A group of cultivators subordinate to the Great Xiaâs imperial family stood guard. Theyâd sealed off the entire area.
âFellow Daoist, look. This is a fragment of that enemyâs corpse. It seems⊠he wasnât actually human.â Weng Jiu held a piece of bone in front of Su Yi.
Su Yi glanced at it. âThatâs a fragment of a demon puppet. I already know who it belonged to.â
As soon as he returned from beyond the city, he saw Weng Jiu leading a group of guards stationed outside the residence.
After a few quick questions, he learned that shortly after he left, a man in black approached Azurecloud Court and attempted to climb the walls, only for Weng Jiu to catch him in the act.
After a brief skirmish, the black-robed man died on the spot.
When he saw the corpse fragment the man left behind, Su Yi naturally wouldnât miss that the assailant was yet another of Chu Xiuâs demon puppets.
In other words, Chu Xiu had indeed planned to lure the tiger away from the mountain and set a trap and wait for his prey. He was as insidious as could be.
If not for Su Yiâs timely precautions, if he hadnât asked Weng Jiu to look after Azurecloud Court, he feared Yuan Heng, Yue Shichan, and Bai Wenqing wouldnât have been a match for Chu Xiuâs demon puppet!
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âSo, he was a demon puppet!â Weng Jiu couldnât help but visibly react.
âHeâs called Chu Xiu, and heâs a Possessed cultivator from the Tiandu Continentâs Celestial Prison Demon Court. Heâs most likely in the Spiritual Manifestation Realm.â
This caught Su Yi off guard. âYou know him too?â
âThe Great Xiaâs imperial familyâs forces recently convened to compile the List of Otherworld Possessed. Chu Xiuâs name is on it. However, thereâs very little information about him. If you hadnât warned me, I wouldnât have guessed Chu Xiu was this impressive.â
âImpressive? Hardly. Heâs a shameful creature that likes hiding in the shadows, thatâs all,â said Su Yi disdainfully.
Weng Jiu pondered, then said, âFellow Daoist, itâs easy to dodge a direct attack, but hard to block a stab in the back. Might you consider changing residences?â
Su Yi waved. âNo need. Iâd actually be thrilled if Chu Xiu had the guts to come looking for me again. Given his temperament, and after what happened tonight, Iâm afraid heâs long since fled Nine Tripod City.â
Su Yi paused, then looked at Weng Jiu. âMany thanks for what you did tonight.â
Weng Jiu hurriedly smiled. âHelping alleviate your concerns is part of my duty.â
Su Yi pondered for a moment, then said, âThereâs something else Iâll have to trouble you with.â
Weng Jiu was briefly stunned, but then, he laughed heartily. âFellow Daoist, please speak directly. So long as I am capable of it, I guarantee I wonât refuse.â
âWith the power at your disposal, how long would it take you to send a message to the Great Zhou?â asked Su Yi.
Weng Jiu paused to think, then said, âIf we use a few of our secret methods, I guarantee we can send a message anywhere in the Great Zhou within three days.â
âThree days?â Su Yiâs eyebrows shot up.
Weng Jiu explained, âThe Great Zhou is too distant and remote. Even if a Spiritual Manifestation cultivator travels at top speed, theyâll need at least ten days to get there. Iâm not bragging when I say that no faction in the Great Xia could send a message to the Great Zhou faster than that.â
Su Yi thought for a moment, took out a blank jade slip, and inscribed a message on it with his divine sense.
Before long, he passed it to Weng Jiu. âSend the message tonight. Deliver it to the Palace Master Ning Sihua of the Great Zhouâs Heavenâs Origin Academy as quickly as possible.â
The contents of the jade slip were simple. Heâd simply ordered Ning Sihua to bring his friends to the ruins of the Immortalsâ Sword House.
The ruins were like a separate world, and they were covered by the Heavensphere Yao Emperorâs Heaven-Sealing Formation of the Nine Absolutes.
When Su Yi left, he entrusted the white bone seal used to control the formation to Ning Sihua. So long as those he cared about hid within the ruins of the Immortalsâ Sword House, future enemies wouldnât be able to threaten them like Chu Xiu had even if they wanted to.
âGot it!â Weng Jiu accepted the slip.
Su Yi then took out another. In it, he carved Chu Xiuâs likeness. He then passed it to Weng Jiu. âThis is a portrait of Chu Xiu. If you can find him, Iâll reward you generously.â
Chu Xiu dared to use the loved ones heâd left in the Great Zhou as a threat; heâd already crossed Su Yiâs bottom line. Su Yi naturally wouldnât just let this end here.
Weng Jiu said solemnly, âFellow Daoist, rest assured. So long as we capture Chu Xiu, this old man will present you his head personally!â
Before long, Weng Jiu and his forces hurried away.
When Su Yi returned to Azurecloud Court, he called Yuan Heng over. âYuan Heng, tomorrow, take this sword to the Elephant Provinceâs Broken Dragon Cliff.â
Su Yi passed him the first sword he made after reawakening his memories post-reincarnation, Mortal Edge.
âWhen you see Ying Que, tell him to take this sword and head to the Sea of Chaotic Spirits immediately. He is to undergo quiet cultivation near the entrance to the ruins of the Immortalsâ Sword House. If anyone is brazen enough to attempt to break into the ruins, he is to kill them, no questions asked.â
Yuan Heng solemnly acknowledged his orders.
Only now did Su Yi relax.
The black flood dragon living near Broken Dragon Cliff owed him an enormous favor.
Sending Ying Que to the Great Zhou to stand guard over the Immortalsâ Sword House would undoubtedly give Ning Sihua, Wen Lingxue, Cha Jin, and the others an additional layer of protection.
Su Yi then took out a set of formation flags. There were one hundred and eight in total, each inscribed with different glyphs and diagrams. So long as he placed them accordingly, he could recreate Chu Xiuâs Blood Dragon Spirit-Slaughtering Formation.
This was a grand formation capable of killing even Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivators; it was naturally extraordinarily precious.
In the Great Xia, only the peak-level cultivation factions had the ability to place a similar formation.
Tonight, Chu Xiu lost two demon puppets and this killing formation. Such grievous losses would undoubtedly cause him enormous pain for quite some time.
Before long, Su Yi placed the formation around Azurecloud Court.
Circulating a grand formation of this scale required spiritual power, but that couldnât stump Su Yi. As he placed it, he re-arranged its base. Now, whenever someone circulated the formation, it would immediately connect with the power of the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation covering Nine Tripod City. The Blood Dragon Spirit-Slaughtering Formation could thus unleash its full power.
In simple terms, Su Yi was using the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation as an energy source to circulate the Blood Dragon Spirit-Slaughtering FormationâŠ
It was indeed a cheap trick, but there was nothing for it; Su Yi didnât want to waste an ocean of spirit stones on a formation.
Even if Weng Jiu and his master find out about this, I imagine⊠they wonât say anythingâŠ
âMiss Bai, Iâll entrust the formation disc to your care. If anyone tries to break in or cause trouble while Iâm away, just activate the formation and kill them.â
Su Yi gave the formation disc to Bai Wenqing, who hurriedly accepted and nodded her acknowledgment of his orders.
âWhat about me, Brother Su? Can I help you?â Yue Shichan couldnât help but ask.
âYou should come to my room,â said Su Yi. He turned and walked toward the pavilion.
Yue Shichan was stunned. âWhat for?â
âTo treat your injuries, of course,â said Su Yi without so much as turning his head.
â....â Yue Shichanâs fair, jade-like face instantly heated up, and her starry eyes shone with embarrassment.