Chapter 102: Chapter 12: Sit, Please Sit, Please Take the Seat of Honor
By now, the escort team had arrived at the fortress gate. They were verifying their identities with the martial artists on guard duty and being let in one by one. Zhou Buyi and Mo Ganxiu were the first through. They were just about to tell their master and the others about their encounter with Su Zhou, but unexpectedly, his voice, infused with Spiritual Power, traveled from a great distance.
Using his Spiritual Power to project his voice, Su Zhou was direct and concise. Without any embellishment or exaggeration, he explained his fabricated identity, how he had beaten up Zhou Buyi and the others, and how he had killed several Demon Soldiers after learning the truth.
An uproar instantly broke out in the fortress.
After hearing this, the middle-aged Grandmaster stroked his beard, looking thoughtfully at his disciple. "Buyi, is what he said true?"
"Master... it’s true." Zhou Buyi, who had just been described as being defeated in a few short sentences, blushed but still confessed honestly. "Su Zhou—that’s the name he calls himself. At least, from what I saw, he truly had no malicious intent. I don’t know if it’s because his power is simply too great and he didn’t need to use his full strength against us, but in any case, we never saw any sign of the Undying Root flaring up on him during the fight. Apart from a faint trace of Wood Qi, he doesn’t even show the signs of erosion that Junior Martial Uncle Mo has."
"But Master, this Su Zhou is truly mysterious and strange. His self-healing speed is no less than a Demon General’s, and his pupils are like a Dragon’s Eye. Both his aura and his appearance are so majestic and handsome that he doesn’t seem like a normal human. I suspect... he might really be an inheritor from the Kunlun Divine Wood in the west, but he’s not human. He’s one of the legendary Demon Race!"
If Su Zhou had been there, he would have undoubtedly cursed, ’You’re the one who’s a demon!’ But the guess wasn’t entirely wrong; it was actually quite persuasive. The elderly, bald Grandmaster, at least, seemed to have an epiphany. "Legend has it that the Kunlun Lineage has always included many sacred beings from the Demon Race. A thousand years ago, Martial Saints from the Demon Race did indeed join the Celestial Spirit Martial God on Kunlun Divine Mountain to suppress Demons and Evils... If he is from the Demon Race and only emerged from the mountains due to the recent fluctuations in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, it would be perfectly normal for him not to know about the great calamity that has afflicted the Human World for the last several decades."
"But that raises a question. What is he doing all the way over here at Taibai Volcano? The distance between Kunlun Mountain and Taibai Mountain spans the entire Divine Land!"
"Who are you?"
The middle-aged Grandmaster empowered this question with his Inner Strength and sent it echoing out. Not long after, Su Zhou’s reply came from afar.
"Just a passing knight who rights wrongs for fun!"
...?
Conversing from such a great distance was truly inefficient. To be cautious, the three Grandmasters took a few skilled men and went out to meet Su Zhou.
As they got closer, the middle-aged Grandmaster became even more convinced of his eldest disciple’s guess. The young man before them was handsome, but one could still see a hint of genuine youthful immaturity that a Grandmaster who had undergone Rejuvenation would not have. Moreover, his eyes shimmered with a violet-green Spiritual Light, and his pupils resembled a Dragon Pupil. He possessed a Suppression that felt less human and more like that of a savage beast.
Su Zhou, in turn, sized up the three Grandmasters with great interest. The leader, who introduced himself as ’Li Xingde, with the courtesy name Daoran,’ was Zhou Buyi’s master. But the two’s temperaments and Cultivation Techniques were quite different. Li Daoran was clearly a Daoist School expert, while Zhou Buyi’s learning was mixed—the Swordsmanship he’d used to fight was clearly from the Legalist School.
’But that’s not important.’ Su Zhou turned to look at the other two Grandmasters. The one with hair said nothing, merely watching him cautiously, his gaze as sharp as a sword, as if dissecting his very flesh and bone. The bald one was a bit farther away. He chuckled and said his surname was ’Wei,’ carried a large bow on his back, and though he had no scars, he exuded an extremely heavy Slaughter Qi, as if he had spent years in military formations.
Behind the three of them were eight martial artists holding long spears, nervously pointing the tips at him.
’In terms of Spiritual Power Cultivation, they’re all about the same as me. But when it comes to physical constitution, they’re far inferior.’
The atmosphere wasn’t very friendly, but Su Zhou didn’t mind. He had also just analyzed the relative strengths of both sides and determined that even if things turned hostile, these three couldn’t stop him from leaving.
’Sigh, so my Talent is this strong? As expected of me!’
"May I ask, young knight, what is your purpose for this journey?"
"I heard that the Anx Dynasty is tyrannical and unjust, so I’ve volunteered to lend you a hand. Look, the head of a Demon Soldier."
With a laugh, Su Zhou took out the Demon Soldier’s head and casually tossed it on the ground. The head rolled, giving everyone a clear view.
"Is that so..."
Looking at the dead Demon Soldier, the faces of the Grandmasters and the other martial artists showed a mixture of solemnity and satisfaction. Su Zhou could also tell that although they didn’t have much hostility towards him, they probably didn’t believe much of his story about his origins. He had no choice but to continue the misdirection: "Of course, it’s also for that Immortal Banyan Tree... I came here specifically because I heard about it from the escort team. For the sake of my lineage’s legacy, it must be completely eradicated!"
’Although the main reason is to get stronger, the fundamental purpose of my trip to this Otherworld is for the safety of Earth—to eliminate the incarnation of an Evil God! That’s the absolute truth.’ As he thought this, the long-haired, elderly Grandmaster, who had been silently observing Su Zhou, nodded slowly and said flatly, "Everything he just said was the truth. He’s credible."
It turned out he could tell whether people were lying. It seemed the Grandmasters here all had their own specializations. Although the higher-level Spiritual Qi Cultivation Methods had been lost, all sorts of refined techniques had flourished.
Upon hearing this, the other two Grandmasters felt a wave of relief. ’An inheritor from a hidden lineage on a Divine Mountain, descending to vanquish demons and defend the righteous path? Or a conflict between the lineages of two different Divine Woods? Whichever it is, the motive is far more understandable.’
"Younger Brother Su, we believe you. But forgive our rudeness, there is still one thing we need to confirm... Please!"
Although he understood, some things simply had to be done.
Having said that, Li Daoran took a step forward. He surged his Inner Strength, and instantly, the snow and dust within a two-meter radius of him exploded outward. Ice Crystals formed a spiraling sphere that orbited his body.
The next moment, this rapidly spinning, surging Inner Strength transformed into a Gale from the High Heavens, carrying a sharp, cutting intent. Then, like a wall of air, it pressed down on Su Zhou!
One of the signature abilities of a Grandmaster was to project their Inner Strength out of their body, enhance their weapons, and even control the surrounding atmosphere for offense! Ordinary arrows and mob attacks were completely useless; a single person could move unhindered through an army formation!
"A test of strength? I like it!"
Su Zhou’s eyes lit up. He gave a casual, unconcerned laugh, then also gathered the Spiritual Power around him. He used ’Gathering Qi in the Body’ to stabilize his core, then activated ’Qi Manipulation and Sky Breaking’ to channel Sacred Geometry, solidifying his Spiritual Power into a triangular formation. The violet-green Spiritual Power burned like a raging fire as it pressed back against Li Daoran!
BOOM! A fierce wind suddenly erupted on the relatively flat mountainside, kicking up snow and dust.
A moment later, Li Daoran stumbled back three steps. The frozen ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch. His robes billowed, and his face was a mask of shock and doubt. To be honest, Li Daoran felt as if his Inner Strength had just crashed not into a person, but into an expanding, exploding inferno, into a solid mountain!
This young man’s Inner Strength was so profound it was in no way inferior to his own, that of a veteran Grandmaster who had been cultivating for decades... Not only that, but the opponent’s Inner Strength was also extremely pure and solid, as if it were tangible. It even had a trace of... ’Innate’ quality?!
While Li Daoran was lost in shocked contemplation, the dust and snow settled, revealing Su Zhou’s figure. He was still standing in his original spot, the Spiritual Power around him faintly forming the shape of a regular tetrahedron.
Forget about retreating, his expression hadn’t even changed. Su Zhou was still smiling, as if he hadn’t clashed with Li Daoran’s Inner Strength at all.
"Is that enough?"
He asked.
The other two Grandmasters exchanged a look, then one stepped forward and cupped his fist. "Please enlighten me!"
...
"Younger Brother Su, please, come in!"
"Someone, prepare the seat of honor!"
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Dear readers, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
I was going to post a separate announcement, but it felt unnecessary. I wanted to release an extra Chapter, but the book hasn’t gone premium yet, so I could only sigh helplessly. This 4000-word Chapter is better than nothing.
I’ll save the rest for the burst release when it goes premium at the end of the month.
