Chapter 2186 - The Curtains Open on the Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly

Stargazing Tower.

“Many thanks, Brother Xiao! The Feng Family will surely repay this act of benevolence one day!” said Feng Wuji, gratitude written all over his face.

Su Yi had just given him a secret map. It had detailed, accurate labels and information regarding the Extreme Lightning Demon Cave. It even listed out all of the danger zones and their respective perils one by one.

After the old man accompanying Feng Wuji looked it over, he confirmed that the map was real, and that its value was inestimable!

“Remember: I’m helping you, not your family,” said Su Yi. Then, he floated off without another word.

Feng Wuji’s grandfather was the Rahu Yao Ancestor, one of Li Fuyou’s mightiest enemies.

The map he’d just given Feng Wuji might well save the Rahu Yao Ancestor’s life, but if the opportunity to kill the Rahu Yao Ancestor arose, there was no way that Su Yi would show mercy.

Su Yi had made his attitude perfectly clear to Feng Wuji way back in the Path of the Ancient Gods.

“Strange. He seems to rather dislike the Feng Family,” the old man said with a frown.

“How so?” said Feng Wuji, a bit displeased. “If he really disliked us that much, how could he have given us that map? The way I see it, Xiao Jian is our benefactor! And someone I can get along with!”

Here, something suddenly occurred to him. “Right, that old bastard Niu Kui said he plans to target Xiao Jian during the Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly. We can’t remain bystanders!”

The old man nodded. “Of course not!”

......

The following morning.

In the center of Spring and Autumn City, just outside the Jade Cauldron Ritual Grounds, there was a place to register for the upcoming Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly.

“Your name?”

“Xiao Jian.”

“Go confirm your cultivation with the Dao-Measuring Stele,” said a gray-robed old man.

Su Yi promptly stepped aside, where there stood a black stele. When he placed his palm on it, it rumbled and boomed, and the words “mid-stage Creation Realm” arose on its surface.

This system was in place to prevent participants from hiding or suppressing their cultivation bases.

When the old man saw this, he carved the words “mid-stage Creation Realm” on an identity medallion, then asked, “Where are you from?”

“The Eastern Victory Divine Province, the Torch Dragon lineage,” Su Yi said casually.

The old man in gray whipped around and looked at Su Yi in astonishment. “I wouldn’t have thought you were a descendant of the Torch Dragon race.”

He pondered for a moment, then carved this information on the medallion before passing it to Su Yi. “You’re eligible to participate. Come back tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you.” Su Yi accepted the medallion, then left.

Not long after he’d left, word that a descendant of the Torch Dragons was participating in the Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly spread throughout the city, drawing widespread attention.

It had been far, far too long since anyone had last seen a Torch Dragon, so long that most people thought they only existed in legends!

Yet now, a yao god of the Torch Dragon Race was going to participate in the Spring and Autumn Assembly. Who wouldn’t have paid attention to that?

“This year’s Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly just keeps getting livelier,” someone sighed.

Over the past few days, the imminent Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly had made Spring and Autumn City one of the most watched places in the world.

The wind and clouds were gathering!

A few particularly perceptive people discovered that the gods registered to participate didn’t just include unparalleled figures from the Southern Flame Divine Continent. There were experts from the other divine continents here, too!

“Xiao Jian” was just one of them. There were a few other powerful combatants from the Ancient Nirvana, Spirit Firmament, and Eastern Victory Divine Continents, too.

“They say that this Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly is so lively in large part because of Su Yi.”

“Why do they say that?”

“Simple! Su Yi is currently the most eye-catching figure in the entire God Domain, and he’s currently hiding in the Southern Flame Divine Continent. Who knows how many of the God Domain’s top factions have sent their experts here to search for him?

“That’s why this year’s Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly has drawn so many participants from other divine continents.

“Take Buddhist Son Lian Sheng of the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains or the Three Purities Daoist Court’s Son of the Dao, Xie Yunqing. They and other similarly dazzling figures all crossed paths here, and all of them have registered to participate.

“If not for Su Yi, this year’s Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly could never have been so lively.”

Similar discussions arose on every corner of Spring and Autumn City. Su Yi didn’t care, but there was no avoiding hearing them.

Buddhist Son Lian Sheng is actually here too...

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose, and he felt a bit troubled.

If I defeat the unparalleled Buddhist Son of the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains, won’t it... draw a bit too much attention?

Forget it. I’m just here to join Qingwu Divine Court. I’ll do my best to keep a low profile. If I have to throw a match... I’ll throw a match...

But I can’t come across as too mediocre either. If I do, how could Qingwu Divine Court possibly try to recruit me?

As Su Yi pondered, he made his way back to the inn. Once he’d returned to his room, he sat cross-legged and started cultivating.

He wasn’t very interested in tomorrow’s Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly, and he couldn’t be bothered to concern himself with it.

Given his cultivation base, even if he’d only recovered ten percent of his power, defeating Fortune Realm Greater Gods was entirely within the realm of possibility. If not for his goal of entering Qingwu Divine Court, he would never have bothered participating in something like this.

As Su Yi meditated, he refined divine medicines and sensed the resulting changes to his condition.

Not bad! After taking these unparalleled divine medicines, my wounds are forty percent healed! And my cultivation base is now twenty percent recovered! This money was well spent!

If there was one thing in this world that Su Yi cared about, it was cultivating! It was only when cultivating that Su Yi felt wholeheartedly happy and at peace.

Meanwhile, in an ancient hall somewhere in the city, a group of prominent experts from the Southern Flame Divine Continent was having a banquet.

There were around a dozen of them, men and women of all ages. All of them were here to watch the Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly.

Elder Niu Kui of the Severed Heavens Demon Court was here too.

Suddenly, a white-haired old man sighed. “Qingwu Divine Court was really negligent this time. How could you have let Su Yi escape from right under your nose?”

Many of the attendees looked over at the same person.

He was a middle-aged man in gray robes. His skin was dark, and his features were ordinary and entirely unassuming.

Tie Wenjing, a Fortune Realm Greater God and the ninth elder of Qingwu Divine Court!

“It’s true. The Billowing Blue Realm is under Qingwu Divine Court’s control, as is the path between the Billowing Blue Realm and the Southern Flame Divine Continent,” someone else jeered. “Yet you failed to keep Su Yi in the Billowing Blue Realm. That really shouldn’t have happened.”

Soon, everyone was talking at once. Some were direct, while others were more tactful, but all of them were criticizing Qingwu Divine Court.

Tie Wenjing’s expression darkened, and fury accumulated in his chest.

“Enough. Hold your tongues, everyone. Qingwu Divine Court lost no small number of gods in the attempt to intercept Su Yi, and the whole world is laughing at them. No need to kick them while they’re down,” someone laughed. He was pretending to play peacemaker, but his tone was mocking and strange.

Tie Wenjing was so furious that the veins bulged on his forehead, but he had no choice but to keep his anger in check.

It was true. Qingwu Divine Court’s failure to trap Su Yi in the Billowing Blue Realm had severely damaged its reputation!

Countless other experts were making fun of them!

Some of the greatest factions in the God Domain had even expressed their displeasure with Qingwu Divine Court.

And all of this was because of Su Yi. They thought that Qingwu Divine Court’s incompetence had cost them the perfect opportunity to capture Su Yi!

Tie Wenjing felt aggrieved. If Su Yi were really that easy to deal with, how could he possibly have made it all the way to the God Domain?

Several Master Gods personally went to intercept him on the Path of Celestial Guidance, but they hadn’t managed to stop Su Yi, either!

But he couldn’t say any of that. That would be taken as insulting the Master Gods!

“Seems to me that Qingwu Divine Court is better off not attending this year’s Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly,” someone suggested. “After all, everyone knows you’ve only just fallen flat on your face. If you show yourselves in public now, I’m afraid people will talk.

“And I can already say with certainty that even if the participants are interested in joining a sect, they won’t accept Qingwu Divine Court’s invitation.”

A burst of laughter followed this statement.

Tie Wenqing’s face was so contorted with anger that his nose was almost crooked. “You can participate, so why shouldn’t we participate? Let’s all just wait and see what happens!”

With that, he rose and left with a swoosh of his sleeves.

The others shook their heads dismissively.

“Everyone, I have something to say.” Suddenly, Niu Kui said gravely, “One of my sect’s experts died a brutal death at the hands of a bastard named Xiao Jian. Xiao Jian is due to participate in the Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly tomorrow!

“We’ve already decided to send several of our experts to participate and kill that bastard to avenge our fallen sectmate. I humbly request that none of you interfere!”

His voice was brimming with murderous intent.

“Xiao Jian? You mean that descendant of the Torch Dragons? I was originally rather interested in recruiting him, but now, it seems he’s unlikely to live past tomorrow,” someone sighed.

“It really is a pity.”

“Xiao Jian is from the Torch Dragon Race. Isn’t the Severed Heavens Demon Court worried about offending the faction behind him?

...All of them were talking at once.

Niu Kui said with staunch determination, “No matter who he is or where he came from, there’s a grudge between him and the Severed Heavens Demon Court. He must die!!”

The crowd was instantly solemn. They could tell that Niu Kui had made up his mind, and that Xiao Jian was likely to meet with disaster tomorrow.

A day passed in a flash.

The Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly, the event the entire Southern Flame Divine Continent had been waiting for, would begin today!

The sun had barely risen, but there was already a sea of people outside the Jade Cauldron Ritual Grounds.

Meanwhile, the seats within the ritual grounds were packed with prominent members of top sects.

The participants, meanwhile, were seated to the side of the arena.

As enormous as the ritual grounds were, every last seat was occupied by a god!