Chapter 3063 - Seen Through

The Master of the Four Seas? Su Yi laughed the title off. He wasn’t particularly fussed about the four hegemons’ submission, either.

That was just how he was; he’d never valued authority, nor had he ever been interested in ruling over others. Compared to his pursuit of the Grand Dao, all such things were as fleeting as the passing clouds.

Still, there was no denying that authority over the Four Seas came with immense benefits. He could even rebuild the Heart-Tempering Sword House somewhere in these waters.

When the time came, what Heavenly Sovereign faction would dare to offend them?

After meeting with the emissaries, Su Yi left with Sect Leader Lu Mu. He left all the arrangements needed following the four great factions’ surrender to River Ancestor Luo Yu.

This was the advantage of having subordinates.

“I’ve got to say, I would never have anticipated that the hegemons of the Four Seas would surrender so quickly. It’s truly shocking,” Lu Mu said with a sigh.

The Master of the Four Seas! The weight of that title was extraordinarily heavy. No one had ever managed to dominate all Four Seas like this before.

A moment later, Lu Mu changed tacks. “But I’ve got to say, for them, this surrender is likely cause for celebration.”

Su Yi blinked in surprise. “What makes you say that?”

Lu Mu explained, “Even River Ancestors are no match for you, Your Excellency. How could the four hegemons possibly fail to realize the implications?

“Opposing you means risking annihilation, while surrendering means they’ll enjoy your protection going forward. Anyone with a functional brain would know what they ought to do next.”

Here, he concluded, “By submitting, they’ve turned disaster into good fortune!”

Su Yi smiled, then offered a comment of his own. “They have no choice but to make the best of the situation.”

He then returned to his residence and sank into his wicker chair.

Now that he thought about it, it was rather interesting that in this lifetime, not counting the Sword of the Nine Hells, none had accompanied him longer than his trusty wicker chair.

Other people and treasures could only accompany him for part of his journey.

“Your Excellency Su, this is a copy of the secret map.” Lu Mu handed Su Yi a jade slip with both hands.

Su Yi accepted it, then examined it and committed the entire map to memory before handing the slip back.

The map wasn’t complicated, but it was this very map that had almost brought disaster upon the entire sect.

The reason was simple. The map was connected to the Eternal Throne lost in the Sea of Fate!

“Your Excellency Su, might I ask if you need help on your trip to the Sea of Fate?” asked Lu Mu.

Su Yi shook his head slightly. “I’ll take Hu Chan and Luo Yu with me. That will be enough.”

A moment later, he said, “But before I go to the Sea of Fate, I need to visit Shattered Star City. Do you have any information?”

“We do!” said Lu Mu. He then immediately took out another jade slip.

Su Yi accepted it. “I won’t keep you here any longer, then.”

He was effectively kicking Lu Mu out. Lu Mu considerately bade farewell and left.

Su Yi watched him leave, then drank from a jug of wine.

After leaving Su Yi’s residence, Lu Mu hurried to the cliff halfway up the mountain and flipped his palm. A gray talisman floated into the air.

Crack!

Lu Mu shattered it, and a beam of gray light shot through the air and vanished into the distant sea of clouds.

Once he’d finished, Lu Mu turned and was just about to leave when his pupils constricted. He wasn’t sure when, but Su Yi was now standing not far away, gazing at him in silence.

Su Yi sighed. “Yan Feizhen, you really just won’t quit pestering me.”

Yan Feizhen was Heavenly Sovereign E’s true name.

Lu Mu’s eyes flashed, and he was just about to explain when Su Yi interrupted him. “I’ll be direct with you. I’ll visit Shattered Star City tomorrow. If you’re bold enough, fight me when I get there. If you’re too afraid, hurry up and scram!”

He wasn’t the least bit polite.

Lu Mu fell briefly silent, then laughed. “You even saw through this disguise? You sure live up to your reputation, Destiny’s Chosen.”

Su Yi took out the jade slip Lu Mu had given him earlier. “You did something to this, didn’t you?”

Lu Mu shook his head. “Time is short. There was no time for me to try anything. On that, you can rest assured.”

He furrowed his brow in confusion. “When did you first suspect I’d invaded Lu Mu’s awareness?”

Su Yi said directly, “When I was rushing to Crimson Kite Daoist Court a few days ago.”

Lu Mu blinked. “But you hadn’t even laid eyes on Lu Mu yet. How could you possibly know that something had happened to him?”

“I wasn’t certain. I merely suspected,” said Su Yi. “When you arranged for Luo Yun’an to spread word that I was working with Crimson Kite Daoist Court, I suspected you had ulterior motives, and I was all but certain you had hidden arrangements.”

He paused, then continued, “I just wasn’t sure what those hidden countermeasures were.”

Lu Mu sighed. “I understand. My plans were a bit obvious, and I left too much evidence. That’s why I piqued your suspicions.”

“How about it? Dare you end things with me once and for all?” asked Su Yi.

Lu Mu smiled. “Very well. Let’s meet in Shattered Star City. So long as you show up, I guarantee you a delightful surprise!”

A wisp of strange, flowing light shot out of Lu Mu, then took on the appearance of Heavenly Sovereign E.

This was a wisp of soul power.

“Bear this in mind: you must bring the Cauldron of Fate. Otherwise, I won’t accompany you!” said Heavenly Sovereign E’s wisp of soul as he faded away.

Lu Mu stood there in a daze. A long time passed before he came back to his senses with a shudder.

“Your Excellency Su, just now...”

“It was nothing, and it’s already over,” said Su Yi. He didn’t explain.

Heavenly Sovereign E’s methods were despicable, but there was no denying that he had the bearing of a Heavenly Sovereign.

At the very least, he hadn’t killed either Yun Rong or Lu Mu despite having had the opportunity. This was enough to improve Su Yi’s opinion of the man. Of course, only by a little.

...

The following morning, Su Yi, River Ancestor Luo Yu, and River Ancestor Hu Chan set off, leaving Crimson Kite Daoist Court.

The sect’s higher-ups all came to see them off.

Yun Rong was there, too. She watched Su Yi leave, but although she was reluctant and sad to see him go, she managed to endure.

Meeting such a benefactor was an enormous stroke of good fortune, one she knew she had to treasure.

......

Shattered Star City was a city of the dead. The whole place lay in ruin.

They said that during the Devastation, Shattered Star City was massive and prosperous. They called it the “Heart of the Southern Sea.”

But now, it was desolate and bleak. Everything lay in ruin, and the dense stench of blood and baleful qi hung in the air. Neither had dissipated even after the passage of countless years.

There was no good fortune to speak of in the ruins, so cultivators seldom visited the city. The place was all but abandoned.

Currently, in the heart of Shattered Star City, a group sat or stood in the ruins of a palace, conversing amongst themselves.

“We only just arrived in the Southern Sea, but now, it seems Su Yi has become some sort of ‘Master of the Four Seas.’ He sure knows how to cause a commotion.”

The speaker was dressed in apricot-yellow Daoist robes, and he cut a seemingly righteous figure. This was none other than Heavenly Sovereign Changhen of the Court of the Southern Heavens.

He was seated on the ground, a kettle of tea in front of him. Its soothing fragrance wafted into the air.

“Fellow Daoist Yan, is there some special reason you chose Shattered Star City as our meeting place?” asked Heavenly Sovereign Wen. He stood not far away, surveying the wreckage from atop a collapsed wall.

Heavenly Sovereign E was playing an ethereal melody on a bamboo flute. He looked calm and serene.

He slowly looked up at Heavenly Sovereign Wen. “This city has extraordinary origins, as well as a ruined, underground hidden realm from the Devastation.”

A ruined hidden realm? The other Heavenly Sovereigns were instantly intrigued.

Heavenly Sovereign Ling had been dozing this entire time, but when he heard that, his eyes opened. “What’s special about it?”

Heavenly Sovereign E said calmly, “There’s nothing special about it per se, but it contains a portion of a power known as Celestial Decay. When it erupts, it can corrode even the bodies of Heavenly Sovereigns and invade their hearts.

“I’ve placed a formation over the hidden realm. With it, I can control the power of Celestial Decay. If I catch them off guard, I’ll be able to destroy both Su Yi and his followers.”

The Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances. Everything made sense now. They could tell that Heavenly Sovereign E had been preparing for a long time, all in the name of killing Su Yi.

Heavenly Sovereign Wen sighed. “In the past, what need would we have had to go to such lengths just to destroy Su Yi? We could have just crushed him. But now...”

He left the rest unsaid, but his meaning was readily apparent. Su Yi was nothing as he’d been before!

“He is, after all, the reincarnation of the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City. And if he weren’t strong, there’d have been no need for us old-timers to work together,” Heavenly Sovereign E said softly.

There were currently four Heavenly Sovereigns gathered in Shattered Star City. Moreover, Heavenly Sovereign Yaoguang and Heavenly Sovereign Wuxu were on their way.

All of this was to achieve two goals: killing Su Yi and acquiring the lost Eternal Throne!

Only matters of such importance could motivate Heavenly Sovereigns to take action personally.

“Fellow Daoist Yan, do we need to make any further preparations?” asked Heavenly Sovereign Changhen.

The incident in the Divine Wandering Continent had served as a lesson. This time, all of them came prepared with various taboo killer weapons.

Heavenly Sovereign E shook his head. “He’s now accompanied by two River Ancestors. It would be best if we could avoid a battle and force him to agree to give us the Cauldron of Fate.”

Two River Ancestors could contend with two Heavenly Sovereigns. Add Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi to the mix, and Su Yi’s allies were too mighty to overlook.

If things really came to blows, they might well win, but they’d surely pay a price for the victory.

Heavenly Sovereign E knew that his allies would flee in the face of disaster. They weren’t truly unified. They could face adversity together, but death? The very idea was laughable.

Thus, Heavenly Sovereign E had little interest in killing Su Yi today. He was just dead-set on acquiring the Cauldron of Fate.

The cauldron was connected to one of the mysteries of the Sea of Fate. It was only by acquiring it that he could uncover the truth.

“Are you certain that Su Yi is coming?” asked Heavenly Sovereign Wen.

Heavenly Sovereign E smiled confidently. “I’m sure of it!”