This word was like a dagger to the heart, stabbing Su Hongli right in the chest. Memories of an incident heâd suppressed deep within his heart rose unbidden to the forefront of his mind.
This made him lose control, and his expression was unusually dark and somber.
The elder was instantly stunned; he hadnât guessed that a mere conjecture would provoke such an intense reaction.
The elderly Daoist thought for a while, then said softly, âFellow Daoist, this is mere conjecture. Itâs possible thereâs some other mystery behind this.â
Su Hongli was silent for a while, and his expression gradually returned to normal. His eyes were indifferent once more. âNo, I agree with your conclusion. Even if he hasnât been possessed, he undoubtedly has some secret. Otherwise, he couldnât possibly have achieved such strength in such a short period of time.â
He then rose, placed his hands behind his back, and stared into the distant night sky. âIâve always known that I couldnât afford to leave Ye Yufeiâs child alive. Alas, over the years, Iâve always held back on account for the fact that my blood flows through that unworthy descendantâs veinsâŚ.â
His voice lowered, and his tone was increasingly grave, with an irrepressible chill. âI stayed my hand, and now, strange occurrences have indeed cropped up around him!â
The elder was visibly stunned. âFellow Daoist, did you predict that something like this would happen?â
An overcast look appeared on Su Hongliâs face. âDaoist Brother, you donât understand. All of thisâŚ. All of this is connected to that woman, Ye YufeiâŚ..
âForget it. All of thatâs in the past. In any event, after what happened today, Iâm increasingly convinced of my decision to slay that unworthy descendant of mine.â
As he said that last part, his tone turned even colder and more indifferent, with no further ripples of emotion.
The Daoist elder sighed. âThis time, Su Yi has truly caused far too great a disaster. You originally intended to teach him a lesson and make him turn over a new leaf, but heâŚ. Now, Iâm afraid the entire Great Zhou is watching to see how the Su Family resolves this.â
Su Hongli returned to his seat, then jeered, âThe common folk have no idea what it means to be a true cultivator. I donât care in the least, regardless of whether theyâre just here to watch the spectacle or whether they have other intentions.â
His back silently straightened, and his eyes flashed like lightning. âSo what if I have to bear the unpleasant title of âthe man who killed his own sonâ? If I canât even handle something like this, how could I speak of pursuing the Dao?â
The elderâs heart shook. âFellow Daoist, do you plan to intervene personally?â
Su Hongli said flatly, âI said it earlier: Iâll give him time to think things over, and his deadline is the fifth day of the fifth month. I naturally wonât go back on my word.â
It was then that an elderly attendant rushed in with a sealed long bronze box.
âYour Excellency, this was sent here by the Cloudlight Marquis, Shen Jiusong. Itâs a letter from Young Master Su Yi, penned by the Heavenbrave Marquis just before his death.â
Su Hongli accepted the bronze box, opened it, and removed the letter. The message on the white paper was written in blood.
When he finished reading its contents, Su Hongli couldnât help but snort. He casually passed the letter to the Daoist elder. âDaoist Brother, you should read this too.â
When the elder finished reading, he couldnât help but furrow his brow. âHeâll leave for the Jade Capital on the fourth day of the fourth lunar month. On the fourth day of the fifth month, heâll come to the Su Family to gather offerings, and on the fifth, heâll sweep his motherâs grave? He⌠Does he really think he can do whatever he wants without reservation just because he can kill a Xiantian Martial Ancestor?â
Su Hongli said calmly, âPerhaps the boy has something else heâs relying on.â
The elder shook his head. âThe Jade Capital is a city of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Which influential figure doesnât have a few tricks to rely on? Never mind the rest; Iâm afraid His Majesty and State Preceptor Hong Shenshang wonât just sit back and watch Su Yi kick up a fuss.â
He actually saw Su Yiâs behavior as âkicking up a fussâ. From this, it was obvious how little regard the elder had for him.
âOr perhaps he sees you as just another one of the Ten Great Xiantian Martial Ancestors? He might well be foolish enough to think he can contend with you.â Having said this, the old man couldnât help but laugh.
He knew better than anyone just how terrifying Su Hongli was!
Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.
âThereâs no point in discussing all that. He openly and brazenly wrote me a letter, and he even gave me a month-long time limit. His goal is, unquestionably, to fight the Su Family here, in the Jade Capital, and see just how many means I have of countering him.â Su Hongliâs eyes filled with dense disdain. âItâs nothing but a childish trick.â
The elder in Daoistâs robes thought, then said, âThen how do you plan to respond?â
Su Hongli said casually, âEarlier, I gave that unworthy son of mine time to consider his next steps, but now, heâs turned around and given me a month right back. Fellow Daoist, what do you think I ought to do?â
The elder shook his head. âYour heart is unfathomable as the depths of the ocean; one such as myself cannot comprehend it.â
Su Hongli smiled. âHe has his intentions, while I have my rules. Weâll proceed in accordance with my rules. Until the fifth day of the fifth month, he can kick up as much of a fuss in the Jade Capital as he likes. Even if he truly shows up at our door and throws a tantrum, I wonât execute him.â
He paused, and his gaze frosted over. When he next spoke, his tone carried austere murderous intent. âBut on the fifth, I will surely end him!â
Reading between the lines, he was saying, âI said Iâd kill you on the fifth, so Iâm going to kill you on the fifth. I absolutely wonât kill you any earlier, and I absolutely wonât kill you any later.â
This was an absolutely contemptuous, confident way of thinking, but it was also the principle by which Su Hongli carried out his affairs.
The elder in Daoist robes naturally picked up on the implications, and for a time, his eyes filled with a strange light. On the fifth day of the fifth monthâŚ
Are this father and son truly going to kill each other?
No, according to his letter, Su Yi will arrive at the Su Family estate on the morning of the fourth to gather offerings. That will inevitably lead to bloodshed between him and his father!
But then, Su Hongli said heâd end this on the fifth, so even if they fight on the fourth, he wonât strike the killing blow.
As he reached this conclusion, he suddenly realized something. He couldnât help but say, âFellow Daoist, donât you think you and Su Yi are somewhat similar?â
Su Hongli was stunned. âDaoist Brother, what do you mean by that?â
The elder took a moment to consider his words, then said, âYou are father and son, and the way you carry out your affairs is shockingly similar. You each have your rules, and you each told the other your decision, clearly and openly. Youâre both extremely domineering, and neither of you is willing to play by the otherâs rules.â
Su Hongli merely laughed dryly in response. âHow could you possibly compare me to my unworthy descendant?â
He then furrowed his brow. âDaoist Brother, going forward, donât bring this up again. Iâve already given him an opportunity. Unfortunately, he chose not to cherish it. Now, come the fifth day of the fifth month, I wonât stay my hand in the slightest, not even if he repents and kneels before me.â
It was obvious that he thought the elderâs words were an attempt to convince him to show mercy out of consideration for their familiar bond.
When he saw this, the elder couldnât help but grimace and shake his head. Still, he said nothing more.
âŚ..
Beneath the same night sky, in the Jade Capitalâs imperial palace.
In a lavish and resplendent hall decorated with gold and jade, State Preceptor Hong Shenshang sat upright, clad in long gray robes.
He had a distinctive appearance, and he wore his hair up, with a jade hairpin to hold it in place. His face was clear and his expression was mild, and he stood perfectly straight, like a solitary pine growing from out of a cliff.
The most striking part about him was his eyes: shockingly, they glowed faint gold. Whenever he looked around, they contained an intimidating power, as if he could see directly into your heart and discern your secrets.
âYour Majesty, this matter is no longer simply the Su Familyâs internal affair. The way I see it, weâd best dispatch our experts and have them investigate Su Yiâs secrets,â said Hong Shenshang. When he spoke, his voice boomed like a morning bell or evening drum, reverberating throughout the grand hall.
There was a throne at the center of the hall. A man in long, dark, wide-sleeved robes sat atop it. He was handsome, and his long hair hung loose. He looked young.
However, as his gaze shifted, his eyes carried a hint of the vicissitudes of life.
This was the current emperor of the Great Zhou!
He sat on his throne, leisurely and at ease, and sighed. âThe Great Zhouâs nine non-Zhou kings have been reduced to only seven. Our eighteen non-Zhou marquis have now become just fifteen. This Su Yi was previously unknown, but based on todayâs battle alone, his reputation will shake the heavens, and his name will be on the lips of every martial artist in the nation. This is what it means to become famous overnight!â
Hong Shenshang said, âBut itâs highly likely that heâll be a harbinger of disaster and disrupt the order of the Great Zhou.â
Emperor Zhouâs smile cooled, and he pondered, âState Preceptor, do you also suspect that something strange has happened to Su Yi?â
Hong Shenshang nodded. âOn the path of cultivation, possession isnât overly rare, but to achieve it, one must be at least a Spirit Dao expertâŚ.â
âThe Spirit DaoâŚ.â Emperor Zhou was briefly dazed. âHasnât the mundane worldâs path to that level long since been severedâŚ.?â
âThere are no Spirit Dao cultivators in the Great Zhou,â said the State Preceptor. âBut that doesnât mean they donât exist elsewhere. Your Majesty, donât forget the true hegemon of the Azure Continent, the Great Xia! Their territory is surely home to Spirit Dao cultivators!â
The Great Xia!
The emperorâs gaze was suddenly as sharp as a hawkâs.
There were over a hundred nations on the Azure Continent. Of them, just one flourished beyond all others. That was the Great Xia!
The Great Xia was the unquestioned hegemon of the continent. Its subordinate nations alone numbered over fifty.
Rumor had it that the Great Xiaâs imperial family was a true cultivation faction, in every sense of the word. They apparently possessed power sufficient to intimidate the entire continent!
As the highest authority figure of the Great Zhou, Emperor Zhou was naturally well aware of how powerful a behemoth like the Great Xia was.
Compared to the Great Xia, both the Great Zhou and its neighbors, the Great Wei and the Great Qin, were like ordinary vassal states.
If not for the fact that the Great Zhouâs territory was tucked into a corner and that they were located far away from the Great Zhou, they likely would have been annexed a long time ago.
âBut Iâm afraid the Spirit Dao cultivators of the Great Xia would disdain possessing a mere youth of the Great Zhou. The way I see it, the strangeness surrounding Su Yi is likely due to something else,â continued Hong Shenshang. âIf we can get to the bottom of this, we might well learn just what power Su Yi relied upon to grow strong enough to slay Xiantian Martial Ancestors in just two months.â
The emperorâs expression was suddenly unreadable. âState Preceptor, do you recall how, in his youth, Su Hongliâs cultivation grew by leaps and bounds upon a fortuitous encounter on Sifting Darkness Yao Mountain?
âWhy is it that I feel Su Yiâs experience is much like his fatherâs was?â
Hong Shenshangâs expression turned somewhat strange. Before he could respond, the emperor made up his mind. âWeâll leave this matter for Su Hongli to resolve.â
He paused, then laughed. âFurthermore, I trust that Su Hongli will give me a satisfactory response.â
Hong Shenshang was silent.
He might have had a different view of the situation, but he was well aware that when the emperor of the Great Zhou made his decision, no one could change his mind!