Chapter 584: Clash of Emperors

"Su Xiuyi?"

Hearing the familiar name, Ye Xuan’s gaze sharpened. He finally realized who this person was.

On the ranking stone wall behind Gale Light Academy, established a century ago by Director Huangfu Xiuming, this Su Xiuyi had been number one before Ye Xuan joined the academy.

With a score of seventy-eight meters, he had stood at the top of the rankings for decades, a record that was only broken by Ye Xuan a year ago.

This man was from the same era as Elder Tianyi. Decades ago, he had already reached the Tier Seven Triple Peak.

However, he was Xiaoyao by nature, and after reaching the Tier Seven Third Layer, he left the Dream Realm Plain to roam the world.

To think he would suddenly appear at such a critical moment.

When his name was announced, it wasn’t just Ye Xuan who recognized him; everyone present recognized the genius who had risen like a comet all those years ago.

Elder Tianyi stood silently in the air, the chill in his eyes intensifying. His brows furrowed as he said, "Su Xiuyi."

Su Xiuyi glanced at him and said calmly, "Tianyi."

Both men had broken through to the Tier Seven Third Layer decades ago, so they could be considered peers from the same era. However, Tianyi had remained in the Profound Mystery Sect in closed-door cultivation, while Su Xiuyi had roamed the world. Their paths of growth were completely different.

Now, reuniting after several decades, they had both unexpectedly become Tier Eight Martial Emperor experts, leaders of their generation.

Elder Tianyi said in a heavy voice, "Su Xiuyi, you left Gale Light Academy long ago. This is not a place you should be."

Su Xiuyi replied calmly, "I am a disciple of Gale Light Academy. Now that the academy is in trouble, why shouldn’t I be here?"

Elder Tianyi’s brows knit together. His expression turned grim, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Su Xiuyi paid him no mind, instead turning to look at Ye Xuan in the crowd. He smiled faintly. "You must be the Xuan Ye who broke my record?"

Ye Xuan was taken aback for a moment. "If you’re referring to the ranking stone wall, then yes, that was me."

Su Xiuyi carefully sized up Ye Xuan from head to toe and sighed with emotion. "It’s true that heroes have always been young. I’ve gotten old."

Ye Xuan shook his head. "You’re not old. The years have made you a true expert, while I am still just a genius."

’Even with combat strength at the Martial King Level, I still just see myself as a genius,’ Ye Xuan thought.

"No." Su Xiuyi shook his head. "New talents emerge in every generation, each leading the way for a time. A mere Martial Emperor can hardly be called an expert. In this small corner of the world, perhaps one can act unrivaled, but once you step outside, you’re nothing more than an ant in the grand scheme of things."

Hearing Su Xiuyi’s words, the crowd couldn’t help but smile wryly. ’If Martial Emperors are ants, then what are we Martial Kings? Are we even worse than ants?’

Only Ye Xuan knew that Su Xiuyi’s words came from the heart. ’In the Profound Domain, there’s a saying: If you don’t enter the Nine Heavens and become a Martial Emperor, you are nothing but an ant.’

’In the eyes of some true powerhouses, becoming a Martial Emperor is just the beginning of the path of cultivation.’

’He never expected Su Xiuyi to have such an aspiration.’

Elder Tianyi watched the two of them coldly and sneered, "Are you two finished with your little chat? If so, Su Xiuyi, you can leave."

Su Xiuyi nodded. "Fine. Open the Seven Star Earth Element Array, and we’ll go."

A chill entered Elder Tianyi’s eyes. "The only one who can walk out of here is you. Everyone else must stay."

Su Xiuyi said lightly, "If they don’t leave, I don’t leave."

A cold glint flickered in Elder Tianyi’s eyes, and a flash of anger crossed his face. He sneered, "Su Xiuyi, the only reason I’m letting you go is out of respect for you as a person. If you refuse to leave, you will die here today as well. Huangfu Xiuming has already fallen. Do you really want to get involved in this?"

Su Xiuyi’s gaze turned cold. "Tianyi, you are not worthy to speak of Director Huangfu Xiuming. He is not dead, nor will he ever die."

In the hearts of all disciples of Gale Light Academy, Director Huangfu Xiuming was forever a lofty figure, like a star that would never fall.

Furthermore, no one knew that the reason Su Xiuyi had left all those years ago, and his breakthrough to Tier Eight Martial Emperor, were inextricably linked to Huangfu Xiuming’s guidance.

"Hahaha," Elder Tianyi couldn’t help but roar with laughter. He jeered, "Do you think I would say such a thing without reliable information? Su Xiuyi, he is already dead. Everything you’re holding on to is just an illusion. Leave now, and you might still have a way out. Otherwise, you can go down and keep him company."

The killing intent in the sky suddenly surged. Neither of them had moved their Profound energy, but the faint pressure radiating from their bodies formed an incredibly terrifying aura. It was as if the sky over Ancient Yang City had instantly dimmed, and a sense of impending doom surfaced in everyone’s heart.

As that intense pressure rippled outward, the entire city seemed to tremble. Below, many of the weaker Martial Artists clutched their chests, unable to bear it, and blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.

Both were Tier Eight Martial Emperors who possessed the power to control barriers. If they were to clash, it would be a cataclysmic battle.

Elder Tianyi’s expression was incredibly grim. His goal this time was to kill the experts from the major powers and unify the Dream Realm Plain.

The people gathered here represented nearly a third of the expert strength of the entire Dream Realm Plain. If he could slaughter them all here, then leave and join forces with the top experts of the Nine Yang Sect and the Bright Moon Empire, he could launch a surprise attack to turn the tide against the major powers. His chances of unifying the Dream Realm Plain would be as high as eighty percent.

But Su Xiuyi’s appearance had introduced a flaw in his plan. Once the experts here were rescued and the news got out, the seven major powers would react, and the Profound Mystery Sect would be the one in peril.

Therefore, he was extremely reluctant to fight Su Xiuyi. Su Xiuyi’s strength made him realize that he couldn’t easily defeat his opponent; it would inevitably be a brutal and tragic battle.

Elder Tianyi said sharply, "Su Xiuyi, do you really intend to make an enemy of my Profound Mystery Sect? You were just a student at Gale Light Academy once, and you left long ago. In truth, you have no connection to it anymore. Besides, your heart isn’t in the Dream Realm Plain but in the wider world. Is there any point in fighting me?"

Su Xiuyi replied, "Without Gale Light Academy, there would be no Su Xiuyi today. Therefore, I must take these people with me."

This simple exchange made Su Xiuyi’s stance perfectly clear and rendered any further conversation between them meaningless.

Elder Tianyi roared in anger, "Fine! Then I’ll grant you your wish!"

As his voice fell, the red martial robe on his body suddenly billowed out. His battle intent surged, and streams of Profound energy flowed into the Skull Staff in his hand. Though his body remained motionless, tendrils of black mist transformed into venomous snakes and coiled toward Su Xiuyi.

Su Xiuyi remained expressionless as he unfurled a feather fan with his right hand. The fan was engraved with green mountains and flowing water. A stream of green light emerged, like a vast ocean, sweeping out to block all the black, venomous smoke.

Elder Tianyi’s eyes flickered. His Skull Staff continuously emitted strange rays of light. Suddenly, a massive black skull appeared above the staff, looking almost solid. It roared and bit down ferociously on the ocean of light Su Xiuyi had created.

CRUNCH!

A huge gap instantly appeared in the ocean-like green light, as if a chunk had been bitten clean off. At the same time, Su Xiuyi instantly lost his connection to the light that had been swallowed by the skull, as if it had entered another dimension.

Su Xiuyi’s gaze hardened. He said in a cold voice, "Tianyi, you’ve refined this Soul-Devouring Skeleton to the Eighth-Level, haven’t you? For the Soul-Devouring Skeleton to grow even a little, it must absorb the martial souls and blood essence of countless experts. Just how many have you killed for this Eighth-Level Soul-Devouring Skeleton?"

His gaze was like a physical thing, seemingly able to see the many resentful souls contained within the black skull.

Elder Tianyi gave a sinister laugh. "Su Xiuyi, save the sentimentality. Soon, you’ll be nothing but nourishment for my Soul-Devouring Skeleton too."

His pupils glowed eerily as his left hand formed a series of seals. Streams of invisible Soul Power flowed into the Skull Staff. Wisps of red light appeared in the eye sockets of the skull above the staff, and at the same time, the black energy emanating from the skull attacking Su Xiuyi grew even denser as it began to bite and tear frantically.

CRACK, CRACK!

Large swathes of the green light were torn away, like chunks of flesh and blood.

Su Xiuyi’s expression suddenly changed. He exclaimed in shock, "Seventh Grade Soul Power?"

He waved the feather fan in his hand continuously, sending out stream after stream of light, but they were constantly shattered by the bites of Elder Tianyi’s skull.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

The two diametrically opposed forces devoured each other, and the shockwaves from the explosions rocked the sky above Ancient Yang City. Swathes of buildings were instantly shattered into rubble.

As far as the eye could see, aside from the imperial palace of Ancient Yang City, which remained intact due to its special construction materials, every other building near the battle had been reduced to rubble and dust.

At the same time, this force sent the countless experts present stumbling backward, their faces filled with terror.

PFFT!

Many Tier Seven Martial Kings couldn’t withstand the pressure and coughed up blood. Even an expert on the level of Vice Director Ge had a grim expression, his face pale as he retreated again and again.

’Is this the pressure of a Tier Eight Martial Emperor?’

Everyone looked up at the sky, their hearts filled with helplessness and shock.

Ye Xuan’s face turned pale as he, too, backed away. The oppressive might that suppressed everything sent shudders through his very soul.

’He knew very well that whether it was the black smoke from the skull or Su Xiuyi’s green light, just a single touch would be enough to grievously injure him.’

’A Martial Emperor, huh?’

’Back in his past life, he too had stood at the Martial Emperor Peak. Thanks to his support-type profession, he could even slay a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor.’

’In this life, he was already desperately trying to recover his strength, and his combat power had reached the Martial King Level, but it was still a far cry from his previous life.’

"You want to block me? Can you?"

Elder Tianyi’s face was savage as he drew a Soul Skill with his left hand. The Soul Power imbuing the skull suddenly surged, and the entire Soul-Devouring Skeleton seemed to go berserk.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Huge chunks of green light were ripped away and continued to disintegrate.