Chapter 937: A Late Night Conversation
Black fog hovered in the air. Blood-colored lightning interwove, and an air of destruction permeated heaven and earth.
From time to time, blood-colored lightning descended upon a graceful figure, scattering electric sparks.
However, that graceful figure didn’t care in the least.
Her gait was elegant and composed, and her beauty was unsurpassed.
It was only after she emerged from the Great Chaos Ruins that her appearance was clearly discernible.
Her flowing, long blue hair was tied up behind her head, and her unadorned, ink-black dress offset her snowy skin and bright eyes.
Her face was as pure and exquisite as a young woman’s. Her lips were as red as fire, and her eyes were bright. There was an unearthly charm about her features.
Her beauty was enough to astonish the masses, but she was cold, cruel, and indifferent as a goddess, or a sovereign gazing down upon the masses.
The Netherworld King!
The expert who’d struck terror into the hearts of the trillions of inhabitants of the Netherworld in ancient times!
The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow’s voice shook with excitement. “Your Excellency, you really broke free!”
“No, my true body remains confined at the bottom of the Great Chaos Ruins.” The Netherworld King shook her head. “What you see now is merely an incarnation I condensed by absorbing and refining the source power of the City of the Wrongfully Dead with my blood and qi. It’s like a spiritual dharma body. You can just think of it as an avatar.”
Only then did the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow understand. “Your Excellency, since this avatar was condensed from the source energies of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, can’t it leave the City of the Wrongfully Dead with ease?”
The Netherworld King snapped her fingers. “Clever bird.”
The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow’s blood-red eyes lit up. “Wonderful! It might just be an avatar, but it seems to me that even if we searched the Netherworld, we’d barely find anyone capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with it!”
“Little crow,” said the Netherworld King, “don’t look down on the Netherworld. This boundlessly vast realm is far more unbelievable than you can imagine.”
As she spoke, she was already walking into the distance.
The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow hurriedly beat its wings and followed her. “Your Excellency, don’t tell me you’re headed to the Sea of Bitterness?”
“That’s right. Su Xuanjun and I might have a ten-year agreement, but I’m a bit worried. What am I supposed to do if something happens to him in the interim?”
Her eyes glistened like sunlight reflected on the water as she said slowly, “After all, he doesn’t just hide the secrets of reincarnation; he also has the power to contend with the Laws of Heavenly Prayer!”
Here, her eyes surged with bloody light and a hint of fanaticism. “So nothing can happen to him. Even if something does happen to him, I have to be the one that makes it happen!”
The Netherworld Crow’s heart shook as it realized that the Netherworld King was leaving to target Su Xuanjun!
Then, it said with great concern, “Your Excellency, although Su Xuanjun is currently only in the Spiritual Revolution Realm, his abilities are mighty and far-reaching, and he has countless cards up his sleeves. Please, whatever you do, don’t underestimate him.”
It had suffered major losses at Su Yi’s hands, and more than once at that. A dark shadow lingered over its heart even now.
It couldn’t help but worry about the Netherworld King’s safety.
The Netherworld King’s red lips curved into a playful smile. “An avatar, that’s all. Even if I play with fire and get burnt, what’s the harm?”
Suddenly, something seemed to occur to her, and she said excitedly, “And what if the opposite happens? It would naturally be best if I could conquer that guy early!
“Little crow, don’t cause any trouble in the City of the Wrongfully Dead while I’m away. After all, I promised Su Xuanjun that my forces wouldn’t make any movements within the next ten years.”
“Understood!”
……
A massive uproar spread throughout Snowy Skies City.
“The Mysterious Netherworld Divine Court lost badly! They lost three Dark Vassals, six libationers, and a whole group of dharma protectors!”
“And all of the Emperors they’d captured and imprisoned have been freed!”
“Rumor has it that a mysterious senior took action, thwarting the Mysterious Netherworld Divine Court’s schemes and ruining their attempt to rescue the Netherworld King!”
“For real?”
“Hah, you really lack experience. Just now, a whole group of prominent Emperors from Meng Po Palace, Yellow Springs Palace, and Fire Illumination Palace returned to Snowy Skies City!”
…Similar conversations took place on every street and alleyway.
Later that very night, yet another shocking piece of news spread——
A group of those experts trapped in the Dark Capital had received the aid of a mysterious expert, and they’d left the City of the Wrongfully Dead alive.
A single stone could create a thousand waves.
The entire city instantly boiled over.
Not long ago, the destruction of the Yin-Yang Road and the changes to the Dark Capital shocked the entire Netherworld. Countless people were affected.
Many of the peak orthodoxies pessimistically assumed that the trapped experts would never return alive.
Who’d have thought that, tonight, an entire group of them would return alive and well?
“My heavens! Don't tell me that the same mysterious senior both defeated the Mysterious Netherworld Divine Courtandfreed the experts trapped in the Dark Capital?”
“I’m sure of it!”
“Does anyone know who that mysterious senior was?”
“I have no idea.”
“He really accomplished something huge without so much as leaving his name behind.”
Snowy Skies City was in uproar. Countless cultivators were discussing what had happened, and numerous experts of peak factions immediately sent word back.
All of them were well aware that both the defeat of the Mysterious Netherworld Divine Court and the release of the experts trapped in the Dark Capital were earth-shaking developments sure to throw the entire Netherworld into uproar!
“Third Libationer, we should begin our journey back to the sect,” Lu Changming said with a smile. He was in high spirits; they hadn’t just saved Third Libationer Xiao Beiye. Even the Emissary of the River formerly confined within the Dark Capital had escaped.
Lu Changming was naturally eager to return to Meng Po Palace.
“Martial Uncle, should we report what really happened?” Yuan Linning couldn’t help but ask.
Lu Changming fell silent. “As we’re both aware, Ancestor Mo Wuhen respects Su Yi very highly. We should therefore tell him and him alone. Whether Ancestor Mo Wuhen tells others or not is entirely up to him.”
Yuan Linning nodded.
That very night, the group set off.
Similar scenes took place between members of Yellow Springs Palace and Fire Illumination Divine Palace, among others.
After everything they’d experienced, they were unwilling to linger in Snowy Skies City, and they were eager to return to their sects right away.
As for details about Su Yi’s involvement? All of them had agreed not to divulge them. They naturally wouldn’t spread any of it.
Thus, even as Snowy Skies City descended into uproar, few knew just who that “mysterious senior” was.
At dusk, the skies were misty. Night was fast approaching.
A certain smithy.
The tall, stalwart A’Cheng was busy hammering away at a piece of metal.
Su Yi was seated in the crude courtyard behind the workshop, enjoying the fine wine the blacksmith had prepared.
You Xue and Ye Yu sat to the sides, having a whispered, private conversation.
The dim yellow light of the lamps highlighted their two distinctive and unmatched charms.
One was as cold as snow, while the other was graceful and quiet.
Each had her advantages.
“The Book of Diting really is an excellent treasure,” Su Yi said ruefully; he was a bit reluctant to part with it.
The simply-dressed, stony-faced man smiled faintly. “How could this treasure compare to your Tiny Heart of the Cosmos?”
Su Yi drained a cup of wine, then asked, “Aren’t you curious about what I did in the City of the Wrongfully Dead?”
“You came back alive,” said the simply-dressed man. “That’s proof that this matter has already been resolved. Discussing the matter any further would be dull. Besides, I’m afraid someone of your disposition couldn’t be bothered to describe such trivial matters in laborious detail.”
Su Yi laughed. “You understand me.”
In Su Yi’s eyes, defeating the Mysterious Netherworld Court and rescuing the trapped experts from the Dark Capital really were trivial matters.
“But this time, I had an unexpected harvest, and I’d like to hear your opinion,” Su Yi said solemnly.
The simply-dressed man’s eyes narrowed, then sat upright and meticulously attentive. “For you to bring it up of your own volition, it can’t possibly be simple. If I can help you, I naturally won’t refuse.”
Su Yi nodded, then described his encounter with the Executioner Mo Chuan.
He then described his encounter with the Netherworld King, including their verbal confrontation.
By the time he’d heard the full story, the simply dressed middle-aged man’s brow furrowed slightly. “This is my first time hearing of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, but I do know that the Netherworld King really did steal a blade of Heaven-Deceiving Grass from the Deva Division.
“And it’s indeed that incident that utterly enraged the monarch of the infernal palace, resulting in disaster and confinement for the Netherworld King.
“There’s no getting around it: the Netherworld King’s strength is incomparably terrifying. The Laws of the Grand Dao she’s mastered are as unyielding as the wrath of the heavens.
“The monarch of the Infernal Palace joined forces with the ancestors of the Cui Family and the old-timers of the Bureaus of the Six Paths, calling upon all manner of divine artifacts, and even then, they merely managed to imprison her.
Here, he too paused to drink a cup of wine. “According to you, the Netherworld King will be able to escape confinement within ten years. That will truly lead to enormous trouble.”
His brow furrowed tightly, and he was a bit worried.
Because the Infernal Palace had long since ceased to exist, and the ancient families that oversaw the Bureaus of the Six Paths had long since split up. If the Netherworld King attempted revenge, the consequences would be unimaginably dire.
Su Yi laughed. “It’s unusual to see you so afraid of someone.”
The simply-dressed man froze, but a moment later, his frown faded, and he seemed to relax. “Whatever dread I might feel, I no longer need to worry about the Netherworld King stirring up waves.”
“Why is that?” Su Yi asked in surprise.
The simply dressed man said as if it were perfectly obvious, “Because although the Netherworld no longer has its Infernal Palace and its mighty sovereigns capable of intimidating the masses, it still has Su Xuanjun.”
“....”
Su Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why do you always try to foist all the responsibility onto me?”
The simply dressed middle-aged man refilled Su Yi’s cup. “Earlier, you said you’d made a ten-year agreement with the Netherworld King.”
Su Yi rubbed his nose, but his mood was spoiled. “Never mind that. Let’s drink.” He raised his cup and drained it.
The simply dressed man’s eyes flashed with a hint of a smile. “Earlier, you said you wanted to hear my opinion. All I can say is, the Netherworld King has already realized that you’ve mastered the secrets of reincarnation, and that you have means of countering the Laws of Heavenly Prayer. She’s sure to do everything in her power to subdue you.”
He paused, then said seriously, “Therefore, only you can resolve this karma.”
After a moment’s silence, Su Yi looked up at the simply dressed middle-aged man. “You can’t just remain a spectator, though. You ought to make a token contribution, too.”
The simply-dressed man looked at him strangely. “This is what you’re really after, isn’t it, Su Xuanjun? Let’s hear it then: which of my treasures have you set your sights on this time?”
Follow current nov𝒆ls on freew(𝒆)bnov𝒆l.(c)om