Mu Xi was stunned. A mere unfinished sword possessed such unbelievable power?
If it were forged into a true spiritual weapon, how terrifyingly powerful would it be?
âAn old devil like Hua Liuye actually produced such a treasure? Thatâs truly surprising,â muttered Mu Xi.
Su Yi shook his head. âWith those paltry skills of his, how could he produce such a divine weapon? If Iâm not mistaken, the owner of this unfinished sword was the very same expert that placed the formationâs one hundred and eight altars.â
This time, all of them were stunned. But when they thought about it, this deduction was logical.
Because just now, all of them could tell that it was only by relying on the sword embryo that Hua Liuye managed to borrow the formationâs power.
Ning Sihua couldnât help but ask, âThen Fellow Daoist, can you tell who it was who placed this formation?â
Su Yi thought it over, then said, âAll I can go by is the strength of their Dao of Talismans and Formations. This formation is sufficient to repress and kill a Spirit Dao cultivator, suggesting that whoever placed it has Spirit Dao cultivation at the very least.â
Spirit Dao!ïŒ
Ning Sihua and Mu Xiâs pupils subtly constricted, while Shen Jiusong gasped. It was only earlier, on their way here, that he first heard Su Yi and Ning Sihua mention the Spirit Dao.
Naturally, he was now well aware of just how terrifying those they called âSpirit Dao cultivatorsâ were!
Pu Yi, Jiang Tanyun, and Lu Zhangfeng were all quite confused.
However, when they saw the surprise written on Ning Sihua and Mu Xiâs faces, they realized that whoever had placed this formation was likely an existence so mighty, they transcended the limits of their imagination.
Yet a mere youth like Su Yi had seen through it, clear as day. This only made Pu Yi and the others respect him all the more.
Su Yi couldnât be bothered to explain any further. His gaze swept around the area, and he got to work, flitting between the various altars.
When he returned, he carried nine blood-colored pennants.
These were formation flags. Each was about the size of a palm, and their poles were thin as bamboo chopsticks. The flags were engraved with sinister and imposing, contorted inscriptions and cloud markings.
The Nine Palaces Yin-Locking Formation that Daoist Corpse Controller used earlier was placed and formed through these nine blood-colored flags.
This smaller formation was placed on the foundation of the one hundred and eight altars. As a result, when it circulated, it was essentially âstealingâ the power of the larger formation
Take the nine massive blood-colored lotuses hovering overhead. Those were manifestations of the smaller formationâs power.
In Su Yiâs eyes, the so-called âNine Palaces Yin-Locking Formationâ was only the most ordinary of formations of the Dao of Talismans and Formations.
However, in this mundane world, producing a large-scale formation like this was already rare and impressive.
Su Yi thought to himself, With a few little adjustments, I can use these nine flags to place a Nine Palaces Divine River Formation. Then, all Iâll need is to prepare a base capable of supporting the formationâs operations. Itâll cover a ten-thousand-foot radius and be strong enough to entrap and kill even Xiantian Martial AncestorsâŠ.
The materials used to make this set of flags were actually quite extraordinary; in the world of the mundane, all were extremely rare tier-four spiritual materials.
Unless he was mistaken, even in the Deathbringerâs Gate, a set of flags like this was a priceless treasure.
Yet now, theyâd naturally fallen into Su Yiâs hands.
Of course, in Su Yiâs eyes, his greatest harvest was undoubtedly the wooden sword embryo.
The unfinished sword was about three feet, four inches long and three fingers wide. It had a simple edge, and the body of the sword was dark as ink. It was made entirely out of âAbstruse God Wood.â
According to legend, Abstruse God Wood was formed in the underworld on the road to the Nine Yellow Springs. It was an unparalleled divine material.
Once every thousand years, Abstruse God Wood suffered a âNether Lightning Tribulationâ. The wood that survived would form a natural Dao pattern.
Once every ten thousand years, Abstruse God Wood underwent trial by âAbstruse Netherworld Fire Tribulation.â If it survived, it gave rise to a Xiantian Wood Spirit!
Only after surviving both tribulations did Abstruse God Wood become a true, unparalleled divine material. It was so precious that not even Imperial Realm Experts could resist temptation.
Alas, the wood used to forge this sword embryo clearly had yet to reach ten thousand years of age. It couldnât possibly have overcome the Abstruse Netherworld Fire Tribulation.â That meant it was far removed from the true peerless divine material, ten-thousand-year Abstruse God Wood.
It was, at most, a rare and precious divine material.
But Su Yi was already quite pleased with it. A sword embryo like this was far better than spiritual materials, regardless of tier.
In this mundane realm, it was undoubtedly the type of precious treasure you couldnât search for; you could only bump into by chance.
Su Yi was already planning to forge himself a new sword, and heâd already gathered numerous materials.
The sword embryo before him gave him a burst of inspiration and a new direction!
Mu Xi hesitated briefly, then asked, âYoung Lord Su, since you can control the one hundred and eight altars, can you tell just what is hidden deep within that chasm?â
The others all looked over.
Theyâd all come to Bloodthistle Yao Mountain in search of fortune. Now, they could tell that the source of the mountainâs strangeness was in the depths of that unknown, massive chasm!
âThereâs a mysterious power sealed down there,â said Su Yi, putting away the sword embryo and formation flags. âIs it fortune or disaster? Itâs still too soon to say.â
âA sealed power?â Mu Xi was stunned.
Ning Sihua explained, âEarlier, on our way here, Fellow Daoist Su deduced that the hundred and eight altars were here to seal whatever mysterious power lies within that chasm. Do you remember the earthquake-like disturbance we encountered earlier?â
Everyoneâs hearts shook, and their expressions shifted. They were starting to understand.
Earlier, all of Bloodthistle Yao Mountain seemed to sway. That was highly likely caused by the power sealed deep within the rift!
âSo does that mean that Hua Liuye and the others from the Deathbringerâs Gate were trying to undo the seal and release that mysterious sealed power?â asked Shen Jiusong.
The others couldnât help but gasp.
If that mysterious power were a stroke of fortune, that would naturally be just wonderful.
But what if it was a calamity? Then, the moment someone broke through the seal, it would lead to disaster, wouldnât it?
âIs it fortune, or is it a disaster? Weâll know if we go take a look,â said Mu Xi, his eyes flashing.
âItâs too dangerous for you all down there. Unless youâre absolutely confident, Iâd encourage you to remain here.â Su Yi placed his hands behind his back, walked over to the long, narrow chasm, and peered into its depths.
Mu Xi instantly nodded. His gaze swept across Pu Yi and the others, and he said, âHow about this? You wait here. Young Lord Su and I will go down and take a look.â
Pu Yi and the others naturally had no objections.
âIâll go too,â said Ning Sihua.
Su Yi didnât object. âLet me say this first: itâs highly likely that unknown perils lurk in the chasmâs depths. If you follow me, you must do as I say.â
Ning Sihua straightforwardly agreed.
Mu Xi smiled and said calmly, âYoung Lord Su, please rest assured. I naturally wonât be a burden.â
His tone was rife with confidence. Su Yi said no more. He just snapped his fingers.
Kssh!
A sharp streak of power shot from his fingers, striking an altar a few hundred feet away..
A massive boom instantly rang out. One mysterious wave after another rose from the one hundred and eight altars, forming a terrifying suppressive power that surged into the chasm.
Even with their naked eyes, they could tell what was happening; the waves of power were gradually suppressing the baleful energy erupting out of the rift!
âLetâs go.â Su Yi took the lead and hopped right into the chasm. Ning Sihua and Mu Xi followed hot on his heels.
Before long, all three of them disappeared into the darkness.
âEveryone, letâs wait here for now.â Shen Jiusongâs gaze swept across the group. He then walked up to one of the altars and sat down cross-legged in front of it.
The grand elder of Kongtong Academy, Jiang Tanyun, hesitated, then walked up to him and bowed in greeting. âCloudlight Marquis, might we take this opportunity to ask you about Young Lord Su?â
Shen Jiusong inwardly found it rather funny. On our way here, you put on the airs of an elder to rebuke him, yet now, youâre lowering your head of your own volition?
âNow that you mention it, Iâm extremely curious about Young Lord Su too. If you were willing to clear up our doubts, that would be just wonderful,â said Pu Yi, nodding respectfully.
âPlease instruct us, Cloudlight Marquis!â Zhang Lufeng soon followed suit.
When he saw that the entire group of proud old codgers was looking at him expectantly, hoping for instruction, Shen Jiusong felt satisfaction deep within his heart.
He coughed dryly to clear his throat, then said, âEveryone, I, Shen Jiusong, am not unreasonable. There are some things I should say, and some things I shouldnât. Iâll tell you what I can, and leave the rest unsaid. All I ask is that you donât make this difficult for me.â
Jiang Tanyun and the others hurriedly nodded. âOf course, of course. Thatâs only natural.â
Afterward, Shen Jiusong went on to tell them a bit about Su Yiâs accomplishments.
It was just as heâd promised earlier. He told them what he could, but said nothing he shouldnât, not even a word.
Even so, throughout his tale, Jiang Tanyun and the others gasped repeatedly, and from time to time, they couldnât help but sigh with emotion.
Especially when they learned that Su Yi had casually slain even the Dragonlake Hermit, Qin Wenshan, the Grandmaster ranked twenty-seventh on the leaderboards. Their hearts shook, and inwardly, they couldnât help but cry out.
If theyâd known about this earlier, how could they possibly have dared look down on Su Yi?
But what confused them was that, although Su Yi was indeed a disciple of the Jade Capitalâs Su Family, his relationship with the Su Family was tense, like fire and water!
The most unbelievable part was that Su Yiâs mysterious and inscrutable abilities seemed like they had nothing to do with the Su FamilyâŠ.
Alas, in regards to that, Shen Jiusong said nothing. He kept his lips tightly sealed.
Their curiosity had been piqued and they wanted to know more, but there was nothing for it. They could only grimace and shake their heads.
Meanwhile, deep within the thirty-thousand-foot chasm.
Bang!
Su Yi exerted strength through his toes, bouncing off the walls several times in rapid succession before landing gently on the firm ground below.
The first thing he saw was a stretch of striking, bright red light. Afterward, his field of vision cleared up, and Su Yi saw the scenery clearly.
The depths of the rift opened to an underground world!
Everywhere he looked, he saw strangely-shaped boulders, a forest of rock, and lingering bloody mists. It was hard to tell at a glance just how big this underground world was.
Splash splash splash!
The sound of a surging current emanated from deep within the crimson smog. It seemed that, off in the distance, there was an underground river.
However, when Su Yi heard the sound of the current, his pupils suddenly constricted.