https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-597-The-Frustrated-Jade-Mountain-Dragon-Consort/12938398/
Chapter 596: Returning to Western Hongze, The Palace Lord's Arrival
Chapter 596: Returning to Western Hongze, The Palace Lord's Arrival
A thousand prayers for ascension, a worthy exchange for heavenly merits.
Such words would be difficult for an ordinary person to utter.
But the tone of this Hongze Great Immortal made it sound like a grand bestowal.
The two aged patriarchs of the Boundless Dao Monarch Sect remained unmoved, calmly staring at the Golden Body Incarnation before them, showing no surprise at the immortal's command, as if they were already accustomed to it.
Xue Yan, who had only recently reached this level, slightly raised his eyebrows. He recalled the commanding tone the Virtuous Immortal had used towards them, the calmness and composure displayed throughout the journey, and now, seeing the immortal tightly bound, he couldn't help but feel a bit amused.
Indeed, ascetic cultivation had likely clouded his mind.
Even with great merits, without manifesting genuine strength, he dared to be so lax and careless, failing to recognize his own status.
"Hmm?"
Xue Yan's smile faded slightly as he noticed that the Virtuous Immortal didn't display the rage and astonishment he had expected. Instead, the immortal stood silently, intently observing the Great Immortal of Hongze on the staircase.
Something was amiss.
Beside the Imprisoning Golden Body, a white-robed black dragon, with an indifferent expression, slightly raised its head, revealing a row of chilling fangs.
It was as tall as the Golden Body Incarnation, and it suddenly reached out, pressing down on the shoulder of the other. In a low voice, it coldly rebuked, "Dare to desecrate the immortal's might, kneel down!"
The black dragon, clearly from the North Dragon Palace, held an extraordinary status. Even if it wasn't a Dragon King, it was undoubtedly one of the most outstanding among them.
With a slight movement, it exuded a terrifying aura that made one's heart tremble.
At such close proximity, even the Return to Void Realm's Imprisoning Golden Body, let alone Shen Yi's true self, would struggle to break free and could only be forced to kneel on the ground.
"..."
Shen Yi glanced at the dragon with a sideways look, but his posture remained upright.
It wasn't that he had hidden any tricks; he simply couldn't match the dragon's might with his Golden Body.
But in the instant the dragon moved, the immortal on the staircase calmly glanced at the black dragon.
With just a glance, the outstanding dragon from the North Dragon Palace felt a chill, freezing in place for a moment before woodenly retracting its hand.
"Hmph."
The two aged patriarchs of the Boundless Dao Monarch Sect quietly averted their gaze, inwardly scoffing.
As expected of a demon, even their flattery knows no bounds.
Even though this Golden Body Incarnation had been acknowledged by the Celestial Court, if Hongze Great Immortal could humiliate him, did others have the same right? To disrespect the immortal's might was to disrespect Hongze Great Immortal as well.
"Immortal friend, you shall stay here in this deep palace, accompanying this lord."
The immortal retracted his gaze and sat back down on the chair. With a gentle wave of his sleeve, an ordinary-looking crimson lacquer wedge shot out, piercing the chest of the Imprisoning Golden Body with a 'pfft' sound, nailing it to the Coiling Dragon Pillar behind.
Shen Yi lowered his gaze to his heart, feeling no pain, but gradually losing control over this body.
Even moving a finger was beyond his capability.
Under everyone's gaze, he closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate.
Shen Yi wasn't a masochist; despite knowing the dangers, he had taken Qinghua's place to endure this punishment.
The reason he took on this Golden Body Incarnation was to seize this rare opportunity to understand the enemy he was about to face.
Up until now, he had indeed sensed something, but it seemed of little use.
For instance, when the immortal summoned the wooden wedge, with the help of the Demon Emperor Seal, Shen Yi keenly felt the entire Nan Hong's qi being stirred.
This indicated that even when dealing with a Return to Void Realm's Golden Body, the immortal still utilized the power of the White Rhino's treasure.
From this minor detail, one could deduce that the immortal was more accustomed to relying on external power granted by the Celestial Court... Of course, this didn't prove anything, as it was their first meeting, and it was challenging to gather sufficient information.
Additionally, when they were in Nan Hong, the immortal had rather gone through the trouble of having the South Dragon King come to Peach Source Manor to keep watch instead of taking action himself, most likely fearing exposure by the Celestial Court.
But now, after he was bound, the immortal seemed to suddenly care less about this.
Shen Yi felt the ropes and talismans on his body, and his thoughts became clearer. Did these things have the ability to conceal fate?
In other words... the Golden Body Incarnation was no longer under the protection of the Celestial Court.
The reason he still had his life was that the immortal coveted the merits within him and needed time to absorb them.
To preserve this Virtuous Immortal's divided body, it depended on whether Shen Yi grew faster or the immortal's digestion was quicker.
"Hmm."
Shen Yi exhaled lightly, his seemingly calm expression belied the chilling waves in his heart.
He had engaged in such races against time countless times.
And he had never lost.
With this in mind, he reopened his eyes, sweeping a glance at the many figures before him.
These objects that conceal the secrets of heaven, which definitely could not have originated from Hongze, were now in the possession of the North Dragon Palace and the Boundless Dao Emperor Sect.
This proved that his earlier guess was correct.
In the entire Northern Flood, there was no distinction between demons and cultivators; they were all birds of a feather, mere lackeys of the Immortals.
Since that was the case, things had become much simpler.
...
Nan Yang Sacred Ground, Summit Grand Hall.
Shen Yi slowly stood up and took a step forward, and his entire person appeared before the Ancestor Hall.
As the Nan Yang Heaven and Earth, he could easily sense the presence of numerous outsiders within the Sacred Ground.
Inside the Ancestor Hall, where only Xuan Qing was usually present, it was now filled to the brim with six Sect Leaders, all staring at the tall stone statue with complex expressions, while the Treasure Flower Sect Leader chatted casually with Xuan Qing.
Upon seeing Shen Yi enter, Xuan Qing quickly stood up and bowed, opening his mouth to speak, only to find his voice hoarse.
The Treasure Flower Sect Leader gently supported his arm and shot Shen Yi a grateful look.
"Hmm."
Xuan Qing bit his teeth and exhaled, forcibly suppressing the choking sensation.
Aside from his master, he didn't have many people he could confide in.
This led to Xuan Qing's state of mind being in turmoil ever since he learned that Shen Zongzhuang had actually taken those words to heart and taken a real step forward, and he had been unable to calm down ever since.
The other party had once said that he wanted to see the Immortal, and if possible, he would also take Xuan Qing with him.
Xuan Qing wasn't sure if he could muster the courage to stand before that man in a white robe with flowing cloud patterns again, because whenever he saw the other party, he would inevitably recall his master's face, twisted in fear and streaming with tears.
The old man, who had always stood tall and never done anything against his conscience, lived up to his name, Bright Sun, but in the end, he sacrificed all the disciples he cared about the most.
The Immortal knew that his master wasn't afraid of death, and he didn't even think he could truly save his disciple. His appearance that day was probably just because he couldn't bear it in his heart and wanted to do something, like accompanying his disciple in death.
But the Immortal still found the only way to crush his disciple's Dao heart.
"I..."
Shen Yi cleared his throat.
As Shen Yi passed by his side, he patted his shoulder lightly and casually changed the topic: "What's the matter, seniors?"
"We don't deserve the title of seniors."
Deng Xiangjun smiled bitterly and waved his hand, leading the numerous fellow disciples to stand up and bow: "We are anxious and don't know what to do, so we came to ask if you, the Nan Yang Sect Leader, have any instructions."
Ye Jiu was obviously an impatient person, interrupting Deng Xiangjun's polite words: "Even with the help of the Treasure Flower Sect and the Mountain-Shifting Sect, the news of the South Dragon King's demise won't be hidden for long. With Qi Zhaoyi not returning, the Western Dragon Palace will eventually notice something amiss. Should we..."
As he spoke, he made a gesture of slitting his throat.
Since they were going to fight anyway, it was better to strike first.
If the Western Dragon Palace received the news first and became prepared, then they would call upon their allies and gather a large group of helpers, which would put them back in the previous situation of being on the defensive.
They couldn't always rely on Shen Zongzhuang to solve these demonic calamities alone.
"You might as well go straight to the Northern Flood."
Qi Yansheng rolled his eyes, and this frivolous action was not in line with his usual character. However, after Shen Yi took charge of the seven sects, he no longer had a reason to maintain his usual composure.
He had been calm before to suppress his fellow disciples, but now that he couldn't do that anymore, he might as well let it all go.
Just as Ye Jiu said, they should just follow Nan Yang Sect's instructions.
But this didn't mean he could stand idly by and watch Ye Jiu run amok here.
The Western Dragon Palace was different from this group of Yellow Poison Dragons in the south; aside from the issue of strength, they didn't seal themselves off in one place. They maintained connections with both the east and the north.
It wouldn't be easy to move against them.
"Start with the Western Flood," Shen Yi said after a moment's thought, shaking his head. With what he had seen through the Golden Body Incarnation, their current strength was not even enough to be considered a challenge in the Northern Flood.
Before he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
Qi Yansheng's mouth twitched twice; his joke was being taken seriously by Shen Zongzhuang.
After a brief moment of astonishment, the Sect Leaders turned their gazes back to the tall stone statue, their expressions becoming even more complex.
If possible, who wouldn't want to leave this remote place?
Just like Ye Jiu, if he didn't leave Nan Hong, how could he have the opportunity to spar and exchange insights with fellow cultivators of the same realm, seeking his own opportunities? These years of idleness had made it increasingly difficult for him to break through his cultivation realm, let alone the Fusion Realm. Even achieving perfection in the Celestial Realm was gradually becoming hopeless.
Nan Yang Sect had once taken them out once; was it possible... to return there again?
The Sect Leaders didn't notice that behind them, Xuan Qing's pupils suddenly began to tremble violently.
He felt that these Senior Martial Uncles might have misunderstood something.
Shen Zongzhu's ambition was not to lead the Seven Sons of Nan Hong to reclaim their top-tier status, but the imaginary enemy in their minds had always been that immortal!
In other words, their Grandmaster's gaze had never been limited to Hongze.
"We three will accompany you."
Ji Jingxi noticed Xuan Qing's strangeness with her peripheral vision, pondered for a moment, and then looked at Shen Yi, saying softly, "In any case, it's always more convenient to have a few people by your side."
"As for the sect, we'll leave it to Senior Brother Deng and the others to take care of."
As the junior disciple, Ji Jingxi rarely voiced her opinions, but when she did, almost no one would refute her.
The several grandmasters paused, all nodding.
Currently, Nan Hong could be said to have eradicated all evil, and with the size of the Seven Sons of Nan Hong, there wouldn't be any issues at all.
"What you want to do... cannot avoid the Eastern Dragon Palace."
Ji Jingxi walked slowly to Shen Yi's side and consulted, "Perhaps we should communicate with Zi Xian?"
"Let's talk about it later."
Shen Yi didn't directly agree.
Among the Four Flood Dragons, the one that gave him the most trouble was actually the Eastern Dragon Palace, not because they were stronger than the Northern Dragon Palace.
But this group of Purple Beard White Dragons and the Seven Sons of Nan Hong... to be precise, it was the subtle relationship between them and Senior Xuan Qing.
Ever since Shen Yi left Nan Yang Sacred Ground, he had been under the care of Senior Xuan Qing. Whether it was the Primordial Purple Qi, the introduction to seek pills at the Treasure Flower Sect, or even personally going to the Seven Sects to knock on their doors.
All of these had bought him a lot of time.
This debt of gratitude must be repaid.
Shen Yi was not indecisive; he was determined to obtain the Eastern Flood Dragon Cavern, but this group of Purple Beard White Dragons was indeed a bit outrageous. Apart from the already ascended Zi Ling Immortal, they were so formidable that it was impossible to find a way to deal with them.
To be blunt, a large part of the reason why the Yue family hadn't come to Nan Hong to investigate and allowed Shen Yi to easily eliminate the South Dragon King was because the Eastern Dragon Palace helped cover it up.
When dealing with the Moon Frost Tiger Clan, it was the Jade Mountain Dragon Consort who helped block An Tingfeng; otherwise, the outcome might have been different.
As for Zi Ling Immortal... the several grandmasters and even Xuan Qing himself treated this immortal's mount and the Eastern Dragon Palace separately, addressing each issue individually without mixing them together. How could it be his turn to avenge this grudge?
If possible, Shen Yi didn't want to repay kindness with enmity; having other solutions would be better.
Of course, the premise was that the Eastern Dragon Palace stood in opposition to the immortal.
Shen Yi glanced to the west.
The Jade Mountain Dragon Consort was clearly preparing for some plan, and if possible, he also wanted to know how the Eastern Dragon Palace planned to deal with the immortal. Having an extra option couldn't be a bad thing.
"When are we leaving?"
Ji Jingxi waited for Shen Yi to finish his thoughts before asking softly.
Seeing the two standing side by side, the grandmasters suddenly felt a sense of emotion. Nan Yang and Qing Yue, shining together—it had been many years since they had seen such a scene.
They didn't know if the brilliance of the sun and moon could shine again in Hongze.
"If there's nothing else, we can set off now."
Shen Yi stepped out of the Ancestor Hall, knowing that his golden body was still trapped in the Northern Flood Immortal Palace.
Since his arrival in this world, he had never suffered such humiliation.
If this dragged on, Qinghua's merit earned by dissolving the ten-thousand-year slaughter tribulation would be taken by others.
Despite Shen Yi's hasty decision, not a single person raised any objections.
Ji Jingxi, Ye Jiu, and Qi Yansheng followed suit.
Under the watchful eyes of the Dao monks outside the hall, the four figures slowly disappeared, leaving Nan Yang Sacred Ground. They each used their divine abilities and headed west.
The Treasure Flower Sect Leader accompanied Xuan Qing, who followed with a complex expression.
"I..."
"Don't drag everything onto yourself. Do you still think you're that peerless genius?"
The Treasure Flower Sect Leader glared at him and then gestured with her hand.
Xuan Qing looked in that direction and saw Su Hongxiu and the other young Dao monks, their eyes burning as they stared at the departing grandmasters.
Under Shen Yi's influence, this group of younger generation couldn't hold back their restless hearts. They no longer wanted to stay in their corner of the world like their masters.
"Moreover, don't you want to see Shen Zongzhuang sitting high in the clouds, shoulder to shoulder with those powerful figures?" The Treasure Flower Sect Leader asked expectantly.
"I think..."
Xuan Qing withdrew his gaze and sighed, "But he doesn't want to."
In the Treasure Flower Sect Leader's surprised gaze, Xuan Qing rubbed his face and murmured, "The Grandmaster doesn't want to stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone. He can sit anywhere, but he can't have anyone above him."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room turned around in astonishment, and the place fell silent.
(End of Chapter)
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