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The Xia Emperor shook his head. “I’m not kicking you out, I’m asking you to leave this particular residence. If you don’t have a place to stay, I can arrange alternative housing for you.”
Pu Surong stared at the Xia Emperor for a while, then said, “I can tell that you’ve always hated me for leaving without saying goodbye.”
She then rose to her feet, her expression calm. “You have reason to hate me, and I don’t blame you for it. If I had to blame something, it’d be our relationship; it was ill-fated right from the start.”
Her tone was cold and indifferent, with an air of estrangement. “To tell the truth, if it weren’t for my daughter, I would never have come back to see you.”
The Xia Emperor fell into a long silence. Finally, he said, “I’ve never forgotten you, not even for a moment. Deep within my heart, I always hoped for the day you’d returned, but it’s strange. The moment you said you’d come back to take Qingyuan away, I let go of you. I’ve now completely moved on.”
He paused, his expression increasingly calm. “I’ll admit it still hurts, but I trust that over time, I’ll be able to erase you from my heart, bit by bit.”
“That so?” Pu Surong smiled dismissively. “Then I might as well be direct. I’m taking my daughter with me, and that’s that.”
The Xia Emperor frowned, but before he could say anything, Pu Surong added, “My earlier conditions still apply. I can picture it already. When you and the clan behind you can no longer take the heat, you’re sure to come begging for my help.”
She then gazed up at the eaves of a nearby pavilion. “A’Leng, we ought to be on our way.”
A thin figure was sprawled out on the eaves, using his arms as a pillow. He was gnawing on a strand of grass, his eyes closed as he soaked up the sun.
When he heard that it was time to go, he spat out his blade of grass and slowly climbed to his feet. He sighed, “Leaving now is really a waste of perfectly good sunlight.”
Before his voice had even finished ringing through the air, he appeared beside Pu Surong in a flash.
He was a handsome young man, and he looked utterly carefree. His eyes were narrow and bright, and a frivolous grin tugged at his lips.
When he looked at the Xia Emperor, he smiled faintly. “You’d best consider my big sister’s words carefully. Perhaps in the Great Xia, you’re the lofty emperor of a nation, the supreme ruler of your domain, but in my eyes, you’re just another Spiritual Incarnation cultivator. If this ends in an argument, I dare say with certainty that you’ll be the one to suffer.”
He drew out his words, making no effort to conceal the threat.
The Xia Emperor’s frown deepened, and his expression darkened.
“Let’s go.” Pu Surong turned and left.
The young man she called A’Leng hurriedly laughed and followed her.
The Xia Emperor watched them leave, then stood there in silence for a while. Finally, he sighed.
He’d long since guessed that Pu Surong’s origins were mysterious, and that she most likely wasn’t from the Azure Continent.
However, he wouldn’t have guessed that years after her disappearance, when he was reunited with the woman he’d once loved more than anyone, she’d treat him like a stranger.
She even wanted to take his daughter away!
“Pu Surong, you might well have an extraordinary background and far-reaching power, but I’m keeping my daughter here, even if it kills me! Unless
 Unless she chooses to leave of her own accord!”
With that, the emperor left.
When he returned to Mount Heaven Bristle, Weng Jiu greeted him in high spirits. “My lord, I just received wonderful news!”
The Xia Emperor was stunned. “Let’s hear it.”
Weng Jiu took a deep breath, then said, “Yesterday, Fellow Daoist Su defeated Dongguo Feng, the leading figure of the Dongguo Family’s younger generation, before all of Cloudsky Divine Palace! Furthermore, he killed a group of six Spiritual Incarnation experts led by Dongguo Hai!”
The Xia Emperor’s heart shook, and he exclaimed, “For real?”
Weng Jiu, “It’s absolutely true!”
The Xia Emperor clapped his hands and sighed. “That really is incredible news! Who’d have thought that after a few months of dormancy, Fellow Daoist Su would return strong enough to slay Spiritual Incarnation Realm experts with ease?”
He was visibly overcome with emotion, and the lingering melancholy of his visit with Pu Surong vanished.
“My lord, this is great! The stronger Fellow Daoist Su seems, the less likely those ancient factions are to act up!” Weng Jiu smiled. “I can picture it now. When those ancient factions learned what had happened, they must have been astonished, and beside themselves with fury!”
The Xia Emperor couldn’t help but smile too.
He had only just received a message from Huan Tiandu of the Demonic Huan Family. In it, Huan Tiandu proclaimed that should the imperial family shelter Su Yi any further, six of the seven top ancient factions would join forces against them.
Now, however, the Xia Emperor was actually rather curious. When Huan Tiandu and the other old-timers learn of Su Yi’s glorious accomplishments at Cloudsky Divine Palace, what kind of expressions will they make?
After taking some time to calm down, the Xia Emperor said, “But we still cannot disregard the top ancient factions.”
Each of the top seven ancient factions had terrifyingly deep foundations, and their forces were vast and powerful.
Perhaps the ancient factions’ Spiritual Incarnation cultivators were no longer a threat to Su Yi, but the emperor was well aware that the top factions had Spiritual Revolution experts to hold down the fort!
“Rest assured, my lord,” said Weng Jiu. “Although our situation is precarious, this is still Nine Tripod City. No one will dare act up here.”
The emperor nodded. “Now we just have to wait for Fellow Daoist Su to arrive
”

.
Time slipped by.
Word of Su Yi’s battle at Cloudsky Divine Palace had already swept throughout the Great Xia, causing an enormous commotion.
“Who was it that spread rumors that Mystic Master Su fled the Great Xia for fear of reprisal? Who said that Mystic Master Su wasn’t even qualified for a spot on the Ranking of Stars? What a load of crap!”
Some people were excited and indignant about all the rumors smearing Su YI’s reputation prior to this.
“His Excellency Su Yi slew Chu Yunke, the seventy-sixth expert on the Ranking of Stars, first. Then, just two days later, he defeated the seventh strongest, Dongguo Feng! How many others possess such a magnificent bearing?”
Some people were shaken; Su Yi’s combat prowess astonished them.
“The legend
 has returned!”
Some people were full of eagerness and longing.
Over the past few months, as heaven and earth underwent a dramatic transformation, Su Yi’s name had gradually faded from memory.
Yet now that he’d returned, everyone suddenly realized that the young legend whose name once shook the Great Xia had returned even more impressive than before!

.
The Demonic Huan Family.
“Wonderful, Su Yi!”
The barefoot, hemp-clad Huan Tiandu expressionlessly crushed a message to pieces. His eyes were icy and imposing.
“Dongguo Hai was an older-generation expert with one foot in the Spiritual Revolution Realm; he was nothing like your typical Spiritual Incarnation cultivator. Even so, he was no match for the boy,” said Huan Tiandu.
He paused, his aura suddenly terrifying. When he spoke, he emphasized each and every word. “I truly will not be able to sleep peacefully until that boy is dead! Send someone to contact the other ancient factions. Tell them that we must take action as soon as possible. We absolutely must not leave Su Yi any chance at life!”
“Yes, sir!”



Tianji Dao Mountain, the Burning Sun Sect, and the other top ancient factions were similarly shaken.
Tianji Dao Mountain.
When their leader, Wen Changxue, heard the news, he said calmly, “We cannot let Jingyun’s death go unavenged. We ancient factions must advance and retreat together!”
His attitude was perfectly clear.



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“In just a few months, he’s grown so much? Just how much will he change when the true Radiant Epoch is upon us?”
“Won’t he alone be enough to force every last one of us to submit?”
The leader of the Burning Sun Sect, Si Yunji, said coolly. “I most certainly don’t wish to see an enemy achieve dominion over this world!”



“It’s true that we have no grudge against Su Yi. If this were just about Su Yi, there’d be no need for us to get involved. However, Su Yi has gotten mixed up with the imperial family, so
 there’s no way we can remain uninvolved,” said the leader of the Pure Emptiness Buddhist Sect, Cheng Linshen.
He had a compassionate look on his face as he clasped his hands in prayer. “The world is turbulent enough already. The only way to quell the raging waves is for we ancient factions to stand together and re-establish order. Only then will the world know peace.”



Hidden Cloud Sword Mountain.
A gaunt man in dark robes stood atop the peak, swathed in cloud.
“It doesn’t matter that we lost face so long as we can find an opportunity to fix our damaged reputation!”
Every word clanged like a sword, shaking and dispersing the nearby clouds.
This was Liang Jianting, the leader of Hidden Cloud Sword Mountain.



The Dongguo Family.
“Feng’er isn’t back yet?”
“Family Head, the young master has yet to return.”
The leader of the Dongguo Family, Dongguo Bo, furrowed his brow, his expression overcast. “Continue searching! Feng’er is to become the pillar of our family. We absolutely cannot allow anything to happen to him!”
“Yes, sir!” an elderly attendant solemnly acknowledged his orders.
Every seat in the grand hall was full. The room was crowded with Dongguo Family higher-ups.
One of them couldn’t help but ask, “Family Head, what are we going to do about Su Yi?”
Dongguo Bo fell silent.
After a while, he sighed. “Let’s find Feng’er fist.”
The crowd was silent, and they felt stifled.
Who could fail to realize that, at least for now, the family head had no intention of seeking immediate revenge against Su Yi?
Someone else asked, “Family Head, should we continue working alongside the other ancient factions to take down the Xia Family?”
Dongguo Bo suddenly shot to his feet, his eyes crackling like lightning as he swept his gaze across the crowd. He said emphatically, “Until we’ve found Feng’er, don’t even think about bringing up anything else!”
Then, with a swoosh of his sleeves, he left.
Those gathered in the great hall looked at each other.



The twenty-second day of the second lunar month.
Four days after Su Yi departed Cloudsky Divine Palace.
Early in the morning.
Nine Tripod City was as lively and prosperous as when he’d left. It seemed that no matter how turbulent the world was, it couldn’t affect the ancient imperial capital in the slightest.
The streets were packed with human traffic.
Shortly after entering the city, Wen Xinzhao sighed with emotion. “The world is getting more and more chaotic, but it seems Nine Tripod City hasn’t changed a bit.”
Su Yi responded with a relaxed, carefree laugh. “If the capital of the Great Xia were in turmoil, it would mean things were really bad.”
As they conversed, a bronze carriage suddenly stopped beside Su Yi.
A familiar figure leaped out, scurried toward them, and greeted them, his face full of delight. “Fellow Daoist Su, you’re finally here!”