Yesterday, when Su Yi fought the Unknown Dragons, the emperor of the Great Zhou never once made an appearance. Even after they fell, the emperor was nowhere to be seen.
Yet now, this morning, the newly-crowned heir apparent, Zhou Zhili, had come here to see him. How could Su Yi possibly miss the emperorās intentions?
In simple terms, the current emperor of the Great Zhou didnāt care about the Unknown Dragonsā deaths in the least!
And heād sent Zhou Zhili to see Su Yi for no other purpose than to borrow Su Yiās prestige to intimidate the nation!
After all, the Unknown Dragons were already dead. This was no different from snapping the imperial clanās spine. How could they ward off invasion by foreign enemies now?
The power of their mundane armies was nowhere near sufficient to intimidate cultivators.
The emperor of the Great Zhou was obviously well aware that he couldnāt make Su Yi work for him, so he sent Zhou Zhili instead.
Su Yi wouldnāt act as the imperial familyās protector just because of that.
Thus, he had Zhou Zhili deliver a message on his behalf:
Want to borrow my prestige to intimidate the Great Zhouās enemies?
But Zhou Zhili must be the one to lead the Great Zhou!
Deep within the Green Prayer Mountains.
Numerous urns were already placed in front of Ye Yufeiās grave.
These were the Su Familyās offerings.
It was drizzling, and the mountains were gray and overcast.
Su Yi stopped before the grave and stood there in silence.
Zhou Zhili, however, took out incense and joss paper, squatted, and set them on fire. Smoke rose into the air.
Su Yi took out the Netherworld Thunder Punishment Bell.
This was a Spirit Treasure of the demonic way, but heād already discerned its secrets.
When it was still intact, it was an extremely powerful treasure. It was the work of a Spirit Dao advanced cultivator of the demonic way.
Su Yi was certain that, when Ye Yufei first brought it here from another world, it was already severely damaged.
Otherwise, that demonic spirit couldnāt possibly have been so weak.
What he found really fishy was that the bell contained the power of an extremely mysterious ābrand.ā
When he examined it with his divine sense, he discovered a mysterious diagram inside it.
It depicted a strange tree towering into outer space, past the blue dome of heaven and into the void beyond. Its branches were covered in the broken corpses of stars.
The image contained a line of text written in the ancient glyphs of demons and godsā
āThe origins of the azure, the emperor controls the secrets of the nine extremes.ā
If not for the memories of his past life, Su Yi couldnāt possibly have interpreted such ancient characters.
However, although he could read them, Su Yi had no idea what the text meant.
The āorigins of the azureā could just barely be interpreted as āthe origins of the Azure Continent.ā But what did āthe emperor controls the secrets of the nine extremesā mean?
And just what did the ancient glyphs have to do with the picture of the tree?
In his past life, in an ancient ruin, Su Yi once saw a tree of stars. Radiant stars hung from every branch; it was wondrous to the extreme.
Yet the tree depicted in the diagram wasnāt a true tree of stars. Instead, the corpses of fallen stars hung from its branches!
This was decidedly strange.
After mulling it over from several different angles, Su Yiās rough guess was that his mother had likely brought the Netherworld Thunder Punishment Bell from another world precisely for the purpose of investigating the meaning behind the phrase āorigins of the azure, the emperor controls the secrets of the nine extremes.ā
In other words, the value of the demonic bell wasnāt its strength, but rather, that the power imprinted in it contained enormous secrets.
Some time later, Su Yi set those thoughts aside, then got down on his knees and bowed three times before his motherās grave.
Su Yi pressed his fingers into a sword and cut, instantly opening the grave, revealing the coffin within.
He walked up and opened it.
Inside was a withered corpse. It had long since ceased to resemble his mother.
This was the difference between life and death.
In life, she was a peerless beauty of her generation and a mighty cultivator. In death, all that remained of her were withered bones buried in the dirt.
After a momentās silence, Su Yi flicked his fingers, and a wisp of flame floated down onto the corpse, quickly burning it to ash, which Su Yi gathered into the Netherworld Thunder Punishment Bell.
āLetās go.ā Su Yi didnāt linger any further.
Su Yi came here to sweep his motherās grave, as well as to take Ye Yufeiās remains with him. This would prevent his more ruthless enemies from desecrating her corpse to target him.
Heād already seen plenty of such behavior in his past life.
Upon returning to the Jade Capital, Zhou Zhili bade him farewell, then went back to the imperial palace.
Su Yi, meanwhile, returned to Pinewind Villa, only to discover that Ge Changling was already there waiting for him. After exchanging a few quick pleasantries, he took out a stone stele.
It was two feet long, black and spotted, with an air of antiquity. A line of ancient characters was carved on its surface.
āThe sealed power will one day break free of the earth.
āEverything that is shackled will one day escape its bonds.
āThe grand events and bloodshed of days long gone will return even grander than before.
A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.
āBefore the mists part, consider all unusual occurrences omens!ā
Su Yi stared intently at the text for a moment, but he didnāt discover anything worthy of notice. He then turned his attention to the stele itself.
āAfter discovering the stele, I realized that its materials arenāt the least bit simple. It's immune to both water and fire, and swords and sabers cannot scratch it. Even a Grain Avoidance cultivatorās full-force attack can barely shake it,ā said Ge Changling.Ā āStrangest of all, the stele can suppress the power of the landscape and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Ordinary treasures cannot even begin to compare.ā
Ge Changling then let out a self-deprecating laugh. āPerhaps my talent and knowledge are lacking. Despite years of research and pondering, Iāve yet to truly discern any of theĀ steleāsĀ secrets.ā
āItās not at all strange that you wouldnāt recognize it,ā said Su Yi. āThe stone used to make this stele is called āWorldspirit Star Soulstone.ā Itās produced in outer space, and itās extremely rare. Itās a top-notch material for refining Spirit Treasures. Some of it is mixed into the stele.ā
Having said this, Su Yiās expression turned a little strange. To the best of his knowledge, Worldspirit Star Soulstone was rare and precious even in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds.
Whoād have thought that here, on the Azure Continent, someone would use such a divine material to make a stone stele? How was that any different from desecrating a natural treasure?
But then, it was highly possible that whoever had made this stele didnāt care about that at all!
āWorldspirit Star Soulstone?ā Ge Changling couldnāt help but feel surprised. āSo, my disciple was right all alongā¦ā
Su Yiās eyebrows shot up. āYour disciple recognized it too?ā
Ge Changling said, āMy disciple is called Ge Qian. He lost his parents at a young age and has cultivated at my side ever since. Years ago, when I brought this stele back from Green Ivy Yao Mountain, he recognized its materials at a glance.
āHe said that he saw records of Worldspirit Star Soulstone in an ancient tome. Furthermore, he recommended that I place the stele on Skyblue Mountain. He said that it could suppress the power of the landscape and absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth. Over time, its presence would transform Skyblue Mountain into a treasured ground perfectly suited for cultivation.ā
Su Yi couldnāt help but be surprised. āThat disciple of yours isnāt simple. He actually knew how to use the stele to gather spiritual energy?ā
A strange look appeared on Ge Changlingās face. āFellow Daoist, I wonāt lie to you. Thereās indeed something strange about my disciple. I suspect heās inherited the power of an ancient legacy. Fortunately, he hasnāt been possessed. Thus, Iāve never asked him about his secrets, and Iāve always turned a blind eye to his behavior.ā
He paused, then continued, āAlso, my disciple is incomparably cautious by nature. Or, to put it less politely, heās a complete coward. Heās never been willing to get involved in anything remotely dangerous.ā
Ge Changling then laughed. āBack when you first took those Pure Yang Fire Peaches, I sent Ge Qian to look for you. Whoād have thought that shortly after arriving in Mother Ghost Ridge, the kid would turn back for fear of something going wrong? He didnāt even dare to meet with you first.ā
Only then did Su Yi realize that something like that had happened, and he couldnāt help but find it funny. āHearing your description, it seems your disciple really is quite cautious.ā
Ge Changling laughed and shook his head. āBeing overly cautious is no different from being a coward. Heās been exploring the Dark Sea for a while now. When he gets back, Iād like to bring him to see you, Fellow Daoist. Perhaps you can see tell if thereās something wrong with the boy.ā
āGiven his cautious nature, Iām afraid thereās no way heāll dare meet me,ā said Su Yi casually. āOf course, if he is willing, Iād be happy to help you understand his secrets.ā
They chatted a little while longer before Ge Changling bade farewell and left.
He insisted on leaving the stele behind, and he wouldnāt let Su Yi refuse it.
Su Yi knew that this was Ge Changlingās way of repaying his motherās kindness.
Alternatively, one might say he was doing this to assuage his guilt.
Su Yi put away the stele, went back to his room, and began cultivating and meditating as usual.
The emperor of the Great Zhou issued a proclamation that from this day forth, Crown Prince Zhou Zhili would oversee the nation and wield sole authority over its affairs, with Hong Shenshang to assist him in managing the imperial court!
When news spread, it threw the nation into uproar.
Who could miss that although the emperor had yet to officially abdicate, heād essentially given the imperial throne to the sixth prince, Zhou Zhili, already? Once Zhou Zhili had a firm handle on the nationās authority, he could smoothly ascend to the throne!
Later that same day, Zhou Zhili issued his first orders as the prince regent. He directly imprisoned Second Prince Zhou Zhikun and Third Prince Zhou Zhizhen, as well as their henchmen!
There was no doubt about it; Zhou Zhili still nursed a grudge over what had happened at the Western Mountainās Tea Party!
At the same time, Zhou Zhili issued a proclamation to the entire Great Zhou, declaring Su Yi the nationās imperial preceptor!
This news shook the populace and threw the nation into uproar once more.
This title was far more special than that of state preceptor. Throughout the Great Zhouās history, not one person had ever received this honor!
After hearing this, who could fail to realize that Zhou Zhiliās current position and sole authority over the nation were inextricably connected to Su Yi?
āBack at the Western Mountain Tea Party, Su Yi helped the crown prince slay his foes and appoint the provinceās next governor. Whoād have thought that just a few months later, His Highness would become crown prince and oversee the nation, all thanks to Su Yi?ā
Some people rejoiced. āWith a living legend like Su Yi around, thereās no need to worry about unrest in the Great Zhou, and which hostile nation would dare invade us?ā
āThe crown princeās luckā¦ Is simply heaven-defyingā¦ā
Many peopleĀ sighedĀ to themselves. They thought that Zhou Zhili was one lucky bastard. Heād become the future ruler of the Great Zhou practically without so much as lifting a finger. Su Yi had delivered him victory in the battle of succession on a silver platter.
Late that night, while the outside world was still in uproar, the Featherflow King Yue Shichan came calling.
Su Yi had only just finished his cultivation when inspiration struck, and he waved his brush and wrote a line of text:
The eternal sky has neither wind nor dust. Its radiant moon illuminates my sword heart.