Chapter 1204 - That Su Guy’s Cheating!
The middle-aged man was called Xue Changjing.
Just as Su Yi had guessed, he was from the Church of the River of Stars, and he presided over their Celestial Palace.
He’d guessed Su Yi’s identity at a glance because of his age and cultivation base. Su Yi was just too young, just a little over twenty, but his cultivation was in the Profound Unity Realm!
Even out amongst the stars, such a young Emperor was a rare, unparalleled monster, the type that might not appear once in tens of thousands of years, a dazzling genius.
And before coming to the Wilds, Xue Changjing had heard that the Temple Master’s reincarnation was extremely young. That was how he figured out who Su Yi was.
“Those who’ve lived a long time are indeed more perceptive than others,” sighed Su Yi.
Xue Changjing’s eyes flashed, and he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Should I call you ‘Temple Master’ or Su Xuanjun?”
“It makes no difference,” said Su Yi. He put his hands behind his back and gazed at the hundred and eight stars hovering beneath the distant skies. “You can continue your trial. I promise not to get in your way.”
Xue Changjing believed him; the Temple Master had always been a man of his word. Not even his enemies doubted that.
However, Xue Changjing was already in no mood to continue his trial. “Fellow Daoist Su, did you encounter any obstacles on your way to the secret origin grounds?”
Fellow Daoist Su! This title left ample room for thought.
Su Yi gazed intently at him. “What you really want to ask is, ‘Are my companions alive or dead?’”
Xue Changjing nodded slightly. “Please enlighten me.”
“Almost all of them are dead,” said Su Yi.
Xue Changjing’s gaze focused, and his expression shifted with apparent disbelief. “You... killed them?”
“That’s right.” Su Yi didn’t hide it.
An overcast look appeared on Xue Changjing’s face. He stared intently at Su Yi for a moment before sighing in apparent regret. “Alas, this is the path of trials, and the Laws prohibit fighting between trial-takers. Otherwise, I’d just love to spar with you, Fellow Daoist.”
Su Yi laughed. “You want to kill me to avenge your companions?”
“That’s right,” said Xue Changjing, not bothering to hide it.
Su Yi sighed too. “What a coincidence. When I came to the secret origin grounds, I wanted to kill you and the other three trial-takers just like I did your companions. I wouldn’t have thought that the other three had already washed out.”
A moment later, Su Yi laughed. “But killing you first is plenty.”
“....” Xue Changjing suddenly felt a powerful urge to kill the Temple Master’s reincarnation here and now!
He took a deep breath, then said mockingly, “Given your breadth of experience, you ought to be able to tell that anyone who fights here on the path of trials will suffer a backlash of the Laws, yet you just had to go and say something like that. If that’s the kind of person the Temple Master’s reincarnation is, I’ll be deeply disappointed.”
Su Yi said thoughtfully, “Are you trying to provoke me into attacking?”
Xue Changjing said flatly, “I’ll just stand here, unmoving. Do you dare attack me?”
Whoosh!
A section of gray vine shot out of Su Yi’s sleeves and whipped Xue Changjing’s face. Xue Changjing didn’t move, and his gaze was full of mockery.
Indeed, just as he expected, there was no need for him to do anything. The power of the Laws surged explosively forth, bearing down on Su Yi.
Bang!!
The gray vine exploded with the mysterious markings of the Grand Dao, and an aura of chaos rose into the air.
The descending power of the Laws instantly broke!
“Hm???” Xue Changjing’s pupils constricted.
Whap!!!
The vine ruthlessly whipped Xue Changjing’s face, leaving a bleeding gash. Even his cheekbone caved in. He staggered on his feet, just barely managing to stay upright.
“How is this possible!?” Xue Changjing was furious and visibly overcome with disbelief. His expression changed completely.
Back when he first entered the path of trials, he cautiously sensed his surroundings and determined that if he attacked, he was sure to suffer a backlash of the Laws.
The emissary, that spirit sparrow, had warned him, too. Trial-takers were forbidden from fighting amongst themselves.
Yet now, Su Yi had indeed attacked, and he had indeed suffered a backlash from the Laws... but he’d blocked it!
This was far too unbelievable!
“Come on, then. Stand still and don’t move.” Su Yi carried the section of vine, the very picture of a schoolteacher rebuking a misbehaving pupil.
Xue Changjing’s expression darkened. “That treasure you’re carrying...”
Before he could finish, Su Yi raised the section of vine once more.
How could Xue Changjing remain as unmoved as before? He immediately dodged further away.
But Su Yi followed immediately after, attacking relentlessly.
Boom!
The power of the Laws burst from the ritual grounds and ruthlessly suppressed Su Yi once more... only for the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine to cleave right through it.
Xue Changjing hadn’t gotten far, and in the end, he took yet another blow.
Bang!!
The back of his clothing tore open, and a bloody gash ripped open on his back. He gasped and clenched his teeth in pain.
“Su Xuanjun! You dare go against the Laws? Aren’t you afraid of reprisal?” Xue Changjing was startled and furious, and he shrieked at the top of his lungs.
“No,” Su Yi said without even pausing to think.
“....”
Before Xue Changjing could say anything, Su Yi raised the vine and attacked again.
This left Xue Changjing beside himself with anger. How could the Laws of the path of trials be so useless!?
They can’t even suppress a Profound Unity Emperor?
Were the Laws here nothing but empty posturing all along?
Something occurred to Xue Changjing. He gnashed his teeth, his gaze cold, cruel, and explosively murderous. He’d decided to attack with everything he had.
He refused to believe he couldn’t take down a Profound Unity kid with his late-stage Heavenly Longevity Realm cultivation!
Boom!
The sound of the Dao rumbled around Xue Changjing. Misty light scattered, his majestic aura instantly terrifying beyond limit. He was circulating the full extent of his cultivation base.
“Hah!” Xue Changjing bellowed, his hands forming seals. A swath of dazzling starlight condensed, bearing down on the void as it enveloped Su Yi.
But before it got close to him...
Bang!
An explosion rang out, and Xue Changjing was sent flying back. Blood sprayed from his mouth and nose, and he slammed to the ground several hundred feet away, utterly wretched.
“Why is this happening!?” Xue Changjing was so furious he launched into a series of curses. Dammit! Are there Laws or aren’t there? Su Xuanjun can break the rules as he pleases, and I can’t even fight back!? Fuck!”
He really was beside himself. His chest filled with indignation, and he was on the verge of going mad.
Su Yi couldn’t help but find this amusing. He grinned and walked right up, raising and swinging the vine once more.
Xue Changjing naturally didn’t dare clash with it head-on. He turned tail and fled like mad.
Alas, the ritual grounds were only a thousand feet across. Dodging without being able to fight back left him far too passive.
Before long, he took a strike to the buttocks, leaving him howling in pain. He clutched his butt cheeks and jumped into the air.
He was trying to shoot into outer space.
But one hundred and eight stars were waiting for him, all of them swathed in the power of the Laws.
When Xue Changjing drew near, they descended explosively upon him, flinging him to the ground. The impact left him seeing stars.
Before he could react, Su Yi swung the vine once more.
Bang!
Xue Changjing flew through the air like a top. His entire body was covered in bleeding wounds. His flesh was in tatters, his hair was disheveled, and his features were an indistinct meaty pulp. He was the very picture of misery.
He had none of the dignity of a World King he’d displayed earlier.
Were anyone from the Church of the River of Stars here to see this, they wouldn’t have been able to comprehend it. Who could have imagined their Celestial Palace Master tormented into such a state.
It was then that a rain of light surged forth, and the spirit sparrow appeared.
It gazed coldly at Su Yi, its voice indifferent. “Trial-taker, you're violating the rules of the path of trials!”
Xue Changjing was instantly excited. He waved his arms in the air and shouted hoarsely, “Esteemed Emissary, that Su guy is cheating! He’s shameless to the extreme, and he must be severely punished!!”
Cheating?
The spirit sparrow was stunned. He’s actually tormented a World King into such a state. He’s even accusing his opponent of cheating!
Su Yi laughed too. Xue Changjing’s anger must have gotten to his head for him to say something so childish and ludicrous.
“He didn’t cheat,” the sparrow explained patiently. “After all, the Laws did punish him and try to stop him from attacking you. It just... seems that it wasn’t very effective.”
“And you say that isn’t cheating!?” Xue Changjing’s eyes bulged.
“It doesn’t count as cheating,” said the sparrow. “Breaking the rules and cheating aren’t the same thing.”
“???” Xue Changjing was so angry that he trembled from head to toe, and he roared, “Is there no rhyme or reason in this world? No fairness? Or do honest folk who follow the rules deserve to be bullied!?”
Su Yi and the spirit sparrow looked at each other and laughed. Should a World King really be talking like that?
After a moment’s silence, the spirit sparrow said, “You can break the rules and attack too if you want.”
Xue Changjing’s face twitched. He fell silent.
A while later, he looked up, stared intently at the sparrow, and said emphatically, “If I die here, it’ll prove that the rules of your path of trials... are unfair!”
The spirit sparrow responded with a perfunctory, “Oh.”
This left Xue Changjing so furious that he felt the urge to crush the bird to death.
“How about this?” said Su Yi. “You can retract the power of the Laws here and give him an opportunity to fight me fairly.”
Xue Changjing was stunned; it seemed he couldn’t quite believe it. He looked at the sparrow.
After a moment’s silence, the spirit sparrow said, “That works too.”
It beat its wings, and the power of the Laws covering the ritual grounds disappeared completely.
Xue Changjing was instantly excited. His cultivation base rumbled and boomed, and his bellyful of grief and anger transformed into undisguised murderous intent.
His eyes glinted like knives, and he pointed at Su Yi. “Agreeing to fight me fairly was courageous indeed. In light of this, I’ll grant you a quick death!”
Boom!
Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he spat out a pale blue flying knife and flung it with all his strength.
“Cut!” The pale blue knife was as thin as a cicada’s wing, and as it flew, it filled the surrounding space with starlight. Xue Changjing had poured his entire cultivation base into this attack, and it was incomparably terrifying.
An opponent like this is no longer really worth looking at, thought Su Yi.
Whoosh!
A gray shadow shot forth, like a streak of flying light.
Crunch!
The pale blue flying knife split in midair, and the starlight dissipated with a bang.
Off in the distance, Xue Changjing’s eyes bulged, his lips trembled, and his voice started and stopped. “What a... fast.... Attack...”
Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, the spot between his eyes split, spraying piping hot, bright red blood.
He then toppled over backward.
As his corpse hit the ground, it dissipated into ash, disappearing into his surroundings.
Just like that, the Celestial Palace Master of the Church of the River of Stars had been destroyed, body and soul.
Not far away, Su Yi glanced down at the gray vine and sighed with admiration. “What a treasure.”
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