The tribulation clouds were densely layered, and the atmosphere was oppressive.
Madam Miaohua and the twenty-plus cultivators of the Great Chu under her command stood in the sky.
All of their auras were domineering, and misty light circulated around them as they locked down the area around the peak.
But it was as if Su Yi didnât even see them. He placed his hands behind his back and gazed up into the dome of heaven.
Qing Wanâs grand tribulation would soon be upon herâŠ
Yuan Heng was instantly on guard, and he readied himself for battle.
It was obvious to him that this group was here with ill intentions!
âMadam Miaohua, do you recognize them?â asked the graying elder in inky robes.
âEveryone, look! Thatâs the yao cultivator I spoke of earlier.â Madam Miaohua raised her jade-like hand and pointed at Yuan Heng.
Whoosh!
Everyone instantly looked over.
âSo, itâs them!â The crowd looked enlightened.
âTch, whoâd have thought the yao cultivator was traveling with a ghost about to undergo tribulation? Villains really do travel in packs!â The graying elder in ink-dark robes laughed coldly, his words utterly disdainful.
Yuan Hengâs expression darkened, and his brow knit with fury. He glanced at Su Yi.
Last time, at Floating Immortal Ridge, he had attacked without orders, only for Su Yi to warn him to keep a lower profile and avoid acting recklessly.
This time, angry as he was, he kept Su Yiâs instructions in mind.
Su Yiâs gaze left the sky and swept over the cultivators of the Great Chu. Only then did he say calmly, âAnyone who gets within a hundred feet of the mountaintop dies.â
His tone was casual, light, and understated.
Everyone fell silent. Madam Miaohua and her companions were dumbstruck.
The boyâs only in the Grain Avoidance Realm, yet heâs talking as if weâre nothing at all. His attitude is outrageous to the extreme!
Ling Yunhe had witnessed Su Yiâs bearing before, and he was calmer by comparison. However, even he was confused.
Of the gathered cultivators from the Great Chu, Madam Miaohua was the strongest. She was in the mid-stage Gathering Stars Realm.
Those capable of dining with her on the treasure ship were extraordinary too. More than ten of them were Origin Palace cultivators!
Even the Grain Avoidance cultivators were at or near the peak of the realm.
In the Great Chu, this was a first-rate lineup. Any ordinary cultivator would have given in to despair, terror, and uncertainty at the sight of them.
Even Ling Yunhe would have had to find a way to retreat.
However, Su Yi didnât look the least bit confused. No, if anything, he seemed contemptuous.
Of course Ling Yun was surprised. How could he not be?
âYoung friend, dare I ask your name? Where are you from, and who is your master?â Madam Miaohua could tell at a glance that Su Yi wasnât afraid of them, and she was instantly cautious.
Su Yi ignored her. He just smoothed out his robes and sat casually on a nearby boulder, watching Qing Wan.
She was already circulating her cultivation at full force, bringing herself to her peak condition. As he took her in her aura, Su Yi completely relaxed.
With Qing Wanâs cultivation, she could easily resolve her impending tribulation of metamorphosis on her own. She had no need for his assistance.
Su Yi said nothing, so Yuan Heng naturally said nothing either.
He just crossed his arms and swept his cold gaze across the group.
Madam Miaohua and her companionsâ expressions gradually darkened. They felt thoroughly provoked, as if Su Yi had just trampled all over their dignity.
Given their statuses, who in the Great Chu dared ignore them?
âYouâre nothing but a paltry little Grain Avoidance cultivator, yet youâre this arrogant? Even if your origins are extraordinary, youâre traveling with a yao and a ghost. That alone makes it obvious that youâre no good!â A dignified, middle-aged man in yellow snorted coldly.
âMadam Miaohua, if you ask me, thereâs no need to waste time talking to them. Letâs kill the yao and ghost cultivators together first!â A black-shirted youthâs killing intent surged around him.
As soon as he said this, the other Great Chu cultivators readied themselves for battle.
Madam Miaohuaâs gaze was still locked onto Su Yi. What made her frown was that, even now, he seemed perfectly calm and indifferent, as if none of this had anything to do with him. He showed no sign of panic at all.
Ling Yunhe coughed dryly, then said in a low voice, âEveryone, might I chime in?â
Instantly, all eyes were upon him.
âWhat do you have to say, Fellow Daoist?â asked Madam Miaohua softly.
âA few days ago, I encountered that young man in the Great Liangâs Floating Immortal Ridge. Weâve only met once, but Iâm certain heâs no evildoer. How about we stay our hand and end this here?â
Madam Miaohua and her companions frowned.
Ling Yunhe was a peak-level expert of the Great Qi, and he had Gathering Stars Realm cultivation. They couldnât afford to disregard his attitude.
But if they gave up now, how could they show their faces going forward? Who among them would be willing to just back down?
âFellow Daoist, youâve only met him once. I suggest you stay out of this; letâs not sour our relationship,â Madam Miaohua said coldly.
Ling Yunhe was just about to say something when Su Yi beat him to the punch. âKind words cannot save those determined to throw their lives away. You and your apprentice can just watch from the side.â
When he heard Su Yiâs response, Yuan Heng chimed in as well. âThatâs right. You two, please stay out of this. If this bunch wants to throw their lives away, theyâll have no one to blame but themselves.â
Both master and servant were completely domineering. This left Madam Miaohua and her companions so furious that they couldnât help but laugh.
âBrazen!â
âHahaha, you evildoers are already in peril, yet youâre still running wild? It seems you donât take us the least bit seriously!â
âKind words cannot save those determined to throw their lives away? You should tell yourselves that!â
âŠThe cultivators of the Great Chu were all enraged. Murderous intent swept forth like the tide, blanketing heaven and earth and dispersing the nearby clouds.
Ling Yunhe sighed to himself. It seems thereâs no chance for me to intervene!
âLetâs see just how capable you are, you shameless little whelp!â said that yellow-robed, dignified middle-aged man.
As he spoke, he walked through the air and toward the distant mountaintop.
Rui Chenjing.
He was a peak Grain Avoidance cultivator and an outer sect elder of Nethersnow Saber Palace, one of the Great Chuâs first-rate factions. He was a famed saber cultivator of his era!
The technique he cultivated, the Sky-Scouring Spiritual Opposition Saber, was famous throughout the Great Chu. They said that one swing of his saber could slash a ten-thousand-foot mountain into a ravine!
The others watched as Rui Chenjing gripped his four-foot-long blue saber. His clothes fluttered around him as he charged through the air and toward the mountaintop.
Su Yi remained seated on that boulder. Even now, he didnât react in the slightest.
When Rui Chenjing saw this, he couldnât help but snort coldly, âEvildoer, if you donât stop me now, Iâll soon be within a hundred feet of the peak!â
As he spoke, he stepped through the air and swung his blue saber.
Whoosh!
A dazzling streak of blue saber qi surged forth, illuminating the night skies. It streaked through the air like a dragon in flight, with vast, seemingly limitless sharpness. It was headed right toward Su Yi!
Unbelievably quick!
Su Yiâs eyelids didnât so much as twitch, and he didnât even look. He just raised his hand and tapped.
Bam!
A streak of clear sword qi shot out of Su Yiâs finger, like an axe through rotting wood. The dazzling blue saber qi burst apart with a sound reminiscent of firecrackers.
The sword qiâs power didnât diminish in the slightest. It continued ahead, reaching Rui Chenjing before he could react.
âActivate!â Rui Chenjingâs pupils suddenly constricted, and throughout his body, his hair stood on end. His energy rumbled with unprecedented intensity as he circulated it to its very limit.
He suddenly raised and swung his saber, but before he could finish his slash, that streak of clear sword qi shattered his defensive treasures and origin power barrier, then pieces his forehead.
Kccch!
The top of his skull flew off, trailing steaming red blood.
Su Yi slew this illustrious saber cultivator with a single flick of his finger!
Rui Chenjing didnât even have time to swing the saber heâd only just raised before he died. In the end, both he and his weapon plummeted from the skies and into the Billowing Sky River.
Everyone fell silent.
The other cultivators of the Great Chu stared at Su Yi icily, their gazes full of dread.
By the standards of their group, Rui Chenjingâs strength was ordinary at best. He was far from comparable to the Origin Palace cultivators, much less Madam Miaohua.
However, those who could kill him in a single strike were Origin Palace cultivators at the very least!
Yet now, a young Grain Avoidance cultivator like Su Yi had done so effortlessly. Who wouldnât have been surprised?
Even Madam Miaohua couldnât help but narrow her beautiful eyes, and her charming face willed with uncertainty. This kid⊠Really isnât simple!
Ling Yunheâs eyes shone, and he transmitted to Qing Ya, âPerhaps we really can just sit back and watch this show unfold.â
Earlier, he had been able to tell that Su Yi was fearless, but he couldnât figure out where this Grain Avoidance cultivator got his confidence. Why was it that he dared face an entire group of the Great Chuâs cultivators?
Now, he was vaguely starting to understand. He was even a bit curious. What cards would Su Yi reveal next?
Qing Ya didnât need her master to remind her; her big eyes stared unblinking at Su Yi, and she watched with bated breath, as if afraid to miss even the slightest detail.
After killing an enemy with a flick of his fingers, he looked away. He just sat on the boulder, peaceful and at ease.
Boom!
The dark tribulation clouds had been gathering for quite some time. Suddenly, a crack of thunder resounded deep within them, rumbling throughout the night sky.
The sound broke through the stifled atmosphere and silence.
Suddenly, someone charged bravely ahead.
He was a gaunt elder in gray robes, his expression sharp and grave.
Tie Modu.
He was a mid-stage Origin Palace cultivator and an inner sect elder of the Great Chuâs Cloudstone Sword Pavilion.
Heâd cultivated for over two hundred and sixty years, and he had firm foundations in the Grand Dao. He practiced the spear, and heâd already refined the upper heaven grade âRampaging Flamesâ Dao Charm.
He was so strong that he ranked among the top ten Origin Palace cultivators in the Great Chu.
Boom!
Tie Modu waved his radiant golden spear and thrust at Su Yi from several hundred feet away.
It was like an ambush of heavenly fire.
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The unstoppably sharp tip of the spear blazed with flames terrifying enough to melt mountains, and it left a perfectly straight, burnt-black trail in its wake, a striking sight.
His companionsâ eyes lit up. This spear was absolutely incredible, and it flew with overbearing momentum. It could pierce and burn everything in its path!
Ling Yunhe stared intently at Su Yi. This is an Origin Palace cultivatorâs heaven-burning spear. How will he neutralize it?
Even Yuan Hengâs heart suddenly tensed. Just watching this attack was enough to affect his mind. He felt stifled and suppressed, and he instinctively glanced at Su Yi.