Not far away, Wang Zhuo stood in a daze.
Wang Zhuo, the Palace Lord of the Tianxing Academy, the Qingxun King of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and one of the top ten Martial Ancestors, felt a storm surging within his heart at this moment.
He acknowledged that he had not underestimated Su Yi.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have carefully set up this ambush.
But he never expected that Su Yi, a seventeen-year-old youth, would be so powerful!
This completely overturned his estimation and judgment to the point where he could hardly imagine how such a monstrous character could exist in this world.
The rain continued to fall.
The skinny old man who had previously set up the small Thunderfire Array, also a Martial Master at the Fifth Level, was now pale and trembling in fear.
In the distance, Su Yi held an oiled paper umbrella as he walked calmly towards them, dressed in a spotless blue robe.
"Do you have any other means?" Su Yi spoke and raised his hand.
Buzz!
The Xuanwu Sword, as if possessing sentience, flickered in the void and landed on the body of Tie Kong.
Within the dim sword body, there was a faint phantom of a fierce bird flapping its wings, causing the sword body to tremble slightly, emitting a melodic hum.
Visible to the naked eye, Tie Kong's body rapidly withered, and all the remaining essence blood within him was absorbed completely by the Xuanwu Sword!
Then, with a flash, the Xuanwu Sword returned to Su Yi's hand.
The eerie scene of bloodthirstiness left Wang Zhuo completely unable to remain calm. He asked in astonishment, "Could this sword be already spiritual?"
Su Yi shook his head. "Not exactly, it just thirsts for blood and absorbs some vital energy."
Taking a deep breath, Wang Zhuo sighed, "No wonder you are so confident. With this terrifying spirit sword, who in this world can't be killed unless a Divine Immortal intervenes?"
Evidently, he misunderstood and took the Xuanwu Sword as Su Yi's trump card.
Su Yi naturally wouldn't explain and reminded, "It's getting late."
Wang Zhuo's expression changed slightly, then he smiled bitterly, "Lord Su, I assure you that when I treated you with respect and invited you cordially earlier, I had no intention to harm you..."
Su Yi calmly interrupted, "But you still made a move."
Wang Zhuo's expression turned serious. "But I guarantee that even if you had been defeated just now, I would not have taken your life. After all, my purpose this time was to invite you to join the camp I belong to."
He paused for a moment and said with bitterness, "Now, can you give me a chance to make amends?"
Su Yi responded, "But I don't see any sincerity."
Wang Zhuo was momentarily stunned, then understood. He looked at the skinny old man beside him apologetically and said, "Brother Yongming, I can only impose on you."
The skinny old man's face changed drastically. He said, "Sir, you..."
Bang!
Before it could finish speaking, its head was crushed, and its figure fell to the ground limp.
Su Yi narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head. "Not enough."
Wang Zhuo took a deep breath and looked towards a nearby location.
There, eighteen figures lay scattered in disarray. They were the experts who had formed the "**Gathering Qi Array" earlier.
"Quick, run!" As they noticed Wang Zhuo's gaze, these experts realized the danger and tried to escape immediately.
"Everyone, I apologize sincerely."
Wang Zhuo let out a long sigh, his figure flashed, and he rushed into the rain, launching a slaughter against those experts.
In just a moment, all eighteen experts were killed, not a single one survived.
Wang Zhuo returned, hanging his head with a dejected expression. "Lord Su, is the sincerity enough now?"
Su Yi glanced at the black cat in his arms, causing it to bristle, hissing in a startled and angry manner. Its mysterious blue eyes were filled with rage.
Wang Zhuo's face changed completely. He said, "Lord Su, the cat cannot be killed."
Su Yi withdrew his gaze and pondered for a moment. "Do you know that it harbors a strange demon soul within its body?"
Wang Zhuo's expression froze, feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp. He exclaimed in surprise, "You have already noticed?"
Su Yi responded indifferently, "This kind of little creature cannot escape my scrutiny. Here's the deal, if you kill it with your own hands, I will give you a chance to live."
Wang Zhuo's face darkened. "Lord Su, must you push me into a dead end?"
In his arms, the black cat hunched its body, filled with vigilance.
Su Yi looked deeply into Wang Zhuo's eyes and said, "I am helping you find liberation. Are you really willing to be manipulated by this little creature for the rest of your life?"
"You..." Wang Zhuo was greatly shocked.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, the black cat leaped up, wielding its claws and bringing forth a terrifying black demonic wind, fiercely pouncing towards Su Yi.
The speed of the attack and the fierceness of the force were no weaker than that of a Martial Ancestor!
However, Su Yi sneered, flicking his wrist.
Puff!
The Xuanwu Sword shot out like lightning, piercing through the body of the black cat, impaling it completely.
"You despicable creature, don't let me see you again!"
Within the body of the cat, a woman's furious scream resounded, followed by an illusory female figure appearing out of thin air.
It was clearly a soul, extremely ethereal and vague.
As soon as she appeared, she transformed into a gust of demonic wind, attempting to escape.
Clang!
The Xuanwu Sword hummed, and the dim sword body burst with the power of the Devouring Spirit Command, seemingly like an invisible giant hand, firmly grasping the female soul figure, pulling her into the Xuanwu Sword.
"Even if you are just a strand of my soul, I won't allow you to defile and suppress me!"
Accompanied by an angry scream, the female soul figure suddenly exploded, turning into a colorful shower of light that dissipated and disappeared.
Seeing this, Su Yi paid no attention and sheathed the Xuanwu Sword.
Puff!
At the same time, Wang Zhuo coughed up blood from his lips, his spirit suddenly withered, and he appeared much older, with white hair at his temples.
He sat dejectedly on the ground, holding the lifeless body of the black cat, looking lost and sorrowful, emanating an aura of extreme desolation and heartbreak.
The rain had eased up a bit, drizzling softly.
Su Yi held an oiled-paper umbrella and stood to the side. He asked, "Is this strand of her divine soul the spiritual cultivator you mentioned?"
"Yes," Wang Zhuo replied in a hoarse and low voice, his eyes filled with reminiscence. "When I was young, I traveled through the Great Qin Kingdom and by chance, I met a girl who was like a heavenly fairy. She said I possessed great destiny and voluntarily guided me in cultivation..."
"Since that day, my fate changed."
"The cultivation techniques I practiced, the pills I consumed, and my understanding of the path of cultivation, all came from her. All of this has led me to the achievements I have today..."
Hearing this, Su Yi couldn't help but shake his head. He said, "Yet she imprisoned you with a strand of her soul, manipulating your every move all these years. Ultimately, she didn't appreciate you but saw you as nothing more than a puppet to be manipulated."
"I know," Wang Zhuo's expression was bleak, and he said bitterly, "I knew it a long time ago, but I was unwilling to believe it deep in my heart, or perhaps, I have been evading this issue..."
Su Yi interrupted, "Enough, I have no interest in hearing about your pathetic past. Just tell me the name of the power you belong to and the identity of this woman, and then you can leave."
Wang Zhuo remained silent for a long time before sighing. "Since you have killed a strand of her divine soul, she will inevitably come looking for you sooner or later. In that case, there's no harm in telling you."
He took a deep breath and slowly said, "The power I belong to is called 'Heaven Concealing Sect,' and the woman who guided my cultivation is known as 'Liu Huo True Sovereign,' the supreme elder of the Heaven Concealing Sect."
Heaven Concealing Sect!
Liu Huo True Sovereign!
For Su Yi, these names were completely unfamiliar.
However, the fact that a spiritual cultivator existed in the Great Qin Kingdom surprised him. As far as he knew, most rumors about spiritual cultivators occurred within the dominion of the hegemonic "Da Xia" Kingdom on the Cangqing Continent.
"Are you also curious, Lord Su, why a spiritual cultivator would appear in the Great Qin Kingdom?" Wang Zhuo regained some composure and said, "I used to have the same doubts. Later, while chatting with Liu Huo True Sovereign, I discovered that she often mentioned things about the Da Xia Kingdom. This made me suspect that she might not be a cultivator from the Great Qin Kingdom but rather someone from Da Xia."
Su Yi nodded. "That makes sense. However, how would a spiritual cultivator from Da Xia end up in the Great Qin Kingdom? What is she plotting?"
Wang Zhuo shook his head. "I only know that over the years, Liu Huo True Sovereign has been searching for strange and abnormal people and events. She has constantly had me pay attention to the movements within the Eight Great Demon Mountains in the Great Zhou Kingdom."
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "And actions like the one against you, Lord Su, are also because Liu Huo True Sovereign believes that you harbor a strange and abnormal power."
A glimmer flashed in Su Yi's eyes as he said, "I see."
A spiritual cultivator who seemingly came from Da Xia lurking within the Great Qin Kingdom, with a single-minded focus on finding strange and abnormal occurrences in this world—this was getting interesting.
Su Yi asked, "Regarding this Heaven Concealing Sect, is it a power within the Great Qin Kingdom or does it come from Da Xia?"
"I... I'm not sure," Wang Zhuo shook his head. "To be honest, even until now, I have no idea where the sect's gate is located or how many disciples they have. Over the years, Liu Huo True Sovereign has rarely contacted me."
"It was only this time, upon learning about your situation, that Liu Huo True Sovereign dispatched the Lihu Slave to the Great Zhou Kingdom to find me."
After listening, Su Yi couldn't help but feel speechless. This guy was indeed no different from a puppet being manipulated.
After a moment of contemplation, Su Yi asked again, "One last question, how did you establish contact with the Ten Directions Tower?"
"For this," Wang Zhuo took out a black copper whistle resembling a snail from his pocket and said, "This is the token of the Ten Directions Tower. In every city of the Great Zhou Kingdom, as long as you blow it with your cultivation strength, it won't take long for the 'Swift Sparrow' to come."
"Write down the information you want to obtain on a letter and hand it to the Swift Sparrow. The Ten Directions Tower will be the first to know and provide you with the price for purchasing the information."
"Subsequent transactions will be handled by the Swift Sparrow."
Su Yi nodded and took the black copper whistle.
With a brief glance, he noticed that it was an exquisite and compact magical instrument, engraved with a unique communication rune. It would be difficult for an ordinary person to replicate, but it didn't hold much value.
"To conduct information transactions in this manner, the Ten Directions Tower seems to be even more mysterious and cautious than I imagined..."
Lost in thought, Su Yi looked up at the sky. "Do you think there are Swift Sparrows watching everything happening here in the thousands of feet above?"