning Void realm. Merging their flesh and blood would likely be difficult, let alone crossing the watershed. How could they require so much demon lifespan?

He slowed down, feeding one demon essence at a time.

Finally, with the twenty-third demon essence, the rhinoceros demon's soul successfully entered the suppression stone.

And when the statue with a body like green jade opened its eyes, a vast and awe-inspiring aura spread through Shen Yi's brow, reaching his Dao Palace.

"..."

Shen Yi was unsure, so he summoned the measuring pillar. Then, he watched as the golden light soared past the second-grade line, showing no signs of stopping as it reached a point just one-third away from the first-grade line.

Based on his previous experience.

This should be the strength of a demon at the eighth layer of the Returning Void realm.

The accumulation of bloodlines had not only allowed this green rhinoceros statue to cross the watershed of the late Returning Void realm but had also pushed it up another layer?!

"Hu."

Shen Yi calmed his mind. Although he couldn't gather six Dao pillars for now, even if he only used it as a helper, a being with such strength would likely be hard to find with his current means.

Moreover, the demon suppression stone was absolutely loyal and would die without hesitation if ordered.

It was a good harvest.

Shen Yi closed his eyes and took stock of his current strength.

He was at the fourth layer of the Returning Void realm and, with the gift from Elder Xuan Qing, possessed four strands of Primordial Purple Qi.

The Heavenly Phoenix Immortal Body was complete, possessing strength comparable to the sixth layer of the Returning Void realm.

The combination of the two would be enough to forcefully cross the watershed of the late Returning Void realm and reach the seventh layer.

Adding in the Heavenly Evolution Forty-Nine technique, unless he encountered another peerless genius, he should have no rivals at the seventh layer of the Returning Void realm.

Now, he had gained another powerful helper.

Even without the backing of the Nan Hong Seven Sons, with this strength, he would definitely be able to protect himself in this land and water realm.

With this thought, Shen Yi took out a new ink-colored shirt and put it on.

As the ink-clad youth stepped out of the demon cave, the three Chen family elders walked towards him.

First, he had destroyed the demon cave, and then he had defeated the Lingyun Xianzong's peerless genius.

These two moves had already proven his terrifying means and strength.

Now that the Nanyang Xianzong had reappeared in the world, these lost souls from Qinghai Prefecture naturally chose to follow suit and return to their rightful path.

"Choose ten cultivators around the middle stages of the Returning Void realm to temporarily serve in the Nanyang Sect."

Shen Yi had a favorable impression of this old man. In him, he saw traces of Chen Qiankun.

While he couldn't be described as fearless and ruthless, he knew when to be afraid, and when it truly mattered, he would never back down.

"If you're worried about the safety of Qinghai Prefecture and feel that your defenses are inadequate, you may also send your disciples to the Nanyang blessed land in advance."

These simple words caused the expressions of the people below to change once again.

This was not a decision that an ordinary executive could make.

From his tone, it was clear that this young Upper Immortal had a significant position within the Nanyang Sect.

"We obey your command, Immortal Jing Song!"

Jing Jingsong did not hesitate for a moment. Now that he had chosen to surrender, he would do what was necessary as a vassal.

He turned back and, without hesitation, called out nine names.

Most of them were at the fifth layer of the Returning Void realm, and the remaining few at the fourth layer were those with the most stable auras.

As for the last one...

Jing Jingsong recalled how he had been casually slapped away by the pig demon earlier, and his old face turned red as he cupped his hands together and said, "Upper Immortal, although I, Jing Song, am not very strong, I still have some ability. Please allow me to contribute to the Nanyang Xianzong in my own small way."

Before he finished speaking,

Ten Nanyang executive robes appeared in Shen Yi's hands and fell into the hands of the chosen cultivators.

These were from the Nanyang legacy that Li Qingfeng had painstakingly gathered.

Shen Yi had brought a large number of these robes with him.

"Ah?"

At the sight of this, the chosen cultivators from Qinghai Prefecture froze, their eyes fixed on the silky long robes in their hands, their gazes landing on the Nanyang emblem, leaving them stunned for a moment.

They even forgot about asking for their monthly salary.

The few of them instinctively knelt down and exclaimed, "Thank you, Upper Immortal, for your favor! We will do our best and will not disgrace your trust."

Seeing their comical expressions,

The rest of the people couldn't help but feel jealous, their eyes filled with envy.

They wished they could rush forward and show themselves to Shen Yi again.

The elders of the Gui Sect, on the other hand, felt extremely anxious and could only timidly look up, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"By the way, you too."

Shen Yi had just acquired a few more errand-running executives, and his mood was not bad.

In that thick book, there weren't many things related to demons and monsters, but if the Nanyang Sect ignored them, it would give the impression of being neglected.

Someone had to handle these matters.

"Please give us your orders, Upper Immortal!"

The elders of the Gui Sect also performed the walking bow ritual.

"No need to be so polite, I just need to borrow some things from you."

When he had arrived at the Gui Sect and seen the many spiritual puppets, Shen Yi had already started planning.

Using these puppets for transportation, although not as good as the Clear Moon Treasure Boat, was still much more efficient than personally performing a relocation technique.

"Uh..."

The elders of the Gui Sect paused for a moment, suddenly remembering that they had been so caught up in the spectacle that they had forgotten that the Upper Immortal hadn't settled their matter yet.

At this moment, they didn't dare hesitate and quickly rose into the air, leading the way, "This way, Upper Immortal. Whatever you need, the Gui Sect will not dare to hide it from you."

After about an incense stick's worth of time,

Nearly twenty towering spiritual puppets appeared above the Gui Sect, blocking out the sky.

Unlike other lively and lifelike puppets,

These travel-oriented spiritual puppets maintained a bronze-like appearance, resembling majestic lions.

"Make these for now. If I don't have enough in the future, I'll come back and borrow some more."

Shen Yi nodded slightly, leaving only one bronze lion puppet and storing the rest in his ring.

Then, along with the few people sent by Qinghai Prefecture and the Chen family elders, he boarded the spiritual puppet and disappeared into the clouds.

Until their auras completely vanished,

"Phew."

The elders of the Gui Sect breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had just shed a heavy burden. With great effort, they suppressed their heartache and adjusted their breathing.

It was no big deal to lend out some things; the important thing was that their lives had been spared.

Just based on Yang Lin's rebellious statements earlier, the entire Gui Sect would have been obliterated countless times over.

Furthermore, there was no doubt about the strength of the Nanyang Sect.

With just that ink-clad Upper Immortal, they could accomplish this task.

This price for their lives would likely take many years to repay.

"..."

The Zhao family had been insignificant from start to finish.

However, they had witnessed everything that had transpired today.

They glanced at each other quietly and wisely chose to keep their mouths shut.

To be honest... if the Nanyang Sect had arrived just a little later, they might have been swayed by Yang Lin's words, and by then... their Zhao family wouldn't have been able to afford the price of their lives like the Gui Sect.

Thinking of the usually friendly forces, it seemed that some of them had similar intentions.

The Zhao family had already taken out jade slips, intending to spread the news as soon as possible, before the Nanyang Sect could execute them.

After disappearing for a hundred thousand years,

Today, they had returned, and they were still as awe-inspiring as the legends described.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end