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The monsters of the ancient era laughed. They seemed jubilant.
That flippant, disdainful, playful attitude made Gu Cangning furrow his brow.
Nonetheless, he had to admit that things had changed!
Before entering Sumeru Immortal Island, Su Yi, Huan Shaoyou, and the other monsters of the ancient era were all in the Origin Dao.
But now, Huan Shaoyou and his companions had stepped into the Spiritual Manifestation Realm. They now transcended the Origin Dao!
Furthermore, each monster of the ancient era had stronger talent and foundations than the one before. The moment they stepped into the Spiritual Manifestation Realm, they were already far from comparable to older-generation Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivators.
And that’s before even mentioning the trump cards and killer weapons they had on them. Pick one at random, and Gu Cangning feared it’d be enough to present an enormous threat to Su Yi!
If they joined forces…
What chance of victory did Su Yi have left?
At the end of the day, Su Yi’s cultivation is his fatal flaw. If he were in the Spiritual Manifestation Realm too, they wouldn’t dare be this brazen, thought Gu Cangning.
“Brother Gu, if you’re unwilling, we naturally won’t push you,” said Qi Xiao. “But you have to think it over carefully. Taking down Su Yi doesn’t mean much, but should conflict arise when we enter Sumeru Mountain in search of good fortune, we’ll treat you as our enemy.”
The others looked at Gu Cangning too.
“I’m sorry, but I’m accustomed to working on my own,” said Gu Cangning. With that, he silently retreated to a spot not far from the Platform of Heaven’s Ascension.
When he saw this, Qi Xiao couldn’t help but frown in surprise.
“He doesn’t know what’s good for him,” someone snorted.
“Hah? Does he look down on us or what?” said someone else in displeasure.
Huan Shaoyou waved the question away and smiled. “Forget it. Everyone has their own ambitions, so don’t push him. But it’s just as Qi Xiao says. When the struggle for good fortune begins, I’ll be quite curious to see whether Gu Cangning dares to get involved.”
His tone was casual, but the implicit threat was enough to make one shudder.
Gu Cangning’s expression shifted. Huan Shaoyou was a ruthless, frenzied madman. If Huan Shaoyou carried a grudge against him, how could it possibly end well for him?
But in the end, he didn’t say anything.
Despite Huan Shaoyou’s threats, this was a conflict between them and Su Yi, so Gu Cangning would stay out of it.
Over in Chen Lu’s camp, Yu Wenshu couldn’t help but feel a bit confused. He transmitted to his companions, “That guy actually refused to join up with Huan Shaoyou. That’s really strange.”
“It really is out of the ordinary,” said Jiang Li, looking a bit perplexed.
It was obvious to everyone that Huan Shaoyou’s camp was already so strong that practically no one would dare provoke them.
Yet for some reason, Gu Cangning refused their invitation.
“Never mind Gu Cangning. Given the circumstances, if Su Yi shows up, he’ll face almost certain doom. That is… unless he chooses to join forces with us,” Yu Wenshu said gravely.
There were two camps waiting before Sumeru Mountain.
The first was Huan Shaoyou’s group of monsters of the ancient era.
The second was Chen Lu’s group of geniuses of the present day.
Su Yi unquestionably counted as a heaven-defying genius of the present day.
The way Yu Wenshu saw it, if Su Yi wanted to contend with Huan Shaoyou’s lineup, his only choice was to join them.
Jiang Li’s heart stirred. That was indeed a decent idea.
But it was then that the casually handsome monk beside Chen Lu shook his head and interjected, “No, no matter what, we cannot let Su Yi join us!”
Chen Xing!
He was a top figure of Maha Temple’s younger generation, as well as Buddhist Son Chen Lu’s junior apprentice brother.
Yu Wenshu furrowed his brow. “Why is that?”
Chen Xing said solemnly, “If Su Yi joins us, he’ll implicate us, and what was once a struggle for good fortune will transform into a death match. I’m sure you can see it too. There’s no way Huan Shaoyou and Mo Xingzhe will let Su Yi off. Anyone who sides with Su Yi will suffer Huan Shaoyou and his companions’ wrath.”
Chen Xing’s gaze swept across Yu Wenshu and Jiang Li. “Thus, refusing to join up with Su Yi is the wisest possible choice.”
Yu Wenshu was silent, while Jiang Li glanced at Buddhist Son Chen Lu. “And how do you see this matter, Buddhist Brother?”
Chen Lu said softly and calmly, “Chen Xing has already voiced my thoughts on the matter.”
Jiang Li sighed to herself. “I understand.”
She really couldn’t push them on this.
After all, Chen Lu and the others had no connection to Su Yi. Given the circumstances, who’d be willing to stick out their neck for Su Yi?
In the time that followed, more monsters of the ancient era and geniuses of the present day arrived.
All of them had reached the Spiritual Manifestation Realm.
Of them, two monsters of the ancient era accepted Huan Shaoyou’s invitation and gladly joined his camp.
This meant that Huan Shaoyou’s group now included nine Spiritual Manifestation cultivators!
A few geniuses of the present day joined Chen Lu’s camp too, but only Li Handeng, the leading figure of the Qingyi Dao Sect’s younger generation, was in the Spiritual Manifestation Realm.
When Li Handeng took in the current situation, he was increasingly certain that so long as Su Yi dared show himself before Sumeru Mountain, he’d die without a proper burial!
Zeng Pu and Chi Jiansu showed up too. However, both of them refused Huan Shaoyou’s invitation without the slightest hesitation.
Huan Shaoyou had nothing to say to that.
Their current lineup was already sufficient to sweep through Sumeru Immortal Island. There was no need to concern themselves with Zeng Pu and Chi Jiansu’s attitudes.
As night drew near.
In a place far away from Sumeru Mountain.
“Everyone, let’s just go. I’m afraid we have no possibility of obtaining a share of the good fortune within Sumeru Mountain,” sighed Feng Zidu.
Mei Yanbai, Dou Kou, and the others nodded.
They’d yet to truly step into the Spiritual Manifestation Realm. Participating in the struggle for good fortune would be no different from throwing their lives away.
In other words, those who’d yet to reach the Spiritual Manifestation Realm were simply unqualified to compete for Sumeru Mountain’s good fortune!
“Fortunately, although we’ll miss out on the fortune within the mountain, the remaining time will be enough for us to break through and enter the Spiritual Manifestation Realm,” Feng Zidu said softly.
“Given the circumstances, do you think Su Yi will dare show up?” Dou Kou suddenly asked.
“Wouldn’t that be no different from suicide?” said Qian Yun in a huff. Hearing her bring up Su Yi’s name made him recall his stolen treasures, and his heart ached.
Dou Kou couldn’t help but argue, “But I remember Su Yi saying that he was eager to encounter foes worth fighting, and that he hoped that we’d return for revenge after stepping into the Spiritual Manifestation Realm.”
“Hehe, who doesn’t know how to brag?” Qian Yun laughed and said with complete assurance, “I’ll just say this: if Su Yi dares pit himself against Huan Shaoyou and his alliance, I’ll call him my ancestor!”
“Enough,” said Feng Zidu. “Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”
As he said this, he prepared to leave. However, it was then that several streaks of light appeared in the distant sky. They were headed toward Sumeru Mountain.
Their leader was none other than Su Yi!
“He really showed up?” Feng Zidu’s eyelids twitched.
Dou Kou’s eyes lit up, and she teased, “Qian Yun, your chance to greet your new ancestor has arrived!”
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Qian Yun’s face reddened. For a moment, he looked like he’d seen a ghost, but before long, he laughed coldly, “Way I saw it, when he sees Huan Shaoyou’s lineup, he’ll jump and run away as fast as he can. Besides, I said I’d call him my ancestor… but only if he dared stick around and fight Huan Shaoyou and his allies.”
It was obvious to all of them that Qian Yun was starting to lose his cool.
“Then let's see whether or not Su Yi dares stick around,” said Mei Yanbai. He paused, seemingly afraid Qian Yun would misinterpret his intentions. “Don’t misunderstand; I have no desire to see you recognize your ‘ancestor.’”
“....” Qian Yun had nothing to say to that.
As they conversed, there was a disturbance by the foot of Sumeru Mountain.
“Su Yi!”
“He sure has guts. Doesn’t he know that Huan Shaoyou and Mo Xingzhe long to see him dead?”
“I wouldn’t have thought he’d really dare show up….”
The sound of discussion rang out on all sides. Chen Lu, Li Handeng, Yu Wenshu, Jiang Li, and the other geniuses of the present day all looked surprised.
They watched as Su Yi and his companions entered their field of view without making the slightest effort to disguise themselves. They flew in openly, as if they had no idea how disadvantageous the situation at Sumeru Mountain was to them!
“Everyone, our prey has shown himself to our door. He’s being very cooperative,” said Huan Shaoyou, a cruel smile forming on his lips.
“Prepare yourselves. If he dares to run, capture him immediately!” Mo Xinghe’s eyes flashed with faint silver light. His expression surged with murderous intent.
Every monster of the ancient era in their camp locked onto Su Yi almost immediately.
“I just knew there was no way he’d be too scared to show up,” whispered Zeng Pu. His eyes lit up.
“He’s already entered the Gathering Stars Realm. Given the accumulations and power he displayed earlier, in a one-on-one fight, he might well be able to contend with Huan Shaoyou. However, if it’s nine against one… I really don’t see how he can possibly win.”
Chi Jiansu was a young woman with close-cropped hair. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, and her gaze was as sharp as a knife. An unrestrained, wild air emanated from her.
“I certainly don’t think so.” Zeng Pu’s eyes flashed. “Just wait. Unless Su Yi plans to retreat, a magnificent battle is about to unfold!”
As they conversed, Su Yi and his companions drifted down to earth and arrived before the Platform of Heaven’s Ascension. They instantly became the center of attention.
When they saw Huan Shaoyou and his companions standing in the middle of the ritual grounds, Wen Xinzhao and Yue Shichan’s expressions were instantly solemn. However, they were still relatively calm.
Ge Qian’s entire body stiffened, and he was more guarded and alert than ever before. He laughed bitterly to himself.
He was long accustomed to caution. Earlier, he’d suggested that they approach stealthily and get a sense for the situation before deciding whether or not to get involved.
However, Su Yi paid his suggestion no heed. He led them directly through the air, and they arrived openly at the ritual grounds!
“Brother Su, run!” The nearby Gu Cangning transmitted. He quickly warned Su Yi of his perilous situation and urged him to flee as soon as possible.
Su Yi thought for a moment, then transmitted back, “Why should I run? I’ve been looking forward to this very situation for a long time.”
He and Gu Cangning were old acquaintances, and Gu Cangning had once helped Yue Shichan. From both a logical and emotional perspective, Su Yi couldn’t just ignore his warning.
But when he heard Su Yi’s response, Gu Cangning was dumbstruck.
He’s been looking forward to this for a long time?
What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me he wants to vie for superiority with nine Spiritual Manifestation Realm experts, including Huan Shaoyou?