227: Intercept

“Although what you said is extremely cruel, I strongly agree with your point of view. So, in recognition of our shared understanding, how about one more drink?”

“I'll drink until the end.”

Yan Xingge smiled and tossed the wine gourd back to Shen Lian.

This time, Shen Lian took it and drank deeply.

“The Jade Pool Holy Wine has a complicated and troublesome brewing process. Even if an Immortal Workshop has all the necessary Materials, it only produces one jar every thousand years. It truly is the finest vintage in the mortal world.”

“If there's a chance, I'll take you to my residence as a guest. I guarantee you'll drink your fill, my friend.”

“If the opportunity arises, I will certainly visit.”

The two men conversed happily, and a rare, long-absent smile appeared on Shen Lian's face.

Hooves thudded softly, and the scenery rushed past. The two men, chatting atop the carriage, traveled southeast.

Time flew quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they reached a fork in the road.

“Brother Shen, let's part here.”

“Yan Xingge, I don't care what your true identity is. After you finish your business,

Shen Lian will challenge you again. Do not refuse, or it will make things very difficult for me.”

“Ha, Brother Shen, please rest assured. After I handle my wife's affairs, I will definitely find Brother Shen again for three thousand cups of hearty drinking.”

“Hahaha, remember your words. There aren't many people in this world whom Shen Lian admires, and you are the only one who is different,

because I found a long-lost, familiar feeling about you.”

Shen Lian dropped this statement, then immediately drove the netherworld chariot speeding into the distance.

Watching Shen Lian's retreating figure, Yan Xingge also fell into contemplation.

“Shen Lian actually possesses a trace of Dao Rhyme that I can't see through, and it feels extremely familiar.”

“Never mind that for now. The Holy Domain is just ahead. I'll inquire about their whereabouts along the way.”

...Clatter-clatter—

After parting ways with Yan Xingge, Shen Lian drove the netherworld chariot and sped all the way toward the Abyss of Buried Gods.

Halfway through the journey... “Whoa~~”

The Netherworld Demonic Colt let out an extremely long neigh.

“Hmm? Killing Intent!”

Shen Lian, who was meditating inside the carriage, immediately frowned. The moment he opened his eyes, he realized the netherworld chariot was trapped within a pre-arranged formation and couldn't move.

Shen Lian lifted the curtain, calmly stepped out of the carriage, swept his cloak, and the Folding Fan was once again grasped in his palm.

As the metal fan surface slowly unfolded—

“Come out, you rats!”

As soon as his voice fell, two streams of Sword Qi swept toward Shen Lian from the air.

Shen Lian stepped on the Four Symbols Boundless, instantly dodging the attack, while his Folding Fan flew out.

Clang—

A sound of clashing metal and jade echoed.

The flying iron fan spun back into Shen Lian's hand. As he retracted it, the Aura Pressure of the Immortal Realm burst forth.

The next moment, a graceful figure slowly emerged from the rising mist.

“The personal disciple of Lord Yunwu, Ren Guyun, pays his respects!”

The moment Ren Guyun appeared, a Afterimage instantly flashed past him from behind, rushing straight toward Shen Lian's vital points.

“Lord Yunwu?”

Shen Lian sneered.

“You mean that trash who sacrificed his own parents, and even offered his wife and daughter as sacrifices, all for the sake of righteousness?”

Bang—

While speaking, Shen Lian raised his hand and struck with his palm, instantly sending the nearby Afterimage flying away.

“Revered Master, for the sake of the world, did not hesitate to destroy his own family for the greater good. Such breadth of mind should be remembered by all!”

Ren Guyun did not lose control due to Shen Lian's verbal provocation. The moment the Afterimage was repelled, his figure flashed, his sharp sword was drawn, manifesting a hundred streams of Sword Qi in the Void Realm, rushing straight toward Shen Lian.

“Hypocritical rhetoric. Just by saying 'for the sake of the world,' he can send the parents who raised him for years straight to Hell.”

Shen Lian spoke coldly and disdainfully, stepping on the Four Symbols, and with a shift of thought, he weaved back and forth through the dense, interwoven Sword net, skillfully avoiding the Sword Qi attacks.

“Just one word, 'righteousness,' and he can bury the wife and daughter who shared his hardships in the Yellow Springs. This is the true face of those who claim to follow the Righteous Path—it's sickening.”

“Only the incompetent would agree with this so-called trash logic. You are all the same.”

Boom—

The Sword Qi swept and spread, causing a howling wind across a hundred miles.

Ren Guyun frowned. The sword he had thrust out was actually pinched between Shen Lian's fingertips.

“The Righteous Path is fraught with difficulty. How could you possibly understand Revered Master's suffering?”

Seeing his surprise move fail, Ren Guyun decisively shifted his sword stance, withdrawing the move and retreating from Shen Lian's fingertips.

Before Shen Lian could retaliate, the Afterimage once again blocked Shen Lian, angrily taking a palm strike.

“Of course, I cannot understand the suffering of sacrificing relatives for the supposed Righteous Path, because in Shen Lian's eyes, this disgusting conduct is no different from that of a lowly prostitute.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Lian turned his five fingers into claws, immediately locking onto the Afterimage trying to retreat.

The Afterimage was startled. Before he could make his next move... “Void Concealment: Phoenix Spin Dragon Break Crying Cloud Heavens.”

Bang bang bang—

Furious punches and fierce palms hammered the Afterimage like a sudden storm.

Although the Afterimage possessed the cultivation of the Immortal Realm, it was covered in wounds in the blink of an eye under Shen Lian's bombardment.

Seeing this, the Azure Dragon in Ren Guyun's hand suddenly burst forth with a golden light.

“Dragon Reversal.”

A single sweep of the sword stirred up a towering hurricane from the ground.

Within the hurricane, a coiled Dragon faintly twisted, roaring toward Shen Lian.

But Shen Lian ignored it, striking the Afterimage's glabella with a palm, instantly shattering his body into vapor permanently.

Immediately, he flipped his hands: “Void Concealment: Heaven and Earth Overturn.”

Boom—

Amidst the impact of the ultimate moves, the hurricane dissipated. A streak of blood spilled from Ren Guyun's mouth, and he retreated more than ten steps.

“Incredible. In just a few months, I didn't expect your cultivation to be even stronger than it was in the Northern Domain.”

“Hahahaha! If you want to test Shen Lian's limits, then you must be prepared for crushing defeat!”

Shen Lian's wild and unrestrained laughter was his reply.

“Show your trump card. You alone cannot kill me!”

Hearing this, Ren Guyun quickly wiped the blood from his mouth, spread his left palm, and immediately manifested a scroll.

“It seems Old Man Tianji's prophecy was correct. You are the most unstable factor on the Primordial Continent. Today, no matter what, we must detain you!”

As the words fell, the moment the scroll unfolded, seven streams of spiritual light flashed out and quickly merged into the sky.

In an instant, the surrounding scenery drastically changed.

Shen Lian looked up, only to see the Big Dipper Seven Stars connected in the Void Realm, projecting a sapphire blue Universe Barrier that trapped him inside.

“Have you heard of the Seven Star Pagoda Array?”

The moment Ren Guyun finished speaking, Shen Lian immediately felt his heaven and earth root within his body seemed to be restrained by something, forcing it to a halt.

At the same time, his Indestructible Dao Body also felt strange, unable to circulate.

“The Seven Star Pagoda will suppress your cultivation to less than thirty percent of your Peak strength. Shen Lian, you are destined to be buried here today.”

“Hahaha—”

Unexpectedly, Shen Lian burst into loud laughter.

“A mere incomplete array dares to try and shake Shen Lian's life? Ren Guyun, your naïveté makes me angry.”

As the words fell, Shen Lian struck the ground with his palm.

Instantly, sand flew and stones rolled, and the world plunged into darkness.

Ren Guyun's heart tightened, and he tried to quickly complete the array seal Barrier.

Unexpectedly, the next second, Shen Lian was already right in front of him.

Bang—

“Pfft—”

A palm struck out, hitting Ren Guyun squarely in the chest.

Ren Guyun immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and was sent flying.

“Using these tricks to kill Shen Lian, you disappoint me greatly.”

Just as Shen Lian prepared to strike Ren Guyun again, a forty-meter long Saber suddenly descended from the sky.

Boom—

The Saber strike split the earth in two.

Shen Lian took the Saber Qi head-on with his bare hands, immediately retreating ten steps.

When he recovered, he saw three Unparalleled Figures exuding the Aura of the Limit-Breaking Realm standing in front of Ren Guyun.