Chapter 756: The Struggle for Kaoyuan Prefecture
Chapter 756: The Struggle for Kaoyuan Prefecture
"Senior Brother, are we just going to let this slide?"
"Or what? Do you want me to summon a magic artifact and challenge him in broad daylight?"
The two figures hurried back to their cultivation grounds. Huaming's face was full of resentment: "What's the harm in a challenge? Senior Brother's cultivation is a whole realm higher than his. I say we should teach him a lesson, make him lose face on Heavenly Tower Mountain, and see if he still has the nerve to stay at that immortal shrine."
"Besides, he has no master, so he doesn't count as one of us in the Three Immortals Sect!"
As he spoke, Huaming suddenly paused: "Right, he's not part of our Three Immortals Sect, so we don't have to teach him a lesson in broad daylight. We can just do it in secret..."
Why teach him a lesson when we can just kill the lunatic outright?
But before he could finish, a sharp slap landed on his face.
Slap!
Real Person Haoming stopped and shot him a cold, icy glance: "If you keep spouting nonsense, don't blame me for not showing you any brotherly affection."
Huaming's progress had been slow but steady, but because of the other's instigation, he had lost a powerful demon, and his anger had nowhere to go. This little brat was actually daring to speak without restraint.
Such things cannot be discussed openly.
There has never been a precedent for fellow disciples killing each other in the entire Northern Continent.
Indeed, the Grand Emptiness Dharma Emperor currently has no master, but if it weren't for the connection to the Spiritual Void Cave, Senior Brother Yunmiao would have taken over Heavenly Tower Mountain.
"..."
Huaming, dazed, held his cheek.
Not only did they fail to seize the cultivation grounds, but he also got slapped for no reason. This was something he found hard to accept.
He gritted his teeth, took a few deep breaths, and said with a flushed face: "Many of the top talents have left the Northern Continent, and the Bodhi Sect has interfered. The situation is vastly different from before. If Senior Brother continues to be so cautious, we will eventually suffer a major setback!"
Upon hearing this, Real Person Haoming instinctively raised his hand but hesitated to strike again.
Actually, what the other said wasn't entirely wrong.
In the past, the Three Immortals Sect was far stronger than the Divine Dynasty, which led to the rapid conquest of the Northern Continent. The division of cultivation grounds was largely a matter of luck.
Many people, including himself, had taken advantage of this momentum to secure their own benefits.
However, with many top talents still present, others dared not act recklessly and break the rules they had set.
Now that those top talents have left, those who missed out on their share due to bad luck will seize this last opportunity.
In such a situation, it's hard to say how many will still abide by the rules.
If one hasn't tasted the Imperial Qi, it might be different, but once you've had a taste, it's hard to give it up. Real Person Haoming would not hesitate to fight to the death to keep it.
Moreover, with the Bodhi Sect as a cover, anyone who secretly kills a fellow disciple can easily pin the blame on the monks.
For those who are already in a weaker position, this is a real cause for concern.
"Ah."
Thinking about the likelihood of fellow disciples turning on each other, Real Person Haoming sighed, his face filled with sorrow.
"Instead of sitting and waiting to die, we should strike first, Senior Brother." Huaming lowered his hand from his face and said through gritted teeth.
"Stop talking. I have my own thoughts."
Real Person Haoming cut off his junior brother, but his voice was no longer as cold and harsh, becoming much gentler.
He then glanced toward the edge of the cultivation grounds.
After the white ape left, more people started looking toward Heavenly Tower Mountain. Although there was no clear boundary, the difference between the two cultivation grounds was stark.
One side was a foul-smelling wasteland, while the other, though not perfect, at least had a semblance of normal life.
Among the refugees were former wealthy merchants who now stared longingly at the humble huts and fields they once despised, their eyes filled with envy.
Everything is worse in comparison.
These pig-like beings, who were grateful just to have water and food to survive, now dared to dream of more.
"Such a vicious move." Huaming also realized that the neighboring cultivator, while not dispatching powerful demons, was using this subtle method to win the hearts of the people.
"..."
Real Person Haoming remained silent for a long time, then summoned a disciple and coldly ordered: "Whatever they do on Heavenly Tower Mountain, you must do the same... no, you must do better!"
A few humble huts and some freely available water and food mean nothing to immortals.
But using this method to win the hearts of the people forces everyone to follow suit, slowing down the efficiency of gathering Imperial Qi. In the past, such behavior would have been punished by senior disciples.
But now, no one cares, and Real Person Haoming had no choice but to take this approach.
First, stabilize the morale within the cultivation grounds. As for that arrogant Southern Continent upstart, he will pay for the loss of the white ape one day!
...
At the foot of Heavenly Tower Mountain.
Ordinary people could hardly hear the conversations in the sky, and even the figures of the immortals were blurry.
They all raised their heads, staring intently at the sky.
Until the white ape was torn to pieces, turning into a shower of blood.
In the next moment, someone started the chant, spurred on by the demonic blood. The cries carried a hint of savagery but were also filled with celebration. They eventually merged into a wave of praise for the Grand Emptiness True Lord.
Shen Yi felt the sudden surge of Imperial Qi.
He lowered his eyes slightly and extended his palm. Soon, more than thirty Hundred-Jie Golden Pills condensed in front of him.
This was Shen Yi's first time harnessing Imperial Qi from the Divine Dynasty.
In the former Divine Continent, building temples and shrines was strictly forbidden. Even someone as powerful as the General of Nanyang, who had saved the continent and gained immense fame with the help of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, was still a divine general of the imperial court. The Imperial Qi from offerings would ultimately belong to the emperor.
Even if a small portion could be shared, it would be minimal.
Besides, he had only saved the Southern Continent; how could he touch the Imperial Qi that protected the people?
But the situation was different now. The Northern Continent had already fallen, and if Shen Yi didn't take the Imperial Qi, it would end up in the hands of the immortals.
Only by experiencing it firsthand did he understand why these immortals were so frantic.
When the Imperial Qi was in the hands of the court, taken from the people and used for the people, it didn't seem like much. But when it fell into individual hands, its richness became clear.
The small Heavenly Tower Mountain, which only occupied one-fifth of a prefecture, could produce more than three thousand jie from a single demonic disaster.
If you extended this over millions of years, this place would be a veritable elixir and divine medicine, allowing people to ascend to immortality.
"Phew."
Shen Yi put away the Imperial Qi golden pills and lightly returned to the peak of Heavenly Tower Mountain.
His face showed little joy.
It was fortunate that the monks from Mount Sumeru had helped, and the timing of Ling Su's death was too coincidental. The change Shen Yi had been waiting for came faster than he had anticipated.
The problem now was that he didn't yet have the strength to control this change.
Reaching the ninth transformation of the Bodhisattva Fruit Position would certainly make him a top-tier disciple in the Northern Continent, capable of competing with other prodigies. But in the current situation, revealing his true form would mean certain death, with no other outcome.
He possessed numerous magic artifacts, but they were all stolen goods.
The cultivation he could openly display... that was the yet-to-attain third transformation of the Divine Void Dao Fruit.
Honestly, if it weren't for the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu's assistance, this white ape alone would have given Shen Yi a headache.
[Slain Third Grade White Ape King, total lifespan: 10,000 jie, remaining Shou Yuan: 8,800 jie, absorption complete]
[Remaining demonic Shou Yuan: 9,100 jie]
When Shen Yi first arrived at Heavenly Tower Mountain, he poured all the resources he brought from the Southern Continent into the Divine Void Dao, accumulating a total of eighteen threads of Dao Order in this Dao Fruit.
With the Beastly Lifespan and the newly acquired Imperial Qi golden pills, it was time to consider the next transformation.
Shen Yi closed his eyes and entered a state of inner vision.
The moment he reached the third grade, the Divine Void Dao Fruit transformed into tangible wind, swirling around the Bodhisattva Fruit Position, continuously buffeting the seated golden statue.
Clearly, the power of transformation and the power of protection were mutually exclusive.
However, the cultivation of the golden statue far exceeded that of the Dao Fruit, allowing it to remain unaffected.
But as the two powers grew in tandem, the problem would only worsen.
"The wind must be stopped."
After much deliberation, Shen Yi manipulated the invisible threads, gradually adding them to the raging divine wind.
As the threads of order were integrated, the divine wind became heavier, the rustling sounds faded, and it began to take on color.
It was a dead gray, like the Void of Great Emptiness.
The wind transformed into a thin mist, like a gossamer veil, gently covering the Bodhisattva's dharma body, much like Shen Yi's current situation, needing to conceal the glaring golden light.
He had no clear direction for his path in the Divine Void Dao, but at least he needed to change the mutual repulsion between the two.
"..."
Watching the golden statue, which once shimmered with golden light, now draped in a gray kasaya-like garment, Shen Yi almost laughed at himself.
It was a laugh without words.
By relying on a lucky path, it seemed he was straying further and further.
He was trying to force two completely opposite Heavenly Orders into one path. Could it be that in the end... the Dao Fruit and the Fruit Position would merge into one?
The risk of losing control and succumbing to demonic influence seems even greater.
However, Shen Yi had no other choice. Even if he had a master, or even if he were to join the sect of some Eternal and Transcendent Immortal, they would likely be at a loss for what to do with his peculiar condition.
He opened his eyes and looked at the small thing hopping and running toward him. It was a tiny lump of flesh with two tentacles that seemed to function as little legs, pattering along continuously, devoid of any of the former Southern Emperor’s dignity.
“My Lord, I found it!”
The Southern Emperor plopped onto the ground, then extended two small tentacles, bowing as if asking for praise.
“Stand up.”
Shen Yi nodded lightly. He had only brought the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu and the Southern Emperor, both Third Grade Anchor Stones, with him. The former was needed to act on his behalf in public, and the latter could not just sit idle.
The Heavenly Tower Mountain was too small, and relying solely on the imperial qi here, it would take an unknown amount of time to deduce the divine void fruit to its ultimate form of the nine changes.
Therefore, Shen Yi still focused on the demon lifespan.
Since immortals needed to harvest imperial qi from powerful demons, and also had to guard against sudden attacks from fellow disciples, these demons were inevitably stationed near the cultivation grounds.
For example, the neighboring Qingguang Cave’s True Person Shuyu.
The Southern Emperor, though not as convenient to use as the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu, was highly cultivated and could easily find these powerful demons.
“How many?” Shen Yi stood up.
“In total, four,” the Southern Emperor said excitedly.
Even Shen Yi, with his steady disposition, couldn’t help but twitch his eyelids at this news.
In the Southern Continent, so many Bodhisattvas had to act, even resorting to snatching demons from True Deities, to gather a total of eight demon lords.
In the Northern Continent, a mere disciple had half that number under his control?
But upon closer consideration, it made sense. The Bodhi Sect had fewer rules, and many powerful demons, once they reached a certain level, directly joined the sect, securing a place in Mount Sumeru and becoming traveling Bodhisattvas.
In contrast, the Northern Continent offered these demons far fewer options. Not all demons were willing to serve as attendants, especially since they wouldn’t gain any status as disciples. They might as well be free-roaming demon kings.
Even so, someone like Lingsu couldn’t afford to keep powerful demons and had to borrow from Maofeng, which clearly showed how wealthy True Person Shuyu was.
“Let’s go take a look.”
Shen Yi’s interest was piqued, and he stood up, stepping into the Grand Emptiness.
...
Northern Continent, Qingguang Cave.
The same smoke-filled hall, but this time, Yunmiao True Person was much more relaxed, no longer so reserved.
After all, he was now considered a half-insider at Qingguang Cave.
“Yunmiao Senior Brother, you’re not joking, are you?”
True Person Shuyu raised an eyebrow with a smile. “That person occupies the Heavenly Tower Mountain, and now you say he has no connection to the Spiritual Void Cave?”
“I only took him in out of respect for Senior Qingguang. I never expected him to be so ambitious and unruly, beyond redemption.”
Yunmiao True Person looked at him coldly. “The news of Junior Sister Lingsu’s demise had just reached us, and he immediately had her statue removed, hastily setting up a shrine for the Grand Emptiness True Lord. Such behavior is truly disheartening.”
Even the crane child outside the hall, who knew Yunmiao’s nature, found it difficult to comment on this matter.
“From the south, and a disciple of the insect demon—how could you expect him to have the same refined demeanor as we do?”
True Person Shuyu shook his head, but his eyes held a different expression.
He subtly glanced at the eldest senior sister, who was meditating with her eyes closed. “It’s a pity that the Heavenly Tower Mountain fell into his hands, and it’s truly hard to swallow. For Junior Sister Lingsu’s sake, we must reclaim this place.”
Halfway through, True Person Shuyu quickly added, “Besides, Junior Sister Yuchi and Junior Brother Shenshan also need a cultivation ground.”
The eldest senior sister, responsible for investigating the Bodhi Sect’s affairs, had not yet taken a stance to avoid offending anyone. He brought up the two cultivators from the Southern Continent again.
“Senior Brother Shuyu, I already said last time that I dare not be greedy.”
To True Person Shuyu’s surprise, the seemingly humble Yuchi refused to give even a little face.
She stood up immediately and bowed to him in refusal.
True Person Shuyu’s expression changed, and when he looked back, his eyes were filled with a menacing glint.
He stared intensely at the old woman but saw that, though she kept her head low, she showed no sign of backing down.
True Person Shuyu pursed his lips and shifted his gaze to the side, looking at the old ancestor Shenshan.
(End of Chapter)
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