Chapter 1043 - Stabbed in the Back

Profound Serenity Emperors were, of course, quite strong.

Even in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, they were the pillars of top factions!

But…

In Su Yi’s eyes, with the exception of a few particularly dazzling, peerless talents, the world’s Profound Serenity Emperors had long since ceased to be worthy of his attention.

Besides, he hadn’t come to the Autumn Waters Assembly to make friends. How could he possibly concern himself with his enemies’ origins?

“Uh…” Yue Yunshan was at a loss for words. To his surprise, he could tell that Su Yi didn’t take Zhangsun Hong at all seriously!

“Hah! You people really don’t know when to give in. Very well. Today, at the Autumn Waters Assembly, I’ll let you taste true despair!”

Beneath the distant dome of heaven, Zhangsun Hong laughed coldly, then drifted back onto the plateau.

The Yue clansmen’s expressions were all a bit unsightly.

All of them could tell that the Red Lotus Cult had come prepared, and furthermore, that they were domineering to the extreme!

“Let’s go.” Yue Bailing took a deep breath, then led the group toward the peak.

The plateau atop the steep mountain was fully a thousand feet across, and it was already supplied with chairs.

The Red Lotus Cult had sent two Profound Serenity old monsters, as well as six Profound Illumination Elders.

There weren’t a lot of them, but it wouldn’t do to underestimate them. Here in the Profound Sky Realm, a lineup like that could dominate an entire region.

Furthermore, they’d invited a group of the Profound Sky Realm’s top experts, more than ten of them. All were in the Imperial Realm. They were either leaders of prominent factions or big-name experts.

One of them was even a Profound Serenity Emperor!

It was no exaggeration to say that even ordinary Emperors weren’t qualified to participate in an assembly like this, let alone those beneath the Imperial Realm.

When Yue Bailing and the others arrived and saw this, their hearts sank.

Their side only had one Profound Serenity Emperor, but the Red Lotus Cult had two, and they’d invited yet another to help them!

Who wouldn’t have been surprised at such a lineup?

“Tch, Yue Bailing, are you the only Profound Serenity Emperor the Yue Family has left?” Jeering laughter rang out.

When the Yue Family looked toward the source of the voice, they saw the black-robed Zhangsun Hong seated in the distance. He seemed grand and unrestrained, and a mocking grin tugged at his lips.

“You really think you can fight back with such a paltry lineup? The Yue Family truly overestimates itself,” someone sighed.

The speaker was a fair, beautiful woman in a black robe. She stood by the cliffside, her clothing and long black hair billowing around her. When she looked over, her beautiful face was utterly cold and aloof.

Qin Ruoshui.

Just like Zhangsun Hong, she was a Profound Serenity old monster of the Red Lotus Cult.

Soft laughter rang out. Every expert in the Red Lotus Cult’s camp was laughing, and their gazes were playful.

The Yue Family experts’ expressions darkened.

However, Su Yi shook his head.

Strictly speaking, the Red Lotus Cult’s accumulations were somewhat inferior to the Netherworld’s top factions, places like Meng Po Palace and Yellow Springs Palace.

By the standards of the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, they were a respectable faction, but no more than that.

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to pay any attention to them.

He swept his gaze across the area and saw numerous still-empty seats, but the Red Lotus cultists and their allies hadn’t invited the Yue Family to sit down.

And based on Yue Bailing’s attitude, he obviously had no plans to sit down, either.

Su Yi was well aware that the Autumn Waters Assembly wouldn’t end until both the Yue Family and the Red Lotus Cult had revealed all their cards.

But he didn’t just want to stand around and wait.

So he walked forward, arrived beneath an ancient pine tree growing on the peak, took out his wicker chair, and sprawled out comfortably. He grabbed a jug of wine while he was at it.

From here, he could see the churning sea of clouds and the lake below. The scenery really was quite spectacular, pleasing to both the heart and the eyes.

“Err…” His behavior left both sides stunned.

“What’s up with that kid?” One of the guests muttered and frowned.

The Autumn Waters Assembly was a clash between two of the Profound Sky Realm’s peak factions!

Yet now, a teenager was disregarding them completely, acting like some spoiled young nobleman out for a scenic tour. He was just sitting there, drinking and enjoying the view!

This conduct seemed incomparably brazen and arrogant. He was ignoring them completely, and he seemed starkly out of place in this tense, hostile atmosphere.

Yue Bailing and company couldn’t help but look at each other. Even if you’d hit them over the head, they wouldn’t have guessed that this mysterious Fellow Daoist Su would be so free-spirited.

“Yue Bailing, don’t tell me that little baby is an… ‘expert’ the Yue Family invited here?” A burst of mocking laughter rang out.

The speaker was a fair-skinned middle-aged man in robes as dark as ink and a feather headdress. His name was Chang Hengyuan, and he was the Profound Serenity old monster the Red Lotus Cult had invited here.

This question provoked a burst of laughter.

Yue Bailing and company’s faces alternated white and green. They were thoroughly uncomfortable.

Su Yi set down his jug of wine and laughed. He glanced at the dark-robed Chang Hengyuan, then stared back into the distant clouds.

“A grandstanding little fool, that’s all. He’s entirely unworthy of notice. Let’s get down to business,” Zhangsun Hong said gravely, his voice full of dignity. The atmosphere was solemn once more.

“Yue Bailing, I’m sure you realize the kind of situation you’re in. Do you have anything else to say?” Zhangsun Hong’s eyes flashed like lightning as he gazed at Yue Bailing.

“This is merely a contest of power and influence. Why is your Red Lotus Cult so certain the Yue Family will lose?” Yue Bailing said coldly.

“Oh?” said Zhangsun Hong. “So, you think outsiders will come and help you? Very well! Allow me to disabuse you of that notion!”

He then glanced at the white-robed man beside him. “Elder Chi Peng, you tell him.”

“Yes, sir!” The white-robed man solemnly nodded his assent.

Then, he straightened his back and met Yue Bailing’s gaze with a smile. “No need to hide it: High Elder Zhao Linkong of the Thousand Refinements Sword Sect and Palace Master Xiao Wuji of Cloudcliff Pavilion have already decided against supporting the Yue Family any further.”

The Yue clansmen’s expressions shifted dramatically.

Even the calm, composed Yue Bailing clenched his fists, his expression somewhat unsightly.

Because Zhao Linkong and Xiao Wuji were his old friends. Both were fellow Profound Serenity cultivators.

They were also the trump cards Yue Bailing had prepared for this assembly.

Who’d have thought they’d both back out at the last minute?

As if to prove what he’d just said, Elder Chi Peng took out a jade slip and activated it with his cultivation base.

An aged voice instantly emanated from the slip.

“Everyone from the Red Lotus Cult, please rest assured. This old man won’t participate in this matter any further.”

Yue Bailing’s expression was instantly extraordinarily unsightly.

That was indeed Zhao Linkong’s voice. It couldn’t have been any more familiar.

Soon, a second, rich voice emanated from the same jade lip. “No matter what, Yue Bailing and I have been friends for years. If he lowers his head, please don’t make things difficult for him… aih!”

The second speaker let out a long sigh, and he sounded helpless.

That was Xiao Wuji’s voice!

Yue Bailing’s face was instantly ashen.

The other Yue Family members were both surprised and furious. They felt chills in their hands and feet.

None of them had guessed that two of Yue Bailing’s closest friends would really turn on them!

When the others present looked at the Yue Family, their eyes shone with glee at their misfortune.

This is what they mean when they say that bonds are as thin and frail as paper, thought Su Yi. He took another sip of wine.

“Your Red Lotus Cult is actually quite capable!” Yue Bailing took a deep breath and glared coldly at Zhangsun Hong. “But that alone isn’t enough to make us lower our heads!”

His voice was cold and firm.

Zhangsun Hong couldn’t help but laugh. “I just knew you wouldn’t give in so easily.”

Suddenly, he let out a heaven-piercing whistle. “Fellow Daoist Cloud Shadow, please come out!”

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, a deep sigh emanated from the depths of the sea of clouds. “Old Monster Yue, you’d best admit defeat. The Yue Family truly has no hope of turning this around. Remaining stubborn will only harm your entire clan.”

Beneath the crowd’s watchful gazes, an old man in old-fashioned robes and a tall hat appeared, taking big strides through the sky.

“Venerate Cloud Shadow! What are you…” Yue Shuihan, Yue Yunshan, and the others’ eyes widened in apparent disbelief.

Venerate Cloud Shadow!

He was one of Yue Bailing’s closest friends. The two of them went way back, and they’d faced life-and-death struggles together.

Yet now, Venerate Cloud Shadow had shockingly allied himself with the Red Lotus Cult, and he was trying to convince Yue Bailing to lower his head!

This left the Yue Family both shocked and furious.

Yue Bailing stood there in a daze. It was as if he’d been struck by lightning.

But after Venerate Cloud Shadow arrived, he clasped their fists and greeted Zhangsun Hong and the others one by one. Only then did he turn to face Yue Bailing and say earnestly, “Ol’ Monster Yue, please heed my advice. Hand over Yue Changtian and Yue Shichan. If you do, the Yue Family will know peace.”

Yue Bailing’s hair and beard bristled with anger, and his face was terrifyingly ashen. “Cloud Shadow, if you aren’t willing to help, fine. You could have just remained uninvolved. Why stab me in the back by helping the Red Lotus Cult at a time like this!?”

He was trembling with fury.

The other Yue clansmen glared furiously at Venerate Cloud Shadow too.

That Zhao Linkong and Xiao Wuji turned on them at the last moment was hurtful, but they could still accept it, albeit grudgingly. After all, not just anyone dared get mixed up in something like this.

But Venerate Cloud Shadow was supposed to be Yue Bailing’s friend, someone he thought he could trust with his life. Who wouldn’t have been furious to discover that he’d betrayed them to stand with the Red Lotus Cult? He was effectively stabbing Yue Bailing in the back. Who wouldn’t have been furious?

“What a contemptible old-timer.” Su Yi shook his head.

But Venerate Cloud Shadow just let out a deep sigh. “A wise man changes with the times. Ol’ Monster Yue, what good will your anger do you? In light of our years of friendship, I can assure you that so long as you hand over that father and daughter, the rest of the Yue Family won’t be implicated any further.”

Yue Bailing’s eyes were bloodshot, and he surged with murderous intent. “You’d best shut your mouth! Or else, I’ll kill you even if costs me my life, you bastard!”

Venerate Cloud Shadow’s expression shifted, turning unsightly.

But, perhaps out of fear that Yue Bailing would truly throw all caution to the wind and attack him, he ultimately dared not say another word.

Here, Zhangsun Hong stroked his jaw and smiled. “Yue Bailing, what does the Yue Family have left to fight us with?”

It was just one light, airy sentence, but the atmosphere was instantly stifled.

When the crowd looked at the Yue Family now, their gazes contained entirely undisguised contempt, as well as… pity!

Su Yi took a sip of wine, but he felt his interest waning.

It was just as he’d thought. The Red Lotus Cult didn’t want to engage in outright warfare, which was why they were using their influence to put pressure on the Yue Family instead. They hoped to use the Autumn Waters Assembly to force the Yue Family to lower its head.

Otherwise, why go to all this trouble? Why bother gradually chipping away at the Yue Family’s confidence?

But it was then that they heard someone shooting toward them from afar. This instantly drew everyone’s gazes.

Who’d come this time?