Chapter 1057 - The Secret of Pi Mo’s Betrayal!
Three days later, early in the morning.
Parasol Tree City, the foot of Phoenix Perch Mountain.
The sound of classics read aloud emanated from halfway up the mountain, reverberating throughout like the ringing of a morning bell or the beating of an evening drum.
Numerous cultivators clustered at the foot of the mountain, listening attentively as if drunk or infatuated.
The reading of classic texts contained the truths of the Grand Dao. Over the years, no shortage of cultivators had come to listen in and glean enlightenment.
Fei Yun stood in the distance, but when he saw this, his eyes shone with contempt. When mortals burn incense to the gods and pray for peace and prosperity, they’re only fooling themselves.
If these cultivators think they can improve their cultivation by coming here to listen to the classics, they’re ultimately no different from those mundane mortals.
“Profound Sky Academy dared remain standing even after killing the little creepy crawly and Pi Mo’s subordinates? Their courage is extraordinary.” Fei Yun looked up the mountainside.
He was dressed in green, and his beautifully handsome face only looked even more unearthly beneath the sunlight.
“Don’t tell me Profound Sky Academy isn’t afraid of retaliation? In that case, the killer might well still be within the academy.” After a moment’s thought, Fei Yun started walking up Phoenix Perch Mountain.
The power of the formations covering the mountainside might as well not have existed.
Fei Yun strolled leisurely through the mountain gates, hands behind his back, and followed the winding trail up the mountain, like a traveler enjoying the scenery.
When he reached the halfway point of the mountain, Profound Sky Academy entered his field of view.
“There’s nothing special about this place at all. With my abilities, I could flatten it in minutes and kill until the ground runs red with rivers of blood.”
Fei Yun was a bit confused. He couldn’t imagine how someone of Feng Ji’s cultivation could have died here; it didn’t seem at all likely.
The sound of reading still rang out. It seemed that Profound Sky Academy was entirely unaware that someone had slipped into their territory.
Suddenly, Fei Yun sensed something, and he gazed at the distant cliffside. A cluster of pine trees stood there, shrouded in mist. The needles rustled in waves.
A boulder as smooth and reflective as a mirror stood amidst the pines, and a young man in blue sat atop it.
The morning sun poured through the dense canopy of shifting pine branches, illuminating the young man with flickering light.
The young man was enjoying wine, seemingly leisurely and at ease.
“Hah? One glance and it’s obvious he’s a lousy student. First thing in the morning, and he’s snuck out of the academy to hide in the forest and drink?” Fei Yun stroked his jaw. “Oh, I could search the boy’s soul and see if I can uncover anything worthwhile.”
As he pondered, he walked over.
But when he entered the pine thicket and got within a few dozen feet of the young man, Fei Yun suddenly felt ill at ease. He subconsciously stopped in his tracks and frowned. Strange. Is there a problem with that boy?
His eyes flashed with golden light as he evaluated him once more.
The young man in blue faced the cliffside, so his back was to Fei Yun. All Fei Yun saw was his lean, upright figure.
The young man’s long black hair was pinned into a casual Daoist topknot. Both his attire and his aura were utterly unassuming. There was nothing overtly strange about him at all.
But Fei Yun’s eyelids twitched. His glowing golden eyes saw something else entirely.
The unfathomable power of the Grand Dao circulated around the young man, like a tranquil sea, deep and unfathomable!
Something’s not right with that boy! It seems highly likely that he’s waiting here for me! Fei Yun’s unearthly, handsome face filled with uncertainty.
It was then that the young man seated on the boulder suddenly spoke. “Did you come alone?”
“Of course.” Fei Yun’s eyes narrowed, but then, he laughed. “Was it you who killed Feng Ji?”
He silently gripped the blood-red Dao Sword hidden in his sleeves.
“Don’t be nervous. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it as soon as you passed through the mountain gates,” said Su Yi. He took another sip of wine.
Fei Yun’s brow furrowed.
If he met a young man like this under ordinary circumstances, he wouldn’t even pause to think before exterminating him.
But when he considered the dead Feng Ji, he instantly suppressed his surging murderous intent.
“Are you waiting here for me because you want to chat with me first?” Fei Yun asked with a smile.
“That’s right. I’m quite interested in the Studio of the Heart’s affairs,” said Su Yi. He sighed, “Alas, the Feng Ji you mentioned died because of your founder’s remnant will. I didn’t even have time to learn what I wanted to know. This time, I plan to learn from my mistakes. I won’t let you follow in his footsteps.”
Fei Yun’s pupils constricted, and the look on his unearthly but handsome face shifted erratically. He probed, “Does that mean you suppressed Feng Ji and attempted to search his soul?”
Su Yi nodded. “That’s right.”
Fei Yun sank into silence.
It might have seemed like they were just chatting, but he felt increasingly uneasy.
He even felt the urge to flee immediately!
This was because the young man in blue seemed far too calm and composed, and his aura was completely impenetrable.
Most unbelievable of all was that he could tell that this young man was still only in his late teens, and not some old monster!
All of this seemed far too out of the ordinary. Fei Yun couldn’t help but be on guard.
“What would you like to chat about?” asked Fei Yun.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but mock himself. In the Studio of the Heart, he was among the proudest and most unrestrained. He’d killed too many to count, and his temper was unpredictable. In the stars beyond the Wilds, people paled at the mere mention of his name.
Yet now, he couldn’t help but be cautious.
Were his sectmates here to see this, he would surely have become a laughingstock.
“Answer some of my questions.” Su Yi put away his jug of wine, then turned around to look at Fei Yun. He said lightly, “If your answers please me, I wouldn’t mind leaving you a path to life.”
Fei Yun was so angry he almost burst into laughter, but in the end, he forced it back down. “Do you have the Dark and Gold Ruler?”
Su Yi nodded, then flipped his hand. A jade ruler appeared in his palm. “This treasure contains a portion of the chaos source of the Dark and Gold Star Realm. The disciples of the Studio of the Heart came to the Wilds to gather treasures like this, right?”
Fei Yun was stunned. He would never have guessed that the young man in blue would be so forthright. He’d even gone and revealed the ruler openly!
This unquestionably implied that he wasn’t worried Fei Yun would try to steal it!
Fei Yun took a moment to calm himself, then said, “That’s right. We indeed came to the Wilds to gather Dark and Gold Essence. If you’re willing to offer up the ruler… we might well become friends. Then, I’ll be happy to tell you anything you want to know.”
Su Yi laughed. “Friends?”
Fei Yun could hear the contempt implied in Su Yi’s response, and he couldn’t help but frown. “I can tell you’re not at all afraid of me, but I’d still best warn you that the Studio of the Heart is different from the factions of the Wilds. In our eyes, this place is nothing but a cast-off ruin. As mighty as Pi Mo’s Abstruse Force Alliance is, it’s only a second, even third-rate faction by the standards of the stars beyond. It isn’t even remotely comparable to the Studio of the Heart.”
His casual words contained an air of lofty superiority. He was trying to knock some sense into Su Yi!
“Oh,” said Su Yi, feigning surprise. “Then what’s your connection to Pi Mo?”
Fei Yun thought for a moment, then said, “Simply put, he’s lucky. A long time ago, he won our young mistress’s admiration. If everything goes as I suspect, he’ll one day become a legacy disciple of the Studio of the Heart, and he’ll have an opportunity to cultivate beneath our founder.”
Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. Does that mean that Pi Mo started colluding with the Studio of the Heart a long time ago?
“And who is your young mistress?” asked Su Yi.
Fei Yun broke into a thought-provoking smile. “If you hand over the Dark and Gold Ruler, I wouldn’t mind introducing you. Perhaps you too might win her recognition. If so, you’ll surely be able to leave this place to cultivate amongst the stars too, and you could even… become a disciple of the Studio of the Heart!”
Here, his expression filled with pride. “It might not be polite to say this, but out amongst the stars, the Studio of the Heart is one of the greatest factions around. Countless worlds tremble before us!
“By comparison, the Wilds have long since withered. Even its greatest factions, the Four Apexes of the Wilds, are nowhere near comparable to the Studio of the Heart!”
Fei Yun looked at Su Yi. “In other words, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. Even though you killed Feng Ji, so long as you display sufficient ability and sincerity, I trust that the young mistress won’t let a talent of your caliber be buried here!”
Su Yi shook his head. “That alone isn’t enough to tempt me. I just want to know when your young mistress and Pi Mo first met.”
Fei Yun found this quite strange, and he furrowed his brow. “Is that important?”
Su Yi nodded. “That’s right. I want to know just what it was that made him so willing to switch sides and serve your young mistress.”
Fei Yun couldn’t help but smile. “Are you hoping to follow his example?”
He instantly relaxed, taking this as proof that Su Yi was tempted, and that he was considering joining them!
Thus, Fei Yun struck while the iron was hot. “No need to keep it a secret. Our young mistress crossed the stars eighteen thousand years ago to explore the Wilds under various assumed identities.”
Here, Su Yi cut him off. “Eighteen thousand years ago?”
Fei Yun assumed Su Yi was surprised, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Of course. However, she’s been focused on seeking relics of that bygone era, so she never revealed her cultivation to the world. When she did appear, she did so under false identities. It’s only natural that you haven’t heard of her.”
Su Yi thought for a moment. “So she was using an assumed identity when she first got acquainted with Pi Mo?”
“That’s right.” Fei Yun nodded. “This is no great secret, so I might as well tell you. About eighteen thousand years ago, she took on the name Song Chai and joined the Grotto of Abstruse Force, becoming one of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s thirty-six honorary disciples.”
'Song Chai?!'
Su Yi was stunned.
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