She would never have guessed that this seemingly detached young man, someone who remained calm in the face of both insults and flattery, would do something so forceful and overbearing.
But this only made her admire him more.
Who among the Six Paths Royal Territoryâs younger generation could have such courage? Who among them would dare step forth to face the experts of the Tantai Family?
It seems my daughter didnât misjudge him, thought Xue Huaning. She thought back to Cui Jingyanâs recent letter, in which sheâd described many of Su Yiâs accomplishments, including his dazzling achievements in the Azure Continent; they would have shaken any era theyâd transpired in.
Thus, Xue Huaning had long since been aware that, extraordinary origins or not, Su Yi was a shocking, unmatched genius in his own right.
Seeing Su Yi in action now, she took in his proud bearing. The more she looked at him, the more she approved of him, and the more pleased she felt.
Of course, she wouldnât just watch him take all of this on himself.
Tantai Liu wasnât much of a threat; he was just a genius of the mid-stage Spiritual Revolution Realm. That made him entirely unworthy of Hua Xueningâs concern.
However, the man in the feather coat accompanying him was an Emperor of the Taintai Family. His name was Tantai Chi, and heâd proven his Dao and become an Emperor eight hundred years ago, becoming a temporary celebrity.
He was one of the few people in the Netherworld to enter the Imperial Realm within the past thousand years.
Although his cultivation base was unworthy of Xue Huaningâs notice, he was, after all, still an Emperor. How could a Spirit Dao cultivator like Su Yi contend with him?
But just as she was about to say something, Cui Changâan transmitted, âJust watch.â
Xue Huaning was stunned.
âŠâŠ
âDid you say⊠youâre going to force us to kneel and accept our punishment?â Tantai Chi was so angry that he laughed.
âClan Uncle, please donât be angry. Allow me to deal with him; Iâll be more than enough,â Tantai Liu said coldly. âSenior Cui, Senior Xue, donât blame me for taking action within your territory. Su Yi spoke without reservation, insulting both me and my clan uncle. We cannot let this stand!â
As he spoke, his eyes glinted like swords, and he stared directly at Su Yi. âDo you dare go outside and fight me?â
His composed, impressive bearing won sighs of admiration from some of the other guests.
This was what the scion of an ancient clan ought to be like!
Tantai Chiâs expression softened, and he ordered, âWeâre just teaching an arrogant, ignorant kid a lesson. Donât use too much force, or youâll make things different for your Senior Xue.â
âGot it.â Tantai Liu nodded. Then, he suddenly fixed his gaze on Cui Jingyan. âMiss Jingyan, Iâll make you understand that a bungling clown like him is in no way worthy of you.â
His words were full of confidence and rife with disdain for Su Yi.
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
When she heard that, Cui Jingyan almost couldnât resist bursting into laughter. Her beautiful features stiffened from the effort of holding it in, and when she looked at Tantai Liu, her eyes were full of pity.
âYouâre as paltry as an ant; I can crush you with a single hand. Why bother going outside?â Su Yi laughed, then flipped his hand and pressed gently down on the air.
Those present couldnât sense any energy fluctuations whatsoever, but Tantai Chi felt as if a massive divine mountain were bearing down on him. His entire body instantly tensed, and he instinctively circulated the full extent of his cultivation base to resist.
Boom!
Tantai Liu bellowed, and his robes swelled. Dao light condensed, and a serpentine streak of black rose from his spinal column, ascending up his torso. As it shot past his head, it transformed into a black spear.
The Space-Killing Spear!
This was the ancestral secret art of the Tantai Family.
In the ancient past, the Tantai Family had relied on this very secret art to suppress countless mighty and malevolent foes of the Beast Bureau.
The black Space-Killing Spear expanded until it was about a dozen feet long, then thrust at Su Yiâs palm strike.
Tantai Liuâs Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivation base and extraordinary talent made him one of the most dazzling figures of the Six Paths Royal Territoryâs younger generation.
But what happened next was entirely unexpected.
The Time-Killing Spear shattered in the blink of an eye!
Immediately afterward, endless power descended from above, abundant and unblockable. It effortlessly shattered his defensive aura and forced him to his knees with an audible thud.
The ground suddenly shook, and the tables and other furnishings trembled.
With a single flip of his hand, heâd suppressed Tantai Liu!
âThisâŠâ Everyone present was unwittingly stunned. All of them were well aware of Tantai Liuâs abilities. He wouldnât have faltered in the slightest even against most peak Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivators. Although he wasnât quite unmatched in his generation, only a tiny handful of young geniuses of the Six Paths Royal Territory were comparable to him.
Yet now, heâd failed to block even a single palm!
âAhââ!â
Tantai Liu roared like mad, his features contorting as if unable to bear reality.
Dragon-like streaks of black qi surged around him, each with the power to cleave mountains and sever rivers!
Alas, he didnât just fail to break free; on the contrary, he was suppressed even more thoroughly, sprawled out on the ground like a pancake in the shape of the character â性". He couldnât even lift his fingers.
The hall was deathly silent. No one could speak.
Except for Tantai Liu, who roared, âLet me go, or the Tantai Family will annihilate your entire family!â
His eyes bulged, and the indescribable shame and humiliation had completely robbed him of his rationality.
Su Yiâs eyes glinted with cold light, and he put just a bit more strength into his palm.
A series of crunching noises followed, and Tantai Liu shrieked as countless bones snapped and shattered. Blood poured from numerous wounds.
âYouâre courting death!â Tantai Chi, the man in the feather coat, surged with murderous intent and swung his palm.
Boom!
Radiant golden light burst from his fair-skinned palm, emanating endlessly terrifying murderousness.
The crowd was caught completely off guard.
Tantai Chi was an Emperor! None of them would have expected that someone of his lofty status would attack Su Yi directly and without the slightest hesitation.
The way the onlookers saw it, even if this attack didnât kill Su Yi, it would surely cripple him completely.
âThis is bad!â Xue Huaningâs expression shifted, but just as she was about to interveneâ
Su Yi made no attempt to dodge. He just formed a hand seal and struck the air.
Bang!!
A deafening impact rang out, and eye-piercing divine radiance swept forth, crushing the tables, chairs, and everything on them. Fragments of furniture flew through the air.
Without exception, the guests had to circulate their cultivation bases to neutralize the aftershock.
Immediately afterward, the hall shook. Layers of energy fluctuations arose from the formations protecting the walls and floor. Only then was the flood of destructive power neutralized.
A startled cry rang out. âHow is this possible!?â
As a cloud of dust spread, Tantai Chiâs eyes widened. His face alternated white and green, and his expression filled with disbelief.
Only then did the crowd realize that even after a head-on collision, Su Yi hadnât moved an inch, and he didnât have so much as a hair out of place.
âHe blocked it?â The yellow-robed elder of the Qu Family was so astonished that his jaw almost fell off.
A Spiritual Integration Realm youth had actually blocked an Emperorâs attack. This was unbelievable!
âThat kid⊠thereâs something not right about himâŠâ The dark-robed middle-aged man of the Hong Family looked uncertain.
The guests of all three visiting ancient clans were astonished, wide-eyed, and tongue-tied.
Whoâd have dared imagine that a Spirit Dao cultivator could achieve this?
Su Yi is actually this impressive? Xue Huaning was unwittingly dazed; she almost thought she was seeing things.
When Cui Jingyan first sent word home, Su Yi had yet to leave Meng Po Palace, so her letter naturally didnât include how heâd defeated the Iceflame Spirit Empress Yuan Linning or Ran Tianfeng, the body refiner of the Netherworld Sky Sect.
Otherwise, Xue Huaning wouldnât have been so astonished.
It seems that girl already knew what Su Yi was capable of. Otherwise, she wouldnât be this calm.
Xue Huaning noticed Cui Jingyanâs composure, and that she didnât seem at all nervous or surprised. Rather, it seemed sheâd long since anticipated this result.
But why is it that my husband has become so much calmer too?
Xue Huaning noticed that Cui Changâan wasnât astonished, as if this result werenât unexpected to him. She found this rather difficult to understand.
But before she could wrap her head around it, Su Yi gestured outside and said calmly, âLetâs go outside. Iâll make you kneel, convinced of your defeat."
Tantai Chi had long since suppressed a bellyful of rage and confusion. When he heard that, his expression turned incomparably ashen, and he said icily, âNo need!â
Boom!
The power of his cultivation base erupted like a volcano. His hair and beard flew around him, and it was obvious that he was using his full power. It seemed he wanted to strike Su Yi down where he stood.
But it was then that a cold snort went off like a thunderclap: âTantai Chi, you sure are impudent!â
It was as if Cui Changâan had teleported; he appeared in front of Su Yi seemingly out of nowhere.
Boom!
The leader of the Cui Family stood tall, upright as a spear piercing the dome of heaven. The majestic aura emanating from was as forceful as a tidal wave or avalanche, and it sent Tantai Chi staggering several feet back.
By the time he stabilized himself, Tantai Chiâs face was pallid, and his eyes were full of utter dread.
The entire hall was deathly silent. Everyone felt stifled, and their bodies stiffened.
Cui Changâan now seemed like a monarch presiding over his domain. His terrifying majesty shook the yellow-robed elder, dark-robed middle-aged man. Their hearts trembled, and their expressions shifted.
This was the bearing of the leader of the Cui Family. So long as he was calm, all was well. But when he was angry, his wrath shook heaven and earth!
When Su Yi saw this, he thought, That old fox Cui Longxiang actually managed to raise a good son. I didnât choose the name âChangâanâ, or âlasting peaceâ in vain.
Given the circumstances, if Cui Changâan hadnât stepped forth, he would have brought shame upon the Cui Family.
After all, an Emperor of the Tantai Family had dared attack right in front of the leader of the Cui Family. What was that, if not a blatant slap in the face?
Fortunately, Cui Changâan hadnât disappointed Su Yi.
However, he did find it a pity that Cui Changâan had intervened so quickly; Su Yi didnât even get the chance to convince Tantai Chi of his defeat or force him to kneelâŠ
âFellow Daoist Cui, how was that impudent? Didnât you see that Su kid come just this close to killing our leaderâs son?â Tantai Chi took a deep breath, his expression unsightly. âHad that really happened, Iâm afraid⊠your Cui Family wouldnât have been able to escape responsibility. I trust you donât wish to see that happen either?â
He knew he was far from a match for Cui Changâan, but heâd come here as a representative of the Tantai Family, so he wasnât worried about Cui Changâan hurting him.
However, Cui Changâan merely stood there with his hands behind his back. His eyes flashed with imposing light, and he said softly, âKneel and apologize to Young Lord Su. If you donât, Iâll break your legs here and now!â