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The restaurant was lively, with no shortage of cultivators among the customers.
“I heard that not long ago, the seven top ancient factions made a joint announcement. They’ve issued the imperial family an ultimatum!”
“They still want to force the emperor to abdicate and give up Mount Heavenbristle and Nine Tripod City?”
“That’s right. They say that since the Radiant Epoch is arriving early, and since both Nine Tripod City and Mount Heavenbristle are first-rate blessed grounds for cultivation, the seven top ancient factions are dead-set on obtaining them.”
…The conversation continued, and everyone had something to say.
It was then that an elegant middle-aged man in dark robes sneered. “All of you are wrong. How lofty are the seven top ancient factions? How could they possibly wage war against the Great Xia’s imperial family over Mount Heavenbristle alone?”
His words drew numerous others’ attention.
One said lightly, “Fellow Daoist, if they’re not out to occupy Mount Heavenbristle, dare I ask why the seven top ancient factions are pushing for the emperor’s abdication? And why they’ve demanded both the mountain and Nine Tripod City?”
All eyes were upon the man in dark robes.
He drained his glass of wine, then said slowly. “There are two reasons.”
“First, in the past, the imperial family of the Great Xia controlled everything beneath the heavens. They were the unquestioned rulers of the nation.
“But as the world changes and the spiritual energy recovers, the seven top ancient factions and the three top otherworld factions have taken the imperial family’s place at the top. The balance of power has changed.
“Given the circumstances, the emperor and the imperial family have long since lost their dominion over the Great Xia. No matter what they do, other factions are sure to find them an eyesore!
“Imperial authority is like a deer, and the Great Xia has let it slip away. Now, everyone beneath the heavens is chasing it!”
The dark-robed middle-aged man paused, then said, “But the second reason is unquestionably more important.”
Someone hurriedly said, “Fellow Daoist, please guide us.”
Only after confirming that the crowd was listening with rapt attention did the middle-aged man say, “The other reason has to do with a certain someone.”
“Who?”
The dark-robed middle-aged man answered with just two whispered syllables: “Su Yi!”
The restaurant instantly quieted down.
Even Ye Xun was visibly dumbstruck.
The dark-robed middle-aged man continued, “Three months ago, on Sumeru Immortal Island, Su Yi slaughtered thirteen monsters of the ancient era, each with a transcendent status. The most famous of them were Huan Shaoyou of the Demonic Huan Family, the core disciple of the Burning Sun Sect, Jing Lingzhen, and the monstrous genius of Tianji Dao Mountain, Yan Jingyun.
“Pick any of the dead monsters of the ancient era at random, and you’d find someone with an immeasurably glorious future. They were the most valued geniuses of their respective factions, yet all of them fell at Su Yi’s hands.
“After the curtains fell on the expedition to Sumeru Immortal Island, the prominent experts of the various ancient factions sought justice at Mount Heavenbristle. They hoped the imperial family would no longer offer Su Yi its protection.
“But in the end, every last illustrious emissary died in the Solar King’s estate!”
The dark-robed middle-aged man sighed. “How could the ancient factions be anything but furious? How could they not hate Su Yi?”
Just listening, the crowd’s hearts swelled with emotion.
Someone couldn’t help but say, “But Su Yi’s the one who did all that. Even if the ancient factions want revenge, they should go looking for Su Yi.”
The middle-aged man sneered. “Su Yi is indeed the primary offender, but the imperial family protected him. That’s a crime in its own right! That’s what it means to ‘rise and fall together.’ The day the imperial family chose to stand with Su Yi, they brought these consequences upon themselves!”
Here, he seemed a bit regretful. “They say that the seven great ancient factions have been searching for Su Yi all this time, but they’ve yet to uncover any leads.”
Someone said, “Su Yi must be afraid!”
“I heard that Su Yi long since realized he was in for trouble, and he was afraid the ancient factions would come looking to settle the score, so he fled the Great Xia months ago.”
“I also heard that the seven top ancient factions are making trouble for the imperial family in part to force Su Yi out of hiding.”
…everyone seemed to have something to say, so the discussion was quite animated.
As Ye Xun eavesdropped, his expression turned a bit strange.
He looked at Su Yi. “Brother-in-Law, you’ve only been gone three months. Who’d have thought these cultivators would take you for a coward?”
Su Yi said calmly, “Why should their opinions matter to me?”
However, he did learn a bit from their conversation.
For instance, he’d learned that the cultivation factions of the Great Xia had established an all-new balance of power.
And that of them, the seven top ancient factions were the strongest.
The seven top factions were the Demonic Huan Family, Tianji Dao Mountain, the Burning Sun Sect, the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace, the Pure Emptiness Buddhist Sect, Hidden Cloud Sword Mountain, and the Dongguo Family.
There were various other ancient factions too, but their comprehensive strength was relatively weak. Those seven were the strongest.
Within the Great Xia’s borders, there were also three otherworld factions capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the seven great ancient factions.
They were the House of the Skywalking Sword, the Tiandou Spirit Cult, and the Incarnation of Stars Sect!
The three otherworld factions had crossed over about two months ago, one after another. Following a battle of unmatched scale, they established themselves in the Azure Continent.
They were now the three most prominent otherworld factions in the Great Xia.
Even the seven great ancient factions had tacitly acknowledged the three top otherworld factions’ presence.
When he learned of all these changes, Su Yi was inwardly quite rueful too.
There was no doubt about it. During his absence, the balance of power among the Great Xia’s cultivators had changed several times. It was completely different from before!
Not long ago, the Great Xia’s top four factions were the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, Cloudsky Divine Palace, Maha Temple, and the Qingyi Dao Sect.
Yet now, none of their former glory remained!
Even the imperial family, the former hegemons of everything beneath the heavens, were in an uncertain predicament!
Indeed, worldly affairs were ever-changing.
“Now that you mention Su Yi, the most attention-grabbing experts of the Great Xia are all listed on the Ranking of Stars. Su Yi was once the most outstanding figure of the younger generation, but how many people even remember that now?” someone sighed.
The Ranking of Stars was the work of an ancient faction, Bluecloud Tower.
It enumerated the most talented, peerless figures of the Great Xia’s younger generation.
A few months ago, when Bluecloud Tower first published the list, it caused an enormous commotion and drew widespread attention.
The list had already become the standard by which the world’s cultivators judged the nation’s top genius!
“They call them ‘stars’ because they shine brighter than everything around them. According to Bluecloud Tower, everyone on the list has an opportunity to dazzle the world during the impending Radiant Epoch.”
Someone sighed, “Every month, Bluecloud Tower revises the list and re-orders the names. However, no matter how the rankings change, there’s no way to make the list unless you’re at least in the Spiritual Manifestation Realm!
“Given the circumstances, it doesn’t matter how incredible Su Yi was back then, or how much attention he received. The world has changed, and now, he isn’t even qualified for a place on the Ranking of Stars.”
This prompted quite a few wistful sighs.
Su Yi’s legend was already in the past.
As the spiritual energy of heaven and earth recovered, the most dazzling experts of the new age were all already listed on the Ranking of Stars!
Ye Xun couldn’t help but find their conversation displeasing. “I know about Bluecloud Tower. Even thirty thousand years ago, they loved compiling all sorts of lists, like a ‘mysterious items ranking’ and a ‘talent in the Grand Dao’ ranking, and a ‘chosen geniuses of heaven ranking.’ I wouldn’t have thought they’d pop up again after all these years.”
He paused, then added, “I cannot deny that the lists they compile are quite authoritative; they don’t just pull their numbers out of nowhere. Still, this time, they’re mistaken!”
He sneered, “They definitely don’t know that you’ve already stepped into the Spiritual Manifestation Realm. If they did, how could your name possibly be absent from the list?”
Su Yi laughed. “It’s better that my name isn’t on the list.”
Given his mentality and experience, how could he possibly care about a list like that?
Besides, even as an Origin Dao cultivator, he could kill Spiritual Manifestation cultivators as easily as if they were chickens, and he’d even suppressed Spiritual Incarnation Realm cultivators before.
Now that he was an advanced cultivator of the Spirit Dao too, how could he possibly care whether or not he was qualified to join the Ranking of Stars?
Ye Xun paused, stunned, then looked ashamed. “Brother-in-Law, I was wrong. You’re absolutely right. No list in this world could possibly measure your mightiness! Those guys over at Bluecloud Tower are in no way worthy of assessing your strength!”
“....” Inwardly, Su Yi couldn’t help but ask, If you’re going to suck up to someone, should you really make it so blatant?
Now that I think about it, when it comes to boot-licking, Ying Que is a true expert. He flatters with practiced confidence, and he’s subtle enough that it doesn’t feel at all uncomfortable. His skill has truly reached the pinnacle of mastery!
As for Ye Xun… No matter how I look at him, he just seems like a toadyish, shameless lackey…
Of course, Su Yi knew full well that Ye Xun wasn’t at all inept. Otherwise, he couldn’t have possibly founded the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace or become the world-famous Netherworld Asura Emperor.
This punk kid must only act like a shameless, incorrigible little flunky when I’m around…
“Let’s go,” said Su Yi. He drained his glass and got up. “We should get to the Glittering Ghost Domain as quickly as possible. Once we’ve resolved your problem, we can head to Nine Tripod City.”
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He’d just learned that the seven top ancient factions were targeting and suppressing the imperial family, and there was no way he’d remained a bystander.
After all, the Xia Emperor had looked after him and helped him out during his time in Nine Tripod City.
Besides, he’d long since promised to help the emperor repair the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation.
Three days later.
The Great Xia’s Sand River Province, Cloud Mulberry Ridge.
It was dusk, and the skies were red as fire beneath the light of the setting sun.
Su Yi and Ye Xun shot over from afar.
“Brother-in-Law, the entrance to the Glittering Ghost Domain is deep within Cloud Mulberry Ridge,” said Ye Xun, pointing into the distance.
Su Yi looked over. Cloud Mulberry Ridge was vast and imposing, and it extended into the distance. It was a magnificent sight.
Furthermore, they could sense the presence of numerous cultivators throughout the ridge!
Ye Xun noticed them too, and he exclaimed, “Why are there so many cultivators here? Don’t tell me they’re all headed for the Glittering Ghost Domain?”