Little Shen Reporting Live from the Front Lines

The wind whistled past my ears like knives.

Xuanyangzi was desperately burning his Essence Blood to escape, but the aura of Yu Tunzhou behind him remained neither too close nor too far, carrying the lingering effects of the lightning tribulation, which sent chills down his spine.

He had already cursed Yu Tunzhou's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart.

Looking back now, Yu Tunzhou was right behind him, like a hawk eyeing its prey.

He suppressed the metallic taste churning in his throat, his heart filled with boundless hatred.

He roamed the martial world for two hundred years; how could he have ever fallen to such a state?

Now, all his Divine Ability have been destroyed, and all his backup plans have been ruined in the heavenly tribulation. He is being chased like a stray dog by a mere junior in the supernatural Divine Ability Realm!

Even when he was being hunted down by Grandmaster of the Nanhua Sect and faced similar life-or-death situations, he never felt this frustrated!

He looked inward and felt his heart sink to the bottom.

Under Yu Tunzhou's pursuit, his injuries not only failed to improve, but instead became more severe.

At this rate, I fear that I, a powerful expert at the External Scenery Fourth Layer, will truly die here...

"Old dog, didn't you want to extract my Primordial Spirit? Then why are you running away?"

Another unbridled taunt and provocation came from behind.

"If I, Yu, were to call your name now, would you dare to answer?"

Xuanyangzi clenched his teeth, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

When that time comes, he will surely choose to self-destruct, dragging this little beast down to the Underworld with him!

Xuanyangzi took a deep breath, comforting himself that as long as he could hold on a little longer, until the one from the Blood River Dao arrived...

A sword light flashed out from the side, like a flowing cloud across the sky, silent and stealthy, yet precisely blocking his path.

"Old Devil Xuanyang, stay here!"

After a brief yet seemingly endless period of stagnation, Daoist Qingya finally came to his senses. With a long roar, his longsword drew an arc in the air, its tip pointing towards Xuanyangzi's brow.

In an instant, thousands of azure sword shadows swept across the sky, blocking all of Xuanyangzi's escape routes.

Xuanyangzi abruptly stopped, his pupils shrinking sharply.

The sword light was clear and pure, without a trace of worldly malice, yet its Sword Intent was as sharp as frost, piercing straight into the Primordial Spirit...

A powerful External Scenery from the Nanhua Sect has arrived!

"Old Devil Xuanyang, it's been decades since I last saw you, and you seem to have regressed with age."

Daoist Qingya's voice wasn't loud, but it was equally full of sarcasm.

"Being chased naked all over the mountain, if I were you, I'd just kill myself by crashing my head into a wall!"

Xuanyangzi was both shocked and furious. He abruptly stopped his escape and raised his hand to unleash a pitch-black Yin Sha palm print.

Thud--

The palm print and the sword shadow collided, the black energy dissipated, Daoist Qingya took a step back, while Xuanyangzi was hit hard and spat out another mouthful of black blood, his aura becoming even weaker.

Sensing the approaching aura from behind, Xuanyangzi stopped attacking and suddenly dodged to the left. A Sword Qi grazed his shoulder, slicing off the few pieces of clothing he wore, revealing the charred skin beneath.

Xuanyangzi's face grew increasingly gloomy; it was truly a case of a tiger fallen into the plains being bullied by dogs.

Under normal External Scenery, he could easily suppress someone like Daoist Qingya with just one hand!

Daoist Qingya laughed heartily, "I never expected that the Old Devil Xuanyang of the Supreme Origin Sect would have a penchant for being naked!"

He didn't seek to kill his enemy when he drew his sword, knowing full well that the Old Devil Xuanyang would still have the power to retaliate, like the Ghost Emperor of the Supreme Origin Sect. So, he drew his sword to bleed the old man first.

At the same time, he quickly sent a telepathic message to Yu Tunzhou, who was chasing from behind:

"But is it Young Hero Yu Tunzhou Zhou? Although this fiend is severely injured, he will surely have the power to fight back, such as his final self-destruction of his Inner Heaven and Earth. Please be vigilant and do not let him seize the opportunity to perish together with you!"

Yu Tunzhou caught up from behind, seized the opportunity, and threw a punch. Limitless Gang Qi swept across the sky, fierce and domineering.

Boom!

The air currents roared, and the sky darkened.

Xuanyangzi was punched in the back, which fueled his rage, but he could only run away with his head down.

Upon witnessing this punch, Daoist Qingya's eyelids twitched.

Although he didn't know how Old Devil Xuanyang had ended up in this situation, Yu Tunzhou's punch, even with his injuries, still had the level of the External Scenery, showing that this young man's strength had already reached the inner realm and entered the level of a strong person!

"Thank you for the reminder, Daoist Master."

"Let's join forces and send him on his way!"

Yu Tunzhou, getting straight to the point, and in a flash, it lunges forward again.

"Good! Today we will act on behalf of Heaven and slay this Old Devil!"

Daoist Qingya was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The sword flashed again, and the attack continued.

Xuanyangzi was slowed down again by the sword light, and his face turned gloomy and ugly.

If this continues, he's really going to crash and burn here today!

He now faces only two paths.

One option is to gamble with one's life, borrowing the power of the ancestor once more;

Another one...

He suddenly looked in the direction of the Nanhua Sect, and without caring whether the person could hear him, roared:

"Brother Wuya, why aren't you making a move?!"

The Daoist Qingya suddenly froze, his expression trembling. He felt a gaze spanning hundreds of miles fall upon him, making him feel utterly helpless.

Just... a glance?!

A highly accomplished master of Dharma Aspect!

Hundreds of miles away.

A figure sat casually by the roadside, like an old man Middle Vehicle his own yard, with a roast chicken in his hand.

The roast chicken was still hot, the oily skin melting in your mouth, the meat tender and juicy, and the aroma filling your mouth.

It was none other than Old Gang Leader Su of the Beggar Sect' Sect.

The other, dressed in a blood-red robe, had a cold and stern face, and was surrounded by a faint blood mist.

Amidst the surging blood mist, countless vengeful spirits could be faintly seen struggling and wailing within. This person's aura was so powerful that it was no less than that of Old Gang Leader Su.

Old Gang Leader Su tossed down the chicken bone, took a swig of wine, and clicked his tongue twice, saying:

"I never expected this. Blood River Dao has quietly produced a Dharma Aspect like you. Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older."

"However—aren't you being a bit unruly, kid? A dignified Dharma Aspect cultivator personally taking on a junior in the Divine Ability Realm?"

The man in the blood-red robe remained expressionless, his voice as cold as ice. "Sect Leader Su, I have no intention of being your enemy. I merely wish to take a few people with me. Please step aside."

"Take them away?" Old Gang Leader Su chuckled, pointing into the distance. "Those belong to the Supreme Origin Sect, not your Blood River Dao. If you want to take them away, you'll have to get the old guys from the Supreme Origin Sect to come and get them."

"In addition--"

The Old Gang Leader Su's smile vanished, replaced by an unusual coldness, as he directly warned,

"There are only a handful of Dharma Aspect in the world, especially in the Central Plains, where the Great Dao is heavily suppressed. The aura of each Dharma Aspect is as conspicuous as a torch in the night, and no one can hide it."

"Don't think that once you reach the Dharma Aspect, you can do whatever you want. In fact, once you reach the Dharma Aspect, you are the least free!"

"Do what you want to do, I will not interfere. But if you lower yourself to attack a junior with Divine Ability powers, don't blame me for slapping you hard. However, we will join forces with that one in the south to convert you to enlightenment here."

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, the man in the blood-red robe finally changed his expression and gave the person in front of him a deep look.

A moment later.

He stopped paying attention to what was hundreds of miles away and turned his head to look in the direction of the Nanhua Sect.

At the same time, a Sword Intent rising from all corners of the world pierced through heaven and earth, locking onto him from afar.

That Sword Intent was incomparably sharp, as if it could sever everything in the world; it was the aura of the Supreme Sword Lord, Yan Huifeng.

"Yan Huifeng!"

The man in the blood-red robe let out a long roar, the sound waves sweeping across thousands of miles, shaking the mountains.

"I have arrived! Come forth and fight!"

These sounds traveled for miles, and all who heard them were shaken, especially the entire Nanhua Sect. All the External Scenery who had reached the outer realms stepped out of their cultivation grounds and looked intently at the highest point of the sect.

So many years...

After many years, someone has finally come to challenge their sect leader, who is ranked second on the Heaven Ranking!

And that voice was so unfamiliar...

Could it be that another highly accomplished master of Dharma Aspect has emerged in this world?

rear.

As instructed, Old Gang Leader Su did not intervene, but instead took out another roast chicken and remarked:

"A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Daring to challenge Yan Huifeng so soon after entering the Dharma Aspect, he either has real skill or he's not very bright."

He suddenly turned around and glanced back.

Hundreds of miles away.

The joint effort between Yu Tunzhou and Daoist Qingya was abruptly interrupted by the "challenge".

Daoist Qingya's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly turned around to look in the direction of the Nanhua Sect.

Anyone who dares to challenge his Senior Brother Yan must be a highly skilled Dharma Aspect cultivator. Considering Old Devil Xuanyang's actions just now...

Another Dharma Aspect has emerged from the Six Paths of Evil and Demons, which have been suppressed by the Central Plains for so long?!

Yu Tunzhou also looked solemn. He had guessed what was going on and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Sure enough, being too outstanding makes one an easy target.

It's bad enough that Xuanyangzi's only on the External Scenery Fourth Layer, has arrived, but now he's surrounded by Dharma Aspect!

Before such a powerful being, whose status High Antiquity Immortals and Gods, even if I forcibly undergo the Heavenly Tribulation, I will definitely not be able to drag the other party down with me!

Suddenly.

A lazy voice rang in his ear, carrying a familiar chuckle:

"Young fish, go ahead and make your move. I'm here; this old man from the Blood River Dao Sect can't hurt you."

Old Gang Leader Su?!

Yu Tunzhou's spirits lifted.

Hey, it's him again!

It seems like you can run into this guy anywhere; he's practically a street urchin in the world of Dharma Aspect...

Judging from what this person is saying, the Dharma Aspect expert who is challenging Supreme Sword Lord Yan Huifeng this time is from the Blood River Dao?

The Blood River Dao Sect is nowhere to be found on the Heaven Ranking. Is this a newly promoted Dharma Aspect?

Yu Tunzhou immediately realized that such a powerful figure wouldn't bother to come all the way to ambush him. The other party's true purpose was clearly to challenge Yan Huifeng and announce to the world that he had advanced to the Dharma Aspect!

But... is he so eager to challenge the Supreme Sword Lord, who is ranked second on the Heaven Ranking, right after his advancement?

The Yu Tunzhou was speechless; this was far too "confident"!

Or is there something they're relying on?

In the blink of an eye, he showed no mercy, seizing the opportunity when Xuanyangzi was distracted, and in a flash, he appeared in front of Xuanyangzi.

"Old dog, your reinforcements can't save you!"

Xuanyangzi looked south in shock and anger.

Why didn't this person turn back to save themselves?!

To him, Yu Tunzhou was nothing more than an ant that could be killed with a single flick of his finger!

The force of the punches whistled through the air.

Xuanyangzi couldn't dodge in time, and a punch landed squarely on his face, shattering his nose and spurting out blood mixed with his teeth.

Without hesitation, Yu Tunzhou landed a punch, then stepped forward again and delivered another swift and decisive blow!

Bang!

Xuanyangzi regained consciousness and parried, but his right arm was broken by a punch, and he was filled with pent-up rage.

"Die!"

Yu Tunzhou stepped forward without holding back, his fists moving with wide, sweeping movements, as if he had grasped the entire flow of air in his palm. When he threw a punch, it had an unstoppable force, directly breaking through Xuanyangzi's defense and smashing through his chest!

Xuanyangzi's expression was ferocious and crazed, and a vertical line appeared between his eyebrows.

"You little beast, come down to the Underworld with me!" he roared, reaching out to grab Yu Tunzhou tightly.

He was determined to summon the Supreme Origin Ghost Emperor again, even if it meant his soul would be scattered, he would drag Yu Tunzhou down with him!

An astonishingly terrifying aura emanated from between his brows, seemingly leading to the deepest depths of the Nine Netherworlds!

And at that very moment...

A Buddhist chant descended from the sky.

Don't force me to beat you up.

The vertical line between Xuanyangzi's brows suddenly encountered some kind of obstruction and stopped manifesting. He changed color and exclaimed in a voice:

"Su Mang?!"

The Yu Tunzhou Fist struck Xuanyangzi's head with the force of a mountain, causing blood to flow from his seven orifices and the light in his eyes to dim rapidly. However, a ferocious madness suddenly appeared in his eyes.

With his last ounce of strength, he gripped Yu Tunzhou's shoulder tightly, and the Inner Heaven and Earth within his body began to tremble violently.

"Let's die together!!"

Just then, Qingya leaped forward, severing Xuanyangzi's arm that was gripping Yu Tunzhou's shoulder with a single sword strike. Then, with a turn of his sword, he pierced Yu Tunzhou's heart, using his divine weapon to briefly suppress the chaotic Inner Heaven and Earth emanating from Old Devil Xuanyang's body.

He hadn't expected Yu Tunzhou to be so brave, daring to attack Old Devil Xuanyang even knowing that a demonic Dharma Aspect was nearby.

Since Yu Tunzhou dared to make a move, he naturally had no reason to be timid.

"Go!" Daoist Qingya dropped his long sword, grabbed Yu Tunzhou by the shoulder, and said urgently.

Yu Tunzhou also sensed the terrifying power within Xuanyangzi's body, realizing that this was the latter's counterattack, and immediately retreated.

The two had just retreated several hundred meters.

Boom!

A devastating explosion came from ahead, causing the earth to shake violently. They avoided the force of the explosion at its center, but were still swept away for miles by the aftershocks.

Seeing this, Daoist Qingya laughed heartily:

"Excellent! I never expected this fiend to be killed here!"

Yu Tunzhou stared intently at the center of the explosion. A Quasi-Grandmaster at the External Scenery Fourth Layer, just like that, was he dead?

He felt inexplicably uneasy, as if the battle was not yet over.

Suddenly.

A Blood River tore through the Void ahead, and with a single sweep, it engulfed the blood and flesh debris at the center of the explosion, as well as Xuanyangzi's Primordial Spirit!

Yu Tunzhou Boat's pupils constricted sharply; this was...

His first thought was of Wu Xuan!

On that day in the Dragon Gate, the remnant soul of the Ancestral Dragon mentioned that the inheritance behind the Blood River Dao could be continuously reborn with the power of the Blood River, making it almost Indestructible!

But Xuanyangzi is clearly a member of the Supreme Origin Sect, so how could he possibly have mastered the Blood River True Disciple, which only a handful of people in the Blood River Dao have mastered!

He immediately looked in the direction of the Nanhua Sect.

Which Dharma Aspect is it?

Hundreds of miles away.

Old Gang Leader Su frowned and turned around; this final move had also exceeded his expectations.

This is... the entity behind the Blood River Dao?

He looked up at the sky with a solemn expression.

Is this what this person is relying on to dare challenge Yan Huifeng?

His lips parted, transmitting his voice into Yu Tunzhou's ear.

Daoist Qingya's smile froze on his face; he hadn't expected such a turn of events!

The Yu Tunzhou is quick-witted.

He originally intended to discuss the details of Floating Hill Mountain, but unexpectedly, he got caught up in a dispute over Dharma Aspect and Form while just passing through the Nanhua Sect.

"Young Yu, find a place to rest and recuperate. I'm going to observe the battle between Young Yan and this man from Blood River Dao. I'll come find you in a couple of days."

The words of Old Gang Leader Su reached his ears.

Yu Tunzhou looked up into the distance and saw a sword light rising from the direction of the Nanhua Sect. The Sword Intent was abundant and the momentum was like a rainbow, as if it had cut through the barrier between the netherworld and the mortal world, and went directly to the heavens!

The battle of Dharma Aspect!

Several miles away.

The aftershocks of the explosion reached Shen You's feet, ruffling his robes.

He had already headed north, but Yu Tunzhou and Xuanyangzi, one chasing and the other fleeing, seemed to have locked onto him and followed closely behind.

He couldn't help but stop and turn around to see if he had missed picking anything up.

However, Shen You's gaze was not on Yu Tunzhou at this moment, but on the Void where the blood-red river had disappeared.

"So this is the reason why the Supreme Origin Sect and the Blood River Dao Cult have joined forces?" A glint flashed in his eyes as he muttered to himself, "If I see Xuanyangzi again next time, then it makes sense. I just wonder what price I'll have to pay..."

His gaze swept over the direction of Yu Tunzhou and Daoist Qingya, lingered briefly, and then turned and left.

Although they got a beating from Yu Tunzhou this time, they gathered good intelligence, enough to exchange for news of Junior Brother Deng.

The Divine Capital.

Inside the innermost secret chamber of the Gold-Wielding Guard headquarters, candlelight burned all night, casting a yellowish glow on the mountain of confidential documents piled on the desk.

Feng Xu put down the secret letter from Northern Plains, rubbed his throbbing temples, then picked up the topmost, newly delivered secret letter and unfolded it.

The letter paper was thin, the ink was fresh, as if it had just been written and delivered, and the handwriting was quite messy, clearly concealing the writer's writing habits.

Feng Xu hadn't paid any attention, but his gaze suddenly stopped there as he swept over the area.

On April 23rd, Yu Tunzhou attracted a heavenly tribulation at the border between the Southern Victorious Continent and the Central Plains, severely injuring Xuanyangzi, the Supreme Origin Sect Elder of the Taiyuan Taishang. During the tribulation, Xuanyangzi summoned the Supreme Origin Ghost Ancestor for assistance, but was still severely injured by the heavenly tribulation. He was then pursued by Yu Tunzhou, and in the end, only Xuanyangzi's Primordial Spirit escaped, his fate unknown. It seems he borrowed the power of the Immortals and Gods behind the Blood River Dao Sect...

Feng Xu did not continue reading.

He put down the letter, closed his eyes for a moment to prevent his eyes from getting blurry from working day and night.

He's been incredibly busy lately, investigating the Martial Ancestor's whereabouts, sorting through intelligence within the Dragon Gate, and keeping a close watch on the movements of powerful figures from all sides. He's practically overwhelmed...

He reopened his eyes, picked up the letter again, and read it from the first word to the last, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

Xuanyangzi's information flowed through his mind...

The fourth-level Quasi-Grandmaster of the External Scenery Fourth Layer possesses numerous methods and a cunning and treacherous style. Even I would need favorable timing and location to capture this fiend.

What level of heavenly tribulation was this that allowed Xuanyangzi to summon the Ghost Emperor and still escape severely injured?

Dao Calamity?

Feng Xu put down the secret letter, remained silent for a moment, then looked up and summoned his personal guards.

Who is the source of this information?

Feng Xu lightly flicked the secret letter, handed it to his personal guard, and got up to go to the window. His nerves, which had been tense for many days, relaxed considerably because of this seemingly absurd intelligence.

The guard took the secret letter and quickly replied, "Reporting to your Excellency, this secret letter was provided by our spy planted in the Six Paths of Evil and Demons."

"Oh?"

Feng Xu turned around and looked on, quite surprised.

The calamity caused by Yu Tunzhou severely injured even Xuanyangzi. Those who witnessed the battle and survived must have been at least at the level of the External Scenery.

Their spies planted within the Six Paths of Evil and Demons actually include experts at the External Scenery level?

Such a powerful person could live comfortably anywhere, so why would they need to infiltrate the Six Paths of Evil and Demons and associate with demons? The risks are simply too great.

The guard explained, "This man's codename is Little Shen. He approached us, claiming to be an undercover agent, but in reality, it's just information exchange, a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Feng Xu understood; Lairu.

This was also a policy established during Lu Huaiqing's tenure.

The Gold-Wielding Guard did try to recruit powerful figures from various factions as inside agents, but it was extremely difficult, especially since powerful figures from aristocratic families were highly loyal to their respective factions.

In response, Lu Huaiqing established an intelligence exchange mechanism as a stepping stone to soften the attitudes of the powerful parties. There was no coercion involved, and the essence was that everyone got what they needed. Under the premise of mobilizing the "resources" of the Gold-Wielding Guard, the powerful parties also became the eyes and ears of the Gold-Wielding Guard.

Has the true identity of this Little Shen been ascertained?

"This man is very vigilant, and the intelligence he provided in previous years has been invaluable. We haven't risked investigating his identity." The guard paused. "At this point, we can only speculate that he might be from the Blood River Dao."

"Well done. Maintaining this cooperation is more important than figuring out his identity." Feng Xu nodded, then asked, "Why do you speculate that he comes from the Blood River Dao?"

The guard added:

"Among the Six Paths of Evil and Demons, except for the Blood River Dao, he has sold relevant information to all of them. One crucial piece of information helped us to wipe out a branch of the Incense-Smelling Cult."

"Our current guess is that he might be Shen Jie [Soul-Severing Hand] of the Blood River Dao."

[Soul-Severing Hand] Shen Jie, Grandmaster External Scenery the Blood River Dao, ranked forty-ninth on the Earth Ranking.

Feng Xu remained noncommittal. In his view, this behavior was too deliberate and could be considered a deliberate illusion. This person's true origins should be among the other five families.

Little Shen... Even this code name is misleading. Once they suspect Blood River Dao, they will naturally associate him with Shen Jie.

"What information has he been gathering recently through the intelligence channels of the Gold-Wielding Guard?" Feng Xu asked, looking up with sharp eyes.

"Deng Canglan," the guard said in a deep voice, "After submitting the intelligence about Yu Tunzhou, he used the channels of the Gold-Wielding Guard to issue an internal reward for information leading to Deng Canglan's whereabouts."

Feng Xu frowned. Was it related to Deng Canglan?

He pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "Send this secret letter to the Star Palace and the Jixia Academy, and have them use it to rank the latest Three Rankings."

"Understood!"

When was the last time His Majesty attended court?

"... eight days ago."

Feng Xu remained silent for a moment. Ever since all parties joined forces to intimidate the royal family, His Majesty had rarely attended court to face the "officials".

Especially not long ago, Crown Prince Ji Zhaoxuan returned alone.

Furthermore, news of Feng Yanleng's defection to the Demon Race race from Dragon Gate prompted many so-called upright officials in the court to demand that the imperial family severely punish and investigate the Anguo Ji Clan...

Feng Xu sighed, "Prepare yourselves, I'm going to the palace to meet the Emperor and report on the battle between the Dharma Aspect two days ago!"