Chapter 587: A Sudden Turn of Events

Chapter 587: A Sudden Turn of Events

"Heh."

The scent of dragon blood quickly filled the air, entering the noses of everyone present, reminding them of the reality of the scene before them.

Even without its head and with its upper body split open, the Yellow Plague Venom Dragon, once in control of the Southern Flood's land and water, was not yet dead. It simply lost its fighting spirit, and its towering body staggered forward.

The Western Flood was just ahead, and it seemed there was still hope if it could cross that line.

However, the youth in the ink-black robe held the Golden Patterned Dark Blade casually, following behind the dragon without haste. Each swing of the blade created a terrifying gash on the Ke Family Prince's mutilated body.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

The crimson blood splattered, and the Ke Family Prince's already staggering steps slowed down even more, as if he would collapse at any moment. His entire body was drenched in dark red blood, and as Shen Yi raised his arm again, the long blade finally plunged into his shoulder, piercing deep into his chest before stopping.

"Huff."

Shen Yi slowly released his palm, and even the gaps between his fingers were covered in sticky, hot blood. He glanced up slightly, looking at the mutilated body in front of him as if it had lost all its strength, staggering to a halt, and then falling forward without any signs of life.

He collected the Ke Family Prince's corpse into his ring finger, then slowly turned around.

"..."

In the brief moment when his gaze swept past, Cheng Xiaoyuan shivered involuntarily. He found it hard to imagine that someone could have such a detached expression yet wield the blade with such ferocity, killing a Heaven Realm Dragon Demon alive in the waters.

"Snap out of it!"

Huang Wenfa's low exclamation brought Cheng Xiaoyuan back to his senses, reminding him of Shen Zongzhu's earlier instructions.

The two of them rushed out together, using the Mountain Stabilization Technique to transform into a massive barrier and fly forward, blocking the impending disturbance within the Southern Flood's territory.

"So, this is the heavenly phenomenon."

Cheng Xiaoyuan's expression was filled with both fear and strangeness as he glanced at Huang Wenfa beside him while exerting his full strength in the technique.

It was no wonder that Huang Wenfa had such a strong reaction when the message was sent through the jade slip. He must have been familiar with Shen Zongzhu's style.

He truly was the type to kill without hesitation, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Thank you both."

With the help of these two sect leaders from Mountain Movers Sect, Shen Yi avoided many troubles.

He looked at the Dark and Mysterious Grand Manor, took a casual step forward, and arrived in front of it. Then, with a wave of his hand, he dispelled the Divine Ability, revealing a figure curled up like a snake, trembling within the dragon body.

From the initial frenzy and rage to this moment, its head was buried within its body.

Qi Zhaoyi no longer resembled a Heaven Realm Western Dragon Palace Prince in the slightest.

Hearing the movement beside him, it raised its head in a daze. The essence in its eyes had long dissipated, leaving only a faint divine soul maintaining its life force. Even this last bit of soul seemed like a flickering candle in the wind, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

Despite this, when it saw the ink-soaked figure suspended before it, its pupils instinctively contracted. Its massive head, like a mountain, quickly retracted.

It was an innate fear engraved in its bones!

Shen Yi extended his hand, and his slender fingers gently rested on its forehead. The difference in their sizes had reached the scale of mountains and ants, as if he was soothing a frightened cat.

Under this palm, the fear in Qi Zhaoyi's eyes gradually faded, and he slowly closed his eyes.

The shattered divine soul could no longer support his memory of the person before him.

But in that instant, his innate sense of crisis caused his entire body to tremble. The Blue Sky Technique surged, and the surrounding heaven and earth's aura was instantly drawn, gathering in the bloodstained white palm.

Crack!

Qi Zhaoyi desperately tried to escape the terrifying figure covered in blood, but in its current state, it had already lost control over its dragon body, let alone resist the fully unleashed Sacred Mountain Tranquil Sky Technique. It could only despairingly feel its head cracking open, unable to even let out a roar.

Under the immense force, the massive dragon head gradually deformed, and cracks spread like spider webs until it shattered completely! Amidst the blood rain, Shen Yi slowly retracted his hand.

The two Heaven Realm mid-stage Dragon Demons perished almost simultaneously, causing the atmosphere of this piece of heaven and earth to reach its peak. The thick scent of blood spread with the aura, permeating the entire Southern Flood! The continuous clouds took on a faint red hue.

It was as if a great sun had set, casting a sunset glow over the entire land and water, but this sunset carried an unyielding killing intent, chilling the hearts of those who witnessed it.

"..."

The Treasure Flower Sect Master stared intently at Shen Zongzhu in the sky. Until this moment, not a single drop of his own blood stained his dark red robe.

With his own strength, he had slain two Dragon Demons without a scratch! In the entire Southern Flood, the only person capable of such a feat was likely the Southern Dragon King.

This young sect leader, in a short time, had become an existence comparable to the Dragon King. Even if he was not yet on par, his future was already unimaginable!

The Treasure Flower Sect Master had previously thought it a pity that her disciple, while in Nanyang Sect, had missed the opportunity to meet with Shen Zongzhu and relieve her heart's longing.

After all, not everything in the world required a result.

Suddenly, a different idea emerged.

Based on Shen Zongzhu's performance, if his disciple truly had the opportunity to interact with him, and if he were to fall under his spell, his fate would likely be even more tragic than that of his master.

For those who are out of reach, the best choice is... not to even look.

"Shen Yi still has important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

Shen Yi put away the corpse of Yujiao Yinyinlong and bid farewell to the Treasure Flower Sect Master with a bow, before summoning the Black Cloud and disappearing into the sky.

After all, when he left, he didn't explain things clearly to Elder Deng, and the fall of a Heaven Realm cultivator would emit a difficult-to-conceal aura fluctuation. He didn't want the other sect leaders to worry too much, so it was better to return early.

"Please rest assured, we will ensure that this news does not spread beyond Southern Flood."

The three of them returned the bow, watching Shen Yi leave.

They exchanged glances, seeing the complexity in each other's eyes. The impact they had received was so great that they were almost numb, not knowing where to begin.

But one thing was certain.

The Southern Flood was about to undergo a change.

...

The Seven Sects of Southern Flood.

Deng Xiangjun, under the watchful eyes of her fellow disciples, lowered her head in shame.

So-called ignorance.

Where did Shen Zongzhu go? What was he doing? When would he return?

Facing these questions, he opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"You were supposed to find Shen Yi, but you brought back his Dao token?"

Ye Jiu's eyes twitched, holding his breath in his chest, almost dying of anger.

"This isn't Deng Shixiong's fault, Shen Zongzhu is just like this. He has his own ideas."

Ji Jingxi was also worried, but since she had accompanied Shen Yi to Western Flood, she had some understanding of this young sect leader.

"I can't keep him here, and I can't catch up to him. I..."

Seeing that someone finally understood him, Deng Xiangjun finally showed a hint of grievance.

"Am I blaming him?"

Ye Jiu waved his sleeves in frustration, "Those few eels aren't here now, who knows if they're lying in ambush for Shen Yi? We don't even have a clue where to start looking!"

They had also heard the Southern Dragon King's long roar, and the mood of that old eel was clearly abnormal.

Ye Jiu didn't doubt Shen Yi's strength, it was just that...

"Now that we've fallen out, what despicable methods won't they resort to?"

"Shh."

Qi Yan Sheng suddenly raised his head and stopped the others from talking.

He frowned, staring at the sky, seeing the rapidly spreading red haze, like a line connecting heaven and earth, turning the entire sky a faint red.

Seeing this, everyone fell silent.

As the leaders of the Seven Sects of Southern Flood, they had seen it all, and they could identify this phenomenon at a glance.

But precisely because they recognized it, they stood there in a daze.

The aura of a Heaven Realm cultivator was too strong, and their fall would cause this aura to return to the heavens and earth, triggering various anomalies. Even in all of Hongze, such a scene was a rare sight, occurring once in tens of thousands of years.

But here in this remote Southern Flood, within just a few days, they had witnessed it twice.

In this land of water and land, those who could fight against a Heaven Realm cultivator were few and far between.

And there was one existence who, every time an anomaly occurred, would "coincidentally" be out on business.

Ye Jiu turned back, his eyes dull as he scanned his fellow disciples, "Is it him again?"

Before the others could respond, he continued, "Who died this time?"

Ji Jingxi pursed her lips, the answer was already obvious. If the Southern Dragon King had fallen, the disturbance would be far greater. The remaining possibilities were either the Ke Family Prince or Qi Zhaoyi... or perhaps both had died together.

When the last thought crossed her mind, even Ji Jingxi was startled. It seemed that whenever it involved Shen Yi, she felt anything was possible. Even the absurd notion of single-handedly slaying two mid-stage Heaven Realm dragon demons...

"Follow me!"

Ye Jiu summoned his flowing light sword and rushed out.

"Where are we going?" Deng Xiangjun asked instinctively.

But Ye Jiu turned back, glared at her, and said through gritted teeth, "To welcome our great Shen Zongzhu."

Ye Jiu truly couldn't understand why, in Shen Yi's eyes, he and the others were considered part of the Seven Sects.

He was the Sword of the Seven Sects, and this was a task that he, as the sword, should be doing. What Shen Yi should be doing was staying behind, overseeing the overall situation, and becoming the calming presence in everyone's hearts.

He was the ace in the hole of the Seven Sects, an existence that must not be lost!

Unless Shen Yi didn't consider himself a part of the Seven Sects at all, or perhaps, he never took Ye Jiu and the others seriously, treating them as mere pawns.

"..."

Ji Jingxi saw Ye Jiu's dissatisfaction but didn't say anything. She just wanted to find Shen Yi as soon as possible to understand his situation.

All six sect leaders set out together, heading towards the front.

However, not long after leaving the sect, Ye Jiu stopped his flight and gazed into the distance.

In the waters above, a blood-stained figure stood with his hands hanging by his sides, staring intently at the waters below. His gaze was piercing, as if it could penetrate the endless emerald waves and look straight into the Dragon Den, the deepest part of Southern Flood.

Perhaps their personalities were indeed similar.

With just a glance, Ye Jiu understood Shen Yi's thoughts.

This kid... had indeed killed the Ke Family Prince, and was now pondering whether the Southern Dragon King would act impulsively due to his heir's death and choose to leave the Dragon Den to fight to the death.

Indeed, after sensing the approach of numerous auras, Shen Yi finally withdrew his gaze, a barely noticeable hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

The entire water area was as quiet as the dead.

Even the death of his own son could not make that old dragon lose his sanity, and Shen Yi truly couldn't think of any other way to provoke the other party.

If he couldn't slay this old dragon, then his plan would be shelved.

The seemingly resolved crisis in Nan Hong had actually already reached a dead-end situation.

The reason was quite simple.

No matter how mysterious the Ten Thousand Demon Hall was, with the formidable forces of the Wu Liang Dao Huang Zong, Yue family, and the Western Dragon Palace that had been waiting for Qi Zhaoyi's return, once they realized the situation and started to join forces to investigate, they would undoubtedly be able to trace the clues back to Nan Hong.

Only Shen Yi knew that he didn't have any astonishing talent.

If he were to truly seclude himself in the treasure land and close his cultivation, perhaps by the time his life span was exhausted and he sat in meditation, his cultivation strength would not have undergone any significant changes.

Underneath his leap-like growth was the burial of countless demon bones.

Climbing this white bone staircase had led to the current Shen Zongzhu, who was considered to have "limitless potential."

Take breaking through the Heaven Realm, for example; he needed a large number of Dao Fusion Realm demon spirit rocks, and being blocked in Nan Hong would represent a dead end.

Of course, Shen Yi could also let numerous demon spirit rocks go out to hunt, but that would only increase the risk of being targeted by the many forces in Bei Hong. Without unparalleled cultivation, what could he use to contend with so many forces?

He really needed his own territory.

At the very least, he needed to occupy the land of the two Hongs to have the courage to compete with an immortal.

And now, how much time he had left depended on how quickly those forces gathered information.

Placing hope on others...

"Hmm."

Shen Yi slowly exhaled, turned around, and walked towards the several sect leaders, "Let's go back first."

Regardless, they couldn't afford to lose their composure.

"..."

After watching Shen Yi ponder for a moment, they simply gave a perfunctory reply and headed towards the Seven Sects, looking at each other in bewilderment.

It seemed as if the other party was just going out to run errands, and it was not worth mentioning that he had only gone for a stroll.

Ye Jiu finally couldn't hold back and sighed, "Can you tell me, how many Dao Fusion Realm demons came from Xi Hong this time?"

"Hmm?"

Shen Yi turned around with a hint of confusion and casually replied, "Twelve."

Hearing this confident tone and accurate number, not only the other sect leaders but even Ji Jingxi couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly.

Although they didn't know how Shen Yi had done it, she seemed to understand the reason for the mysterious calmness in Nan Hong these days.

Ye Jiu closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment before asking again, "What was the celestial phenomenon this time?"

"Two Dragon Sons."

Shen Yi finally understood that he was used to acting alone, neglecting that these senior sect leaders had protected Nan Hong for many years, and their goodwill and concern for those cultivators and living beings.

Now that the matter was mostly resolved, there was no need to worry about affecting the allied sects anymore. Apart from the Ten Thousand Demon Hall incident, there was almost no need to hide anything else.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Although they had already guessed beforehand, they were now hearing a confirming response.

The faces of the several sect leaders were filled with an overwhelming sense of shock.

Especially Deng Xiangjun, who gradually gained a more genuine understanding of Shen Zongzhu's "taking care of some matters."

"Ye is grateful to Nan Hong on your behalf, a great kindness and virtue that will never be forgotten."

As the shock gradually subsided, Ye Jiu solemnly cupped his hands and murmured,

"I truly never imagined that someone could eliminate such a great calamity with their own strength, making it disappear without a trace."

"Even the current me cannot do it."

But soon, he opened his palms, and a complex expression appeared on his lips, "So, do you still need me?"

As the leader of the Tian Jian Sect, he could endure the frustration of these days because he still had a glimmer of hope. On the day when Nanyang rose again, there would be a day when he could use this rusty broken sword of his.

But now it seemed that the new leader of the Nanyang Sect had never included him in his plans.

Listening to these slightly strange words,

Shen Yi fell into silence.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to respond, but a new message came from Qinghua's side. The immortal sitting in Hongze finally couldn't hold back and started talking to her using the White Rhino Treasure Artifact.

"..."

Shen Yi's silence made Ye Jiu's complex expression turn into a bit of self-mockery.

The other sect leaders, including Ji Jingxi, stood silently in their places. If even Ye Jiu couldn't enter Shen Zongzhu's eyes, then they didn't even need to be mentioned.

Perhaps for such a genius, the identity of the Nanyang Sect Leader was just an insignificant part of his cultivation journey.

As for the hopes they had placed in him, it was inherently unreasonable; they had no grievances with the immortal or Bei Hong.

Shen Zongzhu had no reason to do so much for a newly acquainted force.

Being able to lend a helping hand was already a great favor.

It's just that they had no other choice. Having finally seen a glimmer of hope, they could only go crazy and numb themselves, comforting their hearts that yearned for revenge but were also timid.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end