Chapter 304: A Storm Descends Upon the Capital
The battle that occurred in the Cloud-Scraping Army’s camp on the tenth day of the fourth lunar month was destined to enter the annals of the Great Zhou’s history.
This was because, in days gone by, no Grandmaster had ever slain an Earthly Immortal.
This undoubtedly set a new precedent, and the implications were extraordinary!
That night.
Within the imperial city, the Jade Capital, word of Su Yi’s exploits took the city by storm.
“Su Yi, the son of a concubine, is really this outrageously strong?”
“It’s to the point that people are starting to suspect that he’s been possessed. If that’s true, whoever’s occupied his body is surely some shockingly powerful old monster!”
“Not necessarily. They say that in the Great Xia, a young man called Li Handeng once killed an Earthly Immortal while he was still a Xiantian Martial Ancestor. Li Handeng might be a monstrous talent, but he certainly isn’t possessed.”
“This world… Seems increasingly off-kilter….”
All kinds of discussions rang out throughout the capital. The larger factions were all shaken, as were some prominent figures of the older generation who’d long since gone into seclusion.
The power Su Yi had displayed in today’s battle was simply too terrifying.
He was only seventeen, but he used his cultivation as a third-level Grandmaster to slay an Earthly Immortal from the Great Qin’s Profound Moon Sect. This completely overturned their collective imaginations.
Before this, none of them would have thought a mortal martial artist, a Grandmaster, could kill an Earthly Immortal!
“Su Yi left the Imperatorial Provincial Capital on the fourth, and he’s already arrived in the White Province. At this rate, he’ll reach the Jade Capital in just a few days! How… How will the Su Family respond to this?”
“How will His Majesty respond to this?”
“When Su Yi arrives, what kind of a storm will he bring to the Jade Capital?”
….The various factions of the Jade Capital were all speculating about this.
Before this, although Su Yi had displayed enormous power back in the Imperatorial Province, the major factions of the Jade Capital weren’t particularly interested.
After all, the Imperatorial Province was far too remote; it wasn’t at all comparable to the Jade Capital.
Yet now, Su Yi had displayed power sufficient to slay even an Earthly Immortal. Who dared underestimate him now?
It was no exaggeration to say that, following this battle, not one member of the Great Zhou’s younger generation was worth comparing to him.
Even Xiantian Martial Ancestors had no choice but to lower their heads!
Any major faction of the Great Zhou would view someone like this with respect!
It wasn’t a peaceful night for the Su Family either.
“The Third Young Master left home at fourteen, and suffered an accident at sixteen, losing his entire cultivation base. He was cast out of Blueriver Sword Manor, and he sank to becoming a live-in son-in-law of Guangling City’s Wen Family… It’s only been a little over a year since then, but he… he can even kill Earthly Immortals?”
“Our Third Young Master has been scorned from a young age and cursed as an unworthy and unfilial descendant. Now that he’s grown up and gotten strong, he’s sure to come back to settle the score!”
“Shhh! Be quiet!”
Within the Su Family, even the servants were beside themselves with shock when they found out about this.
And the higher-ups? When they heard the news, they found it difficult to rest at ease.
Verdant Parasol Courtyard.
Su Hongli’s residence.
It was the middle of the night, and stars dotted the sky, only barely visible through layers of misty clouds.
A group of Su Family higher-ups stood outside. All of them were awaiting further news.
Pick any member of the group at random, and you’d have someone who could intimidate an entire region with a single stomp of their foot. All of them wielded vast and far-reaching authority.
Yet now, they were as silent as clay statues; they dared not utter a sound.
Meanwhile, within the residence itself, Su Hongli wore wide-sleeved roses, and he sat leisurely in a lamplit hall.
There were three others there with him. They were, respectively, his fourth wife, You Qingzhi, their son, Su Boning, and a thin, elderly Daoist with a detached, transcendent bearing.
You Qingzhi stood in the center of the grand hall, her beautiful face pallid. It was as if she’d lost her soul.
Su Boning stood off to the side, his eyebrows tightly knit. His expression was utterly overcast and uncertain.
Su Hongli waved. “You can leave.”
You Qingzhi was stunned, and her heart surged with deep bitterness. “Husband, this time, it wasn’t just Li Changning who died. My nephew, You Xinglin, died too. This incident…”
She’d only just said this when she sensed Su Hongli’s gaze turning toward her. You Qingzhi jumped, then quivered from head to toe; she dared not say anymore.
“I’ve made my decision,” said Su Hongli expressionlessly. “Go tell the others that the sky hasn’t fallen, and they should attend to their business as usual.”
You Qingzhi took a deep breath, forced down her rage, grief, and bitterness, then nodded. “Alright.”
However, Su Boning couldn’t hold it in. He clasped his fist and bowed. “Father, after his incident, who knows how many citizens of the Jade Capital are laughing at our Su Family? You… Aren’t you angry?”
You Qingzhi’s expression changed dramatically, and she immediately chastised her son. “Boning, you can’t talk to your father like that! Your father has made his decision, and it’s not your place to question him. Hurry up and come with me.”
With that, she grabbed him, turned, and dragged him away.
From beginning to end, Su Hongli’s expression remained calm. He didn’t say a word.
It was only after You Qingzhi and Su Boning disappeared from Verdant Parasol Courtyard that a melancholy look rose unbidden to Su Hongli’s face. He sighed, “That boy is good in every way, except he’s too flighty and impetuous. It’s obvious that his mother has spoiled him rotten.”
The Daoist elder beside him laughed and said gently, “He’s young; it’s unavoidable. He just needs more tempering going forward.”
Su Hongli nodded, then glanced at the elder. “Daoist Brother, how do you view this matter?”
The old man’s smile faded. After a moment’s silence, he said, “Li Changning’s cultivation was in the Grain Avoidance Realm of the Origin Dao. In the Great Qin, he was among the top three among those of his cultivation, and he inherited his skills from the White Flood Dragon Monarch. Throughout the Great Qin, less than ten people would be capable of killing him.”
He paused, his eyes flashing. “That Su Yi, with his third-level Grandmaster cultivation, managed to kill someone like Li Changning really is a bit bizarre, but if you look closely, there are two possible explanations.”
Su Hongli waved. “No need to discuss the possibility that he’s been possessed. Let’s hear the other possibility.”
His tone carried a trace of loathing and rejection.
The Daoist elder nodded, then straightened his back before saying, “The second possibility is that Su Yi received the legacy of a mighty otherworld cultivator! Ancient texts record that some almighty experts can use their souls to empower others directly. Those who receive a legacy in such a way are effectively enlightened overnight. They can instantly comprehend a portion of said lofty expert’s knowledge and experience, which they can use to achieve rapid growth in their cultivations.
“As you’re well aware, Fellow Daoist, the true path of cultivation begins from the Martial Dao’s Blood Circulation Realm, but each step of the journey hides profound secrets. The cultivation techniques and legacies of mundane martial artists are far from comparable to those used by true cultivators.
“If Su Yi is such a person, that means that he stepped onto the path of a true cultivator right from the start. Add that to having received a mighty expert’s inheritance, and it’s only natural that the power at his disposal far surpasses martial artists of the mundane world.”
Having said this, the elder Daoist couldn’t help but sigh. “Li Changning might have been strong, but he was, ultimately, a cultivator born and raised on the Azure Continent, and he was merely in the Grain Avoidance Realm. He was far removed from a mighty otherworld expert as ants are from us.”
Su Hongli’s gaze focused somewhat. “I reached a similar conclusion, but I still cannot understand just where that unworthy child obtained his legacy. He’s been to Bloodthistle Yao Mountain and Treasure Temple Yao Mountain, but I’ve visited both as well, and aside from the two sealed spatial barriers, there’s nothing worthy of notice there.”
The elder suddenly smiled faintly. “Fellow Daoist, do you remember the Sea-Swallowing King’s incomparably cowardly disciple?”
“That little Daoist, Ge Qian?” Su Hongli’s eyebrows shifted upward.
“That’s him.” The elder nodded. “The boy is hiding some enormous secret on his person; I suspect he’s received the inheritance of a mighty expert. However, he’s incomparably cautious and alert, and he keeps all signs of anything unusual hidden at all times.”
“But although he doesn’t know it, his master, Ge Changling, has long since picked up some clues. He simply hasn’t seen fit to expose Ge Qian.” The old man laughed, “Not long ago, I paid Ge Changling a visit. I wanted to see Ge Qian while I was there too, but it was as if he anticipated my arrival; he left before I arrived. Apparently, he’s exploring the Dark Sea north of the Great Zhou.”
“Daoist Brother, you think my unworthy son is like Ge Qian, and that he too hides the inheritance of a lofty expert?” asked Su Hongli.
The elderly Daoist started to speak, then hesitated.
But Su Hongli seemed to understand what he was getting at, and he pre-emptively cut him off. “There’s no way the boy has been possessed. Otherwise, why would he remain so fixated on… avenging his mother?”
As he spoke that last part, his tone carried a hint of iciness.
The elder fell silent for a while before saying, “Fellow Daoist, unless something unexpected happens, Su Yi will reach the Jade Capital shortly. You… How do you plan to respond?”
Su Hongli’s bearing was leisurely and relaxed as he said flatly, “I originally said that I’d give him a chance to turn over a new leaf and repent. His deadline was to be the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. However, when he killed Xia Houlin and the others, I decided that even if he lowers his head and admits to his crimes, come the fifth, I won’t spare him.
His tone was calm, yet it left no room for doubt or arguments.
It seemed that Su Yi killing Li Changning didn’t make him feel any additional pressure.
The elderly Daoist pondered for a moment, then said, “But if you do that, and if Su Yi visits the Su Family estate on the fourth as he said he would, I’m afraid he’ll cause a massive incident.”
Su Hongli smiled, but he thought nothing of it. “If he’s gotten a swelled head after killing Li Changning and thinks he can act as he pleases, he is deeply and thoroughly mistaken.”
It was then that a respectful voice resounded from outside the grand hall:
“Your Excellency, His Excellency the state preceptor has arrived!”
Su Hongli didn’t seem at all surprised. He turned to the elderly Daoist and said, “See? Even ol’ Hong Shenshang can’t keep calm.”
The elder laughed. “The state preceptor has always suspected that something strange is going on with Su Yi. Su Yi killed Li Changning; it’s inevitable that this would catch Hong Shenshang’s attention.”
He paused, then said, “Furthermore, it’s highly likely that the state preceptor is here on behalf of the emperor.”
Su Hongli’s eyes flashed. He faced the outside of the grand hall and ordered, “Invite the state preceptor in.”
Shortly afterward.
A man as tall and upright as a pine appeared in the distance, then walked over. In long gray robes, he looked distinctive and elegant. His long hair was bound up with a jade hairpin, and his features were clear, with a warm look on his face.
Except for his eyes. They shone with faint golden light, and whenever he looked around, his gaze seemed to peer into the deepest recesses of the human heart, laying all secrets bare. It was extremely intimidating.
This was the current state preceptor of the Great Zhou, as well as the palace master of Phoenix Pass Academy, Hong Shenshang!
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