The jade-robed manâs arrival caused a disturbance amongst the nearby crowd.
Xing Yue!
He was a descendant of the ancient Xing Family, one of the Nine Royal Clans. He was one of the most prominent young lords of Tianluo City!
The aura of the Dao of AvÄ«ci Hell? It seems this is a main-branch descendant of the Xing Family, and that heâs inherited their ancestral legacy, the AvÄ«ci Asura Sutra. Although Su Yi didnât know the jade-robed young manâs name, one glance at his aura was enough to determine his origins.
The Xing Family was an ancient clan with an Asura lineage. Their ancestral legacy, the Avīci Asura Sutra, was connected to the Dao of Avīci Hell. It focused on drawing out the latent power of their asura bloodline.
âWhat are you doing, you philandering pretty boy?â exclaimed Cui Jingyan.
Xing Yue instantly looked a bit awkward. âI invited some of my friends to the Drunken Immortal tonight. I wouldnât have thought Iâd bump into you here, Miss Jingyan.â
He then looked around and smiled warmly. âMiss Jingyan, how about you and your companions join us? Iâve already booked the top floor, Moonpluck Pavilion.â
Cui Jingyan, however, looked at Su Yi. âBrother Su, what do you say?â
Xing Yue couldnât help but be surprised. Heâd initially overlooked Su Yi. Only now did he re-evaluate the young man beside Cui Jingyan.
Su Yi subtly inclined his head. âAlright.â
Only then did Cui Jingyan look at Xing Yue. âLead the way, pretty boy.â
Xing Yue smiled bitterly. âLittle princess, there are so many people watching. Canât you leave me at least a little face?â
âNo,â said Cui Jingyan without the slightest politeness.
Xing Yue was instantly at a loss for words.
Cui Jingyan then introduced him to Su Yi. âBrother Su, this is a descendant of the ancient Xing Family. He thinks of himself as âromanticâ and âunconventional,â but in truth, heâs an ignorant, incompetent silkpants. That said, heâs not a bad sort. If you think heâs an eyesore, you can just ignore him.â
Xing Yueâs smile stiffened, but he understood Cui Jingyanâs disposition, and he didnât get angry.
If anything, her words made him increasingly aware that this young man in blue most likely had extraordinary origins!
Every member of the Six Paths Royal Territoryâs top factions was well aware of how proud, aloof, and overbearing the daughter of the Cui Family was!
Yet now, even after receiving his invitation, Cui Jingyan had stopped to request Su Yiâs input before accepting. Of course Xing Yue was stunned!
A moment later, he set those thoughts aside, approached, and inclined his head.
âDare I ask your name, young lord?â He said with a hearty laugh.
Before Su Yi could respond, Cui Jingyan said impatiently, âLead the way already! Whatâs with all this talk? Canât we exchange pleasantries later?â
Xing Yue laughed bitterly, rubbed his nose, and smiled apologetically at Su Yi. Only then did he lead the way up.
Those waiting in line watched, their expressions conflicted, as Cui Jingyan, the old blind man, and Su Yi entered the Drunken Immortal unimpeded.
The Ninth Floor, Moonpluck Pavilion.
Seven or eight men and women sat in a beautifully decorated private room.
Judging from their clothing, it was obvious that they had extraordinary origins.
Birds of a feather flocked together. In truth, anyone capable of sitting at the same table as Xing Yue, a young lord of a peak clan, was sure to be extraordinary.
However, when Xing Yue led Cui Jingyan, Su Yi, and the old blind man in, the other attendees rose practically simultaneously in greeting.
âMiss Jingyan, long time no see!â
Miss Jingyan, do you still remember me? Three years ago, my grandfather and I were guests of Meng Po Palace, and we were fortunate enough to meet with you.â
âŠThe young men and women were all enthusiastic and welcoming, and their faces revealed varying degrees of awe.
In response to all these pleasantries, Cui Jingyan merely nodded. âWeâre just passing by. After we eat, weâll leave. You neednât be so polite.â
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Her tone was light and airy, her attitude a bit indifferent and reserved.
But the attendees didnât find this at all inappropriate.
Never mind Tianluo City; who in the entire Six Paths Royal Territory didnât know that Cui Jingyan was the pearl of the Cui Family?
Everyone proceeded to take their seats.
Cui Jingyan commanded, âPretty boy, order a new round of food and drinks.â
She was obviously here as a guest, but she wasnât the least bit polite.
However, Xing Yue didnât get upset. He smiled and said, âMiss Jingyan, thereâs no need to instruct me; Iâve already done it.â
Cui Jingyan nodded in satisfaction.
Before long, their table was laden with delicacies, precious spiritual materials cooked in all different styles.
Especially their trademark roast goose. Rumor had it that it contained over one hundred types of spiritual medicine; it alone went for three hundred tier-seven spirit stones!
Ordinary cultivators were doomed never to enjoy such a luxury.
Su Yi sampled it, and indeed, the flavor was quite distinctive. The meat was juicy, with a crisp exterior and tender interior, and it was mixed with a faint, fruity fragrance. When it entered the stomach, the spiritual energy within the meat transformed into minute energy currents that dispersed throughout the body, making diners feel light and airy.
âHow is it?â Cui Jingyan batted her beautiful eyes.
Su Yi inclined his head. âNot bad.â
Cui Jingyan immediately smiled, then personally poured Su Yi a cup of Fire Jujube Brew. âTry this too.â
The other attendees witnessed this entire exchange, and although they didnât comment on it, they were inwardly beside themselves with shock. The way they looked at Su Yi underwent a subtle change.
Earlier, Cui Jingyan had introduced both Su Yi and the old blind man, but she only mentioned their names. She said nothing about their origins.
But now, even an idiot would have realized that Su Yiâs origins werenât simple.
Theyâd never heard of a member of the Six Paths Royal Territoryâs younger generation worthy of such respectful treatment from Cui Jingyan!
After that, Xing Yue and his guests took turns toasting Su Yi, and they spoke with the utmost politeness.
They didnât neglect the old blind man either.
Su Yiâs heart was like a mirror; how could he fail to realize that their show of respect was really for Cui Jingyan, not him?
But he didnât say anything.
He was only here in Tianluo City to eat a good meal, then continue on his way.
He and the other guests had met by chance, it was unlikely that theyâd ever interact again.
âMiss Jingyan, did you hear about what happened in the Sea of Bitterness recently?â Xing Yue suddenly asked.
âWhat happened? Tell me about it,â said Cui Jingyan, a bit confused.
âRumor has it that not long ago, a mysterious ancient ruin appeared deep within the Sea of Bitterness. It was within a blood-colored stretch of sea, and it was shaped like an enormous landmass. However, no one knows how big it is, or whatâs hidden there,â said Xing Yue, a hint of bewilderment in his expression.
He continued, âThatâs because the entire ancient landmass is shrouded in the radiant light of the Dao, like a curtain shrouding it completely. Even if you see it, when you try to approach it, it only appears further and further away, as unreachable as the stars overhead.
âThey say that numerous Emperors have gone to investigate, but without exception, theyâve been unable to approach it. Itâs like a mirage.
âHowever, everyone is saying that the ruins really exist, because a mysterious Daoist incantation is emanating from inside, as if someone is chanting ancient scriptures.
âWhatâs strange is that numerous experts, upon hearing that mysterious chanting, entered a state of enlightenment and broke through the fetters of their cultivation in a single attempt, achieving shocking breakthroughs.
âYet others who heard the same chanting lost themselves to obsession and perished, their Dao ending right then and there!â
A strange look flashed through Su Yiâs eyes. He suddenly recalled something.
Cui Jingyan and the old blind man both looked stunned. There was no doubt that this news surprised them both.
Xing Yue then continued, âAccording to our ancestor, that ancient ruin is most likely the Battleground of Immortals and Demons that disappeared all those years ago! Similar rumors are now spreading throughout the Netherworld. Itâs just that no one dares say with certainty whether or not itâs true.â
âThatâs right. I heard my seniors mention this too. They say that the ancient ruin appeared half a year ago, but that news didnât spread to the Six Territories and Thirteen Realms until a while later,â a young man in silver said softly. âThey say numerous top factions sent their forces to the Sea of Bitterness to investigate when they heard about this.â
âYeah, I heard about that too.â
The others chimed in, one after another.
âThe Battleground of Immortals and DemonsâŠ.â Cui Jingyan, however, was confused.
Sheâd only recently returned from the Azure Continent, so this was her first time hearing this strange and mysterious rumor.
She subconsciously glanced at Su Yi. âBrother Su, do you know about these ruins?â
Su Yi drank a cup of Fire Jujube Brew, then said casually, âWhy ask about that? It has little to do with you.â
â.....â Cui Jingyan dared say with certainty that Su Yi knew about the ruins. He just didnât want to talk about it.
But the young woman didnât relent. She asked again, âThen can you tell me whether those ruins are the Battleground of Immortals and Demons?â
The group couldnât help but feel stunned. Judging by Cui Jingyanâs behavior, she was convinced that Su Yi, that young man in blue, knew about the ancient ruins.
All eyes were instantly on Su Yi.
Only for Su Yi to casually say, âPeople only started calling it the Battleground of Immortals and Demons much later. Its original name was the Burial Ground of the Dao. Of course, itâs just a name. Calling it the Battleground of Immortals and Demons makes no difference.â
The Burial Ground of the Dao!
The group couldnât help but be stunned. It seemed Su Yi really did know about the ruins!
Cui Jingyan was long accustomed to this sort of thing, however, Su Yiâs words didnât assuage her curiosity. If anything, they piqued it even further.
But just as she was about to ask a follow-up question, Su Yi said, âThe rest, youâre better off not knowing.â
The Burial Ground of the Dao was one of the most perilous forbidden grounds within the Sea of Bitterness.
Even Emperors couldnât necessarily reach it. And even if they did reach it, they wouldnât necessarily return alive!
Given the circumstances, Su Yi naturally wasnât at all interested in discussing it with Cui Jingyan.
In truth, even Su Yi wouldnât have expected that the Burial Ground of the Dao, a ruin long buried within the Sea of Bitterness, would re-emerge.
Furthermore, it had drawn attention from all over the world.