Chapter 2233 - The First Variable

Dawn broke.

When the first light of a new day cut through the curtain of darkness, it lit up the entire landscape.

A dense crowd had gathered outside Skybright Mountain, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The beginning of a new day marked the end of the seven days the Three Purities Daoist Court had given the Xi Family, but there was still no sign of Su Yi!

This resulted in a wave of uproar.

The ones closest to Skybright Mountain, the experts of the Three Purities Daoist Court and the other top factions, had long since sealed off the entire area.

A yellow-robed, white-haired man said with a frown, “Daoist Brother, I’m afraid Su Yi won’t be coming.”

“It doesn’t matter to us whether he shows up or not,” said Master God Xun Hong. “Our mission is to destroy the Xi Family. If Su Yi doesn’t come, we’ll just kill them all and flatten the place. In doing so, we’ll have carried out our mission!”

He was dressed in Daoist robes, and he wore a tall hat. His face was long and thin, and his gaze was cold and indifferent.

As a high elder of the Three Purities Daoist Court, Xun Hong had led a group here and set up camp twenty days ago. They’d worked together to seal off all of the Xi Family’s possible escape routes.

Xun Hong was also the one in charge of this operation.

“Daoist Brother, are we really going to attack? The whole world is watching!” someone couldn’t help but ask.

If Su Yi didn’t show up, there was no point in massacring the Xi Family. Worse, if they did, people would talk. How would the world see them then?

“This is what they call killing the chicken to warn the monkeys,” Master God Xun Hong said coldly. “We need the whole world to see the consequences of a relationship with the criminal Su Yi!”

With that, he issued orders. “Tell the Xi Family to come out obediently and accept execution! If they refuse, we’ll simply wipe Skybright Mountain off the face of the earth!”

“Yes!” A hale and hearty middle-aged man in Daoist robes stepped forth. He was from the Three Purities Daoist Court too. His name was Zhan Tu, and he was Xun Hong’s junior apprentice brother.

He leaped into the air, then stood in the sky and said gravely, “Xi Family, hear my call! Come out immediately and accept judgment, or we’ll crush the place and kill until not even a scrap of armor remains!”

He spoke every word slowly and clearly, and his voice went off like a thunderclap, shattering even the clouds overhead.

As his booming voice spread outward, it startled the countless onlookers in the distance. Everyone realized that the Three Purities Daoist Court was about to attack the Xi Family.

All eyes were instantly upon them.

Skybright Mountain was bathed in the light of a new morning, like a vision of an otherworldly pure land.

This was the ancestral home of the Xi Family, yet now, the mountain seemed more like a cage. Everyone in the Xi Family was trapped inside. Their lives and deaths were completely in the hands of the Three Purities Daoist Court!

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Before long, the crowd watched as a group emerged from the entrance to Skybright Mountain. There were only about thirty of them, all of them prominent members of the Xi Family. Their faces were ashen, and their steps were heavy. All of them looked despondent, frantic, and ill at ease.

Xi Jingshan and Xi Ning walked at the head of the procession. The two of them were comparatively calm.

“Just you?” Zhan Yu frowned with seething murderous intent.

“If our clansmen beneath the divine level come out, they’ll simply be throwing their lives away. Moreover, the sect is home to many women and children. They shouldn’t see such bloodshed,” Xi Jingshan said gravely.

He held Xi Ning’s hand and walked with large, powerful strides. He swept his gaze across the Master Gods in the distance and said coldly, “My daughter and I are the only people in the entire family with any connection to Su Yi whatsoever. The others are innocent. If you want to kill us, go right ahead!

“I just hope that the Three Purities Daoist Court has some semblance of a conscience and a bottom line. Please, don’t kill us all!”

His voice boomed throughout the surrounding area. Many of the distant onlookers were moved, and many of them sighed to themselves.

Had the Xi Family done anything wrong?

They hadn’t! Everyone knew that the Three Purities Daoist Court was targeting the Xi Family purely to target Su Yi.

It was fair to say that of everyone embroiled in this storm, the Xi Family was the most innocent.

But no one dared to say anything. The Three Purities Daoist Court was the ruler of the Spirit Firmament Divine Continent. Who’d dare to argue with them?

“If we were only after the two of you, we wouldn’t have needed to rally such a large force!” Master God Xun Hong said coldly.

His gaze was calm, and his voice was quiet, but it spread throughout the entire area. “It’s not like we didn’t give you an opportunity, but now, seven days have passed. Allow me to be perfectly clear. Today, the ancient Xi Family... will be wiped from the face of the God Domain!”

He spoke with firm conviction and overflowing murderous intent!

“Junior Brother Zhan Yu.” Xun Hong waved. “Bring everyone out.”

“Got it!” Zhan Yu took out a cloth bag and tossed it into the air.

The bag suddenly expanded, and thousands of captives fell out and onto the ground. Their ranks included men and women of all ages, all of them unconscious.

When Xi Jingshan saw them, his face paled, and he roared in fury, “Aren’t you taking this too far?”

He recognized the unconscious people at a glance. These were the members of the Xi Family spread across the Spirit Firmament Divine Continent. Now, all of them had been captured!

“We said we were going to rip the grass up by the roots, so naturally, we cannot spare even a single one of you!” Xun Hong said coldly.

The distant onlookers gasped. The Three Purities Daoist Court was just too ruthless. They weren’t just going to flatten the Xi Family’s ancestral home. They’d even gathered the Xi clansmen scattered throughout the rest of the continent for execution!

A stifled, oppressive atmosphere hung over heaven and earth.

“You’re that intent on destroying us? Are there no depths to which you would not sink?” Xi Ning said coldly, “The world will see what you’ve done, and I trust that one day, the Three Purities Daoist Court will meet with the same fate!”

Xun Hong couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Juvenile. The Three Purities Daoist Court has existed since the earliest days of the God Domain’s history, enduring far too much turmoil and strife to measure, yet we stand proudly to this day and reign over an entire divine continent. Even now, no one can shake our position!”

“Senior Xun Hong, although the ancient Xi Family has erred, their crimes don’t warrant annihilation. Doing this will only hurt the Three Purities Daoist Court’s reputation. Please reconsider,” said someone in the distant crowd.

The crowd was moved. Stepping forward to plead for mercy on the Xi Family’s behalf at a time like this was extraordinarily courageous!

“Shut your mouth!” Xun Hong glared icily at the speaker. “If anyone else speaks up on the Xi Family’s behalf, no matter who they are, the Three Purities Daoist Court will see them as Su Yi’s allies!”

The threat made countless onlookers’ hearts shake. No one else dared utter a word.

Xun Hong glanced at the sky and said, “Zhan Yu, you can begin!”

“Got it!” Zhan Yu nodded his assent.

“The Xi Family is willing to submit!” A purple-robed, middle-aged member of the Xi Family flung himself to the ground. This was none other than Xi Qingsong.

He was completely frantic and terrified as he begged for mercy. “We can give you all of our treasures and legacies, and we can help you find and defeat Su Yi! If you have any other requests, no matter what they are, we’ll agree to anything!”

The crowd was startled. None of them had anticipated that Xi Qingsong would kneel so quickly!

Some of the other Xi Family higher-ups felt as if their cheeks were red-hot and stinging.

How could he do something so spineless in front of a crowd!?

Xi Jingshan’s face was ashen with fury. “Stand back up! The Xi Family has only brave warriors who face death on their feet, not spineless cravens who beg for their lives on their knees!”

“Well said,” laughed Master God Xun Hong. “Everyone looks down on a coward. I hate spineless bastards who cling desperately to life more than anything.”

He paused, then swept his gaze across the gathered Xi Family experts. “Let me make myself perfectly clear. Even if all of you kneel and beg for your lives... you still must die!”

Boom!

The entire crowd was in uproar. They finally dared believe that, assuming Su Yi didn’t show up, the Xi Family would be completely doomed.

Not even begging for their lives would save them!

The Xi Family higher-ups’ expressions were bleak, and their hopes crumbled like ash.

We... really can’t escape disaster this time!

“A’Ning, I understand why Su Yi isn’t here, but it seems... you’ve really misjudged him,” sighed Xi Jingshan.

Xi Ning’s beautiful face was pallid and she pursed her lips. “I’m sure he’ll come!”

Xi Jingshan smiled. “Perhaps.”

He said no more. He just squeezed Xi Ning’s hand. “No matter what happens, I’ll stand in front of you and go first.”

The rims of Xi Ning’s eyes reddened.

It was then that Zhan Yu stepped forth. A terrifying divine majesty emanated from his tall, stalwart frame, and he said with seething murderous intent, “Everyone, begin! Get it over with, and don’t leave so much as a scrap of iron behind!”

His voice shook and dispersed the clouds.

Ten or so other Master Gods stepped forth with great tacit understanding. All of their imposing auras gathered together, blanketing the sky and blotting out the sun. The air shook on all sides.

Countless onlookers’ hearts quivered.

But it was then that a clear, hearty voice rang out. “Shameless! Truly shameless! Is this how the Three Purities Daoist Court conducts itself? How are you any different from a faction of fiends and heretics?”

The crowd fell silent. All of them were flabbergasted.

Who is that? He dares insult the Three Purities Daoist Court like this!?

Whoosh!

When they looked over, they saw that a man in silver robes had appeared in front of Xi Jingshan and Xi Ning, seemingly out of nowhere.

His hair was loose and disheveled, and he looked young and carefree. His entire body emanated an unrestrained, unfettered aura.

“Just as I thought. I knew variables would arise,” Xun Hong said expressionlessly. “Tell me, then. Who are you, and why are you here?”

Zhan Yu and the other Master Gods had been just about to attack, but now, they lowered their weapons and watched the silver-robed man inquisitively.

They could destroy the Xi Family with a snap of their fingers. It would take no effort at all. It was variables like this that they were really concerned about.

Just as they expected, a variable arose just as they were about to attack.

This not only didn’t anger them; it actually excited them.

Something happened! Does that mean that Su Yi will show himself soon too?

But much to the crowd’s shock, the silver-robed man blatantly ignored Xun Hong.

Instead, he smiled and greeted Xi Ning.

“My name is, ah, Ai Kun, and I’m a passerby. I once promised Su Yi a generous gift. Now, the time has come for me to fulfill my promise!”