Chapter 1494 - The Welcoming Grounds

Gradually, Su Yi came back into view. The yellow-robed middle-aged man and his companions rushed over to welcome him.

The way they looked at Su Yi had already shifted dramatically.

“Do you recognize this person?” Su Yi flicked his fingertip, and a beam of light rose, displaying the visage of the man in blood-colored robes.

Someone immediately said, “I know him! He’s Elder Qian Xuefeng from the Western Chill Star Domain’s Divine Spirit Immortal Sect!”

“Someone from the Western Chill Star Domain!” The others’ expressions darkened.

“There’s absolutely no way we can just let this go!”

“That old scoundrel violated the rules of the First Battleground! He must be severely punished!”

Everyone was talking at once, and everyone was furious.

“I already killed him,” Su Yi said casually.

Deathly silence immediately ensued. Everyone practically jumped in fright.

You killed him!?

“Fellow Daoist, if he’s dead, it’ll be hard to prove that you were in the right,” the middle-aged man in yellow said with obvious concern. “According to the rules, no matter how great your grudge, no one is to be punished without an investigation.”

The thin man in black added, “Furthermore, if someone violates the rules, it’s up to their respective camps to punish them. Fellow Daoist, I’m afraid you’ve... unintentionally provided others an opportunity to criticize you. It’s highly likely that they’ll take advantage of it.”

“So you’re saying I was wrong?” laughed Su Yi

The crowd hurriedly shook their heads. The middle-aged man in yellow said, “Please, don’t misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. All of us saw what happened, and there’s no way we’ll let them wrong you!”

“That’s right! When the time comes, if the Western Chill Star Domain’s camp really wants to take you to task, we’ll be sure to step forth and serve as your witnesses!”

The others chimed in, one after another. It was Su Yi’s intervention that saved them all from disaster. How could they remain uninvolved?

“It’s fine. This matter is already settled. I ought to get going,” said Su Yi.

He then strode off, leaving the crowd stunned.

He’s gone, just like that?

By the time they came back to their senses, Su Yi’s figure had long since disappeared from view.

Someone sighed, “That Fellow Daoist is truly extraordinary. He killed his enemy as if it were nothing, and he isn’t at all concerned about the possibility of others slandering him or trying to get even.”

“His strength is quite terrifying, too. If he’s really in the Dao Integration Realm, he’s far more impressive than Cloud Soaring Transcendents like us,” someone said with the utmost admiration.

“Indeed. I wouldn’t have thought that such a heaven-defying figure would suddenly appear in the camp that’s been in last place this entire time,” the middle-aged man in yellow whispered.

The thin man in black suddenly facepalmed and laughed bitterly. “Crud! All that talk, and we still don’t know that fellow Daoist’s name.”

The crowd froze, stunned. They instantly felt quite awkward.

They’d traveled together all this time, and he’d even saved their life, but in the end, they still didn’t know their savior’s name. If word got out, others would laugh them to death.

“No need for concern. Given the strength that fellow Daoist displayed today, I’m sure it won’t be long before his name echoes throughout the First Battleground!” the middle-aged man in yellow said with conviction.

Someone said gravely, “But if word of him killing Qian Xuefeng gets out, I’m afraid... he’ll be in for trouble.”

The yellow-robed middle-aged man said with staunch conviction, “Thus, no matter what, we have to serve as his witnesses. We can’t let him be punished unjustly!”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The crowd nodded their agreement.

......

Meanwhile, Su Yi couldn't care less about all that. Rules were made by people, and besides, it was fair to say he’d acted righteously. He'd killed a petty crook. If someone accused and tried to punish him despite the circumstances, he wouldn’t mind giving the First Battleground a new set of rules!

I wonder how Sword Immortal Qingshi and the Universal Emptiness Sword Buddha are doing

, thought Su Yi.

It had already been three months since the Domain Boundary Battlefield had opened.

Fortunately, unlike the Second and Third Battlegrounds, the First Battleground’s new rules prohibited killing. This significantly reduced the odds of Cloud Soaring Transcendents dying.

Of course, nothing was absolute.

It was entirely possible to meet with fatal disaster while searching for good fortune in the First Battleground’s danger zones.

Similarly, it was entirely possible that people like Qian Xuefeng of the Western Chill Star Domain’s Divine Spirit Immortal Sect would sic ferocious beasts on their enemies. Had everything gone well, the witnesses—those Southern Flame Star Domain cultivators—would have died, and everyone would have thought it the work of vicious beasts.

Ultimately, rules were dead. If someone really wanted to kill someone else, they’d find a way.

Half a day later, Su Yi reached the Plains of Welcoming.

Four peaks stood at its corners, one for each of the four star domains.

The Welcoming Grounds stood at its center.

A fierce battle was currently being fought atop it.

One of the combatants was from the Northern Abyss Star Domain. He was tall, thin, dressed in gold, and he had an extraordinarily imposing presence.

The other was a thin old man in a tall hat and old-fashioned robes. He was from the Eastern Profound Star Domain, and his cultivation was in the late-stage Cloud Soaring Realm.

The surrounding area was packed with spectators. From time to time, they cheered the combatants on. It was quite a spectacle.

Su Yi silently slipped into the crowd and gazed at the nearby Welcoming Grounds.

He held the now kitten-sized Qiongqi in his arms.

The ferocious creature was as meek and servile as could be. It curled up in his arms, quivering uncontrollably, too afraid to struggle in any way.

When others saw it, they subconsciously assumed it was just a... spirit pet.

“Boring.” Su Yi watched the battle for a moment, then shook his head.

Battles like these might excite others, but they couldn’t retain his attention at all.

Just as Su Yi was about to leave, the duel ended. The old man from the Eastern Profound Star Domain was sent flying, covered in wounds. He crashed into the ground, smearing his face with dirt.

“It seems the Eastern Profound Star Domain really has no one at all. I haven’t seen anyone who can put up a fight in over a month!”

The victor, the man in golden robes, shook his head in disdain.

Uproarious laughter ensued. The onlookers from the Northern Abyss, Southern Flame, and Western Chill Star Domains watched, some playful, others mocking.

As for the onlookers from the Eastern Profound Star Domain? They felt shame by association. Some let out long sighs. Others glared hatefully, while others still grimaced.

None of them were at all pleased.

It was true. Of late, throughout numerous duels atop the Welcoming Grounds, the Eastern Profound Star Domain practically never emerged victorious.

Most of the time, they were mercilessly suppressed by rivals from the other three star domains!

By now, in terms of accumulated merit, the Cloud Soaring Realm experts of the Eastern Profound Star Domain were solidly in last place!

The disparity was huge!

It had been especially bad this past month. Every Eastern Profound Star Domain cultivator who’d taken the stage had lost.

As a result, they’d endured too many eyerolls, jeers, and snide comments to count. They’d become the laughingstocks of the First Battleground!

When the man in golden robes heard the crowd’s uproarious laughter, he couldn’t help but laugh too. Then, he swept his gaze across the gathered Eastern Profound Star Domain cultivators and said, “Listen up, all of you! From this day forth, when I, Lu Meng, take the stage, no one in the Eastern Profound Star Domain is to seek out their own humiliation any further!”

His voice spread throughout the surrounding area.

This was an extreme humiliation. He was completely looking down on all of the Eastern Profound Star Domain Cloud Soaring cultivators!

Their expressions were instantly incomparably unsightly, and the crowd’s mocking laughter intensified.

When Su Yi saw this, he couldn’t help but shake his head. This was a duel to victory and defeat, not life and death. It was no different from a spar.

To Su Yi, such duels were the dullest of all. As for the glory of victory and shame of defeat? That didn’t mean anything at all.

Su Yi turned to leave. He planned to have a look around Eastern Profound Peak. That was the Eastern Profound Star Domain cultivators’ home base, so Sword Immortal Qingshi and the Universal Emptiness Sword Buddha might well be there.

But just as he was about to leave, an excited voice rang out.

“Your Excellency Su! It really is you!”

That white-haired old man said with obvious delight.

His voice drew the attention of the other Eastern Profound Star Domain cultivators, and all of a sudden, all of them looked excited.

“Your Excellency Su, you’re finally here!”

“Hahaha! The Eastern Profound Star Domain finally won’t have to endure this pent-up frustration any longer!”

...A clamor of voices rang out. Everyone looked delighted, as if they’d found their pillar of support.

“....” Su Yi really was at a bit of a loss for words. To tell the truth, he’d seen most of these people before, but that was it. He didn’t even know their names or backgrounds.

He just vaguely recalled helping them with their curses not long ago. That aside, they’d never interacted.

But now, these people were simply... too happy to see him!

Of course, Su Yi understood their feelings. The other three star domains had bullied and suppressed them thoroughly. Of course they were delighted to see someone capable of lifting them up and helping them cleanse their past humiliations!

Unfortunately for them, Su Yi wasn’t at all interested in such duels.

But the situation didn’t develop in accordance with Su Yi’s desires. The commotion amongst the Eastern Profound Star Domain’s ranks drew the others' notice, and Su Yi instantly found himself the center of attention.

“‘His Excellency Su?’ Don’t tell me

he’s

the Su Yi they keep going on about?”

“That’s most likely him.”

“They say it’s been less than half a year since he stepped onto the Power of Transcendence, and that he’s only in the Nascent Divinity Realm, but that his strength is heaven-defying. He’s apparently the most legendary figure of his generation in the Eastern Profound Star Domain.

“Is that true?”

“It’s got to be true. After all, he’s a Nascent Divinity cultivator, yet he’s made it here all the way from the Third Battleground. How could he possibly be simple?”

“That’s right! This is finally getting interesting!”

....A clamor of voices rang out. The experts of the other three domains all gazed inquisitively at Su Yi.

Of late, they’d heard numerous experts of the Eastern Profound Star Domain describe the heaven-defying figure who’d appeared in their ranks.

It was to the point that when Eastern Profound Star Domain cultivators lost duels in the Welcoming Grounds, they’d curse and say that when Su Yi came, he’d be sure to wash away the Eastern Profound Star Domain’s humiliation!

Had just one person said that, no one would have paid attention. But when numerous people said the same thing, it was inevitable that others would notice.

Now, the young man they called Su Yi was finally here!

And everyone was watching him.