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The Firewood Daoist was dumbstruck. How could the lofty Divine Monarch of Tragedy… lose control like this?
Yuan Heng was flabbergasted too. This is the Divine Monarch of Tragedy? Why is he cursing like the love child of a shrill auntie and a drunk sailor?
Even Su Yi was stunned, but then, he laughed dryly, “Only the incompetent lose their tempers over their own ineptitude like this. How about this? If you tell me your origins and your predicament in detail, I might well be able to rescue you from the Den of Caterpillars. How about it?
The curses pouring out of the vortex abruptly ceased.
After a while, the Divine Monarch of Tragedy laughed coldly, “Su Yi, don’t think I can’t guess what you’re planning. You just want to seize this opportunity to understand my abilities and background. I have only two words to say in response: quit dreaming!”
“Oh?” said Su Yi. “Then are you willing to struggle on death’s door, trapped in the Den of Caterpillars forever?”
Before the Divine Monarch of Tragedy could respond, Su Yi said calmly, “Unless I mistake my guess, you’re most likely heavily wounded, and your vitality is severely damaged, but the origin power of the Den of Caterpillars is insufficient to support your recovery. In other words, the Den of Caterpillars is most likely a barren, lifeless, inhospitable place.”
“You….” The Divine Monarch of Tragedy seemed somewhat stunned, but before long, he said coldly, “Anyone with half a brain could figure that out!”
Su Yi laughed and continued, “You’re trapped there, but you can still open spatial nodes and allow your so-called worshippers to make sacrifices to you. From this, I can deduce that at your peak, you either had Imperial Realm cultivation and mastery over the Grand Dao of Space, or you were born with incredible talent and an innate divine skill granting you control over the Grand Dao of Space from birth. Am I right?”
The voice within the vortex fell silent.
The Firewood Daoist was bewildered and uncertain. From the moment Su Yi and the Divine Monarch of Tragedy began their conversation, he could sense the Divine Monarch of Tragedy’s awkwardness and humiliation. This was someone he saw as a lofty, godlike existence!
Su Yi, meanwhile, seemed completely fearless, as composed and assured as a god. It seemed he had complete confidence.
Now, seeing the Divine Monarch of Tragedy fall silent once more, the Firewood Daoist’s heart sank. He’d have to be blind to miss that Su Yi’s prediction was most likely right on the mark!
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He was just a young man in the Grain Avoidance Realm, yet relying on nothing but the clues in front of him, he’d deduced so many unbelievable truths. Of course the Firewood Daoist was startled! Of course he was scared! How could he not be?
The Grand Dao of Space? The Imperial Realm? Is he… Is he really an immortal from the heavens? If not, why does he have such unbelievable understanding of the Grand Dao? Waves coursed through Yuan Heng’s heart. He couldn’t calm down either.
Everything Su Yi said left him utterly bewildered. It was far beyond his comprehension, yet he could tell from the Divine Monarch of Tragedy’s response that Su Yi’s deductions were right on the mark!
“Su Yi, who exactly are you?” The Divine Monarch of Tragedy’s voice resounded from within the vortex once more. However, this time, his voice contained a trace of solemnity and confusion.
How many of Su Yi’s foes had asked this very same question?
This was undoubtedly because the power and knowledge Su Yi displayed far surpassed what one of his cultivation ought to have. This invariably left his foes stunned, bewildered, and stricken with disbelief.
The Divine Monarch of Tragedy was no exception.
However, Su Yi only said, “I’m the one who can help you escape captivity.”
This time, the Divine Monarch of Tragedy obviously gave it some real thought, but in the end, he still couldn’t trust Su Yi. He laughed coldly, “This lofty one naturally has means of escaping on his own. I have no need for your concern!”
Su Yi’s eyebrows arched slightly. This dirty beast is quite guarded! Don’t tell me that ‘Den of Caterpillars’ place hides some shocking secret he’s unwilling to reveal?
Or is there a problem with the beast’s status? Is he worried that, once his identity is revealed, it’ll cause some kind of trouble?
If not, how could someone who’s been trapped for who-knows-how-long possibly refuse a chance at escape?
Su Yi thought it over, then decided to give the bird another chance. “I am in possession of a secret art. With it, even if you’re in a barren, lifeless place, you can absorb all types of energy of heaven and earth to recover your cultivation. The only disadvantage is that if you do so, it will corrode and contaminate your foundations in the Grand Dao, and your cultivation will become motley and impure….”
Before he could finish, the Divine Monarch of Tragedy’s voice rang out once more. It seemed he’d run out of patience. “Does such a secret technique truly exist in this world?”
A faint, almost imperceptible smile rose on Su Yi’s lips, and he said unhurriedly, “If you’re interested, hear me out first.”
The Divine Monarch of Tragedy snapped, “Su Yi, don’t even try to manipulate me! What adversities and obstacles haven’t I faced? All you have to do is raise your butt, and I can tell what kind of fart is about to come out! Let me tell you….”
Su Yi interrupted him here. “Do you want to hear the rest or not? It seems to me that the vortex you manifested from your spatial node won’t last much longer.”
The Divine Monarch of Tragedy’s voice came to an abrupt halt. A long time passed before he managed to force out just two words: “Say it!”
The smile on Su Yi’s lips intensified. “What I wanted to say is, even if cultivating this secret technique contaminates your foundations in the Grand Dao, I have means of helping you resolve that problem.
“I can give you the first scroll of the technique now. With your intelligence and cultivation, I’m sure you’ll know right away whether it’s the real deal or not.”
The Divine Monarch of Tragedy fell silent. He knew full well that for Su Yi to do this, he must be scheming something.
Still, he had to admit that such a technique was highly tempting.
He felt much as a man on the brink of starvation might if someone placed a juicy yet clearly poisoned peach right in front of him. He knew it was dangerous, but he was so hungry that it was hard to resist temptation.
I can just eat the peach and spit out the poison hidden inside, right? The Divine Monarch of Tragedy steeled himself and made up his mind.
However, he was still on guard. “You… What exactly do you want?”
Su Yi laughed and ignored the question completely. He took out a blank jade slip and engraved a portion of a secret cultivation technique.
“Look at this first.” He then tossed it into the blood-colored vortex.
Whoosh!
The vortex revolved, producing violent energy fluctuations.
Mere moments later, the jade slip disappeared, and the vortex dimmed considerably. It was already showing signs of imminent collapse.
The power of this spatial node can only accept sacrifices of a few ordinary goods at most. More than that, and it will quickly fall apart and disintegrate, thought Su Yi. No wonder the dirty beast is still in such dire straights. The offerings of the mundane world are barely enough to whet his appetite…
If the blood-colored vortex was like a pond, then the sacrificial offerings were like the water flowing inside. Too much water, and the pond would overflow and collapse.
From this, he could deduce that although the Divine Monarch of Tragedy could create spatial nodes, the power of each such spatial node was extremely limited.
This was most likely connected to the severity of his injuries.
Were an ordinary cultivator standing here, when they saw the blood-colored vortex and interacted with the Divine Monarch of Tragedy, they’d likely react much like the Firewood Daoist had. That is, they’d see the Divine Monarch of Tragedy as a supremely lofty existence, and they’d become his devout worshippers.
But Su Yi could deduce all sorts of information about him at a glance!
This was the advantage of knowledge and experience.
Suddenly, the Divine Monarch of Tragedy’s voice rang out. He laughed coldly, “You only gave me the first scroll of the secret technique. I certainly don’t believe it’s as miraculous as you say. Take out the remaining portions. So long as I can ascertain that they’re as impressive as you say, no matter your intentions, I’ll naturally consider agreeing to your conditions.”
“Oh?” said Su Yi. “It’s getting late, and your spatial node is about to collapse. Let’s talk more next time we meet.”
“Why do we have to wait until next time?” The Divine Monarch of Tragedy had only just laughed coldly and tried to haggle, but now, he was obviously frantic.
“I’m just giving you some time to cool down and think things over. I don’t want you to think too highly of yourself,” laughed Su Yi. “Bear this in mind: if you want to escape, you have to remember your place when you ask for help. Lower your head when it’s time to lower your head, and give in when it’s time to give in. The consequences of stubbornness are hard to predict.”
The Divine Monarch of Tragedy fell silent for a while, then said, “Then… Can you tell me how many portions of that secret technique remain?”
Su Yi said calmly, “This secret technique is called ‘the Refining Void Malevolent Incantation. Quite a few parts remain. It all depends on whether or not you can convince me to give you the rest without holding anything back.”
“You’re fucking doing this on purpose! You’re using bait to draw my interest. You want to force me to follow you around like a puppy and wag my tail for you, don’t you?” The Divine Monarch of Tragedy was beside himself with fury. He cursed, “Su Yi, you bastard! You’re rotten to the core!”
Su Yi’s tone turned cold and indifferent. “Next time we meet, before we talk business, you’ll have to apologize for your poor manners. If you don’t, I guarantee that there’s no way I’ll do anything else to help you escape your confinement. Got it?”
The Divine Monarch of Tragedy fell silent once more; he seemed to have picked up on Su Yi’s displeasure.
He’d already lost track of how many times he’d fallen silent over the course of his conversation with Su Yi….
A long time passed before he spoke again. “Next time…? When can we meet again?”
His voice was noticeably softer and weaker, without any of the unbridled bluster or curses from before.
Su Yi smiled.
The fish was now thoroughly on the hook!
He said casually, “You know my name. I’m likely to take up residence in the Great Xia for a while. Haven’t you recruited numerous devotees? Whenever you’re ready, send someone to find me.”
Bang!
The crimson vortex collapsed and disappeared.
Although he hadn’t gotten a clear answer from the Divine Monarch of Tragedy, Su Yi was certain that the dirty beast couldn’t refuse his help!
That was enough.
The Den of Caterpillars? Interesting! Su Yi pondered. Caterpillars were a common sight in the mundane world. They were tiny and unassuming.
Yet this “Den of Caterpillars” could restrain someone who’d mastered the profound meaning of the Grand Dao of Space, a suspected Imperial Realm Cultivator. This meant that the Den of Caterpillars couldn’t possibly be simple!
As he thought, Su Yi glanced at the kneeling Firewood Daoist.
The man had long since been scared out of his wits. When he sensed Su Yi’s gaze, what remained of his soul trembled uncontrollably, and he stammered, “Senior… Senior, if you grant me a path to life, this humble one will tell you a huge secret about the Divine Monarch of Tragedy!”