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The Overflowing Goblet was one of the Jade Capital’s four great money pits, and it was naturally located in the most prosperous part of the city.
Those who frequented this establishment were either rich or noble.
When Su Yi and You Qingzhi’s group stared each other down, the first to be startled into action were the Overflowing Goblet’s employees.
Qiao Yu led a group of attendants over in a hurry. When she saw this stare-down, the look on her beautiful face changed dramatically.
She was just about to say something when Zhou Zhili cut her off. “There’s nothing for you to do here. Leave!”
Qiao Yu naturally wasn’t stupid enough to get mixed up in this, so she immediately turned and left, taking her people with her.
“Sixth Highness, are you planning to intervene in Su Family affairs? Those uninvolved had best leave now if they don’t want to get hurt!” said Su Boning icily.
You Tianhong’s presence filled him with complete confidence.
Su Yi waved. “Fang Yuan, you and the sixth prince should step back.”
“Yes, sir!” Fang Yuan agreed without a second thought.
Zhou Zhili was still somewhat hesitant, but Fang Yuan tugged his sleeves and whispered, “Your Highness, His Excellency Su knows what he’s doing.”
Zhou Zhili sighed to himself, but he said no more. He simply retreated with Fang Yuan.
However, in his heart, he was incomparably worried. This place bordered a bustling city street. Were Su Yi to fight here, it would cause an enormous disturbance!
“This really is quite the coincidence. I already planned to arrange a duel with you three days from now, atop Nine Millet Mountain. Since you’re here, I’ll go ahead and ask you directly: dare you accept my challenge?” said You Tianhong, every word as sharp as a knife. His eyes stared daggers at Su Yi, and he made no effort to hide his icy killing intent.
Su Yi didn’t even need to think to know that the thin-faced man in the high-browed hat was You Tianhong, the man Monk Hongji told him about.
He was an Origin Dao cultivator of the Great Qin who, nine years ago, obtained a grand stroke of fortune from the depths of the Sea of Chaotic Spirits.
“Why wouldn’t I dare?” said Su Yi. “Three days from now at dawn, I’ll grant you death atop Nine Millet Mountain.”
You Tianhong’s eyes narrowed.
“Brazen!” Su Boning couldn’t help but bellow, “Su Yi, do you really think that killing Li Changning means you can do whatever you want without consequences?”
You Qingzhi sighed. “I really should have killed you a long time ago, you little beast.”
“No need to waste words on someone who’s about to die.” You Tianhong shook his head. “Let’s go.”
“You can leave,” said Su Yi casually. “But they have to stay.”
His words made everyone’s hearts jump, and their expressions shifted.
You Tianhong furrowed his brow, then swept his gaze across the area. “This is a densely populated place. If we fight here, everything within a thousand feet will inevitably be reduced to rubble. Aren’t you worried about provoking the emperor’s fury?”
The Jade Capital was different from other places; it was at the foot of the imperial palace. How could the emperor just sit back and watch as Earthly Immortals fought here?
“If you’re worried, you’re welcome to leave right now,” said Su Yi. He then glanced at You Qingzhi and Su Boning, his gaze distant and calm. “It wasn’t easy to encounter the two of them. How could I possibly just let them leave?”
“What are you thinking? Would you dare kill us here?” said Su Boning, so angry that he laughed.
Su Yi shook his head. “I disdain to kill you in Su Hongli’s absence. How about this? Kowtow three times, and I’ll let you live until the fourth.”
“You
” Su Boning’s face was ashen with fury.
You Qingzhi almost dared not believe her ears. She couldn’t even imagine that Su Yi would use such a method to humiliate them.
You Tianhong’s expression was icy. “Su Yi, do you really want to force me to kill you here and now?”
Every word was like the clanging of swords, reverberating throughout the surrounding area. Unblockable killing intent surged into the air and spread out, startling those in the nearby streets and alleyways. They hurriedly got out of the way.
Almost instantaneously, the surrounding streets emptied completely.
Su Yi ignored You Tianhong and fixed his gaze on You Qingzhi and Su Boning. Suddenly, he shouted just one word:
“Kneel!”
Boom!
You Qingzhi and Su Boning felt rending agony in their souls. It was as if their minds had been stolen; beneath the onlookers’ stunned gazes, they fell to their knees, seemingly paralyzed.
The atmosphere was suddenly deathly silent.
Zhou Zhili, Fang Yuan, Qiao Yu, and the various staff and customers, watched from not far away. Without exception, their scalps tingled.
It was just one word, but it was like a magic spell. It forced both You Qingzhi and Su Boning to their knees, here, in front of the Overflowing Goblet!!
In truth, Su Yi was holding back. Otherwise, with the current power of his soul, he could have killed them both where they stood.
“You’re seeking death!” You Tianhong’s sleeves billowed as he swung his hand, sending a streak of sword qi flying toward Su Yi.
Even he would never have guessed that Su Yi would be so domineering as to force his sister and nephew to kneel right in front of him. He was completely and utterly infuriated.
Whoosh!
The sword qi swept through the air, like a dark, gloomy mist. Strange, fiery light circulated within it as it slashed directly downward.
It was as if the air were made of canvas; the sword qi cut right through it.
The terrifying sword force burst the hard tiles, scattering bits of stone.
Su Yi didn’t so much as pause to look. He just punched.
Bang!
The murky gray sword qi burst apart, disintegrating into nothingness while it was still three feet away from Su Yi.
“With this paltry little cultivation, you still dare brazenly announce your intentions to take my head?” Su Yi’s lips curled into a sneer.
You Tianhong took a deep breath and waved his arm, lifting the still-kneeling You Qingzhi and Su Boning. Both flew through the air and landed several hundred feet away.
“You leave first!” You Tianhong’s eyes flashed like swords, and his entire body emanated murderous intent. His imposing bearing expanded, bit by bit, as the distinctive aura of an Origin Dao cultivator swept forth like the tide.
A series of startled cries and exclamations rang out throughout the surrounding area.
In front of the Overflowing Goblet, Zhou Zhili and the others’ expressions changed dramatically, and they all stepped back.
When an Earthly Immortal fought, they could effortlessly cleave mountains and sever rivers. Their destructive power was shocking. The aftershock alone could kill a Xiantian Martial Ancestor!
Especially since You Tianhong was no ordinary Earthly Immortal.
This was the Great Qin’s famed Sword Monarch Tianhong. He stepped into the Origin Dao eight years ago, and his name shook the entire nation!
But it was as if Su Yi didn’t even notice. He just glanced at the distant You Qingzhi and Su Boning and said, “Go back and tell Su Hongli that, on the fourth day of the fifth month, I’ll claim your heads as sacrificial offerings.”
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Both mother and son’s expressions were incomparably unsightly. They gnashed their teeth so hard they almost broke.
However, the way Su Yi had just forced them to kneel left them too terrified to even consider sticking around. Both of them turned and fled.
Meanwhile, as Su Yi ignored him, You Tianhong went all out. He let out a long roar as he charged at Su Yi.
Boom!
Radiant wind and lightning surged around him with terrifying majesty. Still hovering in midair, he took out a glittering silver sword, which he slashed downward.
The sword qi was violent and explosive, like gloomy but fierce lightning as it reverberated throughout heaven and earth.
The Limitless Thunder Force Sword!
This was a mid-rank, heaven-grade sword intent, an absolute technique, and it overflowed with lightning element charm of the Dao. When a peak Grain Avoidance cultivator like You Tianhong unleashed it, his power far surpassed the likes of Shi Fengliu!
Heaven and earth shifted, and thunder boomed. Within this mundane nation, this display of power seemed no different from a god’s.
“That sword actually shows some refinement,” said Su Yi, his expression as tranquil as the waters of an ancient well, neither joyful nor sorrowful.
He put one hand behind his back and clenched the other into a fist, which he suddenly swung.
A fist imprint as dark and deep as ink condensed in mid-air with vast, seemingly limitless majesty. Suddenly, it pressed ruthlessly downward.
It was a fist like the nine oceans of the Netherworld, vast and majestic.
Rumble~!
The entire stretch of heaven and earth shook. Sword qi exploded like lightning, clashing with an “ocean” of fist force. The resulting currents of destructive energy spread out, toppling and obliterating the nearby buildings, one after another.
The street was a thousand feet long, but it was now covered in spider-web-like ravines. The cracks overlapped, and mud and dirt flew through the air.
Clouds of dust rose into the air. You Tianhong was hovering in the skies, but he suddenly froze. Throughout his body, his blood and qi flowed in reverse.
Su Yi stood not far away, in his original position. He hadn’t moved an inch.
The Overflowing Goblet stood behind him, and it was perfectly intact; it didn’t suffer the slightest shock.
In other words, You Tianhong’s attack might have been terrifying, but Su Yi blocked and dispersed it head-on, without dodging or playing any tricks.
You Tianhong’s pupils constricted, and his heart surged with emotion. This young fourth-level Grandmaster really is as strong as rumors say!
You Tianhong hadn’t put everything he had into that attack, but it still would have been enough to effortlessly defeat most foes of the same cultivation.
Yet Su Yi had stopped it with apparent ease!
Further away, Zhou Zhili and the other onlookers took in the devastation. Their hearts shook, and they felt a chill.
Not long ago, this street had been bustling with activity. In the blink of an eye, it had been reduced to rubble!
“You’re a lofty Origin Dao cultivator of the Great Qin, yet this is all you’ve got?” said Su Yi coolly, his tone rife with disdain. “Or has something left you too afraid to use your full power?”
You Tianhong took a deep breath, then raised his silver sword with a clang. He pointed its tip at Su Yi. “Do you dare try my sword again?”
With that, his sword hummed, the sound reminiscent of the low roaring of thunder. An eye-catching, radiant glow reminiscent of lightning circulated around the blade.
You Tianhong’s imposing majesty was far more terrifying than before.
Boom!
He stepped into the air and was just about to attack when a tall, thin figure shot over from afar. He arrived in the blink of an eye, standing between You Tianhong and Su Yi.
“You two, if this continues, the mess will be hard to clean up.” This new arrival wore a high-brimmed crown and old-fashioned robes. His features were unassuming, but as he looked around, his eyes glinted with imposing golden light.
State Preceptor Hong Shenshang!
His gaze landed on You Tianhong first. “Fellow Daoist, you’re an emissary of the Great Qin. If you hurt someone here in the Jade Capital, you’ll be viewed as an enemy of the nation. Please, reconsider.”
You Tianhong furrowed his brow. After a moment’s silence, he suppressed both his surging killing intent and his sword force.
Then, his gaze frosted over, and he turned to Su Yi, pausing for emphasis between each and every word. “Three days from now, the peak of Nine Millet Mountain. I’ll be waiting for you.”
With that, he turned and left.
It was only after watching his silhouette disappear from view that Hong Shenshang turned and addressed Su Yi. He said calmly, “This is the Jade Capital. You might have vast capabilities, but you’d best rein it in a little. Otherwise
 Well, you’d best weigh the consequences for yourself.”
“Oh?” said Su Yi. “Are you threatening me?”
Hong Shenshang furrowed his brow, but before long, he regained his usual unruffled calm. “The heavens drive those whom they wish to destroy to madness. Su Yi, I’d hate for you to die before the fourth.”
Having said his piece, he turned and left.
As he watched Hong Shenshang’s figure disappear into the distance, a faint smile tugged at Su Yi’s lips. Interesting. Here’s yet another one of the Possessed!