Chapter 2081 - The Deification Star Sea

Outside the city lord’s manor, the guards who’d rushed over as reinforcements lay sprawled out on the ground. All were injured to varying degrees.

“Third Libationer, in the end, you emerged as the winner of this game,” teased Luo Xuanji.

Chief Libationer Fa Tianming was now just a bodyless soul, and he’d been consigned to the dungeons for a thousand years.

Second Libationer Qin Wenxiao had been executed by the Staff of Divine Punishment, destroyed in both body and soul.

Of the three libationers of the City of the Beginning, only Third Libationer Lie Xingqu had survived this storm. Naturally, it wasn’t unreasonable to declare him its victor.

But Lie Xingqu’s expression shifted, and he said betterly, “Please, whatever you do, don’t say that. Last night, Qin Wenxiao threatened me, which was why I was so hesitant to express my support for Fellow Daoist Su today.

“Ren Beiyou was right earlier,” laughed Su Yi. He had no intention of finding fault with Lie Xingqu. “We punish actions, not intentions. In the end, you stood with the rules. It’s enough.”

“But I...” Lie Xingqu’s expression shifted, and he slumped. “But I once erred gravely....”

“I know,” said Su Yi. “The Drum of Injustice was under your care, yet someone managed to steal its mallet. Qin Wenxiao must have used that oversight to threaten you. I’m right, aren’t I? After all, according to the rules, you ought to be punished for failing to fulfill your responsibilities.”

Lie Xingqu shuddered from head to toe, then stammered, “Fellow Daoist, you... you... you know about that?”

Su Yi nodded. “The Mirror of Acuity told me.”

The Mirror of Acuity saw everything that happened in the City of the Beginning. It naturally knew how Qin Wenxiao had tried to threaten Lie Xingqu.

“No wonder...” Lie Xingqu grimaced. “I finally understand. You grasped the storm that played out today in full before it even began, Fellow Daoist. Everything we did... just made us seem like bungling clowns.”

Su Yi had long since seen through them. The more they celebrated, and the more they jumped about, the more unseemly they seemed when they fell flat on their face!

Luo Xuanji, meanwhile, recalled the night prior.

Su Yi had sprawled out languidly in his chair, admiring the moon between sips of wine. When he spoke of the storm to come the following morning, he described it as “boring” and “insipid.”

There was no doubt about it. Last night, Su Yi had seen through the situation in full!

He really is unbelievable. Every time I think he’s doomed, he whips out some unexpected solution to resolve the danger.

Luo Xuanji felt a bit strange. Numerous thoughts flooded her mind.

She recalled when she and Su Yi first met and clashed in the City of the Lost. She recalled the Tower of Ancient Evils, where the mysterious Gongye Futu had helped Su Yi turn the tides.

She recalled that before the Path of the Ancient Gods opened, the River Lord, the most mysterious figure in the River of Epochs, arrived to support Su Yi.

When she combined all that with what she’d just witnessed here today, Luo Xuanji’s heart filled with irrepressible curiosity.

Just how many secrets does this guy have?

“Does that mean you already know who stole the Drum of Injustice’s mallet, Fellow Daoist?” Lie Xingqu couldn’t help but ask.

“I have a hypothesis,” said Su Yi. “If it’s as I suspect, your own clan was involved.”

Lie Xingqu’s expression shifted. A moment later, he slumped in dejection. “I guessed the same thing a long time ago, but... I never dared to believe it.”

Only three families, the Qin, Fa, and Lie Families, could have members take up office in the City of the Beginning!

The Fa Family controlled the Mirror of Acuity, and the Qin Family controlled the Staff of Divine Punishment. The Lie Family, naturally, could use the Drum of Injustice.

Thus, when the mallet went missing, they were naturally involved.

But someone had managed to steal the mallet from right under the Third Libationer’s nose. The situation obviously wasn’t that simple.

“I’ll get to the bottom of this eventually,” said Su Yi. “I’m telling you this because I want you to send word back to your clan and startle the snake out of its nest. If the criminal returns the mallet of his own accord, it’ll reduce his punishment. If he remains stubborn, I won’t spare him.”

Lie Xingqu shuddered from head to toe, then solemnly clasped his fist. “I understand.”

“Today, I’ll leave the City of the Beginning and enter the path of trials. It’s highly likely that I’ll encounter experts of your Lie Family. When I do, I’ll naturally learn the Lie Family’s attitude,” said Su Yi. “I’d hate for this to end in violence. I trust that you don’t want to see that happen either, right?”

Lie Xingqu nodded. “I’ll do everything in my power to bring the lost mallet back to the City of the Beginning!”

Su Yi said no more on the matter. He just waved his sleeves.

Boom!

The power of reincarnation swept outward. The Drum of Injustice, Staff of Divine Punishment, and Mirror of Acuity rumbled, then vanished into the city’s Laws.

“I’ll be in the Path of the Ancient Gods for the next year. During that time, the City of the Beginning has no need for a city lord,” said Su Yi. “Even without one, anyone who violates the rules will be punished accordingly.”

......

When the curtains fell on the storm at the city lord’s manor, it triggered widespread uproar.

Su Yi, meanwhile, had decided to set off and leave the City of the Beginning on his own. He was to take the path of trials prepared for Great Profound experts!

Outsiders who arrived in the City of the Beginning could take one of three paths of trials.

Those beneath the Great Profound Stage could use their identity markers to explore the Three Thousand Battles Domain.

The Three Thousand Battles Domain was full of endless good fortune.

If someone reached the Great Profound Stage during their trial, they could enter the Deification Star Sea!

The Deification Star Sea was the path of trials intended for Great Profound Stage experts. It was also sometimes called the Path to Divinity.

Numerous hidden realms both large and small were scattered across the Deification Star Sea, like stars strewn across the path of trials.

But the Deification Star Sea was more dangerous than the Three Thousand Battles Domain. A moment’s incaution could lead to death.

Those who made it through the Deification Star Sea, whether or not they became gods, could reach the Ancient God Domain. That was where the Nine Great Celestial Trials were located.

This was also the home of the trials intended for gods.

Notably, the Nine Great Celestial Trials each had their wondrous qualities, and not just anyone could enter them.

But before Su Yi worried about any of that, he had to get across the Deification Star Sea.

“Fellow Daoist, I’ll wait for you in the Ancient God Domain,” Luo Xuanji said with anticipation. “I’ll gather information while I wait. I hope... I can find leads to the person I care about.”

The Ancient God Domain was extraordinary. Most of the lost epochs of the past had left their mark there. You could even find many of the people who’d vanished into these lost epochs there!

Luo Xuanji had come here to locate the person she most cared about. Even now, after all this time, she still worried about him.

As a ruler of a forbidden zone, the moment she stepped onto the path of trials, she’d be whisked away to the Ancient God Domain.

“Alright,” said Su Yi. “Take care of yourself.”

A smile tugged at Luo Xuanji’s lips. “You too, Fellow Daoist.”

With that, she turned and floated away.

Su Yi was just about to set off when Lie Xingqu rushed over and said at top speed, “Fellow Daoist Su, please wait!”

“Did something happen?”

“I sent your message about the mallet of the Drum of Injustice back to the clan and just received a response. They said that they had the mallet, but that someone else stole it a long time ago,” said Lie Xingqu, his expression dark. “And the criminal was connected to the ancient Qin Family! I should have known. Qin Wenxiao dared to use the lost mallet to threaten me, so I’m sure he knew that all along!

“And only the Qin and Fa families could have guessed that a member of the Lie Family first ran off with the mallet.”

He gnashed his teeth with fury. He was ashamed to even face Su Yi.

But Su Yi wasn’t at all concerned. He just said, “I’ll reach the Ancient God Domain sooner or later. Tell the Lie Family that I’ll need a satisfactory explanation from them when I arrive.”

It was the Lie Family who’d stolen the mallet in the first place. It didn’t matter that the Qin Family had later stolen it from them; the Lie Family couldn’t escape its share of the blame.

He needed an explanation!

Lie Xingqu’s heart shook. “Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. I’ll do my utmost to resolve this situation!”

He paused, then added, “Also, I just received the word that the gods of the God Domain, no matter their cultivations, have left the City of the Beginning and gone to the Deification Star Sea!”

Su Yi was stunned. “Isn’t the Deification Star Sea designed for Great Profound Stage cultivators? How could gods like them possibly go there?”

Lie Xingqu immediately explained. Ultimately, like so many other changes to the Path of the Ancient Gods, it was because the power of reincarnation had been gone for far too long.

When the experts of the god Domain received their identity markers, Qin Wenxiao manipulated the Laws of the City of the Beginning, altering the markers so that they could enter the Deification Star Sea!

“I dare say with certainty that they’re after you, Fellow Daoist!” Lie Xingqu said with deep concern. “That aside, word of Qin Wenxiao’s execution and Fa Tianming’s imprisonment has surely reached their families by now. I’m afraid... that both clans are highly likely to send their experts after you.”

Su Yi smiled, not the least bit perturbed. “I’m not afraid of trouble. I’m just afraid of boring, tedious trouble.”

It was just as he’d told Chief Libationer Fa Tianming. Even prior to stepping foot on the Path of the Ancient Gods, he knew that his control over reincarnation and ownership of the Epoch Spark would invite endless catastrophes and difficulties.

Were he afraid of all this, how could he have even come in the first place?

The Path of the Ancient Gods’ changes were within Su Yi's expectations too.

Everything was because the power of reincarnation had been gone for far, far too long!

Throughout the ages, the power of reincarnation had suppressed numerous terrifying existences within the Path of the Ancient Gods. It was like part of the invisible order of Heaven’s Will. It enveloped the entirety of the Path of the Ancient Gods, intimidating all who lived there!

But this power had been absent for ages. Everything it once kept in place had changed. This was what led to the Path of the Ancient Gods’ changes.

Su Yi could already predict that he’d encounter an increasing number of similar changes on the road ahead. All he could do was remain consistent in the face of endless changes, using his sword to cleave open his own unique path to divinity!

Su Yi set off later that very day.

...

A boundless stretch of void stretched endlessly into the distance, as far as the eye could see. It was illuminated by countless flickering stars.

A path of trials ran through the starry void, continuing endlessly ahead.

This was the Deification Star Sea!

Su Yi stood on this path of trials, his hands behind his back as he gazed into the distance.

The starry void was like an endless sea. The countless stars paved an ancient and mysterious path to divinity... the path that connected the past and present. This was a place that Great Profound Stage experts longed for even in their dreams!

But Su Yi had only just arrived when a voice tinged with murderousness resounded in the distance.

“Who are you? Tell me your name!”