The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

“Crown Prince Zhou,” Ishihara Akira said.

The Crimson Copper in the hands of the Great Zhou Emperor was the best material for refining the Thunder Pool, and Shi Yuanzhang had no intention of letting go of this rich man who possessed a mountain of Crimson Copper so easily.

And coincidentally, the Zhou emperor was said to be hiding among the common people. It's unknown whether he had captured the spirit of the emperor and added the information to the Book of Life and Death...

The result was very disappointing for Ishihara Akira. The Book of Life and Death did not show any information about Prince Zhou. In other words, either he had not been caught, or he had not been hiding in the Great Qian Dynasty at all, but had gone to another country. The influence of the Book of Life and Death needs to be expanded so that it can truly record the life and death of beings in the next world before it can truly exert its original power.

Even so, with the birth of the Book of Life and Death, everyone whose thoughts were captured and refined into the Book of Life and Death, whether or not they were cultivators, felt a tightness in their hearts, as if some inexplicable thing had appeared above their heads.

Those who cultivate the path of the soul, especially those who can vaguely sense their own lifespan, all changed their expressions drastically, and their hearts became restless and even went mad.

Chapter 515 Bai Ziyue

Meanwhile, Ishihara Akira, having secured the opportunity in the Great Qian Dynasty, didn't waste any more words—

After all, he did spend a considerable amount of time in the Yangshen World.

Although it was all necessary waiting, he was afraid that something might happen in reality if he stayed any longer. If something really went wrong, even if he became a Yang God, he wouldn't feel good about it.

So after a short rest, Shi Yuanzhang took his people—Qin Mengyao, Xiao Mu, Zhao Feirong, Yao Yueting, Yao Yueru, Yuanfei, Huang Yanyan, and Xin Yuxian—and left Daqian, heading straight to Yuantu, the country where Yuanfei was born.

"Consort Yuan, why are you back? And who is this...?" Although two months had passed, Bai Ziyue, who still hadn't become the leader of the Zhen Gang Sect, looked at the Fragrant Fox King and Shi Yuanzhang beside him with a puzzled expression and asked.

"This is Shi Yi," Consort Yuan introduced.

"Shi Yi? The author of the Book of Changes?" Bai Ziyue asked in surprise.

"Has the I Ching already reached this place?" Ishihara Akira asked with a smile and a nod.

"It's been sent over. Although the content is somewhat difficult to understand, that's only for ordinary people. As for those old scholars who have devoted their lives to studying the classics, they don't have such concerns. They are all absolutely enamored with the Book of Changes, studying it every day. It has long been a must-read classic for students in Yuan Tu Kingdom. Now you know how famous you are." Bai Ziyue led the two into his guest room and introduced them with a smile.

"I see, then I am truly honored," Ishihara Akira said with a smile.

"By the way, Consort Yuan, you still haven't told me why you suddenly came back. Is there some problem on the Great Qian side?" Bai Ziyue smiled and focused his attention on Consort Yuan again, asking with concern.

"Nothing went wrong in Daqian, it was the harem... I was harassed by the Empress..." Then, without any pretense, Consort Yuan recounted what had happened in Daqian, mainly during Bai Ziyue's return to compete for the position of Zhen Gang Sect leader.

"Empress, Ji Changyue... Once I become an immortal, I will make them suffer a terrible death!" Upon hearing this, Bai Ziyue slammed his hand on the table in front of him, shattering it, and said with a face full of angry hatred.

"There's no need to wait until later, they're already dead," Consort Yuan said calmly, shaking her head.

Then, he recounted what Ishihara Akira had done afterward, causing Bai Ziyue's expression to change again, and the way he looked at Ishihara Akira became different.

After all, this was a creator, someone who could severely damage the True Gang Sect with a mere thought, so he couldn't help but look at Ishihara Sho differently.

"On the contrary, Ziyue, how come you haven't become the sect leader of the Zhengang Sect after all this time?" Yuanfei asked in confusion.

"There's nothing I can do. I'm not the only one who wants to become the sect leader," Bai Ziyue said with a wry smile.

"What? Is there someone whose strength and prestige are greater than yours?" Consort Yuan asked in surprise.

“No, that’s not it. But what we’re vying for is the position of leader of the True Gang Sect, the leader of a sacred land. The significance and influence it represents are incomparable to that of the leader of an ordinary sect. Therefore, not only me, but also the royal family of the Yuan Tu Kingdom are very interested in this. In addition, there’s the daughter of the previous sect leader, Bai Fengxian, the Ice River Celestial Maiden. Even if I wanted to take the position, I would have to compete for it.” Bai Ziyue sighed.

"Then who are your enemies?" Consort Yuan pressed.

"Actually, it's mainly the Ice Maiden's side. After all, she's the daughter of the former sect leader, Bai Fengxian, so she naturally has the advantage of her sect. Not to mention, she also has her mother, True Intent Fairy, and her mother's master, Ancestor Hongling, behind her. If a fight really breaks out, my side won't have any advantage," Bai Ziyue explained.

“Ancestor Hongling? No wonder,” Consort Yuan said in realization.

After all, he was a Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortal and the master of Bai Fengxian's wife, so he was quite famous in Yuan Tu. As a princess of Yuan Tu, she had heard of him.

"What about the royal family?" Consort Yuan asked again.

"It's still the same people. Although they seem to have a great advantage, neither the Ice Maiden nor I actually take them seriously," Bai Ziyue said disdainfully.

After all, Yuan Tu is not like Da Qian, and it doesn't have the same foundation or hidden experts. So even though there may be quite a few Martial Saints among the royal family's offerings, there are no Ghost Immortals, especially none who can contend with a Three Tribulations Ghost Immortal like Bai Ziyue.

Moreover, even if there are any, they would all be from the True Gang Sect, and they wouldn't favor one side at this time, thus affecting the selection of the sect leader.

"In other words, as long as you can eliminate the Ice Maiden's side, you can become the leader of the True Gang Sect. Is my understanding correct?" Ishihara Sho summarized after listening to the whole process.

"You could say that," Bai Ziyue nodded.

“Then I’ll take care of the people from the Ice Palace Fairy’s side,” Ishihara Akira said calmly.

"What do you want?" Bai Ziyue asked solemnly, knowing that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

"I would like to borrow your True Gang Sect's Giant Spirit Divine Battle Manual for a look," Shi Yuanzhang replied.

“This…” Bai Ziyue hesitated.

His desire to seize the position of leader of the Zhen Gang Sect was not for the sake of power. After all, as a ghost immortal, his pursuit was to achieve immortality and become a Yang God. He was not interested in worldly enjoyments. The reason he wanted to become the leader of the Zhen Gang Sect was for the Giant Spirit Gang Dou Book and the method of opening acupoints recorded in the book.

After all, his current martial arts level has reached the Martial Saint realm, and he has even stepped into the peak realm. He urgently needs the method of opening acupoints to break through the realm and become a Human Immortal, and obtain the qualification to become a Yang God.

Therefore, they do not regard the true essence of the sect's inheritance as their own life and never pass it on to outsiders, unlike ordinary true essence sect disciples.

Therefore, what truly made Bai Ziyue hesitate was that he felt it wasn't worth it to exchange the Giant Spirit Fighting Book for Shi Yuanzhang's help.

Even if Ishihara Shou is the creator, the cost of his intervention must be higher than the actual value...

"Is there a problem?" Ishihara Akira asked, noticing his hesitation.

"The main reason is that the Giant Spirit Gang Dou Book is stored in a cave world called Gang Dou World, which belongs to the True Gang Sect. Only the sect leader and disciples with permission can enter there, so even if I could agree to your request, I wouldn't be able to take you in or bring the book out..." Bai Ziyue explained.

“Then you can write down what’s on it, and when it comes out, give it to me telepathically,” Ishihara Akira said with a light laugh.

“Then you’ll probably have to wait quite a while.” After a pause, Bai Ziyue explained, “Because opening the Gangdou World consumes a lot of energy, there will be a considerable waiting time between each entry and exit. In addition, I want to break through to the Human Immortal realm inside before officially coming out, so I’m not quite sure when I’ll be able to come out…”

"It's alright, as long as you agree to my conditions." Ishihara Akira waved his hand dismissively.

After all, apart from the Giant Spirit Fighting Book, there really wasn't anything else in the True Gang Sect that he could fancy.

"Alright then." Bai Ziyue looked at him and nodded in agreement.

"By the way, tell me the location of Ancestor Hongling's cave. There's no time to lose. I'll take care of Ancestor Hongling, Fairy Zhenyi, Ice River Fairy, and the like for you right now."

Chapter 516 Lei Guzi

After finding out the location of the so-called Hongling Ancestor's cave, Shi Yuanzhang didn't waste any time and disappeared from his seat in a flash.

“Let’s go take a look too,” Bai Ziyue said to Yuan Fei across from him.

"it is good."

The two followed closely behind, detaching from their physical bodies and flying towards Hongling Ancestor's cave in their divine soul form.

The cave dwelling of Elder Hongling was not too far from the capital of Yuantu Kingdom, only about five or six thousand miles away. With the speed of the three people's divine souls, they arrived above the Xuanbing River where Elder Hongling's cave dwelling was located in just a few breaths.

Then, Shi Yuanzhang released his divine sense to explore the Xuanbing River, locked onto the location of the Hongling Ancestor, and then flashed again, directly entering the Hongling Ancestor's cave.

At this moment, Ancestor Hongling was discussing the snow mountain competition on the night of the full moon with his disciple Lei Guzi, Fairy Zhenyi, and Fairy Zhenyi's daughter, Ice River Fairy. Therefore, he never expected that someone would dare to blatantly break into Ancestor Hongling's cave. As a result, he lost the initiative and all his power to resist.

Because Shi Yuanzhang moved very quickly, before Hong Ling Laozu could react, the Seven Treasures Tree swept towards him, taking Hong Ling Laozu and all his magical treasures into the Five Elements Space of the Seven Treasures Tree.

Then, as his gaze shifted, twelve golden rays appeared one after another on the bodies of Fairy Zhenyi and Celestial Maiden of the Ice River, piercing their waists and abdomens, binding them in place, preventing them from even breaking free.

Lei Guzi was left alone, staring at Ishihara Akira, who had easily suppressed his master, looking completely bewildered.

"I'll give you a chance. If you can defeat her, I'll let you go." With that, Shi Yuanzhang had a sudden thought and released Qin Mengyao, who had already reached the Martial Saint and Ghost Immortal realms thanks to his elixirs and the power of his tribulation divine soul. He smiled faintly.

"Are you serious?" Lei Guzi's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he asked with some eagerness.

"Do you have any value worth deceiving me?" Ishihara Sho asked with amusement.

Although Lei Guzi was reluctant to admit it, he was not worth being deceived by an enemy who could easily suppress his master, someone who had not even survived the tribulation of lightning.

Because if someone really wanted to do something, they could kill you with a single thought.

Didn't he see that his senior sister, who was at the same level as him, or even stronger than him, and her daughter were restrained by the other party's mere glance? So, while these words sounded somewhat condescending and hurt his pride, they did indeed demonstrate the other party's attitude.

They really didn't care about their own life or death...

“Okay.” Lei Guzi nodded in agreement.

"Haven't you always wanted to find an opportunity to properly test your current strength? Well, now you have an opponent, and one that doesn't require you to worry about life or death. Go ahead and give it your all," Ishihara Akira said to Qin Mengyao beside him with a smile.

"I understand," Qin Mengyao said calmly.

Shi Yuanzhang smiled and flashed to the futon made of fire jade where Hong Ling had been sitting. With a wave of his hand, Zhenyi Fairy and Bingchuan Tiannv were also transferred to his side, leaving the space in the Crystal Palace to the two who were about to start their battle.

……

Lei Guzi was the first to make a move. Because he was unsure of Qin Mengyao's strength, he simply waved his whisk, and the silver threads on the whisk immediately became straight and sharp, shooting towards Qin Mengyao like thousands of arrows.

Unmoved, Qin Mengyao appeared before Lei Guzi like a ghost after a sharp "clang," her sword sweeping across his neck.

Lei Guzi was startled, and his foot slipped quickly, as if he were sliding on ice, and he slid to the side...

Qin Mengyao's attack missed, and she immediately flipped her hand and slapped the hilt of her sword. The blood-stained sword in her hand shot towards Lei Guzi, who had distanced himself, like lightning.

Lei Guzi continued to dodge, while using his whisk to entangle the sword. The sword, which should have been out of his control, suddenly emitted a golden light, and its blade became incredibly sharp. With a swift turn in mid-air, it cut off all the whisk strands from Lei Guzi's hand.

Lei Guzi was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, but he quickly realized that the opponent's sword was not only a magical artifact, but also that his opponent was not a simple martial arts practitioner, but an elite who cultivated both martial arts and spiritual power, and whose spiritual power had at least reached the realm of object manipulation.

Without further hesitation, he immediately focused his mind and, while continuing to retreat and dodge, separated his soul from his body.

As a ghost immortal, his true form is naturally his soul state; when he has a physical body, he is in a weakened state.

But Qin Mengyao remained unmoved!

Putting aside the fact that she has already reached the level of a Ghost Immortal, even if it were a contest of Taoist arts, with Ishihara Sho standing behind her and a bunch of Taoist arts at her disposal, she wouldn't be afraid of her opponent. Just her own Martial Saint level is something that ordinary Ghost Immortals can't contend with.

Not to mention, she is a cultivator who follows the path of martial arts, and is naturally accustomed to using martial arts to fight. So unless she has no other choice, she is too lazy to release her divine soul to bully others.

So when Lei Guzi released his divine soul, Qin Mengyao simply raised her hand and grabbed the sword she had previously unleashed. Her blood surged, and her powerful essence burst forth from her body as if it were tangible, creating a heat source in the otherwise icy Crystal Palace, causing Lei Guzi's expression to change once again.

"You are actually a Martial Saint!" Lei Guzi exclaimed in disbelief.

Qin Mengyao didn't speak, but instead slashed at Lei Guzi's soul with her sword. The image of a bald monk flashed behind her, and Lei Guzi's eyes suddenly became empty. He didn't notice Qin Mengyao, who had already attacked him, until Zhenyi Fairy, who was watching from the side, shouted anxiously, "Be careful!" Lei Guzi suddenly came back to his senses.

But Qin Mengyao's sword also landed on him.

Lei Guzi, unwilling to die, gritted his teeth and unleashed the magic he had learned from Ancestor Hongling—

"boom!"

A chilling aura erupted, spreading outwards instantly like a glacier descending.

Qin Mengyao retreated, creating some distance, but less than a second later, she thrust her sword forward again—