Chapter 1089 - An Exchange
Wang Zhongyuan came to a sudden-stop mid-charge.0
The leader of the Middle Province Wang Family was covered in wounds, and his hair was disheveled.0
When he saw the cage break beneath a single slash, he sighed in relief, but a moment later, he was overcome with astonishment and bewilderment.0
Did that person just call himself… Su Xuanjun!?0
Wang Zhongyuan’s scalp went numb. He stood there, rooted to the spot, as if he’d been struck by lightning.0
The white-haired old man and the Wang Family higher-ups following him were similarly astonished. Their expressions shifted as they realized that this didn’t bode well.0
Xue Yunchuan tensed up, his expression suddenly grave.0
The golden-robed old man whipped around. When he looked at the blue-robed young man who’d descended like a deity visiting the mundane world, his eyes frosted over.0
“M-Master?” Wang Que could no longer stop himself from calling out.0
The blue-robed young man standing in the distance didn’t look like the master he remembered, but the disposition and charm he revealed with every gesture were a perfect match!0
Furthermore, Wang Que could already see that his sixth and eighth junior apprentice brothers, Ye Luo and Bai Yi, were following the young man in blue.0
Wang Que was instantly certain that this was none other than their master’s reincarnation!0
However, perhaps because it had all happened too suddenly, Wang Que was delighted, but also dazed. It was as if he was afraid that all of this was just a dream.0
When Ye Luo and Bai Yi saw how dazed Wang Que looked, they couldn’t help but smile.0
Su Yi, meanwhile, subtly inclined his head and said gently, “I’m just glad you’re okay. Leave the rest to me.”0
Wang Que suddenly took a deep breath, suppressed his delight and excitement, and bowed to Su Yi. “Your disciple shall assiduously carry out your commands, Master!”0
“What… What exactly is going on here?” One of the white-haired old man’s followers asked in a quavering voice.0
In truth, all of the Wang Family higher-ups had bellies full of questions and doubts.0
Bai Yi said coldly, “‘What’s going on?’ Very well, I’ll tell you. The deathtrap you helped Pi Mo set has failed!”0
This declaration left the Wang Family higher-ups visibly astonished. Uproar ensured, and a clamor of voices rang out on all sides.0
They’d been waiting for this news all this time. They figured that since Pi Mo had made these arrangements, nothing could possibly go wrong.0
Who’d have thought such bad news would arrive instead?0
Who could possibly accept this?0
Su Yi, meanwhile, disregarded the Wang Family completely. From the moment he appeared, his gaze was locked onto the golden-robed old man. When he recognized the aura emanating from him, his eyebrows shifted upward.0
An early-stage Profound Unity Emperor from the Studio of the Heart!0
Strictly speaking, this was Su Yi’s first encounter with a Profound Unity cultivator from outer space. It was inevitable that this would draw his attention.1
Meanwhile, the golden-robed old man looked Su Yi up and down without the slightest reservation. “Su Yi, you’re finally here. I called upon the Middle Province Wang Family in anticipation of your arrival.”0
When they heard this, the Wang Family higher-ups’ last thread of hope that this was all some big mistake disappeared. They felt as if they’d been struck by lightning, and they felt a chill in their hands and feet.0
So, he was that Su Yi!?0
That he’d made it here alive unquestionably meant that the deathtrap they’d placed in the Ten Directions Yao Mountains had failed!0
“Senior, did you… learn this a long time ago?” The white-haired elder panicked and couldn’t help but ask.0
The old man in golden robes nodded. “That’s right. Do you really think I’d come to visit the Wang Family otherwise?”0
The Wang Family old-timers looked at each other, their faces ashen. Their hearts sank.0
Wang Que muttered to himself, “I just knew nothing would happen to my master!”0
“Senior, does that mean you’ve come to save us?” The white-haired old man called out excitedly, as if grasping at straws. Those beside him looked hopeful too.0
There was no doubt that they were already certain that Su Yi had come for revenge. Thus, they subconsciously assumed that the golden-robed elder of the Studio of the Heart had come to help them take Su Yi down.0
“You don’t know how to repent, not even in the face of death. You deserve death!” Wang Que laughed coldly.0
He couldn’t have been any more disappointed in the Wang Family’s old-timers. He longed for nothing more than to pick up his sword and execute each and every one of them in a single slash to avoid bringing any further shame on their ancestors!0
But the old man in golden robes shook his head slightly. “That’s Wang Family business. It’s naturally up for you to resolve. I’m just here to make an exchange with this Su Yi person.”0
This statement was like a ruthless blow to the head. The Wang Family higher-ups’ minds buzzed, and they were completely dumbstruck.0
Indescribable resentment and terror coursed through their hearts like an avalanche, leaving them deathly pale and trembling from head to toe.0
Even Su Yi and his companions hadn’t anticipated this. They couldn’t help but glance at the Wang Family old-timers with pity. These muddle-headed scoundrels have obviously been used, then abandoned!0
But Wang Que couldn’t help but chime in. “You worked so hard on another’s behalf, only for them to get rid of you the moment you were no longer useful. This… is who you were relying on? How ridiculous!”0
Wang Zhongyuan stood to the side, a conflicted mix of emotions on his face: regret, bitterness, and helplessness, too.0
“You… How could this happen!?” A purple-robed middle-aged man couldn’t help but shout, “Pi Mo himself promised that the Wang Family and Abstruse Force Alliance would fall or flourish side by side, and that we would never betray each other!”0
The golden-robed elder said casually, “It was Pi Mo who made that promise, not the Studio of the Heart. You’re welcome to ask the Abstruse Force Alliance for aid instead of complaining to me. Besides, I’m neither your mother nor your father. Why should I resolve your difficulties and assuage your worries?”2
This left the Wang Family higher-ups trembling with fury. They practically went mad with grief and fury.0
When Family Head Wang Zhongyuan saw this, he too felt deeply let down.0
“What kind of trade are you offering?” Su Yi asked the old man in gold.0
The old man said calmly, “I’ll trade the life of your disciple, Jin Kui, for the Studio of the Heart’s treasure, the Starry Combat Diagram.”0
Jin Kui!0
Ye Luo, Bai Yi, and Wang Que’s hearts shook.0
“Very well.” Su Yi agreed without a thought. “Where is she?”0
The golden-robed old man flicked his fingertips, and a black jade scepter floated into the air. Its surface was covered in a strange, contorted seal.0
As the old man in gold tightened his grip, the black jade scepter trembled, and a curtain of light appeared, depicting a female figure.0
She was a beautiful woman in a pale blue top and an apricot yellow dress. Her dark hair shone with hints of colorful light, like a crow’s feathers.0
However, she was curled up in a ball, and it looked like she was unconscious.0
Ye Luo and the others recognized her at a glance. This was their fourth senior apprentice sister, Jin Kui!0
A tranquil, gentle woman, both good-looking and intelligent.0
“Give me the Starry Combat Diagram, and I’ll give you your disciple in exchange,” the golden-robed old man said calmly.0
“Didn’t Pi Mo tell you that I’ve never feared any type of threats?” said Su Yi. “I urge you not to play any tricks. If you do, even your founder’s remnant will won’t be enough to save your life.”0
The golden-robed old man’s pupils constricted.0
Without any wasted words, Su Yi took out the Starry Combat Diagram and passed it over from afar.0
The golden-robed old man seemed afraid that it was a trick. The dazzling Laws of Spirit Nirvana spread from his fingertips, and he used their power to grab the diagram.0
After a brief inspection, he confirmed there was nothing wrong with it. Only then did he inwardly sigh in relief.0
A moment later, he looked at Su Yi once more, a hint of playfulness in his expression. “I see that the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force is indeed a righteous sort, but aren’t you afraid that I’ll take the treasure and leave without returning the hostage?”0
Ye Luo, Bai Yi, and the others’ expressions were instantly forceful.0
But Su Yi just said calmly, “If you don’t want to die, you’d best hand her over right now.”0
The golden-robed old man couldn’t help but grin. “How about this? Let’s spar. If you win, I’ll let her go. How about it?”0
Ye Luo and the others inwardly cursed him out. This old bastard is simply despicable!0
But Su Yi wasn’t at all moved, and he spoke as if he were commenting on the weather. “If I win, you die. Using Jin Kui’s life as a threat won’t be enough to save you then. If you’re certain, we can begin now.”0
The golden-robed old man’s eyes flashed. From beginning to end, Su Yi remained perfectly calm, as if his victory were inevitable. This made the old man extremely uncomfortable.0
But when he considered his purpose for coming here, and how Pi Mo had described his master, the golden-robed old man resisted the impulse to attack.0
He raised his jaw and said coolly, “Su Xuanjun, so long as you promise not to stop me from leaving, I’ll hand her over now.”0
Everyone’s expressions turned a bit strange. They keenly detected that this emissary of the Studio of the Heart was afraid. He now seemed extremely cautious and reserved, nowhere near as prideful as he appeared on the surface.0
Su Yi took a deep look at him, then said, “Very well. I promise not to stop you from leaving.”0
The golden-robed old man instantly relaxed. “This lofty one knows how you conduct yourself, Su Xuanjun. Once you agree to something, you’ll never go back on your word. That’s why I was willing to come here and make this exchange.”0
As he spoke, he waved his sleeves through the air.0
Kcch!0
That black scepter shot forth and landed in Su Yi’s hand.0
Su Yi inserted his divine sense into the scepter and discovered that they’d simply restricted Jin Kui’s soul. There was nothing else wrong with her. Only then did he relax.0
Su Yi put away the scepter, then said casually, “You can leave.”0
The golden-robed old man laughed. “Su Xuanjun, you’d best watch yourself. When the young mistress gets out of seclusion, she’s sure to get even with you.”0
With that, he and Xie Yunchuan turned and soared away.0
“Master, are you really just going to let them go?” Ye Luo, Bai Yi, and Wang Que looked at Su Yi.0
But Su Yi just took a sip from a gourd of wine and said casually, “I made a promise, and I naturally won’t go back on our word, but… they won’t be going anywhere.”3
Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, an enraged shriek emanated from the distant night skies. “Su Xuanjun, you actually arranged for someone to ambush us!?”0
The voice belonged to the golden-robed old man, but he sounded frantic with anger.0
Boom!0
The sound of conflict shook the heavens, and light and fire interwove beneath the distant skies. Lightning boomed, and it seemed as if heaven and earth were about to collapse.0
But mere moments later, the grand battle came to an abrupt halt.0
Just as the crowd was trying to guess the results, a figure plummeted from the heavens and thudded to the ground.0
Upon closer inspection, it was the old man in gold!0
However, his face was black, blue, and swollen, and his battered body was bleeding. His wounds were so severe that he lay sprawled out on the ground, unable to get back up.0
Everyone was startled, and they were overcome with disbelief.0
But it was then that a cold yet pleasingly magnetic voice emanated from beneath the distant dome of heaven, “Big Brother Su, that guy from the Divine Blue Lightning Sect is already dead. And that emissary from the Studio of the Heart is actually a rare Three-Eyed Golden Toad. How about we roast and eat him?”8
Everyone’s hearts shook as they looked over.0
There, an unparalleled beauty of a young woman sat languidly on a cloud hovering beneath the dome of the night sky. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, and her features were picturesquely beautiful. Her red dress swayed around her, and she looked like an unparalleled immortal charmer. An aloof, contemptuous air emanated from her, as if she were gazing down at the heavens!0
This was none other than the Heavensdeath Demon Empress, the “demon ancestor” of the Wilds’ Demonist factions!0
She sat languidly on a cloud, her unparalleled beauty dazzling the masses and making the night skies dim by comparison!
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺