Chapter 2011 - The Four Stages of His Pursuit of Swordsmanship

Wu Lingchong stood there in a daze, silent and utterly bewildered.

He’d killed his junior apprentice sister, Rui Liu, with his own two hands. It obviously hadn’t been pleasant for him.

Su Yi didn’t ask questions. Everyone had their problems.

“Come on, let’s get out of here first.” Su Yi turned and headed for the distant River of Epochs. Wu Lingchong silently followed him.

The people of Fire Crow City saw them leave, but none dared to intercept them.

Whoosh!

The Sword of Proximity shot forth and expanded to thirty feet long, like a flat boat. It carried Su Yi and Wu Lingchong through the waves as they forged upstream on the river of Epochs.

The two of them gradually faded from view, and Fire Crow City descended into complete uproar.

It was already in an uproar since word spread that the Blazing Sun Demon Monarch of Longevity Palace had been executed. Now, even Shi Jiu, the envoy of the Nine Great Heavenly Gods, had begged for mercy and fled in defeat.

Everyone increasingly sensed that a storm would soon sweep the River of Epochs.

Su Yi!

A sword cultivator formerly unknown in the River of Epochs was now wanted by the Nine Great Heavenly Gods of the Kingdom of Lasting Light. Every prominent faction of the River of Epochs was paying attention.

Many people were wondering the same thing:

Just where did this Su Yi person come from? Why haven’t we heard of him?

......

The waters of the River of Epochs rose and fell in churning waves.

After leaving the Fire Crow Watershed, Su Yi continued upstream.

He sat casually in his wicker chair as the Sword of Proximity cut through the waves. Su Yi wasn’t helping at all.

“Rui Liu showed up in Fire Crow City because of me,” Wu Lingchong said hoarsely, breaking his silence out of nowhere. “She wanted to silence me. Then, no one would ever know how she entered the Celestial Purity Pavilion.”

His gaze was melancholy and full of undisguisable grief and agony.

Su Yi could tell that the enmity between him and his junior apprentice sister had been extremely complicated, twisted far beyond the point of reconciliation.

“Before, no matter how badly she hurt me, out of consideration for Master’s benevolence and the mission he entrusted me with, I could never bear to strike the killing blow. Instead, I tried to avoid her. I spent years taking refuge in the distant Fire Crow Watershed, but she...” Wu Lingchong’s eyes reddened. “She still planned to kill me! If I hadn’t run into you, I’m afraid I’d have fallen prey to her poisonous hands by now!”

Only now did Su Yi realize why Rui Liu had appeared in Fire Crow City. It wasn’t simply to invite him to join the Celestial Purity Pavilion after all.

He whispered, “All of that’s in the past. Let it go.”

Wu Lingchong took a moment to calm himself, then clasped his fist. “I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you, Daoist Brother.”

Su Yi and Wu Lingchong chatted more on the road ahead. The conversation revolved around the River of Epochs.

A long, long time had passed since Wang Ye had explored the River of Epochs, and its factions had undergone an earth-shattering transformation. The places remained, but the people had changed.

For instance, when Wang Ye explored the River of Epochs, Longevity Palace, the Celestial Purity Pavilion, and other factions with bases spread throughout the river’s outposts did not yet exist.

Su Yi gained a rough understanding of the River of Epochs’ balance of power through his conversation with Wu Lingchong.

One thing hadn’t changed. The Kingdom of Lasting Light was still the most sacred place in the River of Epochs, and it was still overseen by the Nine Great Heavenly Gods.

Each of the Heavenly Gods oversaw a top faction, like Longevity Palace, Heaven’s Reliance Tower, Endless Void Temple, or one of the Five Great Divine Sects.

Longevity Palace, for instance, was led by Heavenly God White Flame, while the Celestial Purity Pavilion was led by Heavenly God Panhu.

The situation was much the same for Endless Void Temple.

As for the Five Great Divine Sects? They were also known as the Divine Courts of the Five Elements.

They were known as the Metal Sky Divine Sect, the Green Wood Divine Sect, the Fire and Ash Divine Sect, the Sacred Earth Divine Sect, and the Flowing Water Divine Sect.

They said that the Heavenly Gods behind each of these sects were from Five Elements Divine Mountain, one of the greatest orthodoxies in the God Domain!

These nine factions’ forces were spread throughout the River of Epochs’ outposts, like the Nine Great Heavenly Gods’ all-encompassing tendrils.

Throughout the ages, the experts exploring the River of Epochs had longed to enter these nine great orthodoxies.

This was because doing so meant working beneath a god, as well as opportunities to continue one’s cultivation in the Kingdom of Lasting Light. You might even receive an opportunity to enter the God Domain!

“The Nine Great Heavenly Gods issued a joint bounty against you, and the reward is generous enough to entice countless reckless fools to brave the risk of death.” Wu Lingchong was visibly fraught with worry. “Thus, on the road ahead, no matter which outposts you visit, you'll invite endless attempts on your life."

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The Nine Great Heavenly Gods had issued a joint bounty on Su Yi! Their envoys had undoubtedly spread word throughout the River of Epochs by now.

And the reward was incomparably enticing. There would undoubtedly be lots of people willing to risk it!

Earlier, Su Yi had sent a message through Shi Jiu, an envoy of the Nine Great Heavenly Gods, warning and threatening them. This seemed insane, and Wu Lingchong in no way believed that the Nine Great Heavenly Gods would heed such a threat. On the contrary, Su Yi had almost certainly thoroughly enraged them!

“I’d actually love it if some worthwhile opponents showed up,” Su Yi said distractedly.

In this incarnation, his pursuit of the sword underwent roughly four stages. That was true both in the Human Realm and in the Immortal Realm.

When he was weak, he was surrounded on all sides by enemies.

When he was strong, he had enemies, but not many.

In the end, he could search the entire world without finding a single person capable of fighting him. He was invincible beneath the heavens.

That was when he began his fourth and final stage: seeking a higher path. Or, in other words, “searching the world for new enemies!”

He longed for enemies capable of putting up a fight!

It was for this reason that he left the Immortal Realm without reservation, braving the River of Epochs to reach the God Domain.

It was in part to sever the grudges of his past life, but more than that, it was for the sake of his cultivation!

Su Yi’s words left Wu Lingchong stunned. He suddenly replayed how Su Yi had slain the Blazing Sun Demon Monarch, and how he suppressed that demigod-level envoy of the Nine Great Heavenly Gods.

It was true. So what if Su Yi was wanted throughout the River of Epochs? Anyone who wanted to claim the bounty on his head would have to carefully weigh the consequences!

After a moment’s thought, Wu Lingchong said, “A spear carried openly is easily dodged, but it’s hard to defend yourself from hidden arrows. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m sure that the nine factions working directly beneath the Nine Great Heavenly Gods will prepare thoroughly. They’ll do everything in their power to destroy you, Daoist Brother.”

All Su Yi had to say to that was, “Mmhm.”

Some problems weren’t worthy of concern, but they were at least worth taking the time to understand. It was only by knowing oneself

and

one’s enemies that you could emerge victorious every time.

Suddenly, Su Yi asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”

Wu Lingchong froze, his expression shifting and uncertain. After a little while, he said solemnly, “I’m afraid! But what good will fear do me? I’ve never experienced such madness before, but now, we’re in this together. There’s no longer any point in worrying about my life and death!”

“Madness, huh...?” Su Yi repeated. He couldn’t help but laugh.

The way Wu Lingchong saw it, killing the Blazing Sun Demon Monarch, threatening the Nine Great Heavenly Gods, and suppressing their envoy was indeed madness.

But to Su Yi, what did all of that amount to? Had Wu Lingchong known that Su Yi had slain no small number of gods and divine avatars already, he’d likely have realized that everything he’d just said was nonsense.

“What do you plan to do next, Daoist Brother?” asked Wu Lingchong.

“Visit the City of the Lost,” Su Yi said casually.

The City of the Lost!

Wu Lingchong’s expression shifted.

The River of Epochs was home to numerous outposts like the Fire Crow Watershed, places that were relatively safe, but it was also home to numerous forbidden zones none dared to approach. These forbidden zones were full of mystery and peril, and throughout the ages, those who explored them had seldom left alive!

Of these forbidden zones, eight were so perilous that people paled at the mere mention of their names.

The City of the Lost was one such place. Throughout the ages, anyone who ventured inside was lost forever, never to return. Their cultivation bases didn’t matter; no one ever made it out.

This was because the City of the Lost was full of strange and terrifying Ghost Gods.

Ghost Gods were ghosts manifested of lingering resentment when a god perished. They were full of strange, inauspicious, malevolent power. Thus, they were also known as inauspicious spirits.

They said that not even gods dared to enter the City of the Lost!

“Why do you want to go there?” Wu Lingchong couldn’t help but ask.

“Some of my friends vanished in the City of the Lost,” said Su Yi. “No matter whether they’re alive or dead, I have to go look for them.”

He took out a jug of wine and drank. Xiao Ruyi, Ye Chunqiu, and Xu Fushi’s faces arose in his sea of consciousness.

After a moment’s silence, Wu Lingchong said, “You’ll have to pass six outposts to reach the City of the Lost. Even if we rush, that’ll mean at least three months on the River of Epochs.

“And the moment we enter an outpost, we’re sure to meet with trouble, as the forces of the Nine Great Heavenly Gods are stationed at all six outposts along the way.”

Wu Lingchong frowned. This was trouble. Big trouble.

“What’s there to worry about? We’ll stop at every outpost along the way. No need to avoid them,” laughed Su Yi. “I’ll be curious to see just how many waves the Nine Great Heavenly Gods’ bounty can stir up!”

Wu Lingchong didn’t know what to say. It seemed... that Su Yi was looking forward to it!

......

Six days later.

The Golden Bridge Watershed, an enormous but narrow city built on a landmass hovering over the water.

Golden Bridge City was an outpost under the jurisdiction of Heaven’s Reliance Tower, one of the Nine Great Orthodoxies.

“Su Yi is here!”

“Really?”

“Numerous experts exploring the nearby waters saw him. The criminal wanted by all of the Nine Great Heavenly Gods is making no effort to hide himself. He’s appeared out in the open!”

“How could he be so bold?”

...Throughout the city, everyone was discussing Su Yi’s arrival, much like they would a coming storm.

Meanwhile, the experts of Heaven’s Reliance Tower had already begun their preparations.

“The wanted criminal actually dares to show himself in the open?” Meng Yunshui furrowed his brow.

He was a prominent member of Heaven’s Reliance Tower, and he’d been stationed in Golden Bridge City for a long time.

Not long ago, he received word that Su Yi was wanted by all of the Nine Great Heavenly Gods of the Kingdom of Lasting Light.

But he would never have guessed that this wanted criminal would come to Golden Bridge City so openly and forthrightly.

“Your Excellency, our forces are in position!” A subordinate rushed over to deliver a report. “According to our scouts, the wanted criminal, Su Yi, will arrive at Golden Bridge City within just ten minutes!”