Chapter 2194 - The Xiezhi, Ku Zhen

Immortal cranes soared between the endless peaks.

Endless streams of divine radiance poured down from the heavens, bathing the world in their auspicious glow. A boundless air of divinity surged over the Qingwu Divine Mountains like a sea of clouds.

After passing through the sect gates, Su Yi and Tie Wenjing entered a road through the mountains. It was lined with towering, ancient trees, with picturesque scenes of otherworldly purity everywhere they looked.

Even the towers and pagodas built on the peaks emanated an ancient, holy air.

The sound of recited classics echoed through the mountains. It was the sound of the sect’s disciples cultivating in their ritual grounds.

From time to time, streaks of flowing light tore through the sky, shuttling between the peaks.

Every last person here was a cultivator, and all of them had a distinguished, unaffected air about them.

The light of the setting sun burned like fire, dyeing the auspicious clouds red and bathing the entire sect in a dreamlike atmosphere.

Many of the sect’s disciples saw Tie Wenjing as they made their way in. All of them stopped to clasp their fists in greeting, and all of them respectfully addressed him as “Ninth Elder.”

Su Yi already knew that in Qingwu Divine Court, everyone chosen as an elder was a Fortune Realm Greater God!

The elders all had different responsibilities. Some were instructors, while others were responsible for maintaining order or meting out justice.

Qingwu Divine Court also had numerous divisions: an inner and outer court, a scripture repository, and a teaching hall, among others. Each was overseen by elders.

Among the elders, the thirteen elders of the inner court wielded the greatest authority.

Their leader, Grand Elder Wei Zhong, was a Master God!

Tie Wenjing was an inner court elder too, but he was ranked ninth. His position in Qingwu Divine Court wasn’t all that high, but it definitely wasn’t low, either.

Disregarding authority and judging the elders purely on their abilities, the elders of the scripture repository and teaching hall were the strongest.

These elders paid no heed to worldly affairs. All of them were wholeheartedly focused on either pursuing the Dao, or on transmitting it. Practically all of them were at the pinnacle of the Fortune Realm, just one step away from becoming Master Gods.

“That’s Clear Sky Peak up ahead. The sect leader and the elders are waiting for us there.” Tie Wenjing gestured into the distance.

Clear Sky Peak towered into the blazing skies, majestic and grand. It was far taller than the surrounding peaks, and it seemed far holier.

This was the heart of Qingwu Divine Court.

Never mind ordinary disciples; even deacons, Dao protectors, and other similarly high-ranked experts weren’t qualified to set foot on Clear Sky Peak without an explicit invitation.

Only core disciples and those who’d stepped into the Divine Dao and taken on important roles in the sect were qualified to come here.

“You don’t have to be nervous when you meet the sect leader. All of us are cultivators; there’s no need to get hung up on the intricacies of etiquette,” Tie Wenjing said warmly.

Su Yi nodded.

After a moment’s thought, Tie Wenjing transmitted, “Also, when they’re doing your background check, some of the elders might make unreasonably strict demands. Whatever you do, don’t take offense.”

“I understand,” Su Yi said with a smile.

In the God Domain, top factions were all incomparably cautious when recruiting gods into their midst. New recruits had to pass a thorough investigation. This helped ensure that no spies made it into the sect.

Su Yi was naturally prepared for this.

“You don’t understand.” Tie Wenjing shook his head. “The third elder of the inner court, Ku Zhen, is cold, cruel, and heartless. Moreover, he doubles as the elder responsible for meting out justice.

“Over the years, too many spies and traitors have died at his hands to count. There isn’t a single person in the sect who isn’t afraid of him. Some of the disciples have even secretly taken to calling him ‘the Cold-Blooded Butcher.’

“But he really is capable. He has an incomparable abundance of experience in ferreting out spies and traitors, and the sect leader thinks extremely highly of him.”

Su Yi was a bit stunned. “Elder Tie, it sounds like you’re a bit afraid of Elder Ku Zhen, too.”

Tie Wenjing smiled bitterly. “Elder Ku Zhen is the least likable person in the sect. He’s ruthless and disagreeable, and he’s completely uncompromising. Even we elders seldom interact with him, let alone the disciples.”

Su Yi understood. To the leader of Qingwu Divine Court, Ku Zhen was like a knife. He was useful precisely because he was so ruthless and cold-blooded.

“Right, Elder Ku Zhen is of the Xiezhi lineage,” said Tie Wenjing. “So if he questions you, make sure not to lie. If you do, he’ll see through you immediately.”

A Xiezhi!

A natural variant beast with a unique innate ability. They could sense truths and falsehoods, identify right and wrong, and determine loyalty!

Su Yi narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He wasn’t worried about his identity being revealed.

This was because he wasn’t in disguise. The power of his bloodline and his appearance were both real; there was nothing to uncover.

If a true descendant of the Torch Dragon Race saw his Torch Dragon bloodline, they’d even have to call him “ancestor”!

His Torch Dragon bloodline was born of chaos. It was a naturally formed, ancestral source power.

Su Yi had received nine such ancestral source powers during the first of the Path of the Ancient Gods’ Nine Great Celestial Trials.

He had Qiongqi, Suanni, Dijiang, Zhuyan, Qingsi, Kunpeng, Taowu, and Taotie bloodlines in addition to his Torch Dragon bloodline!

These nine supreme bloodline source powers had all fused fully into Su Yi’s body, becoming a portion of his physical body’s strength.

He naturally had access to all of the innate divine abilities that came with these bloodlines.

This was why, back in the Qilin Trading Company, neither Madam Qi Wei nor her elderly attendant could tell that his bloodline was fake.

Su Yi could say with certainty that not even a Master God could see through him!

Soon, he and Tie Wenjing had reached Clear Sky Peak.

Su Yi could clearly sense an extremely dangerous formation covering the mountain. It was a Master God-level formation, or rather, an Undying Realm formation.

That must be Qingwu Divine Court’s sect-protecting formation, the Divine Martial Dao Formation,

thought Su Yi.

The founder of Qingwu Divine Court had placed this formation, and generation after generation of disciples had added to it. Now, when the formation circulated at full strength, it could trap even Nine-Tribulation Master Gods!

Hm? Interesting. Aside from the Divine Martial Dao Formation, the mountain has a hidden guardian beast, and several other terrifying presences hidden in the darkness...

Su Yi quickly sensed several formless, inscrutable presences sweeping over him as soon as he arrived.

He didn’t attempt to examine them, instead choosing to feign ignorance. However, the experience of his past lives told him that Clear Sky Peak was covered in layer upon layer of lethal threats.

This was the accumulated power of a peak faction.

An ancient palace built entirely out of white jade stood atop Clear Sky Peak. It towered into the sea of clouds, casting its auspicious light. It seemed incomparably holy.

The mere sight of it was enough to fill someone with awe.

This was Clear Sky Divine Palace!

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Two stone statues stood by the gates, one on each side.

The statue on the left had a bird’s head on a winged humanoid body fully covered in scales. Its hands gripped an enormous halberd.

The statue on the right depicted a nine-tailed fox. Its nine tails danced in the air, their tips pointing toward the heavens.

When Su Yi saw the two statues, he instantly recalled two members of Qingwu Divine Court.

The first was its founder, Lei Qingwu. Rumor had it that he was a naturally formed lightning spirit.

The other was Hua Hongzhen!

He was from the Nine-Tailed Fox Race.

The two statues obviously depicted Lei Qingwu and Hua Hongzhen. They were vivid and lifelike. Although they were just stone statues, they each had an imposing, dignified air about them.

Su Yi could tell at a glance that the two statues were, in truth, the eyes of the Divine Martial Dao Formation!

Anyone with the secret method to control those two statues can naturally control the Divine Martial Dao Formation, too...

thought Su Yi.

As he pondered, Tie Wenjing led him into Clear Sky Divine Palace.

The palace floors were covered in Grand Dao Divine Stones, and the roof was held up by thirty-six divine pillars. The palace interior wasn’t at all extravagant, but it had a holy, dignified air.

When Su Yi and Tie Wenjing arrived, they found ten or so people waiting for them inside, all of them dignified and imposing.

“I’ve brought Xiao Jian, the descendant of the Torch Dragon Race, to see you, Sect Master!” Tie Wenjing took a step forward and solemnly clasped his fist in greeting.

All eyes were instantly on him and Su Yi. An imposing, formless pressure permeated the room.

Tie Wenjing remained calm.

Su Yi was perfectly at ease, too.

“No need for such politeness,” said the man in the centermost seat. He was middle-aged, with a willowy beard, and he wore plain Daoist robes. His skin was as smooth and fair as jade.

Even just seated there casually, he seemed as if he were gazing down upon all of creation.

This was none other than the leader of Qingwu Divine Court, Liang Lingxu.

A Three-Tribulation Undying Realm Master God!

“Are you Xiao Jian?” Liang Lingxu looked at Su Yi, his gaze calm and gentle.

Su Yi subtly inclined his head and clasped his fist. “Greetings, Sect Master.”

He was inwardly a bit exasperated. Liang Lingxu was Hua Hongzhen’s closed-door disciple. That in turn made him Yu Xinyao’s martial nephew.

Way back when, Liang Lingxu had been a junior to Yi Daoxuan, someone only fit to stand there and do as he was told.

Yet now, hundreds of thousands of years later, Liang Lingxu was the leader of Qingwu Divine Court, a lofty, high-ranking authority figure.

And now, he was supposed to clasp his fist and greet him respectfully. Su Yi had fused with Yi Daoxuan’s Dao Imprint, so he couldn’t help but feel a bit strange about it.

“Not bad,” Liang Lingxu said approvingly. “We know all about your performance in the Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly. So long as you pass our background check, you’ll be a member of Qingwu Divine Court.”

He paused, then continued, “I talked it over with the elders earlier. Given your cultivation and aptitude, so long as you smoothly gain admission to the sect, we’ll break precedent and appoint you as a deacon of the Wandering Night Palace.”

Wandering Night Palace?

Su Yi was stunned.

Qingwu Divine Court’s Wandering Night Palace and Wandering Sun Palace were both under the control of the inner court.

The Wandering Sun Palace was led by the inner court’s grand elder. They were tasked with surveying Qingwu Divine Court’s territories across the Southern Flame Divine Continent and beyond, as well as with overseeing their subordinate factions.

The gods there were all known as Wandering Sun Gods.

Cai Lei, the god Su Yi had captured in the Billowing Blue Realm, was one such Wandering Sun God of Qingwu Divine Court.

The Wandering Night Palace, however, was led by Third Elder Ku Zhen. They were responsible for discipline, surveillance, gathering information, and pursuing criminals, among other things. Its experts were all called Wandering Night Gods!