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The old butcher let out a dry, awkward cough. “I was just curious! Don’t misunderstand!”
Su Yi laughed. “You’re welcome to try me at any time. I promise not to take your life.”
With that, he got up and went back to his room.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".
Jiang Yingliu’s visit had robbed him of any desire to take a stroll. When Su Yi wasn’t interested in something, he’d rather spend his time and energy on his cultivation.
The old butcher sat quietly behind the counter. A chill coursed down his spine.
He knew that Su Yi’s last words before he left were a warning!
If it happened again, Su Yi might not give him a chance to explain himself before attacking directly!
When he recalled his miserable defeat at Su Yi’s hands, the old butcher’s heart clenched.
In that battle, he’d been brutalized so thoroughly that even now, thirty-six thousand years later, a lingering shadow hung over his Dao Heart.
No matter what, I can’t test him any further. If I do, given his disposition, even if he doesn’t kill me, he’s sure to make me live a life worse than death… the old butcher thought to himself.
……
Time slipped by, one day after another.
When Su Yi wasn’t cultivated, he’d occasionally leave the inn and explore the city.
From beginning to end, nothing unexpected happened.
……
The morning of the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.
Dawn had only just broken when an ornate bronze carriage appeared outside of Auspicious Cloud Tower.
A young woman in a skirt as black as ink emerged from the carriage. When she walked into the inn, she saw Su Yi seated alone at a table, eating his breakfast. It was still piping hot.
The sight left her stunned.
Over the past few days, the possibility of instating a new leader meant that dark undercurrents had coursed through the entire Ghost Serpent Clan. The clan was in turmoil, and everyone’s nerves were taut. They could barely eat or sleep.
Even the young woman had suffered from poor appetite, and she’d gotten noticeably thinner.
Yet now, Su Yi was enjoying his breakfast with carefree, leisurely ease. She couldn’t help but feel conflicted about it. This guy doesn’t care about the Ghost Serpents’ problems at all, does he?
“Fellow Daoist Su, my uncle and I have come to pick you up.” The young woman took a deep breath and suppressed her disappointment. “Of course, if you’re worried about the danger, you don’t have to come with us.”
Su Yi looked at her, then smiled. “No rush. Wait until I’ve finished eating.”
The young woman nodded. Actually, it’s pretty impressive that he hasn’t simply run away. I’m afraid few others would have dared get mixed up in this.
This thought instantly alleviated much of her disappointment.
Once he’d finished his meal, Su Yi sighed with satisfaction, then got up and went outside.
“Let’s go.”
“Fellow Daoist Su, are you coming alone?” The young woman hesitated. As she spoke, she glanced at the old butcher, who was seated behind the front desk.
Su Yi noticed, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
Earlier, he’d found it a bit strange that Ye Zishan had sent the young woman here to fetch him.
But now, it seemed that she wasn’t just here for him; more importantly, she was to fetch the old butcher!
“Should we need to kill anyone, he’ll naturally make an appearance,” said Su Yi. As he spoke, he passed through the inn’s front gate.
After a brief daze, the young woman hurried after him.
Before long, the ornate bronze carriage whisked both of them away.
Inside, the young woman couldn’t help but say, “Fellow Daoist Su, no matter how bad the situation is, this is an internal matter. There’s no way it’ll end in bloodshed.
“And if you go in there on your own, how can you possibly quell the clan’s upheaval? It’s even highly likely that the moment the Third High Elder sees you, he’ll seize the opportunity to take you down.”
The young woman was obviously so worried that she found it hard to sit still.
Reading between the lines, she was saying that without the old butcher, Su Yi wouldn’t be able to accomplish his goal, and that he’d likely throw his life away trying.
Su Yi sprawled out in his seat and took in the young woman’s beautiful profile. “What’s your name?”
The young woman froze, then furrowed her willowy eyebrows in displeasure. He’s seriously in the mood to ask about that even at a time like this?
She pursed her lips, pretended not to have heard anything, and ignored Su Yi.
Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax. With me here, the Ghost Serpents’ skies… won’t fall.”
After a brief daze, the young woman sighed. “I hope that’s true.”
She gazed outside the carriage, looking utterly disappointed, as if she couldn’t be bothered to pay Su Yi any further heed.
Su Yi naturally wouldn’t make trouble for a young woman like her, but he didn’t say any more either.
Sometimes, you had to do something before others would believe you. At times like that, talking was a waste of energy.
This young woman had long since made up her mind that only the old butcher’s power could resolve the Ghost Serpents’ imminent crisis. It wouldn’t matter what he said; arguing with her would achieve nothing.
Shortly before they reached Ghost Serpent territory, the young woman couldn’t hold back any longer. “Fellow Daoist Su, you ought to think this through. Once you enter our territory, if you cannot resolve this crisis, it’s highly likely that the third high elder will target you, and it’s highly likely that your life will be in danger…”
Before she could finish, Su Yi said, “In that case, I might as well tell you this now. Dealing with Ye Donghe is one of my goals for this trip to your clan’s estate.”
The young woman was flabbergasted.
But it was then that the carriage stopped at the foot of the Ghost Serpent’s mountain.
“Young Mistress, we’ve arrived,” said the attendant driving the ornate carriage.
The young woman in the ink-black skirt took a deep breath, then issued a hurried warning. “Remember, when we get there, you are not to speak such nonsense no matter what. Otherwise, we’ll truly be in danger!”
As she said this, she exited the carriage.
This girl is actually somewhat similar to Little Leaf. She’s got a kind heart, thought Su Yi.
He then rose and exited the carriage as well.
The first sight that greeted him was a majestic mountain gate.
There were dozens of mountains in Tianya City, but Lotus Platform Mountain, the home of the Ghost Serpents, was the most mystical of all.
It towered into the clouds,  and it seemed endowed with supernatural wonderment. It was shrouded in auspicious purple qi year round, and it was shaped like a massive lotus platform rising out of the earth, hence the name.
It was also a first-rate, blessed ground for cultivation famous throughout the Ghost Lands.
But today, Lotus Platform Mountain was different than in the past. Perhaps because of the clan-wide conference soon to begin, the elite forces of the Ghost Serpents were stationed throughout the mountain and the surrounding area.
“Fellow Daoist Su, please follow me.”
The young woman hurriedly led Su Yi through the mountain gates.
Along the way, no one blocked their path.
“The grand conference will be held halfway up the mountain, in the Ancestral Hall. The prominent members of both the main lineage and the three branches will all be in attendance.”
Along the way, the young woman in the ink-black skirt said at top speeds, “And you, Fellow Daoist Su, are being viewed as a guest the main lineage invited to bear witness to the conference.”
“Where is Jiang Yingliu?” asked Su Yi.
The young woman’s expression shifted. She looked around, then transmitted in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist Su, you’d best not discuss Her Excellency Jiang Yingliu lightly. If others hear us, it’ll be viewed us disrespect!”
She paused, then transmitted with obvious concern, “Her Excellency Jiang Yingliu will be there, accompanied by a few prominent members of the Profound Yellow Sword Pavilion. As for the main lineage, we were fortunate enough to invite Senior Yue Shi, the chief elder of the Fire Illumination Divine Palace to attend. Otherwise, I’m afraid we’d have little hope of preventing the selection of a new clan leader.”
Yue Shi?
Su Yi thought for a moment, but he had absolutely no impression of the man.
But the young woman’s attitude made it obvious that the main lineage of the Ghost Serpents saw him as someone capable of turning the tides in their favor.
Su Yi immediately set the matter aside.
As he took in the scenery on the way to the conference, he couldn’t help but look a bit dazed.
Back then, he’d walked this very path alongside Little Leaf.
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of years had passed. The place was the same, but his companion had changed.
“How many years has it been? The scenery of Lotus Platform Mountain has barely changed.” When he saw a pavilion built within a bamboo thicket, Su Yi couldn’t help but sigh.
That was where Little Leaf had lived before proving her Dao and becoming an Empress. It was still there, and it hadn’t changed much at all.
The young woman couldn’t help but furrow her brow in confusion. “Fellow Daoist Su, have you been here before?”
Su Yi laughed. He hadn’t simply been here. He’d even stayed here for quite some time!
Never mind the pavilions and gazebos of Lotus Platform Mountain; he’d even been to the Ghost Serpents’ ancestral forbidden ground with Little Leaf!
To outsiders, Lotus Platform Mountain was the formation-covered residence and cultivation ground of generations of Ghost Serpents, and it hid countless secrets.
But Su Yi had long since understood the place like the back of his hand.
Halfway up the mountain, near a cliffside waterfall and a forest of pine and bamboo.
An ancient palace stood against the mountain, like the residence of an immortal. Beneath the light of the heavens, it emanated a holy, austere luster.
This was the Ancestral Hall of the Ghost Serpent Race!
When Su Yi and the young woman in the ink-black skirt arrived, they saw a group of elite, armored warriors standing guard outside. Their auras were powerful; even the weakest were in the Spiritual Revolution Realm.
While the strongest were in the Imperial Realm!
Their ranks even included Tu Yong and the elder servant, Thirteen!
Such a lineup was enough to make the vast majority of the Netherworld’s factions tremble.
But here, they were merely standing guard outside the Ancestral Hall.
This was a clear demonstration of how powerful the Ghost Serpents, one of the Nine Royal Clans of the Netherworld, were.
When he saw Su Yi accompanying the young woman in the ink-black skirt, Tu Yong was briefly stunned. A moment later, his expression filled with deep concern.
He was naturally well aware of how heaven-defying Su Yi’s combat strength was.
But this was the heart of the Ghost Serpents’ territory, and numerous old-timers with terrifying cultivation bases had assembled here!
Yet Su Yi had come here on his own. Of course Tu Yong was worried about him! How could he not be?
The sight of Su Yi surprised Thirteen too. He hadn’t anticipated that a young Spiritual Revolution cultivator like Su Yi would have the guts to show up.
Su Yi paid none of this any heed. He just put his hands behind his back and sauntered along, following the young woman into the Ancestral Hall.
Along the way, his presence attracted countless gazes.
When he passed Thirteen, the pallid, now armless old man said grimly, “Little fellow, you’ve sure got guts. But this isn’t Auspicious Cloud Tower, and the innkeeper is no longer here to protect you!”