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Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “How about this? In a few months at the minimum or half a year at most, I’ll return to the Great Xia. When the time comes, I’ll assist you in repairing the formation.”
The Xia Emperor exclaimed, “Where are you going, Fellow Daoist?”
“Back to the Great Zhou.”
The emperor looked enlightened, but then, something occurred to him. “Fellow Daoist, in that case, be careful on your journey.
Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up. “Why do you say that?”
“Recently, throughout the Great Xia’s thirteen provinces, quite a few monsters of the ancient era have appeared. We’ve called upon our subordinates throughout the nation to investigate, and it seems a second group of monsters of the ancient era has begun appearing.”
According to the Xia Emperor, this second group was different from the first in that all of them had already entered the Spirit Dao!
All of them were strong enough to effortlessly suppress modern cultivators of the same cultivation. Furthermore, they mastered ancient secret arts and treasures. Each had more terrifying accumulations than the one before.
Such power was already sufficient to threaten the world’s various cultivation factions!
When he heard this, Su Yi looked intrigued. “How do they compare to those members of the first batch of ancient monsters? Those who’ve already stepped into the Spiritual Manifestation Realm?”
The Xia Emperor said, “Assuming they’re just in the Spiritual Manifestation Realm, there’s likely not much of a difference. However, what worries us is whether or not their ranks include Spiritual Integration or even Spiritual Revolution Realm existences.”
Su Yi said casually, “If a Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivator really appeared now, they would surely suffer a grand tribulation. Don’t forget: the power of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness has yet to fully fade.
“Given the circumstances, the higher one’s cultivation, the likelier the Prohibition is to target them.”
Su Yi then looked up and gazed into the night sky. “The Prohibition of Ancient Darkness is, fundamentally, a tribulation of the Grand Dao. At its peak, it struck dread into the hearts of even Imperial Realm cultivators, forcing them to flee the continent or die.
“Although its power has ebbed, it has yet to truly disperse. It’s still sufficient to threaten Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivators.
“However, as time passes, it will fade away. Soon, the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness will no longer pose a threat. Only then will any dormant Spiritual Revolution Realm figures dare re-emerge.”
The Xia Emperor’s eyes shone with a strange light. Su Yi’s understanding of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness came as quite a surprise.
He thought for a moment, then took out a jade slip and passed it to Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, these are the names of confirmed members of the second group of monsters of the ancient era. There are thirteen in total. If you encounter them on your way to the Great Zhou, you must be careful.”
Su Yi casually accepted the jade slip and examined its contents.
The thirteen names included men and women of various ancient factions, and included their portraits.
“There aren’t just thirteen of them, right?” Su Yi retracted his divine sense and asked casually.
“That’s right,” said the Xia Emperor. “These are only the ones the imperial family is aware of, but they’re surely not the only ones out there.”
Su Yi nodded.
After chatting a little while longer, the Xia Emperor bade farewell and left.
Su Yi, however, sank into thought. Since the Radiant Epoch was arriving earlier than anticipated, more and more strange occurrences were sure to arise throughout the continent in the days to come.
It was just as the prophecy stated: “The sealed power will one day break free of the earth. Everything that is shackled will one day escape its bonds!”
Simply put, over the next few months, more and more spiritual energy would flood into the Azure Continent, alongside good fortune, opportunities, and ancient powers….
At the same time, the seals covering the exposed portions of the world’s spatial barrier would break, and more and more cultivators would swarm in!
“These omens are merely a prelude. It will be a year at most before the true show begins…” Su Yi muttered to himself.
Suddenly, yet another burst of knocking emanated from the front door.
Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up. It’s awfully lively here tonight.
Before long, the old blind man and Chi Jiansu stepped inside.
“This old man greets you, Your Excellency!” said the old blind man. He faced Su Yi and gave a deep bow.
Chi Jiansu greeted him too. “Fellow Daoist Su.”
Su Yi waved their greetings away. “No need for such politeness. Tell me, why have you come?”
“This senior says he wants to take me as his disciple, and I came here to ask for your opinion,” said Chi Jiansu, getting straight to the point.
This sharp-eyed young woman had always been like that; she didn’t waste time beating around the bush.
“Are you perhaps worried he’s deceiving you? Or is it that you’re worried it's too good to be true?” Su Yi’s expression was strange. The old blind man is indeed a bit…sloppy-looking…
“Yes, I’m worried about both things,” Chi Jiansu said bluntly.
The old blind man instantly felt awkward. He rubbed his nose and grimaced.
Su Yi laughed. “Rest assured. Only someone with a Nethervein Yin Bone can inherit the legacy of his lineage. When it comes to something as important as ensuring the continuation of their legacy, he wouldn’t dare deceive you.”
Chi Jiansu instantly relaxed. “In that case, I won’t worry.”
The old blind man grinned, then clasped his fist in gratitude. “Your Excellency, many thanks for finding such an excellent seedling! I’ll remember this benevolence for the rest of my days!”
Su Yi rose from his wicker chair and said, “Alright, enough of that. If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to my room to rest.”
The old blind man said hurriedly, “Your Excellency, please wait a moment.”
Su Yi looked over.
The old blind man said, “Not long ago, I encountered an old pervert, er, I mean, an old Daoist. He had an extremely strange presence about him, and I suspect he’s from the Netherworld too.”
Su Yi instantly looked intrigued. “Continue.”
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The old blind man said, “The old Daoist isn’t particularly eye-catching, and he seems lustful and lewd, but as you’re well aware, our lineage has mastered the Blazing Lantern Netherworld Pupils. Although they were extremely faint, I could tell at a glance that there were traces of the turbid qi of the Sea of Bitterness on him!”
“The turbid qi of the Sea of Bitterness…” Su Yi’s gaze focused.
The Netherworld was home to numerous danger zones, and the Sea of Bitterness was one of them.
They said it was endless, hence the saying, “The Sea of Bitterness is without limit. You must turn back to see the shore.”
Not even Imperial Realm experts would dare venture into the Sea of Bitterness lightly.
The reason was simple. The air above the Sea of Bitterness contained a type of turbid qi capable of corroding one’s foundations in the Grand Dao. It wore away at cultivators and degraded them, body and soul!
In his past life, Su Yi had once traversed the Sea of Bitterness, sword in hand. He was naturally well aware that anyone capable of venturing into it and returning alive wasn’t at all simple.
“Even more shockingly, when the old Daoist saw me, he seemed to sense something, and he took the initiative to strike up a conversation,” said the old blind man, a hint of strangeness in his expression. “Furthermore, as we conversed, he mentioned you.”
This took Su Yi by surprise. “He knows me?”
The old blind man had a strange look on his face. “The old Daoist said that the day you entered Nine Tripod City, he could tell that you were no ordinary person. Thus, he used a secret treasure to divine your fate. In the end, he failed to uncover any mysteries, and the attempt destroyed his treasure…”
Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Do you know where he saw me?”
The corners of the old blind man’s lips twitched. “The gates of the Song of the Sandy Creek.”
Chi Jiansu’s gaze shifted inscrutably. Everyone in Nine Tripod City knew that the Song of the Sandy Creek was a famous… brothel.
How could Su Yi concern himself with the change in her expression?
After a moment’s thought, he had a sudden realization. “So, it’s that old-timer who tried to ‘play and run.’”
Indeed, he remembered the old man.
On his first day in Nine Tripod City, he visited the Song of the Sandy Creek to rescue Yue Shichan. Before entering the brothel, he saw its staff beating an elderly Daoist and flinging him out of the building.
The old man even shouted about how “it didn’t count as not paying if he didn’t go in as a customer”, provoking uproarious laughter.
“Indeed, it’s the very same old pervert. He’s extremely licentious, but I’m certain his origins aren’t simple,” said the old blind man. “Furthermore, I highly suspect he’ll come looking for you.”
“Is he targeting me?”
“He told me that he lost a treasure on your account, and that he was dead set on making you compensate him for his losses. The way I see it, though, it’s not really about the ruined treasure. He almost certainly has something else in mind,” said the old blind man.
Su Yi pondered this.
As of yet, he’d encountered two people who’d come here via the Netherworld.
The first was the old blind man of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers.
The second was his seventh disciple, Xuan Ning.
There was also an ancient faction of the Azure Continent with a deep connection to the Netherworld: the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace.
Furthermore, their ranks included descendants of the Ghost Serpent Clan, one of the Nine Royal Clans of the Netherworld.
Yet according to the old blind man, it was extremely likely that the old Daoist was from the Netherworld too, and furthermore, that he’d ventured in the perilous Sea of Bitterness!
Were that the end of it, it’d be one thing.
But it seemed obvious that the old Daoist was after him!
Su Yi had no choice but to take this seriously.
“Do you know his name?” asked Su Yi.
The old blind man said, “He said his destiny was plagued with calamities and beset with disaster, and that he’d spent his whole life wandering ruthlessly, unable to cast aside his misfortune. Because of this, many people called him Old Daoist Ming Ya, ‘Netherworld Crow.’”
Su Yi stroked his jaw. “A Netherworld Crow? That’s a supremely inauspicious bird, like a god of plague. Others fear nothing more than failing to escape one in time, yet this old Daoist has gone and made it his title? That’s actually rather interesting.”
He paused, then asked, “Did he see through your origins?”
The old blind man’s expression shifted erratically. “Although I couldn’t see through him, I get the sense that the old-timer picked up on a few hints. Otherwise, when he first met by chance, he wouldn’t have taken the initiative to converse with me.”
Su Yi thought for a moment. “Did he say anything else?”
The old blind man shook his head.
Su Yi had no further questions. If Old Daoist Ming Ya had truly set his sights on him, he’d appear on his own sooner or later.
When the time came, he could naturally get his answers.
It was then that the old blind man seemed to sense something. He suddenly raised his head, and his hollow sockets stared at a distant pavilion.
“Your Excellency, who lives there?” he asked with alarm.
Su Yi looked over and saw that the building the old blind man was looking at was the pavilion Yue Shichan was staying in.
Before Su Yi could ask any questions, a streak of crystalline, icy light descended from the distant dome of heaven. It was headed toward the pavilion!