Chapter 2201 - So What if I Give You Three Free Attacks?

Qian Hu.

He was about ten feet tall, big-boned, and his skin shone like bronze. His long hair was loose and disheveled, his eyes glinted like the edge of a knife, and his ferocious aura connected both heaven and earth.

Wandering Night Palace was responsible for meting out justice within the sect. Practically every one of its experts was the type to kill a man without even blinking. Their hands were stained red with blood.

Qian Hu was a deacon of Wandering Night Palace. He was a peak Creation Realm Lesser God, as well as one of Third Elder Ku Zhen’s confidants. Everyone in the sect knew how strong he was, and he was famed for his ferocity throughout the Southern Flame Divine Continent.

When he stepped forth to issue a challenge, a wave of uproar spread throughout the crowd.

A calm voice emanated from beyond the formations covering Spirit Bamboo Peak. “Just you?”

The speaker was none other than Su Yi, but he’d yet to leave the mountain.

Many of the onlookers frowned.

Is Xiao Jian seriously too scared to show himself even after being provoked like this?

“Of course it’s not just Qian Hu.” A gray-robed man stepped forth and said calmly, “I’m here too.”

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Boom!

Yet another round of uproar ensued as the crowd recognized him. This was Li Xiaoyun!

He was the sect leader’s seventh legacy disciple and a deacon of the teaching palace. He was a peerless figure, and his name had long since spread throughout the Southern Flame Divine Continent.

He too was a Creation Realm Lesser God!

According to the sect rules, when experts of the same level “visited your mountain,” you weren’t allowed to refuse their challenge. If you did, you’d be punished!

If someone of a different level of cultivation tried to “visit the mountain,” you could accept, or you could refuse. There were no restrictions.

Yet another expert stepped forth. This time, it was a man in yellow. He too was incomparably unyielding and not the least bit polite.

“Xiao Jian, given your background and abilities, you’re in no way qualified to monopolize Spirit Bamboo Peak. If you know what’s good for you, hurry up and scram. Or else, you’ll make a fool of yourself before the crowd, and your reputation will be left in shambles!”

Outer Court Elder Yue Sanshan!

He too was a peak Creation Realm Lesser God.

The outer court was different from the inner court. Outer court elders were far beneath inner court elders in the sect hierarchy. An outer court elder like Yue Sanshan was thus roughly comparable to a deacon of Wandering Night Palace like Qian Hu.

When Li Xiaoyun and Yue Sanshan stepped forth, the crowd descended into even greater uproar.

“Does anyone else want to visit my mountain?” Su Yi’s voice rang out once more. “If so, step forth now. I’d hate for anyone to shrink back in terror and flee from battle later.”

These light, airy words drew yet another round of uproar.

“Deacon Xiao is seriously this arrogant? He doesn’t even take prominent experts like Qian Hu, Yue Shanshan, and Li Xiaoyun seriously?” someone exclaimed.

“If he’s really that brave, why hasn’t he shown himself yet?”

“Seems to me that he wants to get a feel for the situation first. If he decides that things don’t bode well, he might well directly admit defeat!” someone said with a cold laugh.

As the crowd conversed amongst themselves, more and more people gathered at the foot of Spirit Bamboo Peak.

“Count us in too, then!” a man in ink-black robes said coldly.

By now, including Qian Hu and the others, a full thirteen yao gods had stepped forth.

Every last one of them had a prominent position in the sect. Although they couldn’t compete with the true higher-ups, they were top experts within the middle ranks of the sect’s hierarchy.

The sight of this lineup was enough to draw gasps from throughout the crowd. The same thought rose unbidden to the minds of everyone in the audience:

Xiao Jian’s finished!!

But it was then that the formations covering Spirit Bamboo Peak rippled, and a figure emerged. He was tall and thin, with elegant features and robes whiter than snow.

This was none other than Su Yi.

All eyes were instantly upon him.

“So, Deacon Xiao, you’re finally bold enough to come out,” said Deacon Qian Hu. He was seething with murderous intent. “Are you here to admit defeat and vacate Spirit Bamboo Peak of your own accord, or will you accompany us to the arena?”

He was quite direct, and he made no attempt to conceal his enmity for Su Yi.

Li Xiaoyun turned, found Tie Wenjing standing in the crowd, and said, “Elder Tie, there’s no room for you to intervene this time. No matter what happens next, you’d best stay out of it!”

The crowd’s expressions were instantly strange. Who among them

didn’t

know that it was the ninth elder’s intervention that had resolved the storm at Spirit Bamboo Mountain the day prior?

But there was no doubt about it. The ninth elder’s decision had provoked the ire of many of his sectmates!

Now, the sect leader’s legacy disciple, Li Xiaoyun, was warning the ninth elder in front of the crowd. He was giving Tie Wenjing no face at all!

Tie Wenjing’s expression darkened considerably, and his heart filled with anger.

How dare a junior talk to me like that in front of a crowd?

Outwardly, his expression remained neutral. “I urge you not to underestimate Deacon Xiao. If you do, you’ll only bring shame upon your master!”

“Hah!” Li Xiaoyun laughed coldly, then paid Tie Wenjing no further heed.

His disdainful attitude made Tie Wenjing’s expression increasingly unsightly.

The crowd fell silent. Everyone watched coldly from the sidelines.

Mo Yong took all of it in. Despite himself, his heart filled with grief.

Am I... going to be like the ninth elder from now on? Someone even juniors dare to order about?

“Xiao Jian, it’s time you made your decision!” said Qian Hu. He was running out of patience.

Su Yi sighed. “I joined Qingwu Divine Court because I wholeheartedly wished to pursue the Dao. I would never have guessed I’d get swept into petty interpersonal conflicts like this.”

His words left many of the onlookers stunned. They couldn’t quite find the words to describe how they were feeling.

It was true. Xiao Jian had joined the sect less than a month ago, yet he’d already been swept into the sect’s internal conflicts!

“Hmph! Who’s stopping you from ‘wholeheartedly pursuing the Dao’? Give up on Spirit Bamboo Mountain, and this will naturally end here,” Lie Xiaoyun snorted coldly.

Su Yi laughed. “It was the sect leader who granted me Spirit Bamboo Peak. How could I casually offer it up? I, Xiao Jian, might be untalented, but I’m not afraid of trouble. You’ve pushed me to this, so don’t blame me for my poor manners!”

With that, he raised his jug of wine, threw back his head, and took a big gulp.

Many of the disciples couldn’t help but be impressed by his proud, contemptuous bearing. Better to fight and lose than to just give up!

Su Yi’s comportment impressed even some of the high-ranking authority figures!

They admired him, but that was as far as it went. None of them thought that he could turn this around.

One of the older-generation experts sighed and tried to dissuade him. “Xiao Jian, don’t act tough. Sometimes, it’s better to take a step back, weather the storm, and wait for blue skies. The blood of the Torch Dragons courses through your veins, and you’re shockingly talented. This might be a setback, but I’m confident that you’ll soar to prominence sooner or later!”

Many of the others chimed in with their agreement.

Most of those present had no enmity with Su Yi. They knew that he was in this situation despite having joined the sect just a few weeks ago, and they couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

Su Yi shook his head. “This is a clash of the Grand Dao. I can lose, but I absolutely cannot back down!”

With that, he stepped through the mountain gates, swept his gaze across the crowd, and said, “This is a challenge. According to the rules, we both have to put something on the line. Whoever loses must pay a price.”

“What kind of wager are you thinking of?” Li Yunxiao asked playfully.

Su Yi didn’t even pause to think. “If you lose, you have to give me all of the merit points you’ve accumulated. If I lose, I’ll naturally do as you requested and vacate Spirit Bamboo Mountain.”

Merit points were awarded to those who contributed to the sect. Accumulated merit points could then be exchanged for various rewards in the Celestial Treasure Palace.

Those who accumulated enough merit could even use it to rise through the ranks!

Many of the sect’s deacons, Dao protectors, and other such experts had earned promotions to their current positions through accumulated merit.

Merit points were naturally important to Su Yi, too. In Qingwu Divine Court, merit points were a form of currency. You could exchange them for all types of benefits!

After all, merit points represented contributions to the sect. The sect naturally had to encourage people to accumulate them.

It wasn’t just Qingwu Divine Court; every faction had a similar system in place.

“Haha! So, he’s set his sights on our merit points!” Yue Sanshan grinned. The others burst into uproarious laughter.

Su Yi didn’t laugh. He just gazed calmly at Li Xiaoyun.

“Very well!” Li Xiaoyun didn’t hesitate to agree. “But I have an additional request. Lose, and you won’t just have to leave Spirit Bamboo Mountain. I want you to kneel before Clear Sky Divine Palace and repent!”

The crowd was instantly stunned. It was obvious to all of them that Li Xiaoyun wanted to help his master vent his frustration. He would never have set such humiliating terms otherwise.

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. He gazed intently at Li Xiaoyun, then said simply, “Alright.”

“Come on, let’s go to the arena!” urged Qian Hu.

“No need to go to all that trouble. We can just fight in the clouds over Spirit Bamboo Peak,” said Su Yi. With that, he leaped into the air, soared into the sky, and floated amidst the clouds.

Then, he swept his gaze across the challengers. “Who wants to go first?”

Silence descended over the crowd. The atmosphere was stifled.

“I’ll go!” Outer Court Elder Yue Sanshan was the first to jump at the opportunity. He charged directly into the heavens and arrived in the sea of clouds.

All eyes were instantly upon him.

Su Yi stood amidst the churning sea of clouds, bathed in the light of the heavens. He looked utterly relaxed and extraordinary.

But Yue Sanshan had an extraordinary bearing in his own right.

In truth, all of Su Yi’s challengers had researched his performance in the Spring and Autumn Dao Assembly. That was what gave them the confidence to challenge him; they weren’t just recklessly overestimating themselves.

“My cultivation is at the pinnacle of the Creation Realm, and as a long-established member of the sect, I naturally have no desire to bully a newcomer like you. How about this? I’ll give you three free attacks!” Yue Sanshan said calmly.

His qi rumbled and boomed, shattering the nearby clouds. His murderous intent was forceful beyond measure.

This offer, combined with his heaven-shaking momentum, instantly drew cheers from the audience.

“Truly?” asked Su Yi. “Don’t complain that I didn’t give you a chance. You’d best be more careful and give it your all. If you don’t...”

Yue Sanshan laughed dryly. “What’s with all the nonsense? So what if I give you three free attacks? I—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Su Yi waved his sleeve through the air and pressed down.

Bang!!

The clouds collapsed on all sides, like scattering catkins. The sky split, the cracks extending in all directions like a spiderweb.

Yue Sanshan’s voice came to an abrupt halt.

He fell from the sky like a shooting star, then slammed into the ground at the foot of the mountain headfirst. The ground was as hard as iron, yet Yue Sanshan created a human-shaped crater on impact.

A cloud of dust rose into the air, and the earth shook.

The onlookers were left wide-eyed and tongue-tied, no exceptions.

Yue Sanshan’s valiant boasting still echoed through their ears.

“So what if I give you three free attacks?”