Mu Xi and Shen Jiusong chatted amongst themselves, while Ning Sihua sat alone atop a boulder, looking down at a scroll. Her exquisitely contoured face was completely tranquil.
Not far away, Su Yi leaned back into his wicker chair and rested his eyes.
This was what Jiang Tanyun and Lu Zhangfeng saw when they woke up.
“How are you two feeling?” Mu Xi smiled and looked over.
They both shot to their feet and bowed low at the waist. “Young king, we thank you for coming to our aid. You saved our lives; we’ll remember this kindness for the rest of our lives.”
Their voices were full of gratitude, straight from the heart.
“No need to be so polite.” Mu Xi smiled and waved.
Then, he introduced them to Su Yi and Ning Sihua.
When they realized who Ning Sihua was, both of them were visibly stunned, and they dared not put on airs. Both greeted her respectfully.
And when they learned who Su Yi was, they were surprised once more.?Neither of them had known that Family Head Su had a son by the name of Su Yi.
But although they were confused, they dared not slack on their manners. Both greeted him respectfully too.
Su Yi merely nodded slightly in response. He put away his wicker chair and said, “let’s go.”
Even as he spoke, he was already walking away.?When Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong saw this, they followed him, as if that were perfectly natural.
But Jiang Tangyun and Lu Zhangfeng were stunned. His behavior threw them for a bit of a loop.
Those present included the palace master of Heaven’s Origin Academy, the famous Cloudlught Marquis, and the Mountain-Subduing King. All were famous; their names shook the entire nation.
.
Yet now, Su Yi, just another disciple of the Su Family, upped and left just like that. He didn’t even ask the others first. Wasn’t this a bit too capricious and dictatorial?
Add that to the way Su Yi remained seated in his wicker chair even as they exchanged greetings, and both Jiang Tanyun and Lu Zhangfeng felt a bit uncomfortable. Their opinion of Su Yi instantly took a turn for the worse.
Still, the two of them had experienced their share of both wind and rain. When they saw that neither Ning Sihua nor Shen Jiusong objected, they hid their discontent deep within their hearts.
“Young Lord Su is no ordinary person. Everything he says and does is different from the common man. Please, don’t overthink it.” Mu Xi glanced deeply at Jiang Tanyun and Lu Zhangfeng, then said with a smile, “Right, would you two like to travel with us too?”
They looked at each other, then straightforwardly agreed.?Traveling alongside the Mountain-Subduing King? This naturally couldn’t get any better!
Without any further delays, Mu Xi led Jiang Tanyun and Lu Zhangfeng and caught up with Su Yi’s group. They then proceeded deeper into the mountain wilderness together.
“Young King, earlier, you said that it was a member of the Deathbringer’s Gate who entrapped us. Don’t tell me that faction of heretical cultivators has risen from the ashes again?” Jiang Tanyun couldn’t help but ask.
He was the grand elder of Kongtong Academy. He was dark-skinned, upright, and outspoken.
“That’s right,” Mu Xi said offhandedly. “I’ve received intelligence that the Deathbringer’s Gate has seemingly grasped quite a few secrets regarding the recent strange phenomenon at Bloodthistle Yao Mountain. They’ve sent a group of extremely powerful experts this time. It’s obvious that they’re planning something big.
“Just now, that was Daoist Corpse Controller, one of the Deathbringer’s Gate’s main branch’s nine elders. He’s a vicious figure among fourth-level Grandmasters, and he’s proficient in corpse puppetry. He’s infamous.”
When they heard that, both Jiang Tanyun and Lu Zhangfeng looked grave.
They’d only just barely avoided fatal calamity. When they realized that they were about to face more of the Deathbringer’s Gate’s big shots, they couldn’t help but feel solemn.
“The Deathbringer’s Gate….” Su Yi seemed lost in thought.
It was here, in the depths of Bloodthistle Yao Mountain, that Huyan Hai found the soul jade somehow connected to Qing Wan’s past.
And not long ago, Su Yi learned that Huyan Hai, the leader of the Deathbringer’s Gate Imperatorial Province branch, had come on orders from the sect’s leader. Apparently, they’d been planning something big.
Now, members of the Deathbringer’s Gate had shown up here yet again. This made it easy for Su Yi to reach a conclusion—
Whatever it was that the Deathbringer’s Gate was after, it was almost certainly right here, further up the mountain!
Furthermore, it was highly likely that Huyan Hai was involved this time too!
If that’s the case, that makes things simple. While I’m investigating the true nature of the changes higher up the mountain, I can pick up some clues about Qing Wan while I’m at it,?Su Yi thought to himself.
Another hour passed.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the bloody smog permeating the landscape.
It was a middle-aged man in black. He looked important, with coarse, firm features, as if someone had carved him with an ax.
This was Pu Yi, the grand elder of Starcliff Academy, a peak fourth-level Grandmaster!
Pu Yi approached and greeted him respectfully. “Young king, there’s an enormous chasm about thirty miles from here. Members of the Deathbringer’s Gate are currently occupying the stretch of land nearby.”
Mu Xi nodded, then introduced him to Ning Sihua, Su Yi, and the others.
They each greeted him and exchanged pleasantries before continuing on their way.
The ambient blood-colored baleful energy was increasingly dense, like an impenetrable fog.
This far in, everything was silent and stifled. It was terrifyingly quiet, and they no longer encountered any spirit beasts.
The entire procession was on edge, and all of them had their weapons at the ready. They proceeded with the utmost caution.
Even the Mountain-Subduing King, Mu Xi, held his golden spear. He dared not get complacent.
Only Su Yi seemed entirely unaware of the danger. He strolled leisurely ahead, his hands behind his back.
His behavior was deeply irksome to Jiang Tanyun, who furrowed his brow and warned him, “Young Lord Su, you must not get complacent. This place is perilous and enigmatic. If anything happens, even if we rush to your aid, I’m afraid we won’t be able to rescue you in time.”
Lu Zhangfeng also chimed in coldly, “That’s right. No one knows what will happen on the road ahead. Young Lord Su, you’d best be more careful.”
It sounded like a reminder, but in truth, it was an expression of displeasure.?During their first encounter, Su Yi left a bad impression on them. This influenced their thinking, and when they saw Su Yi’s current indolent bearing, they both felt displeased.
Even experts on the level of Mu Xi and Ning Sihua had readied themselves for battle. Even they were proceeding with caution.
But this blue-robed youth acted like he was going for a leisurely stroll. If they didn’t know better, they’d think he was here on vacation!
If Su Yi really encountered danger, wouldn’t it be up to them to rescue him?
It was only out of consideration for their respective statuses that they resisted the urge to raise their voices and chastise him.
“You can just worry about yourselves.” After a brief, stunned pause, Su Yi shook his head dismissively. He could naturally hear their displeasure, but he couldn’t be bothered to pursue this with them.
“Young Lord Su, what’s that supposed to mean?” Jiang Tanyun’s brow furrowed even deeper. “We’re all in the same camp. How could we possibly disregard your safety??Besides, the path ahead is certain to be incomparably dangerous. If anything goes wrong and you get hurt, how could we bear it?”
His words were already a little rude.
Lu Zhangfeng felt displeased too.?We warned him out of the goodness of our hearts, but this little shit doesn’t appreciate our kindness! He really doesn’t know what’s good for him!
Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong couldn’t help but find it funny. They could tell that Jiang Tanyun and Lu Zhangfeng were displeased with Su Yi. Or rather, they felt secure in their own backgrounds and saw Su Yi as nothing but an ordinary disciple of the Su Family.
They sounded like seniors rebuking a good-for-nothing junior. It was inevitable that they’d come as cross as flaunting their seniority.
Mu Xi kept an eye on Su Yi’s expression, but when he saw that Su Yi remained as calm as ever, without the least bit of anger, he felt a hint of disappointment rise within him.
But then, he laughed heartily. “Elder Jiang, don’t look down on Young Lord Su! An ancient once said that those who remain calm as the surface of the lake even when struck by lightning are fit to become generals. That saying perfectly describes Young Lord Su!”
Jiang Tanyun was stunned; he hadn’t anticipated that Mu Xi would speak up on Su Yi’s behalf.
After a moment’s silence, he nodded. “If you say so, young king. It seems I’ve misunderstood.”
He then said no more about the matter, but everyone could tell that Jiang Tanyun’s view of Su Yi hadn’t changed.
This was?bias.
When you had a bad first impression of someone, it stuck; old prejudices died hard. Bias would distort one’s understanding.
“Hm?” After a while, Su Yi suddenly raised his head and looked into the sky.
“That is?” At almost the same time, Mu Xi, Ning Sihua, and the others all sensed something too. They looked up at the distant sky.
That was where they saw them: nine enormous, unearthly, blood-colored lotuses.
Each hovering lotus was formed of condensed bloody, baleful energy, and they were roughly ninety feet across. They formed a Nine Palaces Formation in the sky.
The strange part was, at the center of the lotuses, wisps of bloody energy revolved, like an endlessly whirling vortex.
Just looking at it from a distance, they felt their hearts palpitate, and a chill coursed through their entire bodies.
“That looks like the power of a grand formation….” The starlight glinting in Mu Xi’s eyes intensified, as if he’d seen through numerous profound secrets. “Let’s go take a look.”
Before long, the entire group arrived at a massive ravine.
The ravine was like a giant rift in the earth, so deep, they couldn’t see the bottom. Roiling, churning, blood-red baleful energy gushed from within, soaring directly into the dome of the heavens.
Examining the nine hovering blood-colored lotuses more closely, it seemed that the rising baleful energy was continuously nourishing them, making them even brighter and more unearthly.
The really shocking part was that ancient sacrificial altars lined both sides of the rift. Added together, there were a full one hundred and eight of them.
Every single altar was pitch-black throughout, and they were each nine feet tall. Each was engraved with completely different, bizarre patterns.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
When Su Yi and company arrived, they instantly heard a low rumbling, like the beat of a drum. It emanated from within the seemingly endless rift.
The sound was like the rhythm of the earth, carrying a unique and terrifying power. It slammed into their hearts and minds, and they went rigid. The sound almost threw their blood and qi into disarray, and it was so painful and unpleasant that they hacked up several mouthfuls of blood.
Only Su Yi, Mu Xi, and Ning Sihua seemed entirely unaffected, as if the rhythm couldn’t affect them in the least. .𝙘𝒐𝒎
However, when they heard that strange and mysterious noise, all three of them had strange looks on their faces.
Nine bloody lotuses of baleful energy hovering in the sky, one hundred and eight sacrificial altars lining both sides of an enormous rift, an unknown and mysterious rhythm emanating from a seemingly endless chasm….
It was all just so strange.
“It seems that?this?is the source of all the strangeness in Bloodthistle Yao Mountain!” Mu Xi’s eyes flashed, and he looked somewhat expectant.?Just what secrets are hidden here?
Is it really like the rumors say? Does this place hide an ancient ruin? Is there really a peerless treasure inside?
The others’ emotions fluctuated as well.
Suddenly, an icy, high-pitched voice rang out. “Mountain Subduing-King, I told you not to get involved, yet you stubbornly refused to listen. Are you really dead set on throwing your life away?”
Before this voice even finished echoing, they saw a group emerge from behind a low hill on the other side of the massive rift.