The rain poured down, and the ground was nothing but mud.
Chang Guoke fell to the ground, covered in blood and startling wounds; his injuries were obviously severe.
Cha Jinâs heart shook.
Sheâd long since found this hard to watch. On several occasions, she only just barely resisted the urge to intervene; when she saw that even now, Su Yi wasnât reacting, she had no choice but to endure.
But this time, when she heard the regret and guilt in Chang Guokeâs voice, Cha Jin could bear it no longer. Her conscience wouldnât let her stand back any longer.
âDie!â
All of this took a while to explain, but it happened in a flash. As soon as Chang Guoke fell into the mud, the hunchbacked elder seized the opening and leaped toward him, swinging his massive axes.
Whoosh!
The snowy ax light burst, lighting up the night sky. It was as intimidating as could be.
âEnough!â Cha Jinâs clear shout rang out. She whipped out and crossed her daggers.
Clang!
Shockingly, she managed to block both axes before they landed.
Amidst the scattering sparks, the hunchbacked elder shook slightly. Despite himself, he was surprised. âThat lass isnât so simple!â
Chang Guoke had already resigned himself to his inevitable death, but now, he was stunned, and his eyes filled with bewilderment. Is this young woman actually a hidden expert?
The scholarly man and woman in blue glanced at each other, their brows furrowing slightly.
Meanwhile, within the stone cave and beside the fire pit, Su Yi glanced at Cha Jin but said nothing.
Cha Jin took a deep breath, and she looked a bit tense and uneasy as she explained, âYoung Lord, no matter whether this man lives or dies, those three wonât let us go, so IâŠ.â
This left the onlookers flabbergasted.
At first, they thought that this peerless beauty planned to get involved. They assumed sheâd charge bravely into the fray.
Whoâd have thought that sheâd turn around and act like a child caught doing something she shouldnât? She actually apologized and explained herself to the young man seated within the cave!
It seemedâŠ. that she didnât care about anything else. All she cared about was the blue-robed youthâs attitude.
But before Cha Jin could finish her explanation, Su Yi rose from his wicker chair and said calmly, âYou did nothing wrong. Heâs the one who invited this trouble, and if it gets him killed, he deserves it. But now that his trouble implicates us, itâs an entirely different story.â
Cha Jin felt a massive weight lift off her shoulders. When she intervened, she was incomparably nervous; she feared her choice would provoke Su Yiâs displeasure, and that sheâd have to suffer the torment of the Soul-Binding Rope once more.
Now, it seemed she neednât worry.
âHow is it different?â The ax-wielding hunchback narrowed his eyes and laughed.
âAll of you will die,â said Su Yi. He emerged from the cave, still holding his jar of wine.
He then pointed to the gravely injured Chang Guoke lying in the mud. âOf course, your deaths are on his head. They have nothing to do with me.â
The hunchbacked elder was momentarily stunned. Then, he couldnât help but turn to his companions. âDid you hear that? This early-stage Qi Accumulation youth actually said that after he kills us, heâll push the responsibility onto Chang GuokeâŠ.â
After that last sentence, he couldnât help but burst into uproarious laughter. âFor crying out loud, Iâve cultivated all these years, but this is the first time Iâve heard something so brazenly arrogant.â
He laughed so hard, he almost cried.
The woman in blue couldnât help but grin too. âFor him to have Qi Accumulation Realm cultivation at his age is impressive indeed,â she said softly. âAdd that to his even more impressive attendant, and itâs no wonder heâs confident to the point of arrogance.â
She spoke as if she were good-natured and understanding.
The man in Confucian robes furrowed his brow, and his eyes flashed like lightning. âYoung Lord, might I ask your name and surname, and which sect you hail from?â
His cautious bearing stunned both of his companions, and their smiles quickly faded.
Su Yi picked up his wine jug and took a sip, then gazed into the downpour. âHeavy winds and pouring rain, a mountain in the middle of the wilderness. Donât you think this is the perfect place to kill someone?â
The scholarly manâs brow furrowed even deeper, but before he could say anything, the hunchback laughed coldly and swung his axes at Su Yi. âIâll slice you to bits first!â
Boom!
Both axes flew as if they were as light as feathers, then struck like bolts of divine lightning, forceful and ferocious. The air howled, terrifying the soul.
A faint, mocking jeer tugged at the corners of Su Yiâs lips. A Grandmaster inferior to even Qin Wenyuan wanted to attack him? The man was simply throwing his life away!
Clang!
A wave of sword hums filled the air as Guiding Mysteries emerged from its sheath. Then, with a casual forward stab, the faintly glowing blade slipped between the descending axes and pierced right through the hunchbackâs throat without encountering the slightest obstacle.
It was a simple, understated stab, without the slightest flourish, yet it was unbelievably swift!
The hunchbackâs throat had been run through. Blood gushed from the wound.
A single stab to pierce the throat!
His eyes widened, and he subconsciously glanced down at his neck, muttering, âWhat⊠sword artâŠ. Was thatâŠ?â
His words still echoed through the air as he fell onto his back, his eyes still wide with bewilderment.
Chang Guokeâs eyes widened too; for a moment, he almost thought his heavy injuries were making him hallucinate.
The young man heâd assumed to be a pampered noble could actually kill a Grandmaster in a single attack!?
âThisâŠ.â
The woman in the blue dress gasped. This scene left her completely stunned, and her scalp went numb.
All of them had assumed that Su Yi and Cha Jin were just bystanders unfortunate enough to get swept up in all of this. They directly ignored them.
At least, until Cha Jin attacked. That was when they first realized these young people werenât as simple as they appeared, but even then, they werenât worried.
After all, their group consisted of three Grandmasters.
But now, the woman in blue finally understood: the young man who looked like the son of a wealthy family was actually the scariest one here!
This was completely beyond their expectations.
Only Cha Jin remained calm. Her bright eyes even carried a thread of pity;Â these scoundrels think of themselves as dragons soaring through the heavens. They have no idea that Su Yi has killed numerous Grandmasters already!
âRun!â The man in Confucian robes quickly made his decision. He immediately turned to flee.
Su Yiâs attack was like a sudden clap of thunder. The scholarly man instantly realized that this situation didnât warrant optimism. He naturally dared not linger.
This wasnât cowardice, but rather, caution and the desire to preserve their lives.
âWant to run? Sure, but can you?â asked Su Yi, his gaze cold. Guiding Mysteries clanged and hummed in his grip, and a complex and mysterious symbol appeared on the blade: an Edict!
The tip of the sword pointed to the distant dome of the heavens.
Rumble!
It was as if something had called to the sky. A bolt of dazzlingly bright, eye-catching lightning fell, so radiant that the inky darkness was instantly as bright as day. The glow illuminated all the surrounding mountains and rivers.
Su Yi swung his blade at his distant foe.
The man in scholarly robes had already fled over a thousand feet. Beneath the onlookersâ disbelieving gazes, a sword as sharp as lightning struck him down.
âAhââ!â With a piteous wail, the man staggered, then fell into the mud. It was unclear whether he was alive or dead.
Everyone fell silent.
The woman in blue stared in a daze, as if sheâd lost her soul.
If you said that Su Yiâs ability to slay the hunch-backed elder was still within the bounds of her comprehension, using his sword to call upon the power of heavenly lightning and kill an enemy from a thousand feet away was simply beyond her understanding. She just stood there, too stunned to think.
Cha Jin was dumbstruck too.
Sheâd only witnessed Su Yi slaying Nan Wenxiang as easily as if he were slicing through rotten wood. That was despotic and powerful enough already. She would never have guessed that he could even call upon the power of divine lightning!
These are obviously the methods of an Earthly ImmortalâŠ. Cha Jinâs heart shook.
She was from the Wheel of the Moon Sect, and sheâd witnessed the power of the sectâs peak older-generation experts. They could control the wind and take to the skies, summon lightning with a shout, manipulate flames and fierce gales; it was like stealing fortune from the heavens.
But all of them had already stepped into the Origin Dao and become Earthly Immortals.
Who would dare believe that Su Yi, a young man in the early stages of the Qi Accumulation Realm, could manipulate the power of lightning too?
Chang Guokeâs jaw hung slack and his eyes widened. Did I bump into an immortal?
âCarry his body back.â Su Yiâs voice rang out. His words alerted Cha Jin, who hurried out of the cave and over to where the scholarly man had fallen.
âWhy didnât you run?â Su Yi glanced at the woman in blue.
She shuddered, then flung herself to her knees with an audible thud. Then, heedless of the mud and filth, she kowtowed and begged, âThis junior was blind. I humbly request your magnanimity. Senior, please, spare my life!â
She quivered, terrified to the extreme. She subconsciously assumed Su Yi was an old monster whoâd mastered the art of maintaining a youthful appearance.
âYou laughed so casually earlier, more arrogant than anyone. Now, the moment you realized things donât look so bright for you, youâre on your knees and begging for forgiveness. Youâre a Grandmaster. Donât you have any shame?â Su Yi couldnât help but sneer.
By comparison, Chang Guokeâs valiant courage in the face of death was far more admirable.
âBefore entering the Origin Dao, weâre all mere mortals. I might be a Grandmaster, but Iâm still just flesh and blood. I failed to recognize your power, resulting in an enormous error in judgment,â she said bitterly. âIf you spare my life, Iâm willing to serve at your side. Whatever you need, Iâll be at your beck and call. Iâll work like a dog on your behalf, Senior.â
âServe at my side?â Su Yi laughed dryly. âYouâre not qualified.â
Although the woman in blue was pretty, and although her make-up was on point, in Su Yiâs eyes, her looks and temperament both lacked a certain charm.
She pleased neither his heart nor his eyes. Why bother keeping her with him?
It was then that Cha Jin returned carrying the scholarly manâs charred, bloodied corpse. When she heard the woman in blueâs offer, her heart inexplicably tensed.
But when she heard Su Yiâs response, that inexplicable nervousness disappeared, and her whole body relaxed.
Cha Jinâs pretty eyes darted around, and she took the initiative to request further orders. âYoung Lord, how about you let me deal with her?â
The kneeling woman in blue shuddered, shot to her feet, and charged at Cha Jin with intent to kill.
She was a woman too, and she knew that when women dealt with other women, they were often far more ruthless than men!
Cha Jinâs clear eyes were suddenly serious. She hadnât expected that someone whoâd been so meek, terrified, and respectful just moments ago would turn so ruthless in the blink of an eye.
Splurt!
The tip of a sword pierced through the woman in blueâs throat. Her charge ended while she was still halfway in the air, and she fell into the mud.
She clutched her bleeding throat and stared fixedly at Su Yi, her gaze maddened and hateful. âYouâve gotten yourself involved in our affairs. You wonât live long either!â
She said this, then breathed no more.
Cha Jin patted her chest, her heart quaking with lingering terror. âI said just one sentence and she freaked out. She was insane!â
Su Yi glanced at her. âWhen you first provoked me, werenât you much the same way?â
Cha Jin had nothing to say to that. Inside, she felt awkward and anguished.
âGather and organize the spoils, then throw the corpses somewhere out of the way. If they attract wild beasts, donât expect any peace tonight.â With that, Su Yi turned, walked back into the cave, and sat back down.
However, his gaze turned toward the whiskered man lying in the mud, Chang Guoke.
âThe three of them might be dead, but youâve brought us far greater trouble than I imagined. Go on and tell me: whatâs up with the tiger?â Su Yi pointed at the corpse of the brightly colored tiger lying off to the side.